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Clematis Street barbecue bows out of business
Only eight short months after opening, Bobbi Sue Bar-B-Que has closed on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach, an indication that even a hot urban destination can’t meet all the needs of the dining public.
Owner Cleve Mash confirmed the eatery closed after SunFest last week after a struggle to attract evening diners to the barbecue eatery. Bobbie Sue opened in October.
“It was the wrong concept for that street,” said Mash, who is known for his success with other ventures, including the popular Dirty Martini bar and lounge in Palm Beach Gardens’ Downtown at the Gardens shopping center.
“We had a great lunch crowd, but not a strong family presence,” Mash said, especially at night. That’s when the young, hip professionals gather on Clematis Street hot spots for happy hours or nightlife.
Families, on the other hand, prefer a place that’s convenient to go to for weekend meals and has easy parking, Mash added.
Indeed, the trouble with luring dinner guests also led to the closing of Five Guys Burgers & Fries in January, after only 10 months in business. Franchise owner Tom Tracy said then that despite brisk lunch business, the lack of dinner customers hurt sales at the 330 Clematis St. location. “From 4 p.m. on, it was dead,” Tracy said in a January interview.
In January, Mash also acknowledged Bobbi Sue was facing slow dinner business.
But Mash plans to keep the Bobbi Sue brand. One idea: A food truck. Mash said the menu was well-received and even garnered the 2013 WIRK rib round-up People’s Choice Award.
Now Mash has a different idea in mind for the space at 223 Clematis Street, which before him, was occupied by another shuttered restaurant, Reef Road Restaurant & Rum Bar.
Mash said he’ll reopen the space as an Irish gastropub tentatively dubbed J. Flynn’s. An Irish family, John Flynn Sr.and Jr., is buying Mash out of the Bobbi Sue operation but want him to stay on to run J. Flynn’s, Mash said.
With Roxy’s and O’Sheas already on Clematis Street, does the thoroughfare really need another Irish pub?
Mash said yes. In addition to a high-quality food menu, “We’ll focus on live music and an authentic decor that’s lively and fun,” he said. Plans are to redo the interior into an Irish pub and reopen in later summer.
The Related Group of Miami is wasting no time making sales at Casa Costa in Boynton Beach.
The condo, formerly known as the Promenade, was purchased by Related in January. Since then, Related has logged 80 sales worth about $25 million, said Craig Studnicky, principal of Related ISG International Realty.
The 80 sales surpass total amount of 72 condo units sold by the property’s former owner/developer during a period of a couple of years.
Casa Costa is a 14-story, twin tower behemoth at the intersection of Boynton Beach Boulevard and Federal Highway. It consists of 318 condo units and 77 hotel condo units. The property fell into trouble during the recession, and Related bought the condo’s note right before a December foreclosure auction. The name was changed from the Promenade to Casa Costa (beach house), to emphasize the property’s ocean views.
Studnicky said buyers fall into three categories: Latin Americans, from Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela; the Northeast, mostly New Yorkers; and local buyers. Studnicky said Latin Americans are mostly interested in renting out their units, while the New Yorkers are buying units as a second home.
Prices range from $160,000 for one-bedroom units to $512,000 for three-bedroom units.
About six sales are being logged each week. At that rate, Studnicky expects Casa Costa to sell out mid-2014.
“Related is offering sales below the replacement costs of the building, and offering (condos) with no condo fees for two years,” Studnicky said. “It’s a tremendous value proposition and I think that’s why we sold 80 units in 3 1/2 months.”
A car showroom at a mall?
It could happen at the Town Center mall in Boca Raton. Tesla Motors has submitted a proposal to the city of Boca Raton for permission to lease a 2,850-square-foot retail bay at the mall, which is owned by Simon Property Group of Indianapolis.
The Tesla location, just inside the mall’s main entrance on Glades Road, would be used as a “small educational center and showroom” for the electric vehicles, according to paperwork submitted to the city.
In addition, Tesla wants to use six mall parking spaces: Three to serve as charging stations and test drives, and three to serve Tesla’s customers.
Certainly, this is a new use for an old concept — the enclosed shopping mall.
In this case, however, Tesla clearly is going after customers with the cash to buy more than just a couple of designer T-shirts. It’s not just anyone who can afford to buy an electric car that, in the case of the Tesla S, costs around $80,000, or more, if buying the luxury package.
Tesla’s application to the city says it won’t repair or maintain cars at the retail stores, or sell car parts, either.
Tesla says in its petition to the city that its space will “add to the mall’s status” as a shopping destination because there are only two other Tesla Motors locations in Florida: One in Dania Beach and the other in Tampa.
The proposal is set to go before a city planning advisory board May 14 for a preliminary review.


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MILWAUKEE -- It used to be a milk processing plant in Milwaukee's Riverwest Neighborhood. Now, it's home to a small but growing company that could be solving a decade-old problem that affects every human being: a dramatic decline in the honey bee population.
Slava and Vera Strogolov think they've cracked the case: bees are digesting too many antibiotics.
"We saw that the problem is with the gut -- so how do we fix the gut?" Strogolov asked, already knowing the answer.
That answer is probiotics.
Why are bees ingesting antibiotics in the first place? Bee keepers are trying to keep them healthy and safe from anything that can make them ill.
Bees, as it turns out, don't like bad stuff in their stomach any more than humans do and yes, bees can get diarrhea. Often, that diarrhea is a sign of a very serious condition in bees called American foulbrood. If untreated, foulbrood can destroy not only whole hives, but entire bee yards. At some point, the situation is so bad, bee keepers are forced to burn down the entire colony.
Strogolov has seen this happen.
"The only way to get rid of it is to take gasoline and light a match. It's just agonizing to see this," Strogolov said.
Strogolov, a microbiologist, and his wife Vera (who is close to getting her PhD in biology) started Strong Microbials and first specialized in products that would keep livestock feed fresh after it was harvested. They soon expanded into developing ways to make feed for swine and poultry healthier.
When Strogolov read about the dying bee population (the USDA estimates American bee keepers lost 44 percent of their colonies this past year) a light bulb went off.
"Ah, they're eating the poison. If you eat the poison, you have to fix what's inside the gut. You have to neutralize the poison and if you can't do that, you have to fix what's left," Strogolov said.
He figured he could come up with an all-natural probiotic, basically "good" bacteria to combat the "bad" bacteria bees are getting from antibiotics and a pest called the varroa mite.
So is he on to something?
Chris Werner, owner of Indian Summer Honey Bee Farm in Germantown, says he just might be.
"He may very well be," said Werner, who's used Strogolov's product in small doses. "I'm glad to see there's people like him out there developing products and people who do take the time to gamble to see if this product will work. If it does, and it keeps bees healthier, that's wonderful."
It's not just the honey industry at stake in this battle. Honey bees are used across the world to pollinate crops.

domain: news


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Video Standards Council
The Video Standards Council has confirmed the proposed changes to the age ratings system for games in the UK will not be applied until April 1, 2011.
Video Standards Council headlines
PEGI ratings and the new labels are expected to be enforced before Christmas rolls around in the UK.ELSPA chairman Andy Payne has said that the Video Standards Council will legally be able to start classifying games after the UK Government returns from recess, which runs from July – October 12.“There’s a whole load of things […]
The British Video Standards Council has been given powers to ban games in the UK that don’t apply to PEGI guidelines, GI reports.“The VSC will be an independent body, as is the PEGI system, and while I’m sure there’s some joining up to do, it’s a tough system,” said EA UK MD Keith Ramsdale.“We’ve gone […]


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On the eve of Amazon’s press event slated to take place in Santa Monica on September 6th, word is coming out that Amazon has confirmed a phone is in the works. The Verge is reporting that numerous sources have verified the existence of the Amazon phone model and some are hinting it will be revealed during tomorrow’s event.
Indications are that the phone is still in development, but may be ready enough for a press event. Sources are speculating the device will run a forked version of Android 4.0, similar to what the Amazon Kindle Fire runs. No other details have emerged at this time, but the wait should not be too long if it is in fact revealed at Amazon’s event.
source: The Verge


text: “Concepts such as Industry 4.0 and Smart Factory, which interconnect the shop-floor ecosystem through emerging technologies, are now a reality. Digitisation continues to transform manufacturing processes around the world leveraging technologies such as IIoT, artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, etc,” said Ashish Nanda, EY India Supply Chain Leader. The key factors driving digital manufacturing in India include predictive maintenance, connected supply chain, reduced energy consumption, production optimisation, lower price of sensors and high computing needs and connected customers. However, it is still early days. “Going by the success stories though, it is perhaps essential for manufacturing organisations in India to first understand and then embark on this digital transformational journey to remain competitive and attain world-class status,” he said. The study is based on interactions with about 50 leaders of large manufacturing organisations.


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You may remember way back in 2010 when Samsung first demonstrated a new flexible display technology, wowing onlookers and begging the question "what's the application?"
Well Richard Windsor, a senior technology analyst at Normura Group, has answered that question, indicating that Sammy plans to include foldable displays in future devices. Specifically, Normura's Asian analysts have indicated that the manufacturer is expected to use foldable display technology to entirely eliminate the appearance of side bezels around a smartphone screen. The analysts added the display would be unbreakable, would enhance "the exceptionally thin form factor," and will debut some time in 2012.
The displays would evidently be based on a plastic substrate, making them lighter and thinner, and adding to the flexible display's inherently unique design requirements. While the practical application of flexible display technology may sound like something customers will have to wait years for, Normura's analysts give a bit of hope:
We expect Samsung to mass produce such panels for smartphones in 2012, which we believe would be more popular that the current OLED display equipped in SEC’s Galaxy S II … Plastic displays will change the perception of handsets and tablet PCs in terms of design, thickness, and weight, and this would clearly differentiate Samsung’s products from others, in our view. This is why we like Samsung.
The fact that foldable displays are very close to being in the hands of consumers may not be a surprise to some, though. Samsung has been very open about the technology, publicly writing in its corporate profile that the manufacturer is "striving to brighten the future with next-generation technologies such as foldable, flexible, and transparent displays," and showing off a foldable prototype last year.
Next to nothing is known about when we may actually see this technology in a smartphone, but you can bet we'll be here to report on any new details that emerge going forward.


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Yahoo! announces $5.7 billion acquisition of Broadcast.com
NEW YORK (AP) — Yahoo! Inc. is buying Broadcast.com Inc. for $5.7 billion in stock, adding the Internet's leading supplier of radio and video programs to Yahoo!'s growing array of services.
The transaction announced today puts Yahoo! in a solid position to take advantage of the high-speed future of the Internet.
Broadcast.com is perhaps best known for its Web broadcasts of John Glenn's second launch into space and the Victoria's Secret fashion show. But the company's services are expected to grow in popularity as connections to cyberspace get faster and easier.
The acquisition "really positions Yahoo! to play a defining role as we see the rise of audio and video content on the Web," said Paul Noglows, a San Francisco-based analyst with Hambrecht Quist.
"From Broadcast.com's perspective, it will make their services available to a much broader range of users, considering Yahoo! attracts 50 million unique users to its site a month."
Yahoo! agreed to pay $130 a share for Broadcast.com's stock, a 10 percent premium over Wednesday's closing price of $118./4 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Shares of Broadcast.com had run up in recent days on reports the two companies were talking about a deal.
Broadcast.com investors will receive 0.77 of a Yahoo share for each Broadcast.com share.
News of the deal filtered out after markets had closed Wednesday. Yahoo!'s stock fell $3.923/4 to $168.371/2, also on the Nasdaq.
Founded in 1994 by Stanford University doctoral candidates David Filo and Jerry Yang, Yahoo! is one of the premier destinations on the Internet. The company's turbocharged stock, which has risen 264 percent in the past 12 months, has turned into a currency to snap up rivals.
But Broadcast.com wasn't cheap. The Dallas-based company, which went public in July, has seen its shares rise 1,213 percent in just eight months.
The company, however, isn't making any money yet. Broadcast.com lost $10.5 million on revenue of $11.4 million for the nine months ended Sept. 30.
Yahoo!'s premium for a company in the red didn't seem to bother Yahoo! shareholder Charles Lax, a general partner with SoftBank Venture Capital.
"What else is new?" he said. "High-speed access (to the Internet) is very important, and this is just an anchor acquisition for that."
This is Yahoo!'s second major deal this year. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company announced the $4.58 billion acquisition of GeoCities Inc. in January.
GeoCities, based in Los Angeles, is the No. 5 Web destination and has been used by more than — million people to set up home pages where they can publish their writings, post their family photos or try to sell things.
The Internet industry is both expanding and consolidating at a rapid pace. New companies go public almost dail quickly become targets or suitors in corporate takeovers.
Yahoo!, America Online Inc. and Lycos Inc. are just a few of the companies looking for strategic acquisitions that reflect the integration of computer, television and telephone services with information and media.
And Yahoo! may be back on the hunt soon.
"It's clear that the Web has been in a race for market share since the beginning," said Steve O'Leary, a managing director at Broadview International, a merger advisory firm. "I wouldn't be surprised to see Yahoo! announce more bold strokes in the future."


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Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.
Only on Massively would readers try to turn an announcement about a game selling three million copies into proof of failure, but we love you guys anyway! Yes, this week, buy-to-play MMO Guild Wars 2 hit the three million mark, outlined PvP plans, and set an end-of-January date for its long-overdue guesting system. Finally, our GW2 expert Lis Cardy capped off the week by revisiting the never-ending endgame debate.
Read on for the rest of this week's top MMO stories.


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It has already been four years since virtual reality hit the market. Back then, it was supposedly going to be the next big thing. Unfortunately, though, it looks as though a lot of early predictions about the technology were wrong. VR options like the Oculus Rift are still too pricey for a vast proportion of end users, and people are still to be convinced that the platform will be revolutionary. However, the introduction of 5G networks across Japan could help VR to break into the mainstream and start making waves.
5G Will be Available Almost EverywhereOver the next few years, 5G will be released on a massive scale in the developed world, and Japan is likely to be one of the leading countries. According to Visual Capitalist, by 2035 Japan is expected to rank third in the list of 5G-related investment with a 12.4 percent share of value chain R&D and capital expenditure. Fierce Wireless reports that Softbank expects to have 64 percent of the country covered by its 5G network by 2025, highlighting how rapid the switch to the state of the art internet network will be.
5G will bring about much faster internet speeds than ever before. Download speeds will increase to around 400 Mbit/s down, while latencies will be reduced to approximately 30 milliseconds. This will help enhance augmented and virtual reality and make things possible that weren’t before. The potential has already been seen in South Korea, where an AR dragon flew around SK Happy Dream Park, home to SK Wyverns baseball team. The stadium used the rapid 5G network to project the virtual dragon and make it seem as though it was there in the stadium.
The Faster Internet Will Help Gaming IndustryJapan is already one of the biggest contributors to the gaming industry in the world, meaning that it is probably going to be at the forefront of VR. Some of the best-known game companies such as Nintendo, Sony, and Sega are based in the country, and now Japan is getting a stronger foothold in the casino market as well. Japanese players have a vast number of online casinos to choose from, so the best way to select where to play comes down to comparison sites like CasinoWings. These games are easily accessible via the current generation of internet network, but 5G will enhance them even more.
The fact that Japan is one of the leaders in the gaming industry means the country has the potential to be the place that puts VR on the map. All offshoots in the sector are working on ways to incorporate the new technology. For example, casino developers like NetEnt are busy creating VR slots to release when VR becomes mainstream. In the console sector, Sony is leading the way with the new technology, and already has a number of games available to play on PlayStation VR.
5G is going to pave the way for VR to be implemented in a wide variety of ways. Because Japan is spearheading various offshoots of the gaming industry which are all trying to develop VR offerings, the VR sector could be about to grow rapidly in the country as 5G is rolled out on a mass scale.


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Less than 24 hours ago, owners of the New York Stock Exchange – Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) – announced they would partner with Microsoft, BCG, Starbucks and other companies to launch a market and ecosystem to be physically listed Future contracts on Bitcoin and a new company to push Bitcoin and other digital assets towards the traditional financial asset. This new company will be known as Bakkt.
It is with this background that Brian Kelly of the CNBC dubbed this announcement the biggest Bitcoin news of the yes r. He went on to explain the following:
This is great news. I think the market is completely undervalued. So let's talk about why this is the biggest news of the year for Bitcoin.
Leads the way to a Bitcoin ETF. Last week I was here and I said you know what, I do not think the Bitcoin ETF will be approved. And guess what? The ETF Winkelvoss was rejected. Because?
Because there was no regulated exchange in the United States and there was no regulated custody of the United States.
Kelly went on to explain that with the Bakkt announcement, there will be a regulated exchange and an authorized warehouse where the goods are stored. Thus paving the way for the approval of the ETF. He added that:
This will make it much easier to obtain an ETF. It's even better than Bitcoin Futures … [because] are talking about getting you into your 401k. They are talking about taking it into your Schwab, Fidelity or TDAmeritrade account … you will be able to buy a Bitcoin ETF, a Bitcoin mutual fund. Expands the universe.
Brian Kelly will conclude the following:
My conclusion is that the crypto-market completely lacks this. Perhaps the market in general is missing this … this is very, very big news.
From Brian Kelly's commentary on CNBC, this could be a good time to enter the Bitcoin market and stock up on your favorite cryptocurrencies. Mr. Kelly also noted that the announcement came on Friday morning when trade in Asia closed for the day. This in turn meant that the news would not have been received to date, explaining why there was no market reaction to the news.
To note is the possibility of using Bitcoin to pay for coffee at Starbucks. This is an important step towards cryptic adoption.


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The Times speculates on the companies who might be interested in buying one of Britain's leading publishing houses:
Incidentally, the Hodder website has very clear guidelines for unsolicited submissions. Headline, a more 'popular' imprint, also has guidelines.
Cinven, the private equity firm that was stalking WH Smith earlier in the year, is understood to have made an approach for Hodder Headline...which carries a price tag of about £230 million. The investment firm, which is no longer pursuing WH Smith, will compete for the business with Lagardère, the French conglomerate, and Pearson, the media company. Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins, the publishing firms, are also thought to be interested.
Cinven is one of the world’s largest private equity firms and owns companies such as Gala Group, the casino operator, and Fitness First, the health club chain.


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Edition number twelve of ITS, International Talent Support, will take place on 12 and 13 July this year. ITS is the international platform, conceived by the EVE agency, that aims at scouting ad supporting young talents coming from all over the world and offers the opportunity to showcase their creativity before a jury made up of fashion experts and the chance to obtain job placements and internships in fashion.
This year’s edition theme will be “The Physics of Creativity”: the source of inspiration comes from an imaginary scientific study on the fundamental laws of creativity.
Competition areas are three:
- ITS FASHION: open to last-year fashion students and to young promising designers;
- ITS ACCESORIES: dedicated to young accessories designers, and includes all typologies of fashion accessories;
- ITS JEWELRY: open to students from jewelry design schools and young jewelry designers of all typologies.
All young students and designers who are interested in taking part in the contest will find further information on www.itsweb.org. The deadline to enroll is 22 March.
Last On Vogue
A chat with Kristin Prim, the founder of The Provocateur, the site that publishes letters written expressely by leading women addressing the whole female world. Vogue.it presents you an exclusive preview of the letter written by Dresden Dolls' Amanda Palmer


text: On Monday night at the Met Gala, the three members of Migos hit the red carpet in Versace, Versace, Versace—of course. But Takeoff took his look one step further with a pair of round white sunglasses, which were reminiscent of the now-iconic pair worn by the late Kurt Cobain. It was a subtly punk rock move for an event that dared every guest to go as avant-garde as possible. And Takeoff’s choice for fashion’s biggest night out solidified a trend that’s been brewing since brands like Saint Laurent, Acne Studios, and Supreme brought it back. Visually, white sunglasses are a hit for the Instagram generation—just ask Sofia Richie, whose posts featuring them have garnered almost 100,000 likes. But they’re also an embodiment of the rebellious, gender-neutral attitude young artists and It guys and girls are trying to embody in 2017. For inspiration on how to wear the trend, look no further than Rihanna and Pharrell Williams.


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Xbox 360 reaches 67 million life-to-date sales
Microsoft reveals that the Xbox 360 accounts for a 47 percent share of the current-generation console market; 19 million Kinect units sold.
Microsoft has announced that its Xbox 360 console has achieved sales of 67 million units in its lifetime.
Posting on the official Microsoft blog, the chief marketing officer of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Division, Yusuf Mehdi, revealed that the Xbox 360 has generated more than $56 billion at retail since the console was launched in 2005.
According to the publisher, the 360 accounts for a 47 percent share of the current-generation console market. Microsoft also revealed that Kinect for the Xbox 360 has sold 19 million units, to date, while Xbox Live has hit 40 million subscribers. According to Mehdi, Xbox Live subscribers now spend an average of 84 hours per month on the console.
Microsoft also published a graph detailing data from the NPD Group that shows US console hardware sales; in the graphic, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 sales are shown to increase, while Nintendo Wii sales are shown to decrease.
The publisher also outlined its plans to use the launch of Windows 8 to help the Xbox 360 become a "premium entertainment service" and grow the console's reach to "hundreds of millions of people worldwide."
In March, Microsoft revealed that it would not be announcing any new hardware at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo in June. However, it has been suggested that the next Xbox is currently in development under the code name Durango.
For more on the next Xbox, check out GameSpot's rumour roundup concerning the new hardware from Microsoft.
Microsoft's E3 press conference will commence Monday, June 4, at 9:30 a.m. PDT.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email email@example.com
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CALGARY – A tireless advocate of the produce industry, with a “strong-willed” “can-do” attitude, Bernadette Hamel may have been the only one surprised to hear her name announced as the The Packer's 40th Canadian Produce Person of the Year.
“There are so many others who deserve this award,” Hamel said. “I’m overwhelmed, honored.”
The Packer’s publisher Shannon Shuman presented the award April 13 at the Canadian Produce Marketing Association Convention awards breakfast.
Hamel, vice president of national procurement for Montreal-based Metro-Richelieu Inc., is slated to be the CPMA chair in 2015, and was the first woman to serve as the Quebec Produce Marketing Association chairman of the board.
“She’s been described as a focused, generous, fair and most importantly, a tireless advocate for the advancement of the produce industry,” Shuman said. “We are enormously fortunate to have passionate leaders in our industry.”
Also at the awards breakfast, the CPMA Lifetime Achievement Award went to Glenn Baty, owner of Star Produce Ltd., and the Mary FitzGerald award went to Anthony Bisogno, category manager for Toronto-based Burnac Produce Ltd.


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Uber, but it flies.
That’s the elevator pitch behind a new start-up craze. A growing number of companies all over the world are taking an old concept—tiny airplanes—and pairing it with the much newer concepts of electric propulsion and the app-based rideshare.
If the combo works, you might soon have another way of getting around the city—one that soars right over traffic and buildings and bridges. Sure, it’d cost more than a car does. But if everything goes perfectly, it’d be affordable enough for you, even you, to take a plane to work sometimes.
“This is not just an industry attempt at improvement, this is a global cultural shift that is leading this,” Roei Ganzarski, the CEO of Washington State electric propulsion company magniX, told The Daily Beast. “Electric aviation is significantly lower cost, lower noise, zero emissions. The tech is better and cheaper. Combine that with a better business model and now it can all work.”
Google co-founder Larry Page’s air-taxi firm Kittyhawk is pushing a vertical-takeoff electric plane it calls Heaviside. Intel, Toyota, and JetBlue have invested tens of millions of dollars in Joby, another electric air-taxi venture. Traditional planemakers including Airbus, Boeing and Bell have their own air-taxi efforts. Even Uber is trying to take to the sky, on-demand.
After years of mostly secret development, some of the new air taxis are beginning to break cover. The more ambitious companies hope to start selling rides in the next few years. A few are also hoping to fly their air taxis without pilots. Drone air taxis, if you will.
But don’t get too excited, at least not yet. The flying rideshare firms, many of which are developing their own airplanes, are counting on super-efficient batteries—oh, and generous air-traffic regulators—to make their on-demand air-travel ambitions realistic.
There’s an awful lot that could go wrong. Every generation or so since the invention of the airplane, some entrepreneur has tried to sell “air taxis” to the public. There were air taxis in the 1930s but they were expensive because, well, all air travel was expensive in those early years.
Adjusted for inflation, a plane ticket might have cost only slightly more than it does now. The difference is that American families now earn three times as much today as they did 90 years ago, adjusted for inflation. So in a very real sense, air travel in the 1930s cost three times what it does in 2021.
A revival in air taxis in the 1960s and 1970s hinged on what was, at the time, a fairly new kind of aircraft. The helicopter. It didn’t need a runway. And in the United States, the federal government was throwing subsidies at companies using ’copters as shuttles between big cities and their airports.
But a spate of horrific fatal crashes involving one NYC air-taxi company nearly killed off the industry in the late 1970s.
More recently, an Israeli firm invented a new vertical-launching and landing air taxi using downward blasting “ducted fan” engines. Urban Aeronautics has been trying to sell its air taxi since the early 2000s, without much success.
The current wave of air-taxi start-ups started a decade ago. Car-based rideshare companies were all the rage. And new tech promised to make flying rideshares possible… soon.
Today all over the world there are scores of serious air-taxi start-ups, most of them counting on some new kind of electric airplane to make them viable.
Heaviside is a great case study. The California-based company has spent millions of dollars since its 2010 founding tinkering with new electric aircraft designs. Some worked. Some didn’t. The firm has shuttered some of its programs and spun off others and is currently weathering some major personnel changes.
Under CEO Sebastian Thrun—one of the pioneers of self-driving cars and a Google vet—the company’s present focus is Heaviside, a single-person plane with a 20-foot wingspan and eight battery-powered propellers that can swivel downward, allowing the plane to take off from a 30-by-30-foot patch of grass.
In case you’re wondering, “Heaviside” isn’t a Cats reference. Kitty Hawk named its plane after influential English physicist Oliver Heaviside. “Our mission is to free the world from traffic,” the company told The Daily Beast in a statement. “We don't want to sell the aircraft, we want to sell rides and do so at a cost competitive to ground transportation.”
Kitty Hawk unveiled Heaviside in 2019 and aims to offer rides as early as 2024, pending further testing and approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. The $300,000 plane has completed hundreds of unmanned test flights in the past couple of years.
Kitty Hawk claims the Heaviside can fly 100-mile round-trips at a top speed of 180 miles per hour while keeping noise down to 35 decibels—around as noisy as a suburban street—and keeping a quarter of its battery power in reserve, just in case. If something goes wrong, the Heaviside pops a parachute and floats to the ground.
Kitty Hawk hopes people will be willing to pay a premium for Heaviside’s speed advantage over an old-school Uber. It’s not clear how much a Heaviside ride might cost, but consider this: Germany air-taxi company Lilium guessed, perhaps optimistically, that a trip from Manhattan to JFK International Airport might take 10 minutes and cost $70.
Batteries will make or break Heaviside and other electric air taxis. If a battery is too heavy or can’t generate enough electricity fast enough at a low price point, the plane it’s powering might never get off the ground. Or maybe it’ll fly, but not fast enough or far enough to justify its cost.
Developers are optimistic. Batteries, after all, are getting better and cheaper at an accelerating rate—kind of like computer chips did in the golden years of the P.C. back in the 1990s and early 2000s.
There are skeptics, of course. Batteries are getting better practically by the day, but they’re still way too weak for anything bigger than a small air taxi traveling just a few hundred miles at a time.
“All sorts of new battery chemistries are under investigation, but none will be ready for 10 to 15 years,” Robert Thomson, an analyst at Roland Berger, a consultancy in Munich, told The Daily Beast. “Although range and payload may squeeze upwards in the next few years, we don’t see any breakthrough that would allow, for instance, 200-seater aircraft to be all-electric.”
And batteries can be a safety risk. “At a mishap… these are major firebombs, impossible to extinguish,” said Bjorn Fehrm, an analyst with Leeham News and Analysis in Washington State.
There are other obstacles. Regulators are a big one. The FAA is already struggling to keep up with the rapid spread of tiny drones. It’s been a bloody regulatory battle keeping flying robots away from our airports and out of our bird sanctuaries. As many as 1,000 drones a month intrude on the restricted air space around Los Angeles International Airport.
Now imagine air taxis zipping around major cities. Threading around skyscrapers. Ducking under power lines. And yes, dodging people’s drones. “The FAA can certify new technologies through its existing regulations. We may issue special conditions or additional requirements, depending on the type of project,” was all an agency spokesperson had to say on the subject.
Kitty Hawk for one said it appreciates the challenge. “A big part of gaining regulatory approval hinges on gaining public acceptance,” the company stated.
So even if the technology works, costs are reasonable and regulators give air taxis the thumbs up, customers will have the final say in whether flying Ubers are a good idea. Would you pay a premium for a quick trip to the airport? And would you trust an experimental electric airplane to take you?


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At a public hearing on Tuesday, April 17th City Council voted to approve zoning bylaw amendments that will permit the sale of liquor in grocery stores.
Right now, any business in the City of Vancouver that sells or serves alcoholic drinks, has to have a liquor licence. And, grocery stores are prohibited from doing so.
If approved, City staff anticipate they will start accepting applications from businesses as early as May 14th.
“Over the last few years, we have undertaken extensive public and stakeholder consultation regarding updates to the City’s liquor policies,” said Kaye Krishna, General Manager, Development, Buildings and Licensing.
“These amendments not only balance the public’s request, but also bring our liquor bylaws in line with provincial regulations.”
Grocery Stores to Sell Alcohol
Highlights from the release:
- A new retail definition, “Grocery Store with Liquor Store,” will replace the previous definition of a grocery store, which included drug stores.
- Drug stores will not be permitted to sell liquor.
- Qualifying grocery stores to sell liquor in their store via a store-within-a-store model.
- Specific policies and guidelines will be reported to Council in early May.
The approval of these bylaw amendments are the next step to implementing the City’s liquor policy recommendations, which were approved by Council in June 2017.


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The feed store, originally opened in 1947, has outgrown its downtown Winter Garden building and is now in a larger location on West Colonial Drive.
Phyllis the chicken and Flower the rabbit have a new home. And they’ve taken the entire feed store with them.
Winter Garden Feed Co., purchased last March by Stan and Sherri Hawthorne and given a new name, has moved to a newer and larger building on West Colonial Drive. It is directly behind Main Street Mower, also owned by the Hawthornes. In fact, the two businesses share an address, 12403 W. Colonial Drive, Winter Garden.
Stan Hawthorne said the move was warranted because parking was always an issue and the semi tractor-trailers had a difficult time maneuvering on Joiner and Main streets.
The new warehouse and showroom are almost twice as big as the old building, Hawthorne said. With the extra shelving space, this will give the owners an opportunity to increase their stock.
“We’re looking for new products that our customers can use and possibly bring in new customers by having new products,” Hawthorne said. “(The previous owners) were somewhat limited in what they could keep there.”
Still available will be the popular Seminole Feed brand of horse, chicken and goat feed and Purina product line.
Hawthorne said the feed store is adding products for chickens and plans to improve its garden supplies, such as fertilizers and mulches.
“And, of course, we have a large selection of seeds, and we’re going to bring in the seasonal vegetable plants,” he said.
The Hawthornes purchased the business from Marc and Karen Grimes, who owned it for about 10 years. The new owners took over the care of the rabbit and chicken, but the Grimeses took the popular pot-bellied pig with them.
Prior to the Grimes operating the shop, Steve Norman owned it for a few years, having purchased it from John Beck. At some point it was called Greener Gardens. Beck changed the name to Beck’s Feed and Garden Supply from McCord’s Feed Store.
Ala McCord started his business in 1947 and operated it until the 1970s.
The Hawthornes’ other business, Main Street Mower, started in downtown Windermere in 1994 and moved to Maguire Road in Ocoee eight-and-one-half years later. It has been at the current location for three years.
Contact Amy Quesinberry at [email protected].
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Tomb Raider Legend
Lara Croft returns to our mobile screens in Tomb Raider Legend, the franchise’ first-ever roguelike title. If you’ve been waiting for a new game featuring the cliff-climbing, puzzle-solving heroine, you’re probably wondering if a PC release is on the way.
Tomb Raider Reloaded continues Lara on her mission to find an ancient Scion relic. There are ever-changing areas loaded with adversaries, traps, and riddles in her path. Run-specific enhancements join permanent benefits like as XP modifiers, new clothes, and perks, providing players plenty of reasons to restart if they don’t find the artifact. Here’s all we know so far regarding a possible PC release.
Tomb Raider Reloaded is now available for PC.
On February 14, 2023, Tomb Raider Reloaded will be released worldwide on iOS and Android via its respective app stores, as well as on Netflix. Unfortunately, there will be no PC version.


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The annual BRW Rich List is a treasure trove of success stories and inspiration for budding entrepreneurs.
From the entrepreneurs behind some of Australia’s most successful technology companies to the executives who have taken their families’ business to new heights, there is plenty to learn from the 200 names on this year’s list.
Here are six lessons from the Rich List class of 2015.
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1. Age is no barrier – at both ends of the spectrum
Making his debut on the Rich List this year is Patrick Grove, the founder of Catcha Group. At the age of 40, Grove is one of the youngest entrepreneurs on the list.
But Grove started Catcha Group back in 1999, proving you are never too young to found a successful business.
At the other end of the age spectrum is Harry Triguboff, the 82-year-old property developer who is celebrating his 52nd year in business this year. Triguboff is one of the biggest movers this year, almost doubling his wealth to $10.23 billion and jumping up to third place.
2. Property and mining are still wealth generators
While much has been made of the downward trend in the Australian mining sector, the resources industry continues to account for the wealth of numerous members of the Rich List.
Prominent miners Gina Rinehart, Ivan Glasenberg and Andrew Forrest appear in the top 10 this year, followed by Kerry Stokes at number 16 and Leonie Baldock and Alexandra Burt, daughters of the late Michael Wright, at number 22 and 23.
And given the strength in Australia’s property market, it’s also not surprising to see eight of the top 20 Rich Listers generating wealth from property investments. Property investment has also helped maintain the wealth of mining-magnate-turned politician Clive Palmer, who appears at number 30 on this year’s list with estimated wealth of $1.4 billion.
3. But don’t overlook traditional industries – like selling cars
Selling used cars is not an occupation that you would normally associate with the Rich List, but that’s exactly how Tony Denny has made his $320 fortune.
Another entrepreneur to make his debut on this year’s list, Denny established his used car business AAA Auto in Europe with a loan from his friend John Winning, founder of Winning Appliances. He sold that business last year to private equity group Abris Capital Partners for $233 million and still holds a 23% share.
4. Find the right business partner
Having a solid business partnership has been a key ingredient in the success of many of the entrepreneurs on this year’s Rich List, particularly those in the tech space.
Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar founded Atlassian after taking the same course in business information technology at the University of New South Wales, while Campaign Monitor founders David Greiner and Ben Richardson also entered business together while both studying at the University of Wollongong.
Also on this year’s Rich List is Owen Kerr, one half of the duo behind online foreign currency trader Pepperstone, with wealth of $250 million.
When Kerr and co-founder Joe Davenport were named EY Entrepreneurs of the Year last year, he told SmartCompany successful entrepreneurs need “someone to drag you up over the top of the trenches when things get tough”.
“I don’t think we each could have done this by ourselves,” Kerr said.
“We play to each other strengths, we both have areas we do well in [and] we definitely share the responsibilities.”
5. Diversify your investments
The Sussan Group’s profits may have fallen last year, but owner and managing director Naomi Milgrom has managed to increase her wealth year-on-year thanks to an outside investment—her shareholding in public company Magellan Financial Group.
Coming in at number 101 on this year’s list, Milgrom’s wealth increased from $520 million in 2014 to $526 million this year.
Another entrepreneur who has made his fortune in a number of industries is Bob Oatley, number 49 on this year’s Rich List with estimated wealth of $1 billion. Oatley and his family amassed most of their wealth from the Rosemount wine business, but he also owns $250 million business and tourist destination, Hamilton Island.
6. Take risks
Flight Centre co-founder Geoff Harris is a serial entrepreneur and his business success has been built by backing himself in new industries. At number 53 on this year’s Rich List, Harris’ personal wealth is estimated to be $881 million.
Harris founded Flight Centre with Graham Turner and Bill James in the 1970s with European bus tours. But he has not been sitting back twiddling his thumbs after stepping down from the company’s board in 2008. He backed Janine Allis to help spearhead the success of Boost Juice, resuscitated travel company Topdeck and more recently has invested in casual Mexican dining chain Fonda, which is in the midst of an expansion in Melbourne.


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Celebrating Soil! Celebrating Life!
The Celebrating Soil! Celebrating Life! congress will take place from 26 to 27 June as part of the UN-backed 2015 International Year of Soils and the global Save Our Soils campaign. The event to be staged at Amsterdam’s Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) will feature speakers including Maria Helena Semedo, deputy director general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and Doug Tompkins, founder of retail chains Esprit and North Face, and now the world’s largest private land conservationist. Other speakers include German celebrity chef Sarah Wiener, Alternative Nobel Prize winner Vandana Shiva and Chief Arvol Looking Horse, spiritual leader of the Sioux, while royal guests, entrepreneurs and prominent activists are also expected to attend. However, one theme connects them all: soil. With 10 million hectares of fertile soil, amounting to 30 football fields per minute, lost each year due to erosion and degradation, the congress will emphasise why saving our soils is vital to future food supplies.
The Celebrating Soil! Celebrating Life! congress is organised by Nature & More in cooperation with FAO and IFOAM Organic International. Nature & More is the trace & tell trademark of Eosta. The purpose of the congress is to generate attention for the issue of soil loss and make consumers aware of their unique power. Any choice for sustainable and organic agriculture makes a contribution towards saving soils. In the run-up to the congress, a Soil Declaration & Action Plan is being written with help of participants, which will be presented near the end of the congress. For the complete congress program, see: www.celebratingsoil.com.
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UPDATE: Since writing the article below I asked Todd Pedersen the following:
What’s the likelihood of Blackstone growing the Vivint HQ outside of Utah?
From my home office I can almost see the Vivint headquarters in Utah Valley’s River Bottoms. I’ve watched with some amazement as this small entrepreneurial start-up has grown into a industry “dominator”–I say that with my best Arnold Schwarzenegger accent. Today’s news of Blackstone’s acquisition of the company for around $2B tops the Josh James/John Pestana Omniture high mark for Utah hi-tech buyouts.
What’s more interesting is that the same guy I see at Golds Gym and in entrepreneurial circles, Todd Pedersen, has served as CEO for Vivint’s entire life. Somehow, he has served as the blazing entrepreneurial catalyst for a new start-up, then matured into a credible large company CEO. During that time he has stayed hugely approachable and focused on community service–that’s my view anyway.
Today’s news raises some questions for me, coming from my background at a Novell acquired and gradually moved out of state. How long will Todd stay on as CEO? With the massive construction under way on its Utah headquarters, how long before the company starts growing outside happy valley? My daughter will be interested in that answer since she’s worked for Todd and Vivint for five summers to pay her way through college.
There is no doubt now that Vivint and Todd now rise in the entrepreneur firmament to top leader status, contributing hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars to the state’s economy. Wall Street now sees that, too. Kudos to Todd and other Vivint visionaries. Knowing the strong personalities of both Josh James and Todd Pedersen, perhaps its time for a manly stick-pulling contest for top Utah entrepreneur honors. My money there might be on Todd though. I’ve seen those biceps “workin’ it” at the gym.
Another question I have is why, when BusinessWeek, FoxNews, Bloomberg, and a hundred more Wall Street followers dedicated column inches to this story in a symphony of media relations brilliance, did Todd’s own back yard newspaper, Provo Daily Herald, relegate the story to page B4–opting for Chicago holiday retail soft news for its Business Section front page, Hhmmmm?Share
About the Author:As founder of PilmerPR, John Pilmer, APR serves as a PR and marketing communications advisor for both emerging and established companies. He offers customers more than 20 years of results-driven business PR and marketing experience. John and the firm have provided PR consultation and campaigns for clients such as Mozy, Novell, AdvancedMD, Certiport, NextPage, ElectraTherm, Altiris, Avamar, EmergeCore Networks, FSLogic, INVISUS, 10x Marketing, MWI, Project Insight, REIC, Seastone, US Synthetic and Funding Universe (now Lendio), among others.


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11 December 2009
An integral part of Stingray, Summit’s tracking, reporting and marketing toolkit, Portfolio Manager keeps Comet’s PPC adverts and keywords accurate to the minute in relation to stock, price, availability, margin and customer reviews.
Its rules engine creates and optimises ‘long tail’ campaigns automatically against Comet’s business information (margin and stock) received in its daily product feed.
Portfolio Manager is the only technology available to UK retailers that lets them sync their warehouse with their PPC campaigns on all major search engines — in real time.
As a result, Comet is able to drastically increase its reach across key categories whilst maintaining its desired cost of sale – and achieved all this within the first 48 hours of going live. These results are particularly significant as Comet’s key objectives for PPC were to increase reach and sales volumes whilst maintaining margin.
The Econsultancy judging panel said Summit had “used the power of the long tail of search to expose the stock sitting in Comet’s warehouses delivering truly innovative integration with a traditional retailer.”
Neil Collins, online marketing manager at Comet Group PLC said: “Portfolio Manager’s use of product feeds to power search campaigns has transformed our approach to PPC and delivered a step change in results within just 48 hours of going live.”
Hedley Aylott, managing director of Summit, said: “The numbers we’ve delivered for Comet and the fact that we won this award clearly proves that Portfolio Manager is the market-leading search tool for retailers and can transform their opportunity in PPC.”
“We relish the opportunity to compete with agencies ‘perceived’ to be leading the market and this award validates that our technology and approach stand head and shoulders above them.”
Peter Fitzgerald, Industry Leader, Retail at Google UK said: “Since businesses must bid on hundreds of thousands to millions of terms to successfully mine the long tail of shopping searches, technology is the only solution. Taking a product feed and turning it quickly into a powerful way to drive new customers and profitable sales is a significant achievement.”
Summit’s entire client base also benefits from the award-winning value Portfolio Manager delivers and it will be an integral part of the company’s new business strategy.


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These are all the posts that have been tagged with manufacturing.
Yesterday, I visited Packaging Innovations at Olympia in London, to see what new developments the sector is working on for confectionery, bakery and snack products.
The PFF Packaging Group has invested £1.5 million in new injection moulding (IM) technology – a move it says will significantly strengthen its position in the sector and extend its food packaging offering.
Production plant giant Bühler Group has acquired Haas Group, the Austrian manufacturer of wafer, biscuits and confectionery production systems, for an undisclosed sum.
Orchard Valley Foods and Candeco Confektyr have merged to create a €40 million producer of confections, ingredients and decorations for the food manufacturing, foodservice and retail home baking sectors, as well as international markets.
There’s a new study almost every month highlighting the benefits of dark chocolate, but now new research is suggesting dark chocolate enriched with extra virgin olive oil is associated with an improved cardiovascular risk profile.
North American flexible packaging company Epac Holdings has announced plans to open its next plant in Boulder, Colorado in the second half of 2017.
Coding and marking specialist Interactive Coding Equipment (ICE) has launched its next generation thermal transfer overprinter (TTO), which is able to monitor and report on the quality of each code it produces.
Robotics specialist Sewtec Automation has completed a management buyout, backed by private equity firm Endless, as it looks to expand into new markets.
Mondelēz International has announced a A$75 million ($59.4m) investment plan for it Cadbury Claremont plant in Australia, which will result in 50 job losses.
In response to the increasing popularity of 3D printing, ZDS will host what it claims is the first 3D printing congress for the sweets and snacks industry next month.
Processing and packaging solutions provider Tna has opened its new customer support office in Moscow, Russia.
US-based Blue Pacific Flavors has opened a new research and development laboratory for natural colours in a move that will double its capabilities in the sector.
Daisy Phillipson takes a look at innovations in extrusion and forming machinery and how they can help confectionery and bakery manufacturers ensure a foothold in the health market.
Dixon has announced that it will exhibiting again at this year’s PPMA Show (26-28 September) at The National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, UK.


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Retail sales in the eurozone have been falling for several months as the recession deepens. The latest figures show a drop in sales of 4.2% between March 2008 and 2009. But what are the implications for fiscal and monetary policy?
With many eurozone countries worried about growing budget deficits the pressure is on the ECB to cut interest rates. Would this help to halt the decline in sales, or do policy-makers need to go further? The linked articles look at the facts and some of the solutions.
Volume of retail trade down by 0.6% in euro area Eurostat news release (6/5/09)
Brussels doubles EU recession forecasts for 2009 Independent (5/5/09)
Euro zone retail sales in record fall IrishTimes.com (24/4/09)
Record decline in eurozone sales BBC News (6/5/09)
EU businesses say worst of crisis over, urge action Guardian (6/5/09)
ECB Is Expected to Cut Rate to 1%, Enlist Other Tools The Wall Street Journal (6/5/09)
ECB set to cut interest rates to record low of 1% Times Online (5/5/09)
Economic Forecast, Spring 2009 European Economy (European Commission)
- What determines the level of retail sales?
- What would halt the decline in retail sales?
- Discuss various measures that the ECB could take to stimulate the eurozone economy. Why might it be reluctant to take some of the measures?
Forecasting the future state of economies is difficult at the best of times. Forecasters frequently get it wrong. To see this, just look at forecasts for the current point in time made two or three years ago – or even six months ago, given the current dire circumstances. They were often way-off mark.
But why are forecasts often so inaccurate? The problem is that in the short run the state of the economy depends on the level of aggregate demand; and that, in turn, depends crucially on confidence – both of consumers and business. But confidence is a ‘will-o’-the-wisp’ thing. Confidence can evaporate with bad news, making the situation much worse. Likewise, good news can lead to rapidly growing optimism, which in turn stimulates consumption, investment and growth. Humans are fickle creatures – and the media do not help here, playing on fears or hyping-up good news.
The following articles look at forecasts made in April 2009, when economies around the world were deep in recession. Was this recession the start of something much worse? Or were economies soon to bounce back, taking up the slack created by the recession? Forecasters were being sorely tested. It will be interesting to see in a year’s time just how accurate, or inaccurate, they were.
Are there any signs of recovery? BBC News (16/4/09)
Merkel debates economic woes amid grim forecasts Guardian (22/4/09)
IMF is being unduly alarmist: Jeremy Warner Independent (24/4/09)
What the experts say: the shrinking economy Guardian (24/4/09)
Economic surveys signal that worst could be behind Europe EarthTimes (24/4/09)
Darling’s economic forecast “unrealistic” Moneywise (23/4/09)
Crisis deepens in Europe, Japan AsiaOne News (24/4/09)
IMF warns that worldwide slump will be deeper than thought Times Online (23/4/09)
World Economic Outlook: April 2009 IMF (24/4/09). See also webcast.
- Why do forecasters differ so markedly from each other?
- Other than an unexpected rise or fall in confidence, what else could make forecasts turn out to be wrong?
- To what extent is economic forecasting similar to and different from weather forecasting?
On 7 April, Brian Lenihan, Ireland’s Finance Minister, introduced an emergency Budget. He forecast that Irish real GDP would decline by some 8 per cent in 2009, that consumer prices would fall by 4 per cent (i.e. substantial negative inflation) and that unemployment, already at 11 per cent, would rise further. So what was his solution? Was it a massive fiscal stimulus to boost aggregate demand and turn the economy around? No: it was precisely the opposite. He announced substantial tax increases and cuts in government expenditure? Was this economic madness, or was there economic sense in the measures? The following articles explore the arguments.
Ireland’s shock therapy has got its merits Independent (9/4/09)
Ireland Faces ‘Challenge of Its Life’ BusinessWeek (8/4/09)
Few crumbs of comfort as incomes take severe hammering Irishtimes.com (10/4/09)
Republic’s Budget cuts ‘for the common good’ Belfast Telegraph (8/4/09)
Ireland unveils budget ‘challenge’ Financial Times (8/4/09)
Ireland unveils emergency budget BBC News (7/4/09)
When fiscal stimulus isn’t stimulating: Stephanie Flanders blog BBC News (7/4/09)
Ireland imposes emergency cuts Telegraph (8/4/09)
- Consider the arguments for and against the fiscal tightening measures adopted by the Irish government.
- Should the UK government also adopt a tighter fiscal stance?
- How important is investor confidence in determining the success of a Budget?
Given all the attention that the recession has had for months in the media, it may be surprising to find out that in fact Britain only went into recession officially today (January 23rd 2009). This is because, as economists, we have a more precise definition of recession than much of the media. A recession is when there is two successive quarters of negative economic growth. Figures released by the ONS today, show that this is finally the case. The links below give a flavour of the media attention dedicated to this announcement.
Recession Britain: It’s official Guardian (23/1/09)
Countdown to recession Guardian (23/1/09)
No end to the melodrama Guardian (22/1/09)
Recession: we knew it was coming, but we didn’t know it would be this bad Times Online (24/1/09)
Recession: Sector-by-sector breakdown Times Online (23/1/09)
It’s official – Britain is in recession Times Online (23/1/09)
UK in recession as economy slides BBC News Online (23/1/09)
Recession figures heighten the gloom Independent (23/1/09)
UK recession: It’s official and the worst since 1980 Telegraph (23/1/09)
UK recession: How does this one compare to those since 1945 Telegraph (23/1/09)
UK recession: It’s now official Telegraph (23/1/09)
- Explain the principal reasons why the UK has fallen into recession.
- Discuss the extent to which the UK recession is likely to be worse than in other countries in Europe.
- Analyse whether the policies adopted by the UK government will reduce the length and depth of the UK recession.
- Evaluate two further policies that the governmnt could adopt to reduce the depth of the recession.
- Assess which sectors of the economy are likely to suffer (a) the most and (b) the least, as a result of the recession.
While deflation was quite common right up to World War II, it has not been seen in the UK since 1947. The podcast considers whether it might return and looks at the impact of deflation on economic activity. There is a short case study on the deflationary years suffered by Japan between 1997 and 2006 and a consideration of policies that might be appropriate to overcome defaltionary pressures.


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(Sharecast News) - UK stocks are set to start the last session of the week slightly higher with investors waiting on the release of a batch of key US economic data, particularly as regards consumer confidence.
As of 0730 FTSE 100 futures were adding 25.0 points to 6,032.
Ahead of the release of the University of Michigan's consumer confidence survey, which was due out at 1500 BST, financial markets were digesting a set of poor second-tier indicators out in the UK.
Contrary to expectations, consultancy GfK's consumer confidence gauge slipped from a reading of -0.2 in August to -1.8 for September.
Lloyds business barometre on the other hand showed an improvement in overall business confidence for a third consecutive month in August, improving by eight percentage points to -14%, but it remained well below the historical long-term average.
To take note of, Andrew Bailey, the Governor of the Bank of England, is due to speak at 1405 BST.
Investors eye dividend restart at Essentra
Essentra said business was improving and that it would consider restarting dividends in the current year as it posted a 40% decline in underlying profit. Adjusted operating profit for the six months to the end of June fell to £29m from £48m as revenue dropped 11% to £448m. The company paid no interim dividend and said it was on track to meet market expectations for annual profit.
Resolute Mining reported a 33% improvement in revenues in its first half on Friday, to $305.29m (£230.24m), as its EBITDA surged 85% year-on-year to $101.11m. The AIM-traded firm declared no interim dividend for the six months ended 30 June, in line with the prior year, as its all-in sustaining cost rose to $1,020 per ounce, from $828 a year earlier.
Bunzl acquires medical distribution firm Obex Medical


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Carabao setting out to broaden appeal of category in Scotland
ENERGY drinks are going from strength to strength in Scotland but with the prospect of a ban on sales for under 16s on the horizon a significant chunk of the market could disappear in the not so distant future.
A ban on selling energy drinks to under 16s doesn’t need to mean a drop in sales however, provided new customers can be brought in to the market – which is just what Thai energy brand Carabao is trying to do.
Mark Young, managing director at Intercarabao UK said the firm is looking to broaden the appeal of its brand in pursuit of category growth.
“At Carabao, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive energy drink brand which recognises the needs of all our customers.
“We are working to grow the energy drink market in Scotland by bringing new audiences to the category with our light, refreshing, low and no-sugar boosts that appeal to men and women of all ages.
“In terms of growth, offering consumers a variety of flavours is an important point of difference in a market which is known for the same standard ‘energy drink’ flavour across brands. By providing new and unusual flavours, Scottish retailers maintain the interest of their customers.”


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Update: Mastercard Ban was lifted on 22 June 2022
After placing a ban on HDFC Bank, American Express & Diners Club, RBI has now placed a ban on MasterCard from acquiring new customers. This has a massive impact because it doesn’t affect one or two, but almost all banks and not just on credit cards but also on debit/prepaid card issuance. Here’s everything you need to know.
- What’s the ban? Mastercard cannot take new customers from 22nd July’21.
- Why? Non-compliance with Data storage policy
- Impacts whom? All banks issuing MasterCard credit/debit/prepaid cards
While the ban goes live only on 22nd, some banks actually made it live with immediate effect as they would need time to process existing applications. As always, existing customers on Mastercard are not affected.
Table of Contents
Who’s severely affected?
The banks that rely on MasterCard only are the ones that gets affected severely. Some of them are:
- RBL bank
- Yes Bank
RBL & Yesbank are in big trouble because they issue “only” MasterCard credit cards to my knowledge. Even biggest problem is most of their debit cards too are on MasterCard – so it affects savings Ac acquisition too.
Axis bank is also severely affected because their hot selling credit-card product can’t be issued.
Both RBL & Yesbank have started working on alternate networks to issue cards and I expect them to go live after 3 months.
That aside, if we look at the impact on card level, here are some of the best credit cards in India that got affected due to the MasterCard ban, as these cards are launched exclusively on MasterCard platform.
- Axis Flipkart credit card (massive hit for axis)
- RBL Zomato credit card (sad news for zomato)
- Bob ETERNA credit card (one of the best in premium segment)
- Axis Magnus credit card (one of the best in premium travel segment)
There could be few other cards too that may get affected but these are the noteworthy ones that cannot be applied until the ban is revoked.
Who benefits from the ban?
If we look at the payment processor level, Visa is the biggest beneficiary of all these bans as Amex, Diners Club and MasterCard are banned.
And of-course this may help Rupay to get some market share as well. Ideally we should start seeing credit cards on Rupay platform quite soon.
If we look at bank level, these bans gives ICICI bank a greater advantage as they play in entry-level cards segment which mostly run on visa platform.
If we look at the card level, the ICICI Amazon pay credit card is the biggest beneficiary. Among the top 4 private players, only ICICI has a wonderful product in entry-level segment that can still be issued (in bulk), because HDFC is banned, Axis flipkart card is running on MC, RBL is down as all of their cards are on MC.
As per latest reports ICICI bank has issued over 2 million Amazon pay cards already and this move will get them to 3 million mark super fast.
When will the ban be lifted?
It’s safe to “assume” that it might take 3-6 months.
But again I think this ban especially may not last long as it affects the entire payments space at multiple levels and also MasterCard may not need a lot of time to get things done.
So it’s highly likely to be cleared in ~3 months.
It’s sad to see that the payments industry is in continuous stress since November 2020 and we never know what’s gonna happen tomorrow.
It’s quite interesting to note that Mastercard says that they’ve done the needful but disappointed with stance taken by Reserve bank of India. In their own words:
Since the issuance of the RBI directive requiring on-soil storage of domestic payment transaction data in 2018, we have provided consistent updates and reports regarding our activities and compliance with the required stipulations. While we are disappointed with the stance taken by the RBI in their communication dated July 14, we will continue to work with them to provide any additional details required to resolve their concerns.
I hope all these issues on payments industry gets solved in coming months and revert back to normalcy at-least by Year-end, so we can open a happy new year 2022, assuming Covid-19 too shows some sympathy on humans.


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Brand & corporate | 21.06.17
In order to drive the development of the brand, Volvo cars also announced today that Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President Design at Volvo, will assume the position of Chief Executive Officer at Polestar. Mr Ingenlath has been the inspiration behind Volvo’s award winning design renaissance in recent years.
“Thomas heading up the Polestar organisation shows our commitment to establishing a truly differentiated stand-alone brand within the Volvo Car Group,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo cars.
Mr Ingenlath will be joined at Polestar by Jonathan Goodman, who will become Chief Operating Officer. Mr Goodman moves from his position as Senior Vice President Corporate Communication at Volvo cars.
“With 25 years of commercial experience in the automotive industry, Jonathan is ideally placed to provide operational experience alongside Thomas’s vision, building on the experienced management team that will drive the Polestar brand forwards” said Mr Samuelsson.
“Polestar will be a credible competitor in the emerging global market for high performance electrified cars. With Polestar, we are able to offer electrified cars to the world’s most demanding, progressive drivers in all market segments.”
Volvo cars acquired 100 per cent of Polestar Performance in July 2015, having worked together in motorsport since 1996. In the future, Polestar will offer Polestar branded cars that will no longer carry a Volvo logo, as well as optimisation packages for Volvo’s range of cars under the Polestar Engineered brand.
Polestar will enjoy specific technological and engineering synergies with Volvo cars and benefit from significant economies of scale as a result of its connection to Volvo. These synergies will allow it to design, develop and build world beating electrified high performance cars.
Mr Ingenlath said: “I am really excited to take up the challenge of establishing this exciting brand, developing a fabulous portfolio of bespoke products and channelling the passion we have throughout the Polestar team. The next chapter in Polestar’s history is just beginning.”
Polestar will make further announcements about its products, industrialization and commercial plans in the autumn.
Polestar is the electric performance car brand jointly owned by Volvo Car Group and Zhejiang Geely Holding. Polestar enjoys specific technological and engineering synergies with Volvo Cars and benefits from significant economies of scale as a result. This facilitates the successful design, development and production of separately-branded, electric performance cars.
Polestar launched in 2017 with the Polestar 1 – a low-volume Electric Performance Hybrid GT with 600 hp, 1,000 Nm and an electric-only range of 150 km – the longest of any hybrid car in the world. In 2019, the Polestar 2 was revealed as the company’s first full electric, higher volume premium car designed to compete around the Tesla Model 3. In the future, Polestar 3 will join the portfolio as a fully electric performance SUV.
Polestar also applies its technology and expertise to electrified Volvo cars. The new Volvo S60, V60 and XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered models feature key Polestar components to create a sharper and more engaging driving experience. Polestar optimisation software upgrades are also available for Volvo models, which enhance six performance areas including engine output. Polestar Engineered media information can be found on the Volvo Cars media website.


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Rambus Gets Mixed European Ruling
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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) _ Shares of Rambus Inc. enjoyed a slight lift on the Nasdaq Stock Market, after The European Patent Office handed the chip connection designer a mixed ruling that could delay its cases against semiconductor makers in Europe.
Though the office affirmed the novelty and inventiveness of one of Rambus’ key patents, it also said the patent is valid only if certain language is added to make it conform with the original filing.
Los Altos-based Rambus has sued a number of chip makers in the United States and Europe for allegedly refusing to pay royalties on its technology. Defendants include Infineon Technologies AG, Micron Technology Inc. and Hynix Semiconductor Inc.
``What’s going to be debated by the parties is the practical effect of that additional language,″ said John Danforth, Rambus’ general counsel. ``This will give the other side an opportunity to say it should limit our infringement case.″
Rambus said it will appeal the ruling, which was issued Wednesday. Because of differences in European and U.S. patent law, the decision is not expected to affect cases in the United States, Danforth said.
Rambus shares closed at $5.50, up almost 2 percent, or 9 cents, in Wednesday trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
Rambus licenses technology that semiconductor companies use to increase the bandwidth between chips. Its designs are often used to speed memory communications, and 25 chip makers have licensed the technology for more than 300 computer, communications and consumer applications.
In June, the Federal Trade Commission filed an antitrust complaint against Rambus, alleging it persuaded a standards group to adopt technology for which Rambus was seeking patent approvals.
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The pub industry has taken a hammering in recent years, but there are glimmers of hope for those still in the business of drinking and hospitality.
Do you have any pub clients or are you the FD at a brewery/pub company?
M&G Investments recently provided a £20m, 10-year loan to independent brewer and pub owner Hall & Woodhouse.
Administrators at Chantrey Vellacott DFK have sold the assets of a London pub company after running the business since it folded in mid-January.
Pub chain Enterprise Inns lost an upper tier tribunal appeal that will curb its ability to reclaim input VAT on property-related overhead costs.
JD Wetherspoon said that its tax bill has increased by more than £50m in the past financial year as the pub chain criticised “unsustainable” tax rises that are hurting the pub industry and UK e
JD Wetherspoon (JDW) has lost its latest appeal to claim capital allowances for pub refurbishments in a slightly surreal tax tribunal which included detailed discussions about toilet cubicle pa
After years of refusing to deal with them (other than as a punter) one of my clients has money in his pocket and, despite my tutting, is determined that this is what he wants to invest in. He has
The alarming rate of pub closures in the UK could be halted if more adopted the co-operative business model, it has been claimed.


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United Airlines intends to launch a new non-stop service between the US and Cape Town starting in December.
The seasonal route will depart from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, New York, to Cape Town and will be operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner featuring 48 seats in United Polaris business class, 88 seats in United Economy Plus and 116 seats in United Economy.
“We’re thrilled to announce the addition of Africa to our global route offering,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s vice president of International Network. “This new flight will provide customers with the only non-stop service between the United States and Cape Town.”
Deon Cloete, manager of Cape Town International Airport, said: “The introduction of this new route not only provides a much-needed link between the USA and Cape Town from a tourism perspective, but a direct flight, with an estimated four-hour saving in travel time, will also mean an increase in business and investment opportunities.”


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The La Femme club sold T-shirts advocating gender equality Feb. 23-26 on the quad, selling out of the shirts a day before the scheduled end of the sale and taking orders for additional shirts.
Head of Upper School Audrius Barzdukas will have a pie thrown in his face at the next First and Third assembly by one of the students who purchased a La Femme shirt. Barzdukas agreed to being pied if the club members raised $1,500, a goal which they surpassed.
The sale of T-shirts for $18 each raised over $2,500. The club sold out of the first 100 shirts one day before the sale ended and then sold another 40 shirts on pre-order. The pre-ordered shirts were distributed March 2.
Students who bought a shirt received a raffle ticket for the chance to throw the pie at the next assembly. The winner will be announced at the assembly.
The T-shirt’s design, created by Alitzel Villanueva ’17, is based on the London Underground logo and is a play on the reminder in all Tube stations to “Mind the Gap” of space between the platform and the train.
“I think the T-shirts help push forward the message that La Femme is about equality and that it’s not that we’re just super pro-women,” founding club member and leader Sohni Kaur ’17 said. “We want everybody to be included and that’s why we came up with a generic T-shirt that even guys could wear.”
Proceeds from the sale will be donated to Linda’s Voice, a non-profit organization to prevent domestic violence.
Veronica Crow ’16, who is not a member of the club, bought a shirt to support the issue of gender equality.
“I think it is a really simple, not overly aggressive way of reminding people that there is a gender gap and that there are inherent inequalities in society between men and women,” Crow said.


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One-third of expecting mothers don’t think weed harms the child
In accordance with a brand new review done by researchers in the University of British Columbia, as much as one-third of expecting mothers usually do not genuinely believe that eating cannabis is bad for their fetus.
In a few instances, females genuinely believe that devoid of their own health care providers talk to them about the risks of utilizing cannabis immediately shows that the medication is safe to be used throughout their maternity.
These findings had been outlined in a review that is new in Preventive Medicine log. Within their review, UBC researchers desired to recognize the perspectives of females on the wellness part of cannabis usage during maternity in addition to post-partum. Additionally they sought to discover or perhaps a women’s perceptions influence their decision about utilizing cannabis https://cbdoilworld.org.
Worldwide CBD Exchange
According to lead writer Hamideh Bayrampour, their research recommended that more women on the decade that is past become making use of weed while expecting alsoif proof regarding its security is conflicting and restricted. (more…)


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Sugarcane outgrowers from districts in Northern Uganda have petitioned Speaker Rebecca Kadaga over the delay to open Atiak Sugar factory.
The outgrowers attached to Atiak factory say that they are stranded with thousands of acres of sugarcane with no market after government failed to facilitate the privately owned factory to kick off. Atiak Sugar factory located in Amuru district is owned by tycoon Amina Hersi under her company- Horyal Investment Holding Company Limited.
Led by Kilak North MP Anthony Akol, the sugarcane outgrowers from the districts of Amuru, Gulu, Adjumani and Lamwo on Wednesday expressed dissatisfaction with government’s delay to fund Atiak sugar factory, thus delaying operations despite farmers’ unyielding efforts to grow sugarcane.
“The Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development addressed us in Atiak on July 21st 2017 when he explained government’s decision to restart the factory [Atiak] that would be ready in 2018 and fund us to be outgrowers for the factory. It is on this premise and the assurance by the government that we the people of Acholi and Adjumani and in good spirit gave their own land to Horyal Investment Holding Company Limited (Atiak Sugar) for the establishment of a sugar plantation that would be bought by the sugar Mill,” the petition reads.
In July 2017, government committed to pay off Shs49bn debts of businesswoman Amina to enable her complete the construction her factory in Amuru.
The outgrowers said that whereas government has committed and undertaken to equally develop the entire country and move into a modern economy, they (people of Northern Uganda) have been left behind and the delays to open Atiak factory is a case in point.
“Following this project, many people were encouraged and attracted to join the sugar cane growing to supply the factory. Over 14000 acres has already been bush cleared for outgrowers of which 4323 acres have been planted with sugar canes and over 3900 acres are already 9month old,” the report presented by Akol reads.
It adds, “Having shifted from food crops production and invested heavily in sugar cane growing, the outgrowers are worried that the factory will not take off in time to fully absorb and utilize the over 4000 acres of sugar planted.”
Speaker Kadaga vowed to follow up the matter with the Finance ministry to ensure that funds are released to facilitate the opening of Atiak Sugar factory.
“We are now working on sustainable development goals where no one must be left behind. I am aware about the project and I am surprised that money is not available because I called the minister of Finance and told him to release the money. So I am going to call the minister again including the governor, Bank of Uganda to ensure that this factory opens in due course,” Kadaga said.


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The highly anticipated, entertainment-focused HTC HD2 has landed on pre-order on Top 10 Mobile Phones on O2 contracts. View deals for the handset here: HTC HD2.
Available on a selection of standalone monthly contract plans and free gift bundles, the HD2 stands out for its huge 4.3-inch touchscreen - the largest yet seen on a mobile phone.
The handset is also notable for the incorporation of the latest 6.5 edition of the Windows Mobile operating system and a widget-based homescreen that allows users to customise their phone.
Other key specifications of the HD2 include a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, which lets users to access its functions simultaneously, as well as a five megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash.
HTC has yet to confirm an official release date for the HD2, which was originally anticipated to land in stores last week.
News of the Taiwanese company’s latest handset comes as it this week unveiled a new advertising campaign intended to continue its ongoing transformation from a niche concern to a mass market brand.
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Seafood board bill heads to new waters
Published: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 9:47 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 9:47 p.m.
BATON ROUGE — After taking on several pages of amendments, legislation shifting oversight of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board set sail for the House following Senate approval Tuesday.
With John Folse, the celebrated chef and food manufacturer from St. James Parish, elected as its newest chairman and Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne positioned to possibly oversee its activities, the board could experience significant changes under the revised legislation authored by Sen. Norby Chabert, R-Houma.
If enacted, it would give the lieutenant governor total appointment authority, which the governor currently has, and provide the board and lieutenant governor with new options for hiring future executive directors.
The bill would also redirect money the board uses to individual task forces for the crab, oyster and shrimp industries, and expand those task forces’ duties and functions to include marketing and lobbying.
The regular session started with an effort to give the secretary of the Department Wildlife and Fisheries, which the board is under now, complete oversight. That evolved into another proposal to make the board its own state agency.
But with roughly two weeks remaining in the session, Chabert’s Senate Bill 167 to transfer the board to Dardenne’s Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism is the only measure still viable.
The bill, including Chabert’s seven pages of 12 separate amendments, was approved following sparse debate in a 34-1 vote, with the Terrebonne-Lafourche delegation members, Sens. Chabert; Bret Allain, R-Franklin; and Gary Smith, D-Norco, all in support.
Sen. Troy Brown, D-Napoleonville, was recorded as absent.
The lone nay vote came from Sen. Jody Amedee, R-Gonzales, the chairman of the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee who has been involved in advancing all of the proposals to the Senate floor.
Due in large part to a $32 million grant from BP to help the industry recover from the 2010 oil spill, the board has slowly been transformed from a panel of seasoned Gulf fishermen and processors to one represented increasingly by marketing and retail pros.
Chabert’s bill takes it a step further by yanking the board from the legislative oversight of the natural resources committees and giving review authority to the Legislature’s commerce committees.
He said bringing in Dardenne and the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism help complete the transformation.
“It’s a natural symbiotic relationship,” Chabert said, adding the board and department already have experience working together.
As for Jindal, who now has the power to appoint all 13 members of the seafood board, Chabert told the Senate he is “very supportive of (the bill).”
The biggest financial change under the revised bill involves a pot of roughly $440,000 that Chabert said shouldn’t be “commingling” with the seafood board’s money.
He said his bill would make sure that task forces for the oyster industry receive $300,000 annually, the shrimp industry $95,000 and the crab industry $45,000.
The money comes from self-imposed fees on those industries, and Chabert argued the money should go to the existing task forces rather than the seafood board.
To help the task forces better control the money, Chabert’s bill allows them to undertake marketing and lobbying efforts, which the seafood board has largely done on their behalf up until now.
“In no way will this legislation hamper or prevent those task forces from entering into cooperative endeavor agreements with the seafood promotion board to do whatever they want,” Chabert said.
The Louisiana Oyster Task Force, in particular, would also receive the authority to hire an executive director.
If passed by the House and signed by the governor, the legislation would become law July 1.
Jeremy Alford can be reached at email@example.com


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Aldi is one of the few retailers who still has an ambitious slate of store openings planned for this year. The discount grocer announced last week that it plans to open 100 more stores in the U.S this year, and is set to have the third largest number of grocery stores in the U.S., behind Kroger and Walmart. In addition to opening more stores, Aldi has been making other investments to become more of a household name.
Burger King is the latest quick service restaurant to announce it's launching a customer rewards program. This week, the fast food chain joins rival McDonald's in piloting a loyalty program that encourages repeat purchases and digital orders. Many of these businesses incurred increased losses during the coronavirus outbreak -- and they likely see new digital programming as a way to try and garner more customer engagement.
Companies like Walgreens and CVS have managed to keep revenue growing during the pandemic -- but they've also been hurt by falling sales of products in non-essential categories like beauty. Before the pandemic, these companies were trying to reinvent themselves as primary care destinations, by adding more spaces in store and online for health care products and services beyond just refilling prescriptions. Now, the coronavirus pandemic has only made that transformation more urgent.
After an initial slowdown in March due to supply chain constraints, online eyewear brand Zenni Optical says it saw record growth in 2020. With people stuck at home, the company received an influx of new customers trying to avoid going to the eye doctor. And since most were working from home, Zenni's line of blue light blocking lenses grew at an unprecedented clip. According to chief product officer Bai Gan, this past year was "the beginning of a new era" for eyewear brands. He joined the Modern Retail Podcast this week and talked about why.
Although there are a few regional stores now enrolled in the SNAP pilot, most prominently Texas’s H-E-B, the pilot is largely centered around three companies -- Amazon, Walmart and Aldi. And while the USDA claims that the pilot covers “over 90%” of households, only a handful of the small and medium-sized groceries that service much of the U.S. are approved to accept SNAP payments online.
Nearly a year after sales for its connected indoor bikes surged, Peloton is still struggling to fulfill demand in a timely manner. The fitness company, which went public shortly before the pandemic, is heavily investing in owning the supply chain and reducing delivery windows.
2020 was a tough year for casual dress shirt brand Untuckit, but it was able to adapt. While many retailers that catered to workwear completely changed their product lines to mesh better with the pandemic lifestyle, Untuckit opted to wait it out. "The decision was no -- no massive overhaul of our brand ethos was necessary," said Aaron Sanandres, co-founder and CEO. Sanandres joined the Modern Retail Podcast and spoke about all the changes his company experienced.
Chocolate brand Godiva is the latest brand to close its retail shops due to the pandemic. The century-old company, which also operates wholesale and e-commerce channels, will shutter its brick and mortar stores and cafes in March. Like others, the confectionary brand will shift focus to its growing digital presence.
It's been a big year for online shopping -- online car shopping too. Carvana was able to ride that wave (or, perhaps, drive that used '09 Camry). It reported year-over-year revenue growth of 41% at its third quarter earnings. According to chief brand officer Ryan Keeton, the nine-year-old company was able to use the momentum it built over the last decade to capitalize on retail shifts during the pandemic. Keeton joined the Modern Retail Podcast this week and discussed his company's overall strategy.
Airlines are promoting their excess food in part because they have so much of it in storage. But by bringing their food and drinks more closely into people’s lives, they are also building their brands. For the airlines, this might signal a brief lifestyle brand pivot, where the snacks and drinks they keep onboard become part of the larger pitch for why a customer should fly with them.
The company behind Hudson News is investing in Amazon's cashierless technology. The partnerships make a certain amount of sense. On the retailer side, this is one way to lower the barriers to entry as much as possible for customers. For Amazon, airport retail is a complex and expensive sector to enter -- so, the e-commerce giant relying on its technology to get a foothold into the market instead.
Canteen Spirits was ready to take on the hard seltzer industry -- and then the coronavirus hit. According to co-founder and CEO Brandon Cason, the first few months of the pandemic were hard. But things began to quickly ramp up once the first coronavirus peak subsided -- and the beverage brand is in growth mode once again. Canteen makes canned vodka-based sparkling beverages. Cason joined this week's Modern Retail Podcast and described the year's journey.
Retailers are trying to get their employees vaccinated -- and fast. There's a clear incentive for retailers to encourage their employees to get vaccinated as quickly as possible: as more of their employees get vaccinated, it decreases the likelihood that one of them will contract the coronavirus at work. However, mandating that employees get the vaccine presents its own set of challenges.
As retailers increasingly open more stores in strip malls or open-air shopping centers, they're also rethinking what these locations should look like. Locations of Macy's new off-mall chain, for example run only 20,000 square feet, tens of thousands of feet smaller than the typical department store. As other retailers like Sephora and Foot Locker are looking at opening more off-mall locations, they're following similar playbook.
Walmart is testing ways to keep consumers ordering groceries online long after the pandemic. As grocery sales slow down, the retailer is partnering with tech startup HomeValet to install smart coolers on customers' porches.
At the Modern Retail Summit LIVE, retail executives will come together virtually to discuss effective strategies for driving sales by building a loyal customer base both online and offline.Buy Passes


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Telstra has announced that they have given 600,000 fixed broadband customers unlimited data allowances at no extra cost, meaning that Telstra will now have more than two million customers on unlimited data plans.
Some 6 million households and businesses are able to connect to the National Broadband Network, NBN announced this morning.
On July 12, an Internet-Wide Day of Action will highlight how the web would look if telecom companies were allowed to control it for profit. Protestors will stage mock consequences such as slower download times.
To speed up in-flight internet access don't stick a rocket on it, but a xenon-ion propulsion system (XIPS).
The catalog for Edge extensions isn't huge, but it's still got some helpful tools to enhance your web browsing.
Opera 45 lets you easily share content with friends thanks to built-in messaging features.
The FCC's website slowed to a crawl after comic and political commentator John Oliver urged viewers to flood the agency with comments in support of net neutrality, in what appeared to be a repeat of a 2014 incident. But the cause may have been more sinister than people expressing their support for net neutrality rules.
A U.S. appeals court has denied a request by broadband trade groups to rehear its decision last June to uphold the Federal Communications Commission's controversial 2015 net neutrality rules.
No more toggling between browser tabs for the tools you need. These extensions put everything you need on one page.
Sir Tim Berners Lee, deservingly among the most decorated of technology professionals for his invention of the world wide web, has now been honored with the 50th edition of the ACM A.M. Turing Award (a.k.a., the Nobel Prize of Computing).
The number of websites supporting HTTPS has skyrocketed over the past year and there are many benefits for turning on encryption on your website today.
Village Roadshow will this month launch Federal Court action to block up to 40 piracy-linked websites sites, the company revealed today.
Facebook may soon help you find the closest public Wi-Fi access point with a new feature in its mobile app.
With presidential election signs coming down from front lawns and voters watching protests on the news, many are wondering if fake news stories on Facebook and Google contributed to Donald Trump's winning the presidency.
Tax time is like Christmas for hackers and scammers. It’s the time of year where people jump online and share critical identification information with the tax department that can be easily used for identity theft, and yet, according to Australian research from Norton LifeLock, while Australian workers are aware of the security risks they are often not particularly secure in their behaviour.
Three PC World readers will be in the running to take home a pair of MOMENTUM True Wireless which are meticulously crafted with every fine listening detail considered. *T&C's Apply
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