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NBC has “sold nearly half of its available Super Bowl XLVI spots, cutting deals with a number of repeat clients looking to protect their positions in the big game,” according to sources cited by Anthony Crupi of ADWEEK. Precise ad rates are unavailable, but NBC is “believed to be commanding rates above and beyond Fox’ year-ago average price of $3 million per 30-second spot.” Rates for Super Bowl spots “typically increase by as much as $150,000 each season, although given the deluge of automotive, telecom and financial services dollars flooding the market, NBC could push for a $300,000 hike.” The auto industry has “sparked the run on ad time” and has been “a big part of the conversation at the NFL’s other network partners.” Fox has sold “a healthy portion of its regular-season avails and is believed to have wrapped up a good deal of auto business" for both its "Fox NFL Sunday" pregame show and during its 1:00 and 4:15pm ET game broadcasts. CBS is also “said to be fielding offers for its Sunday afternoon coverage.” ESPN is “in active discussions with its ‘Monday Night Football’ sponsors and, given the uncertainty engendered by the NFL lockout, its 300-game NCAA football slate is the object of great interest.” One game that is “almost certainly sold out is the Sept. 10 Notre Dame-Michigan matchup.” Sources indicated that the “incumbents aren’t hoarding all the NFL inventory; in fact, a good deal of first-time clients are throwing their lot in with football.” College football is “particularly popular amongst marketers who are looking to dip a toe in the water” (ADWEEK.com, 5/20).
Marketing and Sponsorship
Daytona Int'l Speedway announced this morning that Anheuser-Busch has signed a multiyear renewal for its Budweiser brand to remain the track's exclusive beer sponsor and title partner of NASCAR's Budweiser Shootout. As part of the agreement, Budweiser will also begin a non-exclusive promotional partnership with Homestead-Miami Speedway in '12. Budweiser will maintain signage rights for all events at DIS, including Speedweeks, the Daytona 500 and the Coke Zero 400, as well as naming rights of the infield concession area and branded Party Porch. Budweiser's entitlement extension for the Shootout continues a relationship that began in '79, when the event was known as the Busch Clash. Budweiser began as the official beer of the track in '06 (DIS). SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Tripp Mickle notes A-B is "one of Daytona’s five largest sponsors in terms of rights fee and promotional activity." The brewer "promotes its affiliation with the track by using the Daytona logo on Budweiser packaging across the Southeast and nationally at select retailers." A-B Senior Dir of Sports Marketing Brad Brown: "This is one of the main cogs in that (NASCAR activation) wheel. It allows us to showcase at the start of the year what our racing platform will be" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 5/23 issue).
Aflac during Saturday's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race posted a "Now Hiring" sign on Carl Edwards' No. 99 Ford, according to J. Scott Trubey of the ATLANTA CONSTITUTION. Aflac "has sponsored Edwards for three years, and it’s the company’s first attempt to recruit directly via stock car." Aflac’s positions "aren't hires; they’re independent contractor jobs." Aflac Senior VP & Director of Sales Tom Giddens "wouldn’t say how many spots are open, but the company launched the campaign in January in an effort to enlarge its 75,000 member U.S. sales force." The company "also is running TV, radio and print spots" (AJC.com, 5/20). Meanwhile, BLOOMBERG NEWS' Nancy Kercheval reported Aflac "has agreed to sponsor the Heisman Trophy." Aflac "didn't give details of the multiyear partnership," but said that it allows the company to "offer exclusive, Heisman-themed experiences to its accounts and brokers" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 5/21). The company is "working with major universities to line up" events around the endorsement (AP, 5/21).
Fox sold out its ad inventory for the UEFA Champions League Final in mid-April, when Gatorade picked up the last two spots. Last year, the same game did not sell out until early May. Fox is reporting that pricing is up about 10-15% this year. In addition to Gatorade, Apple and Burger King are new advertisers on Saturday's telecast, having opted not to buy time in the semis. Geico signed on as the sponsor of the pregame show; Pizza Hut will sponsor the halftime show; and DirecTV will have the postgame show. The story is similarly as good for Fox Deportes, which also is sold out with pricing up 10-15%. Fox' Spanish-language sports channel sold the full auto category sponsorship for both TV and online to Ford, which is an official Champions League sponsor. Snickers' sponsorship will include two customized vignettes using Fox Deportes talent.
Soccer star Mia Hamm “lured American girls to soccer in droves,” and Nike's Jordan Brand is about to find out if new endorser Maya Moore “might have the same marketing impact in basketball,” according to Allan Brettman of the Portland OREGONIAN. Moore last week signed a multiyear deal with Jordan Brand, and she “might be just what Nike, Inc., needs for continued growth in the U.S. market.” Moore's credentials “are top notch, having become the first four-time first team All-American in the history" of college basketball and leading UConn to two national titles. Univ. of Portland marketing professor Diane Martin said, "Women have been largely underserved in a variety of consumer products." Moore on Friday said, "I'm excited about seeing more females wear Jordan products because they're excited to see me wearing them." Brettman noted “few WNBA players have individual sneaker endorsement deals.” adidas Head of Global Sports Marketing Chris Grancio indicated that the lack of deals is “a plus for Adidas, whose WNBA apparel contract calls for all players without shoe deals to wear Adidas.” Grancio said sales to women basketball players have "always been a very important part of our business." Moore said that it is “too early to say whether the Jordan Brand would be designing a Maya Moore shoe, though she acknowledged the possible appeal for women basketball players in high school and college” (OREGONLIVE.com, 5/21).
The Bucks on Friday said that they have "reached agreement on a multi-year sponsorship with YES Vodka." The deal includes sponsorship "on the Bucks radio network, in-arena signage and social media elements." Financial details were not disclosed. The vodka brand became available at Bradley Center starting with Saturday's Bon Jovi concert (JSONLINE.com, 5/20).
A VIRAL SENSATION: In St. Petersburg, Marc Topkin reported a video of Rays 3B Evan Longoria "'saving' a reporter with a bare-handed catch has gone viral, with close to 3 million hits on YouTube." Longoria said that the video "was shot with a handheld camera in one take in about five minutes, after a six-hour shoot for another Gillette commercial." Longoria: "Once it gets on to Twitter and YouTube, it goes from a small snowball to an avalanche pretty quickly" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 5/20).
LET'S RACE: In K.C., Randy Covitz reported the NHRA Summer Nationals are "looking for a new title sponsor" after O'Reilly Auto Parts "withdrew from its longtime role" this year. O'Reilly acquired 3,400 CSK Auto stores and has "shifted its marketing efforts from NHRA races in Topeka and Dallas to Chicago and Seattle, where CSK has more stores." But Heartland Park of Topeka Owner & GM Raymond Irwin said that the facility is "not in jeopardy of losing the NHRA, now in its 23rd year at the track." Irwin said that O'Reilly "remains a corporate sponsor through signage at the track and other promotional activities" (K.C. STAR, 5/21).


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Create Ultimate Weapons in Guncraft with Gun Smithing Feature
Exato Game Studios and Reverb Publishing invite players to get ready for an exclusive new feature that demonstrates the power of creativity in the recently fan voted Steam Greenlit, Guncraft, coming July 11, 2013 to online digital retailers and Steam later this summer. Utilizing Gun Smithing, Guncraft players will be able to build up their dream weapons – block by block – each customized with their own unique weapon properties. From the fire rate, ammunition type, explosive damage, custom sights and even weapon size, each weapon feature can be deeply modified.
“We are so thrilled about being Greenlit, it is a dream come true. We literally couldn’t have done it without the support from our amazing fans,” said John Getty, Executive Producer and Lead Game Designer of Exato Game Studios. “Being Greenlit on Steam is really going to unlock the full potential that Guncraft has to offer. Expect a lot of epic things to come in the future.”
With the ability to create such weapons as futuristic miniguns or the infamous grenade launching catgun from PAX East, players will only be limited by their imaginations when creating their signature weapon. The powerful Gun Smithing feature is the same toolset used by Exato Game Studios development team when they create weapons, and fans will be able to unleash their destructive creations when Guncraft officially launches for Windows PC on July 11, 2013.
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domain: news


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The new harvest of Italian onions is due in the coming weeks. Due to weather problems and the coronavirus it promises to be an interesting season.
"Workers, mainly from Poland and Romania, do not want to go to Italy. Less so even than to Germany. They are very scared because of the virus," said a German trader. After a very positive season for (Italian) onions last year, due to the drought and shortage in 2018, he is now definitely expecting a difficult 2020: "That's the only thing I can say now before the season, otherwise we'll have to wait and see".
The harvest will be delayed for a while: "This is partly due to weather problems. Many products in Italy had suffered from the frost and hail."
The first German volumes are expected in July. "It's still too early to make any predictions here. The weather is already very dry, we'll have to see how it develops. The harvest will depend on it."
At the moment the demand can be met with alternative goods from Germany and the neighbouring Netherlands. "To bridge the gap, the first volumes of the new crop from New Zealand are also being added. This share is growing increasingly. The market can thus be adequately supplied and there are no bottlenecks in sight."


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According to Automobile Magazine, Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz have agreed to share the SL and GL platforms of the German manufacturer. The first product of the partnership between the marks would be a sports car.
Honda reported overall profit of 1.57 billion dollars in the fourth and final quarter of 2013. According to figures released on Friday (31), the gains of this period is double that obtained between October and December 2012.
The Subaru revealed late on Monday (27) the WRX STI NBR Challenge model developed for the clues and has already secured participation in the next edition of the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, between cars SP3T class.


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Benidorm on Spain’s Costa Blanca among the most sought after holiday destinations as searches soared by 142 per cent on Saturday after PM Pedro Sanchez advised the public to “plan their holidays from now on.”
ALDO TORRECILLA, of Spanish online travel Destinia, said “we monitored searches and hotel reservations for the five hours following the announcement by PM (on Saturday) of the opening of tourism in Spain.”
And the company detected an increase of 142 per cent in Spanish hotel searches between 2pm and 7pm after Sanchez’s midday appearance. This is compared to the same period last week.
During his speech, the PM encouraged the Spanish and expats in Spain “to plan their holidays now,” assuring there will be a “tourist season this summer.”
And he advised tourist establishments to be ready to “resume their activity in a few days,” adding that from July, Spain will “resume the entry of foreign tourists in safety.”
Destinia said Sanchez’s words have had a significant effect on searches and hotel reservations in the country, resulting in an “unusual increase” since the State of Alarm was declared on March 14.
Destinations which have seen the biggest interest are Benidorm, Salou, Peniscola, Lloret de Mar, Torremolinos, Cambrils, Benalmadena, Gandia, Mojacar, Santa Susana, Calella and Puerto de la Cruz.
In addition to beach hotels, there has also been an increase in the search for rural hotels.
General Director of Destinia, Ricardo Fernández, this is “very positive” news for the tourism industry, pointing out it sends an international message that Spain wants to maintain its position as a favourite holiday destination.
He added “it conveys peace of mind to the public as a whole about the coming months: we will have summer and we will be able to travel.”


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Positioning the Churchill dog as the savior of everyday disasters, the campaign’s three spots – garage door, wallpaper and car stereo – show the brand mascot interacting with an everyday object that represents a timely insurance issue faced by customers.
Brooksbank, speaking to Marketing Week, said she hopes the personality of the ads will help the brand stand out amid widespread distrust among insurance consumers.
She said: “We did a lot of research prior to launching this campaign and the unifying insight was consumers think insurance is a chore and a con.
“There is a natural distrust of insurers and people think they are profit driven and high fiving after weaseling out of claims. I think that is driven by a lack of differentiation on ads as everything is driven by price. We don’t think people are aware of the common things they are actually covered for so we want to address that with this campaign.”
Churchill is currently seventh out of the UK’s 40 biggest insurance brands when it comes to consumer index levels, which comprises consumer perceptions of quality, value, satisfaction and reputation, with a score of 7.1 according to YouGov Brandindex. However, Brooksbank is confident it can close the gap on rivals such as Direct Line, which holds the top spot with a score of 13.1.
“The dog character offers us huge amounts of personality and on our brand tracking we are the most trusted insurance brand,” she added.
The insurance brand has used celebrities such as Dawn French in its adverts in the past but Brooksbank says it is now moving closer to the consumer.
Referencing one of the new ads, in which talking wallpaper damaged by water bemoans its ruined appearance to the Churchill dog, she said: “We know what the important insurance issues are so we have to make sure our adverts are timely and actually resonating with people.
“Moving forward, Churchill wants to have more fun and continue to lift a sector often seen as boring.”


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Seat showcases Leon in augmented reality app
By Ian Darby, campaignlive.co.uk, Tuesday, 15 January 2013 09:07AM
Seat, the Volkswagen-owned car marque, is launching an augmented reality app for visitors to its showrooms, to discover more about the new Leon.
The free app by AnalogFolk uses the camera of an iPad, iPhone or Android-based device to highlight the Leon's features, ahead of its March launch.
The app is powered by Blippar technology, which overlays information, images and video when the camera is pointed towards markers placed around the Leon. For instance, when a user points the app towards the front of the car, the app reveals details of the Leon's full LED headlamps.
Chris Stevens, the head of marketing at Seat, said: "Given the advanced technology in the new Leon, the augmented reality experience is a perfect way for our customers to have a shared experience with our dealers in the showroom."
The car marque awarded its £12m UK advertising account to Grey London in November 2012 without a pitch. Its media planning and buying is handled by MediaCom.
This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk
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The head of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, Kevin Hassett shares his perspective on the 4.1 percent GDP growth, and the ongoing MAGAnomic America-First initiatives. Hassett rightly points out that finished good domestic inventories dropped as an outcome of consumer purchasing outpacing manufacturing. As more manufacturing comes on-line, the production capacity expansion leads to more GDP growth.
Remember, one of the unique attributes of the U.S. economy, thanks to the foresight of industrial titans who built it, is our internal consumption. We are not only the worlds’ largest economy, we are the biggest self-sustaining economy in the history of the world; a massively consequential strategic advantage. Our leverage comes from nations needing access to our market; the U.S. does not necessarily need access to theirs. Therefore POTUS Trump can dictate the terms.


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The Downtown Alpharetta Trade Association isn't waiting for the city to bring customers into the neighborhood. While they are hoping for a city center and even the chance of Gwinnett Tech locating its campus at the old Milton High site, the group has its own plans.
"If you just imagine if those two things could happen, what it could be in downtown," said Dick Debban, acting president of DATA and head of RJD Architect.
DATA board member Larry Attiq of Nature's Veranda said downtown used to be the place to go.
"Thirty-three years ago, we had all that it. It was a thriving downtown," he said.
At that time, Alpharetta had one stoplight. There was no mall, no shopping centers and nowhere else to be.
"What we are going to create is a new small town feel," Attiq said.
Twenty five years ago, the urban sprawl began.
"Today, we have a challenge in bringing back that community feel," he said.
On Saturday mornings, he said a lot of people come downtown to the Alpharetta Farmers Market DATA sponsors to find that community feeling once again.
The group has found success in drawing people downtown with the Alpharetta Farmers Market it sponsors weekly starting in April. They've found it's not just about buying produce for local residents.
"Lots of people just want to come downtown on a Saturday," Debban said.
Carol Anderson-Wood of , who coordinates the Farmers Market, said this year 40 vendors are signed up, an increase from the 30 of last year.
DATA has made do with temporary signage each week, but now has designs on a permanent "entrance" to the Farmers Market that's now held in the parking lot just south of City Hall on South Main Street (GA 9). The small structure will include a sign, and be surrounded by a small garden with "crops" like what might be sold at the Farmers Market. Materials will cost approximately $3,800.
Attiq, one of the DATA members working on this project, said Alpharetta City Councilmen Chris Owens and Mike Kennedy took their idea to Mayor Arthur Letchas and City Administrator Bob Regus, which was received favorably.
The city created its Historic Downtown Plan, but "unfortunately, that is as far as it went," Attiq said. The city looked to other projects and areas and only now is looking back at downtown, getting ready to release its own revised city center plans.
"But the good part of this is they saved the last dance for downtown," Attiq said.
DATA also released its Alpharetta First program, which seeks to get local residents to shop in Alpharetta and downtown Alpharetta before heading out of town.


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A study published this month by a coalition of student public interest research groups (PIRGs) has identified key problems with e-textbooks, and it calls for schools and publishers to adopt open content licenses, such as those offered by Creative Commons.
The report explains that the high cost of textbooks represents a significant financial burden for many students. Although digital textbooks have the potential to mitigate this problem, a survey conducted by the student PIRGs found that e-textbook services offered by mainstream publishing companies fail to provide a compelling alternative to conventional print books.
According to the study, a majority of electronic textbooks are encumbered with DRM that limits printing to 10 pages per session and imposes a 180-day expiration period. Despite the restrictions, the electronic textbooks don't cost significantly less than physical textbooks. In fact, the study found that the total cost is roughly the same in cases where students sell textbooks back to the school bookstore at the end of a semester.
Individual students spend between $700 and $1,000 annually on textbooks, the study says. Textbook prices continue to escalate and have already increased by over 300 percent in the last 20 years. Traditional market forces aren't bringing the prices down because students are a captive audience; professors pick books but don't buy them, and students have no choice of titles for classes. To reverse this trend, the student PIRGs advocate adoption of open textbooks that can be distributed free on the Internet under open content licenses.
Open licensing has a proven track record in the software industry where it has eroded deeply entrenched monopolies and redefined conventional economics. In the past ten years, open-source software has evolved from an idealistic dream into a pervasive trend and has seen strong adoption by virtually every company in the industry. Open licensing could be an equally formidable enabler in the conventional textbook market and could initiate a much-needed wave of price competition.
"Right now, publishers are on a crash course with e-textbooks. They are expensive and impractical for a large portion of the student population," the report says. "Open textbooks are the way to let digital textbooks live up to their potential as a solution to overwhelming textbook costs. They meet the needs of students as learners, while protecting their interest as consumers. We have known for a long time that digital textbooks could be a powerful solution, and this report finds that open textbooks are the best course to take."
Open textbooks are already beginning to emerge, but the concept must be embraced by schools before it will achieve critical mass. Over 1,500 professors have already committed to giving preferential treatment to open textbooks. The report calls for more schools to encourage similar commitments from their faculty members. Some open textbooks are already in wide use and are rapidly gaining a wide following. For instance, an open textbook about economics has been adopted by teachers at Caltech, Harvard, and other prominent universities.
The study briefly examines potential business models that some unconventional publishers are using to build real businesses on top of open textbook distribution. Flat World Knowledge, for instance, supplies the textbooks for free online and sells products like audiobooks, study aids, and downloadable supplementary content. This is similar to the model used by open-source software companies, which freely distribute open source software and make money by selling commercial support services.
Free distribution isn't the only lesson that open textbook advocates have learned from the open source software phenomenon. Open textbook providers are also turning to crowd-sourcing and community-driven authoring models. The Global Text Project, for instance, aims to produce Internet textbooks with a collaborative wiki.
Students are clearly desperate for some relief from outrageous textbook prices and some are even turning to piracy. Open textbooks offer a clear and legal solution for empowering education without untenable textbook costs. If the conventional textbook industry can't adapt, it could soon find itself irrelevant.
- Course Correction: How Digital Textbooks are Off Track and How to Set Them Straight (PDF)
- Found via The Chronicle of Higher Education


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TOKYO, July 8 (Reuters) – A SoftBank-owned business is flourishing by supplying deal with-recognition technology fuelled by a blacklisted Chinese firm to the likes of Mastercard and Visa, an opportunity for the Japanese conglomerate, fraught with geopolitical and privacy challenges.
Japan Personal computer Eyesight Corp (JCV), owned by SoftBank Group Corp’s (9984.T) wireless device, has struck deals on payments in latest months, a opportunity breakthrough for SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son’s aspiration of driving new company by partnership in between his tech investments.
If JCV sustains its enlargement, it could turn out to be a standout instance of SoftBank building synergies with portfolio companies – a crucial component of Son’s sales pitch to the tech industry.
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But the surge faces hazards as the facial-scanning system it gives to U.S. heavyweights Mastercard Inc (MA.N) and Visa Inc (V.N) takes advantage of technological know-how from SenseTime Team (0020.HK), a Chinese firm blacklisted by the United States more than human rights considerations.
The JCV-SenseTime partnership highlights SoftBank’s challenging balancing act as Son tries to position his conglomerate as a neutral player even when tensions mount between two crucial markets, the United States and China.
The billionaire mentioned previous month SoftBank is taking a careful solution to China because of to a regulatory crackdown there that has roiled its portfolio.
JCV explained it keeps SenseTime and the credit history card organizations at arm’s duration – the Chinese business is a engineering lover with no accessibility to Mastercard’s and Visa’s techniques or facts.
Mastercard reported all of its biometric-checkout programme companions will have to adhere to European Union benchmarks of details protection. Visa stated it is operating to define the use of biometrics in payments and believes this kind of technologies can assistance make sure a protected technique.
JCV’s fast enlargement also faces privacy issues from regulators and buyers as facial-recognition technologies goes mainstream. SenseTime’s shares plunged 50% last 7 days with the close of a lock-up interval soon after its preliminary public offering.
SenseTime advised Reuters it aims to reinforce the partnership with JCV, which it believes will benefit enterprises, and that the corporation has founded an ethics council to make certain benchmarks.
JCV explained its engineering is audited by a third social gathering, Israeli cybersecurity startup CYE, to check out for chance of knowledge leakage and the company asks buyers to choose in to pay-by-face units and lets them to opt back out.
“Giving the consumer individuals controls are genuinely what’s necessary to make this a incredibly mainstream know-how,” explained JCV CEO Andrew Schwabecher. SoftBank declined to comment.
One particular MILLION FACES Day by day
SenseTime, of which SoftBank is the premier investor, was positioned on a blacklist in 2019, avoiding U.S. companies from exporting technologies to the Chinese agency. A even further blacklisting in December helps prevent American expense in SenseTime.
Washington accuses the Hong Kong detailed firm of building facial-recognition engineering that can be used to identify ethnic Uyghurs.
Whilst there is no recommendation JCV is breaching any limitations, the use of SenseTime know-how displays the limitations of U.S. blacklisting in hobbling the enlargement of Chinese know-how.
JCV also sells system temperature scanners using the technologies to shops these as Quick Retailing Co’s (9983.T) Uniqlo style chain and mall operator Aeon Co (8267.T). It has delivered in excess of 20,000 units in Japan that scan far more than a million faces day-to-day.
“SenseTime’s algorithm is totally the most effective, we’ve evaluated virtually each and every a single,” JCV’s Schwabecher explained to Reuters, citing its ability to identify customers even when the face is partly obscured by a mask or a hand.
Quickly Retailing explained its temperature scanners do not store or transmit any of the facts they seize. Aeon declined to remark.
JCV has constructed a software program system to operate the SenseTime algorithm, which it states ranks remarkably in the U.S. government’s have checks for its minimal mistake rate. JCV operates the method from Japan.
SenseTime’s algorithm analyses more than 200 facial locations and the distance involving them to make a digital key. JCV uploads the exceptional signature to the cloud, making it possible for consumers to authenticate payments employing their confront.
Schwabecher said other organizations will possible capture up with SenseTime, and JCV strategies to provide choices on its platform in the upcoming. “In two to a few several years, which vendor’s algorithm you’re making use of is almost certainly not heading to make a difference as a lot as it does these days.”
Uptake of facial scanning tech would allow for increased personalisation of expert services, from qualified adverts to featuring prospects their favourite burger at a foods cafe or suggesting a place on acquiring in a taxi.
But shopper worries about details privateness pose a menace to increased adoption, even as proponents say these kinds of tech is much more safe and effortless.
Regulators have taken action towards facial recognition companies, with New York-dependent startup Clearview AI fined in Britain and Italy for scraping on-line illustrations or photos to practice its experience-matching tool.
In Australia, a key consumer group referred 3 retail chains to regulators last month more than their use of “intrusive” facial recognition technologies. go through a lot more
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Reporting by Sam Nussey Editing by Miyoung Kim
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Mr Sushi serves up a fast food revolution at Itsu: Cheaper food, touch-screen menus and kitchen robots
There is no pause as Itsu founder Julian Metcalfe answers how his sushi empire is faring in the wake of the pandemic: 'It's been completely decimated.'
The East Asian-inspired fast food chain is almost completely reliant on the lunchtime trade and well-heeled office workers paying up to £10 for a box of sushi.
Some 35 of its 77 stores are still shut. A third of its staff are on furlough. Last month it completed an insolvency procedure, known as a company voluntary agreement, to close two stores and slash rents on 53 more. Some might think it will be a long way back.
Struggle: Itsu boss Julian Metcalfe believes the threat of Covid-19 'has been blown out of all proportion'
It's 'extraordinary that businesses aren't bringing people back' to the office, Metcalfe, 60, complains.
The risk of the virus 'has been blown out of all proportion' and 'we live in a world where our leaders don't like delivering bad news, they just can't bear it'.
He says: 'How many knee-jerk reactions will we see? Next week you won't be able to eat rabbit, it's ridiculous.'
But with newly lowered rents, he believes his stores will survive until office workers make their slow return.
His re-invigorated expansion plan has been hatched with 'Elon Musk-type stealth' in lockdown.
Office workers are Itsu's history, he says, 'its future will be different'.
Metcalfe says his crusade with Itsu, which he founded in 1997, is to offer a healthy lunch for £7.
His style is more mad inventor than fastidious accountant, but compared to some of the technocrats who run top companies, it's refreshing.
'I'll put in whatever it takes', he says, adding that total investment has hit '£40million to £50million' in the last three years. 'And we'll put in more – this is a really long game.'
His wealth was estimated to be £215million last year. Itsu's latest accounts show sales rose 10.4 per cent to £116.5million in 2018, while losses narrowed from £8.8million to £6million.
Deserted: Some 35 of Itsu's 77 stores are still shut. A third of its staff are on furlough. Last month it completed an insolvency procedure, known as a company voluntary agreement
Today he wants to show off the new restaurant design that is being trialled on Great Portland Street in London's West End. He says it will be enough to overcome the slump facing the hospitality industry.
'This is really huge, it's the first time we've cracked affordable fast food,' he says. Perhaps we should believe him. He did, after all, make his riches reinventing how we eat lunch.
W ITH university friend Sinclair Beecham, he started selling freshly made sandwiches in Hampstead, north London in 1986. When the queue became too long, they made them in the morning and stored them in fridges – Pret a Manger was born.
He sold most of his stake to private equity firm Bridgepoint for £364million in 2008. The sale opened up the trappings of wealth to him.
He lives with his wife, art expert and businesswoman Brooke, in a 17th-century Tudor home in Oxfordshire. It is 'large enough to accommodate their seven children', notes one interior magazine writer.
The interest is reminiscent of Metcalfe's former life in the society pages (his grandfather Edward was best man at Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson's wedding).
Now even Pret, worth £1.5billion when JAB Holding bought it in 2018, is on its knees. It has axed 2,890 staff and will shut 30 outlets.
Its boss, who racked up huge profits from its 'follow the skyscraper' strategy, admitted last week it was too focused on London.
Metcalfe is reluctant to talk about Pret but thinks it is 'probably very concerned', noting it doesn't bring in punters much after 3pm.
By contrast, Itsu has not cut staff. In fact, there's talk of breaking outside London in a meaningful way for the first time. And there are encouraging signs.
The new-style restaurant on Great Portland Street has been open a week. 'Everyone's been pretty pleased. We try not to put targets for the first month, it's a waste of time – or if there was a target, they didn't tell me,' says Metcalfe.
The hope is to bring couples and groups of friends in for a quick bite in the evening and vie with the leading Asian chain, Wagamama. Little expense has been spared on the restaurant – down to the real orchids.
'It's top-class Itsu stuff. It would not look out of place in Kyoto,' Metcalfe boasts. 'There hasn't been much development in affordable healthy fast food because it's just so difficult.
One of Itsu's 'sushi robots' churns out the Nigri. The machines can produce 4,800 perfectly shaped rice snacks per hour
We're still having to rely on Wagamama, Nando's, and a few other places. If your budget is £7, you have a problem.'
He excitedly runs through innovations in this restaurant that he hopes to roll out across the estate. Touch screens planned ahead of Covid, but now with the added benefit of removing 'endless interaction by hand'.
He has slimmed down Itsu's menu to 16 hot and 16 cold items – downgrading the importance of sushi. At the same time he has cut prices so that sushi boxes are £3.99 to £8.39, and rice and noodle bowls are £5.50 to £6.50.
The hot recipes – which include best-seller teriyaki chicken, spicy Korean chicken and vegetable gyoza noodles – taste good.
The price is kept down by bulking out the bowl with carbs, with clever presentation to give a wow-factor. Seven in ten dishes are under 500 calories and nothing is fried.
Another eye-catching element is a new generation of sushi robots, which shape the sushi rice all without being handled by chefs.
'I don't know how much they cost, £50,000 or something,' Metcalfe says, but is later corrected by a minion (they are a mere £12,000).
The nigiri robot produces 4,800 perfectly shaped rice snacks per hour – almost too quickly for the chef to harvest. The machines – more common in Japan where they are made – free up staff for other parts of the store.
If Metcalfe's reinvention comes off, then expect to see stores in a town near you – he anticipates the next stage could get up to 170 in the UK.
'It's far more than a business, it's an absolute crusade,' he finishes dramatically. 'Not since the 50s has fast food caught up with changing tastes and nutrition needs. It's a start. We will lead and many will follow.'
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Windows Phone Logo – Windows Phone 7 is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft , as successor to the platform Windows Mobile . is intended for general consumer market rather than the enterprise market 3 thus lacks many features provided by the previous version. Microsoft has decided not to support Windows Phone 7 with Windows Mobile 6 so that existing applications do not work in Windows Phone 7 making it necessary to develop new applications. With Microsoft Windows Phone 7 offers a new user interface and integrates several services in the operating system. Microsoft planning a strict control of the hardware that would implement the operating system, to avoid fragmentation with the evolution of the system, but have reduced hardware requirements so that this may not be possible.
In December 2011 Windows Phone 7 continued to lose market share to competitors such as Android or iPhone . On February 11, 2011, in a press event in London, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, CEO of Nokia, and Stephen Elop announced a partnership between businesses where Windows Phone will become the main operating system Nokia smartphone. The event focused heavily on creating “a new global mobile ecosystem”, suggesting competition with Android and IOS saying: “It is now a three-horse race.” Microsoft Services Integration with Nokia’s own services were announced specifically that Bing would be able to search through Nokia devices and Nokia Maps integration with Bing Maps, and Nokia app store integrates with Windows Phone Marketplace.


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TechCrunch recently ran an article that announced by 2020 augmented and virtual reality will reach $150 billion disrupting mobile.
Between Facebook’s $2 billion for Oculus, Google’s $542 million for Magic Leap, Microsoft’s HoloLens, and Epson the augmented and virtual reality markets are poised for huge expansion as these giants discover ways to make these technologies work for B2B & B2C. Augmented reality will comprise an estimated $120 billion of the market, and virtual reality will make up an estimated $30 billion of the market by 2020.
The simplest way to explain the differences between augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR):
– Augmented reality is open and partially immersive or puts things into users world.
– Virtual reality creates a fully immersive experience in an alternate reality.
What is clear about the advent of both technologies is they will not only impact the type of jobs available but also how we work. As a result of the implementation and streamlining of augmented and virtual reality technologies into our lives, we will experience substantial work life improvements that will also hugely benefit the public at large.
Augmented Reality in the Workplace
Augmented reality will empower the location worker the same way computers and mobile devices have the office worker. Workers can connect and access the information they need in their environment. As Gartner suggests, “Augmented reality is the real time use of information in the form of text, graphics, audio and other virtual enhancements integrated with real-world objects.” As a device, wearables are a significant part of this puzzle. Regardless of location, a worker can access information in real time saving both time and money. AR will become a significant workplace tool.
The three uses for augmented reality:
Tablets standardize complex and repetitive tasks by displaying instructions as a layer over a piece of equipment.
2. Projector type:
Project instructions and images over a work area.
Glasses provide all the advantages of the tablet with the added benefit of being handsfree and mobile. It is an immersive form of augmented reality.
Virtual Reality in the Workplace
Virtual reality brings a whole other dimension of possibility into the workplace. It will make it possible to even further shrink the distance among workers in different parts of the world. The end result significantly increases the efficiency of a global workforce. In just a few years, it’s expected that we will be able to join colleagues in a virtual 3D workspace and interact with them in real time independent of location. Such technology has incredible potential to increase our level of global cooperation, organization and efficiency working with the best talent in the world.
As a recent article in Harvard Business Review suggests, games and simulations support companies in creating better user experiences and products. VR enables designers and others to put on a headset, enter a different world and try on various perspectives. The maker or developer can directly test market the experience of various users and product scenarios, which not only increases the product quality but also the efficiency of bringing products to market.
Huge Opportunity for Talent
Augmented and virtual realities create tremendous opportunities for talent through the new companies that will be created to develop these technologies, as well as existing giants such as Microsoft, Facebook and Google developing them in-house. There are many opportunities to be a part of creating these revolutionary technologies.
Digital entertainment and technology professionals who get in at the ground floor of developing these technologies will likely position themselves for rapid career advancement. Augmented and virtual reality represent an opportunity to be part of the next “big idea.” Those individuals that properly position themselves can make advancements on their career paths similar to the gaming professionals who were in on the cutting edge of that technology ten years ago.
The next five years will see exponential growth in augmented and virtual reality, as they grow into major industries that will substantially impact not only digital and technology workers but entire industries. As a result, there will be an emergence of new skills and aptitudes that talent will need to develop to succeed in these new workplaces, and of course there are many unicorns already qualified to deliver in this space already.
It will make it much easier to function and work in a global context minimizing error margins to unprecedented levels, as well as increasing workplace efficiency and safety.
Learning and Developing:
It will be easier to visualise and learn in the work environment through the use of AR and VR technologies improving the efficiency and quality of product development.
This soon to be established growth market where creative, production and technology innovators come together to develop experiences for enterprise or consumer use creates new opportunities for professionals in these fields.


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Cliff Notes a Bill Free 2015, Forde Wins Big with WonderFlow
Not only were FLOW’s Christmas elves busy upgrading their services offering to customers this month, with Cloud Video Recording and Video on Demand Services, they were also coming up with the best Christmas gift anyone could ask for – a bill-free 2015!
This was part of the grand prize of the WonderFlow Christmas campaign which began in November that invited new and existing customers to sign up or upgrade their services or pay their bill in full and on time to win a BILL-FREE 2015. This Christmas Eve morning, Mr Cliff Forde was the lucky winner, who will not only have his water and electricity utilities paid for, but all his Flow bills and grocery bills covered by FLOW.
In addition, he also received a staycation, spa treatment, gym membership and a Christmas Hamper that included champagne, an IPad and an Ipod to name a few.
Forde, who was a bit taken aback when we first called him said, “I am extremely happy and extremely grateful to FLOW, I recently signed up and must say the service I have received so far has been outstanding. Thank you FLOW!”
Shelly Ann Hee Chung, V.P of Sales and Marketing said, “We have great customers who gave us a chance from the start and who have remained loyal to us. We wanted to give them a chance to receive something that shows our appreciation by giving a great gift this Christmas Season. We thought what would be better than free living for a year. I congratulate Mr. Forde and I hope he and his family have a WonderFlow Christmas and I know they will have a Happy 2015”.
Weekly prizes were also awarded to a number of FLOW new and existing customers, who received gifts that included HD TV from Courts, staycations and dinners from The Crane and The Courtyard Marriot, spa treatments from Golden Touch Spa, gym passes from Surfside Wellness Centre, Rum Cakes From Tortuga – Baker’s Choice, Farmers Choice hams, Christmas Hampers with items from Brydens Stokes as well as iPads and iPods. There was also the opportunity to win free HBO & MAX package for the entire year of 2015!
Mrs Hee Chung added that, “We at FLOW promise to continue to focus on our customers and providing quality service, in both products and customer care. Our advanced Cloud Video Recording and Video on Demand Services that our new customers and existing video customers will experience from now, over the holiday season and into the New Year will be a great addition to our customers’ video line up, especially at Christmas when families gather together. It is our way of showing our gratitude to our customers for their support over the past year plus as we anticipate more exciting developments in 2015.


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Same-store sales growth in restaurants was positive during March, according to The Restaurant Industry Snapshot, a compilation of real sales and traffic results from Black Box Intelligence, a TDn2K company. As expected, March brought good news for the restaurant industry once the crippling effect of this year’s unusually cold winter started fading away. This is the first time since November of 2013 that the industry reported positive growth in same-store sales; which further highlights the effect that the winter storms had on the industry’s downturn. The March positive results, however, were not enough to pull the industry’s same-store sales growth into positive territory for Q1 of 2014. This was reported by Black Box Intelligence and People Report in The Restaurant Industry Snapshot for March, released this week.
Same-store sales growth was 0.7 percent for March, a strong 1.4 percent improvement from the -0.7 percent reported for February. “The year-over-year performance for March was especially strong considering that the bar was set pretty high by March 2013, which posted same-store sales around 1.5 percent,” says Victor Fernandez, executive director of insights and knowledge for TDn2K, parent company of Black Box Intelligence and People Report. “That represents same-store sales growth of over 2.0 percent for March 2014 when aggregated on a two year basis. As we have been predicting, there was significant pent up demand in consumers for incremental spending in restaurants, but that demand continued to be restricted by the weather. As expected, March saw a change in those conditions which were very favorable for the industry.”
First quarter same-store sales growth was -0.2 percent, compared to -0.4 percent in Q1 of 2013. This represents a slight drop from the growth rate reported for the fourth quarter of last year and is the third consecutive quarter in which same-store sales have been negative for the industry.
“The industry’s overall same-store sales issues run deeper than simply having experienced a very bad winter,” says Wally Doolin, founder of Black Box Intelligence. “The real problem is rooted in the declining same-store traffic which the industry has been experiencing for years”.
Same-store traffic growth was -1.2 percent for March 2014. Despite this representing a significant 2.0 percent improvement from February’s guest count growth; it still highlights the industry’s issue with attracting guests. Same-store traffic growth results have now been negative every month since March of 2012.
First quarter same-store traffic growth was -2.2 percent. This was a small improvement from the -2.3 percent growth seen during the fourth quarter of last year, but this was clearly not a good quarter for the restaurant industry regarding guest counts considering that the average quarterly same-store traffic growth since the beginning of 2012 is -1.6 percent.
Weather as a factor interfering with people going out to eat during the first quarter can be perceived when looking at the same-store traffic growth rates by region. The three best performing regions based on guest count growth were Texas, the Western region, and Florida. The three worst performing regions for first quarter were New York-New Jersey, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Midwest, all heavily affected by the winter storms.
The Restaurant Willingness to Spend Index, published by Consumer Edge Research, shows a 92 point value for March; this represents a small two point drop from the 94 reported for February. This last drop notwithstanding, the consumer’s willingness to spend in restaurants is higher now than it was a year ago, which is a positive indicator for the industry.
Growth in the restaurant industry continues to be driven by new units being opened, as same-store sales continue to struggle. Evidence of this growth is the strong job creation trend reported by People Report. According to the latest report year-over-year job growth for the industry was 3.8 percent during February, up from 3.3 percent reported for January. The pressures of increased recruitment levels as well as the tightening labor market continue to be felt in the form of increased restaurant turnover levels. Restaurant manager and restaurant hourly employee turnover increased in March on both a rolling twelve-month and year-to-date basis.
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Amazon is being sued by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) which hopes to force the retailer to recall hundreds of thousands of potentially deadly products.
The CPSC has filed an administrative complaint against Amazon today in a bid to force it to accept responsibility for removing vast quantities of hazardous products sold by third-party sellers on its platform.
The products in question included nearly 400,000 hair dryers sold without protection against electrocution, 24,000 faulty carbon monoxide detectors that fail to alarm and numerous children’s garments which are in violation of flammable fabric safety standards.
“Today’s vote to file an administrative complaint against Amazon was a huge step forward for this small agency,” acting CPSC chairman Robert Adler said.
“But it’s a huge step across a vast desert—we must grapple with how to deal with these massive third-party platforms more efficiently, and how best to protect the American consumers who rely on them.”
Amazon, which says it has removed the “vast majority” of products in question and provided full refunds, has until now avoided legal responsibility for the items sold by third-party sellers on its platform arguing that it simply acts as a “service provider”.
However, an increasing number of legal battles have seen Amazon forced to take more responsibility for items sold on its platform.
In August last year, the California Fourth District Court of Appeals ruled that Amazon can now be held liable for any injuries caused by defective products sold by third party merchants on its platform, overturning a previous ruling by the San Diego Superior Court.
Then, in March this year, Amazon faced another court battle over whether it is responsible for the safety of products sold on its platform after a 19-month-old child was left severely burned.
“The tide has changed now,” Brooklyn Law School professor Aaron Twerski told the Financial Times.
“I think (Amazon is) dead in the water, because they’re wrong. They’re just plain simply wrong.”


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Lahoris are known for their love to eat out, but every now and then, we hear stories that prove how little some restaurants take care of hygiene, risking lives of all those that choose to eat from their restaurants. If it weren’t for the donkey biryani and the dog meat being served in the past, a restaurant in Bahria Town, Lahore has now been sealed after it served a dead rat’s meat inside a shawarma sandwich. The video of the horrific incident is making rounds on social media after the consumer posted it on Facebook.
According to the details, Saleh Saleem posted the video of the shawarma containing the dead rat’s meat and said that his 10-year-old niece was about to have the Middle Eastern dish.
“These people are playing with the lives of people and also have the audacity to argue about it,” Saleh said in his post which has been shared over 3,000 times.
Saleh’s mother can be heard taunting the waiters in the video that,
“Do you consider us humans? Are you Muslims or not? Who is the manager or owner of this.”
Saleh thanked the Dolphin Squad Lahore for taking rapid action and sealing the cafe.


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As the use of visual content increases in importance to SEO and engagement, a social media heavyweight has added video to its repertoire.
Vine is a new social media venture from the team behind Twitter. Currently exclusive to the iOS platform, it is an app that lets users record six seconds’ worth of video which can be shared with the world via a Twitter feed.
As with the 140 character limit on Twitter, Vine’s content restriction demands succinct and creative posts, with several pioneers on the platform already making waves with their self-shot clips.
Since its debut on January 24, Vine has endured some early teething problems, with adult content flooding channels early on. An embarrassing “human error” saw an explicit clip given prominence as the ‘Editor’s Pick’ within a week of Vine’s launch, and the software has since been given a 17+ age rating on the Apple app store, having previously been rated suitable for 12-year-olds.
Users also complained about problems with the software’s usability, but as the app matures and reaches other operating systems, Vine is sure to provide a wealth of unique opportunities to all branches of business.
Here are a few examples of how companies are using Vine to engage with their customers.
See it with your own Vines
Here’s a tempting post from Cadbury showing off their Valentine’s-themed box of chocolates.
It’s in your jeans
US clothing company GAP have created an eye-catching Vine post to show the evolution of their flagship 1969 jeans. A great example of content marketing, GAP manages to cram more than 40 years of heritage into just six seconds.
A Vine idea to draw followers
Just as an eye-catching advert can get people talking, as Vine matures, the cream of the crop will rise to the top, driving traffic and followers to the most creative users. Filming something unique and interesting is sure to get other Twitter users talking and sharing. This stop-motion Spanish Toyota post is a prime example.
Vine of the Day
Premier League football clubs have also got on board, and while footage from Arsenal’s laundry room is closer to a 0-0 snoozefest than a 4-3 thriller, Vine does give footy fans a glimpse behind the scenes of their favourite clubs. Leading the way are the social media savvy team at Manchester City, who have already racked up 22 Vine posts.
The traditionally busy transfer deadline day also came at an opportune time for Vine, allowing the clubs to show off their new recruits. Here’s QPR new-boy Christopher Samba on duty at Loftus Road.


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The new McLaren 765LT Spider is built for insanely fast speeds. With obsessive attention to reducing mass, the car’s pricing starts at $382,500, without a stereo system or air conditioning, which are no-cost options that add 25 pounds to its weight. This venomous Spider will run from 0-60 in just 2.7 seconds, obliterate the quarter-mile in 10 seconds and top out at 205 mph if you have enough track.
No, we did not transpose the numbers “675” and “765.” Earlier this year, McLaren introduced its latest lightweight, track-focused model, the 765LT. That’s not to be confused with the 675LT, introduced in 2015. The first deliveries are expected in October, starting at about $375,000. Here’s a closer look.
RM Sotheby’s event stands as the official auction of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. This year, our top picks include cars from the marques Ferrari, McLaren, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes, and Lancia.
A Lamborghini Miura, vintage Porsche, McLaren 675LT, Ford GT and BMW M1 are among the highlights of Gooding & Company’s 2020 Scottsdale Auction. This year’s auction features 170 vehicles.


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The Drum has launched a report aimed at helping bridge the gap between programmatic and the creative industry.
The report, Programmatic & Creativity: A Vision for Change, in association with Turn, outlines the top eight focus areas to achieve this change.
Programmatic advertising dominated the headlines in 2015 and has been predicted to hit £1.5bn in total spend in the UK this year. However, the creative side of the industry’s move to programmatic has been relatively slow.
ISBA has raised to The Drum that the slow adoption of programmatic technology by creative agencies is an issue for its members.
Nestle’s digital lead in the UK and Ireland Gawain Owen has said “Creative agencies need to wake up. Creatives are trailing brands and media shops in adapting their business models to programmatic.”
We wanted to find out how to bridge the divide between the creative and programmatic advertising industries.
So The Drum, in association with Turn – the digital hub for marketers – brought together creative leaders from brands and agencies, including AMV, Wunderman and Ogilvy, at a summit to thrash out some potential answers.
The resulting report, Programmatic & Creativity: A Vision for Change, does not attempt to provide a definitive answer but to act as a catalyst for further debate about how to bridge the gap between ad creatives and the programmatic industry.
The report is available to download here.


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DUBAI // Two computer resellers who were found to be illegally downloading business software have been charged with violating copyright law. Raids netted 70 counterfeit CDs and two desktop computers loaded with unlicensed versions of Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Office 2007 software. The investigation, a co-ordinated effort by Microsoft, a member of the Business Software Alliance (BSA), and the Ministry of Economy, was part of a campaign against unlicensed software.
"Eliminating software piracy from the country is high on the agenda for the Ministry of Economy, given the major economic impact piracy can have on the country's growing economy," said Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Alshihhi, the Ministry of Economy undersecretary. He said the Ministry would continue to work with BSA and its members to curb software piracy across the country. @Email:firstname.lastname@example.org


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If approved, United will become the first United States carrier to fly non-stop service between Houston and Haneda.
United Airlines Senior Vice President, Global Network Planning and Alliances, Patrick Quayle, said the flights will connect 64 communities across the Southern U.S. to Haneda and represent roughly 575,000 annual Tokyo bookings or 21% of all U.S. mainland to Tokyo demand.
He said while Houston has only one flight to Haneda (operated by a foreign carrier), New York/Newark has five, Los Angeles has seven, Chicago has three, and Washington, D.C. and Dallas/Fort Worth each have two.
“This new route will deliver more parity among major markets, while providing needed seats and travel flexibility to business and leisure travellers alike,” he said.
“Between its steadily growing population and its booming energy and innovation sectors, the Houston area has transformed into a critical hub for both business and leisure travel.
“If awarded by the DOT, this new service will enhance travel options to Tokyo Haneda for consumers across the Southern United States and strengthen the economic partnership between Japan and more than 240 affiliated businesses in the greater Houston area.”
United is the largest airline in Houston, with more than 400 daily departures, including over 70 international daily departures.


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According to the research, over half of the population believes a wedding should cost no more than £5,000
A new study has uncovered the UK's attitude towards wedding day costs, with over half of those quizzed saying a couple's nuptials should cost no more than £5,000.
Typically the figure bandied around for the average UK wedding is in the area of £15-£20,000 - although the study suggests that 2015 couples actually plan to spend a fraction of that on their big days.
The study - which quizzed over 1,000 people across the country - also found that only 6% believe that £15,000 is a 'reasonable' amount to spend on a wedding.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Five wedding day costs we bet you didn't expect
One clear factor behind the dip in the big-day spend is the ever-increasing trend for DIY details, with couples increasingly choosing to hand-make various elements of their wedding day.
Paula Gorry from Stampin' Up! UK, who conducted the study, said: "Spending big is no guarantee of a wonderful day. Couples recognise the sentimental appeal of putting their own stamp on the occasion - whether that's hand-crafting invites or place-settings, or making their own bouquets".
She continued: "The trend for doing it yourself is not just about cutting costs. It's about individuality and self-expression, and results can look stunning".


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SINGAPORE Press Holdings (SPH) is exploring the establishment of a real estate investment trust (Reit), to be listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) mainboard.
The firm said in a statement on the SGX website on Sunday evening that the properties forming the portfolio of the Reit and the terms at which the properties will be injected into the Reit are still under review.
"The establishment of the Reit and the listing of the Reit on the SGX-ST will be subject to, among other things, market conditions, the relevant regulatory and other approvals being obtained, and the execution of definitive agreements by the relevant parties," the firm added.
An announcement will be issued if there is any material development, SPH said.
SPH chairman Lee Boon Yang had said at the media group's annual general meeting on Nov 30 that the company was studying the possibility of hiving off its retail properties into a Reit.
Responding to a question from a shareholder on whether SPH would form a Reit, Dr Lee had said: "We've not taken any steps in this direction as yet, as currently, we've a portfolio of only two retail properties... The question we need to ask ourselves is, with three malls in operation, do we have the critical mass to provide an attractive retail Reit to investors?"
SPH has two operational malls - Paragon and The Clementi Mall.
It also owns The Seletar Mall, which is slated for completion by the end of next year.


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Synergy Flavours expands in Thailand
Flavour company, Synergy Flavours, a division of Carbery Group, has doubled the size of its Thai operation to meet growing demand for its innovative flavour solutions in Asia-Pacific.
The expansion of its site in Samutprakarn has created an additional 2500m2 of space, including 1,500m2 dedicated to manufacturing, plus five new sensory labs. The additional space will accommodate more than double the current workforce, with investment in human resources across all departments being made over the coming months and years. Further investment in GC/MS analytical equipment will be made in 2019, enhancing local capability.
Synergy’s parent company entered the South East Asian market in 2008 and opened a manufacturing facility in Bangkok in 2013. Since then, sales have increased dramatically, with the operation now servicing a growing number of countries beyond South East Asia, including New Zealand, Pakistan, Myanmar and India.
The Thai facility produces sweet and savoury flavours, as well as seasonings in liquid and powder formats. The dairy flavour and lactic yeast extract range from Synergy’s Dairy Taste production facility in Ireland is also warehoused and distributed from Thailand. Through its parent company, Carbery, Synergy has a unique dairy heritage that has inspired an authentic and popular range of cheese, butter and milk flavours, which deliver a fuller and creamier taste to a variety of end products.
Customers in Thailand and across the region can benefit from specialist Asian creation and applications support across categories including beverage, bakery, confectionery, savoury, and dairy.
Geoff Allen, managing director Synergy Flavours (Thailand), said: “Customers rely on us for our technical capabilities, responsiveness and dairy expertise, which all help to ensure we stand out in the dynamic and exciting food and beverage markets of the region. Our global footprint and capabilities are also invaluable and help fuel our continued success.
“An example of an exciting flavour innovation that has captured the attention of the region is our Hokkaido-type milk flavour. By analysing real Hokkaido milk using gas chromatography, we developed a flavour mimicking the profile at our UK facility. We were then able to use our dairy expertise in Ireland to develop a milk flavour that also builds in mouthfeel and creaminess in a variety of applications such as biscuits, cheese and bakery applications. We now sell this product right across Asia to create many on-trend products.”
Steve Morgan, CEO of Synergy Europe & Asia, said: “Since 2013, we have established a strong and sustainable local business in South East Asia, with a talented team of experts in every discipline. Demand for our quality flavouring solutions across the whole region is booming thanks to their versatility across applications. Synergy’s ability to invest further to meet growing demand reflects this hard work. With export accounting for 60% of sales from the site, our ability to scale-up and serve a broader customer base in the region is going to be key to achieving our growth plans.”


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Online Retailers Cautious About Global Expansion
U.S. online retailers have an interest in expanding internationally, but few currently have a global presence according to a new report from JupiterResearch, "Global Online Retail: Navigating Successful International Expansion."
The report found that low dollar values, a slowdown in the U.S. economy, and a shifting global Internet population have all contributed to online retailers considering international markets as important to their growth strategies, but many remain cautious about global expansion.
"At no time during the past few years has interest in international online commerce been higher," explained Zia Daniell Wigder, Web Globalization Analyst and lead author of the report for JupiterResearch. "US online retailers that have no global strategy risk missing out on the biggest areas of online growth during the next five years."
Regulations, geographical obstacles, along with consumer’s differing behavior and expectations in international markets are just a few of the issues that have made online retailers cautious about expanding internationally. Online retailers are also reluctant to give control to local mangers in global markets.
"Today, over 60 percent of companies with global transactional Web sites rely on a central globalization team to manage those sites," said David Schatsky, President of JupiterResearch. "A centralized staffing structure will only work if sites are developed and optimized through regular contact with local offices."


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Graphics cards, more specifically Nvidia's Cryptocurrency Mining Processor (CMP), are the new commodity among Chinese smugglers. TVB News (opens in new tab) reported that the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department busted a smuggling ring and recovered up to 300 CMP 30HX graphics cards.
The story seems like it came out of a movie. The Chinese authorities detected a suspicious fishing boat anchored just outside the Hong Kong International Airport. The sea smugglers were loading boxes from the fishing boat to a speedboat at 2 am. When their cover was blown, the shady men hopped on the speedboat and sped away towards mainland waters. A high-speed boat chase ensued (insert Bourne chase music), but the astute gang got away. However, the officers managed to detain the owner of the fishing boat.
The confiscated goods included typical exotic foods, such as sea cucumbers and shark fins, and tech products, like smartphones and computer gadgets. Much to the authorities' surprise, there were up to 300 unidentified graphics cards inside the boxes. According to the report, the lot of tech products is valued at HK$2 million (~$257,000).
The graphics cards lack branding or stickers that can provide a clue to their origins. Given the lack of display outputs, these graphics cards are unquestionably CMP offerings. They feature a black and grey cooler with two cooling fans. The pricing for Nvidia's CMP graphics cards remains a mystery, but we've seen the CMP 30HX hit the overseas market for as much as $723. With an estimated Ethereum hash rate up to 26 MH/s, the CMP 30HX isn't even that good for mining Ethereum. However, the graphics card shortage is likely affecting cryptocurrency miners as well, so they'll jump on any opportunity to make a profit. Besides, a contraband CMP 30HX is more affordable than buying directly from Nvidia or its partners.
With Ethereum's value soaring through the roof, there is a strong demand for graphics cards. Even the big corporations are getting in on the fun. Hut 8 Mining Corp. recently purchased up to $30 Million of Nvidia CMP graphics cards. Sadly, there are no signs of when the suffering will end for gamers.


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- Special Features
Blogs & Columns
- Fun & Games
Tuesday marked the release of the highly anticipated show-based video game South Park: The Stick of Truth by original creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone in conjunction with Ubisoft and Obsidian Entertainment.
The New York Times reports that the role-playing adventure was first announced in June 2012 for a March 2013 release, but was delayed for a year due to the original publisher THQ going under among other complications. Parker and Stone created the game concept after unsatisfactory results from past licensed South Park games, deciding this time around to create one on their own.
Parker commented to New York Times, “We don’t want anyone making a ‘South Park’ thing. We have to do ‘South Park’ ourselves, all the time.”
According to a press release, the player starts out as “the new friend” that must save the town from various threats by joining forces with the main cast of kids Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny. The game will provide a variety of iconic elements of the show to create the ultimate South Park experience, including fighting Underpants Gnomes and attending school at South Park Elementary.
The game is available now on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC.
Photo Courtesy of Amazon


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Panasonic is Looking to Purchase Land in the U.S. to Build a 'Mega-Factory' to Produce EV Batteries for Tesla
【Summary】Japan's Panasonic Corp is looking to purchase land in the United States for a “mega-factory” that will churn out advanced electric vehicle batteries for electric automaker Tesla, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported on Friday. According to NHK, Panasonic is considering sites in either Oklahoma or Kansas, which will be close to Tesla’s new EV factory under construction in Austin, Texas, which is scheduled to open on April 7.
Japan's Panasonic Corp is looking to purchase land in the United States for a "mega-factory" that will churn out advanced electric vehicle batteries for electric automaker Tesla, Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported on Friday.
According to NHK, Panasonic is considering sites in either Oklahoma or Kansas, which will be close to Tesla's new EV factory under construction in Austin, Texas, which is scheduled to open on April 7. Panasonic will invest billions to construct the new U.S. plant, although no timeline for the project was announced.
NHK did not cite the source of its information but Panasonic said to Reuters that the plans were not publicly announced.
Just last week, Panasonic said its will begin producing a new lithium-ion battery by the end of March 2024 at its Wakayama Factory in western Japan.
The new battery design, known as a "4680" format, was unveiled by Panasonic in Oct 2021 at a media event. The numerical format of the battery is based on its dimensions of 46 millimeters (mm) wide by 80 mm tall.
Panasonic says the new and improved nickel-cobalt-aluminum 4680 cell will store more energy, reduce battery costs by up to 50% and drive a 100-fold increase in battery production by 2030.
Panasonic has been Tesla's battery partner for over a decade. Tesla signed an agreement with Panasonic to be its key battery supplier for its U.S.-built vehicles. The two companies assemble the battery cells and related components at Tesla's factory in Nevada.
Tesla also entered into a partnership in China with battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited ("CATL"). CATL aims to become the world's biggest supplier of EV batteries.
CATL also plans to rapidly expand its partnership with Tesla in China and become its biggest battery supplier. China is the world's biggest auto market. CATL aims to supply half of the battery cells Tesla uses globally in electric vehicles and roof energy storage, a senior source at the Chinese company said last summer.
In December, CATL began phase 1 production at its new EV battery factory in China. Once completed, the plant will be the world's largest EV battery factory, with an annual production of 120 GWh. It will be more than three times the size of Tesla's gigafactory in Nevada.
CATL is investing 17 billion yuan (US$2.6 billion) in the plant and said it will create about 10,000 jobs once fully operational.
The first phase of operations will have an annual capacity of 60 GWh and the additional 60 GWh for phase 2. The annual output of 120 GWh is enough to power around 1.2 million EVs.
In March of last year, Panasonic sold its stake in Tesla that was worth at the time about 400 billion yen ($3.61 billion). Panasonic bought 1.4 million Tesla shares at the bargain price of $21.15 back in 2010, two years before Tesla introduced the Model S sedan.
A Panasonic spokesperson told Reuters last year that the decision to sell its stake in Tesla was made as part of a review of shareholdings in line with corporate governance guidelines.
However, Panasonic said there will be no charge in its business partnership with Tesla going forward and the two companies will continue to produce batteries in the U.S. for Tesla's electric vehicles.
Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.
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Plug-in hybrid BMW to be unveiled in China
BMW is to launch a plug-in hybrid model in China next month, designed specifically for the Chinese market, it has emerged. The company’s boss Norbert Reithofer said recently that the new “new energy vehicle” model would be based on the 5-Series and unveiled at Auto Shanghai, describing it as “our e-car from China for China.” […]
The company’s boss Norbert Reithofer said recently that the new “new energy vehicle” model would be based on the 5-Series and unveiled at Auto Shanghai, describing it as “our e-car from China for China.”
It is squarely aimed at China’s rapidly-growing luxury market and is set to feature the same long wheel base as its Chinese-only predecessor, the 535Li, which was designed to add more comfort to those wishing to be chauffeur-driven.
It also included luxury touches such as sun blinds, a folding table in the rear seat and an entertainment system.
No specific details about the drivetrain were provided, although commentators believe that the car’s propulsion system is unlikely to be significantly different from the 5-Series ActiveHybrid, which uses a V6 3.0 liter engine and a 50hp electric motor.
The New Energy Vehicle is one of a host of models expected to launch at the Auto Shanghai event, a show which will likely see more environmentally-friendly and luxury vehicles than ever before as automakers vie for the attention of China’s eco-aware market.
However, vehicles aimed at all classes of Chinese society will be on display, with General Motors expected to officially launch the first model by Baojun, the joint venture it announced last year with Chinese automaker SAIC.
The Baojun 630 sedan first broke cover back in November 2010 as a five-seater to be aimed at the budget market, with reports suggesting a retail price tag of around $7,000 (€4,900).


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Joining all of the other iPad discounts this week, Apple’s most affordable iPadOS experience is now an even better buy after arriving at its lowest price to date. Thanks to Best Buy, Apple’s 10.2-inch iPad Wi-Fi 64GB is now sitting at $249.99 shipped. Normally fetching $329, you’re looking $79 in savings alongside a match of the all-time low for only the second time. This bring the price back down to the discount we saw at the very start of the year, is the first discount since, and still a notable chance to save.
While not the latest model to hit the iPadOS lineup, the 10.2-inch model on sale today is still the most affordable option on shelves right now and comes powered by the A13 Bionic chip that’s said to be 20% faster than its predecessor. As for how Apple is applying all that extra power, you’ll enjoy additional features like True Tone support for the 10.2-inch screen alongside Center Stage in the new 12MP ultrawide camera that automatically adjusts the crop and zoom of your selfie camera depending on who and where they are in the shot. Get a closer look in our launch coverage and then head below for more.
If you’re looking to complete the package on your new iPad, go pick up the Apple Pencil. Not only is this a must-have for making the most of what iPadOS has to offer, but it’s also on sale so you can save a few dollars at $95. Delivering an upgraded note taking or drawing experience, this is a notable way to supplement Apple’s entry-level iPad.
Still only into Tuesday, and we’re tracking a pair of other notable discounts in Apple’s latest iPadOS lineup. Starting off with the most compact device in the collection, the iPad mini 6 has returned to its second-best price at $99 off and now comes joined by the most recent entry-level experience in the form of the 10.9-inch iPad at $399 thanks to quite the rare markdown. Not to mention, must-have accessories like Apple Pencil 2 at $90, as well as this collection of in-house Smart Folio Covers from $47.
10.2-inch iPad features:
- Gorgeous 10.2-inch Retina display with True Tone
- A13 Bionic chip with Neural Engine
- 8MP Wide back camera, 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage
- Up to 256GB storage
- Stereo speakers
- Touch ID for secure authentication and Apple Pay
- 802.11ac Wi-Fi
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This year, Boxing Day came early -- at least in New York City. Sales started everywhere on the street: Gucci, Guess, D&G, Marc Jacobs, Barney's, etc. Even online retailers have been going on sale earlier than ever before.
So, does this must mean that retailers are desperate because US retail market is in the doldrums? Maybe, is too early to tell, but one thing for sure, you don't want to miss this crazy sale on this Boxing Day.


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This Surprisingly Affordable Wine Has Been Tapped as the Best of 2019
The top-rated new wine of the year costs less than $20 a bottle, according to Wine Enthusiast magazine.
Wine Enthusiast has named its top 100 new wines of 2019, and you can pick up their top pick for just $18 a bottle. Yep, you read that right.
This year’s winner is Nino Franco NV Rustico Brut (Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore). Priced at an absurdly affordable $18, the budget Italian wine was awarded a numerical score of 94 by a panel of experts who factored in quality-to-price ratios, drinkability, and availability.
Coming in at a close second is the Williams Selyem 2017 Pinot Noir from Sonoma County, which was awarded 98 points but carries a steeper SRP of $39. While the most expensive wine featured—Domaine de la Janasse 2016 Vieilles Vignes Red (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)—costs $114, the list’s median price is $33, making it accessible to wine lovers everywhere.
All in all, 22,000 examples from 16 different countries were ranked by the magazine’s vino-obsessed team, including those from lesser-known wine regions in Georgia, Israel and Uruguay, re-emerging Italian regions like Puglia, Abruzzo and Emilia-Romagna, and growing hot spots in the U.S., like Virginia and New York.
To see the the entire roster of top 100 wines, head to Wine Enthusiast’s full list here.


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So by now everyone knows that Steve Jobs is taking a leave of absence from Apple for the second time due to medical reasons. The first time this happened it was a mess, Jobs kept his condition a secret from just about everyone and both Jobs and Apple’s stock paid the price. This time around it seems that Jobs has learned from the past and got out in front of this thing. To me that shows his growth and that he is finally starting to understand that as a CEO with fragile health, one of his biggest jobs now is to do what is in the best interest of the company.
For all of this though, both average consumers and analyst are predicting doom. Personally, I think that they are all overreacting. If this was a few years ago, I might not think so but Apple has come a long way. Even though they might make it seem like all of Apple’s innovation is the brainchild of Jobs, the truth is that just isn’t true. In reality, Apple has some of the best and brightest minds in the world and while Jobs may be the catalyst behind a lot of what they do, he isn’t the only one. As Apple has seen its fortunes improve over the last decade, they have really only made one misstep and that is allowing people to believe that one man, no matter how great, is bigger than the company itself. Whether people know it or not, I think that Jobs has actually done a great job of positioning Apple for life without him. By immediately identifying Tim Cook as the man to take over day-to-day operations they avoided any unnecessary controversy. Jobs even sent Cook to the Verizon iPhone announcement in his place, normally Jobs doesn’t miss major things like this.
What does it all mean? It means that I wouldn’t be surprised if Steve Jobs never returned to take over day-to-day operations of Apple. I could see him moving into the kind of role that Bill Gates now enjoys at Microsoft, still with a ton of influence on strategy and design, just not the guy making all the daily decisions. To be honest, Steve Jobs stepping away for a bit may be the best thing to happen to the company since he came back and rescued the company from the brink of extinction. If Apple can successfully launch some new products and maintain their current momentum while Jobs is away then perhaps the market will finally start to believe that Apple can survive without him. Maybe.


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IMF Predicts Economic Growth Under 2% Per Year Through 2012
More bad economic news in the latest forecast from the International Monetary Fund:
The International Monetary Fund lowered its forecast for U.S. growth this year and in 2012, citing unresolved debt-reduction concerns and waning confidence among consumers and businesses.
The world’s largest economy will expand 1.5 percent this year, down from the 2.5 percent projected in June, the Washington-based lender said today in its World Economic Outlook report. Unemployment will average 9 percent or higher through next year, the IMF said.
Declining sentiment among Americans and a stagnant labor market threaten household spending, the biggest part of the U.S. economy. The pace of job growth puts pressure on President Barack Obama, lawmakers and the Federal Reserve to take steps to increase payrolls.
“Bold political commitment to put in place a medium-term debt reduction plan is imperative to avoid a sudden collapse of market confidence that could seriously disrupt global stability,” the IMF said in the report. “Downside risks weigh on the outlook given fiscal uncertainty, weakness in the housing market and household finances, renewed financial stress, and subdued consumer and business sentiment.”
The U.S. economy will grow 1.8 percent next year, compared with the 2.7 percent forecast issued three months ago, according to today’s IMF report. GDP will expand 1.6 percent this year and 2.2 percent in 2012, according to the median estimate of 63 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News from Sept. 2 to Sept. 7.
U.S. consumer prices will climb 3 percent this year before rising 1.2 percent in 2012, according to the IMF report. The cost of living in the U.S. increased 3.8 percent in the 12 months through August, according to the Labor Department in Washington.
What this suggests, of course, is that job growth is likely to remain about where its been all year for the next 15 months or so, a projection that’s in line with those made by other analysts and by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget. And that presumes that nothing happens to throw growth into a tail spin, like Europe setting off another 2008-like financial crisis. If that happens, then I think it’s safe to say that all bets are off.


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Recycling mobile phones is a good way to help your city become less toxic, one expert has suggested.
Christina Frankel, writing for the Tracy Press, urged readers not to treat their handsets like disposable razors and actually get rid of them in an eco-friendly way -rather than simply throwing them in the dustbin.
"If you have a cell phone that is not working – because you dropped it, sat on it or dunked it in a toilet – don’t throw it away," she advised. "Recycle it."
Ms Frankel cited figures showing that in the US, some 85 per cent of the 150 million mobile phones bought each year are not given a second life.
But because handsets are now a must-have, more and more people are tempted by new models that cause them to discard old ones, she added.
If you are one of these consumers, then recycling your mobile phone could be a good way to lower your toxic footprint and potentially earn cash to put towards your next one.
Magic your old mobile into cash now http://www.mazumamobile.com/


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Water companies must increase their focus on customers and become “truly customer-centric”, Ofwat chief executive Rachel Fletcher has insisted.
She said although companies claim to be customer-focussed, this is not necessarily the reality.
“The foundation stone for any customer-focused company involves understanding your customers and how they experience the service you provide,” she said.
Speaking at the Future of Utilities: Water 2018 conference, she added that, on this front, there has been a step change in the water sector. “To develop the PR19 business plans companies have engaged with over 1.5 million customers using a wide range of techniques and media.
“The challenge now is to keep this understanding up to date and bring it into the business to drive a wide range of decisions. I am pleased that some – but not all – companies are putting this in place.”
She said the next step was for companies to create a “granular understanding” of customers. “This allows companies to be better at anticipating the needs of specific groups of customers and to be more targeted in delivering service and support.
“I’m pleased to say that some water companies are making strides in building this picture – even at a sub-postcode level,” she said. “Some are doing well to form partnerships with local authorities and charities to build a richer understanding of the communities they serve.”
However, she added, the sector still has “some way to go”.
“Despite the ambitions we see in the PR19 business plans, we know that the water companies will have identified fewer vulnerable customers than energy counterparts by the end of the next price control. So building a more granular and rich understanding of your customers deserves more attention.”
Fletcher insisted that, for a water company to be truly customer-focused, the emphasis on the customer must “permeate the entire business”, going “beyond the work of the customer service team”.
She also said companies must have a culture which doesn’t simply focus on “complying with regulations”.
“In PR19, there will be a new customer experience incentive, C-Mex,” she said. “Companies that do well will be those that go beyond thinking about customer service and complaints handling and consider how every aspect of their service impacts their customers. I’m looking forward to seeing the improvements this new incentive drives.”


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By Mc Donald Chapalapata, a Contributor
Minister of Information Gospel Kazako has said Information Communication Technology (ICT) and innovation are critical drivers and enablers economic transformation.
Kazako spoke on Friday morning in Mangochi when he opened the 2020 ICT Association of Malawi (ICTAM) conference.
“ICT and innovation move economies towards more productivity and resilience, especially in these hard times when the world is grappling with effects of COVID-19 on our economies. We need to be proactive in maximizing the use of ICT as well as seeking new and innovative sources of socio-economic development,” said Kazako.
“The developmental challenges that our country is currently facing require efficient technological and innovative solutions adapted to the needs of the country. A classic example of such solutions is the development of Pfeizer and Mordenna COVID-19 vaccines. It is a foregone conclusion, therefore, that innovation is increasingly becoming an essential ingredient for curbing this pandemic, and other pandemics that we are fighting every day,” added Kazako.
He hailed National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc and other partners for funding the Innovation awards saying such partnerships are essential for the country to move forward in narrowing the digital and innovation gap.
Speaking earlier, NBM plc Deputy Chief Executive Officer Harold Jiya said ICT is important to the Malawi economy and by extension and inclusion is everything that will move Malawi into a vibrant economy and a viable nation.
“Everything in the modern economy and the global village depends on ICT. Without a thriving ICT sector and industry no economy can develop, let alone grow. No society, organization, business or individual can thrive.”
“ICT has an overarching and cross cutting impact on the whole spectrum of Malawi’s development trajectory: finance, commerce, business, trade, investment, health, education, agriculture, and literally everything else,” said Jiya.
In his keynote address, IT expert and UbuthuNet Alliance Chief Executive Officer Dr Matthews Mtumbuka said there is need for a quick establishment of the Data Centre for all government service platforms like immigration, road traffic directorate and others to be online.
“Everybody now knows that with IT you can work remotely anywhere in the world and the world moves on despite Covid-19 and this is a big opportunity where everyone agrees that digital is the way to go,” said Mtumbuka.


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Online order delivery triggers virus fears
FIA Cybercrime Cell asks people to boycott online stores that refuse to accept payment after inspection of goods
Panic spread among the family members after the package was opened. The distinct smell of the used clothes emanated from the parcel. Against the backdrop of the pandemic, the family was horrified to have touched a possible hotbed of coronavirus.
Muhammad Yasir, who had placed the online order through an ad post from 48hours store on facebook, said, “The trader offered an eye catching deal, claiming to provide four ‘new’ shirts in Rs1,299 and delivery charges of Rs200.”
Impressed by the deal, Yasir decided to place an order, however, the trader refused to give out contact details when he asked for it.
The scammers promised to send him new shirts at his house in Kasur within a day of payment.
Lured by the tall claims, Yasir gave in. A day later, he received used clothes.
“You would have heard hue and cry from a distance in my house. Everyone was distinctively panicking. My mother rushed everyone to wash their hands especially that of my brother who had opened the parcel.”
A great debate ensued in the house of whether the shirts should be thrown outside or disinfected somehow.
The family finally went into quarantine after carefully throwing the shirts in detergent and water in a tub which was placed inside the bathroom.
“My mother placed a curfew. No one was allowed to even enter the bathroom for at least right hours.”
Yasir went on to narrate the incident online on the business page of the scammers to warn other customers.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Ajmal Khan, Shakeel Ansari and several others confirmed they had wanted to place an order for purchasing the shirts but they were not given any contact number and were just asked to place the order online.
“I will file a complaint with the cybercrime cell of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) contending that some traders are scamming people by promising provision of new clothes but send old clothes from landa bazaar. The authorities should hold them accountable,” Yasir remarked.
A source in the FIA told The Express Tribune that hundreds of complaints were received since January up to the present regarding online businesses wherein the purchasers complained about substandard material delivery by the online traders.
He said several complaints were also dismissed after the version of the traders proved correct.
FIA Cybercrime Cell Director Operation Abdur Rab said such false businesses can be easily snubbed if purchasers start paying the amount after examining the product being delivered to them.
“They should boycott those sellers who do not agree on this condition.”
He said FIA is working diligently but people should also render their duties well by reporting such incidents.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 25th, 2020. MULTAN/ LAHORE: A family expecting delivery of new shirts ordered from an online store received a parcel containing four ‘Landa bazaar’ (flea market) shirts at their door step.