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To grow the National Lottery responsibly, making it bigger better
safer for all.
Offer more games, attract more players, inject more entertainment, create more winners, and raise more money for National Lottery-funded projects.
We are Allwyn, the operators of the UK National Lottery from February 2024. Our ambition is to grow The National Lottery responsibly and sustainably, contributing more to Good Causes than ever before over the next ten year licence.
How we work
We work with our customers, retailers, and partners to deliver on our vision for The National Lottery to change lives every day.
The best games and experiences
We are working hard to provide a player experience and games portfolio that is fit for the digital era. We are committed to running a digital-first lottery, to enable our players to play where and when they want.
Player safety is our top priority. We will be implementing a number of measures to protect against harmful behaviour.
On 1 February 2024, Allwyn UK took over as the operator of The National Lottery. Find out more about Allwyn UK and our vision for The National Lottery.
Lotto at the Heart of Saturday Night Entertainment with Ant & Dec Saturday Night Takeaway Sponsorship
New partnership builds on exciting new era for National Lottery game, Lotto, after ‘Will you be next?’ campaign launch earlier this month
The National Lottery changes operator for first time in 30 Years
1 February 2024 marks the start of the Fourth National Lottery Licence and the handover to Allwyn as the operator of The National Lottery
Will you be next? Allwyn launches new, unmissable Lotto campaign through VCCP and Hearts & Science
Allwyn launch its opening campaign, Will you be next?
New National Lottery operator Allwyn kicks off day one with big sales team expansion and attention-grabbing new Lotto advertising
Allwyn is delighted to announce that it will be increasing the size of its retail sales team by 50%
Allwyn Non-Executive Director changes
Lord Sebastian Coe and Simon Burke to join the Board as Sir Keith Mills steps down
Steve Parkinson joins The National Lottery as Brand and Marketing Director
Allwyn UK announce Steve Parkinson as its new Brand and Marketing Director
Allwyn appoints Mark Hughes as Chief Security Officer
Allwyn announce appointment of Mark Hughes as new Chief Security Officer to lead all areas of security for The National Lottery
Only two weeks left until 18 December deadline for Retailers to transfer their National Lottery Retailer Agreement
Allwyn is urging the small proportion of independent retailers who haven’t yet completed their Transfer of Retailer Agreement (TRA) from Camelot to Allwyn to complete the simple process as soon as possible
8-Week Countdown to Deadline for National Lottery Transfer of Retailer Agreement
Allwyn urge any independent retailers who have not yet completed their Transfer of Retailer Agreement (TRA) from Camelot to Allwyn to do so as soon as possible
Allwyn name Hearts & Science as preferred media agency partner for The National Lottery
Allwyn UK, the incoming operator of The National Lottery, announce the appointment of Heart & Science as its preferred media partner for the Fourth National Lottery Licence
Allwyn announces new leadership team to spearhead delivery of The National Lottery
New Executive will lead the delivery of the Fourth National Lottery Licence
Allwyn’s online portal goes live for National Lottery retailers to sign their transfer of retailer agreement ahead of the Fourth Licence
Allwyn, incoming operator of The National Lottery, confirmed that its new online retailer portal has gone live.
Allwyn sets out next steps for retailers ahead of National Lottery changeover
Allwyn, incoming licensee for the Fourth National Lottery Licence, set out some next steps for National Lottery retailers.
Allwyn UK appoints Andria Vidler as UK CEO, leading the incoming operator of The National Lottery
Andria will lead Allwyn as it prepares to become the operator of The National Lottery in February 2024.
Allwyn appoints Leo Burnett and VCCP to lead advertising for The National Lottery from 2024
Allwyn announce the appointment of Leo Burnett and VCCP as joint creative advertising agencies for The National Lottery.
Vodafone and Allwyn partner on digital upgrade for next National Lottery Licence
Vodafone and Allwyn UK have finalised an agreement to upgrade the technology underpinning the new UK National Lottery licence launching in February 2024.
Allwyn UK confirms appointment of Robert Chvátal as Interim CEO
Allwyn confirms that Robert Chvátal, currently Allwyn Group CEO has been appointed to the role of Interim CEO of Allwyn UK.
Allwyn confirms appointment of independent non-executive directors to support transition to Fourth Licence
Sharon Doherty and Victoria McKenzie-Gould lend strong digital transformation and consumer backgrounds to Allwyn team tasked with revamping The National Lottery.
Allwyn to operate UK National Lottery from February 2024
Allwyn has been officially awarded the Fourth Licence to operate the National Lottery for a decade starting February 2024.
Allwyn welcomes Camelot decision to withdraw their appeal
Allwyn Entertainment announces withdrawal by Camelot Entities of legal challenge to Allwyn’s selection as Preferred Applicant for UK National Lottery Licence.
Good news for The National Lottery
Today’s ruling is good news for The National Lottery; it enables the Gambling Commission to move forward to award Allwyn the Fourth National Lottery Licence.
A fresh start for the National Lottery
The National Lottery is a national treasure and we are honoured to have been chosen as its future custodian. With the Gambling Commission having put its trust in us, we can start to enact our plans to put the National Lottery back at the heart of our country.
Allwyn named Preferred Applicant for Fourth National Lottery Licence
We welcome today’s statement by the Gambling Commission that we have been selected as the Preferred Applicant for the Fourth National Lottery Licence. Our proposal was judged to be the best way of growing returns to good causes by revitalising The National Lottery in a safe and sustainable way.


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A new global, multi-brand restaurant company, Inspire Brands, has been launched in the US.
Co-founded by Paul Brown of and Neal Aronson, the new restaurant company is established after sandwich restaurant brand Arby’s Restaurant Group (ARG) acquired American dining chain Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW) for $2.9bn.
The acquisition of BWW was announced in November 2017. Under the terms of a definitive merger agreement between the companies, BWW has become a privately-held subsidiary of Arby’s and operates as an independent brand.
Arby’s Paul Brown will serve as the chief executive officer of Inspire, which will be the owner, operator, and franchisor of a portfolio of restaurant brands that includes more than 4,500 Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, and fast-casual concept R Taco locations.
Brown said: “We believe the time is right to create a different kind of restaurant company – one with a broad portfolio of distinct brands across a full spectrum of restaurant occasions.
“Our goal is to build an organisation that leverages the benefits of scale, not only to save cost but also to enable outsized investments in long-term growth initiatives.”
Inspire includes more than 4,600 company-owned and franchised restaurants with more than 150,000 team members across 15 countries.
The headquarters of Inspire will be based in Atlanta and will also operate a support centre in Minneapolis, US.

domain: news


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According to a new report from eMarketer, the use of ad-blocking technology will continue to rise next year.
While tech companies push to make delivery instantaneous, one start-up is looking in completely different direction: mail order.
Close to two thirds (60%) of knowledge workers* in small and medium businesses (SMBs) in the US, UK and Germany now use on-demand tools – technology that is internet or cloud-based – in their professional roles. This figure is higher than in companies with 500 or more employees (53%), displaying the agile, forward-looking nature of SMBs.
Revealing insights about the evolving television and video ecosystem emerged from research released this week. For one: while TV Everywhere (TVE) continues to grow at remarkably rapid rates, 71% ofTVE viewers in March watched from a single location.
Virtual reality is graduating from the gaming world and finally going into areas like travel, movies and live events. And based on current consumer interests, gaming is actually at the bottom of thelist. Internet-connected headsets are expanding in the IoT world as technology finally catches up with the promise of virtual reality, which has been kicking around for years.
Email rarely gets any praise, but consider this — if 37% of mcommerce requires cross-channel tracking, what better way than email?
Falling CPMs were widely feared, but the latest IAB Europe research suggests publishers who embrace programmatic are actually doing very well from it.


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US: Pernod Ricard, Fortune Brands terminate Absolut venture
Pernod will pay Fortune US$230m to exit the distribution arrangement for Vin & Sprit brands in the US from this October, both firms announced yesterday (28 August). Fortune's contract had been set to run until February 2012.
As part of the exit deal, Fortune has also agreed to pay Pernod $100m for the Cruzan Rum brand, the firms said.
Pernod has made no secret of its intention to exit the distribution deal with Fortune, following its takeover of Sweden's Vin & Sprit earlier this year. It said savings generated from ending the deal early would "more than offset" the compensation payout to Fortune.
Fortune president and CEO Bruce Carbonari sought to re-assure shareholders, following the news. "This is a win-win agreement that provides significant benefits to Fortune Brands," he said.
"We'll receive a cash payment of $230m. We're also pleased that we'll acquire a fast-growing premium rum brand. Rum is one of the most attractive spirits categories, and the addition of Cruzan fills a portfolio gap in premium rum with the category's fastest growing brand in the U.S."
The group, which also owns Sauza Tequila, Jim Beam and Laphroaig whisky, said it expected a one-off bonus of $180m in its third quarter, following its exit from the venture with Vin & Sprit.
It also predicted a one-year return on its investment in Cruzan, which it said was the fifth largest rum brand in the US, with worldwide net sales of approximately $50m, or 750,000 cases, in 2007. Sales from distributors to retailers grew in strong double digits last year, it added.
Pernod's assessment of Cruzan was slightly more muted, saying it had made a "close to break-even contribution" in 2007, after advertising and promotion costs.
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Google has found the expectations of new technology hard to meet. The Internet giant’s revenue rocketed 25 percent in the fourth quarter, but its shares still plunged 9 percent after hours on Thursday. Google failed to match Wall Street’s hopes, whereas Microsoft and IBM’s more pedestrian results – and Intel’s closer fit with analysts’ forecasts – reassured. In uncertain times, the tech sector old guard’s predictability can trump edgier possibilities.
Though the search firm’s sales fell short, they are still surging as more people click on paid links, watch videos on YouTube and look at advertisements on their screens. These trends have plenty of room to run. And the company’s two newest platforms, mobile devices using the Android operating system and social network Google+, promise to deliver more ad dollars. About 700,000 Android smartphones are being lit up every day. And Google+ has 90 million users, more than double what it had at the end of the third quarter last year.
But Google’s growth is costing money. Its expenses rose in the fourth quarter, and the amount advertisers were willing to pay per click fell, resulting in net income increasing only 6 percent from a year earlier. That’s not that much better than the earnings increase posted by the distinctly mature Microsoft, whose income was flat, and centenarian IBM, where it rose 4 percent. And Google’s profit increase was only in line with Intel’s, even though the chipmaker is so far an also-ran in the shift to mobile computing.
It didn’t help that Google reminded analysts that costs will increase in the first quarter, while IBM told investors that next years’ earnings will be slightly better than expected. People have come to hope for more from Google, and they accord the company a correspondingly higher valuation multiple. Before Thursday’s news, the company traded at 14.5 times estimated earnings for 2012, compared to 10 and 12 respectively for Microsoft and IBM.
With markets skittish and Google’s performance highly geared to cyclical advertising, it looks as though investors aren’t giving the company much benefit of the doubt that high profits will follow revenue growth. More mature tech firms, on the other hand, have the luxury of softer expectations.


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Equity Research Analyst
“The biggest challenge for investors is to look past the multitude of (mostly negative) headlines about Facebook and look at the facts and metrics that drive the business case.”
Facebook’s status as the darling of the social media scene has been called into question in the wake of the high-profile Cambridge Analytica scandal. Users are said to be quitting the platform in their droves, but should investors follow suit or is the business case still strong?
The emergence of social networks
From Facebook to Twitter, Snapchat and LinkedIn, it’s hard to remember a time when society wasn’t dominated by social media. The phenomenal growth of such platforms since the early 2000s has seen them become firmly engrained in the way we interact with our peers.
Early platforms like the now-defunct Friendster, Friends Reunited and LinkedIn, which now has more than 460 million members, first introduced the concept of social networking 15 years ago. Offering users the opportunity to find long-lost friends, meet new people and make business connections at the touch of a button, their popularity spawned a wave of other platforms, including Twitter, Myspace, Reddit and Orkut. However, it wasn’t until a group of Harvard students founded ‘Thefacebook’ (as it was then known) in 2004 and then launched it as Facebook two years later that social networking really took off.
By 2009, millions of dollars had been invested in Facebook by Silicon Valley heavyweights, including PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. Its ease of use, memorable name and clever advertising helped turn Facebook into the default social app , with the number of monthly active users reaching an impressive 2.2 billion.
For a while it seemed like social media platforms could do no wrong, but as the number of users grew so did concerns about security. This came to a head in March 2018 when news of the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook scandal broke. Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics firm, used personal information harvested from more than 50 million Facebook profiles to build a system that could target US voters with personalised political adverts.
The scandal led to widespread public and political discussion on ethical standards for social media companies, in addition to wiping billions off Facebook’s stock valuation in the weeks following the media coverage.
Since then however, the company’s share price has recovered. This was helped by its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg publishing a personal letter in several newspapers apologising for the errors, providing ten hours of testimony to the House and Senate committees, and pledging to make changes to Facebook’s policy to prevent similar breaches. In April, the company said it would implement the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in all the countries it operates in.
Facebook’s first earnings report since the scandal broke have also helped to alleviate investors’ fears. The platform’s results were well above analysts’ expectations, with a 49% year-on-year rise in revenue and solid user growth.
Analysing the investment case
So what does the Cambridge Analytica scandal mean for Facebook investors? Is the platform doomed to failure or can it move on from its mistakes?
A useful way of analysing Facebook’s investment case is to look at the company’s four main revenue drivers: users, time spent on the platform, advertising load and price point pressure.
According to the media, hordes of users threatened to quit Facebook, yet the latest figures suggest few have actually left the platform. At its peak, the hashtag #DeleteFacebook had only 62,000 mentions, which for a platform with 2.2 billion monthly active users is a drop in the ocean. And even though user growth in developed markets has slowed, for people in emerging markets like India and Indonesia Facebook is an increasingly popular and compelling service.
The average Facebook user spends about 40 minutes every day on the platform. That might not sound like much, but it’s higher than for most social media platforms and surprisingly, is more time than the average person spends reading, exercising and eating each day.
Advertising load refers to the number of adverts a user sees in those 40 minutes they spend on Facebook. The platform recently revamped its news feed algorithm, to push posts from family and friends higher in people’s feeds, at the expense of posts from brands and publishers. Zuckerberg said this could result in people spending less time on Facebook – and it would logically follow that this would equate to fewer ads being viewed. Facebook has guided investors in the past that ad load will not increase, to maintain the user experience.
Price point pressure takes into account the cost per impression (CPM) – the biggest driver of revenue growth at Facebook. In January and February, CPMs rose by 122% and 77% year-on-year respectively – the two highest year-on-year jumps of the past 14 months.
These four revenue drivers have to be looked at within the context of the data breach scandal. It’s clear there will be some regulation of Facebook – and other social media platforms – going forward. However, this is likely to focus on ‘honest ads’ rather than a huge clampdown on sites, with the US currently proposing the Honest Ads Act to bring accountability and transparency to online political adverts.
At Senate hearings on the issue the committee seemed confused about how the ad paid business model works, but it has been well justified by Zuckerberg. It leaves the door open for a premium service to be launched for users who are willing to pay a small fee (perhaps $3 to $5 a month) in return for an ad-free experience.
The biggest challenge for investors is to look past the multitude of (mostly negative) headlines about Facebook and look at the facts and metrics that drive the business case. There is a lot of ill-feeling towards the site, but the latest results suggest people’s habits are hard to break. Once they start using Facebook, they’re unlikely to quit.
Weighing up the rivals
Facebook isn’t the only social media platform that investors can put money into, of course. Twitter and Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, are both listed on the New York Stock Exchange and appeal to different user demographics.
Yet Facebook is by far the global market leader. As of the second quarter of 2017, its revenue to monthly users was $4.65, compared with Twitter’s $1.75. Moreover, research from Forrester suggests that for every one million Facebook users, brands can expect about 700 interactions, versus just 300 interactions on Twitter.
Snapchat, meanwhile, has a young user base who are highly sought after by advertisers. The downside is that young people change their minds very quickly – if something new and better comes along they’ll switch without hesitation. With its broader user base, Facebook has an army of loyal followers – and in social media, scale matters.
Watch this space
The furore surrounding the Cambridge Analytica scandal has abated in recent months. Investors need to remember that facts matter more than headlines. Facebook’s first quarter numbers were encouraging, but we can expect further scrutiny over future results, as well as the impact of new regulations such as GDPR.


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The beauty brand Elf Cosmetics continues to set standards for the possibilities of brands on TikTok with the first “reality show” on the video creation platform called Eyes. Lips. Famous.
“If you’re running the most famous TikTok campaign in history, the next question is, how do you outdo yourself?” quipped Evan Horowitz, co-founder and CEO of Movers + Shakers, the creative studio behind the beauty brand’s biggest projects with TikTok.
“We wanted to develop something that was based on insight and interference and would resonate with the TikTok community,” said Elf vice president of the Gayitri Budhraja brand. “How do we take this empowerment idea and introduce it to TikTok to work on the platform?”
TikTok users were asked to apply to appear on the show by following their account @elfyeah and making public videos and uploading why they should be selected as # eylipsfamous – including the hashtag and account tag.
Three of TikTok’s best-known influencers – Avani Gregg, Madi Monroe, and Seth O’Brien – helped judge entries and selected three winners who are currently seeking a brand sponsorship, a $ 5,000 deal to represent elves at TikTok and a year’s worth of products struggle from the company.
Gregg, Monroe and O’Brien revealed the three winners via TikTok’s Duets feature.
Available for viewing through @elfyeah, Eyes. Lips. Famous. records the three winners taking part in a virtual beauty camp where they get advice, feedback and tips from the three influencers and other experts, and participate in weekly challenges from each influencer.
Other brands were added to the mix, such as the challenge for the three competitors to “show off their Dunkin ‘inspired looks,” which began on September 29, National Dunkin’ Day.
“Targeting other brands that do well on the platform will bring more eyes,” said Budhraja.
The final challenge is October 16th. The participation of the TikTok community is possible until October 23rd.
“This is the new television for so many people. It’s almost like playing the lottery every time you make a video. It creates a culture of, “I want to get things out of there; It could be a hit, ”said Geoffrey Goldberg, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Movers + Shakers.
Horowitz added, “So many people want TikTok to be famous.”
Elf and Movers + Shakers are no strangers to innovation at TikTok, as we are about a year away from the TikTok challenge Eyes.Lips.Face, which the Elf actually stands for.
“Elf loves doing things new and different when it’s really a natural part of the conversation that’s already happening with its consumers,” Goldberg said.
Not only did Eyes.Lips.Face spark a move by other brands to focus on creating unique content and approaches for TikTok, it also led the original music of the full-length title track from the initiative to number 4 on Spotify streaming rose charts and Republic Records deals for the artists behind the track, Ill Wayno and Holla FyeSixWun.
“Our entry into TikTok last year was definitely no accident,” said Budhraja. “We followed the data and saw where Generation Z was playing. All of the campaigns we have started are based on insights and what we stand for as a brand. “
Kory Marchisotto, Elf’s Chief Marketing Officer, said in an interview with Adweek that led to her participation in the Brandweek Masters Live event last month: “The start of a campaign with over 6 billion views is indeed exciting. Which technologies are imminent? And how are we going to use them to trigger more lightning in a bottle? “


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RUTH SUNDERLAND: Unilever bid for GSK's consumer division doesn't look compelling, but at least it has distracted attention from corporate wokery
- Shareholders have been piling pressure on Alan Jope for better performance
- £50bn looks like a lowball offer for the GSK business
- Jope's coffers don't run to an all-cash offer, so £8bn would be in Unilever shares
Turns out Unilever boss Alan Jope has had more on his mind than politically-correct stock cubes.
Namely, one of the biggest deals ever contemplated on the London stock market: a £50billion bid for drugs giant GSK's consumer health division.
Shareholders – including Terry Smith, who last week criticised Unilever for its woke obsessions – have been piling pressure on Jope for better performance.
Few had expected a move anywhere near this audacious from Jope, who has been an underwhelming steward of the £100billion business since 2019. Over at GSK, Emma Walmsley might have a smidgen of empathy, given she has a troublesome shareholder of her own in activist investor Elliott.
She is in the process of spinning off the consumer business, just under a third of which is owned by Pfizer, and floating it as a separate stock market company.
The idea is that GSK, once it has got rid of its Polident false teeth cleaner, Tums and Chapsticks, can concentrate its energies purely on cutting-edge pharma. The logic from Unilever's side is that with its expertise at marketing and building brands, it can squeeze out better returns from GSK's consumer health products.
Great thinking: and probably why GSK has hired Sir Dave Lewis, who spent much of his career at Unilever before turning round Tesco's fortunes, as chairman of the consumer business.
What would be in it for GSK shareholders? In theory, a quicker exit with a chunk of cash. But it's not that simple. Walmsley is right to reject Jope's overtures. Although £50billion is a lot of money, it nonetheless looks like a lowball offer for the GSK business, which is valued in the market at around £45billion, with sales of £9.6billion last year and the prospect of organic sales growth of 4-6 per cent.
It is not clear, though, whether Unilever, which has made three approaches, can afford to pay much more. In fact, it looks like quite a stretch already.
Jope's coffers don't run to an all-cash offer, so around £8billion would be in dreary old Unilever shares. He would also have to make £10billion of disposals.
Both those figures would rise if the offer was hiked.
HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP
Then there is the execution risk. To win the City's backing for such a deal requires a lot of trust in the top team. It is not clear whether Jope can command that level of faith.
Terry Smith didn't want to give a view yesterday but this is a deal that might have Unilever shareholders reaching for the Panadol. For GSK investors, a sale may result in a quicker and more certain return than the proposed float. Indeed the Elliott agitators have been urging Walmsley to look at a sell-off as an alternative to the listing.
Under her plan, the GSK pharma business would keep 20 per cent of its stake in the consumer division and offload it gradually. In the meanwhile, the hope is that GSK shareholders will benefit from the growth generated from the consumer health brands.
So its shareholders must decide whether they would prefer that, as opposed to taking cash and Unilever shares.
Walmsley is planning to shift a chunk of debt to the consumer health business, which will pay the pharma side an £8billion dividend at the float.
In a sale, by contrast, shareholders might demand a return of capital from the proceeds that would leave GSK with less to invest in the drugs of the future.
Unilever's offer does not look compelling, though no doubt the publicity will flush out rivals with deeper pockets.
If nothing else, it has distracted attention from corporate wokery.
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.
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Other automakers, such as Honda and GM, have partnered to accelerate their release of EVs. Some companies have committed to phasing out gas-powered vehicles completely.
With so many automakers making similar announcements, it may seem surprising that one of the first companies to release an electric car is lagging behind.
Toyotareleased its Prius hybrid in 1997, but it seems that the automaker hasn't done much since in terms of electrification.
Toyota has been accused of trying to slow EV adoption
Toyota was one of the first automakers to start moving toward EVs, but they’re now lobbying against legislation that would push consumers toward electric cars.
The Verge, top Toyota executives have met with U.S. congressional leaders to lobby against the Biden administration's plans to incentivize the sale of EVs. They have also met with lobbying groups in Washington, DC, and argued against the California Compromise.
The California Compromise allows individual states to set emissions standards of their own.
California has a tougher standardthan most states. The Trump administration tried to strip states of that power, but the Biden administration reversed the rule. This means that automakers have to meet the strictest state-level standards to sell across the U.S.
Toyota has also argued against EV-friendly policies in India and Japan.
Why is Toyota lobbying against EVs?
Toyota's CEO, Akio Toyoda, has called electric vehicles "overhyped," according to The Verge. Toyoda said that the
emissions from power plantscancel out any good done by EVs.
Toyota was one of the Republican Party's biggest corporate donors in 2020. The company has sided with the Trump administration on issues related to EVs and emissions.
The automaker also believes that federal and state incentives should include hybrids and
hydrogen fuel cell technology. Hybrid vehicles can be an important starting point for consumers looking to switch to EVs.
But, it might just boil down to the fact that Toyota has fallen behind in the EV game.
Toyota is behind other automakers in the shift to electric
It might be a shock that Toyota has fallen behind since they were the first to introduce anything like an EV. Before Tesla, Toyota had the Prius hybrid, which proved that alternative powertrains could be viable. Toyota paved the way for Tesla, which now dominates the industry.
While Toyota has plans to release battery-electric and hybrid models by 2025, they are far behind the competition. Several automakers have already released fully electric cars. GM, another legacy automaker, has the Chevy Bolt EV.
If Toyota wants to stay relevant in the auto industry, they have to catch up; either by investing more in EVs or hydrogen fuel cell technology.
If you want to save money on a new EV, you can use
Jerryto compare rates from top insurance companies. The app will gather competitive quotes for the policy that’s best for you. Use Jerry to make sure you’re not overpaying for coverage on any vehicle.


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MarTech Minute: Salesforce rolls out new commerce tools, Adobe adds Predictive Audiences
A quick round up of the latest marketing technology news and announcements.
Our MarTech Minute briefs first appear in the MarTech Today daily newsletter. Click here to subscribe so that you can start your day “in the know” for all things martech-related.
Salesforce adds commerce cloud templates for the COVID-19 era
CRM leader Salesforce this week unveiled several enhancements to its commerce cloud. The new features give customers the ability to stand up ecommerce sites quickly that respond to the current disruption in how consumers are accessing products.
For example, “Quick Start Commerce for Grocery and Food Service enables businesses like grocery, food service and quick serve restaurants to go from ‘clicks to curb’ by building new commerce sites fast, and allowing customers to buy online and pick up curbside,” the company said in the announcement.
In addition to the grocery and food service template, Salesforce also unveiled solutions for retailers who sell essential goods (toilet paper, sanitizer, masks, etc.), retailers who need a solution for buy online and pick up in store, and lastly one exclusively for B2B retailers.
Why we care. Obviously this kind of product evolution in the wake of such a disruptive event is interesting and carries a lot of impact for those retailers. And there’s no telling how things like curbside pickup are going to persist. But most of all, it’s interesting to see Salesforce evolve its commerce cloud as it is directly in competition with Shopify, which has a lot of momentum right now.
Adobe adds a new Predictive Audiences feature to Audience Manager
Adobe has launched a new Predictive Audiences solution as part of its Audience Manager platform. According to the company, Predictive Audiences give marketers personalization at scale while still keeping user choice and control in place. Powered by AI and machine learning, the new feature allows marketers to classify unknown groups of people who have visited a brand’s website but have yet to be categorized into a segment or distinct persona.
Why we care: Personalization is a difficult task to master at the moment. Marketers are dealing with a mess of ID resolution information combined with a loss of cookie data, in addition to the massive shifts in consumer behavior that has happened across industries during the last three months. Adobe says its new feature can match an unclassified user’s propensities against an existing segment in real-time and predict which persona the user would most likely belong to. The tool adds new opportunities for personalization — something a lot of marketers would welcome right about now.
Quora pulls back the veil on its data with Socialgist partnership
Quora is partnering with the integration platform Socialgist to deliver data products built on insights gleaned from millions of questions asked on Quora monthly. “The partnership ensures important insights are available to enterprise-level clients who seek to more thoroughly understand and engage with Quora’s highly active community,” according to the announcement. This is the first time Quora’s data is being made available via a third party platform through its API. The available data will include enterprise-level real-time insights across various verticals, including B2B, tech, SaaS, finance, education, job and careers.
Why we care: With so much uncertainty right now, most of us feel as if we are stumbling around in the dark, trying to determine what our strategy will look like in the coming months. Having access to Quora’s business insights — data pulled from the more than 300 million visitors that come to the site every month to ask questions — could be a flashlight for many marketers currently in the dark.
When weather forecasts meet Marketo
If you haven’t thought about how (or why) you would want to use weather forecast data in your Marketo campaigns, here’s a compelling reason:
“In today’s current events that are dominated by Stay at Home orders, one of the few areas of your in-person marketing program remains outdoor activities. Ask anyone in the restaurant industry these days how important drive-thru or takeout business is these days,” writes The Conversion Store Owner Michale Tucker.
Tucker outlined all of the steps you can take from writing a webhook to pull in weather data to creating an operational program and leveraging in a campaign.
Why we care. While Ryan Phelan’s note above about adjusting your messaging is one component of being nimble marketers during this crisis, there is also the need to leverage our martech tools to make smart changes as well. Marketing automation platforms are the heart of a marketing org, so we love any insider tips that help us add new capabilities.
TikTok is gearing up to make its first big pitch to advertisers
On June 25, TikTok will be making its first-ever debut at the IAB NewFronts – an annual series of media and advertiser presentations driven by the likes of Twitter, YouTube, Hulu, Verizon Media, and others. At this year’s event (which will take place virtually), TikTok will showcase its mobile video platform and likely have a significant announcement or two about its ad business.
Why we care: This is a big deal for a few reasons: presenting at NewFronts is another signal that TikTok is capable of playing in the big leagues with social giants like Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. And of course, there’s TikTok’s ad business, which advertisers have been watching quietly unfold as TikTok tests features and benefits to attract brands. It introduced a self-serve ad product in 2019, which garnered enthusiasm from the brands who were first to test it out. But despite growth in ad revenue, TikTok’s ad platform is still in beta testing and lacks some of the more robust targeting options and programmatic features for automatically buying and measuring ads. Here’s to hoping for a better solution soon.
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


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Stuff the Front and EatsBC want to feed frontline workers through the pandemic
Angela Collete could see first hand the strain of the coronavirus pandemic on the community.
As a paramedic, Collete knew that the healthcare industry was being pushed to the breaking point. She also knew that local restaurants were having a hard time due to the mandatory shutdowns.
She wanted to help, so she got in touch with EatsBC, the locally-focused food delivery service in Battle Creek, and Stuff the Front was born.
Stuff the Front is a campaign to deliver food to frontline workers in the Battle Creek area every Wednesday.
Community donations pay for the food. Then, EatsBC coordinates with a local restaurant to deliver meals to frontline workers.
Now in their fourth week, Stuff the Front has delivered close to 200 meals to emergency room nurses at Bronson Battle Creek, LifeCare EMS, caretakers at Lakeview Assisted Living and Battle Creek Transit workers.
Showing community support
Collete credits her partner with the original idea for the campaign.
When Collete got sick with the virus in the early days of the pandemic, she was unable to work with her friends on the frontlines. She wanted to do something to help, so her partner suggested they raise money to buy and deliver meals from local restaurants.
They started a GoFund Me campaign, but after a month, they had only raised about $100. That's when Collette saw a Facebook ad for EatsBC.
"We talked with them, and they just took it and they ran with it," said Collete, who is now a co-founder of Stuff the Front.
The delivery service was eager to help with the idea, said Jon Galbreath, IT consultant, co-creator of EatsBC and co-founder of Stuff the Front.
"These are all people that have never gotten furloughed and have been out there working hard for us," Galbreath said. "It just does mean a lot to me to be able to show them that we as a community appreciate them."
'It's nice to get recognition'
Transit workers often pack a lunch to take with them on the road, but on Wednesday, drivers came into the transit office to collect a hot meal from Island Style BBQ.
The packaged, Caribbean-style meals were set up on a table and ready to go so drivers could grab them when their schedule allowed. Three different meal times were available so all shifts could have hot food.
"It means a lot to us," said Transit Director Mallory Avis. "I feel like a lot of times, transit is kind of forgotten as a frontline worker, and we acknowledge that there's health care workers and police, and fire ... but it's nice to get recognition for our staff as well."
Transit service in Battle Creek has continued throughout the pandemic. On average, 1,300 people use city transportation services to get around every day.
Program also focuses on local restaurants
In addition to showing community support to frontline workers like the transit team, Stuff the Front is providing a boost to local restaurants who have been hit hard by the pandemic.
"We wanted to go with a three-prong approach: working with the community, working with the restaurants and feeding our frontliners that so desperately need ... one thing not to worry about for the day," said Steven Pignataro, co-creator of EatsBC and co-founder of Stuff the Front.
EatsBC launched in June as a delivery service for local restaurants, charging restaurants less than other delivery services.
Just over six months later, EatsBC has partnered with 25 local restaurants, employs 14 people and has generated over $250,000 of business, Galbreath said.
The EatsBC team is hoping to expand its model to other communities like Battle Creek through a corporation called YourTown Eats.
"This is not a short-term fix for a problem. I think this is going to be more into the new normal where people are going to be wanting to do a lot of takeout and home delivery," Galbreath said.
Setting their sights high
While continuing to expand EatsBC, the team is working to expand Stuff the Front.
During the next three weeks, Stuff the Front is working to raise $4,000 so they can feed the entire staff at Grace Health.
"They're the ones that have really, if you look at it, have been there since the beginning, doing everything for the community," Pignataro said.
The donation drive for Grace Health will be Stuff the Front's biggest challenge yet, so Pignataro, who was formerly an illusionist, has promised to put on an escape-attempt show in the parking lot for employees if they are successful.
"Not only are we raising money, but we're also ... providing good quality entertainment," he said.
As long as there's a need to support frontline workers during the pandemic, Stuff the Front will continue to deliver food to them, Pignataro said. The team hopes that the idea will even catch on at a national level.
"Frontliners have done a lot for us," he said. "So we want to do a lot for them."
Those who would like to donate to Stuff the Front can contribute online at stuffthefront.eatsbc.com.
Contact reporter Elena Durnbaugh at (269) 243-5938 or email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ElenaDurnbaugh.


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3SL receives a brand new Dell Laptop from the Ministry of Business Development for been part of best 20 ideas that are helping to transform the lives of people in Ghana, in the quest of building a better World.
3SL’s Executive President, Isaac Kwaku Essien on July 11, 2019 received the honor on behalf of the 3SL.
The 3SL is committed to helping develop Deaf Culture in Ghana and beyond.
The management of the 3SL Group would like to use this opportunity to appreciate the efforts of their board of trustees, patrons, facilitors, students and fans for been there for them always.
A report on the Ministry of Business Developments website says;
The Ministry of Business Development (MoBD) has today 11th July, 2019 in Accra launched the ‘Season Two’ of its flagship initiative The Presidential Pitch Competition which is aimed at realizing government’s ambition of helping to unleash an entrepreneurial revolution in the country.
The project is in line with the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s, vision of assisting young entrepreneurs to incubate their business ideas and improve livelihoods.
Speaking at the launch, the sector Minister Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal said, Ghana as a nation has a largely youthful population with over 200,000 graduates.
Out of this number, only 10% of them are employed into the public sector with the rest struggling to get a job, a situation which according to the Minister is alarming.
“The President therefore decided that entrepreneurship is the way out to solve youth unemployment and that’s why he created this ministry. Our mandate is to deepen entrepreneurship culture and build entrepreneurs out of young people”, Dr. Awal disclosed.
He said, the Presidential Pitch competition is another initiative by the current administration to curb unemployment rate in the country by supporting young entrepreneurs with funding for free.
Dr. Awal urged Ghanaian entrepreneurs below 35 years irrespective of ones educational background to apply for the competition and be assured of Government and his Ministry’s support with funds when selected.
“The only way we can tap into this big market and opportunity is to prepare our young people to be entrepreneurs so that their products will not only meet local requirements but global standards; hence the idea of presidential pitch ”, he added.
This year’s competition will take place on the 16th August, 2019. Entrepreneurs are to log on into the Ministry’s website at www.mobd.gov.gh and fill in the application form latest by 25th of July, 2019.
Five out of ten runner-ups from last year’s competition were presented with laptops as a fulfillment of the promise made to them.
With about 2,000 applications received last year, 20 proposals were selected at the end of the process, with the 20 successful applicants given mentors and attached to various businesses, and with the others stationed at the Ministry of Business Development’s incubator hubs.
3SL….in our hands!


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NAUGATUCK — Jason Morse has been growing things since he was about 5 years old, at his childhood home in Cheshire and on a larger plot of land in Maine.
Now 41 and living on General Patton Drive, he says life has taught him a thing or two about how food should be produced.
“We kind of need to come a little more full circle and go backwards a little bit,” Morse said. “You can do all this stuff naturally. You don’t need chemicals.”
With that in mind, Morse and his family began making hot sauces a few years ago using organic fertilizer and organic pepper seeds, grown in their borough garden. Almost exactly year ago, Morse turned his hobby into a business, selling three types of hot sauce and a Bloody Mary mix under the name Swamp Yankee Products.
Morse is a woodworker by day for Accolade Furniture in Wallingford, but his goal is to expand Swamp Yankee Products until it can be run from a self-sufficient farm with a subcontracted bottling facility and more products, including his wife Caroline’s baked goods.
“It’s not an easy thing to do, but we’re committed to it and we’ll make it work somehow,” Morse said. “I would like to reach the point where I could do it full-time, and that’s a huge leap of faith.”
The project is a way to teach his daughters, 7-year-old Evelyn and 4-year-old Eloise, to plant, weed and harvest organically. Doing things the natural way, however, can be more expensive, and the hot sauces include some non-organic ingredients such as distilled vinegar.
Morse said he sank at least $5,000 into equipment last year, including fertilizer and irrigation systems and environmentally friendly “smart pots” made of semi-permeable fabric to self-prune the plants’ roots. After last year’s storms damaged his garden, he produced about 28 gallons of hot sauce and more than 50 gallons of Bloody Mary mix, boxed into wooden crates that Morse makes himself.
As small business owners, the Morses pay sales and corporate taxes. They lease kitchen space from a friend’s state-inspected New Haven restaurant to bottle their mixtures, and make sure to follow labeling laws, which require them to send the products to state laboratories for nutrition information. If the company expands, Morse said, he will have to set up his own bottling facility subject to state regulations or, if money permits, hire a subcontractor who would be responsible for following the laws.
The company lost about $2,000 last year, Morse said, but he will not have to invest in all the same equipment again and is making an effort to sell in more places, including the borough’s farmers market.
“I think people have to start looking locally for everything,” Caroline Morse said. “I think we have to get back to a sense of community.”


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APS fetches new record in 2012 pet food drive
The year 2012 stands as high-water mark for the Friday Harbor Animal Protection Society's annual Valentines Day Community Pet Food Drive: 1,200 pounds.
That's a cache of more than half a ton of pet food that will be handed over to the Friday Harbor Food Bank to distribute to families in need, and it surpasses last year's mark, 700 pounds, by a total of 500 pounds.
That's something' to "howl" about.
“It is positively humbling to see how committed our San Juan Island Community is to the betterment of the lives of people and pets,” said Leslie Byron, APS director and fundraising coordinator of the 2012 drive. "Their level of passion is what allows the APSFH to accomplish as much as we do.”
The annual pet food drive began Valentine's Day and ended two weeks later, Feb. 28, in conjunction with APS's 4th annual "Spay-ghetti" Dinner, a fundraiser and outreach event for its spay-and-neuter programs.
Byron said APS has seen an increase in the number of dogs and cats surrendered as a result of the economic downturn, along with a rise in demand at the Food Bank.
“We are trying to keep families together and happy pets in their homes.” she said.
On the final day of the drive, Windermere San Juan Island's agents and brokers helped to push this year's event to a new plateau, contributing a 575-pound mix of cash, checks and pet food to the 600-or-so-pound total that had been collected until that time.
“Being in the business of homes, with 99.9 percent of our office pet lovers and our commitment to community, it was only natural we step up and help the APSFH reach its goal of 1,000 pounds.” Windermere Broker Gary Franklin said of the group's participation in this year's drive.
Businesses that served as collection points for APS's 2012 Pet Food Driver are: Islander’s Bank, Whidbey Island Bank, Friday Harbor Pet Supply, The Barking Bird, Island’s Veterinary, Harbor Vet and Friday Harbor Market Place.
For info about Friday Harbor APS or its animal shelter, (360) 378-2158, or go to www.apsfh.org.


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Colonial recently announced a buyback offer of up to 300 million euros for the holders of its debt issues with maturities in 2023 and 2024. The offer was launched for the holders of the 500 million euros and 600 million euros bonds with coupons of 2.728% and 1.45%, and maturities in June 2023 and October 2024, respectively.
In this way, the Socimi has informed the CNMV that “it intends to accept for purchase 193.8 million euros of the principal amount of the 2023 bonds and 106.7 million euros of the principal amount of the 2024 bonds, in each case in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Offer”. In total, it will repurchase 300.5 million euros of debt. It has also announced that there will be no pro-rating for the 2023 bonds.
Read the full article in Spanish.


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EU Regulators Could Fine Microsoft for Failing to Comply with 2009 Browser Ruling
September 27, 2012 8:54 AM
comment(s) - last by
Microsoft previously admitted to not offering users a choice in browsers for Windows 7
Microsoft is been in hot water more than once over its practices of bundling browsers with its Windows operating system. Several years ago, EU regulators forced Microsoft to go to a ballot screen that allowed people more clarity in their choice for browsers. More recently, Microsoft has found itself under fire for changes to the browser ballot screen in Windows 7 and could face additional fines.
EU regulators announced today that they are preparing to charge Microsoft for failing to comply with the 2009 ruling.
"The next step is to open a formal proceeding into the company's breach of an agreement. We are working on this," EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia told reporters.
"It should not be a long investigation because the company itself explicitly recognized its breach of the agreement."
in July; marking the first time Microsoft had failed to meet commitments under the EU antitrust ruling against it. Microsoft faces massive fines of up to 10% of its global turnover reports
. Surprisingly, Microsoft admitted that it did not offer users a choice of browsers in Windows 7.
Microsoft may not be the only major technology firm in hot water with EU regulators. Almunia has also warned Google that it faces problems if it doesn't do more to address allegations that it may have undermined its competitors in the search market.
"If remedies offered by Google can eliminate our concerns, we will succeed in reaching an agreement. Otherwise, the legal road is a long one," Almunia said.
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
9/28/2012 12:27:20 PM
Your first mistake was thinking Microsoft is somehow "wronging the world" with IE. Did they WTFPWN Netscape? Yes. Why? Because Netscape wanted to charge you for a browser and Microsoft threw one in for free that was "good enough". Fast forward and Firefox produced a free browser and gained market share, Chrome has done the same thing.
Really the issue now is why do people prefer free products that are "good enough" over better products that cost money? BECAUSE IT'S FREE!
This whole Browser and Media Player nonsense in the EU is just a perfect example of how screwed up these "regulators" are. If any of them had a shred of modern education in the STEM fields they wouldn't be able to take themselves seriously. Instead we're stuck with a bunch of old timers with "legal" degrees who have no business dictating anything in the technology field.
I hope I live to see a day when Lawyers are cast down from society and not taken seriously. When I think lawyer, I think Bozo the clown.
"I mean, if you wanna break down someone's door, why don't you start with AT&T, for God sakes? They make your amazing phone unusable as a phone!" -- Jon Stewart on Apple and the iPhone
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The Nokia World 2012 will take place on September 25-26th, at the Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre. Event web site is up already: http://www.nokia.com/global/about-nokia/nokiaworld/
"This year’s Nokia World is going to be extra special, because it will be held on Nokia’s very own home turf in Helsinki, Finland, on September 25-26.
Arranged since 2006, Nokia World brings together thousands of visitors, including journalists, analysts, operators, developers, partners and, of course, Nokia employees.
The speakers are crème de la crème of the mobile world: Nokia’s leaders, experts, partners and other stakeholders.
This is the very first time Nokia World is arranged in Finland. The timing could not be better, since Helsinki has the privilege to bedesignated as the World Design Capital for 2012. Nokia is one of the WDC 2012 partners, so it’s a natural way for Nokia to talk about its latest innovations."
It's going to be interesting for sure.


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SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Levi’s® brand has a long history of supporting authentic self-expression and social causes that define our times – and with midterms around the corner, we’ve harnessed the power of our brand’s voice to increase voter awareness and turnout on Election Day. Through a comprehensive VOTE campaign spanning TV, digital, social, limited-edition product, non-profit partnerships and influencer and employee engagement, we are sending the message to our fans – get informed, get involved, get registered and get out to vote this fall. Your vote is the ultimate expression of your voice. So use it.
The campaign kicks off with a national television campaign (preview here) showcasing people from around the world united by one common theme: using their voice, casting their ballots and participating in their right to stand up and advocate for what they care about – powerfully set to the lyrics of Aretha Franklin’s “Think.”
“Levi’s is all about authentic self-expression. And there is no purer form of self-expression than voting. It is the ultimate use of one’s voice, one’s freedom. And we felt it was imperative to remind Americans this fall to use that right, to not ever take it for granted,” said Jen Sey, Chief Marketing Officer, LS&Co. Global Brands.
The Levi’s® brand is partnering with other companies and national organizations that are working to ensure that eligible voters can exercise their right to vote on November 6.
IN-STORE: The Levi’s® brand has teamed up with Rock the Vote to help potential voters check their registration status, register to vote and sign up for Election Day reminders. Levi’s® is also offering in-store voter registration stations in select stores and selling limited edition tees with “VOTE” emblazoned across the front to support voter awareness and turnout. Levi’s® is donating to Rock the Vote to support their efforts to ensure everyone can exercise their right to vote on Election Day. The tee retails for $25 in-store and online. Visit levi.com/itsyourvote for more information.
INDUSTRY-WIDE: Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) is joining forces with companies across the United States in a nonpartisan CEO Challenge called the “Time to Vote Campaign,” pledging to give employees paid time off to vote on Election Day. LS&Co. President and CEO Chip Bergh has embarked on a mission to help lead the charge with other corporate leaders to empower their employees to get involved, get registered and get out the vote.
COMPANY-WIDE: Across the U.S., Levi Strauss & Co. employees have been checking their status and registering to vote via Rock the Vote. Employees have also been in their communities, volunteering to register others through a partnership with HeadCount, signing up eligible voters at concerts and music festivals.
What can everyone do? Get out and VOTE. It’s your voice. It’s your vote. Use it. #RocktheVote #TimeToVote
For more information, contact:
Laren Parker | US Public Relations, Levi’s®| firstname.lastname@example.org
Amber McCasland | Levi Strauss & Co.| email@example.com
The Levi’s® brand epitomizes classic American style and effortless cool. Since their invention by Levi Strauss & Co. in 1873, Levi’s® jeans have become the most recognizable and imitated clothing in the world – capturing the imagination and loyalty of people for generations. Today, the Levi’s® brand portfolio continues to evolve through a relentless pioneering and innovative spirit that is unparalleled in the apparel industry. Our range of leading jeanswear and accessories are available in more than 110 countries, allowing individuals around the world to express their personal style. For more information about the Levi’s® brand, its products and stores, please visit levi.com.
ABOUT LEVI STRAUSS & CO.
Levi Strauss & Co. is one of the world's largest brand-name apparel companies and a global leader in jeanswear. The company designs and markets jeans, casual wear and related accessories for men, women and children under the Levi's®, Dockers®, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co.™ and Denizen® brands. Its products are sold in more than 110 countries worldwide through a combination of chain retailers, department stores, online sites, and a global footprint of approximately 2,900 retail stores and shop-in-shops. Levi Strauss & Co.'s reported fiscal 2017 net revenues were $4.9 billion. For more information, go to http://levistrauss.com.
Laren Parker US Public Relations, Levi’s® firstname.lastname@example.org Amber McCasland Levi Strauss & Co. email@example.com


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Once a week, PointBlank brings you what’s new and what’s important in the world of franchise.
Turn Social Media Fans Into Marketers
Justin Holmerud of Starwood Hotels has an intriguing idea for driving sales. It involves turning customers into advocates for your brand, which is brilliant no matter how you slice it. The question, of course, is how.
At a recent conference, Holmerud said that 36 percent of those who use social media buy more from hotels, which isn’t a huge figure but is a significant one. He believes it could be a lot higher if hotels could take advantage of consumers by converting them into evangelists.
How can you do that? Engagement, in a word. If you blow your customers away with quality service and follow up with them after they stay, you can turn them into word-of-mouth bards, singing the virtues of your company all over the land and having them create new customers for you. Don’t miss the chance to do that.
Doubts About White House Job Bill
It’s not surprising that President Barack Obama’s proposed jobs bill isn’t exactly sweeping the nation. While there are worthwhile initiatives in there, it’s still relatively modest in scope, and Washington in general isn’t the most popular place amongst small businesses right now.
The head of the International Franchise Association liked the speech, but has some doubts:
(Jack) Earle said the speech didn’t address serious issues that concern his members.
“First and foremost, access to credit,” said the business leader who has owned McDonald’s franchises for 28 years. “We have franchisees who can’t access credit to grow their brand.”
The uncertainty about health care reform and tax rates are also issues, he said.
“Costs with the employer-mandate provision in the health care law … uncertainty regarding the future of tax rates beyond 2012 … are crippling the ability for franchised small-business owners like myself to create jobs.” Earle said.
The article goes on to note that there’s justifiable doubts about how the bill will proceed, given recent gridlock on Capitol Hill. That faint sound you hear is my optimism evaporating.
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CES is almost upon us, but a few companies aren't waiting to make announcements. HP just unveiled two new Chromebooks, one 11-inch and one 13-inch, targeted towards the educational market. The company also announced the Chromebox G2, a successor to the 2014 HP Chromebox. Read More
Given that not all displays are equal—IPS is better than TN, HDR is better than non-HDR, some people prefer LCD, others prefer OLED—a certification system for what displays can do seems overdue. The display standards body VESA has (at least partially) filled that void with the newly-announced DisplayHDR standard, which defines the abilities of display panels used in notebook PCs and monitors for desktop PCs. Read More
It has been a slow journey, but Google has been hard at work giving more Chromebooks access to Android app support. The Play Store arrived on 17 more Chromebooks last month, and now Google has added a few more to the growing list. Read More
It's taking a while, but Google is delivering on its promise to add the Play Store to all Chromebooks made in 2017 and beyond. Over a dozen models received Android app support this summer, but only in the Chrome OS Beta Channel. Three more models now have the Play Store in Chrome OS Stable, meaning owners don't have to switch to a less-stable version of Chrome OS to use Android apps. Read More
Google promised that all Chromebooks shipped in 2017 and beyond would support Android apps, but the company has been a bit slow to deliver on that claim. However, Google has just updated its list of Chrome OS devices compatible with the Play Store, and a whopping 16 more devices can now run Android apps officially. Read More
The vast majority of Chromebooks are still lacking Android app support. Over 80 models are listed as 'Planned' to receive the feature on the Chromium Wiki, with 14 devices currently supporting it to some degree. A few new Chromebooks have hit the market over the past month with the Play Store included, at least when using the Beta channel for Chrome OS. Read More
Today HP announced its latest Chromebook model update, this time with a budget focus. The Chromebook 11 G5 will, most notably, run Android apps and will cost just $189. Another headlining feature of the new laptop is its claimed 12.5 hours of battery life, which is top shelf in general and quite good for a laptop that costs considerably less than most of the phones our readers have. An optional touchscreen, which will increase the price by an unspecified amount, will make Android apps even more usable at the cost of just one hour of battery life.
For those who are reluctant to make the jump to Chrome OS, both Google and HP hope that Android app compatibility will ease your fears. Read More
So far HP's Android tablets have been somewhat unremarkable, with the arguable exception of the Pro Slate series. Despite a lukewarm response from consumers and retailers, it looks like the company is ready to release at least one more model. A new tablet called the HP 10 G2 has been hanging out with both the FCC and the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, and spotted by Liliputing. Based on the "10 G2" name and photos, it looks like a relatively low-cost follow-up to the original HP 10.
Specs are sparse, but we do know it uses a MediaTek MT8127A 1.5GHz quad-core processor, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Read More
You don't usually think of HP as a company that makes desirable Android tablets. And in fact, when you go to the HP site and peruse the tablet section, you'd be proven right. However, tucked away in the business-oriented side of the site are some devices that might qualify as lust-worthy for certain Android fans.
One such device is the HP Pro Slate 8, which was announced back in January and was released late this spring. It's basically an iPad Mini running Android, plus a screaming ultrasonic pen. That sounds more awesome than it is. Read More
HP has just announced a pair of new business-oriented Android tablets, the Slate Pro 8 and 12. These devices have high-resolution 4:3 screens and come with a smart digital pen powered by Qualcomm technology. These are niche products, but also rather neat.


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Just like Netflix's Lust Stories, Amazon Prime Video is now coming up with a series of short films. Five directors have collaborated to come up with different stories. Karthick Subburaj, Gautham Menon, Sudha Kongara, Rajiv Menon, and Suhasini Maniratnam collaborated to bring the project to the audiences. Amazon Prime Video has geared up to make the announcement of the project.
Since the announcement is going to come up, Amazon Prime Video started the promotions of the same. "mention 5 directors you think should make a short film series in Tamil" read a tweet from their official handle to which a lot of actors are coming up with replies.
Actors like Ritu Varma, Andrea, Kalyani Priyadarshan and others are coming up with their choice of filmmakers for the same.
Keep watching the space for the official announcement on the project.


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Former Credit Suisse UK retail sales director Mark Thomas is to join River & Mercantile as a partner and managing director of the retail business.
Thomas' main responsibility will be to develop the firm's retail business including building relationships with intermediaries, distributors and fund platforms.
Further hires on the sales side of the firm are expected.
Other recent recruits to River & Mercantile include fund managers Hugh Sergeant and Richard Staveley from SGAM, Julian Cripps from Barclays, Andrew Bollon from North Lord Street and Adam Hayes Newington, who previously worked at Liontrust with River & Mercantile founder James Barham.
Dan Hanbury, formally the manager of the £106.8m Investec UK Smaller Companies and £30.5m UK Alpha fund, will run a core multi-cap fund for the group. Investec has appointed Philip Rodrigs as Hanbury's replacement on the UK Smaller Companies Fund. Rodrigs has been working on the fund alongside Hanbury since joining the Investec UK Equity team in 2005.
Credit Suisse senior management are looking at replacement options for both Thomas and managing director Ian Chimes, who leaves the firm on Friday.
Chimes' departure coincides with a shake-up that has seen Mark Burgess, until now global head of equities, take on the role of vice-chairman and head of asset management for the EMEA regions. Several broker support team members have also left the company in recent weeks.
Having spent 13 years at Credit Suisse, Chimes said he is not moving on to another position immediately.
Staying invested could prove lucrative
Consider lasting powers of attorney
Less environment, more governance threatens to undermine firms' green credentials
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MIDEM director Alexandre Deniot has told Music Week that the digital edition of the music conference can help the industry emerge from the Covid-19 crisis
MIDEM was due to take place in Cannes on June 2-5, but was cancelled for the first time in its 53-year history as a result of the global pandemic.
Organisers responded by launching the MIDEM Digital Edition on the same dates. The online version will feature livestreamed and on-demand keynote sessions, talks and presentations.
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Peru: Camposol to become fresh produce multinational
For the largest fresh produce exporter in Peru, Camposol's office in Lima's La Victoria district is surprisingly nondescript. But behind the thick walls and lack of signage it's executive team is planning what is set to become Peru's first multinational fruit and vegetable company, with plans to reach annual revenues of US$500 million in five years time. Commercial manager Jose Antonio Gomez tells www.freshfruitportal.com about the inspiration of a business that provides employment across the Peruvian countryside and is fast making a name for itself as an international produce power.
Gomez was Chiquita general manager for the U.S. Southeast until he joined the Camposol team two months ago, returning to his homeland during an important transition period for both Peru and the company.
"I think we are in a transformation phase where we are going to become a multinational company, where we are going to not only take product from Peru, but also from fields in other countries," he says.
"We are going to integrate ourselves a little bit more into the market by putting up commercial offices. Right now we have one commercial office in the Netherlands and that office has been there for 2.5 years, we are soon to open a new office in the US, and most likely we will open a new office in Europe and maybe in Asia.
"Our strategy is definitely clear; we are a big player in avocadoes and that's our bet in the future. We are the largest avocado producer in Peru, soon to be the largest in the world, we are going to continue to invest in land in Peru, and we’re trying to widen the window of production as much as we can."
Camposol has a lot of options in terms of how it will widen that window. It currently has 25,000 hectares of land in Peru of which it is using less than a third, so planting in new valleys at different altitudes is on the cards, but expansion abroad will be necessary too; most likely through partnerships or joint ventures.
"That is going to lead us to take some ventures into Mexico to look for a partner and maybe into Chile, just to complete the whole window year round."
Asparagus and the new Camposol brand
The company's other products include asparagus, mangoes, table grapes, piquillo peppers, mandarins and shrimp. Out of these goods Camposol has become perhaps most synonymous with asparagus, which it plans to incorporate into a new preserved branding scheme.
"In most of the cases when we talk about preserve asparagus we do a private label or no label at all. Over the years most importers have taken our products and labelled them themselves with their own brands or supermarket brands," says Gomez.
"We’re working towards integrating a little bit more in distribution and offering the supermarket the option that we will do the private label, but with that we also want to introduce our own brand on the preserve side of the business."
The group already has its own brand for fresh products, but the move into preserve bottled branding will come hand in hand with a direct distribution strategy to supermarkets, especially in Germany. Gomez also expects piquillo peppers and artichokes to be a part of that plan.
With year round production of asparagus Camposol is not planning expansion in the vegetable variety. In fact, in recent years it has cut back land dedicated to green asparagus in the country's north.
"On the green side of the business, we reduced our fields in the past years on the green side because Trujillo might not be the best spot to have green fields of asparagus. The south helps a little bit more with the yield and the weather is a little bit more beneficial, so we are not discounting the possibility of getting into the south.
"As far as white asparagus goes we are not planting any more. We are keeping what we have and we’re trying to optimize the land that we have. We did some renewal of land in the previous years that other players didn’t, so that helped us to get younger plants with higher caliber asparagus, and that's helping us differentiate.
"Most of our production of white is going to preserve. We have a big base of consumers in Spain, and some in Germany and France, which take the majority of the volume of white asparagus."
The early stage commodities
Few would argue that demand for both grapes and easy peelers is booming right now, and Camposol has taken notice.
"We are playing on the grape business, it's big business right now. Last year we were trying to export close to 150 hectares of fruit and this year we have another 290 hectares that are coming, and we are also looking to expand that business - right now we have the majority Red Globes
"Right now we have the majority Red Globes and this year we’re going to export close to 400 containers of them this season. We have a small percentage of Flames and Thompsons, it’s very little, more a test mode now, but definitely we’re going to expand in the seedless business.
"The other part of the business that we have right now that will grow next year is citrus, in the murcott mandarin variety. We already have 150 hectares of that fruit, one third of that was production this year and in the next two years most of that land will be full production, and we do not discard the option of increasing hectares of that particular variety."
Many industry experts believe Peru could become the world leader in capsicum exports if its able to get access to the U.S. market, and Camposol aims to be a part of that success.
"Definitely we are on track to grow the capsicum business, we are looking for new varieties that will adapt to our soils, and we will try to incorporate those varieties in our offer, our preserves, our jar business, but also we’re looking for some fresh exports.
"Right now we’re in a testing phase, we have some land dedicated to testing some varieties, from marron pepper to paprika to jalapeño to different varieties, and depending on results we’re going to expand land.
"That development is quite easy for us because it doesn’t take that long, it takes a few months from planting to harvest, and I think the expansion of that arena is going to be very fast once we find the right variety for the right market."
Putting the brakes on mangoes
The majority of Peru's mango production comes from the northern region of Piura, with production concentrated between late-November and early March.
It sounds enough like a normal season, but Gomez points out the difficulty that arises from an intense peak period around January and February, and the price consequences.
"There is a level of production that the fields yield on those peaks that the market sometimes cannot take as easily as we would like to, therefore price drops to levels where growers lose money.
"So the nature of the business right now is putting a little bit of stop or brake into anyone that is on the business as a grower to develop anything new or different, because cash is compromised. For example, in the past season the yields were incredibly high, super good from that perspective but the returns were terrible.
"That is putting a lot of growers to think about what should we do the next year, should I stay in this business or not, as no one wants to stay in business to lose money."
"But there is an alternative right now. Other businesses are getting around the oversupply of mango in these peaks, and those two businesses are frozen mango and dry mango - they absorb the peaks of production which are normally very high, you can get them for a reasonable price because normally market prices collapse during those times.
"So you can store the product and start drying or freezing, building the inventory for a year-round type of supply. I think the trend is going in that direction - Camposol is working on the frozen business. We do sell frozen mangoes, it’s a business that has been giving us a fairly good return compared to the fresh, and it complements the business, and we may be interested in seeing the dry business as well."
The organic question and a change of heart for artichokes
Gomez says Camposol plans to get back in the game with artichokes having pulled out a few years ago, while the company is considering a push into organic produce, which has been part of the nation's sustainability-based marketing drive.
"We were a very important player on the artichoke business until a few years ago the company decided to step out, and that created the opportunity for other players to step in and take that market, and they have been developing that market.
"It got to the point where this year we made a strategic decision to keep that business, so we’re getting back into business and next year we’re going to be very aggressive.
"I think we can jump onto the Peruvian umbrella brand, especially in the produce business which has been recognized as a different type of agriculture, a sustainable type of agriculture, an organic type of agriculture - there’s a lot of good recognition about our culture that we turned desert land into fields that yield production, that in order to do that we really needed to manage the water usage on those lands."
He says Camposol is not strictly involved in organic production but wants to get involved in the category's opportunities. The business has also taken many steps to avoid chemical usage when it perhaps would have been easier to do so.
"Camposol is very involved in sustainable development and most of our diseases we control with natural methods, for example we have a laboratory in Trujillo with entomologists and they produce or re-produce good insects that go against the bad insects.
"We try to minimize the use of pesticides, fungicides and all the chemicals required to keep the crop healthy by using insects or natural methods of control.
"If you had to choose two organic bananas between Peru and the neighbor country, probably the Peruvian one is going to be more organic than the other, and that’s just because of the natural resource. It’s very difficult to have organic production next to a massive non-organic production, as a lot of diseases can jump from one to the other. In our case we don’t have those massive banana plantations, so therefore it’s easier to grow organic bananas."
Humala and the 'social license'
Concerns were raised when newly-elected president Ollanta Humala discussed nationalization, but he has since softened his tone and spoken more about promoting exports and sharing with the community under the notion of a 'social license'.
Gomez says agriculture is the best industry for bringing the country out of poverty and it's something that inspires him.
"In regions like Trujillo, the area of Chao where we are, where a few years ago there was only sand and rocks, we were able to turn that desert into a place with thousands of hectares of products that provide sustainable jobs for thousands of people.
"When we’re in full production we might have 10,000 people working on our operations. So definitely I believe that’s very congruent, very online with what the president is trying to do.
The company expects between US$150 million and US$170 million in sales this year, but Gomez believes it can increase revenue significantly in the coming years and effectively manage environmental issues.
"We are very busy trying to develop new lands, new opportunities, new business, to grow, to expand. We see our company getting into the US$500 million in the next five years, and then from there growing even further.
"Water is a problem and could it be a worse problem? Yes. Did we manage to optimize the use of water in Peru? We did. Can we do it again? I think we can.
"In the last 10 years we saw a very fast and sustainable growth, and I think the in the next 10 years we could continue to see that if the right incentives are on the table."
Gomez doesn't rule out the possibility of more incentives abroad either, with the potential to expand Camposol's presence from the Lima Stock Exchange to have listings on other bourses too.
"Once we get a little bit more scale we might think about listing the company in other markets - that's defintiely something we've thought about."


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Equipment must meet OEM specifications and structural repairers must follow OEM procedures during quarterly random audits for a shop to qualify for NSF International’s new body shop certification program, the organization and auditor AccuracyDriven4 said Tuesday.
The decision to allow a brand-agnostic equipment option for certifying shops was a controversial one full of “strong” emotion for the panel developing NSF’s certification protocol.
“This was a difficult choice,” Lee said.
The body included Lee; KerenOr Consultants principal Karen Fierst; Scott Krohn, executive vice president of operations for ABRA; AudaWatch Vice President of Strategic Accounts Garry Nelson; Roger Wright, founder of Vector Squared; International Paintless Dent Repair Chief Operating Officer Nick Notte; Automotive Body Parts Association President Jim Smith; and Fix Auto Highlands Ranch supervisor Dan Stander, who is also a Automotive Service Association board member.
NSF also took input from other auto insurance and collision industry figures for what Lee said was the ultimate question of “What makes a good shop?”
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NSF will require a certain baseline set of equipment for each of the four levels of certification: structural, cosmetic (no welding or suspension damage), aluminum structural and aluminum cosmetic. Structural certification includes cosmetic certification, Lee said Tuesday.
During the actual repairs observed in an audit, any shop with a different tool than the exact brand recommended by the OEM for a particular repair must still meet all the specifications of that brand for the shop to keep NSF-certified.
“It’s holistic,” AccuracyDriven4 owner Doug Irish said on the call.
The device’s manufacturer must prove its specs in writing, according to Lee, and auditors “would make sure that documentation was available.”
Lee noted that some OEMs have already opted to give certified shops specifications for equipment rather than designate a particular brand. Stander, who also chimed in on the call, cited a desire to include in the NSF program smaller shops which could “do good quality repairs” but couldn’t afford a “roomful of welders.”
On a related note, Lee clarified that NSF wouldn’t require a shop preferring OEM parts on a particular repair to use NSF-certified parts, and vice versa.
The audit schedule itself — three audits before certification and quarterly random audits following it — was done so NSF could ensure it was confident a shop could actually perform the work, according to Lee.
“We feel that we can’t get that in less than three audits,” he said.
NSF will check that every technician performing work has a training pedigree that traces back to I-CAR or a similar training body.
While each tech doesn’t need to have personally achieved I-CAR Platinum, they have to have been trained by someone who has (and this chain documented) and then perform the work correctly following OEM guidelines.
“This is the beauty of the on-site audits,” Lee said. “… We’ll watch them perform the work”
Neither NSF nor AccuracyDriven4’s auditors will provide training or consulting. Lee said this was done to preserve independence and to keep the program scope narrow. However, Irish said auditors would tell a shop which areas were lacking so the shop could improve by the next of the three visits.
Following OEM procedures to the letter can potentially add more to a repair bill, but insurers are interested in the program, according to Lee.
He said NSF has spoken to “many of the top 25,” and they have been curious to know more.
“They are compelled by the unique offering that we bring,” he said. Though none have officially signed on to the program, “we’re in the process of doing that.”
OEM versus NSF certification
Lee said OEM certification didn’t necessarily translate to NSF certification, and vice versa.
“The NSF certification is designed to be for the whole industry,” he said.
However, a shop which had obtained the training and equipment for OEM certification likely would be able to satisfy those aspects of NSF’s requirements, according to Lee. Though it wouldn’t publicly post its protocol “for competitive purposes,” NSF will make its protocol available to shops who email firstname.lastname@example.org.
Whether a shop’s technicians could actually translate those factors into a proper repair would of course still depend on their performance during the NSF audits.
Filling a need
Asked if consumers would find another certification programs confusing, Lee stressed that NSF didn’t see the program as “competition directly” with others already on the market.
However, he and Irish also indicated it would fill a critical need. Irish argued that the usual metrics like key performance indicators, post-repair inspections and training history weren’t enough to display that a repairer could do accurate repairs.
Lee presented data that a third of collisions are structurally invasive enough to affect crashworthiness and safety, and noted the sobering estimate that fewer than 5,000 of the nation’s 35,000 shops had the equipment, training and practice to truly achieve pre-loss conditions.
Given that the odds were in favor of the same vehicle getting in another crash, shops and insurers were risking liability with bad repairs.
“Consumers need to be able to distinguish between shops,” Lee said. “… We forsee that we’ll be very successful in this industry as well.”
Correction: A prior version of this article incorrectly identified Doug Irish, owner of AccuracyDriven4.
The NSF International logo. (Provided by NSF International)
Slides from the NSF International-AccuracyDriven4 webinar on NSF certification for collision repairers are shown. (Provided by NSF International)


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New Delhi: Google Translate has been stopped in mainland China, erasing one of the company’s few surviving services in a country where most Western social media sites are restricted.
The generic search bar and a link pointing Chinese users to Google Translate’s Hong Kong page, which is prohibited on the mainland, are now visible on the Google Translate app and website.
Chinese social media posts claim that since Saturday, users have been unable to use the site. Additionally, users in China can no longer utilise the Google Chrome browser’s built-in translation tool.
According to a statement from Google, the service’s discontinuation in China was owing to poor usage. It is unclear how many people in China were using Google Translate.
China and the US technology company have a tense relationship. In 2010, Google withdrew its search engine from the Chinese market because it was no longer willing to follow the censorship laws of the nation.
Later, China took action to block further Google services, including its Gmail email service and Google Maps.
In order to uphold severe censorship laws, Chinese authorities frequently ban the majority of Western social media sites and services, including those of Google, Facebook, and Twitter.
These regulations must be scrupulously followed, and Chinese platforms are required to restrict language and subjects that the government deems politically sensitive.
As it looked at ways to provide services in the Chinese market, Google made its translation service accessible on the mainland via a Chinese domain in 2017.
Other well-known, domestically produced translation options offered by Chinese technology companies like Baidu and Sogou were in direct competition with its Google Translate service.
Google had considered developing a new, filtered search engine for China, but the initiative was abandoned in 2019 after receiving criticism from around the world.