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Honda 2018 Production Results Show Rise in U.S. Auto Production
- U.S. auto production rose 2.7 percent to 1.24 million cars and light trucks
- Increased flexibility helps U.S. plants achieve record light-truck production
- U.S. production of electrified vehicles hit new high with the Honda Insight and Accord
- Continued investments in new automobile, power equipment and powersports products
- Honda marks 40 years of U.S. manufacturing in 2019
Honda finished 2018 with production of 1,820,779 automobiles in North America, which included a 2.7 percent increase in U.S. automobile production of 1,240,487 Honda and Acura cars and light trucks. As a result, the company's 2018 U.S. auto sales were 91.9 percent North America-made, with U.S.-made vehicles representing nearly two-thirds (64.6 percent) of U.S. sales.
Honda U.S. automobile production in 2018 included:
- Record production of 763,918 light trucks in Alabama, Ohio and Indiana
- Record production of 31,366 electrified vehicles in Ohio and Indiana
- Powertrain production of 1.43 million automobile engines in Ohio and Alabama
and 1.18 million automobile transmissions in Ohio and Georgia
Honda also manufactures powersports, power equipment and aviation products in the U.S., with 2018 production including:
- 123,000 Honda all-terrain vehicles (ATV) and side-by-sides in South Carolina
- 535,000 Honda power equipment products and 1,690,045 million general purpose engines in North Carolina
- Honda Aircraft Co. began production of the HondaJet Elite, powered by GE Honda turbofan engines, both manufactured in North Carolina
Total North American auto production fell 1.7 percent as the Celaya, Mexico plant lost four months of production while recovering from flooding that struck on June 28. Production at Honda's two auto plants in Canada rose 0.6 percent to 432,771 vehicles for the year.
Record U.S. Production of Electrified Vehicles
The introduction of the new Indiana-made Insight hybrid sedan, along with the Ohio-made Accord Hybrid, Acura MDX Sport Hybrid and Acura NSX, led Honda to a new record for U.S. electrified vehicle sales in 2018, up 89 percent from the previous year to 52,880 hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell vehicles. This included significant innovations for production of electrified vehicles and powertrain components, including $61.5 million in Indiana and Honda's Russells Point, Ohio transmission plant for the production of the all-new Insight and its hybrid power unit. This marks the first time Honda has manufactured key components of its innovative two-motor hybrid power unit in America. In addition, the hybrid battery packs for both Insight and Accord are assembled at the Marysville Auto Plant.
Production Flexibility Leads to Record U.S. Light Truck Production
Honda has also leveraged its flexible manufacturing capacity to shift its production mix toward SUVs to achieve record production of light trucks in America. Last summer, the company added production of CR-V to its Marysville, Ohio plant, the fourth plant in North America to build CR-V, which helped CR-V to a second straight record year and an all-time best month in December 2018. Prior to that, in late 2017, the company completed the transfer of Acura MDX from Alabama to Ohio, which resulted in increased supplies of Pilot from the Alabama plant, helping boost U.S. sales of Pilot by 25 percent in 2018.
Acura Production in Ohio
With the transfer of Acura MDX production to the East Liberty Auto Plant, the company has now consolidated U.S. production of Acura vehicles in its three Ohio auto plants – the Marysville Auto Plant (TLX and ILX), the East Liberty Auto Plant (RDX and MDX), and the Performance Manufacturing Center (NSX) in Marysville. In 2018, five of six Acura models were made in America, comprising 99 percent of Acura's U.S. sales. Moreover, Acura's newest Ohio-made vehicle, the 2019 RDX, has enjoyed tremendous early success with seven consecutive record sales months (June-December).
New Investments and New Products
Honda completed more than $174 million in expansion and innovation activities at its U.S. plants in 2018, totaling $5.9 billion new capital investments in Honda's U.S. production operations undertaken over the past five years.
In addition to the $65 million invested in U.S. electrified vehicle and powertrain production, new U.S. production investments in 2018 included $54 million in the company's East Liberty, Ohio auto plant for production of the new Acura RDX, a $10.5 million expansion of the Swepsonville, North Carolina power equipment plant, and a $45 million expansion of the Timmonsville, South Carolina powersports plant, including 250 new jobs, to support increased production of Honda ATVs and side-by-sides.
Honda also has begun production of two new U.S.-made products slated for launch early in 2019. The 2019 Honda Passport SUV, going on sale early this year, went into production in December 2018 at the company's Lincoln, Alabama plant alongside the Honda Pilot SUV, Odyssey minivan and Ridgeline pickup. As a key new addition to its growing side-by-side lineup, the company's Timmonsville, South Carolina plant began production of the all-new Talon sport side-by-side, launching this spring.
40 Years of Honda Manufacturing in North America
Honda will mark its 40th anniversary of manufacturing products in America in Sept. 2019. Honda was the first Japanese automaker to produce products in America in 1979, followed by the start of automobile production in Marysville, Ohio, on Nov. 1, 1982.
Over the course of four decades, Honda has steadily grown its manufacturing capabilities in the region. Honda now employs more than 25,000 associates at 19 plants in North America with the capacity to produce more than 1.92 million automobiles, three million engines, 400,000 power equipment products and 330,000 powersports products each year, using domestic and globally sourced parts. In 2018, more than 90 percent of all Honda and Acura automobiles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, and nearly two-thirds were made in the U.S., using domestic and globally sourced parts.
Honda also manufactures the HondaJet advanced light jet and GE Honda HF120 turbofan engines in America. Cumulatively, Honda has invested more than $22 billion in its North American manufacturing capabilities, including more than $5.9 billion over the past five years. The company also works with more than 650 original equipment suppliers in North America with cumulative parts purchases exceeding $415 billion over 35 years.
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A Sydney egg producer has been outed for wrongly labelling 38,000 dozen eggs as free-range.
Glensung Pty Ltd, trading as Paul Galea and Son Egg Farm in western Sydney, has been fined $4620 for falsely labelling barn-laid eggs as free-range, Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson says.
The company, which has already been issued with three notices, will also be added to the NSW Food Authority's name and shame register.
The register, on the Food Authority website, lists all prosecutions and enforcement notices.
"We have the capacity to ensure that eggs are correctly labelled in line with the national requirements and fines will be issued," Ms Hodgkinson said in a statement.
Under the national model code "free-range" requires hens to have easy access to an outdoor area to roam, while barn-laid eggs are from chickens that are confined in a shed.
But Greens MP John Kaye says the national model code is not legally binding and until there is a legal definition of "free-range", consumers will continue to be misled.
"Yet another egg producer has been caught selling eggs as free-range when the chickens that laid them are clearly not able to enjoy generous amounts of outdoor space," he said in a statement.
"This is just one more piece of evidence that the standards are in a mess."
© AAP 2018

domain: news


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It’s huge news: Google and Motorola, joining forces to take over the mobile world. Okay, okay, it was also for the patents; there’s no denying the fact that any mobile company needs to have a good patent shield, thanks to our lovely, broken patent system. Back a number of weeks ago, we saw a huge bidding war over Nortel, mainly for their patent portfolio.Google threw their hat in the ring briefly, only to be almost immediately outbid by Apple. No shock there; what was surprising, however, was the fact that Google seemed to be going after these patents with minimal vigor. Why? I think our answer came today.
Google was, most likely, already in talks with Motorola on the merger we saw come to fruition today. Why on earth would Google want to spend precious time and effort going after a company that every mobile player in the industry was after, when they could quietly knock on Motorola’s back door and come in for tea? Everyone else was across the street, prying for the attention of the Nortel case; nobody even saw Google slip away.
With the patent wars heating up, this was, ultimately a smart move for Google. Not only does this gain them the patent portfolio of the company that gave Android one of the boosts it needed with their wildly popular Droid line, but it gives them exclusive access to a manufacturer, which has been the big thing missing from Google’s repertoire. There’s one thing this writer knows for sure: he’s excited to see what comes of the merger. Motorola’s days of locked bootloaders and anti-development (as of late) will more than likely be coming to an end, and there’s some really cool stuff on the horizon. We’ll just have to wait for sunrise to see what it is.
Last week in Germany, Apple was successful in getting a preliminary injunction on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 for most of Europe, excluding the Netherlands. Samsung wasn’t able to defend themselves and the injunction was granted based on community design (the products look similar). Samsung gets their chance to defend themselves on August 25th.
I am not going to come out and say Apple tampered with evidence, but there is an interesting development that needs to be noted.
A Dutch website called Webwereld compared images (above) of the court documents and found that the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 was shown as having an aspect ratio of 1:36. It actually has an aspect of 1:46, while the iPad is 1:30. You will also notice that the Samsung logo was removed and the image is of the app drawer and not the normal homescreen.
I am no fan of Apple, but I find it hard to believe they would attempt to do this. Forget the pictures, I am sure the physical devices were (or will be) presented to the court. There is no way Apple could alter the physical devices. I just don’t think that Apple could be that naive to think that Samsung would not catch this. Trust me when I say that I hope I am wrong.
We recently reported about Motorola and their large patent portfolio. Some even thought that Motorola would use them to hurt other Android manufacturers, which we now know was never going to be the case because Google is going to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion or a 63% premium over Friday’s closing price.
Google takes care of two major things with this purchase. They picked up a slew of patents that could finally slowdown Apple and Microsoft from their cowardly attacks, and they now have a true manufacturing partner to take Android to “infinity and beyond” as Buzz Lightyear would say.
In case you are nervous that Android will be closed off to other manufacturers, that won’t be the case. Android will remain open, and Motorola will continue to run as a separate business.
Wired.com has learned that Google has intervened in an ongoing intellectual property dispute between Android smartphone application developers and East Texas based patent-holding firm Lodsys. This marks the first public move by the Mountain View Company to defend Android programmers from a patent troll lawsuit that’s cast a cloud over the community.
Google says it filed a request with the United States Patent and Trademark office Friday for reexamination of two patents asserted by Lodsys. The request by Google calls for the USPTO to assess whether or not the patents’ claims are valid.
“We’ve asked the US Patent Office to reexamine two Lodsys patents that we believe should never have been issued,” Google senior vice president and general counsel Kent Walker told Wired.com in a statement. “Developers play a critical part in the Android ecosystem and Google will continue to support them.”
Lodsys is currently suing 11 smartphone app developers for allegedly impending on patents U.S. 7,222,078 and 7,620,565. Lodsys claims its patents cover the use of in-app payments technology, which allows users to carry out transactions within the context of an application itself. This technology is used by countless app developers in their applications.
Well, that was quick. With the recent injunction granted by a German court to halt all Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales in Europe, the hearing was moved up to August 25th after initially thought to be on September 15th. Samsung hopes to fight the ban and remain on target to sell its popular tablet despite Apple’s effort to squash that plan. Stay tuned to Talk Android as we follow up on the hearing which is expected to turn over a verdict a few weeks following that date. Feel free to leave your thoughts and rants in the comments below.
We know that Amazon will be launching a tablet or tablets soon, and most analysts are predicting that they will have the best chance at putting a dent into Apple’s dominance with the iPad.
How do they plan on doing it? Well their name for starters, but lets be serious, if you want to come out with a splash then you severely undercut your competition with price. Creative Strategies analyst Tim Bajarin thinks the Amazon tablet will cost $300, but they will discount the price to $249 with the hopes of getting their money back with sales from the Amazon app store. It is expected that they could recoup the loss from each tablet within 6 months and make a profit of 10 to 30 percent per tablet over the next 18 months.
Not only would this effect Apple, but it would also affect all Android manufacturers. Pricing like this make sense because I am still asking myself why anyone needs to pay $400 to $600 for a tablet that gives you nothing more than a smartphone except for screen size.
I have already predicted that Android will own the tablet market share by March 2012. If Amazon decides to go with this lower price, it may happen by the end of 2011.
Are you guys ready to jump on board with Amazon if they come in at $249?
Ladies and gentlemen, the figures are in from Gartner and Android is looking good. The numbers list a little over 107 million smartphones sold with Android being at 43.4% of those sales. Take note that these figures are the number of devices actually sold to end users. Reflecting on our very own Andrew Greenfield’s article, I too want to see Apple once again fade away into the sunset. Go ahead and boast about being the worlds largest smartphone manufacture, Apple. Keep it up Google!
Out of this list I’m sad to see Nokia dying off slowly as they were the company to first open my eyes to the smartphone world. I’d love to see them make a comeback with Android loaded phones. I highly doubt that will happen, but one can dream.
Microsoft hits 1.6% with their Windows Phone 7 being on the market less than a year. While this is closely trending what Android had done, it doesn’t paint a clear picture for their future. Motorola’s mobile devices have always disappointed me. I gave them an honest shot with the Motorola Q, but that device was quickly returned. Working daily with Motorola’s MC-70 handheld computer probably helped put that bad taste in my mouth as well which is loaded with the Windows Mobile platform.
We already reported that Apple succeeded in getting the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 blocked from most of Europe. The exception was the Netherlands, and the proceedings came to a close today. Apple presented market research that 80% of respondents felt that the iPad and Galaxy Tab 10.1 were “identical” or at least “similar in general impression.” Apple also alleged infringement from the Galaxy S and Galaxy Ace. Samsung argued that Apple’s arguments were so vague that any digital photo frame would be an infringement.
The judge seemed amused at the arguments and called the legal representatives “terriers.” He finished by saying a ruling would come down on September 15th, and if an injunction were to come, it would be October 13th. If you are in the Netherlands and you are thinking about getting a Galaxy Tab 10.1, you have at least 63 days to save up your money.
Alright, raise your hand if you were surprised when Apple sued Motorola for their XOOM tablet. No one? You know why no one is surprised? This is becoming a common Apple product. Apple doesn’t seem content with suing Samsung, their (more than likely) biggest tablet competitor. Now that they’ve won that battle, they’ve moved onto Motorola for their XOOM. It’s like I called Apple’s success against Samsung being used as a precedent in other cases. Oh wait, I did. We just reported that Apple has filed a complaint against Motorola in Europe for its XOOM tablet. You know what this means? Apple is officially a patent troll.
Earlier today we reported that Apple got a preliminary injunction against Samsung from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 across Europe. Well prior to or simultaneously with the motion for this injunction, Apple filed a complaint with the same court over the design of the Motorola XOOM.
There is a passage within the Samsung complaint that mentions Motorola and a local German company called JAY-tech. The passage says that Apple filed a complaint with Motorola, but doesn’t state whether they requested a preliminary injunction or not. It is possible that they asked for a permanent injunction instead.


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A worker strike could lead to beer shortages in the new year. Workers that supply Heineken beer have been advocating for higher wages and accurate paychecks.
GXO Logistics manages supply chains and warehousing for the popular beer brand. After the company started using a new payroll system, union leaders say that at least 1,700 workers haven’t been paid correctly. This has been going on for nine months. Their pay and overtime work has been inconsistent because of the new system.
In 2022, GXO Logistics plans to supply drinks to 20,000 clubs, restaurants, and pubs. If their workers go on strike, this would cause a huge disruption in beer availability. The majority of union workers have already backed plans to go on strike. They’ll do an official full vote next month. The workers have no issue going on strike. In August of 2021, workers organized a walk-out after being offered a 1.4% raise. The walk-out was called off after the company increased the pay raise to 4%. To keep up with inflation, workers needed at least a 3.9% raise.
The Worker Shortage Is Affecting Most Industries
2021 has really felt like a snowball year. Inflation, supply and demand issues, and lack of workers all go hand in hand. It’s a vicious cycle that we can’t seem to shake. For one restaurant owner in Harrisonburg, Virginia, finding employees that stay has been a struggle. Mikey Reisenberg owns a Korean restaurant in Harrisonburg. In 2021 alone, he’s had 22 employees flake early on in the hiring process. They’ve all left during different times, of course, but most of them didn’t even stay long enough to really try the job out.
Reisenberg said that people have missed interviews, not shown up for their first shift, and quit during their first day on the job. From a business owner’s point of view, this seeming disinterest in work is frustrating. It’s easy to see how owners and managers can feel like people don’t want to work anymore. The bare minimum would be to show up to the job interview at least, right?
However, it’s a two-sided argument. Both sides play into each other. There has to be a way for businesses and workers to get on the same page. While businesses might believe that some people don’t want to work, the workers might think they’re being taken advantage of. We’ve had record inflation this year in all things. Plus, supply and demand issues put an additional strain on everyone. In light of all that, workers think they should be getting paid more, have more flexible hours, and receive benefits.
All fields are struggling, but the service industry is facing the biggest shortage of workers. Reisenberg says that it’s the #1 topic that business owners talk about when they’re together. There doesn’t seem to be a good resolution that doesn’t involve a little bit of risk and trust on both sides.


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Lime peels aren’t typically the stuff of epiphanies, but they sparked a big idea for Iain Griffiths and Kelsey Ramage. The London-based bartenders met while working at Dandelyan, the cocktail bar at the Mondrian London at Sea Containers. “After juicing citrus for just one evening, we turned around and saw the bin—it was filled with lime husks,” says Ramage. The unassuming peels triggered the aha moment that has since fueled a “Trash Tiki” pop-up concept and a world tour.
“We realized that there’s as much fresh-material waste as glass and packaging waste at bars,” Griffiths says. “We felt we really could do something about the fresh waste.” Sure, lime husks don’t clog landfills. But, it turns out, they’re rather tasty when infused with hibiscus tea, strained, and mixed with a little agave. By encouraging bars to use all ingredients to their fullest potential, the duo hopes to engender more sustainability in the industry.
This revelation came in the fall of 2016, just before the Spirit of Tiki cocktail showcase at the Langham London. “We were sitting there having a whiskey one night and talking about doing it,” recalls Ramage. “We got pretty drunk and committed to the event without really testing any recipes,” says Griffiths, hopping in. And in the cold light of day, it dawned on them: “We realized: ‘Shit, we need to pull this together,’ ” concludes Ramage. Their hastily planned launch helped to birth their punk-style branding. “The [Spirit of Tiki] organizer turned to us and said: ‘So, where’s your sign?’ ” remembers Ramage. “We had our intern grab a can of spray paint and a cardboard box, spray on ‘Trash Tiki,’ and nail it to the wall.”
With a trial run under their belts, Griffiths and Ramage traveled to Los Angeles last December to serve their unique brand of “trash” drinks at Harvard & Stone. “That was our real, official launch,” says Griffiths. “And then by mid-January, we were like, ‘Okay, let’s just do a global tour.’ ” In June alone, they’ll host Trash Tiki pop-ups in cities such as Paris and Hong Kong. And in July, they’ll kick off the North American “Anti-Waste Tour” with Fords Gin.
The 10-city tour will stop in New York August 12 to 14, but don’t ask what’s on the menu yet. “We usually email [a host venue] about a week out to say: ‘And, what have you guys got?’ ” Griffiths explains. Though every bar has a core set of ingredients that are destined for the trash—think mint stems and lemon peels—each spot also has unique fixings.
In Los Angeles, a frozen matcha cake from a neighborhood bakery led to a cocktail with a matcha-syrup base. Griffiths and Ramage have also blended day-old almond croissants with boiling water, sugar, and rum to create their own version of orgeat syrup. They use pistachio shells and avocado pits to create infusions, and fermented pineapple rinds to add flavor. The pair freely posts all their recipes online, in the hopes that they’ll inspire other bartenders to reconsider fresh waste.
Another ingredient they champion: gin. “When people think about tiki drinks, they think about these ’80s-style, syrup-thick cocktails,” Griffiths says. “With gin, you get lighter, more delicate flavors.” Not to mention, a more diverse list of cocktails. “So, should you turn up at a tiki bar as someone who doesn’t like rum, you’re not like, ‘What the fuck am I meant to have here, exactly?’ ” Griffiths politely reasons. The dates and venues for the Trash Tiki pop-ups—which, rest assured, will serve both rum and gin drinks—will be shared online.


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New Motorola RAZR will be almost as presented a year ago
Blogger Evan Blass shared images of the 2020 foldable Motorola RAZR. The device will be in the style of a remake of the original RAZR, which debuted last year.
However, there are still differences. Firstly, the fingerprint scanner is not visible – it will probably be placed under the screen or built into the power button. Secondly, the camera will become double. According to preliminary information, the sensors will receive a resolution of 48 Mp and 20 Mp. Other innovations include the Mercury Silver color.
Also, the new Motorola RAZR will receive a different chip – most likely, Snapdragon 765 with 5G support. The amount of RAM is 8 GB, and the built-in memory is 256 GB.
The premiere of the smartphone will take place this year.


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Does Kentucky Utilities have an app?
The LG&E, KU and ODP mobile app is provided at no cost to customers (residential and most small businesses) and gives you the ability to pay your bill, view bill and payment history, set up bill reminders and paperless billing, view monthly usage, report and track power outages, manage your account, and more.
Where can I pay my LG&E?
|Carrollton: 215 Eleventh St.||9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST|
|Danville: 198 W. Broadway||9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST|
|Earlington: 111 W. Main St.||8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. CST|
|Eddyville: 219 W. Main St.||8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. CST|
What’s the phone number to LG&E?
(800) 331-7370Louisville Gas & Electric / Customer service
Where can I pay my Ky utilities bill?
Pay your Kentucky Utilities bill quickly and conveniently at Money Services. You can find Money Services in every Kroger store in Kentucky. Our helpful staff will make it easy for you to get your bill paid while you’re at the store to shop for your groceries.
Can utilities be shut off right now in Kentucky 2021?
Beshear extends ban on cutting off utilities in Kentucky, adds additional protections. Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order Monday to extend the ban on cutting off utility services to Nov. 6, as well as to ensure additional protections for those behind on their bills.
What does LG&E stand for?
Louisville Gas and Electric
Louisville Gas and Electric (LG&E) forms LG&E Energy Corp., an exempt utility holding company, to prepare the business for future acquisitions. 1991.
What is the phone number for Kentucky Utilities?
800-981-0600Kentucky Utilities / Customer service
Can utilities be shut off right now in Kentucky?
A panel of Kentucky lawmakers advanced a bill Wednesday to protect utilities’ right to charge late fees and terminate service to customers who fall behind on their bills during a declared state of emergency, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Can utilities be shut off in Kentucky?
You must be provided a separate, distinct disconnect notice alerting you to a possible disconnection of your service, if payment is not received. You have the right to dispute the reasons for any announced termination of your service.


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The online giant Amazon has increased its profit sharply, but at the same time is groaning under high costs and weaker growth. Investors like the fact that the group wants to raise prices in the United States.
The world’s largest online retailer Amazon earned brilliantly in the Christmas quarter. The US group managed the announced cost avalanche due to the enormous need for personnel and high investments in delivery logistics better than feared – not least thanks to its highly profitable cloud business.
However, the growth outlook has clouded significantly after the e-commerce boom during the pandemic. Investors are still satisfied – also because Amazon is increasing prices in the US home market for the first time in years. The stock rose by around 18 percent in after-hours trading.
Amazon far exceeds expectations
The US group far exceeded profit expectations in the final quarter: the surplus was $14.3 billion (12.5 billion euros), almost twice as high as a year ago. The main reason for the strong increase, however, was Amazon’s stake in the electric car manufacturer Rivian, through which the group was able to post high special proceeds on its balance sheet when it went public in November.
Operating profit — which better reflects business performance — fell by almost half to $3.5 billion, Amazon said on Thursday after the US market closed.
Sales growth was also quite meager by Amazon’s standards. Revenue climbed 9 percent to $137.4 billion. For the current quarter, the company expects sales of between $112 billion and $117 billion, which would correspond to an increase of between three and eight percent over the previous year.
Analysts expected a higher forecast. On the other hand, Amazon’s cloud business with storage space and applications on the Internet continues to flourish. Flagship AWS grew revenue 40 percent to $17.8 billion for the quarter and posted a surprisingly high profit of $5.3 billion.
Amazon faces higher costs due to inflation and labor shortages
“As expected, we had higher costs, driven by tight labor markets and inflationary pressures,” said Amazon CEO Andy Jassy in the annual report. Due to the rampant omicron virus variant, these problems are likely to continue in the current quarter.
“Despite these short-term challenges, we remain optimistic,” the top manager continued. Three months ago, Amazon had already warned investors of additional billions in expenditure due to higher wages, global problems in the supply chain and increased freight costs and had prepared for meager numbers.
The company’s announcement that it would increase the prices for its “Prime” service in the USA for the first time since 2018 was well received by shareholders. The service, which offers access to free shipping and streaming services, among other things, is becoming significantly more expensive: from February 18, new US customers will pay $14.99 instead of $12.99 per month and $139 instead of $119 per year.
The new tariffs will take effect for existing customers in March. According to Amazon, no higher prices are initially planned outside the USA. However, there is plenty of scope here. In Germany, the “Prime” subscription has so far been significantly cheaper than in the USA at 69 euros per year or 7.99 euros per month.


text: This is the last time you will read anything that sounds remotely like clucking or crowing by Media Eye in the Year of the Rooster. Media Eye, of course, wishes all readers a prosperous and creative Year of the Dog. Our wish is for more and bigger budgets to stimulate business and morale. Speaking of Lunar New Year, what would you think if you saw a television commercial showing Mickey Mouse and Goofy wearing Chinese-style clothes and doing a lion dance at Hong Kong Disneyland? Media Eye thinks it is a case of Disney does Asia's world city. Disney puts it more simply. It sees it as a celebration of Hong Kong Disneyland, which opened in September last year. 'This is our first Lunar New Year and we want to express our respect for this important event,' said Josephine Lam, the director of product development, travel trade, special events and alliance marketing at Hong Kong Disneyland. The 15-second commercial features Mickey and Goofy dressed in Chinese costume and having fun celebrating traditional activities such as lion dancing and writing fai chun (couplets). Hong Kong Disneyland will also have special effects and activities to greet all visitors during the new year festival. 'We will have Chinese blossoming plants along Main Street USA and at the park entrance throughout the first 15 days of the Lunar New Year,' Ms Lam said, adding that outdoor vendors along Main Street would sell an assortment of new year snacks, including deep fried fish-skin chips. There will be a 15-minute lion dance performance in the castle before the fireworks to celebrate the new year. 'We expect the event will attract visitors from the Greater China region and we are confident it will generate a positive response,' Ms Lam said. Hong Kong Disneyland seems to have shaken off the teething troubles that dogged its opening, and has been kicking up its heels, with a big crowd seeing out 2005 and welcoming 2006. 'Hong Kong people enjoy their holidays in the park. We reached full capacity on New Year's Eve last year,' Ms Lam said. news on the run Media Eye always checks the latest television news through his 3G phone. You may be curious how the phone screen delivers clearer images than normal television does. Of course, it is not the quality that is at issue, but the need to catch the news - on time. News organisations are seeking new delivery channels to broaden their audience and reader bases. Online channels such as web sites and mobile handsets are popular new platforms. Oriental Press Group launched its own mobile-phone site using wireless application protocol last month, the first local media outfit to do so. The Orisun.com Mobile Zone provides selected news and features coverage from the group's Oriental Daily News and the Sun. The site can be accessed through all internet supported handsets and content is free. However, mobile operators will charge for mobile data usage. Hutchison Telecom 3 Hong Kong has also strengthened its Mobile TV News service by providing three live streaming news, finance news and entertainment news channels provided by i-Cable Communications for 3G phones. The company will charge users 10 cents per minute or $2 per day for unlimited access to all three channels. 'We see strong demand for news services from our users. Last month's chaos outside the World Trade Organisation congress in Hong Kong recorded three times higher usage than average,' a spokesperson from Hutchison Telecom said. competing on content As we wrote two weeks ago, Li Ka-shing and his son Richard Li Tzar-kai are now in direct competition in the 3G mobile-phone service field. A source has told Media Eye that Richard Li's PCCW Mobile treats his father's Hutchison Telecom 3 Hong Kong as its sole direct competitor. The two rivals not only compete on price, as multimedia content is also a common battleground for 3G operators. PCCW is trying its hardest to collect the best content in town for its users to differentiate itself from other 3G providers. Hutchison has secretly drawn up a comparison table on the content offering to show the difference between PCCW and 3 Hong Kong. And what is the result? Of course, 3 Hong Kong wins in six out of 13 categories, including music, entertainment news, general news, sports and adult content. So it seems PCCW has to speed up its content offering to get closer to 3 Hong Kong and not just by migrating existing 2.5G Sunday mobile site content to PCCW 3G, either.


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Email: email@example.com Call: 01303 761 116. Click here for information
Volunteers from all over the district have rallied around their communities, going the extra mile to help those in need during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Folkestone & Hythe District Council has funded a tailor-made business support programme for local, independent retail and hospitality businesses which are facing difficulties during the coronavirus crisis.
Essential beach management to protect the district's coastline is to commence from this week.


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Apr 22, 2013 - A growing number of digital marketers are turning to social scoring tools to algorithmically grade an individual or brand's social value or influence. But each of these tools comes with its problems. Comments
Singapore, 5-6 March
Bangkok, 17-18 March
Hong Kong, April 2015
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India’s marine products’ export falls 10 percentJanuary 20th, 2009 - 3:55 pm ICT by IANS
Bhubaneswar, Jan 20 (IANS) India’s marine product export earnings declined at least 10 percent last year following a slump in demand triggered by the global financial meltdown, a senior industry official here said.“The export scenario does not appear encouraging. Prices of marine products have come down due to a fall in demand in the international markets,” Marine Product Export Development Authority (MPEDA) chairman G. Mohan Kumar told reporters here.
With earnings falling 10 percent to $1.9 billion, Kumar feared the worst was still to come. He, however, added that in rupee terms, revenue has risen three percent due to the depreciation of the Indian currency against the dollar.
MPEDA is India’s nodal agency for the regulation, development and promotion of marine products export.
Of the total exports, European Union countries accounted for 35 percent, Japan 16 percent and the US 13 percent. India’s share in global marine product market is about two percent, Kumar said.
In 2008, about 540,000 tonnes of marine products were exported, reflecting a 10 percent decline, with shrimp contributing more than 52 percent in terms of value, he added.


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ASEAN has come a long way and the year 2015 is crucial for ASEAN as the region takes steps to achieve full integration as a united community. The AEC will benefit ASEAN countries if fully and successfully implemented. The AEC will deepen regional cooperation in many areas, with the aim of providing great market opportunities for the region’s businesses as well as great benefits for ASEAN consumers.
Financial services and capital markets have a crucial role to play in the development of the ASEAN economy as well as for regional integration. The impressive financial services and capital markets of some of the ASEAN Member States could be the stepping stone on which ASEAN can build its financial integration.
By having an integrated financial and capital market, ASEAN could improve its efficiency of capital allocation, increase intra-ASEAN investment as well as foreign investment. In such an integrated market, companies could raise capital across the region, investors could invest freely across borders, and banks could enter and operate in each member state. With only a few months left before the establishment of the AEC, financial services and capital markets still have substantial barriers left to dismantle.
Innovation in retail has been accelerating for the past couple of decades across the globe, expanding and improving retailers’ products and services and significantly enhancing the level of interactions with consumers. As retailers look at further driving consumer experience and creating more value, we expect the pace of Innovation to pick-up even more in the coming years.
Although most ASEAN countries have engaged in the path towards “retail modernity” over the last years, retail innovation in ASEAN is today still in the early stages of development. The penetration of new products, services, and platforms such as private labels and e-commerce are indeed still low compared to more developed markets.
Driving Innovation in ASEAN represents a unique opportunity to take the retail industry to the next level, improving the retail experience for consumers, facilitating the emergence of regional players, homogenizing the retail space across countries and helping drive ASEAN markets integration.
However, there are barriers to the development of retail innovation in ASEAN that need to be overcome, including market readiness, lack of scale, lack of access to financing and talent, insufficient infrastructure capabilities, and cumbersome regulations. In order to fully unleash the potential of retail innovation and capture impact for the region, these barriers need to be addressed and overcome.
This discussion will attempt to understand the landscape of retail innovation opportunities and assesses the current status of retail innovation in the region. It specifically highlights potential barriers and the role of key stakeholders in overcoming them”.
Despite substantial investments in the region’s physical infrastructure over the last decade, there is still a huge infrastructure need for ASEAN to accommodate expected GDP growth. The diversity of ASEAN countries and the development gap between members complicate the building of regional infrastructure as they are in many cases – such as with highways, railways and power – based on national networks. Financing infrastructure development is a challenge for the region as many of the ASEAN countries face fiscal constraints, resulting in lower public investment. The private sector has often been reluctant to participate in infrastructure investments due to unclear allocation of risk and returns. Solving these issues to increase infrastructure development is crucial for ASEAN as the lack of infrastructure could hamper long-term economic growth.
Healthcare spending is growing rapidly in ASEAN, giving rise to numerous opportunities for medical services providers, pharmaceutical companies, health insurers and other companies involved in healthcare.
Regional cooperation in the healthcare sector is necessary from a socioeconomic perspective due to the disparities of the domestic healthcare sectors, as well as the increase of highly infectious diseases. Healthcare integration has achieved some milestones, such as eliminating tariff rates for healthcare goods and the signing of mutual recognition agreements (MRAs). Further integration however faces several barriers, including policy barriers such as foreign equity restrictions and regulatory gaps.
As a component of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, the Single Aviation Market (ASEAN-SAM or Open Skies Policy) came into effect on 1 January.
ASEAN-SAM will increase regional and domestic connectivity, integrate production networks and enhance regional trade by allowing airlines from ASEAN member states to fly freely throughout the region.
The air transport sector is currently facing challenges such as increased congestion and lacking infrastructure, due to rising demand. ASEAN integration in the air transport sector could help address these challenges, as well as improve the region’s negotiation position with other unified markets such as the EU. However, for ASEAN to truly achieve open skies there are still some policy barriers to overcome.
Tourism is an increasingly important driver of economic prosperity and social progress. It is estimated that the tourism sector accounts for about 9.8% of GDP and employment worldwide.
Tourist arrivals in ASEAN in 2014 reached over 100 million, and the potential of tourism in the region is enormous. ASEAN aims to promote the region as an attractive, multi-faceted single destination. Increasing integration in the tourism sector would strengthen cooperation among the region’s various tourism industries, resulting in more total tourist arrivals and increased intra-ASEAN travel. Coordinated efforts on the regional level are also more likely to increase the quality of tourism, including social and environmental awareness.


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Saw Choon Seong, Global Vice President and President of China for Air Products, is set to participate in the 17th Annual Meeting of the Chongqing Mayor’s International Economic Advisory Council (CMIA) on September 22. As a member of the Mayor’s International Economic Advisory team since 2020, Saw sees this event as a unique opportunity to gain insights into Chongqing’s evolving landscape and future ambitions.
Despite pandemic challenges, Saw expresses confidence in Chongqing’s continued growth, stating, “We’ve always viewed Chongqing as a pivotal market. This conviction led us to further our investments here, even during these challenging times.”
Over the past decade, Air Products has established a robust economic relationship with Chongqing, serving diverse sectors including electronics, electric vehicles, steel, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals. The company has been supplying gases for industrial applications to electronic clients in Chongqing since 2008, and in 2021, expanded its services to support small and medium-sized businesses in the region.
At this year’s CMIA, Saw will introduce a centralized industrial gas supply system proposal for Chongqing’s electronic industrial parks. The goal is to optimize the supply chain while enhancing the safety and reliability of gas provisions.
Air Products, known for its involvement in hydrogen energy initiatives across China, aims to strengthen its collaboration with the Chongqing government and local businesses. Their vision includes promoting hydrogen energy adoption through supportive policies, widespread use of hydrogen fuel cell trucks, and increased investments in hydrogen production and infrastructure.
Saw Choon Seong’s extensive experience with Air Products, including work with the company’s joint venture in Malaysia, led to his appointment to the Mayor’s International Economic Advisory Council in 2020. His contributions to Shanghai’s economic and societal development were recognized with the “Magnolia Award” in 2021.
Starting with its initial gas plant investment in Shenzhen in 1987, Air Products has expanded significantly in China. By the fiscal year 2022, the company boasted over 100 wholly-owned joint ventures and employed around 5,000 individuals.
The 17th CMIA will feature 36 prominent members from Fortune 500 companies and major global conglomerates, spanning 12 countries. The agenda covers various topics, including intelligent manufacturing, electronics, energy, chemicals, and finance. Together, participants will explore how Chongqing’s international trade across these sectors can drive global progress.
As Chongqing stands on the brink of a new era, with support and investment from companies like Air Products, the city is poised to solidify its position as a vital hub for global economic and technological advancements.


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So you might be wondering how much can you save upon buying an EV Car or EV scooter or EV motorcycle.
If yes, EVTech360 is the right site for this information, we have listed monetary benefits being offered on EV purchase country wise.
Many countries are stepping up to promote the use of EVs, and incentivizing buyers in the form of subsidies or tax credits. Some are even going to the extent of not charging any tax on vehicles.
So here is the list of country-wise incentives.
Australia will soon be introducing its policy on electric vehicles, under the proposed policy Australia plans to target 50% of new car sales be electric vehicles by 2030 and has plans to convert 50% Government vehicles inventory to electric vehicles.
Businesses planning to buy bulk EVs will get a 20% subsidy. This policy is about to be rolled out by mid-2020
Brazil has reduced its tax on mass production of electric vehicles from25% to 18% recently. No subsidies are available to end uses currently.
Canada provides a $5,000 rebate for any electric vehicle costing under $45,000.
Any EV with a range of more than 250 miles is eligible for a subsidy of 25,000 yuan in China, Earlier the subsidy amount was 50,000 yuan, which was recently slashed by 50%.
France offers subsidies up to 6000 euros on purchasing an electric vehicle
4000 Euros rebate on the price of electric cars. Germany has an ambitious plan to have at least one million EVs on its roads by the end of 2020
India offers a 20% subsidy on any electric vehicle purchased, EVs are usually exempt from road tax (life tax) in India.
Tax deduction of up to Rs.1,50,000/- on interest paid towards loan amount of electric vehicle. FAME – Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric vehicles in India is a regulatory body to ensure the ecosystem for electric vehicles manufacturing is created and consumers switch to electric vehicles by 2030.
The USA provides $3,750 tax credit on the purchase of electric vehicles.
The UK provides a subsidy of £3,500 (Flat discount on purchase price) on the purchase of pure electric vehicles.
The first country to have a policy for electric vehicle adoption, Japan, had its first EV policy in 1990. Recently the policy has been updated. As per the new policy, any newly purchased EV can get a maximum subsidy of $7,700 and a 50% discount on annual automobile tax.
Russia is planning to subsidize interest rates on electric vehicle loans, offer Free highway tolls, free parking for electric vehicles.
Exempted from Value added tax and tolls charges.
While some of the countries are offering benefits to the customer directly, most other countries are coming up with policies to establish electric vehicle manufacturing units and it developing the industry ecosystem. Most countries have just announced tax benefits and subsidies to manufacturers. Going forward by 2021 most of these countries will also come up with subsidies to incentivize the end customer to ensure faster adoption of electric vehicles.
We will keep you updated as and when new changes are in place.


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KANSAS CITY — Despite a selloff in food-sector shares late in 2016, the Grain-Based Foods Share Index more than held its own for the full year, out pacing with major market indices. Closing the year at 24233.55, up 14.2%, the index calculated weekly by Milling & Baking News moved higher for a remarkable eighth consecutive year.
The advance of 14.2% was far greater than the 4.3% gain in 2015 but lagged 17.4% in 2014, 22.7% in 2013 and 16.2% in 2012.
At 14.2%, the Grain-Based Foods Share Index outperformed each of the major U.S. stock market indicies, including the S.&P.500, at 9.5%; the Dow Jones average of industrial shares, at 13.4%, and the Nasdaq composite index, up 7.5%.
The index also did better than all but three of the S.&P.500 sectors, topping consumer discretionary, up 6.9%; consumer staples, up 2.6%; health care, down 1.1%; information technology, up 12%; telecommunications, up 12%, and materials, up 14.1%. The index lagged financials, up 20.1%; industrials, up 16.1%; and transportation, up 21.2%.
Among the 28 companies included in the Grain-Based Foods Share Index, only four sustained share price declines during the year and many easily bested the S.&P.500 in 2015.
For a third consecutive year the perennially volatile MGP Ingredients, Inc., Atchison, Kas., posted the top share price performance within the Grain-Based Foods Share Index. MGP Ingredients shares leapt 93% in 2016, following a more “modest” gain of 64% in 2015 and a 206% surge in 2015. At a closing price of $49.98, MGPI shares have recovered 1,561% from the recent low of $2.98 per share in July 2012. Since management was replaced in 2013-14 after a bruising board of directors battle, MGPI shares have jumped 817%.
For the first nine months of 2016, MGP Ingredients net income rose 16% from the same period a year earlier. The company’s price-to-earnings ratio stood at about 30.
Ranking second within the Grain-Based Foods Share Index in 2016 was Seaboard Corp., Merriam, Kas. The share price gain of 36% followed a decline of 31% in 2015, when Seaboard ranked last in the index. During the first nine months of the company’s 2016 fiscal year (period ended Oct. 1), net income per share on the common stock was up 209% to $178.67. During the year the company announced plans to spend $29 million on a new flour mill in Zambia and on upgrades to existing facilities.
The third widest gain in 2016 was scored by Bridgford Foods Corp., Anaheim, Calif, up 32%. In 2015, Bridgford shares rose in the first three quarters of fiscal 2016 (period ended July 8), Bridgford earnings per share on the common stock were 57c, up 14% from 50c during the same period a year earlier.
The fourth widest share price gain in 2016 was posted by Post Holdings, Inc., St. Louis, also up 31% for the year. It was the second consecutive year in which Post was a standout in the index. The company’s shares rose 47% in 2015, the second strongest gains that year. In 2014, Post shares were the second poorest in the index, down 15%. During the company’s most recent fiscal year (ended Sept. 30) it sustained a net loss of $3.3 million but adjusted EBITDA of $933.9 million was up 42% from the year before. While Post was not an active acquirer of new business during the year, that could change in 2017.
“While not in evidence in 2016, M.&A. remains a central theme to Post’s strategy,” Rob Vitale, president and chief executive officer, said during a November earnings call with financial analysts. “We analyzed many opportunities this year. In fact, we spent approximately $6 million in expenses related to exploring acquisition candidates. Despite this commitment, our M.&A. during 2016 was modest. Be assured, we will continue to work to find
opportunities at a sensible value.”
Shares of Ingredion, Inc. generated the fifth highest gains in the index, rising by 30% in 2016. The advance extends a solid run for the Westchester, Ill.-based ingredient supplier, following gains of 13% in 2015 and 24% in 2014. An active acquirer of businesses in recent years, Ingredion in August 2016 said it would purchase the rice starch and rice flour business of Sun Flour Industry Co., Ltd., based in Bang Len, Thailand. Four months later Ingredion said it was spending $400 million to acquire TIC Gums, Inc., White Marsh, Md. TIC Gums offers texture systems to food and beverage companies. In the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2016, Ingredion adjusted earnings were $5.46 per share, up 22% from $4.47 in January-September 2015.
B&G Foods, Inc., Parsippany, N.J., ranked sixth in 2016 share price performance, advancing 25%, versus a 17% gain in 2015. The diversified food company has grain-based exposure through numerous brands, including Cream of Wheat, Devonsheer, New York Flatbreads, New York Style, Old London and Ortega.
Archer Daniels Midland Co., Chicago, was a strong performer in 2016, posting a 24% share price gain, seventh best in the index. The ADM advance represented a partial reclamation of value lost a year earlier when the company’s shares fell by 30%. The 2015 decline followed gains of 20% in 2014 and 59% in 2015. While the company struggled during the first half of 2016, the company posted strong earnings gains in the third quarter, with net income rising by 35%. Also during the year, the company announced plans to sell its stake in Australia-based GrainCorp Ltd. for $287 million. ADM has held the stake since 2012 and unsuccessfully tried acquiring all of GrainCorp in 2013 for $3 billion. The year was the first as chairman of the board for Juan R. Luciano and his second as chief executive officer.
Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., Canton, Mass., ranked eighth among grain-based companies in share performance in 2016. With a 23% advance, Dunkin’ shares bested 2015 performance when the company’s stock price slipped by 0.1%. The 2016 share price gain was in line with year-to-date earnings performance. In the nine months ended Sept. 24, Dunkin’ Brands net income per share rose 22% to $1.52. In its most recent quarter, donuts and sandwiches were not the principal growth drivers. Instead, Nigel Travis, chairman and chief executive officer, attributed strong results to “record-breaking beverage sales, with double-digit growth in the espresso and iced coffee categories.” During the year the company announced that David Hoffman, a longtime executive with McDonald’s Corp., would take over as president of Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. and Canada, effective Oct. 3, 2016.
Conagra Brands, Inc., Chicago, ranked ninth in 2016, with a 21% advance, up from the 16% gain scored in 2015. Once a giant in grain-based foods with its large heritage flour milling operation, the company largely has been depleted of its grain-based business. During 2016, Conagra sold two baking plants to Alpha Baking Co., Chicago. In addition to owning a stake in Ardent Mills, Conagra’s remaining grain-based brands include Andy Cap’s, Chef Boyardee, Crunch ‘n Munch, Jiffy Pop and Poppycock. Also during 2016, Conagra agreed to sell its JM Swank food ingredient business and Spicetec Flavors & Seasonings business. At the beginning of the year, Conagra completed the $2.7 billion sale of its private brands business to TreeHouse Foods, Oak Brook, Ill. Included in the divested business is American Italian Pasta Co.
Ranking tenth, The Kraft Heinz Co., Pittsburgh, one of the largest companies in the Grain-Based Foods Share Index, helped drive overall index performance with a 20% gain, lifting the company’s market capitalization to $105 billion. A year earlier, the corporation’s first as a publicly traded business, the company’s shares fell 9% from its opening trading price of $80 per share. In the first nine months of 2016, Kraft Heinz earnings per share were $2.06, up 329% from pro forma earnings per share of 48c during the same period of 2015. Bernardo Hees, Kraft Heinz c.e.o., in November said the company was “doing a good job in a difficult environment, working effectively to navigate a combination of headwinds from deflationary commodities to increased retail competition in some of our biggest markets.”
Shares of Campbell Soup Co., Camden, N.J., rose 15% in 2016, a bit shy of the 19% advance in 2015. The parent of Pepperidge Farm, Inc., Norwalk, Conn., said during the year it was aggressively adapting to “tectonic generational shifts” and a rapidly changing competitive landscape in the food industry. During the year ended July 31, Campbell took a $141 million, or 41c per share, non-cash impairment charge on its Bolthouse Farms carrot and carrot ingredient business. Adjusted for special items, including the charge, 2016 net income per share was up 11% from the year before. Earnings in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 were strong as well.
J&J Snack Foods Corp., Penn-sauken, N.J., posted a solid 14% share price gain in 2016, double the company’s 7% gain in 2015 but less than the 23% gain in 2014 and 39% in 2013. Late in 2016, J&J acquired Hill & Valley Inc., a baking company specializing in sweet goods with a particular focus on the sugar-free market. Hill & Valley has more than $45 million in annual sales.
Also posting double-digit gains in 2016 was Snyder’s-Lance, Inc., Charlotte, Inc. The 12% gain for the salty snack, cookie and cracker maker was the same as the gain the company scored in 2015. In November, the company said it had signed a definitive agreement to sell its Diamond of California culinary nut business to a private equity investment fund. Eight months earlier, the company completed its $1.9 billion acquisition of San Francisco-based Diamond Foods, a business that included the Kettle Chips and Pop Secret popcorn brands.
The largest share price setback among companies included in the index was Starbucks Corp., Seattle, down 8%. The decline followed a 46% jump in Starbucks shares in 2015 and a 5% gain in 2014. After largely withdrawing from baking with the shuttering of its La Boulange retail bakeries, Starbucks has moved back toward baking with a partnership announced in July 2016 with Princi, a high-end Italian bakery and cafe based in Italy.
Among the few other grain-based foods companies that sustained declines in 2016, Flowers Foods, Inc. weathered the largest setback, down 7%, versus a 12% gain in 2015. Still, the $19.97 closing price represented a marked recovery from the Thomasville, Ga.-based baking company’s 52-week low of $14.35, when Flowers shares were down 33% for the year. The first half of the year was particularly difficult for the company, beginning with an earnings announcement in February that fell shy of guidance that already had been revised downward. As the year progressed, numerous lawsuits related to the company’s distribution network hung over Flowers stock, and in August the company said it was dealing with a Department of Labor review under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Flowers Foods shares rallied in December after the company announced it had settled a class-action lawsuit, raising expectations it would be able to work through its legal woes. In November, the company announced the launch of Project Centennial, a company-wide operations review and potential restructuring program. Accenture has been engaged to assist Flowers with this initiative.
Also contending with difficulties during the year was TreeHouse Foods, Inc. TreeHouse shares slid 6% in 2016 after falling 8% in 2015. For much of the year, TreeHouse’s stock price appeared poised for a strong year. As late as July, the company’s shares were trading above $104 per share, up more than 20% from the 2015 close. The company’s share price slid in August as it became clear the private brands business acquired from Conagra Brands would not contribute to profitability as quickly as hoped. In November, the company’s president, Christopher D. Sliva, announced his resignation three months after his promotion. TreeHouse said it was reorganizing its operating companies into a single, customer-facing approach and realigning sales teams to a product category basis.
Shares of The Hain Celestial Group, Inc., Lake Success, N.Y., were down 3% in 2016, after dropping 31% in 2015. Like TreeHouse, Hain was in the midst of a share price recovery for most of 2016. The company’s stock price peaked at $56.99, up 41%, before falling abruptly. The company delayed release of its fourth-quarter and full-year financial results. Separately, the company stated it does not expect to achieve its previously announced guidance for
A startling performance in 2016 was posted by a newcomer to the Grain-Based Foods Share Index — AdvancePierre Food Holdings, Inc. AdvancePierre shares were first listed in July 2016 and rose in value by 25% in less than six months of trading. Based in Cincinnati, AdvancePierre is a producer and distributor of ready-to-eat sandwiches, sandwich components and other products. On July 14 the company raised $219 million in an initial public offering in which a total of 21,390,000 shares were sold at $21 per share, for a total offering value of $449 million (including 10,300,000 shares sold by existing shareholders). In December, the company raised its quarterly dividend by 14% to 16c per share from 14%. In early January, the company’s effective dividend yield was about 2.3%.
Columbus, Ohio-based Lancaster Colony Corp., also new to the index, posted a gain of 22% in 2016 compared with a like gain of 23% in 2015 and 6% in 2014. Lancaster Colony is a food products company with a growing presence in grain-based foods. In addition to its Marzetti dressings and dips, the company has a number of baking businesses, including Sister Schubert’s rolls and biscuits, New York Bakery frozen toast and bread and Flatout flatbread. During 2016, the company announced plans to acquire Angelic Bakehouse, Inc., a Cudahy, Wis.-based maker of sprouted baked foods. In April, the company announced David A. Ciesinski has been named president and chief operating officer. Mr. Ciesinski most recently was president of the meals solutions division at Kraft Foods Group, Inc.
Shares of Hostess Brands, Inc., Kansas City, rose 7% after the company’s November listing on the Nasdaq stock market. The listing followed the acquisition of Hostess by Gores Group L.L.C.
Shares of Grupo Bimbo S.A.B. de C.V., Mexico City, rose 3% in 2016, following a gain of 12% in 2015. George Weston Ltd., Toronto, ended 2016 with a 6% gain, versus an 8% advance in 2015.


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This month, Ian Potter discusses the future direction of prices as the much-awaited improvement starts to falter, considers whether this turnabout will be the final blow for many producers, and takes a look at the reluctance of some to sign up to the new Muller contract.
Arla stunned its 2700 UK members (and the industry) with its April 1 price cut of 0.79ppl, and it is widely known a similar cut may be on the cards for May 1. To be fair though, Arla was one of the few which pushed through a March 1 increase of 0.25ppl when others stood on.
Rumours suggest Arla needed to plug a hole created when it paid the 13th payment. Others say the market is pointing to the levels it is now paying. Whatever the reason, it has put the kibosh on farmer enthusiasm. What added insult to injury was the fact that in the same week Arla said its brands were named as recording the largest growth out of the top 100 UK grocery brands, achieving growth of £37 million in 2016.
This is a fantastic achievement, but understandably a number of Arla members are questioning whether such impressive brand growth is translating into a better milk price for them, with profits returning to members. Questions are increasingly being asked about whether the current musketeer price (‘all for one, one for all’) for the 13,000 Arla members can continue, especially in a post-Brexit world.
There are already some pushing for Arla’s milk pricing to be devolved. But while Arla gets red pen strokes and a ‘must do better’ for its milk price, it secures full marks for lobbying Government on Brexit to ensure it safeguards the UK dairy industry during negotiations. It highlighted milk from the 2700 GB members is responsible for a staggering 119,000 jobs, and Arla’s economic footprint equates to £6 billion.
In other words, for every £1 generated by Arla’s business, £15 is generated further upstream. It is a powerful message. Now milk volumes. An analysis of figures confirms production in the first three months of 2017 is down compared to 2016, although it has caught up this week on a like-for-like basis.
At least two milk buyers are concerned about the effects spring price cuts will have on production in the second half of this year, and the potential permanent damage to their supply base. To my mind, all UK milk purchasers must recognise they are on a knife-edge in terms of safeguarding their long term milk supply base.
Couple this with volatile milk prices and the almost inevitable hair cuts to farm income which will come after Brexit, and I reckon the next two years will see a serious exodus of dairy farmers who have either had a gut full of working for less than nothing, or will have an exit managed by others to whom they owe substantial amounts of money.
Only today I read an extract from a recent dairy farm administrator’s report of a typical farming family. It made for sobering reading: “The farm continued to trade and milk prices have gradually increased since the beginning of 2016. The long period of low milk prices has, however, led to a build up of historical debt to suppliers which the business was struggling to service, despite achieving a reasonable price for its milk supply.”
Prior to taking the decision to appoint administrators, the partnership had been affected by TB testing issues, as well as receiving as little as 21ppl for its expanded milk production. This story could be applied to any one of hundreds if not thousands of dairy farms, especially if we are about to embark on another price collapse, which sadly will put many of you on life support (again), and which will eventually sap your fighting spirit.
Many farmers are simply on their knees unable to cope with wide swings in volatile milk prices. You have not even started to recover from the last slump. Then there is the scourge of TB and the fact the image of our industry is constantly under attack from powerful well-funded anti-milk and anti-livestock farming organisations which are chipping away at demand for our fresh products, especially among young people.
I think a brief period of spring and summer price cuts will confirm to many silent farmers it is time to quit, while others will bury their heads in the sand, convincing themselves and their family it cannot get worse and the next 10 years will be more profitable than the last.
The only factor which may stop the exodus is whether alternative enterprises are even worse. For those who stay, you will have to be internationally competitive, as UK milk prices converge with world dairy prices.
To survive and prosper you will have to continue to cut costs and be on top of your game or have deep pockets.
Now, a warning and a plea I hope will help many non-aligned farmers. From May 1, Muller will have almost all of its producers on its new single supply contract. However, for various reasons, such as imminent retirements, or the member of the Awkward Squad (ie those who will not sign until they are forced to), means the existing contract will still run parallel until Muller ‘persuades’ them it is this contract or no contract.
This leaves the likes of Steven Bradley and AHDB with a dilemma on league tables. Do they quote the old or new Muller price? For my money, given the ‘seismic’ sign-up Muller claims, they must drop quoting the old price from May 1. This means all those contracts which include the Muller price in their basket will have to accept the new contract price.
Why is this important? Because if I was Muller and I wanted to ‘persuade’ stragglers to sign the new contract, I would eventually go for differential pricing and widen the price paid between old and new contracts. As one farmer suggested to me: if Muller has 500 who do not sign, it has a problem, if it has 50 who do not sign, those farmers have a problem.
If the tables quote the old Muller price and it is eventually reduced, it would deliver a blow to a heap of non-Muller farmers who are likely to get caught in the crossfire and suffer financially.


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Media release: Best and worst power companies revealed in Consumer NZ survey
Contact Energy has been rated as the worst performer in Consumer NZ’s latest electricity satisfaction survey.
Its website boasts making "electricity easy and efficient, with competitive rates, friendly local service and flexible payment options”, but with a satisfaction score of just 42%, their customers were less enthusiastic about the company’s performance.
Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy said its annual survey found Contact also rated below average for competitive pricing, helping customers save energy and value for money.
“Contact’s rating was considerably lower than the industry average of 52%. It’s the worst score for the company in the past four years,” Duffy said.
Trustpower was the other big player to score below average for value for money (29%). It was also the lowest rated for competitive pricing (28%) and the lowest equal with value for money (29%). In Consumer NZ’s 2020 survey, it was the lowest-rated retailer with an overall satisfaction score of just 43 percent.
Top performers this year were Powershop (77%) and Electric Kiwi (70%). Customers rated these companies above average for competitive pricing, helping them save energy and being value for money.
For one in four Kiwis, household power costs remain a major concern. Consumer NZ’s survey found 18% had trouble paying their monthly power bills in the past year.
“As the temperature drops, we’re seeing energy prices rising. Low hydro lake levels are driving up prices on the wholesale electricity market. In the year to March, wholesale prices for electricity generation spiked a sizable 29%,” Duffy said.
Consumer NZ encourages households to use its free Powerswitch website to compare plans and check if they can get a better deal.
“Our analysis found that households using Powerswitch last winter could save $388 on average by switching to the cheapest plan. With one in five consumers saying they’ve been on the receiving end of poor service, it doesn’t pay to be loyal.”
Powershop, Electric Kiwi and Flick Electric received Consumer NZ People’s Choice awards. These are awarded to providers that stand out for customer service and meet Consumer NZ’s other criteria.
About Consumer NZ's survey
Consumer NZ’s survey results are from a nationally representative survey of 1511 New Zealanders, aged 18 and over, carried out from April to May 2021. Consumer NZ reports results for companies that had 30 or more responses. Flick Electric, the best performer in 2020, only received 29 responses. Of those, 83% were very happy with the service they received from the company.
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ROCKFORD (WREX) -- A popular Rockford restaurant that is closed to dine-in customers due to the state's "stay at home" order is giving back to a local homeless shelter, and other local charities in the coming weeks.
Franchesco's Ristorante is still open to carry-out customers. It collected food and household items for the Rockford Rescue Mission on Tuesday from noon until three. It will pick a different charity next week.
It will work to fill its truck with non-perishable food items from customers. In return, if you donate, it will give you a certificate for a 12" cheese pizza that can be used any time next week.
"As we pray for everyone’s safety and well being, let’s not forget the less fortunate and those that are most at risk," the restaurant said in a Facebook Post.
The restaurant will continue choosing a different charity to support each week "until this blows over" it says.


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The items, mostly copies of luxury objects, inside the little shop in downtown Manhattan are made of thin cardboard and might not even pass muster deep in the background of a movie set.
But that did not deter the police from arresting a shop worker on counterfeiting charges for selling several items, including Louis Vuitton and Burberry handbags.
There is just one problem: the items are supposed to be fake.
The store, Fook On Sing Funeral Supplies, on Mulberry Street along what is known in Chinatown as Funeral Row, sells traditional objects of mourning, mostly copies of luxury objects. The items are made of cardboard, paper and plastic, to be used at funerals as symbolic gifts for the deceased. The cardboard models are burned as part of traditional Chinese funeral practices.
The store sells a cardboard mansion for $400 and a cardboard flat-screen television for $40. There are stacks of money ($10,000 bills) for sale, as well as miniature sports cars, cellphones, double-breasted suits and even smiling dolls to act as servants in the hereafter.
“When people die, they feel they are going to need things in the next world,” explained one of the store’s owners, Amy Mak-Chan, who is the arrested man’s aunt. “They might want a car and a house and other nice things. People buy these things here, to give them as gifts at the funeral.”
A police spokesman on Wednesday would only offer information from the arrest report, including that the worker who was arrested on Tuesday, Wing Sun Mak, was observed offering to sell three handbags “that bore a counterfeit trademark Burberry” and one handbag that bore a fake Louis Vuitton insignia. He was also observed offering for sale four pairs of shoes and two outfits.
Mr. Mak said that a man in street clothes entered the store and seemed particularly interested in the handbags and loafers, obviously cardboard, that have print designs that vaguely resemble Louis Vuitton’s and Gucci’s.
“He asked me, ‘How much is this?’ ” recalled Mr. Mak, pointing to a handbag on display. “I said $20, and he pulled out his badge and said, ‘Are you selling this to me?’ And then he arrested me.”
I like to stick it to The Man, The Man happens to be Liberal in NYC(power Structure).


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The information was mentioned in a report on international tourism trends of the RoK, Japan and Taiwan (China) conducted by The Outbox Company, a tourism market research company. The report, published on February 14, provided data and information on the behaviour and psychology of tourists from three aforementioned markets when travelling abroad.
According to The Outbox Company, the RoK, Japan and Taiwan (China) are three of the markets with large numbers of visitors to Vietnam that saw continuous increases in the 2015-2019 period.
The RoK, Japan and Taiwan (China) are among the top markets with the highest number of tourists travelling abroad. The RoK sees the largest number of visitors travelling abroad, followed by Japan and Taiwan (China).
More than 28.7 million RoK people travelled abroad in 2019, 4.3 million of which chose to visit Vietnam. Before the pandemic, the S-shaped country ranked second in the top destinations for RoK tourists in 2019, just behind Japan. This is thanks to the expansion of flight routes, favourable geographical distance, and suitable travel costs.
Another common feature of the three markets is the high level of outbound tourism spending with an average increase of about 7% per year.
While the RoK tourists are very focused on staying, Japanese tourists want to have moments and experiences worth their spending and Taiwanese tourists are especially interested in means of transport.
The Outbox Company also pointed out that tourists from these three markets have a relatively low level of awareness about the image of Vietnam. This suggests they do not really understand and have a strong impression of Vietnam.
Therefore, The Outbox Company hopes that the report can help businesses and destinations in Vietnam come up with new approaches to attract RoK, Japanese and Taiwanese tourists.


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A new Food Standards Agency campaign that urges “help prevent another death from DNP” has won the backing of sports nutrition body the European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA).
The FSA campaign has been prompted by the recent deaths of several young people after they had taken the ‘fat burning’ substance 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP).
Chris Whitehouse, ESSNA General Secretary, said: “The Food Standards Agency’s campaign against DNP is very welcome. DNP is a chemical, plain and simple. It has nothing to do with either sport or nutrition, and should not be available to the public in any form. It is unacceptable that products containing DNP are available over the internet, and we hope the FSA’s campaign will help crack down on sites that are peddling illegal products that could potentially put consumers’ lives at risk.
“We urge all consumers to be very careful about the content of the products they are purchasing, to stick to legitimate sports nutrition products, and make sure they are buying from reputable retailers and manufacturers.”


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Date: 16th April, 2018
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) is welcoming further calls for changes to keep consumers safe from potentially deadly fridges and freezers.
Consumer champion ‘Which’ has called for all plastic-backed refrigeration products to be urgently removed from sale. The warning follows a Which investigation carried out on more than 500 of the most popular appliances which revealed the backing on almost half of those tested are made of unsafe plastic that poses a potential fire risk.
The UK Fire and Rescue Service has been lobbying manufacturers since 2012 to make changes to the way fridges and freezers are made to ensure they have fire resistant backing to cover the flammable foam inside them.
Head of Prevention and Protection at DWFRS, Area Manager Seth Why said: “Not covering a fridge back in fully fire-retardant material is an unnecessary risk and there are still too many appliances on sale without this in place. While most fridges and freezers work safely for years, they are potentially the most dangerous appliance in the home if they are involved in a blaze because they contain so many flammable materials.
Area Manager Why continued “They are also one of the few electrical items to always be left on when you are sleeping. We are not trying to scare consumers, but it’s important people are aware of the risks. We would urge consumers to ensure they register any new white goods or electrical products with the manufacturer, to ensure they can be informed if any dangerous faults are discovered in the future”.
Before buying a new fridge or freezer, you should check to see what the back is made of and avoid buying one that is plastic backed. Here are some simple steps you can take to help keep you safe.
- If you are concerned about the safety of a product stop using it and make your concern known to the retailer, manufacturer or your local Trading Standards office.
- Clean your tumble dryer filter after every load.
- Don’t overload sockets with lots of energy-hungry appliances – follow the one plug per socket rule.
- A list of recalled products is available on the gov.uk Product Recall page.
- Always make sure new appliances are registered so that manufacturers can contact you in the event of any problems – it takes minutes to registermyappliance.org.uk
- Make sure you have working smoke or heat alarms
- Always keep your white goods in a safe place out of the way and avoid keeping them in escape routes such as hallways and landings
If you are concerned about this or any other potential fire hazard in your home, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue provide free home safety advice and can provide a free Safe and Well check. For more information, please have a look at dwfire.org.uk.


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This June, we celebrate Pride Month, and many brands are coming forward to do more than just lip service and make inclusivity a priority in their collections. Likewise, customization is another way that will help brands to make their clothing lines even more genderless and enable more people to a part of the fashion industry. The 3d clothing design software works on similar grounds, enabling the fashion houses to blur the norms of the gender-based society and become more inclusive in terms of sizes, colors, LGBTQ, and many sects. The tool is better equipped to allow the users to visualize their dream apparel through digital technology before they book their orders.
Dress Design Software Enables Brands to Embark Upon Inclusive Fashion
In the last several years, we have seen many fashion manufacturers and retailers have released collections or collaborated with someone to benefit the LGBTQ+ community directly. Many big shots in the fashion industry have in the past raised awareness and donated to relevant charity to bring about changes in society. Consequently, customers have started to embrace these changes and opted for gender-neutral apparels, and the brands need to pace up to meet these demands. The genderless brands, such as Les Girls Les Boys and Tomboy X, have promoted themselves as someone that doesn’t believe in gender-based society. These are the little efforts to disregards the age-old norms, traditions, labels, and constructs. The gender-inclusivity was mostly restricted to backpacks and sneakers but is slowly venturing into the apparel sector and enabling people to shop for unisex t-shirts, jackets, dresses and skirts for all body types.
This is the appropriate time for brands to expand their horizons and venture into the new customer base. Below are examples of high-end fashion brands testing waters in the changing dynamics of the fashion market.
Analysts and fashion experts say the gender-fluid fashion trend is here to stay, and many leading apparel companies are doing their bit to embrace the change.
Let us have a look at them.
- Using Catwalks to Express Solidarity with the New Trend
Catwalks are the perfect platform for the big fashion houses to display their collection and begin a trend that impacts people at large. Besides, since they a well-known face, it is a lot easier for them to get heard and inspire others to stand up for a cause. A similar incident occurred when in February, Balenciaga debuted its autumn-winter 2021 collection on the catwalk. Its oversized hoodie turned many heads around as it had boldly emblazoned with the text gay. Taking this attempt one step further, the brand is partnering with The Trevor Project in honor of pride month. The collaboration aims to prevent suicides among LGBTQ youth.
Additionally, the Kering-owned Maison is donating 15 per cent of all sales from the collection to the Project, an American nonprofit that focuses on suicide prevention amongst LGBTQIA+ youth. Other items in the collection include t-shirts, baseball caps and jockstraps.
It is commendable as the steps taken by the fashion market giant to celebrate and spread awareness about the LGBTQ community. Ourbest 3d fashion design software also attempts to break the gender-based norms in the fashion community and allow your buyers to make bold fashion statements and wear apparel that depicts their personality.
- Partnering with Influencer to Raise Funds
When walking into a new zone or domain, having a partner is always advisable. Besides, when two powerful forces come together, they create a greater impact on others. For example, Donnatella Versace has collaborated with the well-known singer Lady Gaga to auction a replica of her iconic “Born This Way” motorcycle jacket. All the money received from the sales would be donated to the “Poker face” singer’s foundation. On similar lines, the brand has also decided to launch the “Born This Way” t-shirt and beret in honor of Pride month and raise funds for the charity.
- Boosting Sales with Inclusive Marketing
As people are more inclined towards ecommerce shopping experiences, this is the right time for brands to invest in the online marketplace. Moreover, brands are tapping into the LGBTQ community with a disposable income. The brands can connect with their audiences better if they offer inclusive shopping and also boost their sales. As per Adobe Research, 66 per cent of African-Americans and 53 per cent of Latino and Hispanic Americans believe that their community is misrepresented in many advertisements. The silver lining of this study is that approximately 38 per cent of consumers are more likely to shop from brands that practice inclusivity and embrace people of every color, race, and gender.
The Finishing Line-
Celebrating people for a month doesn’t do enough justice to them. We should celebrate each individual every day, and it begins with the fashion industry. Everyone from the sector must forward and let people decide how they want to wear and how they should represent. The fashion design software by iDesigniBuy enables brands to embrace diversity in society and empower their buyers to wear clothes that best suits their personality. The tool allows your customers to preview their designed apparel in 3d and help them to custom-fit it as per their body measurement and style preferences.
If you are willing to embrace inclusivity,
Connect with us now!


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Indeed, Dartz announced its wishes to introduce a total of nine new models and one of these is the Dartz Gold. Russian China Edition which was recently unveiled at the Chengdu Auto Show.
This Russian China Edition Armour Kombat is going to be available exclusively in China, a luxury market where Dartz has sold 25 of its Kombat vehicles, the Dartz Gold.
The luxury armoured car is bullet proof thanks to 7cm full body armour and weighs over 3000kg. Despite its weigh it of up to 240km/h and packing a 8.0 liter V8 engine which provides 456hp and 850Nm of torque.
The car is available exclusively for the Chinese luxury market and it costs 9.18 million Yuan, $1.44 million dollar or € 1 million Euros.


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Rocky Mountain International on behalf of the Real America, attended IPW – the largest international travel trade and media marketplace that takes place on US soil – June 3-7 in the nation’s capital, Washington D.C.
The Real America region was in high demand this year as we had an impressive number of appointments and had an extraordinary amount of leads, up 17% over last year. While demand for U.S. travel may be slightly down, the demand for the West is up.
Common topics discussed with many of the tour operators were unique product offerings their competitors don’t offer. Therefore, winter and North Dakota products were a great introduction at this event. Operators were also looking for various activities their clients can experience while they are in the region exploring.
IPW is comprised of three days of intensive pre-scheduled appointments. More than 1,300 international and domestic buyers and journalists from more than 70 countries attend IPW, generating an estimated $4.7 billion in future USA travel.
The 2018 IPW will be held in Denver, Colo., May 19-23, at the Colorado Convention Center.


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The 2002 Used Car Market report from BCA Europe reveals that 6.4m used cars were sold in the UK last year, worth £25.4bn. This is down 419,000 on 2000 due to fewer private-to-private sales and a drop in the nine years-plus sector. The strength of the new car market affected sales in the sub two-year-old category, which dropped to 937,000 units - 14.7 per cent of the sector. Any fall will affect dealers' profits as they dominate this part of the market, retailing 92.1 per cent of used cars under two years old.
Dealers also account for 79.6 per cent of cars aged between three and five years old, up 4.4 per cent on last year. But this sector has also fallen, by 118,000 units to 1.66m, which is 26 per cent of the market.
With cars in the six to eight-year-old sector rising by 57,000 units to 1.35m it underlines the need for dealers to have a range of car types and ages available to accommodate market fluctuations. However, they need to be wary when pricing stock, particularly part-exchanges, as average values of six to eight-year-old vehicles dropped £579 to £3750. Average prices in the zero to two-year-old sector rose £187 to £9597, and by £199 to £6610 for cars aged three to five.
The decrease in used car transactions could stabilise over the next few years as fewer buyers are likely to defect to the new market next time they buy, despite the lower prices. Nearly half of the 3000 people surveyed in the BCA report agree that new car prices are falling, but only 23 per cent say they will consider buying new next time - a drop of nine per cent on last year.
Price remains the major issue, with 50 per cent unable to afford new and 32 per cent citing that used cars are better value for money.
n For further information or to order the BCA Used Car Market report 2002, priced £99.95, call Sewells Information & Research on 01733 468254.