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As Aldi celebrates 25 years of trading in the UK the joy may be felt by the German-owned discount chain and the great British price-conscious shopping public for its impact on the cost of food. But the reaction from rival retailers, big and small, and pretty much everyone else in the supply chain who [...]
When one supermarket sneezes, it seems the rest catch a cold. Shares in troubled supermarket Tesco fell to their lowest level since January this morning, two days after Asda reignited concerns over the threat from German discounters. Tesco shares dropped 1.77 per cent today, while Sainsbury's shed 0.77 per cent. Both are down about four percent since [...]
You could say the UK's competition body has just told supermarkets to BOGOF, after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) accused supermarkets of "confusing" people about special offers The after a major three-month investigation, the CMA said with 40 per cent of spending on groceries going on items on offer, shoppers are still being misled [...]
Anyone who detests being taken for granted by a company will be pleased to know there's a list of firms offering shoppers the best customer service experience. Online bank First Direct scored 87 for the overall level of customer satisfaction, helping it overtake better-known brands such as Amazon and John Lewis in a ranking compiled [...]
German discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl hold on to their positions as the highest performing brands in YouGov BrandIndex’s mid-year Buzz Score Rankings, while we have positive news for the Co-Op group in the most improved brand list. The rankings are based on YouGov’s BrandIndex Buzz scores, which measures whether consumers have heard anything [...]
Tesco shares were dealt a blow yesterday, after industry figures revealed another slowdown in sales at the troubled supermarket chain – despite its recent efforts to turn itself around. Data from Kantar Worldpanel showed sales at Tesco fell by 1.3 per cent in the 12 weeks to 21 June, underperforming the overall grocery [...]
Aldi is among the retailers fined by Germany's competition authority over price fixing. Read more: Bargain Booze is playing Aldi at its own game The discounter is one of seven food retailers and four producers which have been fined €151.6m (£108.9m) over price fixing on "some products". Andreas Mundt, the president of Germany's cartel office, [...]
Middle England favourite Waitrose has upped the stakes in the supermarket price wars with what it's calling "game-changing" discounts. The latest salvo in the battle with Aldi, Lidl and the big four – and adding a new acronym to our lingo almost as good as BOGOF – is "Pick Your Own Offers", or PYOO, which is [...]
So the head of the Boarding Schools Association, Robin Fletcher, has apparently encouraged his members to be more like Aldi, and cut their prices to offer a budget version in an effort to appeal to a larger market. If filling spaces were the issue for boarding schools, then this could be an approach you [...]
Last week it was teachers, this week it's rival retailers. Aldi has suddenly become the brand to beat. Conviviality Retail – which runs Bargain Booze – has this week launched a head-to-head campaign with budget grocer Aldi, pitting its prices for big-label brands such as Carlsberg Export and Smirnoff against the supermarket's own label [...]
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Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt worked with another product cheap nfl jersey dresses of the 2004 draft, Pittsburgh Steelers cheap nfl jersey youth quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, early in his career.
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Joined ESPN in 2016Follow on MessengerEmailprintcommentTAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston did, in fact, reinjure his shoulder against the Buffalo Bills last week, coach Dirk Koetter said Friday night.
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A lot of corners don’t want to mix it up as heavy material nfl jersey much as he does, Gray said of Norman. He actually seems to enjoy it.
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The table shows that they can win the league, they’re one of the candidates. There’s a long way to
go, but they’re second for a reason.
12:51 PM size 60 authentic nfl jerseys ETMike TriplettESPN Staff Writer CloseCovered Saints for eight years at New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Favre, of course, was referencing Atlanta’s collapse against Brady’s Patriots, who stormed back from a 28-3 deficit in a little over a quarter of play to force overtime and eventually take home yet another title. But his message wasn’t so much about avoiding defeat as it was youth Cincinnati Bengals jersey buy cheap nfl jerseys overseas pinoy recipe embracing the opportunity on the game’s biggest stage.
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Anglia Components’ CEO, Steve Rawlins, explains the company’s secret to success involves continuous investment in people, inventory and personal service
Anglia celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2022 and it was a good year to celebrate. Our foresight in building up inventory ahead of stormy weather really paid off for customers. As a result, we had a good year and broke our record for highest ever monthly sales.
We proved our resilience in one of the most difficult markets any of us have experienced. Our UK stock holding, privately owned status and close customer relationships stood us in good stead. We didn’t let a single customer on our 80/20 inventory management system down over the year. As a result, customers are trusting us more than ever and consider us a safe pair of hands.
Forecasting is more difficult than usual due to uncertainty around the world but I feel incredibly positive about the coming year. The supply chain situation should ease. The consumer slowdown will release manufacturing capacity to build components for the industrial market. I’ve seen a wide range of market predictions which shows how hard it is to call. Anglia was over 20 per cent up last year and I think we will add 10 per cent to that in 2023.
Whatever challenges and opportunities 2023 brings, Anglia will face them with confidence in our strategy: invest in good people (expanding our team), maintain and grow our UK inventory (expanding our warehouse) and maintain our exceptional personal service levels (announcements coming here). I’m excited about 2023 and what it will bring.


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Puerto Vallarta Gay Pride listed in top 50 worldwide. The annual Gay Pride just made the top 50 list of rising trending Pride events in the world! Puerto Vallarta just completed a hugely attended 5th annual pride in May 2018. Not surprising, Puerto Vallarta’s highest 2 scores were from the LGBT Nightlife and Accommodations category *mainly our affordability among accomodations.
LGBT Nightlife Score: HomeToGo used online mapping tools, events listings websites, and city guides to identify LGBT-friendly bars, clubs, and parties in each of the 50 cities. The city with the highest number of LGBT-friendly bars, clubs, and parties was awarded a maximum score of 10, and every other city was awarded a score based on the equation above.
Accommodation Score: HomeToGo consulted a global collection of LGBT-friendly hotels approved by the IGLTA to look at the number of LGBT friendly hotels in each of the 50 cities. The city with the highest number of LGBT-friendly hotels was awarded a maximum score of 10, and every other city was awarded a score based on the equation above. In addition, using HomeToGo’s own meta-search data, they researched the affordability of accommodation in each of the 50 cities during their Pride festivities. The city with the most affordable accommodation was awarded a maximum score of 10, and every other city was awarded a score based on the equation above. The overall Accommodation Score is a combination of these two research points, divided by two.
HomeToGo has created a special guide to the top 50 rising stars in which to celebrate Pride this year. After reviewing hundreds of locations around the world, they created a final shortlist by researching five categories: The annual growth rate of the Pride festival, the number of LGBT events, the quality of local LGBT nightlife, and the availability of affordable LGBT-friendly accommodation. They also connected with leading LGBT industry bodies, influencers, journalists, and entrepreneurs to learn more about their favorite trending Prides, and why celebrating in these destinations is important. We’re excited to introduce the top 50 Trending and upcoming pride events worldwide.
Here are the top 10 Pride events on the list
1 Washington,D.C. United States
2 Sydney Australia
3 Miami United States
4 Philadelphia United States
5 Atlanta United States
6 Dallas United States
7 Santiago Chile
8 Vienna Austria
9 Manchester United Kingdom
10 Buenos Aires Argentina
Puerto Vallarta’s Gay Pride ranked #42 on the list ahead of #43 Key West, Florida and #49 Cape Town, South Africa.


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FINDINGS from a new CBRE research revealed that Asia-Pacic millennials share similar long-term lifestyle priorities with other generations, despite often supercoal perceptions of this emerging superclass.
The findings in the report, Asia-Pacific millennials: Shaping the future of real estate, demonstrated that perceptions of millennials as preferring informal employment, changing jobs regularly and avoiding financial responsibility are inaccurate in this region.
In fact, the study noted that consistent with previous generations, most millennials save money to buy a home and spend prudently.
The report also illustrated that this demographic aspires to carve out a stable career but take into account factors such as offce design when selecting an employer — with 71% of respondents willing to give up other benets for a better office environment.
“The millennial demographic in Asia- Pacic is a game-changer for businesses across the board. Their living, working and playing priorities and habits will shape economics, redene opinions on workplace design and functionality, and drive new attitudes towards consumption and experience for the foreseeable future,” said Steve Swerdlow, CEO, CBRE Asia-Pacic.
Dr Henry Chin, head of Research, CBRE Asia-Pacic, added: “Millennials represent the fastest source of spending power regionally and serve as the most influential demographic framing future trends in real estate through their lifestyle behaviour, requirements and priorities of living, working and play.”
The study, which highlighted insights into how millennials live and work, also unveiled shopping habits. It said that Asia-Pacic millennials are more likely to
spend their time and money on leisure activities and experiences such as travel,
entertainment and dining than previous generations.
Millennials shop online — at an average of 4.7 days per month — but only physical bricks-and-mortar venues, particularly shopping centres, provide them the experiences and social elements they require. Millennials visit shopping centres for
purposes other than buying products, such as to dine out, banking and visiting exhibitionsat an average of three days per month. However, slower economic growth and a desire to save money for purchasing a home may inhibit future spending on leisure activities, suggested the CBRE research.
Dr Chin explained: “In order to leverage millennials’ spending habits, retailers
are recommended to increase the experience- based element of their offering and focus on providing an environment for visitors to socialise and relax. In addition to increasing F&B, cinema and entertainment elements in their shopping malls, retail landlords should consider organising more live events to attract millennials. However, they should also carefully manage their tenant mix to ensure they still
cater to other generations.”


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Rihanna could give the “Riverdale” gang South Side Serpents a run for their money.
The singer showed up to her Fenty Beauty anniversary celebration in Sydney, Australia wearing snakeskin everything.
Walking the red carpet, Rihanna screamed trendsetter in the reptile-patterned strapless mini with ample cleavage. Pairing the look with matching accessories, including an impressive snakeskin bucket hat, RiRi made a splash while celebrating the company on its one-year anniversary.
The beauty founder has been on a whirlwind promotional campaign for her cosmetic line and her fashion has been daring, to say the least.
Besides creating the ultimate smokeshow look in snakeskin, she turned heads at JCPenny just weeks ago wearing a hot pink frock.


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THE enterprise arm of Globe Telecom, Inc. said it is expanding its presence across the country’s three main island groups with new partnership deals with resellers.
Globe myBusiness, the telco’s arm for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), said in a statement Friday it signed 17 separate agreements with telecom retailers.
These partners will now be accredited to resell the products and business solutions of Globe myBusiness in their respective regions.
“We would like to celebrate our partnership with these resellers which we believe is key in further reaching out to MSMEs. Together, we can… help our customers through their digital transformation,” Globe myBusiness Sales Head Cleo Santos said in the statement.
It identified seven partners in Luzon as Activ8 Enterprises, Noah Genesis, McBlues Marketing, Systemplus Computer Center, The First Plaza @ Daanghari, Oleron Computer Solutions Center and Ecotech Business Solutions, Inc.
In the Visayas, Globe myBusiness signed up six partners: Alphard Marketing Services, 2kg Cable Services, MVM Online Business Center, DCV Industrial Control Enterprises, G7 Documentation Services and Jab 8 Distribution Inc.
In Mindanao, the company signed deals with Permaheal, Abjanine Business Center Company, Dianne and Tweety Beverages Enterprises and Gwils Dry Goods Store.
Globe’s Fixed Line and Mobile Broadband business, under which the enterprise solutions usiness falls, posted revenue of P18.2 billion in the first half of the year, up 16% from a year earlier.
Its attributable net income in the six-month period grew 21% to P12.05 billion, driven by the continued growth of its data business. It is allocating P63 billion for capital expenditures this year to support the growing demand for data. — Denise A. Valdez


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The non-polluting hydrogen car has finally arrived... almost.
Reinventing your wheels
The non-polluting hydrogen car has finally arrived... almost.
In case you haven’t heard, the car of the future will glide silently over the road, running on an odourless gas, pumping nothing from its tailpipe except water pure enough to drink. But surely you know that. The auto industry has been dangling this vision for almost two decades— cars propelled by hydrogen fuel cells, the technology most likely to break the world’s twin addictions: oil and the internal combustion engine.
Since 1993, the prophets of the hydrogen economy have declared again and again that the technology already exists. Which left consumers to wonder, where’s the car and why am I still pumping unleaded? Well, the world can stop wondering. After 13 years of teasing announcements and endless talk, the era of the hydrogen fuel cell has finally arrived... sort of. Well, not exactly, but almost.
Yes, there are still some problems—let’s call them “hurdles.” But those can wait, because today, on a crystal-clear day in northern California, the Honda Motor Company has assembled members of the world press at the Laguna Seca racetrack to unveil the Honda FCX Concept car. In 2008, it will become Honda’s first fuel-cell-driven vehicle to hit the market, albeit in limited numbers and at a cost that makes it still more of a science experiment than a real commercial enterprise. But the point of the gathering isn’t to quibble, but to behold a feat of engineering. And what a feat it is.
The size of a standard family sedan, the FCX has the sleek, shark-like look common to so many concept cars—a look that designers call “distinctive,” but which one writer compared to a suppository on wheels. It won’t blow away speed demons (its top speed is just 160 km/h), but it accelerates to highway speeds as well as any four-cylinder sedan and has plenty of power for passing. The most jarring thing is the conspicuous lack of noise— the car emits just the faintest high-pitched hum as you zip along at 100 km/h. But once you get used to the sight and sound, there’s not much else to say, which is exactly the point. “People keep telling us that the most remarkable thing about it is how unremarkable it is, and we consider that a compliment,” says Stephen Ellis, a Honda marketing exec and resident fuel-cell expert.
Everything that’s truly impressive about the FCX is in how it works, rather than what it does. And to fully appreciate how imp res-
The FCX looks futuristic, but drives like any other sedan, and emits nothing but water
sive, you have to know a little bit of history.
Contrary to popular misconception, hydrogen fuel cells are not a new technology. In 1889, chemists Ludwig Mond and Charles Langer built the first device using oxygen and coal gas to produce power and water through
a chemical reaction. But fuel cells were weak and fragile and complicated to make, and by the end of the 1800s it was clear that the internal combustion engine—that gas-chugging, smoke-belching scourge—was set to revolutionize every industry in the world.
Fuel-cell enthusiasts were confined to obscure laboratories and promptly forgotten. And in those laboratories, over the next hundred years, scientists kept finding ways to make fuel cells more powerful and more stable. In the 1960s, the U.S. space agency NASA invested heavily in fuel-cell technology to replace bulky batteries on space missions, and in the 1970s soaring oil prices reinvigorated the world of fuel-cell research.
One of the companies that grew out of that research boom was Vancouver’s Ballard Power Systems, one of the pioneers of the modern push to commercialize the fuel cell. In 1993, Ballard and Daimler-Benz unveiled the first fuel-cell powered bus, and by 2005 there were about 30 operating worldwide, mostly in Europe. Over the past decade, 10 different automakers designed more than 125 differ-
ent hydrogen vehicle models, most of them running on Ballard fuel cells. It seemed the hydrogen economy was dawning. But no.
The vehicles never went into production because they were all underpowered compared to what a typical Western driver had come to expect. They couldn’t travel more than 150 km before refuelling. They wouldn’t start in the deep cold of winter, nor in the peak heat of a southwest summer.
But engineers at Honda and elsewhere kept working, and the FCX is very much the result of their slow but steady progress. In the newest model, the fuel cell is 135 kg lighter and less than half the size of the 1999 model, but produces 67 per cent more power. The lithium battery, which assists the fuel cell when accelerating, is now 40 per cent lighter and 43 per cent smaller. The same goes for the new engine—smaller and lighter but more powerful. The car’s average range before refuelling has gone from 255 km to 440 km, and the company promises easy starts in winter and summer.
All that is sure to be music to the ears of a public more interested than ever in finding an environmentally responsible ride. This year, another raft of gas/electric hybrids will hit the market. General Motors is building 100 Chevy Equinox SUVs with fuel-cell engines, and BMW has rolled out a hybrid gasoline/ hydrogen version of its 7-Series luxury sedan. The hit of the recent Detroit auto show was the Chevrolet Volt, a concept car that marries a battery-powered electric engine to a gas-powered generator. Green transportation is hot, and over the next few years, almost every major manufacturer is expected to dip into the world of hydrogen cars. Which brings us to the “hurdles.”
Anyone who’s ever seen the famous archival footage of the fiery 1937 destruction of the Zeppelin Hindenburg doesn’t need any explanation of the public’s trepidation about using hydrogen as a mass-market fuel. Of course, consumers have gotten accustomed to the idea of pumping highly flammable gasoline into a tank that is little more than a large soup can. But hydrogen still conjures fears of fireballs and instant y death. The engineers working on fuel cells understand this better than most, and over the next decade, a great deal of effort will go into demystifying hydrogen, reassuring nervous buyers that the pressurized tanks sitting just beneath their back seats are far safer than a traditional gas tank. ‘You can’t get around safety questions,” Ellis says. “You have to come directly at them and help people understand.”
But marketing may be the least of the problems. Yozo Kami, the revered Honda engineer
known within the company as the father of the fuel cell, is blunt when he describes the logistics of translating the FCX into a product for the mass market. As it stands, prac-
Mass production is a problem. Engineers admit making cells is ‘astoundingly expensive.’
tically every part for Honda’s fuel cells is custom made and fabricated out of extremely expensive materials. The process is delicate and labour-intensive—nothing like pumping out engines for Honda Civics. “I cannot give you specific details,” the grandfatherly Kami says through a translator, as he rocks back and forth on his heels in the California sunshine. “But it is astoundingly expensive. We don’t have the technology to make fuel cells in mass volume yet. It takes a lot of manpower and time. If somebody came and said, ‘make a lot of them,’ practically speaking, we can’t.”
Honda and the rest of the auto industry is now working diligently to crack the problem of mass production and cost, encouraging manufacturing partners and parts suppliers to ramp up their own efforts, in hopes of driving production costs down. But realistically, that kind of radical change takes time, probably until 2018 before any truly mass market
rollout happens. And when that day comes, it won’t come cheap. The FCX, for example, is envisioned as a luxury automobile, to be sold in the same price category as an Acura RL—roughly $65,000. Chances are you’re going to buy at least one more conventional
car before you’re even considering the merits of a hydrogen alternative.
If you’re lucky enough to persuade Honda to sell you one of their hydrogen cars today, you’ll have a car that cost more than a million bucks to develop and build. There’s no word on what the few cars released in 2008 might actually sell for. And then you’d have to figure out where to fill it up—which remains perhaps the biggest thing holding back the hydrogen future. There are still only a handful of publicly accessible hydrogen fuelling stations, scattered across North America. In 2003, the White House announced US$1.2 billion in funding for a hydrogen fuel initiative, aimed at speeding the development of infrastructure. But, as Kami acknowledged as he watched one reporter after another take his prized creation for a spin around Laguna Seca, “it’s a chicken and egg problem.” It’s hard to interest partners in building refuelling stations for cars that aren’t yet on the road, and it’s hard to produce a mass-market automobile when the entire world, from the corner filling station to your local mechanic, is geared toward gasoline-powered vehicles.
Marc Melaina, a professor at the University of California, Davis, has spent much of his academic career studying the economics of hydrogen transportation. The bottom line: it’s expensive but not impossible. “The fact that they’ve made improvements in vehicle performance is critical, but cost [reductions] also have to be realized and that can only happen through mass production,” he says. “So stations have to be put down for consumer convenience, then mass production of vehicles can ramp up, but the two basically have to happen at the same time for the economics to pay off.”
That, he says, is going to require investment from automakers, energy companies and government, all working in partnership, all taking a bit of a leap of faith that hydrogen really is the best bet for the future. And how much will it cost? Perhaps as much as another US$5.1 billion to make hydrogen available for sale at 9,200 filling stations across the U.S. Honda and others have been trying to develop their own solutions—ideas like solar-powered hydrogen generators, and a comprehensive home refuelling system that uses natural gas to produce heat and electricity for the home, while generating hydrogen to run your car.
It all sounds excellent, and a long way from reality. Which still pretty much describes the state of the hydrogen economy.
The car works. And that is a phenomenal achievement. It’s everything else that doesn’t. But they’re working on it. M
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Last Monday 13th of April we were mentioned on an article in La Vanguardia newspaper, sharing how we are facing the COVID-19 crisis. All sorts of companies have had to put together a series of measures in order to ease the consequences of the Coronavirus. As explained on the article, different measures have been applied depending on the characteristics of each company, with a common goal being getting over this pandemic the healthiest possible way, not only at a personal level, but also at a professional level.
Adjusting to change
Depending on the characteristics of each company, the measures vary. Some see themselves forced to cease their activity whilst some others can go on with very little change. Many of them have kept on offering their services in a way or another, for instance, some fitness centres that were unable to open their doors, have put to the disposition of their customers some videos through their web pages so they can exercise at home.
Some other companies within the food industry must keep on working so to provide their production and services. Those companies have adjusted to change guaranteeing a safe environment for their workers so the production is also ensured.
Coatresa offers services to food industry, therefore we need to continue applying our antiadherent coatings on bread moulds, besides ensuring a continuity for the production of those moulds. To guarantee the safekeeping of our employees, additional protection measures have been implemented; we adopted a flexible working scheduled, limited the number of employees per shift and the quantity of people to enter a certain area, thus increasing the distance amongst workers. Our adjustment to change has made us become even neater in our health and safety measures.
Future new ways
The Coronavirus pandemic has triggered plenty of new changes and needs for adaptation, and many of them will not be temporary. As explained on Roadmaps for entrepreneurial action on crisis and pandemic times by la Salle Innova Institute, with this crisis many changes on our way of working will come along:
- The production chain will become more local
- Contagion prevention measures in the workspace will increase
- Sales strategies will be more digital
- Telecommuting will grow


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Silent Hill Collection when it was announced during the company's pre-E3, but a short listing in a recent email revealed some more details. As we knew already, the Collection includes only Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3 with new, high-definition graphics. What we didn't know is that the Silent Hill Collection will be available on PlayStation 3 only, unlike the Zone of the Enders HD Collection and Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, both of which will also make it to Xbox 360.
That PlayStation 3 release brings with it the requisite trophy support, "all-new voice acting directed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, and a fall 2011 release window.
Update: In an interview with Joystiq, Silent Hill producer Tom Hulett stated that the Silent Hill Collection is PS3 exclusive "right now." According to Hulett, "It's always been a primarily Sony platform series. So, right now we're just aiming at a Sony exclusive, which isn't to say [that] in the future it won't be available anywhere else, but right now it's a Sony exclusive. Keep those multiplatform fingers crossed!


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49% of enterprises are not entirely satisfied with the level of security they can achieve with Mobile Device Management (MDM) software.
Natick, MA (PRWEB) August 06, 2014
Ownership models, such as BYOD, are continuing to impact mobile security investments as manually managing mobile platforms in heterogeneous deployment environments is not viable or cost effective, according to a new report by VDC Research (click here to learn more). The continual and increased use of mobile devices in business settings was the catalyst that made managing mobile deployments with MDM solutions a cost effective and attractive solution. But enterprises are now actively engaged in providing their employees and customers access to applications and data behind their firewalls; this has predictably shifted the focus from managing devices to managing and securing applications. While not the investment barrier that it has been in years prior, security remains as a key issue that must be addressed as mobile access to corporate applications and data increases.
According to a recent VDC survey, nearly 50% of the respondents to a survey recently fielded by VDC indicate that they were not completely satisfied with the level of security they were being provided by their mobile device management vendor partner.
VDC expects that continued investment in device management solutions will drive adoption of mobile security-related products, as enterprises deploy advanced solutions to track, monitor and authorize corporate data access, as an increasing number of their employees bring their devices into the workplace. For this reason, we believe that mobile security vendors can expect to see continued investments in their solutions due to their ability to secure heterogeneous mobile deployment environments and help to prevent against data loss from lost, stolen, compromised, or decommissioned devices.
Device management will remain as a cornerstone of security policy for mobile deployments. The ability to detect rooting or jail-breaking of the operating system, remote lockdown, and wiping of the device data, hardware feature controls, and remote control of the device are key features that are requisite to properly protect mobile assets and limit risk in case the device is lost or stolen. However, while satisfaction levels amongst those that have deployed and MDM solution are solid, it is not enough.“There are numerous factors that organizations must consider when they evaluate and deploy mobile management solutions to address productivity and convenience while instituting mobile security policies that can help in mitigating against risks,” said Eric Klein, Senior Analyst for Enterprise Mobility at VDC Research. “Organizations are finding that a vanilla MDM solution is inadequate and recognizing that they need to employ additional protections to ensure their devices and infrastructure are secure. The constantly evolving threat landscape on mobile platforms has and will remain as a key challenge for IT organizations as their mobile workforces expand.”
As mobility becomes more engrained into business operations, the opportunity for major technology vendors (e.g., Citrix, Dell, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and VMware) to offer mobile security solutions that seamlessly integrate with their customers’ existing identity management infrastructure will become more pronounced. These vendors will find themselves well positioned to offer their customers mobile solutions that offer enhanced security, and will also be able to be aggressive with their pricing due to their market positioning.
About VDC Research
VDC Research is a leading technology market analyst firm covering the connected world, focusing on embedded devices and enterprise mobility. Founded in 1971, the firm provides critical market intelligence to the world's leading technology vendors, who rely on its analysts for the data, ideas, and insights they need to make impactful strategic decisions with confidence.


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The move ignited a bitter dispute between the two, with the British company accusing the American giant of unethical behaviour and saying claims that it is capable of building its own systems from scratch were “unsubstantiated”.
Apple has also poached a string of Imagination Technologies staff, going as far as to set up its own office close to Imagination’s headquarters.
As a privately-held company Imagination is not required to update the market, but documents filed at Companies House said that a failure to receive payments from “significant customers” would mean it needs to “seek additional funding to continue to meet obligations as they fall due”.
It said that Canyon Bridge had promised that more funding would be made available if needed, but the disclosure shines a light on how the continuing dispute with Apple continues to drag on the business.
Last April, Imagination revealed that Apple planned to go it alone from late 2018, kicking off a spiral of events that led it to sell a number of businesses and then put itself up for sale. In May, it began a formal dispute procedure with Apple, which is understood to be continuing.
The matter may come to a head in September, when Apple is expected to unveil a new iPhone without using Imagination’s intellectual property, potentially cutting off royalty payments.
The iPhone maker has been known to take a hard line with suppliers, last year attempting to cut off royalty payments to chip company Qualcomm.
Since being taken private, Imagination’s chief financial officer Guy Millward has left the company and been replaced by Jonathan Lewis, a former Tesco strategy director. Apple and Imagination declined to comment.


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Porsche is putting the turbo in Asia. The German manufacturer has announced the installation of a research and development site in China and the opening of an assembly plant in Malaysia in 2022. For the first time, the sports car manufacturer is thus moving away from its base in Stuttgart to get closer to its Asian customers, like the other brands of the Volkswagen group.
Malaysia, launch base in Southeast Asia
The decision to invest in a final assembly site in Malaysia, in cooperation with its local partner for ten years, Sime Darby Berhad, marks a break with Porsche’s “made in Germany” policy. Admittedly, for five years, the brand known for its coupes produced its Cayenne SUV in Slovakia, but there, for the first time, the father of the 911 will assemble vehicles outside Europe. Volumes should be low, but the manufacturer is thus showing its desire to get closer to a particularly “dynamic” market: between 2019 and 2020, the sales of the German manufacturer there increased by 9%, despite the “difficult conditions” at a low. little more than 400 units.
From 2022, the plant will produce models designed “specifically and exclusively” for the Malaysian market. “The decisive factors here are not the capacity and the size of the project”, nevertheless specifies Albrecht Reimold, member of the management board for production and logistics at Porsche, but the need to “adapt to the specific conditions of the local market”.
Assembly in Malaysia will in particular make it possible to reduce the weight of taxes and duties for models intended for the national market, but also for neighboring countries in South-East Asia, “one of the most dynamic markets in the world, with considerable potential for growth and innovation, ”according to Porsche.
“Getting closer to customers” in China
With the new R & D site in Shanghai, Porsche intends to “understand even better the needs of our local customers”, commented the chairman of its management board, Olivier Blume, announcing this decision. “China is already our first market for the sixth consecutive year,” he recalled. In 2020, Porsche delivered 88,968 vehicles to China (out of a total of 272,162). However, notes Olivier Blume, “customer requirements are very specific and we want to meet them in the best possible way”.
The new R&D center will complement the facility of Porsche Digital China, founded at the start of the year, and Porsche Engineering China, which has been present for more than twenty years. In the background looms the idea of adapting the models to the specific Chinese regulatory requirements in terms of data, autonomous driving and electric charging.


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Revealed: Fosun’s plans for former One Chase Manhattan Plaza
Tower now known as 28 Liberty to expand retail space by 175,000 sf
One Chase Manhattan Plaza is about to get an epic makeover.
The property’s new owner — the real-estate arm of Chinese company Fosun International, which bought the 2.2 million-square-foot tower last year for $725 million — is spending between $100 million and $200 million on renovations, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Gone are the black granite walls under the tower’s Elevated Plaza, the newspaper reported. Instead, Fosun is planning to add panes of glass and more retail space.
Fosun is planning to show its plans to the public during a Community Board meeting on Thursday night.
The new plans call for more than 175,000 square feet of retail space. Fosun is also planning to add more seating to the open space to accommodate the growing residential population in the area. Fosun is also planning to turn 130,000 square feet — or three levels below the ground floor — into shops, according to the Journal.
“When this building was constructed in 1961, lower Manhattan was a business district with only 5,000 residents,” Erik Horvat, managing director at Fosun Property Holdings and the former director of the World Trade Center redevelopment at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, told the newspaper. “Lower Manhattan has changed. It’s a different place.” [WSJ] — Claire Moses


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The Chinese company ByteDance, that is the owner of the famous video-sharing app TikTok and one of the world's most valuable company has generated total revenue of about 50-60 billion yuan ($7 billion to $8.4 billion) in the result for the first half of the year, as told to the press.
ByteDance had been making a loss in the first half had made a profit in the month of June 2019 and showed confidence that it will make a profit in the next half of the year, as per an anonymous report as the company has yet not made an official public announcement.
Due to the Robust growth, this startup based in the city of Beijing, China had to revise the revenue targets for the year 2019 to 120 billion yuan from its previous goal set in the previous year of 100 billion yuan, another report said.
The figures of the earnings were not immediately available for the last year. But according to a news report, ByteDance's revenue for the whole year of 2018 was a whopping $7.2 billion. Although ByteDance had refused to comment.
As per many different news sources that have said that the seven-year-old startup was valued at $78 billion late last year, also owns Chinese news aggregator Jinri Toutiao, that means "Today's Headlines," along with a domestic version of TikTok in China, known by the name of Douyin.
The majority revenue of the company is generated in China only, as per another report, that said while the domestic version of Tiktok, Douyin generates the advertising fees, TikTok is still in its starting stages of generating revenue.
The financial Analysts have said that the company, ByteDance presents a strong threat to the other Chinese tech industry companies that includes the social media and gaming giant Tencent and search engine major firm Baidu. ByteDance's apps have approximately 1.5 billion monthly active users and 700 million daily active users all over the world, as said by the company in the month of July 2019.
In the month of September 2019, the ByteDance launched a search engine that sits within Toutiao and hence putting this new search engine in direct competition with the search engine leader Baidu. The company has also acquired a Chinese-language website just like Wikipedia known as Baike.com so as to give a further boost to the content.
The ByteDance aims to expand its operations outside of the Chinese markets. ByteDance has recently launched a work efficiency app called Lark and is currently planning to launch a paid app for streaming music.
The company is aggressively entering into new areas and has successfully helped to lift the global headcount to about 50,000 right now as compared with 40,000 in the year 2018.
The famous app, TikTok has been emerging as an important tool of marketing and you can find several brands that are using it extensively. The e-commerce major online shopping brand Flipkart has had recorded more than three billion views in just three days on the popular video-sharing app TikTok for an ad campaign for its upcoming Big Billion Days Festive Season Sale. This is one of the first instances where an e-commerce major brand is using the ByteDance-owned app to give a push to their campaign with TikTok as it has a huge user base.
Bloomberg's Billionaires Index has ranked the ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming at number 103 in the world’s 500 richest people with a total worth of $13 billion.
Bytedance has various assets across different social networking and news currently spread across Mainland China and India. The company has announced its plan to open its own data center in India as per a recent report.
Also read:- Ola Cabs announces a big jump into self-drive car rental business in India


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In the fourth quarter of 2023, an extended price rally drove ICE sugar futures prices to 12-year highs as concerns about a supply deficit loomed over the market, however prices subsequently fell by over 25% between late November and the end of the year. An important raw ingredient across the food production industry, there may have been optimism that sugar prices would continue declining in 2024. Instead, prices have already climbed by almost 15% since January 3rd as supply concerns return.
December’s Price Decline
The decline in sugar prices during December 2023 can be attributed to a blend of fundamental improvements and speculative market reactions. Key among these was the unexpected turn in weather conditions in Brazil, which accounts for over one third of the world's sugar supply. The arrival of beneficial rains towards the end of November altered the production outlook positively. This shift was soon reflected in Conab's updated production estimates, which presented a more optimistic picture by increasing the total sugar production forecast by about 15% to 46.9 MMT, a significant jump from the earlier prediction of 40.9 MMT made in August.
This improved supply outlook led to a swift change in market sentiment, particularly among speculative traders. Sugar futures, which had been riding high on speculative buying, saw a dramatic reversal as traders rapidly liquidated their long positions and built short positions. The extent of this speculative adjustment significantly amplified the fall in sugar prices, as evidenced in the graph below from ChAI, which showed a pronounced trend in the liquidation of long positions and the accumulation of short positions in the ICE sugar futures market.
Weather’s Role in January’s Rally
As 2024 commenced, sugar prices experienced an unexpected resurgence, primarily driven by the effects of the El Niño weather pattern. El Niño typically results in drier conditions in major sugar-producing regions like India and Thailand, which are the world’s second and third largest sugar producers respectively. This year's El Niño has led to India witnessing its poorest monsoon rainfall in five years, 6% below the average, directly impacting sugar production, as noted by Rich Asplund for Barchart. Reports from the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) reveal a notable 7.6% year-on-year decline in sugar production for the October to December 2023 period. ISMA’s projections for the 2023/24 sugar production in India anticipate a significant reduction of around 11.2% from the previous year’s figures.
Thailand’s sugar production scenario mirrors India's challenges. The Thai Sugar Millers Corp's November forecast indicated a 36% year-on-year reduction in the 2023/24 sugar production, attributing it to severe drought conditions. This drop to a 17-year low of 7 MMT is alarming and reflects the severe impact of the current El Niño cycle. ChAI’s analytical models have identified key meteorological factors influencing the sugar market, with high temperatures in Phitsanulok, Thailand, and lack of rainfall in Maharashtra, India, being critical drivers for the upward price trend in the short to medium term.
Further Factors to Consider
In addition to weather patterns, policy decisions in major sugar-producing countries have further influenced market dynamics. India's response to its internal challenges has been significant, with the government implementing a sugar export ban since October 2023. The recent extension of this ban and the imposition of a 50% export tax on molasses highlight the government's continued focus on domestic market stabilization. These moves have been interpreted by the global market as indicators of a sustained restriction on Indian sugar exports, contributing to the tightening global sugar supply and upward price trends.
Finally the connection between sugar and energy markets, particularly in Brazil, adds another layer to the price dynamics. Brazilian sugar prices are closely linked to global oil prices due to the country’s extensive use of sugar cane for ethanol production. Rising oil prices could lead to a strategic shift in Brazilian sugar mills, favoring ethanol production over sugar. This potential reallocation of cane for ethanol, in response to higher oil prices, could constrict sugar supplies, exerting upward pressure on sugar prices. This interdependence highlights the intricate balance between agricultural and energy markets and their collective influence on sugar prices.


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Amazon has canceled plans to build a second headquarters in New York City, following pushback from residents and local lawmakers who were concerned about what the influx of high-skill, high-paying jobs would do to an area that’s already facing fast gentrification.
“After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens,” Amazon wrote in a statement this morning. Amazon said it is canceling the plans because a “number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence.”
Amazon does not plan to search for another HQ2 location, but it will move forward with its existing plans to open major campuses in Northern Virginia and Nashville. It will also continue to expand its existing presence in New York throughout other boroughs.
The plans for Amazon to move into Queens were largely hashed out in secret, without input from local lawmakers. There was immediate backlash after the deal was announced, in part because of the major concessions that New York agreed to give Amazon to entice the company to move in. That included up to $1.5 billion in incentives in exchange for creating 25,000 jobs. Amazon had promised $2.5 billion in investment.
Residents and local lawmakers were concerned that those jobs wouldn’t go to the people currently living in Queens, but would instead attract outside talent who would move in, drive up costs, and push out long-time residents. Even Amazon’s interest in moving to Queens had been enough to drive sales of expensive homes and apartments, sometimes sight-unseen, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Without local support, Amazon could have found itself tied up in legal battles and arguing with zoning boards just to get development started. That could have delayed the project, and worse for Amazon, lengthen what had already turned into a bad PR move.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last week it would be “governmental malpractice” for state lawmakers to oppose the deal after reports came out that the company was reconsidering. Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had both been proponents of the deal and worked together to court Amazon.
The backlash has not let up since the deal was first announced in November. In recent weeks, lawmakers have described Amazon as uncaring and a bad cultural fit for New York.
“They are anti-union. They have no concern about the impact they might have on communities they join,” state Sen. Michael Gianaris, who represents Astoria, Queens, said last week, according to Newsday. “Amazon is just take, take, take and doesn’t give a damn about the communities it destroys in the process.”
Amazon’s complete statement is below:
Update on plans for New York City headquarters
After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens. For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term. While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.
We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion—we love New York, its incomparable dynamism, people, and culture—and particularly the community of Long Island City, where we have gotten to know so many optimistic, forward-leaning community leaders, small business owners, and residents. There are currently over 5,000 Amazon employees in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island, and we plan to continue growing these teams.
We are deeply grateful to Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and their staffs, who so enthusiastically and graciously invited us to build in New York City and supported us during the process. Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have worked tirelessly on behalf of New Yorkers to encourage local investment and job creation, and we can’t speak positively enough about all their efforts. The steadfast commitment and dedication that these leaders have demonstrated to the communities they represent inspired us from the very beginning and is one of the big reasons our decision was so difficult.
We do not intend to reopen the HQ2 search at this time. We will proceed as planned in Northern Virginia and Nashville, and we will continue to hire and grow across our 17 corporate offices and tech hubs in the U.S. and Canada.
Thank you again to Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and the many other community leaders and residents who welcomed our plans and supported us along the way. We hope to have future chances to collaborate as we continue to build our presence in New York over time.


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The Sunday Times has reported that all may not be well with high street housewares and hardware retailer Robert Dyas.
It seems that Dyas has recently re-structured its debt with Lloyds TSB in order to improve cash flow after it struggled to keep up with loan repayments last month.
The company was taken over in 2004 by Change Capital, made up of former Marks & Spencer chairman Luc Vandevelde and former M&S ceo and head of B&Q Roger Holmes. At the time, the pair announced an ambitious expansion plan, aiming to double the number of stores from 75 to 150, and borrowed the money to make it happen.
However, despite a significant number of openings since then – as of July this year it had 95 stores, 103 if you include concessions – The company is nowhere near meeting its original target.
Interestingly, the Robert Dyas website has shied away from the 150 figure, instead quoting a more conservative figure of 120. However, this does not appear to have been updated for some time as the site states, “our aim is to have 120 Robert Dyas stores by 2007.”
Keep a look out for more on this story, as it happens, on HousewaresLive.net.


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Red Dead Redemption was recently released after an 8 year development cycle. While that sounds like an eternity, and it is, it is hardly alone in the world of video game development. It seems that there is no end to the scope creep of games, but are we about to hit a wall where developer ambitions and player demand goes head-to-head with practical realities? On today’s show, we explore the rise of the long development cycle, its impact on games, and some ideas on the way forward.
Over the years, Electronic Arts—the 2nd largest video game publisher in the world—has gone from respected incubator of many must-have franchises to one of the most reviled entities in the industry. Somehow, the company has found itself in a downward spiral while its competitors take full advantage. In this episode, we dig deeper into EA’s impact on the industry both in gaming’s distant past as well as their current influence on the industry at one of its leading companies.


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Time Lapse: WPTZ studio renovation
Gov. Peter Shumlin, D-Vt., and the mayors of Burlington and Winooski returned to Vermont late Wednesday after a whirlwind trip to see and hear the F-35 fighter jet.
We hope Leonardo DiCaprio's an Apple fan. The actor is reportedly a favorite pick for the role of Steve Jobs in an upcoming biopic about the deceased Apple co-founder that's coming from Sony Pictures.


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New Gulch business wants to rent you a Lamborghini. Or a Maserati. Or a Ferrari
Then: Music City Dream Cars opened in the Gulch as Nashville's first exotic car rental showroom. For a fee, car enthusiasts could take high-end and exotic cars for a spin, including makes like Rolls-Royce, Maserati and Lamborghini.
Now: Jonathan Bowman, president and founder of Music City Dream Cars, said the company has been off to "a great start" in its first year. He said annual revenue was "several hundred thousand [dollars]." Bowman said the company started annual membership packages that allow customers to chose among all the cars on the showroom for a set number of miles per year. At one point, the showroom had as many as 10 cars. As of early December, Bowman said the company had six cars on hand. He said there has been great demand for "wedding getaways" as well as local companies using the perk of driving a Lamborghini as an office incentive for their sales teams.
"It's a pretty niche business. Any big car fans … who like nice cars have been great clients for us," Bowman said.
Next: Bowman said Music City Dream Cars plans to expand its membership program. He said he anticipates bringing additional cars in by spring, including Tesla models and a Nissan GTR.
— Scott Harrison
Booming West Nashville neighborhood slated for new development
Then: In separate projects, more than 160 new homes were planned for The Nations, a fast-growing area in West Nashville. Michael Kenner's MiKen Development had 5.5 acres under contract. Also, Nashville Lumber Co. sought rezoning to allow for at least 100 townhomes, to be developed by HND Realty.
Now: Construction on Kenner's project is imminent. He plans 60 single-family homes, each between 850 and 1,600 square feet. They are on track to be finished in about four months, Kenner said. Woodland Street Partners is handling construction. The development is named Tree of Oaks Cottages, a tribute to the history of The Nations, Kenner said."We wanted to create an entry level you just can't find in Nashville anymore: new construction costing under $300,000," Kenner said. "The location is great, basically right across from Sylvan Park, and Charlotte Pike's not clogged yet."
Next: Real estate broker Jeremy Jeter expects The Nations' popularity to keep growing. The price for dirt has roughly doubled in two years, Jeter said. Still, he senses that home prices might be starting to plateau — or at least take a pause from their rapid growth.
"Nobody's really been able to push through the $350,000 mark in The Nations just yet," Jeter said. "We need to see some more commercial development."
Kenner also is creating 10 to 12 small apartments housed in refurbished shipping containers neighboring his 60-home project.
— Adam Sichko


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A new survey of readers in New Zealand, as reported by Stuff.co.nz, demonstrates that readers still prefer print over digital or audiobooks when it comes to self-selected texts. Despite the growing ebook market and an increase in digital readership in a few key age demographics, print wins out for most and for all the usual reasons.
According to the article on the findings, “Those most in favour of e-books were predictably under 30 year olds who only preferred the printed book by a 28 per cent to 27 per cent margin.
“Those aged 45 to 49 were the most hostile age cohort for e-books with 42 per cent preferring the printed version and 18 per cent an e-reader.
“Consistent with the BBQ debates the major factor cited by those who preferred reading printed books was that they enjoyed the feel and smell. A secondary factor coming through was that there was less strain on the eyes. Lower level factors cited by printed book advocates were they didn’t run out of power, it was easier to skip back and forward, habit and print books filled bookshelves.”
It may seem unrelated to some industry watchers, but the fact that consumers still prefer and buy more print than digital actually speaks to the increased validity of data about how self-published authors are faring in the market. Given that indie authors as a group generally sell more of their ebooks than their print titles, and given that consumers purchase more print than digital, it would show that the greater piece of the publishing pie that indies now earn is on even greater sales. They sell fewer books and at cheaper prices, yet still earn more income than traditionally published authors.
This data is no more prevalent than in the Author Earnings reports, who recent study of Barnes and Noble data showed that self-published authors are earning even higher amounts of income than traditionally published authors.


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SkyDiamond CEO Habib Bakshi fulfilled a lifelong dream this week by meeting fashion icon and global entrepreneur Tommy Hilfiger at his NYC offices. Alongside Tommy CEO Gary Sheinbaum and VP of Marketing and Communications Eric Lichtmess, the group discussed the need to evolve in the ever changing landscape of high fashion. Habib also had preliminary discussions regarding label expansion and digital ecommerce strategy for 2020. From not competing with irrelevant rivals to over-extending the brand, Tommy provided insights on lessons learned during his long-standing career.
Habib was inspired at a young age when he purchased his first Tommy Hilfiger jacket as a teen. Tommy’s story of perseverance in the face of adversity laid the framework for how SkyDiamond functions as a strategy house. It is this tenacity and influence within the fashion industry that helped shape Habib’s desire to work in the niche world of luxury fashion ecommerce.
“The clothes that we purchase elicits an emotional response that quite literally affects the way we carry ourselves and even alters our psyche.” Habib Bakshi stated. “It is this very sentiment that carries over to our shopping habits and shapes our intentions. Our goal as an organization is to shape and amplify a brand’s narrative in order to drive its digital success.”bartend
South By Southwest (SXSW) recently announced that Tommy Hilfiger would be a keynote speaker for the annual event in Austin, Texas in March. SkyDiamond Elite along with Tommy and other fashion execs are scheduling a meeting during this time to further their marketing agenda and evolve ecommerce strategy around prevailing opportunities in 2020.


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Wilmington places on 2022 survey ranking best beer cities
Waterman’s Brewing Company near Wrightsville Beach is one of 15 breweries ranked in SmartAsset’s annual survey about best cities for beer drinkers. (courtesy photo)
SOUTHEASTERN NC — What are the best cities nationwide for beer drinkers?
One fintech company held its eighth annual survey across almost 400 cities that had a population of at least 60,000, one brewery and tracked Numbeo data, the world’s largest cost-of-living database, to make determinations. Two North Carolina cities, including Wilmington, made the top 50.
READ MORE: Part 1: Almost 100 bars and restaurants opened and closed in 2022
READ MORE: Part 2: Almost 100 bars and restaurants opened and closed in 2022
The Port City came in the number 30 spot, while Asheville tracked number five.
SmartAsset, the company behind the survey, pulled the 2021 US Census data for population figures, and the total number of microbreweries and brewpubs in each city from ratebeer.com in November 2022. It also looked at the number of bars overall and the number of breweries per 100,000 residents from the 2020 County Patterns Survey. The average number of beers per brewery and cost of a domestic draft were included in the assessment.
“The city with the best average ranking received an index score of 100, and the city with the worst average ranking received an index score of 0,” the report from SmartAsset noted.
Wilmington has moved up and down the ranks since it started making an appearance on the poll in 2017, when it came in number 19. It then dropped to 35 the following year, moved up to 14 in 2019, 13 in 2020 and dropped back to 32 in 2021.
According to Smart Asset’s public relations manager, Ray Marek, the 5 breweries pulled from ratebeer.com were:
- Bill’s Front Porch Pub and Brewery
- Broomtail Craft Brews
- Edward Teach Beer Co.
- Flying Machine Brewing Company
- Flytrap Brewing
- Front Street Brewery
- Ironclad Brewery
- Mad Mole Brewing
- New Anthem Beer Project
- Skytown Beer Company
- Tek Mountain Brewing
- Waterline Brewing Company
- Waterman’s Brewing
- Wilmington Brewing Company
- Wrightsville Beach Brewery
TekMountain Brewing technically wasn’t a full-scale brewery as much as an in-house bar that operated in a coworking space off Sir Tyler Drive, which closed during the pandemic. The survey also still notes Skytown operational, though the brewery changed hands to Catawba Brewing in 2021.
Port City Daily counts roughly 19 breweries in the area. Omitted from the ratebeer.com data are DrumTrout Brewing Co. in Fulton Station and Bull City Ciderworks in the Cargo District, both of which opened in 2022. It also doesn’t include Panacea Brewing, which opened in 2017 but didn’t begin selling hard boocha until two years ago, the same year Hi-Wire Brewing opened, so not featured in the data.
The number of brew houses is going up in 2023 in Wilmington as well; Ponysaurus Brewing has plans to open on Market Street in downtown Wilmington. It was supposed to launch in 2022 but has experienced delays. A Ponysaurus rep didn’t confirm with Port City Daily by press the timeline it will open.
The Durham-founded craft brewery began in 2013 and has been revered for its specialized American and European-style beers. It won two first-place gold medals and one second-place silver medal in the NC Craft Brewers Guild 2022 Industry Awards.
It will be located in the historic district in a former attorney’s office, next door to Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens at 214 Market St. There will be seating indoors and outdoors in terraced gardens, complete with fire pits. It also will serve more than its; Ponysaurus wants double as a pizzeria.
The number of breweries in the Wilmington area for 2022’s SmartAsset survey worked out to approximately 12.8 per 100,000 residents, with 40 average beers per brewery. The mean cost of Wilmington pints clocks in around $5 — a higher price point than the average surveyed beers, which is roughly $4.68.
The craft beer industry brings in big tourism dollars for cities nationwide. Beer Serves America — a nonprofit that does an economic impact study commissioned by the Beer Institute and National Beer Wholesalers Association every two years — shows an economic impact of $331 billion dollars annually and the creation of two million jobs. It goes beyond the food and beverage industry and adds to manufacturing, agriculture, distribution and retailer positions.
In 2021, the US produced 81% of all beer and imported only 19% from other countries, SmartAsset reported.
The top city ranked on the annual survey was Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with 33 breweries averaging $4 a pint at around 11 locations per 100,000 residents.
However, Chicago, held out for the most breweries overall at 103, equal to 3.8 per 100,000 residents.
The top three beer cities remain unchanged from 2021, including Bend, Oregon, and Milwaukee. While eight of the top 10 have held steady on the survey since its inception.
Other cities in SmartAsset’s top 10 include St. Louis, Cincinnati, New Orleans, Fort Collins, Austin, and Missoula.
Have comments or tips? Email [email protected]
Want to read more from PCD? Subscribe now and then sign up for our morning newsletter, Wilmington Wire, and get the headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.


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Rachel Zoe has made it official -- she's expecting baby No. 2.
It was first reported back in June that Zoe and husband Rodger Berman were expanding their family (they welcomed son Skyler in March 2011), but the news was not confirmed at that time.
Now, the stylist, fashion designer and reality TV star has made the pregnancy announcement on her website.
"Rodger, Skyler and I hope that everyone had an amazing summer! Before we head into the chaos of fashion season, we wanted to take a moment to OFFICIALLY confirm that we are expecting another child," she wrote Tuesday. "We are beyond excited for Skyler to have a sibling and for us to fall in love all over again. We feel incredibly blessed."
Zoe, 42, is set to unveil the spring 2014 collection for her eponymous fashion line next Wednesday at New York Fashion Week.


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it often pays to be first. Faduma Farah hopes so.
ago, the 46-year-old Somali woman was the first to sign up
for a booth at Suuqa Karmel, a new indoor bazaar in Minneapolis
targeting the city's burgeoning Somali community.
is the No. 1 booth facing the green awning-shaded front door
at 2944 Pillsbury Ave. S. "I want my own business to develop
for my family," Farah said, seated in her 4-foot-by-4-foot
stall behind a glass counter crowded with soaps, creams and
perfumes. "I don't want to depend on other person or welfare.
to stand up myself." Farah isn't so alone. Most of Minnesota's
estimated 20,000 to 40,000 Somali refugees still scramble
to find jobs to support themselves, but more and more are
setting up their own businesses. They come from an entrepreneurial
on the tip of the Horn of Africa, Somalia has centuries of
history of trade with India to the east across the Indian
Ocean and Egypt to the north through the Red Sea.
America, they're often stymied from jumping into the business
mainstream. They don't have the credit histories banks demand
for business loans, and they are prohibited by their Islamic
religious beliefs from accepting or paying interest.
raise the money for their own businesses by tapping family
and friends, but others cannot afford to rent or buy buildings.
Enter Basim Sabri. The Palestinian immigrant and Minneapolis
business developer last fall opened a similar concept on East
Lake Street at the International Bazaar, a building filled
with start-up businesses catering to the neighborhood's fast-growing
month, he opened Suuqa Karmel, a minimall. Sabri bought the
30,000 square-foot abandoned Midwest Machinery warehouse in
the 2900 block of Pillsbury Avenue South in 1997, remodeled
it inside and out, and then sought enterprising tenants.
floor is filled with professional offices for landscape architects,
chiropractors, therapeutic masseuses and lawyers. But the
first floor is devoted to small, start-up Somali family stores
and services in the "suuqa," or bazaar. Karmel is his daughter's
name. "It will allow these individuals who have very little
resources in either knowledge or money to open a business
in the United States," Sabri said.
individual succeeds, they will outgrow the space and move
on to a bigger space elsewhere." Many of the bazaar's 33 tenants,
like Farah, sell clothing, especially fabric for making scarves
and the long, flowing head covering traditionally worn by
many Muslim women.
booths are a rainbow of silk fabric, hemmed in by hangers
with Western-style children's and men's clothing and shoes
and purses. Most of the tenants are women. Many are married
and their husbands work regular jobs to support their families
until their businesses catch on.
whose father was a merchant in Somalia, said her store hasn't
yet made a profit. "But we will -- maybe three months," she
said. Asho Sabrye, 22, owner of the International Clothing
Center booth, also owns a cleaning franchise and is thinking
our community knows, but we'd like Americans to come," she
said. Mohamed Ali, 45, and his wife, Farhiya Ahmed Mohamud,
41, named their home furnishings business -- Leban International
Decorations and Jewelry -- after his second son.
successful, said Ali, who works as an employment counselor
at the Brian Coyle Community Center, his wife will expand
and move the business to St. Paul's East Side, where an East
African community is growing. Some of his customers come from
as far as Willmar, Minn., he said.
goes out. You don't need advertisement. You just need one
person in one town," he said. In many ways, the bazaar resembles
an old-fashioned Main Street in miniature, with clothing stores
interspersed with a fruit and vegetable stall, a faxing and
copying service, a tiny convenience store with new furniture
stacked next to boxes of diapers and Tide detergent, a tailor's
shop, a video store and a hair salon.
bazaar also shows a keen understanding of the needs of its
tenants and customers.
corner, Sabri sacrificed a potential storefront to install
a small prayer room or "masjid" -- a mosque for the Muslim
Somalis to take their daily short prayer breaks.
the corner sits a coffee shop where men gather to relax and
the conversational murmur, an indoor fountain gurgles and
white doves in wire cages ruffle their wings.
Sahardeed, executive vice president of Somali Community of
Minnesota, said many Somalis already know about the bazaar
through word-of-mouth and stories in Somali-language newspapers
and on a local Somali cable television show.
demand is there among the Somali, and we hope Americans like
it, too," he said. His organization estimates Minnesota has
nearly 20 Somali-owned restaurants and another 20 grocery
and clothing stores, most concentrated in Minneapolis but
a few in St. Paul and Rochester.
Osman Fahia, executive director of the Confederation of Somali
Community in Minnesota, an umbrella group for other mutual
assistance organizations, said the bazaar is becoming a popular
meeting place for people to meet, shop and relax.
that people are settling in this country and forgetting the
civil war back home," he said, "and starting again."


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NEW ORLEANS – A local pizza chain is conquering this pandemic thanks to the support of the community!
“Obviously, we’ve had to modify the way we do business. Usually, these chairs would be down and they’d be full of people” Owner of the Metairie That’s Amoré Pizzeria, Darren Kennedy told WGNO.
Now, at That’s Amore Pizzeria, they’re only doing carry out and delivery.
One of the owners, Debbie Kennedy, takes all of the orders over the phone. The customer is asked to call again when they’ve arrived outside.
“We bring the orders out to their car, that way customers don’t even have to get out of their cars and we know and they know that we’re taking every precaution we can for safety” Kennedy told us. “From day one, our customers came out to support us. They know the importance of customers to small business.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, That’s Amoré Pizzeria has seen an overflow of support from the community… They’ve been using technology to get the word out, that they’re still open!
“We mostly do Facebook posts on social media and those have been shared and we’re seeing not only regular customers who are coming in, but new customers who are coming in who have seen seen those posts!”
Which have led to comments like “best pizza in town” and “we LOVED it.”
“They [customers] have come through in an unbelievable fashion!” Darren said.
Since the restaurant doesn’t have dine-in for the time being, the front staff had to be laid off.
“But, because of the support of our customers, we’ve been able to keep my kitchen staff employed.”
When the coronavirus crisis is all over…
“We look forward to filling the dining room again and having my entire staff come back to work.”
That’s Amore Pizzeria is open Tuesday through Sunday between 11 AM and 8 PM.
If you know of a small business conquering the pandemic, please email Rachael O’Neil at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Exide Corp., which manufactures batteries at its Allentown plant on Lehigh Street, has begun to franchise retail stores under the familiar name of Willard Battery Co.
Willard yesterday officially opened a company-owned store, in the Pathmark shopping center at Hanover Avenue and Maxwell Street in Allentown, which will serve as a training center for franchisees.
Exide, through its wholly-owned Willard subsidiary, wants to take advantage of recent technological changes that allow batteries to be sold already charged, said Ray Travis, Willard's director of operations.
Travis said Exide is now competing on a retail level with companies, such as Montgomery Ward and Western Auto Stores, that purchase Exide-made batteries carrying the companies' brand names.
"We're trying to serve the do-it-yourself market, which makes up half of all battery sales," said Travis. "Sears (another Exide buyer) is more interested in the installation end of the business, where most of the profit is."
Allentown was chosen as Willard's training center because it's close to both Exide's headquarters in Horsham, Montgomery County, and the Exide plant on Lehigh Street. Franchise owners from across the nation will spend a week training at the company store.
Since August, Willard has franchised 10 stores, six in the Philadelphia area and four in central Pennsylvania. Travis, who said the Lehigh Valley could support another three Willard stores, said the company wants to sell 1,000 franchises within the next three years.
Travis said Exide believes a store can be successful selling only batteries - although they range from tiny hearing aid to 180-pound diesel truck batteries. He said Exide now manufactures for 87 independent battery stores that sell under private brand names.
About 90 percent of the batteries sold by Willard retail operations are from Exide's six manufacturing facilities in Allentown and five other states. The remaining smaller, specialty batteries are made by other companies such as Eveready and Panasonic.
Batteries represent a 70 million unit, $500 billion a year market, Travis said.
Manager of the Allentown company store is Tom Beaky of Emmaus.
Travis said the Willard franchises are being sold for $10,000 and require an additional $40,000 investment.
The Allentown plant, which for 28 years had operated under the Willard Battery Co. name, had its name changed to Exide Corp. in 1980.


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NEW Liverpool Third Kit 2019-20
The brand new Liverpool FC third kit for 2019-20 - the European Champions. The Phantom Black shirt with teal (officially known as Tidepool) detailing will be LFC's alternative away shirt for both Premier League and European away fixtures. The shirt was released on the 20th July 2019 and was first worn on the US Tour at Boston's Fenway Park. This will be LFC's 3rd shirt until the end of summer 2020.


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Japan's public television broadcaster, NHK, has developed an array of video cameras that are synchronized to create "bullet time" shots like those popularized in the film The Matrix.
Video shot using the system can be used to create an effect where the subject freezes and the camera angle pans around it, commonly called "bullet time" after a famous Matrix scene. NHK has used the system with a dozen cameras synched together.
The system links its multiple cameras, each on motorized mounts, so that they can be operated by a single cameraman. One of the cameras is chosen as the master, which the others use for positioning and auto focus. Once the video is shot it is sent directly to a computer system, which can generate a clip in about a minute.
Murder suspect Chisako Kakehi invested most of the about Y1 billion she inherited from her spouses and lovers in futures trading and other financial products over the past few years, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned from investigative sources. (The Japan News)
Japanese public prosecutors on Friday demanded a prison sentence of 10 years for Yusuke Katayama, who is accused of hijacking other people's personal computers and using them to send online threats. (Jiji Press)
According to various Japanese news sources, 83-year-old retiree Yasuji Shibata was arrested for selling obscene material via an Internet auction in April for 3,400 yen (about US$28) after police found explicit photos in his home on November 16. (rocketnews24.com)


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Posted by Dale Buss on September 25, 2014 09:12 AM
Apple pulls update to iOS 8 software as "bendgate" iPhone 6 complaints cause more headaches (and a Kit-Kat kwip) for Tim Cook.
GM CEO Mary Barry makes the cover of TIME as automaker appoints first cybersecurity czar and dispels MyLink claim.
Mondelez elevates Dana Anderson to CMO.
Twitter launches targeted ads for movies.
Uber opens debate with European regulators over ride-sharing rules.
MORE BRAND NEWS
Amazon loses streaming entertainment head.
Audi, Chevrolet and Lincoln plan to boost ad spending in 2015.
Best Buy taps designers for exclusive accessories.Continue reading...
sports in the spotlight
Posted by Mark J. Miller on September 24, 2014 04:08 PM
After each week of real-life NFL football games take place and the winning players and the fans that unrequitedly love them do a little celebratory trash talking to anyone who will listen, there is a shadow army of celebrants holed up with their screens and quietly giving themselves pats on the back for a week well-played.
Most fantasy football competitors, riding on the work of the real-life players, don’t get much attention (except on Wall Street, which loves fantasy sports), but Yahoo Sports has found a way to make these fans feel a little more important each week. Now each team matchup of every fantasy football team, whether with a completely ridiculous name or not, gets written up as if it were a real game on the portal's fantasy football channel—and Yahoo gets to make a few extra bucks from ad sales.
“Sports is about having fun and marrying that with your passion, and wanting to win. To us having that tone is an important part of the success,” said Ken Fuchs, VP and group lead of Yahoo Sports, to the Washington Post. “When I get my recap and it tells me unfortunately my game tape is not going to be broken down in any coaching clinics, it gives me a little smile and allows the guy who I lost to to shoot me a note quoting his recap and talking a little smack.”
The game recaps aren’t written by humans, however. Yahoo Sports has partnered with “a tech company in North Carolina to auto-generate personalized articles about the thousands of fantasy football teams in its leagues.”Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on September 4, 2014 09:27 AM
Apple sees acolytes start lining up for iPhone 6 as Samsung reveals its latest futuristic devices.
Home Depot tries to reassure customers about possible data breach.
Lego becomes world's largest toy maker on The Lego Movie success.
Lincoln launches promised ad campaign starring Matthew McConaughey.
Neiman Marcus plans to open first NYC store.
MORE BRAND NEWS
About.com brings a fresh twist to native advertising.
Amazon launches streaming box in UK next month.
Baidu launches its own version of Google Glass (which Luxottica head disses) along with computer "brain" and indoor-mapping challenge to Alibaba.
Ben & Jerry's sponsors 9/21 global People's Climate March with 350.org.Continue reading...
Posted by Bob O'Brien on August 18, 2014 12:39 PM
With the former mayor of New York City back at the company, all eyes are on Bloomberg these days. Founded in 1981 by Michael Bloomberg, Bloomberg L.P. provides news and information to financial professionals and business decision-makers across various media, making Bloomberg one of the largest news and information-gathering organizations in the world.
The Bloomberg Professional service is the core product offering, and continues to drive success and innovation at the company. With more than 320,000 subscribers around the world, the “Bloomberg”, as it’s called, continues to be a major source for understanding what is moving markets and industries.
Deirdre Bigley was named Bloomberg’s Global CMO in June, after having been with the company more than five years. Prior to joining Bloomberg in 2009, Bigley spent 13 years at IBM, where she served as Vice President of Worldwide Advertising and Interactive, and Vice President of Worldwide Brand.
brandchannel chatted with Bigley to find out more about how she sees marketing today, the role of data and the challenges and opportunities in her new role.Continue reading...
Posted by Shirley Brady on August 8, 2014 08:45 AM
Malaysia Airlines will be privatized and given "complete overhaul" after union demands CEO resignation.
Lululemon founder sells half his stake, ending fighting.
AT&T turns to a detective and an astronaut to promote U-verse TV app.
Apple's iPhone 6 reveal slated for Sept. 9th as brand sees India momentum, a reprieve in China, EU green light for retail trademark application, and files for HealthKit trademark .
Twitter tweaks ad pricing and hints at e-commerce as Facebook pushes small business ads, bans incentivizing page likes, and faces class action lawsuit in Europe over data breaches.
MORE BRAND NEWS
adidas increases digital marketing investment and releases Selena Gomez promo for NEO.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on May 5, 2014 09:36 AM
TOP 5 STORIES
Target chairman and CEO resigns in wake of data breach.
Coca-Cola shakes up marketing ranks, and drops controversial ingredient from Powerade.
Apple faces legal challenge by Swatch over iWatch name.
Fiat Chrysler's Sergio Marchionne readies five-year plan.
P&G takes legal action in drive to protect Crest Whitestrips.
MORE BRAND NEWS
Amazon launches #AmazonCart so users can shop via Twitter.
AOL revives Moviefone brand with new tech features and marketing push.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on May 1, 2014 09:33 AM
Amazon expands same-day delivery.
AOL launches 16 web series.
AT&T is reportedly pondering acquiring DirecTV.
eBay reveals PayPal's simpler logo, 1st global brand campaign.
Energizer announces plan to split in two.
Facebook launches mobile ad network and privacy features.
Ford names a new CEO, Mark Fields, to replace retiring Alan Mulally.
Foursquare breaks into two, promotes "discovery" over check-ins.
Microsoft splits global ad business.
Below, news on brand innovation, culture, and more:Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on February 11, 2014 09:22 AM
Nokia releases first Android phone as Microsoft deal finalizes.
Taco Bell gears up for mobile ordering nationwide.
P&G raises prices on higher-end Tide versions.
Alibaba opens US e-commerce site.
Ameriprise jumps on Olympics bandwagon with Tommy Lee Jones.
Barclays plans to axe up to 12,000 jobs.
Bloomberg plans splashier storytelling on TV.
Boeing faces challenges in raising Dreamliner output.
Coke launches special edition Sochi cans across Eastern Europe.Continue reading...


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Amazon.com on Thursday launched a site that invites visitors to ask questions and receive answers from fellow users, who will be lured with Amazon currency to share their expertise and opinions.
Amazon is aiming to use Askville.com to leverage its own expertise insharing consumer opinions — user reviews are one of the most popular and highly regarded features of its e-tail site — and to drive both traffic and sales at the same time.
The e-commerce giant is offering Askville users who answer questions the ability to acquire Quest Gold, virtual currency that for a time can be redeemed for US$100 and $50 Amazon gift cards.
The initiative follows a long line of sites offered by search engines such as Google and others to offer a more human touch to Web-based information gathering. Askville is also based on the idea that simply searching online is not always the best way to find the answers to some questions.
“Finding information or getting good advice is hard enough when you are searching the Internet by yourself,” said Joseph Park, director of Askville.com.
Using real people, who can either point users to the answers or share personal experiences, “makes the discoverability of information much more efficient” as well as “a lot more fun,” Park added.
Askville has been open to invited customers since last December, when the beta version launched; it is now open to all Amazon customers. Non-customers can gain access to the site by using their mobile phones to authenticate themselves.
To help drive users to the site, Amazon is offering both those who ask and those who answer questions the ability to earn Quest Gold. Gold points are awarded based on the expertise a user displays in a topic and other factors.
The site will be matched with a second, to be called “Questville,” where Quest Gold can be cashed in for rewards, Amazon said. In a note on the Askville blog, Amazon says the launch of Questville was delayed because the company was not able to devote enough resources to developing it ahead of the launch of Askville.
In the meantime, Amazon is offering users the chance to cash in the currency for Amazon gift certificates.
Extending a Strong Feature
From the site, it’s easy to see how it will help drive buying traffic at Amazon. One question about buying digital cameras, for instance, includes answers that contain specific product recommendations that in one click take users back to the Amazon page for those products.
The launch of Askville comes just days after Amazon’s most recent new venture, the launch of an e-book reader called “Kindle,” was met with mixed reviews and skepticism abut the company’s ability to foster electronic book adoption.
Nevertheless, Askville is an attempt to extend one of Amazon’s strongest features — its ability to leverage customers into trusted reviewers. Millions of Amazon users have entered reviews on the e-tailer’s main site and Amazon already has a system that lets readers of those reviews rank them based on usefulness, said Forrester Research analyst Carrie Johnson.
“A lot of online retailers have tried to follow the model that Amazon has made work so well,” Johnson told the E-Commerce Times.
Following the Leader
By trying to extend it beyond direct product reviews, Amazon is moving onto turf already guarded by search engines and a growing number of social networking sites, however — ground where Amazon’s own search ventures, the product search engine A9 and the open search engine that spun off it have not made much headway against the top search players, Johnson noted.
Others have found it difficult to find the right formula and economic model for the human search approach. Google Answers, which offered answers from live researchers for a fee, was shut down last year after about four years. Meanwhile, Yahoo maintains Yahoo Answers, and has added social networking elements to the site.
Similarly, business-focused social networking site LinkedIn recently added its own Answers page, where registered users can submit questions and have them answered by people in their extended networks.
Because there’s clearly a market for information beyond what searching alone can yield, Google may yet try to get back into the answers game, Sterling Market Intelligence analyst Greg Sterling told the E-Commerce Times.
Developing Future Products
Earlier this year, Google added a polling feature to its social networking offering, Orkut, sparking speculation that if Google Answers did return, it would be as part of that site.
“I have to think they are going to be looking to bring it back in some form at some point,” Sterling said.
When it shut down the site, Google said its experiment had given it insight into what people want to learn about on the Web and “a lot of material for developing future products to serve our users.”


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French startup Mistral AI has received $113 million in seed funding to compete with OpenAI in building, training and applying large language models and generative AI. This is written by TechCrunch.
The startup is only four weeks old, but its value is estimated at $260 million. It was co-founded by people from DeepMind and Meta. The project will focus on open source solutions.
“We believe that the benefits of using open source can overcome the misuse potential,” said the startup’s CEO Arthur Mensch.
The company plans to release its first text-based generative AI models in 2024 and will target enterprise customers.
“At the moment we have proof that AI is useful in some cases,” Mensch said. “But there are still too many workers in different fields being asked to be creative [with AI], and we need to figure this out for them. We want to give them tools that are easy to use to create their own products.”
We will remind that in May OpenAI released a free ChatGPT application for iPhone in the US. It includes support for voice input using the Whisper AI speech recognition model and can sync chat history with the web version of the AI assistant. Thus, ChatGPT became an official mobile client for the first time.


text: Nothing to do with sports Weird News Home Depot Is Recalling Ceiling Fans For Detaching Blades. Also, Good Luck Sleeping Tonight! December 28, 2020December 28, 2020 Austin Well isn’t this just the news we needed? Ceiling fans detaching enough to the point where Home Depot had to recall them. Just when we thought we were safe.


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Tech News Topic:
Has Facebook, Twitter and Snap topped out on social media growth or is this just a temporary setback?
New dual wireless charger with two fast charging pads for Samsung or other smartphones. This one allows you to prop up your phone instead of laying flat. Pricing and availability coming soon.
Video Game Topic:
With an active monthly user base of 150 million users, Discord will be announcing its own line of indie games including “First on Discord” titles.
Join The Conversation


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As the holiday shopping season draws near, stress levels are bound to rise. Thousands upon thousands will head to malls filled with holes in their wallets as they try to game plan how to get in and out of the biggest malls in the D.C. region as quickly and efficiently as possible.
One of the hardest parts of it all will be getting there — and finding a parking spot.
It can often feel like there is no perfect parking spot at this time of year, since spots close to the entrances tend to be taken by cars that seem like they’ll be camped out there until after New Year’s. On days like that, some might ask how anyone could question whether there’s too much parking.
But mall owners in Fairfax County, Virginia, are not only asking that, county staff are saying the answer is yes — there is too much parking.
Right now the county is considering a change to a zoning amendment that would alter the formula used to determine how much parking is provided at the four biggest shopping centers: Tysons Corner Mall, Tysons Galleria, Fair Oaks Mall and Springfield Town Center. Basically, the change would allow those shopping centers to reduce the amount of parking available.
The measure is being pushed by Fair Oaks Mall, which wants to be able to redevelop some of the parking lots and build new amenities to adapt to evolving retail trends.
A study commissioned by Fair Oaks found that at the peak hour on a December Saturday — what would be the busiest hour of the busiest shopping days of the year — the peak demand is less than what’s available.
During a planning commission meeting on Wednesday, Michael Davis, parking program manager with the county’s land development services department, said the peak demand “is between 65 and 70% of the current supply.”
At other times, both in December and in the summer months, less than half the spaces are filled there, and at Springfield Town Center too.
“The demand is significantly lower than the requirement,” Davis said.
The proposal is being pushed by Fair Oaks because it stands to be impacted the most by this.
Springfield Town Center is already going through some planned development.
Two malls in the Tysons area already have the ability to reduce their parking to as many as zero spaces if desired. While those malls are included in this measure by virtue of their size, the actual impact on those malls would be negligible.
Nevertheless, it didn’t stop planning commissioners from expressing concern about the potential impact this would have on the malls at Tysons.
County staff, and those testifying on behalf of Fair Oaks Mall, stressed that it’s highly unlikely Tysons would do anything that would potentially keep customers away.
Tony Calabrese, a lawyer who represents Fair Oaks Mall in this, told the commission that “our larger retail centers, particularly those in suburban locations … don’t need anywhere near the ocean of asphalt that we had in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.”
“Our shopping and personal service habits have changed dramatically,” added Calabrese, who noted the trend of home delivery of goods, groceries, and even dine-in restaurant meals is accelerating, not declining. “The parking requirements have to be dropped and they have to be dropped significantly.”
The current rule is that malls of their size must provide four parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area. Fair Oaks is hoping to reduce that number to 2 1/2 to three spaces per 1,000 feet of gross floor area.
While the county’s staff recommends allowing the change, the planning commission sounded skeptical during a two-hour public hearing last Wednesday. They’ll take up the measure at this Wednesday’s board meeting.
However, the ultimate decision will rest with the board of supervisors, which has scheduled a public hearing on this for Dec. 3.
The planning commission is expected to vote on the measure this Wednesday. The board of supervisors will take it up next month.


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A 25-year-old French student has won a EUR150k prize from the French Ministry of L'agricoltura to develop a fresh fruit and vegetable pesticide detector.
On average, in conventional farming, a potato is treated with pesticides 18.9 times and an apple 35.1 times (fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, etc.) before being put on supermarket shelves. Simon Bernard, in his final year at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure Maritime in the Havre, designed the idea for the “Scan Eat”, which can measure the amount of pesticides on produce in the supermarket.
Bernard said he heard about an infrared spectrometer in 2015 that was the size of a USB key. He then realized that it could be used to detect pesticides on fresh produce. In 2014, the miniature infrared spectrometer was used by the Israeli start-up company, Consumer Physics, to develop “Scio”, a handheld device used to scan plants, food and medicine in order to observe their molecular composition.
To use “Scan Eat”, users must download an app onto their phone, then scan the fruit or vegetable using a device no bigger than a USB key. The molecular information appears as algorithms, which are then converted into pesticide levels that smartphone users will be able to understand. Bernard will develop these algorithms during a none-month contract in one of the Ministry of Agriculture’s incubators.