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MINI Convertible tops the UK charts as the best-selling convertible of 2005, as a record 200,000 MINIs leave Oxford.
In a year when UK soft-top sales are down overall, MINI has bucked the trend. The best-selling convertible of 2005 is set to be the MINI Convertible, already scoring 11 per cent more sales by the end of November (YTD) than the best-selling convertible of 2004.
Despite the UKÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s consistently changeable climate, MINI drivers are refusing to allow their soggy surrounds to put a dampener on their enthusiasm for open top motoring. In 2005 the MINI Convertible outsold its nearest competitor by a whopping 27 per cent. The MINI One, Cooper and Cooper S Convertibles now account for almost one in every four MINIs sold.
Simon Foley of Swansea ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬” the UKÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s wettest city* ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬” is amongst the 9,849 drivers to get their hands on a brand new MINI Convertible in 2005. The 38-year-old senior electronics engineer swapped his MINI One for a MINI Cooper Convertible in September and is happy to let the Welsh rain fall on him in anticipation of brighter horizons.
He said, ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œI was already a happy MINI owner but the opportunity to enjoy my driving adventures al fresco was just too good to miss.
ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œThese days thereÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s absolutely no drawback to owning a convertible. In fact, throughout the winter itÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s just like owning a hatch and, when the sun finally appears, youÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ve got the option of dropping the roof and properly taking in your surrounds!ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Â
Andy Hearn, General Manager for MINI UK, said: ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œItÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s ironic that Britons buy three times as many convertible cars as our French and Italian neighbours**, considering their extra rays of sunshine. But itÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s great news that Britons have taken the MINI Convertible to heart and made it the favourite of 2005.
ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œThe MINI Convertible shares the same winning characteristics as the hatch. Fantastic handling, stunning design, value for money and a roof that drops automatically in less than 15 seconds; not many Convertibles can follow that!ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Â
On Saturday 17 December, Plant Oxford built its 200,000th MINI this year. A Pepper White MINI Cooper S Convertible will be going to a customer in Australia. This is the first time since 1988 that the Oxford Plant has produced 200,000 cars in one year and is double the initial company forecast of 100,000 MINIs a year. 766,290 MINIs have rolled off the production line since the start of production in April 2001 and been delivered to owners in over 70 different countries.
MINI UK Press


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The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Google Tuesday for alleged antitrust violations, after the agency spent 16 months investigating the tech giant as part of a broader governmental effort to scrutinize big tech companies’ allegedly anticompetitive practices.
Google is a “monopolist” that “aggressively uses its monopoly positions, and the money that flows from them, to continuously foreclose rivals and protect its monopolies,” the lawsuit alleges, which allegedly violates federal antitrust laws and harms companies and consumers.
The DOJ alleges Google hurts competitors through “exclusionary agreements” that make its search platform the default platform on most U.S. devices—including on iPhones, through most internet browsers and Android, where it’s impossible to delete Google’s search application from the device.
The lawsuit also takes aim at Google’s advertising practices within its search business, noting that Google has “monopoly power” with over 70% market share in the search advertising market, and there are significant “barriers to entry” preventing rival companies from effectively competing.
The lawsuit is the biggest antitrust lawsuit brought by the U.S. government against a major tech company since Microsoft was sued for alleged antitrust violations in 1998.
11 states joined the lawsuit, all of which have Republican attorneys general: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina and Texas.
The DOJ told reporters Tuesday it will be up to the court to determine the specific relief that should be taken to resolve any antitrust violations, but the case could have far-reaching implications for Google’s search platform and business model, with Ryan Shores, DOJ’s senior advisor for technology industries, saying “nothing’s off the table” in terms of specific consequences.
“Absent a court order, Google will continue executing its anticompetitive strategy, crippling the competitive process, reducing consumer choice, and stifling innovation. Google is now the unchallenged gateway to the internet for billions of users worldwide,” the lawsuit alleges, resulting in negative consequences for advertisers, consumers and new companies that “cannot emerge from Google’s long shadow.” “The time has come to stop Google’s anticompetitive conduct and restore competition.”
80%. That’s the percentage of general search queries in the U.S. that are done through channels that are owned or controlled by Google, according to the lawsuit, which makes it difficult for competitors to break through. 95% of all general search queries on mobile devices are done through Google, according to the lawsuit, and Google has 88% market share in the general search services market overall.
In a Google blog post responding to the lawsuit, Kent Walker, Google’s Senior VP of Global Affairs and Chief Legal Officer, said the lawsuit is “deeply flawed” and “would do nothing to help consumers.” “People use Google because they choose to, not because they're forced to, or because they can't find alternatives,” Kent wrote, arguing that the DOJ lawsuit “relies on dubious antitrust arguments to criticize our efforts to make Google Search easily available to people.” Kent also noted that users can change their settings to use different search engines on their mobile devices or internet browser, and said the company is “confident that a court will conclude that this suit doesn’t square with either the facts or the law.”
The Google antitrust suit is one of a series of antitrust investigations aimed at Silicon Valley’s biggest players, as the DOJ, state attorneys general, Federal Trade Commission and Congress have all taken steps to scrutinize Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple’s allegedly anticompetitive practices. House lawmakers released the findings of their antitrust investigation earlier this month, finding that Google and other tech giants had “monopoly power” and recommending that Congress consider breaking the companies up. The DOJ Google lawsuit comes after the FTC had previously investigated Google for possible antitrust violations in 2013, which ultimately resulted in a victory for Google, and three antitrust investigations by the European Union that have resulted in more than $9.7 billion in fines. Despite the bipartisan support in Washington for antitrust action against big tech, however, the DOJ’s lawsuit is reportedly not without internal controversy, as reports suggested in August and September that career DOJ lawyers believed that the department should be taking more time to build an airtight case against the company, and U.S. Attorney General William Barr was rushing to file the lawsuit ahead of the election over their objections. The New York Times notes that Barr has played an “unusually active role” in the Google investigation.
What To Watch For
The Google lawsuit could set off a broader wave of governmental actions against big tech as the probes against other Silicon Valley companies continue, potentially foreshadowing further lawsuits aimed at Facebook, Amazon or Apple, DOJ officials told reporters Tuesday that the agency “plan[s]to continue” its investigations against leading tech companies, with the Google lawsuit serving as a first step. The DOJ lawsuit also may be the first of several investigations Google will face: states that did not join the DOJ suit are likely to continue with their own investigations and could join the federal suit or file their own lawsuits later, according to multiple reports, and the Wall Street Journal reports that Google’s advertising business is also facing continued investigations and possible lawsuits by the DOJ and state attorneys general. According to Reuters, a state lawsuit against Google’s advertising practices led by Texas could come as early as next month, and Colorado could lead states in filing another, “more expansive” lawsuit against the company. The Journal notes that the DOJ lawsuit is likely to take several years to ultimately get resolved, and may soon be overseen by an attorney general appointed by Joe Biden rather than Barr, should Biden win the November election.
Justice Department to File Long-Awaited Antitrust Suit Against Google (Wall Street Journal)
U.S. to Accuse Google of Protecting Illegal Monopoly (New York Times)

domain: news


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While economists predict solid gains by summer, gallery owners express cautious optimism mixed with realistic expectations for the year ahead.
It’s easy to forget about Uncle Sam when you’re in the midst of day-to-day operations, says financial consultant Angie Mohr, but making tax mistakes can be costly for your small business.
Do you think your outlook on the economy could in any way be linked to your age? That’s the question put to participants in a recent survey conducted by Celent Research for the Western Union Payments Small Business Barometer.
Seattle gallery owner Karen Lorene shares 40 years of retailing experience in her new book.
The Arts Business Institute is expanding its educational outreach by offering video workshops on Vimeo.
It may appear that we live in a society obsessed with the latest celebrity tweet, but according to a recent study, certain forms of social media have yet to win over some business owners.
Are you a good boss? Here are 17 traits of success.
You can spend all the time in the world hiring the perfect candidate, but your efforts could be wasted if you don’t integrate new employees. Here are five ways to make sure of their success.


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AT&T will soon have its first 5G phone. This is the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G that will reach the second largest network in the country on June 17, but not for everyone. Samsung’s 5G phone will only be available for commercial customers. The phone, which was previously Verizon-exclusive, will work with AT&T’s 5G millimeter wave network (what the operator calls “5G+”), which is currently found in certain parts of 19 US cities.
The AT&T Galaxy S10 5G (256GB) will cost US $1,000 only for a limited time, the same price as the Galaxy S10 Plus 4G LTE (or 5GE) 128GB variant. Companies must be in AT&T’s Business Unlimited Preferred plan to take advantage of 5G+, which starts at $90 per month for a single line with AutoPay. AT&T will also limit speeds from 5G to 2Gbps. It is not clear when AT&T will make the S10 5G available to consumers in general or why it is limiting 5G+ speeds.
Operators are rushing to deploy their 5G networks in a race for dominance that they hope will translate into more subscribers targeting 5G. Faster data networks promise 10x data speeds for much faster downloads. 5G will also open the way for new uses inside and outside mobile phones, such as augmented reality experiences in real time and video calls without delays. The operators hope to beat their rivals by building the largest coverage area with the fastest speeds of 5G.
AT&T plans to launch its 5G + mm wave network in at least 30 cities in the United States, although this network is different from the larger 5G network, which will use a technology known as the “sub-6” spectrum. The Galaxy S10 5G will not be able to connect to this network, although AT&T has announced plans for a second Samsung 5G phone later this year that will work with the mm Wave and sub-6 5G versions.
In particular, AT&T’s 5G network is currently limited to a single Net gear mobile access point. Unlike Verizon and Sprint, AT&T has not yet invited journalists to test their network with live devices.
The S10 5G shares the same basic features as the Galaxy S10 and the standard S10 Plus, with a larger 6.7-inch screen and a front camera and rear camera with additional depth detection. In addition to being available at AT&T and Verizon, both Sprint and T-Mobile have announced plans to offer the S10 5G in the future.
Galaxy S10 +: up to 1.5 TB of storage
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S10 + stands out as the first mobile phone with up to 1 TB of internal storage, expandable up to 1.5 TB with micro SD. Galaxy S10 Plus, equipped with Snapdragon 855, will have between 8 and 12 GB of RAM and 128, 512 GB and a TB of storage across different variants.
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AB701 claims to address worker safety and well-being, but is primarily bureaucratic in effect. The law will require further documentation of existing warehouse policies and will add more processes that are already sufficiently regulated by California’s existing occupational protections—some of the most comprehensive in the nation. Furthermore, the included extension of the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) represents a field day for lawyers and will mainly serve to add to the caseload of California’s overburdened court system.
America’s leading retailers operate hundreds of warehouses and distribution centers in California, and have depended on the frontline workforce of those facilities to keep goods moving to U.S. consumers—especially throughout the pandemic. The safety and retention of frontline workers is an absolute top priority for RILA member retailers. With a historically tight labor market, retailers continue to create more well-paying jobs and to foster a safe, inclusive, and empowered culture in warehouses and distribution centers.
The California Retail Association led a coalition urging Newsom to veto the bill, and made clear the bill was unnecessary. CRA CEO Rachel Michelin said “If there is a business that is not living up to the workplace standards, they should be held accountable — we don’t disagree with that, but do we need this broad, sweeping legislation … that impacts every aspect of the supply chain in California? I don’t think so.”
Rather than addressing one e-commerce giant’s actions head-on and enforcing existing occupational regulations, California has chosen instead to create duplicative and overbroad legislation for an entire industry—a law that will mainly serve to increase bureaucracy and litigation,drive up costs, eliminate jobs, and exacerbate the country’s current supply chain challenges.
As with the recently-enacted warehouse indirect source rule targeting truckers in southern California, this is just another example of good intentions leading to bad legislation.
For more information on how this legislation will impact retailers, please contact RILA Vice President of Supply Chain Jess Dankert.


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Revealed: The best-sellers inside women's handbags: How iPad, sunglasses and perfume make up essential content
- A woman’s handbag and its contents costs on average £1,210
- The necessary items include an iPad, perfume and £130 sunglasses
- These 'essentials' are carried in a £250 'average woman's handbag'
If you’ve ever wanted to know what makes your other half’s handbag weigh a ton, wonder no more. But be warned – the cost of it all is quite substantial too.
A woman’s ideal bag, together with its long list of essential contents, will set her back precisely £1,209.99, according to an analysis by John Lewis.
After identifying its best-selling products of the past year, the department store has compiled a list of what can be found in the typical woman’s handbag.
And despite the considerable cost of buying it all, the study concluded that women are taking lifestyle inspiration from more down-to-earth celebrities, such as the Duchess of Cambridge, rather than the likes of Victoria Beckham and other flashy footballers’ wives.
The most popular handbag was a practical black tote from high street brand Ted Baker, costing £249.
Inside, essential items included a John Lewis Emma leather purse, a small Fulton umbrella and a scarf from the store’s Somerset line by Alice Temperley, a favourite designer of the duchess.
In a sign of the times, the typical John Lewis woman will pack an iPad mini tablet computer, costing £499, as well as her mobile phone.
She allows herself a few luxuries too, packing £130 Ray-Ban sunglasses and a £55 bottle of Coco Mademoiselle perfume from Chanel.
Her beauty essentials include Clarins’ anti-ageing Double Serum, Liz Earle Superskin moisturiser, Bobbi Brown lipstick, a ‘They’re Real’ mascara from Benefit, and an Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat concealer.
And provided there’s space, the typical woman customer will also pack a Tangle Teezer hairbrush, the most popular one in store.
The John Lewis report into its top-selling products provides a valuable insight into how families are managing their shopping budgets as increases in bills continue to outstrip earnings.
Across the store this year, status-symbol products such as 3D televisions fell out of favour, while designer handbags with logos also saw sales dip.
The study concluded: ‘It is a post-Sex And The City, post-WAG fashion landscape, where over-the-top fashions and brash glitz and glamour have been replaced with modern icons such as Alexa Chung and modern royals like the Duchess of Cambridge.’
Andy Street, John Lewis’s managing director, said: ‘By opening this data up to the public, we hope to offer some real sociological insights.’
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What a difference a block makes.
The little storefront, 2,200 vacant square feet, is only one block from the crowds of Broadway, less than that from the thousands of concertgoers at Lincoln Center. But the retail space, on the ground floor of a co-op apartment building and the former home of an Armed Forces recruiting center, sits on the quiet northeast corner of 66th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. And while Broadway between 66th and 69th Streets is practically an open-air mall for national chain retailers who pay annual rents of $100 or more a square foot, Amsterdam features local service stores and rents half those of its tonier neighbor.
The reason for the difference? In retail real estate, said Benjamin Fox, a partner in the New Spectrum brokerage concern, that kind of proximity does not count. ''It's like being almost pregnant,'' said Mr. Fox, whose company is handling the leasing for the 66th Street site.
For decades, Broadway between 66th and 69th, despite the nearness of Lincoln Center, was a relatively silent part of the city, with little but a Tower Records store in the way of major retail. But since 1994, all that has changed, with the construction of three high-rise apartment buildings, Tower's doubling in size, the arrival of several major national chains -- the Gap, Eddie Bauer, Pottery Barn, a Barnes & Noble superstore -- and most significantly, the opening of the Sony Lincoln Square multiplex.
The popularity of the multiplex has turned that stretch of Broadway from a near desert to a teeming passageway of often shoulder-to-shoulder people. And yet, that mere one block away, Amsterdam from 66th to 69th remains a tranquil backwater, with relatively few pedestrians and no upscale chain stores.
''There are a couple of reasons,'' Mr. Fox said. ''First of all, that strip of Amsterdam is anchorless. You need continuous retail up and down a strip to create a full-fledged shopping street. And that doesn't exist there.''Continue reading the main story
What exists, across Amsterdam from the recruiting center site, are Martin Luther King Jr. High School, Fiorello H. La Guardia High School of Music and Art and the Performing Arts and the American Red Cross Building. Just across 66th is 3 Lincoln Center, a high-rise condominium complex where two-bedroom apartments can sell for more than $900,000 and four-bedrooms for nearly $3 million. A half block to the west is the giant Lincoln Towers apartment complex. A couple of blocks down Amsterdam is public housing.
''And,'' Mr. Fox said, ''there's the Juilliard School and Lincoln Center, which sticks its backside out to Amsterdam. Those are all retail voids.''
The desirability of continuous retail is evident on other streets. ''Look at Columbus Avenue between 77th and 80th Streets,'' he said. ''Many people have always thought that the stores between 80th and 77th were weaker because the Museum of Natural History was on the other side of the street. Historically, those stores have always got a few dollars less because there was no retail across the street.''
What Amsterdam Avenue retailers have wound up with, he said, is a stretch that has thousands of residential units but little pedestrian traffic -- ''and that is just not a prescription for a solid retail basis.''
The chain stores will not spill over from Broadway ''because national chains insist on the pedestrian traffic,'' he said, adding that ''they will always opt for pedestrian traffic -- not necessarily teeming traffic but steady traffic -- rather than take a secondary location at half the rent.''
Traffic, said Richard Seligman, a senior managing director at the Insignia/Edward S. Gordon Company, is ''a real estate fundamental.''
''Probably the most dramatic example is 57th Street,'' he said. ''Between Fifth and Madison, if you can find space, it's in the $500- to $600-a-square-foot range. A block east, between Madison and Park, you can cut rents in half. Retailers pay for traffic. On Broadway, the subway stops create traffic. It's a wider street with more of a boulevard feeling because of the center median. It's a nicer, more open block to stroll on.''
So, Amsterdam Avenue's retailing is almost exclusively local service: a Citibank, a card shop, a couple of delicatessen-groceries, a discount women's clothier, a pharmacy, a Chinese restaurant, a Blockbuster Video, a small Burger King. (The Burger King had been part of a large Woolworth's that closed last year.)
Those tenants, Mr. Fox said, are largely ones ''looking for a neighborhood presence who never were able to afford the rents on Broadway.''
''It's a niche street that is appealing to retailers who know how to do business on a niche street,'' he said.
That is the kind of tenant Mr. Fox and the co-op corporation will be seeking for the corner store, a more upscale tenant to replace the recruiting center, whose lease ended. Asking annual rent is $50 a square foot.
''We had an offer from a very good nail salon,'' Mr. Fox said. ''The only problem is that next to the recruiting station is a hair salon that also provides those services, and we're not looking to hurt the existing tenant.''
But there is another offer, from a store that sells leather goods -- briefcases, pocketbooks. ''We're taking a look at that,'' Mr. Fox said.Continue reading the main story


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Last Updated: Tuesday, July 29, 2014, 15:23
The Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) this time will see best of Pakistani fashion on Indian ramp, a children`s fashion show and Australian fashion designer duo Easton Pearson foraying into the Indian market.
Last Updated: Tuesday, April 08, 2014, 10:30
The appearance of several Bollywood beauties on promotional ads of Pakistani Lawn designers has raised questions about the need of using Indian celebs, like Kareena Kapoor Khan and Karisma Kapoor, to pivot people towards the collections.
Last Updated: Friday, March 21, 2014, 19:03
Designer duo Pankaj and Nidhi will present their collection at the Fiama Di Wills show during the five-day Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Autumn-Winter 2014, starting March 26.
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 12, 2014, 18:28
Mawi Keivom, Britain-based Indian origin accessory designer, will debut at the Lakme Fashion Week Summer-Resort 2014.
Last Updated: Thursday, February 06, 2014, 00:20
Fashion followers and fans descend upon New York this week for shows by designers - from edgy newcomers to influential veterans - who say, despite its faults, Fashion Week is key to sartorial success.
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With 100 years of Indian cinema, fashion in films also has seen a drastic makeover. Designers feel that making clothes for movies is not a cakewalk.
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Huma Qureshi, whose next big screen project is ‘Dedh Ishqiya’, will walk the ramp for designer duo Ashima-Leena at the forthcoming India Bridal Week (IBW).
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After trying neutral and vintage look, this winter men can try something new.
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A whopping 113 designers, more than 100 international buyers and 100 domestic ones will come together at the 22nd edition of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) starting here Wednesday. The partner country this time is Australia.
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Demand for instructional designers soars high as both the corporate and government opt for interactive online training modules, <b>Prachi Rege</b> finds out.
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No, neither have I. Here again is a local story that actually has an international terrorism nexus and yet no in-depth national coverage:
Hazim Elashi was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison and will be deported after serving his sentence. His brother Ihsan "Sammy" Elashi was given a six-year prison term, which will run consecutive to the four-year sentence he is currently serving.
Hazin and Ihsan Elashi, their three brothers and their company were convicted in July 2004 on charges of making illegal technology shipments to Libya and Syria.
The Elashis ran InfoCom Corp., a firm that did up to $5 million in business a year selling computers and Internet services to mostly customers in the Middle East. Prosecutors say they shipped computer products to Libya and Syria from 1997 to 2000, violating a ban on exporting technology, goods or software to countries the U.S. government lists as state sponsors of terrorism.
Agents from the FBI investigated InfoCom for years and raided the business the week before the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the original indictments against them, calling it part of a campaign against "the financiers of terror."


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A new IGA has opened it’s doors on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. White’s Supa IGA Baringa is a new 2,000sqm store
Energy company Z announced the launching of its first in-store Habitual Fix to make finding fresh food easier for those
Metcash Limited is attempting to save a large contract with 7-Eleven worth more than $350 million a year, according to
Victorian businesses are being urged to prepare ahead of the state-wide ban on lightweight plastic shopping bags. The ban will
Caltex has opened The Foodary store in Weston Creek, Canberra – the first in the ACT. The location features an in-store Boost Juice,
7-Eleven has opened its first location inside a shopping mall in the United States. The Westfield Brandon c-store in Florida
Casual retail employees are receiving an increased penalty rate for Saturday and evening work which kicked in from 1 October
Coles has opened its first-ever restaurant-supermarket hybrid in Victoria this week, with the company announcing further plans to convert 100
New Sunrise’s conference, I.C.E.WORKS ‘19 in San Francisco, California (29 July – 2 August) was a great success according to
Caltex intends to sell three service stations in Sydney’s inner west as part of a plan to offload 50 properties
New research into the global ‘fuel retailing’ market has revealed a number of ‘disruptions’ unlocking financial opportunities for petrol retailers.
Puma Energy’s owner, commodities trader Trafigura, is looking to offload assets which may include its petrol station network in Australia.


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Watching the timeline on the Google real-time search results page for the Super Bowl, I’m amazed and intrigued by the steady increase of game-related Facebook and Twitter posts since midnight. I know that by game time, the numbers will be off the chart! Check out the trending results HERE and note the trending graph in the upper righthand corner.
The NFL has partnered with VISA to take advantage of the social media craze, and specifically, Twitter. A search for the NFL’s official Super Bowl site actually directed me to sbtwitter.nfl.com. This site is exciting from both the football fan and social media maven perspective. Of course, the information being shared is all about the game, fans’ opinions and bragging, and Super Bowl team and event facts. The added twist is the inclusion of former player and celebrity messages. The social media aspect shows tweet projections and trends. Combined, it makes for a truly informative and interactive experience.
From the players’ perspective, there’s an interesting article, Athletes see ups, downs of social media, that refers to Twitter tiffs, Twitter remorse, and how it’s all part of today’s game. The article points out how players tweet first and think later as it refers to a couple of NFL players tweeting about their team photo, and how Twitter has become a massive headache for NFL coaches. From a marketing perspective, it makes me think about the possibilities of integrating player, product and consumer!
Another article really interested me as it discussed social media integration with Super Bowl ad campaigns. Social media boost Super Bowl commercials’ bang for the buck, focuses on Volkswagen’s Super Bowl ad and how the company was utilizing social media ahead of the event so the commercial would not have to stand on its own. Enhancing the ad with pre-hype is one objective. But more importantly, the primary objective is to reach consumers on a personal level and to begin forming relationships. Interesting indeed!
With so many brands and marketers embracing social media on such a large, grand stage as the Super Bowl presents, it makes me continue to wonder why so many small business owners continue to cast off social media as a fad and as irrelevant for business purposes.
Check out additional results for Super Bowl and Social Media.
And, here’s a look at 30 commericals you’ll see on Super Bowl Sunday.
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Following speculation that troubled US carmaker General Motors is poised to axe its Saab marque in a bid to cut costs, it emerged this week that GM had approached the Swedish government for financial help to prop up the Saab brand.
GM is hoping to replicate the success it has had in Germany where it has secured 800m from the German government to keep its Opel brand afloat. Swedish industry minister Maud Olofsson has said the government will consider bailing out Saab and Volvo, after the latter’s owner Ford made a similar approach.
But critics argue that GM must cut somewhere and there is broad agreement that the company has too many brands, underlining the problem of oversupply in the motor industry.
Corporate Edge chairman Chris Wood says: “GM, like everyone else, has massive oversupply. Something will need to be cut and it may as well be a peripheral marque like Saab.”
So unless a rescue bid can be mounted, Saab – which built its first car in 1949 – may go. Wood says: “Saab’s great strength used to be that it was, relatively speaking, a more quirky individualistic brand with an unusual Scandinavian heritage.” But he wonders whether “quirky, premium and different” are now values that are a luxury rather than a necessity.
Despite car companies being seen as strategic industries that are often supported by their respective national governments, the global financial crisis has brought to a head a situation for GM that was bound to happen anyway, say observers.
Wood points out that cars used to be replaced on a two or three-year cycle because that was when they started to “go wrong”. Today, cars will easily go for 250,00 miles with few problems.
Also gone are the days when a new car was a status symbol. Now, thrifty thinking and eco-friendliness are seen as savvy and trendy. Add to this the decline in the UK of the company car system, driven by changes in tax structure and the list of once compelling reasons to buy a new car is greatly diminished.
The downturn has also hit car financing, where much of the profit in the manufacturers’ business models has come from.
Saab itself hit the height of its popularity in the 1980s. A pioneer in turbo charging technology, the 900 Turbo was sought after by young professionals in Europe and the US. GM bought half of Saab’s automotive division in 1990, just after production peaked at 134,000 cars in 1987. In 2000, GM bought the remainder of the company.
Though GM’s production target for Saab was 250,000 units, it struggled to get beyond half that figure. At the time, Japanese companies Honda, Toyota and Nissan were launching their own luxury divisions. Wood says: “Those more modern and fit-for-purpose companies have been consistently overhauling the likes of GM, which is stuck in outmoded structures.”
If the Swedish government does decide to bail out Saab – which is, after all, a significant business for the Scandinavian nation – it will still not address the fundamental problems the US car industry has, claim experts.
Grey London managing director Chris Hirst says: “Successive management teams have failed to address the legacy issues of their companies’ social security issues.”
Hirst, a recent Harvard graduate, adds: “With or without a downturn, they were in big trouble. There is an oversupply, the US market has tanked and developing markets can rarely take up the slack and when they do they will want totally different products.”


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The USPTO recently rejected OpenAI’s attempt to register the term GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) as a trademark, dealing a blow to the company. This February 6th, 2024 decision will have an impact not only on OpenAI but also on the broader artificial intelligence (AI) community because GPT has come to stand for innovative language models like GPT-3 and GPT-4.
Credits: The Verge
The GPT Phenomenon: More than Just Acronyms
The capacity of OpenAI’s Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) models to produce language that resembles human writing from input cues made them the stars of the AI world. The GPT-3 and GPT-4 models were widely adopted by diverse businesses, hence making a lasting impact on natural language processing and content creation. The acronym “GPT” evolved into a representation of innovation as well.
USPTO’s Verdict: GPT is Everyone’s Playground
The USPTO’s rejection stems from a belief that GPT is too generic to be exclusive. The argument is straightforward – granting OpenAI sole rights to the term could stifle fair competition by restricting others from accurately describing their own AI products and services. This rejection echoes a similar decision in May 2023, painting a challenging landscape for OpenAI’s pursuit of trademark protection for GPT.
OpenAI’s Argument: GPT is a Mystery to Consumers
OpenAI, in its trademark application, argued that GPT isn’t a term consumers immediately understand. However, the USPTO countered this by emphasizing that within the tech and AI community, GPT is recognized as a general type of software, transcending its association with OpenAI’s creations. This sets the stage for a nuanced debate about the balance between protecting intellectual property and fostering a competitive environment in the dynamic AI realm.
The AI Naming Circus: GPT Takes Center Stage
Beyond OpenAI’s trademark tussle, the rejection highlights the AI industry’s penchant for incorporating GPT into product names. Startups like GPTZero and various companies referring to their foundational AI models as GPTs showcase a trend where GPT becomes a go-to descriptor. The risk? Diluting the exclusivity of the term, making it a generic identifier for a spectrum of AI technologies.
OpenAI’s Branding Pivot: Sora Shines Amidst the GPT Shadows
In response to the trademark hiccup, OpenAI demonstrates strategic resilience by diversifying its branding approach. The recent unveiling of Sora, the text-to-video generation model, signifies a departure from the reliance on the GPT label. This move allows OpenAI to carve distinct identities for its innovations, mitigating the impact of the USPTO’s decision on its overall brand recognition.
Impact on OpenAI and the Wider AI Ecosystem
The denial of GPT’s trademark introduces challenges for OpenAI, potentially affecting its ability to maintain exclusive rights to the term. Trademarks serve as guardians of brand identity, and the absence of one for GPT could lead to confusion in the market. Additionally, the decision has ripple effects for the AI community, influencing how companies communicate about their AI technologies and raising questions about differentiation in a landscape filled with GPTs.
The Appeal Avenue: OpenAI’s Next Move
As the dust settles, OpenAI faces a crucial decision – whether to appeal the USPTO’s decision and make a case for the exclusivity of the GPT trademark. An appeal could open new doors for OpenAI, allowing it to present additional arguments or evidence. The outcome will not only impact OpenAI’s branding strategy but also set a precedent for how generic terms are treated in the evolving AI industry.
In the realm of trademarks and technology, OpenAI’s journey with GPT reflects the delicate dance between protection and competition. As the AI community eagerly awaits the next move, the trademark turbulence serves as a reminder of the nuanced challenges in navigating intellectual property in the swiftly evolving world of artificial intelligence. The fate of GPT hangs in the balance, shaping the narrative of AI branding and the lexicon of innovation in the years to come.


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The company issued correction of the news issued earlier today on third quarter outlook.
SMA Solar Technology AG's (SMTGF.PK) Managing Board has confirmed the sales and earnings forecast for 2012, still forecasting an operating profit or EBIT of 100 million euros - 150 million euros, representing an EBIT margin of 8 - 10 percent, on sales of 1.3 billion euros - 1.5 billion euros.
SMA Speaker of the Managing Board and Chief Financial Officer, Pierre-Pascal Urbon, noted: 'The distinct changes in subsidy conditions in important European photovoltaic markets were already having an impact on demand for our inverters in the third quarter.'
Looking forward to the third quarter of 2012, the Managing Board sees sales between 330 million euros and 360 million euros with an EBIT of 20 million euros - 35 million euros, representing an EBIT margin of 6 - 10 percent.
Click here to receive FREE breaking news email alerts for SMA Solar Technology Ag and others in your portfolio
by RTT Staff Writer
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Listen up as PAT PILCHER gives us the low-down on AKG’s new Bluetooth noise cancelling headphones. Can they really take on Bose?
Tag: Noise Canceling
Beats by Dr. Dre has unveiled the new Beats Studio3 Wireless headphones. Beats by Dr. Dre (Beats), the leading global premium headphone brand co-founded by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, has unveiled the new Beats Studio3 Wireless. With a host of powerful features and capabilities, Beats Studio3 Wireless brings a […]
Noisy London transport foiled by noise isolating earphones
Ashley Kramer on noise cancelling earphones


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Many business owners and professionals have an intense fear of selling. Yet, says Ian Brodie, selling doesn't mean you have to be pushy, obnoxious, or manipulative.
Who Voted for this Story
October 8, 2014
Today 4 in 10 women are the sole or primary breadwinners for their families,¹ and they do more than twice the amount …Sponsored By Aflac
If you're a small business owner or entrepreneur just getting started or running a successful business and seeking … MoreMore Contributors


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Hewlett-Packard and Dell Inc are keeping a close eye on a big jump in wages for workers that assemble Apple Inc's iPhone in China, and could be forced to nudge up prices for their own products if labor costs keep rising. Major contract manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group -- which counts Apple, HP, Dell, Nokia and Motorola Mobility among its major clients -- last week raised wages for its workers in China by 16-25 percent, the third hike since 2010.
The wage increases reflect a rising trend across the Chinese electronics manufacturing industry and could pressure already wafer-thin margins at the likes of HP and Dell. HP Chief Executive Meg Whitman said rising wages in China could eventually have a ripple effect across the world electronics industry. "If Foxconn's labor cost go up, their product cost to us will go up," she told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. "But that will be an industry-wide phenomenon and then we have to decide how much do we pass on to our customers versus how much cost do we absorb."
Dell, which on Tuesday reported a 18 percent slide in quarterly profit, said it was also keeping an eye on wages in China. "It's not clear to us how that will play out in terms of our costs," Dell Chief Financial Officer Brian Gladden told Reuters. "It remains to be seen how that flows through the overall supply chain. We will continue to watch that." But Gladden said labor costs are a "very, very small piece" of the total cost of its products.
To companies like HP and Dell that specialize in creating ultra-efficient supply chains and cutting costs to preserve razor-thin profit margins, any rising expense can be trouble. "HP and Dell's PCs could cost a bit more. Those companies have been trying to pass on extra costs. It may or may not work. Their products aren't as differentiated as Apple's," said Shaw Wu, an analyst at Sterne Agee in San Francisco.
Apple's main manufacturer of iPads and iPhones, Foxconn is already in the spotlight because of its poor labor conditions, with reports of employees committing suicide. Foxconn's February wage hike was announced days after Apple said a U.S. non-profit labor group had begun an "unprecedented" inspection of working conditions at its main contract manufacturers, including Foxconn. Foxconn's wage increase comes as Chinese electronics manufacturers face higher costs to attract workers.
The government of Shenzhen, a freewheeling boomtown bordering Hong Kong, announced in January it was increasing its minimum wage by 13.6 percent despite warnings from factory owners the move could deal another blow to exporters already reeling from a sharp drop in Western orders.
Taiwan-based Foxconn said the pay of a junior level worker in Shenzhen, southern China, had risen to 1,800 yuan ($290) per month and could be further raised above 2,200 yuan if the worker passed a technical examination. It said that pay three years ago was 900 yuan a month.


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Opera provides business update - COVID-19 impact
- Q1 2020 revenue expected to be approximately $135 million; ahead of guidance and driven by strong results across search, advertising and fintech.
- Record Opera News monthly active users of over 190 million in March; including record Opera for PC, Opera GX and Opera for Android users.
- Observing decreased near-term user monetization and implemented measures to meaningfully reduce microlending volumes due to COVID-19.
- Q1 2020 adjusted EBITDA loss expected at approximately $9 million. Excluding a one-time additional loan loss provision of $27 million related to the COVID-19 impact, adjusted EBITDA would have been within our guided range for the quarter.
- Our microlending net loan book stood at $43 million at the end of Q1 2020, down from $93 million at the end of 2019. Of the $43 million, $35 million has already been collected thus far in April.
- Opera is withdrawing full-year 2020 guidance due to uncertainty around COVID-19, but providing additional detail on recent business trends.
- Opera has a strong capital position with approximately $170 million in cash and marketable securities as of March 31st, and recent operating cash flow has benefitted from net microlending collections.
OSLO, Norway, April 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Opera Limited (NASDAQ: OPRA), one of the world’s major browser developers and a leading internet consumer brand, is providing an initial update on its preliminary first quarter results, latest financial outlook and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the business. Opera plans to release its first quarter 2020 earnings results on May 20th, 2020.
“Opera started 2020 on a strong trajectory with healthy growth and profitability across the business. However, the extraordinary conditions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to near-term financial impacts, though they have also created opportunities due to increased usage of our browsers and Opera News. Specifically, a record number of users -- over 190 million in March -- used Opera News as a hub for information and entertainment, and we see this growth in engagement continuing into April with record users not only in Opera News but across our browser products Opera for Android, Opera for PC and Opera GX. We are also gaining goodwill and increased usage of our products by providing free data to many people across Africa through our partnerships with leading mobile operators in the region,” said Yahui Zhou, Opera’s Chairman and CEO.
“COVID-19 has not changed our long-term outlook and we are continuing to execute on our various growth initiatives. We are fortunate to face the current situation with a very strong balance sheet, tight cost controls, and the ability to react quickly - down, when risk or cost is not justified, and up when conditions are right to further invest in an ROI positive manner. I want to thank our employees for their efforts during a time of uncertainty, and I believe we will emerge from this period stronger than before,” continued Mr. Zhou.
“While we had a strong start to the year, given the impact of COVID-19 we believe it is prudent to withdraw our full year 2020 guidance”, said Frode Jacobsen, CFO of Opera. “Looking ahead, we will continue to execute on our strategy, including all of our new initiatives. In addition, we are encouraged by increased user engagement and our strong product offerings. Our strategic vision remains intact, and we remain well positioned to capitalize on our long-term market opportunity, with a record number of users discovering our products during this period and with a solid balance sheet and profitable operations.”
Financial and Operational Update
Through February, the impact of COVID-19 on Opera’s core markets and financial performance was minimal. Beginning in March, restrictions were put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 across Europe, Africa and South Asia, which have impacted our results.
Provided below is additional information on recent performance, trends, and our actions across our business:
- Prior to March, our fintech business was on track to deliver approximately $100 million in first-quarter revenue, compared to $72 million in the fourth quarter, with credit losses continuing to decline in relative terms.
- As several of our key markets experienced lock-downs, we elected to proactively and meaningfully reduce the issuance of new microloans as of mid-March, as we aimed to reduce our exposure during this period of economic uncertainty and expected slowdown. As a consequence, we expect first quarter fintech revenue to be about $93 million.
- Importantly, given the nature of our business, we are well positioned to rapidly re-accelerate new microloan issuances once conditions become more favorable.
- Due to COVID-19, we are booking an additional one-time loan loss provision of $27 million in the first quarter, in addition to our normalized credit loss provisions. While ultimate loss provisions may prove to be lower, we believe it is prudent to take a conservative view of potential losses given the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- As of March 31, our net loan book stood at $43 million and since then we have collected $35 million with $8 million now remaining. This compares to a net loan book of microloans outstanding on December 31, 2019 of $93 million.
Browser and Opera News
- Our browser and news businesses have seen strong incremental growth in users and engagement as COVID-19 has escalated, including record monthly active users in March for Opera News, Opera for Android, Opera for PC and Opera GX. Specifically, Opera News MAUs exceeded 190 million in March, up 20% compared to the fourth quarter average MAUs, and our PC users exceeded 73 million in the month. In addition, based on preliminary observations, we continue to see user growth in April.
- While engagement grew, we have experienced decline in monetization across both search and advertising due to COVID-19, with certain segments like travel and sports are most affected; others like gaming and streaming are expanding. Prior to March, advertising and search revenue was growing at year-over-year rates similar to the fourth quarter.
- As we look forward, we believe that the increase in overall users as well as user engagement which we are currently experiencing may have a lasting benefit. We believe that users who are experiencing our products for the first time, or forming daily usage habits, may choose to continue using our products even after the effects of the pandemic have receded, enabling us to grow our overall business, once monetization levels improve.
Looking forward, we remain committed to maintaining our strong operating and cost discipline, while also continuing to invest in new initiatives that will help us grow our business. Specifically, we remain committed to scaling OList, launching our European fintech products, expanding our emerging markets fintech offerings with more products and to new markets, and launching Opera News Hub in additional African countries. We will also take advantage of the increased engagement and product adoption for longer term strategic benefit, and believe we are positioned for strong, sustainable growth in the years to come.
Safe harbor statement
This release contains statements of a forward-looking nature. These statements, including statements relating to the impacts of COVID-19 and the Company’s future financial and operating results, are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking statements by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “estimates” and similar statements. Among other things, management’s quotations and the financial and operational update section contain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about Opera and the industry. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those relating to the development of the COVID-19 situation; the Company’s goals and strategies; its expected development and launch, and market acceptance, of its products and services; its expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of our brand, platforms and services; our expectations regarding growth in our user base and level of engagement; its ability to attract, retain and monetize users; its ability to continue to develop new technologies and/or upgrade our existing technologies and quarterly variations in its operating results caused by factors beyond its control and global macroeconomic conditions and its potential impact in the markets it has businesses. All information provided in this press release is as of the date hereof, and Opera undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although Opera believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that its expectations will turn out to be correct, and investors are cautioned that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results. Further information regarding risks and uncertainties faced by Opera is included in Opera’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F.
Opera is a leading global internet brand with an engaged and growing base of over 350 million average monthly active users. Building on over 20 years of innovation, starting with our browser products, we are increasingly leveraging our brand as well as our massive and highly active user base in order to expand our offerings and our business. Today, we offer users across Europe, Africa and Asia a range of products and services that include our PC and mobile browsers as well as our AI-powered news reader Opera News and our app-based microfinance solutions.
Investor Relations Contact: Derrick Nueman email@example.com or (408) 596-3055 For media enquiries, please contact: firstname.lastname@example.org


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In June, the independently developed product “industrial Ethernet switch module IEM7110-2G-2C-4D” won a gold lion award, an authoritative award for ITS industry.
In June, 3onedata was selected as one of the “top 30 enterprises for intelligent traffic of China” in the 4th event and stood out from hundreds of enterprises for its comprehensive strength;
In April, 3onedata was selected as one of the “top 100 medium and small enterprises for independent innovation in Shenzhen in 2014”;
In March, 3onedata was honored as a “top ten qualified enterprises in the electronic police industry of China in 2014” and became one of the most influential enterprises in the field of ITS;
In January, 58 enterprises brand “3onedata” and M＆G were selected as “famous brands of Shenzhen (Class B)”;
In August, 3onedata became a member unit of the Internet of Things intelligent technological application association of Shenzhen.
In June, Xiong Wei, general manager of 3onedata was selected as a leading talent of Shenzhen by the people’s government of Shenzhen;
In June, 3onedata became a member unit of the security technology industry of Hainan province;
In May, 3onedata became a member unit of the road traffic safety association of China;
In April, 3onedata was selected as one of the “top ten enterprises in the electronic police industry of China in 2013” and became one of the most influential enterprises in the field of ITS;
In February, 3onedata won an “award for construction team of excellent brands of urban intelligent traffic enterprise of China in 2013”;
In January, 3onedata was selected as one of the “top 30 enterprises for intelligent traffic of China” in the second event and stood out from hundreds of enterprises for its comprehensive str
In December, 3onedata was “documented as an innovative medium, small and micro sized enterprise of Shenzhen” and listed among the innovative medium, small and micro sized enterprises.
In December, the innovation fund program of “SW-Ring redundancy Ethernet module” passed the acceptance inspection of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China;
In August, 3onedata became a member of the third council of Shenzhen Industrial Federation, and was officially listed among the key high-tech enterprises cultivated by Shenzhen;
In April, 3onedata became a director of the technological innovation alliance of intelligent traffic industry of Wuhan China Optical Valley;
In April, 3onedata passed the national “software enterprise certification”, which signified that 3onedata became a double-software enterprise of China;
In March, 3onedata won the titles of “excellent upper stream supplier” with the most influential brand of ITS in 2012 and “a scientifically innovative enterprise of intelligent traffic&
In August, 3onedata was honored as a “growth star among IPO enterprises of Shenzhen” and was one of the enterprises with the most promising prospect.
In May, 3onedata was selected as one of the first event of “top 30 enterprises of China for intelligent traffic” and stood out from hundreds of enterprises for its comprehensive strength;
In May, 3onedata became a team member unit of anti-counterfeiting association of Shenzhen;
In April, 3onedata became a “training base for high-level innovation talents of Nanshan district, Shenzhen” and boosted the regional innovation and development;
In March, 3onedata became a member unit of the new energy intelligent grid industry alliance association of Zhuhai;
In March, 3onedata became a member of the high-tech industrial association of Shenzhen;
In January, 3onedata became a member of the software industry association of Shenzhen;
In December, 3onedata was honored as an excellent partner of Cel in 2011 for “abiding by the contract and safeguarding integrity”, and stood out from thousands of enterprises.
In December, 3onedata launched an alliance of car networking products with 13 enterprises and became an executive director of the car networking industry alliance of Shenzhen;
In November, 3onedata won the “innovation case award–appraisal and selection of top 50 innovative enterprises in the power industry in 2011”;
In September, 3onedata participated in drafting the “industrial Ethernet exchange technology standard for the security industry of Shenzhen” to boost the security industry development of Chi
In September, 3onedata became a director of the security protection industry association of Shenzhen and the only enterprise from the field of industrial communication so far;
In August, 3onedata was responsible for drafting the “industrial Ethernet exchange technological standard for intelligent traffic (electronic police) of Shenzhen” to regulate the industrial
In June , 3onedata became one of the 17 executive directors of the intelligent traffic industry association of Shenzhen;
In April, 3onedata participated in drafting the “technological standard of industrial Ethernet for online monitoring of State Grid” and promoted the construction of smart grid;
In November, the “100M industrial Ethernet module (IEM608)” was certified as one of the 26 key products of independent innovation of Shenzhen in 2009.
In April, the “100M industrial Ethernet module (IEM608)” and “100/1000 M industrial Ethernet module (IEM7010)” won the certification of Shenzhen for independent innovative products
In April, 3onedata became an enterprise of the digital home industrial alliance of Guangdong province and provided network communication support for the campaign of digital home;
In July,3onedata passed the certification of ISO9001:2008, with a comprehensive and complete quality control system and a strong guarantee for product quality;
In July, 3onedata became a director of Shenzhen Association for Promoting Development;
In July, the “SW-ring redundancy Ethernet module” program was approved by the innovation foundation under the Ministry of Science and Technology of China;
In June, 3onedata passed the certification of “national class high-tech enterprise” and became a key high-tech enterprise covered by the national torch program.
In December, the “SW-Ring redundancy Ethernet module used for industrial Ethernet” passed the evaluation of State Science and Technology Commission;
In August, 3onedata became a member of China Electronic Industry Standardization Technology Association and participated in the formulation of technological standard for electronic industry;
In July, 3onedata passed the accreditation for a high-tech enterprise of Shenzhen, which signified that 3onedata was officially listed among high-tech enterprises.
In December, its four technologies including “SW-Ring redundancy” were granted with technology patents, the independent intellectual property right system of 3onedata was established.
In December, 3onedata was granted with a certificate for a Chinese enterprise rated as AAA in quality, service and reputation and passed a professional brand accreditation for the first time;
In June, 3onedata passed the ISO9001:2000 international quality control certification and established;
In May, 3onedata took the initiative to roll out the concept of industrial Ethernet switch module, which opened a precedent of embedded design service for Ethernet switches.
In April, 3onedata rolled out a RS-485/422 signal surge protector FL485.
In May, 3onedata rolled out an independently developed serial device server, and officially stepped into the field of network communication;
In March, 3onedata passed the appraisal and selection by the program of Quality Long March of China and won a title of “an enterprise with double guarantees of quality and reputation”.
In September, 3onedata researched and developed an Ethernet Interface lightening protector FL45;
In May, 3onedata rolled out an optical isolated anti-lightening converter MODEL232I.
In August, 3onedata rolled out FL-BNC video lightening protector, which filled the gap in the domestic market of industrial surge lightening protector.
In December, 3onedata rolled out the first independently developed USB to serial converter, which solved the communication problem from USB to RS-232/485/422;
On September 6, 3onedata was officially registered and established to embark on a development journey of industrial communication.


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Lakeland, Florida -- On Saturday, March 16, hundreds of farmworkers from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and their consumer allies from across the Southeastern U.S. marched into Lakeland as part of a two-week, 200-mile trek to Publix corporate headquarters.
On Sunday, the marchers' numbers will grow with the arrival of hundreds of more consumers from across the state of Florida for a huge rally outside Publix corporate headquarters in Lakeland.
Marchers are calling on the Florida-based grocery giant to honor the breakthrough social responsibility partnership for farm labor reform known as the Fair Food Program (FFP).
The FFP brings together farmworkers, growers, consumers, and eleven multi-billion dollar retail food leaders in support of fair wages and humane labor standards for tomato harvesters. Publix, one of the largest purchasers of Florida tomatoes, refuses to support the program and continues to buy tomatoes from the handful of Florida growers where workers are denied access to the FFP's higher standards, complaint mechanism, and "penny-per-pound" bonus.
On Sunday, the marchers and their consumer allies will join in a rally outside Publix's headquarters with music, speeches, and a unique theater piece performed by workers from Immokalee starting at 4 pm.
"After decades of what Edward R. Murrow called the 'Harvest of Shame,' the Fair Food Program is something the Florida tomato industry, something all of us can all be proud of -- labor rights advances that are setting the bar for social responsibility in the US produce industry today," said Gerardo Reyes of the CIW. "But while the changes we are seeing in farmworkers' lives today are indeed unprecedented, there is still much to be done. With each new corporation that joins, the wage increases and labor reforms grow and deepen, which is why Publix's decision to turn its back on the FFP is so unconscionable. Its support, which would cost Publix little, could significantly change the lives of some of the state's hardest workers, yet the $28 billion company won't even show farmworkers the respect of granting us a meeting to discuss the Fair Food Program face-to-face."


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The bankruptcy of Yellow Corporation on August 6, 2023 has had a significant impact on the industry, causing complications and expenses for various companies.
The shipping industry is evolving faster than ever, which means companies of all types are looking to adapt and discover new solutions to their unique needs. Let’s explore how Yellow Corporation’s bankruptcy has impacted the freight shipping industry and what options are available for companies that need alternative shipping solutions.
Overview of Yellow Corporation’s Bankruptcy
Yellow Corporation (one of the largest shipping companies in the United States) announced it has filed for Chapter 11 relief in the US Bankruptcy Court for the district of Delaware. Yellow will now wind down its 99-year-old business that employs 30,000 workers. This comes after years of tough financial times for the company, which saw its debt to creditors reach an unmanageable level in a post-pandemic market. Yellow has tried to take steps to lower its operating costs and improve efficiency in its operations, but these attempts were not enough to save the day.
The bankruptcy of Yellow Corporation will have far-reaching implications for the customers of the company as well as its many employees. Sadly, there are employees that will now be left without jobs while the corporation restructures its operations. Yellow’s former customers are now going to have to deal with longer wait times and surging prices due to the lack of carriers available to handle their business.
Although the company’s headquarters are located in Nashville, Tennessee, they operate on a national scale with over 300 terminals spread across the United States. Industry experts have pointed out that Yellow’s downfall can be attributed mainly to an overwhelming burden of debt.
Yellow Corporation filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which is also known as reorganization or debt adjustment. This process lets a debtor reorganize their debts and create a payment plan that’s approved by creditors and pleases the court.
This type of filing offers debt restructuring while also letting companies continue operations under the supervision of the court. This can be a complicated undertaking that is tough to grasp, but it’s important for businesses to understand how it works so that they can prepare for potential impacts on their bottom line.
MVP Logistics has stepped in to fill the gap created by Yellow Corporation’s difficulties with services designed to help companies affected by this disruption find alternative shipping solutions.
The Impact on the Freight Shipping Industry
Yellow Corporation’s public downfall has had an impact on the shipping industry of a magnitude that has yet to be fully seen. With that said, it is certain that it will result in disruption of the supply chain, higher costs for businesses, and customer dissatisfaction due to longer wait times. Prominent retailers such as Walmart And Home Depot were among Yellow Corporation’s clientele. Yet because of legitimate concerns that their cargo might be at risk of being lost or stranded in the event of the carrier’s bankruptcy, some of these customers temporarily suspended shipments to the company.
At MVP Logistics, we were quick to anticipate this situation and took action by diverting shipments to alternative carriers well in advance of the bankruptcy announcement. This proactive approach ensured that our customers experienced no disruptions in their shipping operations.
MVP provides a wealth of valuable information on various topics related to third-party logistics solutions, including a comprehensive guide to freight shipping. Understanding the ins and outs of freight shipping can greatly enhance efficiency and productivity in your logistics operations, which is an essential aspect for businesses seeking to optimize their supply chain processes.
Details of the Relief Package Provided to Yellow Corporation in 2020
Yellow Corporation is the third-largest LTL freight carrier and the fifth-largest transportation company in the United States. They have been grappling with significant debt and a standoff against the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
The urgent need to address the situation led Yellow to seek refinancing for its $1.3 billion debt, consisting of a $567 million term loan set to mature in 2024 and a $729 million U.S. Treasury loan maturing in 2024. The Treasury loan was part of the pandemic relief package provided in 2020, but it came with the condition of a 30% stake in the company. As of March, Yellow had managed to make $54.8 million in interest payments and repay $230 million of the principal owed. The Treasury loan designated the company as vital to the nation’s supply chain.
In an effort to modernize and secure its survival, Yellow embarked on the “One Yellow” initiative, aimed at integrating its regional networks into one cohesive system. However, the proposed changes faced opposition from the union, as they directly impacted the hourly wage rate and responsibilities of nearly 1,000 truck drivers. Yellow took the union to court in June, alleging that they obstructed the restructuring plans, but the case ruled in favor of the union.
Options for Freight Shippers in Light of the Bankruptcy
Freight shippers must find reliable and cost-effective solutions for their shipping needs, including renegotiating contracts, identifying alternative freight shippers, consolidating shipments for cost savings, switching to rail for longer hauls, and relying on third-party logistics providers to manage all shipments. Here are 3 strategies to mitigate disruption caused by the bankruptcy:
- Opting to renegotiate current contracts or switch carriers altogether should be one of the first steps taken by freight shippers. While some may be able to secure better rates with a similar service level from a different carrier, others may want to consider changing providers altogether if they can offer more competitive rates and improved service.
- Consolidating orders into one shipment is another way companies can reduce handling costs while ensuring speedy delivery of goods – a desirable outcome during this challenging period. Additionally, they should investigate the possibility of switching from trucking services to rail transport for longer hauls; doing so could lead to significant savings due to lower fuel costs and fewer stops along delivery routes without compromising on timeframes.
- Those seeking an all-encompassing solution might benefit from engaging the help of a third-party logistics provider such as MVP Logistics, who can manage all aspects of supply chain operations ranging from procurement through delivery – providing efficient oversight when transitioning away from Yellow Corporation’s offerings.
- In today’s fiercely competitive retail world, suppliers truly grasp the critical importance of meeting the requirements set by big-box retailers. These benchmarks serve as the foundation for establishing successful partnerships, and MABD (Must Arrive By Date) plays a crucial role in this. MABD compliance goes beyond simply meeting deadlines—it’s also about ensuring efficient inventory management, minimizing stock-outs, and ultimately enhancing overall customer satisfaction.
These suggestions can help freight shippers take back control over their shipping operations while maintaining customer satisfaction levels at competitive prices—which is essential during this period of change. By meeting these standards, suppliers can build strong, mutually beneficial relationships with retailers, ensuring a smoother and more rewarding business experience for everyone involved.
How Else is MVP Logistics Stepping Up?
The financial collapse of Yellow Corporation has caused a shift in the freight shipping industry. MVP Logistics is here to pick up the slack with its comprehensive services and competitive rates. As a full-service provider, MVP can handle all aspects of transportation from pickup to delivery for LTL freight and FTL (full truckload) shipments.
What sets MVP Logistics apart from other providers is its commitment to providing superior customer service and cost savings through consolidation and efficient routing. In this way, businesses have an alternative solution after the bankruptcy of Yellow Corporation while taking advantage of cost-saving opportunities along the way. MVP Logistics received a prestigious 2023 Inc. 5000 ranking for being one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, an impressive feat for an established company. MVP provides a reliable option for meeting your freight shipping needs at competitive rates with excellent customer service every step of the way.


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Lenovo brand Moto on Tuesday launched its flagship smartphone, the Moto Z2 Force (aka Moto Z2 Force Edition). Like the previous ‘Force’ smartphone in the Moto Z series, the Moto Z2 Force sports a ShatterShield display, guaranteed not to crack or shatter, as well as a svelte profile of just 6.1mm. The smartphone as expected also bears dual rear cameras, and carries forward the Moto Z series’ support for Moto Mod accessories. Other highlights of the smartphone include the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, up to 6GB of RAM, and Gigabit LTE connectivity. Alongside the Moto Z2 Force, the company also revealed pricing and availability for the recently unveiled Moto 360 Camera Moto Mod.
The Moto Z2 Force is built out of 7000 series aluminium, and its 6.1-mm thick unibody design also forgoes the 3.5mm headphone jack to use a USB Type-C port instead – a 3.5mm to USB Type-C adapter is included in the box. The super-slim profile also restricted the company to a relatively undersized 2730mAh battery, and a water-repellent nano-coating has been added. The back panel features pogo pin connectors for the Moto Mods.
The company has also included compatibility for Google’s Daydream VR platform. The Moto Z2 Force bears a fingerprint scanner on the Home Button, which also features the new one-button navigation features we first saw introduced in the Moto G5 series. It will be available in two RAM variants – 4GB RAM/ 64GB inbuilt storage and 6GB RAM/ 128GB inbuilt storage – while some regions will receive a dual-SIM model.
Moto Z2 Force price
The smartphone will go on sale across various carriers in the US from August 10, with pre-orders now open. Unlocked, the Moto Z2 Force price starts at $799 (roughly Rs. 51,500), with monthly plans starting from $33 (roughly Rs. 2,000). It will be available in Fine Gold, Lunar Grey (for T-Mobile only), and Super Black colour variants. The smartphone will go on sale across various carriers in the US from August 10, with pre-orders now open. The smartphone will go on sale in Mexico, Brazil, Europe, Middle East, and Africa from later this summer, the company says.
Moto Z2 Force specifications
Running Android 7.1.1 Nougat (with an upgrade to Android O promised), the Moto Z2 Force sports a 5.5-inch QHD (1440×2560 pixels) ShatterShield POLED display. As we mentioned, the smartphone is powered by the top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, coupled with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM.


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March 23 marks one year since the Prime Minister issued the first national stay-at-home order, closing all unessential services, hospitality venues and retailers.
As the coronavirus pandemic left many businesses with nothing but government funding to cover overheads, the majority began adapting to a new way of trading.
From live Facebook auctions to virtual shop tours, and click and collect to personal deliveries, many independent businesses have been adopting plenty of new norms over the past year.
Lincolnshire Live spoke to just a handful of Lincoln's independent retailers to find out how the last year has been for them, and their hopes as they look to begin reopening next month.
Helen Tonge, who owns Cheeky Monkeys Children's Boutique, says lockdown has left to company "thinking outside the box" to keep trade ticking over.
She said: "It's been very difficult but we have had some help from the government, which has been fantastic. Selling items on our website has been helping too.
"We've been doing a huge amount of Facebook selling via both listings and live videos, which to be honest has been our saviour. But I am desperate for April 12 to arrive so we can get going again and reopen our shops."
Cheeky Monkeys currently operates two sites, one in Retford and the other on Guildhall Street, in Lincoln city centre.
Helen says whilst she believes the Retford store will spring back into action well, she does "have worry about the Lincoln store and whether people will venture back into the city.
"I know the Retford store will be fine. People there are shopping locally, staying close to home and being loyal to independent businesses," she said.
"When we came back after the November lockdown, the city felt a different place - quite eerie at times. Certainly for us, on Guidehall Street, we need cafes, restaurants and bars to be open to drive footfall down our street."
Concerns come with balancing overhead costs with sales once the shops have reopened, leading Cheeky Monkeys to be "taking a cautious approach to how we reopen.
"I'm not even sure if we'll open all week, maybe just Wednesday to Saturday, and see what kind of trade we're getting in," said Helen.
"I think people will be nervous coming back into the shops, we can reassure people that the shop will be cleaner than ever, staff will be wearing PPE and we'll only be letting a maximum of two families in at a time.
"We're also thinking of opening on an instore appointment basis, so people can have sole access to the shop. We're also considering offering virtual appointments, where I can walk people around the shop via video call to see what's in stock - I think we have to try and think outside the box."
As lockdown has seen a huge increase in people shopping online, Helen is urging people to get back onto the high street once restrictions have lifted.
She said: "Please be brave and venture out, the smaller shops are doing everything they can to ensure you'll be in a safe environment. Make contact with these shops, give them a call or drop them a message, a lot of shops are happy to answer any questions.
"If everyone continues to buy through large online retailers, there will be no high street. There will be no individuality, we'll all be dressing the same and using the same products."
Stephen Smith, Owner of Sanctuary in the Bail shop and café, agrees the opening of hospitality venues will help bring people back into high street shops but doesn't believe government scheme like Eat Out to Help Out will be beneficial.
Cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars in Lincolnshire have been unable to operate since the country entered the second national lockdown on November 5 2020.
Following the lifting of the four-week-long lockdown, the county was plunged into Tier 3, which meant hospitality venues were not allowed to reopen their doors, and could only serve customers via takeaway or delivery services.
Operating a shop/café hybrid, Stephen has faced a number of opening and closings over the past year.
He told Lincolnshire Live: "When we reopened for takeaways in May last year, we were busy. We were lucky enough to have the furlough support for staff and at first, I reopened on my own, but it became so busy that I had to bring back members of staff.
"When the government implemented the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, it was crazy. To the point that I don't think it was necessary to run it - we were just so busy all the time."
The Eat Out to Help Out scheme ran through August last year and offered customers 50% off food and non-alcoholic drinks, with the government paying businesses the difference in price.
Stephen doesn't "think the scheme was necessarily needed because people were desperate to get out and get back some normality anyway.
"I can see why they did it to give people the confidence to get people back out on the high street and it was successful," he said.
"I don't think we're ready for business to come back completely normal, people aren't ready for that, but I think they do want to come out and try to get a little bit of their day to day lives back but it has to be slow and gradual this time.
"There's can't be any crazy promotions like last time that put us back to square one all over again."
Sanctuary in the Bail has prepared to reopen its café on April 12, alongside its homeware and gift store side of the business.
Utilising its rear courtyard, the business has created a covered outdoor area with well-distanced tables and is "looking forward to getting people through the door and being able to spend and shop again."
"I think people will welcome the reopening because this lockdown has been a lot tougher with the time of year. It's been horrible, people have been cooped up at home a lot of the time," Stephen continued.
"As long as people are sensible and the rollout of the vaccinations continues, I think people will be confident to come back out."
Sasha Drennan, owner of Lindum Books on Bail Gate, says adapting to online selling during the past year has been a lifeline for independent businesses' survival.
She told Lincolnshire Live: "Reading is so important to a lot of people and in current circumstances, where we're all stuck at home and looking for things to do if you're a reader having access to books is even more important than ever.
"Customers have been able to get in touch with us and order books either to collect from the shop, or we have been arranging to have the books sent out to them.
But Sasha, who opened Lindum Books in 2014, is keen for unessential retail to reopen next month, saying "The whole point of us is we're a 'bricks and mortar' shop.
"We're a destination for people; we're so much more than clicking on something online and it arriving a few days later in the post," she said.
"At the end of the day, this isn't what we signed up for and it isn't what we're about.
"We're not an online trader, that's not what we're here for and I don't want to see it carry on forever.
Lindum Books prides itself on catering to customers needs, believing people need to get back into the shops to reap the full benefits of independent retailers.
The shop hosts author events, works with schools as part of educational events, and stocks an extensive range of both new and preloved books.
Sasha continued: "We're very keen to get people back into the city and have people visiting us and everywhere else in the area. Coming to our shop is so much more than just purchasing something, it's having a day out, coming to see an author or taking part in may of the other experiences we offer."
Despite customer uptake in shopping through Lindum Books online and via the phone, Sasha says "the orders we have been getting would not be sufficient to cover our costs.
"One thing we've been reliant on is the funding from the government - without it, we would no longer have a business.
But even with government support, Sasha says all businesses are at risk if their customers have taken to shopping online during lockdown.
She said: "The good thing about orders is it keeps us in customers' minds. They're kept loyal to us, they haven't needed to go anywhere else as we have been there for them.
"If your customers in the meantime have gone somewhere else, there's no saying they're going to come back to you as they may have got used to going elsewhere and doing things in a different way.
"I think that's a huge danger and is one of the reasons why I was really keen to do online orders, it's necessary for our long-term survival."


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Chinese parents are making their children learn about the importance of success in a different way.
They are taking their children to luxury resorts to marvel at what money can buy and also inspire them, reported The Telegraph.
But their out-of-the-box approach triggered a heated debate online, with netizens questioning the values they are instilling in the next generation.
"Chinese people's worship of money is plain to see. The value these parents place on money will profoundly impact those children, their future values and views on life," said netizen Xiu Dao Ke.
Asked another, named Alice Jinyu Zui: "Do they think that being able to buy mansions is the measure of success?!"
Juzi Zhou responded: "Focusing on money will turn those pure and innocent students into weasels who think making money is the most important thing in life."
Others claimed the parents were simply preparing their children for the realities of the real world.
Mr Ma Renwen, one of the fathers and an operator of over 30 fabric outlets, told reporters that the visit was for practical reasons.
"Money might not be everything, but it certainly means something in this world," he was quoted as saying, adding that such visits can ignite children's passion.
On Sunday, to mark national Children's Day, 300 parents in Guangdong Province, a manufacturing hub in southern China, took their children on a tour of large estates worth four million yuan (S$867,000) at a spa resort in Qingyuan City.
The weekend tour sought to help the children "build dreams", reported the China Youth Daily.
The newspaper quoted staff at the resort as saying that they overheard parents telling children that "fortune represents social status" and "only when you aspire to make a fortune can you possibly buy a mansion worth millions of dollars".
China's super-rich population is rising and it has 430 people who each have a net worth of at least US$1 billion (S$1.2 billion).
This article was first published on June 5, 2015.
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Lightstone reports an annual inflation rate of 4.6% for home prices at the end of April 2021.
- The impact of lower interest rates is evident in the age group of 31-40, who are most likely to buy a home for the first time.
- Since October last year, the average purchase price for new homes has been around R1 million.
- Young buyers are looking for properties with a “modern and open plan that allows them to move in immediately.”
The average purchase price of first homes since October last year has been around R1 million, and since October last year, first home buyers have remained a major driver of the residential real estate market, compared to the last few years. It is a big rise. Better bond.
Two years ago, the average spending of first homebuyers was less than Rs 900,000. However, since the beginning of this year, the average home purchase price of the first homebuyers applying for bonds to BetterBond has risen by 15%.
Western Cape is just over 1.4 million rand, the highest average purchase price for first-time buyers. Other areas where first-home buyers are looking for properties priced over R1 million include Greater Pretoria, Johannesburg, Northwest, KwaZulu Natal, Northern Cape, Nelsproit and Mpumalanga.
According to Brynn Janeke, CEO of Easy Real Estate, buyers who may have previously rented are looking for “ready-to-go, modern, open-plan” apartments and townhouses. Many of these buyers start with bands under R $ 2.5 million.
The average age of first-time homebuyers signing up for BetterBond is about 36 years. Between the ages of 20 and 30, the average homebuyer’s average purchase price has risen by almost 20%, generally at around R1.1. a million.
Coetzee believes that low interest rates have made it easier to access real estate. As a result of the fifth consecutive reduction in repo rates in 2020, the prime rate was 7%, the lowest in 55 years.
The impact of lower interest rates is also evident in the 31-40 age group. This is usually the case for most first home buyers in this age group. The average purchase price for these buyers is around Real 1.3 million, up 13.4% over the last 12 months.
The latest Lightstone Residential Property Index has also found a positive impact of favorable interest rates across all market segments. The annual inflation rate for home prices at the end of April 2021 was 4.6%. The current annual inflation rate is 4.56%.
First-time homebuyers show consumer power thanks to low interest rates
Source link First-time homebuyers show consumer power thanks to low interest rates


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Yes, Chuck, my son has been bugging me to see Drive, saying it's a good movie. I'm always open minded to new chase scenes, but there is something so analog beautiful about Bullitt and French Connection.
It's cool that Ford came out with a 40th anniversary Mustang Bullitt. But I have to admit, my kids laugh at that chase seen because, by comparison to today's movies, it seems so crude. I still watch it when it comes on TV, though.
Thanks, Al. Yes, driver assist features seem to have come out of nowhere. Some of them have been worked on for about a decade, but once they make it to production, it moves fast. In contrast, electronic stability control was in production for almost 15 years when it really took off.
You're right, Rob. If we had to pay for them individually, not many people would get these features. It's too many permutations, though, so automakers would never do that. regarding Bullitt: Yes, it was a Mustang. And a Dodge Charger, I believe.
40%! Wow. That's quite a figure, especially since it wasn't long ago that the percentage of elecronics was half that. Again, though, if the additional electronics make the car safer and make it last longer, that's a huge consideration.
Truchard will be presented the award at the 2014 Golden Mousetrap Awards ceremony during the co-located events Pacific Design & Manufacturing, MD&M West, WestPack, PLASTEC West, Electronics West, ATX West, and AeroCon.
In a bid to boost the viability of lithium-based electric car batteries, a team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has developed a chemistry that could possibly double an EV’s driving range while cutting its battery cost in half.
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This discussion will examine what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.


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Bili Dvori in Loviste – New Tourist Investment on Peljesac
According to press release issued by Tourist Board of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, new work is planned for Bili Dvori tourist complex in Mirci bay, about 2 km away from Loviste village on Peljesac peninsula.
The plans consist of idea to make Bili Dvori into tourist resort that will include villas, apartments, flats, a six-star boutique hotel with capacity of 70 rooms. Plans also include marina with 120 berths, tennis courts, restaurants, bars, a spa and wellness centre.
The 70 million euros Bili Dvori project is expected to be in full operation by 2013.


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Mark Zuckerberg has announced additional plans to extend one of Meta’s VR capabilities to social media and messaging apps, as well as adding creepy digital assistants to video chats for human employees, known as avatars.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, announced plans to bring its Horizon social VR avatars to Reels, WhatsApp, and Messenger. A person’s actual skin tone, hairstyle, and clothing preferences would be used to create the avatars.
According to Zuckerberg, a fully virtual roundtable meeting would consist of your avatar and your colleagues’ avatars chatting in a third mode, between turning the camera on and off completely while you’re still speaking and reacting. The difference is that you’re not in front of the camera, so it’s more of a camera off mode.
The company also announced that it is working to allow users to use their avatars instead of live video in video chats on WhatsApp and Messenger.
Meta, which spent $10 billion last year building the metaverse, a digital space where users can interact with experiences and other people using VR technology, has shown that the video chat avatar feature would bring Microsoft apps to Meta Horizon workrooms, where workers’ avatars meet to create a unified, digital office that we believe can significantly improve distributed work.
Meta says it expects to introduce this avatar feature for video chats next year.
The sources for this piece include an article in Fortune.


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Valentine’s Day shoppers might find a box of chocolate more expensive this year, and they can thank China, Ebola and a dusty wind in west Africa. On Thursday, the average price for a metric ton of cocoa was $2993.47, down from the $3,022.69 it was at the same time last year, according to the International Cocoa Organization.
But that hasn’t stopped a 2014 price boom from getting to your Valentine’s Day loot. Last year cocoa prices skyrocketed thanks to increased demand from Asian markets and the need for high-quality dark chocolate, which requires more cocoa, in Europe and North America. Plus, a dry, dusty wind known as the harmattan, has been sweeping across the world’s biggest cocoa-producing countries of Ghana, Nigeria and Cote D’Ivoire, worrying traders.
“We’re looking ahead and worried about production,” said Jack Scoville, senior market analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago. “People are thinking we might not have enough cocoa.”
Because of the leap in prices, candy companies around the world have made serious adjustments to stay afloat. According to the New York Times, companies such as Hershey and Mondelez International, which owns brand such as Cadbury, and the Swiss Russell Stover-owner Lindt & Sprungli raised prices on their candy as much as 8 percent last year.
Mondelez noted in its latest earnings release that its gross profit margin took a 0.5 percent hit due to “market-to-market adjustments associated with commodities and currency hedging.”
But even though Valentine’s Day candies will be expensive this year, it seems like the cocoa price may fall a bit in 2015. West Africa, which produces more than half of the world’s cocoa, has faced a tough time but should come out on top. Despite flat growth in Nigeria and Cameroon due to weather conditions and plant disease, and a downturn in Ghana, the biggest producer in the region, Cote D’Ivoire, is doing fine, according to Victoria Crandall, commodities analyst at Ecobank.
“Dry weather in the region has been at the center of concerns over supply shortages this season, but fears that it would affect Cote d’Ivoire’s output were assuaged once the winds subsided in January,” Crandall said.
Plus, prices are adjusting themselves after traders wrongly feared that the Ebola outbreak would affect the harvest this year.
“There was a shortage,” says Scoville.“But after the Ebola scare we found that it wasn’t affecting crops and production seemed pretty good.” He also noted that demand seems to be lagging in big markets like China and India, which could send prices down again, and could make candy a little more affordable in 2016.


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- Weekly Pearlridge Farmers' Market
- Saturday, Dec. 20, from 8 a.m. to noon.
- The Pearlridge Farmers Market features over 40 vendors offering locally grown fruits and vegetables, plants and freshly made treats including oven-fresh breads and baked goods.
Friday, November 21
- Pearlridge Express
- All aboard the Pearlridge Express! Running daily through Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015, the Pearlridge Express is a holiday tradition for thousands of island families, some of whom fly in from the Neighbor Islands just for this treat.
Thursday, November 27
Friday, November 28
- Photos with Santa
- Whether they've been naughty or nice this year, bring the kids down to tell Santa what is on their wish lists from Friday, Nov. 28 through Wednesday, Dec. 24.
Saturday, December 27