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Dollar General's growth strategy paying off
Strong sales of tobacco products, candy and snacks helped drive Dollar General's same-store sales up nearly 4% in the first quarter as the company celebrates its 12,000th store opening this month.
Overall, Dollar General posted a profit of $253.2 million, or 84 cents a share, up from $222.4 million, or 72 cents a share, a year earlier. Sales grew 8.8% to $4.92 billion. Same-store sales increased 3.7%, resulting from increases in both customer traffic and average transaction amount.
“In the first quarter, we made solid progress implementing our key initiatives with balanced growth across both consumables and non-consumable categories,” said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General’s chairman and CEO. “Looking ahead, we are confirming our full year guidance based on our results for the first quarter.”
Dollar General is on track to open approximately 730 new stores in 2015, and relocate or remodel 875 stores. To date, the company is on track with its pipeline development to accelerate new store openings to 7% square footage growth in 2016.
The company opened its 12,000th store in Juliet, Ga., this month.
For the 2015 fiscal year, Dollar General expects total sales to increase 8% to 9% from the 2014 fiscal year, with same-store sales expected to increase 3% to 3.5%.
Source: Retailing Today


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June 12, 2007 – The image sensor market is projected to grow 14% in 2007, following 30% growth in 2006 to roughly $6 billion, and will slow through the next several years, with many providers jostling for position, according to a report from Strategies Unlimited.
CMOS sensors dominate both unit and revenue share, thanks mainly to camera phones, and digital cameras also exceed expectations, the firm notes, adding that it expects strong growth in security cameras and digital radiography, while auto applications are still a small segment for now.
Micron is now the top supplier of CMOS arrays, with strong gains also enjoyed by STMicroelectronics and Samsung, the firm notes. CCDs are still increasing in dollar value, but there are signs of consolidation, notably the possible exit of Sanyo Electric.
Top five suppliers still hold about two-thirds of overall image sensor market share, with Sony and Micron each approaching $1 billion in annual revenues, though the top-5 names have changed. Strategies Unlimited notes that the 50 or so image sensor suppliers are about twice what the market supported a decade ago, though that number hasn’t changed in the past few years — suggesting that for every Atmel and ESS Technology that gets out of the image sensor business, there’s a Planet82 or a ProMOS Technologies that comes in to take their place.
Developments to watch for the image sensor market, according to Tom Hausken, director of components research at Strategies Unlimited, include 1.4-micron pitch pixels, incorporation of 90nm lithography, development of embedded laptop cameras, wider use of electronics to substitute for optics, and cameras based on optic flow.

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After launching its first car last year, Alibaba is digging deeper into the automobile industry. The Chinese Internet and e-commerce behemoth is the lead investor in smart car tech developer WayRay’s $18 million Series B round, the startup announced.
Founded in 2012, WayRay makes holographic navigation systems. According to its funding announcement, WayRay has already spent $10 million of its own capital, as well as previous venture funding, on the technology that underpins Navion, an augmented-reality dashboard that overlays directions and other information onto a driver’s view of the road. The company plans to launch a consumer version of Navion in 2017.
In a prepared statement, Alibaba Group’s senior investment director, Ethan Xie, said, “We believe there is huge potential in the development of leading-edge technology like augmented reality and its application to various industries, like WayRay’s AR navigation system in the auto sector. The potential of augmented reality makes it an exciting and promising area.”
Alibaba made its debut in the car industry last summer, when the RX5, a smart car it developed with SAIC (one of China’s “big four” state-owned auto manufacturers—opened for pre-orders. The RX5 uses Alibaba’s Yun operating system and the company hopes to make the vehicle part of an Internet-of-Things ecosystem that will include its other smart hardware and Internet services like Alipay.
But Alibaba’s smart cars are already up against rivals from other big Chinese tech companies like LeEco, which bills its electric car LeSee as “the first mobility ecosystem on wheels,” and Baidu, which is developing smart car technology and autonomous vehicles with BAIC, another of China’s big four state-owned automakers.
WayRay also said that it will partner with Banma Technologies—a joint venture between Alibaba Group and SAIC—to create an augmented-reality navigation and entertainment system for a car that will be launched by Banma in 2018. WayRay claims that this is “the world’s first vehicle in-production with a holographic AR head-up display.”


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On Tuesday Malta-based blockchain company Palladium launched the world’s first Initial Convertible Coin Offering (ICCO) in partnership with US-based cryptocurrency exchange Bittrex and eSports betting platform Unikrn.
The ICCO will involve a sale of a “tokenized convertible warrant” that will allow users to convert the token into shares of the company three years after issuance — a feature that differs the offering from a traditional Initial Coin Offering (ICO). The pre-sale of Palladium tokens has already started, while subscription of the tokenized securities will run from July 25 to September 30.
The fundraising goal is €150 million. Some 50% of the proceeds will be used for a planned acquisition of a controlling interest in an unspecified European bank. Around 35% of the accumulated funds will be used for the development of a new cryptocurrency exchange, which will operate under the regulation of Malta Financial Services Authority. The remainder 15% will go towards “strategic investments in financial services and blockchain companies complementing Palladium’s business.”
“We expect this project, which will create more than 100 job opportunities, to be a historic landmark and to bridge the gap between traditional financial services and cryptocurrencies,” – said Palladium founder and chairman Paolo Catalfamo.
The ICCO was launched in the presence of Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat at the Malta Stock Exchange just a few days following the parliament’s final approval of 3 cryptocurrency and blockchain-related bills.
Bittrex’s participation in Palladium’s project emerges less than a week after the US-based crypto exchange announced it will launch another virtual currency trading platform for EU citizens in co-operation with UK-based fintech firm invest.com.


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The European Commission has today sent out information requests to the companies whose initial complaints led to a three-year antitrust investigation into Google's search practices.
The EC said on Monday that it has requested opinions from the complainants on measures put forward by Google to ease Europe's concerns over its dominance of the search market in Europe.
However, Joaquín Almunia, the EC's competition commissioner, demanded more from Google, saying the— a sentiment . Google subsequently offered up , which the EC is now seeking opinions on.
"In the context of the ongoing antitrust investigation, the Commission is seeking feedback from complainants and other relevant market participants on the improved commitments proposals by Google, as," a spokesman for Alumnia said in a statement.
To that end, the Commission is sending today information requests... information is sought, in particular, from complainants in the ongoing proceedings and from all those who responded to the initial market test of Google's proposals which the Commission launched in April.
The EC openedafter rival search companies alleged they had received unfavourable treatment of their services in Google's unpaid and sponsored search results. Among the companies that have , UK and .
ZDNet has asked Google for comment and will update the story if any is received.


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Adventure Island, the combination of Adventure Golf and Gillian’s Island Water Park, is set to open Memorial Day weekend.
Plymouth Holdings acquired the deed to both Adventure Golf and Gillian’s Island Water Park this week, and is investing $500,000 in the venture.
Many of the familiar faces who operated the park in the past will be back to welcome visitors to Adventure Island. The water park and mini-golf course are expected to employ about 150 seasonal workers, according to spokesperson Monica Coskey.
The principals of Plymouth Holdings and Adventure Island have not been revealed, according to the Ocean City Sentinel.
Prices will remain the same as last summer, according to a release issued by the park on Wednesday.
From Memorial Day through June, all day passes are $20 for the water park and $4 for mini-golf. The park is open from noon-5 p.m. during this time.
Regular-season pricing is $28.95 for an all-day adult pass and $24.95 for children under 48 inches. Tickets previously purchased during Gillian's Island Water Park's preseason holiday sale will be honored at Adventure Island.
Discounted preseason tickets are on sale now at www.ocwaterpark.com with special, limited-time-only pricing. The first 1,000 tickets will be sold at $15, the next 5,000 tickets will be sold at $18 and then the preseason price of $20 will take effect.
Beginning July 1, the park will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. For more information, hours and additional pricing go to www.ocwaterpark.com.
Adventure Island is located at Plymouth Place and Boardwalk.


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MPs looking into business rates have said there is a “fundamental problem” with the system, and pledged to further their investigation.
The move comes as the ongoing row over business rates and extortionate revaluations rumbles on.
Retailers continue to receive rates rises, while research shows that internet companies will actually save money following the first revaluation of business rates since 2010.
Calls for a “level playing field” are growing and now the Communities and Local Government Select Committee is widening its inquiry with a view to better spreading the cost to retailers.
The committee’s chairman Clive Betts, Labour MP for Sheffield South East, said: “There is a fundamental problem in the way valuations for business rates are done and that needs to be looked at.
“High street shops seem to pay more than a similar unit out-of-town. That doesn’t feel right when there is a public and political view that high streets need some form of protection. There’s also an imbalance between property-based businesses and online sellers.”
Business rates expert Paul Turner-Mitchell said: “I don’t think the Government will rake in any more money, it’s about a more even distribution of business rates across the retail sector.
“The likes of Shop Direct, ASOS and Amazon with big distribution centres don’t pay as much as small retailers. There’s a lot of anger and we have a tax system that was devised when there wasn’t a digital economy. It’s a question of making sure the burden is shared more fairly and giving community and small shops a more level playing field.”
Mark Rigby of business rates specialist CVS added: “Fairness must be at the heart of that inquiry so local communities can thrive going forward.”
CVS analysis suggested that Amazon’s nine distribution centres in England and Wales would save £148,000 under the rating system.


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Remember Richard Perry? Many radio industry veterans do from his Perry Capital Corp. ownership of Radio & Records, sold to Nielsen in August 2006 and eventually closed in June 2009.
He’s in the news again, as Perry-owned retailer Barney’s New York on August 6 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. CNBC reported that the move to debtor-in-possession status “makes the luxury department store the latest victim of the retail upheaval, as shoppers buy online and from brands directly.”
The National Retail Federation takes issue with this characterization of the state of retail. In the NRF’s eyes, retail business is growing — not shrinking.
It just depends on how you interpret growth.


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The Flakes Save Christmas…Until After Thanksgiving
This morning, the Breakfast Flakes read an e-mail promoting a "Christmas Bizarre" this weekend. Which led Paul to propose a new law prohibiting any business from advertising a holiday event before the next holiday is over. In Paul's world, there should be no Christmas Promotions until after Thanksgiving, let alone before Halloween.
Mark pointed out that a lot of people have already started their holiday shopping. And isn't that what Christmas is really all about? The deals?


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Vodacom and m-commerce company Mondia have launched their free Mum & Baby maternal health service in Lesotho. The mobile service provider will roll the…
Android 9.0 Pie’s rollout is slower than a, well, a pie rolling down a hill, but some companies are pushing updates to their devices sooner than others.
Last week, Nokia confirmed that its devices will be getting the latest version of Android soon. Now, Sony is pushing updates to its older devices.
The Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact are both receiving Android Pie in their latest security patches, according to Xperia Blog.
Additionally, a new camera update is also included.
It’s not completely clear if South Africa is among the regions receiving the update, but we’ve contacted the company’s local reps for clarification.
Feature image: Andy Walker/Gearburn


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Norton Way Motors wins 'Best Fleet Operation' at 2017 AM Awards
Norton Way Motors lifted the title of ‘Manufacturer of the Year’, at the 2017 Automative Management Awards which took place on Thursday 9th February at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham.
An AM Award brings with it the respect of the industry and publicly acknowledges the importance of people and helps to strengthen the confidence of an individual or teams – as well as provide an independent mark of quality in a business that can be incorporated into your marketing strategy.
BDO once again independently audited the AM Awards.
BDO partner and head of motor retail Malcolm Thixton said: "We are delighted to once again audit the AM Awards. As one of the leading advisers in the sector, we have been working with motor retailers for more than 20 years and are pleased to bring this experience to support AM in its recognition of the stars of the UK motor industry.
Other winners on the night included:
Kia - Franchise of the Year
Kia Sportage – Used Car of the Year
Mazda - Manufacturer of the Year


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Citadel Advisors LLC raised its stake in Habit Restaurants Inc. (NASDAQ:HABT) by 161.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 165,231 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 102,094 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC’s holdings in Habit Restaurants were worth $2,314,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in HABT. BlackRock Advisors LLC raised its position in Habit Restaurants by 9.1% in the third quarter. BlackRock Advisors LLC now owns 7,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 646 shares during the period. Nationwide Fund Advisors raised its position in Habit Restaurants by 7.5% in the second quarter. Nationwide Fund Advisors now owns 8,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,000 after buying an additional 578 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp bought a new position in Habit Restaurants during the second quarter valued at about $172,000. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in Habit Restaurants by 0.8% in the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 12,518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $175,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC bought a new position in Habit Restaurants during the second quarter valued at about $200,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.80% of the company’s stock.
Shares of Habit Restaurants Inc. (NASDAQ:HABT) traded down 2.35% during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $14.55. The stock had a trading volume of 257,436 shares. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $16.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.43. Habit Restaurants Inc. has a one year low of $13.20 and a one year high of $22.21. The stock has a market cap of $278.98 million, a PE ratio of 61.39 and a beta of 1.25.
Habit Restaurants (NASDAQ:HABT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $71.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $72.06 million. Habit Restaurants had a return on equity of 5.39% and a net margin of 1.42%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.06 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Habit Restaurants Inc. will post $0.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Several equities analysts have issued reports on HABT shares. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $17.00 target price (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Habit Restaurants in a research note on Thursday, December 15th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Habit Restaurants from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. The company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.75.
In other Habit Restaurants news, insider Peter Whitwell sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.40, for a total transaction of $26,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 387 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,733.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders have sold 4,500 shares of company stock valued at $73,275 in the last three months. 5.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
About Habit Restaurants
The Habit Restaurants, Inc (Habit Burger Grill) is a fast casual restaurant company. The Company is engaged in preparing made-to-order char-grilled burgers and sandwiches featuring tri-tip steak, grilled chicken and sushi-grade albacore tuna cooked over an open flame. In addition, it offers salads, sides, shakes and malts.
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HABT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Habit Restaurants Inc. (NASDAQ:HABT).


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Moovel mooves: Tap and pay is on the way
The doorway that led to the strip club Magic Gardens is unrecognizable.
Where once men stood in the street wondering if the magic was real, now there are giant windows and security cameras. The building, which is across Fourth Avenue from the House of Louie restaurant, housed a tenement for Chinese laborers in the 19th Century. Then the upper floors stayed vacant for about 50 years, rotting in the dark. Now it has been seismically retrofit and had its beams sandblasted. With its atrium and glass conference rooms, its cereal dispensers and private meeting nooks, the second and third floors are fit for a tech company.
And the lucky new tenant is moovel (lower case m, please), the company that does the ticketing app for TriMet. All 116 staff are moved in to the 1889 Overland Warehouse (old timers know it as the Suey Sing building).
Moovel began as GlobeSherpa, which was bought by RideScout of Austin, Texas, which is owned by Daimler of Stuttgart, which also owns Mercedes Benz and the old Freightliner trucks. (Daimler also owns Car2GO, whose tiny smart cars are in the process of being upgraded to four door Benzes with a bit more swagger.)
Old Town is ready for its close up
What moovel has done is remarkable. They've come up from nothing, raised money in Portland, exited to a major multinational and decided to stay here instead of moving "to be near the money" in the Bay Area, as their commercial realtor, Ajay Malhotra of CBRE Advisory & Transaction Services, put it. "And they put their faith in Old Town Chinatown," he added.
Malhotra, being CBRE's VP of the Technology & Media Practice, shows a lot of firms around Portland. Firms that are usually looking at Austin and Salt Lake City as well. He shows them the trendy Central East Side, the cut price class A towers of downtown, the touristy Pearl, and now he has an Old Town example to round out the picture.
Skip Rotter, moovel's Vice President, Research and Development , explained that the technical challenge of coming up with a paperless ticketing system has been mostly about working with Apple and Android.
His engineers must get access to the Apple Wallet so that transactions can take place on the cloud in real time, as opposed to on a magnetic strip like on the old New York City metro cards. And getting that close to Apple takes a lot of relationship building. Apple guards its gated community fiercely, for security's sake.
"With NFC (wireless Near Field Communication) the challenge is getting access to that chip on the Apple side, which means collaborating with other third parties," said Rotter. The big fear is a type of cloning, which is so easy in the digital world. "You don't want someone to copy your phone and have access to the fare.
Rotter says they are hoping to have the Hop Fastpass system open by the end of the year. It's a tap system using NFC. For two years TriMet has been installing the NFC hardware, pads which bus and train riders can tap and have their fare calculated and deducted at once.
The new system will be similar to the one in use in Chicago, where you can manage your payment card from your phone. By the end of the year you will be able to use your phone to pay a transit fare in Chicago and Portland, thanks to the coding work going on at moovel.
To that end, TriMet is working with a systems integrator.
"There's no major hurdles, it's just about putting all the pieces together," said Rotter.
This sounds a lot the sharp end of the wedge that employers are always talking about: they don't just want people who are good at coding, they also want people who can play nicely together, people who can collaborate multiple communication channels, times zones and even languages.
Further out, the R&D department is also working on being able to pay without even taking your pone out of your pocket. It will run on low power Bluetooth or other microlocation technology.
They are also working on a partner-agnostic ticketing solution. Transit agencies around America want to be about to buy a good ticketing solution from one company (such as moovel, he hopes) and pair it with hardware from another company, rather than get stuck with using bad software made by the hardware provider. Again, the technology is ready. Much of the work is in the maneuvering and making deals.
"We're making a product they'll be able to install on any system they want."
Nat Parker, co-founder and former CEO of GlobeSherpa, and now CEO of moovel North America, took the microphone to thank everyone from girlfriends who stuck by them to city officials who helped them break into the world of government contracts.
Bright lights, smart cities
Parker announced that TriMet has just passed the $50 million mark in tickets sold through the app.
"We are positioning ourselves to be the technology partner of choice for cities to become the smart cities of the future." He said Daimler is on their side in valuing access over ownership. "…Car sharing, bike sharing, and TNCs (transportation network companies) that don't use secret spy devices and software to look at us," referring to Uber and its Greyball spyware. You know the tide is turning against Uber when an up and coming company like moovel NA publically scolds it.
Here come the electeds
Once you get good at business, the politicians come running. Think of Puppet's Luke Kanies being on first-name terms with Sen. Ron Wyden, or Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and Mayor Ted Wheeler showing up for the opening of an office. Bonamici reminded everyone of her support of advanced manufacturing and STEAM, and Wheeler waxed lyrical about equity and entrepreneurism.
He joked about speaking without any hecklers at the meeting, and about moovel trying to recruit his staff away from him, telling them to stop because he couldn't afford the counter offer. Wheeler praised Portland's multimodal transportation network, "You can probably even rent a skateboard in this town," and predicted that one day "We'll be thinking back on moovel's headquarters in Old Town Chinatown," he said of the Overland Warehouse. Wheeler said the city would continue to work with them and to support their efforts to get more women and people of color into technology industry. "Thank you for building a spectacular facility, A-plus!"
TriMet was the first transit system to go open source and share data to riders would know when their buses and trains were really coming. Trimet is rightly proud of creating the General Transit Feed Specification here in Portland, a standard that is used across the U.S.
TriMet way ahead of schedule
Tim McHugh explained meeting moovel early on. "We had to explain to those two grad students (Nat Parker and Michael Gray) that no, TriMet does not have a VC arm, you have to have a product before you can come and ask for anything."
He credits them with changing the way innovation takes place, not just with the ticketing app, but also with the way they ran a scavenger hunt around the opening of the Orange Line. They used gamification to get people to shop at local merchants along the line for deals, and in turn drover downloads of the app.
Chief Technology Officer Henry Harbury (a new recruit from Act-On Software) reaffirmed that the reason Portland has had to wait for "tap" technology was the hard work of getting access to Apple's IOS application program interface (API). He thinks down the road, "The device becomes your ticket, it's almost transactionless." He believes ticketing should be about allowing most people in and excluding the people without tickets, rather than the old analog method of checking everyone's ticket to weed out the farehoppers.
Apps like the one moovel built for TriMet help people plan their whole trip, switching between bus, rideshare and bike rental for their optimal user experience"
"What does it mean for ticketing? It could be for access to a venue, gating, anything."
What was interesting was every speaker had a vision, and the vision was about making things easier for people: from the bus rider peering into the gloom waiting for a ride to the bike-renting dilettante who doesn't need to work. That is something strange and new, and it's good that it is happening in Portland.


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Restaurants in both Berkeley and Oakland are closing due to labor shortages and increased operating costs.
Since the popular venue opened, noise and parking have become difficult nearby, some neighbors say.
Berkeley's hotly anticipated Westbrae Biergarten has soft opened, Old Oakland's The Cook and Her Farmer is live.
SLIDERBAR Today is the opening day for SliderBar, Berkeley’s newest location for tiny, juicy hamburgers (tipped by us earlier this month). The restaurant, at 2124 Center St., between Oxford and Shattuck, is in the former location of the Green Earth Café, and just steps away from Cal. Co-owner Ashwani Dhawan is a Silicon Valley hi-tech entrepreneur who has already created two other SliderBar locations and has plans to open two more in the coming months. To celebrate the opening, Dhawan will give away 1,000 free sliders on Sat. Aug. 24. The menu includes The Old Timer (Niman Ranch beef, gem lettuce, tomatoes, pickled onions, house made pickles, and secret sauce), the Three Alarm (Niman Ranch beef patty, cheddar cheese, habanero pepper jam, sliced serrano chilis, pickled jalapeños), and the Magic Mushroom (balsamic-marinated portobellos, onion rings, pickled onions, Swiss cheese, and arugula). SliderBar will also serve the Red and Gold, which is a concoction of corned beef brisket, sweet red pepper sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and a secret sauce. It’s not named after Cal’s nemesis, Stanford, but the San Francisco 49ers. (more…)
THE FICKLE BAG The handbag and accessory store The Fickle Bag has shut its doors at 1885 Solano Ave. A note on the store’s website announcing the closure of the 3-year-old business does not provide details regarding why it closed. However, owner Jua Park also operates a Fickle Bag location in the San Francisco International Airport, which will remain open. (Hat tip: Jane Tierney)
Openings, closing and fun food events in the East Bay: it's all here in the new Nosh Bites.
OUT: BRASA / IN: BRAZIL CAFÉ Brasa, the Peruvian restaurant at 1960 University Ave., next to Slow, is closing in late July. Brasa, which specializes in rotisserie chicken, opened in early 2012 after owners Christopher and Veronique Laramie closed their original restaurant in the same location, eVe, and re-opened as Brasa. A staffer at the restaurant said the owners have no immediate plans to open another restaurant, but that the concept is not dead, just “on hiatus.” The space has been snapped up by Brazil Café which will open a new brick-and-mortar spot there on Aug. 1. Brazil Café runs the popular food shack near the top of University. The vibe is relaxed and island-themed, decorated with hanging lanterns and a menu painted onto an old standing surfboard. It also plans to serve up the same much-loved sandwiches and salads — and of course its famous mango smoothies — as at its parent shack. (more…)
Looking for Bibimbap, momo, or salchipapas in Berkeley? We've got it covered in our ethnic eats roundup.
Cafe Yesterday: Berkeley's only breakfast cereal bar serves up TK coffee and seasonal sandwiches on Acme Bread along with Frosted Flakes.
By Jessica Kwong


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In a recent foliomag.com story, Kathy Ibsen cited this from Marijuana Business Magazine: “more than 60 percent of the U.S. population now lives in a state with some form of legalized marijuana.” When the article appeared, 29 states and the District of Columbia (D,C.) allowed legal medical cannabis in the U.S. Legal recreational use was allowed in eight states (Maine, No. 9, awaits the governor’s action of a veto-proof legislation to legalize recreational use). The reason for Ibsen’s cannabis-centric article, however, was not to count heads–it was to count magazines. Widespread interest in legalized cannabis has fired up the North American publishing world to the tune of functioning cannabis-focused magazines in the double digits, covering topics that range from the street-smart to the Wall Street-smart. Indeed, in the spring of 2017 the longest surviving and undisputed top pot periodical, the over 40 year-old High Times (HT) had been sold to a private equity firm for $42 million. It’s a leading voice in the cannabis world.
Last February, HT’s online version reported a deal between Canada’s Ontario provincial government and the online Ottawa-based e-commerce platform, Shopify: the latter will benefit from the former’s ready and waiting legislation to legalize recreational cannabis.
The Chicago-based David Friedman has a few things to say about cannabis in Canada and North America. In 2015, he co-created the Vancouver-based Arcview Investor Forum’s North American Marijuana Stock Index that tracks the leading legal cannabis stocks operating in the U.S. and Canada. Today Friedman co-heads the cannabis venture capital Panther Opportunity Fund, and he is the president of VividGro, a division of Lighting Science, a global designer and manufacturer of LED lighting for consumer and commercial applications. VividGro is invested in lighting for cannabis production.
Friedman says, “If you want to predict the future, find something inevitable… Cannabis in general is inevitable, and in Canada it is imminent”.
His take is that federal recreational cannabis legislation will roll out in Canada this coming summer.
As it is with states in the U.S., Friedman says, “Most provinces seem to be embracing the opportunity…federal legalization simply paves the way for an unencumbered cannabis economy. Ultimately, local jurisdictions can decide if they want to participate.”
A major difference between the U.S. and Canada is the way the so-called vice businesses are distributed and sold. With just a few exceptions, in the states it’s mostly in private hands. In most of Canada, the provinces have their hands in it, which is why instead of dealing with vendors, Shopify has a cannabis deal directly with Ontario province.
As Friedman sees it, the province made a good choice: “Shopify was chosen by the Ontario province to be the online/mobile e-commerce platform for cannabis sales…Having a mainstream e-commerce provider willing to step into the market is further evidence of market adoption.”
Notice that the deal is for online/mobile shopping. In Ontario province, cannabis will be available for sale online and also at so-called “bricks and mortar” locations, where all sales will be done via a mobile device that will go directly to the Shopify Point Of Sale e-commerce platform. The cash-free transaction is a good form of control, especially over inventory and taxes.
Since provinces will be free to adopt or eschew cannabis legality, Friedman is unsure how the Ontario/Shopify deal will go over with the other provinces: “If I had to guess, the other provinces will probably wait to see how the partnership plays out before they decide what to do. What is unique about Ontario is that they have elected to operate only government-run marijuana sales, making a partnership like this with a centralized vendor management system much more feasible. Other provinces are taking a more hands-off approach which will make a partnership a lot more difficult.”
Since the majority of U.S. states have yet to legalize recreational use, the question becomes how will Shopify prevent cannabis sales (and shipments) to U.S residents?
Friedman says he has not seen the Ontario/Shopify agreement: “I do not know if there will be a feature in the system that prohibits a shipping address outside Canada, but it would not be difficult to do. Ultimately, I think the policing of that measure will fall to the seller and not the e-commerce partner…but given that the e-commerce piece interacts with the banking components, it’s an interesting question with respect to ultimate liability.”
The fact that states can act as a laboratory for the U.S. federal government may soon put to rest concerns about shipping across the border. New York Senator Chuck Schumer’s recent announcement to introduce a marijuana legalization bill in Congress has supporters.


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Market towns see retail rents plunge as business rates and out of town shopping take their toll
- Credit: IAN BURT
High street rental values in market towns across Norfolk and Suffolk have fallen dramatically over the past decade as out-of-town shopping and the internet have taken their toll.
The cost of prime retail space has decreased in towns such as King's Lynn, Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth, according to a commercial property expert.
The combination of high business rates, parking costs and competition had led to a softening of demand and subsequent decline in rental value, said Adrian Fennell, a partner at Roche Chartered Surveyors.
Great Yarmouth has seen the largest reduction with average rents for prime zone A retail space falling 47% from £75 per sq m to £40.
King's Lynn fell 31% since 2007, from £87.50 per sq m to £60, while Lowestoft has fallen 43% from £75 per sq m to £42.50.
'King's Lynn, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft all have [negative] growth which is significant. The main reason recently is the exceptionally high [business] rates which have stagnated growth, even with the revaluation,' Mr Fennell said.
'King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth have extremely strong out of town representation with the Hardwick and Gapton Hall retail parks.'
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Ipswich and Thetford had seen drops of around 20% while Bury St Edmunds bucked the trend rising 9%, which Mr Fennell said was helped by its proximity to the booming Cambridge market.
Mr Fennell said concessions on business rates would help, as well as cheaper parking to help bring more shoppers into towns.
He said: 'Parking charges are also an issue because if you are doing everyday shopping you don't want to pay £3.50 for two hours.'
Abbie Panks, centre manager for King's Lynn's Vancouver Centre said many towns had seen their rents fall with those in East Anglia no different to most.
Lowestoft Vision chairman Danny Steel said although rents had been falling there retail sector was still holding up.
'Footfall has dropped this year but the average spend has increased to balance that out.
'Organisations such as Lowestoft Vision and the other BIDs are doing lots of work to bring people in,' he said.
Mr Fennell was speakeing at a joint Birketts, BDO and Roche property seminar in Norwich.


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- Consumer discretionary shares post worst drop in 3 months
- Earnings results sap momentum after commodities-led rally
U.S. stocks fell for the first time in four days, reversing much of Tuesday’s rally as disappointing results from Macy’s Inc. to Walt Disney Co. heightened concern that American consumers remain hesitant to boost spending.
The misses from Disney and Macy’s sent consumer discretionary shares tumbling the most in three months as investors await Friday’s government report on retail sales. Fossil Group Inc. also reported weak results, while earnings from J.C. Penney Co. and Nordstrom Inc. are still on tap this week. Equity losses deepened in afternoon trading as drug developers led declines in health-care and banks erased an advance.
The S&P 500 fell 1 percent to 2,064.46 at 4 p.m. in New York, after rising 1.3 percent yesterday, the most in two months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 217.23 points, or 1.2 percent, to 17,711.12, following a 222-point climb Tuesday. The Nasdaq Composite Index decreased 1 percent. About 7.1 billion shares traded hands on U.S. exchanges, 7 percent below the three-month average.
“Given that equities are about 3 percent away from all-time highs in absence of earnings growth, equities are priced to perfection within a thin margin of error,” said Terry Sandven, who helps oversee $126 billion as chief equity strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management in Minneapolis. “Yesterday’s rally was somewhat unexpected and not the trend that we’re likely to see over the next few weeks. By any measure, equities are due for a pullback and will trend sideways over the next year.”
After a rally Tuesday sparked by a rebound in commodities prices, results from Disney and Macy’s reminded investors that further equity gains remain vulnerable to stumbling corporate profits. Other media, retail and apparel companies were the hardest hit in Wednesday’s trading, posting their worst declines since the depths of the correction earlier this year. Behind Disney, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Nike Inc. fell the most in the Dow, losing more than 2.7 percent. Kohl’s Corp. slid 6 percent, the steepest in three months.
Stocks snapped their longest winning streak since the S&P 500 reached a four-month high on April 20. The benchmark jumped as much as 15 percent from its February low to come last month within 1.4 percent of the record set a year ago, as investors assessed how recovering oil prices and a drop in the dollar will help limit a contraction in corporate earnings. The index has since struggled to extend gains amid lukewarm economic data and lackluster results from giants such as Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp. and today Disney.
As the earnings reporting period winds down, analysts have moderated their predictions for a decline in first-quarter profits for S&P 500 members to 7.4 percent, from 10 percent last month. So far, about 75 percent of the firms that have released results beat earnings estimates, and 54 percent exceeded sales projections.
“The earnings season wasn’t bad if you strip off energy and financials, but you can’t just remove everything you don’t like,” said Ben Kumar, who helps manage about $14 billion at London-based Seven Investment Management. “You have some moments of optimism followed by risk-off days and there’s just no real momentum. Oil is steering sentiment again because there’s not much else.”
Meanwhile, traders are betting the Federal Reserve will be all the more deliberate in tightening monetary policy after data last week showed fewer-than-forecast jobs were added last month. Traders are now pricing in only a 4 percent chance of higher interest rates in June, compared with 22 percent just two weeks ago. The first month with even odds of an increase has been pushed back to February 2017.
In Wednesday’s trading, nine of the S&P 500’s 10 main industries retreated, with consumer discretionary companies losing 2 percent, while health-care and financial shares dropped at least 1.1 percent. Utilities edged higher, erasing a loss of as much as 0.6 percent.
The CBOE Volatility Index rose 7.8 percent to 14.69, the first climb in five days and the biggest in almost two weeks. The measure of market turbulence known as the VIX is still down about 6 percent this month after rising 13 percent in April.
Disney and Home Depot Inc., part of the top eight contributors to the S&P 500’s recovery since February, were among its biggest drags today, falling 4 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively. Within the S&P 500’s discretionary group, Staples Inc. dropped the most, down 18 percent after its merger with Office Depot Inc. was scrapped. Office Depot plummeted 40 percent, the most ever.
Macy’s slumped 15 percent, the most in seven years. Michael Kors Holdings Ltd., a Macy’s supplier and licensing partner with Fossil, sank 12 percent, its worst slide in 11 months. Fossil dropped 29 percent, not as bad as the 34 percent tumble following its quarterly report back in November. Also caught in the fallout, Coach Inc. and Ralph Lauren Corp. lost at least 5.4 percent. Even underwear maker Hanesbrands Inc. sank 4 percent, the most since February.
The nervousness over consumers’ wherewithal also pervaded staples stocks, halting the group’s longest winning streak in three months after it reached an all-time high yesterday. Drugstore chain CVS Health Corp. retreated 1.8 percent, while Oreo cookie maker Mondelez International Inc. slipped 1.4 percent.
The damage in retail also spread to the landlords, with mall-owning real-estate companies getting battered. General Growth Properties Inc. dropped 5.9 percent, the steepest slide since October 2011. Simon Property Group Inc. lost 5 percent, also the worst since 2011. Real-estate firms in the S&P 500 fell 2.3 percent after closing yesterday at a 15-month high.
Endo International Plc sank almost 13 percent to a 13-year low, leading health-care shares down. Gilead Sciences Inc. and Celgene Corp. lost more than 2.6 percent, while the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index fell 3.1 percent, the biggest drop since March 23, after a 3.4 percent climb over the prior two sessions.
Energy shares wiped out gains in the final hour to close little changed, despite West Texas Intermediate crude rising 3.5 percent to settle above $46 a barrel. Marathon Oil Corp. and Devon Energy Corp. added at least 3.1 percent, offset by declines in Exxon Mobil Corp., Schlumberger Ltd. and Chevron Corp.
Copper miner Freeport-McMoRan Inc.’s 6.9 percent gain wasn’t enough to buoy the raw-materials group. Freeport rose as Codelco, the world’s biggest copper producer, sees prices rising toward the end of next year as investment cuts hasten a re-balancing of global supply and demand. Vulcan Materials Co. and CF Industries Holdings Inc. lost more than 2 percent to weigh on the group.
Electronic Arts Inc. was the strongest performer in the S&P 500, surging nearly 14 percent, the biggest climb in two years. The video-game maker quarterly results exceeded analysts’ estimates, bolstered by online sales to gamers drawn to its sports and “Star Wars” titles. Competitor Activision Blizzard Inc. advanced 1.9 percent, while Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. increased 2.7 percent.


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Workshop on WOVEN CAD
KCT-TIFAC CORE in Textile Technology & Machinery of Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore jointly with Department of Fashion Technology organised a workshop on "WOVEN CAD" recently at Kumaraguru College of Technology,
KCT-TIFAC CORE in Textile Technology & Machinery of Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore jointly with Department of Fashion Technology organised a workshop on "WOVEN CAD" recently at Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore, exclusively for the benefit of students from textile/fashion/apparel institutions, technicians working in weaving industry, designers working in apparel industries. About 30 participants from various academic institutions participated in the workshop.
The participants were taught on various fundamental aspects of WOVEN CAD dobby and jacquard designs using wonder weaves software installed at KCT-TIFAC CORE advanced research centre for Textile Technology and Machinery, a project under Department of Science and Technology, Govt of India. The participants were trained by S Sathyaraj, Trainer from C-Cube Technologies. The Chief Guest of the inaugural programme was C Palanisamy, President, Tamilnadu Powerloom Owners Association for Coimbatore and Tirupur Districts. In his address, he stressed the importance of training in advanced WOVEN DESIGN, for the apparel industry needs creative designers who will be playing a key role in promoting the marketing/sale of products in the apparel industry as consumers quite often need different designs as fashion changes very fast.
Chief guest also told the students about the various difficulties faced by the powerloom industry and also on the need for more Government schemes to support for the survival of this old industry. He also appreciated the efforts of KCT-TIFAC CORE for organising such a need based skill development programme. Kumarasamy, Secretary, Tamilnadu Powerloom Owners Association also spoke on the Occasion. J Srinivasan, Professor & Head, Department of Fashion Technology, gave a warm welcome and delivered the presidential address. G Ramakrishnan, Co-ordinator, KCT-TIFAC CORE gave a brief talk on facilities established at KCT-TIFAC CORE for benefit of textile industry and read the message given by Principal, KCT R S Kumar. Trainer from C-cube Technologies R Sathyaraj highlighted about the course and K Gopinath, SSO, TIFAC CORE gave a vote of thanks. Certificates were distributed to all the participants of the workshop.


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Continuing with its spate of acquisitions, Yahoo! has acquired video share app Qwiki and email management app Xobni. While, Qwiki is a New York City based startup automated video production company, Xobni is a San Francisco-based startup founded in 2006.
The Qwiki app automatically turns pictures and videos that you already have on your iPhone into quick, beautiful movies to share, including transitions and a soundtrack. Announcing this the Yahoo blog stated,” We will continue to support the Qwiki app, and the team will join Yahoo! in our New York city office to reimagine Yahoo!’s storytelling experience.”
Yahoo said it will integrate Xobni’s technology into its communications products, including the mobile and PC versions of its email and instant messaging services. Following the acquisition, 31 Xobni employees will be joining Yahoo, including Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bonforte, who previously worked at Yahoo.


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On Thursday, Tesla Inc.'s cautionary announcement about potential electric vehicle price cuts caused Elon Musk's wealth to plummet by $20.3 billion. The drop brought Musk's net worth down to $234.4 billion. This announcement also sparked a sharp decline in Tesla's shares.
Wealth Gap Narrows Between Musk and Bernard Arnault
The impact of Musk's financial setback also narrows the wealth gap between him and Bernard Arnault, the chairman of luxury goods maker LVMH and the world's second-richest person. Despite the dip, Musk's fortune still exceeds Arnault's by approximately $33 billion.
In June, Elon Musk surpassed Bernard Arnault to become the world's richest person when LVMH's shares experienced a decline in Paris trading. Musk, deriving his wealth primarily from his holdings in Tesla, Space Exploration Technologies, and Twitter, has witnessed impressive growth, accumulating an additional $118 billion through Wednesday as Tesla shares surged by 136%.
In contrast, Bernard Arnault has steadily increased his net worth, rising by $39 billion to reach $201.2 billion this year. Shares of LVMH, based in Paris, have experienced a 26 percent gain in 2023.
Tesla's Struggles with Profitability
The decline in Tesla's share value has been driven by warnings of additional pressures on its profitability. Elon Musk acknowledges that further price adjustments for Tesla's electric vehicles may be necessary if interest rates continue to rise.


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FEIS ILE 2015 BOTTLES AVAILABLE at Milroy’s of Soho – Scotch Whisky News
FEIS ILE 2015 BOTTLES AVAILABLE!
FESTIVAL BOTTLINGS BEHIND OUR BAR AND IN OUR SHOP…
Last week we announced the exciting news that we will be running our first ever tasting of Islay Festival bottlings. However we didn’t go all the way to Islay to just acquire bo


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How many fast food outlets does your child or grandchild pass en route to school?
On the heels of a first-ever study of fast food shops around schools, the Rotorua Daily Post set out to analyse how many outlets selling sugary and fatty foods lie within a 1km radius of some local schools.
A nationwide study by Auckland University researchers showed more than 60 per cent of urban schools had a fast food shop within 800m; nearly 70 per cent had a dairy within that zone.
We visited several Rotorua neighbourhoods for a street view of what kids might encounter around school.
Rotorua Primary School, in the CBD, is nestled within a hub of commercial activity: offices, shops, banks, and hairdressers rub shoulders with shops, restaurants and cafes whose offerings encompass fine dining, fried chicken, pizza, fries, icecream, lollies and much more.
We counted more than 40 restaurants and food outlets within 1km of the school, not including bottle shops and bars.
Rotorua Primary principal John Naera says his school was close to a dairy, but pupils could only go there before or after school with parents. "I don't think I've seen a fizzy drink in our school for a long time."
Mr Naera said his school had followed a healthy lunch policy for years. While they used to have a canteen, students now have one day per week where they can buy lunches. In addition, the school participates in the Government's Fruit in Schools programme, which gives students access to high-quality fruit and vegetables.
"We've found kids' lunches are healthier than they've ever been. On Monday and Wednesday, the fruit is in and every child has at least one piece of fruit a day," he said.
The Rotorua principal looks to UK policies he says local schools could adopt.
"They've gone to water only. I'm not sure it needs to be legislated, but in schools, depending on priorities, 80 to 90 per cent of what kids drink is water. "
Mr Naera said he's concerned as children got older, they started drinking high-sugar caffeinated beverages to stay awake and study.
Auckland University researchers suggested legislative changes could be made allowing councils to restrict new unhealthy food outlets near schools, creating a healthy food zone.
A spokeswoman for the Rotorua Lakes Council said there had been no discussions by the mayor or councillors about the issue.
Over on Malfroy Rd, Westbrook Primary School sits near a dairy and petrol stations selling snacks. Principal Colin Watkins said enforcing healthy food choices was not the government's responsibility.
"Are you going to have laws that restrict dairies and Four Squares from selling products to kids just because they're going to school? That's crap. We have enough Big Brother action happening ... all that does is put the onus on shopkeepers to police something that should be a decision made between parents and their kids. I think it's a bit of a sad indictment on our New Zealand society that more of our parenting issues are dumped on schools."
New Zealand Secondary Principals Association Waikato and Central Plateau representative Philip McCreery said he'd support a proactive programme limiting the location of fast food outlets close to schools, "but I would also encourage schools to also work with these providers to find a solution, for example, encouraging them not to serve students in school uniform".
Fast Food around Schools Study:
* First of its kind in NZ
* Neighbourhoods checked from 2473 schools
* 69 per cent of urban schools have a convenience store within 800m
* 62 per cent of urban schools have a fast food shop within 800m
* Researchers want law changes to stop unhealthy food premises near schools


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Last year was the year for political book wars. The three top-selling political non-fiction books were Hillary Clinton's "Living History," followed by Al Franken's "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them," and then Bill O'Reilly's "Who's Looking Out For You?" O'Reilly has touted the book-sales races on his television program, radio show and Web site.
The competition between O'Reilly's book and Clinton's book has become a major issue for O'Reilly. On NBC's "Today," O'Reilly stated, "We're running against Hillary for most copies of non-fiction books sold this year." On Dec. 16, O'Reilly touted the sales race on the FoxNews.com Web site, saying that "we've got a real shot at overtaking Mrs. Clinton ... Ridiculous? Only if you're rooting for her."
O'Reilly has alleged that Clinton's book-sales numbers are inflated by bulk sales to the Democratic National Committee. On FoxNews.com, on Nov. 7, O'Reilly wrote: "Word is the DNC has purchased thousands of copies of Hillary Clinton's book." On his Web site, on Jan. 12, O'Reilly labeled "Hillary's sales" the "Most Ridiculous Item of the Day." "Right now, after a little more than three months, 'Who's Looking Out For You?' has sold about 800,000 copies ... Senator Clinton's book, as far as we can determine (and information is hard to come by), has sold about 1.1 million copies. However, the Democratic National Committee has bought a ton of copies -- and it's giving them away in exchange for donations," O'Reilly wrote.
O'Reilly has also jumped into the fray with Al Franken's "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them." On "Today," he said, "We've outsold that guy all over the place." Matt Drudge immediately posted Nielsen BookScan statistics contradicting O'Reilly's assertions. "Nielsen, the same company that ranks O'Reilly No. 1 on Cable TV, currently places O'Reilly at No. 6 for the year on the non-fiction charts -- trailing rival Al Franken by nearly 30 percent!" he wrote on DrudgeReport.com.
O'Reilly fired back by quoting Nielsen vice president of sales and services Jim King, who said Nielsen had put Drudge on notice regarding his unlicensed use of BookScan numbers. O'Reilly wrote this on his Web site: "So let's sum it up, folks: The 'irrefutable source' that Drudge cited in bashing Bill ... is telling Drudge: 1) It's not irrefutable; 2) it undercounts book sales by as much as 35 percent; 3) don't publish the list on your site again."
O'Reilly alleges that Franken's book sales are inflated because of bulk buys, especially bulk buys from the Democratic National Committee. According to O'Reilly, Tony Welch, DNC press secretary, refused to answer specific questions about the number of "smear books" the DNC has bought. "A political party jacking up book sales of dubious people is bad enough," O'Reilly wrote on Nov. 7 on the FoxNews Web site, "but using the publishing industry to advance political power is disgraceful."
I spoke with Welch by telephone on Sunday afternoon. He disputed O'Reilly's allegations about Hillary Clinton's "Living History" and denied that the DNC bought any copies of her book. Welch also said that the DNC had in fact made bulk buys of what O'Reilly terms "smear books" and confirmed that such practice is typical. He claims the bulk buys for each book were less than 1,500.
O'Reilly's book publicist at Broadway Books could not be reached for comment.
Bulk buys of liberal books are certainly common. The American Prowler reported in June 2003 that Hillary Clinton told Democratic Senate colleagues and other groups that if they wanted her to appear at fund-raisers, they would have to buy copies of her book "in bulk for free distribution at the event" or make her book "available for purchase while she is in attendance." O'Reilly claims that five Web sites, including the DNC, are buying "smear books" in bulk.
Either O'Reilly's information is unfounded and his claims regarding Hillary Clinton and Al Franken are incorrect, or the DNC is lying. Either way, someone isn't telling the truth. Who is it?


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The latest digital edition of Business & Finance has been issued.
The latest digital edition of Business & Finance has been issued. Managing Editor, Sarah Freeman, writes: “2022 has begun with a note of cautious optimism, with businesses dusting off their growth and expansion plans and the business community embracing the uncertainty that planning now entails.”
In this issue, we look at the phenomenal increase of the Irish footprint in the United States with insight from Sarah-Jane Larkin, Director General of the Irish Venture Capital Association, Conor Twomey, Head of Customer Success and Managing Director Americas at KX, a division of FD Technologies and Sarah Clarke, CEO North America, Intuition Publishing Ltd.
We showcase a number of thought leaders from the business community who talk about forces of business change, with pieces by Leo Clancy, CEO Enterprise Ireland; John Jordan, CEO Ornua; Danny McCoy, CEO Ibec; entrepreneur Bobby Kerr and champion of gender balance, Julie Sinnamon, who has taken on the role of Co-Chair for Balance for Better Business, a group that engages with the Irish business community, advocating for greater gender balance on boards and in leadership roles.
This digital issue will offer narratives of positivity, growth and optimism for the months ahead. We focus on the increasingly topical issues of Renewable Mobility and the Return to the Office. Also featured in this issue is the Chief Financial Officers Index 2021, in association with Sia Partners.
We have Takeaways from all of the FS Summit 2021 sessions, and also featured in this issue is an Editor’s choice of thought leadership articles from the previous year. We talk about the upcoming Business & Finance Awards, taking place on 12th April, an exciting event in our calendar. We hope to see you there.
The paywall is lifted for a limited time only. You can read the latest issue here, with compliments.


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Snapshot and 30-day Trend: December 2017
The lack of supply and high demand in December led to an increase in prices across Silicon Valley. Even in what is typically a slow month, and with ever tightening supply, more sales closed in December than November and more than a year ago as well.
Median sales prices were 18% higher than a year ago and nearly 6% higher than in November. Los Altos, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale lead the way with increases of 25% or more. On the flip side, Los Altos Hills and Los Gatos/Monte Sereno actually posted losses to both last month and last year. Homes continue to sell well above their list price (110%) for the region. Every city we track had a sales price to list price ratio of over 105%.
Homes aren’t staying on the market very long either. On average, December’s sales closed in 19 days. While that is 6.6 days longer than in November it is nearly eight days shorter than in December 2016. Sales closing within 20 days is typically considered to indicate a tight market.
In our beach communities, the median sales price dropped 7.2% from November but was still up 4.8% from last December. Even though the median price fell, homes still sold for their list price, on average. Inventory fell sharply (26%) but sales still managed a strong 23% increase. Soquel had the biggest gain at 45%. Capitola was the only community that added inventory, but that was only two units. The high demand and falling supply left only 1.2 months of inventory for the area.


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Dannii Minogue brings Petite Style to the UK
From disco royalty to fashion designer, this month Dannii Minogue joined the list of stellar household names at QVC UK for an exclusive – and super stylish – new fashion and jewellery range. Inspired by her own struggles finding clothes that fit off-the-rack, Dannii who is 5’2, took her years of experience of designing for petite women to design one of the biggest petites range at QVC UK ever; and we couldn’t wait to shout about it.
Despite the pandemic and Dannii having to do everything from interviews to photoshoots from her home in Melbourne Australia, the team secured blanket coverage. With news and interview feature placements from the cover of YOU Magazine, a chat on ITV Lorraine – which saw a surge in Google searches for Dannii’s range – to Amanda Holden rocking Dannii’s “Love and Kisses” t-shirt on her Heart Radio show, love for Dannii’s collection really was on every corner.
Following the news of the launch, Dannii and co-host Author and TV Presenter Candice Brathwaite hosted press and influencers for a virtual daytime disco where they danced to Dannii’s curated disco playlist while talking through Dannii’s designs and answering questions from guests. Each attendee, which included names from This Morning, Good Morning Britain, HELLO! and The Evening Standard, were sent everything for their Tuesday morning disco including Dannii’s slogan tops from the collection and of course, their very own disco ball.
To date, the instinct team have generated 11 interviews and 12 features for the collection as well as 54 social mentions and are looking forward to continuing the petite revolution when Dannii drops her second launch later this spring!


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Tesco, Asda and Morrisons lose market share to discounters in run-up to Christmas, but Sainsbury’s thrives
Sainsbury’s sales beat Asda for the first time in a decade at Christmas after a surge in December sales.
Industry data from Kantar, which has been seen by The Telegraph, shows that Sainsbury’s sales accelerated dramatically in the four weeks to January 5.
Sainsbury’s year-on-year sales growth quickened from 1.8pc in the 12 weeks to December 8 to 6.7pc in the following four weeks as shoppers shifted their spending to the supermarket for Christmas.
The sharp increase in sales gave Sainsbury’s a market share of 17.7pc for the four weeks to January 5, compared to 17.5pc for Asda. This is the first time since 2003 that Sainsbury’s, which is led by chief executive Justin King, has beaten its rival at Christmas and reclaimed position as the number two grocery retailer behind Tesco.
Sainsbury’s growth was faster than Tesco, Asda and Morrisons, but also Waitrose.


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Americans are increasingly eating more of their meals prepared away from home — particularly African Americans, who also have higher rates of obesity.
Young adults tend to eat out more often at fast-food restaurants, and these establishments are more often found in minority neighborhoods. A few studies have shown that frequently eating out is associated with greater weight gain than eating at home, but little previous research has focused on whether specific types of foods eaten at fast food and other restaurants have a greater effect.
In a new study, a research team from BU’s Slone Epidemiology Center examined the association between consumption of foods from restaurants and risk of becoming obese in a large cohort of young African American women. Their results, published online today in Ethnicity & Disease, provide evidence that frequently eating hamburgers from restaurants is associated with higher risk of obesity.
The study, led by researchers affiliated with the BU School of Public Health, used data from the Black Women’s Health Study, an ongoing investigation of the health of 59,000 African American women that began in 1995. The analysis included younger women, aged 21 to 39 years, because most weight gain occurs before middle age. The women studied were not obese and had no history of cancer or cardiovascular disease at the start of follow-up.
Diet was assessed twice (in 1995 and 2001) using validated questionnaires, and information on the participants’ weights was collected every two years from the study’s start until 2011. The researchers examined the relationship of consumption of restaurant foods and sugar-sweetened soft drinks with risk of developing obesity (defined as body mass index ≥30 kg/m2).
The researchers found that women who ate burgers from restaurants at least twice a week were 26 percent more likely to become obese by the end of the study than those who rarely ate burgers, after controlling for factors including overall diet quality and sugar-sweetened soft drink consumption.
In addition, women who drank at least two sugar-sweetened soft drinks per day were 10 percent more likely to become obese than those who drank none, after controlling for overall diet quality and restaurant burger consumption.
The authors concluded that, “the identification of individual foods or beverages that are associated with weight gain provides a basis for specific and straightforward recommendations to help prevent obesity.”
Researchers included Deborah A. Boggs, Lynn Rosenberg, Patricia F. Coogan and Julie R. Palmer of the SPH epidemiology department. They worked with researchers from the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University.
Funding for the study came from the Aetna Foundation and the National Cancer Institute.


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Read the full story from the Massachusetts Daily Collegian.
Even the flyer for the event had a reminder written: “PLEASE RECYCLE ME!”
That flyer was for “The Conscious Consumer,” a talk given Monday night at the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts. The event featured two speakers, including Alex Freid, a University of New Hampshire graduate, and Cynthia Barstow, a marketing professor at UMass. Both are founders of movements that promote environmentally sustainable business practices.
Both speakers aim to end “corporate greenwashing,” which occurs when a company claims to be environmentally ethical but actually is not. Freid and Barstow criticized the lack of transparency of certain big businesses as it relates to environmental stability.
Read the full post at the Library of Congress’ In Custodia Legis.
Our patrons at the Law Library of Congress frequently ask us for assistance in investigating the origins and statutory authority of federal rules and regulations. And no wonder–regulations are important to understand, because they have the force and effect of law just as federal statutes do, though they are not issued by Congress. Instead, rules and regulations are created by a federal body such as an agency, board, or commission, and explain how that body intends to carry out or administer a federal law. In fact, these rules and regulations can often affect our everyday lives even more directly than statutes, by laying out the details of how we go about following the laws passed by Congress. This Research Guide will address the basics of how to “trace” a federal regulation, in order to not only derive its statutory authority, but also to learn more about its origins and history.
Read the full story from DC Velocity.
Ace Hardware worked with its waste and recycling contractor to get one DC to the point where it ships nothing to a landfill. A second DC is close behind. And that’s only a part of the hardware cooperative’s sustainability efforts.
Wed, Dec 3, 2014 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM CST
Register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/240292888
Home energy report programs have become a cornerstone of many utilities’ energy efficiency portfolios. Millions of utility customers receive these reports, and HER programs typically result in electricity savings of between 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent. Now that utility home energy report programs have begun to mature, we can begin to assess savings over the longer term. Cadmus will report on long-run savings from home energy report programs, examines the persistence of savings after utilities stop sending reports, and determines how persistence of savings affects HER measure-life and cost-effectiveness calculations.
Read the full post at Shareable.
A bike kitchen is a place for people to repair their bikes, learn safe cycling, make bicycling more accessible, build community, and support sustainable transportation by getting more people on bikes. Most bike kitchens have tools, parts, mechanics, and a community of knowledgeable cyclists.
Around the world there are thousands of bike kitchens — also known as bike churches, bike collectives and bike coops — and more popping up all the time (see maps here). For those interested in starting a bike kitchen in your town, we’ve rounded up the essentials of getting started, from finding the right space and volunteers, to raising money, getting the word out, defining community guidelines, and creating a space that is accessible and welcoming to all.
Read the full post at Shareable.
With the rise of the sharing economy, people are sharing cars, houses, sports equipment, clothing, toys, meals, surfboards and much more. There’s an intuition among sharers that sharing is not only good for the pocketbook, it’s good for the planet. The thinking goes that sharing helps us reduce consumption and keep usable goods out of landfills.
A recent report, The Sharing Economy: Make It Sustainable, by Damien Demailly at the Paris-based Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), and journalist Anne-Sophie Novel, goes beyond this intuition and answers the question, Is the sharing economy a tool for environmental transformation?
To find out, researchers conducted interviews, reviewed existing research, and hosted a workshop with 40 people from different parts of the sharing economy including big companies, startups, and the governmental. The goal was to analyze the environmental potential of the sharing economy, and the conditions for the realization of this potential.
What they found, not surprisingly, is that the economic and environmental potential is substantial. If sharing models could be operated under the most favourable conditions, savings of up to 7 percent of the household budget and 20 percent of waste could be achieved.
Read the full post at Shareable. I’d add Donate to their list. Choose to give your time or money to organizations that make your community a better place to live.
Thanksgiving, a day of celebration and gratitude for both harvest and family, is frequently overshadowed by its consumerist big brother, the notorious Black Friday. In 2013, consumers spent a whopping $57 billion on that day alone, with the average consumer spending over $400. 2014 is predicted to be just as spendy, with 67 million people expected to brave the long lines in search of deep discounts.
And for what? Stores offer deals on the usual: cheaply made clothing, resource-stripping electronics, trendy toys. For some, Black Friday heralds the beginning of the consumption-heavy holiday shopping season; for others, it heralds a headache.
If you’re feeling a distaste in your mouth for this extravagant post-holiday spree, here are five sharing alternatives to the Black Friday madness.


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With shoplifting on the rise across major UK cities, retailers are increasingly turning to technology to protect their businesses. Data protection laws play a crucial role in enabling retailers to share criminal offence data, including images, to prevent or detect crime.
However, striking a balance between crime prevention and safeguarding individuals’ privacy is vital. In collaboration with retailers, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the data protection regulator has outlined key considerations for businesses seeking to leverage data protection laws to cut down on shoplifting.
How Does Data Protection Stop Shoplifting?
Retailers can share suspect details with law enforcement agencies, such as the police, to prevent, detect, or investigate crime. This targeted sharing is often necessary and proportionate, aligning with data protection principles.
Sharing information with a manager of another store in the shopping centre or with security guards is also permitted under data protection laws. Local collaboration helps retailers pool resources and experiences to prevent reoccurrences of shoplifting incidents.
Sharing images of suspected shoplifters in a staff room should be limited to necessary individuals via secure channels. Publicising such images on social media platforms or in the local area, such as shop windows and lampposts, may be excessive and compromise privacy rights.
Guidelines for Retailers
When local businesses share images, an agreement should be in place to use only secure work devices and activate auto-delete settings. This prevents unauthorised access and ensures images are handled responsibly.
Retailers must share personal information in a proportionate and necessary manner to achieve their purpose. Broadcasting personal details widely, such as on social media or in public spaces, is likely excessive and raises privacy concerns.
Adopting a “data protection by design” approach is crucial for retailers. Considering data protection and privacy issues at the design stage and throughout the system lifecycle ensures responsible handling of sensitive information.
As retailers navigate the challenges posed by increasing shoplifting incidents, collaboration with data protection laws becomes pivotal. Striking a balance between crime prevention and consumer privacy is essential for maintaining trust. By adhering to ICO guidelines, retailers can harness the power of data protection to create a secure shopping environment while respecting individuals’ rights and privacy.


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WASHINGTON–A Alabama jury found a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier guilty of one count of conspiring to file false claims, eight counts of mail fraud, eight counts of aggravated identity theft and six counts of embezzlement from the U.S. mail.
According to the evidence presented at the trial,Vernon Harrison of Montgomery was part of a stolen identity refund fraud conspiracy. Members of the conspiracy used stolen identities to file false tax returns from various locations, including houses and hotels around Birmingham, Ala. and Montgomery. They then had the fraudulently obtained tax refunds generated by those returns sent to debit cards which were subsequently mailed to addresses on Harrison’s postal route in Montgomery. In exchange for cash, Harrison stole the debit cards from the mail and provided them to a co-conspirator. Harrison stole, at a minimum, over 100 debit cards from the mail for his co-conspirators.
As was shown at trial, federal agents uncovered substantial evidence of the conspiracy during the execution of search warrants at locations in Montgomery and near Birmingham, including over a hundred envelopes for debit cards that had been mailed to addresses on Harrison’s postal route. Soon after, agents also conducted surveillance on Harrison and observed him failing to deliver Turbo Tax cards that were in the mail.
Harrison faces up to 10 years in prison for the conspiracy count, 20 years for each mail fraud count, five years for each mail embezzlement count, and a mandatory two-year sentence for the aggravated identity theft counts. In total, Harrison could be sentenced to up to 216 years in prison. Harrison also could be subject to fines, forfeiture, and mandatory restitution.


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The American Cancer Society is looking for a Social Media Intern for a paid Internship in Austin, TX. Do you know someone who meets this qualifications? Or do YOU?
requirements/skills needed: basic html skill, proficent with microsoft office, experienced with online social networks such as facebook
INTERNSHIP DESCRIPTION: THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY IS LOOKING FOR A WEB DEVELOPMENT/SOCIAL MEDIA INTERN TO HELP WORK ON A VARIETY OF CUTTING EDGE PROJECTS IN THE ONLINE SPACE. EVERYTHING FROM RAISING DONATIONS ON FACEBOOK TO BUILDING WEB PAGES ON CANCER.ORG
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
Central Texas nonprofits joined forces today to launch “We Are One,” a campaign focused on increasing involvement and driving stronger support for local organizations and their many missions. The We Are One initiative demonstrates a new level of collaboration as twelve of Austin’s largest nonprofits come together to speak as one voice and address important needs across the region as the economy continues to decline. Through video and online social media outreach – including a new web page as well as Facebook and Twitter – the grassroots effort calls on all citizens to share how they are one with Central Texas.
In recent months, requests for services among many Central Texas organizations have increased while funding has dropped. Therefore, We Are One is more than just an awareness campaign. It is a call-to-action that is simple and straightforward, inviting all Central Texans to volunteer time and provide financial support. By our community working together as one, we can help more and more who are in need reach their full potential and succeed.
Resources and How To Get Involved
• Visit www.weareonecentraltexas.com to watch videos, learn more about the twelve organizations and how they are one together, and find ways to get involved.
• Become a fan of the We Are One Facebook page to join the cause and share stories, photos, and videos of how you are one with Central Texas.
• Share your stories on Twitter by using hashtag #wer1.
“We believe that by acting as one collective voice, our organizations and the people who support us can more effectively address the important and growing needs throughout our community,” said Hannah Nokes, Vice President of Development and Marketing at Leadership Austin, one of the twelve nonprofits launching We Are One. “Through this spirit of unity, we hope to show how powerful we can all be when we work together and each give a little of ourselves. We hope all Central Texans see this as an opportunity to step up and become one with us.”
Social networking has overtaken e-mail as the most popular Internet activity, according to a new study released by Nielsen.
Active reach in what Nielsen defines as “member communities” now exceeds e-mail participation by 67 percent to 65 percent. What’s more, the reach of social networking and blogging venues is growing at twice the rate of other large drivers of Internet use such as portals, e-mail and search.
Nielsen, which is the parent company of Adweek, concluded that the shift to social activity online would have profound effects on marketers and publishers. For publishers, social networks are eating into time spent with other online activities, according to Nielsen. For advertisers, the phenomenon at this stage represents mostly unfulfilled promise for a deeper
connection with consumers who are more difficult to reach in social environments.
The rise of social media coincides with the decline of portals. Social networking appears to be snatching away users’ online time formerly spent with e-mail, traditionally a large draw to portals. Such fragmentation is decreasing portals’ importance to advertisers. In a separate report, top digital shop Razorfish said it’s spending at portals declined from 24 percent in 2006 to 16 percent in 2008.
Nielsen found that two-thirds of the world’s Internet users visited a social networking site in 2008. All told, social media now accounts for almost 10 percent of Internet time. Facebook is leading the pack worldwide, with monthly visits by three out of 10 Internet users in nine global markets, per Nielsen.
he growth in social media is not confined to the U.S. Nielsen charted comparable or higher growth for Australia, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Yet for now, user growth at social sites is outpacing advertising increases, per Nielsen. This will likely change, Nielsen said, as models shift to value engagement over exposure.
“As the online industry matures and the value of online real estate is increasingly measured by time spent, rather than pages viewed, a significant shift in advertising revenue from ‘traditional’ online media towards social media could be realized — if the successful ad model can be found,” the report stated.
The search for a workable ad model is even more urgent now that social media has broken out of the youth demographic, Nielsen found. For example, Facebook’s greatest growth has come from 35-49 year-olds, and it has added twice as many 50-64 year-olds as those under 18.
Yet advertising and social media to date have mixed like oil and water. Part of that is a function of social media’s communications role — advertising has typically performed poorly in chat and e-mail. The larger challenge for advertising is to move from an interruptive role to joining conversations. That means advertisers need to find ways to add value to users’ experiences, Nielsen found.
“Whatever the successful ad model turns out to be, the messaging will have to be authentic and humble, and built on the principle of two-way conversation — not a push model — that adds value to the consumer,” the report said.
Take a closer look at the study here. (http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/nielsen_globalfaces_mar09.pdf)


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We’ve been avoiding these foods since the government shutdown, but now it looks like we’ll be adding a few more to our list. Thousands of crates of fruit are being recalled over possible listeria concerns by one New York-based company, Jac Vandenberg Inc., which supplies major retailers such as Aldi, Walmart and Costco.
The company reports that 1,727 cartons of peaches, 1,207 cartons of nectarines, and 365 cartons of plums were distributed across 18 states, which include: Alabama, California, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia.
The recall was announced January 24, after a routine sampling program by the Jac Vandenberg Inc. packing house found that finished products contained the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The Daily Meal has reached out to Jac Vandenberg Inc. and the stores involved for more information. Walmart's corporate website added the recall to its product recall page, as did Aldi's site.
So far no illnesses have been reported in connection with this recall. The company is urging customers to return the fruit to the place of purchase for a full refund. If consumers do as asked, it likely won’t turn into one of the world’s biggest food poisoning scares.


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Asia’s signature business event for F&B and hospitality sectors names new event director
Singapore, March 2022 – Global exhibitions leader Informa Markets today announced the appointment of Janice Lee as the new event director for FHA-Food & Beverage and FHA-HoReCa, both internationally acclaimed business platforms for Asia’s food, beverage and hospitality sectors. Presently event director for HOFEX, Janice will immediately take over from Martyn Cox who will be returning to the UK in May.
Bringing more than 20 years of experience within Informa Markets driving sales excellence and running successful events to her expanded role as the Event Director for both FHA events and HOFEX, Janice will lead the Food Teams based in Singapore and Hong Kong respectively and will oversee the overall performance and successful execution of both event brands.
In October 2020 Janice was appointed event director for Informa Market’s portfolio of food shows in Hong Kong and since then, she successfully navigated the disruptions caused by COVID-19 and delivered the live edition of HOFEX 2021 and the event’s virtual component HOFEX Connect with strong feedback from key stakeholders and customers.
“FHA and HOFEX are top shows in the markets and locations they serve, drawing professionals of the community from all over the world. Having both shows under the same leadership will reinforce the synergy and strengthen collaboration within our food portfolio in Asia, to make sure the events deliver top value for our customers and buyers, and play a pivotal role in fostering business and economic growth,” said Ian Roberts, Vice President for Asia, Informa Markets.
“I am very excited to join FHA, an event that has come a long way since it was founded in 1978 to what it can offer today which is a huge credit to the way the event has been run over many years and those who still continue to serve it. Together with a talented team I look forward to buildingmomentum to accelerate FHA’s development across key areas and steer the event’s next chapter of growth,” said Janice Lee, Event Director for FHA and HOFEX, Informa Markets.
FHA-Food & Beverage will be held from 5-8 September 2022, FHA-HoReCa from 25-28 October 2022, both at the Singapore Expo. HOFEX will be held from 10-12 May 2023 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
About FHA-Food & Beverage
The platform of choice for industry professionals, including distributors, importers, manufacturers and retailers from Asia to see and source for high quality, new-to-market food ingredients, drinks, fresh produce, services and equipment across these key profiles – Food & Beverage, Food Ingredients and FoodTech. Majority of exhibitors participating in FHA-Food & Beverage are renowned manufacturers and brands hailing from across the globe. For more information, please visit www.fhafnb.com.
Where world’s leading hotels, restaurants and café suppliers will gather to showcase the latest foodservice & hospitality equipment, products and services across five key profiles – Bakery, Pastry & Gelato; Foodservice & Hospitality Equipment; Hospitality Style; Hospitality Technology; and Speciality Coffee & Tea – serving discerning distributors, importers, manufacturers and retailers from Asia, all under one roof. For more information, visit www.fhahoreca.com.
HOFEX – Asia’s Leading Food & Hospitality Tradeshow, has been taking the industry on numerous extraordinary journeys of culinary delicacies from all over the world, bringing the most comprehensive selection of Food & Drinks, Hospitality Equipment & Supplies products to Asia. This B2B tradeshow gathers a vast amount of F&B importers, wholesalers and retailers, as well as high- profile buyers from restaurants, hotels and supermarkets, under one roof to source for their business. For more information, please visit www.HOFEX.com.
Hospitality, Food & Beverage at Informa Markets
Informa Markets’ Hospitality, Food & Beverage portfolio includes a series of global in-person, virtual and hybrid trade events aimed at fostering business relationships, enabling learning, and to enhance trade opportunities for the industry.
With several established events within the portfolio such as Hotelex Shanghai, Food&HotelAsia, HOFEX, Fispal Food Service, and Abastur, the portfolio together offers an unparalleled audience reach across the world. Staging 28 live and digital events in major cities including Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, Bangkok, Sao Paulo, and Mexico City.
Working alongside established industry partners, government bodies and recognised professionals, the portfolio aims at bringing companies, individuals, and the industry to the forefront of global business innovation by offering solutions and opportunities that meet today’s business needs.
About Informa Markets
FHA-Food & Beverage is organised by Informa Markets, a division of Informa plc. Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. We provide marketplace participants around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, targeted digital services and actionable data solutions. We connect buyers and sellers across more than a dozen global verticals, including Pharmaceuticals, Food, Medical Technology and Infrastructure. As the world’s leading market-making company, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com.


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The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has welcomed the New Automotive Innovation and Growth Team’s (NAIGT) report into the future of the UK automotive sector, expressing its commitment to supporting and developing the recommendations it sets out and working with government to maximise growth opportunities for the UK motor industry.
Commenting on the NAIGT’s findings, SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said, “The automotive industry is adapting to the challenging economic conditions affecting global markets but must take the necessary steps to prepare itself for the opportunities that will emerge from future growth and an increasing demand for lower carbon vehicles.
“The UK motor industry is well placed to retain and grow its share of the world automotive market. The new spirit of collaboration emerging from the NAIGT’s recommendations has the potential to enhance the competitiveness of individual companies and the attractiveness of the UK as a location for the global automotive industry. I hope the government will work with SMMT to deliver the strategic vision set out in the report.”
Set up in early 2008 by government’s Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) with the backing of senior representatives of the UK motor industry, the NAIGT aimed to identify new measures for industry and government to promote continued investment and improved productivity and competitiveness in UK automotive.
Reporting today, the NAIGT recommended:
Establishing a joint industry and government Automotive Council to develop, guide and implement a long-term strategic framework for the industry.
Focusing the UK research and development agenda around a pan-industry technology roadmap, building a bold, large scale pilot market to demonstrate, experiment and grow a new low-carbon personal transportation system.
Supporting these two key areas of work are a series of recommendations focused on:
A positive and supportive business environment
Technology and low carbon
A stronger and more competitive supply chain
The report, ‘A 20 Year Vision for the UK Automotive Industry’, sets out the findings from the NAIGT’s 12-month investigation into the strengths and weaknesses of the UK motor industry and makes its recommendations for maximising long-term growth.
1. At €20 bn, the automotive sector is Europe’s largest investor in R&D, driving industry forward and helping deliver more sustainable motoring for the 21st century. Technological innovation has helped car and CV manufacturers slash CO2 and air quality emissions from vehicles. New diesel cars for example emit 95% less soot from the tailpipe than those made 15 years ago and average new car CO2 has been cut by 16% since 1997.
2. The energy needed to produce each vehicle is down 12%, water use is down 9% and waste to landfill is down 25%, compared to 2006 performance. CO2 emissions per vehicle produced have fallen 14% in the last year and by 45% since 1999. Almost 10,000 tonnes of waste have been prevented from entering landfill sites. For more details, download SMMT’s ninth annual Sustainability Report from the SMMT website www.smmt.co.uk/publications
Why is the automotive sector important to the UK economy?
27 car and CV manufacturers operating in the UK
1.75m cars and commercial vehicles produced each year
£9.5 billion value added
Over 800,000 UK jobs
UK automotive manufacturing supplies over 100 markets worldwide, offering some resilience to the UK issues
New cars emit less CO2 than older models – average new car CO2 emissions have fallen 16% in the last decade
For more information on the industry please visit www.motorindustryfacts.com


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Barring a last-minute deal, Friday will be the last day of work for 701 New York City school employees, the largest number of city workers to be laid off at one time since Mayor Michael Bloomberg took office.
Aides, parent coordinators and other support staff, many in the city's poorest neighborhoods, were handed pink slips two weeks ago in what the city said was a bid to save $35 million this year.
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As a leading wholesaler of Australian craft spirits, Nip of Courage is committed to being a one-stop-shop for Australian products. Celebrating its 10th birthday, 2023 saw the expansion of market presence through new distribution channels, and diversification of its product range.
Since Nip of Courage first began operating, there has been a general shift in consumer preferences towards craft and artisanal products, and Founder Kathleen Davies says the spirits industry is no exception, creating a favourable environment for Aussie craft spirits to thrive.
“Retail consumers and trade are increasingly interested in the story behind the products they consume. Aussie craft spirits, with their focus on using locally sourced ingredients and traditional production methods, align well with this demand for authenticity and connection to the land.”
With many Australian spirits producers putting an emphasis on provenance, Davies says commitment to sustainability has also resonated with consumers.
“Craft distilleries in Australia, at the forefront of flavour innovation and experimentation, are known for pushing boundaries, using native botanicals and incorporating indigenous ingredients to create distinctive flavour profiles, which has captured the attention of consumers.
“There’s also growing awareness and concern among consumers about sustainability and ethical practices. Aussie craft spirits have the advantage of being able to prioritise sourcing, eco-friendly packaging and supporting local communities.”
As consumers become more appreciative of locally made spirits, Davies says the industry should prioritise sustainability and discuss ways to reduce environmental impact.
“This includes exploring eco-friendly production methods, sustainable sourcing of ingredients and implementing responsible waste management practices. Collaboration and knowledge-sharing on sustainable practices can help drive positive change across the industry.”
Similarly, Davies feels that industry-wide discussions are key to addressing issues within the regulatory landscape, as well as promoting meaningful engagement and collaboration with Indigenous communities.
“Discussion around the regulatory landscape is crucial to ensure compliance and maintain industry standards. We need reform for spirits excise, labelling and production regulations for new and emerging Australian spirit producers.
“Engaging in dialogue with regulatory bodies like the Australian Distillers Association and ABAC can help shape policies that support the growth and development of the industry.
“Discussions should also focus on fostering respectful relationships, acknowledging and respecting Indigenous knowledge and cultural practices, and exploring opportunities for collaboration and economic empowerment.
“This dialogue can help create a more inclusive and culturally aware industry. Brands like Seven Seasons are doing a wonderful job of promoting cultural change and diversity within the Australian community.”
Cheers to 10 years
Reflecting on the 10-year anniversary, Davies says the milestone marks a decade of growth, challenges and accomplishments.
“Since 2013, Nip of Courage has established a strong presence in the Australian spirits industry. From the initial range of spirits in 2013, we have introduced new and innovative products, collaborating with local distilleries to showcase a broader selection of Australian spirits.
“As Nip of Courage has grown, we’ve gained recognition within the Australian spirits industry, through global awards, industry partnerships and positive media coverage, [which] solidifies our position as a leader in the emerging Australian craft spirits industry, [and our contribution] to raising consumer awareness of Australian spirits.”
This article originally appeared in the 2024 Leaders Forum issue of National Liquor News.


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A survey of dentists reveals that over half are using social networking Web sites for marketing purposes. According to the survey conducted by TheWealthyDentist.com, a dental marketing Web site, 57% of dentists are using sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for professional reasons.
About half the dentists surveyed—49%—use Facebook, while 31% use Twitter. One in three dentists report using LinkedIn and 17% use YouTube for professional reasons.
While the Web sites are not central to most dental Web-site marketing strategies, many doctors feel it is an effective way to share information about their practice.
"I believe they will have had a great impact on dental marketing. It remains to be seen exactly how this will impact patients actually using these sites to select their dentists," said a Florida dentist taking part in the survey.