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MILAN — Versace Bright Crystal, the Italian design house’s top-selling women’s fragrance, will be getting a new boost with its first new ad campaign in five years.
Euroitalia, Versace’s fragrance licensee, has produced a print and video campaign done by Mario Testino with creative direction from Donatella Versace. The campaign features top-earning South African model Candice Swanepoel. The new print ad will make its debut on July 5 in the U.S. in Glamour magazine. That will be followed with ads in Cosmopolitan, InStyle and Allure. All the magazine inserts will include scented strips, according to Claudio Tenan, export director at Euroitalia. The video version will be shown on TV in Europe in the fall and other parts of the world. Tenan said the company is still discussing the strategy for the video in the U.S. So far, all that has been decided is that it will appear on the Web in the U.S.
A Stella McCartney sketch of a custom dress made from protein-based silk in partnership with biotech lab Bolt Threads. The dress will be displayed at The Museum of Modern Art's upcoming design exhibition, "Items: Is Fashion Modern?"


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Earlier this month, we launched the ‘Go the Billionth Mile’ contest to offer a year of free travel to the customer who helped us reach the billionth mile driven on the Express Lanes. Thank you for helping us reach this major milestone. We are now working to contact and confirm our lucky winner.
Look out for an email or phone call from Virginia E-ZPass® if you traveled the Lanes recently, you may be the lucky driver. And if you aren’t the winner, stay tuned as we’ll feature our winner online to show how she or he uses the year of free travel.
While the chance to win has pulled away from the curb, traveling the Express Lanes is still the most reliable way to save time on the Beltway and I-95.

domain: news


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Why it will be hard for BigCommerce to dethrone Shopify as the DTC platform of choice
This week, BigCommerce, an e-commerce platform that helps power about 60,000 online stores around the world, filed for a proposed IPO. The company’s S-1 showed some signs of promise: The company brought in $112.1 million in revenue in 2019, up 22% from the year before. But in the direct-to-consumer startup space, the response to BigCommerce’s IPO was muted.
That’s because Shopify, BigCommerce’s competitor, is the e-commerce solution that the vast majority of DTC startups use. Shopify doesn’t break out how many DTC brands use its platform, but its dominance is clear based on the numbers. Shopify said that as of last October that more than one million merchants use its platform. Among the brands that use Shopify are some of the most highly valued direct-to-consumer brands in the space, including Warby Parker, Rothy’s, Allbirds and Untuckit.
E-commerce is only expected to make up a greater percentage of total retail sales in the U.S. in the coming years, a trend that has been accelerated by the coronavirus. That means there’s a lucrative opportunity ahead for e-commerce platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce. But among Shopify’s competitors — which includes a bevy of tech companies like Magento, WooCommerce, Salesforce, Microsoft and Amazon — no one company yet has emerged as the biggest threat to Shopify’s position as the go-to e-commerce platform for DTC brands.
A March report from eMarketer projected that DTC brands would account $17.75 billion, or 2.6% of total U.S. e-commerce sales in 2019. But, e-commerce platforms are eager to court direct-to-consumer brands, because it’s a segment that is growing more quickly than total U.S. e-commerce sales, even though the rate of growth is slowing, according to eMarketer. In 2018, sales from DTC brands grew 56.5% from the year prior, and 33.1% in 2019.
Agencies say that Shopify’s dominance comes down to a few factors. One, it’s one of the easiest platforms to get started on, because it requires less customization. Second, as Shopify’s customer base and revenue has grown more quickly compared to competitors, that’s allowed it to justify investments in more costly services for its customers, like a fulfillment service that Shopify unveiled last year.
But Shopify’s dominance also says a lot about the state of DTC startups. The reason why so many DTC brands still use Shopify is because they haven’t grown to the point where they require a more unique e-commerce setup. Many of them still only sell at most dozens of product SKUS. Most of them still only sell primarily through their website and a handful of stores. Some don’t sell wholesale through other retailers, and they haven’t developed their own marketplaces. And, despite earlier DTC startups’ efforts to brand themselves as tech companies, ultimately tech isn’t that much of a differentiating factor for DTC startups.
“I think Shopify has a lot of the mindshare,” said Mark William Lewis, founder and chief technology officer at the e-commerce agency Netalico. “Part of that is because of the stock price — people just think of Shopify and think ‘oh that’s an e-commerce name that I know.'” Lewis said that the majority of his clients do use Shopify, primarily because it is the easiest platform to get started on. But, there are a few limitations to Shopify, namely that it doesn’t allow for as much customization in the checkout process for the regular, paid tier. (Shopify’s enterprise product, Shopify Plus does offer more customization at checkout, he said). For example, one of Netalico’s clients, which sells pet medications, needs to collect more detailed information at checkout, like a veterinarian’s name and contact info. That client operates off of Magento, which Lewis said allows for more customization at checkout.
In its S-1, BigCommerce said that the growth of DTC brands, was a trend that would work in its favor, and that it believes its platform can grow with these startups as they mature. “The growth in [DTCs] has corresponded with demand for turnkey e-commerce platforms that support both rapid product launch and scaling to mid-market size and beyond,” the S-1 stated. However, until BigCommerce has more of these DTC clients that can grow to mid-market size — and proves it can support them — Shopify will likely remain the dominant platform of choice.
Michael Cassidy, CEO of Shopify agency BVA, said that he thinks Shopify does the best job of growing with direct-to-consumer brands, citing its willingness to invest in its fulfillment network. “Shopify is able to think about drones, they’re able to think about unique things on shipping, they’re able to think about AI/virtual try on,” said Cassidy, whose agency works with about 75 DTC brands at any given time, including Chubbies and Untuckit. “I think a lot of that is really exciting for merchants.”
When a brand might have to start to consider a Shopify alternative, said Cassidy, is “when you start getting into a more complex business.” And ultimately, many of today’s DTC startups haven’t gotten there yet.
“If you have a 10,000 SKU catalog, if you have mix of DTC and B-to-B, if you have multi-channel marketing, like an Avon that has a bunch of sales reps, if you have a huge international business — those are some of the things that might get you thinking, alright well is Shopify for me, and do I need something else,” said Cassidy.
Correction: This story previously stated that BigCommerce went public. It has not gone public, it has filed an S-1.
Member ExclusiveDTC brands aren’t feeling the Black Friday pressure
In the five days following Thanksgiving, there's usually a wave of retailers offering anywhere from 20% to 50% off of their products. This year, that wave will feel more like a never-ending tsunami.
Member ExclusiveAs its ecosystem grows, companies are becoming reliant on Shopify for more parts of their business
Eight years ago, startups turned to Shopify primarily to sell products online. Now, a startup might turn to Shopify to help fulfill orders, get some cash for their business or use its point-of-sale system when it opens a physical store.
Member ExclusiveVertical marketplaces are the next hot investment area as DTC brands look for more places to sell online
For many direct-to-consumer brands looking to sell and ship their products through someone's website besides their own, there's still only one dominant choice for them in the U.S., and that's Amazon. But investors are trying to find -- and fund -- new types of alternatives.
SponsoredPublishers will lead the charge as cookie-less advertising becomes the norm
Steve Wing, managing director, EMEA, Magnite As the advertising industry moves closer to a cookieless world — one in which browserless environments including connected TV (CTV) and mobile in-app are an increasingly large part of ad budgets — publishers will have an increasingly important role in developing the future of identity. Segment creation and identity […]
Member Exclusive‘On a lot of people’s minds right now’: DTC startups are in a holding pattern until after the election
The election isn't the only thing on direct-to-consumer startup executives' minds -- after all, once the election is over, Black Friday is right around the corner. But Election Day also can't be business as usual
Member Exclusive‘More than a moment’: SPACs give DTC startups a potential new exit strategy
There's a new most-talked about acronym in the DTC world these days: SPAC, which stands for special purpose acquisition company.


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When it comes to little miss Goop, anything that doesn't involve raw veggies and vaginal steaming seems to be a no-go. So you can imagine our surprise when we learned that Gwyneth Paltrow, along with sports buff Serena Williams, just invested in a frozen food delivery service based in NYC. Frozen food? Le gasp!
But don't go calling this move sacrilege just yet. Gwyn and Serena are backing Daily Harvest, a mindful, superfood startup serving up organic smoothies, soups, overnight oats and chia puddings made with farm-frozen ingredients. Seriously, this ain't your grandma's TV dinner.
"Frozen food gets a bad reputation but it's actually a very practical way to consume nutrient dense- foods. Most people don't have access to farm fresh produce year-round and often times the produce available in the grocery store was picked before peak ripeness and then traveled a far distance to the store while its nutrients degraded," says GP. "Farm-frozen produce is picked at its nutritional peak, retains more nutrients and its more readily available to everyone."
No wonder Daily Harvest has earned her wellness stamp of approval (along with some of her big bucks). And hey, all their options really do look delicious.
[Photo via @dailyharvest]


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Ruffwear Partners With Distributor in Russia
Ruffwear has partnered with Dogs Active to manage distribution in Russia.
Alexander Grinev, his wife, Sofia, and the team at Dogs Active have offered customers Ruffwear products at their Moscow-based store since 2013. Dogs Active will now use its experience to help grow and support a network of Ruffwear retailers, bringing Ruffwear products to people around the country.
“This is a natural progression of our relationship with Dogs Active,” said Tripp Sickler, international business manager for Ruffwear. “Partnering with Alexander and Sofia will make it easier for people in Russia to find Ruffwear gear both online and at their local shops. Our new partner will help retailers achieve success with Ruffwear in a country where outdoor adventures, extreme weather conditions and dogs are a way of life.”
This partnership, combined with the range of Ruffwear products will launch in fall 2017 and spring 2018, will make the adventure dog brand more accessible globally, according to company officials.


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What you need to know
- A small number of Galaxy S20 phones appear to be experiencing major screen issues
- The screen turns green or white on affected units without any evident reason.
- Samsung is yet to acknowledge the issue.
The Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra were three of the best Android phones of 2020 and are still great options to consider if you don't want to spend over $700 on a new Samsung flagship. Unfortunately, it looks like some owners of the Galaxy S20 series phones are experiencing a severe display issue that basically renders them useless (via Android Police).
According to complaints from affected users on Samsung's Community forum, Reddit, and YouTube, the issue causes the entire display to turn green or white. Most of them say that they began noticing flickering issues a few days before their screens started turning green or white. They also claim that their phones weren't damaged in any way, so the reason behind the issue isn't clear.
While a moderator on the Samsung Community forum has suggested affected users boot their devices into Safe Mode to solve the issue, it doesn't appear to help at all. A factory reset doesn't make any difference either. If the issue is caused by a software bug, Samsung will likely issue an update with a fix for the Galaxy S20 series phones sometime in the near future.
Fortunately, the issue doesn't appear to be anywhere near as widespread as the touchscreen issues that affected the Galaxy S20 FE when it first launched. Samsung had to roll out multiple software updates to fix the ghost touches and poor responsiveness. Some Galaxy S20 Ultra units were also affected by a green tint issue last year, but the issue was soon fixed with an update. Similar issues were reported by OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro owners as well.
Android Central has reached out to Samsung for a comment and will update the story if the company responds.
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Proposals to release movies in theaters and DVD simultaneously got a big boost Tuesday with the release of an international report maintaining that film studios could realize a 16-percent boos in revenue by closing the current window between theatrical and DVD releases. On the other hand, the report -- by Marketing Power -- indicated that movie theaters would encounter a 40-percent fall in ticket sales. The report also suggested that studios could gain additional revenue by releasing films on home-video rental first, then selling the video three months later.
Jack Antonoff hears a ''female voice'' in his head when he writes music.
The show will be seen by everybody at the same time.
The Scottish comedian has been speaking about gaining a knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.
With Will Smith and Martin Lawrence fronting the franchise, 'Bad Boys' was a huge success for Sony Pictures upon its initial release in 1995.
The creator will be able to give her input during season 2 production.


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Car horns blared along Hamilton East's Grey St as motorists showed their support for picketers protesting the sale of synthetic highs yesterday.
A vocal gathering of about 50 people clustered outside an unmarked shop they say had been stocking legal highs for the past six weeks. The gathering included long-time residents, business owners, young parents as well as a smattering of city and regional councillors.
The store, which has blackened front windows, was closed yesterday.
Protest co-ordinator Shardell Quinn said the picket was a clear sign people didn't want synthetic cannabis sold in a "suburban village". She said she was disappointed store owner Kinnari Mihir Patel had not fronted to talk to protesters.
"If he had nothing to hide and wasn't bothered by what we are saying then he would have opened his shop today and spoken to us. It's a cowardly act to lock the shop up and it's also cowardly to set up a shop with no signage and sell synthetic highs."
There had also been reports teens had been paying adults to buy legal highs from the R-18 store.
Regional councillor Lois Livingston had approached Mr Patel to express residents' concerns, but the businessman was adamant he was doing nothing wrong.
"He quite right that what he is doing is legal, but it's not right," Ms Livingston said.
"I've seen people fighting outside the shop and hanging around outside the shop at all hours waiting for it to open. My big concern is that you have Sacred Heart students waiting at the nearby bus stop and they see all of this."
City councillors Margaret Forsyth and Angela O'Leary met with the owner of the Grey St building and asked him to reconsider leasing his premises to Mr Patel. "We wanted to give him the chance to be co-operative and also understand the impact this business was having on the community, but we just got a point-blank refusal," Ms Forsyth said.
- Waikato Times


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Atlanta-Based Agency Remains One of the Fastest Growing Companies in the U.S.
ATLANTA (Aug. 15, 2019) – For the ninth consecutive year, Nebo, a human-centered agency headquartered in Atlanta has been named to the Inc. 5000 list. The Inc. 5000 list is ranked according to percentage revenue growth over a four-year period and awards the country's top 5,000 fastest-growing private companies to the list.
Founded in 2004, Nebo was started as a reaction against what the founders saw as the industry’s deepest flaws. Now one of the Southeast’s largest independent agencies, Nebo has built its business by taking a human-centered approach, treating clients, employees and vendors the way they want to be treated.
With more than 100 awards won in the last two years alone, Nebo has continued to see tremendous growth and recognition on a local and national scale. Despite its growth, Nebo is focused on innovation in the future of marketing, having just launched the Beta Voice Module for the Nebo CMS, among other initiatives.
The agency also has remained committed to being a force for good, taking on pro-bono initiatives such as the Rescue Pledge, Cator Woolford Gardens, Frazer Center, as well as Jenn Vickery, senior vice president of digital strategy, and Farah El-Behadli, senior digital marketing project manager, launching Changemaker Chats in Atlanta.
“Our talented team and great clients, who both have shared values and a passion for pushing boundaries, has led to our success,” said Kimm Lincoln, president at Nebo. “We are honored to have received this recognition for the ninth year in a row.”
The acknowledged companies will be recognized at the annual Inc. 5000 Conference and Gala at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Arizona in October.
To learn more about Nebo and its award-winning projects, visit https://www.neboagency.com/.
Nebo is a human-centered agency built for the digital age. We believe that trust and attention are the most valuable resources in this hyper-connected, omni-channel, multi-device, ad-saturated world. By creating human-centered digital experiences and buyer journey marketing campaigns, we inspire, educate, and empower consumers. Our research and strategy teams develop deep, authentic understandings of consumer behavior to earn a place in their hearts and minds. Our creative and copy teams use these insights to help brands tell great stories. Our marketing teams build campaigns that do more than drive awareness, they change consumer behavior. To learn more about Nebo, visit www.neboagency.com.


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WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Demolition began Tuesday at the vacant Summit Place Mall in Waterford Township, making way for a new development.
Summit Place was Michigan's first enclosed mall and had more than 1 million square feet of retail space. The mall closed in 2009. A Sears remained open on the site until 2014.
The space along Telegraph Road will be redeveloped into the Oakland County Business Center.
"Hopefully sooner than later we're going to have up to a million square feet of new buildings here," said Larry Emmons, JLL managing director.
The area is expected to house a variety of businesses, including commercial and retail.
"It's high time that redevelopment happens here," said Gary Wall, Waterford Township supervisor.


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The businesses claim they suffered as a result of the actions of salesmen employed by A:Copy (UK) Plc, part of IKON Office Solutions, an American- owned giant that rents out more than 70,000 photocopiers in the UK alone.
The claimants accuse the salesmen of "clocking" photocopiers. They say they registered higher meter readings to make it look as if customers were using more copies than they had contracted for. That resulted in customers paying a one-off extra charge and meant some took out new contracts with higher minimum copy volumes than they needed. A:Copy strongly denies these claims.
Many of the claims of misconduct date back to a company called Southern Business Group, a former UK stock market listed company which was bought by IKON (formerly Alco Standard) in 1995.
The British businesses making the claims against A:Copy include Berkeley Seers Holdings, letting agents based in South-east London; WT Shipping, freight forwarders from Essex; Tyser Holdings, the oldest brokers in Lloyd's of London; Richard Freeman, solicitors of Chelsea; Multiprint Lythographics of South-east London; HW Walden, stationers of Battersea; and Chelsea Financial Services, of west London.
A charity, a clothing firm and a hotel group, which declined to be named, are also part of the claim.
A period of more than 60 days has been set aside for the trial at the High Court in the Strand, London, which comes to court on Thursday.


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Changes in the licensing agreement for Nessus will force some firms to rethink their security strategies, one security company warned this week.
The latest version of Nessus, which had traditionally been an open-source vulnerability scanner, was released earlier this month but is no longer available under the GPL license.
Firms are generally using one of three options to adjust to a different, more costly Nessus, StillSecure said in a statement.
Companies have either continued to use the new Nessus version for free - but only with nearly a week-long delay in updates, paid Nessus' parent company Tenable more than a thousand dollars in fees for the feed or switched to a different management system.
Alan Shimel, chief strategy officer for StillSecure, said Monday that waiting up to seven days for Nessus updates is rarely an option. "With something like Microsoft 'Patch Tuesday,' the chief security officer wants to know what you have by Wednesday," he said. "Five days is a lifetime."
Shimel said his company makes its own 3-year-old vulnerability management platform.
Tenable said its new Nessus platform is both more effective and faster than its last version, citing audit ability, support and access to more than 9,000 vulnerability checks as benefits to the new platform.
"Nessus 3.0 is a more robust version of the vulnerability scanner with better handling of concurrent host scanning. Its scan engine is faster than previous version, achieving up to five times improvement when scanning Windows networks," said Renaud Reraison, chief research officer for Tenable.


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Posted by Abe Sauer on October 10, 2012 11:12 AM
In September, just a year and a half after the the British communications authority Ofcom allowed paid product placement in the nation's TV programs, the BBC 2 show The Great British Bake Off featured the logo of refrigerator brand Smeg dozens of times, sending viewers into a tizzy. As one complainant wrote, "The Smeg logo was so visible that I counted it 37 times before giving up." The BBC later admitted that rules were broken involving the Smeg placements.
The conversation involving the terms "British" and "product placement" is currently dominated by philosophical arguments concerning the upcoming James Bond film, Skyfall. But a new report from the UK's New Media Group (NME) brings more hard data and analystics to the topic. One of its findings: It's not just Smeg that's been testing the limits of the new rules.Continue reading...
Posted by Abe Sauer on February 29, 2012 11:01 AM
Product placement in the US has never been bigger. Meanwhile, in the UK, product placement is exploding… in 2013.
Since the UK authorities opened up the media market to product placement in February 2011, little action has been taken. A flood of product choking British screens, the very thing critics warned about, has not happened. In fact, nothing remotely close has occurred. Fewer than 20 paid placements have been arranged in the last year. But don't despair!Continue reading...
Posted by Sheila Shayon on November 2, 2011 12:07 PM
It’s no secret that how consumers spend their time on media varies with age, so it’s fascinating to look at two recent studies (US and UK) to get a bead on how the generational shift in media consumption is advancing.
According to the latest Generational Strategies study from Frank N. Magid Associates, during the 9-5 workday more consumers use Facebook than watch television. The sole exception is Boomers, who prefer TV to Facebook, although 26% of those surveyed use the social network during work hours.Continue reading...
Posted by Abe Sauer on September 30, 2011 11:07 AM
A rather fascinating case study on product placement in the U.K. suggests that the recent relaxation of rules on the marketing practice may not be creating the free-for-all many critics feared.
NMG Product Placement, which has been measuring the practice since 1987, looked at the new Sky sitcom Trollied, which is set in a fictional Valco (hello Tesco!) supermarket — prime product placement territory. NMG found that, despite the producers' apparent efforts to secure paying placements, "no such deals were done, and in the event the entire set was dressed by free prop supply product placement."
So what does this suggest about "paid for" product placement's future on British TV?Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on August 4, 2011 09:00 AM
Accenture drives social business adoption through gamification.
Amazon battles U.S. states over taxes.
Bally expands to India.
Banco Popular expands rebranding to Popular Inc.
Canada sees online ad revenue exceed print for the first time.
Cargill recalls 36 million pounds of turkey products.
CNN finds host Piers Morgan coming under parliamentary pressure and accusations by Heather Mills over hacking.
Coca-Cola joins brands testing cloud-based in-text social advertising.
comScore acquires analytics firm AdXpose.
Dunkin' Donuts rolls out Keurig single-serve cups, with Starbucks to follow.Continue reading...
Posted by Sheila Shayon on February 28, 2011 05:00 PM
The above video is part of a consumer-awareness campaign introducing changes in the UK 2011 Broadcasting Code from media regulator Ofcom that went into effect today.
Nestlé’s Dolce Gusto coffee makes history as the first brand featured on a UK-produced television program in a paid product placement deal, valued at £100,000 and brokered by WPP media agency Mindshare, on ITV1's This Morning – this morning.Continue reading...
Posted by Shirley Brady on February 14, 2011 10:00 AM
The British media oversight authority, Ofcom, has revealed the logo and rules for the launch of product placement in UK television programming starting Feb. 28.
According to Ofcom, which regulates TV advertising in the UK, the logo — which can be used in either of the variations above — must:
• Appear for three seconds at the start and end of each program containing product placement, and immediately following each commercial break;
• Appear in one of the four corners of the screen;
• Not overlap or otherwise conflict with channel logos or in-program identity marks;
• Meet minimum-size requirements, which an Ofcom spokesman tells Brand Republic means it will be "roughly equivalent to the size of a channel logo."Continue reading...
Posted by Abe Sauer on January 25, 2011 12:30 PM
On Monday, February 28, audiences in the United Kingdom will begin to see legal product placement in TV and other programming. The allowance follows relaxed rules on the advertising practice by Ofcom, the UK's independent regulator and competition authority for the communications industries.
If anyone had any doubt that product placement in the UK was about to get serious, it was erased late last year when the NMA Group announced that it would be entering the market there (via a partnership with Bellwood Media).
The Hollywood based NMA is a heavyweight of brand integration and product placement, representing major brands including Dunkin' Donuts, General Motors and Heineken. Its formal entry to the UK market anticipates what's expected to be a £100 million sector.
After the jump, a deeper look into the new rules and an interview with an agency about how things could shake out as Britain warily embraces product placement.Continue reading...


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Kim Kardashian West is spreading the love ahead of Valentine’s Day, with a brand-new fragrance collection.
The reality TV star and beauty mogul has announced the upcoming launch of a range of fragrances on the 1st of February via her Instagram page.
She sported a white bralette with cycling shorts paired with white sandals while leaning on a blown up shape of one of the perfumes.
She captioned the photo with the details and description of the BAE fragrance.
The other two new scents are RIDE OR DIE and BFF.


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*Covid-19 UK Business Barometer reports initial commercial impacts
*1 in 10 businesses plan to ditch physical offices/premises post-crisis
LONDON 29th April – Research has confirmed the likely financial impact of Coronavirus on UK businesses, with 63% of companies surveyed lowering their turnover expectations for 2020, by 37% on average. 54% also reported an immediate drop in turnover in March, by an average of 45%.
The Covid-19 UK Business Barometer, conducted by Sapio Research and B2B agency Skout, shows a negative financial impact for many, 11% of respondents said their revenue went up in March by an average of 37%. 6% are expecting revenue to be higher across 2020, on average by 39%.
The research was conducted in mid-April with a cross-industry sample of 500 businesses from SMEs to large...


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PMMI announces new Contract Packaging Association Sourcing Center at Pack Expo International
New feature to showcase capabilities of contract packagers.
in the NewsU.S. ports may face difficult financing decisions, says Fitch Ratings project44 rolls out full truckload and LTL API services Private Fleet vs. Dedicated: Which one is right for you? UPS turns in strong Q1 performance Universal Asset Management see significant time, money and labor savings with FedEx Freight Box More News
PMMI, owner and producer of Pack Expo International 2014 (McCormick Place, Chicago; Nov. 2–5) and the Contract Packaging Association (CPA) are bringing a new feature, the Contract Packaging Association Sourcing Center, to Pack Expo International and the co-located Pharma Expo this fall.
The new show feature, on the Grand Concourse adjacent to the Association Pavilion, will be a showcase for the capabilities of contract packagers, and a resource to Pharma Expo as well as Pack Expo attendees.
“In addition to the CPA members who will exhibit there, the Contract Packaging Association Sourcing Center will feature a display of innovative packages alongside experts who can speak to the benefits of using contract packagers,” says Charles D. Yuska, president and CEO, PMMI. “It will be a tremendous resource for both Pack Expo and Pharma Expo attendees.”
Contract packagers provide a wide range of packaging functions to consumer goods companies (CPGs). The Contract Packaging Sourcing Center will be near the entrance of the North Hall, and CPA members will be on hand to speak with brands about their needs.
“The opportunity to collaborate with PMMI is very exciting. Pack Expo consistently attracts top-level brands and buyers, and they are the target market for our messages about the role contract packagers can play,” says CPA president Chris Nutley, president, MSW Packaging. “This gives us a chance to present a full spectrum of contract packaging solutions and knowledge at the most comprehensive packaging and processing trade show in North America this year.”
Pharma Expo is co-produced by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, and the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE), and co-located with Pack Expo International 2014. PMMI anticipates the two events will draw a combined 50,000 attendees, with 2,000 exhibitors in 1.1 million net square feet of exhibit space.
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Fiat’s 500 series of hatchbacks have again been named the best city car at the 2009 Auto Express New Car Awards.
The compact vehicle, which was first introduced in 2008, was hailed by the publication for its manoeuvrability, impressive record in road tests and its choice of different models.
Fiat has enjoyed notable success and industry recognition for its urban vehicles, with its Panda model having won the Best City Car Award for four consecutive years between 2003 and 2007 before the 500 first took the accolade last year.
Auto Express said: “A top class urban runabout is a model that fits in perfectly with a daily commute … and doesn’t make too many demands on your budget. The Fiat 500 scores on all counts.”
The manufacturer was also presented with a special award in recognition of its eco:Drive system, which is designed to save fuel and reduce exhaust emissions.
ChoiceQuote – the #1 for car insurance


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That’s according to a report produced by the Shidler College of Business, which says that in fiscal year 2013-14, the department generated $66 million in local spending on labor, goods and services.
The report was commissioned by the athletics department and prepared by graduate students under the direct supervision of Professor of Business Economics Jack Suyderhoud.
Brendan Urban, an offensive lineman for the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, during last season’s football game with UNLV.
Cory Lum / Civil Beat
“The $66 million in spending in turn generated $128 million in Hawaii business sales and $36.9 million in income for Hawaii workers,” says a press release from University of Hawaii News. “In addition, the $66 million of spending added $7 million to the state’s tax collections and created more than 860 jobs in Hawaii.”
In the most recent fiscal year, the athletics department’s revenues from tickets and merchandise sales “were more than $16 million, which makes the department among the top 215 largest companies in the state of Hawaii by sales revenues,” says UH News. “If the UH Manoa Athletics Department was measured by its total budget, it would be the 155th largest enterprise in the state.”
The athletics program is the home of 20 sports programs: seven for men, 12 for women and one co-ed. Approximately 460 student-athletes participated in the programs during FY 2013-’14.


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This is great, more consumers are embracing conscious shopping, and thanks to that, the industry is taking the necessary steps to meet their demands and improve in terms of sustainability.
In its Luxury Conscious Trends Report, Farfetch studies the behavior of their customers when browsing their platform and the purchases they make, especially in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an increase in luxury customers choosing to shop more consciously. For this, they used several criteria to qualify conscious products. They must be made from certified or independently recognized materials (e.g. organic, recycled and recyclable fabrics, low-impact materials, etc.), have a certified production process, be second-hand or belong to a brand that has good results on Good on You rating agency.
Analyzing the database and surveys created reveals that conscious product sales grew 3.4 times faster than the market average during 2020, and has continued to grow year-over-year using the sustainability filter on Farfetch.com. As well as using services to extend the useful life of products such as Farfetch's Second Life resale service grew 527% year-over-year, which allows consumers to sell their pre-owned handbags (from a defined list of luxury brands) to Farfetch in exchange for credit. It is available in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
Farfetch Donate grew 662% year-over-year, a service that allows consumers to dispose of clothing they no longer wear, earn credit to spend on Farfetch and donate to the charity of their choice. It is available in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Mexico was the country with the highest growth in conscious shopping globally with a 341% increase in Conscious GMV 2019/2020. France recorded the highest global growth in conscious shopping with 149% in terms of overall merchandise value. South Korea recorded the highest increase in spending on second-hand goods with 116%. 29% of customers in China made a conscious purchase in 2021.
16% of Farfetch customers purchased a conscious product in 2021. This represents a 60% year-on-year increase. The average age of conscious customers is 32 years old. For general Farfetch customers, the average age is 34. The percentages of conscious purchases by gender is 63% female and 37% male. This percentage coincides with Farfetch's general customers (64% of women and 36% of men).
20% of respondents say they have purchased a second-hand fashion item in the last year. 41% say they are likely to buy second-hand luxury fashion in the future.
Very interesting is the partnership of Farfetch with IOF.earth, who communicate to customers the contribution to the environment when purchasing sustainable versions compared to standard ones. This tool allows you to see data on each type of material, letting you see the impact on the environment, but compare it to a more sustainable version and how much damage we would save the planet. This is one of their latest initiatives, which allows consumers to make informed decisions when making their purchases and the environmental impact they leave behind.
01_Conscious purchasing is becoming increasingly popular around the world. The profile of customers who buy conscious items largely matches that of an average FARFETCH customer.
02_Farfetch consumers focus on buying quality and durable items, and consider it part of their efforts to shop more sustainably.
03_Demand for pre-owned luxury items is growing, increasingly attracting high-value customers looking for an element of rarity, often from iconic brands. Spending on second-hand is expected to continue to increase.
04_Many luxury brands are driving measures to improve their sustainability performance, but the steps taken are still at an early stage. For others, much remains to be done.
05_Innovation in data and technology will be key to helping luxury companies make their practices more conscious. Third-party solutions are increasingly emerging that can become enablers in this task.


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Thailand’s Grande Centre Point Hotels (GCP), operator of the Grande Centre Point Terminal 21, a hotel with Sukhumvit suites in Soi 6, has recently set their target revenue for the year 2018. The hotel company, according to Managing Director Kitti Worrabanpott, of LH Mall & Hotel Co. Ltd., the owner of the GCP brand, has set a revenue target of approximately Bt2.4B in for 2018.
CEO Suwanna Buddhaprasart, LH Mall & Hotel, said that the GCP’s four hotel properties across the country boasted a combined revenue of over Bt2.2B in 2017, a 30% increase from last year’s figures. She added that, with the company’s average annual occupancy rate sitting at 85%, the growth of the company is set to continue for 2018, expected as a result of all the favorable forecasts and outlook for Thailand’s tourism and hotel industries.
The LH Mall & Hotel’s primary customer group usually hails from Asia, from Japan, Hong Kong and the surrounding countries, plus Malaysia, with some customers from the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
According to estimates from the Tourist Authority of Thailand, Thailand will be welcoming 37 million international arrivals in 2018, an increase of 2 million from 2017’s 35 million. The governmenthas already taken steps to make sure of that, with policies and programmes aimed at promoting Thai tourism, and improving the country’s transport infrastructure.
The LH Mall & Hotel Group operates four hotels across Thailand. They are the Grand Center Point Sukhumvit 55, the Grand Centre Point Ratchadamri, the Grande Centre Point Ploenchit, and the Grande Centre Point Terminal 21, a Sukhumvit suites in Soi 6 near the popular shopping centre.
The group also has plans to open another property – the Grande Centre Point Pattaya – sometime within the latter half of 2018, which will be the its first property outside of the capital, and will increase the group’s total number of rooms in service to 2,100.
According to Suwanna, a major advantage of the group is prime location, with its hotels located in the capital, located near shopping areas, entertainment districts, central businesses and other key infrastructure, complete with access to city’s transportation systems.
She adds that the group is also looking for potential development locations in Bangkok for a new property, as part of its new business plan of opening at least one new hotel every year in the country.


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Lululemon’s Shareholders Shrug Off Labeling Report
Lululemon Athletica Inc.'s stock price fell by as much as 9 percent before recovering Wednesday in the aftermath of a New York Times report that the yogawear firm's VitaSea line does not appear to contain the seaweed benefits its educational tags and...
Lululemon Athletica Inc.'s stock price fell by as much as 9 percent before recovering Wednesday in the aftermath of a New York Times report that the yogawear firm's VitaSea line does not appear to contain the seaweed benefits its educational tags and content label claim.
Shares fell $3.75, or 9 percent, to $39.75 in early Nasdaq trading, but closed up 79 cents, or almost 2 percent, at $44.29.
The newspaper said it received a tip from a Lululemon investor, who was shorting its stock, that a lab test showed there was little difference in the mineral levels of a shirt from Lululemon's VitaSea line, which purports to be made of 24 percent Seacell seaweed along with cotton and Lycra spandex, and cotton T-shirts. The Times commissioned a separate lab test to compare the contents of a cotton J. Crew T-shirt with a VitaSea-line shirt. The test confirmed no significant difference in mineral levels, though it could not rule out the presence of seaweed entirely.
In a statement issued Wednesday after the markets closed, the company said: "Lululemon is a company of integrity that strives to maintain a culture of transparency and openness. We stand behind our products. All of our products go through rigorous testing, including our VitaSea fabric, and that process has been in place for a year. We are taking this situation seriously and will provide full information to further clarify this matter as soon as we receive it."
Lululemon has built its reputation around health, wellness, a positive attitude and the idea of social responsibility. Although it does not advertise those mantras in traditional ways, its reusable bags and in-store information communicate those messages to its yoga-practicing consumers.
According to the tags on Lululemon's VitaSea garments, the seaweed fiber releases amino acids, minerals and vitamins into the skin upon contact with moisture. Seacell, owned by German-based Smartfiber, is said to have provided the seaweed fiber to Lululemon, but Lululemon had not independently tested VitaSea, the Times said.
The Vancouver-based company, which did an estimated $150 million in sales last year and has about 60 retail stores, issued an initial public offering in July, raising $327.6 million with 18.2 million shares of common stock priced at $18 each. Since then, shares have traded between $24.92 and $60.70 — its high in late October.
Alberta Ferretti's "Rainbow Week" sweaters are back. The designer closed her #MFW show with a few day-of-the-week sweaters, which first debuted on the catwalk last January as part of the pre-fall 2017 collection. #wwdfashion (📷: @delphineachard)


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The Middle East and Africa includes some of the most dynamic and high potential emerging markets in the world. A subscription to EMIS provides access to a range of information on Middle Eastern and African companies, industry sectors and economic data from thousands of local and global sources.
Pushing for green development and lifestyles
China Daily | 2020-Apr-10
Finance Ministry readies further aid
BangkokPost Breaking News | 2020-Apr-10
CPI down for 2nd straight month in March
Intellasia.Net News | 2020-Apr-10
Danish toy manufacturer Lego aims to expand its business in the Middle East and Africa region and will open a new office in Dubai by the end of 2018, Arabian Business reported citing the group’s CEO Niels Christiansen.
He noted that Lego wanted ...08 Mar
M&A activity in South Africa was low in the first quarter of 2016, with only several deals above USD 100mn. The local economy is set to grow by only 0.6% in 2016, and the overall outlook seems uncertain due to droughts, high inflatio...30 Jun
Spending on information and communications technology in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey is to grow 3.6% on the year to $242.6 billion next year, Gulf News reported on Tuesday citing a projection by US market research and consultancy International...23 Nov
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is expected to see its tourism sector grow to USD 350 billion by 2027, TradeArabia reported referring to data provided by group Mena Research Partners.
The key sector engines will be the leisure and...14 May


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There’s no shortage of reasons why Canadians love their Goodfood meal kits: from the convenience of skipping the chore of meal planning and grocery shopping to the panoply of delicious, healthful options every week, what’s not to love?
Well, in case you needed one more reason, according to a recent study from the journal of Resources, Conservation and Recycling, it turns out meal kits have a smaller carbon footprint than grocery shopping!
While meal kits often get a bad rap for their packaging, it should be noted that all packaging in your Goodfood box is entirely recyclable. In fact, many Goodfoodies reuse their twist cap containers and resealable bags a couple of times before recycling them, further reducing unnecessary waste!
Beyond packaging however, it’s important to look at the other elements that make up the larger environmental picture, namely those of greenhouse gas emissions from food waste and transportation.
According to the United Nation Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), if global food waste was a country, it would be the #3 global greenhouse gas emitter after China and the United States. Food waste affects the environment in a few ways. Food production adds greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, and producing excess food uses unnecessary crop land, water and fertilizer.
Earlier this year in January, Second Harvest, an agency that works to reduce food waste reported that a whopping 58% of all food produced in Canada is lost or wasted with much of it being preventable at the consumer level. Overshopping or poor meal planning often means that unused or expired food ends up in millions of trash cans across the country. As food rots in landfills, it produces more of the greenhouse gas methane, which is 25 times more damaging to our atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
Meal kits significantly cut down on food waste because each ingredient is perfectly measured at peak freshness and pre-portioned, so you won’t end up throwing away two thirds of that bunch of celery you thought you’d find another use for.
The other big element to consider is that of food transportation. With Goodfood, ingredients are transported in bulk by a delivery truck on an optimized route. This means literally millions of individual car trips to grocery stores are saved every year further reducing emissions and the bane of our collective existence, traffic!
While this is all well and good, there is always room for improvement, and Goodfood CEO & Co-founder, Jonathan Ferrari hints at what’s in store on the sustainability front:
“Reducing food waste was an important part of our mission when we founded Goodfood almost 5 years ago, and it’s still very much at the heart of what we do today. That being said, we have made some big commitments to improving our sustainability, in fact biodegradable packaging is one of the next projects we plan to focus on. One day, we even envision delivering Goodfood boxes in electric vehicles!”
In Jonathan’s mind, a lot is at stake — not just for the environment but for the future of Goodfood as well:
“We will not be successful as a business if we are not successful in our sustainability initiatives. Our members are asking for it, and our team is excited to tackle these challenges. We listen very closely to the feedback of our big family of Goodfood members and work hard to make our service just a little bit better every single day — and our sustainability efforts are a vital part of this mentality. As the market leader, we want to set the standard for our entire industry.”
It’s certainly no small feat, but when businesses and consumers come together to collaborate on reducing, reusing and recycling, the future starts to look a lot brighter!
Do you have comments or suggestions? We’d love to hear them. Email us at email@example.com


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Six out of ten ecommerce or online stores have security problems in Spain.
The studies on which the information is based point out that these faThe loss of business opportunities is up to 70%, as the decrease in turnover due to this reason reaches up to 1,750 million euros.
Zeedsecurity is the company that has conducted a thorough study, the results of which estimate that security problems in online stores, in 10% of cases, affect their web traffic.
Companies that suffer from these problems, will lose the trust of many customers, and therefore, a bad image, and also a large sum of money. To avoid this, they recommend that audits be carried out to prevent and to carry out the relevant measures.
Given that Christmas is the period of the year of greatest consumption par excellence, this year is expected to become one of the leading dates for online commerce, which will break records. In fact, it is estimated that the sector will reach a turnover of more than 3,500 million euros, which represents an increase of between 20% and 25% compared to last year’s Christmas campaign.
If you want to read the original and complete news, you can do it in the link:
Greetings from your Computer Expert and Appraiser.


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Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson has decided it is better to give than to receive. He’s giving quite a bit to some local kids in Texas.
On December 2, Johnson took a group of 11 children from local Child Protective Services on a shopping spree to Toys R’ Us. With a little help from the Texans cheerleaders, the kids got 80 seconds to stuff a shopping cart with whatever toys that wanted. After ringing the items up at four different registers, Johnson dug in his pocket to pay a grand total of $16,266.26 worth of stuffed animals, DVD players, video games and toys for the deserving kids.
“I just enjoy doing it,” Johnson tells ESPN. “…I always felt like if I was ever to make it, I wanted to give back. You go through stuff as a kid growing up. You understand certain situations. I understand some of the things these kids go through.”
The NFL superstar’s shopping spree is an annual holiday tradition, with this year being the 7th event.


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The museum is asking for the public’s help in finding thousands of pieces of ancient gold jewelry and gemstones stolen from a storeroom.
Police say Douglas Wayne Gamble also swapped natural diamonds for synthetic stones and failed to return customers’ repairs.
The suspect used bear spray to subdue employees and bystanders then stole $800,000 worth of jewelry.
The men allegedly moved more than $600 million by using their 47th Street jewelry businesses as fronts, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
“Everybody Loves Diamonds” is an eight-part drama detailing the execution of one of the largest thefts in history.
The alleged crime ring was said to be targeting jewelry stores owned by Asian Americans.
Keith Poynter Jr. was sentenced earlier this month for a series of armed robberies in 2019.
People in the U.K. and Europe have been unexpectedly receiving rings in the mail accompanied by fake Gem-A certificates.
GPS tracking information from a stolen Rolex helped investigators identify the suspects wanted for the robbery at Heller Jewelers.
Two men and a woman made off with an estimated $11 million to $16.5 million worth of jewels, said authorities.
The robbery follows a string of smash-and-grab robberies reported in California this summer.
Police are investigating six robberies in SoCal, and a seventh in Northern California that may be connected.
Two suspects robbed Boozer’s Jewelers of more than $1.7 million in jewels, according to owner Brad Boozer.
Paul “Tony Pro” Prosano was one of three men charged in connection with the murder of Marco Jewelers owner Mark Vuono.
Jewelers need to make sure their cameras are working, and someone has to respond to any and all alerts from the alarm company, JSA said.
Jewelers of America and The Plumb Club will present “Protecting Your Jewelry Store—Essential Security Measures” on June 28 at 2 p.m. EDT.
They’ve occurred at jewelry stores across the state over the first two weekends in June, said officials.
The alleged robbers stole $2 million worth of jewelry, including a diamond necklace weighing 76 carats.
The online 16-course “Safety and Security Academy” aims to educate jewelers on crime prevention and loss mitigation.
Officials allege a “complex network” of entities helped Nazem Said Ahmad deal in diamonds and artwork in the U.S. despite being sanctioned.
Karl Roberson is accused of stealing more than $200,000 worth of jewelry and watches from a childhood friend.


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NEW YORK (AP) — The Met Gala is back.
The annual extravaganza with the most dazzling red carpet in the world of fashion returns Monday.
The evening, a fundraiser for the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will be hosted by Regina King, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, with Vogue's Anna Wintour running the whole shebang as usual.
Last year's event raised more than $16.4 million.
The theme: "Gilded Glamour," which should bring out some dressy period-style gowns that would go well on HBO's "The Gilded Age."
The sartorial theme stems from the spring fashion exhibit it celebrates: "In America: An Anthology of Fashion," exploring the roots of American fashion.
Some memorable looks from years past include Rihanna as a bejeweled pope, Zendaya in a light-up Cinderella gown, and Kim Kardashian in a face-covering bodysuit.
Tickets are not sold to the general public. You must be invited to the event.
Generally, companies or fashion houses buy tables, and each seat reportedly costs around $35,000, but some guests are invited to come for free.


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What’s the News?
On September 10, 2014, JPT Group, owner of the iconic American fashion brand Bernardo, filed suit in the Southern District of Texas alleging that Old Navy infringed two of Bernardo’s design patents for sandals.
Bernardo owns two design patents for the ornamental design of its sandals and alleged that Old Navy misappropriated and slavishly imitated its patented designs as shown in the following side-by-side comparison:
Auditors Change Sample Transaction Review Process and Pre-Assessment Survey to Match Today’s Audit Standards and to Provide Auditors Flexibility to Target Priority Trade Issues
US Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP’s) Office of Regulatory Audit will be hosting a webinar on Thursday, October 9, 2014 from 2:00 pm–3:30 pm Eastern Time to provide an overview of its Focused Assessment (FA) Program.
After 11 years, CBP is revising and updating its FA audit process. The good news is they are focusing more on what matters. The bad news is it will mean more work for importers selected for an FA. While CBP will be more targeted in its approach to assessing risk at a particular company, it will be asking more questions and requiring more sample entries to review. A more detailed description of the changes follows.
The outdoor sporting goods company Bass Pro recently agreed to pay $6 million to settle claims that it violated California privacy laws. Specifically, Bass Pro faced a potential class action lawsuit over claims that it recorded telephone calls between consumers and the company’s customer service representatives without first obtaining the consumers’ consent.
The California “Eavesdropping” Law
Under California Penal Code Section 632, a company is prohibited from intentionally recording a confidential communication without obtaining the consent of all parties to the communication. Under a separate provision of California law, businesses are prohibited from recording mobile telephone calls unless all parties to the call have consented. The law authorizes statutory damages of up to $5,000 per recorded communication, as well as injunctive relief.
* The following article was originally published in Law360. To read the article at Law360, click here.
The Fourth Circuit in McAirlands Inc. v. Kimberly-Clark Corp. recently held that ownership of a utility patent does not necessarily preclude a claim in trade dress rights, particularly where the patent does not specifically cover the asserted trade dress. Remanding the district court’s decision granting summary judgment to Kimberly-Clark, the Fourth Circuit held that, although plaintiff McAirlaids owned a utility patent, this fact alone was not sufficient to warrant a finding that its textile pattern was functional and, therefore, not eligible for trade dress protection.
In a case that could have a profound impact on the trade community, compliance officers, business owners, and others can now be held personally liable under the customs penalty statute1 for fraudulently or negligently providing information on imports. Under this decision, import managers and compliance personnel can now be held personally liable in circumstances other than fraud for imports that violate US custom laws.
This past summer, Lacoste launched a mobile app, Lacoste City Tennis, that is part matchmaker and part personal assistant. Users can find a hitting partner and an open court to play on. As Lacoste looks to the future, this strategic initiative reinforces the high-end lifestyle company's DNA as an iconic tennis brand.
A flurry of recent class action lawsuits is forcing clothing retailers to rethink their marketing tactics for outlet stores. In the last few months, lawsuits have been filed against a who’s who of major clothing retailers — The Gap, Banana Republic, Saks Fifth Avenue, Michael Kors, and Neiman Marcus — stemming from allegations that the companies are misleading consumers about the quality of merchandise sold in outlets.
What’s the News?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently settled with L’Oréal USA Inc. over charges that the company made deceptive claims regarding the benefits of two of its products. Specifically, L’Oréal claimed that its Génifique and Youth Code facial skincare products could combat the effects of aging by affecting the genes of anyone who used it. However, according to the FTC, such claims lacked adequate substantiation. Given the FTC’s allegations, L’Oréal has elected to settle the dispute and has agreed to a proposed consent order.
What’s the News?
A recent case filed in US District Court for the Southern District of Florida charges A&E Television Networks, LLC (A&E), with willful trademark infringement and unfair competition stemming from merchandise for the hit reality show Duck Dynasty. The case is a cautionary (duck?) tale about the importance of clearing trademarks prior to use and a reminder about the steps companies can take to minimize their liability under intellectual property laws.
ABOUT ARENT FOX LLP
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Addressing the microchip shortage
The U.S. semiconductor chip shortage is more likely to proceed properly into 2022, and a Georgia Tech skilled predicts that the U.S. might want to make main modifications to the manufacturing and provide chain of those all-important chips in the coming year to stave off additional results.
That contains making extra of those chips right here at dwelling.
Madhavan Swaminathan is the John Pippin Chair in Electromagnetics in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He additionally serves as director of the 3D Systems Packaging Research Center.
As an writer of greater than 450 technical publications who holds 29 patents, Swaminathan is one in every of the world’s main consultants on semiconductors and the semiconductor chips mandatory for a lot of of the gadgets we use each day to perform.
“Almost any consumer device that is electronic tends to have at least one semiconductor chip in it,” Swaminathan explains. “The more complicated the functions any device performs, the more chips it is likely to have.”
Some of those semiconductor chips course of info, some retailer information, and others present sensing or communication features.
In quick, they’re essential in gadgets from video video games and good thermostats to automobiles and computer systems.
Our present shortage of those chips started with the COVID-19 pandemic. When customers began staying at dwelling and automotive purchases took a downward flip, chip producers tried to shift to make extra chips for different items like smartphones and computer systems.
But Swaminathan explains that making that sort of change is just not easy. Entire manufacturing operations must be modified. The chips are extremely delicate and will be broken by static electrical energy, temperature variations, and even tiny specks of mud. The manufacturing environments have to be extremely regulated, and modifications in the course of can add months.
The pandemic highlighted one other problem with the semiconductor chip trade, in keeping with Swaminathan.
“There’s a major shortage of companies making chips,” he says. “If you look worldwide, there are maybe four or five manufacturers making 80–90% of these chips and they are located outside of the United States.”
This creates provide chain hiccups with the uncooked provides wanted to make these chips as properly. Add in the indisputable fact that many of those firms solely design their chips—they do not manufacture them immediately.
“American consumers use 50% of the world’s chips,” Swaminathan says, which creates a severe problem when the overwhelming majority of these chips are manufactured in different nations.
In the quick time period, the prices of the chip shortage is being handed on to the client. We see this immediately with merchandise like PlayStations and Xboxes which can be increasingly costly and more durable to buy when the chips mandatory for the consoles to perform are in brief provide.
Beyond 2022, Swaminathan says we have to work to revitalize the trade domestically.
“We need to bring more manufacturing back to the United States,” he says. “The U.S. government has recognized the importance of this semiconductor chip shortage and is trying to address the issue directly.”
That means investing in new vegetation to fabricate the chips, however America’s journey towards chip self-sufficiency will proceed to be a piece in progress.
“This is a cycle,” Swaminathan explains. “But this is probably the first time where it has had such a major effect in so many different industries.”
But customers can take direct motion on their very own in the coming year. “Reduce the number of times you purchase or upgrade electronic devices like phones and cars,” he says. “Then it becomes just a supply problem, not a demand and supply problem.”
Canon scrambles as its personal printers suppose ink cartridges are pretend attributable to chip shortage
Georgia Institute of Technology
Addressing the microchip shortage (2022, January 24)
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HDTV to Overtake Analog in 200623 Jan, 2006 By: Jessica Wolf
Folks are going digital in 2006, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
The group predicts that 2006 will be the first year sales of high-definition digital televisions will outpace sales of analog sets. CEA predicts HDTV sets will outsell the old-school TV by 89 percent in 2006, reaching 15.9 million and contributing to more than $23 billion in total digital TV revenue.
“In a way, it is the year of digital TV, although we've been saying that for the last couple of years,” said Sean Wargo, director of industry analysis for CEA. “But this is probably the year you can say digital goes mainstream.”
Now that the technology has passed the 20 million-home threshold, it's shifting from the early-adopter zone into the more price-conscious, brand-aware mainstream consumer, he said.
Last year, more than 12 million digital TV units shipped, according to CEA, increasing 60 percent from 2004 to reach $17 billion in sales. A majority of those shipments — 85 percent — were high-definition sets, according to CEA.
The increasing popularity of digital TV sets came in part from price dips in flat-panel liquid crystal displays (LCD) and plasma screens. These kinds of sets accounted for a combined 40 percent of all 2005 digital TV sales by dollar.
Consumers have been seeing digital TV and HDTV hardware stocked and promoted heavily at retail, as well as programming offered on satellite and cable, and are starting to get the picture, Wargo said.
“There are good price points, a broad understanding of the technology and a wide availability of content, and that awareness is only getting better with a lot of other products hitting the market, like HD DVD, Blu-ray and HD games,” he said.
It's still a product that prices out most mass consumers, Wargo said. The average TV set of any kind sold in a given year is $550, and most flat-panel displays cost twice that much, he said.
“It's not necessarily a technology that all consumers are ready to buy, but there are a lot of options open now for consumers who are in that $550 to $1,000 range, even in flat-panel,” he said.
The march toward the Federal Communications Commission's Jan. 1, 2009, deadline for the end of analog transmissions continues to add some fuel to digital TV hardware sales. The CEA hopes this year will bring legislation that adheres to any hard date.
But for now, it's not the sole driver, Wargo said.
“The fact that we're about to shut off the analog spectrum probably isn't that widely known or understood,” he said. “But the benefits of digital, especially HD, are fairly apparent now. People know they get a better experience when watching DVD [on digital sets] or TV shows in high-def.”


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NINE Perfect Strangers viewers are not happy with the series after it made its debut on Channel 4.
The American drama thriller, which is based on The New York Times best-selling book by author Liane Moriarty, ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ started last night.
Just like the title suggests, there’s nine characters who are all stressed city dwellers.
In an effort to ease their problems, each of them head to a boutique health and wellness resort.
Nicole Kidman plays Masha, the resort’s director who watches over the strangers during their 10-day treatment program.
Despite the series launching to much fanfare, viewers have one big complaint.
They took to social media to complain about the amount of ads that were playing out during the first episode.
Some viewers even suggested giving up watching the programme on Channel 4 and instead paying for a streaming service.
Mees gelees in TV
“‘Id enjoy #nineperfectstrangers more if it weren’t for all the ad breaks,” said one viewer.
'N Ander het gesê: “I’d rather pay for Amazon Prime just to watch #nineperfectstrangers than put up with all these bloody adverts @Channel4.”
Another fan fumed about one ad in particular, getwiet: “@Channel4 can you stop showing that f***ing Smile movie trailer. It’s creeping me the f*** out.
“What creepy show are they previewing?? During the ad breaks,” said one viewer at home.
Nine Perfect Strangers features Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans, Bobby Cannavale, Manny Jacinto and Samara Weaving.
Nine Perfect Strangers continues next Wednesday at 10pm on Channel 4.


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Traditionally, grocery stores haven’t been the quickest food and beverage category to embrace the wonders of technology. That’s not to knock the acumen of grocery store marketers – it’s just how it is. Many people still value the nostalgia and old-fashioned aspects of the grocery shopping experience, and any technological enhancement would just seem out of place.
Don’t get us wrong – grocery stores have made some progress when it comes to transitioning into the 21st century. Self-checkout lanes are here to stay, online grocery shopping with drive-thru pickup seems to have caught on, and many stores have added a variety of list-making and grocer- planning tools to their websites.
But a rise in smartphone use and the inevitable growth of a shopper base that demands high-tech tools have caused some stores to take their efforts one step further. Here’s a look at four ways that grocery chains are embracing technology as a way to put the “super” back into “supermarket.”
We all know how frustrating it can be sometimes to find certain items in a grocery store. Those signs that hang from the ceiling aren’t nearly specific enough and some products – like marshmallows and salsa – are never where you expect them to be. Shoppers at Publix Super Markets don’t have to worry about that anymore, thanks to a feature on the store’s mobile website allowing customers to look up the aisle number for specific products at each of the chain’s 1,000+ stores.
No a Publix shopper? No problem. Smartphone apps like aisle411 also offer store maps and product locations for hundreds of stores nationwide.
RISE OF THE APPS
Just about every major grocery chain has its own app these days, and Winn-Dixie and Whole Foods are no exception. Winn-Dixie’s smartphone application allows customers to reorder prescriptions and even offers friendly reminders when it’s time to take that medicine or schedule doctor’s appointments. Whole Foods’ “Market Missions” app encourages shoppers to eat healthy by giving them more than 70 challenges (or missions) to tackle. Completing a challenge earns users a badge – for example, reaching for fruit instead of sweets will earn you a “Fruitastic” badge – which can be shared via Facebook and other social media channels.
Stop & Shop has taken the aforementioned self-checkout aisles to a new level with a mobile app called SCAN IT! that allows shoppers to scan bar codes with their phone while they shop so they can bypass the cashier and bagging process entirely. The app tallies your bill and charges the total to your bank account, which means no more waiting in long checkout lines. The next step in that process could be arriving soon, however. An Australian company is working with IBM to install RFID tags in grocery items. Sensors would then automatically total your bill as you place goods in your cart, charging your account when you leave the store.
Denver-based grocer King Soopers knows grocery shopping with kids can be a hassle and that those fun kiddie car/shopping carts are only half the solution. The chain’s car-shaped carts are now equipped with small TV screens inside the car that play kid-friendly programming like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Bonus for marketers (and this might explain how they offset the cost of the upgrade): A second screen targets parents with 30-second commercials about various products in the store.
MARKETING LESSON: Everything – eventually – moves into the 21st century. Including a time-honored tradition like grocery shopping.


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Danish directorNicolas Winding Refn got his big breakthrough with the movies Bronson, Drive and Only God Forgives. Since then he has been more into tv series with Too Old to Die Young being released on Amazon and his new Copenhagen Cowboy will be on Netflix later this year.
Mostly known for his movies that revolve around criminality his new series Copenhagen Cowboy will not be that much different. His latest release Too Old to Die Young came to Amazon in 2019 and is now taking his work to Netflix with Copenhagen Cowboy. If you look through the connections with what Winding Refn has directed before this might be a portrayal of the Danish criminal underworld. Something that might be far-fetched but also not such a crazy guess since most of his films and series are connected to violence and crime.
Copenhagen Cowboy will be premiering on Netflix during 2022.


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|A Vietjet's booth at the Taipei Tourism Expo in Taiwan. — VNS Photo
TAIPEI — Vietjet is offering 200,000 promotional tickets at zero dong from now until next Monday to mark its participation in the 2019 Taipei Tourism Expo in Taiwan.
The discounted tickets, available only at www.vietjetair.com, are for all routes between Việt Nam and Taiwan: HCM City/Hà Nội – Kaohsiung/ Taipei/ Taichung and HCM City – Tainan.
The travel period is from June 1 to December 31.
At the Vietjet booth at this year’s expo, visitors will have the chance to enjoy exciting performances and a special cosplay parade as part of its summer campaign called “Love Connection – Show Your Summer Version”.
They can also take part in other fun activities and take selfies with the airline’s cabin crew members.
Vietjet operates eight routes connecting Việt Nam and Thailand with Taiwan.
One of the largest tourism events in Taiwan, TTE is expected to attract tens of thousands of visitors and 500 local and international brands promoting tourism, travel and air transport.
Taiwan is one of the top five markets in Asia for Vietnamese tourism. Some 280,000 Taiwanese have travelled so far this year, up 25 per cent year-on-year, figures from the National Administration of Tourism show. —


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Fresh Market Holdings Files for IPO to Repay Debt
The Fresh Market Holdings (TFM) has filed an amended filing for its proposed initial public offering to raise funds to help pay off the debt.
The specialty food retailer did not specify in its S1-A filing the size and price of the offering. The company plans to list its shares on Nasdaq under the symbol TFM.
The company first filed for an IPO in July 2021. At the time, it announced that it planned to raise $100 million, a figure that was likely a placeholder and subject to change.
Underwriters to the deal include Credit Suisse, BofA Securities, Barclays, BMO Capital Markets, Deutsche Bank Securities, Apollo Global Securities, RBC Capital Markets and Guggenheim Securities.
The Fresh Market said it plans to use the net proceeds of the deal to repay debt, including its 9.75% senior secured notes with a May 2023 maturity date and its secured notes super senior floating rate bonds with a March 2025 maturity date. The company said affiliates of the deal’s underwriters may own some of the securities.
Based in North Carolina, The Fresh Market operates 159 stores in 22 states. The retailer specializes in fresh perishables and ready meals.
For the 39 weeks ended Oct. 31, 2021, the company reported net income of $7.3 million on revenue of $1.4 billion.
For a more in-depth look at The Fresh Market, check out “Fresh Market Seeks IPO to Pay Down Debt” by Donovan Jones.


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Last week, Delphi's autonomous car became the first to complete a coast-to-coast trip across the United States. Here's what the company learned about its vehicle.
Audi SQ5 Videos
Despite the fact that the 2014 Audi SQ5 you see here is quite a bit different than the one offered in Europe, we're still plenty glad that the folks from Ingolstadt have decided to offer a hotted-up version of its compact Q5 crossover here in the States. Now, Audi has announced that its US-spec SQ5 will be priced from $51,900 when it hits dealerships later this summer (*not including $895 for destination). That strikes us as a pretty favorable price – while the base Q5 in 2.0-liter TFSI tr


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The world business has been brought to its knees through the unanimous action of locking down the greater part of business and the production sector in all countries with only the essential services to spare. Most sectors of the economy of each and every country have been badly affected with some other governments coming up with different sort of rescue packages, Zimbabwe hasn’t been excluded from this unfortunate business mishap since the outbreak of the deadly Coronavirus.
Worst hit is the informal sector of Zimbabwe as many of the players in this smaller sector but with thousands of operators were surviving from day to day hand to mouth daily hustling income.
Like a natural phenomenon, not all business sectors have been hugely affected as the Online Shopping Owners in Zimbabwe are enjoying the success wave of their business during this movement restrictive period. With social distancing being a common adage now from health circles as one of the effective ways to arrest the spread of the pandemic, there is now an emerging cash cow business in the online grocery sector.
The online shopping has been on an increasing ascendancy mode as thousands of Zimbabweans mostly those living in the diaspora that is those in South Africa, UK, USA, Canada, Australia you name it are resorting to this shopping option for their beloved folks back home.
One of the Online Shopping Companies in Zimbabwe, Globvil Holdings Private Limited, which is based in Harare, said business has been brisk in the last two months owing to the effects of the lockdown imposed by President Mnangagwa to prevent further spread of the virus.
Mr Prince Suberi the Globvil operations manager said from the time company was formed at the beginning of 2019, business has been brisk.
Our customers who are mainly in South Africa and Zimbabwe order their groceries online and we immediately arrange for the deliveries across the country.Mr Prince Suberi the Globvil operations manager
With two offices in both Zimbabwe and South Africa, as well as a huge warehouse in the neighbouring country, Globvil Holdings now boast of 30 drivers between the two countries to ensure efficiency and timeous delivery.
From the time the country went on lockdown, Mr Suberi said they have delivered groceries to more than 500 families in a month in the Zimbabwe.
Once you are able to manage inventory, ensure sufficient staffing, follow health and safety protocols, and ensure timeous delivery of ordered goods, you are guaranteed of increase online salesMr Prince Suberi the Globvil operations manager
Before this crisis occurred, Mr Suberi noted that they were mainly relying on inter-country deliveries.
While it’s unclear exactly what the grocery landscape will look like after the crisis, there’s good reason to believe that online grocery demand will continue to grow. There may be some temporary regression towards the mean as life gets back to normal, but in the long run, online grocery will expand.
There are people who are not interested in visiting shops due to busy schedules and these are natural customers of online shopping platforms.


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MULTIPLE CITIES: Panasonic has priced its new line of plasma 3DTVs for a full U.S. roll out. The move comes after a limited introduction in March when the 3D-capable models were snapped up. Panasonic and other TV manufacturers are concurrently staging 3DTV deployments in the U.K. market.
The Tokyo consumer electronics maker is offering four sizes of a new Viera model plasma set with active-shutter type 3D capability. The 50- and 54-inch models, priced at $2,600 and $3,000 respectively, will become available next week. The 58- and 65-inch models are priced at $3,400 and $4,300 respectively for a June roll-out. All models will come with one set of Panasonic 3D Active Shutter glasses; additional eyewear will run $150. (More set specs.)
TV manufacturers started introducing 3D sets into the U.S. market in March. Samsung was the first with a $2,600, 46-incher and a $3,300 55-incher available through online retail outlets. Panasonic made an event of its U.S. 3DTV introduction with an unveiling at a Best Buy specialty Magnolia store in New York on March 10. The 50-inch Viera 3D set was bundled into a home theater system.
Panasonic reported the 3D home theater systems sold out within a week, though it didn’t say how many systems had been made available. The brisk sales was enough to motivate the company to increase production of 3DTV sets by 30 percent, Financial Timessaid. Panasonic will introduce its 3DTV sets into the U.K. market next week, where the Samsung was again first out of the gate with a $12.4 million ad campaign. The Guardian even reported the name of the Brit who bought the first 3DTV system there. That would be one Matt Rajah, a 38-year-old East Londoner.
For the time being, Rajah will have to watch 3D DVDs. Satellite TV provider BSkyB won’t be launching its 3DTV channel until later this year. It recently commissioned a feature for the channel, “Flying Monsters 3D” to be narrated by David Attenborough, Hollywood Reportersaid.
Other TV manufacturers are staging U.K. 3DTV introductions. Sony has announced a June roll-out for its 3D Bravias with integrated Freeview HD tuners. For a limited time, Sony will also offer free 3D upgrades of certain game titles for PlayStation3 owners, Unbeatable said. LG’s U.K. 3D strategy hasn’t been publicized, but its high-end Infinia LED 3DTVs are coming to U.S. shores next month. -- Deborah D. McAdams
Related 3DTV items:
March 31, 2010: “Dealers Doubt 3DTV”
“I’ve been selling to many of my clients for 20, 30 years. I don’t want to jeopardize those relationships with something I’m not sure of.”
March 31, 2010: “LG Plans 3DTV U.S. Invasion for May”
LG Electronics introduced what it referred to as the “world’s first” LED 3DTV.
March 25, 2010: “Korea’s SkyLife to Launch 3D Channels”
The TV provider is said to be investing some $4.5 million in 3D technology for the May transmissions. It intends to follow those inaugural events up with the creation of enough content to fill seven hours a day.
March 3, 2010: “3DTVs Hit the Market”
3DTV sets are hitting the U.S. market. Samsung started taking preorders last month at Amazon.com. Panasonics are set to go on sale at Best Buy big boxes March 10.
December 17, 2009: “LG Intends to Sell 3.8 Million 3DTVs in Two Years”
The company intends to raise its global market share by 50 percent next year by selling 400,000 3DTV sets, and by selling 3.4 million 3DTVs in 2011. Baek Woo-hyun said the company expects 3DTV sets up comprise 10 percent of its overall TV sales.
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Royal Mail strikers get more for less work
Royal Mail last night bowed to union demands by offering workers a 'gold-plated' pay package which will give them more money - for less work.
Problems in the post: Royal Mail has bowed to uniuon demands
The generous deal involves a 7% pay rise, a £1,400 bonus and increased maternity leave.
It is in stark contrast to the experience of millions of private- sector workers crippled by pay freezes or pay cuts, redundancy and forced to work part-time.
The deal follows three months of bitter negotiation with the militant Communication Workers' Union.
Both sides yesterday insisted the deal was a ground-breaking move which will allow the company to modernise.
But it comes with an expensive price tag for a workforce which last year caused misery for Britain with five months of strike chaos and by failing to meet its first-class post delivery target.
The deal was heavily criticised by the TaxPayers' Alliance, which labelled it 'lunacy' at a time when most private sector workers were suffering pay cuts.
The 170,000 Royal Mail workers will get a total pay rise of nearly 7% over the next three years. It will start with a 2% rise next month, followed by 1.4% in April 2011 and a further 3.5% in April 2012.
They will also get a bonus of £1,400 for agreeing to the deal in addition to other bonuses they already get.
They will be allowed to work one hour less each week, with a typical working week cut to 39 hours, and their job security is also unrivalled. In the past eight years, the company has cut 60,000 jobs without forcing anybody to go. The agreement includes a pledge to try to avoid making any compulsory redundancies.
Royal Mail has promised to keep 'at least 75% of workers as full-time', and will not force any full-time worker to work part-time, or vice versa, according to the union.
Mark Wallace, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Given Royal Mail's financial problems, it is lunacy to pay staff more money for less work. It seems the Royal Mail have buckled in the face of aggressive strike action and pressure from the unions.
'When you consider that most people in the private sector couldn't dream of getting a gold-plated deal like this in the next few years, this is clearly an excessive settlement.'
Royal Mail workers will also enjoy a generous pay package for parents. Under the agreement, which is called 'Business Transformation 2010 and Beyond', women on maternity leave will be paid their full basic salary for 26 weeks, rather than 18.
Fathers will also win, with the paternity package doubled from one to two weeks, also on full basic pay.
On average, Royal Mail workers enjoy a better deal than counterparts at rival companies. At UK Mail, workers get a less generous pension, work a 40-hour week and get only statutory maternity pay.
Last night, Shadow Business Secretary Ken Clarke raised his fears about the cost of the deal.
He said: 'The Government committed several months ago to an injection of private capital and private sector management into the business in order to resolve the pensions crisis and carry though the change which is now needed.
'What we have instead is a rather expensive-looking industrial relations settlement which we are told will buy the modernisation that is required. It will be interesting to discover how much the taxpayer is paying for these promises.'
Negotiations between Royal Mail and the CWU became so bitter that they were forced to hire an independent third-party - Roger Poole, the former chairman of the Northern Ireland Parades Commission - to mediate.
Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier said: 'This agreement is good for the business as it allows Royal Mail to get on with its modernisation. It is a good and fair deal for our people.'
CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward said: 'It's been a long time coming, but this deal delivers on the major issues which postal workers have fought for.'
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Shares of Dunkin' Brands Group Inc. rallied 1.3% in premarket trading Monday, after Wedbush analyst Nick Seytan after being neutral for at least nearly 3 years, citing the belief the donuts and coffee seller is undergoing an inflection in same-store sales growth. Seytan raises his rating to outperform and boosted his stock price target to $92, which is 14% above the June 12 record close of $80.73, from $76. Seytan said his research indicates Dunkin's second-quarter same-store sales is running above consensus expectations of 1.3%, helped by strength in its Dunkin' Go2s offering, new espresso beverages, non-breakfast daypart strength, improved operations and execution and successful marketing. "Importantly, in our view, the probability of a sustained inflection beyond the near-term is now high enough to warrant a more positive stance," Seytan wrote in a note to clients. The stock has run up 24.1% year to date through Friday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average has gained 14.5%.
Del Frisco's Restaurant Group Inc. announced Monday a deal to be acquired by private-equity firm L Catterton in a cash deal valued at $650 million. Under terms of the deal, Del Frisco's shareholders will receive $8 for each share Del Frisco's share they own, which represents a 19% premium to Friday's closing price of $6.73. Del Frisco's stock was indicated up over 4% prior to a trading halt for news. Del Frisco's had said in December it was reviewing strategic alternatives. The deal with L Catterton is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2019. "This transaction offers immediate liquidity at a significant premium for our stockholders while providing the best path forward for our Del Frisco's brands, our employees, and loyal guests," said Del Frisco's Chairman Ian Carter. The stock has dropped 50% over the past 12 months, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average has gained 8.7%.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet at the G-20 gathering, and could walk away with a trade deal. Then again, maybe not.
Not every IPO can work out like Slack or Beyond Meat. Still, maybe revisiting some former darlings is a good idea. Polymer-shoe maker Crocs recently got a Wall Street upgrade.
“U.S. valuations have moved back to the highs of last fall,” says one strategist, suggesting lower interest rates are already priced in.
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Leon Cooperman, billionaire chairman and CEO of Omega Advisors, says we could be “knocking on the door of euphoria” if the stock market rally continues.
GMO’s 7-Year Asset Class Forecasts: Gap Widens Between Value and Growth
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Total U.S. consumer debt hit $14 trillion in the first quarter of 2019, surpassing the roughly $13 trillion of leverage accumulated in credit cards, auto loans and mortgages and other debt back in 2008.
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All eyes on Fed Chairman Jerome Powell on Wednesday
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Investors seem eager to insure themselves against geopolitical tensions that have flared up in the Middle East and Hong Kong this week, with gold vaulting.
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by Natura Naturans
All China did was end subsidies. That did it. No one will buy electric cars that are so vastly overpriced without a government subsidy. The same thing happened in the US state of Georgia that saw EV sales collapse from 17% to 2% after the end of subsidies. The subsidy problem is compounded by the inequality of benefit, the only group that benefits from EV subsidies is the rich:
“Who bears the costs?
Another question is, who benefits most from subsidies? A Manhattan Institute report on EVs highlights the fact that more than 50% of EV buyers in the United States lived in households with annual income of at least $100,000, and 20% had yearly incomes over $200,000. The conclusion is that subsides come at the expense of lower-income drivers of gasoline-powered cars who cannot really afford to buy any new vehicle, much less an electric one. It is they who end up paying for highway maintenance costs through fuel taxes.
Also, as more electric vehicles hit the streets, electricity replaces fuel consumption. The International Energy Agency estimates that by 2030, electricity could displace about 4,8 million barrels of petrol and diesel used per day. This could result in revenue loss of close to $100 billion in fuel taxes, major source of financing infrastructure development. Thus, governments need to find alternative taxation income and someone needs to bear this cost.”
Already some states are beginning to place taxes on miles driven rather than imbedded in gasoline taxes since EV owners don’t buy gasoline.
The consequence of the end of subsidies in China has been the collapse of the Lithium market. Here is a chart of lithium prices.
As a result of subsidy reduction as the market cools, going down the supply chain, battery makers have been some of the hardest-hit companies, which the slump has pressured spot lithium prices. As shown in the chart below, spot prices have plunged 37% since 2H18.


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Lego's full-year revenue advanced 10 percent with growth in all major markets outpacing competitors including
Sales rose to 25.38 billion Danish kroner (R50.2bn) last year, the maker of children's building block sets said. Net income increased 9 percent to
"In less than 10 years, we have more than quadrupled our revenue," chief executive
The sales advance compares with an increase of 1 percent to
It was a "major challenge" to stay top of mind for children seeking toys, and Lego competed with "very strong players", Knudstorp said.
"With the level of growth we have right now, we need to constantly think of expanding our facilities," he said.
The Danish toy maker's bricks are featured in The Lego Movie, which has led US ticket sales for three weekends since opening on
Under Knudstorp, the company sold its Legoland theme parks to
The global toy market declined slightly in value last year, according to Lego, which said it had achieved sales growth in all major markets.
Lego posted "single-digit" growth in the US,
The Star Wars line and its Duplo sets for toddlers were among Lego's best-selling products last year, the company said, which added that it sold 34 sets a second during the Christmas season.
The maker of plastic bricks forecast the global toy market would expand by "low single digits" in the future, and said it planned to outgrow the market and gain share.
Lego, whose name is derived from the Danish words for "play well", is controlled by the family of carpenter
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