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The promotions that helped produce last-minute holiday sales might have lightened many retailers’ inventories, but the bite they took out of profit margins will come back to haunt them next month when they begin to tally their fourth-quarter and year-end earnings.
Discounts were so deep that, while they helped to generate individual purchases, they offered only limited relief to overall revenues, several analysts noted. Whereas December comparable-store sales weren’t quite as bad as some had feared, the promotions that aided the generation of those numbers are likely to come back to haunt stores as they calculate their bottom lines.
They’ve also set the tone for a challenging first quarter, when consumers won’t have the imperative of gift-giving to get them to the stores.
Many comp reports last week were accompanied with warnings of lower profits.
“The final two weeks of the month prevented a catastrophe but were not enough to forestall the completion of the worst holiday season in recent history,” said Brean Murray Carret & Co. retail analyst Eric Beder.
Beder said the “key shock” to investors was the “highly significant decline in margins as retailers pulled out all the stops.”
Lazard Capital Markets retail analyst Todd Slater said comps might have turned out slightly better than estimates, but because margins were savaged, it was a “Pyrrhic victory at best.”
Pali Capital retail analyst Amy Wilcox Noblin called the weeks leading up to Christmas “staggering,” adding that comp results “portend for a very weak spring season.”
Lowered guidance from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. set the tone after the discounter missed analysts’ expectations of a 2.8 percent comp increase in its U.S. stores, excluding fuel, and instead posted a 1.7 percent rise. The world’s largest retailer reduced its fourth-quarter earnings guidance for continuing operations to a range of 91 cents to 94 cents a share, down from its earlier projection of $1.03 to $1.07.
Mall-based teen retailers Abercrombie & Fitch Co., American Eagle Outfitters Inc. and Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. all reevaluated their earnings outlooks after posting comps that slumped 24, 17 and 10 percent, respectively.
Abercrombie said that as a result of a $10 million tax expense related to the new employment agreement of its chairman and chief executive officer, Michael Jeffries, the company anticipates that earnings per share next quarter will be “significantly below” its previously issued guidance of $1 to $1.05 a share.
American Eagle said that, while post-holiday inventories are on target, it expects fourth-quarter earnings in a range of 19 cents to 21 cents a share, down from previous guidance of 30 cents to 36 cents a share. PacSun said it expects to report a fourth-quarter loss of 38 cents to 43 cents a diluted share, including an estimated gain of about 10 cents a share from the sale of its Anaheim, Calif., distribution center. The company said 19 cents of the loss was attributable to “markdown reserves.”
Erin Armendinger, managing director of the Jay Baker Retailing Initiative at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, said that post-holiday, retailers face a dearth of selling opportunities. Because spring inventory was ordered before the full fury of the financial crisis hit, retailers must scramble to clear out excess holiday items, while attempting to sell a larger-than-necessary shipment of new merchandise.
“It’s the perfect storm for retailers — but in a bad way,” said Armendinger. “Spring is going to be messy.”
Caché Inc., which reported a 19 percent comp decline, said it revised its guidance to a loss of 48 cents to 50 cents, including costs related to store closures and management changes totaling 21 cents a share. Not including these costs, the company expects a loss of 27 cents to 29 cents a share. This compares with previous estimates of EPS at the low end of its previous guidance range of 24 cents to 29 cents.
According to Sterne, Agee & Leach retail analyst Margaret Whitfield, Caché will “lose money” in the near term, as it plans to cut between 30 and 35 percent of its inventory per store.
The “danger” in too much stock reduction is “overreacting,” Whitfield said, adding that retailers must give consumers a reason to shop.
Still, Whitfield said Caché’s inventory slashing will put the retailer in a good position should the economy get worse.
Some of the most surprising downward revisions and words of caution came from retailers that don’t report comps on a monthly basis.
After comps fell 13 percent during the firm’s second quarter, Coach Inc. revised its earnings for the period to between 67 cents and 69 cents a share on sales of $960 million, down from its previous outlook of 77 cents a share on sales of $1.05 billion. The news, released after the markets closed on Thursday, contributed to a $2.79, or 13.4 percent, decline in Coach’s stock price on Friday, to $18.11.
“Weakness is systematic of the retail environment, not Coach’s operations,” said Lazard’s Slater, who tinkered with his estimates of the vendor’s stock.
Job cuts also followed EPS reductions, as Macy’s Inc., which reported a 4 percent comp decline, said it would close 11 underperforming department stores. The retailer said it expected earnings in a 90 cent to $1 range, down from $1.10 to $1.30.
But according to Matthew Katz, managing director at Alix Partners LLC, earnings revisions, job cuts and store closures are not surprising.
“Management teams have been reacting to the economy for months,” he said. “All retailers can do now,” he said, “is control what you can control and preserve liquidity and cash availability.”
Donatella Versace will receive the International Award at the 2018 @cfda awards, which were announced tonight. Tap link in bio for a list of all the nominees and honorees. #wwdnews #wwdfashion (📷: @rahirezvanistudio )
The 2018 @cfda Awards nominees are out! @virgilabloh for @off____white for is nominated for Womenswear Designer of the Year. Tap link in bio for all the nominees. #wwdnews #wwdfashion ( 📷: @simonelezzi)
@chanelofficial is suing high-end vintage retailer @whatgoesaroundnyc for trademark infringement, a move that could cost the retailer millions. The French fashion house claims that it’s not only unintentionally sold counterfeit goods on occasion, but that it’s “gone out of its way to create an association with Chanel,” which does not exist. Read Chanel’s statement on WWD.com #wwdnews (@aitorrosasphoto)
Exclusive: Guillaume Henry has left @ninaricci, the fashion house said on Thursday. “After three years of mutually gratifying creative collaboration, Nina Ricci and Guillaume Henry have together decided that the designer will depart the house after the presentation of the fall-winter 2018-19 collection,” Ricci said in a statement. Get all the details on WWD.com #wwdfashion (📷: @aitorrosasphoto)
“When Bella enters a room all heads turn,” said @peterphilipsmakeup, creative and image director for @diormakeup. Last night, the two celebrated the product launch of Dior’s Lacquer Plump in Los Angeles with other celebs like @parisjackson, @winnieharlow and more. Head to WWD.com to see the rest of the photos from the night (📷: @chelsealaurenla) #wwdeye
“These shirts are an art form, it’s about getting the message out to as many people as you can. It breaks down the pretentiousness of the art gallery,” says Kumasi Sadiki, cofounder of @ebayontheblock, a store that sells merchandise by New York artists who are shifting their attention to clothes as a wearable medium. Pictured here is a design by artist @joegarvey_, one of the first to spearhead this movement. Head to WWD.com to read @mistywhitesidell full story on how their designs have become merch for the underground elite #wwdfashion
@netaporter is dedicating a part of its website – called the Fine Jewelry and Watch Destination – to highlight its high-end jewelry. The hub will feature products on the site, as well as incorporate styling advice and educational content about high-priced jewelry items. Get more details on WWD.com. #wwdaccessories
For “The Cher Show,” an upcoming musical based on @cher’s life and career, @bobmackie is once again collaborating with the singer in designing the costumes. For decades, Mackie has designed glitzy stage costumes and red carpet looks for the 71-year-old Grammy winner. Pictured here is a sketch of some of the pieces in the wardrobe of the musical, which is set to debut in Chicago on June 12 before making its way to Broadway #wwdeye


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Youngstown’s newest boutiques has officially opened its doors. ivory & birch, located at 7631 Market Street, celebrated its grand opening on Nov. 29 in Boardman.
Featuring over 100 brands and a wide array of merchandise, the store is the first of its kind for the area. Deloran Muransky, the store’s owner, is thrilled to finally see ivory & birch come to life.
“I’ve been dreaming of opening a store since I was a little girl. My all-time favorite toy was a cash register and I changed my outfits six-seven times a day when I was four.” Muransky, a Poland Seminary High School and Washington University in St. Louis alumni, moved back to the area in May to work on ivory & birch full time. She spent close to five years working for Kohl’s department stores, taking on roles in buying, planning, merchandising and product development before decided to venture out on her own.
ivory & birch sells a wide array of items, including clothing, home goods, jewelry, accessories and greeting cards. Muransky focused on covering all price points and styles for her opening assortment .
“I want our customers to be able to buy gifts for just about anyone in their lives. From in-laws to teachers to moms and dads, we have something for everyone,” Muransky notes. She also described the exceptional customer service ivory & birch hopes to be known for: “No matter how prevalent online shopping becomes in our lives, there is still something to be said for the in-store experience. My staff and I want to be known for personal, genuine and meaningful customer relationships.”
ivory & birch is now open Mon-Wed 10am-6pm; Thurs., 10am-8pm; Fri., 10am-5pm; Sat., 11am-5pm; and is closed on Sundays.
Additional information can be found on the website www.ivoryandbirch.com.

domain: news


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Care UK is launching an electronic wrist watch for older people, which will alert NHS 111 services if the user falls ill or has an accident at home.
The watch, expected to launch during 2019, will have an ‘SOS’ button and will be able to transmit heart rate and movement data of a person, informing 111 via Microsoft cloud algorithms if a wearer exhibits unusual behaviour.
Once the call centre has been alerted, Care UK, which provides 111 services across England to around four million people, can then contact the individual to see if they are okay.
The announcement was made at the GIANT Health event in London, where Care UK’s chief information officer Barry Nee told delegates: ‘We’re not a wearable technology business, but a service provider business so what we’ve thought about is how we can use the capacity to deliver those services and bring that together with wearable devices.’
One of the design features is that the watch will not need to pair with a smart phone.
Nee said: ‘It operates as an independent phone, so you can phone straight through to somebody’s wrist.’
He said the device has been designed for older people living at home who are not ready to move into care accommodation but who use the NHS frequently.
‘[These individuals] are not interested in knowing exactly what their heart rate is today or exactly how many steps they’ve taken, but they do want to know what the time is and having a watch on their wrist that also completely invisibly does other things that allows you to triage and understand what you need to do to intervene is a really important principle built around the dignity of the wearer,’
Nee said the watch would be launched to the B2C market and not initially sold to the NHS.


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10 cars that Indians loved to buy in last one year
Pandemic or not, India’s choice for cars have not changed much since the country went under the first lockdown in March last year. While April 2020 was one-of-a-kind month for the industry with zero sales, the next 11 months of the financial year showed what Indians loved to drive. Here is the list of top 10 cars sold between April last year and this month.
During April 2020 to March 2021, Maruti Suzuki Swift was the best-selling car in the country, with 1,72,671 units sold in the Indian market. It has been consistently on top of best-selling cars in India for the past one year.
At the same time, Maruti Suzuki Baleno was the second best selling car in the country during these 12 months. It sold 1,63,445 units. The hatchback recently upstaged Maruti's WagonR from the number two position on sales.
Maruti Suzuki Wagon R remained the third highest selling car during this period with 1,60,330 units. Together with Swift and Baleno, WagonR form a formidable 1-2-3 on the list of what Indians have preferred to buy all around last year.
Maruti Suzuki Alto, one of the most popular hatchback offered by the carmaker in India, has seen a sharp drop of 17 per cent during this period. Maruti could sell only 1,58,992 units of Alto in the last one year.
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Maruti Dzire remains the only sedan of any size on the list. Though its sales dropped by nearly 28 per cent in last one year, Maruti managed to sell 1,28,251 units of this sub-four metre sedan in India during this period. Dzire and Alto made it possible for Maruti to finish the financial year with all top five positions to the biggest car manufacturer in India.
At number six is the new generation Hyundai Creta. A lot has been said about its popularity and how it grew despite its launch just days before lockdown hit the entire country last year. However, it continues remain a very strong choice among Indians and features as the most popular mid-size SUV on the list. Hyundai sold 1,20,035 units of Creta in FY 2021.
Maruti old warhorse - the Eeco - continues to be among the top cars that Indians still love to own and drive. Maruti still managed to sell 1,05,081 units of the utility vehicle last year.
The gap between Maruti's hatchbacks and that from other carmakers is ever widening now. Hyundai's best bet in the hatchback segment - the Grand i10 - features as low as number 8 on the list after overall sales of 1,00,611 units.
At number nine is Maruti's sub-compact SUV Brezza, which remains its segment leader at the end of the financial year by edging out Hyundai Venue by just one place. Maruti sold 94,635 units of Brezza during this period after its facelift version was launched during the Auto Expo last year.
Hyundai Venue sub-compact SUV completes the top 10 cars sold in India during this period with 92,972 units.


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Nevada lawmakers are reviewing a bill to ease a ban on wineries in the state’s two largest counties.
The Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee held a hearing Friday for AB4. The bill would repeal a state law prohibiting wineries in Clark and Washoe counties from importing wine from other states or serving alcoholic beverages on their premises. Republican bill sponsor Pat Hickey said the bill would remove unnecessary economic barriers for wine producers.
Opponents included a winery in Pahrump, which said changing the law too quickly could harm existing wineries just as they’re gaining strength.
A separate bill moving through the Legislature would increase out-of-state export limits for alcoholic beverages and expand retail sales. AB186 would also allow craft brewers to donate alcoholic beverages for charitable or nonprofit purposes.


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The Sims 4 launched back in 2014, but it has had amazing legs. The life-simulation game has seen tremendous growth this year alone. Back in January, EA noted that The Sims 4 had over 20 million players. This means the game has reached 10 million new people this year.
That boost comes as quarantined gamers flock to The Sims. The game lets players create their own houses and then populate them with avatars representing themselves, friends, and families. These days, seeing yourself and your acquaintances gathered together for even a virtual party can be a comfort.
The Sims 4 also launched on Steam in June. Coming to the largest PC digital store gave the game a boost as well.
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EA has kept The Sims relevant and profitable through expansions and other content bundles. The latest and ninth expansion, Eco Lifestyles, released on June 5.
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n the face of withering criticism, Mylan Pharmaceuticals took steps Thursday to make its EpiPen device more affordable. Specifically, the company is increasing the amount of money on a copay assistance card from $100 to $300, and is also widening eligibility for patients to receive the device through that assistance program.
“We recognize the significant burden on patients from continued, rising insurance premiums and being forced increasingly to pay the full list price for medicines at the pharmacy counter. Patients deserve increased price transparency and affordable care, particularly as the system shifts significant costs to them,” Mylan Chief Executive officer Heather Bresch said in a statement.
These moves do not actually involve lowering the $600 list price, which has been rising steadily in recent years and caused consternation among parents across the country. The EpiPen contains an old drug, epinephrine, that is widely used to combat sudden allergic reactions that can be life-threatening, and its dominant position in the marketplace meant that many consumers were straining to pay for the device.
By expanding programs that can help patients pay for its device, Mylan is trying to say that it is addressing the issue of affordability. And in doing so, Mylan hopes to blunt further damage to its reputation, which has taken a beating this week as one lawmaker after another publicly demanded the company lower the price, provide data to justify its pricing, and prepare for congressional hearings.
The rebukes appeared to reach a crescendo Wednesday when Hillary Clinton called the EpiPen price hikes “outrageous,” triggering yet another slide in biopharma stocks as investors braced for a new round of finger-pointing and negative news streaming from Washington.
“When an allergic reaction leads to anaphylactic shock, a shot of epinephrine can literally be the difference between life and death,” Clinton said. “But now, just as parents are about to send kids with severe food and insect allergies back to school, the EpiPen’s manufacturer is hiking its price to an all-time high. That’s outrageous. And it’s just the latest troubling example of a company taking advantage of its consumers.”
To what extent these moves will succeed in forestalling further attacks is uncertain. If consumers start to register fewer complaints, then Mylan may have won a battle, if not the war, over its pricing. Most likely, lawmakers will still want to probe the company, since they are, effectively, using Mylan as the latest proxy for attacking rising prescription drug costs, which is an ongoing issue.
Mylan, meanwhile, is also trying to shift the conversation to insurance coverage. In her statement, Bresch argued that “price is only one part of the problem that we are addressing with today’s actions.” The company maintains that private insurers too often fail to sufficiently cover the EpiPen, and high deductibles are burdens that contribute to the larger problem.
“It was never intended that a consumer — the patient — would be paying this price,” Bresch said in a Thursday morning interview with CNBC.
She acknowledged that rising drug costs are a problem that results from a system that incentivizes higher prices. This is strikingly different from how the pharmaceutical industry responded to last year’s controversy over price hikes by Valeant and Turing, with the industry group PhRMA painting the companies as exceptions to the rule rather than victims of a broken system.
Bresch said that she is ready to work with Congress to fix the system, and that other key players, like pharmacy benefit managers, retail pharmacies, and doctors, also need to be part of the conversation.


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American convenience store chain now accepts Bitcoin payments
Mid Atlantic convenience store giant Sheetz is set to accept Bitcoin and crypto payments across its outlets.
Retail crypto payment acceptance in the United States continues to grow as Sheetz announces plans to allow the use of digital currencies in its outlets across the country.
In a release issued on Thursday, the convenience store chain announced its partnership with digital payments provider Flexa to enable customers to pay for products and services with cryptocurrencies.
As part of the announcement, Sheetz revealed that the crypto payment option was for both in-store items and gas pumps at their over 600 outlets across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia. Cryptocurrencies that will be accepted by the convenience store chain include Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Litecoin (LTC) and Dogecoin (DOGE), among others.
The Sheetz announcement now adds convenience stores to the growing list of businesses accepting crypto payments in the United States. Back in March, luxury hotel brand The Kessler Collection debuted crypto and stablecoin payment options for guests.
As previously reported by Cointelegraph, a Mastercard survey from earlier in May revealed that up to 40% of respondents across the globe expressed interest to use crypto for payments in 2022.


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OnePlus knows that a lot of people wants the 2nd Anniversary OnePlus X Champagne Edition and the OnePlus X Ceramic version shown off last month so the company decided to make the two available during the open sales in Hong Kong and Europe. This move comes after the Onyx was made available last week.
The availability of OnePlus X Ceramic and Champagne in Europe is expected to bring in more profits for the Chinese OEM who’s been very aggressive lately when it comes to marketing the smartphones. Only one model was released last year but this 2015, the company went on to release not just one but two–the OnePlus 2 and the OnePlus X. The latter even has different versions: black glass onyx, zirconia ceramic, and white glass champagne.
There’s still that exclusive feel that OnePlus wants to project since the variants are “limited edition”. Only 500 pieces of the Ceramic and 2,500 units of the Champagne will be made so quantities to be sold each week are limited.
Knowing these things somehow tells us that the phones are in demand but we really have no idea how many phones OnePlus already sold since we’re not given any numbers. We just knew when the OnePlus 2 was opened for pre-order, all 30,000 units weresold out in a minute according to the Chinese phone maker and more than a million requested for an invitation.
The open sales for Europe and Hong Kong are expected to be a success. The smartphone will be ready in North America next month. Feel free to request for an invite at onepl.us/invites.
Kindly take note of the following schedule:
Hong Kong: 16:00 pm (Onyx, Champagne, and Ceramic)
Europe (CET): 16:00 pm (Onyx, Champagne, and Ceramic)
North America: 16:00 pm (Onyx)


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Beijing, March 23 (Xinhua) British chip design giant ARM, owned by Softbank Corp. Group, is seeking to raise the price of its chip design, and the company hopes to boost revenue ahead of this year's much-anticipated New York initial public offering (IPO), according to people familiar with the matter. At present, more than 95% of smartphones use ARM chip architecture.
Several industry executives and former employees said ARM had recently notified several big customers that the company would revolutionize its business model. ARM plans to stop charging chipmakers royalties for using its designs based on the value of chips and instead charge chipmakers based on the value of the equipment. That means the company earns several times more for each chip design it sells, because the average price of a smartphone is much more expensive than a chip.
The change is one of the biggest changes ARM has made to its business strategy in decades. Currently, Softbank Corp. CEO Masayoshi son (Masayoshi Son) is seeking to improve ARM's profits and attract investors as ARM is about to go public.
"it's the equivalent of ARM finding customers and saying,'We want to be paid more for basically the same things'," said one former senior employee who left ARM last year. "what Softbank Corp. is doing is testing the market value of ARM's monopoly."
Customers don't want to accept it.
Softbank Corp. aims to bring about a major change in ARM pricing as soon as next year, but so far the company has been frustrated by customers' reluctance to accept the new arrangement. Softbank Corp. bought ARM for £24.3 billion in 2016 and plans to retain a majority stake after ARM IPO.
Under the new business model proposed by ARM, royalties will be set based on the average selling price of mobile devices, rather than the average selling price of chips. These changes will mainly involve ARM's most famous "Cortex-A" design, which is crucial to the development of smartphone processors. Charging according to equipment price is a common practice in the telecom equipment market, and Qualcomm, Nokia and Ericsson have all adopted similar models for their patents. The problem with ARM, however, is that it established a different sales model a long time ago and is now trying to change its pricing strategy.
The average price of a Qualcomm smartphone computing chip is about $40, MediaTek $17 and Ziguang $6. Sravan Kundojjala, an analyst at TechInsights, says ARM charges royalties of about 1-2 per cent for each chip sold based on its design. By comparison, the average price of a smartphone in 2022 was $335. While ARM is unlikely to seek royalties of up to 1-2 per cent based on the value of each device, people familiar with the matter said it would set new pricing in a way that significantly increased overall profits.
So far, a smartphone maker that leads the Chinese market has rejected ARM's plans to raise prices, saying: "the proposed royalties will be at least several times higher than what ARM currently receives. We are told that they want these changes to be implemented from 2024. "
Some ARM customers, such as Apple, are both chipmakers and device manufacturers, and have signed special license and royalty agreements with ARM. Executives familiar with Apple's recent discussions said the company was not involved in discussions about changing ARM's business model.
ARM, Softbank Corp., Qualcomm, MediaTek, Ziguang Zhanrui, Xiaomi and OPPO declined to comment.
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Harley-Davidson can no longer be a pig with the word “hog.”
A Manhattan federal appeals-court judge has ruled that the owner of a 30-year-old West Seneca, N.Y., motorcycle-repair shop called The Hog Farm did not violate any trademark laws by using the term long-associated with Harleys.
The ruling overturned an earlier decision that said Harley-Davidson ostensibly owned the rights to “hog” because the word had become so associated with Harley bikes.
“This is a huge victory for all the shops around the country that use hog in their name,” said Hog Farm owner Ronald Grottanelli.
Judge Jon Newman’s majority opinion was partly a lesson in linguistic history.
Tracing the origins of the word “hog,” Newman determined that the word has been used “as a generic term in the language as applied to large motorcycles before the public began using the word to refer to Harley-Davidson motorcycles.”
He said the first reference to “hog” was in a 1935 issue of Popular Mechanics. In the 1960s and ’70s, when motorcycle shops began using “hog” to refer mostly to Harleys, the company’s management intentionally distanced itself from the term.
But in the early 1980s, the Milwaukee-based company realized the term had “financial value,” Newman wrote.
Two years later, the company formed the Harley Owners Group – or H.O.G. – and registered it as a trademark. In 1990, the company also trademarked the word “hog.”
“Harley-Davidson hated the name for so many years and only came to love it when they realized they could make money off of it,” Grottanelli said, adding that he was visited by Harley lawyers in 1992 and offered a deal to change his name.
Because the term had become a common description, the company was not entitled to copyright protection, Newman ruled.
Calls to Harley-Davidson were not returned.


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Good news Tagumenyos!
The City Government of Tagum has formally streamlined the business permits renewal process dubbed as APR (Assess, Pay and Release) following its bold desire to make it easier for businessmen to do business in the city.
Mayor Allan L. Rellon said that the local government decided to streamline it from five to three steps just in time as the city kicks off the annual renewal of business permits for 2017.
He further added that the simplified process will be hassle-free for persons getting or renewing their business permits, especially now that the Business One-Stop Shop is already on its full swing at the Atrium of the New City Hall that will run until January 20, 2017, the designated deadline for business permit renewal.
The fast and easy three-step process includes Asses, Pay, and Release. After checking the requirements and getting a priority number, the client can proceed with the first step where the assessor can check their requirements. Then, they can proceed to the treasurer’s office to pay the required fees. Lastly, a copy of their business permit will then be released.
The requirements include barangay clearance, lease contract, gross declaration and BIR returns. The additional requirements depend on the kind of business. For market stallholders, they must submit market clearance and market lease contract. For cooperatives, BIR returns are needed. Big businesses or corporations need to present their certificate of good standing and general information sheet. For massage parlors and maternity clinics, city health office certificate and list of employees with basic information position (age, gender, address, and contact number) is required. Lastly, water retailers need their latest bacteriological result.
The Business Permit and Licensing Division is hopeful that they can surpass the number of renewed business permits during the same period last year.
Meanwhile, majority of those who already renewed their business permits noted the swift process this year, tagging this year’s business one-stop shop as efficient and effective. Mj de Castro/CIO Tagum
FULL FORCE. Throngs of assessors are deployed at the Atrium of the New City Hall in time for the Business One-Stop Shop in Tagum City that kicked off last January 3, 2017 and which will run until January 20, 2017. Leo Timogan/CIO Tagum
ORDERLY AND SYSTEMATIC. Tagumenyo taxpayers noticed the more orderly and systematic business permits renewal rolled out by the City Government of Tagum this year. Leo Timogan/CIO Tagum
EARLY BIRD. Tagum City Mayor Allan L. Rellon personally hands a copy of a business permit to one of the early businessmen who trooped to the Atrium of the New City Hall during the first day of the Business One-Stop Shop. Leo Timogan/CIO Tagum


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|By PR Newswire||
|November 6, 2012 07:24 PM EST||
SYDNEY, Nov. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The contact centre market in Australia is expected to experience a major transformation as cloud based solutions and mobile devices change the way organisations provide customer service. Cloud based contact centre solutions are expected to gain momentum in the next 3 to 5 years. On the other hand, growth and revenues of traditional on-premise models will decline as most organisations facing a contract renewal or new deployment will be reluctant to commit to long contract terms in a rapidly changing technology landscape. Although the on-premise model is the predominant deployment model for contact centre applications in Australia, the market is in the early stages of a transformation towards third party managed solutions.
Anand Balasubramanian, Industry Analyst, Australia & New Zealand ICT Practice says that Australia's contact centre market is moving from on-premise to third party managed solutions. "While organisations value the level of control offered by on-premise models, cost constraints and flexibility (in terms of scalability and pricing) requirements are causing organisations to evaluate alternative options at the time of a new deployment or upgrade. Organisations are becoming increasingly inclined towards deploying hosted and cloud based solutions," he states.
According to Frost & Sullivan's report, Australian Contact Centre Market 2012, a combination of changing business models and impact of enabling factors such as the NBN will make cloud based deployments the preferred model for new contact centre deployments in Australia. As demand grows over the 2013/2014 timeframe, several new players, including global vendors, will enter the market.
According to the recently published report, cloud based solutions will present the greatest threat to the traditional on-premise based model. With the changing shift in customer preference for hosted and cloud based solutions, traditional contact centre vendors will look to supplement their on-premise solutions with cloud based versions. A number of vendors have already announced plans to introduce cloud based versions of their contact centre solutions by 2013.
A less visible and often ignored advantage of cloud based contact centres is the built-in resiliency capabilities through Business Continuity Plans (BCP) and Disaster Recovery (DR) features. The floods and bushfires of 2011 made organisations acutely aware of risks of a major disruption to their contact centres and the need for a BCP and DR plan to ensure a business stays operational in the event of a major disruption.
Currently, existing investments on contact centre infrastructure (hardware and software) and perception among organisations are the biggest hurdles for adoption of cloud based alternatives. However, as organisations approach renewal or end-of-contract, they will closely evaluate on-premise alternatives before committing to a solution. In addition, organisations will less willing to commit to long contract terms given the constantly changing nature of technology and customer service. Frost & Sullivan estimates 2015-2016 to be the inflection point for cloud based contact centre solutions as end of contract terms and availability of high speed internet (in the form of NBN) combine to create conducive conditions for the market to grow.
The other major factor to impact the contact centre market is being driven by the increasing use of smartphones and tablets by consumers to contact an organisation. Audrey William, Head of Research, Australia and New Zealand, ICT cites the proliferation of smart devices (smartphones and tablets) as a key factor that will enable organisations to provide superior customer service, thereby gaining a competitive advantage in the market. Most organisations, particularly telcos, banks and organisations in the retail sector are already focusing on enabling their contact centres to provide a full mobile experience for customers. "This strategy provides a richer experience for the customer, and enables the organisation to reduce call volumes by providing basic service functions for mobile devices," William explains. Apart from cloud and mobility technologies, contact centres have been impacted by the rise of social media and are starting to deploy social media technologies within the contact centre environment.
William says that analytics and big data are major trends that will shape the way organisations provide customer service. "Organisations will be able to capture data from customer interactions from multiple communication channels such as voice, email, web and social media. This will allow organisations to customise individual service for customers."
As a result, we will see a number of contact centre vendors partnering with analytics/big data vendors. For instance, NICE Systems announced a partnership with IBM to integrate its contact centre solution with IBM's big data analytics software. Going forward, contact centre vendors will look to partner with major global big data and analytics players such as IBM, SAP, SAS and Oracle.
Frost & Sullivan's report Australian Contact Centre Market 2012 forms a part of the Frost & Sullivan Enterprise Communications Research program. This reports looks at trends across the Contact Centre Applications, Hosted Contact Centre and Cloud Based Contact Centre markets. All research services included in this subscription provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants. For media queries and more information please send an e-mail with your contact details to Donna Jeremiah, Corporate Communications, at email@example.com.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants.
Our "Growth Partnership" supports clients by addressing these opportunities and incorporating two key elements driving visionary innovation: The Integrated Value Proposition and The Partnership Infrastructure.
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SOURCE Frost & Sullivan
The major cloud platforms defy a simple, side-by-side analysis. Each of the major IaaS public-cloud platforms offers their own unique strengths and functionality. Options for on-site private cloud are diverse as well, and must be designed and deployed while taking existing legacy architecture and infrastructure into account. Then the reality is that most enterprises are embarking on a hybrid cloud strategy and programs. In this Power Panel at 15th Cloud Expo (http://www.CloudComputingExpo.com), moderated by Ashar Baig, Research Director, Cloud, at Gigaom Research, Nate Gordon, Director of T...
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Nov. 21, 2014 03:00 PM EST Reads: 667
ARMONK, N.Y., Nov. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that it is bringing a greater level of control, security and flexibility to cloud-based application development and delivery with a single-tenant version of Bluemix, IBM's platform-as-a-service. The new platform enables developers to build ap...
Nov. 20, 2014 11:00 PM EST Reads: 1,474
Focused on this fast-growing market’s needs, Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation (Nasdaq: VTSS), a leading provider of IC solutions to advance "Ethernet Everywhere" in Carrier, Enterprise and Internet of Things (IoT) networks, introduced its IStaX™ software (VSC6815SDK), a robust protocol stack to simplify deployment and management of Industrial-IoT network applications such as Industrial Ethernet switching, surveillance, video distribution, LCD signage, intelligent sensors, and metering equipment. Leveraging technologies proven in the Carrier and Enterprise markets, IStaX is designed to work ac...
Nov. 20, 2014 09:15 PM EST Reads: 1,350
"There is a natural synchronization between the business models, the IoT is there to support ,” explained Brendan O'Brien, Co-founder and Chief Architect of Aria Systems, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at the 15th International Cloud Expo®, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Nov. 20, 2014 07:30 PM EST Reads: 1,563
C-Labs LLC, a leading provider of remote and mobile access for the Internet of Things (IoT), announced the appointment of John Traynor to the position of chief operating officer. Previously a strategic advisor to the firm, Mr. Traynor will now oversee sales, marketing, finance, and operations. Mr. Traynor is based out of the C-Labs office in Redmond, Washington. He reports to Chris Muench, Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Traynor brings valuable business leadership and technology industry expertise to C-Labs. With over 30 years' experience in the high-tech sector, John Traynor has held numerous...
Nov. 20, 2014 06:00 PM EST Reads: 1,278
Bit6 today issued a challenge to the technology community implementing Web Real Time Communication (WebRTC). To leap beyond WebRTC’s significant limitations and fully leverage its underlying value to accelerate innovation, application developers need to consider the entire communications ecosystem.
Nov. 20, 2014 04:45 PM EST Reads: 1,007
The 3rd International @ThingsExpo, co-located with the 16th International Cloud Expo - to be held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY - announces that it is now accepting Keynote Proposals. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the most profound change in personal and enterprise IT since the creation of the Worldwide Web more than 20 years ago. All major researchers estimate there will be tens of billions devices - computers, smartphones, tablets, and sensors - connected to the Internet by 2020. This number will continue to grow at a rapid pace for the next several decades.
Nov. 20, 2014 01:00 PM EST Reads: 1,701
The Internet of Things is not new. Historically, smart businesses have used its basic concept of leveraging data to drive better decision making and have capitalized on those insights to realize additional revenue opportunities. So, what has changed to make the Internet of Things one of the hottest topics in tech? In his session at @ThingsExpo, Chris Gray, Director, Embedded and Internet of Things, discussed the underlying factors that are driving the economics of intelligent systems. Discover how hardware commoditization, the ubiquitous nature of connectivity, and the emergence of Big Data a...
Nov. 20, 2014 12:30 PM EST Reads: 1,944
Almost everyone sees the potential of Internet of Things but how can businesses truly unlock that potential. The key will be in the ability to discover business insight in the midst of an ocean of Big Data generated from billions of embedded devices via Systems of Discover. Businesses will also need to ensure that they can sustain that insight by leveraging the cloud for global reach, scale and elasticity.
Nov. 18, 2014 09:00 PM EST Reads: 2,275
SYS-CON Events announced today that Windstream, a leading provider of advanced network and cloud communications, has been named “Silver Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 16th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 9–11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York, NY. Windstream (Nasdaq: WIN), a FORTUNE 500 and S&P 500 company, is a leading provider of advanced network communications, including cloud computing and managed services, to businesses nationwide. The company also offers broadband, phone and digital TV services to consumers primarily in rural areas.
Nov. 18, 2014 08:15 PM EST Reads: 1,688
SYS-CON Events announced today that IDenticard will exhibit at SYS-CON's 16th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. IDenticard™ is the security division of Brady Corp (NYSE: BRC), a $1.5 billion manufacturer of identification products. We have small-company values with the strength and stability of a major corporation. IDenticard offers local sales, support and service to our customers across the United States and Canada. Our partner network encompasses some 300 of the world's leading systems integrators and security s...
Nov. 18, 2014 08:15 PM EST Reads: 1,581
IoT is still a vague buzzword for many people. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Mike Kavis, Vice President & Principal Cloud Architect at Cloud Technology Partners, discussed the business value of IoT that goes far beyond the general public's perception that IoT is all about wearables and home consumer services. He also discussed how IoT is perceived by investors and how venture capitalist access this space. Other topics discussed were barriers to success, what is new, what is old, and what the future may hold. Mike Kavis is Vice President & Principal Cloud Architect at Cloud Technology Pa...
Nov. 18, 2014 01:30 PM EST Reads: 2,187
Cloud Expo 2014 TV commercials will feature @ThingsExpo, which was launched in June, 2014 at New York City's Javits Center as the largest 'Internet of Things' event in the world. The next @ThingsExpo will take place November 4-6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center, in Santa Clara, California. Since its launch in 2008, Cloud Expo TV commercials have been aired and CNBC, Fox News Network, and Bloomberg TV. Please enjoy our 2014 commercial.
Nov. 13, 2014 05:00 AM EST Reads: 3,634
From a software development perspective IoT is about programming "things," about connecting them with each other or integrating them with existing applications. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Yakov Fain, co-founder of Farata Systems and SuranceBay, will show you how small IoT-enabled devices from multiple manufacturers can be integrated into the workflow of an enterprise application. This is a practical demo of building a framework and components in HTML/Java/Mobile technologies to serve as a platform that can integrate new devices as they become available on the market.
Nov. 10, 2014 12:30 PM EST Reads: 2,781
The 3rd International Internet of @ThingsExpo, co-located with the 16th International Cloud Expo - to be held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY - announces that its Call for Papers is now open. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the biggest idea since the creation of the Worldwide Web more than 20 years ago.
Nov. 10, 2014 12:00 PM EST Reads: 6,138
Located in booth #314, the Bsquare team will present DataV demos and discuss how DataV will help customers put their data to work to improve business outcomes. DataV is unlocking new initiatives across a wide landscape of customers in industries such as industrial manufacturing, transportation, retail and mobile. The solution is designed to complement a new project start or help to enrich an existing machine investment.
Nov. 6, 2014 03:15 PM EST Reads: 2,435
The Physical Web incorporates beacons that can be put in any small retail store, for example, so that every store now has "an app" for its customers. In this Birds-of-a-Feather session at Internet of @ThingsExpo, Scott Jenson, Product Designer at Google, will discuss the Physical Web and how it is an open standard so any device can broadcast a URL wirelessly, so any phone/tablet/watch nearby can see, and rank those devices. When the user taps on one, they just go to that web page. It's really that simple. It's about thinking small, enabling micro-information (what is in my prescription bottle...
Nov. 3, 2014 05:00 PM EST Reads: 2,615
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Nov. 3, 2014 03:00 PM EST Reads: 3,586


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H3 Models released new 3D printed figures across several different scales.
New 3D printed figure of a WW2 German Waffen SS officer
H3 Models continues to release modern day Korean troops in both 1/35 and 1/16 scale.
H3 Models announced their new 3D printed release in 1/35 scale.
H3models announced US tank crew suitable for 1/48 scale US armor from WWII.
H3 Models has a new figure set in the company catalog. Check them out!
New figures of 1/35 Modern Bundeswehr Tank Crew
H3 Models has three new figures announced of German WWII Soldiers.


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Lara Croft faces female friendly makeover after poor sales in US bring profit warning from Eidos
Lara Croft is to get a makeover after the digital heroine’s waning popularity in the United States forced its publisher to admit that sales would fall about £20 million short of what had been hoped.
Eidos is considering revising the look and play of her Tomb Raider adventures, which may see efforts to make her more female-friendly, in an attempt to revive sales of games starring the pneumatic archaeologist.
Robert Brent, the chief financial officer of Eidos, said: “We need to look at everything, as we develop the next game. Look at how Batman changed succesfully, from the rather sad character of the Michael Keaton era to the noir style of The Dark Knight.”
Lara Croft’s latest adventure, Tomb Raider: Underworld sold 1.5 million


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CBDC is a digital or virtual currency but it is not comparable to the private virtual currencies or cryptocurrency that have proliferated over the past decade
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is implementing central bank digital currency (CBDC) in a phased manner for wholesale and retail segments, an official said on Wednesday.
The introduction of the CBDC was announced in the Union Budget 2022-23 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the necessary amendments to the relevant section of the RBI Act 1934 were made with the passage of the draft finance bill 2022, Ajay Kumar Choudhary, chief executive (Fintech), said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
The passage of the bill enabled the RBI to conduct a pilot project and the subsequent issuance of CBDCs, he said.
“The RBI is also working on the gradual implementation of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in the wholesale and retail segments,” Choudhary said during a keynote address at the “PICUP Fintech Conference & Awards ” of the FICCI.
CBDC is a digital or virtual currency, but it is not comparable to the private virtual currencies or cryptocurrency that have proliferated over the past decade. Private virtual currencies do not represent any person’s debt or liability because there is no issuer.
India’s official digital currency is expected to debut in early 2023, mirroring one of the currently available e-wallets run by private companies. The CBDC will be a state-backed digital currency.
Addressing the role of fintechs in the rapidly evolving digital payments space, the official said that the RBI has encouraged innovation and is closely monitoring the benefits and risks associated with innovative products and services offered by fintechs. .
As the adoption of fintech has accelerated in the country, the Reserve Bank issued guidelines for emerging areas such as payment banks in 2014, account aggregator in 2016, prepaid instruments in 2017 , peer-to-peer lending in 2017, bill discounting 2018 to facilitate the digital industry and facilitate the onboarding of consumers, individuals as well as KYC documentation, the official said.
He said the fintech has already made its mark in the digital payment space with the invention of UPI (unified payment interface) in the country.
Citing data, he said so far this year, India’s UPI transaction has seen the participation of 323 banks and recorded 5.9 billion monthly transactions worth more than 130 billion of dollars.
The revolution brought by the QR code and the interoperability features ensured that the fingertip banking phase came to fruition, the official said.
“I have also observed that most of the younger generations now avoid carrying a physical wallet as everything they need is in their mobile phones. The contribution of fintech to digital payment can also be observed through the use of prepaid payment instruments.
“Fintech companies are also transforming the very definition of banking and finance with their role played in the digital segment, through their innovative credit models using AI, ML tools…they are able to grant credit to customers who don’t have a credit history to get credit,” Choudhary said.
The RBI official said investment in the Indian fintech space has increased significantly.


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Stocks have been all over the place lately.
After a lot of volatility in August and September, the S&P 500 index recorded its best October in years. Now the question is whether stocks will gain even more momentum going into the holidays.
The S&P is up 0.7% so far this month.
It’s Thanksgiving this coming week followed by Black Friday, the official kickoff for holiday shopping.
The holidays often lead to a last-minute rally. The S&P 500 has gained an average of 3.7% in November and December in the last six years, according to Yardeni Research.
It’s what’s called a “Santa Claus rally” between Christmas and the New Year.
Shoppers aren’t dropping. They’re just more choosy
All eyes are on the American shopper. That’s because consumers are the main engine behind U.S. economic growth.
But overall, companies that depend on consumers are doing very well this year. The S&P 500’s consumer discretionary sector is up 12% so far this year, the best of any sector.
That’s because spending habits are changing, experts say.
They’re not shopping at the traditional department stores, but they’re spending online and on “innovative products,” said Lindsey Bell, senior analyst at S&P Capital IQ. She cites Nike (NKE)— which has been performing well — as an innovative company.
Amazon,(AMZN, Tech30) the world’s largest retailer, backs up Bell’s case too. Its stock has doubled in the past 12 months. Home improvement companies Home Depot (HD)and Lowe’s (LOW)are also performing well, sparked by an increase in big-ticket purchases by homeowners.
Bell said that even though she’s positive about holiday spending, the American consumer isn’t “freely spending” yet.
“The Great Recession is still fresh in the mind,” she said.
Christmas present from central banks?
December is a crucial month for investors.
The European Central Bank meets December 3 and it’s expected to pump more cash — called quantitative easing or QE — into the European economy while keeping European interest rates near zero. That’s expected to help European stocks the way the Fed’s bond buyback program boosted U.S. stocks for six years.
The U.S. Federal Reserve meets December 15-16 and it will decide whether to raise it’s key interest rate for the first time since 2006.
Although a rate hike sometimes causes short-term volatility in markets, raising rates off zero would provide certainty, experts say.
“The best present that the Fed can give the markets for the holidays is certainty,” said Steve Chiavarone, portfolio manager at Federated Investors. “The Fed moving in December is a positive development for the market.”
Chiavarone is confident that “Santa is coming” for markets, and forecasts that the S&P 500 will finish at about 2,200, which would be 5% from where the index currently stands at 2,087.


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China’s National Household Paper Industry Association has urged its companies to invest “rationally” in its annual assessment of the current status of the industry. TWM’s report highlights the main points, and weighs its projections against wider industry trends.
Just how its tissue industry has been impacted by three years of extreme challenges is made clear in the ‘China Tissue Pulse’ report by China’s National Household Paper Industry Association (CNHPIA). Last year was a challenge as businesses tackled residual effects of the pandemic as well as international crises, pulp prices, historical high energy costs, production disruption, poor logistics, and an over-reliance on imports.
Profit margins were significantly reduced and accelerated the industry reshuffle. Enterprises strove to break through with advanced technologies, new products, strengthened brands and marketing innovation. Fierce market competition and more new projects resulted in more “staged overcapacity” becoming increasingly serious.
In its assessment CNHPIA makes various calls for action, including: companies investing “rationally;’ government acting on tax and fee cuts; more green logistics channels; equipment enterprises to innovate and export; develop differentiated products; launch more energy-saving and carbon-reducing equipment and products and realise the collective development of the industry through production capacity cooperation and supply chain cooperation between enterprises. TWM presents a summary of the report’s main points.
Part One: 78 tissue machines put into operation across the country
According to the data of the National Household Paper Industry Association (CNHPIA), the total new capacity for the Chinese tissue market reached nearly 1.927 million tons in 2022. The new capacity is less than that of 2021 but already exceeds that of 2020 and 2019. A total of 36 companies in 16 provinces launched new capacity, while 78 tissue machines were put into operation in total. This compares to 2021, when 62 companies were reported launching new tissue capacity in 16 provinces in 2021 and 112 tissue machines were put into operation.
Domestic tissue machines dominated in the new capacity and were mainly concentrated in large and medium-sized enterprises. The new capacity is mainly located in Jiangsu, Guangxi and Hebei. The main projects of major companies include: Gold Hongye, C&S, Lee & Man, Liban and Botare.
Major projects of top enterprises:
Capacity investment plan of leading enterprise
In addition to the launched capacity, many new capacity expansion projects have been signed in 2022. The new capacity announced by top companies such as Hengan, Gold Hongye, C&S,Libang and Rain Forest and new companies to the industry such as Asia Symbol and Liansheng Paper that have signed up for tissue machines or have determined the tissue machine type totalled 2.785 million tpy.
Part Two: declining revenue capacity of industrial enterprises
Performance of listed companies (all figures for 2022):
Hengan: First half sales revenue of Hengan Group’s tissue paper business increased significantly by nearly 25% to about 5.843bn yuan, accounting for about 52.2% of the overall revenue. The gross profit margin of the group’s tissue business decreased to approximately 23.1%.
Vinda: First three quarters total revenue increased by 6.6% (8.8% at constant currency) to HK$14,055 million, of which HK$11,562m came from the tissue business.
C&S: First three quarters operating income (mainly tissue paper) was 6.114bn yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 2.56%, and the net profit attributable to shareholders of listed companies was 275m yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 43.33%. From the operating data in quarterly performance reports released by Hengan, Vinda and C&S, their gross margins or net profits declined. This reflects to a certain extent the impact of the huge increases in pulp prices, disruptions in production, poor logistics caused by Covid-19, and weak consumer market demand and increasing market competition.
Small and medium-sized enterprises also saw a declined. In 2022 the overall start-up rate of tissue enterprises in the region was less than 70%, and was as low as 40% to 50% in June to August. The manufacturing enterprises were generally in a staged loss, and slowed down the project investment. Here too, the sharp rise in pulp prices, price inversion of pulp and paper, and overcapacity have made the year very difficult. In Baoding, for example, where small and medium-size enterprises are most concentrated, 2022 saw an overall start-up rate of paper enterprises less than 70%, and was as low as 40% to 50% in June to August. The companies were generally in a staged loss and slowed down the project investments.
Part Three: changes in raw material and product prices
According to data from Chinese customs, the price of imported pulp was generally on the rise in 2022, and from August to September 2022 rose to an all-time high in nearly 10 years. The average price of imported bleached softwood pulp and hardwood pulp reached about USD 990/ton and USD 805/ton, respectively, a significant increase of 29.6% and 41.7% from the prices of about USD 764/ton and USD 568/ton in February 2022, the lowest value of the year.
Non-wood pulp prices rose substantially
Due to the increase in the price of imported market pulp, the overall price of bamboo pulp and bagasse pulp also continued to rise. The average price of bleached bamboo pulp in Sichuan and bleached bagasse pulp in Guangxi rose from 5,300 yuan/ton and 4,825 yuan/ton in January to 7,000 yuan/ton and 5,625 yuan/ton at the high point in October, up 32% and 17%, respectively. Tissue parent roll prices also rose. Bleached pulp tissue parent rolls produced in Hebei increased on average from 6,700 yuan/ton in January 2022 to 8,550 yuan/ton at the high point in October, up 27%, which is lower than the price increase of imported market pulp. The figures show the difficulty in passing rises in raw material price on to the end products. Business operations are under huge pressure, and zero profit and loss become common situation.
Part Four: product upgrade and innovation
Advances were concentrated in two production streams
The first developed differentiated products through new technologies and new equipment to improve the performance of products in use. For example, the launch of products with better bulkness through new tissue machine technology and converting machines. Mind Act Upon Mind launched the cloud series tissue, Vinda launched cashmere sensory series toilet roll, and Virjoy launched hot air through kitchen towels with the TAD technology.
Apply new technologies and equipment to improve product performance
Libang, Rain Forest, Golden Doctor and Botare have also launched newly upgraded 3D embossed tissue.
In addition, lotion tissue is also a relatively fast-growing product category in the past two years. In 2022, enterprises also continued to put emphasis on this product category and launched new products. For example: Mind Act Upon Mind, C&S, Hygienix, Babo launched soft lotion tissue, and so on.
The second aspect of product upgrade and innovation was the enhancement of cultural attributes and environmental protection concepts of products through brand marketing.
Brand positioning examples included:
◉ Vinda created a new IP “Lamb Weiwei”.
◉ C&S joined hands with people.cn to create a new IP of CHINA Face, and launched a co-branded Chinese New Year gift box with people.cn.
◉ Hengan launched a new Jimmy series of Mind Act Upon Mind handkerchief tissue.
◉ Breeze launched tissues under two new IP.
◉ Hulijia launched the CQ-show toucan series and the peony series tissue.
Additionally, Virjoy launched zero-carbon tissue, Breeze launched its first away from home zero-carbon jumbo roll tissue, and Babo launched the Ocean Protecting series handkerchief tissue.
Part Five: new equipment and technology
Imported high-end tissue machines were introduced into China to promote the upgrading of production capacity in the domestic market, the latest technology TAD technology included in that upgrade. Hengan introduced two more Valmet Hybrid tissue machines, mainly for the production of high-quality facial tissue and kitchen towels. Before that, Hengan had introduced two Toscotec TAD tissue machines, which are scheduled to be put into operation in 2023.
Vinda has successfully put four Valmet Hybrid tissue machines into operation to produce differentiated tissue products. At the same time, Andritz’s TEX TAD-like tissue machine and Toscotec’s INGENIA TAD-like tissue machine were also actively promoted.
Low-carbon equipment, automated equipment, and remote technology were also brought on stream:
◉ Qingliang launched the expert remote detection system.
◉ Hangzhou MCN improved the operating efficiency of headbox through an automation control system developed by the company.
◉ Toscotec introduced the inductive Steel Yankee Dryer that uses electrical induction instead of steam to dry paper, thereby reducing direct greenhouse gas emissions to zero.
Additionally, new converting machine technology in China includes:
◉ Baosuo launched the automatic draw-out facial tissue converting machine with the characteristics of energy saving, low consumption, high efficiency and low production costs.
◉ Dechangyu continued to work on embossing and printing solutions, and widened the use of its technology based on rich pattern design and technical solutions.
◉ One Paper launched the log saw cutter, which is capable of automatically measuring length and equalizing and suitable for plastic-pack facial tissue packaging, thereby greatly reducing waste.
◉ IMAKO launched the plastic-pack facial tissue converting line, which is capable of switching products sizes at will, and automatically packing and stacking with robots.
◉ OK Technology developed and launched the facial tissue folding line specially designed to use with TAD tissue machine for Hengan, and also started up several converting machines with the max width in China for production of plastic-pack facial tissue, handkerchief tissue and hand towel.
◉ In December OK Technology was successfully listed on the A-share market, becoming the first listed tissue paper converting machines manufacturer in China.
Part Six: import and export markets
Tissue paper imports and exports in the first three quarters of 2018 to 2022
At present, output and product types meet the needs of consumers, while exports dominate with imports at a low proportion in the domestic market. In recent years the annual import tissue paper volume was between 28,000 to 50,000 tons, a relatively small number and has little impact on the domestic market. The first three quarters of 2022 saw volume and value reduced year-on-year to about 24,300 tons. Parent roll dominated, accounting for 83.4%.
In the same period, export volume and export value showed double-digit growth. Volume was 564,400 tons, up 19.46% year-on-year, and value was about USD 1.389bn, up 31.66% year-on-year. Export volume of finished paper accounted for 76.72% of the total export volume of tissue paper products. The export value of finished paper accounted for 86.91% of the total export value, and the proportion showed an upward trend year by year.
Sector variations show: the proportion of toilet tissue is decreasing, the proportion of handkerchief tissue and facial tissue is increasing, and the export volume is 191,000 tons, which exceeded that of toilet tissue for the first time in nearly three years, indicating that the structure of exported tissue continued to develop towards high-end level.
Part Seven: release and implementation of relevant standards
Certain national standards and group standards were released or started to be implemented in 2022, as well as the standards under revision. Among them, the group standard “Products with Craftsmanship — Tissue Paper”, with the China National Pulp and Paper Research Institute (CNPPRI) taking the lead in drafting. The release of this standard has an important guiding significance in improving the quality of tissue products and meeting consumers’ demand for consumption upgrading.
Newly released national standards include:
◉ GB/T40358—2021 Toilet Tissue Paper and Hand Towel—Specification for the use of recycled fibre, Issued on August 20, 2021 and implemented on March 1, 2022
◉ GB/T 20808—2022 Facial Tissue, Issued on April 15, 2022 and implemented on May 1, 2023
◉ GB/T 24455—2022 Hand Towel, Issued on July 11, 2022 and implemented on August 1, 2023
◉ GB/T 26491—2022 Toilet Seat Paper, Issued on July 11, 2022 and implemented on August 1, 2023.
Newly released group standards include:
◉ T/CTAPI 002—2022 Products with Craftsmanship — Tissue Paper, Issued by China Paper Association on April 21, 2022 and implemented on May 1, 2022
◉ T/CDZX 002—2022 Soft Moisturizing Facial Tissue, Issued on March 5, 2022 and implemented on March 30, 2022
Newly released industry standards
◉ QB/T 57422—2022 Natural Colour Pulp, Issued on April 24, 2022 and implemented on October 2, 2022
Standards that are being revised
◉ Kitchen wipes.
Part Eight: action towards the “Dual Carbon” goal
In September 2020, China put forward the development strategy of “Dual-Carbon Target”, striving to reach the peak of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.
Tissue companies which have started to layout such developments include:
Hengan Group’s factories in many places have achieved solar energy in the whole plant, with an annual power generation of 2,000kWh and a carbon emission reduction of 8,688tpy. The steam, natural gas, water, electricity consumption per ton of paper is far lower than the industry average.
Hengan Group’s factories in many places have achieved solar energy in the whole plant, with an annual power generation of 2,000kWh and a carbon emissions reduction of 8,688tpy. The steam, natural gas, water and electricity of per tons of paper is far below the industry average.
All Gold Hongye Paper mills have currently obtained CFCC/PEFC forest certification. The company has taken the lead in launching zero-carbon tissue series and has been actively promoting the certification in green supply chain, green factory, and so on.
CNPPRI successfully organised the occupation training and occupational ability evaluation for carbon emission managers to promote green and low-carbon transformation development and help achieve the Dual-Carbon goal.
Part Nine: brand building and marketing channel innovation
Another development was the practice the National Strategy of “Increase Variety, Improve Quality and Innovate Brand”. CNPPRI actively built the brand cultivation service platform for the tissue paper and hygiene products industry, and carried out relevant work to evaluate “Products with Craftsmanship” in the industry.
Among them, products of Vinda, Breeze, C&S, Hygienix, Libang and Rain Forest listed in the first batch of “Products with Craftsmanship” in the industry.
◉ Compared with general products, products with craftsmanship are of superior quality, safer to use and better able to meet consumers’ needs for consumption upgrading.
Expansion of new marketing methods included:
◉ Mind Act Upon Mind made full use of resources on Douyin.
◉ Vinda and Meituan Youxuan created a super brand day and conducted cooperation on new product marketing with Global Leap.
◉ Breeze launched the “Green Breeze Discovery” consumer interactive activity.
◉ C&S launched a live online show in cooperation with Xinhua Net and Z-PIN.
Part Ten: current issues facing the industry – and thoughts
Co-ordinated actions needed to steer the industry through the challenges
In recent years China’s tissue paper capacity has been increasing at a faster pace. Although investment in new projects slowed down in 2022, the problem of staged overcapacity is becoming more serious. CNHPIA reports that this has been followed by a continuing decline in operating rate. It expects 2022 figures will also show a fall. It urges companies to invest “rationally.”
In its conclusions, the CNHPIA reports:
◉ Spiked raw material price and accelerated market competition.
◉ The market pulp used in China’s tissue paper industry is highly dependent on imports. Affected by the continued spread of global the Covid-19 pandemic and the international logistics, the price of imported pulp hit a new record high in 2022.
◉ At the same time, due to overcapacity in the industry, fierce market competition, and a decline in market consumption caused by Covid-19, it is difficult to raise the selling price of products, profit margins of tissue manufacturers are significantly reduced.
◉ Impact of Covid-19 outbreaks: in 2022, due to the pandemic outbreaks the operation of manufacturing enterprises was seriously affected, and production disrupted. At present, with the further adjustment of the prevention and control policy, the resumption of work and production of companies has been improved and the logistics in various regions is gradually being restored.
◉ The operating pressure of equipment suppliers has increased.
Due to the impact of Covid-19 and overcapacity, domestic tissue companies slowed down their investment in new projects, resulting in a decrease in the orders of tissue machines and converting machines.
◉ At the same time, the problems facing the international market include high shipping prices, difficulties in offline communication between equipment suppliers and customers, and difficulties in timely arrival of project service personnel, which made it difficult to carry out orders.
◉ Calls for government action.
In November 2022, China National Pulp and Paper Research Institute and CNHPIA actively reported the difficulties encountered by enterprises to relevant government departments and called for the introduction of tax and fee cuts, providing special loans and interest rate concessions, opening up green logistics channels, encouraging equipment enterprises to innovate and export. With the adjustment of pandemic prevention and control requirements and relevant policies, enterprises have gradually resumed their production and operation.
At the same time, the CNHPIA also suggests that enterprises in the industry actively research, innovate and develop differentiated products to enhance brand competitiveness and avoid price competition, launch more energy-saving and carbon-reducing equipment and products, and realise the collective development of the industry through production capacity cooperation and supply chain cooperation between enterprises.


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21 April 2017, 09:05 | Joan Schultz
Trump welcomes freed Egyptian-American charity worker at White House
President Trump welcomed an Egyptian-American charity worker freed after almost three years of detention in Egypt on Friday. Trump negotiated the release through what one unnamed senior White House official referred to as "discrete diplomacy".
Samsung sees strong demand for Galaxy S8 and S8+ phones
Also, Samsung will release the Exynos 8895 variant of the phones in India, which is underwhelming. Since then, the company has sold 728,000 units of the Galaxy S8 in just one week in the country.
Trump's budget chief says money for border wall a must
He expects legislation to include a 25% tax rate on profits USA corporations want to repatriate, but no border adjusted tax (BAT). On Monday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin acknowledged that getting a tax bill to the president by August is unrealistic.
Three Key Takeaways: Manchester City ease past Hull 3-1
Pep Guardiola's men completely controlled the game and won comfortably with Sergio Aguero and Delph adding to a first-half own goal from Ahmed Elmohamady.


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Not surprisingly, with the meteoric rise in the number of craft breweries over the past several years comes concerns about there being a craft beer bubble on the horizon. That was the subject of a recent article about San Diego’s craft beer scene in the San Diego Union Tribune.
San Diego County now has about 60 breweries with another 24 in planning. That’s a staggering number, especially for those of us hanging out in Montana. We may have the county’s 2nd most breweries per capita, but our 36 breweries are spread out all across the gigantic big sky of the 4th largest state. That’s land, not people.
The article includes this gem of a quote from the co-founder of Stone Brewing, San Diego County’s largest brewery:
“We are in a time of irrational exuberance in craft brewing,” said Greg Koch, co-founder and CEO of Stone Brewing. “We are like a Third World bus, with all these people hanging on to the roof. Sooner or later, we are going to hit a bump in the road.”
That makes sense to me in an area with 60 breweries and 24 more on the way. Limited tap and shelf space will forever make it a challenge to bring new products to the market. When that’s your primary means of generating revenue, you’d better either be darn good, darn unique, or darn connected.
Large, regional and national craft breweries still represent a small slice of the 2,100+ craft breweries in the U.S. and that’s probably going to stay the case. And as I write this sitting in a more rural part of Virginia, I’m reminded there are many pockets of the U.S. where the craft beer boom remains a novelty – nowhere near bubble status. Good craft taps remain the exception, not the norm, and the selection at most larger grocery stores resembles that of truck-stop convenience stores back in Montana.
That’s not a dig, just a comparison. Conversely, the area has two bottle shops with great selections, including beer from Idaho we can’t even get in Montana. (And breweries keep telling me Montana’s laws aren’t a hindrance to distributing in Montana? Uhh . . . .) Craft breweries are becoming more common and Virginia’s Devil’s Backbone took top honors at the recent Great American Beer Festival.
Is Montana approaching a bubble? Montana is definitely in the midst of a craft beer exuberance, but it hasn’t reached the irrational stage. The Montana Brewers Festival in October drew 2,400 beer fans to a fantastic collection of 70+ all-Montana brewed beers. As Ryan reported, there’s a fifth Missoula brewery seeking start-up funding. A second brewery is under construction in Butte (Butte Brewing Co). Columbia Falls’ Desert Mountain Brewing Co. is close to opening. While not all current breweries may survive, Montana has not reached a saturation point where each additional brewery has a significant cannibalistic effect. Some effect, yes, but that’s rational competition, not irrational exuberance.
Tell us, is there a craft beer bubble on your horizon?


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This story intrigues me, because we may soon see just how much influence the Chinese have around the world.
The story involves cotton and slaves.
Mentioning those two words together leads to leftists salivating. Because cotton and slaves invokes blacks. And Democrats love to use blacks when talking oppression.
While there is an entire campaign now to protect Asians, that “fake news” campaign will get tested.
I got this email from a friend who lives in China. He informed me that the Chinese government set the narrative that their cotton is not picked by slaves. But many American (and other) companies aren’t so sure.
From my friend:
Use Xinjiang cotton or your China business will be destroyed
Shares of Anta Sports Products Ltd and Li Ning Co surged, while shares in Adidas, Inditex and H&M fell on Thursday.
State tabloid Global Times said Spain’s Inditex, owner of Zara, had “quietly removed” a statement on Xinjiang from its English and Spanish-language websites.
An Inditex webpage stating that the company was highly concerned about reports alleging social and labor malpractice in various supply chains among ethnic Uighurs in Xinjiang was live on March 24, a Google cache showed, but now appears to be unavailable.
“The Ministry of Commerce responded to H&M’s boycott of Xinjiang cotton: hoping they will correct wrong practices and avoid politicization of business issues”
Gao Feng, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, responded at a regular press conference on March 25 that the so-called “forced labor” in Xinjiang, China, is completely illusory. And the pure white and flawless Xinjiang cotton cannot be smeared by any forces.
American apparel brand Gap Inc. confirmed in a statement on its website that it does not source any garments from Xinjiang. “At Gap Inc., we have strict policies against the use of involuntary labor of any kind in our supply chain,” it said…
New Balance previously said on its Canadian website that it did not have any manufacturers of finished products or key material suppliers in Xinjiang. As of Thursday, that statement was no longer accessible.
A battle of the titans brews. Only, America under Biden is no longer a titan. Many people believe that Biden is completely controlled by the Chinese.
Still, my friend provided more information on this “human rights” issue that Biden will undoubtedly ignore:
Ryohin Keikaku, the company that operates Muji, has conducted due diligence on all companies in Xinjiang that are involved in its supply chain, a company spokesperson told Nikkei Asia. The investigation was done by an independent auditing body, based on the Xinjiang Supply Chain Business Advisory from the U.S. government and other guidance issued by institutions and governments such as the OECD.
Internet giant Tencent Holdings has removed two Burberry-designed “skins”, outfits worn by video game characters, from its popular title Honour of Kings on the grounds that the British fashion house refuses to buy cotton produced in the Xinjiang region – a move that signals China’s wider consumer boycott of foreign brands, from H&M to Nike.
The action, announced on Thursday by Tencent’s [Honor] of Kings team in a post on microblogging platform Weibo, was taken days after the Shenzhen-based company unveiled a deal with Burberry to promote its outfits in online games. The team did not give a reason for the move.
Tencent’s decision, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter, was related to Burberry’s position on Xinjiang-produced cotton as a member of the Better Cotton Initiative.
For those unfamiliar with Chinese companies, the CEO is not the head of the company.
A person called the “Party Secretary” runs companies. And the Chinese government arbitrarily takes ownership percentages of companies in China, akin to Mafiosos in America.
So there is no question as to how the Chinese economy will react to those who won’t use slave cotton. The question is will Biden provide safe haven for companies who refuse the demands of China? We all know the answer to this.
Who knew that cotton has the potential to bring down racist Democrats. Ironically, cotton may expose just how little Leftists care about slaves. Further, cotton proves just how much in control China really is of Joey Demento.


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MySpace Announce "Self-Serve" Advertising Network
MySpace will announce on Monday plans to introduce a new advertising platform, “SelfServe by MySpace” to people who want to advertise across the MySpace network to MySpace users.
SelfServe by MySpace will allow users to directly create and analyze the performance of adverts purchased throughout the MySpace network, in a similar way to Google Adwords. MySpace will be the first of the big social networking sites to announce an advertising product such as this, with Facebook said to be announcing a similar service Tuesday.
MySpace will also announce the completion of the first phase of another new advertising platform, “HyperTargeting by MySpace” which allows marketers to buy advertising targeted to specific interest-based segments of the MySpace audience. The service first launched in July and has around 50 advertisers using the service including Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, Ford and Taco Bell.


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NEW YORK -- Infiniti is extending the expressive, confident styling of its recent QX50 concept and Q60 coupe to its full-size QX80 SUV.
The QX80 Monograph concept, the latest in the luxury line’s efforts to make its cars and utility vehicles bolder and racier, aims to show what Nissan Motor Co.’s newly promoted design chief Alfonso Albaisa called “powerful elegance.”
The design exercise was revealed here Tuesday to journalists on the eve of the New York auto show.
“The QX80 Monograph is an exploration of how we plan to take a step forward in the large SUV segment,” Francois Bancon, Infiniti’s vice president for global product strategy, said in a statement.
The QX80 is a key piece of the brand’s sales volume, providing a rich transaction price but also drawing a younger, high-end clientele than a typical full-size premium SUV normally attracts, according to the company.
In the U.S., Infiniti sold 5,355 QX80s in the first three months of the year, a 32 percent increase from the same period in 2016. The vehicle was last redesigned for the 2011 model year, when Nissan began producing it off its global -- but non-U.S. -- Nissan Patrol platform.
Albaisa, the head of Infiniti design before his promotion last month, said in a statement that Infiniti sought out customers’ opinions on what a luxury SUV should communicate for the styling.
The Monograph’s double arch grille is taller and wider than the current model’s and features a more noticeable and deeper mesh, according to Albaisa.
The design incorporates a blacked-out A-pillar that is flush with the side windows and windshield and a crescent D-pillar that is cut sharper than on the current model. A body line runs from the grille to the rear of the vehicle.


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All category news
UPDATE 3-Gunmen abduct 8 more girls in northeast Nigeria - police
Tue May 6, 2014 6:00pm GMT MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, May 6 (Reuters) - Suspected Boko Haram gunmen kidnapped eight girls from a village near one of the Islamists' strongholds in northeastern Nigeria overnight, police and residents said on Tuesday.
Missing cat spotted… next to its own missing cat poster
THIS cat has proved that lost items always turn up in the most obvious of places. Perched calmly on a window-sill, the feline was spotted gazing out of a window right next to a poster, which included an image of a suspiciously similar-looking pet, underneath the title 'MISSING'.
Belfiore Reveals File Manager App for Windows Phone 8.1 Coming in May
Joe Belfiore, Microsoft's Vice President of Windows and Windows Phone user experience, confirmed the existence of File Manager app when the question was asked during a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Friday. " *** YES *** We are doing a File Manager for WP8.1! I know a LOT of you are looking for this (thanks for the tweets, I've read them all). In fact, I've been running
Safe downloads and expert advice
Corporate vice president and manager for Windows Phone, Joe Belfiore announced on Reddit that a File Manager app is on its way for Windows Phone. Known... Corporate vice president and manager for Windows Phone, Joe Belfiore announced on Reddit that a File Manager app is on its way for Windows Phone. The app will allow you to view and manage files. You'll
Council defends dog poo calender
A council has defended featuring pictures of dog poo in its calendar as a ‘necessary part of its campaign against anti-social behaviour’. Richmondshire DC said it had not wished to cause offence in its choice of images for May, June and November after 78-year-old resident Anne Simpson complained. Ms Simpson told her local paper: ‘A colourful picture
Galaxy S5's Health App Review
In a step toward wellness, Samsung's latest phone, the Galaxy S5, comes with a built-in heart rate monitor and an installed personal wellness app called S Health to help users keep track of their health and fitness measures. The S Health app has a simple, intuitive design, and covers many aspects of wellness — it includes a nutrition diary and a pedometer
Bodice Rippers Contribute to 13% Fall in Sina Shares
According to an announcement posted on the website of China’s National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications, the Chinese government will revoke two of Sina’s online publication and distribution licenses after finding 20 “lewd” works of literature and four “sexual” videos on Sina-owned websites. The announcement, which also said that Sina would
Norfolk manufacturer launches "world's fastest" diesel sports car
Last updated Tue 29 Apr 2014 A Norfolk-based sports car manufacturer will today launch what it claims is the world's fastest and most efficient diesel sports car. It can reach a top speed of more than 190 miles per hour and it can drive for 2000 miles on a single tank of bio-diesel.
Mercedes recalls over 284,000 cars to fix lights
DETROIT (AP) - Mercedes-Benz is recalling more than 284,000 C-Class cars in the U.S. and Canada because the rear lights can fail. The recall affects some C300, C350 and C63 AMG cars from the 2008 through 2011 model years. Corrosion on a connector can cause the tail, brake or rear turn signal lights to dim or fail. That can make the cars less visible
Hitachi unveils continuous cloud infrastructure for business optimization
Hitachi Data Systems Corporation (HDS) has announced new technology that promises to revolutionize cloud infrastructure and accelerate customer success with business-defined IT. Hitachi unveiled what they call ‘Continuous Cloud Infrastructure’, essentially bridging the gap between a company’s business and technology objectives that requires a more responsive


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The Biden administration's electric vehicle…
The U.S. is considering the…
The next revision of Europe’s Russian sanctions could be coming as soon as next week, although the measures won’t be as strong as originally intended, people familiar with the negotiations told Reuters.
The European Commission had plans to tighten up the loopholes in the existing sanctions, and put out its proposal last month. The members of the coalition were expected to be signed off on sometime between May 19 and 21, but the proposal to beef up sanctions against Russia wasn’t without dissension, prompting additional negotiations and revisions to the proposal.
The proposal to upgrade the sanctions, as originally designed, was to be tougher across several areas, including targeting third countries that are not going far enough to make sure Russia is following existing sanctions. The measures would have been a deterrent to countries who were either assisting Russia with its sanctions-busting trade, or even who were turning a blind eye to Russia’s skirting of the sanctions. The targets would have seen restrictions on exports of key goods. But the revised sanctions watered this measure down, opting to hold companies and not countries responsible, Reuters sources suggested.
Other measures in the proposal included trade restrictions for Chinese firms that have allegedly shipped banned goods to Russia, banning goods from traveling through Russia, and halting Russia’s oil flows through the northern part of the Druzhba pipeline.
Reuters sources said that the EU Commission is looking to have member states sign off on the revised proposal as early as next week.
Europe has found itself the subject of criticism over its Russian sanctions, which some have argued have too many loopholes for Russia to wander through as it attempts to continue its oil and gas trade regardless of the actions taken against it.
By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Julianne Geiger is a veteran editor, writer and researcher for Oilprice.com, and a member of the Creative Professionals Networking Group.


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Workers of Indian BPOs, unite?
Trade unions are not new for India. However, the IT and BPO sectors are so far devoid of unions and trade unions are keen to organize those working in these sectors. Should Indian BPOs have trade unions? Pratima Harigunani moderates the discussion.
Leading trade unions in the country are now mulling the direct membership route to entice BPO employees into their folds.
Managements have understandably given a deaf ear to the union rhetoric so far and hence the direct enlisting stratagem is on the cards now. The impregnable BPO fortress hasn't yet lost its lure for trade unions, notwithstanding the fact that many recent efforts by a formidable union to garner employee memberships ended in a damp squib.
So, why are they not letting the BPOs just be?


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As Coronavirus continues to influence many aspects of our daily lives, there’s one thing we can say for certain. Every industry has had to adapt to the unprecedented situation presented this year, or risk losing significant revenue and custom.
In retail, brands have seen consumers shift the majority of their purchasing habits online, with ecommerce spend skyrocketing. In fact, ONS retail data from July 2020 revealed that online sales were 50.4% higher than they were in February, before the pandemic hit the UK
Even before the pandemic, falling high street sales and increased online competition meant that some retailers were already struggling. COVID has amplified this situation tenfold. But the changes retailers have made to their operations to best respond to these challenging circumstances may also inadvertently be storing up problems for this year’s Christmas peak. Unless they flex again, they may find this year’s Golden Quarter a more challenging one than it needs to be.
Thanks to the rise in ecommerce activity, the physical capacity at many distribution centres is already stretched, with facilities operating at maximum capacity as a result of the pandemic, with little additional space to cater to the higher volumes of Black Friday and Christmas. This could be a very problematic stumbling block. And this year there is likely to be extra pressure on the Christmas period, as people seek to make up for a difficult year and indulge in festive fun (even if purse strings are tightened).
Any disappointments from retailers in this heightened context will be disastrous for their reputation and customer loyalty, so it’s important to realise the retail landscape won’t ‘return to normal’ in time for the Golden Quarter. They must therefore act quickly — in partnership with their logistics providers — to build additional capacity in their distribution network.
With local lockdowns continuing to be imposed and the immediate future uncertain, it’s vital that retailers unlock the full potential of their local high-street stores. Leveraging these as local or micro-distribution centres will alleviate the increased pressure on retail operations (and mounting rent costs) and help them achieve business continuity.
While switching on physical stores as local-level distribution centres is not always a straightforward proposition — especially for those who do not already have click and collect options in place — there are a number of clear-cut benefits to doing this and some unique issues this year that make this more appealing.
Firstly, it’s a simple fact that at a time when demand for online shopping is so high, the old model of shipping from a handful of strategically placed distribution centers isn’t agile enough to meet customer demands. While a retailer may have a number of strategically placed distribution centres across the country, these will likely not be as widely dispersed as their brick and mortar stores.
By enhancing local high-street stores as micro fulfilment centres, retailers can bring distribution closer to the consumer. This is an extremely cost-effective way of expanding their distribution capacity as it utilises existing facilities that are already close to where their customers live — creating more responsive fulfilment and increasing satisfaction and loyalty for shoppers.
With many high-street stores having been closed or receiving dramatically reduced footfall this summer, a significant amount of retail stock or excess product is currently at the wrong location — with finite capacity at main distribution centres to change this. By shipping items from in-store, retailers can prevent their inventory from stockpiling, thus limiting excess stock taking up storage space when it’s needed most.
It’s not just delivery-from-store that will help, however. Considering the wider breadth of fulfilment options on offer — such as longer delivery times for less crucial items and click and collect from both store and elsewhere — will help retailers manage demand and flow this peak period.
It’s been a difficult year for retailers. But with Christmas 2020 just around the corner, they will need to think wisely and strategically, and take action now to get operations set up for peak. Maintaining flexibility of logistics is essential for retailers to limit the disruption to their services — even if this means adopting new options and ways of working. The investment will be well worth it.
Nic Pentelow, Director of Retail at leading same day distribution business CitySprint


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With gut friendly foods continuing to strike a chord with consumers, we take a look at the health benefits they can unlock - from immunity to sleep and stress - and ask how this will support category growth.
Knowledge about the relationship between the gut, the gut microbiome, and overall health is moving at a rapid clip. Healthy gut equals healthy body, right? So what’s the best diet for gut health? What kind of products, ingredients and formats might meet...
All of Kellogg’s 50+ factories around the world have been hit by supply shortages due to a range of disruptions, from a 10-day pandemic lockdown in Malaysia to civil unrest in South Africa, CEO Steve Cahillane told analysts on a conference call.
A survey of over 2,000 consumers in the UK has revealed that while they tend to have a very low awareness and knowledge of GE food, the more informed they are, the more accepting of GE food they become.
Griffith Foods has agreed to acquire UK ingredient supplier The Flavourworks in a move that European chief Wim van Roekel tells us is ‘a fantastic fit’ as the group works to double its sales and triple its bottom line.