text:
Kamath, Business Standard
June 28, 2011
Trent, the flagship retail arm of Tatas, is in talks with Spanish retailer Inditex group to bring another fashion brand, Massimo Dutti, to India, according to a person close to the development.
However, it is not known whether both parties would enter a joint venture (JV) or go for a franchise agreement. Trent has a JV with Inditex for Zara, wherein the Spanish company owns 51 per cent. The JV runs five stores in India.
If the talks succeed, Trent may set up a couple of stores in metros in the initial years, said the source on condition of anonymity. Massimo Dutti has 542 stores in 50 countries and offers a variety of collections, from high-end fashion to easy-going casual wear.
None of the companies replied to emails on the subject. In a recent interaction, Trent management did mention expanding the scope of its alliance with the marquee Spanish brand house. “We are exploring the possibility of bringing another retail format of the Inditex group to India,” Trent Vice-Chairman Noel N Tata had told Business Standard recently.
The Inditex group, which clocked revenues of ¤12.53 billion (Rs 80,192 crore) in 2010, is made up of more than 100 companies, operating in textile, design, manufacturing and distribution. The group runs over 5,000 stores in 78 countries.
It is one of the world’s largest fashion retailers, which operates different formats such as Zara, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Oysho, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home and Uterque.
Retail consultants say it is logical to bring in more brands from the same partner.
“It is a logical thing to do. If anyone has a joint venture with a particular group, it makes sense to build a portfolio of brands. If you bring in more brands, you can spread your costs. Then cost per brand will be lower and you can reduce risks associated with it,” said Devangshu Dutta, chief executive, Third Eyesight, a retail consultancy.
According to retail consultants, Zara has been a huge hit in India since its launch in May-June last year. Industry sources say Zara stores in Select City Walk and DLF Promenade in Delhi are clocking revenues of Rs 5-6 crore and Rs 4 crore, respectively, per month.
Trent’s plans to open Benetton’s Sisley stores, with
which it has a franchise agreement, have not worked out as planned,
as it had difficulties in matching Sisley supply chain to customer
Pradeep Pandey & Pramugdha Mamgain, The Economic Times
Mumbai/New Delhi, June 28, 2011
Apparel sales in the country have slumped about 20% since March, forcing many brands to start end-of-season discount sales two weeks earlier than usual.
Companies blamed high apparel prices-increased due to the mandatory 10% excise duty on branded garments introduced in the Union budget and soaring cotton prices-for the fall in demand.
"The present trend indicates that the industry will hardly be able to sustain a growth of 10-15% as margins are under tremendous pressure," said Rahul Mehta, president of Clothing Manufacturers Association of India ( CMAI).
Most manufacturers and retailers have reported a 10-20% increase in their inventory levels, the association said in a report submitted to the textile ministry last week, and sought removal of the tax to cut prices and boost demand.
Or, the excise duty be cut to 1%, said the association, which represents 200 garment makers and 60 retailers including Arvind Brands, Aditya Birla, Madura Garments and Pantaloon Retail.
The organised apparel industry, which booked sales of around 40,000 crore last year, is hit by shrinking profit margins because the rise in cost of production-raw material, labour and borrowing costs-have outweighed increase in prices.
The rise in raw material prices was passed on to consumers in tranches earlier, but now it has become difficult to carry forward, Mehta said.Any more increase in prices will impact demand. Already, many consumers, hit by rising food and fuel prices, have already started buying lower-priced brands than their usual favourites.
Reliance Trends Chief Executive Arun Sirdeshmukh said consumers are downtrading to more comfortable price points within national brands. "As a result, volumes of private brands have grown even though prices have increased for that segment too," he said.
"But the real impact on sales will be known in the festive season as cotton price increase will start reflecting then," Sirdeshmukh added.
Retailers are wary about business growth in the coming months. Some have cut their winter garments bookings. "We may see sluggish demand for high-priced garments in the coming months," Pantaloon Retail CEO Kailash Bhatia said.
Although cotton prices have corrected, the component of raw material cost will be high in the stock that will be sold during autumn and winter. So prices will be up for those products, Bhatia said.
Meanwhile, rising inventory costs have forced many brands to advance summer season-ending clearance discount sales two weeks ahead of the normal July first week schedule.
Brands that have already started season discount sales include Reebok, Adidas and Mango.
Organised retail sector’s inventory cost in the last three months stood at around 2,500 crore, while total sales were around 10,000 crore, industry insiders estimated. Arvind Brands-which manages the country’s largest denim manufacturer Arvind Mills’ brands such as Arrow, Lee and Flying Machine-has reported sluggish sales in June. "We need to wait and watch whether this continues in July and August," said J Suresh, MD and CEO of Arvind Lifestyle Brands and Arvind Retail.
He said the company’s sales have grown in the first quarter ended June.
Devangshu Dutta, chief executive of retail and consumer products consultancy firm Third Eyesight, said demand from lower-income group will fall the most because this section will spend most of its income on food, which is getting costlier with continuing inflation. "It is still positive for the middle class and above salaried consumers as increments have grown along with inflation and confidence remain high," he said.
In most conversations we have had with international brands in the last 2-3 years, India consistently appears on list of the top-5 markets in which to expand into.
The second most populous country in the world, India has a young population that offers a vibrant population mix that will provide a workforce and consumers in decades to come. There is steady growth in per capita income and a greater availability of credit, as well as a significant change in the consumers’ outlook to life that has propelled consumption levels.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development ranked India as the second most attractive destination for global foreign direct investments in 2010. The lowest recorded GDP growth rate during the global slowdown was still a decent 6.7 per cent. This growth rate is expected to have returned around 9 per cent in 2011, and is driven by robust performance of the manufacturing sector, as well as government and consumer spending.
The ongoing opening up of the economy over two decades and its robust growth has steadily attracted brands and retailers into the country. Many of them have now been in the country since the early 1990s, and the numbers have grown exponentially during the last 8-10 years. Despite this, the market is far from saturation and many more international brands are actively scouting the market.
Many of them are value brands in their home markets and may, therefore, be more a logical fit into a “developing” market, but there are also plenty of premium and luxury names on the list. For instance while the growth has largely been led by soft goods product brands, as incomes have grown, the presence of more expensive consumer durable brands has also expanded.
While the journey to the Indian market has not been a smooth ride even for the well established and successful international brands in the market, brands that have invested in understanding the psyche of the Indian consumer, adopted flexibility in market approach and displayed persistence, have been paid off handsomely.
Some international brands have exceeded domestic brands in size and reach, while others have had to reconcile to being niche operators. Some have seen profits while others may have their senior management wondering what fit of madness brought them to tackle this market where they can only dream about making money sometime in the future.
Typically, when looking at a new market the very first question anyone would ask is: what is the market potential for brand?
However, you should also be prepared to ask yourself: what need is the brand addressing and what is the value being offered by the brand? How would it be able to effectively and efficiently deliver that value? In many cases, for those entering a non-existent product category a more basic question is: “Is there a need for my product offer?” Just because a brand is huge somewhere else in the world does not automatically make it desirable to the Indian consumer.
While most brands want to target the Indian middle-class millions, their sourcing structure and strategy places them out of the reach of most of the population. Brands that have succeeded in creating a significant presence, maintaining their brand image and having a sustainable operating model have, almost uniformly had a significant amount of local manufacturing. Notable examples from fashion include Bata, Benetton, Levi Strauss, Reebok, among others. In case of certain food brands such as Domino’s and McDonald’s, the companies have collaborated with and developed their vendors locally to bring down costs, and improve serviceability.
Apart from the costs and margins, another important issue is that of the adaptability of the product mix. Brands that are sourcing locally and have a significant product development capability in India are also able to respond to specific needs of the Indian market better, rather than being driven by what is appropriate for European or North American markets. This is an enormous advantage when you are trying to be “locally relevant” to the consumer in an increasingly cluttered marketplace.
Indeed the question is more to do with the brand’s willingness and capability to create a product mix that is most suitable for India through a blend of international and India-specific merchandise. The famous “Aloo-tikki” burger by McDonald’s is a great example of a product specifically developed for the Indian consumers. Not just that, India is probably McDonald’s only market in which its signature dish, the Big Mac, is not sold.
Of course, flexibility in tweaking the product to suit Indian market can become a concern when it amounts to losing control over the brand direction, and mutating away from the core proposition that defines the parent in the international market. Many brands wish to control every aspect of product development head office, but this also severely limits their ability to respond to local market needs and changes. A one-size fits all strategy obviously will limit the number of consumers that the brand can effectively address in a market such as India.
Another key question is: what is the degree of control that a brand wants to exercise on the brand, the product, the supply chain and the retail experience of the consumer? The corporate structure itself may be determined by the internal capabilities and strategies of the international brand in their home market or other overseas markets. A brand that has presence through a wholesale business in the home market may not have internal capability or experience in retail, and would look for an Indian partner who can fill in the gap.
Based on whether they want direct operational control over store operations, international companies can set up fully owned subsidiaries or joint ventures to manage the business in India. Many brands prefer to take a slow and steady approach as they do want to exert a significant amount of control over the business (including companies such as Inditex, the owner of Zara, and other retailers such as Wal-Mart and Tesco), entering only when they are fairly confident of being able to closely manage the business in India right up to the retail store.
During our work we have come across both extremes – companies that want to manage the minute details of the India business out of their own head offices, as well as companies that are so hands-off that they only want to hear from their franchisee or licensee when things are especially good or particularly bad. While a balanced, middle-of-the-road approach would be the logical one in each case, in reality individual styles of the top management have a huge influence on the approach actually taken. Also, the size of the potential market segment – relevant to the brand – has an important role to play in the strategy. If the brand is meaningful only to a small segment of the population, or priced at the top-most end of the market, one company may choose to establish an exploratory distribution relationship, while another might choose to set up an owned presence rather than look for an Indian partner to handle their small business.
While perfect partnerships seldom exist, companies could be a lot more careful we have found them to be, in questioning the criteria and motivations for choosing partners. In some cases, financial strengths, or past industrial glory were qualifying factors for picking franchisees, and the relationships have failed because the business culture was divergent from the Principal’s. In other cases, partners have been picked because they “have real estate strengths”, but no consideration has been paid to whether the partner has the operational skills to manage a fashion brand.
On several occasions, franchise relationships and joint ventures have split because one or both partners find that their expectations are not being fulfilled, or the water looks deeper than it did when they got into the business.
The opportunities in India are many. As the managing director of one international brand commented in a conversation with Third Eyesight, India is a market where a brand can enter and live out an entire lifetime of growth.
However, international brands do need to carefully identify what role they wish to play in the market, and what capability and capacity they need operationally to create the success that can truly root a brand into the rich Indian soil.
Anyone remember Ranger Farms? In 2007, Reliance Industries’ subsidiary Reliance Retail launched its cash-and-carry retail format by that name. A year later, RIL ‘merged’ Ranger Farms into Reliance Fresh, its food and grocery business. Readers may also recall that in 2009, RIL put together a team of top officials it had hired from several wholesale players, including Gwyn Sundhagul, the chief marketing officer and director at Tesco Lotus, Thailand, to spearhead its cash-and-carry plans. But it appears that after a year and a half, that team has been disbanded.
On 3 June, at the 37th annual general meeting of RIL, chairman Mukesh Ambani announced that Reliance Retail would launch its cash-and-carry stores this year. RIL’s past experience in the retail business has not quite had the same success that its other businesses – oil exploration, refining and petrochemicals – have had (see ‘Downturn’).
Reliance’s re-entry into the business assumes significance even as global retailers such as Walmart, Tesco, Metro and Carrefour are expanding their presence in India, and amid anticipation that the government is likely to ease foreign direct investment (FDI) norms in retail. Currently, FDI is allowed only in the cash-and-carry business.
But others think the rationale is different. "Cash-and-carry is, as yet, at a nascent stage in India," says Devangshu Dutta, chief executive at Third Eyesight, a retail consulting firm. "It’s a modernisation and organisation of the wholesale business, and an intermediate step needed in modernising the fragmented retail business." Something that Ambani has said he always believed in, which he called ‘farm-to-fork’.
Most cash and carry operations are targeted at hotels, restaurants and cafeterias – the so-called Horeca market, which accounts for close to 60 per cent of sales. "Package sizes of goods are larger (meaning more per sq. ft sales and greater volume growth); margins are also better," says Anand Ramnathan, manager at KPMG, the global consultancy. Compared to industry standards, Reliance Retail’s per sq. ft revenues have been lower, say industry analysts.
Reliance Retail officials say that the Horeca segment will not be the primary focus of their cash-and-carry business. Rather, their target audience – apart from their own chain of Reliance Fresh stores – will be other retailers, or the kirana stores.
"The cash-and-carry business is an integral part of a retail supply chain in a country like India, where distribution and logistics are major problems," says a Reliance Retail spokesman. "Reliance’s entry into the segment will help improve its other retail formats. Typically, retailers attempt to own the supply chain to give them control and better prices that benefits the end consumer."
The majority of Reliance Retail’s more than 1,000 retail outlets are located in Tier 2 cities, and the company is working to spruce up logistics and transport to better serve those cities. But the officials gave no details on the scale of investment.
At the AGM, Ambani set up an ambitious target of Rs 10,000 crore in revenues from the retail business in three years (of which cash-and-carry is part), or the end of FY14. On current revenues, that translates into a compound annual growth rate of just over 25 per cent. Making that kind of cash will carry Reliance Retail a long way.
(This story was published in the Businessworld Issue dated 20 June 2011.)
New Delhi, June 2011
The jeanswear brand, Levi’s had been losing its premium image
with the launch of Signature, which was launched in 2006. Making
ammendments, Signature has morphed into Denizen. Is it a mere
name change or are there any cosmetic changes as well? And more
so, will the new branding pull the brand back into the premium
While Denizen carries the price tag of Signature (between Rs.
799 and Rs. 1,499), Denizen is being positioned as a youth brand
targeting the 18-28 male and female. Signature, meanwhile, was
positioned as a mass brand.
Also, Denizen claims to be giving a more customised offering to the Asian consumers. Sanjay Purohit, Managing Director, Levi Strauss India, says, "Denizen is the next evolution of Signature, be it in terms of product, retail or marketing. It aims to deliver to growing consumer aspirations, which are increasingly reflecting global trends and also strengthen the position of Levi’s."
Can the phase out be smooth? Devangshu Dutta, Chief Executive,
Third Eyesight is optimistic. "The phasing out of Signature
may cause short-term pain operationally, but Levi’s has phased
out other brands earlier – even Dockers, which was a much more
The challenge for Denizen, however, will come from the growing
number of international brands making headway into the mid-segment
in India. K J Singh, CEO & Co-founder, Evolve Brands, says,
"The challenges for Denizen are huge especially when all
the foremost – large and local brands are vying for the same target
audience and it’s very difficult to identify any specific differentiation
– branding, awareness and information on the customisation."
However, Tarang Gautam Saxena, Senior Consultant, Third Eyesight expects Denizen "to strengthen Levi’s position in the affordable segment."
In the global scheme, Denizen is a brand focused at emerging
markets like India, China and Brazil. In fact, it’s first time
in the history of Levi’s that a brand has not been launched in
Ajay Naqvi, EVP and Head of Mudra North & East, stresses
that Denizen would need a sharper positioning than just the youth
or the designs. "Ultimately, the success or otherwise of
Denizen will depend not only on cuts, style and the pricing; but
what the brand stands for in the consumers’ mind," he says.
Purnendu Kumar, Vice President- Retail & Consumer Goods,
Technopak Advisors agrees. "The key for Denizen to be a success
will depend on the brand’s ability to keep the product fresh and
happening as this set of consumers is much more trendier and fashion
forward," he says. Otherwise, Denizen may start on the same
path as Signature.
And to strengthen its association with the youth, Denizen has roped in actor Imran Khan, as its brand ambassador. The company will be relying heavily on television advertising to get a fair share of consumers’ mind.
Apart from that in-store advertising, digital and outdoor too
are key elements of Denizen’s marketing plans.
(This article appeared in the June 2011 edition of Pitch


text:
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Callaway Golf ELY, -1.22% on Wednesday posted a third-quarter loss of $4.8 million, or 7 cents a share, compared to a loss of $35.9 million, or 53 cents a share, a year ago. Excluding charges relating to the integration of its Top-Flite acquisition, the Carlsbad, Calif.-based company would have reported a profit of a penny a share, vs. a loss of 46 cents a share in the year-earlier period. Revenue came in at $220.6 million, up from $128.5 million last year. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call had expected the company to break even for the quarter on sales of $215 million.
Have breaking news sent to your inbox. Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Bulletin emails. Sign up here.

domain: news


text:
Unicommerce, India’s largest e-commerce focused supply chain SaaS platform continues to follow its stellar growth trajectory and has announced that it now manages over 1 million daily transactions on its platform, amounting to over USD 5 billion GMV annually. In the last one year, the company has onboarded 1500+ clients across sectors such as FMCG, Beauty and Personal Care, Health and pharma, Agriculture, Homedecor, Nutraceutical Fashion, Electronics among others, thereby expanding the brand portfolio of the company. The company continues to expand its client portfolio and aims to get over 2000 brands on board in the current financial year
Unicommerce is an undisputed market leader processing 20% of India’s e-commerce volumes and managing over 6000 warehouses located across the country. Despite the disruptions brought in by the pandemic, Unicommerce has achieved over 100% growth in its enterprise business and over 300% growth in its D2C client base. The company has also become one of the finest omnichannel platforms in the industry powering 1500+ stores located across the country. Unicommerce world with some of the biggest companies Some of the key clients that Unicommerce works with include Marico, GoMechanic, Enamor, MPL Sports, House of Anita Dongre, Netmeds, Mamaearth, mCaffeine and many more.
Talking about the company’s exemplary growth and new milestones, Kapil Makhija, CEO, Unicommerce said, “While the pandemic has undeniably had a severe impact on industries across sectors, it provided an impetus to our business with brands across sizes reiterating focus on strengthening their online presence. This created a huge demand for robust, tech-driven supply chain solutions that are specifically designed for e-commerce. With our sector-agnostic, one-stop platform, we have managed to cater to this heightened demand, which in turn has helped us grow our business manifold. We have become a preferred choice of companies going D2C and Omnichannel and our strong growth is the testimony of our successful product portfolio. This showcases that we are on the right track and we will continue to expand our business in India and international markets.”
Unicommerce has been on an aggressive growth spree not just in India but also in international markets. Unicommerce’s dominant position in India and strong customer testimony have played a pivotal role in the success of the company in the international markets. The company has been able to increase its client base in Middle-east and Southeast Asia and will continue to acquire more clients in the coming months. Unicommerce will also hire regional talent in the international markets to sustain the growth momentum.
Unicommerce platform is also seamlessly integrated with more than 150 partners across marketplaces, logistics providers, and ERP systems. A few of the key platform partners of Unicommerce are Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Lazada, Noon, Shopify, Magento, Delhivery, FedEx, Blue Dart, DTDC, Ginesys, Logic, Tally, among many others.
The company recently announced its plans to increase its workforce by 60% to support its expansion plans in the coming fiscal year. The company, which currently employs over 240 people, is looking at onboarding more than 150 people by the end of FY22.
As one of the most sought after and feature-rich SaaS platforms in the e-commerce supply chain space, Unicommerce offers a comprehensive range of solutions, which includes Order Management, Inventory Management, Warehouse Management, Omnichannel Management, Return management, Marketplace seller management solution (also called Dropship panel/PO panel), etc. The platform also has a Uniware Mobile App which is a comprehensive dashboard where all products can be accessed across multiple channels, along with complete order processing, inventory management, and various advanced warehouse management features.


text:
Hasbro Inc., the world's second- largest toymaker, posted fourth-quarter profit that exceeded analysts' estimates and said Chief Executive Officer Alfred Verrecchia will step down.
Verrecchia, a 43-year Hasbro veteran, will be replaced by operating chief Brian Goldner in May, the Pawtucket, Rhode Island-based company said today. The shares rose 2.1 percent.
International sales outpaced those in North America. Customers bought more Littlest Pet Shop and Baby Alive dolls as well as Transformers, Spider-Man and other movie-related action figures in the quarter, which accounted for two-fifths of profit in 2007. Hasbro also avoided the publicity and costs of recalls of Chinese-made toys that hurt larger Mattel Inc.
``Even in a movie year with strong boys' toys, their growth was broad-based,'' said Chris White, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities in Los Angeles. ``Hasbro products are selling better than Mattel in a variety of categories. It's hard to know how much is recalls versus better products.'' White recommends holding Hasbro shares and doesn't own any.
Net income climbed 24 percent to $133.7 million, or 84 cents a share, in the quarter, from $108.3 million, or 62 cents, a year earlier, the maker of Nerf sports equipment and Monopoly said. Revenue increased 16 percent to $1.3 billion.
``We have really grown our core brands, we have reinvented them and re-imagined them,'' Goldner, 44, said today in a telephone interview. ``We'll continue to drive that strategy into the future.''
Hasbro climbed 54 cents to $26.41 at 4:01 p.m. in composite trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock increased 3.2 percent this year, compared with an 8.6 percent gain by Mattel.
Verrecchia, 64, started working at Hasbro in 1965 as a staff accountant. He became CEO in May 2003, and will take over as chairman in May. Hasbro's stock has climbed 63 percent from May 12, 2003, the day before he became CEO. Hasbro's sales climbed 22 percent between 2003 and 2007. Net income more than doubled during that period.
Goldner joined Hasbro in 2000 after working at toymaker Bandai America Inc. as operating chief. He became COO in 2006. Goldner is talented at tailoring Hasbro's products to fit consumer research and was a ``driving force'' behind the Transformers film, said Gerrick Johnson, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets. He said the shift wasn't surprising.
``Goldner is one of the best young toy minds in the business,'' said Johnson. ``Hasbro has had a massive amount of growth over the past few years and he's made sure the trains run on schedule.'' Johnson, based in New York, recommends holding Hasbro shares and doesn't own any.
Chairman Alan Hassenfeld, 59, will remain a board member and lead the company's executive committee. He preceded Verrecchia as CEO and is the grandson of Hasbro's founder.
Ten analysts surveyed by Bloomberg estimated Hasbro would post average profit of 81 cents a share. Eight predicted sales of $1.22 billion. Hasbro also makes Star Wars action figures, My Little Pony dolls and Play-Doh clay.
Overseas sales climbed 29 percent to $489.2 million in the quarter, helped by the dollar's decline against other currencies. North American revenue rose 7.6 percent to $766.8 million. A 15 percent drop in income tax payments from a year earlier also boosted profit.
Hasbro is seeking to use toys tied to the ``Iron Man'' and ``The Incredible Hulk'' films this year to lift revenue and counter an increase in commodity, Chinese labor and product- testing costs of as much as 15 percent. The company also has new products tied to a Transformers TV show that debuted last month.
``They're really hitting stride on a number of fronts,'' Sean McGowan, an analyst at Needham & Co. in New York, said in a Bloomberg Radio interview. ``Certainly it's Al's pleasure to go out on an up note.''
Hasbro bought Cranium Inc. for $77.5 million last month to add to its Scrabble, Clue and Operation games. Toys based on 2007's ``Spider-Man 3,'' as well as the Iron Man and Hulk movies, are part of a five-year licensing agreement with Marvel Entertainment Inc.
The toymaker signed a licensing deal last year with Electronic Arts Inc., the world's largest video-game publisher, to create digital products based on Hasbro brands.
Electronic Arts said today that the first games scheduled for release include Littlest Pet Shop and Nerf ``N-Strike'' for Nintendo Co. consoles and Scrabble, Monopoly Here & Now and Yahtzee Adventures for cell phones.
Full-year net income climbed 45 percent to $333 million, the biggest gain since at least 1999. Hasbro repurchased 20.8 million shares last year for $587 million. Sales in 2007 jumped 22 percent to $3.84 billion.
Mattel, the world's largest toymaker, said Jan. 31 that fourth-quarter profit rose 15 percent as higher international sales and a tax benefit countered $42 million in costs for toy recalls. Mattel recalled more than 21 million Chinese-made toys last year for lead paint or magnets that easily detach.


text:
July 10th, 2017 News of the Day: China to become Cadillac's largest market, Oregon adds EV rebate
China to become Cadillac's biggest market
Cadillac continues to boom in China, which could become the luxury carmaker's largest market.
Last month, 12,886 Cadillacs were sold in China compared with 9,552 sold in June 2016, seeing a 34.9% surge. The year-to-date sales in China for 2017 reached 80,357 cars by last month, a 75.4% increase over last year.
Early in January, Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen mentioned that China could become the company's largest market within three years, but now seemingly the pace can be even faster.
Meanwhile, Cadillac is also building the CT6 Plug-in Hybrid in China, eyeing the country as one of its important manufacturing and business places.
Oregon introduce EV rebates and bicycle tax
According to Car and Driver reports, Oregon state is introducing its own EV rebate program, approving an amount of up to $2,500 for purchasing a new electric vehicle. The incentive may be offered as a point-of-sale rebate at local dealerships, but could take the state up to 60 days to process claims. This new rebate is on top of any federal incentive, meaning buyers in Oregon could save up to $10,000 on a new EV if they get the full $7500 federal tax credit.
Besides, there's new fee on bicycle riders. Adult bicycles with wheels at least 26 inches in diameter and priced over $200 will be subject to a $15 excise tax. These funds will go toward grants for bicycle and pedestrian transportation projects.
Congress close to approving a New Space Army
The House Armed Services Committee voted 60 to 1 in favor of the creation of a new military branch to be called the United States Space Corps (USSC).
The proposal is part of negotiations for this year's National Defense Authorization Act. If passed, the organization would be the first new branch of the military since 1947, when the Air Force was formed. The proposal would put USSC in the department of the Air Force, and the Space Corp's chief of staff would be ranked equal to the Air Force chief of staff and would report to the Secretary of the Air Force.
German prosecutor investigating employees at VW's Porsche
German prosecutors said on Monday that employees at Porsche AG and a U.S. based subsidiary were being investigated for suspected fraud and false advertising in terms of diesel emissions.
The probe is the latest twist in a sweeping investigation of automakers and their emissions after Volkswagen, which owns the Audi, VW and Porsche brands, admitted systematic cheating of diesel engine tests in 2015.
Prosecutors did not give details about the ongoing probe. Meanwhile, Porsche said it was fully cooperating with authorities and even sought contact with prosecutors well before a formal probe was launched.
Waymo's autonomous minivans get some emergency training time
Waymo's self-driving Pacifica minivans are recently under testing with the Chandler, Arizona Fire & Police Department. The fleets spent some time in demo runs where fire trucks, police cars, motorcycles, and ambulances navigated streets around the the Waymo cars.
It was the "first emergency vehicle testing day" Waymo has run with its new vehicles. The goal was to collect as much sensor data as possible regarding emergency vehicles, including how they sound and look as they move around the autonomous cars.
- NYU Releases the Largest LiDAR Dataset to Help Urban Development
- July 13th, 2017 News of the Day: Uber merges with Yandex, U.S. to simplify driverless car rules
- Hyperloop One Completes Its First Successful Test Run
- July 12th, 2017 News of the Day: Faraday to move its factory, Vizio files lawsuit against LeEco
- July 11th, 2017 News of the Day: Tesla to triple its service, Porsche posts half-year sales record
- Faraday Future Halts Construction of $1 billion Factory in Nevada
- July 7th, 2017 News of the Day: VW partners with Kuka, Tesla to build battery factory in Australia
- July 6th, 2017 News of the Day: Toyota opens HQ in Texas, France could end fossil fuel cars by 2040


text:
343 Industries has released the art cover for Halo 5: Guardians, which includes an image of some new, mysterious Spartans.
Halo fans, rejoice!
In addition, 343 Industries has included a brief animated trailer showing off the cover art:
What do you think of Halo 5: guardians’ new cover art? Let us know in the comments below!
You know that jerk online that relentlessly trash talks you after every kill? That guy was probably Travis "Tie Guy" Northup. Competitive, snarky, and constantly wearing a tie, Travis has been writing his opinions about electronic media since he was a teenager, and is pretty much the only person to hold his opinions in high regard.


text:
Intelligent Industrial Internet Systems Pvt. Ltd, which operates insurance-technology startup i3 Systems, has raised $1.5 million (about Rs 11 crore) in a pre-Series A funding round.
The Mumbai-based startup raised this capital from investors including early-stage investment firm Unitus Ventures.
The technology-focussed VC firm is an existing investor in the company; it took part in a $1 million round in the company in the mid-2018, according to reports.
Other participants in the pre-Series A round include Reliance Industries Ltd chief financial officer Alok Agarwal and Zhooben Bhiwandiwala, president at Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd investment arm Mahindra Partners. Both invested in their personal capacity.
i3 Systems was set up by Mallesh Bommanahal and Varzavand Batliwala in 2016. The company says its platform uses artificial intelligence to provide insurers with estimates of medical risk and the cost of care.
The startup says its i3claim solution reduces claim processing times to six minutes from over an hour. It also helps slash payment leakages. It claims its platform can automate up to 60% of the policy underwriting process.
i3 Systems will use the pre-Series A capital to enhance its technological infrastructure with the goal of enabling the adoption of its product across all repetitive processes in the banking, financial services and insurance sector.
“Their retention perspectives are their strength, and the team has shown credibility with reliable products and fast core-system integrations,” Bhiwandiwala said.
Unitus partner Radha Kizhanattam added that i3 Systems was using its platform to disrupt traditional methods of processing documents.
The investment firm was set up in 2012 and supports startups operating in sectors such as financial technology and health-technology.
The Seattle- and Bengaluru-based Unitus is also a founding member of the Capria Network, which is an association of emerging market fund managers focussed on scaling social impact ventures while delivering returns.
In April 2018, the firm marked the first close of its second fund at Rs 100 crore (around $15 million), raising money from investors including The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
Some of its recent portfolio additions include software coding platform Masai School, education loan platform Eduvanz, and a staffing company co-founded by former executives of TeamLease Services Ltd.
It has also made some exits – a complete one from the Byju’s-acquired LabInApp and a partial exit from Salesken when it raised money from Sequoia Capital India.


text:
Salt Baked City is a new local cannabis publication on the Utah scene.
There's always room for more original reporting and information sharing on medicinal cannabis as it fights its way into the mainstream, and we'll be watching this new entrant onto the scene with interest…
…with a few exceptions of individual reporters who've taken the time to get up to speed on the topic, much of the reporting in the mainstream news is often superficial and not wholly informed.
Is Utah in a Medical Cannabis Crisis? – Salt Baked City News
There is speculation amongst patients that Utah is in the midst of a cannabis crisis, but the limited supply of products was expected to occur at the beginning of Utah’s…


text:
WEAR - Search Results
HEALTH NEWS: Study suggests diet soda not so healthy
Diet soda may not be as healthy for you as you think.
Researchers at the University of Texas found that over a decade, diet soda drinkers had a 70 % greater increase to their waistlines compared with non-drinkers.
They say your body processes artificial sweeteners like sugar so you still gain weight.
Experts say you might also justify eating less-healthy foods because you had a "diet" drink.
Other studies conclude there is also a greater risk for Type 2 Diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and for women, osteoporosis.
Plus a recent study links diet and regular soda consumption to higher incidence of depression.


text:
The winners and highly commended for the Gift of the Year 2020 competition were announced last night at the annual awards ceremony on the first day of Spring Fair. The awards announcement held on The Inspiring Retail stage attracted a crowd of buyers, retailers as well as the eagerly awaiting competition entrants. The Finalists then went on to celebrate at a special dinner at Awards winning Asha’s Indian Restaurant in Birmingham.
CEO of The Giftware Association, Sarah Ward said “The standard of the entrants and products was very high this year, with many of the judges struggling to find their favorites with so much quality on offer, and there were a few very close calls for the winners. It’s great to see so many companies who made the shortlist stage using the marketing collateral already on their products, and I know this has been echoed by some of the judges of the competition”
Judge and buyer Tina Goeting from The British Shop said “ The Gift of the Year is really important to the trade and when I was at Top Drawer, you could see on various stands that it is a significant marketing tool to the companies.”
Onto the winners…
To celebrate their 20th anniversary Orange Tree Toys are excited to be launching two brand new concepts featuring Sea Life and Farm Animals characters at this year’s Spring Fair. In addition, there are also some exciting additions to their licensing arm including a new Classic Pooh range and the introduction of Toy Story to their Disney portfolio.
Find them in Hall 5 on stand H44 to see these fabulous new designs.
Leading specialty food producer Stonewall Kitchen announced today that it has completed its fourth acquisition, acquiring the Village Candle® brand of fragranced candles, gifts and accessories. Based in Wells, Maine, Village Candle is a premium quality manufacturer of expertly crafted candles sold throughout the U.S and around the world.
“We’re extremely excited to welcome Village Candle to our growing family of specialty brands,” said John Stiker, Chief Executive Officer of Stonewall Kitchen. “We have long had our own small line of candles and fine home keeping products, but this allows us to really expand that offering with an incredible assortment of specialty candles made “just up the road” here in Maine. Like us, Village Candle has been selling high quality products for over 25 years to many of the same premium retailers nationwide, as well as directly to consumers online. And also like us, Village Candle specializes in both classic products – favorite scents such as Balsam Fir, Creamy Vanilla, or Pure Linen -- as well as innovative, creative offerings, with unique scents such as Black Bamboo, Rain, or Eucalyptus Mint. For all those reasons, we think this combination is a terrific fit.”
Long-running trade event Jewellery & Watch will rebrand in 2020 to become Jewellery, Watch & Fashion (JWF), debuting at Autumn Fair 2020.
The new format show will incorporate exhibitors across jewellery, watches, accessories and fashion in a move that reflects market trends and the cross-buying opportunities professionals are demanding from both Spring Fair and Autumn Fair.
The integration of Jewellery & Watch with fashion sector exhibitors is currently underway at Spring Fair 2020, which is taking place at NEC, Birmingham until Thursday 6th February. The re-edited show floor and the relocation of Jewellery & Watch to Hall 1 has proved successful to date.
JWF will further this new vision at Autumn Fair from September 6-9, 2020 at the NEC, Birmingham, followed by Spring Fair from February 7-11, 2021.


text:
Jury out on electric car revolution
After years of tinkering with prototypes, car makers around the world are now racing to mass produce electric cars, but critics say countries which rely on coal power will have little to gain.
TranscriptLEIGH SALES, PRESENTER: After years of tinkering with prototypes, car makers around the world are now racing to mass produce electric cars.
The eCar, as it's known, is being touted as a transport revolution, which will replace petrol engines with clean, emission-free vehicles.
But critics say the jury is still out on the electric car and countries that rely on coal power will have little to gain in the short term.
John Stewart reports.
JOHN STEWART, REPORTER: Car enthusiasts in Sydney's western suburbs are often described as petrol heads but these car lovers are passionate about electric motors.
NATHAN BOLTON, ELECTRIC CAR CONVERTER: What we have here is 144 volts of lithium ion batteries that a lot of people are using in their EVs now.
MARK TAYLOR, ELECTRIC VEHICLE ASSOCIATION: Some people do it for environmental issues. Some people do it just to stick the finger up at the oil companies and say "We can do something different if we really want to".
JOHN STEWART: Members of Sydney's Electric Vehicle Association have even managed to make a small business out of the growing demand for electric powered cars.
NATHAN BOLTON: People bring me their vehicles, I take the old, dirty, internal combustion engine out and I put in a nice, clean, efficient electric motor.
People drive away and they charge their vehicles up and that's it.
JOHN STEWART: But the days of electric cars being a backyard hobby are well and truly over.
Car experts say there's now little doubt that electric vehicles are about to have a major impact on transport across the globe.
PAUL STEVENSON, MITSUBISHI MOTORS AUSTRALIA: Mitsubishi's produced 2,000 of these vehicles this year. There's another 10,000 being produced in 2010 and it's essentially doubling from here on in in terms of production volumes.
JOHN STEWART: Mitsubishi has already bought its new iMiev. The car 160 kilometres on one charge but at around $60,000, it's going to be expensive.
However, industry experts say the Chinese are about to mass produce electric cars and the price will soon plummet.
EVAN THORNLEY, CEO, BETTER PLACE AUSTRALIA: Over the next three or four years, you'll start seeing hundreds of thousands and then millions of electric vehicles on the roads.
The Chinese government have committed to making a million electric vehicles a year by 2012.
JOHN STEWART: Plans are underway to install electricity charge points and battery replacement stations in parts of Europe, Israel, Japan, the United States and Australia.
EVAN THORNLEY: So our job is to put plug in point wherever people park their cars - mainly in their garage at home and their carpark at work and then in public places like shopping centres and airports and so on.
But every once in a while you don't want to park your car and plug it in, you want to keep driving and to enable you to do that, we have robotic battery-swapping stations that can take out the whole battery, if its depleted, and put in a new fully charged battery in less than three minutes.
JOHN STEWART: But not all observers of the automobile market are impressed with the new eCars.
CLIVE MATTHEW-WILSON, THE DOG & LEMON GUIDE: Globally, we need to seriously reduce our energy consumption and simply switching the gridlock on Sydney's motorways from gridlock powered by petrol to gridlock powered by electricity solves nothing and in fact makes a bad situation worse.
JOHN STEWART: Clive Matthew-Wilson is a New Zealand-based mechanic and auto writer. He argues the electric car is a scam because in most countries, it will be powered by dirty coal.
CLIVE MATTHEW-WILSON: The amount of energy burnt from fossil fuels in Australia is going up, not down.
You know, renewables wouldn't fit on my left thumbnail and that's the way, not just now - that's three year's time, that's five year's time - and the way we're going, that's ten year's time.
Meanwhile, you know, people are naively buying into the whole electric car bulls**t.
JOHN STEWART: But Evan Thornley says the critics are wrong. And his company, A Better Place, is already bulk-buying clean energy for the new electric car fleet.
EVAN THORNLEY: Electric vehicle fleets will enable new renewable capacity to be built and financed because we will sign 15 or 20-year off-take agreements with those renewable generators where we'll take all the renewable power they can produce and use it all in the electric vehicle fleet.
So far from being a constraint to electric vehicles, electric vehicles will actually enable a much greater scale of renewable generation than we have without electric vehicles.
JOHN STEWART: Mitsubishi says that its new electric cars must be powered by clean, renewable energy if the eCar is to have any credibility.
PAUL STEVENSON: The information we've seen from various university studies certainly indicate that the benefits of EVs, if they're charged from the current power mix, is quite marginal.
It depends on what state you're in - Tasmania with a lot of hydro still gets some significant benefits from it, but once you get to the states that have got a lot of brown, black coal-generated power, the benefits really are marginal.
JOHN STEWART: But its supporters say the eCar can't be beaten.
EVAN THORNLEY: The cost of batteries is going down, the cost of petrol is going up. We know how the movie ends.
John Stewart, Lateline.
Do you have a comment or a story idea? Get in touch with the Lateline team by clicking here.


text:
The chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee on Friday urged the Federal Trade Commission to take a hard look at the proposed $1.9 billion merger of music giants Universal and EMI.
It’s the first time Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, have cosigned a letter cautioning the FTC about the anticompetitive implications of a merger under review.
In a letter to FTC Chairman Jonathan Leibowitz, Kohl and Lee outlined “significant competition issues that merit careful FTC review,” including the access to music by online distributors, control over retail pricing, and the ability of independent recording labels to survive in an increasingly concentrated environment.
The subcommittee has no formal authority over mergers, but in late June it summoned Universal Music Group CEO Lucien Grange and EMI head Roger Faxon, who appeared before the subcommittee alongside critics of their proposed merger.
There was significant disagreement among panelists about how much of the market for recorded music a combined Universal-EMI would control, and the extent to which this new market power would give the company control over pricing in physical stores, and control over the future of upstart digital distribution and streaming platforms that want to compete with iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and others. The subcommittee chairman and ranking member opted to send a joint letter, said Emily Bennion, Lee’s press secretary, because the disputed factual record meant neither office could reach its own legal conclusion about the deal.
The letter details the areas of dispute without taking sides, but significantly it puts the U.S. market share by revenue for the combined company at 40 percent, which would transform the U.S. recorded-music market from "moderately concentrated" to "highly concentrated," according to an analysis from the American Antitrust Institute that was included in the record of the hearing.
The European Union has its own problems with the deal, and is negotiating the divestiture of some of the Universal catalog as a condition of approval, with music by Radiohead, the Kinks, Pink Floyd, and other artists on the block. A music-industry executive close to the deal speculated that the FTC might be looking for European antitrust regulators to do their work for them.
At the same time, the unusual terms of the deal require Universal to pay EMI owner Citigroup almost the full purchase price whether or not the acquisition is approved. This appears to give regulators on both sides of the Atlantic enormous leverage in seeking concessions. The EU and the FTC are expected to conclude their reviews of the process in early September—right around the time Universal is due to pay Citigroup $1.7 billion.
Universal still expects the deal to go through, a spokesman said in an e-mailed statement. “We appreciate the points raised in the joint letter from Chairman Kohl and ranking member Lee, as well as the committee’s recognition of the historic changes in the music industry over the past decade. Since this deal was announced, we have worked closely with the Federal Trade Commission to address many of these issues, and will continue to do so."


text:
Blog: Sri Lanka Design Festival kicks off
Petah Marian | 15 November 2012
I'm in sunny Sri Lanka. Sadly, I'm not poolside sipping on cocktails, but hard at work bringing you the latest from the 2012 Sri Lanka Design Festival, which began last night (15 November).
Sri Lanka's garment industry has always differentiated itself by its sustainable and ethical credentials, and this year that focus is set to continue, with today featuring a sustainable fashion symposium, and a visit to the Hirdaramani Eco Factory.
Saturday, the Mount Lavinia Hotel will play host to the South Asian Leadership Forum. The programme will focus on speed to market as Sri Lanka becomes a fast fashion hub, not only for its own manufacturers but also for manufacturers based in India and Bangladesh looking for an easier route to Europe.
Speakers will include the heads of local manufacturers Brandix and MAS - Ashroff Omar and Mahesh Amalean.
Ultimo founder and CEO Michelle Mone will also be speaking about how to build brands, while Copenhagen Fashion Summit chairman Jonas Eder-Hansen will talk about the sustainability imperative.
Meanwhile, industry stalwart David Birnbaum is speaking, as is American Apparel Producers Network (AAPN) MD Mike Todaro, PVH's global supply chain VP Mark Green, Coats Thread global sales chief Stephen Forte and Tradecard CEO Kurt Cavano.
Today, I also visited the Brandix Eco Factory and met with Timex to learn about their plans. Stories on these, and more, will be going up in the coming days, so please check back often.
If you're attending the festival and want to say hi, I'm the the one that vaguely resembles an over-ripe tomato (the Sri Lankan sun has a bite).
And finally, if you have any tips on how to get rid of sunburn, please leave them in the comments.
Two terrorist attacks in Bangladesh over the past week have left the country's key garment industry in turmoil, with buyers rethinking travel plans and potential economic fallout for a sector reliant ...
Britain's historic vote in favour of leaving the European Union (EU) has left retailers and manufacturers mulling the consequences as the nation prepares for a long period of political and economic un...
- TPP tariff phase-out guides Vietnam sourcing plans
- Why fast fashion isn't a case of one size fits all
- How Central America garment sourcing measures up
- How virtual garments could shape fashion retail
- Brexit Trade Focus – How a CANZ-UK FTA stacks up
- Ethiopia opens flagship textile and apparel park
- VF confident on "solid" sustainability roadmap
- VF Corp cuts guidance as Q2 profit plunges 70%
- Inditex and Lenzing sign textile waste pact
- EU and US dispute China raw materials duties
- Central America strategic sourcing review - a focus on Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras
- Southeast Asia strategic sourcing review – a focus on Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar
- World Textile and Apparel Trade and Production Trends: the EU - June 2016
- Luxury Goods Retailing in Europe, 2014-2019 ; Market & Category Expenditure and Forecasts, Trends, and Competitive Landscape
- Primark Stores Limited: Retailing - Company Profile & SWOT Analysis


text:
Life combination products grew 56 percent in 2011, according to LIMRA’s “2011 Individual Life Combination Products Annual Review.” This was the third consecutive year of double-digit growth.
“With so much uncertainty in the stand-alone long-term care insurance (LTCI) market, consumers under 50 — looking for a way to cover a portion of long-term care costs — are turning to acceleration combination products as an affordable alternative,” said Elaine Tumicki, corporate VP and director LIMRA product research.
Total new premium for life combination products was $2.2 billion in 2011, representing 13 percent of total individual life insurance new premium. More than 72,000 combination policies were sold in 2011, comprising 16 percent of all long-term care insurance policies and contracts sold in 2011.
All life combination product lines grew in 2011, LIMRA said. Universal life combination products grew most aggressively, increasing 67 percent in premium compared with 2010. Whole life premium grew 16 percent, and variable combination premium grew 17 percent compared with 2010.
Linked benefit products, which are mostly single premium and all-in-one packaged products, grew 66 percent in policy count and captured 29 percent of the market in 2011, compared with 21 percent market share in 2010.
According to LIMRA, “Acceleration policies, which provide LTC benefits up to the amount of the life death benefit and are more commonly riders that can be attached to many of the products in a carrier’s life product portfolio, grew 29 percent, attaining 71 percent of market share by policy count.”
LIMRA’s study also found that consumers under age 59 held more than half of the in-force policies in 2011, and similar to long-term care insurance, more life combination policies are insuring women; almost six-in-ten policies in force now provide coverage to women.
Register or login for access to this item and much more
All Digital Insurance content is archived after seven days.
Community members receive:
- All recent and archived articles
- Conference offers and updates
- A full menu of enewsletter options
- Web seminars, white papers, ebooks
Already have an account? Log In
Don't have an account? Register for Free Unlimited Access


text:
WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAU) -- There’s a kitchen in Wausau that gets used by several small businesses. It’s the fully equipped commercial kitchen at the Entrepreneurial & Education Center in Wausau’s west industrial park.
Romey Wagner is the City Council President, but his day job is Facility Manager, for the center. Wagner says they offer start-up businesses several services and facilities, including a state certified kitchen for producing food products that can be sold to the public.
Wagner says people with food product ideas to bring their recipes to market and see if their products can grow, without the huge initial investment in a building or equipment. “I have a state certified kitchen. We have twelve clients that have a product they want to bake or make, whether it’s a hot sauce, a barbeque sauce, donuts, cookies, soup, sauces. They work whatever hours they need to keep their hobby business going.” He adds, “We have the huge commercial ovens, the commercial dishwashers, stoves, mixers, fryers. We have a twenty-gallon water jacketed soup kettle so they can make large quantities of their product and simply only pay a small rental fee.”
Wagner says a couple of new clients have begun production in the past couple of months. Some of the businesses have even grown into getting their own locations. “Businesses that start up come in. We can help them out and allow them to stay for up to five years, and then we don’t kick them out, they graduate. We help them find a location in the area that works out best for them, where their clients can get to them. It’s like graduating your kids from college. We send them off with a smile.”
The Entrepreneurial & Education Center is a new business incubator. Wagner says their shared kitchen is modelled after one in Algoma which has over 70 clients with producers marketing items throughout the Green Bay and upper peninsula areas. “We thought that that would be something that the area could use, with the people showing up at the farmer’s markets and things (like that) selling their products, this is a way they can inexpensively go into legitimate business and make their products safely, and sell it.”
Wagner says some of the success stories that started at the center include Jean Bean Soup Company, Luchi’s Pasta Sauce, Kim’s BS Sauce, Kaveli, JAR Hot Sauce, and Elan Naturally.
Sweet Lola’s Cupcakery & Bakeshop, and Sugar & Spice Cheesecakes started at the center and have graduated to their own locations.


text:
With this, users would not have to stick to apps that are made available by Amazon once Microsoft launches Windows 11.
Windows 11: Microsoft has recently announced Windows 11, and now, an engineer in the company has shared that users of the new OS update would also be able to sideload Android apps on their system. This means users would not have to stick to apps that are made available by Amazon once Microsoft launches Windows 11. However, there is also not much clarity as to how Android apps would run on Windows.
The process for running or installing the sideloaded apps on Windows 11 is not yet known. While Chrome OS also allows users to run sideloaded apps, the process is quite complicated because it requires users to enable Linux and then undertake some command line work.
As per reports, when asked for details about how the Android apps from outside the Amazon Appstore would run on the new OS, Redmond said that the Microsoft Store would allow users to discover Android apps, and they would then be able to acquire them with the help of Amazon Appstore. No further details were shared by the tech giant. This statement is vague at best as to how things would work.
A lot of these desires regarding sideloading of Android apps among users would not have risen if Microsoft had chosen to include Google Play Store rather than the Amazon App Store, because while all app stores will provide users with access to some programs that they would not have been able to previously, Amazon Appstore also omits key Android apps like Snapchat and Apple Music from its catalog.
While this may come as good news for users looking to sideload Android apps that they need on Windows, it does bring some concerns as well. Piracy is not likely to be an issue for Android apps that are already available for free, but people could obtain APK of paid apps for free from questionable sources and then load them on their system. Not only that, but the issue of security and safety is also one that Microsoft would need to address, considering Google has already built in a capability into Android to scan all sideloaded apps for any potentially malicious behaviour.
These questions, however, can only be answered by Microsoft in due time.


text:
Growing your own: Restaurant trend takes off in SWFL
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Among the hustle and bustle of downtown Fort Myers, Steve Hollister shows off his small oasis. The owners of Twisted Vine Bistro turned their back patio into a garden this past year. They grow micro-greens like parsley, basil and mint.
"We spent four or five thousand dollars on micros last season. My wife said she could grow the same thing for about $400," Hollister said.
And they're not alone. In a recent survey of chefs, restaurants with gardens was listed as one of the hottest trends in the food industry.
At Shoals Restaurant and Wine Bar near Fort Myers Beach, you'll dine on produce grown at the restaurant's own farm.
And over at Buckingham Farms, they're doing the same process only in reverse. The hydroponic farm not only sells fresh fruits and vegetables, but also homemade dinners, breads and jams.
"We want to grow local, hire local, keep everything here," said owner TJ Cannamela.
The point of these trendy new establishments is to pinpoint exactly where your food is coming from. Though sometimes, these gardens can become a blessing. As one of Hollister's neighbors found out during the Kentucky Derby.
"One of the downtown bars ran out of mint, for the mint juleps," Hollister said, "they call up and say 'can we have some mint!?!'"


text:
Lorraine Kelly’s High Street Fashion awards are taking place tonight in London and the pink carpet was a star-studded affair.
More than a few familiar faces from soap land and reality TV turned up to attend the event and support daytime TV host Lorraine.
Frankie Bridge, who is due to give birth in September, opted for black flares and a black blazer while Suzanne Shaw accentuated her baby bump in a body con style dress.
Lucy Mecklenburgh showed off a bronzed tan with a white mini dress and MIC favourite Binky chose a smart monochrome look.
Have a flick through the gallery above…


text:
Oh thank heaven for birthdays! 7-Eleven, our favorite late-night stop for beer and beef jerky is turning 85 today!
To celebrate the day, the 24-hour chain is giving out free Slurpees.
To mark the occasion, we've come up with enough 7/11 references in the offer to be considered conspiracy theorists:
- The free Slurpee offer is good today, July 11 (which happens to be 7/11)
- The offer is good for a free 7.11 ounce size Slurpee
- The free Slurpee offer is good between the hours of 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
- Back in 1927, the first 7-Eleven used to operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- The company plans on giving away 7.11 million Slurpees today (okay - they really said seven million -- but who's counting?)
any event, it's summer in south Florida and we all could use a free
To make sure the 7-Eleven near you is participating check
this convenient store locator.
Follow @ CleanPlateBPB


text:
Metroid is back.
While we're still waiting for the delayed Metroid Prime 4, Nintendo sprung a wonderful surprise at its E3 event by announcing Metroid Dread – the first original 2D game for the series in nearly 20 years.
The side-scroller sees bounty hunter Samus Aran exploring the planet ZDR, where she comes across a new near-indestructible robotic enemy.
It's set after the events of 2002's Game Boy Advance classic Metroid Fusion.
For those who still buy physical games, quite a few stores are doing pre-orders.
On Amazon, the price is significantly higher at £59.99.
If you love collector's editions, there's good news and bad news. The good news is there's a Special Edition at £79.99 which comes in a nice steelbook case, along with a 190-page artbook chronicling the 2D Metroid franchise.
There are also five nifty holographic art cards that feature box art from all five of the 2D games (if you don't count the remakes).
The bad news is that it's sold out everywhere.
The link to Metroid Dread's Special Edition on the Nintendo store is here, in case you want to check if stock has become available. But at the time of writing, there's no stock.
Metroid Dread was one of many new and exciting games announced this week to be coming to the Switch, including new entries in the Mario Party and WarioWare series.
Metroid Dread will be released on October 8, 2021 on Nintendo Switch.
This month, Digital Spy Magazine counts down the 50 greatest LGBTQ+ TV characters since the Stonewall riots. Read every issue now with a 1-month free trial, only on Apple News+.
Interested in Digital Spy's weekly newsletter? Sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox – and don't forget to join our Watch This Facebook Group for daily TV recommendations and discussions with other readers.


text:
Software giant Microsoft is getting into the marijuana business. Announcing a partnership with Kind Financial, software designed to serve the cannabis industry will be added to Microsoft’s list of products.
Kind Financial, a software company that specializes in the legal marijuana industry, offers services to cannabis growers that helps track pot plants from “seed to sale.” States with legalized medical or recreational cannabis can also use the software to ensure transactions are within the law.
While many tech start-ups have been eager to get involved in the controversial weed industry, Microsoft is the first major corporation to jump on board the growing industry. The Kind’s customized software will be a new product in Microsoft’s cloud computing business.
“Nobody has really come out of the closet, if you will,” said Matthew A. Karnes of Green Wave Advisors. “It’s very telling that a company of this caliber is taking the risk of coming out and engaging with a company that is focused on the cannabis business.”
Since marijuana is considered illegal under federal law, most large and established companies have avoided the weed industry, fearing legal problems from the U.S. government. The ongoing conflict between federal and state laws has created considerable ambiguity in the legality of cannabis sales. While unlikely, the Fed could still put up barriers to slow or stop the legalization movement happening within many states.
Generally, banks are unwilling to open accounts for cannabis industry participants. Los Angeles, California-based Kind Financial is one of only a small handful of companies willing to offer financial solutions to marijuana growers and sellers.
Many stores that sell weed have relied almost entirely on cash transactions or payment-taking kiosks provided by companies like Kind. Working through the few state-chartered banks that are friendly to the weed industry, the software start-up has a range of products, including A.T.M’s that simplify marijuana sales.
Microsoft itself will stay away from the money machines as well as the plants. Instead, the tech juggernaut will be interacting with Kind’s “government solutions” department to develop software systems specifically for state and local governments.
Moving from Philadelphia to California to start the company, Kind Financial founder David Dinenberg said finding companies to work with has been quite a challenge.
“Every business that works in the cannabis space, we all clamor for legitimacy,” the former real estate investor said. “I would like to think that this is the first of many dominoes to fall.”
Microsoft’s indirect entry into the marijuana business is likely a step to shore up revenue from its slowly diminishing desktop software business. The surprise announcement earlier this week that it is acquiring social network LinkedIn is a strong indication that the once king of software is now focusing more on its cloud division, Azure.
While Kind has no current state contracts, users of Microsoft’s Azure Government will have access to the marijuana-related software. The company hopes Puerto Rico, which just recently legalized medical cannabis, will be the first administration to implement the program.
Other states may already be using similar systems to Kind’s software. New York has publicly announced a partnership with Oracle to develop software to track patients who buy medical marijuana. Florida software company BioTrackTHC was hired by Washington state, New Mexico, and Illinois to track the marijuana trade in their states.
Should the Kind Financial and Microsoft partnership work, both have a chance for a substantial gain. According to Karnes, expected sales of legal marijuana will surge to at least $6.5 billion by the end of 2016, up from $4.8 billion last year. He believes annual sales could easily rise to around $25 billion by 2020.
So far, 25 states have laws that legalize marijuana for either medicinal or recreational purposes. As the legal weed industry continually grows and more states loosen their cannabis restrictions, the partnership between Microsoft and Kind Financial could turn out to be significantly profitable.
[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]


text:
Butadiene Rubber Prices in Europe Will Witness an Increase in the range of 2-3 Percent Due to Firm Demand from the Tire Industry
Butadiene rubber prices in Europe will increase by 2-3 % as a result of high tyre industry demand. During the trading week that ended on December 09, 2022, butadiene prices continued to fall precipitously due to a glut of supply and weak demand from downstream industries.
During the week, the butadiene FD Hamburg prices were USD 575 a tonne, a drop of 38% from the previous week. The pattern is consistent with predictions made by ERJ, which predicted that butadiene pricing would be muted in the years to come due to a flurry of new capacity expansions and slowing demand growth.
Request Access For Regular Price Update of Butadiene Rubber
The year 2023 is expected to bring major tyre manufacturers a similar number of challenges, as a result of the ongoing global economic instability.
At the most recent Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers (IISRP), it was noted that light car sales have been under pressure for the past 18 to 20 years as a result of the global pandemic.
Global truck sales, on the other hand, have generally been less impacted. It appears to be a very slow recovery, and it won't be until 2025 or 2026 before they return to pre-Covid levels of sales.
Sales of replacement tyres are under pressure, and they are on the decline in emerging nations. The indicators of improvement in the supply of microchips to the automobile industry, after around 18 months of shortage have hampered the global OE tyre market.
Since there appear to be enough chips in China, sales will rise quickly when demand increases. At the same time, the global tyre industry is starting to experience the effects of high inflation and a potential recession.
A modest rate of growth was anticipated, particularly in the replacement segment. Europe is leading the charge with EV sales accounting for approximately half of all new car sales, while china is now at about 25 percent.
It would take time for the rise in EV sales to be reflected in rising tyre demand: Building it requires a lot more time. There are already 1.6 billion automobiles on the road, and according to our calculations, 4-5% of them are electric.
With 1.4 to 1.5 billion internal combustion engine vehicles on the road, there has been a tremendous surge in the sales of electric vehicles. Demand for EV tyres are going to expand, but this will take time as each EV replaces each ICE vehicle, particularly as the replacement market represents 75% of the market.
The number of imports from low-cost nations that reach their home markets, with levels projected to increase further due to the economic difficulties facing domestic consumers, is a more pressing worry for tyre producers; Western businesses in particular.
Despite the introduction of anti-dumping (AD) taxes and other penalties by regulators in Europe and the US, demand for low-cost imports of both light cars and medium-to-heavy vehicle tyres has remained high.
Read More About Butadiene Rubber Production Cost Reports - REQUEST FREE SAMPLE COPY IN PDF
As per Procurement Resource, due to the continuing global economic volatility, major tyre producers are predicted to have a comparable number of difficulties in 2023. Butadiene prices continued to plunge during the trading week that concluded on December 09, 2022, as a result of an excess supply and weak demand from downstream sectors.
The price of butadiene FD Hamburg for the week was USD 575 per tonne, a 38% decrease from the previous week. The trend is in line with ERJ's expectations, which stated that a flurry of new capacity expansions and sluggish demand growth would result in dampened butadiene pricing in the years to come.


text:
Lea Michele hit the red carpet at the American Horror Story: Freak Show premiere this weekend wearing a sexy plunge teal stunner by Cushnie Et Ochs – and if you’re feeling like you’ve seen this look before, it was probably on Cassie‘s Instagram.
The “Me+U” singer posted the above shot wearing the same form-fitting gown. While Lea Michele took the minimalistic route, pairing the dress with a silver clutch and silvery strappy heels, Cassie chose to accessorize the look with nude pumps and a gold accent belt.
It’s hard to go wrong with this dress. Let us know who you think has the edge in this fashion face-off in the poll below.
PHOTO CREDIT: WENN, Instagram


text:
We spend a lot of time here on Android Police talking about features that are exclusive/limited to some countries, and two of those are the ability for a developer to register to sell apps on the Play Store, and for users to buy gift cards and Google Play balance. The former is expanding to three countries, while the latter is launching in a new one. Read More
We often take a few features of our smartphones for granted. Those of you who live in the US usually get access to all the cool new things first, followed by a few countries like the UK, France, Germany, Canada, and Australia. Living in Lebanon and writing about tech, this feature inequality struggle is part of my everyday life, but there's one privilege I have now that I've started taking for granted too — the basic of all basics: purchasing apps on the Play Store. There are still countries out there where paid apps aren't available, but two of them are moving up. Read More
When it announced the HTC 10 yesterday, the company snuck in an interesting tidbit in its press release regarding the availability of two variants with different Snapdragon processors that are headed to different markets. It turns out that the second variant is the HTC 10 Lifestyle and it's been shown on several of HTC's global websites, hinting at its release there instead of the regular 10 model.
If you head over to the smartphone's page on HTC's site in India, Indonesia, China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, or Myanmar, you'll see a small "Lifestyle" written next to the HTC 10's name. Read More
Android One is Google's effort to provide customers with compelling and affordable smartphones that still offer a stock experience. The initiative debuted in India before coming to Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Turkey. Today Google announced that Myanmar will be the next country to take part.
Google is partnering with Cherry Mobile to provide the Cherry Mobile One (how's that for combining names?) in the country. The device, which is already available in the Phillipines, comes with Android 5.1.1 and two years of updates. An MTK 6582m 1.3GHz quad-core processor and a 1700mAh battery power the experience. Read More


text:
Although his vision for indoor food cultivation dates back many decades, a Japanese botanist, Shigeharu Shimamura, used the earthquake and tsunami disaster of 2011 as a catalyst to start a stunning new factory farm that produces 10,000 heads of high quality leafy lettuce per day with staggering efficiency.
The nuclear disaster at the Fukushima plant occurred in an agricultural region of the small country and produced rampant food shortages. The Japanese government wanted to provide subsidies to spur development in Miyagi — a perfect opportunity to produce the farm of the future.
The facility run by Mirai uses towering rows of thin soil trays and exact measurements for temperature, humidity, light and darkness, to create 100 times more vegetables per square foot than traditional agriculture methods. The bacteria-free, pesticide-free environment cuts food waste by 30-40 percent compared to lettuce grown outdoors.
With such exacting standards crops are not the only thing being saved. Energy and, most importantly, water is being conserved, too. The growing method uses 40% less power and, through recycling in the closed system, 99% less water than outdoor fields. Other advantages include food safety and year-round availability, no matter the climate or weather.
Mirai has installed plant factories in 12 locations around Japan selling their varieties of lettuce to grocery stores and restaurants. They are now expanding into major cities where acreage is limited, like Hong Kong and in mainland China. A Russian location is also being planned following the success of two smaller farms in Mongolia where the climate is so severe vegetables can’t be grown outdoors for much of the year and they need to import from Europe, a great distance away.
As the world learns to deal with shortages of both water and food around the world, plant factory operations are becoming a great solution.
(WATCH the video below or READ a report presented at The University of Arizona)


text:
Alcohol sales between midnight and 2 a.m. will soon be allowed in the city after Wylie City Council passed an ordinance extending sale hours.
City Secretary Stephanie Storm said staff had received various requests from restaurants and other businesses over the years regarding extended alcohol sales.
In cities with “extended hours,” certain types of alcoholic beverages can be sold, delivered or consumed between the hours of midnight and 2 a.m.
Council unanimously passed the ordinance.
In other business, council appointed Mayor pro tem Jeff Forrester to serve as the council liaison for the Animal Shelter Advisory Board.
Council also approved a resolution authorizing the Wylie Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to obtain a loan in the principal amount of $8.1 million to be used as development reimbursement incentives.
For the full story, see our July 20 issue.


text:
Emirates SkyCargo signs MoU with Dubai CommerCity
Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, has signed an MoU with Dubai CommerCity- the first free zone dedicated to e-commerce in the Middle East and North Africa region located in Dubai. The MoU was signed in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Emirates airline and Group, by Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo and His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni, Director General – Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority (DAFZA).
Emirates SkyCargo will work with Dubai CommerCity to develop new solutions for the global e-commerce sector. E-commerce is a growing vertical for the air cargo industry worldwide and Emirates SkyCargo is working with stakeholders across the supply chain to identify the best methods to add value to the e-commerce business.
“Every day Emirates SkyCargo transports a large volume of e-commerce shipments as part of our mail or general cargo offerings. We are progressing to the next step where we cooperate more closely with e-retailers with the ultimate aim of getting products to customers even more quickly and cost effectively,” said Nabil Sultan, Emirates’ Divisional Vice President, Cargo. “Dubai CommerCity, with its focus on e-commerce, can be an ideal platform for us to develop and roll out new solutions as well as technology that can be used to improve the speed, efficiency and safety of e-commerce shipments,” he added.
H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni, Director General, DAFZA said, “We are delighted to partner with Emirates SkyCargo, one of the world’s largest air cargo carriers, and we are confident that it will be a major boost to our strategic goals of making Dubai CommerCity a unified platform for government, administrative and customs services and logistics to help meet the needs of the e-commerce sector, in line with the Dubai government’s efforts towards achieving comprehensive and sustainable development and provide an exceptional experience for its investors.”
“The cooperation between Emirates SkyCargo and Dubai CommerCity will enable us to strengthen Dubai’s position as a global hub for e-commerce operations and provide a value-added logistics experience, which in turn, can drive the growth of both parties. Dubai CommerCity is considered to be a pioneering and influential leading city in solidifying e-commerce in the UAE and the region, which adopts a non-traditional approach to formulating and offering complementary services directly related to the development of its business which will be announced in the near future. We are optimistic with the pivotal and dynamic role played by Emirates SkyCargo in Dubai CommerCity,” added Al Zarooni
Emirates SkyCargo offers cargo capacity on both passenger and freighter aircraft across its global network of over 155 destinations across six continents. The air cargo carrier operates a modern, all wide-body fleet of over 260 aircraft including 14 freighters- 13 Boeing 777-Fs and one B747-400ERF- from its hub in Dubai. This unique combination of a strategically located hub along with Emirates SkyCargo’s network, frequency and cargo capacity allows it to create a number of product offerings for e-commerce businesses.
Dubai CommerCity is a joint venture between DAFZA and wasl Asset Management Group. Launched in October 2017, Dubai CommerCity aims to strategically promote Dubai’s position as a focal point for international e-commerce and retail.
Emirates SkyCargo has developed a number of transportation solutions targeted at specific industry verticals including Emirates Pharma for the transportation of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals; Emirates Fresh for the transportation of perishables such as fruits and vegetables, fresh fish and meat and Emirates Wheels for the transportation of high value automobiles.


text:
As covid-19 pandemic is growing world-wide with no vaccine or medicine yet, Masks have become the most important thing as whole world needs to get it. Earlier Indian government recommended masks only for healthcare workers, those who are sick or those who are around sick person but now many states have made it compulsory for everyone to wear mask when stepping out. It has been proved by health experts that a simple mask will also work for common people and no need to rush for N95 mask or any special mask. If buying a mask or for that matter sewing at home is not your cup of tea, you can learn here how to make face mask at home without the use of sewing machine in less than 30 seconds. It’s easy to make a DIY face mask with materials you have at home. It sounds awesome right, as even a man at home can prepare it without any sewing experience or going into technicalities of sewing machine.
Table of Contents
DIY: Face Mask in
How to make Homemade face mask?
Here is a quick and easy tutorial for making face mask at home
Things you Need:
HankerchiefYou can use any cotton material available at home
Rubber bandsYou can use any bands available at home
How to Sanitize Face Mask
You can wear it easily as it will include at least of 3 layers depending on your cloth size. While, as directed by health experts homemade face mask should be of 2 layers minimum. So, proudly wear it whenever go out for groceries shopping.
Do remember to sanitize your homemade face mask regularly. As, it is made of up cloth you can wash it with disinfectant such as Dettol, Betadine, etc available at your home to kills bacteria.
Warning note: While, again I’ll advice, don’t go outside unless very much needed even by wearing any mask. ‘Stay home, Stay safe’
Government: Facemask compulsory in India before Going Out
There are many strict actions taken by Indian states so far to control the outbreak. Police and officials are struggling to make people understand the benefits of lockdown and taking steps to make them follow the rules. Recently, there are important announcements to make mask for COVID-19 compulsory for all such as Union ministry of health’s advisory asking people to cover their nose and mouth with a “handmade reusable face cover ” whenever they step out of their homes. Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary Awasthi announced “Wearing of masks has been made compulsory in the state. The can be legal action also for not wearing masks,” .
Arvind Kejriwal tweeted “Wearing of facial masks can reduce the spread of coronavirus. Therefore, it has been decided that facial masks will be compulsory for anyone stepping out of their house. Cloth mask shall be eligible too”. The Union Territory of Chandigarh Advisor Manoj Parida said “We have made it mandatory for people in Chandigarh to wear masks or cloth on their face from Wednesday.” Odisha government said “The general public is directed to cover their mouth and nos with any mask while stepping out of house for any purpose. The handkerchief or any other piece of cloth with at least two layers can also be used for the purpose”.


text:
By Ben Grubb
Consumers are being warned to read the fine print after Optus began inviting select customers to sign up to a mobile plan that claims to offer "unlimited" data, but comes with some caveats.
The limitations include slower than usual download speeds, which one telecommunications analyst said would be "barely enough" to stream a standard definition video on Netflix.
Earlier this week, Optus re-launched its "Unleashed" SIM-only (without a handset) plan. First offered in March before the telco withdrew the offer, the plan offers "unlimited" data for $60 per month on a 12-month contract to selected customers directly invited by Optus. For an extra $50 per month, a second SIM can be added. A third SIM can be added for $40 per month.
The Unleashed package has led some to question whether it is too good to be true. Telco analysts seem to think so, warning that consumers should read the offer's fine print.
"Customers always need to keep their eyes open when deals like this are offered," Harrison Astbury, a telecommunications specialist at comparison website Canstar, told Fairfax Media.
"By reading the critical information summary (CIS) of this plan, customers will realise that speeds are rated at 1.5Mbps, which is barely enough to stream standard definition Netflix," Astbury said.
"It is, however, suitable for social media, email, and other basic functions. The main message is that customers need to read between the lines, read beyond the fancy advertising and read into the CIS to get an understanding of what's really going on."
The critical information summary also states that, in peak times, download speeds may be slowed even further due to network congestion management, Astbury noted on Canstar's site.
A spokesperson for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission told Fairfax Media that it could not comment on specific cases, but that "representations that lead consumers into error are likely to raise concerns under the Australian Consumer Law".
"The ACCC has previously taken action across various sectors where businesses have used absolute claims such as 'free' and 'unlimited'," the ACCC spokesperson said.
"Whether or not concerns arise will depend on the circumstances. Consumers who think they have been misled about the terms and conditions of their contract should contact their service provider, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman or the ACCC website."
In March 2012, Optus was fined $3.6 million after it offered "unlimited" download plans for users who signed up to their services. However, as the ACCC noted at the time, the plans were subject to limitations including speed reductions when a certain amount of data was downloaded.
The court found that the use of the term "unlimited" in relation to plans that were subject to major limitations that were not disclosed was misleading and deceptive.
An Optus spokesperson said the terms and conditions of the new Unleashed plan provided customers "with a clear explanation of what they can expect to receive if they take up the offer".
"The offer is designed for mobile devices and to provide a standard definition quality experience," an Optus spokesperson said.
Canstar's Astbury said that the Unleashed plan could be the start of a US trend coming to Australia, whereby carriers move away from data caps and towards speeds.
"I would envisage in the next couple of years, Australian telcos will increasingly offer a similar proposal," Astbury said.
Alex Kidman, tech expert at finder.com.au, didn't recommend the Unleashed deal.
"Customers shouldn't be caught up in the hype of unlimited mobile plans," Kidman said.
"In this case Optus has a 50GB plan for $60 which comes with no specific limitations."
Unless users need more than 50GB, this is a much better deal than the "unlimited" plan, he said.
Kidman also said it would be much harder to complain about network speeds if consumers hit long periods of slow activity when they had explicitly signed up for a service that warned them it would slow them down.
Meanwhile, Telsyte senior analyst Alvin Lee suspected Optus were using the plan to test consumer appetite and wouldn't necessarily launch it broadly.
"We don't expect unlimited mobile data with speed shaping to be a common product in Australia if it affects quality of video streaming, as its one of the most common activities on smartphones today," said Lee, noting that Telsyte research showed that 23 per cent of those using on-demand TV or catch-up services were watching via their smartphones.


text:
The Entertainment Co. Manages the Launch of Suzuki Access 125 Special Edition
by Shantanu Jain Marketing | September 26, 2016 | News
The Entertainment Co. Suzuki
Suzuki Two-Wheelers aimed at launching the latest addition to their product range the ‘Access 125 Special Edition’ in the most spectacular manner possible. The highlight of the product is a classic color combination complimented by chrome finishing, giving the special edition product a whole new positioning, one that would appeal to the modern age fashionable consumer.
The Entertainment Co. was handed over the mandate to conceptualize and execute the launch event. The agency took inspiration from the highlight of the product itself and added a timeless 'Go Retro' themed fashion show at the launch event to unveil the product.
The Entertainment Co. conceptualized the entire experience along with choreographer Nisha Harale to bring to life the retro inspired theme along with clothing partner Jack and Jones, which displayed its unique range of timeless fashion at the show.
Speaking about the event, Subramanian Iyer, MD, The Entertainment Co. said, “We are thankful to Suzuki for the opportunity. Our concept and design were approved in the first meeting, the team understood the brief really well and I think it was extremely well executed."
Nikhil Alves, Sr. Manager - Concept and Design, The Entertainment Co. elaborated, “The set design married the look of a motor showroom with that of themed fashion windows and that served as the perfect backdrop to a stellar fashion showcase culminating with the showstopper - Rannvijay Singh. The show perfectly brought to life the products fashionable positioning showcasing its distinct look along with various different clothing styles that perfectly fit their target.”
The agency took inspiration from the highlight of the product itself and added a timeless 'Go Retro' themed fashion show at the launch event to unveil the product.


text:
Debit cards compromised in area
MARQUETTE -Some area residents’ debit card numbers were stolen last week, causing several local banks to limit the use of customer debit cards.
According to statements issued by the Marquette Community Federal Credit Union, the U.P. Catholic Credit Union and Range Bank, several allegedly fraudulent transactions occurred in the Detroit area with debit card numbers taken from residents living in the Marquette area.
Jim Lori, general manager of the MCFCU, said it’s possible a card “skimmer” device was used to obtain debit card numbers from a point of sale machine in the area.
“We’re thinking it is somewhat limited, but we’re not sure of that, and that is why we did the precaution (of limited debit card use),” Lori said.
All three banks shut down signature-based transactions with their customers’ debit cards, allowing instead only pin-based transactions.
Lori said he is unsure how many accounts were affected by the fraudulent activity, but wanted to assure debit card holders that nothing beyond the card numbers had been stolen.
“There is no personal information that has been leaked, meaning they don’t have these people’s Social Security numbers,” Lori said. “All they have is their card number.”
Lori said he is hoping the problem can be resolved by the end of the week, allowing debit card users to return to their normal transactions.
The Marquette City Police Department has launched an investigation in the alleged fraud.
“Late last week, we got information on some frauds involving debit cards in our community” said Detective Capt. Gordon Warchock. “Today, we’re looking into the matter and investigating what’s going on in the community with this.”
Warchock said police would be working closely with local banks, and asked anyone with information on the matter to contact the city police department by calling 228-0400.
Anyone who believes their card number may have been used fraudulently should contact their local bank immediately.
Jackie Stark can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242.


text:
Apple says iOS 7 will be available Sept. 18
CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple says its next mobile operating system, iOS 7, will be available as a free download on Sept 18.
Craig Federighi, head of software at Apple Inc., said at an event at the company’s Cupertino, Calif., headquarters that “downloading iOS 7 is like getting an all new device.”
The new system can be downloaded on the iPhone 4 and later models, as well as on the tablets beginning with the iPad 2.
Apple also says it expects to ship its 700 millionth iOS device next month. Apple CEO Tim Cook predicts that iOS 7 will become the most popular mobile operating system in the world.
The company is expected to unveil new phones later Tuesday.
Leaders: The Next Generation
Innovation in Education
50 Years of Civil Rights in Pueblo
The Growing Trade
A 6-day series reviews the first year in legal sales in Pueblo and surrounding counties.
There's no better source for news on Southern Colorado water issues than The Pueblo Chieftain.
Explore our database of unsolved homicides and missing persons cases.


text:
UK supermarket Waitrose has launched a new online wine site featuring more than 1,200 wines, as competitor Morrisons announced it is to close its standalone wine site and incorporate it into its main site.
Waitrose today launched its standalone wine site, Waitrose Cellar, with the aim of growing its online share of the wine UK wine market.
The site will allow customers to mix their own case of six bottles from its range of wines, spirits and champagnes and receive free delivery within three working days.
The service, which replaces Waitrose Wine Direct, includes a “Fine & Rare” range and gives customers the ability to rate purchases.
Robert McCarthy, head of cellar and direct services at Waitrose, said: “Waitrose Cellar will bring a new element to our multi channel offer by allowing customers to receive the wine expertise we are renowned for in our shops from the comfort of their own home. We’ll be offering great value combined with interesting and unusual exclusives, with free delivery on every order.”
Its launch comes as fellow UK supermarket Morrison’s announced it was to close its standalone wine site, Morrisons Cellar, following its launch in 2012.
Instead, the online wine shop will be incorporated into the supermarket’s main grocery site from June, which launched in January.
Steve Mosey, category director for beers, wines and spirits at Morrisons, said the change was the “next logical step” to provide customers with a one-stop shop for all of their online wine and groceries.
He said: “As we look to continually improve our online wine proposition, we have taken the decision to combine Morrisonscellar.com with our industry leading grocery site Morrisons.com which launched earlier this year.
“This move will take effect from June 2014 and is the logical next step to provide our customers with a one-stop shop for all of their online wine and groceries.
“Our online wine range will continue to provide great quality at key price points thanks to the tremendous strides taken by our new wine sourcing team. The Taste Test, which helps guide customers in an approachable way towards wines to suit their personal preferences, will remain core to our online wine offer.”
Morrisons is releasing its Q1 results tomorrow. (8 May)