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Innovation is turning to incubators.
Several centers focused on nurturing startups are opening in the Bay Area in the coming months, hoping to foster the next generation of cutting-edge tech companies, women and minority entrepreneurs or social activists-cum-business people. Yet as different as their concentrations and their strategies for return on investment are, they share a common goal: Help budding entrepreneurs launch their companies.
“We’re all just trying to improve the venture ecosystem,” said Jorge Calderon, founder of Springworks, which hopes to open this quarter either South of Market or Mid-Market in San Francisco. “Even during bad times, there is a lot of innovation.”
The timing is right for organizers of these incubators, for a number of reasons. The past decade’s successful entrepreneurs (think Facebook, Twitter, et al) are converting their financial returns into mini-funds. Meanwhile, real estate lease rates are relatively cheap and people — either laid off, with nowhere left to turn or entrepreneurs by nature — are sallying forth with fresh ideas.
Take, for example, Will Hauser, who will set up his nutrition bar sales company May 1 in the Hub Bay Area’s new 8,000-square-foot site in the San Francisco Chronicle building. Each sale by Hauser’s company helps fund a poverty-related cause.
“I’m OK taking a risk and I can do it, and whatever the outcome is, I’m happy,” said Hauser, who ran Harvard Student Agencies Inc., a $6 million-a-year, 500-employee operation that oversees a wide range of student businesses at Harvard University.
The 2008 Harvard graduate then spent a year at Goldman Sachs before combining his interests in health issues and poverty in his new company.
The Hub itself already has a proven model: It opened its first incubator — 2,000 square feet in the David Brower Center in Berkeley — in fall 2009 and has 135 members.
The Hub is backed by Good Capital and other venture capital funds and has partnerships with lending marketplace Prosper and law firm Hanson Bridgett LLP.
The centers operate, as founder Tim Freundlich says, like a “ZipCar for social entrepreneurs.” Startups can use exactly how much time they need at one of 70 “hot desks,” starting at $25 per month, or pay $400 or more for one of six dedicated spaces.
The South of Market location already has 120 members and will have 30 to 50 people at work there on May 1, Freundlich said.
“People are increasingly looking at the wealth gap, poverty and environmental causes and are beginning to think they can make choices around their careers and investments that are a little out of the box,” Freundlich said. “The light bulb comes on and communities of scale want to interact, share resources and tackle these wicked problems.”
At the same time, the density of the Hub’s locations — less square footage means less electricity used equals less impact on the environment — appeals to those social entrepreneurs.
And, Freundlich said, San Francisco must be at the center of that movement. “If it can’t work here, it can’t work anywhere,” he said.
Springworks, organizing in space provided by the San Francisco office of law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, likewise has a higher-cause reason for being. The nonprofit, which Calderon said is funded by philanthropic organizations and individual donations, wants to help grow more minority- and women-owned businesses.
Besides operating the space — taking equity positions in the companies that flow back to an endowment fund — it will develop various panels and seminars for budding entrepreneurs whose companies aren’t in the incubator, and it will sell research on minority- and women-owned businesses and track diversity among venture capital firms.
“There’s plenty of domestic resources — great people with great ideas — but investors aren’t taking the time to find them,” Calderon said.
Springworks tenants will stay for about six months — including one three-month session on professional and company development and another spent putting together partnerships, funding and other business fundamentals — before graduating.
“The important thing for us is we’re mission-focused about bringing people of different backgrounds and different people into the fray,” he said. “We won’t exclude anyone — it can be two white guys and an idea, but they could have the fundamental ideal of diversity.”
Hub Bay Area
Focus: Social entrepreneurs.
Web site: http://bayarea.the-hub.net/public/
Locations: Hub Berkeley at the David Brower Center (opened in December), 2150 Allston Way, Suite 400, Berkeley, 510-649-7700; Hub SoMa, (Opens May 1), 901 Mission St., Suite 105, San Francisco.
I/O Ventures Startup Accelerator
Focus: Tech startups, including a four-month entrepreneurship program.
Web site: http://www.ventures.io/
Location: 780 Valencia St. (opens in May)
Focus: Women and minorities, particularly in technology, media, telecom, consumer products and clean/green tech.
Web site: http://www.springworks.org/
Location: South of Market or Mid-Market (Opens in second quarter).
Focus: Machines and tools.
Web site: http://techshop.ws/
Location: 926 Howard St. (Opening in the summer).


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EA making Black Panther open world video game but with no T'Challa
A new rumour says EA is publishing a Black Panther game; one where you play as a new Black Panther rather than T’Challa.
We already have Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 and Wolverine to look forward to in the coming years, and now we can add another beloved Marvel superhero to the list of upcoming solo game adventures: Black Panther.
Although not officially announced, an insider source has claimed that a single-player open world Black Panther game is in very early production. Not at Insomniac or Sony, but at EA.
It’s being developed by an entirely new, currently unnamed studio based in Seattle, one founded by Kevin Stephens, the former vice president of Monolith Productions, which made Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor and its sequel.
However, one rather strange detail is that you won’t technically be playing as the Black Panther we know from the comics and movies. In fact, the game starts with Black Panther dead.
Instead, you play as a new character who must take up the mantle in his place. There was no mention of whether the player character is fully customisable or if they will have a set personality, name, and appearance.
This comes from Jeff Grubb on his Games Mess podcast, who teased news of a Black Panther game in the wake of the new trailer for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever movie.
The concept for the Black Panther game, whether intentional or not, sounds a tad similar to the aforementioned Wakanda Forever. The sequel to the 2018 movie, it too begins with Black Panther dead and someone else needing to take over.
This is because actor Chadwick Boseman sadly died in 2020 and Marvel decided not to recast the role of T’Challa, killing off the character.
The character is still active in the comics so not having him in the video game seems a peculiar choice at face value.
Black Panther is no stranger to video games, having made appearances in Square Enix’s Avengers, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, and Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite. However, this will be his first solo game.
This isn’t the only major superhero game EA has in the works either. Monolith Productions’ next project, rather than another Lord Of The Rings game, is making one featuring Wonder Woman.
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domain: news


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A new study by online art gallery, SINGULART reveals which luxury designer brands are most loved across Europe. Google Search Data from the past four years reveals Louis Vuitton as the UK’s favourite, it was also found to be the most loved brand across Europe.
New research has revealed the luxury designer brands that are the most loved across Europe, with Louis Vuitton coming in first place in the UK.
Looking at the number of Google searches, online art gallery, SINGULART, has revealed the luxury designer brands that have seen the biggest increase in searches over the past four years.
The data revealed that, in the UK, the most loved designer brand was Louis Vuitton, which has seen annual Google searches increase by 2,607,000 since 2018.
This search figure was only beaten by Germany, whose luxury-wear favourite was found to be Hermes, who has seen annual searches increase by 3,619,000 since 2018. The UK’s second favourite designer brand was revealed as Dior, with an increase of 1,794,500 Google searches from 2018-2021, shortly followed by Chanel with an increase of 1,058,000 searches.
The top 10 brands in the UK were
- Louis Vuitton (Increase of 2,607,000 searches from 2018-2021)
- Dior (Increase of 1,794,500 searches from 2018-2021)
- Chanel (Increase of 1,058,000 searches from 2018-2021)
- Vivienne Westwood (Increase of 832,000 searches from 2018-2021)
- Balenciaga (Increase of 631,000 searches from 2018-2021)
- Prada (Increase of 555,500 searches from 2018-2021)
- Tom Ford (Increase of 432,500 searches from 2018-2021)
- Jacquemus (Increase of 374,000 searches from 2018-2021)
- Bottega Veneta (Increase of 343,300 searches from 2018-2021)
- Ralph Lauren (Increase of 321,000 searches from 2018-2021)
Looking at which designer was the most popular around Europe, Louis Vuitton had the most countries searching for them, with the brand coming in first place for over half (57%) of European countries. Dior came in second place across Europe, coming first place in 17 different countries.
More about this study can be found here, including data on American’s favourite brands: https://www.singulart.com/landing/en/the-most-loved-luxury-designers-around-the-world
Commenting on the findings, Marion Sailhen, Head Curator at SINGULART says, “With the ever-increasing popularity of designer goods from the classics of Chanel to the more rebellious styles of Vivienne Westwood, we were interested to see which luxury brand has had the most interest from the public over the past few years, especially across Europe with it having some of the biggest fashion capitals of the world.”
The most loved brands across Europe were:
|Designer brand||Countries searching the most for the brand|
|Louis Vuitton||Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom|
|Dior||Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Kosovo, Latvia, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey|


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Two smokers can't bring a class action lawsuit against Philip Morris (NYSE:MO) over the way the tobacco giant markets "light" cigarettes, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled yesterday. The smokers argued Philip Morris knew light cigarettes were as dangerous as regular cigarettes. The tobacco company contended a more specific warning from the state on a company's marketing practices was required before allowing lawsuits to apply beyond individuals to an entire class.
Citigroup downgrades General Mills (NYSE:GIS) to Hold. The downgrade is based on option and debt expenses. General raised its fourth-quarter outlook and touted a strong fiscal 2006 performance.
The Wall Street Journal reports NutriSystem (NASDAQ:NTRI) is trading at more than 31 times this year's estimated per-share earnings. That is well above the P/E of 19 for slower-growing Weight Watchers International and almost double the valuation of the average stock in the S&P. Even a modest disappointment could hit shares -- witness the 17% one-day drop in February when the company said it expected weaker-than-projected 4th quarter earnings. At the same time, a corps of short-sellers is betting on a fall for the company's shares, and insiders have lightened their stakes over the past year. The upshot for investors is that the company's impressive growth could continue for some time, but it is all likely reflected in today's stock price. "It's a tough stock for some people because they feel like they've missed it and will look bad if they buy at the top," says Jason Schrotberger, an analyst and portfolio manager with Turner Investment Partners.
You might of heard that cruise lines like Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL) and Carnival Cruise Lines (NYSE:CCL) were having problems with booking. Most potential cruise line vacationers are concerned with hurricanes and higher gasoline prices but other factors why we are avoiding cruise lines are boredom with itineraries, negative press stories, and rising interest rates. Surprisingly pirates and terrorism are not cited as factors.
UBS upgraded Circuit City (NYSE:CC) to Buy and $36 target.
Wachovia upgraded OSI Restaurant Partners (OSI) to Market Perform based on valuation.
Wachovia upgraded Ruths Chris Steak House (NASDAQ:RUTH) to Outperform. The upgrade is based on valuation and catalysts that include a pending franchise acquisition and a favorable commodity environment.
Bernstein upgraded Staples (NASDAQ:SPLS) to Outperform.
Aeropostale (NYSE:ARO) increased its stock buyback plan by $100 million, making the total buyback authorization $250 million.
Pier 1 Imports (NYSE:PIR) reported a wider loss as store occupancy costs rose and customer traffic remained weak. The retailer of imported home furnishings said its first-quarter net loss was $23.2 million compared with $12.5 million. Total sales fell 3.6% to $376.09 million from $390.31 million in the year-earlier period.


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The initial reveal trailer will likely be how we get our first glimpses of F1 Manager 2023. The most in-depth Formula 1 experience is all set to return later this year and we're hyped!
Frontier Developments impressed us all with their opening gambit last year and there's no reason to believe 2023 won't do the same this year.
When is the first trailer likely to drop though? We've got everything you need to know right here!
F1 Manager 2023 Trailer
F1 Manager 2022's Announcement Trailer was released just before the start of the 2022 season. For F1 Manager 2023, it is possible that the first trailer won't drop until later in the year.
As this isn't a new franchise anymore, more people are aware of F1 Manager than a year ago. So, F1 Manager could release its first trailer around the same time as F1 23 will, in April rather than March.
To give you an idea of what to expect, we've linked F1 Manager 2022's Announce Trailer below:
The F1 Manager 2022 Announe Trailer didn't give us the release date of the game.
That fell to the second trailer for F1 Manager, the Gameplay Trailer. As the name suggests, this was also where we saw the game in action for the first time:
This was also around the time when Frontier set up a live open demo of the game at the British Grand Prix. This was a full interactive experience for fans of the sport and gave them the opportunity to play a full race around Baku.
The Gameplay Trailer for 2022 was released in June, three months after the reveal trailer. So, we should expect it around 3 months or so after the first trailer is released.
F1 Manager 2023 release date
Frontier Developments haven't released any information regarding the F1 Manager 2023 release date yet.
For reference, the release date of F1 Manager 2022 was 25th August, so we can expect a similar release date for 2023. In fact, it could come even earlier than that, as 2023 won't be a game that is built completely from scratch.
A release date of late August would place F1 Manager 2023 towards the end of the Summer break. Something to keep in mind though, is that Frontier may try and get the game out at the start of the Summer break.
This will allow gamers to enjoy F1 Manager 2023 for four weeks while there's no real-life F1 action on TV.
For now though, keep your ears to the ground and keep an eye out for F1 Manager 2023 news, as it's sure to come soon.


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A survey of 500 businesses into preparedness for Brexit, undertaken by alternative lender Boost Capital, has backed the British Chamber of Commerce’s forecast of increased confidence and growth.
Despite months of widespread fear and uncertainty following British voters’ decision to leave the EU, it seems that UK small businesses remain largely hopeful.
Whilst widespread doom and gloom has been portrayed around Brexit in the media, research from Boost Capital shows that the perception of one of the biggest political events of our time may not be as disastrous as first thought.
Boost Capital interviewed 500 UK small businesses in association with OnePoll and revealed that 90% of respondents stated that they didn’t regret their vote in the Brexit referendum earlier this year.
In the face of a nation awaiting the triggering of Article 50 (the formal legal process of Britain leaving the EU), 43% of small business owners do not believe that their businesses will be affected by Brexit in the next 12 months, whilst nearly half (48%) of respondents stated that they were expecting no impact on their businesses over the next five years.
Alex Littner, Managing Director of Boost Capital said: “Despite a lot of fear around the Brexit results, our survey shows that the overall mood of UK small businesses is largely positive. The majority are feeling confident that we can weather this storm together and come out even stronger than before.”
Key Statistics from Boost Capital’s Brexit Survey:
● 43% of respondents voted to stay as part of the EU.
● 58% are not taking any precautions to protect their businesses against Brexit.
● 72% are not expecting to expand their workforce in next 12 months.
● 46% believe that foreign workers should be allowed but with restrictions.
● Those living in the North East have the most certainty that their businesses will be affected within the next 12 months as a result (47.7%).
For more information on the survey results or further data please contact firstname.lastname@example.org.
The survey was conducted at the end of October 2016 with 500 respondents from small businesses across the UK. Survey conducted by One Poll and commissioned by Boost Capital.
Boost Capital is a leading provider of business financing solutions to growing businesses. They offer quick and flexible financing solutions to small businesses across the UK.
They have over 14 years' experience helping SMEs with their plans to grow – having funded more than £750m to more than 14,000 businesses across 400+ industries to date.
As a specialist small business lender, we're champions of the SME sector. We are here to help UK SMEs achieve their full potential by providing fast, flexible, and hassle-free small business loans.
We have over 14 years' experience helping SMEs with their plans to grow. We've helped more than 14,000 businesses across 400+ industries, and have funded more than £750m.
20 Dec 2016 09:30
16 Dec 2016 10:45
Copyright © 2019 JournoLink Ltd. All Rights Reserved
JournoLink Ltd is registered in England and Wales, No. 08783164. Registered Office: International House, 10 Churchill Way, Cardiff CF10 2HE


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Study: Mobile Apps For Engagement, Mobile Web For Research & Comparisons
The mobile web and apps are complementary. However they’ve been treated as though they’re mutually exclusive in the press and in most industry discussions. Now comes a Millward Brown study, “The New Mobile Mantra,” that offers some deeper insight into when people use apps and when they use the mobile web. While this isn’t the […]
The mobile web and apps are complementary. However they’ve been treated as though they’re mutually exclusive in the press and in most industry discussions. Now comes a Millward Brown study, “The New Mobile Mantra,” that offers some deeper insight into when people use apps and when they use the mobile web.
While this isn’t the first piece of research to compare mobile web and app usage. But it’s more nuanced than most and seeks to get at the consumer psychology and rationale behind the varying use cases. The study, conducted over the course of the first three quarters of 2015, is based on both an examination of click-stream data and consumer survey data (n=2,011 US smartphone owners over 18).
Millward Brown found that while apps command the most user time, “61 percent of smartphone users access their browsers at least once a day, spending an average of 31 minutes in total.”
Source: Millward Brown
Users have lots of apps installed on their phones but rarely use most of them. According to the study, more than half of smartphone owners have “40-70 apps installed on their devices . . . [but] many use only about 4-6 apps per day.” This echoes an earlier comScore finding that roughly 80 percent of smartphone app time is spent with a user’s top three apps.
The Millward Brown study argues that consumers resist downloading apps in many instances and are eager to clear them out if they’re neglected or under-perform in some way. The top reasons for deleting apps are the following:
- I rarely used the app
- I needed to free up memory on my phone
- I found the app was draining my phone battery
- I found better apps to replace them
- The app had too many technical issues
- The app was sending me too many ads or alerts
- The app wasn’t easy to use
- I was spending too much time using the app
As an aside, reasons 1 and 8 above are ironic opposites: if apps are underused or overused they’re likely to get the boot. People seem to want Goldilocks apps that are used not too much and not too little.
Source: Millward Brown
Millward Brown reports that there are patterns to app and mobile web usage (though they’re not rigid). Apps are for regular engagement, mobile web is for research and brand comparisons:
Our research found that for industries where consumers regularly engage with the brand, apps are dominant. For industries where heavy research and brand comparisons are needed to make or inform a purchase, browsers are more likely to be used.
The report goes into vertical specific use cases cited in the graphic above and identifies consumer preferences for apps vs. the mobile web: why they choose to use one vs. the other. Often the reasons cited are overlapping and not entirely distinct (e.g., convenience). However there are some conclusions and generalization the study presents.
When apps are most often used: when consumers “frequently engage with a brand, retailer, or publisher, or crave the convenience of an app for an activity they do regularly.”
Consumers in the study said that apps provide:
- Greater convenience through easier access
- Content is specialized for the task at hand
- User information is saved
When the mobile web is most often used: when consumers are “researching many brands and don’t want to download an app for each, or prefer to replicate the experience of their desktop.”
Consumers in the study said that the mobile web provides:
- Ability to switch between brands to conduct comparison research
- Avoids having too many apps downloaded
- Replicates browsing experience on desktop
One conclusion is that infrequent mobile use cases will be biased toward the mobile web. There are exceptions, however, such as research-intensive high-consideration purchases (e.g., cars or homes).
The report also doesn’t discuss apps and the mobile web as part of a customer segmentation strategy (i.e., for retailers: loyal vs. more casual customers). Nonetheless, the study is instructive and starts to help crystallize for marketers how they should think about apps and the mobile web as complementary tools to reach mobile audiences.
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


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Mangoslab: This C-Lab Spin-off Found the Right People and Gave Them WingsShare open/close
- Yongsoo Jeong, CEO of Mangoslab, made up his mind to leave Samsung Electronics to launch his own spin-off after deciding he had the right people
- Mangoslab’s flagship product ‘nemonic,’ a mini printer that merges digital technology into the analogue experience of sticky notes, started from a project within Samsung but evolved into so much more after continuous input from the experts that Jeong assembled
- Mangoslab continues to enhance nemonic’s user experiences, listening to their loyal customers’ advice
- Jeong hopes to eventually part ways with his partners, smiling as he would help them spin their own businesses off
Yongsoo Jeong was stuck in a dilemma – Should I continue to work at Samsung Electronics or start my own company? Jeong reached out to people who had the same mindset as himself and sought advice.
Jinah Kim, a colleague he previously worked with, remained optimistic even when his current C-Lab project fell through. Sangyeon Kim, a software developer whom Jeong met through a friend, maintained his friendly approach. Hanjun Ko, who had the least idea what he’s signing up for, says he didn’t have a hard time deciding to join Jeong for the spin-off. “When we finished our conversation, I was ready to be a part of the team because of the mindset that he had. I knew that I could work with someone who can think outside of the box.”
In 2016, Jeong was ready and he took a leap of faith. And so together with Kim, Kim and Ko, he launched Mangoslab from an internal C-Lab project into an independent startup.
The Flagship Product – nemonic
Since spinning off from Samsung Electronics, Mangoslab has already built an impressive resume. nemonic, the company’s first product received the CES 2017 Best of Innovation Award in the Computer Accessories category. It also won Grand Prix at the Tokyo International Gift Show Spring 2018. Subsequently, Mangoslab saw its sales rapidly rise, motivating the team to keep their efforts going and growing.
Mangoslab’s first flagship product, “nemonic,” is a device that instantly prints three-by-three-inch sticky notes from smartphones and tablets. Jeong and his team mapped out a vision for an evolution of the sticky note to fit the digital age; an experience that would transcend the divide in analogue and digital experiences. nemonic allows users to organize all or part of their ideas and reminders, print it out, attach it where they desire and further scribble on it as the need presents itself.
Building on planning and experience from an idea that was initially started within Samsung Electronics, Mangoslab was determined to bear the torch so many colleagues had toiled for and see the project through. When asked how the company quickly took off in just two years, Jeong said, “We built a team of experts and then trusted them wholeheartedly, focusing on supporting what they are good at.”
Mangoslab believes in the power of people – almost to a fault. “The starting members including myself knew that the spin-off would never make it if we had to do everything by ourselves,” said Jinah Kim, Mangoslab’s Director of Design. “We needed to survive first and in order to lead our spin-off to success, we needed more talent, experts in each respective field, to grow our company.”
Jeong looks back at the rocky recruiting process. “I had years of experience in product development from my years with Samsung Electronics. But I was not at all prepared when issues began to arise during the mass production process. So we sought to hire an expert who had decades of experience in the manufacturing field,” said Jeong. “For Sales and Marketing,” he recalls, “we found a former CEO that had his name all over the job.” The middle-aged manufacturing veteran, in his 50s, took a lot of persuading to work with people decades younger than he. As for the sales-expert-slash-ex-CEO, who was about to go on a multi-year voyage around the world, Jeong went on to literally beg him to push off his planned expedition and join Mangoslab’s cause.
Other recruits, who were asked to join a startup with not much guarantee, required similar degrees of due diligence. When asked what they’re expected of, Jeong simply says: “Keep doing what you do best.” Today, thanks to Jeong and the company’s continuous efforts, Mangoslab employs 23 members – three additional Samsung Electronics alumni and sixteen ‘external’ recruits – and the company prides itself in having zero dropouts (so far).
Similar to their recruiting philosophy, Mangoslab says they believe in letting their people do their jobs. Each person in a small company is the driving force for their cause and Mangoslab’s leaders are determined to see this idea through.
“I realized that it’s better to let each team make decisions like an individual startup,” says Jeong. “You need to let the managers enjoy what they’re doing. A big part of that is relieving them of bureaucratic processes. So for each team, we have a leader that makes decisions and about four members per team to share the burden and learn from each other.”
For example, nemonic is the only mini-printer in the market with a 3-inch module while competing products use a cost-efficient 2-inch module – the result of a product planner’s market insight; a 21 year-old marketer spearheaded a local awareness campaign on social media – an initiative that may not have made it through layers of bureaucracy many office workers run into; the charismatic director of manufacturing was left free to literally run around the factory in his sleeveless undershirt, solving problems as they sprouted.
The expertise-comes-first philosophy also manifested itself in product design. Mangoslab initially focused on developing a product that is easy to manufacture. But as the experienced designer attested to providing a premium experience, management agreed to changing the design despite the additional components and steps in assembly it would invoke. As a result, nemonic adopted an unprecedentedly high quality automatic cutter that gives you a clean square finish instead of tear-off edges like cash register receipts. It also features a patented technology that straightens the prints so they don’t curl up.
Similarly, the final product features a curvy top rather than a flat square. Jeong trusted the designer’s expertise and decided to go with the design that resembles the shape of swirling paper, reminding the main element that the printer itself symbolizes. Last year, nemonic nabbed the Good Design Award at the Design Intelligence Award ceremony.
Focus on People – Customers, Also
Another important pillar in Mangoslab’s philosophy is sincerity. Jeong and his team are fixated on listening to what their loyal customers have to say. Ideas for updates and additional products have sprung from this process.
“A user who was preparing for the National Teacher Certification Exam in Korea left a request on our homepage,” Jinah recalls. “She was using our product to print test questions she got wrong and make notes for future reference. She wanted us to create a dedicated feature for that.”
It’s a popular practice in Korea and Japan to keep a record of the wrong answers a student made in standardized tests. This rang a bell for the Mangoslab and they decided to pursue the idea that resulted in a separate app helping users separate the desired content from the white background and allowing them to print out clear copies of problems from the tests they took.
The software team also found that some users were business owners who wanted to print quick notes, with personalized messages for their customers, to slap on their deliveries. Some café owners used nemonic instead of industrial point-of-sales systems, to instantly print incoming orders for their baristas – notes that can then be stuck on beverage cups to prevent mix-up.
Ultimate Goal: to Spin Off Mangoslab’s Own Startups
While it may sound uncanny for a startup with 23 employees, CEO Yongsoo Jeong stresses that the main goal for his company is to part ways with each other, smiling. The starting members agreed on three major goals when spinning off from Samsung Electronics. The second and third goals are to create products that consumers love from their hearts and to make nemonic a household brand in the mini printer market.
“The first and most important goal is to part ways smiling,” says Jeong. “If our employees want to leave, we want them to do so knowing that they’ve accomplished their share here and are appreciated. Most ideally, I want to commission them with their own businesses – like how Samsung helped me establish my own business. I learned about entrepreneurship with my C-Lab project and wish to bless my employees with the same kind of opportunity.”
This article is the second of a four-part series to celebrate the three-year anniversary of the C-Lab spin-off program. For more information, tap the image below:
Corporate > People & Culture


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It looks like Honda Malaysia will be launching the Honda Connect telematics system for the Malaysian market according to its official Facebook page. The service is scheduled to be unveiled online at 8 pm on 9-March 2021.
UPDATE: It has been launched, click here to read the article.
Honda Connect is already available in Thailand since 2018 and it is fitted on selected Honda models. The service comprises three categories which are safety, security, and convenience.
For safety, there is automatic collision detection which contacts emergency services in the event of an emergency like a collision, security alarm detection, and speed alert function.
Under security, owners could set up safe zones which enables the geo-fencing alert once the vehicle leaves the pre-determined safe zone. There is also a “find my car” function that allows owners to know the location of their vehicle.
Finally, there is the convenience category. The features include starting the engine, locking and unlocking the doors, as well as turning the lights on and off from a mobile app. Besides starting your vehicle remotely, the app could also monitor the vehicle’s status and remind owners on their next service schedule.
The last we heard of Honda Connect was prior to the local launch of the all-new GN-series Honda City. Recall that during the launch, the hybrid variant RS was showcased but its prices have not been revealed.
We know that prices of the City RS could be released this week. We will just have to wait until the reveal at 8 pm to know what models will feature Honda’s telematics service.
Elsewhere, vehicle telematics system isn’t a new feature for Malaysians with Mercedes-Benz’s Mercedes me connect and UMW Toyota Motor’s own Vehicle Telematics System (VTS) available on selected models.


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LAS VEGAS – Samsung's booth at CES 2009 is huge. So huge that, when I turned up early to take a look at the new cameras, I still ended up 10 minutes late for my appointment. But there are some advantages to being a company that makes, well, everything. For instance, it means that the company can stuff 64 whole gigabytes of solid state storage into one of its camcorders. That's enough to record 12 hours of HD video (although you'll need to take three spare batteries to do it).
This seems to be a trend at CES this year – Canon, too has a Hi-Def, high-capacity camcorder in the 32GB HF S10, and camcorders in general are making a comeback against the video-capable digicam. Why? I asked a Samsung representative and he's convinced that rising camcorder sales are being driven by the adoption of hi-definition TVs. You have that big, beautiful display and your old standard def cam just wont cut it.
So how is the HMX-H106? It has a touch screen to control it although thankfully there is still a real red button to record. The camera will also shoot 4.7 megapixel still and even has a built in flash.
Specs aside, the thing that is really getting people excited is the hand-grip (seen below). It swivels. This means that you can shoot normally, with the strap comfortably caressing your hand, but then the whole assembly, strap and all, can be twisted.
This means you can change your grip without removing the strap from your hand. It sounds simple, and it is. The Samsung guy at the stand even said that it "probably only took around five minutes of R&D
time". But, apparently, people love it. It's like Photobooth on the
Mac. It's easy and junky but it has sold many a computer.
Price? Take a guess. Samsung, like everyone else, is waiting until these ship to see if the economy has recovered enough to allow them to overcharge. In fact price is generally the most noticeable thing at CES
this year. Nobody is wiling to commit to pricing gear that might not be in stores for another six months.
Press release [Samsung]


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Ever since Starbucks opened its doors in 1971, the Siren has been the brand’s enduring logo that invites customers inside its stores across the world. Today, even as the smiling Starbucks barista hands over your handcrafted beverage, you see the iconic image at the center of the cup, a symbol that promises not just great coffee but also great moments of connection.
Taken from a Norse woodcut from an old maritime book, the two-tailed siren pays homage to the seafaring history of Seattle as a port city and the journey of coffee itself, which until now is often being transported across the seas.
This September, Starbucks reimagines the biggest symbol of its brand with the release of its limited-edition Anniversary Collection. Themed the “Celestial Beauty of the Undersea,” the artwork has ethereal qualities with the siren swimming in a sea of stars.
As for its Anniversary Blend which started in 1996 to commemorate its 25th year, Starbucks celebrates its legacy of coffee roasting, blending expertise and craftsmanship with a bold fusion of aged Sumatra, Papua New Guinea and Indonesian coffees blended together and roasted.
Through the years, the siren has continuously transformed along with Starbucks growing global community. When the company revamped itself into a coffeehouse in 1987, its muse was colored an emerald green and given a more contemporary look. In 1992, the logo was zoomed in on the siren, focusing on her wavy locks and warm smile with just hints of her two tails. Eventually, 2011 ushered the biggest change yet as the siren broke away from her circle and became the icon that we all know today. Now, she remains the welcoming face of Starbucks, pulling in coffee-lovers with her enigmatic smile.


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Teenagers have previously lagged behind adults in their ownership of cell phones, but several years of survey data collected by the Pew Internet & American Life Project show that those ages 12-17 are closing the gap in cell phone ownership. The Project first began surveying teenagers about their mobile phones in its 2004 Teens and Parents project when a survey showed that 45% of teens had a cell phone. Since that time, mobile phone use has climbed steadily among teens ages 12 to 17 – to 63% in fall of 2006 to 71% in early 2008.
In comparison, 77% of all adults (and 88% of parents) had a cell phone or other mobile device at a similar point in 2008. Cell phone ownership among adults has since risen to 85%, based on the results of our most recent tracking survey of adults conducted in April 2009. The Project is currently conducting a survey of teens and their parents and will be releasing the new figures in early 2010.


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That's a lot of gamers.
It seems the past week or two has seen interest in PC gaming rise sharply, and it’s been noticed by more than just a few people. Steam, arguably the most popular store and game library platform on PC, achieved record figures earlier this month when they hit a concurrent user figure of 24.7 million players.
Specifically, 24,776,635 gamers logged on at once to dive into playing and purchasing. The reasons behind the surge in players haven’t been confirmed or detailed just yet, but there are a few likely possibilities, namely the release of Cyberpunk 2077. CD Projekt Red’s latest open-world title was released on December 10th, enjoying tens of millions of sales since that time and growing popularity on the PC platform.
Additionally, with many countries slowing down and packing up for the holiday season, many are likely either breaking from school or work and switching on their PC to play on days off.
Finally, news outlets earlier this year reported Counter-Strike: Global Offensive hit a new player record back in March of this year, and with a higher average player count since, as well as a growing total as time goes on, it seems many are revisiting the popular shooter for a few rounds.
What about you? What have you been diving into since December began? Let us know in the comments below!


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It’s great that the profile of hair loss in men is greater than it ever was. Men are not so afraid of talking about their receding hairlines and, consequently are more likely to be doing something about it. To compliment this new era scientists are forever researching into new ways to confront hair loss and as we look back on 2014 one of the scientific breakthroughs could well make hair loss a thing of the past and make baldness an optional fashion statement.
Experiments in their early stages
We should say straight away that as much as this new research looks very positive for curing hair loss it could be some time in coming yet. The experiments are very much in their early stages but reports are coming back that scientists have found a way to create hair follicles from human stem cells. It should also be taken into consideration that even at this stage scientists expect the stem cell option to be one of the more expensive options when and if it is finally available.
How the research took place
The researchers at the University of Pennsylvania grew stem cells from human skin. They then converted these stem cells into epithelial stem cells (found in the bulge of a hair follicle they are required for hair and skin growth and renewal) – which can create the different types of cells that make up the varying levels of skin, such as the epidermis (the outer layer of skin). When the cells were injected into mice they found that they were able to grow human hair like structures. At this stage scientists are very optimistic that this could well lead to new remedies for hair loss and other degenerative skin disorders.
However there is a need for further experimentation to investigate growing sebaceous cells and also to determine that the hair follicle derived from a stem cell grows in a normal way over time.
The researchers have not been totally happy about how this story has been covered in the media with some reports stating that the process could provide limitless supplies of hair for balding men. These are unrealistic expectations at this time; indeed until experimentation has made further in- roads into the findings to investigate long-term processes; it may not yet really be seen as a product that will be available in the near future. But there is no doubt these first few steps are highly encouraging.
Watch this space!
Do you have a problem with hair loss? Do you want to do something about it now? Find out how Scalp Micro Pigmentation can really turn your life around. Click here


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In August, Lunch Vegaz received 2.5 million euros from the investors Blue Horizon Ventures and GENIUS, for the expansion of its portfolio, the expansion of its production facility and the establishment of innovative, sustainably recycled […]
Miami-based hair care brand R+Co has launched BLEU, one of the first luxury ranges to use exclusively recycled and recyclable packaging. The products are available widely throughout the US.
During lockdown, vegan alternatives became increasingly popular in the UK. Now, a recent statistic from Finder shows that 39% of Britons plan to further reduce their meat consumption, indicating rising potential in the plant-based category […]
Ecovative: “Focused on Earth-Friendly Product Solutions for Two Major Industries: Plastics & Animal Agriculture”
Ecovative is developing revolutionary products across multiple categories spanning from bacon to shoes. The miracle material is mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms; a highly sustainable self-assembling microorganism that can provide solutions to packaging, food, […]
NadaMoo! recently announced its new sustainable sugarcane-based packaging provided by Evergreen Packaging’s Sentinel™ Renewable Ice Cream Board. The new packaging is the latest sustainability milestone to be achieved by the Certified B Corporation.
Oatly has teamed up with Evergreen Packaging to deliver Oatly Frozen – a completely sustainable non dairy product that meets Oatly’s focus on environmental responsibility and sustainability.
In honor of National Recycling Day, Tom’s of Maine introduced the first-of-its-kind recyclable toothpaste tube on November 15. Until now, toothpaste tubes haven’t been recyclable because most contain a mixed material that doesn’t provide a […]
Deforestation and single use plastic are the key players in the destruction of the planet and the millions of disposables, that we use each minute across the globe makes them inseparable in our daily lives. […]
The UK’s first vegan frozen pizza company, One Planet Pizza, has announced it is ceasing to use conventional plastic cling film, making their pizza packaging 100% sustainable, as part of its mission to operate the […]
Today, Smithfield Foods, Inc., announces the launch of a plant-based protein portfolio under the company’s new Pure Farmland™ brand. Its plant-based proteins will be available in the fresh, refrigerated sections of grocery retailers across the […]
Vegan ice cream brand Coconut Bliss, based in Eugene, Oregon, has redesigned its packaging and is now using an innovative, sustainable material, a category first, which is protected by a biopolymer created with sugarcane husks, […]
The Plant Based Products Council (PBPC) is a new association of companies and environmental leaders committed to sustainable products and packaging made from plant materials. The PBPC was founded at the California Bioresource Economy Summit […]
Vegan ready meal brand Bol Foods has introduced a new selection on plant-based meals, which come in sustainable packaging made from bio-plastic.
Lovechock has redesigned its chocolate bars to make them more stylish and better for the environment. All the Dutch chocolate manufacturer’s packaging has been plastic-free since 2011. However, Chief Happiness Director Franziska Rosario still saw […]
Simple Feast, a Danish delivery service founded in 2015, offers its customers sustainable vegetarian and vegan meals and delivers them entirely in biodegradable packaging cartons. To accelerate its goal of being “the most sustainable menu […]


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Two reports out today illustrate how the traditional media industry is working hard to prop up their declining business. First, as evidence of the decline, IBM released a study that says that the Internet is about to overtake TV as the principal medium in most households (via MediaPost):
TIME SPENT ON THE INTERNET is set to surpass time spent watching TV in the average American household, according to the results of an IBM survey released Wednesday.
Overall, 19% of respondents said they spend six or more hours a day on the Internet, versus 9% for TV. More telling, 60% reported that they spend one to four hours using the Internet, versus 66% who spend the time watching TV.
Of course, the time spent on the Internet includes growing consumption of online video, according to the global survey of about 2,000 respondents (including 885 Americans) conducted in April-June of this year. Globally, 67% of consumers say they watch video on the Internet, or would like to do so.
TV is dead. Long live TV.
As for the propping up part, Kantar Media Research and Pointlogic released a report based on what is arguably one of the most suspect types of consumer research — asking consumers how ads effect them, a category of questions most people couldn’t answer honestly if they tried (via MediaPost again):
NEW AND EMERGING DIGITAL MEDIA platforms may be the rage on Madison Avenue and in the news media, but some highly regarded consumer research suggests they still have a long way to go before they replace traditional media as effective advertising alternatives with most consumers. The conclusion, which comes from the 2007 release of Compose, a collaboration of WPP Group’s Kantar Media Research unit and Netherlands-based Pointlogic, is one of an array of new research studies being used by big media shops to evaluate the efficacy of using a wide range of communications platforms to reach consumers. Of the 33 channels – ranging from traditional outlets like TV, radio and print to new media and marketing channels like sampling, promotions and direct marketing – the study found that the vast majority of consumers still find mainstream media to have the greatest influence.
The “conclusion,” of course — we have to prop up the declining business:
“The conclusion is that the traditional media should still be the cornerstone for brand advertising and that the new media still have a long way to go before they can replace the traditional media.”
The unspoken subtext — Madison Avenue still hasn’t figured out the how to make buying new media as profitable as as buying traditional media, so they are going to continue to push traditional media on their clients, come hell or high water.
But sooner or later big corporate advertisers are going to wake up and wonder why they are only allocating single or low double digit percentages of their ad budgets to a medium that commands more than half of most people’s media time.
And then Madison Avenue is REALLY going to have to tap dance.


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Quick, think of the top social media outfits in the world. Likely you came up with Facebook first. From there, where you went would depend on what you do on social media, as well as your age and where you’re from. You might say Twitter or Snapchat or Instagram. But would you say LinkedIn? If you were asked to name the top three? Most would not, and this is a reality LinkedIn is trying very hard to change.
Part of the issue is in what people use LinkedIn for. Social media is wide open for being “social” as well as posting cute or funny videos and arguing about politics. There’s an important business component, but, where LinkedIn is concerned, business is really the only purpose. It’s a place to network that most people don’t use as a default place to network.
That’s not to say there isn’t value there. Clearly, there is. Reading business news, interdisciplinary networking, branching out and meeting other likeminded business people are all important reasons to be on social media, and LinkedIn delivers on all of those factors. But that hasn’t been enough to make the site the go-to social destination for the majority of users. Ever since Microsoft bought the brand last year, the company has been working to change that, making key updates to both the website and the mobile app.
One of these new ideas is called “trending stories,” which is essentially an aggregator that brings in articles from across the web written by LinkedIn users. While the company won’t have writers creating content, they will have editors deciding which stories they want to feature. The basic idea, according to LinkedIn’s Daniel Roth, is to get people to start using LinkedIn as their “start the day” news source.
Reuters reported on an early rollout of that feature, saying it included stories about electronic devices being banned on flights as well as commentary by various LinkedIn users with some sort of direct connection to the issue. Users report liking the addition, but it’s unclear as of yet if it will make a discernible difference in how people use LinkedIn.
The biggest issue here is that Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat already have similar features … and people are already using those platforms more, and for more reasons, than LinkedIn. One thing the LinkedIn version will have going for it is niche marketing. They only plan to include business related topics, so people won’t have to sift through the “news of the day” they get elsewhere or don’t care about to get rich, relevant news content.


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Health trend: Tea and infusions
At the recentconference, Technomic Inc. executive vice president Darren Tristano noted that health descriptors are becoming more widespread on drink menus. Green tea, touted for its antioxidant qualities, is benefiting from the trend. This unfermented tea, once found only in Chinese and Japanese restaurants and specialty shops in the United States, now accounts for 15 percent of tea consumption in the country, according to The Tea Association of the USA.
Several chains are tapping into the trend. Sonic Drive-In introduced green tea earlier this year, and at MUFSO, McAlister’s Deli chief executive Frank Paci said the 312-unit chain was introducing it at certain locations.
Sweetgreen, a 20-unit salad and frozen yogurt chain based in Washington, D.C., has introduced a Cranberry Ginger Green Tea for the fall, priced at $2.50.
Cowboy Chicken, an eight-unit chain based in Dallas, is offering an iced Blackberry Tea this fall, sold by the cup for $1.79 and by the gallon for $4.99.
For people avoiding caffeine, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf recently introduced a low-caffeine Blue Tiger Herbal Infusion suitable for children. The infusion blends lemon myrtle, malva flower, tea blossoms and raspberry flavoring, and was launched in conjunction with Coffee Bean director of tea David DeCandia’s children’s book, “Master Davey and the Magical Tea House.” The tea is being sold at select locations and online at Amazon.com, priced at $9.95 for a tin of 20 bags.


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The Phygital Retail Convention (PRC) 2022 – India’s largest retail intelligence event – is being held at the Westin Powai, Mumbai, India on 24th & 25th August 2022. The event aims to power the retail digital transformation in both the online and offline markets of the sixth largest economy in the world, which is complex but also rewarding to those retailers who can be highly scalable. The event is expected to attract the most prominent C-suite professionals and decision makers from some of the most exciting and iconic brands, retail and e-commerce majors from India and across the globe.
ETP is the Omnichannel Partner at #PRC2022.
ETP Group, Asia’s leading enterprise-class retail technology company, is enabling both brick and mortar as well as online retailers to embrace unified commerce and drive their brands and customer relationships in a seamless manner. ETP brings you two outstanding products – ETP V5 and Ordazzle, with localisation in 24 countries across Asia Pacific. ETP V5 includes omni-channel modules like POS, CRM, Promotions, and Analytics so you can drive more traffic to stores, have a higher fulfilment percentage, and gain customer loyalty. ORDAZZLE is an e-commerce management platform that elevates the entire e-commerce journey so you can process millions of orders/day, meet delivery SLAs, and improve margins with marketplace reconciliations. And so much more!
At #PRC2022, Mr. Veer Ahuja, Director of Solution Architecture for Ordazzle, ETPs e-commerce platform will be speaking about ‘The Journey to Amazing Customer Moments’. Catch this stimulating presentation at 04:15 pm on Day 1 of the event at the Main Hall 1.
Do visit us at the ETP Booth No. A6-A8 at the Phygital Retail Convention (PRC) 2022 to know more about how ETP can help you in elevating your retail performance and e-commerce business. Connect with the ETP team to gain insights on how to kick-off your journey to creating amazing customer experiences.


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It’s not even been a year since Nintendo’s hybrid handheld console The Switch was released. It’s gone on to be an unbelievable success. In the ten months since its release, it’s already gone on to outsell the beleaguered, unfortunately named Wii U.
According to Nintendo’s latest financial reports, Switch had an incredible last quarter of 2017 – doubling the system’s sell-u in the holiday period. It means that 7.23 million Switch consoles were sold in the last three months of the year, bringing the end-of-year tally to just a shade under 15 million units. The Wii U was released in 2012, and from that time to when production ended last year, Nintendo sold just 13.56 million units.
Nintendo’s software sales are doing even better. Marquee title Super Mario Odyssey sold through over 9 million units, and has become the system’s biggest seller. Mario Kart 9 Deluxe, a Wii U port has managed 7.33 million copies sold (just about a million fewer than on Wii U), while launch game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has sold 6.70 million copies. Squid-based shooter Splatoon has sold through 4.91 million units.
Given that the Switch’s lifecycle has really only just started, it’s a phenomenal start. There are still some big games headed to the system in the next few months, including Bayonetta and a new Kirby. In addition, of course, there’s an impending core Pokémon game, that should see sales of the system skyrocket even more.
Last Updated: January 31, 2018


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How can publishers change the perception that print is dying? That’s the question asked by Adreana Young in Editor & Publisher.
“Where did this notion that print is on the decline come from? The rise of the digital age? Newspapers and magazines’ formatting has now expanded to include Web and mobile,” responded magazine journalism major Alex Delaney-Gesing of Kent State University, who sees an opportunity for editorial changes. “However, that doesn’t mean these mediums are replacing the original. In fact, a study conducted by Nielsen found that 51 percent of newspaper readership is exclusively in print.”
Young makes the valid point that, due to the instantaneous nature of digital content, the hard-hitting, breaking news story is no longer the selling point for the newspaper.
“Breaking news has become mainly reserved for online and television, where updates can be made within minutes,” she notes.
“Rather than the basic ‘who, what, when, where, why and how’ typically associated with hard news, print publications now have the opportunity to delve deeper into the types of stories they produce: in-depth pieces, topics not necessarily associated with the latest politics and sports updates,” Delaney-Gesing continues.
Darren Edwards, the managing editor of The Southern Utah Independent and founder of indie arts magazine The Creative, looks at print in 2017 from a pragmatic business approach.
“Successful sales teams have an arsenal of arguments available for hesitant advertising clients. These arguments stretch from the fact that readers are more focused while engaging a print publication to the coffee table appeal that adds longevity to print ads,” he explains.
“As editors, our most effective tool for changing the perception that print is dead is to just keep doing what we’re doing,” Edwards continues.
“I know that sounds overly simplistic, but since the argument that print is dying (or dead) is invalid—as proven by our continued existence—our most effective strategy is to keep putting out quality content, the kind of content readers expect when they pick up a print publication, the kind of content that continues to give readers the impression that print is a more trustworthy source of information than the Web, the kind of content that doesn’t bombard readers but carefully frames each article, ad, image, and idea,” he notes
From where we sit, publishers and others are already doing a great job with this. This has been called a new golden age for magazines, with indie titles blossoming and brand publishing gaining even more momentum. Marketers are taking a new look at print as the way to leverage the current nostalgia movement, while consumers are eating up the luxurious experience of good print. Good print is having a great time. Good publishers will continue to find ways to make it work.


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A warning has been issued to drivers ahead of Christmas after a spate of crimes.
At 2.55pm on Monday a purse was stolen from a shopping bag in London Road.
In a separate incident, a bag of shopping was stolen at 4.30pm on Monday in Rectory Road after a woman offered to help another woman unload her shopping into the boot of her car.
The woman accepted but later found that a bag was missing.
Between 2.30am and 4.30am a parked BMW was stolen from a driveway in Sandy Lane.
Damage was caused to a letterbox and front door lock and a lounge window was smashed at a home in Peach Street between 1am and 2.30am on Sunday, in an unrelated incident.
Two men knocked on the door and became abusive to the homeowner, who then shut the door on them and later discovered the damage.
The offenders are believed to be white, in their mid-twenties, with blonde hair and of medium build.
A black bag was stolen from the boot area of a parked car at a golf club in The Straight Mile at 1.14pm on Sunday in an unrelated incident.
The offside rear window was broken and the back of both seats was pulled down.
Thames Valley Police has advised people to make sure nothing is left on display in their car, including in the boot.
Drivers are encouraged to park in a well-lit, busy area and to ensure all windows are closed, even if the vehicle is only left unattended for a few minutes.


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Pakistan’s recent illusion of growth – fed by low interest rates, heavy borrowing and an over-valued rupee currency that allowed imports to pour in – has quickly been replaced by a severe economic hangover. Khan’s government – like so many of its predecessors – has been forced to turn to the IMF to prevent a balance-of-payments crisis as the money runs out. The former cricketer’s PTI Party came to power last year vowing to root out corruption and create millions of jobs – but it now faces a crisis as the country's economy slumps.
Growth figures reached 5.5 percent in the fiscal year to June 2018, but this number is expected to slow to 2.4 percent this financial year.
In effect, the IMF estimates this is barely enough to keep pace with the growth in a population that now numbers 208 million.
To make matters worse, the rupee has lost almost a quarter of its value in a slide that has driven up fuel costs and helped push a relentless increase in prices for food and other necessities.
The central bank, which this week raised interest rates to 13.25 percent, expects inflation to average as much as 12 percent this year.
Imran Khan faces pressure after Pakistan's latest IMF bailout
It feels like we are the ones who are being punished
The poorest have been hit hardest but the squeeze on middle-income households poses a special challenge for Khan, who has enjoyed wide support among an urban middle class that has grown over the past two decades as poverty levels have come down from two thirds of the population to around a quarter.
In the first decade of the century, economic growth fuelled by privatisation led families to a new prosperity marked by their ability to buy cars and rent homes.
Now businesses supplying consumers with everything from mobile phones to clothing, motorbikes and cars bought on hire purchase are feeling the squeeze.
Fatima Azim, chief executive of Azim Motors, said: “It’s a multiple effect.
"Income has not increased at all so no matter what, if they are going to a shopping mall or wherever, they are being affected.”
Khan’s government has placed the blame squarely on the corruption of its predecessors, notably that of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who championed big infrastructure projects that spurred growth but drained currency reserves.
Sharif is now serving a seven-year sentence for a corruption conviction he said was politically motivated.
How convincing the government's argument will be remains to be seen and a nationwide strike by wholesalers and traders last weekend gave some taste of the growing unhappiness.
Islamabad shop owner Fawad Subhani said: "Let's be honest, it feels like we are the ones who are being punished for forcing out the crooks.
“They were thieves, but they were thieves who also had money and friends with money."


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Uber Technologies is looking to be Almost a one-stop Transport shopping app, saying on Wednesday it will add new services, including car-sharing and train tickets.
Later this month in San Francisco, the ride-hailing firm will launch Uber Rent in collaboration with Getaround, a peer-to-peer car sharing service that offers privately owned automobiles for lease.
“We’re going beyond cars. We’re about freedom – making liberty available to everyone, everywhere,” Uber Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi said at a forum on Wednesday at Washington. “We wish to be part of this solution.”
Uber can also be expanding Uber Bike by Jump to Washington, DC, following its rollout in San Francisco earlier this year, and new attempts to promote car sharing.
Uber is vowing to operate with US cities, which Khosrowshahi noted will observe a rising percentage of the country’s population. The business has at times had a contentious relationship with a few major cities.
He said the company backs lots of transport solutions.
“That’s likely to include bikes, and that’s going to include buses and subways, etc., and we want to be component of the solution,” he stated, adding that Uber is sharing more data with cities to help them handle congestion.
Moving ahead, Uber will likely be less about just booking a car but traveling “from Point A to Point B in the best way” with a variety of transit alternatives, he said.
One big obstacle, he added, is the future of the world’s 1.2 billion vehicles. “We must fix the issue of car possession,” Khosrowshahi explained.
“As an asset class, cars are very ineffective” he added, noting that 95% of their time automobiles sit unused. “We have to work together to make sure that residing in a city… does not require that you have a car.”


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Senate Approves Price Reporting Reauthorization
August 6, 2010
Contact: Dave Warner 202-347-3600
Washington, August 6, 2010 – The Senate last night approved legislation to reauthorize the law requiring meat packers to report to the U.S. Department of Agriculture the prices they pay producers for animals. The National Pork Producers Council strongly supports the law and its extension.
Senators passed by voice vote S. 3656, sponsored by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., and Ranking Member Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., to reauthorize for five years the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act, which is set to expire Sept. 30. The reauthorizing bill, which would extend the law to Sept. 30, 2015, also adds to the reporting law provisions requiring weekly reporting of pork exports – by price and volume – and of wholesale pork cuts.
“NPPC is grateful that the Senate has approved extension of this important law on mandatory price reporting,” said NPPC President Sam Carney, a pork producer from Adair, Iowa. “We implore the House to act swiftly on its bill reauthorizing the price reporting law, which will help producers make business and production decisions.”
Companion House legislation, sponsored by Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., was approved by that panel July 28. The full House is expected to take up the measure, H.R. 5852, after lawmakers return from a month-long recess.
“The reauthorized price reporting law will bring even more transparency and certainty to the livestock markets,” Carney said.“This is the way – Congress working with the industries rather than bureaucrats dictating to them through regulations – to bring about competition and fairness.”
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NPPC is the global voice for the U.S. pork industry, protecting the livelihoods of America’s 67,000 pork producers, who abide by ethical principles in caring for their animals, in protecting the environment and public health and in providing safe, wholesome, nutritious pork products to consumers worldwide. For more information, visit www.nppc.org.


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Samsung plans to sell as many smartphones in 2018 as it did in 2017: some 320 million phones. The information comes from Korean publication The Investor which cites leaked Samsung projections to suppliers.
With 320 million smartphones sold in 2018, Samsung will keep sales flat and the reason for this lack of growth is a saturated phone market, according to leaked information from the company.
Here are Samsung’s sales projections for 2018 by different types of devices:
320 million smartphones40 …
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Fassi’s Australian dealer gets ready for the SBK seasonal kick-offMelbourne (Australia) – 18th February. 600 Cranes Australasia Pty Limited has been the Fassi dealer in the South Pacific for 17 years. Staff at the company have always viewed the local leg of the SBK World Championships, which will be held between 26-28 February, as an excellent opportunity to promote the Italian brand at a sports event.
The chance to sponsor this motorbike race offers Fassi’s Australian commercial team excellent visibility within local media. The public’s response to the SBK race has always been extraordinary; there is no doubt that this competition is extremely appealing to motorcycle fans. Like last editions, a Fassi crane will be exhibited in the paddock area giving the public in attendance a chance to admire the leading Italian brand in the lifting industry.
More details: http://www.600cranes.com.au/


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Comcast and Disney announced this morning that they have reached a deal for Disney to take full operational control of Hulu. Under the deal, Disney can acquire Comcast’s 33% stake in Hulu for no less that $9.2 billion in 2024 — giving the company a $27B valuation). Both Disney and Comcast will have the option to force the other to complete the deal at that time.
As part of the deal, Disney will continue to license NBCU content for Hulu at least through 2022, but the content will no longer be exclusive. Since NBCU is launching their own streaming service next year, they will have the option to put the content on their own streaming platform. Hulu will also now become available on Xfinity’s X1 platform. The two companies have also extended their carriage agreement for Hulu Live TV by agreeing to continue to carry NBCU channels through 2024.
Just last month, AT&T sold their 9.5% stake in Hulu back to the company for $1.43 billion, valuing the streaming company at $15 billion. Following the deal, there was much speculation on what was going to happen to Comcast’s remaining 33% stake. With Disney+, their upcoming streaming service, launching in November — it appears that Disney wanted to have full control of the platform, especially as it is expected they will try to bundle the products.
Earlier this month, Hulu announced that it has increased its total U.S. customer base to more than 28 million, with 26.8 million being monthly paid subscribers (and 1.3 million promotional accounts). As the fastest growing video service in the U.S., it was revealed in January of this year that Hulu had 25 million subscribers between their SVOD and vMVPD services, with two million being on promotional accounts.


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You’re probably aware that Microsoft has announced the latest release of Windows, known as Windows 10, it is due to be released on the 25th July, but the internet community has been awash with questions regarding what version you will be able to claim as part of their free upgrade from Windows 7/8.1. So they’ve just released a F.A.Q which answers the most common questions.
Just why are we getting Windows for free? – Well it’s quite simple, Microsoft is quite keen to have as many devices as possible running on their latest version. Not forgetting they will also be eager to leave behind the mess that was Windows 8. They are hoping that by making it free for the first year that they will see a surge in uptake early on. Microsoft have assured that those who opt in to the free upgrade will continue to receive updates for the life of those devices.
So just what version of Windows will you be getting on the 25th?
Those of you on Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic or Home Premium will go to Windows 10 Home, whilst those of you on Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate will go straight to Windows 10 Professional.
For those on Windows 8.1 you will go to Windows 10 Home, 8.1 Pro will go to Windows 10 Pro and the same applies for 8.1 Pro for Students.
That and a lot of other frequently asked questions have been answered on the Microsoft website. Have you reserved your free upgrade or do you plan on sticking with Windows 7/8.1? – Please let us know your thoughts below or on social media.


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Quality management product recallreview the article usplabs recalls oxyelite pro supplements amid links to liver illness which can be found in your weekly reading. The paper will discuss social process theory and the history of its development, the theory's importance to criminology, examples of the theory, and any positives or negatives associated with the theory. Laura williams liked a video 2 months ago 10:03 play next you'll need a marker, paper and oil pastels here's an affil link to oxy elite prothird week comming off the product. Oxyelite pro paper oxyelite pro is a dietary supplement targeted to increase metabolism, deliver long lasting clean energy, improve mental focus, instill a.
Oxyelite pro contains plant extracts which do not have any serious effects on medications what would dark red blood be in your stool and on the toilet paper mean. California product liability lawyers discuss potential lawsuits for consumers who may have experienced liver damage after using oxyelite pro dietary supplements. To our knowledge, this is the first case series reported involving oxyelite pro or other dmaa-containing supplements with a specific focus on acute liver injury this review is limited by the paucity of clinical studies and trials based on oxyelite pro and its effect on the liver.
A popular diet supplement has caused a severe outbreak of liver disease, sickening nearly 100 people in 16 states since it was first reported in hawaii last year, according to a news paper as of february, oxyelite pro, a dietary supplement manufactured by usplabs that claims to help people burn fat. It has been nearly a year since several reports of liver damage in hawaii as a result of supplementing with usp labs oxyelite pro (oep) the paper noted that. Review the article usplabs recalls oxyelite pro supplements amid links to liver illness which can be found in your weekly reading this article pertains to a recall of a popular health supplement.
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The makers of dietary supplements jack3d and oxyelite pro face criminal charges following a justice department investigation that alleges key ingredients in thwere. Australia and nz add to oxyelite pro's global woes by shane starling technical / white paper for more than 25 years, optimsm® has set the quality standard.
View homework help from econ 90015 at university of melbourne w2 assignment product recall quality management product recall review the article usplabs recalls oxyelite pro supplements amid links. Quality management product recall review the article usplabs recalls oxyelite pro supplements amid links to liver illness which can be found in your weekly reading. In september 2013, the hawaii department of health (hdoh) was notified of seven adults who developed acute hepatitis after taking oxyelite pro™, a weight loss and sports dietary supplement.


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Could it get any worse for Priceline.com founder Jay Walker?
On top of seeing his company sink into a penny stock swamp and lose $17 billion in value, Walker is now under investigation by the Connecticut attorney general.
He allegedly broke laws when he fired approximately a third of the staff of his private think tank, Walker Digital Media, without any warning.
The probe helped send Priceline.com’s stock to another new low of $2.19 before recovering to $2.56, off 25 cents. Eight months ago, a share sold for $104.25.
The probe, which was first reported by RedHerring.com, is the latest in a series of name-your-own-crises that have plagued Walker’s crumbling Internet empire.
Walker was required by law to give the 100 workers he fired a 60-day notice but they say he blind-sided them on Nov. 20 without any notice. “We’re looking into whether Walker Digital complied with employment laws,” said Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. The company may be liable for severance or back pay if proper notice wasn’t given, he said.
Walker Digital’s spokesman said the company gave proper notification for the layoffs and offered one year’s severance.
Walker’s real troubles began in the summer when cash-strapped airlines refused to sell discounted tickets to Priceline.com’s name-your-own-price customers. It caused a revenue shortfall that wrecked financial forecasts.
Walked also had to shut down his favorite strategy, WebHouse Club, which attempted to sell gasoline and groceries at a discount over the Internet. Walker then lost his chief financial officer, who resigned in the crisis and left the company’s image in shreds.
A separate consumer-complaint investigation launched three months ago against Priceline.com in Connecticut is still underway.


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By Staff Sgt. C. Todd Lopez
WASHINGTON (Feb. 20, 2004) -- Air Force people who have received a promotional copy of a popular office productivity software suite, are instructed to return it to the sender.
The Microsoft Corporation sent promotional copies of its popular "Office" software to a half million customers -- some in the Air Force. The commercial value of those software packages, more than $500 each, exceeds Joint Ethics Regulation limits for personal gifts, said John M. Gilligan, Air Force chief information officer.
"Our ethical regulations govern the acceptance of gifts from those who do business with us," Mr. Gilligan said. "The value of those packages is well in excess of what Air Force members can accept, in particular since we are customers of Microsoft. In the public sector we are not allowed to accept that type of gift."
Mr. Gilligan said Air Force members who received the promotional software are obligated to return it to Microsoft.
People may return the software by re-sealing the packaging, marking it "refused delivery -- return to sender" and taking it to the post office. Mr. Gilligan said if the post office refuses to take the packages, they can be turned in to local communications squadrons.
"Our installation communications squadrons will be collecting the packages and mailing them back as a group," Mr. Gilligan said.
The policies regarding acceptance of gifts are in place to protect the Air Force from undue influence by organizations it does business with. Mr. Gilligan said the principal desktop productivity suite used in the Air Force comes from Microsoft. He also said the service is in negotiations with the company for additional product licenses.
While it is unethical for employees of the public sector to accept gifts, Mr. Gilligan said the Air Force does not believe Microsoft had any ill intent.
"This was simply a marketing campaign that Microsoft undertook where they failed to understand the impact of sending free sample software to government employees," Mr. Gilligan said. "I think it was just an oversight by not realizing the ethical restrictions we are under."


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Oberá, cultivating a diamond in the forest
For many of us, it is a true surprise when we learn that most of the raw material for iced tea comes from Argentina. Sorry, say that again — Argentina? The land of soccer, wine, beef and dulce de leche?
Yes, Argentina is the world’s ninth largest producer of tea — all of which is for iced tea. It is also quite surprising to learn that the U.S. is the primary market for the Argentinian teas, constituting about 70 percent of total exports.
In May 2017, S&D Coffee & Tea had the great opportunity to host the Landscape Level Risk Workshop in partnership with Tea 2030 and Finlays in Oberá in the Misiones province in Argentina. This international workshop was the first one of its kind for the Argentinian tea sector. In a conservative sector with a long tradition of tough competition among longstanding family businesses, a certain degree of anxiety combined with high expectations was in the air prior to the workshop — given that they were all walking into unknown territory.
The workshop turnout was fantastic. It gathered over 50 representatives of multiple actors in the supply chain including the largest exporting companies, NGOs like Solidaridad, Conservation International, Imaflora and Fundación Biodiversidad Argentina and smallholder associations, among many others.
This was an incredible opportunity for all stakeholders to speak up and openly talk about the shared risks, including climate change and deforestation, and the challenges that we face when doing business in this fantastic and rich landscape. It is relevant to remember that Misiones is part of the Mata Atlántica Biome, one of the most biodiverse regions in the planet that also includes the magnificent Iguazú falls, making it a true biological gem.
During the workshops S&D shared experiences from the coffee industry, like the sustainable coffee challenge and the coalition for coffee communities (CCC) landscape assessment in Nicaragua, to inspire collective action and show ideas on how big systemic challenges can be addressed collectively. Additionally, our partner Conservation International shared the deforestation analysis that was commissioned by S&D.
As the day progressed it became obvious that the challenges and risks affecting the region are much too great for any given company to tackle them on its own. It was also great to see a genuine interest in making tea production viable for smallholders in the long run.
After eight hours of hard work, we all left the workshop energized and feeling that we planted a seed for structural change. Pre-competitive collaboration, empowering local actors and providing a framework for small farmers to thrive, were among the main conclusions of this sunny day together.
As a result of the workshop, attendees agreed on creating a steering committee with local stakeholders to coordinate and lead the future collective action workstreams that will emerge as a way to mitigate the risks mapped out during the workshop.
Oberá in the native language of the region (Guaraní) means “what shines”. We hope that — as an industry — we can all collectively participate in actions that will make this diamond shine from deep inside the forest.


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Forty-five percent of Americans fall asleep somewhere other than their bed at least once a week, a survey by a mattress industry group found Tuesday.
Men are more likely than women to nod off away from their beds, according to the nationwide survey of 1,000 adults for the Better Sleep Council, which Tuesday declared May to be "Better Sleep Month."
One in 10 respondents acknowledged dozing off at work, it said. Seven percent fell asleep at church, six percent on public transportation and four percent on the toilet.
"We were stunned by some of the survey responses," said Karin Mahoney, spokeswoman for the Better Sleep Council, the consumer education wing of the International Sleep Products Association, in a statement.
"One man fell asleep on a rooftop," she said. "Another man fell asleep while interviewing a job candidate. There was a teacher who fell asleep at the podium in front of her class."
The same survey, with a margin of error of three percent, also found that six in 10 Americans "crave sleep more than sex" -- with an undisclosed number admitting to falling asleep while making love.


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Greater China: Local HK agency tapped to polish HKCEC collateral
HONG KONG: The Hong Convention and Exhibition Centre has tapped local shop Fluid to revamp its promotional collateral, ahead of the opening of a rival facility.
Fluid, which handled the design of the HKCEC's twice yearly newsletter, won the assignment following a six-way shootout.
The 16-year-old HKCEC will face a new challenger when the AsiaWorld-Expo opens in SkyCity, near Chek Lap Kok airport.
Gloria Fong, HKCEC's communications executive, said the facility wanted to bolster its image as Hong Kong's flagship events and exhibition centre to an international audience.
Fong said more than 3,000 copies of the newsletter would be distributed to potential exhibition clients at home and abroad, Chambers of Commerce and foreign offices of Hong Kong's Trade Development Council.
"We want to produce professional newsletters (as) foreign companies and associations rely on the newsletter to know what's happening in Hong Kong, and the foreign media has been reprinting our stories."
Fong declined to comment on the threat of new competition, but insisted that the HKCEC was seeking to emphasise Hong Kong's international flavour, having previously positioned the SAR as the gateway to China.
This article was first published on Media Asia
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Canada Proposes New Food Labelling Requirements To Protect Health
The Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health, announced increased protection for Canadians with food allergies by introducing new labelling requirements for food allergens, gluten sources and added sulphites contained in prepackaged foods. Health Canada also announced the launch of several allergy studies, including a large national study of food allergy prevalence, and two studies on the dietary habits and coping skills of people with celiac disease who are on a gluten-free diet.
"The Government of Canada is taking action to protect the health and wellbeing of Canadians with food allergies and celiac disease," said Minister Clement. "These new proposed labelling requirements will provide Canadians with the information they need to manage their own allergies, and give parents greater assurance about the food they give their children who may have allergies."
The current Food and Drug Regulations require that ingredients of food products be declared on the labels of most prepackaged foods. However, components of certain ingredients are exempted from declaration in the list of ingredients. While the Canadian Food Inspection Agency does have the ability to recall foods exempted from the labelling requirements if a health risk is identified, the strengthened labelling regulations will provide manufacturers with clear labelling rules for allergens to be followed in a systematic and consistent manner, aimed at reducing the number of food recalls and allergic reactions.
The improved regulations would require that manufacturers declare all food allergens, gluten sources and added sulphites on labels of prepackaged foods. The regulations would also detail exactly how these allergens, glutens and sulphites are to be listed on food labels.
Today's announcement is another step the Government of Canada has taken to improve and protect the health and well being of Canadians through strengthened food and product safety standards. Other recent initiatives have included the tabling of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, which will allow the government to order recalls for health and consumer products and better protect Canadians from unsafe products; tightening the definition of "made-in-Canada" and "product-of-Canada" labelling; and showing international leadership in the safe management of chemical substances used in the production of many common household products through the Chemicals Management Plan.
Minister Clement today also called on industry to take proactive steps to improve the labelling of food allergens to allow Canadians with allergies to better identify foods that are safe for themselves and their children.
"Ensuring safe foods for Canadians is a collaborative effort between government, industry and consumers," said Minister Clement. "Until the regulatory amendments proposed by my department are enacted, we are asking industry to be proactive in improving labelling of food allergens and gluten sources to protect the health of Canadians."
"Reading food labels is the first line of defence for food allergic consumers," said Laurie Harada, Executive Director of Anaphylaxis Canada. "Making sure that Canadians can identify foods which could cause an allergic reaction is essential. The proposed regulatory amendments will be an important tool to protect and improve the quality of life for food-allergic consumers."
The food allergy prevalence study initiated by AllerGen, the Allergy, Genes and Environment Network and co-sponsored by Health Canada, will look to provide accurate data on how many Canadians suffer from food allergies, as well as information on the types of food most commonly known to cause allergies. It is the largest study to date on the prevalence of food allergies in Canada, and is co-led by researchers from McGill and McMaster Universities.
Results from these studies are expected to give Canadian researchers, government officials and the allergic community essential information on the scope and impacts of food allergies in Canada.
The two research studies to be conducted in collaboration with the Canadian Celiac Association will examine how individuals manage gluten-free diets, and the psychological impact that living on a gluten-free diet has on the daily life of an individual with celiac disease. The information this survey will generate will be used to create a better awareness and understanding of gluten-free diets by health care providers, policymakers and the food industry.
It is estimated that up to six per cent of young children and three to four per cent of adults suffer from food allergies. Nearly one per cent of the population is affected by celiac disease, a serious sensitivity to gluten.


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The end of the year is coming again, strong sales season is preparing for New Year.
For nearly a year, haze, Yichang bridge collapse, the implementation of the new national standard……., In the New Year, market suffered cold reality, in the first half of this year, production companies hesitant to push slow production on track time, operating companies elongated order time, a wait and see market pessimism spread apart in the industry.
A person who is in charge on the company even for enterprises to develop a “three no”: no additional investment, not to scale, keeping their children not involved in fireworks industry.
However, after concerns that with the approaching Chinese New Year sales season, the temptation of the season and hope for the market, being watered down with pessimism.
“According to past experience, the Chinese New Year in January, sales was worse. The New Year on February sells better, this year the Chinese New Year is January 31, with a lot of corporate restructuring, productivity declined, personal opinion, cannot get the case goods during New Year is estimated to occur. “in front of the order, as stated in another company official said,” the production, the overtime “, the factory will still work overtime.
Producers only keep old customers’ orders, do not accept new customers order
November 6, in the warm sun of late autumn, one of town call jingang in Liuyang City, busy manufacture but orderly, six workers were busy loading, in the field next to the floor, there are four parked vehicles waiting for loading.
According to the person who is in charge of the factory, although the market situation is bad, but because of its own products in the market has a mature brand influence, this year the amount of orders on the first eight months are close to the amount from last year, after the summer holiday, the enterprise became very busy.
” last year has Leap month, the summer holiday unlike this year so long, compared to last year, the factory production time nearly two months less than last year, while orders increased by about 20%.” In order delta front, which companies in order to ensure the old customer orders, while rejecting some of the new order.
“This year compared to previous years, although the market environment has changed, because of industrial restructuring and upgrading, and the introduction of a new national standard, on the whole situation, production will decline. Together with some other main producing capacity is also reduced, as this year’s market sales provides a buffer zone. “within the industry a professional manager who predicted, in the past of the end of year could not get the goods phenomenon will appear this year, overall sales will not have a big decline.
Operating companies into one month ahead of the peak of the transfer cargo
In the visiting, according to the bullish market this year, there is more people than the above-mentioned producers, one of southwest province, a provincial company executives said in an interview also expressed a similar view.
“From the collection on market information, we can see 2 inches less than usual products, on national standard products are increased.” The executive said, in addition, the local market needs did not change a lot.
Consider, in the end of this year may be tight supply, transportation is relatively concentrated, the overall bullish, beginning in September, the operating company began producing enterprises are concentrated from Liuyang transfer cargo, “at past years before October 1, shipped only a few hundred million, compared to last year, this year the shipments grew by 50 percent. ”
Information obtained from the logistics channels also seems to confirm the argument of the executive: the National Day as boundaries, from Liuyang sent to the province than before the National Day, the logistics costs rose 3,000 yuan, while the increase for the same period in previous years, logistics costs was between 1500 yuan and 2,000 yuan. “We usually say that the Chinese New Year peak selling season is September to December, but in previous years, transfer cargo concentrated period is from November began, after the National Day this year, the company operates transfer cargo will enter the concentrated time.” Liuyang Fireworks Bureau Market Branch relevant responsible person said.
some relative news
Much inventory do not know how to do
In March of this year, the implementation of the new national standard. Product type, packaging and specifications had a big adjustment.
Currently, the industry also have some rumors about the State Administration of Work Safety is in the northern province to do some unannounced visits, the investigation found a number of large-diameter, large doses of the product, it is said also requires companies to haulage out all the products from warehouse which is in stock companies operating in the province.
“It seems that the state of play hardball over product specifications, in the long run, we also maintain to help fireworks industry developing, however, some products in warehouse were made before the implementation of the new national standard production, now the factory are afraid to sell, so the factory stocks more products, our current production has been effect, how to do this? “this is from a company’s production director said.
Early delivery period does not mean that the market recovery
Production companies and operating companies changed pessimistic in the first half, are excited to prepare for the upcoming season, the fireworks industry weakness are long gone. Then how the market situation is going to be?
“Overall, it is too early to say sales booming.” Several industry sources state, the company operates an early transfer cargo does not mean that the market recovery.
after the accident on Yichang Bridge, fireworks transport channel is jammed, many operating companies transfer does not arrive, the industry said, “personally think that might some of operating companies learned a lesson from this accident and transfer cargo ahead of time.” Secondly, this year the companies produce time is 2 months shorter than last year, orders production and transport is too concentrated, the early peak transfer cargo logistics strategy is also a stagger.
According to the current fireworks industry credit growth mode, the operating companies get payment for early transfer cargo are not many, “All goods are usually sold out before full payment. This year Liuyang companies participated order exhibition, the number of orders 20% more than last year, for enter into new markets businesses, business purchase and sale of the company’s products may be more stringent terms, the stockpile costs will be lower. If it is in full payment way, the operating companies’ transfer goods can be the greatest reflect to the market trends. ”
“Many people would think that goods sent to the company warehouse is flowing into the market, I do not think so, fireworks from producers to consumers need to go through the operating companies and retail outlets, some operating companies usually through extreme pressure to send goods to retail outlets, and it may be contrary to consumer demand. Additionally, reduced the amount of wind frugal buy, and environmental awareness letting fireworks discharge environment variables exist. ”
Based on this, a company in charge of the Eastern Liuyang person think that the industry this year will not recover to two or three years ago the situation like real production does not win and shipped not win, the market as a whole, the most optimistic is stay the same level with last year.