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Story of the Day:
New Inventive reveals results of £10m evolution programme: New Inventive Bar Company, led by Mark McQuater, has completed its £10m evolution programme at 35 of its key Revolution vodka bar sites, producing a double-digit improvement in performance, the company’s director of drinks trading, Myles Doran, told the Technomic and Propel Menu Trends conference. Food sales have also increased, from 8% of turnover to 15%. Doran reported that the company had changed its drinks offer to a more premium position after finding that only two brands were in growth outside of the vodka and cocktail categories. He said: “We found 100 products were not in growth.” Doran said there was a clear consumer movement towards more credible beers and ciders, with standard, ubiquitous brands experiencing the largest declines. Import brands with character or authenticity were proving to be game changers, he said. The review of Revolution’s product range has involved changing 90 products to market-leading products in positive growth. The change had been accompanied by improved team product knowledge and engagement. “A progressive retailer should lead in product innovation and serve while aligning the portfolio of products to the key demographic,” Doran said. The Revolution brand has an average customer who is aged 23, is 60% female, visits once every two weeks and has an average income of £21,000.
49 Orchid sites placed in administration: The 49 Orchid Group sites not acquired by Mitchells & Butlers have been placed in administration with Ernst & Young. The venues carry a variety of brands including Home of Great British Carvery, All Inns, Pizza Kitchen Bar, Do Drop Inns and Your Local Pubco. The group of sites also includes the company’s Oriental Restaurant Group venues, including The Pacific Oriental, Threadneedle Street, Imperial City Royal Exchange Cornhill and The Sri Nam in Cabot Square, Canary Wharf. The 40 sites, which employ 936 people, will remain open while Ernst & Young looks for a buyer. Ernst & Young joint administrator Alan Hudson said: “The pub and restaurant industry has face increased challenges over recent years as consumer’ disposable income has been squeezed resulting in a significant fall in consumer spending. These challenging conditions have led to a decline in sales across the Orchid Pubs and Restaurants portfolio and resulted in these 49 pubs being unable to operate outside of administration.” Mitchells & Butlers bought 173 Orchid sites for £266m at the start of the week.
US study finds food trucks safer than restaurants: A report called Street Eats, Safe Eats from the Institute for Justice concluded that food trucks and carts in the United States tend to receive fewer health and safety violation citations than restaurants do. The study compared food trucks to restaurants by analysing health department reviews of more than 260,000 eateries in seven major US cities, Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Miami, Seattle and Washington. The group made the direct comparison between brick and motor places and trucks because the study specifically picked cities where mobile vendors are covered by the same health codes and inspection regimes. The authors of the report also controlled other factors such as the day of the week and the season to help account for variations in weather and pests.
People 1st marks tenth birthday with new website and video: People 1st, the training and workforce development charity, has celebrated its tenth birthday and announced that it has delivered significant results and improvements across the hospitality industry. The results include helping more than 3,700 people into work in the past 18 months, saving the government approximately £18.5m and helping the UK reach a world ranking of 9th for the warmth of its visitor welcome. Brian Wisdom, the outgoing chief executive officer of People 1st, said that it was important to show the breadth of the organisation’s achievements and the impact it has had on the industry and the wider economy. He said: “To make sure we could really show what we have achieved, we created a video, which we’ve called ‘The Visit’, to highlight the work that we’ve done. We’re understandably really proud of everything we’ve done, but of course, there’s always more work to do and we’re really looking forward to continuing our work in a number of these areas. We’re now turning our attention to the future and, as part of our refocus, we’re launching a new website that outlines our new offering to businesses operating in our sector.”
Cask Marque to sponsor Great British Beer Festival: Cask Marque is to sponsor the trade day of the Great British Beer Festival on Tuesday 12 August at Olympia in West London. Director Paul Nunny said: “Every year we work closely with Camra to support cask ale. Previously we have sponsored the Camra Good Beer Guide and this year it seemed a good opportunity to talk up the Cask Marque accreditation programme and the CaskFinder app to both trade and consumers at the festival. The centre-piece of our stand will be a glass-ended cask, so you will be able to see live the second fermentation that goes on in the cask in the cellar.”
Daily Mail research uncovers the rise of ‘Super Parents’: An unprecedented set of economic and social factors has led to a dramatic shift in family dynamics in the UK, according to The Daily Mail. The newspaper claims this has led to the emergence of a key group of consumers – Super Parents – who are shouldering the burdens that the downturn has brought about, helping to keep families together and enabling them to stay afloat. There are four million Super Parents in the British population, aged between 50 and 71, it says. With 3.3 million 20 to 34-year-olds still living at home because of rising house prices and rental costs, a lack of employment for young adults and stagnant wages, Super Parents are providing shelter for their children long after they would have expected them to leave home it says. Research by the newspaper found that 42% of Mail readers have helped, or are planning to help their children get on the property ladder. Super Parents have an average family income of more than £34,000 and savings and investments of more than £42,000 on average.
Sky urges operators to promote sports, take advantage of free Wi-Fi: Sky is urging operators to make sure they promote their sports offer properly, and take advantage of the broadcaster’s free Wi-Fi offer to attract more custom. The company says almost four million adults watch football in a pub or bar every month, and they spend one third more than the average pubgoer, at £16.60 a time, when they go. In addition, Sky says, “to meet friends” and “to watch sport” are the two most popular reasons for young men aged 18 to 34 to go to the pub. At the same time, Wi-Fi, which comes free with Sky Sports packages, also drives dwell time, with 85% of 18 to 34-year-olds and 55% of 55 to 64-year-olds having smartphones, and 38% of people saying they will stay longer in a pub with Wi-Fi. Frank Atkinson, sales director for Sky Business, speaking yesterday in a presentation about the business opportunities for pubs and bars presented by sports broadcasts, said pubs should look beyond football. He pointed to Orchid Group, which, he said, had found that promoting different sports, such as Formula 1, rugby league and NFL American football, had brought a different crowd to its pubs. He urged licensees to take advantage of Sky Sports’ resources, which included a free fixtures poster for pubs to display, an online service that enables licensees to print off point-of-sale material, such as posters, fixtures, talking cards, banners, T-shirts.
YO! Sushi opens 70th UK restaurant today: YO! Sushi opens its 70th UK restaurant today at Baker Street in Central London. This is YO! Sushi’s fifth restaurant opening in 2014, with plans to open a total of ten new sites across the UK by the end of the year. YO! Sushi said it expects this rate of expansion to continue. Last month it announced plans to open 50 restaurants in the United States over the next six years. YO! Sushi’s footprint also includes ten international franchises, in the Middle East, Ireland and Scandinavia. Vanessa Hall, chief executive of YO! Sushi, said: “Hitting our 70th UK restaurant milestone is a fantastic achievement in itself, but opening in one of London’s most iconic areas is the icing on the cake. Life is very exciting at YO! Sushi at the moment, with five more restaurants planned in the UK this year, not to mention our ambitious international plans. So on this important day, we raise a glass of sake, not just to celebrate what we’ve achieved to date but to look ahead to the next 70 restaurants.” YO! Sushi established its first site on Poland Street in Soho in 1997, serving food presented on Japanese “kaiten” conveyor belts and grew in London before expanding across the UK, from Aberdeen to Plymouth, in shopping districts, malls and transport hubs.
River Cottage Canteen raised £1m in just 36 hours: River Cottage Canteen raised £1m for its 7% interest-yielding mini-bond through crowd-funding website Crowdcube in just 36 hours. The company’s joint managing director, Rob Love, said: “We’re thrilled that the River Cottage Bond was so well received by investors. I am a huge advocate of crowdfunding and this new innovation from Crowdcube helps reduce the cost and complexity of raising finance and provides an effective way for more established brands, like River Cottage, to raise growth funding without the banks.” Luke Lang, co-founder of Crowdcube, said: “It’s been an exciting time for disrupting the mini-bond market – Chilango’s Burrito Bond was the first to launch and now the River Cottage Bond. We’re determined to make investing more accessible, affordable and rewarding, whilst giving established brands an effective way to source expansion capital and engage with their customers in a more meaningful manner.”
Timothy Taylor profits hit by managed pubs rationalisation: The Yorkshire brewer and pub operator Timothy Taylor has seen profits drop after nearly £1m of costs linked to rationalising its managed house division and property disposals. Turnover in the year to 30 September 2013 was £21.88m, down 1.2% from £22.15m the year before. Operating profit before exceptionals was up 3.4% to £2.15m from £2.08m the year before. Pre-tax profit stood at £1.22m, down from £2.12m the year before. Dividends totalling £775,000 were distributed.
Bruce Bars owner re-opens Spirit leased site: Bruce Bars owner Michael Nicholas has re-opened the Adam & Eve in Homerton, East London, a Spirit leased pub. The pub’s kitchen features a pop-up concept, the Cornwall Project, which is being run by chef Matt Chatfield and will concentrate on serving classic British pub dishes with Cornish meat and vegetables. CharcuterEast will be curing meat and pickles in-house. Chris Welham, managing director for Spirit Leased Pubs, said: “We’re delighted to have supported Michael in the re-launch of this classic London venue. The Adam & Eve is a truly exciting venue and we look forward to watching its success.”
Vapiano to open third UK site on Tuesday: Vapiano, the Italian casual dining restaurant group that has more than 140 outlets around the world, is due to open its third outlet in the UK in Wardour Street, Soho, Central London on Tuesday (24 June). The company has spent £2.1m on the new restaurant, which is on the site of a former nightclub and restaurant called Profile and will have a customer area of 7,000 sq ft and capacity for up to 250 diners. Vapiano’s managing director, Phil Sermon, said: “This is just the start of our expansion and highlights our intent to open many more Vapiano restaurants in prime positions across London and the UK.” Sermon said he had a target of 50 Vapianos around the UK and 20 restaurants in London.
Punch Taverns hits 80 Punch Foundation Tenancy agreements: Punch Taverns has reported its has 80 Punch Foundation Tenancy (PFT) agreements in place, two years after the scheme’s launch. The company claims the scheme is unique in the industry because it involves working with selected licensees to set up ready-made businesses, tailored to their neighbourhoods. Punch Taverns invests in pub refurbishments and equips its PFT premises with the latest IT, including epos tills and the iDraught beer management system. Each business is linked to specialist accountants and given its own website and social media platforms, together with a 12-month marketing plan and an agreed minimum spend on marketing. The scheme won the title of Business Enabler of the Year at the National Business Awards in November 2013, with praise from the judges for its innovative approach. Punch Taverns’ first PFT Partners, Jamie and Anya Slater, formerly a chef and a teacher, took on a previously unloved estate pub in June 2012. After a £200,000 refurbishment and the introduction of food, average weekly sales at the Griffin in Rugby are now four times higher than before the PFT was introduced.
Four brands set for Chester: Four top restaurant brands are opening in Chester, creating a “dining district with a European feel”. Las Iguanas, Chimichanga, Coast to Coast and Restaurant Bar and Grill are set to open new venues in the former Habitat and Multiyork stores on Pepper Street by next summer. Work has just begun on the development, which will see alfresco dining areas and rooftop terraces with glass fronts. The old Methodist chapel, which will host Restaurant Bar and Grill, will not be changed significantly, because of its Grade II listed status. The new restaurants will join established premises such as Piccolino’s, Black House Grill, The Church and Zizzi to create a quarter dubbed the “Pepper Street dining district” by the buildings’ owners.
Operator plans 438-bedroom Waterloo hotel after securing £80m funding: PPHE Hotel Group has bought a prime site, Hercules House, near Waterloo in South London, and obtained planning permission for its redevelopment into a hotel. It has also secured funding of up to £80m from Banque Hapoalim of Luxembourg to fund the redevelopment. The planning permission and funding is for a hotel of 438 rooms which may, subject to further planning approval, be extended to 490 rooms. Additional facilities at the hotel will include a swimming pool, spa, restaurant and bar.
Carluccio’s names opening date for Sheffield site: Carluccio’s will open its Sheffield site on Friday 27 June. The new restaurant, at 509 Ecclesall Road, is on the site of a former La Tasca outlet. Simon Kossoff, Carluccio’s chef executive, said: “We have been keen to open on Ecclesall Road for a number of years and are delighted to have finally found the right site.”
Greene King lines up fourth Hungry Horse in Sheffield: Greene King is set launch its fourth Hungry Horse venture in Sheffield after its proposals were recommended for planning approval. The new establishment is expected to bring 76 jobs. Plans to build a 9,000 sq ft venue on land off Broadfield Close and Little London Road were recommended for approval by Sheffield City Council at a planning committee meeting next week (24 June). The site has seen a major redevelopment over the past decade, with the land Greene King is proposing to use one of the last remaining plots available in the area. It will sit alongside office accommodation, a St John Ambulance building and dialysis centre and a Virgin Active complex.
Two Wetherspoon pubs and Spirit site to be auctioned: Two freehold pubs let to JD Wetherspoon and a pub let to Spirit will be auctioned by Allsop on 8 July. A freehold site in Liverpool let to JD Wetherspoon, trading as a Lloyds No 1 Bar, on a lease expiring in 2038 with rent of at £140,000 a year is offered with guide price of £2m-plus. A freehold in Paignton, Devon let to JD Wetherspoon on a lease expiring in 2034 at a rent of £72,141 a year is offered with a guide price of £950,000 to £1.05m. A freehold in King’s Lynn, Norfolk let to Spirit Pub Company at £66,000 a year on a lease expiring in 2028 is offered with a guide price of £775,000-plus.
McDonald’s UK under fire for offering ‘girl’s toy’ and ‘boy’s toy’: McDonald’s UK is under fire from activists because its restaurant workers are allegedly offering customers a choice of a ‘girl’s toy’ or a ‘boy’s toy’ with Happy Meals. McDonald’s UK has stated its policy is to offer “either a Hello Kitty or Hot Wheels option, not a girl/boy option,” but the campaign group Let Toys Be Toys said: “We carried out a quick survey which showed that over 70% of stores are asking if customers would like a boy’s toy or a girl’s toy. The fact that two very different toys have been introduced and one of them is pink, clearly suggests that these toys are meant to be aimed at boys and girls separately. We think it’s a really disappointing step from McDonald’s and hope they’ll return to the more usual UK toy policy of just one toy for all. In the meantime we’ve asked that they re-examine their own guidelines and ensure that toys are distributed consistent with their policy.” McDonald’s in the US no longer offers toys according to gender, after a campaign by an 11-year-old, Antonia Ayres-Brown.
Starbucks to introduce charging stations in Europe: Starbucks is to introduce wireless charging stations across Europe to try to increase the length of time people spend in its outlets, Marketing Week has reported. The coffee chain expects initial pilots in Europe and Asia to take place over the next year as it makes the service mainstream in the United States. It announced plans to introduce wireless charging to Starbucks and Teavana Tea stores, beginning in San Francisco before expanding the service in 2015.
PizzaExpress produces four World Cup pizzas: PizzaExpress has come up with four World Cup themed pizzas, created by food artists Pam Staite and Serena Reeve, to celebrate the international football in Brazil over the next month. Using traditional ingredients including pepperoni and garlic, the pizzas depict England lifting the World Cup in 1966, Paul “Gazza” Gascoigne crying at Italia ’90, Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal against England in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and Zinedine Zidane’s 2006 headbutt in the World Cup final in Germany have all been depicted.
Andy Harrison – Costa is benefiting from the move to online shopping: Whitbread’s chief executive, Andy Harrison, who reported sales at Costa’s 1,755 UK branches up by 4.5% in the 13 weeks to the end of May, has argued that the coffee shop market is getting a boost from the move to online shopping. Harrison said: “Costa and the coffee shop industry has benefited from the changing shape of the high street – people are spending less time shopping because they do it online. We are seeing the coffee shop market growing in many different countries and cultures.”
Falmouth police look to sub-let to Costa Coffee to offset costs in ‘Costa Coppa’ move: A Costa Coffee could replace the front office at the police station in Falmouth, Cornwall as part of a raft of changes to local policing before cuts in funding. Inspector Steve Lenney said he had been negotiating with Costa Coffee among other operators since the public enquiry office was earmarked for closure next month as part of cuts to save £760,000 each year in Devon and Cornwall. He told a meeting of Falmouth Town Council that the only way to keep the office open was to rent out part of the station to a coffee shop franchise to offset staffing costs. Cornwall and town councillor Candy Atherton said at the meeting: “This needs to be called Costa Coppa, doesn’t it?”
River Valley Inns opens first Cheshire site: The Lancashire-based premium food pub group Ribble Valley Inns has opened its first site in Cheshire, the Nag’s Head at Haughton near Tarporley after a £1m refurbishment. The Nag’s Head is the first new property for Ribble Valley Inns since the investment made by the company’s chairman, Richard Matthewman, and his wife Lynda. Nigel Haworth, Ribble Valley Inns’ founder and executive chef, said: “I’m over the moon that we’re now open in Cheshire. It’s been a fascinating journey for me, this one. I’ve discovered some amazing new producers whom I’ve never worked with before, which has led to an authentic menu that I’m really excited about. I love the pub itself, too. This is the oldest one that we have in the collection, and the bowling green, stocks and horse bays, I think, all add to a really unique atmosphere.”
Lola’s Cupcakes denies stealing recipe for Marmite cupcake: The London-based bakery chain Lola’s Cupcakes has denied stealing an original recipe for Marmite cupcakes. Kerstin Rodgers, who blogs as Ms Marmite Lover, was shocked to see newspaper stories about the “first official Marmite cupcake”, as she claims she published two Marmite cupcake recipes on her blog in 2010, and in her 2011 cookbook Supper Club: Recipes And Notes From The Underground Restaurant. Rodgers claims that not only could the new cake not be the “first official Marmite cupcake”, because she was paid by the company to bake her cupcakes, but that Lola’s recipe, published on a press release sent to food writers, used identical wording to her own. A joint statement for Lola’s Bakery and Marmite said the “only similarity” between the two recipes is “the use of a liquid centre that is found in over a third of Lola’s range”. The statement specified that the Lola’s recipe was the “first official Marmite cupcake available to buy”.
Julian Metcalfe to launch TV campaign for popcorn range: Metcalfe’s Food Company, set up by Julian Metcalfe, the co-founder of Pret A Manger, to sell low-calorie snacks, has picked Quiet Storm to create a TV campaign for its popcorn range. Quiet Storm beat two other agencies in a competitive pitch to win the business, and will be tasked with creating a national TV campaign, backed by cinema and video-on-demand spots, which will air later this summer. Metcalfe’s, which has not advertised on TV before, ran the pitch without an intermediary. The ads will be based on Metcalfe’s “lighten up” ethos. Metcalfe, who set up the Pret A Manger group with Sinclair Beecham, and later started the Asian fast-food chain Itsu, founded Metcalfe’s in 2009. In addition to its popcorn range, Metcalfe’s also makes low-calorie crisps and cookies.
Adnams broadens links with Norfolk producers with show sponsorship: The Suffolk brewer and retailer Adnams is broadening its links with Norfolk food and drink producers by sponsoring the food and drink hall at this year’s Royal Norfolk Show, to be held on 25 and 26 June. The “Adnams Food and Drink Experience” will play host to a number of show stands, each showcasing food and drink from across the county. A spokesman said: “Adnams has exhibited at the Norfolk Show for the past four years, but this is the first time that we have sponsored the show’s popular food and drink hall.”
Agent reports flurry of pub company sales in Scotland: A flurry of activity within the pub sector in Scotland has seen the property consultancy Ryden sell six pubs across the country in deals worth almost £1 million, reinforcing that the market is improving. In Edinburgh, the firm sold Cooper’s Rest at Easter Road to SIPP on behalf of Punch Taverns. The property, which will continue to trade as a public house, was on the market at offers over £145,000. Not far from Easter Road at Albion Road, The Albion Bar was also sold on behalf of Punch Taverns to a private individual. The asking price for the bar was £135,000-plus. CDLH was joint agent with Ryden on both of these deals. To the east of Edinburgh, The Old Ship Inn in Port Seton was acquired from Punch Taverns by a private client. The new owner has mixed-use plans for the site, including a takeaway/restaurant and drive-through, three houses and a stand-alone business unit at the Links Road premises, which have been vacant for the past five years. Offers over £250,000 were being sought for the property. Ryden sold The Tayport Arms, Nelson Street, Tayport, Fife to a private buyer on behalf of Star Pubs & Bars. It was on the market at offers over £125,000 and will continue to trade as a public house. The Northern Lights pub at Hatton of Fintray, Aberdeen, was also sold to a private buyer for continued use as a pub. Ryden was marketing the property at an asking price of £250,000 for Punch Taverns. In Inverness, Deeno’s Sports Bar on Academy Street was sold to Cairngorm Brewery, also for continued use as a pub. Ryden negotiated the deal on behalf of Star Pubs & Bars, which was selling the property at offers over £280,000.
Faversham’s first boutique hotel to open next month: The first boutique hotel in Faversham, Kent, will next month in the former Swan and Harlequin pub in Conduit Street, acquired by entrepreneur David Selves earlier this year. Faversham Creek Hotel is set to open fully by the end of July, with the Red Sails restaurant hopefully opening the month after. The tables inside the Red Sails restaurant will have their own lighting system, which the diners control. Each will be named after Faversham barges, while the bedrooms will be named after important people in Faversham’s history.
Ed’s Easy Diner lines up Carlisle opening: Ed’s Easy Diner, which has 28 restaurants across the UK, is planning to open in Carlisle, moving into the former Cafe M site in The Lanes. Andrew Guy, chief executive of Ed’s Easy Diner, said the location was “ideal”. He said the company hoped to hire locally and was working with the Springboard charity, which helps get young and disadvantaged people from the local community into employment. Lanes manager David Jackson said it was approached by Ed’s after Cafe M, which will form the new diner together with part of the toilets in the Lanes development, went into administration this spring. “They wanted to bring the diner to The Lanes but they needed more space [than just Cafe M], hence the decision to relocate the toilets,” he said.
Casino development planned for Wolverhampton: Council officers have recommended the green light for a £4m casino development in Wolverhampton that would create more than 130 jobs and bring “thousands” of visitors to the city, according to the company behind the scheme. Wolverhampton City Council’s licensing committee will be asked to award a casino licence to Casino 36 Ltd for former Dorchester nightclub site in Temple Street when they meet next Wednesday (25 June). Casino 36 runs the existing Rubicon Casino in Temple Street, and the new casino would combine the Rubicon building with the nightclub building next door, which has been standing empty for years. Adrian Ballard, a director of Casino 36 Ltd, said contractors would start work on site within 28 days if the licence was awarded, with the casino open for business within two years, subject to planning consent.
Burger King to open in Carmarthen and Llanelli, seeks second outlet in Gloucester: Burger King is to open a branch in Carmarthen, South Wales at the end of the month. The new store will open on 28 June at Merlin’s Walk on the site of the former JJB Sports store, which has been unoccupied and unused for a number of years. Charles Barratt, manager of the Merlin’s Walk centre, said all negotiations had been completed and the restaurant was now being fitted out. Barratt said the centre had been looking to attract food outlets to Merlin’s Walk and welcomed Burger King’s arrival. He said: “We have always wanted to attract a restaurant or cafe to Merlin’s Walk and Burger King will be a valuable and popular addition, not only to the centre but the town as a whole.” Another new Burger King outlet is due to open this Saturday in Llanelli, South Wales. The outlet, in the St Elli shopping centre, seats 40, with an additional 50 seats outside. The chain is also seeking planning permission to open a second branch in Gloucester city centre. It wants to move into a unit that fronts onto Eastgate Street and is managed by the Eastgate shopping centre which has been on the market since Carphone Warehouse moved out in 2011. Tom Mees, an associate partner at Eastgate shopping centre’s letting agent, Kitchen La Frenais Morgan, said: “The proposal from Burger King is the first permanent offer we have had in over three years of marketing. The property has never attracted an offer for a long-term lease, or indeed anything longer than a one-month term. We have tried but been unable to identify a long term occupier for the property in the prevailing economic climate in a city where the supply of vacant units is relatively high.” Burger King already has an outlet in the Peel Centre in Gloucester. It now has 1,400 restaurants in the UK, with more than 11,500 outlets in more than 72 countries across the world.


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The Blogs covering the security industry are quite dismissive of the quality of products and service of their security division and doubt that any of the majors would be interested unless it was at a fire sale price. The heritage estate would be the only attractive asset, whilst the products would just duplicate with no leading edge technology, is the claim being made.
However their Fire Detection business is a much more tasty morsel. Built around the Edwards System Technologies acquisition of $1.4 billion in March 2005, this is a well respected business having a significant market share in an industry that is more mature and far less fragmented than the security market. The opportunity to buy a Fire Detection business of this size and geographic coverage is unlikely to happen again for many years. It may not have the growth prospects of the security industry but neither does it have the hundreds of small innovative companies creating a constant need to develop new products.
We believe that the Fire Detection business will be key to the acquisition strategy that will unfold during the next few months. The last major fire business to be sold was Novar in 2005, completed 2006 and it has given the acquirer, Honeywell, the number 1 slot in Europe. The other majors in this business Tyco, UTC, Siemens and Bosch must have a real interest in this opportunity and will put up a stronger fight than last time. Significantly these companies are also major players in the security industry. If Schneider want to make a push into Fire Safety, this is the time and they will not be hampered by any monopolistic considerations.
The next few months will for sure see a flurry of interest and activity. This acquisition is complex because of its size and the number of different businesses making up GE Fire & Security and the current economic climate. A break up is likely to produce the best outcome for GE.

domain: news


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New "Star Wars" Trilogy to Feature Original Cast
March 8, 2013 12:45 PM
Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher are back
For those of you who shuddered at the thought of
Disney buying Lucasfilm Ltd.
and releasing a new (potentially terrible) trilogy in a couple of years, here's a bit of news that may ease the pain: the original Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo may be back.
George Lucas, the creator of the "Star Wars" trilogies, slipped in a
interview that Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford (the original Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo in Episodes IV-VI) will resume their roles in the upcoming trilogy made by Disney.
"We had already signed Mark and Carrie and Harrison -- or we were pretty much in final stages of negotiation," said Lucas. "So I called them to say, 'Look, this is what's going on.'"
Lucas stopped a moment in the interview, realizing he probably wasn't supposed to unveil that detail quiet yet.
“Maybe I’m not supposed to say that," continued Lucas. "I think they want to announce that with some big whoop-de-do, but we were negotiating with them.
"I won’t say whether the negotiations were successful or not.”
Nice save, Lucas.
The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm Ltd. (Lucas' film production company) for
$4.05 billion USD
in late October 2012.
Along with that acquisition came news of a new trilogy, which would be Episodes VII, VIII, and IX. The new trilogy will follow Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo once again beyond "Return of the Jedi," which was Episode VI in the original trilogy.
Episode VII is set to release in 2015.
Another cool factoid about the upcoming Episode VII? It will be directed by J.J. Abrams.
Die-hard "Star Wars" fans accused Lucas of losing his mind over the last decade or so when he created the second trilogy (Episodes I-III) with ridiculous characters like Jar Jar Binks. He also
made huge changes to the Blu-ray release
of "Star Wars," where Lucas only wanted to keep 25-30 percent of the original theatrical content. The nine-disc set contained new “content” like Darth Vader screaming "Nooo!" in the final battle scene of Episode VI.
Of course, we can't forget a very crucial mistake Lucas made in changing Episode IV: A New Hope -- Han shot first.
"It seems as though my state-funded math degree has failed me. Let the lashings commence." -- DailyTech Editor-in-Chief Kristopher Kubicki
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A handful of high-profile new Lawsuits claim that a number of Big Pharma companies, including Gilead and Merck, engaged in “pay-for-delay” transactions, settling with up-and-coming generic rivals to stall their market debut and costing drug consumers hundreds of millions in missed savings as a result. Pharma watchers are probably acquainted with “pay-for-delay” agreements, which have been scrutinised by federal regulators and the subject of countless legal battles over the years.
Gilead’s lucrative HIV business has already been the subject of multiple Lawsuits, with critics alleging that the company leveraged its monopoly to stifle generic competition and maintain high prices. According to a complaint in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Wednesday, two of the country’s major pharmacy chains, CVS and Ride Aid, are suing Gilead, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), and Teva for engaging in a “multifaceted strategy to suppress and delay” generic rivals of Gilead’s HIV medications.
During this time, Gilead allegedly profited from generic delays, according to the lawsuit. Merck is facing separate claims from two large insurance companies, Centene and Humana, alleging that the corporation used similar techniques for its cholesterol medications Vytorin and Zetia. In both instances, generic drugmakers Glenmark Pharma and Merck’s Schering-Plough are named as defendants.
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Juice made from Montmorency cherries may reduce the development of upper respiratory tract symptoms (URTS) after running a marathon, suggests data from a pilot study.
French supplier Roquette has inked a deal with a food and beverage innovator it met at the SIAL food industry trade show last year to develop products for its nascent...
Salmonella in your infant nutrition, hormones in your supplements and lead in your detox. These were just some of the nasties included in this month’s round up of supplements blocked at...
Nestlé has filed a patent for probiotics to be taken during pregnancy and lactation, which it says help reduce the risk of allergies for the infant.
Different flavours, artificial caffeine alternatives and a place in everyday life give energy drinks the staying power to survive the recession, says a Canadean report.
UK-based researchers are seeking industry collaboration and inspiration for work creating electrospun nanofibres that could provide improved products and ingredient delivery systems for foods.
Fortified milk could help to boost the value of milk sales, despite supermarket price war slashing the price of the white stuff to as little as 89p for a four...
The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs committee has voted to reject amendments to the EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation, which would have seen nutrient profiles abandoned.
A Slovakian entrepreneur has developed Clear Coffee, a transparent coffee designed to appeal to health conscious consumers – in particular those who want to keep their teeth white.
Abbott Laboratories has filed an international patent for a process it says allows it to produce better-tasting powders with improved nutrient content.
Key European Parliament committee votes could push the European Commission to “eliminate” nutrient profiles from the 2006 nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR).
Europe needs to be educated on ‘unbleached’ yellow konjac, says Indonesian supplier with sulphur safety concerns.
Nestlé has filed an international patent for an infant nutrition product with casein protein, which it said could be used to prevent metabolic syndrome disorders later in life.
Five caffeine health claims approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) but not yet EU-approved as industry, consumer and government stakeholders debate concerns, are in use anyway.
The pressures of raising children, juggling work and home life, and other daily responsibilities mean older millennials are increasingly turning to energy drinks, according to a report from Mintel.
38 ‘developed’ nations delivered 54% of functional food and supplement and other health & wellness (HW) product sales in 2014, but these same nations will account for only 14% of growth between now and 2019.
Telling a story is important for any brand – even more so when trying to market hemp juice and overcome pre-conceptions about cannabis, according to Sana Hemp Juice.
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) has urged the European commissioner for health and food safety to practice caution when making ‘adjustments’ to health claim and botanical rules.
Energy shots are a big market in the US, but the potential in Europe is yet to be realized, says America’s Naturals.
Boosted by botanicals, Naturex's WinDrink range targets a new breed of consumer who is interested in sports nutrition but wary of complex, synthetic ingredients.
The first certified herbal teas in a biodiversity partnership have gone in sale in Germany this month.
With the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) caffeine safety opinion finally published yesterday, the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) has called now for the ‘obvious conclusions’ to be drawn....
The Swedish National Food Agency (NFA) has proposed an extension of the products subject to mandatory vitamin D fortification.
Scotland-based supplement and infused water distributor Water for Health (WFH) has been censored by the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for making non-authorised immunity and other claims for chlorella and other infusions...
Orange juice’s flavanones could help provide ‘brain boosting nutrients’ in diets which aim to reduce the effects of cognitive decline, according to researchers at the University of Reading.


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Faisal Al Haimus, the Chairman and President of Trade Bank of Iraq
The lender plans to open a representative office in China by 2020 and upgrading its licence in Abu Dhabi to an asset management company from a representative office.
Monday 08, July 2019 BY KUDAKWASHE MUZORIWA
The Chairman of Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI) said that the bank is expanding into China and the Gulf as is seeks to lift its revenues from retail banking and international operations to 30 per cent by 2022 from 25 per cent currently.
Faisal al-Haimus, the Chairman of TBI, said that with the bank’s expansion in China, UAE and Saudi Arabia, retail and international business will contribute 30 per cent of the bank’s total revenues in the next three years.
The state-owned bank, with assets of around $30 billion, helps fund about 80 per cent of the trade finance business in Iraq.
In June, TBI inaugurated its first branch in Saudi Arabia and the branch which is expected to become fully operational in September will focus on trade finance.
TBI abandoned plans to acquire a Gulf bank as the latter decided it does not want to sell and earlier the bank also cancelled plans to buy a commercial bank in Turkey because of the plunge in the Turkish lira, Al-Haimus said.
In October 2018, TBI announced that it was in talks to acquire a Gulf bank with branches in the UAE and Qatar as part of a strategy to boost revenues outside its home market.
Al-Haimus said that TBI plays a central role in the reconstruction of Iraq and this will help bolster its balance sheet that has grown to $30 billion in size.
TBI is also considering launching a fund in Q4 2019 focusing on lending to Iraqi banks for international trade as approvals are expected by October, reported Reuters.


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Sources pointed out that Samsung is working with Catcher Technology which is based in Taiwan to provide Samsung Galaxy S5 with a metal housing. Many may not be aware of Catcher Technology, but Catcher is in fact also the manufacturer for housing of Apple’s iPad mini as well as the New HTC One. If the negotiations are successful, Samsung Galaxy S5, which is slated to be launched in 2014 will have a metal housing instead of the usual plastic. They will also continue to use metal for their future flagship smartphones.
On the other hand, Samsung Galaxy S 5 may use a new 64-bit Exynos processor.


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Mailbird is a desktop email client for Windows 7, 8 and 10, inspired by the Sparrow email client for OS X. It was awarded Best Windows Email Software Program in 2015, and 2014 by IT World and in 2013 by PC World.
This email software program differentiates itself from other email clients like Thunderbird, Outlook and Windows Live Mail especially by having a simple design, focusing on speed and offering a platform for email productivity, by allowing other developers to develop applications for the Mailbird open-source app community and platform.
The company headquarters is in the Livit Tech Startup Ecosystem in Bali, Indonesia.
In March 2015, Mailbird launched version 2.0, with new features such as Email Snooze, Video Meetings and Speed Reader, and also added integrations for Facebook, WhatsApp, Veeting Rooms and more.
Recently, it was revealed in a Feedback Hub post, that Microsoft will soon roll out a new sandbox desktop feature called “InPrivate Desktop” exclusively for […]
Game streaming enables players to stream games from consoles so they can play them on alternative devices. Microsoft announced at E3 that its building a […]


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Two of the country’s largest mutual fund houses are vying with each other to launch the country’s first exchange traded fund (ETF) based on the auto and auto ancillary sectors.
On Monday, both Nippon Mutual Fund and ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund announced launching their respective Nifty Auto ETFs that will mirror the Nifty Auto Index, which comprises of all the automobile majors of the country along with those from the auto ancillary segment.
Companies like Maruti Suzuki India, Tata Motors, M&M, Bajaj Auto, Eicher Motors, Hero MotoCorp and Bharat Forge have the highest weightage in the auto index.
Incidentally, statements issued by both the fund houses claimed that theirs was the country’s first Auto ETF.
"Nippon India Mutual Fund announces the launch of Nippon India Nifty Auto ETF, India’s First Auto sector ETF. The Auto ETF is an open-ended scheme replicating/ tracking the Nifty Auto Index,” stated a release from Nippon Mutual Fund.
Similarly, a statement from ICICI Prudential MF stated: “ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund has launched India’s first Auto ETF namely ICICI Prudential Nifty Auto ETF. The offering aims to provide returns that closely correspond to the total return of the benchmark Nifty Auto Index subject to tracking errors.”
Interestingly, it is difficult to ascertain which one would be the first as the both the new fund offers (NFOs) will open on January 5. While the ICICI Prudential fund will close on January 10, the one by Nippon MF will be open till January 14.
Apart from the NFO close date, there is not much to differentiate as both the schemes have the same benchmark and are ETFs so the portfolio will basically replicate the index. Further, the minimum investment amount is also pegged at Rs 1,000 for both the schemes. The ICICI Prudential scheme, however, is expected to list first on the bourses as its NFO will close before the one by Nippon MF.
Copyright©2022 Living Media India Limited. For reprint rights: Syndications Today


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ITL Metro, the competitive local exchange division of International Telecom, wanted to get into the lucrative central office exchange business. No problem — just scrape up a spare $10 million to $20 million to purchase a Class 5 switch and theyd be on their way to bundling lucrative voice and data services.
But ITL Metro Chief Executive Joel Eisenberg discovered a cheaper alternative with heavy revenue-generating potential in softswitches manufactured by BroadSoft. The Gaithersburg, Md., company is one of a growing number of firms developing softswitches that include central office functions. >>
Softswitches are software solutions used to control hardware gateways. They operate over any broadband connection and allow competitive and incumbent carriers and other service providers to route voice and data using Internet Protocol. Souped-up softswitches, known as virtual central offices, not only allow providers to route voice calls over IP networks, but to sell lucrative add-on services such as call forwarding and voice messaging.
Circuit-switched phone calls typically pass through a local switch, a tandem switch and a long-distance switch. A carrier or service provider would have to be located within the switch serving area in order to operate, and switches would have to be housed in a central office. Softswitches remove the geographic constraints, routing calls to the nearest IP backbone point of presence or to the Internet.
“Its leveraging IP as the glue. It will be able to consolidate these networks and make a physical central office redundant because its putting intelligence closer to the user. You can put [a virtual central office] anywhere on the network,” says Maciej Kranz, manager of marketing at Cisco Systems desktop switching unit.
A company can own one softswitch and 10 to 15 voice gateways and be able to access the entire country. Gone is the need for a central office. Also gone are high prices. BroadSofts BroadWorks softswitch costs $300,000 to $1 million, depending on the number of users.
Softswitches and virtual central offices offer more than just inexpensive technology. For exchange carriers and service providers, virtual central office software can be a much-needed moneymaker.
Cash Is in the Add-Ons
As connectivity, transport and basic phone services increasingly acquire commodity status, smaller providers need to compete with bundled services offered by companies such as AT&T Broadband, Sprint and WorldCom. In todays telecommunications world, the money is in the add-ons.
According to Boston-based Aberdeen Group, a computer and communications consulting company, Mpower Communications, a competitive carrier that bundles local voice services, long-distance service, shared Web hosting and high-speed Internet access over the same Digital Subscriber Line, sees revenue of at least $450 per line. By contrast, the nations leading competitive data carrier, Covad Communications, makes an average of $79 per DSL, “making for a difficult business in the long term, given the expense of its national DSL rollout,” Aberdeens report says.
Susan Davis, director of product management at Lucent Technologies, notes that competitive carriers “based business plans on long-distance or voice-over-IP services. The real challenge is: How do I make money with this?”
ITL Metros Eisenberg says his companys softswitch allows it to offer small and midsized businesses features such as account codes, toll-free long-distance, call forwarding and call blocking. “What were really selling is a worldwide centrex [central office exchange] system,” he says.
Other telecom manufacturers are taking the softswitchs added-on services concept even further.
Last month, NexTone Communications launched iVANi, a virtual central office switch that connects voice and private branch exchange services from a companys headquarters to its remote offices. It also allows telecommuters to make and receive calls via DSL or cable modem as if they were connected to the corporate PBX.
IVANi has a “follow-me service” where, using a computer, personal digital assistant (PDA) or telephone, an employee can press “1” to indicate hes at home, “2” to show hes at the office, “3” to indicate hes on the road and so on. The virtual central office software automatically switches all calls to a single number and stores messages if the user is unavailable. >>
“Prior to this, you had to use the phone, with only 12 keys. Its a very archaic interface,” says Dan Dearing, vice president of marketing at NexTone. “Now its just a simple point and click on a PC or PDA.”
IVANi, unlike some other virtual central offices, is geared toward independent service providers rather than competitive and incumbent carriers. Some industry observers believe service providers and competitive carriers will be the first to embrace virtual central office technology, followed by the regional Bells. One reason for this is that incumbent carriers already own Class 5 switches, and therefore have less incentive to buy softswitches.
“From an ILEC [incumbent local exchange carrier] perspective, many are doing the same thing [softswitches do],” Davis says. “CLECs [competitive local exchange carriers] are more likely to take these solutions and create a business.”
Davis notes that Class 5 switch replacement isnt as easy as it seems. Class 5 switches offer services such as Enhanced-911 and wiretapping that are not only government regulated, but also unable to be replaced by a softswitch. “Theres a tremendous amount of hype in the market about Class 5 replacement. Most of it is totally wrong,” she says.
Eisenberg believes softswitch technology wont result in a groundswell of start-up competitive carriers. Rather, he sees CLECs snatching market share from the big regional carriers.
Scott Wharton, vice president of marketing at BroadSoft, says softswitches offer lower entry barriers for providers selling IP bundled services. “A new phone company can build radically different networks. They can immediately become a nationwide provider. Level 3 [Communications], MCI [WorldCom] can create huge megahubs, and the smaller service providers dont have to have a backbone. Their server could be in Virginia, and from one location, they can serve the entire world,” he says. “It becomes more of a marketing exercise than a hoe-and-shovel exercise.”
Aberdeen believes that voice wholesale service providers, such as Level 3, and Internet telephony service providers will begin to partner with Internet service providers and other carriers looking to enter the local voice business. Aberdeen envisions ISPs offering local dial tones as early as 2003.
The Brains of the Next-Gen Network
But softswitches and virtual central offices have applications far beyond that, industry experts believe.
“Ultimately, it is the brains of the next-generation network,” Lucents Davis says. “Its a religious argument” between the “IP bigots” and the incumbent carriers as to whether data or telephony will triumph, she says. “Only one will be the future. The industry seems to feel ultimately, IP will win out. Traffic will be data-based rather than voice-based.”
Davis says softswitches wont replace the public switched telephone network for at least a decade, but in two to three years, she envisions the routine ability to “route calls from any type of network — Internet, phone, wireless — into multitudes of end points with one network in the middle.”
Ciscos Kranz says virtual central offices will create a “new breed of CLEC companies over the next three years.” He projects that within the next 18 months, there will be a groundswell of competitive and incumbent carriers seriously interested in virtual central offices. “I almost think of it as the next Internet revolution, with a brand new set of services. [Well finally see] video-on-demand, interactive TV, HDTV [high-definition television], where you would have to have a converged network, which is a virtual central office,” he says.
Softswitches and virtual central offices will allow a migration away from DSL and onto an Ethernet and IP structure, Kranz believes. They will also offer more localized access from hotels and public spaces, he says.
NexTones Dearing says his company anticipates a midyear launch of a virtual central office married to a teleconferencing server, allowing real-time teleconferencing.
Softswitches also are programmable after installation, Davis says, so providers dont have to rely on the vendor for changes.
With the growing interest in softswitches and virtual central offices, its no surprise that the telecom giants are already on board. Lucent and Nortel Networks were early adopters, meaning they launched product two years ago. Cisco has virtual central office technology in the works. Some smaller companies have developed softswitches, but many are used chiefly for long-distance call routing.
“Softswitch is a very broad term,” Davis notes. Basically, softswitches give the user the ability to offer new services more quickly, she says. “No ones saying, Heres the one application thats going to be the killer and make lots of money for lots of people.”


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BRC Accreditation for Malcolm Logistics Crick & Haydock Depots
Malcolm Logistics recently received British Retail Consortium (BRC) accreditation for the storage and distribution of ambient foods, consumer products and packaging materials from its Crick and Haydock distribution centres.
Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Malcolm welcomed the award, noting that the accreditation demonstrates to existing and potential customers, how seriously the business takes its services operations. Andrew commented,
“Having such a prestigious certification under our belts is a great achievement for us. It’s yet another demonstration of our total commitment to providing our customers with nothing less than a first class logistics service. And, to ensure we are always the best we can be, we continue to invest heavily in our facilities and operations. This accreditation is welcome recognition of our determination.”
By showcasing their facilities in this way Malcolm Logistics believe they can proudly present themselves as an ideal third party logistics partner to many more companies.


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A shortage of some menu items at Chicago-area Starbucks is due to a misallocation of goods that resulted in some stores being overstocked while others were left bare.
“Some stores in the area had too much while others had too little,” Starbucks spokeswoman Sarah Albanesi said Tuesday. “Store managers are working to balance that supply.”
Pastries and several sandwich items were out of stock Tuesday morning at a Starbucks at Morgan and Randolph streets in the West Loop. Albanesi couldn’t say exactly how many stores were affected.
Albanesi knocked down speculation the situation was caused by a dispute between one of the coffee chain’s food suppliers and the union that delivers products to area Starbucks.
The dispute is between DPI Specialty Foods, which has a distribution center in southwest suburban Hodgkins, and Teamsters Local 710 over the length of a work contract that’s under negotiation.
Union members rejected a seven-month contract a few weeks ago, arguing the timeframe was too short. Previous contracts were multi-year agreements.
Mike McGrath, a spokesman for DPI, also confirmed Tuesday that “any Starbucks shortages are unrelated to the labor dispute.”
And a labor source said drivers with Local 710 are making deliveries as directed.
“I can definitely confirm the reallocation issues were not a result of the DPI situation. The two are not connected,” said Albanesi, the Starbucks spokeswoman.
@Starbucks Starbucks, your suppliers are on strike in the Chicago area. Stores are out of vanilla. Please give the suppliers what they want. I need my latte.— Tina Marie (@TinaAmari) August 29, 2019


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- Southeast Asia is proving to be a market leader for IoT around the world.
- Hosting many of the leading companies and having a huge potential market both in terms of consumers and enterprise, combined with governments who are aggressively pursuing the benefits of IoT, the region is currently ahead in the race to be the world’s leaders in implementing IoT.
- The sharp growth in the population and consumer technology market within this region has led to the region leapfrogging to Industry 4.0.
- As the region continues its growth in its industrial and manufacturing sectors, which are well supported by a huge local demand for products and an adequate ecosystem for the industry, we can only expect a surge in the demand for Industrial IoT.
- The growing customer demand with diverse technology needs, the increasing number of devices, a surging manufacturing/industrial sector and governments that consider technology to be a top priority make the perfect mix to create an ecosystem that will foster IoT growth, setting the Southeast Asia region to be the market leader for this industry in the entire world.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is taking the entire world by storm. While the predicted range is wide, McKinsey recently forecast the IoT market to be worth US$11 trillion by 2025. IoT, however, is still a work-in-process, which means many companies, and many countries at at very different stages in development.
Continue reading “Who’s leading the global IoT market in 2017?”
Should your driverless car value your life over a pedestrian’s? Should your Fitbit activity be used against you in a court case? Should we allow drones to become the new paparazzi? Can on…
Continue reading “Agenda / Artificial Intelligence and Robotics”
- How Technology Can Unlock the Growth Potential along the New Silk Road
- Committed to improving the state of the world
- This is how we can make economic growth equal for all
- Four things you should know about, from one of the region’s most successful entrepreneurs
Continue reading “The Real Impact of Artificial Intelligence”
- One of the report’s recommendations is to increase collaboration between government and industry on AI research: “AI can be a major driver of economic growth and social progress, if industry, civil society, government, and the public work together to support development of the technology
- Hard on the heels of the White House’s new report about artificial intelligence’s potential to address major societal challenges, NVIDIA will be holding Washington’s largest ever AI conference.
- The timing is right for policymakers and AI experts to meet, following yesterday’s White House report concluding that “AI has the potential to help address some of the biggest challenges that society faces” and recommending increased funding in AI research to fuel economic growth.
- The report, Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence , published by the National Science and Technology Council, notes that “the effectiveness of government itself is being increased as agencies build their capacity to use AI to carry out their missions more quickly, responsively and efficiently.”
- GTC DC will feature some of the most prominent leaders in government and industry when it takes place Oct. 26-27, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington.
Hard on the heels of the White House’s new report about artificial intelligence’s potential to address major societal challenges, NVIDIA will be holding Washington’s largest ever AI conference.
Continue reading “Major AI Conference Set for Washington, Following White House AI Report”


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New digital platform provides free training to transform frontline tourism workers into Colorado experts
Denver, Colo., 2019-Sep-25 — /Travel PR News/ — The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) today (Sept. 24, 2019) launched a new online workforce training program called Colorado Concierge, which aims to turn frontline workers into Colorado experts and train them in Colorado-style customer service.
The training platform can be accessed free-of-charge by smartphone, tablet or computer at BeAColoradoConcierge.com. By completing all four modules and a series of quiz questions, anyone can be certified as an official Colorado Concierge and download a certificate to add to their resume.
“Our ultimate goal is to build a statewide community of visitor-friendly ambassadors who can share great answers when a visitor asks, ‘What’s there to do around here?’“ said CTO Director Cathy Ritter. “We also hope this is a way people across Colorado can acquire customer service skills that could increase their earnings and even win them promotions.”
In creating the program, the CTO gathered a statewide Colorado Hospitality Advisory Group to provide input. Advisory group participants represented a variety of hospitality sectors, including hotels, restaurants, transportation, academic institutions and outdoor recreation. The group was chaired by Sonia Riggs, President & CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association, and a member of the Colorado Tourism Board.
The training includes instruction in a wide range of topics important to travelers, from Colorado Essentials to the Care for Colorado Principles to ways to explore the state’s eight travel regions. The CTO contracted with TravPRO Mobile to create the online training platform, which incorporates videos, text, photography and quizzes for an interactive and easy-to-use learning experience. Trav PRO Mobile is headquartered in New Jersey.
The customer service training module was based on CTO research into what sets Colorado hospitality apart from hospitality in other destinations. In a nationwide survey of 750 consumers, about 80 percent of respondents agreed this definition of Colorado hospitality rang true: “A genuine, kind-hearted invitation to share in the life and wonder of Colorado.”
Survey participants also identified the aspects of customer service that were most important to them as travelers: Being made to feel that someone really cared about them and being accepted for who they are. The study also confirmed that so many Coloradans already share that kind of hospitality.
The content for the customer service training module was contributed by Kimberly Tranter, an associate professor in the College of Hospitality Management at Johnson & Wales University in Denver. Tranter is a Class of 2019 member of the CTO’s Colorado Tourism Leadership Journey, a yearlong executive training program aimed at building the Colorado tourism industry’s bench strength.
Colorado Concierge is the latest outcome of the CTO’s Colorado Tourism Roadmap, a statewide strategic plan aimed at sharpening the Colorado tourism industry’s competitive advantage.
About the Colorado Tourism Office:
The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) is a division of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade. The CTO’s mission is to generate traveler spending by promotion of Colorado as a four-season, four-corner, world-class travel destination and development of compelling, sustainable travel experiences throughout the state. In 2018, Colorado travelers spent $22.3 billion, generating $1.37 billion in local and state revenues, reducing the tax burden for every Colorado household by $659. Tourism is the state’s second largest employer, directly supporting 174,400 jobs. For more information, please visit https://industry.colorado.com.
Source: Colorado Tourism Office


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Singapore-headquartered Sea Ltd's Shopee has launched a recruitment campaign for vendors to sell on what it called "Shopee India" and is ramping up hiring in the country, according to Youtube videos and job postings.
In the 2020 annual review of “notorious markets for counterfeiting,” the US administration cited Amazon’s European portals alongside Chinese and other foreign marketplaces said to be teeming with fake products.
At Alibaba's Lazada, staff are furious over demands they submit health reports daily and other coronavirus-prevention steps seen as too invasive, highlighting a long-running culture clash with management from China.
Amazon.com has launched a bigger local store and marketplace in Singapore, expanding its product selection and intensifying competition with rivals such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd’s Lazada and Sea Ltd’s Shopee.
Chinese tech firms, including Lazada's top investor, Alibaba, have poured at least $6 billion into every aspect of Indonesian e-commerce, a market that is set to grow from a current $7 billion to $63 billion by 2027.


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At the end of October, Western Union announced its quarterly earnings for Q3 at $0.49 per share. While it was a pleasant surprise, it was their restructuring program that caught everyone’s attention.
On the company’s Investor Day, Western Union reiterated a firm commitment to paying investors through dividends, while also pledging to keep innovating by reinforcing cross-border offerings, making investments in newer technology, and committing to long-term growth. The announcement echoed the company’s dedication to rewarding shareholders while keeping a strong financial foundation, giving investors more reason to be excited.
In 2018, the company reported revenue of $5.6 billion and gave over $740 million back to investors via dividends and share repurchases. This year, they’ve allotted around $900 million for dividends and share repurchases. The company plans to continue this, forecasting that it will return approximately $2.5 to $3 billion to shareholders over the next three years.
For those who look to external rating services like RapidRatings, they can be assured that Western Union is in good stead. RapidRatings, which ranks entities according to their financial health and overall viability, assigns each company a “health rating.” Western Union boasts an impressive score of 81 out of 100 due to its low default for short term risk. This sets the company ahead of the overall business products and services sector, which has a financial health rating of 58.1.
However, Western Union's ability to facilitate global peer-to-peer payments in over 200 countries is unmatched. On Investor Day, the company revealed its intent to expand into untapped markets as well as how it plans to partner with other companies and customers.
“Other companies don’t have the ability to deal with all the complexity that comes into cross-border money movement. What we can offer them is access to the world overnight, and that is a pretty huge value proposition,” says Western Union CFO Raj Agrawal. “We say we can offer them access to all channels – including cash, digital, mobile – in 200 countries worldwide. Or they can try to build all of that on their own.”
Most recently, the company has partnered with Amazon in a new project called, Amazon PayCode. In an attempt to reach customers who prefer to use cash, PayCode will allow people to shop online and pay offline. And it won’t cost customers any extra money, with Amazon paying Western Union a facilitation fee.
While Western Union develops and evolves to fit the ever-growing market, it seems there is no better time to be a shareholder.


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This Is How Many Amazon Reviews May Be Fake, New Research Shows
A new report examined 720 million Amazon reviews left between March and September. Here's what they found.
Nationwide lockdowns resulted in some stores being closed for months and even now, many businesses are still limiting capacity and store hours, leading many customers to heavily rely on online shopping. Amazon specifically has been booming since we've all been stuck at home, seeing its market value increase $570 billion in 2020 alone. But without being able to touch, feel, and test out what you're buying on Amazon, you've likely found yourself looking at other customers' reviews to figure out if a purchase is worthwhile. Unfortunately, you may not be able to put as much stock in those five-star ratings as you'd like to think. According to recent research, nearly half of the Amazon reviews posted from March through September could be fake. Read on to find out more, and for a real way to save big at Amazon, check out There's a Secret Store on Amazon With Tons of Popular Items on Sale.
Amazon seems to have far more unreliable reviews than Walmart.
Fakespot Inc., an online monitoring service, assessed 720 million Amazon reviews left from March through September 2020 and found that about 42 percent were unreliable, Bloomberg News reports. By contrast, only 36 percent of reviews from Walmart's online store were categorized similarly during the same time. That's equivalent to the amount the company saw last year. And for more news from that retail giant, find out why Walmart Is Starting to End Its Most Popular Program.
Bogus reviews have been a problem for awhile.
CNN notes that there are essentially two main kinds of fake reviews, the first are from bots, and the other are promotional, written by people being compensated for their high praise. According to CNN, Khalifah says that the former are "fairly easy for third-party algorithms like Fakespot to find and weed out thanks to their awkward, keyword-studded sentences." As for the latter, Khalifah says they're a little trickier—and while they can be found on any product, they tend to be prevalent on phone accessories, electronics, and small appliances in particular.
But it's usually much more of an issue for Amazon during the holiday season.
Fake reviews normally aren't so prevalent during the spring and summer. During this same time period last year, Fakespot found that around 36 percent of Amazon reviews were considered unreliable. "We've only seen those kinds of numbers in the Black Friday or Christmas period in 2019," Saoud Khalifah, Fakespot founder and chief executive officer, told Bloomberg News. "In 2020, the surge of fake reviews has proliferated in a rapid manner coinciding with lockdown measures in the USA." And for another scam to avoid, find out The Secret Way Going-Out-of-Business Sales Are Trying to Trick You.
Another monitoring service found similar results among Amazon's reviews.
Fakespot is not alone in its assessment of Amazon reviews. ReviewMeta, an analyzing tool focused solely on Amazon, says it also noticed an increase in the number of fake reviews this summer compared to last year. However, ReviewMeta founder Tommy Noonan attributed this to Amazon's new One Tap Reviews, which allows users to rate products without commenting. And for more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.
The fake reviews were even found on PPE.
According to Khalifah, unreliable reviews spread as the demand for personal protective equipment rose this year. One face mask rated 3.9 stars had a review left by a user who claimed to have assessed nine products that same day and over 1,300 in total. Khalifah said that this was a clear sign of "obviously fake" reviews, as "no one has time to review that many products."
Now, an Amazon spokeswoman is defending the site's reviews.
An Amazon spokeswoman counteracted Fakespot's and ReviewMeta's claims in a statement to Bloomberg News, saying that the company cannot "concretely determine the authenticity of a review, as they do not have access to Amazon's propriety data such as reviewer, seller and product history." However, she did note that Amazon was aware of "bad actors" attempting to abuse the review system and that the company was investing "significant resources to protect the integrity of [their] reviews." And for a ore helpful Amazon hack, here's The Secret Trick to Get Money From Amazon You Need to Know.


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CAI, UT Offer Executive Education in Bradley County
CLEVELAND, Tenn.—Executive education is now available in Cleveland, according to Lisa Pickel, executive director for Cleveland Associated Industries (CAI).
CAI is collaborating with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Business Administration to provide a Manufacturing Leadership Program in Bradley County. The program’s purpose is to accelerate the development process of becoming an effective and successful site leader and is designed to impact plant managers, manufacturing managers, directors of operations, directors of manufacturing and other managers being considered for site leadership positions.
“Seven consecutive, two-day sessions over an eight-month period will allow participants to apply concepts learned in the classroom directly to their manufacturing facility with the support of UT’s business faculty, and without their having to travel to Knoxville,” Pickel explained.
She continued, “Manufacturers in our region no longer function within the boundaries of our county, our state or even our country. They must know how to compete successfully in a global environment. To take our manufacturing facilities to the next level, site leaders need to develop solid leadership skills and the broadened functional business skills necessary to do so.”
Austin Cone, cost accounting manager with Mueller Company, is a core participant of the Manufacturing Leadership Program. Cone views the program “as an investment in both my company and career. Every session has been applicable to situations I have faced in the last 12 to 18 months. Being able to share and hear experiences within my peer group has had a powerful effect on me and helped to engrain the ideas being taught.”
The Manufacturing Leadership Program began in January at the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce with 10 core participants who will be a part of the eight-month program. Each participant will build an individualized leadership development plan under the guidance of a dedicated leadership coach. The goal is to help them better understand themselves as leaders, the people they lead and the environments in which they lead.
“We have some amazing manufacturing facilities in Cleveland and Bradley County, and we must be proactive about preserving and advancing them by developing their leadership,” Pickel said.
The Manufacturing Leadership Program also allows individuals to choose from the sessions offered each month.
“The curriculum offers a variety of classes during each two-day session that any interested individual can select from a la carte,” Pickel said. “For instance, the January session included a class on Conflict Resolution and one on Management vs. Leadership that could have been selected without being one of the core participants registered for the entire series.”
The next session is slated for Feb. 27-28 followed by March 27-28. For more information about the individual classes, contact Lisa Pickel at 423-472-6587 or firstname.lastname@example.org. For details about UT’s graduate and executive education leadership programs, visit www.Leadership.utk.edu.
Cleveland Associated Industries, established in 1965, has a twofold purpose: (1) to serve the needs of its member companies and (2) to establish an organization through which industry may effectively utilize its collective resources and talents in a program of positive action for the betterment of the community.
More Business News
Last Update on September 17, 2014 17:29 GMT
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. consumer prices edged down in August, the first monthly drop since the spring of 2013, as gasoline, airline tickets and clothing prices all fell. It was the latest evidence that inflation remains under control.
The Labor Department says consumer prices edged down 0.2 percent last month following a tiny 0.1 percent gain in July. It was the first decline since a similar 0.2 percent drop in April 2013. Core prices, which exclude energy and food, were unchanged in August, the first time there hasn't been an increase since October 2010.
Over the past 12 months, overall prices and core prices are both up a modest 1.7 percent. These gains are well within the 2 percent annual increase for inflation that the Federal Reserve considers optimal.
US homebuilder confidence soars in September
U.S. homebuilders' confidence in the market for new, single-family homes surged this month to the highest level in nearly nine years.
The brighter outlook reflects growing optimism that sales will rise over the next six months, spurring growth in home construction.
The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index rose this month to 59, up four points from August. The index has risen four months in a row.
The latest reading is the highest since reaching 61 in November 2005, before the housing bubble burst.
Readings above 50 indicate more builders view sales conditions as good, rather than poor.
Builders' view of current sales conditions for single-family homes, their outlook for sales over the next six months and traffic by prospective buyers each increased in the latest survey.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. current account trade deficit narrowed slightly in the April-June quarter, reflecting gains in exports of oil and civilian aircraft and a bigger surplus in Americans' overseas investment earnings.
The Commerce Department says the deficit in the current account shrank to $98.5 billion in the second quarter, down 3.5 percent from the revised $102.1 billion deficit in the January-March period.
It was the smallest current account deficit since an imbalance of $87.3 billion in the final three months of last year. The lower deficit reflected a variety of factors including gains in U.S. exports and a larger surplus in earnings by Americans in their overseas investments.
The current account is the broadest measure of trade, covering not only the flow of goods and services but also investment flows.
FedEx 1Q profit, sales top expectations; company to add 50,000 seasonal jobs
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- FedEx plans to hire more than 50,000 extra workers to handle another record year for holiday-season package deliveries.
That's up from last year, when FedEx announced it would hire 20,000 seasonal workers.
FedEx announced its hiring plans Wednesday on a conference call with investors.
Rival UPS says it will hire up to 95,000 seasonal workers. Both companies are benefiting from growth in online shopping.
FedEx Corp. says its net income in the fiscal first quarter is up 24 percent from a year ago, thanks partly to a strong performance by its ground division.
Its results beat analysts' estimates.
FedEx shares have risen nearly 8 percent since the beginning of the year and 41 percent in the last 12 months.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Kohl's Corp. says it will hire more than 67,000 seasonal workers nationwide for the holiday shopping season, about a third more than last year's 50,000.
The department store operator expects to hire an average of 50 associates per store, up 25 percent from a year ago. Kohl's, based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., operates 1,163 stores in 49 states. It also expects to hire 9,300 people for jobs at its distribution centers and 670 people for seasonal positions in its credit operations.
A retailer's hiring plans can indicate its expectations for the holiday shopping season, which accounts for 20 percent of the retail industry's annual sales, according to the National Retail Federation.
FAMILY DOLLAR-DOLLAR GENERAL
MATTHEWS, N.C. (AP) -- Family Dollar is telling shareholders to reject an unsolicited, $9.1 billion takeover bid by its rival, Dollar General.
Family Dollar is currently trying to arrange a sale to another bargain chain, Dollar Tree.
After repeated rejections by Family Dollar Stores, Dollar General Corp. last week appealed directly to shareholders of Family Dollar Stores Inc., offering them the same price for their shares.
Family Dollar accepted an $8.5 billion buyout offer from Dollar Tree Inc. in July.
Shares of Family Dollar, based in Matthews, North Carolina, are trading close to all-time highs, as are shares of Dollar General, based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate investigators are blaming China for almost a dozen successful hacker break-ins of computer networks belonging to Pentagon contractors.
A yearlong investigation announced Wednesday by the Senate Armed Services Committee identified at least 50 intrusions since 2012 against unspecified contractors working for the U.S. Transportation Command, or Transcom. It said at least nine break-ins were highly sophisticated and blamed those on China's government.
Investigators said China's military was able to steal emails, documents, user accounts and computer codes. They said it compromised systems aboard a commercial ship contracted by Transcom for logistics routes, and hacked into an airline the U.S. military used.
The newly declassified Senate report says defense contractors have generally failed to report to the Pentagon hacker break-ins of their systems as required under their business agreements.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- A federal bankruptcy judge in West Virginia has approved a $2.9 million settlement to benefit 300,000 people whose water was contaminated in a January chemical spill.
Judge Ronald Pearson filed the order Tuesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Charleston. A U.S. District Court judge's approval is also needed.
The proposal relies on insurance proceeds from bankrupt Freedom Industries. The spill spurred a tap-water ban for days. Freedom filed for bankruptcy eight days later.
The settlement would let a yet-to-be-determined panel pick public interest projects to fund, potentially including long-term health monitoring or more water testing.
The company whose water supply was contaminated opposed the deal. West Virginia American Water said the settlement would keep thousands of creditors from recovering anything on bankruptcy claims.
The Charleston Gazette first reported the order.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Midwest retailer Meijer (MY'-er) Inc. will pay $2 million to settle charges that the firm knowingly sold and distributed hundreds of recalled products.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission says Meijer distributed at least a dozen different recalled products -- from toys to vacuum cleaners -- through a system it operated with a third-party contractor. It's against the law to sell or distribute products that have been recalled.
Among the recalled goods: Fisher-Price toddler tricycles, high chairs by Graco Children's Products, Hoover vacuums and box fans by Lasko.
In agreeing to the settlement, Michigan-based Meijer neither acknowledges nor denies the CPSC charges.
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With Nike’s infamous Air Force 1 model celebrating its 35th birthday this year, the brand is honoring the achievement with a new lineup of colorways for the Special Field Air Force 1 High. This time around, Nike is bringing “Total Orange,” “Black/Gum Medium Brown” and “Rattan” looks to its military-inspired boot. Much like previous models, the new SF-AF1 High is constructed with a combination of ballistic mesh and premium leather for the upper. Some of the silhouette’s notable features include the AF1 branding along the side, as well as the zipper that runs vertically down the middle of the boot. The look is finished off with Nike’s signature Air Force sole, which will help during the colder months due to its texture and build.
The three new colorways of Special Field Air Force 1 High are set to debut on November 2 on Nike’s web store and other retailers for $200 USD. This new set isn’t the only way Nike is celebrating the Air Force 1’s birthday. Check out its new lineup of Air Force 1 colorways made in collaboration with the NBA.


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Albeit in a quiet market, Australian pharmaceutical company Pharmaxis is attempting to raise 80 million Australian dollars (US$81.2 million) via a 1-for-3 offer to eligible shareholders at an issue price of A$1.05.
That’s a 19.2% discount to the stock’s Tuesday A$1.30 closing price, a kicker for investors to cough up capital to prevent any dilution of existing stakes.
“I think the discount is appropriate to encourage a high uptake and protect Pharmaxis against any adverse market movements,” BBY analyst Dennis Hulme told Deal Journal Australia.
In a release to the Australian Stock Exchange, Pharmaxis says it is undertaking the capital raising to increase its cash reserves and strengthen the balance sheet in anticipation of the commercial launch of cystic fibrosis product Bronchitol, expected to happen in the first half of 2012. The company also aims to submit a marketing application with the US Food and Drug Administration within the same time frame.
Mr. Hulme says FDA approval is key for the company since it will unlock a door to the world’s largest pharma market, with the rights issue providing working capital until US revenue starts flowing.
If granted, the approval has the potential to generate interest from established global players.
“Any company that has got an approved drug is going to be of interest especially a premium priced product in a niche market. It would make sense to add the drug to an existing sales force to gain additional efficiencies,” Mr. Hulme says.
The entitlement offer, underwritten to A$40 million by Merrill Lynch and Wilson HTM, is receiving strong interest from both institutional and retail investors according to a source familiar with the deal. Institutional investors have until Thursday to take up the offer while retail investors have until Dec. 8.
Follow us on Twitter @WSJAustralia


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The heads of Canada’s greatest grocery chains pushed again at allegations they’re profiteering from excessive inflation on Wednesday, telling lawmakers that they are not the reason for excessive meals costs — and claiming their revenue margins are as razor skinny as ever.
“We’re not benefiting from inflation, it would not matter what number of occasions you say it … it’s merely not true,” mentioned Michael Medline, the CEO of Empire Meals, which owns Sobeys, FreshCo, Farm Boy, Foodland and different chains.
Medline was talking to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Meals, which is probing the causes of meals inflation, which has skyrocketed to its highest stage in a long time.
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Costs for meals bought at grocery shops elevated by 11.4 per cent within the 12 months as much as January, in keeping with Statistics Canada. That is virtually twice the general inflation price of 5.9 per cent in that very same interval.
Medline was summoned to talk, alongside together with his compatriots at rival Loblaws, led by Galen Weston, and Eric La Flèche, president and CEO of Metro, which owns Meals Fundamentals and different chains.
Collectively, these three grocery chains make up the vast majority of Canada’s grocery business, with 1000’s of shops throughout the nation. Earnings in any respect three companies are up sharply within the pandemic, however all three say their revenue margins on meals are razor-thin.
“It’s folly to counsel that an unprofitable grocery enterprise is by some means higher for patrons,” Medline mentioned. “Like all Canadians, we sit up for seeing the top of this powerful inflationary interval.”
Weston echoed that sentiment, insisting that larger income at Loblaws are principally resulting from larger gross sales in non-food objects, resembling discretionary spending at Consumers Drug Mart, its Joe Recent clothes line and its monetary providers arm.
“As surprising as it might sound, grocery chains function with extraordinarily small revenue margins, which suggests now we have minimal affect on inflation,” Weston mentioned, including that the revenue margin on the corporate’s grocery arm is about 4 per cent. “Which means even when the business had zero income, a $25 grocery invoice would nonetheless value $24,” Weston mentioned, “so the declare that Canadian grocers can right meals value inflation is just mistaken.”
Weston cited his firm’s extremely publicized value freeze on 1000’s of No Title objects through the vacation interval. Critics have dismissed it as a publicity stunt, however Weston mentioned that value freeze saved Canadians $45 million on the money register for the three months it was in operation. He additionally mentioned the corporate pushed again towards value will increase by refusing to simply accept $500 million in “unjustified value will increase” from suppliers.
He singled out objects resembling milk, butter, some cheeses and vegetable oil as merchandise that the chain sells at a stage that makes them unprofitable, so as to get clients into the shop. “As a matter of curiosity, we lose cash on each breast of rooster that we promote,” Weston advised reporters in a scrum outdoors the committee corridor after he had completed testifying.
“So regardless of what number of occasions you learn it on Twitter, the concept grocers are inflicting meals inflation isn’t solely false, it is inconceivable,” he mentioned. “Our retail costs haven’t risen quicker than our prices,” he mentioned.
La Flèche went additional nonetheless, arguing that his firm’s revenue margin on its meals enterprise is decrease as we speak than earlier than.
“Our meals revenue margin has truly decreased, although it has been offset by the next pharmacy product margin,” he advised the committee in French.
“Specializing in grocers won’t remedy the issue of meals inflation as a result of we aren’t inflicting it and we’re not benefiting from it.”
‘An excessive amount of revenue’
Weston was the goal of quite a lot of testy exchanges with NDP Chief Jagmeet Singh, who has been drawing consideration to the income in Canada’s grocery sector for months.
Singh cited a latest tutorial analysis paper that tabulated, primarily based on its latest monetary outcomes, Loblaws took in a revenue of about $1 million per day above what it noticed earlier than the pandemic. “How a lot revenue is an excessive amount of revenue?” Singh requested Weston, repeatedly.
“Affordable profitability is a crucial a part of working a profitable enterprise,” Weston replied. He added that the corporate reinvests these income into opening new shops and hiring extra workers. “It would not go to me. It goes again into this nation.”
Stuart Smyth, a professor of agri-food innovation on the College of Saskatchewan, says that buyers are noticing excessive meals costs at grocery shops as a result of they store so often, in contrast to different merchandise.
“There’s a little little bit of value inflation occurring, definitely throughout the retail sector, however I am not satisfied that’s the actual driver of upper meals costs,” he advised CBC Information in an interview.
He mentioned requires a tax on extra income within the grocery sector are misguided, since it’s workers and buyers who can pay that value. “We face the problem of upper meals costs however do we wish our investments to be investing in firms that aren’t making an attempt to be revenue maximizing?”