text:
Tuesday, 19th April 2011, 15:13:27
More companies could require cloud hosting services after new research revealed that 62 per cent are concerned about security of data.
YouGov's survey, on behalf of Kaspersky Lab, found that 41 per cent of the IT managers and directors it asked will be looking to migrate their IT operations to cloud services.
However, a further 24 per cent have not considered the cloud as a possible option in terms of saving money on their computer departments, suggesting there is further room for scope in the coming years.
Andrew Lintell, corporate sales director for Kaspersky in the UK and Ireland, said that while cloud computing has "huge potential for streamlining IT operations", more businesses need to be taught as to how they can use it.
"Companies may be concerned about where data is stored and how they can keep it secure, but they should also view the positive gains," he said.
Research by Microsoft, published last week, revealed that four in ten small businesses in South Africa will be paying for at least one cloud service in the next three years.
Posted by Judy Gifford
Let Hostway help you create your own Private Cloud using VMware vSphere4™ technology
Categories: | Virtualisation / The Cloud |
or just email our Sales Team if you have any questions about any of Hostway’s services.
Read the latest headlines from these selected categories...
* All prices exclude VAT where applicable. All plans, packages and offers are subject to terms and conditions of sale available on the site.
© Hostway Corporation. All rights reserved.
A global web hosting leader, Hostway has strategic locations in the United States and Europe, including the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Romania and Germany, as well as Korea, India, and Australia.


text:
Associated Wholesale Grocers NEWS
Data firm dunnhumby acquires Aptaris Software
- Food Dive
Retailers that have implemented the platform include Associated Wholesale Grocers
, Mitchell Grocery and Weis Markets. “We look forward to using our synergies and combined assets to take our customer data science platform to the next level of innovation ...
Online or in-store? How grocery shopping is evolving
“We have about 1,200 of our stores today that offer some level of online shopping,” said David Smith, president and CEO of Associated Wholesale Grocers
. “And they really started getting into that about three and four years ago in a bigger way ...
Tuna giants hit with yet another price-fixing suit by US retailer
... other financial and business decisions in a full and free competitive market for canned tuna." Associated Wholesale Grocers
stated in court documents it suffered damages greater than $75,000 (€62,000) as a result of the tuna companies' alleged actions.
Two Cooke's employees get top awards
- Cleveland Daily BannerAssociated Wholesale Grocers
recently announced award winners in merchandising for 2017, and two Cooke's Food Store employees took top prizes in the competition. Cleveland native Bianca Harris, floral specialist for Cooke's main store on Keith Street ...
Willie E. Jennings
- Christian County Headliner News
Willie was a truck driver for Associated Wholesale Grocers
in Springfield for 21 years. After retiring, he drove a school bus for Nixa Public Schools. He enjoyed teasing the kids and making them laugh. He never knew a stranger. He would ask everyone he ...
Associated Wholesale Grocers' record results
I think we went from a negligible market share to the wholesale
leader to independent grocers
there all in a single year! The new members there are a great addition to our cooperative family and we are excited to learn from them as they're fine ...
Ivan Clay Allen
- Christian County Headliner News
He then worked for Associated Wholesale Grocers
for 31 years until his retirement. Ivan served on the Sparta Fire Department and the Christian County Ambulance Board. He loved to spend his time helping people. Ivan also enjoyed fishing, hunting and ...
AWG Posts Record Results
- Progressive Grocer
Bolstered by strong sales and widespread membership growth, Associated Wholesale Grocers
Inc. (AWG) reported record consolidated net sales of $9.70 billion and distributed an unprecedented $203.4 million in year-end patronage at its annual ...
AWG reports a year of record growth
- The PackerAssociated Wholesale Grocers
distributed $203.4 million in year-end patronage, with a total payout of $576.9 million in cooperative benefits following a year of consolidated net sales of $9.7 billion — all records — the cooperative announced at its ...
AWG Launches Produce for Kids Campaign
- Progressive Grocer
A year-long healthy eating-focused Produce for Kids campaign with Associated Wholesale Grocers
' (AWG) Springfield division is featuring in-store veggie-themed photo opportunities for families, registered dietitian tips for shoppers, and signage ...
Associated Wholesale Grocers Videos
Associated Wholesale Grocers
2018 Associated Wholesale Grocers
Fulfillment Specialist Associated Grocers of New England
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Pearl River Fly By
Associated Wholesale Grocers - AWG
Man with knife c&s
AWG 90th Anniversary
Order selector, Frozen -20 degrees
C&S Wholesale Grocers - Warehouse
Associated Wholesale Grocers Images
Glidewell Distributing » Associated Wholesale Grocers
Peanut Clusters - Always Save Brand
Find a Store | Jet-Alert
Homemade Cranberry Sauce - Clearly Organic
Easy Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream - Clearly Organic
Advertising news - NewsLocker
Hospice Foundation of the South | Crawfish Cook-off Sponsors
Crispy Baked French Fries - Clearly Organic
Back to School with Best Choice! | Welcome to Best Choice ...
Creamy Chocolate Mint Bites - Always Save Brand
Associated Wholesale Grocers WebSites
Download our Resource Guide » Store Brands » Careers »
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG) is the United States's largest cooperative food wholesaler to independently owned supermarkets, grocery serving more than 3,500 locations in 35 states and from 9 full-line wholesale divisions.
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG) is the nation's largest cooperative food wholesaler to independently owned supermarkets, serving over 3,800 locations in more than half of the states in the country and from 10 full-line wholesale Divisions.
At AWG, we believe that doing business with our vendor partners should be easy. With EC, information is exchanged electronically thereby replacing the traditional processes of sending paper or faxes.
Learn More. C&S Wholesale Grocers is the largest wholesale grocery supply company in the U.S. and the lead supply chain company in the food industry.
Welcome to Associated Grocers of Florida, Inc. a Food Retail Distribution Company offering member-retailers a complete line of products, including Grocery, Frozen, Dairy, Meat, Produce, HBC and General Merchandise, as well as many services designed to further support the stores we supply
Associated Grocers of New England wholesale grocery distribution center; serving the needs of independant retailers in New England for more than 60 years.
C&S Wholesale Grocers is an American wholesale distribution of food and grocery store items with its headquarters in Keene, New Hampshire, United States.C&S is the tenth-largest privately held company in the United States, as listed by Forbes.
SUPERVALU INC. today announced it has completed the previously announced acquisition of Associated Grocers of Florida, Inc. in a transaction valued at approximately $193 million.
Associated Grocers of New England, Inc., is the largest retailer-owned, wholesale grocery Distribution Center in New England. We serve the needs of Independent Retail Grocers of every store size and format... multi-store independent supermarket groups, community supermarkets, country stores and convenience retailers.
Associated Wholesale Grocers Wiki
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG) is the United States's largest cooperative food wholesaler to independently owned supermarkets, grocery serving more than 3,500 locations in 35 states and from 9 full-line wholesale divisions. The consolidated run-rate sale for AWG is $10 billion. In addition to its cooperative wholesale operations, the company also operates subsidiary companies which provide certain real estate and supermarket development services, retail accounting, digital marketing services, military commissary supply, and is a wholesale supply provider of health and beauty care, general merchandise, specialty/international foods and pharmaceutical supply. It was founded in 1924 as Associated Grocers of Kansas City and is based in Kansas City, Kansas. Associated Wholesale Grocers distributes four private-label brands of grocery products, Best Choice, Clearly Organic, Always Save, and Superior Selections along with IGA.
Georgia Budget and Policy Institute A 2010 legal settlement between the U Department of Justice and the state of Georgia aimed to move mental health treatment from institutions like Northwests 150-acre campus to smaller community settingshe conditions in the state-run mental LabCorp
The Ledger Gazette News headlines about LabCorp (NYSE:LH) have been trending somewhat positive this week, Accern Sentiment reportshe research group identifies negative and positive media coverage by analyzing more than 20 million news and blog sources in
Law360 Law360, Wilmington (December 12, 2016, 6:43 PM EST) -- Industrial manufacturer Sauer - Danfoss Inchareholders who challenged Danfoss A/S $700 million take-private bid in 2013 have settled their putative class action alleging Danfoss got a sweetheartKennametal
Alba Journal The Price to Cash Flow for Kennametal IncNYSE:KMT) is 117931he price to cash flow formula is a useful tool investors can use in order to determine the value of a companyenerally, a higher P/CF ratio indicates that the company is less
Omni Air International
StreetInsiderm Mrollard served in various executive positions for Omni Air International from 1997 until 2009, including as its president and chief executive officer from January 2007 until September 2008rior to his employment with Omni Air International , Mr McIntosh Laboratory
Investor Opinion The âGlobal Automotive Premium Audio Systems Marketâ? report is the comprehensive compilation highlight the key players operating in markethe report analyses the key trends including product introduction, new business approaches, collaborations,
Economic Times The Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Vanuatu, Tonga and Micronesia and Papua New Guinea are among the 16 countries that have fallen for Chinas so-called debt book diplomacy, according to a report by the Harvard Universitybeach volleyball
ABS-CBN News Pretty ladies in a row, these young Batanguenas arehey were first to enter the Batangas City Sports Coliseum a solid three hours before the first match kicking off the first of the two-day PVL on Tour May 19-20nd these early birds got the first
NZ Autocar Volvo is set to showcase the 1967 1800 S once owned by Sir Roger Moore and featured in The Saint at the 2019 Techno-Classica classic car showooressynchronized swimming
DiscoverHumboldtm The Humboldt Synchro Club has wrapped up another successful season, complete with many firstsoach Leisl Lefebvre says this was the first year the club decided to competeSwimmers ages 7-12 have met on a weekly basis since the fall to continue

domain: news


text:
In an effort to reduce its impact on the environment, giant gurus Diageo will launch a new Johnnie Walker bottle made entirely of sustainably sourced paper.
The new bottle, which will debuts in 2021, will be the world’s first 100 percent plastic-free, paper-based spirits bottle and has been created through a partnership with Pilot Lite, a venture management company, that launched Pulpex Limited, a new sustainable packaging technology company.
To ensure that the technology can be used in every area of life, Pulpex Limited has established a partner consortium of world-leading consumer product producers in non-competing categories, including Unilever and PepsiCo, with further partners expected to be announced later in the year. The consortium partners are each expecting to launch their own branded paper bottles, based on Pulpex Limited’s design and technology, in 2021.
The new Diageo bottle, which will be debuted with Johnnie Walker, is made from sustainably sourced pulp to meet food-safe standards and will be fully recyclable in standard waste streams. The technology will allow brands to rethink their packaging designs, or move existing designs into paper, whilst not compromising on the existing quality of the product.
It’s the beginning of a new adventure.
For more Wines & Spirits inspiration click here.


text:
AirAsia is offering unlimited access to its international and domestic flights as well as eCommerce delivery services on its super app. This comes shortly after it launched food delivery service airasia food in Singapore last month.
Consumers can get unlimited flights to destinations including Alor Setar, Langkawi, Penang, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru within Malaysia, as well as other ASEAN destinations such as Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Philippines. Purchasing ASEAN Unlimited also enables consumers to enjoy unlimited free delivery for every order made on airasia Shop, Fresh and Food, which is available until 26 March 2022. Flights marked 100% off are flights that ASEAN Unlimited holders can redeem and book. A+M has reached out to AirAsia for additional information.
Group CEO Tony Fernandes said it has always been a disruptor and it wants to continue providing value to is customers. "With positive developments on COVID-19 vaccination across the region, we are revving up our engines to ensure a smooth take-off when travel returns. As part of our preparations to welcome the recovery of air travel in the region and to further stimulate the local economy, we hope that this product can also serve as a catalyst as the ASEAN tourism industry gears itself for a post-COVID revival," he added.
CEO of airasia.com, Karen Chan, said it received a highly positive response when it introduced the AirAsia Unlimited Pass last November, which allows consumers to buy now and travel later. The pass sought to stimulate domestic tourism in markets such as Malaysia and Indonesia.
Separately, AirAsia touts its food delivery platform to have "the lowest commission rate in town", charging a commission rate of 15% to merchants. As part of the launch in the Singapore market, airasia food is on the hunt for F&B operators to sign up as merchants, offering a special sign-on rate as low as 8% for the month of March. Fernandes said previously that this enables merchants to earn more while having full control over their menu, pricing and easy access to data aside from being able to communicate directly with their customers.
MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's Content 360 Week is back from 6 to 8 April this year! Super charge your content production, distribution and monetisation strategies by learning from brands such as NBA Asia, P&G, Malaysia Airlines, and Marriott International, among others. Sign up today!
Analysis: Can airasia food's aspirations in SG take flight amidst stiff competition?
AirAsia bites into food delivery industry as part of super app dream
AirAsia.com realises super app dream: 'We have not wasted a crisis'
AirAsia Media Group unveils Jannine Weigel aircraft livery
How AirAsia RedRecords integrates its artists into the passenger journey via in-house assets
AirAsia BIG Loyalty rebrands to show offering beyond flights
After Trip.com, AirAsia takes to the skies with Agoda to revive SEA travel
Neelofa steps down from director role at AirAsia Group
AirAsia’s logistics arm Teleport launches 'Shop Sama Kamek' campaign
AirAsia and Trip.com Group plan for travel revival in SEA and China
AirAsia's BIG Loyalty introduces new face of the brand 'BIGGIE'
AirAsia diversifies eCommerce business to include B2B agriculture
Get the daily lowdown on Asia's top marketing stories.
We break down the big and messy topics of the day so you're updated on the most important developments in Asia's marketing development – for free.subscribe now open in new window


text:
The Airports of Mauritius Co Ltd (AML) has commissioned Lufthansa Consulting to prepare detailed infrastructural layout concepts for the planned Air Cargo and Freeport Zones at the island's Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (SSR) International Airport
Together with the AML project team, Lufthansa Consulting will lay the foundations for the successful marketing and development of these Zones
Several investors and developers have already voiced interest in setting up their businesses in the Freeport Zones, which will allow production, assembly and logistics activities under a tax-free regime
Loading operations between the aircraft and the Mauritius Cargo Terminal will be facilitated by the new design provided by Lufthansa Consulting, adding yet another competitive advantage to the ambitious large scale project
AML owns and operates SSR International Airport, which is served by twenty scheduled airlines that fly to more than 35 destinations
John Wagner Jr examines the deficit in economists predictions for back to school spending as well as analyzing figures from June, July and August in the trucking & logistics industry
Technology has become one of the most exciting elements of the logistics industry in recent years with tech start-ups, the app boom and mobile infrastructure. eft Research Director Haley Garner weighs in with some thoughts on tech, and its implications on the future of logistics.
UPS a global leader in shipping services and logistics has announced the opening of six new UPS Express® centers strategically located across Mexico.


text:
- The methodology behind a 700% winning trade
- Another “authorized leak” from the Federal Reserve
- Eye of the beholder: Major earnings news
- The semiconductor turnaround is underway (update)
- No green deed goes unpunished
- Readers on Sri Lanka’s star-crossed organic agriculture venture… Permission to spread the word… And more!
“I got in on the day you recommended and made a net of $7,000, which was seven times my $1,000 investment!” writes a happy subscriber to Jim Rickards’ premium advisory Countdown to Crisis.
We try not to pat ourselves on the back too often in these virtual pages. Best to keep the focus on our team’s out-of-the-box insights. Look ahead and not back. The name is The 5 Min. Forecast, after all.
But once in a while, an exceptional trade does so much good for so many readers, it’s hard to ignore.
It also offers us a chance to take you “behind the scenes” — and show you the methodology behind our most popular high-end trading service this year.
Rewind to March 11: “For years, it has been popular to say, ‘Company X will become the next Amazon,’” wrote Jim Rickards’ senior analyst Dan Amoss.
Dan’s been around the block a few times by now and knows Wall Street hyperbole when he sees it — a major reason he’s headed up our Rickards research unit for nearly eight years.
Of this “next Amazon” hoopla, Dan said, “Rather than being a thoughtful, accurate statement, this saying attempts to justify paying outrageous prices for companies that are delivering rapid revenue growth.”
In this instance, Dan had in mind Carvana Co. (CVNA) — the purveyor of used cars whose claim to fame is its gimmicky showrooms that look like a vending machine.
Uhhh… What happens if a $35,000 car gets stuck in the flap at the bottom?
“Carvana,” Dan wrote, “has not yet proved that it has a profitable, positive free cash flow business. It may never be able to prove it.”
Here’s the thing: Amazon “is one of a kind,” Dan explained. “It’s proven to ‘grow into’ the persistently high valuation of its stock.
“In its youth, Amazon was not easily copied. It had excellent leadership that was intensely focused on metrics like return on invested capital and only entering markets that created value for shareholders.”
For the better part of two decades, Amazon was forever mocked for failing to turn a profit… but as we chronicled a few years ago, AMZN could have easily registered 10% profit margins much of that time. The reason it didn’t was that Jeff Bezos plowed every last cent of profit back into research and development in his quest for world domination. Hey, it worked.
In contrast, “online used car retail startups are very different from young Amazon,” Dan wrote. “Car retailing is easily copied by CarMax, other startups including publicly traded Vroom and many large, efficiently managed dealerships like AutoNation.”
To borrow Warren Buffett’s analogy, Amazon managed to create a “moat” as “the everything store” — a competitive advantage no one else could touch. Too many “next Amazons” fail that test… and Carvana fails it miserably.
Jim and Dan apply a “Bubble Score” to hundreds of stocks as they run their screens. On a scale of 1–100, a score of 1 indicates a bubble that’s absolutely destined to burst. Carvana in mid-March had a score of… 4.
With that as the backdrop, Jim and Dan recommended out-of-the-money put options on CVNA — one of three bonus trades delivered on March 11 to every charter subscriber of Countdown to Crisis.
Fast-forward to May 12 and Dan writes an update for Countdown readers: “CVNA traded near $114 on March 11. It’s now near $36, after weeks and weeks of relentless selling.
“Carvana’s financial health has deteriorated significantly. Its cost of capital is now so high that a further slowdown in used car sales could quickly put it into financial distress. Bankruptcy risk by late 2022 is high. I would not be surprised if CVNA is trading under $10 by August.”
Fast-forward again to last Friday, July 15: CVNA is down to near $21. Dan’s recommended put options expire in August. Best to take 700% profits and not get greedy. Even a small rebound in CVNA’s share price could vaporize a huge chunk of that 700% gain. His guidance: “Today is a good day to take a profit.”
Countdown to Crisis readers agree…
- “I made 740% with the Carvana put trade. Dan really knocked this one out of the park!”
- “I did very well on the CVNA put option you recommended. I made $4,800.00, the best trade I ever made in my life. Thank you very much!”
- And with other Countdown trades in mind, a reader enthuses: “I’ve paid for MANY services and yours is, by far, the BEST of the best!”
For an extremely limited time, we’re re-opening Countdown to Crisis at the charter-subscriber rate. Jim Rickards extends his personal invitation when you click here.
Stocks are starting the week in rally mode after another “authorized leak” from the Federal Reserve to The Wall Street Journal.
“Federal Reserve officials have signaled they are likely to raise interest rates by 0.75% percentage point later this month, for the second-straight meeting,” per a story posted yesterday morning by the Journal’s Fed reporter Nick Timiraos.
We’re in the midst of a “blackout period” during which Fed pooh-bahs are supposed to keep their silence before their next policy-setting meeting — scheduled to begin a week from tomorrow.
Timiraos’ story merely summed up the pooh-bahs’ public statements before the blackout period began. But by publishing the story at all, Timiraos is clearly telegraphing the Fed’s intentions with the Fed’s imprimatur.
Really, the charade is becoming quite tiresome…
… but for the moment, it’s having the intended effect. The Dow is up over a half-percent at 31,461. The S&P 500 is up more than three-quarters of a percent, knocking on the door of 3,900. The Nasdaq is up 1.4% to 11,615.
The day’s major earnings news is in the eye of the beholder…
But Wall Street is putting less weight on falling earnings and more on the earnings “beat” — at last check, Goldman was up 2.25% on the day. Ditto for Bank of America, up 0.5%.
Elsewhere, the sell-off in crude didn’t last long. A barrel of West Texas Intermediate is up huge, over $4, and close to $102 again.
Interest rates are on the rise, the 10-year Treasury note back above 3%. Precious metals are inching higher, gold at $1,710 and silver at $18.86.
The turnaround in semiconductors that our technology maven Ray Blanco anticipated last week is already underway.
Days after we spotlighted Ray’s outlook in The 5, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. bumped up its revenue outlook for the rest of 2022 — gloomy headlines about a “slowing chip boom” be damned. That’s a big deal, coming from the world’s biggest contract chipmaker.
TSMC’s announcement came Thursday. The next day, Goldman Sachs published a bearish report on chip stocks — lowering its price target for many key names.
The market reaction: Chip stocks rose anyway. TSMC’s sunny outlook — on the heels of solid first-half revenue, we should add — trumped Wall Street’s poor-mouthing.
“This shows that some very powerful investors are buying,” observes our income-investing specialist Zach Scheidt. “And these buyers obviously see a tremendous amount of value in these names.”
In fact, this kind of action suggests that semi stocks put in a bottom last month — after a 37% trouncing going back to last November.
Zach’s favorite buy in the sector right now is Qualcomm (QCOM), a specialist in smartphone chips. “QCOM generates reliable profits, trades for a reasonable multiple and pays a 2.1% dividend yield.”
For the record: A nationwide freight rail strike won’t happen until mid-September — if it happens at all.
Last week we gave you a heads-up that 12 rail unions representing 115,000 workers were on the verge of walking out, barring federal intervention.
That intervention came late Friday — when President Biden named a Presidential Emergency Board to begin arbitration. The practical effect is to put off a strike for another 60 days.
No green deed goes unpunished, it seems…
Avery Siwinski of St. Petersburg, Florida, is 17 years old. Her family dropped $11,000 on a 2014 Ford Focus Electric with 60,000 miles so she could drive to school on her own.
“It was small and quiet and cute,” she tells the local CBS affiliate. ”And all the sudden it stopped working,”
That was back in March. The battery was shot. A replacement would cost $14,000 — more than the car. And labor would be extra.
But it’s a moot point, actually: “The batteries aren’t even available,” says Avery’s grandfather Ray Siwinski, who’s been tasked with most of the legwork on this fiasco since Avery’s dad died of colon cancer last month.
And the issue isn’t limited to Ford Focuses (Foci?) “If you’re buying a [used EV],” says Mr. Siwinski, “you have to realize there is no second-hand market right now because the manufacturers are not supporting the cars.”
Elsewhere on the green-energy front, we offer the following public service announcement that’s ricocheting around the web of late…
On the topic of Sri Lanka’s star-crossed venture into “sustainable” agriculture, a reader writes: “Just wanted to throw this out there: Organic farming should be the goal of the future and shouldn’t be lumped in with the green madness.”
The reader points us to a recent CDC report that finds traces of glyphosate in the urine samples of more than 80% of kids and adults who took part in a study. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in many herbicides, including Roundup — the subject of much litigation targeting Monsanto and now Bayer.
“A return to plant-based medicine over oil-based medicine as well as organic products needs to happen sooner or later,” the reader says. “Judging by stats like these, maybe it will only be a few years until the herd wakes up.
“Then again they still cling to the dollar like it’s not Monopoly money and scorn gold and silver, so maybe not!”
The 5: Good point. Just because a developing-country government makes the boneheaded decision to go cold turkey on chemical fertilizers does not mean “organic is bad” or that “industrialized agriculture is good.”
“I read and appreciate your efforts to edify the ignorant electorate!” a reader writes after our “energy lockdown” edition last Thursday.
“I would like your permission to send this post to some of my naive friends.”
The 5: Absolutely. You’re always welcome to forward an edition of The 5 to anyone you think might be interested.
Our email distribution is strictly limited to paying subscribers of our firm’s newsletters and trading services… but our voluminous archives are posted online and we encourage you to spread the word!
The 5 Min. Forecast


text:
The government has announced this week (20 June) that they are to strengthen regulation around interest free “Buy-Now Pay-Later” credit agreements. Lenders will now be required to ensure loans are affordable, and rules will be amended to ensure advertisements are fair, clear, and not misleading.
Buy-Now Pay-Later credit agreements are a helpful way to manage finances as they allow consumers to spread the purchase cost over time. However, people do not currently have the usual full range of borrower protections when taking out this type of loan, and as they rapidly rise in popularity, there is a potential risk of harm to consumers
New plans set by the government include NFDA suggestions that will require lenders to carry out affordability checks, ensuring loans are affordable to consumers and will amend financial promotion rules to ensure the Buy-Now Pay-Later advertisements are fair, clear and not misleading. Lenders offering this product will need to be approved by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and borrowers will also be able to make a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).
Economic Secretary to the Treasury, John Glen Said:
"Buy-Now Pay-Later can be a helpful way to manage your finances, but we need to ensure that people can embrace new products and services with the appropriate protections in place.
"By holding Buy-Now Pay-Later to the high standards we expect of other loans and forms of credit, we are protecting consumers and fostering the safe growth of this innovative market in the UK."
The consultation response sets out the government's proposals for regulation of the sector. Given its complexity, the government will publish a consultation on draft legislation toward the end of this year. Following this, the government aims to lay secondary legislation by mid-2023, after which the FCA will consult on its rules for the sector.
The announcement forms part of the government's plan to grow the economy and tackle living costs. The Chancellor has provided £37 billion of support to help, including providing the eight million most vulnerable British families with at least £1,200 of direct payments this year – and giving every household right across the UK £400 to help with their energy bills.


text:
TEHRAN (Dispatches) - Spokesman of the Afghan ministry of oil and gas Mostafa Khalazayee on Wednesday rejected media reports claiming that the country has stopped crude imports from Iran.
"Oil imports from Iran have not been halted and no change has been made in the past policies," Khalazayee told media.
"There is no restriction on oil imports from Iran," he underlined.
Khalazayee explained that the only restriction pertains to the consumption standards devised by the Afghan government which should be met and excessive imports by the Afghan businesspersons will be prevented.
Afghan media reports claimed recently that the country has halted imports of oil from Iran.
They also claimed that Afghanistan had pulled down its imports of oil products from Iran to zero almost a week ago, while the country used to import products such as Kerosene, Mazut, dissolvent and other oil products, previously.
Afghanistan stands among Iran’s major export destination. The export of Iranian cement to Afghanistan has increased after U.S. sanctions resumed on Iran.


text:
Together with Travel and Tourism, the Events industry is amongst those experiencing the biggest negative impact from Covid19, as social distancing measures effectively continue to put a hold on traditional events. Predictions still indicate a 46% decline on a global
Articles in category: Retailer News
Find out which retailers are innovating in the on and offline retail space and what they are doing to keep ahead of the curve in this dynamic and highly competitive sector. Read the financials and analysis of the large multiples, the smaller chains to independent retailers, wholesalers and suppliers
Tails.com, the UK’s most-loved pet food company, has today announced that it is live for customers in Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Austria and Ireland. International growth is now a significant focus for the nutritionally tailored pet food service, having
Central England Co-op can today reveal the launch date of its brand new community store in Doncaster.
BSI, the business improvement company, today launches a new Workplace Hygiene Solution including standards, consultancy, training, auditing and the BSI Kitemark; a mark of trust. The programme has been developed to help organizations embed a culture of good practice in
Samsung has reported an sharp uptick in smartphone sales as non-essential stores reopened last week.
Engenie, one of the UK’s largest rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging networks, today announces a major retail partnership with real estate specialists, Brookhouse Group, to install rapid EV charging at 10 retail sites across the UK. The partnership, the largest
PayPoint and Motor Fuel Group (MFG) have announced a renewal of their partnership that will see the deployment of an EPoS integrated PayPoint solution into 900 locations, and the continuation of Collect+ parcel services in almost 500 stores.
Cornwall-based clothing retailer Seasalt has announced it has selected Akeneo, a global provider of Product Information Management (PIM) solutions, to ensure a consistent online shopping experience for its customers as it continues to expand.
Mapp Digital, the international provider of cloud-based insight-led customer engagement, today announced that La Martina, a leading luxury apparel company, has chosen to use Mapp Cloud.
Leading UK chewable supplement brand, Yumi Nutrition, is launching two of its products in Holland & Barrett after securing a distribution deal with the health and wellness retailer.
Britain’s beleaguered retailers have been given a powerful new tool to win customers and boost sales, with the UK launch of the cashback app Recash.
EBI.AI, an advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) lab in the UK, has announced that Coop Sweden, one of the largest grocery retailers in the country, has successfully started to preview its virtual assistant, Cooper. This marks the first significant milestone since
John Lewis announces nine further store reopenings including Peter Jones, Cribbs Causeway, Leeds, Liverpool, and York
John Lewis has today (Friday 19 June) announced plans to open nine more shops on Thursday (June 25), following the successful reopening of an initial 13 shops this week.
US fashion retailer Forever 21, has launched a new UK online store to service its loyal British consumers with the full international assortment, an improved site and localised e-commerce experience. The brand is working with cross-border e-commerce solutions provider Global-e,
Leading London bike subscription platform, Buzzbike, has announced a staggering 440% year-on-year increase in bike subscriptions- with the majority of subscriptions coming from those new to cycling.
Top new products: suite of managed tech solutions launched to help retailers ensure safety of customers and workforce from Covid-19
A first-of-its-kind suite of smart tech solutions has been launched to help businesses in the retail industry protect their workforce and customers in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.
With bicycle sales soaring across the UK since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, e-bike manufacturer Ampler today reports a year-over-year sales increase of 88% over the first five months of 2020.
Environmental charity Hubbub launches the pilot of Food Connect today. The initiative will use fleets of electric bikes and vans to redistribute surplus food from retailers, helping to tackle increased food insecurity. Recent research from the charity found that nearly
Oak Furnitureland, the UK’s largest retailer of quality solid hardwood furniture, has reached a deal with global investment manager, Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP to secure its future.
X5 Retail Group, a leading Russian food retailer, announces that Perekrestok.ru online supermarket and X5 subsidiary 5Post, which offers parcel delivery services, have launched a pilot click-and-collect service from grocery lockers in Perekrestok and Pyaterochka stores. This food delivery option
The UK’s largest specialist wine retailer, Majestic Wine, has appointed performance marketing agency, Journey Further to provide strategic performance marketing support to help drive revenue both online and offline.
Today (15 June) John Lewis has started to reopen its shops starting with Kingston and Poole, with a further 11 to open on Thursday (18th June) this week. The openings are part of its plans to take a steady, gradual
UK company THIS is launching its award-winning product range into 744 Tesco stores on 15 June 2020.
New data from purchase intelligence platform Cardlytics reveals delivery services like takeaways, meal kits and grocery boxes have seen a huge growth in sales as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The data is based on the purchasing habits of
VIA Outlets report encouraging brand sales and footfall figures as European portfolio reopens post Covid-19
VIA Outlets – Europe's fastest growing owner-operator of premium fashion outlet destinations – has, as of today, with Freeport Lisboa Fashion Outlet being the last one in line, reopened all closed and semi-closed centres in its eleven-strong portfolio. While the


text:
Opel-Vauxhall will need more “flagship” models, at least one of them positioned above Insignia, if it is to achieve the improved brand-image its new management seeks, according to group CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke.
Speaking in Frankfurt last week, Stracke made it clear, however, that any discussion of a range expansion would have to wait until four other “white space” models the company is about to launch — the Ampera range extender, the Mokka B-segment SUV, the “Junior” city car and a new luxury convertible — were well established in the market.
“I believe we need a top of the line car,” says Stracke, “to be positioned in the luxury segment. The Insignia car has done a great job of showing we can make premium-like products, but establishing ourselves properly in this territory will be a long journey.
“We would also benefit from launching a large crossover, something to fight the BMW X5 and Mercedes ML, and possibly another roadster — a car with a deeper connection into the company than the Opel-Vauxhall VX220 (which everyone knows was a Lotus underneath) and the Opel Speedster that came from the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky.”
Stracke believes the way to improve a brand is through better products and customer service. “It is not easy,” he says, “but if you can do it the image comes along, too. The way to succeed is to build the best cars in each class, even against VW and Ford. It’s a tough assignment, but we think we know how to do it.”


text:
New inflation-linked drug rebates have gone into effect and other notes from around the interweb:
- 4 questions to ask before signing your next PBM service agreement. The very idea of managing pharmacy benefits might make you nauseous. That’s because drug prices are skyrocketing, creating significant challenges for your company’s bottom line. You may think that your pharmacy benefit manager (or PBM) – who is responsible for handling contractual relationships between drug manufacturers, health insurance providers, pharmacies, and patients – would negotiate the best possible deals for everyone involved. Unfortunately, recent reports from the PBM Accountability Project show otherwise: PBMs often misuse their immense power by adding secret streams of revenue for themselves. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has noted this trend too and announced plans in 2022 to investigate the inner workings of PBMs. But some states are taking it upon themselves to crack down on PBM business dealings, too. For example, Florida and Iowa joined Michigan in passing legislation in 2022 that regulates certain PBM practices – while Ohio’s Medicaid department is also conducting audits.
- New inflation-linked drug rebates have gone into effect. The new rebates are part of the newly signed Inflation Reduction Act, which introduces this new requirement that manufacturers pay rebates to Medicare for Part D drugs whose price increases exceed inflation, and in January 2023, the same will occur with Part B drugs. The rebate system “was designed to reduce the frequency and size of drug price increases,” HHS says. The IRA also includes a provision that allows CMS to negotiate and/or cap the prices of 10 of the most expensive drugs. While those negotiations will be limited, the rebates paid by the industry may be significant. HHS released a new report on Friday outlining what the IRA could do as more than 1,200 drug price increases from July 2021 to July 2022 exceeded the inflation rate of 8.5% for that time period. The report notes most price increases occur at the beginning of January, with more than 3000 drugs experiencing a price increase in 2022, up from 2650 in 2016. The number of July price increases trended downward from 613 NDCs in 2016 to 203 in 2021, but in July of 2022, the number of increases rose to a level similar to that observed in 2016, with 601 increases.
- How specialty drug ‘solution stacking’ can rein in pharmacy benefit costs. Brokers and employer groups alike know that 5% to 10% percent of insured workers and their dependents drive 50% to 60% of the cost of pharmacy claims. A few members with prescriptions for a specialty drug with a five-figure price tag can easily represent most of an entire group’s pharmacy spend. These drugs are often lifesaving or provide a dramatic quality of life improvement for those who take them. No one would question the necessity of using them. But when a group can mitigate some of the cost without affecting the clinical outcome, it can be a game changer. The broker who unlocks these savings becomes a trusted ally.
- Kroger seeks to end deal with Cigna’s Express Scripts over drug pricing. Grocery retailer Kroger Co said on Friday it has sent Cigna Corp’s subsidiary Express Scripts a written notice of its plan to terminate their pharmacy provider agreement for commercial customers due to an “unsustainable” pricing model. Kroger said it has made several attempts since February to negotiate with the pharmacy benefit manager for a “more equitable and fair contract that lowers cost, increases access, and delivers greater transparency, but there has been little to no progress to date”. Kroger said more than 90% of Kroger Health’s customers will not be affected by a termination of the deal, but if a new agreement is not reached by Dec. 31, most Express Scripts’ commercial customers won’t be able to fill prescriptions at Kroger stores. Cigna bought Express Scripts in 2018 in a $54-billion deal, creating one of the biggest providers of pharmacy benefits and insurance plans in the United States.


text:
The Body Shop, a retail chain known more for its soaps and beauty products than its advertising, is going online—and a campaign may not be far off for the new e-commerce site.
The company's new Body Shop Digital division last week tapped Hoffman/Lewis in San Francisco to generate a brand strategy. Billings for the project were undisclosed, but the client said the job could lead to advertising work for the agency.
As part of the assignment, Hoffman/Lewis will identify a target audience and develop the online brand, which plans to be an extension of The Body Shop brand and an online destination for natural and organic products.
"The health and beauty market has undergone enormous changes in recent years," said Kathleen Watson, senior director of marketing for The Body Shop Digital. "Our planned entry into online retailing seemed an appropriate moment to pause and take stock strategically. Hoffman/Lewis' brand strategy skills and strong credentials in retail brands, both on and offline, make them ideally suited [to the work]."
Agency officials said Watson has been on the client side at several different companies—most recently at Internet startups—and that she was impressed with the shop's strategic work.
"That [strategy] is what Hoffman/Lewis is best known for," Watson said. "And they were excited to be approached by a brand with the history of The Body Shop."
"The Body Shop is a powerful brand name with a unique history and rich heritage," said Gail Piper, director of brand strategy for Hoffman/Lewis. Piper said the agency will compete if the online business decides to hold a full review for its ad account.
The Body Shop Digital was launched in April. The site will go live next spring. The venture faces competition in a crowded category that already includes such start ups as Beauty.com, Origins.com and OneBody.com.
The Body Shop is a personal care and beauty product manufacturer based in London. The chain has more than 1,800 stores in 49 countries. Its U.S. headquarters are in Wake Forest, N.C. The company currently handles its own advertising in-house.
Hoffman/Lewis was founded in 1985. It works with clients including McDonald's, Toyota, Bank of the West, Rodney Strong Vineyards, Horizon Organic, SelfCare.com and Software Technology Corp. Its annual billings exceed $85 million.


text:
In the digital era we live in, online fraud has become a widespread and increasingly sophisticated problem. Scammers and hackers employ clever techniques to exploit the trust of users and gain illegal advantages. In this article, we will explore some of the most famous online frauds in history that have captured the attention of millions of people worldwide.
- The “Nigerian Prince” Phishing Scam: One of the oldest and still prevalent online frauds is the Nigerian Prince phishing scam. In this scam, an individual poses as a Nigerian prince or government official promising to share a large sum of money in exchange for a small upfront payment. This scam has deceived many people over the years, preying on their naivety and desire for easy wealth.
- The eBay Scam by Pierre Omidyar: In 2003, a man named Pierre Omidyar sold a Ferrari on eBay for $100,000. However, shortly after receiving the payment, he discovered that the buyer had used a stolen credit card. This incident led to a series of investigations that resulted in the arrest of the scammer and highlighted the need for additional precautions to protect online transactions.
- The Identity Theft by Albert Gonzalez: Albert Gonzalez is one of the most famous hackers in history, responsible for a series of online frauds. Between 2005 and 2007, Gonzalez orchestrated the theft of data from over 170 million credit cards from major companies such as Target and TJX Companies. Using this information, he committed numerous crimes, amassing millions of dollars. Gonzalez’s arrest in 2008 led to the adoption of stricter security measures to protect customer data.
- The Bitcoin Scammer, Mark Karpelès: In 2014, the Bitcoin exchange platform Mt. Gox suffered one of the largest cryptocurrency thefts in history. CEO Mark Karpelès revealed that over 850,000 Bitcoins, equivalent to approximately $450 million, were stolen due to a security vulnerability. This incident raised questions about the security of cryptocurrencies and led to increased focus on protective measures for such digital assets.
- The WannaCry Ransomware: In 2017, the WannaCry ransomware affected hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide. It spread through a vulnerability in the Windows operating system, encrypting users’ files and demanding a ransom in Bitcoin to unlock them. This attack targeted organizations of all types, including hospitals, businesses, and government institutions. It was one of the largest ransomware attacks in history, emphasizing the need for updated operating systems and enhanced cybersecurity measures.
These are just a few examples of the most famous online frauds in history, but there are numerous other cases where unscrupulous individuals have exploited technology for personal gain at the expense of others. These stories serve as a reminder of the importance of vigilance, implementing security precautions, and maintaining a healthy skepticism when it comes to online transactions. Awareness and education about cybersecurity practices are essential to protect oneself and prevent falling into the traps of digital deception.


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Kansas pulls HairUWear HQ in latest border war skirmish
Here's some news that Kansas City economic development officials may be wigging out over:
Kansas has pulled HairUWear Inc. in the latest border war tangle with Missouri.
But state officials won't say exactly how.
The Kansas Department of Commerce announced that the Kansas City-based manufacturer of wigs, hair extensions and other "alternative hair" products would be moving its corporate headquarters plus warehouse and distribution functions to a new 141,000-square-foot building it has purchased at 14865 W. 105th St. in Lenexa. The company is currently headquartered at 5900 Equitable Road.
According to the Commerce Department, HairUWear plans to invest $7.1 million at its new Lenexa location and will create 102 new jobs there during the next five years.
That would qualify the company for the state's Promoting Employment Across Kansas, or PEAK, incentive program, which allows companies to retain 95 percent of the payroll withholding tax for PEAK-eligible jobs for up to 10 years.
Matt Keith, a spokesman for the Kansas Department of Commerce, said he could not comment on what types of incentives were used to attract HairUWear because "no contracts have been signed." But Keith said that whenever the department issues a press release about a firm moving to Kansas "you can typically take it to mean we've offered some type of assistance."
"It's great that HairUWear has chosen Kansas as the best location for its new facility," Kansas Commerce Secretary Pat George said in the release. "The job opportunities that the company is bringing to the state and the investment it is making will be an important addition to our strong business environment and continue to contribute to Kansas' economic growth."
Rob reports on real estate and development.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
- Most popular
- KC's five strongest small banks of 2014
- OP tables contentious hearing on $2.4B Brookridge plan
- Sprint plan to operate in RadioShack stores hits snag
- Claure: Without net neutrality, Sprint is a goner
- KC's five strongest midsize banks in 2014
- Indoor parking plan for Mark Twain Tower generating buzz
- Perceptive Software parent will buy Kofax in $1B deal
- KC developer's 'Poehler expedition' turns into Warehouse Arts District
- KC's streetcar vehicle will arrive in September
- Lawrence ranks No. 2 best college town to live in


text:
Mahindra Marazzo was launched in 2018 September and the MPV has been a steady performer for the brand ever since. Mahindra put in a lot of effort in the MPV and positioned it as a global vehicle in the market. Launched at a price of Rs. 9.99 lakhs initially, the prices for the MPV with the name inspired by a shark have now gone up to Rs. 10.18 lakhs. The Indian UV maker has stated that it has produced over 25,000 pieces of Marazzo MPV. This shows that the MPV has been performing very good in the Indian market. The Marazzo faces no direct competition in the market as of now as the closest competitors for the MPV are Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Toyota Innova Crysta and both of them are in different segments when compared to the Marazzo. While the Maruti MPV is priced more economically and sits lower than the Marazzo in the market, the Toyota Innova Crysta is priced much higher and is a more premium vehicle.
It seems like the Indian UV maker’s strategy to target the void left behind by affordable Toyota Innova (not Crysta) has worked as the sales for Marazzo have indeed put a smile on the maker’s face. The sales for Marazzo also do not comes at an expense of the aforementioned rivals as the three MPVs sit in completely different segment as are each doing fine for themselves as far as sales are concerned.
As far as Marazzo is concerned, the company offers it in 4 trims, M2, M4, M6, and M8. All the variants come with a newly developed 1.5L turbo diesel engine that is also found on the recently launched XUV300. The engine is rated to deliver 121 Bhp and 300 Nm, which is alright as far as the size of the MPV is concerned. However, at the launch Mahindra emphasized on the fact the engine in the Marazzo is mounted in a transverse style that makes for a more spacious cabin that is devoid of the transmission hump in the middle. The company also claims that Marazzo is the first ladder-frame MPV to come with such an engine setup. Coming back to the mechanicals, the Marazzo comes with a 6-speed manual gearbox and the company is also expected to bring an automatic option to the Marazzo some time this year.
The company has also paid a lot of attention to detail as far as the interiors are concerned and the Marazzo comes with a very well appointed interior setup for the price it commands in the market. Not to mention that the Indian UV maker has also partnered a famed customization house DC Design for a more luxurious version of the Marazzo MPV. The DC version of Marazzo is a 4 seater version devoid of the third row and comes with a plethora of luxury features. As far as the safety of the MPV is concerned, the global nature of this MPV comes into play here as the Marazzo scored 4 stars in the Global NCAp test. This shows that the North American design team of Mahindra had paid serious attention to the Marazzo. The new MPV by Mahindra comes with dual front airbags, a passenger airbag off-switch, a speed-sensitive door lock/unlock feature, ABS with EBD and brake-assist and Isofix child-seat mounts as standard.
The uninterrupted run of Marazzo is supposed to continue for some time to come as the new arrivals in the MPV segment in India will still not challenge the Mahindra MPV in the market.


text:
Get the latest news from Women For the Culture about art, fashion and business.
Self-employment is increasingly popular in the United States. According to Alliance Virtual Offices, the number of business startups (entrepreneurs or…
Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.


text:
NEW BLOG: With the dominance of Android and iOS, the prospect of new mobile operating systems that could challenge their market share is always welcome for developers looking for alternative channels to distribute their apps.
Open source mobile platforms Tizen and Ubuntu have been in development for some time, with Tizen having some big-name backers, but despite their promise it is unclear when exactly they will see a proper release on smartphones.
Currently, there is no commercially-available hardware running the Ubuntu mobile OS (although deals have been struck with Spanish player bq and China’s Meizu), while the only devices running Tizen are Samsung’s digital camera and Gear smart watches.
But despite the lack of hardware, numerous developers appear to be working on apps for both platforms.
Mark Shuttleworth, CEO of Canonical, the company behind the Ubuntu mobile platform, recently told Mobile World Live that he is confident about growth of the app ecosystem around the OS, noting that prominent app players, such as Evernote, have committed to the platform.
Marcus Elliott, CEO of cross platform development tool maker Marmalade, meanwhile recently discussed the “hundreds and hundreds” of apps that have been developed for Tizen using Marmalade’s technology.
The Samsung devices provide a limited opportunity for developers of certain types of apps for Tizen, but the lack of smartphones running either OS means numerous apps are being built that will sit around waiting for a device to make use of them.
Clearly, having a large number of apps available when devices are launched is advantageous in driving uptake of Tizen and Ubuntu. Indeed, one of the reasons attributed to the relatively lacklustre uptake of Windows Phone was its initial lack of big-name apps.
But the fact these apps are being developed is fairly meaningless for developers until there are devices on which they can be used.
It’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation: developers are building apps for platforms that aren’t yet commercially available, while the success of the platforms will depend, partly at least, on the number of apps available.
What Ubuntu and Marmalade’s work with Tizen have in common is that the apps developed for the platforms can be re-used on other mobile operating systems.
Shuttleworth touted the cross-platform capabilities of Ubuntu as developers can build a single app that works on a phone, tablet or PC. Ubuntu also supports HTML5, alongside native development, meaning programs that work on Ubuntu will work elsewhere.
Likewise, apps developed on Marmalade can be transitioned to other platforms using its cross-OS technology, which Elliott pointed out means they aren’t “wasted work”.
But one wonders whether developers would have produced these apps if it wasn’t for the possibility to distribute on other platforms, which also begs the questions of whether developers really have high hopes for Tizen and Ubuntu.
Elliott argues that apps are being produced for Tizen because “developers love new technology”, while the availability of Ubuntu for desktop and cloud means developers find it natural to support the mobile version, according to Shuttleworth.
This may be the case, but in this day and age, when only a few developers see their apps become successful on any kind of level, there is little scope for spending time and resources on building apps that aren’t guaranteed to have a distribution platform.
Realistically, commercial devices supporting Ubuntu will emerge on a small-scale basis sometime this year in light of recent progress (although the wait for a Tizen smartphone is becoming a long one). But producing apps for platforms with near-zero traction is a gamble for developers. Clearly, they will have other pans in the fire, in terms of mobile platforms they develop for, but it’s debatable whether working on these yet-to-be-launched platforms will be worth it.
Of course, the gamble could pay off for developers that produce apps that come to define Tizen and Ubuntu by exploiting their features. But these apps will have limited scope for generating revenue unless the platforms take off in a significant way.
But for developers whose apps aren’t a success, developing for Tizen or Ubuntu may be a risk that’s not worth taking.
The editorial views expressed in this article are solely those of the author(s) and will not necessarily reflect the views of the GSMA, its Members or Associate Members.


text:
Did you miss Starbucks’s Unicorn Frappuccino this weekend because your café ran out of “Unicorn Dust,” or because the barista started weeping? You’re going to be okay. For one thing, Katy Perry spit hers out, and Anthony Bourdain seems to have really hit the nail on the head when he said Starbucks, unicorns, and the colors pink and purple are “four things I hate all in one sentence.” But also, YouTube’s DIY community is here for you — they’ve posted dozens of copycat videos in the past couple days for all the people who didn’t get their sugar quota the first time around (even if the USDA says they did; a grande had 59 grams, one and a half times the recommended amount for one day). So now you’re set, assuming Kroger isn’t out of pink food coloring, too.
As the host of the ThreadBanger channel, Corinne Leigh explains in her video that’s been trending on YouTube all morning, “The real ones are all sold out, so now it’s DIY or die”:
Altogether, literally millions of people have already watched how to DIY vegan versions of the Frap, versions that don’t “taste gross,” versions explained in German and Spanish, versions that are four feet tall but not edible, and versions that naturally turn the Frap into slime, for maximum Instagrammability.


text:
Keep us, and your neighbors, in the know.
- News tips
- Community Events
- Become a blogger
- Submit a story
SOUTH COLLEGE, NC (WECT) - Are you looking for healthy food options? Join Whole Foods Market for a healthy holiday store tour Friday, according to the event coordinator.
The tour will help identify the healthiest and most budget friendly items. In addition, the tour will point out and discuss healthy options for the holidays as well as what to look for when reading labels.
For more information, contact Jayda Couch at email@example.com .
You can RSVP through email or in the store.
The tour will start at 10 a.m. and admission is free!
Copyright 2012 WECT. All rights reserved.


text:
Topic: Earth Day
04/22/2016, 11:04 am
Marking Earth Day, Apple on Friday debuted a new TV commercial, using Siri to promote its custom-designed recycling robot -- Liam -- and its branding as an environmentally-responsible company.
04/22/2016, 12:04 am
In commemoration of Earth Day, Apple on Thursday released an advertisement showcasing the company's efforts to reduce carbon emissions, concentrating specifically on its green data centers.
04/15/2016, 12:04 pm
A week before Earth Day, Apple has changed the leaf on its logo at retail stores to green, and also provided retail employees with green shirts. Apple's website is also prominently featuring "Liam," the robot that the company uses to quickly disassemble devices for recycling.
04/22/2015, 09:04 pm
Continuing Apple's Earth Day festivities, the company on Wednesday held a concert at its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., where musician -- and early Apple Watch recipient -- Pharrell performed.
04/22/2014, 05:04 am
Apple gave its legal adversaries a bit of a ribbing on Tuesday as the company took out a full-page ad in UK newspapers saying, "There are some ideas we want every company to copy," alluding to Apple's environmental awareness [updated with a high-quality image].
04/22/2014, 03:04 am
In commemoration of Earth Day, Apple Stores around the world have changed the color of the iconic Apple logo's leaf section green, while employees were given special green t-shirts to wear for the day.
04/21/2014, 05:04 pm
Continuing its environment-minded announcements on Monday, Apple revealed a new plan to accept all used Apple products for free in an effort to cut down on pollution caused by manufacture and use of the company's devices.
04/21/2014, 03:04 pm
A video detailing Apple's new Campus 2 project, first shown at city planning commission meeting in October, has been published for everyone else to view in a higher quality version.
04/21/2014, 12:04 pm
Apple on Tuesday unveiled a campaign that more clearly outlines the impact of the company's environmental initiatives, backing it up with a revamped environmental responsibility website and an introductory video narrated by CEO Tim Cook.


text:
【Inter BEE 2013 TV】Panasonic proposes "End-to-End Solutions" emphasizing a 4K World
The Panasonic Group (Panasonic, Panasonic System Networks) (booth 5418) entered the show this year with the concept of "ULTRA SPEED & QUALITY - Panasonic broadcast solutions for the future." At their booth they displayed "End-to-End Solutions" for a 4K world that could only come from Panasonic, such as their new 2M/E switcher "AV-HS6000", as well as cloud workflow and archive services. They introduced many solutions aimed at improving efficiency in the broadcast industry, such as a networked high speed/high efficiency work-flow, and improvements to their professional archive systems.
The new 2M/E live switcher was on display in usable form for the first time ever, as the core product of a broadcast office studio subsystem. Panasonic also showed signs of what is to come, unveiling a next generation large scale switcher, due out in winter of next year.
In terms of 4K initiatives, they demonstrated numerous solutions under the banner of "Panasonic 4K World."
Additionally, they introduced the new RAMSA 1.2 GHz-band A-type digital wireless mic system, as well as their move to all LED lighting, including LED spotlights for studio lighting and LED color horizontal lights.


text:
After its release on the iPad last year, Opera has brought its touch-friendly browser to Apple smartphones too.
Showing results 1 to 20 of 48
Opera has rolled out a new version Coast, its tab-less, URL bar-free browser for the iPad.
Opera's new Coast browser for the iPad ditches tabs and buttons in favour of swipes.
OWA for iPhone and iPad are mobile apps that offer the same email, calendar and contact functionality as the Outlook Web App in a browser but with additional features only possible in native apps. But they're only for Office 365 users.
Russian search company Yandex places Android and iPad first on mobile.
The folks at Rdio are taking their music service experience to the big screen with their new Vdio movie and TV show service. Rdio Unlimited subscribers can try it out now with a free $25 credit in the Vdio store.
Sometimes Safari doesn't work with a particular website or web application. What can you do — besides simply launching another browser?
DNT was already supported by browsers from Microsoft, Mozilla and Apple, and now it's a feature of Chrome as well. But people turning on the feature in Google's browser are warned that many websites will still collect their data to serve ads.
The company has removed a court-baiting statement about Samsung copying the iPad from its website, after the court told it to. However, it is yet to put up the correct statement that the court wants.
The iPhone and iPad maker has issued an 'advert' on its website, following a U.K. High Court ruling earlier this year, in which Apple slams ten bells out of Samsung, its arch-rival in the tablet space.
Chrome for iPhone and iPad was announced today at Google I/O 2012 and is now available for download in the App Store.
Mozilla debuts a simple website creator of its own, Thimble, which allows Internet users to publish sites written in HTML and CSS from the browser window within minutes.
Wikipedia is warning its users that seeing ads on its website usually means your computer is infected with some type of malware. Most of the time, this means a rogue browser add-on or extension.
A firm of business analysts speculates that it would be great if Google's Chrome Web browser were to come to iOS devices. Will it? Will Apple let it?
The iPad maker is planning to add Chinese search engine Baidu to the options in its mobile Safari browser in China, reports say
Chrome was last Sunday the most-used browser in the world, according to the website analytics firm StatCounter.Google's browser briefly overtook Microsoft's Internet Explorer for the first time on that day, although IE is now back in the lead.
Just a few weeks ago, it looked like Sharp had won the right to supply Apple with the LCD panels for the forthcoming iPad 3, but a Korean website is now reporting that LG and Samsung will be the providers of what it is rumored to be a higher-resolution screen.According to the Electronic Times Internet, Sharp was unable to pass muster with Apple over mass production issues.
There most common gamification platform may be your standard PC web browser, typically accessed via a laptop or desktop computer, but every new piece of personal tech hardware has the potential to open up new avenues. For example, mobile phones and tablets such as the iPad have had some gamification success, especially when it comes to GPS-powered location-specific game features, such as check-ins at a specific place.
The popular Android web browser, Dolphin Browser, makes its way to iOS and is now available for free on the iPad. Tabbed browsing, browsing with gestures, and more are supported.
The online retailer has launched a web app compatible with the iPad, as well as the Chrome and Safari browsers, that allows people to buy e-books directly from the device
The best of ZDNet, delivered
- 1 Perfectly legal ways you can still get Windows 7 cheap (or even free)
- 2 34 ways to improve your iPhone's battery life
- 3 How much does an iPhone 6 really cost? (Hint: It's way more than $199)
- 4 So you have an app idea and want to make a bajillion bucks
- 5 ZDNet Cloud TV: Impact of cloud on HR (highlights)


text:
SIM swapping of late has become relatively widespread and somewhat easy to pull off.
Hackers who use this technique steal personal data and in some cases even milk millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency from the accounts of their victims using their private keys.
What Is a SIM Swap Scam?
SIM swapping scam is a process duping a telecommunication provider to transfer a phone number to a SIM card held by a hacker.
This allows the hacker to bypass the two-factor authentication and eventually taking over the victim’s online accounts linked to that phone number by resetting the passwords; also known as port-out scam.
According to crypto watchdog Crypto Aware, cryptocurrency related hacks and scams are fast becoming the norm.
Crypto Aware estimates that close to $670 million worth of cryptocurrencies were stolen in the first quarter of this year. Further research estimates that the total amount of cryptocurrencies lost in hacks and scams since June 2011 has reached $1.6 billion.
One would ask what kind of sorcery would be needed to pull out a “perfect” SIM swap scam. Well, tactics used vary depending on the hacker.
The first and most crucial step is to lay the foundation for any SIM swap scheme by collecting as much information about their victim(s).
This is done through social engineering and is mainly aimed at profitable or high-profile individuals.
Once they gather enough information, the hacker(s) call the victim’s telecommunication provider acting as their victim purporting to have lost or damaged their SIM card.
They then ask the customer service to activate a SIM card in their possession.
Most telecom providers rarely fulfill their request until specific security questions are answered.
Some hackers do bypass this stage successfully since they did their homework and are equipped with the right data.
However, not all hackers are always successful they use the so-called “plugs”: essentially these are insiders in telecommunication companies who get paid to do illegal swaps.
Michael Terpin, an American crypto investor, is among the victims to hit the headlines as a result of a crypto heist.
The entrepreneur and CEO of TransformGroup has recently filed a $224 million lawsuit against the telecommunication giant AT&T, accusing it of fraud and gross negligence after hacker(s) used his phone number to steal $24 million worth of cryptocurrency he stored on an online exchange.
“Fool Me Once Shame on You, Fool Me Twice Shame on Me”
This is not Terpin’s first rodeo with SIM swap scammers. In June 2017 he discovered that his AT&T number had been hacked when his phone suddenly switched off.
He later found that the hackers remotely changed his password after 11 failed attempts.
AT&T was able to cut off the hackers’ access but unfortunately, they had already stolen funds from his account. Fast-forward to January 7 of this year, Terpin got hacked all over again despite extra security measures being taken.
In his lawsuit, Terpin claims the hackers had help from an insider in committing the fraud regardless of his security status being leveled to rival that of celebrities.
In the complaint filed by Terpin’s lawyers, he compared AT&T’s actions to that of a hotel allowing a thief access to a customer’s private room and jewelry safe.
One would wonder in dismay how a high-profile crypto investor stores his tokens in an online wallet secured by text message, but it’s hard to detect SIM swap fraud before it happens.
A recent investigation showed that hundreds of people across the U.S. have had their phone numbers hijacked, with hacker(s) turning their attention mainly to digital currency holders and investors.
Protect Yourself and Your Digital Currency
How do you avert a SIM swap fraud? Cybersecurity experts recommend using alternative authentication networks other than SMS and not storing your digital currency on any exchange for extended periods without trading them.
They highly advise one to store funds in offline wallets (popularly known as cold storage) and doing periodic backups for added security.
For crypto firms and even high-profile investors, the use of International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) may halt a SIM swap heist even before it begins.
Essentially, IMSI is a unique number associated with a specific GSM phone. This makes it possible to verify legitimate subscribers by checking whether SIM card and their IMSI are the same.
Unfortunately, virtual currencies have attracted a lot of new unseasoned investors who are not well versed regarding online security and are identified as easy targets by scammers.
In the end a little paranoia about the safety of your personal data, especially your phone number, may help you survive a day in the crypto world. As they say, only the paranoid survive.


text:
- As the beauty brand continues to expand its brick-and-mortar presence, Glossier on Tuesday announced its first wholesale partnership with beauty retailer Sephora. The deal will not impact Glossier’s own store fleet, which will continue to expand, the company told Retail Dive via email.
- The DTC beauty brand will enter Sephora stores in the U.S. and Canada, as well as Sephora’s website and mobile app, early in 2023. Asked if Glossier will be sold in any Sephora at Kohl’s shop-in-shops, a spokesperson said more details on the partnership would come next year.
- Glossier is “one of the most searched brands” on Sephora’s website that the beauty retailer doesn’t currently sell, a Glossier spokesperson said. And searches around where to shop Glossier and if the brand is available at Sephora have surged up to 200% between July last year and this year.
It’s a big week for Glossier. In addition to opening its fifth store in Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood this Friday, the beauty brand also named its first wholesale partner. Glossier chose Sephora as a partner because of the company’s shared emphasis on discovery, community and customer experience, along with its global reach.
“They are an iconic, international retailer with an extremely loyal community and we know our customers want to find us there,” Glossier CEO Kyle Leahy said via email. “We share the same customer-centric values and are both deeply grounded in the ever-evolving notion of beauty discovery. This marks a new chapter in our omnichannel strategy and we can’t wait for all that’s ahead in 2023.”
After the pandemic caused Glossier to shutter its entire brick-and-mortar footprint, the brand in 2021 dove headfirst back into physical retail with plans to once again build out a fleet of stand-alone stores. An $80 million funding round helped fuel the company’s expansion, which has included opening stores in Seattle, Los Angeles and Miami, among others. The brand this April also named its first celebrity brand ambassador in Grammy Award winner Olivia Rodrigo.
Glossier’s stores have so far been driving traffic, with the company saying in March that its locations had brought in more than 250,000 visitors since reopening in August 2021. In the first two months of operations, the brand’s Seattle store drove 35,000 visits. Wholesale is another method for the brand to drive traffic and awareness, and Glossier is doing so with a player that is well-known for partnering with up-and-coming brands. Both Ulta and Sephora have worked to cultivate exclusive deals with DTC brands and startups in the beauty space.
“Our top priority is to curate the most exceptional collection of brands that shoppers around the world come to expect from us, as the leading global prestige beauty retailer,” Sephora Executive Vice President and Global Chief Merchandising Officer Artemis Patrick said via email. “As one of the most searched brands on Sephora.com we know our customers are going to be beyond excited to find their Glossier must-have products online, the Sephora App, and in our stores, while unlocking all the perks of our Beauty Insider program has to offer.”
2022 has not been all smooth sailing for Glossier, however. The company started the year with layoffs after making “mistakes” on its path to scale, and CEO and founder Emily Weiss stepped down in May. This past month, Glossier announced it was raising prices on some of its products amid rising production and shipping costs.


text:
CLARE — Advanced Battery Concepts, a Clare-based battery technology company, announced that it has agreed to license its industry changing GreenSeal technology to Exide Industries Limited.Advanced Battery Concepts’ GreenSeal technology drastically simplifies lead battery manufacturing and significantly improves lead battery performance by increasing cycle life, lowering weight, reducing recharge time, improving reliability and is fully recyclable. This improvement is achieved through reduction of lead-metal content by an average of 46 percent and more efficient working of the active materials through innovative patented design.
Exide is a manufacturer of lead batteries used in multiple market segments, including automotive, power and telecom. Exide has a dominant market position in the very important and growing domestic Indian market, and has annual sales of more than $1.3 billion.
“Exide Industries is a very highly regarded and substantial international company,” said Advanced Battery Concepts CEO and founder Ed Shaffer. “Exide Industries becomes our fourth licensee and demonstrates our technology readiness for mass adoption by the lead battery industry. It is an extremely exciting time for Advanced Battery Concepts with growing acceptance of our product and manufacturing technology and improved performance over conventional lead batteries.”
For more information, visit www.advancedbatteryconcepts.com.


text:
Netflix is in talks with Telekom Indonesia about rolling out a service on the telecom network, Reuters reports.
The streaming service has been blocked on Telekom Indonesia since January 2016 because of censorship issues. This situation exemplifies some of the cultural, competitive, and regulatory difficulties that companies face when localizing in foreign markets.
Indonesia's country's censorship board blocked content that it deems not "healthy" for society, and passed a broad anti-pornography bill in 2008 prohibiting adult and sexual content. Websites like Vimeo and Reddit are banned throughout the country. Politically sensitive films, such as the Oscar-nominated documentary The Act of Killing, which is available on Netflix, are also banned.
Majority state-owned Telekom Indonesia is the country's biggest internet service provider (ISP). In a country of more than 250 million people, Telekom Indonesia has about 174 million customers on its cellular network. Although Netflix is blocked on Telekom Indonesia networks, the streaming service is accessible on other telecom networks and carriers.
Offering Netflix on Telekom Indonesia could be mutually beneficial for both companies. For Netflix, it would be a door-opener to Telekom Indonesia's massive customer base, and to a large growing emerging economy. For Telekom Indonesia, it's a way to boost its content offering, unveil new pricing schemes, and potentially gain new customers.
Although freedom of the press in Indonesia is high compared to the rest of Southeast Asia, major TV networks in the country are controlled by local business and political elite. Indonesia's ministry of communications has told Netflix to establish an office in the country and pay local taxes. A flat 25% corporate income tax rate generally applies in Indonesia.
Over the last few years, there's been much talk about the "death of TV." However, television is not dying so much as it's evolving: extending beyond the traditional television screen and broadening to include programming from new sources accessed in new ways.
It's strikingly evident that more consumers are shifting their media time away from live TV, while opting for services that allow them to watch what they want, when they want. Indeed, we are seeing a migration toward original digital video such as YouTube Originals, SVOD services such as Netflix, and live streaming on social platforms.
However, not all is lost for legacy media companies. Amid this rapidly shifting TV landscape, traditional media companies are making moves across a number of different fronts — trying out new distribution channels, creating new types of programming aimed at a mobile-first audience, and partnering with innovate digital media companies. In addition, cable providers have begun offering alternatives for consumers who may no longer be willing to pay for a full TV package.
Dylan Mortensen, senior research analyst for BI Intelligence, has compiled a detailed report on the future of TV that looks at how TV viewer, subscriber, and advertising trends are shifting, and where and what audiences are watching as they turn away from traditional TV.
Here are some key points from the report:
- Increased competition from digital services like Netflix and Hulu as well as new hardware to access content are shifting consumers' attention away from live TV programming.
- Across the board, the numbers for live TV are bad. US adults are watching traditional TV on average 18 minutes fewer per day versus two years ago, a drop of 6%. In keeping with this, cable subscriptions are down, and TV ad revenue is stagnant.
- People are consuming more media content than ever before, but how they're doing so is changing. Half of US TV households now subscribe to SVOD services, like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu, and viewing of original digital video content is on the rise.
- Legacy TV companies are recognizing these shifts and beginning to pivot their business models to keep pace with the changes. They are launching branded apps and sites to move their programming beyond the TV glass, distributing on social platforms to reach massive, young audiences, and forming partnerships with digital media brands to create new content.
- The TV ad industry is also taking a cue from digital. Programmatic TV ad buying represented just 4% (or $2.5 billion) of US TV ad budgets in 2015 but is expected to grow to 17% ($10 billion) by 2019. Meanwhile, networks are also developing branded TV content, similar to publishers' push into sponsored content.
In full, the report:
- Outlines the shift in consumer viewing habits, specifically the younger generation.
- Explores the rise of subscription streaming services and the importance of original digital video content.
- Breaks down ways in which legacy media companies are shifting their content and advertising strategies.
- And Discusses new technology that will more effectively measure audiences across screens and platforms.
Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:
- Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. » START A MEMBERSHIP
- Purchase & download the full report from our research store. » BUY THE REPORT


text:
When it comes to the sub-$250 price range, the new Nokia 5.1 might be the perfect phone. Of all the new models announced at Nokia's event in Moscow, the Nokia 5.1 offers the most with the least compromises. For a third of the cost of a flagship, you get a phone with a premium build, solid specs, and good battery life.
After years of struggling, it appears BlackBerry has finally figured out how to update its iconic design for modern times. The BlackBerry KEY2 pays homage to past devices such as the Bold 9000 while adapting to modern times with the Android OS. The result is a device that might be the best BlackBerry to date.
BlackBerry has formally unveiled its latest flagship, the KEY2, during an exclusive event in New York. The Android-powered KEY2 retains its distinctive BlackBerry aesthetics with a physical QWERTY keyboard. Here's all the juicy details regarding Blackberry's followup to the venerable KEYone.
After two years of poor sales, LG decided to shake up its mobile division. New executives are at the helm, and changes to their flagship lineups are already underway. Specifically, the V series is expanding, as LG announced the second new device in the series, the LG V35 ThinQ.
To quote MKBHD, cheap phones are getting good. Each year we are seeing manufacturers start to offer more for much less. This not only translates to cheaper flagship phones, but better budget phones. The latest example of this is the Alcatel 3V, which is redefining what you can get at $150.
Last year, OnePlus released not one but two excellent flagship devices with the OnePlus 5 and 5T. While the 5T released sooner than expected, it brought some worthwhile upgrades, such as a near bezel-less display and a much-needed camera enhancement. Now, that the OnePlus 6 has arrived, it's time to see what OnePlus has in store for 2018.
After delaying its launch by four months, LG revealed its 2018 entry to the flagship market on Wednesday, May 2. After years of an underperforming mobile division, the LG G7 ThinQ is the first product since a shakeup within the division to get things back on track, and it brings a number of upgrades over its G6 predecessor.
The last quarter of 2017 brought us some downright excellent smartphones. Between the iPhone X, Pixel 2, and Note 8, consumers have more fantastic options than ever when choosing a new device. It's now the perfect opportunity for Samsung to set the tone for 2018 smartphones with their exceptional S9 and S9+.
Samsung makes more than just the Galaxy S and Note series. With a large portion of the world not able to afford phones with flagship specs, Samsung makes several different series that focus on price. The latest is the Galaxy A6, a budget option with a flagship feature.
After first being announced at Mobile World Congress 2018, the ASUS ZenFone 5Z will finally be coming to the US. Deemed an iPhone X clone by some, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to this flasghip. While it is similar to the iPhone X, in some ways, it improves on the design.
In 2018, Motorola is no longer the same brand that introduced the world to the Motorola Droid. The once iconic company is now part of the "Others" group, scrambling for fifth place. The newly-announced Moto Z3 perfectly embodies their current state with competitive specs ... if it came out last year.
2017 was a down year for HTC. First, the U11 and U Ultra were widely criticized. Later, Google purchased a large chunk of HTC's manufacturing division, leaving the Taiwanese company running with a skeleton crew after losing 2,000 key employees. But that's not stopping HTC — their flagship U12+ was just announced, and it's quite impressive.
During an event in Moscow earlier this year, Nokia announced a refresh to their Nokia 2, 3, and 5 series phones. While there is no official confirmation of a US release for the updated Nokia 2 and 5, we do know that as of July 2nd, you'll be able to snag a new Nokia 3.1.
After months of leaks and rumors, Google has finally unveiled the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. If there were such a thing, the Pixel would be the one "true" Android flagship — so even if you don't plan on buying a Pixel 2, you'll want you learn more about this milestone device.
The LG V30 has finally been announced and was rumored to be released sometime in September, but September has come and is almost gone, while LG fans have been waiting anxiously. The V series offers a more robust media experience when compared to LG's other flagship, the LG G6. Since the phone has been announced, we do have all of the details for the third flagship in LG's V series, and believe me, it's sounds like it'll be worth the wait.
Every other year, Apple comes out with "S" model iPhones that enhance and speed up their main series models from the previous year. This year, however, because of the highly-anticipated 10th anniversary iPhone, aka the iPhone X, Apple has dropped the "S" and moved straight to the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.
Apple has something big in store for consumers in 2017 to mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone. One major surprise is that Apple has decided to forgo on releasing a 7S in favor of a redesigned iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. To further commemorate its 10-year milestone, the Cupertino-based company has released the very exclusive iPhone X, garnering much excitement in the process.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (or Galaxy Note8, depending on how you like it) is one phone which couldn't possibly have bigger shoes to fill. Samsung's latest flagship has officially been announced, so it's time to decide whether not it's capable of filing the void left by the failed Note 7. From the revealed specifications and details, the Note 8 is turning out to be one device worth pre-ordering.
Long before Apple and Android became household names, Nokia dominated the mobile industry. The Finnish company was one of the first to develop smartphones, and their classic N95 with 2G "high-speed" internet connectivity was declared the "best smartphone ever" by some in 2007. Outside of the US, before the iPhone became all the rage, owning a Nokia phone was a status symbol akin to wearing a Rolex or Omega watch.
The OnePlus 5 just made its official debut, so we now have all of the juicy details. From the announcement, this device definitely sounds like it's going to be another flagship killer, following in the footsteps of its predecessors.


text:
Headlines raged this weekend for Walmart's widespread, prolonged, top-level alleged cover up as a major NY Times story examined evidence going back to September 2005 suggesting tens of millions in foreign bribes. But the dirtiest thing about the biggest, worst-paying employer in the US is actually their five decade model of aggressive, "never-enough" growth which seeks to replace workers in every city in the nation.
In the Big Apple, Walmart's attempt last year to get their gangrenous toe in the door was rejected when grassroots coalitions joined local businesses and community leaders to stop the "trojan horse", despite million dollar ad campaigns peppering NYC radio with promises of great shopping and lots of jobs.
This deceptive corporate frame-job hopes you ignore a long history of net job losses for communities, as a single Walmart box store can easily displace over 100 local businesses. Walmart jobs pay less, passing on savings to the customer as they take profits out of the local tax base. The displaced workers not only increase unemployment claims in the area, but often need government handouts as well because the wages and benefits are abysmal.
Multibillionaire Mayor Mike Bloomberg was dubbed "Walmart Spokesman" for his support of the box-store bully last year. In this exchange, Bloomberg got snippy with a Daily News reporter daring to ask a Walmart rep to comment on recent charity to underprivileged NYC kids coinciding with their desire to build in the area.
The non-profit ALIGN paired labor groups and CUNY researchers to publish a study detailing how NYC could fare if Walmart achieved it's typical 20+% marketshare. They estimated a roll out of 11 Walmart Supercenters, 34 Walmart Markets, and 114 Walmart Express stores --and a citywide net loss of some 3,980 jobs.
Lower prices paid by shoppers would translate to over $353 million annually in lost wages and $4 million per year shifted to taxpayers in social services costs. City newspapers noted Walmart's "desperate for growth" model back in 2011.
But Walmart knows how to wait communities out, wear them down, groom friendly candidates and to build positive PR. Walmart waited eight years, outlasting the city council on the South Side of Chicago after a contentious battle there. Already at it for two years in New York City, their website WalmartNYC.com paints a rosy, union-bashing picture of 100% positive comments, and the following elected officials portrayed as "on board":
- State Senator Diane Savino (D-North Shore/Brooklyn)
- Assemblyman Matthew Titone (D-North Shore)
- Assemblyman Lou Tobacco (R-South Shore)
- Borough President James Molinaro
- State Senator Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island)
- Councilman Vincent Ignizio (R-South Shore)
- City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr.
- Peter Koo, 20th City Council District (Flushing)
- Eric Ulrich, City Council Member (Ozone Park)
- Councilman James Oddo (R-Mid-Island)
- Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn)
You can also see six different comments from Mayor Bloomberg's Spokesman Andrew Brent. Even a Michelle Obama quote seems to praise Walmart for bringing healthy choices to urban areas.
When Killing Jobs is Called Creating Jobs
I remember well when Walmart tried to open a second store in my community, only about a mile or so from a existing Walmart, the onslaught of local business owners and protesters spilling out of the hall made the Walmart reps leave in the middle of the hearing.
Just like the sub-prime mortgage crisis, Walmart's low-road business practices knowingly use everyday people's eagerness for low prices against their own greater long-term good. Steven Restivo, Walmart's director of community affairs gloats thusly:
"If we open a store and no one comes to shop there, or if we open a hiring center and no one applies for a job, we'll have learned a really important lesson about New York City...we just don't think that's going to be the case."
Walmart also responded to charges they would blanket NYC with 159 stores by noting their current "penetration" into other US communities took decades. Not much of a denial.
Foreign Corrupt Practices and Bag-Men
I was in Beijing in 2003 when Walmart was slated to open it's first store in the city. English language press charged blatant corruption as the last bit of resistance was overcome. Walmart exports about 70% of it's merchandise from China, ironically driving down wages even as it supports manufacturing jobs, but has increasingly been supplanting Chinese retail workers as 31 stores in China in 2003 has ballooned to 370 today.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).