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[Update to story after earnings report release: After releasing second quarter 2013 results, Facebook (Nasdaq: FB) stock did something it hasn't done since it debuted as a public company: it rallied.
By all accounts, it was a very good quarter.
Shares jumped more than 18% after handily beating on earnings and revenue.
The social networking behemoth posted earnings per share of $0.19, better than the expected $0.14, and up from $0.12 per share a year ago.
Revenue came in at $1.81 billion, beating the projected $1.62 billion, and up from $1.18 billion in the year ago quarter.
Daily user count grew to 699 million, up 27% year-over-year, and monthly user count swelled to 1.15 billion, up 21%.
Mobile user activity rose to 819 million, a whopping 51% from a year ago.
Analysts say some profit taking is likely tomorrow should gains hold. After hours traders were already selling into the rally. By 4:15 EDT, FB stock was already off the highs but still up 14%.]
One of the most closely watched earnings reports comes after the close Wednesday when Facebook Inc. (Nasdaq: FB) earnings for the second quarter are released.
Wall Street analysts expect the company to post earnings of $0.14 per share on revenue of $1.62 billion, up from $0.12 per share on $1.18 billion in revenue from the same quarter a year ago.
After scouring the numbers, the key question will be how well the company is monetizing its massive mobile user base.
But, with Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) and Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO) both already explaining that mobile growth was indeed difficult in their last quarters, it's highly doubtful Facebook will buck the trend.
Since 2012, the social network leader has been taking aggressive steps to accelerate its mobile business in efforts to offset a steep and steady decline in desktop usage-its true cash cow. Facebook is paid less for mobile ads than it is paid for ads on PCs, but mobile is becoming a significantly bigger portion of Facebook's business.
Indeed, when Facebook debuted as a public company in May 2012, its mobile ad revenue was nonexistent. Since then, FB's mobile ad revenue has soared-to some 30%, or $374 million, in Q1 of 2013.
Helping here is that Facebook has heeded pleas from overwhelmed advertisers by cutting the number of ad products it offers and making its advertising products easier to use.
"One point we heard loud and clear is that we need to simplify our product offering," Fidji Simo, a Facebook project manager wrote on a blog site in June.
Mobile percentage is projected to show further gains in Q2. But because Facebook has some control of the mobile ad placement, many analysts will place substantial weight on the overall top-line ad revenue figure.
Mobile growth is crucial to this company's future...


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BY KIMBERLY KARIATI
FASHION model Billy Gutu has urged fellow models to be innovative, and create synergies with other arts bodies for job creation or sponsorship if they are to avoid falling prey to bogus promoters.
In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style, Gutu said the diversity of the modelling sector could open doors for models to survive rather than for one to depend on runways and promoters.
“Models often complain of encounters with scammers, who disguise themselves as potential sponsors. I was also once a victim of manipulation at the beginning of my career. To avoid this I think models must embrace and harness acquired skills to push for better rather than to depend on agencies, promoters and runway shows,” she said.
Gutu said models should aim to create stronger bonds with other arts bodies to advance their careers.
“The arts sector is one body with many arms and every arm is largely connected to the other. I think models should take advantage of that and link up with fashion designers, musicians, visual artists and any other arms to create employment,” he said.
“It is, therefore, easier to look for jobs or to create your own employment since a diverse array of sectors are covered. This also opens up opportunities at a global level if one is determined to do better in his or her career.”
He said the modelling industry was showing great signs of growth.
“Over the years, different types of models have emerged.
“We now have petite, catalogue, glamour, fashion, fitness, lingerie and a lot of them meaning modelling is now for everyone, despite body shape or size,” he said.
Gutu warned models to be cautious of the social media, which he said had killed careers of
“Although social media has its advantages and disadvantages, it is also not always friendly as a lot of people have failed to accomplish their goals because of criticism on different social media platforms,” he said.
“If one is to utilise technology for career advancement, they have to possess qualities of a true champion.
“If bashed for a certain post, one has to pick the ball, run with it and strike again.”
Gutu, who has participated in several contests among them Mister and Miss Valentine (2017) and Mister and Miss Winter (2018), said fashion shows, exhibitions and working with photographers alongside visual artists had been a great advantage to him.
Follow Kimberly on Twitter @lizellekimkari

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A British company with China-based animal feed additive supplier, ABCA, will mark an excellent first year in India by taking part in Poultry India 2013.
At this year’s exhibition, ABCA will be launching a new campaign: “Super Immunity, Fighting Fit,” focused on improving animal health and immunity through feeding natural ingredients, such as yeast cell wall. AB MOS, a yeast cell wall product high in mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) and beta-glucan, is derived from a superior strain of baker yeast sourced from Germany and produced to food grade standards.
Dr Kim Huang, ABCA’s Technical Sales Director South East Asia, explained, “AB MOS supports the bird’s first line of defence through maintaining gut health and enhancing immunity. A recent broiler trial demonstrated a significant increase in weight gain and improvement in feed conversion ratios in birds fed with yeast cell wall compared to the Bacitracin Methylene Disalycylate treatment group. The meat also contained less fat and the gastrointestinal tract looked healthier. These were just some of the advantages that were observed.”
Performance over the last year indicates great promise for ABCA’s future in India and has reaffirmed this market as a key growth region for the business in Asia. Led by Dr Romila Iyer who has secured excellent distributor support locally, ABCA has established a strong foothold in the Indian feed and livestock market.
“The last twelve months have been tough for the Indian poultry industry, due to pressure on ex-farm chicken prices that have not been compatible with the cost of production. However, we have remained committed to our conviction in the importance of using safe, natural products to address some of the challenges we face in today’s livestock sector. Responsible innovation is one of our core values and I am proud to see a growing number of leading livestock producers sharing these values,” said Dr Romila Iyer, Business Manager South Asia, ABCA.
The ABCA booth will be located in Hall 1, Hitex, Hyderabad from 27th to 29th November.


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NEW YORK, January 11, 2010 — On Monday, January 4, “The Colbert Report” revealed a brand new set (designed by Jack Morton PDG) since its debut in October 2005, which accompanied a new show open (designed by Mr. Wonderful). With the new set in place, “The Colbert Report” will auction off three famous pieces from the former set to benefit three charities chosen by the host and calling it “Own A Piece of Histor-Me: A Colbert Nation Liquidation.”
Viewers can log onto ColbertNation.com to place bids which will go “live” starting on Monday, January 18 after Colbert makes the announcement on that night’s show for the following items: the “C” desk on Monday, January 18 (proceeds benefit the James W. Colbert Endowment); the interview table on Monday, January 25 (proceeds benefit US Speedskating); and the portrait of Stephen(s) on Monday, February 1 (proceeds benefit the Yellow Ribbon Fund). The winning bid for each item will be announced on ColbertNation.com.
AT&T is the on-air sponsor of “Own A Piece of Histor-Me: A Colbert Nation Liquidation.”
During the history of “The Colbert Report,” the show has donated many items to raise money for various charities including DonorsChoose.org, Feeding America, Save The Children, the Yellow Ribbon Fund.
COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 95 million homes nationwide. COMEDY CENTRAL is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of Viacom Inc.’s (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) MTV Networks. COMEDY CENTRAL’s Internet address is www.comedycentral.com. For up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs visit Press Central, COMEDY CENTRAL’s press web site at www.comedycentral.com/press.
MTV Networks, a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world’s leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products. The company’s portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 400 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Nick Jr., TeenNick, AddictingGames, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, SPIKE, TV Land, Atom, GameTrailers and Xfire.


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New Order Impacts Select 03-04 Corolla, Corolla Matrix, and 04-05 RAV4 Models
On Tuesday, Toyota released a warning for specific 20-year-old vehicles equipped with Takata airbags, advising against driving them. This announcement pertains to 50,000 models including the 2003-2004 Corolla, 2003-2004 Corolla Matrix, and 2004-2005 RAV4. The company strongly suggests that owners promptly address any necessary repairs for their car.
The automotive company General Motors has recently released a corresponding notice for approximately 11,000 Pontiac Vibes manufactured in the years 2003-2004. The Corolla Matrix and Vibe were both produced in the same plant by these two car manufacturers.
More than ten years have passed since car manufacturers first announced recalls for the lethal Takata airbags. These faulty airbags have affected around 67 million inflators in numerous vehicles, with a majority of them being in the United States. Despite continuous recall attempts, there are still numerous cars on the road that have not been fixed. In response to this issue, companies are making serious efforts to persuade owners to bring in their vehicles for repair. Some have even resorted to issuing “Do Not Drive” cautions in hopes of preventing any potential accidents.
Over time, the propellant substance in airbag inflators can deteriorate due to prolonged exposure to varying temperatures. This can result in the inflator malfunctioning and exploding upon deployment, ejecting dangerous fragments into the car’s interior. It is especially hazardous for older vehicles that have not undergone necessary repairs.
According to Toyota, the RAV4 requires a replacement of its driver-side airbag. As for the Corolla models, only the passenger-side airbags will need to be replaced.
Faulty airbags have caused 26 fatalities in the United States, with five of those tragically occurring in the year 2022. Unfortunately, this problem has not been contained to just one country as over 30 lives have been lost worldwide due to these bad inflators. In addition to Toyota’s efforts to hold their customers accountable, other car manufacturers such as BMW, Honda, and Ram have also taken drastic measures by issuing “Do Not Drive” advisories for specific models from the early 2000s.
To keep informed about the latest developments regarding the Takata airbag situation and determine if your car requires maintenance, visit the dedicated recall landing page on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website.
Source: Associated Press


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Friday, September 12, 2014
Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers®
(AWFS®), is proud to partner with the American Association of
Woodturners (AAW) to introduce the Turning to the Future
competition and juried exhibit, to showcase student woodturning. The competition will be open to high school and
post-secondary students in art, design, or trade programs. The
finalist pieces will be on display at the AWFS Fair, July 22-25, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada, adjacent to the Fresh Wood student woodworking competition
The competition is open to all forms of turning, with the exception of furniture making. Projects must be at least partially made with a lathe and should be 20” or less in diameter. A distinguished panel of professional woodturners will act as judges and cash prizes will be awarded for first, second and third
prize at both school levels, sponsored by Woodcraft. All winners will receive an AAW symposium scholarship and have their work featured in the American Woodturner journal. There is no entry fee.
“AWFS is excited for this partnership with AAW and the exposure of student woodturners to the industry”, says AWFS Executive Director, Angelo Gangone. “We look forward to their participation in the AWFS Fair and hope this leads to more opportunity for the students and woodturning programs.”
The entry deadline is May 1, 2015. Finalists will be on display throughout the AWFS Fair July 22-25, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Winners will identified and announced on Friday, July 24.


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The Abbott Nutrition facility in Sturgis, Michigan, which produces much of the US baby food supply, was closed in February, bringing production lines to a standstill. Following a voluntary recall and investigation by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the shutdown stemmed from a bacterial outbreak whose effects would be felt months later. As of September last year, five babies who had eaten the plant’s formula developed bacterial infections. Two of them died.
The production hiatus is now contributing to a national formula shortage, a crisis that experts say will last for months.
Questions now arise about alleged problems at Abbott’s factory, which produces popular brands such as Similac, Alimentum and EleCare. A recently unveiled whistleblower document alleges that Sturgis factory managers falsified reports, released untested infant formula and concealed crucial safety information from federal inspectors.
But eight years earlier, the formula industry rejected an opportunity to take a more proactive approach — not just to increase delivery capacity, but also to prevent a potential outbreak. Evidence shows that the industry successfully mobilized against a 2014 FDA proposal to increase regular safety inspections of factories used to manufacture baby food.
At the time, the FDA had proposed rules to prevent adulteration of baby food at every step of the process to prevent contamination by salmonella and Cronobacter sakazakii, leading to the closure of the Sturgis plant this year.
The largest infant formula manufacturers quickly resigned to delay safety proposals. The International Formula Council, now known as the Infant Nutrition Council of America, is the lobbying group representing Abbott Nutrition (owned by Abbott Laboratories), Gerber (owned by Nestlé), Perrigo Co., and Reckitt Benckiser Group, the 89 percent controlling companies. of the US baby food market
In March 2014, the group wrote to FDA officials asking for additional time to respond to the proposed rules. The agency, the industry claimed, had used a cost-benefit analysis that “overestimates the expected annual incidence of Cronobacter infection” using “outdated data.” The representatives of the formula asked for an additional 30 to 45 days.
“We believe the agency and industry would benefit from this extra time,” wrote Mardi Mountford, an official at the International Formula Council.
In June, after months of deliberation, the FDA released a new interim final proposal addressing some of the industry’s concerns. The rules reduced the frequency of stability tests for new infant formulas from every three months to every four months. The FDA has also granted a number of exemptions to manufacturers, allowing them to evade testing requirements if the “new infant formula is not likely to differ from the stability of formulas of similar composition, processing and packaging for which extensive stability data is available.”
Later that year, the lobbying group petitioned the FDA to reconsider the safety manufacturing rule with even lower standards, including fewer inspections. In a letter to regulators, Mountford wrote that compliance costs would be just over $20 million a year, including increased personnel and lab costs. “The IFC believes that the additional requirements for end-of-life testing under the Final Rule are unnecessary, burdensome and do not provide additional public health benefit,” Mountford wrote in the September 2014 request. frequency of manufacture and store inventories,” the letter noted, “nearly all infant formulas are consumed early in the shelf life (consumers typically purchase and use infant formulas between 3 and 9 months after manufacture and do not store infant formulas at home).”
The Infant Nutrition Council of America did not respond to a request for comment from The Intercept.
if critics noted that the formula industry had great leeway to expand production and increase spending on safety standards. Abbott announced last year that it had spent $5 billion to buy its own shares.
Abbott Nutrition, which did not respond to a request for comment, has declined to inform other outlets if additional cases of Cronobacter have been identified.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce will hold a hearing on May 25 to look into this.
The Abbott whistleblower’s charge was brought to the FDA and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. sent and made public last month. DeLauro has demanded that regulators act quickly in getting answers from the company. Despite a whistleblower’s tip, the FDA did not inspect the Sturgis plant until Jan. 31 this year, and the recall was not published until Feb. 17, according to a report by Food Safety News.
According to a recent survey, about 40 percent of baby food products sold out in the week beginning April 24. Desperate parents have reportedly turned to eBay, where buses cost more than six times the retail price. Viral images of empty shelves have alarmed parents and the Biden administration has said it will take urgent action to address the shortage.
The deficiency has other contributing factors. The US maintains strict import limits for European brands of infant formula, despite studies showing that products covered by European Union regulations have high safety and nutritional standards. Competing brands in the US tried to ramp up production to make up for the loss of Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis plant, but ran into supply chain problems.


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Mexican Exports Expected to Recover in 2021: WTOBy Gabriela Mastache | Tue, 04/21/2020 - 10:50
Despite the grim panorama for the Mexican economy, the World Trade Organization (WTO) says that Mexico will be the country that experiences the most rapid recovery in exports in 2021.
According to the WTO, Mexico’s exports to the world will fall by 4.8 percent in 2020. However, for 2021, the WTO expects that Mexico will experience a recovery of the same magnitude. According to the organization, Mexico is the only country that will be able to match the fall and the recovery in 2021. For example, the US is expected to experience a 14.2 percent fall in its exports and a 10 percent recovery. Meanwhile, Canada is expected to experience a 4.7 percent fall in exports and a 3.7 percent recovery in 2021. China, the largest exporter in the world is expected to experience an 8.3 fall in its exports and a 6 percent recovery in 2021.
According to the WTO, the expectative for Mexico is a sign that the country could experience a V-shaped crisis, which means a deep recession followed by a rapid recovery. The WTO expects the North American region to be one that experiences the steepest fall in its exports.
Mexican Peso Still Under Pressure Due to Low Oil Prices
After international oil prices fell, specially the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) mix that was priced in negative terrain yesterday, the price of the US dollar received a boost. The exchange rate stands at MX$24.32, which is 17 cents up from what was registered yesterday. Analysts expect that the Mexican peso will continue to move in the range between the MX$24 and MX$25 in the next weeks.


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The third quarter of corporate earnings reporting began this week, and the numbers aren’t promising. More than 600 companies are expected to report. Eighty-four percent have confirmed they’re reporting, and nearly half have done so already. The big banks are expected to report the week of October 10 as well. According to Christine Short, VP of Wall Street Horizon, the numbers are going to be volatile.
Earnings reports provide investors with a detailed overview of a company’s operations and financial health. They also provide an indication of what the future holds for the company’s share price. Typically, public companies are required to produce an earnings report three times a year. These reports are called Form 10-Qs and are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). They outline the company’s financial performance and present its outlook for the next quarter.
During a quarter, companies often write off bad investments and sell assets that have no value. While this may make the company’s earnings look more favorable, it creates a lower base for future comparisons. In these instances, companies aren’t necessarily on track to beat earnings estimates. In other words, they may miss by a penny or two.
Typically, the stock market reacts favorably to the release of corporate earnings reports. While some analysts argue that it’s a purely psychological process, there is some empirical evidence that suggests earnings reports are a strong predictor of share price movements. Interestingly, this relationship was not as strong with positive news, but rather with negative news.
In addition to reporting earnings, analysts often issue earnings estimates and EPS estimates for companies. Earnings estimates are more important than the actual figures, since they affect how the market perceives a company’s financials. Companies often talk about beating or missing their estimates, and the disparity between expectations and reality can greatly affect share prices.
The most convenient way to know when a company will release its earnings is to consult a searchable earnings calendar. Most brokerage websites and apps feature a calendar showing major corporate events, including earnings. To stay on top of earnings reports, you can also use your mobile device to receive notifications when a company releases its earnings. In addition, many companies have investor relations sections on their websites. These sections contain financial statements, management notes, and other useful information for shareholders.
Analysts evaluate the company’s earnings results by comparing them to their previous quarters and years. They also look at the company’s revenue growth. If it’s not increasing, the company will likely need to cut costs. When that happens, the stock price will drop. Conversely, if it’s increasing, the stock will rise.
The information in the earnings reports can also help you evaluate the value of an investment. However, remember that earnings reports often hide more than they reveal, and you should avoid emotions when making an investment. The best way to decide whether a company’s stock is worth investing in is to evaluate its past performance and future earnings projections.


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Kohl’s Inc. reported sales of active accelerated in the third quarter to propel the department store chain to record earnings.
“Our investments in active continue to pay off,” said Michelle Gass, Kohl’s CEO, on a conference call with analysts. “This is most evident in the broad strength we see across our differentiated portfolio of national and private brands.”
She said active sales “significantly outpaced” its overall sales gains, growing more than 25 percent last year and more than 20 percent on a two-year basis. Strength is also seen “across the board” in men’s, women’s and children’s apparel and footwear.
“Of note, within active apparel, we are especially pleased with the traction we are gaining in athleisure and inclusive sizing,” said Gass. “From a brand perspective, our key national brands—-Nike, Under Armour, Adidas, and Champion—–all delivered exceptional growth. In addition, our more value-oriented active private brands also continue to perform very well. Tech Gear achieved solid double-digit growth, and we continue to be pleased with the customer response and sales of our new athleisure brand, FLX, which we expanded to more stores late in the third quarter.”
Active is now one of the largest areas of Kohl’s business, representing 26 percent of third-quarter sales. Gass said Kohl’s continues to experiment with new merchandising to elevate the active category experience in stores.
“We remain confident in our ability to maintain our growth momentum,” she said. “Looking ahead, we expect active will continue to benefit from increased in-store space and its front of store positioning and locations with Sephora at Kohl’s shops.”
Record Third-Quarter Earnings
Companywide, Kohl’s delivered another quarter of record earnings with sales and margins exceeding expectations. The retailer also raised its full-year 2021 guidance and is positioned to surpass most of its 2023 goals two years ahead of plan and achieve a record EPS in 2021.
In the quarter ended October 30, net earnings reached $243 million, or $1.65, against a loss of $12 million, or 8 cents, a year ago and well above Wall Street’s consensus estimate of 64 cents. The year-ago period was impacted by in-store restrictions from the early stages of the pandemic. In the year-ago period, adjusted earnings were $2 million, or 1 cent a share.
Net sales increased 15.5 percent to $4.6 billion, exceeding Wall Street’s consensus target of $4.27 billion.
Comparable sales jumped 14.7 percent against a year-ago decline of 13.3 percent.
Gross margins improved 408 basis points to 39.9 percent. The improvement was driven by inventory management efforts and pricing and promotion optimization strategies that offset incremental transportation costs related to the constrained global supply chain.
SG&A expenses increased 6 percent overall due to the double-digit top-line growth. As a percent of revenue, SG&A expenses are leveraged by 273 basis points year-over-year. Efforts to drive marketing and technology efficiency and improve store labor productivity more than offset increased wage pressure across stores and distribution centers.
Operating Margin Reaches Nine-Year High
The strong margin and SGMA performance translated into an 8.4 percent operating margin, a nine-year high for the third quarter and an increase of 734 basis points to last year and 403 basis points to 2019.
Gass said the 16 percent sales increase was the result of strong performance across both stores and digital. Gass said, “Stores sales increased double digits and continue to be the principal channel for new customer acquisition. And we’re very excited by the significant growth we are seeing in omnichannel customers, which are the most productive customer.”
Digital sales remained strong in the quarter, growing 6 percent to last year and increasing 33 percent on a two-year basis. As a percentage of total sales digital was 29 percent in the quarter.
Among categories beyond active, other highlights include men’s sales increasing more than 30 percent to last year and footwear and accessories both expanding more than 20 percent. Children’s was up low double digits, driven in part by strong demand for toys.
Many of its key private brands and national brands across all categories saw strong growth on both a one and two-year basis. Among private labels, strong sellers included Sonoma, So, Apartment Nine, and Jumping Bean. Notable performances beyond active in its national brands included Levi’s, Vans, Hagger, Ninja, Shark, Koolaburra by Ugg, and Hurley.
Sephora at Kohl’s Shops Off To Strong Start
Discussing key strategies, Gass said the retailer is “thrilled with the early response” to the rollout of 200 Sephora at Kohl’s in-store shops. The partnership is expected to better position Kohl’s as a “youthful upscale and modern retailer.”
Gass said Sephora is driving “extraordinary growth” in Kohl’s beauty business, supporting a mid-single-digit sales lift to overall sales in stores where in-store shops were introduced and attracting new customers. “More than 25 percent of the Sephora at Kohl’s shoppers are new to Kohl’s. They are younger and more diverse, and we are successfully driving loyalty signups,” she continued.
Gass further said customers have purchased across a wide range of beauty categories and price points and tended to shop across the store. Roughly half of all its customers buy Sephora and are making purchases in at least one other category. An additional 400 Sephora shops will open by late spring 2022 and 250 in 2023.
As the Sephora build-outs are completed, Kohl’s said it would invest in its store environment to reflow categories in support of its stronger positioning as an active and casual destination for consumers. Space is also being better used for mannequins and branding. Leveraging flexible space behind the Sephora shops, a rotating assortment of emerging brands are being featured, including Yummy sweaters this holiday season. This spring, an exclusive Draper James capsule collection, a brand founded by actress Reese Witherspoon, will be shown.
Eddie Bauer Sees Promising Launch
Among other new brand additions, Kohl’s introduced Calvin Klein basics and loungewear in 600 stores in mid-September, Tommy Hilfiger men’s sportswear in 600 stores in early October and Eddie Bauer in 500 stores in late October.
“While it’s early, we are extremely pleased with the initial results of these new brands,” said Gass. “Collectively, they exceed expectations, and customers are delighted to be able to get these iconic brands at Kohl’s.”
She said the Eddie Bauer addition expands Kohl’s presence in the outdoor category and builds on investments and momentum with Columbia and Land’s End.
In the women’s category, the revamp of offerings over the last two years is making progress.
“Customers are responding very well to our go-forward key brands, and metrics such as sell-through, inventory, turn, and margin are at multi-year highs,” said Gass. “However, receipt delays have impacted the women’s business disproportionately, hindering our ability to drive overall growth to our expectations. We continue to work aggressively to address the situation but acknowledge that supply chain challenges will likely continue to present a headwind.”
Inventories Below Plan Due To Supply Chain Challenges
Regarding the supply chain constraints, she said Kohl’s, like other retailers, has been impacted by extended transit times resulting in inventory receipt delays and significantly higher transportation costs.
At the end of the quarter, inventories were one percent higher than the prior-year but down 25 percent to 2019. The available for sale inventory was down even more on a two-year stack given higher end-transit inventory, with the women category disproportionately impacted.
Kohl’s had planned inventory to be down this year as compared to 2019, aligned with a strategy to drive margins and turnover, but overall levels remain below plan. On the plus side, inventory turnover in the third quarter marked a 10-year high.
“We have aggressively implemented several measures throughout the supply chain to mitigate and minimize production and transit delays,” said Gass. “We also made sure that we protected new brand receipts and inventory tied to key promotional events. While it will take time for our inventory to rebuild, I’m confident that the team is doing everything they can to mitigate the supply chain challenges as effectively as possible.”
In the near term, she added that Kohl’s is “well-positioned for the holiday season with fresh receipts continuing to flow to support anticipated customer demand.”
She added on holiday plans, “This year, from a product perspective, we are focused on amplifying key areas where we already have momentum. Active and cozy for the entire family, home, toys, and discovering and gifting are already in high customer demand.”
In the Q&A session, Gass added that active inventories “are in great shape. It’s one of the categories that are actually in the best position.”
She added on active vendors, “Given it’s such a strategic priority for us, they’ve been terrific to helping us navigate and again, you see that reflected both in the inventory numbers but more importantly in the sales in active, and we’re working closely with them.”
Among other categories, women’s is seeing the “most dramatic impact” in inventory shortfalls, but she said Kohl’s buying team continues to plan for 2022 aggressively. Said Gass, “We do expect to improve sometime over the course of the next year. We have front-loaded orders. We have moved production around. We’re expediting delivery. We’re doing everything we can to where we have pockets where we’re just too lean to get back into stock.”
Kohl’s updated 2021 guidance includes:
- Net sales are now expected to increase in the mid-twenties percentage range compared to the previous expectation of low-20s percentage range increase;
- Operating margin is now expected to be in the range of 8.4 percent to 8.5 percent compared to the previous expectation of 7.4 percent to 7.6 percent;
- Adjusted earnings per share are now expected to be in the range of $7.10 to $7.30, excluding any non-recurring charges, compared to the previous expectation of $5.80 to $6.10.
At the midpoint of full-year 2021 guidance, fourth-quarter sales are projected to increase in the low double-digits relative to 2020. Fourth-quarter operating margins are expected to reach approximately 6.6 percent, an increase of 140 basis points compared to 5.2 percent last year. Embedded in fourth-quarter guidance is incremental headwinds totaling more than 350 basis points as compared to the same period in q4 2019, including higher digital penetration rates, freight and holiday surcharges, and higher wages and incentives.
Photo courtesy Kohl’s/FLX Private Label


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The article ‘Plus Size Bodies, What Is Wrong With Them Anyway?’ published just over 10 days ago and has caused quite the stir amongst journalists, the fashion industry and many people who seemingly just have a passing interest. The article, if you haven’t read it, gives information on the differences in size between modern-day models and the average woman, a controversial BMI fact regarding many modern runway models and many other fascinating statistics (complete with a stunning photoshoot exclusively featuring plus size models) that have been compiled to create an extremely informative, and somewhat controversial, article.
Plus Model Mag has reported that over 300,000 people have read the article, there have been over 7,000 Facebook likes and over 1,000 Twitter shares in only three days with a wider reaction reaction in the media too, in a follow up piece on how the press have reacted to an apparently controversial article.
Now there’s no secret to our stance on plus size, whether they are models or simply your everyday girl walking down the street. We know that big is beautiful and if anything this article is more representative of everyday society than the extra thin models that are regularly seen on catwalks and on magazine covers. In fact, it should come as no surprise that Plus Model mag has published something of this nature. Their target audience is the plus size woman and it can’t be so controversial in this day in age that a plus size magazine has published some thought provoking statistics aimed at their readership. It’s doubtful that the stats come as too much of a surprise to many yet the reaction in the press and across the web suggests otherwise. Maybe it’s the tasteful nude images that accompany the article which have caused the uproar. We happen to think it’s a combination of both the article and images, a useful and informative piece, that some can’t seem to resist giving their views on.
At the end of the day, this shouldn’t come as any surprise and is a welcome piece of publicity for seemingly contentious subject matter. And we feel it’s only right to get behind the magazine as well as the article and show our support for plus size women.


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Virginia Beach — Charlie and Angie Atkinson have had a shared a passion for collecting coins since childhood.
That passion expanded to bullion and precious metals as they got older and honed their expertise.
So, for this husband and wife — who were high school sweethearts in Hampton — it seemed natural to move from their previous careers in customer service-based information technology to owning their own business.
They opened Beach Gold Assay in 2013, specializing in the purchase and dealing of coins, bullion, jewelry and precious metals.
This year, they more than doubled their space by moving from Princess Anne Road in Virginia Beach to 309 Aragona Blvd., with a storefront that faces Virginia Beach Boulevard near Town Center.
“We’re 15 minutes closer now to probably 80% of Hampton Roads,” Charlie Atkinson said.
They moved their business into the 1,200-square-foot spot, which previously had been a coin shop. After a month of renovations, including new carpet and fresh paint — primarily done by Atkinson — the business held its grand re-opening on Feb. 1.
“When people ask us how 2020 was, as far as COVID and the pandemic, it wasn’t necessarily a bad year for us,” he said.
Angie Atkinson said many customers were busy cleaning out their homes and looking for extra cash.
Sterling silver flatware and hollowware are items the younger generation doesn’t really want anymore, she said.
“It happens quite a lot. People come in with stuff that they inherited and they just don’t want,” Charlie Atkinson said. “They don’t realize the value it can have.”
Rare coins have made their way to the shop time and time again, which Charlie Atkinson said is always fun when it happens. Likening it to detective work, he uses an acid test and an X-ray machine to determine the exact metal composition of unknown items.
Overall, the pair wants to be a calm and welcoming place for people to bring their treasures. “A lot of people may have some apprehensions about doing this in the first place and we want it to be fun, easy and comfortable,” he said.
Atkinson said there is never any pressure to sell.
“Education is the biggest thing for us,” Angie Atkinson said. “We want to make sure they understand what they have, and we don’t have to be the place to sell it.”
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, email@example.com


text: The manager of a Thrifty drug store in Altadena voluntarily removed nine 11-ounce bottles of Perrier mineral water from his shelves after a woman reported a burning sensation in her throat after drinking from a bottle purchased at the store, authorities said. The woman, Iris Mendez, 33, of Los Angeles was treated at a Pasadena hospital and released. Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies said water from the suspect bottle was being analyzed at the sheriff's crime laboratory to determine if it was contaminated. Mendez told deputies that she returned one bottle of Perrier to the Altadena store before drinking it because of an unusual odor, and was given the second bottle in exchange. Ronald Davis, president of The Perrier Group, based in Greenwich, Conn., said tampering with bottles of the popular mineral water would be "as near to impossible as you can imagine" because they are sealed in France with a metal, pry-off bottle cap, rather than the twist caps commonly used here.


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Australian techhead Mark Pesce made some waves after designing a way to send encrypted tweets using his CrypTweet applications. It's an interesting approach but the still-evolving platform has been slammed by observers as being at an early stage, and compromised by inherent characteristics of the Twitter platform.
Meanwhile, a spate of trust issues with certificate authorities (CAs) around the world has pushed Mozilla to give certificate authorities the chance to retain their inclusion within its products by expunging subordinate CA certificates used to intercept traffic on a private network. Also in the browser world, Google came out swinging against a Microsoft privacy protection feature that it says is inconsistent with modern Web-site features. The stoush arose after Microsoft accused Google of circumventing its privacy protections, but Google wasn't only on the giving end; the company copped a complaint to the US government from a consumer group that wants to halt its planned March 1 introduction of new privacy policies. Google has argued the new policy will have little impact on enterprises, but will they believe it?
Google isn't the only one changing privacy profiles: Key mobile app providers are set to introduce new privacy policies for all of their apps, although the changes will be just one step in a broader effort to mitigate the considerable risks inherent in mobile platforms. There are so many unknowns that Research in Motion was lobbying the Australian government to offer rebates for companies that work on revisiting and improving their internal security.
The US government is also aware of the risks, and is pushing for new privacy codes of conduct in a move that isn't [[xref: http://www.cso.com.au/article/416382/white_house_privacy_push_some_question_details/. Meanwhile, Australia's Business Software Alliance has warned that Australia is second most-suitable in the world for cloud computing but that Europe's position is sliding because it's planning an overhaul of its data protection legislation.
Also, on the cloud front, one analyst said cloud security is not a "real" concern – although that seems an interesting assertion given that online defences are falling at a scary pace. For example, a team of researchers figured out how to defeat a video-based CAPTCHA antispam system called NuCaptcha. Another team of researchers has capitalised on the recent release of Symantec's pcAnywhere source code, releasing an attack that can crash the popular remote-access application.
Symantec was itself in the news after announcing it had discovered a new variant of the ZeuS botnet that no longer requires central command and control servers; this is a major architectural change because the lack of C&C servers makes it harder for researchers to trace its activities back to a single source. That kind of correlation is essential for new services like Akamai's new DDoS detection service, Kona Site Defender, which offers businesses a new layer of protection against such attacks.
Speaking of policy violations, some were considering how to differentiate between plain old cybercrime and all-out cyberwar. It may sound like a case of semantics, but these sorts of things become important when the industry is considering issues such as the US Cybersecurity Act of 2012, which is being targeted by industry figures that want to slow down the government's rush to change the laws. The US Federal Communications Commission is also pushing a model that could have implications within Australia, urging ISPs to proactively notify customers when their systems are compromised.
That said, many users may not even know their systems are being compromised, with a new version of the Flashback Trojan for Mac OS X able to install the malware without requiring any user intervention at all. This is hardly good news for malware defences – and neither is the suggestion that time-tested techniques for quarantining malware for analysis are "broken".
With all this talk about malware nastiness, it's easy to forget that social engineering remains a major security threat. CSO offered a rogues' gallery of the worst social engineers, none of whose activities would have been picked up by a new threat-detection product from startup Click Security that bases its alerts on real-time analysis of intelligent sensors spread across a network. This sort of monitoring may help companies implementing formal governance, risk and compliance (GRC) platforms using the 12 tips CSO offered.


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The 663-unit chain finally agreed to appoint one of the stakeholder's nominees, although with certain stipulations.
After years of Sardar Biglari criticizing Cracker Barrel's leadership and decision-making skills, the two sides have finally reached an agreement.
Biglari, also the CEO of Steak 'n Shake, controls close to 9 percent of the chain's shares. For years, he's nominated board members to gain more influence, but attempts were unsuccessful. However, on Wednesday, Cracker Barrel announced a Nomination and Cooperation Agreement in which it will expand the board to 11 members and appoint Jody Bilney, one of Biglari's nominees, effective immediately. She will be voted on by shareholders at the annual meetings in 2022 and 2023.
Bilney previously served as chief brand officer for Bloomin' Brands and as CMO for Humana, a Fortune 500 health insurance company based in Kentucky. She currently works on Chuy's board of directors, in addition to Masonite International, Alignment Healthcare, and other companies.
Cracker Barrel will also reimburse Biglari up to $500,000 for costs related to pursuing previous director nominations. His latest attempt came in 2020 when he tried to push for Raymond Barbrick, co-CEO of The Briad Group, a franchisee of Wendy's. That year, the executive publicly released multiple letters to shareholders digging into Cracker Barrel, such as referring to the chain's prior investment in bankrupt Punch Bowl Social as "one of the worst business blunders in the annals of restaurant history." He also questioned CEO Sandy Cochran's leadership, saying she was "CEO of Books-A-Million, a failed bookstore enterprise, before joining Cracker Barrel in 2009.”
Cracker Barrel didn't remain silent on the battles either. In response to denying Barbrick an appointment, the chain emphasized it used a nationally recognized recruiting firm, and that after thorough interviews, it was determined he didn't have the requisite experience. Cochran also called out Steak 'n Shake's declines in same-store sales and traffic, describing it as the "deterioration of Steak 'n Shake" and a “cautionary tale of poor capital allocation, underinvestment, lack of strategic vision, subpar leadership, and lost brand identity.”
To avoid spats like this in the future, Cracker Barrel had Biglari agree to certain standstill agreements until February 29, 2024, including not making any pubic proposal or request in regard to "advising, controlling, changing or influencing the Board or management of the Company, including any plans or proposals with respect to any change in the Board."


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Olympic Sprinter and Gold Medalist Allyson Felix and Bounty Encourage Americans to Join Team Quicker Picker Upper
Bounty to Donate to Community Olympic Development Programs for every #quicktip tweet
Public Company Information:
CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--This spring, Bounty – the Quicker Picker Upper and sponsor of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games – is teaming up with one of the quickest women in the world, Track and Field Olympic Sprinter and Gold Medalist Allyson Felix. Bounty and Allyson will be inviting people to join Bounty’s Team Quicker Picker Upper online and at local events around the country to share their tips and tricks for picking up spills and messes in world record time.
Kicking off today in New York City, Bounty will be hosting the Quicker Picker Upper games at McBurney YMCA-125 (W 14th St, New York, NY 10011) where they will provide attendees the chance to virtually compete against Allyson via green screen. Participants can also try to beat the clock and partake in track-themed activities related to messes and spills. Additional local Quicker Picker Upper games outside of New York City will also be announced closer to summer.
“I’m thrilled to be partnering with Bounty during the Olympic Games season as it’s a product I use in my life every single day and I couldn’t live without it,” said Allyson Felix, Olympic Gold Medalist. “While I’m quick on the track, I’ve got to be super speedy at home too! I’m always a fan of products that can help me do things better and Bounty helps me pick up messes in record time,” Felix added.
Additionally, Bounty is asking people to share their best quicker picker upper tips showcasing how Bounty helps them beat the clock when it comes to cleaning up spills and messes. People can send tips to @Bounty using #quicktip and #promotion beginning today, April 28. Bounty will donate $1 for every #quicktip tweet to Community Olympic Development Programs, which helps progressing athletes from the beginning stages of development to the elite level*.
“Allyson exemplifies what it means to be quick and we couldn’t think of a more perfect partner for Bounty, the Quicker Picker Upper,” said Matt Barresi, Bounty Brand Director. “Today is the first event in a series of upcoming Quicker Picker Upper activities for Bounty leading up to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games,” he added.
People across the country can learn more by visiting Facebook.com/Bounty or following us on Twitter at Twitter.com/Bounty to read about participating in the Quicker Picker Upper Games online, locate upcoming local events and stay up-to-date on Bounty’s Sponsorship of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
*Bounty will donate $1 for every #quicktip and #promotion tweet to Community Olympic Development Programs up to $10,000.
Bounty has been America’s most popular paper towel for more than 30 years. In the U.S., P&G offers the following premium two-ply paper towel products: Bounty Select-a-Size; Bounty White; Bounty Extra Soft; and Bounty Fun Prints. Additionally, P&G offers Bounty Basic, a quality one-ply paper towel as well Bounty Quilted Napkins. For more information on Bounty, visit www.facebook.com/bounty.
About P&G’s Olympic Games Program
P&G brands are committed to giving moms the best, each and every day. Not just moms of Olympians, but all moms, all around the world. As a Worldwide Olympic Partner, when P&G brands like Tide, Gillette, Bounty and Pampers partner with athletes on their Olympic Games journey, P&G also recognizes the mom who supported them every step of the way. For the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, 18 P&G brands in more than 35 countries will activate the Company’s Olympic Games campaign through TV and digital content, in-store displays, public relations and social media.
About Procter & Gamble [NYSE:PG]
P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands.


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At the end of a year marked by a general recovery in economic activity and strong demand in commercial vehicle markets, Renault Trucks recorded a 25% increase to 51,460 vehicles in its total invoicing, despite the disruption to supplies to its production lines. Renault Trucks also recorded a 44% increase in its order intake.
In Europe, Renault Trucks also confirmed its strong results, with a 41% increase in invoicing in the market for vehicles over 6 tonnes and increased activity in all its markets. In France, the manufacturer now boasts a ten-year high market share of 29.8%. The brand performed particularly well in Poland, with an 89% increase (1,705 vehicles), and the UK (+56%).
The manufacturer also recorded steady growth in the penetration of its service agreements, which accompanied 45% of its vehicle sales in 2021.
In the over 16t segment, registrations rose by 20.7%, enabling Renault Trucks to stabilise its market share at 8.8%.
Renault Trucks is keeping pace with the 6-16t market, with its share up 0.7 points to 7.3% and registrations increasing by 11%.
In the LCV market, Renault Trucks’ invoicing rose by 20%, with significant increases in the Netherlands (+57%), Belgium, the UK (+20%), Central Europe and Italy (+45%).
In 2021, demand for used trucks remained very high in a market boosted by the upturn in activity and a shortage of new vehicles due to disruptions to production.
Renault Trucks invoiced 13% (8,926 units) fewer vehicles than in 2020, due to a historically low stock level of under 1,000 vehicles.
In 2021, Renault Trucks continued its investment in the circular economy, converting 300 vehicles at its Used Trucks Factory in Bourg-en-Bresse and launching a limited series of used T Robust 13 L tractors designed to last at least 1 million km.
For several years now, Renault Trucks’ range of electric trucks has been constantly expanding and its sales volumes reflect this rapid progress: in 2021, 249 electric trucks were delivered and 613 were ordered.
In a European market where volumes remain modest (450 registrations), the manufacturer’s share stands at 17%.
Renault Trucks is stepping up its strategy with increased ambitions: 50% of its sales volumes in 2030 will comprise electric vehicles and 100% of the vehicles it markets will be carbon neutral by 2040.


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Riders of the largest public transit operator in Canada’s biggest city, the Toronto Transit Commission, or TTC, will finally get an open-loop payments option by mid-2023. TTC-run buses, streetcars and subway will accept credit and debit cards and NFC wallets. A spokeswoman said the agency will charge the same fare for single rides with open loop as it does for customers tapping Presto closed loop cards.
For TransLink in Vancouver, those discounts (for closed loop) range from nearly 22% to just under 29%, depending on the zone. Most of the smaller agencies that have so far launched open loop in Toronto and vicinity do the same.
Riders of the largest public transit operator in Canada’s biggest city, the Toronto Transit Commission, or TTC, will finally get an open-loop payments option by mid-2023. That will include the Toronto subway, a spokeswoman for transit agency Metrolinx confirmed to Mobility Payments.
Metrolinx, which runs the Toronto regional Presto closed-loop fare-collection system, has seen years of delays in extending open loop to TTC buses, streetcars (trams) and the four-line Toronto subway. Earlier reports of the move to open loop had focused only on Toronto buses and streetcars.
Metrolinx said new “devices” or terminals were now installed on 98% of streetcars and just over three-quarters of the reported 5,500 validators on board buses. TTC is installing new acceptance devices at subway fare gates, the spokeswoman added. TTC delivered just under 578 million rides in 2022, 48% of those on buses and 40% on the subway, according to the American Public Transportation Association.
In addition to running Presto, Metrolinx also operates two smaller transit operators in Toronto. Last summer, it launched open loop on its commuter rail operator, GO Transit, as well as rolling out open loop on its airline shuttle line, UP Express. It had run an open-loop pilot on the shuttle since October 2021.
Metrolinx also launched open-loop acceptance on three city-owned suburban bus agencies in the Toronto metropolitan area last summer and added four other area bus agencies in January 2023.
Most of the agencies in Canada that have launched open loop have enabled users only to tap Visa- and Mastercard-branded credit cards and these credentials in NFC wallets. But Metrolinx apparently believes acceptance of Canada’s popular debit card, Interac, will be ready in time for TTC’s mid-2023 launch of open loop.
“Metrolinx and the TTC are looking forward to delivering credit and debit payment to TTC customers in mid-2023,” the spokeswoman told Mobility Payments, noting that the technology “will cover the entire TTC system–buses, streetcars and subways.”
Vancouver transit authority TransLink, at present the largest agency to widely roll out open-loop payments in Canada, only introduced Interac debit acceptance in January 2023. That required a retrofit of terminals, nearly five years after TransLink originally launched open-loop payments, in 2018.
The absence of Interac no doubt contributed to the low adoption of contactless open-loop payments for TransLink, which stood only at 2% of trips as of the end of 2022.
But the main reason for the low adoption rate for TransLink and other Canadian agencies are that many charge riders the cash rate when they tap their credit or debit cards or credentials on smartphones and smartwatches, while giving closed-loop cardholders substantial discounts.
For TransLink, those discounts range from nearly 22% to just under 29%, depending on the zone. Most of the smaller agencies that have so far launched open loop in Toronto and vicinity do the same, though not GO Transit and UP Express. These two agencies offer parity with closed-loop fares. TransLink said it has talked about bringing parity between open loop and its closed-loop Compass card, but that is unlikely to happen anytime soon.
The continued price disparity between open and closed loop also does not include concessionary discounts the agencies offer to seniors and other ridership categories or daily and monthly period passes. Both of these types of discounts are available with closed loop but not with open loop.
Toronto’s TTC has given no indication yet that it plans to give riders the same deal with open loop as it offers to riders tapping the closed-loop Presto card for buses, streetcars and the subway. Update: A TTC spokesperson told Mobility Payments that the agency will charge the same fare rate for single rides as users of Presto cards receive. End update.
Canada is not alone among countries that reserve open-loop payments only for single full-fare rides. Until they change course, it appears open-loop payments will largely be a fare payments method for occasional riders in these countries.
© Mobility Payments and Forthwrite Media. Mobility Payments content is for individual use and cannot be copied or distributed without the express permission of the publisher.


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ShopTo continues to go from strength to strength. The site won best Independent Retailer at this year’s MCV Awards, and has drawn a large customer base in the five years it’s been running.
It has many strings to its bow including its own iPhone app, text message ordering service, five-minute warehouse dispatch system (where items are packed in less than five minutes and sent out on the same day) and its recently launched news site.
The retailer has also strengthened its presence with marketing drives over the past year. It booked ads on pitch-side football boards earlier this year, and advertised Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood in its first TV ad last November.
01344 451507; shopto.net
After SETTING up as a record store in the ‘90s, Seedee Jons has upped its range to include games, iPods and DVDs.
Based in Jersey, the independent has fended off stiff competition from the local HMV, and it even saw another independent games retailer close its doors in the area after being open for almost one year.
Seedee Jons sells overstock on Amazon to gain extra funds on products which perhaps haven’t seen strong sales in-store.
Sales administrator and manager of the games department Mike Wilkins says Seedee Jons has built a strong level of respect and loyalty with its customers.
01534 769405; seedeejons.com
After its founding in 2001, DVD.co.uk began selling films before stocking video games in 2003. Games now account for around one third of total sales on the site.
The retailer delivers games to the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. It concentrates on one or two special offers for games that other websites aren’t promoting.
DVD.co.uk also operates a number of other websites, namely www.bladdvd.com, www.101cd.com, www.base.com and www.wdl.com. It is currently contemplating whether to partner with a digital games provider to break into the downloads market.
01451 823280; dvd.co.uk
This Somerset-based chain has four stores which are located in Bridgwater, Street, Clevedon and Wells. It was set up in 1996 by co-owners Stuart Tracey and Steven Walker.
Insane Games stocks the latest releases on all major formats as well as retro titles for classic machines including the Game Boy, Super Nintendo and Mega Drive. It also sells Warhammer figures and DVDs available for customers to buy.
Instead of running one website it has four Facebook pages – one for each store – and an Amazon Resellers page which sells rarer stock. It runs a number of promotions on Facebook to drive customers in store.
Online Jersey-based retailer MyMemory was founded around eight years ago initially selling flash memory products.
To set itself apart from growing competitors, the firm entered the games market three years ago – which boosted revenue by 30 per cent in just six months. It stocks a vast line of games, consoles, strategy guides as well as Blu-rays, computer accessories and more.
The online store stays open 24 hours a day and seven days per week. MyMemory also stocks a range of other products such as gift day vouchers. It started off with around 600 products online but now has around 12,000 – and counting.
SCAN COMPUTERS INTERNATIONAL
This family-run business employs 150 members of staff at its head office in Bolton. The store builds and sells its own PC systems and stocks the latest consoles including Xbox 360, 3DS, PlayStation 3 and Wii.
It no longer stocks major new titles but has a small selection of back catalogue games. It also supplies accessories, hard drives, cables, cameras, phones, speakers, tablet devices and more.
Scan Computers International has five websites. One focuses on the UK market – www.scan.co.uk – with others based in Malta, India, Thailand and Portugal. The business was founded by Mr Shelley Raja in 1987.
0871 472 4747; scan.co.uk
This scottish chain has grown to a total of six stores since it was established in 1996.
Games Centre also has plans to open a number of new outlets over the next few years. Its website has been recently overhauled and boasts a large range of products, helping the retailer to achieve strong sales throughout Europe.
MD Robert Lindsay says Games Centre’s success and growth comes down to its ambition, knowledgeable staff and close relationships with publishers. He says he’d like Games Centre to move out of what’s classed as the indie sector, and be seen more as a smaller version of a national chain.
01698 429899; gamescentre.co.uk
With over 250,000 products, Gameseek has grown immensely since it launched in 2000 as a game information site.
Now it’s an online retailer based in Cheshire which sells a diverse range of goods from traditional consoles, PAL games and accessories to toys, books, clothing, PC hardware, gadgets, DVDs and Blu-rays. Over the past 12 months it celebrated its tenth anniversary and added thousands of new products.
Over the coming year MD Stephen Staley wants Gameseek to grow its product range further and build a third floor in its warehouse which will give it an additional 2,000 sq ft of storage space.
08712 882 472; gameseek.co.uk
As one of the first specialist online game retailers, Simplygames.com says it has always achieved strong sales with Nintendo products and remains competitive on the latest chart games across all formats.
It was established in 1998 before industry veteran Neil Muspratt became the website’s owner in 2006. Last year the site was rebranded and its navigation was improved. A loyalty program was also introduced.
Simplygames.com says it despatches thousands of orders each week and has hundreds of thousands of satisfied customers. It also ships software and hardware to a range of countries worldwide.
0845 034 9646; simplygames.com
Unlike many independent High Street retailers who have gone on to launch websites, 24-7 Games has instead done the opposite.
The retailer was founded in 2004 by Mark Harrison and began trading on Ebay and Amazon before setting up on the High Street.
Then, in February 2009 Harrison’s local Zavvi store closed and he purchased its fixtures and fittings. He opened his own shop in Maidenhead two months later.
24-7 Games offers its customers a range of pre-owned deals – including buy back offers – which encourage them to buy from the store again and again. The retailer also plans to open a second store in time for Christmas.
Originally starting out as a video rental store in the early ‘90s, Grooves went on to sell CDs, DVDs and video games – with around a quarter of in-store space now dedicated to gaming.
The Kirkwall-based retailer in Scotland’s Orkney Islands stocks all consoles and a range of games as well as some PC products. It even has a classic coin-operated arcade cabinet in its gaming area to pull more customers in, with Pac-Man, Galaxian and more installed on the machine.
Buyers can trade in games and receive discounts for future purchases. The store recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.
The history of Xbite tells a true homegrown success story. Nick Whitehead started buying and selling games on Ebay in 2004 from his Sheffield home – he would buy games and use his disc cleaning company Three-r.co.uk to touch them up before selling them on.
The online gaming store has grown rapidly since, and Whitehead says this is down to its strong relationships with suppliers. He employs 25 people, operates from a 10,000 sq ft facility and is keen to source products related to video games to expand his company further. Whitehead has even contemplated opening stores in Sheffield, Rotherham and Chesterfield.
0844 414 5296; stores.ebay.co.uk/Xbite-Games
The fastest-growing specialist games retailer of the past few years now operates from 64 stores across the North-East.
Grainger has pushed the limit of what an ‘independent’ is. It opened more than 20 outlets last year alone and is on course to eclipse that figure this year. It’s run more like a larger national chain today than other traditional single-store indies, and stocks a wide range of new and pre-owned games and consoles at competitive prices. Grainger won the Independent Retailer MCV Award in 2008 and 2010.
The firm plans to open more stores and a second warehouse and distribution centre. It has hired a web and digital manager to grow its online business.
0191 218 1820; graingergames.co.uk
THE GAMES EXCHANGE
This retailer is living proof that you can get a lot more from a car boot sale than just tat and ornaments for your mum’s mantelpiece.
The Games Exchange started out selling games at a Sunday car boot stall in the early ‘90s before going on to stock videos, games and music at market stalls. A full store opened in Flint in 1999 before a second shop followed in Rhyl in 2002. In 2007 the Rhyl store moved into a larger premises.
Gamers can buy and trade in PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii and DS games, as well as purchase mobile phones, laptops, TVs and iPods from The Games Exchange. The retailer is now preparing to launch a brand new website.
01745 336644; thegamesexchange.co.uk
Since opening in 1992 this independent in Truro, Cornwall has introduced a number of services such as disc repairs and promotions including two-for-one deals.
Customers have the choice of a host of pre-owned and new games as well as consoles. Co-owners Mark Conacher and Fiona Stafford say they will continue to strive to offer excellent service to customers. They also told MCV that they want to remain competitive in the future and are considering getting involved in the digital games market. A website is under construction with the retailer looking at digital downloads in the future.
From consoles to PC games and trading cards, models and toys, Game On offers its customers a diverse range of goods.
The Saffron Walden store – first established in 1997 – also began stocking LEGO earlier this year which it says has been very popular with gamers. It offers a console and disc repair service, too. The store moved to a better High Street location in 2000.
Game On is calling for more surprise summer releases following its strong sales of Sniper: Ghost Warrior last year. The retailer also has a website where it updates customers with the latest offers.
01799 506070; gameongames.co.uk
ECLIPSE HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Like many top indies, Eclipse has diversified over the years to ensure it remains a leading games retailer in its area.
It began as a video shop in the ‘80s before MD Steven Ireland began renting the 3DO to customers. After this successful venture, in 1994 Eclipse Home Entertainment was born and has stocked all the major home consoles, games and PC titles since. It now has two stores – one in Blackpool and one in Cleveleys.
It has recently started stocking Hexbug toys which have proven to be successful, as well as games posters, Pokmon cards and other toys.
01253 820800; eclipsegames.co.uk
GAMESTERS/THE COOL SPOT
Both of these stores – founded by Kev Taylor – stock major new titles across all games formats as well as an array of retro products such as the Super Nintendo.
Gamesters in Rotherham and The Cool Spot in Doncaster also have their own in-house disc repair and console repair services as well as a strong pre-owned offering.
A number of websites are in the works which are scheduled to launch later this year, including www.gamestersonline.com, www.coolspotonline.com and www.coolspotcomputergames.co.uk.
As one of the longest-running indie stores in the UK, Barkman Computers focuses on selling a strong selection of new games and hard-to-find back catalogue titles as opposed to pre-owned.
Nick Elliott founded the retailer almost 25 years ago and has built a loyal customer base since. He began selling early home computer formats such as the Amiga before going on to stock all consoles as well as PC gaming components.
The Barkman website was recently upgraded, helping to maximise pre-orders, day-one sales and customer interest.
020 8546 5941; barkman.co.uk
With over ten years in the games industry, Exteme Gamez has new and used games, consoles, accessories and DVDs on its shelves.
The retailer was established in 2000 by MD Stuart Benson after he bought out his previous employer’s store, Computer Solutions. Benson had been working there since the age of 16 where he learnt the ropes of retail. Seven years ago he went on to open a second store and brought in three full-time members of staff and one part-time worker. Extreme Gamez is also currently trialling a range of action figures and toys.
This list was compiled in association with Koch Media and Nindie.com
Koch is a distributor of video games, accessories and DVDs. It was established in 1994 and focuses on the UK, Benelux and Nordic territories.
Nindie.com is owned by Koch. It was set up in 2006 as a community for independent retailers of Nintendo. 01256 385200


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The RealReal will cut operating costs through layoffs and store closures, with plans to eliminate 230 positions, or 7% of its workforce, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The resale company also will shutter two flagship stores, in San Francisco and Chicago, two neighborhood stores, in Atlanta and Austin, Texas, and two consignment offices in Miami and Washington, D.C.
The effort will cost between $1.7 million and $2.2 million, primarily in severance payments, employee benefits and similar expenses. Additionally, The RealReal will reduce the amount of office space it has in San Francisco and New York City.
The RealReal may be charting a new course under CEO John Koryl, who joined the company on Feb. 6, 2023. Koryl’s mission is to streamline “the company’s operations to improve overall client experience, achieve cost savings and lead the company to profitability,” and these cuts may be the first steps in achieving that goal.
The RealReal has struggled to achieve profitability despite strong sales growth over the past several years. Revenue for Q3 2022 was $142.7 million, compared to $118.9 million in Q3 2021, and the net loss for the quarter was $47.3 million, down from $57.2 million in Q3 2021.
The size of the U.S. secondhand market is projected to double between 2022 and 2026, reaching $82 billion, according to research by ThredUP. However, The RealReal is operating in a space that is becoming more and more competitive as mainstream retailers launch or upgrade their own resale offerings to bolster their sustainability bona fides, including:
- Kate Spade New York, which partnered with ThredUP to launch the “Pre-Loved” resale program;
- J.Crew, which launched an online resale program and plans to bring back refurbished versions of its most popular looks for men and women in select stores; and
- Amazon, which partnered with high-end reseller What Goes Around Comes Around to add a dedicated section showcasing vintage luxury accessories and bags that’s featured on Amazon’s marketplace.


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No plans to sell stake in MCF, says Mallya
United Breweries Group Chairman Vijay Mallya today said the group has no plans to sell its stake in Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilisers (MCF).business Updated: Aug 31, 2010 16:34 IST
United Breweries Group Chairman Vijay Mallya on Tuesday said the group has no plans to sell its stake in Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilisers (MCF).
"There are some media reports saying that I am selling and in advanced talks with Reliance Industries for selling stake in Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilisers. Neither I have met with them, nor holding talks," Mallya, also the Chairman of MCF, told PTI here.
Mallya, who called on Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Tuesday, said that MCF would make fresh investment to increase capacity in the fertiliser unit, the only one in Karnataka, but declined to divulge details.
The UB group holds 30.44 per cent stake in MCF.
When contacted, a RIL spokesperson said that the company would not comment on market speculation.
However, an industry source said that RIL is waiting for the government's renewed policy on urea, likely to be notified in the next 2-3 months, for venturing into the sector.
"Acquisition of stakes in a company like MCF would help RIL to get a strong foothold in the sector. It will certainly provide the Mukesh Ambani-owned firm a ready-made dealers' network, known brand and so on," the source, who prefers not to be quoted, said.
MCF had recorded Rs 2,081 crore revenue in 2009-10, down 16.21 per cent from Rs 2,484.73 crore in 2008-09. In 2002-03, net sales of the company stood at Rs 562.79 crore.
MCF's lone manufacturing facility is based at Panambur, near Mangalore city. The company has capacity to manufacture 2,17,800 tonnes of ammonia, 3,79,500 tonnes urea, and 2,55,500 tonnes phosphatic fertilisers, 33,000 tonnes sulphuric acid and 15,330 tonnes ammonium bi-carbonate annually.
MCF's wholly-owned subsidiary MCF International provides consultancy and plant management services.
First Published: Aug 31, 2010 16:32 IST


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Fund-raising bake sale kicks off Easter
April 3, 2019
While most were out enjoying the nice weather this weekend, employees and volunteers at the Mission at Castle Rock Rehabilitation Center were busy baking goodies for its sale.
On Monday, tables were filled with homemade goodies. From cookies and cakes to breads and popcorn balls. There was just about something for everyone, even for those with the slightest sweet tooth.
Heidi Schuh, CRRC activities director and volunteer coordinator, said because Easter is so late this year, the center felt the need to do something to fill the gap.
"We spent the weekend baking," she said. "It's kicking off Easter."
All of the proceeds raised through the donation-only bake sale will go into the resident's activity fund. This helps pay for bigger trips such as the annual fishing trip and Sweetwater County Fair adventure. Those trips require funding and this is a way for the center to raise some money.
Those who weren't able to make it to the bake sale in person were offered the opportunity to purchase a basket full of goodies for their place of employment for $40.
During the bake sale, visitors and CRRC and Villa residents could purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win baskets filled with various items or try to win a girl's or boy's bike.
"The bikes are always a big one," she said.
Despite all several tables filled with baskets, Schuh said they weren't as many.
"We actually didn't get us many donations as we usually do," Schuh said. "We spent some of our own money, which we are confident we will get a return on."
The baskets and bikes will be given away at the center's annual Easter Carnival, which is scheduled to take place on Friday, April 19. Schuh said residents are more than welcome to stop by during regular business hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to purchase tickets. They are hoping that by having the tickets available this early, they will raise more money.


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SANTA CRUZ – Local business owners welcome legislation to force Internet retailers, including Amazon.com, to collect sales tax on Californians shopping online.
Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, announced AB 153 Wednesday, saying the bill could generate between $250 million and $500 million for the state.
She rounded up support from representatives of the California Retailers Association, California Federation of Teachers, the California Business Properties Association, and Northern California Independent Booksellers Association.
Former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed previous legislation and blocked online tax proposals during budget talks, saying it would cost jobs. Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, has not taken a position on the bill but it is not part of his plan to close a $25.4 billion deficit.
Leaders of Think Local First Santa Cruz County support the bill.
“Why should an out-of-state or online business not have to collect sales tax when the business transaction happens in California?” asked member Karl Heiman, who owns Caffe Pergolesi in Santa Cruz. “The extra tax revenue will help California”s current financial crisis.”
Eric Gil, owner of Sockshop & Shoe Company in Santa Cruz, pointed out that an out-of-state company selling online not only avoids paying sales tax but “pounds our infrastucture with FedEx and UPS trucks and employs no one in the state.”
Bookshop Santa Cruz owner Casey Coonerty Protti added, “Out-of-state corporations like Amazon don”t need special favors.”
Americans for Tax Reform, a Washington, D.C.-based group, called the proposal “a guaranteed job-killer.”
However, browsers at Bookshop Santa Cruz Wednesday had few objections to taxing online sales.
Lindsay Dye, 53, shopping with her son, said she had paid sales tax for online purchases.
“I don”t see why books should be different,” she said.
“Taxes should be raised to meet the needs we have,” said Natalie Sharp, 20, of Santa Cruz.
“I wouldn”t like it but I could live with it,” said Jack Ferguson, 77, a Santa Cruz retiree who has purchased music and shoes online. “It should be an equal playing field.”


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US: Jamba Juice eyes global store expansion
Jamba Juice has said that it expects to have a further 80 outlets open globally by the end of the year.
The US smoothie maker, which narrowed its net losses in the first half of 2011 as a result of international store expansion, has entered three new markets this year - Korea, the Philippines and Canada. As of 4 October, the firm said it has opened 752 locations globally and intends to open a further 80 by the end of 2011.
Stores opened include 586 "traditional" and 166 "non-traditional" venues. Jamba opened its first store in Toronto, Canada and nine franchise locations in South Korea last week.
The company said it is testing "a new growth concept" called 'JambaGO' - "an express service with a limited menu of the brand's most popular smoothies". The concept is designed to rapidly expand the firm's brand presence, it said. Jamba currently has 15 JambaGO units in test in the US.
- Interview - Pernod Ricard's luxury director
- Chile's winemakers caught out by Brexit "disease"
- What's coming up in wine in 2017? - Comment
- The just-drinks Analyst - 2017 forecasts
- What's coming up in beer in 2017? - Comment
- Diageo Australia names new commercial head
- Suntory sends staff to fat camp - report
- "Beer and weed are complements" - analyst
- Pernod Ricard's Absolut Lime - NPD
- Edrington readies Americas, GTR exec switches
- Global vodka insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- The Next Seven Big Beverage Markets
- Global Cognac insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global gin insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Darker Than Before: Global Prospects for Brown Spirits


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The Gray Lady Knows its Readers May 28, 2006Posted by David Card in Media.
Yes, my local paper knows its audience. This story on the decision by Saks, Bloomie’s, and Neiman’s to cut back on stocking women’s petite sizes, is on the front page of the Sunday Times. Counter-intuitively, it’s equally high on the Website.
But wait, Times editors are right. The story is number one on the “most e-mailed” list. It doesn’t showed up in the top ten of “most blogged.” Not yet.
- But despite what executives say, overall sales of petite clothing sizes have grown in the past several years, reaching $10 billion. So petite women suspect another culprit: high-end department stores that they say view the petite consumer as older, unfashionable and undesirable.
…Feeling overlooked and undervalued, they have written the stores angry letters and groused, often loudly, to salespeople. “It’s horrible, just horrible,” said Laurel Bernstein, 60, a 5-foot-1 Manhattan resident who stormed out of Saks’s flagship store in March after learning that the company had stopped carrying petite sizes. A lifelong Saks shopper, she has not returned since.
Times readers American women didn’t get any bigger.
- What did change is that petite departments gained a reputation for traditional — some would say frumpy — career-oriented clothing. Chic looks, clothing executives said, never made the leap from regular sizes to petite. So the very word petite became synonymous with many women who shopped there — working women over the age 50.
…But for women of a certain height, a certain age (45 and older) and a certain rung on the economic ladder (that is, wealthy), no amount of size two skirts or dresses will replace the original, spacious petite departments at Neiman’s, Saks or Bloomingdale’s.


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For many global development players, high-tech innovations are the go-to solution for challenges in emerging markets. But according to Taylor Quinn of JUST, Inc., low-tech approaches can be even smarter. He discusses the promising potential of locally made and hand-powered machines in emerging economy value chains, and explores how JUST is using one such device to improve food security, increase access to quality nutrition and promote entrepreneurship in Liberia.
Mali and International Fund for Agricultural Development ink deal to connect farmers to rural financing
By providing a range of financial products, including savings, credit and micro-insurance, the project will enable smallholder farmers to invest in the necessary infrastructure and equipment that will help them produce, store, process and better market their products.
- Sub-Saharan Africa
Press release: OPIC launches Connect Africa initiative to invest more than $1 billion supporting infrastructure, communications, and value chain connectivity
“Africa is home to many of the world’s fastest-growing economies and presents both a great need for investment and a great opportunity for American businesses,” Washburne said. “But, too many barriers remain to the flow of goods and services. By focusing on connectivity, we’re not only helping build means for economic development, but also laying the foundation for future trade partners.”


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Travis Scott's Cactus Jack Foundation has joined forces with The New School's Parsons School of Design to launch a fashion program.
Travis Scott's Cactus Jack Foundation is partnering with The New School's Parsons School of Design to launch a fashion program.
The 'Sicko Mode' rapper's organisation and the non-profit My Brother’s Keeper are offering “an authentic fashion design program” to students wishing to learn from the very best tutors in the field.
The hip-hop superstar - who attended the University of Texas, before leaving to pursue his career in music - is also offering up scholarships for those who wish to follow in the footsteps of the likes of designers Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs by being trained at the prestigious Parsons, but who have been "underrepresented in creative disciplines".
Rachel Schreiber, executive dean of the New School’s Parsons School of Design, said: "Parsons is proud to partner with Travis Scott's Cactus Jack Foundation to bring fashion education to high school students who have traditionally been underrepresented in creative disciplines.
"Parsons and Travis Scott share a deep commitment to educating young designers who are just beginning their exploration of fashion and design. We are excited to collaborate with the Cactus Jack Foundation to offer this immersive course led by Parsons award-winning faculty."
That's not all, the 29-year-old music star - who has two-year-old daughter Stormi with beauty mogul Kylie Jenner - has also launched another scholarship named after his grandfather Waymon Webster.
Travis will choose students from Grambling State University, Howard University, Morehouse College, Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University based on how much their finances have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to be awarded the scholarship.
He said: "My grandfather wanted me to take it all the way through college, I feel there is a power in education so to be able to give someone the opportunity to fulfil that dream as my papa thought for me is amazing."
Have a spookily musical Halloween this year.
Courtney Love went from Faith No More to Pagan Babies before roles in Sid And Nancy and Straight To Hell propelled her forward to form her seminal...
Returning with their first new song in five years, Placebo have just dropped ‘Beautiful James’ as the first taster of their forthcoming album.
Tour and festival announcements for September 17th 2021.
The Cheshire four-piece unveil a new politically-charged single entitled Show & Tell.
Billie, Lil Nas X and Rihanna stole the show at the fashion event.
Having just celebrated the release of his debut EP, 'The Life and Death of MacKenzie Kane', Portuguese singer-songwriter Zé Pedro Viveiros, aka Zed...


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Tesco will continue to push Clubcard and a quality message in its marketing communications and will not focus purely on price despite cutting its Double Points offer to pay for £500m of price cuts.
Your article on the growing use of apps and QR codes for exhibitions and other events (Innovation Update, MW 15 September) highlights a trend that we’ve seen growing for some time. As well as the apps made specifically for trade shows to give extra information to attendees and get information from them, there are other […]
The tragedy of the Met is that it stubbornly remains too removed from society to ever be able to crush its negative brand perceptions. Just over a week ago, the Metropolitan Police withdrew a complex, devious and, as it turned out, ill-advised attempt to strangle confidential sources out of The Guardian newspaper relating to its […]
Media investment is often cut when savings are required, but analytics shows it damages sales. The right move is to focus on planning and optimising campaigns.
Comparing the award-winning campaigns against a database of 80,000 ads reveals that, in many cases, they were leaving viewers “utterly cold”, says System1 CMO Jon Evans.
L’Oréal’s chief digital and marketing officer explains how the house of brands is mitigating inflation and investing in Web3 amid a post-pandemic “return of colour”.
Although the concept of ‘brand love’ was overused and went out of fashion, it remains an insightful way to consider consumers’ attitudes towards brands.


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Imparato confirmed that the launch of Alfa's upcoming Tonale compact SUV -- a crucial model for the brand's revival -- has been delayed by 12 weeks. Company sources told Automotive News Europe earlier this month that Imparato has demanded better performance from the vehicle's plug-in hybrid powertrain, pushing back a sales introduction until early 2022.
Production of the Tonale will start at Stellantis' Pomigliano plant in Italy in March 2022 and its market launch will follow on June 4, 2022, Imparato said.
The Tonale will use the Jeep Compass's.US Compact Wide underpinnings.
'Baby Alfa' delayed too
Imparato confirmed that a new Alfa model will be built in Poland. He did not give details about its size or launch date.
Fiat Chrysler said in a statement on its Polish website on Dec. 29 that it will modernize its plant in Tychy, Poland, to build hybrid and full-electric Jeeps, Fiats and Alfa Romeos.
The first of three new models will go into production in the second half of 2022, the statement said.
According to Automotive News Europe sources, the Alfa version has been delayed by three months to April 2023.
The SUV will be positioned below the Tonale and could be named Brennero, after a mountain pass in northern Italy, Italian press reports say.
Giorgio platform written off
The axing of the Giorgio platform marks the end of the rear-wheel, all-wheel architecture announced in 2014 by then-Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne as part of plans to transform the brand into a global challenger to German premium rivals such as BMW.
An Alfa Skunkworks team of engineers, designers and stylists developed technical innovations for the platform such as double-clutch Torque Vectoring in an effort to create sector-leading driving dynamics.
Alfa's 2014 revival strategy planned for eight models to be launched by the end of 2018 with global sales projected to grow to 400,000 vehicles by 2018 from 74,000 in 2013.
At that time, FCA said the Giorgio architecture was "flexible enough to be used by the Chrysler and Dodge brands because Alfa alone cannot generate sufficient volume to achieve worthwhile economies of scale."
No other FCA brands adopted the platform because it was too expensive. It is only used by the Giulia and Stelvio. The Maserati Grecale midsize SUV, which launches later this year, will use the platform because it shares underpinnings with the Stelvio.
Having invested an undisclosed amount on the Giorgio program, FCA was forced to write off just under 800 million euros of investments on the platform in 2019.
Former FCA CEO Mike Manley scaled back Alfa Romeo's product plans to just four vehicles: the Giulia and Stelvio, a compact SUV (the future Tonale) and a small crossover (the Brennero).
Imparato declined to discuss further Alfa Romeo further product announcements. He said Alfa is working both on a 5-year plan, which will be presented once it is approved and financed, and on a longer-term, 10-year program. "Once we have defined those plans, we will not change them because you must not change strategy every day," he said.
The new Alfa plan will be unveiled in the final quarter of this year or in the first quarter of 2022 as part of a groupwide strategic blueprint for Stellantis.


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Arriving just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, the consumables team at Disney Theme Park Merchandise has introduced a Rice Krispies treat that is shaped like an iconic turkey leg found at Disney Parks. You may recall that a few months ago I experienced eating my first turkey leg based on a dare from my fellow author Jennifer Fickley-Baker. This time, Jennifer didn’t have to dare me. The turkey leg-shaped treat is covered with frosting that fortunately does not taste like gravy or turkey (my entire menu would have changed if it had).
The treat is currently being offered at locations like Candy Cauldron at Downtown Disney West Side, Goofy’s Candy Kitchen at Downtown Disney Marketplace or the Main Street Confectionery in Magic Kingdom Park.


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We have now resumed our regular surplus food collections at Borough Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It’s great to be back helping the traders to donate their surplus food to local charities. So much top quality food going to people in need.
Borough Market Update
July 18, 2020


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If you are looking for a tool to help you make outstanding photo and text content to post on social media, look no more. Romanian startup PixTeller has created one of the best tools out there. It improves and simplifies the design process from start to end making it easy to use for everyone, even no technical or design knowledge with a perfect blend between our Editor, Platform and Templates and making you look like a social media superstar.
The first version of PixTeller was released in September 2014, and the founders were amazed by the considerable number of people around the globe who were using the app, creating thousands of quote pictures every day. Now they have released a brand new version and they are fast approaching 100.000 users without any marketing campaign.
Alexandru Roznovat, the founder and CEO, who Before PixTeller launched one of the first web templates store in the world, GecoTemplates, has been self-financing the startup until now. Now that they have launched the new version and the number of paying users is growing constantly, the team will start looking for investment to help them grown faster.
The main differences between PixTeller and their competitors (Adobe, Autodesk with Pixlr, Canva) are the technology and some unique functions. For example, you can easily integrate PixTeller via an API in WordPress or Magento etc.
I think that the future of all software programs is the cloud, therefore, PixTeller makes it possible for us to design directly from the browser – no software installation. Also, by using our product people don’t have to hire professional designers or spend a lot of money and time with expensive software, said Alexandru Roznovat.
I have started playing with the app during the research for this article and now I know that I’ll be addicted to it to craft impressive social media content.
[easy-tweet tweet=”#Design for #social #media made easy with @PixTeller” user=”150sec” hashtags=”CEEmakers” url=”https://goo.gl/YvOZMs”]


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Are you ready for some steamy news? Tammy Hembrow, the Australian fitness model and social media influencer, has been sharing tons of spicy and nude photos recently. Tammy’s Instagram account, which already has millions of followers, has been buzzing with excitement since the revealing photos surfaced online.
Tammy Hembrow Nude And Sexy Beach Photos
Tammy Hembrow is no stranger to flaunting to wiggle ass on social media. She’s known for sharing her workout routines and fitness tips with her followers, but recently she’s been spicing things up with her jaw-dropping snaps. In Tammy’s nude shares, you can see her incredible boobs, toned abs, and big juicy ass of course.
Tammy’s amazing assets have been the talk of the town ever since the photos surfaced. And since Tammy is a fitness icon, and it’s easy to see why. Her dedication to maintaining her fit and toned physique is evident in all of those bikini and nude photos. Check out that ass for yourself!


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Monster FibLooking for a job? Don't go to online recruiter Monster Worldwide ( MWW) for help. Literally, don't go there. Monster Worldwide, the parent of Monster.com, announced it was cutting 200 jobs from its global work force Monday, reducing it to around 5,600 people. The company said the layoffs have no connection to Monster's acquisition of HotJobs from Yahoo ( YHOO) earlier this month for $225 million in cash.
Apple Sheds Its Soft CoreApple ( AAPL) no longer wants to be accused of being soft core. Apple is banning many sexually suggestive applications for its iPhone, according to Tuesday's New York Times. In a move that surprised many application developers, the company is cracking down on so-called apps that feature photos of women in bikinis and lingerie. Apple said the new policy comes in response to widespread complaints from App Store users. "It came to the point where we were getting customer complaints from women who found the content getting too degrading and objectionable, as well as parents who were upset with what their kids were able to see," said Philip W. Schiller, head of worldwide product marketing at Apple.
CBS's Supreme CheapnessWe are starting to think that CBS ( CBS) stands for Cheap Broadcasting System. Six years and multiple court cases after Janet Jackson's infamous Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction," CBS argued on Tuesday that it should not pay the $550,000 penalty for the half-second of semi-nudity. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia tossed the Federal Communications Commission's fine against CBS as arbitrary, but the U.S. Supreme Court stepped in and sent it back down for review. FCC lawyer Jacob Lewis argued Tuesday that CBS was warned in advance that its 2004 halftime performers might add some shock value to the song and dance routine. Said Lewis, "While fleeting, it was patently offensive."
Glaxo Loses GripIt's no big deal that GlaxoSmithKline ( GSK) is changing its denture cream formula. In the face of mounting problems with Poligrip and its diabetes drug Avandia, the company's shareholders don't have much to smile about anyway. Glaxo announced late last week it will remove zinc from its Poligrip denture cream formulas amid dozens of lawsuits claiming years of excessive use caused neurological damage and blood problems in consumers. The company, which reported more than $520 million in denture adhesive sales last year, plans to reformulate the creams without zinc. In a consumer advisory on its Web site, the company announced the switch, saying that it had "become aware" of potential health problems with its denture adhesive products. Glaxo stressed that the products are safe when used as directed, but that some people go overboard and use too much cream to correct ill-fitting dentures.