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FORD’S all-new Mondeo could gain a performance-honed ST variant down the track, while a hybrid powertrain is also locked in for the latest version of the Spanish-built mid-sizer, according to Ford’s local marketing boss.
The fourth-generation Mondeo launched to the media in Canberra last week after a lengthy two-year delay, with one diesel and two petrol powertrains and three specification levels on offer ahead of its showroom debut in May.
Ford offered the sporty XR5 Turbo version of the previous-generation Mondeo, powered by a 162kW/320Nm Volvo-sourced five-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, but it was discontinued in 2010.
The ST moniker adorns both the Fiesta light hatch and the Focus, and is becoming something of a performance sub-brand for Ford globally.
Speaking with GoAuto at the media drive for the Mondeo, Ford Australia general manager of marketing David Katic hinted at the possible development of an ST-badged Mondeo, and said the company’s local arm is keen to add such a model to its line-up, should it get the green light.
“I’d love to do one,” he said. “You can imagine an ST version would look beautiful. Obviously we play our cards close to our chest but we think it is an opportunity for us down the track once we get established in the marketplace, but the car would naturally suit that sort of thing.”
Late last year the Blue Oval announced it would bring its global engineering and racing teams and its performance car development under the Ford Performance banner, and confirmed it would launch 12 new performance vehicles by 2020.
Once the car-maker shuts its Australian manufacturing operation in October 2016, it will lose a number of performance variants, such as the locally built Falcon XR6 Turbo sedan and ute, and the XR8 sedan that has proven so popular that Ford has had to increase production to meet demand.
To make up for a lack of high-powered, rear-drive models from late 2016, Ford will add the Mustang pony car to its line-up from later this year.
Discussing future powertrain options, Mr Katic said the petrol-electric hybrid Mondeo offered in other markets would appear in Australian showrooms – without giving specific timing – and despite Ford Australia previously ruling the hybrid out.
“We will have a hybrid in our future, down the track,” he said. “It’s one of our stories that we think hybrids have a place, and that’s why Ford globally has hybrids, has electric vehicles, but very importantly we think it’s important to deliver high fuel economy in what we call conventional engines, and diesel engines as well.”
Mr Katic pointed out that the Mondeo’s revised 132kW/400Nm Duratorq 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engine offers a combined fuel figure of 5.1 litres per 100 kilometres in the hatch, 0.1L/100km more efficient than the Toyota Camry Hybrid, and added that Ford wanted to provide variety for its buyers.
“We think we will have a range of fuel-efficient options for that car. And that is our goal at Ford is to provide the consumer with that choice, not just be single focussed on a hybrid for example.”
Mr Katic said there was a shift in interest back to wagon body-styles, and suggested that the load-lugging version of the Mondeo, which has been praised for its proportions and striking design, would appeal to private as well as fleet buyers this time around.
“Everyone wants to talk SUVs in the marketplace and of course we have a great range of SUVs. But we are finding that there is that consumer demand, not to the proportion of SUVs, but definitely we get strong consumer feedback, a lot of interest in wagon, and it’s another key reason why we specced it up appropriately to target that retail customer.”
Ford Australia has previously confirmed that it will not source a direct replacement for the large rear-wheel drive Falcon when production ends, leaving the Mondeo as the sole mid-to-large-size passenger offering in its line-up.
However, Mr Katic said Ford would not push the Mondeo as a Falcon replacement as the two models appeal to different buyers.
“We don’t say that Mondeo is going to be a Falcon replacement. We think Falcon has been a tremendous product for us. An incredibly passionate, loyal customer base that we love and we wouldn’t say that Mondeo is your Falcon replacement.
“We sell a rich mix of XR6 Turbos, XR8s, we are trying to build more of them and that is the heartland of Falcon and you have a lot of Falcon buyers who demand that rear-wheel drive experience so we are not for a moment saying Falcon customers come and buy a Mondeo. Obviously we will communicate with them, as we do all our customers, letting them know there is an all-new Mondeo and from a dimension point of view it is not far off.
“But an XR8 buyer is not looking for a front-wheel drive Mondeo. We want to pay respect and homage to Falcon and if those buyers want to buy it, awesome, but we are not looking to transfer them over.”
By Tim Nicholson at GoAuto.com.au
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Two weeks after its initial release, Pokémon Go is finally set to be released in Japan on Wednesday (Update 7/20: the launch has been delayed due to the leak of the partnership), TechCrunch reports. Sources also claim that this major roll-out will also feature the first Sponsored Locations in the game, with over 3,000 McDonald’s locations in Japan designated as Gyms. Reports about game-maker Niantic opening up the game to allow Sponsored Locations first surfaced last week, and for now it remains to be seen whether the company will roll out this brand opportunity to other markets.
In the past two weeks, Pokémon Go has quickly grown into a global craze, driving considerable real-world traffic to various landmarks, parks, and local businesses. On Sunday, around 5,000 people gathered at Millennium Park in Chicago to play the game. The Dallas Arboretum, home to multiple PokéStops and Gyms, is hosting Pokémon Go events and staying open late to accommodate players, drawing record crowds as a result.
The foot traffic the game drives is also giving various restaurants, cafes, and other stores significant boosts in customers. Picasso’s Pizzeria in Buffalo, NY advertised that they are located in between two PokéStops and claimed that sales doubled in just a few hours. Various restaurants across the country are reported to be attracting Pokémon Go players with extra Pokémons generated by Lures, an in-game purchase, as well as offering discounts and gift cards to people who tweet out photos of themselves with Pokémon in the restaurants.
What Brands Need To Do
With the game scoring a higher engagement rate than Facebook and more daily active users than Twitter, Pokémon Go’s smashing success presents great opportunities for brands to reach a young-skewing audience on mobile and even drive offline traffic to stores. While it remains to be seen when the company behind Pokémon Go will bring sponsorship opportunities to markets outside Japan, there are still plenty of things that brands can do to capitalize on the game’s viral popularity. For starters, brands can take a cue from T-Mobile, which announced a series of Pokémon Go-related promotions to appeal to the vast number of players. For brands with physical locations that are near PokéStops, it would also be important to indicate so on Yelp for the new search option it added.
For more suggestions on how brands can benefit from “Pokémania,” check out our in-depth Fast Forward analysis on the matter here.
Sources: Various outlets as linked in the post

domain: news


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Frameless-screen notebooks expected to hit market in 2Q10 or 3Q10, say Taiwan makers
Max Wang, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES
Branded notebook vendors are expected to deliver frameless-screen notebooks to the market in the second or third quarter of 2010, according to sources at Taiwan's ODM notebook makers.
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Marking the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome tomorrow, the CEOs of Europe’s 15 automobile manufacturers have adopted a statement re-iterating their commitment to the founding principles of the European Union.
“In these times, when principles such as free trade and the freedom of movement are under pressure, we believe that it is more important than ever to make the case for Europe,” stressed the CEOs, who are all members of the Board of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
The automobile industry values the EU for enabling the free movement of goods, people, services and capital, all key to growth and competitiveness. It now enjoys access to a single market of half a billion consumers, who in turn can profit from the benefits of scale. Today, vehicle manufacturers operate almost 300 plants across the continent, often manufacturing engines in one country and assembling vehicles in another, something that would be impossible without the four freedoms. At the same time, the industry employs 12.2 million Europeans across the value chain and contributes 6.5% to the EU’s GDP.
“Without Europe, we would not have a level playing field in which all auto manufacturers can compete to offer affordable cars,” stated Erik Jonnaert, ACEA Secretary General. “Likewise, following the recent issues faced by our industry, EU rules are important to help win back the trust of consumers.”
Jonnaert: “What is true for our industry, is also important for society: trade barriers, isolation and borders are no answers to today’s challenges. We believe that we have a duty to speak up against any attempts to turn back time. It is not about what we can save from the past. It’s about what we can win for future generations.”


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It’s not like we saw this coming, but it’s finally official: Lamar Odom and Sabrina Parr are getting married!
The two are officially engaged after he proposed to her with, obviously, a huge diamond ring. And the former NBA baller wanted to let his entire Instagram followerbase know.
And Lamar Odom also confirmed, through the same post, that Sabrina will be keeping both names. But this is something normal, considering that she, otherwise a personal trainer, managed to build a brand using her name.
As a side note, it’s really funny seeing this happening, just a few days after Khloe Kardashian said that she sometimes misses him. Oh well, she’s back with Tristan again and everybody is finally happy!
Looking forward to seeing pictures from the wedding…


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Now in the final round, 10 Hamilton companies are competing for a $100,000 prize and to be crowned the city’s most promising startup.
A few of the budding companies are technology-based, including Golf Scoring, a web-based, real-time scoring system for golf leagues. Another is OverAir, which uses Near Field Communication technology for innovative uses. For exmaple, one local restaurant is piloting a project in which customers tap a tag on a table to see a menu appear on their device.
There is also Pain QuILT, a web-based pain assessment tool through which users drag icons of different types of pains onto specific parts of an image of a body, then rate the pain intensity, to visually express the pain they feel. Another finalist is Walkbug, a new app developed at a recent Startup Weekend Hamilton. Walkbug is designed for people who enjoy exploring cities on foot, allowing users to access city walking tours curated by other users under various “walking categories.”
Finally, there is Trend Trunk, a social marketplace where consumers across Canada can buy, sell and donate their fashionable clothing accessories.
“It’s an honour to be participating in Lion’s Lair. Our team has been working extremely hard and as a result we’ve accomplished so much since launching Trend Trunk several months ago,” said Trend Trunk founder Sean Snyder. “This is yet another vote of confidence that we are building an innovative, world-class company right here in Hamilton that provides a service to customers right across Canada.”
“Weʼve had some outstanding finalists over the past two years, and this yearsʼ finalists continue to represent the high calibre of businesses and startups we have in Hamilton,” stated Ron Neumann, Executive Director of Innovation Factory. “We have seen entrepreneurial spirit grow across Hamilton, and this competition allows us to train some of the best innovators and entrepreneurs in this area, and present them to the Hamilton community.”
This yearsʼ Lions are: Carmela Trombetta (RBC), Paul Lee-Chin (Manulife Securities), Mike Morreale (CFL Players’ Association), Mark Chamberlain (Trivaris Ltd), and Blair McKeil (McKeil Marine). Each finalist will have 30 minutes with the Lions, who will determine the businesses needs, commercial viability, and potential impact on the Hamilton community, before determining who will receive funding.


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TradeLens is a digital alliance among container shipping lines started by the teaming up of Maersk and IBM to offer customers digital freight solutions..
Touted as an open and neutral industry platform underpinned by Blockchain technology, Tradelens is now supported by major industry players such as Maersk, Zim Lines, PIL, CMA CGM, MSC, Hapag Lloyd and ONE..
This platform received a major boost on the 23rd of December 2019 when The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) published “The TradeLens Agreement”..
From the time the collaboration between Maersk Line and IBM was announced in January 2018 and the creation of TradeLens in August 2018, the blockchain-enabled shipping solution designed to promote more efficient and secure global trade had many naysayers with predictions of the platform doomed to fail..
Because this platform was initiated and created by Maersk Line, the world’s largest container shipping line, along with IBM there were concerns by other carriers about joining the platform as there was no equal footing for them..
Fast forward 11 months to 2nd July 2019, TradeLens seems to have overcome the initial jitters, fears and concerns and now has the support of Maersk Line, Zim Lines, PIL, CMA CGM, MSC, Hapag Lloyd and ONE..
Blockchain seems to have become a prolific “enabler” of businesses, particularly in the shipping and freight and trade industry..
Whether in its use by Banks and Shippers to create Trade Finance documents; or creating and transmitting smart bills of lading; or setting up a blockchain-based marketplace app for trading in coffee; or making documentation easy for ports; or ensuring prompt delivery of mandarins for the Chinese New Year; Blockchain is making its presence felt quite rapidly in our industry..
Many shipping lines, ports, financial institutions and other private entities are using Blockchain and testing it in many different ways through many pilot projects..
Saudi Customs became the latest entity to successfully test drive its first shipment powered the blockchain technology..
Ports and port authorities have also got in on the Blockchain action with the port of Valencia joining the TradeLens project, the technological solution developed by IBM and Maersk to start applying blockchain technology in the global supply chain and the port of Marseille Fos piloting a blockchain based project for supply chain logistics and intermodal freight movement on the Mediterranean-Rhône-Saône axis (MeRS) transport corridor..
The TradeLens project has been further strengthened by the announcement from ZIM Integrated Shipping that it has signed on as a member of TradeLens..


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Facebook’s parent company posted its second-ever quarterly revenue decline Wednesday and said it plans to lose even more money next year on its efforts to build out immersive digital realms known as the metaverse.
Meta Platforms said it brought in $27.7 billion during the third quarter of 2022, over 4 percent less than the $29.01 billion the company brought in during the same period last year. Last quarter, Meta reported its first quarterly revenue decline in its decade as a publicly traded company.
Meta also warned that next year it expects operating losses for Reality Labs, the division that works on its virtual- and augmented-reality-powered services, to grow “significantly year-over-year.”
On a slightly more positive note, the company reported that user growth numbers on Facebook and its other apps rose compared with the same quarter last year.
From July: Facebook reports first-ever decline in revenue
Meta’s mixed financial results arrive at a time when the social media giant is facing a laundry list of macroeconomic threats to its underlying business model. The company is facing intensifying competition for advertising dollars and users in the social media market from newer rivals such as TikTok and Snapchat. And the targeted advertising methods that turned Meta into an economic behemoth took a hit last year when Apple introduced new privacy restrictions that forced appmakers to explicitly ask users whether they could track their activity across the internet — a request many rebuffed.
Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday during a call with investors that the company will be able to overcome some of those challenges with its new product investments, including its decision to mimic the same artificial-intelligence-fueled strategy that has made TikTok so popular by showing users entertaining content from strangers over posts from their friends and family. The company is also heavily promoting its short-form video product Reels on Instagram and Facebook as well as new advertising options for business in private messages.
Zuckerberg said people play Reels on Facebook and Instagram 140 billion times a day, which he said is a 50 percent increase from six months ago. He added that the company expects to be able to compete with TikTok by giving users content from their social networks as well as offering them a steady stream of viral content from creators.
“We can mix this content alongside posts from your family and friends, which can’t be generated by AI alone,” Zuckerberg said. “We’re developing a flywheel between discovery and messaging … to make these apps stronger.”
By emphasizing Reels to users, Zuckerberg acknowledged, the company was taking a revenue hit because it’s still harder for the company to make money from the short-form video product than it is from other products.
“We expect to get to a more neutral place over the next 10 or 12 to 18 months,” Zuckerberg said.
Zuckerberg also touted the company’s investment in a product that allows businesses to run ads on Facebook and Instagram that, once clicked, start a messaging thread with the customer. That service is on track to generate $9 billion in revenue a year, according to the company.
After years of soaring profits and seemingly endless success, Silicon Valley giants have been forced to manage their resources in an uncertain economic environment. Meta executives recently implemented a hiring freeze and told employees it would stop making new offers to job candidates, sourcing candidates and approving internal transfers, according to a memo posted to the company’s internal message board and viewed by The Washington Post.
“Each org leader is working through their exact plans for next year, but it’s important to pause recruiting and not bring new people into teams while they do this work,” wrote Lori Goler, Meta’s top human resources director. “Providing this stability will make sure we don’t put people into roles that may change or disappear next year.”
Meta said on Wednesday that the head count on some teams would hold steady while other teams would shrink. The company also said that it would increase head count for its highest priorities and that overall head count next year would probably be similar to its current level of 87,314.
Meanwhile, Meta is investing billions to create immersive virtual worlds known as the metaverse that are accessed through virtual and augmented reality. Leaders at Meta, which renamed itself from Facebook last year, believe people will want to work, play and shop in these digital realms. Earlier this month, the company unveiled a new high-end virtual-reality-powered headset for nearly $1,500.
Asked by one investor whether the company was over emphasizing “experimental bets” over products that have proved to be effective at generating revenue, Zuckerberg said no.
“There’s a difference between something being experimental and not knowing how good it’s going to end up being,” he said. “But I think a lot of the things that we’re working on across the family of apps, we’re quite confident that they’re going to work and be good.”
Source by www.washingtonpost.com


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American Eagle Outfitters To Close At Upper Valley Mall
The new owners of Springfield’s Upper Valley Mall have announced that another business will be closing at the location.
American Eagle Outfitters will be leaving the mall by early February according to New Upper Valley Associates LLC. The company bought the mall in December for $2.6 million in an online auction.
A spokesman for American Eagle Outfitters declined to comment on the number of employees affected by the store’s closing or if it would relocate to a new location in Clark County.
Recently, several stores have left the mall, including Macy’s, Elder-Beerman and JC Penney. The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery and Sears are still open.


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Italy’s marine industry last year began a slow return to growth. UCINA, the country’s marine trade association, had forecasted much higher growth earlier in 2014, after a robust first quarter. But the second half of the year produced lacklustre boat sales inside Italy, forcing most shipyards to once again rely ...
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On Friday, Tel Aviv-based AI startup AnyVision announced it has closed a $28 million Series A funding round led by Bosch.
The young startup is growing really fast with plans to o open up three new offices by the year’s end.
According to the AI startup, the company is working on face, body and object recognition tech and the underlying system infrastructure to help companies deploy smart cameras for various purposes. The tech works when deployed on most types of camera and does not require highly sophisticated sensors to operate, the company says
Right now, AnyVision is working on products in a few different verticals. Its security product called “Better Tomorrow” has been a key focus for the company.
“Today, the video management systems basically record everything and you can see individuals faces, you can see everything.”AnyVision CEO Eylon Etshtein says. “Once our system is installed it pixelates all the faces in the stream automatically, even the operator in the control center cannot see your face because the mathematical models just represent the persons of interest.”
The company also recently released a product called FaceKey that leverages the company’s facial recognition tech for verification purposes, allowing customers with phones that are not just the iPhone X to use their face as a two-factor authentication method in things like banking apps. Now, there have certainly been a lot of issues with maintaining the needed accuracy which is exactly what has made FaceID so novel, but AnyVision CEO Eylon Etshtein claims to have “cracked the problem.”
Other products AnyVision is working on include some new efforts in the sports and entertainment spaces as well as a retail analytics platform that they’re hoping to release later this summer.


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By: David Kiley
Tequila seems to have to fight for respect more than other spirits, such as whisky, rum, brandy and even vodka. Perhaps it's because Tequila seems to be more associated, in the U.S. with benders and beach parties rather than snifters and sommeliers.
But one of the small-volume craft Tequila producers helping to raise Tequila's image beyond the margarita is Casa Noble, a brand whose history dates back to the 1700s.
Casa Noble, which produces about 150,000 litters of Tequila of different ages each year, produces from a holding of about 3,000 acres of blue agave, about one-tenth that of Tequila giant Jose Cuervo (curve also buys blue agave from other growers). And Casa Noble's blue agave fields are mostly on slopes and hillsides, which stresses the plant, and the company believes produces a more complex tasting agave plant.
Filed under: Spirits


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Black Friday Not Only Day for Holiday BD, HDTV24 Nov, 2009 By: Chris Tribbey
For Blu-ray Disc players and HDTVs, Black Friday won’t be the only indicator of how those products perform this holiday season, according to The NPD Group and others.
“It’s wrong to concentrate on just one day,” said Stephen Baker, VP of industry analysis for The NPD Group. “Discount shaving has been happening all year. For all of November we’ve seen low prices, and aggressive online discounts.”
Long before retailers open their doors Black Friday, consumers have been able to find BD Live capable Blu-ray players from Pioneer, Sony and LG for about $130, as well as 42-inch HDTVs in the $500 range, mostly in 720p, from Panasonic, Philips and LG.
MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse, which tracks national retail sales, reported Nov. 24 that consumer electronic sales for the first two weeks of November were up 6.1% compared to the same period of 2008, perhaps indicating that consumers have been taking advantage of early cuts from companies such as Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy.
“It’s a misnomer to believe consumers aren’t buying things this year,” NPD’s Baker said. “The issue is consumers are spending a lot less.”
A report from the research firm Yankee Group says that 63% of Americans will spend less this year than last. The Conference Board, a nonprofit business group that tracks consumer spending, reported Nov. 23 that Americans plan on spending an average of $390 overall this holiday season, down from $418 in 2008.
“Consumers are approaching the holiday season very cautiously,” said Lynn Franco, director of consumer research for The Conference Board. “Retailers will need to be quite creative to entice consumers to spend, both in stores and online this holiday season.”
Consumer electronics shopping comparison site Retrevo says deals for Blu-ray players and HDTVs are markedly off this year and points out that the $78 Magnavox Blu-ray player from Wal-Mart on Black Friday is Profile 1.1, incapable of handling BD Live features. The site reports that 18% of Black Friday shoppers will visit stores for CE products, while 22% will do their shopping from home. HDTVs will be the first CE item consumers look for, the site reported.
Consumer Reports presented research that backed that up, with 70% of respondents reporting they’ll be shopping for consumer electronics on Black Friday.
“Retailers are doing everything they can to entice shoppers by offering not only Black Friday bargains but deals for the entire weekend,” Consumer Reports senior editor Tod Marks said.
His publication reported that one in five consumers will be looking for a deal on an HDTV on Black Friday.
Consumer research firm BIGresearch reported Nov. 24 that 134 million people will hit stores over the Black Friday weekend, up from 128 million in 2008.
“Regardless of what we’ve already seen these last few weeks in terms of promotions, retailers still have a few tricks up their sleeves to excite Black Friday shoppers,” said Tracy Mullin, president of the National Retail Federation. His group reported that consumers will spend 3.2% less than last year, though the Federation did report a bright spot for the studios: nearly half of the consumers surveyed reported they would like a DVD as a gift.
Blu-ray and HDTV deals
Consumers will still find a fair share of Blu-ray and HDTV deals at stores this Black Friday weekend.
Amazon.com will offer an LG 37-inch LCD HDTV for $649.99 on Black Friday, while Sears has LG’s 55-inch LCD for $1,499.99. A 50-inch, 720p HDTV from Sanyo will go for $598 at Wal-Mart.
“We created a whole weekend of unprecedented savings online and in stores,” said John Fleming, Wal-Mart’s chief merchandising officer. An RCA 42-inch LCD HDTV will go for less than $600 at the retailer, and a Nintendo Wii bundled with a Wii Sports Resort package will be priced under $300. An Emerson 32-inch LCD HDTV will sell for $248. Wal-Mart is also pairing the PlayStation 3 with three games for $299, and the Sony Bravia BDP-S360 Blu-ray player will go for $118. DVD movies can be found for as little as $9.
Samsung has dropped its 50-inch plasma HDTV down to $699.99 and its 46-inch LCD HDTV to $849.99, for all retailers. Vizio’s VBR110 Blu-ray player will show up Black Friday weekend at Costco for $99, and will include an HDMI cable. Vizio’s 55-inch LCD TV will have a $300 price cut at Costco, down to $1199. Vizio’s 26-inch LCD TV can be had for $248 at Wal-Mart.
Best Buy will pair a Panasonic 50-inch plasma HDTV and a Blu-ray player for $999.98, and offer a Samsung 46-inch LCD HDTV for $999.98. Target will offer an Apex 40-inch LCD HDTV for $449, and a Sony Blu-ray player for $149.99, with a $20 Target gift card included.


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IQS, the leading provider of Enterprise Risk and Compliance Management Software, has appointed Rifle-Shot Performance Holdings as the preferred partner of their product range in the African region.
Rifle-Shot Performance Holdings is a provider of targeted consulting and implementation skills in the fields of Operational Intelligence including Process Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), Process Safety, Supply Chain, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Business Intelligence (BI).
"Rifle-Shot’s wealth of knowledge, their strong customer base as well as their expertise in the process industry in both South and sub Saharan Africa made them the ideal partner to assist us in expanding our business in the African region,” said Michael Rapaport, President and Chief Executive Officer of IQS.
“Our products fit well within the climate of opportunity in Africa – this is a burgeoning market for us, especially in the enterprise quality management arena, and we plan to leverage the existing inroads Rifle-Shot has already made,” said Rapaport.
“We are very excited about this partnership and the expanded benefits we are now able to offer our clients through IQS’ product offering,” said Ian Huntly, Managing Director of Rifle-Shot Performance Holdings.
“Enterprise Quality Management is a burning requirement across all industries, especially in today’s tough financial times. The payback is indeed substantial,” said Huntly. IQS recently published a groundbreaking report that reveals over $31M in documented savings other national and international IQS clients have achieved by using IQS as their foundation for driving Total Quality Management. The report - IQS: Savings Through Quality – covers customers in aerospace, medical device, automotive and other industries. The report can be downloaded from the IQS website.
“IQS has been solving complex manufacturing problems for companies for over fifteen years, whilst their lifecycle approach to quality management provides companies with centralised, real-time information to make the kinds of decisions that business can rely on,” Huntly said.
Huntly said his organisation was proud to be associated with IQS who had recently been named as one of the top 40 Emerging Software vendors whose products are forging the next generation of technology and process innovation in manufacturing.
IQS – Integrated Quality Systems (iqs.com), helps companies reduce costs and risk by improving quality throughout their enterprise and supply chain. Since its inception in 1988, IQS (iqs.com) has been the choice of leading automotive, aerospace, chemical and process, discreet, medical device and recently high-profile manufactures such as those in the pet food industry. IQS reduces risk through a bottom-up verifiable approach to manufacturing. With countless case studies and bottom-line ROI testimonials, IQS is the industry leader in enterprise risk and quality management software.


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It feels like we already said goodbye to the Widmer Brothers brewpub not so long ago, but today the brewery made its complete closure official. You may remember that Widmer closed the gasthaus restaurant and pub back in November 2017, only to reopen it with more one-off brews from the pilot system, minus the full service restaurant and kitchen. Recently, I had heard the food menu was expanding again, but it looks like those changes were to no avail from the announcement below.
Dear Widmer Brothers Friends and Family,
We are sad to announce that the Widmer Brothers pub will close its doors to the public today. This was a very hard decision to make, especially as we reflect on the pub’s past and plan an exciting future for the brewery, where our team will continue to brew your favorite Widmer Brothers beers.
Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to evolve the pub concept over the years, our pub has experienced profitability challenges. When the pub first opened in 1996, there were only a handful of breweries in the city. Today, there are over 115 breweries in the Portland Metro area. With that increased competition, we have struggled to make the pub financially sustainable.
While the pub closes today, we want to make sure you know that our dedicated team will continue bringing you your favorite Widmer Brothers beers. In fact, we plan to launch new beers in cans this year courtesy of a canning line installed late last year. We’ll also offer a revamped brewery tour debuting at Zwickelmania in mid-February, where you’ll be able to check out the new canning line, and both our production brewery and small-batch innovation brewery. Our retail store will remain open, as well.
This note wouldn’t be complete without thanking our pub customers for 22+ years of support – we wouldn’t have made it this long without you.
We also want to send our sincere thanks to our pub and banquets team for their passion and commitment to Widmer Brothers over the years. With this closure, two of our full-time staff will be staying with us in new roles, and seven employees will be leaving the company. We are providing departing employees with comprehensive severance packages.
Endings are never easy, but we hope you’ll continue to be a fan and enjoy our beers in the future.


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The UK's disastrous summer could be blamed for a big fall in sales in the retail and wholesale sector and a dramatic growth in trade for hotels and restaurants, according to a report by the Small Business Research Trust.
The report, sponsored by HSBC Bank in conjunction with the Forum of Private Business and the SBRT, said 62 per cent of businesses in the hotel and restaurant sector reported sales had risen during the third quarter, with only 15 per cent claiming they had declined - the best for three years.
This was an improvement on the already strong figures for the previous quarter, when 51 per cent said sales were up and 12 per cent that they were down.
Sales for the retail and wholesale sector had been strong in the second quarter, with 48 per cent of respondents saying they were up, compared with 14 per cent down.
In the third quarter, however, while 36 per cent reported sales growth, 37 per cent said there had been a decline.
The survey, which was carried out by the University of Liverpool Management School, suggests that the figures may reflect this year's poor summer.
Mark Beresford-Smith, senior economist at HSBC Bank, said: "The strong growth was achieved against the background of an economy which continued to expand at a healthy rate.
"Although the survey was carried out before Northern Rock, it was clear that a credit squeeze was under way."


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MV Agusta has dropped a noticeable hint that it is planning to enter the gruelling Dakar Rally next year to coincide with the launch of its new Lucky Explorer adventure motorcycle range.
The Italian manufacturer is gearing up for the sale of arguably its most important motorcycle for a generation in the Lucky Explorer 5.5 and Lucky Explorer 9.5 models, which received their world premiere at EICMA in 2021.
Though yet to hit the road, the models are the first big step on the road to MV Agusta’s target of quadrupling its sales and output over the next few years, as well as providing more affordable entry point models against its current range of more exclusive, premium motorcycles like the Brutale, Superveloce and F3.
With MV Agusta claiming to have as many as 15,000 pre-orders - which is three times more than the Varese firm’s sales figure of 5,000 for the entirety of 2021 - while this will likely whittle down as production nears and full asking prices are collected, it is still indicative of the model’s significance for the brand.
Now there is talk that MV Agusta will honour the Lucky Explorer’s heritage with an entry into the 2023 Dakar Rally.
While there has been no official confirmation from MV Agusta yet, it is known event representatives have visited the firm to present the 2023 Dakar Rally route, with reports MV Agusta’s marketing director has informally declared there will be an entry for next year.
If this does go ahead, it will evoke the spirit of the iconic Cagiva Elefant upon which the new model has been greatly inspired by.
The Elefant gained worldwide notoriety for its victories in the 1990 and 1994 Dakar Rally, with its livery from tobacco firm ‘Lucky Strike’ becoming one of motorsport’s most iconic liveries, a partnership echoed in the MV Agusta’s choice of name for the Lucky Explorer.
At the time of Cagiva’s first victory, it was essentially the owner of MV Agusta after purchasing its trademark during a period of turbulence for the latter firm. However, when Cagiva was bought out by the Texas Pacific Group in 1991, MV Agusta was promoted to ‘lead brand’, effectively making it the owner of the Cagiva nameplate.
MV Agusta went on to be bought by Harley-Davidson, before founder Claudio Castiglioni regained ownership in 2009 before going on to re-purchase Cagiva. However, with the famed Cagiva Mito going out of production in 2012, the nameplate has remained dormant under MV Agusta’s stewardship, not under control by the Sardarov family.
There has been talk since that Cagiva may be revived as a sub-brand of MV Agusta, though rumours have swung between it focusing on small capacity electric models, to urban transportation such as e-scooters, to a fully-fledged sister brand with full-size models, such as a Lucky Explorer-based return of the Elefant.
Any MV Agusta launch will be another boost for the Dakar Rally, which is returning to prominence from its new Saudi Arabian base. An event dominated by KTM for so long, this year’s Dakar Rally saw a number of other firms enjoy success over the two-week period, including GASGAS - which triumphed for the first time with Sam Sunderland - Yamaha, Honda, Sherco and Hero.


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Existing home sales dropped to a dispiriting low in January, hitting the worst level in 12 years—but the rate of decline is slowing down, according to CNBC. Could this mean the market might start recovering soon?
The numbers: “Existing home sales fell 0.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.00 million units last month, the lowest level since October 2010,” the National Association of Realtors said on Tuesday.
- Sales have declined for 12 months in a row, something that hasn’t happened since 1999.
- The numbers hide a regional divide, with sales rising in the South and West while dropping in the Northeast and Midwest.
A positive data point: “Homebuilders sentiment rose to a five-month high in February, though morale remains depressed.”
The verdict: “’Home sales are bottoming out,’ said NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun,” according to U.S. News and World Report.
Fed watch: The Fed’s rate hikes have hammered the housing market, leading to these persistent declines in sales.
- Mortgage rates were rising again as of last week, according to Freddie Mac, after recent inflation and retail numbers stoked fears that the Fed will keep up its hikes through the summer.


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Hot off the presses published February 14, 2018, in the British Medical Journal, a study found an association between consuming ultra-processed foods and cancer. What is completely expected is that certain “experts” have already been hard at work bashing the study. If you so desire, follow this link to the study in it’s entirety published on the BMJ’s website. A diet that includes a lot of highly processed foods loaded with sugar, fat, and salt may do more than raise the risk for overweight, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, researchers warn. They observed an increased cancer risk as well.
Since May 2009, persons from the general population in France have been recruited in a study of the association between nutrition and health. The study included 104,980 participants (mean age, 43 years) who were without cancer at baseline. The participants were enrolled from 2009 to 2017; 78% were female. The authors found that a 10% increase in the proportion of ultraprocessed foods in the diet was associated with an 11% increase in overall cancer risk. They noted that highly processed foods such as packaged baked goods, instant soups, reconstituted meats, frozen meals, and shelf-stable snacks also contain substances that may significantly increase overall risk for cancer and breast cancer. The results aslo found that consumption of ultraprocessed foods was associated with a 12% increase in the risk for breast cancer.
This data, while fascinating, shows mostly a correlation between ultraproccessed foods and cancer risks. Correlation does no equal causation but it can guide further research to determine how strong the correlation is between ultraproccessed foods and cancer or if this correlation is strong enough to be a cause. Reading Dr. Jack Wolfson’s book The Paleo Cardiologist, he makes the case that processed foods are for sure bad for our health and likely a source of the kind of body dysfunction which leads to cancer among other diseases. Experimental studies suggest that compounds formed during the production, processing, and storage of processed food may have carcinogenic properties. For instance, contaminants such as acrylamide can be produced during heat processing in processed fried potatoes, biscuits, bread, or coffee, the study authors say. “A recent meta-analysis found a modest association between dietary acrylamide and risk of both kidney and endometrial cancer in non-smokers,” they write.
Immediately this paper has had it’s detractors, including one Tom Sanders, DSC, PhD, professor emeritus of nutrition and dietetics, King’s College London. “This study appears to be focused on demonstrating that industrially processed foods increase the risk of cancer. The ultra-processed foods are focused on foods such as pot noodles, breakfast cereals, industrially processed bread, pizza, cakes, crisps, ready-to-eat desserts, meatballs and chicken nuggets, confectionery, and fizzy drinks, including those that are artificially sweetened. However, the definition excludes many homemade or artisanal foods, such as bread, cakes, biscuits, butter, meat, cheese, tinned fruit and vegetables, as well as sugar and salt used in domestic food preparation. From a nutritional standpoint, this classification seems arbitrary and based on the premise that food produced industrially has a different nutritional and chemical composition from that produced in the home or by artisans.” What he seems to miss is that food produced at home isn’t having substances or chemicals added to it to increase it’s shelf life and storage. Perhaps he knows this but has other motives for trying to create a narrative that this paper is garbage and chemically processed foods are safe.
What do we do? Avoid processed foods as much as possible. This means they should not be a staple in your diet. A guilty pleasure once in a while likely won’t kill you but eating these every day is likely a cause or at least a contributing factor of our poor health. A relatively easy way to improve your nutrition is to incorporate the paleo diet into your life. Paleo is all about eating the way our ancestors did, hunting and gathering. If you are interested in learning more, we offer a class called Healthy Heart Through Paleo. It is based on Dr. Jack Wolfson’s book The Paleo Cardiologist. He is a practicing cardiologist who’s practice is based on dietary changes to improve heart health instead of prescribing medication. We offer this class about once a year in the office but we are able to present it at your place of work or to your group. Let us know if you are interested in having us speak.


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It’s that time of year again. The months are getting considerably colder as we plough through autumn and winter is just around the corner. Candles and warm lighting are no longer fooling us into believing it’s warmer than it is, meaning that more and more of us are reaching towards the thermostat to indulge in a bath of warm air. However, we ought to be careful how soon and how often we’re reaching for our heating systems. Indeed, professionals advise the general public to be restrictive with their heating to prevent inflicting health related issues on themselves and costly energy bills.
Installers have been given a ground-breaking new way to specify designer radiators thanks to the launch of an industry-first augmented reality app by Barlo Radiators.
The newly launched Barlo Designer Radiator app, gives consumers the opportunity to virtually ‘try before they buy’ – using advanced augmented reality (AR) technology to help them visualise how different designer radiators would appear, in situ, in their home. The app has been created specifically with installers in mind, presenting them with a brand-new sales tool to help them add value when communicating with customers.


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As 4K TVs become more readily available to consumers, the next natural step in the evolution of television is a step up in resolution. That would be 8K, and while many companies have experimented with 8K TV concepts, Sharp is continuing to bring the first 8K TV to consumers worldwide.
At IFA Global Press Conference 2018, Sascha Lange, Vice President of Marketing and Sales of Sharp announced the 70-inch 8K TV called LV-70X500E (which is already available in Japan and China) is coming to Europe. Equipped with a high contrast resolution of 7680 by 4320, it is going to be the first 8K TV available in Europe to your average consumer.
The stunning 70-inch display was on display during the Global Press Conference and I can attest to its stunning sharpness. Looking at stock footage is a vivid experience with colors popping and details gleaming through the pixels.
During the presentation, Lange took some time to talk about Sharp’s journey into 8K and why this TV technology is much more than overkill. One of the biggest benefits of 8K TVs is the size of the panel. Right now, the average TV measures between 55 and 65 inches. Anything over 70 inches is quite rare, but with 8K, 70 inches will be the starting point with 100-plus inch TVs as the possible norm in the future.
While boasting about the benefits of 8K, Sharp was also upfront about some of the challenges this technology faces – mainly, the lack of content. If 4K content is quite scarce, that makes 8K content non-existent. However, that doesn’t mean a path isn’t being paved for the content right now.
Sharp is doing so with its 8K TV, and as the continued availability of 8K cameras and services like YouTube continue to grow, 8K content will one day become easily accessible. For the time being, its main benefit will be upscaling content.
So how much will this bad boy cost? A hefty €11,999, or about $14,800. That isn’t cheap, but its the price for trailblazing technology. The LV-70X500E will be available in Europe later this month. Unfortunately, there is still no specific timeframe for when Sharp is bringing the 8K TV to the U.S. as of right now.


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Blackstone has stopped chasing Dell, removing a potential hurdle for Michael Dell’s privatisation of the company
Investment firm Blackstone Group has reportedly dropped its interest in taking Dell private, citing the large decline in the global PC industry.
Blackstone had mounted its own challenge back in March to compete with the $24.4 billion (£16bn) offer on the table by a group led by founder Michael Dell, who wants to take the company private backed by finance firm Silver Lake Partners, and Microsoft.
Blackstone was reportedly heading up a rival group that was hoping to make its own bid for Dell, which currently is the world’s third-largest PC maker, behind HP and Lenovo.
Such a move would have placed additional pressure on Michael Dell and Silver Lake Partners to increase the amount of their own offer, something they have been reluctant to do despite fierce criticism from a number of shareholders.
Blackstone apparently withdrew from the race because of the worrying state of the PC market. According to Reuters, which cited three people familiar with the matter, Blackstone pulled out citing an unprecedented 14 percent drop in industry PC sales in the first quarter of 2013.
This came after researcher IDC revealed the dire state of the global PC market earlier this month, when it said that PC sales during the first quarter of this year were the lowest it had ever seen, since it started keeping records.
Blackstone was also reportedly put off by a lower earnings forecast by the Dell management, which saw operating income drop from $3.7 billion (£2.4bn) to $3 billion (£2bn) in the current fiscal year.
In February Dell posted revenues that fell 11 percent in the company’s fiscal fourth quarter – to $14.1 billion (£9.1bn). Profits during the three months also declined 31 percent, to $530 million (£343m).
Since his return to Dell back in 2007, Michael Dell has become increasingly frustrated at the inability to make major strategic changes at Dell whilst it still is exposed to the harsh scrutiny of Wall Street, coupled with the additional pressure of having to hit quarterly financial numbers because it is a publicly listed company.
Michael Dell has been aggressively trying to reposition Dell away from being a PC and server box maker, and into an all-inclusive enterprise IT services vendor. As part of this company transformation, he announced on 5 February his intention to take Dell private again in a $24.4 billion (£16bn) offer in conjunction with Silver Lake and Microsoft.
But some were not happy at the deal, including some of Dell’s largest shareholders. Southeastern Asset Management and T.Rowe Price, which together hold about 13 percent of Dell shares criticised the deal, which would pay investors $13.65 (£8.84) per share, a 25 percent premium over the share price in January when the buyout rumours first emerged.
These shareholders are arguing for a price that is more than $20 (£13.12) per share.
The deal also has come under further criticism from activist investor Carl Icahn, who soon bought enough shares to bring his share up to 6 percent. Icahn has advocated that the company remain public and pay out a special dividend.
How much do you know about Dell? Take our quiz!


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BBC reports that Intel’s netbook for schools in developing countries, the Classmate is now coming to the UK.
A new version of a laptop originally designed by Intel for the developing world is making its debut in the UK.
The newly designed Classmate machine can be converted from a traditional laptop to a tablet PC to allow children to write and draw more naturally.
It will be available in the UK in February, and will be sold directly to schools as well as via online retailer Amazon and high street store Argos.
Won’t be cheap like other netbooks though, it has a list price of £349.
Read a review of the Classmate (with pictures).


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2020 sales tax changes
2: Sea change for state tax laws
By now, the impact of the Supreme Court of the United States South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. decision is widely known. Imposing sales tax obligations on out-of-state businesses is old news and the new norm. But even though most states have already issued their new rules, sellers across the U.S. still have their work cut out for them: Figuring out their liabilities and rebuilding their tax strategies for states they never accounted for is no small feat.
States have always been fiercely independent when it comes to their laws and sales tax is no exception. Here’s a look at what made headlines in 2019 and what to expect in the coming year.
The Sunshine State might finally enact economic nexus
If a bill recently filed with the Florida Legislature gets any traction, Florida may become the 44th state to adopt economic nexus. Senator Joe Gruters asserts this wouldn’t be a new tax: “The tax is owed. This makes it convenient for consumers.”
Florida’s threshold would be similar to the threshold in many other states:
200 or more retail sales of tangible personal property to be delivered into Florida in the previous calendar year; or
Any number of retail sales of tangible personal property to be delivered into Florida in an amount exceeding $100,000 in the previous calendar year
So, will Florida do it? That’s the question everyone who sells into Florida wants to know. It’s hard to imagine Florida lawmakers not pushing a remote sales tax bill through eventually, given that every other state with a sales tax has already done so (except Missouri, of course). If the measure passes as written, economic nexus would take effect in Florida on July 1, 2020.
Will Missouri Show Me economic nexus in 2020?
There’s no shortage of irony that a state that prides itself on straightforward pragmatism has one of the most complex tax systems. There are approximately 2,200 local tax jurisdictions in the Show Me State and each one can have multiple local rates; local sales tax rates and local use tax rates don’t always match; there are special rates for food (sales tax and use tax), domestic utilities, and more. No wonder the Missouri Legislature stepped in, requiring the Missouri Department of Revenue to make it easier to find local sales and use tax rates.
Before the state can require remote sellers to collect and remit sales and use tax, Missouri will likely need to address this complexity. Nonetheless, we wouldn’t be surprised if Missouri issues a bill in 2020.
The Lone Star State lends a hand to out-of-state sellers
Second only to California in population, Texas is an enormous market for many businesses. Mercifully, the state eased into establishing economic nexus for out-of-state sellers.
Within a week of the Wayfair ruling, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Glenn Hegar said his department was working to implement the principles of the decision: “We’re going to make sure we do this carefully, deliberately and with ample input from the public, the Legislature, and the business community.”
That’s exactly what happened. Remote sellers are now required to collect and remit Texas sales tax if they have more than $500,000 in sales of taxable and exempt products and services in the state.
To further ease the burden on out-of-state sellers, Texas created an optional single local use tax rate: Businesses can apply to collect a single local tax rate on all Texas transactions rather than the actual rate in effect in each location. Since there are approximately 1,500 different tax jurisdictions in Texas, each with its own rate, this option could be extremely helpful for businesses with customers statewide.
Texas also applies economic nexus to franchise tax. In this, Texas is the outlier, but it may also be a harbinger: Hawaii will enforce an economic nexus standard for income tax for taxable years after December 31, 2019; Pennsylvania is enforcing economic nexus for corporate net income tax as of January 1, 2020; Washington applies economic nexus to B&O tax; and at least two cities apply economic nexus to certain local taxes.
In other economic nexus news:
Louisiana is set to enforce economic nexus by July 1, 2020. Learn more.
Georgia lowers remote seller sales threshold and eliminates reporting requirement beginning January 2020. Learn more.
For a comprehensive breakdown of all economic nexus laws, check out our seller's guide to nexus laws and sales tax collection requirements.
Will states finally accept bitcoin?
Most states don’t accept bitcoin as a form of payment. In fact, most state tax departments currently don’t provide much guidance on cryptocurrency, though that’s gradually changing: New Jersey, Ohio, and Washington have all published guidelines on how sales tax and other tax applies to virtual currency transactions.
Ohio is the outlier. In November 2018, the Ohio Department of Taxation became the first — and to date only — state to accept cryptocurrency for tax payments. However, in October 2019, the new state treasurer suspended the state’s portal for accepting cryptocurrency tax payments.
The Buckeye State will likely accept bitcoin tax payments once again. And if all goes well, more states are likely to embrace virtual currency.
Rate changes and more rate changes …
Rate changes are as inevitable as tax itself. Fortunately, our much-anticipated state sales tax rate resource is now live. There you’ll find up-to-date state and local rate information, as well as Avalara’s comprehensive state guides, which detail everything you’d want to know (and a few things you didn’t) about sales tax in every state.


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PowerVR Furian Architecture May Bring 4K Gaming To Future iPhones
Imagination Technologies has today announced PowerVR Furian, a next-generation GPU architecture that has the potential to bring 4K video and gaming to iPhones in the future. By increasing graphics performance and improving power efficiency at the same time, PowerVR Furian could be a big step for graphics-intensive applications that run on upcoming iPhones.
The newly announced PowerVR Furian architecture is capable of offering around a 70-90% improvement in real-world gaming performance. This includes a 35% better shader performance and 80% better fill rate when compared with a Series7XT Plus GPU that is based on current-generation PowerVR Rogue architecture and runs at a similar clock speed.
It’s not all about raw power, though – power saving is a hugely important factor for 3D chips built for us within mobile devices, and an improvement in this regard alone would be of benefit to Apple and future iPhone releases.
Imagination Technologies has confirmed that the new PowerVR Furian architecture can support 4K video if needed, potentially paving the way for future iPhones to pack 4K screens, which will allow the smartphone to display 4K video natively.
4K video shot on an iPhone 7 today is downscaled when played back on the device, and this would no longer be needed if PowerVR Furian is used in conjunction with a 4K display panel.
“We created Furian to address a new class of emerging applications, with a focus on efficient scalability that will extend to multiple generations of PowerVR IP cores. We’re excited to start rolling out the first 8XT IP cores based on Furian. These cores will further cement the leadership of PowerVR at the high end of mobile performance.”
If the Imagination Technologies name rings a bell, that may be because Apple has had stakes in the company since around 2008. As for PowerVR Furian chips being used in this year’s iPhone 8 release, it is highly unlikely – Imagination Technologies says that the chips may not start popping up in smartphones until 2018.


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By Warren Shoulberg
Most everyone who survived the past decade would tell you it was unlike any other time they had ever experienced—starting with the largest terrorism attack on U.S. soil ever and ending with the worst recession in 70 years.
And those very same people would probably have to admit that the speed in which things are happening is as much the story as those changes themselves.
And that is only likely to accelerate over the next decade. The future, said American engineer Charles Kettering, is where you are going to spend the rest of your life, so one needs to be as prepared as possible to deal with it.
To that end, the editors of HFN have done some of your homework for you and come up with the 10,000-foot overview of some of the things likely to occur over the next decade. Not as uselessly generic as the view at 30,000 feet or as ridiculously unrealistic as the 10-foot view, it doesn’t attempt to predict the unpredictable or project onto a blank canvas a Jetsonian vision of tomorrow.
In other words, 2020 visions, if you will.
A total of 12 broad trends are presented here, eight for the retailers under “The Buy Side” heading, starting on this page, and five for vendors under “The Supply Side” heading, starting on page 8.
All in all, its purpose is to help you understand what some of the seeds of the first decade of the 21st Century are going to grow into during the second.
Or as Samuel Taylor Coleridge put it—in the past—“In today already walks tomorrow.”
THE BUY SIDE
While much of the home furnishings industry still wrestles with the right way to treat e-tailing, it’s likely that the home computer will be supplanted—perhaps even usurped—by its smaller, newer cousin, the smart phone.
The name-droppers have already christened it: mTailing.
This past holiday selling season was the first one in which smart phones such as the iPhone, the Droid and various Blackberries played a significant role in the shopping process. One in five consumers, according to published reports, said they intended to use various smart phone features—apps—to help them find stores, find products and find the best price. Of those people, one in four said they would use their smart phones to make an actual purchase.
Do the math and that means 5 percent of all shoppers bought at least something on their handheld devices. That is a number only likely to grow in the new decade.
Sellers are jumping on this bandwagon, but it goes back to at least October 2008 when Polo Ralph Lauren introduced its iPhone app.
For companies still trying to figure out their Web selling strategy, mTailing will take virtual selling to the next level in this decade.
The nomenclature might not stick, but for lack of a better catchy name, let’s call them vStores: virtual Internet retailers opening real brick and mortar stores.
Most of the physical retailers (let’s hope that term replaces brick-and-mortar sometime this decade) have long since learned that they need to be multi-format when it comes to serving their customers and have moved aggressively into online selling. The better ones have linked them even closer through in-store pick-up and ordering kiosk tactics.
So it stands to reason that the online retailers will need to create their own level playing field. EBay was a pioneer this past year with a pop-up store in New York City for the holidays.
Look for more online sellers to open temporary or even permanent stores that will act as showrooms or pick-up locations, allowing the extra bonus of reduced shipping charges.
3. Pop-up Stores
Speaking of temporary stores, this is a phenomenon that we haven’t begun to see the end of it. In fact, we’re just seeing the beginning.
Target was one of the earlier innovators here, but the trend goes back further: Spencer Gifts has been opening temporary Halloween stores under the Spirit name for years.
As a vehicle to address a short-term need without the problems of long-term leases, pop-up stores offer great advantages for retailers. That’s why pop-ups won’t just be limited to the holiday season, but will be utilized for other seasonal selling like summer goods.
The excess inventory of vacant stores makes the process that much more attractive. So, at least until some semblance of real estate homeostasis returns, the pop-ups will keep on popping up.
4. Pop-up Sales
Pop-up stores have been on the scene for years but this year they were joined by pop-up sales and this tactic is another that will no doubt be expanded upon throughout the coming decade.
Pop-up sales have no strict definition, but they generally have several characteristics: a limited number of goods are offered at a good price for a limited amount of time.
If the general idea sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the basic underlying merchandising premise of the warehouse clubs. Even before the clubs, under the guise of treasure hunting, the technique was used by a variety of stores from Marshalls and T.J. Maxx to Pier 1 and Cost Plus.
And when you get right down to it, the Kmart Blue Light Special may have been the original pop-up sale.
The new spin this year came from online sellers like Gilt and One Kings Lane that institutionalized the tactic and gave it its new sexy name.
Retailing never met a good idea it didn’t like to jump on so look for all retailers, regardless of format, to introduce their own versions of the pop-up sale. The Black Friday doorbuster is already being used quite successfully. Watch for many more as the decade goes on.
That old definition of Gross Domestic Product—the sum of all goods and services—will show a new emphasis on the latter part of that term this decade.
The new definition of service will mean selling services and making them profit centers onto themselves—not old definition of extra sales people on the floor or liberal return policies. Two old-line manufacturing companies outside the industry—IBM and GE—are in the process of radically transforming their businesses from making products to selling services.
In the home business, the leader has been Best Buy, which through its Geek Squad, has learned there is money to be made by offering services not just stuff.
Watch for other retailers to find their own Geek Squads in ways that may be hard to see right now. But if your memory goes back aways, perhaps you can recall when department stores offered in-home carpet and upholstery cleaning. Everything that’s old again... well, you know the rest of it.
6. The Aldi Factor
Only one retailer in America is beating Walmart at its own game: Aldi. The German retailer, essentially a mini-warehouse club without the membership element, is primarily in the grocery business but sells some general merchandise.
It does so from bare bones, strip-mall-located stores that generally measure under 20,000 square feet and, with their merchandise offered on the pallets and in the cartons in which they were shipped, have the charm and ambience of an abandoned car wash.
But they also have prices that often make Walmart look like Neiman’s and that is their appeal. If the consumer’s newly discovered thrifty tendencies are more than a passing fad, the under-retailing channel, which also includes dollar stores, may have enduring appeal beyond its current demographics.
And as so-called “discount stores” continue to offer trade-up goods in ever-fancier presentations, the deconstructed model of Aldi and others could be a major force in retailing over this new decade.
7. The Ikea Factor
For a chain that only has 37 units, Ikea’s impact on the home furnishings market is certainly disproportionate. In 2008, the last year for which numbers are available, it was the only home furnishings retailer in America, besides Amazon, to be one of the five fastest growers in both total dollars and percentage growth.
As more regions of the country are exposed to Ikea’s low prices, take-with-you products and furnishings-as-fashion philosophy, it is only logical that shoppers will embrace those things when they go to shop elsewhere as well.
What impact that has on conventional retailers remains to be seen but with Ikea stepping up its expansion plans – three stores, a new distribution center and its first U.S. factory, all just in 2009 – it is likely to gain both market share and converts in the coming decade.
8. Store Wars
The 1990s were the era in which each major channel of distribution generally had three major players, all of comparable strength and stature.
By the end of the first decade of the 2000s, that was down to just two majors and the process had already started to winnow that down even further to just one.
We first saw that when Federated bought May Co. and created the national Macy’s department store operation. Other, smaller department store chains remain, but Macy’s is clearly in a class by itself.
The home business saw it in the housewares-textiles classification when Bed Bath and Beyond outlasted its lone remaining competitor, Linens’n Things. At virtually the same time the same thing happened in consumer electronics with the demise of Circuit City, leaving Best Buy as the last store standing in that space.
This Darwinian process is now set to occur in other channels over this decade. There remain several obvious battlegrounds in retailing: J.C. Penney and Kohl’s; Costco and Sam’s; Home Depot and Lowe’s.
And in other channels where there remain multiple players—office superstores and dollar stores, for instance—it is almost certain that there will be fewer equals over the next ten years.
THE SUPPLY SIDE
The home furnishings supply side remains behind the curve in many aspects of business but perhaps most tellingly is the still large number of vendors chasing ever fewer numbers of retail customers.
The consolidations that are ongoing stories in such varied industries as food, automobiles, banking and airlines have for the most part yet to show up on the home furnishings doorstep.
Not that some product classifications aren’t already highly concentrated. Broadloom is basically down to two major suppliers, Shaw and Mohawk. The major appliance business is largely in the hands of three vendors: Whirlpool, General Electric and Electrolux.
And with the recent buyout of Simmons by the financial investor that also owns Serta, the reigning Big Three S’s of the bedding business could be down to two.
But throughout most of the rest of the home business, few companies control double-digit market shares much less dominant shares. Segments such as small electrics, furniture and lighting are all ripe for such consolidation, the first signs of which can already be spotted in recent deals. They are only likely to accelerate as the decade progresses.
The only exception to this is in the home textiles industry, which is often the exception to many home furnishings maxims. That industry went through its consolidation period in the ten-year period starting in the early 1990s resulting in three suppliers that controlled more than half the market and as much as three-quarters of the core sheet and towel categories.
It then seemingly self-destructed and collectively those three companies—WestPoint Stevens, Pillowtex and Springs which together did close to $5 billion at their peak —now find themselves at barely a third of that, their ranks reduced to two.
Despite the exception to the rule, nothing is likely to stop the ongoing consolidation trend in vendors.
2. Go West
Ever since President Richard Nixon made his historic visit to China in 1972, the flight of product production to that country and its Asian neighbors has been relentless. Entire industries, from housewares to home textiles have migrated eastwards. Other product categories like furniture, rugs and tabletop have seen the bulk of their manufacturing shift to Asia.
Nothing has stopped the drive: not quality issues, not safety concerns, not costs, not even politics. And there is nothing on the horizon of the new decade that is likely to cause a wholesale shift in the sourcing equation.
But cracks in the Asian armor have started to appear. A trickle of textiles from Mexico and South America has turned into a steady supply. The same thing is happening to a lesser extent in furniture.
Meanwhile, the rigors of proper supply-chain management are dictating a shortening of that chain as retailers demand just-in-time deliveries while vendors no longer have the balance sheets to carry the necessary inventories.
That could mean moving production closer to point of sale. Some people wistfully interpret that as a return to domestic manufacturing, but the factories and labor forces are long gone and the cost-of-doing-business-in-the-U.S. numbers still don’t add up.
That leaves Mexico, Central America and the countries of South America as viable alternatives.
Nobody is predicting China and Asia will go away as sourcing bastions, but many think the sources will just be more spread out in this new decade.
3. Brand Take-Out
While China and other Asian suppliers may get new competition from the Western Hemisphere, they are further along on the business evolutionary path in understanding what it takes to succeed in America.
And that means brand names, despite any short-term retreat they might be having during this recession.
The industry is just starting to see how Asia will bring its brands to market. Haier is a Chinese major appliance company that is trying to build its brand from scratch, no easy task in a crowded marketplace.
More common is another strategy: if you can’t build a brand, buy one. As with many trends, it started outside of home and is only now reaching this industry.
Lenovo was the Chinese company that made PCs for IBM. When the American company decided to exit that business, it sold it to its Chinese manufacturer and gave them the rights to use its IBM name for a set period of time. Lenovo used that time to co-brand its products, playing off the more established American brand while it was introducing its name to its U.S. customers.
More recently, an Indian company bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford while Chinese companies are in final negotiations to buy Volvo and Hummer.
And now it’s spreading to home. Schnadig, an American-based cornerstone of the furniture industry, was bought by its Chinese supplier, Markor, a year ago. Other Chinese companies are likely to follow suit ... or suite.
Call it the Trojan Horse technique, but it worked for the ancient Greeks and it is likely to do the same for the Asians.
It’s been a dirty word—actually a virtually non-existent word—in the vocabularies of most of the American supplier base of home products ever since there was an American supplier base of home products.
That very well may change this decade with American consumption maxing out and the burgeoning economies of many Asian nations producing vast middle classes eager to buy and own things.
U.S. companies who want to sell to those consumers have two aces in the hole that make that equation much easier than in the old days. The first is that their places of manufacturing are right there, not 6,000 miles away. Whether they own those factories or not, they have the logistics and cost structures in place already.
The other factor is that in many cases they are already selling the retailers there. With Walmart and others racing to penetrate China and India, vendors know where to find their customers, if not in fact actually having their e-mail addresses.
In fact, you probably shouldn’t even call it export. When companies like Libby build factories in China specifically to sell the Chinese market are they not domestic suppliers?
Semantics aside, selling to customers outside the United States represents the biggest potential growth vehicle for American-based companies in this decade.
Vast parts of the home industry have never been known for their prowess in new technology. Those in the furniture field joke that the greatest technological advance in the history of that business has been the invention of the staple gun.
So for every consumer electronics company that creates entirely new products several times a generation, you have a textiles industry that has to admit that the fitted sheet’s creation 55 years ago was its last major innovation.
That could change this decade. Led by the major appliance industry, which has consistently been in the forefront of technological research and innovation, many home products could look different by the time the decade is done.
Major appliance companies are experimenting with washing machines that use no water. Who knows what else is happening behind closed doors?
Who knows what else is happening behind James Dyson’s closed doors?
Significant advances are being made in high performance textiles that eventually will move from the industrial field to the fashion field to the home field.
The furniture industry seems to be making a concerted effort to have sustainability as a core competence, opening up both new technology and marketing opportunities.
And the small kitchen appliance business is way overdue for its next salad spinner or Fry Baby, technology being, after all, only relative.
There may be a lot of things different about this new decade and by the year 2020 the industry could be radically transformed in many ways. But some things never change.
Or as Yogi Berra supposedly put it, “The future ain’t what it used to be.”


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Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) has reached an agreement to acquire Rodelle Inc., a premium originator, processor and supplier of vanilla products.
The acquisition will see ADM’s vanilla capabilities expand and it also includes an equity stake in farmer cooperative in Madagascar, part of the most extensive vertically integrated supply chain in the vanilla industry. Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed and ADM anticipates the transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval, will be completed in the third quarter.
Rodelle, founded in 1936 and based in Fort Collins, Colorado, originates, processes and sells premium vanilla ingredients and products, including organic and traditional extracts, beans, alcohol-free flavors and pastes. The company also sells non-vanilla products, including flavorings, extracts, spice blends and organic spices. Rodelle provides ingredient solutions to food and beverage makers, as well as directly to consumers, with a premium retail brand that can be found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores in North America. The company’s sales last year were approximately US$40 million.
Rodelle’s supply chain is unique among major vanilla processors. In Madagascar, the company owns a stake in Federation Sahanala Vanille – a joint venture between Rodelle and a partnership of local associations that now includes more than 2,100 registered vanilla farmers – and is capable of producing industry-leading volumes of certified organic vanilla. Rodelle also has a strategic partnership with Gourmet Gardens, providing sourcing of vanilla in Uganda. By removing the third parties that are typical in other vanilla processor supply chains, Rodelle is able to offer competitive pricing and a reliable supply.
“With the acquisition of Rodelle, we are continuing to grow our value chain by enhancing what is already one of the most comprehensive portfolios in the flavor industry,” says Scott Olstad, President of ADM’s North American WILD Flavors business.
“Not only is vanilla one of the most popular and enduring flavors, but Rodelle’s integrated supply chain will allow us to offer an unparalleled range of certified organic and natural vanilla ingredients for today’s health-conscious consumers. The addition of Rodelle will give us immediate capabilities in both the retail and commercial vanilla markets, and we see significant opportunities to expand the business. We’re looking forward to working with the great Rodelle team to help build on their impressive success,” he explains.
“This acquisition represents another important step in our strategy to create shareholder value,” notes Vince Macciocchi, ADM’s Senior Vice President and President, Nutrition.
“Rodelle will be a key part of our integrated human and animal Nutrition business – a business that we are focused on growing. Earlier this summer, we announced two important additions to our Nutrition business unit: Neovia, a global leader in value-added animal nutrition products, and Probiotics International Limited, a UK-based provider of probiotic supplements for human, pet and production animal use. With these and other transactions, we are strengthening our position as the go-to provider for nutrition customers around the globe, and we are excited about the benefits for customers and shareholders alike,” he says.
“We look forward to joining the ADM team and contributing Rodelle’s expertise in vanilla products to another well-established flavoring industry company,” explains Joe Basta, Rodelle Co-founder. “The Rodelle brand and our loyal customers will benefit greatly from ADM’s technical expertise and commercial capabilities. The core of our business will remain unchanged, and our customers can expect the high-quality vanilla and baking ingredients they have relied on for over 80 years.”
“We see a natural synergy between Rodelle’s vertically integrated supply chain that brings consumers closer to vanilla farmers and ADM’s global reach and technical expertise in the flavor and food ingredient industry,” adds Rodelle Co-founder, Dan Berlin. “In joining forces with ADM, Rodelle will be able to leverage even more value for our customers, employees, farmers and shareholders.”
Source: Food Ingredients First
A new wave of brands is emerging that promotes indulgence and rejects the notion of sacrifice. Low-maintenance “hangover” beauty products are designed to address the effects of late nights and partying without judgment or hassle, and even include cosmetics that are formulated in a way that means you can fall asleep in your makeup without feeling guilty.
The pilot will allow the company to scale circular packaging in about 18 markets over the next three years, an approach that jumps on the success of similar efforts in the company’s Indonesia ecoSPIRITS program, which launched in 2022 and is active in 38 bars.
Unilever’s focus on purpose across its brands has been a source of criticism from some of its investors. Its new CEO Hein Schumacher says the company now recognises there are some brands where the concept is simply not relevant.


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By Paul R. Bergeron III — August 2016
Phoenix-based Mark-Taylor chosen to test program for the world's largest online retailer
Amazon Locker boldly entered the conventional apartment resident package delivery market in July by debuting its program at 37 Mark-Taylor Residential communities in the Phoenix market.
"At this point, it's no secret in our industry that the growth of online shopping has put new and growing demands on apartment operators when it comes to getting those packages to our residents securely and efficiently," says Chris Brozina, Executive Vice President of Mark-Taylor. As an example, one of the communities received as many as 15,000 resident packages in 2015 alone.
Mark-Taylor was chosen as Amazon's debut partner based in part on its large presence in Phoenix, which is home to one of Amazon's primary fulfillment centers west of the Phoenix metro area, which distributes more than 15 million packages per day. "We're honored that Amazon has chosen us as their first large-scale partner in this technology, but it's even more meaningful to know that this system won't put more costs back on our residents; it's about making their lives more convenient, period," he says."Our class-A resident demographic is ideal because we have a lot of young residents who have a good deal of disposable income and who are active Amazon shoppers."
According to Brozina, discussions with Amazon began in late 2015, and the company has been a reliable management partner with his communities in terms of execution from the outset.
"We are honored to partner with a best-in-class online retailer such as Amazon, especially on a technology that has such tremendous benefits for our respective customers," he says. "They have invested heavily into this delivery system are clearly conscientious about preserving the strong reputation of their brand, as are we. Amazon tells us that they want to learn as much as they can about serving apartment residents so that their delivery system can become even better than it is now."
Amazon declined units Magazine's request for comment.
Amazon Gives Mark-Taylor a URL
Mark-Taylor has nearly 14,000 Class A apartment homes (25,000 residents) and operates exclusively in Arizona and Nevada. Prior to the pilot program, the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company handled resident package delivery much the same way most operators do, in "reactionary" fashion. "The growth in volume was becoming a problem logistically, and it's pretty natural to see the problem will continue to mount without proactively addressing it," Brozina says.
Today, Mark-Taylor is encouraging online ordering from its residents and is promoting the Amazon program, which has been designed specifically for its residents. Amazon created an exclusive landing page and special "check out" URL that only Mark-Taylor residents use when shopping.
"The delivery/pick-up system is automated," Brozina says. "It requires no integration into property management software or oversight by the onsite teams."
When Amazon delivers a package, its sends a unique barcode to the resident. The resident can scan this barcode over the locker screen at a community, opening it so that the resident can pick up their packages. No PIN is required and the resident doesn't have to enter any information into the lockers, which are available 24-7 and 365 days a year. Most important, Mark-Taylor residents are not charged to use the service, and residents can receive and return their packages without ever having to visit the post office."
The concept of Amazon Locker originated in 2011 and the program continues to expand. It serves several dozen metro areas with hundreds of locker locations that consumers can access.
But I Didn't Order on Amazon
Volume is impacted by so many things-property, season, demographic, etc., according to Brozina-"but we've done quite a bit of research and it's safe to say that in general, it appears that Amazon represents more than 50 percent of our total property deliveries-and growing."
Mark-Taylor residents who receive packages that are not ordered through Amazon (such as from eBay or Zappos) are able to pick them up at the leasing office during office hours.
The leasing staff attaches a sticky note to these packages, suggesting that they instead shop through Amazon, when possible. And, if residents order through Amazon and do not use the unique URL, Mark-Taylor alerts the resident of the Amazon Locker option.
Amazon and Mark-Taylor chose to slowly publicize the program, in part, because they "wanted to make sure the install process and any small kinks were firmly ironed out before making a splash," Brozina says. Even without promotion, the new lockers have generated buzz among existing residents and the company anticipates increased prospective resident traffic with the new amenity.
Amazon has not announced any details about future expansion of the program, but Brozina is confident that Mark-Taylor's successful partnership is just the beginning of a new way to deal with the perpetual problem of package delivery at apartment communities.
Amazon does not publicly disclose the locations of its fulfillment or sortation facilities; however, those wishing to research potential key Amazon markets can visit the blog at taxjar.com and search Amazon sort center locations for an unofficial list. —P.B.
Amazon Locker For Student Housing: Mixed Grades
The performance of Amazon Locker in privatized student-housing communities is mixed, according to management staff at several communities where it was installed in the past couple of years.
Grand Marc at University Village in Riverside, Calif., is a 756-bed property managed by Asset Campus Housing. Its leasing manager, Jessica Mosqueda, says the community's relationship with Amazon Locker goes back to at least March 2014.
"It's a cool selling tool when we show it during leasing tours," Mosqueda says. "And I notice some of the same students using it over and over again."
Mosqueda says her community of approximately 840 residents receives between 50 and 100 packages per day. It is used by a limited number of residents, based on the lockers' storage size (approximately 50 slots). Amazon Locker covers all expenses.
"Those who don't choose to use Amazon Locker pick up their packages in our leasing office," she says. "The way we understand it, if we aren't getting enough package delivery volume, Amazon will discontinue the program. But that hasn't been a problem since [March 2014]."
At University of California, Irvine, American Campus Community's Regional Vice President Dennis McCauliff says Amazon Locker was not effective for his on-campus privatized housing because not enough packages were delivered for it to make sense, and retrieval delays by student residents jammed the system during busy periods.
"The first three weeks of any semester were especially difficult," McCauliff says. "We might receive about 250 packages per day during that time, but for whatever reason, the students only came to pick up about half of those within the next 24 hours. Then, when another 250 packages came in that next day, there was not sufficient room to store the newer packages. We ended up having to find other non-locker storage areas to keep them. It was a mess."
Shipments of textbooks to students caused the abnormally high volume during that period. "You would think that they'd come right down to pick up their books," McCauliff says.
Aside from those first three weeks, the community did not receive enough packages for the "numbers to work," especially when considering the number of non-Amazon packages that were delivered.
Adam Byrley, Executive Vice President, The Preiss Company, says he had to share his Amazon Lockers with two other nearby student-housing communities in the Austin, Texas-based submarket of Riverside, Texas. "Packages that weren't even for our residents were coming to our location," he says.
Bryley says for the 2016-17 school year, he is considering offering a $2 charge to residents who want their packages delivered directly to their apartments. The deliveries would be handled by office staff, such as part-time leasing agents. —P.B.
NAA 2017 Student Housing Conference & Exposition
Feb. 14-15, 2017, Hyatt Regency, Chicago
Registration opens in September!
Paul R. Bergeron III is Director of Publications for NAA and can be reached at email@example.com or 703-797-0606.


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CSL Of Australia Raises Equity Funds Ahead of U.S. Merger Approval
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Australia's CSL drug maker has gone ahead with assertive equity-raising efforts even though the U.S. Federal Trade Commission could still block its planned $3.5 billion acquisition of Talecris Biotherapeutics. In less than a week after the deal was announced, CSL raised $1.53 billion to buy the firm from its owners, Cerberus Partners and Ampersand Ventures. Some analysts believe the FTC will order some divestments of human plasma products before approving the merger. One problem could be Talecris's Gamunex, with has a 24 percent market share, the same as CSL and its own products, amounting to a combined 48 percent compared with Baxter International's market-leading 35 percent. (Click here for more
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Perrigo is latest consumer health firm to note substantially slower flu rates slammed OTC drug sales during 2020 fourth quarter. Its total cough/cold product sales for the year were off $63m on decreases of $34m in the Americas and $29m in its international markets.
In deal with Altaris Capital, “I don't feel like we got out at any cost,” says Perrigo CEO Murray Kessler. Agreement calls for “a number of mutual long-term relationship components ... including on Rx-to-OTC switches."
FDA and CDC advisory committee members wonder how to use the single-shot J&J vaccine if an ongoing study shows two doses are better than one.


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Edeka, Penny, Kaufland and Co: Customers are desperate: Now this product is also getting much more expensive
price increase a Edeka, Penny, Kaufland echo.
A popular industry was again hit by rising prices. For many customers of Edeka, Penny, Kaufland and Co a bitter message.
Edeka, Penny, Kaufland and Co – the favorite product of many customers is getting more and more expensive
Summer is upon us and the price of one of the most popular drinks in Germany is on the rise: beer. Products in supermarkets have been getting more expensive for months: numerous sectors have already been hit by price increases. High energy prices, delivery bottlenecks and shortages of raw materials also impact the brewing industry.
This is Edeka:
- Edeka was founded in Leipzig in 1907
- Edeka stands for purchasing cooperative dhe grocer
- Edeka’s headquarters are in Hamburg
- Turnover: 61 billion euros (2020)
- 402,000 people work in Edeka (as of 2020)
Whether it’s after work, football or a barbecue, beer is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages in Germany. However, as “Express” reports, beer sales have dropped significantly over the past two years. The previous year by 5.5 percent, more recently by 2.2 percent. The outlook for brewers gives no reason for hope.
Edeka, Penny, Kaufland and Co: higher prices for beer
The brewing industry feels compelled to act and the first breweries have already raised their prices. Krombacher and Veltins presented on 1 April 2022. Radeberger and Bitburger will follow in May. According to industry experts’ estimates, the beer crate with 20 half-liter bottles could cost around one euro more for the big Pilsner brands. Not exactly a little, after all, the Germans drank an average of 84 liters of beer per capita in 2021.
Even switching from branded to nameless products doesn’t bring much savings to customers: in early April, the price of a six-pack of Aldi Karlskrone brand Pils increased by ten cents, according to “Express”.
More news on Edeka, Penny, Kaufland echo:
The German Association of Brewers explained that breweries and restaurateurs are still far from their pre-pandemic sales figures. Will it change in the face of rising prices? (jdo)


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Professionals believe that U.S. retail sales increased significantly in January due the recent round of $600 stimulus checks and expectations that additional checks will be issued.
Figures launched Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau reveal that retail sales soared by 5.3 percent for the month of January, significantly exceeding expectations. Sales had come by 1 percent in December. The new sales numbers were likewise 7.4 percent greater than those seen in January 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic began to take a devastating toll on the economy. Economic experts think that more great news might be en route soon.
” We expected retail costs to increase in January thanks to the current round of stimulus checks and much better covid patterns, and it clearly did,” Jack Kleinhenz, chief economic expert for the National Retail Federation, said in a statement gotten by Newsweek “There was none of the falloff in costs that we often find post-holiday and the boost was even better than expected.”


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Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter and Square Inc., is donating $ 1 billion (920 million euros) to fight the corona virus. He announces this on Twitter.
The money comes from his own capital. Dorsey says his donation amounts to 28 percent of his total private wealth.
He pays the money with shares of his internet payment company Square. Via a public Google Doc you can follow how the money is moved through its private company Start Small, from where the donation is distributed to beneficiaries.
Dorsey says she wants to work transparently "so that others can learn from it." "I hope this inspires others to do something like that."
In addition to Dorsey, many other celebrities and leaders have donated money. For example, Amazon director Jeff Bezos announced he would donate $ 100 million to US food banks. Bill Gates has "just in case" built factories to develop vaccines.
Follow the latest developments around the virus in the sports world in our live blog .
The coronavirus in short
- The coronavirus mainly spreads through sneezes and cough drops. Most patients have mild (flu-like) complaints. These are the symptoms.
- Read here what rules there are to contain the outbreak.
- We have also translated these measures into Arabic, English, Polish and Turkish.
- In our corona guide we give you an overview of all reliable information and what you should and can do now that you are at home a lot.


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Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) on Friday received a big price target bump from a prominent Wall Street firm, which cited expected benefits from a lower corporate tax rate.
Maxim Group lifted their price target on AAPL from $204 from $193, citing Washington’s new tax plan, which will tax most U.S. corporations less and also allow for much smaller penalties on repatriated cash that’s currently being held in foreign accounts.
The firm also boosted its fiscal Q1 earnings estimates slightly above the high-end of the company’s own guidance, citing iPhone supply improvements at a better-than-expected rate. While Maxim cut its Q2 revenue outlook to a profile more similar to the iPhone 6 launch a couple years back, their estimates are still above the Wall Street consensus.
The analyst continues to expect erosion of the iPhone X price premium in in 2019, which led to a more normalized valuation. However, when reducing the company’s overall tax rate to 19% from 25%, the stock remains a buy with the heightened price target, it said.
Apple Inc. shares closed at $177.09 on Friday, up $1.81 (+1.03%). Year-to-date, AAPL has gained 4.64%, versus a 4.14% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.