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Ford Motors yesterday said that it had signrd a deal to divest its Volvo brand, for which it has been scouting for a buyer, to one of China's largest independent carmakers, Zhejiang Geely Holding Company.
The acquisition by Geely is likely to be the biggest overseas acquisition by a Chinese automaker, although it lacks experience in running international brands.
The deal was signed yesterday at Gothenburg in Sweden by Li Shufu, chairman of Geely, and Lewis Booth, chief financial officer of Ford and both carmakers expect the transaction to be completed in the third quarter of this year after regulators approve of the transaction.
Under the deal, Geely will pay $1.8 billion to Ford for acquiring Volvo Cars and related assets including intellectual property, which will be paid in the form of a $200-million note and the remainder in cash.
The cash portion of the purchase price will be adjusted at close for customary purchase price adjustments relating to pension deficits, debt, cash and working capital, the net effect of which could be a significant decrease in the cash proceeds to Ford.
Although many analysts had doubted whether Geely could muster the finances to fund the acquisition, Geely said yesterday that it has secured all necessary financing to complete the transaction as well as secured significant working capital facilities to fund Volvo Cars' ongoing business.


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Big tech shakeups continue as the EU orders the removal of parts of its advertising business. The study shows that customers are more interested in the ADAS tech, which brings in multiple safety features like blind spot detection, a backup camera, forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian & cycling detection. According to the study conducted by S&P Global Mobility, the safety features were rated as the most desirable by at least 80% of the respondents.
He said that there were no shutdowns and no one was imprisoned during this period. If companies are forced to sell parts of their business, years of machine learning could be lost. The regulators concluded that Google abused its power by forcing a monopoly in the advertising business. The EU has been investigating the ad tech business for the past two years.
Artificial intelligence will have a huge impact on the productivity of IT work.
To discover some hidden gems and showcase the best of innovation coming out of our tech ecosystems across the UK is something we are very excited to do. Over the last decade, we have seen our competition go from strength to strength as our tech ecosystems across the UK continue to mature. We had a record number of applications this year, so our businesses have already beaten off stiff competition to get to the pitch stage in front of the judges. Following a record number of applications, 10 successful tech businesses from eight regions across the UK have been selected to take part in a pitching competition in June. SEJ provides timely, relevant information for marketers and entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and careers. Our initial concern is that Google may have used its market position to favour its own services.
There is a chance that the investigation will take many months. If you want to check if the calls are important, you can Disabled the Unknown Caller flag on the Recent Calls list. The winner of the regional final will go on to compete in the national final in July at the new Ignition North facility in Manchester. The event is one of the first held in the facility.
In front of the eyes, the model is able to create a virtual image of a 120 inch display. The model has an adjustment of 0 500, which can be useful for people who wear medical glasses. The glasses weigh only 79 g, which is quite comparable to ordinary glasses, and the model is slightly different from the classic options. Hi Res Audio sound is maintained thanks to the omnidirectional speakers integrated into the temples.
The Firm Is Backed By Microsoft
You can explore all privacy settings with its help. HiiROC won the global competition at Web Summit in Lisbon after being crowned the UK Tech Innovator. A group of 80 tech businesses from across the UK have been selected by the Emerging Giants practice to go head to head in a bid to be crowned the Tech Innovator of the UK. According to statements made by Jack Dorsey, the co founder and ex CEO of Twitter, the Indian government put pressure on the platform to restrict accounts during the farmer protests.
The EU Commission’s legislation aims to protect individuals from potential risks linked to artificial intelligence. The introduction of these changes may cause a conflict with EU member nations that have reservations about a complete prohibition on the use of artificial intelligence in facial recognition. Chinese mobile phone manufacturers operating in India were urged by the Centre to incorporate Indian partners into their local operations. Indian executives in crucial roles like CEO, COO, CFO and CTO are included in the government’s request. He said that a survey of business users asked if their companies had a policy on public artificial intelligence.
Spotify Has A Subscription Tier With Hifi Audio
The study showed that consumers don’t like the idea of having to pay more for safety features because they don’t like it. More than half of car buyers want the safety features to be standard. An employee who uses an artificial intelligence to write an extensive report on a subject for which they have no deep expertise was cited by him. He told TechNewsWorld that the organization may see them as an expert, but they used an artificial intelligence to write a single report. Under the “system settings” in Realme devices, there is a feature called Enhanced Intelligent Services.
The city had a cool May with the maximum temperature being degrees below normal. By 2037, the demand for cooling equipment such as air conditioners, refrigerators and cold chains is likely to be eight times higher than the current demand, according to a World Bank report. Demand for a new air conditioner will increase every 15 seconds, leading to a huge increase in greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades. In February of this year, the Black Cat group was able to gain access to the internal infrastructure and confidential company data. It has been revealed that they are threatening to release 80GB of stolen data.
Government sources said that this would allow him to integrate technological and human intelligence dimensions to work together to address the challenges of our times. The US based venture capital firm opened its Tech News first outside office in London this month. Some third party developers are shutting down their apps in a protest against the changes that are being made to the website. The national capital has been seeing early summer and sudden rains this year.

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6 days ago
Norwich City Football Club are pleased to announce the extension of our partnership with award-winning game developer First Touch Games.
The agreement will see Score! Hero 2 branding feature within Carrow Road and Norwich City Football Club kits continue to feature in the game, with the 2021/22 kits being integrated in the game update coming later in the year.
Score! Hero 2 continues the success of other FTG games which have achieved almost one billion downloads globally, with other hit games including Dream League Soccer and Score! Match.
Gino Magnotta, chief operating officer of First Touch Games, said: “We are delighted to see our partnership with Norwich City flourish into season 21/22, impressed by a team that is continuously inventive and engaged in the support of our games.
“Showcasing the famous Canaries strip in Score! Hero 2 is a real privilege for FTG and provides a great foundation for long standing mutual success and profile."
Interim commercial director, Sam Jeffery said “We’re proud to announce the continuation of our partnership with First Touch Games, and in particular to support the launch of the brilliant Score! Hero 2.
“We pride ourselves on being a forward-thinking club which is why we’re excited to extend our relationship with a forward-thinking company like FTG. Aside from being a great standalone partnership with shared values, it also gives great exposure to the Norwich City Football Club brand across the 100+ territories that the game is actively played in.”
Keep an eye out for the update coming later in the year where you can begin your own journey to become a new Hero for Norwich City Football Club.


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If a leaked screenshot obtained by Talk Android proves to be true, Google Drive will offer users 5GB of free storage with the ability to purchase upgrades for additional space.
“Access files on your computer from anywhere,” reads the tagline found on the leaked screenshot. “Put files in Google Drive and you can access them on your desktop, mobile phone or tablet, and drive.google.com.”
Attempts to access drive.google.com from the Hardware Canucks office resulted in a 404 error.
Should leaked screenshot prove to be accurate, Google will be exceeding the 2GB of free data storage offered by Dropbox to all users and matching the amount of storage offered by Amazon’s Cloud Drive and Apple’s iCloud.
The first reports of a Google cloud service came in February from the Wall Street Journal.
“If a person wants to email a video shot from a smartphone, for instance, he can upload it to the Web through the Drive mobile app and email people a link to the video rather than a bulky file,” the WSJ reported.
Google has repeatedly declined to talk about Drive, stating that it does not comment on “rumor or speculation.”
According to Talk Android, Drive is expected to be released on April 16.


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By Evan Henerson
Earlier this week, during the charade that was "Made in America Week," the White House held a product expo during which it showcased signature homegrown items manufactured in each of the 50 states. So you had Koloa Rum from Hawaii, Caterpillar excavators from Illinois, Heath Crab Pots for Maryland and on down the line. The president wore a Texas-made Stetson. The full list is here.
We know you’re wondering about Wisconsin (aren’t we all?). Their entry was state of the art firetrucks manufactured by Pierce Manufacturing. They might have brought out a Harley-Davidson motorcycle for MIA booster Trump to sit atop and gun, but if they had, it would have been just a bit awkward.
Oh, Trump likes Harleys and proudly boasts of the company’s All-American pedigree. Trouble is, in a bit of not so delicious irony, news came down this week that Harley Davidson would be eliminating a bunch of manufacturing jobs at its Milwaukee-area and Kansas City plants, laying off about 180 workers. Oh, and they’re building a plant in Thailand.
And how was your Made in America week, everyone?
Here’s United Steelworkers District 2 director Mike Bolton, speaking to the Milwaukee Business Journal:
"Not long ago, President Trump hailed this company as a model of American manufacturing. Shortly thereafter, management announced plans to open production facilities in Thailand. Now we get word that 180 hard-working Americans will be [losing] their jobs.”
And here’s the USW’s statement re: the Thailand offshoring:
“Offshoring production is the wrong path to prosperity. It puts in jeopardy the success that has propelled Harley over the years: It is a brand of excellence that enables riders to confidently know that they are joining a special community of enthusiasts. Harley-Davidson should abandon their offshoring plans and expand their operations here in America.”
Granted, it’s not Trump’s fault that people aren’t buying Harleys fast enough to keep the plant at full capacity. Second quarter sales and shipping orders are down and the article notes that rider growth for motorcycling is flatlining, particularly with millennials.
Trump did meet with Harley officials shortly after his inauguration. The company expected a sales bump in the wake of his election and accompanying “America-first” rhetoric.
That didn’t happen, according to AB research:
“With unrelenting gridlock in Washington, the analyst doubts the new administration’s ability to advance on infrastructure spending, middle-class tax cuts or corporate tax cuts.”
Read the full article here.


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Congressman called out for $1,300 video game binge
Vaping California rep Steams over 'unauthorized' expense listings
A member of US Congress is facing scrutiny after he logged more than $1,300 worth of video game purchases as campaign expenses.
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has sent a letter [PDF] to House Representative Duncan Hunter (R-CA) asking the lawmaker and vaping enthusiast to explain why more than four dozen charges from the Steam gaming service adding up to roughly $1,300 were reported to his expense report as "Personal Expense – to be paid back."
The FEC said in its letter to Hunter that he has until May 9 to file a response to the letter and show that he has reimbursed the charges, or he could face an audit at the hands of the commission.
"Personal use is any use of funds in a campaign account of a present or former candidate to fulfill a commitment, obligation or expense of any person that would exist irrespective of the candidate's campaign or duties as a federal office holder," the notice reads.
Hunter's office, however, says there is a personally reasonable explanation to the laundry list of games charges.
Staffers told the home-town San Diego Union Tribune that Hunter's son had mistakenly borrowed the credit card to make a charge on the Steam service, and that subsequent payments were the result of "unauthorized" charges that Hunter has challenged in hopes of having reversed.
"There won't be any paying anything back there, pending the outcome of the fraud investigation, depending on how long that takes," Hunter's office told the paper.
The Union Tribune notes that Hunter is no stranger to the online gaming world. In 2013, he published an editorial defending games developers against allegations that the games encourage violent behavior in children and teens. ®


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Around 50 McDonald’s workers in Portugal who were recently dismissed from their positions for lacking customer service skills are contesting the decision as the fast-food chain is now looking to hire 70 new staff.
The European Central Bank has announced that four Portuguese banks - Caixa Geral de Depósitos, Millennium bcp, Banco Espírito Santo and Banco BPI - will be subject to an asset quality review and a fresh stress test over the next year, as banking supervision passes from national central banks to the ECB.
International shopping centre specialist Sonae Sierra, which manages several units in Portugal including AlgarveShopping in Guia, isn’t confident it will be able to resume construction of two commercial complexes in Greece.
The proposal by Colombian entrepreneur German Efromovich to buy TAP Portugal would have been “strategically good” for the airline, said its president. However, the Portuguese government rejected the deal in 2012 when privatisation of the airline was put on hold.
Telecommunications regulator Anacom is being sued for €42 million by consumer watchdog Deco over claims that the company failed to adequately manage the national switch to terrestrial digital television.


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It's risky business messing with the real thing. Remember New Coke?
Through Sunday, Fletcher's had sold 24,800 of its spicy jalapeño and cheese corny dogs, compared with 47,639 of the original.
Not bad for a newcomer.
G.G. Fletcher, wife of corny dog king Neil "Skip" Fletcher, typically eats just one corny dog during the 24-day fair. This year, she's already had three of the spicy dogs.
"I like the jalapeño and cheese better than the original," she said. "I feel like I'm cheating on the other one."
The new dogs are sold at two Fletcher's locations, near Big Tex and the Texas Star Ferris wheel.
They won't be introduced to more stands until officials find a way to differentiate between the spicy and original dogs. Once they're battered and fried, they look the same.
"It just gets confusing," Ms. Fletcher said. "We're trying to find different-colored sticks, but they're hard to find."
She said Fletcher's would wait till the fair's end to evaluate sales and decide if the new dogs will return next year.
For now, there are no plans for other exotic flavors. So don't bother asking for yours with Asiago cheese.
Fairgoer Ed Slaton, munching on samples provided by Fletcher's on Friday afternoon, said the jalapeño and cheese corny dogs were tasty.
But nothing beats the original, he said.
"It's good, but I still want a plain one."


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The nationwide trucker and third-party logistics provider said it hopes to raise between $281 million and $359 million with the initial public offering, and provided details on how it plans to use the proceeds.
South Korean shipyards exited the business of making cranes a decade ago because of stiff compeitition from Chinese makers.
Trucking industry executives visited the White House Thursday afternoon to talk about issues that affect their businesses.
Registration takes less than 1 minute.
The port attributed the 11.2 percent year-over-year decline in February’s container volumes to reduced economic activity in Asia associated with the Lunar New Year.
The short line railroad, which serves the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, is testing locomotives to verify compliance with EPA Tier 4 standards.
TradeTracker is a new web app from the Adam Smith Project that allows trade professionals to quickly sort through government actions affecting their business.


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Hi Joachim, this is a crucial question today. Learning about the complexities of the coffee supply chain is essential for the industry's future.
So, let me answer your question. In short, yes. We can pay more to coffee farmers than we do now. And not only that, we need to pay them more if we want to drink coffee in the not-so-distant future.
Recent trends in coffee prices signal a steep increase in prices. According to most experts, it might be the consequence of extreme climate events in Brazil last year. As you may know, Brazil is the largest coffee producer. For this reason, the devastating effects of last year's frost provoked a significant increase in coffee prices.
So, although coffee prices rose, it means that hundreds, if not thousands, of producers are at risk because of this single event. And as climate change keeps threatening farms globally, we should be concerned about it.
Currently, most of the risk in the coffee industry relies on the farmers' shoulders. Most coffee producers are small-farm owners, so they don't have the resources to face these issues most of the time. In many cases, environmental changes force producers towards more reliable and profitable businesses out of the farms.
In other words, to keep coffee producers in the business, we need to pay them more. As a solution, the Fair Trade movement has been trying to address it by setting some standards to pay a premium to coffee farmers. Specialty coffee buyers work with producers to increase quality standards and pay better prices.
However, researchers suggest that it might not be enough for many producers in both cases. In fact, better prices would have to be higher than the current market price for producers to stay afloat. Anyhow, I think it's a good start, and we should keep pushing coffee producers up the value chain.
Today, better prices are essential to maintain coffee businesses in most producing regions. But this is not enough. While some experts claim that premium exports are crucial, others argue that consumption in producing countries is fundamental for sustainability.
In any case, consumers will have to pay even higher prices than we are used to. And it will take a radical change in our mindset to accept and embrace coffee as a pricier product.


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Spansion Q2 2012 earnings News & Analysis 7/31/2012 2 comments Memory maker Spansion reported Q2 2012 revenue up 11 percent from Q1 to $233.4 million. Net income of $26 million compared with a first-quarter loss of $13.1 million.
Does RedMere + Fresco = Spectra7? News & Analysis 7/18/2012 8 comments By marrying two startups – each solid but neither quite ready for its IPO – to form “a new superset company,” Tony Stelliga believes he can ensure that the two, RedMere and Fresco Microchip, will live happily ever after.
Ecosystem emerges around new mobile chip tech News & Analysis 7/11/2012 13 comments A consortium touting fully depleted silicon-on-insulator technology for mobile apps is presenting a united front in promoting the process technology as a viable alternative to Intel’s FinFET manufacturing approach.
Drones are, in essence, flying autonomous vehicles. Pros and cons surrounding drones today might well foreshadow the debate over the development of self-driving cars. In the context of a strongly regulated aviation industry, "self-flying" drones pose a fresh challenge. How safe is it to fly drones in different environments? Should drones be required for visual line of sight – as are piloted airplanes? Join EE Times' Junko Yoshida as she moderates a panel of drone experts.


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Aimed to address waste decadence in Singapore and Asia, this year’s IKEA Singapore’s Young Designer Award (IKEA YDA) challenged students to propose and develop design innovations across four major waste streams – food, plastics, paper or packaging, and e-waste.
Held at The Red Box on 1 July 2019 (Monday), the Grand Finale of IKEA YDA 2019 saw the Top 20 finalists from across Singapore’s tertiary institutions make their final pitch to the judges in hopes of emerging as the winner.
“The ideas submitted and presented by the students this year have been nothing short of impressive. We are heartened to see the youth of today show concern for the environment and put on their thinking hats to develop meaningful solutions to solve some of the most pressing and complex issues. We hope that IKEA YDA will continue to provide young designers with a solid platform to further amplify their innovative design ideas and make a real difference,” said Ms Bee Lian Soh, Head of Sustainability at IKEA Southeast Asia.
Now in its sixth year running, IKEA YDA has grown to include meaningful partnerships with local organisations, including the National Environment Agency (NEA), who provided consultation on content and support during the Design Jam.
NEA also launched the Say Yes To Waste Less campaign on 8 June 2019 (Saturday) at IKEA Tampines, during which IKEA Singapore pledged to remove all single-use plastics from the home furnishing range by the end of 2019 in a bid to support Singapore’s drive towards a Zero Waste Nation.
“I am glad that IKEA has chosen ‘Zero Waste Challenge’ for this year’s IKEA YDA theme, in support of us designating 2019 as Singapore’s Year Towards Zero Waste,” said Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources, during the announcement of results at IKEA YDA 2019. “Over the last 40 years, the amount of waste disposed of in Singapore has jumped sevenfold. We generated almost 8 million tonnes of waste in 2018. We need to take urgent action now to reduce, reuse and recycle our resources to turn waste into a resource, trash into treasure.”
Government measures for Zero Waste
Dr Amy Khor also announced that her Ministry would be introducing a mandatory reporting framework for packaging waste, including plastics, from 2020. Under the new framework, businesses such as brand owners, importers and large retailers, including supermarkets, are required to collect data on the types and amounts of packaging that they place on the market, and submit plans for reduction.
Also, the Ministry will implement the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) approach for e-waste by 2021, and for packaging waste by 2025. Under the EPR framework, producers will be responsible for the proper recycling and disposal of their products at the end-of-life.
Winning designs at IKEA YDA 2019
Shin Heetae of Raffles College of Higher Education’s project idea of Glodlampa stood out from the rest and was crowned as the overall winning design of IKEA YDA. Glodlampa was developed with the idea of creating a zero-waste packaging design. By combining the often-discarded packaging into the overall layout, Glodlampa hopes to show consumers that packaging can be incorporated seamlessly into product design and ultimately reduce waste by enabling the dual usage of the product packaging.
When asked about the marketing potential of his prototype, Heetae said “I feel that my idea is still at the concept stage. I want to develop more designs that appeal to consumers’ tastes, while (also maintaining) IKEA’s brand identity.”
As the top winner, Heetae will receive $1,500 in cash, and a trip to IKEA of Sweden and SPACE10 in Copenhagen.
Joining Heetae on the ranks are Loh Yi Wen and Gan Shoau Huay (Team LohGan) from LASALLE College of the Arts, and Jordan Lim Yong Sheng from Singapore Polytechnic, whose designs won the first and second runner-ups respectively.
With shower bottles contributing to a massive portion of modern day’s plastic pollution and shower gel pumps often pumping out more products than needed, soap bars are a low-cost and eco-friendly alternative. However, not many consumers are fond of them. “People find it unhygienic because after you have your shower, the bacteria will stick onto the soap bars. It also slips from their grip very easily,” shared the duo. To address this issue, team LohGan came up with SLUSS, a body scrub that also acts as a casing for soap bars. Yi Wen and Shoau Huay hope that their design will encourage the public to reduce plastic waste by replacing soap bottles with soap bars.
Yi Wen and Shoau Huay also mentioned that their design is still a work-in-progress. “Other than a scrub for the body, it would be nice if we had a scrub for the scalp as well. We’d also have to make the design aesthetically pleasing for the different demographics (i.e. children, teens, female, etc.).”
Meanwhile, Jordan’s smart innovation – the Zero Food Waste app – was designed to tackle food waste in various aspects of a typical person’s day to day life while trying to create a community movement towards reducing food waste via interactions and connections that is a product of the application’s features. With features like Inventory, Trade, Where To and Donate, the app hopes to tackle the issue of over-buying and provide methods to optimise the use of each ingredient before it goes to waste. Jordan hopes that, when used optimally, Zero Food Waste will exponentially reduce food waste in Singapore.
Jordan also shared his plans for the app moving forward. “I’d like to look into how the app can be self-sustainable, or who I can work with to increase the number of users who utilise the app, which will, in turn, see a greater impact in the reduction of food waste.”
The teams of the winning designs – including two merit awardees – will each receive $1,000 seed funding from the National Youth Council to develop their prototypes which will be displayed at IKEA Tampines’ retail store from 1 August. Customers visiting the store will then be able to vote for their favourite idea online, with the winning team clinching the People’s Choice Award and a SG$200 IKEA gift card.
Photos by Soloman Soh of the DANAMIC team.


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UNILEVER UK has launched a £2m marketing campaign to support Pot Noodle's new flavour, Brazilian BBQ Steak.
On air now with a TV advert, the campaign, which includes print, PR, digital, and an on-pack promotion, plays on the brand’s established ‘So Easy It’s Wrong’ proposition and captures what its loyal fan base of 16 – 25 year old guys associate with Brazil – BBQs and steak.
An on-pack promotion is giving consumers the chance to win Brazilian themed prizes across the new Brazilian BBQ Steak as well as the top four flavours (Chicken & Mushroom, Beef & Tomato, Original Curry and Bombay Bad Boy).
Pot Noodle Brazilian BBQ Steak features vibrant packaging in line with Brazil’s national colours with BBQ cues on pack.
Available in cases of 12, it has an RRP of £1.09 per unit.


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Acadiana Sports Car Orphanage offering more than just parts
by Alan Dalman • April 22, 2013 • BMTA News
BMTA member Acadiana Sports Car Orphanage, offering performance parts for British cars along with Volkswagen, Datsun, Volvo and others, is now busy giving their customers more than just hard parts. A recent addition to their online shop, Acadiana is now offering stylish clothing that offers savvy marketing in a neat package. How is YOUR business finding new, innovative ways to market itself?


text: HEWLETT-Packard (HP) has promoted Mr Lee Ting to chairman and managing director of Hewlett-Packard Asia-Pacific. He will be responsible for the company's operations in Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Hongkong, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Australia and New Zealand. Mr Ting will be located at HP's Asia-Pacific headquarters at Lippo Centre in Hongkong. He succeeds Mr Alan Bickell, who was promoted to senior vice-president and managing director of HP's Worldwide Geographic Operations last year. EDS Electronic Data Systems (Asia-Pacific) has appointed Mr Roy Frederickson as managing director Telecom. Mr Frederickson will head EDS' Communications Industry Division, responsible for developing the company's telecommunications business in the Asia-Pacific region. He first joined EDS in 1985 as a systems engineer. The firm has also appointed Mr Jerry Ha as president of China Management Systems Corp, a four-year-old joint-venture information technology company formed by EDS and a Republic of China conglomerate, the China Trust Group. China Management Systems (CMS) specialises in the transfer of information technology, taking EDS' products and introducing them quickly to users in Taiwan. HAYES Microcomputer Products has appointed Mr Andy Ng as its new general manager for its Asia-Pacific regional headquarters. Mr Ng will be responsible for all Hayes' sales, distribution and marketing in the Asian, Australian, and Pacific Rim market. His aim is to increase profitable growth for all Hayes' sales, distribution, marketing, customer service, product support and general business activities in the region.


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Children’s Place, Inc. (The) (PLCE) Expected to Post Quarterly Sales of $542.00 Million
Brokerages expect Children’s Place, Inc. (The) (NASDAQ:PLCE) to announce sales of $542.00 million for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Two analysts have made estimates for Children’s Place’s earnings. The highest sales estimate is $546.00 million and the lowest is $538.00 million. Children’s Place reported sales of $520.77 million during the same quarter last year, which indicates a positive year over year growth rate of 4.1%. The business is expected to issue its next quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 14th.
On average, analysts expect that Children’s Place will report full year sales of $542.00 million for the current year, with estimates ranging from $1.84 billion to $1.85 billion. For the next year, analysts anticipate that the firm will report sales of $1.86 billion per share, with estimates ranging from $1.83 billion to $1.89 billion. Zacks Investment Research’s sales averages are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side research analysts that that provide coverage for Children’s Place.
Children’s Place (NASDAQ:PLCE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 15th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.12. Children’s Place had a net margin of 7.07% and a return on equity of 26.58%. The company had revenue of $490.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $480.28 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.29 EPS. Children’s Place’s quarterly revenue was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis.
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Profund Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Children’s Place by 18.0% in the second quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 3,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Airain ltd bought a new stake in Children’s Place during the second quarter worth about $1,032,000. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in Children’s Place by 42.7% during the second quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 36,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,773,000 after purchasing an additional 11,056 shares during the period. Old Mutual Global Investors UK Ltd. lifted its position in Children’s Place by 42.3% during the second quarter. Old Mutual Global Investors UK Ltd. now owns 373,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,137,000 after purchasing an additional 110,995 shares during the period. Finally, Legato Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Children’s Place during the third quarter worth about $680,000.
Shares of Children’s Place (NASDAQ PLCE) opened at $132.90 on Friday. Children’s Place has a 1-year low of $92.95 and a 1-year high of $139.95. The firm has a market cap of $2,357.10, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.27.
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 13th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 12th. Children’s Place’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.66%.
About Children’s Place
The Children’s Place, Inc (The Children’s Place) is a pure-play children’s specialty apparel retailer in North America. The Company sells apparel, accessories, footwear and other items for children. The Company operates through two segments: The Children’s Place U.S. and The Children’s Place International.
For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com
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Nokia World is akin to Microsoft's BUILD or MIX events--think developers, rallying the troops, showing off the next big thing from the company. This year, Nokia World is happening in London in October and clearly all eyes will be on Nokia to see what they have up their sleeves. With their stock not performing to well and the obvious lag between Symbian and new Windows Phones, everyone is expecting Nokia to show off their first Mango device next month at this event.
The guest speaker list for said show has just been revealed and sure enough, we get a who's who from Microsoft and the Windows Phone team who will be there, presumably to not only show us Nokia's new phone but what Nokia has done with the OS and services--which is really the big story, after all.
So who will be there? Joe Belfiore, who oversees Windows Phone Program Management, Albert Shum, Director of Mobile Experience Design at Microsoft and Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s Bing and MSN head for the first day keynotes. On day two, Brandon Watson, Senior Director of Windows Phone 7 development and Matthew Bencke, General Manager of Developer and Marketplace will be on hand for some talks. And finally Achim Berg, Microsoft’s Windows Phone Marketing chief will be part of a roundtable panel discussion with Nokia CEO Stephen Elop with Vodafone and Orange on day three.
Sounds like an exciting month as we're sure Nokia and Microsoft will unveil what they've been doing for the last eight months.


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After it was revealed that some users of the Google Pixel XL 2, had been experiencing screen burn issues, Google vowed to investigate. What it has shown is, the problem is not widespread. However, concerned reviewers of the handset have pressed for a more detailed response.
Google Pixel XL 2 Answers
According to Google, there is a reason for which reviewers could be experiencing issues.
Both of the handsets, use what is called POLED screen technology. It provides more accurate images when compared to other devices. And that means less saturation, which leads to more rapid cooling of the color temperature. This minor change can be noticed when viewing a handset from an angle.
And it is this, the first apparent issue that has garnered some complaints.
To rectify this Google’s Vice President and Pixel production manager, Mario Queiroz recently said:
“Based on the recent feedback, we’re adding a new tweak for more saturated colors, which will be made available via a software update to both Pixel 2 phones in the next few weeks.”
What About Screen Burn?
Probably one of the worst screen problems you could find on a new device is screen burn. Why? Because it is not an issue that goes away, it tends to get worse with time. So, it came as a huge shock to the tech world and Google that early testers were seeing it.
Now, not to mix up screen burn, with Ghosting. The latter can appear for example when a navigation bar image remains on screen for a couple of seconds after changing screen. Whereas, screen-burn, is similar in nature but is more permanent. It is something that is often seen after thousands of hours of use, not several.
On this matter, Queiroz said:
“Our initial investigation, which began shortly after receiving the first report on 22 October, has now concluded. It revealed that the Pixel XL 2 has a differential aging that is line with comparable handsets. And as such, we believe it will not affect the day-to-day user experience.”
Additionally, he said:
“However, we will continue to refine and improve the user experience. Which means, we will work to maximise the life of the display on the Pixel XL 2, and Pixel. We will do this by making future updates more readily available.”
While Google is scrambling to fix the PR disaster caused by the screen issues, more problems may have been found.
It appears that clicking noises are also being reported. Google has said it is looking into this and will provide answers soon. In the meantime, it has extended the warranty of both its latest handsets to two years. It’s hoping that this move helps to ship more pixels from 15 November.


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Analysts are suggesting cattle prices could lift through the autumn after a summer that beef producers will want to forget. Values often fall sharply in the first half of the year due to less prime cut demand, according to the AHDB. However, the 2016-18 period was stable because of strong manufacturing beef demand across the […]
The post Beef industry hopes market has bottomed appeared first on Farmers Weekly
To stay updated with the latest in the raising livestock industry to can visit our raising livestock latest news. On the other hand if you are new to raising livestock and desire to start professional livestock farming today get a copy of our Profitable Livestock ebook.
When animals are raised in the pasture-based system they are let to graze freely and eat nutritious grass and other plants that are easily digested by their bodies. The livestock welfare is greatly increased when they graze on pasture.
Sustainable livestock farming also helps in reducing damage to the environment plus the produces such as pork, eggs and milk is more nutritious and taste better then food from factory farms.
Animal Health Benefits:
Livestock that are raised in confined factory farms have less quality life than those raised on pasture. Livestock when raised on pasture can move around and live an organic life where else in factory farms the livestock are all crowded in confined facilities. These facilities don’t have sunlight or fresh air allowing bacteria to develope and affect the animals. This then causes the livestock being given antibiotics which is not good for the livestock.
Since a whole lot of livestock eat grass, grazing them on pasture has a lot of benefits. Some of the benefits are the animals are able to produce saliva which is great for neutralizing acids that is in their gastrointestinal system. As grain fed livestock produce less saliva they frequently suffer from dehydration, intestine damage and even death.
Human Health Benefits:
Livestock raised on pasture produce more nutritious eggs, beef, milk which is good for consumers than livestock raised on grains. Adding to that, pasture raised foods have a much healthier balance of omega-3 plus omega-6 fats than your conventional foods. Their nutritional levels are greater as well.
It’s no question that sustainable livestock farming is the way to go if you want to be a successful livestock farmer. The livestock are raised in a healthy way and the produce is good for us human beings.


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In an industry first, The Restaurant Show has pledged to donate £10 to Hospitality Action for every chef that attends the show in their chef uniform this October (2nd – 4th, Olympia London).
The must-attend event, which is the flagship trade show for restaurateurs, chefs and casual dining operators, has partnered with the charity in a very special bid to amass the biggest brigade of chefs on a show floor in 2023.
New for 2023, the show has several innovative zones lined up, including Chefs’ Ingredients, Chef’s Live Theatre and Bar & Drinks Live. Those in attendance will benefit from first-hand advice and inspiration from many of their esteemed peers, with the likes of Tommy Banks, Philli Armitage-Mattin and Gareth Ward set to deliver demos, panel discussions and mentoring sessions. Register for a free pass here.
Cyrus Todiwala OBE DL, Chef Proprietor and Hospitality Action Patron, said: “It’s been an incredibly tough few years for so many individuals in our industry and an initiative like this, championed by The Restaurant Show, is exactly the kind of support Hospitality Action needs right now so it can continue to offer vital funding to our community. Chefs – wear your whites with pride at the show this October – I’ll see you there!”
Andrew Reed, Managing Director – Wine & Exhibitions, William Reed, added: “I’m thrilled that we’ve partnered with Hospitality Action and that we’re able to support the fantastic work they do for our industry. We know chefs come to The Restaurant Show in their droves and so we’ve made the format as simple as we can: this year, wear your whites for Hospitality Action and we’ll donate £10 on your behalf to this very worthwhile charity.”
Register for your pass today for free: https://the-restaurant-show-2023.reg.buzz/hospitality-action


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If there’s a quick route to media attention these days, it involves drones.
First, Amazon.com unveiled a proposal on CBS’s “60 Minutes” to deliver packages via small unmanned copters. Lakemaid Beer of Wisconsin became a darling of the Internet last month after releasing a video showing beer deliveries to people fishing on a frozen lake.
And just before Valentine’s Day, a Commerce, Michigan, florist unveiled a similar video of a six-rotor copter dropping off flowers on a doorstep.
Even though the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration stepped in to inform the would-be droners that such commercial uses aren’t permitted, their PR missions were accomplished.
One thing that hasn’t gotten as much publicity is how unfeasible such technology is — at least for now.
While small drone copters are increasingly capable, no one has come up with the technology that would assure they won’t decapitate someone’s flower bed, terrorize a dog in the yard or worse, says Patrick Egan, a drone advocate and editor at SUASNEWS.com.
“It’s just a publicity stunt,” Egan said. “It’s not really feasible. It’s not legal. It’s unsafe.”
And while the FAA is moving toward permitting commercial drone use, it has said the technology favored by these three examples — having the drone guide itself with GPS instead of a costly employee at the controls to spot and avoid hazards — won’t be permitted.
Wesley Berry, chief executive officer of FlowerDeliveryExpress.com, said the flower delivery-by-drone was an experiment that failed on several tries before a bouquet actually made it to the test subject’s doorstep.
“Our situation wasn’t something that could be repeated in a significant manner, that’s for sure,” he said.
While Berry is confident the technology will improve someday, there’s also another stumbling block: “The costs are prohibitive.”
Consider the flower delivery:
And the beer:
And finally, Egan’s safety concerns:


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Australian Goods and Services Tax (GST) is added to the sale of digital goods to Australian consumers from non-resident suppliers.
As of July 2017, the Australian Tax Office issued a Decree that required non-resident companies to register for GST in Australia and account for GST if they meet the A$75,000 registration threshold. This is no longer the case.
But first, let’s do a quick recap on GST in Australia.
An overview of Australian GST for non-resident suppliers
Goods and Services Tax (GST) is one of the various consumption taxes chosen by governments and applied to sales of goods and services in Australia. In other countries, this is often referred to as Value-added Tax (VAT). Where it gets slightly more complicated is when GST applies to non-resident companies supplying to Australian consumers, especially regarding digital goods and services.
To help standardize the GST process, the Australian Taxation Office issued The Decree on Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July 2017. The Decree clearly stipulated the obligations that non-resident businesses had to meet regarding GST on digital goods, including paying a GST rate of 10%. However, as of March 2023, the ruling was withdrawn. Does this mean that GST no longer applies to digital products from non-resident suppliers? Not quite.
Following recent confusion surrounding whether Australia would tax GST on digital products from non-resident suppliers or not; we’ve deep dived into recent Aussie tax rulings. Here’s what you need to know.
Australia withdraws GST tax ruling
On 1 March 2023, the Australian Taxation office issued a withdrawal notice regarding the tax ruling on the application of GST to supplies of digital products, made to Australian recipients by non-resident suppliers. This is also known as The Decree on Goods and Services Tax (GST).
The announcement clarified that changes in legislation within the New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999, this now ensures that GST is applied to all supplies of digital products as well as other imported services to Australian consumers.
Needless to say, as GST is now covered within Australia’s GST law, a separate decree is no longer required. Due to these changes, non-resident suppliers are now relieved from having to account for GST on certain supplies. However, it should be noted that GST will still be taxed on digital products, so for the non-resident taxpayer, nothing changes.
Navigate foreign GST with VAT IT
Meeting GST and VAT obligations are critical to ensure successful VAT recovery> However, it’s hard to keep score when the rules keep changing. At VAT IT, we stay in the loop with all the latest legislation, laws and regulations so you can focus on growing your business, while maximising your VAT recovery in multiple countries.
Ready to see where your business could be recovering significant costs due to recent legislation changes that may have slipped under the radar? Reach out to our VAT IT experts here.
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The growth and popularity of R programming have been helping data-driven organizations succeed for years. Nearly every industry now sees data and analytics as a strategic competitive advantage, and R is the language of choice for the data analyst. Because of its popularity, not only is R helping drive success for companies using it, it’s driving its success as the industry standard for using data effectively. Here are a few examples of how companies use R to drive their bottom line.
According to a latest report from Zion Market Research, the global hadoop market was USD 7.69 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach approximately USD 87.14 billion by 2022. Growing at a CAGR of 50% between 2017 and 2022.
GST evasion is a very big problem problem for every government. Government of Karnataka is using data analytics to detect GST evasion.
For more details, contact [email protected] 080 48147185 / 48147186


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Last update: Friday 6 July 2007
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24-May-2013 markets closed
Ultra HD is now the industry name for "4K" resolution
Panel makers are gearing up to produce Full HD applications for high-end smartphones.
LCD TV panel prices have stabilized, with the China TV market reporting strong sales during the October 1 National Day holidays.
Many local and foreign makers, such as AUO, CMI and Corning, are at Touch Taiwan 2012 from August 29-31.


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According to a roundtable briefing in Tokyo which took place today, Sony has some big ambitions for this year. Kunimasa Suzuki, president and CEO of Sony Mobile Communications, boldly stated that Sony is looking to overtake Chinese market leader Huawei and take its place as the third largest company in terms of number of handsets shipped.
Sony currently sits in fourth position behind Huawei, Samsung, and Apple, with a market share of 4.5 percent, according to research conduced by IDC. This puts them just slightly behind Huawei, which has a 4.9 percent share, and just ahead of ZET which claimed 4.3 percent in the fourth quarter of last year. However these companies pale in comparison to Apple and Samsung, which jointly took more than half of the total market share last year.
But how exactly does Sony intend to make its way in to third position? Earlier in the year Sony stated that it wants to focus entirely on mid and high level handsets, but has yet to demonstrate sales figures which show that the strategy is breaking ground. Sony’s premium handsets like the Xperia Z are selling quite well, but don’t appear to be giving the company the advantage it needs to leap ahead other manufactures, as competition for top of the line handsets is already extremely high.
It looks like Sony is already prepared to u-turn on this business plan, as the latest tactics discussed at the meeting appear to be focused around manufacturing affordable handsets for emerging markets. This decision is likely to have something to do with Sony’s announcement just last week to support the upcoming Firefox OS. We’ve already seen an experimental Firefox ROM running on the Xperia E, which could be a sign of the sort of handset that Sony is looking to make an impact with in emerging markets.
This new strategy could certainly pay dividends in markets where budget orientated products are big business, like China for example. If Sony can gain a foothold in these markets with cheaper handsets, then it could well oust Hauwei from third position. But as it doesn’t plan on being the first to market with cheap Firefox OS smartphones, Sony risks having to play catch-up yet again.
It’s still early in the year, and as there are no precise details on what exactly Sony plans to do over the coming months it’s hard to speculate on exactly where Sony will end up come the end of 2013. Third place is certainly attainable; the opportunities are there, but can Sony seize the initiative.
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sony makes decent phones, but they would have to go the extra mile, simply because samsung and apple have such a strong name already. beating them would be hard. since sony relies on 3rd party vendors for their cpu/ gpu – they will not be able to grab any headlines from a “powerful chip” point of view.
sony ironically supplies imaging sensors to both samsung and apple, what is baffling is that sony’s own phones do not have class leading features that apple and samsung eke out with sony sensors! they still are not close to nokia’s 808. so sony has its work cutout.
it would be healthy I think for the market if there were 4 or 5 major competitors each vying for top spot but all of them around 20% or 15% or the market, rather than having a top heavy division. As it is now, it suffers from a lot of the same problems a monopoly poses: obviously there are a lot of options still, but the smaller companies don’t really participate in a democratic steering of the technology as well as optimum, maybe.
Sony > Huawei, I hope they make it!
with Z series.. i believe they can make it
Sony needs a flag ship device that’s on every major network not just at&t they need to build marketing for there mobile devices Samsung and apple worked to get those top slots so Sony needs to bring something to the table innovation not just hardware
I agree, only reason why I never had a Sony phone is because they are all on at&t.
They make great phones, but clearly did not make enough of them and are not going anywhere without prioritizing north america, it is still nearly impossible to get the Z, which, though a fantastic super-phone, is 3 months old.


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Consumers are over-reliant on using credit to pay for essentials like food and rent, and are being exploited by irresponsible lenders, new research from Which? has revealed.
The new research paints a worrying picture of desperate and vulnerable consumers, caught in a debt trap as the long financial squeeze takes its toll in the UK.
It found that many consumers feel forced to use high-cost credit to pay for other debts.
These people are, in turn, at risk from irresponsible lenders exploiting the situation.
Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said: ‘For an increasing number of people, using expensive credit to pay for essentials has become the norm.
‘This has led to people being forced into a vicious cycle, taking out further, expensive credit to pay off existing debts.’
Consumers trapped by high-cost credit
As mainstream credit has become less widely available, the high-cost credit market, which is less tightly regulated, has grown rapidly.
After exhausting cheaper ways to borrow, many households feel they have no choice but to resort to high cost credit.
Which? found that half of people who used a payday loan or unauthorised loan had been rejected for credit within the past year.
Those turning to high-cost credit can often find themselves locked in a cycle, taking on more debt to get by, with a quarter of people with payday loans using it to repay other debt.
Irresponsible lenders: stop exploiting consumers
Over a quarter of credit users say they don’t like debt but see it as a necessary part of their lives, while more than half of people with credit card debt used their cards to pay for rent, bills, or essentials like food.
While credit is useful and necessary for a healthy economy, many households are becoming increasingly reliant on loans just to get by.
Which? is calling on the government to ensure the new regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), takes early and tough action to clean up to the whole of the credit market.
Richard Lloyd added: ‘Irresponsible lending goes on across the whole of the credit market and lenders must clean up their act.
‘The new regulator must be strong, proactive and willing to take action, especially against lenders who are exploiting consumers struggling in the current economic climate’.
Which? calls on FCA to clean up credit market
With the FCA taking responsibility for regulating credit next year, this is a unique opportunity to clean up the credit market and give consumers the confidence to use credit responsibly.
Which? has set out the five ways the FCA should act to clean up credit and send a clear message to irresponsible lenders:
- Ban excessive default fees and charges The FCA should require that the level of default charges should reflect lenders’ actual costs, and there should be a cap on the total amount of default charges.
- Crack down on irresponsible lending The FCA should enforce strong rules on affordability checks that properly take into account a borrower’s income, expenditure and ability to repay the debt in a sustainable manner, including any outstanding credit commitments.
- Put people in control of their credit End unsolicited increases in credit limits, unauthorised overdrafts should be opt-in only and limit the number of times high-cost loans can be rolled over.
- Clear and transparent information The cost of all high cost credit and all fees and charges should be transparent and displayed clearly as pounds per £100 borrowed over 30 days. Credit products should come with clear health warnings explaining the consequences of missed payments.
- Swift and early intervention for those in financial difficulty The FCA should force lenders to freeze charges for borrowers in difficulty, and prevent them from charging interest on high-cost loans beyond 30 days after borrowers default. Lenders must help borrowers in difficulty and refer them to free independent debt advice.
Which? wants all lenders to voluntarily clean up their act, otherwise they should expect to face tougher action from the regulator.
- What to do if you can’t pay back your payday loan
- Read our top 10 ways to pay off your debts in 2013
- Find out how to cancel a loan you’ve taken out


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SPIN unveiled its NFT marketplace at SXSW today, with an inaugural auction featuring covers of Machine Gun Kelly and Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction, Porno for Pyros and founder of legendary music festival Lollapalooza. The iconic publication is the first to make its covers available to fans in this revolutionary format.
The NFTs are limited, with only three issued: to the winning bidder, the featured artist, and a nonprofit of the artist’s choosing. Two will be held in SPIN and NAX’s treasury. Additional covers, as well as art pieces, will be placed up for auction over the course of 2022.
“We’re excited to introduce these famous pieces as NFTs. It’s an easy entry point for fans to begin to collect scarce and coveted digital photography and memorabilia while providing artists a way into the space,” said Jimmy Hutcheson, CEO of SPIN.
SPIN developed its NFT marketplace in partnership with digital assets creator NAX and carbon-negative blockchain Algorand with the support of product agency Rocket Insights.
Bidders can buy these rare NFTs by credit card at SPINnft.xyz. The online-only auction opens today at 6:00 PM CST. The auction will close at SPIN’s official SXSW party at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q 8:00PM to 2:00AM CST on Thursday, March 17.
NAX leverages untapped corporate assets to create new markets and ecosystems at scale. From seed to securitization, the company actualizes these initiatives with its exchange Members. NAX is headquartered in Manhattan Beach, CA, with offices in Palo Alto, New York, London, Paris, Zurich, and Frankfurt. www.naxgrp.com.
Algorand is building the technology to power everything from the creator economy to the convergence of traditional and decentralized finance. Founded by Turing Award-winning cryptographer Silvio Micali, Algorand developed a blockchain infrastructure that offers the interoperability and capacity to handle the volume of transactions needed for anyone to transition into the digital economy. www.algorand.com.


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CouriersPlease to help boost franchisee revenue
Parcel delivery service CouriersPlease (CP) aims to improve franchisee revenues as well as CP Queensland’s operations over the next three to five years.
It has appointed a new Queensland state manager, who is also the first female branch manager.
Tracey Baldwin has worked in domestic and international logistics freight services for more than 20 years, most recently as national business development manager at Toll Priority. She also spent 14 years at DHL Express.
Baldwin will be responsible for sales, controlling profit and loss in the Queensland branch, and will manage a team of 262.
“I’m thrilled to start the next chapter of my career at CP, and I’m looking forward to the new challenges that lie ahead of me – particularly as the logistics industry is forever changing,” said Baldwin.
“The massive growth in business-to-consumer parcel deliveries that has occurred over the last few years with e-commerce being on the rise is very exciting. There are many challenges for all parties, such as the increasing volume of deliveries that continue to grow year on year, so it’s important for us to adapt and find new solutions.”


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WTC Pune recently also hosted the US Consul General Mr. Edgard Kagan during his maiden visit to Pune. Mr. Kagan addressed a gathering of twenty seven plus American companies doing business in Pune and gave his perspective on “We Grow Trade”.
It was an eventful day with Mr. Kagan earlier doing the honours of inaugurating the WTC Pune Event Lounge in Tower 2.
Mr. Sagar Chordia, Director – World Trade Center Pune welcomed Mr. Kagan and Team from US Consulate at Mumbai including Mr. Gregory Taevs, Principal Commercial Officer, Mr. Eric Levy and Mr. Chris Crossman.
Mr. Prasanna Choudhary, President – Pune Chapter alongwith Mr. Robin Rosario and Ms. Sukhbir Kaur of US India Importers Council Secretariat represented USIIC - the trade promotion partners of WTC Pune.


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The Dow and the S&P 500 rose Monday for the eighth time in two weeks, thanks to a healthy rise in the shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) on the heels of a dividend and share buyback announcement. The world’s most valuable company also said it sold a record three million new iPads in its weekend debut.
Apple shares closed above $600 for the first time Monday, helping to boost the Nasdaq and the S&P 500.
But Monday’s stock gains look like they’re disintegrating Tuesday morning, with U.S. stock futures indicating a pullback.
Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) said it’s buying Kiva Systems for $775 million in cash, its largest acquisition since the purchase of shoe company Zappos.com in 2009. Kiva makes robots that can move items easily around warehouses. The robots can slide under shelves and bins, and bring products to human workers for packaging and shipping. Kiva’s robots are currently used by Quidsi, the parent company of Diapers.com that Amazon acquired for about $545 million last year. This deal may help Amazon to lower its production costs, which may mean the loss of jobs.
That’s exactly what’s may be happening at TNT Express. The takeover of the Dutch package shipper by United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) could cost up to 20,000 jobs, according to Dutch newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad. TNT employs 77,000.
If you’re in the market for a used, small, fuel-efficient car, don’t expect any big deals or incentives. As gas prices rise for the 11th straight day to a national average of $3.85 according to AAA, Kelley Blue Book predicts that used compact-car values could rise 20% in the coming months.
The initial rise started at the end of last month, with used compacts increasing 1.3% to $12,229, while hybrid cars increased 3.6% to $16,974 in the last week of February, according to KBB. Meanwhile, the burger brawl has a new winner; McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) is still No. 1, but Wendy’s (NYSE:WEN) toke to second spot from Burger King for the first time since 1969. The full report, ranking sales for the top 500 restaurant chains in the U.S., is slated to be released April 13 by Technomic, a consulting and research firm serving the food industry.


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Mansfield toffee shop prepares to host second pop-up doughnut event with Project D
A Mansfield confectionery shop is gearing up to host a special pop-up event with a popular doughnut firm for a second time on Saturday.
The Derby-based company’s luxury doughnuts will be available from 10am-2pm and proved ‘very popular’ with sweet-toothed customers at the first pop-up event.
Shop owner Rachel Richards says she is delighted to host a second pop-up event with the firm.
"We are excited to have Project Doughnut back with us on Saturday as it was very popular last time,” she said.
“They have thousands of followers on social media and their doughnuts are famous for being very indulgent!
"We know a lot of people came into town specifically for them last time, so we are really happy to have them back.”


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Topic: YouTube Brandcast
Brands can go super premium
By Christopher Heine on May. 6, 2014 - 5:43 PM EDT
When YouTube rolled out its Google Preferred advertising platform last week at the Digital Content NewFronts, the video site's executives lauded the ability for brands to target pre-roll ads against…
Michelle Castillo and some all-new Internet superstars
May 2, 2014, 7:35 AM EDT
Hubris to the power of 10 from Vice's Shane Smith, just one of the Internet personalities making online video for marketers to put their ads next to.


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GateHouse Media is thrilled to announce that Adam Reinebach, an accomplished senior executive in business-to-business (B2B) publishing, will serve as CEO and President of our Dolan Publishing group. Reinebach will start in his new role on February 8, 2016.
Reinebach is an experienced sales, marketing and technology executive with 20 years of success in the B2B media and information space. Before launching Responsive Partners, a digital consultancy specializing in B2B turnarounds, Reinebach was EVP and Managing Director at SourceMedia where he ran the company’s professional services brands and its paid subscriptions business. SourceMedia is a diversified B2B media company serving senior professionals in the financial, technology, and healthcare sectors. During his nine years there, Reinebach also ran technology, circulation marketing and the custom solutions group.
Prior to SourceMedia, Reinebach was a Vice President at Thomson Financial, where he was publisher of their private equity brands, and ran the research and data group at Venture Economics. A frequent blogger and trained journalist, Reinebach started his B2B media career as a reporter for Investment Dealers’ Digest. Reinebach is a graduate of Rutgers University.
Dolan Publishing Group, a recent GateHouse Media acquisition, is comprised of 39 print and online publications and is a leading provider of industry-specific news for the legal, financial, real estate, and government affairs sectors in the 17 markets it serves across the U.S. The business also develops, organizes and produces over 100 events centered on awards and education seminars.
“I anticipate that B2B publishing will present exciting growth opportunities for our company through both acquisitions and our ability to accelerate their growth via digital marketing services (Propel),” said GateHouse Media CEO Kirk Davis.


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Between classes, extracurricular activities, summer plans, and worrying about post-graduation debt, most college students have plenty to keep themselves occupied. How many also have the time and the ambition to start their own company while still in school? At George Mason University, it turns out the answer is “quite a few.” A number of these savvy student entrepreneurs gathered at the 2016 Deans’ Business Plan Competition, held April 15 at 1776, a global incubator and seed fund for startup businesses located in Crystal City.
In Mason’s own version of “Shark Tank,” five finalists pitched their business ideas to a group of local investors and entrepreneurs, who judged each pitch on its business viability and potential impact in its market or sector. There was more at stake than pride, with a $10,000 cash prize awarded to the winner, thanks to a generous gift from Mason alumna Marilyn Jackson.
John Hill, a senior economics major who will graduate in May, took the prize for his startup company, EasyFBO, which provides a workflow management software system for managing fuel orders at small airports. Hill impressed the judges by identifying a clear business problem, developing an easy-to-use software solution, and marketing it effectively to a well-defined target audience. EasyFBO has already signed up its first two customers (airports in Leesburg, VA and Tulsa, OK), and Hill, who also won the Audience Choice award, plans to use the prize to visit other prospective customers this summer.
Second place, and a $3,000 prize, went to Niels Bulskov, a marketing major in the class of 2017. Bulskov’s business, Ground Control Coffee, partners with a local coffee roaster to provide “the freshest online coffee available.” Bulskov stood out in part for his strategy of using Instagram to connect with and market to his customers. The Social Impact Award, also with a $3,000 prize, was won by Selva Farms, a “vertical farm” founded by Nico Vivero and Madeena Haidari, both of whom will graduate in May.
The afternoon, which was organized by the School of Business’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, also included the inaugural Mobile Game Competition, sponsored by Mason’s Virginia Serious Game Institute. Five teams of aspiring game designers competed, with first place (and $10,000 worth of donated development time) going to “TreeCheckers”, a multi-player strategy game created by the team of Rishub Nagpal and Forrest Cinelli.
Considering a gift to support our business students? Learn about giving opportunities at the School of Business.
April 20, 2016 / RR


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With an ambitious target to reach, London’s Oxford Street is aiming for £6bn in annual sales by 2020. Repositioning its brand and communications in a bid to align it more strategically with the environmental factors surrounding it.
Can this target be achieved and what will a re-position of the brand look like for consumers?
Oxford Street currently generates £5bn a year in sales. In 2018 with the introduction of the Crossrail line (which will connect more towns to the famous street and has already estimated a 30% increase in trips to the West End), Oxford Street are of course incentivised.
They’re aiming to change its status in the marketplace in order for it to keep up with its consumer’s wants and demands. But to also help increase retail sales on the street by £1bn.
Their re-positioning sees them focus the brand exclusively on partnerships and “moments” for consumers. They want to build on the big named brands that are currently located on Oxford Street. Such as Dyson (who has opened its first ever store here) and such differences as the Shakespeare theatre at Selfridges. Making it a `hotbed` for these “moments” to be created and only ever experienced on Oxford Street (well at least first experienced on Oxford Street).
Agency Wasserman (who pride themselves on creating unforgettable brand experiences) has been appointed to widen the current sponsorship strategy.
Oxford Street will now see their brand communications and messaging proudly display the slogan “First seen on Oxford Street”, to represent their re-positioning strategy. Using this to connect them to their objective of `exclusive experiences` and `moments`.
This strategy is to support their new brand focus. Also working alongside their business-led strategy which focuses on lowering pollution on the street over the next four years.
Speaking to Marketing Week, Luciana Magliocco, Marketing Manager at the New West End Company commented: “We want to grow Oxford Street by making it a hotbed for world first’s. Whether that’s the Shakespeare theatre at Selfridges, Dyson opening its first-ever physical store here or John Lewis’ Smart Home only being in its Oxford Street store, we believe the key to growth is to give people things they can’t get anywhere else.
“Businesses have a real growth to open their flagship stores here and we are confident that will only continue.”
3) Target Market
Oxford Street have to take into account consumer perspective and business perspective – as in this instance they speak to both.
Their brand communication strategy and planning should of course be communicated with businesses on Oxford Street. They also need to be able to plan ahead and align their marketing activity accordingly.
Consumers also need to understand why this is happening. Why it’s important and why they should be shopping on Oxford Street. Not simply because that’s where the train stops.
4) Not all plain sailing
Oxford Street now has the opportunity to shake off some of the negative brand associations it has with consumers. Such as the most pollution heavy street in the world. Hence their current business-led strategy, which they’re currently working with the current retailers on.
Such things cannot be changed immediately. This is not something which is going to go away overnight but new invigorated brand messaging can help.
Of course there is also the implications of Brexit to build into their strategy. There may be a negative effect on consumer spending over the coming years and like any business, contingencies must be put in place.
However, Magliocco, is quite confident, “Oxford Street will become the first shopping stop from Heathrow, so there is a great opportunity to attract tourists. There is a strong strategy in place and we’re confident we’ll see increases in footfall, investment and flagship stores over the coming years.”


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KUALA LUMPUR – It was yet another sad day for McDonald’s fans across Malaysia as the fast food giant announced that it will be replacing French fries with ice cream and apple pie until further notice starting today.
The company cited the Covid-19 pandemic as the main cause for delayed maritime transportation and importation, which had led to the french fries shortage.
McDonald’s Malaysia had previously announced that it would not be serving large-sized McValue Meals and French fries, which was later rectified in January 24 when they brought the large fries back.
According to China Press, McDonald’s Malaysia will now offer a Duo Set, a 2-piece set meal comprising of any food item with a drink starting from RM7.90.
It also said that the offer will last until the supply chain has stabilised.
Managing Director and Local Operating Partner of McDonald’s Malaysia Datuk Azmir Jaafar said that the company is more than ready to keep customers satisfied with its latest offerings.
While we are committed in resolving the French Fries supply issue, McDonald’s Malaysia is always ready to provide the best customer experience by offering a variety of exciting choices at unbeatable value, so that our customers can continue enjoying their favourite meals.
Customers can still enjoy their fries with the medium McValue Meals but while stocks last.


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Shares of PagSeguro Digital (PAGS -4.30%) climbed 10.2% in August, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The stock climbed in conjunction with momentum for the broader market and appears to have gotten a boost from a new partnership with a popular social media platform and a fresh acquisition.
PagSeguro published a press release on Aug. 19 announcing that it had formed a partnership with TikTok that will allow users of the short-video social media platform to check their PagBank balances. The fintech then published a press release on Aug. 21 announcing that it had purchased Wirecard's Brazilian payment-processing operations. PagSeguro also reported second-quarter results near the end of the month, but its stock lost ground due to mixed results.
PagSeguro published second-quarter results on Aug. 7, posting sales and earnings that both came in below the market's targets. The company recorded adjusted earnings per share of $0.16 on revenue of $243.33 million, while the average analyst target had called for per-share earnings of $0.17 on sales of $252.72 million. Total payment volume conducted across PagSeguro's platform rose 11.4% year over year to reach 29.8 billion Brazilian reais ($5.6 billion). But revenue fell 2.3% year over year, and adjusted net income for the June quarter fell 10.4%.
The company added 299,000 new merchant customers in the quarter, and its customer count increased 1.1 million over the 12-month period. Management said that the company posted its highest-ever growth in July and continued to see strong performance in August.
PagSeguro stock has continued to slide in September's trading. The company's share price is down 10.7% in the month so far.
PagSeguro now has a market capitalization of roughly $12.9 billion and trades at approximately 39 times this year's expected earnings.
The long-term growth outlook for payment processing services in the Brazilian market and elsewhere in Latin America remains promising. PagSeguro isn't the only player in the space, with notable regional competitors including StoneCo and Nubank, but the market for fintech services in Latin American countries is young, growing at a rapid clip, and should be able to support multiple winners.


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They didn't take any dough but some Melbourne thieves with cheesy dance moves did pinch a car.
Four men were caught on camera dancing at a takeaway pizza shop in Craigieburn after stealing the keys to a delivery car on July 24.
The car was stolen about 10pm and found burned out two hours later.
Police on Tuesday released footage of the men dancing in the store, after they allegedly reached behind the counter and stole the keys.
The men looked to be aged in their late teens or early 20s and were said to be of Middle Eastern appearance.
© AAP 2018


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“When you look at where we have been and where we are headed”, said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum, only two weeks ago, “you can see why we are agency on the rise.” It seems that these words are beginning to translate into actions.
With the strengthening it received from the 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has begun to assert itself. On March 1 the CPSC took resolute measures against Daiso Holding USA Inc., a toy importer and repeated violator of federal safety standards. Besides a $2.05 million civil penalty, CPSC has issued an unprecedented “consent degree”, preventing Daiso from importing or selling any of its products until it implements a comprehensive product safety program and all its toys meet federal standards. Daiso has voluntarily withdrawn its products from all retail outlets until the above conditions are met.
“This landmark agreement for an injunction sets a precedent for any firm attempting to distribute hazardous products to our nation’s children”, said Chairman Tenenbaum. “We are committed to the safety of children’s products and we will use the full force of our enforcement powers to prevent the sale of harmful products.”
KID welcomes this assertiveness and hopes this is only the beginning of a trend towards more accountability. “This is really a powerful first step, ensuring that no products are sold until they’re safe”, said Nancy Cowles, executive director of KID, “CPSC is putting manufacturers on notice that they must put safety first.”


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Aaron’s Inc. AAN is a favorable pick at the moment as its strong first-quarter 2020 performance and positive initial trends, as the economy opens, have been boosting stock performance. The company’s strong first-quarter performance was backed by strength in its Progressive business despite the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Further, the company recently announced a favorable view for the second quarter, driven by positive trends from Progressive’s retail partners reopening stores.
We note that shares of the Atlanta, GA-based company have skyrocketed 147.5% in the past three months compared with the industry’s growth of 34.7%. This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has also comfortably outperformed the S&P 500 Index that rose 27.4% and the broader sector’s growth of 34.1% in the same period.
The stock is witnessing growth due to the company's phased store re-opening plan. Ross Stores re-opened roughly 700 stores on May 14 in a phased manner. Going forward, it plans to re-open more stores gradually in sync with health guidelines and government regulations, such as ensuring proper sanitation of stores and workspaces, providing personal protective equipment to store associates, and practicing social distancing norms. Further, the company intends to re-open its distribution center network in the next few weeks. Additionally, it remains on track to re-open the corporate offices in the coming months.
Aaron's reported better-than-expected results in first-quarter 2020, with the top line improving year over year. Revenue growth was mainly backed by an increase in Progressive revenues, partly offset by soft revenues at the Aaron's Business segment. Further, the company’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second straight quarter. Moreover, management is encouraged by higher customer payments in April as well as improving trajectory of its lease origination activity in the past few weeks.
Moreover, Progressive's invoice volumes are showing signs of improvement lately as its retail partners are reopening stores after the government eased restrictions in various states. Going ahead, management expects the trend to continue. Notably, invoice volumes are envisioned to be flat to down in low-single digits during the second quarter. The company also noted that the segment will not incur any costs related to the COVID-19 outbreak-led woes in the second quarter.
As a result, Aaron’s provided an encouraging view for second-quarter 2020, which also includes the disruptions caused by the pandemic on its Aaron’s business.
Notably, revenues are expected between $975 million and $1 billion in the second quarter. Adjusted earnings are envisioned to be 80-85 cents per share. Management expects revenues and earnings in the third and fourth quarters to be significantly better sequentially, driven by the improving trajectory of its lease-origination activity.
Meanwhile, revenues in the Aaron’s segment are projected to decline 15% year over year due to the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak realized in April 2020. Same-store revenues are anticipated to be down 1.5-2.5%. Also, it highlighted that write-offs related to the pandemic are likely to improve by almost 100 basis points (bps) year over year in the second quarter. This reflects a significant rise on a sequential basis. Apart from these, no charges associated with COVID-19 will be incurred in the second quarter.
Also, Aaron’s earlier withdrew its 2020 guidance, citing unprecedented impacts from the outbreak. Moreover, sluggishness in franchisee revenues and the Aaron's Business segment is likely to continue.
After the effects of the coronavirus outbreak, Aaron’s looks poised to gain from increased business from the reopening of partner stores as well as its namesake business’ store reopening. In all likelihood, the company, with a long-term earnings growth rate of 10.1% and a VGM Score of A, is positioned for more growth ahead.
Better-Ranked Retail Stocks to Watch
Big Lots BIG has a long-term earnings growth rate of 6.6% and it currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Dollar General Corporation DG has a long-term earnings growth rate of 12.4% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present.
Office Depot ODP currently has a long-term earnings growth rate of 6.8% and a Zacks Rank #2.
The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All
Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.
See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >>
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Lenovo may mostly be associated with laptops and all-business desktops these days, but it looks like the company's CEO hopes that won't be the case for too much longer. Speaking with the AP, Yang Yuanqing
dropped the somewhat surprising statement that he expects mobile internet products to account for between 70 and 80 percent of the company's sales "within three to five years." Of course, Yang didn't specify exactly what constitutes a "mobile internet product" for Lenovo, but we'd assume it includes things like the company's new IdeaPad S10-3t
(and possibly even traditional laptops), or else it really has its work cut out for itself. He further went on to add that Lenovo is focused on a "protect and attack" strategy over the longer term, noting that while China accounts for half of its global sales at the moment, it's now facing increased competition from the likes of Dell and HP both at home and abroad.


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Federal and state health officials report nine additional people have been reported in the multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to romaine lettuce since the last update.
This brings the total to 52 cases from 15 states.
Nineteen people have been hospitalized, including two people who developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome. No deaths have been reported.
No common grower, supplier, distributor, or brand of romaine lettuce has been identified.
CDC continues to advise consumers not eat and retailers and restaurants not to serve or sell any romaine lettuce from the Central Coastal growing regions of northern and central California.
Romaine lettuce labeled with a harvest region outside of the Central Coastal growing regions of northern and central California is not linked to the outbreak. Areas not linked to this outbreak include the desert growing region near Yuma, Arizona; the California desert growing region near Imperial County and Riverside County; the state of Florida; and Mexico.
People with symptoms of an E. coli infection, such as severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), and vomiting, who think they might have gotten sick from eating romaine lettuce, should talk to their doctor and report their illness to the health department.
Antibiotics are not recommended for patients with E. coli O157 infections. Antibiotics are also not recommended for patients with a suspected E.coli O157 infection, until diagnostic testing rules out this infection.
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Apple is accused of making a "mockery" of the Digital Markets Act
On the face of it, you would think that companies like Epic and Spotify, both long-time critics of the "Apple Tax," would be happy to hear about the changes being forced on Apple in the 27 EU member countries thanks to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The DMA is forcing Apple to allow apps to be installed from alternate app stores and iPhone users can use third-party browsers powered by non-WebKit browser engines.
Apple did make some changes to the "Apple Tax," reducing the range of the commission that Apple takes on processing in-app transactions from 15%-30% to 10%-17%. And Apple is even giving developers the opportunity to present to subscribers an alternative payment option that bypasses Apple's in-app payment platform. Apple gets no cut at all of the in-app transactions using one of these alternative payment platforms.
However, those developers seeking to avoid the "Apple Tax" will have to pay Apple a "Core Technology Fee" that amounts to half a Euro for each annual install of a particular app after 1 million downloads are reached. This does not make Epic and Spotify happy. Per The Verge, the two firms, along with 32 more companies and alliances, wrote a letter to the European Commission (EC) stating that Apple is "making a mockery of the DMA and the considerable efforts by the European Commission and EU institutions to make digital markets competitive."
34 companies and alliances say that Apple is making a mockery of the EU's Digital Markets Act
App Store app developers have two choices when it comes to in-app payments in the EU. They can stick with the status quo and pay Apple 10%-17% of in-app transactions, or offer subscribers an alternative payment platform but pay half a Euro fee for each annual install above 1 million for each of their apps. This has the companies and alliances writing in their letter that "Neither option is DMA compliant and both options would simply consolidate Apple’s stronghold over digital markets."
The letter adds, "The new fee structure in the proposed new terms seems designed to maintain and even amplify Apple's exploitation of its dominance over app developers. With a hefty transaction fee and a Core Technology Fee (CTF), few app developers will agree to these unjust terms. These fees will deter app developers from providing seamless in-app experiences for consumers, and will hamper fair competition with potential alternative payment providers."
The missive also notes that "Apple's new terms will erect new barriers and reinforce Apple’s stronghold over the iPhone ecosystem." The companies signing the letter to the EC say that unless Apple makes some changes, they demand "swift, timely and decisive action against Apple, to protect developers and benefit consumers and do so as soon as the DMA obligations apply. This is the only way to guarantee the DMA remains both credible and delivers competitive digital markets."
The changes take effect with the release of iOS 17.4 although the deadline imposed by the EU is March 6th. The EC will hold an Apple workshop on March 18th where feedback on Apple's DMA compliance can be discussed.


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Sonic is working with Sears on a multiphase rollout that will make the new service available on a range of devices, including HDTVs and mobile phones.
Sonic's multiyear agreement with Sears extends the reach of the RoxioNow platform, which powers digital services for retailers, cable operators, PC manufacturers, Hollywood studios' direct-to-consumer initiatives and game vendors, extending each company's relationship with buyers.
"Collaborating with Sonic provides a great opportunity for Sears and Kmart to launch digital services for customers seeking even faster access to the latest in home entertainment experiences," stated Karen Austin, president of Consumer Electronics for Sears and Kmart.
Sears isn't the only retailer that wants to grab a share of the lucrative Netflix marketplace.
In February, The New York Times reported that Walmart had bought Vudu, a service that streams movies to Internet-connected TVs -- a deal estimated to cost $100 million. In addition, BestBuy teamed with Sonic to put its movie library in all of the Web-connected devices the company sells at its stores.


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More than half of online shoppers in Morocco use the internet to buy airline tickets, book hotels, shop for toys and gifts
To tweet this news, copy and paste <#Online shopping witnesses rapid growth in Morocco>
Casablanca, Morocco: Consumers in Morocco are increasingly going online for their shopping needs, according to the 2014 Online Shopping Behaviour Study conducted by MasterCard. Nearly 50 per cent of those surveyed indicated they access the internet for online shopping of which more than 90 per cent said they were highly satisfied with their online shopping experience.
The Online Shopping Behavior Survey, which measures consumers’ propensity to shop online, was conducted at the end of last year and was based on interviews with 4000 respondents from 8 markets across the Middle East and North Africa1. Consumers said they spend the most amount of money on airlines, books, CD’s, DVD’s, travel and hotels.
Aaron Oliver, head of emerging payments – Middle East and Africa, MasterCard said: “With rapidly increasing internet penetration rates and availability of secure online payment options, the country’s e-commerce industry is well placed to achieve significant growth. Companies can expand their online presence to grow their business and diversify their customer base. For consumers, online shopping is convenient, fast and safe. When you consider the benefits, it is not surprising that more people are going online to make purchases.”
According to the study, more than half of the respondents made at least one online purchase last year, a substantial increase from 15 per cent in 2011. Royal Air Maroc, the national airline of Morocco was recognized as the most commonly visited website for online shopping in Morocco. At nearly 15 per cent, Avito and Amazon have emerged as the next two most popular websites for online shopping in Morocco.
That said, whereas websites for clothing, airlines, travel, hotels, home appliances and pharmaceutical brands have seen a gradual but steady increase in visitors since 2011, sites offering professional development tools, paid for local and international news and financial advice have witnessed a downward trajectory compared to previous years.
Moroccan consumers were clear about what factors sway their online purchasing decision, citing the speed of transaction, price of the items and reputation of website as the most important considerations when making an online purchase.
When asked how online shopping could be improved in future, 25 per cent of shoppers stated this could be done by enhancing payment security. An assurance that websites are secure and availability of more user friendly websites also emerged as popular suggestions.
While smartphone penetration rate in Morocco is rapidly on the rise, only 9 per cent of individuals surveyed made purchases using their mobile phones in recent months and an additional 15 per cent intended to use their phones to make a purchase in the six months following the study. More than half of the respondents confirmed that they preferred to shop online using their computer tablets. Another 60 per cent stated their preference to shop online via their PCs or laptops.
“With increasing internet penetration levels and introduction of highly engaging mobile shopping apps, m-commerce is certainly an emerging business avenue for companies in Morocco. While currently in its nascent stage, mobile shopping in Morocco is expected to become popular as consumers become aware of the safety and security features and begin getting more familiar with the numerous benefits of being able to shop on the go,” stated Oliver.
In fact, the availability of an increasing number of mobile apps and being able to do shopping on the go have been voted as the top two reasons why shoppers make purchases using their phone.
The top three items purchased through mobile phones are airline tickets, toys & gifts and clothing.
Other notable results include:
- 23 per cent online shoppers believe in ‘ethical spending’ and are more likely to buy from merchants who are environmentally responsible, who partner with or donate to charities, and who are socially responsible.
- Shoppers are increasingly turning to local websites to make online purchases, but almost 13 per cent of online shoppers purchase products from foreign websites.
- Convenience and availability of wide variety of products locally available have been cited as some of the top reasons for shopping from local websites.
NOTE: More information and previously released MasterCard survey results can be found at www.masterintelligence.com.
MasterCard and its Suite of Research Properties
The MasterCard Worldwide Index suite in Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa includes the long-running MasterCard Worldwide Index of Consumer Confidence, as well as the MasterCard Worldwide Index of Women’s Advancement, Online Shopping, Index of Financial Literacy, and the Index of Global Destination Cities. In addition to the Indices, MasterCard’s research properties also include a range of consumer surveys including Ethical Spending and a series on Consumer Purchasing Priorities (covering Travel, Dining & Entertainment, Education, Money Management, Luxury and General Shopping).
MasterCard also regularly releases Insights reports providing analysis of business dynamics, financial policies and regulatory activities in the Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa region. Over 80 Insights reports have been produced since 2004.
MasterCard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard’s products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MasterCardNews, @MasterCardMEA, join the discussion on the Cashless Pioneers Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.
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For more information, please contact:
Gaurav Bhatnagar, email@example.com, +971 4 332 3308
 UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Lebanon, Egypt and Morocco
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Cupboard authorization has actually been provided for 04 purchases to be given to Indian business.
Appropriately, a purchase to reduce 500 32-seater buses under the Indian Credit Line, has actually been granted to the Ashok Leyland business.
Authorization has actually likewise been given to acquire 75,000 vials of Human immunoglobulin (5-6g) from India’s Dependence Life Sciences business.
Likewise, closet authorization was given to acquire 1,800,000 vials of the 1g Meropenem medicine, from the Indian business – Venus Remedies.
Moreover, it was likewise authorized to acquire 750 cops jeeps from Mahindra and also Mahindra Firm of India. On Nov. 16, 2020, closet authorization had actually been given to buy 750 jeeps for Sri Lanka Authorities consisting of 150 jeeps for the Authorities Unique Job Pressure under the Indian Credit Line.