text:
Water supplier hit by breakdown, supply chain ‘nightmare’
Raw material hikes of up to 100% create price rise pressure
Shipping costs branded ‘insane’, supply chain is ‘bonkers’
By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
A Bahamian bottled water supplier has endured "an horrendous June" after equipment failure and a "bonkers" supply chain cut production for the month by 40 percent.
Christian Knowles, Aquapure's chief of operations, told Tribune Business he was "crossing my fingers" that output will return to regular levels today following what he described as "a nightmare" four weeks due to the company losing up to 2,000-3,000 units of production per day.
He revealed that one of the company's "worst months" was sparked when the machine that "blows" all its five-gallon bottles broke down, forcing it to scour the globe for a replacement part. While able to source one fairly rapidly, Mr Knowles said it was located in COVID lockdown-hit China and, despite paying for priority air freight, it became stuck in DHL's warehouse there for two weeks before finally reaching the US state of Ohio on Friday.
Optimistic that the replacement part will reach Aquapure's Bernard Road headquarters today, he added that Aquapure's traditional back-up supply of five-gallon bottles - sourced from the Dominican Republic - had also become entangled in the global supply chain backlogs that have built-up post-pandemic.
Mr Knowles added that bottles acquired from that Caribbean nation were now taking up to 12 days to reach The Bahamas, further worsening the bottled water manufacturer's June production woes. However, such a shipment had just arrived when he spoke to this newspaper, and he expressed confidence that Aquapure would be able to resume sending out "fully loaded" trucks of five-gallon bottles to its depots and clients over the weekend.
Revealing that it previously had to "ration" some delivery routes to ensure customers received "something", Mr Knowles said he was "kind of reluctant" to calculate what the financial impact and loss will be while describing it as "significant".
And, under pressure from "insane" freight shipping rates and raw material cost increases from suppliers, he disclosed that Aquapure may soon have to discuss internally whether it will have to raise prices to Bahamian consumers which is "the last thing we want to do" given the present cost of living crisis.
Affirming that "every single one" of Aquapure's raw material suppliers have increased their prices, some by as much as 100 percent with the average around 40 percent, Mr Knowles said the price for a 40-foot container from China had near-tripled compared to pre-COVID levels.
"We've had a drop in the supply of our five gallon bottles for a few reasons," he told this newspaper. "Our machine broke down about almost four weeks ago, and I've been waiting for a part from China. It blows all my five-gallon bottles. But China has these rolling lockdowns because of its zero COVID policy.
"Once I finally got the part, it was amazing to get it shipped to us. The DHL warehouse had so many lockdowns that goods were piling up. I paid $700 something to get a priority space, fast air freight, and it stayed there for 14 days. It's in Ohio now. It got to Ohio [last Thursday]. I was hoping to get it on Friday, but it was still in Ohio. It's a nightmare."
The machine failure's impact was worsened by the problems encountered with alternative suppliers, Mr Knowles explained. "We do have some emergency supply avenues for five-gallon bottles. We get it from the Dominican Republic. But the logistics from the Dominican Republic is also a complete mess as well," he revealed.
"It used to take ten days, six days if you caught the boat right, but now it takes 12 days. The good news is a shipment of five-gallon bottles just came in. They're at my loading dock, we're about to get them cleared with Customs, and then we can start cleaning and filling those bottles until 9pm-10pm tonight. I was so excited when I saw those containers pull up.
"Hopefully we will be back on track by Monday and be able to give full truck loads to go out over the weekend. Hopefully we get the part Monday [today] and fix the machine. We do see some light at the end of the tunnel, and we should be pretty good next week. But June was an horrendous month, one of the worst months we've had in a long time, because of supply."
Mr Knowles told Tribune Business that the machinery and supply chain woes had combined to slash Aquapure's production by 40 percent compared to normal levels. "I'm down on five-gallon bottles by 2,000 to 3,000 units a day," he revealed, "and we move a whole lot this time of year because it's summer. We've been down to 60 percent of what we normally do at this time of year.
"My smaller packaged water has not been affected by the supply chain, but we've had to ration our routes just to get everybody something [on the five gallons]. We had to make that decision. In terms of jumping through the hoops and lost production, when you're talking about losing the movement of more than 2,000 units a day, 3,000 in some cases, that's money out the door that you won't recoup. If you don't sell product that day, you cannot pick it up the next day.
"It's been a tough June. It's been a really big problem, and it's kind of significant in terms of the financial impact. I'm kind of reluctant to add it all up. I want to keep moving forward. Sometimes you have to take a licking and keep moving forward. There's hard times, but if you keep moving to solve problems, solve the issues, that's pretty much the singular focus you should have."
Tribune Business visited two water depots last week that had run dry of Aquapure five-gallon bottles. In a Facebook message to customers, the bottled water supplier explained: "Due to ongoing global supply chain issues, we recently experienced a dip in our ability to make and source new, empty five gallon bottles.
"However, we now have a resolution in sight and should be back to normal production levels by early next week. For those who may have experienced a delay in your five-gallon water deliveries, we apologise and thank you for your understanding."
Aquapure's production issues hit amid growing inflationary pressures that are challenging the company's ability to continue absorbing rising input costs, forcing it to mull whether price increases to consumers may be warranted if the situation persists for much longer.
"In some cases, for some of my raw materials, they've gone up 100 percent," Mr Knowles told Tribune Business. "I'd say across-the-board there's been an average 40 percent increase, but some have gone up 100 percent and that's just raw materials.
"We have an issue. Everybody raises prices on us, all my suppliers, every single one and, in some cases, significantly. How are we supposed to raise our prices to the end user? Water is a necessity, it's a necessary commodity. How am I supposed to propose price increases for our customers? We've absorbed most, if not all of that, so far."
Mr Knowles said Aquapure is focused on producing "a quality product with quality processes", meaning it is not the cheapest product on the market. "We're a large enough company to absorb some of that," he added of rising input costs, "but a prolonged period of that is not sustainable, and not conducive to our long-term future.
"The last thing we want to do is raise prices to customers. You guys are our boss, you guys pay our bills. We've done everything we can to put in more efficiency and minimise costs as best we can so we can absorb higher freight rates and costs, but at this point we're seriously looking at pricing. We may have no choice; that's the difficult decision we face now. The larger the financial burden is, the bigger the internal discussion."
Shipping freight rates, Mr Knowles said, had seen just as steep an increase as raw material costs. He revealed that Aquapure's Texas-based resin supplier had been quoted a 60 percent freight rise by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) despite possessing an existing contract with it.
Branding freight rates "insane", Mr Knowles said a 40-foot container containing five-gallon water bottle "pre-forms" had once cost $6,000-$6,800 to ship from China but the last two sourced from that nation cost $17,000 apiece - almost triple the price. He added that a colleague of his who sells machinery had been quoted $30,000 for a similar sized container from China last year.
"To see what's happening with the global supply chain it's mind-boggling. It's bonkers," Mr Knowles told this newspaper. "Nobody seems to want to do anything about it; all they want to do is belly ache." He added that major shipping companies appeared to be focused on the major developed markets to the extent that they were neglecting small nations such as The Bahamas and regions like the Caribbean.


text:
Global’s Glee-ful about new video player
Two sponsors - Nivea and Telus - are featured in the debut of a redesigned, high-def online video player.
Canwest’s Global TV yesterday announced it has launched a new online video player, capable of delivering a pre-roll or mid-roll ‘on steroids,’ says Paul Burns, VP, digital media, Canwest Broadcasting.
‘We need to be advancing how those creative experiences get interpreted by the audience and I think there’s so much more you can do online,’ Burns tells MiC. ‘I think our focus has been making that pre-roll and mid-roll experience infinitely more impactful for the advertiser,’ Burns says.
The relaunch features a new, wide-screen presentation of programming and a social media toolbar at the bottom of the screen, which allows for easier sharing of clips on Facebook and Twitter. Navigation on the site is also about 10 times faster than before, geared to the speed of a visitor’s internet connection, explains Burns.
With respect to sponsorship opportunities, logo integration and branding, including a ‘presented by’ ad, can be integrated into the player, as Nivea and Telus have on the presentation of Glee for the new video player‘s launch. One feature that has not yet been executed, says Burns, is the ‘curtain,’ (or the aforementioned ‘steroid’ ad) which can take over the pre- or mid-roll in the form of a brand microsite.
The curtain allows advertisers to add to the space that was previously allotted for a 30- or 60-second video, using other branding executions like polls, contests and voting. A brand could even offer the viewer a selection of videos to watch. ‘If it’s an automotive manufacturer, a user can choose and pick from five different videos of different cars, depending on their interest and depending on their model that most suits their demographic or lifestyle,’ Burns says, as an example.
This year Global TV has seen a 370% year-over-year growth in terms of video views on the site, according to Comscore figures, with user engagement metrics (which count video views per each individual viewer) up by 215%. In fall 2009, Global had 57 million accumulated video views, with about 100 views per viewer, according to Comscore.

domain: news


text:
APK AG, a Merseburg, Germany-based chemical recycler that has developed a proprietary solvent-based recycling technology for low density polyethylene (LDPE), has entered into a strategic partnership with
LyondellBasell and KIRKBI A/S, the family-owned holding and investment company of the Lego brand.
Under the terms of the collaboration, both LyondellBasell and KIRKBI will become minority shareholders in APK. Together with other co-investors, they plan to invest equity capital of €130M in the recycling company.
The aim of this agreement is to establish APK’s Newcycling technology, developed and patented for the recycling of multi-layer flexible packaging materials, in the market. Also, the companies will be exploring the possibilities of increasing APK’s production capacity by building additional Newcyling Plants.
APK’s solvent process enables the separation of the different polymers used in the different layers of multi-layer packaging, creating material streams with a high degree of purity. The company produces high-quality plastic granulates and compounds from pre- and post-consumer plastic waste that are suitable for new packaging applications.
“Our Newcycling technology makes it possible to close the loop even with complex waste streams and to produce high-quality LDPE recyclates from mixed plastic waste - highly efficient and offering both economic and ecological advantages,” noted Susanne Küppers, member of the executive board of APK AG and managing director of APK NCC
Since June 2022, it has also been operating a research and development centre near Frankfurt to further develop its recycling technology.
According to Yvonne van der Laan, LyondellBasell executive vice president of Circular and Low Carbon Solutions, this technology has the potential both to enable more plastic packaging waste to be reintroduced back into the value chain and and to address the demand from consumers and brand owners for more sustainable packaging.
“Products made using this unique Newcycling solvent-based technology will be a great complementary addition to our existing Circulen product portfolio, which currently offers mechanical and advanced recycling solutions to our customers,” she explained.
Damir Hamzic, head of the Circular Plastics Investment area in KIRKBI, which focuses on investments that contribute to the transition to a more circular plastics economy, added that KIRKBI believes APK offers a promising scalable technology in LDPE recycling that can help increase the circularity of plastics and minimize plastic waste, to contribute to a more sustainable environment in the future.
“We look forward to providing strategic, financial and commercial support while APK establishes technology that will complement mechanical and chemical recycling," he said.
APK was founded in 2008 and currently employs around 220 people.


text:
Jordan Peele’s company is making a huge donation. President Trump isn’t seen as very religious by voters. And ‘Gone With the Wind’ is getting some fresh context.
Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe to RELEVANT Daily in Apple Podcasts HERE.
Want more Daily? Check out recent episodes HERE.


text:
Pilgrim's Pride ( PPC) downgraded at B Riley Caris from buy to neutral, B Riley Caris asid. Valuation call, based on a $9 price target. Ross Stores ( ROST) upgraded at Credit Suisse from neutral to outperform, Credit Suisse said. $68 price target. Company should continue to benefit from a favorable operating environment. Sandisk ( SNDK) upgraded at Needham from hold to buy, Needham said. $60 price target. Company is realizing higher margins. Splunk ( SPLK) rated new outperform at BMO. $39 price target. Company should be able to capture more large enterprise deals. Symantec ( SYMC) downgraded at Wunderlich from buy to hold, Wunderlich said. $22 price target. Company's strategic turnaround will take time. Symantec downgraded at Stifel from Buy to Hold, Stifel Nicolaus said. Valuation call, as the company lacks near-term catalysts. Tiffany ( TIF) downgraded at Canaccord from Buy to Hold, Canaccord Genuity said. $58 price target. Sales momentum continues to decelerate in an uncertain economy. Veeco Instruments ( VECO) downgraded at UBS to Neutral from Buy, UBS said. $34 price target. China MOCVD demand likely remains lower than expected.
STOCK COMMENTS / EPS CHANGES
Apple ( AAPL) numbers lowered at Oppenheimer. Shares of AAPL now seen reaching $600, Oppenheimer said. Estimates also lowered on disappointing guidance. Outperform rating. Apple estimates, target reduced at BMO. AAPL estimates were cut through 2014, BMO Capital said. Company lowered its guidance. Outperform rating and new $580 price target. Apple numbers cut at UBS. Shares of AAPL now seen reaching $600, UBS said. Estimates also lowered on mediocre outlook. Buy rating. Apple estimates, target cut at Sterne Agee. Shares of AAPL now seen reaching $715, according to Sterne Agee. Estimates also reduced, given the company's new guidance. Buy rating. Apple numbers cut at Citigroup. Shares of AAPL now seen reaching $500, Citigroup said. Estimates also lowered on weaker iPhone shipments. Neutral rating. Abbvie ( ABBV) estimates, target boosted at BMO. Shares of ABBV now seen reaching $41, according to BMO Capital. Estimates also upped, given highrer Humira growth. Outperform rating. Amgen ( AMGN) target raised at Bernstein to $101, Bernstein said. Solid quarter, but lacking near term catalysts. Market Perform rating. Baker Hughes ( BHI) numbers cut at BMO. Shares of BHI now seen reaching $43, BMO Capital Markets said. Estimates also lowered on outlook which lacks sense of urgency. Market Perform rating. Baker Hughes target raised at Jefferies to $48, Jefferies said. DCF mechanics. Hold rating.


text:
With the Motor Vehicle Bill coming in place, the government will now have the power to regulate Uber and Ola. Many states lack the norms to regulate app-based cab services. This resulted in each state having varied guidelines. Once the …
The company has now sent a letter to the Transport Commissioner and said that the company will follow the government-prescribed fare.
In a major move to lure chinese customers and gain market share, Uber has now expanded its partnereship with Alibaba backed Chinese payment app Alipay. Uber Chinese riders across the 68 countries will now be able to pay through the app.
After the Aam Admi Party-led Delhi government said that it will take stern actions against Uber and Ola for causing hardship to commuters, taxi aggregators Uber and Ola have withdrawn price surging in the state. “We are temporarily suspending surge in Delhi following impounding and permit threats,” said Gagan Bhatia, GM, Uber North.
The High Court in Delhi has asked Delhi government to file a reply on steps taken by Govt to stop Ola & Uber from charging fares arbitrarily during the odd-even phase. The Delhi government has said that it will take strict action against Uber and Ola for causing hardship to commuters and charging exorbitant prices.
Bhavish Agarwal, the founder of Ola Cabs, has taken to twitter to state that reports of alleged ola-uber deal as mentioned in DNA, was an attempt by Uber to malign their image. “We’re here for the long run. Planted malicious stories are a sign of others desperation!,” Bhavish said in his tweet.
“We will initiate appropriate legal action and seek redressal and compensation for the damage caused to us by this irresponsible reporting from DNA. We are shocked and dismayed at the lack of journalistic ethics in carrying the story, despite our repeated denial to the reporter and the publication’s editorial representatives.”
Reportedly, Uber is aiming to acquire a controlling stake in Ola. Uber will then be likely to get around 74% share, leaving only 26% to SoftBank. ANI technologies, promoters of OLA cabs have categorically denied any intention to sell its stake to Uber. “We would like to state that the article is completely false, malicious.”
Starting today, the company has reduced its uberGO prices.Prices have been slashed by upto 22% in Jodhpur and Udaipur while in Mangalore the prices have been cut by 20%.


text:
LAS VEGAS — Are you on the list? That’s where LCT checks first for everything.
LCT has attracted an attendee list from 46 states and 28 countries this year for the 2010 International LCT Show that starts Monday. The attendee list will be updated after the show to reflect twice as many attendees as now.
See WHO’S WHO at the Show.
The Show also brings the annual industry gala for LCT Operators Of The Year, Association Award of Excellence, and the LCT Marketing Awards.
See the list of OOY finalists to be featured in the February issue of LCT Magazine, with early copies available on the show floor starting Monday.
Also, be sure to plot your purchases with the International LCT Show Exhibitor List.
Source: Martin Romjue, LCT Magazine; LCT Events


text:
We spotted lots of merchandise, TONS of new snacks and treats, and a few new shows around Disney World. Today we’re looking at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to check out what’s new in this park since the 50th arrived. [Read more…]
There’s officially a brand new show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!
Earlier this year, Disney announced that Animal Kingdom would be getting a new daytime show called Disney KiteTails. The show now takes place several times during the day at the Discovery River Amphitheater and we’ve already gotten to watch it! To celebrate the premiere of KiteTails, Disney has released a brand new frozen treat so let’s go check it out!


text:
Some thought-provoking news here at Cube HQ today. The results of our
nationally-representative survey* we commissioned in December have
come through. The survey was purpose-built to give us an insight into the public’s opinions and motivations relating to sustainability and help guide our Ignite program. The findings were comprehensive and eye-opening, to say the least.
We’ve waded through the date and picked out some of the most impactful ones so that you don’t have to!
To begin, let’s talk about the Attenborough effect
The findings show us that national treasure, broadcaster and natural historian David Attenborough is top of the list (59%) when it comes to putting influential pressure on consumers to be greener and make more sustainable choices. Over half of British consumers (51%) also feel pressure from wider society and four in 10 (40%) now credit Greta Thunberg with ‘green pressure’.
As we can see, the pressure is significant now – the impact of respected public figures and wider societal shifts is undeniable; the majority Brits want to start their journeys towards green living, and we love seeing that shift!
A strong majority of Brits want to change their lifestyle to become more environmentally sustainable. This majority (77%) acknowledges the importance of changing their lifestyle to become greener.
But how can we help them? Can new technology provide a pathway?
To help adapt their lifestyles and behaviour, many consumers are looking to technological innovations for support. 61% want an app to help them make greener buying decisions, and 50% would like an app that measures our individual and household carbon footprints. Other popular choices include:
– An app that helps us dispose of plastic more responsibly: 62%
– An app that helps reduce our overall energy consumption: 57%
– An app that tells us the cleanest times to use energy (e.g. when
there is more renewable energy, like wind and solar power,
available on the grid than fossil fuel-based energy): 54%
– An app that helps consumers find sustainable shops/services
Overall, more than half (52%) of consumers acknowledge technology will be crucial for enabling sustainable living.
The results also show the growing impact of documentaries on British attitudes towards diets in relation to sustainability. Over a third of Brits (34%) now say they have started avoiding animal products due to documentaries such as A Life on Our Planet, from David Attenborough, and The Game Changers, backed by James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Consumers know they’re not alone
Consumers are acutely aware that the success of the green revolution does not rest solely on their shoulders; businesses are also expected to play their part. 73% of consumers acknowledge businesses have a moral responsibility to minimise their environmental impact. A further 64% are calling on the government to introduce new legislation to make sure businesses are obliged to make their environmental footprint visible on all their products.
These results are encouraging!
While consumers are increasingly aware of their own responsibility to be of their own responsibilities to be greener, they haven’t forgotten about the responsibilities of businesses and the government. All three need to be on board if we are going to succeed in building a more sustainable society
When asked about the findings, our MD, Rich Strachan, said:
“These findings show a clear case for the use of technology, specifically apps, to boost sustainable behaviour change and environmental protection initiatives.
The technological tools to help consumers be greener are available to us, we just need to start developing and using them as soon as possible. Thanks to influential public figures such as David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg, Brits are taking the climate crisis much more seriously now. Now is the time to come together and tackle the crisis wholeheartedly. It is not just up to governments; it is up to businesses and consumers as well. This is why we have launched Ignite.
Technology and apps are immensely powerful tools that change the way people behave. We’ve already seen the impact they can make working with The American Red Cross and World Resources Institute. We need to harness this power to nudge behaviour towards greener choices. Through this technology, we can empower consumers, businesses and NGOs to help protect ecosystems, be smarter with energy usage, and reduce our carbon footprints. The Ignite program is wholly dedicated to bringing organisations together on these issues and making these apps a reality.”
As we launch more initiatives and research findings from the Ignite program, we would love for you to follow our journey! If your company would like to get involved and collaborate, make sure you get in touch with our team.
To stay up to date with all new announcements, research findings, blog posts, future partnerships, and new services, make sure you’re following our social media channels.
* Survey research:
– 2,011 Nat Rep UK adults (18+) were surveyed from 2nd – 7th
– Weighting: weighted to be representative of UK population


text:
Winter is quickly approaching, and snow has already fallen in parts of the country. Along with snowfall, comes the use of snow throwers. However, some snow throwers should not be used. In 2006, there was a recall of snow throwers manufactured by MTD. The snow throwers were recalled due to the risk of injury from bursting wheel rims when the tires are inflated. Exploding plastic wheel rims have caused numerous injuries, including lacerations and fractures. The snow throwers involved in the recall are two-stage compact snow throwers with Troy-Bilt, Yard Machines or Craftsman printed on the snow thrower’s housing. Yard Machine and Troy-Bilt brand snow throwers were sold at independent dealers, home improvement and hardware stores. Craftsman brand snow throwers were sold at Sears and Kmart stores. Snow throwers involved in the recall were sold between July 2004 and March 2006. The MTD snow thrower recall was done in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Despite the fact that the recall was done in 2006, people are still using the recalled machines, and being injured. Anyone who has one of the recalled MTD snow throwers should not try to inflate the tires. There is a risk of injury caused by the tire rim exploding.
If you have been injured by an MTD snow thrower, contact Jamie Sheller, at Sheller, P.C. to discuss your potential legal rights. The Sheller firm has a long history of successfully representing individuals and classes of individuals who have been injured by defective products.


text: “It all begins with U.” That’s the slogan of Canes Connection, a Miami-focused NIL collective that was launched in August 2022. Canes Connection is operated by Co-CEOs Zach Burr and Brian Goldmeier, who are successful fundraising professionals with more than 30 years of experience running business development firms in the Miami-Dade area. “With nearly $500 million in funds raised throughout their careers, Goldmeier and Burr, a University of Miami alumnus, have formed the Canes Connection to leverage their experience and relationships with top-tier content creators and blue-chip brands to facilitate NIL partnerships for current and future Miami student-athletes,” the collective said in a news release. Canes Connection launched with two major partners – Shadow Lion, a sports content creation company, and LifeWallet Sports, which will help provide agreements that comply with all laws and NCAA rules. “We look forward to initiating partnerships for University of Miami student-athletes on a local and national scale and are confident in our $10 million annual goal,” Goldmeier said. “Our dedication to providing the best opportunities will allow the Canes Connection to be the standard in the NIL space.” Canes Connection says it will partner and work with Miami student-athletes in all 17 of the school's varsity sports.


text:
Research Institute (Counterpoint Research Global Handset Model Tracker) recently released a list of best-selling Android smartphones (Q12021) in the first quarter of this year (Q12021). Global smartphone revenues crossed the 100 billion mark in Q1 2021, the research firm said. The company has now released a list of best-selling smartphones in the first quarter of this cell. In this list, budget phones are also included for the main phone. So let’s tell you which phone sold the most this year:
Also Read: – Redmi Airdots 3 Pro Launched With 28 Hours Battery And Wireless Charging Support, Know Price
1) Apple iPhone 12
In the first quarter of 2021 (Q12021), the Apple iPhone 12 became the world’s best-selling smartphone. According to Counterpoint data, this smartphone accounts for 5% of worldwide cell sales in Q1. The iPhone 12 phone is available at a starting price of Rs 70,900.
2) Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
The most expensive phone in this range, the iPhone 12 Pro Max, ranks 2nd in smartphone sales globally. The price of the phone is Rs.
3) Apple iPhone 12 Pro
The iPhone 12 Pro is the third-best-selling phone in the quarter.
4) Apple iPhone 11
Fourth on the list of the most affordable iPhone of 2019. The iPhone 11 is currently available at a starting price of Rs 53,250. This smartphone accounts for 2% of worldwide sales.
Also Read: – Good News! BSNL users now get full talk time on Recharge of Rs 100, Offer valid for next three months
5) Shiomi Redmi 9A
The first Android phone, Shiomi Redmi 9A, also ranked fourth on the Q1 2021 list of best-selling phones globally. Released in India in September last year, the phone is available for Rs 6999.
6) Shyomi Redmi 9
According to Counterpoint, the Shiomi phone Redmi 9 is also the fifth most popular smartphone in the world by 2021. The phone is priced at Rs 8,799.
7) Samsung Galaxy A12
Samsung A12 ranks seventh on Countpoint’s ‘best-selling’ list. This smartphone starts at Rs 12,999.
8) Shiomi Redmi Note 9
The Redmi Note 9 is the 8th most popular phone in the first three months of this year. The phone is priced at Rs 10,999.
9) Samsung Galaxy A21S
The Samsung Galaxy A21S, another Samsung A-Series phone, ranked 9th in the first quarter of this year. This mid-range phone is priced at Rs 15,400.
10) Samsung Galaxy A31
This year, the Samsung Galaxy A31 tops the list of best-selling phones. This phone is available for Rs 17,999.


text:
You have 0 articles to compare. Do you want to see compare view now?
The Australian Online Advertising Expenditre Report, prepared by PwC provides an opportunity for stakeholders interested in the size of the online advertising market to access independently collated data about the state of online advertising expenditure in Australia. The online advertising markets reported in the OAER comprise expenditure on General Display advertising, Classifieds advertising, Search and Directories advertising and Mobile advertising.
These reports are available to IAB Australia members only and you are required to sign in first. The Executive Summary is available to the public.
Sydney, 13th March 2017: Underpinned by solid growth across Display, Search and Classifieds, online advertising expenditure has grown to $7.4 billion in calendar year 2016, a 23 percent gain on expenditure in CY15. Results for 2016 and quarter ending Dec 31 2016 have been released in the latest publication of the IAB/PwC Online Advertising Expenditure Report.
Total online advertising spend continues to grow, reaching just over $1.88 billion for the three months ending 30 September 2016 according to the latest PwC/IAB Online Advertising Expenditure Report. The industry growth represents a 3.7 percent gain on last quarter and a 20.3 percent gain over Q3 2015.
The Australian online advertising market has again delivered robust double-digit growth increasing $1.6 billion to reach $6.8 billion for the full financial year ending June 30th 2016, a 29.7 percent increase over the prior financial year. This reflects an acceleration of growth compared to 2015 when expenditure grew by 19.8 percent year on year.
Australian online advertising has recorded another solid quarter, reaching $1,731m for the quarter ending March 2016, a 33.5 percent year on year increase. The data, which comes from the latest IAB/PWC Online Advertising Expenditure Report, also shows that mobile advertising is now fast approaching 50 percent of the General Display advertising, while video advertising accounts for over 25 percent of General Display advertising.
Australian online advertising experienced a significant surge in the final quarter of 2015, to reach $6 billion for the twelve months ending December 31st, a 25.3 percent increase over CY2014. The growth, which was reported in the latest IAB/PWC Online Advertising Expenditure Report, is another major milestone for the industry, which has now achieved double digital year on year growth of at least 21 percent since 2010.
Australian online advertising has surged again to deliver 33 percent year on year growth for quarter ending 30th September 2015, reaching $1.565 billion the quarter. The data, which comes from the latest IAB/PWC Online Advertising Expenditure Report (OAER), shows that General Display advertising was the leading sector for the quarter, achieving 53 percent year on year growth; while Classifieds grew 28 percent and Search & Directories grew 21 percent.
The Australian online advertising market has delivered record revenues for the full financial year ending June 30th 2015, growing by 19.8 percent or $870.2m from financial year 2014 to reach $5.3bn. The data, which comes from the latest IAB/PWC Online Advertising Expenditure Report (OAER) shows that all online advertising segments experienced double digit growth in the financial year, with General Display and Classifieds leading the growth at 35 percent and 23 percent respectively.
The digital advertising market continues to grow with the latest IAB/PwC Online Advertising Expenditure Report (OAER) noting that it generated $1.15 billion during the March quarter, a five percent increase year on year. The video advertising market was the star performer for the March quarter, growing 79 percent year on year to reach $77 million.
Online advertising has continued its steady growth according to the latest Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Online Advertising Expenditure Report for the quarter ending 31 December, 2015. The report, which is compiled by PricewaterhouseCoopers on behalf of the IAB, shows that overall expenditure for the calendar year across all categories reached $4.6 billion, a 16 percent year-on-year increase. Total advertising expenditure for the December 2014 quarter was $1.2 billion, up 7.1 percent from the 2013 December quarter.
Product development and a focus on yield growth have seen Classified Advertising emerge as the highest growth category according to the latest Online Advertising Expenditure Report for the quarter ending 30 September, 2014.


text:
Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Has $183,000 Stake in Vitamin Shoppe, Inc (VSI)
Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky maintained its position in Vitamin Shoppe, Inc (NYSE:VSI) during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 9,100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock at the end of the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in Vitamin Shoppe were worth $183,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mason Street Advisors LLC raised its position in Vitamin Shoppe by 7.0% in the first quarter. Mason Street Advisors LLC now owns 5,569 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in Vitamin Shoppe during the first quarter worth approximately $208,000. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in Vitamin Shoppe by 0.8% in the first quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,360 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $249,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP raised its position in Vitamin Shoppe by 15.3% in the first quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP now owns 14,415 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $290,000 after buying an additional 1,909 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MARSHALL WACE ASIA Ltd bought a new position in Vitamin Shoppe during the first quarter worth approximately $308,000.
Vitamin Shoppe, Inc (NYSE VSI) traded up 3.33% during midday trading on Friday, reaching $6.20. The company had a trading volume of 1,290,784 shares. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $10.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.91. The company’s market capitalization is $144.03 million. Vitamin Shoppe, Inc has a 52 week low of $5.75 and a 52 week high of $28.56.
Vitamin Shoppe (NYSE:VSI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 9th. The specialty retailer reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $304.84 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $314.74 million. Vitamin Shoppe had a negative net margin of 11.98% and a positive return on equity of 8.33%. Vitamin Shoppe’s revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.55 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Vitamin Shoppe, Inc will post $0.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.
TRADEMARK VIOLATION WARNING: This article was posted by Daily Political and is the sole property of of Daily Political. If you are accessing this article on another domain, it was copied illegally and reposted in violation of U.S. & international copyright and trademark legislation. The legal version of this article can be viewed at https://www.dailypolitical.com/2017/08/13/teachers-retirement-system-of-the-state-of-kentucky-has-183000-stake-in-vitamin-shoppe-inc-vsi.html.
VSI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. TheStreet lowered Vitamin Shoppe from a “c-” rating to a “d” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays PLC reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $13.00 price target (down from $24.00) on shares of Vitamin Shoppe in a report on Sunday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley raised Vitamin Shoppe from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $14.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, May 11th. Zacks Investment Research raised Vitamin Shoppe from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. Finally, ValuEngine lowered Vitamin Shoppe from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the stock. The stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $15.71.
Vitamin Shoppe Company Profile
Vitamin Shoppe, Inc (VSI) is a multi-channel specialty retailer and contract manufacturer of vitamins, minerals, herbs, specialty supplements, sports nutrition, and other health and wellness products. The Company operates through three segments: retail, direct and manufacturing. The retail segment includes Vitamin Shoppe, Super Supplements and Vitapath retail store formats.
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VSI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Vitamin Shoppe, Inc (NYSE:VSI).
Receive News & Ratings for Vitamin Shoppe Inc Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vitamin Shoppe Inc and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
A+E Networks said it promoted Morgan Greco to senior VP of digital business development from VP digital business development.
Greco, who joined the company in 2013, oversees a team that develops and facilitates monetization and promotional strategies for social media and digital content across A+E's portfolio of brands.
She is based in New York and reports to Mark Garner, executive VP, global content sales and business development.
“Morgan approaches the business as a digital native and has been instrumental in introducing our full slate of programming to new, younger audiences that may not have otherwise seen Kings of Pain or Forged in Fire,” said Garner. “Under her direction, this area of the business has seen substantial growth through an increase in subscribers, viewers and engagement.”
Before joining A+E, Greco worked at Viacom.
Broadcasting & Cable Newsletter
The smarter way to stay on top of broadcasting and cable industry. Sign up below
Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.


text:
5-hour ENERGY, a brand of Living Essentials, Farmington Hills, Mich., is kicking the football season off by giving fans the opportunity to win the ultimate football experience: fans enter their product receipts for a chance to win $10,000.
"Football and 5-hour ENERGY shots are the perfect fall teammates. We know that many could use a boost during early morning tailgates, or the Friday night lights of football,'' said Jeff Sigouin, president of 5-hour ENERGY products, in a statement. “We are excited that this new promotion gives our many football fans something they could really use, $10,000 to create their own football experience."
This promotion, while supported by a national advertising campaign featuring former professional football player and sports radio host, Mike Golic Jr., also offers a way to drive retail traffic and interest in 5-hour ENERGY products, Sigouin added.
To take part in the 5-hour ENERGY Football Sweepstakes, consumers follow three steps: buy any 5-hour ENERGY product between now and Dec.10, and enter a photo of the receipt or online retailer invoice, with contestant information, on the www.5HEsport.com website.
Customers also can find Cherry Extra Strength 5-hour ENERGY shots at various retailers in specially marked Football Promotion display boxes, and online at 5hourenergy.com, as the company highlights its Cherry Extra Strength.


text:
This is the last of our series of MIDEM liveblogs from Music Ally‘s Stuart Dredge.
A running theme of this year’s MIDEM has been criticism of publishers, both from startups and labels, over their perceived sluggishness at embracing new business models.
Today, a publishing panel had the opportunity to put their side of the story. It was moderated by Jane Dyball, SVP of international legal and business affairs at Warner/Chappell Music.
The panel (l-r): Ed Averdieck, director of Real World; Laurence Le Ny, head of music content, Orange France; Arnold Mabunda, music publisher, Gallo Music Publishers; Hartwig Masuch, CEO, BMG Rights Management; and Mary Megan Peer, VP of business development, peermusic.
Dyball introduced the session by explaining its theme — The next 200 years of music publishing — the aim being to talk about the short and long-term challenges and opportunities for music publishers.
BMG’s Masuch kicked off the discussion, talking about the philosophy underpinning the relaunched BMG. He says digitisation has had even more of an effect than the company had anticipated back in 2005. “There will be a much deeper need for very transparent services in collecting the money and distributing the money,” he said, pointing to the fragmented nature of the digital space, where a publisher will be collecting more smaller payments.
He also suggested that the importance of pure A&R will be less important than the technical nuts’n’bolts of a publisher’s business going forward. Peer disagreed, saying “the A&R process is increasingly important for a publisher nowadays”, as labels have less budget. “We’re finding that we’re doing some of the early-stage A&R work… working with bands to develop their sound, perhaps paying to make their masters…”
Mabunda was asked about some of the new business models he’s seeing in South Africa, through his work with writers and artists. “What we have done from my side is established an online licensing website which provides the end user with the master recording and the copyright all in one. It makes easy licensing, it makes easy processing, and the music is made available instantly.”
Dyball turned to Le Ny to find out how Orange has been working with publishers. She said that music has been a key content strategy for Orange in France and other countries. The company offers music downloads, streaming, and video-on-demand on both mobiles and online.
“The new content strategy since one year was to do partnerships with experts and leaders on music, so we started last year with a Deezer partnership… and the second partnership was with some French publisher associations, CSDM, on the lyrics service.”
This was the first legal lyrics service in France – a web portal, said Le Ny. “For us it’s a first step. We want to get more lyrics from the labels, because we need to provide an offer that’s as good as we see from illegal… We need to have all the back catalogues, and the new releases.” Le Ny said the service will come to mobile, TV channels and internet radio.
The service came about through a recognition that unlicensed lyrics sites have attracted huge audiences online, fuelling the decision to launch a partnership between Orange and publishers.
Real World’s Averdieck was asked about his hopes for 2011, and he mentioned the notion of ‘entrepreneurial spirit’. “Thanks to iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, in the consumer lands, one could say that the challenges have already been delivered. Music is already more accessible than ever before,” he said.
He didn’t think Google and cloud music services were “transformational” though – in stark contrast to the views of the major labels expressed at MIDEM. Averdieck was more interested in talking about B2B opportunities where music plays a ‘supporting role’ – for example, making music available to be used online in videos and advertising. Real World, too, offers ‘one-stop licensing’ combining the master and the publishing.
“We want to take that one step further and pre-clear the rights. The advantage of that is as well as being able to license the master and the song in one go, one can license the right instantaneously, which is what we think the clients are looking for.”
By this time next year, Averdieck expects to know how the market will react to this idea. Peer was asked if she’d be interested in this kind of scheme.
“We’ve certainly seen the benefit of either controlling or working closely with the owner of the master copyright,” she said. “In terms of automatic pre-clearance, I think that’s pretty tough.” However, she thinks that for uses like sync, it’s increasingly possible to get writer approval in a day or so – not quite instant, but moving in that direction.
Back to BMG’s Masuch, which has done some research into what people are looking for from publishers. He described a “complete disconnect”, with the creative community wanting transparent and reliable processes, while musicians want more creative input from the publisher. BMG opted to focus more on the former initially, although he stressed that the company has a number of creative execs capable of the latter.
Asked about her hopes for the future, Le Ny notably called for more discussions between labels and publishers over new business models and digital innovation.
Ny said she looks forward to an integrated music universe where she’d be able to listen to a song on Deezer, buy it if she likes it, read the lyrics, watch the video, and get concert tickets. “It’s what we try to do at Orange.”


text:
German Tourists Spend Most Lavishly In Greece
German tourists are Greece’s biggest spenders on an annual basis as they splashed out some 1.65 billion euros last year, according to the latest report by the Bank of Greece.
On the other hand, Australian travelers spend more per trip and per person with average expenditure per trip adding up to 1,327 euros and per overnight amounting to 125 euros.
UK visitors were the second biggest spenders in Greece (1.42 billion euros) followed by the Russians (943.9 million euros) and the French (763.9 million euros).
Of Greece’s total tourism revenue last year, 6.57 billion euros came from individual tourists and 3.43 billion euros from visitors who came to the country via organized travel packages and cruise packages.
In 2012, tourism revenue exceeded 10 billion euros.
According to data, the year 2008 was considered the best for Greek tourism in terms of tourism revenue as it amounted to 11.6 billion euros.
International arrivals for 2012
Last year, 15.52 million tourists visited Greece of which 11.4 million were individual travelers and 4.1 million arrived through an organized travel packages.
Although German arrivals to Greece were considered very low last year, the most visitors in Greece were in fact from Germany (2.1 million), followed by Britons (1.92 million arrivals), French (977.4 million arrivals), Italians (848.1 million arrivals) and Russians (874.8 million arrivals).
Greek tourism professionals believe that 2013 will be a record year for Greek tourism as over 17 million tourists are expected in Greece.


text:
SIKESTON -- The Morlan Dodge auto dealership is going to have a new home. John and Autry Morlan have completed the purchase of the 10-acre former Kmart site along Main Street for the new Morlan Dodge Supercenter.
Work has begun on renovations and the business plans to move from its Main Street location later this year. According to John Morlan, the 94,000-square-foot building will be completely remodeled to provide a showroom with enough space for 25 cars.
There will be a play area for children and a small cafe.
The service department will be enclosed, and when a customer brings a vehicle in for service, it will remain under roof until the customer returns.
"When this is finished, this will make us the largest dealership between St. Louis and Memphis," said Autry Morlan, about the Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep dealership that has been in Sikeston since April 1999.
The Morlans anticipate the dealership's inventory will double with the move to the new site.
Photo by Tim Jaynes


text:
Offering high-tech mobility solutions with the vision of being ‘One Step Ahead in the Future of Mobility’, Karsan is making an impression in Europe as well as in Turkey with its electric buses. Karsan, which has almost dominated Europe’s electric minibus market, is also ambitious in electric mobility with its e-JEST model. Karsan e-JEST, which Karsan launched in 2019 as its first electric model, continues its leadership in Europe electric minibus market in 2022 as well as in 2020 and 2021.
The market has almost doubled in a year
According to the European Minibus Market Report published by Wim Chatrou – CME Solutions in 2022 for the minibuses between 3.5-8 tons; Karsan e-JEST became the leader of the electric minibus market with a share of 28% as in the last two years. Karsan CEO Okan Baş stating that the electric minibus market in Europe grew by 84% in 2022 compared to the previous year, says “The market volume has almost doubled in just one year. We closed another year as the leader in the growing market, when our competitors started to gain strength, and for the third year in a row, we became the leader of the European electric minibus market with e-JEST. This is a very significant success not only for Karsan but also for the Turkish automotive industry. As a very strong model in markets such as France, Romania, Portugal, Bulgaria and Spain, Karsan e-JEST draws attention.” Emphasizing that every one of four electric minibuses sold in the European market is Karsan e-JEST, Okan Baş said, “e-JEST that we launched at the end of 2018 and put into service in 2019, continues to increase its success every year. In many European countries, people safely travel with e-JEST buses. This is also the best indicator of Karsan’s experience, advanced R&D and qualified employee expertise. In addition to e-JEST, our 8-meter-long e-ATAK model became the leader of the electric midibus segment in Europe for the second time in 2022. I believe that all Karsan models will maintain the same strong success rate in 2023.”
Passenger car comfort in public transportation
Proving itself with high maneuverability and unprecedented passenger comfort, e-JEST has a BMW electric engine producing 170 HP power and 290 Nm torque. With its batteries having BMW infrastructure, e-JEST offers a range of up to 210 kilometers and gives the best performance of the 6-meter electric minibus class. e-JEST regenerative braking system providing energy recovery can charge 25% of its batteries. Equipped with a fully digital display panel, keyless start, USB input and an optional feature providing Wi-Fi compatible infrastructure, e-JEST is equally good at the comfort of a passenger car with its 4-wheel independent suspension system.


text:
MG roars back with first new car for 16 years
Wednesday 13 April 2011
The first all-new car made by the historic MG brand for 16 years rolled off the production line in Britain on Wednesday under the eyes of its Chinese owners.
The red MG6 saloon was driven off the line at the factory in Longbridge in Birmingham by the plant's only female worker, Lisa Ponter.
MG unveiled the new car to the media amid clouds of dry ice and bursts of confetti six years to the week since 6,500 jobs were lost when the Rover factory closed.
Now owned by Chinese car giant Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), the factory has reopened with a drastically-reduced workforce of 400.
The 1.8-litre petrol, turbo-charged MG6 has a top speed of 120 miles (193 kilometres) per hour and goes from 0-60 mph in less than nine seconds.
The car was designed in Britain but the parts are made in China and assembled in the Longbridge plant.
Priced between £15,500 ($25,200, 17,400 euros) and £19,000, MG hopes it will compete with models such as the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus.
Local lawmaker Richard Burden said the unveiling of the new car was a "real milestone" for the Birmingham area in central England, which was once the heart of the British motor industry.
"Longbridge has been through dark days. Nothing will bring back the days when thousands were employed on Longbridge production lines," said Burden, a member of the opposition Labour party.
"But the greatest tribute we can pay to the heritage that made the name Longbridge synonymous with motor manufacturing throughout the 20th century is to build a future in the 21st century," he told the BBC.
The launch of the MG6 is a welcome shot in the arm for the British car industry which was hit hard by the global financial crisis.
Production and sales slumped dramatically in early 2009 before rallying on the back of a government car-scrappage scheme.
Geoffrey Macnab does not like the comedian's big screen debut
Look beyond the usual shows for the best festive telly
elephant appealThe first 23 lots in our charity auction have now gone. But there are 22 more still up for grabs
The battle for control of Stieg Larsson's £30m legacy
Life & Style blogs
The 10 Best Scotch Whiskies
America's 'virgin births'? One in 200 mothers 'became pregnant without having sex'
Diamond dogs: A Chanel pearl necklace isn’t just for Christmas...
GTA 5: Rockstar bans gamers stealing in-game money worth millions
Microsoft announces first exclusive Xbox One content: a documentary on the worst video game ever
- 1 Bonuses for goals and top four finish as Luiz Suarez joins Premier League's top three earners
- 2 Sun will 'flip upside down' within weeks, says Nasa
- 3 #Teamnigella: It’s the only side to be on
- 4 Christmas comes early: Justin Bieber is 'retiring from music'
- 5 Burglar steals video tapes of child abuse, hands them into police
£25000 - £35000 per annum + benefits+bonus+package: Harrington Starr: PHP Deve...
£40000 - £55000 per annum: Pro-Recruitment Group: This Big 4 giant is seeking ...
£35000 - £50000 per annum: Pro-Recruitment Group: Do you have personal tax exp...
£22000 - £37000 per annum: Capita Education Resourcing Permanent Team: This se...


text:
He tweeted his frustration over how slowly the negotiations were progressing, writing:“The Trade Deal with China continues, but too slowly, as they attempt to renegotiate. No!”
President Trump, who has called himself a “tariff man”, vowed to hike import taxes on $200 billion in Chinese products from 10 percent to 25 percent.
His comments came as Vice-Premier Liu He is preparing to travel to Washington this week to resume negotiations, with both sides trying to end a trade war that has affected the global economy. Trump already had pushed back deadlines to raise tariffs twice. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin called the previous April talks between the U.S. and China “productive”. – READ MORE


text:
Kaplan-backed legislation to pause small business eviction, foreclosures signed into law
Legislation to further “hit the pause button” on evictions and foreclosures for small businesses until May 1 was passed this week after being introduced by State Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-Great Neck).
Signed into law by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Mar. 9, the the COVID-19 Emergency Protect Our Small Businesses Act will place a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures for small businesses and expand eligibility from a previous, similar bill passed last year, according to Kaplan, who chairs the State Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business.
“Our small businesses have been hit hard by the pandemic, and they need our help if they’re going to survive these challenging times,” Kaplan said in a statement. “The COVID-19 Emergency Protect Our Small Businesses Act, which I’m proud to have introduced, will hit the pause button on eviction and foreclosure proceedings for small businesses that are struggling, giving them a shot at survival, and giving them the opportunity to get back on their feet without the looming threat of being closed down for good just because they’ve fallen behind during the pandemic.”
The bill creates a moratorium on commercial evictions for small businesses of 50 or fewer employees through May 1, 2021, and creates a standardized hardship declaration form to be used by tenants and landlords in order to take advantages of the protections offered by the legislation. It also creates a moratorium on commercial foreclosures of small businesses of 50 or fewer employees renting 10 or fewer properties.
Additionally, following negotiations between the legislature and the governor, there is agreement to expand the protections in this legislation to include additional business owners and landlords suffering financial hardship, which Kaplan’s office says will be expanded with further legislation.
Once that amended legislation is signed into law, the agreement will expand protections to small businesses with 100 or fewer employees, and to any business with 500 or fewer employees that was closed to in-person operations by executive order or department of health directive for two or more weeks between May 15, 2020 and May 1, 2021.
“New York has gone to extraordinary lengths to protect and strengthen our economy throughout the war on COVID, and it is critical that we continue to provide support as we ramp up our vaccination efforts across the state,” Cuomo said in a statement. “By signing the COVID-19 Emergency Protect Our Small Business Act of 2021 we are strengthening the backbone of our economy – our small businesses that have faced unprecedented hardships – and this legislation will be instrumental in helping build New York’s economy back better than ever before.”


text:
The report from Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, puts the US market for tea and ready-to-drink tea at $6.8 billion in 2005, a 9.4 percent increase over last year. By 2010 it projects that it will reach $10 billion.
Seventy-two percent of overall sales are accounted for by ready-to-drink bottled and canned ice teas, but loose tea and tea bags for future brewing comes second with 20 percent of sales. Within this category green tea is the most dynamic variety and is imbuing it with new life.
The health properties of green and white tea are being more widely publicized. It is a message that America, in the grip of an obesity epidemic, with all the health consequences it entails, is ready to hear.
It was also the most used flavor in new tea drinks in 2004, according to Productscan Online and is also used in non-beverage items including ice cream and cosmetics, bringing the benefits to those too busy to brew and drink a cup of tea.
"Green tea is hot right now - in fact, it is getting dangerously close to a cliché for a food to contain green tea," said Packaged Facts publisher Don Montuori.
Green tea has a lighter flavor than black tea, less caffeine and higher antioxidant content. But according to the report, interest in green tea in the US is a bit of a surprise since the flavor is not typical of American tastes.
Rather, it attributes the trend to the tea's reputation as "cornucopia of wellness" for everything from weight loss to preventing some kinds of cancer. This makes it a perfect fit with the wellness and anti-aging aims of baby boomers, who are unlikely to be tempted by ready-to-drink teas targeted primarily at the 18- to 24- age group.
Green tea's polyphenols and catechins have been the subject of much scientific research, and the report expects this interest to continue, helping to isolate the beneficial characteristics and most efficacious vehicles for use.
However last month green tea was dealt a blow by the FDA, which said, after reviewing evidence to support a health claim, that a link with prevention of breast, prostate and other forms of cancer was "highly unlikely".
Montuori does not think this conclusion will prove a major stumbling block for the market, though:
"If you ask a consumer what are some of the health benefits they just say that it is better for you. Only real foodies will go as far as looking at the health claims," he told NutraIngredients-USA.com.
If the FDA had concluded that green tea is harmful in some way, he believes that might affect the sales.
Dr Sin Hang Lee, a cancer pathologist who markets a green tea health drink through his company Fleminger, believes the FDA decision may even have a positive effect on the market.
"It represents the first time the FDA was willing to even consider tea as a potential health beverage and to render an opinion on it," he said.
Nor does Lee think a rubber stamp from the FDA is required to create consumer demand: "We are living in an era of information explosion. The educated consumers may become better equipped in data interpretation than the individual scientists and FDA officials."


text:
When Nespresso and Jacobs Douwe Egberts launched Podback early last year, it was heralded as a great cross-industry collaboration that tackled a critical issue – how to recycle and reuse the ever-growing number of coffee pods being used across the UK.
The food industry has had a long and tricky relationship with recycling schemes, not least because there is a difficult balance to be struck. The manufacturer needs to be doing as much as it can to make the scheme as simple as possible while also ensuring customer behavior is modified to the extent that they will follow through and take whatever additional steps are required.
While schemes like Podback are a step in the right direction in terms of manufacturer action, the devil is in the detail when dealing with consumers, and that is where the real challenge lies. While the availability of Podback means that the likes of Nestle, Tassimo and the other major pod producers can say that their product is recyclable, there isn’t enough being done to ensure that customer behavior is changing in a way that makes a major difference.
The reality is that – despite the manufacturer’s claims - most coffee pods are not ‘recyclable’ in the way that most people understand the term. To the average consumer, recycling is now what you simply throw in the bin that you put out on the curbside every other week. While huge changes have been made in attitudes since the introduction of the Household Waste Recycling Act nearly 20 years ago, the pace of change is steady and I don’t believe we have yet reached a time where people will go through all the steps that schemes like Podback require.
What this leads to is “wishcycling” – households throwing things that they hope are recyclable in that bin and crossing their fingers. In the vast majority of cases, this leads to huge amounts of contamination, with latest figures showing 525,000 tonnes of household recycling collected was rejected at the point of sorting.
The Local Government Association – which commissioned the research – has gone on record as saying that while councils and households are working together to increase recycling rates, with plastic packaging collected by councils doubling over the past decade, packaging manufacturers are ‘still not doing enough’.
In reality, the challenges around Podback are a mirror to what is happening more widely within the supply chain. While it covers a specific type of pod, there is a multitude of other types of coffee packaging that need to be more readily recyclable.
Extrapolate to a CPG brand or a retailer that has dozens of different products, and you quickly have hundreds or thousands of different packaging types that need to be more sustainable. It’s clear that standalone schemes operated by individual manufacturers or small groups are not going to make a significant dent in the problem.
The only way that sustainable packaging can be driven across multiple product types and categories is by true collaboration with suppliers. Key to doing this is understanding how ready suppliers are to help you and – crucially - whether you need to help them help you.
By doing this, CPGs and retailers can quickly establish which suppliers are in the best position to support their sustainability journey, and work collaboratively towards a common solution.
In reality, we are a long way from a position where all packaging material is commonly recyclable with household waste - there is simply not the capacity at local authority centres to process everything efficiently. However, if there is no alternative, manufacturers need to take a leaf out of another industry’s book by looking at a model similar to the one used by Hewlett-Packard (HP), which has recycled more than 875 million ink cartridges since 1997.
Rather than looking to introduce a scheme after the fact, HP’s cartridges come with a pre-paid bag in which the used cartridges can be sent directly back to the manufacturer. The key difference here is that no promises are made about how and what the cartridges will be recycled into, with the messaging centering around reuse through a circular economy – a ‘closed loop’ approach, as they call it.
Another change needs to be around the messaging on packaging. As consumers, we’re all guilty of reading the part of the packaging that is in 20-point font and disregarding the bits in five-point, so a manufacturer calling its packaging “green” or similar has the potential to be severely misleading.
If you’re saying that your packaging is “recyclable” when in reality what you mean is “compostable” the majority of consumers aren’t going to be thinking twice about throwing it in with their cardboard Amazon boxes and plastic milk bottles, inadvertently contributing this ongoing issue of contamination.
As we look at the lessons we can learn from Podback’s first eighteen months, the reality is that more effort needs to be channeled towards fundamental changes in both the materials used and how they are marketed – anything else is tantamount to rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.
James Butcher is a director at Supply Pilot, which works with Walmart, Waitrose, Co-Op, Asda and other large retailers to help them become more sustainable. James has extensive retail, manufacturing and packaging industry knowledge, and is also a member of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
Report Abusive Comment


text:
A list of the most “dangerous” gadgets headed “Google Phone”. The company Bit9 , which is engaged in information security, has published a rating of the most vulnerable gadgets. In the calculation of the researchers took the threat of safety and security of personal data of users and corporations.
According to the staff Bit9, 56% of all devices based on Android, which is now available for sale, used an outdated version of “OSes”. The study showed that the company Samsung, HTC, Motorola and LG, often sell phones with preinstalled software obsolete, and in the future in no hurry to release updates or “patches.” Sometimes manufacturers and did “forget” to do the upgrade, focusing on the issue of new devices.
A list of the most vulnerable smartphones is as follows:
Thirteenth place in the company Bit9 gave the iPhone 4 and all previous smartphones from Apple.
Researchers are advised to security specialists “crush” on producers, so they quickly released an update for gadgets and users regularly check for new firmware and upload them as soon as they appear.


text:
EGYPT TO SPEND $40 MILLION ON TOURISM PROMOTION
Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism has announced a yearly budget of $40 million to be used solely to promote tourism in foreign markets.
Since the beginning of last year, the ministry has spent $10 million to fund a public relations campaign to promote tourism throughout Egypt. Initiatives such as offering low cost package deals to the Red Sea region came as a result of a drive on Egypt’s domestic tourism.
Another strong focus is to cultivate strong relationships with other countries and push for more tourists to visit Egypt. Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou has directed attention towards countries such as Portugal, Brazil, Argentina and Japan as well as African countries including Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Zaazou’s efforts have resulted in 12 countries removing the travel restrictions that were imposed on Egypt. Hurghada Airport recently welcomed 1,000 German tourists as an immediate result of lifting the travel ban
An official from the General Authority to Stimulate Tourism commented: “We are studying the directives of Zaazou to support international companies with their marketing campaigns for Egyptian tourism, in addition to asking the Minister of Civil Aviation to decrease take off and landing fees at airports used for tourism.”
Zaazou has stated that the Ministry aims to attract 13.8 million tourists by the end of 2013 and has even hailed tourism as the ‘dark horse’ that will lead Egypt’s economic recovery.
Sources: Daily News Egypt, Travel Daily Media


text:
OnePlus prepares special Smartphone for Star Wars fans:
OnePlus maker revealed on Sunday of last week on December 3, a special version of its new Smartphone for fans of the Star Wars movie franchise which is called OnePlus 5T Star Wars Limited Edition (you can see video below).
Device will be released in India first on December 14, the day before the premiere there of the new movie of the saga, The Last Jedi – the title will land on December 14 in Brazil as the country’s premieres take place on Thursdays. The new Smartphone is basically customized version of the OnePLus 5T, with the Star Wars logo on the back, and a side button with references to the franchise and themes already pre-loaded in the system of the device.
Company didn’t revealed the price of the OnePlus 5T Star Wars Limited Edition or if the special Smartphone will be launched in other markets where it operates worldwide – the manufacturer is not present in Brazil, it is worth remembering.


text:
Old English Sheepdog coming to Webkinz World in February
Last week we brought you the news that Ganz was going to be releasing an Old English Sheepdog for February. Today the Webkinz Newz confirmed that report, and they revealed that the Pet Specific Item for this new Webkinz will be the "Double Decker Bus". The Pet Special Food will be the "Sheepherder's Pie".
Starting on December 24th, all of the Webkinz scheduled for release in February 2010 will be available for pre-sale at Webkinz Insider's Partner Store, Ameriwade.com. The pre-sale starts at Noon, Eastern Time (9am Pacific Time). Ameriwade has $5 flat-rate shipping and features some of the lowest prices around. And, remember, a portion of every sale made online at Ameriwade.com goes to support server costs here at Webkinz Insider.
Also, if you've got some last-minute shopping to do for Christmas, order any "in stock" item at Ameriwade.com by Midnight, Pacific Time, on December 16th (3am, Eastern Time, on December 17th) to have your package arrive in time for Christmas!
There are currently 8 users and 233 guests online.


text:
Surprising problem with almond milk
BEFORE you order that almond milk latte, think about this. One UK expert is warning that drinking dairy-free milks is leading to a surprising problem, especially for women.
The global vegan trend is seeing alternatives to dairy on the up, and perhaps none are more popular than almond milk.
The nut-based milk is not milk at all, but a liquid formed from the soaking of nuts and water. Popular in coffee, smoothies and poured over cereals (alongside cousins coconut, macadamia, rice and oat milk) almond milk is booming.
But is it as good for us as we think? Yes and no says Dr Michael Mosley, who stars on the SBS show Trust Me, I'm A Doctor.
While he has no problem with dairy alternatives as a whole, Dr Mosley points out that there is one key supplement that almond milk lacks which is causing an issue for women in particular worldwide.
"One of the very striking things we did discover in this new season of Trust Me, I'm A Doctor is that an awful lot of women are now iodine deficient and the reason for that, certainly in the UK, [is that] the major source of iodine is milk. A lot of women are shifting from drinking cow's milk to almond milk and other alternatives that have around 1-2 per cent of the iodine content of cow's milk."
Why is iodine important? Predominantly for healthy thyroid function.
"Iodine is really important for keeping your thyroid in good condition otherwise you can be hypothyroid and put on weight. It's particularly important for pregnant women because iodine is essential for the development of the foetal brain," Dr Mosley says.
"Because so many people are switching from cow's milk, we now have somewhat of an epidemic of iodine deficiency in young women."
But there's no need to stress; iodine deficiency is both easy to spot and to treat.
"You can get your iodine status checked if you're worried," Dr Mosley says. Then reassess your diet, and current supplements.
"There are some multivitamins that have iodine in them but most of them don't. Another good source of iodine, if you don't like milk, is white fish or seaweed, although in seaweed the doses can be very high."
There is also the option of buying an iodised salt.
"In many countries in the world they now add iodine to salt because the World Health Organisation is really worried about the effects of iodine deficiency in women," Dr Mosley says. "In the UK we don't but in other parts of the world it's been incredibly effective. Iodine is one of the things I would bang-on about."


text:
Keeping true to their promise for monthly content updates for The Secret World, Funcom has revealed new details about whats in store for players in August. One of the high note features for many players will be Ockham's Razor in London, which will allow players to change their characters look and adds several new hairstyles to the game. In addition, the update also includes new story missions, the new rocket launcher auxiliary weapon and two new Nightmare Mode dungeons: The Facility and Hell Eternal.
The Secret Worlds Issue #2: Digging Deeper is scheduled to launch on August 28th, 2012.
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our The Secret World Game Page.


text:
The Best Buy website crashed on Black Friday… twice. Once in the morning hours and once again in the late afternoon. The company is blaming the outages on both an internal decision to shut down temporarily to fix issues and on a glitch.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the site outage this morning was blamed on a surge in traffic from mobile devices that caused the retailer to take down its website Black Friday morning at about 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. It was down for about an hour, with a simple message in its place.
“We’re sorry. BestBuy.com is currently unavailable.”
Although the WSJ reported the outage at about an hour, Tech Crunch reports a much longer outage than that. They also report that Best Buy’s mobile apps were also down during the outage. Tech Crunch jokingly suggested that Best Buy call the Geek Squad. Their report updates with more outages moving into the 2:30 p.m. hour, making the day’s outage total most of today’s regular business hours.
The second Best Buy website outage happened this evening at about 5:30 p.m. EST, according to CNBC, and lasted for nearly as long. They also report that sources say the Best Buy website had issues starting Wednesday, with sporadic outages and errors.
Neither outage is good for the company, which concentrated heavily on online and mobile shopping advertising this year in hopes of capturing a larger share of the $50 billion estimated to be spent by shopper over this weekend after Thanksgiving. Fortune says that Best Buy reports 20 percent growth in the U.S. last fiscal year, in large part due to online sales growth.
Other retailers, such as Target and Walmart, says the Wall Street Journal, report record or near-record online sales from Thanksgiving onward as Black Friday took hold online. Most online retailers expect to see record sales on Cyber Monday as well, including Best Buy. Last year, Best Buy recorded $11.5 billion in sales during the nine-week holiday period. Online sales, says the WSJ, are Best Buy’s fastest-growing channel and represent about 7.5 percent of the company’s U.S. revenues.
Other online retailers had issues this Black Friday as well. Besides Best Buy, HP had severe site outages that affected not just their sales, but also their reputation as they enter the cloud storage and computing space, says Ars Technica. Cabela’s also had issues, though they were brief. As did shoe retailer Foot Locker.
Of the group, however, it appears that the website outages at Best Buy were the worst this Black Friday. Perhaps things will go more smoothly on Cyber Monday.


text:
Kuwait’s fastest-growing telecom operator, VIVA, announced today the launch of an exciting promotion for the latest Apple iPads through specially tailored packages fit to meet all customers' needs.
VIVA is presenting its customers with the first bundle of its kind in Kuwait and the opportunity to enjoy the latest iPad devices with a free mini router starting at KD18 per month.
VIVA will continuously work towards presenting customers with the latest from the technology world, and ensure that it is available to all through specially designed bundles and packages. VIVA's strategy is customer centric and continuously strives to cater to the different needs of its existing and potential customers.
Furthermore, VIVA’s customers will be able to take advantage of this offer during the InfoConnect 2013 exhibition as well as many other exciting promotions tailored to meet their needs.


text:
What was old became new again at the Picton Curling Club as the local curling association returned with it’s annual antique show and sale earlier this month.
Upwards of 20 exhibitors were at the club with everything from vintage wear to coins and collectables to Tiffany and other items dating back to the 1870’s.
Despite construction work at the corner of Main and Bridge St. and a Canada-wide cell network outage on the opening day of the show, manager Kevin Bazkur said the 2022 edition was actually up in attendance over the last time the show was held in 2019.
“The dealers and customers were so happy to be back at the show,” Bazkur told the Gazette. “They missed it and they missed seeing there friends and favourite dealers at the show. The show has a good vibe as The Curling Club makes everyone feel welcome.”
As Show Manager, Bazkur said he tries to attract some new dealers while keeping a number of the long-time dealers as mainstays and believes this creates a popular mix for attendees.
He noted some customers were at the show all three days as the show offered free readmission with an entrance ticket.
The 2022 show attracted the young and the young at heart.
“It was nice to see several children at the show this year and they really took to items such as comics, Pez and toy cars.
Very few visitors left empty handed and Bazkur noted a mix of locals and tourists attended.
“People were at the show from Quebec, Belleville, Orono, Toronto, Whitby, Port Hope etc. When greeting visitors at the admission table I always ask where they are visiting from and if they collect anything in particular,” he added.
One of the first-time exhibitors was Kimberly MacDonald who brought materials from her Belleville shop called Kimberley’s DeJa Vu Boutique and expressed her love for the ambiance of the weekend show.
“This is a first time for me and generally don’t do a lot of vintage but this had been amazing. People are really receptive and interested in what we are offering,” MacDonald said.
MacDonald said shoes, purses and jewellery are the hot ticket items because accessories can fit everyone. Meanwhile, vintage and early period clothing are more of a niche market- “It’s not really made for the women of today,” MacDonald said with a laugh, adding she plans to come back to next year’s show.
“As a business, COVID has been really rough and I had to make some hard choices after 17 years if I was going to continue but we made it through with government programs geared to small businesses and now people are coming back. It’s almost back to normal and things are opening up,” she said.
In addition to DeJa Vu’s offerings, MacDonald was running a raffle, raising money for Fixed Fur Life, a pet spay and neuter program and selling Da Bomb Girls calendars that benefit Napanee’s Morningstar Mission.


text:
“The higher probability we face here is that the invasion of the Ukraine by Russia may be met by a stiff economic reaction by the USA and the EU,” which could spike energy costs and inflation, slowing GDP growth. A resulting recession is possible, said Bernstein’s Luca Solca. “In this context, high-end consumer feel-good would be punctured; which would lead to a sudden stop — or a steep step-down adjustment — in high-end discretionary spend.”
The last temporary dip was back in August 2021 where the sector dropped around 13 per cent in two weeks, according to Bernstein coverage of eight stocks’ share price movement, following the Chinese government call for regulation of “excessively high incomes” to prioritise the goal of “common prosperity”.
As of Thursday morning, Richemont, the parent company of Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, was most affected. “It is fair to say that both Russia and the Ukraine have very high income and wealth inequality. Hence, groups that operate in the high end (e.g. Richemont) are likely going to be more exposed — all else being equal,” said Solca. LVMH and Kering’s customer groups, meanwhile, are more distributed to the aspirational middle class.
There are concerns the invasion could trigger a ‘guilt factor’ amongst luxury consumers, where they are “not feeling comfortable to be seen buying or wearing luxury products due to tragic events happening,” wrote Exane BNP Paribas analyst Antoine Belge in a note.
LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault had expressed concerns over the situation while inaugurating two new Louis Vuitton ateliers in France on Tuesday. “We are at the end, we hope, of an economic crisis. We hope that a new geopolitical crisis will not hit us.”
Vogue Business reached out to several leading Russian luxury and e-commerce players but they declined to comment due to the sensitivity of the situation.
Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Russia is due to take place 16-20 March, inviting international guests from across Europe and the world. The organisers declined to comment on whether the event will go ahead. The Russian Fashion Council also declined to comment.
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at email@example.com.
More from this author:
Louis Vuitton boosts exotic skins and ultra-luxury handbag production
Bottega Veneta launches AR app to tease Blazy’s first show
The Long View by Vogue Business: Key takeaways from luxury's big hitters


text:
Obama Motors’ $41,000 fiasco.
How much crack, exactly, has GM been smoking?
Last week, it was announced that the much-anticipated 2011 Volt electric car will be arriving at Chevy dealers this fall — and that it will have a starting sticker price of $41,000.
That’s (roughly) in the same ballpark as a current-year BMW 5-Series or Mercedes E-Class sedan.
It certainly isn’t cheap.
And wasn’t that the whole point?
I mean, the object of the exercise was — allegedly — to build a car that burns a lot less gas… in order to save money.
Right? Otherwise, why bother?
If cost isn’t a factor, then why not just give every American a $100,000 federal voucher for a new Tesla electric car?
At least the Tesla is fast and looks sexy, too.
The Volt’s just another boring family sedan in the Camry-Malibu mold — only it costs twice as much.
So, what’s the logic here?
If it costs as much as a luxury car, middle-class people won’t buy it — not because it’s easy on gas, at any rate. Maybe they’ll buy a $41k truck or SUV or sports car. Because those types of vehicles offer capability or performance or style… or something.
But spending $41k on a car because it’s easy on gas kind of defeats the purpose (that is, saving money), doesn’t it?
Oh, yeah — the global warming thing. Come on. If GM thinks the underwater-mortgaged, rightly freaked-out middle and working class is going to buy a $41k car to save the planet (assuming the Volt does indeed do that, which it doesn’t, either) then truly, what’s in that pipe that they’re smoking?
Apparently no one at GM has thought to ask such questions. Or rather, no one making decisions is asking such questions.
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
H/T to National Review Online


text:
Inceptio Technology, an autonomous driving truck technology and operation company (earlier post), closed a US$188-million Series B+ equity financing. This round of financing was jointly led by Sequoia Capital China and Legend Capital. Co-investors include Chow Tai Fook Enterprises Limited, Cedarlake Capital, supply chain solution & finance provider Wuchan Zhongda Group, and an international equity fund. Existing investors Meituan, NIO Capital, Eight Roads, Broad Vision Funds, etc. also participated.
The successful closing of the Series B will allow Inceptio Technology to further accelerate the development of its self-developed full-stack autonomous driving system Xuanyuan (轩辕), introduce more mass-produced autonomous driving truck models to the market and speed up in electrification. (Xuan Yuan was the given name of Huangdi, the legendary Yellow Emperor.)
At the end of 2021, Inceptio Technology and China’s leading OEM started mass production of L3 autonomous driving heavy-duty trucks after three years of development. The L3 trucks have all been deployed to daily commercial operation on line-haul freight routes across China . The commercial operation has validated the cost advantage of Inceptio’s L3 trucks and is rapidly scaling up .
Legend Capital has extensive investments in the field of autonomous driving as well as logistics and supply chain. Following its investments in autonomous driving of passenger vehicles, Legend Capital chooses the self-driving truck developer Inceptio Technology and is very optimistic about its ‘technology + operation’ development strategy. We think highly of Inceptio Technology’s excellent execution and will continue to mobilize industrial resources to promote its innovation and growth. It is believed that Inceptio Technology will become a pioneer with great influence in the industry.—Lawrence Xue, Managing Director of Legend Capital
With the L3 autonomous trucks rolling off the line, we have started a new chapter. We will stick to full-stack independent development and mass-production-driven in our system, to promote the large-scale growth of autonomous freight and to create more value to our customers. Inceptio Technology has confidence to form the data scale as well as technological advantages required for unmanned operation in the coming days and realize our vision of building a nationwide autonomous trucking network in logistics industry.—Julian Ma, the Founder and CEO of Inceptio Technology


text:
Bailey of Bristol, a leading British caravan and motorhome manufacturer, announced Steve Bruce as its new operations director.
As the new head of the Bailey operations team, Bruce will assume overall control of the company’s main Assembly Plant in South Bristol and its Large Panel Manufacturing Plant in North Somerset, according to a report.
In terms of experience, He spent almost 20 years at G Plan, a leading furniture company with a proven track record of delivering large-scale business transformation.
He joins the business during a challenging period where COVID-related labor and component supply issues still hinder production capacity in a period of rapidly increasing customer demand.
“To have someone of Steve’s caliber joining the Bailey Board will be a significant boost to our company going forward,” said Bailey Managing Director Nick Howard.
The company also appointed Bruce because he is closely culturally aligned with the Bailey family values, making him an excellent addition to our business.
“Steve’s recent arrival is the latest in a number of new appointments strengthening our Senior Management Team to ensure we are in the best possible shape to capitalize on the opportunities afforded by the recent surge in demand for outdoor leisure vehicles and accessories,” said Howard.
Founded in 1948, Bailey of Bristol now employs more than 500 people across its three sites in Bristol in the Southwest of England and manufacturers around 5,000 touring caravans and coach-built motorhomes per year.
This article originally appeared on Camping Trade World.


text:
A shop owner in the U.S. who paid out a former employee’s final payment in oily pennies with an expletive note attached has been ordered to repay the employee and other ex-staffers.
Miles Walker and A OK Luxury Autoworks in Georgia will have to pay Andreas Flaten and eight other employees more than $39,000, according to a report from People. The judgment from the Northern District of Georgia Newnan Division broke down the payments as $19,967 in back wages and $19,697 in “liquidated damages.”
Walker and his company were also ordered to take down any and all photographs and references of Flaten from its website and social media pages. The judgment also has to be posted in “conspicuous places” around the shop.
The U.S. Department of Labor filed a complaint against Walker and the shop following a complaint from Flaten that he hadn’t received his final paycheque. In retaliation, Walker dropped off 91,500 oil-covered pennies, his paystub and an expletive message onto Flaten’s driveway.


text:
Elisa, the Finnish telecommunications and ICT services company, has acquired Sulake, the makers of Habbo. Sulake will continue as an independent company and will continue under the Habbo brand. Elisa previously owned 24% of the company, and has now increased its share to 85 percent.
Sulake has had a dynamic six months, to say the least. This summer they were covered on the UK’s Channel 4 for the company’s failure to police the platform for sexual content, and were labeled by the press as a “paedophile haven.” This caused Balderton Capital to exit their 13% share, and 3i to later leave their 16% stake.
The main shareholders in Sulake were then Taivas Group, Elisa Group, and the company’s founders Sampo Karjalainen and Aapo Kyrölä.
Despite these ups and downs more than four million young people visit Habbo every month. The net revenue of Sulake in 2012 was approximately 22 million euro and the result was negative.
“Elisa has had an ownership in Sulake from the beginning and has supported the international expansion of the Habbo Hotel service. The global client base, brand, community platform and solid business competence of Sulake, combined with Elisa’s expertise, provide new future opportunities,” says Mikael Rönnblad, Vice President of Consumer Services Business of Elisa in a press release.


text:
Nibe ends interest in Fujitsu General
SWEDEN: Swedish heat pump manufacturer Nibe has ended its interest in the Fujitsu General air conditioning business.
Nibe Industrier AB recently admitted it was in the process of evaluating a potential acquisition of all or a majority of Fujitsu General. It has now announced that it will not go forward with that process.
Fujitsu announced in January that it was seeking a quick sale of its 42% stake in the business in a deal rumoured to be worth JPY140bn ($1.1bn). The other Fujitsu General shareholders include the Bank of Japan, JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs.
Nibe considering move for Fujitsu General – 7 March 2023
SWEDEN: Heat pump manufacturer Nibe has confirmed it is considering a potential acquisition of all or a majority of the Fujitsu General air conditioning business. Read more…
Fujitsu seeks sale of air conditioning unit – 11 January 2023
JAPAN: Fujitsu is reported to be seeking a quick sale of its stake in air conditioning manufacturing unit Fujitsu General. Read more…


text:
It is now more and more clear that the toughening of posture by US President Donald Trump against China is no where near stopping.
This is clear from the fact that Trump has now threatened tariffs on all of $500 Billion Of Chinese Imports to the country.
Around $505 billion of Chinese goods were imported to the US in 2017, leading to a trade deficit.
This is clearly a threat of escalation of clash over trade policy that has unnerved financial markets.
His comments worried investors already grappling with the impact of a strengthening US dollar on corporate
results and key stock indexes on Wall Street dropped at the open on Friday.
Even the US dollar fell against major currencies on Friday on Trumps threat.
Trump is taking a more aggressive, protectionist posture on trade than his recent predecessors.
It has already sparked retaliatory measures from other countries.>


text:
Australia is currently waiting to see the full effects of Brexit and Trump on the Australian dollar and the economy.
How do you plan ahead and know what to do?
The full effects of Brexit are yet to be felt, as the UK is currently negotiating with Australia for its own trade agreement, as is the EU. Predictions are, that this will impact commodity exports from Australia to the UK and Europe.
The effect of Brexit will not be felt in our industry as much as the latest movements in America.
Since the inauguration of President Trump, the AUD has increased to 75 cents against the USD as Americans wait to see if Trump fires up the economy.
The nervousness for us and our suppliers is the Chinese element. It is predicted that the USA will put a 45% tariff on goods imported from China, this, in turn, could slow China’s economy as it increases the cost of goods coming into in America along with the additional 45% tariff.
The question then is, how and will that affect Australian companies that import American brands which are manufactured in China? We don’t know the answer to this and the world is waiting to see what happens and if this is viable or not for America.
The flip side to this is, as the AUD increases, companies that directly import goods from China, where the currency is pegged to the US dollar, will be affected by the local currency’s upward moves.
How can you protect your business? Good financial advice is important and they may recommend a Forward exchange contract. This protects you from adverse movements in exchange rates by locking in an agreed exchange rate until an agreed date.


text:
Kate Middleton, future bride of the UK Royal Prince Henry, donned a sheer dress worth approximately $50 dollars at a college fashion show that may be worth over $150k per reports from auction houses.
The see through and cheap slip dress may have been the bait that hooked Kate her Prince as she strode a catwalk in the Charlotte Todd design during the couple's courting days at the University of Fife. Todd recently stated in an interview that the value of the dress, sewn together with a mere $50 worth of fabric, has grown to approximately $5,000 since the college sweethearts announced their engagement. Todd told interviewers she will not sell of the dress as it is "part of fashion history - the moment William could first have fallen in love with Kate - and that makes me really proud. If it hadn't been see-through, William might not have noticed her. I definitely think it has played a part in the royal love story."
Todd predicts that that number will grow to an astounding $150,000 dollars after the Royal Wedding, despite the fact that until the engagement was announced, the dress hung in the back of Todd's closet just taking up space.