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mjunction —an e-commerce 50:50 joint venture of Tata Steel and Steel Authority of India Limited — that operates an online marketplace for steel and coal, plans to enter the online retail business to consumer (B2C) segment by April 2009. The company will foray the segment under the brand name Straight Line.
Viresh Oberoi, managing director, mjunction said, “So far, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were the major revenue earners for us and with Straight Line, we are extending our reach to SMEs so that they can meet their retail needs as well.”
“Straight Line will offer all kinds of retail products including apparel, electronic items, white goods, furniture, everything except rail and air tickets as several players are already in that space,” added Oberoi.
According to Oberoi, Straight Line will provide one-stop solution for services including selling, dispatch, supply chain, logistics and warehouse.


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Taxes on beer, cider and sparkling wine in pubs are to be reduced as part of a package of measures presented in the budget to revise the taxes on alcoholic beverages and help pubs with the ongoing damage caused by the pandemic.
Drinkers are charged higher prices for stronger drinks and lower prices for weaker ones – a system Rishi Sunak said is “simpler, fairer and healthier” than the one it is replacing.
Some higher proof beverages like red wine and “white cider” attract more taxes, while buyers of lower strength products like rose, fruit wine, liquors and beers and lower strength wines pay less.
Mr. Sunak criticized the current alcohol tax system as being outdated and overly complicated. Fifteen different categories used for alcohol taxation are replaced by six. The changes are expected to be introduced in February 2023.
A planned increase in levies on spirits such as scotch whiskey, wine, cider and beer will be canceled from midnight, saving drinkers a total of £ 3 billion and reducing the cost of a pint by 3 pence, according to Treasury Department calculations.
In order to encourage drinking in pubs and not at home, Mr. Sunak announced “relief from drafts” – a 5 percent reduction in the tariff rate for draft beer and cider from containers over 40 liters.
“It will particularly benefit the community pubs, which do 75 percent of their trade in drafts,” Sunak said.
“This is the biggest cut in cider tax since 1923. The biggest cut in fruit must in a generation. The biggest reduction in the beer tax in 50 years. This is not temporary but a long term investment in UK pubs of £ 100m a year. “
He also revealed that hospitality, retail, and leisure businesses are getting 50 percent off business rates for a year.
All eligible businesses, including shops, pubs and leisure centers, will have tax cuts on their premises up to £ 110,000 for a year, the Chancellor told MPs.
Mr Sunak also said he will make the system “fairer and more timely” starting in 2023, with more frequent re-evaluations every six years.
However, Rishi Sunak has refrained from complying with corporate groups’ desire to revise the largely unpopular tax.
Industry leaders welcomed the changes but said more help was needed to support the sector.
Mike Kill, executive director of the Night-time Industries Association, said he was “disappointed” that the Chancellor decided not to extend the lower 12.5 percent VAT rate to the hospitality industry.
“This is a missed opportunity and it will prevent these projections from improving any further,” he said.
Nik Antona, Campaign Manager for Real Ale (Camra) said: “The introduction of a draft duty rate is a turning point for draft beer drinkers, cider and perry drinkers and the Great British Local.
“This is what Camra has been advocating for for many years, and we are delighted that the government has listened, supported our locals, and introduced the important principle that beer, cider, and perry served in a pub or social club are taxed differently should be bought as alcohol in places like supermarkets. “

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With the last of February’s snow melted and gone, it seems Western North Carolina has begun to shake winter’s grasp.
Dozens of springtime photos have popped up on social media (and fromhere.org) in the past week, boasting gardeners’ spring starts — tiny seedlings of soon-to-be spinach, snap peas, sprouts.
And as the wishful thinking for warmer weather slowly becomes reality, local farmers and gardeners are gearing up for the growing season ahead — starting with a meet-and-greet at the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project‘s fifth annual Community Supported Agriculture Fair.
Beginning at 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, residents will get to shake hands with the growers responsible for the region’s farm-to-table cuisine, learning more about CSA programs and products.
Held at Jubilee! Community, 46 Wall St., in downtown Asheville, the free event gives locals the opportunity to become a CSA subscriber — receiving fresh, locally grown food every week during the growing season — or possibly even to share the cost of produce with their workplaces or congregations.
ASAP holds two CSA fairs each year: one focused on Asheville and Buncombe farms, and the other for High Country in Boone.
And the fair isn’t just an opportunity to say hello to the producers of our nourishment — ASAP will be offering cooking demonstrations, based on locally grown springtime goods, as well as activities for children and families.
Following the educational portion of the fair, guests are invited to attend the after-party just a short walk down the street at Early Girl Eatery. Early Girl has long been an advocate of local agriculture.
Included in the price of the $20 ticket is one glass of beer or wine and a buffet-style spread of small-portioned Early Girl favorites, with heavy emphasis on food sourced from the fair’s participating farms. The menu features spinach potato cakes, small quiches, kale salad, Korean chicken and Monte Cristos — a fried ham and cheese sandwich.
ASAP’s Community Supported Agriculture Fair
WHAT: Meet-and-greet with 14 local farms, CSA subscription info.
WHERE: Jubilee! Community, 46 Wall St., Asheville
WHEN: Thursday, March 12, from 3-6 p.m., free.
A Celebration of CSA
WHAT: Small-bites after-party for the CSA Fair
WHERE: Early Girl Eatery, 8 Wall St., Asheville
WHEN: Thursday, March 12, from 6-8 p.m., $20.


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The International Live Events Association (ILEA) has become the latest group to crossover to virtual events by enlisting the help of EventsCase for a special panel centering on its Middle East Chapter.
Scheduled for September 13, the event will bring together representatives from leading agencies, venues and suppliers for an in-depth discussion on the relaunch of Dubai’s event and entertainment industry.
Hosted by Saif Ali Khan, Vice President of Events & Sponsorship for ILEA Middle East, the panel will share details and insight around government guidelines, stimulus packages and health and safety among other subjects impacting the supply chain in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
EventsCase, which is partnering up with ILEA for the very first time, will support the event by facilitating a live stream through its market-leading virtual event platform. This marks one of the first collaborations since EventsCase’s announcement as an official partner of the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing ( .
ILEA’s event will also precede the continuation of locally organised meetings in Dubai from September 15, with international gatherings returning from October 1. The city was recently named the safest destination to attend exhibitions by a global survey of events professionals.


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The area’s shopping destinations made it through the Recession; now they’re charging ahead
Shopping on the Eastside is a regional pastime. Some of the major centers’ parking lots are packed every day, year round. Others see most of their business during weekends or big sale periods. Those consistent crowds helped Eastside retailers weather the Great Recession of the late 2000s far better than much of the country. And by now, any declines companies may have seen during that historic downturn appear to be distant memories. It’s safe to say Eastside retail is back — if it ever really went away. In the following pages, we take a look at the five major shopping centers on the Eastside — focusing foremost on the revamping Redmond Town Center — and some locally owned businesses throughout the area to see how they’re doing.
As a retail outlet, the 700,000-square-foot Redmond Town Center is more similar to Seattle’s University Village than its Eastside neighbor, Bellevue Square. Filled with stroller moms on weekday mornings, crowds for the Redmond Saturday Market, and families for its holiday carousel and ice skating rink, the shopping destination attracts a different demographic than the more upscale Bellevue Collection. Redmond has embraced that difference.
Part of that is due to Stephen Hansen, co-owner of JSH Properties, the Bellevue-based minority owner of the shopping center that manages the Town Center’s retail space. Hansen is a local guy, and as such has more than monetary interest in the endeavor. He was born and raised on the Eastside and attended the University of Washington. Property manager Courtney Klein says Hansen has talked about when the Redmond Town Center was a golf course. Hansen and JSH came into the picture in 2013 with a vision to revitalize the shopping center, returning it to “town-center” status.
Klein says that revitalization is still underway.
“The momentum now is that all the stuff we’ve been working on and talking about is actually coming to life,” Klein says. “The first year, it’s a lot of planning and timing about when we’re going to do things. Now everything is really starting to happen, and there’s construction going on out there.”
Projects in the works at Redmond Town Center involve warming up the place, both literally and aesthetically. Sections of concrete slabs have been removed and replaced with warmer wood boardwalks on the north and south walkways. A 9-foot-tall fireplace will be installed in the north side of the center near Starbucks. A keen eye also would notice new hanging flower baskets, planters, and spruced-up lamp posts.
The biggest project is yet to come. The center is working with the city of Redmond to raise the street level of Northeast 74th Street, which runs through the center of the property between 164th and 166th avenues northeast. After it is raised, the street will be blocked off to through traffic, and the center court fountain will nearly double in size. A shuffleboard court will be added, as will more greenery and seating.
“We’re trying to make it a European walkway where people can feel more community and have a place to hang out and meet people and gather,” Klein says. “People are going to feel more safe with their kids” without cars driving through.
The pedestrian walkway might be used as a venue for a street fair, small food vendors, or bicycle rentals.
Klein says new stores will be added to the center by the end of the year, including Big 5 Sporting Goods; Seattle’s Cow Chip Cookies; Bellevue’s Jujubeet; and Evereve, a clothing store for moms formerly known as Hot Mama.
“Some other leases are about to be signed, and we’re looking at bringing in more restaurants,” Klein says.
Cow Chip Cookies owner Karen Larson is excited to open the store in Redmond. She had a store at the Redmond Town Center for nearly 11 years, but shuttered it about three years ago when she says she was unable to come to a lease agreement with the former owners.
“I spent a year trying to come to an agreement, but it didn’t work out,” Larson says.
Larson is in the process of building out her new store, which will be the company’s third retail space. She’s pleased with the location of the new store — a ground floor spot with a walk-up window — and with the improvements JSH is making to the shopping center.
“They are really into doing community things and improving the site,” Larson says, “Hopefully they close that street (74th) down. I think they have really positive things going on.”
Redmond Town Center is different than its neighboring large retail centers in that it doesn’t have many large department stores — Macy’s is the only one — as anchors. The difference is by design, because open-air shopping centers are more lifestyle centers and less shopping centers.
Situated near open space along Bear Creek and the Sammamish River, it’s easy enough for Town Center visitors to stop in for lunch, ice cream, or a snack and hit the trails.
Leases have increased from last year, Klein says. The center is 89 percent full, and management is wooing larger tenants, but retailers are waiting to see the results of the center’s renovations.
“They are anxious to see what happens with the renovations, and possibly come over,” Klein says.
Bianca Szyperski, owner of Jujubeet and a former Redmond resident, says she is excited about opening her store’s third location at the Town Center, which she used to frequent with her kids.
“It was really kind of run down,” Szyperski says. “When we saw the new ownership and plans for changes, we got excited. We are seeing the vision, and that’s why we are really excited to open a store there.”
Klein, the property manager, says pretty much everyone is looking forward to the improvements being made at the
“There’s a lot going on in Redmond. A lot is being built, a lot of people are moving over here; we have a lot of big corporations here,” Klein says. “We’re trying to bring Redmond Town Center back as the town center to be a good meeting place too; to not go home after work but have places to meet and stay awhile.”
15600 N.E. Eighth St., Bellevue
Bellevue Crossroads has been a fixture on the Eastside for more than 50 years. The retail center experienced a downturn during the 1980s recession but bounced back after Sher Partners took over property management in 1985.
Filled with public art and focused on the community’s diversity, Crossroads hosts hundreds of events that run the gamut from food drives to community concerts and festivals.
Marketing director Sue Popma says the shopping center is 99 percent leased and enjoys strong ties to the area’s international community and the city as a whole.
“Crossroads is widely known in the community as a gathering place for all,” Popma says.
What the 500,000-square-foot shopping center lacks in large department stores, it makes up for with a farmer’s market with nearly 20 food vendors; a stage where school children and music performers exhibit their talents through the holiday season; and 85 stores with smaller anchor stores such as Barnes and Noble, Petco, and Bed Bath and Beyond.
828 N. 10th Place, Renton
The Landing in Renton recently changed hands. It was sold in December 2013 by developer Pearlmark Harvest Lakeshore to AEW Global, a Boston-based investment fund, for $165.4 million. JSH Properties continued to handle leasing and management after the sale. Property manager Terri Paller says The Landing is more than 90 percent leased.
The 607,000-square-foot open-air shopping center is home to large stores such as Target, Cost Plus World Market, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Staples, and PetSmart. The center has 40 stores, 20 restaurants, and a 14-screen movie theater. Unique to this Eastside shopping center is World of Beer, which has a selection of 500 beers.
THE SHOPS AT THE BRAVERN
11111 N.E. Eighth St., Bellevue
The Shops at the Bravern is the only major shopping center on the Eastside that doesn’t have a movie theater, but that certainly isn’t a deterrent for its shoppers. Because there are high-end shops such as anchor Neiman Marcus, David Lawrence, Gucci, Hermes, and Jimmy Choo, shoppers at the two-level, 309,000-square foot, open-air shopping center aren’t looking to stash the kids at the movies while they shop.
Built in 2009, the center took some heat for bringing luxury brands to the area during the Great Recession. Undeterred, Schnitzer West developed the property and sold it in May 2012 to New York investment firm Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp. for $79 million.
At the time of the sale, the Bravern was 87 percent leased. As of early October, a Bravern spokesperson said the Bravern is 80 percent occupied with 21 stores.
THE BELLEVUE COLLECTION
Multiple locations, Bellevue
The Bellevue Collection includes Bellevue Square, Bellevue Place, and Lincoln Square. The massive shopping complex is owned and managed by Kemper Development Company.
The Collection began as Bellevue Shopping Square when it was built by Kemper Freeman Sr. in 1946. The name was changed to Bellevue Square in 1955. Lincoln Square was completed in 2005, adding dining, shopping, and residential space to the Collection.
The Collection emphasizes luxe brands such as Nordstrom, Burberry, 7 For All Mankind, Hugo Boss, and Armani Exchange. The Collection hosts the area’s only fashion week festivities, during which local clothing designers’ creations are highlighted on the runway alongside high-end national brands. One highlight of the week is Vogue’s trend show, which is put together by a team from the national fashion magazine.
Two large construction projects are underway or soon will be at the Bellevue Collection. Expansions of Lincoln and Bellevue squares will add 700,000 square feet of retail space and 350,000 square feet of retail and restaurants.
The Collection is 98 percent leased, says Jennifer Leavitt, Bellevue Collection’s vice president of marketing.


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The 18-year-old Keeping Up with the Kardashians star wore her giant diamond rock, while out with friends at West Hollywood’s Star Hookah Lounge.
The ring was the perfect accessory to Jenner’s black-and-burgundy-stripped silky jumpsuit. The pajama-like outfit’s lacy neckline was highlighted with two of Jenner’s sparkly necklaces.
RELATED VIDEO: Is Kylie Jenner Engaged?
Photographer Group/Splash News Online
Jenner recently chopped her hair off into a short-new bob. While the rising beauty mogul has had faux-haircut fakeouts time and time again, this one was for real, with Jenner documenting the cut on social media and captioning one photo “Bye Hair” while her hairstylist was hard at work.
What do you think of Kylie’s nighttime look? Tell us below!


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If you didn’t win the Powerball, don’t let it get you down. H&R Block is giving away loads of cash during its H and R Block Giveaway. The lotteries will start on Saturday and continue for the next 32 consecutive days. This giveaway is being called a huge historical sweepstake. The company’s chief marketing officer, Kathy Collins, thinks that it might be the biggest one in history.
During the 2014 tax year, H&R Block completed more than 24 million tax returns. In past years, the company prepared tax returns for a 50 percent discount, and this involved other promotions as well. Per Collins, these discounts and promotions helped to get more tax returns filed on time. Basically, if you file your taxes before the deadline, you’ll have a better chance of winning a lottery prize.
During the H and R Block Giveaway, the company will feature two 30-second commercial ads to let people know about the its special promotion. One of the ads has actors dressed up like George Washington. They are all doing a funny dance. The company plans to use social media and local marketing to promote the two ads.
In addition, H&R Block is airing three more commercials that should make people want to do their own taxes. The company is promoting a special $9.90 price for diy customers. The company is also going to air two 15-second commercials and two 30-second commercials with Mr. Garland and Anthony Davis of the NBA. These commercials will be shown during February 15 and March 15 as a way to appeal to those who file their taxes late.
During the last year, H&R Block has been slowly eliminating its premium brand. It was changed to Block Advisers, and it includes 300 new regional locations. This brand is committed to helping those who have very difficult tax returns. This new brand will also feature a distinctive new logo.H and R Block Giveaway With Your Tax Return by Steve


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Medtronic Hiring Walmart’s Supply Chain Executive
Medtronic CEO Geoff Martha announced that the devicemaker is hiring Walmart’s executive vice president of U.S. supply chain, Greg Smith, to manage its supply chain and global operations.
Smith will come on board April 5 as Medtronic’s new executive vice president of global operations and supply chain. He will continue in his leadership role for Walmart’s massive and complex supply chain until then.
Prior to joining Walmart, Smith was Goodyear’s senior vice president of global operations, handling 52 manufacturing facilities across four business units.


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THE COMPANY BEHIND Toothpic, an Irish app for on-demand digital dental care, has raised €2.2 million from backers including electronics giant Philips.
Company filings for Oraleye Limited, the firm that operates the Toothpic app, show it has raised the funds from Koninklijke Philips NV and a number of other investors.
Documents show that Philips previously pumped €1.2 million in the company in 2016.
Earlier this year Toothpic announced a partnership with the Dutch giant where it would pair its technology with the company’s Sonicare electric toothbrush.
A spokesperson for Philips confirmed it has a partnership with the Dublin outfit but could not comment on the latest investment. Toothpic co-founder Mark Moore also declined to comment.
Other investors in this latest batch of funding include Dublin’s ACT Venture Capital, US investment firm SpringRock, which specialises in medical tech investments, and California-based insurer Delta Dental. Enterprise Ireland also contributed to the round.
Previous backers of the startup include Liam Casey, the founder of PCH, and Brad Garlinghouse, the CEO of US blockchain firm Ripple.
OralEye, based in Dublin and New York, was incorporated in 2012 to provide ‘teledental’ services where users can upload images of their teeth and mouth that can be evaluated by dentists in the company’s network.
The Toothpic service went live in 2015 in the US and is intended for on-demand check ups.
It was founded by Mark Moore and Jack Berrill. They’re joined by Moore’s father, Gus, who is a dentist and serves as chief dental adviser.
Toothpic provides guides for the users to take the best photo possible and sends the image in high-quality format to dentists, unlike regular messaging apps that may compress the image.
The app follows a similar model for telehealth apps like Kry and Babylon that connect people with doctors for basic check-ups remotely.
The app is currently only available in the North American market but Mark Moore stated in previous interviews that it was looking into a European launch early next year.


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Andres Rodriguez wanted to pick the brain of a local venture capitalist — but not to find out how to raise some VC. He already knew how to do that.
Instead, Rodriguez wanted to know about StorageNetworks, the Waltham company whose rapid rise to an $8 billion market value was nearly as stunning as its disintegration after the dotcom crash.
So Rodriguez started meeting with the VC, Paul Flanagan of Sigma Partners. Flanagan had been the CFO at StorageNetworks and ultimately became its CEO as things started to go south.
Starting in the spring of 2008, the pair started meeting about once a month to chat about what went wrong at StorageNetworks.
Rodriguez, a former CTO of the New York Times, learned that StorageNetworks had found huge demand for providing data storage as a service, to businesses large and small. Making storage easy was about being clever with software, not hardware. But StorageNetworks couldn’t be sustained largely because it was ahead of its time, in an age before cloud storage made hardware the easy part.
In March 2009, Sigma invested in the result of Rodriguez’s inquiries: Nasuni, a Natick startup that would seek to truly make data storage a service — a service as normal and painless as getting electricity.
Today, Nasuni feels like it’s still in the very early stages of this type of shift. But the product is out there; the company reports having more than 100 customers and handsome revenue growth this year (the company wouldn’t give revenue figures).
The promise of the service: Unlimited storage capacity, automatic backup and protection, fast access to data and accessibility to the data anywhere in the world.
“Storage is really expensive, but that’s not really the biggest pain,” Rodriguez said. “The biggest pain is it’s way too complex.”
Nasuni, he said, aims to be “an extreme simplification from the way IT works today."
Flanagan says Nasuni is getting the key things right that led to the fall of StorageNetworks. For one, StorageNetworks had to build its own data centers — “mini-clouds” — which was a huge cost. Cloud hosts like Amazon make that unnecessary for Nasuni.
StorageNetworks also didn’t have the software for protecting data in a shared environment, and accessing data could sometimes be slow if the data center was too far away. Nasuni has solved both those issues in its software, Flanagan said.
Among the fears that are erased through the service: Losing your data if your computer dies, Rodriguez said. In the same way that your contacts aren’t lost when your cell phone fails, the data you’ve generated can just be loaded back onto your computer from the cloud, he said.
Flanagan said that like with any market disruption, storage won’t be transformed into a service overnight. There is also a huge amount of noise out there about the promise of cloud, making it tough for customers to figure out what’s unique and helpful, and what’s not.
But Flanagan believes the idea is too compelling to ignore.
“I believed then (at StorageNetworks) and I believe now that storage would be bought as a service,” he said. “It just makes sense.”
If Nasuni succeeds, Rodriguez believes the company will find a place among the storage giants of today such as Hopkinton’s EMC — a place that StorageNetworks once thought it would occupy.
StorageNetworks was founded in 1998 and went public just two years later in an IPO that valued the company at $8.5 billion. At its height the company employed 700 and saw $124 million in revenue.
But many of the company’s customers were Internet companies that suffered after the bursting of the dotcom bubble (though Flanagan believes the company would’ve eventually struggled anyway because of the issues around having its own data centers). StorageNetworks tried to stay afloat by shifting to focus on software in 2002, but sold its assets the next year.
Nasuni was co-founded by Rodriguez, who sold his venture-backed company Archivas to Hitachi in 2006, and Robert Mason, who’d formerly been a senior manager at EMC for the company’s Centera storage product. (Rodriguez is also the brother of Matrix VC Antonio Rodriguez.)
Nasuni employs 50 and has raised $23 million in two rounds of venture capital, all from Boston area VCs — Sigma, North Bridge and Flybridge.


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LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Swiss food group Nestle
said Friday that its fiscal-year net income declined to 10.4 billion Swiss francs ($9.6 billion), from 18.0 billion francs recorded for the same period a year ago. Sales fell to 107.6 billion francs, from 109.9 billion francs last year. "With organic growth of 4.1% achieved in last year's challenging environment, we were able to grow substantially faster than our industry," said CEO Paul Bulcke. Nestle will pay a 1.60 franc per share dividend, up 14.3% from last year. It will also start a new share buyback program and intends to buy back 10 billion francs of shares.


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August 27, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Emma Inman, APR Benny Smith, APR
Food Lion to Unveil New, Easier Shopping Experience with Completion of $168 Million Investment in 105 Greater Norfolk-Area Stores
Grand Re-Openings Wednesday, Aug. 29: First 100 Customers Receive Gift Cards Valued Up to $200
SALISBURY, N.C. – On Wednesday, Aug. 29, Food Lion will unveil a new, easier shopping experience for customers in the greater Norfolk, Va., market. The company made a significant $168 million capital investment in its 105 area stores this year, which includes remodeling the stores, hiring 4,000 additional associates and giving back to local communities, including the donation of two mobile food trucks to area food banks to feed local families in need.
“Food Lion has nourished the greater Norfolk community for nearly 40 years, and we're excited to bring these improvements to our 105 local stores," said Meg Ham, president of Food Lion. "We've created a new grocery shopping experience through the significant investments in our stores, customers, associates and communities. From our expanded variety and product assortment, newly reorganized stores, new signage to a more efficient check-out experience, every change we’ve made will make it easier for our customers to find fresh, quality products at affordable prices every day. And true to our heritage, we always offer everyday low prices along with weekly sales and promotions, making it easier for you to nourish your family on a budget. We invite our customers to come and experience the fresh, new changes at your neighborhood Food Lion.”
Each store will open to the public at 8 a.m. on Aug. 29, following a 7:45 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony. As part of the celebration, the first 100 customers in line will receive a free tote bag and mystery gift card valued between $10 and $200.
Among the changes customers will see:
Twelve of the 105 stores also feature walk-in garden coolers designed to keep produce fresher longer. A list of locations with the garden coolers can be found here. Additionally, six stores include expanded deli departments that offer items such as handmade artisan pizza and premium coffee. More than 40 stores in the market now include a wing bar assortment for customers looking for hot, quick meal solutions.
“We not only invested in our stores, we also invested in promoting great associates and hiring promising new talent," added Ham. "It's also why, as part of our grand re-opening celebrations, we're partnering with the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore and the Virginia Peninsula Food Bank to help end hunger in the towns and cities we serve. Giving back to our communities is something we're just as passionate about as serving our customers every day in our stores."
With the completion of this market, Food Lion has remodeled 649 of its 1,030 stores in the last four years. Food Lion will continue to make enhancements to create a better shopping experience for customers across all stores and remodel additional stores in other markets.
Food Lion Feeds Donates Two Mobile Pantries to Two Regional Food Banks
Consistent with Food Lion's focus on eliminating hunger in its local communities through Food Lion Feeds, we are partnering with the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore and the Virginia Peninsula Food Bank to purchase two mobile pantries to help feed families in need in remote locations. The donation totaling nearly $200,000 increases capacity for the food banks.
"Food Lion has been a longstanding partner of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, and we are grateful to be part of their efforts to expand their hunger relief philanthropic platform in our region," said Ruth Jones Nichols, President and CEO of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore. "Their donation of $125,000 will allow us to purchase a new refrigerated truck to help sustain our Mobile Pantry and Food Rescue Programs -- aimed at ensuring food insecure families in our community have access to healthy protein, fruits, and vegetables."
These donations are part of Food Lion’s commitment to provide 500 million meals to individuals and families in need by the end of 2020 through Food Lion Feeds.
“Food Lion has consistently been right by our side in our mission to distribute healthy meals to our neighbors in need throughout the years,” said Virginia Peninsula Foodbank Chief Executive Officer Karen Joyner. “The purchase of this truck will enable us to bring more nutrient-rich food into our facility and transport it back out into our community so that families will have nourishing meals for their kitchen tables. Food Lion remains not only our top food donor, but also a truly valued partner, always finding ways to provide meaningful support to us that makes a tremendous difference in the lives of the people we serve. We cherish this relationship.”
About Food Lion
Food Lion, based in Salisbury, N.C., since 1957, has more than 1,000 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 63,000 associates. By leveraging its longstanding heritage of low prices and convenient locations, Food Lion is working to own the easiest full shop grocery experience in the Southeast, anchored by a strong commitment to affordability, freshness and the communities it serves. Through Food Lion Feeds, the company has committed to provide 500 million meals to individuals and families in need by the end of 2020. Food Lion is a company of Delhaize America, a U.S. division of Zaandam-based Royal Ahold Delhaize Group. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com.


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As this year’s 11.11 sale season approaches, startups and enterprises are preparing to deliver an enhances and joyful customer experience. Retailers realize that it is an excellent time to build their market share and simultaneously contribute towards the growth of the economy.
During this hustle-bustle, Daraz is at the forefront of delivering value to its users. In addition, the much anticipated 11.11 sale is an opportunity for the industry to uplift the business community by onboarding many new high-quality sellers. For this reason, the leading online marketplace, Daraz, has opened up its platform to a plethora of businesses from 99+ cities in Pakistan.
Doing so gives the sellers access to the brand’s large following. For instance, Daraz App has over millions of users, and monthly active users of 35 million across South Asia. This means that businesses who choose to sell on the platform can create greater brand awareness by reaching a wide range of users.
When sellers join the online marketplace, they are exposing their offerings to shoppers whose behavior changes drastically during sales. For example, mega sales prompt 91% of shoppers to purchase from a new brand if they find the product on discount. In fact, 67% of customers may even try new product categories during sales. Eventually, such behavior makes it easy for startups on Daraz to kickstart their business.
Moreover, research shows that 75% of buyers actually stick with the brand they tried for the first time during a sale. Hence, mega sales encourage brand loyalty, contrary to popular misbelief. Additionally, 72% of users plan purchases well in advance when it comes to sales. By choosing their favorite products ahead of time, they place them in their cart – ready to be checked out on sale day.
This way, ecommerce marketplace gives a chance to all forms of sellers to increase their visibility. Simultaneously, it incentivizes sellers to propose special deals and better discounts that the consumers are looking for. Daraz, for example, has partnered with leading brands, including P&G, Unilever, Dawlance, Haier and Sapphire, to offer overall discounts up to 75% during this year’s 11.11.
Bringing businesses from 99+ cities on one channel is not only beneficial for the growth of the business sector in Pakistan, but it will also benefit consumers tremendously. Since there is greater brand availability on Daraz, the platform has researched what the users want to see, how they want to engage and what they want to buy. Based on these insights, the channel decides which brands to highlight, what categories to push and which products to expose.
Ultimately, by onboarding plenty of sellers, Daraz is geared to provide exceptional customer and seller experience on 11.11. Collaborating with all its partners, the South Asian market leader is ready to offer a larger variety of assortments, deepest discounts as well as exciting marketing events at the biggest sale of the year.


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Microsoft Windows 10 launching in 190 Countries and 111 languages this Summer
Microsoft is going to launch Windows 10 in this summer. Since Microsoft announced about this latest version of the Windows operating system last year; Every Microsoft user has been patiently waiting for its launch. Last month Microsoft released windows 10 technical preview for every user. The presentation of windows 10 by the company made excitement in users for the plethora of cool features. Microsoft brings many features in new windows OS. Microsoft also corrects their big mistake of removing the start menu in Windows 8. Microsoft is now ready to launch the latest OS to windows lovers worldwide by launching it in summer.
Microsoft is offering one year free upgrade for users running Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1. To deliver a seamless upgrade experience of new windows OS in China Microsoft partnerships with Lenovo, Tencent and Qihu 360. These companies will help Windows 10 reach user in China and spur adoption of Windows 10 worldwide. Terry Myerson of Microsoft said in official blog:
[pull_quote_center]We continue to make great development progress and shared today that Windows 10 will be available this summer in 190 countries and 111 languages.[/pull_quote_center]
Microsoft installs few interesting tools to make the computing more personal. Windows Hello is one of them. It will provide instant access to windows powered devices through bio-metric authentication by using users face, iris or fingerprint. To unlock the windows devices it is significantly safer than traditional passwords. Microsoft is working very closely with their hardware partners to deliver Windows Hello capable devices. These devices will ship with Windows 10. But now all Microsoft lovers are waiting for newest window launch.


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- Taboola Blog
We’ll look at the ways that personalization can improve publisher on-site engagement and drive users to high-value types of content.
Publishers around the world are seeing a boom in mobile web traffic, but meeting those users’ expectations once they arrive on-site remains an ongoing challenge. Earlier this year, when Google incorporated mobile responsiveness into its search rankings (see our “Mobilegeddon” post here), the average bounce rate for audiences using smartphones was close to 60 percent. The shift towards mobile represents a major opportunity for the industry at large, but it also requires publishers to better understand the nuances of how user behavior differs across desktop and mobile devices. When a smartphone user clicks through to an article that was created with a desktop-first mindset, they are much more likely to bounce, especially if they arrived from a social channel like Facebook or Twitter, where an endless stream of content is just a back-click away. Taboola’s product and account management teams have been paying close attention to these patterns, proactively testing […]
Personalization has long been a topic of conversation within technology and media circles, but the intensity of that discourse has ramped up in recent years due to the rise of social media. “The users have voted by going to Facebook for their news,” said Nick Denton, the founder and CEO of Gawker Media Group. “Personalization may be the biggest issue in online media today.” Last week, over 60 attendees gathered at Gawker’s new HQ in Downtown Manhattan to hear from a select panel of executives whose companies are each grappling with the challenges and opportunities around “personalization.” Joining Nick on stage was our own Adam Singolda, founder and CEO of Taboola; Ian Fette, CTO at Gawker Media Group; and Daniel Doubrovkine, CTO at Artsy. While computer engineers have been experimenting with forms of “machine learning” since the 90s, Adam remarked that the these projects are becoming more important as companies […]
Digital-first publishers may be more nimble than their traditional counterparts, but building a loyal readership from scratch can be especially difficult given the level of online competition for user attention. While social media networks have had a “flattening” effect, allowing new sites with compelling content to quickly go “viral” and reach massive new audiences, even those platforms are becoming increasingly cluttered, and many publishers are beginning to question the value of social-referred audiences. This is a challenged faced by publishers around the world, including independent digital media company Scroll, whose online destination Scroll.in has become one of the fastest-growing news sites in India. Looking to diversify its audience development efforts, Scroll teamed up with Taboola to target engaged audiences on top sites across the web, and ultimately grow their overall readership. We published a case study that features some of the key highlights from this partnership, including data around how […]
Earlier this month, we hosted our latest Taboola Talks event around the theme of “Data Never Goes Out of Style.” A roomful of attendees gathered at Taboola’s global headquarters in New York City to hear from Jessica Novak, Senior Content Strategist at Refinery29, and Liz White, Head of Strategy and Development at Poshly. The discussion revolved around both the opportunities and pain points of incorporating data-driven strategies into marketing and editorial workflows. Novak and White are enmeshed in these transitions at their respective companies, which have each carved out a valuable niche within the competitive digital media landscape. Refinery29’s scientific approach to audience development (supported in part by Taboola Newsroom), paired with a distinctive editorial voice, have built it into the largest independent fashion and style website in the US. Poshly’s growing and buzz-worthy online platform hosts engaging questionnaires that help beauty lovers discover new products and unlock personalized giveaways. […]
This past March, we announced the official launch of Taboola Newsroom, a real-time optimization technology that empowers editorial teams with actionable data around what story headlines, thumbnails and placements generate the maximum engagement across desktop and mobile homepages. Provided free of charge to our publisher partners, Newsroom proved to be an invaluable resource for Refinery29, the largest independent fashion and style website in the US. Through rigorous A/B testing of different creative elements, Refinery29 was able to maximize the impact of its popular lifestyle content both on-site and across the web. Some of the key highlights from our recently published case study: Newsroom increased homepage story CTRs by up to 200 percent Homepage story CTRs jumped 45 percent per test on average Newsroom data informed Refinery29’s social media promotion strategies across channels including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest Check out the full write-up (including imagery) — along with our other case […]
“Native advertising” has been a buzzword for over a year, as journalists, marketers, agencies, and publishers continue to be mesmerized by its power to drive brand awareness and engagement. So, we decided to ask a couple of experts in the publishing industry for their take on native advertising.
Each year, IWNY allows anybody to submit a panel, interview, or presentation for consideration and gives the public an opportunity to cast votes for their favorites. We’ve submitted the topic below and YOU (yes, you!) can help us “MAKE THE STAGE.”


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This section covers the mechanics of change, and some of the models that are being used to deliver sustainability.
Suppose your local garage, which supplied your car and now deals with its ongoing maintenance, [...]
There is a new advertisement that has provoked a storm of comments, both positive and [...]
Customer loyalty schemes have come a long way since their early days, back in the [...]
Co-creation is one of the buzzwords of the moment. But what does it really mean? [...]
The collaborative economy is becoming a familiar term, but collaborative art? How does that work? [...]
Smart Cities are springing up all over the globe, especially in the southern hemisphere. India [...]
As more and more people around the world live in cities, the way that cities [...]
When you’re innovating, you either need to have a great idea for a product that [...]
We’ve written before about the impact on the public sector of the fact that consumers are [...]
More than 50% of the world’s population now lives in cities. And to accommodate their [...]
As part of Global Transparency Week, the Open Data Institute (ODI) held its first annual [...]
A recent report published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, makes some familiar [...]
Retailers are increasingly concerned about shoppers who are ‘just looking’. The electronics chain Best Buy, [...]
We’ve been writing recently about how both central and local government is starting to use [...]
In a reflective report, Deloitte Consulting focuses corporate attention on the subject of ‘asset intelligence’. [...]
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My heart bleeds for you Tim Hortons. Last year, you only earned $3 billion (US) in revenue, so with this minimum wage increase, I’m wondering how you will keep afloat? Those extra two dollars you now have to pay your hard working employees is bound to create havoc. Owners of the stores will need to work even harder to make ends meet.
Hopefully, you detected the sarcasm.
It was all over the news Thursday. A Tim Hortons, owned by the children of the business’ founder, has told employees they will no longer receive benefits or get paid for their breaks. The reason? It’s that darn minimum wage increase. Without “assistance” from head office or the government, Tim Hortons apparently cannot afford to continue offering 15 minute paid breaks or health and dental.
Here are some of the changes Tim Hortons — at least this particular store — is making to accommodate the new labour laws:
- Breaks will no longer be paid. This means that someone working an eight hour shift will be paid for seven and a half hours instead of the full eight.
- No more bonuses for covering shifts when called on days off.
- No “day of pay” when you have a death in the family and cannot work
- Dental and Health benefits will no longer be covered. Those who have worked at Tim Hortons for five years or more will have to cover 50 per cent of the cost. Those working between six months and five years will have to cover 75 per cent of the cost.
Essentially, for some employees, having to pay 50 per cent of the cost of their benefits and with the loss of paid breaks, an employees biweekly paycheck could be even less than it was prior to the minimum wage increase.
But, the owners? Oh, they won’t be affected now. The revenue will continue to stream in. Problem solved, right?
This is what I hate about the world we live in. It’s run by greed. While small, mom and pop businesses have a right to be a little concerned, this province-wide freak out by large franchise businesses is disgusting. It’s proving that employers really don’t care about the people who work for them. It’s all about the bottom line, and if that means your cashier can’t afford to actually eat at your restaurant, then that’s too bad.
As a former Tim Horton’s employee, I know first hand how hard these people work. It is a fast-paced environment, with high expectations of quality and service. Most employees are immigrants or young people trying to support themselves and their families. They come in before the sun rises and sometimes leave after the sun sets. They cater to the whim of all customers, no matter how rude or inappropriate they may act. They clean bathrooms, work the food line, stand at cashier, and make runs to the garbage dump wearing t-shirts in -30 degree weather. They do all of this, every shift, regardless of whether they are feeling well or just spent the last 12 hours in classes or writing exams.
Can you imagine doing that job?
The raising of the minimum wage is causing unnecessary fear among business owners. They think they need to immediately cut staff and raise prices. A December report by the Bank of Canada didn’t help with its statistic that 60,000 jobs could be lost by 2019. But, can you judge the financial repercussions of these labour laws after only one week, based on predictions and rumours? As with most big changes, businesses need to give the process time to work. The economy will bounce back after a few months of uncertainty, and if it doesn’t, owners can deal with it at that time. Acting pre-emptively to ensure larger revenue does nothing but make you look foolish and heartless.
In fact, before making any changes to your business, I challenge every business owner, manager, or executive to try living off $14 an hour while paying into benefits. Do this for a year. Only then can you complain about the minimum wage’s affect on the economy.
As for Tim Horton’s, it’s a damn shame. As a fervent Timbit lover, I’m incredibly disappointed. The franchise is saying that each store owner has a right to enact their own rules, but this store is owned by the family founders. What kind of example are they setting for everyone else? This precedent is incredibly dangerous for those working for so little money to begin with.
Honestly, I would rather buy a more expensive coffee at a local business and reduce my caffeine intake than spend money at a restaurant that treats its employees with such disdain.
Sorry Tim Hortons, but you just lost me as a customer.


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Roland Agambire, Chairman of AGAMS Holdings and Chief Executive Officer of rLG Communications Limited, will be addressing this year’s Africa Global Business Forum 2013 in Dubai next month.
Mr. Agambire will be one of four panelists who will speak on a topic, “How Africa’s young entrepreneurs are starting to drive its economic future; the view of up and coming young entrepreneurs and business people of Africa.”
The Ugandan Minister for Trade, Industry & Co-operatives, Amelia Kyambadde is billed to chair the session.
The former Malian Prime Minister and Chairman of Microsoft Africa, Cheick Diarra would be the lead discussant.
A statement issued by the Legal & Corporate Affairs Department of rLG Communications Limited said Mr. Agambire will speak alongside the Founder & Managing Director Partner of Hoja Law Group of Zambia, Jacqueline Musiitwa; Founder & Executive Director of the Kenya-based Sustainable Development for All-Africa, Evans Wadongo and the Chief Executive Officer of Tanzania’s Helvetic Solar Contractors, Patrick Ngowi.
The Africa Global Business Forum 2013 (AGBF 2013) is organised by Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry and COMESA Regional Investment Agency under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The Africa Global Business Forum 2013 will offer a platform to over 2,000 policy-makers and global business leaders from Africa, the GCC, Asia and Europe and beyond to discuss current challenges and business opportunities in finance, agribusiness, logistics and trade across the economic blocs of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), and the South African Development Community (SADC), among others.
The forum will highlight Dubai’s strategic role as a world-class hub for doing business with Africa.
The UAE government has shown great interest in expanding business, with an estimated US$97 billion in capital expenditure on the continent in the last 10 years.
The Africa Global Business Forum 2013 will provide delegates with access to engaging sessions during which they will have the opportunity to interact with high-level speakers.
A business desk report


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Ford Uses Microsoft HoloLens to Speed Up the Car Design Process
Ford has announced that it has begun using the Microsoft HoloLens device to improve efficiency in the design process, a move which will affect its global production.
Mario L. Major
| Sep 25, 2017 10:45 AM EST
Created: Sep 25, 2017 10:45 AM EST


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There has been much in the news to make one huffle and puff, the latest Harry Potter spin-off movie got the GlobalMeatNews team thinking about all the magic exotic meats...
One of the world’s largest ostrich meat processors, Klein Karoo, says a decision to launch industry-leading technology across its operations has brought “huge benefits” by simplifying traceability.
A French study linking increased cured meat consumption with increased risks for asthma sufferers has been strongly rebuked by the North American Meat Institute (NAMI).
Asthma sufferers could be at risk of making their symptoms worse, if they consume a high level of processed meat, according to French researchers.
Speakers at the World Meat Congress, in Uruguay’s Punta del Este, concluded that meat will continue to play a vital role in reducing poverty and feeding the world's growing population. ...
Seven non-EU member states and territories have banned Hungarian poultry imports after an outbreak of the avian influenza (AI) strain H5N8 at a Hungarian turkey farm in Békés....
A giant leap in research is needed to effectively end the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, according to a Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) report.
The use of social media to shame and defame meat companies accused of wrongdoing and malpractice is eroding consumer trust.
US scientists have claimed that the nitrate found in processed meats, such as bacon, may be the cause of migraines.
The United Nations has adopted what one NGO described as “groundbreaking” policy recommendations, placing animal welfare concerns at the heart of global farming.
The CEO of French poultry processor Joel Marchand has resigned from his position at Duc citing “personal reasons”.
Investors managing $1.25trn in assets have called on 16 food companies to shake up the global meat supply chain, citing environmental and health concerns over factory farming.
Australia’s Jack Creek retained the title of the World’s Best Steak Producer at World Steak Challenge at yesterday’s GlobalMeatNews event held in London’s Hyde Park.
Astral Foods has warned shareholders it expects a dramatic loss in end-of-year earnings as South Africa’s beleaguered poultry sector goes from crunch to crisis.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have signed an agreement in Paris to align their efforts to promote animal welfare.
Red meat processor Cavalier Group has lauded the impact the internet of things – dubbed South Africa’s fourth industrial revolution – has had on business.
An inability to develop new medicine for food-giving animals or remove “unnecessary” red tape could cause problems for animal and human health, an influential veterinary body has warned.
The South African poultry sector is in crisis, according to RCL Foods which has posted extensive losses for its poultry division over the past 12 months.
The number of participating nations in this year’s World Steak Challenge has increased by 60% since the inaugural event kick-off at London’s Hyde Park in September 2015.
Exports of American pork enjoyed solid growth in the last 12 months, but business with Mexico, a key US pig meat market, continued to wane.
Russia’s politically-motivated decision to slash meat imports continues to be a bloody thorn in the side of the meat industry, according to an exclusive GlobalMeatNews survey.
More effort is needed from Europe to tackle the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), claims the director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Organisers of Germany’s triennial meat processing machinery trade show IFFA have long claimed it is the “number one for the meat industry” and, on reflection, it’s hard to argue with...
Following the success of the inaugural World Steak Challenge, organised by GlobalMeatNews, the international competition to crown the best steak on the planet has returned.
The first shipment of US beef has arrived in South Africa, after an “intense” and long-running trade dispute between both nations was resolved in January.


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Fanatics names Krishna Rao as CFO of commerce business
Digital sports platform Fanatics announced on Thursday the appointment of Krishna Rao as the new chief financial officer of Fanatics commerce.
In this role, Krishna will oversee all finance functions and strategic planning activities for the commerce business, which operates a vertically-integrated platform of digital and physical capabilities for licensed sports merchandise.
“I am thrilled to welcome Krishna to our Fanatics Commerce leadership team as we continue to scale our business globally and further integrate across the entire Fanatics platform,” said Fanatics commerce CEO and Fanatics vice chairman, Doug Mack, who Rao will report to.
“Over the course of his career, Krishna has served as strategic financial leader and investor for world-class brands and has a strong mindset for profitable growth and value creation. His strategic approach and financial expertise will have an immediate impact on our company and our unrelenting mission to continually enhance the fan and partner experience worldwide.”
Krishna joins Fanatics from healthcare payments and patient engagement platform Cedar. Most recently, he served as the company’s CFO, leading both the finance function and operational initiatives.
Prior to this, he was global head of corporate and business development and led corporate and operations FP&A for Airbnb, where he is credited for playing a leading role in raising over $10 billion of equity and debt capital, including Airbnb’s IPO and private financings. Rao also previously served as a private equity investor at Blackstone and as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company.
“I have long admired the transformative business that Fanatics has built over more than a decade. The opportunity to partner with Doug and the incredibly talented global Commerce team as they continue to revolutionize the licensed sports industry is truly exciting,” added Rao.
“I am energized to join such an innovative company and broader digital sports platform that is hyper-focused on creating memorable experiences for sports fans around the world.”
In April, Fanatics announced it is expanding its partnership with WWE to assume operations of its global event merchandise business.
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The very first issue of the FEWA Newsletter
The Federation of Women Entrepreneur Associations (FEWA) has released its very first issue of the FEWA newsletter containing business information. AMWIK is a member of FEWA and also a member of the East African Women in Business Platform (EAWiBP).
Click on the following link to read the newsletter and update on upcoming events, opportunities and more…
FEWA newsletter – June


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After one quarter in second place, Samsung wins back title of world’s top smartphone manufacturer
Samsung has once again become the top smartphone vendor in the world, just three months after it was announced it had lost the title to rival, Apple.
With 83.2 million smartphones shipments worldwide and 24% marketshare captured in the first quarter 2015, down from 31% a year earlier, Samsung overtook Apple to regain first position as the world’s largest smartphone vendor by volume, according to the latest research from Strategy Analytics.
In total, global smartphone shipments grew 21% annually from 285 million units in the first quarter 2014 to reach 345 million units in the first quarter of 2015. Linda Sui, director at Strategy Analytics, said: “Global smartphone growth on an annualised basis has slowed slightly from 33% to 21% during the past year, due to increasing penetration maturity in major markets of the US, Europe and China.”
Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, added: “Samsung continued to face challenges in Asia and elsewhere, but its global performance has stabilised sufficiently well this quarter to overtake Apple and recapture first position as the world’s largest smartphone vendor by volume. Apple shipped 61.2 million smartphones worldwide and captured 18% marketshare in first quarter 2015, rising from 15% in first quarter 2014. Apple’s new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models remain wildly popular in China and worldwide, as consumers upgrade to larger-screen phablets for enhanced data experiences.”
Lenovo-Motorola held on to third position globally with 5% smartphone marketshare in the first quarter 2015, but it has slipped from 7% a year ago. Lenovo is facing competitive pressure in the high growth China LTE category, while Motorola is struggling to expand in its core market of North America and its growth market of India.
Meanwhile, Huawei shipped a robust 17.3 million smartphones for 5% share and fourth position worldwide in first quarter 2015. Huawei is expanding rapidly online in China and through retailers across Africa, enabling it to become an emerging powerhouse in developing regions.
Also, global mobile phone shipments grew 8% annually from 411.8 million units in the first quarter 2014 to reach 445 million units in the first quarter of 2015. Apple was the star performer, as it jumped from 11% to 14% marketshare in the past year, due to strength in China.
Woody Oh, director at Strategy Analytics, said: “Smartphones accounted for eight in 10 of total mobile phone shipments during the quarter. The 8% growth rate of the overall mobile phone market is being driven by healthy demand for 3G and 4G models across Asia, Africa and the Americas.”
Samsung dipped 12% annually on mobile phone shipments and shipped 99 million mobile phones worldwide, capturing 22% marketshare in the first quarter 2015.
Mawston added: “Samsung continues to face tough competition from Apple, but recent strong demand for its new Galaxy S6 devices indicates Samsung could deliver an improved performance in the coming second quarter of this year. Apple soared 40% annually and shipped 61.2 million mobile phones for 14% worldwide marketshare in the first quarter 2015. Apple’s new iPhone 6 portfolio is flying off the shelves in China and the US, its two biggest markets.”
Microsoft shipped 33.7 million mobile phones worldwide in the first quarter, down 28% from 47 million a year earlier. Microsoft’s 8% global mobile phone marketshare is sitting near an all-time low. Microsoft continues to lose ground in feature phones, while its Lumia smartphone portfolio is in a holding pattern awaiting the launch of new Windows 10 software later this year.


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The world's largest car market, China, with a population of 1.3 billion people and an emerging middle class, holds great potential for investors and consumers alike with annual growth rates in the auto sector expected to hold at around 23 percent to 2017, according to Alliance Bernstein Asset Managers.
from The Great Debate UK:
- Professor David Bailey works at Coventry University Business School. The views expressed are his own -
Tata Motors, which bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford earlier this year, may now have to pump at least $1 billion into the brands to keep them alive. That's bad news for U.S. automakers trying to sell brands.


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Online market research firm Compete recently released a report that reveals some very interesting information about Facebook. The study compared the Facebook traffic of over 40 brand pages to the website traffic of those same brands. Interestingly, the Facebook pages that drew the most unique visitors were Walmart, State Farm Insurance, BMW, and Best Buy. However, iTunes drew more traffic to its Facebook page than its website.
As Lincoln Merrihew, Managing Director at Compete, explained to WebProNews, the report shows that companies are finding extreme value in Facebook not only in terms of branding, but some companies are also using it to create a “storefront” platform for their products and services, such as what Apple has done. He did point out that, before brands jump on board with Facebook, they should consider their customers and whether or not they are more comfortable on their domain or on Facebook.
How does your brand’s Facebook page compare to your own website?


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Eurand NV, a specialty pharmaceutical company that develops enhanced pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical products based on its proprietary drug formulation technologies, has been advised by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Complete Response letter for the New Drug Application (NDA) for EUR-1048. EUR-1048 is an orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) formulation with an undisclosed active compound co-developed by Eurand and GSK.
Science Beyond Frontiers (SBF) Healthcare, a well-known provider of Rotational Field Quantum Magnetic Resonance (RFQMR) therapy to treat osteoarthritis and cancer patients is now looking to raise funds to the tune of $5 million for expansion of operations.
Claris Lifesciences, a global lifesciences company has received the 'Frost and Sullivan' Gold award for Manufacturing Excellence in Healthcare – Large Enterprise for 'Clarion'. Clarion is the state of the art manufacturing facility of Claris Lifesciences Ltd. This is the second consecutive year that Clarion has received this award.
Novo Nordisk and VLST Corporation, a Seattle-based biotechnology company focused on the development of therapeutics for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, have entered into an exclusive, worldwide collaboration agreement to develop therapeutic targets utilising VLST's technology platform in the fields of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders.
Breckenridge has entered into another separate agreement with Helm AG to develop and manufacture an ANDA for an asthma drug product. Under terms of this new agreement, Breckenridge will submit an ANDA to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2009 for the product which is in development by Helm AG. The product currently shows US sales of approximately $4 Billion Dollars, and is patent protected until 2012.
Intercell AG announced that the phase-II clinical trial with the company's vaccine candidate to prevent infections with the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is starting. Intercell's vaccine (IC43) is a recombinant subunit vaccine consisting of two outer membrane proteins of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Can-Fite BioPharma has achieved yet another goal by completion of enrolment of 230 patients in its confirmatory phase-IIb RA trial. Approximately 230 patients were enrolled to this study, randomized into three groups treated with 0.1 mg and 4 mg of CF101, and placebo. Patients are taking the drug for 12 weeks plus two weeks of follow-up. The trial is being conducted in 30 sites in Europe and Israel. The company estimate to release study data on H1 2009.
Array BioPharma Inc has received its second draw of $40 million from Deerfield Management, a leading healthcare investment organization and one of Array's largest shareholders. Deerfield committed $80 million to Array in May 2008 and provided the first $40 million draw to Array in June 2008. Together with existing capital, these funds are being use to advance Array's seven wholly-owned small molecule drug programmes in development.
SemBioSys Genetics Inc, announced that MannKind Corporation has purchased an option to license rights to SemBioSys' proprietary plant-produced recombinant human insulin. The option period ends on March 31, 2009. Terms of the option stipulate that the primary use of SemBioSys' plant-produced insulin would be for Afresa, MannKind's ultra-rapid acting insulin, which recently completed phase-3 studies.
Consequent upon the reduction in the rate of Excise duty on medicines from 8% to 4% notified by the Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue, all manufacturers and marketing companies of formulations packs are advised to ensure that the benefit of this excise duty reduction and the reduced rate of abatement is passed on to the consumers through reduced Maximum Retail Price (MRP). The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) in India has asked the pharmaceutical companies to reduce the MRP.
Ireland-based Tibotec, which is the subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, has signed a royalty-free, non-exclusive license agreement with India’s Emcure Pharmaceuticals to distribute the protease inhibitor darunavir (DRV) in India.
Plethico Pharmaceuticals of India has acquired a 20% stake in a retail pharmacy chain in the CIS from Tricon Holdings of Hong Kong for $20 million. Tricon deals in the pharmaceutical retail business with a sourcing base in the UAE.
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), the world's leading professional organization of stem cell researchers, released new guidelines for the responsible development of safe and effective stem cell therapies for patients.
Asuragen, Inc.’s Signature® LTx v2.0 Leukemia Translocation Panel was released as a "Conformité Européenne" or "European Conformity" CE IVD product under the European Directive on In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices.
Pharmaceutical and biotechnology major Wockhardt has received United States FDA approval for marketing an oral suspension of a combination of Amoxycillin and Clavulanate Potassium.
The first Ecolabelled peritoneal dialysis bags are now certified by Nordic Ecolabel. It is Fresenius Medical Care, who has been granted the world’s first license.
In Australia, almost 4,000 Australian children under the age of 10 received a prescription for antidepressant drugs in the last year, despite the fact that Australia has not approved the use of antidepressants in children or adolescents.
Biotechnology company Vical Inc signed a letter of intent with Turkey's Eczacibasi Ilac Pazarlama A.S. to market and sell its experimental cancer drug, Allovectin-7, in Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Data from a study published in JAMA concluded that evidence "does not support the notion that brand-name drugs used in cardiovascular disease are superior to generic drugs," despite numerous editorials that "counsel against the interchangeability of generic drugs," according to the study authors.
Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited has received import permission for marketing the US FDA approved product Gliadel (polifeprosan 20 with carmustine implant) Wafer for the treatment of newly diagnosed high-grade malignant gliomas & recurrent glioblastoma multiforme.


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id Software insider: The studio is leaking top talent since the ZeniMax merger
Reports have emerged claiming to be from a staffer at id Software indicating that the studio has been seriously suffering since it merged with ZeniMax.
Since ZeniMax bought the iconic DOOM and Quake creators they have lost some key people in former GM Todd Hollenshead and co-founder John Carmack but these new comments which have surfaced on Reddit seem to show that the troubles run far deeper than a couple of veterans moving on.
Reddit user throwaway_zeni claims to be a developer at the studio and has stated that the studio has been leaking talent since the ZeniMax merger with other key individuals “checking out” as well. “We’ve been losing top-notch talent left and right ever since the Zenimax purchase, but more so after Rage didn’t do too well,” throwaway_zeni wrote.
“We’re alright now, but I really believe that this is no longer the place that it was when I started years ago. The office culture sucks a**, and unless you’re keen to sticking your nose up certain people’s a**es, or have been here since the days when we could actually ship games, then you’re not going to get very far.“
“Apart from giving us resources, they gave some INDIVIDUALS a huge payoff,” the source went on. “Those individuals proceeded to stop giving a f**k, in my opinion. I heard that the deal was that they would collect large sums of cash over the course of a couple years. As a result, most of them chequed out, and continue to sit on their a**es until they are completely payed off. I imagine once full payoff has been received after the Zeni deal, they’ll leave as well. They don’t care about this place, they care about money. These are my opinions.”
Id Software is currently working on DOOM 4 although, despite the mention of a beta for the game coming with pre-orders for this weeks release Wolfenstein: The New Order, it is still delayed indefinitely while they take the game back to the drawing board.
Thanks Dark Side Of Gaming.
- Shovel Knight arrives on PlayStation platforms this week
- Microsoft shows off Spartan Locke in action in Halo 5: Guardians
- Bethesda E3 press conference invites tease everything but Fallout 4
- New Mass Effect details possibly leaked in an online survey
- Phil Spencer promises a first-party-focused E3 offering from Microsoft
- Valve tackles phishing and scamming on Steam by requiring new users spend 5 USD to make use of all features
- Borderlands franchise director leaves Gearbox
- Blizzard announces a release date for Heroes Of The Storm and an open beta too
- Ultra Street Fighter IV coming to PS4 at the end of May


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SolarSigma at WIB Fest 2018, Lok Virsa, Islamabad
Solar Sigma Ltd. participated in a one day event at Lok Virsa, Islamabad.
The event was held by Womenx Pakistan and Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in honor of International Women’s Day. Women in Business was a great initiative to further promote entrepreneurs and investors.
Solar Sigma Ltd. was overwhelmed by the positive response from everyone, it was an excellent opportunity for getting to know the needs of our potential clients.


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By Nicola Harrison2013-05-29T11:27:00
Topps Tiles revealed a first half 16% profit fall this morning despite a sales uplift. Retail Week speaks to chief executive Matt Williams and chief financial officer Rob Parker.
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Release Date: adidas UltraBOOST 1.0 ‘Triple White’Release: 17 May 2020
We recently got word that the adidas UltraBOOST 1.0 in fan-favourite ‘Triple White’ colour combo will be returning. Making noise thanks to Kanye back in 2015, the UltraBOOST was definitely the shoe of that year, and nostalgic sneakerheads will no doubt be excited about this release.
Sticking true to it’s 2015 OG, the new version is decked out in white, with a Continental outsole and silver UltraBOOST branding on the lateral.
These BOOSTs will be arriving on May 17 exclusively through the adidas app, with a wider release rumoured for later. We’ll keep you updated.


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EVP, Pam Kohn, on Revving up Walmart’s Merchandising Machine
Carol Spieckerman presents her between-the-lines take on a presentation by Walmart’s EVP of Merchandising Services, Pam Kohn, as part of the Bentonville Bella Vista Chamber’s WalStreet speaker series.
At a time when most retailers are either playing a furious game of digital catch-up or plotting next-stage media strategies, land-based merchandising services might seem downright staid by comparison. In fact, many leading brands and retailers are swinging their attention back to the original point of decision, the store, and for good reason – efficient in-store execution is a vital link in any meaningful multi-channel, multi-format retail strategy.
In her presentation, Pam Kohn outlined how Walmart’s merchandising services organization is broadening its reach as it continues to build global scale. Since joining the world’s largest retailer in 2002, Kohn’s executive-level stints have spanned operations, sourcing, supply chain dynamics and specialized formats – pretty much a “best-of” list in terms of retail hot buttons.
Early in her talk, Kohn set a positive tone by sharing Walmart’s performance numbers, including its 8.6% first-quarter sales growth and 8.3% increase in operating income. Walmart’s U.S. comp sales rose by 2.6% – the largest increase in first-quarter sales in three years. According to Kohn, traffic is up at Walmart stores and all business units are showing positive comp sales, with the exception of electronics. Also, while its struggles in apparel have been widely reported, Walmart has managed to reverse the trend by posting the first positive comps in six years. The retailer can only hope that the momentum continues as fast-basics retailers such as Uniqlo accelerate their U.S. expansion and as Amazon doubles down on apparel, with an eye on offsetting the potentially fatal price deflation/shipping cost equation inherent with consumer electronics.
Although merchandising could be called the world’s oldest retail profession, Walmart’s merchandising services group, comprised of five segments, launched a little less than a year ago. The focuses of the segments support Walmart’s ongoing productivity push, and its foray into multi-format retailing:
- The merchandising execution team serves as a bridge between merchant strategy and operations, with a particular focus on maintaining a communication loop that brings store-level insights to Walmart.
- The U.S. replenishment team focuses on supply chain needs and inventory management.
- The space productivity and layout team is immersed in new stores, remodels, store expansions and prototype design across all Walmart formats.
- The small format team addresses Walmart’s more diminutive formats, including Neighborhood Market, Walmart Express and its campus locations.
- The merchandise systems team serves as a liaison between Walmart’s ISD partners and merchant teams, with a focus on the systems needs of the latter. Supplier administration and diversity initiatives are also folded under the group.
Kohn’s vision for third-party merchandising companies and the broker community also indicates Walmart’s shift toward partnership and acquired solutions, as has been the case literally with its recent run of technology purchases. Third-party providers act as “eyes and ears” extensions of the merchandise services organization, and as resources for improving execution and changing management. These companies can help stores understand changes and facilitate key Walmart goals, including on-shelf availability, modular integrity, pricing accuracy, and ensuring the productivity of features.
In her presentation, Kohn echoed many of the themes put forward to the same group late last year by her boss, Duncan MacNaughton, including how everyday low cost (EDLC) begets everyday low price (EDLP) and Walmart’s relentless pursuit of its productivity loop in general.
Kohn told an interesting story that illustrated how Walmart’s quest for efficiency can actually spell bigger business for some suppliers. She described the case of an apple farmer in Washington State who told the company that by buying only one kind of apple from him, Walmart’s’ produce department was making his business less efficient. Walmart then began to purchase all of his apples, using the non-produce varieties in products such as its private brand Great Value apple sauce and in apple cider for Sam’s Club.
The core of Kohn’s message was the five “Ps” and one “R” that define Walmart’s merchandising priorities:
- Price – Although more retailers, including J.C. Penney, Lowe’s and Tesco, are departing from their promotion-prone pasts and attempting to message everyday value (with varying success), Walmart uniquely refers to its efforts as making an “investment” in price. It’s not just a turn of a phrase – Walmart takes an enterprise-wide perspective on pricing that has it feeding cost savings from operational efficiencies into targeted price reductions on products. According to Kohn, it invested roughly $1 billion this year, primarily in grocery and consumables, which are critical traffic-drivers for the chain. As those more frequent footprints hit the stores, attention is drawn to Walmart’s broader assortments in higher-margin general merchandise.
- Product – Walmart has added “thousands and thousands” of SKUs in its U.S. stores, including its heavily-advertised, new USDA choice meat offerings. Kohn touched on Walmart’s reintroduction of key “heritage” categories such as fabric, crafts and sporting goods, including baseball and fishing products. Assortment is the name of the game, and that includes brands as well. Walmart has realized, for example, that one brand of chili doesn’t work across the entire U.S., and Kohn stressed the importance of suppliers bringing first-to-market newness and innovation to the company.
- Promotion – Although Walmart’s EDLP message is consistent across all of its mediums and environments, attention is being paid to connecting the dots with consumers across television, print, social media and its stores. Kohn pointed out that Walmart has 15 million followers on Facebook, and mentioned in passing that Walmart has a co-marketing program available to interested suppliers. At an advertising conference last year, CMO Stephen Quinn encouraged suppliers to view Walmart as an “experience platform,” and hinted at something he called a “Retail Development Kit” that would wrap paid, owned, earned and shared media into a supplier-ready package. I haven’t seen any updates since then, but clearly Walmart is continuing to look at ways to harness its massive multi-channel reach, beyond simply serving as a distribution point for products.
- People – In April, Sam’s Club EVP Linda Hefner, spoke about its merchant-focused training, retention and promotion efforts. Kohn’s mention of Walmart’s creation of a national curriculum for merchant training, and of new processes designed to incentivize buyers to stay in their chairs a bit longer, illustrated how Sam’s and Walmart are now operating synergistically. She described her greatest challenge as attempting to keep the pipeline filled with talented people who can introduce and execute great solutions. She then extended the people premise to include joint business planning with suppliers, going beyond products and trends and into multi-year planning on multiple fronts, including driving supply chain efficiencies. While she encouraged robust and candid feedback as part of the plan, she stated that Walmart will be “respectfully real” about opportunities with particular suppliers.
- Place – Duncan MacNaughton’s earlier presentation was peppered with statistics on Walmart’s on-shelf availability efforts and, according to Kohn, the retailer has seen a 665 basis point improvement so far. She then moved on to the topic that is on every supplier and retail pundit’s mind, the status of Walmart’s small-format strategy, which Kohn described as follows:
- Neighborhood Market – Walmart’s grocery store formats are 41,000 square feet on average and hold an average of 27,000 SKUs. The category focus for the format are food, drug and consumables, and Walmart currently has 183 locations, with “many more” in the pipeline. Walmart has opened its first two west-coast locations in Oregon, as well as two in Springfield, MO. Stores are slated to open in Denver, Atlanta, Seattle and Milwaukee this month. In addition to breaking ground in new markets, Walmart plans to open more of the stores in existing markets, including Northwest Arkansas, Texas and Florida. Kohn stated that Neighborhood Markets are “winning on convenience” and shoppers are hitting the stores for both fill-in and stock-up trips. In the past, Walmart hasn’t employed print advertising to drive awareness of its Neighborhood Market grand openings, but will do so as it moves forward, since the community knowledge of Walmart that has served it well in some markets hasn’t proved to be universal.
- Walmart Express – Walmart’s convenience format stores are 10-15,000 square feet in size and carry 13-14,000 SKUs. Going forward, Express stores will reflect a heavier emphasis on general merchandise and various combinations of pharmacy, fueling and financial services will be customized by-location. Kohn was quick to call the format a “test” and stated that, although Walmart is happy with the current performance, with only 11 stores, they don’t yet have the critical mass required to draw major conclusions. She noted that urban locations had been particularly well-received, and broke down the locations to include three in Chicago, three in Northwest Arkansas and five in North Carolina. Walmart’s next steps are to hit a sweet spot in terms of the number of potential locations and to arrive at optimal assortments, operational structure, store layouts and labor schedules. She zeroed in on the company’s Chicago stores as an example of how urban locations can present challenges, since big trucks don’t fit on the streets and frequent deliveries require different operational models. She called upon suppliers to bring their best thinking to the table with regard to these challenges. The Chicago market also begs for strategies and assortments that address the diversity of local markets, including the River North and Wrigleyville areas. Walmart has deployed operations and small format teams to make trips to Chicago, walking the streets, shopping the competition and listening to customers. Special attention is being paid to ensuring that the store management team is hands-on and approachable, so as to better gain feedback. And, although comparisons to dollar stores are all over the press, Kohn pointed out that the Express strategy starts by studying the customer and shopping the competition rather than watching what dollar stores are doing.
- Responsibility – The lone “R” in the group encompasses sustainability, gender diversity and health and wellness. Walmart isn’t backing off of sustainability and, despite having taken a leadership position, they aren’t complacent. Walmart launched a women’s economic empowerment initiative last year, making a commitment to source $20 billion from women-owned businesses by 2016. Kohn acknowledged that the path to becoming a Walmart supplier isn’t the easiest and that the company’s size has gotten in their way in that regard. Walmart is working on tools and systems that will make supplier onboarding more efficient, and is in the process of setting up a women-owned supplier committee that will include NGOs, internal merchants and others who will ferret out the barriers through listening sessions and implement new systems and simplified processes. The next iteration of Walmart’s better-for-you healthy food initiative and labeling program will ideally expand beyond its private brands and begin to include manufacturers’ products as well, and Kohn stated that Walmart will also support suppliers who demonstrate that they are bringing jobs back to the U.S. (Starbuck’s announced its own nod to U.S.-based manufacturing just this week).
Kohn wrapped up with some great takeaways on what it takes to be a top supplier at Walmart. Suppliers who develop a deep understanding of Walmart’s business and who are empowered by their company to make quick decisions will be in good standing. She reiterated the need for suppliers to engage in joint business planning and transparent collaboration, and to bring in upstream innovation. The days of bringing last year’s model to Walmart are long gone.
She summed everything up by stating that Walmart wants to work with suppliers who know how to leverage its scale to the benefit of both parties. As Walmart spreads its wings, its suppliers will have a chance to fly with a retailer whose reach surpasses store counts.
Want to explore what these and other retail dynamics mean to your 2013 sales and marketing strategy? Need a compelling kick-off to your upcoming sales and marketing event? Contact Carol directly to schedule a call.


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Bangladesh’s economy is sprinting. It is poised to be the third fastest growing economy in the world in terms of achieving high Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019, as per the United Nations report. Our economy will expand at a staggering rate of 7.4% this year. Strong economic growth is well supported by robust domestic and international demand. Domestic demand has increased because of the availability of surplus disposable income among households and international demand for Bangladeshi RMG products, and footwear is on the rise. Prospects are even more tempting. Bangladesh is likely to be the biggest mover in the global gross domestic product rankings in 2030, becoming the 26th largest economy in the world from 42nd now, according to the latest report of HSBC Global Research. Bangladesh is expected to become a $700 billion economy in 2030 from $300 billion now, the same report says.
With the economic boom and its integration with the global economy, the importance of specialized enterprise has become more conspicuous. An increasingly important role is being played by supply chain management. Suddenly, there is a great demand for supply chain professionals in the market. It is undoubtedly great news for young fresh graduates, as youth unemployment is very high at 11.4%. According to experts, the growth of the local companies has given birth to various supply chain departments. Over the past few years, ISCEA (International Supply Chain Education Alliance) have produced 3500 supply chain professionals. However, employment in the supply chain has its fair share of obstacles. We all know about the infamous difference between skills of employees and industry demand. There is a significant skill gap between the required skills and abilities of the graduates. As a result, Bangladesh adds 2.2 million HR graduates in the unemployment pool. But the scope of employment is minimal, due to an overwhelming number of student graduate having poor technical and communication skills. Job-related knowledge, interpersonal skills, and employability traits are abysmal. We have to change our curriculum according to the demands of the industry.
The current employees in the supply chain have voiced their concerns about several issues. They are in constant angst about the delivery of goods to and from Chattogram Port. Poor infrastructure and transportation problems are barriers to efficient supply chain management. The problems add to the cost of production. Currently, supply chain accounts for 60-70% of the total business expenditure. Experts have stated that the establishment of special economic zones (SEZs) will ease some problems. But establishing a supply chain ministry will really give businesses the edge it requires to compete globally.
There are different opportunities and problems in supply chain employment in various industries. The demands from supply chain professionals in export sectors like RMG and footwear are different from that of FMCG. Interestingly, technology is chaining the face of the supply chain. The fourth industrial revolution is changing every professional dimension, and the supply chain is no different. I had the opportunity to catch up with supply chain experts from various sectors. Prof. Dr. Md. Abu Taher, Pro Vice-Chancellor of South East University; Ashraful Hossain, Asst. General Manager, Supply Chain Management, PRAN-RFL, and Rajiv Bhattacharya, Sr. Vice President, Business Operations, Shohoz Limited shared their insights on the current situation of employment in supply chain and its future.


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Sega publishes the sales of the Yakuza and Persona sagas since their launch and both enjoy iron health
Financial reports they are a fundamental part of the companies’ balance sheet. They allow us to check what state your most valuable franchises are currently in and thus be able to plan for the future.
It is because of that Sega sammy has published its own report, which provides data on sales since the launch of several of its sagas. And the news is very positive.
Person has exceeded 13.1 million units sold since its debut in 1996. Works like Persona 5, with its Royal version and the arrival of Persona 4 Golden for PC have been a great boost in recent times for these figures.
On the other hand, Shin Megami Tensei it is not far behind. What’s more, with its 17.4 million copies sold outperforms Persona. 30 titles in the series since 1992 justify the numbers and the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster and Shin Megami Tensei V for Nintendo Switch next year will increase the numbers.
Another of the most important franchises for Sega Sammy is Yakuza. With the arrival of the recent Yakuza: Like a Dragon, critics once again praise the work done in the saga. A saga that already reaches the 14 million sales since its release on PS2 in 2006.
In spite of everything, from Sega they recognize that it is still a niche series aimed at the Asian audience, although he acknowledges that foreign criticism has been very positive. Recall that recently Sega confirmed its intention to publish more remakes, remasters and versions of Atlus games for different platforms. We will have to be attentive to the future of the company and its games.


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Martin|Williams wins Raymond James account
- Chris Newmarker
- Staff Writer
Minneapolis-based Martin|Williams Advertising said Monday that it’s been awarded the full-service advertising account for Raymond James Financial Inc.
Martin|Williams’ relationship with Raymond James (NYSE: RJF) will start immediately and will include brand planning as well as a full range of advertising services such as media planning and buying, creative development and execution, interactive, and engagement.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Raymond James spent $9 million on ads last year, down from $17 million in 2007, according to Adweek, which cited Nielsen numbers. The financial services firm had $5 million in major media spending in the first seven months of 2009.
“We were looking for an agency that could not only handle all of Raymond James’ current advertising needs, but also help us build on our success and take our brand to a new level within the financial services industry,” Michael White, director of marketing for St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Raymond James, said in a news release.
Martin|Williams won the deal after a six-month request for propososal process that started with an initial field of 116 agencies. R. Patrick Hill, president of marketing consultancy HCP & Associates of Tampa, Fla., ran the RFP.
Martin|Williams is owned by New York-based Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC).
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