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Comprising a large part of the Millennial Generation born between 1980 and 2000, the teen demographic is becoming one of the most studied and analyzed generations in U.S. history. They are the fastest growing demographic segment, increasing to 32 million between 1990 and 2000 alone. By 2010 there will be 33.5 million of them, comprising 10 percent of the population.
Sometimes called the Internet Generation, Echo Boomers, the Boomlet, Nexters, Generation Y, the Nintendo Generation, the Digital Generation, the Sunshine Generation (in Canada), most recently Generation Text, and Generation Qué (Latinos), most prefer to be called Millennials, according to a survey by ABCNews.com.
"One of the biggest surprises for adults is today's teens are really mature; they are 15 going on 25," says Michael Wood, vice president of Teenage Research Unlimited (www.teenresearch.com), Northbrook, Ill. "They are exposed to an awful lot these days in terms of images – sex, drugs and violence – but despite this exposure they have great composure. They are basically good kids and are handling this exposure in a good way."
These teens are team-oriented and that makes sense, according to Wood. "This is the first age group that has grown up in organized sporting leagues and teams," he says. "Overprotected all their lives, they haven't really been on their own, but their parents didn't have much choice. The rules changed in terms of what play is for a teen, what they can and can't do. This is a generation that grew up wearing a car seat, a bicycle helmet, being told they can't just go out and play or trick or treat, and they've grown up experiencing some dramatic events – 9/11, the tsunami and Katrina. There's a real sense of parents wanting to protect them."
Mobility and increased responsibility because of two-income families means teens shop for themselves all the time, but also are responsible for more of the family shopping, influencing major purchases as well as foods and beverages, reports RetailWire.com. The most affluent generation of young people to date, more than one-third get an allowance from their parents, nearly three-quarters work around the house to earn cash and nearly one-third work while going to school, according to Mintel International (www.mintel.com).
They control $4,500 in annual discretionary dollars at age 16, and 70 percent spend up to $35 per week on food or beverages for themselves -- mostly on snacks or fast food. Boys under age 18 have an average of $525 to spend each month, while girls have $430, according to Jim Taylor, futurist and vice chairman of The Harrison Group (www.intellisponse.com/worlds), Waterbury, Conn. Total projected spending for teens in 2006 is $128.5 billion.
The first generation to grow up surrounded by digital media, teens (and children 8 to 12) gorge themselves on eight and a half hours of media a day, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (www.kff.org). They are proficient at multi-tasking, and one can get exhausted watching them play Internet games, download movies to their DVD players, do homework, download music to their iPods, talk on the cell phone to one person and text message another, all while eating. On the downside, this generation is also known for attention problems and inability to delay gratification.
Don't dis them
Raised by protective, indulgent, active, involved Boomer and Xer parents (and grandparents), teens have been pampered and coddled. They perceive grownups as "too stressed out," and, although they actually like and admire their parents, they don't want the same lifestyle. With pen pals in Singapore and Sydney, Millennials see things as global, connected and open for business 24/7.
Success to them means being really good at your job, having a good relationship with your kids and being in control of your life, according to a survey by TRU. They exhibit a strong need for individuality in their self-expression, have a strong sense of empowerment, like to work in teams, believe they can conquer any challenge, seek out causes to support and are hip to hype from the media.
When it comes to ethnicity and race, teens are the most diverse market segment, and are not overly concerned with ethnic designators. They blur the lines between ethnicity and race, according to market research firm Cheskin (www.cheskin.com), Redwood Shores, Calif., defining themselves as "intra-cultural." In fact, one out of every three teens belongs to a minority race or ethnic group, compared to one out of five in the Pre-Boomer generation. Some 15 percent are African American/Black, 15 percent are Hispanic/Latino, 4 percent are Asian American and the remaining two-thirds are Caucasian. But Asian American teens are expected to grow 31 percent in this decade alone, to 1,1888,000 in 2010, and by 2020 the Hispanic/Latino teen market – now at 4.6 million – will balloon 62 percent, growing six times faster than the rest of teens.
"There is no such thing as hitting teens [as a broad demographic]," says Malcolm Bird, senior vice president of AOL Kids and Teens, an Adweek panelist on targeting teens in an online and mobile world. "You've got to decide what sort of teens and what demo you want to hit within the media."
Brand names are less of a hallmark of quality and more a means for teens to define themselves. "Advertising to teens cynical about marketing demands that they believe they are discovering brands on their own," says Taylor, who divides teens into five groups: A-listers (popular kids in a crowd), American Dreams (regular hard-working teens), Individual Thinkers (opinionated leaders), Outsiders (estranged and suffering from low-self esteem) and Jack Blacks (or JBs, party kids).
Online buzz is king. " ‘Did it break [as in break out]? Do my friends think it's cool?' Those things hold the most sway," Taylor says. "It's an opinion process that goes on through IMs [instant messaging] and text-messaging, and it applies to everything from movies to cargo pants."
Teens constitute a very unique segment – fickle, competitive, ever-changing and constantly on the move, according to panelists at last year's Wharton Marketing Conference. Companies that want to capture teen consumers must be able to speak their language, identify their latest trends and find the optimal ways to target them through everything from music downloads to instant messaging ads.
"Teens are an enormously important segment because they are disproportionately powerful in terms of being trend setters and early adopters," says Keith Niedermeier, Wharton visiting professor of marketing. "Additionally they are an attractive market because of the lifetime value they offer. Capturing teens and establishing brand loyalty can launch decades of positive yields in the future. It's an incredibly lucrative market, but definitely not for the faint of heart." And he adds, "Nowhere does market research have a shorter shelf-life than when talking about the teen segment."
Cool whatever tends to have a short shelf life for teens – if you are reading about it in mainstream publications, it's too late. Unlike other demographic groups, products need to be brought to market lickety-split. That's why cool hunters, who specialize in youth culture, enjoy great success.
Cool hunters Sharon Lee and Dee Dee Gordon, of Hollywood, Calif.-based Look-Look, a teen market research company, use Youth Information Specialists (or former teen innovators) to stay ahead of the trends. "Trends spread in a triangle," says Lee. "At the top there's the innovator (two or three percent of the population), underneath are trend-setters (17 percent), who pick up on the innovator's ideas and claim them as their own. Under that, are early adopters (varies), who take what the trendsetter is doing and make it palatable for mass consumption to the mainstream (80 percent). The mass consumer picks up on it, runs with it and actually kills it."
Connected in their own language
A telephone survey conducted last fall by Princeton Survey Research Associates, found: 84 percent of teens own a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a cell phone or a personal digital assistant, 44 percent have two or more of those items, 12 percent have three and 2 percent have all four, reports the St. Petersburg Times. And the key age for the transition to technology appears to be about seventh grade, when there's a surge in socializing.
A recent NPD Group study found wireless phones are becoming an important "coming of age" marker. Twelve percent of kids ages 8-12 have a wireless phone, but that jumps to 49 percent for ages 13-15, according to a Harris Interactive youth survey last year. Girls 15 to 17 seem to be the technology leaders: 97 percent have used instant messaging, compared with 87 percent of boys in that age group, and 57 percent of girls 15 to 17 have sent text messages, compared with 40 percent of boys.
|Users by age
|Total users in millions
|% of age group with cellphones
Source: Harris Interactive July 2005-January 2006, Census Bureau (number of users based on Census 2005 population projection and Harris.
For American teens, e-mail is just so yesterday. They prefer instant messaging (exchanging instant messages on-line) often engaged in multiple conversations. They also love their cell phones. In fact, some 45 percent have a cell phone, according to TRU, and 37 percent also use text messaging (see "TEXT MESSAGING," below), with numbers rising every year.
Texting is an abbreviated form of writing that's barely understandable by older people who are more comfortable sending and receiving traditional e-mail, reports USA Today. Short Message Service (SMS) messages are generally limited to 80 characters, so texting users condense their messages to fit more thoughts into a single message. TransL8it! (www.transI8it.com) allows you to enter a message – either in plain English or in SMS-speak. Hit the submit button, and a translation appears. Like many web-based SMS systems, TransL8it! counts characters as you type so messages fit within the 80-character SMS limit. Soon users will be able to send SMS messages to friends directly from the site.
How they define health
Teens' views on health are somewhat different than adults, according to a June 2005 survey of teens conducted by Buzzback Market Research (www.buzzback.com), New York. They believe diet can have a direct impact on their health, well-being, energy levels, performance and appearance and seek foods that deliver those attributes.
To teens, being healthy means looking good (being in shape) (61 percent) and not gaining weight (38 percent). Feeling good, including having energy, and eating a healthy, balanced diet are important attributes to teens making food consumption decisions. It's notable they categorize what they're eating into "junk food" or "healthy food," with healthy food that doesn't sacrifice taste being the optimal choice. But almost half of respondents think healthy foods are too expensive, and 45 percent (more females than males) say there aren't enough healthy snack options. On the other hand, nearly one-third think food and beverages companies do a good job producing new products that meet current health needs and trends.
Well aware of new product offerings, nearly two-thirds tried a new snack, food or beverage in the past year, and younger teens are even more amenable (75 percent). Why? Because it looked appetizing (77 percent), curiosity (68 percent), new flavor (62 percent) or it appeared to be convenient or easy to prepare and eat (61 percent). Males are more influenced by packaging and advertising, while females seek fewer calories and sugar-free/lower carb content.
Attributes most appealing to teens include: fresh, convenient, added nutrients including vitamins and calcium. Products that remove ingredients (reduced salt, sugar and carbs) are less appealing. One in five seeks products with no caffeine, with extra caffeine, and vegetarian or vegan fare.
One-quarter of all teens skip breakfast (higher for females and African-Americans) because they don't have time. On-the-go products are most desirable; in fact, one of the opportunities for processors is on-the-go breakfast foods. Teens consume nearly three snacks per day. African-American teens are most likely to skip a meal and struggle to eat healthily. It's notable only 6 percent cite energy/meal replacement bars as a frequent snack. There's a lot of interest, but they say product offerings often fall short of expectations.
Attributing it to media images, some 80 percent of teens believe there is a lot of pressure to look a certain way. Despite weight pressures, 60 percent say they do not follow any diet plans at all, although portion control is important. For those who do follow a diet plan, 35 percent do the Atkins diet, followed by an individual plan designed by a nutritionist (18 percent) and Slim-Fast diet (18 percent).
Less than 40 percent are happy with their weight, and food products that ease that concern are alluring to them. Females, more concerned about their weight, look for foods low in calories and fat, while males are more concerned about foods' performance and strength-enhancing properties, so they seek products with higher protein levels. Hispanic teens are more concerned about weight than non-Hispanic teenagers and are more likely to be motivated by healthier versions of traditional "homemade" foods.
Quenching their thirst
New products in the beverage category particularly resonate with teens. "Teens are diverse in their beverage tastes, and are very open to trying new products," observes Gary Hemphill, senior vice president information services, Beverage Marketing Corp. of New York (www.beveragemarketing.com). "Bottled water, carbonated soft drinks and energy drinks rank among their favorites. Portability is important to them, as is health."
Teens drink more bottled water than any other beverage (61 percent), followed by fruit juice-based products, milk and sports drinks and energy sodas. Cola drinks are consumed by 44 percent, but females prefer the diet version. Cola drinkers say taste is the No. 1 attribute (59 percent) rather than caffeine content (17 percent).
Yes, females love to tote their fashionable waters, including Aquafina and Dasani. Males are enamored of sports waters, such as Gatorade, and energy and alternative drinks, such as SoBe's Adrenaline Rush. Hansen Natural Corp., Corona, Calif., is masterful at creating cool products, such as Monster Energy, launched in April 2002 and now the leading 16-oz. energy drink in the U.S. and No. 2 brand overall with a 19.4 percent share. Hansen also makes Lost Energy, the No. 8 brand, and newcomer Rumba, a 100 percent juice drink with taurine, ginseng, glucose, guarana, B vitamins and caffeine.
Alternative beverages also are big biz for companies appealing to teens. Peter van Stolk, founder and CEO of Seattle-based Jones Soda, which creates an emotional connection with consumers, says, "People get fired up about Jones Soda because it's theirs." The company appeals to the 14-24-year-old demographic with its energy drink WhoopAss, through extreme sports and blogs on its web site (www.jonessoda.com). Jones lets its young customers decide what new flavors they want and to vote on consumer pictures that appear on the labels of its retro bottles.
One of the fastest growing beverages for teens is coffee whatever … to give them an energy boost and help them stay awake in class. It's not unusual to see teens lined up at a Starbucks for their favorite drink, Frappuccino, which lacks the bitterness of espresso or regular coffee and has a halo of whipped cream. And Starbucks partnership with PepsiCo to produce bottled Starbucks Frappuccino and Doubleshot for retail has been a tremendous success.
"In food products, the good news is teens are very interested in convenience, attracted to products that offer variety and newness and there's a growing interest in healthy food alternatives," says Wood.
There's no doubt, Frito-Lay knows how to build excitement for a brand. "One of the most appealing brands to teens is our Doritos brand," says Jared Dougherty, spokesperson, Frito-Lay Inc., Plano, Texas, a subsidiary of PepsiCo. "The brand has had a long history of introducing bold and spicy flavors that teens are looking for and is involved with appealing promotions.
"Doritos has done a good job using music as well as comedy in advertising to appeal to teens," he continues. "The brand now is offering interesting prizes that money can't buy, experience-based prizes that really appeal to teens and young adults – for example, win a day as an intern at a record label. Last summer we invited people to work backstage at music festivals across the country. And when Doritos introduced its packaging with a great new look for the bag, we held a promotion for teens to get a new look of their own – a makeover."
Crafting grab-and-go snacks for teens is something Kraft Foods and its Nabisco brand excel at, providing options such as Kraft Easy Mac, DiGiorno frozen pizza or its latest offering – 100-calorie snack packs of its most popular snack brands. Teens, particularly females, don't have the time or inclination to figure out portions, so this line makes snacking and calories a no-brainer.
Meanwhile, Minneapolis-based General Mills continues to grow share for its best-selling brand in the frozen hot snacks category, Totino's Pizza Rolls. It's a great snack for hungry teens, particularly males, who enjoy savory flavors. It's notable that seven of the Top 20 frozen Hot Snacks/Sandwiches contain pepperoni, and 49 percent of frozen pizza options included pepperoni, according to AC Nielsen (26 weeks ending Dec. 31, 2005).
"We find in all categories that all ages love spicier foods both in restaurant options and home cooking," says Marlene Johnson, senior public relations manager. "All of us are exposed to and enjoy more full-bodied flavors, including Mexican and other ethnic foods."
When hands are full or teens are watching their weight, chewing gum is a perfect solution. It helps multi-tasking teens concentrate better, eases tension and some brands even whiten teeth. Chicago-based Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.'s Orbit, the No. 2 gum franchise, second only to Wrigley's Extra gum, will roll out the two latest Orbit flavors in July: Lemon-Lime and Crystal Mint.
"Despite having a lot of money to spend, they want to get good value and are very selective in how they spend," says Wood. "They are an extremely sophisticated group in terms of shopping behaviors. We like to say these teens are as comfortable shopping at Wal-Mart as they are Tiffany."
For the first time, this age group very sees a strong link between what they consume and performance, according to Wood. "They've grown up with Smart Water – water with electrolytes for brain power. We hear them talk about dosing with a caffeine fix before an exam or an energy boost before a game. Because they have so many choices, they don't have to settle on a soft drink when they can have an energy drink.
"My advice to the food industry is it's important to be open and take chances (creating products) for this age group," says Wood. "This is a very forgiving cohort. The myth associated with teens is if they try something that doesn't work and it flops they hold it against you. These teens are not like that, in fact, the only mistake that a brand can make is not taking chances."
U got 2 luv em, TTFN.
Cool, often pronounced "kewl," is the all-purpose word for OK, good, great and terrific, according to Robert Thompson, a Syracuse University professor of popular culture, reports STL Today.com. "Cool" remains the gold standard of slang in the 21st century, much as it did for the latter half of the 20th century.
Some other teen jargon:
Eating morally is a cause celebre for some teens. They work together to decry pesticide use, to limit deforestation and to improve the conditions of food workers in developing countries. They vote with their dollar for fair trade, conservation and natural foods.
More than half of 1,183 teens in a January 2006 Omnibuzz (a collaborative effort between TRU and Harris Interactive) survey believe the nation is headed in the wrong direction - surprising news from a generational cohort often described as carefree and optimistic. Only 18 percent say the nation is headed in the right direction.
They think even less of what we've done to the environment. Only 17 percent are satisfied with the country's progress on environmental issues, compared to 57 percent who believe the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction environmentally. Their sentiments on education are similarly grim: 18 percent approve and 51 percent disapprove of the nation's track record.
TRU Trends Director Rob Callender says last year's natural disasters - and lackluster response efforts - contributed to teens' overall feeling of unease about the world around them. Despite their gloomy outlook, teens haven't yet given up hope, Callender says. "Optimism and faith in the future are integral parts of the teen mindset," he says. "In a follow-up Omnibuzz survey, 60 percent of teens said they believe 2006 will be a better year than 2005.
How we stock their vending machines
According to the agreement reached between the Southport, Conn.-based Alliance for a Healthier Generation (a joint venture of the American Heart Assn. and the Clinton Foundation) and the country's top beverage companies (PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Cadbury Schweppes and the American Beverage Assn.), elementary and middle schools will sell only water, some unsweetened juices and low-fat plain and flavored milks. However, the juice and milk will only be available in 8-oz. containers in elementary schools or 10-oz. containers in middle schools. At the high school level, diet sodas, light sports drinks and reduced-calorie teas will be added to the list, and milk and juice servings can increase to 12-oz. sizes. A final caveat of the guidelines requires at least half of all beverages sold in the high schools be water.
|Potato or tortilla chips
|Popcorn or pretzels
|Cereal or granola bar
Source: Buzz back's report "Teens Eating Healthy: Oxymoron or Trend?"
TRU asked 1,994 teens (ages 12 to 19) what beverage brands they drank in the past six months:
|Average minutes per month
SINGING THEIR TUNE
Hip-hop, rap and R&D musicians still comprise more than half of the Top 10 list of music act scores, but rock acts are threatening to make the race competitive for the first time in years.
Source: TRU's TRU Score 2006 - derived by dividing percentage of respondents who indicated they like a particular artist "very much" by percentage who are familiar with that artist.
Teens' favorite color is blue, but it's rare to find a naturally blue food. That's why food manufacturers have developed a variety of foods, from cookies to soda that are not blue by nature. It's a way to add interest to ice cream, cookies, toppings, and even french fries. In fact, some think the newly introduced blue M&M's taste better than the other colors.
No matter what the latest trends, teens are rebellious by nature, so a quest for the unconventional is always on their agenda. Since blue is so rare in nature, naturally endowed blueberries in all their forms are a great solution in food formulation for teens. Millennials perceive blueberries as healthy but cool.
TV has some work to do
A poll by Bolt Media, a Web site used to upload videos and photos, found only one in four 12- to 34-year-olds can name all four major broadcast networks: ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox, reports AdAge.com. Surfing the Internet is the most popular activity for 84 percent of respondents, followed by hanging out with friends (76 percent), watching movies (71 percent), and TV viewing (69 percent). The five most-watched TV networks are Fox, Comedy Central, ABC, MTV and Cartoon Network.


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Just a week back Skype had released a new update for its smartphone application and the company has now released another major upgrade with few of new features and improvements.
The main key of this update could be a message filters which can now be applied to videos and it is available for both Android and iOS versions. Video messages allow you to record short clips and send them to your Skype contacts to be viewed at any time, they don’t have to be online. However, users is not able to add filters such as balloons and ghosts to their video messages. But there is a option at the bottom left of the video message window for add balloons to your video message to celebrate any occasion.
New Skype update is also featured with the video-centred ephemeral messenger added lenses, trophies, and paid replays to its app, so users can able to take a selfie and then choose face filters and add awards icons to the images.
Skype has also introduce 3D touch support on iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus for iOS users. Thus iPhone users will be able to get into their conversations much faster using 3D Touch. Users will be able to Force Touch the Skype icon on the home screen for quick access to some of the most used features.
New update also includes the option to share a Skype contact by tapping the contact card icon in a conversation to open the contact list. You can also delete and hide chats from your recent conversations by tapping Edit or swiping the contact.

domain: news


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Community Relations Assistant
Kylie Thomas joined the Wolves as a community relations assistant in April 2018.
The 23-year-old Indianapolis native comes to Chicago after spending a year with Butler University’s athletics department as the development assistant. Additionally, Thomas served in a marketing capacity for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Thomas graduated for Indiana University in May 2017 with a degree in Sport Communication and Sport Marketing and Management. During her collegiate tenure, Thomas spent a summer studying abroad in London.
An avid reader and outdoor enthusiast, Thomas resides in Chicago.


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ENR Southeast March 11, 2019 Issue
Seminole Hard Rock’s new hotel in Hollywood, Fla., is coming into shape.
For a full index of articles included, visit March 11, 2019 issue page.
Quantities are limited to 10 copies per order. To order larger quantities, email firstname.lastname@example.org with your request and contact information.


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2015 panel debate video
Kevin McCoy is the co-founder of Next Jump, a global company producing online employee engagement platforms. Next Jump has quadrupled its business in under four years – expanding into over 90 countries – and is predicted to exceed $2.5bn in sales this year.
Next Jump’s primary business strategy is an investment in culture. The company puts the growth of its people ahead of its profits, and was recently cited by Harvard Business School as one of three such ‘Deliberately Developmental Organisations’.
Kevin was part of the Meaning 2015 panel: Where does power belong in the organisations of the future?


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Israeli businessman Moishe Mana has purchased another Downtown Miami retail building, adding to his Flagler Street assemblage.
In total, Mana has acquired 200,000 square feet of retail in Miami’s urban core.
Mika Mattingly and Shai Ben-Ami of Sterling Equity Commercial represented Mana’s company, Jersey Art Holdings as well as the Seller, Nine East Flagler, in the purchase of 17 East Flagler Street.
The 1938-built building totaling 21,000 square was the Former W. T. Grant Store and, at one time, was the highest-grossing store in the chain. Now dubbed the ‘Flagler Jewelry Center,’ this historic building is reminiscent of downtown shopping districts from another era, featuring a smaller, classical version of an interior mall, known as an arcade.
The deal closed on Monday, September 15.
“Mana invests all over the world, drawn to value-added properties. Mana envisions Flagler Street returning to its former grandeur. It just takes one person with a vision to ignite the process, and Moishe Mana is that person“ stated Mattingly.
Miami-Dade commissioners recently approved funding for a $13 million improvement plan for Flagler Street, with the City of Miami matching the county’s contribution and downtown property and business owners covering the remaining $1 million.
Ben-Ami and Mattingly are both members of the Commercial Industrial Association of South Florida (CIASF).


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Sanofi SA has picked Bank of America Corp., BNP Paribas SA and JPMorgan Chase & Co. to lead the initial public offering of its business manufacturing drug ingredients, according to people familiar with the matter.
The French pharmaceuticals company is seeking to raise about 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) in an IPO of its EUROAPI unit next year, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential information.
More banks could get added to the listing roster, according to the people. Representatives for Bank of America, BNP Paribas, JPMorgan and Sanofi declined to comment.
Active pharmaceutical ingredients are chemical molecules and biological substances essential to any drug. Interest in the sector increased amid the Covid-19 pandemic as Europe looked to safeguard local supplies of key drug ingredients, rather than rely on Asian manufacturers.
In February 2020, Sanofi announced plans to create a new active pharmaceutical ingredients company generating around 1 billion euros in sales. It said at the time that it planned to retain around 30% in the company and would consider Paris as a listing venue.
Sanofi in January unveiled EUROAPI as the name of the new unit, which has a catalog of about 200 active pharmaceutical ingredients used in everything from anti-inflammatory drugs to treatments for Parkinson’s disease, according to its website.
Rothschild & Co. has been advising Sanofi on the IPO plans, Bloomberg News reported previously.
©2021 Bloomberg L.P.


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Many people will have to turn to the internet to get a jump on their Black Friday shopping.
For the second year in a row, numerous retailers will be closed on Thanksgiving.
Walmart, Target and Best Buy are three of the largest retailers that have decided to stay closed on Turkey Day.
"This year, we'll have even more ways for customers to easily and conveniently get their holiday shopping done, over the Black Friday weekend and throughout the entire holiday season," Best Buy spokesperson Keegan Shoutz said in a statement to USA Today.
Best Buy's announcement is part of a growing trend in retail to keep doors shut on Thanksgiving — once thought of as a prime opportunity to attract shoppers ahead of Black Friday.
Walmart said its stores would be closed on the holiday as a "thank you" to its associates for their hard work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Walmart stores will operate regular posted hours on Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
"Closing our stores on Thanksgiving Day is one way we're saying 'thank you' to our teams for their dedication and hard work this year. We hope everyone will take the opportunity to be with their loved ones during what's always a special time," said Dacona Smith, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Walmart U.S. in a statement.
Target, one of Walmart's largest competitors, announced in January that it wouldn't be open on Thanksgiving 2021.
Other retailers that plan to remain closed for Thanksgiving include:
- Bed Bath & Beyond
- Sam’s Club
- TJ Maxx
- The Home Depot
- Simon Property Group (Owner of malls across the country)
- Trader Joe's
- Dick's Sporting Goods
- Barnes & Noble


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Welcome Back To Paradise
Would you rather stay in the picturesque over-the-water bungalows complete with glass floor views to the ocean or the brand new luxurious rondoval swim-up suites at Sandals South Coast?
That was the topic of debate among several travellers on site at the newly renovated and expanded resort in Jamaica.
The top verdict?
A split stay between the two offering the best for both worlds, naturally.
“Our brand new South Seas Rondoval Village [has] 20 beautifully appointed rondoval bungalows along the world’s longest lagoon, which makes them Sandals’ first swim-up rondovals,” Adrian Whitehead, General Manager of Sandals South Coast, told Travel Courier during an interview on location in Jamaica. “Plunge pools on the outside, spa bathrooms on the inside, immaculately appointed, and comes with our butler service, which is just incredible — and they’re all completely full. That’s the story of our life for at least the next six months from what I can tell.”
Notably, the South Seas Rondoval Village — located on a swim-up river pool with over 17,000 sq. feet of water — isn’t the only new addition to the resort.
There’s also the upgrades to the Dutch Village, which have transformed this section of the property.
“We took the opportunity to virtually demolish it during COVID and put it back together again,” explains Whitehead. “We extended every single balcony, placed a tranquility tub on every single one, gutted every single room, refurbished the inside, modernized it, we made the ground floor from one end to the other swim-up suites, we reworked the Dutch Village pool bar and the beach so the whole boulevard there just looks incredible.”
For the full story check out the latest issue of TRAVEL COURIER.


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PUBG x El Solitario collab launches June, 2
The result of a collaboration between PUBG Corporation and the Spanish motorcycle shop El Solitario, which creates unique custom motorcycles, will appear in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds on June 2. This was announced by the developers on Twitter:
"PUBG x El Solitario— PUBG (@PUBG) May 24, 2021
Desert Wolves on the Battlegrounds starting June 2nd, 2021." pic.twitter.com/f0gS0Nd6IB
Earlier, PUBG Corp. has presented a recreated 2016 Harley Davidson Roadster 1200 motorcycle in-game, customized as part of the El Solitario Desert Wolves project.


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- 1 min read
Chef Sanjyot Keer brings a new recipe for Wagh Bakri
Tea brand Wagh Bakri has signed celebrity chef Sanjyot Keer as its digital brand ambassador
Tea brand Wagh Bakri has signed celebrity chef Sanjyot Keer as its digital brand ambassador.
Parag Desai, executive director of Wagh Bakri Tea Group said, “Wagh Bakri has always been about human relationships and authenticity. We are thrilled to present our Spiced Tea range with Chef Sanjyot Keer."
Keer added, “I’m very glad to be chosen as the face of the iconic Wagh Bakri Tea brand. I have grown up admiring the brand, which has been a staple at my home for many years. I believe this partnership was destined to happen. The leadership’s focus on product quality and product knowledge is truly exemplary."
Yogesh Shinde, senior vice president of marketing, Wagh Bakri Tea Group shared, “Just like our brand, Chef Sanjyot Keer is a well-respected and trusted chef across India. We synced very well with this and have built a deep association that ranges across marketing channels."
Omkar Joshi, founder, and chief customer officer of Hybrid says, ”Our day begins with Wagh Bakri in a cup and this is an extremely proud moment for us to partner with a brand that is so close to our hearts. With Chef Sanjyot on the Wagh Bakri team now, we are very excited to usher in a new era of advertising for the consumer of the new decade."


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SANTA MONICA, CA - China is working to implement a digital cinema network throughout the country. The China Film Group Corporation recently purchased Avica FilmStore digital cinema players and Avica's Digital Cinema Mastering System, which it will use to help deploy digital cinema throughout the People's Republic of China.
The China Film Group's Hua Long Digital Productions Co., Ltd. has taken delivery of the Avica Mastering System, which is being used to produce distribution masters of digital content produced in China. Additionally, 10 theatres have already received FilmStore digital cinema players, including theatres in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Chengdu. The first wave of 100-screen deployment will take place throughout 2002 and 2003. "Avica's ability to assist in integration of our distribution and conditional access system, as well as the overall reliability and ease of use of their products and software, was a key consideration in our selection process," explains Yaozu Huang, board director/chief engineer of China Film Group Corporation and president of Hua Long Digital.
"The conversion of movie screens throughout the world to digital technology has now moved to an entirely new level with the commitment of China Film Group Corporation to upgrade its movie distribution and presentation infrastructure," adds Andrew Maltz, Avica president/CEO. "Exhibitors worldwide are aware of the many benefits and increased revenue potential offered by the digital format and we expect the industry conversion we've seen this year to continue at an increasing rate."


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Manning will be a British face for Michael Kassan’s US media consulting business which is looking to expand internationally after being acquired by Ascential, the owner of Cannes Lions, a year ago.
He will report to Kassan and work alongside Wenda Harris Millard, vice-chairman of MediaLink, who moved from the US to London last year.
Manning was most recently chief strategy officer of Ebiquity, where he led much of the media auditing and benchmarking firm’s work on transparency, and he previously co-founded Manning Gottlieb OMD.
He will work on a range of services for MediaLink clients, including managing agency pitches and relationships, business consulting and organisation and M&A.
MediaLink is known for running big global media reviews such as Lego in 2017 and 21st Century Fox in 2016.
Manning said he is "a builder by nature" and contemplated launching his own business after leaving Ebiquity in December but was attracted by MediaLink’s breadth of services and range of clients, which include brands, media owners and tech giants.
"It isn’t like any other media company in it is field," he said. "It has a much wider palette than anyone else in the market."
He described his role as "taking the MediaLink proposition and amping it up with extra firepower" and "to translate MediaLink for a European and UK audience", although he noted parent company Ascential is British.
Manning does not expect to compete with Ebiquity as MediaLink is not going to become involved in the media measurement and benchmarking business.
He has been a notable critic of media transparency and advertising effectiveness in programmatic ad-buying, speaking at the Advertising Association’s Lead 2018 conference in January where he warned of too much money being taken by intermediaries in the digital supply chain.
He plans to use that knowledge at MediaLink. "The whole issue of media accountability and transparency won’t go away," he said, noting that he has been warning about the use of data long before the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica story broke.
MediaLink, which has also opened offices in Berlin and Frankfurt, reported annual revenues grew 14% to £39.7m and profits before exceptionals climbed 15% to £12m last year.
Ascential paid £55.3m upfront to buy MediaLink and expects to make further payments of up to $62m (£44.3m) dependent on hitting performance targets.


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YouTube Shorts now allows creators to splice in long-form videos
Posted On April 14, 2022
Creators making YouTube Shorts will now be able to use video clips from billions of YouTube videos in new Shorts, the company announced today in a blog post.
In YouTube Shorts — the company’s TikTok clone — creators were previously only able to splice short audio clips from other videos on the platform. This most recent update will allow users to clip 1- to 5-second segments from eligible long-form videos and Shorts to use in new short-form content.
When a new Short is created with a clip from an existing video, the original video is credited via a link. The library of videos available for remixing is vast, though creators have the option to exclude their content from being remixed, and videos with a copyright claim or…


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U.S. retail sales rose at a solid pace last month, as a healthier job market encouraged more consumers to shop.
The Commerce Department said Monday that retail sales rose 0.8 percent in March. That's below February's 1 percent increase but above January's pace.
Americans are spending more despite higher gas prices. Excluding car and gasoline sales, retail sales increased 0.7 percent, better than February's gain for that category. Sales at electronics stores rose 1 percent, the most in five months.
The gain pushed retail sales to a record high of $411.1 billion, 24 percent higher than the recession low hit in March 2009.
The government's retail sales report is its first look each month at consumer spending, which represents 70 percent of economic activity. The increase, along with other recent positive data on inventories and trade, suggests growth in the January-March quarter could be stronger than first thought.
Economists are estimating growth at an annual rate of between 2.5 percent and 3 percent in the first quarter. That's in line with the 3 percent annual pace in the October-December quarter.
Americans are more confident in the economy after seeing hiring strengthen this winter. Job gains averaged 246,000 per month from December through February. Hiring slowed to half that pace in March, although economists have suggested the lull may be temporary.
More hiring has helped lower the unemployment rate from 9.1 percent in August to 8.2 percent in March. Still, the stronger hiring hasn't translated into higher salaries. Americans' pay isn't keeping pace with inflation. That, along with higher gas prices, could restrain consumer spending later this year.
Gas prices rose more slowly last month, according to a separate report released last week. And in the last two weeks, they are showing signs of leveling off. That may also be giving consumers more incentive to spend.
Americans stepped up shopping last month. Retail merchants reported a 4.1 percent increase in sales in March compared to a year ago, according to a tally of 22 retailers by the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Many retailers, from luxury chain Saks Inc. to department store operator Macy's to discounter Target reported sales above analysts' forecasts.
© Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Gamingtec, the turnkey online sportsbook and casino platform provider, has appointed Andrei Beu as Commercial Director for B2B. Andrei has been tasked with leading Gamingtec’s B2B division and will be responsible for new sales and marketing initiatives. He will also manage Gamingtec’s presence at industry events and produce strategies to better engage with potential new partners and existing clients.
Andrei joins Gamingtec from EveryMatrix where he was general sales manager for B2B for the past two years. Prior to that, he has held various sales management positions within the business and its various divisions and subsidiaries. His industry experience also includes working with odds comparison site, BetBrain and data partner for esports business, HUDstats.
Sapar Karyagdyyev at Gamingtec, said: “In Andrei we have a talented and experienced sales manager that has a comprehensive understanding of the industry. We look forward to being able to leverage this, along with his passion for sales, to take awareness to the next level and engage with new customers.
“We are entering a hugely exciting chapter for the business with ambitious growth plans and a product pipeline packed with innovative features and cutting-edge tools. Andrei is absolutely the right man for making operators aware of what we have to offer.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome him to the Gamingtec team and look forward to working closely together as we continue to grow at pace.”
Andrei Beu, commercial director at Gamingtec, said: “Gamingtec provides a great working environment with an attractive company culture that is supported by a young, focused team which I am thrilled to now be a part of.
“This is just the beginning of what is going to be an amazing adventure for myself and for Gamingtec and I am energised and excited by the opportunity to showcase the incredible products and services that we have to offer to the entire industry.”


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Published on Wednesday January 30 2013 (AEST)
Uranium price publishers TradeTech and Ux Consulting increased their weekly spot prices for uranium to $43.75/pound U3O8 and $44/lb, respectively, due primarily to purchases last week by Deutsche Bank, market sources said. TradeTech's price Friday was up $1.25 from its previous weekly price, and UxC's price Monday was up by $1.50. Analysts said Tuesday they expect U3O8 spot prices to soften during the next few days, noting that prices have retreated since Friday when there were several transactions at above $44/lb.
Buyers "backed away from the market" late in the day, UxC said. This followed offers Friday by Goldman Sachs to sell U3O8, a source said. Deutsche Bank's purchases got the attention of uranium market participants because of the perception that the bank "looks at uranium as a long-term play," one source said. "When people see "Deutsche Bank is buying material..., this sends a signal that [the bank] feels in the longer term the price of this commodity will go up," the source said.
Overall, there were nine transactions totaling nearly 1 million lb U3O8 last week, TradeTech reported and 10 transactions totaling about 1.1 million lb, UxC reported. Deutsche Bank's purchases last week were 300,000 to 500,000 lbs. U3O8, a source said. Both of the uranium reporting services said prices were buoyed by buyers reacting to reports of political unrest in the West African nation of Mali, raising security concerns about uranium production in nearby Niger--the world's fourth-largest producer.
"[S]uppliers have been reticent to sell, creating a situation where the market has traded up as material was being placed in the market at successively higher prices," UxC said. In addition, TradeTech said "others believe buyers are acquiring material in order to cover previous delivery commitment or in anticipation of upcoming mid-term opportunities." It said that a non-US utility, which it did not identify, "is seeking approximately 2.2 million pounds U3O8 equivalent for delivery between 2014 and 2020." The Platts NuclearFuel range for the week is $42.50-$46/lb.


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TO: Melody Dixon-Brown BUS-3160 Colleagues
FROM: Jaaia Yang
DATE: February 20, 2017
SUBJECT: Potential Investment of Amazon.com
As you requested, this report outlines a publicly traded company’s information which will aide you in deciding if it’s a good investment. The topics covered are the company’s market position, growth potential, its ability to compete, its financial analysis and recent publicity. I researched and reviewed secondary research for this report.
Amazon is the World’s largest and number one e-tailer (Terry-Armstrong, 2013). Amazon started off with 30,000 employees in 2011 and at the end of last year they had 180,000 employees in the U.S. They have plans to increase their workforce to 280,000 by…show more content… 18).
Amazon is continually expanding their innovative services and products. One of their most lucrative services is their Prime business. A year ago Prime membership was at 41 million, but now they have about 50 million Amazon Prime Customers. John Blackledge, an Analyst from Cowen states, “Prime has maintained healthy growth despite its scale largely due to Prime 's increasing value proposition" (Deagan, 2017, p. 2). With Prime, customers obtain numerous benefits which include fast and free product delivery, free media offerings from music to videos, and a wide selection of goods (Deagan, 2017). Other services and innovations that are in the works include expanding out into retail, branching into the ocean-freight sector and joining in the groceries market.
Beyond Amazon’s core markets of electronics and media, Amazon is making a big impact in the retail market. Analyst John Blackledge believes, “Amazon will become the largest retailer of apparel and accessories in the U.S. market next year, passing Macy 's as the leader” (Deagon, 2016, para. 2). Amazon announced that they will be launching their own private label dress shirts for men and expand into dress pants, sports clothing, and sweaters. In addition to that, Amazon has plans to open small retail stores at malls to showcase their electronic devices and hardware devices (Deagon, 2016).
Ocean Freight Sector
The online retail giant is building their first air cargo


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Manthey has announced a new performance kit for the Porsche 911 GT3, this includes a new adjustable suspension kit, upgraded brakes, and new lightweight wheels.
There are also a number of upgrades for the exterior of the Porsche 911 which include a new front lip and splitter and a new rear diffuser and a carbon rear wing.
Manthey has taken on the challenge of increasing the performance of the new Porsche 911 GT3 (992) even further and can now give some insights into the first performance kit for the 992 model range. The aerodynamics, suspension, brakes and wheels have all been enhanced to take the car’s performance onto a new level. The development process has been similar to that of the performance packages for the 991 GT3 RS and the 991 GT2 RS and does not affect the manufacturer’s warranty. The new kits are expected to become available in the second quarter of 2022.
“The team at Porsche in Weissach presented us with a big challenge when they produced the new GT3. Our goal of improving the performance of the Porsche GT models even further for track use, without making too many changes to the car’s essential DNA, and, at the same time, coming up with an attractive package for customers who love to drive on the track, has meant a lot of work for us with the new model. Alongside the performance, I’m also really pleased with the car’s appearance,” explains Stefan Mages, head of development.
You can find out more details about the new Manthey performance kit for the 992 generation of the Porsche 911 GT3 over at Manthey at the link below.
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The Plumbing Wizard
Easy being green
The United States government should know better than to mess with people's toilets.
Back in 1992, the government enacted the well intentioned but ill-planned Energy Policy and Conservation Act. Realizing the need to conserve water, the act took aim at the toilet, on of the biggest wasters of this essential natural resource.
The act mandated that homeowners could no longer install old-style toilets that used either 3.5 or 5 gallons of water per flush. Instead, the new standard became toilets that use just 1.6 gallons of water.
Unfortunately, the U.S. toilet industry wasn't up to the challenge, and the new low-flow toilets didn't get the job done, forcing users to flush two or three times or run the risk of leaving a mess for the next person.
This sparked a nationwide revolt. There were reports of a burgeoning black market in 3.5 gallon models and stories about Americans smuggling toilets over the border from Canada.
Terry Love, a plumber from Seattle, who has become something of a national toilet expert, said all of this could have been avoided had the U.S. looked to countries that had already taken this conservation step.
"There were just horrible products out there." Love says. "Japan had stuff that was working, and Australia had good stuff. For years, there were people putting out better products with newer ideas, but American manufacturers were still pushing the old stuff, and pushing it and pushing it.
Love began aggressively testing toilets and posting the results on his website www.terrylove.com
Love doesn't use a laboratory to test products; he takes toilets to his own home and those of friends and family and bolts them down. He doesn't test with sponges, baby wipes and soybean paste; he tests with real poop.
Love remembers discovering that a toilet touted by a popular consumer magazine as one of the best on the market actually had a significant design flaw. "When you flushed it, you would get your legs sprayed with toilet water from the bowl." he says. The magazines testers "were guys that wore pants and smocks. They're pretty well covered up. But I would have customers who are women who would get up in the middle of the night and a couple of things would happen: They'd flush the toilet and their legs would get sprayed --it grossed them out."
Low-flow toilets, thankfully, have come a long way since those early days of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. "In terms of flushabilty, they've improved that aspect of them so much that a lot of them flush better then the old stuff."
Most importantly, low-flow toilets are saving water. It is estimated that replacing a 3.5 gallon toilet with a 1.6 gallon model will save a family of four about 11,096 gallons of water a year. And that, obviously, translates into savings on the water bill.
Some communities in the U.S. have even tougher standards for toilets. There are some models that use 1.1 gallons of water per flush. There's also a dual flush model that uses 0.9 gallon when flushing liquid and 1.6 for solid loads. There are models that use just 0.8 gallon per flush, but Love believes at least 1 gallon of water is needed to move things down the line.
Love says a byproduct of the move toward efficient 1.6 gallon toilets is the possible extinction of a once ubiquitous household item. "People used to have plungers," he says. "Everybody had them. The newer homes, since the good 1.6s, I hardly know anyone that has one. And if they do, they don't know where they left it."
Central PA Magazine
For the pdf version of the story.


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Canadian cannabis firm, Canopy Growth, has struck a new deal with Acreage Holdings to buy floating shares of the latter. Last April, a deal between the two firms stated the 100% sale of shares of Acreage Holdings.
But the deal has been revised under which Canopy Growth would buy 70% of Acreage Holdings once the US legalized cannabis. It is a great opportunity for Canopy Growth to explore the US cannabis market once the federal government legalized the sales and production of cannabis.
Under the new share agreement, Acreage will introduce two new share classes, a “fixed” share and a “floating” share. The percentage of fixed shares is 70% of the original shares and the remaining are the floating shares.
The exchange rate of fixed Acreage shares is reduced from 0.5818 to 0.3048 shares of Canopy. Canopy Growth is eligible to buy the floating shares at a price of at least $6.41and it is buying the shares before the legalization of cannabis in the US market
A one-time payment of $37.5 million is finalized by Canopy shareholders and the firm will also loan around $100 million to a subsidiary of Acreage. Canaccord analyst Matt Bottomley has expressed that a combined implied minimum deal price of ACRG is downgraded from US$ 9.49 to $5.49 per share.
He said that the floating shares allow the existing ACRG shareholders to participate in a value decided by the company on a temporary basis. Canopy Growth has also announced to launch THC-infused beverages in the US in 2021 by partnering with New York-based cannabis firm, Acreage Holdings.
Canopy has declared that it would announce Tweed carbonated drinks and Houseplant sparkling waters with a presence of 2-2.5 mg of THC in them. Moreover, new brands will also be introduced for adult people.


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Date: Tuesday 17 Aug 2010
The recession, an ash cloud from Iceland and a glorious summer for many of us have stuffed the package tour operators, forcing the big two to warn of lower profits this year.
TUI Travel said profits will be at the low end of forecasts in 2010 after UK...
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While patent trolls, companies who buy up old patients, and sue companies which have developed similar tech have been around for ages, it seems that Samsung is being targeted more.
The sleuths at Unified Patents did some digging, and they found a whopping 404 lawsuits lobbed at Samsung in the good USA in the last five years. And more than half of those are from cheeky chancers who don't even run a proper business.
When you compare it to the other tech titans, it's clear Samsung's got a target on its back. Google had 168 cases, Apple dealt with 142, and Amazon saw 74, but Samsung? They're leading the pack with 404.
For example, one outfit called KP Innovations has targeted Samsung for its foldy phones, ignoring all the other guys making the same kit.
The trolls mostly hope that they will be paid to disappear, as their victims can’t be bothered with expensive court cases. However, according to Sammobile, Samsung is standing up to them and said it will fight them in court. It is also filing patents like there's no tomorrow, over 9,000 in 2023 alone, just in case some troll comes after its lunch money.


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24 May 2016
EU FARMERS NEED PROTECTING – 24 MAYBrussels Daily
Farm crisis and trade talks: Agriculture MEPs urge Phil Hogan to protect EU farmers
EU must be more active in tackling the agriculture crisis and balancing the food supply chain, many MEPs said on Tuesday during the debate with Commissioner Phil Hogan. EU’s executive must protect EU farmers in trade negotiations with the United States and Mercosur countries, simplify the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to cut red tape and resist any attempts to re-nationalise the CAP, they insisted.
Several MEPs pointed out during the debate that the EU has not been active enough in solving the current agriculture crisis. “We would like to see more of a [leading] role [played] by Europe so that the market would be handled more effectively,” said Paolo De Castro (S&D, IT) warning against re-nationalisation of the CAP.
Mr De Castro also called for “increase in effectiveness of greening” and “reduction of red tape” in the EU’s farm policy and “stronger management of crisis” by the EU using tools that MEPs were pushing for already during the last CAP reform in 2013.
His comments were echoed by Jens Rohde (ALDE, DK), who said that “the real threat to the farmers of Europe is the re-nationalisation of the agricultural sector.” Mr Rohde claimed “the flexibility between [CAP] pillars creates re-nationalisation that ruins the level-playing field that allows European farmers to compete in fair manner,” warned that there is “a fair risk that the proposal regarding greenhouse gas within the non-ETS sector will do the same” and asked Mr Hogan to submit proposals to prevent it.
Protecting EU farmers in the supply chain and in trade talks
Albert Dess (EPP, DE) urged Phil Hogan to do away with imbalanced in the food supply chain. “I am thinking of price negotiations, the power of supermarkets, which they are exploiting. They are dictating conditions, imposing them on farmers,” he said stressing that “there is need for action by the Commission.”
Mr Dess also voiced scepticism about the voluntary reduction of milk supply and said the Commission should consider taking “a certain volume of milk (…) of the market.” He also called for a “systemic” simplification of the CAP and urged the Commission to defend interest of EU farmers in international trade negotiations.
James Nicholson (ECR, UK), too, advocated a cautious approach to international trade talks, including negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the United States and on a trade deal with Mercosur countries. He suggested that EU considers a “moratorium” on international trade agreements “to find out how much more (agricultural produce from third countries) we really can absorb.”
Doing away with monopoly abuses and adjusting supply to demand
“We need real solutions (…) to the grave crisis that the agriculture in Europe is going through,” said Maria Lidia Senra Rodríguez (GUE/NGL, ES). She called for actions to do away with monopoly positions abuses in the dairy supply chain and suggested that TTIP would only worsen the situation of EU farmers.
The Commission should “move away” from putting too much emphasis on exports of EU farm products as a way to stabilize agriculture market in Europe and rather focus on balancing supply and demand in the EU, said Martin Häusling (Greens/EFA, DE) warning that voluntary cuts in productions might prove to be insufficient. He also criticised international trade talks as “a battle between industry and agriculture” and stressed the EU “must clearly say no to TTIP (…) and Mercosur.”
Russian ban, fairer inspections and glyphosate
Opposition to trade talks was voiced also by Philippe Loiseau (ENF, FR). “We have [Russian food] sanctions, which are killing off our businesses, and at the same time we are negotiating on TTIP,” he said. Mr Loiseau also called on the Commission to ensure that on-farm inspections are carried out unbiasedly and competently to make sure farmers are not “living in fear of sanctions.”
John Stuart Agnew (EFDD, UK) pointed out to different definitions of free range eggs in the United States and in the EU and asked whether UK interests are properly defended in the TTIP negotiations. He also voiced concerns over the impact of potential ban on the use of glyphosate in the EU when it comes to imports into the EU of farm outputs produced in third countries with glyphosate used on crops.
The Agriculture committee will hold a public hearing on Wednesday evening to discuss with dairy sector representatives new measures to limit milk production and thus stabilize prices. In a plenary debate on Thursday morning, MEPs will address the sharp decline in milk producers’ income and demand actions to improve their situation.


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The company, which also distributes parts for Land Rover, Tata and Saab through its All-Makes programme, admits that demand has been hit, partly due the model hold-up while Capital Bank sorted out a deal on discounts with the retail network.
“There has been some misinformation on parts availability,” says Charles Binns, Xpart parts director, who claims the company has 96% availability for MGR models. “We will be able to supply parts for the foreseeable future and expect business to improve now that a deal has been done with Capital Bank.”
Xpart, which has linked up with the RAC to provide a bolt-on warranty for dealer customers, and is supporting a group of retailers that have come together under Car Care Plan to offer their own warranty scheme, says that more than 80% of its business is MG Rover parts.
“We will support dealers with unauditable warranty programmes and we will also help out dealers that have problems bearing warranty costs by being flexible on parts prices. Our prices are competitive at a retail level,” says Binns.
“We have taken some defensive measures on vehicle write-offs to extend the vehicle life: residual values are key to longevity.”
Xpart supplies parts to dealers and independents for the two million MG Rovers on UK roads through a network of 80 wholesalers. Although some are looking at survival strategies, Binns says: “We’re looking to increase business for other OEM parts and this will be through our existing network of wholesalers.”
MG Rover’s global car parc is around three million vehicles.


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Swipe Technologies has announced the launch of their new smartphone Elite Plus in India on June 2 and is exclusively available on Flipkart. The Indian startup has already three other devices to its name: Elite Note, Elite2, and Swipe Junior.
Elite Plus is an affordable smartphone that costs Rs. 6,999. The device packs a 64-bit 615 Qualcomm Snapdragon Octa-core Processor. Here are the other specs of the phone:
- A full HD 5” display
- 13MP rear and 8MP front camera
- 2G, 3G & 4G compatibility
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB internal memory expandable up to 64GB
- 3050 mAh battery
These specs are along the same line as that of Elite Note, whose success story has inspired the launch of this device. The major improvements are mostly in the hardware. The phone weighs 131 grams, which is the lowest among competing brands.
Also Read: Swipe Elite Note Review: Most affordable 5.5-inch display phone, but worth?
Swipe Technologies had started their operations in 2012, and in a short period of time has joined the forefront of the Indian smartphone industry in the country. Considering that the company has started manufacturing lower budget phones and are moving up with the specifications and price range, speculations say that the upcoming event can be for the launch of a device in the range of a higher RAM, processor, camera and a better display. The startup has constantly been in the news for their efforts to raise funds for their R&D and in talks for multiple acquisitions this year.
The company raised $5 million in 2014 and since then the CEO Mr. Shipral Gandhi has won several accolades like “Top 50 Inspiring Entrepreneurs of India” by the Economic times and “CNBC Young Turks”. The company is one of the startups on wheels to a fast track success.


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Gina Kim liked the $428 handbag she bought with her employee discount at a Coach Inc. store in San Francisco for its pillowed bottom and striped, colorful strap.
But she hardly used it: It was white and she didn’t want it to stain. So she ultimately did what many other people do with luxury items they no longer want.
She put it up for sale on eBay.
That decision earned Kim a “cease and desist” letter from a law firm representing Coach that accused her of selling counterfeit goods in violation of state and federal law. The letter threatened her with up to $2 million in penalties, instructed her to sign a statement admitting wrongdoing, and demanded she pay Coach $300.
Now that letter – and the removal of her eBay ad – has prompted Kim to sue Coach for state Consumer Protection Act violations, defamation and other claims. It also raises questions about whether Coach and other companies have been overzealous in pursuit of a legitimate objective, cracking down on the massive U.S. market for counterfeit goods.
“If Coach wants to send letters threatening $2 million lawsuits against their own customers, they should at least do minimal investigation to see whether those claims are accurate,” says Jay Carlson, one of Kim’s attorneys. “What we’re interested to see through discovery is how many people got this letter, got scared, signed it and simply paid Coach.”


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Influencer marketing fraud is a growing problem in an industry valued at over $1 billion. Influencers — essentially social media stars with large followings — are attractive to marketers for the notion they’re more “authentic” than regular ad buys. But some of that authenticity is fake, whether it’s using so-called Instagram pods, bots or buying followers, and many marketers are starting to question just what they’re really getting for their money. We break it down.
- A single day’s worth of posts tagged #sponsored or #ad on Instagram contained over 50 percent fake engagements, according to data from anti-fraud company Sway Ops. Out of 118,007 comments, only 20,942 were not made by bot followers.
- Sway found that more than 15 percent of influencers who sign on to do sponsored posts (and take the product associated with it) never create a post.
- Bot comments are responsible for over 40 percent of total comments for over 500 of 2,000 sponsored posts made each day, per Sway.
- Pods remain a problem as well: Sway’s recent research found that out of 2,000 posts, an average of only 36 sponsored posts made per day contained no Instagram pod activity, fake comments, fake likes or uneven ratios of bot followers to engagements.
On Instagram pods
What remains up for debate is what constitutes fraud. While most agree that “bot” comments and buying followers are fraud, influencers themselves disagree about whether pods are considered fraud. Instagram pods are groups of up to 30 Instagrammers that work with each other to comment and like each other’s posts — hacking Instagram by “increasing” engagement, albeit artificially. Many influencers use pods and say it’s totally legit. “I don’t see pods as a problem because bloggers in a similar set of interest groups are supportive of each other,” said one influencer who preferred not to be named.
Others say it’s shady: “For Instagrammers or influencers, they are artificially building themselves,” said YouTuber Zach Bussey. “It’s a dangerous precedent to set for themselves because it means they can never quit doing it. It’s not like they will get to a certain number and then say, ‘I can quit that,’ and see their numbers plummet. Instead, they have to keep doing it — over and over and over to keep any semblance of growth.”
How to spot fraud
Most people agree it can be tough to spot fraud, but there are a few methods:
- An overnight spike in followers that cannot be explained by outside factors usually means the influencer has purchased followers.
- A skewed ratio of engagement (likes and comments) to followers. Comments should represent about 2 percent of total engagement on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
- Comments that are unrelated to the actual content posted usually indicate bought audiences.
- About 15 percent of comments should correspond with the purchase funnel.
How brands respond
“Some brands are frankly oblivious to the real-versus-fake-audience issue. They want audience size at any cost, and they’ve become desensitized to “paid followers/engagement” thanks to the platforms’ own ad products,” said Collectively CEO Alexa Tonner.
The FTC view
Fraud is so much in the limelight that the Federal Trade Commission recently issued 100 letters to influencers and brands about how they were disclosing endorsements or paid advertising. Less has been said about bots or buying fake followers — the FTC doesn’t necessarily care about or control that, since it’s focused on the customers — but much of fraud is also about shady practices that include mislabeling sponsored content.
The influencer agency view
“It’s a pretty poorly kept secret that some influencers buy fans, but I’d say it’s probably a pretty small percentage. There’s no way to tell by just looking at an account, but we keep a close look at growth rate of influencers and the ratio of engagement to followers,” said Tonner.
“I don’t think brands even know how large this problem actually is, and the business risk for influencer platforms seems to cause them to ignore talking about it,” said Nick Waken, founder of Sway. “This reminds me of banner ads in 2012 before people figured out that bots were responsible for all of their impressions.”
‘If we can pave the way’: How OKCupid is using its app and its ads to fight for abortion rights
The online dating platform yesterday sent in-app notifications to all U.S. users encouraging them to donate to Planned Parenthood.
‘My title was non-negotiable’: A Q&A with Cathy Hackl, chief metaverse officer at Journey
Hackl's most convincing qualification for the role might be her bona fide connection to metaverse users: she’s the mother of three metaverse-native kids, including a 10-year-old who runs his own Roblox business.
Retail brands rush to cover abortion care, but not all of their workers may be covered
What’s not immediately clear from some of these post Roe announcements is how many employees will be covered by these new policies.
SponsoredWhy the caliber of content is paramount for advertisers
Agata Brodniewska, brand safety manager, Dailymotion Content is king when attracting consumers but is equally essential when courting advertisers. While both stakeholders want many of the same things, they most notably want relevant content they can count on to deliver an accurate and honest message without confusion or misinformation. This is especially important for advertisers […]
Days Inn seeks unique ways to stand out as people return to traveling
Days Inn is introducing a new, limited-edition amenity: a pillow that compliments guests. It's part of a strategy to find unique ways to stand out and help drive brand awareness.
‘Clients are being cautious’: Roe vs. Wade overturn has advertisers evaluating ads, pausing spending
Some marketers, agency execs are also reconsidering their blocklists, adding phrases related to the Supreme Court to their lists to stem potential brand safety issues.


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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a report detailing its listeria investigation into Blue Bell Creameries. According to the FDA, Blue Bell was aware of positive tests for listeria in its Oklahoma factory over two years ago. Blue Bell recalled all of its products in April after being linked to three fatal cases of listeriosis in Kansas.
The FDA’s report details that Blue Bell found listeria in its plants, but failed to improve sanitation quality. The company’s Oklahoma plant was found to have numerous violations, including improper storage of food, employees not washing hands properly, and dirty equipment. Plants in Texas and Alabama were also found to violate cleanliness standards.
Blue Bell has closed all of its plants to upgrade and sanitize the buildings and equipment. The company is expected to be closed for several months. The Blue Bell listeria outbreak has affected 10 people, killing three of them. Listeriosis can cause stomach problems, fever, muscle aches, and problems with pregnancy.
If you or a loved one has been injured by any recalled product, contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker today at (800) 333-0000 for a free, confidential consultation. You may be entitled to compensation.


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This past winter, Washington winemakers and grape growers voted to impose on themselves a higher tax. The tax dollars will pay for advertising to encourage people to think and buy Washington wines. These increased taxes will assist in financing the Washington State Wine Commission, a promotional agency. The commission’s primary source of funding is from the vineyards and wineries, as well as some state and federal funding.
Under this vote, commission fees will double from 4 cents per gallon of wine made at the wineries to 8 cents per gallon. Vineyard taxes will raise from $6 per ton of grapes to $12 per ton. The increase could start as early as July or get increase over the next few years.
Washington state's wine industry has exploded in the last twenty years – from less than 20 wineries in 1981 to nearly 500 today with more than 30,000 acres of wine grapes. The wine/grape industry is worth an estimated $3 billion to the state's economy. With this substantial increase of self-imposed taxes, money will be used to market Washington wines in key markets increasing awareness and for the wine consumer to think Washington, instead of California, Australia and Europe.
Attention people - THINK WASHINGTON WINE!


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Dick Costolo, the founder and CEO of FeedBurner who went on to sell his startup to Google for an estimated $100 million, is leaving the company after two years. He’s the second founding member of FeedBurner to head for the door this month, after CTO Eric Lunt announced the decision to go last week.
The timing of both departures may have been linked to the expiration of contracts they signed at the time of FeedBurner’s sale to Google, according to one source who is familiar with that deal. Reached by phone, Costolo told ClickZ News that is not the case. He said he left because he’s looking for something else. He also added that a good team is in place at Google.
At the time of his departure, Costolo was in charge of social media ads, and his responsibilities have already been divided among a group of executives. Google declined to discuss the particulars of the parting, but wished him well.
Costolo founded FeedBurner in 2004 to provide publishers with custom RSS feed services. The company also offered a monetization service for those publishers in the form of an RSS ad network, which was later rolled into Google’s AdSense for feeds program one year after the sale to Google.
Costolo is also a media brand in his own right. The former working comedian has lately fulfilled his comedic yen through the medium of Twitter, where he has nearly half a million followers. There, they tune into his humorous utterances, such as, “Yoga instructor tells us to find that calm center that’s always in you, but there are bats and an old lady with a saw in my calm center.”
Hey wannabe poets who are too lazy to actually write anything down or think of a decent rhyme for zenith*, I have the perfect online tool for you…
How can digital banking teams offer mobile banking services that exceed customer needs and expectations? This was a key theme addressed by researchers of Forrester's 2016 Global Mobile Banking Functionality Benchmark report.
Twitter has announced it will now let any of its users apply for the much sought after blue badge of verification.
That didn’t take long. With usage soaring and brands jumping to capitalize on the popularity of Pokémon Go, the CEO of Niantic, the company ... read more


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Corrugated Shipping Containers study on cleanliness
From Canadian Packaging
Worried about how clean those containers are? Don’t be. All 100% of corrugated shipping containers tested met acceptable sanitation levels.
Testing and analysis conducted by the University of California-Davis and toxicology experts Haley & Aldrich investigating the cleanliness of corrugated shipping containers confirmed that all corrugated containers tested met acceptable sanitation levels.
The testing was conducted on 720 swab samples taken from containers from six different corrugated manufacturers in the U.S. northwest, California and Florida. The corrugated container industry requested the third-party testing to confirm that corrugated containers provided for food packaging meet acceptable sanitation criteria at the point of use.
This follows a study from the University of Guelph late last year that indicated sanitation concerns with one of the alternative shipping methods—reusable plastic containers—whereby surface testing of these containers found high levels of bacteria.
As the U.S. study notes, recycling corrugated at the current Canadian national rate, estimated at 85 per cent, greatly reduces bacterial loading.


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It is no secret that the wine industry has been male dominated since, well, forever. However, recent reports show this is now changing, which is good news for females entering the field. The title of a Wine Enthusiast article sums it up nicely: The Number of Women Winemakers Is Growing, and Fast. Well, at least in California. Which led me to thinking – how does Washington State compare when it comes to female winemakers?
From what I am reading, the Washington female wine making sorority is growing. Case in point, an article posted in the Seattle PI in 2005, Some of the state’s most promising wines are made by a new legion of women winemakers, estimated there were about 15 female winemakers in the state. A slightly more recent article in The Woodinville Weekly (2013), Women’s role in wine industry strong locally and statewide, noted there were over 24 lady winemakers at the time, along with a few other positive facts:
According to the Washington Wine Commission, there are more than two dozen women head winemakers, several more assistant winemakers, and many who own their own winery, own their own vineyard, or are vineyard managers, highly sought after winemaking consultants or marketing experts.
At Washington State University, about 30 percent of the certified Viticulture and Enology (study of wine and winemaking) undergraduate students are women, according to Deborah Schwenson, principal assistant for the WSU Viticulture & Enology Program. Those numbers have remained at that level for the past four years.
And Great Northwest Wine (2014), Women Stars of Food and Wine debuts Sunday, highlighted approximately 23 female winemakers and winery principals. And I know this list does not encompass all the female winemakers in the state.
Okay, a growth of 9-ish female winemakers in 9 years time isn’t astronomical, but it’s something, right?
While Washington State is not growing in leaps and bounds, at least there is growth in the field. Any woman who is looking to enter into the wine business, should do so with confidence, knowing this once male dominated field is slowly changing. And that she too will have an impact on the future of the industry.


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Universal Teases Nintendo Theme Park Launch
Imagine being able to play “real-life” version of your favourite Nintendo game. Talk about a childhood fantasy come true. The good news is that it needn’t remain a fantasy as Universal Studios Japan has announced that it will be opening a brand-new theme park in Osaka and that it will be doing so in time for Tokyo’s 2020 Summer Olympics.
Plans surrounding the construction and development of Super Nintendo World have been purposefully kept on the low-down for months now, but not too long ago Universal decided to spill the beans by surprise-launching a promo-video featuring a sneak peek at what to expect once the park opens its gates to the public in the summer.
Living The Game
The promises made by Universal Studios include the opportunity to literally engage in the physical with Nintendo video games. According to the entertainment and film giant, the new theme park will “blend the physical world with the world of the video game” allowing visitors to really feel as if they’re “playing inside their favourite Nintendo video games”.
Fantastic news for fans of Mario (who isn’t?) is that guests will be kitted out with a wearable head band (“power-up band”) that will enable them to become an actual physical part and player in a virtual experience that will be closely based on the Super Mario franchise, and in particular on Mario’s “Mushroom Kingdom Universe”.
And remember how Mario used to collect those digital collectable coins in the original game? Visitors, when kitted out in their power-up bands, will be able to collect digital coins all over the theme park by making use of their “arms, hands and entire bodies”.
Its Perfect Timing
Nintendo to this day continues to rake it in in big way thanks to its Super Mario franchise, which first saw the light of day back in the 1980s. In fact, it remains one of the company’s biggest moneymakers of them all, as is evident from the fact that Nintendo’s latest Mario Kart Tour mobile app was downloaded more than 90 million times. And this was during its first week post-launch alone. Mario Kart Tour literally smashed the record for Nintendo’s mobile games.
And as for Japan, it’s as good a fit to a Nintendo-themed theme park as any. Visitors have been making their way to the country in their drones, with visitor numbers having basically trebled between the years 2013 and 2018. And what with the Olympic Games about to attract a massive flood of tourists from all over the world to the country in the summer, its as good a time as any to be launching a real-life video game fantasy.


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More than a quarter of shops are selling knives illegally to children as staff fail to check the age of customers
- Among shops classified as homeware or DIY, 41 per cent didn't check ID of buyer
- Regionally the worst areas were Scotland and Northern Ireland, London the best
- The figures were released amid concerns about a rise in gun and knife crime
A quarter of shops sell knives to underage children, research suggests.
Figures from retail age checking company Serve Legal showed that shop workers failed to check the age of mystery shoppers buying a knife in 26 per cent of 2,357 test sales in 2017.
Among shops classed as homeware or DIY stores, where 672 tests were carried out, 41 per cent sold the blades to mystery shoppers without checking identification. This also happened in a fifth of supermarkets (21 per cent) where 1,685 test purchases were carried out.
Figures show shop workers failed to check the age of mystery shoppers buying a knife in 26 per cent of 2,357 test sales in 2017
Regionally, the poorest rates were in Scotland and Northern Ireland, which both saw retailers failing 41% of tests. London had the lowest proportion with 18% of tests failed.
The figures were released amid concerns about a rise in gun and knife crime.
The latest data published by the Office for National Statistics showed 39,598 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument were recorded in 2017, a 22 per cent increase compared with the previous year, and the highest number registered since comparable records started in 2010.
Firearms-related offences were also up, by 11 per cent, to 6,604 recorded crimes.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, it is illegal to sell knives to under 18s, and in Scotland young people aged 16 to 18 can buy cutlery and kitchen knives.
Last year, the Home Office revealed plans to make it an offence to deliver a knife sold online to a private residential address. The buyer will have to collect the knife in person at a location where their age can be checked.
A number of major retailers have also entered into a voluntary agreement to make sure under-18s cannot buy knives, including checking for age identification, reminding customers that they are age restricted products and training staff.
Regionally, the poorest rates were in Scotland and Northern Ireland, which both saw retailers failing 41 per cent of tests
Ed Heaver, director of Serve Legal, said: 'Against a backdrop of rising knife crime, news headlines about school-age victims and perpetrators are shockingly frequent.
'Our latest retail test data reveals that despite the principles of the government's voluntary agreement on underage sales, which many retailers have agreed to adhere to, complacency on the high street could well be contributing to a deadly societal problem, with knives being sold to young people in plain sight.'
The company used young looking 18 and 19-year-olds in the test purchases.
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Macy’s Inc. will build a 1.3 million-square-foot direct-to-consumer fulfillment center in Oklahoma to support its omnichannel strategy and fuel further online sales growth.
The site, located near the intersection of 76th Street North and Lakewood Avenue about 12 miles north of Tulsa, is expected to cost more than $170 million. Macy’s said the facility will have the latest technology in material handling equipment and warehouse management systems, and should start operating in April 2015, with the first orders shipping in summer 2015.
When fully operational, the center will employ approximately 1,500 full- and part-time associates year-round. Another 1,000 or more temporary seasonal associates are expected to be hired each year to handle the increased volume of orders that occur in the holiday season.
“The rapid growth of Macy’s direct-to-customer shipments, rooted in our omnichannel approach to business, requires us to continue to strategically add fulfillment capacity so our customers can receive their orders quickly and efficiently. Customers today are shopping whenever, however and wherever they prefer — via stores, desktops and mobile devices — and we continue to invest to meet the customer demand,” said Terry J. Lundgren, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Macy’s. “We have rolled out fulfillment capability to 500 Macy’s stores nationwide, as well as built three major fulfillment centers over the past seven years. Our new Tulsa County facility will represent another significant expansion of our shipping capacity, particularly to customers in central and southern regions of the United States.
Orders originating from macys.com, the Macy’s app and Macy’s stores currently are handled by fulfillment centers in Goodyear, Ariz.; Portland, Tenn., and Martinsburg, W.Va., as well as by fulfillment functions at 500 Macy’s stores. Direct-to-customer orders originating from bloomingdales.com, Bloomingdale’s app and Bloomingdale’s stores are handled primarily by a fulfillment center in Cheshire, Conn., as well as all 37 Bloomingdale’s stores.
From overseeing America’s fastest-growing speciality retailers to codifying cool, WWD talked to the women who are leading the way for the future of beauty. Check out our Instagram Stories to see how these women built today and are creating tomorrow. (📸: @hannah_khymych) #wwdbeauty
For @laperlalingerie's spring 2018 show, the brand chose to host their event at @thevenetianmacao. With Chinese megastars @bingbing_fan and @hubing in attendance, La Perla debuted a rock ‘n’ roll-inspired collection. The show marked the start of Sands Macao Fashion Week, which runs from October 19 to 24 — the city’s first such event. Pictured here are models backstage with glimmering eyes. #wwdfashion (📷: Cheuk-Yin To)
Trending for spring 2018: top stitch design. Gone are the days of stitch just for seams — designers are using the once-minimal detail to create strong decorative elements. (📷: Paola Testa; Styled by @andrew_shang) #wwdfashion
@tradesy is turning the concept of a showroom upside down with its new space in Santa Monica. Here, the company plans to hold events, art exhibits and a showcase rare fashion pieces like this Louis Vuitton boxing set. Get all the details on Tradesy’s first showroom on WWD.com. #wwdnews
Spotted last night at the @erdem x @hm launch event: Kate Bosworth, Rashida Jones, Kirsten Dunst and Selma Blair. The party, which took place in LA, also marked the opening of their pop-up shop. “I was interested in creating a collection that wasn’t in any way disposable. It was about pieces you’d create and keep forever, things that have a permanence to it,” designer Erdem Moralioglu said. #wwdeye (📷: Katie Jones)
Renee Zellweger in yellow in 2001 and again in 2017. Chosen as one of the 12 @pantone Leading Spring Colors (and dubbed “Meadowlark”), it only makes sense that the bright hue stands the test of time and is making a resurgence this season, seen already on stars like @blakelively and @gigihadid. (📷: Donato Sardello & @rexfeatures) #wwdfashion #tbt
Dior’s 70th anniversary celebration continues with a new exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. “Christian Dior,” which is scheduled to run through March 18, takes a look at the founders tenure from 1947 to 1057 and feature 40 designs. Pictured here is an evening gown from the Ailée, fall 1948-49 haute couture collection. #wwdfashion (📷: Brian Boyle)


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Darren McKay, international and initiatives director at Clear Channel UK, has suggested that advertisers have clearly decided to take advantage of the increased audience in London.
Headline sponsor of the Creative Out of Home awards, Clear Channel told The Drum: “we're confident that we are best positioned to deliver practical media solutions to advertisers who wish to take advantage of the euphoric summer.”
McKay said: “Clearly the auction of sites back in April 2011 was unprecedented and a very exciting time for Clear Channel and the OoH industry. The level of demand post the auction was always going to be harder to predict but our expectations have been met; lots of interest from domestic and global advertisers who understand the status of an out-of-home presence and want to be part of the landscape during a period of heightened national pride and international interest.
“The legacy that has been so heavily quoted in respect to the Games is a good thing for the industry. Many of the areas hosting events have been transformed and will continue to attract investment, from business and communities. That is a good thing for an industry that is both national and local. The legacy will also continue to contribute to visitor numbers, especially for the capital. London has overtaken Paris as the most visited city in the world and also tops the charts for visitor spending.”
When asked if any brands or agencies had encountered problems from the marketing regulations, he replied: “The LOCOG/IOC regulations around content are understandably complex which is why we have been working closely with our partners to ensure that they are aware of and understand the do’s and don’ts. We're delighted that very few have had to make minor copy amends.”
McKay concluded: “This unprecedented summer will no doubt have helped boost our businesses in OoH but as an industry we are confident that advertisers will continue to see the benefit of using our medium for the long term. The future of OoH is a really exciting one.”


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This new office satisfies the growing demand from Japanese auditors wanting to use Confirmation.com to better manage their audit confirmation requests. With Confirmation.com, any business, financial institution, or law firm that responds to audit confirmation requests will experience a more efficient, paperless process and be able to provide quicker responses.
"We are committed to our mission of transforming how auditors, banks, companies, and law firms manage audit confirmations around the globe," said Dave Malone, president of Confirmation.com International. "With Matthew Grace's leadership, we are now in a position to accelerate growth in Japan."
"Confirmation.com's ability to provide a single method for sending and responding to audit confirmations has been extremely valuable to our global customers," said Brian Fox, president and founder of Confirmation.com. "Establishing an office in Japan will have a positive and lasting impact for our customers in this region."
"I am excited to join Confirmation.com and lead the company's local presence in Japan," said Matthew Grace, country manager of Confirmation.com Japan. "I look forward to building a solid team that supports the Japanese market for years to come."
To learn more, visit http://www.jpn.confirmation.com/home-en
Confirmation.com is the world's leading provider of secure online audit confirmations. Today, 13,000 audit firms confirm over $1 trillion annually for 400,000 clients worldwide. Confirmation.com is used in over 140 countries by banks, companies, and law firms to respond to audit confirmation requests. Confirmation.com has offices in Europe, India, Japan, and North America, and reseller partners Confirmations Asia Pacific covering the Asia Pacific region, and CQS Technology Holdings covering Sub-Saharan Africa. For more information, visit Confirmation.com.
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/confirmationcom-announces-asia-expansion-with-new-office-in-japan-300300829.html


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HANOVER, Germany-To help improve profitability, Continental AG plans to close of one of its 12 passenger tire plants in Europe this year, according to Chairman Hubertus von Grunberg. While the site to be closed has not been publicly identified, speculation has focused on four Conti Group plants Mr. von Grunberg singled out earlier as having unreasonably high production costs: Semperit AG's facilities in Traiskirchen, Austria, and Dublin, Ireland; Uniroyal-Englebert SA's factory in Newbridge, Scotland; and Conti's Hanover-Stocken plant.
Pneumant to focus on car tires
HANAU, Germany-Pneumant Reifen & Gummi Werke GmbH, once the primary source for all types of tires in the former East Germany, will become a car tire manufacturing specialist, under the direction of its new owner, SP Reifenwerke GmbH, a Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. subsidiary.
SP Reifen intends to spend up to $35 million over two years to transform Pneumant's Furstenwalde plant into a car-tire-only production site, phasing out truck, farm and off-road tires. The plants' truck tire capacity will be transferred to SP Reifen's plant in Wittlich, Germany.


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A new study from researchers at the University of Arizona and Loma Linda University finds that reusable shopping bags can harbor potentially harmful bacteria if they aren’t cleaned — and 97% of people surveyed said they’d never washed theirs. Yet the study, funded by the American Chemistry Council, also found that washing the reusable bags, either by hand or machine, cut bacterial contamination by more than 99%.
The analysis of 84 bags collected from shoppers entering supermarkets in Los Angeles, Tucson, Arizona and the San Francisco Bay area, found that nearly all bags tested had some bacterial contamination. Roughly half had coliform bacteria, and 12% had Escherichia coli (E. coli). The researchers found that if the reusable bags — most of which are made of woven polypropylene — were exposed to juices from meat products, and then stored in the warm trunk of a car for two hours, bacteria grew 10-fold.
The study was released as debate continues over a California bill that would ban single-use plastic grocery bags. (The American Chemistry Council, which funded the study, represents some of the plastic bag manufacturers, NPR points out.)
Single-use plastic bags are unlikely breeding grounds for bacteria, but washing reusable bags is also a reliable way to limit contamination risk, the authors conclude. They write:
“These results indicate that reusable bags can play a significant role in the cross contamination of foods if not properly washed on a regular basis. It is recommended that the public needs to be educated about the proper care of reusable bags by printed instructions on the bags or through public service announcements.”
Read the full study here.


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Chrysler is expanding the capabilities of its Warren, Mich., plant to produce 28,565 additional Ram 1500 pickup trucks each year, the company has announced.
With the move, the Warren Truck Assembly Plant will likely produce more than 300,000 Ram Trucks per year for the first time. In 2013, the plan built 291,554 Ram trucks, an increase from the 227,453 built in 2012.
Increasing the capacity at the 76-year-old plant will involve redesigning 353 work stations to produce five more trucks an hour or 100 more trucks per day, according to Chrysler. The plant assembles the Ram 1500's three engines, including the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6, 5.7-liter HEMI V-8, and the 3.0-liter V-6 EcoDiesel.