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The Institute of Sales Promotion (ISP) is gearing up for a management reshuffle as it attempts to reposition itself following criticism over its lack of engagement with the industry (MW last week).
Clive Mishon, the former chairman of the Marketing Communications Consultants Association (MCCA), has been elected chairman of the organisation. The handover from incumbent Peter Kerr will be formalised at the ISP’s annual general meeting in December. Entirely separately, the body is in discussions with director-general Edward Mutton regarding his planned retirement, although the timing of his departure has yet to be confirmed.
Mishon admits the ISP has “lost ground” over the last decade, largely because the sales promotion industry has been seen to be lacking relevance. MCCA managing director Scott Knox, who has worked alongside Mishon in the past, criticises the ISP for failing to rise to the challenges of an increasingly competitive market. He blames its problems on a lack of energy and engagement from its existing board of directors. “It is being driven by a group of people with no real passion left for the industry,” he says. “We’ve heard so little from the ISP and that’s perhaps why promotional marketing has come under fire.”
Industry image problem Controversies such as Kit Kat’s Big Brother golden ticket promotion have done little to help the image of an industry which has long been seen as a high risk option that provides a short term sales boost at the expense of the brand in the longer term. Mishon says such issues reinforce the need for a strong ISP. “With the right collaboration these are not high risk enterprises,” he says. “It makes organisations like the ISP more important because more emphasis is placed on ensuring the code is being properly upheld.”
In his existing role as marketing director of the ISP, Mishon has already begun to initiate change by spearheading a campaign to promote the body as more inclusive to specialist sales agencies. The campaign, which includes the introduction of a new logo and mission statement, is designed to more closely align sales promotion with other channels of communication from traditional to digital media.
Dynamic leadership In order to remove the “grocery marketing” tag associated with sales promotion and position it as an “inclusive medium”, Mishon says the ISP needs to initiate dialogue with the industry. While Kerr brought stability to the ISP by addressing the financial and administrative problems during his four-year tenure, Mishon admits he “has not been a natural front man”.
Industry experts are confident that Mishon will succeed where his predecessors have struggled and turn the trade body around. He brings more than 25 years of trade body and commercial experience in the marketing services industry to the role, having headed promotional marketing consultancy Marketing Drive for almost a decade, before founding his own consultancy and investment company Mentor Marketing & Investment (MMI).
Marc Nohr, managing partner of integrated agency Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw, which was backed by MMI and in which Mishon remains a minority shareholder, describes him as a “driven entrepreneur” with the ability to implement the necessary changes to reinvigorate an organisation: “He is an incredibly astute and commercially focused businessman with a proven track record in building successful business ventures.”
Knox describes the appointment as “long overdue”, arguing that the organisation needs a respected industry figure such as Mishon to act as a mouthpiece to “re-engender a sense of passion in the industry”. While the signs appear positive, only time will tell whether the fresh face will be enough to revive the ISP.


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If you’ve been hit by the recent market turmoil, shareholders of Premium Brands Holdings Corp. (TSX:PBH) haven’t noticed. Even with market volatility, Premium Brands stock has continued its steady upward march, advancing 63% in the last year versus a decline of 17% for the TSX. This outperformance isn’t a one-time thing either. Premium Brands has beat the TSX for five straight years and is up over 175% since 2011.
Why haven’t shares been subject to recent market declines, and can investors count on this to continue?
A staple industry
Premium Brands bills itself as a specialty food company, selling its products via retail outlets (60% of sales) as well as supplying food service companies such as restaurants (40% of sales). Selling to both of these outputs provides a natural form of diversification.
If consumer spending declines at restaurants, people are most likely buying more food at grocery stores. And when the economy is doing well and consumers are going out more, restaurant spending usually ticks up. Premium Brands has a solid position in both of these channels.
As a specialty food company, Premium Brands has targeted value-added products that aren’t commoditized. So instead of selling simple canned items like vegetables, fruit, or meat, it finds ways to package and produce items in a way that garners higher margins. For example, one of its biggest sellers is pre-made sandwiches (20% of sales). Selling the entire sandwich pre-made typically comes at a higher profit than when selling each component separately.
In all, Premium Brands’s success has come from operating in an incredibly stable industry with an added layer of diversification and profitability.
Weak loonie is also a plus
While a lower currency valuation has hurt many importers, it’s actually been a blessing for Premium Brands. A weak loonie means that it’s actually cheaper for U.S. citizens to buy Canadian goods than their own. In 2010 U.S. sales were less than $50 million. Last year, it surpassed $220 million. This has helped total sales grow at a 23% annual rate since 2010, outpacing the company’s long-term target of 6-8%.
Even with sales exploding, management has been able to keep returns steady. In the past five years the company has had a return on assets between 12-14% ever year. That’s remarkable stability for company expanding as quickly as Premium Brands.
Get ready for big dividends
Consistently rising sales and profits have resulted in impressive free cash flow growth. In 2006 free cash flow was under $1.40 a share. A decade later it’s close to $3 a share. Meanwhile, dividends have been roughly flat at only $1.38 a share, resulting in a 3.6% yield. Management could double the payout while still having excess cash.
If you’re an income investor looking for a stable dividend with growth potential, there are few better ideas out there than Premium Brands.

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Vault Hunters wanted for a ‘Borderlands 2′ September release date
2K and Gearbox announced this morning that Borderlands 2, the quite-obvious sequel to Borderlands, will go on sale for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on September 18, 2012 in North America and September 21 internationally.
Fans who pre-order the game will be provided access to the Borderlands 2 Premiere Club, which includes in-game items and bonuses — the Gearbox Gun Pack, a Golden Key (to unlock the Golden Sanctuary Loot Chest) and a Vault Hunter’s Relic (which boosts your luck, basically).
The game will feature both splitscreen co-op as well as drop-in-drop-out online play.
“The addictive gameplay and shooting and looting mayhem of the first Borderlands is back and better than ever inBorderlands 2, taking the franchise to an entirely new level,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “With more guns, more enemies, more missions, an engaging story and all-new characters, Borderlands 2 promises to bring a new era to gaming this fall.”
Here’s a trailer that pretty much exudes kick-ass:


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DETROIT (AP) — U.S. auto safety regulators are allowing General Motors to delay a large recall of potentially defective air bags, giving the company time to prove that the devices are safe and to possibly avoid a huge financial hit.
The unusual move by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration buys time for an outside company hired by GM to do long-term tests of Takata air bag inflators in older trucks and SUVs including GM's top-selling vehicle, the Chevrolet Silverado pickup.
GM reluctantly agreed to recall 2.5 million vehicles in May to replace Takata front passenger inflators. But the company said at the time its inflators are unique and safer than those linked to 11 deaths in the U.S. and as many as 16 worldwide.
The company petitioned for the delay last week and the government agreed on Monday. The decision delays the recall until Aug. 31, 2017. If GM can prove to NHTSA that the inflators are safe by that time, the recall could be canceled.
The recall covered the Silverado, GMC Sierra pickup and many popular full-size SUVs from the 2007 to 2011 model years. Some of the trucks are now older than the minimum six years that it takes for Takata inflators to deteriorate and become risky. But GM contends its tests so far show that they are safe for at least 3 ½ more years.
The testing could help GM fend off several recalls totaling 6.8 million trucks and SUVS with the same inflators that ultimately could cost the company $870 million, according to a GM filing with securities regulators. Another batch of recalls is slated to start on Dec. 31. The delay also pushes the decision into the administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has stated that he wants to get rid of unnecessary government regulation.
GM said the timing of its filings was motivated by upcoming NHTSA deadlines. "Any other conclusion is just speculation," spokesman Tom Wilkinson said in a company statement.
Takata uses the chemical ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion and quickly inflate air bags in a crash. But tests have shown the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to high temperatures and airborne moisture. That can make it burn too fast, blowing apart a metal canister designed to contain the explosion, flinging shrapnel into drivers and passengers.
In addition to the deaths, more than 100 people have been hurt by the exploding inflator canisters.


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The Ventura County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved construction of a small commercial-fishing dock at the predominantly recreational Channel Islands Harbor.
Fishermen hailed the step as positive but long overdue.
"There's an obvious need for more facilities, more docks, more space on the waterfronts. There's a tremendous tie-up," said Brandon King, owner of the harbor seafood company that bears his name.
About 30 commercial-fishing boats use a makeshift, 120-foot wharf next to Reuben's Restaurant and face delays of two hours during peak periods before they can unload their catch, Harbor Manager Frank Anderson said.
The 150-foot dock, at the harbor's western end near Tugs Restaurant, would slice that time in half by accommodating two vessels at once, county officials say. It would also offer refrigerated facilities and two hoists for unloading.
Anderson said the project will be financed with a $300,000 loan from the California Coastal Conservancy. The money will be repaid by tapping general harbor revenue and fees charged for hoist use, he said.
The county has no plans to build a fish-processing or storage facility at the harbor, although it would like to open a wholesale and retail seafood market next to the dock sometime next year, said Blake Boyle, manager of recreation services for Ventura County.
Most of the sea urchin, cod, halibut and shark now unloaded at the Channel Islands Harbor goes into wholesalers' refrigerated seafood trucks that pull up next to the wharf.
County officials said they are building the commercial dock to comply with California Coastal Commission regulations, which require harbors to accommodate the fishing industry as well as recreational vessels.
Less than 5% of the harbor is dedicated to commercial fishing, and Anderson said he does not expect that the new wharf will bring fishing enterprises into the area.


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This article was first published on: Latest Crypto News --
A survey by Thomson Reuters has revealed that out of the 400 finance firms that it surveyed, 20% of them are considering launching crypto trading with the next 12 months.
The spike of interest in cryptocurrencies goes back to the second half of 2017 when the price of bitcoin soared to a record breaking price value of $20,000. With this, CME and CBOE are launching bitcoin futures in December. However, institutional interest in cryptocurrencies remains a niche concern.
According to fintech research firm Autonomous Next, there are over 200 cryptocurrency-focused hedge funds globally, but their combined assets under management are only $5 billion at a maximum.
Neill Penney, co-head of trading at Thomson Reuters, said,
“Cryptocurrency is still a relatively small part of the trading market, but this survey makes clear this niche segment is starting to enter t...
This content is synced from the rightful owners. Copyright on text and images belong to the original source. -- This article was first published on: Latest Crypto News


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Advancements in the technology industry tend to make everything smaller and faster. In the case of USB drives, they have been getting smaller and faster for years. However, the question of just how small a drive could become coupled with storing a massive amount of data was a problem that few companies were willing to address. The answer to just how small and powerful a USB drive can be has apparently been answered by one company that has made a name for itself in the industry.
According to Huh Magazine, SanDisk has managed to cram 128GB of memory into a USB drive that is smaller than the size of a dime. The device also utilizes a blazing fast USB 3.0 connection, which makes it small, fast, and powerful. In fact, the actual connector is larger than the storage section of the unit, making it virtually vanish when plugged into a computer. All of a sudden moving massive amounts of video, audio, pictures, and documents around without aid of the cloud is a very real possibility.
SanDisk has accomplished a pretty incredible feat according to Ivan Ong. While not every user needs to take advantage of 128GB of portable memory, the applications for mobile devices, like tablets and phones, is unlimited. The next issue is getting traditional USB ports onto those devices, but with many having thickness issues to receive the USB memory drives, the problem is likely going to take a few years to solve.


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As more of half of us live in cities, scientists are looking at new ways of harnessing urban energy.
Matalan, Pathe UK and Pantheon Books are all targeted to promote an ad using the Tesla boss’s name.
Pakistan state TV is ridiculed after a speech broadcast from China’s capital Beijing shows a typo.
The outcry over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi has put Softbank’s ties with Riyadh under scrutiny.
A 15-year-old Australian is crowned overall winner at the drone racing world cup in Shenzhen, China.
Rudi Browning, 15, and his drone beat more than 120 other racers at the world finals in Shenzhen.
A team at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh create a “crystal maze” to control how light spreads.
- You can now buy a Fitbit Charge 3 that sports Fitbit Pay
- Oppo’s R17 is its third flagship launch in just five months
- The best movies on Netflix: great films you can watch in Australia right now
- HUAWEI Mate 20 series sells out before hitting stores in the UAE
- Netflix Australia’s best shows: over 60 great TV series to stream in 2018


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Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
- The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that Boeing Co BA can resume delivery of its 787 Dreamliner after delivery had been halted for two years due to manufacturing flaws, CNBC reported.
- The suspension impacted United Airlines Holdings Inc UAL and American Airlines Group Inc AAL the most as the companies had been awaiting delivery while travel surged.
- The 787 Dreamliner is a key source of cash for Boeing because the bulk of the aircraft’s price is paid when it is delivered to airlines. Due to delivery delays, Boeing had to compensate airlines for the extensive delays caused by the halt.
- Tesla, Inc.’s TSLA China July sales dipped notably from the record performance in June, according to final data from the China Passenger Car Association, Reuters reported.
- Tesla sold 28,217 Giga Shanghai-made cars in July, which was below the 30,000 preliminary data released by the agency last week. This represented a 64% month-over-month plunge from the 78,906 vehicles the company delivered in June. Sales declined by a more modest 14.4% drop from the year-ago period.
- The U.S. EV giant shut down operations at the Giga Shanghai plant for about two weeks in the month for facility upgradation, Reuters reported earlier, citing an internal memo. This would serve to increase the weekly production rate from 17,000 units in July to 22,000 units, it added.
- Snap Inc SNAP launched parental control tools Family Center allowing parents to monitor their teens.
- With the teens’ consent, parents can invite them to join Family Center on Snapchat, enabling them to view their kids’ friends list and who they have messaged on the app in the past seven days. Parents can also confidentially report any concerning accounts.
- Previously Snap and its peers testified before the U.S. Senate for causing harm to the youth.
- Qualcomm Inc QCOM has agreed to buy an additional $4.2 billion in semiconductor chips from GlobalFoundries Inc’s GFS New York factory.
- The latest contract increased QCOM’s total commitment to $7.4 billion in purchases through 2028, Reuters reports.
- The deal extends on a $3.2 billion purchasing agreement between the two companies and will produce chips for use in 5G transceivers, Wi-Fi, automotive, and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity.
Wall Street Journal
- As U.S. authorities crack down on human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region, which produces about half of the world’s supply of a vital component in solar panels, the U.S. solar industry is facing new challenges.
- According to Industry executives and analysts, numerous Chinese solar-panel suppliers have had shipments to the U.S. delayed or sent back over the past few weeks as customs authorities enforced a new law. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, or UFLPA, went into effect at the end of June.
- Companies need to prove that imports weren’t produced by forced labor. The amount of documentation required by authorities so far has caught many in the industry off guard, according to analysts.
- Ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s board members have appealed to prevent its parent company, Unilever PLC UL, from selling the assets to a local licensee in Israel, the Wall Street Journal reported.
- Ben & Jerry’s feels the asset transfer could lead to the brand’s products being used to oppose social issues it supports.
- Unilever announced the sale in June 2022 after coming under pressure over Ben & Jerry’s decision not to sell its products in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and parts of East Jerusalem.
- Digital authentication solutions provider Twilio Inc TWLO said a scheme by which outsiders duped employees into handing over their passwords hacked some of its employees’ and customers’ accounts.
- Twilio became aware of the incident on August 4.
- According to experts, in the past three days, hackers targeted companies providing two-factor authentication services to steal cryptocurrency, compromise telecommunications companies, and breach customer relationship management portals, Bloomberg reports.
- Domino’s Pizza Inc’s DPZ final lot of branches in Italy have lowered their shutters due to poor patronage, Bloomberg reported.
- The brand could not withstand competition from local restaurants, which gained an advantage by expanding delivery services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Domino’s had run out of cash to manage its operations and sought protection from creditors.
- TikTok parent ByteDance Ltd has scooped up one of China’s largest private hospital chains Amcare Healthcare for ~$1.5 billion, deepening a foray into health care, Bloomberg reports.
- Amcare Healthcare runs women’s and children’s hospitals in cities from Beijing to Shenzhen.
- Two ByteDance subsidiaries now own a combined 100% stake in Amcare.
- Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE: BRK-A) has purchased additional shares in Occidental Petroleum Corporation OXY, surpassing the 20% stake.
- In an SEC regulatory filing, Berkshire said it paid about $391 million for nearly 6.7 million Occidental shares between August 4 and August 8.
- The purchases gave Berkshire 188.4 million Occidental shares, or 20.2% of reported shares outstanding, worth $11.3 billion.
- Micron Technology, Inc’s MU expectations for CY22 industry bit demand growth for DRAM and NAND have declined amid macro uncertainties and supply chain constraints. Therefore, it expected a challenging market environment in Q4 and Q1.
- Micron expected Q4 revenue to come at or below the low end of the provided revenue guidance range.
- Based on the last guidance, Micron said it expects Q4 revenue of $6.8 billion to $7.6 billion. The analyst consensus estimate was $9.05 billion.
- The Hong Kong Stock Exchange has put out a filing by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd BABA that seeks to change its secondary listing status on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to a primary listing.
- The effective date of the primary conversion is expected to be before the end of 2022, it said. Upon the conversion, shares of Alibaba will be dual primary listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the NYSE.
- Alibaba said it expects the primary conversion to allow it to broaden its investor base and facilitate incremental liquidity.
- Snap, Inc. SNAP, the parent of Snapchat, could reportedly join a bevy of tech companies that are either slowing hiring or eliminating jobs.
- Santa Monica, California-based Snap is in the early stages of planning job cuts, the Verge reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The number of employees to be eliminated isn’t yet clear, as managers across the company are still discussing the scope of cuts for their respective teams, it added.
- Snap recently reported second-quarter results that missed expectations both on the top and bottom line. The company did not issue guidance for the third quarter but hinted revenue will likely be flat with the second-quarter level.
- The West Wing was reportedly not aware of the Monday raid by the Federal Bureau Of Investigation on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
- CBS News senior White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe said on Twitter, as first noted on Business Insider, that the Biden White House was given “no advanced heads up” of Monday’s FBI alleged raid on the estate.
- A senior White House official told O’Keefe that there was no “advance knowledge” of the raid and that some learned about the occurrence from “old media” and some from “social media.”
- Popular retail brokerage Robinhood Markets Inc HOOD has added support for two new crypto assets on its platform.
- Robinhood-listed Avalanche AVAX/USD and Stellar XLM/USD on its trading platform, briefly sending both tokens rallying on Monday.
- Robinhood has taken a conservative approach toward listing crypto assets.
- Alphabet Inc’s GOOGL GOOG search engine Google was down for thousands of users on Monday night Eastern Time. Reported outages were seen peaking around 9:37 p.m. ET, according to Downdetector, a service that monitors status websites for issues in real-time.
- An “electrical incident” was reported at a Google data center in Iowa on Monday. Three electricians suffered significant burns while working on a substation close to the data center buildings in the aftermath of an arc flash — an electrical explosion, according to a report from SFGATE.
- Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. TCEHY is planning to shut down its content creation app Kandian next Monday as part of a broader strategy to become more efficient, the South China Morning Post reported.
- Kandian will shut down operations on August 15 as part of “adjustments in business development strategy,” as per the report, which cited an app announcement.
- Tencent has reportedly sent out notifications to its users to back up data. Certain services will remain accessible through the Mini World function of QQ, Tencent’s original chat app, the report said.
- A retail-driven short squeeze pushed bankrupt cryptocurrency lender Celsius Network CEL/USD native token up 25% on Monday.
- CEL rallied from $1.44 to a high of $1.82 over 24 hours, as per data from Benzinga Pro. The token was up 21.89% against Bitcoin BTC/USD and 19.9% against Ethereum ETH/USD at press time.
- Crypto asset managers largely attributed the rally to a short-squeeze orchestrated by retail traders on Twitter Inc TWTR.
- The U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the Ethereum ETH/USD application Tornado Cash on Monday, citing ties to North Korean hackers.
- Tornado Cash is a digital asset mixing service that facilitates money laundering efforts. It’s common practice for hackers to use Tornado Cash to mix their crypto in an attempt to make the hacked funds untraceable.
- Tornado Cash has reportedly helped launder over $7 billion in digital assets.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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Foxconn Technology Group, a major supplier for Apple, reportedly offers higher wages to workers producing Huawei Technologies’ smartphones in the tech hub of Shenzhen, southern China, compared to those manufacturing iPhones.
The FIH unit, primarily focused on assembling handsets and consumer electronics for Huawei and other smartphone companies, now predominantly serves Huawei, as the local newspaper China Business News reported.
Apple production staff is getting paid less than Huawei.
According to recruitment posts and information from labor agencies, Foxconn’s FIH unit, responsible for producing Huawei smartphones, is offering an hourly wage of 26 yuan (approximately $3.60) to new workers at its Shenzhen factory. This wage is higher than the 21 yuan hourly rate offered by Foxconn’s integrated Digital Product Business Group (iDPBG), which manufactures iPhones.
Workers hired by Foxconn may be assigned to different teams based on current demand, but in recent times, there is a higher likelihood of them being involved in the production of Huawei devices.
The increased hiring activity is occurring amidst a competitive race in production, with both Apple and Huawei recently unveiling new 5G smartphones in the world’s largest smartphone market.
Is Huawei riding on nationalistic pride?
Apple introduced its iPhone 15 series earlier this week, with the official launch set for September 22. The reception for the iPhone 15 has been mixed among Chinese users. Meanwhile, despite being blocked by the US government, Huawei has been generating significant patriotic enthusiasm for its new Mate 60 Pro and Mate 60 Pro+ smartphones, thanks to their advanced made-in-China chips.
Several factors influence the varying hourly rates within different units under Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer.
According to Xu, the recruitment agent, the hourly rates offered by the FIH unit tend to be higher than those at iDPBG because the iPhone production unit typically provides better welfare programs for its workers than other teams.
In Zhengzhou, the capital of central Henan province and home to the world’s largest iPhone factory, Foxconn is offering peak season signing bonuses of 6,480 yuan per person at the Product Enclosure Business Group, responsible for producing mechanical parts for the iPhone, as indicated in a recent job posting.
While China remains Apple’s most crucial production center, the company has been diversifying its supply chain due to escalating geopolitical tensions.
Is Apple’s India push being punished?
According to reports citing anonymous sources, Apple has made India-built iPhone 15s available for global sales on the debut day for the first time. Although Apple started iPhone 15’s production at Foxconn’s Indian factory last month, most of the latest iPhone 15 series will still be manufactured in China.
Apple is currently facing one of its most challenging sales seasons in China, partly due to the resurgence of Huawei in the smartphone market and the Chinese government’s restrictions on iPhones.
Huawei, headquartered in Shenzhen, has scheduled a product launch event for September 25, leading to speculation about unveiling the mysterious chip inside the Mate 60 Pro. The company has raised its smartphone shipment target for the second half of 2023 by 20 percent, driven by solid presales of the Mate 60 Pro, according to a report from the Chinese newspaper Securities Daily.


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Ant Financial’s MYBank Reports Nearly Doubling of SMEs Served in 2019by Fintech News Hong Kong April 28, 2020
MYbank, an online private commercial bank under Ant Financial Services Group, stated in its annual report released today that it has served 20.87 million small and micro businesses in China as of the end of 2019.
As part of the Star Plan launched in June 2018, MYbank has worked with over 400 financial partners to provide business loans to Chinese SMEs as of 2019. 80% of MYbank loan users had previously never received business loans from banks.
The average outstanding loan size for MYbank users was RMB 31,000 (approximately USD 4,300) in 2019, an increase of nearly 20% compared to last year, reflecting robust growth among SMEs in China. MYbank plans on extending credit lines to 70% of small and micro businesses in China in 2020, up from 50% in 2019.
The non-performing loan (NPL) ratio for MYbank’s SME business loans has consistently been at around 1%, which is significantly lower than the industry average of 3.22% in 2019, according to the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission.
“Small and micro businesses constitute an essential pillar of our economy, and we are proud to have supported over 20 million small and micro businesses as of 2019. Our primary goal in 2020 is to continue to enable the sustainable growth of SMEs and empower them to overcome these challenging times and thrive,”
says Mr. Jin Xiaolong, President of MYbank.
“This underscores our confidence in the resilience of small enterprises across the country as they resume work and life.”
According to China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, as of February 2020, there are over 83.53 million individually-owned businesses registered in China, employing over 200 million people in total.
Over the past few years, SMEs have contributed to more than 60% of China’s GDP and 80% of urban employment. MYbank has implemented a series of measures to help small and micro business owners overcome the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including:
Providing 12-month loans totalling RMB 10 billion to online merchants from Hubei Province registered on Taobao and Tmall. These loans are interest-free for the first three months, with interest rates lowered by 20% for the remaining nine months.
Waiving interest rates for 360,000 offline micro merchants in Wuhan for the first month and cutting interest rates by 20% for Hubei merchants outside of the city.
Partnering with 100 banks to launch the “Contactless Loans” initiative to support 10 million SMEs as they resume operations and overcome the impact of COVID-19.
Ms. Qiu Mengyi, a 26-year-old owner of a nail salon in Wuhan, applied for a business loan from MYbank when the city came out of lockdown in early April.
“Even though my business will not be completely back to normal in six months, the financial support we have received will help get us back on track,”
said Ms. Qiu. Mr. Mo Jiaxuan, a self-made owner of a claw machine company, also successfully applied for a business loan from MYbank. He also launched a claw machine mini-program on Alipay that enabled him to reach and engage with over 900 million users on the digital lifestyle platform and drive traffic to his online storefront.
MYbank’s Star Plan aims to strengthen SME financing over a three-year period. Through the plan, MYbank will enable 1,000 financial institution partners to provide more cost-effective financing services to 30 million SMEs in China.
MYbank also pioneered the “310 model” for SME financing, which offers collateral-free business loans that take less than three minutes to apply for on a mobile phone, less than one second to approve, and requires zero human intervention, using proprietary AI and risk management technologies.


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Love Irish Food, in partnership with Exterion Media has announced details of this year’s Brand Development Award.
To date, and including this years’ award investment, Love Irish Food will have invested a total of €1m in media and creative content to support Irish food brands – making it the biggest national food award in the Irish food industry.
The 2018 Brand Development Award, provides brands that carry the Love Irish Food logo with the opportunity to win €75,000 in advertising space, scheduled across Exterion Media’s retail portfolio and retail digital network. The extensive out-of-home campaign will appear nationally for two weeks and includes print production and digital animation. Additionally, Owens DDB Advertising Agency will provide the winner with up to a €10,000 creative bursary to create and develop the Outdoor advertising campaign.
The award provides Love Irish Food member brands, who support over 15,000 jobs in the Irish food industry, with the chance to win a fully funded national advertising campaign from Exterion Media and with a runner up receiving a business to business featured profile in Checkout magazine.
The Brand Development Award was launched by Love Irish Food in 2012 at a time when Ireland and its food industry was under threat with unemployment at 15% and up to 70,000 people emigrating per annum. The award was established to help locally produced brands establish and distinguish themselves in the Irish market.
Love Irish Food and Exterion Media will work closely with the winning brand to plan a campaign that will optimise their business objectives.
Kieran Rumley, Executive Director, Love Irish Food said: “The Love Irish Food Brand Development award is the largest Irish food industry award of its kind. At a time when Brexit has added much uncertainty to the market, the award allows the winner the certainty of knowing that they have an advertising campaign for their brand in their plans for 2019, a critical year for Ireland’s food industry. We at Love Irish Food are very proud of this award which helps promote and support an Irish manufactured food and drink brand. The award will provide Irish SME brand producers with the opportunity to advertise to Irish consumers on a national level, giving them a huge opportunity to connect with their target audience and build their brand.”
Antoinette O’Callaghan, Marketing Manager, Exterion Media added: “Over the last number of years this award has demonstrated the efficacy of advertising in driving both brand awareness and sales. This is a fantastic opportunity for a small Irish brand to step up their brand promotion efforts and leverage that opportunity to grow their consumer awareness. We look forward to working with the winning brand to maximise the opportunity this award presents.”
East Coast Bakehouse was the winner of the Brand Development Award 2017, Alison Cowzer of East Coast Bakehouse, said: “The award has given a significant boost to our brand performance.The trade really embraced the opportunity in winning the award, which allowed us to co-ordinate promotional activity nationally across all accounts. We also achieved enhanced additional distribution, particularly down-trade which has positioned us for strong brand growth. I would encourage all Love Irish Food members to enter to be in with a chance of winning this great award.”
The competition is a simple two phase process. To enter, brands must register at http://www.loveirishfood.ie before Friday 28th September. The second phase involves a completed submission to be submitted by 5.30pm Friday 2nd November, 2018. The judging panel comprises of Kieran Rumley, Executive Director, Love Irish Food; Antoinette O’Callaghan, Marketing Manager, Exterion Media and Barry Dooley, Chief Executive, Association of Advertisers in Ireland. A shortlist of competitors will then be interviewed by the judging panel with the winner announced on November 26th 2018.


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Press for CCP Games
CCP Games is allowing Eve Online players to take a break from their virtual scams and wars by donating their in-game PLEX currency to contribute real aid to those affected by recent catastrophic flooding in Pakistan.
CCP Games and deviantART have announced the Create a Starship Contest. Entrants will compete for a chance to have their artwork converted into a ship for CCP's EVE Online sci-fi MMO. Other prizes include cash and iPad.
The trade deficit is soaring. Home sales are plunging. Companies uncertain about the future are sitting on growing piles of cash rather than hiring or expanding. Those are the sorts of recent trends that have been adding to the malaise stemming from still-high unemployment and slumping financial markets.
You might remember that we told you last month that CCP was going to allow players to transport PLEX in their ships. If you don’t recall what PLEX is, it’s basically 30 days worth of game time that can be traded in-game for ISK, the currency of EVE. The introduction of PLEX was an innovative way to allow players to basically buy currency in-game. If you haven’t played EVE Online, here’s an important piece of information: if your ship is destroyed, there is a random chance that any cargo and ship attachments will survive the explosion, allowing them to be looted by the player who took you out. Obviously, this is an incentive for players to attack other players, and a risk if you’re transporting any PLEX in your cargo hold.


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The Indian automotive market will witness the launch of some highly anticipated new SUVs this year including Thar 5-Door, Creta EV and Tata Curvv
The ever-increasing SUV market share is attracting new players in the Indian market. Keeping up with this demand, car manufacturers are actively working to diversify their portfolio in both electric vehicle and ICE segments. The year 2024 will witness the launch of some very popular and highly anticipated SUVs. So, let’s have a look at the top upcoming SUVs this year.
1. Mahindra Thar 5-Door:
Expected to go by the name Thar Armada, the SUV will be launched in the second half of 2024. The leaked spy images suggest that the Thar 5-Door will get slight changes in design such as a new front grille, LED headlamps, new 19-inch alloy wheels, redesigned tail lamps and more. Inside the cabin, a new steering wheel, a 10.25-inch infotainment system, front and rear armrests, an electric sunroof and push-button start will be a part of the package. Based on the Scorpio N’s platform, the off-road SUV will be powered by the familiar turbo diesel and turbo-petrol engines. As per the products, the production of the Thar 5-Door will start in June.
2. Maruti Suzuki eVX:
Maruti Suzuki eVX will be launched in the Indian market by the end of 2024. The company’s first EV has already been spied testing a few times in the country. The electric SUV will be underpinned by a brand new born-electric skateboard platform. In terms of dimensions, the production-spec vehicle will measure 4.3 meters in length with a wheelbase of 2700mm. As per the details revealed by the company, the EV will be available in two battery pack options i.e. a 48 kWh unit with a claimed range of around 400 kilometres and a larger 60 kWh battery delivering 550 kilometres on a single charge.
3. Tata Harrier EV:
Recently showcased at the 2024 Bharat Mobility Global Expo in its concept form, the Harrier EV is expected to debut in India around the festive season of 2024. The electric SUV will be based on the heavily modified electric-specific version of the OMEGA-Arc platform. Expected to sport a battery pack of around 60 kWh, the electrified Harrier is expected to deliver a claimed range of around 500 kilometres. The design will be inspired by the Harrier facelift and will have some electric-specific touches. It will also get a dual-motor AWD setup.
4. Hyundai Creta EV:
Hyundai’s first mass-market electric car for the Indian market, the Creta EV is currently in the testing phase. As of now, the Korean carmaker has only introduced electric vehicles targeted at the premium segment i.e. Kona EV and IONIQ 5. If some media reports are to be believed, the electrified Creta will debut by the end of 2024 with the launch expected in early 2025. In terms of the powertrain, it will use a 45 kWh battery pack with the power output rated at 138 bhp and 255 Nm of peak torque. The design will be familiar to the conventionally powered Creta Facelift, although with some EV-specific touches.
5. Tata Curvv:
Recently showcased at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2024, the final production version of the Tata Curvv will soon see the light of the day. Expected to debut around mid-2024, its EV guise will be followed by the launch of the conventionally powered Curvv. While the interiors are under wraps, we got a good glimpse of its exterior design which includes a familiar front fascia, flush door handles, 18-inch alloy wheels and a sloping roofline. It will be powered by the familiar 1.5-litre turbo diesel engine from the Nexon along with the new 1.2-litre tGDi petrol engine.
6. Mahindra XUV.e8:
Based on the brand’s born-electric INGLO platform, the Mahindra XUV.e8 is expected to be launched in India by the end of 2024. The electrified version of XUV700 will draw power from an 80 kWh battery pack, producing a power output in the range of 227-345 bhp. It will be available in both two-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations using a single and dual motor setup, respectively. In terms of dimensions, it will be marginally larger as compared to the XUV700. The near-production test mule of the XUV.e8 has been spotted a few times in India, thereby partially revealing the design which includes a new set of vertically stacked LED headlamps, full-width LED DRL, a new design for alloy wheels and more.


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Rumors regarding Nokia’s return to the smartphone business had surfaced in Chinese media quite recently. The speculation was that Nokia would commence manufacturing Android operated smartphones in a facility based in China. The news took enough rounds in the media until Nokia caught glimpse of it and decided to quash the rumours with an official statement.
Nokia isn’t getting back..yet
Nokia made it clear that it does not plan to make or sell smartphones as of now. It outrightly refuted all such claims about a Research and Development facility in China being planned as the site for manufacturing Nokia consumer handsets. Interestingly, despite the rebuttal to these false claims there are further reports of the Finnish company returning to the smartphone market by 2016.
What was the deal anyway?
Nokia’s devices and services division was bought by Microsoft for $7 billion last year which comprised mobile Devices as well as smart devices (Asha, Lumia as well as the X series). It also took over accessories, developer relations, design teams, developer relations, manufacturing and testing facilities along with supply chain services such as Store and MixRadio. All third party contracts and IP agreements pertinent to Nokia’s devices were to be controlled by Microsoft.
What has the impact been?
It has been a year since Microsoft acquired Nokia but it turns out that the move hasn’t paid off as well as Microsoft might have wanted. Cost of sales for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 seem to have surpassed the sales revenue worth $1.4 billion by $4 million. Reports suggest that the software giant lost nearly 12 cents on every phone prior to the Research and Development as well as marketing costs being accounted for.
Low-end handsets causing trouble
Microsoft believes that its stress on low-end devices was rather ill-placed. Poor performances by the handsets of late have increased the risk of impariment that will require the value to be written down. This simply means that a further decline in future cashflows is expected which would also increase the likelihood of decline in unit volume growth of these handsets. Microsoft admits that it may have overstated the $5.46 billion paid in goodwill to Nokia. As a result, it’s unlikely it will be able to realize it.
Is there any chance Nokia might return?
Microsoft retains the rights to the brand until the second half of 2016 which means that it has twelve more months to try and extract something out of this deal. That actually leaves a window open for Nokia to reenter the smartphone business some time later next year. Even Nokia’s head of products believes that “it would be crazy not to look at the opportunity”. Only time will tell when Nokia decides to clinch this opportunity once it is open to them.


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Cannabis Blank Check Co. Among 2 IPOs Raising $450M
Law360 (November 8, 2019, 3:53 PM EST) -- Two blank check companies, including one seeking to acquire cannabis-related businesses, debuted in public markets Friday after pricing initial public offerings totaling $450 million, sustaining an otherwise tepid IPO market that is seeing few operating companies go public.
Stable Road Acquisition Corp., which is focused on the cannabis sector, raised $150 million after selling 15 million units at $10 each. Advised by Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, Stable Road saw its shares began trading Friday on the Nasdaq under the symbol “SRAC.”
Juniper Industrial Holdings, which is targeting the industrial sector, also raised $300 million by offering, selling $30 million units...
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Bella Hadid has always been a trendsetter, and her latest fashion choice is no exception. On September 30, 2022, the supermodel stepped onto the Paris Fashion Week runway wearing just her underwear for the Parisian label, Coperni. Designer Manel Torres who had created the patented spray-on technology, Fabrican, began applying the misty liquid that almost instantly transformed into a wearable material.
The Fabrican material
And right before the onlooker’s eyes, a one-of-a-kind dress appeared. Fabrican is a special spray-on fabric. It is a flexible plastic that adheres to the body. The fabric is sprayed onto the body in layers, which takes about 15 minutes.
The concept of a spray-on dress has been around since the late 90s, but this is the first time it has been used in a runway show. In 1999, late British fashion designer Alexander McQueen had model Shalom Harlow’s dress spray-painted by robots on the runway. This began the idea that a dress could be viewed as a second skin and painted on.
What is the spray-on fabric used for Bella Hadid's dress made from?
- A. Cotton
- B. Leather
- C. Flexible plastic
- D. Polyester
Fabrican designer Manel Torres took this inspiration to another level. The fabric is designed to be lightweight and breathable while still providing a skin-tight fit.
Why is Fabrican important to fashion?
The spray-on fabric is a revolutionary advancement in fashion, as it has the potential to make custom-fitted clothing accessible to a wider range of people. It is also a much faster and more cost-effective way to create clothing than traditional sewing methods.The fabric is also water-resistant and can be easily wiped down if it gets wet. The dress also features a unique design. The fabric is sprayed onto the body in a criss-cross pattern, which creates a striking visual effect.
Bella Hadid’s spray-on Coperni dress was an incredible sight to behold and a testament to the power of innovation in fashion. By pushing the boundaries of what is possible, designers like Manel Torres are creating new and exciting ways to make fashion more accessible and inclusive. It also adds more sophistication to Bella Hadid street style.
The dress also speaks to the need for more sustainable fashion practices. While many traditional fabrics are still used in fashion, the Bella Hadid spray on dress is a much more eco-friendly option. We can’t wait to see what else designers come up with using this revolutionary new fabric.


text: Hyundai has revealed its new i30 wagon ahead of its world debut at the 2012 Geneva auto show. The wagon is the second member of the new generation i30 family, following the reveal of the latest hatchback at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show.The new model shares engines and design elements from its hatchback sibling, but has a longer body to create a significant increase in load space.The overall length has increased by 185mm, over the five-door hatchback, to 4485mm.EXTRA SPACECompared to the hatchback, the wagon expands its boot space from 378-litres to 528-litres and with the rear passenger seats folded down, the volume increases to 1642-litres.Allan Rushforth, senior vice president Hyundai Europe, said: “The new generation i30 has been widely praised for its style, quality, and value. Our new wagon offers all of those attributes plus even greater load-carrying capacity. "We expect it to appeal strongly to those looking for stylish and flexible practicality, especially active families,” said Rushforth.The i30 wagon features Hyundai’s hexagon-shaped grille and jewel-like headlamps at the front. The roofline extends rearwards over the boot and further enhances the wagon’s dynamic appearance are pronounced lines across the flanks. Read more reports from the 2012 Geneva auto show.


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James Balfour considers the implications of a tie-up between Sainsbury’s and Asda on the grocery retailing sector.
5 minute read
At the end of April, details emerged of a possible merger between Sainsbury’s and Asda that could – should it go ahead - result in the creation of the UK’s largest grocery retailer1. While the overall impact is unlikely to become clear for another 18 months or so, it will nonetheless have considerable ramifications for other players and suppliers in the grocery retailing sector.
The merger, worth around £10 billion and scheduled for completion in mid-2019, would produce a combined group with 2,800 stores across the UK and a market share of around 31 per cent, slightly more than that of the current market leader, Tesco. Walmart, which has owned Asda since 1999, would receive shares in Sainsbury’s in exchange for Asda’s 600 supermarkets, and in the process become the new group’s biggest shareholder.
If the deal leads to consolidation within the market through store closures or their transfer to other sectors, it could be positive for investors. However, it could prove far less welcome if it also results in a vicious price war similar to that seen three years ago, which left many suppliers and retailers reeling. Sainsbury’s, when it announced the deal, said some of the resulting cost savings would be redirected into its pricing strategies.
Asda, which focuses on the economy-end of the market, has struggled against the advance of discounters such as Aldi and the growth of e-commerce. It is also weak in own-label brands. By contrast, Sainsbury’s is strong in premium foodstuffs, online grocery shopping and own-label brands but weak in the no frills area of the market. Moreover, while Asda is a major player in the north of the country, Sainsbury’s is focused on the south-east.
In this Q&A, UK equities fund manager James Balfour, considers the pros and cons of the deal for the two parties and implications for investors.
What is driving the proposed merger?
The continuing evolution of the retailing sector in general in the UK. The rise of the discounters, convenience stores and online grocery shopping are impacting the major grocers. Sainsbury’s has admitted there is still too much capacity in the market and new store space is still being added. So consolidation is needed to maintain the profit pool, or margins are likely to be eroded across the value chain. A merger in the food retail sector has been long touted, although this pairing was rarely considered. Amazon’s entry into the market via its takeover of Whole Foods and Tesco’s acquisition of Booker has given added impetus to industry consolidation.
The deal is likely to come under scrutiny from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)– what factors in particular will it be looking at?
The amount of data now available to the regulators means they will be able to analyse the impact of the merger on a store-by-store basis. Those catchment areas where customers only have a choice between an Asda and a Sainsbury’s outlet will come under the greatest scrutiny. The CMA will look at the pricing power that could be accumulated by the consolidation of two stores into one. If, however, there is significant competition in an area, the CMA is likely to determine that shoppers will not be disadvantaged by the merger. Sainsbury’s management has clearly stated there will be no store closures. But it will dispose of some stores. It will then be up to whoever acquires them to decide whether to keep them open or not.
Why would Walmart consider such a deal?
Asda has been a poor performer over the past few years, losing market share. Consequently, questions were being asked about whether Walmart would increase investment in the UK retailer to boost Asda’s competitiveness. Asda’s US owner has clearly decided to take a more capital-light approach to the market. Given the competition Walmart faces in the US, it appears to be reducing its direct global footprint, apart from its operations in Mexico, China and India. It has recently agreed to buy Flipkart in India for US$16bn as it looks to invest in technology to reduce costs across its portfolio.
What does Sainsbury's stand to gain?
The main advantage for Sainsbury's is the extra scale it will gain as a result of merging with Asda. Combined, Sainsbury’s and Asda would hold almost a third of the UK grocery market (pre disposals), with the deal catapulting the merged entity ahead of long-time market leader Tesco. The deal would strengthen Sainsbury’s buying power and cut costs, particularly in back office logistics. It would provide a greater store footprint for Sainsbury’s Argos outlets, significantly increase its customer base and provide access to the data of a fresh swathe of shoppers. The deal makes financial sense if Sainsbury’s does not have to dispose of a significant number of stores. However, the deal would increase Sainsbury’s focus on a fiercely competitive market that is subject to massive disruptive forces, rather than diversifying the business into other adjacent markets.
If it goes ahead, what are the implications for the competitive landscape and investors in the sector?
The overall impact is unlikely to become clear for around 18 months. Following the completion of the deal, management could announce major price cuts on some lines, particularly at Asda. Investors should be alert to the effect of these price cuts on earnings. A price war is most likely to hurt the discounters. However, all food retailers were adversely affected three years ago by a widespread price war. If Tesco also announces price cuts, concerns will grow that margins will flatten rather than increase. Tesco’s acquisition of the UK’s largest wholesaler Booker, completed in March 2018, provided the UK’s current biggest supermarket chain with exposure to the wholesale channel and the penetration of Just Eat/Deliveroo as people diversify the way they consume food. Booker supplies many of the UK’s restaurants and takeaways.
Investors should also watch for signs that capacity is being taken out of the market, either as a result of store closures or the sale of stores to non-grocery retailers. Such a move would benefit the whole industry. Potentially, the major players could invest in price cuts and still see margins rise. It will be unclear who will buy surplus stores as they will need to be identified and a bidding process will have to take place. Tesco is unlikely to try and acquire any given the scale of its existing market share. Morrison’s could benefit if it is able to acquire profitable stores at attractive prices but it could also come under further pressure if its fails to do so. However, it is unlikely to disappear given it owns the freehold of a very large proportion of its property empire and is able to control its own rent levels more efficiently than other retailers.
With its George and Tu brands, the combined entity will be the second largest player in the clothes market and pressurise the likes of direct competitors such as Primark. Management has yet to give clear direction on their ambitions for their clothing interests and whether the brands will be distributed through each other’s stores. Such a move would further pressure smaller high street clothing retailers.
Could it prove a trigger for further consolidation in the sector, not just at the retail level but among suppliers?
If this deal proceeds, two players, (Sainsbury’s/Asda and Tesco) each with over 27 per cent of the market, will emerge. Morrison’s and other retailers would lag by a considerable distance and so further deals could be initiated. However, the rationale for further mergers becomes less clear cut when prospects for individual retailers are considered. Waitrose is unlikely to seek to acquire either Morrison’s or the Co-op due to the different markets they serve. Meanwhile, it is difficult to envisage Aldi and Lidl combining to form a large discounter. It’s more likely M&A will be led by players from outside the market, with a big online portal, for example, seeking to acquire store space.
Consolidation could be possible within the supply chain as scale is required to square up to two large retailers rather than just one. Some of the suppliers are already having problems and therefore Greencore/Bakkavor/2 Sisters could consider merging to gain leverage and bargaining power. On the farming side, further consolidation is unlikely. However, it cannot be ruled out since some contracts will be changed, gross margins might be reset lower for promises of increased volumes.
Could the merger prove a harbinger of a general increase in M&A activity in the UK?
We have seen a record level of deals announced globally so far this year, with a number occurring in the UK. We believe this reflects the state of the economic cycle and the global growth outlook. Most markets are growing, albeit not significantly and therefore players continue to seek to increase the scale of their operations. The pick up in M&A activity may also reflect the prospect that the days of ultra-low interest rates are ending and financing will not be so cheap in future.


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The number of American adults who smoke cigarettes has fallen sharply, from 42.4 percent in 1965 to 15.1 percent in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Naturally, cigarette sales also declined over the same period.
But new research in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine shows that the fall in sales of traditional cigarettes slowed in 2015, while sales of e-cigarettes — which also pose health hazards — are skyrocketing.
Using retail data from 2011 to 2015, a team led by Kristy L. Marynak, a specialist on smoking at the CDC, tracked sales of traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes in 48 states (excluding Alaska, Hawaii and Washington DC). The team found that:
- Sales of traditional cigarettes declined nationwide between 2014 and 2015 by 1.4 percent, but climbed in 15 states (some for the first time in a decade). For example, sales were up in Idaho by 15.1 percent, Oklahoma by 5.6 percent and South Dakota by 5.8 percent. In recent years, declines across the country measured between 2 and 4 percent.
- Nationwide sales of e-cigarettes — battery-powered devices that heat a liquid containing nicotine into a vapor for inhaling — jumped 14.4 percent in the same year, increasing the most in Michigan (27.2 percent); 17 other states also saw increases in e-cigarette sales.
- Previous research shows that sales of e-cigarettes climbed by 150 percent between 2012 and 2013.
- E-cigarettes are difficult to classify because many different products qualify, such as disposable units and cartridges that can be inserted into a rechargeable “vape pen” (this type of smoking is often known as “vaping.”) “Declines in e-cigarette sales growth may reflect purchases shifting to ‘vape shops’ or online, rather than lower overall sales,” the authors note.
- The health consequences of the shift to e-cigarettes are mixed. “A majority of adult e-cigarette users report current cigarette smoking,” the authors report. “For adult smokers to benefit from e-cigarettes, they must completely quit combusted tobacco.”
- The changes to cigarette-sales trends — such as the increases in traditional cigarette sales in some places — could be the result of “coincident macroeconomic changes, such as declines in gasoline prices and increases in disposable personal income.”
This 2016 study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine looks at national and state data on electronic cigarette sales.
The Treasury Department publishes monthly statistics on cigarette manufacturing and tobacco imports. At the Treasury Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) regulates tobacco and collects related taxes.
We wrote about the health effects and policy implications of e-cigarettes here.


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Mar 19, 2014
Centre Daily Times
Road signs cause damage in Worth Township hit and run
A chain-reaction crash happened Saturday in Worth Township when an unknown driver failed to negotiate a right-hand turn and traveled off the roadway.
WDSN-FM Du Bois
Microsoft Scam Reaches the Area
Do you use Microsoft? Well Microsoft will never call you to fix your computer using remote access.
Erie Times News
Man waives hearing, woman enters plea in Erie bank robbery case
An Erie man waived his preliminary hearing and a Cameron County woman pleaded guilty to lesser counts on charges related to a January bank robbery in Erie.
TV's 'Downton Abbey' inspires EOTC fashion show
The popular PBS television series "Downton Abbey" is the inspiration for the Employment Opportunity and Training Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania's third annual vintage fashion show.
An Idea for a Resolution
I have a confession to make that will probably come as a shock. I'm not a small town girl, or even a small town woman.


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Google may track users in real-life
November 12 , 2013
Tracking cookies might begin tracking Google users' every moment and reporting it to advertisers.
The company is beta-testing this program, which might have the ability to track the smartphones of users, regardless of whether or not any Google apps are open on their phones.
Although, tracking iPhone users is hard, many continue to use Google apps without realizing that those apps continue to run even after they are clicked out of.


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Well, sort of. Dell announced an agreement to sell public cloud storage from Nirvanix, an infrastructure as a service company that's slowly building a notable resume, including its ongoing partnership with IBM to provide a cloud storage option for Big Blue.
For years there have been rumors about Dell's cloud strategy. Will it launch its own cloud to go up against Amazon Web Services, as HP has done? The flurry of acquisitions Dell has made during the past few years, combined with its enthusiastic support of OpenStack, had some in the industry waiting for a big news announcement from Dell of a public cloud offering. Instead, it announced through Twitter a new option for Dell customers to access Nirvanix's cloud. "The announcement in some ways raises more questions than it answers," says Terri McClure, analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group.
Dell has a lot of irons in the fire, says Andrew Reichman, a Forrester storage analyst. It sells traditional hardware storage options for use in the data center, such as its PowerVault direct attached and network attached appliances. Then there is the company's cloud, in which customers can rent servers from Dell in a multi-tenant (public cloud) or dedicated server variety (private cloud). Through other reseller programs Dell offers public cloud storage software from Caringo, or it will manage applications in the cloud. Dell's approach, says 451 Research Group analyst Carl Brooks, is to "throw everything up against the wall and see what sticks."
In that sense, Dell syndicating Nirvanix's public cloud storage is merely filling out the company's product portfolio, he says. Dell wants to be able to serve any type of cloud customer, from the services providers that may leverage Caringo to create their own cloud, to large enterprises looking to try out OpenStack by using Crowbar, a framework Dell created to more easily launch OpenStack-powered clouds . "They've tried everything," Brooks says. "But (they) aren't Amazon, and they don't want to forever be third runner-up to IBM and HP, so they found something they can do well, which is sell you lots of different stuff in a very easy fashion."
So does the Nirvanix deal mean that Dell has given up on plans to create its own Amazon-style cloud? Dell representatives did not reply to a request for comment on the Nirvanix news, but Brooks doubts the company could justify the large investments required to build up the massive data center infrastructure it would take to compete head-to-head with Amazon and other IaaS players.
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Looking for extra applications to combine, later this month Amazon will unveil 10 begin-ups that kind the primary cohort in its AWS healthcare incubator programme, a four-week intensive course supposed to help put together established but comparatively small health tech firms for itemizing on AWS. To begin an online visit, you’ll choose from a list of health circumstances and then reply a series of particular questions. Repeat prescriptions are issued for sure medications prescribed for ongoing situations. “PSA is conscious that some pharmacists have experienced a rise in presentations of prescriptions for ivermectin, together with the place the affected person is unwilling or unable to discuss what they’re getting used for,” a PSA spokesperson said. The college behind the initial lab trial for ivermectin used to treat Covid-19 has also warned towards folks self-medicating with the drug or shopping for drugs meant for livestock. Others in the Fb and Telegram teams are reportedly turning to international sites to import ivermectin, and some have recommended shopping for ivermectin intended to deworm livestock.
When SB eight went into impact the primary week of September, traffic to Plan C’s web site spiked 2,357 % – with 30 percent of those new visits originating in Texas. That work, although, is facing obstacles created by SB 8. Anna Rupani of Fund Texas Choice tells Rolling Stone that, before the ban, her group used to field 10 to 15 requests each week. “SB 8 is the most extreme abortion ban anywhere in the nation, but it is mostly a continuation of what the Texas legislature has been doing for the past 10 years,” Aiken says. Oh, swiftly individuals need self-managed abortion. The clips contribute to the minimum necessities demanded by states to ensure that a practitioner to renew his or her licence.
Strategic discounting and the problem of excess medicalisation indicate the necessity for more transparency in pricing, supply-chain details and regulation of prescription requirements for e-pharmacies. For this function, we’d like estimates of these discounts in relation to the underlying gross worth of the medicine. However, this blanket therapy of all e-pharmacies as platforms partaking in discounted pricing ignores the underlying heterogeneity of these entities in terms of their business mannequin and their underlying financing. Late last yr, nevertheless, Amazon made the transfer everyone had anticipated, launching Amazon Pharmacy, which provides each delivery and reductions in brick-and-mortar locations akin to CVS. Desai outlines his vision for the way the excessive-tech service could work: “I’ve bought a medicine delivery service, I’ve received Prime that may ship the medications to you immediately. If you’re signed up to an appointments and remedy management app like Patient Access, you may be able to arrange a repeat prescription online, making the entire process streamlined and convenient. In case your doctor places you on a repeat prescription, this implies that you may receive your medicine from the pharmacy without having to go to the GP for an appointment each time you need it.
“When clinical care was out of reach, the need for abortion didn’t disappear. Its target market is putting in its breadth: the company is without delay promoting its healthcare credentials directly to customers, to employers pissed off with costs, and to the hospitals and health networks accountable for administering care. Women can set up a mailbox in a state, like California, for example, where telemedicine abortions are more commonly out there. But if Amazon can navigate the competitors – and a political panorama increasingly fearful of Amazon’s power – healthcare is set to be considered one of the most important alternatives for the company’s new chief govt Andy Jassy, as he picks up after the departure of founder Jeff Bezos. The businesses mentioned “good progress” had been made on the issue of bettering employee healthcare. That is acknowledged inside AWS, the place efforts to make up for lost floor have stepped up over the past yr.


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Summer tourists who visit South Jersey beaches and boardwalks for a short time, usually not more than a day. The original "shoobies" brought what they needed for the day in shoeboxes.
The culmination of all run off and spillage from the beer vendors at a Madison Mallards game. The extra beer runs down a funnel into a bucket. Not for the faint of heart, but it doesnt taste all that bad, a little flat maybe.
1. Children's street game of bygone days, involving pink Spalding (or "spaldeen") ball and broomstick. Now sadly defunct.
2. A street game that resembles baseball, played with a broomstick and a "spaldeen" ball. The game was also played in Jersey, but is largely just a thing of the past. (At least in New York -- you can still find kids playing such games, often called "ba-te" in the streets of Latin American countries.)
Topeka's mayor recently declared the city "Google, Kansas" for the rest of the month of March 2010. The city is using its creative juices to attract Google. The Internet giant is currently looking for test sites for its new ultra-fast Internet service called Google Fiber. This isn't the first time Topeka...
Refers to the gentrifying effect of the University of Pennsylvania on the West Philadelphia area.


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Technology provider Jambo will create a unique, trackable local phone number for each listing on the Infospace site. Calls made through this number will be tracked through Jambo’s servers, and delivered to the merchant with a branded message appended to the beginning to the call, letting the merchant know the lead came from Infospace.
Under most pay-per-call systems, merchants need to sign up with the provider before they begin getting calls — a system that John Melideo, CEO of Jambo, calls the “burden model.”
“With existing models, the burden of signing up, of getting value from pay-per-call, is on the merchant,” Melideo said. “With Jambo, merchants don’t need to do a thing to start getting leads sent to them.”
Once a merchant begins getting calls, Jambo will follow up, either with a human sales person or via an automated phone call inviting them to sign up with Jambo for enhanced services. Merchants can pay a per-call fee to get higher placement in search results on Infospace, as well as on other directories, local and vertical search engines in Jambo’s network. Jambo customers also get detailed demographic and geographic information about each caller.
“We’re going to merchants to whom we’ve already shown we can deliver value, offering them a chance to increase their relevance on that site, and on other sites,” Melideo said.
The biggest challenge for vendors of local search and pay-per-call programs has been reaching the merchants in the target audience, said Ronald Burr, Jambo’s chief strategic officer. Jambo’s business model requires far fewer salespeople, since they only contact merchants that have generated demand for pay-per-call services.
Melideo alluded to upcoming plans that would utilize technology to further solve the problem of scalability, though he declined to share details. He promised an announcement on that effort would be coming in the next few months.
They're arguably the most annoying video ad formats in existence, but soon they'll be a thing of the past, at least on YouTube.
On Thursday, Twitter reported its earnings for Q4 2016, and the results have raised questions about the company's long-term future.
From its $1.5 billion air cargo hub to its growing network of contract last-mile delivery drivers, Amazon is increasingly looking like a logistics company; but shipping and logistics giant FedEx isn't sitting idly by.
Havas Group's Meaningful Brands report delivers sobering news for brands: consumers wouldn't care if 74% of the brands they use disappeared off the face of the earth.


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The owners of DIX Coney Island on the Denton Square are bringing a new breakfast spot to Flower Mound.
“We have always been in love with and drawn to the Flower Mound area,” Adili said. “We are so excited to serve and be a part of the Flower Mound community.”
DIX Cafe will feature some of the Denton location’s favorite menu items, such as the pastrami burger, Reuben sandwiches, baklava cheesecake, beef bacon and more. The Flower Mound location will have some different menu items, and will focus on breakfast and brunch only, unlike the Denton location’s all-day-long diner menu. Both locations will be serving up fresh, homemade diner staples and specialties.
“Our 30+ years in business and our special menu is what will set us apart, especially our homemade items like our hash browns that are made fresh in-house daily, our Reubens with freshly-made corned beef, and we even have our new special wild Maine blueberry pancakes that are made with fresh blueberry compote paired with our homemade maple butter syrup,” Adili said. “We take pride in high quality and freshly cooked-to-order menu options.”


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Barbie will once again honor the Day of the Dead.
It's releasing another doll inspired by Día De Muertos.
The Mexican holiday honors the lives of those who have passed away.
Mattel released another Día De Muertos barbie last fall.
This year's doll will pay tribute to the traditional symbols and rituals of the holiday.


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In their latest blog post, Bioware reassured fans that the next Dragon Age will put a major focus on the single-player experience and choices that matter.
Bioware have shared a brand new "State of Bioware" blog post where they looked back at 2021 and the milestones they've managed to reach despite many challenges and the uncertainly of the global pandemic.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition was released a couple of months ago and the team have continued to work on the next instalment in the popular sci-fi franchise, as well as the next Dragon Age game.
Speaking about their upcoming games, Bioware mentioned Dragon Age but only briefly, confirming their focus on the single-play experience, which is certainly good news for Dragon Age fans.
"As for Dragon Age, we have a veteran group of talented developers working on the next iteration of the franchise. We are focused on a single-player experience that is built on choices that matter," Bioware revealed in the blog post.
Sadly, they did not reveal additional info about Dragon Age, guess they're saving that for EA Play or another event where we expect to see Dragon Age for the first time.
Dragon Age is confirmed to be set in Tevinter and won't feature live-service elements like previous EA games.
Dragon Age still does not have a release date. It is expected to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.


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Linda Evangelista famously said she wouldn't get out of bed for less that $10,000 a day.
Her supermodel pal Naomi Campbell is doing much better these days, despite being on the wrong side of 40. The English model pocketed a cool $75,000 just for turning up - an hour late - to The Birdcage on Derby Day.
That $75,000 figure was demanded by her international management company IMG, and paid by Lexus. The Japanese car maker had to stump up for accommodation, security and luxury transfers to and from the track, leaving little change from $80,000.
In the end they beat out competition from a national department store chain that wanted to steal a little thunder from race partner Myer with some ambush marketing.
''We considered paying the $75,000, but Naomi wanted to wear her own dress,'' said a manager from the rival bidder. "Pity, because she would have looked a lot better in our dress,'' he quipped.
That $75,000 cash fee will make Campbell the highest-paid star to appear at the Melbourne Cup carnival this year, edging out the amount being paid to US model Kate Upton, who is being brought to Australia by the Victoria Racing Club and Emirates. Both fees this year dwarf the sub-$40,000 paid to actress Mischa Barton last year.
Welcome to the heady world of the Melbourne Cup, where the tough days post global financial crisis appear to be well and truly over, and the appearance fee for an international model on Derby Day is 20 times the price of the than horse that won the big race.
Victoria Derby winner Polanski cost its owners just $4000.
''The canary isn't so much in the coalmine as in The Birdcage this year,'' said Melbourne-based investment manager Tim Clark, a guest in the Emirates marquee on Derby Day.
"You can feel the momentum in the share markets. Biotech and technology stocks are going well. We've had some two and three-baggers on the sharemarket [stocks that double or triple in price] and there is a queue of companies waiting to float. Confidence is back, and that means places like The Birdcage are also back in town.''
With the rise in consumer and business confidence post election, conspicuous spending has also returned.
David Jones notched a 2.1 per cent first quarter sales result. Over in the Myer marquee Bernie Brookes and his team say spring carnival sales are again on the rise.
But, while marquees such as Lexus and Lavazza write cheques to land big international names, others are still taking a cautious note.
Brookes, the CEO of Myer, famously stopped all appearance money during the GFC, saying it was a ''bad look'' for Myer shareholders. He even cancelled the retailers fleet of post-race limousines and hired a bus for his staff.
Despite the rising confidence, Myer will not pay cash for any appearances at its marquee this year.
''Myer is synonymous with racing across the country and sponsors 23 race days across 14 turf clubs,'' Brookes said.
''But we target our marketing and event spend very carefully. Over the last few years Myer has continued to attract many influential and well-known guests to the marquee but we do not pay them to attend. Our international guests are aligned to our brands: Tyson Beckford is attending for Monster Headphones, Dita Von Teese is attending to support the launch of her new lingerie collection, and Whitney Port is out for Cooper St . . . and I have no doubt the Myer brand will be front of mind racegoers during the carnival."


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Michael Dell has teamed up with investment firm Silver Lake to buy computer maker Dell, the company he founded as a 19-year-old in 1984, in a deal valued at about US$24.4 billion.
After the transaction closes, Michael Dell will continue as CEO and chairman of the company, according to a statement.
"I believe this transaction will open an exciting new chapter for Dell, our customers and team members," Michael Dell said in the statement. "We can deliver immediate value to stockholders, while we continue the execution of our long-term strategy and focus on delivering best-in-class solutions to our customers as a private enterprise."
According to the statement, the deal is being financed through a combination of cash and equity contributed by Dell, cash from investors affiliated with Silver Lake, cash invested by MSD Capital, L.P., a $2 billion loan from Microsoft, rollover of existing debt and debt financing that's been committed by BofA Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Credit Suisse and RBC Capital Markets.
Microsoft issued a statement saying that it is "committed to the long term success of the entire PC ecosystem and invests heavily in a variety of ways to build that ecosystem for the future. ... we will continue to look for opportunities to support partners who are committed to innovating and driving business for their devices and services built on the Microsoft platform."
Dell has been around in one form or another since 1984, when Michael Dell started a company called PC's Ltd. with $1,000 in his pocket. He changed the name to Dell and took the company public four years later.
Dell made its biggest mark in the 1990s, when its model of building PCs to order and shipping them directly to customers undercut rivals like Hewlett-Packard and IBM, which had complex supply chains and backlogs of inventory. In 2001 Dell became the top PC seller in the world.
Its fortunes didn't last, however. Dell's rivals adopted some of its low-cost production methods, while also expanding into other areas such as services and software. Dell stayed focussed on PCs and servers and eventually found itself left behind. In 2007, after a spell away from his CEO job, Michael Dell returned to try to right his listing ship.
Since then it's been on an acquisition spree, buying 25 companies to build out networking, software and services businesses. Notable buys include Quest Software, Perot Systems, Force 10 Networks and Wyse Technologies. Dell's goal is to refashion itself into an all round provider of hardware, software and services, mimicking larger rivals IBM and HP, except focused primarily on the midmarket.
It's had some success, but combining those acquisitions into cohesive "integrated systems" is a long road. Dell itself said last year that it could be a two to three year journey. Investors have been impatient, and Michael Dell apparently grew tired of running his company to the whims of a stock market that often favors immediate return over long-term investment.
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RO software developer RebelDot launches investment division targeting tech startups
Software developer RebelDot has launched Rebel Ventures, its investment mechanism aimed at tech startups. The entity will manage the company’s strategy of investing in local startups and not only.
Rebel Ventures is an initiative of Tudor Ciuleanu and Kocsis Andras, the cofounders of RebelDot, who wanted to get involved and take part in the development of the local tech industry. It targets early-stage companies and developer teams with the technology and a main business component. It is looking at collaborations with startups with solutions in the area of healthcare, telemedicine, green energy, fintech and blockchain.
“A concept already familiar to software development companies – tech for equity – is how RebelDot gets involved in the development of startups. This is how we bring added value to the transactional relations that the investment market in Romania is already used to. It is a type of collaboration that brings together more than 14 years of expertise and a team of more than 150 developers, designers and product managers, alongside the founders, to closely support them in developing a product that answers the needs of the market,” Tudor Ciuleanu, CEO RebelDot, explained, quoted by Start-up.ro.
RebelDot previously got involved in startup projects, one of them being the virtual & hybrid event platform Eventmix, launched by Sergiu Biriș and Andrei Dunca.
RebelDot has a team of more than 150 engineers, designers, and product managers working in a hybrid mode from all over the country and abroad. It has branches in Cluj-Napoca and Oradea, but also in Copenhagen.
(Photo: Daniil Peshkov/ Dreamstime)


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Harry Potter author JK Rowling 's son has the best taste in gifts.
The author, philanthropist and Queen of Twitter revealed that her 13-year-old son David bought her a very special mug as she celebrated her 51st birthday after the launch of her new Harry Potter play, The Cursed Child.
Taking to Twitter, Rowling shared a picture of the mug, an owl design with the words 'f*** off' and 'Iritable Owl Syndrome' along with the caption: "I think we can all agree that this is an unacceptable gift from a son to his mother on her birthday."
It comes after the author cast a spell on young fans at the world premiere of stage play Harry Potter and The Cursed Child – as the book version was released.
From midnight fans can get their hands on a script version in bookshops to find out what happens to grown-up Harry and his family next, while tens of thousands of copies have already been pre-ordered online.
The long-awaited premiere of the play at the Palace Theatre in London was attended by Harry Potter creator JK – who dressed for the occasion with eye-catching serpent rings and angel-winged shoes.
Fans flocked to the theatre to catch a glimpse of the author.
And following nearly eight weeks of previews, audience members were expecting a magical experience after rave reviews from critics and they were not disappointed.
Set 19 years after the events of the seventh and final book, The Cursed Child – shown to fans in two parts – brings back Harry Potter, now grown up and an employee at the Ministry of Magic.
Harry and his wife Ginny Weasley wave off their youngest son Albus Severus to their old wizard school, Hogwarts – but once there, Albus struggles with the weight of his family legacy and goes to extreme lengths to right the wrongs of the past.
The two-part play, which stretches over five hours, is completely sold out.
It was co-devised by Rowling, written by Jack Thorne and directed by John Tiffany.
Jamie Parker plays Harry, who is joined on stage by his old school friends Ron Weasley (Paul Thornley) and Hermione Granger (Noma Dumezweni).
Albus actor Sam Clemmett has been a big hit, as has Anthony Boyle as Draco Malfoy’s son Scorpius.
Despite the release of the script, audiences will still be urged to “keep the secret” as they leave.
To celebrate sellers Amazon and Waterstones gave fans the opportunity to purchase the script book before anyone else.
The latest instalment of the Harry Potter saga will go on sale at midnight at various Waterstones stores throughout the UK.
Fans have been invited to come to the store dressed in their best witch and wizard outfits for a sorting ceremony, food feast, games and quizzes.
Amazon sent out orders using its new ultra-fast Prime Now delivery service at no extra cost.


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On 8 December 2014, the New South Wales Government announced the implementation of a long-foreshadowed retention trust scheme for the holding of sub contractor retention monies. There is also to be a comprehensive overhaul of the state's Security of Payment legislation.
Click here to view image.
The New South Wales Fair Trading Minister has announced that, after a lengthy period in limbo, a trust scheme for retention money in relation to sub-contractors is now to be implemented. Head contractors should beware given the proposed AUD 22,000 fines for non-compliance.
Not only has the NSW Government announced the "ground-breaking" creation of a cash retention trust scheme for "the protection of subcontractors", but we have also been told to expect in 2015 a full review of the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999 (SOPA).
NSW readers will be familiar with the suite of reforms to SOPA that have been mooted in the last year or so following the publication of the report from the Collins Inquiry, some of which have now made it into law (see Clyde & Co article: A matter of trust – SOPA NSW changes regarding retention money and A tale of two subbies: dramatic changes to security of payment – Part 1).
Key messages from the New South Wales Fair Trading Minister's announcement yesterday include:
- initially, the retention money scheme only will apply to head contractors and their direct subcontractors for projects of more than AUD 20 million;
- head contractors will be required to deposit sub‑contractors’ retention money into approved accounts with authorised deposit-taking institutions;
- NSW Fair Trading (rather than the Office of the Small Business Commissioner, as previously envisaged) will check annual audit reports as a compliance mechanism to ensure that head contractors retain the money in approved trust accounts ; and
- fines of up to AUD 22,000 apply for failure to comply.
The announcement of a New South Wales SOPA review comes hot on the heels of an extensive overhaul in Queensland (see Clyde & Co article: A tale of two subbies: dramatic changes to security of payment – Part 2). It now seems likely that subcontractors in New South Wales will receive even further protection compared to their Queensland counterparts.
NSW Fair Trading has released a draft regulation and impact statement for public consultation, which closes on 8 January 2015.
The NSW Government is also considering whether to impose personal liability on company directors for failure to comply with the scheme, but more is expected to come to light during the statutory review of SOPA next year.


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This weekend, there’s a major music festival going on. Online, that is.
While many artists have taken to Facebook Watch, Zoom or Twitter to do solo events, there are also opportunities emerging in gaming to reach a larger audience. Case in point: this weekend, the Lavapalooza music festival is featuring such acts as 100 Gecs, Aaron Cartier, and TNGHT on Minecraft.
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The performance streams are also available on Discord and Twitter. Those who join in with their avatar will see six hours of music performances, visit t-shirt vendors, and jump into a virtual mosh pit, all in an amphitheater created by Minecraft blocks.
Concert producer and developer Max Schramp and his team at Open Pit launched at the end of April. He told CBC news in Canada that “The majority of the people who are attending our events are fans of music and not gamers,” he said. “Lots of people will just buy Minecraft specifically for these events and then never use it again.”
While no one is suggesting that online shows will replace the live music experience, the concert industry is likely more than a year away from any kind of comeback, and may look far different when it does return.
Best of Deadline
- U.S. Coronavirus Update: New Cases Break Record 70,000 For The First Time; Infections Up 40% Since Early July
- Coronavirus: Movies That Have Halted Or Delayed Production Amid Outbreak
- Hong Kong Filmart Postponed Due To Coronavirus Fears; Event Moves Two Weeks Before Toronto


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Continuing with the 20 year celebrations, Splash announced the 2nd and 3rd winners of their much talked about '20 BMW's to be Won' promotion. The winners, Tarek Samir and Tahnoon Saeed, were announced last week by a representative from the Department of Economic Development, Dubai along with Splash officials amidst large crowds at the store.
This is what our 2 winners had to say: Hailing from Egypt, 15 year old Tarek was taken by surprise when he received a call from Splash, saying he had just won himself a BMW 520i. Tarek responded saying: 'I am so excited and have already decided what I want to do. Since, I do not have a license yet; I will be selling the car and using the money to fund my higher education, as my interest lies in Engineering.'
Our 2nd youngster, 16 year old Emirati, Tahnoon Saeed was absolutely delighted on hearing the news of his recent win; 'I was travelling to London for my vacation and decided to shop at Splash. I walked out of the store spending AED 5000 and entered the draw hoping I would win. Winning the much talked about BMW is the best news I have ever received. Since I am only 16, I will be giving the car to my mother till I become old enough to drive it.'
About Splash:Headquartered in Dubai, Splash is Middle East's largest fashion retailer and part of the Landmark Group, one of the biggest retail conglomerates in the Middle East, India and Africa. Founded in 1993 as a single brand store in Sharjah, Splash has grown to over 200 stores and 50 brand stores across 12 countries. With an eye for the latest global trends and reflecting an everyday attitude, Splash's ‘Fashion 365' binds together a collection that creates a definite style statement.
Scaling new heights, Splash has taken a step forward into the world of fashion by realigning its product offering to meet the ever-changing lifestyle demands of its customer and re-instating their trust in the brand. Showcasing popular collections for men, women and teens, Splash has revamped its existing product portfolio and introduced a uni-brand concept across its stores providing a comfortable and easy shopping environment. Alongside, Splash also houses a gamut of international brands under its portfolio like Lee Cooper, Bossini, ELLE and Being Human among others.
As a brand Splash believes in constantly being a trend-setter in the region and has successfully created some of the biggest and most popular brand properties/events which have now become part of the social calendar of the Region. With constant revamping of the marketing portfolio, newer forms of communication are added and channelled to keep the consumer involved. The Splash Calendar and Splash Fashion Shows are by far the most popular annual and bi-annual events in the brand's portfolio of events.
Splash has received several significant industry accolades that include being awarded the “Superbrand” status 2013 which is fourth in a row for the brand. Also listed in Forbes Arabia's “Top 40 Arab Brands” list, Splash has also been awarded first runner at the Grazia Style Awards 2010, as ‘Best place to Spend AED 500'. A winner of several marketing awards of great significance, Splash has recently won the Most Admired Marketing Campaign at the Retail ME Awards 2011 along with the Most Admired Retailer award.
For more details visit Splash's website www.splashfashions.com


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Entries in 'pc' (674)
The global PC games market has shown growth in through 2010 to reach a record $16.2bn in value, according to PC Gaming Alliance's third annual Horizons research report.
Trade association UKIE has called on publishers to sign-up to its download chart for PC games.
13th Skull arrives in stores tomorrow and Focus Multimedia is confident it’ll be the biggest casual game of 2011.
Sega has announced that the Mega Drive Classic Collection: Gold Edition will be released on PC on March 18th.
Piracy in the PC games sector is in decline, according to the president of the PC Gaming Alliance.
City Interactive has announced that Sniper: Ghost Warrior has sold over a million copies worldwide across Xbox 360 and PC.
Despite the fact that most gamers play MMOs on a PC, almost half of all DC Universe Online owners play it on a PS3.
When you think of a Top Ten PC game, the likes of StarCraft II, World of Warcraft, The Sims and Football Manager probably spring to mind. You certainly don’t think of Farming ...
From tomorrow gamers will be able to claim a significant discount off the price of a subscription to the recently released PS3 and PC MMO DC Universe Online.
UK publisher Codemasters has announced that Dirt 3 will release globally in all territories on may 24th for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
EA owned developer DICE has started to feed out some concrete information for Battlefield 3, which is says will be released on PC this autumn.
Saints Row 3 will arrive in UK retailers during Q3 this year, THQ has confirmed.
Dead Space 2 has sold twice as many copies than its predecessor did in release week.
Sony could be planning on bringing PC compatibility to its PlayStation Move motion controllers, if reports are to be believed.
Reports that Bulletstorm would feature always-on DRM have been proven false.
Darkspore will arrive in stores before the end of this year’s first quarter, EA has revealed.
Bethesda has announced release dates for its 2011 games Brink, Rage and Hunted: The Demon’s Forge.
Long-awaited MMO Star Wars: Old Republic will be released worldwide this September, development sources have told MCV.
Digital download website Direct2Drive has introduced a new game rental service.
EA has uploaded demos of its key Q1 FPS games Crysis 2 and Bulletstorm to Xbox Live today.
Consumer pressure group Gamers’ Voice is campaigning for Activision to resolve issue with the PS3 and PC editions of Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Koch Media has hired Ronnie O’Sullivan to front an official Xbox 360, PS3 and PC snooker game.
Buyers of Portal 2 on PS3 will receive a code that also allows them to install the game on PC.
PC fans of upcoming shooter Bulletstorm have been described as “grumpy” as disputes emerge over the game’s demo.