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April 23, 2015
Due to the shift in customers’ online shopping behaviors, successful retailers are employing certain tactics to meet – and make the most of – the shift consumers’ needs. Let’s explore five top trends, including social selling, the death of Black Friday, …More...
May 16, 2014
More and more consumers are turning to social content when it comes to their purchase decisions, according to an infographic by Offerpop. They are looking to friends and peers for the final stamp of approval before they add to cart. …More...
April 16, 2014
Kenshoo published an infographic today detailing first-quarter performance of paid search and social advertising. The infographic highlights quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year changes for key metrics in both search and social.
[Click to enlarge]
December 1, 2015
Social media, particularly Twitter played a major role for Cyber Monday and Black Friday. Several major online retailers and pop star Demi Lovato generated a lot of buzz around Cyber Monday.
In the past week, Nov. 24 through Nov. 30 Lovato has …
December 1, 2015
Related Cyber Weekend News
Stores that Closed Doors on Thanksgiving and Black Friday Outperformed Competitors Online
Editor’s Notebook: My Big Fat Omnichannel Thanksgiving Shopping Day
No Surprise: Thanksgiving Ecommerce Sales on the Rise
Editor’s Notebook: Black Friday and …More...
November 30, 2015
What does the holiday shopping season really look like? You might conjure images of densely packed stores and ransacked aisles; a pair of fathers grappling for the last must-have toy in stock; a mall Santa capping off a meandering line …More...
November 28, 2015
[EDITOR'S NOTE: The article was updated Monday, Nov. 30 at 12:15 p.m. EST with newly-reported information about Black Friday online traffic.]
Slowly but surely, Black Friday is becoming more of an ecommerce holiday.
Black Friday sales were up, but how high …More...
November 27, 2015
And we have our first Black Friday ecommerce casualty. Neiman Marcus has been down since 8 a.m. EST.
According to Catchpoint Systems, the Neiman Marcus website has been mostly unavailable. It has only been up intermittently, or showing an error …More...
November 24, 2015
Millennials, Millennials, Millennials – retailers have been bombarded with information about the large, attention-grabbing generation of shoppers. But, an even bigger generational behemoth is hot on those Millennials’ heels – and they’re doing things differently than any other generation before. Gen …More...
November 23, 2015
The 2015 holiday e-commerce season is upon us, and for some leading retailers, it has already arrived: Amazon began offering Black Friday sales last Friday, November 20, a full week prior!
By now, most retailers have finalized their e-commerce site code for …More...


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Any Big Deals Coming Before 2009? (Sound of Crickets)
A report from the JEGI Deal Conference.
The sound of crickets.
That’s what the crowd of 120 or so who turned out this afternoon for the Jordan, Edmiston Group’s Growth Conference heard during its "State of the Industry" address when JEGI managing partner Tolman Geffs asked this question:
"What is our prediction about what’s in store for media M&A over the remainder f the fourth quarter?
"Uh, well … it’s pretty slow right now," he said.
While traditional newspaper and consumer and b-to-b magazine activity was admittedly down this year (severely in newspapers), it wasn’t all bad. Geffs, with fellow managing partner Scott Peters, pointed to online consumer and b-to-b, database and information, and interactive marketing companies as the likely big growth areas looking to next year. Right now, they said, big media deals aren’t happening, but strategic buyers, making smaller, tuck-in deals, are "keeping the M&A market alive."
So, when will the economy rebound, and when can we expect deals and valuations to return? According to Geffs and Peters, they expect the market to bottom out before the end of the year and to see more formidable growth starting in 2010.

domain: news


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Design Terminal announced new corporate cooperation programs at its "Demo Day," the closing event of the non-profit, government-backed incubator’s mentoring program. Design Terminal says its goal is to create talent management programs for its partners that build bridges between corporations and startups.
In 2017, Design Terminal launched its first corporate cooperation with MOL Group, one of the biggest businesses in the CEE region. Applications to MOL’s startup program were closed recently, with innovative businesses from 22 countries interested in the opportunity, according to a press release sent to the Budapest Business Journal.
Gergely Böszörményi-Nagy, CEO of Design Terminal, announced that four new significant corporations have also joined the organization as a partner. From 2018, E.ON, BlackRock, Knorr-Bremse and Union Insurance will work with Design Terminal. These corporations will now search for startups that are in line with their strategies through their own talent management programs.


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Uruguay setting up new pot shops after challenge by banks
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) - Uruguay's government announced Wednesday that it is changing its retail system for legalized marijuana because banks are making it difficult for pharmacies to sell pot as planned.
Banks are refusing to deal with companies linked to pot in order to follow international financial laws that ban receiving money tied to the drug, pharmacists and officials said.
To avoid the problems faced by pharmacies, Uruguay will set up shops to sell marijuana for cash, said government official Juan Andres Roballo.
FILE - In this July 19, 2017 file photo, a pharmacist register a bag of legal marijuana as he sells it to a customer, at a pharmacy in Montevideo, Uruguay. The country is changing its marijuana selling system because banks were making it difficult for pharmacies to sell pot as had been planned. A government official said Wednesday Sept. 13 2017, that Uruguay will set up shops to sell pot for cash and avoid the problems faced by pharmacies. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico, File)
In July, marijuana went on sale at 16 pharmacies under a 2013 law that made Uruguay the first nation to legalize a pot market covering the entire chain from plants to purchase. Since then, at least three pharmacies have decided not to sell pot after warnings by banks.
Running a business without being able to bank is tough in Uruguay. Among other things, Uruguayan law bans cash or check payments for employees and requires that salaries be paid by direct deposit.
Some U.S. marijuana retailers in states that have legalized sales have encountered similar banking difficulties as the drug remains illegal on a federal level.
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The children who died — mostly under the age of five years — were given Indian-made over-the-counter products contaminated with industrial solvents and antifreeze agents that are fatal in even small amounts. The eye drops that contained extensively drug-resistant bacteria? So far 68 patients across 16 US states have been affected. Three people died, several had to have their eyeballs removed, some went blind, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on March 21. The Indian company, Global Pharma Healthcare, issued a voluntary nationwide recall for the drops.
India is the largest provider of generic medicines, producing 20% of the world’s supply, according to the government’s Economic Survey. Its $50 billion drug-manufacturing industry exports medicines to over 200 nations and makes 60% of all vaccines. It boasts “the highest number” of US Food and Drug Administration compliant plants outside America, and indeed, some of its generic pharmaceutical companies produce high-quality medicines.
That may well provide consumers with a level of comfort, but history suggests it is unwise to trust that feeling.
The latest drug recalls just add to a long line of scandals that have tainted the sector. In 2013, a US subsidiary of major Indian drug manufacturer Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. pleaded guilty to US federal criminal charges and agreed to pay $500 million for selling adulterated generic drugs, fabricating data, and committing fraud. Serious flaws in the FDA compliance regime allowed these breaches to go undiscovered, until a years-long investigation laid bare the endemic corruption. A generic drug made in India and modeled on Lipitor sold in the US to treat high cholesterol, for example, was contaminated with shards of blue glass, as journalist Katherine Eban documented in her book, Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom. Her book draws in part on the experience of whistleblower Dinesh Thakur, who worked at Ranbaxy.
You would think such a damning indictment would prompt India to develop a safer, better pharmaceutical oversight regime. Think again. The systemic fraud exposed by the investigation — where data was routinely falsified to fool inspectors, increase production and maximize profit — did not result in a regulatory overhaul.
Still, a two-day “brainstorming session” held in February appeared to acknowledge the system’s inherent weaknesses, with Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya telling participants India needed to “move from generic to quality-generic drugs.” Discussions involved “how to make the country’s drugs regulatory systems transparent, predictable and verifiable,” according to a health ministry media release. Consumers shouldn’t hold their breath, though. A national law on drug recalls has been under discussion since 1976 without resolution, and the government — at least publicly — remains in denial:
Made in India pharma products are saving precious lives globally!The exports of pharma products increased by 2.37… https://t.co/pk02Xc4NPM— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) 1680316722000
Since the Ranbaxy scandal, Thakur has campaigned for the reform of India’s main regulator, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, and, with lawyer T. Prashant Reddy, has written his own book, The Truth Pill: The Myth of Drug Regulation in India, which was published in October.
They note that adulterated Indian drugs aren’t just killing children in developing-world export markets like Gambia and Uzbekistan. They’re also killing children at home: In 2019, at least 11 infants died in the state of Jammu because of cough syrup containing diethylene glycol. Indeed, as Thakur notes, the mass poisoning of children with medication containing DEG has happened in India on five previous occasions — in one 1998 case, 36 children died due to acute renal failure after consuming contaminated cough syrup.
And here we are.
The World Health Organization sent alerts in October and January, asking for the cough medicine to be removed from the shelves. (It also issued a warning last year for cough syrups made by four Indonesian manufacturers sold in that country, where 203 children died in similar circumstances.)
Maiden Pharmaceuticals, whose medicines were sold in Gambia and linked by the WHO to the deaths of at least 70 children, has denied wrongdoing. And India’s regulator rejected the WHO’s findings, saying no toxic substances had been found in samples taken from Maiden’s plant. CDSCO Director General V.G. Somani said the warning caused “irreparable damage” to the reputation of the Indian pharmaceutical industry, Bloomberg News reported in January.
Then came the reports of at least 18 deaths in Uzbekistan linked to another batch of children’s cough syrup manufactured by another Indian company, Marion Biotech Ltd. This time there was some action, and on March 22, the company’s manufacturing license was revoked.
It shouldn’t have taken more deaths for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration to act. The red flags have been there for years. What’s lacking is political will, and transparency. The FDA publishes different reviews of new drug applications on its website, along with detailed notes. The European Medical Agency gives similarly expansive information. There is no such openness in India.
As Thakur explained to me, the pharmaceutical industry is India’s manufacturing success story, providing a major source of foreign exchange and soft power. Any criticism is seen through the lens of nationalism, he said, and framed as defaming the industry. So why does contamination with such deadly substances occur so regularly? “The simple answer is that Indian pharmaceutical companies quite often fail to test either the raw materials or the final formulation before shipping it to market,” Thakur said.
India relies on the weak oversight of developing countries that make up the bulk of its exports — that’s how it can continue to push substandard and often deadly medicines there. As a paper on the Gambia poisonings published in March by the CDC noted, “inadequate regulatory structures make the sale of medications from international markets an especially high-risk activity in low-resource settings.” But what about countries with supposedly strong regulatory systems, like the US? This latest scare should prompt further reform of the FDA’s overseas inspections regime.
In the absence of a global framework for pharmaceutical safety, what can be done to make the generic drugs that consumers around the world have come to rely on safer and effective? For a start, the WHO’s prequalification program, which facilitates the purchase of billions of dollars’ worth of medicines through international agencies such as Unicef, must be overhauled. Then there’s the question of holding these companies to account for the harm they cause inside and outside India via legal avenues and victim’s compensation.
In a year that India holds the Group of 20 presidency, it should drag its pharmaceutical industry out of the dark ages and into the real world — one that is driven by transparent, evidence-based medicine and real safety data shared across borders. Its export partners should demand nothing less.
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The confidence of consumers in France is catching up with the economic situation in their country, where the state sector, which dominates the land with 56% of the economic activity, has been hobbled by budget woes, and where the private sector, which is struggling with an inscrutable labor code and slack demand, is suffocating under a pile of old and new taxes. Rien ne va plus, it seems.
Yet there were some welcome distractions for everyone: the bloody riots in central Paris this weekend offered up the illusion, at least on TV, that the primary problem, the one that would ultimately kill the Republic of France, was the recent passage of a law allowing same-sex marriages under the “Marriage for All” act, one of the planks in President François Hollande’s campaign platform. Alas, the vast majority of French people have more pressing problems than trying to get in the way of lovers wanting to walk down the aisle.
The household confidence index by national statistical agency INSEE plummeted 4 points in May, to 79, its all-time low of July 2009 during the worst of the financial crisis. Back in the day, consumer confidence spent a year and a half climbing out of that hole to reach 93 in January 2010, only to zigzag back down in a series of sharp declines followed by sharp increases, with lower lows followed by lower highs, a classic descent to consumer-mood perdition.
All sub-indices deteriorated, some sharply. The sub-index that measures households’ current financial situation crashed 10 points to minus 38, the lowest since the series began in October 1972. The anticipation of unemployment rose to 81, also the worst on record. France’s economic quagmire is now affecting consumer mood in a most profound manner.
Yet, don’t blame the “debt crisis” in France; yields on French government debt hover near historic lows, and the costs of mortgages and other forms of consumer borrowing have hit rock bottom. While the debt crisis in periphery countries has impacted French exports, the fissures in the French economy run far deeper and won’t be solved by the much hoped-for and still illusory economic uptick further south. This plunge in consumer mood to historic lows doesn’t bode well for consumer spending or anything else. Solutions in sight? Hang on – the Hollande government is still looking!
Alas, one of the hottest solutions, a protectionist EU trade war with China, was just shot down by the world-trade duo, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, during their big trade shindig in Berlin over the weekend. Together they condemned the EU’s efforts to impose a 47% punitive duty on cheap Chinese solar panels – a condemnation that received vibrant coverage in the French media. France 2, part of France’s state-owned TV empire, spoke of another rift across Europe during its Monday prime-time news show 20 Heures: the “beer-drinking” north that wants free trade and the “wine-drinking” south that wants protectionism.
Despite all the economic problems amassing in France, and the consumers’ sour reaction to them, one thing has only gotten stronger: the insane separation of the financial markets from reality – one of the great accomplishments of concerted central-bank efforts worldwide. And so the French CAC 40 stock market index has skyrocketed 38.6% from its 52-week low of 2,922 nearly a year ago to a 52-week high of 4,050 today.
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Lotte Duty Free expands into Thailand
South Korea’s Lotte Duty Free has opened an outlet in central Bangkok, its first foray into Thailand.
Inside the new entertainment and retail complex Show DC, the shop is not in full swing yet, with a grand opening planned before the end of the year, the company says.
Launching in Thailand underscores Lotte’s push to expand its overseas foothold, reports Yonhap News Agency. Lotte is the third-largest duty-free company in the world after Swiss-based Dufry and DFS of the US.
The Bangkok store is the second outlet Lotte has opened abroad this year, following one at the new Da Nang International Airport in Vietnam which is scheduled to be fully running in August. Da Nang is one of the most popular holiday destinations for South Koreans.
Lotte Duty Free has seven stores in five countries, including Indonesia, Japan and the US.


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PRELIMINARY construction works at the C. H. Smith site in Launceston are under way again.
The $30 million development by Brile, had stalled for 16 months due to difficulties in securing major tenants on the back of the global financial crisis.
The original proposal was for a three-storey retail complex containing up to 20 retail and food outlets.
Brile financial controller Peter Velt said yesterday the company continued to get many inquiries for the site but he was reluctant to say which businesses would be moving in.
He said the preliminary works included demolishing the back end of part of one of the old buildings to prepare it for construction, as well as reinstating part of the embankment along Charles Street.
Work on the site would continue through to September.
When asked when he expected construction work would begin on the site, he said he would love to have started eight months ago and for it to be finished now.
"I'm playing it close to my chest - at this stage we're just doing some preliminary works in anticipation of something happening reasonably soon," he said.


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President Marta Półtorak is a representative of women's entrepreneurship during the WORLD FOR UKRAINE SUMMIT
September 29, 2023 during the WORLD FOR UKRAINE SUMMIT there was a panel 𝗨𝗞𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡-𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗪𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗡 𝗜𝗡 𝗕𝗨𝗦 𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦. The discussion was devoted to women's entrepreneurship, as well as the challenges faced by Ukrainian entrepreneurs in the face of the ongoing war. Women's entrepreneurship was represented by Marta Półtorak, Alina Skomorokhova, Hanna Krysiuk and Liudmyla Rusalina. Radosław Ostrowski, managing partner at AXELO Law and Taxes, also participated in the talks.
The panel turned out to be a motivating event, conducive to building cooperation and developing entrepreneurship, especially in the international context.
Women's entrepreneurship is becoming an increasingly dynamic element of the global economy, contributing to innovation, social development and economic growth. It is important to continue to promote equal opportunities and support women to realize their entrepreneurial aspirations.


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Italian custom-made car brand, partners with a luxury assets trading platform to enable purchases with 50% in cryptocurrency.
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, February 16, 2022 — Italian luxury car brand, Mazzanti Automobili, announced a strategic partnership with industry-leading blockchain-based luxury asset ecosystem, Idoneus. The partnership will allow customers to partially pay for the Mazzanti Hypercars in IDON Tokens.
This deal is set to revolutionize the luxury automotive industry with this innovative move that not only represents the continued mainstream adoption of cryptocurrency but also helps introduce crypto investing to traditional industries like automobile manufacturing.
With this collaboration, Idoneus becomes the first luxury asset platform to offer Mazzanti’s Luxurious Hypercars as part of their portfolio to their clients. Mazzanti hypercars are available for purchase with 50% IDON, and 50% cash, introducing a new asset category for Idoneus.
“We are proud to be the first platform to welcome Mazzanti into the Crypto & Luxury world,” said Blaise Carroz, Vice President of Global Acquisitions at Idoneus. “This partnership is just the beginning and we have some exciting announcements coming up in the Middle East and for Expo 2020.”
The collaboration gives Mazzanti access to (U)HNWI IDON Token holders around the globe, who are always looking for strong opportunities to spend their tokens.
“I’m fairly excited for this collaboration. We are happy to have connected Idoneus and Mazzanti Automobili, and use this platform to reach out to luxury brand enthusiasts with a solid future-proof solution”, said Alessandro Paolini, Managing Partner at TheMissingLink.it, a boutique family business advisory.
“I am proud to announce this new exciting partnership with Idoneus. Another milestone for our innovation projects to establish new frontiers for the hypercar niche market,” said Luca Mazzanti, Founder at Mazzanti Automobili.
Mazzanti has a selection of five models under the Evantra Collection – Evantra Classic, Evantra Pura, Evantra 771, Evantra 781, and Evantra Millecavalli R. Each crafted to perfection. The beautifully designed slim model will give you the feeling of a race car. Every Evantra model represents a minor yet significant transformation from its antecedent.
The company is globally well known by enthusiasts looking for a unique chance to own one of the rarest hypercars ever built. The brand designs hand-crafted custom-made hypercars, available to an exclusive market.
This alliance is anticipated to drive other such partnerships to the region where the cryptocurrency payments is still in its infancy but growing rapidly.
The Evantra collection available on the Idoneus Platform is visible here.


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WESTPORT, Conn. - Submissions are now being accepted for the 2008 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) Innovation Awards.
The sixth annual competition is designed to encourage the development of new products that are both creative and useful, meet today’s HVACR demands, and feature new technology that will have a significant effect on residential, commercial or industrial markets.
The 2008 AHR Expo Innovation Awards competition is sponsored by the International Exposition Co. (IEC), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI).
The panel of judges is made up of specially selected members of ASHRAE who are knowledgeable on a wide variety of products. Submissions will be accepted in nine product categories: building automation, cooling, green building, heating, IAQ, refrigeration, software, tools, and ventilation.
In addition to recognizing outstanding product innovation, the award program entry fees will be used to benefit local HVACR students in the New York area where the 2008 AHR Expo is being held. During the first five years of the program, thousands of dollars have been donated to HVACR technical school scholarship funds.
“The AHR Expo Innovation Awards program has a positive impact on the HVACR industry,” said Clay Stevens, president of IEC. “It calls attention to how successful manufacturers have been at turning new technology into useful and highly efficient products.”
The competition is open only to products that will be displayed at the 2008 AHR Expo and that have not won a previous Innovation Award. Products that previously received an honorable mention may be submitted again. Product submissions are due no later than Sept. 18, 2007.
For more information, visit www.ahrexpo.com.


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Sanderson Farms’ “100% Natural” Label is False and We’re Suing
As consumers, we have more choices than ever before when it comes to the food we eat and the products we purchase. That’s a wonderful thing, but there are now also a multitude of labels on animal products, and that becomes a big problem when labels don’t mean what they think we mean. Sanderson Farms has been misleading its consumers with “100% Natural” labels on the meat from chickens it raises and kills, and we’re suing to put a stop to it.
Seeing “100% Natural” on a label might seem like the same thing as “Organic,” which has to meet certain guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It may also conjure up notions of animals who are given the opportunity to express their natural behaviors and spend time outside. Or it may reinforce the idea that these products come from animals who are given natural feed, and are not fed or injected with antibiotics or other drugs. But in reality, this misleading label means nothing at all to the animal victims of Sanderson Farms.
Unfortunately, the “100% Natural” label refers to how meat is processed after animals are brutally killed, not to how they are raised, treated or fed beforehand. It has no significance for animal welfare whatsoever. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service states that its "jurisdiction starts at the time of slaughter, not during the raising of the animal.”
This label has simply become yet another way to get consumers to pay more for a product that comes from animals raised just as they would be on any other factory farm — confined with little space, warehoused in dark sheds by the thousands, denied anything they need to thrive, and pumped full of antibiotics.
This tactic is otherwise known as humane-washing. It’s a deceptive and unethical way to convince us we’re buying something we can feel good about when we otherwise would not, and we usually pay extra for it.
Producers like Sanderson Farms, which is the third largest producer of chickens in the U.S., are taking full advantage of this, and us, which is why we’re suing to stop them.
In partnership with environmental advocacy organization Friends of the Earth, we’ve filed a lawsuit on the grounds that Sanderson Farms is breaking laws that govern unfair competition and false advertising.
The company, which raises and slaughters 500 million chickens every single year, routinely advertises the meat it produces as “100% Natural,” when it also routinely gives chickens antibiotics and raises them in factory farm conditions.
If we win, Sanderson Farms will have to engage in a corrective advertising campaign and publicly own the fact that it’s been lying about its production methods.
While we will always advocate for chickens and the rights of farmed animals to live free from exploitation, this is a very important issue that also affects us. The wide-spread use of antibiotics in animal agriculture is a serious threat to our own health, even if we never eat animals or products made through their exploitation.
Meat producers regularly use antibiotics to accelerate growth and prevent diseases that are common in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions found on factory farms. Animals who regularly receive low doses of antibiotics become reservoirs for antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. These “superbugs” can be spread to other animals, and to humans who eat or handle animal products, or who are exposed to water supplies that have been tainted by pollution runoff from farms.
If the current pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that this is a serious public health issue that we don’t want to have to deal with ever again. However, in this case, we can prevent the spread of another animal-borne disease if we act now.
While we wait for this lawsuit to play out in court, you can help right now by ditching animal products from your diet if you haven't already. If you’re ready to get started, download our free Veg Starter Guide.


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Maximum PC: Listen up folks, not all cables are created equal. You might already know that, but to drive the point home, an engineer at Google has begun leaving user reviews on Amazon for a variety of USB Type-C cables.
God bless this guy and the submitter as well!! :o
TechSpy is a community of awesome people posting and discussing the latest tech news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Julian Dunkerton, chief executive of fashion brand Superdry’s parent company SuperGroup, today warned that plans for expansion in the UK are being thwarted by the Government’s refusal to reform business rates.
Dunkerton said the problem is holding him back from opening stores and creating jobs in some parts of the country. “It is an outdated system which is in urgent need of an overhaul. It is prohibitive in certain parts of the country where we would like to open and it means that our attentions will focus more on the international business,” he added.
“We would love to open more stores in the UK, but there are some places where the business rates are so high it just doesn’t make sense.”
He made the comments as SuperGroup revealed an eighth consecutive quarterly rise in sales and saw the international online business overtake the UK for the first time. Sales in the 13 weeks to the end of October were up 18.5% to £116.6 million against the same period last year after three new stores were opened — one in the UK and the others in Belgium and near Paris.
In Germany, its most successful market outside the UK, the company bought seven stores and ended a partnership deal to take full control of the business there, at a cost of £4.2 million. A new warehouse in Burton upon Trent opened during the period and began sending out orders last month.
Dunkerton said: “At the same time as delivering revenue growth, we continue to build the platform to support our strategy, and the group remains on track with its infrastructure investments.”
He is the latest high-profile chief executive to call for a major overhaul of the system, which is charged on all retailers through a calculation based on rental values in 2008.
Retailers have argued that struggling High Streets have suffered hardest because, while rents may have fallen in those areas, business rates remain artificially high.
SuperGroup has 91 stores in the UK, 30 owned stores in Europe and partnerships in India, Turkey, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.Reuse content


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Carlin Carr is an urban development professional interested in innovative ideas for social change.
The mobile exhibit celebrates the artisanal traditions of a neighborhood better known for its knockoff jeans.
MUMBAI, India—This city’s newest museum is not set in a monumental building, but rather a simple pushcart that can roll from one street to another.
It’s called Design Museum Dharavi. When it opened last week, it could be found on an unmarked lane in Dharavi, the densely packed shantytown of nearly a million people and one of Asia’s largest slums.
The museum hosts exhibits celebrating the pottery, embroidered garments, wooden carvings, and other handicrafts manufactured within Dharavi’s three square kilometers. Over two months, co-founders Amanda Pinatih and Jorge Mañes Rubio will roll the nomadic display through Dharavi’s tightly stitched neighborhoods, co-hosting exhibits, workshops, film screenings, and lectures with local residents. Their goal is to showcase the design talent in a stigmatized area that the rest of the city mostly sees as a nuisance and developers mostly view as land for future high rises.
“We look at it in a completely different way,” says Rubio. “Dharavi is full of makers, designers, manufacturers and also entrepreneurs. We just can’t figure out how a place like this is still seen as a problem. We see it as part of a solution to issues of informal settlements not just here but all over the world.”
The Amsterdam-based artists devised the pushcart to be able to traverse Dharavi’s narrow lanes and engage members of the local community near their own neighborhoods, workshop spaces, and small squares. Pinatih and Rubio were inspired by the thousands of hand-pushed carts that vegetable sellers and market vendors use in Dharavi to roam door-to-door. They developed the idea along with URBZ, an urban research collective based in Dharavi.
On the museum’s opening night February 18, the colorful displays of funky pottery and fan-like brooms on the brightly lit cart drew locals, journalists, design students, researchers, and curious Mumbaikars. For those who might only visit this part of Mumbai to get a knockoff pair of designer jeans made in a garment shop, the message was clear: There’s craftsmanship to celebrate in artisan communities that have been honing it for generations.
There was a message for the locals, too: Some of the goods produced here belong in a museum. They not only have cultural value but also economic value. Dharavi’s informal economy of thousands of micro-businesses create as much as US$500 million worth of goods per year. That’s a different narrative than is usually told about Dharavi’s craftsmen and craftswomen. “So many people come with designs for them to copy” from magazines, says Rubio. “They just see them as cheap labor.”
But the Amsterdam-based artists see Dharavi’s maker community as co-collaborators. And they believe that if the rest of the city and the global community can recognize this creative potential, it could change the discussion on the future of Dharavi and perhaps other informal settlements across the globe.
The museum’s opening exhibit featured the pottery makers, or the Kumbharwadas, a well-established community that migrated from the neighboring state of Gujarat nearly 100 years ago. Like so many of the migrants in Dharavi from all over India, they brought with them traditional design skills that have been their livelihood for generations. Nearly 1,500 potter families still live together in Dharavi, and half of them still practice the craft to this day. Their area houses kilns, pottery wheels, and thousands of stacked clay pots, an artistic ecosystem that risks being uprooted as the city mulls plans to redevelop the area.
Pinatih and Rubio met with Dharavi potters Nathalal and Mitul Chauhan, a father-son team who are carrying on their family business. Rather than bringing a glossy magazine full of ideas to copy, the museum founders came with a design challenge: Can we reinvent everyday objects? The team suggested looking at chai cups and water containers and asked the potters to experiment with cup designs that could reduce spillage and water containers with an entirely new look.
“They were very happy to have the space and time to be creative,” says Rubio, noting that the potters have been getting custom orders for their brightly painted, quirkily shaped products since being featured in the museum. “There’s so much room for improvement and for new business opportunities.”
The opening exhibit also featured designs by Dharavi’s broom makers, who within the community are considered to be on the lower end of a design hierarchy that is also associated with caste. Rubio says he and Pinatih were “so impressed” by the variety of materials and designs of the simple brooms used by shopkeepers and residents. Choosing to put the broom makers’ designs in the museum next to the highly skilled potters was a symbolic gesture to reinforce the museum’s open ideals, Rubio says.
On Saturday, February 27, the museum will open its second exhibit, on cricket—featured items will include new bat and uniform designs made by local carpenters, embroiderers, leather workers, and tailors. The opening will culminate in a cricket tournament with four teams from the community testing out the new designs.
After the two-month traveling museum winds up, the Dharavi team and its collaborators will meet in Amsterdam to reflect on the experiment and assess new opportunities to advance recognition of Dharavi’s makers and find new markets for their work. They’re particularly keen to find lessons that informal settlements in other cities around the world can take away from the experience.
Martina Spies, an Austrian architect who has been researching Dharavi and attended the opening, has high hopes for the museum experiment. “This link to designers is really needed,” Spies says. “These design initiatives could really help Dharavi’s workshops to gain a whole new visibility and relevance in the world.”
This story previously appeared on Citiscope, an Atlantic partner site.


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The new Top Ryde City shopping centre is a vibrant, new precinct that commands a striking presence in Ryde Town Centre. The centre is undergoing a major facelift by the new owners of the centre.
DecorSlat has been used extensively throughout the precinct adding value both acoustically and aesthetically. Decor Systems and Epic Interiors have been working hand in hand over the past months to transform the centre.
We look forward to commencing Stage 2 of this project over the next few months.


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Sprint Intros Intrinsically Safe Phone
Sprint has started selling an intrinsically safe (IS) version of it Sonim XP Strike rugged Direct Connect phone. IS devices are designed for environments with flammable gasses or dust. Such devices have extra protections to ensure that - even in the event of a component failure - the device cannot be a source of ignition. IS devices are required in places that handle large amounts of fuel, mines, and even some large bakeries. The last IS phone offered by Sprint was the Motorola i365IS, an iDEN phone introduced in 2008 and discontinued in June 2012. The Sonim XP Strike IS has a special IS battery that protrudes from the back, making the phone 1.2" thick. The battery and other IS changes also bump the price up to $600 on contract. The XP Strike IS is available now.
Review: Sonim XP Strike for Sprint
Sonim takes a stab at the U.S. market with the XP Strike, a rugged PTT-enabled feature phone for Sprint.
Sprint Strikes First, Strikes Hard with Rugged Sonim Phone
Sprint today announced the Sonim XP Strike, a ruggedized handset that's compatible with its push-to-talk service. The Strike is the first Sonim handset to be sold by Sprint.
Review: Sonim XP7
Sonim's rugged XP7 Android smartphone is as tough as they get. This handset tackles the elements and all your communication needs in one, heavy duty package.
AT&T to Sell Sonim XP5 Rugged Feature Phone
AT&T today announced plans to soon sell the Sonim XP5. The XP5 is a fully ruggedized feature phone that carries an IP68 rating for protection against liquid and dust ingress, and a mil-spec 810G rating for protection against drops and other physical abuses.
More Carriers and Phone Makers Agree to Adopt Google's RCS-Based 'Android Messages' Service
Google today said more wireless network operators and handset manufacturers will use Android Messages, its RCS-based messaging service, as the default SMS/MMS tool on their phones. (Android Messages was previously known as Google Messenger.) Some of the features of RCS, which is a global standard, include group chat, high-resolution photo sharing, advanced calling features, and read receipts.
$1099.99 with no agreement.
An IS device has to be effectivley seal...


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Despite being placed on the US Entity List back in May, and being cut off from Google and other American businesses, it seems that Huawei can’t be kept down at all. Industry analyst Guo Minghao predicts that the company will reach its shipment target by this year or even exceed it if all goes well.
According to well-known industry analyst Guo Mughao, Huawei is on track to sell 260 million phones in 2019. That would see the Chinese tech giant exceed their original projection of 250 million units for the year.
The analyst says that the biggest contributor to Huawei’s success is the Chinese market, where it managed to increase its share this year. Its mid and low-end models have regained momentum in overseas markets, as operators have started selling Huawei phones again.
The analyst didn’t go into details as to which those markets are.
It is expected that Huawei will regain Google’s GMS License and authorization before the end of July, which was currently under consideration to be resumed following Trump’s recent promises to ease trade restrictions on Huawei.
If Huawei is able to hit the 260 million mark in 2019, it would be a lot closer to its goal of dethroning Samsung as the biggest smartphone brand. In 2018, Samsung shipped a total of 294 million units after disappointing sales. The S10 has been selling well for Samsung, so narrowing the gap might be a bit more difficult than expected for Huawei.
All things considered, it’s still pretty impressive to ship 260 million Smartphones despite the US ban saga.


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- Published on 04 December 2015
ZPower announced that as of October 13, 2015 its facility and devices are registered with the FDA. Specifically, ZPower’s Camarillo, Ca facility is now an FDA registered Medical Device Establishment for the manufacturing of medical device accessories.
- Published on 01 December 2015
New Minimally Invasive Ponto Surgery (MIPS) and Ponto BHX Implant: two new Oticon Medical offerings by Oticon Medical cleared now for marketing in the US.
- Published on 13 November 2015
ZPower will feature its new rechargeable system for hearing aids at the ADA 2015 Annual Convention. ZPower will exhibit in booth #315.
- Published on 11 November 2015
Grason Stadler (GSI), a world leader in clinical instrumentation, is proud to announce its NEW clinical middle-ear analyzer, the GSI TympStar Pro™. The introduction of TympStar Pro reinforces the legacy of excellence in middle-ear evaluation by maintaining the precise diagnostics, reliable mechanics and logical design that is synonymous with Grason-Stadler.
- Published on 20 October 2015
At the 2015 international EUHA Congress in Nuremberg Phonak has presented new custom hearing solutions based on powerful Venture platform with AutoSense OS.
- Published on 14 October 2015
World leading hearing aid battery manufacturer, Rayovac, revealed its latest breakthrough in innovation to delegates today at an international hearing congress.
Rayovac launched, ‘Clear Sound Technology’, which offers consumers a more consistent, high quality performance throughout the life of the battery, at the 60th annual EUHA exhibition, held in Germany.


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Seattle, WA - Amazon.com, Inc. announced plans to open a 1 million-square-foot fulfillment center in Windsor, Conn. Amazon will create more than 300 full-time jobs at the fulfillment center when it opens.
“Amazon is excited to bring hundreds of great full-time jobs to Windsor that offer competitive wages and programs like Career Choice where we will pre-pay tuition for employees to pursue their education in high-demand fields,” said Mike Roth, Amazon’s vice president of North America operations. “We are grateful to the state and local elected officials who have supported Amazon in bringing jobs and investment to the Constitution State.”
At the facility, Amazon employees will pick, pack and ship large items to customers such as kayaks and televisions.
KTR Capital Partners is building the project in Windsor.


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Karnataka minister Arvind Limbavali on Saturday demanded an apology from Amazon Canada after a bikini featuring a Karnataka flag popped up on sale on its site. The state’s emblem and the Gandaberunda, a two-headed mythological bird, was imprinted on the bikini.
Limbavali said the state government would take legal action if Amazon Canada doesn’t apologise. The bikini featuring the flag of Karnataka drew ire as it comes two days after a Google search showed Kannada as the ugliest language.
The Karnataka government had already said that it would take legal action against Google for showing Kannada as the “ugliest language” of India.
“We experienced an insult of Kannada by @Google recently. Even before the scars could heal, we find @amazonca using the colours of #Kannada flag and the Kannada icon on ladies’ clothes,” Arvind Limbavali tweeted.
The product description of the bikini also mentions ‘Karnataka flag’.
Several Kannadigas asked Amazon to de-list the product and take action against the brand that put up the bikini for sale. The product has since been removed from the site.
Google on Thursday apologised for showing Kannada as the ugliest language and said that its search results weren’t always perfect.


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Forbidden Planet International has opened a new store on 832 Broadway, New York.
The retailer of pop culture toys, collectables, comics and other cult memorabilia has made the move after outgrowing its old New York residence at 840 Broadway.
The new store boasts over 3,400 square-foot of retail space and has over 56,000 products for sale.
Andy Oddie, managing director of Forbidden Planet International, said: “We have very big plans for this flagship store and intend to open additional outlets in the US in the near future.”
Rich Bendal, CEO, said: “We now have thousands more items for sale and a fantastic environment to provide the best in pop culture, fantasy merchandise and comics. This store will amaze fans and casual customers alike.”
“The customer experience has been completely transformed.”
Want to receive up to the minute toy industry news straight to your inbox? Click here to sign up for the free ToyNews Daily Digest and Newsflash services. You can also follow ToyNews on Twitter and Facebook.


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Be aware of a social media scam called "like farming," in which criminals steal images of sick kids asking for Facebook likes in exchange for prayers.
The goal is to trick Facebook users into sharing material. Scammers eventually profit by selling the pages to marketers and driving up traffic on their pages.
Facebook says it will not donate money based on the number of likes or shares a photo receives.
Here are some things you can do to stop the hoax:
Report it to Facebook.
Don't comment on the photo or the wall where it's been posted.
Inform your friends of the scam.
Do not click "like" and do not repost.
Facebook said it continues to work to make sure high-quality content surfaces for users and low-quality posts don't. That includes trying to diminish the reach of posts that appear to be "like farming" attempts.
"People have told us they associate requests to like or share a post with lower quality content, and receiving that type of feedback helps us adjust our systems to get better at showing more high quality posts," a Facebook spokesperson said via e-mail.
"If you see a post that's low quality and seems to be focused only on gaining traffic, hover over the top-right corner of the post and click the arrow to report it."
Facebook uses "automated and manual methods to swiftly remove links and pages that violate our policies," the spokesperson said. "We're always making improvements to our detection and blocking systems to stay ahead of threats."


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SAN FRANCISCO (AFP, REUTERS) - Twitter revamped its timeline on Wednesday (Feb 10), allowing the “best” tweets to rise to the top, despite warnings of a revolt from members loyal to the real-time flow of the messaging platform.
The tweaked format aims to inject new life into the struggling one-to-many messaging service by moving away from a pure chronological timeline to one determined by algorithm, as used by social network leader Facebook.
Twitter said the “Show me the best tweets first” feature is optional and that users can stick with tweets rushing by like leaves on a fast-moving river, if they prefer.
“You follow hundreds of people on Twitter – maybe thousands – and when you open Twitter, you may feel like you’ve missed their most important tweets,” senior engineering manager Mike Jahr said in a blog post.
“Starting today, you can choose a new timeline feature that helps you catch up on the most important tweets from the people you follow.”
Jahr did not detail what factors were being used to determine which tweets individual users might be most interested in seeing.
The algorithm was most likely built on a “while you were away” feature that Twitter introduced about a year ago to show people notable posts they missed while not using the service.
The change to the timeline is also designed to appeal to advertisers by giving more prominence to tweets that advertisers pay for to promote products. Advertisers have said their ads can get lost in the reverse-chronological timeline.
The change comes just hours before Twitter reports fourth-quarter earnings to investors, who have been pressuring the company to increase user growth and ad revenue by making the product easier to use.
Reports that Twitter could be changing the timeline surfaced last week, prompting laments by users tweeting with the hashtag #RIPTwitter. They said using a customised, or algorithmic, timeline - similar to Facebook's News Feed - meant Twitter would lose one of its signature features.
The move to have tweets paid for by advertisers surface higher in individuals' timelines is expected to make it more likely users will respond to ads.
Jack Dorsey, Twitter's chief executive and co-founder, tried to reassure users in a series of tweets last week that Twitter would remain the place for live news and commentary. "Twitter is real-time. Twitter is about who & what you follow. And Twitter is here to stay! By becoming more Twitter-y," Dorsey wrote.
"We're going to continue to refine it to make Twitter feel more, not less, live!"


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Physicians are increasingly willing to fight back against negative online reviews, filing lawsuits against patients and their family members who post them, according to a Boston Globe article.
Physicians, in the past, often stewed privately about online critiques they deemed wrong or unfair, citing concerns about violating HIPAA and state privacy laws. But they are now more likely to fight the negative online reviews--posted on rating sites, blog posts and elsewhere--to preserve their reputations, citing defamation.
The results of these lawsuits are mixed, according to the Digital Media Project at Harvard University, which tracks such litigation. In some cases the doctors win, and the patients pull the negative post from the internet. In other cases, the court has dismissed the lawsuit on the grounds that the negative post is free speech protected by the U.S. Constitution.
Physicians are also learning to preserve their reputations proactively by using social media to build their online reputations and monitoring the internet for posts about them. Physician blogger Kevin Pho suggested in a recent interview with the Huffington Post that physicians Google themselves at least once a week to proactively preserve their reputations. Pho, who recently wrote a book on the subject, also suggested that physicians complete a LinkedIn profile and consider using Facebook and twitter to create a larger online presence.
Studies have found that while online negative reviews can harm a physician's reputation, the rating sites are themselves deficient as they often contain too few reviews to be meaningful and can be manipulated by encouraging patients to post reviews before leaving the office, which are less likely to be negative.


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CEOs and senior business executives are planning to leverage technology to propel business growth this year, according to findings from the 2014 Gartner CEO and Senior Executive Survey.
Canvassing the opinions of 410 senior business leaders worldwide, the survey revealed that a third of the respondents selected growth as their top business priority for this year. "In 2014, growth almost equals the sum of the next three issues on the list of top strategic business priorities," said Mark Raskino, vice president and Gartner Fellow.
In line with this finding, respondents ranked front-office technology-related capabilities that could potentially help sales and marketing departments as their most important technology investments over the next five years. There was also a strong interest in basing business operations in the cloud, and using data-driven decision-making through business analytics, big data and data science.
On the other hand, technologies that are geared towards improving back-office efficiency, such as business process outsourcing and electronic service enablement, were found to be ranked lowly by senior leaders.
CIOs to lead the digital change
Even though the term "digital" has been around for at least a decade, many business leaders are lagging behind in their understanding of what digital business means, and the disruptions that are ahead of them. "A decade of believing that IT was a commodity function, to be mostly outsourced, has left many business leaders in a position of relative weakness," said Raskino. "Their vision and knowledge of the changes that technology makes possible are not strong enough... and their abilities in making deep, technology-enabled business change happen are not well practiced."
According to the survey, CEOs are aware of this knowledge gap and believe that CIOs are the right people to lead their companies' digital innovation and change over the next two years. This is unexpected as CIOs were usually seen as "IT cost managers and service quality assurers."
Even though this changing expectation indicates that CEOs now perceive the CIO as an innovator and a key business strategy contributor, Gartner predicts that not all CIOs will be happy with it. "Expecting the CIO to be the prime mover in digital is a fairly sudden and major change of expectation and emphasis... which is likely to lead to some disappointments and we expect that in turn to lead to some churn in the role," said Raskino.


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BP Agrees to $7 Million Settlement Over Contaminated Gas Claims
Representatives from BP Products North America Inc. (BP) agreed to pay $7 million in damages, costs and fees in a class action lawsuit over contaminated gasoline recalled in August 2012. The lawsuit was filed after BP recalled approximately 4.7 million gallons of contaminated gasoline, which it distributed from its Whiting, Indiana refinery to more than 575 retail outlets in Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Ohio.
Thousands of consumers who purchased the contaminated gasoline experienced issues ranging from engine problems to damage to fuel systems of vehicles and gasoline-powered engines. Class counsel included Will Riley of Price Waicukauski & Riley, LLC and Irwin B. Levin of Cohen & Malad, LLP. Notice to the affected consumers will issue shortly.
BP identified a “process upset” as the source of the gasoline contaminant. It stated that higher than normal levels of a hydrocarbon polymer passed through the refinery unit, contaminating the gas that was distributed to the affected retail outlets.
“Finally, through the court system, has BP agreed to fully and fairly compensate consumers who bought their adulterated product. It’s been a long road but we’re pleased with the result,” stated Irwin Levin of Cohen & Malad, LLP.
Will Riley of Price Waicukauski & Riley, LLC added “I am pleased that the legal system was able to set this situation right for Hoosiers, and those in the surrounding states.”


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MADISON, Wis. (BRAIN) — A federal court in Wisconsin has ordered Split Pivot Inc. to pay Trek Bicycle $40,000 in legal costs following Split Pivot's failed patent infringement case against Trek. Trek had sought $318,000 in legal costs.
CALABASAS, Calif. (BRAIN) — Ride 2 Recovery will be involved with several road and mountain bike events in 2016 to provide its riders with a first step into the world of competitive cycling.
MADISON, Wis. (BRAIN) — Saris Cycling Group this year is creating consumer advocate programs for each of its brands, Saris, CycleOps and PowerTap. The program involves local bike shops, with consumer applicants to the program being asked to provide a bike shop as a reference.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (BRAIN) — Michelin North America's bicycle tire unit has announced that Quality Bicycle Products will serve as the exclusive distributor for its products in the United States. Michelin has previously been offered by several U.S. distributors.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. (BRAIN) — Worksman Cycles has been appointed the exclusive U.S. distributor of Handy and Micah special needs cycles from Pacific Cycles of Taiwan.
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (BRAIN) — QBP is shipping its 35th annual catalog to dealers, who should be receiving it over the next two weeks.
LEXINGTON, S.C. (BRAIN) — Hawley has completed the restructuring of its western distribution center in Sparks, Nevada, and added additional resources.
HAYWARD, Calif. (BRAIN) — Bianchi USA has hired Matt Jimerson to represent Bianchi for sales in the brand's Rocky Mountain territory, which includes Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Southern Wyoming.
BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Stages Cycling will continue to supply power meters to the defending Tour de France champions, Team Sky, in 2016. It will be the third year that Stages has supplied the team.
TALAMONA, Italy (BRAIN) — Italian helmet brand MET is auctioning two special edition MET RIVALE helmets signed by pro racers Steve Cummings and Daniel Teklehaimanot.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (BRAIN) — Velocare, a new-bicycle extended warranty provider in the U.S., has hired Erik DeKold as its national sales and marketing director. DeKold is a 17-year bicycle industry veteran.
BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Two well-known U.S. cycling journalists are joining CyclingTips.com, an Australia-based cycling website that will launch North American coverage on Jan. 1.
NORTH VANCOUVER, British Columbia (BRAIN) — X-Fusion Suspension has announced a new service center for Western Canada, SuspensionWerx, located in North Vancouver.
AMES, Iowa (BRAIN) — North America Cycles has hired Steven Harad as its director of sales. Harad will oversee the formation of a national sales force to begin selling parts, accessories, and bicycles to IBDs.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (BRAIN) — Triathlon Business International has announced the lineup of speakers and panels that will address the needs and issues race directors face at the 6th annual TBI conference.
NOVATO, Calif. (BRAIN) — TK Rep Group will be representing Marin Mountain Bikes in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Hawaii and portions of Northern and Central California, the company announced this week.
MONTREAL (BRAIN) — Custom framebuilder Guru Cycles sent a letter to dealers this week announcing that the company is going through restructuring.
Guru's Ted Matthews and VP of sales Robert Pinazza declined to comment on the letter or the restructuring on Wednesday afternoon.
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (BRAIN) — Interbike is working with the National Bicycle Dealers Association on the agenda and topics to be discussed at January’s IBD Summit. The two groups are looking to build on what was started at the previous Summit and the creation of The Manifesto for Change.


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Feb 11, 2013, 03.35 PM | Source: CNBC-TV18
Gautam Trivedi, Managing Director and Head of Equities of Religare Capital Markets likes Tata Motors, Bajaj Auto and Mahindra & Mahindra.
Gautam Trivedi (more)
Managing Director, Religare Capital | Capital Expertise: Equity - Fundamental
Trivedi told CNBC-TV18, “I would ask investors to look at the private sector banks if they do end up correcting a bit from here. Cement is another space that we like a lot and within the autos we like Tata Motors , Bajaj Auto and Mahindra & Mahindra .”
“We are starting to reach a consensus internally on whether Maruti Suzuki is a sell from these levels. And given how the yen has depreciated as much as 20 percent since October this stock has clearly been a beneficiary of that. So at some point the stock turns out to be a sell,” Trivedi added.
PT Tata Motors Distribusi Indonesia (TMDI), a unit
Tata Motors arm TAL Manufacturing Solutions is bet
According to Gaurang Shah of Geojit BNP Paribas, T
Tata Motors has hiked the price of its recently la
The agency said it has raised its rating on the Mu


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When a large company like Coca-Cola decides to start going green, guys its time we realized. Well, the brand started off by switching to hybrid trucks in North America, then in 2004 Coke took the green movement to Japan and started a program that turned waste into energy. Now, the latest development in this field is that the soft-drink brand has come up with solar-powered vending machines in Tokyo.
Japan has almost 6 million drinks vending machines, out of which 1 million belong to Coca-Cola. The company has recently announced its plans of replacing all their existing vending machines with a new ecological model that will be powered by solar panels and will illuminate with low-consumption LED lights.
Also, the machines will be equipped to accept electronic money and will be made compatible with almost all the smartcards used in Japan. Now that’s a nice move!


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Could This Send A&W’s Stock Soaring?
A and W Revenue Royalties Income Fund (TSX:AW.UN) is reinventing its veggie patty, and it could be a big hit. The company is going to use plant-based patties from Beyond Meats, a company that has some big celebrity investment behind it, which includes the support of Leonardo DiCaprio and Bill Gates.The burger is meant to be similar to a beef burger, but with it being a much healthier option.
A&W has long positioned itself as a company that uses healthier ingredients in its burgers as it tries to appeal to more health-conscious customers that want to eat healthy while still being able to indulge in their favourite foods.
The stock needs a boost as it is has declined by 7% in the past 12 months and over the last six months it down 4%.
However, the drop in price has given its dividend yield a boost, as currently A&W pays its shareholders a dividend of 5%, which is distributed out in monthly installments. If you were to invest $50,000 in the stock, you would earn a monthly dividend of over $200, giving your portfolio a lot of recurring cash flow.
The stock is a little expensive buy as it trades at a price-to-earnings multiple of 20.4 and is valued at four times its book value. However, there is still plenty of room for the company to grow as over the past four years A&W has seen its revenue rise by 38%, averaging an annual growth rate of 8.5% during that time.
A&W is one of the most well-known fast-food chains around the world and with a focus on quality, it’s in a good position to take advantage of a growing trend where consumers are giving more thought to what they eat. It’s a great long-term buy for investors that are looking for stability and growth in the years to come.


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- Filed Under
As a 36-year resident of the Town of Lewisboro, what we desperately need on the Town Board is new leadership on a variety of issues. People who will be proactive in bringing in much-needed sales tax revenue into the town coffers.
For example, the old video rental store at the North County Shopping Center has been empty for six years now. You would think our town supervisor would work with the landlord to get the monthly rent reduced and get it rented again, so sales tax revenue would start flowing in.
Secondly, I would let Estate Motors expand its car dealership to bring in even greater revenue. As it stands now, no other business in Lewisboro even comes close to generating the amount of sales tax that Estate Motors brings in. They are our biggest breadwinners by far.
Thirdly, next to the Bank of America at the North County Shopping Center, we have room for a fast-food establishment. We could be raking in thousands of dollars a week in sales taxes, and families from the surrounding area wouldn't have to drive all the way down to Bedford Hills for one.
Thus, saving time, gasoline, air pollution and road congestion, a win-win situation for all.


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Statement from Bill Hallan, President and CEO of Michigan Retailers Association, about the Governor’s new guidelines for reopening retail:
“I want to thank Gov. Whitmer for trusting retailers to safely conduct retail-to-go. From the beginning, we have provided the Governor’s office detailed guidelines on how retail can operate in a safe and effective manner. We look forward to working with her office on the next several waves of reopening.
“None of this will be a quick fix for retailers shut down for the past several weeks, but it’s a good first step. Retail is crucial to Michigan’s economy, accounting for one in five jobs and $21.6 billion in wages. There’s no doubt this pandemic will be challenging for retailers, but we are working hard to get as many as possible back on their feet.
“I’d also like to thank legislators for following our recommendations and asking for those changes on behalf of the retail industry.”
Here are guidelines from the Governor’s office for the reopening and safe operation of businesses:


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There’s no denying the average American’s dependency (dare I say obsession) with today’s mobile devices
App analytic provider Flurry claims that as of March 2014, users are spending 2 hours and 42 minutes per day on their mobile devices and “mobile app usage accounts for 2 hours and 19 minutes of that time spent.” As Americans continue to use their devices more often, there is a growing need for companies to improve their digital strategies and appeal to the omni-channel consumer.
I caught up with the Head of Digital Commerce & Airline Innovation for Silver Airways, Jonathan Stephen, to discuss the importance of a mobile strategy in the airline industry.
Why is having a mobile platform essential for airlines? How does having a mobile strategy improve the relationship between the customer and the airline?
Jonathan Stephen: Today more than ever, travellers are connected and expect to receive the latest information for their travels on their devices. That means that airlines need to stay ahead of the curve and ensure that their customers are fully engaged through these new technologies. By customers having this information in the palm of their hands, it potentially reduces the amount of calls to our call centers and reduces the lines at the airports. Whereas we would never want to completely remove these other channels, giving customers this self-service option adds to the overall travel experience.
Ultimately, by airlines providing this information to customers on their smartphones, we are giving them an optimized (and personalized) travel experience.
What are the challenges associated with implementing a strategic mobile platform?
As technologies change and progress, it’s important for airlines to see these changes and remain ahead of the curve. We not only want to do what’s best for our customers, but also ensure that these tools and services provide an overall improvement to operational effectiveness.
What does Silver Airways do to provide a great customer experience?
From a digital perspective, we are looking to improve the overall customer engagement strategy by improving the tools we have online, adding more mobile products and services, and streamlining information through all channels. We are excited about these changes that are currently underway.
What’s one aspect of Silver’s digital strategy that you want to focus on improving in 2015?
Customer engagement would be a priority for us. We want our customers to become more comfortable with our digital products. We would like them to have a say in how we create these new features and the more we listen and receive suggestions from our customers, the better our products will be.
How has the airline industry landscape changed in the last five years as it relates to digital strategy?
We are seeing a shift from reservations being done on the phones to the website, and we are seeing more customers plan their travel on their connected devices. These changes give us more opportunities to serve our customers better and by implementing a new digital strategy, we are keeping up with consumer behaviors and addressing their needs.
What’s one trend you think will majorly impact the way things are done in the near future?
I think wearable technology will make its way into the travel industry. To what extent, time will only tell.
Are you looking forward to America’s Customer Festival 2014?
Absolutely. I think bringing bright minds together to discuss the ever-changing landscape of our industries is very important. I look forward to the content.
What one random piece of trivia do you want (or don’t want) the world to know about you?
I am a secret master chef! If I wasn’t a marketer, I would love to be a chef!
Jonathan will be speaking about enhancing customer preference knowledge while securing their privacy at America’s Customer Festival this September. We’ll see you in Vegas!


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World leader in file-based security offers cost-free protection for any small business for 12 months
London, April 07, 2020 – It’s never been more important to support small business. Customers are staying at home, suppliers are stretched and online sales can’t fully replace what’s being lost. Finances are tighter than ever. Small businesses are critical to our economy and a vital part of our community. They deserve our help.
That’s why Glasswall, a leading file-regeneration technology company, wants to play its part.
The company is offering small businesses in UK and US a one-year subscription to its award-winning Rebuild for Email service. Powered by it’s patented deep-File Inspection, Remediation and Sanitisation Technology (d-FIRST™), FileTrust for Email provides complete protection against the greatest cyber threat businesses face today: Malicious email file attachments.
Glasswall will provide this service, along with setup and support, at no cost for a full year.
In addition, companies can also benefit from new products slated for release over the next few months, including Glasswall’s Mass File Scanner and Website File Scanner services. Mass File Scanner is a quick and simple way to conduct risk assessments on large quantities of files, while the Website File Scanner does the same for the file content of websites.
“Health professionals and key workers are all making sacrifices to help us get through the current crisis and at Glasswall, we feel our business also has to play its part.” said Danny Lopez, CEO of Glasswall. “Small businesses are increasingly being targeted by cybercriminals seeking to exploit the current crisis for their own gain. The owners of these vital businesses are facing enough challenges. Malicious emails shouldn’t be one of them.”
Glasswall’s Rebuild for Email service is quick and easy to set up, works seamlessly with any email gateway and provides a valuable addition to other security products.
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Around eight employees will work at the 1,300-square-foot store, including a couple of salespeople and six marketing and administrative staff members, said Mathew Hunt, founder of Gettees. The space will also function as the company's headquarters as it looks to eventually move its manufacturing and 12 sewers from Sterling Heights to Detroit.
Hunt started the online business in 2014 after graduating from Michigan State University and pitching the idea to his father, who founded Sterling Heights-based Engineered Materials Technology Inc., a defense contractor that does industrial sewing. He took some of the company's storage space and repurposed some of its equipment.
He said demand has since picked up and drove him to open a physical storefront.
"We were doing a lot of pop-ups in Southeast Michigan, and we were doing really good at them," he said. "Once people had the chance to feel the materials and learn that we are manufacturing in Michigan, people were sold."
Gettees' adopted motto is Abe Lincoln's famous phrase, "By the people, for the people," made during the Gettysburg Address, hence the company name.
It started out selling long- and short-sleeve T-shirts for men before branching out into other articles of apparel and women's clothing. A T-shirt starts at $19, and a $79 hoodie is its highest-priced item. The Eastern Market store will also sell select accessories and clothing from other local brands, said Kelsey George, who does marketing for the company.
Gettees is the latest tenant for Firm Real Estate, owned by Sanford Nelson, who gobbled up 142,500 square feet of property in the market last year and became the source of controversy when his dispute with Russell Streel Deli's owner went public.
Hunt said he was turned on to the Eastern Market space by his cousin Megan Lewis, who owned Mootown and owns DeVries & Co. in the market. Hunt declined to disclose the terms of his lease and said that he is working with Firm to eventually take a larger space in the market. Hunt said build-out will cost $10,000-$15,000.
Gettees can produce 300 shirts at full capacity. Hunt said online sales are up 300 percent compared to last year but declined to provide revenue figures. He said he expects to open a new manufacturing facility in the next couple of years.
"Once we max out and need to grow, the next factory would be in Detroit," he said.


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Bitcoin Price Could Hit $25,000 Before 2020, Says Bullish Crypto Analyst
By CCN Markets: The bitcoin price could break above its all-time high by year-end 2019, according to Oliver Isaacs.
The millionaire cryptocurrency analyst and trader told The Independent that more investors are viewing bitcoin as a safe-haven asset in the wake of growing macroeconomic tensions. Isaacs referred to the ongoing trade conflicts between the U.S. and China that last month sent the global equity market on a downward trend. The negative sentiment prompted investors to hedge in cryptocurrencies. He stated:
“I believe bitcoin has the potential to hit $25,000 by the end of 2019 or early 2020. There are multiple drivers behind the recent resurgence. There are geopolitical, technological, and regulatory drivers. The net effect of the trade war between the U.S. and China has led to a sudden interest in bitcoin as a hedge on investments.”
The statement followed bitcoin’s dramatic correction in the recent market cycle. The cryptocurrency dropped by more than 18% after establishing its 2019 high near $9,090 on San Francisco-based exchange, Coinbase. Nevertheless, bitcoin remains in a positive trend from a broader outlook, with its year-to-date performance showing as much as 146% gains.
Isaacs noted that the bitcoin adoption rate is heading in the direction of the cryptocurrency’s price. He cited significant organization like Amazon, Starbucks, Whole Foods, and Microsoft that recently started accepting BTC payments, indicating that the cryptocurrency ecosystem has turned more positive since crashing more than 85% in 2018.
The Bearish Take on Bitcoin
Meanwhile, other notably analysts believe bitcoin is due for a considerable drop. Willy Woo, the founder of Woobull.com, said the cryptocurrency has become overvalued following the latest upside movements. The analyst put bitcoin against his popular NVT metric, which represents the ratio of bitcoin’s market capitalization to the volume transmitted by its blockchain. He noted a considerable divergence between the current bitcoin price and the NVT Ratio (explained here), which is bearish:
Josh Rager, another prominent analyst, provided a less harsh bitcoin price outlook, stating that a sharp downside correction would attract more investors to purchase it at cheaper rates. He noted that the BTC-to-dollar exchange rate dropped by at least 30% after every significant bullish move on a broader timeframe, as shown in the graph below.
If Rager is correct, BTC could go as low as $6,000 before attempting a sharp pullback to reclaim the session top of $9,090.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not represent those of, nor should they be attributed to, CCN Markets.
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World Tourism Day: This year, enjoy wellness vacations for a lifestyle change
On September 27, global celebrations for World Tourism Day will establish many new travel trends.
VLCC, Minor Hotels tie up for wellness, beauty centres
The centres will be both residential and standalone, at hotels and resorts owned, mana...
Ravi Shankar Prasad withdraws comments linking economy's health with box office collection
In a statement issued on Sunday, Prasad claimed th...
Govt has smart plans to boost J&K tourism: Corporate package to film-makers, FM stations, theatres
Three weeks after Article 370 was revoked, the I&B ministry plans to roll out several incentives.
Film-maker Shyam Ramsay passes away at 67
One of the seven Ramsay brothers, he was known for films including 'Bandh Darwaza', 'Veerana'.
Rs 25 lakh crore will be spent for rural infrastructure development: PM Modi
Addressing an election rally at Sakoli, the Prime Minister said the work is being done with a larger vision for farmers.
Maradona film is as much about growing old, as it is about him as a player: Asif Kapadia, British filmmaker
Everywhere in the world I've been, they have their own version of Maradona and it's never the same, says Kapadia.
India needs new strategy to woo young Chinese tourists, says tourism expert
The average time such Chinese tourists spent on a visit abroad was nine to 10 days in a country.
Indian films lack authenticity, says Prasoon Joshi
CBFC chairman takes a dig at films made on the plight of farmers; says when farmer’s son makes a movie on farmers, the pain would be felt
The bald & beautiful: Is 'Bala' the same as 'Ujda Chaman'?
Some coincidences are too good to be true.
As countries open up, use of e-visas surge
The report, released in August this year shows that the share of world population requiring a traditional visa declined from 75% in 1980 to 53% in 2018.
Over-enthusiasm versus under-tourism
If even half a billion Indians decide to see their country, no spot will be uncrowded.
Tourism minister Prahlad Singh Patel holds meeting with local administration at Leh to boost tourism
Gyal P Wangyal, chairman, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council said that he was hoping for a good outcome from these meetings.
Tourism ministers' conclave calls for cut in GST for hotel rooms
The GST council of India has imposed 28% GST on hotel room tariff over Rs.7,500 and 18% tax on rooms with tariffs between Rs. 2,500 and Rs. 7,500.
State Tourism Ministers' conference to be inaugurated by Tourism Minister in New Delhi
The Tourism Ministry said the conference will provide a platform for the ministry of tourism to apprise the states and UT about new initiatives taken.
Copyright © 2019 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service


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CINCINNATI - Leading supermarket operator Kroger Co. on Tuesday reported lower quarterly earnings, excluding a number of one-time costs mainly from last year, as it cut prices to attract shoppers. The Cincinnati-based retailer also said it now expects 2003 earnings to be essentially unchanged from 2002 rather than rise 10 to 12 percent as originally estimated several months ago.
For the quarter ended Nov. 9, Kroger said earnings, excluding a number of one-time items, slid 6.6 percent to $263.0 million from $281.6 million the year before. Earnings per share were unchanged at 34 cents because of a reduced number of shares outstanding.
After one-time items that included impairment charges and merger costs both this year and last, Kroger's net income rose to $254.6 million, or 33 cents per share, from $133.1 million, or 16 cents per share.
Looking to the fourth quarter, Kroger said it expects earnings to match or slightly exceed its profit from the year before, which totaled 47 cents per share.
"The combination of a weak economy, rising unemployment, product cost deflation and continued aggressive competition has created a difficult operating environment. It is not clear when consumer confidence will improve. In addition, we anticipate that health care and pension costs will increase substantially in 2003," CEO Joseph Pichler said in a statement.
Kroger's stock fell more than 2.5 percent early on Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange. Other supermarket stocks took another tumble as well.


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It’s been a week since the announcement of Google’s new smartphones – the Google Pixel and Pixel XL. The devices are set to begin shipping in about a month but if you want to get a taste of the newest stuff from Google earlier, you can now download the official wallpaper from the phones.
We managed to get our hands on the system images from Google’s new phones. Included in the newest release of Android is a new Google Earth View wallpaper that is the stock background on Google’s new smartphones. A Google+ user by the name of Paúl Federico Schilling extracted the wallpaper from the system image and shared it for download. You can see the original post here. The image is pasted below, but if you want to get the full resolution file, download it from here.


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Digital health may be the wave of the future, but connecting the array of devices in the expanding digital health universe so the data they gather can be downloaded to electronic medical records systems for use by a physician remains a nettlesome problem. As a result, the lack of interoperability between digital medical devices, such as a wearable heart monitor, and electronic medical records (EMR) systems is turning digital health devices into data silos.
To break down those data silos Flex Ltd., a multinational manufacturer, is testing a software platform that connects digital health devices to EMRs.
“The big challenge for healthcare provides is how to get data off a digital health device or app and into the EMR and clinical settings,” says Dr. Kal Patel, senior vice president of digital health for Flex Ltd., multinational technology manufacturer. “Providers don’t want to have to leave their clinical workflow and log into a device or app maker’s portal to access data.”
Flex’s platform acts as a bridge between EMRs and digital health solutions, allowing the exchange of data in a secure manner that meets all regulatory and FDA standards for digital health technologies. Ensuring FDA and regulatory compliance removes a major barrier to adoption of the platform, as digital health developers no longer have to be concerned with FDA compliance when connecting digital health devices to EMR systems.
“Regulatory compliance is not a core focus for developers,” says Patel, who adds that a commercial version of Flex’s platform will be available later this month. “We can take of all the compliance, security and data management.”
Flex handles the integration of the digital health app to its platform and then integrates to a health systems’ EMR system so data from the app can flow into the EMR. In addition to connecting EMR systems and digital health apps, Patel says Flex’s platform will help lay the foundation for mainstream use of data from digital health solutions in clinical settings. The Flex platform will also open the door for digital health app developers to create solutions that summarize raw data from digital health solutions so physicians can quickly put the information into context to a patient’s health.
“Our platform will reduce the complexity and cost of connecting digital health care to clinical settings,” Patel says.
Patel joined Flex in November 2016 from video telemedicine provider Doctor on Demand where he served as chief commercial officer. Patel’s responsibilities at Doctor on Demand included marketing, business development, partnerships, implementations, operations and account management.
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With bosses keen to clear stockrooms before a feared further lockdown, customers are set to spend £2.5million a minute this weekend – today alone may see £1.65billion fill the tills. Footfall today is expected to be 12 percent up on last year, said experts at VoucherCodes.co.uk and the Centre for Retail Research.
Around 42 million shoppers are likely to descend on high streets with “Stampede Sunday” tipped to lure customers who have missed online retailers’ guaranteed festive delivery times.
Millions are expected to spend £1.2billion in shops on Monday with £1.1billion next day, research by VoucherCodes.co.uk found. Its lifestyle editor Anita Naik said: “With a turbulent few weeks for consumers and retailers alike, it’s not surprising to see that there are still huge numbers of us heading out to finalise our shopping.
“With most of the country under strict Tier 2 and 3 restrictions, as well as social distancing rules in place in stores, it’s likely that shoppers will be ‘mission shoppers’ – armed with a list of last-minute essentials for the big day.”
Struggling retailers who began offering big discounts from Black Friday last month will offer further cuts for savvy savers holding out on buying presents in the final days before Christmas. Dan Whytock, chief executive of Down Your High Street, said physical stores could use bargains to recoup sales missed in lockdowns and to shift stock.
“Retailers will be doing all they can to maximise their selling window pre-Christmas as they have been unable to trade most of the year. Physical retail might actually have an opportunity to recoup some of their lost sales in the last week before Christmas as consumers start to see warnings about ‘last day to purchase for Christmas delivery’ across shopping websites,” he said.
Topshop, Mango, H&M and Moss Bros are offering up to 50 percent off in store. River Island has discounts of up to 40 percent while M&S cut prices by up to 30 percent.
Debenhams is already giving up to 70 percent off but may drop further in its closing down sale.
Retail analyst Richard Hyman said: “There will be unprecedented discounting…retailers have all that stock and they’re very, very nervous about the idea that if they don’t go on sale now, they might be shut down.
“No one really knows from one week to the next whether they will be able to open. It’s become very, very fluid and very, very uncertain.”
He said formal wear and office clothes were proving very hard to shift, even with discounts.
Nearly one in five people (19 percent) plans to shop in stores in the run up to Christmas, a poll for the Daily Express by global market research firm Dynata found. Of those venturing to physical retailers, 42 percent aim to do all their festive buying on Wednesday and Thursday while 58 percent said they were waiting to do some of it.
Families said the advantages of shopping just before Christmas were bagging bargains (32 percent), followed by it helps to feel like a normal Christmas (31 percent). Chris Watson, of Dynata, said: “For those of us that do intend to hit the shops before the big day, the driving factors seem to be the desire to have a ‘normal’ Christmas and to save money – both unsurprising when we look at the extraordinary year.
“The pandemic has had a huge impact on the personal finances of the nation, so the promise of discounts and sales is perhaps hard to resist for some shoppers this year.”
Market researchers Spark asked more than 1,000 people if a sale would tempt them into a Christmas purchase and 52 percent said Yes.
Jack Hillaby, head of business development at the agency, said: “People have smaller budgets for Christmas this year. They will be spending less on presents, planning to buy fewer of them and seeing fewer people. While everyone is looking for value for their money, the big stash of presents under the tree on Christmas morning just isn’t a priority while so many are unable to see their loved ones.”
Other research found one in five people (22 percent) said visiting shops was more convenient for last-minute shopping than online. Simon Tune, of payments firm Elavon which commissioned it, said: “The appetite to support the local economy is strong. People have an emotional bond with our high streets.”
M&S will open for longer from Monday until Wednesday with 400 stores trading until midnight and other top firms have extended their hours to try and recover lost sales.


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ZAGREB (Croatia), January 21 (SeeNews) - Croatian industrial group DIV, the owner of the Brodosplit shipyard, has signed an agreement to acquire Norwegian shipyard Kleven Verft, the Norwegian company said.
The agreement is expected to take effect in the next several weeks once all required documentation is provided, Kleven said in a statement on Monday.
Kleven added that it had held talks with several interested buyers but DIV Group was the only one to come up with a safe, long-term plan for the company.
Kleven has been through a difficult period and is now looking forward to making long-term development plans together with the new owner, its CEO Kjetil Bollestad said in the statement.
Brodosplit and Kleven will be able to create positive synergies in all segments, including the design and construction of hulls and equipment, as well as the financing of construction of new vessels, DIV Group's owner and CEO, Tomas Debeljak, said in the statement. This synergy will lower construction costs and the cost of financing new projects, thus raising profitability, he added.
Kleven Verft will keep its name under the new owner. and will be a separate company under the DIV Group umbrella, the statement said.
DIV Group is an affiliation of up to 55 companies involved in shipbuilding, steel structure solutions, diesel and LNG-powered engine manufacturing, casting, railway infrastructure, and custom design mechanical parts, among others. It employs more than 3,000 people in 30 countries across the world.
According to Kleven's statement, DIV reported an EBITDA of 22.5 million euro ($25 million) in 2018.
Kleven was established back in 1944 and employs some 200 people. The company built the world’s first hybrid battery powered cruise ships, MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen, in 2019 for Norway-based expedition cruise line and adventure travel company Hurtigruten.


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Traders recorded brisk business on Christmas Day, with most supermarkets and informal businesses swarmed by consumers for the better part of the day.
In Central Harare, a number of supermarkets such as Pick ‘n Pay had unusually high numbers of customers buying soft drink, bread, ice blocks, potato crisps and other delicious products associated with Christmas.
Coke, which was in short supply in the build up to December 25, was suddenly available and in huge quantities on Christmas Day.
OK Zimbabwe (Marimba branch) also had 500ml PET cokes for $1, with customers allowed to buy up to 12 bottles.
Early morning, Pick ‘n Pay was allowing customers to buy up to two crates of coke but drastically slashed the quantities to six items per customer after realising the huge demand.
Mr Nyikadzino Hove, who had just bought 12 bottles of coke with the help of his son, said he was happy to have obtained the product to spice up his Christmas.
“I am so excited to have bought some coke after a long time. I am thankful to the Government for organising that soft drinks be sold on Christmas Day. This has caught speculators off guard and we were able to buy a 300ml bottle of coke at 55c unlike the US$1 or $3,50 bond notes at which it is sold on the black market,” said Mr Hove.
Numerous other customers devised strategies of defeating the limit on soft drinks by enlisting the services of street kids, who in turn got “thank you sums” ranging from 50c to $2 depending on the number of drinks they bought.
There was no limit for bread and customers would be seen in most shops around Harare buying anything from two to 20 loaves, to ensure there was enough for the day.
Later in the day, shopping centres in both urban and rural areas, were teeming with customers buying alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Reports from Mashonaland Central show that many businesses ran out of stocks mainly of beer and soft drinks.
In Mberengwa, Midlands province, the situation was the same at most business centres, including Vutika, where hundreds of villagers turned up to celebrate with friends and relatives.
Early morning on December 25, Pick ‘n Pay Chivhu had hordes of customers wanting beer, soft drink and bread. Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) president Denford Mutashu concurred that most of their members recorded brisk business on Christmas Day.
“I can say on the 24th and part of the 25th, there was improved business activity in most urban areas. When we also checked with outlying areas such as RDCs (Rural District Councils), we gathered that quite a number of people were celebrating Christmas at various shopping centres.
“People were celebrating despite the challenges obtaining in the country as they sought to re-energise for the coming year.
“However, in some areas, some citizens’ celebrations were dampened by their failure to access their favourite alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages,” said Mr Mutashu.
He called on stakeholders to plan for the availability of products three months before Christmas to ensure there are no shortages.
In terms of bread, Mr Mutashu said it was imperative for Government to ensure that there was more flour for citizens so that they make on bread, “which is cheaper”, as opposed to waiting for bread makers to deliver.


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Rivian Automotive rallies after earnings impress and stock stands apart from Tesla
Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) shot up 8.30% in premarket action on Thursday after investors and analysts sized up the electric vehicle maker's earnings report favorably.
Morgan Stanley noted that Rivian's EBITDA loss and free cash flow burn were better than anticipated. The report was strong enough that analyst Adam Jonas thinks RIVN may be able to cruise through most or all of FY23 without a capital raise.
Rivian (RIVN) also impressed with its update on reservation, which showed a sequential increase to 114K from 98K. Production volume was also noted to continue to grow despite supply chain bottlenecks with 7.4K vehicles made vs. 4.4K last quarter. Of note, Rivian added a second shift towards the end of Q3 that will continue to ramp in Q4.
An interesting nugget from Morgan Stanley was included in the update - "We believe RIVN may continue to benefit from customers who want to stand out from Tesla ubiquity."
Shares of Rivian (RIVN) have outperformed Tesla (TSLA) over the last six months.
Meanwhile, Needham analyst Vikram Bargi thinks low expectations on Rivian (RIVN) going into Q3 combined with strong execution should lift the stock. "Near to medium term, in the absence of tangible catalysts and a challenging macro backdrop, we expect the stock to remain relatively range-bound," he added.
Also weighing in, Wedbush Securities said it is cautiously optimistic that many of the headaches in the Rivian (RIVN) story are starting to be in the rearview mirror. The firm kept an Outperform rating and clipped its price target to $37 from $45 to reflect a lower multiple.
Dig into the Rivian earnings call transcript.


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PS3 Passes Xbox 360 in Global Active DevicesThursday, March 31st, 2011
Nintendo’s Wii Will Slip to Third Place in Annual Sales in 2011
BOSTON — Sony’s PS3 games console passed Microsoft’s Xbox 360 to become the number two TV console worldwide by the end of 2010, according to the latest research published by Strategy Analytics’ Connected Home Devices service. According to the report, “Global TV Games Console Forecast: Will New Sensor Technology Revive the Demand?”, the active installed base of PS3s reached 43.4 million by the end of 2010, compared to 42.9 million Xbox 360s. Nintendo’s Wii remained the number one global TV console with 75.5 million active devices.
“While the Kinect peripheral has given a boost to Microsoft’s Xbox 360 strategy, the console’s performance outside of the US continues to disappoint,” says report author, Jia Wu, Senior Analyst in Strategy Analytics’ Digital Consumer Practice. “Global demand for Sony’s PS3 has exceeded that of the Xbox 360 in each of the past two years, and we expect that to continue over the coming years.”
The report predicts that global sales of the Xbox 360 will further increase to 13.7 million in 2011. Global sales of the PS3 will also expand to reach 15.7 million units. The Wii’s decline will continue, with sales falling to just over 10 million units, taking the console from first to third place in sales rankings. The report predicts that Nintendo will launch a Wii successor within the next 12 months.
“Microsoft’s second generation console has dramatically improved the company’s position in the digital home,” notes David Mercer, Principal Analyst at Strategy Analytics. “But its relative weakness in Europe and Asia acts as a drag on its global performance. Microsoft should continue to innovate around its motion sensor technology, which will become increasingly relevant in the smart home era.”