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The shortlist for this year’s AEO Excellence Awards has been announced, with Pure London shortlisted for the Best UK Trade Show. The AEO Excellence Awards will be held on the Friday 17 June 2016 at Grosvenor House, London.
Pure London thrives on newness each season and over the years has introduced a number of new sections including Pure Menswear, Retail Lab, Pure Premium, Premium Footwear, Capsule Collections from new and emerging brands and many more. Pure London holds prestigious awards such as The Buyers Power List, The Best of British and The Display Awards to recognise the hard work of brands and buyers who are excelling in business and driving change and innovation in the arena of fashion retail.
The new theme for July 2016; A Life Less Ordinary will bring together the creative, the inspirational, and the non-conformist. The dynamic and inviting space will encourage buyers and visitors to engage with the key trends and discover new brands. A gathering of talent and originality will showcase the most directional brands in fashion, footwear and accessories for July 16. Pure London takes pride in bringing new and on-trend ideas to each show, and this season we will see the launch of Inside Retail; a retail lab designed for learning and networking events. Seminar content will be provided by key industry speakers as well as independent retailers, giving buyers insight on how to survive and thrive on the high street.
Julie Driscoll, Portfolio Director for Pure London commented; “We are thrilled to have been shortlisted for an AEO Excellence award, we work hard to make the show an all-important and inspiring order-writing event on the buying calendar. We’d like to say a big thank you to all of our brands and the buyers involved in supporting us throughout the show. We received a huge amount of positive comments last season and we will ensure the show in July is just as energetic. To be shortlisted for such an award is a testament to all of our customers.”
Pure London finished on a high for its Autumn Winter 16 edition held 14-16 February at Olympia, Kensington and over the last four seasons has made a significant transformation with buyers and
retailers from around the globe to seek out new brands, new collections, and inspiration for the season ahead.
Pure London has seen a positive reaction from exhibitors and buyers and is set to have a strong set of brands committing to Spring Summer 17 in July 2016. Sales team member for high-street fashion brand, Glamorous, Rauri Spence commented; “It’s been great to meet buyers at Pure London, the show is great for networking and we will return to next season. We would recommend Pure London to others – overall it’s a great show!”
To view the highlights from Pure London, visit www.purelondon.com. The next edition will take place from 24-26 July 2016 at Olympia London.


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The UK’s TV Exports: Universally Loved
Here in the Uk, we all have our favourite British shows such as Love Island and The Office. But does the rest of the world share our opinion? With Betway we find out the top UK TV exports
The UK’s TV exports: Universally Loved
UK TV exports made £1.48 billion ($1.97 billion) in 2020 and is one world’s most successful TV industries, setting trends and creating globally-renowned shows.
But how does a show go from UK classic to worldwide icon?
Once a show proves its success in the UK, producers plan the next move to sell it on to international markets. These countries can then adapt the format to suit their market or broadcast in its original form.
Examples of these are top UK shows Planet Earth, The Chase and Strictly Come Dancing.
As more and more British shows expand around the globe, online casino Betway took a deep dive into scripted dramas, game shows and reality TV formats to find out which are the most popular exports.
How much money does the UK make from its TV exports?
UK exports Doctor Who, Downton Abbey and Planet Earth made £1bn of sales last year, out of a total of £1.48 billion. These 3 together formed the UK industry’s largest source of income.
In 2nd place at £160 million (11 per cent of total sales) were adaptations of UK formats, such as Love Island and Come Dine With Me.
See below for how the export sales breakdown into individual markets:
The most profitable territory for the UK is North America creating £572 million in revenue for the industry. £466 million coming from the US.
As expected the English speaking markets prove to be the most popular for UK TV shows as they can easily be adapted for local audiences. Australia and Canada making up 2 of the top 5.
But you can’t forget non-English speaking nations either, the biggest market being France (£102 million in revenue), followed by Nordic countries (£77 million).
Looking further afield there have been increases in exports to Latin American (13%) and Asian (15%) markets due to the rise of streaming services such as Brazil’s GloboPlay and Bilibili in China.
Which UK TV shows and formats have been remade worldwide?
With the huge variety of types of shows produced in the UK such as period dramas and comedies, it is no surprise many have become popular around the world.
These include sitcoms, dramas and series. Below is just a small sample of some global hits that have been adapted to international markets:
• The Office
• His Dark Materials
• Doctor Foster
• Doctor Who
While many have become a runaway success, some don’t always have the intended traction. For example, The Inbetweeners, Skins and Broadchurch continue to be watched on repeat in the UK yet their international adoptions failed to resonate with viewers.
These include reality dating shows to talent competitions. Below are examples sold to international markets.
• Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
• Love Island
• Got Talent
• Strictly Come Dancing
• Planet Earth
• Great British Bake Off
• Come Dine With Me
• First Dates
The UK has a strong reputation for producing strong unscripted format shows and with 42 per cent of the format’s global export sales in 2020, it makes the UK the top unscripted format producing country.
What are the most popular UK TV exports of all time?
To work out which exports are the biggest and most successful of all time we divided the biggest UK TV exports into four categories:
• Money-makers – formats and shows that make the most money.
• Most-viewed – shows with the highest viewing figures.
• Widest reach – formats that have been adapted into the most markets.
• Better than the originals – adaptations that outperformed their UK counterparts.
Factual programmes accounted for 28 per cent of all UK export revenue in 2020 with The Great British Bake Off one of the top shows having been licensed to 26 international markets, including the USA, Denmark, Italy and France.
The biggest export with £50 million in revenue each year from 214 territories being BBC’s Top Gear.
A huge success story is the US version of The Office with 57 billion minutes of streaming in 2020 on Netflix.
But topping that UK’s unscripted formats have done even better. Dancing with the Stars – or Strictly Come Dancing (in the UK) have 500 million viewers over 50 countries.
Another popular export has been studio-based shows such as Got Talent with 78 global sales in 2020, followed by Strictly Come Dancing with 63 sales, and both The X Factor plus Idols with 56 sales.
And you can’t talk about reach without mentioning classics Downtown Abbey and Vera being shown in 250 territories, and then crime series Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Midsomer Murders with more than 200 sales each.
Better than the originals
The UK Office only had 2 seasons with 6 episodes each. Due to the success of the US adaption, producers had to expand this to 22 episodes in season 2 and ultimately taking the comedy to a total of 9 seasons. The US version became a classic standing on its own feet, with an IMDB global popularity ranking of 26th (8.9 star rating) compared to the UK at 558th (8.5 stars rating)
Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Has had the biggest reaction on the world stage with 100 versions produced outside of the UK. The US 2020 reboot taking in an average of 5.6 million viewers per episode with a finale audience of 6.5 million. Whereas Jeremy Clarkson 2018’s UK reboot only had 5.06 million viewers.
What does the future hold for UK TV exports?
With an increase in the quality, quantity and sales of UK show exports, the UK’s entertainment and media revenue is projected to rise from £71.3 billion in 2021 to £87.9 billion in 2025.
Video-on-demand subscriptions continue to grow too and are expected to hit 1.495 billion by 2026. With on-demand platforms currently only accounting for 38 per cent of all international sales, there is much more room to run.
The current mix of the UK export market is likely to change over the next few years, especially as Brexit takes effect. The EU has already announced they want to cut down their reliance on British shows to improve “cultural diversity” and to encourage the industry to grow in smaller European countries.
But as one door closes, more will open as this will only create space to improve relationships with other exports markets such as the US, Latin America and Asia. ITV Studios has already set the ball rolling with a landmark deal with Brazil’s GloboPlay, who next year are set to broadcast more than 400 hours of UK shows.

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Telecom is expanding its Ultra Fibre services to Canterbury, via UFB partner Enable.
The company announced yesterday that more than 100 residential and business customers in Canterbury are now piloting Ultra Fibre, in preparation for a full commercial launch in early 2014.
Before Enable, Telecom’s Ultra Fibre sales had been limited to areas within the Chorus UFB footprint. According to the firm, over the past fortnight, Ultra Fibre has been ‘switched on’ in Whakatane, Oamaru, Masterton and Gisborne.
The company also stated that in November, nearly 1300 customers signed up for Ultra Fibre, making it the highest month of sales since Telecom entered the UFB market in March.
Telecom CEO Retail Chris Quin commented: “If anything, the recent national attention on the UFB rollout is increasing consumer awareness about what UFB can offer – and encouraging more consumers who live in UFB-enabled areas to take advantage of the speed and reliability benefits.”
Telecom’s monthly Data Insights report states that average home broadband usage is now 34 GB per month, up 89 per cent in the past year, and average usage by ultra broadband customers (using Fibre or VDSL technology) is almost three times higher, at 80-90GB per month.
“As ultra broadband customers tend to be ‘early adopters’, this gives us a sense of what data usage by Kiwis across the board will be like in the near future,” said Quin.
Telecom now has almost 6,000 customers on Ultra Fibre or awaiting connection.


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What makes whole wheat bread a lot more appetising and tasty -- it just boils down to controlling the amounts of ferulic acid (FA), a compound found in wheat bran.Devin G. Peterson and colleagues from the University of Minnesota explain that whole wheat flour includes all three layers of the grain - bran, germ and endosperm - while refined flour is mostly endosperm.Wheat flour is also rich in fibre and phytochemicals which lowers cancer, heart, obesity and diabetes risks and is more health giving than its refined white counterpart, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reports.Peterson and team focused on ferulic acid. When they added it to white flour dough, the bread tasted and smelled like wheat bread. Understanding these chemical reactions could help bakers make healthier bread more appetizing, the study suggests, according to a Minniesota statement.Despite wheat bread's benefits, many consumers choose white bread because they prefer its taste and aroma. Peterson wanted to find out how one specific compound prevalent in whole wheat flour impacts its taste and aroma.
For the latest food news, health tips and recipes, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and YouTube.


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The DDA, adopted in 2001 at the fourth ministerial conference, had always struggled to find common ground between richer nations and poorer ones. With not much progress in 14 years, richer nations want new issues to replace the DDA. Developing nations, especially least developed countries (LDCs), oppose this, demanding trade concessions in the form of reduced tariffs and market access.
However, WTO procedures mandate that any new resolution garner unanimous support of member-countries before being adopted. Even so, richer nations led by the European Union have started lobbying for new issues such as e-commerce to be the focus at the ministerial conference in Argentina this December.
Sitharaman has said the issue should be made part of the official agenda only after unanimity, senior commerce department officials say support from nations in the Africa bloc has been waning. While a grouping of Latin American nations — Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Uruguay — and some others (Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka), named 'Friends of E-Commerce for Development', has initiated panel-level talks on the issue.
Developed nations have pushed for discussion on proposed global rules on e-commerce for a long time. Over the past couple of weeks, Australia, Switzerland, Norway and the European Union have made fresh arguments on its behalf.
India has put its weight behind liberalisation of services trade through its proposal of a trade facilitation agreement on services, along the lines of the similar one on goods initiated earlier by the WTO. However, responses from other nations have been lukewarm.


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After doing the groundwork for the Indian market, JA Resorts and Hotels is looking forward to a good season ahead and expects an increase in Indian numbers, especially for their property in the Maldives.
JA Resorts and Hotels are pioneers of hospitality in Dubai, with properties spanning the Indian Ocean in Seychelles and Maldives. Their flagship properties JA Jebel Ali Beach Hotel, located in the JA Jebel Ali Golf Resort, and JA Hatta Fort Hotel have raised the bar in the industry since its inception and continues to provide a unique blend of comfort and casual luxury through its other properties.
On the backdrop of a slightly turbulent 2016, business for the organisation has considerably picked up in the first quarter this year, informs David Thomson, CEO, JA Resorts & Hotels. “It’s been better so far and as business bounces back, we’re continuing to grow as a company. From the Indian market, the growth has been huge, especially for JA Manafaru Maldives where we’ve got a very good response.” Owing to the rising interest shown by Indian travellers, JA Resorts has increased its efforts to tap the market over the past year, adds William Harley-Fleming, Group Business Development Director – JA Resorts & Hotels and General Manager – JA Manafaru, Maldives. “We did a lot of work and took several trips to understand and develop the market which is crucial, because that directs our strategy. We’ve observed that May and June is the big travel period for Indians, so we’re hoping to see an increase this year. We’ve already got a good number of bookings but we appreciate the fact that it’s quite a last-minute market for the Maldives. In addition, we have great chefs at the resort and have hosted a number of food critics so we’re really gearing up for good numbers this year,” he elaborates. The property even has a special Indian menu at one of their restaurants, a move that highlights the importance of the market for the organisation.
However, this wasn’t always the case. Thomson mentions that for long, India was quite an overlooked market with the more prominent ones like Europe and GCC getting the attention. Explaining what changed this perspective, he shares, “We noticed the number of people travelling to Dubai for weddings and this encouraged us to dive deeper and more aggressive into the Indian market. We even hosted a Holi celebration in JA Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa Dubai so we’re very flexible with what we do.” Currently, about 70 per cent of the business as a company still comes from tour operators as opposed to direct bookings, reveals Thomson. “For India especially, the country is huge and working with tour operators allows us the reach. It’s a big market so we’re going about it one step at a time to build the business.
“We noticed the number of people travelling to Dubai for weddings and this encouraged us to dive deeper and more aggressive into the Indian market. We even hosted a Holi celebration in JA Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa Dubai so we are very flexible with what we do” –David Thomson CEO JA Resorts & Hotels
- JA Resorts’ Maldives property has a special Indian menu at one of their restaurants
- Currently, about 70 per cent of the business for JA Resorts still comes from tour operators as opposed to direct bookings


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Paul Davis stories
AI-powered localised scams on the rise, banking fraud trend takes off
BioCatch warns of increasing trend of fraudsters using AI to personalise scams across Europe, with digital fraud and financial crime escalating. Meanwhile, the UK sees notable drop in voice scams.
Nutanix has a new APJ Customer Success Director
Nutanix hires Natalie Chrara as Director of Customer Success for APJ region, bringing 20yrs of experience in tech sales leadership and CCO roles.
Wavelink signs distribution partnership with Scandit
Wavelink has signed a distribution partnership with Scandit to provide better working solutions for the healthcare industry.


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HISTORIC TAVERNS UNEARTHED IN NEW YORK CITY
Monday, May 06, 2014
NEW YORK, NEW YORK—An excavation in Lower Manhattan has unearthed liquor bottles, plates, and mugs from a nineteenth-century German beer garden that was known as Atlantic Garden, and the colonial-era Bull’s Head Tavern, built in the 1740s by a butcher near New York City’s first slaughterhouse. “The Atlantic Garden was actually a tourist destination in its day—it was known for its German food and beer, and as a place for music and parties. It was built over the Bull’s Head Tavern, a place where travelers, many selling their cattle, stopped in for food, drink, to socialize or spend the night,” Alyssa Loorya, president of Chrysalis Archaeology, told DNAinfo New York. The site is located along The Bowery, which was once the only road in and out of Manhattan.
Image and article courtesy of: CLICK HERE FOR ORIGINAL…


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Xiaomi’s sub-brand, Black Shark has announced that it will be launching its latest gaming-centric smartphone, the Black Shark 2, in India. The company has revealed that the phone will be launched on May 27 in the country.
The company has started sending out media invites for the launch event, which is scheduled to take place on the said date. The company is also reported to bring its gaming accessories like Gamepad 2.0 and more to the Indian market. However, the pricing and availability details are not known at the moment.
Previously, the smartphone was certified by India’s Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which suggested that the phone will be launched in the country pretty soon. To recall, the phone was launched in China earlier this year. The Black Shark comes with a starting price of approx. Rs 32,000 in the Chinese market and the top-end model with 12GB RAM and 256GB variant cost you around Rs 43,000.
The major highlight of the smartphone is the gaming-centric design language coupled with top-notch hardware. The phone features Liquid Cooling 3.0, which includes a liquid-cooled plate along with liquid-cooled tube that cover all the heat-generating components of the CPU
The smartphone features a 6.39-inch Full HD+ display with a screen resolution of 2340 × 1080 pixels along with 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 108.9% DCI+P3 colour gamut and 430 nits brightness. Under the hood, the gaming phone is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor along with Adreno 640 GPU.


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The Ethiopian Horticulture Development Agency (EHDA) is requiring flower exporters to use a new standardized packaging system starting this week, despite members of the association opposition.
At a meeting held last Thursday, agency flower growers and exporters said the new requirements would significantly add to their cost of production. Growers also complained that a majority of suppliers and producers of the newly selected packaging material do not have experience in the sector.
The new standard approved by EHDA and the Ethiopian Standards Agency gives the rights to four packaging material producers to supply the packaging for the growers and exporters. But growers complained that the company known as Unlimited Packaging had the experience they required. “It will affect the sector export,” growers said at the meeting led by Haileselasse Tekie, Director General of the agency.
Experts said that the new regulation will discourage growers from exporting flowers. Previously about 15 packaging producers were supplying packaging for flower exporters, but most of the companies are not included based on the new criteria, which includes standard laboratories and production centres.
Burayu Printing and Packaging, Ethiopian Pulp and Paper Share Company and Menaye Packaging are the three companies selected with Unlimited to supply the packaging product for growers. Based on the new regulation flower growers and exporters will use standard packaging from these companies as of this Tuesday.
Satish Vuyyuru, Head of Addis Ahadu Packaging, told Capital that his company will begin working Monday, May 14 with the other four packaging producers to supply boxes for flower exporters. Owned by Indian investors, it is one of the major companies in Ethiopia’s flower packaging industry. The company has received an award from the Prime Minister two years ago for its contribution to the flower sector, which is about seventy percent of the total packaging targets flower growers, the manager said. Previously Addis Ahadu was not included among the selected packaging producers. But after a discussion, the two agencies have allowed the company to continue its business.
“However they set pre conditions for the company to fulfil in the near future,” the manager added.
Most of the companies that had been supplying their products for the growers will now be forced to leave the sector.


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Buffalo’s Common Council has adopted a resolution that calls for fourteen blocks of Niagara Street to be dedicated as the Nikola Tesla Heritage Trail. Tesla advocate Bill Zimmermann recently gave a talk at the Black Rock Riverside Center, where he pointed out the significance of this achievement and discussed future plans to promote the history trail. Zimmermann is also one of the entrepreneurs that is promoting the idea of Tesla City in Buffalo.
According to Zimmermann, Niagara Street is considered the place where the War of Currents took place. The Tesla Terminal A building, which Zimmermann now owns (future home to Tesla City) was where Tesla proved that AC power could be transported safely via the alternating current motor. He proved it by running a 30 mile route, which at its mid-point (the warehouse) is where the electricity was converted safely, before being passed along to the Pan American Expo. The accomplishment was considered a blow to Edison’s DC power, thus securing AC’s bright, clean future with Westinghouse.
It’s also an appropriate time for this declaration, because Elon Musk is set to deliver the first “affordable” Tesla (Model 3) to those who preordered the car in the Buffalo market. Enthusiasts who put money down to reserve their cars were recently alerted that they now need to install the electric charging stations at their homes, as the cars are due to arrive in coming weeks.
There could be no better time to celebrate Tesla (the inventor), as the genius, often considered a madman, continues to inspire countless inventors and entrepreneurs to this day. Now that Musk is tied into Buffalo through Solar City, there’s a renewed energy when it comes to demonstrating the power of electricity. We always had Niagara Falls, which made this region uniquely powerful. But Tesla set out to prove that there were no limits when it came to alternating current (AC) electricity. His visions and his experiments were so forward thinking that they often times drew skepticism. Only today do we understand what a genius he truly was.
The Common Council’s resolution is as follows:
Whereas: Nicola Tesla was an inventor, electric engineer and physicist who is best known for his contributions to the design of modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system;
Whereas: using Tesla’s alternating current and harnessing the hydroelectric power of Niagara Falls in 1901, electrical power was successfully transmitted from Adam’s Station in Niagara Falls to Terminal A (2280 Niagara Street) in Buffalo;
Whereas: the electrical energy sent from Niagara Falls to Terminal A was used to supply power for the 1901 Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, demonstrating Tesla’s AC electricity supply system as superior to Thomas Edison’s DC (Direct Current) system;
Whereas: this was the historic moment that many historians consider the definitive moment that Nicola Tesla’s AC won the battle for the war of the currents against Thomas Edison’s competing DC current, demonstrating that AC was a stable and more practical way to harness use electrical power;
Whereas: Tesla’s successful transmission of power laid the groundwork for today’s power grid that power’s the northeastern United States and created the model used for power around the world;
Whereas: still standing today at 2280 Niagara Street, the unassuming brick structure of Terminal A is a historic landmark that represents a major event in American History and is a representation of the genius and innovation of Nicola Tesla;
Whereas: the path from Adam’s Station to Terminal A and on to the Pan American Exposition encompasses Niagara Street, from Vulcan Street to Busti Avenue; and
Whereas: in recognition of this great moment in history, Niagara Street, between Busti Avenue and Vulcan Street, should be designated The Tesla Heritage Corridor: Now, Therefore Be It Resolved that The City of Buffalo Common Council –
- Designates Niagara Street, between Busti Avenue and Vulcan Street, as The Tesla Heritage Corridor in honor of Nicola Tesla and the historic moment when AC power was successfully sent from Adam’s Station in Niagara Falls to Terminal A in Buffalo; and
- Requests that copies of this resolution be sent to the Department of Public Works, Corporation Counsel, and the Buffalo History Museum.


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The "Russian Kim Kardashian" broke male fans’ hearts by appearing in what looks like a skimpy wedding dress.
But the hints at an upcoming marriage were only a tease, says curvy beauty Anastasia Kvitko, and the garment she is pictured in is simply a white swimsuit... that happens to have a long white train.
Kvitko, 22, from the city of Kaliningrad in Russia's north-western outpost region of Kaliningrad Oblast, is famous for her hour-glass figure.
The model does not like talking about her private life, which is why the photo hinting at impending matrimony triggered so many rumours.
Ms Kvitko has reassured fans that the lingerie wedding dress is nothing but a swimsuit.
The model has been accused of deliberately modelling herself on Kardashian and of stealing ideas from the American reality TV star who is married to rapper Kanye West.
But Kvitko has hit back, claiming that she is "much better looking" and boasting that her own body is completely natural and purely a result of "hard work at the gym".
Her claims have come under fire from online trolls who say photos of the Russian beauty as a teenager show her to be "skinny with no boobs".
But Kvitko says she "ignores the haters" and claims that she only decided to make her curves her trademark after being rejected by several modelling agencies for being too fat.


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The newly established Freight Industry Reference Panel held its first meeting on Wednesday July 15, kick-starting its vital work to drive delivery of the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy.
Scott Buchholz, Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport said the key role of the panel is driving ambition for the strategy and acting as a vital conduit for industry views and providing independent advice on progress made.
“Our COVID-19 response has shown us how quickly and effectively we can improve our freight systems when all levels of government and industry work together towards a common purpose,” Scott said.
“That’s exactly what the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy is about, as it lays out a 20-year plan showing how governments and industry will work together to lift our freight networks’ performance.”
Scott said he has been involved in the freight industry for many years and knows how vital an efficient freight supply chain is to the lives of all Australians as it “connects hard-working local businesses to markets to underpin jobs, the national economy and our future prosperity”.
John Fullerton, Panel Chair said the panel was thrilled to begin working on this critical initiative and was looking forward to working with and hearing from all sectors of the freight industry on the delivery of the strategy.
“As we act to respond to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, we also need to maintain our focus on meeting our long-term freight challenges to support a bigger and more productive Australia and to secure a prosperous future for this critical industry,” he said.
“Big or small, we know industry stakeholders of all levels remain strongly committed and want to see progress on the strategy as quickly as possible
“That’s why we’ll be working hard to ramp-up momentum on the strategy, with each of the panel members bringing a depth of knowledge and a range of experiences from across all freight modes and supply chains.”
John said the panel’s advice to government will present a holistic, cross-network, multi-modal view and he looks forward to working with these members on this critical goal.
The panel will provide independent advice to the Transport and Infrastructure Ministers on the delivery of the strategy’s goals during the annual reporting cycle.


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Feng takes LK Bennett
Rebecca Feng who operated LK Bennett's Chinese franchises has acquired the fashion brand via a new company Byland UK. This beings to an end the attempts by founder Linda Bennett, as well as from retail groups including Dune London, Spectre Holdings and others, to buy the business out of administration.
The sale to Byland UK includes the head office and 21 stores and concessions. Around 110 staff are now redundant as a result of the deal. Ms Feng commented: "Under our plan, the business will continue to operate out of the UK looking to maintain the long-standing and undoubted heritage of the brand. This will be achieved through a combination of working with quality British design, and the business' existing supply chain."
LK Bennett's former CEO, Darren Topp and former finance director Andrew Ellis who each worked with Ms Feng on the deal will continue to assist the business going forward.


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Lebanese have been receiving worldwide support in the wake of the devastating explosion of August 4th. The compassion was clear in Italy during the recent fashion week.
In what it called “a gesture of solidarity,” the Italian city of Milan, the global capital of fashion, gave special attention to Lebanese designers affected by the Beirut Port explosion, on the last day of the spring/summer 2021 Milan Fashion Week.
Via a special digital platform reserved for Lebanese designers, 6 Lebanese labels were showcased alongside some of the fashion industry’s biggest names, such as Versace and Giorgio Armani.
On August 4th, the showrooms of several fashion houses in Beirut were destroyed by the port explosion, including those of Azzi & Osta, Boyfriend the Brand, and Roni Helou, all of which had their labels displayed in Milan.
The 3 other Lebanese labels showcased during Milan Fashion Week are Emergency Room, Hussein Bazaza, and L’atelier Nawbar.
Each of the featured designers was asked to create a short film to highlight their new collections — the ones that made it out in one piece after the explosion, that is.
“Lebanese designers are important this year, and we needed to give them space because they are in a very tough time, and we believe fashion should be there to help them,” said Chairman of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion Carlo Capasa.
In a similar gesture of support, Paris’s PIASA auction house will be featuring around 70 Lebanese artists and designers in a special exhibition dedicated to showcasing the works of established and up-and-coming Lebanese talents.


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
said late Tuesday it will settle 63 wage and hour class action lawsuits against the company, some of which have been pending over the last several years. The world's largest retailer said it will pay out a settlement of $352
million to $640 million, and use "various electronic systems and other measures" to ensure compliance with applicable wage laws. Wal-Mart said it will take a fourth-quarter after-tax charge of about 6 cents a share as a result.


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Microsoft Research Developed VR For Visually Impaired People
Researchers have developed a device that makes virtual spaces accessible to the visually impaired
The VR technology has made huge strides to become more immersive than ever. With consumer products like Oculus Rift, the HTC Vive or the Samsung Gear relying heavily on vision, developments in VR have been inaccessible to the visually impaired. The CaneTroller, a project by the Microsoft Research, is a hardware kit that can help the blind and visually impaired navigate virtual spaces.
The CaneTroller is a modified HTC Vive controller tethered to a brake mechanism. The brake mechanism allows the cane to simulate hitting objects. There is also a vibrating device on the cane, allowing for more refined haptic feedback like when rubbing the cane on a virtual carpet.
An HTC Vive headset is still used but the screens are kept off. The headset allows the system to track the user’s head position and provide three-dimensional audio feedback. When the cane hits a trash bin, sound feedback will also be in 3D.
Participants in the study were able to understand the virtual spaces there were put in and locate virtual items such as trash bins and chairs using a combination of tactile and auditory feedback.
The full research paper can be accessed here.


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After showing off its blinged up and decked out 2013 GMC Terrain Denali in New York in March, the truck maker has finally decided to attach a price to it: $35,350, including $825 destination and handling.
Read This Article
For the new model year, GMC is upgrading two of its top vehicles.
General Motors is recalling more than 50,000 of its full-size crossover SUVs, specifically the 2011-2012 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and the GMC Acadia.
If you're looking for a sneak peek at the 2013 GMC Acadia, but the usual rumors and whispers automotive sites just aren't doing it, well, you've been looking in the wrong place.


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GRAND RAPIDS – BIFMA Director Brad Miller will retire Dec. 31, after 26 years of service at the not-for-profit trade association for business and institutional furniture manufacturers.
Miller joined BIFMA in 1994, after working for two members of the United States Congress for 16 years. His titles at the association included: manager of Government Affairs, director of Communications & Government Affairs, and director of Advocacy & Sustainability. The official lobbyist for the contract furniture association, he also helped develop its first website, was editor of BIFMA’s newsletter, and pioneered the association’s presence on social media. Legislative and regulatory achievements included working with Congressional leaders to end prison industry mandatory sourcing; piloting a materials reclamation program within prisons; bipartisan formaldehyde legislation signed by the president of the United States; and establishment of a government advisory council in Canada to ensure a competitive purchasing process.
Miller was also involved in the establishment of the ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard. Working with NSF International and a multi-stakeholder group of hundreds of observers, the first version of the standard was released for industry use in 2008. The LEVEL Certification Program was launched the following year and, today, more than 4,300 products have been certified by approximately 70 furniture brands, according to the news release. It has been recommended for use in U.S. government purchasing by the EPA; required in Canada and India; emulated in the EU by that region’s furniture association; and written into specifications by states, provinces, municipalities, universities, and private sector purchasers.
Upon his retirement from the association, Miller said he looks forward to spending time with his family. He also plans to remain active on community boards and advisory groups, including consulting for BIFMA.
BIFMA has begun the search for a new Director of Health and Sustainability. Resumes or referrals can be sent to Deirdre Jimenez, BIFMA president and CEO, at [email protected]. A position description also has been posted on the BIFMA website, bifma.org.
Founded in 1973 and headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, BIFMA has been the industry leader in developing furniture safety, durability, and sustainability standards that ensure product performance and inspire confidence. BIFMA educates the stakeholder community on the importance and proper use of these standards; provides industry statistics and forecasts to members and the public; and advocates for regulatory conditions that enhance value and foster innovation.
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Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 Now Available in Europe (Update)
Users in the UK, France and Spain have already seen them as available
In France, Google is selling the two Android devices at prices that start at only €299 and €399 for the lower capacity Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 models, respectively.
Users in Spain should also be able to grab the two devices, the same as those in other countries where Google announced them as available. Both of them should be released in the US as well in a few hours.
Update: Nexus 4 was sold out in the UK in minutes after being put up for sale.
... so hot right now


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A quarter of SME online retailers plan to focus on improving their delivery and returns processes in 2013 as the sector becomes more competitive. A study commissioned by Royal Mail revealed that small online retailers […]
Hermes chief executive Carole Woodhead has revealed some of its expansion plans for 2014, as it wins a new contract with jewellery retailer Cadenzza.
Hermes has revealed the timescale for some of its expansion plans throughout 2013 and 2014, in what it hopes will deliver a capacity uplift of around a third.
The European Commission (EC) said the aborted UPS and TNT merger would have increased prices and would not have been challenged enough by other carriers. The regulator officially blocked the merger from taking place on […]


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Who: Tom Gerace, Founder and CEO of Gather.com and Skyword Inc.
What He Did:
Before founding Gather.com and Skyword Inc., Gerace was Founder and CEO of Be Free, a successful online marketing services company and was awarded two US patents for profiling web users and creating targeted advertising around that data. Previous to leading Be Free, Gerace was a senior business analyst at Harvard Business School, having graduated from Harvard University in 1993.
What He Said:
“Today, brands are increasingly focused on providing the information their customers need in brand-aligned areas (for example, P&G’s Pampers brand provides content on baby names, breast feeding, fertility, etc). This information allows them to reach their customers via natural search, build trust relationships with them, and engage them over time.”
“Brands are paying significant attention to what topics customers are searching for, what specific topics are trending within that information set and what specific questions people have regarding the information they are seeking.”
“In the 1950s, brands created the content directly for consumers (like P&G’s Ivory Soap created the soap opera). Since then, the model shifted to network-created content and brands reaching consumers solely through advertising. The pendulum is now shifting back to brands actually creating the content.”
What His Company Does:
“Skyword Inc. provides; demand forecasting for information in any topical area, author recruitment and management for writers with specific domain expertise and an authoring and editing platform that makes content creation efficient. Skyword Inc. also provides a seamless process for placing that content on a brand’s site, tracking and analyzing it’s performance, and optimizing content creation over time”.
Clients include major retail brands such as Pamper’s and leading media companies like Daily Glow. Gather.com, owned by Skyword Inc., is a demand-driven news site reaching 6 million readers per month. Skyword Inc. creates content that aligns with consumer searches, giving top brands access to already engaged consumers.
More in Media
In this week’s Media Briefing, publishing executives share how the task forces they created earlier this year to oversee generative AI guidelines and initiatives have expanded to include more people across their organizations.
News publishers hesitate to commit to investing more into Threads next year despite growing engagement
News publishers are cautious to pour more resources into Threads, as limited available data makes it difficult to determine whether investing more into the platform is worth it.


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Over 1,000 Greene King pubs across the UK are taking part in an annual Christmas anti-drink drive campaign with Coca Cola, by offering nominated drivers free soft drinks, for the ninth year in a row.
Drivers will receive a voucher to use on their next purchase when they buy any 330ml bottles of Coca Cola, Diet Coke, Coca Cola Zero Sugar or Appletiser. Pub brands including Greene King Local Pubs, Hungry Horse, Chef and Brewer and Farmhouse Inns, are taking part in the ‘Designated Driver’ promotion, which runs until last orders on 1 January 2019.
According to the Department for Transport, the estimated number of reported drink drive related accidents in Great Britain since 1979, has fallen by 69%, with recent figures of 6,070 compared to 19,470 almost 30 years ago.
Greene King’s chief commercial officer, Phil Thomas, said: “As a leading pub company, we have an important role to play in helping to promote responsible drinking. Once again, our pubs up and down the country are offering free soft drinks during Christmas as we enter almost a decade of the ‘Designated Driver’ Campaign with Coca Cola.”


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Silver prices went up today in the Indian market and reaches Rs. 57,860/KG today. This makes the upward trend of last few days continued after a heavy fall last month. Market started at around Rs 55,360/KG in MCX exchange today morning and ended at a price of Rs. 57,760 in the night. During this massive variation in the silver price which is normal in the silver market, heavy buying is noticed.
Experts hope that silver will cross Rs. 65,00 in this December. In the international market, Silver is running at around $35.2/ounce now.
Gold and copper prices also showed the upward trend today.
Short URL: http://indiawires.com/?p=3418


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Windsor Yacht Club Donates To Ronald McDonald House
Hello time traveller!!
This article is 375 days old.
The information listed below is likely outdated and has been preserved for archival purposes.
High fashion definitely has its benefits.
Proceeds from the Windsor Yacht Club’s annual spring fashion show, which attracted 132 people and featured five vendors, will be donated to Windsor’s Ronald McDonald House.
WYC Commodore Ted Saxby and Mary Lou Dorion, head of this year’s fashion show committee, will present a cheque of $1,000 to officials from the Ronald McDonald House on Thursday.
“Members of the Club wanted to do something for the community,” said Commodore Saxby. “Whatever way we can help a sick or injured child on their journey to wellness is important.”


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Update: Whether the U.S. is going to turn up the heat in a global war over solar energy is a question that will have to wait for another day. The Commerce Department announced this morning that it would delay until Thursday the announcement of whether it will launch an international trade investigation that could culminate in Washington imposing additional tariffs on Chinese solar-panel makers. (The announcement was scheduled for today, but snow closed the federal government yesterday.) The allegation, filed last month by SolarWorld Industries America Inc., is that China has "dumped" solar panels onto the U.S. market at illegally low prices. Chinese panel makers and the Chinese government have disputed the claims.
Renewable energy, for years a rallying cry of San Francisco’s Birkenstock crowd, may or may not save the melting glaciers. It is, however, attracting K Street’s Gucci loafer set. To understand why, consider the latest Washington battle in a global war over solar power.
Tomorrow, the U.S. Commerce Department is scheduled to announce whether it will, for the second time in just over a year, go after Chinese solar-panel makers for what critics contend is those firms’ illegal “dumping” of panels into the U.S. market. The allegation is that Chinese firms are selling their panels at illegally low prices made possible by illegally juicy support from the Chinese government. Chinese exports of solar panels to the U.S. totaled more than $2 billion in 2012, the Commerce Department says.
As a matter of law, the dispute centers on intricate questions about whether China has violated international trade rules in its massive subsidizing of its solar-panel industry. That industry essentially didn’t exist a decade ago, and now it dominates the world market. Western companies—many of them in the U.S.—are going out of business.
As a matter of politics, the trade fight before the Commerce Department is a no-win for the Obama Administration. Whatever the decision, it will rankle environmentally minded constituents. If the administration doesn’t ratchet up tariffs on Chinese solar makers, it will be accused of speeding the demise of what little solar-panel manufacturing remains in the U.S. That will further erode the administration’s claims that clean energy would bring the country lots of “green” manufacturing jobs. But if the administration ultimately imposes hefty new tariffs on imported Chinese panels—a process that could start tomorrow if the Commerce Department announces that it will launch an investigation—the price of solar power across the country could rise, slowing the advance of a fast-growing, though still niche, green energy source. And that would hurt the firms that are succeeding best in the U.S. solar business today—not those making the panels, but those bolting them onto American rooftops. Those companies benefit from cheap solar panels. And solar panels’ prices today are being set by the manufacturing cost—fair or not—in China.
Reminders of the difficulty of rolling out renewable energy have, of late, come on strong.1 To take one example, last Wednesday, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, an industry analyst, reported that global “clean energy” investment fell 11 percent in 2013, to $254 billion, its second straight year of decline. A main cause of the investment drop, the Bloomberg report said, was that the cost of solar panels fell. Even as the quantity of solar panels installed worldwide grew by about 20 percent, Bloomberg said, less money was needed to pay for them. That’s largely a result of what has happened over the past two years with the solar industry in China—the same events that have sparked the dispute on which the Commerce Department will weigh in tomorrow.
U.S. angst about the dominance of China’s solar panel industry arose back in September 2011, when Solyndra, the California-based solar-panel maker, filed for bankruptcy. It was unable to build a viable business around the cylindrical solar panels it had designed, in part because less-sophisticated but cheaper Chinese-made solar panels were flooding the market.
The following month, SolarWorld Industries America Inc. (a U.S. subsidiary of German solar-panel maker SolarWorld AG) filed a complaint with the Commerce Department. SolarWorld alleged Chinese companies were violating trade laws by “dumping” their panels onto the U.S. market—selling them below cost to grab market share. The Chinese companies could afford to do this, SolarWorld claimed, because they were getting massive and unfair subsidies from various levels of government in China.
A year later, in late 2012, U.S. authorities issued a final ruling, imposing duties averaging about 31 percent on Chinese-made solar panels exported to the U.S. But the ruling contained a loophole, and the ink was hardly dry before astute Chinese solar-panel makers began taking advantage of it. Solar panels are made of many parts; a key one is a square-shaped piece called a “cell.” Under the U.S. tariff decision, if a panel’s cells were made outside China, even if the panel itself was then assembled in China, the U.S. tariffs wouldn’t apply. Not surprisingly, following the tariff ruling, Chinese solar-panel manufacturers began shifting cell-making offshore, notably to Taiwan. Then they shipped those cells to their Chinese panel plants, assembled the full panels, and exported the panels to the U.S. Presto: No U.S. tariff.
Chinese companies and the Chinese government have rejected the notion that they’re “dumping” solar panels. Last summer, China upped the ante, imposing preliminary tariffs on polysilicon, a raw material used to make solar cells that is still produced in large amounts in the U.S. and then exported to China. This Monday, two days before the scheduled U.S. Commerce Department ruling, China tightened the screws again, finalizing those tariffs at levels as high as 57 percent for suppliers that produce polysilicon in the U.S.
There is some precedent for a truce in the solar-panel wars. The European Union fought a similar solar trade battle with China over the past two years, and last month, European governments approved a settlement with Beijing that buys two years of detente. Under the deal, Chinese solar-panel makers that agree, in their European sales, to a specific floor on panel prices and a specific ceiling on panel volume can avoid European tariffs through the end of 2015. Given Europe’s importance as a market for Chinese solar panels, much of the Chinese solar industry has signed up. In the U.S., too, the main solar-industry trade group also has floated a compromise plan.
But it seems at least as likely that, instead of cooling, the U.S. solar fight will boil over. On New Year’s Eve, SolarWorld filed a new trade complaint, this one aimed at closing the loophole in the 2012 tariff decision that allows Chinese solar-panel makers to avert U.S. penalties by using solar cells made in third countries such as Taiwan. It’s this new complaint from SolarWorld that the Commerce Department is scheduled to address tomorrow, announcing whether it will launch an investigation that could lead to tougher tariffs.
In Washington, plenty of onlookers see money to be made brokering the increasingly nasty geopolitics of solar energy. “No international trade group is better positioned to assist with this matter than that of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLC,” the law firm told clients in a note it issued on January 2, two days after SolarWorld filed its latest complaint. Orrick, it explained in its client note, “is one of a small group of firms that can be effective … in this politically charged environment.” Other Washington firms have issued similar missives in recent days. If this trade war intensifies, it may well crimp solar’s contribution to the U.S. energy mix, at least for a time. But it will contribute handsomely to Washington interests’ bottom lines.
Jeffrey Ball writes the biweekly Resources column at The New Republic and is scholar-in-residence at Stanford University's Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, a joint initiative of Stanford's law and business schools.
On January 6, “60 Minutes” aired a segment called “The Cleantech Crash,” arguing that Silicon Valley venture-capital investors and American taxpayers have lost big money on a wrongheaded clean-energy push. The piece generated angry of protest from renewable-energy fans. Among them: Vinod Khosla, a major Silicon Valley clean-energy investor.


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"Intel's latest request for a grant, which would have the country investing $1 million for every new worker, is scandalous," a Finance Ministry source recently declared. "There's no chance the Finance Ministry will approve the grant."
That said, past government grants that Intel has received turned out to be worthwhile for the country, including the most recent grant, which came out to NIS 1 million per worker - note that's shekels, not dollars - officials said. Beyond those directly employed by Intel, the company indirectly creates jobs for thousands more.
This time around, Intel requested a $400 million government grant to be used toward a $2.7 billion investment in upgrading its Kiryat Gat chip-making factory. In exchange, the company offered to hire another 400 workers - meaning the grant would come out to $1 million per new employee.
The government uses the ratio of grant size to number of new employees as one measure of whether an investment will be worthwhile. The Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry is currently evaluating whether Intel's request is economically beneficial as well.
However, the Finance Ministry already has made up its mind - it objects to the grant. Therefore, the final decision will most likely be made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Government sources have informed Intel that, as a condition for approving the latest request, it must commit to manufacturing its next two generations of computer chips at the Kiryat Gat factory - at a minimum.
The government has an interest in encouraging Intel to stay. There's a consensus that the company's presence in Israel is good for the country's image as an innovative, advanced society. However, that does not mean it will approve the latest grant request.
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New Altima stirs Nissan's plan for a sedan comebackApril 1
What the Altima reveals about future Nissan designApril 2
Nissan Altima makes AWD, turbo, tech playMarch 28
Nissan is giving the Altima a radical makeover in hopes of bringing U.S. buyers back to the shrinking midsize sedan segment. All-wheel drive will be offered to boost sales in cold-weather markets where consumers often buy crossovers and SUVs.
Nissan readies redesigned Altima for Big Apple debutFeb. 13
A beleaguered segment gets a boost — for nowAug. 28, 2017
Nissan's next Altima slips outAug. 10, 2017
The 2018 Nissan Altima, based on new spy images, will feature less rounded surfaces than the current sedan, and a more pronounced back side. Body sculpting appears to have traces of the Vmotion 2.0 concept car that Nissan introduced at this year's Detroit auto show.


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Some supplies in high demand due to coronavirus pandemic
The economic disruption of COVID-19 has only become more apparent for contractors, builders and suppliers in Western New York this summer.
With many building projects and contracting jobs poised to ramp up to full speed after phased reopening, increased prices and demand for treated lumber has caused new concerns.
“I think we are off a little bit on construction but I do see it picking up,” Lakewood Building Inspector Jeff Swanson said at a board meeting this week. “Everything I am hearing, building supplies are getting tougher and tougher to get, especially pressure-treated wood and stuff like that. I’ve been hearing that cost is up on construction materials by at least 30%. If that will slow things down again, who knows?”
With municipalities being forced to shut down building permits during the pandemic, there has been a rush for many projects to get started as restrictions have eased.
That disruption of normal business has not only rippled through the plans of contractors, but has also caused changes in supply chains for building materials.
The current market for treated lumber, a staple in almost all construction, is now vastly different.
“(Prices) are over double what they were probably 10 weeks ago. That is generally for lumber and pressure-treated lumber,” said Bill Briggs, president of Chautauqua Brick. “That, coupled with the fact of non-availability, the supply chain has been disrupted because of the COVID virus. The mills, a lot of them shut down for a while in the spring and shut down in anticipation of there not being any demand this year. Consequently, they got behind the eight-ball. They didn’t keep producing and all of a sudden states, like New York for instance, said that building supply stores were an essential business and had to remain open and should remain open. They have never looked back and we’ve never caught up in the supply chain.”
During normal times, mills are able to follow seasonal changes in demand and adjust accordingly. The twin-pronged problems with both staffing and demand that have been caused by COVID-19 are unprecedented.
“I’ve been around the business for 40 some years, I’ve never seen it like this where you order something and they tell you what the price is going to be when they ship it. Price time of shipment,” Briggs said. “It is a struggle. It is a struggle for the contractors, the homeowners, and for us too because it looks like we’re gouging and we really aren’t. We’re really making less margin on the product than we were before and are trying to keep people supplied. The contractors, of course, sign a contact to build a house for X number of dollars, now all of a sudden it is 50% higher, 100% higher. What are they going to do? We’re fighting it day in and day out. I never know what I’m going to get each week until it shows up.”
Depending on the type of lumber needed, the impact of COVID-19 can be slightly different.
For Colecraft Commercial Furnishing, which specializes in custom furniture solutions, pricing changes on hardwood have been less drastic than for treated construction lumber.
“We do not buy treated lumber but have heard that treated lumber is getting difficult to buy because of the process used to make it and the areas of the country that are doing the treating,” President and CEO Dave Messinger said. “In general, lead times today are less predictable than during normal times. Reduced production capacity of some commodities has also resulted in upward price pressure. Because of the current situation, we’re budgeting for a 5% raw materials increase over the next several months. Most all of the materials that we use in our furniture are part of this upward movement.”
Messinger added that softwood lumber, which is used for crating and skidding finished goods in shipment, has increased between 5-10%.
For other local businesses, the treated lumber increases have not been a direct cause for concern. However construction projects often come together using a wide range of different contractors, suppliers and workmen. A ripple in one area of the industry is likely to spread out and affect others.
“We’re not contractors, we are a design-and-sell type firm. We don’t see any rough building materials like that,” said Andy Proctor, owner of Jamestown Kitchen and Bath. “Our supply chains thus far have been fine. Lead times have gone out a little bit for us to get materials in. From what I understand lumber, building materials in general are crazy. Prices going through the roof and you can’t even get your hands on a lot of it.”
Even operating in a different area of the business, Proctor has noticed the strain placed on contractors and suppliers.
“I think maybe the biggest problem we have right now is how busy all the contractors are,” Proctor said. “If customers are coming in our store, to get a contractor to their house it could be four to six months because everybody is so busy. I am a little concerned because I had a sales rep in yesterday–the next thing is going to be the cabinet companies are going to have a hard time getting their hands on lumber and the wood that it takes to build the cabinets. We haven’t seen it or heard it officially yet, but I am concerned.”
The ripple of the shutdown is likely to continue into the future, potentially hitting other building materials.
“Just recently now roofing has become a problem,” Briggs said. “Shingles have been a problem. They are eight to ten weeks out lead time. That is just one example. It affects everybody differently but rest assured, everybody is being affected by it.”
Briggs said he believed that lumber supply and demand might stabilize somewhat by the middle of September, but that deadline may have to be pushed back.
“Now the information I’m getting from the mills and so forth is that they look for it carry on to the first of the year. As far as the high pricing and availability of material,” Briggs said.


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The COVID-19 pandemic has obviously affected end demand for industrial companies, but it's also had a major effect on their internal operations. Plants have had to be shut down, key personnel have had difficulty getting to work, and supply chain disruptions have affected the sourcing of critical products. Simply put, there's even more emphasis now on ensuring the efficient running of a factory or a logistics operation. Here's how and why that's great news for industrial software companies.
Three reasons why industrial software companies can win
The shift toward digitizing factories was already in place entering into 2020, with leading industrial software vendors like Dassault Systemes (DASTY -1.34%), PTC (PTC -3.02%), Autodesk, and the software arm of Siemens (SIEGY -2.64%) all reporting good growth as 2020 began. Incidentally, the three pure software plays have all outperformed the S&P 500 this year, and are significantly ahead of the industrial sector that they sell into.
Industrial companies are not very high-profile among investors, so it's easy to forget that manufacturing companies are set to be the biggest beneficiaries of the internet of things (IoT).
For example, industrial companies can create "digital twins" of physical assets. Using web-enabled devices, engineers can monitor, simulate, and analyze the digital twin's data in order to make the physical asset work better. Meanwhile, augmented reality (AR) solutions allow operations to be run remotely, with equipment being analyzed and serviced even with the key technical expert not on premises.
Moreover, product lifecycle management, or PLM, is the process of managing a product from design and engineering through to manufacturing and disposal. Put the jargon aside for a moment and consider how important it is for Boeing (a client of Dassault Systemes) to design and manufacture planes on budget, or an engineering contractor to deliver a power station on time. That's something that's only going to become more important as the global economy gets more complex.
The COVID-19 pandemic
The lessons learned from the pandemic are only likely to accelerate their deployment. As COVID-19 broke out in China initally, a raft of manufacturing companies saw their ability to source and/or manufacture critical products impaired by crisis in the first quarter.
Of course, the problem got a whole lot worse when the pandemic spread overseas, and companies were forced to seek alternative sourcing and/or shift manufacturing activity elsewhere.
Many of these issues would have been alleviated if production was more automated and managed remotely using digital technologies and IoT solutions.
There's also the issue of manufacturing companies looking to shift production/sourcing away from China in order to avoid tariffs and the potential for trade conflict with China in the future. It all points to a pressure building for companies to onshore production and/or shift production to the country of consumption. A possible example is Taiwan Semiconductor's decision to build a new chip factory in Arizona.
There's an opportunity for automation and software companies to take advantage of any potential onshoring because they are an integral part of making factories cost-effective enough to justify manufacturing in higher-labor-cost countries.
The companies in 2020
Here's how PTC Chief Executive Officer James Hepelmann put it on the recent earnings call: "We expect that the new normal that follows this crisis will create stronger tailwind to the already high-growth IoT and AR markets, and will make PLM more relevant than ever," and that the "AR pipeline is off the charts."
The coronavirus has taken its toll, with PTC now expecting full-year annual recurring revenue growth of 9%-12% compared to a previous estimate of 14%-16%, but double-digit revenue growth in an industrial recession is a sign of the long-term growth potential.
It's a similar story at Dassault Systemes. Management now expects full-year revenue growth of 12%-13%, compared to a previous estimate of 21%-23%. Turning to Siemens, its management recently affirmed that its software revenue would outgrow end market growth of 8%. That's an impressive result considering the carnage done to the economy in the second quarter.
The post-COVID-19 environment
Double-digit revenue growth in a trough year for the economy would be a good result for any industry, but the interesting thing is how the pandemic could spur faster adoption of IoT, AR, and PLM solutions during an ongoing economic recovery.
As such, it's reasonable to argue that the long-term valuation of industrial software companies should be increased as a consequence. That's not a conclusion you can make about many companies right now. As such, investors should look closely at Dassault and PTC, as their long-term earnings prospects are improving.


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Apple are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their iTunes service. If you head into the iTunes store there is now a feature called ‘A Decade Of iTunes’. The famous day is April 28th.
The new feature allows the user to browse a timeline of events and stories following the growth of iTunes. It starts in 2003 and shows the events around the Apple launch.
The timeline can be moved manually to analyse various dates and to get a view back at how the store appearance has been evolving over the years. Apple also highlight the media that was popular at that time.
The company are sharing the top selling songs for the various years as well, meaning you can look back at popular tracks you may have missed.
Interesting trivia shows that the top selling son on launch day April 28th 2003 was U2’s ‘Stuck In A Moment’.
Kitguru says: Take a trip back in time.


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The “Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Global Market Report 2022, By Type, By End-Users, By Type Of Charging” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.
The global robotic vacuum cleaners market is expected grow from $5.59 billion in 2021 to $5.99 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1%. The market is expected to reach $7.83 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 6.9%.
Asia Pacific was the largest region in the robotic vacuum cleaners market in 2021. Western Europe was the second-largest region in the robotic vacuum cleaners market. The regions covered in this report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa.
Rising investments for developing new technologies in robotic vacuum cleaners is contributing to the growth of the robotic vacuum cleaners market. The rising investments for innovations in hardware and software technologies, such as sensors and decision-making capabilities helps robotic vacuum cleaners in doing household tasks and also helps consumers to save time thereby attracting the customers to purchase robotic vacuum cleaners for household chores.
For instance, in 2019, in the UK, the government invested £12 million ($16 million) for developing new technologies in robots that performs household tasks. It led to partnership between Imperial College and Dyson, a robotic vacuum cleaner manufacturer for creating nextgen household products to complete household chores.
Also, for instance, in 2020, in the USA, private companies such as Yidu Cloud, Tsinghua AI Fund and Matrix Partners invested $15 million in Trifo, into its AI-home robots’ vacuum in the hardware and software development for expanding in the U.S. and European markets. Rising investments and support from government thereby contributes to the growth of the market.
The high cost of robotic vacuum cleaners is expected to limit the growth of the robotic vacuum cleaners market. Robotic vacuum cleaners are costly and causes potential consumers to think twice before they invest in them.
For instance, in 2019, in the USA, iRobot’s newly launched robotic vacuum cleaner Roombas are extremely expensive such as Roomba i7 priced at $1,099 and Roomba S9+ priced at $1,299. These factors are expected to have a negative impact on the robotic vacuum cleaners’ market as high-cost causes consumers to think twice, affecting the market’s growth.
Companies are launching new products in order to increase their revenue and also for gaining a competitive edge over their rivals. For instance, in 2019, in the USA, iRobot Corporation, a leading advanced robotic vacuum technology company, launched its advanced robotic vacuum cleaner, Roomba s9+ and also launched its advanced robotic mop Braava jet m6 mopping robot that complements cleaning with mopping. These robots can talk to each other with in-built imprint link technology for vacuuming and mopping autonomously without any human effort. Likewise, in 2021, in the USA, iRobot Corporation, a leading advanced robotic vacuum technology company, launched Roomba j7+ Robot Vacuum to give customers more control over their cleaning with 3.0 home intelligence.
1) By Type: Robotic Floor Vacuum Cleaner ; Robotic Pool Vacuum Cleaner
2) By End-Users: Residential; Commercial
3) By Type Of Charging: Automatic Charging; Manual Charging
Key Topics Covered:
1. Executive Summary
2. Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market Characteristics
3. Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market Trends And Strategies
4. Impact Of COVID-19 On Robotic Vacuum Cleaners
5. Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market Size And Growth
6. Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market Segmentation
7. Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market Regional And Country Analysis
8. Asia-Pacific Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
9. China Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
10. India Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
11. Japan Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
12. Australia Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
13. Indonesia Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
14. South Korea Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
15. Western Europe Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
16. UK Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
17. Germany Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
18. France Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
19. Eastern Europe Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
20. Russia Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
21. North America Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
22. USA Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
23. South America Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
24. Brazil Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
25. Middle East Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
26. Africa Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
27. Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market Competitive Landscape And Company Profiles
28. Key Mergers And Acquisitions In The Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market
29. Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market Future Outlook and Potential Analysis
- Dyson Ltd.
- ECOVACS Robotics Co. Ltd.
- Koninklijke Philips NV
- LG Electronics Inc.
- Panasonic Corp.
- Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
- Sharp Corp.
- Neato Robotics
- Miele & Cie. KG
- iRobot Corporation
- Matsutek Enterprises Co. Ltd.
- Maytronics Ltd.
- Metapo Inc.
- Hayward Industries Inc.
- ILIFE Robotics Technology
- Vorwerk & Co. KG
- Kevac SRL
- Robert Bosch GmbH
- Bissell Inc.
- Haier Electronics Group Co. Ltd.
- Taurus Group
- Groupe Seb Deutschland Gmbh
- Pentair plc.
- bObsweep Inc.
- Yujin Robots Co. Ltd.
- AB Electrolux
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/laysbx
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220905005366/en/


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As we know, iPhone 5 rumors getting heat and interesting things coming under these rumors. Now, Digitimes claims that the next generation iPhone 5 will come in 4 inch screen to compete Google Android handsets!
The component suppliers noted that the production lines for Apple’s next generation iPhone have begun testing, and Apple is interesting in expanding the screen size to 4-inches to support the tablet PC market as the vendor only has a 9.7-inch iPad in the market.
They also reports that iPhone 5 comes with A5 processor chips to better the user experiences specially Multi-Tasking! and iPad 2 comes with A4 processor chips, without any explanation on it why next-gen iPad 2 comes with A4 chps?


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Do you use Periscope? The Periscope Summit is coming to San Francisco in January and it will run from the 14th to the 17th. We are inviting Periscope Summit attendees to the #WeddingMarket Live event in San Francisco on Wednesday, January 13th from 9:00am to 12:00pm at Cavallo Point. It will be a great way for wedding pros to connect with other Periscope users and meet wedding pros from the San Francisco area. Ryan Bell the founder of the Periscope Community Summit along with Carolyn Gerin Co-Founder of WedTech Summit and Sandy Hammer from AllSeated will be joining our special panel on how to keep up with the latest technology in the wedding business.
Periscope Community Summit trended globally on Twitter™ during its first event, less than 7 months after the app’s initial release. The event and the app grow together. Over 10M+ downloads made it the fastest growing social media app in history. Apple choose Periscope as the best app of 2015. Brands have seen the amazing impact of LIVE STREAMING and engagement with an audience.
Don’t have your ticket for the Periscope Summit? You can purchase tickets here . Then register to attend the
#WeddingMarket Live event on Wednesday, January 13th at Cavallo Point. Enjoy breakfast, great networking and a panel discussion on technology and weddings. The event is sponsored by AllSeated, Cavallo Point Lodge and SmartCrowdz. Interest in attending? Contact us at (937)215-8136 or [email protected] for more information.
If you are coming into San Francisco before the Periscope Summit it might be best to stay outside of town. We found that the nearest hotel to attend the #WeddingMarket Live event at Cavallo Point is the Holiday Inn Express Mill Valley at $135 a night. Cavallo Point is sold out. The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn is about 50 minutes away and it’s a AAA 4-Diamond property available for just $129 a night on Travel Zoo .
Once the Summit starts there are hotel rooms available downtown at Cartwright Hotel Union Square through Travel Zoo at the rate of $149 a night. You can also stay at the Park Central Hotel which is where the Periscope Summit will be held at group rates until December 24, 2015.


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Tesco to pull out of U.S. and sell Fresh & Easy markets
The British are leaving.
Five years after launching the Fresh & Easy grocery chain in the U.S., Tesco of England is abandoning its nearly $2-billion gamble.
Once called “foolhardy” by investment guru Warren Buffett, the ambitious experiment joins a sizable list of British ventures forced to admit defeat amid an American culture clash.
The failure of El Segundo-based Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, hastened by the recession, also highlights the difficulties of maintaining a foothold in a domestic grocery market already overrun by established, homegrown mega-brands such as Wal-Mart, Costco, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.
Tesco’s “inevitably painful decision to cut and run was correct,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of London research firm Conlumino, who observed that the company’s American foray will be remembered “as something of an unfortunate misadventure.”
“The bottom line is that Tesco probably bit off more than it could chew in the U.S.,” Saunders said.
Tesco’s announcement Wednesday of its “exit from the United States” confirms speculation sparked in December, when the British supermarket giant said it was conducting a strategic review of Fresh & Easy and its 200 stores in California, Arizona and Nevada.
The chain, which employs 5,000 people, failed to make any money during its run, losing more than $1 billion since opening its doors. To abandon the project, Tesco said, it will take a write-off of 1.2 billion pounds — or $1.8 billion.
Fresh & Easy is being shopped around to prospective buyers, Chief Financial Officer Laurie P. McIlwee said in a conference call with analysts. Tesco is “pursuing with earnest” several organizations interested in buying Fresh & Easy “in its entirety or virtually in its entirety,” he said.
The sale process will not be final for at least three months, McIlwee said. But Tesco expects to “be getting out of the U.S. without any further cash investments,” he said.
Analysts such as David Gray with market research firm Planet Retail are skeptical that Tesco will be able to shake off Fresh & Easy in one transaction.
Instead, he said, potential buyers such as Aldi Sud, Family Dollar Stores Inc. and Dollar General Corp., as well as possibly some drugstore companies, may try to snap up chunks of the chain. Fresh & Easy’s small size — about 10,000 square feet per store — may make it unappealing to big-box warehouse retailers such as Wal-Mart, whose average super center is 182,000 square feet.
Tesco’s many lease agreements with landlords also could give takeover contenders pause, he said.
The chain was beset by trouble almost from the start.
Tesco launched the brand in the U.S. in November 2007 — just as the country was about to topple into the recession and the subprime mortgage crisis, sending consumers into penny-pinching hibernation.
“You couldn’t have entered the Western U.S. at a worse time,” Gray said.
Fresh & Easy also had the unique problem of being both too small and too big, analysts said.
The chain maintained an expensive, 850,000-square-foot distribution center in Riverside County, capable of supporting 1,000 stores. With only 200 locations in the system, the investment went largely to waste, Gray said.
But building out so many shops in so short a time frame also hurt, said James F. Richardson, senior vice president of food industry consultancy Hartman Strategy.
The chain’s site selection was “uniformly odd,” he said, with stores set up mostly in suburban neighborhoods — many of them working class — where the housing crisis was especially painful.
It also failed to customize its stores to specific neighborhoods — a successful strategy for Whole Foods.
The competition alone could have crushed Fresh & Easy, which Richardson accused of “flopping in the middle conceptually” between an upmarket and discount ethos.
The $491.2-billion U.S. grocery business has some 35,870 players, including giants Kroger Co., Safeway Inc. and Supervalu Inc., according to research group IBISWorld.
Chains such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s already offered fresh organic foods and low-cost prepared meals. The companies also knew to buttress their good-for-you mantra by promoting local goods and touting their warm employee culture, analysts said.
Fresh & Easy, with its self-service checkout stands and homogenous product lines, “came across to everyone as a whiteboard concept,” Richardson said.
Beyond that, the chain didn’t offer much of a price incentive for consumers, who instead went to brands such as Food 4 Less, he said. The company also underestimated the power of the quick-service restaurant industry, with eateries such as Panera Bread and Chipotle making low-cost food easily accessible to consumers.
Jumping the Atlantic remains a tricky proposition for many British companies. J. Sainsbury, a giant in the British grocery industry, backed out of the U.S. when it sold Shaw’s Supermarkets to Albertsons in 2004. British retailer Marks & Spencer unloaded classic American brand Brooks Brothers in 2001 for a third of its buying price.
Under different circumstances, Fresh & Easy might have done better, Gray said. The chain’s sales steadily increased from 2009 through 2012, settling around $961 million last year, according to research group Mantel.
“Tesco is a very high-profile name and they’ve been so successful all over the world,” Gray said. “If one retailer was going to do it, you’d have thought it would have been Tesco.”
But Wednesday, for the first time in nearly two decades, the company said its fiscal year profit tumbled, tanking 96% to 120 million pounds, or $183 million, from 2.8 billion pounds, or $4.3 billion, a year earlier. Tesco managed a 1.4% boost in revenue to roughly $98.9 billion.
More than 5% of outstanding Tesco shares belong to Buffett, the billionaire known as the Oracle of Omaha through his work with his Berkshire Hathaway investment firm.
In addition to its U.S. retail flop, Tesco has struggled with Eurozone stability and a scandal surrounding horse meat-tainted beef. The company said last year that it would pull out of Japan and is dealing with unfavorable regulations in South Korea.
Tesco’s desertion disappointed some Fresh & Easy faithful, such as Van Nuys resident David Gilbert, 60, who said he shops regularly at a nearby store.
The UCLA librarian said he prefers the brand to the sprawling neighborhood Ralph’s, where he has to “walk by 10,000 things just to get from the bread to the milk.” He also said he enjoys Fresh & Easy’s selection and space compared with the perennially crowded local Trader Joe’s.
“We’re really sad,” he said. “We thought it was really great to shop there.”


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Jetform Swimming Pools, based in Basildon, Essex, is celebrating after collecting a Gold Award at the prestigious British Pool & Hot Tub Awards, hosted by BISHTA and SPATA held on Sunday 31st January, at the Ricoh Arena, in Coventry. The British and Irish Spa and Hot Tub Association (BISHTA) and the Swimming Pool and Allied Trades Association (SPATA) are the relevant trade associations upholding standards within the Wet Leisure Industry. Rebranded in 2015, the first SPATA awards were won in 1978 and the first BISHTA awards were won in 2008. These well-established awards, are the UK’s number one wet leisure industry accolades.
The Gold SPATA award was given to Jetform Swimming Pools for Residential Indoor Pools up to £100,000. Robert Wakefield from Jetform Swimming Pools commented “It is fantastic to be recognised by SPATA at the British Pool & Hot Tub awards this year. Taking home a Gold SPATA award is a great achievement especially alongside such worthy contenders. As the industry body, SPATA’s recognition is a testament to the hard work our entire team has put in over the last twelve months.”
The awards event brings together BISHTA and SPATA to showcase the wet leisure industry with the best examples of design, construction, installation and innovation.
Chris Hayes, Managing Director of both BISHTA and SPATA, says, “We congratulate all the winners of this year’s British Pool & Hot Tub Awards. BISHTA represents 111 specialist hot tub companies across the British Isles and SPATA represents 173 companies in the British Isles and some overseas. We set a high standard for judges from across both the pool and spa industry to score the entries on visual impression and technical merit. Meaning that an award won at the British Pool & Hot Tub Awards is very well deserved, and ownership of one or more of these awards stands as a strong endorsement to consumers of the standard of work a winning company offers. Each year, the outstanding quality of submissions creates stiff competition. The high quality of the entries provides a fantastic opportunity for showcasing what our members can do for their customers and why it is so important to choose a BISHTA or SPATA member to turn a dream into a winning project.”
The awards evening is held alongside SPATEX, the UK’s largest Pool, Spa and Wellness Show, an event that sees companies from across the UK and overseas, gather to exhibit their finest products and services, along with promoting themselves and networking with colleagues. SPATEX is not only the UK’s largest, but is also the longest running dedicated swimming pool, spa and wellness exhibition, holding its 20th anniversary annual trade show at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry from 31st January to 2nd February 2016.
Chris Hayes commented further, “This year the show has exceeded our expectations, having sold out much earlier than expected. Once again this has led to the show expanding the size and in the third year of being in Coventry, this is an amazing achievement by the SPATEX team. The Ricoh Arena offers purpose-built facilities, which have given us the opportunity to make the show even bigger and better for our exhibitors and visitors and our plan it to continue with this expansion in the coming years.”


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The Home Depot has announced that it has opened a new distribution centre in Dallas to fulfil online orders and store orders.
The 1.5 million square-foot distribution centre is designed to meet customers' delivery needs through multiple channels, whether delivering items directly to customers' homes or for pickup at local stores.
The company's newest Dallas supply chain site also manages customer delivery and installation of large appliances such as washers, dryers, and refrigerators ordered in stores or online.
Stephanie Smith, senior vice president of supply chain for The Home Depot said: "We're focused on creating an easier and more convenient shopping experience for our customers' home improvement needs, whether they shop in stores or online.”
"Our supply chain is the foundation for delivering on our Pro and DIY customers' changing expectations, which is why we're investing to offer same day and next day delivery to 90 percent of the U.S. population," she added.
The Dallas-Fort Worth market is a key hub for The Home Depot's delivery and supply chain strategy. Early last year, the company opened another delivery centre at the new Dallas campus that delivers building materials and other products directly to DIY and Pro customers, all within the same day or the next day of ordering.
The new facility features a zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell charging station — a sustainable and more efficient way to power material handling equipment. It also includes more than six miles of mechanized lines and other automation technologies that enable increased product flow.
The facility is part of the company's $1.2 billion investment to expand its national distribution and delivery network. Ultimately, the company's supply chain footprint in the Dallas-Fort Worth area will grow from 2.1 million square feet to 4.5 million square feet and will create approximately 1,500 new jobs by the end of this year. The company currently operates 20 distribution centres in the state.


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LONDON’S Green MEP Jean Lambert has called on retailer John Lewis to pay all its staff a Living Wage.
She made the call after it emerged that cleaners at the chain are still paid less than the living wage – an hourly rate calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK, currently standing at £7.65 in the UK and £8.80 in London.
Although the John Lewis Partnership is widely considered to be a model of ethical employment, with a profit-share scheme that saw most staff receive a 14% bonus last year, its cleaners are not directly employed by the firm and, as well as being paid less than a living wage, are entitled to neither bonus payments nor a share in the firm’s profits.
Ms Lambert said: “The John Lewis Partnership is one of the most successful retailers in the UK: a trip to the firm’s flagship store in Oxford Street is, for many, synonymous with a central London shopping trip.
“It’s shocking then that it chooses to have it’s stores cleaned by people who aren’t paid enough to live on, and I hope this attention will persuade them to change their minds.
“The Green Party believes that the minimum wage should be replaced with a living wage, and that the last well-paid workers in the UK should all earn a greater share of the nation’s wealth.
“A more equal society is better for everyone, not just the least well-off, and all employers – especially one, like John Lewis, which is widely-regarded as one which treats its staff fairly – must do their bit by increasing pay at ‘the bottom’ and bringing in a ‘pay ratio’ to make sure its Chief Executive and best paid staff earn no more than ten times the amount taken home by its staff, often its cleaners, earning the least.”


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A Twitch trucker and influencer broadcast the moment his truck crashed to his nearly 10,000 followers
A longtime truck driver told Insider that he hadn't seen a truck driver crashing live on air before this.
I quit my cosmetology job to become a truck driver. My husband and I tag-team driving across the US, and we're loving every minute.
The author shares how trucking alongside her husband is the best job she's ever had. Nothing beats the sunsets she gets to see every night.
Here's all the news you missed in the transportation industry this week, from Mars missions to Amazon trucking and more.
Leaked audio reveals that Trump didn't know semitrucks run on diesel — yet the industry is among Trump's most ardent supporters
Truck drivers and their employers have donated and voted for Trump in droves. But the president is still learning about the $800 billion industry.
A 26-year-old socialist running for Congress says he lived in his truck with his wife for a year to save up money to run
Joshua Collins traveled the country hauling freight and meeting with politicians and organizers along the way, saving money for his campaign.
Several trucking bankruptcies throughout the past few decades have left thousands of truck drivers jobless, some right before the holiday season.
Worked 'like a rented mule': A truck driver claims an Amazon contractor forced him to drive for up to 30 hours straight in a new lawsuit
This Amazon challenge is the latest in a slew of trucking lawsuits in recent years demanding that companies pay drivers for their breaks.
Here's all the mobility news you missed this week, from Carlos Ghosn to a plane crash, a shakeup at Uber and more.
Another 3,500 truck drivers lost their jobs in December — and it's a troubling sign of the recession that's slamming the $800 billion trucking industry
In total, 6,600 truck drivers lost their jobs in 2019. Experts worry there's more to come next year.
A recession slammed trucking last year — and experts predict that 2020 will bring more bankruptcies and plunging truck orders
Manufacturing has contracted for five straight months. But trucking-specific headwinds are also threatening the industry in 2020.
Only 18% of the trucking industry's governing boards are women and Morgan Stanley just highlighted it as a potential industry risk
The corporate boards of the average public trucking company are 18% women, according to Morgan Stanley's analysis.
A California EV startup unveiled a fully electric semi-truck called 'TORQ' to compete with Tesla and Hyundai
TORQ was designed to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and usher in an industry of cleaner commercial transportation, according to the automaker.
The Feds just charged a massive fuel-card company with fleecing truckers out of hundreds of millions of dollars
Truckers who use FleetCor were slammed with "at least hundreds of millions of dollars" in additional fees, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Shifting Gears: A massive trucking bankruptcy, Tesla gets a string of wins, and a look into the post-car future
A trucking bankruptcy left drivers stranded nationwide, Elon Musk won his defamation case, Boeing's 737 drama continued, and more.
Thousands of truck drivers have lost their jobs in 2019 as the transportation 'bloodbath' unfolds. Here's the list of the biggest bankrupt trucking companies.
The trucking industry is struggling in 2019 — especially for truck drivers who own or work at small businesses.
Bankrupt trucker Celadon told laid-off employees that they've lost health insurance and won't receive unused-vacation-time pay — read the full letter here
Celadon employees learned on Monday that their trucking employer "will be separating you from the role you currently serve."
Celadon declared bankruptcy on Dec. 9, and that collapse is worrying truck drivers that they may be stranded.
After an uptick of 700 trucking payrolls in October, the industry slashed another 1,000 jobs in November.
Roadside inspectors will not make exceptions for truckers who do not have an electronic logging device in their vehicles
Forager has a new president. Marc Kiven, who cofounded the ad tech company Signal in 2009, joined the company last month.


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As I said in our last big SSD round-up, the inconvenient truth about solid-state storage is that it still has reliability problems. Every major SSD maker seems to have been affected by one issue or another, and the SandForce BSOD bug proved particularly stubborn through most of last year. The blue screen of death has hit again, but this time, it's Crucial's m4 SSDs that are affected. The company's forums detail numerous reports a 0x00000f4 BSOD error popping up on users' systems.
Crucial has confirmed the bug, which apparently rears its head after about 5,000 hours of disk "on time." According to Crucial, rebooting will return an affected machine to normal operation, but only briefly: "the system then requires subsequent restarts after each additional hour of use." Ugh.
Although Crucial claims to have determined the cause of the problem, a firmware update to fix it isn't due until the week of January 16. The company is adamant that users aren't at the risk of data loss due to the bug, though. I'd recommend that anyone with an m4 make a backup of the drive's contents just in case.
This news is certainly disappointing, and we'll be sure to grill Crucial when we meet with them next week at the Consumer Electronics show. I can't help but find some irony in the fact that the m4, a drive we've been recommending as an alternative to folks turned off by the SandForce BSOD bug, now has one of its own.
|Introducing TR subscriptions||139|
|Unreal Engine 4 game, freemium credits populate new GeForce bundles||0|
|GeForces 800M series combines Maxwell, Kepler||12|
|We're gonna break the site for a while||44|
|WSJ: Amazon Prime to gain music streaming||2|
|Report: Next iOS release to spruce up Maps||42|
|Valve VR engineer moves on to Oculus||10|
|Linux gathers steam with CryEngine port, Valve's DX-to-GL translator||102|
|The uncompressed audio sounds AMAZING over my $5000 speaker wire. It's truly worth every gigabyte.||+43|


text: Winter '97 puts last year to shame WRA stats show double-digit growth By Chris Woodall This winter's ski season continues to show strong improvement over last year, say the most recent statistics in a Whistler Resort Association activity report. "The number of room nights generated in December ('96)was up 13 per cent compared to last December ('95)," says the report, released to WRA lodging sector property managers, Wednesday. The last month of the year's numbers repeated the strong recovery in November, year-to-year, that showed a 15 per cent rise in room nights generated above November '95. However, Whistler's occupancy rates tell a different story, reflecting additional rooms available this season. What that means is, more people are coming to Whistler, but there are even more rooms to fill than there are visitors to occupy them. Occupancy dropped by 8 per cent in both November and December, year-to-year, between '94 and '95, with November ending up at 22 per cent occupancy in November '95 and at 60 per cent for December '95. November '96 held steady at 22 per cent occupancy, but December '96 dropped 2 per cent to 58 per cent occupancy. For the next few months, occupancy rates are projected to drop from last year's rates by 1-7 per cents. Many retailers and restaurateurs — and there are more of them this year, too — say sales so far this winter reflect the declining occupancy rates. In other words, the pie (the number of visitors) is marginally bigger but it is getting cut into smaller and smaller pieces as (there are more retailers and restaurateurs). However, the WRA’s forecasted figures show some promise. January room nights are expected to be 12 per cent more than last year; February is pegged to be 5 per cent busier; March is expected to be 4 per cent more active; and April is forecast to have a 13 per cent increase. Those rooms cost marginally more, too. "Achieved room rates" rose 3 per cent (to $92.18) and 15 per cent (to $197.10) for November and December between winter '95 and winter '96. But where November "achieved room rates" rose a further 8 per cent from Nov. '95 to Nov. '96, to $99.51, they only crept up half a per cent between Dec. '95 and Dec. '96 to $198.15. Achieved room rates are the rates visitors actually paid, as opposed to a hotel's rates that have yet to be discounted for one reason or another. It may not mean that room rates are going up, but that Whistler's hotels can sell their rooms closer to the full price, as opposed to discounting them just to put bodies in rooms.