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the evolution of foam for packaging
- New methods within foam-packaging development playing a key role in efforts to reduce packaging waste
- Emerging economies are behind rising demand for packaging materials
- Technological advancements set to boost the engineered foam market in coming years
Packaging foams are cross-linked structures designed to protect products of any weight during transit. Flexible polyurethane is used for its cushioning properties; strong, non-abrasive, closed-cell foam packaging and foam rolls are ideal for cushioning and protecting fragile goods, providing high energy absorption, light weight, flexibility, strength, support, and resilience, as well as good resistance to chemicals and water.
Companies such as Zotefoams have long been innovating in this area, producing returnable transit packaging that plays a key role in worldwide efforts to reduce packaging waste. For example, the company’s AZOTE foams can be used multiple times, both as case inserts and dunnage. Zotefoams reports that the high-energy-absorbing nature of its foams means that less thickness is needed, and smaller packaging means less space is required during storage and transit.
Recent years have witnessed an increase in the use of foam materials in the packaging industry. Emerging economies such as China, India, and Russia are experiencing significant growth in polyurethane, (EPS) polystrene and polyethylene foams for packaging applications, largely due to increased demand for packaging materials in the e-commerce industry. PU-cored foams are desirable due to their lightweight construction, impressive thermal insulation, and speedy, economic construction.
Broadly, the engineered foam market is set to receive a boost from technological advancements through to 2024. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to dominate the market for engineered foam during this period as a result of major growth of the automotive industries in emerging economies including China and India. But that’s not to say that the engineered foam markets of Europe and North America are set to slow – in fact, they’re also forecast to expand, driven by the presence of numerous vehicle manufacturers.
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The Northwich Town Council (NTC) has urged businesses to say yes to a second five-year term for the Northwich Business Improvement District (BID).
Over the next month, businesses within the BID area will vote on whether they would like the Northwich BID to continue for a further five years and NTC believe it would be a disaster for the town if retailers said no.
“We would be very disappointed if there wasn’t a BID2,” said Town Clerk Chris Shaw. “Working in partnership with the BID we have achieved so much over the last few years and the plan is to carry on with all the great projects and initiatives within the town.
“By working together with the BID we have been able to stage bigger and better events for the town and it also means we have additional help and support on those days,” Chris added.
He went on to describe how NTC feel that the BID has benefited Northwich in other ways too, while also highlighting what the town could potentially lose if businesses don’t back BID2.
“The Northwich BID has invested so much time and effort in helping to improve the town through street cleansing, the funding of additional Christmas lights, enhanced floral displays within the town centre and hanging baskets.
“They also do a great job of promoting businesses via their social media platforms which inevitably brings in additional footfall.
“A no vote would mean a reduction in the events that take place in Northwich each year, limited floral displays, fewer activities, less town centre cleansing and crucially, businesses would lose a voice.”
Over the past five years the BID has overseen and delivered a range of projects to promote the town and increase footfall including the development of the Visit Northwich website, the running of seasonal Extravaganzas alongside NTC, provision of workshops and training courses for staff of BID businesses and marketing support for externally run events such as the CW9 festival, the Northwich River Festival and activity at Barons Quay.
All of this has helped increase the number of visitors to Northwich as Chris has observed.
“We have definitely noticed an increase in footfall in the town centre in recent years. High streets are struggling throughout the country but I feel that working in partnership with the BID and other organisations, we have made a difference to the town.”
Chris saved his final sentiments for businesses within Northwich, urging owners to back BID2 and get involved with the BID team.
“I would say to businesses vote yes and if the BID is successful yet again get more involved and ask to be on the board.
“The BID is there for businesses so make sure you engage with the BID team and tell them what is most important to you and what you would like to see.”

domain: news


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Apparel will continue to be challenged in 2018, while rising labor costs remain a concern for many.
The campaign is integrated across multiple platforms and includes experiential events to connect with the consumer.
The business has worked with Sephora, L’Oréal, Dove, Nordstrom, Nike and other fashion and beauty companies.
Showing in Paris may not be forever, but Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez are pleased, for now.
Influencers behind The 12ish Style, Scout Sixteen and Hummingbird High bristled at the idea of disclosure during a panel discussion on marketing.
The brands have reached their second settlement in recent years.
Watch out, Stitch Fix.
Unauthorized use of music owned by another may be copyright infringement.
The Swiss luxury operator is seeking damages that could reach well beyond $100 million.
Using torn-out pages of censored porn as a starting point, the Carwash Collective features 11 ensembles that will debut at Saturday night’s opening party in the West Chelsea gallery.
In addition to a sense of adornment or function, clothing can provide insights to global issues like the economy and climate change.
The agency said models can switch agencies as they please in response to allegations that it poached Aboah from rival firm Lions.


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Chinese Man Spent $82,000 on 99 iPhone 6s to Propose a Girl, But She Turned Him Down
An unnamed man from Guangzhou, in Guangdong province, South China, spent $82,000 on 99 identical iPhone 6s to propose to his girlfriend but unfortunately, she said no while leaving him with a bouquet of flowers and likely an empty wallet. reports News Australia (via The Nafang). The man basically assembled his stack of brand new iPhone 6 handsets in the shape of a heart as shown in the photograph below.
Then standing inside the heart made of iPhone 6s with a bouquet of flowers, he asked his girlfriend to be his bride, all while a crowd of family and friends watched on. Sadly, she said no. To make matters worse, his friends and colleagues were at the ceremony, probably hoping to get a free iPhone 6 for all their troubles. They might not have gotten a thing due to her saying no, so work is going to be awkward for a while.
“November 11 marks Singles’ Day in China, a national event that began several years ago as a way for the unlucky in love to woo the objects of their affection or to meet new people at various parties organised to mark the occasion. Each year, millions of people execute grand and sometimes bizarre gestures of romance that regularly go viral online. For the heartbroken programmer who now has 99 iPhones in his possession, the proposal set him back an estimated $82,000. That’s roughly two years’ salary.”
Is it just me or are you guys feeling bad for the poor guy too?


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|Wednesday, April 01, 2009|
Monday, July 06, 2015
Picking a business partner is not much different than choosing a spouse or life partner, and the business break-up can be as heart-wrenching and costly as divorce.
Wednesday, June 03, 2015
As part of our green workplaces story, Oregon Business checked out a community service project undertaken by Portland Youth Builders, a nonprofit alternative high school. In partnership with Whole Foods, PYB built garden boxes for a Home Forward housing site. Home Forward is a government agency that provides housing for low income residents and people with disabilities.
Thursday, July 09, 2015
The sweltering weather didn't keep the crowds away. Although the numbers were down slightly from last year, the Oregon Food Bank raised $850,636 to fight hunger. About 80,000 people attended despite temperatures in the upper 90s.
Friday, July 10, 2015
BY JACOB PALMER
Most of the food Americans consume is trucked in from hundreds of miles away. Eric Wilson, co-founder and CEO of Gro-volution, wants to change that. So this past spring, the Air Force veteran and former greenhouse manager started work on an alternative farming system he claims is more efficient than conventional agriculture, and also shortens the distance between the consumer and the farm.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
We asked readers how Obamacare has impacted their business.
Friday, July 10, 2015
BY LINDA BAKER
Market of Choice is on a tear. In 2012 the 35-year-old Eugene-based grocery chain opened a central kitchen/distribution center in its hometown. The market opened its third Portland store in the Cedar Mill neighborhood this year; another outpost in Bend broke ground in March. A fourth Portland location is slated for the inner southeast “LOCA” development, a mixed-use project featuring condos and retail. Revenues in 2014 were $175 million, a double-digit increase over 2013. CEO Rick Wright discusses growth, market trends and how he keeps new “foodie” grocery clerks happy.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
An international architecture firm known for its design of the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion in New York unveiled its plan this week for a modern indoor/outdoor food market at the foot of the Morrison Bridge in downtown Portland.
|10 Innovators in Rural Health|
|The Private 150: From Strength to Strength|
|Farm in a Box|
|Preserving the Legacy|
|Flattery with Numbers|
|Downtime with Debra Ringold|
A look back at the shifting sands of Portland’s growth and development.


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MANDEVILLE, La. (WGNO) – It’s time to re-stock the shop for the season.
That’s what you do when you’re an about-to-be ten-year-old Louisiana businesswoman and your customers like your new line.
Your new holiday line.
WGNO Good Morning New Orleans features reporter Bill Wood wonders if there might be something here that Santa would find stylish.
Izzy Authement says, “yes, this green and white one, it says jolly on it.”
Back home, in her laundry room world headquarters in Mandeville, Izzy creates bracelets.
This time of year, they are bracelets for Christmas.
With beads and ribbons and innovative imagination.
Izzy is a designing woman.
She’s a fourth grader who makes them and donates the money she makes to kids who have brain cancer.
Izzy says, “my friends Bella and Walker died from pediatric brain cancer and I wanted to raise money to try to make a cure.”
Fashions for Kids is the shop where Izzy’s clients shop.
There are only so many shopping days left.
But oh-so-many ways for Izzy Authement to bring joy to the world.


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Historically Olympics originated from Greece and were a much practiced social event before the advent of modern era. Modernization has internationalized this amateur social event into a professional international games competition, where summer and winter sports are featured amongst more than 200 nations. The coming London Olympic Games 2012 are the highlight of every UK news channel nowadays, expected to start from 27th July 2012. Interestingly, this is not the first time for London to host World Olympics as it has successfully done so in 1908 and 1948 as well but London Olympic Games 2012 makes London the first city to host three international Olympics.
Being a World Olympic host country presents stronger connotations than meets the eye. Here we will discuss the financial impact of the London Olympics 2012 on the United Kingdom financial sector. Ideally the representative financial authorities of England, namely Cabinet Office, Department of Culture Media and Sports and the Olympic Security Directorate gather relevant data to gauge the financial impact of Olympics on the country's financial sector.
The host country of World Olympics is supposed to provide the physical and technical infrastructure, taken from its public money. Olympic Games are however, privately funded through sponsorships, ticketing, merchandising and media broadcast copyrights. So, while a control on public spending can be ensured, private spending is a free zone. Many medium and large multinational companies brand and co-brand Olympics' game wear and essentials. You can only imagine the impact these marketing strategies have on consumer buying power decision, directly affecting various financial segments in a country's overall financial sector. (more...)


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After the death of Janey Belle, a new Zombie Tramp will rise from the grave, with Action Lab: Danger Zone announcing today at the New York Comic Con that Angel Lynch will be the next woman to take up the mantle of Zombie Tramp beginning in issue #57.
“To make it to 50 issues in a comic series today is certainly a milestone,” said creator Dan Mendoza. “I started this title in 2009 not knowing what I was in for. I certainly never expected it to become such a beloved character. It was just a labor of love to tell a story that wasn’t mainstream and didn’t have capes. This new tale in issue 57 jump starts a whole new character that hard core Zombie Tramp fans will love as much as the original. Teaming up with Aspen’s Vince Hernandez on this upcoming saga will prove to shock and amaze fans with dark humored, ultra sexy and violent storylines ZT fans have come to love. Our combined story ideas are creating a fresh take on a new Zombie Tramp that will differ from the original Janey Belle and welcome in the new anti-heroine, Angel Lynch.”
“I’m honored to be able to take on this iconic cult classic series with Dan Mendoza, a visionary creator,” said incoming co-writer Vince Hernandez. “What we have planned with the just-announced new character, Angel Lynch, is a brand new chapter but really a throwback to what Dan created with the very first Zombie Tramp issue. It’s over-the-top sexy fun, grindhouse action and supernatural awesomeness set across the entire world landscape this time. It’s a tribute to Dan’s loyal fan base while also offering a fresh take for anyone that has yet to experience the brilliance of this title. It’s gonna be a ride!”
Angel Lynch will make her debut in Zombie Tramp #57, and you can check out the cover here…
Zombie Tramp #57 goes on sale in December.


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YouTube star who makes 'slime' videos buys a six-bedroom house with her earnings, revealing that she makes six figures PER MONTH creating the goo
- Karina Garcia, 23, of Riverside, California, has 'retired' her own parents after hitting it big as a YouTube star with over 5.7 million subscribers
- The young woman specializes in 'slime', a silly putty-like substance that has become an online craze among youngsters
- With millions of views on each of her videos, Karina makes between $20,000 and $60,000 per sponsorship deal with brands including Coca-Cola and Disney
A YouTuber specializing in making slime videos has made enough money to buy herself a house.
Karina Garcia of Riverside, California, is one of the world's most popular purveyors of slime tutorials, making various versions of silly putty-like substances that can be satisfyingly squished and stretched on camera.
The 23-year-old has so perfected the practice that she has amassed more than 5.7 million subscribers to her YouTube channel as well as securing a book deal for her DIY slime recipes.
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Making it big: Karina Garcia, 23, is now able to support her parents and her siblings on her earnings through YouTube slime videos
A bit of squish: Slime has become a massive online craze recently, with millions of youngsters creating the silly putty-like substance at home
Thanks to her empire that slime built, Karina was able to recently purchase a new six-bedroom home in California, complete with a swimming pool, game room and screening room.
Speaking to Cosmopolitan, Karina revealed that she got started in the slime business after finding that there was a lack of recipes online for making slime, which she used to play with as a kid.
'I got obsessed with slime, out of nowhere,' she said. 'There was only like, one recipe for a basic Gak [a slimy modeling compound] online. So I just decided to go with it.'
Flying high: Karina first began playing with slime as a child, but later found that it was tough to find recipes for the goo online
Slimetrepreneur: Karina has also bagged a book deal, releasing a series of her slime recipes
Getting creative: The slimes come in all sorts of colors and contain plenty of interesting additions
After her sister, who has her own YouTube channel doing beauty tutorials, encouraged Karina to create her own account, she was off and running.
The slimes created on Karina's channel come in all colors, packed with glitter, and are even sometimes edible - such as the pink Starburst video from last year that has more than five million views.
In seven months, Karina began making money from her slime videos. Very soon after that she was supporting her whole family, including her parents and her siblings, through her hobby.
Helping out: She revealed that her massive earnings have helped her 'retire' her parents
The big squeeze: Each one of Karina's videos boasts millions of viewers - leading to massive sponsorship deals
All smiles: Karina has even created edible slimes, such as pink Starburst slime recipe that has more than five million views
The money comes not from the recipes or slime sent out to customers, New York Times reports, but rather from sponsorship deals and other advertisers including Coca-Cola and Disney.
The sponsorships can come with pay checks of between $30,000 and $60,000, with Karina revealing that she makes more than $100,000 total every month.
'There are times when it’s $200,000 in a really good month,' she said. 'I’ve retired my parents. It’s definitely really crazy. Even I can’t believe it.'
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Dine at your favorite Newport Beach restaurants for “Savor The Flavor” a week-long culinary celebration where you can order bargain three-course prix-fixe lunches and dinners. Newport Beach Restaurant Week runs today through next Thursday. Nearly 75 of the finest Newport Beach restaurants are serving up special menus at $10, $20, $30 or $40.
And the more you dine out, the more you’ll be rewarded. When your bill comes you’ll receive a Gratuity Card worth 20% off food orders redeemable after Restaurant Week ends, and a complimentary bottle of Perrier. Gratuity cards are good Oct. 23 through Nov. 30. And there is no limit to how many Gratuity Cards you can earn. Twenty percent discount offer is good for food order only. Limit one card per person. Gratuity Card promotion not good with any other promotions. Not valid on holidays. Take out orders do not apply. Perrier promotion good while supplies last.
Advance reservations are recommended and can be made by calling restaurants directly, or, by visiting NewportBeachdining.com. For a complete list of participating restaurants, menus, online reservations or special promotions and parties taking place during Newport Beach Restaurant Week visit: www.NewportBeachDining.com.
Car Crazy in Anaheim This Weekend!
The OC Auto Show features the latest and greatest in futuristic concept cars, exotics, alternative fuel and more today through Sunday at the Anaheim Convention Center. Highlights of the show include the Tesla Roadster, an electric car with a range of 200 miles on a single charge; luxury exotics vehicles from both Ferrari and Maserati; the all-new 2010 Lotus Evora (only one in the U.S.); Toyota’s complete line of Hybrids; and futuristic concept cars and pre-production models from Ford, Hyundai, Chevrolet, and Mini Cooper. Tickets cost $10 for adults; kids free. Open noon to 10 p.m. today; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m Anaheim Convention Center 800 West Katella Ave. in Anaheim. 714.765.8950.
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O Sea’s Dad’s Secret Not-So-Secret Off-Menu
O SEA presents its first installment of its secret menu…Dad’s Secret Not-So-Secret Off-Menu -- the Double Cheeseburger, brisket & chuck, American cheese, shredded lettuce, remoulade, bread & butter pickles, toasty brioche bun. Available this Father’s Day until they sell…
A Restaurant Presents “A Classic Never Goes Out of Style” Father’s Day Experience
Celebrate the special men in your life at A Restaurant with the inaugural “A Classic Never Goes Out of Style” Father’s Day event from 3-5 p.m. on Sunday, June 20.
Set in the restaurant’s spacious outdoor lot, guests are…
Father’s Day Dining in OC
With Father’s Day just around the corner on Sunday, June 20, it’s the perfect time to start planning celebrations for Dad, and we all know the fastest way to the heart is through the stomach!
Treat Dad to a Soul-Satisfying…
Olympic Surf Team’s Wyland gear for healthy oceans
USA's first-ever Olympic Surfing Team and Wyland Foundation launched a partnership for healthy oceans and to raise support for USA Surfing's first appearance in the Olympics.
To commemorate USA Surfing at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, renowned marine…


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Honda has been forced to recall 1.1 million vehicles to re-replace a faulty Takata airbag inflator that may rupture upon deployment.
All vehicles involved in this recall were previously repaired using a certain Takata airbag inflator (model PSDI-5D). Many of the initial fixes still contain dangerous parts that could result in explosions.
An investigation revealed that these inflators experienced a manufacturing process error that allowed moisture to enter the inflators during the assembly – very similar to the problem that caused the Takata airbag recall in the first place.
Honda is now encouraging all owners of affected vehicles to schedule a repair at an authorized Honda dealer ASAP. All repairs will be performed free of charge.
Affected vehicles include:
2003 Acura 3.2CL
2013-2016 Acura ILX
2003-2006 Acura MDX
2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL
2004-2006 and 2009-2014 Acura TL
2007-2016 Acura RDX
2010-2013 Acura ZDX
2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord
2001-2005 Honda Civic
2002-2007 and 2010-2011 Honda CR-V
2003-2011 Honda Element
2007 Honda Fit
2002-2004 Honda Odyssey
2003-2008 Honda Pilot
2006-2014 Honda Ridgeline
With this recall, Honda says the total number of recalled Takata inflators is approximately 21 million units, with around 12.9 million Honda and Acura vehicles so far.
The recall, is part of a larger recall of Takata airbags, which can throw shrapnel if they explode after deteriorating over time due to heat and humidity. The issue has resulted in at least 23 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
If you a proud owner or you know someone that owns the affected vehicle models , please take this news seriously.
Also See: Buy and sell cars faster on Carmart NG


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Grid Autosport from Codemasters will be getting several waves of DLC that will be coming over the next few months according to community manager Ben Walke. This DLC will be made up of mini-sxpansion packs as well as new car packs.
Grid Autosport Season Pass holders can look forward to three car packs: Best of the British, Coupe Style, and Road & Track. Mini-expansions on tap include: Sprint Pack, Touring Car Legends, and Drag Racing. All of the DLC is slated to be released before October 2014 and those who didn’t opt for the Season Pass purchase will be able to buy the DLC individually as well.
A couple of patches that include a virtual rear view mirror and playlist changes are also coming as well, but no date has been set on when those might be released.
Read more here.


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Turkey strengthens its textile industry expects fashion export of $19 million in 2020
In January, the country's fashion exports registered a year-on-year increase of 5.8%, according to the latest data from the Istanbul Apparel Exporters Association (Ihkib).
The fashion industry in Turkey, on the rise. The country expects to end 2020 reaching a record in its fashion exports. Specifically, the Turkish market plans to close the year with fashion sales abroad worth 19,000 million dollars, compared to 17,700 million in 2019.
Turkey is one of the productive hubs that is benefiting the most from the coronavirus epidemic, as it stands as a cluster of alternative production to the Chinese market.
In January, the country's fashion exports registered an annual increase of 5.8% according to the latest data from the Istanbul Apparel Exporters Association (Ihkib). In the first month of the year, Europe was Turkey's main customer.
Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom were the countries that most imported Turkish fashion goods in the period, registering a rise in exports of 4.7%, 8.7% and 3.9%, respectively. The Netherlands, France, the United States, Denmark, Iraq and Poland are also among the main importers of the Turkish fashion sector.
In parallel, Mustafa Gultepe, president of the Ihkib, has indicated that the coronavirus will positively affect the Turkish industry since the main fashion operators have moved their supplies to the country before the outbreak of the epidemic. However, it also affects the fall in the production of raw materials in China ballasted by the coronavirus.
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Bengaluru: Exactly two months ago, a kilogram of tomato was sold for Rs 10, and growers from Kolar, Tumakuru, Chinthamani and other areas protested demanding better prices. But on Wednesday, the same vegetable had hit Rs 100 per kg at retail stores across the city. Even at Horticultural Producers’ Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society (HOPCOMS) outlets, the price was Rs 82 per kg.
Customers complained that even with these searing prices, the quality of tomatoes was poor as the local variety has vanished from the market. The shortage is because of heavy pre-monsoon showers that have destroyed the crop in southern parts of the state where the vegetable is cultivated widely.
Mr Janardhana Bangera, a vegetable wholesale merchant in Yeshwanthpur, said that the price of tomato has been soaring over the last one week. “I am in this business for the last two decades. This is the first time that the price of tomato has crossed Rs 70 per kg. If the rain continues over the next one week, prices may go up even further,"
“The prices will start falling only after 20-25 days when fresh produce comes into the market,” he explained. Mr Mohammed Usman, another vegetable wholesale seller at KR Market, said that heavy rain in Tamil Nadu was also responsible for the steep rise in prices of all vegetables. “KR Market gets around 80 tonnes of vegetables every day. Of which around 5-6 tonnes are tomatoes. But over the last few days, there has been a drastic dip is the supply of tomato due to rain,” he said.
“It is a golden period for tomato growers, who always suffer because of the fluctuation in prices. If the trend continues for the next two weeks, the growers will see big money," said Mr Munishyamappa, a vegetable supplier from Dobbspet. In online stores, a kilogram of tomato was being sold for Rs 91....


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Foreign mortgages: top 10 hidden pitfalls
Tranio is launching a brand new
Falling prices attract foreign investors in Czech spa town, Karlovy Vary
For sale Land 18250 sq.meters on the island of Thassos. The territory has water supply, electricity supply, with building permission to 700 sq.meters.. Has a wonderfull sea view, mountain view, cit...


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Developers have completed a complicated part of a deal that will allow them to build a 21-story luxury condominium tower on the Upper East Side.
Stillman Development International LLC in Manhattan and Ceruzzi Properties LLC, based in Fairfield, Conn., signed an agreement with Sol Goldman Investments to lease the lower two floors of 147 E. 86th St. and purchase the site's air rights, an official said. The joint venture is also in contract to purchase the adjacent 151 E. 86th St.
The deal allows the joint venture to complete the footprint for a 210,000-square-foot residential building at the corner of 86th Street and Lexington Avenue with retail on the first four floors, said Matt Crosby, director of Eastern Consolidated, which represented both sides.
Mr. Crosby declined to disclose the terms of the lease and air-rights deal.
For Roy Stillman, president of Stillman Development, the development site has true prominence.
"It has visibility," Mr. Stillman said. "It has critical mass, and it has the opportunity for an interesting artistic impression on the facade."
The developers are hoping to take advantage of the high demand for Manhattan luxury condominiums, which set record sale prices last year. The project will have about 60 apartments, which will be larger, family-size units, Mr. Stillman said. The tower will have an articulated glass facade, creating movement through different architectural techniques, Mr. Stillman said.
Representatives for the Sol Goldman estate, which is based in New York City, didn't immediately return calls for comment.
By March, the joint venture is expected to close on an agreement to buy the five-story building at 151 86th St. for $82 million from New York-based Town Sports International Holdings Inc., CLUB 0.63 % the owner of fitness centers including New York Sports Club, Mr. Crosby said. Demolition of the building, which now houses a New York Sports Club, won't take place for at least another two years, he said. Once the tower is built, the fitness club will enter into a 25-year lease for two floors, Mr. Crosby said.
Apartments in other new luxury condominium developments in the area have sold well, Mr. Crosby said, pointing to the Lucida, an Extell Development Co. building on 86th Street and Lexington Avenue.
"That corridor has really come into its own," Mr. Crosby said.


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A few cruise lines have reported that many Americans are not interested in booking trips in the Mediterranean. Many Americans are saying the possibility of terror attacks is a major concern.
As more cruise liners continue to report that Americans are not interested in the Mediterranean. We can now add Norwegian Cruise Line Holding Ltd. to the list. The cruise line has reported in their first quarter earnings that Americans are shying away from the Mediterranean. After recent terror attacks in Europe, the cruise industry has noticed a drop-off for bookings by Americans. Norwegians Cruise CEO Frank Del Rio, made comments addressing the situation
Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Lines said:
“Typically when these kind of events happen, cancellations are not what cause the weakness; if you’re booked, you tend to stay, but what tends to happen is new bookings are harder to come by. That’s what happened after Paris, it’s what happened after the Istanbul situation in early January, and it’s what happened after Brussels.”
Norwegian Cruise doesn’t expect things to get better anytime soon. The cruise liner made remarks concerning the second quarter, and mentioned they don’t plan on booking to many Americans. Instead the company will have to rely on European tourists to fill the ships. Europeans currently make up a third passengers of Norwegians Europe vacations, and unlike their American counterparts tend to be more frugal.


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In 2023, the Constanta Port continued strengthening its position as an important hub for the export of Serbian goods. When it comes to the export of goods from Serbia or goods passing through Romania, during the first eight months of the year, almost 4.39 million tons were transported, primarily fertilizers, solid mineral fuels, iron ore, iron ores, and scrap, as well as cereals – it was underscored at the Constanta Port Day in Novi Sad.
The traditional event, its fifteenth edition, held on September 28, 2023, at the Sheraton Hotel, gathered more than 230 delegates from over 100 companies from Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Ukraine, and Germany. The gathering, organized by the Constanta Maritime Ports Administration SA, in cooperation with its representative office in Serbia, once again met expectations and proved to be one of the most important meeting points for key players in the transport, logistics, and agro-business sector in the entire region.
Vladan Mišić, Constanta Port representative in Belgrade, was the first to welcome the guests, saying that he is very proud that the event recorded an exceptional number of participants, which testifies to the strong and growing interest in cooperation.
The Commercial Manager at the Constanța Port Administration, George Gabriel Visan, the Ambassador of Romania in Serbia, Silvia Davidoiu, as well as the Assistant Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Predrag Petrović, also addressed the audience.
Although 2022 was a very challenging year for us, it was also a record-breaking year, the Commercial Manager at the Constanta Port pointed out.
– In the year 2022, the importance of Constanta Port has increased from a logistic point of view, becoming the main hub for cargo flows originating from Caspian Sea region and China, transiting the Middle Corridor, a status that creates new opportunities for the development of trade relations with the countries in the hinterland of the Constanta port – it was highlighted at the event.
Ambassador of Romania Silvia Davidoiu – who met with the representatives of the Maritime Ports Administration in Belgrade before the event – reminded that the two countries record 4 billion euros in traffic, but also that there is room for much more. Davidoiu added that officials in Belgrade and Bucharest work intensively on improving trade relations, noting that events such as the Constanta Port Day are crucial for company partnerships and closing new deals.
The traditional Constanta Port Day, spanning 15 years, highlights the importance of networking, sharing experiences, and supporting initiatives in the Danube region, said Predrag Petrović, Assistant Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Sector for Water Traffic.
– Serbia and Romania have long-standing friendly relations. Our common link, the Danube River, isn’t just a natural route for transportation, it’s also an important economic lifeline that creates jobs for Serbian ports, Constanta Port, ship owners, and others in the logistics chain – Petrović emphasized.
Constanta Port plays a huge role in Serbia’s connectivity. Goods from Serbia passing through this port are sent to South Africa, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, and Turkey, he added.
This year’s Constanta Port Day also added something new, instead of presentations, the official part of the program included a panel discussion. JRB & President of Group for river shipping, Mladen Grujić, general director of DP World Novi Sad Claudiu Negreanu, Head of Marketing Department at the Constanta Port Administration, Daniel Jarnea and representative of the Romanian Naval Authority, Danut Alexandru, discussed different current topics in the field of maritime transport.
The reconfiguration of transport routes from Central Asia to the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, joint efforts to improve navigation on the Danube, possibilities for the export of cereals from Serbia, and the lack of personnel in the field of maritime transport – are only some of the issues addressed by the panel participants. The panel was moderated by the representative of Constanta Port in Belgrade Vladan Mišić.
During the panel discussion, Daniel Jarnea shared with the gathered delegates some of the most important information for ongoing and future cooperation with the Constanta Port. He said that, apart from large investments in IT infrastructure that enabled more efficient operation of trucks in the port and improved the optimization of their arrivals and departures, there are plans to implement a similar system for barges. This should guarantee a reduction in congestion – which is one of the main concerns for vessel owners.
– The significant increase in the number of vessels passing through the Port of Constanta has brought much greater congestion. Today, we have about 600 barges every day, which is a significantly higher number than, for example, was the case only three years ago. We have held many meetings with IT service providers and we are constantly working to introduce a system that will help avoid congestion – he said.
This year, as has been the case so far, Constanta Port Day ended with B2B meetings, during which company representatives were able to swap information about upcoming plans and projects, as well as exchange experiences about doing business in challenging economic and geopolitical circumstances.
(On the cover photo: George Gabriel Visan, Commercial Manager at the Constanța Port Administration)


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The alleged operators of a mobile “cramming” scheme, which placed unauthorized charges on consumers' phone bills, have received a major slap on the wrist from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The defendants – accused of unfair billing practices, as well as setting up deceptive websites in order to collect consumers' mobile numbers – agreed to surrender more than $10 million in assets to the consumer watchdog.
On Friday, the FTC announced that Lin Miao and the corporate defendants Tatto (also doing business as Shaboom Media, Bune, Mobile Media Products, Chairman Ventures, Galactic Media, and Virtus Media) would turn over money in 14 bank accounts, as well five real estate properties in Chicago and Los Angeles, as part of the settlement (PDF).
Vehicles and jewelry will also be surrendered, an FTC release said.
The agency, which filed a complaint against Miao and the corporate defendants in December 2013, revealed that the settlement includes a monetary judgment of more than $150 million in total, but that the penalty was partially suspended due to Miao's “inability to pay the full amount after he turns over nearly all of his and the companies' assets.”
Cramming schemes are usually carried out under the assumption that consumers won't notice small, unauthorized charges on their bills. In this operation, the defendants allegedly marketed text messaging alerts to consumers (sending them messages about celebrity gossip or love tips, for instance), before charging users $9.99 without their permission.
Websites, where consumers could enter their numbers, were also allegedly used by the operators in order to later bill mobile users, the release said.
In addition to the monetary judgment, the defendants are also banned from continuing the unfair billing practices, including charging consumers for products or services without their consent.


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New Delhi [India], March 31 (ANI): Prioritising “wellness” these days, particularly in today’s fast-paced life, has become a need of the hour. Neglecting it can lead to increased stress, anxiety and depression, impacting the overall health of a person. But what if wellness could be achieved through fun?
One such event, “Jungly Glow Up” was organised today in Araya Bagh in Ghitorni, New Delhi, where two young entrepreneurs tried to make people aware of wellness with some elements of fun.
Ananaya Bhandare, founder of Jungly Delights, said that they wanted to show that wellness is fun and it’s not something that one is forced to do.
“There is a gap in the market when it comes to wellness and our aim is to make wellness fun. Wellness is about enjoying and feeling good. Post-pandemic, people are valuing and taking care of their health. The Jungly Glow Up is a first-of-its kind wellness festival. We have had an art therapy class, and outside there is a bazaar (market). We had a reflexologist, a tarot reader, and even a glitter tattoo artist. We had some kid yoga sessions as well. We wanted to make it accessible to as many people as possible and show them that wellness is fun and it’s not something that you are forced to do,” she said.
Ananya also mentioned that wellness is about thriving, not just surviving, and it’s about leading a happy life and feeling good.
The wellness festival had several activities planned for people of different age groups, starting from yoga sessions for kids to shopping for adults, a live smoothie station, snacks and a lot more.
“We want to make it accessible to all and something that appeals to everyone,” the organiser of the event, Ananya Bhandare, said.
Pratishtha, founder of Glow Glossary, said that wellness is important for mental and physical health.
“We have the industry experts coming in to give out sessions. We have demos, kid’s activities and something for everyone. Post-COVID, we have all become more aware of wellness and wellbeing. Wellness is important for mental and physical health,” she said.
The kids could be seen performing yoga enthusiastically. People were seen enjoying healthy snacks and smoothies at the event.
The shopping stalls also attracted a large number of people, as they also offered a good stop to shop for handicrafts and wear accessories.
Wellness therapies were also conducted, where many people could be seen getting hydration and red light therapy.
A visitor, Pranav Goswami, was very excited to be at the wellness festival and said “I am here at the Jungly Glow up event and it is the coolest beauty and wellness first-of-its-kind event. Do come and check it out. It has everything related to wellness. There are different sessions, talks and everything in one place.”
Another visitor, Himanshu Bhalla, added that It is great that the festival brings all aspects of wellness under one roof, be it food, personal care, or sexual health.
“It’s great to see Delhi have a festival like this. I am glad that the owner has been able to put it together. We need more events like this. We are already committed that we will be part of this festival every year when it happens,” the visitor said.
Dr Garima, who visited and also provided wellness therapy at the festival, said that this wellness festival seems to be a very good initiative. It has brought up a lot of things in terms of diet, exercise, lifestyle modifications and wellness therapy and made people aware of it. (ANI)
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed of ANI; only the image & headline may have been reworked by News Services Division of World News Network Inc Ltd and Palghar News and Pune News and World News
HINDI, MARATHI, GUJARATI, TAMIL, TELUGU, BENGALI, KANNADA, ORIYA, PUNJABI, URDU, MALAYALAM
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[Related: Click Here for Cyber Weekend News Updates]
Bricks-and-mortar merchants have a reason – or an excuse – to open their doors before the stroke of midnight on Black Friday:
Monkey see, monkey do. If Walmart is open, then Target has to follow suit… as does Kmart… as does JCPenney… as does Kohl’s… as does Sears… as does Macy’s…
Customers want to shop on Thanksgiving… so merchants say. But according to the International Council of Shopping Centers, just 13% of consumers plan to shop on Thanksgiving Day. The National Retail Federation’s figure is a little higher: of those consumers who plan to shop Thanksgiving weekend, 23.5%, or 33 million, plan to on Thanksgiving Day. And, of those who plan to shop on Thanksgiving Day this year, 69.2% say they shopped online and in stores on Thanksgiving in 2012.
Which brings us to ecommerce. Bricks-and-mortar merchants are concerned about rising sales numbers seen by their pure-play counterparts (even though ecommerce sales are still dwarfed, in general, by bricks-and-mortar sales in most earnings reports we see). Rue La La said it had record-breaking Thanksgiving Day sales in 2012 and, as important, saw those numbers spike at 8 p.m., the magical hour most stores will open this year.


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WASHINGTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection halted the import of products from five countries on Monday in a rare move aimed at countering forced labor abroad.
The agency issued what is known as Withhold Release Orders (WROs), which are intended to prevent goods suspected to have been made with forced labor from entering the US.
The products include rough diamonds, gold and disposable rubber gloves, and are from a range of countries, including China, Malaysia, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Brazil.
“A major part of CBP’s mission is facilitating legitimate trade and travel,” said Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan. “CBP’s issuing of these five withhold release orders shows that if we suspect a product is made using forced labor, we’ll take that product off U.S. shelves.”
CBP only issued one other order in 2019, against tuna and tuna products, according to agency data.
The US has had a ban on goods which use forced labor since 1930, but enforcement was rare until Congress changed the law in 2016, according to the law firm Arnold & Porter.
CBP needs information that reasonably, but not conclusively, indicates that merchandise being imported had used forced labor for it to be banned. Investigations can be triggered in several ways, including through news reports and tips from the public or trade community, according to the agency.
Importers can either export their products or demonstrate that forced labor wasn’t used to have it released into the US.


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Narrow your search
The ringleaders behind the ARG that started nearly 10 years ago with Junko Junsui step out from behind the curtain to tell CNET their story.
A new iOS game seems to be reviving the five-year-old Junko Junsui ARG that had apparently vanished from the web.
Japanese photographer bundles couples in plastic, then snaps their picture. The results are captivating and strange--and available for viewing in a book and iPad app.
Osaka University's Hiroshi Ishiguro has created a female android that's more lifelike and low-cost than earlier models. Geminoid F may find work as a receptionist.


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The merging of the Carphone Warehouse and Dixons Retail will create "new jobs" and new opportunities across the UK and Europe. Speaking as the merger was announced, Sir Charles Dunstone, Chairman of Carphone Warehouse said:
We have a deep respect for each other and we see the merger of these two great companies as an opportunity to bring our skills together for the consumer and create a new retailer for the digital age.
We are also creating jobs and we see many opportunities for further growth.
John Allan, CBE, Chairman of Dixons said:
This merger will create a new, world class British retailer for the new digital age, with new opportunities for growth and greater scale and reach. Coming together when both companies are flourishing, we will create a stronger business for our customers, colleagues and shareholders - for now and the future.
The new company will be called Dixons Carphone PLC.
More top news
The rail union have slammed the move saying China is set to make "a killing at the British taxpayers' expense".
US-backed rebel fighters say they have taken control of a key airbase near the so-called Islamic State's stronghold of Raqqa.
A primary school has taken action after pupils brought in an variety of "worrying" packed lunches - including a two-day-old McDonalds.


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2020 ford svt bronco coming – wheeler network, The fullsize ford bronco faded away after the 1996 model year never to be seen again; that is, until now. the 2020 ford svt bronco isn’t a cookie cutter soccer mom.
2020 ford bronco price pictures | engine, concept, There is no doubt that the bronco is an off road legend and because of that rumors about the 2020 ford bronco are taken very seriously, many drivers are waiting for a.
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Ford – cars, trucks, suvs, crossovers & hybrids, Go further than you ever imagined in a new ford vehicle, built just for you. see our full lineup..


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A new venture platform that will fund all stages of the digital technology business lifecycle, from entry to exit has just been announced. Accelerated Digital Ventures (ADV) will make funds available to digital technology SMEs, boosting sector growth across the UK. The platform will support the existing digital technology hubs in Belfast, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford and Sheffield.
ADV is a new venture platform, created by entrepreneurs, operators, and collaborators. Its team has learnt the hard lessons and now want to pay them forward. ADV provides a full-scale model for venture, across the business lifecycle. It is a meritocratic investment platform that offers access to capital, coaching, customers and corporates; a platform that champions the innovators. It seeks to help build the large ‘difficult’ businesses that the UK is uniquely positioned to foster: the complex, technical, global ones that have a chance of solving real world problems.
Lee Strafford, CEO at ADV said, “ADV has been established to help more of our emerging start-ups and scale-ups to scale big. There are world-class innovators in every corner of the UK. We intend to seek out the best investment opportunities at scale and ensure these companies, irrelevant of size and location, have the support they need to supercharge growth.”
ADV is supported by British Business Bank, Legal & General, and Woodford Investment Management, as part of its remit to design, deliver and efficiently manage UK-wide smaller business access to finance programmes for the UK Government.
A third of the funding for the new £150m platform, which will provide evergreen, patient capital to smaller businesses looking to grow no matter what stage of development, will be provided under the British Business Bank’s Enterprise Capital Funds (ECF) programme.
ECFs are commercially-focused funds which bring together private and public money to make equity investments in high growth businesses. This latest commitment – the 23rd ECF – brings the programme’s total investment capacity to over £815m.
Keith Morgan, CEO at British Business Bank said, “This new venture platform will help innovative digital technology businesses to start up and scale up rapidly and successfully throughout all stages of their development. We are pleased to be a part of this exciting new initiative, and look forward to seeing businesses across the UK benefit from the much needed long-term funding it will provide.”
Find Out More
Businesses can find out about their finance options, including equity finance, by accessing the British Business Bank’s Business Finance Guide (co-published with the ICAEW), which provides a comprehensive overview of funding choices for businesses at all stages of their development.


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If you have been out of the OnePlus loop, this once-enthusiast brand is undergoing an ‘Oppofication’ of its own. Instead of releasing just a single flagship phone every year, OnePlus now targets most mainstream segments. The first budget OnePlus was introduced with the new Nord series last year. This year, the value lineup is solidified further with a follow-up — meet the OnePlus Nord CE 5G.
Until now, the Popular Nord series features OnePlus Nord N10 and Nord N100. Their sequel was supposed to be called Nord N1 5G. But since these arbitrary titles don’t have a scheme behind them, OnePlus is starting fresh with the new ‘Nord CE’ designation.
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OnePlus Price List in Pakistan2021
The phone leaker Max Jambor, Twitter handle @MaxJmb, tweeted this alleged last-minute name change. Mr. Jambor also attached a graphic bearing the new OnePlus Nord CE 5G title.
The ‘CE’ branding doesn’t roll off the tongue when it’s joined by a number to identify the generation (‘OnePlus Nord CE 5G’ is a bit of a mouthful already.) To speculate what it means for future Nord phones, The brand might have to switch the naming up, once again. Otherwise a valuable addition to the Oneplus price list.
No specification details, other than the name and 5G connectivity, have surfaced yet. But what's for sure is that OnePlus has plans to break into the budget and mid-range market. We’ll keep you posted as the story develops; in the meantime, here’s what the Nord CE could offer based on last year’s Nord N10.
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OnePlus Nord CE 5G Price in Pakistan & Specs
We might be looking at a full HD screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, support for 30W fast charging, a built-in audio jack, 6GB of memory, and at least 128GB of internal storage. Since the N10 featured Qualcomm silicon, the Nord CE 5G could rock a chip from the Snapdragon 700 series.


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THE recovery efforts of a number of high-profile firms, including retailers HMV and French Connection, will be in the spotlight this week.
Prudential chief executive Mark Tucker will have plenty of explaining to do when the insurer unveils a strategic review of its ailing UK business with results on Thursday.
Mr Tucker shocked the City in January after agreeing to sell its loss-making internet bank Egg to US giant Citigroup for #575m in an embarrassing volte-face, after taking full control of the company early last year.
Now analysts will want to see more details of the Pru's turnaround strategy for the UK business, which has been blighted by falling sales and high costs.
Consensus forecasts for 2006 have the company's pre-tax profits marked down more than 14% to #830m.
Analysts are speculating on anything from a potential sale of the UK operation to a merger, although an internal restructuring is seen as the most likely path.
Collins Stewart analyst Tim Young said, "The key is the UK. There are a number of obvious solutions - close it to new business but a sign of defeat, sell out to someone, or refocus. The increasing desperation characterising the debate supports our contention that the UK is in disarray."
A strong Christmas period should have sealed a good recovery for supermarket chain Morrisons during the year to January 31.
At its annual results last year, the Bradford-based grocery chain embarked on a three-year mission to revive the business, after profits fell 81% in the wake of its #3bn takeover of Safeway.
Problems integrating Safeway stores led to Morrisons first loss in its 106-year history, causing the firm to seek cost savings of #60m from its central operations and distribution network by 2009.
The market will be interested to see how these costs savings have progressed during the first year of the plan.
During the year, Sir Ken Morrison effectively relinquished control of the firm, with the appointment of Marc Bolland as chief executive.
At its interims in September, the company turned first-half pre-tax losses of #82.1m in 2005 into profits of #134.2m in 2006, and in January it reported record sales in the week before Christmas - in line with other retailers.
And the recovery appears to have continued into the current financial year as the latest TNS Worldpanel data revealed Morrisons was the best performer out of the "big four" supermarkets during February. It saw its market share rise by 0.1% to 11.1%.
Citigroup analysts are expecting Morrisons on Thursday to post pre-tax profits of around #315m, compared to #67.6m last year.
The new chief executive of struggling music and books retailer HMV, Simon Fox, will unveil a turnaround strategy tomorrow as the company seeks an answer to the threat of cheaper supermarket CD sales and online music downloads.
HMV, which also owns book chains Waterstone's and Otta- kar's, has seen its share price fall below the 150p mark since the rejection of private equity firm Permira's 210p a share offer for the company a year ago.
And despite stronger than expected Christmas trading - with aggressive price cutting pushing like-for-like sales 0.7% higher in the UK and Ireland - the company has warned that full-year profits will be at the bottom end of predictions.
Downbeat analysts have slashed forecasts to a consensus #63.5m for the year to April.
Pali International retail analyst Nick Bubb thinks that Mr Fox's strategy will focus on four key areas. He predicts an expansion of the online presence of HMV and book chain Waterstone's, as well as a larger product range at Waterstone's to include items such as stationery and toys.
Mr Fox may also seek to keep the customers gained in recent weeks with a radical revamp of HMV's store format and the introduction of loyalty cards, according to Mr Bubb.
He said, "Mr Fox knew what the problems were when he joined, so although the best advice might be to give up and get out the revolver and a bottle of whisky, we can't believe that there aren't some levers he can pull to make a difference."
Other options available to Mr Fox include reducing the size of the store estate to reflect a decline in physical sales and a potential disposal of the profitable Canadian and Japanese operations if the turnaround flops.
Pali is banking on a radical recovery plan with a "buy" rating on the stock, but elsewhere optimism is far thinner on the ground and Mr Fox will have to impress next week if the company is to avoid a slew of downgrades.
Deutsche Bank analyst Warwick Okines said, "In our view Simon Fox faces as enormous a challenge as Kate Swann when she joined WH Smith. The main risks surround the CD and DVD markets, the impact of strategic changes, and the medium-term impact of digital technology."
Profits at high street designer label French Connection are expected to sink lower this week, despite an overhaul of the brand to address the firm's recent woes.
Consensus forecasts put FCUK's pre-tax profits at just #3.7m for the year to January 31 on Wednesday, barely 20% of last year's #15.7m and a fraction of the group's #38.5m three years ago.
FCUK, which has 80 stores and 30 concessions in the UK, is making efforts to revamp the design quality of the business, which bridges the gap between the top end of the high street and luxury retailers. But interim results showed pre-tax losses of #3.6m for the half-year to July.
KBC Peel Hunt analyst Paul Rossington said there were signs of improvement at FCUK after the firm lost its customer base through a "failure to reinvigorate the marketing strategy and the design content of the underlying product".


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News 13 Problem Solver brings you some of the latest recalled items from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
If you're into diving, check to see if you are using this equipment. Aqua Lung recalls buoyancy compensators. This type has the Surelock Two pocket handle. The hazard: the rubber handles can detach as divers try to remove the weight pockets in an emergency rise to the surface. It poses a drowning hazard. There are 236 reports of the equipment failing. No injuries. They were sold at sporting goods and scuba stores nationwide. Remedy: Contact Aqua Lung; toll-free at (855) 355-7170 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday or online at www.aqualung.com.
Magura USA recalls bicycle hydraulic disc brakes. The hazard: the Magura MT-6 and MT-8 brakes can fail mostly in low temperatures leading to a collison. So far no injuries have been reported. They were sold at bicycle retailers and distributors. Contact Magura USA at (800) 448-3876 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or online at www.maguradirect.com
LED light bulbs are recalled by Lighting Science Group. The CPSC says the hazard is that the model A-19 LED bulbs can overheat during use causing a fire. There are 68 incidents of product failures, eight of which were accompanied by visible smoke or fire conditions. No injuries reported. The lights were sold at various hardware, lighting and electrical supply stores nationwide. Contact Lighting Science Group toll free at (855) 574-2533 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET Monday through Friday,
And, Synclaire Brands recalls Stuart Weitzman girls' Cha Cha boots. The zipper pulls on the boots can become entangled posing a fall hazard. There are three repors of problems…with one leading to a child falling requiring stitches to her injuries. The boots were sold at TJ Maxx, Belk stores and Bloomingdales across the U. S. Contact Synclaire Brands U.S.A. at (888) 998-0702 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or go to the firm's website at www.synclaire.com and click on recall information.
If you have these items stop using them immediately and return them to the stores where you bought them.


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Gilt Groupe has expanded its local deals program Gilt City to Tokyo, bringing discounts on restaurants, salons and other high-end service providers to members several times per week.
New York-based startup Gilt, which has been offering flash sales on luxury apparel and other goods in Tokyo since March 2009, now houses 51 employees at its Japanese headquarters. Gilt City launched in Japan two weeks ago, bringing the total list of cities to seven, and marking the first time Gilt has offered local deals internationally.
Several competitors in the local daily deals space already exist in Tokyo, but none cater to especially affluent consumers, according to Nate Richardson, president of Gilt City.
Richardson is pleased with the success of Gilt City thus far, which recently launched more localized versions of its service in New York and Los Angeles, helping users find deals in more convenient neighborhoods. In a recent internal survey, vendors reported that 60% of customers who discovered their business through Gilt City returned, and more than 80% of customers said they planned to revisit a venue they discovered on Gilt City.
In the survey, vendors said they were similarly pleased that Gilt allows them to cap the number of discounts offered, which other group-buying services, like Groupon, problematically do not allow. "We're not a group buying site; we work very closely with the vendors to get quantities that work with their business," says Richardson.
In addition to deals on dining venues and spas, which are frequently offered by many daily deals sites, Gilt City has also differentiated itself by offering discounts on ticketed events, such as movie screenings and previews of books with notable authors, helping reinforce the idea that Gilt is a curated service that caters to affluent, culturally curious lifestyles.
"One of the things we ask ourselves when considering a deal is, 'Would Alexandra use it?'" Richardson says, citing Gilt's elegant co-founder, Alexandra Wilkis Wilson. "It's a great test."


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Wheels spin in quicksand of rumours
A leaky corporate boat has left the company struggling to win consumer confidence, writes Ian Porter.
Word of mouth recommendation can be far more effective than advertising. However, because word of mouth is so hard to harness, car makers spend tens of millions of dollars each year on advertising. But word of mouth can also work against a product, because bad news travels fast.
This is the problem Mitsubishi Motors Australia has been battling for the past four years, since DaimlerChrysler bought a 37 per cent controlling stake in its parent company, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC).
Every few months, almost like clockwork, another rumour about the future of Mitsubishi's Adelaide plants hits the press in Japan and is then reported here.
Every round of speculation is reflected in another downward tick in local sales, as a new batch of customers is deterred from buying Mitsubishi.
The rumours were generally sparked by various cost-cutting programs launched by former chief executive Rolf Eckrodt.
What was worrying, however, was that the rumours about the Adelaide plants were usually sourced to anonymous executives in Tokyo.
The company's performance in keeping its corporate secrets has been abysmal compared to, say, Toyota or Honda, and is a reflection of the corporate culture, according to sources in Adelaide.
Japanese executives, feeling their fiefdoms threatened, would apparently run to the press, leaking stories about how the Adelaide plants should be closed to divert attention from their own ailing operations.
Mr Eckrodt recently told an Australian Government minister that his main problem in turning Mitsubishi around was his senior executive group. The executives would agree to a strategy and then not follow through, the minister was told.
Whether it was resentment of the German company's influence in its affairs or pure self-preservation is not clear, but Mr Eckrodt has stepped down, following DaimlerChrysler's refusal to provide billions of dollars for an MMC rescue.
A Japanese executive has now been appointed chairman, president and chief executive and, in a revealing move, confirmed the German's opinion when he faced shareholders for the first time two weeks ago.
Yoichiro Okazaki laid out the bones of a rescue plan. But first, he told shareholders, it was of "primary importance" that the corporate culture be reformed.
The damage already done in Australia to consumer confidence has almost crippled the company. Its market share has slumped from 9.3 per cent in 2000 to 6 per cent and, even though a reorganisation pulled the local operation back into profit in 2001 with a $200 million earnings turnaround, no company can long endure such a constant word-of-mouth campaign.


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Updated: Friday, 01 Feb 2013, 1:13 PM EST
Published : Friday, 01 Feb 2013, 1:13 PM EST
BOONVILLE, Mo. (AP) — For decades, Anheuser-Busch has used its famous Clydesdales in Super Bowl ads for Budweiser. The latest star is barely two weeks old.
A foal born Jan. 16 at Anheuser-Busch's Warm Springs Ranch near the mid-Missouri town of Boonville is featured in an ad that will appear in Sunday's game between the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers and AFC champion Baltimore Ravens.
The 60-second ad chronicles the bond a Clydesdale foal shares with his trainer. The foal was just a week old when the ad was filmed.
It marks the 23rd Super Bowl ad featuring the Clydesdales.
Budweiser recently launched its first-ever Twitter account, using the occasion to tweet the first photo of the newborn.
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Ford's fastest-ever European production car will chase a fuel efficiency record when it enters the UK's seventh annual mpg Marathon this month.
The 2.5-litre 305PS Ford Focus RS will target over 35mpg during the 360-mile route.
Capable of 163mph and 0-60mph in under six seconds, the Ford Focus RS aims to demonstrate its remarkable efficiency with class honours in the leading frugal motoring marathon.
Motoring writer Jeremy Walton and co-driver Alyson Marlow are preparing to beat the official 30.1mpg combined fuel economy of the Ford Focus RS by a margin of over 15 per cent.
"I'm setting out to prove you can use an efficient high-performance car in daily driving without enormous fuel bills," said Jeremy, who has entered the Ford-supplied RS in the Warwickshire-based marathon's class for cars with CO2 emissions of 160+g/km.
Before customer deliveries even started earlier this year, more than half of the UK's Ford Focus RS allocation had been sold. The £26,395 car continued the RS badge's acclaimed 40-year association with exciting and affordable performance cars.
David Calder, Ford's medium car product manager, said: "We launched the latest Ford Focus RS not only as the ultimate front-wheel drive performance car but also as a car you can live with every day, and wish Jeremy and Alyson a smooth and safe journey as they prove this out."
The mpg Marathon, organised by FleetWorld magazine, demonstrates real world fuel economy figures delivered by a wide range of vehicles, not just those designed for low fuel consumption.
This is a 12-year+ news article, from our Ford archive, which dates back to the year 2000.
If in doubt check with your local Ford dealer as car prices and technical data will have changed since 2009.
Although our car news is published in good faith, we cannot guarantee it to be error free or complete or up-to-date.
Ford Focus Images may not be UK specification cars. Colours and exterior and/or interior elements may differ from actual models.
The car news and images remain the copyright of the rights holder and may not be used without their consent.


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Data breaches at large companies like Target and Nieman Marcus make headlines. But with comparatively small IT budgets--or no IT departments at all--smaller businesses are at a greater risk of cyberattacks.
In 2012, half of all attacks in California targeted businesses with fewer than 2,500 employees, according to a new report by the state's attorney general, Kamala Harris. Businesses with fewer than 250 employees were the victims of 31 percent of all attacks.
Last year there were 170 data breaches reported in California, a 30 percent increase from 2012, the report found. In the past two years, the personal data of 21.3 million Californians has been compromised, according to USA Today.
In response to the growing threat, Harris is focusing considerable effort to fight hackers and educate business owners about how to protect themselves. Her report found that cybercrime is largely "opportunistic," meaning that hackers are actively looking for "'low-hanging fruit'--today's equivalent of someone who forgets to lock her car door," Harris says.
In the report, titled "Cybersecurity in the Golden State," the attorney general outlines best practices for small businesses to shore up their defenses. Below, check out some of the most important tips. You can read the entire report here.
When banking online, you need to first make sure you're using a secure browser connection, indicated by "https" or a symbol of a lock in the address bar. After each session, erase your cache so no information stays in your browser's history. Also make sure to utilize account notifications and two-factor authentication. Data breaches usually involve an insider, so do not allow a single individual to both initiate and approve financial transactions.
Use multiple lines of defense.
Your business needs to use "multiple, overlapping, and mutually supportive solutions," the report says. Then if one defense fails, you will still be protected. "This should include the deployment of regularly updated firewalls, antivirus, and Web security solutions throughout the network. Also, anything connected to your network should be secured by more than signature-based antivirus technology," the report says.
Map and encrypt your data.
As your business grows, you may have to move, archive, or store your data offsite or with third parties. Make sure you know where these archives are located. Next, you should encrypt all the data you have, which makes it unreadable without a special key. "Free and easy-to-use encryption technology is widely available. Encrypting your data can dramatically reduce your exposure to a data breach and the theft of proprietary information," the report says. Another important action is to limit the access your employees have to sensitive accounts. No single employee should have access to everything, nor should employees have access to data that has nothing to do with their jobs.
Strong passwords and update software.
Although it may seems obvious to use strong passwords, most people don't. As the CEO, you should create policies that require strong passwords, with more than eight characters made up of a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. Change your passwords every three months and never use personal information like birthdays, names, or colleges you attended. Keep operating systems and software updated and uninstall products you are not using anymore. Employees should not have administrator accounts, which are easy doors for cyberattacks. Also make sure your employees undergo background checks if they have special privileges for dealing with sensitive information.


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It’s routine these days to see alarmist headlines in the trade media for marketing, advertising, and the food and beverage industries: Millennials are killing sales.
They’re not drinking / sampling / shopping / eating / fill-in-your-verb-of-choice at the same rate their parents did. So marketers who are betting on Millennials (and allocating their marketing dollars in that direction) are seeing campaigns fail.
Campaigns? Sometimes it’s entire brands themselves. Last summer Miller-Coors pulled Two Hats, a light beer aimed at Millennials, off the market after only six months.
And it isn’t just beer. There are similar worries affecting wine and spirits — and crossing over into many restaurant formats.
Look at the commercials, and it seems that all you see are younger consumers. Look at the traffic patterns and sales results, however, and it’s a different story.
To dig into this puzzle more fully, ZoomerU did a deep dive into Vividata (Winter 2019) and presented our findings to a group of advertisers in the food and beverage industries. The bottom line was unmistakable: whether it’s beer, wine, alcohol, whether it’s chicken, steak, burgers or seafood, whether it’s fancy dining or casual…no matter how you tumble the numbers, the Millennials are lagging behind and the so-called “older” customers are leading the way.
See for yourself. We call our report FOOD FOR THOUGHT and we think you’ll agree. Just click on the title to access it now.
That's how many Zoomers plan to purchase a home in the next 12 months. It's more than any other age group. Source: Vividata Spring 2021


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The Chevrolet kiosk is set up at 13 Mile Road, Woodward Avenue and the display is open from 10 am to 9 pm everyday for three days starting from August 23rd. More than half a million sports lovers are expected to attend the meet and this is scheduled to be a huge gathering of people, almost like an extended family reunion.
The event is set to be the year’s largest car show and on display are some of the most powerful vehicles and their components. The Chevrolet display showcases an all new Camaro SS 1 LE, the COPO Camaro and the 1970 Chevelle.
The Chevelle has an all new 6.2 liter super charged engine at its helm and the new cruise and connect technology enabled vehicle produces 566 horse powers from under its belt. Some of the other vehicles on display are the Corvette ZR1 Indianapolis 500, the 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible, the 1953 Chevrolet Suburban with advanced power train features, the Camaro NASCAR 400, the Indy Car show vehicles, the E-ROD 1955 Chevy, the Chevrolet Caprice PPV, the Corvette C6R, the Camaro ZL1, 1934 Chevrolet coupe and the Customized Chevrolet Cruze, Spark and Sonic.
On display here are also the all new engine parts and the high performance crank shafts, accessories and spares from Chevrolet. Representatives from Chevrolet are set to be present at the event to guide tourists in the segment and this is quite necessary this year as the display is set to be quite an extensive one.
Also set to be present at the event are a host of famous personalities from the world of motorsports like Vaughn, the first female motorist in the history of the sport. Miss Golden shifter, as she was popularly known as in the community, will be present at the event on the first day of the event and the autograph sessions are scheduled from noon till evening.
Briscoe, the famous Australian born Indy Car 500 racer who started from pole in 2012 is also set to be present at the event. Muscle car lovers are eagerly waiting for more information regarding the subject and the launch of the vehicle is making headlines across the automotive section.
Much technical specification about the COPO Camaro is not available as of yet and detailed specifications are set to be disclosed post the event. Chevrolet is involved in constructing muscle cars since 1911 and it has come a long way from what it used to be. Today, Chevrolet is a reputed brand and the cars produced by the company are up to the mark and is perfect for everyday commuting. The 2012 Camaro has high hopes pinned onto it and Chevrolet is hopeful of a successful launch.


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ReachMaster takes over assets and activities of Skako Lift
By Lindsey Anderson07 September 2012
ReachMaster, Inc., has taken over the assets and activities of Skako Lift, Inc., which include the representation of ReachMaster Falcon, Bluelift and Denka compact aerial lift product lines.
After 11 years of operation in the U.S., Skako Lift, Inc, in Houston has agreed to a MBO with its now former president and chief exeuctive officer Ebbe H. Christensen, who has formed a new company operating as ReachMaster, Inc.
The management buyout is a natural conclusion of the Skako Group's decision in 2011 to divest all its interests in the global lift manufacturing industry and focus on its core businesses within the concrete production equipment industry. Last year, Skako completed a management buyout for their Falcon Division in Denmark, and also sold off the Denka production.
ReachMaster started its operation in Houston in 2001 as a subsidiary of then Danish compact lift pioneer E. Falck Schmidt A/S, which in 2005 merged with the other Danish compact lift manufacturer Denka Lift, and eventually became Skako Lift.
"We're very pleased with this agreement and the opportunities it represents, including going back to our well-known ReachMaster name. It provides us with a new platform, where we can renew our focus as a company that again has compact lift sales and service as its primary business," Christensen said.
"Since we pioneered the compact lift segment in the U.S. more than 10 years ago we've seen a positive and growing interest for the segment in the market. We believe this new setup will allow us to better utilize our extensive experience while taking advantage of these new opportunities.
"While the MBO efforts obviously have been ongoing for some time, it was paramount for us to both secure our American operation as well as the manufacturer support needed to make the change completely seamless from a customer perspective.
"This includes both technical service and warranty, which will remain unchanged, and the support from our manufacturers has been absolutely fantastic. With several new product releases coming up this fall, this was the perfect timing for us, so we're quite excited."


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Marketing Strategies Need a Digital Boost
Many organizations aren't doing enough with digital technologies to maximize the impact of marketing, according to a recent survey from Wipro Limited and Forbes Insights. You'd think that IT would be considered a prime candidate for input and support here, but many executives said the technology department is too busy to provide much help. "Executives today face a bewildering array of digital marketing technologies," says Hiral Chandrana, vice president and global business head of consumer goods for Wipro Limited. "It not only requires integrated Website, mobile and social media strategies … but also concepts such as omni-channel and analytics, which add to the complexity. But at the same time, the collective capabilities of these technologies to grow and optimize sales and marketing are too important to be ignored." A number of the findings distinguish organizations that are transformative—they embrace a wide array of digital strategies and social, mobile, Web and analytics tools—from those that fall short on these objectives. A total of 125 C-level executives representing a wide range of consumer goods companies took part in the research.


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Year ahead tinged with optimism despite challenges – Rose
FWD Chair Coral Rose says while issues continue to swirl around food distribution, there’s enough to be positive about for 2022
We’ve reached that time of year when it’s customary to look back over the past 12 months and reflect on what we’ve achieved and what we’ve learned.
We’ll certainly be doing that on 25 November when the wholesale sector gathers at the FWD Gold Medal Awards to pay tribute to some of the individuals who stood up and stood out when food distribution was facing the worst crisis any of us can remember.
While no one’s complacent about the coming months and the possibility of a return to further restrictions on hospitality, or expecting a sudden resolution to the labour crisis that’s affecting everyone from the farms to the restaurants, we can look forward with huge positivity and excitement – so let’s concentrate on that.
A highlight of FWD’s recent conference was the presentation by the economist Roger Martin-Fagg, who has the knack of making complicated macro-economic forecasting sound both simple and interesting.
Roger’s premise is that there’s a huge amount of money – billions of pounds – sitting in people’s bank accounts as a result of the economic slowdown of 2020 and into this year, and that’s about to be released. People want to enjoy themselves and eating out will be an enormous part of that. With a fair wind and some common sense on Covid testing and precautions, we could be in for a bumper Christmas in both retail and hospitality.
Of course, availability is going to be the issue. There’s money in the pipeline but there needs to be stock too. Most wholesalers are full to the rafters right now, as you’d expect at the start of the festive season, but they will still need their fair share of suppliers’ products in order to give their customers the sales boost they need and deserve.
At FWD, we’re slightly concerned the government’s horror of newspaper front pages showing empty supermarket shelves will incline them towards favouring the multiples for drivers, fuel and stock allocation. The man brought in to sort out the supply chain, former Tesco boss Dave Lewis, is going to have to look beyond the limited route to market he knows so well and consider the wider implications of interventions.
I’m confident wholesale will get a fair shout in the discussions. Thanks to the work of the FWD team we have never been more visible, not only to government, but also to the public, who now appreciate that food doesn’t grow in supermarkets.
It was FWD which first told the government it should have army drivers on standby and we led the call for drivers’ hours to be extended, and for temporary visas for foreign drivers. All of these have now happened, and FWD is a credible and trusted authority in both the departmental corridors of Whitehall and the national TV and radio studios.
As we saw with the fuel shortages, ministers’ inclination is to deny there’s a crisis until it’s too late, then try and mop it up by introducing the measures that would have prevented it in the first place. But I really believe if we get to that point again, the government would have wholesale higher up the agenda.
We’ve got a challenge coming up in the new year but it’s one we should embrace because it will make us stronger. We’ve got to sell the food distribution industry as a career choice to a new generation of British workers.
That’s going to mean better pay (and yes, that extra cost will have to be passed on) but there’s more to it than that. The younger prospective workforce hold all the cards, and won’t sell themselves cheap, but no amount of wage inflation will get them into jobs that offer hard, uncomfortable work and long hours without some prospect of progression. So there’s a story to be told about how food comes to the table, the variety of skills that get it there and the way that the wholesale channel in particular gives each individual the chance to shine – whatever level they may be at.
As our Gold Medal finalists demonstrate, you may be a driver, a telesales executive, a picker or stacker, but if some talented new arrival has their heart set on a career in this people-powered industry, we need to nurture them, cherish them, and give them the opportunity to fly as high as the can.Brexit Country Range Group covid-19 distribution driver shortage FWD Government HGV drivers


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Equity fund Riordan sells interest in Creative Circle
Los Angeles-based private equity fund Riordan, Lewis & Haden Equity Partners announced last week that it sold its interest in Creative Circle, a staffing company specialized in creative talent in the advertising industry.
The transaction was profitable for Riordan, Lewis & Haden, and for its investors in its RLH Fund II, which includes the California Public Employees’ Retirement System.
The $265 million fund launched in 2007, including a $25 million investment from CalPERS.
This is the second liquidity event this year for the RLH II fund, and the fund has now returned all the original investment. The fund continues to have several companies in its portfolio.
Creative Circle was recapitalized by Morgan Stanley Global Private Equity.
The sale was favorable to RLH, said Chris Lewis, co-founder of the private equity fund 30 years ago. He couldn’t comment on the value of the transaction.
Riordan, Lewis & Haden firm currently manages more than $600 million in assets, and seeks new portfolio companies.
The fund looks for companies in strong growth industries that are expanding quickly — and whose owners want to take some money out of the business without selling the business.
Mark Anderson covers technology, agriculture, banking and finance, venture capital, energy, mining and hospitality for the Sacramento Business Journal.
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Consumers will be able to switch energy supplier within 24 hours by 2018, under changes being introduced by the Government after a report found power companies were overcharging customers by £1.2 billion a year.
In a letter to the Competition and Markets Authority, Energy Secretary Amber Rudd said she was concerned that the retail market for gas and electricity is "not working well for consumers" and said the key to getting bills down was encouraging families to shop around.
But Labour accused the Government of failing to take "strong action" to protect households from being ripped off.
In a report last month, the CMA made provisional findings that the main energy suppliers - British Gas, SSE, EDF Energy, RWE npower, E.ON and Scottish Power - were overcharging customers by around 5%, or £40 a household.
It said competition in wholesale markets was working well, but there was "widespread consumer disengagement" from the process of switching supplier, with most remaining on standard variable rates despite better deals being available.
The CMA said it was considering setting a maximum price limit for standard variable rate tariffs, which could see prices cut or frozen for around 70% of customers with the big six providers. Over 34% of people the authority surveyed said they had never considered switching supplier.
Energy minister Lord Bourne said the Government was taking action to put power into bill-payers' hands, including by cutting the time it takes to switch from about a fortnight to a single day.
By 2020, smart meters will end the use of estimated bills and enable bill-payers to compare deals more easily, he said.
He said the Government was ready to look into the CMA's proposal for a "safeguarding tariff" to protect those unable to switch. In her letter, Ms Rudd described such a move as "a potentially significant transitional intervention to protect consumers until other remedies lead to the market operating more effectively" but warned it was important to design any such measure "so that it delivers protection to those currently on poor value standard variable tariffs, yet does not disincentivise switching".
Lord Bourne said: "Our number one priority is to keep bills down for hard-working families and businesses across the country.
"The CMA has rightly identified that one of the biggest concerns is people not shopping around to get the best tariff. We know this is the key to people getting a better deal on their energy bills and are already working on measures to improve this.
"Whilst we wait for the official findings of the report, due later this year, we will continue to promote competition in Britain's energy market because competition helps drive down prices and push energy companies to keep bills as low as possible. We will also look into the CMA's proposed solution of a safeguarding tariff which has the potential to protect those consumers who do not, or cannot switch."
Shadow energy secretary Caroline Flint said: "Amber Rudd's response to the Competition and Markets Authority's provisional findings shows that the Government is still not committed to taking strong action to protect households being ripped off on their energy bills.
"That report revealed the fact that the Big Six energy companies have been overcharging households by more than £1 billion a year. Wholesale prices are at a five-year low, and there needs to be a regulator with the power to force companies to cut prices, and changes to increase transparency and competition in the market."


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None July 14, 2023
Xbox vs. FTC Verdict: What Xbox, Sony Might Do Next - Next-Gen Console Watch
Welcome back to Next-Gen Console Watch, our show following all the news and rumors on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series. This week Max Scoville is filling in for Daemon Hatfield, and he's joined by Ryan McCaffrey, host of IGN’s Xbox podcast, Podcast Unlocked, and IGN News Director Kat Bailey. The topic: Microsoft pulled off a huge legal win, convincing the court that their proposed purchase of Activision Blizzard will not limit access to Call of Duty games, among other things. So now what does Sony do? And what are Xbox's next steps, since the acquisition is not yet final? And we have last week's poll results, plus a new poll for you to vote on at IGN.com.


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BRITS have revealed some of the most popular things they steal from their hotel rooms after a holiday – but some could get you in trouble.
While some items are there to be taken, some cheeky guests have taken it too far.
A study conducted by Kayak spoke to 10,000 people and found that 67 per cent of Brits admit to taking something home with them.
The most popular item to take was the shampoo and conditioner – the mini toiletries are complimentary so they can be taken.
This is not the case where hotels have wall-mounted shampoo and conditioner bottles which have to be left behind.
Coming in second was the tea bags and coffee capsules – also allowed – and the slippers, which are encouraged to be taken as they cannot be reused.
Staff even encourage guests to wear them in their bedrooms asÂ the floors are usually quite dirty.
They are also particularly useful on the flight home, so you donât end up walking around the plane cabin in your socks.
However, 12 per cent admitted to taking the towels – a big no-no, and you could be charged if caught.
This, along with the bathrobes and decorative items, means you are likely to get in trouble if noted by cleaning staff.
In recent years, most properties have made it quite clear that a missing robe will be added to the cost of the room â the warning usually comes on the clothes hanger.
This might not be the case for some of the fancier hotels – the Goring Hotel factors the cost of their monogrammed slippers and bathrobes into the Â£8,500 bill for a stay in the Royal Suite.
Also making the top ten was the remote control batteries.
One general manager said theirÂ most hated guests are “those whoÂ steal the batteriesÂ out of the television remote control”.
He said: “They’re not expensive, but it’s highly inconvenient for the next guest.”
Back in 2019, hotel guests wereÂ caught stealing mattressesÂ from their rooms, with some of them costing thousands of pounds each – with five-star hotels unlikely to report the incident.
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