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According to the official media release…
Under the terms of the deal, the Malta-headquartered supplier ’s portfolio packed with over 110 exciting HTML5 slots has been seamlessly integrated onto E-Lite, Nektan’s B2B content aggregator and bonusing platform.
Player-popular articles offering:
Contained are Wazdan recent releases like Magic Stars 5 and Space Gem, as well as player-popular names Los Muertos, 9 Lions, Magic Stars along with Great Book of Magic Deluxe, which lucky person was playing at Groove Gambling customer, Nordicasino, when they won a jaw-dropping €22,675.00 (US$25,511.64) earlier this month.
The arrangement significantly increases Nektan’hence offering of premium matches to its operator partners and nutritional supplements the industry-leading third-party providers the company has in its disposal.
“an important move for us“
Chief Operating Officer of B2B to get that the Gibraltar-based supplier which specializes in cellular casino, Jane Ryan, said…
“Partnering with Wazdan is an important move for us as we continue to improve our games offering with content in the business ’s innovative games providers.
“Through its innovative approach to games development, Wazdan slots can help to diversify the games accessible through our content distribution platform, E-Lite, and we’re certain they’ll appeal to our network of international operators and their players.
“fast, seamless and efficient“
Head of Sales for the favorite game manufacturer, Wazdan, Andrzej Hyla, added…
“We’re thrilled to be incorporating our games onto the E-Lite platform from Nektan, which will fast-track our efforts to enlarge Wazdan’s international reach.
“The integration procedure with Nektan was fast, seamless and efficient. We look forward to an exciting and fruitful partnership with Nektan.
Collection of distribution deals:
The present deal is the fourth of its kind already this season for Nektan, a company which licenses its proprietary technology to these market-leading operators as BetVictor and supplies white label casino solutions and end-to-end tech for top brands such as News International’s, The Sun Play.
In addition to Wazdan, the Valletta-headquartered operator has enhanced its content distribution offering with independent gaming supplier, Leander Games, together with Addison Global-created, MoPlay, and games designer Rocksalt Interactive.


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Nintendo has been quiet about the next Animal Crossing. With Animal Crossing New Leafs latest update now almost a year old, no confirmation on the next Animal Crossing game has been made. However Animal Crossing Mobile is still set for a release sometime this year. The last mainline game in the series is over 5 years old, and while sales have been a giving gift to Nintendo, the big N seems to be in no rush to release the next game on the Switch.
Nintendo Europe recently tweeted out that Happy home Designer has officially passed 1 million sales for the European Region alone. Considering that Home Designer was only a spin off game, like AC Amiibo Festival, these sales numbers are rather impressive. Animal Crossing has long been one of Nintendos biggest and most successful franchises. The next game in the series is just a matter of time, and will end up on the Switch according to Reggie, President of Nintendo North America.
— Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) August 1, 2017

domain: news


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Fingerprint Cards presenting Q2 2018 results next week
Fingerprint Cards will host a telephone conference and webcast presentation of its second quarter 2018 results next Thursday July 19, 2018 at 09:00 CET with the report being published at 07:00 CET the same day.
CEO Christian Fredrikson will present the report together with Acting CFO Ylva Blomén.
The Swedish biometrics company has been busy this past month with deployments of its technology being announced in six new smartphones, a new biometric payment card and a POS terminal. FPC also launched the FPC1511, a fourth-generation fingerprint sensor designed to enable easy integration of fingerprint sensors in the smartphone market.
In an effort to deal with shifts in business and market trends the company announced last month that it initiated cost reduction measures and will write down some previous investments.


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Even though she didn't win Spring Fling Queen, the reining HBIC of high school is finally getting the tribute she deserves.
Jeffree Star has created a brand new Skin Frost in her honor, called "Regina George," and obviously it's the hottest pink you've ever seen.
This uber pigmented fuchsia compact will be released on Black Friday at 1 p.m. ET and is only available for a limited time.
And please remember, if you forget to wear it on Wednesday...
Follow Kelsey on Instagram!


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The annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest will take place on July 4 in Coney Island, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.
The men’s contest starts at Noon ET and will be televised on ESPN2. If you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of the contest on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV or other streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming subscription services:
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 60-plus live TV channels, including ESPN and ESPN2.
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the hot dog eating contest on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu With Live TV comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as the option to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of space and the ability to fast-forward through commercials.
ESPN and ESPN2 are both included in the “Sling Orange” channel package.
You can start a free 7-day trial of Sling TV right here, and you can then watch the hot dog eating contest live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
PS Vue — which doesn’t require an actual PlayStation console to sign up or watch — offers four different live-TV channel packages: ESPN and ESPN 2 are included in all of them.
You can start a free five-day trial of PS Vue right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the hot dog eating contest on your computer via the PS Vue website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation (3 or 4), or other supported device via the PS Vue app.
If you can’t watch live, PS Vue comes with cloud DVR.
2019 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest Preview
Joey Chestnut ate a world record 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes at last year’s contest to win it for a third consecutive year and 11th time overall.
“I found a vicious rhythm,” Chestnut said after the victory, according to The Associated Press.
Chestnut owns 49 records recognized by Major League Eating, including for eating 55 glazed doughnuts in eight minutes and for consuming 53 soft Taco Bell tacos in 10 minutes.
“The crowd loves a record and if they’re gonna be standing out there in crazy, blistering heat on the Fourth of July, I mean, if they’re doing it, I may as well try and give them a record,” the 35-year-old told People in June.
“I’m definitely trying.”
Chestnut, a native of Vallejo, California, won the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest for the first time in 2007, edging out six-time winner Takeru Kobayashi a year after finishing second to him.
He’s taken the event every year since then save for 2015, when Matt Stonie snapped his eight-contest winning streak.
“As long as I’m healthy, as long as I’m still having fun, I’m going to do it,” Chestnut said, per People. “Even if someone comes and beats me, I’m still going to be having fun.”
He added: “The contests are so addicting and I love it. It’s just one of those things that bring people together, and even if I feel bad when I’m older, I’ll find a way to be involved in it a little bit.”
Chestnut threw out the first pitch at a New York Mets game on Sunday. He ate a hot dog in the process.
“It’s pretty rare for them to not be in our fridge, I have usually a good supply of all beef hot dogs,” Chestnut told People. “I mean, there are times when I’m not eating buns if I’m on a low carb diet. I’ll have hot dogs and romaine lettuce, but if I’m at a baseball game, I’m always eating a hot dog.”
Miki Sudo is the five-time defending women’s champion.
In June, she won the inaugural Wild Rice Hot Dish-Eating Contest, putting away 14 pounds in eight minutes.
“I thought those guys had me,” Sudo said, according to The Timberjay. “I was so surprised that I edged them out as the winner. This is just a straight capacity contest. We’re all pretty much gearing up for the Fourth of July hot dog-eating contest.”
Sudo has two other records recognized by Major League Eating, taking down 16 pints of ice cream in six minutes and housing 8.5 pounds of kimchi in six minutes.
Disclaimer: Heavy Inc. has affiliate relationships with various streaming content providers and may receive a commission if you sign up for a service via a link on this page.


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By Victor Irechukwu
When a credit alert drops on your phone, chances are you will get excited. Even if it wasn't a surprise and you were expecting that money. But when it is a debit alert, there’s also a certain type of gloom you feel; you want money to keep coming in but as little as possible of it going out.
It may be safe to say most of us feel that way.
Now, imagine the debit alert was for a transaction you know nothing about. A commonly reported theme has been alerts that your card was used to make deposits on a gambling website, whereas you may never have even indulged in gambling your entire life.
In recent months, social media has been awash with reports of money literally growing wings and leaving some people’s accounts to those of other people without authorisation. Many of these cases have gone viral on social media, causing embarrassment for the banks involved with many of these either quietly returned or with public acknowledgement. But not all are resolved, at least not yet.
In as much as the country and even individuals would like to go cashless, these bad experiences occur a lot and have continued to rain on the parade as Nigeria marches towards a cashless economy. It must be stressed that a cashless economy does not mean theft of money will stop, what it does is to change how thieves go about it.
In the electronic world, an article on The Balance Money describes hackers as the bank robbers and muggers and in a cashless society we are all exposed to them. According to the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS) growth in the use of electronic channels, specifically mobile devices has also enticed fraudsters into focusing their efforts on these electronic channels.
When an attack is successful and the culprits are able to drain funds from your account, you could be effectively left stranded. Agusto & Co.’s ‘2022 Consumer digital banking satisfaction index for Nigerian banks’, found that approximately 59 percent of respondents had been fraud victims on the digital platforms of their banks.
The figures in terms of number of attacks, success rate and amounts lost remain a source of concern. By the third quarter of 2022, the total number of frauds & forgeries cases reported by Nigerian banks was 19,314 as against 27,356 incidents reported in the second quarter of 2022.
But there’s more. While the number of attacks represents a 29.40 percent decrease between the periods, the total sum reported to be involved in fraud cases increased by 9.50 percent to N9.62 billion from N8.78 billion in Q2 2022. Also, for the total amount lost due to fraud incidents, there was a significant increase of 207.94 percent from N1.17 billion in the second quarter of 2022 to N3.62 billion in the third quarter of 2022.
In essence, the number of attacks may have decreased within that particular period, but more money was lost to the fraudulent attacks.
These insights were provided in the Q3 2022 report by FITC, an organisation mandated to receive data on fraud from all Nigerian banks and prepare quarterly reports. The figures show that the highest number of occurrences were recorded under computer/web fraud followed by mobile fraud which includes fraud activities through USSD transactions and ATM related fraud.
Going back a bit, data by NIBSS also showed that fraud attempts via mobile channels saw a 330 percent increase year-on-year (YoY) between 2019 and 2020, while attempts via web and POS channels saw a 173 percent and 215 percent increase YoY. In those nine months, 96 percent of the attacks were successful and there were 46,126 of such attacks.
“This trend is expected to continue as Nigeria further grows financial inclusion and customers become increasingly dependent on electronic channels for their day-to-day transactions,” said NIBSS. In other words; things are expected to get a lot worse, according to the organisation described as Nigeria’s central switch for the financial industry.
It then also begs the question; how much fraud should be acceptable?
NIBSS’ role as the Nigerian central switch means it processes upwards of 10 million transactions on a daily basis. Statistically, even if the successful fraud rate was only one percent, it would result in 100,000 successful fraudulent transactions in Nigeria daily! Clearly, there can be no room for fraudulent transactions. Importantly, with every unresolved case, confidence in e-payment – and going cashless – will pay the price.
Victor Irechukwu is the Head of Engineering at OnePipe


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Traverse City Authors Group Host First Event, A Celebration Of Story
The inaugural event for the Traverse City Author’s group, “A Celebration of Story," took place at The Little Fleet Wednesday.
Traverse City Authors have been meeting for about a year and they wanted to give back to the community.
It was a chance for authors to break the mold of what you would normally think of for a book signing.
Authors mingled with guests throughout the night hoping to inspire others and celebrate the art of storytelling.
“There’s just been a big movement lately to shop local and eat local and I think a big part of that can also be to read local, so to support your local artists and authors and just make sure this is a vibrant cultural community,” said Lisa Maxbauer Price, a Traverse City children’s book author.
There was a Michigan author trivia game, food trucks, and live story telling.


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Just a few days ago, on Tuesday to be more precise, Apple was granted a patent that will definitely make future iPhone users very unhappy. This technology will disable cameras on iPhones/iPads on live concerts and other “sensitive” events (like museums, art shows, stand-up comedy, the possibilities are endless), in order to prevent you from taking pictures or shooting videos.
According to the latest rumor floated in the “rumor-sphere”, the long awaited for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will not feature a dual camera setup after all.
The endless number of leaks to Apple’s latest and greatest device, the Apple iPhone 7, continue to keep coming. This time around we have a shot of the front of the device and there is a startling new change up front. Earlier leaks of the rear panel of the iPhone 7 suggested a single camera and a dual camera setup on the Apple iPhone 7 Plus. There are also claims that the new camera will be able to pull off DSLR like shots.
Great news for all Apple fanboys out there, as the new iOS 10 Sierra ( there’s a strange resemblance with Windows 10, isn’t it?) will hit your Cupertino-made devices later on this Fall. Ten looks like the magic number in 2016, as Apple announced ten major new features in the brand new iOS 10.
If you keep up with the trends in the design world, Martin Hajek is a name that may be familiar. The Apple iPhone Pro is the latest smartphone concept from the designer, and it gives us a glimpse of one feature we may see sooner than later.
While we wait for the iPhone 7 release date to arrive, news is already pouring in about the iPhone 8. Today’s rumors are a bit more interesting than most, as they could point towards a major design change courtesy of a Dual Edge display.
Apple will unleash the beast later this year when the iPhone 7 Plus release date rolls around. We’ve seen the number of leaks regarding the iPhone 7 increase dramatically over the past few months, and now it’s time for the iPhone 7 Plus to shine.
It remains to be seen what Apple will unveil with the iPhone 7 release later this year, but the rumors have been running rampant of late. One of the latest hints towards a waterproof future for the device, but it may be getting a new home button as well.
We have a ways to go before we officially see the iPhone 7 release hit the streets, but that has never stopped the rumor mill from churning up interesting information. Today it involves a few of the iPhone 7 features which may include a thin new charging port.
Like all the iPhones that came before it, it’s safe to say the iPhone 7 release is going to be popular. Despite rumors of an early release, we think you’ve got a while to wait, but some interesting new details have emerged in regards to Apple’s next handset.


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More than 1000 Australian’s are signed up to crack “The Vault” in a new code-cracking campaign from Vodafone and Samsung to win the new Samsung Galaxy S5.
Teams sign up to the challenge and will need to crack weekly clues that will ultimately lead to a hidden vault that contains 50 Samsung Galaxy S5’s.
#TheVault is located somewhere in Sydney.
Since the release of the first clue a few days ago Vodafone has received more than 1081 registered competitors across 211 crews.
Interested teams can still enter as competing teams do not have to registered from the beginning to win the final prize.


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Gov’t’s meat regulatory agency taps digital payment system
National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) has joined the cluster of government agencies that are now going to accept payments for fees and permits through electronic banking system.
NMIS Executive Director Ernesto S. Gonzales said NMIS is finally joining the electronic banking system, which will provide an efficient way of paying fees for NMIS services.
This service is applicable to ante and post-mortem, licensing, laboratory tests, GMP/HACCP certification, imported meat inspection, meat importer accreditation, meat establishment fabricators, and contractors accreditation.
The scheme is seen to minimize graft and corruption by limiting the face to face transaction between the NMIS personnel and its clients.
“The development of the e-payment system was in compliance to the E-commerce Law which mandates all government offices to acquire capability to do e-commerce, one of which is the shift of payment to electronic system,” NMIS said.
The system was realized through the support of the US Agency for International Development and the Land Bank of the Philippines which gave its permission to NMIS to use their e-banking portal.
The NMIS e-payment system will be implemented early next year after the approval of the circular


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To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the estimate by US Customs and Border Protection that 85 per cent of China’s manufactured cotton comes from the Xinjiang region; and what plans they have to introduce restrictions on imports of cotton to prevent the import of goods sent from Uighur internment camps in the Xinjiang region.
7 June 2021
HM Government has serious concerns about the situation in Xinjiang, with reports of the use of forced labour. It has always been the case that where we have concerns, we raise them – as we did on this issue at the UN Human Rights Council, most recently in February.
We advise businesses with supply chain links in Xinjiang to conduct appropriate due diligence to satisfy themselves that their activities do not support, and are not seen to support, any violations or abuses of rights and responsibilities.
My Rt Hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary announced a review of export controls on 12th January, but import controls were not included at this time.


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UPS is to launch “Returns Manager”, a new free online tool that enables e-commerce businesses to customise return shipments.
Consumers using the service will be able to print a return shipping label directly from the parcel company’s website.
“Online returns are a headache for many European retailers and their customers. The UPS Returns Manager makes the process a lot easier,” said Abhijit Saha, vice president of marketing, UPS Europe. “It’s the perfect solution for any shipper, especially small and mid-sized merchants that lack this capability in-house. UPS is the first logistics provider to offer the ability to create a return shipment through a tracking results page.”


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Manila has been ranked 36th in the annual Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) 2020, the inaugural ranking of the world’s top 100 emerging ecosystems by research and policy advisory firm Startup Genome.
The GSER 2020, which surveyed 250 ecosystems all over the world, puts the value of Manila’s startup ecosystem at $1.6 billion, with a total early stage funding of $102 million over the last two and a half years. It is among the startup ecosystems in its activation phase, together with Busan in Korea, Calgary in Canada, Frankfurt in Germany, and Taipei in Taiwan.
Among Manila’s strengths as a top emerging ecosystem are its market reach (or the early-stage startup access to customers allowing them to scale and go global), as well as talent and experience (or the access to talent by early-stage startups). These place Manila among the top 20 ecosystems for “Bang for Buck” and among the top 30 ecosystems for “Affordable Talent”.
The GSER 2020 identify fintech and e-commerce as Manila’s ecosystem sub-sector strengths. Fintech companies account for almost 15% of Manila’s startups, with a transaction value reaching approximately $10 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow by 24% in 2020, while taking into account the expected impact of Covid-19.
On the other hand, the e-commerce industry is growing at a CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) of 26.4%, which is one of the fastest rates in Southeast Asia.
“The proliferation of fintech and e-commerce startups in the country is a testament to the abundance of opportunities in the Philippine market,” said DTI undersecretary for competitiveness and innovation Rafaelita Aldaba.
“By mutually reinforcing one another, these two sectors are enabling the growth of traditional sellers and buyers despite today’s trying times. Our young, creative, and resourceful pool of talent will keep our ecosystem vibrant and competitive in the years ahead.”
The DTI, along with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), are the lead implementing agencies of the Innovative Startup Act, which mandates the collaboration among members of the startup community, support the scaling up of startup enterprises, and foster their global expansion.
“We strongly believe that Filipino startups can compete globally, especially with the right collaborators. We are constantly looking out for the chances to showcase the solutions and services they can offer to meet market demands and address social needs. We look forward to seeing our startups grabbing the attention of more mentors and investors as we promote them in the world market,” said Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) director Senen Perlada.


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"Consumers today are increasingly craving immersive, real-life experiences, reports Nielsen. But they want these experiences without foregoing time or effort. The solution? Augmented and virtual reality (A/VR) technology, coming to a 'store' near you."
Many of us feel our lives getting busier. And according to a recent Nielsen global survey, nearly two-thirds (64%) of respondents confirm it. They say that their lives are busier and more complex than they were two years ago. As a result, many are turning to technology to help provide the solutions needed to simplify their hyper-life.
In the same study, global consumers listed A/VR as the top technology they’re seeking out to assist, amplify and augment their daily lives. In fact, half (51%) said they are willing to use this technology to assess products (assuming it becomes available to them in the next two years).
A/VR technology will transform brand engagement. It is clearly a disruptor. Companies will have the tools to virtually replicate the physical instances of shopping while also eliminating many of the obstacles. This will enable them to reach out to consumers where they are, with informative, personalized and compelling experiences.Shoppers are open to these experiences, with 43% of global survey respondents willing to use in-store guidance via navigation apps or recommendations. This points the way for further adoption, but successfully transforming the physical store into a virtual playground will require combining fun and function.
Consumers will adopt augmented store technology if it alleviates time and provides seamless interactions. To create relevant and meaningful experiences, businesses must find ways to personalize advertising and content/product recommendations, assuring consumers of their purchase decisions and driving sales.
In the near term, A/VR technology holds the strongest potential for augmenting the consumer journey and escalating adoption. Businesses will be able to extend real-world access to consumers online, in-store, on-the-go, in-the-moment and in new markets, where they may not have a physical presence. They’ll also be able to actively reach out to individual consumers where they, with what they need, to have a real impact.
It may not be surprising, but 59% of Virtual Reality Device Users have played online games within the last month, according to AudienceSCAN. Nearly the same percentage of these consumers used a search engine to research a product they were considering last month: 59.3%.
AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. In addition, AdMall contains industry profiles on furniture stores and cosmetics/skin care shops, as well as lead lists at the local level. Media companies, sales reps and agencies can access this data with a subscription to AdMall from SalesFuel.


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Hinduja Group flagship firm Ashok Leyland on Monday reported an 11 per cent growth in total commercial vehicles sales at 11,079 units in October.
The company had sold a total of 9,989 units in the same month last year, Ashok Leyland said in a regulatory filing.
Total domestic sales were at 10,043 units as compared to 8,885 units in the corresponding month last year, a growth of 13 per cent, it added.
Domestic sales of medium and heavy commercial vehicles were at 5,254 units as against 3,881 units in October 2020, a growth of 35 per cent, the company said.
However, sales of light commercial vehicles in the domestic market were down 4per cent at 4,789 units last month as against 5,004 units in October 2020, the company said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Global Political Tensions Are Severing Supply Chains: Here’s How Tech Can Help
More than 2,620 supply chain risk events were recorded last year, according to Richard Parke, senior vice president of global supplier services at Avetta, a supply chain risk contractor management firm.
He added that incidents increased 36% year-on-year and are expected to grow as supply chains become more globalized and complex.
“The biggest concern for organizations is the loss of company reputation and brand name,” said Parke. “In a recent survey we conducted, we found this to be the most substantial concern, with 86% of executives marking it as a significant or very significant risk factor to consider.
“Our research also found fines, legal fees, lost-revenue costs and compensation claims are at the forefront of executive minds.”
Parke noted that there is a new emphasis, or at least awareness, as a result of the new international standard, ISO 45001.
“That states organizations are responsible for the health and safety of any individual working at the facility, irrespective of their employer.
“In other words, organizations assume equal responsibility for contractors and full-time employees, particularly those working in their facilities. With a renewed emphasis on safety being placed on supply chains by this new standard, we’ve seen an increase of risk profiles and gap analysis conducted by organizations.”
Avetta has affiliations within three test markets. The first is with telecom insurance. That is a highly specialized industry and as such has a specific group of underwriters to handle their respective risk.
“We also work with a broker that deals exclusively with high-risk individuals and vendors,” said Parke. “Also, we have a partnership with an international insurance agency, serving both the U.S. and Canada.” He declined to name the company.
“Supply chain leaders are increasingly relying on analytics to make better decisions across all areas of vendor management,” said Parke.
Those include “identifying vendors, verifying their details, performing due diligence, assigning risk scores, mitigating those risks, helping contractors and vendors achieve compliance, and setting in motion a practice of continuous monitoring and improvement.”
There is a “hardening of borders around the world,” said Laura Burns, senior vice president and U.S. political risk leader at Willis Towers Watson.
“That is a reversal of the trend toward free trade over the past 30 or 40 years. Politicians told people that globalization would be the rising tide that lifts all boats, but many people have not seen it. That has led to a rise in populism, which has led to a rise in nationalism, which has led to a rise in protectionism.”
Within supply chains, the developing risks fall into two broad categories, Burns explained.
“The first is from direct foreign investment, which involves a company’s own supply chain. There are issues of political risk including shipments being detained or seized, licenses being revoked, capital controls imposed, even social unrest such as in Hong Kong at the moment.
“The second is from indirect investment, which is usually outsourcing,” Burns continued. “Goods can be passing through areas of heightened tension, such as the Straits of Hormuz or the South China Sea.”
Insuring for Risk Around the Globe
Burns stressed that these are all insurable risks, detailing that there are important distinctions within types of coverage.
Under cargo policies, there needs to be actual loss or damage to trigger business interruption coverage. For instances where there is no direct loss, such as a fire aboard a ship that did not damage specific goods, or weather, or a political issue that delayed or diverted the vessel, there is trade disruption insurance.
There have also been instances of master refusal, in which a ship captain decides it is too dangerous to vessel and crew a ship in a certain area or into a certain port.
“There absolutely could be a business interruption event from that,” said Burns, again without any actual loss or damage.
Some industries, particularly apparel, have adopted just-in-time supply chains that require goods be delivered by tight deadlines, and if not met, face financial penalties from wholesale customers or their own loss of profit from higher margin beginning-of-season prices. Those financial costs can be addressed with trade disruption insurance.
One further type of risk in global trade is contract frustration.
“If you are carrying on trade with a country that becomes subject to sanctions, that trade is effectively cancelled,” said Burns. “You have incurred costs that you can no longer pass along.”
Educating on Coverage
The distinctions among coverage are more than semantic. And the first challenge for underwriters and brokers is education.
“I speak with a lot of firms, some big ones, and I am surprised at the lack of awareness of these types of coverage,” said Burns.
“The worst thing is for companies to be retaining an exposure and not know that they have it — and that it is transferable. The first step is to acknowledge that they have these exposures and create a heat map.”
For those that do decide to insure, they will find that in the past few years, global capacity has more than doubled in political risk insurance (PRI) from about $1.3 billion to $3 billion, according to Willis Towers Watson data. Trade disruption insurance is still a small niche within that. Tokio Marine, working out of London, is the largest underwriter, but there are a few others.
The Risk Appetite
Burns suggested that political risk and trade disruption insurance are at a stage now similar to where cyber coverage was several years ago.
“If you are global, you will need to have it.”
The doubling of capacity for PRI means that premiums as well as terms and conditions for PRI have been softening slightly. That is in marked contrast to many marine lines. As has been widely reported, capacity is down sharply in marine insurance with underwriters and syndicates leaving the market after years of poor returns.
“It is tough to be an underwriter in PRI today and try to grow your book since there are many market choices,” said Burns.
“Terms and conditions are broadening. Some are maintaining discipline and not quoting or quoting on their own terms, but many have aligned with the competitive market conditions.”
Growing concerns about protectionism and conflict are driving global companies to a new and deeper understanding of their risk appetites, said Koray Köse, senior director, supply chain research at Gartner.
According to Gartner research, only 35% of companies have defined their risk appetite, and a scant 11% have done so for a defined function, such as supply chain.
“While it is true that many supply chain risks are insurable, the first step is to define the risk appetite,” said Köse.
“Not every risk needs to be transferred. Some can be intrinsically absorbed by internal risk capacity and tolerance.” By that he does not mean only cash reserves, but also relationships with other parties and strength of contracts.
“The key question is one of risk utilization, having ready plans based on data,” said Köse.
“That sounds very theoretical, so a practical example is a company doing business in China. Tariffs have been raised. But the market reaction to the tariffs is for the renminbi to fall. That may offset the tariff burden and production cost to some extent with likely more ease of business initiatives by China to attract more [foreign direct investment].”
A broader scenario for the same company active in China is the risk of staying or moving to another country, such as Vietnam.
“In China, you may have a very attractive supply chain, with ports, logistics and technology,” said Köse. “In Vietnam costs may be lower, but there may be less infrastructure and technology.”
Proactive Risk Management
Another important reason for a rigorous risk assessment is that the costs and complications of transferring a poorly defined risk may exceed the costs of retaining it. There is a meta-risk in transfer.
“Once you know what you can absorb and what you can transfer, you also have to assess the probability of collecting,” said Köse. “There is coverage for things like government frustration, but you have to assess to what extent execution [payment of a claim] may be impeded.”
Over the long haul, Köse advocates that companies with global supply chains move from reactive risk management to proactive, and eventually to prescriptive.
“Data is omnipresent; use the data. Once you have your scenario planning, what can you absorb and what should you transfer and how, then it’s just plug and play. If you have all that, your insurance needs will decrease.” &


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Posted by The Press on 18/02/2014
Three entrepreneurs who won investment for their business after appearing on the TV show Dragons Den have defied the recession to land a major deal with high street giant Argos.
Simeone Salik, 67, Janice Dalton, 52 and Dominic Lawrence, 38, secured £40,000 from two of the multi-millionaires after pitching their instant window blind business on the show last September.
During tense negotiations the trio finally settled on giving away 50% of their business in return for investment from tycoons James Caan and Duncan Bannatyne.
The deal came after Simeone, a former PR executive from Mill Hill, Janice an interior designer from Mill Hill, Janice an interior designer from Mill Hill and importer Dominic from Finchley, teamed up to set up their business Blindsinabox selling temporary blinds.
Since appearing on the show the company has been inundated with orders for the product, but the trio’s latest deal will see the blackout blinds being stocked at more than 700 Argos stores across Britain.
Simeone told the press: “If it does well its going to make a tremendous difference, especially given the economic climate. They have more than 700 hundred stores so it’s a big thing. The Dragon’s Den aspect has definitely had a huge impact. They have a tremendous following, and in a sense if they invest in something its accredited because people look to them. The product is great – its inexpensive and perfect if you are refurbishing or moving into a place and need something for the interim. At the moment people don’t want to be spending a lot of money, so its a product for our time.”


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A serial ice cream thief was nabbed after strolling out of an upscale Manhattan market with 20 pints of Haagen-Dazs.
The suspect struck the worker about four times over the head with a hammer that belonged to the store – as the senior grabbed hold of him and tried to...
A British supermarket chain is under fire for locking up a makeup product for dark-skinned shoppers while the same line for lighter-skinned women was left without any security measures.
Post readers sound off on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s soft-on-crime policies allowing career criminals to wreak havoc on New Yorkers.
The career crook who the NYPD calls the city’s “Recidivist No. 1” is an ex-con who apparently didn’t learn much behind bars.
Stunning statistics compiled by the NYPD show that the city's alleged "worst of the worst" repeat offenders have been busted a total of 485 times.
Make no mistake: New York's soaring recidivism rates are even worse than they look. What will it take before the state's leaders admit they need to seriously fix their recent...
Michelle McKelley, who was previously arrested 100 times for shoplifting and repeatedly released without bail, has finally landed in the city pokey after yet another store theft, according to court...
Inflation and crime have gotten so bad in New York City that even cheap meat like Spam has to be locked up.
The alarming statistics reveal increases in alleged recidivism as high as three times what they were in 2017.


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Renault–Nissan India has announced that exclusivity will be a key ingredient in their future product line-up for the Indian market. Currently, the alliance is involved in a re-badging game and till date Renault has taken models from the Nissan stable like the Micra and the Sunny and just slapped on its own badge making some minor cosmetic changes to the design. However, the compact SUV from Renault, the Duster was a huge success in the Indian market. this clearly reminds Renault that you can’t sell products n a market by just slapping badges to a different model. Rather, product differentiators hold the key to the future like the Renault Koleos SUV and the Nissan X-Trail, which only share the platform and nothing else.
A top source close to the alliance company has revealed that Synergies at the back-end are absolutely critical and this is the crux of the Renault-Nissan alliance. The front-end, though, will now have to be completely exclusive. Having synergies at the back end is highly essential in these times of cut throat competition and price sensitive market. Having such synergies help in reducing the development cost and cater to a wider customer demand. Renault and Nissan are keeping the exclusivity to their dealership level too where the partners have their own networks to ensure separate brand identities.
Renault-Nissan says that the re-badging exercise it carried out was very important for the company to show its commitment to the Indian market by launching a slew of models across various segments in a short span of time. This activity was sparked off after Renault’s alliance with Mahindra and Mahindra for the Logan project failed miserably. After that, the Fluence and the Koleos SUVs from the Renault stable were brand building exercises for its second innings. Currently, Nissan has confirmed that it is working on a SUV based on the Duster but has clarified beforehand that there will be no sense of déjà vu involved here as is the case with the Micra-Pulse or the Sunny-Scala. Likewise, the next big platform strategy for global compact cars will see completely different products from the partners.
Report by – Joy Chatterjee


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California state university students enrolled in the 50 highest-traffic general education courses will soon have access to cheap, open-source textbooks online.
Until Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed Senate Bills 1052 and 1053 in September, California had not approved online textbooks. Once the textbooks arrive, they can save students between $2,000 and $3,000 in the first two years of college, said bill sponsor Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento).
“Browse through any college bookstore and you’re hit by sticker shock,” he said. “Textbooks often cost $200 or more… It was mind-blowing that students [had] to spend more on books than on annual tuition and fees at a California community college.”
SB 1052 requires the state to pursue competitive bids to develop the textbooks. It requires the state Board of Education to create a council by April 1, 2013 comprised of California college faculty to develop the course list, accept bids, and review the results.
SB 1053 creates an online library for the materials.
Books $200 and Up
The recession has hurt families struggling with skyrocketing college costs, Steinberg said. Rental and used textbooks don’t offer the same savings as digital textbooks.
“The proliferation of ‘new’ editions is driven by publisher profits more than by a need to update content,” Steinberg said. “By developing these materials under [open copyright], not only would these textbooks be available for students for free, [they] can be easily updated electronically.”
The council can also approve existing digital textbooks.
K-12 Digital Textbooks
Colleges are moving more quickly into digital textbooks than K-12 schools are because the K-12 market has bureaucratic evaluation processes, and many schools do not have enough computers for all students to use simultaneously, said Joshua Khani, a spokesman for CK-12, a nonprofit open-source textbook publisher.
New initiatives across the country aim to increase K-12 digital textbooks, “especially now that an iPad is becoming more affordable,” he said.
Many K-12 digital textbooks are poorly designed, said David Daniel, a psychology professor at James Madison University.
“There tend to be a lot more distractions in the digital textbooks,” he said. “Publishers are doing everything they can to make sure [digital textbooks] take off, except for doing the research to make sure they’re good learning tools.”
Digital textbooks give instructors the ability to customize learning materials while not impinging on academic freedom, Steinberg said. The law does not require faculty to use the materials.
Research on the effects of digital learning materials is mixed. E-books offer similar learning results, but reading screens takes longer and tires people faster, Daniels said.
“We’re in a transitional period,” said Andi Sporkin, an Association of American Publishers spokeswoman. Opinion studies on digital materials often contradict each other. She says this has happened in every industry hit by the digital revolution.
“The instructors are the decision makers,” Sporkin said.
“If we do not insist upon evidence before investment, the short-term economic savings will end up costing much more than just money,” Daniels said.
Image by the University of Hawaii-West Oahu.


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Posted by Adam Singer
24 October - PayPal co-founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel is offering an interesting proposition to young, driven innovators: $100,000 to drop out of college and launch start-ups. This is really a win-win situation to those selected. If they launch a company that starts to experience rapid growth, they win.
If they fail, they still win ...
LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP
Posted by Katy Cowan
24 October - With social media continuing to dominate our lives, it is no wonder so many businesses are keen to launch a Twitter account. But what amazes me is that a lot of firms will jump into the deep end of social media before they have considered their SEO. Search engine marketing has been around a lot longer than social media optimization - SEO gives businesses a fighting chance of being found by potential customers online ...
LARGE NET GAINS
Posted by Neville Hobson
23 October - There were only 361 million internet users in 2000, in the entire world. Putting this into perspective, that is barely two-thirds of the size of Facebook today. There are more than five times as many web users now as there were in 2000. The number of users in the world is now close to passing two billion and may do so before the end of this year. The internet has not just become larger, it is also becoming more global.


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September 25, 2018 /3BL Media/ - World Environment Center and the Institute for energy, ecology and economy (DFGE) are hosting a webinar on October 12th (9:00AM EST / 3:00 PM CEST) exploring how the Financial Stability Board (FSB) Task Force on Climate - Financial Disclosures (TCFD) are affecting the business world.
Analysis by SIGWATCH names Sodexo as leader in environment issues, human rights and animal rights
GAITHERSBURG, Md., September 24, 2018 /3BL Media/ — Sodexo, a food services and facilities management company committed to quality of life, was named as a top-ten company most praised by NGOs (non-governmental organizations) for its leadership on environment issues, human rights and animal rights in the second quarter of 2018 by global research and strategy consultancy, SIGWATCH. Sodexo was specifically commended for its pledge to source only cage-free eggs by 2025.
Pulp and paper manufacturing is a water-intensive process. All of our mills are located in watersheds with sufficient supplies, but responsible water management and water conservation will always be a significant part of our sustainability efforts at Domtar.
The Rainforest Alliance’s annual Follow the Frog campaign is underway and runs through September 24. The campaign encourages consumers to purchase goods that have been responsibly produced, as indicated by the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal.
From the devastating wildfires racing through northern California to the hurricanes that slammed into Puerto Rico and Texas to daily challenges to democracy, we are constantly reminded we are living in a time of major environmental, social, and geopolitical upheaval.
New solutions aim to future-proof transport refrigeration today by harnessing the power of electricity, data and clean technology
HANNOVER, Germany, September 20, 2018 /3BL Media/ – Thermo King and Frigoblock, transport solutions brands of Ingersoll Rand, a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments, introduced a series of truck and trailer innovations harnessing the power of electricity, data and clean technology at the IAA Commercial Vehicles Show on Sept. 20-27 in Hannover, Germany.
Through Sands ECO360, the company’s global sustainability program, Las Vegas Sands’ Integrated Resorts continuously seek opportunities to reduce its environmental footprint and create a greater impact in its local communities.


text: Robinhood Reaches $65 Million Settlement with SEC Over Misleading Communication ByJimmy AkiPRO INVESTOR Updated: 28 August 2021 Robinhood, the popular stock trading app, has been under significant scrutiny this week following some of its marketing and technical practices. While the company still has a great deal to answer for, it has managed to ward off a case from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). False Advertising and Hidden Charges Robinhood and the SEC have reached a $65 million settlement over misleading communication with its millennial clientele, per an official press release. The SEC had accused Robinhood of misleading statements and omissions concerning its fee structure, leading many unsuspecting traders to sign up for its service. Most notably, the SEC took issue with Robinhood advertising itself as a commission-free trading service, while passing on inferior execution prices from market makers to their customers. The agency pointed out that the company engaged in this activity primarily between 2015 and 2018. At that time, the company allegedly made $34.1 million from its customers. “One of Robinhood’s primary selling points was that it did not charge its customers trading commissions. In reality, however, ‘commission-free’ trading at Robinhood came with a catch: Robinhood’s customers received inferior execution prices compared to what they would have received from Robinhood’s competitors,” the SEC’s statement clarified. The SEC’s Exchange Act notably doesn’t prohibit companies like Robinhood from receiving payments for directing orders through principal trading firms. However, these firms also have a fiduciary responsibility to act in their customers’ best interests. As the SEC alleged, Robinhood deliberately concealed these details from customers. By pitching itself as a commission-free platform, the California-based company could cover all hidden costs from customers. The company reportedly had a financial incentive to act this way, considering that order flow payments make up a significant chunk of its revenues, per the SEC. Massachusetts Regulators Are Coming Robinhood is facing a similar challenge from the enforcement arm of the Massachusetts Securities Division. The financial regulator told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that it would file a complaint against Robinhood over its deliberately misleading marketing tactics. As the report explained, the regulators had found substantial proof that the company was deliberately targeting ill-experienced investors. These marketing materials were sub-standard, essentially opening the firm’s users to significant risks. William Galvin, the secretary to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, told CNBC that his office had taken issue with Robinhood “gamifying the idea of investing.” He added that these tactics showed Robinhood’s obsession with growth, with the firm having no qualms with endangering its users. The suit from the Massachusetts regulators will also address some of Robinhood’s service outages, which have cost the company’s users dearly. Robinhood has notoriously suffered no less than three service outages in 2020. Robinhood Markets, one of the company’s subsidiaries, also suffered a hack that led to the exposure of over 2,000 customers’ contact details.


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Briefly: Apple to air iPhone ad during tonight's OscarsApple Inc. will use Sunday's Academy Awards show to air its first television advertisement for the iPhone, according to Macworld.
The spot is described as a "teaser advertisement" that was created specifically for the awards show. However, no further details were reported.
The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, is the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world, drawing 38.59 million viewers from 26.57 million households in 2006.
The 79th Academy Awards telecast will air on ABC this Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern.
On Topic: General
- Apple buys machine learning firm Perceptio, suggests development of imaging AI
- Week in review video: Remembering Steve Jobs, build cost of iPhone 6s, 'iRing' & more
- Four years after the death of Steve Jobs, Michael Fassbender talks about portraying an icon
- Irish minister says EU probe into Apple tax dodges should reach finding by end of 2015
- Laurene Powell Jobs 'repeatedly' tried to halt Universal's Steve Jobs film, report says


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Irony, thy name is Tim.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced loads of stuff in the WWDC keynote: iOS 8, OS/X 10.10, Yosemite, Swift, etc. As usual, commentators are pointing to all the 'innovations' that Apple has 'copied' from other platforms.
But this time, what's usually a dribble of criticism has become a torrent.
In IT Blogwatch, bloggers duck and cover.
Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment.
Jonny Evans summarizes the summary of the summary:
It's not about 'Made in Cupertino' any more: the new Apple is all about PARTNERSHIP. ... Apple today conceded it doesn't want to control every aspect of your experience -- it just wants to...make sure its platforms are platforms you can use. ... Apple is answering critics who call it "too controlling" by permitting users [to] work with the devices they choose.
…A new programming language, Swift, sets Apple up for the next decade. [It's] almost as significant as the move to OS X. [It] promises a new renaissance of app development, and opens up all kinds of opportunities...within the Apple ecosystem. Developers at WWDC are incredibly excited.
…No hardware in the WWDC keynote today, but it doesn't matter. ... Android is toast. MORE
But Preston Gralla grumpily disagrees:
As has been usual in recent years, Apple's announcements were not particularly ground-breaking. ... Microsoft has got the mojo these days...Apple is looking old and stale.
…[In] what was announced...there's certainly nothing earth-shattering. ... Without Steve Jobs, Apple is turning into just another technology company. If you want...startling moves...look to Microsoft. Since Satya Nadella took over...there's been more dramatic change...than there has been at the company for years.
…Right now, Microsoft's got the mojo, and Apple doesn't. MORE
And Brad Linder has déjà vu:
This fall Apple plans to launch what it calls the biggest update to iOS since the introduction of the App Store. ... But some of the fancy new features in iOS 8? They don’t look so new to Android users.
…iOS 8...will let you respond to certain types of notifications without actually opening up an app. Just pull down...to view the Notification Center and...you may be able to tap a button to reply... leaving the Notification Center...a feature that’s been available to Android app developers for some time.
…The official Google Keyboard for Android has had predictions built-in for a while. ... Apple will let app developers give their users a chance to beta test new apps. ... Apple calls this “TestFlight,” but Google simply calls it beta testing. ... Now third-party developers can create widgets. ... Say “Hey, Siri.” It’s kind of like “OK, Google.” ... Apple is also adding support for extensions, which basically lets apps share data [like] Android apps have...for ages. MORE
So njnnja swiftly predicts this prediction:
I am certain that before the year is over we will see many job postings requiring 3 years experience with Swift. MORE
And ugen waves goodbye to cross-platform development:
We hardly knew ye. First Windows, and now OSX. ... It's getting harder every year and, by the looks of it, will be impossible soon. Which means that...a smaller shop would have to choose one big player/OS vendor and stick with it. That increases risk and makes small players that much less viable (while, of course, helping the big ones consolidate user base and profit).
…Funny how the world works. MORE
Meanwhile, This pseudonymous commentator is sick and tired:
Apple's greatest secret is the con game they have been playing on the consumer and the lapdog tech bloggers. MORE
Subscribe now to the Blogs Newsletter for a daily summary of the most recent and relevant blog posts at Computerworld.


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Coca-Cola Amatil will sell its fruit and vegetable processing business, SPC, which is expected to record a $10 million loss for the 2017-18 financial year. The beverage company’s decision to sell SPC comes four years after the Victorian government and Coca-Cola Amatil co-invested $100 million ($78 and $22 million respectively) to help the struggling business. … Continue reading Coca-Cola Amatil to sell SPC
SPC has launched three new fruit pouch pack ranges to a give people a healthier snack alternative. The company aims to give consumers a product that works into their demanding daily schedules, which still has great nutritional value. Venturing into a new format, the three ranges contain the goodness of real fruit in a convenient … Continue reading SPC launches new fruit pouches that are easy to eat on-the-go
SPC is expanding its global footprint, launching for the first time into China with its Goulburn Valley and SPC fruit brands.
Supermarket chain Woolworths is reportedly considering the end of its contract with SPC Ardmona, two years into a five-year, $70 million contract.
The Annual Foodbank Awards, recognising the outstanding contributions of the companies who play a pivotal role in helping to bring food relief to the thousands of Australians doing it tough every day.


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Samsung simply undraped the NX3000 good camera – associate degree interchangeable lens camera with advancedproperty options. It goes back to relying additional on hardware controls than on touchscreen controls, just like the NX1000.
The camera can snap photos at 1/4,000s shutter speed and supports 5fps continuous shooting.
So what’s changed? The screen went down in size to three″ (down from 3.7″ on the NX2000) associate degreed in resolution – the new camera has an HVGA screen (compared to VGA on the NX1000, WVGA on the NX2000). it’s a flip-up show although, and Wink Shot for those all-important selfies.
Size has remained concerning an equivalent – 117.4×65.9×39.0(26.8) millimeter – however there’s a brand new kit lens. Samsung 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 Power Zoom male erecticle dysfunction bureau options a nine part lens. The lens measures sixty four.8 x 31mm and weighs 111g.


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Huge savings across award winning products at Apos Audio!
Apos is offering winning deals on leading brands, details inside!
SMSL launches their most affordable power amplifier yet! Details inside!
Apos is currently running a sale across popular ensemble products and major discounts on the popular HE400se!
Apos Audio running up to 10% off during their Spring Sale!
It’s deal season at Apos Audio, see inside for all the details!
Apos Audio releases new bundles for the Apos Caspian!
SMSL releases a new DAC/AMP combo system!
A host of new products in all sectors!
Apos discounts the popular SMSL SA400! Details inside.


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LKQ Co. (LKQ) Stake Lessened by Summit Creek Advisors LLC
Summit Creek Advisors LLC reduced its stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 0.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 311,607 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 530 shares during the quarter. Summit Creek Advisors LLC owned 0.10% of LKQ worth $8,843,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc lifted its holdings in LKQ by 2.7% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc now owns 30,855,717 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $977,201,000 after purchasing an additional 810,901 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in shares of LKQ by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 20,555,282 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $487,777,000 after buying an additional 646,070 shares during the period. Lunia Capital LP increased its position in shares of LKQ by 2,163.3% during the fourth quarter. Lunia Capital LP now owns 16,297,811 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $16,298,000 after buying an additional 15,577,728 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of LKQ by 97.1% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,999,391 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $237,286,000 after buying an additional 4,926,755 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of LKQ during the fourth quarter valued at about $197,821,000. 93.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
LKQ has been the topic of several research analyst reports. William Blair cut shares of LKQ from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 18th. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, January 7th. Guggenheim upgraded shares of LKQ from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. ValuEngine upgraded shares of LKQ from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, BidaskClub upgraded shares of LKQ from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. LKQ has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.00.
Shares of NASDAQ:LKQ traded down $0.02 during trading on Monday, reaching $30.80. 16,239 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,259,236. The firm has a market cap of $9.56 billion, a PE ratio of 14.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.27. LKQ Co. has a 52-week low of $22.74 and a 52-week high of $39.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 2.67.
LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 28th. The auto parts company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.02 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 4.04% and a return on equity of 14.59%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.41 EPS. Research analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 2.4 EPS for the current year.
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LKQ Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, distributes replacement parts, components, and systems used in the repair and maintenance of vehicles. It operates in four segments: Wholesale – North America, Europe, Specialty, and Self Service. The company distributes bumper covers, automotive body panels, and lights, as well as automotive glass products, such as windshields; salvage products, including mechanical and collision parts comprising engines; transmissions; door assemblies; sheet metal products, such as trunk lids, fenders, and hoods; lights and bumper assemblies; scrap metal and other materials to metals recyclers; and brake pads, discs and sensors, clutches, steering and suspension products, filters, and oil and automotive fluids, as well as electrical products, including spark plugs and batteries.
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Studies confirm sugar-sweetened beverage tax effects
Story text Heading link
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are the leading source of added sugars in the U.S. diet, and their consumption is linked with a range of health harms, including obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In response, SSB taxes (some of which have also applied to artificially sweetened beverages) have
been implemented in eight local US jurisdictions, one of which later repealed its tax. Lisa Powell, PhD,
distinguished professor of health policy and administration and director of the Policy, Practice and Prevention Research (P3RC) Center, is a national expert exploring the impacts of these taxes.
In a series of recent journal articles and research briefs, Powell and fellow researchers found that about 70 percent of the cost of SSB taxes are passed along to consumers and that taxes succeed at reducing demand for sugar-sweetened beverages, to the tune of an average 20 percent reduction across U.S. municipalities with a tax.
Researchers like Powell are studying not only the effects on demand for taxed SSBs but other behaviors that might change. For example, consumers might avoid sweetened beverages but substitute consumption with salty snacks or sweets. Results have been mixed: some studies did see evidence of substitution to sweets, but overall there has been a decrease in grams of sugar sold from SSBs. Another unintended consequence may be that consumers may cross municipal boundaries to avoid a tax. For example, for the tax that was in place in Cook County, IL, Powell’s research identified about one-quarter of reduction in demand for SSBs was offset by cross-border shopping, suggesting that taxes at larger geographic levels such as the state or national level may be even more effective.
Opponents of SSB taxes often argue that tax increases will lead to job losses, but studies available for the Philadelphia and San Francisco taxes have refuted these claims. Powell notes that consumers are likely to reallocate spending to other goods and services, including untaxed beverages often produced by the same companies that produce the taxed products. Governments also will spend the revenue generated by SSB taxes.
“Studies with longer follow-up periods are showing that the impacts [on demand] are sustained, suggesting taxes may permanently reduce demand for sugary beverages and help lower rates of health harms,” Powell said


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As the fourth largest wafer foundry in the world, SMIC accounts for 6% of the global market share, which is quite competitive. Under the background that the United States has blocked Huaweis chip purchase, SMIC, as Huaweis strongest OEM spare wheel, has also been highly concerned by Chinese people. With the support of large amount of raised funds, the strength of SMIC is expected to further improve.
In the near future, the chip industry has just begun to heat up, and the return of SMIC international, whether it can cause a new round of core market again, has become the focus of market attention.
When you are strong enough, the world will make way for you. For SMIC, this sentence Chicken Soup for the soul is a fact.
On the afternoon of June 19, the Municipal Committee of science and Technology Innovation Board announced the results of the 47th review meeting and approved the IPO application of SMIC. According to the time node of SMICs application, on May 5, Hong Kong stock official announcement and June 1, the application was accepted. After only one round of inquiry, the meeting was arranged and successfully cleared. From putting forward the concept to landing, SMICs road back to a took only one and a half months, setting a record for the clearance of science and technology innovation board and even the whole A-share.
From the perspective of intermediary agencies, Haitong Securities and CICC are the recommended agencies hired by SMIC. The reasons are self-evident. Both Chinese securities companies have the top position in the Hong Kong stock market in terms of project experience and company strength. In addition, the joint lead underwriters of SMIC include Guotai Junan, CSCI, Guokai securities and Morgan Stanley Huaxin securities. In terms of accounting firms and law firms, SMIC has chosen PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhongtian and jintiancheng respectively, and also has rich experience in the capital market.
According to the prospectus, SMIC plans to raise 20 billion yuan, more than 10.5 billion yuan from the IPO of China Telecom. Considering the status of SMIC in the industry and the over raising of sci-tech innovation board, SMIC is expected to become another king of attracting funds of sci-tech innovation board, setting a record for initial fundraising.
However, even before the clearance, the listing committee still raised several questions about SMICs red chip identity and chip business.
In response to the jurisdiction issue, Shanghai municipal Party Committee requested SMIC to make further disclosure on the application of mainland Chinas laws and the commitment submitted to mainland Chinas courts for jurisdiction, including derivative actions brought by domestic investors when the legitimate rights and interests of the issuer are infringed by directors, senior executives or others; and losses caused by false records, misleading statements or major omissions of the issuers information Civil compensation lawsuit against the company or other responsible person brought by the domestic investor.
In addition, SMIC also needs to further remind in the prospectus that after the listing of science and technology innovation board, it is different from the securities laws and regulations of mainland Chinas leading companies in terms of share limited subscription arrangement, independent directors equity incentive, etc.
The fourth largest manufacturer in the world
In recent years, the development of Chinas core industry and Huaweis ups and downs are closely related to the great attention of SMIC international.
According to the prospectus, SMIC was founded in 2000 with a total legal share capital of US $42 billion and is a limited company registered in the Cayman Islands. In March 2004, SMIC was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and NYSE simultaneously, and delisted from NYSE in June 2019.
SMIC is not only one of the leading integrated circuit foundry enterprises in the world, but also the most advanced and largest Chinese mainland professional foundry company with the largest supporting services and multinational operation. At present, SMIC mainly provides customers with 0.35-14nm multi technology nodes, different process platforms of IC wafer foundry and supporting services.
Just last month, the US Department of Commerces Bureau of industry and security (BIS) officially announced that it would strictly restrict Huaweis use of US technology, software to design and manufacture semiconductor chips, cut off Huaweis attempts to break away from US export controls and block Huaweis global chip procurement. At the same time, TSMC also announced that it would invest 12 billion US dollars to build a factory in the United States.
In the face of strict defense, the identity of SMIC as Huaweis strongest OEM spare tire has also been highly concerned by Chinese people. Although the scale cannot be compared with TSMC, which is the first in the world, SMIC, with its advanced technology, ranks the fourth largest manufacturer in the world in terms of market sales, accounting for 6% of the global market share, and has become quite competitive.
From the perspective of employment performance, in 2017-2019, SMIC achieved operating revenue of 21.390 billion yuan, 23.017 billion yuan and 22.018 billion yuan, and realized net profit attributable to the parent of 1.245 billion yuan, 747 million yuan and 1.794 billion yuan, with rapid growth. In addition, the listing standard chosen by SMIC is with a market value of more than 20 billion yuan, independent research and development, international leading technology, strong scientific and technological innovation ability and comparative advantage in the competition of the same industry.
In the first quarter of 2020, the operating revenue of SMIC was 6.401 billion yuan, an increase of 38.42% year on year; the net profit attributable to the parent company after deducting non profits was 143 million yuan, an obvious increase compared with the same period of last year. According to the data disclosed by Hong Kong stocks, it is predicted that the increase of 3% to 5% in the second quarter is mainly due to the scale effect brought by the increase of the companys production capacity and output and the optimization of its product portfolio.
In terms of the use of the raised funds, of the 20 billion raised by SMIC, 8 billion will be invested in the 12 inch chip SN1 project to meet the capital demand for the construction of a 12 inch production line project with a monthly production capacity of 35000 chips, and the production technology level will be raised to 14nm or below; 4 billion yuan will be used for the reserve fund project of advanced and mature process R & D projects, and the remaining 8 billion yuan will be used for supplement working capital.
In response, Guoxin Securities issued a review on the research report, saying that financing 20 billion yuan is conducive to the construction of semiconductor cash process, financing 20 billion yuan is too small, and 200 billion yuan is not much, so we need to do large-scale cost sharing. To catch up with TSMC, it is necessary to catch up with capital expenditure first.
The clearance of A-share market is smooth, and the performance of H-share of SMIC is also popular, and the recent share price has gone all the way up. On June 19, SMIC closed at HK $22.90 per share, up 35.34% in the last 20 days.
Policy guarantees the return of red chips
After the successful meeting and registration of SMIC, it will become the first a + H red chip company, which will also play an exemplary role in the return of other red chips.
Industrial Securities research report pointed out that, compared with the secondary listing of SMIC on science and technology innovation board in Hong Kong stock market, or the listing of privatized or split assets in China, the additional issuance of science and technology innovation board has a relatively small impact on the rights and interests of existing shareholders, has more room for improvement of valuation, and is in line with the common interests of the company and investors.
In fact, the return of red chip enterprises is often welcomed by the market. However, previously limited by policy restrictions, red chip enterprises often have difficulties in going back to A. they need to dismantle the red chip structure and transfer the control right back to China, facing a large number of regulatory issues both at home and abroad. Fortunately, the birth of science and technology innovation board has left a shortcut for red chip enterprises.
On April 30, China Securities Regulatory Commission issued and implemented the announcement on relevant arrangements for domestic listing of innovative pilot red chip enterprises, which lowered the threshold for red chip enterprises, reduced the market value standard of overseas listed enterprises from 200 billion yuan to 20 billion yuan, and required the companys independent research and development ability, which is just tailor-made for SMIC.
Since then, on June 5, the Shanghai Stock Exchange issued the notice on matters related to the application of red chip enterprises for the issuance and listing of science and technology innovation board, which further improved and refined the matters related to the treatment of gambling agreement, the calculation of total capital stock, the recognition of rapid growth of business income, the application of delisting indicators, etc., so as to clear the obstacles for more red chip enterprises to return to a.
The continuous protection of the policy has created a miracle of the three week meeting of SMIC. Under the good demonstration effect, Geely, which recently listed on Hong Kong stock market, is also preparing to go to the science and technology innovation board for listing. On the evening of June 17, Geely Automobile issued a notice saying that the board of directors approved the preliminary proposal for the possible issuance of RMB shares and the listing on the science and technology innovation board.
It is worth mentioning that on June 12, the CSRC issued a series of documents on the implementation of the gem registration system, which are open to red chip enterprises. Accordingly, on June 17, China injection association also issued new audit guidelines, expanding the scope of application of audit guidelines from innovation pilot red chip enterprises in science and technology innovation board to innovation pilot red chip enterprises under the ownership registration system. When both the technology innovation board and the growth enterprise board allow red chip companies to go public, it may lead to a new wave of return of red chip companies.
According to the research data of CICC, after combing the overseas listed red chips (including Zhongjia shares and Hong Kong listed red chips), it is found that the total market value of enterprises with a market value of more than 200 billion yuan is 12.3 trillion yuan; the total market value of innovative enterprises with a market value of more than 20 billion yuan (and in line with the listing conditions of gem and / or sci tech Innovation Board) is 1.5 trillion yuan. If these enterprises return to an average of 5% newly issued a shares, the total financing amount will reach 680 billion yuan, and it is expected to gradually become a bank in the next 2-3 years. The return of large market value red chips and some innovative red chips to a shares will promote the capital market to support the real economy, support innovation and upgrading, enrich the investment varieties of a shares, and improve the quality of the overall listed companies. It will continue to further dilute the capital and promote the survival of the fittest for those small market value stocks with poor quality, which will improve the ecology of Chinas stock market in the medium and long term. Source: responsible editor of Securities Times: Yang Bin_ NF4368
According to the research data of CICC, after combing the overseas listed red chips (including Zhongjia shares and Hong Kong listed red chips), it is found that the total market value of enterprises with a market value of more than 200 billion yuan is 12.3 trillion yuan; the total market value of innovative enterprises with a market value of more than 20 billion yuan (and in line with the listing conditions of gem and / or sci tech Innovation Board) is 1.5 trillion yuan.
If these enterprises return to an average of 5% newly issued a shares, the total financing amount will reach 680 billion yuan, and it is expected to gradually become a bank in the next 2-3 years. The return of large market value red chips and some innovative red chips to a shares will promote the capital market to support the real economy, support innovation and upgrading, enrich the investment varieties of a shares, and improve the quality of the overall listed companies. It will continue to further dilute the capital and promote the survival of the fittest for those small market value stocks with poor quality, which will improve the ecology of Chinas stock market in the medium and long term.


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Disney Infinity sees 1 million toy box downloads in 2 weeks
"We are completely blown away by the teens and adults that are into the platform"
Disney Infinity players have shown their appetite for user created content, downloading a massive amount of in-game toy boxes after a recent promotion.
Executive producer John Vignocchi told Polygon that after a recent content creation competition for players, gamers downloaded over a million user created free toy boxes in two weeks.
"Our data shows that the players who are engaging in user-generated content are ten times more likely to continue to play Infinity than those who don't. It's wild when you look at the data and you can see that direct correlation."
"The primary demographic is kids, but we are completely blown away by the teens and adults that are into the platform and are part of the community."
Disney Infinity was released in August and mixes physical toys and open world creation. In its first two weeks on sale in the US it sold 294,000 copies.


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+18.2% in 2021 (on 2020) and +22.4% in the first half of 2022 (on the first six months of 2021).
Three Government programs help innovative entrepreneurs who want to create a startup in Italy or to invest in the local innovation ecosystem
A very profitabile journey in Italy for the President Ilham Aliyev.
Insurance companies must change because their customers are changing, but new technologies alone can't do much: expertise in the field is still mandatory
Italian companies and the Next Gen EU of other European countries: how to exploit it.
Smart Agrifood market and applications grow steadily, now that Italian food supply chain see a real value in digital technologies
Digital and physical infrastructure gaps make Italy less efficient and competitive. PNRR can help.
European Commission welcomes political agreement to boost data sharing and support European data spaces
Italian water companies are more appealing to investors than they seems now, says a report, especially for ESG investments
The ability to manage unexpected events and fluctuations in demand is critical, digital platforms help companies to gest exaclty that
Europeans strongly support science and technology, according to new Eurobarometer survey. With some challenges.
DESI rankings leave Italy in a bad digital shape, but in the country's economic scenario ICT is growing better than it seems
Smaller Italian manufacturing companies are not investing enough in Industry 4.0 technologies, says UCIMU
Three Italians out of five believe that government agencies must lead the digitalization of the whole country


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Squeezed In the Middle: The Struggle Is Real For Mid-Market Retailers
What is it about the middle? All encompassing, but squeezed from both sides, not one thing, not quite the other? Yet, for the past two decades it is the mid-market retailers, right in the middle of it all that have dominated Britain’s high streets and shopping centres. Think M&S, an icon of British retail, Arcadia Group; Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Oasis, Dorothy Perkins, Evans and Burton amongst others, New Look, H&M, Zara and Next, all who have embarked on expansive store opening strategies and become firmly established in the retail landscape.
Whilst the collapse of BHS and ongoing struggling performance of M&S have indicated that trouble might be brewing, the announcement this week that Arcadia Group have reported a drop in profit of 79% in the 12 months to 27th August 2016 and New Look saw revenues decline by £36m in the year to 24th March, suggest a more wide-spread issue may be at large. The retail market is becoming highly competitive and challenging for typical bricks and mortar retailers; other mid-market brands to suffer include American Apparel (UK) which went into administration last year and Banana Republic, which now trades solely online.
In one respect, the political and economic climate is not currently favourable to consumer confidence. Slow wage growth, political uncertainty and rising inflation mean consumers are more discerning in their buying choices. Quality, differentiation and convenience are gaining importance and this is where mid-market retailers are struggling in an increasingly overcrowded marketplace. There is little differentiation between brands and the market risks becoming homogenous.
Online retailers such as ASOS, Boohoo and Misguided selling “fast fashion” compound this problem. Product range is more extensive, new products are available daily, prices are competitive (on the lower side of affordable) and streamlined operations ensure the customer experience is both straightforward and convenient, with next day delivery and click and collect options to name a few. Whilst almost all mid-market brands have an online presence, extensive store portfolios (New Look has nearly 600 UK stores, Topshop has over 300 and H&M over 260) can present a challenge. E-commerce has diminished the necessity of a large store estate and many, such as New Look, have failed to rationalise their store portfolios in recent years. Investment has focussed on Flagship stores, particularly in the case of Topshop and other Arcadia Group brands, at the expense of smaller stores in less prime locations; risking a lacklustre and uninspiring shopping experience which can damage brand perception.
That being said, it’s not all doom and gloom. One of the largest fashion retailers in the world, Zara, has successfully cultivated the quick turnaround, fast fashion model without compromising on quality or price competitivity. The parent company, Inditex, reported a profit increase of 18% in the first quarter. Similarly H&M has continued to maintain strong performance and recently opened its largest store in the UK at Westfield Stratford. The success of these two giants is undoubtedly down to their absolute understanding of their customer base - tailoring products and operations accordingly, with a clear positioning. The problem is; if these two giants keep growing, will there be room left for anyone else?


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Shopify has proven itself to be another Canadian tech success story. The leading multi-channel, cloud-based eCommerce platform rapidly grew its services to assist virtually any type of online business in every niche. You can easily build a website and accept payments both online and offline. They facilitate all types of marketplaces, including Amazon and social […]
Canadian companies wanting to sell their products online through hot marketplaces like Amazon, now have another option. Walmart has announced the expansion of its global online marketplace to Walmart Canada’s flagship online store, Walmart.ca. Access to their customers and increased visibility could help Canadian sellers level the playing field in a highly-competitive space.
The 2017 back-to-school shopping season is poised to be one of the most successful of recent years for Canadian eCommerce. Canadians are spending more online in Canada and using the Internet as a tool for comparison shopping. With the low loonie, you may even bring in some American back-to-school shoppers. eCommerce brings the World to […]
I’ve worked with many hosts in 20 years of owning and managing websites. Before the era of mass acquisitions, it was easy to find a decent host that you could stay with for years. These days, most good hosts have been acquired by a substandard provider who immediately brings the quality down to their level. […]
Website hosting data centres use a large amount of energy to run their equipment and keep it cool. The high levels of power required to host websites and store their data, has inspired several providers to offset consumption with green initiatives.
76% of Canadians are purchasing online, and will be spending 39 billion by the end of 2019, according to a 2017 eTail Canada report. Online marketplaces offer a way to sell online with or without a website of your own. They also allow you to sell on some of the hottest online shopping sites in […]
Canadian SmartPhone users account for over 50% of all mobile phone users in this country. That number increases dramatically for professionals and business owners. SmartPhone use is almost universal among those who own an online business or who conduct business online (such as eCommerce and marketing). For most of us, it is quite literally worth […]
There has been much concern about Canadians cross-border shopping in the U.S. since the World embraced eCommerce. More than 90% of Canadians shop across the border these days, justifying that concern, but it’s not so bad compared to the 82% global average. It’s important to note that Americans and those residing in other countries also […]
I’ve been doing a lot of research into website hosting lately, as I prepare to move to a more robust, reliable host. In doing so, I have come up with a list of considerations involved with reviewing each hosting option (based on 20+ years of experience). I’ve expanded upon that here in the hopes of […]
Drop shipping is a simple enough concept. You make arrangements with a wholesale supplier, manufacturer or distributor to sell their products direct online, as opposed to having an inventory of products in your physical location. You can offer these products on your own website, or via online auctions like eBay, or through a sellers’ market […]


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She’s just knitted her 1000th hat for soldiers in Afghanistan. (via the BBC)
Category Archives: Craft that is topical
“Driver turns up to police station to pay traffic ticket with 137 origami dollar bill PIGS . . . and cops make him unfold every one” via The Daily Mail.
“Martha Stewart and Emeril Lagasse are being sued for hawking knock-off knives on the Home Shopping Network.” via Forbes.
I don’t need to re-write or summerise this press release from The Craftivist collective: read it, and
To mark the start of London Fashion Week 2012, activist group The Craftivist Collective has created hand stitched Mini Protest Banners aimed at exposing the ugly side of fashion. These eye-catching Mini Protest Banners are being displayed around London during London Fashion Week in support of the Love Fashion Hate Sweatshops campaign. The idea behind the banners is to make people think about the side of the fashion that is often too easily dismissed by the industry, in a non-threatening but challenging way.
Sarah Corbett, 28, of Battersea and founder of the Craftivist Collective says “I love the beauty and creativity that comes from fashion and I eagerly await the latest issue of Vogue every month, but I am so saddened that the workers who create the clothes we wear are often underpaid and made to work in such horrendous conditions. We shouldn’t ignore this ugly side of fashion”.
One banner at Somerset House reads: “Lowest paid models at London Fashion Week paid £125 an hour. Majority of garment workers in Vietnam paid £25 a month”. Another, hung outside Reiss on the Kings Road (a favourite of Kate Middleton’s) reads “The ugly side of fashion: Reiss profits are £8.5 million. Reiss garment workers in Romania get 99p an hour… Why is it so unequal?”
Have you spotted any yet?
Grazia says: “Commissioned by the Mayor of London, in partnership with BT, the British Fashion Council, the London 2012 Festival, and *coughs modestly* Grazia magazine… Hatwalk saw 21 hats by the best of UK milliners displayed on iconic statues across the capital.”
All I was doing during the Olympics was WATCHING SPORT. What a waste of my time! I could have been scouting out THIS!
(Something else I missed this month was The Sewing Machine show in Edinburgh, about an 81-year-old woman in a nursing home. There’s a lovely review on The Telegraph by Laura Barnett, who incidentally has a brilliant piece in Psychologies in the November issue.)
I mean REALLY winning.
(And in brilliant news for me [apologies for obligatory plug], she’s also one of over 100 experts who appear in my forthcoming book, Material World: The Modern Craft Bible)
Well, not Father Ted exactly (that was just to lure you in. But Father Ted’s housekeeper, Pauline McLynn.
From The Sun … “Pauline McLynn — best known as tea-loving Mrs Doyle on the hit comedy — is selling her own range of hand-knitted cosies. Named after her character’s famous catchphrase, the ‘A Go Ons’ can be bought through a link on the star’s website, with prices starting from 50. Pauline launched the range on the same day as her 50th birthday — with just 50 of the limited edition crafty cosies up for grabs.”


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The Carrs grocery store at the Northway Mall in Airport Heights is going to be closing its doors on Sept. 19. This is the second anchor tenant to leave the 40-year-old mall recently, after Joann Fabric and Craft left for a new location in Midtown.
Mao Tosi, manager of the Northway Mall for nearly a decade, said the closure of the Airport Heights Carrs has been coming for some time.
“We’ve been aware that they were in this place … it’s been a waiting game. I just was hoping that the change wouldn’t happen here, as they’re one of the main pieces in northeast Anchorage,” he said.
Carrs spokesperson Tairsa Worman said the grocery store chain worked for years to improve sales at the store, before finally deciding to close up shop. “All employees will be offered positions at nearby stores, in accordance with language in their collective bargaining agreement,” she wrote in an email on Monday.
The Starbucks and Denali Credit Union inside the Carrs will also close, and employees at both kiosks will be offered positions at nearby locations, a spokesperson said.
Northway Mall was built in 1979, originally the largest mall in Anchorage and a popular retail destination. Since then, it’s slowly declined in popularity as other, newer shopping centers popped up around the city. Now, Tosi said the recent economic downturn has caused uncertainty for tenants, who don’t know how much longer they have to hold on.
“We’ve had businesses come and go but you know, we’re really in the middle of probably one of the toughest situations. The pandemic and the recession has been heavy.”
House Representative Geran Tarr represents Airport Heights, Russian Jack and Mountain View, the communities surrounding the Northway Mall Carrs. She said as far as grocery store options go, there’s still the Red Apple in Mountain View and the Carrs on Boniface and Debarr. But especially for people without vehicles, she said losing the Northway Mall Carrs will be a noticeable loss.
“A lot of people don’t have transportation, and there’s a lot of high density housing right in the area adjacent to Northway Mall,” she said. “I think that’s something that a lot of Anchorage residents don’t think a lot about because a lot of people have cars. But imagine trying to get your groceries, be on foot and have young children with you. It’s a lot of management just to get something as basic as your food needs met for your family.”
Tarr hopes that the Carrs might be soon replaced with another grocery. She and Tosi both pointed out that the new Midtown Mall Carrs that opened up last year replaced the old Carrs from the other side of that mall that closed four years earlier. Maybe the same thing could happen for Northway, they said.