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BBDO’s Interone will continue its long-term partnership with BMW China and build a deeper integrated creative and digital business.
Real car fanatics and BMW drivers want a cacophony of automotive magic, writes the co-founder of DLMDD.
While other brands make long, dramatic Chinese New Year films, the carmaker and TBWA's Bolt have programmed in a very different route: 90 seconds that's 'nothing but sheer joy'.
Extends to nine additional markets after being appointed in Japan and India in early 2021.
BMW's premium compact car brand has enlisted the Publicis shop on a five-year contract.
BMW has slashed the number of agencies in Europe to 'eliminate friction'.
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In conjunction with the Institute for Materials and Wood Technology at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, AVALON Industries is launching a research project to replace formaldehyde in phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins with biobased, nontoxic platform chemical 5-HMF (5-hydroxymethylfurfural).
AkzoNobel is launching Imagine Chemistry, an opportunity to partner with start-up firms, students, research groups and career scientists from across the world to jointly exploit the knowledge of chemistry and solve several real-life chemistry-related challenges.
Specialty chemicals distributor Azelis announced an extended distribution agreement in which the company will offer Lonza’s Materials Protection ingredients to market segments that include coatings, inks, and adhesives and sealants.
Vencorex announced the completion of industrial projects that include the expansion of monomer (HDI and IPDI) capacity in France (Pont de Claix site), a new derivatives unit (Tolonate™) at its Rayong, Thailand, plant, and a new waterborne derivatives (Easaqua™) production chain at its Freeport, Texas, site.
Our February issue features a simplified method for producing high-performance solvent-free waterborne acrylic polyols with glycidyl neodecanoate technology, the effects of different curing methods on tack-free curing, the science of smart hydrophobic coatings, and more.

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West Virginia was amongst the earliest adopters of online sports betting and it now has one more mobile sports betting provider added to its list of licensed operators – BetRivers.
BetRivers in West Virginia
Rush Street Interactive (RSI) is a major player in the world of online gambling and we have seen its sportsbook, BetRivers, taking action in New York, Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Colorado, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia, Connecticut, Ontario and now West Virginia.
RSI had an online casino operating in the Mountaineer State since April of 2021 but recently added its online sportsbook, BetRivers, to the mix. Richard Schwartz, Rush Street Interactive CEO, said in a statement: “We expect our BetRivers sportsbook app to be well received as many West Virginians are now familiar with the BetRivers brand and have come to appreciate and trust our high-quality products and responsive customer service.”
Although not a dominant player like FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Caesars, BetRivers has been well received in the markets it has focused on and its West Virginia presence is linked to partnerships with Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort, and Century Casinos.
Rush Street Interactive App Benefits
All of the online betting apps that we have seen from the leaders of the gaming industry offer streamlined betting experiences with a vast betting menu. There are generous signup bonuses and loyalty rewards that come in the form of odds boosts as well as VIP experiences and rewards points that can be used to purchase merchandise and other goods.
But the folks over at RSI would like to think their technological platform provides their customers with a more complete and comprehensive gaming experience. And it is because of this that they believe bettors will want to try BetRivers even if they have already signed up with another sportsbook.
“We are pleased that our integrated app will provide one convenient location for players in West Virginia to switch effortlessly between the casino and sportsbook using phones, tablets, and computers to experience all that we have to offer, from spreads, moneylines, parlays, single-game parlays, and player props to slots, tables games, and live dealer experiences,” said Schwartz.
The BetRivers App
The RSI online casino app has been integrated with the BetRivers sports betting app which allows for one-stop digital gambling. “We are excited to expand our presence in West Virginia and offer residents more ways to win with the launch of our popular BetRivers sportsbook. Our experience in other markets has validated that online sportsbook players also enjoy the full services of our online casinos, especially the table games.”
“Along with offering a more enjoyable experience through our platform, at RSI we are constantly striving to provide a more trusted betting experience by emphasizing usability, responsibility, and transparency,” noted Schwartz.
But as a late arrival to a party that began nearly four years ago, BetRivers will have its work cut out to gain market share, as the competition is fierce with DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, PointsBet, and Betly all battling for West Virginian’s sports betting buck.


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The figure was released at a Vietnam-Thailand trade exchange held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 2.
Nguyen The Hung, Vice Director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (VCCI) HCM City branch, said trade relations between Vietnam and Thailand have developed strongly. He said the two business communities currently enjoy the best possible conditions to meet, engage, and cooperate with each other in many fields, especially investment and trade.
Vietnamese businesses are seeking our investment opportunities and expanding trade activities in Thailand, said Hung adding that Thai businesses also consider Vietnam a stable market with great potential.
Isares Rattanadilok Na Phuket, Deputy Secretary-General of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), said Thai businesses should take advantage of Vietnam’s great potential in human resources, the rapid and constant development of public services, a huge market of 90 million consumers and steady economic growth.
Na Phuket pointed out the areas that Thai businesses can promote and establish partnerships, including food, beverage, garments, pharmaceuticals, seafood processing, and consumer goods.
Two-way trade turnover reached US$8 billion in 2011, up 20.5 percent over 2010. It hit US$3.8 billion in the first five months of this year.
Vietnam primarily exports steel, agricultural products, and seafood products to Thailand, and imports petroleum, material plastics, technical equipment, and motorbike spare parts.


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Welcome to News Center
News Center is a digital hub for Nielsen to break news, share content from our leaders and offer updates on our global operations in the consumer goods, retail and media industries.
At Nielsen Global Connect, we embrace diversity and inclusion as a key imperative of our corporate identity. And we’re taking actionable steps to reinforce our commitment, build on our progress and leverage our understanding of consumers.
Podcasting continues to thrive. According to Nielsen Scarborough data, at a 20% rate of growth, the audience for podcasting could double by 2023, and the IAB projects that U.S. podcast advertising revenues will surpass $1 billion by 2021.
With leaders from the media, entertainment, finance and advertising communities, this year’s NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) conference in Las Vegas proved the perfect opportunity to announce new technology for measuring media, as well as share our insights on the media technologies of...
When it comes to viewing and listening behaviors, TV and radio are complementary media. Brad said, "We are finding now that TV and radio are not competing media but rather, are highly complementary. The combination of radio and TV makes for a stickier message,” said Brad Kelly during the “Audio...
During this year’s Radio Ink Hispanic Radio Conference, the Nielsen Audio team shared the responses to their year-long advertiser outreach campaign to educate FMCG companies and big brands on the power of radio and its broad consumer reach.


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Time is running out for Birmingham businesses to claim grant funding
Birmingham City Council officers are knocking the doors of 2,000 eligible businesses to prevent them from missing out on grants of up to £25,000 before the fund closes in August.
In March this year, the Government awarded Birmingham City Council £231 million to provide grants of £10,000 and £25,000 to businesses through the Small Business fund and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure fund.
To date, more than £206 million has been paid to 17,140 businesses through the two grant schemes, but with 2,000 eligible businesses yet to come forward, time is running out before the fund closes on 28 August.
Cllr Brigid Jones, Deputy Leader for Birmingham City Council, said: “These are not grants that need to be applied for; businesses are automatically eligible if they meet the criteria. All you need to do is provide us with your bank details and verify your business rates details. The money doesn’t need to be repaid; it has been provided to help business who have been most affected by Covid-19, to help them recover from the impact of lockdown.
“To date we have called, text, emailed and written to all the businesses we believe are eligible for this money but with less than a month to go, we are now visiting these premises in person. We know Covid-19 has created adverse hardship for so many businesses across Birmingham which is why we are going the extra mile to connect them with this vital lifeline.”
Most businesses in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) or Rural Rates Relief are automatically entitled to one £10,000 grant per business.
Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or less can receive one £10,000 grant per premise, while those with a rateable value in excess of £15,000, but less than £51,000 can receive one £25,000 grant per premise.
Businesses that do not automatically qualify for either of the grants can check their eligibility to apply for a Discretionary Business Grant when the second, and final, round of applications open on Monday, 3 August at 9am.
During the first round £4.5 million was paid out to more than 1,000 businesses, who received an average of £4,100 each.
For more information on the Small Business or Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Fund, or to apply for a Discretionary Business Grant, visit the Birmingham City Council website.


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The next-generation Ford Ranger has already launched in a number of international markets, and is set to arrive in the U.S. this year for the 2024 model year, as Ford Authority previously reported. In the meantime, the 2023 Ford Ranger soldiers on in America with just a handful of small changes to the mid-size truck’s lineup. Order banks for the 2023 model year Ranger opened up last summer, with production kicking off in October, but it seems as if the current-gen model’s run will end soon, as Ford Authority has learned that 2023 Ford Ranger customer retail orders will be shut off next week.
The final day to submit new retail orders for the 2023 Ranger will be Thursday, January 26th, 2023 at 10pm Eastern time, after which order submission is set to be turned off. This is being done in preparation for the all-new, 2024 model, which is expected to enter production at the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in May of 2023. Customers whose 2023 Ranger orders aren’t selected for production will not receive any sort of model year transition offer, and will need to reorder a 2024 model instead. Dealers will be able to modify existing retail orders after order banks have closed, however.
Meanwhile, dealers have until 10pm Eastern on February 9th, 2023 to complete the Customer Order Verification Process. This does not mean that those same entities won’t still be able to place orders for 2023 Ranger dealer stock, as they will be able to continue to do so for the remainder of the model year. However, those orders must be selected for scheduling within existing supply chain constraints.
The 2023 Ford Ranger did receive a few small changes for the new model year, including the addition of two new exterior colors – Azure Gray Metallic and Eruption Green Metallic Tri-Coat – though it also dropped four other hues from the lineup – Avalanche, Cyber Orange Metallic, Desert Sand, and Forged Green Metallic. Other changes include the addition of the all-new Splash Jungle Edition Package, as well as the introduction of a depopulated key option.


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RNR Tire Express & Custom Wheels (RNR), a tire and custom wheel franchise, announced that it has potential plans to develop in the Orem/Provo area, Salt Lake City, Bountiful, Layton, Ogden, West Valley City, Murray and Sandy. Responding to consumer’s demands for a flexible pay-as-you-go tire and wheel business model, RNR unveiled its plans to bring these eight shops to the market.
“With our professionally installed, high quality tires and custom wheels, our brand continues to fill a void in the marketplace,” said Larry Sutton, founder and president of RNR Tire Express & Custom Wheels. “Salt Lake City has tremendous long term growth potential and we look forward to finding the right franchise partner in order to bring our unique retail experience to the people of Salt Lake City.”
Founded in 2000, RNR has established a business model that allows clients to pay off name brand tires and wheels on a weekly or monthly plan that is affordable to them. RNR has grown to almost 100 locations in 22 states. Over the past 15 months, RNR has opened a new store every month.


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A leading analyst tips Web movie subscription firm Netflix to rock the UK market when it launches there early 2012, but not to dominate the territory as it has in the US and Latin America.
Nick Thomas, principal TV and digital media analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media, believes existing players in the UK will prove tough competition for the US company, leaving it heavily reliant on its catalogue of content rather than its brand to win over consumers.
Thomas tips broadcaster BSkyB and retail-backed ventures Lovefilm and Blinkbox to put up the greatest resistance to Netflix in the UK. “Does Netflix have the will, the funds, and the content to compete with them,” he asks, noting that BSkyB is “Europe’s most successful pay TV operator.”
Netflix revealed its plan to expand into the UK and Ireland yesterday, promising consumers “unlimited TV shows and movies” for an as yet undisclosed monthly subscription fee.
While the firm already has a presence on major gaming networks including Xbox, Wii and Sony’s PlayStation Network, and can stream content to devices including PCs, smartphones and tablets, Thomas says it will need to quickly get into consumer-facing platforms including the UK government backed YouView scheme, to succeed.
“In the short term, Netflix may the catalyst that accelerates the rollout of IP-delivered premium content to UK audiences, but it may not itself be the main beneficiary of that trend,” Thomas concludes.


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Event: Gorgeous actress Nargis Farkhri launches Titan Raga's new collection 'Cities'. Nargis also sports an exquisite watch from the latest collection and poses for the photogs at the event.
Guest List: Nargis Farkhri
Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma was snapped at the airport.
Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra was snapped at the airport with husband Raj Kundra and mother.
Bollywood actress Shabana Azmi, fashion designer Manish Malhotra among others snapped at the airport.
Bollywood actress Kriti Sanon was spotted outside her residence.
Bollywood's 'HASEENA' Shraddha Kapoor was spotted at Hakkasan.


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Gradient MSP, a provider of integration-focused process optimization solutions for managed service providers, has announced two new integrations to its Synthesize platform by Comet Backup and Zorus on the heels of a layoff of channel engagement staff, part of what company founder Colin Knox (pictured) calls a shift from a go-to-market model to a more traditional sales organization and sales process.
Knox discussed the staff cuts and change in business development strategy with ChannelPro during last week’s SMB Forum event in Los Angeles.
“A high spend of go to market and a high spend of cost to acquire customers as a business model can work really good if you have a high-cost solution or a solution that has great expanse for revenue growth within any customer you acquire,” he explains. Gradient MSP, by contrast, started by offering a free solution and is still relatively low cost. Downsizing the channel engagement team, Knox says, sets the company up for durable growth.
“We had to say goodbye to some of those people with the shift [from] the go to market and at the same time, tighten up the business a bit. I’m not going to use a crutch of the global macroeconomic climate, but there is a hint of that in there, where we need to prepare as a business to make sure that we are sustainable for however long or how prolonged that crisis might be. So we tightened up the business, we said goodbye to a few good friends, and yeah, now we've been hiring on the sales side.”
According to Knox, the company let go of five “road warriors” plus a few others who supported the logistics of events travel, and promoted Andrew McKeage from technology alliances champion to director of sales.
McKeage now has three account reps reporting to him who are responsible for converting leads to sales. Knox say the company just brought on three business development reps as well.
Next year, Knox says, Gradient will still participate in channel events, but likely more so in collaboration with its integration partners.
In terms of bringing on new integration partners, Knox says, “It's a really good cadence that we're on now. We've got a strong pipeline of vendor integrations coming online and say, by the end of Q1, we'll be circa 40 integration partners that are live and available and fully automated.”
One of the latest, Comet Backup, is offering both Gradient’s billing and alerts management solution, which was introduced in September, to its partners. Zorus has launched billing integration for its partners.
Knox says Gradient MSP just closed with a Fortune 500 company to build an integration with Synthesize. “We can't announce the name yet … They're kind of broad. We'll call it security.”


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Srinagar: In collaboration with the J&K Bank, the district administration Srinagar organised a Digital Banking Mela at Indoor Stadium, Srinagar with the aim to create awareness about the benefits of digital payment options among general public.
J&K Bank and all the other banks working in the state participated in the event.
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Baseer Ahmad Khan was the chief guest on the occasion. J&K Bank Executive Presidents, Vagish Chander, Abdul Rauf Bhat, Senior President Abdul Rashid, S K Bhat, Presidents Abdul Rashid Sheigan, Nishi Baru and other officials were also present.
Elaborating on the need to adopt digital banking, Divisional Commissioner Baseer Ahmad Khan said, “Our objective here today is to create awareness among people about the cashless banking concept and its best use. We have to realize the advantages of going cashless. Going digital we don’t need to go anywhere for a transaction or suffer any inconvenience. We have to adopt cashless banking especially post demonetisation. It is a culture we have to develop and it won’t take time. Everybody will go cashless because it is mandatory and convenient.”
He congratulated the organisers for conducting such a programme and thanked J&K Bank and all the other participants.
Speaking on the occasion Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Farooq Ahmed Lone said, “We are here to promote digital and cashless banking. We have seen that demonetization had no effect here because of J&K Bank and other banks who have given us such products and services by which we can go cashless. Today it is much easier to carry out a transaction on a mobile phone”.
All the banks had set up stalls where they were giving information to the public about the digital services available with the banks. A number of Point of Sale machines were allotted by J&K Bank to merchants on the spot. J&K bank also issued a large number of instant debit cards to customers. The bank also facilitated downloads of its mobile app mPay for its customers.
An Aadhar Enrolment Centre was also set up at the venue and people could link their accounts with their Aadhar Numbers. Aadhar enrolment, upgradation and correction was also facilitated.


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Edinburgh St James has announced that the retail element of the mixed-use development will now open in Spring 2021, which will be followed by the leisure, residentialand apart hotel. W Edinburgh is scheduled to open in 2022.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing disruption to the construction, retail and hospitality sectors, the October 2020 opening of the retail element has been delayed. However, the phased nature of the development and the flexibility that it affords the scheme, means that the Everyman Cinema, Roomzzz Aparthotel, new retail and restaurants will still open in 2021. The 152 luxury apartments by Native Land will also be completed in 2022.
Martin Perry, Director of Development at Edinburgh St James, said:
“Throughout the lockdown period, although the construction site has been closed to ensure the safety and health of our team, wehave been working closely with all our partners to keep up the momentum to deliver this significant project for the city of Edinburgh.
“A new normal demands a new kind of retail destination -a development that can respond to an ever-changing situation, one that serves the needs of its community as well as visitors to the city.Our decision to postpone the retail opening allows our teamand partners the time to review and adjust, and ensure we create a place that can be truly enjoyed for generations to come.”


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According to a survey of businesses IT managers worldwide, 21% of manufacturers suffered a loss of intellectual property (IP) within the past year. Malware was the most common cause of data loss incidents for manufactures, although other types of cyber-incidents – including software vulnerabilities, theft of mobile devices, network intrusion, etc. – were also cited as sources IP leakage.
In a highly competitive global economy, businesses rise to leadership or sink into bankruptcy on very slim profit margins. Most often, a business’s most decisive advantage comes in the form of Research & Development insight or a proprietary high-tech solution which, in the case of manufacturers, can help businesses produce items more efficiently than their competitors. If a competitor is able to obtain this insight, especially without incurring the initial R&D costs, then that competitor now has a significant business advantage.
The manufacturing industry clearly understands the importance of securing their intellectual property. The survey found that manufacturers ranked “Internal Operational Information” and “Intellectual Property” as the two types of non-financial data they fear losing the most. Interestingly, manufacturers ranked the fear of losing “Customer/Client Information” the lowest out of all business segments, most likely because manufacturing facilities are less likely to store this information in the first place.
When asked about the cause of their most serious data loss event within the past 12 months, “Malware” was the most common cause, cited by 23% of manufacturers. Manufactures also reported other sources of incidents leading to data loss, including “Software Vulnerabilities” (8%), “Network Intrusion” (8%), “Information Leaked on Mobile Devices” (5%), and “Targeted Attacks” (3%).


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You know what people do within minutes of waking up everyday? After sadly reconciling that they can’t just turn over and go back to sleep and then kicking the pets off the bed, they’re checking their smartphones. And that checking just continues all day long, with the perusal of texts, email, and social notifications. Now, smart apparel retailers are taking advantage of that quasi-addiction by targeting social media platforms with fun and easy shopping opportunities.[quote]
Participation and investment in social media for your business has become a necessity, when once it was a luxury.Rick Wolf
Executive Director, North Market Development Authority
In the Deloitte 2016 Global Mobile Consumer Survey, the firm found that more than 40 percent of consumers check their phones within 5 minutes of waking up. First they check texts and instant messages (35 percent), followed by email (22 percent), and then social networks (12 percent). And the phones get checked 47 times a day.
Now, consider that Statista shows the number of social network users around the world reached 2.34 billion in 2016, and that’s expected to rise to nearly 3 billion by 2020. That adds up to 118 minutes — yup, nearly two full hours — per day simply checking Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc.
So it makes sense then that nearly a third of consumers say they get their apparel ideas online from social media platforms, according to the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor™ Survey. The top network for this is Facebook (36 percent), followed by Pinterest (31 percent), Instagram (29 percent), Twitter (13 percent), and Tumblr (10 percent).
At the National Retail Federation’s Big Show earlier this month, Rick Wolf, executive director of the Columbus, OH-based North Market Development Authority said retailers are at different levels when it comes to social media participation. Some, he said, are very tech savvy with social media, multiple platforms, and a “tip top” website. A second group may have a website but rarely posts and may have a Facebook page, but doesn’t post to it. And then there’s a third who he says only uses email because he “made it mandatory.”
Wolf says retailers and brands need to understand that social media is not just for nonsense and memes.
“Participation and investment in social media for your business has become a necessity, when once it was a luxury,” he said. “It’s just part of doing business. Many people get discouraged by the abundance of social media platforms and how to use them. Don’t be afraid. Having a social presence is one of the easiest ways to connect with customers, prospects and build brand loyalty and brand awareness.”
With so many platforms and so many ways to connect within each of them — photos, videos, chats, video stories, livestreams — brands and retailers could feel paralyzed by indecision. But industry execs might take inspiration from a number of brands that are trying to do more than just maintain a social media account; they’re trying to truly connect.
The outdoor gear retailer REI decided to use Facebook 360-degree videos (immersive virtual reality pieces) to make the outdoors seem more accessible to multicultural Millennials living in Austin, Chicago and Los Angeles. The retailer created three two-minute videos that feature local artists from the three cities — which also have a strong REI presence — who explain how their art meshes with the outdoors in their respective towns. In the videos, each artist described how being outdoors in their respective cities influenced their creative process.
More than 1 in 5 consumers (22 percent) say social media sites are the first places they go to get clothing ideas, according to Monitor™ data. But the difference between young and older consumers is stark: More than 2 in 5 consumers under the age of 35 (41 percent), significantly more than their older counterparts (11 percent), say social media sites are the first places they go to get clothing ideas.
Perhaps that’s why Bloomingdale’s and adidas turned to Snapchat for recent campaigns to drive consumers in-store. The platform is used by 37 percent of 18-to-24 year olds and 23 percent of 13-to-17 year olds, according to Statista. That compares to just 12 percent of those 35-to-54 and 2 percent of consumers aged 55+.
Bloomingdale’s and adidas both used the interactive components of the Pokémon Go! game. Bloomingdale’s ran a nationwide campaign last fall that used Snapchat geofilters as part of a scavenger hunt sweepstakes. After taking selfies with filters that were hidden in stores, users could direct message the pictures to Bloomingdale’s to win prizes, including gift cards and fall merchandise. The adidas campaign promoted the brand’s NMD line of sneakers. adidas placed street signs around Los Angeles and New York so players could find their adidas Street Team, unlock geofilters and learn about the NMD shoes — and then go to an adidas Originals store to unlock a special filter for a chance to win concert tickets.
Then there was that very humorous 2015 “documentary” for Plas+ique, new high-fashion plastic pants. The doc was ostensibly about this new high-fashion trend, but Fruit’s brightly colored men’s boxer briefs were clearly visible throughout the piece. The campaign was outdoor, digital, and on social media accounts — and eventually spawned a hip-hop song.
Wolf also pointed out that companies really get to build their personality online by using social media.
“Social media with a purpose is essential,” he stated. “The advantages are the ability to get a leg up on competition by connecting with current and prospective customers in an organic way. It gives businesses access to millions of customers and is either free or affordable. There’s no cost outside of your own time. It’s becoming more pay to play, which we all expected. But still, if you want to pay a few bucks these channels offer advanced and affordable advertising platforms that let you target consumers by demographics, keywords and interest based campaigns.”


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Aegean Young Business People Association - EGİADevaluated the social and economic effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. EGİAD Stating that the world economy will be “significantly affected” by the spread of this epidemic, Chairman of the Board of Directors emphasized that the necessary measures should be taken in order to protect the Turkish economy in the long term. Expressing his hope that this process will be left behind, Aslan said, “We will continue our way again in a new order. Our goal as a country is to eliminate this business with as little loss as possible. We think that we are one of the countries that carry out this process very successfully. We believe that we will overcome this event with the right sense of the society. ”
Within the scope of the measures taken EGİAD Indicating that the Association Center was disinfected EGİAD President Mustafa Aslan stated the measures they have taken within the scope of COVID-19 as follows: “In line with the decision of the General Directorate of Provincial Administration of the Ministry of Interior, it was decided to hold the Board and Commission Meetings by using digital platforms, not by physically coming together. In addition, all our meetings have been canceled. "Disinfection was carried out at the headquarters of the association, and 2 people were physically assigned to the association by the personnel on duty, and the rest were assigned as a connection from home."
Referring to the global effects of the Corona virus, Aslan reminded that all the world trade was going through a negative process. Large decline in travel restrictions and trade, tourism and the loss of demand in the retail sector will affect the economy of Turkey. The economy should also be added to the package of emergency measures taken due to the epidemic. There are sectors that need to be supported. These supports are of great importance. It is impossible for us to overcome this important bend in a healthy way without the private sector - public cooperation. It is important to take these precautions in advance to prevent economic problems after the virus is overcome. ” Reminding that many companies have canceled their business travel for a long time and had to suspend their investment plans, Aslan said, “This virus is a great test for the World Socio-Economy”.


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You can design and build your night lamp, build miniature replicas of fighter jets and a lot more
Team up with your mom to win the ultimate Chicken Dinner
Only 200 pre-production consoles survive now
A three-month "Pro Pass" trial of Stadia’s Pro tier.
Heist, Quest, and much more are now on Stadia.
Both the chips also include a multitude of hardware accelerators.
In Sony’s recently filed patent for a new PlayStation controller with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the latest model adds two new buttons to the design.
Tencent already owns big stakes in many leading gaming developers, such as Riot Games, Epic, Supercell, Ubisoft, Paradox, and Frontier
In the next three months, Google plans to release support for 4K web gaming
The first release of the game includes two island levels, six different speed runs, and cross-platform multiplayer support


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May 11, 2016 By Jackie Strawbridge
Long Island City’s local beer scene continues to grow with a new brewery planned for 46th Avenue.
Fifth Hammer Brewing Co. is aiming to open at 10-28 46th Ave. in the fall, according to co-founder Chris Cuzme, a veteran of the New York beer industry. The brewery will focus on “a multitude of styles,” Cuzme said, from hoppy IPAs to sour ales to farmhouse beers.
“There are two kinds of beer: good beer, and the other kind,” Cuzme said. “We hope to only make the former.”
Cuzme, a Williamsburg resident, runs Cuzett Libations, a brewing company focused on alternative fermented drinks such as meads and ciders, with his wife Mary. He said that Fifth Hammer will take over some of Cuzett Libation’s barley-based beverages while also pursuing brews that he and his business partner David Scharfstein are interested in.
Fifth Hammer will also serve beers on site, and will devote some of its taps to other New York-brewed drinks.
“We want to celebrate not only our own beers, but other people’s beers in our tap room,” Cuzme said.
The Fifth Hammer bar is slated to seat roughly 65 people, according to Cuzme. The space is also planned to have room for visual art and live music performances.
“We will definitely be doing a lot of music and paying attention to art in the community,” he said. “We hope to be able to celebrate artists with different exhibitions on a monthly or rotational basis.”
According to Cuzme, he and Scharfstein chose Long Island City for the new brewery due to the strong beer scene already present here.
“LIC has been growing and growing, all around, but in particular on the beer scene,” he said. “It’s already an amazing beer trail.”
He cited Queens Beer Week, which runs from May 13 to 22, as a testament to the local beer scene’s strength.
Of the 10 Queens breweries participating in Queens Beer Week, half are based in Long Island City.
“We’re really excited to welcome our good friend Chris Cuzme into the scene,” Dan Bronson of SingleCut Beersmiths in Astoria, and a Queens Beer Week organizer, said.
“In the three years since we’ve started [Queens Beer Week], we welcomed a whole bunch of breweries into Queens,” Bronson noted. “Long Island City is an ideal place for brewing; it’s really close to mass transit, which is great, [and] it has a good amount of industrial space which is right next to a residential area.”
Both Cuzme and Dan said “a rising tide floats all boats” when it comes to brewing in Long Island City.
“We all feed from one another,” Cuzme said. “You go to each one of those tap rooms and you’re going to end up with an entirely unique experience. That’s part of the greatness of the beer community.”
“We can’t wait to make beers for everybody,” he added.


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What’s on tonight?
For many people in the United States, the answer is “nothing worth watching.” Broadcast networks, once the kings of primetime, are in the midst of a historic ratings decline. And though there are some bright spots on the cable dial, the audiences for some cable channels are also dwindling.
But while many cable channels are posting lower audience ratings, their owners are ratcheting up the fees they charge cable providers to air programming. And these providers, once willing participants in this highway robbery, now find themselves in a saturated market full of rate-increase-weary customers.
So why don’t the cable providers just tell the programmers to stick their fee increases where the sun don’t shine?
Because they can’t.
All aboard the bundle bloat
Consumers aren’t the only ones who are force-fed bundles of channels they don’t want just to get the ones they are interested in. Cable providers are in the exact same position.
Consider, for example, the recent dispute between Cablevision and Viacom.
Cablevision wanted to carry Viacom’s popular “must-have” channels aimed at children (Nickelodeon), young adults (MTV), African-American audiences (BET) and comedy audiences (Comedy Central). Viacom told Cablevision that to get these channels it also had to purchase and place on its entry-level tier more than a dozen unpopular channels (such as CMT Pure Country, TeenNick, and VH1 Soul).
Viacom doesn’t care that VH1 Soul’s ratings declined by 75 percent from 2010–2012. Viacom simply told Cablevision that if it wanted only the popular channels, it could have them — for one billion dollars more than the price of the entire bundle.
The cable industry calls this practice “wholesale bundling.” But antitrust law has another term for it: illegal product tying.
It’s easy to see why large programmers like Viacom are so enamored of the wholesale bundling model. Because their fees are not directly related to the size of each channel’s viewing audience, programmers can earn healthy profit margins simply by repackaging low-cost content and forcing distributors to carry these low-demand channels on their entry-level tier.
Now, the owners of many of these barely watched channels might try and make us feel better by pointing out how cheap they are. That relatively low price may offer consumers the cold comfort that certain channels don’t cost much. Hardly anyone may be watching the Hallmark Movie Channel, but at least its per-subscriber fees are just a couple of pennies a month.
But there are many channels with minuscule audiences that do demand relatively high license fees. And most of these are sports channels offering niche programming that even many sports fans have no interest in.
Root, root, root for the home team (might as well since you’re already paying them)
Sports networks account for nine of the 10 worst value-delivering channels. For example, News Corp.’s Fuel TV has one of the smallest audiences among rated networks yet reaps per-subscriber licensing fees that are greater than those earned by half of all rated channels.
In some markets, sports channels account for more than 50 percent of a subscriber’s monthly TV bill. And it’s only going to get worse.
Because live sports content is DVR-proof, it’s more valuable to advertisers who want viewers to actually watch their commercials. Both Disney (which owns the ESPN suite of channels) and News Corp. (which owns the FOX Sports networks) are forking over record amounts of money to secure broadcasting rights from sports leagues, and both are creating new expensive channels that consumers will be forced to buy.
Cable providers don’t like this trend any more than consumers do, but since Disney and News Corp. own a handful of “must-have” channels they can force the providers — and ultimately, consumers — to pay for everything else.
Enter the internet — and a shift in viewing habits
While rising costs from sports and wholesale bundling are threatening the coziness of the cable cabal, this trend is not likely to progress far or fast as long as vertically integrated companies like Comcast control both programming and distribution.
Technological innovations represent the first glimmer of hope for consumers wanting a way out. These innovations, combined with never-ending rate increases in a weak economy, are starting to disrupt the existing video business model.
Cord cutters draw the bulk of the media attention, but the real sea change in this market lies in how all consumers are displacing traditional linear channel viewing with online and time-shifted content.
For those in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-34-year-old demographic, traditional TV watching accounted for less than 60 percent of the total time spent watching a video screen in the last half of 2012, substantially below the level seen in older age groups.
Those in the narrower 18-to-24-year-old demographic spend approximately 30 percent of their daily screen time on the internet, with more than one-tenth of their total screen time spent watching online or mobile video content. In the second half of 2012 alone, the time this age group spent watching online video (fixed and mobile) increased by 32 percent.
While this trend is strongest among youth, online video-viewing time is rising for everyone in the United States
For the population as a whole, the time spent watching online video increased by 17 percent, from 11.2 hours each week in the middle of 2012 to 13.1 weekly hours by the end of 2012. The cable cabal’s reliance on rate hikes only adds fuel to this technology-enabled disruption’s fire.
It’s tempting to view this shift as a natural market evolution that will proceed as Adam Smith’s invisible hand intends.
However, given the scores of failures in the multichannel market, the pricing power the cabal enjoys, and the fact the cable providers also control the broadband pipe, it’s clear that any consumer-driven market change will face resistance. No amount of technology can disrupt the status quo if the channel owners and cable providers try to thwart the online, over-the-top video-delivery threat to their business model.
Unless Washington gets serious about fostering truly competitive video and broadband markets, consumers looking to online video alternatives should expect an incomplete, cumbersome and ultimately unsatisfying experience.
To learn more check out Free Press’ new report, Combating the Cable Cabal: How to Fix America’s Broken Video Market.


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A local enterprise operator and crew have received Ben Franklin’s Large Thought Contest for their Blind Tiger Spirit-Cost-free Cocktails.
Rebecca Styn, proprietor of Area 33 in downtown Erie, and Blind Tiger won the very first put prize of $50k in startup funding in this year’s Northwest PA Significant Concept contest, along with the People’s Preference Award of $2,500.
7 finalists pitched their presentations by using zoom Jan. 14.
Dr. Styn and her staff are developing pure, natural and organic solutions to alcoholic cocktails, which will be shelf stable for up to 18 months.
Stephen Brawley, President and CEO of Ben Franklin, said in a information release, “I really do not envy this panel of judges the position they faced in choosing just one winner out of this wonderful team of finalists. Numerous many thanks to all those people who participated, and congratulations to Rebecca and the staff at Blind Tiger”
Other taking part finalists integrated:
Additive Enginuity Team, positioned in Seneca, is establishing impressive products models that support improve efficiency when advertising and marketing office safety.
American Precast Industries, positioned in Clarion, is focused on impressive, price tag efficient goods to meet up with the economic pressures from COVID-19 when stimulatingregional economic development.
Things Aligned, located in Erie, is building adjustable panel hangers that develop modular interior partitions.
Leverage4Info, positioned in Erie, offers discrete manufacturing providers with cloud-primarily based remedies that guarantee substantial high quality parts are developed on time.
Two Sparrows LS/Shape City, found in Erie, is making an interactive gaming platform for the schooling know-how industry.
Scholar Bridge, situated in Erie, is a fintech loan provider that supplies credit and fiscal expert services to higher education learners and current graduates.


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Another "leaked" image of Nokia's fabled Lumia 900 "Ace" smartphone, has emerged sparking fresh hopes of a Consumer Electronics Show 2012 appearance.
The new "leak" appeared on tech site GSM Arena which reported seeing the device on a Christmas card for AT&T's LTE network. Named the "Ace" on the card the image in-turn led to speculation the smartphone was the working name for the company's fabled follow up to the Lumia 800.
If legitimate, then the image confirms widespread speculation that the Lumia 900 would finally add a front facing camera to Nokia's Windows Phone offering. As well as speculation regarding the device's features the image added fuel to the fire regarding a possible CES 2012 appearance.
The news followed a previous report from Mobile Magazine suggesting it expected to see the new Windows Phone make an appearance at next week's CES trade show alongside Microsoft's new "Tango" operating system update.
Though no solid information has been given by Microsoft the upgrade to the company's current Windows Phone 7.5 Mango OS is expected to host a slew of new features. Chief among the expected changes is added support for smaller screens, smaller chassis sizes and LTE - a fancy term for 4G.
Lending credence to Mobile Magazine's report, a further rumour from BGR also emerged in December, 2011 similarly suggesting a Q2 release.
In its report BGR alleged it had been "told by a trusted source" that the 900 would hit American stores in "early" 2012 - right about the time CES is set to kick-off. Continuing its run into the realm of rumours and hearsay, BGR went on to allege that the new Windows Phone would run on a future, unconfirmed, "Tango" version of Microsoft's mobile operating system.
Unfortunately, for those eager to see Nokia's next entry into its Windows Phone series of devices, the company has issued no official information on the Lumia 900. When asked about the rumours Nokia representatives clarified, "[a]s per our longstanding policy, we do not comment on rumour or speculation."


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During the “Sakura Wars Imperial Propaganda Department Report TGS Special #3: Sakura Wars Gameplay Special” stage event at Tokyo Game Show 2019,...
Sega have released their stage schedule for Tokyo Game Show 2019. Tokyo Game Show 2019 takes place from September 12-15 at the Makuhari Messe.
Sega have announced they are developing a new smartphone game based on Hatsune Miku called Project Sekai. The game is being developed by a new studio...
Sega have announced their full lineup of games that will be making an appearance at Tokyo Game Show 2019.
Tokyo Game Show 2019 takes place from...
Sega have announced that their upcoming mobile game Fist of the North Star: Legends ReVIVE has received an official release date. The game will launch...
Sega have released a new gameplay trailer for their upcoming remake of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD releases...
Sega have announced their lineup for games that will be making an appearance at Gamescom 2019 later this month. The biggest news of this announcement...
Sega Europe have announced that the upcoming Sega Mega Drive Mini (Sega Genesis in the States) has been delayed in Europe. This system was scheduled...
It seems that we could be receiving a new game in the Nights franchise as Sega have trademarked “Nights Dream Wheel” in Japan.
The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu in Japan has revealed that Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is being remade under the title Tabegoro! Super Monkey...
Sony Interactive Entertainment


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Foot Locker reveals how it has spent $54M to benefit Black people
The varied efforts since the 2020 start of its development initiative include expanding opportunities for Black employees and working with more Black vendors and nonprofits.
On Monday, the start of National Black Business Month, retail shoe giant Foot Locker revealed that since the launch of its Leading Education & Economic Development Initiative in June 2020, it has made more than $54 million in investments and partnerships in the Black community.
These varied economic and educational opportunities, officials say, include expanding programming for Black students and employees, as well as elevating and working with more Black vendors, community nonprofits and creators.
“Our commitment to the Black community goes beyond words and is part of how we do business,” Richard Johnson, Foot Locker Inc. chairman and CEO, said in a press release noting the company’s second annual progress report on its global initiatives to enfranchise Blacks. “Through strategic investments, community partnerships, and opportunities that empower, we are taking actionable steps to drive meaningful and lasting change both within our organization and in the communities we serve.”
Foot Locker noted that through LEED, it has invested in and empowered Black-owned brands such as Pro Standard, Don C, Abeille Creations, Grady Baby Company & Apparel and Clan de Banlieue, among others. The sneaker giant said it remains committed to seeking out and celebrating Black brands and creators.
The company has also committed $21 million to Black-led venture capital firms, which provide funds to projects, products, apps and services that enhance the health and wealth of America’s Black community.
An additional $10.8 million went to an investment in partnerships with Black-owned vendors who work with the shoe giant on a variety of internal projects, including marketing and public relations, information technology, general construction, store fixtures — even meetings and events.
Foot Locker also awarded 25 community organizations with grants of $20,000 to $100,000 each to provide under-invested communities with programs that improve health, wealth and upward mobility. It said 11,000 people ages 4 to 24 are being helped via those organizations.
For Black employees at Foot Locker, there is a scholarship program, an internship program, a financial literacy program and a program called B.U.I.L.D. — Blacks United in Leadership and Development — that fosters the creation and execution of programs there that help improve the work experience and access to more opportunities for career development.
TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!


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Alabama, USA – A young mother and her family were facing hard times so she decided to steal food from a store so she can feed her family. Unfortunately, she and her boyfriend were caught and a******d. But when this 18-year-old mom went to court to plead guilty to theft, she got a help from an unlikely source.
Sheena Davenport shoplifted from a Wal Mart store in Alabama, for herself, her fiance and their 17-month-old daughter.
Police officer Katrina Culbreath was present in the courtroom with Davenport and overheard the teen mom telling another woman about the circumstances that led her to steal.
Officer Culbreath had Davenport meet her outside after court and told her to follow her. They ended up at a grocery store.
“I told her it was for my daughter. She told me to meet her outside after court was done,” Davenport said. “She told me to get into my car and follow her patrol car. We ended up at the grocery store. I started crying. I realized she was going to buy food for me and my family.”
Davenport, who had never been in trouble before, cried when she realized this officer wanted to buy food for her family. She said Officer Culbreath bought her $130 worth of groceries. “There’s still good people out in the world and officers are still here to protect and serve,” Davenport says. “We are totally blessed by it.”
Since Culbreath’s selfless gesture, Davenport said they have kept in touch daily and posted their moment on her Facebook account.


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Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ (SLH) this year participated at ILTM for the third consecutive year in the hopes of increasing engagement with trade and identifying new hotels that align with the SLH brand in these growing markets.
The Asia-Pacific region is one of SLH’s main areas of focus, making up a quarter of SLH’s exclusive hotel collection. In the first half of 2015, SLH welcomed 16 new member hotels in the APAC region, including The Tokyo Station Hotel in Tokyo and The H Resort Beau Vallon Beach in Seychelles, the brand’s inaugural hotels in both cities.
The Asia-Pacific region makes up over a quarter of reservations made by SLH customers in 2015 to date, with the top five APAC destinations being Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan and China.
In particular, bookings made for Singapore (+50%) and China (23%) hotels experienced a rise over the past three years, moving them from sixth and seventh ranking to third and fifth respectively.
Demand for independent hotels in the region has grown and SLH expects to continue its expansion in 2015, with a few key openings to be announced in the later half of the year.


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The popular brand can sometimes even include offers on some of it s new season items- and now is the perfect time to have a browse. With Christmas out of the way, and new season stock is released- there will be plenty of cash saving ways to bag a bargain.
Share this discussion via Gmail or Facebook. Hang tight, our team of researchers is out looking for the answer to this question now. We ll also try contacting Thread Beast directly to try to find an answer to this question.
Snowboard Sale at Snowboards. Here at snowboards. Here in the snowboard sale section you will find only the greatest deals on snowboards, bindings, boots, clothing and accessories like snowboard helmets, goggles and more.
Please permit a boast, if you will. The feature article turned out to be my second most-read column of that year.
The widespread acceptance of the mobile phone has created a unique opportunity for business owners targeting niche and mass markets alike. Mobile marketing allows them to be able to advertise directly to their customer base with what has become known as mobile coupons.
By Alexandria Sage. Chief Executive Elon Musk s announcement on Thursday that the electric vehicle maker would close "many" of its stores around the world to sell cars online-only removes the only retail outlet for solar sales since Musk pulled the plug on a partnership with Home Depot last June.
Find them at scheduled appearances, or bump into them while exploring the parks. Go behind the scenes on the world-famous Studio Tour to explore real film sets where movies and TV shows are made.
Puma lifestyle shoes Puma lifestyle sneakers Puma motorsport shoes men Puma motorsport shoes women. Puma outlet shoes men Puma outlet shoes women Puma running shoes men Puma running shoes women.


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Victims of bank transfer frauds are being treated unfairly or inconsistently when looking to get their money back, in accordance with a report where?, the customer group.
A voluntary industry reimbursement scheme was set up this past year to really make it easier for victims of lender transfer fraudulence becoming refunded in cases where neither they, nor their particular bank, would be to blame.
But that? found that only 41 percent of client statements made under the signal were successful, a figure it called woefully reduced.
It put together a dossier of a large number of cases showing just how some banks were denying clients reimbursement, including blaming customers for missing warnings, or perhaps not performing adequate to realize they had been being scammed.
Gareth shaw, head of income at which?, stated: the lack of equity, persistence or transparency throughout the business implies that the chances of people getting their funds right back is generally a total lotto.
A voluntary way of tackling bank transfer fraud features failed. financial institutions, regulators and federal government must come together to help make the signal mandatory and ensure that powerful criteria on reimbursement tend to be introduced.
Which? said that banking institutions were relying way too greatly independently judgments, and frequently had unreasonable objectives of tips that consumers needs to have taken up to validate that payments had been legitimate.
It found instances in which highly advanced cons had been dismissed as no fault claims, like the usage of number spoofing where crooks allow it to be appear they truly are phoning from contact numbers regarding straight back of a victims charge card. texts from finance companies may also be spoofed in this manner.
Within one situation, which? stated a lloyds bank customer lost 33,000 to lots spoofing scam and had been denied reimbursement as bank felt she did not just take adequate tips to validate the communications were legitimate.
Which? stated that customers should always be reimbursed in the great majority of situations involving spoofing, whilst could basically replace the situations under which victims are making judgments about who they are transferring cash to.
Various other claims that were knocked straight back, fraudsters could quote financial and personal details, or had made use of manipulative strategies to stress customers into making a transfer over days if not months.
Which? also asked the efficacy of warning communications whenever clients transfer cash online. an additional case, a nationwide client was just provided limited reimbursement after becoming scammed from 4,000 whenever their designers email account was hacked. nationwide admitted it had didn't offer sufficient warnings to your consumer ahead of the repayment had been made, and did eventually offer a full reimbursement.
There are problems exactly how banks handle situations concerning vulnerable clients. one consumer ended up being defrauded off 20,000 while undergoing extensive medical treatment. santander in the beginning declined reimbursement, regarding the foundation that she verified that she had browse the fraudulence message and had been comfortable to carry on aided by the repayment, but later reviewed the case making a full reimbursement.
The consumer group feels when businesses tend to be depending on using a customers reaction to warnings to reject reimbursement, then it must demonstrate that these warnings are in reality successful at decreasing the possibility of a fraud succeeding. it stated these warnings ought to be at the mercy of alot more rigorous screening and comments from customers.
It additionally thinks that businesses have to take an even more practical strategy when it comes to making reimbursement decisions considering if the consumer may have done much more to validate whether a repayment is genuine. in addition, it desires all repayment service providers to send data regarding number and level of bank transfer fraudulence and reimbursements.
In reaction, united kingdom finance, the banking trade human body, said the voluntary rule had established stronger buyer security criteria and much more than doubled the percentage of losses becoming refunded.
We agree that a voluntary contract alone isn't adequate, and new legislation is needed to deal with issues of obligation and reimbursement, stated katy worobec, handling director of economic crime at british finance.
With criminal gangs continuing to a target customers, the government and regulators must look into as important how information breaches and vulnerabilities various other areas particularly telecoms and social media marketing are assisting these crimes, as an element of a broad technique to protect consumers from harm.


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UPDATE @ 6:40 p.m. (Aug. 28): New life for Trotwood in terms of a grocery store could be in the works following word that the city's only grocery, Foodtown, is set to close in September.
Wednesday, Mayor Mary McDonald said Gordon Food Service is working to re-purpose Foodtown into more of a grocer.
Foodtown owner Jim Davis, who owns Foodtown locations in Tipp City, Sydney, Drexel and Trotwood, told our news partner the Dayton Daily News some people have stepped forward in what could become a “silver lining. People have called me today wanting to buy both stores, so the Lord only knows.
“It’s not a done deal yet,” he said, “but the phone is ringing.”
Davis said if any deals are realized, the buyer(s) would be strictly taking the inventory. A buyer(s) could change the name, he said, but he hopes they would operate in the same space he leases now and retain the employees.
Davis said he’s closing the Tipp City and Trotwood locations because they are not profitable.
INITIAL REPORT (Aug. 27)
The mayor of Trotwood announced on social media that the city’s only grocery store, Foodtown, is closing.
Mayor Mary McDonald said the closure comes after 40 years in business in Trotwood at 830 E. Main St. in the Broadmoor Plaza.
In her Facebook live video, she said the owner plans to close by Sept. 15 because the store has been losing money over the last several years.
“This is a huge loss. Foodtown has been here as long as I’ve been here,” said McDonald, who called it “a minor setback” for the city.
The storefront also is a great opportunity for the location along Main Street, the mayor said.
“A grocery store is needed in the city of Trotwood, especially when new development is coming along Main Street.
McDonald said the Drexel Foodtown will remain open, but the owner plans to close another store in Tipp City.


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While other segments of the industrial economy have experienced a bumpy 2019, the aluminum supply chain has largely enjoyed a less painful run. Industry players don’t expect major changes to that dynamic for the remainder of the year and into 2021.
The industry’s numbers tell a pretty comfortable, though not scintillating story. Global demand of aluminum flat-rolled products is expected to grow 3 percent this year. U.S. shipments from producers are down modestly from the strong 2018, according to the Aluminum Association. And even with some destocking, U.S. shipments from service centers are down only slightly through the first eight months of the year, showing far more resiliency than steel products.
The pricing story is more of a mixed bag. “The LME has been stable for several months, but the conversion costs have fallen dramatically,” says Jeff Haas, president of Cleveland Metal Exchange.
How the industry is faring depends largely on the markets being served. The transportation sector, one of the biggest and getting better, continues to provide positive momentum.
Though light vehicle production is expected to be down 3.5 percent this year to 10,702 vehicles, the material continues to make inroads as a percentage of the vehicle, overcoming much, if not all, of the slight downturn. Moreover, production and sales are still at historically high numbers, and the American consumer continues to shift to larger vehicles, light trucks or SUVs, which have more metal content than passenger cars.
“Production figures from the automotive industry, combined with increasing aluminum content in cars, result in growing demand for auto body sheet, even in years of stagnation of car production. The market expects an annual growth rate for auto body sheet in the range of 10-12 percent in the upcoming years,” says Leopold Pöcksteiner, Head-Strategy, Communications and Marketing at AMAG Austria Metall AG, which has been growing its presence in the United States.
That sentiment was echoed by Arconic Chairman and CEO John Plant during the company’s recent conference call. “I think the secular trend of lightweighting is certainly going to be a feature in the automotive market for the next decade. An average is somewhere between 6 and 9 percent conversion an annual basis. On the normal order cycle that should be enough to overcome auto cyclicality.”
On the construction side, which is the major end market for Petersen Aluminum, the market has held up pretty well, says Mike Weis, the Southeast regional manager based in the company’s Acworth, Ga., facility.
“The year has been pretty consistent for us. For us down here in the Southeast, specifically, it’s been good for quite a few years. It’s tough to keep that pace of growth up, but we’ve been pretty pleased with 2019 so far.”
There are some darkening clouds, however. According to the Institute for Supply Management, the manufacturing sector contracted in August for the first time in three years. And that dip in the industrial economy is not sparing the aluminum market, says Jeff Haas, president of Cleveland Metal Exchange.
His company, which serves as an importer of record for the domestic supply chain, has seen some end-use customers begin to show some ill effects from the downturn in the manufacturing sector. Several of his customers expressed forecasts of fourth-quarter sales down 20-25 percent.
“The market is flat right now. The overstocking is still very real,” says Haas, whose company expanded its aluminum offerings last year as a response to the Section 232 tariffs, which were more problematic for the stainless steels CME historically specialized in.
AMAG’s Pöcksteiner agrees. “The demand from general engineering is soft in 2019 due to destocking, but some segments, such as semiconductor is expecting to pick-up in 2020.”
Haas says many in the industry overreacted to the double-hit of trade actions in 2018 – the imposition of Section 232 tariffs followed quickly by the antidumping ruling on Chinese common alloy products, creating the inventory overhang. That has mostly passed. “The panic buying is 99 percent out of the market at this point in time,” he said.
Weis agrees. “From a sourcing standpoint, last year was quite the interesting ride. This year it seems to have stabilized and become a more traditional supply market for us.”
While the next 6-9 months may present some headaches given the slowdown in the industrial economy, most industry observers are bullish about the material’s prospects over the longer haul.
“We have some short-term issues, but for the most part we’ll see demand continue to increase in the long term, due to global urbanization and electrification, growth from emerging technologies such as electric vehicles, renewable energy, additive manufacturing, battery manufacturing and new packaging,” said Joe Govreau, vice president for research – metals and minerals for Industrial Info, at last month’s Aluminum USA Conference in Nashville, Tenn. He noted that makers of bottled water have started to shift to aluminum cans and away from plastic.
The industry’s spending supports this optimism, Govreau noted. The global industry has more than $65 billion in projects planned between now and the end of 2020, with the U.S. and Canada slated for more than $3.5 billion worth. Even if only 30 percent of the projects reach the construction phase, as is typical, that still accounts for a healthy amount of expansion in the industry.
In North America, the projects tend to be downstream, involving rolling mills and foundries. Much of that is tied to the automotive industry. The domestic production industry has been investing heavily in autobody sheet production operations. Arconic has spent billions in facilities in Tennessee and Iowa. Novelis is constructing a 200,000-ton aluminum sheet facility in Kentucky, the same location where Aleris previously opened an auto sheet facility.
Those investments are being made because aluminum’s gains in automotive are not expected to end, even with the ongoing challenge by the Trump Administration to roll back some fuel mileage standards for new automobiles the industry had been working under previously.
“Lightweighting in automotive is one of the key drivers for the demand in flat-rolled products. With the increasing share of electric vehicles, this trend will most likely gain momentum with applications for automotive sheet in the powertrain and for energy storage. In our area of business, we see growth of demand in almost all sectors but with increasing competition especially from China,” Pöcksteiner says.
However, that could be a double-edged sword. One of the major concerns for the U.S. distribution industry is getting lost in the automotive shuffle. The worry, which is not completely removed, was that the common alloy sheet that distributors stock will become less of a priority for the domestic producers. Thus far, that fear has not been realized.
“We’re pretty heavy in the common alloy side of things. As automotive has caught fire and mills have added capacity, we’ve wondered what that would do to the common alloy market,” said Weis. “We are encouraged to see some of the mills are making investments on the common alloy side.”
In some cases, it could be the packaging market, which does not typically go through distribution, that suffers. Arconic has been transitioning a Tennessee facility out of packaging into more profitable industrial products.
But there are issues. Aleris Chairman Sean Stack, during the company’s most recent conference call, noted how the producer’s volumes to the North American distribution market were down 39 percent in the second quarter, partially attributable to a shift to more automotive products at its Lewisport, Ky., facility.
“Our sales to our distribution customer base have been and will continue to be impacted by our mix shift and ongoing ramp-up of automotive volumes in Lewisport,” Stack told investors and analysts. “But as we continue to increase the efficiency and quality of our automotive body sheet, we expect Lewisport to be able to provide more material for the distribution customer base in the upcoming quarters.”
Aleris and Novelis are still on target to complete the merger of the two rolling mills by year’s end, though the deal must first pass through mediation based on a recent challenge from the U.S. Department of Justice. Though the antitrust probe is based on the car makers’ ability to source rolled aluminum sheet for auto applications, the distribution industry is obviously going to be paying close attention to the fate of the transaction and how the supply chain shakes out once it’s gone through.


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Highlight advantages of escorted tours to sway first-time customers, says Giles Hawke, chief executive of Cosmos and chairman of Atas
More than 200 frontline agents are to be hosted at the inaugural Association of Touring & Adventure Suppliers (Atas) Conference in Birmingham on October 18.
The two-day event will take place at the city’s International Convention Centre, and will include an immersive and experiential trade show, advice on how to sell touring and adventure holidays, and a gala dinner and awards.
To celebrate the first year of the event, all agent delegates will be hosted free of charge by the association’s 24 supplier members.
Atas was set up in April by the leading operators in the touring and adventure sector. The association aims to incentivise agents to increase knowledge and sales within the sector, with a range of news, features, company profiles and links to training at touringandadventure.com.
Giles Hawke, chairman of Atas and chief executive of Cosmos, said: “The Atas Conference is set to be a fantastic showcase for the range of holidays offered by our members, and I am delighted that we will be hosting our travel agent partners for the inaugural event.”
Travel Weekly will be official trade media partner of the conference, and editor-in-chief and conference moderator Lucy Huxley said she believed the event would be essential for agents seeking to develop their businesses.
“The success of Clia’s annual conference has demonstrated how a concerted focus from suppliers within a particular sector can be incredibly effective in developing awareness and sales within the trade,” she said.
“With agents increasingly needing to demonstrate specialist knowledge to stand apart from the crowd, the Atas Conference will provide a fantastic opportunity for agents to develop their understanding of a sector with huge growth potential.”
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Compared to the 2016 Chevy Volt, a Nissan Leaf could leave you stranded, and it’s at least far from range-anxiety free. Similarly, the 2016 Toyota Prius uses 1990s tech in its NiMh battery.
These assertions are not ours, but, but the gist of new attack advertisements Chevrolet has in store to wake public up to the new 53-mile EV range, Volt. The ads are set to debut online this fall, and also on TV.
“We’re going to go head-to-head with Leaf and Prius,” said Chevrolet’s global chief marketing officer, Tim Mahoney in a report by Ad Age. “The ads allow Chevrolet to talk in one
This revelation was given to journalists in San Francisco as the automaker has begun shipping first units to California and 10 other states following California emissions rules, and where Mahoney says it has sold the best.
2016 will be a small model year, the rest if the U.S. will get a 2017 model year beginning next spring, but meanwhile the offensive is on.
The Volt, launched its first generation in 2011 and was nearly hidden in plain sight. The car came on te heels of a bankruptcy, bailout, restructuring, and the Volt was a poster child for Republican election hopefuls because Obama backed it.
Despite that, the Volt was, when objectively examined, really disruptive and now ads themselves will be disruptive for generation two in a mildly confrontational sort of way.
This psychology will include a scene with Leaf drivers stuck between floors in an elevator, an unnerving encounter, to get the point crosswise of an EV being stuck. Getting caught out of juice in a world oriented toward gasoline is no fun – especially when recharging takes a while for the Leaf
What was not reported is the new 2016 Leaf will offer as much as 106 miles range – no doubt to counter the upgraded Volt as Leaf sales have start to fade compared to last year.
And the new Prius will son be shown in a higher-efficienct “eco” version which may have li-ion battery pioneered since 2012 in the plug-in Prius – and it will have superior fuel economy.
But the extended-range electric Volt is unique with skill to run on electricity then seamlessly switch to its 1.5-liter gas engine for hybrid mode.
Those who get it, well, they get it. But Chevrolet is
Mahoney said the attack ad thought is part of a “shattering perceptions” strategy that has increased brand perception by 3 percent.
The base Volt starts at $33,995, in this area $1,115 less than last year while delivering significantly longer EV range, and better mileage in gas operation at 42 mpg.
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LOS ANGELES, CA (June 19, 2017) – Alexander Rossi launched a new line of clothing and merchandise this week. The designs, which will be limited in release this summer, are inspired by both Rossi’s roots, and his new home-away-from-home.
“I wanted designs that were ‘Cali-inspired' in how they looked, but also Indy-related themes,” said Rossi. “California is my original home, but Indianapolis is my new home, and obviously a place that grew on me pretty quick.”
The rookie winner of the 2016 Indianapolis 500, Rossi won the race in dramatic style with a never-before-done fuel saving strategy that had him crossing the line on fumes. The team’s co-owner and Rossi’s race strategist Bryan Herta, is well known for his radio communications during laps in the final stint.
“As everyone on the #98 crew was quite nervous with our fuel situation that day, Bryan continued to say ‘Clutch and coast! Clutch and coast!’ over and over,” said Rossi. “It’s a great memory and something race fans like to talk about. So, it's been incorporated into my designs with the ‘Clutch & Chill’ tag line. Definitely California plus Indy. It’s getting a lot of buzz so far.”
New designs will be released monthly, and Rossi hopes fans will get involved. “The designs I like are very simple, with current trends and muted color fabrics,” said Rossi. “Of course, I’m excited to see what people like the best, but I also want to hear fan feedback on my social media too. And stay tuned for a future fan design contest coming soon.”
To shop Rossi’s store, visit https://www.theloyalist.com/alexanderrossi. Fans can post their feedback and ideas on his Facebook page or Twitter.
Alexander is currently running a limited-time-only special on a few patriotic-themed T-shirts, just in time for the 4th of July. Those that buy by July 4 will receive a 15% promo code good for a future purchase.
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Netflix, Inc. shares jumped nearly 8% to $116.55 in after-hours trading on January 19, after the video-streaming firm reported that it added a record 5.59mn subscribers in Q4 2015. The figures surpassed estimates of a 5.15mn increase in the number of subscribers for the quarter, bringing its global customer base to 74.76mn. Netflix, Inc. expects its worldwide membership to grow by 6.1mn users for the current quarter.
The better-than-expected growth comes on the heels of the firm’s aggressive global expansion plans and heavy spending on original programming such as ‘Marvel’s Jessica Jones’, ‘Orange is the New Black’, ‘Narcos’ and ‘Beasts of No Nation’- its first feature film released in 2015. The video company also plans to launch more than 600 hours of original programming in 2016, compared with 450 hours in 2015.
The Los Gatos, California-based firm had earlier in January announced its expansion to 130 more countries, including key high-growth markets such as India, Indonesia and Russia. It is expected to complete its global rollout by end- 2016, with service in South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan scheduled to start early in the year. The decision is expected to further boost Netflix, Inc.’s subscriber base and significantly improve its ARPU in the coming quarters.
Positive Outlook for Netflix, Despite Challenges
The company, which has revolutionized the world of television with its option of binge-watching the latest TV shows, is not without its problems. Its US subscriber base grew by 1.56mn customers in Q4 2015, falling short of its target of 1.65mn additions. Netflix, Inc.’s fourth quarter profit was down to $43.18mn or 10 cents a share, compared with $83.4mn or 19 cents a share in the previous year. The decline was attributed to the higher costs for content and expansion, which may have resulted in a slowdown in its domestic subscriber base.
‘Our high penetration in the US seems to be making net additions harder than in the past,’ said CEO Reed Hastings on the lower numbers.
The firm also blamed the issue of persisting involuntary service cancellations due to its failure to resolve the payment process from users having debit and credit cards which were changed to chip-based technology.
Netflix, Inc. is also yet to penetrate in China, which can be an important growth market. In its latest earnings report, the firm stated that in China, it has ‘work and uncertainty ahead’ and may be able to offer the service there in 2016 or ‘it may take longer’.
Apart from these, Netflix, Inc. faces the challenge to provide diverse programming options to cater to the varied tastes and languages of people in the 190 countries that it now offers services in. It also has to compete against rivals Amazon.com, Inc. and Alphabet Inc’s Youtube for bidding rights.
Mark Mahaney, analyst at RBC Capital markets, is optimistic about the firm’s future for the next 3-4 years. ‘In terms of long-term valuation, the way we think about the stock is we think this is a company that can generate $10 [annual earnings per share] in long-term earnings power. If that’s true, we think that’s a $200 stock somewhere in the next three to four years,’ said Mahaney, speaking to CNBC’s ‘Tech Bet’ on January 19.
Meanwhile, Wall Street analysts have updated their outlook on the company. FBR & Co. analyst Barton Crockett on January 20 lowered his price target on Netflix, Inc., while maintaining an ‘outperform’ rating. ‘ While the international opportunity is larger than the U.S., we believe that the U.S. is the model of what is to come abroad, so clearer evidence of maturity in the U.S. is a slight net negative in that it weighs against blue-sky growth hopes abroad,’ sais Crockett. ‘Plus, Netflix faces a debt-based financing need in tough credit markets—a slight, but more than negligible, risk at a time of financial market instability,’ the analyst added.
Cowen & Co. analyst John Blackledge raised his price target by $5 to $155 and maintained an ‘outperform’ rating on the firm. ‘Netflix reported solid fourth-quarter results as international net adds crushed consensus. Netflix first-quarter U.S. sub guide was a bit lighter than expected, offset by significantly stronger international sub guidance,’ said Blackledge.


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By Bev Fearis, published 16/12/20
Blue Cube Travel has launched a new franchise venture allowing people to become independent consultants with its support.
Called Blue Cube Associates, the new arm of the TMC has been launched in a bid to retain some of the talent within the industry that might otherwise be lost due to the pandemic crisis.
“There is so much knowledge among business travel consultants, who have worked in the industry for years and through no fault of anyone’s find themselves out of work and potentially considering a career out of travel,” said Blue Cube Managing Director Bex Deadman, who has set up the new business with six colleagues, including Blue Cube co-founders Kenny Stirling and Mel Phaure.
“It is our firm belief that if we are going to restore trust and faith in our industry then the knowledge accumulated over time, sometimes decades, needs to be shared. We’re terrified that if something isn’t done, our industry will lose a lot of talent forever.”
At a launch webinar last week, attended by travel managers, travel consultants and IT professionals, Blue Cube directors explained that they had all started out as account managers and travel bookers and wanted to give others the chance to shape their own careers, especially those who have lost their jobs in recent months.
Associates will need to meet certain criteria to join and will pay a small monthly fee and share 25% of their turnover in return for the group’s centralised support.
Blue Cube Associates will provide GDS licences, Evolvi, IT, commercial and marketing support, help with responding to RFPs and other services, but will leave associates to decide what to charge their clients, which fee models to adopt and to follow their own sales leads.
A second webinar about the franchise opportunities will be held on January 14 2021.


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Research In Motion's (RIM) first tablet PC, the BlackBerry PlayBook, was released in the United States and Canada almost a month ago, on April 19. Whether you ran right out to your local electronics retailer to pick up a PlayBook and you haven't put ...
The spotlight on Day Two of the Google I/O developer event here in San Francisco was firmly on the company's Chrome OS. After six months in which only a prototype was available, laptops running Google's Chrome operating system will finally come to ma...
Motorola on Wednesday said users of its Xoom tablets on Verizon will be the first to get the new Android 3.1 update and the first to be able to rent movies from the Android Market.
Samsung and Acer will begin selling notebook PCs running Google's Chrome OS in June, as Google presses ahead with its project to position this new operating system designed specifically for Web applications as a viable option for consumers and busine...
Consumer solid-state drives will have a break-out year in 2012 due to falling prices, which will make SSDs a primary storage option for mainstream users, Gartner said this week.
Acer on Wednesday charged its former chief executive officer, Gianfranco Lanci, with performance issues, after he had criticized the company's resistance to globalization in interviews with the media.
LAS VEGAS -- Current networks inhibit large-scale data centers, which require new fabric architectures, a Juniper official said during his keynote address at the Interop conference today.
Apple's iPad hasn't materially affected consumer PC sales, as some have claimed, a research firm said today.
LAS VEGAS - At Interop this week, Extreme Networks rolled out two new switches designed to migrate users from legacy data center infrastructures into cloud computing environments.
LAS VEGAS -- Riverbed and Akamai are teaming up to offer technology and services that promise to optimize WAN traffic more effectively when it travels between corporate data centers and cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) providers.
LAS VEGAS -- It's not often HP and Cisco share the same stage during a keynote address. But today at Interop that's exactly what they did -- and HP didn't share the stage nicely.
The Android mobile powerhouse is cruising to new heights with 100 million activated devices, 4.5 billion applications downloaded from the Android Market, and 450,000 developers building tools for Android phones and tablets, Google said Tuesday as it ...
Even though Verizon Wireless claims its fast LTE network is "up and running" following an April 26 outage, it's still not working for some customers, including 50 Chicago-based users of laptops with LTE modems.
LAS VEGAS - EMC announced at its annual trade show today an upgrade to its data-caching appliance that allows storage arrays to replicate data between applications over distances greater than 2,000 miles.
Fujitsu is now taking orders for its Stylistic Q550 Slate PC tablet, one of the earlier tablets to use Oak Trail, Intel's first dedicated tablet processor.
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