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Seven new African startups will receive funding, technical support and mentorship to fast-track their growth and provide a roadmap to highlight Africa’s future growth pole under the Microsoft 4Afrika grant programme.
The initiative by the giant tech company aims at accelerating African innovation, ensuring that entrepreneurs continue to grow their businesses and solutions. In turn, they will create jobs, encourage skills development and grow the continent’s knowledge economy.
Being the second round of grants to be issued under 4Afrika programme, following the five startups selected at the beginning of 2014, winners will receive financial endowment and access to Microsoft platforms which include one on one mentorship sessions owing to the fact that all startups have different needs, speeds at which they scale and unique market challenges that require tailored, individualised support.
In addition, to ensure the scalability of these startups, Microsoft will also connect grant winners with relevant partners to enable them commercialize their solutions.
The following startup have been selected on this second round;
Ukall (Kenya) – Ukall is an ICT company that automates business processes, allowing companies and businesses to run more efficiently. Their mobile application ‘Akida’ addresses the challenges of staff attendance verification.
Cojengo (East Africa) – Based on the Swahili word ‘Kujenga’, Cojengo creates mobile and cloud solutions that address animal and human health issues. Their ‘VetAfrica’ app helps farmers diagnose livestock disease and share disease surveillance data.
MobiPay (Kenya) – MobiPay facilitates commerce and trade through mobile devices in the SME, agricultural and remittance sectors. Their AgriLife solution helps farmers access market opportunities, receive financing and get information on how best to grow, manage and market their produce.
iTaxi (Morocco) – iTaxi is a mobile application that lets users book, track and rate taxis within Morocco. The app uses geo-location technology, allowing users to send their location and transport details to available taxi drivers in the area and track their progress.
AfNov (Rwanda) – AfNov is a software development company. Their mobile application ‘Ikaye y’umudugudu’ allows users to report their community challenges and conflicts to government. In addition, users can track development and progress within government institutions, ensuring accountability and enhanced development.
BookNow (Kenya) – BookNow is a mobile system that allows Kenyan’s to buy bus tickets online, providing secure mobile money and card payment options and enabling customers to avoid long queues.
MMindzs (Uganda)– MMindzs offers mobile payment solutions for businesses and SMEs, allowing them to manage and keep track of their business transactions from anywhere.
The seven startups were selected based on their uniqueness and scalability among other factors. Microsoft4Afrika will support the startups that have developed their solutions beyond the idea stage at the same time addressing key sectors fueling growth across the continent.
Through Microsoft’s partnerships with accelerators and innovation hubs; 88mph and AfriLabs, local innovators have been able to access nurturing and market solutions giving them better stability and position in their various sectors.


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Riding the tourism boom abroad
Updated: 2016-11-21 07:37
By Sophie He(HK Edition)
Chinese online travel company Tuniu has already kicked off plans to expand overseas, Co-Founder and President Yan Haifeng tells Sophie He.
The surge in the number of Chinese outbound travelers will see a spike in Chinese tourism companies going global in the next five years, according to Yan Haifeng, co-founder and president of Chinese online leisure travel company Tuniu Corporation.
Yan told China Daily on the sidelines of a China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable in Macao last month that he believes the country's outbound tourism industry is still in its infancy. He explains that Chinese tourists have only been traveling abroad for about 14 years, as there were too many limitations for going overseas before 2002.
But Yan says since then, the Chinese tourism industry has flourished, with the demand and consumption habits of Chinese travelers changing rapidly.
Initially, travelers preferred destinations including Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand before turning to South Korea and Japan. Now, Chinese tourists are flying further abroad, with Europe gaining in popularity, Yan says.
He adds that in the past decade, residents of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen were the main group traveling abroad, but people who live in third- or fourth-tier cities are now planning their overseas vacations.
This means in the next decade, more Chinese tourism companies will complete their global positioning, amid the rising demand of outbound tourists.
"Now there are about 100 million Chinese mainland travelers traveling overseas every year. I believe the number will only grow further in the future, and the scale could easily grow up to 200 to 300 million per year," Yan says.
"I believe that in the next three to five years, what we are going to see is an increasing number of Chinese tourism corporations will go overseas."
He says Chinese tourism companies must expand overseas and cooperate with local companies to tap into certain tourism resources, including local hotels and transportation - one of the focuses at Tuniu.
Tuniu has been listed on the Nasdaq since May 2014, and offers packaged tours (organized and self-guided tours), as well as travel-related services for tourists through its website Tuniu.com and mobile platform.
He recalls that Tuniu was initially focused only in group traveling of residents in first-tier cities, with just 15 branches nationally. A decade since the company was founded, it now has more than 200 branches, targeting self-guided, outbound young tourists.
Yan points out that the country's infrastructure has improved immensely in order to support the rapid growth of the tourism industry. More airports have been built, leading to more flights that link lower-tier cities directly to overseas travel destinations.
Since last year, Tuniu has been setting up subsidiaries in overseas markets, including in Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan, South Korea and in Europe.
Aside from trying to obtain more local tourism resources from overseas markets, Tuniu is also focusing on cooperating with local companies and even bringing in local partners to the company, according to Yan.
Another trend shift is that people born after 1980, or millennials, now make up a major part of Chinese outbound travelers, Yan says, as these young and wealthier people are more interested in self-guided holidays rather than organized tours.
Yan believes that these new trends and demands will bring more opportunities rather than challenges to tourism corporations. This means companies that understand the demand of young Chinese tourists will hold a competitive edge in the future.
"In order to stay ahead in the competition in the future, Tuniu has to meet the demand of millennials - luckily the two founders of the companies were both born after 1980, so it is not very difficult to understand what young travelers want."
Yan points out that the millennials seek a high quality of services when they are traveling, and tend to attach great importance on their traveling experience rather than just shopping or sightseeing.
"I noticed that mainland young travelers in Tokyo are keen to dine at Michelin-starred restaurants, indicating how much people value their experiences, and Tuniu has to adapt and meet this kind of demand," he says.
Yan says Tuniu wants to continue expanding its business in tourism and hotels, with also a focus on transportation including plane tickets, bus tickets and car rental services. He hopes Tuniu can be an international company in the near future, but warns that it should be more "focused", concentrating its resources in one particular field at one time instead of trying to do everything at once.
For the second quarter of 2016, Tuniu recorded a net loss of 764.8 million yuan ($115.1 million). Net revenues during the period were 2.4 billion yuan ($355.5 million), a year-on-year increase of 55.6 percent from 2015.
Yan stresses he wants the company to grow, but external and internal risks means they should also be prudent. External risks include the uncertainty of the global economy and the slower growth of Chinese economy, adding that internal risks may be related to the company's judgment of the long-term situation, and the goals they wish to achieve.
Contact the writer at firstname.lastname@example.org
(HK Edition 11/21/2016 page9)

domain: news


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Intel And NaviSite Join in Managed Services Offering
New hosted services program targets channel partners active in growing SMB market
The burgeoning market for hosted and managed services in the SMB market has caught the attention of Intel in a big way. The vendor has teamed up with solution provider NaviSite to create a hosting service program that will provide Intel resellers with a suite of white-label managed services they can sell to SMBs and brand under their own name.
We have been looking at the market for quite a while, said Steve Dallman, vice president of Intels sales and marketing group and general manager of Intels worldwide reseller organization. Many of our resellers havent branched out into offering services. This program will give then the opportunity to provide services for a little money upfront.
The initial services available to Intel resellers are: hosted Microsoft Exchange Server, email archiving and filtering, hosted Microsoft SharePoint, remote monitoring, and online backup and recovery service. NaviSite, a leading provider of application solutions and hosting services, will host the services in its 18 large data centers.
The services will play in a combined SMB U.S. IP communications and managed services market that is growing at about 15 percent per year, according to research firm AMI, which estimates the market topped $30 billion in 2007.
More than 10 percent of U.S. SMBs now use a managed firewall service, and more than 15 percent used managed virtual private networks (VPNs), the researcher found in 2007. Approximately 11 percent of SBs and 15 percent of MBs use managed online/off-site data storage and backup, according to AMI.
The new hosted service program will deliver many benefits to resellers without them incurring any real costs apart from minimal set-up fees, said Jim Fanella, senior vice president of strategic business development, NaviSite, Andover, Mass.
Resellers will be able to extend their relationships with their customers by providing core services on an ongoing basis and to move beyond the traditional break/fix posture, said Fanella. There is pent-up demand in the SMB market for managed services at a fixed monthly fee.
Fanella said each fee turns into a recurring and predictable high-margin revenue stream for resellers.
We dont have a good feel for the actual margins yet as the program is so new, said Dallman. The margins seem to be all over the map. However, our research indicates that margins on services are typically much higher than margins on hardware, while services revenue is about half of hardware revenue. So resellers have plenty of opportunity to grow their service business.
Intel is recommending that resellers take a holistic approach to this program, said Dallman. We think the strongest strategy for them is to combine their hardware and services activities so they can build solutions that work best for their SMB customers.
The revenue stream is highly scalable, said Fanella. Resellers will be able to grow their business by selling more services with long-term contracts, he said.
The sales cycle for managed services is relatively short, said Fanella. SMBs understand the value of getting a monthly service at a low, fixed rate and no large outlay of cash upfront.
The program will also give channel partners the benefit of dealing with a single services provider in NaviSite, thereby avoiding any compatibility and resolution issues for resellers or their customers, said Fanella.
Resellers that sign up for the hosted service will receive sales and technical training and marketing and sales support from both Intel and NaviSite.


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It's a new campaign devised to protect users from getting scammed; Microsoft worked with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Postal Inspection Service, and Western Union to provide public service announcements (PSAs) in the form of ads on Bing results pages. The ads should appear for relevant keywords only; I've tried about a dozen different combinations, and haven't seen them, but it could be because I'm not located in the USA. You should see them if you're looking for foreclosure rescue, lottery, and fixing credit problems. If you click on one, you'll land on trade commission or Microsoft Web pages containing advice about avoiding online scams.
The initiative might move to other search engines, too. "We'll encourage other search engines to follow Microsoft's lead and use PSAs to help their users avoid scams," said David Vladeck, director of the FTC bureau of consumer protection. Be that as it may, this is another move by Microsoft that shows they're serious about grabbing more of that search market share, something they've been surprisingly good at so far.


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In Moscow at VDNKh (pavilions 69, 75) the 20th Anniversary International Industrial Exhibition “Metal-Expo 2014” took place. About 700 companies from 35 countries chose that anniversary exhibition and congress forum as the effective instrument for promoting their products.
700 exhibitors is a bit less than in 2013, and the Organizers explain it with absence of a number of Russian companies, which in conditions of stagnation found themselves in a difficult situation. But the number of international companies from 35 countries reached 320.
Among the participants there are leading metallurgical companies, tube and wire works, non-ferrous metal work enterprises, rolled aluminium and alloys producers, suppliers of metal and steel products, builders, machine tool builders, oil and gas industry representatives and representatives of real sector of economy.


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Some Texas consumers may be paying a significant amount of money in credit card fees and interest. The personal finance website MagnifyMoney looked at data provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and found that Americans had paid over $104 billion in interest and fees over the past year. That number is anticipated to increase.
In 2018, the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates and will probably do so two more times before the end of the year. This usually means higher rates for credit card customers as well as mortgage holders. It is anticipated that the last rate increase will cost credit card debtors over $2 billion more in interest rates.
While this is a lot of money in a collective sense, most credit card holders will only see their minimum payments go up by a few dollars. However, those dollars can add up. Each month, there is $687 billion in credit card debt that is not paid in full, and for the average credit card holder, that translates to a debt of $6,348. Furthermore, the total in revolving debt for Americans is more than $1 trillion despite a surge of people paying down a total of $40.3 billion in credit card debt in the first three months of 2018.
For some people, credit card debt may become overwhelming, and they may want to consider filing for bankruptcy. With a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, people may be able to keep some assets. Chapter 13 allows a person to work out a payment plan with creditors, so filing for Chapter 13 can stop foreclosure on a home and allow a person to keep it. There are several eligibility and other requirements that an experienced attorney can explain.


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Have you ever heard of a duplicate store which sells original merchandise?
As absurd as it sounds, it is quite common in most of China's smaller cities and towns since 2011.
The I-Phones which are originally made by Taiwanese manufacturers Foxconn are hugely popular in China but the limited number of official stores does not meet the overwhelming appetite of the Chinese populace.
The phones are seen as a symbol of status for some, which makes them pay double the market price.
The Chinese, for the first time, got to see the launch of I-Phone 6S with the rest of the world in September and just like the original apple stores, the fake ones took pre-orders for the release.
There have also been cases where these shops would make new launches available within the country even before their official release.
However, I-Phones are not the only product, the fakes store deals with all the latest apple products and are reported to buy apple products from authorized channels - inside and outside the country, and earn a profit by selling them at inflated prices.
The irony is that not all the shop attendants are aware that they work in fake Apple stores.
The shops sport a look similar to that of the original Apple stores with original Apple logos on banners and attendants wearing Apple T-shirts and badges.
Even the wooden table on which the products are showcased are similar to that of the official stores.
Don't believe us? Here's a video titled 'Touring Fake Apple Retail Stores' that takes you through one of these stores.


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Sustainability goes mainstream
|Authors & editors|
|Publisher||Milling & Grain|
|Year of publication||2022|
|Scope & content||James Cooper, Milling and Grain magazine regular correspondent, once again provides an insightful and hard-hitting review of the state of our global food production chain, consumer motivation and climate change all rolled into a myriad of questions about food and sustainability and what this means to businesses producing food products for consumers. Hard questions lead to positive and progressive responses from feed milling industry leaders. |
Campaigners say a global transformation of the food system is urgently needed.
For decades, modern agriculture has relied on a model of pure financial capitalism; a linear system of farming a handful of crops, resulting in soil depletion and release of carbon into the atmosphere. By any measure of sustainability, it’s not fit for purpose.
Half the world’s GDP is dependent on nature, yet nature cannot sustain us any longer. A football field per second is cut out of the rainforest to make way for poor quality farmland.
While the pandemic has demonstrated in an obvious way that our existence on the planet is fragile and that food systems are vulnerable, equally apparent has been our ability to adapt rapidly to changing circumstances. The UK learned how to bake bread and grow vegetables. Quite apart from souring fuel costs, my local mixed-arable farmer also experienced a four-fold increase in the cost of bagged NPK fertiliser in the last six months, so he’s bought less, and his muck heap has become equivalently more valuable.
Read more about:
Transforming the food system
The statistics speak for themselves
Consumer choice - unreliable in reversing climate change
Industry can do better
A new metrics of capitalism
Motivating the feed industry
Purpose above profit
Along the road
Feed production - inherently circular


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It’s been confirmed that the next system software update and PSN Store update will take place on April 14th, just in time for those of us rushing to file our US Income Tax returns to be forced to take a break and try to track down that receipt for that business dinner at the "Thirsty Alligator House of BBQ".
According to playstation.custhelp.com, the PSN store will be upgraded and inaccessible from April 14th at 8:00 am Pacific Standard Time and available again at 11:00 PM that evening. The entire PSN will be unavailable as well during this time frame. Once the PSN is back up and running, a new software upgrade will be available and will be required to use the PSN.
Once you get the update and check out the store, please check back and tell us your thoughts.


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February 10, 2020
Riddell, the leader in football helmet technology, today announced the divestiture and sale of certain assets associated with Kollege Town Sports, a division of the company’s apparel business, to BSN SPORTS.
January 09, 2020
The leader in football head protection and innovation, Riddell, and the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame (PFHOF), today unveiled the upcoming 2020 Polynesian Bowl Riddell SpeedFlex helmet design. Riddell serves as the official protective equipment...
December 10, 2019
(Des Plaines, IL) – December 10, 2019 – Riddell, the leader in football helmet technology and innovation, entered a strategic partnership with tech company NetVirta.
October 03, 2019
(St. Paul, MN) – Oct. 3, 2019 – TackleBar™ Football, and Riddell, the football head protection leader, have entered a strategic partnership designed to advance and grow the game of football. Riddell’s team of direct sales representatives will help expand...
September 17, 2019
Riddell and Peyton Manning awarded equipment grants to 10 unique football organizations today as part of the 2019 Smarter Football initiative. Riddell surprised the teams through custom congratulatory videos featuring the future Hall of Fame quarterback. Manning highlighted each team’s commitment to evolving the sport through smarter playing tactics.
August 21, 2019
Riddell, a leader in football innovation, today announced the launch of a new line of licensed collectible helmets, AMP Alternate, which is its latest series of officially licensed alternate designs. AMP Alternate is available mid-August through key retailers nationwide.
June 19, 2019
Offering the fun and fitness of football to young athletes, USA Football’s 2019 Protection Tour kicks off its national schedule on June 23. The series of USA Football events, conducted in partnership with Riddell, delivers expert-driven football and player safety information to youth players, parents and coaches, including tackling fundamentals, concussion education and equipment fitting.
June 04, 2019
Riddell, the leader in football head protection and innovation, today unveiled Peoria High School as its Team of the Future to celebrate the launch of the 2019 Smarter Football program. The Peoria High School Lions, known for their progressive approach...
May 21, 2019
Riddell, the industry leader in football head protection and innovation, announced today that it obtained a $5 million jury verdict in the Northern District of Illinois against Schutt, its chief competitor, for willful infringement of two Riddell football helmet patents. Schutt argued that one of Riddell's patents was not infringed, and that both of Riddell's patents were invalid. The jury, however, found both patents valid and willfully infringed by Schutt's Vengeance line of helmets.
February 01, 2019
Des Plaines, Ill. and Redwood City, CA. – February 1, 2019 – Riddell and Carbon have partnered to bring customized, digital design innovation to head protection through Riddell’s new Diamond helmet platform. Powered by Carbon, the new platform features a...


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“iPhone is a powerful new device and is going to be particularly good for the apps that Google is building. You should expect other announcements from the two companies over time,” a ZDNET story quoted as saying at an event in Paris.
Is the iPhone Google’s real mobile platform strategy?
Businesses near ‘PokeStops’ are enjoying a huge surge in footfall due to the popularity of Pokémon Go, according to our first major ... read more
A new organization, The Coalition for Better Ads, has been launched to “leverage consumer insights and cross-industry expertise to develop and implement ... read more


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Hundreds of extra London hotel rooms have come back on the market with 79 days to go before the Olympics according to Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza owner, InterContinental Hotels Group.
Richard Solomons, chief executive of IHG, said: “Originally two-thirds of rooms in 35 of our London hotels went to Locog as part of our support for the Games. Locog has just given us 20% of those rooms back and they are back on general sale. Demand is high.”
Solomons is also excited that Holiday Inn is running the 15,000-strong athletes village and said: “It has already hugely raised awareness of the brand.” IHG has just opened a Staybridge Suites, pictured, and Holiday Inn at Westfield Stratford.
First-quarter profits rose 5% to $118 million (£73 million) — slightly above City forecasts — with revenue per available room rising 7%. The strongest drivers were China and North America but Europe, where IHG runs hotels primarily in Northern countries, also performed “robustly in a challenging market.”
Solomons said that during April, revenues per room had risen by 6.1% with 4.2% of that coming from increased rates. He said: “In some developed countries it is getting harder to build new hotels so the rates the existing ones can charge are being pushed upwards.”Reuse content


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Hoffman Estates, IL– January 17, 2013 – The Collision Repair Industry Snapshot Survey, co-sponsored by the Collision Repair Education Foundation and I-CAR, has launched and is now open for responses from collision shop owners and managers. The collected data will be compared to previous benchmarks. Trends over the years will be analyzed, with results published and shared with the industry.
In order to touch the entire industry both within the Foundation and I-CAR customer base as well as externally, the electronic survey, which is intended only for shop owners or managers, will be distributed via various vehicles including:
• Industry publications
• Information providers
• I-CAR Industry Alliance partners newsletters
• Industry co-ops and buying groups
• Associations’ newsletters
• Large paint distributors and others
It is estimated that this survey will be distributed electronically to over 20,000 shop managers and owners (one from each location). An electronic tablet (retail value $400) will be awarded to one randomly selected respondent that successfully completes the survey. All responses will be kept confidential and results will be reported in aggregate; respondents will not be contacted; and the list will not be sold or shared.
Collision shop owners or managers (one per location please) are invited to take the survey at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Collision_Industry_Snapshot_Survey.
Any specific questions regarding the survey can be directed to the Collision Repair Education Foundation at email@example.com.


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Children’s Grove and Missouri Business Alert have created a new award honoring kindness by businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Kindness in Business Awards are a celebration of Boone County businesses and nonprofits that have shown and promoted goodwill in dealings with customers, employees, youth and the community.
Nominations can be made in any of three categories:
- Kindness to Employees
- Kindness to Youth
- Kindness to the Community
The nomination period begins at 10 a.m. Sept. 9 and goes to 5 p.m. Sept. 25.
Every nominee will be awarded a certificate of kindness. Three finalists will be selected from each category. The finalists also will be featured in the Missouri Business Alert.
To launch the nominations, a virtual dedication ceremony of a Kindness Bench at Flat Branch Park in Columbia will be on a livestream via Facebook at 10 a.m. Sept. 9. The bench will serve as a symbol of the contributions made by local businesses.
For a full list of eligibility criteria and to nominate a business, click here.


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Author: The Economist
Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit
Global companies that have delivered strong share price growth over the past three years are more proactive on corporate sustainability issues than those that have seen their share price stagnate or decline, according to a major new research report from the Economist Intelligence Unit.
The report, which is sponsored by A.T. Kearney, Bank of America, ExxonMobil, Jones Lang LaSalle, Orange, PricewaterhouseCoopers, SAP and SunGard, illustrates the growing importance of corporate sustainability in enabling companies to compete and to attract customers. The research is based on a global survey of 1,254 senior business executives, including more than 300 CEOs.
The survey does not claim that the adoption of sustainable practices causes companies’ share prices to rise. It could be that companies with a strong financial performance simply have more resources to devote to sustainability. What the findings do show, however, is that it is possible to take a proactive position on social and environmental issues while still delivering robust financial growth. Indeed, companies in the survey that saw their share price rise by at least 50% in the last three years (share price climbers) place a greater importance on social and environmental goals than companies with share prices that have declined by more than 10% (share price losers). Social and environmental goals include improving environmental and human rights in supply chains, where 40% of share price climbers rank this as an important priority versus 18% of share price losers; reducing greenhouse gases (38% to 24%); and developing products which address social and environmental problems (49% to 35%). Share price climbers also put a greater emphasis on social and environmental considerations at board level.


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May 22, 2009 – (HOSTSEARCH.COM) – Virtualization and automation leader Parallels
, is putting cloud computing at the top of the agenda in Asia by introducing its industry-uniting cloud services networking event in the region. The Parallels APAC Summit 2009 marks the expansion of Parallels’ successful annual event into Asia, where Springboard Research predicts that: “in 2009 every leading hardware, software and services vendor will have a clear cloud computing strategy. Moreover, as budgets shift from cap‐ex to op‐ex, more IT organizations will strongly consider cloud computing as an alternative software and service delivery model.” Parallels is highly active in this market, with around 1000 customers and 200 strategic partners signed in the region.
Parallels APAC Summit 2009 will take place in Singapore on September 25th, 2009 and registration is now open. Following the format of the annual US event, the Summit will feature in-depth business and product sessions with well-known Parallels speakers and industry leaders offering insights into: the industry and upcoming market trends; Parallels’ upcoming initiatives; and strategies for building a company that grows revenue, even in this challenging economic climate.
Additionally, the one-day event is aimed at giving attendees ample opportunity to visit the exhibition hall and network with potential business partners, colleagues and the Parallels team in order to forge profitable customer and partner networks. Attendees of the event will represent all interests in the APAC cloud computing market, including cloud services providers, ISVs, developers, hardware vendors and other industry players.
"Interest in cloud computing and hosting is growing rapidly amongst SMBs as the range of available services and trust in the model increases. This represents a great opportunity for cloud service providers that are able to execute and respond to market forces,” said Antonio Piraino, Senior Analyst at Tier1 Research. “The Parallels Summit is an established industry event that brings service providers, vendors, developers and users from across the sector's value chain together for networking and frank discussion about strategy, trends and future directions."
“The success of Parallels Summit 2009 in February demonstrated both the sizeable opportunity represented by cloud computing and Parallels’ position as a key strategic partner for players in this space,” said Serguei Beloussov, CEO of Parallels. “We are pleased to expand this success into the Asia-Pacific market, which represents a significant prospect for Parallels and its partners in the cloud services space, both globally and within the region itself. Our event aims to highlight the potential revenue streams for cloud services providers in the region, and we hope to help them partner to survive and thrive in what is already a very competitive landscape.”
Parallels is a worldwide leader in virtualization and automation software that optimizes computing for consumers, businesses, and service providers across all major hardware, operating systems, and virtualization platforms. Founded in 1999, Parallels is a fast-growing company with 700 employees in North America, Europe, and Asia.


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Another aspect of RUC’s community focus is the fact that it provides customers with two local TV channels, in contrast to Charter, which offers none. In the wake of a Wisconsin law that removed requirements that cable operators provide financial support for PEG (public, educational and government) access channels, Rice says RUC is working on plans to continue operating its local channels, to make them more attractive and, in doing so, to further differentiate its service from Charter’s in terms of being responsive to the local community.
Amazon's Chattanooga Distribution Center is Expanding
Prior to Chattanooga's gigabit announcement, Amazon had no considered that region as a location for the distribution center they would looking to put in the southeastern U.S. But they saw the announcement, talked to the City and Boom! Over 1,000 jobs.
I've long known of this economic development example but did not fully appreciate how important access to the Internet is for an Amazonian Distribution Center. But this article about its coming expansion (more on that in bit) offers some context.
The distribution center is the size of 17 football fields and hosts 700 Internet access points connected by 7 miles of fiber-optic cables within the facility. So access to the Internet is pretty important for a distribution center of an online retailer.
When Amazon announced its investment in Chattanooga, it predicted some 1400 jobs with additional seasonal employment opportunities. After cutting back seasonal employees with the end of the holiday season, it was still employing 2000 workers.
With its expansion, it will add hundreds of jobs -- hundreds of jobs that would not be in Chattanooga without the community fiber network. Massive national providers like Comcast regularly claim they can deliver any level of service to big customers but the reality is that they are not willing to charge reasonable prices for such services and they are much harder to work with (partially because the bureaucracy at any massive cable corporation is worse than that of any local government).


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HTC are having a good year, and their latest reports over the weekend show revenues of $4.43 (US) billion for the third quarter 2011. This is up 9.2% from Q2, and almost 80% on this time last year.
2011 has been a massively strong year for the mobile giant, with revenues of NT$364.38 billion, increasing by 108.5% from a year previous.
HTC had set themselves a target of 10% growth for the quarter, so they fell a little short of their proposed targets, although we can imagine that no one will be hauled over the coals for the slight shortfall.
HTC have been in the news recently for a legal battle with Apple, which caused Google to intervene by handing over some of their patent ownerships.
Kitguru says: A very strong year for HTC, which highlights the growth of the Android platform.


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Apple might be ready to announce a new iPad mini before the end of the year, according to a new report. That's despite a report by a well-connected supply chain analyst who claimed that there would be no new tablets before 2024.
This latest report comes via the supply chain watchers at DigiTimes and claims that there have been orders for a new small-size iPad for the fourth quarter of this year. That would presumably be the seventh-generation iPad mini, with the last model having been released way back in 2021.
Little is known about the new tablet and it wasn't even expected to be in the cards for a 2023 unveiling. While Bloomberg's Mark Gurman had suggested that it wasn't out of the question that there would be a new iPad mini this year, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo poured cold water on that idea by saying that there would be no new iPad mini until 2024. In fact, Kuo said that he didn't believe that there would be any new iPad models at all this year.
This all comes amid the backdrop of an expected October Apple event. The October event is normally for new Macs and iPads, with M3 Macs thought to be the order of the day this time out. A new 24-inch iMac is at the top of everyone's list of expected devices, but a new iPad mini could easily join it. We've been told not to expect new MacBooks, although that was also according to Kuo. With the October unveiling likely just weeks away we won't need to wait long to find out if he was right.


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There will be a significant rise in virus attacks on both the Mac and open-source platforms, according to renowned security expert, Eugene Kaspersky.
The co-founder and head of anti-virus research at Kaspersky Labs claims that Vista’s lukewarm reception will drive more customers towards alternative platforms, making them a more attractive target for malware writers. ‘Home users are not so loyal to the OS. Not many of them are satisfied with Microsoft Vista,’ Kaspersky told PC Pro. ‘Some Windows users will switch to other OSes. Microsoft will not lose its dominance, but it will be reduced a bit.’
Kaspersky claims that Mac viruses are no more difficult to repel than Windows attacks, but says ‘it’s not so easy to find good [anti-virus] experts for non-Windows platforms.’
continued @ PCPro


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Gisele Bundchen Sings For H&M’s New Swimwear Campaign [VIDEO]
Apr 24, 2014 11:44
The 33-year-old Brazilian supermodel has teamed up with heavyweight dance producer Bob Sinclar to star in music video where she sings a rendition of Blondie‘s “Heart of Glass” (which can also be downloaded on iTunes). H&M’s 2014 Summer Swimwear collection will be available both in-store and online starting from May 1.
With today’s technological advancements, kids are spending more time online than they are watching television. If they are not playing an online game, they are watching a video online or are on social media chatting. Parents have a responsibility to keep their children safe online. Read more
We’ve all heard the saying “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” and nowhere was this truer than when shopping around for engagement rings. Well, it seems as though times are changing, and diamonds are no longer the one and only gem being used in engagement rings. Read more


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Blizzard has filed a lawsuit against Chinese game developer Sina Games for their mobile game Glorious Saga which they claim is “almost entirely copied from the Warcraft games and related products.”
“Every monster, creature, animal, and vehicle in the Infringing Game was copied from the Warcraft games,” the suit alleges. “Weapons, amulets, and other objects were taken straight from the Warcraft games, without pretense. Audio cues and sound effects from the Warcraft games were reproduced for the Infringing Game.”
Glorious Saga is available in the Google Play store, though in the USA it’s called Glorious World. In the lawsuit Blizzard alleges that many of Sina Games’ games are based on well-known franchises like Yu-Gi-Oh!, Naruto, and WoW. One of the things that the lawsuit points to is the mobile icon which looks nearly identical to the Battle of Azeroth expansion cover, which was a throwback to the original cover for the first Warcraft game.
This is of course hardly the first time Blizzard has had to defend itself against companies trying to profit off of their games. This is especially common with MMOs released in China. It’s rare to see them get a global release.
We’ll be following news on this lawsuit as it goes forward but it will most likely be done quietly behind the scenes and we won’t know the outcome until it’s over and even then we may never get any details.
Source: PolygonRelated: Blizzard, Lawsuit, News, World of Warcraft


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Amid critical purchases in Nevada and California, a multi-state operator (MSO) reported total revenue of US$77 million for 2018 thanks to the expansion of its business in key states.
On Wednesday (March 20), Curaleaf Holdings (CSE:CURA,OTCQX:CURLF) informed shareholders that its year-end financials received a boost due to the company’s development in Florida and New York along with acquisitions in Massachusetts and Arizona.
The results offer a closer look at how one of the largest MSOs is expanding its reach and business scope throughout the US cannabis market.
Curaleaf posted US$31.96 million in revenue during its fiscal Q4 2018, an increase of 49 percent from its previous quarter, which the company credited to rapid development in Florida and Arizona.
During a conference call with investors and analysts, Curaleaf CEO Joseph Lusardi said Florida is one of the fastest-growing medical states. The firm currently operates 22 stores in the state.
Due to the recent lift on a ban for smokeable products, Curaleaf now expects Florida could double its market. Lusardi added that he expects to see a policy on edibles later this year as well.
The company experienced a net loss of US$61.8 million for the full year and US$16.5 million in the quarter, which the company largely credits to its use of one-time fees to reach a public listing during its most recent quarter.
Boris Jordan, executive chairman of Curaleaf, said the company now operates 42 dispensaries across the country and expects to hold 70 in its portfolio by the end of the year.
Based on the most recent results, the company is maintaining an expectation of US$400 million in revenue for 2019.
Acquisitions signal consolidation in the west for Curaleaf
On Monday (March 18), Curaleaf confirmed its plan to buy Acres Cannabis in a deal worth US$70 million, with US$25 million to be paid in cash and US$45 million in shares of the firm.
This purchase will grant Curaleaf critical assets in Nevada, including one 24-hour dispensary in Las Vegas.
An additional dispensary in Las Vegas is set to open during the second quarter, according to Curaleaf.
The MSO indicated to shareholders that all Acres dispensaries will be rebranded as Curaleaf stores by the end of the year.
“Acres operates a flagship dispensary in the heart of Las Vegas, complementing our existing assets in the state extremely well,” Lusardi said in the press release.
In February, Curaleaf also secured wholesale cannabis assets in California thanks to the US$30-million acquisition of Eureka Investment Partners.
This purchase granted Curaleaf with a production facility primed for an expansion that could produce 50,000 pounds of dry flower per year.
Similar to the Acres acquisition, the payment is split in US$10 million in cash and US$20.5 million in stock of Curaleaf.
Nevada legalized adult-use cannabis in July 2017, while California opened the doors to recreational sales in January 2018.
Both states offer vibrant markets with variety in products and dispensaries compared to other states at earlier stages of legalization.
Hemp market to be addressed with retail strategy in CVS pharmacy stores
During the update, Curaleaf indicated its focus will be on the health and wellness market for hemp-derived CBD products with an aggressive strategy placing its hemp brand in 800 CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) stores starting on Friday (March 22).
The launch is planned to be in effect for 10 states. Curaleaf confirmed that Alabama, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland and Tennessee will be included as part of the rollout.
Lusardi said the firm has had talks with a variety of national retailers, and will be making official announcements in the near future.
“I think that, in anticipation of the farm bill last year, many retailers were trying to come to a strategy for how they were going address hemp,” the executive said.
STATES Act potential could show true value of US market, says executive
Jordan said the company expects to see the STATES Act, a policy that would grant states the option to regulate cannabis and to allow businesses to become legal under state protection, introduced this year.
The executive indicated that the lack of a federal policy to oversee the industry has created a “significant impact” on US-based marijuana firms due to the comparisons in value with Canadian leaders.
Jordan pointed out that, despite the differences in market value for the US cannabis space compared to Canada, “the aggregate market cap of Canadian companies dwarfs that of the US.
“We believe that the US market has significantly more value yet to be realized by investors. We expect this will start to change in 2019 as differentiation from Canada will become apparent when US companies post significant financial returns with further expansion and build out,” Jordan said during the call.
Options from MSOs in the US cannabis landscape have caught the attention of investors as the growth trend in the stock market has moved down from the Canadian space.
During an event in Vancouver, Matt Bottomley, director of equity research and cannabis analyst with Canaccord Genuity Group (TSX:CF), told investors that Curaleaf had secured his top stock recommendation of 2019.
On the analyst research site aggregator TipRanks, Curaleaf holds a “strong buy” rating based on three separate reviews.
Based on these reviews, shares of Curaleaf hold an average price target of C$16.75.
During the call, the management team of the company confirmed a voluntary lockup on 81 percent of the shares of Curaleaf by the founders of the firm and other “key shareholders.” It is set to last until October 20, 2019.
Curaleaf shares finished Wednesday’s trading session at a price of C$9.10, representing an increase of 3.29 percent for the day.
Over a year-to-date period, the stock has gained over 30 percent in value.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Cannabis for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Bryan Mc Govern, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: Acreage Holdings is a client of the Investing News Network. This article is not paid-for content.
CanBud Distribution Corporation Closes 2M Second and Final Tranche of its Oversubscribed Private Placement Offering
CanBud Distribution Corporation (CSE: CBDX) (FSE: CD0) (“CanBud” or the “Corporation”) is pleased to announce that it has closed the final tranche of its oversubscribed non-brokered private placement for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $4,730,000 (the “Offering”).
The Corporation issued a combined total of 39,409,346 units (each a “Unit“) at price of $0.12 per Unit, with each Unit comprised of one common share in the capital of the Corporation (each a “Common Share“) and one common share purchase warrant (each a “Warrant“). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional Common Share at an exercise price of $0.22 within 24 months of the closing of the Offering (the “Warrant Term“), provided, however that if the closing price of the Common Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the “CSE“) (or any such other stock exchange in Canada as the Common Shares may trade at the applicable time) is $0.25 or greater per Common Share for a period of five (5) consecutive trading days at any time after the closing date of the Offering, the Corporation may accelerate the Warrant Term such that the Warrants shall expire on the date which is 30 days following the date a press release is issued by the Corporation announcing the reduced warrant terms.
Thoughtful Brands Inc. (CSE:TBI)(FSE:1WZ1)(OTCQB:PEMTF) (the “Company” or “Thoughtful Brands) announces that the letter of intent with Franchise Cannabis Corp. (“FCC”), previously announced in January, has been terminated. The previously announced European joint venture with FCC will continue and allow the Company to launch and tailor its products to European consumer demands
In connection with termination of the merger transaction with FCC, the Company has agreed to pay FCC $100,000 in cash and to issue FCC 5,000,000 common shares of the Company at a deemed value of $0.05 per share. The common shares will be subject to a four-month-and-one-day statutory hold period in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in cannabis space have helped boost the industry to new levels.
Strategic sale of non-core assets by Lobe adds non-dilutive capital and shareholder value
Lobe Sciences Ltd. (CSE: LOBE) (OTC Pink: GTSIF) (“Lobe” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce, further to its press release dated February 23, 2021, that it has completed the sale to Ionic Brands Corp. (“Ionic Brands”) of Lobe’s non-core cannabis assets relating to Washington-based Cowlitz County Cannabis Cultivation Inc. (“Cowlitz”) held by Lobe’s subsidiary vendor, Green Star Biosciences Inc. (the “Transaction”).
Seattle Area Grocery Chain Metropolitan Market to Begin Carrying KOIOS and Fit Soda on March 22, 2021
Adding to its existing presence on the west coast of the United States, all five KOIOS™ flavours and all four Fit Soda™ flavours will be carried in Metropolitan Market stores beginning on Monday, March 22, 2021. Serving the Seattle-Tacoma area (population 3.87 million), Metropolitan Market is one of five chains under its parent firm Good Food Holdings, which has a total of 51 stores in California, Oregon, and Washington State.
Koios Beverage Corp. (CSE: KBEV; OTC: KBEVF) (the “Company” or “Koios”) is pleased to announce that beginning on Monday, March 22, 2021, Koios’ entire line of canned beverage products will be sold at all locations of Metropolitan Market, an urban format supermarket chain in the Seattle-Tacoma area of Washington State. In Q1 2021, the Company announced multiple placements of its beverage products with regional grocers in markets on the west coast of the United States including Market of Choice in Oregon Jensen’s in Southern California and major natural grocery chain Sprouts Farmers Market which has a substantial west coast presence with over one third of its locations (360+ stores across 23 states) in California as well as Washington State 1 . The Company has also recently announced other developments relating to its expansion efforts being undertaken in 2021 such as an in-house beverage canning facility and distribution agreements with regional and national wholesale partners.


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BIOTechNZ is helping the government grow New Zealand’s highly regarded biotech industry, its executive director Dr Zahra Champion says.
The latest Scientific American Worldview scorecard for biotech, places New Zealand fourth in the world behind the US, Singapore and Denmark, and one place ahead of Australia.
The scorecard evaluates countries on their innovation potential in biotech looking at categories IP protection, intensity, enterprise support, education and workforce, foundations, and policy stability.
And according to the 2018 QS global university rankings, New Zealand is home to two of the world’s top 100 life science and medicine universities – Auckland and Otago.
“New Zealand has a strong history in primary production – particularly across dairy, seafood, meat, and natural products,” Dr Champion says.
“This has enabled the development of world companies in niche fields within human health research and animal research. We have the capability to support international companies developing human therapeutics that require animal-derived ingredients.”
Dr Champion says geographical isolation and strong biosecurity protect New Zealand’s unique biodiversity and enable the country to remain free of many of the significant diseases affecting animals in other parts of the world.
Several New Zealand companies, such as Aroa Biosurgery, MP Biomedicals and South Pacific Sera have gained traction in the international market with animal-derived materials.
“Our country offers many significant advantages to the production of medicinal plants for the pharmaceutical and consumer.
“Natural products have been a significant source of pharmaceuticals and consumer health products. Depending on what is defined as a natural product derived drug, it is estimated that between 25 and 50 percent of all currently marketed drugs owe their origins to natural product sources.
“Ārepa produces a health drink containing powerful New Zealand blackcurrants, pine bark extract and Japanese green tea constituents to support healthy brain activity and reduce stress.
“In the case of anti-cancer and anti-infective agents, the proportion of drugs derived from natural products could be as high as 70 percent.
“Research estimates that the global market for botanical and plant derived drugs will grow from $US29.4 billion in 2017 to around $US39.6 billion by 2022.
“A medical-grade kanuka honey developed by kiwi researchers, Honey Lab, can not only treat a number of skin diseases, but could so help combat the global health emergency of antibiotic resistance.
“New Zealand offers many significant advantages to the production of medicinal plants for the pharmaceutical and consumer health industry.
“The current landscape around hemp and medicinal cannabis is opening up an opportunity for Kiwi firms to lead the high-value activities of a fast-growing global market, including companies such as Hikurangi Cannabis, Helius Theraputics and Cannasouth,” Dr Champion says.
New Zealand has high levels of research capability in biotechnology research, a well-connected ecosystem, and, with the launch of the new research and development tax incentives, it is a competitive country to conduct research and development, she says.
For further information contact Dr Champion on 021 899732 or Make Lemonade editor-in-chief Kip Brook on 0275 030188


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Superman died two years ago, but the latest comic-book news may be even more earth-shaking and, at least for some in the industry, scarier.
The country's two biggest comic publishers have signed exclusive distribution deals, shifting millions of dollars in wholesale business faster than a speeding bullet.
Marvel Entertainment Group Inc., the No. 1 comic company with about 30 percent of the market, fired the first shots two months ago by deciding to use a Marvel-owned distributor for all its shipments to specialty comic-book stores.
The move will strip sales from Marvel's outside wholesalers, among them, Diamond Comic Distributors Inc. of Timonium. Marvel accounts for 25 or 30 percent of Diamond's roughly $200 million in annual revenue, said Roger Fletcher, Diamond's vice president of marketing.
Now Diamond has struck back, signing as exclusive comic-shop distributor for DC Comics, the No. 2 comic publisher with a 20 percent market share.
The deal won't competely fill the hole in Diamond's business caused by the departure of Spider Man and other Marvel titles, Mr. Fletcher said. But it will help. And it will also give Diamond entree into 3,000 of the 6,000 comic shops that it doesn't already have accounts with.
"For the first time in our 13-year history we'll be going to virtually 100 percent of the specialty comic shops," Mr. Fletcher said. "From that standpoint, it's a very significant deal for us."
Specialty shops account for about 75 percent of comic-book sales. The recent deals, effective July 1, don't affect the other quarter of the pie, which is sold through drugstores, discount department stores and other mass merchants. That business is handled by diversified news distributors.
Industry analysts said the DC/Diamond deal obviously is a response to Marvel's announcement March 3 that it would funnel all specialty distribution through Heroes World, its recently acquired wholesaler.
"This will just broaden the distribution for DC Comics at a time when Marvel is trying to control more of their own distribution," said Jill Krutick, who follows Marvel for Smith Barney in New York. "Clearly Diamond has very broad coverage."
The losers are smaller specialty distributors who will have to rely on smaller, lesser-known publishers.
"We regret ending our long-standing relationships with other distributors . . . but we believe this arrangement with Diamond is the right way to lead DC and the entire comics industry into the future," said Paul Levitz, DC publisher. DC, publisher of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, is a division of Time Warner Inc.
The effect on retailers is unclear. Distribution executives and store owners agreed that exclusive wholesale relationships could speed deliveries and otherwise make retailers' lives easier.
But the new alignments will also force stores to buy from more than one distributor. Some smaller operators have a tough time now meeting minimum-order requirements with even one distributor. They may not be able to afford to order from two.
"If you can't meet the minimum, you can't buy product. And if you can't buy product, you're out of business," one store manager said. Stephen A. Geppi, Diamond's president, said the company is prepared to take on thousands of new accounts. "We have a history of successful expansion, and our distribution infrastructure is already in place and effective."


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NAUGATUCK — The Zoning Commission has cleared the way for a Tractor Supply Company to be built on New Haven Road.
The commission unanimously approved last week special permits for NERP Holding and Acquisitions, LLC, for earth excavation and commercial development at 1160 New Haven Road. The permits will allow the construction of a Tractor Supply Company on the property.
The Tennessee-based national chain store, which bills itself as a “rural lifestyle retail store,” is set to build a roughly 19,000-square-foot building on the property. In addition, the site will include a 15,000-square-foot concrete pad for storage.
Jim Cassidy, owner and project engineer at the Rocky Hill-based Hallisey, Pearson & Cassidy Engineering Associates, presented the plans to the commission. He said the concrete pad will be used to store items that are too big to fit into the store, such as sections of fence or brush hogs, which are large mowers that attach to the back of tractors.
The store will be built on the 3.6 acre parcel of land at the corner of New Haven Road and Candee Road. It will also have a tractor trailer turnaround located on a 0.5 acre parcel of land at 1152 New Haven Road, Cassidy said.
Both parcels of land are located in the New Haven Road Design District.
According to borough officials, construction is expected to start in September and take about 160 days to complete.
Tractor Supply Company operates over 1,500 retail stores in 49 states, according to the company’s website. According to the website, it offers a variety of merchandise, including equine, livestock, pet and small animal products; hardware, truck, towing and tool products; clothing and footwear; and maintenance products for agricultural and rural use.
The store will have 76 parking spaces, not including the spaces designated for its display trailers.
“Believe me, for all the Tractor Supply stores we have done, 76 spaces is going to be more than adequate,” Cassidy said.
The land has a fairly steep grade, rising from 326 feet near New Haven Road to 380 feet at the back of the property. Cassidy said the company will regrade the lot so the portion for the store is flat and the parking lot is at a 2 percent grade, which will help stream rain water towards the catch basin at the edge of the lot.
While the commission favored the project, residents of Candee Road weren’t pleased with the location for the store.
Although the store’s address will be on New Haven Road, the driveway will be located on Candee Road due to the steep grade.
Kelly Bratchell, whose property is directly across from the proposed driveway, said she is concerned about the safety of her children.
“We’re a little freaked out right now. We have two young kids. I don’t want a commercial property directly across from my house. If we knew that we would never have bought this house,” Bratchell said.
Bratchell wants to see the entrance moved to New Haven Road.
“Why can’t it be on New Haven Road? It is a commercial property so it should be on New Haven Road. It shouldn’t be coming up a residential street,” Bratchell said. “I know because of the incline it will cost too much money for them. But that’s them. We live there, this is part of our daily life.”
Due to the steep incline, Cassidy said, the project would need extremely steep retaining walls along a driveway coming off New Haven Road. These walls would make the project unfeasible, he said.
Lorrie Millette, who lives next door to the proposed store, was concerned about a commercial building in a residential neighborhood.
“First of all, we are concerned about decreasing our property values. Having a commercial business right in our back yard is not something that makes us very comfortable,” Millette said.
Millette added the store will impact the day-to-day lives of Candee Road residents.
“What is that going to do to our lifestyles in the neighborhood? It is going to decrease our privacy and decrease the security in the area, which means more noise, more pollution, increased activity. This means more people in our neighborhood that wouldn’t normally be there, maybe wandering around in our property,” Millette said.
Millette felt a Tractor Supply Company isn’t needed in the borough.
“A Tractor Supply Company in Naugatuck that bills itself as a rural lifestyle retail store. I don’t see much need for that type of store in a town where zoning changes have taken away many families’ rights to raise livestock on their properties. Farm equipment, livestock feed, and supplies don’t seem to be a real demand in this town,” Millette said. “Naugatuck may have been a rural town at one time, but not now. And talking about tearing down even more homes to replace with a commercial building is not my idea of rural.”
The Zoning Commission, Inland Wetlands Commission and Fire Commission have all approved the project with conditions. The conditions include that the routes for the trucks excavating the property be submitted to the borough; fire officials inspect where the company places its propane tank and be allowed to determine whether the company needs to install sprinklers; trucks must wash their tires before leaving the site while under construction; cement trucks may not wash their tailings within 50 feet of any wetlands; one year after the project is complete a design engineer will inspect the storm water system.


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As more green agriculture products such as sustainable pesticides and non-chemical fertilisers are released on the market, an increasing number of green trademarks have been registered in the EU over the past 25 years.
The tendency of companies and startups from all around the world to protect the names of their green-related products and services was highlighted by a recent study carried out by the EU’s intellectual property office (EUIPO).
The analysis examined the description of the trademarks filed at the EUIPO since the start of its operation in 1996, and found that companies have increasingly protected more products falling in the so-called green European trademarks (EUTM) category.
And this trend is on the up – in other words, we are in the middle of a ‘green’ rush.”You can read [this outcome] from two angles: companies want to deliver greener products because, on the other hand, there is a market that is demanding greener products,” EUIPO’s head of communication Julio Laporta told EURACTIV.
But let’s take a step back to have a better sense of the role of this office, which deals with the broad area of intellectual property (IP).
“Intellectual property is the umbrella that covers trademarks, designs, patents and other types of protection, like geographical indications too,” Laporta explained.
Of the different sub-categories seeking shelter under the IP umbrella, trademarks consist of the names we use to call products, while the design is about the shape and external appearance of a product.
“In EUIPO we register trademarks and designs, but not patents – representing the technology behind a product – which is a task done by our sister organisation called European Patent Office (EPO) based in Munich,” he said.
In a nutshell, if you have a bottle of champagne – which is a geographical indication (GI) – in front of you, Dom Pérignon represents the trademark, while a particular shape of the bottle, or even the label, could be a protected design.
“In one product put on the market, you can have all forms of protection combined,” Laporta said.
Now that we know more about intellectual property, the question is: how does our beloved agrifood sector perform in the field of green EUTM?
Despite being the group with the fewest green EUTMs (only 1.9% of the total), agriculture is a sector with significant growth in recent years.
Since 2011, there has been a boom in filings related to alternative fertilisers from Spain and Italy, as well as considerable growth in sustainable pesticides since 2015, with French and Italian companies leading the ranking.
The agriculture group of EUTM is also heavily dominated by filings from EU-based companies, meaning that there is a vibrant European sector when it comes to green agricultural products.
Another field in which the EUIPO is involved in the protection of geographical indications.
“Since 2018, we work together with the Commission and we have already examined more than 1,100 files supporting them,” Laporta said.
Apart from the examination of filings, EUIPO officials also share their knowledge and expertise by organising webinars and conferences and they have recently cooperated with the Commission in expanding GIs implementation outside the EU.
But most of all, EUIPO contributed to the development of GI view, a free online database that aggregates all the registers for geographical indications.
There is increasing speculation in Brussels that sees more ground for an involvement of the EUIPO in dealing with GIs, as DG AGRI is thinking of outsourcing some competencies in the currently ongoing review of the geographical indication framework.
Asked about that, Laporta did not comment on rumours but replied that EUIPO is willing to help the Commission on this activity.
“We have demonstrated that we have the expertise, the capacity, and also the muscle to provide them with technological support,” he said.
With a caveat. “We are limited to the technical aspects. The handling of political aspects of GIs is for the Commission, he concluded.”
Making Snacking More Sustainable!
From field to packet! Savoury snacks manufacturers are sparing no efforts to #MakingSnackingMoreSustainable. Discover inspiring initiatives from snacks makers contributing to build a more sustainable food system!
In the last EURACTIV agrifood podcast of 2021, EURACTIV’s agrifood news team takes a trip down memory lane to discuss the biggest moments and themes from 2021, including the conclusion of the CAP and the thawing of EU-US relations when it comes to agrifood, and we also take a look at the key things coming up on the menu in 2022.
Agrifood news this week
EU farmers chief: Farmers need to know changes to CAP rules by spring
In an exclusive interview with EURACTIV, Christiane Lambert, president of the EU’s farmers association COPA, looks back at the major agricultural issues of the year in France and Europe and discusses her expectations for when France takes over the rotating EU Council presidency next month. Check it out here.
It’s not me, it’s you: Unconcious investors bias is holding back female agri entrepreneurs
A number of female agri entrepreneurs are not able to tap into their potential and scale up their businesses due to an unconscious bias among investors, according to Lukxmi Balathasan, business creation manager for EIT Food, who said that this results in a worse outcome for all. Natasha Foote has more.
Glyphosate approval: stakeholders squabble over who has the science right
As the EU considers renewing its approval for the controversial herbicide glyphosate, the industry is defending the assessment procedure while environmental campaigners have denounced it for not being based on “sound science”. Julia Dahm has the details.
Safety vs. sovereignty: Stakeholders split over increasing imports of ‘cleaner’ phosphates
Stakeholders are calling on the European Commission to stop prioritising home-grown phosphates high in cancer-causing cadmium over imports of cleaner products from non-EU countries, but others warn that this risks sacrificing EU autonomy. Natasha Foote explores the problem in this EURACTIV article.
News from the bubble
COVID silver lining: The COVID-19 pandemic in Europe has resulted in a “remarkable” drop in reported zoonotic diseases in humans – ranging from 7% to 53% depending on the reported disease in question – and foodborne outbreaks, according to the annual EU One Health zoonosis report by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
Carbon farming initiative a ‘wasted opportunity’: NGOs have warned that the carbon farming initiative as it currently stands, based on a draft version of the Communication that has been circulating on various media outlets, is a “wasted opportunity,” in a letter sent this week to European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans.
Animal welfare: Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides exchanged views with world-renowned environmentalist and scientist Jane Goodall this week at a conference on how the EU can look to strengthen and build upon its position as a “world leader” in animal welfare. “Only together, we can make the transition to a more sustainable food production system that we, our animals and our planet needs – and, at the same time, maintain the EU’s leading role globally, on animal welfare,” the Commissioner said in her opening remarks.
Fertilisers, pesticides to lose VAT exemption from 2032: The Council agreed this week to phase out reduced VAT rates or exemptions on fossil fuels and other goods with a similar impact on greenhouse gas emissions, by 1 January 2030. However, reduced rates and exemptions for chemical fertilisers and chemical pesticides will end by 1 January 2032, to give small-scale farmers more time to adapt. In addition, the Council introduced environmentally-friendly goods and services in the list for which reduced rates are allowed, such as solar panels, electric bicycles and waste recycling services.
Something to wine about: Raising health awareness will benefit fruit and vegetable consumption while changing lifestyles and preferences will negatively influence the wine sector and climate change will remain a challenge for olive oil production, according to this year’s EU agricultural outlook for 2021-31 report, which was published this week. In fact, EU wine production is expected to decline by 0.3% per year, resulting in 148 million hectolitres in 203, which the report said will be only partially compensated by the use of new varieties which are more adapted to climate change. To learn more about these insights and others, check out the report for yourself here.
Branching out: The Commission, together with the European Environment Agency (EEA), published a new data tool – MapMyTree – this week for all organisations to join the pledge of planting three billion additional trees by 2030, register and map their planted trees to count the EU target.
(Agri)-life in plastic, not so fantastic: A new report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has concluded that the land we use to grow our food is contaminated with far larger quantities of plastic pollution than our beaches and oceans, posing an even greater threat to food security, people’s health, and the environment. According to data collated by the agency’s experts, agricultural value chains each year use 12.5 million tonnes of plastic products, while a further 37.3 million tonnes are used in food packaging. The crop production and livestock sectors were found to be the largest users, accounting for 10.2 million tonnes per year collectively, followed by fisheries and aquaculture with 2.1 million tonnes, and forestry with 0.2 million tonnes. The report also concluded that, in the absence of viable alternatives, demand for plastic in agriculture is only set to increase.
Agri news from the Capitals
Macron: French Council presidency ‘key moment’ to push for mirror clauses in international trade agreements. Announcing his priorities for the French presidency of the Council of the EU on Thursday (9 December), Emmanuel Macron told the press it was time to “reconcile” the EU’s economic development on the one hand and the green transition and preservation of biodiversity on the other. The upcoming French presidency represents a “key moment” to push for more coherence in trade relations of the EU with the rest of the world and notably so-called mirror clauses for social and environmental standards. As a reminder, the introduction of mirror clauses in international trade agreements is a recurrent request of French and European farmers in view of avoiding unfair competition, as the future Common Agricultural Policy and recently adopted Farm to Fork strategy oblige them to respect ever higher green, social and sanitary standards. Emmanuel Macron also recalled his intention to put an end to imported deforestation, underlining the importance to engage in European food sovereignty and “to defend our high-quality agricultural model on the European level”. (Magdalena Pistorius | EURACTIV.FR)
Will the Green Deal bring losses for Polish agriculture? A Polish parliamentary group has drawn some conclusions about the effects of the EU Green Deal on Polish agriculture, finding that the costs of production and agri-food products are likely to increase, meaning the EU will be forced to turn from an exporter into an importer of food. According to experts, an increase in the prices will result in an increase in cheap food imports from countries where EU standards are not compliant. Consumers will then choose a cheaper and lower quality product. As a result of the implementation of the Green Deal, agricultural production in all sectors will collapse, farm incomes will decrease. Production efficiency, and thus the value of EU exports of agricultural products, will drop dramatically, the group warned. (Kamila Wilczyńska | EURACTIV.pl)
Northern Ireland Protocol veterinary medicines to cause ‘substantial disruption’, warns Animal health industry. NOAH (UK National Office for Animal Health) along with AnimalhealthEurope has expressed concerns in a letter this week that the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP) introduced following the UK’s exit from the EU could, in its current format, cause “substantial disruption” to veterinary medicines supply. Without changes to the protocol as it stands, companies would “struggle” to fulfil regulatory requirements to maintain product authorisations, with a consequent impact on supply chains, the associations said in a statement this week. Roxane Feller, AnimalhealthEurope Secretary General said that the main concern is that the sector “does not get side-lined within the complexities of this situation,” but said she remained “confident” that the EU and respective national governments realise the importance of animal health products and services, and recognise that disease is “neither beholden to geographical position nor political decision.” (Natasha Foote | EURACTIV.com)
Italian MPs from the 5-star movement are poised to present a bill that will open the Italian fields to gene editing experiments, but small farmers and NGOs are asking for a withdrawal. Learn more. (Gerardo Fortuna | EURACTIV.com)
Ireland’s ‘forgotten’ female farmers speak up. A social media campaign was launched this week with the aim for the voices of Ireland’s forgotten female farmers to be heard, without the fear of stigma or reprisal. Within just 24 hours of its launch, more than 100 women shared their experiences of sexism in the agricultural industry via the campaign, which was set up by a newly founded group, ‘Women in Agriculture Stakeholders Group’, which aims to lobby on behalf of women involved in farming, has already made major gains in its work. (Natasha Foote | EURACTIV.com)
Promotion of the Greek diet top of the agenda. Οn Monday (6 December), Greece’s minister of rural development and food, Spilios Livanos, addressed an event related to Cretan gastronomy this week, where he stressed that among the main objectives of the ministry are “the promotion of the advantages of the Greek diet and its connection with well-being, the environment and culture”. He also made special reference to the products of the Cretan land, describing them as the “yeast of the Greek diet”. On the occasion of the event, the minister stressed that the ministry actively supports the agri-food sector, saying: “we are increasing more than €35 million per year in resources for livestock and feed in the new coupled payments scheme for the period 2023-2027”. (Georgia Evangelia Karagianni| EURACTIV.gr)
German farmers “disillusioned” by economic balance. For the 2020/21 business year, farms’ yearly company results shrank by 15% compared to the previous cycle, according to new data presented by the German Farmers’ Association (DBV) on Thursday. While the arable farming and dairy sectors remained relatively stable, the pigmeat sector has been seeing a “dramatic” situation, the association’s president, Joachim Rukwied, told reporters. According to the report, the Covid-19 pandemic and numerous cases of African Swine Flu (ASF), among other things, have led to a drop of company results by 69% for the sector. “The outlook for the pig sector is grim,” Rukwied said, adding that access to Covid aids was indispensable for the affected companies. (Julia Dahm | EURACTIV.DE)
Food prices up by 8%. According to the Spanish organisation of consumers and users (OCU), the price of food has already risen 8% before Christmas as compared to 2020, representing a “historical record”. EURACTIV’s partner EFE Agro has more.
African swine fever hit the largest pig farm in Slovakia. An outbreak on two farms owned by the Danish company Pigagro was confirmed last Friday (3 December), resulting in the cull of 24,000 pigs. Given the large number of animals, abattoirs are currently struggling to destroy the bodies of slaughtered pigs in a timely manner. “It is difficult and mentally demanding. Those animals feel that they are going to die,” the head of the state veterinary institute, Jozef Bíreš,explains for the daily Dennik E. However, as per European legislation, a member state cannot export animals from infected farms to another EU country for disposal. From the end of July 2019 to the end of October this year, African swine fever in Slovakia was confirmed in 36 domestic pig farms. The virus is spreading rapidly, mainly due to the proliferation of feral pigs. The ministry of agriculture is trying to solve the problem mainly by increasing the intensity of wild boar hunting. Although the pace of hunting has increased by 43% compared to last season, the spread of the disease continues. After the fall in prices, this is yet another huge problem for the Slovak pigmeat sector. Pork is the most consumed meat in Slovakia. Domestic farmers cover only half of the demand, while the rest of the pork is imported from abroad. (Marián Koreň | EURACTIV.sk)
Agriculture ministry calls for adherence to preventive measures due to bird flu. Meanwhile, the Croatian ministry of agriculture has called for strict preventive measures in place due to the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, to prevent further disease in domestic poultry farming, as well as the spread of the disease and thus reduce possible large losses in poultry and economy. The avian influenza virus, subtype H5N1, has only been confirmed in Croatia on one farm so far, but has been confirmed in wild birds. Therefore, the order also determines the implementation of biosecurity measures in the hunting of feathered game by hunters, according to the Ministry. The veterinary administration has also provided a 24-hour standby on the telephone to which citizens can report any increased deaths or signs of disease in wild birds (Željko Trkanjec, EURACTIV.hr)
12 – 13 December | AGRIFISH Council meeting


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Minnesota’s health exchange is airing new TV ads with testimonials from people who saved money buying insurance on MNsure.
How much money do you spend per year on your hair? Forbes magazine estimates that women spend on average, $750 annually to keep their tresses in tip-top shape. A Minnesota company has a solution to save you money.
A Minnesota legislator is now proposing a bill that would put e-cigarettes across under the same state-wide restrictions as cigarettes. The bill from DFL State Rep. Phyllis Kahn would limit the use of e-cigarettes under the Minnesota Clean Indoor Act.
The value of U.S. crops fell 9.8 percent last year as prices declined for major crops, including corn and soybeans, from 2012′s record high levels, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in its annual estimate.
After a long trip home, the last thing most people want is a long line. Traveling sales rep Rachel Anhorn says at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, getting a taxi is not a problem. “This is one of the best airports for that,” Anhorn said. “It’s fantastic. Chicago and New York, it’s terrible. But here, I’ve never once waited for a cab.”
While winter has been unforgiving to most of the Midwest, the next several months will dictate the season’s impact on all-important sectors, such as shipping and farming. Fast-melting snow in the northern Midwest likely won’t be able to soak into the frozen ground.
Target’s computer security staff raised concerns about its payment-card system at least two months before the massive data breach.
Duluth officials say a fire at the historic NorShor Theatre is even more reason to properly restore it. The fire was reported around 4:30 a.m. Friday. Fire officials believe it started with a faulty blower motor in the building’s heating system. The damage was limited to one room but is estimated at $15,000.
By now, there’s a good chance you’ve sent your special someone flowers for Valentine’s Day. And you may have dinner plans waiting for you. It’s all part of the Valentine’s Day rush for Twin Cities businesses. Many began preparing for this day weeks in advance, and it’s one of those holidays that brings in big business, according to Stephanie Hagen of Spruce Flowers and Home in south Minneapolis.
Many of us will be celebrating Valentine’s Day on Friday with a nice dinner out and maybe a bottle of wine. That had us wondering: How do you find the best value for a bottle?
We’re not quite done with winter just yet, and that means there’s still time to enjoy your favorite winter activities — like snowmobiling. I asked WCCO-TV viewers where the Best Snowmobiling in Minnesota can be found, and they answered. It’s in Crow Wing County.
Sure it’s been cold in Minneapolis this winter. Okay, really cold. But move over Miami. The good old “City of Lakes” could very well take the award for “Best Convention City.” Melvin Tennant, CEO of “Meet Minneapolis” – the city’s official convention and visitors association – says it should be no surprise that Minneapolis is in the running. The city has a booming downtown that’s just too big of an attraction for meeting and even planners to ignore.
If you haven’t paid your cinematic respects to the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, Minneapolis’ St. Anthony Main Theatre has pretty much the perfect opportunity in the coming days.
The University of Minnesota is getting ready to welcome the Vikings to TCF Bank Stadium, and on Thursday regents were given a breakdown on where $6 million in improvements will go to make the college stadium NFL ready.
With Valentine’s Day on Friday, jewelry stores are busy with last-minute shoppers. Diamonds are a popular gift and there’s a new trend with this precious gem that could save you thousands of dollars.
Following months of anticipation, Target and Neiman Marcus unveiled their unprecedented holiday collection. The collection, which features 24 of America’s preeminent designers — all members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America — will be available Dec. 1 at all Target and Neiman Marcus stores, as well as online at Target.com and NeimanMarcus.com.
WCCO’s Esme Murphy went shopping at five popular stores for the same five makeup products and found price differences as great as 50 percent. See the price changes for yourself!
Sever’s is one of the biggest corn mazes in Minnesota. Check out their from the past 15 years!
The Minneapolis Farmers Market runs down Nicollet Mall from 5th Street to 10th Street. It starts at 6 a.m. and goes till 6 p.m. every Thursday. The market has a plethora of shopping options: locally […]
Check out which companies started in garages and as tiny start-ups, and which heavyhitters owe their riches to a lucky break.
There’s no doubt about it. Celebrity sells. That’s why companies that make everything from drinks to makeup to credit cards pay millions for stars to endorse their products. Here is a look at some recent […]
Clint Eastwood just passed over the opportunity to film a Minnesota-themed film in Minnesota. Take a look back at some of the successful movies that have made us their production home.


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Intex is planning to commence operations at its newly built Greater Noida plant in the next two months.
Speaking to reporters, Intex product head (mobile), Ishita Bansal, said, “the production in the existing three facilities which are in a rented premises will be shifted to the new plant which will have additional production lines for some of the consumer durables such as washing machines and air conditioners.”
Bansal further said that the new facility is coming up in 20 acres of land in Greater Noida. Buildings have already come up.
He added: “We expect the production to start in the next two months. The production the existing three facilities will be shifted there besides we will add new production lines.”
Image Credit : static-news.moneycontrol.com


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Online Marketplace and eCommerce Trends and Statistics
Jul 22, 2020,
by Claire Gibbons, TrueCommerce - Category: Retail Technology & Marketplaces
Regardless of where you are on your omni-channel journey, it is important to keep up to date on eCommerce trends and statistics to ensure you are maximising your sales opportunities. Our Gold Partner TrueCommerce has collated some of the key eCommerce and online marketplace statistics from the last 12 months that are worth considering.
The popularity of online shopping shows no signs of slowing
Whilst online shopping is far from new and in fact dates back to the early 90’s, albeit with a very different experience to the one we know today, its popularity has grown hugely in the last decade and has gained traction in more industries due to considerable developments in security and user experience. According to the UK Office for National Statistics, the number of people in the UK shopping online in the last 12 months was 82% in 2019, up from 53% in 2008. With online sales equating to 19.6% of overall shopping in the UK in February 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics, eCommerce is now understandably a key part of many companies’ sales strategies.
Whilst at one time, the majority of company’s online sales would have come from their own eCommerce site, additional channels are now available, such as social platforms and online marketplaces which offer access to a large, established loyal audience.
The ‘Amazon effect’ and the meteoric rise of online marketplaces
Sales on marketplaces accounted for a huge 58% of global web sales in 2019, according to Digital Commerce 360’s analysis.
With gross merchandise sales on the top 100 marketplaces growing by 22% between 2018 and 2019 and a total of $2.03 trillion being spent globally, online marketplaces continue to take the world of eCommerce by storm. These statistics are even more incredible when you take into account the fact that 54 of the 100 top marketplaces were created since 2011. The UK has a similar picture with 40% of eCommerce traffic in the UK going to online marketplaces.
So why the sudden rise of online marketplaces?
Quite simply online marketplaces provide consumers with a trusted, one stop shop. They can quickly and easily compare products and prices from a wide range of retailers and suppliers.
A fascinating statistic from a study conducted by Channel Advisor, demonstrates just how popular online marketplaces are – 96% of 26-35 year olds surveyed said they shop on Amazon, showing just how embedded marketplaces are in today’s consumer behaviour. What’s clear by these statistics are that brands and retailers that have not invested in their own online store and are not selling on online marketplaces are missing out on a huge opportunity to increase their sales and this became even more apparent when we were hit by COVID-19.
What impact has COVID-19 had on online sales?
Whilst the eCommerce and online marketplace statistics we have discussed so far have focused on life before COVID-19, what is clear is that the global pandemic has led to a further acceleration of the growth in online shopping and the popularity of online marketplaces, due to the lockdown restrictions. In fact, online stores ensured the survival of many retail outlets who were forced to shut their doors.
According to the Office for National Statistics, online sales equated to 33.4% of overall shopping in the UK in June 2020, compared to the 19.6% in February (as quoted above), which is an incredible increase in only 4 months. It is therefore no surprise that 30% of retail businesses with an online service, who continued trading during the COVID-19 pandemic, reported an increase in online sales. Those companies that were not set up for online trading sadly found themselves very exposed.
What does the ‘new normal’ have in store for eCommerce and online marketplaces?
So what does the future hold for eCommerce and online marketplaces as we come out of lockdown? Well, what is particularly interesting is that people’s shopping habits look to have been changed forever by COVID-19. According to a report by Alvarez & Marsal and Retail Economics, 17.2 million British consumers plan to make permanent changes to the way they shop, as perceived risks of contracting COVID-19 at physical stores redirects spending into online channels. What is clear is that the rise of eCommerce and online marketplaces shows no sign of slowing and companies need to ensure they are set up to meet the new needs of their customers.
If you would like to find out more about how TrueCommerce are helping their clients to increase sales through online marketplaces please visit their website or alternatively feel free to contact them directly.
This article first appeared on the TrueCommerce UK website 21 July 2020Tags: marketplace, amazon, ecommerce, statistics,


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Agere Systems Inc. today posted strong fiscal fourth quarter revenue and net income, beating analysts' consensus estimate on a surge in sales into the consumer and storage markets.
The communications and networking chip maker also announced fiscal 2006 results showing its first annual profit since being spun off from Lucent Technologies Inc. in 2002.
"Our results for fiscal 2006 mark Agere's first full-year profit as a public company," said Richard Clemmer, president and CEO of Agere, in a statement. "This milestone in financial performance demonstrates that we are executing on our turnaround strategy."
The company recorded net income of $13 million, or 8 cents a share, for the three months ended September 30, up from $7 million, or 4 cents per share, from the year-ago comparable quarter.
Revenue during the same period declined 7 percent, to $388 million compared with $416 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005. Analysts had estimate Agere would report revenue of $387 million for the September quarter.
The company's revenue also dropped on an annual basis to $1.57 billion from $1.68 billion. Agere's fiscal 2006 gross profit margin improved dramatically to 48.5 percent from 39.6 percent, helping to propel Agere to it first yearly profit.
Agere estimated its revenue for the ongoing quarter would be in the range of $365 million to $390 million. Analysts are projecting the company would report revenue of $388.7 million during the same period.


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Source: American Meat Institute
While more than half of respondents (57%) in a recent Mintel survey say they willing to pay more for local and sustainable fare, the majority of those are only willing to pay a mere 1-5% more. Mintel is a leading global supplier of consumer, product and media intelligence.
“Green and sustainable attributes pale in comparison to the leading restaurant decision drivers of menu selection, prices and convenient location,” notes Eric Giandelone, foodservice director at Mintel. “However, these initiatives support the leading attributes to help a restaurant stand apart and will become more important as the green movement continues to progress.”
When deciding where to eat, 74% of patrons based their decision on menu selection followed by pricing and convenient location at 69% and 67%, respectively. Local/organic ingredients and sustainable ingredients lagged severely behind with only 7% of people saying that drove them to a restaurant.
When Mintel respondents were asked to rate their top three corporate responsibility (CSR) initiatives, they named living wages, local ingredients and company-provided medical insurance.


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The Indian automobile industry has crossed the important milestone of notching domestic sales of over 20 million units for the first time ever. That’s not all.
Some other firsts to the Indian automotive industry's credit in FY2015-16 are achieving the highest vehicle production (2,39,60,940 units) and export (36,41,546 units) numbers over the last six years.
In FY’16, total domestic sales reached 20,469,385 units, posting a growth of 3.78 percent over the previous fiscal. Utility vehicle (UV) sales were also the highest in 2015-16 since 2011-12 when they accounted for 553,662 units. In 2013-14, UVs contributed 525,839 unit sales, in 2014-15 they constituted 552,135 units and in 2015-16, they comprised 586,664 units.
However, Vishnu Mathur, director general of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers of India (SIAM), was guarded in his response and told Autocar Professional that while the industry has crossed the 20-million mark in terms of domestic sales in FY’16, it has recorded low, single-digit growth rate of 3.78 percent over the previous fiscal’s total of 19,724,371 units, which is only 745,014 units more.
“When the industry is tuned to growing between 15-20 percent on an annual basis, low single- digit growth is not very good,” he adds. “If every year the industry grows around 2 percent, then in the next 20 years, it would have crossed several milestones but that is not to say it is on a high growth trajectory.”
While the industry is still to pick up momentum after the slowdown that has bogged down the global markets and India for the last few years, compared to many global markets like China where growth has comparatively slowed down, India is still in the fast lane.
Fiscal year 2016-17 is expected to be better in terms of overall performance as the auto sector consolidates on the gains of FY’16 and builds further. A number of new model launches and refreshes planned by carmakers should see more action at ground zero. MPVs and UVs are also expected to capitalise on this upturn as the rural markets rally after a decline pushing the sales graph ahead. Further, with the Met forecasting a regular monsoon, demand for mass-market commuter motorcycles as well as last-mile small commercial vehicle is likely to grow.
Illustration courtesy: Valeo
- Passenger cars record highest sales growth in 5 years during 2015-16
- INDIA SALES ANALYSIS: MARCH 2016


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Competition lawyers at Ashurst Morris Crisp, Linklaters, and Slaughter and May will have a key role in determining who wins the battle for troubled supermarket chain Safeway. The deal could also see Linklaters reunited with the Competition Commission's Denise Kingsmill, the firm's regulatory nemesis on the blocked Lloyds-Abbey National bid.
The deal is likely to be settled by competition issues. Insiders suggest that Morrisons' bid would be cleared at phase one by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). However, it is almost certain that rival bids from Wal-Mart and Sainsbury's will be referred to the Competition Commission as they would mean that just three players would hold power in the UK supermarket sector.
One insider said the Wal-Mart and Sainsbury's bids had just 40 per cent chances of clearance, even if they offered to divest a significant number of stores, although he conceded: “Once you get to the Competition Commission, it's a lottery.”
All three firms have appointed competition teams. First up for Linklaters is Michael Cutting, whose last contentious transaction was the blocked merger between Lloyds and Abbey National. Cutting was called in to replace Clifford Chance after the Lloyds deal was referred by the OFT to the Competition Commission.
Although Linklaters is Lloyds' usual corporate adviser, Clifford Chance got the brief because Linklat-ers was conflicted after advising Abbey National's rival suitor National Australia Bank. Cutting will not have fond memories of Kingsmill after the commission blocked Lloyds' bid, putting a stop to consolidation in the UK banking sector.
Competition Commission insiders predict that supermarket retail is a sector where Kingsmill would like her say. As part of the Lloyds investigation, she instigated the first internet-broadcast public hearing and a nightmare scenario for Linklaters or Slaughters in this case would be, no doubt, a full public hearing run by this people's champion.
One lawyers called the Abbey hearing, “Denise's kangaroo court”, but the Competition Commission's strong stance on Lloyds was welcomed by consumer rights groups.
Leading the competition team for Slaughters is Laura Carstensen, who last year took part in Kingsmill's investigation into why women in the professions have failed to break the glass ceiling. Although competition issues are likely to be less of a concern for Ashursts' client Morrisons, the firm has put in-house economist Matt Hughes on the deal; partner Nigel Parr will lead from the legal side.
Morrisons' medium-sized Bradford firm Gordons Cranswick has also retained a role. Morrison's investment bank ABN Amro insisted that the maverick supermarket owners get City representation, but the company also secured a continuing role for its usual advisers. It is understood that for cash-conscious Morrisons, price was a key consideration at the beauty parade that saw ABN Amro appoint Ashursts.