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For the fifth year in a row, SiteLink has been awarded Best of Business in the category of Best Management Software by Inside Self-Storage. SiteLink is especially honoured to receive this award because the on-line voting allows actual storage operators to select their favourite company as the best in business.
“Since 1996, the SiteLink team has focused on faithful service,” said Ross Lampe, SiteLink’s President. “We continue to be dedicated to advancing quality software and our #1 goal is to help our customers succeed in their business ventures. It is gratifying to receive this recognition of our hard work for a fifth year in a row. I want to thank all of our customers, technology partners and friends for being so supportive.”
SiteLink Smart Management Software operates more than 11,000 stores worldwide, including those of 70 of the top 100 operators. SiteLink integrates with services of more than thirty technology partners, including INSOMNIAC, mobile devices, websites, tenant insurance, accounting programs and call centers at no additional cost. “Our technology partners are the building blocks of our success,” said Markus Hecker, SiteLink’s COO. “We have worked hard with our friends to expand reliable, feature rich integrations to deliver more value to storage operators.”
SiteLink’s growth and popularity stems from integrated features like Total CRM, Total Accounting and SiteLink Merchant Services™ to deliver payment processing without a third-party provider. Other industry-first services include the TeleTracker phone integration and SiteLink eSign™ for electronic signature capture, online rentals and lease archival. Turning customer suggestions into powerful features will deliver the new Price Optimization and Dashboard in the September 2015 update.
SiteLink would like to thank everyone who took the time to vote in the 2015 election.
Learn more about SiteLink Smart Management Software on our website www.sitelink.com.


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2009 springfield federal courthouse summertime.jpg
U.S. District Court in Springfield
( The Republican file photo)
SPRINGFIELD — A 7-Eleven franchise in Holyoke has gone to federal court to keep its Slurpee machine and other customer attractions after the national convenience store chain accused store owners of fraud and revoked their operating agreement.
During a hearing Monday in U.S. District Court, Mohinder Grewal challenged allegations by 7-Eleven that she and her husband, Mann Grewal, had routinely shortchanged the chain by underreporting sales of cigarettes, soda and other items at their 539 Pleasant St. store.
In particular, the Holyoke store had an unexplained $131,000 cigarette shortage during an 18-month period ending in March, according to a lawsuit filed by the national chain against the Grewals and the Grewal Corporation.
On June 26, the chain requested a preliminary injunction to stop the couple from operating the store at 539 Pleasant St. In response, the Grewals filed a countersuit, seeking to block their eviction and reinstate all privileges as franchise operators.
The store operates 24 hours a day, and has a beer and wine license; under its franchise agreement, 7-Eleven gets roughly 50 percent of the monthly proceeds, and provides most of the food and beverages sold, as well as equipment, displays and other items.
During testimony Monday, Mohinder Grewal said sales have plummeted since 7-Eleven terminated the franchise agreement on June 24.
Unable to sell lottery tickets, gift cards, hot dogs, Slurpees and other customer favorites, the store has lost 30 percent of its business, Grewal testified in a hearing before Judge Mark G. Mastroianni.
She and her husband work the overnight shift because nobody else will, Grewal said.
"It's dangerous," she said, adding that the owner of another, unidentified convenience store had been stabbed multiple times and left to die on the store floor.
In its lawsuit, 7-Eleven said the fraudulent activity took place late at night, after the Grewals arrived at the store and the security cameras were turned off.
The couple would often pocket money paid by customers or ring up sales of 7-Eleven food items as Grewal-provided items, such as beer and wine, according to the suit.
No other store employee was engaged in fraudulent sales practices, the suit said.
The couple's lawyer, John Pearson, spent much of the morning going over the store's financial records and cash register practices.
Mohinder Grewal said chain had pressured them to stock unpopular items – blueberry donuts, apple fritters, egg salad sandwiches – and the lawsuit was filed after they had stopped stocking them.
"It's a nightmare," she said, adding her store had no serious problems with 7-Eleven before receiving the termination notice.
Mastroianni is expected to rule on the dueling injunction requests in the next few weeks.

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Richard Lucio describes the menu at the new eatery as "contemporary Southwestern cuisine," noting that the food is "a little lighter than traditional Mexican fare."
The menu comprises a range of grilled meats and seafood along with upscale version of tostadas (topped with smoked salmon), enchiladas (stuffed with lobster) and burritos (layered with flank steak). You won't find blankets of molten yellow cheese or lakes of green chile on any of the plates; instead, look for pumpkin-espresso bisque beneath a sous-vide beef tenderloin; pan-seared sea scallops atop chipotle goat-cheese mashed potatoes; and even a selection of pasta dishes like wild-mushroom-and-clam spaghetti or fettuccine Alfredo — both warmed up with Japanese chiles.
On the bar side, four margaritas — two made with house-infused tequilas — are available as a flight, or choose from a selection of more than eighty agave spirits. Happy hour includes $4 and $5 food specials along with drink deals, and mid-week brings wine-down Wednesday, with discounts on wine by the bottle.
The owners chose the location for Blue Agave — right next to the Cheesecake Factory, in a space that once held Ambria Food & Wine — because of the proximity to Larimer Square, the theater district, the Pepsi Center and other downtown attractions. "I want to feel confident that the restaurant will be popular not just this year or next, but in ten years," Lucio explains. "It's always going to be a sweet spot."
Blue Agave Grill is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. See our complete Blue Agave Grill slideshow for more photos of the food and decor.


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NEW YORK — It’s a big target — but that hasn’t made it an easy one for fashion marketers to hit.
The Millennials, or those ages 25 and under, are 71 million strong, taking on more responsibility and wielding a greater influence on family spending decisions than the two previous generations, and are more worldly than their predecessors were at the same age.
The Millennials also have discretionary money to burn like no group before them. They’ve been growing up amid the greatest affluence America has known, when products have become more affordable than ever, and with parents who have showered many of them with hefty allowances and big-ticket gifts, from cars to computers and pricy vacations.
Indeed, teens and collegians are among the country’s most aspirational consumers.
Some generation experts go so far as to describe today’s teens as mini-adults. But if it sounds like a favorable scenario for the fashion business, think again.
The attitudes and lifestyles of teens and young adults, combined with their propensity to spend heavily on cars, electronics, entertainment and eating out, shorter-trend lifecycles due to the rise of new media and technologies, and the proliferation of marketing messages, have transformed the group into people:
Spending less of their wallet on apparel.
Buying a growing share of their clothing based on need rather than impulse.
Placing a greater priority on price than on brands.
Rejecting most marketing campaigns, which they perceive as being irrelevant, at best, or phoney.
The latter marks a major difference between the Millennials and the one generation still larger than them, the Baby Boomers, who have enjoyed and responded to advertising from fashion brands, among others, since they were teens. It’s a disparity most fashion marketers have yet to comprehend, observers noted.
"When a generation, such as the Millennials, is about to break into adulthood, they have a different frame of reference than the pop-culture makers, who are a generation before them — in this case Gen X," observed generation expert William Strauss, who, along with historian Neil Howe, has written "Millennials Go to College" (LifeCourse Associates, 2003) and "Millennials Rising" (Vintage, 2000)."Thirty-three year olds tend not to know what’s going on among 17-year-olds," Strauss said. "What is funny or ironic for one generation will be wallpaper for the next. Marketers and the media have been slow to pick up on this."
For examples, Strauss said, one need look no further than Pepsi Twist’s Super Bowl spot, which featured the Osbournes and the Osmonds, or Fox TV series "Boston Public." Though both are aimed at teens, he contended teens either don’t know of, or relate to, the Osmonds, and find "Boston Public" irrelevant, as it’s an "exaggeration of late Eighties-early Nineties high school culture."
Against this backdrop of marketing and media disconnect, fashion itself has been falling in the galaxy of teens’ and collegians’ priorities, marketing sources said. To wit: The share of girls ages 13-17 who listed apparel as "the newest thing they are buying or doing" in 2002 plunged 46 percent from its share just five years earlier — clearly a wake-up call for the industry, according to The Zandl Group, a consumer researcher that specializes in teens and young adults. Last year, 22 percent of girls ages 13-17 put apparel in the newest-thing-bought category, down sharply from 41 percent in 1998.
In contrast, categories gaining share as the newest thing bought by that age group, in the past five years, were cars, whose slice more than doubled, to 10 percent in 2002 from 4 percent in 1998; electronics, rising to 12 percent from 6 percent, and entertainment, also doubling, to 10 percent from 5 percent, The Zandl Group found.
The picture isn’t an entirely grim one for the apparel business, however. Between January and November 2002, people ages 24 and under — most of the Millennials — spent $46.2 billion on apparel. That amounted to more than twice the $21.1 billion expended by those ages 25-38 — the 37 million members of Gen X, plus fringes of the Boomers and Millennials — and 18 percent more than the $38 billion worth bought by people ages 39-55, or almost all 83 million Boomers, who are now ages 38 to 57, according to Port Washington-based market researcher NPDFashionworld. This means the Millennials accounted for 33.3 percent of the $139 billion in apparel bought between January and November 2002, while Boomers purchased a 27.3 percent share and Xers snapped up 15.2 percent.Kenneth Cole, Banana Republic, Juicy Couture, Urban Outfitters, Old Navy, Gap, Pacific Sunwear and Hot Topic were cited by marketing consultants and researchers as offering above-average appeal to youths and young adults.
Nonetheless, recent consumer research shows teens and young adults are left cold by numerous fashion brands and most related marketing, and are less compelled to spend on apparel than many other things — a landscape fashion businesses will have to work hard to reshape if they expect to create a more amenable climate.
"With teen girls spending more money on their cars, computer upgrades, and cell phones, they have less money left for apparel," noted Zandl Group president Irma Zandl. Adding to the problem, she said, is the shrinking number of apparel sales jobs held by teenage girls — slashing their access to discounts and curtailing the time they spend in the stores — and the increasing portion of teenage girls who are overweight, now 25 percent, who are hard pressed to find clothes that fit well, let alone styles that are appealing.
Then there are lifestyle changes. Today’s teens and collegians are spending less time than their predecessors vegging out in front of the TV, listening to music, talking on the phone with friends, or shopping. They are a more active bunch, pursuing a raft of interests, from extreme sports to travel. Participation is on the rise in high school theater productions, bands, and orchestras — the kinds of things, said Marshal Cohen, co-president of market researcher NPDFashionworld, that "you couldn’t get 10 kids to want to do, 10 years ago."
Meanwhile, the 18- to 24-year-old crowd is spending unprecedented amounts traveling ($5 billion in 2002), and attending movies ($790 million), music concerts ($390 million), amusement parks ($318 million) and professional sporting events ($272 million), according to a fall 2002 survey of college students conducted by Harris Interactive for 360 Youth, the media and marketing arm of Alloy Inc.
"Apparel clearly has shifted in importance for teens," said Cohen. In 1989, 73 percent of teens ages 13-18 said style was very important to their image, Cohen recounted. Last November, 51 percent said so. Style still packs a punch, though, when teens actually purchase apparel. In fact, NPD’s November research showed it’s the top trigger of those purchases, followed by brand and value. But the challenge is clear. "How do you market to someone who doesn’t want to look like everyone else and wants to do their own thing?" Cohen queried. "The whole [Millennial] generation wants to fly incognito. Fashion marketers are concerned because this is a group with enormous spending power."The continued use of the name Generation Y itself is evidence of the irrelevance of many marketers’ efforts, observers pointed out.
Young adults and teens view themselves as individualistic — even as they possess a group orientation and team spirit less evident in the two preceding generations — and they resoundingly don’t like to think of themselves as related to Gen X. Thus, generation experts said, teens and young adults prefer the increasingly common moniker Millennial generation, or Net gen — the Internet is integral in millennial culture — or Next gen.
As market researcher Zandl sees it, fashion firms have little choice but to become more responsive to such generational idiosyncracies. "There’s going to be a death knell for fashion if those companies don’t wake up to the broader lifestyle changes affecting today’s teens and young adults," she contended.
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a two-part series about marketing to the Millennials. Part two will examine how best to market fashion to the group and the current mistakes that need to be corrected.
@kith is moving into children’s. The men’s and women’s streetwear brand has launched Kidset, a Kith kids line located in New York at 64 Bleecker Street. The line includes mini versions of staple Kith pieces like the Astor bomber jacket and the Kith box logo sweatshirts, along with a wall that can display up to 120 pairs of shoes from @adidas, @newbalance, @timberland and more. #wwdfashion
“I just wanted to create this fully rounded character, but I do think what excited me most was just the opportunity to give a group of people representation that I feel needs it. I like to do characters in projects that stand for something and Karolina definitely does, so that was really exciting to me,” @ginnygardner says of her new role in @hulu’s “The Runaways.” Gardner plays Karolina Dean, a queer superhero, which is a rarity for @marvel. Read more about Gardner’s character on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @dandoperalski)
@heriethpaul and @gracebol have a moment on the @victoriassecret fashion show 2017. See every look from the runway on WWD.com. Link in bio. (📷: @giovanni_giannoni_photo) #wwdfashion #victoriassecret #VSFashionShow
“Azzedine has been one of the biggest influences in my life. He has always been such a strong, loving, fatherly figure to me. I call him Papa. His designs are indescribably unique, they are pieces of art. He knew how to make the female form look its loveliest. I have so many memories of him; my favorite might be during my first show with him in Paris. He liked me and he wanted to help me get more work. He called all his friends at Kenzo and Comme des Garcons, and asked them to book me. They said, ‘But she can’t walk!’ And he said, ‘but she has such a great ass!' His friendship and support has been the great privilege of my career. I can't imagine life without him. Repose en paix mon Papa.” - @stephanieseymour tells @wwd. #wwdfashion (📷: @steveeichner) #alaia #azzedinealaia
Azzedine Alaïa, flanked by two of his closest friends, models Stephanie Seymour and Naomi Campbell.
He designed Seymour’s dress for her 1995 wedding to Peter Brant, and treated Campbell (who famously called him Papa), like a daughter. For more on the legendary designer, tap the link in bio. #wwdfashion #alaia #azzedinealaia


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Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) has agreed to sell the global license and certain assets of the Christina Aguilera fragrance business to the Elizabeth Arden Inc. (Nasdaq: RDEN) beauty products company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and the deal is expected to close in the third quarter.
Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble has been divesting, discontinuing and consolidating brands since 2014, with plans to eventually exit 105 brands because of the undo complexity they create.
Celebrity recording artist Christina Aguilera has been selling her perfumes since 2007; she now has seven brands. George Cleary, president of global fragrances at Elizabeth Arden, says the company plans to grow the Aguilera business globally.
New York-based Elizabeth Arden is a beauty products company with a portfolio of brands sold in more than 120 countries, including Elizabeth Arden skincare, color and fragrance products, and a professional skincare line. The portfolio also includes the fragrance brands of Juicy Couture, John Varvatos, Wildfox Couture, Britney Spears, White Diamonds Elizabeth Taylor, Curve, Giorgio Beverly Hills, Ed Hardy, Jennifer Aniston, Lucky Brand, Paul Sebastian, Halston, Geoffrey Beene, Rocawear, Alfred Sung, White Shoulders, Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber.
Procter & Gamble’s recent deals have included agreeing in 2015 to sell more than 40 beauty brands to Coty Inc. (NYSE: COTY) for $12.5 billion; the sale of Pert hair care brands to the Henkel consumer goods company in March; and the recently completed sale of the Duracell battery business to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A)
Another example of a company shedding non-core businesses has been Newell Rubbermaid (NYSE: NWL), which wants to focus on its writing, baby and parenting product lines. In March, the company agreed to sell its Levolor and Kirsch window covering businesses for $270 million, to Hunter Douglas. Newell Rubbermaid won Mergers & Acquisitions' 2015 M&A Mid-Market Award for Strategic Buyer of the Year.


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One week video games are bad for you, the next they’re good – today, a video game has been legally approved to help with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), which means they’re good again, right?
In a landmark decision from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), doctors are now able to prescribe an iPhone and iPad game for kids between ages eight and 12 years old who suffer from ADHD (thanks, The Verge). Note, then, that this only applies in the US, and not the rest of the world.
The game is called EndeavorRx and was developed by Akili Interactive. It doesn’t look like much, admittedly, but the game underwent seven years of clinical trials that studied over 600 children to determine whether the game could actually help with ADHD. And it turns out, it could.
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Play your medicine
“We’re proud to make history today with FDA’s decision," said Eddie Martucci, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Akili Interactive. “With EndeavorRx, we’re using technology to help treat a condition in an entirely new way as we directly target neurological function through medicine that feels like entertainment. With today’s decision by FDA, we’re excited to offer families a first-of-its-kind non-drug treatment option and take an important first step toward our goal to help all people living with cognitive issues.”
Check out the game in action below:
A third of children who played EndeavorRx for 25 minutes a day, five days a week for four weeks “no longer had a measurable attention deficit on at least one measure of objective attention”. Common side effects included frustration (get good, kid) and headaches, which is obviously minor compared to what most prescription drugs can cause.
Despite gaining approval by the FDA, the developer themselves – who used their own doctors for the trials – disclose at the bottom of the study that their conclusion results “are not sufficient to suggest that AKL-T01 should be used as an alternative to established recommended treatments for ADHD.” That doesn’t mean the iPhone game won’t help, though – it’s another option for doctors to try if they’re hesitant to prescribe any medication.
We know that video games can help us stay fit, let us socialize and compete for huge sums of prize money if you're into esports, but this is the first time we’ve seen a video game gain recognition as a medical treatment.
EndeavorRx isn’t available yet, but the developer told The Verge that a limited number of families are currently enrolled. You can visit the company’s website and join a waitlist to stay informed if you’d like to find out more.
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Adam was formerly TRG's Hardware Editor. A law graduate with an exceptional track record in content creation and online engagement, Adam has penned scintillating copy for various technology sites and also established his very own award-nominated video games website. He’s previously worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor and once played Halo 5: Guardians for over 51 hours for charity. He is now an editor at The Shortcut.


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MTY Foods to acquire Papa Murphy's for C$253M
Montreal – Papa Murphy’s has signed a $253-million Cdn definitive merger agreement with MTY Food Group, which franchises and operates quick-service and casual dining restaurants under more than 70 different brands in nearly 6,000 locations worldwide.
MTY Food Group will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Papa Murphy’s for cash consideration of $6.45 US per share, representing total transaction value of approximately $253.2 million Cdn ($190 million US), including Papa Murphy’s net debt outstanding, according to a joint news release from Papa Murphy's and MTY.
The purchase price per share of Papa Murphy’s common stock implies a premium of 31.9 per cent to the Papa Murphy’s closing price on April 10, 2019, and 46.3 per cent to the unaffected Papa Murphy’s closing price on Nov. 7, 2018, prior to the announcement by Papa Murphy’s that it was conducting a process to explore and evaluate strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value and had engaged a financial advisor to assist with the review.
As of Feb. 28, 2019, MTY's network had 5,941 locations in operation, mostly all franchised, including over 500 locations operating in 39 countries outside North America.
Papa Murphy's is a franchisor and operator of the largest Take ‘n’ Bake pizza brand and the fifth largest pizza chain in the United States, the release said. Papa Murphy’s was founded in 1981 and operated 1,331 franchised and 106 corporate-owned stores in 37 U.S. states, Canada and the United Arab Emirates as of Dec. 31, 2018.
“This is an important transaction for MTY as we add a brand with a differentiated position in pizza to our existing U.S. portfolio,” said Eric Lefebvre, chief executive officer of MTY. "We believe the pizza segment is highly attractive due to its size, fragmented nature and growth potential. The Papa Murphy's brand is well-loved by its loyal customers and is supported by a strong network of franchise partners. We expect the combination of these two companies and the expertise it brings to produce tremendous opportunities for MTY's U.S. expansion objectives."
The release said the merger is strategically timed as Papa Murphy’s system is building momentum after implementation of refreshed corporate strategy and refocus on the brand.
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Thursday is the annual Pi Day (because Americans would write the date 3.14).
This year, Marcus du Sautoy is hosting Pi Day Live. It's a free interactive online event that is open to all.
The number pi has intrigued mathematicians throughout the ages and this fascination has shown no sign of stopping. In recent times mathematicians have employed super-computers to calculate pi to over a trillion decimal places.
In Pi Day Live, Marcus du Sautoy will be asking whether the techniques used by the ancients to calculate pi can still be used today. And if so, which ones are best? As a part of the interactive audience, you will be a part of answering these questions and more.
To take part, visit the event's online lecture theatre, or go to the event's big screen to watch online. All you need is access to YouTube to get involved.


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- Municipal Corporations 9/10
- TRS 8
- INC 0
- BJP 1
- AIMIM 0
- OTH 0
- MUNICIPALITIES 114/120
- TRS 96
- INC 9
- BJP 3
- AIMIM 2
- OTH 4
Wholesale Inflation Eases to Near 2-year Low at 2.02% in June
Vegetable inflation softened to 24.76 per cent in June, down from 33.15 per cent in the previous month.
Image for representation. (Reuters)
New Delhi: Wholesale price-based inflation declined for the second consecutive month to its 23-month low of 2.02 per cent in June, helped by decline in prices of vegetables as well as fuel and power items, according to official data released Monday.
The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation was at 2.45 per cent in May. It was 5.68 per cent in June 2018. Inflation in food articles basket eased marginally to 6.98 per cent in June, from 6.99 per cent in May.
Vegetable inflation softened to 24.76 per cent in June, down from 33.15 per cent in the previous month. Inflation in potato was (-) 24.27 per cent, against (-) 23.36 per cent in May.
However, onion prices continued the rising trend with inflation at 16.63 per cent during the month, as against 15.89 per cent in May. WPI inflation in June is the lowest in 23 months, since July 2017, when it was at 1.88 per cent.
Inflation in 'fuel and power' category cooled substantially to (-)2.20 per cent, from 0.98 per cent last month. Manufactured items too saw decline in prices with inflation at 0.94 per cent in June, against 1.28 per cent in May.
WPI inflation data for April has been revised upwards to 3.24 per cent from provisional 3.07 per cent. Data released earlier this week showed that retail inflation spiked to a six-month high of 3.18 pc in June, on costlier food items.
The Reserve Bank, which mainly factors in retail inflation for monetary policy decision, on June 6, lowered its benchmark lending rate to nearly a nine-year low of 5.75 per cent, even as it upped its inflation projection to 3-3.1 per cent for the first half of 2019-20.
Flagging uncertain monsoon, unseasonal spike in vegetable prices, crude oil prices, financial market volatility and fiscal scenario as risks to inflation, the RBI projected upward bias in food inflation in near term.
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Will 2016 Be Ford Motor Companys Best Year Yet?
The plush new top-of-the-line 2016 F-150 Limited could help boost Ford's bottom line in the coming year if demand for luxury trucks remains strong. Image source: Ford Motor Company.
Will 2016 be Ford's best year ever? It's possible --at least when it comes to profitability.
Many of the initiatives set in motion by CEO Mark Fields and his predecessor, Alan Mulally, during the last several years are just now starting to pay off. It's possible that 2016 could be the year in which we finally start to see the potential of the globalized "One Ford" that Mulally and Fields had in mind way back in 2006.
But it's also possible that events outside of Ford's control could make 2016 a tougher year than we expect.
Why 2016 could be great for FordRight now, U.S. auto sales are booming. In fact, most analysts agree that 2015 will turn out to be the best year ever for new-vehicle sales in the United States when results are reported next week. Better yet for Ford, demand for SUVs and pickup trucks, Ford's most profitable products, has soared.
Even better, Ford just finished rolling out all-new versions of its F-150 pickup and Edge SUV, along with a revised version of its bigger Explorer SUV. In 2016, it will launch all-new versions of its Super Duty pickups, along with an overhauled version of the compact Escape SUV. Simply put, by the end of 2016, Ford's most profitable products, in the hottest segments of the market, will be fresh and competitive.
The revised-for-2016 Ford Explorer has been selling almost as quickly as Ford can make them. Image source: Ford Motor Company.
That should translate into big sales numbers with minimal need for discounts -- always the most profitable situation for an automaker. (But hold on to this thought, as we'll be revisiting it shortly.)
Meanwhile, Ford's overseas units could also make big contributions in 2016. Ford has been making big investments in expansion in Asia for several years now. The Chinese new-vehicle market slowed in 2015 after several years of strong growth. But if it bounces, Ford is in a great position to continue gaining market share.
In Europe, 2016 could be the year when Ford finally shows a profit after several years of losses. The restructuring plan for Ford Europe, set in motion by Mulally back in 2012, called for factory closures, new products, changes to dealer efforts, and an organizational overhaul. Much of that work has been done.
Ford Europe was originally expected to break even in 2015. The turnaround has been held back to some extent by tough economic conditions in Russia, where Ford has made a substantial investment. But Ford's sales and market share in Western Europe have been rising, in part at the expense of troubled rival Volkswagen , which is contending with a massive emissions-cheating scandal.
It's very possible that Ford Europe won't make much of a profit in 2016, but even a breakeven result would be a big improvement over the billions in losses it has posted since 2012.
Why 2016 could be not-so-great for Ford It's easy to see how Asia could turn out to be just so-so -- if China's economy gets worse instead of better. It's also easy to see how Europe could end up generating another loss -- economic trouble in a market like Germany, or worse-than-expected challenges in Russia.
What might not be as easy to see is how the U.S.'s booming auto market could turn out to be a mixed blessing for the Blue Oval. Absent some sort of surprise economic disruption, new-vehicle sales in the U.S. are likely to be strong again in 2016. But they might not be much stronger than they were this past year. Put another way, year-over-year growth might be hard to get.
If China's slowdown deepens, Ford's Asian profits could be at risk in 2016. Image source: Ford Motor Company.
That could lead some of Ford's competitors to boost their discounting in order to try to generate bigger year-over-year sales gains. Toyota, in particular, could afford such a move, as it has been generating huge windfall profits thanks to favorable exchange-rate shifts.
Ford, like rival General Motors , has so far been quite disciplined with its incentive spending during this economic cycle. That's a big part of why its profit margins in North America have been so impressive. But if Ford finds it necessary to boost its discounts in the face of competitive pressure, those fat margins will come under pressure, as well.
The upshot: Things look good, but it's never a sure betOn balance, 2016 looks likely to be a good year for Ford. And while it's easy to see how the year could turn out to be less than excellent, I'm not sure that means a whole lot for longer-term investors who are already holding Ford.
As investors, here's what we know: Ford has a very good, battle-tested management team. It has strong, fresh products in the market's most-important segments, and a cash reserve that should be ample to keep product development going through a major economic downturn. It's paying a decent dividend, and it's working to ensure that its dividend is sustainable over time.
That will all be true whether 2016 is great, or not so great.
The article Will 2016 Be Ford Motor Companys Best Year Yet? originally appeared on Fool.com.
John Rosevear owns shares of Ford and General Motors. The Motley Fool recommends Ford and General Motors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting WONEWS to 80360, or email
Guiseley fashion show to aid Comic relief
11:00am Saturday 23rd February 2013 in Local news
TK Max in Guiseley is holding a fashion show in store to raise money for Comic Relief. The event will showcase key pieces for the spring and summer and Comic Relief merchandise. The event takes place at the shop in Westside Retail Park on Sunday, March 3 from 6pm to 7pm.


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"Yesterday was National Kiss a Ginger Day. For some reason, nobody told me about it until today."
That's Conan O'Brien, in a monologue he delivered on January 13, 2015. And he's right. January 12 is Kiss a Ginger Day, if only by name. There are thousands of these dumb "National Days," and many can slip by you if you're not looking out for them. Several crowd the calendar each day of the year. Just take the current week, for instance. April 3 was, in part, National Chocolate Mousse Day, World Party Day, and National Find a Rainbow Day. April 4 marks National Chicken Cordon Bleu Day, National Hug a Newsperson Day, and National Walk Around Things Day, and April 5 is National Caramel Day and National Raisin and Spice Bar Day, among several others.
Why do these days exist?
The origin of many are uncertain. A lot of the product-focused holidays trickled out of local and national proclamations, like Reagan's "Ice Cream Day." Others, unsurprisingly, come from conspiratorial corporate marketing—like "Sweetest Day," which was explicitly engineered by a cabal of candy companies. But there are also plenty that happen by complete accident, like September 19's National Talk Like a Pirate Day, which was an in-joke between friends that went viral. The National Kiss a Ginger Day Conan missed out on was one guy's Facebook campaign to counteract National Kick a Ginger Day, which was inspired by an episode of South Park.
You've likely seen these types of uncertified and obscure "holidays" spread like wildfire on Twitter, which they're tailor made for. Morning-show segments, where they make for cheap and easy fodder, also help keep some of them in the public consciousness. Ditto late night monologues like Conan's. The days are in part a product of the modern media age, gobbled up and shared by people on socials and pilfered by sites hungry to make sharable #content.
But you can also thank Marlo Anderson of Mandan, North Dakota, population 20,000.
Back in 2013, Anderson started archiving all these "holidays" at one central hub, National Day Calendar. He began running them down as a fun hobby. It's become a job.
"Four years ago, I heard there was a National Popcorn Day, and I'm kind of a popcorn nut, so I was looking online to learn how that day came to be, and I couldn't find any information," he says. "I thought that was strange, so we [started the site]."
Anderson made use of old congressional records, and the Chase Calendar of Events (a guide to holidays that has been around since 1957) to populate his calendar. After a lot of hours and research, he became a go-to resource. Soon, he says, the media started following, and "it just kinda blew up."
Most of these holidays, he says, have existed for decades but were never particularly relevant. That's changing. On May 28, massive brands like Jack in the Box and McDonald's will no doubt factor National Hamburger Day into their daily marketing blitz. It'll likely trend on Twitter, and the National Day Calendar has a lot to do with that momentum. The site sends out regular media alerts detailing each day's jubilees to the 20,000 press outlets and entertainment figures on its mailing list. That reach has made Anderson the de facto czar for silly fake holidays.
"We kinda rose to this authority, and people started asking if they could register new days with us," he says.
Today, the National Day Calendar is a fully commercial institution, one that no longer lists these days but sells them too. Anderson has monetized by selling holidays through an application process. He says they receive roughly 18,000 applications a year, and of those about 30 turn into "National Days." Every week, a four-person selection committee convenes to whittle down the field. If they reach a unanimous agreement on a proposed day, it moves forward. Those approved can then pick packages that start at $2,300 and feature various levels of engagement.
His usual customers are nonprofits, and Anderson says his personal favorite day he's "registered" is National Astronaut Day on May 5—the same day Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. became the first American in space in 1961.
Of course, there's a lot of corporate involvement too.
Last year, the site sold a day to the Jeep marketing braintrust, giving birth to Jeep 4x4 Day on April 4 (get it?). August 14 is National Fajita Day, which was applied for by the On the Border Mexican restaurant franchise. Anderson isn't a government agent, he doesn't wield any licensed dominion, and these National Days are not nationally recognized in any real sense, but that seems to matter very little. The hope of them catching some kind of viral fire and possibly boosting business is what drives customers to Anderson.
The success of the calendar has taken him by complete surprise. By day, he is the president of Zoovio, a company that digitizes VHS tape libraries, and Awesome 2 Products, a local computer repair outfit near his native Mandan. He likely won't leave those jobs anytime soon, as National Day Calendar does have its own staff now. But who knows. Stranger things have happened. National Sneak Some Zucchini into Your Neighbors Porch Day, for example (August 8, btw).
"I never thought [the calendar] would get to this level," he says. "I laugh about it every day. It's an amazing role to have in life."
Follow Luke Winkie on Twitter.


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Dick's Sporting Goods said Thursday it authorized a $200 million share repurchase program and slightly revised its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings guidance.
The Pittsburgh region-based retailer said it will have earnings of 87 cents to 88 cents per share in the fourth quarter and full-year earnings between $2.01 and $2.02. In November, Dick's Sporting Goods (NYS: DKS) said it expected quarterly earnings between 87 cents and 89 cents per share and full-year earnings between $2.01 and $2.03.
The share repurchase program was approved by Dick's board of directors to "offset the dilutive effect of the issuance of shares expected in connection with the expiration in 2013 of a substantial number of stock options" related to its 2002 IPO, the company said in a prepared statement. Dick's will pay the $200 million from cash.
Meanwhile, same-store sales in the fourth quarter will be either "slightly negative to slightly positive." The company said in November it expected fourth-quarter same-store sales to be flat to up 1 percent. Same-store sales will be up almost 2 percent, Dick's said.
Many retailers, Dick's included, depend on cold-weather apparel and gear to help drive fourth-quarter sales. York-based retailer Bon-Ton Inc. noted the warmer weather in December hurt its holiday sales. Dick's said in a conference call last year that weather does impact their sales, but that impact proved to be limited.
"While the warmer- and drier-than-normal winter has impacted our same-store sales and inventory levels, sales and gross margin pressure have been minimized due to better than anticipated operating leverage, resulting in anticipated full year EPS growth of 23 to 24%," Dick's Chairman and CEO Edward W. Stack said in a prepared statement.


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Fintech is poised for a big year in 2022 – here are three reasons why
It is fair to say that today, fintech is firmly entrenched in society and in our economy. I like to say she “crossed the chasm”: as founders, we spent the early days explaining to people what fintech was, what our product was, and why it was worth listening to.
This chasm in the understanding of fintechs, other companies and the public was crossed some time ago. But that doesn’t mean the industry is done evolving. Last year we saw extraordinary levels of investment in UK fintech companies breaking records. Here are three key trends that indicate 2022 will be another big year for fintech.
Integrated finance will be everywhere
2022 will be a big year for integrated finance, a term used to describe the act of companies (often non-financial) integrating financial products or services into their existing business. A bicycle retailer, for example, may consider bicycle sales as its main source of income, but it can supplement this by also offering bicycle insurance products.
But why will 2022 be such an important year? Two converging trends point in this direction.
First, we’ve seen fintech companies increasingly focus on developing services made available through APIs. An API is code that allows two applications to talk to each other and, in practice, this allows businesses to easily integrate features such as payments, credit and insurance into existing applications or services that their customers are already using. like paying bills through accounting software. , or trade stocks in your banking app.
The second is the unprecedented digitalization that we have seen over the past two years. This means that there are now many other companies with a solid digital platform on which they can integrate financial products or services.
If you also factor in the need for businesses to identify new sources of revenue in the wake of economic disruption, it’s easy to see why integrated finance is so attractive.
“The great unbundling” is reversed
Over the past few years, companies from fintech sub-sectors like insurtech and wealthtech have burst into what might be called the great unbundling – niche providers offering a single, specialized service in insurance or wealth management, and not doing much else.
More and more, we see this logic turned upside down. Indeed, the great unbundling has become the great regrouping. Today, these same specialists are beginning to expand their offerings, as legacy technologies have won over customers with a core proposition that now provides other banking services.
Some forward-thinking industry commentators believe that the future of financial services rests with the companies best able to offer a selection of very high-quality services and APIs and deliver them to customers – not necessarily companies that develop proprietary proposals.
This means that many businesses that were once happy to sit alongside other niche vendors are now vying for the same customers. The winner will play an important role in shaping the future of the fintech industry.
Real-world DeFi apps emerge from crypto-mania
Few will be surprised if crypto continues to be red hot this year, despite the inevitable continued volatility. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this will be businesses, governments, and other groups introducing more practical use cases for crypto and other forms of decentralized finance, or DeFi.
We have already seen growing support for Bitcoin as legal tender in Latin America after it was adopted by El Salvador, a move derided by some but ultimately carried out as a game to combat import-induced domestic price swings.
We have also seen the UK government continue to make noise around the development of a UK CBDC – a “Britcoin”. A relatively unproven concept, CBDCs are nonetheless a tantalizing prospect for many: central banks could get a razor-sharp monetary policy tool, quite unlike anything they have today, with the potential to charge different interest rates in different parts of the economy.
Of course, cryptocurrency is just one application of DeFi. By removing intermediaries and allowing finance to become an action taken directly between two individuals, or even sole proprietorships, DeFi could have massive implications for banks and other financial institutions, while potentially revolutionizing everything from music royalties to law. contracts.
When fintech is doing well, so is society
Looking back on the past 24 months, I feel a bit cheeky making any bold predictions for the next 12 – you never know what might happen next.
But if the past has taught us anything, it’s that the fintech sector has managed to impose itself and even rise to the challenges. This year we are going to have another big year. And that’s something we should all celebrate. When the fintech industry does well – whether it’s a company that helps money flow more easily around the world or a company that helps prevent financial crime – society benefits. often too.


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The evolving world of VOD is expanding beyond forward-thinking cable networks. There's Apple Computer, whose latest-generation iPod plays video, and magazine publishing giant Meredith Corp., last week unveiling an ad-supported VOD service tied to American Baby.
And on the content side, VOD ranges from pro sports to diapers. Witness the launch this month of Driver TV, created by ad production company Radical Media. The channel, being distributed by three top cable operators, already has the backing of General Motors Corp. The auto giant, along with others in the sector, is providing much of the content. The project is in addition to GM's ongoing VOD trials with Comcast Corp. in the Philadelphia market, involving footage from the annual auto show.
"Driver TV is a VOD channel for consumers," says Jon Kamen, one of its creators. "We are launching with 21 million households on Comcast, Time Warner and Cox systems. ... This is a concept that will grow and build."
Marketers have also been keen to support the year-old NFL Network On Demand. Among them are Miller Brewing Co., Procter & Gamble Co., Burger King Corp. and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox. The National Football League's VOD service is priced as a premium product, says a league spokesman. Costs per thousand viewers are five times higher for the league's uncluttered VOD environment than for its established cable channel. "There is not enough ad inventory," the spokesman says. "We're not going to stray away from our model [by adding more spots]. ... Its 100% measurable."
Miller Brewing is the exclusive beer category advertiser of "NFL Replay," a 10-15 minute VOD show, while P&G, one of the most significant advertisers backing VOD, is using the NFL platform for razor products and Prilosec OTC.
SUPER BOWL SPOT COMPENDIUM
Marketers are already being offered the opportunity to showcase their Super Bowl ads on the VOD service. For the first time, the NFL is working with marketers to create a special On Demand show featuring only Super Bowl spots.
Elusive, tech-savvy men are not the only VOD target consumer. Kimberly-Clark Corp. last month signed to promote Huggies and Pull-Ups on PBS Kids Sprout, a Comcast VOD and cable service providing 50 hours of kids programming a day. Kimberly-Clark's VOD ads direct viewers to huggiesbabynetwork.com.
"The VOD universe is still small," says Jason Maltby, president and co-executive director of national broadcast at MindShare, Kimberly-Clark's media agency. "But it is growing. People are being a bit more adventurous."
Cable system operators are expanding their own VOD products to gain more marketer dollars. Time Warner Cable plans to launch Movie Trailers On Demand in the fourth quarter. Larry Fischer, president-media sales at TWC, says that while Warner Bros. might not buy the Albany, N.Y., area because it isn't a top 10 media market, the studio might buy a spot on Movie Trailers On Demand because it's targeted to moviegoers.
When asked about other VOD programming ventures, Mr. Fischer responds: "We're also thinking about travel, fantasy destinations."
The VOD business model remains in flux for all parties, Mr. Fischer says, adding, "We're at the top of the first inning. It's still early in the game, and we've got a lot to learn about pricing and what's going to resonate with subscribers. Autos and movies are things they like."
Marketers and their agencies are providing creative in all shapes and sizes, from short spots to long-form programming. Aiming to gain some coherence is the IDIA Group, a cross-industry association promoting cooperation on creative standards and measurement metrics. The group, whose initials stand for Innovation in Digital Advertising, met this month to discuss getting creative agencies involved in thinking about how to best operate in the VOD realm.
Andrew Keller, creative director at Crispin Porter & Bogusky, has helped create VOD ads for Burger King. The Miami agency set up a fight between two mock chickens, "Spicy" and "T.C." (for Tender Crisp), that was screened online and on Cox Communications's VOD platform.
"Part of it is simply innovation," Mr. Keller says. "Brands benefit from feeling fresh if they are first to market in these new areas. It is a good place for some of our brands to be. But that dries up if people abuse it ... It can get diluted."
The gaping absence of broadcast network shows on VOD is another stumbling block. "People are trying to convince advertisers that there's long-term value in VOD without an adequate measurement system. ... Until you can convince [major media conglomerates] that they are not cannibalizing their own advertising revenue, we are not going to see it grow much," says Mike Paxton, a senior analyst covering converging markets at In-Stat.
Nielsen Media Research indicates that many of its clients, the biggest of which are the broadcast network groups, want to see time-shifted viewing folded back into seven-day ratings before they commit.
STILL SMALL NUMBERS
"We know 20% of our syndicated panel of 9,000 households can access VOD. In prime time in any given month, all VOD usage put together would equal a 0.15 rating," says Sara Erichson, general manager-national TV ratings at Nielsen. That's equivalent to say a spot on a small cable channel or around 150,000 households.
"Folks like Comcast and the programmers are saying to Nielsen, `If we begin to use VOD as a platform to time-shift say "CSI" or "The Amazing Race," you must be able to fold it back into the ratings,' " she says.
Ms. Erichson says her clients are saying they're not going to make deals until the infrastructure is created. Nielsen next February begins rolling out active/passive meters that can track VOD viewing. The rollout is expected to be a two-year process. Nielsen also has a separate product under its Nielsen Entertainment division that will track actual VOD transactions.
"Our presence forces everyone to get on the same page," says Andy Wing, president-CEO of Nielsen Entertainment. "Who's consuming on-demand programming? We can do that internationally."
However, Pat Dunbar, a co-founder of IDIA, says: "We need common and consistent measurement. That still stands in the way of progress."
Nielsen is not alone in measuring VOD. Rentrak, a Portland, Ore.-based company, signed a deal this month to provide on-demand program data to an additional group of clients-Paramount Studios, CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, Noggin, The N, Comedy Central, VH1 and "future on -demand network offerings," according to a Rentrak news release. Other new clients include Expo TV, National Geographic Channel, NFL Network and RipeTV. Rentrak already provides VOD usage data to Music Choice.
NBC Universal Cable has already identified programming that it would be willing to make available in the first phase of rolling out a premium VOD offering, says J.B. Perrette, senior VP-new media and chief financial officer. It would include "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "The Office," "Las Vegas" and some of its top-tier cable content.
He admits there's an impasse with the cable operators over the issue of who pays for rights. "We're standing at the bridge, and there's a gap," Mr. Perrette says. "A business model is lacking. We're sitting on costs we don't want to eat and they don't want to pay, and therein lies the challenge."
Nevertheless, NBC Universal is sufficiently convinced that there's some juice to be had from VOD that it's upping the amount of Spanish-language content it's making available, with more VOD episodes of Jerry Springer-style show "Laura Sin Censura." In addition, NBC already has much of its weekly news programming on VOD platforms.
"Our local news group will do things on mortgages in Philadelphia," Mr. Perrette says. "We see continuing buy rates as the universe grows."
Having advertisers step in and provide a new revenue stream for both sides would appear to be at least part of the answer. However, Alec Gerster, CEO at media agency Initiative, notes: "We've been looking at this for two years, and there's been a lot of money invested in the cable side. We should make it a rich area. We don't want the advertising off in the left-hand corner of the screen."


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Alert for Oklahoma Gazette readers
The Oklahoma Gazette ran the WRONG AD in today’s 11/2/16 edition.
Please share this CORRECT INFORMATION to friends and allies:
Oklahoma City’s 31st annual Peace Festival will be held Saturday, Nov. 12th, from 10 am to 4 pm, in the Civic Center Music Hall’s “Hall of Mirrors.” The event is free and open to the public.
Booths and tables of some 50 organizations working in social justice, human service and environmental sustainability display information and sell books, calendars and crafts.
Select vendors offer fair trade and home-made items for sale, making the Peace Festival a holiday shopping opportunity for good causes.
Live entertainment and a Children’s Activity Room make the event an inspiring visit for families and friends of peace and local efforts making a difference in all our lives.


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Papua New Guinea vow to burn all Asian shops
Greg Roberts; 29/5/09
Activists are threatening to burn all Asian shops as racial tensions escalate across Papua New Guinea. The warning came as Malaysian logging company Rimbunan Hijau accused the media in PNG of fuelling anti-Asian sentiment, and the Malaysian and Chinese consulates in Port Moresby issued safety warnings to their nationals. Four people have been killed since rioting began this month with a fight between Chinese and PNG workers at the Ramu nickel refinery, which is owned by Chinese company Metallurgical Construction Corporation. Rioting and looting have spread to Port Moresby and major provincial centres, with Asian-owned stores the main target.


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Tickets for the London 2012 Paralympic Games are now on sale around the world.
In the UK and within the EU, people can apply for tickets online between 9am on 9 September and 6pm on 26 September 2011.
Approximately two million tickets will go on sale to the public between now and Games time, with 1.5 million being available in this first phase.
A third of tickets are priced at £5, half of tickets priced at £10 or less and three quarters of tickets are £20 or less. As with Olympic Games tickets, the system is not first come, first served and there is no advantage to applying earlier in the process.
Tickets for oversubscribed sessions will be allocated via a ballot. Payment will be taken by 31 October 2011 with notification of whether applications have been successful sent by 18 November 2011.
Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), commented: 'The Paralympic Games are coming home in 2012 and I'm confident that the whole country will get behind them. People will have the chance to see sport like never before, with world class athletes who challenge the notion of 'disability'; it's a huge opportunity for Paralympic sport to become part of the nation's consciousness and finally, it will be a moment of extraordinary pride.'
Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee, said: 'Those who buy tickets for London 2012 will see sport like never before, featuring incredible athletes participating in incredible sport. These Games are an opportunity to drive societal change and create a legacy for this country that was first started in 1948 at Stoke Mandeville.'
Different types of tickets
In total there will be over 300 sessions across the 20 Paralympic sports at 20 venues. Day passes will be available exclusively for the Paralympic Games, enabling spectators to see a range of sports taking place in the Olympic Park, ExCeL or The Royal Artillery Barracks on that day on a general admission basis.
A Group Organiser scheme has also been created which will see large groups receive additional tickets at no extra charge.
Truly accessible Games
LOCOG is also committed to making sure that the London 2012 Games will be the most accessible possible and that everyone has the opportunity to be involved. A variety of schemes have been announced including the ‘Ticketcare' scheme, which will enable any successful ticket applicant with high dependency care needs to apply for an additional ticket for their carer or Personal Assistant.


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Beer & cider: Latest news and analysis articles
Next week sees the International Association of Airport & Duty Free Stores host its annual 'Duty Free Show of the Americas' in Orlando. But,...
In an interview with just-drinks this week, Pernod Ricard CEO Alex Ricard had some strong words for Travel Retail....
For the first time, Dutch brewer Heineken has merged its sustainability report into its main annual report. The increased investor interest...
Once a month, the drinks industry-funded International Alliance for Responsible Drinking, which covers alcohol policies worldwide, looks at...
In the second part of our exclusive interview with consumer futurist Will Higham, we continue to look at the younger end of the consumer spectrum, discussing provenance, rebellion and what we should actually call the next generation.
With the job title consumer futurist, Will Higham has made a career out of telling companies what direction their consumers are heading in. Earlier this month, just-drinks met with him to learn how he goes about forecasting the trends of the future. In part one, we look at how Higham makes his predictions, and the ongoing obsession with Millennials.
Here's a round-up of this week's top stories in the global beer & cider categories. We have similar round-ups for soft drinks & bottled water and spirits & wine.
Molson Coors has lined up a 33cl can format in the UK for Thai brand Singha Beer, as it looks to surf the wave of popularity for the size that has been created by the craft beer segment.
Tsingtao Brewery has warned full-year profits will be down by almost two-fifths in the Chinese brewer's starkest admission yet of its problems.
Heineken has unveiled new aluminium bottles that turn black under black light.
Brown-Forman has teamed up with an R&B singer to launch a new flavour in its 25-year-old Jack Daniel's RTD malted beverage range, Country Cocktails. K. Michelle will help promote the new Southern Peach flavour, which initially rolls out in the south-east US ahead of a nation-wide launch in early Summer.
Sales and volumes increases in 2016 for UK brewer and spirits producer Adnams failed to lift profits in the year, as currency weakness hit the bottom line.
For those people looking to the Red Planet as shining utopia away from all things earth, look away now.
Ever wondered what fuels Anheuser-Busch InBev's acquisitional drive? Is it naked ambition? Faith? The good of mankind?
- Most Valuable Spirits Brands in 2017 - The facts
- Most Valuable Beer Brands in 2017 - The facts
- Has the politics of M&A changed? - Analysis
- IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas - Preview
- What the future looks like for Australian wine
- Coca-Cola Co announces senior executive shake-up
- Heineken sees Tesco pull SKUs in UK
- Baijius brand value overtakes whisk(e)y - figures
- Heineken releases colour-change bottles
- Diageo's Captain Morgan LocoNut - NPD
- Central and East Europe Report Package
- Battle of the Generations - The fight for iGen, Millennial, Gen X and Baby Boomer consumers
- Global vodka insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global Scotch insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global liqueurs insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends research


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01 BLAST FROM THE PAST
If Karl-Friedrich Scheufele had his way, he would never have reintroduced the ﬁrst and only watch he designed for his company, Chopard, when he was 22 years old. But the co-president of the watch and jewellery house has a tenacious son, so we have Karl-Fritz to thank for the reintroduction of the St. Moritz.
First released in 1980, the St. Moritz was not only Chopard’s ﬁrst sports watch, it was also its ﬁrst watch in steel. The collection featured steel bracelets and eight exposed screws on the bezel, with the bezel shape following the contours of the screws to give the watch a distinctive look. The remake, named the Alpine Eagle, shows off a more contemporary round bezel and is now crafted in Chopard’s proprietary Lucent Steel A223, a hypoallergenic alloy that is 50 percent more resistant to abrasion than conventional steel, and harder, with a brilliance comparable to gold.
The movements, of course, have also been updated: the 01.01-C calibre with 60-hour power reserve for the 41mm model, and the COSCcertiﬁed 09.01-C calibre with a 42-hour power reserve for the 36mm models. Of the three references, two are in steel, and one is in steel and ethically mined rose gold.
The introduction of the Alpine Eagle also marks the launch of Chopard’s Eagle Wings Foundation, an environmental project designed to raise awareness of the beauty and fragility of Alpine biotopes. The organisation’s ﬁrst initiative kicked off last month with the Alpine Eagle Race, where participants could observe images taken by a camera strapped to an eagle launched from ﬁve Alpine peaks.
02 MOTOR MANIA
Perhaps realising that consumers have been inundated with vintage-style offerings this year, Montblanc has decided to put forth a straightforward, modern chronograph for this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. Moving away from last year’s “cappuccino” TimeWalker, the new TimeWalker Manufacture Chronograph Limited Edition 1500 is a racing watch in its purest form: A distressed and satin-ﬁnished stainless steel case, a black and grey dial and a combination of anthracite grey and red hands, all driven by the calibre MB 25.10. Seeing as Montblanc is now in its third year as the festival’s official timekeeper, fans of the motoring-themed TimeWalker collection can look forward to more special editions in the future.
Citizen has partnered with Tokyo-based lunar exploration company ispace to provide the latter with its trademarked Super Titanium — a type of titanium that is six times harder than stainless steel — for its two upcoming trips to the moon in 2021 and 2023.
03 LEFT IS RIGHT
If IWC’s claim that over 40 percent of pilots are left-handed is to be believed, it’s a little surprising that the brand has only just released its ﬁrst ever left-handed Big Pilot. But this at least means IWC had plenty of time to get the design and proportions of the Big Pilot’s Watch Edition “RightHander” just right. The 46.2mm stainless steel watch features a slate grey dial, thick and legible hour markers and hands, and black subdials and date window. The deﬁning crown is now placed on the left side of the case. It is limited to 250 pieces, and will be exclusive to Australia and France until the end of the month. For right-handed fans, the closest substitute will be the Big Pilot Patrouille Suisse Limited Edition.
04 CRAZY LADIES
Franck Muller’s eccentric Crazy Hours watches have the most impact when dressed in bright, bold colours, but its new Cintree Curvex Crazy Hours Pastels Asia Exclusive series proves that a gentler touch can be just as memorable. Exclusive to Asia Paciﬁc, these women’s models come in purple, beige, pale blue and orange, in either rose gold or steel. Either way, the case is set with 66 brilliant-cut diamonds, and the hand-painted numerals sit on a sunburst guilloche dial that has been coated with 20 layers of lacquer for added shine. It is powered by the automatic Crazy Hours Calibre FM2001, which comes with a 42-hour power reserve.
TEXT CHARMIAN LEONG


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Nest will also sell an improved smoke detector and carbon monoxide sensor, the Protect
Nest's camera, called the Nest Cam, records 1080p HD video and will send users alerts about different activities in their homes.
Nest's second generation Protect smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector.
Nest's second generation Protect smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector, left, next to its smart thermostat.
Maxime Veron, head of hardware product marketing at Nest, shows off the company's new Internet connected camera during an event in San Francisco on June 17, 2015.
Nest's new Internet connected camera can be controlled from the company's mobile and desktop app.
Nest Protect lifestyle
Nest Cam lifestyle
Nest Cam on the wall
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The Chinese PC maker has reaffirmed its interest in a potential takeover bid for BlackBerry as the firm looks to bolster its place in the western mobile market.
Yang Yuanqing, CEO of Lenovo, admitted to French newspaper Les Echos that a deal for BlackBerry remained on the cards, emphasising that such a deal "could possibly make sense, but first I need to analyse the market and understand what exactly the importance of the company is."
Lenovo has long had an interest in buying BlackBerry, with CFO Wong Wai Ming hinting at a potential deal back in January, telling Bloomberg that the company was "looking at all opportunities."
Interestingly, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins has done little to dismiss the rumours of a potential Lenovo buyout, simply stating: "As always with these topics, we will talk about things when they are ready to be talked about and ready to be announced."
"There are other constituents in the process that need to be involved – if there would be anything."
Heins’ comments certainly suggest that a deal has been addressed, if not already on the cards.
Talk of the deal has provided a boost for BlackBerry, as shares in the firm skyrocketed by 14 per cent immediately following the news.
The firm has celebrated a strong start in 2013, as shares have climbed 26 per cent overall in the year after a lacklustre period, which saw the firm trail behind the likes of Apple and Samsung in the mobile market.
The sixth annual PCR Awards are taking place at the Royal Garden Hotel on March 14th and there are only a few seats remaining! If you want to make sure you’re there to celebrate the best of the UK IT and tech industry, then contact Carly Bailey to book your place


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Indonesian coffee farmers and professionals interested in using agroforestry to support climate resilience have a new tool at their disposal: The Shade Catalog. Available in both English and Bahasa, the Catalog helps farmers select shade trees that are good for coffee, support and diversify household incomes and provide benefits to wildlife and ecosystem services.
The Shade Catalog is available in a mobile-friendly online format and free download at shadecoffee.org.
The Catalog was jointly produced by Conservation International, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and World Coffee Research, with funding from The Starbucks Foundation. Its collaborative development involved the expertise of over two dozen agroforestry, tree biology, coffee industry experts and farmer groups.
“We hope to encourage farmers and industry decision-makers to implement agroforestry systems that sustain both people and the environment,” says Dr Ruth Bennett, Research Ecologist at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. “Coffee is a unique crop because it can be grown with trees, to benefit climate, biodiversity and farmers alike. This catalog is a starting point for similar work in coffee-growing regions around the world.”
Shade trees on coffee farms are an integral resource for farmers, wildlife and the coffee crop itself. But farmers and practitioners often lack information about the tree species found in coffee landscapes: do they have economic uses, like timber or food production? Do the trees compete or complement coffee production? Do they support biodiversity and wildlife?
“As the climate crisis worsens conditions for farmers around the globe, retaining and replanting trees in coffee landscapes will play an increasingly critical role for sustaining coffee agriculture and livelihoods,” says Raina Lang, Senior Director of Sustainable Coffee at Conservation International.
The Shade Catalog gathers existing data on trees found in coffee landscapes – from the species’ main attributes, uses and benefits to propagation and management tips – and makes it freely accessible to support whole-farm planning.
“Tools like The Shade Catalog are critical for supporting coffee agroforestry to help combat the effects of climate change and support income diversification strategies,” says Vern Long, CEO of World Coffee Research.
The Catalog’s first edition focuses on Indonesia, one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of coffee with nearly 2 million smallholder coffee farmers managing 1.2 million hectares of coffee land in one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet. Future editions of the Catalog will expand to cover other critical coffee producing countries, beginning with Peru in 2022.
The Catalog is intended to be a living document and will be updated as more information or research becomes available for the included tree species.


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|By PR Newswire||
|December 11, 2012 04:50 PM EST||
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- CNET, the world's #1 consumer electronics news and reviews brand, today announced its popular video programming is available now on Microsoft's industry-leading Xbox 360® and will appear later this month on Samsung's Smart TVs.
Xbox 360 and Samsung Smart TV customers can sit back and watch popular long-form programs from CNET such as Molly Wood's "Always On," Brian Cooley's "On Cars" and Brian Tong's "Apple Byte" on their big-screen TVs. Viewers can also catch live-streamed tech events or learn about the latest gadgets through hands-on product reviews and comparative videos.
Additionally, CNET Video+, a complementary second-screen app for the Android, iOS and Xbox SmartGlass platforms, will let viewers interact with the video in real-time.
- For Samsung Smart TV users, CNET's video content will be available on a wide range of 2011 and newer Samsung Smart TV and Blu-ray players. The companion CNET Video+ for Android app can intuitively determine the specific episode that is playing and offer complementary content, such as polls, quizzes, product information, reviews and more. Users can play/pause/show content with a mobile device like the Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note 10.1 or Galaxy Tab 2. The Smart TV integration and Android and iOS apps will be available later this month. Visit Samsung's app page at http://www.samsung.com/us/article/know-your-apps-cnet for more information.
- For the Xbox LIVE® platform on Xbox 360, CNET is creating specially curated editorial content and exclusive deals/subscription offers for Xbox LIVE audiences. Users can also navigate CNET content via voice and gesture control using Kinect for Xbox 360. More information about CNET programming on Xbox 360 is available at http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/partners. In addition, CNET Video+ soon will be available on Xbox SmartGlass, which will let viewers use their phone or tablet as a second-screen with their Xbox 360. With SmartGlass, multiple devices work together for rich, interactive experiences.
The licensing agreements with Microsoft and Samsung are at the heart of CNET's strategy to bring its award-winning video programming into the digital living room.
"We're programming for every possible screen – from the smartphone to the television – with video increasingly at the heart of everything we do," said Mark Larkin, Senior Vice President and General Manager of CNET. "Platforms like the Xbox 360 and Samsung Smart TV allow us to extend the reach of our short- and long-form content and deliver a unique, engaging experience where users love to watch video."
"Our goal is to make the entertainment people love more amazing on Xbox by delivering high-quality video from premium content providers to consumers everywhere," said Ross Honey, General Manager of Xbox LIVE Entertainment and Advertising. "We expect CNET's programming will perform well with the Xbox 360 audience, who are looking for the latest tech news and reviews to help shape their purchasing decisions."
"Increasingly, those who enjoy programming on Samsung Smart TVs also have a phone or tablet in their hand," said Eric Anderson, Vice President of Content and Product Solutions at Samsung Electronics America, Inc. "The new CNET app is a perfect example of an effective multi-screen experience."
In addition to Xbox 360 and Samsung's Smart TVs, the entire CNET video lineup is also now available on Windows 8. The CNET app for Windows 8 is available at http://apps.microsoft.com/webpdp/app/cnet/b7dcd9b2-6729-40eb-b462-ef340d652cf3.
The Xbox 360 and Samsung partnerships bring CNET content to greater numbers of potential viewers. CNET's broadcast-quality video programming already attracts nearly 20 million monthly views through select CBS Audience Network partners, including AOL, MSN, Yahoo! and YouTube, as well as Roku (http://www.roku.com/channels#!details/2251/cnet), which has delivered a 150 percent year-over-year increase in completed video views.
CNET shows the exciting possibilities of how technology can enhance and enrich people's lives. Each month, millions of people visit CNET to get the information, tools, and advice that help them decide what to buy and how to get the most out of that technology. CNET features the latest news and unbiased reviews, videos that help demystify technology, software, mobile apps and game downloads, user opinion and reviews, and popular shows like "The 404." Follow CNET on Twitter (@CNET) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/cnet). CNET is a property of CBS Interactive.
DevOps Summit 2015 New York, co-located with the 16th International Cloud Expo - to be held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY - announces that it is now accepting Keynote Proposals. The widespread success of cloud computing is driving the DevOps revolution in enterprise IT. Now as never before, development teams must communicate and collaborate in a dynamic, 24/7/365 environment. There is no time to wait for long development cycles that produce software that is obsolete at launch. DevOps may be disruptive, but it is essential.
Dec. 18, 2014 03:45 PM EST Reads: 731
“In the past year we've seen a lot of stabilization of WebRTC. You can now use it in production with a far greater degree of certainty. A lot of the real developments in the past year have been in things like the data channel, which will enable a whole new type of application," explained Peter Dunkley, Technical Director at Acision, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @ThingsExpo, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 18, 2014 11:30 AM EST Reads: 813
SYS-CON Events announced today that Windstream, a leading provider of advanced network and cloud communications, has been named “Silver Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 16th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 9–11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York, NY. Windstream (Nasdaq: WIN), a FORTUNE 500 and S&P 500 company, is a leading provider of advanced network communications, including cloud computing and managed services, to businesses nationwide. The company also offers broadband, phone and digital TV services to consumers primarily in rural areas.
Dec. 18, 2014 11:00 AM EST Reads: 2,092
The major cloud platforms defy a simple, side-by-side analysis. Each of the major IaaS public-cloud platforms offers their own unique strengths and functionality. Options for on-site private cloud are diverse as well, and must be designed and deployed while taking existing legacy architecture and infrastructure into account. Then the reality is that most enterprises are embarking on a hybrid cloud strategy and programs. In this Power Panel at 15th Cloud Expo (http://www.CloudComputingExpo.com), moderated by Ashar Baig, Research Director, Cloud, at Gigaom Research, Nate Gordon, Director of T...
Dec. 18, 2014 10:30 AM EST Reads: 2,226
The Internet of Things is not new. Historically, smart businesses have used its basic concept of leveraging data to drive better decision making and have capitalized on those insights to realize additional revenue opportunities. So, what has changed to make the Internet of Things one of the hottest topics in tech? In his session at @ThingsExpo, Chris Gray, Director, Embedded and Internet of Things, discussed the underlying factors that are driving the economics of intelligent systems. Discover how hardware commoditization, the ubiquitous nature of connectivity, and the emergence of Big Data a...
Dec. 18, 2014 10:15 AM EST Reads: 2,056
"BSQUARE is in the business of selling software solutions for smart connected devices. It's obvious that IoT has moved from being a technology to being a fundamental part of business, and in the last 18 months people have said let's figure out how to do it and let's put some focus on it, " explained Dave Wagstaff, VP & Chief Architect, at BSQUARE Corporation, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @ThingsExpo, held Nov 4-6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 18, 2014 10:00 AM EST Reads: 1,751
ARMONK, N.Y., Nov. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that it is bringing a greater level of control, security and flexibility to cloud-based application development and delivery with a single-tenant version of Bluemix, IBM's platform-as-a-service. The new platform enables developers to build ap...
Dec. 18, 2014 10:00 AM EST Reads: 1,868
SYS-CON Events announced today that IDenticard will exhibit at SYS-CON's 16th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. IDenticard™ is the security division of Brady Corp (NYSE: BRC), a $1.5 billion manufacturer of identification products. We have small-company values with the strength and stability of a major corporation. IDenticard offers local sales, support and service to our customers across the United States and Canada. Our partner network encompasses some 300 of the world's leading systems integrators and security s...
Dec. 18, 2014 09:30 AM EST Reads: 1,858
"People are a lot more knowledgeable about APIs now. There are two types of people who work with APIs - IT people who want to use APIs for something internal and the product managers who want to do something outside APIs for people to connect to them," explained Roberto Medrano, Executive Vice President at SOA Software, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at Cloud Expo, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 18, 2014 09:00 AM EST Reads: 1,185
Nigeria has the largest economy in Africa, at more than US$500 billion, and ranks 23rd in the world. A recent re-evaluation of Nigeria's true economic size doubled the previous estimate, and brought it well ahead of South Africa, which is a member (unlike Nigeria) of the G20 club for political as well as economic reasons. Nigeria's economy can be said to be quite diverse from one point of view, but heavily dependent on oil and gas at the same time. Oil and natural gas account for about 15% of Nigera's overall economy, but traditionally represent more than 90% of the country's exports and as...
Dec. 18, 2014 06:00 AM EST Reads: 685
The Internet of Things is a misnomer. That implies that everything is on the Internet, and that simply should not be - especially for things that are blurring the line between medical devices that stimulate like a pacemaker and quantified self-sensors like a pedometer or pulse tracker. The mesh of things that we manage must be segmented into zones of trust for sensing data, transmitting data, receiving command and control administrative changes, and peer-to-peer mesh messaging. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Ryan Bagnulo, Solution Architect / Software Engineer at SOA Software, focused on desi...
Dec. 17, 2014 11:15 PM EST Reads: 1,255
"At our booth we are showing how to provide trust in the Internet of Things. Trust is where everything starts to become secure and trustworthy. Now with the scaling of the Internet of Things it becomes an interesting question – I've heard numbers from 200 billion devices next year up to a trillion in the next 10 to 15 years," explained Johannes Lintzen, Vice President of Sales at Utimaco, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @ThingsExpo, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 17, 2014 11:00 PM EST Reads: 1,330
"For over 25 years we have been working with a lot of enterprise customers and we have seen how companies create applications. And now that we have moved to cloud computing, mobile, social and the Internet of Things, we see that the market needs a new way of creating applications," stated Jesse Shiah, CEO, President and Co-Founder of AgilePoint Inc., in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 15th Cloud Expo, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 17, 2014 08:00 PM EST Reads: 1,290
SYS-CON Events announced today that Gridstore™, the leader in hyper-converged infrastructure purpose-built to optimize Microsoft workloads, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 16th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Gridstore™ is the leader in hyper-converged infrastructure purpose-built for Microsoft workloads and designed to accelerate applications in virtualized environments. Gridstore’s hyper-converged infrastructure is the industry’s first all flash version of HyperConverged Appliances that include both compute and storag...
Dec. 17, 2014 06:30 PM EST Reads: 1,198
Today’s enterprise is being driven by disruptive competitive and human capital requirements to provide enterprise application access through not only desktops, but also mobile devices. To retrofit existing programs across all these devices using traditional programming methods is very costly and time consuming – often prohibitively so. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Jesse Shiah, CEO, President, and Co-Founder of AgilePoint Inc., discussed how you can create applications that run on all mobile devices as well as laptops and desktops using a visual drag-and-drop application – and eForms-buildi...
Dec. 17, 2014 11:45 AM EST Reads: 1,436
We certainly live in interesting technological times. And no more interesting than the current competing IoT standards for connectivity. Various standards bodies, approaches, and ecosystems are vying for mindshare and positioning for a competitive edge. It is clear that when the dust settles, we will have new protocols, evolved protocols, that will change the way we interact with devices and infrastructure. We will also have evolved web protocols, like HTTP/2, that will be changing the very core of our infrastructures. At the same time, we have old approaches made new again like micro-services...
Dec. 16, 2014 11:45 PM EST Reads: 1,274
Code Halos - aka "digital fingerprints" - are the key organizing principle to understand a) how dumb things become smart and b) how to monetize this dynamic. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Robert Brown, AVP, Center for the Future of Work at Cognizant Technology Solutions, outlined research, analysis and recommendations from his recently published book on this phenomena on the way leading edge organizations like GE and Disney are unlocking the Internet of Things opportunity and what steps your organization should be taking to position itself for the next platform of digital competition.
Dec. 15, 2014 11:45 PM EST Reads: 1,637
The 3rd International Internet of @ThingsExpo, co-located with the 16th International Cloud Expo - to be held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY - announces that its Call for Papers is now open. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the biggest idea since the creation of the Worldwide Web more than 20 years ago.
Dec. 15, 2014 10:30 AM EST Reads: 6,858
As the Internet of Things unfolds, mobile and wearable devices are blurring the line between physical and digital, integrating ever more closely with our interests, our routines, our daily lives. Contextual computing and smart, sensor-equipped spaces bring the potential to walk through a world that recognizes us and responds accordingly. We become continuous transmitters and receivers of data. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Andrew Bolwell, Director of Innovation for HP's Printing and Personal Systems Group, discussed how key attributes of mobile technology – touch input, sensors, social, and ...
Dec. 15, 2014 10:00 AM EST Reads: 1,943
In their session at @ThingsExpo, Shyam Varan Nath, Principal Architect at GE, and Ibrahim Gokcen, who leads GE's advanced IoT analytics, focused on the Internet of Things / Industrial Internet and how to make it operational for business end-users. Learn about the challenges posed by machine and sensor data and how to marry it with enterprise data. They also discussed the tips and tricks to provide the Industrial Internet as an end-user consumable service using Big Data Analytics and Industrial Cloud.
Dec. 15, 2014 10:00 AM EST Reads: 1,616


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Belfast - A computer scam that has conned users across Europe into paying a €100 (about R1000) fine has arrived in Ireland - complete with imitation garda logo.
Fraudsters in the scam, known as the police trojan, are now targeting the country and sending out messages, accompanied by a good imitation of the Garda logo, telling users their computers have been locked.
Users are told that this action has been taken because the computer has been used to view banned websites, including those showing child pornography.
They are then faced with a demand for a €100 “fine” to ensure that the computer will be unlocked.
The computers are hit by a virus which downloads a graphic with the message and logo and locks the screen. - Irish Independent


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MALCOLM Turnbull and Clive Palmer are Canberra’s hottest couple.
The Daily Telegraph has obtained exclusive pictures of the pair enjoying a cosy afternoon drink at the Hyatt on Tuesday and can reveal they now regularly meet.
Mr Palmer’s office last night confirmed the pair “catch up all the time” when they are in the nation’s capital.
News of the catch-up came as Mr Palmer’s flagship company Mineralogy was criticised by a Supreme Court judge over “absurd” legal tactics.
Perth’s Justice James Edelman made the remarks in a judgment that ordered the Federal MP’s company to pay costs to its estranged Chinese business partners. It is understood the costs could exceed $1 million.


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Amazon employees can pursue a college degree at Wright State University through a new partnership between the retailer and Wright State.
Under the program, Amazon will pay the tuition of full- and part-time employees who enroll in one of Wright State’s 146 undergraduate academic programs. The program supports Amazon employees who want to earn certificates, associate degrees or bachelor’s degrees. The Amazon Career Choice program assists employees as they learn new skills to advance their careers at Amazon or elsewhere.
The partnership between Wright State and Amazon fits the university’s commitment to supporting students’ academic and career goals and helping meet the region’s workforce needs, said Wright State President Sue Edwards.
“Wright State University is thrilled to be selected by Amazon as a Career Choice education partner,” Edwards said in a statement. “Wright State is committed to transforming the lives of our students and the communities we serve. We are dedicated to expanding access to higher education, and we are thankful that partners such as Amazon recognize the importance of higher education in meeting their current and future workforce needs.”
Read the complete story at daytondailynews.com.


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NOKIA’S once dominant hold on the mobile phone market continued to weaken in its third quarter ending 30 September, but optimism surrounding the Finnish firm’s future pushed its share price up nearly seven per cent yesterday to €5.36.
Nokia’s revenue fell 22 per cent year-on-year to €5.6bn (£4.8bn), pushing the company back into the black with a €118m operating profit on the back of its record 8m Lumia smartphone sales during the quarter.
But optimism surrounded Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) – one of the three divisions that will remain once Nokia sells its devices and services division to Microsoft in the first quarter of 2014.
With growing operating margins and profits of €166m, Nokia forecasts the NSN’s operating margin will improve in the fourth quarter to around 12 per cent from 8.4 per cent in the third quarter.
The company said it will build on the strength of NSN, its HERE mapping division and its Advanced Technologies patent division to ensure the growth of these businesses.
“Our strategy work is making good progress and it has already become clear that there are meaningful opportunities for all of our business areas… we have strong assets that we continue to invest in for the long term benefit of our customers and shareholders,” said Nokia chairman Risto Siilasmaa.


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Chevy and GMC are recalling roughly 4,000 heavy-duty trucks over a steering defect that could result in a crash.
Meanwhile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation to consider expanding a seven-year-old Ram recall to over 1 million pickups that could be subject to power steering failure.
Chevy, GMC recall
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a steering arm in certain 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500, 3500 could disconnect and result in a total loss of steering and lead to collision.
Dealers will inspect and replace the steering gear if necessary free of charge. The parts needed to complete the required repair are not yet available. Trucks that fail inspection will be held by dealers until repairs are made.
Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 18, 2023. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM’s number for this recall is N232414720.
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
NHSTA reported that its Office of Defects Investigations has received 380 complaints from Ram customers alleging intermittent or complete loss of power steering in 2013-2016 Ram 1500 trucks. Steering failures have been reported at various speeds and have led to three crashes. No injuries were reported.
An earlier steering recall was issued by then Ram parent company Fiat Chrysler Automotive in March of 2016 for 2015-2016 Ram 1500 pickups. Only 440 trucks were impacted. NHTSA estimates that its investigation could lead to a recall of 1,106,211 Ram 1500 pickups from model years 2013-2016. Investigators will determine if the scope of the 2016 recall is correct or if another defect might be to blame for steering issues in additional trucks.


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Cubariqueño Cigar Co. announced a line extension to their Protocol Themis cigar, a Corona Gorda. This new size will be a Famous Smoke Shop exclusive. Like all other Cubariqueño cigars, they re being rolled at La Zona in Esteli, Nicaragua. The vitola is 5 5/8 x 46 and comes in boxes of 10. The blend remains the same as the previous Themis releases using an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and fillers.
There will be a launch party at Famous Smoke Shop’s Leaf Cigar Bar, in Easton, PA. on September 8, 2018 at 2pm. The cigar will be sold during the event as well as online. Bill Ives Co-Owner of Cubariqueño Cigar Co. says, “I believe this blend shines the best in this Vitola. I believe this might be our best cigar yet.”


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Workshop’s January announcement that it would permanently close shocked the restaurant community and patrons who still frequent the rotating food hall. But, should we have seen this coming?
It’s clear the business model had its issues, as owner Michael Shemtov candidly told the City Paper. But with the additional news that food hall plans also stalled at Park Circle’s Garco Mill redevelopment, Charleston’s food hall future appears to be uncertain. Meanwhile, investors in Charlotte and Greenville have forged ahead with what some are calling “the independent F&B model for the future.”
From Pike’s Place Market in Seattle to Chelsea Market in New York City, the most-visited food halls in the country have several things in common — there’s a buzzing environment, diversity, state-of-the-art equipment for chefs and manageable wait times. Workshop has most, if not all, of these characteristics.
“We spent a lot of money on the kitchen,” Shemtov said “It was probably a $700,000 kitchen.”
Inside the impressive kitchen are tenants signed to short-term leases, setting Workshop apart from classic food halls that strive to find concepts that stick around for years.
That was the goal at Garco Mill, a Park Circle development that in 2018 announced its plans to build a 12,500-square-foot food hall featuring 16 stalls. But earlier this month, developers announced those plans were off and the area would be converted into office and restaurant space.
“Construction delays were problematic, and we ultimately decided to scale down the food hall space to offer more flexibility, including space for food concepts and also to meet more of the demand for office,” Garco Mill developer Jay Weaver said in an email to the City Paper.
In an interview with The Post and Courier, Weaver’s partner and Republican State Rep. William Cogswell said he was uncertain what will go in the Garco Mill space reserved for food service.
Cogswell did not respond to the City Paper’s request for comment.
Gather GVL debuted in downtown Greenville on Feb. 18, 2020, and despite opening just before the onset of the pandemic, the food hall has filled 10 of its 13 stalls, signing tenants with 1-5 year leases, according to Gather co-owner Mack Cross.
“What we set out to do was create an opportunity for folks that were talented but didn’t otherwise have opportunities to go into downtown Greenville,” said Cross, adding that they targeted established restaurateurs and up-and-coming chefs as potential tenants. “We wanted to lower the barrier to entry for sure.”
Cross said this has led to some tenant turnover in Gather’s first year, but he’s confident in the current group that will soon include West Ashley eatery Spanglish, which will open Myami Bites in one of the hall’s incubator spaces.
Charlotte’s 2-year-old Optimist Hall has a strong list of 23 tenants, including two Charleston transplants — Boxcar Betty’s and Xiao Bao Biscuit, which will join the hall later this year. Unlike Workshop and Gather, Optimist Hall prefers to sign its tenants to 5-10 year leases, Optimist developer Merritt Lancaster told the City Paper.
“From our view, a food hall is hopefully all things to all people,” Lancaster said.
While Shemtov took a hands-on approach to operating Workshop, given its inexperienced tenants, Lancaster, who was a part of the Garco Mill development before selling his stake for reasons unrelated to the project itself, said Optimist “generally stays out of (tenants’) immediate business.”
“We are effectively running the front-of-house of a giant restaurant.”
In a post-COVID-19 world, food halls are positioned to succeed, according to a May 2020 report by real estate investment firm Cushman & Wakefield. Manipulatable seating, expansive outdoor space and a decline in stand-alone restaurants were some of the reasons cited by analysts, who called food halls “the independent F&B model for the future.”
But, what does this mean for Charleston?
“There’s a big trend with malls trying to redo their food courts in the style of a food hall,” Shemtov said.
Consulting firm Deloitte has even predicted “a renaissance” for mall food courts.
Citadel Mall director of sales and leasing Ginger Davis wasn’t ready to commit to sweeping changes at the West Ashley mall, but she hopes to welcome up-and-coming Charleston restaurateurs and “chef-driven concepts” in the future.