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MOST fashion watchers agreed that, while Prada'sautumn/winter 2010-11 collection was one of the most wearable, even in a season populated by wearable shows, it still came as a surprise - and designer Miuccia Prada credits her husband Partrizio Bertelli, Prada's chief executive, with her willingness to take risks and evolve the brand each season.
"He's far more of a provocateur than I am," Prada says of Bertelli - whom she always refers to by his surname. "With him, you're always questioning yourself. He and I have a little rule of three. If he says something more than three times, then I need to think about it."
Having said that, the brand has come in for criticism lately - notably from a US newspaper, for its "stodgy" web strategy in the face of labels like Burberry, who have embraced Facebook and have developed a Sartorialist-like website, Art Of The Trench, featuring people wearing its coats.
"I think that's bulls**t," Prada told the Wall Street Journal Magazine. "Why does showing a photo of someone wearing a trench online mean being open to the world? What if we found out years from now that Twitter is crap? Maybe, years from now, we'll all have been mistaken."
YOU SHOULD SEE: Prada's ladylike show for autumn/winter 2010-11...
YOU SHOULD SEE: Prada's take on colour and embellishment this season at Miu Miu...
TODAY IN HISTORY: Which designer once lived in a squat with Boy George?


text: Associated Press Writer The wife of a man who died during a food poisoning outbreak last year is suing two meat companies, claiming they failed to properly inspect their products and didn't recall them quickly enough. Lawese Drayton said her husband, Raymond, fell seriously ill in August after eating deli meats infected with listeria. He was hospitalized Aug. 28 and died Sept. 1, the complaint said. The federal suit, filed April 15, names Pilgrim's Pride and the Jack Lambersky Poultry Company. Pilgrim's Pride recalled 27 million pounds of cooked turkey and chicken and temporarily halted operations at its Wampler Foods deli meat plant in Franconia, Pa., after traces of listeria were found there in October. The same bacteria turned up later during tests at a Jack Lambersky plant in Camden, N.J., about 30 miles away. Lawyers for the family said they were unsure what brand of deli meat Drayton consumed, but they said the listeria found in his body was a genetic match to strains found at both plants. Pilgrim's Pride of Pittsburg, Texas, said in a statement that it had taken steps to ensure that it was producing safe products. Calls to Jack Lambersky, which does business under the name JL Foods, were not immediately returned. The company recalled 4.2 million pounds of chicken and turkey meat during the outbreak. Eight people died during the outbreak and the lawsuit is the second related to it. The first, a proposed class action, was withdrawn after attorneys concluded that there would be too few plaintiffs.

domain: news


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King Soopers and employees represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 announced on Jan. 21 that they have reached a tentative three-year agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, ending the 10 day strike at the Colorado grocery chain.King Soopers, the local chain of the Kroger supermarket giant, faced a walkout from more than 8,000 workers at 78 Denver metro area stores.
The three-year deal still needs to be ratified and the union said that details of the contract would be made public after the union members begin making their final votes starting on Jan. 24.
The union announced that workers are expected to start leaving the picket lines today."You have seven days to return to work. Contact your store manager to be placed on the schedule," the union wrote to its members on Twitter.
“After months of negotiations and after our members walked out on strike, we have reached a tentative agreement with King Soopers/City Market that addresses the Company’s unfair labor practices and ensures that our members will receive the respect, pay, and protection they warrant,” said Kim Cordova, president of UFCW Local 7.
“This fight will always be about the workers. I could not be prouder of our members who put it all on the line to have their voices heard.”
King Soopers immediately put out a responding press release.
“We are pleased that this agreement allows us to put more money in our associates’ paychecks and secures healthcare and pension plans.” said Joe Kelley, President of King Soopers and City Market.
“We look forward to welcoming back our associates and customers.”
King Sooper employees went on strike on Jan. 12 after rejecting at least two offers from the grocery chain.
The workers had complained about what they deemed years of unfair labor practices by King Soopers during the months of negotiations.
The union criticized the grocery chain for using third-party staffing agencies to do union-covered work.
It also called for better wages, health care benefits, security in the stores, restoration of pandemic hazard pay and an end to a two-tier pay structure for employees hired after 2005.
The union had earlier rejected a $170 million offer made last week by Kroger, which said was its “last, best and final offer.”
It proposed a starting pay of $18.56 an hour and provision for a faster pathway for part-time employees to become full-time.
More than 70 percent of the workers are part-time, according to the union.The pandemic and rising inflation have pushed many American workers to demand better working conditions and higher pay.
The parent company, Kroger had accused the union of refusing to bargain in good faith, while the union alleged a few King Soopers representatives displayed "unprofessional" and "outrageous" behavior.
“All of us at Local 7 are proud to fight on behalf of our members who show up to work every day, keeping shelves full to feed their communities through this ongoing pandemic while barely making ends meet to feed and provide for their own families. We didn’t ask for this fight, but the Company chose to put profits over people for so long and failed to listen to the workers who made its success possible,” Cordova said in her statement in the union’s press release.
“Now, our members have the contracts they deserve and can be proud of.
“This would not have been possible without the support of our allies throughout Colorado and across the country. To those who supported our members by honoring the picket line and showing up in solidarity, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
The union’s contracts with other King Soopers and City Market stores across Colorado will soon expire.
It still is not clear how the new agreement covering Denver-area stores will affect them.


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Newton gets in the holiday spirit
By SETH AUGENSTEIN
NEWTON -- The Newton Holiday Parade kicked off the season of good will with a street full of deliriously happy revelers working themselves into the Christmas spirit.
The hundreds and hundreds had help from Santa, who cruised along Spring Street atop a Newton fire truck, waving like a conquering hero amid cheers and Christmas oldies.
Before Santa arrived from the North Pole, the cold crowd was warmed up for the parade by a hour-long line of people from all over the county, including Scouts, chapters of the 4-H program, pageant winners from almost every town, the big sounds of a couple marching bands, blaring emergency vehicles, mounted police and some impressive floats with Christmas trees, livestock, and raucous kids everywhere. Paraders flung candies out of their BMWs, pick-up trucks and classic cars as the crowd cheered them, and the holidays, onward.
The grand marshal of this year's parade was the new Newton town manager, Tom Russo Jr.
Absolutely everyone said they felt privileged to be there.
Rosemary Mora, of Ogdensburg, said the Newton parade was a decades-long tradition for her and her family. This year, she was there with her husband and her granddaughter, Isabella Covell. One of triplets, Isabella stood on one side catching candy as her two brothers marched in the parade -- Isabella said she was waiting for Santa Claus to make the long loop around the block in his fire truck -- and then she would spring her request for an iPod upon him.
Timmy Zabriskie and Zach Wolverton were two boys on line to see Saint Nick. Wolverton wants games for the Nintendo DS system, while Zabriskie asked the man in red for a fully automatic, multiple-shot-per-second and belt-fed Nerf Vulcan EBF-25 toy dart gun.
Both said they had been good all year; they expect the best on Dec. 25.
They and other kids will get another chance to see the big man in just another week. Santa will return to Newton on Dec. 8, for the town's annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
The merchants along Spring Street had their own requests for the holiday season, during some worrisome money times.
Several of the stores said they count on the holiday parade to jump-start the season's shopping. Dave Butler, who served the cold crowd its coffee fix from the front of JC's Grill House, said the parade was a great tradition that never disappoints.
"It can't be any better; what a great day to be alive," said Butler.
"Everyone's in the right spirit. It's fun to do business with happy people."


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I have provided numerous links to articles warning of the coming of a cashless society. Beginning in the late 1960s the U.S. abolished the $500 bill (which featured President William McKinley).
As recently as 2016, Europe abolished the 500 euro note. India abolished its two most popular forms of paper money, also in 2016. Australia is considering abolishing its $100 bill. Payments are now usually made in cashless form by credit card, debit card, direct transfer or using other payments systems such as PayPal, Apple Pay and Venmo, all of which are completely digital.
Cash is more and more of a curiosity. Central banks and governments are encouraging this trend as they prepare to impose negative interest rates and freeze bank accounts in the next financial crisis. Cash is a way to avoid both negative rates and account freezes, so governments are moving quickly to eliminate cash.
Nowhere was the trend toward a cashless society more advanced than in Sweden. Merchants in Sweden began to refuse cash for small purchases even though the government did not require them to do so. As cash usage dries up, the cost of handling each bank note goes up because there are fewer notes in circulation to spread the costs of secure logistics such as vaults, guards and armored cars. Cash in Sweden was approaching a tipping point and almost disappeared altogether.
Now, as this article shows, a healthy backlash has set in. Citizens and politicians are asking prudent questions such as: What happens to a digital payments system when the power grid goes down? How vulnerable is a digital payments system to Russian hackers or other forms of malicious attacks?
The answers are not very satisfying or reassuring. Cash is making a comeback as citizens realize it cannot be hacked, erased or frozen. Maybe there’s some hope for common sense. Of course, if you’re really concerned about attacks on money, the best protection is not cash but gold.


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'We won't throw away masks or anti-bac': Couple book post-vaccine holiday
- Credit: Archant
A Norfolk couple are among those who say they do feel safe enough to take a trip abroad once they've been vaccinated, if restrictions are lifted.
Jeannette Nichols, 71, from Hingham and husband Paul, 72, are hoping to be next in line to receive the vaccine against coronavirus. And in preparation, they are booking a longed-for holiday to Dubai to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, postponed from last year.
It comes as some holiday firms are reporting a rise in bookings by the over 50s, particularly for UK breaks, for later in the year when people hope the nation will be out of lockdown. But it may be that some travel can only go ahead if people have been vaccinated.
Saga, which specialises in holidays for the over-50s, has now stipulated all cruise passengers must be vaccinated. The firm said it would delay restarting its travel packages until May to give customers enough time to get the vaccine.
Currently government restrictions mean people must stay at home. Only if people are legally permitted to do so, can they travel. It is not yet known whether having the vaccine stops people from spreading or catching the virus.
At Potters resort, Hopton-on-Sea, owner John Potter said: "We continue to invest in new facilities and are busy taking bookings, positive vaccine news has seen a sharp spike in people booking something to look forward to."
Boss of East Anglian holiday cottage firm Best of Suffolk, Alex Tarry, said: "We saw last year, on July 4, when our doors opened to guests once again, after 98 days of closure, we immediately became almost fully booked for the rest of the summer, we expect that to happen again. We have brought forward the opening of the 2022 calendar..for a lot of people having a booking to look forward to is a key part of the holiday."
You may also want to watch:
Mrs Nichols, a retired county council worker, booking her anniversary trip to Dubai in June, said: "Some people think this is selfish, but we will still be taking all the same precautions. We won't be throwing away masks and anti-bac. We won't be going anywhere unless the coronavirus restrictions are lifted so the holiday may not happen. The travel industry will collapse if people don't support it."
"What we are saying is that we would feel safe once we've had the vaccine, we love our holidays. We would go in the UK but the problem is that for the same price as going to Cornwall you can go to Dubai all-inclusive and know you're going to get good weather.
- 1 'More like March' - So when will we get the sunshine back?
- 2 'Max Factor lady' - Tributes to adored gran who died in M11 layby
- 3 Heritage railway announces delay to reopening
- 4 Gypsy and travellers await planning appeal result
- 5 Warning over 'Amazon' cold call recordings scam in Norfolk
- 6 McDonald's hiring in Norfolk and plans new restaurants
- 7 Summer solstice 2021: Five best places to watch it in Norfolk
- 8 Concerns as Delta variant fuels rise in Norfolk Covid cases
- 9 Tributes pour in for 'much loved lady' after body found
- 10 Norfolk to get a 250-mile art trail - funded by European cash


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Finastra has hired Lisa Fiondella as chief data officer to lead data strategy. She is responsible for developing a data product roadmap and managing the process of bringing new data products to market based on data mined from the company’s FusionFabric.cloud platform and cloud-based solutions. Fiondella has experience spanning data, analytics, financial services, product management, product development, marketing, sales and operations. She most recently served as vice president of analytic products for Experian.
A-Team Insight People
Don’t miss this opportunity to view the recording of this recently held webinar. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) takes effect on May 25, 2018, requiring financial institutions to meet stringent new rules on managing the personal data of EU residents, and setting astronomic fines for those that fail to comply. The webinar will discuss the...
Kingland has named Ron Jordan as senior vice president, strategic accounts and partnerships. Jordan joins the Kingland executive team with more than 30 years of experience in the financial industry where he has worked with organisations including DTCC and NYSE. He has also served four years as a member of the Financial Research Advisory Committee...
The Fundamental Review of the Trading Book (FRTB) Breakfast Briefing, will examine how the capital markets industry is approaching FRTB data management and will look at the implications for the ways that firms source, manage and store data for FRTB compliance.
Welcome to the fifth edition of A-Team Group’s Entity Data Management Handbook, sponsored for the fourth year running by entity data specialist Bureau van Dijk, a Moody’s Analytics Company. The past year has seen a crackdown on corporate responsibility for financial crime – with financial firms facing draconian fines for non-compliance and the very real...


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Windows 10 will apparently be launched by the end of July
We're starting off this week with some solid reports, first it's the report that Nokia is prepping a new smartphone and now we have a statement by an AMD's exec saying that Microsoft is launching the final version of Windows 10 by the end of July.
If you've read our article about Windows 10 facts you need to know, you would be aware that Microsoft is targeting to launch Windows 10 in the Summer. July is definitely counted as Summer already but it seems a bit of a rush given that it's just three months away and the current Windows 10 preview builds are still trying to find it's identity.
The AMD exec which accidentally revealed the info also added that Microsoft is aiming to launch Windows 10 during the Summer to make it in time for the back to school promos for devices. This looks to be a strategic move by Microsoft, trying to capsize the sales of laptops before classes start during the Fall.
Either way, this information is not 100% accurate by no means and we'll most likely hear everything from Microsoft during BUILD 2015 happening next week. Stay tuned for our coverage of that next week.


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BEAUTY and the Beast fans will soon be able to pick up their very own Chip mug from Tesco.
The supermarket giant is the latest brand to jump on the Disney crockery bandwagon, and will be releasing a cute mug version of the much-loved character at the end of October.
A store insider told The Sun Online: "Our Chip mug is adorable and will make the perfect stocking filler.
"We are expecting a huge demand for it when it's released in the last week of October.
"He'll only be available in selected stores, so shoppers will have to keep an eye out."
However, if you can't wait that long to enjoy a magical cuppa, Truffleshuffle has announced that their Chip mug will be back in stock at the end of July.
The cute crockery is identical to Tesco's offering - apart from the price.
Tesco will be selling their mugs for £8, while Truffleshuffle's clocks in at £11.99.
This year has seen the whole country go Beauty and the Beast mad.
Earlier this year Primark's Chip purses flew off the shelves so quickly that stores sold out within hours, and they were soon appearing on eBay for four times their £4 retail price.
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Girl, seven, is 'scarred for life' after medics had to cut off blisters she suffered from black henna tattoo at posh hotel salon
Meanwhile Asda caused a stampede of their own when they released a magical jewellery box inspired by the Beast's enchanted rose.


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Kum & Go's LEED Commitment
First, only c-store chain participating in U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Volume Program
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa -- Kum & Go LC has contributed six Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED)-certified projects and registered nine more for certification since announcing in 2011 its plan to roll out 20 to 25 new stores in central Arkansas, according to a report by Arkansas Business.
"It's a big commitment by the company," Linda Smith, executive director of the Arkansas Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, told the newspaper. "Traditionally, new LEED projects are office buildings, schools and public buildings. We're starting to see LEED expand to other categories, nontraditional areas like restaurants" and convenience stores.
Officials at West Des Moines, Iowa-based Kum & Go consider the green move in the chain's building model to be a logical manifestation of its corporate personality.
The more eco-friendly stores typically use 30% less energy and 20% less water, which provide long-term operational savings as a trade-off for more expensive short-term construction costs.
The company's LEED-certified efforts began with two stores in Iowa in December 2009.
Several stores in Arkansas received certification last week, the report said.
Based on the sale-leaseback of its new stores in central Arkansas, the green Kum & Go developments are each valued in the $3 million range, it said. Site cost is the biggest variable.
The LEED program at Kum & Go involves a mix of new construction and analyzing whether to sell, remodel or replace its inventory of older locations. That's a list of about 450 properties and growing.
"We're in the process of going through all of our stores," spokesperson Megan Elfers told the paper. "Some we are able to remodel. In some markets, we may choose to raze and rebuild."
The company's 4,958-square-foot prototype store is the sole focus for new construction now, said the report. The configuration is the Kum & Go standard bearer for its green program and the model of choice for all new stores.
"We call it our 5K design," Elfers said. "We like that footprint. We're really happy with it."
The 5K design is bringing standardization to the company's retail operations, and this approach has some benefits in streamlining the LEED certification process.
Kum & Go said it is proud of its standing as the first and only convenience store that participates in the building council's LEED Volume Program. The program simplifies documentation and speeds up the certification for multiple buildings of similar type. It reduces costs by taking advantage of uniformity in building design, construction and management practices. For organizations that certify 25 or more projects within three years, the program offers valuable economies of scale. Per-project certification costs drop significantly as the number of projects rises.
The Viridian consulting firm of Little Rock is helping Kum & Go with its green building program. The relationship dates back to 2011.
"Our job was to enhance what they were doing and get them into the Volume Program," Chris Ladner, partner at Viridian, told the paper. "They're continually optimizing their store model to enhance energy efficiencies. It's a challenge to them because of all the refrigeration they use."
Kum & Go's green efforts extend to areas that don't always have a big direct payback, areas the company hasn't promoted externally.
"They're making a real commitment to indoor environmental quality," Chad Oppenhuizen, a sustainability consultant and project manager for Viridian, told the paper.
Deploying air systems with higher ventilation and filtration capabilities than required by local building codes is part of the Kum & Go model. Monitoring the air quality of its stores is normal operating procedure along with energy use and other green considerations.
Kum & Go is the fifth largest privately held, company-operated convenience store chain in the United States. The family-owned company began in 1959, in Hampton, Iowa, and has approximately 425 c-stores in 11 states (Iowa, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming). In addition to a wide selection of products, Kum & Go provides customers a proprietary mix of products under the Hiland brand. Other proprietary product offerings include Java Ridge Premium Coffee, Napa Creek and Sea Ridge wines, Go Fresh Market sandwiches and Nuclear energy drinks.


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Overall, sales at local retailers fell by 0.1 percent, according to provisional figures released by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Wednesday. The slight decline is due to inflation. This is because real turnover, i.e. excluding inflation, fell by 2.0%.
This is the sharpest decline since the turn of the millennium. Not even during the crisis years of 2002 and 2003 after the internet bubble burst or in 2015 and 2016, when the retail trade suffered from the discontinuation of the minimum euro exchange rate and the Swiss flocked to buy abroad, had sales at local retailers suffered so significantly.
Almost all retailers are selling less
The downward trend from the previous year continued in the food, beverages and tobacco retail sector (-2.3%). During the lockdowns during the pandemic, stores had benefited from the fact that people had eaten much more at home as restaurants were closed.
Non-food retailers (excluding petrol stations) lost 1.7% in real terms, after benefiting somewhat from pent-up demand from the pandemic in the previous year. Almost all sectors suffered losses. The biggest dip was among sellers of household appliances, textiles, DIY and furnishings (-4.2%), which had already come under pressure a year earlier.
Retail sales of publishing products, sports equipment and toys fell by 2.5%. Sales of clothing and shoes also fell by 3.8%. Only sales of information and communication technology devices such as computers and cell phones increased by 6.2%.
Significant price increases
However, substantial price increases in some cases saved the annual balance sheet for many retailers. Despite lower sales, food, beverage and tobacco sellers were able to achieve a significant nominal increase in turnover of 1.7%. And retailers selling non-food products were able to limit the fall in turnover to 0.9%.
Only in the case of fuels was the trend reversed: because petrol, diesel and heating oil have become much cheaper than a year ago, nominal sales of fuels fell by 8 percent, although slightly more fuel (+0.6 percent) was sold. (SDA)


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LPL Financial Chief Investment Officer Burt White says that interest rates must rise for the U.S. economy to grow.
“We are not being let out of the hospital,” White says.
He says Fed policymakers are hamstringing gross domestic product growth by disallowing rate rises. GDP growth stands at 2.1 percent, White says, but needs to be between 2.5 percent and three percent for the U.S. to close the $365 billion gap of “potential” that exists.
“Incomes are down, but debt is up,” White says. “Luxuries are cheap, but necessities are expensive.” This isn’t a good recipe for middle class growth, which is needed to spur the economy into action—and gains.
In addition to rate rises, businesses should be investing in facilities, equipment and expansion and growing capabilities. At the same time, wages need to increase. All this will prompt spending and move the economy away from its stagnant savings dilemma.
Despite huge market gains over the past several years, fewer people invest now than during the 2007 bull market, White says.
“Low rates haven’t spurred new spending,” White says. Instead, they have “lulled potential” into savings.
White’s comments came during an opening general session at LPL’s annual advisor conference in San Diego.


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As the Covid-19 pandemic transformed nearly every aspect of home and work life, people turned to previously niche or unnecessary technologies in the past year.
Tools ranging from voice-enabled devices to augmented reality saw a surge of adoption in 2020. But with widespread vaccination finally on the horizon, companies now find themselves trying to predict which technologies will be left in the lockdown era and which will become permanent fixtures.
“People may drift away from these technologies, but now that they see the value in it [and] they understand at this moment how it has benefited them, I think they’ll definitely use them more in the long run,” Gartner analyst Tuong Nguyen said.
Brands that get the calculation right have a chance at millions in revenue from untapped markets in 2021, while businesses that make the wrong bet risk coming off as an artifact of a bygone era.
One piece of technology that experts agree will continue its recent growth arc beyond the pandemic is augmented reality. The media format has seen a big boost in popularity over the last several months, driven mostly by retailers creating virtual try-on experiences. An eMarketer survey found that the portion of U.S. retailers who planned to increase investment in AR or virtual reality more than doubled from 8% last January to 21% in June.
Consumers won’t have to rely on AR tools to try on products like cosmetics and sunglasses after stores fully reopen, but analysts say they might choose to anyway.
“This marks an important inflection point in AR’s trajectory, not only in retail, but toward mass adoption,” said Helen Papagiannis, a consultant who specializes in mixed reality and author of the book Augmented Human.
Social apps like Snapchat and Instagram are also constantly making it easier for brands and agencies to produce AR tools. Plus, 5G networks are set to boost the speed and intricacy of the graphics wireless connections can support.
“The same way that maybe we think about the internet compared to our parents or grandparents, the next generation will think about AR in that way,” Nguyen said.
When quarantine measures first went into effect last spring, audio streaming companies such as Pandora and Spotify registered big spikes in homebound users tuning in from smart speakers.
While the growth rate in voice assistant usage was previously on the decline, that new trend ultimately led to a slight uptick in 2020, according to eMarketer. Another report from Pandora and Edison Research last fall found that daily time spent listening to smart speakers increased 43% from January to October.
But Khurrum Malik, Spotify’s head of global business marketing, said it’s counting on its listener base swinging significantly back to mobile device use.
“We see listeners gravitate more to smart speakers at this moment because they’re spending more time at home,” Malik said. “We think that in 2021, if all things go well, mobile will increase more and people will increase their movement outside the house.”
Forrester research analyst Julie Ask said that the current popularity of voice-enabled devices is so dependent on specific applications and contexts that usage will inevitably drop as people return to life outside their homes.
Though in-person gatherings are bound to resume as soon as it becomes safe, many brand activation and event organizers plan to supplement physical spaces with a virtual element.


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Cork Business Association is renewing it`s appeal to the business community
in the city and all of it`s members to show their colours ,
ahead of the All-Ireland hurling final on Sunday week .
C.B.A is encouraging business owners to dress their shop fronts ,
windows and premises in the red and white colours of Cork ...
Vibes and Scribes is offering a 200 euro voucher to encourage
shops , offices , restaurants and hotels to take part .
Cork Business Association is also urging both City and County Councils
to play their part by colouring up the streets and roads ahead of the big match.
Theres more information available on email@example.com


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SteelSeries partners Geekay Distribution for the region
SteelSeries, the leading name in the gaming peripherals, today announced the appointment of Geekay Distribution as the exclusive distributor for the region. SteelSeries will offer its complete suite of its gaming peripherals including headsets, keyboards, mice, and surfaces to gamers in the Middle East.
“We’re excited to be working with an established and well-recognized distributor like the Geekay Group” said Flemming Gyldenhammer, Regional Sales Manager, SteelSeries. With this partnership, we’re expanding our global presence and more importantly, gamers in the Middle-East will now have access to our products.”
Geekay distributes the entire video games category for several power retailers and hypermarkets along with strong relationship with hundreds of independent game retailers in the region, apart from having a strong retail presence throughout 14 independent game stores spread across three countries namely UAE, Oman and Bahrain.
“Our partnership with SteelSeries will not only expand Geekay’s portfolio of gaming hardware, but is also providing customers in our region with direct access to award-winning, and internationally recognized products that are used by professional gamers from around the globe,” said Kishan Deepak Palija, Managing Director, Geekay Distribution.
Geekay represents several key gaming brands exclusively in the region including Nintendo, Licensed PlayStation, Duracell Gaming and Licensed Xbox 360, to name a few.


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By Jen Rosenberg
UNABLE to drag the children off the couch or away from their computer games? You might not have to when the new playground down the road has computer games built into it.
Icon playground, the futuristic centre blending traditional outdoors play with new media, has won the 2011 Australian International Design Award.
Awarding the design with the top honour in Melbourne last night was the easiest decision the judges made, said Brandon Gien, chairman of the awards. "It not only ticks every single box from a design and excellence perspective but this is an example of where design thinking is really going to make a positive impact on society. It breaks new ground.
''It's the first time anyone's incorporated electronics into a playground system."
The first Icon was unveiled last month in Robelle Domain, in the Springfield Central Parklands planned community near Ipswich, Queensland. Its Danish creators, Kompan, have plans to bring the Icon playground to other states, said the marketing development manager, Christian Schwerdtfeger.
"It's going to be the future of play," he said. "You've got the beauty of outdoor play - in which kids can run around and interact and be motivated to move - and also have the digital world. We're encouraging kids to get out more, move faster and become more intelligent, increasing their gaming capabilities, but also getting out and tackling obesity as well."
The awards ceremony in Melbourne last night recognised eight best in category designs, one for sustainability (the Electrolux UltraSilencer Green vacuum cleaner) and the overall winner. They were chosen from 127 finalists from a record 232 entries.
Among the entries were a fibreglass caravan, a finless surfboard, a compact coffee machine, a water-reduced urinal and a backpack bed. Some entries have already won other awards.
Denis Treacy, a farmer and businessman from Victoria, challenged his son Lyndon, an industrial designer in New York, to address the problem of collecting the water wasted while waiting for the shower to heat up. The result is the Joeycan, a combination of bucket and watering can that does not spill and is not too heavy to manage.
Mr Treacy said the Joeycan had attracted positive interest and it was selling well online, but he hoped to take the idea to new markets such as the United States.
"Lyndon was saying that a number of his friends [in New York] use the Joeycan because they all live in apartments and they use it for their washing machine and the plants on the balcony," Mr Treacy said.
The Fire Company is a regular at the design awards, and this year its innovative EcoSmart Fire Stix is one of the talking points. The beautiful design uses stainless steel offcuts to create a campfire effect for its fireplace, fuelled with bioethanol, that can be used indoors or outside.
The design stands apart from its competitors, said Jenny Price, a spokeswoman for The Fire Company. "The heating industry has … always been quite a traditional looking industry.
''The business takes the design awards very seriously … good design should be shared.''


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An alarming new trend is the link between deadly disease and the chemicals in beauty products. It was recently spotlighted by Business Insider;
“Tiah Tomlin-Harris got breast cancer at 38, without any family history of the disease.
Tomlin-Harris, who has a master’s in chemistry and worked in the pharmaceutical industry, suspected her lifestyle might have contributed to the cancer’s development.
Research on chemicals in personal-care products and breast cancer is still lacking, the American Cancer Society said. But recent studies have identified two groups of chemicals in beauty products that might be linked to cancer: parabens — which are preservatives found in beauty, hair, shaving, and makeup products — and phthalates, used in nail polish and hairspray.
In 2019, Tomlin-Harris joined Bench to Community, a research initiative in California, to ensure other Black women get better information on toxins in beauty products than she did. The team is conducting research into how chemicals in beauty products may uniquely affect Black women, and it shares new insights as soon as they become available.”
You can read the full article here.
One of the reasons beauty products have become so toxic is they are formulated for profit, not health.
Companies aren’t thinking of how to make safe and effective beauty products. They are first thinking of how to make products that won’t spoil for 2 years, will look and smell consistent and be cheap to produce. Chemicals are introduced that shouldn’t be, and safety and effectiveness take a backseat.
BGLH Marketplace products are completely clean and non toxic. We were recognized by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics as a top non-toxic beauty brand.
It’s why so many customers have switched to us from big bodycare brands. So they can build their bodycare routines on CLEAN beauty products.


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HIALEAH (CBSMiami) - Fire crews were called out to a Burlington Coat Factory store in Hialeah early Wednesday morning.
The store is located in a strip mall at 590 W 49th Street which also includes a Dollar Store, Office Depot and a Toys R' Us.
Chopper4 over the scene spotted smoke coming from a vent on the roof and water gushing out a doorway in the rear of the building.
A small fire was located and extinguished on the roof, according to Hialeah Fire Captain Cesar Espinosa who added that crews inside are searching for the source which appears to be electrical in nature.
for more features.


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Electric vehicles are becoming an increasingly popular option for motorists both in the UK and further afield – and with good reason. As we continue to learn more about our impact on the planet, many of us are looking for a greener alternative for our everyday travel needs. In fact, according to figures by Statista, hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for over 6% of car registrations in the UK in 2020. And this figure will likely rise significantly in 2022. Changes to driving habits, paired with the rising costs of petrol and diesel are pushing even more of us to embrace the green revolution of motoring.
It isn’t just consumers who are turning their attention to electric vehicles, either. The UK government has been steadily pushing for improved access to electric vehicles in recent years as part of their plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. This push has come in the form of increased infrastructure and the proposed ban on the sale of diesel vehicles. But while public areas may be slowly gaining charging stations for electric vehicles, what is the deal with privately-owned properties?
Charging your Electric Vehicle
Over the last decade or so, charging stations have been steadily popping up on motorways, at service stations and even in our local supermarket car park; however, it goes without saying that most of us would prefer the convenience of re-charging our electric vehicles at home. The good news is that the government’s “Road to Zero” strategy includes plans to enforce the mandatory installation of residential charging stations at all new-build developments. But what about the rest of us?
For existing buildings, more infrastructure changes are required to accommodate new electric vehicle charging points. The government has pledged to contribute to the installation of many new charging points at privately-owned properties across the country. Furthermore, some electric vehicle owners may also be eligible for partial funding toward the cost of installing a charging station at their homes. As such, there are a number of things that property owners, property managers, landlords and leaseholders need to know about the process. Furthermore, there are even more considerations for those who live in freehold properties.
So, let’s take a look at the benefits and potential complications you may face when installing an electric vehicle charging point at your property.
The Benefits of Installing a Home EV Charging Station
While you can now charge your electric vehicle at work or on the go, charging at home brings a number of benefits. The first and most obvious benefit of installing a charging station at your home is convenience. Being able to charge your vehicle overnight so it is ready for use the next day is obviously the ideal situation – but home charging stations also offer various additional benefits.
Electric vehicles may initially cost more than their petrol or diesel counterparts, but data suggests that they are actually likely to cost less over the course of ownership. This is largely due to lower running and maintenance costs. More than this, though, EVs can present an opportunity to save money in a number of other ways, primarily via the installation of an at-home charging station. For example, EV owners can benefit from lower charging costs by charging when the demand for energy is low, such as overnight – this is known as “smart charging”. Several energy providers offer tariffs that could make smart charging your vehicle at home an effective way to save a little extra money!
What’s more, electric vehicles can serve as mini power stations for your building and even offer the opportunity to generate revenue. EVs are essentially portable energy storage devices. As such, they can release energy back into the grid – known as “vehicle to grid” or V2G transfer. As electric vehicles continue to evolve, the introduction of solar power could present the opportunity to transfer renewable energy directly to their home and the grid. Furthermore, opening your home charging station to the public also offers the potential of generating extra revenue.
Estimates suggest that around 75% of electric vehicle charging will eventually take place at home. This arrangement offers electric vehicle owners more control over their charging costs as well as adding potential value to their homes. As more of us embrace electric vehicles, home charging stations are likely to become a desirable feature to prospective buyers – so, why not boost the value of your property while also saving money on transportation costs?
What are the downsides?
The most obvious “downside” of installing a charging station at home is the initial cost. According to EDF Energy, installing a home charge point can cost around £1000 – a significant cost, especially when considered in addition to the cost of your vehicle itself; however, there is some good news. The government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) grant means that you could receive up to £350 toward the upfront cost of your home charging station.
Tenants of leasehold properties also need to consider that their car park may be connected to a communal energy supply. As a result, it may be difficult to keep track of the energy consumption of each property. Luckily, pay-as-you-go apps can alleviate this challenge by allowing residents to benefit from a residential charging station while paying directly for their own consumption.
How Horizon can help to manage your EV Charging Station Installation
As consumers and specifically for Horizon Management, leaseholders, continue to embrace the electric vehicle revolution, Horizon anticipate seeing an increase in demand for home charging stations at our blocks and developments .
Aside from the environmental benefits for property owners, opting to install an EV charging station at your property could be a significant opportunity to boost the value of your property and even generate extra revenue. With this in mind Horizon as a forward facing company being conscious of reducing our impact on the environment for future generations, we want to ensure we do what we can do enable EV charging stations where possible.
However we are aware in many of our blocks and developments there are obstacles to creating this infrastructure and no perfect solutions. Therefore as we move forward we hope to be able to add value by advising our clients over which type of charging station is the best for their site, liaise with the RMC Directors and Freeholders at all stages of the process, as well as help them manage the charging stations efficiently. We believe this will become an integral part of block management in the future as demand grows. Horizon will assist with obtaining the necessary licences for managing residential charging stations as well as advise and seek to identify at an early stage any issue that can potentially arise. We firmly believe this technology is an opportunity to make the developments and blocks we manage a better place for our residents.
In addition, Horizon Management can assist property developers creating new units, helping to advise on the location and management of charging stations in communal areas such as the communal car park at residential developments. Contact us today to find out more about how we could help with the management of your block or development!
- The Five Core Skills of an Effective Block Manager
- What Are The Responsibilities Of A Block Manager?
- What is the Difference Between Block Management and Property Management?
- A Guide to Block Management
- What is a Block Management Company?


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Apple isn't the only firm posting impressive financial results for the last quarter. Intel did rather well for itself, too. The chip maker raked in a record $13 billion in revenue for the second quarter of this year, a 21% year-over-year increase. Net income hit $3 billion for the quarter, which is a mere 2% higher than for the same period last year. Here's how the numbers for this quarter compare to those from a couple of previous ones:
|Q2 2010||Q1 2011||Q2 2011|
|Revenue||$10.8 billion||$12.8 billion||$13.0 billion|
|Net profit||$2.9 billion||$3.2 billion||$3.0 billion|
Although the official press release says that Intel enjoyed double-digit revenue growth across all business units, it also concedes year-over-year revenues were down 15% for Atom processors and chipsets. The Atom division only accounted for $352 million in revenue, though, and the PC Client Group as a whole saw its revenue rise by 11%.


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Who says second homes are only for the 1 percent?
A group of ex-Zillow executives, including former CEO Spencer Rascoff, has just launched Pacaso, a startup looking to redefine the fusty timeshare. The marketplace will allow buyers to
purchase from one-eighth to one-half of a vacation home. Its network of agents and suite of tech tools help owners manage the process.
“The mission of Pacaso is to democratize second-home ownership,” Rascoff said in a statement.
Based in San Francisco, Pacaso is launching with $17 million in Series A funding led by Maveron, with participation from Crosscut and Global Founders Capital. It also has backing from prominent business executives including former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz; Jeff Wilke, Amazon’s CEO of consumer worldwide; Greg Schwartz, former Zillow president of media and marketplaces; and real estate coach Tom Ferry.
In addition to Rascoff, Pacaso’s founding team includes


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• Buyers have until the end of July to order the 2023 Dodge Charger or 2023 Dodge Challenger.
We’ve known for some time that the days of the Dodge Charger sedan and Dodge Challenger coupe were numbered. We also known for a while that 2023 is the last model-year for the duo. Now, we learn that Dodge will stop taking orders very soon.
Dodge confirmed it’s asking its dealers to submit their final orders for both models before the end of July.
Basically, you've got two weeks left.
Assembly of the two cars ends at the end of this year, giving the company time to plan the end of production in the light of final orders. Once that’s done, the Brampton, Ontario plant where the cars are currently built will be renovated to be ready to spit out all-electric models. Work is expected to be completed by 2025.
This isn't necessarily the end of the Challenger and Charger names, however; we know Dodge is planning electric performance cars, and we’ve already had a taste of what's to come with the Charger Daytona concept.
Before all that, for 2023, Dodge launched a series of seven Last Call editions. The most jaw-dropping of those is the Challenger SRT Demon 170 and its 1,025 hp (on E85 fuel) 0-97 km/h time of just 1.66 seconds from a standstill (with launch function).
The build slot for the last Challenger SRT Demon 170 to be assembled was sold last month for $700,000 at an auction in Las Vegas.
Madness. And just wait until these cars are no longer available for purchase; we're likely to see a frenzy on the used car market. And that's particularly likely to be the case for the 2023 models, identified as the last of their kind.
“For enthusiasts looking to order a Dodge Challenger or Charger, especially a high-horsepower model, such as the Scat Pack, SRT Hellcat or a special edition model, it’s truly the last call. As we transition to an exciting, electrified muscle car future, we’re marking the end of an unforgettable era for Dodge, and time is running out for those who want to own a piece of it.”
- Tim Kuniskis, Dodge CEO


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The World Retail Congress has revealed the list of finalists for this year’s prestigious World Retail Awards. For the third consecutive year, Jumia has once again emerged as a finalist. As you would recall, Jumia won the award in 2013 as the Best New Retail Launch and was then nominated for CSR Initiative of the Year in 2014. Its a new year and we have a new feather in our cap! This year, Jumia has been nominated for the eCommerce Retailer of the Year award.
The nominated company looking to win this award must be the one that ultimately prevails in the requirements as stated on the World Retail Awards website:
“All retailers are having to be dynamic and responsive in serving their customers’ needs online and this award is therefore looking for examples of world-class e-commerce execution and delivery…customer centric and seamless in the delivery of information, products and services with growing sales, profits and improving customer service.”
Jumia will be vying for this award against world class organizations such as Matchesfashion.com – UK, Michael Hill Jewellery – Australia, Yoox Group – Italy, Appliancesonline – Australia, JD.com – China and Mudo – Turkey. Judging by our emphasis on customer satisfaction, impeccable attention to service delivery and exemplary growth over the past few years, you can say we have reason to be hopeful on this one.
About the World Retail Awards
Now in its ninth year, the World Retail Awards are recognised as a showcase for ‘retail excellence’. The awards attract entries from hundreds of retailers from over 50 countries across the world and the teams of expert judges select the retailers they believe are the most outstanding and worthy of a place in the final. The finalists will all be reviewed by a Grand Jury of senior retailers and sector experts to decide on the ultimate winners in each category.


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Williamsburg’s residents and visitors are, by now, accustomed to seeing construction along Monticello Avenue and Richmond Road.
The existing Monticello and Williamsburg shopping centers have been renovated, and some stores relocated, but now there’s something new to look forward to — literally.
This summer, the four new five-story, multiuse buildings and parking garage comprising Midtown Row in Williamsburg will start to go up.
The Midtown Row project is expected to be a shopping, residential and entertainment hub. The new buildings will include retail and apartments, holding a combined 240 housing units on floors two through five.
Midtown Row is slated to be completed by late spring or early summer 2021, said Aras Holden, vice president of asset management and acquisitions at Broad Street Realty and head of the Midtown Row project.
The four buildings will be constructed simultaneously so they can all be opened for business at the same time — and helping attain the “feel” Midtown Row is aiming for.
“The project wants to exist in its whole — delivering on component wouldn’t create the feel we’re looking for,” Holden said. “They really do feed off one another. Picture [it] as one retail corridor.”
The 2021 timeframe for completion isn’t new, but it is a departure from the original timeframe planned by the developer. In the early part of planning, Broad Street Realty aimed for a spring or summer 2020 timeframe, Holden said.
That finish date changed officially to fall 2021 late last year after those involved with the project decided 2021 was a better timeline, he added.
“We are making sure we get it right, and decided to push it back a little,” Holden said.
Between now and its completion, the project will reach several other milestones.
Holden said retailers may be able to start fitting out their new stores over the winter of 2020 and 2021. Move-in for the residential part will ideally be summer 2021.
As of Tuesday, Holden said Midtown Row had completed its “phase one” of the project. The parking lot has been reconfigured, the Monticello Shopping Center has been redone and new stores such as Earth Fare have moved in and Marshalls has moved to a new space.
Landscaping around the area has also been done and stormwater infrastructure and utilities have been relocated.
Moving forward, contractors are doing interior demolition and asbestos remediation ahead of the demolition of some existing retail space.
As Midtown Row construction continues, the businesses in the existing Williamsburg Shopping Center — including an ABC store, Sal’s by Victor, Food Lion and Marshalls — will continue to operate uninterrupted.
“That entire retail strip is doing really well,” Holden said.


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10:20am PT by Eriq Gardner
Judge Allows 'Zombie Cookie' Suit Against Hulu to Proceed
A California judge isn't allowing Hulu to dodge a claim of violating a privacy law by tracking users' online activity with cookies and other identifiers on their computers.
Hulu attempted to dismiss a class-action lawsuit brought last year over so-called "zombie cookies," which re-spawn even when users clear their Internet browsers of data files. The online video hub argued that that the Video Privacy Protection Act, enacted by Congress in 1988, didn't cover the digital transmission of content.
On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Laurel Beeler denied a motion to dismiss, allowing the plaintiffs to go on with their allegations.
The VPPA prohibits a "videotape service provider" from knowingly disclosing "personally identifiable information," which includes information that "identifies a person as having requested or obtained specific video materials or services." In other words, companies can't share customers' video viewing history, and in this case, the plaintiffs allege that Hulu disclosed their video requests and their identities to social networks and online advertising networks.
In moving for a dismissal, Hulu argued that since the VPPA focuses on "video tape" and since the legislative history of the act spoke about "physical stores selling goods," the law wasn't regulating businesses dealing in digital content.
In response, the plaintiffs pointed to how "videotape service provider" is defined, which according to the law meant businesses engaged in the "delivery of prerecorded videocassette tapes or similar audio visual materials," emphasizing the latter part as being inclusive of technologies not contemplated at the time of the law's enactment.
Beller agrees in her decision, saying that Congress' concern with privacy and protecting the confidentiality of an individual's choices is what's relevant.
Hulu also attempted to dismiss the lawsuit because the VPPA allowed disclosures when they are "incident to the ordinary course of business," but the judge says that market research and web analytics don't qualify as an ordinary course of Hulu's business. The judge says if there are factual questions about what role third-party companies such as Google Analytics, Doubleclick and Facebook play for Hulu, those questions can't be resolved at this stage of the dispute.
The case goes forward, and if history is a judge, it stands a very good chance of settling.
Other web-privacy class actions have settled, including a recent settlement of a suit alleging VPPA violations by Netflix for retaining information about former customers' viewing habits and rental history. Netflix agreed to pay $9 million to resolve those claims and made changers to its data-retention policy whereby it would henceforth "decouple" viewing history data from identification information.
However, since the proposed Netflix settlement became public, there have been dozens of objections lodged in court from those who don't like that almost all of the money will be heading to lawyers and charity and from those who believe Netflix's policy changes are weak.
Meanwhile, backed by lobbying by companies including Facebook and Netflix, legislators have spent the past couple of years talking about diluting the VPPA to allow more online sharing of video history. Most recently, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., proposed such a change a few weeks ago as an amendment to the Cybersecurity Act of 2012, where it is awaiting a vote.


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How do you take a radical idea and turn it into a market leader? JAMES MORROW talks to Ross Cameron, Managing Director of Dyson Appliances’ South-East Asian operations about how he took a vacuum cleaner developed in a Bath, U.K., coachhouse and turned it into one of the fastest-growing brands in Australia – and in the process
For almost eighty years, the first three words most people came up with when asked what they thought of when they thought about vacuum cleaners were ‘big’, ‘loud’, and ‘ugly’. But in the past decade that has changed radically, thanks to the work of British inventor James Dyson and his Australian counterpart Ross Cameron – two men who have not only turned the prosaic market floor cleaners upside down, but in the process introduced a new word to the language – ‘Dyson’ (as in ‘I have to Dyson the carpet’, or, just as common, ‘sucks like a Dyson’).
Today Dyson is the number one vacuum cleaner brand in Australia in terms of both volume and value, the result of a remarkable story that brings together radical thinking, a will to win, and a lot of dirty floors.
The story of how Dyson came to be a brand-leader not just in Australia but in Britain and the United States is a classic tale of an inventor working through prototype after prototype in a lab; of highs and lows with business backers; and lots of old-fashioned door-to-door (or rather, store-to-store) salesmanship. In 1979, British designer James Dyson – who had already invented a series of marine and gardening products – realized the common flaw of all vacuum cleaners, namely, the bag, and like all true revolutionaries, decided to do something about it. He sold his shares in one of his previous inventions for GBP10,000, and spent the next five years making 5,000 prototypes before coming up with his unique Dual Cyclone Technology in 1984.
But despite the genius of the technology, not everyone was interested. For one thing, big multinationals were reluctant to back a product that could, if it succeeded, do to the vacuum cleaner bag market (worth GBP100 million a year in Britain alone at the time) what digital cameras have done to makers of 35mm film.
Fast forward to 1989, and enter James Cameron.
Cameron, who at the time was working for S.C. Johnson Wax as part of their global team trying to develop equipment that would go along with the firm’s already-existing chemicals lines, recalls the first time he heard about Dyson’s product as a real eureka moment in his life. ‘I said to myself, wow, there’s the answer! I have an engineering background myself, and knew we had to do this’. So Cameron set about convincing his company to buy the commercial rights to Dual Cyclone Technology, and sat down with Dyson to make a viable vacuum cleaner for the marketplace.
‘So we had the backing of S.C. Johnson and James had a little coach house in Bath, in the U.K., and we had a couple of engineers. He would be designing, and we would be getting prototypes made, and finally we had the design sorted out’, says Cameron. ‘We were also meeting up regularly with the global marketing people from S.C. Johnson to make sure there were going to be buyers for this thing, and got them to spend $3 million on tooling. We got the machine produced in Italy, launched it in 1990, and did very well with it across Europe.’
Soon, though, the other shoe would drop – in the form of a corporate edict from on high that said vacuums were not part of the company’s core business, and therefore, the Dyson operation was shut down. Of course, it’s pretty hard to keep a good idea from eventually forcing its way to market, and that’s just what happened as Dyson and Cameron teamed up to take on the world. James Dyson started selling vacuums in the U.K. in 1993, and as soon as a barrel vacuum was developed in 1995 – about eighty percent of the floor cleaner market down under is for barrel vacs, as opposed to upright models – Cameron flew down to start breaking in to the local market. Of course, that’s the sort of thing that’s easier said than done – and as Cameron quickly discovered, his first problem was getting into a retail market he didn’t know about with a product no one had ever seen before.
His solution? Hit the streets.
‘I took it out to the stores, and was pretty persistent. A lot of people told me what I could do with my vacuum cleaner!’, laughs Cameron as he remembers some of the less-than-diplomatic receptions he was accorded by store managers. ‘But I wanted to win. I believed in the technology, and I made a decision that this was going to go, and I know it was just a matter of getting in the door and showing retailers the technology’.
This faith in the product – and the fact that the product was so unique (as opposed to other manufacturers who had for years been essentially repackaging old technology in new housings) – is what sustained Cameron, who notes that that sort of passion is necessary for anyone trying to get a business off the ground.
‘I suppose I was a bit naïve, but I’m bloody-minded, and I just wanted it to work.’
Eventually, though, Dyson’s break came, and David Jones placed an order for 120 vacuum cleaners in May of 1996. They sold just 24 through the following month, a number which Cameron still remembers vividly to this day. But better luck came in the form of a deal with Myer’s: ‘They said they’d put it on sale and placed an order for 170, and we’ve never looked back’.
But while this was the break Cameron was looking for, he realised that managing growth was going to be tricky, and that continued success – predicated as it was, at the time, on so much word-of-mouth advertising – depended on more than just being able to get more product to market. So Cameron and his team spent virtually every night of the week going out into the stores and training staff in how the Dyson worked. ‘We would take the thing out, pour fine powder on the ground and let them see how it separated it out, and even let them take them home to try them out’, says Cameron, who never moved the product out to market without also giving this sort of support to retailers. ‘They realized it was different, but it was damn hard doing all that training’.
From there, Dyson’s Australian operation grew at ‘a ridiculous rate’, with giant retailers like Harvey Norman and Retravision quick to sign on. All of which led to another problem that Cameron never imagined: many of his employees at the time did not want to work for such a high-growth company, having joined up thinking that they were going to spend their days at a staid little operation without too many demands being made of them.
‘In one year I lost 70 per cent of my staff – they couldn’t handle the pace. That was the year our sales doubled. They said they wanted to work for a little company and have a little job – and I knew they couldn’t meet our expectations’, says Cameron, adding that he went through a great deal of soul-searching about his hiring processes. And, as Cameron discovered, getting the right team on board was key as the company was tipped for major growth.
‘One of the things I said was that I didn’t need a lot of little Ross Camerons around’, he says, describing his hiring philosophy. ‘The important thing is to find people who have a vision, and who’ve got passion – the most important thing is that they have that.’
Cameron adds that this quest for strong, diverse people leads to a much stronger team, especially when there’s conflict over an issue.
‘I’m a hard taskmaster, but my people push back. If they defend an issue, I’m very likely to accept what they’re trying to say – I want strong people around me’.


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Thanks to the Games Tax Relief finally coming into force back in April, more than 4,660 industry jobs could be created over the next five years - if research published today is to be believed.
A survey conducted by TIGA (in association with Aon Hewitt) claims games industry salaries rose by 3.4 percent across the course of the last year. That's compared to the 3.1 per cent UK average and represents the first growth seen within the industry in last five years.
The news is said to be particularly encouraging for students - despite an 11 percent drop in graduate starting salaries - as it paints the games industry as a potential leader in terms of UK salary.
Equally encouraging is the claim employee turnover within the industry has declined from 13.5 percent in 2013 to 12.8 percent - an all the more impressive figure when compared to the UK average of around 14 percent.
"This is a great time to be in the UK video game industry," detailed TIGA CEO Richard Wilson. "Salaries in the games industry are now rising faster than the national average. Job opportunities in the games industry are set to grow and investment in the sector is set to increase.
"TIGA research suggests that at least 4,660 highly skilled jobs will be generated and £188 million in investment will be triggered over the next five years thanks to the introduction of Games Tax Relief, a measure that TIGA campaigned for over the last seven years.”
Games Tax Relief offers studios up to a 25 per cent reduction in development fees and should stimulate around £188 million in new investment over the next five years.


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Biggest achievement: Managed the development of Farmington Hills Corporate Campus, a 134-acre development with build-to-suit and multitenant buildings totaling 500,000 square feet.
Current goal: Antone plans to continue to spearhead Kojaian's commercial and industrial projects and expand the company's retail development efforts by pursuing medium to large big-box retail projects.
In 1998, Tony Antone went from being U.S. Sen. Spencer Abraham's deputy chief of staff to director of development for Kojaian Cos. He was promoted to vice president of development in 2001. He now oversees all of the Bloomfield Hills-based company's development projects.
Antone said the transition from politics came naturally.
"In my opinion, the real estate industry is all about relationships and trust and telling it straight, and that's something my parents instilled in me from day one," Antone said. "It just clicked."
Since joining Kojaian, Antone has become one of the most important members of Kojaian's management team, said David Haboian, Kojaian's vice president of brokerage. Antone has overseen office, industrial and retail projects totaling more than 1 million square feet and valued at more than $100 million.
In fact, development of the 500,000 square feet of office space at the Farmington Hills Corporate Campus alone likely exceeded $77 million, given metro Detroit's average development costs of about $155 a square foot.
Antone is now also in charge of expanding Kojaian's expertise from commercial and industrial projects into retail. Antone's first retail development, the 127-acre Lyon Crossing and Lyon Towne Center in Lyon Township are deemed a resounding success by other brokers.
Antone also negotiated the sale of land to tenants such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Lowes Cos. Inc.
Antone was selected in July 2002 to sit on the board of Northbrook, Ill.-based Grubb & Ellis Co., in which Kojaian is a major shareholder.
Antone also is co-publisher of The Chaldean News, a monthly magazine launched in February for the local Chaldean-American community.


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Social Madness Spotlight: iland Internet Solutions
The Houston Business Journal is profiling different Social Madness contestants in this recurring spotlight feature. If your company would like to be featured, apply for Social Madness — a one-of-a-kind competition that measures a company’s social media engagement — and contact Molly Ryan at firstname.lastname@example.org.
iland’s social media stats:
• Facebook: 370 likes
• Twitter (@ilandcloud): 2,774 followers
• LinkedIn: 1,146 followers
Houston-based iland Internet Solutions, a cloud computing provider, uses social media to show off its “thought leadership,” said Kimberly Howard, a sales and marketing analyst at iland who is in charge of running the company’s social media accounts.
Although Howard manages the day-to-day activities of iland’s Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube pages, she said the company encourages all employees to use social media and show off their expertise about cloud technologies.
To help facilitate employee social media activity, Howard said she sends out a daily email that describes what the company will be discussing on social media that day — for example, it could be a case study, event or product. Also, employees are told to carve out time to comment on social forums.
“We definitely want to increase our number of fans and followers, but we also want to increase engagement and get people outside of our own employees to engage with the content,” Howard said. “We are also very active on technology blogs and forums.”
The company does not use social media to market its products — instead, iland aims to demonstrate the expertise of its employees, Howard said.
Molly Ryan covers manufacturing, technology, the Port and logistics for the Houston Business Journal. For her breaking stories and industry insights, follow her on Twitter.
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As one of the leaders of the Moms as Entrepreneurs academy, Jasmine Simms talks to other small business owners about the importance of standing out. It’s perhaps inevitable that businesses will pop up offering similar services, but there’s still a lot that entrepreneurs can do to offer something unique.
“You really have to find ways to make yourself different,” said Simms, who was voted the year’s top entrepreneur at the 2016 Baltimore Innovation Awards.
That lesson comes from experience. Simms is the founder of Scrub Nail Boutique in Fells Point. She knows there are other nail salons. However, Scrub Nail Boutique’s membership program is one way it stands out. Customers can get unlimited manicures, or an opt for manicures and pedicures. They also offer additional benefits for members.
“If it doesn’t work for you, you can cancel it and there’s no contract,” she said.
During a recent interview at the salon, Simms told us about how the membership model grew out of another key for any business owner: talking to your customers.
Simms worked at other nail salons, and wanted to be sure to create a business that gives customers what they want. Scrub also uses natural products that don’t create fumes and takes extra care to keep tools safe.
But with a second floor space that doesn’t have street access, Simms immediately recognized the importance of building relationships with clients. Simms is interested in getting to know the customers and hearing their stories, and the business is built partially on referrals — whether person-to-person or through Yelp.
She found many of the customers come back regularly, and they like perks. By becoming members, coming back regularly and getting perks becomes official. For the business, the memberships generate recurring revenue, and open up the potential for additional sales.
Through Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses program this year, Simms is getting mentorship and looking at additional ways to grow.
But she said it all comes back to being willing to try something new. She’s always asking herself, “What can we do that’s different that will set us apart?”


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A former dollar store space in the Meyer Park shopping center will be converted into the first Emler Swim School in the Houston market, according to JLL, which is representing the company in its expansion here.
The Dallas-based company, which offers lessons for all ages and skill levels, has leased 7,697 square feet in the center at 9929 S. Post Oak Blvd., and a 5,500-square-foot space at the new Clear Lake Marketplace, at Clear Lake City Boulevard and El Dorado Boulevard. Both will be built out with swimming pools incorporating the company's latest facility design for summer openings.
Mark Raines and Matt Parsons of JLL represented Emler.
"We have long had requests from Emler families and friends to open schools in Houston, and we look forward to finally being able to say yes to those requests," Emler CEO Greg Laird said in an announcement.
"We hope to grow in a big way in Houston."
The leases illustrate the evolution of traditional retail spaces, which have expanded to include more services and health care tenants.
Having an indoor pool does not limit Emler in the types of places it can go, Parsons said. Site selections are based on factors such as the size and dimensions of a space, parking and access to the shopping center.
Founded in 1975, the school has a dozen locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and Kansas City markets. Additional locations are planned over the next few years.


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Experian won a legal battle against the U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) after the data regulator ordered the credit reference agency to make “fundamental changes” over the way it handled personal data for direct marketing purposes or stop altogether.
In October 2020, following a two-year investigation, the ICO issued Experian an enforcement notice—rather than a fine—for breaching the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by processing and selling personal data for postal and telephone marketing campaigns without people’s knowledge or consent.
Through its direct marketing arm, Experian acquired personal data on people from a mix of publicly available sources like the electoral register, other data suppliers, and its own credit reference business, according to the ICO. Rather than try to gain consumers’ consent, Experian allegedly relied on the concept of “legitimate interest” to use personal data to build a profile on around 50 million adults, which it then sold to third parties to help target marketing promotions more effectively.
While the ICO’s investigation also examined the practices of the U.K.’s other two largest credit reference agencies, Equifax and TransUnion, then-Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham took no action against them since they showed a “willingness to change their practices and put people’s legal rights first” and withdrew some of their products and services.
Following an appeal by Experian, the First-Tier Tribunal (Information Rights) ruled Feb. 20 that while the company had not processed the personal data of around 5.3 million individuals transparently, fairly, or lawfully—and that it was “not disproportionate” to notify them—it rejected the ICO’s view Experian’s privacy notice was not transparent or that it was unfair for the company to use credit reference data for direct marketing purposes.
The tribunal also disagreed with the ICO’s finding Experian did not properly assess the lawful basis of the data use.
In a comment that might cause confusion over the way companies notify consumers about data collection and use in future, the tribunal said, “Common sense would tend to suggest that it is only those who are actually interested in what happens to their data who would read beyond the first part of a privacy notice and, if they were concerned to read further, we consider that there is a sufficiently easy-to-follow trail through hyperlinks.
“… If people are not concerned about their privacy or what happens to their data … then to a significant extent that is their choice. It may not be the choice of others or particularly data professionals, but you cannot force people into reading privacy policies,” even though “the data controller is still obligated to provide a privacy notice.”
The ICO is considering whether to appeal.
“This decision provides useful judicial commentary for data controllers in relation to the appropriateness of using ‘legitimate interests’ as a lawful basis for processing undertaken for direct marketing purposes, transparency obligations, and the practical application of the GDPR.”
Simon Davis, Associate, Womble Bond Dickinson
José Luiz Rossi, Experian’s managing director of the U.K. and Ireland region, said in a statement the tribunal found the “vast majority of our practices meet GDPR requirements” and that the legal decision “substantially overturns” the ICO’s enforcement notice. The ruling “represents a welcome development for the consumers, small businesses, and charities across the U.K. that rely on the services provided by Experian,” he added.
Simon Davis, associate at law firm Womble Bond Dickinson, said he had “no doubt” Experian and other data controllers involved in large-scale processing for direct marketing purposes “will be considering the terms of this judgment carefully.”
“This decision provides useful judicial commentary for data controllers in relation to the appropriateness of using ‘legitimate interests’ as a lawful basis for processing undertaken for direct marketing purposes, transparency obligations, and the practical application of the GDPR,” he said.
Sarah Pearce, partner at law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth, said the ruling was not clear cut.
“While the tribunal’s findings confirm any balancing test used in the context of a legitimate interest assessment should take into account the economic benefits and the benefits to the individual of receiving the relevant offers, it does not offer a blanket confirmation legitimate interests is always a lawful basis for direct marketing,” she said “The balancing test still needs to be carried out.”
Robert Lands, partner at law firm Howard Kennedy, said companies should take away from this decision “the cost of compliance must factor into their commercial modeling. If the decision to process personal data is a commercial one, then the cost of providing privacy notices is unlikely to ever be disproportionate.”
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Pot’s annual holiday, 4/20, met its biggest potential bonanza last month in California. The Golden State just months earlier had welcomed legal recreational sales, and dispensaries, grows and brands up and down the state prepared to harvest the kind of green that piles-up in cash registers.
Did the harvest meet expectations?
It certainly rocked.
Sales on 4/20 in California, a Friday, reached $15.1 million, by far the busiest day at dispensaries so far in 2018 according to cannabis research firm BDS Analytics. That number is close to double the nearest sales day, which was April 19, the day before the big holiday, when dispensary cash registers hauled-in $8.65 million. Other big days during the year were April 13, with $8.5 million in sales; April 27, at $8.2 million; and March 30, which saw sales of $8.3 million. All of the biggest sales days, other than the day before 4/20, were on Fridays.
Naturally, since 4/20 fell on a Friday this year, the 4/20 weekend was by far the busiest of 2018. with $28.9 million in sales.
What sold? For the most part, 4/20 shopping resembles the rest of the year. But one data point stands out: flower gets a boost on the holiday. During California’s first month of recreational sales, January, flower commanded 43 percent of sales. But in February its market share fell to 41 percent and by March it dropped further to 40 percent. Examining all of April, too, sees flower at 40 percent. But on 4/20, sales of flower hit 42 percent. Prerolls, too, rose from 7 percent in March to 8 percent on 4/20.
The flower climb came at the expense of edibles. In both March and April, edibles represented 16 percent of sales, but on 4/20 they dropped to 14 percent.
The dramatic rise in dollar sales on 4/20 does come at a cost: the average retail sales price on 4/20 for a gram of flower or a unit (like a vape pen or a bag of gummies) was $11.32. But for all of April it was $14.02, and with the 4/20 price-deflation excluded from the April average the number is higher.
Meanwhile, gram/unit sales on 4/20 hit 1.34 million, which is more than double the second-biggest sales day of the year, 4/19, when consumers bought 647,553 items at dispensaries. So while dollar sales on 4/20 did not quite double the second-biggest dispensary day, unit sales more than doubled.
Given the popularity of holiday sales on Thursday — the day before 4/20 — this year, next year’s bonanza could stand out even more. With few exceptions, Fridays are always the most popular sales days of the week in cannabis, and Saturdays are close behind. A 4/20 holiday that fully embraces both Friday and Saturday could stoke a blaze far in excess of other 4/20s.


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On November 18, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published a blog post outlining its recent initiative to share consumer complaint data with cities and counties so they can “step up their efforts to protect consumers at the local level.”
According to the CFPB, one of the main ways to regulate consumer financial products and protect consumers from unfair practices is to collect and respond to consumer complaints. The complaints it receives inform the CFPB’s regulatory priorities and enforcement activities. The CFPB recently launched an initiative to increase the impact of its complaints data by sharing it with local governments. The CFPB says this will help protect as many consumers as possible from predatory lending, credit hurdles and other consumer harms.
Initially, the CFPB selected cities and counties best positioned to benefit from CFPB complaints data, such as: (1) local governments with civil or criminal prosecution power; and (2) local governments with, or working to create, financial empowerment offices to improve the financial stability of low- and middle-income households. The CFPB then began to integrate local governments into its government portal, which gives agencies access to more detailed information on consumer complaints and business responses than is available on the public portal.
The government portal allows cities and counties to:
- See in real time what consumers are experiencing in the financial market and how companies are reacting;
- Upload complaints and supporting documents to investigate and enforce consumer protection rules;
- Compare the issues their constituents face to other localities and nationally;
- Analyze data by time period, company, geography, and more.
- Securely transfer individual complaints to the CFPB;
- Receive the list of companies responding to complaints.
In less than three months, more than a dozen cities and counties have expressed interest in accessing the government portal. Jurisdictions participating in the program include: Los Angeles, California; New York, New York; Austin, TX; Columbus, Ohio; and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Given the uncertain future of the CFPB, this initiative may indicate that the CFPB is focusing its resources more on partnering with state and local governments to promote its policies, thereby ensuring the continuation of its work even if its funding or authority is compromised. considerably reduced.


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What you need to know
- Baldur's Gate 3, the hugely anticipated follow-up to a beloved D&D series, was set to release in Early Access on September 30, 2020.
- On Twitter today, Larian Studios, the company tasked with creating this ambitious game, announced that the Early Access has been delayed by a week.
- The decision comes from a "few unexpected delays," likely referring to some bugs or crashes in the release candidate build.
- If everything goes well, Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access will release on October 6, 2020 instead.
Baldur's Gate III, henceforth referred to as Baldur's Gate 3, is the sequel to a beloved RPG series set in the D&D universe, and is being built by Larian Studios, the company responsible for such masterpieces as Divinity: Original Sin 2. The game's early access was set to release September 30, 2020, but a recent post on the official Twitter account (appropriately renamed "Baldur's Late") announced a saddening delay. Fortunately, the delay is only for a week, at least right now, so players don't have to wait too much longer to get their hands on this long-awaited game.
We have bad news, and good news. But first, the bad news! We're delaying to October 6, by a week. We'll be back later today with the romance & companionship update to pick you all up again. pic.twitter.com/j2NOEk4jAiWe have bad news, and good news. But first, the bad news! We're delaying to October 6, by a week. We'll be back later today with the romance & companionship update to pick you all up again. pic.twitter.com/j2NOEk4jAi— Larian Studios is tossing a goblin (@larianstudios) September 23, 2020September 23, 2020
According to Larian Studios, the early access is being delayed simply because the build they were testing didn't make the cut, and a few unexpected delays led to the decision to delay. The studio is confident that the week will be more than enough, however, so Baldur's Gate 3 should be out in early access on October 6, 2020, as long as the team runs into no further issues or crashes.
When Baldur's Gate 3 does arrive, the game is coming to Google Stadia, Steam, and GOG.com, so players will have some choice on where they can play the game.
Are you upset by the delay, or are you happy to wait another week if it means a better gaming experience? Where are you going to play Baldur's Gate 3? Let us know in the comments below!
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Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary.


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Nutreco says it has completed its purchase of Hi-Pro Feeds, and along with the acquisition, is moving its North American animal nutrition business under the name Trouw Nutrition.
The Dutch company’s animal nutrition business operates internationally under the Trouw Nutrition brand, with the exception of North America, where Nutreco also operates as Shur-Gain and Landmark Feeds.
“The completion of the acquisition is a good moment to unite our combined businesses of Shur-Gain, Landmark and Hi-Pro Feeds under Trouw Nutrition,” says Jacques Leclerc, Managing Director of Trouw Nutrition Canada, in a statement. “This rebranding will link our value proposition to our customers more directly with Trouw Nutrition’s portfolio of products, animal production models and services as well as its global R&D resource.”
Nutreco says it has satisfied all the conditions and approvals to complete its acquisiton of Hi-Pro Feeds, originally announced in January.
Headquartered in Okotoks, Alberta, Hi-Pro operates 15 feed mills, selling animal nutrition products in Western Canada and the southwest U.S. Birch Hill Equity Partners was Hi-Pro’s majority owner, along with company employees, who bought the business when Viterra decided to sell its feed operations in 2012.
“We are excited about the opportunities this acquisition brings to our customers and employees in Canada and the USA. As a global animal nutrition company, Trouw Nutrition has the resources and network available to create additional value for our customers through an expanded offering of proprietary nutritional products, animal production models, and services,” says Hi-Pro founder Daren Kennett.
Nutreco says Shur-Gain will become the key product brand in Canada that will be used for all premixes, farm minerals, concentrates and complete feed. The Shur-Gain dealer network will also keep its existing branding.
In the U.S., both Hi-Pro Feeds and Shur-Gain will be retained as product brands under Trouw Nutrition.
The company says Kennett will lead the Western Region (Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia), as well as the Hi-Pro Feeds operations in the U.S. during the integration phase.
Trouw Nutrition Canada will be headquartered in Guelph, Ontario, while Trouw Nutrition USA will be based in Highland, Illinois.
- Hi-Pro Feeds Expanding in Alberta, Acquiring Champion Feed Services
- Viterra’s Cattle Financing Program Will No Longer be Available


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Real Madrid remove Christian cross from logo for new Middle East clothing deal
Real Madrid have removed the Christian cross from their club crest as part of a new clothing deal in six Middle Eastern countries.
The European football kings, whose main shirt sponsor is Dubai-based airline Emirates, made the deal with clothing manufacturer Marka. It grants the Emirati firm exclusive rights to manufacture and sell the football club’s products in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
The deal covers clothing such as T-shirts, polo shirts and swimwear, however it does not include replica jerseys, which are manufactured by Adidas and are sold featuring the cross.
Real Madrid were the highest revenue generating football club in the world for more than a decade. However, they recently lost that crown to Manchester United, and also fell behind arch rivals FC Barcelona.


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Kim Kardashian Rocks KSh 2.3m Coat in 1st Photos with Boyfriend Pete Davidson
- Kim Kardashian posted cute photos on her Instagram on Friday, going official on her Instagram with comedian Pete Davidson for the first time
- In the photos, the reality TV star wore a stylish look and rocked a fringed woollen coat and long silver boots
- A brief search through the internet revealed that the coat, which has been likened to an iron sponge by some internet users, goes for a whopping KSh 2.3 million.
Pay attention: Become TUKO.co.ke ambassador – get a branded T-shirt, hoodie or water bottle at our TUKO Shop!
American reality TV star Kim Kardashian has caused a stir on social media after it emerged that the fringed coat she wore with her new boyfriend Pete Davidson on their first photoshoot cost KSh 2.3 million.
Kim, a fashion enthusiast, is known to go to the highest bidders where her fashion is concerned, and she pulled a new look with her new comedian man.
In the first shot, Kim posed in a shimmery silver fringe coat and gave an elegant Victoria's Secret model look.
In the other photo, The King of Staten Island actor is wearing a brown jacket with flannel underneath.
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Fans had a blast with the business mogul's look that she chose to make her relationship with Pete Instagram official.
However, a brief search through the internet shows that it may look like a sponge, but it certainly costs a lot of money.
According to a listing on their official website, the Balenciaga faux fur costs KSh 2.3 million. Her over-the-knee mirrored boots also by the exact brand cost Ksh 220,000 as recorded by Humble And Rich.
This is what she posted on her Instagram:
Kate Middleton shows up at event
In a separate story, the Duchess of Cambridge, whose fashion sense has constantly been praised for being classy and expensive, was spotted wearing an affordable dress to a recent university event.
Kate Middleton wore a grey dress worth KSh 2,000 while going to an early childhood event launched by the University College London.
This was the second time the mother of three was seen with the dress as she wore it before to a public board event.


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Toronto, Ontario — General Motors has big plans for its Ultium batteries. The automaker said once it’s Ultium battery/electric powered-motor is unveiled, it will have a range of 724 kilometres.
The battery’s impressive range can be attributed to the fact that the automaker was able to reduce the weight of the battery by 25 percent, and on top of that they were able to lower the volume of the battery, according to reporting from Driving.ca.
Fiona Meyer-Teruel, the Ultium division’s battery electronics and communications systems lead, told Driving.ca, these reductions “extend charging range by creating lighter vehicles overall and opening extra room for more batteries.”
The company was able to reduce the weight and size of the batteries by using a Wireless Battery Management System (wBMS). By incorporating this technology, the batteries don’t need the heavy wiring that’s used in most electric batteries. Additionally, the wireless technology allows for the company to make over-the-air updates a lot easier.
GM says in the future the whole system could be upgraded, similar to the way in which smartphones do.
“Our team accepted the challenge to transform product development at GM and position our company for an all-electric future,” said Mary Barra, GM Chair and CEO, in a release. “What we have done is build a multi-brand, multi-segment EV strategy with economies of scale that rivals our full-size truck business with much less complexity and even more flexibility.”


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California Billionaire’s Real Estate Company Lets Renters Pay in Bitcoin
Billionaire California real estate developer Rick Caruso, whose firm owns multiple shopping malls, resorts and mixed use residential and commercial properties, announced this week that his firm, Caruso Properties, has invested approximately 1% of its portfolio in Bitcoin, the Los Angeles Times reports. Significantly, the developer said he will accept Bitcoin as rent or lease payments for both residential and retail tenants.
The L.A. Times speculates that billionaire Elon Musk could be one of Caruso’s first Bitcoin tenants, as he leases space for a Tesla showroom at Caruso Properties’ Americana at Brand in Glendale, Calif. Caruso told the Times that he hadn’t spoken to the Tesla CEO about paying rent in Bitcoin yet, but Caruso said, “He may be the first.”
In February, Musk invested $1.5 billion of Tesla’s funds in Bitcoin and, in late March, he announced that customers could purchase a Tesla with Bitcoin.
However, accepting payments in the form of a currency that experts at Bloomberg predict could rise to more than seven times its current value in the next year makes financial sense. Using that same currency to make purchases, especially on something other than tangible goods, could result in a financial loss, especially if the U.S. starts to see inflation rise as many predict.
Caruso told the L.A. Times he hasn’t seen “a clamor” from tenants to pay rent in Bitcoin, and the asset may remain more desirable as an investment than a currency for the time being.
Still, as Caruso joins Musk as one of the world’s billionaires putting faith — and funds — into Bitcoin, which was trading at more than $56,000 at the end of the day on Wednesday, the crypto could be on its way to gaining even more legitimacy as a currency. In recent months, financial juggernauts such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan began exploring the possibility of recognizing Bitcoin as a legitimate asset class.
Caruso’s Bitcoin investment comes as part of a partnership with Gemini, the L.A. Times reports. The cryptocurrency exchange was founded by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, best known for suing Mark Zuckerberg for allegedly stealing their social network idea in college.
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