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App Annie recently released its “2021 Mobile Market Report”. This annual report analyzes the widespread impact of mobile devices on various industries and the global economy. In 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic ravages the world, consumers use mobile devices to stay connected. Mobile devices were applicable in work, study, entertainment, relaxation, and other areas. This significantly increases the use of mobile devices in the year. According to the report, the mobile app spending for 2020 hit $143 billion. This is an increase of 20% relative to 2019. The popular markets that drive user spending include China, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.
The report shows that due to the pandemic, the use of mobile devices has soared in 2020. With the growth of the user base, mobile app spending is also increasing. While the mobile app spending for 2020 hits $143 billion, the cumulative usage time hits 3.5 trillion hours. As for mobile app downloads, it saw a 7% increase year-on-year to 218 billion. As of now, there is no slowing down. The global demand for new applications is still on the rise. Now is a good time to acquire users.
Social apps and gamers are the highest spenders
In the past year alone, $73 billion of capital was invested in mobile application companies, an increase of 27% year-on-year. It is worth mentioning that online shopping will become the mainstream trend in the retail industry in 2021. The downloads of live shopping apps such as Taobao Live in China, Grip in South Korea, and NTWRK in the United States increased by 100%, 245%, and 85% year-on-year respectively last year. China is the earliest promoter of live shopping.
Gizchina News of the week
From the application point of view, TikTok’s per user time is far ahead of popular social applications. In 2020, mobile online video playback time increase by 40% overall. Also, TikTok’s usage time per user increases by 325% year-on-year.
Contactless delivery, contactless payment, on-demand selection, and various help functions have promoted the growth of demand for food and beverage applications. For most of the global markets analyzed in the report, due to the impact of the coronavirus, consumers can only stay at home due to the local social distancing policy. The number of weekly openings of food and beverage apps has increased since the second quarter of 2020. It peaked in the fourth quarter.
In China, thanks to the proper handling of the pandemic and response by the government and the public, the popularity of catering applications has begun to rebound. As of November 29, 2020, India had 660 million weekly openings, surpassing second-place China (370 million), and became the world’s “favorite takeaway” country.
Mobile games have gradually become the mainstream of the market. Hardcore gamers account for 66% of user spending and 55% of mobile games. Sandbox games, arcade games, and casual games occupy major market shares. Casual, simulation and sandbox games account for the largest market share in the world.


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Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have been gaining popularity in the crypto world for the past couple of years.
Their unique and irreplaceable nature makes them valuable for a variety of use cases. Today, NFT companies like the Bored Ape Yacht Club are worth billions, and despite the slowdown in cryptocurrencies seen in 2022, NFT sales continued to grow.
One individual who is particularly enthusiastic about the potential of NFTs is Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano. In a recent podcast on his Youtube channel, Hoskinson shared his thoughts on NFTs, their current limitations, and their potential to revolutionize various industries.
The Current State of NFTs
Hoskinson acknowledges that while NFTs have gained significant traction in recent months, they still have a long way to go in terms of functionality and interoperability.
He notes that the current state of NFTs is similar to the early days of the internet, where different platforms and protocols could not communicate with each other.
As a result, Hoskinson sees the need for more standardization and interoperability in the NFT space, which would allow for seamless transfer and use of NFTs across different platforms.
The Potential of NFTs:
Despite the current limitations of NFTs, Hoskinson remains optimistic about their potential to revolutionize various industries.
He notes that the digital art can unlock new possibilities for artists, musicians, and other creators, allowing them to monetize their work and reach new audiences. For instance, NFTs can enable creators to directly sell their work to consumers, without the need for intermediaries such as record labels or galleries.
Moreover, Hoskinson believes that NFTs can enable new forms of collaboration and community building.
The Cardano founder notes that Non-Fungible Tokens can be used to create virtual economies, where users can exchange value and build new communities around shared interests. Hoskinson also sees the potential for NFTs to be used in social impact initiatives, such as enabling artists to support charitable causes through the sale of NFTs.

domain: news


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Blog: The good, the bad and the ugly...
Leonie Barrie | 21 July 2008
A deal that its backers claim could recreate the retail landscape in North America was signed last week when the owner of US retailer Lord & Taylor bought Canadian department store chain Hudson's Bay Company. NRDC Equity Partners says it plans to invest US$500m into the combined company which generates more than $8bn in retail sales, and has 75,000 employees and 55m square feet of stores in the US and Canada.
As if to emphasise its new standing, former Polo Ralph Lauren executive Jeffrey Sherman has been hired as the new chief executive officer of Hudson's Bay, with plans to grow its operations in Canada.
Fashion and accessories brand Burberry Group Plc, meanwhile, has shrugged off fears of a slowdown in the luxury sector by posting a 26% jump in sales in the first three months of its financial year, helped by a 43% hike in wholesale revenue and strong growth in Europe and the Americas. Earlier deliveries of its autumn/winter ranges also boosted results, driven by supply chain improvements in sourcing, logistics and distribution.
Chief executive officer Angela Ahrendts said the results proved that despite an increasingly challenging external environment: "Our brand momentum is strong, driven by product innovation and a focused management team."
But things aren't looking so good for off-price footwear retailer Shoe Pavilion Inc, which has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection according to a notice posted with the US Securities and Exchange Commission last Tuesday. The Sherman Oaks, California based retailer operates 113 stores and had been expanding its business to include consignment merchandise such as apparel and jewellery. But in its last financial statement it said net losses had widened to $6.284m.
On the trade and sourcing front, China's Guangdong province, home to thousands of textile and garment factories, has revealed a plan for substantial annual wage increases for workers. The proposal, designed to tackle labour shortages and rising consumer prices, will require profitable companies to increase workers' wages by 14% a year until 2012. The new plans, however, would erode the province's competitiveness at a time when factory costs have already risen by up to 40%.
Industry associations representing US importers and retailers are also angry at new plans to monitor apparel imports from China to see if they are being sold at an unfairly low price. The instructions are outlined in the House Appropriations Committee report accompanying the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Bill at the end of June – and would add new uncertainties to sourcing from China after safeguard limits on imports from the country expire on 31 December this year.
But new legislation that proposes to eliminate tariffs on imports of outdoor performance apparel into the US, as well as funding research into sustainable manufacturing technology has been welcomed by outdoor performance apparel manufacturers in the US.
Increasing competition for garment sourcing contracts is seeing China not only being challenged by other countries in Asia, but by sub-Saharan African and even Russian suppliers too. And it is pushing...
The monthly minimum wage for workers in Cambodia's textile, garment and footwear sector is set to rise to $153 from January next year, following a vote on the issue last week. The increase marks a ris...
The results of two highly-anticipated initiatives in the sportswear sphere were revealed last week: the launch of Under Armour’s new UAS lifestyle brand and the first pair of running shoes created at ...
The recent bankruptcy of South Korea's Hanjin Shipping, the world's seventh-largest container shipper, at the end of August, has left billions of dollars worth of merchandise in limbo, leaving the fal...
- Will new Vietnam wage hinder competitiveness?
- Under Armour Lighthouse will disrupt production
- Digitisation to drive new apparel-making models
- How TAL Apparel is staying ahead of the game
- Ethiopia violence undermines sourcing strategies
- Marks & Spencer top for modern slavery reporting
- Bangladesh garment workers rally for higher wages
- MAS Holdings shares commitment to sustainability
- Gap to shutter all UK Banana Republic stores
- H&M CEO named sustainability leader
- Africa-Med strategic sourcing review – comparing East Africa, North Africa and Turkey
- REPORT BUNDLE: Africa-Med, Southeast Asia and Central America strategic sourcing pack
- Southeast Asia strategic sourcing review – a focus on Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar
- Apparel (GLOBAL) - Industry Report
- Global Sports and Fitness Wear Market 2016-2020


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So this is fun.
Chip Ganassi Racing chef Rafael Mendoza will be opening a taco shop in Broad Ripple.
To be called George’s Mexican Taco’s, the new restaurant will be located at 801 Broad Ripple Ave. in the former Za Pizzeria spot.
Mendoza, who specializes in seafood and gourmet fare when cooking for Ganassi, said the new place should be open in a couple weeks. — Jolene Ketzenberger


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Cainiao adds new Singapore and Moscow freighter flights
28 / 08 / 2020
Aviastar-Tu Tu-204C. Source: Aviastar
Alibaba logistics arm Cainiao Network has launched new freighter flights to Moscow and Singapore.
The e-commerce logistics specialist said that its flights from Hangzhou to Singapore would improve delivery efficiency to the city state ahead of the Double 11 shopping festival.
The chartered flights will operate four times per week, but it was not revealed which company would operate the service.
Meanwhile, it has also ramped up its operations to Russia, with the introduction of flights from Hong Kong to Moscow.
Cainiao said the move would halve the delivery time for electronic appliances such as smartphones and tablets from around 30 to 15 days.
The company did not reveal which airline would carry out the flights, although it utilises Russia’s Volga-Dnepr Group and Aviastar-TU for flights out of Asia to the country so it is likely to be one of the two.


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The rise of the experience economy
In recent years, consumers have been devoting more of their spare cash to having fun, providing a boost to companies in the ‘experience economy’. Can the party continue?
What you'll learn:Click to toggle accordion What you'll learn:
About the trend to spend on experiences rather than things
The growth in the leisure sector
How investors can access this theme
Earlier this year, the chief executive of clothing retailer Next blamed poor sales figures on a generational shift by British shoppers. He warned shareholders that customers were moving away from buying ‘things’, and instead were spending more of their money on ‘experiences’.1
Consumer spending on leisure activities in the UK, from eating out to live events and holidays has grown steadily in recent years. The leisure sector doubled in size between 2011 and 2016 and contributed about £200bn to the UK economy last year.2 Spending on gym memberships jumped by 44% in 2015 alone.3
This trend has continued recently. In the final three months of last year, spending in restaurants, pubs, and entertainment venues, such as cinemas and concert venues, rose by 11%, 10% and 8% respectively year-on-year. Over the same period, spending on food and clothing dipped.4
It isn’t just confined to the UK. Since 1987, the share of consumer spending on live experiences relative to total US consumer spending has increased 70%.5
In the short term, companies in the UK that are dependent on consumer spending could be buffeted by rising inflation and the impact of Brexit, although this could be offset by increased tourism. Over the longer-term, however, the shift towards spending on experiences could continue to provide support for Britain’s leisure sector.
The growth in leisure
Britons have been spending more of their money in restaurants and cafes, one of the biggest areas of spending in the ‘experience economy’. There are now 17,000 coffee shops in the UK, up from 7,000 in 2010.6 Costa, the largest coffee chain in the UK, which is owned by hospitality group Whitbread, has more than 1,500 locations.
In London, people eat out more than twice a week on average,7 and across the country, spending in restaurants and hotels is at its highest level in five years.
But consumers aren’t just eating out more. Last year was the highest-ever grossing year for cinemas in the UK and Ireland, taking £1.33bn in box office revenues.8 Cineworld, the FTSE 250-listed cinema chain, sold more than 100m tickets, the first time it has achieved this milestone.9
Meanwhile, an estimated 1,000 festivals, ranging from music and literary to beer and food promotions, took place last year, six times as many as 12 years ago.10 Holiday spending has also risen sharply, with more people taking trips for fun. Three-quarters of holidaymakers planned to take two or more trips in 2016.11
In previous years, low inflation, low interest rates and steady economic growth have given consumers the confidence to use more of their discretionary spending for activities in the experience economy, from holidays to eating out.12 But there has also been a trend towards consumers valuing new activities in general, particularly among millennials.
A survey in late 2014 found that two-thirds of 18-34 year-olds feel more fulfilled by experiencing something than purchasing an item of the same value. Almost 75% agreed that a fear of missing out’ (FOMO) – partly fuelled by experiences being shared on social media – prompted them to seek out activities that were out of the ordinary.13
Bumpy times ahead?
In the immediate wake of the EU referendum, consumer spending in the UK held up well, although it has been showing a drop recently.14 But the dramatic fall in the pound against other major currencies has pushed up import costs, fuelling inflation, slowing economic growth and knocking consumer confidence.
Inflation reached 2.9% in May, the highest level in four years. What’s more, as wage growth starts to slow, consumers’ confidence in their disposable income has fallen to its lowest level in more than two years.15 The UK economy grew by only 0.3% in the first three months of this year, below expectations.
However, the leisure sector could benefit from another consequence of the weaker pound, in the form of increased tourism. A recent survey found that 63% of international tourists claim to be more interested in visiting the UK than in previous years. The main reason given was the weak pound following Brexit.16
Britons may also be more likely to opt for ‘staycations’. Nearly four in ten Britons taking a holiday in the UK cited the weaker pound as the reason they didn’t go abroad. And 39% said a domestic holiday represents better value for money in 2017, which bodes well for UK hotels and holiday operators. Center Parcs, the holiday parks business owned by Brookfield, hit 97.7% occupancy rate in the 2015/2016 financial year, its highest-ever level.17
How Barclays could help
The short-term impact of rising inflation could prove to be challenging for companies in the UK leisure sector. However, the generational shift towards paying more for experiences, eating out and holidays could present an opportunity for investors.
One way to gain exposure to the theme is through a fund such as Newton UK Opportunities (ISIN: GB00B8HQWK01). It holds catering giant Compass, and National Express Group, the bus and train company, in its top 10 holdings.
Investors could also gain exposure to the theme with an exchange-traded fund covering the listed pan-European travel and leisure sector. The iShares STOXX Europe 600 Travel & leisure UCITS ETF has 69% of its holdings devoted to UK stocks. Its top-five holdings include Compass and Ryanair, the low-cost airline.
While investing in funds is less risky than opting for individual shares, bear in mind that you could still lose money. All investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested.
Our referring to these investments does not constitute advice or a personal recommendation to invest in these or any other investment. You can find a wide range of investments on the Barclays Stockbrokers Funds Market.
We do not provide investment advice. If you’re unsure whether an investment is right for you, you should seek independent advice. If you already have an account with us, please log in. If not, you can find out more about the accounts we offer by visiting our website.
The value of investments can fall as well as rise and you could get back less than you invest. If you’re not sure about investing, seek independent advice.
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1 Next boss: We’re losing sales because people don’t want to buy more ‘stuff’, March 2017, Evening Standard
2 The memory makers, 2016, LSE
3 Passion for leisure, 2016, Deloitte [PDF, 2MB]
4 Barclaycard Consumer Spending Report, Q4 2016, Barclaycard [PDF, 2.5MB]
5 NOwnership, No Problem: Why Millennials Value Experiences Over Owning Things, June 2015, Forbes
6 Why Costa? Costa
7 British diners eating out more than ever, research finds, December 2016, The Caterer
8 U.K.-Ireland Box Office Rises 1.45% to All-Time High, January 2017, Variety
9 Cineworld Group 2016 Results, March 2017, Cineworld [PDF, 2.6MB]
10 UK festivals suffer in a costly and crowded field, study shows, June 2016, The Guardian
11 Passion for leisure, 2016, Deloitte [PDF,2MB]
12 Passion for leisure, 2016, Deloitte [PDF, 2MB]
13 Millennials Want Experiences More Than Anything, December 2014, Eventbrite
14 UK consumer spending falls for first time in nearly four years, June 2017, Reuters
15 The Deloitte Consumer Tracker Q1 2017, April 2017, Deloitte
16 UK hospitality and leisure industry set for bumper year, April 2017, Barclays
17 Annual Review 2015/16, CenterParcs [PDF, 1.4MB]


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Yesterday, Verizon announced its customers would have to pay $2 fees for making payments via phone or online with a credit card. Today, Verizon shouted a mea culpa and scrapped the controversial fee. About the quick, one-day, about-face:
VERIZON SAYS IT REALLY LISTENS
You would have thought that the big bananas at Verizon had observed what happened with Bank of America recently. Well, of course, they did!
But, corporate arrogance made them think they could get away with it -- charging a fee for every payment that subscribers make on their Verizon phones or online with their credit cards. But that's what they said was going to happen come January 15th.


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Netflix Inc has entered talks with Wasu Media Holding a media company based in China backed by Jack Ma, as well as with other possible business partners as it looks to enter into the $5.9 billion video online market in China.
Netflix has been holding talks with more companies than just Wasu about forming partnerships, according to a number of people, who requested anonymity since the talks remain private.
Netflix is planning to be close to global by the start of 2017 said one of its spokespersons when asked about a possible partnership in China.
Shares of Wasu traded in Shenzhen were as much as 10% down during the morning trading, but reversed their declines and rose briefly to set a new record. The stock closed barely changed. In Frankfurt, Netflix shares were up 3.7% at midday.
A partnership locally is essential give the strict controls by the government of China over the licensing for content online. Netflix is looking for a partner that has the licenses for content across all devices including computers, tablets, set top boxes and mobile handsets, according to people with knowledge of the talks.
The regulatory agency for television had given licenses for Internet TV to seven Chinese companies of which one is Wasu.
California based Netflix is investing heavily in its original programming to keep its business growing in the U.S. and to support is expansion internationally.
There are many constraints to operating in China, said the company’s Chief Content Officers. The constraints in China are different from those anywhere else added the CCO.
The streaming service would have to sort out the regulations for content censorship with authorities in China.


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AMCHAM is pleased to present Minor International as one of the candidates for the People's Choice Awards. Minor International has been promoting educational development at the Wat Sao Thong Kao School and creating a sustainable source of income to create long term impact through the Coffee Club's Teacher Bean Sprouts project. In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the ACE Recognition program, AMCHAM is pleased to introduce our People’s Choice Awards. We have invited our first ever group of ACE platinum Candidates - companies who will have earned the ACE Recognition Status for 10 consecutive years - to submit their favorite CSR project irrespective of scale, budget or focus. Winners will be decided by general vote by AMCHAM members.
Minor International presents:
The Coffee Club's Teacher Bean Sprouts Project
The Coffee Club's Teacher Bean Sprouts Project is an ongoing effort to continuously promote educational development at Wat Sao Thong Kao School in a more sustainable way by generating income from growing in-school bean sprouts, in partnership with Minor’s nearby supplier, and supplying them to make ‘Pad Thai’ (stir fired rice noodle), and serve customers at The Coffee Club restaurants. The school's income is used for funding the salary of an English-speaking teacher, who is a critical factor to stimulate and increase students’ English skills. As a result, the average school’s O-Net English score has increased from 73.33% in 2017 to 78.75% in 2018 and Pad Thai sales at The Coffee Club stores have increased by 31% from 2017.
How Can I Vote for Minor International?
All AMCHAM representatives will receive a unique link to vote for candidates for People's Choice Awards. Member companies can now add up to 10 representatives for each company and therefore, up to 10 representatives from each company can now vote for their favorite People's Choice Awards candidate.


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Since taking over the 80,000-square foot property, Blackwater Resources has been working on an expansion project at West Marine, down-sized the square footage at Innerlight, expanded Holiday Isle Properties, which was a big part of the center, and relocated Destin Athletic Club into a new, larger space. The mall’s most famous tenant over the years may have been the Lighthouse Restaurant, which relocated to 757 Hwy. 98 W. in the heart of Destin after 27 years of business in Shoreline Village. The old restaurant space, which was roughly 7,000-square feet, was recently razed by Blackwater to open up the center of the shopping mall. The signature well-known lighthouse is still standing, and plans are to offer restaurant service out of the tower. The plan is to use the new open space as a festive center of the mall, which will feature benches and tables, as well as a stage for live music, a farmer’s market and other special events!!
Part of the property features a two-story building, which will be the site of a new restaurant called Bric à Brac. The restaurant’s operators will be two members of the Petit family, who are known locally for the extremely successful Red Bar in Grayton Beach, and Louis Louis in Santa Rosa Beach. While the restaurant will occupy the first floor of the building, the second floor is set to become more of a bar and lounge, called Studio 824.


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Publish Date: August 07, 2014
Topics: , , , ,
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Retail Sales Soar in July – Up 5.4%
NEW YORK, August 7, 2014 – U.S. chain-store sales posted a stronger than anticipated gain of 5.4% for the fiscal month of July on a year-over-year basis, according to a tally of comparable-store sales compiled by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). The strong gain this month comes on top of +4.2% gain in July of 2013.
[Editor’s note: this tally is preliminary and will be revised after GPS reports its monthly sales after the close of the stock market. The final tally will be available online at www.icsc.org/research after 4pm today].
“Sales posted an even stronger than expected pace this month; a very positive sign for retailers as we begin the back-to-school shopping season,” said Jesse Tron, spokesman for ICSC. “Actually, the July 2014 trend is probably even stronger than the reported number given how strong last year’s July was – which created a tough year-over-year comparison. Our back-to-school consumer survey indicated that consumers plan to complete the majority of their purchases in August (59%) so we fully expect the strong sales trend to continue next month,” he added.
For August, ICSC forecasts that monthly comparable-store sales will continue the current trend pace.
ICSC Chain Store Sales Trends is a monthly report on the U.S. retail industry's sales performance based on an ICSC preliminary compilation of publicly-available sales for 10 chain stores during the month of May. Industry sales aggregates are compiled for "comparable-store" or "same-store" sales and for total store sales. Those data are presented as an index.
Founded in 1957, ICSC is the premier global trade association of the shopping center industry. Its more than 66,000 members in over 100 countries include shopping center owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, retailers and brokers, as well as academics and public officials. For more information, visit www.icsc.org.


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eBay warned sellers in Australia of higher shipping costs from that country’s postal service. Australia Post will be making price adjustments to selected parcel products, including certain rates impacting an eBay co-branded flat-rate shipping box, it told sellers.
Australia Post will adjust prices for the Australia Post/eBay 5kg flat rate box (BX4) and other products, effective March 2, 2015.
“Postage prices will remain unchanged for Australia Post/eBay 500g and 3kg flat rate satchels and 1kg (BX1) and 3kg (BX2) flat rate boxes,” it said. “Packaging prices will also remain unchanged for Australia Post/eBay products.”


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SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TiVo Corporation (NASDAQ: TIVO), a global leader in entertainment technology and audience insights, today announced that its TV Viewership Data product is being expanded to include Kantar ad occurrences, Drawbridge’s Identity Graph and premium demographic attributes; giving TiVo customers an expanded data offering with more flexibility to meet the ever-changing needs of the market.
The availability of premium demographic attributes through TiVo’s relationship with best-in-class partners enables advertisers to supplement anonymous household viewership data with additional insights around demographics, consumer preferences and behaviors, providing contextual audience insights that better connect advertisers with relevant target audiences.
The Kantar ad data enables customers to now know both the programming viewership as well as the advertising viewership across millions of US households.
The Drawbridge Identity Graph enables customers to link viewership data with associated mobile ad identifiers, extending the reach and measurement of advertisements and marketing across pay-TV, OTT, and digital platforms.
“Household-level TV data is becoming more attractive as the advertising and media industries look to connect consumer touchpoints across screens, platforms, and campaigns across the TV ecosystem,” said Ben Maughan, VP business development and data product management, TiVo. “TiVo’s unique TV Viewership Data has been a leading innovator in the space and is constantly evolving into a more robust offering.”
“Marketers rely on Kantar’s industry-leading ad intelligence data to track competitive activity in their sector. By connecting with TiVo TV Viewership Data, we can give our customers a holistic view of what messages consumers are receiving,” says Vik Sharma, SVP for media and tech at Kantar. “We’re excited to continue providing clients with ad exposure data on a set-top-box level through our arrangement with TiVo.”
"TV’s power as an awareness channel is clear, but it’s long been missing the component of identity,” said Jon DeGennaro, VP of enterprise partnerships at drawbridge. “There’s no reason why TV can’t be as targetable and measurable as other platforms and give marketers the ability to reach and report on viewership, engagement, and conversion across the entire cross-channel consumer journey. Bringing identity to TV does just that. We’re excited to be partnering with TiVo to enable these crucial tools."
With these integrations, TiVo solidifies its role as an innovator in the TV data landscape and continues to deliver improved viewership data products that are partner-agnostic and consistent with the transforming industry.
TiVo Corporation (NASDAQ: TIVO) is a global leader in entertainment technology and audience insights. From the interactive program guide to the DVR, TiVo delivers innovative products and licensable technologies that revolutionize how people find content across a changing media landscape. TiVo enables the world’s leading media and entertainment providers to deliver the ultimate entertainment experience. Explore the next generation of entertainment at business.tivo.com or follow us on Twitter @tivoforbusiness.
Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. Readers are directed to TiVo’s periodic and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a description of such risks and uncertainties. TiVo undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
TiVo and the TiVo logo are registered trademarks of TiVo Corporation and its subsidiaries worldwide.


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General Store keeps locals well-stocked during quarantine
From puzzles to Paso Salt, contact-free curbside pick-up and online store serve customers during Shelter at Home
–Serving locals and visitors alike from its location on the downtown square, the General Store will celebrate its 7th birthday next month. And if you ask them what they want for their birthday, the three owners will tell you what they are hoping for every time the UPS driver wheels up with a delivery: Puzzles.
“We have never, and I mean not even in the nuttiest of holiday shopping, seen so much enthusiasm for a single category,” says co-owner Joeli Yaguda, who started the business with her two partners, Erin Stuck and Jillian Waters, when the former A&R furniture building was sold and remodeled. “We love everything about puzzles…they are old school, offline, social or super introverted if you prefer that. You can do them with a glass of wine or with your grandkids. They are nerdy in the best way. And people have found them to be a welcome distraction during quarantine.”
The store, usually open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., has been closed for over a month, but they’ve been fulfilling local orders via their website, and then offering curbside pick up from noon to 2 p.m., Monday through Saturday. With most meals cooked at home, people have sought General Store’s locally blended spices and olive oils. And with kids out of school and wanting distraction, the store’s selection of children’s books, coloring pens and journals have also been popular. But hands down, the puzzles get people the most excited.
“We knew that puzzling was potentially helpful with memory, and has even been used to help people relax before sleep. But research also shows that the simple challenge of a puzzle, the distraction of finding the pieces, and the satisfaction of completing it, is a wonderful stress reducer. And people could really, really use that right now.” The New York Times recently reported that some puzzle manufacturers are fielding thousands of orders a day, making sourcing them a challenge. “We had customers telling us they kept seeing prices on Amazon go higher and higher. Thankfully we work with several companies, and they’re keeping the deliveries coming,” explained co-owner Stuck.
The store plans to reopen as soon as it’s safe, and credits the incredible enthusiasm, generosity and support from the community with keeping their spirits up during hard times. “We have been overwhelmed in the best possible way,” says co-owner Waters.
To order, visit generalstorepr.com.
- Follow all local COVID-19 coronavirus news updates
- San Luis Obispo County COVID-19 website – readyslo.org


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Hundreds of angry shop owners brought traffic on Huancheng Nan Lu to a standstill Saturday morning to protest the pending demolition of Luosiwan market, according to a ChinaNews.com.cn report.
At the height of the disorder, a car was smashed and rocks were thrown at police by shop owners who were eventually dispersed with tear gas. Police instructed the protesters to air their grievances with a group of government officials that had been sent hastily to Wuhua Stadium.
Protestors told reporters that they were demanding compensation for shops they had bought in an auction in 2006 at an average cost of two million yuan. The market's property rights are owned by a group of more than twenty shareholders representing investment from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Luosiwan is the largest comprehensive wholesale market in Yunnan province. With average foot traffic of 100,000 visits daily and more than 10,000 vendors, it does roughly 10 billion yuan in business annually. It is one of the 10 largest markets in China.
"The government is forcing us to demolish, yet we're not getting compensated," one shop owner who purchased his shop three years ago said.
"Where's our compensation? Everybody's gotta make a living!"
A new Luosiwan market is currently being built southeast of downtown Kunming on the way to Chenggong. The new market - a small section of which is already open - will be several times larger than its predecessor and will have its own hotel attached to it.
Image: ChinaNews.com.cn© Copyright 2005-2022 GoKunming.com all rights reserved. This material may not be republished, rewritten or redistributed without permission.


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Ilfracombe company invests in future
ILFRACOMBE Foodservice will be moving to a larger new home at Mullacott early next year as part of a �1.6 million expansion and investment programme.
The food wholesaler has bought the 3.4 acre former Selkirk site on Mullacott Industrial Estate, at 68,000 square feet more than twice the size of its existing premises at Kingsley Avenue in the town.
It is part of a major investment which aims to expand the company product range and give its customers in the catering, service and hospitality industries a “one stop shop.”
Director Nigel O’ Connor, who is overseeing the project, said within the next five years the company hoped to double its turnover and would certainly give a boost for Ilfracombe by generating extra jobs for the area.
The project includes a major refurbishment of the site, with the installation of a large cold store with 600 pallet capacity in the freezer area and an enlarged chilled foods area, enabling the company to offer far more frozen products.
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In a determined effort to remain true to its roots the company – founded in 1972 by current owner and managing director Mike Watson - has placed most of the contractual work with local companies. Contractor Morgan Sindall is already working on the site.
“This move marks an exciting landmark in the company’s history and will allow us to offer our customers a far more extensive range of quality products,” said Mike Watson.
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“I am also extremely pleased we have been able to expand the company while remaining in the local area which is very important to me. We also have exciting plans to enter other product areas to complete the full service offering.”


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Q1 Office Overview
The Chicago commercial real estate market seems to be experiencing a growth spur, at least as far as the office and industrial sectors are concerned. While the first half of 2017 signaled a significant slowdown for the Chicago office market, the final months of the year saw sales activity recover, and that trend continued in the first months of 2018, with both sales volume and average prices rising steadily. The industrial sector was just as busy in Q1, particularly in the suburban markets, and the development pipeline indicates that 2018 will be a fruitful year for industrial development in the Windy City. Both sectors are fueled by high investor appetite and strong leasing activity, and the industrial scene in particular continues to show a lot of promise. Read on to see how Chicago’s office and industrial sectors fared during the first quarter of 2018, and what the market holds in store for the following months.
Q1 Office Overview
Office Sales Volume Rises 41% Y-o-Y, Closing Q1 at $1.3B
Following a disappointing first half of 2017, which saw office sales volume drop to the lowest level in five years, sales activity in Chicago started picking up the pace in the second half of the year, and this upward trend continued through Q1 2018. Office sales volume rose 41% year-over-year, ending Q1 with 14 deals closed for a total of $1.3 billion–the second-best Q1 performance in five years. While the numbers are nowhere near the high point recorded in Q1 2015, our data suggests this is not due to investor interest waning, as the market is prone to such fluctuations. Intense leasing activity brought office rents up to $29 per square foot in Q1, while office vacancy dipped 50 basis points to $16.9%, according to NKF research. Industrial-to-office conversions and continued development in buzzing tech submarkets such as Fulton Market will fuel interest in Chicago office space in the coming months.
Average Prices Reach Plateau at $218 per Square Foot
The average price for office assets trading in Chicago slid 14% year-over-year, resting at $218 per square foot at the close of the year’s first quarter. Even though average prices only recorded a modest 2.2% rise compared to the previous quarter, the past three months marked the second-best Q1 in the past five years, surpassed only by Q1 2017, when the average price per square foot was $255.
Sterling Bay Expands River North Presence With $510M Buy of 600 W Chicago
The Windy City office market concluded the first quarter of the year with 14 transactions closed and $1.3 billion in sales volume. The quarterly highlight was the $510 million sale of Groupon’s headquarters at 600 W. Chicago Ave. to Sterling Bay in February. The developer of Fulton West purchased the 1.4 million-square-foot property from Equity Commonwealth, along with the residential properties at 900 N. Kingsbury St. and 758 N. Larrabee St. According to Yardi Matrix data, the sale was funded by a $374 million loan provided by Morgan Stanley.
The former Montgomery Ward warehouse was converted to office space in 2001 following an adaptive reuse effort, and is now fully leased to tenants including Groupon, Freeman, Dyson and Mars. Sterling Bay plans to upgrade the building to meet modern standards, by adding more retail space and revamping the tenant amenities. The sale of the massive Groupon headquarters leaves Sam Zell’s Equity Commonwealth with just one property in Chicago (the Triangle plaza near O’Hare International Airport), and expands Sterling Bay’s footprint in the River North submarket.
151 N Franklin, McDonald’s Corporate HQ Set to Come Online in Q2
When it comes to new office deliveries, the first quarter of 2018 was a slow one. There was only one new office development exceeding 50,000 square feet to come online in Q1–the 202,000-square-foot building at 165 North Aberdeen. Spearheaded by MCZ Development, the 11-story Class A project is part of the bustling West Side Chicago office market, and includes 15,000 square feet of retail and 147,000 square feet of residential space. The building also aims to achieve LEED Silver certification from the USGBC.
The Q2 pipeline promises to be thicker, as 8 projects totaling 2.4 million square feet of office space are scheduled to be delivered to the Chicago market. The largest delivery of the quarter will be the 807,355-square-foot tower at 151 N. Franklin in the city’s central business district. Developed by The John Buck Co., the 35-story high-rise is a spec building that will incorporate office and retail space, and will aim for LEED Gold certification. CNA has already signed up for office space in the building.
Another highlight of Q2 2018 will be the completion of McDonald’s Corporate Headquarters at 110 N. Carpenter St. Featuring 596,000 square feet of space, the West Loop office building is being developed by Sterling Bay at the site of Oprah Winfrey’s former Harpo Studios. Once the project is completed, McDonald’s will move its corporate base from its current headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., to its new home in downtown Chicago.
Q1 Industrial Overview
The office market in Chicago fared well during the year’s first quarter; however, the busiest sector for the city continues to be the industrial one. Investor appetite is strong and demand for quality industrial assets is high, fueled by the continuous growth of the online retail industry and the growing need for warehouse space to house distribution centers.
The industry is currently undergoing a shift, as the traditional retail mall becomes obsolete and e-commerce continues to rise. Retail giants such as Macy’s, Toys R Us, RadioShack and BCBG have filed for bankruptcy, while online retail juggernauts like Amazon continue to grow in popularity and expand their footprint across the country. In an effort to keep up with demand, fulfillment centers are popping up everywhere, and cities race to host Amazon’s second headquarters–including Chicago. The industrial sector is picking up the pace, trying to keep up with the surging demand, but appetite is high for new space that meets today’s requirements. According to a recent CBRE survey, the average age of a U.S. warehouse is 34 years, and it is unfit to meet today’s standards. Consequently, activity in the industrial sector is surging, especially in the Chicago area, which benefits from a strategic location in the heart of the Midwest.
Industrial Sales Total $475M in Q1
After reaching a peak in terms of sales activity in Q3 2017, when 21 deals closed for $751 million, the Chicago industrial market started gradually slowing down from quarter to quarter, ending Q1 2018 with 16 deals closed and $475 million in sales volume. The total dollar volume dropped 28% compared to the final quarter of 2017, and was roughly on par with Q1 2017, rising only 2% year-over-year. Historically, industrial sales are slower at the start of the year and tend to accelerate in Q4, as the chart below shows. Consequently, even though the past two quarters marked decreases in sales volume, it’s nothing unusual for the market, and activity is likely to pick up steam in the second half of the year.
Average Prices Conclude Best Q1 in 5 Years, at $65 per Square Foot
In terms of the average price per square foot, Chicago concluded its best first quarter in five years. Q1 2018 ended with industrial buildings trading on the market at an average price of $65 per square foot, marking an 11% rise year-over-year. The market reached its peak in terms of average prices in Q3 2017, when assets changed hands at $94 per square foot, then it slowed down in Q4, when prices went back to the numbers recorded at the start of the year ($58 per square foot). Chicago’s industrial sales market is just as prone to fluctuations as the office market, depending on the demand-supply balance; when supply fails to keep up with the demand, prices go up as investors compete for quality new industrial space. NKF predicts that industrial vacancy in Chicago will go up over the next months as the market gets new supply; however, the industrial sector will remain the market’s best-performing asset class throughout 2018, so prices are likely to continue rising.
Equity Office Seals Largest Industrial Deal of Q1 for $150M
There were 16 major industrial deals to close in Chicago during Q1, amassing $475 million in sales volume and 6.9 million square feet traded. The largest transaction of the quarter was a portfolio deal consisting of three industrial buildings located in Aurora, Ill. Equity Office Properties Trust paid JP Morgan Asset Management close to $150 million to buy the 860,248-square-foot asset at 1700 North Edgelawn Drive, the 530,937-square-foot building at 2380 Sullivan Road, and the 301,468-square-foot property at 2303 West Indian Trail.
The Aurora deal comes on the heels of a massive, $1.8 billion industrial transaction closed by Blackstone at the start of the year. The company purchased a 22 million-square-foot portfolio from Cabot Properties, which includes 146 industrial assets located in Chicago, Dallas, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, South Florida and New Jersey. We excluded this portfolio deal from our analysis, since no individual or market-focused sale prices have been disclosed, so there is no way of knowing the exact price Blackstone paid for the Chicago assets in the portfolio.
IKEA to Debut 2.3 MSF Joliet Distribution Center in Q2
The first quarter of the year was much busier on the industrial side than on the office one for the Chicago market. Twelve new industrial projects totaling 3 million square feet were completed during Q1, all of them located in the suburbs. The largest delivery of the quarter was the 676,026-square-foot distribution facility at 175 Southcreek Parkway in Romeoville, Ill., a spec project spearheaded by California-based Panattoni Development. The company first announced its intentions to invest in Chicago’s strong industrial market back in 2015, revealing plans to build more than 2.3 million square feet of warehouse space, without signing any tenants beforehand. The fact that developers are willing to make that bet is a clear sign that the market is thriving and quality industrial space coming on the market will find tenants in no time.
The pipeline for Q2 2018 looks even more promising, as 18 new projects are scheduled for delivery, totaling 5.8 million square feet of industrial space. Seventeen of these projects are located in suburban Chicago, with one exception: the property at 13535 South Torrence Ave., featuring 380,994 square feet of Far Southeast Side Chicago industrial space.
The largest delivery of Q2 is set to be the 1.3 million-square-foot Laraway Crossing Business Park – IKEA Distribution Center. Located at 650 Emerald Drive in Joliet, Ill., the new distribution facility will serve at least 10 stores in the Midwest, including IKEA’s stores in Cincinnati and Columbus, according to Columbus Business First. The Swedish retailer has equipped its new facility with the largest solar roof in the state, and now boasts three of the largest solar rooftop installations in Illinois.
We used detailed Yardi Matrix data to analyze all office and industrial transactions with price tags equal to or exceeding $5 million to close in Chicago during the first quarter of 2018 (January through March). Our analysis, based on data recorded up until April 12th, 2018, includes completed office and industrial buildings equal to or larger than 50,000 square feet that changed owners during the quarter. In the case of mixed-use assets, only properties featuring over 50% office space were taken into account. We counted portfolio deals as single transactions and excluded distressed sales altogether. Some sale prices were calculated based on a tax-transfer formula.
To make sure the trends and comparisons presented in our analysis are valid, we excluded portfolio, partial interest and ground lease deals from our calculation of the average price per square foot.
While every effort was made to ensure the timeliness and accuracy of the information presented in this report, the information is provided “as is” and neither CommercialCafe nor Yardi Matrix can guarantee that the information provided is complete.
Property images courtesy of Yardi Matrix.


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Are you a savvy Black Friday shopper?
Black Friday is days away, and the Tallahassee Democrat is gearing up for its annual coverage of the sacred shopping event.
Are you down for deals? Always hunting for bargains and coming up victorious year after year? We're looking for savvy shoppers who are willing to share their tips on how to make the most of Black Friday.
If you're interested, contact Economic Development Reporter TaMaryn Waters by 9 a.m. Monday at email@example.com.


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Some are clad in outlandish yet bizarrely appealing ensembles of fluid skirts, bunchy post-modern ‘harem pants’, tunics or crop tops, others are wearing little more than their cotton underwear.
But all have one thing in common: their garments were produced under the most ‘ecological’ conditions.
The natural textiles were among a host of products displayed by the European
Commission at a two-day celebration marking the 10th anniversary of the EU Eco-label – also known as the ‘flower’.
Staged in the Art Nouveau surroundings of the Residence Palace in Brussels, the event began on Monday (2 December) with an awards ceremony and fashion show featuring clothes by young female designers from Denmark’s TEKO fashion institute.
Margot Wallström, the Swedish environment commissioner, handed out certificates to some two dozen companies from across Europe whose products carry the flower – nearly half were from Denmark – as well as to ten Brussels art school students who participated in an EU-sponsored eco-label poster contest.
“Transparent and reliable information on the environmental quality of products is necessary to help consumers make the right choices,” said Wallström. “The EU eco-label fulfils that role as it is the guide to greener products in the European market.”
In 2000, a regulation was introduced to streamline the eco-label, she added. Since then, sales of eco-label products have soared by more than 300%, especially in Denmark, France, Spain, Italy and Greece.
Launched in 1992, the flower label is now used by 19 different product groups and licences have been granted by the EU to 120 companies to use it on several hundred different lines.
The products so far include textiles, footwear, cleaning items, paper, indoor paints and varnishes, household appliances and gardening paraphernalia.
One trendy representative of Danish award-winner Hemp Valley emphasised the usefulness of his company’s clothing, which is produced from the fibre of the hemp plant, better known as the source of marijuana: “It’s very nice to wear, you don’t just smoke it. Try it!”
Wallström said that the Commission’s eco-label website is one of three operated by her directorate that receives the most ‘hits’ from online visitors.
She also used the occasion to announce the launch of a new Commission-sponsored online eco-label ‘interactive catalogue’ (www.eco-label.com).
But BEUC, the Union’s consumers’ organisation, said the Commission must do more to raise the profile of the flower. A survey conducted on its website found that 75% of respondents chose green products when shopping, but only 38% know about the EU eco-label, and 74% did not know where to find ‘flower products’.
The consumer group urged the Commission “to target its information more to the needs of individual consumers”, and suggested eco-labels on everyday products such as toys and toiletries, as opposed to less frequently purchased items such as heaters and mattresses.
The Commission should also make its eco-label website more informative and create a helpdesk providing information on where to buy these products.
“It does not help if the consumer is advised to contact manufacturers in their own country,” BEUC said. “We need an easy accessible list of retailers selling these products across the EU.”
It also asked why the 19 eco-label product groups also still carry self-declared green labels, pointing out that the eco-label alone should suffice.
Jim Murray, BEUC director, added: “If the eco-label is the European answer to sustainable consumption, then it must be supported more strongly than it is now.”
But Wallström emphasised that the Commission and the European Eco-labelling Board plan to further raise the profile of the flower by developing ecological criteria for new product groups to expand the eco-label range.
Criteria for vacuum cleaners and the first service sector – tourist accommodation – will be made available shortly. Work on other product groups, such as
furniture, is also under way.
In addition, an extensive European-wide flower marketing campaign is planned for 2004 to bring it closer to consumers.


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Holidaymakers are set to blow their travel money budget while abroad this summer
More than two in three holidaymakers are set to blow their travel money budget while abroad this summer, according to a survey.
And some could exceed their planned spending by as much as 76 per cent, the poll by Post Office Travel Money Card found.
The survey showed that 69 per cent will spend more than they intended while on a foreign break this summer.
Blowing the budget: 69 per cent of holidaymakers will overspend on their holidays this summer
The average set aside for spending money on breaks away is £459, with some exceeding this by around £350.
As many as 35 per cent of those surveyed said they overspend because they do not set themselves realistic targets, while 22 per cent admitted to never looking at the prices when making purchases.
A total of 35 per cent of women said they lost track of spending once they got 'in the holiday mood'.
On average, holidaymakers spend £200 on clothes for their trips, but 77 per cent said they exceeded this figure by more than £100.
Holidaymakers from East Anglia are the worst at budgeting, with 76 per cent admitting they spend more than planned on holiday. Those in the West Midlands are the most careful with their cash, with 39 per cent saying they will stick to their budget.
Az Alibhai, Post Office Travel Money card head, said: 'It's not surprising that travellers to the eurozone this summer may spend more than hoped.
'A weakened pound means holidaymakers will receive 10 per cent fewer euros than this time last year. Whatever the destination country, doing some research on the cost of holiday staples such as food, drink and entertainment in their chosen resort will help people to set realistic budgets and stick to them.'
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Honeywell recently expanded its line of Performance Series IP embedded network video recorders (NVRs), giving customers more flexibility when designing customized IP video systems. Now available in eight or 16 channel models, the embedded NVRs are compatible with Honeywell’s equIP Series and Performance Series IP cameras, broadening options for IP-based surveillance systems. “Making the transition to IP cameras doesn’t have to be a big hassle – or a big burden on customers’ wallets,” said John Smith, Honeywell senior product marketing manager. “Our line of embedded NVRs enables security dealers to provide high-definition IP video surveillance solutions tailored to customers’ unique channel capacity needs at a cost-effective price point.” Customers can select from a wide range of IP cameras, including Honeywell’s recently released equIP Series S line of cameras – featuring pancake, indoor dome, rugged dome, bullet and box cameras ranging from 720p to 5 MP – as well as the Performance Series 1080p IP ball and bullet cameras. An intuitive setup wizard and Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) plug-and-play functionality reduces system installation time and costs. Customers can tailor the amount of video captured and retained by adding up to eight terabytes of internal storage. The NVRs can be programmed to send automatic email alerts when the system detects motion, network failures, alarm inputs and tampering. Apple and Android mobile apps allow business owners to view video from web-enabled devices, including laptops, tablets and smartphones, providing peace of mind from virtually any location. In addition to the eight and 16 channel models, the Performance Series IP line of embedded NVRs includes four-channel NVRs available in bundled kits with four ball or bullet style high-definition 1080p IP cameras. The full line of Performance Series IP embedded NVRs are available through security dealers across North America.
More attention needs to be placed on the development of readers that can accommodate Wireless and Wi-Fi technology Many of the changes in the access control market are happening at the “edge” – at the reader level. Access control advances that continue to become more widespread include wireless and PoE-enabled access control hardware such as wireless locks and PoE door controllers, which both reduce installation costs. Other trends are related to mobility; one is the increased use of smart phones and tablets for day-to-day access control operations. Another is the increased adoption of mobile credentials – leveraging near field communications (NFC) or Bluetooth Low Energy (LE)-enabled technologies that allow smart phones to be used as access control credentials to enter a building instead of traditional credentials such as cards. Emerging technology platforms can fragment and hinder the market, among both integrators and end users. Do we install and use Bluetooth, NFC or the latest in biometrics? Are they safe, proven, and are there standards? “Only time will prove which technologies are better,” says Greg Hetrick, PCSC’s director of marketing. “Until then, it’s anyone’s guess, often at the expense of real-world scenarios. By the time it’s proven, new technologies become available. The cycle is always turning.” The best approach is to find the right balance between today’s and tomorrow’s technologies, he adds. Wireless and Wi-Fi technology is inching into the access control space, and because of this, more attention needs to be placed on the development of readers that can accommodate this technology. Accompanying issues include the level of integration with traditional physical access control systems and safety concerns when recommending and deploying these devices, says Robert Laughlin, president of Galaxy Control Systems. John L. Moss, CEO of S2 Security, sees access control evolving in the next five years in relation to “bring your own device (BYOD),” global distributed systems in the cloud, and inexpensive wireless locksets. “With the ubiquity of smart phones and BYOD, people will use mobile devices as personal credentials, either with Bluetooth LE or by using an app built into the device,” he says. “New business models will evolve around these new technologies that will benefit end users through reduced total cost of ownership and integrators through a shorter replacement cycle, which is typically long in access control,” Moss comments. Hetrick believes that in the near future, smart phones or wearables will become the primary source for card access, door entry, system access, payments, health information and identification In the near future, access credentials will become more mobile and more portable, whether physical or cloud-based. “Your smart phone or wearable (smart watch) will become your primary source for card access, for door entry, system access, payments, health information and identification,” Hetrick says. Virtual credentials may live in the cloud versus on a device. If someone switches to a new employer, for example, no new credentials will be assigned. Rather, they are simply authorized and activated by the new employer and deactivated by the previous one. When it’s time to upgrade a device, the credentials are available via the cloud to the new device, Hetrick says. “Device security will improve via biometrics (fingerprint, i.e., Touch ID; and perhaps facial recognition using a device’s camera) with multiple forms of authentication and rolling encryption,” Hetrick says. “As a manufacturer, we hear about biometrics, NFC, these are all things we see, but it’s hard to integrate them into our platform,” says John Smith, senior channel marketing manager, Honeywell Security. “There are 100 different biometrics, not operating to a standard. Most of our systems can work with these things, most have a Wiegand or standard output, but the enrollment piece might be a problem and require a separate application. We as a manufacturer are watching it closely, but we haven’t seen it as a big draw.” For example, a predominant leader hasn’t emerged relative to NFC. Also, biometric readers are three to 10 times more expensive than a card reader, so cost justification has to come down, he adds. Jason Ouellette, product line director, access control, Tyco Security, suggests the future of access control will be a matter of “back to the future.” He expects more access control systems will be based on a cloud environment, reminiscent of the days of mainframe computers. The edge devices that provide the monitoring, reporting and day-to-day management of access control will be comparable to yesterday’s “dumb” terminals. “Additionally, we will see a shift from the traditional plastic cards and fobs to electronic credentials managed through smart devices like mobile phones and tablets,” he adds. “One more shift will be the use of biometrics, such as facial recognition, for access control, which will create a ‘frictionless’ mode of access control as the technology improves,” Ouellette says. “While the technology of cloud-based servers over mainframes and tablets or mobile phones provides far greater capabilities, it will also drastically change the way access control is installed, managed and encountered by end users over the next five years.” More access control systems will be based on a cloud environment, reminiscent of the days of mainframe computers. The edge devices that provide the monitoring, reporting and day-to-day management of access control will be comparable to yesterday’s “dumb” terminals Richard Goldsobel, vice president, Continental Access, sees some movement to more secure (than Wiegand) RS-485 readers. However, he says the the hype for access control right now revolves around moving the access credential to smart phones, using either NFC or Bluetooth LE technology to communicate with the reader. Problem is, the technologies are battling, and both have their pros and cons, but the functionality will be similar. The convenience of the credential on the phone, of course, is the major driving factor, but the functionality also raises some new security concerns. Security may dictate that additional functions be running on the smart phone app, such as biometrics or PIN processing. However, a need for additional actions to be performed on the phone will reduce convenience, says Goldsobel. “Your smart device will continue to play a larger role in the systems,” agrees Greg Love, vice president of sales, AMAG. “You can manage the system and get into the area, all with the same device.” He also sees additional options ahead for hosted, Web or embedded solutions – all from one manufacturer. “The customer can make the choice of how they would like to manage their security,” he says. New solutions will extend above and beyond access control and video management – including risk management, emergency preparedness and enhanced reporting outside of security responsibility. “It’s more of a total facility management system that takes advantage of the network in its entirety,” says Love. New technologies also bring new risks. Hetrick says the market should consider carefully issues related to credential and identity security, whether lost, stolen, duplicated or authenticated. “Can an access point identify that the access device authenticates the actual physical identify of the user?” he asks. “Is a lost card or hacked and stolen mobile device with NFC access able to open a secure door? Or is the access point also smart, i.e., able to use facial recognition to confirm that the card or device and the user are indeed one and the same, and therefore authorized? Or is this just a duplicate access device or card being used by a criminal? Can a duress situation be discreetly announced and identified, perhaps granting access while simultaneously notifying authorities? Will virtual and cloud-based credentials be at risk for attack, theft or duplication? Technology opens new layers of security risks. Are these risks masked, unforeseen? What preventions can be enabled?” Smith of Honeywell says the traditionally slow-moving access control market is being forced to embrace new and changing technologies, and many dealers are not comfortable with the situation. It takes a lot for a dealer to change its products or business model. Some are resistant to change, and others have a hard time finding qualified talent to deal with new technologies. “We are lagging behind technology as a whole,” says Smith. “A lot of dealers we have are resistant, it doesn’t fit their current business model, and they will have to change.”
Access control can sometimes get overshadowed by video surveillance Technology is shifting rapidly in the access control market, but another obstacle is the need to communicate the value of the technology to users. Specifically, access control can sometimes get overshadowed by video surveillance as it competes for a share of the customer’s security dollars. From a pure security standpoint, electronic access control is better suited than video surveillance to keeping people and locations safe, either by deterring, presenting or immediately reporting an incident, contends Richard Goldsobel, vice president, Continental Access. “The value of video to provide information and diagnosis is undeniable,” Goldsobel acknowledges. “However, video is often most valuable after an incident has occurred rather than as a proactive agent. Given the choice, the vast majority of end users choose video over access control. There needs to be a better understanding of the proper balance between the systems. It is an industry education and marketing challenge.” Another challenge for access control is to embrace and leverage new mobile devices and other consumer-driven trends. “We will see a strong push from the quick acceleration of technologies in the consumer space,” says Jeremy Krinitt, general manager of Frontier Security. Mobile devices will continue to impact how security solutions are used and managed, he adds. In many cases currently, mobile systems have a limited feature set. “The key to the accessibility and seamless operability that end users want is for manufacturers to make the same features available in the mobile version of the product that are available in the fixed version,” says John L. Moss, CEO of S2 Security. “We’ll also see a strong push to make information [provided by access control systems] more relevant to users of a solution,” says Krinitt. It is critical that each solution help to focus the user on items that require immediate attention. Krinitt compares the challenge to a similar trend in the video market. “Use of banks of video monitors showing views from multiple cameras is largely being scrapped in favour of a single monitor that brings up video when it warrants the operator’s attention,” he says. The same approach should be applied to access control and other areas of monitoring and response as well. “The elements in the management of an alarm can be assisted by technology to provide a more prompt and effective response,” says Krinitt. The more doors that are access-controlled, the better Costs are another challenge for access control. “End users can’t afford everything they would like to have,” says Greg Love, vice president of sales, AMAG. “The market needs to meet that challenge by offering products that can grow with the customer, letting them start small and then build on the system.” “The market also needs to work on ways to lower the cost-per-door of access control installations,” says John Smith, senior channel marketing manager, Honeywell Security. Edge-based devices and use of power over Ethernet (PoE) are ways to do it. One PoE cable to each door reduces labor and material costs inherent in multiple wire runs. Wireless formats also lower installation costs. “Now we drop the price of the door, lower the installation costs, lower the amount of wire,” he says. Here are some other challenges for the access control market, as mentioned by suppliers: Technology support at the reader Technology shifts at the reader level can be a difficult pain point that requires visiting each reader to update firmware and can prove costly to the customer, says Jason Ouellette, product line director, access control, for Tyco Security. Moving forward, technology and standards such as the open security device protocol (OSDP) for readers will support the distribution of firmware updates for physical access control systems so that these updates can be controlled from the server, thus reducing cost, installation time and speeding up delivery of enhanced solutions to the customer. (Another supplier, AMAG, uses a 20 milliamp MultiNode Current Loop Protocol [MCLP] to provide bi-directional communication at greater distances and send a data stream to the reader.) Incorporating new features When adding new capabilities to a platform as complex as an access control solution, how that capability is implemented is as critical as the capability itself, says Krinitt. When presented with a new feature, customers might find that it does not meet their specific needs or is a significant challenge to use in day-to-day operations. When a feature is added to a solution, it makes a great addition to the checklist. However, there is also a need to understand the user and how they use the solution, Krinitt notes. Ease of use by “casual” users The need for security is increasing globally, yet customers are more cost-conscious than ever when it comes to their security system and their business as a whole. In many cases, the security system administrator also has many other tasks to perform in addition to security, says Ouellette of Tyco Security. The combination of these everyday realities creates a need for simple, quick-to-install and intuitive solutions that do not require a lot of training or support and can be used by an administrator who perhaps does not use the system on a daily basis, he says. Adding more doors From a dealer’s perspective, the more doors that are access-controlled, the better. “But how do we get more wallet share at a customer’s site?” asks Smith of Honeywell. Currently, maybe a front and back door or maybe a few office or server room doors are controlled, but little else. Many important doors, whether storage rooms, R&D labs, conference rooms, the president’s office, etc., are not being controlled (except by mechanical locks). Historically, it has been difficult to cost-justify additional doors, but new wireless electronic locksthat can communicate with an access control system are providing new opportunities. How do organizations prevent the compromise of electronic access control systems and related devices from hackers? Need for tighter integration with video End users want to use integrated video as metadata for personal identification. Tight integration of access control and video enables security to easily identify a person when access is granted or denied without going to a separate user interface, says Moss of S2 Security. Threats from cyber-terrorism The convergence of physical and logical security makes cyber-terrorism a growing concern, says Moss. “How do organizations prevent the compromise of electronic access control systems and related devices from hackers?” he wonders. Moss says all organizations should assess risks and develop a security policy. At a basic level, emphasis should be on preventative measures such as backing up data, securing the network with passwords and firewalls, and using up-to-date antivirus software to regularly check and eliminate problems. Organizations should also educate their employees about threats such as phishing and other cyber-attacks. Limiting users and logins to critical systems, as well as connecting virtual networks to physical systems, can reduce vulnerabilities, says Moss. Larger organizations have the resources to proactively monitor their vulnerabilities and current and emerging technologies to address new concerns. Problems should be reported immediately. At a broader level, cooperation among national security, law enforcement and even hackers can help identify issues. Implementation and management Solutions should be designed to take the guesswork out of implementation by integrators, says Krinitt. Integrators are often dealing with a wide variety of technologies and may be concurrently supporting multiple access control platforms, as well as other hardware and software solutions. Simplified installation may not receive much attention in the industry, but it does have a significant impact on end users. “If you have ever had an integrator show up to implement a solution and be unable to do so on the first visit, then you’ve experienced the impact of this challenge,” he says. Beyond not meeting the expectations of the end user, the problem also undermines the integrator’s goals to provide effective service to customers.
Access control systems that leverage proprietary technologies severely limit system flexibility Access control’s ongoing transition from closed systems to more open integration provides benefits for integrators, and especially for end users looking to maximize their system return on investment. End users want greater flexibility, specifically in terms of hardware choice. As a result, more non-proprietary solutions are coming to market. For the integrator, offering more open access control solutions provides an edge over competitors, freeing up the integrator to suggest and install various types of IP access control devices from multiple vendors that work with a single unified or universal access control software solution. The market is working to overcome a tradition of proprietary systems. Many manufacturers have been predominantly proprietary, especially related to core control. Openness will create a need for different costing models, says John Smith, senior channel marketing manager, Honeywell Security. “We as manufacturers have to adapt to meet the demand for openness in the industry by making ourselves open and finding additional ways to capture revenue from our products and services.” Access control systems that leverage proprietary technologies severely limit system flexibility and choice of hardware available to end users and integrators, especially when systems near end-of-life, says Jimmy Palatsoukas, senior product marketing manager, Genetec. “It can be extremely costly to maintain or replace closed-architecture systems as technology continues to evolve, leaving end users in a position where they must consider a potentially costly system replacement,” he adds. “A shift toward greater openness with IP access control systems is helping end users extend the life of their systems,” adds Palatsoukas. Intelligent controllers such as Genetec’s Synergis Master Controller allow end users to keep existing equipment and phase in new wireless and PoE door hardware over time, thus minimizing upgrade costs, he says. Systems need open databases, open standards and open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Products should be compatible with each other regardless of the manufacturer, achievable using industry standards and protocols. Offerings and solutions should be consolidated and minimised to provide only the necessary solutions and features, says Greg Hetrick, PCSC’s director of marketing. “Essentially, less always becomes more,” he comments. Several suppliers mentioned other aspects related to the need for open systems: Both venders must be committed to finding a resolution for any challenges that arise Finger-pointing: Who’s responsible? “Most people in the security industry have at least one horror story about trying to integrate two solutions or trying to manage an integration over time,” says Jeremy Krinitt, general manager of Frontier Security. “Often integration challenges lead to two manufacturers who are unsure where the problem really lies, which results in a lot of finger-pointing that doesn’t help the integrator or the end user find a reasonable solution.” Both venders must be committed – in resources and in partnership – to finding a resolution for any challenges that arise, he says. Compatibility issues among product versions When combining systems using integration, compatibility is typically limited to specific product versions. For example, once a video surveillance system is upgraded, the integration with access control could become faulty or fail completely. Krinitt says technology can help by providing consistent interfaces between solutions to ensure flexibility to upgrade either of the solutions without loss of the interface. Also, a unified platform from a single vendor is intrinsically backward-forward compatible, thus eliminating any future compatibility issues, says Palatsoukas of Genetec. Standards that lack full functionality “As much as we like to talk about standards within the industry and how everything should be plug-and-play, we still seem to struggle with that,” says Greg Love, vice president of sales, AMAG. “There are base features that are supported, but most end users only hear that ‘it integrates.’ When the system is installed, and it doesn’t perform one of the tasks the customer expected, we end up providing that for free (as an add-on).” Some systems are integrated only on a basic level (based on ONVIF standards, for example), but end users expect the full value of every feature on the device. “We need to do a better job of communicating the level of integration,” says Love. “The end user community isn’t getting the whole story.” A broader spectrum of systems needing integration Today’s access control systems must integrate with a growing number of devices, including wireless locking systems, VMS software, elevator control software, environmental controls and lighting systems. Access control also has to integrate with high-end software like physical security information management (PSIM) software. Some manufacturers provide APIs, which allow integration components to be fairly stable and consistent. Others write specific interfaces, which can be advantageous in terms of performance and features, but development resources are required to keep up with any changes. Either way, the development requests and pace continues to escalate, says Richard Goldsobel, vice president, Continental Access.


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What’s the Problem?
According to the NHTSA Recall Notice, this action affects:
- 2019 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell
- 2019 Honda Clarity Electric
- 2019 Honda Clarity Plug-in
These electric cars are equipped with rear seatbelt assemblies which may not lock as intended and could fail to properly restrain the occupant during a crash, NHTSA said.
Consumers who purchased a recalled vehicle should stop using it immediately and contact their Honda dealer to schedule a free repair.
Honda’s Recall Number for this vehicle is Z7L.
Do I Have a Honda Clarity Class Action Lawsuit?
The Class Action Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in Honda Clarity lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new injury and death cases in all 50 states.
If you or a loved one has been injured by a recalled Honda vehicle, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to a settlement by filing a suit and we can help.


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First Wave Of Energica Bikes Arrive in Swiss Dealership
Energica’s push to be a major player in the electric motorcycle industry took another huge step after announcing the delivery of the first batch of Ego motorcycles to the company’s official dealership in Switzerland. The Italian manufacturer’s Swiss dealership is E-performance, which is owned by Adrian von Büren.
Some of you may be familiar with Büren for his exploits in the Wave Trophy 2015, where he completed the 1,952-mile ride with the Ego. Büren received an Energica Ego Matte Pearl White and an Energica Ego Matte Black with a Corsa Kit for his efforts. Evidently, the partnership between Energica and E-performance is a match made in electric motorcycle heaven.
Swiss customers who are interested in purchasing the Ego now have a chance to do so, which is more than what other European markets can say at this point in time. But rest easy, anxious buyers in Europe and the US. Energiser’s expansion will cover a wide range of markets, including one in California with Hollywood Electrics. It’s still unclear when the bikes will arrive in Hollywood Electrics’ Los Angeles dealership, but the mere confirmation that it’s coming our way is enough
For now, though, our friends over in Switzerland will get dibs on the Ego. Be kind and gentle with your bragging, friend. We’ll get our hands on the Ego real soon, too.
Continue reading to read more about Energica’s entry into the Swiss market.
<h3<Why it matters}1}
Every news update about Energica is like the opposite of hearing about the latest goings-on in the world of Erik Buell Racing. Unlike the American motorcycle brand, the Italian manufacturer has been reaping the rewards of good fortune recently.
Remember, it was only recently that the company struck a partnership with Hollywood Electrics to be the official supplier of the company’s electric bikes in California.
Now that word has arrived that its Swiss dealership, E-performance, has received the first wave of Ego bikes, Energica can begin the process of selling its bike in the Swiss market. It’s not the biggest motorcycle market by any means, but for a fledgling company with ambitions of e-bike domination, it’s as good as good a start towards achieving that goal.
It’s really exciting to see Energica come this far but I have to be admit that I wished its bikes are already here in the US. It doesn’t seem fair, at least on my end, that other markets already have it while we still wait for it here. Perhaps our somewhat somewhat stricter regulatory requirements is to blame for that. But it still would’ve been nice to see the Ego arrive in our fair land.
The mere fact that California is getting first dibs in the US also means that other states might have to wait a little longer to get their hands on the Ego. It’s not ideal, but at least we know it’s coming. We just don’t know when that’ll be.


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Apple launches its largest, most expensive iPhone
Apple has launched three iPhones – two premium phone such as the iPhone Xs and the iPhone Xs Max, and a more affordable iPhone called the iPhone Xr. The iPhone Xs starts at Rs 99,900, the larger iPhone Xs Max begins at Rs 1,09,900 and the affordable iPhone Xr starts at Rs 76,900.
The iPhone Xs and the Xs Max will start shipping on 21 September, while preorders will begin as soon as 14 September. The iPhone Xr, meanwhile, will begin shipping a little later on 26 October.
Perhaps the biggest update to the iPhones is that the phones all support Dual SIM dual Standby. The phones will use a regular SIM alongside and eSIM for delivering this functionality. Airtel, Vodafone and Jio are the only service providers supporting eSIM.
Another important update to the phones is the new A12 Bionic chip. It’s the world’s first 7 nm chip and is packing in a whopping 6.9 billion transistors and a total of 18 cores. Six cores are CPU cores, 4 are GPU cores and 8 are dedicated to the Neural Engine for AI tasks. Of the 6 CPU cores, 2 are high-performance cores that are apparently 15 per cent faster than the previous generation core. The 4 high-efficiency cores are claimed to be 50 per cent more efficient. The biggest bump comes in the GPU department, which is claimed to be up to 50 percent faster. The GPU is Apple’s in-house design.The Neural Engine (NE) is the most exciting bit of the new design, though its true power will be seen only later when more apps are out. According to Apple, the new chip is about 10 times faster than the A11 Bionic on the previous phones.
The phones will be available in 64/256/512 GB storage options. These will be available in the regular silver and space grey colours as well as in a refreshed gold variant as well.


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British Fashion Retailer Topshop Eyes China Expansion
(Beijing) — British fast-fashion retailer Topshop said it plans to set up the first set of flagship stores on the Chinese mainland in 2018, despite receding in-store sales amid a boom in e-commerce.
The high-street fashion label said it will launch an inaugural store on the mainland in spring or summer 2018. There are currently three Topshop-branded stores in Hong Kong.
The move comes four years after Topshop started testing the waters in one of the world's fastest-growing retail markets. In 2012, fashion boutique Fei Space was franchised to sell some of Topshop's designs in Beijing.
Topshop also partnered with Fei Space to set up several "pop-up stores" in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen to understand the fashion tastes and purchasing habits of young Chinese consumers.
But earnings at some of these temporary outlets fell short of expectations because in the past few years, offline retailing has taken a hit due to the rise of e-commerce, a person linked to Topshop's China operations told Caixin.
Among the handful of pop-up stores, two are still operating as wholesalers, in Beijing and Shenzhen.
The store in Shenzhen will continue to sell Topshop-branded items, the store manager told Caixin.
The Beijing store hasn't received any information from the British company about its expansion plans, a salesperson at the store said.
But employees at both outlets said that a growth in online sales has dented their offline business. According to a recent Accenture report, 73% Chinese consumers tend to shop online, well above the global average of just over 40%.
The Shenzhen store manager said that when Topshop representatives first met her in 2011, the company was focused only on opening brick-and-mortar stores.
But three years later, the brand changed course and entered into a partnership with local online apparel retailer Shangpin.com — an e-commerce business with 30 million registered users — to sell both Topshop and Miss Selfridge brands. Shangpin has been authorized to operate the online business both on its website and China's largest e-commerce platform, Alibaba's Tmall marketplace.
Shangpin is the Chinese partner of Topshop's branded stores two years later. Shangpin founder and CEO David Zhao said the online marketplace will "use big data to track consumer purchases."
Last month, British retailing giant Marks & Spencer shuttered 10 China stores and laid off more than 400 workers as part of its global refocus from clothing to groceries.
Contact reporter Coco Feng (firstname.lastname@example.org)
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Not surprisingly perhaps it is the effects of the global economic downturn that have dominated the wine pages of just-drinks over the past year. Richard Woodard reviews a difficult year for the international wine business and assesses the chances of things improving in the immediate future.
The countdown to ProWein continues, which starts on Sunday. Here's part three of our preview:
Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits has been appointed the Canadian sales and marketing agent for Chilean wine producer Vina San Pedro in Canada.
Yarraman Winery has pulled out of talks with Drinks Americas Holdings over a possible acquisition of the Australian wine company.
Drinks Americas Holdings has lined up the acquisition of newly-named Global Beverage Asia.
Compañía Cervecerías Unidas has approved the merger of its wine subsidiary Viña San Pedro with Viña Tarapacá.
The establishment of a new umbrella organisation for Chile’s wine industry will not bring any changes to promotional body Wines of Chile, according to the head of the body in the UK.
The Chilean wine industry has officially launched a new umbrella wine association.
Compania Cervecerias Unidas has reported a strong start to 2007.
Chilean wine group San Pedro has named Les Grands Chais de France as its distributor for the UK market.
Chilean wine group Viña San Pedro has snapped up local winery Viña Leyda as it looks to strengthen its presence in the country’s emerging wine regions.
Chilean wine group San Pedro has parted company with its UK agent Buckingham Vintners.
A shareholder in Buckingham Vintners has upped its stake in the UK wine agent.
Chile’s largest wine producer San Pedro has ploughed US$5m into its Viña Altaïr joint venture in an effort to reduce debts at the company.
San Pedro is poised to add to its Chilean wine range - this time with two Argentinean offerings.
Viña San Pedro’s UK agent Buckingham Vintners has announced a new packaging design for the Chilean winery’s 35° South brand.
Viña Santa Rita SA in Alcoholic Drinks (Chile)
Viña Santa Rita led sales within wine for the second consecutive year, although its two principle competitors, Viña Concha y Toro and Viña San Pedro Tarapacá, have similar market shares. Viña Santa Ri...
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Global toy sales fell 2 per cent overall in 2018, according to the NPD Group’s latest figures from the 13 major markets it tracks.
The US toy market, the world’s largest, again matched the global average, though the UK, Australia, Spain and France all experienced more dramatic declines. Toy traders in Mexico, Russia and Brazil fared better, all seeing growth. The other markets NPD monitors are Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.
A “shrinking retail footprint” most evident in the disappearance of Toys R Us and independent stores from high streets and shopping centres was highlighted as a major contributor to the decline in sales. Other disruptions came from the video game industry, where games like Fortnite are attracting an ever greater share of kids time and pocket money.
Only three of NPD’s super categories saw growth throughout the year, with average declines falling in the mid-single-digits. See the results below :
Frédérique Tutt, Global Toys Industry Analyst at The NPD Group, says that many manufacturers and suppliers “demonstrated their resilience in what could easily be described as a tumultuous market,, with two rising to the top to win NPD’s annual awards for excellence in sales”.
Mattel was named the number one manufacturer, while MGA scooped two NPD awards for its ubiquitous L.O.L Surprise! brand: number one property and number one selling toy.
Unsurprisingly, then, MGA’s L.O.L Surprise was found to be the world’s biggest toy brand in 2018, conquering the charts in almost half the 13 monitored markets, including the UK and US. The unboxing collectable was followed by Barbie, Marvel Universe, Nerf and Star Wars to round out the year’s top five toy properties.
“While it isn’t business as usual for toys, 2019 sounds promising thanks to a wide range of kid-friendly movies, which often helps to drive toys sales, as well as old, favourite toy brands that are either celebrating milestone birthdays or attempting to make a comeback,” adds Frédérique.


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A hair care brand insulted Jordyn Woods' natural hair, and when will this nonsense stop?
Just when we think the beauty industry is making promising moves toward reflecting the diverse world around it, another person or brand makes a wildly insensitive comment. The most recent offender is Bellami Hair, which made an ignorant and callous comment about Jordyn Woods’ natural hair. For those who don’t know, Woods is Kylie Jenner’s (potentially former) best friend, and her name has been in the news these past few weeks due to some particularly unpleasant Khloé Kardashian/Tristan Thompson drama. And Bellami attempted to make light of the situation, with a completely off-base “joke.”
The hair extension brand posted a photo of Jordyn sporting a cute bob—without her usual hair extensions. The photo included the caption, “When Kylie Jenner stops paying for your lifestyle, including your hair extensions.” The brand then captioned the entire post with,
The problem? Bellami is not-so-subtly suggesting that a black woman’s natural, extension-free hair is “bad hair.” Yes, in 2019. And many on social media were quick to clap back. According to Women’s Health, one commenter said,
Bellami has since apologized for the comment in a lengthy Instagram posted shared to their account on March 12th, writing, “We believe that all hair types are beautiful especially natural hair we did not want to hurt or offend anyone with our post but just intentions are not enough. Because of our emphasis on wigs and extensions the inclusion of ‘bad hair’ was a very poor choice of words and insensitive, we sincerely apologize, this is a subjective phrase and we never wanted to target or insult anyone who chooses not to wear our products.”
Let’s hope Bellami—and all of the internet—learns from this moment.