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Ron Carson ends national search for chief marketing officer by doing a local M&A deal using his favorite HR broker -- Eric Clarke
When Eric Clarke decided he'd play matchmaker, the hyperactive Carson Group CEO snapped up Mineral Interactive and made a creative deal
Brooke's Note: Dorothy dreamed of a different life when a cyclone swept her to Oz, but learned all you really need can be found right in your own backyard. They live that lesson in Omaha, too. Ron Carson took a few trips to Boston, New York and Oz, but he found what he was looking for back amid the subdivisions and windswept plains of Nebraska. That doesn't mean getting Jud Mackrill came easy, or cheap, in a world where RIA-conversant marketing talent is a rare commodity. Luckily he had an RIA master linguist in Eric Clarke to talk him through it.
White collar financial talent in Omaha is as rare there as spotted owls, so when Eric Clarke told Ron Carson he could kill three birds with one stone, the CEO of the all-in-one RIA and outsourcer Carson Group paid attention.
In a coming together of three Omaha, Neb.-based firms, Orion Advisor Services' CEO Clarke played matchmaker by introducing the Carson Group CEO to Jud Mackrill, then CEO of Mineral Interactive, a trendy marketing and technology start-up with an "alternative" growth-hacking twist.
Mackrill agreed to become CMO at Carson's firm, if Carson could sweeten the deal by buying his company. No problem. That's what happened.
It ended a near year-long national search Carson made for a chief marketing officer, which he sorely needs.
Carson is one of the 'big four' RIA branding gurus. The others are Ken Fisher, CEO of Camas, Wash.-based $96 billion AUM Fisher Investments, Ric Edelman, CEO of $22 billion AUM Fairfax, Va.'s Edelman Financial Services, and David Bach, co-founder of Topeka, Kan.-based $5 billion AUM insurance spin-off AE Wealth Management. Bach is also CEO of his own brand, FinishRich Media. See: Ric Edelman and David Bach go their own ways after super-partnership dissolves.
Carson and Mackrill make a perfect pair, says Clarke, via email. “When Ron reached out to me to discuss the opportunity, Jud instantly popped into mind, and I wanted the two of them to get together.”
On July 31, Carson Group snapped up Mineral, and appointed Mackrill to the newly created position of chief marketing officer. Prior to running Mineral, Mackrill was the chief marketing officer at Orion, a position he is now happy to reprise at Carson. See: What I learned about our industry’s toughness, endurance and character across four peaks, 28 miles and 7,500 vertical feet in Aspen.
The plan behind the purchase is two-fold, use the more millennial-centric marketing techniques that were 2015-founded Mineral's MO during its three years in business to grow Carson's AUM by attracing new advisors and RIAs, and boost Carson's in-house marketing team's ability to work as a marketing outsourcer for Carson affiliated firms.
Mineral will continue to serve its current clients, but client acquisition is shelved for the time being.
Mineral's technology partnership with Orion, the Orion Prospect Portal, which integrates lead generation with an advisors' planning software to speed-up the process of assessing and then on-boarding new clients, remains unaffected by Carson Group's acquisition.
There's sound logic at work here, since the kind of marketing that speaks to younger generations just “isn't a core competency in a typical financial planning firm,” says John Rourke, CEO of New York-based CRM firm WealthBox, via email -- WealthBox is known for its millennial-influenced advertising stylings. See: Ron Carson 'arrived' after investing $52 million, grabbing Orion and TD talent and letting his hair down
Kickstarting a jumpstart
"The differentiator now is not only how well firms are able to apply technology in their service delivery stack, but also how effective they are in the execution of digital marketing and branding to grow … perhaps this jumpstarts Carson [here]," he says.
The fact that Mineral is based in Omaha is a "boon," but the acquisition really highlights how important it is to get your message across in the right way, says Carson, via email. See: What to make of Ron Carson selling 29% of his empire for $35 million -- and how he's evolved his no-pain, no-gain approach to attract a new generation of talent
"As Carson Group evolves and grows, the crucial role the marketing department fulfills has become more pronounced than ever -- it's vital to nearly every strategic initiative implemented firm-wide."
Simply put, new marketing techniques are making the old approaches “look wasteful and silly”, and the Carson Group seems to have recognized this, says Rourke. “[Besides] Ron Carson is a brand unto himself, so it seems natural that his organization is going to up the branding for the firm.”
Where Bach's marketing approach is, for instance, driven by traditional TV and radio bits focused on being an investment guru and a local celebrity, now that Carson Group has acquired Mineral, it has a different marketing arrow in its quiver, the more modern approach preferred by Jud Mackrill. See: David Bach rocks heavyweights with plan to leverage his media savvy for RIAs at his Topeka TAMP; 'Ridiculous' says Ken Fisher.
If you don't stay fresh, especially in marketing, you fail, says Mackrill, via email. "Marketing is evolving at a rapid pace, so it's imperative to always be assessing alternative methods -- as Ron often says: 'if it's not broken, break it.'"
Growth hacking is one of the more modern marketing approaches that Mackrill may bring to bear at Carson, and should he do so, it will become clear that it “blows away traditional old-school marketing in the [RIA] space,” says Rourke. See: Five fully pregnant email subject lines and how they make investors open your RIA newsletter.
“It's really about organizing your firm like a modern-day digital product company, where marketing, design, development, and product come together to test and iterate in a way that traditional, ossified marketing practices don't do, in part because the old-school managers don't understand it.”
Simply put, growth hacking is the idea that everyone at a firm should be involved in selling its products to avoid cliché, use guerrilla marketing like social media and do it all on the cheap. See: How exactly RIAs can get the something for almost nothing they expect from 'free' social media
Three firms make-up Carson Group: Carson Wealth Management, a one-time LPL breakaway with an AUM of $5.1 billion, according to its Sept. 12 ADV; Carson Group Coaching, an RIA coaching firm with 1,282 advisory clients; and Carson Group Partners, which is both a down-market Dynasty Financial Partners-style outsourcer and a roll-up. See: Eavesdropping: Ron Carson gets an electric reception at his PEAK event, and calms the waters surrounding his new RIA.
Ninety-two independent RIAs are affiliated with Carson Group and make use of its outsourcing, including its software marketing, operations, compliance and investment strategies.
In total Carson Group has $7.1 billion in assets under its management, which will soon reach $10 billion, according to the firm, and employs 160 staff. It also just brought on an extra $775 million in assets under advisement with the acquisition of Hagerstown, Md.-based Cornerstone Wealth Management. See: Ron Carson launches roll-up/TAMP-like venture with Envestnet, TD Ameritrade and Advizent as puzzle pieces.
Noreen Beaman steps down as president of Orion Advisor Solutions after Brinker migrates to Orion software and enterprise deals 'prove out'
The former Brinker CEO oversaw an 18-month transition of her then $26-billion TAMP and will remain as vice chair of the company after 'mutual' decision on role changes.
February 10, 2022 – 2:22 AM
Brad Shepard unexpectedly resigns from Orion Advisor Services after 10 months, and his chief strategy officer position will remain vacant, the company says
The Nashville, Tenn. executive came aboard to create a 'go-to-marketing strategy' for Brinker, HiddenLevers and legacy units but gave his notice this week.
January 7, 2022 – 11:40 PM
Top Executive: Ron Carson


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With January almost over, its less than a month left until we expect to see the Samsung Galaxy S7 being unveiled by the Korean electronics giant at the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress, Barcelona. The device has been in the rumor mill as long as recent memory serves and we've managed to unearth quite a bit of details about its alleged specifications, though any visuals or pictures of the device haven't surfaced as of yet.
Today, some more information about the device has surfaced, this time about its launch date in the United States. Given the source of today's information, we're highly inclined to believe it, and if you've been following us regularly, you'll agree with us as well after the break.
Starting to look like a Friday, March 11th Galaxy release in the U.S.
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 22, 2016
The Samsung Galaxy S7 To Hit The Shelves In The US On Friday March 11th
Evan Blass, formerly known as @evleaks is back today and this time he claims to have some information about Samsung's plans for the Galaxy S7's launch dates in the US. As you can see in the tweet above, Evan expects the Galaxy S7 to hit the shelves on Friday March 11th, which would be a full month earlier than when Samsung released the Galaxy S6 for the general public here in the US last year.
Given the increasing amount of competition in the mobile world, an expedited release from Samsung shouldn't come as a surprise to many as the company should expect other devices with the Snapdragon 820 to become available soon after. But processing and other performance aren't the aspects on the Galaxy S7 that we're worried about.
Samsung launch of the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge with the Exynos 7420 last year was also widely applauded with the company having chosen to significantly redefine the way it approaches and looks towards its flagship smartphones. But as well designed and upgraded the devices were, Samsung failed to anticipate demand, particularly for the Galaxy S6 Edge, which led to some embarrassment in the end.
In fact, to make up for this, and for decreasing Galaxy S6 prices all around, Samsung was also quick to launch a larger Galaxy S6 Edge as well, in order to better capture the additional market interest generated through the launch of a curved edged smartphone. With the Galaxy S7, we're expecting Samsung to take a stable approach on design and rather improve on the device's performance and other specifications as smartphone flagship upgrade cycles have started to move towards two years instead of one.
Manufacturers are after all forced to make quick innovations and changes every year due to fierce market demands and competition all around, which has ended up stifling innovation in its truest form. Whether Samsung will be able to live up to the bar it set for itself with last year's lauches, we'll find out soon enough. Till then, stay tuned and let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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KIA Ray – Korean Green Car Pioneer
Korea wants to be top 4 in the global green car market
According to an article in the Korea Times, the Korean government is hoping that Korea can be the world’s 4th largest manufacturer of environmentally friendly cars. I’d have to speculate who the 1st 2nd and 3rd would be. Perhaps Japan and Germany, followed by the U.S.? I can’t imagine the U.S. making green anything (except too many dollars perhaps). Anyway, to become the 4th largest green car maker, Korean auto companies need to get 10% of the market, a daunting task considering that in February 2010, Korean green cars were only 0.5% of the market. Korea’s goal is 2010.
10%? That’s impossible!
Well perhaps it is a lofty goal but if the 2010 Chicago auto show is anything to go by, the innovative KIA Ray, a plug in hybrid, will certainly do its share. In fact, after only seeing a few pictures and a video, I want one. This car pretty much looks like a freakin’ spaceship. That alone will probably attract a mess of buyers. But this car isn’t all looks. It reportedly can go 50 miles on one charge before switching to gas, and then it gets 202 miles/gallon. It’s also jam packed with other planet-saving advanced technology, such as nano-laminate film to regulate the internal temperature and reduce the need for air conditioning. Solar cells on the roof of the car also power fans that assist with cooling the car.
Solar power? Heh, what if it’s dark or rainy? The car won’t work!
If it’s dark or rainy, you probably won’t need fans to cool the interior, genius!
Anyway, take a look at this video from the auto show. If all green cars are as cool as this one, then the future of the industry is bright. Korea can easily take a leading role.


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Christchurch BID has launched a new partnership with multi award winning app LoyalFree, as part of their aim to promote Christchurch town centre as a fantastic place to shop, to eat, to walk, and to spend well-earned quality time. The town has become the latest area in the UK to launch the LoyalFree app, a place promotion app designed to boost footfall and sales in the area by encouraging consumers to support independent businesses and explore more of their local area.
LoyalFree is an innovative digital platform which showcases vital area information for residents and visitors including a local guide, exclusive deals and loyalty schemes, fun local events, and interactive trails. Businesses will benefit from advertising opportunities; customer insights and social media support and the dynamic app allows users to benefit from using just one app across the UK – so they can tap into the local area wherever they are.
Christchurch BID play a vital role in facing the town’s recent challenges from covid and changes to consumer spending by taking the town forward and supporting hundreds of businesses in the area. Local businesses already signed up to the LoyalFree app include The Coffee Pot, The Industry and Belvoir.
Christina Pengelly from Christchurch BID, said, “We’re delighted to be working with LoyalFree to bring footfall into the town centre. The app will offer a new and exciting way for residents and visitors to enjoy all that our town has to offer”.
LoyalFree’s digital trails are one way app users can explore the area’s history, hidden gems and best independents. There are already some exciting trails live on the app including the Sunday Brunch Spots Trail and the Acoustic: The Live Music Events Trail which showcases some of spectacular performances taking place in Christchurch’s many independent venues.
Sophie Hainsworth, co-founder of LoyalFree, said: ‘‘We are ecstatic to be working with Christchurch to be able to offer local businesses a way to expand their digital presence and encourage app users to explore more of the town.’’
You can download the LoyalFree app for free:www.loyalfree.co.uk/download or search ‘LoyalFree’ on the iOS and Google play store.
If you’re a BID levy payer in Christchurch, please email [email protected] for details of how you can get involved in the scheme.Posted on


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A second teaser video of the Opel GT has just been released and it shows a little more of the concept. We are proud to say we were right about the headlights. Check them below.
If you have not had time to see, check the main image of this post to see how the headlights of the concept are similar to the logo of the new car, which you can see below.
Something that is not in the video, but is worth having a look, is the exhaust pipe of the new concept. In fact, the two exhaust pipes connected by the logo of the car. Opel says it ” is reminiscent of the legendary 1965 Experimental GT”. Another strong hint that the car will indeed be produced, as the Experimental GT was.
As far as we know, the new Opel GT will be a 2+2 sports car, probably inspired by the Monza Concept and slated for production sometime in 2018. It will have a price tag of around 25,000 euros, or a little more than US$27,000. It will be powered by a variety of four-cylinder turbo petrol engines, with the most powerful one able to reach 221 kW. It will be presented at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, an event that already promises to be memorable due to the quantity of important new cars it will present.


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Sprint Nextel said poor execution by its network vendor partners in the latter part of 2012 was part of what caused it to delay LTE deployments and its larger Network Vision network modernization plan, according to a securities filing.
Sprint Nextel is squarely focused on driving its Network Vision network modernization project, which includes the rollout of LTE network technology, and is not letting Dish Network and SoftBank's competing bids for the company affect the effort, according to Sprint CFO Joe Eueteneuer.
Sprint Nextel is shifting its focus to the future and its CDMA and LTE networks as it nears the shutdown of its Nextel iDEN network, scheduled for the middle of the year. As it has in the past several quarters, the company reported relatively strong metrics for its "Sprint platform" (CDMA and LTE) while losing subscribers from its legacy Nextel (iDEN) network.
Sprint Nextel is continuing its push to attract small business customers to its modernized networks, with its latest promotion promising deals on devices as well as credit for every wireless line switched from a competitor.
Regional carrier SouthernLinc struck an agreement with MVNE Prepaid Wireless Wholesale to add nationwide GSM and UMTS service to its iDEN network footprint, though it is unclear exactly which GSM network SouthernLinc will use for the effort.
Sprint Nextel, in the midst of extricating itself from its legacy iDEN Nextel business, posted a net subscriber loss of 337,000 wireless customers in the fourth quarter. The carrier also reduced its LTE buildout plans for 2013.
Regional cellular carrier SouthernLinc said it will continue to invest in its iDEN network despite Sprint Nextel's decision to turn off its iDEN network by the middle of next year. However, SouthernLinc CEO Don Horsley said the carrier does have plans for a "nationwide solution" that SouthernLinc will launch in a "very short timeframe."
Starting Jan. 1 Sprint Nextel will begin charging Nextel iDEN customers who have not upgraded to Sprint's CDMA push-to-talk service an extra $10 per month. The step is being taken as Sprint continues to move toward the shutdown of the iDEN network by June 30, 2013.
AT&T Mobility is taking aim squarely at Sprint Nextel's remaining iDEN subscribers by announcing the full availability of its Enhanced Push-to-Talk offering as well as new smartphones for the service.
Sprint Nextel doesn't expect to conduct layoffs as part of Softbank's $20.1 billion deal to acquire to 70 percent of the company, according to a regulatory filing. Sprint also expects to drop the "Nextel" part of its corporate name if the deal is approved by regulators.


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Have you seen an increase in your 3D Printer filament prices due to the new U.S. Tariffs?
A large portion of 3D printing supplies that come into the U.S. are from China. This is especially true of PLA and ABS filament, which feature prominently in lists of imports. The 25% duty on imports on raw polymers and mono-filaments could affect the 3D printing industry in the long run.
While this round of tariffs has been bullish on many Chinese electronics and parts, they’ve also wedged in a lot of plastics. The list also includes raw polymer imports, which is bad news for manufacturers of filaments in the US in case they thought they were safe. Many of them may not bring in full filaments, but they might still use Chinese raw materials. The US tariffs might be shaking up the production chains of a lot of other industries as well, considering how vague they are.
The Chinese market has been stable in terms of price for a while now. Now that the tariffs have gone into effect, that may change. What we cannot predict is the effect on the average consumer prices. The exact effect of tariffs on the average user can be very difficult to predict as companies might find alternative markets or burden a bit of the costs to mitigate price increases in the short run.
Obviously, it is still too early to tell what the affect may be, but we should have an answer in the first quarter of 2019.
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- Tags: 3D printer filament, 3D printer supplies, 3d printing, ABS filament, PLA Filament, Raw Polymers, Tariffs on Chinese, U.S. Tariffs


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Ted Baker ditches Debenhams for five year childrenswear deal with Next; The new collection will launch in Spring 2020 and will be stocked at Next branches across the country.
Byline: Emma Munbodh
Upmarket fashion chain Ted Baker has signed a five year deal with retailer Next to expand its childrenswear collection.
It will see Next create and sell Ted Baker kids' lines, including baby, boys' and girls' clothing, shoes and accessories.
The new collections will launch in Spring 2020 at Next stores around the UK - as well as through Ted Baker's website.
It will replace a current deal with Debenhams - which will end on 29 February 2020.
However Ted Banker said it will continue to supplier lingerie and nightwear for the department store.
Ted Baker chief executive, Lindsay Page, said: "We are delighted to announce this exciting product licence with Next to support the continued expansion of Ted Baker's growing childrenswear collections.
"Product licensing is a proven and highly successful pillar of Ted Baker's strategy to expand as a global lifestyle brand. It enables us to carefully develop the brand in new, relevant categories by leveraging the specialist product expertise of our carefully selected partners.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Debenhams for their skill and hard work in establishing and developing the Ted Baker childrenswear business and we will continue to work with them in other product categories.
"Our childrenswear collections - which are small in size but big in style - have already proven incredibly popular with Ted Baker customers. As a multi-channel retailer with global capabilities and wholesale experience, Next is the outstanding partner to take Ted Baker forward in this category, which we believe will deliver significant growth in the coming years."
Simon Wolfson, at Next, added: "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to help build and develop the Ted Baker children's business across the globe. We have worked with Ted Baker for a number of years through Label and recognise the power of their brand."
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|Publication:||Daily Mirror (London, England)|
|Date:||Aug 16, 2019|
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Businesses saved more than £100 million on food waste between 2012 and 2015.
The achievement came as 50 retailers and manufacturers fought to achieve the ‘Courtauld Commitment 3’ (CC3) green targets.
Waste charity WRAP developed and managed the CC3 agreement on behalf of the UK Government and established a group of businesses, sector bodies and food redistribution organisations to share their knowledge and experiences.
The £100 million was saved as signatories successfully fought to reduce business food and packaging waste by 3%.
This meant around 219,000 tonnes of waste was prevented from going to landfill and nearly double this amount of Carbon Dioxide emissions was also avoided.
Aims to stop any increase in the carbon impact of packaging by 2015 were smashed, with a 7% reduction as recycling rates increased and packaging designs became greener.
The third target of reducing household food and drink waste by 5% was however not successful, only seeing a reduction from 7.3 million tonnes to seven million tonnes.
The group suggest this was as a result of population growth, falling food prices and increased personal earnings.
WRAP’s consumer campaign ‘Love Food, Hate Waste’ is now working towards Courtauld 25 goals.


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Brokerages Set Chegg Inc (CHGG) Target Price at $23.88
Chegg Inc (NYSE:CHGG) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have assigned a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $23.88.
CHGG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Chegg from $24.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 1st. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of Chegg in a report on Friday, April 27th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Chegg from $23.50 to $27.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 31st. Lake Street Capital lifted their price target on shares of Chegg from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 31st. Finally, ValuEngine upgraded shares of Chegg from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 2nd.
In other news, CEO Daniel Rosensweig sold 150,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.82, for a total value of $3,723,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,433,753 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $60,405,749.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jenny Brandemuehl sold 75,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.63, for a total transaction of $2,072,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 579,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,013,215.17. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 660,904 shares of company stock worth $18,269,583. 10.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Chegg traded up $0.77, reaching $29.51, during mid-day trading on Wednesday, according to Marketbeat. 1,200,256 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,309,665. Chegg has a 1-year low of $13.52 and a 1-year high of $29.84. The firm has a market cap of $3.18 billion, a P/E ratio of -327.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 16.93 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 10.11 and a current ratio of 10.11.
Chegg (NYSE:CHGG) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 30th. The technology company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.04. Chegg had a negative net margin of 5.01% and a positive return on equity of 0.87%. The firm had revenue of $74.22 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.16 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.06 earnings per share. Chegg’s revenue was up 31.8% compared to the same quarter last year. equities analysts predict that Chegg will post 0.07 EPS for the current year.
Chegg, Inc operates direct-to-student learning platform that supports students on their journey from high school to college and into their career with tools designed to help them pass their test, pass their class, and save money on required materials. The company offers Chegg Services, which include digital products and services; and required materials that comprise its print textbooks and eTextbooks.
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Bengaluru-based Clover Ventures claims to provide a full-stack agronomy solution to the greenhouse farmers in the network, improving yields and standardising output quality
Backed by Accel, Omnivore, Mayfield and Alteria Capital, the startup has raised a total of $7.5 Mn in funding
With 220+ farmer partners in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, Clover delivers 600-700 orders per day across online as well as offline channels
A visit to KR Market in Bengaluru or Delhi Organic Farmers’ Market at Connaught Place, on a Sunday morning, paints a vivid picture where one gets to see people flocking from all the directions and crowding around the fruits and vegetable sellers, pinching irregularly shaped vegetables, gawking at the green, leafy produce and nibbling on some ready-to-eat natural treats, freshly pulled out a night before.
The farmers from the nearby villages and towns definitely know how to put on a great show. But, what outsiders often miss to notice is the effort and struggles that go into growing the fresh organic produce before it reaches our plates.
The competition is so high that, in reality, only a few make good returns, even as a large number of farmers don’t even make it to the markets or mandis because of the supply chain issue, lower yield, poor quality, fluctuating prices and dying crops. With most farmers in India belonging to small and marginal categories (holding less than 2-acre farmland) their ability to control prices in the market is non-existent.
This is the condition of 80% of farmers in the country. While startups like BigBasket, Grofers, AgroStar and Ninjacart among others, are working towards organising a large part of the supply chain, including logistics, last-mile delivery and ancillary infrastructure, they fall short of addressing the core part of it, which is the origin of produce.
Bengaluru-based Clover Ventures sees an opportunity in this market gap, and it’s standardising demand-supply issue by focusing around demand-led cultivation through a managed farm network and full-stack agronomy.
Founded by Avinash BR, Gururaj Rao, Arvind Murali and Santhosh Narasipura in 2018, Clover Ventures manages a network of greenhouse and small farms that are based in peri-urban and rural areas surrounding the consumption zones, thereby ensuring freshness and reducing spoilage.
On the supply front, Clover claims to provide a full-stack agronomy solution to farmers in the network, improving yields and standardising output quality on a continuous basis. On the demand side, the produce is packaged and sold through the company’s omnichannel platforms.
Presently, in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, the company has partnered with over 220+ farmers, where 60% are polyhouse/greenhouse farms and the remaining 40% are open farms. However, the company looks to focus on working with more polyhouse farmers in the coming months. The average size of the Clover farm ranges from two to three hectares.
But, the question is how does Clover’s model work?
Before onboarding the farms, the company signs a deal (contract farming) with the farmers, ensuring end-to-end support and assistance throughout the crop cycle, along with managing the supply chain and last-mile delivery.
“Typically, contract farming tends to be a mono-crop agreement between the company and farmers, where it does not care about the latter on what they grow for the remaining year,” claimed Avinash BR, citing examples of potato chips manufacturers. However, in the case of Clover Ventures, the cofounder said that the company uses contracts, but its agreement with farmers is built on the basis of trust and outcomes. The company claimed to be dealing with about 50-60 SKUs.
Besides helping farmers improve their yields by connecting them with agri- experts and agronomists periodically, the company also offers seed and nursery plants grown at its in-house farms. The company further claims that it procures 100% of the produce grown by its farmer partners to sell it to the customers, thereby eliminating all the hassles that they face at mandis or open markets.
The company said that its advisory service is free of cost as its purpose is to ensure quality output. The organic nursery plants grown in the company’s in-house farms are sold to farmers at affordable rates during the pre-harvesting stages.
Once the fresh vegetables and fruits are procured from the farms, post-harvest, Clover Ventures which follows a centralised supply chain system, transports all the produce to the nearest warehouses for packaging and rebranding of the produce.
Currently, the company runs four warehouses (three in Bengaluru (18,000 sq. ft) and one in Hyderabad (6,000 sq. ft)) with a total size of 24,000 sq. ft., on a rental basis. Typically, the cost of these warehouses could range from anywhere between INR 5 lakh to INR 15 lakh per month.
The company claimed to have reduced wastage of perishables by setting up warehouses at close proximity (100-250 km) near the demand areas, thereby cutting the food losses by 10%. The industry average of wastage in perishables stands at 30-40%, daily.
Backed by Accel, Omnivore, Mayfield and Alteria Capital, Clover Ventures has raised a total of $7.5 Mn in funding across multiple rounds. “As Clover Ventures is deeply integrated with its farmer partners, catering increasingly branded products to customers, the unit economics of the company looks quite strong,” said Mark Kahn, the managing partner at Omnivore, an agri-focused venture capital firm.
According to the company’s financial filings, Clover Ventures in FY19 recorded INR 1.3 Cr in revenue, INR 1.5 Cr in losses while the company’s total expenses stood at INR 2.9 Cr. Around INR 1.4 Cr was spent on stock in trade i.e. procurement of raw fruits and vegetables.
When asked about the latest revenue numbers, the company did not reveal the details, but said that from April to December 2020, the company witnessed 4x growth.
Besides Clover Ventures, other competitors in the space that are working towards bringing farm produce closer to customers, and are betting heavily on emerging farm technology such as hydroponic include UrbanKisaan, Simply Fresh, and Future Farms among others. Hydroponic is the technology that grows plants without soil. Majority of these startups are also developing full-stack solutions for alternate farming in the country, which is somewhat similar to Clover Ventures, and their hydroponic technology claims to reduce the wastage of food and water to a large extent.
“20% of our polyhouse farms use hydroponic technology,” claimed cofounder Avinash BR, “We do believe that hydroponic comes with a lot of structural and theoretical advantages. But, when it comes to adoption in India, there still exists a degree of scepticism among farmers when it comes to RoI.” The cofounder also claimed that Cover’s business model is asset-light as they are tapping into already existing infrastructure (greenhouses), which are in good shape, instead of forcibly convincing farmers to adopt hydroponic farming practices.
Further, he revealed that India has about 40,000 acres of greenhouses. He believes that every year more and more greenhouse farms are being installed, thanks to the subsidy programme run by both the state as well as the central government.
Building A Scalable Model
Omnivore’s Kahn believes that there is a great opportunity for Clover Ventures to further scale its business, both in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. “I am sure that at some point, Clover might start expanding into other cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Delhi NCR and Chennai,” he added, optimistically.
Further, Kahn said that the focus for Clover Ventures would be to build a highly visible and ubiquitous brand in these cities before expanding everywhere. On the demand front, at present Clover caters to about 600 to 700 orders per day across online as well as offline channels.
The cofounder told Inc42 that the company is beginning to see a pattern in terms of customer retention, and looks to have more clarity in the next three to six months. “When everything around farmers is unorganised, we are taking a structured approach to not just deepen the engagement with farmers, but also help them earn a higher income,” he added, claiming that in the last two years, most of Clover’s farmer partners have seen their income grow by 2x to 4x.
While Clover Ventures seem to have created a structured supply chain by integrating the production and retailing of perishables, the real challenge for the company lies in driving the demand for its private-label products in the coming months.
Previously, most of its products were being sold to B2B clients, including cloud kitchen, restaurants, hotels and catering companies among others. In September 2019, the company started reaching out to kirana stores and supermarkets like Nature’s Basket, Star and Spar Hypermarket among others. Currently, the company has 150-180 partners in the offline channel.
The D2C Play
After the pandemic disrupted restaurants, cloud kitchens and hotels, Clover Ventures saw a massive dip in sales with a majority of them cancelling the orders. However, on the bright side, it saw an increase in demand coming in from its B2C business, which led the company to reassess its focus into online distribution channels and subscription-based ecommerce platforms, alongside launching its D2C native website.
The company now is aggressively focusing on D2C and B2B2C business, where it looks to increase its market penetration. “We are not looking to increase our margins,” said Avinash BR, stating that it wants to give the cost benefits to both consumers and farmers, and no stakeholders should win at the cost of the other. “We always try to bring that balance,” he added.
While these words seem to increase the farmers and consumer sentiments, it doesn’t offer an insight into the profitability aspect of the company. When asked about other revenue streams, the cofounder said that it plans to add value-added products like ‘easy to cook’ range of products, along with more variety of fresh-cut produce, at affordable prices, ranging from INR 7 to INR 280 per unit.
In addition to this, the company is also looking to launch a mobile app in the coming months. Currently, it has only launched the D2C native website which is still in its nascent stage, and has a long way to go when compared to other players in the market like Zama Organics, Mera Kisan and others.
Besides its product focus approach, the company does not have any secondary revenue stream plans in the pipeline, which puts a big question mark over the growth prospects and the scale that the company can achieve in near future.


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The next Nexus phone from Google and Samsung, the Galaxy Nexus, will start shipping in November with new features like an improved Gmail experience and the ability for the phone to unlock by simply recognising a user’s face.
They are part of Google’s new Android 4.0 operating system, codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich, which will feature for the first time on the Galaxy Nexus, according to a Google show-and-tell in Hong Kong this morning.
Traditionally, Google has rolled out new OSes on its Nexus phones, which are a favourite of phone geeks as these devices have the latest Google OS and do away with most of the add-ons that phone makers add to their Android offerings.
The Galaxy Nexus, previously dubbed the Nexus Prime by fans, will come with a large 4.65-inch screen Super AMOLED screen reminiscent of the HTC Sensation XL. The Samsung-made phone also sports a 1.2GHz dual-core processor that should be able to handle most tasks on the phone, including shooting high-def videos with the 1080p-capable camera.
Among the interesting new features, Ice Cream Sandwich can unlock a phone by simply recognising a user with its camera. So there’s no need to swipe the screen for one of the most oft-repeated actions today.
What’s also noteworthy is the native camera app. It comes with a number of improvements like easy sharing to Twitter, Facebook and other social networks, as well as editing tools that enable special effects and red eye adjustment that used to be available on third-party apps like Vignette. This means there’s less need to buy an additional camera app with the Samsung Nexus out of the box.
Among the other useful but less “magical” improvements is the tweaked Gmail interface. Users get a two-line preview, so they can easily decide whether to fire up a message or leave it in the inbox. There’s also an action bar at the bottom of the screen that lets you select multiple messages at one go and either archive and delete them, for example.
Better yet, you can search for messages for the past 30 days or more when you are offline. Until now, you need an Internet connection for to search your e-mail, but the new offline feature now means you can easily look up a message even when you are overseas and don’t want to incur expensive roaming charges.
There are a lot more features to be explored in Ice Cream Sandwich, which we will have updates for later. Also, as yet, there are no specific details of shipping dates for Singapore, but we’ll have them here once we do.
The Galaxy Nexus looks interesting, and with a souped up Ice Cream Sandwich beefing up already strong OS features, the Android ecosystem looks capable of continuing on its meteoric growth in the past two years.
One question for Google has been whether it could continue to work well with partners such as HTC and Samsung after it bought Motorola Mobility just a couple of months ago. Encouragingly for its partners, the Samsung-made Galaxy Nexus runs the latest Android OS, while Motorola’s Razr launched just hours ago comes with the older Android 2.3.5.


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Samsung has announced the Galaxy A9, which introduces the world’s first rear four-camera design in a smartphone.
Among the Samsung Galaxy A9’s four rear cameras are a 24-megapixel Main Lens, a 5-megapixel Depth Lens, an 8-megapixel Ultra Wide Lens (120°) and a 10-megapixel 2x Optical Zoom lens.
Also inside the Galaxy A9 is Samsung’s Scene Optimiser, which uses AI to identify your subjects and adjust the settings accordingly.
Storage-wise, the Samsung Galaxy A9 offers 128GB of internal storage, as well as up to 512GB of expandable memory. And a new 3,800mAH battery promises longer performance.
The Samsung Galaxy A9 price tag will be £549, with a release date set for November.
The A9 will be available in Caviar Black, Lemonade Blue and Bubblegum Pink.


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U.S. Senator Mark Begich welcomed word today that his work to lift the Chinese ban on importing geoducks was getting results.
In a phone call to congressional staffers, Paul Doremus, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Operations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said NOAA food safety and other officials met with their counterparts in Beijing on March 21 and explained their testing protocols and methodologies. They came away optimistic about the next steps needed to resolve the dispute and have the ban lifted.
Notably, Chinese officials said they were satisfied with testing protocols for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in Alaska. Work remains to be done to reach agreement on the sampling and testing methodology for inorganic arsenic, an issue affecting imports from the Pacific Northwest.
"Alaska has always been proud about the quality and safety of our seafood products and the Chinese ban caught us as an unexpected surprise," Begich said. "I am pleased that NOAA officials took action on this as I requested and I am hopeful of a quick resolution to this matter. While a small sector of our seafood exports, geoducks are very important to dive fishermen in Southeast Alaska and the state's reputation for safe and quality seafood needs to be defended."
Begich wrote Chinese Ambassador CUI Tiankai after imposition of the ban last year urging their cooperation with our federal and state food safety officials to resolve any differences and lift the import ban. He is pleased by today's announcement from NOAA officials and believes the restoration of normal geoduck trade between Alaska and China is on the horizon.


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Seagate, Hitachi Talk Up 3D Recording Plans
Hitachi GST and Seagate chime in on perpendicular recording, a next-generation means of improving the areal density of hard disk drives.Hitachi Global Storage Technologies and Seagate chimed in Monday on perpendicular recording, a next-generation means of improving the areal density of hard disk drives. Hitachi GST is expected to release the first of the new drives later this year, and a spokesman for Seagate said over the weekend that his company plans to follow suit. Toshiba, which has already announced its own plans, will use the new recording method first on smaller drives for portable music players and similar devices, as will Hitachi.
Magnetic disk drives were designed around the principle of longitudinal recording, where magnetic grains are aligned along a flat plane on the surface of the disk platter.


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NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Thursday:
Facebook Inc., up $22.41 to $329.51.
The social media company reported a jump in advertising revenue during the first quarter and beat analysts’ profit forecasts.
Generac Holdings Inc., up $21.02 to $337.18.
The maker of backup power generators raised its profit forecast after reporting strong first-quarter financial results.
Aspen Technology Inc., down $20.25 to $132.64.
The software company reported disappointing fiscal third-quarter financial results.
Cree Inc., down $14.20 to $98.53.
The lighting products maker gave investors a disappointing profit forecast.
Hologic Inc., down $6.17 to $66.23.
The medical device maker’s fiscal second-quarter profit fell short of Wall Street forecasts.
Merck & Co., down $3.41 to $73.68.
The drug developer reported weak first-quarter profit and revenue.
Qualcomm Inc., up $6.11 to $142.68
The chipmaker reported strong demand during the second-quarter and solid financial results.
Comcast Corp., up $2.30 to $56.40.
The owner of NBC and Xfinty reported first-quarter profit and revenue that beat analysts’ forecasts.


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Drivers for Uber and Lyft got out of their cars on Wednesday. In major U.S. cities (and a few other places around the world), workers for the ride-hail services organized protests ahead of Uber’s initial public offering on Friday. The company expects to be valued at more than $90 billion. It isn’t profitable right now, hemorrhaging more than $1 billion a year as it subsidizes its service, which is why Uber has been squeezing driver earnings in recent months as it’s made its case to investors. That’s also why the gig workers who make up Uber’s driving fleet chose this of all weeks to make a very loud point.
Their point was that Uber needs to pay up. At a protest in front of Uber’s Market Street headquarters in San Francisco, a driver named Vinni told me that when he started driving for Uber in 2013, he was paid about $2.20 a mile. Now, he says, he gets about 92 cents a mile. At most jobs, he lamented, you’d think that you’d be making more after six years, not less.
The protest in San Francisco attracted about 300 people, mostly drivers, though a fair number of reporters were there as well. Many of the workers I spoke to told me they learned about the protest on Facebook, where they saw either an ad about the strike from a gig worker organizing group like Gig Workers Rising or a post from a friend. Only two of the more than a dozen drivers I spoke to told me that they’d participated in a driver action before. This seemed to be the first collective action for most of the protesters. “We have to do this,” an Uber driver named Marcos told me. If the pay doesn’t improve, he said, he’d need to find new work, even though he invested in a nicer car for his driving gig.
The strike was planned out of Los Angeles, where workers for Uber and Lyft started the group Rideshare Drivers United and called on drivers to picket at the Los Angeles International Airport. Within days, other cities where Uber and Lyft drivers have started organizing jumped on board. San Diego and San Francisco drivers agreed to shut their apps down for 12 hours. Drivers in Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, and New York also joined in, all calling on riders to support them by boycotting Uber and Lyft in solidarity. Elsewhere around the world, drivers organized actions in Melbourne, London, and São Paulo. Altogether, Wednesday’s demonstrations appear to have been the largest gig worker strike to date.
It’s true that riders likely had no problem hailing an Uber through their apps on Wednesday, wherever they were. But even if you could get an Uber in three minutes despite the “strike,” it would be hard to call this global labor action a failure. For one thing, the effort attracted a ton of media interest, and it also garnered the support of high-profile politicians on the left, including presidential candidates like Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. “Your Direct Action for today: Don’t take an Uber or Lyft just for the day. (Just today! Cabs are fine! You can do it!),” tweeted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, urging her followers not to cross the digital picket line. Even technocratic whiz kid Mayor Pete Buttigieg tweeted that he was down with the driver’s strike.
These callouts aren’t inconsequential, even if Uber didn’t take much of a hit on fares (though we don’t know if that’s the case, and Uber isn’t likely tell us). Consumers may love ride-hailing apps, but the more they become aware that drivers feel they’re getting a raw deal, the more they’ll be receptive to politicians who want to do something about it. If the courts don’t do it first, lawmakers absolutely have the power to turn Uber’s big, thus-far-unprofitable experiment into something that better benefits its workforce. A bill is currently moving forward in California that would reclassify drivers as employees rather than independent contractors. And Sens. Sanders, Cory Booker, and Kirsten Gillibrand have all co-sponsored legislation that would improve gig workers’ collective bargaining power.
Wednesday’s strike may have seemed like the culmination of years of driver unrest, but it could prove to be a beginning. Organizing independent contractors who don’t have an easy way to meet each other isn’t easy. Many drivers probably weren’t even aware of the protest, while others likely couldn’t afford to stop working. In San Francisco, one Lyft driver honked in solidarity as she drove down Market Street past the protest. She told me her app was off, though she would definitely have to work later. “I need the money,” she said. Buzzing around the crowd, drivers with clipboards walked around taking down first-time protester-drivers’ email addresses and phone numbers to invite them to future meetings.
When Uber goes public on Friday, the pressure on the company to eventually, one day, earn a profit will only intensify. And the next chapter in company-worker relations will probably be even uglier. Right now, the company wants to pay drivers less while they demand more. It wants to phase out their service in favor of the self-driving cars it’s been trying to develop, while drivers want the company to respect their humanity. The company wants less red tape, while drivers want politicians to help them out—and some politicians are now listening. When a troubled business model meets an angrier and angrier workforce, who wins?


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HTC One M9 is now receiving Android Nougat in Europe, Turkey, and South Africa
The HTC 10 has had its fair share of problems regarding the update to Android Nougat in Europe, with the rollout starting, then being halted, then starting again only for it to be paused once more last month. At the moment it's still in that state, unfortunately.
There is however some good news out of HTC for that region today, as the company has announced that the Nougat update for the One M9 is now going out. This is headed to devices that were purchased from mainland Europe, Turkey, and South Africa, with more countries and regions to follow soon. As you may know, unlocked units purchased in the US have received the same update in December of last year.
The information is as official as it can be, since it comes straight from the Twitter account of Graham Wheeler, HTC's Product and Service Director for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He has also promised to deliver some news regarding the re-release of the update for the HTC 10 "in the next few days". Hopefully that will be good news, but we'll have to wait and see.
- 22 Mar 2017
How about Mashmellow is it good on M9
- 06 Feb 2017
android nougat on the one m9 is not good. bug fixes when you press the delete option it's not completed box on the screen
- 03 Feb 2017
Can you tell me please how is battery life with Nougat ?


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Five fortune 500 CEOs talk about what came out of 2010, what's coming in 2011 and how to steer a company during a recession.
2010 has presented plenty of challenges big business. Leading up to the New Year, Fortune checked in with three freshmen Fortune 500 CEOs and two coming up on their five-year anniversaries at the position. They shared thoughts on 2010, some insight into managing a major corporation in a recession and what's coming in 2011.
NEXT: William McCracken


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Pods move in mysterious ways
But a Windows 7 crisis is still looming
Upset the Apple Card
Get watch you pay for
There but for the grace of god go Ighur
Well this is awkward...
Humans will still be used but only with explicit permission
Before iOS 13 has even been released
Contracts were given just one week's notice
iOS 12.4.1 arrives to fix the fix it unfixed
The chips are down
So says Bloomberg, at least
Visa jolly good fellow
Scathing letter calls for a 'level playing field'
But it only supports a handful of apps
It just, er, works
And it'll cost you a tenner a month
Watch this space
What we'd call copying, Cupertino calls 'inspiration'
Not 'Appy bunnies
Thunderbolt ports and Lightning, very very frightening
Like it just has on the Note 10
The FSA isn't kidding around
iFixit fingers Cupertino's battery bastardy
'You cannot be Siri-ous', said Apple. Maybe
Apple Watch sales came in at 5.7 million in Q2
Under-screen module set to show up on 2021 iPhones
5 Gee wilikers!
All hail Sir Facebook!
And Apple fixes, er, five of them
Wearables and Services offset faltering iPhone sales
Size does matter, sorry Chris
Millennial status symbol tipped to arrive in August
You cannot be Sirious
Mo' money, mo' modems
Because of course
Its price will be just as hefty as its display
$1bn mega-deal could be reached within the next week
A flaw in the protocol affects iOS, macOS and Windows 10
Watchdog rules firm engaged in 'predatory pricing'
There's also a flamingo and an orangutan, because reasons
That explains the price cut
Early-adopters beta be careful


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Top 10 Results
1.Instagram sued for spying?
Instagram is being sued for allegedly spying on its users, and people are reacting to the news with jokes on Twitter.. Back in September, Bloomberg reported that Facebook Inc. is being sued for …
2.Instagram sued for spying?
September 22, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Social media giant Facebook is being sued by a New Jersey resident who claims Instagram is spying on its users with iPhones by accessing the phone’s camera…
3.Instagram sued for spying?
Instagram and its parent company Facebook are being sued for allegedly spying on users with their mobile phone cameras.
4.Instagram sued for spying?
At the time, Facebook denied spying accusations and blamed the issue on a bug, which, it said, triggered false notifications that Instagram was accessing cameras. However, now a lawsuit, filed in a federal court in San Francisco on Thursday, insists that the tech giant was doing it on purpose.
5.Instagram sued for spying?
In the United States, Instagram is being sued for spying on a user’s camera. Reported by Bloomberg, a New Jersey Instagram user, Brittany Conditi, filed the complaint against the company in a San Francisco court. According to the lawsuit, Instagram accesses an iPhone’s camera even when the app isn’t currently active.
6.Instagram sued for spying?
The Verge reports that tech giant Facebook is being accused of spying on users of its Instagram photo-sharing app thought the unauthorized use of users’ mobile phone cameras. The lawsuit comes after media reports in July that Instagram appeared to be accessing iPhone cameras when the app was not being used.
7.Instagram sued for spying?
Facebook is being sued for allegedly spying on Instagram users for market research. In July, Instagram users noticed that a green FaceTime symbol appeared at the top of the Control Panel when they…
8.Instagram sued for spying?
Instagram and Facebook are accused of spying on users through their smartphone cameras The lawsuit notes that Instagram claims not to use a smartphone’s camera when it isn’t being in use. But in the complaint, the plaintiff says, “However, Instagram does more than it claims.
9.Instagram sued for spying?
Company blamed bug, which it fixed, for false notifications Facebook Inc. is again being sued for allegedly spying on Instagram users, this time through the unauthorized use of their mobile phone…
10.Instagram sued for spying?
FACEBOOK is being sued for allegedly spying on Instagram users through their iPhone cameras. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, has been accused of accessing iPhone cameras even when users…
1.Jokes flood Twitter as Instagram is sued for alleged spying – 10 best reactions!
Instagram is being sued for allegedly spying on its users through the front camera, and people are reacting to the news with jokes on Twitter.
Published Date: 2020-12-15T10:20:00.0000000Z
2.Australia sues Facebook over its use of Onavo to snoop
Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is suing the tech giant over its use, in 2016 and 2017, of the Onavo VPN app to spy on users for commercial purposes. The ACCC’s case accuses Facebook of false,
Published Date: 2020-12-16T09:33:00.0000000Z
3.Facebook faces multimillion-dollar penalties for ‘misleading’ Australian users with spying app
Hundreds of thousands of Australians downloaded an app from Facebook promising to keep their private information “secret” even though it was actually harvesting “significant amounts of users’ personal activity data” for the social network’s “commercial benefit,
Published Date: 2020-12-15T17:44:00.0000000Z
4.Delaware joins antitrust lawsuits against Facebook over Instagram, WhatsApp acquisitions
The Federal Trade Commission filed an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook over its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.
Published Date: 2020-12-09T22:39:46.0000000Z
5.PornHub owner MindGeek sued for $80 million by 40 women who say the site profited from GirlsDoPorn
In a complaint filed Tuesday in California, alleged victims say MindGeek ‘knew it was profiting from a sex trafficking venture’ GirlsDoPorn owner Michael Pratt is inset.
Published Date: 2020-12-16T15:02:00.0000000Z
BING based on video search results
|1 Facebook Sued for SPYING! Lawyer Explains Class Action Suit – Viva Frei Vlawg|
|Facebook and instagram are being sued for allegedly spying on their users by accessing smartphone cameras WHEN THE APP IS NOT IN USE. The lawsuit is compelling and scary. And eerily reminiscent of George Orwell’s 1984. #ZuckGetsSued FacebookSpies #InstaGate|
|Watch Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzBFByOzIrs|
Wikipedia based search results
private ceremony at Australia Zoo. On 11 August 2020, Irwin announced via Instagram that she and Powell were expecting their first child together in 2021…
2.Lisa Davina Phillip
Christmas Journey | Netflix Official Site". www.netflix.com. Retrieved 20 November 2020. Lisa Davina Phillip on IMDB Lisa Davina Phillip on Instagram…
abusive towards her through most of their relationship. In 2019, he sued her for defamation after she publicly discussed being a victim of domestic violence…


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Get your reusable shopping bags ready—Lidl is opening in Dover on Feb. 5.
The new food market, located at 150 N. DuPont Highway, will hold a ribbon cutting event beginning at 7:40 a.m. on Feb. 5, and will kick off a weekend of special offers, giveaways and prizes for shoppers. The store will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Sunday. This will be Lidl’s second store in Delaware.
“With incredible quality and low everyday prices, Lidl always means a good deal!” said Dover store manager Ryan Garcia in a news release. “We look forward to expanding the Lidl brand in Delaware and giving the community an award-winning grocery store that will be an easy choice for shoppers in Dover.”
Customers will be able to take advantage of get-them-while-you-can grand opening special offers at the new Dover store including the first 100 customers receiving a special gift card ranging from $5 to $100 each, according to a news release.
Other specials include free samples of an array of Lidl’s products, a complimentary Lidl reusable bag while supplies last and other games, activities, prizes, special deals and giveaways throughout the weekend of Feb. 5-9.
Lidl operates more than 11,000 stores and is active in 32 countries. The supermarket offers customers the high quality fresh produce, meat, bakery items and a wide array of household products at low prices.
Lidl came to the U.S. in June 2015 and now operates over 85 stores across nine east coast states. For more information, visit Lidl.com.


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Kansas City, MO, December 11, 2008 --(PR.com
)-- There are two types of portable storage – the kind that pose great risk to corporate information and the kind that help secure corporate information.
"Portable storage containers are perfect for on-site records storage," said John Finnessy, CMP, Executive Director of the National Portable Storage Association, or NPSA, a nonprofit membership association dedicated to the advancement of the portable storage industry. "For industries that have to comply with state and federal documentation laws, portable storage offers a safe and secure alternative to more costly solutions."
News headlines about the dangers of portable storage devices, also known as USB sticks, continue to emerge. In September, for example, a Cisco global security study revealed the loss of corporate information by employees is a leading security concern. Almost one in four (22 percent) employees carry corporate data on portable storage devices outside of the office.
In November, Trend Micro reported a spike in computer infections with viruses by way of a portable storage device. The security firm also reported 53.8 percent of newly detected computer viruses are programmed to spread via portable storage devices. Unlike these floppy disk alternatives, however, portable storage containers are helping companies keep their data safe and secure.
Portable storage containers can be secured in many ways, including installing security bars on the windows from the inside or outside, using lock boxes, or using tamper-proof crossbar doors to deter thieves. For added security, companies can also equip portable storage units with the same ADT security systems used to secure public and private facilities. The bottom line: Portable storage containers are a less expensive solution to storing records in an office building, and more convenient than traditional self-storage while also maintaining the security companies need to stay in compliance with government regulations.
For more information, visit www.npsa-us.org.
The National Portable Storage Association
The National Portable Storage Association is dedicated to the advancement of the portable storage industry. We at the NPSA are here to serve those in the portable storage industry who rent, sell or lease containers, trailers and mobile offices. The NPSA assists members with industry, regulatory and workforce issues; plus, offers members networking, marketing and legislative support at national, state and local levels.
Self Storage Promotions


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On this day in 1981, MTV began broadcasting in America. Pay attention to this factoid, because it comes up often in pub trivia: MTV’s first video was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles.
And now….The Mash!
We begin in Chicago, where Ian Hughes, a brewmaster at Goose Island Brewing Company, is trying to educate people about the importance of clean water, the main ingredient in Goose Island beers.
Canadian actor Seth Rogan got to fulfill his dream of drinking beer from the Stanley Cup. P.K. Subban, who plays for the Montreal Canadiens, earned an assist for pouring beer into the trophy.
The list of exotic ingredients in beer now includes seaweed. Marshall Wharf Brewing Company adds 66 pounds of Maine sugar kelp to 200 gallons of its Scotch ale to brew a batch of Sea Belt Ale.
In Indiana, a newly-passed law lifts the 67-year-old ban on beer at the State Fair, which opens today. Last call is at 8 pm, and fair-goers will be limited to three 12-ounce beers.
Tech companies in Boston are using craft beer to attract and retain talented employees. Journalist Dennis Keohane decided to investigate the tap selection at some of the area’s leading companies.
In San Francisco, a woman in the outfield seats got a rude surprise: a home run ball landed in her beer. Not only was she soaked with beer and out $8, but someone else wound up with the baseball.
Finally, the Michigan Brewers Guild has responded to heavy demand for tickets to the annual Winter Beer Festival by adding an evening session to next year’s event in Grand Rapids.
On this day in 1879, Frank Woolworth opens the first of many Woolworth stores in In Utica, New York. He unwittingly inspired the Marx Brothers’ routine in which Rufus T. Firefly suggested that Chicolini be given “ten years in Leavenworth, or 11 years in Twelveworth”; and Chicolini responded, “I’ll take five and ten in Woolworth.”
And now…The Mash!
We begin in Florida, where a 45-year-old law, passed as part of a turf war among big brewers, has the unintended effect of banning the sale of growlers. Lawmakers are trying to fix that.
FirstWeFeast.com has compiled a list of 12 celebrities who ought to be spokespersons for craft beer. They include Kat Dennings, the cast of How I Met Your Mother, and, of course, President Barack Obama.
You can buy a beer at many college basketball arenas, including seven of the 20 largest. Beer sales can bring in money through concession revenues, added ticket sales, or both.
Beer and video games have always gone together, but an arcade fighting game called Beercade goes one step farther. It rewards the winning combatant with a cup of beer.
To celebrate their city’s Beer Week, the San Francisco Brewers Guild has rolled out “Green Death”, a malt liquor inspired by the 50s-60s version of Rainier Ale. Paper bag not included.
Don’t expect Anheuser-Busch to advertise this anytime soon. According to a nationwide survey, beer is the favorite beverage of underage drinkers and Budweiser is their favorite brand.
Finally, if you have a ticket to tomorrow’s Winter Beer Festival in Grand Rapids, John Serba of MLive.com has some friendly advice: dress warmly for 33-degree temperatures and snow flurries.
On Saturday, tickets went on sale for the Michigan Brewers Guild’s Winter Beer Festival in Grand Rapids. The online allocation is already sold out, but a limited number of tickets are available at select breweries, bars, and stores.
The festival will take place February 23.


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On this week’s CoinGeek Conversations, Charles Miller has re-enlisted the help of Brendan Lee to help him get to the bottom of a few key concepts on Bitcoin and how the technology actually works.
Cybercriminals are reportedly tricking owners of Electrum wallets into installing malware so they can steal user funds, according to reports.
From 2019-2020, hackers stole over $22 million from Electrum wallet users via malware that they tricked users into installing
Electrum BTC wallets are under an onslaught of DDoS attacks after millions were stolen by phishing attacks.
Electrum, the popular BTC wallet, has confirmed that it was the victim of a massive botnet attack, resulting in the loss of millions.
Proving you can’t trust even the biggest websites, Youtube has aired ads for a fake Electrum site that would force a malicious download to end users.
The bComm Association has announced that yet announced the new ElectrumSV wallet will join the BitcoinSV fold, supporting the only Bitcoin that follows Satoshi’s vision.
The bComm Association announces the ElectrumSV wallet for Bitcoin SV (BSV), the rebirth of the original Bitcoin. ElectrumSV is a conversion – for the Bitcoin SV blockchain - of the popular Electrum wallet for Bitcoin.
BTC wallet service Electrum has revealed that hackers have cloned their service, setting up a copycat site designed to scam unsuspecting users out of their cryptocurrency.


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Posted on July 27, 2011
For those of you that look forward to watching your favorite Fox shows online, you will now have to wait to view it online for free. Starting August 15, 2011, you will have to wait 8 days before you can watch it online, unless you have a DISH Network subscription or a HULU plus account. Fox Networks and Fox Broadcasting Company have announced a new authentication program that requires a cable or Hulu subscription for immediate access to online content. DISH Network is currently the only service provider signed on for the service, but Fox said it has plans to sign with many more cable providers in the near future. This means your favorite shows such as 'Glee', 'Bones', 'The Simpsons', and 'Family Guy' will only be accessible to you via hulu.com, dishonline.com and through cable providers that decide they want to participate. For the time being if you don’t have either of the stated subscriptions you will need to wait 8 days for it to become available online. “We are continually looking at opportunities to provide our pay television distributors with content and products that enhance the value of pay television subscribers,” Michael Hopkins, president of Affiliate Sales and Marketing at Fox Networks, said in a statement. “Our new authentication service will continue to provide next-day access to Fox broadcast shows for our viewers who subscribe to participating pay television providers.” This give DISH Network customers the ability to watch what they want anytime, anywhere. TV anywhere is an initiative that lets cable subscribers watch content online. It started in June 2009, with Time Warner starting to provide online access to TNT and TBS content. Dish has launched their TV Everywhere portal named “DISHOnline.com.” DISH Network requires a one- time payment for the content and then can remain completely connected to that service. This will allow them access to all of their live TV and recorded programs, whether it be on a laptop, mobile device, or anywhere in their home using the DISH Network WiFi Monitor. To order you DISH Network service visit us online at Dish-Systems or call (866)989-3474. What's your favorite show on Fox?


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“It’s been an absolute privilege. We just turned three (years old) a few days ago so this award is a great birthday present,” said a visibly elated CEO, Sriharsha.
“When we started Swiggy three years ago, little did we imagine the impact we would be able to create. Having come this far, we feel really blessed to have found a very purposeful mission to wake up to every single day and believe we're just really getting started. We are a family of 15,000 restaurant owners and we are just getting started.”
Majety added: “From wanting to build a business at the intersection of logistics and technology and having had a million learnings along the way, our entire team is today consumed by the opportunity to transform how India eats by delivering delightful experiences.”
Swiggy delivers food from at least 15,000 local restaurants, processing about 4 million orders a month across eight cities. It has been able to trim delivery costs by 35% by charging a minimum fee and additional charges during inclement weather. Swiggy is now experimenting with cloud kitchens to take food from popular restaurants to multiple locations beyond their immediate neighbourhoods.
“We would like to dedicate this award to our entire team across all our cities and offices working towards making the customer experience better every passing day and making this vision a reality,” said Majety.
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- ‘Pledge-Repledge’ Model Mooted for Brokers, Investors
The capital market authorities are understood to be examining a ‘pledge-repledge mechanism’ to meet the twin objectives of ring-fencing unused investor money lying with the stock brokers while simultaneously letting them earn from the float.Women Athletes Score Record Brand Deals
As an increasing number of Indian women excel in cricket, boxing, badminton, hockey and other sports, the number of deals and the endorsement fees they’re getting have hit an all-time high, executives said.ITC Plans ₹3kcr Yearly Growth Push
ITC Ltd chairman and managing director Sanjiv Puri said the company will accelerate investments, which had slowed during the pandemic, with a corpus of around ₹3,000 crore annually for the next few years, primarily for building manufacturing capacities and accelerating growth.
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Region’s wine industry to benefit from $460,000 strategy
SOUTH Burnett wineries will be in the spotlight as part of a five-year strategy to attract more tourists to Queensland winery regions.
The strategy, released by the Queensland Wine Industry Association on Thursday, will involve the development of a unique Queensland wine tourism brand, raise awareness in key markets, and foster partnerships to help drive international visitors to experience the state's wine tourism experiences.
It will aim to encourage more visitors to Queensland's five wine regions: the Granit Belt, Scenic Rim, South Burnett, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast Hinterlands, and the Darling Downs.
Wine tourism visitors spend more than $800 million on average a year across the state, which is three per cent of Queensland's total visitor expenditure according to Tourism Research Australia data.
Wine Australia CEO Andreas Clark said he looked forward to seeing wine businesses embrace this strategy.
"We want people to choose Queensland's wine tourism experiences when they think about what to do when visiting Queensland," Mr Clark said.
QWIA president Mike Hayes said the strategy would ensure the industry remained competitive during the drought.
"The goal is to showcase bespoke winemaking, viticulture and emerging Queensland wine varieties and encourage international and domestic visitors alike to get out of the city and experience the authentic charm our regions have to offer," Mr Hayes said.
"We want to celebrate the best of Queensland wine, leveraging the strengths of existing visitor experiences and famous hospitality alongside culinary and other visitor experiences."
Queensland Government supported the strategy with $220,000, which was matched by the Australian Government to form a total funding package of $460,000.
Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said the state's wine industry was an example of world-class tourism.
"In-depth culinary experiences are increasingly in demand form the global market and the wine industry is well positioned to capitalise on these emerging opportunities," Ms Jones said.


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Bisphenol A: Some Concerns Remain
National Toxicology Program Notes Concerns in Final Bisphenol A Safety Report
NTP's Lingering Questions
Much of the research on bisphenol A's safety has been done on animals, and NTP officials say it's not clear how that translates to people.
"There remains considerable uncertainty whether the changes seen in the animal studies are directly applicable to humans, and whether they would result in clear adverse health effects," NTP Associate Director John Bucher, PhD, says in a news release. "But we have concluded that the possibility that BPA may affect human development cannot be dismissed."
So what does the NTP recommend that consumers do?
"Unfortunately, it is very difficult to offer advice on how the public should respond to this information," Michael Shelby, PhD, director of the NTP's Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR), says in a news release.
"More research is clearly needed to understand exactly how these findings relate to human health and development, but at this point we can't dismiss the possibility that the effects we're seeing in animals may occur in humans. If parents are concerned, they can make the personal choice to reduce exposures of their infants and children to BPA," Shelby says.
Plastics Industry, Critics Respond
All along, the American Chemistry Council, a trade group for the plastics industry, has maintained that bisphenol A is safe at typical exposure levels, and that lab tests on animals aren't a good gauge of risk to humans.
That's in line with the FDA's draft report and a separate report by European health officials concluded in July. And in August, California lawmakers rejected a bill that would have limited bisphenol A to trace amounts in products geared to kids aged 3 and younger.
"The safety of our products is our highest priority," Steven G. Hentges, PhD, of the American Chemistry Council's Polycarbonate/BPA Group, says in a news release. "An earlier draft of the NTP report has already been used by the [FDA] to support their safety assessment, which confirms that food-contact products made from polycarbonate plastic, including products for infants and children, can continue to be used safely."
Meanwhile, the EWG focuses on the concern mentioned in the NTP's report, calling it a "measured" stance. In a statement emailed to WebMD, EWG Executive Director Richard Wiles is critical of the plastics industry and the FDA, and says "the new NTP assessment tells us that we are right to be concerned about BPA."


text: U.S. consumers will charge about $3.5 billion per day during the 27 Christmas shopping days between the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day this year. According to the December issue of CardTrak, to be released this morning, consumers will rack up $95.3 billion of charges on general purpose bank credit cards/charge cards and private label store cards. CardTrak predicts consumers will charge $71.1 billion on VISA, MasterCard, and Discover credit cards and all American Express cards. About $8.0 billion will be transacted on ‘VISA Check Cards’ and ‘MasterMoney’ cards. Store card volume should be $16.2 billion for the 1997 Christmas shopping season. Card volume among retail merchants will make of $78.7 billion of the total volume. A number of recent polls suggests overall consumer spending will rise between 3% and 5% this year.


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Sales of running shoes and international business growth helped Under Armour Inc. turn the corner on first-quarter earnings results, as did a reduction in inventory levels. But declining North American sales remain a concern.
In a Nutshell: Under Armour had what appeared to be a good first quarter, swinging to the black from the year-ago loss and besting Wall Street’s expectations. And while gains in footwear sales and its international businesses contributed to the topline, the company on Thursday reported on other improvements that flowed down to the bottomline.
Gross margin rose 100 basis points to 45.2 percent from the year-ago quarter. That was accomplished in part through product cost improvements, regional mix and prior period restructuring charges. The company was also able to lower selling, general and administrative expenses by 1 percent to $510 million. Total debt was down 36 percent to $590 million, while cash and cash equivalents rose 2 percent to $289 million. In addition, inventory was down 24 percent to $875 million.
Mike Zuccaro, analyst at credit ratings firm Moody’s Investors Service, said the inventory reduction “should allow the company to focus more on its innovative new product introductions and premium positioning going forward.” The analyst said the quarter’s “results demonstrate continued progress in its multi-year turnaround efforts,” even though some challenges remain, and that Under Armour is still on track for improvement in 2019. One of those challenges is the 3 percent decline in North American sales, a key market for the company.
Looking ahead, Kevin Plank, the branded performance athletic apparel firm’s chairman and chief executive officer, said, “As we execute against our long-term plan, Under Armour will emerge from 2019 and our ‘Protect This House’ chapter as an even stronger brand and company.”
Sales: Revenues for the first quarter ended March 31 saw revenues rise 1.6 percent to $1.20 billion from $1.19 billion.
The increase was due in part to footwear sales, driven by strength in its run category. The company said footwear revenues rose 8 percent to $293 million. In contrast, apparel revenues rose just 1 percent to $775 million. Wholesale revenues rose 5 percent to $818 million in the quarter, although direct-to-consumer sales fell 6 percent to $331 million as the company shifted to more premium, full-price sales.
The highlight in the quarter was its growing international businesses, which rose 12 percent to $328 million. Within the sector, revenue was up 3 percent in the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions, up 25 percent in Asia-Pacific and up 6 percent in Latin America. In contrast, North American sales fell 3 percent to $843 million.
Earnings: Net income was $22.5 million, or 5 cents a diluted share, against a net loss of $30.2 million, or 7 cents, in the year-ago quarter. Wall Street was expecting earnings per share at 0 cents on revenues of $1.19 billion.
The company guided earnings per share for Fiscal 2019 to between 33 cents to 34 cents, up from prior forecasts of 31 cents to 33 cents. Revenues are expected to be up 3 percent to 4 percent, reflecting flat results for North America and a low double-digit percentage rate increase for its international business.
CEO’s Take: According to Plank, “Our first quarter results demonstrate our unwavering commitment to protecting and growing our premium performance athletic brand through a disciplined go-to-market process that delivers innovative products and experiences to make athletes better.”


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Islamabad, July 3, 2022: U.S. Special Representative (S/R) for Commercial and Business Affairs Dilawar Syed visited Islamabad July 1-3 as part of a multi-city trip to Pakistan. During his visit, S/R Syed underscored the U.S. government’s commitment to growing U.S.-Pakistan commercial and economic ties.
In his meetings with Pakistan’s Ministers of Finance, Commerce, and Foreign Affairs, S/R Syed stressed the decades-long history of economic partnership between the United States and Pakistan. “U.S.-Pakistan trade and investment cooperation is an ongoing, essential part of our bilateral relationship. In my discussions with Pakistani leaders from government, business, and civil society, we are exploring concrete ways in which we can build on that relationship to benefit both of our countries,” he noted.
“The United States continues to encourage Pakistan to improve the business climate to make it easier for U.S. businesses to invest, operate, and create jobs. U.S. companies can introduce new technologies and generate returns that translate into higher incomes for local workers and capital for additional investments,” he noted. “We already have a strong base. We hope Pakistan will continue implementing reforms to make it more attractive for global investors.”
S/R Syed also met with representatives from the Board of Investment where he noted that the United States is Pakistan’s largest single-country export market and one of Pakistan’s largest sources of foreign investment, adding, “We must capitalize on that potential and nurture even greater economic ties.”
As he listened to representatives of women-led businesses, incubators, and chambers of commerce, S/R Syed stressed that “the United States will broaden our bilateral trade, boost investment, and expand entrepreneurial and educational opportunities to build on 75 years of our relationship.”


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The specialist bank said the mortgage, with rates available for up to 75 per cent loan-to-value, was a reaction to demand, with commercial mortgages for owning one's own business premises becoming more popular.
Aldermore also offer commercial owner-occupied seven-year fixed rate deal from 5.14 per cent and a semi-commercial rate at 5.34 per cent.
Caroline Luxmore, head of commercial mortgages at Aldermore, said: "We anticipate that this new product will be attractive to customers who are expanding their portfolios.
"We are delighted to add this longer-term option to our commercial mortgages product suite as we continue to strengthen our market offering throughout 2018."
The seven-year rate is 5.54 per cent for loans up to 60 per cent loan-to-value, 5.89 per cent for loans with an LTV between 60 per cent and 70 per cent and 5.99 per cent for loans with an LTV between 70 and 75 per cent.
An arrangement fee of 1.5 per cent is charged on all loans and includes a 0.25 per cent commitment fee payable at offer.
Andy Elley, head of commercial mortgages at Mortgages for Business, said: "The products will appeal to borrowers keen to protect themselves from interest rate rises in the longer term.
"I can see the semi-commercial rate working for our buy-to-let clients who are increasingly looking to diversify their portfolios with commercial investments and often start with mixed-use premises."


text: Two Montreal-area merchants are speaking out after receiving letters from the province’s language police (OQLF) for breaking Quebec’s French language laws. Raphael Kerwin, owner of the Blue Dog Motel, a bar and hair salon on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, said he received the notice by email. glad to see maybe they were going to help us in some way,” he said. “And then we opened the email, they’re the ones telling us we need to change our Facebook page.” “I was really disappointed and just a little demoralized even more than I already am.” The story continues under the ad Bars and restaurants in Quebec have been among the hardest hit businesses during the pandemic, with COVID-19 shutdowns shutting down businesses for the better part of two years. “So, you know, it would be nice to get help from the government rather than constantly being told what to do, even after having to follow all these different COVID protocols,” Kerwin said. they said. Kerwin said he was unaware that social media posts had to appear in French and would make sure future posts were bilingual. This is not in line with the rules which he disputes, but more at the time of the notice. we are unable to operate as a business at this time, we will not be discussing this until bars are allowed to reopen. an already crippled health care network The story continues under the advertisement Restaurants have been given the green light to reopen at half capacity from January 31, but no opening date has been set for bars. owners of bars and restaurants in Quebec Call for help from p owners of bars and restaurants in Quebec While the OQLF has agreed to grant a reprieve until the bar resumes its activities, Kerwin says he feels attacked. like I can’t win. No matter what I do, there will never be an end to this. They will find a way to attack me,” he said. “There’s no end in sight if they’re going to nitpick about things like Facebook.” A spokesperson for the OQLF told Global News in an email that trade publications must be in French but other languages can also be added. “All consumers have the fundamental right to be informed and served in French in Quebec,” wrote Chantal Bouchard in French. She also said the OQLF can offer support to businesses to help them comply with the Charter of the French Language. Meanwhile, restaurateur Ted Drainas says he is having a similar experience as Kerwin. He received a letter from the OQLF in December. , I was floored,” he said, adding that staff at all of his restaurants can speak French. Like Kerwin, Drainas believes the advisory is inappropriate as restaurants struggle to stay afloat. and I’m sure a lot of people around us – we lost two years of our lives,” he said. He, too, says the government must step in and do more to help. The story continues under the ad “This is what our leaders need to assess and address. We are all in the same boat and we need to work together, not divide ourselves by language, race or financial arrangements. , I will fight it, if it blows up, I will let it go,” he said. He just wished the client had handled the situation differently. “It would have been nice if the customer who was here that day caught the waiter’s attention,” he said, adding that filing a formal complaint felt rather vindictive. 3:35Language Policy Working Group © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.


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Congestion charge payments made by unofficial copycat websites or unauthorised third parties can be refused by Transport for London (TfL) from today.
It's the latest crackdown on bogus firms by TfL, which has already worked with Google and a number of other search engines to ensure ads for congestion charge payments aren't misleading or unlawful (see the Google axes ads for London congestion charge copycats MSE News story).
Motorists who drive into central London on weekdays between 7am and 6pm are charged £11.50 per day as part of a scheme aimed at cutting congestion. (See our Motoring Guide for tips on cutting driving costs.)
But TfL says unofficial websites charge unsuspecting customers up to £8 extra on top of the daily congestion charge fee for non-existent "additional services". In some cases the sites haven't even paid the congestion charge on behalf of customers, resulting in drivers being fined.
To guarantee you've paid the congestion charge correctly online, always use the official TfL congestion charge website. From 1 November 2015 you'll also be able to pay via a new app. This will replace the existing text payment channel, which TfL says few people use.
A number of other changes that TfL says will "make it easier" for people to pay the congestion charge will also come into force on 1 November next year.
These include enabling auto-pay users to pay by direct debit (currently only credit or debit cards can be used) and enabling customers eligible for certain discounts, such as blue badge holders, to apply for these discounts online. Currently these customers have to apply in writing.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson, says: "These are simple but necessary changes that are designed to take the hassle and fuss out of paying the congestion charge. Offering smarter, easier ways to pay, as well as clamping down on websites that fleece customers for cash, will give people greater peace of mind and the protection that they deserve."


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SWEDEN: More jobs to go at meat firm HKScan
More jobs could go from HKScan's Swedish unit
Finland-based HKScan is to cut another 70 jobs from its operations in Sweden in a bid to make its operations in the country more efficient.
HKScan said today (8 October) falling pork production in Sweden has led it to decide to end the night shift of pork cutting at its plant in Kristiansand.
The announcement of job losses in Sweden comes two months after HKScan said it would look to streamline its local business, including stopping production at one plant. Those moves were expected to lead to 150 staff being laid off.
HK Scan, which says it employs about 2,500 staff in Sweden, is looking for the moves to boost its results in the country by around EUR10m (US$13m). In the first half of 2012, its Swedish business ran up an operating loss of EUR9.7m.
Elsewhere, the company also announced today it had closed a production unit in Denmark.
Last week, a number of the challenges facing food manufacturers and retailers were once again thrown into sharp relief. The industry continued to grapple with the cyclical difficulties of a down globa...
A swathe of results released by UK retail powerhouses dominated the headlines on just-food this week....
- Rise of prepared foods in US grocers - analysis
- How are brands organising for e-commerce?
- Hershey results, outlook, M&A - the top takeaways
- Work on sugar could stir more clean-label concerns
- Free-from firm BFree Foods - bitesize interview
- Fazer buys European biscuit brands from Mondelez
- Murray Goulburn accused of "misleading" the market
- Mondelez sees stronger margins, LFL growth
- ConAgra sells two bakeries to Alpha Baking
- ABF takes Patak's into frozen ready meals category