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Fresh round of capital raise via other modes "is not immediately on cards", Goyal said.
This is because there is "no timing pressure" from investors on monetising holdings, and the company is generating adequate revenue for growth, he said, asserting there is no re-think on public offer plans and the company is firmly committed to going public.
"Markets are soft at the moment, so we have not put a timeline to the public offer," Singh said.
As per the Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP), the IPO entails only an offer for sale (OFS) of 3.86 crore shares. The company will not receive any proceeds from the initial public offering (IPO) since it is an OFS.
Investors such as Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, Elevation Capital, Accel India and SCI Investments as well as the two co-founders would be selling their part holdings in the proposed public offer, as per the DRHP.
Founded in 2013 by Singh and Goyal, first generation entrepreneurs, Tracxn positions itself as a global platform for tracking 1.4 million entities through 1,800 feeds categorised across industries, sectors, sub-sectors, geographies, affiliations and networks.
Backed by investors such as Accel Partners and Sequoia, Tracxn currently has 850- plus customer accounts across more than 50 countries.
Its clientele includes VCs, PE funds, merger and acquisition and innovation teams of Fortune 500 companies and investment banks, which use Tracxn data for daily deal sourcing, identifying takeover targets, deal diligence and tracking emerging themes across industries and markets.
The platform is also used by various governments, accelerators, incubators, and universities for tracking companies and sectors.
"By the time, we got approval (on DRHP), the markets had gone soft, and so we held on to the plans. The approval is valid for a year," Singh said.
The company, which runs a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscription model and enjoys cost arbitrage, has so far raised Rs 113 crore.
"The business does not require money right now, as it is generating revenues," said Goyal. Also, Tracxn still has part of the funds it has raised in the bank.
"So far as the timing of the public offer is concerned, we will go by our advisors, and our bankers will give us an indication about the investor sentiments...the FII outflows are high and volatility index is high currently...these are complex equations so we will depend on advisors on the right time for launching the IPO," Goyal said, confirming that the company is in wait-and-watch mode given the market volatility.
The demand for Tracxn's offerings and services continues to be strong, according to the founders.
"Private market is growing at a strong pace, we rank among the top five players globally in terms of number of companies profiled, offering data of private market companies across sectors and geographies," Singh noted.
Going forward, Tracxn is looking to expand customer base and double down in regions where its customers are present, expand its go-to-market and sales and marketing reach, as well as sell more deeply to existing customers, she added.
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- Q4 Nos Spring a Surprise, Lift FY23 Growth to 7.2%
A stronger-than-expected fourth quarter lifted India’s growth to 7.2% in FY23, exceeding the 7% cited in the second advance estimates released in February, underscoring the country’s economic resilience in the face of multiple challenges.Sebi Proposes Stringent FPI Ownership Disclosure Rules
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has proposed tighter disclosure requirements for foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to prevent the misuse of overseas investment routes and curb public shareholding norm violations.Apple’s India Stores Bear Fruit, Post Sales Record
Apple has won a new laurel in India — operating the country’s largest electronics retail store by sales.The iPhone maker’s first two own stores in India have grossed monthly sales of over ₹22-25 crore each, well over two times what could be the highest revenue for an electronics store in the country during non-Diwali period, according to two industry executives aware of the details.
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Earlier this year, Vince McMahon brought in The Wild Card Rule, which for the most part has not done much for the improvement of the product and has received a lot of backlash. It seems that its time is almost up if reports are to be believed.
According to a report by Tom Colohue, WWE will be dropping the Wild Card Rule once Summerslam is done with. It will be done away with quietly.
“They’re quietly wrapping up the wild card rule. No big announcement or anything. There’s a lot of people who want it to end. Companies, sponsors, management and talent. You don’t get another Lynch and Rousey moment without that Survivor Series format.”
It certainly makes sense for this to happen, as this way a variety of talent will get more television time. On top of that, Survivor Series will truly be the special as it will be the only event where both brands face off. So the removal of the Wild Card Rule is definitely needed.
We will provide updates regarding the Wild Card Rule once we learn more.

domain: news


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Furniture Retailer Unlocking Investment and Employment in Sunderland
A North East furniture retailer is unlocking investment and employment opportunities on Wearside.
Michael O’Connor Furniture Group is ploughing £50,000 into refurbishing its store in Holmeside, Sunderland, which will lead to the workforce increasing by 60 percent.
The new look store, which will open on December 27, will be renamed Home Interiors to reflect its wider product range and broader customer appeal.
The store is committed to making an economic contribution to the area and is using local suppliers during the outlet’s refurbishment including contractors from the Sunderland and Washington areas.
The makeover will include opening up the fourth floor and basement, previously used for storage, as retail space.
One floor will become dedicated to furnishings and ornaments aimed at the first time buyer market.
Alongside contemporary and modern furnishings, the store will continue to stock traditional brands and ranges such as Bridgecraft and G Plan.
The Philip Thursby carpet concession will continue to have a presence in the store.
Rob Stevens, Joint Managing Director, said: “The investment demonstrates our commitment to Sunderland and our resolve to meet changing customer aspirations and retail trends.
“The refurbishment, which will lead to the creation of three new jobs, will mean that we are using the available space to its full potential with the new-look store having a more contemporary feel with an enhanced product offering.
However, one thing that will not change is the personal touch and quality service that we offer to customers.
“As a firm of longstanding in the area, we are proud to be part of the Wearside business community and look forward to welcoming customers old and new to the store.”
Consideration is being given to opening a cafe in the premises to give customers the opportunity to relax while browsing the store’s extended collections.
In preparation for the makeover, the Michael O’Connor store is holding a sale, during which there will be a £1.5million clearance of stock.
It is due to close at the end of the month with its new look and Home Interiors branding being unveiled on December 27. A private sale viewing is being held on Wednesday and Thursday (November 7 and 8) with invitations going out to existing customers with the public sale starting on Friday (November 9).
This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Recognition PR Business Team .
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Suzuki has announced the launch of the 2020 Hayabusa in India. To be sold through Suzuki Big Bike dealerships across the country, it has been priced at INR 13,74,941 (ex-showroom, Delhi).
Also Read: Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 joins Gurugram Traffic Police fleet
The 2020 Suzuki Hayabusa is available in two new colour options – Metallic Thunder Gray and Candy Daring Red. The MY2020 model features updated graphics as well. This is the last of the Suzuki Hayabusa we'll see, as a BS-VI upgrade is not planned.
The 2020 Suzuki Hayabusa sports a 1,340 cc inline four-cylinder, fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, DOHC engine that is linked to a six-speed transmission. There are twin discs at the front and a single rotor at the back to perform the anchoring tasks. The braking department is governed by dual-channel ABS. Shock absorption duties are performed by inverted telescopic, coil spring, oil damped forks at the front and Link type, coil spring, oil damped mono-shock at the back.
There are some rumours that Suzuki is working on the next-gen Hayabusa using styling cues from the Concept GSX it had unveiled in 2015. Some patent images leaked earlier this year were said to be of this alleged future model. We do not expect to see the next-gen model, assuming there is one in the pipeline, before 2021. It should feature a comprehensive electronic package and hardware updates in the form of LED lighting and colour TFT display with Bluetooth connectivity.
Regular readers would know that Suzuki has also stopped the production of the current generation Hayabusa in Japan. The Hayabusa is not the only giant to go off the production. Kawasaki will also discontinue the legendary ZX-14R after 2020.
Also Read: 2020 Suzuki V-Strom 1050 (India-bound) launched in the UK
In other updates, Suzuki is working on expanding its lower displacement portfolio, and it is expected to launch an Intruder 250. The quarter-litre cruiser motorcycle will share its engine and underpinnings with the Gixxer SF 250 and the Gixxer 250. The new bike will compete with the likes of Bajaj Avenger and Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 among others. Do note that the Indian arm of the Japanese two-wheeler brand is yet to make any launch announcements.


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Ibec responds to Level 5 Covid restrictions
Ibec, the group that represents Irish business, has said that the Government decision to implement stricter Level 5 Covid restrictions from midnight tonight is devastating for the many businesses and service providers who will be out of employment once more as we enter the New Year. Whilst the measures reflect the gravity of the surge in virus cases, the livelihoods of so many are once again suppressed.
Ibec CEO Danny McCoy said: “While Ibec recognises the need for an increase in restrictions due to the seriousness of the Covid situation in Ireland and across Europe, the move to Level 5, most notably the shutdown of non-essential retail outlets, threatens a great number of individual livelihoods across the country.
“Having made this decision, Government must urgently and collectively work with business to expedite the widespread rollout of Covid vaccines. Ibec looks forward to engaging with Government and other stakeholders on this matter in the coming days.”


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2:25 AM Sunday, January 29, 2012
HAMILTON — For Ron Sobran, keeping Hamilton Graphics Printing afloat during the rapidly changing nature of the printing business continues to be quite a challenge.
“There’s a lot of capacity and the competition is just fierce right now,” he said. “There’s 10 other shops that can do the work that you do. You just need to do it better, faster and cheaper.”
The digital age has made a significant dent in the company’s smaller jobs such as business cards, postcards and brochures during the past three or four years.
“You’re always going to have those big mail jobs and marketing,” he said. “What’s cutting into our trade right now is the Internet printers. Their jobs are ganged with 20 other jobs and that lowers the cost.”
The past two years have been particularly difficult.
“People are looking for other avenues to save money on printing,” he said. “It just seems like people are cutting back more and there’s so much capacity out there with other printers that they’re just cutting each other’s throats for what work is available right now.”
Hamilton Graphics offers digital quick print services for smaller projected and wide format digital printing for poster-size projects. The company’s die-cutting capabilities allow it to create pocket folders, file folders and other items with irregular shapes in-house.
Sobran bought the company in 2001 from Ohio Casualty, which had started the business on the corner of Dayton and Third streets in 1993, he said.
“They were going to close the printing department and another manager and I bought it from them,” he said.
The economic downturn and losing Ohio Casualty’s lucrative contract when the company was bought out led Hamilton Graphics Printing to shed itself of five employees in the past three years. Sobran credits the remaining seven employees for sticking with the company through pay cuts and temporary layoffs.
Sobran said he realizes staying competitive in today’s market means investing in technology. Hamilton Graphics did so in 1998 with a $60,000 digital press that helps the company make $120,000 a year, on average.
Several other new digital printers have been useful for printing items in wide format.
Hamilton Graphics customers include nonprofits, such as Greater Miami Valley YMCA, Shared Harvest, Cincinnati YMCA, as well as businesses, such as Kaivac Cleaning Systems.
Bob Robinson Sr., Kaivac’s president and CEO, said the business is a welcome part of Hamilton’s south side.
“He does wonderful work,” said Robinson, who does his printing via Hamilton Graphics. “He’s got a good creative team. Not only does he have a great price, he can help you out with his creative team.”
Sobran said the fact that the business has made it beyond the 10-year mark is “amazing.”
“Our employees made that possible,” he said. “We could cut back and gear down and that’s kept us going. You work with somebody for 10 years, they’re more friends than just employees. They’re family.”


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Mozambican brewery Cervejas de Moçambique (CDM) will start supplying its popular 2M beer to Mozambique-themed chicken restaurant Nando’s across the UK from April, Zitamar News can reveal.
Nando’s has 1,049 restaurants worldwide with the largest number (339) in the UK according to a website run by the company’s fans, www.rateyournandos.com. Nando’s UK currently stocks Portuguese beers Sagres and Superbock, along with Brazil’s Brahma and Savanna Cider from South Africa.
Nando’s has started stocking 2M in selected restaurants over recent weeks as a pilot scheme, but CDM will start shipping the lager to the UK in significant quantities from April.
The deal will be a welcome boost for CDM, which saw profits fall 3% last year to MT1.4 billion. The company reported a 2% fall in beer sales in its 2014 results though sales of lager were up 12% year on year, with almost 1 hectolitre sold over the 12-month period.
Nando’s is owned by South African investor Dick Enthoven and accounts for half of his $1.1 billion fortune, according to financial news and data agency Bloomberg.
SABMiller, which owns a 79.8% stake in CDM, is currently in the throes of a £71bn takeover by Netherlands-based Anheuser-Busch InBev. The deal is expected to be completed in the second half of 2016, pending clearance from regulators and shareholders.
Check out: zitamar.com


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Dunlop Extends Australian Superbike Control Tyre Deal
Dunlop Tyres’ control tyre supply to the Australian Superbike Championship has been extended for a further three seasons. The tyre maker has already served in this capacity for the past two years. “We at Dunlop are excited with this announcement and are proud to be appointed this tender,” said Dunlop’s motorcycle and motorsports National Manager Ken Wieden. "This was an important contract for us and our distributors to win.
“Dunlop has always been seriously involved in racing and to be awarded this contract means we can continue our association with the nation’s premier championship series,” Wieden continued. “Racing means many things for us, from product development to promoting the brand image to sales. We believe in our product and all at Dunlop are avid motorcycle racing fans. We are proud to be associated with (championship organiser) IEG & the ASBK and look forward to an exciting championship series in 2010 and the years to follow”.
In addition to providing a tyre up to the job, during the tender process prospective tyre suppliers needed to demonstrate their willingness to support racers and the championship. “Dunlop’s proposal provided everything the championship required and their proven track record under pinned everything they put forward,” said International Entertainment Group director John Naggar. “This was something we needed to do, so we could ensure that we were providing what our participants where asking for.
“Along with performance, riders have been pushing us to look at cost reduction strategies,” Naggar added. “The tender Dunlop put forward displayed an equal concern for performance and costing. I can confidently say that riders will be happy with Dunlop’s contingency plan and pricing.”


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The NGET1 is actually ‘engineered’ by Manfrotto for National Geographic. It doesn’t take too much detective work to spot the similiarities between this tripod and Manfrotto’s 458B tripod and 468MG hydrostatic ball head.
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Derivatives trading platform Huobi DM has announced a new feature designed to “minimize user exposure during times of severe market volatility” in digital assets.
When users trade on margin—using borrowed money to increase holdings with a view to amplifying profits—positions are often liquidated automatically and in full when the value of their margin collateral plummets to a set percentage of the loan.
According to Huobi DM, extreme fluctuations in market prices, especially in the crypto markets, can cause “extensive user losses” as a result of liquidations. Its solution is to unveil a new mechanism that performs liquidation gradually. A circuit breaker function also halts liquidation entirely when there are substantial deviations in the price of a digital asset.
Introducing partial liquidation
Ciara Sun, the vice president of global business at Huobi Group, the platform’s parent company, said volatility can create arbitrage opportunities, but added: “Our goal is to safeguard our users’ assets while providing a robust trading experience, so we’re using this partial liquidation mechanism to minimize the downside without diluting the potential upside.”
The new feature is available across all digital assets and leverage levels, and is being made available to traders without additional fees.
Another measure being taken is to reduce the frequency of liquidation events—lowering its named maintenance margin ratio which results in positions being exited in the first place.
Later this month, Huobi DM plans to launch perpetual swaps—an open-ended futures contract—with up to 125X leverage, beginning with BTC swaps, the release added.
It’s not a theoretical problem. Huobi DM’s new measures come after ether prices crashed last week, causing a crisis at the decentralized finance giant MakerDAO.
A “brutal storm of external factors” meant cryptocurrency held as collateral was automatically liquidated when prices collapsed—but the Maker Protocol’s auction process couldn’t keep up with demand.
Nor is the automatic liquidation problem limited to “black swan” events like the coronavirus-inspired Black Thursday market crash. In May 2019, margin borrowers using CLAM tokens as collateral on the Poloniex exchange lost a combined 1,800 bitcoins when CLAMs suffered a flash crash, losing two-thirds of its value in a single day.


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: Social games company Zynga has acquired Oregon-based developer Buzz Monkey along with its approximately 50 staffers, according to media reports.
The social giant is converting the studio into Zynga offices, according to
TechCrunch, although no more details regarding the deal have been divulged. Gamasutra has contacted Zynga for comment.
Buzz Monkey, formed in 2001 by four former Dynamix employees, is best known for developing ports Wii and PS2 ports of the Tomb Raider
games, including Legend, Anniversary
. It most recently released an iOS game called Rinth Island


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Automated warehouses are not news in the logistics industry and many market leaders have already implemented automated systems to pick out and sort orders, eliminate any errors and make the whole process run smoothly. Don’t believe us? Look at these five warehouse giants!
The well-known Swedish home products manufacturer, IKEA, has been using automated warehouses for a while now. With almost every single house on the planet owning at least one piece of furniture from IKEA, it is quite clear why they decided to implement automation systems in their distribution centres – the clients are happy and the company is as profitable as ever.
Nike’s European distribituion centre called ‘Distribuzione’ (which literally means distribution in Italian) uses a 280m long loop sorter for all kinds of inbound and outbound orders. No wonder you can get new Nike shoes in just a few days in any part of Europe.
The giant e-commerce platform Amazon is also part of the automated warehouses party. The company has distribution and fulfilment centres all over the world, including 10 in Asia, 20 in Europe and 18 in America. With such a great number of massive warehouses implementing automation systems in all of them would have probably bankrupted the business but they still do have a certain degree of automation and will potentially become fully autonomous soon.
The worldwide hub for UPS is located in Kentucky and handles 84 parcels per second (!). Imagine how many people the company would have to employ to pack these many orders if they didn’t have an automation system installed.
Coca cola has a giant warehouse serving the EMEA region (Europe, the Middle East and Africa). It is a fully automated storage space for their produce, which is then later shipped to local warehouses. Judging by the availability of coca cola in every single shop around Europe we could say the automation system is working pretty well.


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T-Mobile Rolls Out Another BOGO
T-Mobile today announced a buy-one, get-one deal that sees major discounts on top phones. T-Mobile says 12 flagship devices from the likes of Apple, LG, and Samsung qualify for the promotion, including the iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X, G6, V30, S8, Note8 and others. To qualify, customers will have to activate one new line of service and buy both phones on a monthly installment plan. T-Mobile will make monthly payments for the second device (up to $750) over the course of two years. Customers who want a deal on a single handset can earn a $150 rebate plus the value of a trade-in. Accepted trades include recent flagships from LG and Samsung. Last, T-Mobile is targeting Verizon Wireless customers. It will give Verizon subscribers who leave big red up to $650 and pay off the balance of their Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ and other popular smartphones. Those who switch will need to subscribe to a T-Mobile One Plus plan to get the reimbursement for old phones. All three promotions go into effect January 12.
Aug 14, 2019
T-Mobile and AT&T can now securely confirm caller-ID info between the two networks, an important step in fighting number spoofing widely used by robocallers. Both companies have now implemented the STIR/SHAKEN protocol between their networks, allowing caller-ID info to be authenticated, resulting in a "Caller Verified" banner on the phone screen when a call is incoming.
Aug 7, 2019
Samsung today announced the Galaxy Note10 and Note10+. The company's super-flagship Note series for 2019 comes in two sizes: The Note10 packs a screen similar to the Note9 into a smaller body, while the Note10+ sports a larger display in a body similar in size to the Note9.
Aug 7, 2019
The Samsung Galaxy Note10+ 5G will be the first phone to support sub-6 GHz FDD 5G for T-Mobile and AT&T. However, the AT&T and T-Mobile versions will not support mmWave 5G that offers faster speeds in central areas of major cities, even though the Verizon version will support only mmWave 5G.
Jul 25, 2019
Motorola today announced the Moto e6, a $150 Android phone with a 13-megapixel main camera and portrait mode, in a new design that drops the iconic Motorola look in favor of something more like an iPhone. Motorola calls the design "unibody", although the battery is removable.
Jul 24, 2019
Samsung today released a statement that it will launch the Galaxy Fold in September, having improved the design to address issues that cropped up in multiple review units right before the original launch date in late April. Samsung has tweaked the design of the folding-display phone in four specific ways: "The top protective layer of the Infinity Flex Display has been extended beyond the bezel, making it apparent that it is an integral part of the display structure and not meant to be removed."


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Last week, off-price giant TJX Cos. delivered higher profits on robust sales for its most recent quarter — leading the company to up its earnings guidance for the year.
Second-quarter sales jumped 12 percent to $9.3 billion while diluted earnings per share rose to $1.17 a share from 85 cents a share in the same period last year. The company now expects earnings per share to range between $4.83 and $4.88 — which is well above last year’s $4.04.
What’s driving these results? Shoppers. And not just any shoppers, but customers — including Millennials — who like to buy goods in a physical store. Shoppers who like to hunt for bargains and who love the discovery and the act of shopping itself.
In a retail landscape dominated by Amazon, which garnered a whopping 50 percent online market share during last year’s holiday shopping season, according to analysts, and where retailers from Wal-Mart Stores and Target Corp. to Macy’s and Nordstrom have made e-commerce a top priority as a way to enhance the customer’s overall shopping experience, off-price retailers such as TJX Cos., Ross Stores and Burlington Stores are crushing it. According to S&P Capital IQ, these three retailers have delivered top-line growth for the trailing 12 months of more than 10 percent.
But how have these companies fared on Wall Street?
Looking at the recent milestone of the longest-running bull market in U.S. history (10 years, according to analysts), retail stocks, in general, have outperformed other sectors. In the 10-year period, the S&P Retail Select Industry Index, which is composed of a variety of consumer discretionary companies, clocked a 235 percent gain, which compares to the S&P 500’s 120 percent gain in the same period.
Digging deeper into the traditional retail sector that includes department stores, mass merchants, off-price, chain stores and specialty apparel brands (and excluding companies such as Amazon), the off-price segment has outperformed the pack. While shares of Walmart, Gap Inc. and Kohl’s have shown 10-year gains of around 60 percent (currently trading at $95, $32 and $80, respectively), Ross Stores’ stock increased 95 percent (to about $95) in the 10-year period — which is the same as the gains made by Nordstrom (a market leader trading at $62) and Macy’s (which has essentially reinvented itself, and trades at around $38).
For TJX Cos., the stock increased 490 percent to $107 in the 10-year period. And while not as large as TJX, Burlington Stores Inc.’s stock gained a whopping 545 percent to $168 from its IPO in 2013.
Despite these massive gains, it’s not been an easy ride. Although TJX, Ross Stores and Burlington have delivered strong sales and profits, there have been hiccups in the 10-year period — which will likely continue. Last week, investors pulled back on shares of Ross Stores after the company delivered better-than-expected results, but said it sees same-store sales gains in the second half to be between 1 and 2 percent.
Results for the second quarter showed earnings per share jumping from 82 cents last year to $1.04 in the most recent quarter on sales that rose 9 percent to $3.74 billion. Chief executive officer Barbara Rentler promised investors the company will do better moving forward. Still, a 9 percent quarterly sales gain is impressive — but investors are a hard crowd to please.
Ross Stores’ official brand moniker is “Ross Dress For Less” and it was not always an off-pricer. The retailer traces its roots to a single store in San Bruno, Calif., which was founded in 1950 by Morris “Morrie” Ross who had a compulsive drive to work more than 80 hours a week on every aspect of the business. For eight years it remained a single unit until Ross sold the store to William Isaacson who expanded it into a chain of eight.
Then, off-price mania hit the market.
In the June 9, 1980, issue of WWD the headline for the page one news story read, “Off-price retailing: Vigorous contender.” In the story by Ron Cohen, WWD declared off-price retailing as the fastest-growing segment in the industry. And, at the time, it also included factory outlet stores where manufacturers sold directly to consumers. Sacrilege!
As shoppers embraced the model of buying direct from manufacturers or purchasing branded apparel “on closeout” from a retailer such as Filene’s Basement (the first off-price retailer), the momentum continued. In 1982, Mervin Morris, who was the founder of Mervyns department stores, saw the writing on the wall and led a team of investors to buy the six Ross Department Stores. He changed the format to off-price, and grew the chain from there.
In 1983, Walter Loeb, who was working as an analyst at Morgan Stanley, told WWD that manufacturers were adjusting quickly to the expansion of off-price retailing, which included developing products specifically for the channel. Over time, the off-price segment began to have a clear divergence between brand-operated outlet stores and retail businesses that sold branded goods at steep markdowns.
For the consumer, what resonated most was the thrill of finding bargains. That’s it. No special, secret sauce or formula. Just branded products sold at 40 to 70 percent off.
During the early Nineties, as the U.S. navigated a recession, the company known today as TJX Cos. expanded via acquisitions and by entering new markets as well as home furnishings with the HomeGoods moniker. The growth included international expansion. For Burlington Stores, which was founded by Monroe Milstein in 1972 as the Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp., the early 1980s offered opportunities for growth as well. By 2006, Bain Capital Partners bought the company for $2.06 billion.
The year before the deal, Milstein participated in a WWD financial forum and shared insights into consumer behavior. He said shoppers want branded products, and can’t resist a deal. He also predicted the acceleration of the “direct-to-consumer” model, which has been robustly deployed over the past five years — and amplified by e-commerce.
Today, off-price retailing has evolved into: chains such as Ross Stores, Burlington Stores and TJ Maxx (and TJX’s Marshalls, HomeGoods, Sierra Trading Post and HomeSense) offering significant savings on branded goods; outlet stores and malls where brands offer closeouts; and department store chains selling brands’ products at a discount through separate chains such as Nordstrom Rack.
Social media is also playing a key role. At Ross Stores, a frugal and smart shopper is also fashionable, and its a lifestyle supported by the #yesforless campaign. There are also numerous bloggers and Web sites that connect shoppers to deals on branded goods across the market.
From here, the off-price segment is poised for continued growth. Dana Telsey, chief research officer at Telsey Advisory Group, said TJX is well on its way to becoming a $40 billion “retail leader” by next year — “based on the strength of [the first half] performance.” Still, there are some challenges, at least on the P&L statement.
“We appreciate the longer-term growth story as the company is targeting 6,100 stores (versus a current base of 4,194) in only current countries and concepts, but the pre-tax margin continues to compress,” Telsey said in a research note. She’s got the stock pegged with a “market perform” rating and a $110 price target.
Burlington, meanwhile, is set to release earnings later this week. And Telsey and her team of analysts are bullish on this retailer. In a preview report, analysts at the firm said they “continue to view Burlington as having a solid runway for growth and expect that management will maintain their relentless focus on executing their strategic priorities including: 1) driving comparable store sales growth; 2) expanding, modernizing and optimizing the store fleet; and, 3) increasing operating margins.”
The analysts have Burlington rated “outperform” and have placed a $190 price target on the stock. Telsey said, “What has been encouraging to the comp performance is that traffic has been a key driver for a string of 13 consecutive quarters (in the last 15 quarters), a trend that we would not expect to abate.”
That’s traffic, in a physical store. Which is remarkable to consider as retailers close stores and focus and invest on e-commerce.


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U.S. farmers receive 30 billion annually in government subsidies, but less than 1% goes to organics. Given that pesticide-free farming is better for the environment and more energy efficient, there is a movement brewing– from the U.S. to the U.N – to give this sector more priority.
It’s part of the battle over the 2007 U.S. Farm Bill which, according to “Food Fight” author Daniel Imhoff, will affect “the fate of family farmers, a food system dominated by corporations and commodities, conditions of immigrant farm workers, the state of the country’s woodlands, or the marginalization of locally raised organic food and grass-fed meat and dairy products”.
In this video, Bill Walker, West Coast VP of the Environmental Working Group, explains the benefits of organic and how their farm subsidies database tracks the money.
For a video at an organic produce farm.


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"I've worked six days a week for 40 years," said Bill, who also turns age 66 next month. "It's time for something different — less stress."
The stores will close after business Thursday to tag the approximately $3 million in inventory for a going-out-of-business sale, which will begin Aug. 15. Staff also will take final orders for furniture and some other merchandise.
The stores are located at 10202 Coldwater Road in the Pine Valley Mall and at 4110 W. Jefferson Blvd. in Jefferson Pointe mall.
Rustic Hutch stores carry a range of furniture, home decor items, specialty gifts and hand-knotted Oriental rugs, as well as offering interior design services. The 12,000-square-foot Pine Valley store includes company offices and its warehouse, Bodecker said. The Jefferson Pointe store fills about 7,000 square feet.
The company employs a total of 35 to 40 people on a full-time or part-time basis, said Scott Bodecker, their son and the business' operations manager. Employees were notified Sunday night of the plans to close.
Most of the staff has been with Rustic Hutch for an average of 20 years, Scott Bodecker said.
"There is a definite family atmosphere here," said the younger Bodecker, who has other business interests and didn't think taking over at Rustic Hutch would be the best fit for himself or his family.
Business has been a little soft since the 2008 recession, but that isn't a major factor in the decision to close and retire, Bill Bodecker said.
What he will miss most about the stores, he said, are the staff and the customers.
"Their families and our families have grown up together," he said of store employees. "That is one of the tough parts of doing this — those relationships will change."
He described customers as being like little birds wanting to feather their nests. He and his staff enjoy helping them and trying to make their shopping visit a fun experience.
"He goes on deliveries when he can," Scott said of his father. "He loves being able to see customers and the excitement on their face when they get the piece of furniture they have been waiting on."
Bill and Diana Bodecker opened Rustic Hutch in 1974 after buying a small furniture store of the same name in the Georgetown Square shopping center.
Recently married, the couple had arrived early for a movie at the former Georgetown theater, so they wandered over to look at the store before going into the theater. They loved the owner's country-style furniture.
They then moved to Kansas, where he had a job teaching at his former high school. They returned to Fort Wayne at Christmas to visit Diana's family, and stopped by the store again.
They decided to set up a similar store in Wichita, Kan., near where they were living. When they called the owner here to ask more advice, he offered to sell the store to them. Diana's aunt also happened to mention there was an opening for a high school English teacher and football coach in Convoy, Ohio, which was just the kind of job Bill wanted.
"I never thought in a hundred years it would come together, but it did," he said.
He spent a year teaching and coaching while Diana managed the store, which still was in Georgetown Square. Then she gave birth to Scott, and Bill took over running the store while she cared for their son. Bill has been there ever since.
The Bodeckers don't have any special plans yet for retirement.
He would like to go back to Kansas at the holidays — his mom is age 95, and he hasn't been back for a Thanksgiving or Christmas since 1974.
Beyond that, "After I decompress," he said, "I'll do something I find that is fun."
ClosingWHAT: Rustic Hutch will close its stores after business Thursday to prepare for a going-out-of-business sale beginning Aug. 15.
WHEN: Store hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. The stores will be closed Friday through Aug. 14 to prepare for the closing sale.
WHERE: 10202 Coldwater Road in the Pine Valley Mall, and 4110 W. Jefferson Blvd. in Jefferson Pointe mall.
INFORMATION: 416-0513, www.rustichutch.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rustichutch
1974: Founded in Georgetown Square
1979: Opened store in Apple Orchard area at Glenbrook Square mall
1982: Opened store at Southtown Mall
1989: Closed Southtown Mall store and relocated it to Village at Coventry shopping center
2001: Closed Village at Coventry store and relocated it to Jefferson Pointe mall
2004: Closed Glenbrook Square store and relocated it to Dupont Crossing shopping center
2008: Closed Georgetown and Dupont Crossing stores and consolidated them to open Pine Valley Mall store


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ZAANDAM, the Netherlands — Ahold Delhaize’s Food Lion and Hannaford U.S. supermarkets had both strong fiscal fourth quarters and for fiscal 2016, the company stated in an earnings report. Volume growth was particularly strong, more than offsetting the impact of inflation on sales.
Underlying operating margins improved, driven by the “Easy, Fresh and Affordable” strategic initiative and synergies, said Ahold Delhaize.
"Ahold USA continued to focus on its ‘Heading Northeast’ strategy by offering better value, better quality and improved service to its customers, resulting in resilient volume trends. Underlying operating margin performance was slightly better than last year, adjusted for week 53 last year, supported by ongoing cost initiatives and synergies,” said Dick Boer, CEO of Ahold Delhaize.
Overall, Ahold Delhaize had Pro forma Q4 net sales of €15.5 billion euros, up 2.8% at constant exchange rates, adjusted for week 53 in 2015. Pro forma Q4 underlying operating margin grew by 3.9%, driven by strong performance in the Netherlands and at Delhaize America.
"I am very pleased with the financial results in the fourth quarter with volume growth and strong margins, while making good progress implementing our ‘Better Together’ strategy which we announced in December. Our teams are working hard on the integration, leveraging best practices and realizing synergy targets.”
For more on the Better Together strategy, intended to capture benefits of international scale combined with local brands and associate expertise to drive profitable growth in its supermarkets, ecommerce and smaller formats, click here.


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If you have been around in the Tablet models then this Samsung’s latest tablet shouldn’t be missed. In fact, with the number of choices tech enthusiasts can choose these days, it has become a lot easier for us as a customer to choose our favorite [...]
BlackBerry before giving shocking news to the ready release of BlackBerry Messenger to iOS and Android.
Unfortunately, the destination device is a smartphone.
Quoted from Techradar, Friday (17/5), this means that the BlackBerry Messenger can not be used [...]
Not long after the presence of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 at Mobile World Congress, is now audible leaks on the presence of its 3G version.
It is verified through a newspaper as reported endgadget.com (12/03), the series Galaxy Note 8.0 3G has entered [...]
The Samsung has confirmed that they will continue cooperation with Apple.
After emergence page report quoted the Korea Times on Monday, (10/22), about the possibility of termination of their partnership with the Apple.
Today, the Samsung has confirmed [...]
With a target to save Mars Curiosity Rover mission taken over by a herd of pigs naughty.
Any word that is fun for the fans of the game Angry Birds Space on iOS and Android platforms.
While waiting for the presence of Angry Birds Star Wars game that is [...]
Sony showed off its latest ultrabook Windows 8 operating system, Vaio T13 “Touch Screen”, Indocomtech exhibition in 2012 at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC).
With a 13.3-inch wide screen, users can enjoy a new experience with Windows 8 [...]
The observations made by Repair Labs under a microscope.
According to a report released by Repair Labs, the quality of the screen which is owned by iPad mini, it is still above iPad second generation.
It is based on the quality of each screen tablet [...]
Many people who do not want to buy a ring tone as their smartphone. But not a few who complained about the use of the song into ringtone is quite disturbing.
The most easy and free way to make ringtone for your iPhone is using iTunes as reported from [...]
Sony’s new hero class ‘affordable’ has arrived in Indonesia. Products named Xperia E is available in a single version of the SIM and dual-SIM.
One feature that is favored is HD Voice, where its function is to clear up the sound when [...]
Cooler Master Thursday (09/04) launches headphones aimed at people who love to travel, namely HC-300 and HS-500.
Both headphones are using HDSS technology, a breakthrough technology that eliminates the distortion that can move more freely.
Model HC-300 [...]
Researchers from IBM managed to break the record by making the world’s smallest movie.
The film uses atoms as an actor in a movie called “A Boy And His Atomic” lasted 1 minute 35 seconds.
The film is made using stop-motion technique, [...]


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LatAm’s top 10 best-selling cars in 2017
The stable economy in most Latin American countries last year helped Chevrolet retain its title for the best-selling car in the region for the second year in a row, much of it due to upticks in car sales in Brazil and Argentina, the regions first and third largest automobile fleet markets.
From January-November of 2017, the most sold car in LatAm was the subcompact Chevrolet Onix, according to a 28-country study carried out by automotive research and data group Focus2Move.
Made at the Gravataí plant in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, the US automaker sold a total of 209,725 cars in the 11-month period, up 35.7% year-over-year.
2018 Chevrolet Onix (CREDIT: Chevrolet)
The five-door hatchback was first launched in 2012 to succeed the Chevrolet Corsa and some versions of the Celta. It is a front-wheel drive vehicle with a five-speed manual transmission that comes in two engine options, being the 1.0 (80hp) motor and the 1.4 (106hp) motor.
Its sedan version, known as the Prisma, is distributed in selected markets.
Ranked No. 2, the subcompact Volkswagen Gol, was actually Brazil’s top seller for 27 consecutive years (from 1987-2014), according to the research group.
2018 Volkswagen Gol (CREDIT: Volkswagen)
As for Latin America, a total of 146,928 units were sold last year (up 34.7% y-o-y), thanks to the second round updates made to the car’s third generation model. Gol, which was first launched in 1980, comes in a hatchback or sedan. It was ranked No. 4 in 2016.
Meanwhile, the third most sold car in 2017 was the subcompact Ford Ka which saw 137,599 sales, up 33.9% from 2016. Also coming in a hatchback or sedan, it was first made available in Brazil in 2014, followed by launches in Mexico and Argentina. Ka was ranked No. 6 in 2016.
2018 Ford Ka (CREDIT: Ford)
Wrapping up the top 10 were the Renault Sandero (118,448 units sold), Nissan Versa (115,713 sold), Toyota Hilux (111,974), Toyota Corolla (97,706), Hyundai HB20 (97,543), Chevrolet Prisma (92,657), and Nissan March (77,869).
The only two which sold less cars last year than in 2016 were the Hyundai HB20 and Nissan March. Their sales dropped by 14.5% and 1%, respectively.
In terms of the auto group selling the most vehicles, coming out on top was Renault-Nissan which had three cars in the top 10. The group sold a total of 312,030 units, being Renault Sandero, Nissan Versa, and Nissan March.
Finally, the model showing the highest increase in sales year-over-year was the compact SUV Hyundai Creta. It sales jumped nearly 10-fold to 50,140 units from 5,323 units.
2018 Hyundai Creta (CREDIT: Hyundai)


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Ever since the birth of the automobile, people have developed an obsession with modifying cars. America has an overflowing history of customizing and modifying cars dating back over a century. With everything from NASCAR to lowriders, the United States has become a melting pot of car culture. However, American car culture as we know it is under fire. The EPA's decision that the CAA (clean air act) does not allow vehicles designed for street use, including cars, trucks, and motorcycles, to be turned into dedicated race cars. In 2015 the EPA decided that converted vehicles must remain emissions-compliant, even though they are no longer driven on public roads. Although the EPA did not settle on the proposed rule, the agency still maintains that modifying the emission system of a motor vehicle, even when converting it for off-road or racing purposes, is still federally illegal. As well as further putting restrictions on manufacturing, selling, and installing parts for the conversion of road vehicles would also be a violation. The EPA has also declared that enforcement upon performance parts like superchargers, aftermarket tunes, and exhaust systems "is a top priority" Although some argue these new restrictions are necessary, they would without debate deal a massive hit to the automotive aftermarket industry. These changes could potentially shut down hundreds of businesses and has gathered opposition from both sides of the aisle in Washington DC.
SEMA (specialty equipment market association), along with bi-partisan support from Republican and Democrat members of Congress, is trying to pass a bill called the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports act or simply the RPM act. The RPM Act aims to preserve a person's right to transform any car, truck, or motorcycle into a dedicated racing vehicle; Along with the aftermarket motorsports-parts manufacturers keeping their ability to sell the products that provide racers with the parts they need to build their race cars. The bill maintains that it is still legal to make changes to a vehicle's emissions system if the street vehicle is being converted for the sole purpose of using the car in motorsport or off road. Most of the vehicles raced on the estimated 1,300 racetracks operating across the U.S. are converted vehicles that the EPA considers to be illegal. The EPA made this a "national priority," putting almost all motorsports and the businesses that support them in the same type of category as non-compliance of public drinking water standards or waste emissions from hazardous waste facilities.
The RPM act will still allow aftermarket parts manufacturers and speed shops to produce, market, and install racing equipment legally without the threat of criminal charges or heavy fines. Retail sales from motorsport parts make up approximately $2 billion in market revenue annually, simultaneously providing tens of thousands of jobs in the United States alone. Still, the EPA sent a strong message to several aftermarket parts manufacturers, hitting Rexburg, Idaho's Premier Performance with fines totaling 3 Million dollars, along with filing a total of 31 civil enforcement cases against Performance Diesel, Punch it Performance, Freedom Performance, Diesel Power Products, plus several other shops the EPA did not believe were deserving of a public announcement but were also hit with harsh warnings and fines. The Chagrin Falls, OH exhaust pipe company, Stainless Steel Works, had said the EPA had visited their company and warned them not to sell any off-road versions of their header, exhaust, or downpipe systems without a catalytic converter. Stainless Steel Works has agreed and is now complying with the EPA's request.
The EPA has said they support motorsport culture at its core; however, on the other hand, they clearly can’t overlook aftermarket parts manufacturers and retail companies that sell parts and software that bypasses or deletes factory emissions technology on modern-day cars, trucks, and motorcycles even if those vehicles are being converted for the sole purpose of being used for off-road or at private institutions. EPA leadership refers to “nonroad vehicles and engines,” which might sound like a racecar or off road vehicle. Although that is not really the fact with CAA;
CAA clearly outlaws road vehicles being used just for high-performance competition or use at private facilities.
The U.S. Code defines a “nonroad vehicle” as “a vehicle that is powered by a nonroad engine, and that is not a motor vehicle or a vehicle used solely for competition.” A “nonroad engine”
can apply to any “an internal combustion engine (including the fuel system) that is not used in a motor vehicle or a vehicle used solely for competition" Therefore, the predicament is; unfortunately, you can’t convert a legally defined road vehicle that is emissions-compliant, to a legally defined, emissions-exempt, competition vehicle build for the sole purpose of being used at private locations without breaking federal law. Congress did pass legislation that exempted the destination of fully purpose build race cars but neglected to exempt any conversion process. SEMA has argued that the EPA's new stance is an scary overreach by the EPA. Not being able to legally convert old road vehicles to purpose-built track or off road vehicles would destroy almost all small grassroots motorsport seemingly overnight. Having to purpose-build a racecar or off road vehicle from scratch is incredibly hard and expensive, putting an abrupt end to thousands of people's amateur racing careers and hobbies as well as leaving them with an unusable high-priced vehicle that they are unable to sell.
The RPM Act is well-positioned to be passed into law in 2021; the bill made it past several major legislative obstacles in the previous Congress, including passage by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee plus several hearings in the House and Senate. SEMA has also been determined to get the backing of the "car enthusiast community." SEMA
has been heavily focused on promoting their cause through social media and other platforms to draw attention to their petition that SEMA believes will help them persuade Congress into passing the RPM act into law.
Although the EPA nevertheless argues, their new focus under CAA is necessary considering the state of the climate along with harmful and sometimes deadly contaminants floating around inside our atmosphere; the EPA believes this newly heightened focus on profoundly restricting motorsport will help push our society down a greener and healthier path. Many people still believe that motorsports are a very small part of a much bigger problem and that pales in comparison to many other much bigger carbon-emitting industries.


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Crypto enthusiasts expecting the Federal Reserve to issue its own token might have a wait ahead.
During a forum organized by the Swiss Institute of International Studies, Fed chief Jerome Powell said consumers were not “clamoring” for central bank-backed digital currencies (CBDC). “For us, (CBDC) raises substantial issues that we want to see resolved,” he said and pointed out a couple of problems with them.
CBDCs would need to be secure in cyberspace in order to prevent hackers from printing money at will he said. Another problem, according to Powell, was dismantling of a financial infrastructure with banks at the center, as intermediaries. “What will happen to intermediation?” he asked.
CBDCs hold the promise of connecting central banks directly to consumer accounts that hold tokens issued by them. The direct connection would take commercial banks out of the equation and may enable banks to monitor consumer spending and apply interest rates to the accounts.
But he held the door open for a Fed-issued token in the future. “I don’t want to sound like I am ruling it out,” he said.
Crypto Not a Good Idea: SNB Chief Jordan
Powell’s Swiss counterpart echoed similar thoughts about the introduction of CBDCs. “We do not believe it is a very good idea to have a central bank digital currency for the public at large exactly for the same reasons (as the Fed),” Swiss National Bank President Thomas Jordan said. He said Switzerland already had a very efficient payment infrastructure. In an earlier talk, he had said that CBDCs increased the possibility of a bank run.
Like Powell, he did not rule the introduction of CBDCs, however. It might occur if a new financial infrastructure is set up for digital assets, with banks trading the “new forms of securities” that require central bank “intervention”, he said. “It (issuance of CBDCs) is a very important very interesting question,” he said.
TSwitzerland is among the pioneers in crypto-related regulation. Several important cryptocurrencies have established headquarters in the country, including the Libra Association, Facebook’s cryptocurrency and blockchain venture.
Their comments come on the back of news that China’s Central Bank is readying to issue its own digital currency. The government of Marshall Islands, a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean, has also launched its own cryptocurrency.


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Ford Ford will debut January 9 before the upcoming North American International Motor Show in Detroit.
Ford will debut the sixth generation Explorer at a special event at Ford Field the week before the annual Detroit show, which will open for media on January 12.
It's not clear which versions of Explorer we want to see, but Ford is supposed to work on a performance-focused ST version of the SUV as well as regular trimmer. 19659004] SEE ALSO: 2020 Ford Mustang GT500 Leaks Outside the Dealer Meeting
2020 Explorer will share the new CD6 platform with 2020 Lincoln Aviator, recently featured on the LA Auto Show in 2018, and will also offer a version of Ford's 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine. 3.0 liter engine makes 400 hp in Aviator, so Explorer ST can have similar performance on print.
We also hear that Explorer will be offered with rear wheel drive, with Ford's choice to offer all-wheel drive as an alternative.
2020 Explorer is one of the two major Ford debuts to be scheduled for Detroit. The car manufacturer will also showcase the high-expected Mustang GT500 on the show, which is expected to produce over 700 hp from a supercharged V8 engine, giving the right to the 650vk Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Keep up-to-date for full details of 2020 Ford Explorer after the Detroit debut in just a few short weeks.
A version of this story originally appeared on All Ford Mustangs.


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Marketers should target the most active portions of their mailing lists when sending out content, an expert has advised.
Marketing specialist Helen Leggatt suggested that firms should pare down their direct marketing lists and select recipients they have communicated with most recently as these are the most likely to be engaged.
Writing in Biz Report, she urged marketers to avoid the temptation to maximise exposure via email so they can keep their delivery rates within normal ranges.
“It’s also wise to remember that consumers can be put off by an increased frequency of email, particularly during busy times when their inboxes are saturated with marketing messages,” Ms Leggatt said.
She added that if marketers always keep to their original frequency agreements, they can significantly reduce the risk of being reported for spamming.
According to marketing specialist Luc Vezina, choosing the right email marketing service provider and keeping mailing lists fresh are some of the key ways to improve deliverability rates and reduce hard bounced addresses from future mailings.
Posted by Daryl Jay, Business Development Director Sales, Industry News, General Marketing


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Wed, 26 Jan 2022 15:46:45 GMT
As a sponsor of Team Canada at the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, IGA has partnered with creative agency Sid Lee to create a new short animated film. Titled ‘The Athlete’, this 60 second message is the surprise follow-up to ‘The Trophy’ released in November of last year.
“As the official grocer of Team Canada, we are extremely proud to support, feed and help our athletes grow,” says Carl Pichette, vice-president of marketing for Quebec at Sobeys. "With this approach, we wanted to transcend the theme of surpassing oneself to show how much sharing a family passion, for both sports and food, can define an athlete's path in the pursuit of their Olympic and Paralympic dreams.”
“The challenge we gave ourselves a year ago was an ambitious one: create a traditional IGA holiday story that sets the stage for Team Canada sponsorship, while keeping the effect of the surprise a secret,” explains Julie Desrochers, creative director at Sid Lee. “Now that the second film has been released, we’re really looking forward to the public’s reaction.”
Recipes for Champions
This launch also marks the kick-off for the web series, ‘Recipes for Champions’, featuring Team Canada‘s athletes from Quebec Mikaël Kingsbury (freestyle skier), Mélodie Daoust (ice hockey player), Max Parrot (snowboarder), Laurent Dubreuil (speed skater) et Frédérique Turgeon (Para alpine skier).
Led by chef Stefano Faita, these five capsules present our athletes attempting to concoct a better version of a favourite childhood recipe, in a competition against their own parents. A fun pretext to discover the connections between family, food and elite sports.
Empire Company Limited and its family of brands will provide grocery cards to all qualified 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic athletes. This will ensure that the athletes can prepare all of their favourite recipes. The grocery cards can be redeemed for nutritious food at Empire banner stores, including IGA.
The IGA film ‘The Athlete’ is available to watch on the web, television, and on social media until February 20th, 2022. To watch ‘Recipes for Champions’ and the whole Feed the Dream campaign, visit here.view more - Creative
Client: Sobeys - Carl Pichette, Caroline Duhamel, Geneviève Gouin-Demers, Johanne Lescadre, Sandra Huynh, Julie Gendron, Frédérique Cyr-Labrie, David Auger-Simard, Karine Lebel, Pascaline Varin, Vincent Globensky, Catherine Gadbois
Agency: Sid Lee
Creative Direction: Alex Bernier (Film) David Lambert, Julie Desrochers and Olivier Valiquette (Recipes for Champions)
Creative Team: Mathieu Bouillon, Miriam Rondeau, Julie Desrochers, Krissi Campbell, Andréane Voyer, Sarah Lemire, Paul Gaspari (Film) and Pascal Gagnon, Alex Lachapelle, Andréane Voyer, Miriam Rondeau, Mathieu Bouillon, Krissi Campbell, Sarah Lemire (Recipes for Champions)
Production: Joannie Tellier, Carolyne Goyette, Magali Loiselle (Film), Rose Gauthier-Robitaille, Chanel Galipeau, Marie-Ly Cormier, Marie-Christine Toupin (Recipes for Champions)
Strategy: Pauline Rosen, Marilyse Dionne, Gonzague Mulot
Account Services Team: Geneviève Boulanger, Ariane Poitras, Catherine Savoie, Judith Dupuis, Khaled Antably
3D Production: Mathematic
Directors: Bertrand Bey, Marie-Julie Dallaire
Production: Alexandre Pagot, Jérémy Dumetre, Mathieu Taggart
CG Supervisor: Martin Trepeau
Audio & Music: Circonflex
Music: Mike Daigle, Olivier Girard, Paul-Étienne Côté
Sound Design: Pierre-Hugues Rondeau
Mix: Dominic Cabana
Recipes for Champions:
Director: David Tomassini
Editing and Motion Design: Sid Lee
Colorisation and Online: Chop chop Films
Media: Carat - Maryse Archambault, Annie Forget, Simon Garneau, Nathalie Bilodeau, Jessica St-Gelais Lapointe
Genres: Animation, Storytelling
Categories: Retail and Restaurants , SupermarketsSid Lee, Wed, 26 Jan 2022 15:46:45 GMT


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IDC just published its summary of PC shipments for calendar year 2012. Continuing their inexorable decline, sales of PCs in the United States and worldwide continued to fall in the fourth quarter: 4Q 2012 U.S. shipments were down 3.6 percent from a year earlier; 4Q worldwide PC shipments fell 6.4 percent in the same period. That latter figure compares to a projected decline of 4.4 percent -- not good news at all. Recent reports from market researchers NPD DisplaySearch and Canalys show similar declines.
If you're of the "glass is half-full" persuasion, you can look at the bright side: Full-year 2012 sales of PCs worldwide topped 352 milion units, which is just 3.2 percent less than the same figure for 2011. OK, so maybe the glass is a third full.
Important note: Those IDC sales figures include desktop PCs, laptops, and netbooks, but they don't include servers, tablets such as Android and iOS devices, or handheld devices like smartphones. The report doesn't say whether the numbers include Windows 8 and/or Windows RT tablets.
I expect we'll soon see sales numbers broken out differently. Reporting organizations such as IDC, StatCounter, and Net Applications will have to figure out a way to bring iPads and Android tablets onto the books, as Canalys has begun to do, or come up with a convincing reason why Windows RT and perhaps some Windows 8 tablets don't make their artificial cut.
If you throw iPads and Android tablets into the mix, the whole picture turns topsy-turvy. Canalys says:
Combined shipments of desktops, netbooks, and notebooks showed a year-on-year decline of around 10 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, as consumers favored Android and iOS tablets over Wintel-based PCs. Microsoft and Intel will suffer further, with the Wintel PC market share expected to decline from 72 percent in 2012 to 65 percent in 2013. This will represent a 5 percent decline in unit shipments, largely due to the poor outlook for notebook sales.
NPD's DisplaySearch group predicts that tablet shipments will exceed notebook shipments this year.
Will Windows RT jump in to save the day? Not likely. Neowin just reported that Samsung is giving up plans to peddle its Ativ Windows RT tablet in the United States -- and it may throw in the towel on the tablet worldwide.
I still hold out some hope for the Surface with Windows 8 Pro, particularly if it ships with the new 7-watt i5 chip from Intel, which would extend the battery life to as much as 10 hours (at the rumored expense of lower clock speeds) and if it comes with a larger SSD. But those are ifs; the reality could be not so pretty: Windows Supersite superstar Paul Thurrott -- who's been tweeting authoritatively about the Surface Pro, almost as if he has one in hand -- says, "Surface Pro gets a hair over five hours of battery life." That's not a comforting thought for Surface zealots.
This story, "The new PC sales numbers look grim," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Get the first word on what the important tech news really means with the InfoWorld Tech Watch blog. For the latest developments in business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.


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With a bearish market, the canine-themed meme coin Dogecoin suffered a serious decline in buying and selling quantity. Investor curiosity additionally dramatically waned beginning December 2021.
Additional, there was an enormous 66% droop in buying and selling quantity from January to March of 2021. Issues bought even worse in February when Russia invaded Ukraine.
Recommended Studying | Dogecoin (DOGE) Jumps 30% After Elon Musk Buys Twitter
DOGE Slumps from 2021
In January this 12 months, Dogecoin’s buying and selling quantity was at $33.51 billion. Comparatively, the buying and selling quantity in February 2022 dropped additional to $22.44 billion.
The buying and selling value of Dogecoin began at $0.1705 on January 1 and this closed Q1 at $0.1378. That could be a almost 20% drop between DOGE’s opening and shutting value within the first quarter. At present, the DOGE value has dropped by 3.1% with a buying and selling quantity of $0.13569.
DOGE is now ranked eleventh among the many high 20 cryptocurrencies, with a market cap of $18 billion. (Picture credit score: The Scotsman)
When the Bitcoin value declines (BTC is down at 4.4% at present), its friends or different altcoins additionally endure a serious drop. Name it a domino impact of kinds. Bitcoin together with different crypto tokens are down for fairly a while as buyers are feeling the agitation with the tightening plans by the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Dogecoin – The Strongest Meme Coin
Dogecoin was one of many strongest cryptocurrencies final 12 months recording an all-time excessive and taking pictures up at $0.7376 in Could 2021. DOGE is on the highest 20 cryptocurrencies thus far or on the 11th spot with a market cap ticking at $18 billion.
With the help of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban, Dogecoin is certainly not operating out of gasoline when it comes to reputation, market cap, and provide. Nonetheless, DOGE’s limitless provide additionally occurs to be its Achilles’ heel due to inflation points.
DOGE whole market cap at $20.10 billion on the weekend chart | Supply: TradingView.com
The bearish stress has pressed on the DOGE value placing it method beneath the crucial stage or at $0.12. This value conduct occurs when it strikes quick because it runs on empty. This might set off a flash crash that would go beneath the $0.09 stage.
DOGE’s Bullish Reversal
Nonetheless, this disequilibrium or nice disruption can imply one factor. DOGE might be as much as the next reversion. And Musk changing into the brand new proprietor of Twitter may flip issues round for the most well-liked meme-inspired coin.
Not everybody feels bullish, particularly with a meme coin but when it’s a DOGE then you’re betting on one of the crucial strong digital tokens round. With a bullish reversal, folks ought to positively prepare for DOGE to soar.
Recommended Studying | Bitcoin (BTC) Dips Under $40,000 Over Ukraine And Risk Of Fed Charge Hike
Featured picture from Coingape, chart from TradingView.com


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MILAN — Italian eyewear giant Luxottica SpA on Thursday reported record annual sales and a 20 percent jump in net income as consumers continued to buy its premium glasses and as continued investments in its portfolio and retail business paid off.
In a statement released after the close of the Milan stock exchange, the company said 2012 revenues grew by 13.9 percent on 2011 (7.5 percent at constant exchange rates), reaching 7.1 billion euros, or $9.1 billion. Net income for the period was 541.7 million euros, or $693.4 million.
Luxottica said the board will recommend paying out a cash dividend of 0.58 euro cents, or 74 cents, a share, equivalent to a total payout of some 273.5 million euros, or $350.1 million, about half of 2012 net income.
The company, based in the northeastern Italian town of Agordo, attained record free cash flow “in excess” of 700 million euros, or $896 million, following “strict control over working capital,” chief executive Andrea Guerra said.
Dollar amounts have been converted at average exchange rates for the periods to which they refer.
The company — which owns brands including Ray Ban, Oakley, Oliver Peoples and Persol and produces under license for top names including Giorgio Armani, Coach, Prada and Ralph Lauren — is positive about the current year despite the still-fragile global economy.
“The start of 2013 has been particularly positive and we are looking with confidence to the coming months,” Guerra said.
He also said the company’s strong premium positioning and retail reach — along with favorable demographic trends, especially in emerging markets — as well as the “continued evolution of accessories in the premium segment” meant that Luxottica could “look forward to the future with great optimism and determination.”
The company — the world’s largest producer of eyewear — said it expects “double-digit growth in the premium and luxury segments” in 2013, and added that the renewed partnership with Giorgio Armani, which became operational earlier this year, “represents another major step in this growth plan.”
Tight control over costs and its strong premium portfolio helped Luxottica drive operating income in 2012 to just over 1.0 billion euros, or $1.3 billion, up 22.3 percent on the previous year. The operating margin increased to 14.2 percent over the period compared with 12.2 percent in 2011.
Luxottica said it was looking to expand its retail exposure to emerging markets, with a special focus on Southeast Asia, “specifically in Indonesia and Thailand, where it plans to develop a direct presence.”
Emerging markets posted 26 percent sales growth, at constant exchange rates, last year, making them a “key contributor” to growth.
Also the company said it would continue to invest by expanding both its specialty- store chains in the optical segment, through LensCrafters and OPSM, and in the sun segment, where it is already the global leader, through Sunglass Hut.
The eyewear giant pointed to new sales channels, like department stores and travel retail outlets, as important future sales drivers, especially for sunglasses.
Looking a bit further ahead, Guerra said certain socio-economic trends were likely to play to Luxottica’s advantage, including “evolving demographic changes in the global population, overall penetration of products in both developed and emerging markets and a shift in demand towards premium and luxury brands, especially in the so-called ‘gateway and megacities’ and high-potential channels such as travel retail and department stores.”
Pointing to the still-vast possibilities in the global eyewear industry, Guerra said that over the next 10 years, “approximately 500 million additional individuals will be characterized as vision-correction wearers and a total of 4.8 billion individuals will continue to require some form of vision correction.”
For the fourth quarter, Luxottica posted net sales of 1.6 billion euros, or $2.1 billion, up 8.2 percent on the year-earlier period, and a 19 percent jump in net income to 77 million euros, or $100.1 million.
@tradesy is turning the concept of a showroom upside down with its new space in Santa Monica. Here, the company plans to hold events, art exhibits and a showcase rare fashion pieces like this Louis Vuitton boxing set. Get all the details on Tradesy’s first showroom on WWD.com. #wwdnews
Spotted last night at the @erdem x @hm launch event: Kate Bosworth, Rashida Jones, Kirsten Dunst and Selma Blair. The party, which took place in LA, also marked the opening of their pop-up shop. “I was interested in creating a collection that wasn’t in any way disposable. It was about pieces you’d create and keep forever, things that have a permanence to it,” designer Erdem Moralioglu said. #wwdeye (📷: Katie Jones)
Renee Zellweger in yellow in 2001 and again in 2017. Chosen as one of the 12 @pantone Leading Spring Colors (and dubbed “Meadowlark”), it only makes sense that the bright hue stands the test of time and is making a resurgence this season, seen already on stars like @blakelively and @gigihadid. (📷: Donato Sardello & @rexfeatures) #wwdfashion #tbt
Dior’s 70th anniversary celebration continues with a new exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. “Christian Dior,” which is scheduled to run through March 18, takes a look at the founders tenure from 1947 to 1057 and feature 40 designs. Pictured here is an evening gown from the Ailée, fall 1948-49 haute couture collection. #wwdfashion (📷: Brian Boyle)
As one of the most recognizable models in the world, Christy Turlington Burns has an insider’s view of the fashion industry and the allegations of sexual harassment swirling around it. “I can say that harassment and mistreatment have always been widely known and tolerated in the industry. The industry is surrounded by predators who thrive on the constant rejection and loneliness so many of us have experiences at some point in our careers,” Turlington told WWD, along with her suggestions for how the modeling world should protect younger women and men. Read more on WWD.com. Link in bio. (📷: Tony Palmieri) #wwdnews
@asics America has tapped a new brand ambassador: famed DJ/record producer @steveaoki. This initiative is intended to set the tone for the new brand identity and philosophy and will include partnerships with influencers and in-store and off-line activations that will continue into next year. This is Asics’ most significant marketing effort in two decades, and is expected to attract younger consumers to the brand. #wwdfashion
24-year-old Jean Prounis is redefining the rules of jewelry. Formerly a studio assistant to Jemima Kirke and a design apprentice at Ghuran, she focuses on handcrafted subtleties and ancient goldsmithing techniques. “There was a really sterile feel in the environment and I wanted to have jewelry with character that shapes how you wear it everyday,” Prounis said. Each piece is hand made in New York, either by Prounis or three other jewelers in the district. #wwdfashion
“These collections continue to build on that vision, empowering differently abled adults to express themselves through fashion,” said @tommyhilfiger of his line of adaptive apparel, which launches today. The line consists of 37 men’s and 34 women’s styles based upon the pieces from the spring Tommy Hilfiger sportswear collection. #wwdnews


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Mr Armani speaks about Bulgari’s new ownership and the posibility to create a luxury Italian pole
In an interview to Italian media referring to Bulgari’s new ownership, Santo Versace, Chairman of Altagamma, the association of Italian luxury brands, said that Giorgio Armani is the last major Italian brand which can create a pole of Italian luxury brands, thus protecting not only ”Made in Italy” but also Italian luxury brands remaining in Italian ownership.
Mr Giorgio Armani said in a recent interview that he still has a lot to do within his own group before considering creating such a pole. Asked what he thought of the recent sale of Bulgari to LVMH, Mr Armani said he felt sad and at the same time warned that large luxury conglomerates such as LVMH, despite their large ”collection” of brands, continue to make money on one or two major brands, which, in many cases hardly surpass the turnovers of independent brands such as Prada, Hermes, Armani or Ralph Lauren.
Giorgio Armani Group has had a positive performance in 2010, reaching a turnover of 2,2 billion euros. Yet, Mr Armani advises that it is not necessarily size which matters when dealing with major competitors in luxury, but rather a coherent strategy and honesty towards consumers which have a defining long term effect.
Asked why Italian companies did not create luxury groups such as LVMH and PPR (Gucci Group), Mr Armani said that most of the large Italian brands have been focusing, otherwise, rightfully, on their own development, rather than forming groups. He also added that his company has been undergong major changes in management and operations, to ensure optimal functioning even after he will be gone.


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Wikipedia fixes 9 million broken links thanks to the Internet Archive
You won't lose an important web source to the ravages of time.
Facebook promises to delete unpublished videos
These videos should already have been gone.
Internet Archive is saving all your favorite handheld LCD games
You can play them in your web browser right now.
Nintendo's Miiverse lives on in a giant internet archive
The unofficial Archiverse holds hundreds of millions of posts.
Instagram is testing a lot of new features, including a repost button
It’s also testing Story archives, GIF searches and an iOS beta app.
HP lost key historical archives in California's wildfires
It compounds an ongoing human tragedy.
BBC is putting hundreds of classic TV programmes on iPlayer
Watch old shows featuring Theroux, Attenborough, Frost, and more.
British Library exhibit to highlight the sounds it’s fighting to save
"Listen: 140 Years of Recorded Sound" runs from October 6th to March 11th next year.
Neil Young prepares a giant online archive for his music
Naturally, it'll tie into his streaming music service.


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Kate Moss gets Midas’s touch for $2.75 million
When you utter impressive gilded words like “someone is worth his/her weight in gold,” you have to wonder how much that actually adds up to in hard cash. Well, now Kate Moss knows the value of her weight in gold, as British sculptor Marc Quinn is all set to unveil his latest creation of a $2.75 million (£ 1.5 million) solid gold statue of this supermodel. Touted to be the golden gal of the fashion industry, Kate weighs about 110 pounds in her dazzling statuette form. Quinn is the same artist who shaped the Sphinx, a painted bronze statue of Moss in a somewhat provocative yoga pose. Dubbed Siren, his new golden girl is supposed to be the largest gold statue since the ancient Egyptian era. Scheduled to be on display from October 4th through January 25th, you can book your flight to London to catch a glimpse of gilded Kate Moss at Nereid Gallery of the British Museum.
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While cars today are safer
than ever, automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for
teenagers. In 2010 seven teens between the ages of 16 and 19 died every
day on average from motor vehicle injuries. To help combat this
disturbing trend, Toyota has partnered with Teen Vogue to promote "Arrive in Style,"
a safe driving campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted
driving among teenage girls and inspire them to make...
Fancy a dash of performance in your luxury sedan? Jaguar has just the thing for you! They have added two models, the 2014 Jaguar XJR Sedan and the track-ready Jaguar XKR-S GT Coupe, to their R performance
lineup to bring the total to six dynamic models. The two new high
performance models will join the expanding Jaguar lineup on display that
includes All Wheel Drive sedans and the exciting Jaguar F-TYPE Convertible, which goes on sale this summer.
Americans clamor for luxury wagons, and Volvo's
V60 sports wagon will soon hit the shores of the US to meet the demand.
Doug Speck, Volvo Cars' senior vice president of marketing, sales and
customer service, made the announcement at the 2013 New York International Auto Show, indicating the new V60 will come to the U.S. market in early 2014.
V60 R-Design displayed during the Auto Show marks the global debut of
Can you believe that the Mustang
is approaching 50 years old? That means that the Ford Mustang will soon
become the newest member of a very exclusive club - vehicles in
continuous production for 50 years. To help mark this amazing milestone,
50 companies will partner with Ford to sell products including watches, T-shirts, model cars,
and more that celebrate the Mustang's first 50 years. "During its first
49 years of production, Mustang has come...
Nissan has something unique to share at Auto Shanghai 2013
with the global unveiling of their new concept car, Friend-ME, on April
20. Chinese designers working at Nissan Design China in Beijing were
fully engaged in the design and development process of Friend-ME, which
features a unique center console that allows "Four Seats, One Mind
Connectivity" - equal information sharing among all aboard. Friend-ME is
designed for the vibrant, young generation in China, one of most...
Porsche has electrified its already exciting Panamera sedan by rolling out the groundbreaking Panamera S E-Hybrid.
Not only is the S E-Hybrid the first plug-in hybrid from Porsche, it is
the first luxury level plug-in hybrid period. But because
it's a Porsche, performance is mandatory. The Panamera S E-Hybrid
claims a 0-60 mph time of 5.2 seconds, and can hit up to 84 mph over its
20 mile electric-only range. This model is also the only Panamera to
use an 8-speed Tiptronic transmission, as opposed to Porsche's 7-speed
PDK dual-clutch gearbox.
The all-new third-generation 2014 Toyota Highlander mid-size SUV made its world debut last week at the 2013 New York Auto Show.
With three-row seating for up to eight, an array of standard features, a
host of available in-cabin technologies, and increased cargo capacity,
the new Highlander will offer a balance of style, comfort and utility.
engineers raised the bar on interior design for the mid-size SUV
segment by adding even more refinement and functionality...
It's about time! Subaru has finally unveiled its first-ever production hybrid vehicle, the Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid. Based on the popular XV Crosstrek crossover introduced for 2013, the 2014 XV Crosstrek Hybrid model is scheduled to arrive at Tom Wood Subaru
near the end of this year. When the XV Crosstrek Hybrid goes on sale it
will be the most fuel-efficient and lowest-emission AWD hybrid
crossover in America.
The all-new Range Rover Sport
was revealed to the world last week on the streets of Manhattan, driven
by none other than James Bond himself- Daniel Craig. Following an
historic drive through the city, the vehicle was revealed at the New
York Auto Show. As Land Rover and Range Rover devotees well know, the
Range Rover Sport is the ultimate premium sports SUV, and this new
incarnation is the fastest, most agile and responsive Land...


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Free to play Valerian Universe pays its players with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for their efforts in the virtual world. The space strategy game can be played on all devices including laptops, iPhones, iPads, and Android devices.
The People’s Bank of China explained that it would begin blacklisting exchanges that would continue violating the regulations.
Online retailer started selling company shares via its trading platform, thus becoming the first publicly traded company to issue securities on the blockchain.
The peer-to-peer digital currency exchange platform Unichange.me has now made it much simpler to order Bitcoin cards from its platform.
The Judge rejected a bid by Anthony Murgio who tried to prove that bitcoin does not qualify as “funds”.
Ethereum Classic now takes the sixth position in the list of cryptocurrencies with the largest market capitalization.
Britain has made its decision in favor of leaving the EU, which stimulated another increase of bitcoin price.
The news doesn’t mean any possible inconvenience for developers as Valve will employ a third-party Bitcoin processor.
Coinsecure focuses on establishment of reliable bitcoin trading platform and promotion of the cryptocurrency to Indian users.
BitPay’s chief executive expressed his view on how to solve the problem of bitcoin block size limit.
Satoshi Nakamoto is a creator of Bitcoin protocol and the software Bitcoin-Qt. However, it is not clear whether he is a person or group of persons.
The first real estate has been acquired for digital currency in Denmark.
RSCoin, developed in cooperation with two researchers from the University College of London, allows central banks maintaining complete control over monetary supply while providing strong transparency and auditability guarantees.


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Inflation in the United Kingdom has hit a near four-year high as the Brexit-weakened pound filters through the economy.
But the pound recovered some of the losses it suffered in the wake of last week's general election, as rising inflation signals the Bank of England will not raise interest rates.
The rising cost of living puts a squeeze on consumers, who are already facing further political uncertainty due to the result of last week's general election in which the Conservatives failed to win an overall majority.
That's bad news for businesses here selling into the UK market.
But it also adds to pressure on the Bank of England, even if it does not raise interest rates over the next three years, to hold off with any more injections of cash into the economy for fear further weakness of the pound and higher inflation.
"Under normal circumstances the Bank of England would probably have a bit of leeway to raise interest rates.
"But given the political uncertainty, especially surrounding the Brexit negotiations and the hung parliament, but also the slower GDP growth that we saw in Q1, that will probably deter an interest rate rise anytime soon," senior economist Oliver Kolodseike of the London-based Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) told the Irish Independent.
Sterling dipped back under 88 pence against the euro yesterday. The impact of the fall in the pound since last year's Brexit vote made itself felt as the higher costs of foreign holidays and of imported computer games and equipment helped push up consumer prices by 2.9pc year-on-year.
That was its biggest annual increase since June 2013, the Office for National Statistics said.
Rising costs will do little to boost consumer confidence, and data due out today is expected to show that wage growth isn't keeping pace with inflation.
The ONS figures come just a day after data showed that consumer spending in the UK fell for the first time in almost four years last month, signalling shoppers are growing more cautious and adding to fears that the economy there is cooling.
If British shoppers buy less, buffeted as they are by rising inflation, that's bad news for Irish exporters selling their wares into the UK market.
Brexit has already had an impact, as goods exports plummeted by almost half a billion euro last year, on the back of the Brexit-induced weakness in the pound.
Sterling weakened again after last week's inconclusive election result and businesses have said the election result risks paralysing the government at a time when it is meant to be negotiating a smooth exit from the EU.
Mr Kolodseike said that while the pound did recover slightly on the back of the inflation data, it could see-saw over the short term until a new UK government is formed.
"The Fed is meeting [today} and if the federal reserve decides to rise interest rates, which is widely expected, that could strengthen the dollar and weaken the pound further. So they are all factors that factor into the equation, but once there is a bit more clarity on the government and Brexit negotiations, then we expect the pound to strengthen a little bit, but until then, there could still be a bit of volatility."
Paul Hollingsworth, an economist with Capital Economics, said he believed the data showed the drop in the pound has fed through into inflation more quickly than expected.


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Wal-Mart to start selling iPhone. Maybe.
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
The secret is out. Well, kind of. A Wal-Mart employee in Uniondale, N.Y., told the Associated Press today that the store will indeed soon begin selling Apple’s iPhone. Now various sources are reporting that Wal-Mart is ‘confirmed’ to be selling the iPhone, making it the second retail chain after Best Buy to sell the phones.
Wal-Mart spoils the fun by saying it has ‘made no official announcement regarding the iPhone at Wal-Mart,’ which is still vague enough to keep us all wondering.
The big question, of course, is whether the iPhone will indeed cost $99 at Wal-Mart, as was reported by some sources last week. Most consumers would be pretty happy about a $99 iPhone, especially with the economy looking pretty bleak. But would it be a good idea for Apple?
Well, yeah, industry insiders say. Now that people don’t have quite as much money to spend, they’re going to be extra careful not to blow all their money on a smart phone if they don’t need one. And then there are all of those iPhone killers, including the Blackberry Storm, that run on networks that aren’t AT&T, tempting smart-phone buyers. The $99 iPhone could be Apple’s way to fight back.
Don’t plan to make a $99 iPhone your gift for Mom and Dad and Fluffy the Cat though. If they are indeed appearing at Wal-Mart, they probably won’t go on sale ‘til a few days after Christmas.
-- Alana Semuels


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The race to who will be the first to launch 5G connectivity in India has heated up over the past couple of months.
The race to who will be the first to launch 5G connectivity in India has heated up over the past couple of months. From state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei, and almost everyone in between, a lot of partnerships, promises and R&D is already underway.
What is 5G?
In an attempt to quench the consumer’s thirst for the speediest internet connection, the telecom industry has been constantly striving to evolve and improve tech. To start with, the “G” stands for “generation,” and the first generation of wireless connectivity began in the early 1990s with 1G. Over the years, with improvements in technology, rising acceptance of wireless connectivity and increasing consumer expectations, each generation of this wireless tech has seen improvements but both connectivity and speed.
Like 3G and 4G, 5G is also an attempt to improve wireless connectivity, with an eye to keeping in step with the rising penetration of mobile devices and mobile internet all over the world. In fact, according to Gartner, there will be 20.8 billion devices connecting to the internet by 2020. And we aren’t very far away from that prediction, given that there already are an estimated 6.4 billion devices connected to the internet worldwide in 2017.
Coming back to the 5th generation of wireless broadband, this technology will operate at 5Ghz, with the ability to offer speeds of up to 1GB per second for multiple connections. With 5G mobile SIM internet already being in testing stages across several developed countries, various companies in India are now in a race to bring this technology to our nation. In fact, BSNL has gone so far as to state that it will start 5G trials in India as early as March 2018, while adding that this tech could offer speeds that are 15 times faster than 4G.
Contenders for the Finish Line
At the India Mobile Congress 2017, held in New Delhi from September 27 to 29, China-based Huawei talked about the work it has done so far for the commercial launch of a 5G network in India, along with some other developed countries across the world. Huawei began its R&D into 5G as early as 2009 and expects to invest nearly ₹3,928 crores in this technology by 2018.
Huawei India’s CEO, Jay Chen stated, “The 5G era is approaching, and we are confident that 5G deployment in India will happen in line with global timeline.” In addition, Peter Zhai, President of Huawei India’s Consumer Business Group said, “Huawei will be the number one company to push out 5G phones and infrastructure in India when the 5G network is ready.”
In collaboration with Bharti Airtel, Huawei has recently launched India’s very first Massive Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna technology, which has the potential to improve spectrum efficiency, six- to ten-fold. It will also meaningfully reduce networking costs, while improving intensive coverage as well as user experience.
The reason Huawei is a strong contender in the 5G race is that the company has already released its 5G-based “mobile bearer solution,” X-Haul, in India in August. This solution will help Indian operators create and provide end-to-end 5G services.
On the other hand, our very own BSNL has entered into a partnership with Coriant, a US-based telecom company, to map out the road to both 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) implementation in India. With the help of Coriant, BSNL aims to innovate on network architecture as well as services, with a focus on 5G, IoT and SDN/NFV (Software Defined Networking/ Network Functions Virtualisation), along with mobile edge computing.
In addition, BSNL is also in talks with Nokia, Larsen & Tubro and HP to provide the end devices that would be compatible with 5G.
Not to be left behind, India’s largest telecom operators, including Reliance Jio, Airtel, Idea Cellular and Vodafone, are also working on bringing 5G to India, by gearing up to introduce massive MIMO technology in the country, which is a pre-requisite for the functioning of 5G connectivity. These telecom operators expect to embed massive MIMO into their respective networks by 2020, starting with deploying this tech first on their 4G networks.
With the race heating up and BSNL promising to have the ability to start a trial run by the end of this financial year, India seems all set to see a whole new era of high-speed connectivity.


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EL PASO COUNTY — All the shopping done nationwide on Black Friday is the subject of a new report, which claims around 80% of everything purchased will end up in a landfill, incinerated, or as low-quality recycling. News 5 met with those from the El Paso County Household Hazardous Waste Facility to learn more about what can and cannot be recycled related to holiday shopping.
Those with the El Paso County Household Hazardous Waste Facility said that not everything can be recycled. They contract with Waste Management, and use their guidelines for what they accept at their drop-off center. It's one of only two recycling drop-off centers in the county, and it's free to the public as long as a person registers with the program and is either a resident of El Paso or Teller Counties. "Certainly the cardboard, you know the types of plastics that are recyclable, the TVs, if you buy a new TV and you have a small one, you can bring it here or make sure you get it recycled because it is banned from the landfill," said Kathy Andrew, who has been the El Paso County Community Services Department Environmental Division Manager for around 15 years.
The facility only accepts plastics that have been used as food or beverage containers, but they must be cleaned. "Unfortunately if we get a lot of [food] contamination in our bin then they'll haul the bin to the landfill and charge me an extra fee," said Andrew.
Andrew said the problem with packaging is a conversation to be had with manufacturers as well. "There is the Product Stewardship Council, and they're trying to work with manufacturers to try decrease packaging and that kind of thing, it's just a long road," said Andrew.
Here's a list from Waste Management regarding what holiday goods they accept:
News 5 also spoke with one smaller business, which advocated for shopping locally this holiday season as a way to cut down on the waste. "It takes a long time for clothes to break down, you throw them away they're staying for a long time," said Tina Schwaner, the owner of Frayla, which she described as a socially responsible boutique.
Schwaner said she researches all of the goods she sells before putting them into the store, and proceeds from the sales go toward things like helping people overseas, helping clean the ocean, or supporting local artisans. "I worry about it, you dont have to worry about it, everything here gives back or does something good, you just come and shop and it happens," said Schwaner.
Those behind Small Business Saturday said it's a way to support our economy, because they said small businesses are the biggest contributor to local employment. "Be aware of where they're buying, what they're buying and where it came from," said Aikta Marcoulier, the Executive Director of the Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center.
Small Business Saturday is November 30, with a number of shops participating. To learn more, visit this link.


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The iPhones sales are slowing, so are the iPads and the Macs. And the Apple Watch business is still quite young and not yet proven as the next big thing. Apple Music is nice, but no one cares. And Apple TV is still trying to create content distribution deals to become a more valuable box in the home.
So what does Apple do next? Do they really want to build their own car or would they be better off licensing their technology into other car companies? Do they want to shift from content distributor to content creator and acquire a media company like Viacom? Do they want to expand further into the cloud and enterprise space and consider buying a company like Microsoft, if such a move could get government approvals? What will the next iteration of Apple be?
The car business seems to be on their radar although I would prefer they license their technology to others or offer their Siri and Music services in a subscription model like Sirius; perhaps a Sirius acquisition might be a nice alternative to their expansion in the auto industry. The entertainment business is quite fickle. And owning a content network might make it harder to build a fully aggregated Apple TV business. Is a Netflix acquisition too rich for their blood? The cloud and enterprise space could be more lucrative as Apple products are more embraced in commercial and industrial spaces. Microsoft may not be interested in a merger but maybe IBM might listen to a bigger future together.
What is clear is that Apple has the dollars and the resources to build its next new thing. It continues to make a nice revenue and profit each quarter, but as growth in its mainstay products slow, it needs to expand into new spaces. Change is coming and Apple needs to continue to evolve and change too.