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Austin, Texas, USA – Skyline Attractions is thrilled to announce its partnership with US Thrill Rides on the design, engineering, and delivery of a one-of-a-kind thrill ride coming to COTALAND amusement park at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas in 2022. SkyBlazer™, previously announced at the 2021 IAAPA Expo, is a first-of-its-kind amusement attraction that
New Rides, Exciting Events, and Updates
Skyline Attractions continuously churns out thrilling ride concepts, innovative experiences, and newsworthy partnerships and products for other theme park industry companies. We share the latest and greatest of all of these exciting happenings in our press releases.
Orlando, FL, USA – Skyline Attractions is thrilled to return to the IAAPA Expo this week, following the premier amusement industry tradeshow’s absence in 2020. The Orlando, Florida rides manufacturer will be highlighting a variety of new and returning products at Booth #4604, including its revolutionary new children’s roller coaster, P’Sghetti Bowl, and major modifications and improvements
Orlando, FL, USA – Skyline Attractions’ newest product, the P’Sghetti Bowl Children’s Coaster, is the ideal addition for any zoo, aquarium, or FEC in search of a new family-friendly attraction. The miniature steel roller coaster is highly marketable, offers unlimited customization opportunities, and is designed and engineered to fit into any location’s space and budget constraints. With


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FDA delays sales of Navidea cancer-detection aid Lymphoseek
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration late Monday declined to approve sales of Navidea Biopharmaceuticals Inc.’s radioactive diagnostic aid Lymphoseek, delaying the long-awaited start of sales projected in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
“The FDA noted the decision was focused on issues with third-party Lymphoseek contract manufacturing, and was not related to any efficacy or safety data,” Navidea said in a press release.
Dublin-based Navidea (NYSE:NAVB) said it would work with the FDA and the manufacturer to resolve the issues and resubmit the drug for approval.
“We remain confident that our clinical data clearly demonstrate the value of Lymphoseek in accurately identifying lymph nodes that most likely harbor cancer while producing no clinically significant adverse effects,” CEO Mark Pykett said in the release.
Navidea had filed its application in October and hoped for approval in June, but the decision was pushed back while it provided more information on chemistry and manufacturing to the agency. Meanwhile, the company is awaiting an OK for the drug in Europe.
Sales of Lymphoseek were seen as a long-awaited turnaround for investors in a biotech that’s been profitable twice in three decades. The drug was to have been marketed under an exclusive distribution agreement with Dublin pharmaceutical giant Cardinal Health Inc. (NYSE:CAH), which splits revenue 50/50. Cardinal Health runs the nation’s largest network of pharmacies that specialize in the highly regulated and complex compounding of drugs containing radioactive elements.
Lymphoseek has a radioactive element attached to a compound that binds only to tissue in the body’s lymph nodes, so that surgeons can find the closest nodes that drain fluid from a tumor and test if the cancer has spread. Drugs used in the procedure before don’t target lymph tissue, and research indicates Lymphoseek is more accurate, as well as lacking painful side effects and allergic reactions associated with the other agents.
Carrie Ghose covers health care, startups and technology for Columbus Business First.
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adidas finished file Partnership with Yialso known as Kanye West, with “instant effect”.
In a statement on Tuesday, the sportswear maker said it “does not tolerate anti-Semitism and any other type of hate speech” and said its recent comments were “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous”. Adidas said it violated its “company values of diversity, inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”
Sales and production of his Yeezy-branded products as well as payments to Ye and his companies have ceased. Adidas said it will cost its fourth-quarter sales of 250 million euros ($246 million).
Adidas has been partnering with West since 2013, when the company signed his brand apart from rival Nike. In 2016, Adidas expanded its relationship with the rapper, calling it “the most important partnership ever created between a sports and non-sports brand.”
But adidas put the partnership under review in early October after the “White Lives Matter” jersey was worn in public. The Anti-Defamation League classifies the phrase as a “hate slogan” used by white supremacist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan.
Recently, Ye said “I can say anti-Semitic words and adidas can’t bring me down,” during an anti-Jewish sermon on the Drink Champs Podcast. he is too Threatened on Twitter to “Go death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.”
Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, said Adidas’ decision is a “very positive outcome”.
It shows that anti-Semitism is unacceptable and leads to consequences. “Without a doubt, adidas did the right thing by severing ties with Ye after his vicious antisemitic remarks,” he said in a statement. “In the end, adidas’ work sends a powerful message that anti-Semitism and bigotry have no place in society.”
He added on CNN earlier Tuesday that he hopes that happens sooner, but that adidas “made a very strong statement putting people on the profits.”
(ADDDF) It fell 5% in Frankfurt. Adidas
(ADDDF) It said it will release additional information about the financial implications of canceling its partnership with Ye in its upcoming earnings report on November 9.
The list of brands that are distancing themselves from the West is growing. Balenciaga and Vogue publicly cut ties last week, and on Monday, they dropped talent agency CAA West as a client. Production company MRC said it is suspending a documentary about the West.
Also on Tuesday, Gap announced that Yeezy Gap Merchandise Clearance from his stores and shut down YeezyGap.com.
“Recent observations of our former partner and his behavior confirm why. We are taking immediate steps to remove the Yeezy Gap product,” the retailer said in a statement.
Last month, the rapper said he had ended his two-year strained relationship with Gap, citing a “major noncompliance.” Ye said he was left with “no choice but to end their cooperation,” alleging that the company did not open Yeezy-branded stores and distribute his merchandise as planned, his attorney said in a statement.
Epic Ye, not just with Adidas but with brands like Gap and Balenciaga, “emphasizes the importance of rigorously vetting celebrities and avoiding those who are controversial or overly unstable,” GlobalData managing director Neil Saunders wrote in a note Tuesday.
“Although there is room for some tension in fashion, this should never cross the line of basic decency and respect for humanity. Companies or brands that do not pay attention to this will be shocked, especially if they become overly dependent on a difficult personality to conduct their business,” he added. .
CNN Business’s Barriga Cavilans and John Sarlin contributed to this report.


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Halo Series Breaks 50 Million, 343i Already Working On Halo 5
Posted on Thursday, December 6 @ 10:41:33 PST by Alex_Osborn
Microsoft's iconic green Spartan certainly has some serious selling power, as the publisher announced today that the Halo series has broken the 50 million mark in units sold.
Prior to Halo 4's launch, the company revealed that Halo sales had surpassed the 46 million mark, so after a bit of basic math, one can conclude that sales of 343i's latest are somewhere around 4 million.
With such a profitable franchise, you can be sure that Microsoft won't let its biggest moneymaker go to waste. In fact, the studio has already begun working on the next entry in the series. Frank O’Connor of 343i told CVG that the studio is currently in the early stages of Halo 5's development, saying that "work on the game started actually before we launched Halo 4 and continues apace as we cycle staff through the team’s vacation breaks. We’re excited about the next game.”
Are you psyched for the next entry in the Halo franchise, or are you still so engrossed in Halo 4 that the idea of a new installment is a bit too much to chew on right now?
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Published on 2014年11月04日 星期二
By Tim Maytom at Mobile Marketing Magazine
Indoor positioning company Sensewhere has launched its new system for indoor advertising and released a free SDK aimed at increasing adoption of the technology.
The system needs no new infrastructure beyond existing wireless networks, and doesn’t represent a large power drain, but enables user-targeting with an accuracy of 10 metres or less.
Sensewhere hopes to disrupt the established commercial structure of indoor advertising by offering its SDK for free to mobile platform providers and handset manufacturers. Companies who adopt the technology also have the ability to earn revenue by contributing to the crowd-sourced location database that Sensewhere is building up, which has been successfully trialled in Seoul, San Francisco and Rio.
“We believe our cutting edge technology coupled with a no-risk commercial model will radically change the world of indoor location,” said Rob Palfreyman, CEO of Sensewhere. “While other positioning companies measure themselves by number of venues covered, customers equipping their devices with Sensewhere can benefit from global venue coverage in a very short period of time with zero cost to build the database.
“Crucially, our system enables marketers to roll out indoor positioning campaigns at low cost and without the need for any hardware. The potential for indoor positioning and proximity marketing is huge if even a fraction of overall retail sales are attributed to the information the technology gives to retailers, so we are confident that there will be significant interest in our regional, crowd-sourced databases.”
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See stores coming to Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass
Every year, Orbitz ranks the top 10 busiest airports for Thanksgiving Day travel based on flight bookings.
More than three decades after a young mother was raped and killed, her killer was convicted Friday.


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Mills, who recently committed $1 million in vegan food to the Hunts Point Alliance for Children
(HPAC), taught young apprentice chefs from the school to prepare tasty vegan meals.
The BankNote, a 405,000 s/f office and retail building in Hunts Point, Bronx, is proud to announce that The Hunts Point Children's Shakespeare Ensemble, a youth group sponsored by the Shakespeare Society and the Hunts Point Alliance for Children
(HPAC), will be studying and rehearsing The Tempest in the Garrison wing of the historic building.
With the Hunts Point Alliance for Children
we created rooftop gardens so the kids could grow vegetables to eat alongside their Vbites Vegan Burgers, transitioning to 90% wholefood products within one year.
BOCNET joins other non-profit and business tenants at the BankNote Building including Iridescent-ONR, Hunts Point Alliance for Children
, Urban Health Plan, Fedcap, and the office of Congressman Jose Serrano.
Sunshine Suites, Iridescent-ONR, Hunts Point Alliance for Children
, and Elliot Quinones & Associates have all signed leases at the 405,000 s/f building.


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Budget hotel group Travelodge is set to foray into overseas market, marking an investment worth 1 billion euros (715 million pounds) for Spain. (11/19/2007)
The company said in a statement the expansion was its first major move into international markets. The ī700 million programme will involve the opening of 100 hotels and the creation of 2,000 new jobs by 2020. The expansion follows a successful pilot scheme of three hotels - two in Madrid and one in Barcelona.
"(Spain is) an important part of Travelodge´s longer-term growth strategy. While there is a very strong outlook in the UK for the next 10 to 15 years, we have demonstrated through our pilot that the Travelodge model works in Spain," Chief Executive Grant Hearn said in a statement.
The group will open the majority of the hotels between 2010 and 2020, with just three to be unveiled in the next three years.
Travelodge is expanding heavily in Britain, where it currently has over 300 hotels. It is owned by Dubai International Capital (DIC), which bought it just over a year ago from private equity house Permira.
"Travelodge has an important role in international markets, like Spain, which are building high-demand for the no-frills approach," Hearn added. "There are just 100 budget hotels in Spain and with Spanish travellers taking 143 million domestic trips a year, we think the market potential is huge. We also know that 61 percent of our 1.5 million UK online customer base is planning to take a trip to Spain within the next three years."
"We are confident we can deliver strong growth through this combinations."


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Miquita Oliver thinks “it’s so sexy to get dressed for a fiver”.
The Oxfam ambassador loves getting ready for the night on the town with charity shop finds and wants everyone to be able to get comfortable finding their fashion fix in amongst some of the high street's cast offs.
The 38-year-old television presenter told the Guardian newspaper’s Saturday magazine: “I think it’s so sexy to get dressed for a fiver”.
To mark Secondhand September, Miquita took her mother, ‘The Great British Menu’ presenter Andi Oliver, 58, and her 84-year-old grandmother Maria to find some cute bargains that don’t add to the fashion industry’s large carbon footprint.
While digging through the charity’s warehouse in Yorkshire, she remarked: “It’s hard to believe what people get rid of” after comparing some of the finds to something Joni Mitchell or an attendee of the “1970s Cannes film festival” would wear.
The former T4 host longed to “show that anyone can look and feel beautiful” in pre-owned garb no matter their age, race or body type.
Miquita said: “I want to show that anyone can look and feel beautiful in secondhand clothes. My mum is a 58-year-old bald black woman who is on prime-time television, which is so inspiring to me. A lot of women feel like they aren’t visible – whether that’s women over 50, black women, women who don’t use their hair as their beauty – and so to see her develop her style as this joyous, celebratory thing has been banging.”


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HTC's first mover disadvantage
Looking at the Verge's slightly negative review of the Droid DNA, it seems that HTC's preference for launching innovative technology first, has harmed them significantly in the US market.
While any tech enthusiast appreciates novelty and risk, (they launched the first Android phone for Pete's sake) from a business perspective it seems to be hurting them as of late.
They've done a lot for mobile innovation, see http://www.htc.com/sea/discover/ & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWDHYqBSjQg, but based on 2012 sales, it seems they might not be in the position to keep leading the industry.
1) HTC seems to be the first to OEM launch a skin on Android phone, starting with the HTC Hero in 2009, which came to hurt them as Sense became a bloated and wasteful abomination.
2) HTC was the first to integrate 4G hurt them as the thicker and battery intensive 2010 Sprint smartphones hurt sales and opened the door for the newly launched Samsung Galaxy S.
3) HTC is the first to launch a US smartphone with a 1080P, which seems to be a net negative over their 720P One X screen.
They seem to be in a vicious cycle where they rush to market with new tech to get attention, create marketing buzz and drive sales, only to frustrate early adopters with poor performance and battery life.
There's seem to be a fine line between their high-risk 'see what sticks' strategy and Apple's 'always late' approach (3G, 4G LTE, NFC, Wireless charging, etc.)
Hope they find it soon, as the mobile industry is shaping up to be a two-horse race of Samsung(which almost has more power than Android) and Apple.


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It seems highly likely that we’ll be getting some Outer Worlds DLC news this Thursday.
A tweet rolled out today which directs people to the Outer Worlds website and encourages ’employees’ of Halcyon to take a break.
Greetings employees of Halcyon,
The Board is pleased to announce that we have been able to acquire a portion of The Outer Worlds website! Feel free to take an additional 5-minute break today to visit the website, you’ve earned it! 🚀✨https://t.co/g3ADukdpfw
— The Outer Worlds (@OuterWorlds) July 20, 2020
Then when you head to the website it tells you to ‘Stay Tuned’ for a ‘Special Message from Spacer’s Choice’.
With Obsidian being bought out by Microsoft and the Xbox Games Showcase being the biggest gaming story of the week, everything is lining up for a big reveal.
It’s possible the DLC could even drop on Thursday as we first heard it was in development back at The Game Awards in December.
It’s also possible it could be available as launch content for the Xbox Series X along with a patch to upgrade the game for the new console.
Guess we’ll find out more in a few days.


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I am heading to South Africa in October of this year to give a series of lectures on safe food a.k.a., “why it is a bad idea to poison your customer.” It appears that I might need to move up the timing of my trip. According to South African news:
As the horse meat scandal rages in Europe, top local researchers have found “fraudulent meat products” across South Africa. The study found that anything from soy, donkey, goat and water buffalo was found in up to 68 percent of the minced meats, burger patties, deli meats, sausages and dried meats that were tested. In other cases, undeclared plant matter was detected. These ingredients were not declared on the products’ packaging labels.
The study was published in the international Food Control journal, and was carried out by Dr. Donna-Maree Cawthorn and Professor Louw Hoffman of the Stellenbosch University Department of Animal Sciences, with Harris Steinman of Food & Allergy Consulting & Testing Services in Milnerton.
“Our study confirms that the mislabeling of processed meats is commonplace in South Africa and not only violates food labeling regulations but also poses economic, religious, ethical and health impacts,” said Professor Louw Hoffman of the Department of Animal Sciences.
The study found that soy, donkey, goat and water buffalo were contained in up to 68 percent of the 139 minced meats, burger patties, deli meats, sausages and dried meats that were tested.
Seriously, all of Europe and South Africa are having this issue and nothing is going on in the United States? Really?


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Apple’s Stock Market Value Falls Below $2 Trillion
Giant Tech Apple has been having a difficult time in the stock market; on Tuesday, the value of the company’s stock dropped precipitously, pushing its entire market value below $2 trillion. Since 2021, this has only occurred once.
Apple set a milestone just last year when its market value surpassed $3 trillion.
Exane BNP Paribas analyst Jerome Ramel downgraded Apple shares from “outperforming” to “neutral,” which is one of the reasons why Apple share prices fell by around 3.7 percent on Tuesday. With this decline, Apple’s market worth is now $1.99 trillion.
The “global recession” is one of the deeper, more significant factors contributing to Apple’s share fall, which is having an impact on both the firm and its customers. Economic analysts think that a slow global economy, increasing inflation, and a decreasing product supply may be harming consumer demand for Apple products, which may ultimately harm the company.
Apple reportedly expects a decline in demand for its products. According to Nikkei, Apple has instructed vendors to produce fewer parts for its computers, watches, and headphones.
The list of the most valuable corporations still has Apple in first place despite its unexpected price drops. It is not too far behind Microsoft, a US computer company with a $1.785 trillion market cap.
Investors are concerned due to the decline in the value of Apple stock and the slowing global economy. According to Kim Forrest of Bokeh Capital Partners, “Apple tends to lean to the high-end consumer device buyer, but even that demographic might be being influenced by the high price of everything.”


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Jefferies Group Reaffirms “Buy” Rating for Marks and Spencer Group (MKS)
Jefferies Group reissued their buy rating on shares of Marks and Spencer Group (LON:MKS) in a research note released on Tuesday morning. The brokerage currently has a GBX 370 ($4.95) price objective on the retailer’s stock.
A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an underweight rating and set a GBX 285 ($3.81) price objective on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a research note on Tuesday, October 31st. Deutsche Bank lowered their price objective on Marks and Spencer Group from GBX 360 ($4.81) to GBX 345 ($4.61) and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 8th. Barclays reissued an overweight rating and issued a GBX 370 ($4.95) price target on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a research note on Thursday, November 9th. Peel Hunt reissued a buy rating and issued a GBX 450 ($6.02) price target on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 8th. Finally, Shore Capital reissued a hold rating on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of GBX 345.73 ($4.62).
Marks and Spencer Group (LON MKS) traded up GBX 4.10 ($0.05) during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting GBX 312.90 ($4.18). The company had a trading volume of 4,294,738 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,770,000. The firm has a market cap of $5,020.00 and a price-to-earnings ratio of 2,844.55. Marks and Spencer Group has a twelve month low of GBX 296.30 ($3.96) and a twelve month high of GBX 397.80 ($5.32).
Marks and Spencer Group (LON:MKS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 8th. The retailer reported GBX 10.70 ($0.14) EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of GBX 9.60 ($0.13) by GBX 1.10 ($0.01). The firm had revenue of GBX 512.56 billion during the quarter. Marks and Spencer Group had a return on equity of 5.62% and a net margin of 1.65%.
The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 16th will be paid a dividend of GBX 6.80 ($0.09) per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 16th. This represents a yield of 2.13%.
In other news, insider Archie Norman bought 33,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 300 ($4.01) per share, with a total value of £99,000 ($132,370.64).
TRADEMARK VIOLATION NOTICE: This report was first posted by Watch List News and is owned by of Watch List News. If you are reading this report on another site, it was stolen and republished in violation of US & international trademark & copyright law. The original version of this report can be accessed at https://www.watchlistnews.com/jefferies-group-reaffirms-buy-rating-for-marks-and-spencer-group-mks/1795527.html.
About Marks and Spencer Group
Marks and Spencer Group plc (M&S) is a retailer in the United Kingdom, with over 1,380 stores around the world. The Company is the holding company of the Marks & Spencer Group of companies. The Company operates through two segments: UK and International. The UK segment consists of the United Kingdom retail business and the United Kingdom franchise operations.
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Inflation could reach 15 per cent early next year, a leading think tank warned yesterday, as soaring gas prices exacerbate the UK’s cost of living crisis.
The Resolution Foundation said the Bank of England’s inflation forecasts were likely to be revised upwards in the light of new projections on the price of wholesale gas. Previously, the central bank has said it sees inflation topping 11 per cent in October. City analysts expect it to go even higher, at 12 per cent.
As a consequence, the think tank said, it expected the Bank to announce the largest interest rate rise in 27 years. Economists also expect an increase of between 0.25 and 0.75 per cent.
Andrew Bailey, the Bank of England governor, has made it clear that while a 0.5 percentage point increase in interest rates is “not locked in”, it will be “among the choices on the table” when the monetary policy committee makes its decision today.
Since December, the bank has raised interest rates in 0.25-percentage-point increments, but pledged in June to act “forcefully” if needed in response to inflationary pressures. If the bank’s committee does raise its central benchmark rate to 1.75 per cent, it will be the sharpest increase in borrowing costs for more than a quarter of a century.
Analysts have suggested that the final decision will be finely balanced as inflationary pressures are weighed against the rising risks of recession.
Rishi Sunak intends to use the bank’s announcement to push his argument that inflation must be brought under control before it is safe to cut taxes.
“If we rush through premature tax cuts before we have gripped inflation, all we are doing is giving with one hand and then taking away with the other,” he said. “That would stoke inflation and drive up interest rates, adding to people’s mortgage payments. And it would mean every pound people get back in their pockets is nothing more than a down payment on rising prices.”
In its report, the Resolution Foundation said current expected gas prices for this winter are close to 50 per cent higher than they were in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The energy price cap is now expected to rise to £3,358 in October and then go up again to £3,615 in January 2023. High gas prices also push up electricity prices, with both leading to increased costs for businesses and consumers that feed inflation.
Jack Leslie, a senior economist at the foundation, said while some other commodity prices had fallen in the past month, the cost of gas was weighing on inflation projections.
“The outlook for inflation is highly uncertain, largely driven by unpredictable gas prices, but changes over recent months suggest that the Bank of England is likely to forecast a higher and later peak for inflation — potentially up to 15 per cent in early 2023,” he said.
“While market prices for some core goods — including oil, corn and wheat — have fallen since their peak earlier this year, these prices haven’t yet fed through into consumer costs and remain considerably higher than they were in January.
“With gas prices continuing to reach record levels, both households and businesses will see large increases in their energy bills throughout the winter and into 2023. How long this high inflation will last is hugely uncertain, but the cost of living crisis looks set to last longer and hit households harder than previously anticipated.”


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Global Pet food market South America and Asia trending in 2019
The U.S. is by far the largest pet food market in the world, but recent trends indicate that the center of pet food industry growth is shifting away from North America and Europe, according to market research firm Packaged Facts in the new report.
“The pet food market, especially the market for dog and cat food, has truly gone global,” says David Sprinkle, research director for Packaged Facts. “The national markets showing highest longer-term promise for future growth period include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, and South Korea.”
Brazil head this second tier of national markets with combined dog and cat food sales of US$1 billion or more. Brazil is home to over 132 million pets, including 77 million dogs and cats, making it the fourth largest pet population worldwide behind China, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Brazil’s strength also lies the fact that the two global pet food kingpins lead the Brazilian market, with Mars (Mars Brasil Alimentos Ltda) out front followed by Nestlé (Nestle Brasil Ltda).
The Case for China
China continues to climb the global pet food market lists, making it one of the fastest growing pet care markets alongside Mexico, Russia, and, of course, Brazil. Packaged Facts reports that the Chinese pet market is already in a dynamic growth stage, with impressive annual growth rates in recent years.
“No country has more pet market growth potential than China, which is partly a function of yet-to-be-realized pet population growth and broader usage of commercial pet food,” says Sprinkle.
To read the full information use this link.
The latest articles
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European pet food manufacturers establish new group
SANYpet, Natural Line and Codico have created a new production and distribution group to capture the international market.
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Lamb Weston Reports Fiscal Third Quarter 2022 Results; Updates Fiscal Year 2022 Outlook
四月 08, 2022Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: LW) announced today its fiscal third-quarter 2022 results and updated its fiscal 2022 outlook.
Kerry identifies barbecue as the world’s top taste in 2021
二月 24, 2022Kerry, the world’s leading taste and nutrition company has reviewed extensive research and examined global trends in emerging flavors in an effort to identify the top global taste trend in 2021.
Südstärke GmbH has concluded its 2021 potato starch production campaign
一月 21, 2022Sudstarke GmbH has concluded its 2021 potato starch production campaign. The 2021 production campaign was the most difficult in decades, even team members 40+ years with the company cannot remember anything close.
Lamb Weston Reports Fiscal Second Quarter 2022 Results; Updates Fiscal Year 2022 Outlook
一月 10, 2022Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: LW) announced its fiscal second-quarter 2022 results and updated its fiscal 2022 outlook. Second Quarter Fiscal 2022 Highlights
World Potato Congress Webinar - 'Introducing the World Potato Congress in Ireland' presented by Liam Glennon
一月 04, 2022In preparation for the World Potato Congress being held from May 30 to June 2, 2022 in Dublin, Ireland, Liam Glennon, Chairperson of the Local Organising Committee, Irish Potato Federation.
Only small fries for McDonald's customers in Japan, as floods in Western Canada disrupt supply
十二月 23, 2021Fans of McDonald's Fries in Japan are out of luck next week. The restaurant chain will only offers its small size portions, as flooding in Western Canada and COVID-19 disrupts the global supply chain for 'McDonald's potato'.
Interpom 2021 ended on a positive note despite unusual circumstances
十二月 05, 2021The 20th edition of Interpom, the trade fair for the entire potato chain, was finally held a year later on 28, 29, and 30 November 2021 in Kortrijk Xpo.
Kiremko will not attend Interpom
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SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — Much attention is being paid to a new care system for cats released in China by a South Korean business entrepreneur, Choi Choong-kwang.
According to industry analysts on January 20, the service called ‘Butler Kang’ was introduced in China to check the health of a cat in real time by using a smartphone and big data.
As China is the world’s second largest market for pets after the U.S., the launch is expected to be a precursor to push by Korean businesses to establish a presence in the Chinese market.
‘Butler Kang’, which entails health monitoring, analyses the bowel movements of a cat, and detects not only physical but also mental conditions early on.
Of note, the service can help to prevent serious diseases such as kidney disease and digestive trouble by checking a cat’s bowel movements. The new product fits easily in one’s palm and comes in a cute character shape.
The product was made with the participation of veterinarians in research and development, thus making it easy to use by simply attaching it to a litter box.
The product is simple and innovative and is expected to gain more popularity in the future.
It is very useful as it tells the users of real time toilet use of the cat so that the they can respond quickly to any unusual symptoms.
Lina Jang (firstname.lastname@example.org)


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ELKHART LAKE, Wis. -- Any Cadillac customer hoping that the replacement for the SRX midsize crossover scheduled for next spring will be followed by a go-fast V-series version is likely to be disappointed.
Luxury brands have expanded their high-performance portfolios to include crossovers, such as BMW's X5 M, a 567-hp beast that can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds flat. But Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen isn't interested in affixing a V badge to a crossover anytime soon.
"If you want to get our engineers to instantly experience a massive rolling of the eyes, you should ask them" about a V-series crossover, de Nysschen said here on the sidelines of a media test drive for the 2016 CTS-V sedan.
Instead, de Nysschen hinted that Cadillac will look to offer Vsport variants of its crossovers. Cadillac introduced the Vsport line in 2013 as an answer to Audi's S line, for example: It's a step below a track-ready V series, but still offers more powerful engines than standard versions and some high-performance hardware, such as magnetic damping.
Cadillac offers just one crossover today, the SRX, which will be renamed XT5 for the next generation. But at least three more are in the works.
De Nysschen said some future crossovers will lend themselves to a high-performance package. And he even envisions a Vsport badge on an Escalade someday.
"I could well imagine a high-performance, sporty, satisfying version of an Escalade," he said, "that's quite different than what we have today."


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Mobile users are more concerned about the data and information stored on their phone than identity theft or theft of the handset itself.
According to a survey of 1,000 UK smartphone users, 83 per cent are concerned about the data and information stored on their phone, while 69 per cent worry about the possibility of identity theft and 48 per cent on the loss of the handset itself.
The research also found that two-thirds (67 per cent) of mobile users would like more information from their mobile network operator on how to protect themselves from mobile security threats, as the research found that users are open to mobile security risks.
Half (50 per cent) would open an SMS text message from someone they don't know, 36 per cent would open an email on their mobile from someone they don't know and 32 per cent save login information such as passwords on their device.
Gareth Maclachlan, COO at AdaptiveMobile, who conducted the survey, said: “Whilst there is evidence that smartphones have reduced levels of customer churn, how operators now respond to the increasingly sophisticated security landscape to safeguard their subscribers' data will determine whether their customer relationships can continue to be characterised by trust and loyalty.
“As trusted providers, customers are looking to their mobile operator to lead the way with mobile security, providing guidance and education as well as protecting their data and wallet. Mobile network operators can either rise to the occasion and be seen as industry leaders in mobile security or wait for others to lead the way and risk jeopardising not only their customers' personal data but also their trust and custom.”
Attend the SC Conference ‘Mobile Device Management', held at One Drummond Gate, London on 23rd June. www.scmobiledevicemanagement.com


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📈 The Rise of Teemu: How Cheap Prices and Unfair Advantages are Hurting US Businesses
In less than a year, Teemu has already gained one-third of the monthly active users of Amazon. With prices as low as $3 for a pair of shoes and $5 for a woman’s sweater, it’s no wonder that Teemu is gaining popularity among shoppers. However, Wired Magazine’s analysis of the company’s supply chain costs shows that Teemu is losing an average of $30 for every order made. In addition to the US, Teemu also operates in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and is estimated to be losing between $588 million to $954 million every year. But the real question is whether this is affecting US businesses.
🤔 Is Teemu Hurting US Businesses?
According to Jerry Kak, who runs an online store selling T-shirts both on Amazon and a Shopify store that makes over eight figures per year, companies like Teemu and Shien are taking sales away from his company, especially on Amazon. Since Teemu and Shien burst onto the US scene in 2022, Jerry’s business has cratered by nearly 50%. However, other apparel and T-shirt companies and e-commerce communities that belong to are down year-over-year as well. So, right now, companies like Teemu and Shien seem to be mainly hurting lower-end apparel businesses and companies without a powerful brand or intellectual property.
💰 Teemu’s Advantages
Teemu has two gigantic advantages that US companies do not have when it comes to making and selling apparel. Firstly, they have a huge cost advantage over US sellers because of extremely low labor costs. Secondly, they have the dominous loophole that allows Chinese sellers to not have to worry about paying taxes, tariffs, or customs duties. Any shipment sent into the US that is valued at less than $800 does not have to pay any taxes whatsoever.
🚫 The Dark Side of Teemu
However, products made in China’s Western province of Sang are being sold to US consumers through Teemu in breach of a ban that forbids goods from being imported from the region due to links to forced enslave labor. Statements from former detainees and reports from an array of researchers and advocacy groups have alleged that the Chinese government put more than 1 million people in detention camps in that region, and that laborers in fields and factories were forced or coerced to make cheap products for Teemu. The Chinese government has said that the camps are for re-education purposes, but no one knows for sure. Slave labor could be one way that Teemu is commanding such low prices.
🤝 How Can US Businesses Fight Back?
If you are selling commodity products that do not have a strong value proposition, you probably aren’t going to survive, regardless of whether Teemu or Shien exists. For example, if you’re selling generic T-shirts that are easily copied by manufacturers from China who have a cost advantage over you, you’re just not going to make it. But if you can tap into the emotions of your buyer and establish a strong brand, you’ll survive regardless of pricing pressure.
🏆 The Power of Branding
True Classic Tees is a company that sells generic solid color T-shirts, which is probably one of the most saturated and competitive niches out there. But they brought in over $250 million since they opened in 2019. How does a blank T-shirt company that sells plain shirts for $25 a pop make so much money? It’s all about the marketing and how they make consumers feel about their product. Selling online is all about triggering the emotions of your consumer, and it’s not all about the price.
Teemu is a junkyard that sells cheap generic products from China, and their rock-bottom pricing is affecting the apparel industry the most because apparel is a commodity, and most clothing, especially on Amazon, is generic and unbranded. As a small business owner, you can succeed by niching down and going for the high end. If you are competing purely based on price, you’ve already lost.
Q: Is Teemu a legitimate company?
A: Yes, Teemu is a legitimate company that operates in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Q: Is Teemu hurting US businesses?
A: Teemu is mainly hurting lower-end apparel businesses and companies without a powerful brand or intellectual property.
Q: How can US businesses fight back against Teemu?
A: US businesses can fight back by niching down and going for the high end. If you are competing purely based on price, you’ve already lost.
Q: Is Teemu using slave labor to make their products?
A: Statements from former detainees and reports from an array of researchers and advocacy groups have alleged that the Chinese government put more than 1 million people in detention camps in that region, and that laborers in fields and factories were forced or coerced to make cheap products for Teemu.


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Chart of the Day: Homeownership dream falters, Xavier study shows
Home ownership is the traditional American dream, but it’s starting to wake people up in a cold sweat instead.
Americans’ view of home ownership fell by more than 1 percentage point in July, one of the bigger drops in the 35 categories that make up Xavier University’s American Dream Composite Index, powered by Dunnhumby.
Home ownership dropped from 69.5 to 68.5 in Xavier’s monthly study, which reflects the opinions of 1,000 Americans across all geographic and demographic categories. That’s its lowest level since November. Rising prices, interest rates that are inching up and limited inventory are likely causing potential home buyers to sour a bit on that slice of the American dream. Paula Christian recently wrote a story in the Courier about how Cincinnati has become a seller’s market for housing. Subscribers can get it here.
Home ownership is one of 10 factors that make up the index’s Economic Index. And that sub-category measuring the economy dropped to 62.3 in July, as all 10 factors declined. That’s the lowest reading for the Economic Index since November, as our Chart of the Day shows.
Consumer sentiment is starting to erode, too, said Greg Smith, a Xavier professor who oversees the American Dream index and is one of its co-inventors. That’s a sign that consumer spending might be about to decline.
Meanwhile, the overall American Dream Composite Index slumped for the third month in a row to 64.11. That’s its lowest level in at least a year and bad news for American dreamers.
The index consists of five sub-indexes that factor into the broader composite index. Those categories measure people’s attitudes regarding their personal economic status, personal well-being, living in a just society, diversity of the culture, and how clean and healthy the environment is.
Apologies to mobile users, charts are only available for desktop viewing.
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“Future video games produced in Sweden could be labeled according to whether or not they promote gender equality, as part of a new project by gaming industry trade organization Dataspelsbranchen.”
The title is a bit misleading. Sweden is looking at the possibility of positive labeling for games that promote gender equality. "Labeling games for sexism" rather gives the notion that they're planning on labeling games that they deem are "sexist". That's not the case. Sweden started doing this with movies a couple of years ago, if I'm not mistaken. Feminism simply isn't the dirty word in Sweden as it is in other places. Most in Sweden identify themselves as feminists, with both left and right wing parties falling in line with many "feminist" ideals. Sweden is considered one of the most gender equal countries in the world.
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Wang Chang-ming, a village warden in Matsu’s Beigan Township, kneels during a press conference in Taipei yesterday to urge the legislature to pass a gaming law. The event was held by Weidner Resorts, which is promoting a casino development project on Matsu.Jan 24, 2013FULL STORY
Photo: Tsai Wei-chi, Taipei Times
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German textiles innovator Sympatex Technologies has announced it will introduce its “guaranteed green” membrane at ISPO Munich, an international sports-business expo, in February 2017.
Sympatex’s new membrane is produced in a completely climate-neutral way for the first time, according to a company press release. In order to eliminate any contribution to climate change, the company will compensate the CO2 amount of its entire yearly membrane production starting from 2017 through respective climate-protection certificates in cooperation with the Munich-based IT consultancy ClimatePartner.
The basis of the membrane is the Sympatex copolymer, a compound of polyester and polyether molecules, the release notes. The company and its partner DSM have reduced the carbon footprint of the product by 50 percent during the production of a Sympatex copolymer in comparison with a PTFE polymer.


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As of 2015, it is legal to unlock mobile phones in the United States, including phones manufactured by Samsung. However, carrier networks are not obligated to provide unlocking services if a consumer's 2-year contract is not fulfilled, states TechHive.
The option to unlock phones in the U.S. was made possible when the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act was signed into legislation by President Barack Obama in August, 2014. Additionally, under the guidelines implemented by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association in February, 2015, major American wireless providers are mandated to disclose their respective rules and regulations regarding the unlocking process of their prepaid or postpaid devices, notes ExtremeTech.
Unlocking a Samsung phone enables users to switch between compatible carrier networks. For example, an unlocked Samsung Galaxy smartphone purchased from AT&T can only be moved to T-Mobile, which also uses the Global System for Mobile (GSM) wireless technology standard.


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We first saw the LG Watch Phone last year at CES 2008, but it was behind glass and no one was allowed to really see how it all worked. This year, however, LG plans to break it out of the display case. At the LG press conference a few minutes ago, they demonstrated a real working prototype of the watch phone and it looks to be a real must-have for the spy wannabe in your life. It has a touch-screen user interface (!), three side-mounted buttons, Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and even a full-blown music player. It's water resistant, and it'll feature 3G HSDPA, which leads us to think it may come to AT&T some time this year.
UPDATE: We've just got more details about the watch phone. It has tempered glass, a high-quality metal casing, and is around 13.9mm thick. The touch screen itself is 1.43 inches diagonally, and features LG's Flash interface. Features include voice recognition, Text to Speech so it can read out text messages, and stereo Bluetooth. However, the huge disappointment is that the watch phone will be Europe-only (insert sad face here). We think it may still be compatible with local GSM networks, but only time will tell (apologies for the bad pun).
UPDATE 2: More updates on the Watch Phone. LG has just told us that the Watch Phone will have quad-band GSM, and that the 3G/HSDPA will be compatible with AT&T's frequency. So even if it is Europe-only, you could potentially get one unlocked and use it here. We'll see if we can get more news about pricing and availability.


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“OnLine is focused on expanding our portfolio with products that bring ‘real-benefit’ to our customers,” said Keith Rich, MD, OnLine Distribution. “All our vendors introduce new technology and products regularly in keeping with the needs …Read full article » United Arab Emirates: Tuesday, February 22 - 2005 @ 12:30
The exponential growth seen by many industry sectors within Saudi Arabia is creating large market opportunities for vendors offering IT solutions. Motorola’s Enterprise Mobility business is focusing on providing its solutions to specific industries particularly …Read full article » Saudi Arabia: Monday, April 21 - 2008 @ 13:38
The event was held to acknowledge the excellence of Nortel’s direct partners, resellers, distributors and individuals in the SMB Space.
Zakir Lokare, Business Unit Manager- Enterprise Networking & Convergence, OnLine Distribution said:
“We are delighted …Read full article » United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, February 06 - 2008 @ 12:30
The company will demonstrate products and solutions from its international partners, including the latest in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, wireless technology, remote management solutions, structured cabling systems, IP telephony, and anti-virus and security solutions.
The …Read full article » United Arab Emirates: Tuesday, November 07 - 2006 @ 10:38
The seven city road show kicks off in Abu Dhabi on December 5th and covers Dubai: Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia; Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. Seminars, at the road show, will present delegates with …Read full article » United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, November 01 - 2006 @ 11:51
The company currently handles Zebra’s barcode printers and adds card printers and accessories to its distribution portfolio. Zebra Card Printer Solutions is a division of Zebra Technologies Corporation that delivers innovative and reliable on-demand printing …Read full article » United Arab Emirates: Tuesday, October 31 - 2006 @ 11:50
Zebra is a global leader in specialty printing solutions that OnLine Distribution has been servicing across the EMEA region for over three years. Online Distribution Ltd will now distribute Zebra’s range of innovative and reliable …Read full article » United Arab Emirates: Monday, October 29 - 2007 @ 10:15
The newly launched 24-hour service portal operated through the world renowned company called Kayako, will improve and streamline the service requests from valued channel partners throughout the region.
The website for the service portal can be …Read full article » United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, October 31 - 2007 @ 11:27
To capitalise on the increasing demand for data networking products in the Middle East, Online Distribution, the region’s leading value added networking distributor, and 3Com Middle East have launched a promotion to enlist reseller support. …Read full article » United Arab Emirates: Monday, November 13 - 2006 @ 12:16
Keith Rich, Managing Director, OnLine Distribution, said “Trend Micro is the leader in enterprise anti-virus and content security products with a strong foothold in the global marketplace. The appointment announced today will now provide a …Read full article » United Arab Emirates: Sunday, August 24 - 2003 @ 11:57


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Vantaa and Finnair partnership takes the menu served on flights to the point of sale, renewing the menu twice a month
Moments of crisis make companies to reinvent themselves, and proof of that is that the airline company of Finland, the Finnair, started to offer its board meals in a Finnish supermarket chain. In Vantaa’s point of sale, the meals are sold as they are offered to passengers of the executive class.
The menu includes meatballs, risottos, among other options, and the company’s goal is to minimize the desire of travelling during the pandemic, as well as building a closer relationship with their customers. Finnair Kitchen, the company that provide the meals, rehired ten employees responsible for preparing the dishes with the measure, since they had to be dismissed in the beginning of the pandemic.
In addition, the company manages to renew the menu twice a month, just as they use to do for the company’s flights. In spite of being available in only one supermarket chain, the Finnair intends to expand the products’ reach to whole Finland and, consequently, to other countries.


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A great way to understand the future priorities for a company is to see where they invest resources. When you look at where Toyota, the Japanese industry giant, has recently invested, it’s clear the company is preparing to remain relevant and competitive in the 4th industrial revolution as a result of its investments and innovation in artificial intelligence, big data and robots.
Adobe StockADOBE STOCK
Toyota AI Ventures Invests in AI Start-ups
With initial funding of $100 million, Toyota AI Ventures invests in tech start-ups and entrepreneurs around the world that are committed to autonomous mobility, data and robotics. Toyota’s investments help accelerate getting critical new technologies to market. One of the organization’s investments is in May Mobility, a company that is developing self-driving shuttles for college campuses and other areas such as central business districts where low-speed applications are warranted. This is just one of the services that could blaze a trail to fully autonomous vehicles of the future.
Additionally, Silicon-based Toyota AI Ventures contributed funding as well as mentorship, incubation facilities and validation to Nauto, a company that’s creating a shared data platform to prevent accidents caused by distracted driving; SLAMcore, a visual tracking and mapping algorithm developer for smart tech; Intuition Robotics, an organization that creates social companion technologies that are accessible and intuitive for seniors;Boxbot, a company that’s building self-driving delivery robots; and more. Like many disruptors, Toyota AI Ventures seeks out other innovators to tackle important challenges to propel the latest technologies.
AI Enhancements to Automobiles
Innovation has always been omnipresent at Toyota from its earliest days and it’s clear the company is continuing that innovative tradition. While Toyota was originally a company that produced wooden hand looms, the majority of people know the company for its automobile division. Their aim is to use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to make “cars an object of affection again” as soon as 2020 and is investing $1 billion in self-driving cars and AI between now and then to achieve it. Through Toyota’s investments in tech start-ups such as Perceptive Automata it hopes to create the technology to allow autonomous vehicles more human-like intuition when they are on the road more similar to how human drivers interact with pedestrians.
Toyota’s Concept-i fully electric autonomous vehicles demonstrate the company’s “Learn, Protect, Inspire” philosophy. The Concept-i artificial intelligence system, nicknamed “Yui,” learns about its driver by listening to conversations, monitoring social media activity and schedules, and analyzing facial expressions and driving habits to sense when a driver might be sleepy or stressed or what might enhance the driver’s comfort and then adjusts lighting, music or to the seats accordingly. The full vision is “intelligent talking cars” where cars equipped with AI can have conversations back and forth with passengers.
Toyota also announced the Concept-i Ride for users with wheelchairs or other disabilities and the Concept-i Walk, that’s designed for pedestrians to use on sidewalks similar to a Segway. Both additions to the Concept-i product line feature the same sensing abilities as the Concept-i vehicle.
In an effort to bring AI efficiency to ridesharing, Toyota has collaborated with Japan Taxi to test out its new AI-propelled taxi dispatch system. Not only does the company expect to enhance Tokyo’s taxi service, company leaders believe the driving data and real-time video will be instrumental in boosting efficiency and profits.
Toyota and Robotics
As a result of deep learning technologies and the millions of images uploaded to the internet via social media and other websites, machines are getting better at being able to “see” like a human. Toyota’s Human Support Robot (HSR) algorithms help it understand the world and can be life-changing for individuals with impaired mobility. The company also announced a T-HR3 humanoid robot, a third-generation version that uses an immersive “Master Maneuvering System” that mirrors a human user’s movements or can operate autonomously to support humans in a variety of settings.
Toyota is also innovating warehouse logistics with automation and artificial intelligence for lean approaches to material handling. With AI on board every vehicle, the future of logistics is when the right truck or piece of equipment—pallet drone, mid-lifter, ultra-lifer—is used for the right task every time. The company’s innovations aim to minimize energy use, prevent delays and eliminate waste thanks to teamwork between trucks, lifts, loaders and other equipment.
Toyota is a company that’s worth paying attention to as it progresses further into the 4th industrial revolution with investments in AI, big data and robotics.
by Benard Marr on ForbesAbnAsia.org Software. Faster. Better. More Reliable. +84945924877 (Asia# Mobile, WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, Zalo); +16699996606 (US# Mobile, WhatsApp, Telegram) [email protected]


text: This is a strong positive for the economy. Tied to the other rises, we are seeing growth that should be strong enough to start generating jobs. Again, we need strong job growth in a Service Sector Economy to help pull us out of this horrible Depression. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Durable goods orders rise 2.9 percent in April Durable goods orders post healthy April increase, propelled by surging demand for airplanes In this photo taken May 21, 2010, Chrysler assemblyman Michael Ricks works on the door assembly on the automaker's new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee at the Jefferson North Assembly in Detroit. The Commerce Department said Wednesday, May 26, demand for durable goods increased 2.9 percent last month. It was the best showing in three months and more than double the 1.3 percent gain expected. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer, On Wednesday May 26, 2010, 8:52 am WASHINGTON (AP) -- Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods surged in April, propelled by a rebound in demand for commercial aircraft. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that demand for durable goods increased 2.9 percent last month. It was the best showing in three months and more than double the 1.3 percent gain expected. Excluding transportation, orders fell 1 percent after posting a sizable 4.8 percent rise in March. A durable good is a product expected to last at least three years. The big rise in overall orders was further evidence that manufacturing is helping to drive the rebound. U.S. companies are benefiting from rising demand both at home and in major export markets. However, there are concerns that a debt crisis in Europe could derail the global recovery. Financial markets have been roiled in recent weeks by fears that the problems facing Greece could spread to other heavily indebted European countries, such as Spain and Portugal. For April, the 2.9 percent rise in orders was led by a 228 percent surge in demand for commercial aircraft. The increase reflected strong demand for aircraft manufactured by Boeing Co. It also more than offset a 71.2 percent plunge in March in this highly volatile category.


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On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we invite you to join AllSpice and our neighbors around the East Village neighborhood, as we promote shopping local — and “shopping small” on Small Business Saturday.
What’s Small Business Saturday, you ask? Well, once upon a time, there was a shopping mall free-for-all they called Black Friday. Then, about ten years ago, online-shopping Cyber Monday joined the holiday fray. November 27, 2010 was the first ever Small Business Saturday, a shopping holiday that supports local businesses throughout the US.
Why ‘shop small?’ For starters, you’re helping drive the economy. The approx 28 million small businesses in America drive much of the US economy, accounting for 54% of all US sales. mall businesses drive much of the United States economy.
Also, we’ve got good stuff, and we’re good at what we do. And that makes you look good. Small businesses like AllSpice, and like our neighbors’ shops, offer one-of-a-kind products, local specialties, and excellent customer service. When your loved ones open a present from AllSpice or a favorite little store in the Historic East Village, you earn gift-giving brownie points — for discovering the cool places to shop, for introducing your friends and family to those new places, and for making a positive local economic impact.
AllSpice and Small Business Saturday. We’ve been part of the Small Business Saturday movement every year since we opened, and the shopping holiday gains nationwide momentum every year. According to the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, more than 95 million people “shopped small” last year on Small Business Saturday, an 8% increase over SBS in 2014.
Be part of the growing base of support for local businesses, and “shop small” this Saturday, November 26.


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Juliette Has a Gun sells minority stake to Cathay Capital
Juliette Has a Gun, the French selective perfumery brand founded in 2006 by Romano Ricci, great-grandson of legendary Parisian couturier Nina Ricci, has sold a minority stake to investment fund Cathay Capital. The objective was to tap the support of a shareholder to accelerate the brand’s international expansion, especially in China.
For the last 15 years, Juliette Has a Gun has brought to the market its modern take on selective perfumery. With fragrance lines like ‘Not a perfume’, featuring scents, shower gels and home fragrances, the brand is currently distributed in 42 countries via over 4,000 retailers. Juliette Has a Gun also operates a flagship store in Paris, chiefly for brand image purposes, since France only accounts for a very thin slice of Juliette Has a Gun's revenue (5% in 2017).
Thanks to Cathay Capital, the brand now wants to accelerate the rate of its global expansion, especially in China, where the fragrance market is forecast to be worth CHY12 billion in 2023 (€1.5 billion), and the high-end perfume segment is predicted to increase by 18% this year.
Two years ago, Juliette Has a Gun began to collaborate with brand accelerator Ushopal (a company that is part of Cathay Capital's portfolio), which specialises in omni-channel strategies in China. On the latest Singles’ Day in China, on November 11 2020, Juliette Has a Gun was one of the top three brands on Tmall in terms of sales in the high-end perfumery category. “In only an hour, we sold 10,000 Juliette Has a Gun fragrances,” stated the brand, which has been featured on Tmall since September 2020.
“As one of the last independent fragrance houses, it's essential for us to adopt an omni-channel marketing strategy in order to offer the service and personalised experience sought by Millennials and the younger generations of consumers. Cathay Capital is the ideal partner to bolster our growth, support our vision and help us seize strategic opportunities in Asia and around the world,” said in a press release designer Romano Ricci, who is also the co-founder of Nose, a perfumery store and fragrance e-shop.
Juliette Has a Gun’s revenue is reportedly on the up, and in 2018 it reached the value of approximately €50 million.
Copyright © 2023 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.


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Niantic has announced an Pokémon GO update that will limit the number of Apple iOS devices that will work with the game. On February 28, 2018, any device that can not upgrade to iOS 11 will no longer be compatible with the game, meaning people will need to use an Apple iOS device that is capable of upgrading to iOS 11 or switch to a compatible Android device to keep playing.
The reason for the dropping of support is due to plans Niantic has for Pokémon GO. While it did not offer details about upcoming changes or features, it did note that there will be improvements that older Apple iOS operating systems would not be able to handle. The company also said on Twitter that people will not have to upgrade to iOS 11 to keep playing Pokémon GO after February 28, 2018, as it will be possible to play on compatible devices running iOS 9 or later.
The following Apple iOS devices will no longer work with Pokémon GO after February 28, 2018.
- iPad 2
- iPad mini (first generation)
- iPad (third generation, fourth generation)
- iPhone 5
- iPhone 5c
Pokémon GO is available for Android and Apple iOS devices.


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Bandai Namco & From Software Make Their One Last Gift For 'Dark Souls 3' Fans Before The Ringed City DLCBy Emily Schultz, UniversityHerald Reporter
Get Ready "Dark Souls 3" fans, the world is getting closer to the much-awaited launch of the game's last DLC expansion. Game publisher Bandai Namco and developer From Software are now getting ready for their last big battle and their final moment. It's the official launch date of The Ringed City DLC this coming March 28. But before that big event, Bandai Namco will be giving two new important gifts for Dark Souls fans.
As mentioned earlier by the Bandai Namco on the recent Twitch livestream, two new PvP arenas and matchmaking options are being added for those Dark Souls fans who bought either the Ashes of Ariandel DLC or the much-talked The Ringed City expansion. All PvP maps will be made available for those players who own either add-on, according to the game publisher.
The newly added PvP maps consist of the Dragon Ruins, which themed after Archdragon Peak area in the "Dark Souls 3" main game, and the Grand Roof, which based on the top of the Lothric Castle. Both PvP maps are set to go live on March 24, just four days before the big The Ringed City DLC launches. "Dark Souls 3" players will go to need either the Ashes of Ariandel DLC or a Season Pass to access those two new PvP maps for the first four days of its release. Check out the Youtube videos below to get more about these two new PvP maps.
Additionally, Bandai Namco and developer From Software are also adding a fan-requested feature that will allow Dark Souls player to team up with friends. That upcoming feature will be called Undead Match and it will be made available on March 28 on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. The Undead Match feature will only make available for those who own The Ringed City DLC expansion, which has the same release date.
As mentioned earlier by the gaming-focused website SegmentNext, the game's The Ringed City DLC will be focusing on the player traveling to the city of Londor. The City of Londor is known to be the home of the Sable Church and the game's various characters, which include Yoel of Londor and Yuria. Both Yoel and Yuria are a member of the Sable Church. In addition to Yoel and Yuria, Sister Friede, the main antagonist of Ashes of Ariandel DLC, is also from the City of Londor and she's not related to Yuria.
Since this is likely the last salvo from Bandai Namco and From Software, the crowd could expect something new and big in the upcoming The Ringed City DLC expansion. It might be the hardest part or the most challenging of the Dark Souls game series. But one thing is for sure here, players will get what they're looking for.
Thankfully, Bandai Namco has also confirmed plans to add an even better multiplayer addition this coming March 28. In the new multiplayer option, Dark Souls players will now be able to stay on the same team in PvP while fighting random strangers, the publisher said. But if Dark Souls fans get frustrated or bored with the game's story, they can always pop into the new Dark Souls 3 PvP arenas to test their nerve against other Dark Souls players
As for the DLC pricing and availability, The Ringed City DLC expansion will be made available to standalone purchase for just $14.99. Dark Souls fans can also get it through the game's Season Pass for just $24.99.
And then, there's another big one, the Dark Souls 'The Fire Fades' (Game of the Year Edition) along with both DLC expansions (The Ringed City and Ashes of Ariandel) will also be made available this coming April 21.


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BREMERTON - Gary Marley believes Bremerton could be the place where a new way to commute takes root.
The North Bend native has bought and imported more than two dozen electric bicycles from China to sell in his new store on Fourth Street.
The bikes, which can travel up to 30 miles on battery power alone, have a motorcycle look. But look down the 220-pound frame and you'll find bicycle pedals, which can be used on downhill stretches or in a pinch when battery power is low.
In an age of mounting energy costs and concerns, "There's definitely a future market for it," Marley believes.
He decided to bring his product to Bremerton after a customer he'd sold a bike to felt they would take off here. He noted the area's Navy presence, Olympic College campus and population of retirees.
"It has everybody I was looking for in a market," he said.
A friend told Marley about electric bicycles five years ago. In 2010, he found factories in China that could produce them. But it took until January that he settled on a design he liked.
The bike had more of a chrome, Harley-esque look to which he feels Americans will gravitate. He's ordered 30 of them. If they prove popular, more will come to fill out his shop, which he's calling GEM E-Cycles, named for his initials.
Marley said he's worked in all kinds of professions. He's raised cattle, started a company selling shrink-wrapped firewood to grocers, worked as a roofer and fabricated steel for Sound Transit's light-rail trails. He feels his latest incarnation has an opportunity not only to sell electric bicycles, but help others start franchises selling them.
The bikes can go up to 20 mph, and — as a power-assisted bike — do not require licensing under state law, he said. Helmets must be worn in Bremerton. They run with almost no noise and can carry up to 330 pounds. There's few moving parts, and they can be plugged in at home to charge, he added.
His shop also sells a poncho that secures to the bike, as well as helmets and gloves for the stormier days of commuting.
Marley plans to expand beyond electric bicycles, selling scooters and other two-wheeled vehicles. His current bikes run $1,745 plus tax and include a 90-day warranty, with a one-year warranty for the motor and battery controller.
While he's already open, Marley is planning a grand opening at his store for Dec. 8.
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The convenience sector has benefitted from a new wave of customers during the early days of lockdown but the coronavirus has led to more younger shoppers visiting their local store.
According to new research from PayPoint more than half (56%) of people visited their local convenience store for the first time since lockdown started on 23 March, rising to 68% among 18-24-year olds and 59% among 25-34-year-olds.
The increased appreciation of local shops, particularly among younger shoppers, grew when consumers struggled to get hold of essentials due to panic buying, with nearly two-thirds of respondents (65%) saying their local had everything they need.
Recent research from Lumina Intelligence also found that younger shoppers are increasingly using their local convenience store. Senior insights manager Alice Dolling said: “In convenience younger shoppers have traditionally been underrepresented in the market, but have grown their share considerably in 2020 and even further since lockdown. An increase in the younger shopper is positive for the channel, because gaining their loyalty and custom builds a new layer of security about the long-run channel growth. Therefore, convenience should strive to retain this shopper post-lockdown.”
Whether these shoppers stick around post-lockdown and maintain their higher frequency levels will be dependent on how well convenience stores adapt to the types of shops younger shoppers are on, and also how well they deliver on the main things that drive younger shoppers into store.
What are they buying?
Analysing PayPoint’s EPOS data, it was revealed that there was a significant average sales uplift of groceries (36%), bread and cakes (52%), alcohol (64%), and household items (75%) between March and July 2020, compared with the period between November 2019 and February 2020.
According to the PayPoint data, young people (18-24s) are more likely to stock up on healthcare items such as painkillers (31%) from convenience stores than any other age group and nearly half (49%) would currently rather shop at their local convenience store than their local supermarket.
EPOS data from PayPoint also showed an average increase in the number of baskets processed between March and July 2020 of 32% against the overall average between November 2019 and February 2020, which included the traditionally busy Christmas period. This growth was supported by the number of goods sold per basket and their cumulative average value over the same period, which rose by 39% and 64% respectively.
Chief executive of PayPoint Nick Wiles said: “This data clearly shows that the UK is undergoing a boom in appreciation for, and reliance on, convenience retail. Shoppers know they can trust their store to provide a safe environment and well stocked range of products and this is galvanising convenience retailers’ value to communities up and down the country.”
The young family demographic visits their local convenience store most frequently; with people aged 35-44 averaging 9.44 trips per month, beating the youngest age group who visit 8.44 times monthly. However, 25-34s are reported to be the group most likely to continue supporting local convenience now lockdown has eased (56%).
The survey found that people are hesitant to return to their former shopping habits, with 51% planning to continue shopping at their local convenience store to support local small businesses post-lockdown. The research found that more than two-thirds of the public (66%) agree that their local store has a positive impact on the local area, and 71% of people think of their convenience store as an integral part of the community.
Nearly half (49%) also stated that they value their relationship with their local convenience retailer, and 63% said the stores are playing a greater role in their community than other local amenities such as banks and post offices continue to close.
Wiles said this trend should continue beyond lockdown. “As lockdown continues to ease, the data tells us that ‘convenience converts’ will continue to use their convenience stores for a range of services, from everyday food and drink purchases to parcel pick-ups and drop-offs, utility bill top-ups, cash withdrawals and much more.”


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Unfortunately, we users are caught in the crossfire. We are not only stuck with DRM systems that interfere with our legitimate fair-use rights for the content we buy, we’re stuck with DRM systems that interfere with all of our computer use–even the uses that have nothing to do with copyright.
I don’t see the market righting this wrong, because Microsoft’s monopoly position gives it much more power than we consumers can hope to have. … Some researchers think that this is the final straw that will drive Windows users to the competition, but I think the courts are necessary.
In the meantime, the only advice I can offer you is to not upgrade to Vista. It will be hard. Microsoft’s bundling deals with computer manufacturers mean that it will be increasingly hard not to get the new operating system with new computers. And Microsoft has some pretty deep pockets and can wait us all out if it wants to. Yes, some people will shift to Macintosh and some fewer number to Linux, but most of us are stuck on Windows. Still, if enough customers say no to Vista, the company might actually listen.
Now would be a perfectly good time for Apple to release a version of its operating system that runs on any Intel platform. This is their next step, isn’t it?
Update: Coyote Blog agrees and has more.


text: Despite some ferocious competition, Roku is still king of the streaming world. Well, at least it was in 2016 when, as a platform, it beat out Apple, Amazon and Google with its line-up of streaming video boxes. So what, then, can the company do this year to win over a new generation of Roku-ites? The answer lies in both 4K and HDR performance. At its...


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Investors have had a love-hate relationship with Wayfair (W -5.40%). The largest online home goods retailer has delivered blistering sales growth, but even before the COVID-19 outbreak, the shares have been very volatile. One reason is that investors have had a difficult time wrapping their heads around Wayfair's aggressive spending to expand its logistics footprint, which has prevented the company from reporting a profit.
During the fourth-quarter earnings call in late February, management announced it would pull back the reins on spending and start managing the business toward sustainable free cash flow in the long run. Part of this plan involved decreasing the rate of hiring and reducing ad spending. As a result, Wayfair said its revenue growth would decelerate in the first quarter to as low as 15%, a far cry from the 38% reported in the prior-year period.
The stock price plunged in late February, and when COVID-19 reared up in March, Wayfair stock was down as much as 74% year to date. But shares quickly rebounded after management issued a COVID-19 business update on April 6 stating that it expects to meet or exceed its guidance for the first quarter, as shelter-at-home orders encouraged more people to shop online. Wayfair also likely benefited from other retailers delaying shipments of nonessential items.
I wasn't lucky enough to buy shares at the very bottom, but I did manage to add to my holdings when the stock price was around $80. The shares have been rising almost as fast as they fell. Even though they currently sit near $130 as of this writing, setting new highs for this year, they still offer enormous long-term upside.
Beating competitors in delivery speed
Wayfair is wading through criticisms similar to what Amazon endured many years ago. In the early 2000s, analysts would brush away the merits of investing in Amazon, as it was difficult to see value in a company that didn't earn a profit, especially an upstart retailer going up against the established giants like Walmart and Target.
I almost succumbed to the same mindset when first looking at Wayfair. It took me a while to understand that Wayfair might actually be putting together a durable competitive moat in the niche category of home goods.
Despite Amazon's dominance, Wayfair has been around for more than a decade and has come a long way. In 2009, Wayfair had 1,000 suppliers. Today, it has 12,000 supplier partners and 16 million square feet of buildings used for fulfillment and delivery operations.
This logistics footprint is helping Wayfair deliver large furniture items faster than competitors, and even faster, as co-founder and CEO Niraj Shah said on the fourth-quarter call, "than our customers often expect as possible in our categories."
I'm not even sure Amazon can match what Wayfair is offering. The former's warehouses are designed to handle millions of small items such as books, non-perishable groceries, and electronics. Wayfair's warehouses are specifically designed to handle items that are bulky, heavy, and prone to damage -- it's an altogether different animal.
Of course, there is also the major difference in the online shopping experience. Amazon's product page is the same whether you are buying a book or a large TV. Wayfair's website is specifically designed to help people find, say, the right sofa for their living room. To do that, Wayfair has offered advanced technology like augmented reality with its mobile app.
In its annual report, Wayfair states: "We believe that our proprietary logistics network will help drive incremental sales by delighting our customers with faster delivery times and a better home delivery experience." The company also says: "Over time we believe this network will also lower our costs per order by reducing damage rates and leveraging economies of scale in transportation."
Simply put, Wayfair expects its profitability to improve as it continues to grow.
The long-term opportunity
Wayfair is serving a massive and underpenetrated category online. Management estimates that its addressable market in North America and Europe is a combined $600 billion. That includes primarily business-to-consumer commerce. Once you add business-to-business commerce, its addressable market could approach $1 trillion in the next decade.
This is why I believe you shouldn't be afraid to buy shares even though the stock has already recovered from its recent lows. Wayfair's market value is still only $11.9 billion as of this writing, and it generated revenue of $9.1 billion in 2019. Weighing those numbers against its long-term opportunity, the company could potentially return many times an investment made at today's price.
According to its own estimates, Wayfair is currently capturing over one-third of the home-goods spending that's moving online. If it maintains that level of market share, Wayfair will likely generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue down the road. And the stock price will be much higher if it continues to trade at the same price-to-sales ratio.
I bought my first share at $150.82 last year. I've gradually added more shares, which has lowered my cost basis significantly, but my total investment right now is just 4% of my portfolio.
Through the recent volatility, I never sold a single share. The business continues to grow, and I interpreted the fourth-quarter report as positive, despite the subsequent sell-off. The report showed that management is not reckless with spending, and the plan to reach sustainable profitability is a good thing, even if that means revenue growth slows down temporarily.
And I will keep adding to my position over time. If Wayfair is successful, this growth stock could turn even a small investment into a large sum.


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Gen X catches up with digital habits
Generation Y might be nicknamed ‘digital natives’ but according to the annual Sensis ‘e-Business Report’, it is members of Gen X who are embracing the convenience and ease of going online at the most rapid pace.
The 2011 report results, based on interviews with 1000 consumers across Australia, showed that people in their 30s, 40s and 50s are showing strong usage of social media, mobile webs, tablets and online purchasing.
In fact, Australians in their 30s are most likely to purchase online, with 87% either having bought something online before or have intentions to, followed by consumers in their 20s (80%) and 40s (79%).
Interestingly, online shoppers in their 40s are the most unlikely to purchase from overseas sites.
In fact, according to Christena Singh, author of the report, only 29% of online purchases are made with overseas businesses. “[The] majority of expenditure is still being spent locally.”
While Gen Y have grown up interacting with friends online via social networks (97% of 18 to 19 year-olds and 90% of 20-somethings using social networking) older online users are becoming well-versed with the likes of Facebook and Twitter as well.
According to the report, 82% of people in the 30s, 47% of people in their 40s, and 45% of people in their 50s-to-60s are connected on social media sites.
“The frequency with which social networking sites were used increased sharply during the year,” notes Singh. “Four in 10 Australians log on to social networking sites several times per day, up from less than three in 10 last year. Almost one in four Australians access them from their workplace as well.”
The use of mobile web usage is also on the rise with members of Gen X.
“We can see that mobile web use has grown in the older age groups, with almost half of Australians in their 40s connecting via mobile and a third of those in their 50s,” says Singh.
The number of mobile web users in their 40s jumped from 40% to 45%, while users in their 50s increased from 24% to 32%.
With the evolution of mobile internet, Australians are also using more applications when they logon. A range of activities, including downloading video and mobile apps, have become commonplace.
The most popular activities Australians are undertaking using mobile internet include:
– looking for maps and directions (74% up from 67%)
– looking for weather information (69% up from 64%)
– browsing news sites (68% up from 59%)
– looking for products and services (67% up from 56%)
– looking for suppliers (57% up from 45%)
– downloading a mobile application (57% up from 42%)
– using a satellite navigation application (47% up from 40%), and
– downloading video content (39% up from 35%).


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Here's what Wall Street expects from Firan Technology Group's earnings report
- Firan Technology Group will be reporting Q4 earnings on February 6.
- Wall Street predict expect Firan Technology Group will report earnings per share of CAD 0.070
- Go here to watch Firan Technology Group stock price in real-time on Markets Insider.
On February 6, Firan Technology Group will release earnings for the most recent quarter.
1 analyst is estimating earnings of CAD 0.070 per share compared to earnings of CAD 0.010 per share in the same quarter of the previous year.
Wall Street is expecting sales of CAD 26.9 million, an increase of 17.58% over the prior year quarter.
For the fiscal year, analysts expect earnings per share of CAD 0.125 compared to CAD 0.050 in the previous year. On average, they are expecting revenue to come in at CAD 108.5 million, compared to CAD 94.7 million last year.
This story was written by Markets Insider's RoboEddy, which automatically writes these stories based on data provided by our partners.


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Blizzard is essentially the gold standard when it comes to post-release support. Heck, the most recent patch for Diablo 2 — originally launched in 2000 — came out earlier this year. 2010's StarCraft 2 is no exception, with Blizzard preparing a significant "revamp" to the game's multiplayer.
You'd expected a patch for a six-year old game to exclusively deal with compatibility, stability and bugs. That's not the case with update 3.8 for StarCraft 2. The developer is calling it the "Multiplayer Revamp", reflecting the extensive changes to game, including complete redesigns of some units.
For instance, the Terran's "Cyclone" is being transformed into a purely ground attack unit that will be tougher, cost less and have fewer tech requirements. For the Zerg, the Hydralisk is "being transformed into a core tech option". To this end, it'll receive two new upgrades — derived from (and replacing) "Muscular Augments" — which will beef up its movement speed and attack range.
Protoss will also receive attention, though not to the same degree as the other sides. While the Tempest air unit is getting a new stun ability, its role won't change significantly. However, the carrier's interceptors will become entirely automated, with the release option removed and construction auto-cast by default.
According to the announcement, the major update will make way for smaller "less disruptive" changes in the future. You can see the full details over on Battle.net.
Patch 3.8 Preview: Major Patch for Multiplayer [Battle.net]


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MANILA -- Filipinos traveling abroad who booked their trip from Duty Free Philippines' (DFP) official partners will get exclusive "value for money" shopping deals on top of the already tax-free products offered at DFP.
The marketing campaign announced on Thursday will give a five percent discount to outbound tour groups, who will shop at DFP’S flagship store -- the Fiestamall in Parañaque City, within 48 hours upon arrival. Discount vouchers will be provided by DFP’s partner travel agencies to Filipino International Travelers (FITs) prior to their arrival in the Philippines.
“We target to increase brand awareness and to encourage FITs to shop their pasalubong at DFP instead of buying them abroad by highlighting our price advantage and striking a chord with customers’ sense of nationalism—that for every item bought at Duty Free, they help in the development of the Philippines tourism industry—as we are an attached agency of the Department of Tourism (DOT),” DFP Chief Operating Officer Vicente Pelagio Angala said.
“This campaign is expected to build traffic in our flagship store to generate new sales leads and getting more revenue from our existing clientele,” he added.
Based on Mastercard’s Future of Outbound Travel in Asia Pacific 2016 to 2021 report, the Philippines ranked 8th in the top 10 list of fastest-growing Asia Pacific markets by international outbound trips from 2016 to 2021, with outbound travels that are expected to reach 4.3 million trips by the year 2021.
To keep with the trends in the travel retail industry, DFP has recently renovated the Fiestamall which is expected to end on November 30.
The renovation includes improvements in the food court, building facade, area “Go Lokal!” and Philippines’ Finest boutique, and Customer Relations Registration lobby, and tourist lounge.
“This is just the phase 1 of this project. The second phase will start by the first quarter of next year which will include improvements in the atrium, building exits, and installation of LED screens,” Angala said.
“The confectionery section is also being renovated to become a chocolate haven for families especially for the little ones,” he added.
DFP is also expanding the list of exclusive brands that it carries which now includes – Gucci Beauty, which introduced its collection in the Philippines through a partnership with DFP.
“We take pride that these giant brands choose to enter the Philippine market through our stores because of the trust and confidence built by the Duty Free Philippines brand over the years,” Angala said. The said boutique is located at the new Duty Free Luxe in Pasay City. (PNA)


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Guest Blog, Sanjeev Sularia: The online, offline dance with future retail goals…
One of the most followed tech visionaries in the market, US venture capitalist Mary Meeker, has just posted her annual ‘State of the Internet’ report – and in it, she states unequivocally that, “brick-and-mortar retail is on its deathbed.” Yet, the leader of online retail, Amazon, has just opened an experimental physical book store in Seattle and plans to open 400 more, suggesting there’s still plenty of life left in the traditional model. So, what’s going on? Can both of these contradictory facts be true? Sanjeev Sularia, co-founder and chief executive at Intelligence Node, discusses the most important trend affecting the potential profitability of retailers – the legitimate way to make online work with offline
After all, we are used to traditional offline retailers moving some of their operations online and the majority of consumers have realised the change in their shopping habits, where online sales increased by approximately 15 per cent in the first quarter year-on-year in the UK. However, with this said, we have not just Amazon but other pure-online players, such as the US-based fashion site, Bonobos and makeup subscription service, Birchbox, making a similar move into ‘real-world’ retailing.
It’s a puzzling set of consumer trends – initially at least. So what’s the dynamic here, and what is its bigger significance for the retailer? The moving online trend we understand, but what about when it’s the other way around?
It seems that there is a coming together of two separate domains: retail offline and online. Online-to-offline is partly about setting up mini warehouses for home delivery and showrooming (allowing customers to browse goods but make purchases online) plus managing returns, which can prove difficult and expensive online.
It’s also, however, about valuing the physical shopping experience for its own sake. Let’s look at what Amazon is doing to see why: the world’s biggest ecommerce firm reportedly only stocks 5,000 books at any one time at its trial store. But it can stock so low with full confidence, as it uses analytical intelligence garnered from website sales to decide on what stock to feature – giving customers exactly what they want, even before they get through the doors.
We shouldn’t be surprised; after all, great online intelligence and clever personalisation are what make an Amazon website visit the success it is, and so the same technologies are shaping the Amazon ‘physical’ experience too. What Amazon and other online retailers venturing into brick- and-mortar are doing right is recognising that these are not separate – let alone competitive – businesses. Rather, they are fused into one coherent omnichannel shopping experience.
The best of both worlds?
The way these retailers are doing this is through smart use of retail analytics. Analytics can tell you what the competition is doing, and enable a rapid turn round in pricing strategies with product lines. It can also pinpoint trends and allows ordering to keep in line with demand and target promotions and customer preferences. Advanced features include offering sophisticated and highly personalised at-the-till ‘smart cart’ discounts to customers or using multilingual pricing to help firms gain merchandising intelligence no matter the geography: increasingly important as country boundaries disappear.
And as Amazon is showing, all this is what you need to inform a logical online-offline proposition – something we can expect more and more of, going forward.
Sanjeev Sularia is CEO and co-founder of Intelligence Node, where he focuses on client acquisition and delivering on the vision behind the company, as well as becoming a global partner for leading retail brands. Sanjeev has worked as part of the founding team at fashion brands Exclusively.in and Shersingh.com, where he was the CFO.