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follow the money
Posted by Barry Silverstein on December 3, 2009 07:07 PM
It all started with a phone call Jack Dorsey received from a friend, a small business owner frustrated because he couldn't easily accept a credit card payment from a customer. Dorsey is not one to let opportunities pass him by. The co-founder of Twitter and two colleagues came up with a prototype for a mobile phone-based payment system.
Yesterday Dorsey unveiled "Square" -- via a tweet, of course. Square is just that, a really small plastic square that plugs into the headphone jack of an iPhone. Swipe a credit card through the device and the payment information is transmitted via an iPhone application. The product is now in beta; applications are expected to be available for the new Droid and Blackberry phones by early 2010.
The brilliance of Square is that it can work on any mobile device via an application, but no information is stored on the device. That's all done through a "person-to-person" payment system Dorsey designed from the ground up.Continue reading...
Posted by Stephanie Startz on December 3, 2009 05:39 PM
Planning on sending a sexy text, a "sext"? Or maybe starting a nasty rumor? Mobile device brand LG, James Lipton and his beard implore you to “Give It A Ponder.”
LG’s new campaign taps into mobile culture and the undoing people experience via their own thumbs. The campaign artfully employs traditional media in television and print ads and successfully utilizes Web 2.0 features on the web site giveitaponder.com.
The campaign’s television ads feature an omnipresent James Lipton, beloved but oft-teased host of Bravo's Inside The Actors Studio, sharing the wisdom of his beard with young people whose moral compasses need some assistance pointing true north.Continue reading...
stuck in neutral
Posted by Abe Sauer on December 2, 2009 01:01 PM
Netflix once dominated the DVD rental industry -- revolutionized it, in fact, destined to be a business school case study for decades to come. But what will that lesson be?
To its loyal users, the Netflix brand is still quite strong. For starters, its online interface is easy and intuitive, even for a new customer. Over the years the brand has made commendable efforts to maintain brand loyalty. More than once, Netflix has issued unprompted apologies for service disruptions and followed up with free benefits to members. The brand that claims that 90% of its members evangelize the service to others they know.
But lately, Netflix has been hurting from increased competition, increased production costs and more importantly, a huge shift in the fundamentals of its sector.
Netflix has long been aware of the fact that the days are numbered for its DVDs-by-mail model. And while it was an early proponent of streaming online video, it has struggled to dominate in that realm as it did in DVDs.Continue reading...
Posted by Sara Zucker on December 2, 2009 11:38 AM
What happens when two branding titans collide? In the case of Saks and Microsoft, a precipitation of fashion and technology.
Companies are going all-out this holiday season. We can see proof of that in the collaboration between Saks Fifth Avenue and Microsoft, which will take place in honor of the sixth annual Snowflake Spectacular display at the department store's New York flagship, and will display shoppers' holiday Twitter updates right in the store's windows.
The Saks Fifth Avenue holiday windows will be powered by Windows 7, helping to bring life to the children’s book “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Flake.” The windows show the story of a snowflake named Twinkle and includes 3-D animations and interactive displays. More than 20 video monitors were provided by Microsoft, powered by Windows 7 to animate some of the book’s key scenes.
The windows will also feature ice-skating penguins and a voiceover of the book that is audible to passersby.Continue reading...
search and destroy
Posted by Stephanie Startz on December 1, 2009 07:51 PM
The bidding has closed.
A French court has fined eBay $2.5 million, after deciding that the online auction site violated a 2008 order forbidding the sale of luxury conglomerate LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton goods. LVMH owns Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs and Christian Dior, among others.
While eBay has been in court before for similar cases and won, the specifics in the suit with LVMH differ. According to the Times of London, LVMH has exclusive contracts with retailers licensed to sell their goods. Because of those agreements, the French court declared that eBay had no right to allow the sale of goods associated with brands retained under the LVMH umbrella.Continue reading...
Posted by Peter Feld on December 1, 2009 06:24 PM
Cyber Monday is being pronounced a success, with shopping up 13.7% and Amazon reportedly edging Wal-Mart.
The folks at the US Federal Trade Commission had their heads screwed on straight for once, by deciding to wait until the day after Cyber Monday to launch new rules requiring bloggers and celebrities to disclose when they promote a product online for pay, or in exchange for free stuff. (I know: as if anyone there even made the connection.) Well, we kind of joked about who might get caught up in these rules -- and questioned whether celebrities who tweet for pay will test the trust of their audience -- but, we suddenly notice (just in time!), we are included.
The FTC has been under fire from bloggers for issuing strict rules without sufficient guidelines or consumer education, considering that fines can range up to $11,000. It has promised to target advertisers, not bloggers, or maybe just big fish, or maybe not heavily fine the little fish -- which has raised concerns of selective prosecution. In a "heated but civil" interview between blogger Edward Champion and the FTC's Richard Cleland, it's noted that partner marketing links such as Amazon Associates are included in the disclosure requirements.
Well, as brandchannel readers have likely noticed, we use Amazon Associates. This is a well-known program that pays participants for referring business to Amazon, via links which are easily seen (because the URL string includes "brandchannelcom") and which will bring a fairly small amount of revenue to the site if you follow that link and make a purchase. We've included them for many years when we link to media (books that are reviewed, or films in our brandcameo section), and have been using them on this blog when referring to certain products Amazon sells. (Those references being there because they belong in the story, not so as to send business to Amazon.)Continue reading...
Posted by Abe Sauer on November 27, 2009 12:42 PM
Look what brand decided to grace Black Friday with its presence? Apple.
Oh to be a brand as strong as Apple with no need to drag down your image by joining the deep-discounting Black Friday tradition. This year, Apple's in-store discount offers include knocking $101 off $1,200 Macbook Pros, $41 off the $500 64G iPod Touch and $21 off the $230 Apple TV, amongst others. Are these great deals? No.
How do tech shoppers feel about this? Predictably:
This is the most sorry excuse for a Black Friday sale I've ever seen. At first I saw this as a missed opportunity on Apple's part. But now it seems more like a glaring slap in the face to anyone who ever thought about buying an Apple product today...
Apple products are available at big box retailers for less. For example, Target offered 32G iPod Touches for $30 less than Apple's online store.
As usual, this is a shrewd branding move on Apple's part. Those who are entry level Apple users will seek out the brands at big box discount prices. Brand-loyal Apple aficionados who shop at the Apple Store? The brand already knows they are hooked. Every dealer knows, only the first hit is free.
For all Black Friday Live! posts go to the Black Friday Live! tag.
Posted by Stephanie Startz on November 25, 2009 06:41 PM
Motorola knows what boys like, Motorola knows what guys want. Motorola’s milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. And they’re like, “You’re better than Apple. Yeah, you’re better than Apple.”
Thanks to the release of the Droid smartphone, Motorola has surged past Apple in brand loyalty polling among men ages 18–34.
Recently released tracking data from YouGov’s BrandIndex shows Apple dropping from a high of 48.1 to 22 in the month of November. Motorola, during the same timeframe, has remained relatively stable with a BrandIndex score fluctuating between 32.3 and 29.3. Blackberry continues to sink with a score below 10.Continue reading...


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WASHINGTON — Retail apparel prices bucked the trend in July, rising for the second straight month, while economic pressures fueled the sharpest year-to-year decline in retail prices so far in 2009, the Labor Department said in its Consumer Price Index.
Retail apparel prices rose a seasonally adjusted 0.6 percent in July and increased 1.1 percent compared with a year earlier. Apparel prices had increased 0.7 percent in June after falling 0.2 percent in May.
Men’s apparel prices declined 1.1 percent in July and fell 0.9 percent in 12-month comparisons. Women’s apparel prices increased 1.1 percent last month and rose 1.9 percent compared with July 2008.
Apparel prices resisted a general downward trend in pricing for consumer goods in recent months, economists said. Early discounting, historically low apparel prices, seasonal factors, shrinking inventory levels and volatile economic factors all impacted the CPI, economists said.
“I’m very surprised,” said Charles McMillion, president and chief economist with MBG Information Services, of the price increases.
With the exception of a spike in transportation costs earlier this summer, apparel prices have risen at a faster annual rate than any other category in the last three months, he said.
“Apparel retailers got away with price increases, which runs counter to everything going on in the rest of the economy,” said Richard Yamarone, director of economic research at Argus Research Corp.
Retail sales results did not show a significant increase in consumer purchases this summer. Economists said the relationship between sales figures and prices bears watching in the coming months.
Prices for all goods and services were flat in July, but fell 2.1 percent compared with a year earlier. The decline was the sharpest year-to-year falloff since at least January 1950, beating the previous record drop in May when prices fell 1.3 percent. The so-called core prices, which exclude the volatile food and energy sectors, increased 0.1 percent in July and rose 1.5 percent compared with a year earlier.
The steep year-over-year decline in consumer prices was driven by lower gas prices, said Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight. Gas prices hit record highs last summer.
Retail prices for women’s dresses increased 1.2 percent in July and spiked 9.2 percent year-over-year. Women’s suits and separates rose 1.4 percent month-to-month and 0.5 percent in 12-month comparisons. Prices in the broad women’s underwear, nightwear, sportswear and accessories category were up 1 percent in July and 2.9 percent year-to-year. Women’s outerwear prices declined 4.6 percent in July, but rose 0.7 percent compared with a year earlier. Girls’ apparel prices were up 1.7 percent month-to-month and 0.3 percent in 12-month comparisons.
Men’s suits, sport coats and outerwear saw prices fall 2.1 percent in July and 9.1 percent year-to-year. Prices for men’s shirts and sweaters declined 1.2 percent month-to-month, but rose 0.9 percent compared with a year earlier. Men’s pants and shorts prices declined 1.4 percent in July and dropped 0.2 percent year-to-year. Men’s furnishings increased 0.1 percent from the previous month and rose 2.5 percent in 12-month comparisons. Boys’ apparel prices increased 0.5 percent in July and 4 percent from a year earlier.
“Azzedine has been one of the biggest influences in my life. He has always been such a strong, loving, fatherly figure to me. I call him Papa. His designs are indescribably unique, they are pieces of art. He knew how to make the female form look its loveliest. I have so many memories of him; my favorite might be during my first show with him in Paris. He liked me and he wanted to help me get more work. He called all his friends at Kenzo and Comme des Garcons, and asked them to book me. They said, ‘But she can’t walk!’ And he said, ‘but she has such a great ass!' His friendship and support has been the great privilege of my career. I can't imagine life without him. Repose en paix mon Papa.” - @stephanieseymour tells @wwd. #wwdfashion (📷: @steveeichner) #alaia #azzedinealaia
Azzedine Alaïa, flanked by two of his closest friends, models Stephanie Seymour and Naomi Campbell.
He designed Seymour’s dress for her 1995 wedding to Peter Brant, and treated Campbell (who famously called him Papa), like a daughter. For more on the legendary designer, tap the link in bio. #wwdfashion #alaia #azzedinealaia
Azzedine Alaïa's “I-did-it-my-way” ethos stood out starkly at a time when brands are experimenting with consumer-facing fashion shows, coed formats and trans-seasonal collections – anything to perk up lackluster sales of ready-to-wear in an age of Insta-everything. “It’s not creation anymore. This becomes a purely industrial approach,” the late designer told WWD in an interview last year. “But anyway, the rhythm of collections is so stupid. It’s unsustainable. There are too many collections.” Read more about the iconic designer’s life and work on wwd.com, link in bio. #wwdfashion #azzedinealaia (📷: @WWD Archive, 1986) #alaia
Sneaker reselling app @goat’s latest exhibit, "The Greatest: New York," tells the story of New York's sneaker culture. To celebrate the exhibit, an intimate crowd gathered on Thursday night at the pop-up gallery space, located at Platform in Culver City, to hear guest speaker and illustrator @esymai talk about her own rise in streetwear and women in the business. "For me I'm just someone who is creative. I like to create things," said Chang. #wwdfashion
Azzedine Alaïa, one of the most iconic couturiers of the modern era whose body-con designs defined Eighties fashion, has died in Paris. The diminutive Tunisian-born designer, known for his structured knitted dresses with fitted waists and impeccably cut, figure-hugging second skin silhouettes was deeply admired by his peers, and counted supermodel Naomi Campbell - his adoptive daughter - among his inner circle, one of a gang of glamazons including Farida Khelfa, Carla Bruni and Stephanie Seymour who became ambassadors of his style. (📷: Alexandre Guirkinger) #wwdblast

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iBesties, a range of dolls and books designed to promote entrepreneurship among girls, has landed on Kickstarter.
The books follow the adventures of six friends who become internet moguls when their friendship blog goes viral.
The dolls are based on the main characters in the book, who each have a special business or tech power.
‘The lack of women in power positions in the work place continue to alarm,’ read a statement from the iBesties team.
‘Research shows that less than five per cent of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. Additionally, women are highly underrepresented in technology careers, comprising only 25 per cent of computer scientists.
‘iBesties aims to change these statistics. Studies shows that what children experience with their toys and see in the media has a direct result on what careers they think they can have as an adult. Essentially, you can’t be what you can’t see. iBesties shows girls that they can enter STEM fields, run their own businesses and be CEOs.’
The campaign needs to raise $8,000 in the next seven days to hit its $50,000 goal.
Check out a video for the campaign below:


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Will the Big Apple franchise be getting one of their original ladies back??
Now, the unfiltered SkinnyGirl is addressing those rumors by…well, sort of by talking around them!
Then do NOT CLICK HERE!
Sylvester Stallone was snapped at a magazine stand in Malibu sporting some extra veiny arms!
[Image via Pacific Coast News Online.]


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Russia’s Yandex and Tinkoff scrap $5.5bn deal
Russian technology giant, Yandex, and compatriot digital bank, Tinkoff, have called off their $5.5 billion mega-merger.
Talks stalled less than four weeks after the pair first announced their plans to merge. Yandex writes in a statement that it was unable to agree “definitive transaction terms”.
It adds: “Yandex therefore confirms that it does not intend to make an offer for Tinkoff”.
A Tinkoff statement reads that the firm will continue to partner with Yandex on technology projects.
The idea of a combination with Yandex surfaced in 2019 at the International Economic Forum in St Petersburg.
Oleg Tinkov, founder and key shareholder in Tinkoff, and owner of TCS Group, said a deal could create a company worth $20 billion.
Tinkoff is one of the world’s largest online banks and has more than ten million customers.
In an email seen by Reuters, Tinkov writes that Yandex was only interested in a full takeover. The TCS founder viewed the deal as more of a merger.
Yandex deputy CEO, Tigran Khudaverdyan, indicated in a blog Tinkov would run the digital bank and contribute to Yandex simultaneously.
The first talks between Yandex and Tinkoff were confirmed in late September, a few weeks after Yandex went its separate ways with Russian giant Sber.
Yandex spun out its payment platform Yandex.Money as part of the split and agreed to buy out Sber’s 45% share in Yandex.Market.
Executives at both firms said the relationship between Sberbank and Yandex had grown acrimonious, as the latter moved further into the technology space.
This grew worse when the Russian bank founded a series of Yandex competitors.


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Kitchen Collection Closing 160 Stores by End of the Year
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Despite the fact that California has only legalized the medicinal use of cannabis, executive director of the California Cannabis Industry Association Nate Bradley has approximated that 100,000 people hold marijuana-related jobs. Business in the industry is booming and the diversity of fields one can be involved in continues to grow as demand increases and new companies are established.
“There’s testing labs, packaging companies, wholesalers, processing companies, extraction companies, edible companies, and that’s on top of the cultivators and dispensary workers that most likely come to mind when you hear ‘pot jobs’,” Bradley explained. He further explains that Californians are anticipating that recreational legalization will be on the 2016 ballot and if passed, one million jobs within the industry could be created.
Events such as the San Francisco Cannabis Career Fair in July are becoming popular in anticipation of the influx of positions to be filled. Online, websites like THCJobs.com and CannaJobs.com offer listings for people interested in entering the industry. The legalization of recreational marijuana, as seen in Colorado, has the capability to boost state revenue, and even further, our votes can give countless people in California new opportunities and financial stability.


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Recovery takes root
05 September 2017
Global unit sales of construction equipment
Global construction equipment sales are expected to increase by 16% this year, according to updated forecasts from specialist consultant Off-Highway Research. Worldwide sales are expected to exceed 810,000 units, with a value of more than US$80 billion.
Most major regional equipment markets are expected to see growth this year, but the key driver will be China. Crawler excavator sales have more than doubled in the first half of
2017, compared to the same period last year. Among other impacts, this is likely to mean that for the first time more excavators than wheeled loaders will be sold in China in 2017, a market which was once dominated by the latter type of equipment.
“The sudden recovery in market demand is attributed to the large number of new projects that have been given approval to proceed since 2015, when the government decided to strengthen the economy by increasing infrastructure investment,” said Off-Highway Research.
The market previously peaked in 2011 on the back of the Government’s stimulus spending programme. However, this boom was followed by a crushing decline in sales which saw market demand fall to a quarter of its peak size at the bottom of the cycle in 2015 and 2016.
Elsewhere in the world, the Indian market remains strong, with 10% sales growth forecast for this year, continuing the momentum of the 36% surge seen in 2016. This will see the market surpass the previous record high of 54,065 machine sales seen in 2011.
Off-Highway Research expects continued growth in the market, although this will inevitably moderate in 2019 due to the general election. However, growth is expected to resume thereafter, with sales likely to exceed 73,000 units in 2021.
“Almost all types of equipment will witness growth, though the market will continue to be dominated by the six most popular products: backhoe loaders, crawler excavators, mobile cranes, mobile compressors, compaction equipment and wheeled loaders. Together these will account for 93 per cent of the market in 2021,” said Off-Highway Research.
In Europe, sales of construction equipment are expected to grow by 2% this year to almost 145,000 units. This moderate rise follows an 11% surge in 2016, which was driven by booming demand from the German residential construction sector.
Most countries in Europe will see increased equipment sales in 2017, including the major markets of France, Italy and the UK. However, the German market is expected to see a sharp correction, having hit record levels in 2016. This slide in Europe’s biggest equipment market will offset many of the gains seen elsewhere.
The North American market is expected to climb 8% to over 170,000 units. This would take it back to levels seen in 2014 and 2015, before market growth was disrupted by last year’s presidential election.
Similarly, in Japan, a 4% increase in equipment sales is expected, following a slump in demand last year. The correction of 2016 was preceded by three years of unusually high sales in response to the government’s stimulus policies – Abenomics – and the demand for equipment needed for reconstruction work following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Over the longer term, Off-Highway Research expects global construction equipment sales to rise to close to 900,000 units
by 2021, with a value of more than US$90 billion in today’s terms.


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Manufacturer of plastic bottle caps Silgan Closures will be showcasing its metal and plastic closure solutions for the food and drink markets at Drinktec 2017.
WaveGrip has announced the launch of its carriers in a selection of different colours to facilitate brand differentiation for beverage producers.
Crown has recognised three of its facilities for outstanding sustainability achievements from 2015 to 2016.
The CMI has told the US Commerce Department that aluminium can sheets and aluminum ingot are not a security risk that requires intervention in the form of tariffs or trade restrictions.
Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) president, Robert Budway, has presented a case to the US Commerce Department that tinplate steel should be exempt from tariff and other import restrictions.
Sri Lanka’s can making industry has entered a new phase with the opening of GM Metal Packaging’s decorative tinplate can production plant that is serving the customers who previously have been supplied from the company’s main factory in Guangdong Province in China. David Hayes reports.
In 1892, William Painter changed the trajectory of the beverage industry with the invention of the bottle cap. Throughout 2017, the company that Painter founded, will be celebrating its 125th anniversary by highlighting its long-standing commitment to innovation, quality and sustainability.


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Low interest rates and high demand for homes propelled mortgage origination activity during the pandemic, only to slow dramatically in 2022 during an environment of higher home prices and interest rates. A new TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) study, “Where Will Growth in Mortgage Originations Come From?,” found that despite an overall decrease in the number of consumers actively seeking a mortgage, some consumer segments remain positioned as potential opportunities for lenders.
TransUnion’s study analyzed the entire credit-active U.S. population between Q2 2017 and Q1 2022. It flagged consumers who were likely renters or homeowners and further identified consumers as belonging to LMI (Low-to-Moderate Income), Veterans Administration (VA)-eligible, and self-employed, non-exclusive segments. It then highlighted consumers in these segments who either withdrew their applications or were potentially turned down for a mortgage.
The study found that, despite the current low origination environment, there are a number of sizeable consumer segments with purchase origination potential. With affordability currently at a 30-year low, the ability to identify these segments allows lenders to tailor messaging around products that these consumer segments may qualify for (such as VA, LMI, and self-employed specific products) as well as down payment assistance programs they may be eligible for. The LMI, VA-eligible, and self-employed segments each carry a sizeable proportion of mortgage qualifying consumers.
Key findings include:
95% (116 million) of the ~121 million LMI consumers on-file are credit eligible for a mortgage
Of the 10 million identifiable VA-eligible consumers, 86% (8.6 million) have credit scores above 620 and are mortgage eligible
Of the six million identifiable self-employed consumers, 67% of renters (two million) and 93% of homeowners (four million) have a >620 credit score
In addition, the study showed that eight million current renters were turned down or otherwise withdrew their mortgage application, five million of whom would classify as LMI. The study also found that the percentage of consumers who are likely renters has grown 4% since Q2 2019, which represents a significant jump considering that segment only grew 1% between Q2 2017 and Q2 2019. Herein may lie another opportunity for lenders, as the number of likely renters with a credit risk score above 620, a score which may help them qualify for a government-sponsored enterprise mortgage, increased from 97 million to 100 million in Q2 2022.
“As each consumer has unique needs, it’s important to use insights tailored to the individual to help educate people on their journey to home ownership, whether that be information around the product and down payment assistance they qualify for or assistance to get mortgage-ready,” said Joe Mellman, senior vice president and mortgage business leader at TransUnion. “For consumers who were either turned down or withdrew their mortgage application, using a targeted solution such as TransUnion’s partner FinLocker, a financial fitness app that supports consumers through a step-by-step journey to become mortgage ready, consumers can improve their credit profile and put themselves in a better position to get into the market. This also means more customers for lenders.”
Tappable Home Equity Remains High Among Key Segments
The study showed that, as expected, the overall number of consumers securing a rate-and-term refinance dropped considerably across all consumer segments, from 21 million in Q4 2021 to three million in Q2 2022. However, the study also showed that the LMI, VA, and self-employed segments of the consumer population remained rife with available equity, as a sizable proportion of each consisted of mortgage carrying consumers.
Tappable1 equity of mortgage holders continued to grow as valuations continued to rise2
|Q2 2017||Q2 2018||Q2 2019||Q2 2020||Q2 2021||Q2 2022|
1. 80% of value of all residential properties less sum of mortgage and home equity balances; 2. Balances continue to rise too, however valuations have risen faster and more significantly. Source: TransUnion US consumer credit database
Among LMI consumers, 21 million out of the 32 million homeowners have equity available in their homes. Of the identifiable VA-eligible population, 3.8 million have tappable home equity, as do three million of those consumers who are reported to be self-employed.
“In this low origination environment, it is critical for lenders to have the ability to identify how much equity each homeowner can tap into to generate uniquely customized messaging to address each consumer’s need. For example, with TransUnion solutions, lenders can identify specific consumers that can save money on high interest rate non-mortgage debt and educate them on how much those savings could mean on a monthly basis,” said Mellman. “Consumers are currently tapping into HELOCs and Home Equity Loans at a dramatically higher rate than last year. These products are an attractive option over cash-out refis because they allow consumers to use their available home equity while keeping their existing low interest rate mortgage.”
Mellman added that, in order to optimize returns on their marketing dollars, now is the time for lenders to leverage as much data and analytics as possible to focus outreach efforts on consumers that can most benefit from them. He also emphasized that consumers are more likely to react to targeted messages that address the value proposition relevant to their unique situation.
The Place for Lending Visionaries and Thought Leaders. We take you beyond the latest news and trends to help you grow your lending business.


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WASHINGTON | The Supreme Court agreed Friday to wade into the issue of sales tax collection on internet purchases in a case that could force consumers to pay more for certain purchases and allow states to recoup what they say is billions in lost revenue annually.
The case the Supreme Court agreed to hear comes from South Dakota, which has no state income tax and relies on retail sales and use taxes for revenue. In 2016, South Dakota lawmakers passed a law requiring out-of-state sellers to collect and turn over sales tax to the state. The state's highest court struck down the law, citing previous Supreme Court decisions.
Under previous Supreme Court rulings, when internet retailers don't have a physical presence in a state, they can't be forced to collect sales tax on sales into that state. Consumers who purchase from out-of-state retailers are generally supposed to pay the state taxes themselves, but few do.
A total of 36 states and the District of Columbia had asked the high court to revisit the issue, which doesn't affect internet giant Amazon.com because it collects state sales tax nationwide. But the case does affect other online retailers including Overstock.com, home goods company Wayfair and electronics retailer Newegg, who are part of the case the Supreme Court accepted.
Large brick-and-mortar retailers like Walmart and Target have long bemoaned the fact that they have to collect sales tax on online purchases because they have physical stores nationwide. Meanwhile, smaller online retailers, who don't have vast networks of stores, don't have to collect the tax where they don't have a physical presence.
States say the court's previous rulings have also hurt them. According to one estimate cited by the states in a brief they filed with the high court, they'll lose out on nearly $34 billion in 2018 if the Supreme Court's previous rulings stand. The Government Accountability Office, which provides nonpartisan reports to Congress, wrote in a report last year that state and local governments would have been able to gain between $8.5 billion and $13 billion in 2017 if they could require out-of-state sellers to collect tax on sales into the state.
The Supreme Court first adopted its physical presence rule on sales tax collection in a case dealing with catalog retailers in 1967, a year that states pointed out in their brief was "two years before the moon landing and decades before" the first online retail transaction. The high court last considered the issue in 1992.
The National Retail Federation, which represents both internet and brick-and-mortar sellers, said Friday it welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to take the case.
"Unfortunately, antiquated sales tax collection rules have resulted in an uneven playing field that's making it harder for Main Street retailers to compete in today's digital economy. This is a basic question about fairness, which all of our members deserve whether they're selling in stores or online," federation president Matthew Shay said in a statement.
Overstock.com said in a statement Friday that it "looks forward to the opportunity to convince the Supreme Court to confirm its prior rulings protecting the free flow of interstate commerce from overreaching state tax laws."
The Supreme Court will probably hear arguments in the case in April.
If the Governor has his way, beer made in South Dakota will flow in much larger quantities as early as this summer.
Gov. Dennis Daugaard proposed easing up some regulations on microbreweries in South Dakota during his State of the State address Jan. 9. He said those laws date back to prohibition and need to be updated.
His proposal would increase yearly caps from 5,000 to 30,000 barrels for the state's licensed microbreweries. Currently, if brewers go over the barrel cap they risk losing the ability to sell beer from the increasingly popular tap rooms at breweries.
A cap of 5,000 barrels (roughly 155,000 gallons) of beer may seem like a lot, but that number is a fraction of the beer cap that neighboring states have. North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana all have barrel caps more than five times as high as South Dakota's current limits and Iowa has no limit at all.
The new legislation would also allow microbreweries to sell directly to retailers, something Daugaard said will help South Dakota businesses compete with those surrounding states.
“The statutes in this area (microbrewing) are a mess, and in many cases, they just don’t make sense,” Daugaard said during his address on Tuesday. “I’ll be supporting several bills this session to streamline and modernize these statutes.”
For microbreweries like Lost Cabin Brewing, the easements come as a welcome relief. Lost Cabin’s co-founder, Jesse Scheitler, said the company is already one fifth of the way to the current 5,000 barrels.
Scheitler said the brewery has only been open for a year and he hopes to keep expanding his business, but the current yearly barrel cap could make that difficult. Scheitler thinks the new limit will modernize South Dakota’s outdated regulations.
“As far as for the state itself, I think beer kind of bridges South Dakota’s two biggest industries … tourism and agriculture,” he said.
Lost Cabin, located on West Omaha Street across from Founders Park, serves ales, lagers and porters to Rapid City residents. Their most popular drinks are their Father in Lager and the Lord Grizzly Scotch Ale. If the bill passes, they’ll be able to sell those brews right to restaurants and grocery stores as soon as this summer.
Daugaard’s chief of staff, Tony Venhuisen, said the regulation changes could take place July 1.
“South Dakota’s laws governing microbreweries are burdensome and out of line with other states and hinder these businesses from growing,” Venhuisen said. “ … The changes will increase the viability of microbreweries and increase their ability to grow.”
For brewers like Scheitler, a larger barrel cap could mean a better community.
“We’re not only manufacturing a product here, but we also actively work in our communities.”
PIERRE | The South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks Commission gambled on the unknown Friday, changing the odds for how hunters are chosen for 36 sets of licenses.
The new approach cubes — or multiplies to the third power — what are known as preference points.
Hunters accumulate preference points when their names aren’t drawn by lottery for a specific license type. People with preference points have a great chance of drawing a license the next year.
The goal of the change is to give a greater statistical advantage to people who have accumulated more preference points. Under the adopted plan a hunter with two points would now get two to the third power preference points or eight.
Hunters sometimes complained after they applied and didn’t get a license, especially those wanting a chance for trophy bucks or bull elk or bighorn sheep.
The new system gives significant weight to hunters who have accumulated points for several years. Take the example of one hunter with a two preference points under the current system. When those points are cubed the result is eight points. But say that hunter had four preference points under the current system. The resulting cubed number would be 64 points.
Commissioners received 440 pages of comments about the proposed change.
On Friday none of the commissioners or any GF&P staff on hand seemed to know how or when South Dakota began preference-point drawings.
“I shouldn’t have asked,” Barry Jensen of White River said. He is commission chairman.
No one admitted keeping score, either, for which side finished ahead in the comments.
The complicated task of explaining the change fell on department official Scott Simpson. He showed commissioners some examples of how odds changed. Each time, the statistics depended on the number of applicants, how many preference points were in play and the number of licenses available.
As for comments, Simpson said many didn’t fit into specific ‘for’ or ‘against’ categories. Jensen agreed. Their impressions were that comments ran stronger for the change. Jensen said that also seemed true from what he’d personally heard.
“More people I talked to were in favor of it than not,” he said.
The commissioners voted five to zero for the plan. Three weren’t there.
“It’s approved,” Jensen declared. He gave a little shrug.
“We’ll see what happens with that, I guess.”
Getting to Trojan today would be difficult — after all, it’s just a hole in the ground, swallowed up by the Wharf Mine.
The only evidence that the town existed at all is some foundations scattered in the nearby woods and the memories of former residents.
In the early 1850s while the California Gold Rush was in full swing, few non-Native Americans had set foot in the Black Hills.
There were whispers and rumors, but no one knew of the considerable quantities of gold the Hills contained. That all changed with Custer’s 1874 expedition to the Black Hills, when his party found gold. Word spread across the nation and prospectors flocked here, hungry for their share.
Near what is present-day Lead, prospectors struck it rich on Bald Mountain in early 1877 and mining claims were quickly made. The town of Trojan and nearby Terry were founded by miners from these claims. Trojan’s prosperity grew, and the population soon followed.
By 1900, the Trojan Mining Company was at work to consolidate the many small mining claims into their company, and by 1911 they had largely succeeded.
As the mines were consolidated, many miners left for Deadwood or Homestake and the population fell. Bald Mountain Mining Company bought out the Trojan Mining Company. The consolidated mines were worked for a couple of decades until they ran dry. By 1959, all mining operations had shut down after millions of dollars of gold and silver had been extracted throughout its history.
Matt Klein of Deadwood grew up in Trojan during its later history as a haven for artists. His parents moved there for the cheap housing and bought their house for only $7000. They were truly living in history, and his father, Greg Klein, even found old telegraphs and letters from the early 1900s detailing mining operations in their attic.
The telegraphs sometimes talked in code. Afterall, they were transporting precious metals so they couldn’t be too cautious.
One telegraph from Dec. 18, 1914 read “bar about nipper nuzzle nimbus nutty faithless,” meaning the bar is about $12,500.
Others expressed worry about how World War I would affect their supply. “Phillips has wired manufacturer regarding effect war will have on supply, delivery and price of cyanide. Will wire you reply. Five months supply assured,” read an undated telegraph to Chicago.
From hole in the sky to hole in the ground
Then in the 1970s, an unlikely group breathed life back into the town: hippies and free-thinkers looking for cheap housing and mountaintop living. Their creative community earned the nickname “hole in the sky.”
A lively community of artists formed with poets, singers, woodcarvers and painters among their ranks. A newspaper article from the late 1970s titled “Small City of Trojan Has Talented Group of Citizens” by Lois Miller described the community.
“Maybe it is the heady exhilarating mountain air or the intoxicating scenery that is partly responsible for so much unusual talent in the little mining community of Trojan. There are more talented persons among the Trojans than you would find in most places several times its population of 153 persons,” Miller wrote.
There was never a dull moment in town and parties were common. A group of Trojans created the tongue-in-cheek “Trojan Country Club” out of one of their homes, where they would host parties and get-togethers. During the winter, it would be common to get vast amounts of snow, so they’d take to the slopes. Usually, they’d be snowed in for at least one week in the year. The warm weather of the summer brought outdoor parties, hiking, volleyball, and playing in the large sand dune nearby.
“People would come from all over to four-wheel in the sand dunes. We’d jump in and be waist deep in sand,” remembers Klein.
The community had a contentedness that Klein remembers as one of his favorite aspects of childhood in Trojan.
“All of us had an endearing fondness for it. It’s hard to emulate a place like that. You felt like you’re connected to the community,” he said.
But the good times couldn’t last forever. Near the turn of the century, Wharf Resources was planning to buy out everyone and expand their mining operations into the ground under their homes.
“We knew the writing on the wall and that Wharf would buy everyone out,” explained Klein. Wharf purchased the property and auctioned off remaining structures. One of the last structures, the Trojan schoolhouse, was finally demolished in 2010. While the loss of his hometown is like an “itch (he) can never scratch,” he is glad that Wharf helped the community, which wouldn’t have happened had they not expanded.
“Not only is my intention to ensure the memory and history of Trojan is never forgotten, but also to convey that the Lead-Deadwood community has prospered in so many ways from the Trojan expansion,” he said, giving examples of Wharf helping local nonprofits.
“Without their Trojan expansion, none of it would have possible,” Klein explained.


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I Spoke this morning with Blaine Kelley, senior vice president focusing on industrial/distribution center real estate at broker CB Richard Ellis. Having decamped from the New Jersey Turnpike recently via Exit 8A and spotted for-rent signs on the front lawn of what seemed like every distribution center I drove by, I can understand how this would not be the greatest moment in this sector of the supply chain. And indeed, such was the basic report from Kelly, but not as bad as one might expect. He’s busy, he says, but mostly with renewals, lease negotiations and cost saving measures rather than new investments or assisting clients to plot the next iteration of their supply chain strategy.
Such grand plans basically do not exist today. Companies are not spreading out their DC network to minimize fuel costs, as some were considering last year as oil surged to $147 per barrel. And they are not retrenching either, closing DCs and opening fewer larger ones. Rather, firms that ship merchandise as part of their business are hunkering down. “I am seeing companies trying to optimize what they have for the short term, meaning the next 1-3 years,” Kelley said. Some domestic food distributors are active, as are many 3PLs, which continue to benefit from the lack of customers’ long term plans, the downside being that many 3PL deals offer customers a 30 or 60 day out clause. “The 3PLs are the ones that are most active, that is, out on the street looking for facilities, but they are just overflowing short term space.
They might be looking at extra space for back to school or holiday season inventory, but by January of next year they will give the space back to the landlord. It is not like they are going into LA and taking 500 square feet for 10 years.”


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Apple continues to work toward fulfilling the vision of the company’s recently deceased founder to create a television set that could revolutionize the medium, Bloomberg reports.
The project has been turned over to Jeff Robbin, who helped develop the iPod and the iTunes media store, the report says, citing sources with knowledge of the project. The sources refused to be identified.
The involvement of Robbin is an indication that Apple intends to push aggressively into television in an effort to emulate its leadership in smartphones and tablets, the story reports. The move into TV was integral to the plans of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died Oct. 5.
While Apple’s plans are unconfirmed, the release of a set could be as close as a year away, the report says.
The story reports: “Jobs told biographer Walter Isaacson that he had ‘finally cracked’ how to build an integrated TV with a simple user interface that would wirelessly synchronize content with Apple’s other devices.”
Apple has not gone public with plans to develop a TV set, but Jobs’ vision is revealed in Isaacson’s biography, “Steve Jobs,” which was released Monday.
In the book, Jobs tells Isaacson of the TV project: “It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine.”
Apple declined comment for the story, Bloomberg reports, noting that it is unclear whether Apple will eventually release an actual TV set. The company’s TV initiative up till now has been focused on Apple TV, an add-on for TV sets that enables iTunes, Netflix and YouTube, the story notes.
The story adds that Jobs thought of Apple TV as a “hobby,” and not a revenue source.
“That may be changing,” the report says. “Apple has a prototype TV in the works and may introduce a product for sale by late next year or 2013, according to Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray Cos. He based that timing on meetings with contacts close to Apple’s suppliers in Asia, industry contacts and Apple’s patent portfolio. Munster said Apple also is investing in manufacturing facilities and securing supplies of LCD screens.”


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(12:20 p.m. BST) -- Marella Cruises has revealed a phased return to service and adjusted itineraries that will impact sailings over the next three seasons.
The move follows the line’s announcement that Marella Celebration is to leave the fleet early and all sailings through June 30, 2020, have been cancelled.
Marella’s decision comes just days after Carnival announced a phased return to cruising from August 1, 2020.
In a statement, Marella said it will continue to monitor the on-going global coronavirus pandemic that has forced cruise lines to suspend sailings worldwide since March 2020.
“Should it be safe to set sail, Marella Cruises will commence its summer 2020 programme in July 2020, with three of its five ships sailing.
“Marella Explorer will set sail from Corfu, Marella Explorer 2 from the UK and Marella Discovery from Palma all as originally planned.”
Marella Dream will next sail in summer 2021, with all remaining summer 2020 and winter 20/21 sailings cancelled.
Marella Discovery 2 will next sail in winter 2020, replacing Marella Celebration in Cyprus, while Marella Explorer 2 will homeport in Dubrovnik for summer 2021, replacing Marella Celebration’s voyages.
Marella Discovery 2 will no longer offer Asia voyages this winter, instead it will homeport in Cyprus from March 2021, replacing Marella Celebration.
The line has confirmed that passengers due to sail from Cyprus on Marella Celebration during March and April will be automatically upgraded to Marella Discovery 2 at no additional cost.
Marella Discovery will recommence Caribbean sailings from February 2021 -- with December 2020 and January 2021 sailings cancelled. The ship’s first voyage will be a repositioning cruise from Malaga to Jamaica on February 16, 2021.
The line has confirmed that Marella Explorer’s and Marella Explorer 2’s winter 2020/21 itineraries have not been impacted. Marella Explorer 2 will continue to homeport in Barbados and Marella Explorer in the Canaries.
For summer 2021, the line has revealed that Marella Explorer 2 will no longer operate sailings from Naples as the ship replaces Marella Celebration in Dubrovnik.
The line said: “Customers that were due to sail on Celebration from Dubrovnik will be automatically upgraded to the cruise lines newest and first adult only member of the fleet, Marella Explorer 2 at no additional cost.”
Marella has confirmed that any customers booked on Marella Celebration with children will receive refund credit plus up to 20 percent booking incentive.
“Marella Explorer, Marella Dream, Marella Discovery and Marella Discovery 2 will all sail their itineraries as planned. Including the cruise lines eagerly anticipated USA itineraries on Marella Discovery.”
The line is offered flexible booking options to those impacted, including a refund credit and up to 20 percent booking incentive or a full refund.


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Matthew Panzarino was Managing Editor at TNW. He's no longer with the company, but you can follow him on Twitter. Matthew Panzarino was Managing Editor at TNW. He's no longer with the company, but you can follow him on Twitter.
Remember Psystar? They’re a company that, back in 2008, began selling clones of Mac computers with copies of OS X installed on them. Essentially they were PC’s that were built with special hardware that was compatible with Apple’s OS.
The company was eventually banned from selling its ‘OpenMac’ computers, which were powered by retail copies of OS X.
Just yesterday, Judge Mary Schroeder, of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Psystar’s clones do violate Apple copyrights and that the ban will be upheld, reports Cnet.
Apple had filed suit on Psystar in July of 2008 for infringing on its Mac OS X software licensing agreements and that Psystar’s use of OS X on these cloned computers constituted “direct and contributory copyright infringement, trademark and trade dress infringement, and violation of state and common law unfair competition laws,” as well as the DMCA.
Psystar’s appeal centered on the fact that Apple was abusing its copyright by forcing OS X to be limited to only its own machines. It looks like that argument wasn’t quite able to hold water in this case.
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Today we are living in a climate of unimaginable turbulence and uncertainty due to an unprecedented crisis in the financial system with severe consequences for the world economy and the quality of life of citizens, particularly of those who are most active and most involved in the economy itself.
Expresso, March 2009
The mechanical engineering group will expand its business areas to avoid the crisis.
Frezite, a group specialising in production and sale of precision tools, is responding to the global economic slowdown by strengthening their innovation, which will soon make it possible to launch a new business area, Frezite Drilling.
Diário Económico, 3rd of March 2009


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As a truck driver steps out of his rig, there is a look of confusion, defeat and disappointment on his face. He walks to the back of his tanker truck, opens the valve and stands back as gallons of milk pour out onto the ground.
The image is harrowing to say the least. As if America’s milk industry wasn’t struggling already, producers in high production states are now being forced to dump entire trucks, or worse yet, dispense of their entire storage tanks on farm.
What makes this situation so precarious is the fact grocery stores are struggling to keep enough milk on the shelves. Many stores have had to limit consumer purchasing of milk just to keep up with demand. Understandably, consumers are flummoxed. If there is a high demand for milk in the stores, then why are producers being forced to dump their product on the ground?
The answer, it turns out, has to do with supply and demand, but with a slight twist.
“Before COVID-19 hit, a huge amount of dairy consumption was in schools and restaurants. The processing of milk and milk products for restaurants and school is totally different,” said Lily Andersen, who runs a family operation, Skattum Dairy, located south of Livingston, Mont., with her husband Kyle.
Andersen went on to explain that milk manufacturing is highly specialized. The machines needed for specific processing and packaging of milk and milk products are very expensive, and because of that, processing facilities typically only process and package one form of diary product. For example, a processing facility may specialize in carton milk for schools or individual butter packets for restaurants, and the facilities can’t simply switch to bottling milk because their machines just aren’t capable.
Additionally, like many ag commodities, dairy is contracted. This means a processing facility specifically buys a farmer’s milk for one specified purpose.
To further complicate the matter, milk is a perishable item, which makes any kind of storage essentially impossible. The facilities may be able to vamp up production in the near future, but one of milk’s main selling points is the fact it is so fresh.
“Milk you buy in the grocery store was on the farm 48 hours before,” Andersen pointed out.
Andersen and her family feel lucky to be producing milk in Montana. Since Montana is not a big dairy producing state, farmers are less likely to be impacted by this manufacturing conundrum, but they are certainly not exempt from the problems.
Montana only has three milk processing facilities, with two of them being owned by Meadow Gold. One of Meadow Gold’s processing facilities is in Great Falls and the other is in Billings. The state’s third milk processing facility is Darigold, with a plant located in Bozeman.
“Our milk truck driver just told me they may have to start dumping milk in Great Falls. That is related to the fact the Great Falls plant is one of the places that does school milk cartons and they aren’t having to make cartoned milk right now. They are hoping the Billings plant can take the excess,” Andersen stated.
Skattum Dairy produces Grade A milk, also known as fluid grade milk, and they are contracted with Meadow Gold in Billings. That particular plant specializes in bottling milk, so Andersen and her family feel their milk is relatively safe for now.
Andersen went on to emphasize the dairy industry is doing everything they can to keep up with the demand in grocery stores and they are trying desperately to stabilize production. Keep in mind however, the correction won’t happen overnight.
“I know it is frustrating people to no end that they are being limited in the grocery stores and then they see the news and wonder, ‘Why am I being limited if they are dumping milk?’The industry is just trying to get the manufacturers and the processing facilities caught up to the demand and then hopefully they won’t have to dump milk,” she added.
The dairy industry has seen some hard times these past few years and in a lot of ways the COVID-19 pandemic is just adding salt to the wound.
“Dairy farmers are eternal optimists, but we have to be in this market,” Andersen laughed.
Andersen encourages people to reach out to dairy producers and ask them questions if need be. Milk is a wholesome, local food, she says, with several nutritional benefits. In conclusion, Andersen and her family simply ask people to drink more milk.


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UK consumers turning their backs on businesses with bad tech
New research among more than 2000 UK adults reveals just how important good online and mobile technologies are to business success – 59% of UK adults said they will leave a business’ website within just 30 seconds if it is ugly or hard to navigate and uses ‘bad tech’.
Worse, 24% of consumers also said that in the past five years they have switched loyalty from one company to a competitor whose technology delivers a better customer experience.
The study, commissioned by Studio Graphene, finds that 52% of people say they always research a business online before deciding to spend money with them, while 47% stated that a good website or app is key for them to trust a particular brand.
It is clear that companies of all sizes and sectors, from retailers to restaurants, must make sure their digital solutions – namely website and app – look the part and function well. The research shows that 52% of people “always” research a business online before spending money with them, while 47% say that a good website or app is key for them to trust a brand.
It also unwittingly reveals why marketplaces are doing so well: they work. With consumers wanting a technologically excellent experience with brands they trust – and at a price they think is a bargain– it is no surprise that they head to Amazon to buy things.
“It might not shock many business leaders to learn that tech is fundamental to success. However, today’s research provides some really interesting insights into just how small the window is for companies to win over consumers – within half a minute a potential customer will make their mind up about whether or not to spend money with a business, so digital solutions must both look great but also be informative, responsive and easy-to-use. There is no right or wrong way to build a website or an app; it will all depend on the business and its clients. But one thing is clear: any company that does not prioritise its tech risks losing out to competitors that offer a slicker online or mobile experience to customers.”
– Ritam Gandhi, founder and director, Studio Graphene


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Disciplinary action has been taken against the employee who drafted the Chandarana Foodplus racist promotion, the supermarket’s management said on Monday.
Rima Patel, a marketing specialist at the store, is accused of authoring an email which said that the supermarket now focuses on white people’.
“We would like to give you free vouchers to winner/raffles/best performer/runners-up candidate in upcoming events.”
“As we are now focusing on white people to ‘attract our supermarkets’ sic,” read the controversial email.
But in a letter to Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, the management said they agreed the email in question may have inadvertently profiled some of its customers.
“We have also commenced disciplinary action on the employee who authored the promotion communication,” director Dipam Thakkar said.
Thakkar also pleaded with the government to spare the business saying it benefits over one million people in both direct and indirect employment.
He said that the supermarket has employed about 1,246 people in various capacities, including management.
“You will be happy to know that out of this number, only 3 per cent are expatriates. We endeavour to employ more of our Kenyan brothers.”
“Generally, our business touches the lives of close to one million people,” Thakkar said.
He added that 95 per cent of their merchandise are sourced from local companies and individuals. The chain store has over 2,500 suppliers.


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And by that, we mean beat you senselessly with a shillelagh. No, no, no, of course we don’t mean that. Well, at least for the most part.
Starbucks, the famous coffee giant, has always been in the flavored coffee business, but now, they’re looking to jump into the flavored coffee with flavor business. Having tested the plan here and there in a few Seattle and Portland stores, locations in Atlanta and Southern California will, over the year, have their menu expanded to include items such as beer and wine. Oh sure, there’ll be new food items as well, but pffft, why fill up your stomach with food when you can fill it up with more booze?
And now a recap from the world’s second greatest drinking event of the year (right behind the day after Christmas): Octoberfest.
The main event, Munich, was the true success story this year. The 6.9 million visitors set a new record, consuming 7.5 million liters (1.65 million gallons) of beer, or one Shamu tank. That only works out to over 1 liter (or less than a quarter gallon) per person, but some of them were probably children who are famous for getting very drunk on very little.
But even more surprising is that, despite drinking more, there were only 58 recorded brawls in which fighters wielded their giant beer steins as weapons. Looks like their priorities — and hearts — were in the right place.
This year was also the first wet Octoberfest for the small Alabama town of Cullman. Located an hour from Huntsville, the city has anually celebrated Octoberfest since 1977 even though they had never repealed their Prohibition era laws against alcohol. Until this year. We don’t have any numbers from their event, but we can only assume they also had fewer fights with the addition of any alcohol.
That’s just math, people.
Russians faced a conundrum that only President Dmitry Medvedev could resolve. Russian law stated that anything with less than 10% alcohol was merely foodstuff, but even then only barely if you didn’t wrestle it yourself.
But then they started importing beer. They served it all hours of the day. They sold it to minors. They marketed as a healthy alternative to vodka and other spirits, just like we’ve been telling you for years. (Except liquor is good for, like, body builders and s@%t.)
So, Medvedev signed a law that officially classifies beer as alcohol with all the rules and taxes that implies.
Oh my god. It was the perfect world. All this time, it was … You finally really did it.
The Space Shuttle program is coming to a close. While a lot of you out there might not care, you should, and here’s why: Not going into space means you can’t enjoy space beer.
We told you about how Sapporo Breweries grew barley from grains taken into space, but now, 4 Pines Brewing, of Australia, has come up with a beer designed for enjoyment by space tourists. They are saying with a straight face that even though zero gravity makes your tongue swell up a bit, affecting your sense of taste, the flavor of the beer will make its way through.
They say the altitude makes you get drunk faster on a plane, so maybe a single beer in space is enough to get smashed.
Editor’s note: Ever feel like all of our “That Whacky Australia” stuff is de facto “Booze News?”
Some time in the early 19th century a ship was sailing across the Baltic Sea, bringing its cargo of champagne to the thirsty citizens on the distant shore. Only something went wrong, and the ship sank, taking the beloved booze with it.
Today, you can own a bottle of the oldest champagne around. The shipwreck was found last fall and bottles of champagne (and beer) were found, and as we called it all those months ago, the hootch is now up for auction! We don’t know about the beer and the other bottles, but two bottles of champagne will be up for auction in June, so get your wallets ready, drunkards.
It only took a week, and the reign of The End of History is over.
As we reported last week, the world’s strongest beer had been brewed, mounted in dead animals and sold out in mere hours last week. It broke the 100-proof barrier for beer, clocking in at an astounding 55 percent alcohol.
In a direct response, a Dutch brewer–‘t Koelschip (The Refrigerated Ship)–has pushed the envelope to 60 percent with Start the Future.
Someone somewhere (probably monks in Belgium) is bidding their time, waiting to unleash an 80 percent sipping beer called Future’s History.
And we don’t want to even think about what they’re cooking up in CERN.
Whenever our War on Animals and Booze News coverage intersect, the results are usually tragic, though still hilarious.
Fortunately, this story has a happy ending.
And “happy ending” is a fitting description of The End of History, a limited edition beer from Scottish company BrewDog. The beer itself is 55-percent alcohol and each bottle is inside of a stuffed animal.
Not Winnie-the-Pooh-stuffed animals. Taxidermist-stuffed animals.
Unfortunately, if you hoped to snag one to toast the end of the War on Animals, you’ll have to pry it out of the cold dead hands of some beer snob collector. The £500 bottles sold out within hours.
In Canada, a controversy brewed when video of a 10-year-old age group hockey team showed several members of the team drinking beer. What’s shocking is that 10 is not the legal age to drink in Canada.
Apparently, the country does not believe that beer after a hockey game is what should be going on for these kids. If it isn’t, then what was the women’s Olympic team doing after they won the gold medal?
This week, convenience-store chain 7-Eleven announced it would begin carrying its own budget brand of beers, dubbed Game Day. They’ve gotten into the wine business before, but this is new. Is 7-Eleven angling to be your low-cost craft-beer salvation?
Nooooooot exactly. As expected, the decision was driven less by a desire to sell great brews than the bottom line. Beer purchases in convenience stores dipped 4 percent last year, according to research group SymphonyIRI — nearly double domestic beer sales’ 2.2 percent decline.
But the silver lining is that purchases of horrid disgusting loser “sub-premium” beers (Keystone Light, Natural Light) actually ticked up. Customers haven’t stopped drinking. They just want to pay less for a buzz.
Sometimes this gambit pays off, such as the medal-winning Mission Street pale ales and IPAs that California’s Firestone Walker brews for Trader Joe’s. But brand-wise, Trader Joe’s sits on a slightly more elevated plane than a convenience store selling unnaturally glistening, endlessly rotating hot dogs.


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Irrational Games, developer of Bioshock, shuts down
Today, Ken Levine shocked the internet by announcing that his company, Irrational Games, will be shutting down.
Levine, the creative dynamo who worked on such titles as Bioshock, System Shock 2, Thief: The Dark Project, and of course our 2013 Game of the Year winner Bioshock: Infinite, explained that he's moving on to a "smaller, more entrepreneurial endeavor at Take-Two." This also means laying off all but 15 people.
"While I'm deeply proud of what we've accomplished together, my passion has turned to making a different kind of game than we've done before," Levine wrote. "To meet the challenge ahead, I need to refocus my energy on a smaller team with a flatter structure and a more direct relationship with gamers. In many ways, it will be a return to how we started: a small team making games for the core gaming audience."
Levine will be focusing on narrative-driven games that are "highly replayable." They will be released digitally, a la Gone Home or The Stanley Parable. Levine believes that by focusing exclusively on digitally-released games, his team can have a closer relationship with fans.
Before closing, Irrational will complete Part 2 of the BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea DLC, which is due to be released next month.
Levine's decision is surprising, to say the least, and it's a damn shame that so many talented Irrational employees will be laid off. However, Levine's always been a talented writer (Bioshock: Infinite's excellent story is proof of that), and moving away from AAA titles could be a good thing for him. A small, replayable, story-driven title from the designer of Bioshock? Yes, that sounds very interesting indeed. I, for one, am excited to discover what stories Levine plans to tell.


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Last year turned out to be very successful for the eCommerce industry. Both the revenue figures and the growing number of shopping apps confirm that the global eCommerce market is continuing to develop at a rapid pace. Future forecasts are even more positive. In 2016, for instance, global B2C eCommerce sales are expected to reach $1.92 trillion. By 2018, that figure may even be as large as $2.36 trillion.
These days, more businesses than ever are getting into eCommerce. While there are plenty of recommendations for how a new eCommerce business should start their venture, the following are seven essential rules you should keep in mind as you begin setting up your online store.


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Gao Feng, spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce, at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday
Cooperation is the only right choice for Sino-U.S. relations and China does not expect bilateral trade disputes to rise, a Chinese trade official said Thursday.
The U.S. announced on Monday that it would impose new tariffs on imported solar panels and washing machines, many of them from China.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Wednesday called China's 2025 technology strategy a "direct threat" and hinted at action against China during the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
After 40 years of development, Sino-U.S. economic and trade relations have evolved into a situation of blending interests, Gao Feng, spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), told a press conference in Beijing.
Cooperation will benefit the two countries while fights will harm both, Gao said.
As the two largest economies in the world, Sino-U.S. economic and trade ties will not only promote development for both countries, but will also become a positive power to advancing global economic growth, according to Gao.
The two countries should avoid bringing uncertainties to the development of the world's economy and affecting the stable environment of global trade and investment, he said.
"Cooperation is the only right choice between China and the U.S.," Gao noted, adding that China's door for cooperation and talks has always been open and that China does not expect bilateral trade disputes with the U.S. to rise.
But for actions showing unilateralism and protectionism that go against WTO rules, the Chinese government will adopt proper measures to firmly safeguard its legal rights and interests, the spokesman said.


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Top Consumer Shares:
Consumer shares were generally flat in pre-market trade Monday.
In consumer sector news, Conn's Inc ( CONN ) shares were up 8% after it reported fiscal Q1 earnings and sales that exceeded the street's average estimates while reaffirming its guidance for fiscal 2015.
The retailer of electronics, home appliances, furniture and mattresses said adjusted diluted earnings in the quarter ended April 30 rose 31.1% to $0.80 per share compared to the $0.73 average estimate from analysts polled by Capital IQ. Sales rose 33.6% to $335.4 million, also exceeding he $329 million consensus estimate.
And, Marriott International ( MAR ) says it has plans to significantly grow its global portfolio of luxury and lifestyle brands.
Accounting for nearly 25% of the company's system-wide pipeline, Marriott expects to add more than 200 luxury and lifestyle hotel projects over the next several years, reflecting over $15 billion of investment by the company's owners and franchisees.
And Cedar Fair ( FUN ) shares are up about 1% pre-market after a positive Barron's article that said its value could increase about 20% over the next year.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.


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Alongside its quarterly earnings release, Nintendo has announced its intention to partner with DeNA and establish a joint venture company in April next year.
Nintendo has been working with the mobile firm since 2015, partnering to develop systems integrated into its mobile software (such as Super Mario Run and Mario Kart Tour) and Nintendo Account infrastructure. The new company will be a 'Specified Subsidiary' for Nintendo due to its 80% capital investment (of a total of 5 billion yen) being greater than 10% of Nintendo's value as a whole.
The new company will be based in Tokyo and known as Nintendo Systems Co., Ltd., with the stated goal of strengthening "the digitalization of Nintendo's business", according to the notice posted on Nintendo's investor website. It continues, stating that:
the joint venture company will research and develop, as well as create value-added services to further reinforce Nintendo’s relationship with consumers.
The company is scheduled to be established formally on 3rd April 2023, with Nintendo's Tetsuya Sasaki listed as the Representative Director and President.
Nintendo has made great strides in the mobile space in the last few years with the help od DeNA (that's pronounced D-N-A, by the way), with titles like Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp performing particularly well; the former was Nintendo's first mobile game to pass $1 billion in spending.
Nintendo states that it is "working to maintain and expand its relationship with consumers primarily through Nintendo Account," so it seems likely to stick with the current Account setup for future hardware. That is to be expected, but following on from previous generations, it's still a relief to players who thought they may have to migrate and link to another convoluted account system when the next Nintendo hardware ecosystem eventually comes along.
Let us know your thoughts on this joint mobile venture and what it means for Nintendo below.


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Click on each heading for the full analysis
Effectiveness wins the battle over efficiency
This prediction might be more wishful thinking than based in reality, but there are signs 2019 could be the year marketers succeed in getting their businesses to prioritise effectiveness over mere efficiency.
Brands stop talking about being customer-centric
Brands often talk about being customer-centric but in reality, most businesses are still not set up with customers at their core. Simply installing a chief customer officer and hoping the rest will fall into place will not cut it in 2019.
The era of social media self-regulation is over
In a world of data breaches, hacking and fake news, social media giants will need to take greater responsibility for their communities if they are to avoid hefty regulation over the next 12 months.
Agencies under attack from all sides
Could 2019 be the year the agency model finally gets a 21st-century update? Putting aside the perennial complaints about pitches being too costly and time-consuming, the rise of the consultancies and a trend towards in-housing are now taking their toll.
Innovation will become faster and more flexible
In 2019, the need for faster and more reactive innovation will become even more integral. Some companies have already realised the importance of speed and are implementing more streamlined innovation processes, but next year we should expect to see a lot of this being put into action.
Brands realise the risk of sitting on the fence
Taking a stand on a polarising issue can be risky for businesses – you only need to look at the divisive reaction to Nike’s Colin Kaepernick ad for evidence of that – but with consumers’ trust in brands dropping, many are realising it could actually be riskier in the long-term to sit on the fence.
NLP boosts the power of chatbots and voice
We’re likely to see natural language processing (NLP) reach a level of advancement in 2019 that finally makes more complex applications look both possible and appealing. This will benefit not just chatbots but also that other hugely promising but so far disappointing technology – voice assistants.
Marketers re-imagine the future of work
From side-hustles to ‘squiggly careers’, marketers are embracing the opportunities of flexible working as they pursue multiple projects in a bid to turbocharge their professional development. Indeed the appetite for flexible working in undeniable.
Brands must finally put their Brexit plans into action
29 March 2019 is set in law as the date when Brexit will happen automatically. For brands, waiting to see what occurs is no longer an option. Plans, and contingency plans, must be made now, otherwise they won’t be in a position to act on whatever sequence of events actually comes about.


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information provided by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
CHICAGO, Ill. (March 30, 2019) – In an effort to increase Illinois’ $40 billion travel and tourism industry, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has enlisted the service of one of the nation’s top marketing and advertising agencies located in Chicago.
O’Keefe Reinhard & Paul (OKRP) is tasked to provide its premier promotional expertise to tout the state’s many historic and popular tourism destinations to both domestic and international travelers as well as a top choice for national conventions and meetings.
“By bringing aboard OKRP, we are looking to expand Illinois’ brand around the world,” said Erin Guthrie, DCEO Acting Director. “We want to encourage visitors to experience Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, be inspired while walking in Lincoln’s footsteps, and embrace the beauty of our many state parks.”
Guthrie said the initial term of the contract with OKRP will run through June 2022 and will help improve on the more than $3 billion already brought in as state and local tax revenue from visitor expenditures.
More than 114 million people visited Illinois in 2018 and pumped in $40 billion to the state’s economy, proof that a thriving tourism industry is vital to the state’s economic vitality.
“We had several impressive, professional marketing firms step up, and the competition was strong, as is the competition Illinois faces for a family’s vacation budget,” Guthrie said. “We cannot rest on thinking people are already aware of the many great things to see and experience in the state. We need to let people know what Illinois has to offer.”
The Illinois Office of Tourism is 100 percent funded by the state’s hotel motel tax revenue and is a strong revenue generator for Illinois’ economy.


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Shares of Taiwanese fabless semiconductor company Himax Technologies (HIMX -5.97%) stock jumped more than 12% in early trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market, before retreating to a 5.8% gain as of noon EDT.
It's not hard to figure out why: This morning, Himax released an earnings preannouncement confirming that it earned far more than Wall Street expected in the first quarter of 2021.
How much more? Heading into Q1, analysts had forecast that Himax would earn about $0.31 per share on total sales of $295 million. In fact, the company says it earned more than $0.38 per share, and on sales of $309 million.
Himax's results seem to have surprised even itself, exceeding previous guidance issued as recently as Feb. 4, 2021. When the official results come out next month, the company expects to report year-over-year sales growth of 67%, and a gross profit margin of 40.2% -- up 17.5 percentage points from last year's Q1.
And net earnings will be up 16.5 times from Q1 2020 levels.
The good news might not end there, either. As Himax explains, "revenues, gross margin and EPS all hit new records in this quarter," and "thanks to persisting demand across our major business segments ... the global semiconductor shortage has not shown signs of receding." Accordingly, Himax -- one month before Q1 earnings even come out officially -- is already prepared to predict "another strong financial result for the second quarter."
In other words, before the Q1 earnings beat is even official, Himax is predicting a second earnings beat in Q2. No wonder investors are pleased.


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Software maker Microsoft last November released its companion free SmartGlass app on the App Store, giving Xbox One owners a way to connect to their console to browse the web, navigate the dashboard control content, access achievements and more, all from their iPhone and iPad devices.
But Microsoft isn’t standing still.
According to a new report by The Verge, the Redmond giant is now looking to push the Xbox Live service cross-platform “in a big way” soon. For months now, Microsoft has been offering tools allowing third-party iOS and Android developers to integrate Xbox Live functionality into their apps and games.
But as games developers balked at Microsoft’s required certification process, the company is now looking to “win back” their support by making Xbox Live “a lot easier” to integrate into apps and games…
The Verge’s Tom Warren has learned that Microsoft wants to enable Xbox Live across every major mobile platform. The key part to its mission: simpler tools letting app makers bring their games to Xbox Live, whether they run on Windows, iOS or Android.
While Google already has its own Google Play Games service and Apple uses Game Center for similar purposes, Microsoft will position Xbox Live as an alternative for players to use to earn achievements, find friends, and possibly cross-platform gaming.
“Microsoft is currently hiring developers to help build the new platform,” the report states. Indeed, Microsoft’s recent job postings seemingly confirm the finding.
The company is currently on the lookout for Software Development Engineers to join its New Devices and Gaming division. The ideal candidate will get to create a modern open source, lightweight, extensible and scalable framework for Windows Store, Windows Phone, iOS and Android platforms.
“Your contribution will have direct impact on how we win back our game developers from our competitors,” reads the job post, which also mentions the “coming wave of Windows product release”.
Microsoft’s upcoming Build conference runs April 2-4, 2014 in San Francisco, California and we expect the Windows giant to unveil a developer preview of Windows Phone 8.1 at the conference, as well as its answer to Siri, a digital personal assistant named Cortana, which we detailed earlier this morning.
According to Microsoft, Xbox Live is 48 million people strong.
Apple at its WWDC event said 240 million people were playing games Game Center-connected games for iOS and Mac, as of last June. The feature is available on iOS devices and Macs running OS X Mountain Lion and up.
Screenshot top of post: Microsoft’s Xbox One SmartGlass app for iOS.


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Games from content giant NetEnt are now live with operator Norsk Tipping in Norway.
Following completed integration, a selection of NetEnt’s award-winning games is now live with Norsk Tipping, the state lottery in Norway, through an agreement with IGT.
In December 2017, NetEnt signed an agreement with IGT to supply online casino games to Norsk Tipping.
The integration is now complete and a range of NetEnt’s portfolio of popular games is available to Norsk Tipping’s players through the IGT Connect integration layer that IGT is providing to the lottery.
Norsk Tipping is a member of the World Lottery Association, the industry organisation for state-authorized lotteries around the world.
Therese Hillman, group CEO of NetEnt, said: “We are very excited to deliver our games to Norsk Tipping. With Norsk Tipping’s strong brand name in Norway, they will be important for us as we continue our expansion within the strategic WLA segment.”
Read an interview with Therese Hillman here.


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Releaf, a Nigerian agritech startup, has raised a $4.2 million funding to develop its technology and provide funding to smallholder farmers.
The funding came from pan-African focused venture capital firms Samurai Incubate Africa, Future Africa and Consonance Investment Managers led the round. Individual investors like Stephen Pagliuca, the chairman of Bain Capital and Justin Kan of Twitch also participated.
In addition to the seed round, the agritech startup secured $1.5 million in grants from The Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) and USAID.
Founded in 2017 by Ikenna Nzewi and Uzoma Ayogu, Releaf uses pre-processing technology to increase the quality of inputs supplied to African food factories running at <30% capacity due to procurement challenges. Its proprietary oil palm de-sheller is 25X faster, improves quality to double factory margins, and pays itself back in <3 months.
Releaf also focuses on value chains where smaller factories are set up near smallholder farmers. This allows them to get better processing yields and fewer logistics costs; in the end, the farmer has more money to work with.
The agritech startup will use the seed investment to develop technology and deploy it to smallholder farmers while the $1.5 million in grants will focus on providing working capital financing to these farmers.
“We think there’s a really great opportunity to bring both physical technology and financial services to these communities to make them more productive. And it’s kind of central to our thesis,” Nzewi said.
“We believe that our smart factories can serve as an economic pillar in these rural communities and make it easier for us to supply these communities with other services that they can find valuable like access to working capital, payment for education, and access to insurance services. So we see the food processing as like the first step it cements us in the value chain.”
Rena Yoneyama, the managing partner at Samurai Incubate Africa, said Releaf’s novel approach sets it aside from other agritech startups the venture capital firm has engaged with.
“We believe the firm’s thesis on decentralizing food processing would have a strong match with Africa’s economic development landscape for the next few decades. Ikenna and Uzo are the perfect founders to disrupt this market in Nigeria and beyond. We are thrilled to back them as they innovate in providing both agro-processing and financial services to rural communities and farmers,” she added.
Speaking on the investment as well, Iyin Aboyeji, general partner at co-lead investor Future Africa said, “The team at Releaf is building the agro-allied industry of the future from the ground up, starting with palm oil which they have developed a novel technology to aggregate, deshell and process into critical ingredients like vegetable oil and glycerine. Future Africa is delighted to back Releaf to build the future of modern agriculture.”


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SUPERHARD artificial diamonds have been produced in a day, almost from thin air. “To our knowledge, they are the hardest crystals of diamond ever reported,” says Russell Hemley, supervisor of the team which produced the diamonds at the Carnegie Institution in Washington DC.
Tests showed that the new crystals were about 50 per cent harder than a selection of synthetic and natural diamonds. And at up to 5 millimetres thick, they are also the largest single gem crystals ever produced from a process called chemical vapour deposition. Whereas most existing diamonds made this way are films no thicker than a millimetre, the Carnegie team has successfully cut and polished its own 4.5-millimetre-thick films into rocks fit for jewellery, including the 2.5-millimetre-high gem below. “These are real gems, and the diamond is cut to our specifications,” says Hemley.
The diamonds are made in two stages. First, the researchers gradually deposit a


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Should California consider whether packaging contributes to marine debris when formulating mandatory policies for its collection and recycling? Your answer likely depends on whether you represent the business community or environmental interests.
Construction is underway on a massive Los Angeles-area plastics recycling facility that will take in bales of PET bottles from curbside collection and other channels. The rPlanet Earth facility will produce recycled-content products used to make bottles and food packaging.
In a bid to reduce contamination in the recycling stream, California lawmakers have revised the state’s definition of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to exclude the glycol-modified version of the resin PETG. The change means products made from the altered plastic are barred from using resin code No. 1.
A movie studio that paid $1,500 to purchase a chair will often want it gone as soon as the shoot is finished. The L.A. Shares program in America’s second-largest city works to ensure the chair is donated instead of sent into the waste stream.
Cartons, corrugate, expanded polystyrene, film and pouches are among the materials and products California officials say could be subject to mandatory packaging management rules.
California lawmakers have sent the governor a bill mandating that carpet stewards achieve a 24 percent recycling rate and discouraging the use of incineration. Meanwhile, carpet makers are sticking with their beleaguered stewardship group, instead of submitting alternative collection and recycling plans.
The world’s largest retailer underreported the number of containers it distributed over a three-year period in California, leading to $7.2 million in unpaid deposits to the state. The balance was paid in full late last year after it was revealed during an audit.
This story has been updated.
As California moves forward developing mandatory policies for the recycling of packaging, regulators want public input on some of the criteria they should consider.


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Foundation Expanding Long-Standing Grant Program to Serve More Promising Startups
DURHAM, NC – April 9, 2018 – NC IDEA, a private foundation committed to supporting entrepreneurial ambition and economic advancement in North Carolina, announced today a Micro-Grant Pilot Program as an expansion of its long-standing NC IDEA SEED grant program. This Summer’s pilot will award micro-grants to deserving companies not yet positioned for its traditional $50K seed grants.
The NC IDEA SEED Micro-Grant Pilot Program will award project-based grants in the amount of $1K – $10K to young companies looking to validate and advance their idea; or if further along, validate scalability where a small amount of funding would make a significant impact. Grant recipients will also receive mentorship and assistance from NC IDEA, as well as access to its wide network of advisors, partners and investors. NC IDEA is seeking applications from NC-based startups with innovative products or business models with the potential of becoming a $5M company in 5-7 years. We are particularly interested in high-ambition startups and founders outside of our traditional software and hardware focus; and are also seeking companies existing in North Carolina’s rural and economically distressed counties.
“We are expanding our long-standing NC IDEA SEED grant program to best meet the needs of the earlier stage entrepreneur,” said Thom Ruhe, President and CEO of NC IDEA. “We are seeing an increase in the number of young companies where deploying smaller amounts of money could make an even bigger impact. Providing these micro-grants will allow us to serve more promising companies and better enable under-resourced, early stage ambitious founders to advance their idea. ” Ruhe concluded.
Interested applicants can attend any of several upcoming online and in-person info sessions, as well as Virtual Office Hours during the month of April to gain more insight on the characteristics of a competitive application and answer specific questions. More information and a schedule of these sessions is available online here. The application is available online now through May 14th at 5:00pm EST.
About NC IDEA FOUNDATION
NC IDEA is an independent private foundation committed to supporting entrepreneurial ambition and economic advancement in North Carolina. Today, the organization fulfills this mission through multiple grant and assistance programs. NC IDEA ECOSYSTEM funds organizations across the state that execute creative programs to support entrepreneurs. Similarly, NC IDEA ENGAGE is a community-focused grant program supporting individuals and organizations that facilitate entrepreneurship activity. Over the last decade, the NC IDEA SEED program has awarded over $5M in non-dilutive grants to 125 high-growth companies across the state. Since 2011, over 150 companies have participated in NC IDEA LABS, formerly Groundwork Labs, to guide founders developing an idea or product. NC IDEA SOAR, a program founded in 2012, supports female entrepreneurs leading scalable businesses in raising capital through mentorship, strategic advice and connections. NC IDEA LEAD, the Foundation’s newest program, provides leadership training for founders of high-growth companies. Learn more at www.ncidea.org.


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CHILLICOHTE – Another loss to COVID-19 the expansion location of Mr. Gatti’s Pizza is closed after several bouts of closures since March because of the pandemic. The company had only opened the location just about a year ago.
Mr. Gatti’s Pizza opened their first pizza place in 1964 in Stephenville, Texas. The pizza place is named as a tribute after his wife’s maiden name Gatti’s. Founder James Eure prides himself on using fresh yeast risen dough, real cheese and a signature tangy pizza sauce that has kept the franchise going for over 47 years.
The closest Mr. Gatti’s pizza in the area is Portsmouth. Mr Gatti’s Pizza, known for its iconic game rooms and famous pizza buffet.
The Closure started in November and today December 12 they have posted that the location will now be closed permantly.