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Postal Service Announces Online Change Of Address Service
Press release from the issuing company
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Postal Service moved forward today with the national launch of MoversGuide.com, the first official online change of address service in this country. Accessible via www.usps.com 24 hours a day, seven days a week, MoversGuide.com enables consumers to change their address online and access a wide variety of products and services needed to plan, move and settle in.
Postmaster General John E. (Jack) Potter, Deputy Postmaster General John M. Nolan, and Brett Matthews, CEO, Imagitas, premiered MoversGuide.com at an event held at Postal Headquarters. The Postal Service partnered with Imagitas, based in Waltham, Mass., to offer this electronic address change service. Consumers can change their address online directly with the Postal Service, connect utility services, create a customized moving checklist, purchase online moving-related products, and obtain information about schools and local services as well as motor vehicle and voter registration.
"At no cost to consumers or to the Postal Service, MoversGuide.com takes the stress out of moving for the 41 million Americans who relocate each year by saving them valuable time and money," said Potter. "MoversGuide.com, is a prime example of how the Postal Service is partnering with the private sector to offer customers innovative, secure, private, and efficient services, and decrease our internal operational costs at the same time."
Approximately 17% of the nation's population moves each year – more than 41 million people. The Postal Service currently spends over $1.5 billion per year processing undeliverable as addressed mail. Of that $1.5 billion, $438 million is spent forwarding mail and $768 million is spent returning mail to sender.
"The United States Postal Service deserves high praise for this online enhancement of one of its core businesses. It is offering an important new service to postal customers across the country," said Brett Matthews, CEO of Imagitas.
"MoversGuide.com and its online change of address capability are a tremendous convenience for America's 21 million moving households and Imagitas is proud to partner with the Postal Service in the design and operation of this remarkable product."
In 1993, the Postal Service and Imagitas entered into a strategic alliance. This unique public/private partnership, which was formed as a result of an unsolicited proposal from Imagitas, is dedicated to reducing costs and increasing satisfaction for postal customers. Among the products generated through this alliance are the Movers Guide (printed USPS change of address materials available in all 38,000 post offices), The Welcome Kit (a moving information package including the official Change Notification Letter from the Postal Service) and MoversGuide.com. Since establishing the alliance there have been more than 750 million of these packages provided to the American public. In 1997, the alliance was awarded a Hammer Award from Vice President Gore, and was saluted for being the first entrepreneurial partnership so recognized.
WhatTheyThink is the global printing industry's go-to information source with both print and digital offerings, including WhatTheyThink.com, WhatTheyThink Email Newsletters, and the WhatTheyThink magazine. Our mission is to inform, educate, and inspire the industry. We provide cogent news and analysis about trends, technologies, operations, and events in all the markets that comprise today's printing and sign industries including commercial, in-plant, mailing, finishing, sign, display, textile, industrial, finishing, labels, packaging, marketing technology, software and workflow.


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AT&T has been the proud owner of HBO for less than a month, and it is already considering an overhaul that would see HBO produce more video that can compete for the attention of smartphone users. AT&T wants to boost revenue both in advertising and subscriptions, even if that means upending HBO's longtime strategy of producing a relatively small number of high-quality shows.
John Stankey, an AT&T executive who is now CEO of the company's WarnerMedia division, formed after last month's acquisition of Time Warner Inc., described his vision in an hourlong "town hall meeting" with 150 employees. Audio of the meeting was obtained by The New York Times.
"It's going to be a tough year," Stankey said, according to the Times article. "It's going to be a lot of work to alter and change direction a little bit."
The talk, held at HBO headquarters in New York City, was hosted by HBO CEO Richard Plepler. Both Stankey and Plepler acknowledged that producing more shows could lead to a drop in quality, but they said they hope to produce more without sacrificing HBO's standard of excellence. Stankey said that HBO needs to attract more subscribers and convince subscribers to spend more time watching HBO, the Times report said. That means HBO must produce more content, "transforming itself from a boutique operation, with a focus on its signature Sunday night lineup, into something bigger and broader," the Times wrote in a paraphrase of Stankey's remarks.
HBO must compete with smartphones for people's attention, Stankey said in this exchange with Plepler:
"We need hours a day," Mr. Stankey said, referring to the time viewers spend watching HBO programs. "It's not hours a week, and it's not hours a month. We need hours a day. You are competing with devices that sit in people's hands that capture their attention every 15 minutes."
Continuing the theme, he added: "I want more hours of engagement. Why are more hours of engagement important? Because you get more data and information about a customer that then allows you to do things like monetize through alternate models of advertising as well as subscriptions, which I think is very important to play in tomorrow's world."
AT&T wants more investment, more profit
HBO was already thinking about adapting HBO content for mobile devices more than a year before the merger was approved and finalized.
"Think about things like Game of Thrones," AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said at a telecom conference in May 2017. "In a mobile environment, a 60-minute episode might not be the best experience. Maybe you want a 20-minute episode." Instead of showing full-length episodes on all devices, it might be best to "curate the content uniquely for a mobile environment."
In the more recent post-merger meeting described by the Times, Stankey said that AT&T plans "stepped-up investment" for HBO, a notion that Plepler approved of. That led to this exchange:
"Also," Mr. Stankey said, "we've got to make money at the end of the day, right?"
"We do that," Mr. Plepler responded, to scattered applause.
"Yes, you do," Mr. Stankey said. "Just not enough."
"Oh, now, now, be careful," Mr. Plepler said.
HBO has made nearly $6 billion in profit over the past three years, while devoting more than $2 billion a year to programming, the article said.
HBO has 40 million subscribers in the US and 142 million worldwide, but Stankey said that AT&T intends to make HBO "a much more common product."
“More is not better”
Plepler said that HBO's current strategy "is not going to be sustainable going forward."
"I've said, 'More is not better, only better is better,' because that was the hand we had," Plepler said. "I've switched that, now that you're here, to: 'More isn't better, only better is better—but we need a lot more to be even better.'"
How will AT&T produce more shows without reducing quality? Stankey said that AT&T and HBO will have to "figure [that] out."
"You've earned the dynamic amongst your customer base that when you put a new piece of content out there, people will try it, just because they trust you're going to be putting something in front of them that they might like," Stankey said. "We now need to figure out how to expand the aperture of it without losing the quality."
Stankey reiterated that the first year under AT&T's ownership could be tough for HBO employees. "I suspect if we're in a situation where we're going to be investing heavier, that means that there's going to be more work for all of you to do—and you're going to be working a little bit harder," he said.
The first year under AT&T ownership is a time that HBO employees will "be very fond of" when they look back on it, Stankey said. But, he added, "it's not going to feel great while you're in the middle of it."

domain: news


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State of Decay has made a return to the Microsoft stage to reveal State of Decay 2 for the Xbox One and Windows 10. The game seems to follow the same style as the previous one with an open world and the ability to change between characters to survive. Just like the first game State of Decay 2 will remain exclusive to the Xbox brand and we should not expect a change for Sony anytime soon.
In an interesting detail about the game, while it is coming to the Xbox One and Windows 10 the games beta will only be running on the Xbox One.
No release date has been announced but we do know the game is coming in 2017, if you are interested in State of Decay 2 you can watch the trailer below:


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(May 22, 2015) Working with researchers at Zhejiang University in China, Changxi Zheng, assistant professor of computer science at Columbia Engineering, has developed a technique that enables hydrographic printing, a widely used industrial method for transferring color inks on a thin film to the surface of manufactured 3D objects, to color these surfaces with the most precise alignment ever attained. Using a new computational method they developed to simulate the printing process, Zheng and his team have designed a model that predicts color film distortion during hydrographic immersion, and uses it to generate a colored film that guarantees exact alignment of the surface textures to the object. The research will be presented at SIGGRAPH 2015, August 9 to 13, in Los Angeles.
“Attaining precise alignment of the color texture onto the surface of an object with a complex surface, whether it’s a motorcycle helmet or a 3D-printed gadget, has been almost impossible in hydrographic printing until now,” says Zheng. “By incorporating—for the first time—a computational model into the traditional hydrographic printing process, we’ve made it easy for anyone to physically decorate 3D surfaces with their own customized color textures.”


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Synaptics made an announcement yesterday that has tech blogs buzzing on Wednesday morning. The firm stated that an unspecified top-five smartphone OEM has begun mass manufacturing of its new Clear ID optical in-display fingerprint sensor. Using Synaptics’ new optical tech, this mysterious smartphone vendor will launch a smartphone with a fingerprint scanner embedded beneath the cellphone’s show. The cellphone will presumably be launched someday in 2018 by Samsung, Huawei, Oppo, or Xiaomi, and will change into the primary mass-market handset to incorporate an invisible fingerprint sensor, possible coupled with an all-screen design.
Qualcomm is one other firm that has beforehand introduced in-display fingerprint scanners that shall be prepared for launch in 2018. In reality, Qualcomm’s scanners will even work by means of skinny steel, to allow them to be positioned anyplace on a smartphone. But are these corporations headed down the proper path, or are they only deeply invested in expertise that has already been surpassed?
The iPhone X is Apple’s first iPhone since 2013 that doesn’t have a Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Despite rumors on the contrary and revealed patent purposes that show Apple has researched in-display fingerprint sensor tech, Apple says it by no means meant to incorporate a fingerprint scanner within the iPhone X. Face ID is the long run, in keeping with Apple, and the iPhone X ushers in that future.
Like Touch ID and fingerprint scanners on different smartphones, Face ID is used to unlock gadgets, open safe apps, and authenticate cellular funds. But in keeping with Apple, Face ID is way safer than any fingerprint authentication. Apple says there’s a 1 in 1,000,000 probability of somebody aside from the system proprietor having the ability to authenticate Face ID. That compares to a 1 in 50,000 probability with the most effective fingerprint scanning expertise in the marketplace.
If Face ID is 20 instances safer than the most effective smartphone fingerprint sensors on the market, why are Synaptics and Qualcomm nonetheless investing so closely in fingerprint scanners?
There are a number of causes. First, the parts wanted to allow a system like Face ID are costly. Face ID makes use of Apple’s TrueDepth system, which incorporates issues like an infrared dot projector and a 3D-sensing infrared digicam. The iPhone X begins at $1,000, and the added expense of Face ID is one motive for the hefty price ticket.
In different phrases, options like Face ID are possible solely possible in…


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Business travel is rebounding from recession lows, but with challenges remaining, corporate travel managers are gathering in Denver this week to learn cost-effective solutions.
About 6,000 business travel buyers and more than 400 exhibitors — who are the core of the $200 billion business travel industry — are registered for the Global Business Travel Association convention.
Held today through Wednesday at the Colorado Convention Center, the gathering — open only to registered attendees — will feature a sprawling trade show, educational sessions and talks by top-draw business and financial speakers.
Tourism officials are touting the event as a huge opportunity for Denver to showcase what it has to offer to travel managers and buyers from around the world. To that end, Visit Denver will host a reception tonight at the Denver Performing Arts Complex Galleria and Sculpture Park.
A panel this afternoon kicks off a string of sessions featuring a number of movers and shakers. The airline industry is amply represented, and chief executives of Denver’s three largest carriers are scheduled to speak this week.
John Pistole, administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, and Jeffrey Smisek, chief executive of the recently merged United and Continental airlines, this evening will discuss what’s next in travel security and what’s going on with the world’s largest airline.
On Monday, a global approach to the airline industry is planned with a panel featuring three chief executives: Doug Parker of U.S. Airways, Keith Williams of British Airways and Wang Yingming of Hainan Airlines.
The threesome will discuss industry issues, such as the effects of consolidation and global alliances.
Henry Paulson, who served as President George W. Bush’s Treasury secretary from 2006 until 2009, is Monday’s keynote speaker. Paulson led the Treasury Department during the financial meltdown of 2008.
Tuesday’s panel includes Bryan Bedford, chief executive of Frontier Airlines’ parent company, Republic Airways; Dara Khosrow shahi, chief executive of Expedia Inc.; and Gordon Wilson, chief executive of Travelport.
They will focus on the prospects for the travel business in 2013 and the impact of new business models.
Former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman is Tuesday’s keynote speaker. She oversaw the company’s growth from 30 employees and about $4 million in revenue to more than 15,000 employees and $7.7 billion in revenues.
So-called “mavericks of business” are on tap for Wednesday, with Southwest Airlines chief executive Gary Kelly, MGM Hospitality chief executive Gamal Aziz and Best Buy chief technology officer and GeekSquad founder Robert Stephens. The discussion will center around how their vision and strategy translate into innovation in the travel industry.
Wrapping up the convention will be actor Sean Penn, who gives Wednesday’s keynote address.
Ann Schrader: 303-954-1967 or firstname.lastname@example.org


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Veteran tech columnist Jon D. Markman publishes Strategic Advantage, a lively guide to investing in the digital transformation of business and society. Click here for a trial.)
Managers at Ford ( (F) - Get Ford Motor Company Report) admitted the obvious Monday: Their software engineers are never going to catch up with Silicon Valley. This presents a big opportunity for investors.
Ford and Google signed a 6-year agreement to bring the networked era to future Mustangs, F-150s and Lincolns. The deal also refuels Ford’s business model. Software really is eating the world.
Partnering full stop with large software companies was not a foregone conclusion. For many years the leading automotive companies plowed fortunes into software development. They made mostly underwhelming infotainment systems and clunky touch interfaces for heating and air conditioning. The user experience was brutish and paled in comparison to even ancient iPhones and Androids.
The integration phase began in earnest two years ago. Apple Carplay and Android Auto started showing up as addons for Chevys, Kias and everything in between. It was step in the right direction but integration with big tech software platforms didn’t address the larger issues. The vehicles were not truly connected to larger networks. There was no endgame to strengthen the overall business.
The deal with Alphabet is Ford managers finally admitting they never had a plan to compete with vehicles from Tesla ( (TSLA) - Get Tesla Inc. Report), Nio ( (NIO) - Get NIO Inc. American depositary shares each representing one Class A 蔚来汽车 Report) and other forward looking automakers.
The key is connectivity and the data analytics that brings.
Ford managers on Monday tied the agreement with Google to a larger $11 billion restructuring program. Managers want to streamline operations as the automaker begins the transition from internal combustion engines to electrification. This entails setting aside money for new plants, equipment and retooling, as well as systems development. It’s now clear Google will tick the last box.
The Mountain View, Calif.-based software giant will bring Google Maps, Assistant and Android to Ford vehicles starting in 2023. The company will also help develop connectivity infrastructure for over-the-air software updates and predictive service maintenance. These value added features are commonplace on Teslas. Finally, Google will help Ford streamline its supply chain and manufacturing using artificial intelligence.
This is a digital transformation story.
It also showcases Google’s hidden advantages. Its Google Cloud was able to win a marquee client on the basis of its prowess in artificial intelligence, and Android, its mobile operating system.
This is not to say larger players like Amazon ( (AMZN) - Get Amazon.com Inc. Report) and Microsoft ( (MSFT) - Get Microsoft Corporation Report) do not have unique advantages, too. AWS operates the biggest ecosystem in the cloud with established networks of third party developers and vendors. And Microsoft brings its dominant enterprise software platform to the mix. Bundling Office and Windows is a powerful incentive.
The difference with Google is its ancillary businesses, while critical to the growth of Alphabet, are often overlooked. Most investors still value the company on the basis of its advertising assets. Search, Maps, Gmail and YouTube are terrific ad-based businesses yet these brands are not the future of Alphabet. The big investment opportunity is the potential of mostly hidden businesses such as Google Cloud.
The global market for cloud computing services is predicted to reach $236 billion in 2020, according to Gartner, an IT research company. Analysts predict the total addressable market will reach a whopping $355 billion by 2022.
Google Cloud doesn’t have to dominate the market for cloud infrastructure. The fledgling company simply needs to grow share modestly in a rapidly expanding market.
Alphabet is set to report fourth quarter and 2020 full year financial results after the close today. Analyst expect that the company will provide a detailed breakdown of Google Cloud for the first time. A note last week from Credit Suisse predicted the division will show Q4 revenue of $3.64 billion
The timing of the Ford deal suggests that expectation may be exceeded.
Investors should buy Alphabet shares into any near term weakness. Based on business momentum, shares could trade to at least $2,220 in 12 months, a 15% gain from the current price of $1,931.


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Home Trends for Millenials
In a presentation at the International Builders Show in Las Vegas, Jill Waage, Editorial Director for Home Content for Better Homes and Gardens noted that “Millennial’s are swarming into the home marketplace armed with information, ideas and a passionate desire for personalization. Home builders, designers, and remodelers should know that this generation expects you to work with them as collaborators not just contractors.”
Waage notes for example how Millennial’s use a range of media platforms including social media such as Pinterest, and Instagram among others to express their personality, and share ideas on home design and style. “We have seen an explosion on our social media outlets of Millennial’s exchanging everything from swatch styles for wallpaper to outdoor decorating designs. This generation wants homes that reflect their individuality and their sheer size will reshape the home market for decades to come.”
To take a peek into the mind of this generation, Better Homes and Gardens conducted a survey of more than 3,200 prospective home buyers to share their thoughts on home improvement spending, the importance of personalization, and technology in home value.
While this generation differs greatly from previous consumers check out some of the surprising findings.
Millennial’s By The Numbers:
Buying a Home- The Value of Home Ownership
- Millennial generation believes owning a home is part of the American Dream (79%)
- Feel that a home is still a good investment (77%)
- 35% of Millennials said a lack of down payment was the greatest obstacle to making the dream a reality
Building New Vs Fixer Uppers
- The Millennial’s are least likely to expect their next home to be newly built (18%)
- Millennials are most likely to say their next home will be a house they can fix up (23%)
- Among those planning a home improvement project in the next 12 months, nearly 35% highly agree that “now is the right time to spend” on home improvements.
- 45% of Millennial’s said they are in the process of planning or doing a major home improvement or decorating project
- 75% of this group report decorating with furniture and accessories.
- 26% of Millennials said they are building or planning to build a home office, work space or family computing center.
- 35% reported wanting to work on outdoor living or entertaining areas.
- 42% desire adding exterior upgrades like a deck, porch or patio.
- 52% report they will add/replace plantings, shrubs and trees.
- 40% of Millennial respondents want to make their home more energy efficient.
Millennials want a home with personalization and seek out creative ways to improve the look and feel of their home.
- 34% of Millennial’s plan to change the function of a room, such as a nursery, office, craft/hobby space.
Examples of personalization and home individualization include chalkboards, under stair storage, and adding bins and buckets to maximize shelving.
Let us know what you find important in a home in the comments below!


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Clock’s ticking, here are some ideas to get those presents sorted for Christmas. This is a sponsored post.
In this sponsored post “CityNews” speaks with the experts who can help with extensions, renovations, new furniture and updates.
In this sponsored post, “CityNews” heads to Gungahlin to meet the businesses who make the area great.
In this sponsored post, “CityNews” shares inspiration for choosing special gifts for Christmas.
CANBERRA-based coffee roaster Niugini Arabica has been awarded two medals at the world’s largest coffee roasters’ competition. This is a sponsored post.
With wellness in mind, “CityNews” speaks to local businesses who can help Canberrans reach their health and fitness goals. This is a sponsored post.
In this sponsored post DR WANG HAI DONG, of Bring Health, a specialist service of the Capital Health Centre of Traditional Chinese Medicine, discusses parallels between the habits of good gardeners and personal wellbeing.
After taking the leap to start her mortgage broking firm, More Than Mortgages, Deanna Ezzy and her team are reaping the rewards of their hard work for their clients. This is a sponsored post.
Plastic recycling is on the rise in Australia by 10 per cent, according to the 2017-2018 Australian Plastics Recycling Survey, but more still needs to be done. This is a sponsored post.
Despite construction and road closures near Akuna Street and City Walk, owner of Civic ProFrame and Canlab Photographics reassures Canberrans that they’re still open for business. This is a sponsored post.
The world’s oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production will be showcased at the annual address of the Australia India Business Council ACT chapter. This is a sponsored post.
To help Canberrans stay chilled at home this summer, “CityNews” speaks to businesses with a dedication to keeping their customers cool. This is a sponsored post.
Chef Venkatesh Ramachandran is bringing his distinctive and popular Indian cuisine to his newly rebranded restaurant, Indian Accent. This is a sponsored post.
Retirement can mean freedom and more time to relax, but it’s important to plan ahead for the transition out of the workplace. This is a sponsored post.
Celebrating its 10th year, the Undercurrent Design Markets will feature 62 market stalls from November 23-24. This is a sponsored post.
In celebration of a growing Queanebyan, “CityNews” speaks with some of the retailers and service providers who are proud to work there. This is a sponsored post.
In this sponsored post we meet two financial advisers with a palpable passion for putting the customer's interests first.
In this sponsored post “CityNews” meets the people of Pialligo who make Canberra’s country village a treat to eat, shop and wander around.
In this sponsored post “CityNews” speaks with local allied health experts and complementary medicine practitioners passionate about improving the wellbeing of its patients.
In this sponsored post “CityNews” speaks with local lawyers who share a common interest in getting the best results for clients.


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Australian tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes has urged governments to plan for massive job disruption, warning the country faces a “painful” transition.
The co-founder of software giant Atlassian said automation was going to cause upheaval in the local workforce.
“I hate being Chicken Little and trying to scare people but it seems to be the only way to get action – there will be massive job disruption,” Mr Cannon-Brookes told a Senate inquiry on Tuesday.
While many new jobs will be created by technology, people who lose jobs in other sectors do not face a smooth transition, he said.
Mr Cannon-Brookes says Australia faces the major challenges of upskilling workers, making education a life-long process, ensuring post-disruption employment is created locally and providing support to people who lose their jobs.
“This time we know what’s coming. I think we must act and act soon,” he said.
Mr Cannon-Brookes, who Forbes estimated to have a fortune of $US3.4 billion ($4.35 billion) last week, also had a warning for the retail sector.
“The head-in-the-sand attitude of Australian businesses scares me a lot,” he said. “Amazon is going to tear apart Australian retail as they did in the US.”
But Mr Cannon-Brookes has offered some green shoots. He believes Australia is capable of building a world-class technology industry and skills to manage disruption.
“Technology is the single greatest competitive advantage in business today. It’s eating every industry in the world.”


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Worth the wait. West Kelowna, B.C. finally gets its own legal pot shop
December 31, 2019
The city is now home to Spiritleaf, a private cannabis retailer that opened this past weekend.
More than a year after federal cannabis legalization came into force, West Kelowna finally has a legal dispensary to call its own.
The city is now home to Spiritleaf, a private cannabis retailer that opened its doors in the B.C. community this past weekend. The 1,200 sq. ft. licensed pot shop features a variety of dried flower, prerolls, oils and newly legal edibles.
To read the full article follow this link to thegrowthop.com.


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Global stocks, dollar rise; investors eye earnings
NEW YORK Stocks rallied on Tuesday as investors looked past U.S. President Donald Trump's protectionist rhetoric and focused on encouraging economic data and quarterly earnings reports.
Reuters Market Eye - Credit Suisse upgrades Mahindra and Mahindra(M&M) to "outperform" from "neutral," saying its four-wheeler autos and commercial vehicles will benefit from even a short-lived economic recovery, while the auto-maker has "undemanding valuations."
The investment bank still has Maruti Suzuki India Ltd as its preferred pick saying it had done "an excellent job of maintaining its marketshare and stands out on all parameters needed to succeed in India."
However, Credit Suisse downgrades Tata Motors Ltd to "neutral" from "outperform" saying unit Jaguar Land Rover could see muted volume growth in the near term, in part as Evoque sales slow down.
The investment bank says it remains concerned about the two-wheeler market given the deterioration of pricing power.
M&M closed 1.24 percent higher, while Tata Motors lost 0.9 percent.
(Reporting by Abhishek Vishnoi)
NEW YORK Oil prices edged higher on Tuesday ahead of weekly U.S. inventory data on evidence the global market is tightening as lower production by OPEC and other exporters drains stocks.
NEW YORK The U.S. dollar firmed against the yen and euro on Tuesday, after several days of losses in the wake of President Donald Trump's inaugural speech promising more trade protectionism, with the U.S. economic outlook still seen as better than that of Europe or Japan.


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Bean-to-cup coffee dispensers are the latest trend in the coffee area. But convenience store retailers must weigh the benefits with the cost of new equipment.
Bean-to-cup coffee machines can signal ‘fresh’ to customers because the machines grind the coffee fresh with the touch of a button. Most retailers point to the perception of freshness as the biggest reason they opted to add a bean-to-cup coffee program to their convenience stores.
Offering quality, fresh coffee is key for retailers working to create a successful coffee program. If customers arrive and find cold coffee or coffee that’s been sitting out for hours, they’re less likely to consider that convenience store as a destination for coffee in the future. With bean-to-cup, even if a customer arrives in the middle of the afternoon, long after the morning coffee rush, they’ll be able to brew up a fresh cup of coffee on demand. This can give retailers, especially those with multiple stores, a sense of security that customers are getting the same, high-quality coffee experience in every store, every time.
Many retailers have also pointed to the waste and labor efficiencies these machines provide as a major benefit.
Because the beans are ground fresh with every cup there’s no waste, which saves dollars and time.
The machines also require less labor, allowing employees to spend more time serving customers because they don’t need to dump out and refresh pots of coffee throughout the day. Employees also don’t need to brew the coffee ahead of the morning rush, and they don’t have to clean the coffee pots each night the way they would with traditional glass coffee containers. All that said, the machines do still need to be cleaned and filled with beans, and the coffee area still needs to be sanitized.
One retailer told CSD that he found that the whole beans for the bean-to-cup machines cost less than the ground beans, allowing for more margin.
On the flip side, some retailers have steered away from bean-to-cup because they found the space needed for the program was problematic for smaller stores that may not have room for an additional piece of equipment. Others found the cost of the equipment to be a deterrent. Still others are watching the trend to see how it evolves.
When first adding bean-to-cup machines, it can help to have an employee at the ready to help customers navigate the new machines for the first time to ensure a seamless transition.


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Abby Hernandez expresses gratitude, talks about recovery
Surveillance cameras in the men's room at the Don Quijote store has some customers outraged. KITV4's Ashley Moser who recently spoke with store officials.
A surveillance camera in the men's room at the Honolulu Don Quijote store has some customers outraged.
Tap here to view the video on your mobile device.
The conflict raging in Gaza is different this time.
While Hamas' rocket attacks and Israel's military actions may look familiar, they're taking place against a whole new backdrop.
"This is unprecedented in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict," say...


text: The popular Gerber brand urgently recalled its pureed carrot baby food from Israeli store shelves Thursday after dangerous levels of cadmium were found in the product. The carcinogenic metal was found during tests carried out on samples of the product by the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health was planning to carry out similar tests on other Gerber-brand pureed baby foods. Cadmium, a naturally-occuring metal, is best-known for its use in batteries. Cadmium is recognized to produce toxic effects on humans as a result of long-term exposure. It is known to be carcinogenic and have adverse health effects on the lungs and kidneys.


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Apple and Samsung reported slowing smartphone sales in the first quarter of this year, but Chinese tech giant Huawei is bucking the trend in a big way. Huawei’s smartphone shipments surged 50% in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, while Apple iPhone shipments tumbled 30%, according to new data published Tuesday by research firm IDC. Samsung shipments dropped 8% year-on-year.
The new figures show Huawei capturing a 19% share of the global smartphone market, its highest percentage ever. IDC said the Chinese firm is “now within striking distance” of Samsung at the top of the global market, surging past Apple as the world’s second-largest smartphone seller. “This new ranking of Samsung, Huawei, and Apple is very likely what we’ll see when 2019 is all said and done,” IDC Program Vice President Ryan Reith said in the report.
Huawei first surpassed Apple in market share in 2018, but the first quarter’s figures show a much wider spread between the two tech giants than previously reported. IDC attributed Huawei’s growth to a “well-rounded portfolio targeting all segments from low to high.” Apple’s iPhone sales have been hit by weak demand in China and longer replacement cycles. Apple CEO Tim Cook was upbeat in his assessment of the Chinese market on Tuesday, but the company still reported a 22% drop in revenues in the region for its March quarter. Separate data published Tuesday by research firm Canalys showed Huawei capturing 34% of the Chinese smartphone market, an increase in shipments of 41% from the year before. The firm said Huawei has gained ground among Chinese consumers by increasing its investments in brick-and-mortar stores and penetrating further into China’s rural areas.
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JV eyes Indian solar storage
SkyPower and China’s BYD to bid for up to 750MW
Canadian developer SkyPower and Chinese battery technology company BYD are to submit a joint bid in the upcoming tenders for solar capacity and energy storage of up to 750MW in India.
The companies said the joint venture aims to “enable a significant solar implementation strategy in India”.
SkyPower chief commercial officer, commercial strategy and development Charles Cohen said: “SkyPower is excited to work with BYD, a global leader in battery technology, to bring together a highly-competitive bid for low-carbon, clean technology solutions.”
BYD senior corporate vice president Stella Li said: “We are thrilled to join forces with like-minded visionary leaders at SkyPower.”
Image: Morgue File


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Much has been said about ‘Made in China’ goods in recent years but the world is now finding out what happens when the world’s biggest factories go into deep-freeze, thanks to the Covid-19 virus.
Workers were supposed to be returning to work in China as of Monday after the government extended the public holiday for the Year of the Rat by an extra seven days, as well as commanding companies across 17 cities and provinces to stop operations until February 9.
Yet for millions of migrant workers trying to get back from their hometowns hasn’t been an easy task. Even if they can get tickets for trains and buses, they must navigate a series of medical protocols and quarantine cordons on their journeys. “It’s like Europe in medieval times, where each city has its checks and crosschecks,” Jörg Wuttke, the president of the European Chamber of Commerce in China, told the New York Times this week.
That has helped to create situations like the one at Foxconn’s massive assembly plant in Zhengzhou, where only 10% of the workforce was reported to be available for duty as the week began. Analysts were soon predicting a supply shortage for Apple, Foxconn’s biggest client.
Companies have been struggling to get formal approvals to restart work because local officials fear for their jobs if they aren’t being seen to stop the virus from spreading. Firms are being made to sterilize their workplaces and show that they have epidemic controls in place. That’s sensible but there doesn’t seem to be a standardised approach to how this should be implemented, leading to confusion in Shenzhen last weekend when officials were said to have told Foxconn that another of its assembly plants had to stay shut because of the risks of infection.
Foxconn put out a partial denial the following day, although the statement noted that employee safety was its top priority and that it would only restart production once inspections were completed.
Commentators generally agree that the impact on international trade is going to be greater than during the SARS outbreak in 2003 because supply chains are much more globalised and China now has a more central role as an engine of global growth. That means that it’s not just consumers that won’t be getting some of their goods in the typical way. Companies around the world face a more immediate crisis because they aren’t getting the parts and components they normally receive from China.
Firms that run the leanest operations from ‘just in time’ inventory are more at risk, points out Herald van der Linde, Asian head of equity strategy for HSBC, who published a research piece on the impact of the virus outbreak on Asia’s supply chains earlier this week.
The car industry is particularly exposed because Hubei accounts for about 9% of China’s automotive sector, including many components that are exported overseas. That was apparent last Friday when South Korea’s Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors suspended production at all their plants due to a lack of auto parts from China-based suppliers. A few days later there was a partial resumption but only because of plans to import substitute parts from companies in Southeast Asia.
How straightforward is it to source alternative suppliers? Obviously it’s easier to sign a new contract with a textile factory than to set up a supply chain in semiconductor parts. Looking at the data on US imports from 238 countries, van der Linde also points to industries where the Chinese are the dominant producers, making it more of a challenge to find alternative partners. Buyers of goods like toys, cutlery, tools and mobile phones are going to have more of a problem but other industries should find it a little easier to find substitute producers (tyres from Korea and Thailand, for example, or food oils and rubber from Indonesia).
A final question is whether the disruption might have a longer-term impact on China’s position in the global supply chain. Van der Linde says it’s too early to tell, although industries where China’s share of global exports was already showing signs of decline are more at risk. In that context, some of China’s market share of items such as plywood, camping gear, furniture, footwear and apparel could be lost more permanently, he thinks.
© ChinTell Ltd. All rights reserved.
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The Week in China website and the weekly magazine publications are owned and maintained by ChinTell Limited, Hong Kong. Neither HSBC nor any member of the HSBC group of companies ("HSBC") endorses the contents and/or is involved in selecting, creating or editing the contents of the Week in China website or the Week in China magazine. The views expressed in these publications are solely the views of ChinTell Limited and do not necessarily reflect the views or investment ideas of HSBC. No responsibility will therefore be assumed by HSBC for the contents of these publications or for the errors or omissions therein.


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WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Ford Motor Co. will boost its production for deliveries to its U.S. deals by 13% in the first quarter of 2011, said Jim Farley, Ford's global marketing director on Sunday, according to Reuters. Farley was speaking to reporters after Ford executives met with their U.S. dealers at the National Automotive Dealers Association annual convention.
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WILMINGTON, N.C. -- W. Cecil Worsley Jr., a pioneer in convenience and petroleum retailing throughout North and South Carolina, died in Wilmington, N.C. Tuesday after a brief illness, according to a report by StarNewsOnline.com.
For 40 years, Worsley was president and CEO of what became the Worsley Cos., an enterprise that grew from a few small-town gas stations into a network of more than 140 convenience stores and related businesses, with more than 1,000 employees.
"Cecil was one the top marketers from way back when -- jobbers, they used to call them," Gary Harris, director of the North Carolina Petroleum Marketers Association, told the newspaper. Worsley, 82, served as the state association's president in the early 1990s, Harris said, and in 1996 received its highest honor, the Will Parker Memorial Award.
Born Oct. 23, 1925, Walter Cecil Worsley Jr. was the son of Walter Cecil Worsley and Pearl Southerland Worsley. Worsley Sr. was a jobber based in Wallace, N.C. for what was then American Oil Co. In 1946, the younger Worsley launched an oil company of his own, consisting of one service station and a warehouse. This business proved successful enough that he added a gas station and warehouse within a year, the report stated.
In 1954, Worsley succeeded his father as president of Worsley Oil Co. Then, in 1956, he launched a separate company, Twin Petroleum, as a distributor for Esso products. Under Worsley's leadership, the company began acquiring other oil companies in the Carolinas, Tennessee and Florida -- eventually controlling 12 satellite companies in all.
In 1974, noting changes in the retail market, Worsley and his company decided to convert their existing service stations into convenience stores. Bill Hussey, an employee, won an in-house contest to suggest a name for the stores, coming up with "Scotchman." The first Scotchman opened for business in Maple Hill that year, the newspaper reported.
In 1980, Worsley opened a corporate office in Wilmington. A new headquarters opened three years later. In 1985, the company branched into the truck stop business, eventually owning two in North Carolina, one in South Carolina and two in Florida.
In 1994, Worsley was succeeded as president and CEO by his son, Walter Cecil Worsley III. He retained the title of chairman of the board. The following year, the company decided to consolidate, selling properties in Tennessee and Florida. It kept a chain of Scotchman Stores, as well as Young's Food Stores, S-E Food Marts, a transport company and its proprietary fuel line, Carolina Petro, according to StarNewsOnline.com.
Worsley is survived by his wife, Nancy Blackwelder Worsley; one brother, Donald Worsley of Elizabethtown, N.C.; three children; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Burial is planned at Oleander Memorial Gardens.
The family suggests donations to Lower Cape Fear Hospice & LifeCareCenter. Andrews Mortuary is handling arrangements, and condolences may be sent to the family through its Web site, www.andrewsmortuary.com, the newspaper stated.


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PAPER OR PLASTIC? THAT IS THE QUESTION. OR IS IT?
The bedding sector is becoming very receptive to the sustainability-oriented practices that have been taking over almost every sector and/or industry. At the very core, the question seems to be “which one between plastic and paper is the better material?”, and more often than not the public opinion is ready to take a firm stance on how one is unequivocally better than the other. We are here to suggest that, when it comes to the bedding, upholstery and home textile sector, providing a straight answer is no easy feat.
In today’s world, the manufacturer’s goal needs to go beyond the high quality and sustainability of its products. You need to provide a whole responsible experience from manufacturing operations to packaging. Hence, the green credentials of the material you wrap your product with are just as important as those of the product itself.
When choosing what material to use for the packaging of consumer goods such as pillows and cushions, today’s entrepreneur takes into account product life cycle from the very beginning of product study and product marketing strategy keeping in mind packaging too; this is even more the case if the business will be mainly operating in areas with a regulatory framework in place for sustainability-oriented practices for regulations, sensibilities, and mindsets change with the geographic area where the business is set up.
Let’s take a closer look.
WHAT’S EUROPE’S STANCE ON PLASTIC?
Not too long ago, IKEA, announced its intention to eliminate plastic packaging by 2025 opting to use more renewable materials such as paper thanks to its strong circular capabilities. The Swedish retail giant’s sustainable commitment has gone as far as to pledging the total elimination of plastic, very representative of Europe’s sensibility toward the material: 87% of the population are worried about the impact of plastic on the environment.
Indeed, Europe has put many regulations in place to contain the use of plastic, such as the Single-Use Plastics (SUP) Directive as well as the New Circular Economy Action Plan, which includes a proposal to make all plastic packaging in the EU recyclable by 2030 encouraging the use of sustainable materials, and increasing the uptake of recycled content in plastic products.
When it comes to packaging, on average, each European generates almost 180 kg of packaging waste per year. Packaging uses the highest amount of virgin materials such as 40% of plastics and 50% of paper used in the EU is destined for packaging. Without action, the EU expects a further 19% increase in packaging waste by 2030, and for plastic packaging waste even a 46% increase.
In an attempt to tackle this constantly growing source of waste and of consumer frustration, in November 2022, the Commission proposed new EU-wide rules on packaging, including proposals to improve packaging design, such as clear labelling, to promote reuse and recycling and calls for a transition to bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics.
WHAT’S USA’S TAKE?
If we look across the pond, in the USA, it is hard to pinpoint a home textile business similar to IKEA that has announced a switch from plastic to paper although, in other sectors, giants such as Amazon, McDonald’s have been showing the same kind of commitment toward sustainable packaging and all-round approach.
Clearly, it is a matter of fact that the U.S. regulatory framework for plastic reduction and recycling is not as stringent as Europe’s. The country, in fact, has a very low plastic recycling rate – 9% according to the Environmental Protection Agency 2018 report against Europe’s 33% according to the European Parliament 2018 report.
Part of the reason might be the diversified scenario that characterizes the country where some states lead by example, like California that in 2019 became the first state to ban single-use plastic bags, and where, contrary to the EU, a global mattress recycling system is in place and obtaining excellent results (source: https://mattressrecyclingcouncil.org/). This suggests that the U.S. policy will soon lead to new sustainability-oriented regulations in other sectors too; in fact, if we take a closer look at how the use of plastic is regulated in packaging, we find that there are a few federal and state laws governing the USA aiming to reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste and promote sustainable packaging alternatives.
It is also important to stress that many American businesses are committed to implementing good sustainability practices regardless of the regulations or lack thereof, and driven by their mission and clear understanding of where the sensibilities of the younger demographics are headed. Statistics have shown that Gen Z and Millennials come with high expectations holding companies accountable when it comes to all areas of CSR, including sustainability (in the bedding sector, a recent study by The Better Sleep Council shows that 82% of the consumers who will consider sustainability when purchasing a mattress are Gen Z or Millennials).
In other words: a sustainable company is more trustworthy, and the trust doesn’t end with the product, but it pertains to the whole process, including packaging materials.
WHAT ABOUT REGULATIONS ON THE USE OF PAPER?
When it comes to the use of paper, both the EU and USA have policies aimed at promoting responsible and sustainable forest management and reducing deforestation. The EU has implemented the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan, which aims to prevent illegal logging while the USA have implemented the Lacey Act, which prohibits the trade of illegally harvested timber.
PROS AND CONS OF PLASTIC PACKAGING AND PAPER PACKAGING
Unquestionably, plastic is still the most popular packaging material due to its durability, versatility, and cost-effectiveness. It is clear and it can be molded into various shapes and sizes, making it ideal to pack mattresses, pillows and cushions. Additionally, plastic is lightweight, which reduces transportation costs and carbon emissions. Plastic packaging has a lower impact in terms of energy consumption (International Journal of Sustainable Engineering), can be recycled and can come also in its recyclable version.
Paper is considered more eco-friendly, is biodegradable, recyclable, renewable, and offers higher levels of breathability compared to plastic which is not necessarily deemed as an essential aspect for the home textile sector.
What stands out as an important difference in the bedding sector is the look and design of the packaging. A clear plastic packaging allows the customer to know what the product looks like, while with paper this happens through a small opening. Furthermore, paper can easily lose its smooth appearance as it gets easily squashed and misshapen. Keeping this in mind, we believe that with the use of paper, consumers in the bedding sector will need to get used to a more sober product image.
Nevertheless, the two materials share some characteristics: they both are very flexible, printer-friendly, and they can be applied to flat and rolled shapes (although paper vacuum packaging still requires a minimum amount of plastic).
Keeping all of these benefits and disadvantages in mind, there is no question that paper is starting to make its way in the bedding sector. In fact, it’s safe to say that the industry’s packaging trends are heading in that direction driven also by the many companies that find paper’s appeal to a specific user-base oriented toward sustainable practices a very important selling point.
Although paper seems to be attracting more and more attention as an alternative solution, it is estimated that its processing currently costs at least 3 times more than plastic’s, which is why all the large packaging multinational corporations are facing one of the most complicated challenges they have had to deal with so far in order to create new increasingly sustainable products.
SO, IS THE QUESTION REALLY PLASTIC OR PAPER? NO.
As we have seen, it is not easy to decide which material is better than the other; both come with advantages and disadvantages; there will be many aspects that will determine the choice.
With the growing concern for climate change, more and more studies are being conducted on the entire supply chain for the two products starting from their production up to the method envisaged for their disposal and possible recycling, precisely to evaluate and compare the impact of the packaging on the surrounding environment.
As a leader in the sector of technologies for the bedding, upholstery and home textile industry, Brighi is fully aware that companies must prepare the way for the future, a future where, most probably, both materials will continue to be used.
Fully aware that the ecological transition is an imminent and necessary change, Brighi has already begun collaborating with the most important paper and plastic manufacturing groups active both in Europe and in the United States to meet the needs of an increasingly sustainable future with the best technology to support bedding and home textile manufacturers in the handling of paper, plastic and any new products that will result as the sector continues to evolve and new regulations are implemented.
No need to choose now, Brighi is already working to manage the next steps and always be ready to support current and prospect customers with innovative solutions suited to their business.


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Confidence continues to slip, yet focus on hiring remains healthy
Confidence in the U.S. economy, as expressed by CEOs and owners of small businesses, continued to decline since the start of 2015, falling to its lowest level in nearly two years. According to the October 2015 WSJ/Vistage Small Business Survey, the monthly Confidence Index was 101.9 in October, down from 103.7 in September, and from the peak of 115.5 at the start of 2015. University of Michigan’s Dr. Richard Curtin, who analyzes the monthly survey results noted, “While it may seem clear that a peak was recorded at the start of 2015, the key question is whether it will also constitute a cyclical peak. Even given the atypical nature of the expansion, the data only indicate a slower, but still positive, rate of economic growth.”
Despite this lack of confidence in the overall U.S. economy, CEOs and small business owners remain buoyant about the prospects for their own businesses, as 72% stated that they expected sales/revenues to rise over the next twelve months and 57% said profits will increase as well. While some small firms may have begun to limit capital investments and hiring, the percentage of respondents who said they plan to add new employees over the next year remains high at 55%. Turns out that because it will take hiring and retaining excellent people to achieve these projected increases sales and profits, the focus on talent remains strong and should serve as good news for the job market.
During a recent trip to the U.K., I found the continued attention to hiring to be particularly true in speaking with Vistage members there. They told me that while finding and hiring qualified people is a challenge, they’ve remained nimble both in their attitude, and in their ability and willingness to try innovative approaches to attract talent to their companies. In this month’s Pulse of Small Business video, listen to our U.K. members as they convey their expectations about the future of the economy and share their thoughts on the challenge of hiring top talent. In the meantime, feel free to share your best hiring practices with us here on Executive Street!
Category: Economic / Future Trends


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Craft Brew Alliance has appointed two Anheuser-Busch InBev executives to its board of directors, according to a press release issued last week.
CBA — which makes and markets the Kona, Redhook, Widmer Brothers, Omission and Square Mile Cider brands, and has partnerships with Appalachian Mountain Brewing, Cisco Brewers and Wynwood Brewing — will add Nickolas A. Mills, the vice president of ABI’s The High End craft beer division, and Michael R. Taylor, the vice president of ABI’s North America Zone, to its board of directors on January 1, 2017.
A-B, which owns 31.6 percent of CBA, may designate two people to CBA’s board as part of its agreement with the Portland, Oregon-based craft beer company. Thomas D. Larson, A-B’s senior associate general counsel, had previously served as ABI’s lone designee to the board since September 2015.
Larson, who joined the board in July 2011, will step down on December 31. He had served as lead internal counsel for all dealings between ABI and CBA since 1994, according to the release.
The move to add two new A-B executives to the CBA board further cements the relationship between the two companies; earlier this year, they agreed to a series of commercial agreements that included an amended and extended master distribution agreement, a new contract brewing arrangement, and a new international distribution agreement.
In a press release, David Lord, chairman of the CBA board, welcomed Mills and Taylor and thanked Larson “for his many years of service on the Board and dedication to CBA.”
“Given CBA’s ongoing evolution and acceleration of its Kona Plus strategy, which combines leading national and lifestyle brands with distinctive regional owned and partner breweries, this is an ideal time to gain two beer industry veterans with specific experience creating operating efficiencies and shareholder value,” Lord said in the release.
Throughout his career at A-B, Mills has served as senior brewmaster and senior general manager at the Baldwinsville Brewery, where he worked on beers from Goose Island and Blue Point, flavored malt beverages and ciders, the release said.
Taylor, meanwhile, has been charged with developing partnerships for A-B’s U.S. and Canadian divisions since December 2010, the release said. Taylor, who joined A-B in 2004, has worked on the company’s investor relations, finance, real estate, accounting, and M&A strategies.
Earlier this month, CBA announced a deal to purchase a 24.5 percent stake in Miami upstart Wynwood Brewing Company.


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Date: January 17, 2024. — Omega Seiki Mobility (OSM) and Kissan Mobility Pvt. Ltd. (OnEv), a zero-emission logistics provider, have announced a strategic partnership to deploy 500 electric three-wheeler cargo vehicles for last-mile delivery across India by June 2024.
A wide range of applications, including e-commerce, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), and fast-moving consumer durables (FMCD), are covered by the transaction. The transaction is valued at INR 20 crores. The collaboration seeks to improve efficiency and dependability while lowering the logistics industry’s operational expenses and carbon footprint.
Electric three-wheelers are developing as a viable alternative to conventional vehicles for urban logistics. This is due to their lower noise and air pollution, improved battery performance, and government subsidies. OSM and OnEv are pioneers in the sector of electric logistics. They provide innovative and environmentally sustainable solutions to suit the changing needs of their customers.
Uday Narang, OSM’s founder and chairman, expressed excitement about partnering with OnEv for a groundbreaking initiative. He highlighted the shared vision for a sustainable logistics future. He stated that deploying electric vehicles will boost efficiency and contribute to a greener environment. Narang emphasized the commitment to electrifying the logistics sector. Moreover, he praised the collaboration with OnEv as a pivotal moment in the evolution of electric logistics.
Kamlesh Kaushik, CEO and founder of OnEv, expressed excitement about partnering with OSM for deploying 500 EV 3-wheelers in their fleet. As a zero-emission logistics company, OnEv aims to transform urban and rural logistics. They are confident in OSM’s product lineup and service support, planning to expand their fleet to 2500 3-wheelers and an equal number of 4-wheelers by March 2025.
OSM is the first OEM to offer electric two, three, and four-wheelers. Moreover, the company has established large-scale production facilities in Delhi NCR and Pune. The company also offers last-mile service under the trademark “UNOXpress”.
OnEv, a logistics company noted for its innovation and dependability, works in Delhi/NCR, Chandigarh, and Jaipur, managing a fleet of over 150 electric vehicles for clients in a variety of industries, including e-commerce, grocery delivery, FMCG, food, and pharmaceuticals for last-mile deliveries.


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National parks and racism: How managers of public lands can help our country’s shared treasures be more inclusive for all. [National Geographic]
Diversity in cycling: These organizations are fighting to broaden representation in the sport and make it more accessible for everyone. [Bicycling]
Black Hikers Week: A new digital event hopes to increase Black people's visibility in the outdoors—and inspire more to hit the trail. [Backpacker]
Grassroots’ ConnectHub gains steam: The pandemic-inspired platform to connect vendors with retailers for the spring buying season now has more than 100 brands on board and is open to retailers outside of GOA’s member roster.
Plants to the rescue: Some forward-thinking brands are embracing microalgae as an alternative to oil-based components in technical apparel. [Gear Patrol]
The importance of state parks: Members of the public and politicians spend a lot of time talking about federal public lands. We need to put the same focus on state-owned parks. [Forbes]


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How would you like to rent a car in less than a second?
The idea of instant access to a vehicle could be appealing, especially for people who don’t own a car and live in a big city. General Motors and Toyota are the latest major automakers to get on board the car-sharing trend and could help turn it into a new normal for urban-dwelling commuters.
The idea of a car company venturing into the by-the-hour car rental business might seem to fly in the face of their desire to sell cars meant for individual ownership, but the younger generation seems to be demanding a change in how they transport themselves.
They don’t want to own cars, but they want convenient, inexpensive access to them.
GM has already partnered with Lyft, but expanded its presence in the car-sharing world by starting a new service called Maven. The service debuted in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in January and has expanded to nine U.S. markets, including New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
The goal is to provide access to cars within seconds via an app, which can then be driven by the hour. GM is finding that Maven’s sweet spot may be in one-way rentals and is increasingly popular for airport transportation.
Toyota is taking a slightly different route and partnering with a company called Getaround, which bills itself as something like Airbnb, but with cars. The partnership will allow owners of Toyota vehicles to share their cars with people who want to rent them.
To facilitate this car sharing, Toyota developed a smart key box that can be placed in an owner’s vehicle without any modifications to the vehicle. Those wishing to use the car via Getaround’s car-sharing service will receive a code that authorizes their device to access, and start, the vehicle.
Car-sharing appears to be a movement that will continue to grow in the coming years, so automakers are smart to explore ways to be involved.
Would you rather rent a car when you need one, or own a car and rent it out when it’s not in use?


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Last week you asked me to complete a review of the financial press to discover what their views were regarding the success or otherwise of MegaStore’s.com initiative. I’ve now completed and attached that review.
As far as the financial press is concerned, there are three reasons why the jury is still out regarding Mega-Store.com’s success:
- Past performance is poor
- Current performance improvement initiatives are yet to prove themselves
- Some fundamental issues around integration and customer loyalty remain unaddressed.
I have discussed each issue in turn below.
Past performance poor
Since its lauch in July 1996, Mega-Store.com’s performance has been poor in terms of both sales and traffic.
Sales are low
Internet sales totalled only about $5 billion during the Christmas season last year. That is small in comparison to the overall size of Mega-Store, which had more than $160 billion in sales in 1999.
Traffic is low
About 23 million Mega-Store customers had internet access at the end of last year. Mega-Store.com had a little more than 1 million vistitors in August, according to Nielsen/Net Ratings. That was well behind Amazon.com, which led with 17 million visitors.
Media Metrix, Inc (Nasdaq: MMXI) reports that, in July, sears.com led the “department store” retail category by attracting 2.475 million unique vistors, followed by JCPenney.com with 2.242 million and Mega-Store.com with 1.477 million.
Current initiatives unproven
Mega-Store.com has taken a number of initiatives to improve its performance – including a planned site re-launch, creating a separate online company, and appointment of a new CEO with a relevant track record – but these are all recent measures which are yet to prove successful.
Site re-launch benefits not yet proven
The site was shut early October for an overhaul to get set for holiday selling: marking the third time Mega-Store unplugged the site for a relaunch. It had been criticised for being hard to navigate and for emphasizing product breadth over depth – it currently offers about 600,000 SKUs of product.
The site is moving to a newly acquired e-commerce platform and will incorporate customer-suggested changesbefore its scheduled reopening October 17. Among other things, customers suggested changing product categories, adding products and making it easier to log in to shop and place orders.
The January relaunch of the site was a step in the right direction, say analsyts. That upgrade introduced better page design and pricing, said Karl Haller, principal consultant with PricwaterhouseCoopers, but the program is clearly work in progress.
Spin-off benefits not yet proven
Earlier this year, Mega-Store.com was spun off as a separate venture from parent company Mega-Store Stores Inc. in Witherspoon, Ark. The online company is a joint venture of Mega-Store, which is one of the world’s largest retailers, and Bucks partners in Palo Alto, Calif.
As a seprate internet business, Mega-Store.com will be exempt from charging sales tax except in California, Utah and Arkansas (where the e-retailer has a physical presence). This allows it to be more competitively priced against other pure e-retailers. Higher pricing had been a big criticism of the program and posed a pecuilar conundrum for the low-price leader, which suddenly found itself undercut by Amazon.com and eToys during last year’s holiday season.
In addition, Mega-Store will be better able to take more risks now that Mega-Store.com isn’t as closely tied to the parent company. “The need to focus on earnings held us up and kept us from being as innovative and as creative as we need to be,” said Smith.
The spin-off has also brought in venture capital group Bucks Partners. The benefits here go far beyond financial, as Bucks gives the retailer access to a talent pool rich with new-ecoomy players. Combined with the relocation to Silicon Valley, the heart of internet country, the move allows the retailer to better attract the best and brightest in the industry.
“The splitting off of the company is good for attracting talent and for giving a small start-up division the focus it needs to be successful,” said Haller. “The risk is allowing it to stray too far from the overall brand propostion that Mega-Store offers.”
Still early days for new CEO
Never more important, analysts say, is the March 1 appointment of Joan Jet as the CEO of Mega-Store.com. Jet joins the company after four years at the Tweeter’s Orange Republic division. She is credited with building Tweeter’s .com business and integrating its various retail operations online. But, they say, it’s too early to tell if she will be successful in turning around Mega-Store.com.
Fundamental issues unaddressed
Moreover, analysts appear to think that the initiatives taken so far may not address some more fundamental issues – around customer loyalty and integration of site with stores.
Haller, for example, believes Mega-Store should manage customer relationships through Mega-Store.com by building a detailed loyalty program. The retailer has never had such a program, in part because so many people already shop at the chain. In addition, building and maintaining such a program adds cost to the system.
Analysts also say the retailer must focus on integrating its site with its stores and more aggressively marketing to online shoppers. In particular, Mega-Store.com could better differentiate its site from competitors if it were to generate the editorial in-house (currently, manufacturers provide the majority of product-related editorial).
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Please give me a call if you have any additional questions.


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By Michael Snyder
Is the U.S. economy about to experience a major downturn? Unfortunately, there are a whole bunch of signs that economic activity in the United States is really slowing down right now. Freight volumes and freight expenditures are way down, consumer confidence has declined sharply, major retail chains all over America are closing hundreds of stores, and the “sequester” threatens to give the American people their first significant opportunity to experience what “austerity” tastes like. Gas prices are going up rapidly, corporate insiders are dumping massive amounts of stock and there are high profile corporate bankruptcies in the news almost every single day now. In many ways, what we are going through right now feels very similar to 2008 before the crash happened. Back then the warning signs of economic trouble were very obvious, but our politicians and the mainstream media insisted that everything was just fine, and the stock market was very much detached from reality. When the stock market did finally catch up with reality, it happened very, very rapidly. Sadly, most people do not appear to have learned any lessons from the crisis of 2008. Americans continue to rack up staggering amounts of debt, and Wall Street is more reckless than ever. As a society, we seem to have concluded that 2008 was just a temporary malfunction rather than an indication that our entire system was fundamentally flawed. In the end, we will pay a great price for our overconfidence and our recklessness.
So what will the rest of 2013 bring?
Hopefully the economy will remain stable for as long as possible, but right now things do not look particularly promising.
The following are 20 signs that the U.S. economy is heading for big trouble in the months ahead…
#2 The average price of a gallon of gasoline has risen by more than 50 cents over the past two months. This is making things tougher on our economy, because nearly every form of economic activity involves moving people or goods around.
#3 Reader’s Digest, once one of the most popular magazines in the world, has filed for bankruptcy.
#4 Atlantic City’s newest casino, Revel, has just filed for bankruptcy. It had been hoped that Revel would help lead a turnaround for Atlantic City.
#5 A state-appointed review board has determined that there is “no satisfactory plan” to solve Detroit’s financial emergency, and many believe that bankruptcy is imminent. If Detroit does declare bankruptcy, it will be the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.
#6 David Gallagher, the CEO of Town Sports International, recently said that his company is struggling right now because consumers simply do not have as much disposable income anymore…
“As we moved into January membership trends were tracking to expectations in the first half of the month, but fell off track and did not meet our expectations in the second half of the month. We believe the driver of this was the rapid decline in consumer sentiment that has been reported and is connected to the reduction in net pay consumers earn given the changes in tax rates that went into effect in January.“
#7 According to the Conference Board, consumer confidence in the U.S. has hit its lowest level in more than a year.


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US-based home rental platform Airbnb’s Indian arm, Airbnb India, saw a significant improvement in its operating profits for the financial year ended March 31, 2019, despite a steep decline in profits, chiefly by keeping costs under control.
In FY19, the company reported EBITDA margins at nearly 14% against 9.51% in the previous year. Total expenditure reduced 7.5% during the same period. Its expenses stood at Rs 29 crore against Rs 32 crore in FY18, regulatory filings showed.
Within overall costs, other expenses reduced 24% to Rs 19 crore from Rs 25 crore in the previous year. However, there was no clarity on what constituted other expenses for the company. Except for other expenses and finance costs, all other cost heads -- employees, power and fuel and insurance costs registered an increase. Staff costs grew 35% to Rs 7.8 crore.
Despite improving its profitability, the company’s net profits were down 19% to Rs 1.7 crore while topline fell 6% to Rs 32 crore in FY19.
“Further, the business of the company looks positive and is poised for growth in future years,” the company said.
India remains a priority market for Airbnb, which has operations in 191 countries since its inception in 2008 by Rhode Island School of Design and Harvard graduates Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk.
In February, the company said that over one million Indians used Airbnb globally and there has been a 115% increase in Indian listings.
In India, Airbnb competes with homegrown brands OYO and Treebo, Ctrip-backed MakeMyTrip and local unit of Netherland headquartered Booking.com.
In April 2019, Airbnb, which has a home sharing model, invested $75 million in Softbank-backed OYO for a minority stake in the franchise-based hotelier. On Tuesday, OYO posted losses of Rs 2,385 crore in FY19 as against Rs 360 crore in the previous year and 392% rise in revenues to Rs 9,028 crore.


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The Dow Jones Industrials rose 0.24% or 83.29 points, the selective S&P 500 also rose 0.24% or 10.52 units and the Nasdaq market composite index, meanwhile, rose a slight 0, 03% or 3.72 integers.
Wall Street closed this Monday with records in its three leading indicators amid expectations for the quarterly results of large technology companies and awaiting the meeting of the US Federal Reserve.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.24 percent, or 83.29 points, to 35,144.84, according to provisional results at the end of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The Select S&P 500 also rose 0.24% or 10.52 units to 4,422.31.
Meanwhile, the Nasdaq market composite index rose a slight 0.03% or 3.72 integers and ended at 14,840.71.
The New York parquet turned a session that had started in the red and managed to link its second consecutive day of records, with investors more concerned about technology results than about the epidemiological situation.
The electric car giant Tesla published its results after the bell ringing today, so the stock market reaction is expected tomorrow. In the coming days, the "Big Tech" Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Facebook, and Amazon will follow. As well as the "Big Oil," Exxon Mobil, and Chevron.
By sectors, the most significant advance was for energy (2.5%), followed by basic materials (0.88%) and non-essential goods (0.77%), and the most significant loss for sanitation (-0 62%), while technology companies remained almost unchanged (-0.02%).
On the other hand, the market awaits the Federal Open Market Committee meeting to be held between Tuesday and Wednesday in search of clues about a possible withdrawal of stimulus and to know its economic perspectives.
Dow Inc. (3.16%), Intel (2.47%), Chevron (2.11%), and Boeing (1.95%) were the biggest gainers out of the 30 listed in the Dow Jones.
They fell especially Amgen (-1.07%), UnitedHealth (-1%), Nike (-0.76%) and Home Depot (-0.50%).
In addition, cryptocurrencies experienced substantial rises this Monday, with bitcoin touching $ 40,000, encouraged by the possibility that Amazon is looking to expand its presence in this market and ethereum soaring to the level of $ 2,300.
In other markets, Texas oil fell to $ 71.91 a barrel, and at the close of Wall Street, gold fell to $ 1,798.10 an ounce, the 10-year Treasury bond rose to 1.293%, and the dollar lost ground against the euro, with a change of 1.1804.


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During Apple’s Q1 2019 earnings call today, Tim Cook shared updates on how some of the company’s Services have been growing including details on Apple News, Apple Pay, Apple Music, and more. This comes as Apple reported 19% Services growth YoY for a new record of $10.9B in revenue.
Cook shared on the earnings call that the company saw its monthly active user rate for Apple News hit 85M. Apple News rolling out to more countries will also help drive growth. Apple is also rumored to be planning a paid news subscription service launching as early as this spring.
Apple Pay also saw strong growth with 1.8B transactions during 2018, which was up 100% YoY. The company continues to expand the platform with promotional deals, ads, partnerships with city transportation authorities, and more.
Cook said that Apple Music now has 50M paid subscribers. We heard last summer that the service was at 40M paid subscribers, a growth of 10M in around six months.
Another big stat that Cook shared was the number of currently active Apple devices. Last year, there were 1.3 billion active devices, with the latest update showing growth of 100M to 1.4B. iPhones made up more than 900M of the total 1.4B Apple devices. For more perspective, that’s 40% growth for total active devices since 2016 when the company hit the 1 billion device mark.
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Extra startup swapping in the meals delivery space: Spain’s Glovo, an on-demand delivery platform which operates a network of darkish stores serious about city comfort buying, is pushing deeper into planned grocery buying — asserting the acquisition of two regional “Instacart-model” grocery picking and delivery startups, Madrid-basically based entirely mostly Lola Market and Portugal’s Mercadão.
Phrases of the acquisitions are now no longer being disclosed.
2015-founded Lola Market had raised around €3 million, per Crunchbase. It’s now no longer particular how exceptional Portugal’s Mercadão — which was as soon as founded in 2018 — had raised over its shorter plug.
Glovo, meanwhile, raised a meaty $528 million Sequence F help in April — however rapidly splurged $208 million to decide on out up three meals delivery brands from rival Delivery Hero in Central and Eastern Europe.
The Spanish on-demand delivery platform is facing challenges to its mannequin on dwelling turf where the federal government has applied a labor reform geared in direction of delivery workers in the gig economy.
Glovo replied by imposing a brand novel self-employment mannequin on the most effective majority of riders on its platform, hiring entirely around a fifth. So the scene looks location for lawful challenges in its dwelling market.
On the European Union level, lawmakers are additionally eyeing how to strengthen prerequisites for platform workers — and may perhaps perhaps contrivance with pan-EU legislation that has wider implications for the alternate fashions of regional gamers fancy Glovo.
Ongoing regulatory challenges over employment classification and algorithmic management of workers in the gig economy may perhaps perhaps provide some context for Glovo’s expanding curiosity in grocery buying in Europe, where it has been constructing out a network of darkish stores to energy what it calls “Q-Commerce” (aka, swiftly city comfort buying).
To boot to for its now no longer too long previously presented world expansion in Africa, where it has stated this may perhaps also very smartly be doubling down funding over the next 12 months.
Nonetheless additionally the scenario of hitting profitability for pure on-demand meals delivery looks fancy a sizeable fragment of the puzzle right here utilizing consolidation.
By in conjunction with gamers in the supermarket and retail outlet picking delivery space, Glovo expands its protection of purchasers’ desires — and can nudge customers to exhaust more by being in an arena to mistaken-sell them on planned purchases (corresponding to the weekly grocery store), as smartly as what it payments as “emergency essentials” and “hasty motion comfort” powered by the more restricted stock it may perhaps provide in its city heart darkish stores.
Both Lola Market and Mercadão’s brand identities will in all probability be retained, per Glovo, which additionally says they can operate independently — led by Gonçalo Soares da Costa, CEO of Mercadão.
It touts the acquisitions as strengthening its aggressive space in Europe in “key markets” — occurring to counsel this may perhaps well well add grocery picking and delivery across its entire market footprint, with an preliminary expansion planned for Poland and Italy.
Also this day it stated its Q-Commerce division is “heading in the accurate direction” to be triumphant in an annual Corrupt Transaction Trace (GTV) of more than €300 million this 300 and sixty five days — in conjunction with that it expects that to more than triple by the tip of 2022, projecting this may perhaps well well surpass a plug fee of €1 billion.
Commenting on its most modern acquisitions in an announcement, Oscar Pierre, CEO and co-founder of Glovo, added: “We peek tall capability in the on-demand groceries market and each and every firms are solid local gamers of their respective markets, and further give a boost to our Q-Commerce providing.
“With Lola Market and Mercadão on board, we are able to create stronger partnerships with shops, provide our customers immense-basket purchases and provide a more total service. These acquisitions signify a critical step forward for us, as we’re now in an arena to mask the total predominant buying concerns for groceries possibilities, making Glovo a one-live-store for e-groceries.”


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Oct 1, 2009
Luxury brands must brush up service to succeed
Oct 1, 2009
By Miral Fahmy
SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - Creating a craving for that designer handbag or that trendy watch isn't enough to get customers to whip out their credit cards, but treating them well certainly can, an expert on luxury brands says.
Photo : Sam Yeh/AFP
Michel Phan of the Paris-based ESSEC Business School, which runs the world's only luxury brand managament MBA programme, says service -- online, in-store and after-sale -- is vital for luxury retailers in Asia.
Research shows affluent households are expected to spend just over $605 billion on discretionary items in 2015.
"Service is the weakest link in the luxury business model," explained Phan, assistant professor of marketing at ESSEC.
"I often tell retailers -- you have a beautiful product, a wonderful store, but when it comes to service, it's not on par, or its not even there," Phan, director of the MasterCard-ESSEC luxury brand management executive programme, told Reuters.
Compared to Europe and the United States, many Asian economies have weathered the global financial crisis, driving several luxury retails to look eastwards for growth.
LVMH, the world's biggest luxury goods group which owns the Louis Vuitton brand especially popular in Asia, said China was the main contributor to emerging market sales, which make up about 30 percent of turnover.
Rival Richemont, the world's second largest luxury group in terms of sales and which includes the Cartier brand, also counts China as one of its main markets.
In Asia, Phan said luxury spending was expected to grow between 6 and 7 percent in the year starting July, compared to a decline of up to 15 percent in the United States and a drop of up to 5 percent in Europe.
But even though they have more cash to shop with, Phan said the economic doldrums had put a brake on a lot of impulse buying in Asia, making top-notch service especially pertinent.
"No one ever says 'Congratulations for buying this brand, you've done well'," Phan said.
"It's not enough to say 'Our brand is expensive, or known'. You have to make customers connect with your brand, especially during this crisis, when they're more reluctant to buy on the spur of the moment. You have to give people a good reason to buy."
With the ranks of the newly rich swelling in some Asian countries, luxury retailers need to educate potential customers about their wares, Phan said, in contrast to Europe where affluent customers who frequent luxury retailers are well aware of the value of what they're buying.
Phan, who admits he's on a one-man quest to improve the service at luxury retails across Asia, said sales teams should appeal to customers' emotions, online or at the store, to succeed.
"You've got Japan and South Korea, which are mature markets for luxury, but in other emerging markets such as China, consumers don't know much about the history of the brand, and this is the area that services can make a good contribution," he said.
"Tell them a story, tell them the history. A watch, a bag, a pair of shoes can become so much more if you educate people."
(Editing by Sugita Katyal)
© Thomson Reuters 2022 All rights reserved.


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- A study found using CBD could help people who are trying to stop using cannabis.
- There are two major compounds in cannabis: THC, which is psychoactive, and CBD, the non-psychoactive component that appears to help with pain relief, anxiety, and addiction.
- Because CBD does not produce a "high," the study found prescribed doses can be used to replace THC-heavy cannabis people would otherwise be using.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Many people who frequently use cannabis take "tolerance breaks" when they feel they are smoking too much.
But for those with cannabis use disorder, who are negatively impacted and distressed by their cannabis use, cutting down on or quitting marijuana altogether is easier said than done.
A study published July 28 found that using CBD pills could help reduce the need for the drug among people with the disorder.
Researchers gave CBD — a compound in marijuana that does not produce a high and may help with anxiety and addiction — or a placebo to 82 volunteers who wanted to stop using cannabis but were unable to. All of those surveyed fit the description of those with cannabis use disorder and had tried to quit using cannabis at least once before the trial.
They found that 400 mg and 800 mg doses of CBD were equally effective in reducing cannabis usage over time, with participants given those doses reporting more days in between cannabis use at the end of the trial than those who were given the placebo.
CBD does not produce a high but may relax people
It may seem counterintuitive to treat cannabis use disorder with a component of the substance, but according to Lead author Dr. Tom Freeman, Director of the Addiction and Mental Health Group within the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath, CBD can be therapeutic, which can aid in treating addiction.
Because CBD does not produce a high like THC, it can give users the body relaxation benefits of marijuana without affecting the mind in a way that might be distressing to people with cannabis use disorder.
A recent study found that using high-potency cannabis — or cannabis with a high percentage of THC — could actually lead to heightened anxiety.
"Unlike THC, CBD does not produce intoxicating or rewarding effects and it shows potential for a treating several other medical disorders," Freeman said.


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The new renders show the OnePlus 6 with an edge-to-edge bezel-less display and it could feature a centrally placed dual rear camera setup which is vertically stacked, with a rectangular fingerprint scanner on the rear.
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OnePlus 6 has been the talk of the town ever since the company’s Co-Founder revealed that it will sport an iPhone X-like notch on top of its display. Now, a new report from CNMO claims that the smartphone will launch in three colour models, Black, White and Blue, and some renders of the phone in the new colour model was also posted on Weibo. OnePlus' previous phones come in Black and White colour variants.
The leaked images hint at a red coloured Alert Slider on the OnePlus 6, same as the one we have seen on the OnePlus 5T Star Wars edition. The company recently Tweeted a new teaser video which suggests that the Alert Slider on the OnePlus 6 could be used for manual focusing. Coming back to the renders, they are in line with previous rumours and it is seen featuring a vertically-aligned dual camera setup with a fingerprint sensor, which is rectangular in size. The smartphone features an edge-to-edge display with the notch on top and its presence on the upcoming smartphone has been confirmed by the company officials. This has caused a number of fans to voice their opinion against the decision and Pete Lau, along with Carl Pei, have given lengthy explanations as to why the company has opted to go for the notch design. The officials say this has been done for providing more usable screen real estate to uses. However, users who are against the notch will also have an option for hiding it by using the compatibility mode.
Some other specs of the OnePlus 6 have also been confirmed by the company. It will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC with 8GB RAM and 256GB of onboard storage, which will be a first for the brand. The smartphone will also come with a 3.5mm audio jack and as mentioned above, it will come with a compatibility mode for hiding the notch when the device is in landscape orientation. It can be set individually for an app and the company says to have tested over 1000 top apps on the Play Store. The device will also support gesture-based navigation and an official teaser by the company hints that one might be able to launch apps by drawing a gesture on the screen.
The company is also rumoured to launch a Bluetooth enabled version of its Bullets in-ear headphones alongside the OnePlus 6. The ‘OnePlus Bullets Wireless’ headphone has been spotted on the Bluetooth certification website with the model number BT31B and it’s registered to OnePlus. There could also be a special variant of the device with a wooden finish on the rear panel. The phone is expected to launch running on OxygenOS based upon Android Oreo and official forum for the OnePlus 6 is also live.
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We are about leadership-the 9.9 kind! Building a leading media company out of India.And,grooming new leaders for this promising industry.


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Indian online insurance policy comparison and brokerage service InsuranceDekho has raised USD 60m in a Series B round featuring Goldman Sachs.
Japanese deep tech investor Beyond Next Ventures has achieved a first close of JPY 10bn (USD 67.1m) on its third flagship fund. The target is JPY 25bn.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has led a USD 24m Series B round for Indian employee healthcare insurance start-up Onsurity.
DataCanvas, a China-based artificial intelligence-driven (AI) big data solutions provider, has raised CNY 300m (USD 41m) in a first tranche of Series D funding with strong support from investors with ties to national-level state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
Hong Kong blockchain specialist CMCC Global has reached a first close on its latest financial technology and web3 fund, raising the full targeted amount of USD 100m.
Legend Capital and Oriza FoFs have led a CNY 600m (USD 81m) Series D round for Leadrive, a Shanghai-headquartered manufacturer of semiconductor power modules and motor control units used in electric vehicles (EVs).
MTR Lab, a technology and innovation arm of Hong Kong transport operator MTR, has teamed up with Gobi Partners to invest HKD 46.8m (USD 5.9m) in local sustainable construction start-up isBIM.
SuperOrdinary, a global consumer brands accelerator that operates out of Shanghai, New York, and Los Angeles, has raised USD 58m in Series B funding at a valuation of more than USD 800m.
SparkLabs Group, which operates a network of start-up accelerators and venture capital funds with a strong presence in Asia, has raised USD 100m through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) offering on NASDAQ.
Japan-US cross-border investor World Innovation Lab (WiL) has joined a JPY 4bn (USD 27.3m) Series C round for Tokyo-based telemedicine and health platform Micin.
True North has agreed to pay USD 75m for a minority stake in iLink Digital, a digital transformation service provider founded in the US by two Indian entrepreneurs.
Investree Group, operator of a series of lending platforms that target micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Southeast Asia, has raised EUR 220m (USD 231m) in Series D funding.
Bolttech has pieced together one of the world’s largest digital insurance broking platforms through targeted acquisitions. Now, increased emphasis is attached to expansion from broking into underwriting
17Live, a VC-backed Taiwan-based streaming platform that previously tried and failed to list in the US, is set to become the first company to list in Singapore through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC).
Singapore’s Mars Growth Capital, a tech investor set up in 2021 by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) and Liquidity Group, has launched its maiden Asia equity fund with an initial USD 500m.
The Fundamentum Group sees mass-market promise in Indian digital audio platform Kuku FM. It’s targeting a 50% market share by focusing on uniquely local content in vernacular languages
Regulatory pressures are encouraging Chinese VC firms to end longstanding US affiliations, but the impact of impending legislation – even sight unseen – cuts deeper into investor sentiment on China
Singapore-based InterContinental Energy, a company developing green hydrogen fuel projects in Australia and the Middle East, has raised USD 115m from GIC and specialist investor Hy24.
L Catterton has led a CNY 200m (USD 27m) Series B round for Trautec, a China-based biotech start-up that develops synthetic proteins used in beauty and healthcare products.
Shanghai International Group (SIG) – acting through an assortment of investment units – has led a CNY 2bn (USD 273m) Series D round for Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Enflame Technology.
Bain Capital has agreed to acquire Tokyo-listed Systems Information (SI&C) via a tender offer that values the software and IT provider at about JPY 22bn (USD 147m).
Australia’s Neara, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that helps power companies simulate natural disaster scenarios, has closed a USD 24m Series B round featuring Prosus Ventures.
Eastern Bell Capital has led a Series D round of more than CNY 300m (USD 41m) for Huimei Cloud Technology, a China-based provider of artificial intelligence-enabled (AI) software that helps doctors make clinical decisions.
A millennial member of one of Indonesia’s most prominent family business groups, John Riady became a VC investor in 2011. He has witnessed a nascent digital economy begin to fulfil its promise


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Qualcomm's Jacobs Joins CES Keynote Lineup
Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs has joined the lineup of keynote speakers at International CES next January. Jacobs will speak at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10.
Jacobs is the fourth announced keynoter, joining Microsoft's Steve Ballmer, Ericsson's Hans Vestberg and Daimler's Dr. Dieter Zetsche, and more will be announced.
"Qualcomm's more than 25 years of wireless innovation is driving growth of next-generation mobile technologies that connect people around the world," CEA president and CEO Gary Shapiro said as part of the announcement. "We look forward to hearing Dr. Jacobs' latest plans for Qualcomm and his strategic vision for the future of mobile technology."


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Amazon and Best Buy offer their Black Friday deal on the Apple TV again
Amazon is selling the Apple TV for $89.99 that is 9% savings and probably the lowest price you will see for the Apple TV this season. The Best Buy Black Friday 2011 Ad has the Apple TV advertised for the same price. Amazon is yet again matching advertised prices of their competitors. I just checked and the reason this Apple TV Black Friday deal is already available today is that Best Buy is also offering the Apple TV for $89.99 right now online.
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The Apple TV is the best iPad accessory. Now that iOS 5 supports AirPlay Mirroring the Apple TV is a must have for iPad owners. This makes the Apple TV a great Holiday gift for iPad fans.
More Apple Black Friday deals can be found in our Apple Black Friday Deals Guide.
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The Best Buy Black Friday 2011 Ad has leaked and also Best Buy already released many of their Black Friday 2011 Doorbuster Deals on their site. Here is a reason to line-up in front of a Best Buy Store on Black Friday, November 25. Note that Best Buy opens already Midnight this year. The Online Best Buy Black Friday Sale will already launch midnight Thanksgiving Day on BestBuy.com.