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Amazon.com (AMZN) was Reiterated by The Benchmark Company to “Buy” according to the research note released today. The brokerage firm has raised the Price Target to $ 915 from a previous price target of $750 . The Benchmark Company advised their investors in a research report released on Jul 13, 2016.
Many Wall Street Analysts have commented on Amazon.com. Company shares were Reiterated by Axiom Capital on Jul 11, 2016 to “Buy”, Firm has raised the Price Target to $ 853 from a previous price target of $811 .Company shares were Reiterated by SunTrust on Jul 6, 2016 to “Neutral”, Firm has raised the Price Target to $ 775 from a previous price target of $710 .Maxim Group Initiated Amazon.com on Jun 23, 2016 to “Buy”, Price Target of the shares are set at $825.
On the company’s financial health, Amazon.com reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the analyst consensus estimate by $ 0.47 according to the earnings call on Apr 28, 2016. Analyst had a consensus of $0.60. The company had revenue of $29128.00 million for the quarter.The company’s revenue was up 28.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $-0.12 EPS.
Amazon.com opened for trading at $750 and hit $755.9 on the upside on Monday, eventually ending the session at $753.78, with a gain of 1.07% or 7.97 points. The heightened volatility saw the trading volume jump to 31,95,272 shares. Company has a market cap of $355,654 M.
In a different news, on Jun 8, 2016, Patricia Q Stonesifer (director) sold 6,250 shares at $725.93 per share price. According to the SEC, on May 17, 2016, Shelley Reynolds (Vice President) sold 626 shares at $704.84 per share price. On May 17, 2016, David Zapolsky (Senior Vice President) sold 2,019 shares at $705.49 per share price, according to the Form-4 filing with the securities and exchange commission.
Amazon.com Inc. (Amazon.com) is an e-commerce company. The Company sells a range of products and services through its Websites. The Company’s products are offered through consumer-facing Websites which include merchandise and content that it purchases for resale from vendors and those offered by third-party sellers. It designs its Websites to enable products to be sold by the Company and by third parties across various product categories. It also manufactures and sells electronic devices including Kindle e-readers Fire tablets Fire TVs Echo and Fire phones. Amazon.com operates in two segments: North America and International. The North America segment focuses on retail sales earned through North America-focused Websites. The International segment focuses on the Company’s operations done through its international Websites. It serves developers and enterprises through Amazon Web Services (AWS). It serves authors and independent publishers with Kindle Direct Publishing.


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Editorial: One thing to be thankful for? Reno economy
We are blessed in Northern Nevada with things to be thankful for, and one not seen for a while around these parts is economic improvement.
This is the first year since the Great Recession started pummeling the region in 2007 that it feels like the corner has finally been turned.
It seems not a month goes by without an announcement worth celebrating that a new company is locating here.
Numbers back up the impression on the ground.
Between December 2007, when the recession officially started, and January 2008, the Reno-Sparks unemployment rate spiked from 5.1 percent to 6.5 percent. Over just that one month, the number of Reno-Sparks residents without a job jumped by more than 3,000.
That was one of the worst months in the region's history. This year has seen many bright months. The Reno-Sparks unemployment rate plunged from 8.9 percent this January to 6.1 percent in October. The number of residents without a job has decreased by more than 6,100.
One of the key players in this turnaround has been the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada. It was charged with recruiting businesses from around the country — especially California — to locate here.
In the past 12 months, some of the bigger announcements have included:
• OLE Mexican Foods. The Atlanta-based company announced Reno would be home to its central distribution site in the West, eventually expected to employ more than 500 people.
• Garlock Printing & Converting. The Massachusetts company opened a flexographic printing facility in Reno, and it hopes to bring 175 jobs.
• Zulily. The online shopping site announced a fulfillment center at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center that could hold as many as 1,600 employees.
• Ashima. The drone company moved its headquarters to Reno from California and plans to build a manufacturing facility, too. The relocation will mean up to 400 jobs.
• Tesla Motors. The electric car company plans to build the world's largest battery factory at Tahoe Reno Industrial Center with about 6,500 jobs predicted. CEO Elon Musk has made comments recently that there could be up to 10,000. The economic impact could mean $100 billion over the next 20 years.
• Petco. The pet-product retailer is building a distribution center in Reno's north valleys that is expected to hire about 150 people.
• Cenntro. The electric vehicle company is moving its New Jersey headquarters to Sparks and building a manufacturing facility here. It expects to hire up to 300 workers.
These don't include many smaller companies that have also made the leap to Northern Nevada. To give three examples: Truly Good Foods, an East Coast company that is opening a West Coast distribution center in Reno; BeaverFit, a strength and endurance equipment maker that moved its headquarters to Incline Village; and Independent Salon Services, a beauty products distributor that moved its headquarters from California to Reno.
Further, EDAWN has 10 announcements it hopes to make in the coming months involving 459 more jobs.
And Reno's Startup Row has taken off downtown. Gov. Brian Sandoval recognized four startup companies there earlier this year — UsTyme (family app), Trainer Road (cycle training software company), Pinoccio (maker of wireless micro-controllers) and Inqiri (intelligence software to help companies make better decisions). They created 20 jobs between them and hoped to double that this year.
Seeds were planted to grow future successes. With the help of a federal grant, a mentoring program started in Reno this year called Summit VMS.
It is based on a model developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with the goal of assisting startup companies that have high growth potential so they are more likely to succeed.
All of this progress is worth being thankful for — and it hints that Northern Nevada's best days are just beginning.

domain: news


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A twisted knee in 1999 put paid to Greg Cox's dreams of playing professional rugby for Wasps, says the BBC's Will Smale. After a brief stint as a bricklayer, Cox, now 36, began importing cars from mainland Europe, which were up to 20% cheaper than in Britain. Business boomed at his company, Coszt Imports, "despite the terrible name", says Cox.
But then, in 2001, the dotcom bubble burst, the pound fell and the business went bust. Licking his wounds, Cox moved to South Africa, and resumed importing cars to Britain. By 2008, Cox was back in the UK and investing in the fintech sector. Then, in early 2009, he got together with his friend and business partner, Paul Naden, and they launched Quint Group, with each investing £12,500.
The company owns several consumer finance websites, including online loans marketplace Monevo. Cox bought out Naden last year, and today, he owns 90% of Quint, and the business turns over £42m a year. While it hasn't all been plain sailing, "I think I have always been entrepreneurial", says Cox. "Focus on what you are good at, work relentlessly at it, make considered decisions, don't be too emotive, and with a bit of luck you'll have some success."
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Food business slims down to grow profit
Ben Jackson left a well-paid job nine years ago to spend more time with his children, says James Hurley in The Times. "The hours were insane," says Jackson, 40. "I knew I had to set up my own business so I could control my own time." He started running Capsicana, a Latin American food company, from home, selling a broad range of products to independent shops. But it wasn't very profitable.
"You think, I'll grow revenue by adding another product line'", says Jackson. "Before I knew it, I had 35 product lines to manage and the working capital was going the wrong way... I was working every hour I could and I couldn't see a way to grow."
So, he slimmed the line down to four cooking sauces and partnered with a big manufacturer. Amazon-owned Whole Foods began stocking the range, which led to deals with Waitrose and Sainsbury's. Capsicana is working towards turnover of £900,000 this year, and has raised £450,000 in investment, including from New Covent Garden Soup founder John Stapleton. Says Jackson: "Running a small business is about continuous improvement."
A digital textbook case of refusing to give up
Camilla Hessellund Lastein's first attempt to launch Lix, a platform for digital textbooks, ended in disaster, the 24-year-old Dane tells Hazel Sheffield in The Independent. She dropped out of university, took savings from a full-time office job, and part-time waitressing, and got a £20,000 bank loan. She invested it all into her idea and went bust within a year. The firm she had commissioned to build her first digital platform invoiced for all the cash she had, and left her with a PowerPoint presentation.
"They took advantage of me", says Hessellund Lastein. Her mother, an entrepreneur, told her to learn from it. She soon met her new co-founder, Kasper Krog. They assembled a team of developers and got Lix 2.0 off the ground. Three years on, Lix has raised $7.5m in funding. The platform hosts 7,000 publishers, including Pearson and McGraw-Hill. The media goes on about what young people are worth, says Hessellund Lastein, but "people don't understand how much work this takes".
No more inky fingers for music fans
"Nirvana. You probably barely recognise the name, but by the time this page is ink on your fingertips, Nirvana will have sold 1,000,000 copies of their new LP." That's how I opened a cover story I wrote for the NME, on 23 November 1991, says Mary Anne Hobbs in The New York Times. Alas, "there will be no more inky fingers for NME's readers". Last week, the New Musical Express, "Britain's most important music newspaper and a taste maker on both sides of the Atlantic", put out its last print edition after 66 years.
For decades, NME was a "cultural bible for teenagers and had clout that could propel rock, punk and indie bands into the charts with front cover features", say Nic Fildes and Federica Cocco in the Financial Times. But from the 1990s, its influence waned with the rise of online and specialist titles. Circulation fell to 15,000 a week; rivals Melody Maker and Sounds had already succumbed. Now, private-equity firm Epiris, which bought NME's parent company, media group Time, last month, for £130m, has decided to stop the presses.
The closure of the print edition of NME (it will continue online) "is the latest warning sign that the shift to digital media is threatening to kill the British love affair with print magazines", says Mark Sweney in The Guardian. Sales of the top 100 titles have fallen by 55% since 2000 to just 13.9 million. Similarly, print advertising will have fallen from £512m in 2010 to £250m by the year-end, and digital advertising is failing to fill the void. Music magazines, such as NME, have been driven online. Now they face a fight to exist even there.
Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.
Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.
Pension withdrawals on the rise, HMRC data reveals
Pension withdrawal data has led to some raising concerns over savers ‘raiding’ their pensions unsustainably.
By John Fitzsimons Published
ONS: UK economy recovered from pandemic faster than previously thought
Revisions from the ONS showed the UK economy has grown since the pandemic, while the latest data showed GDP grew in the second quarter of 2023.
By Nicole García Mérida Published


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Donald Deane has held a variety of jobs, including college English teacher, newspaper reporter/editor, internet project manager, dishwasher and dogcatcher. He now writes exclusively and has contributed to AOL TV and Moviefone among others.
300-Pound Pumpkin Stolen From Illinois Farm Stand
Over the weekend, a massive 300-pound pumpkin displayed at Hammer's Farm Market in Peoria, Illinois, went missing and may have been taken by thieves. We're not sure what's more impressive -- actually growing a 300-pound pumpkin or working out the logistics to steal one.
At Ease, Everyone: Experts Say 2013 Bacon Shortage Is a Myth
Last week, a U.K. group struck fear in the hearts of bacon lovers everywhere when it predicted an "unavoidable" pork shortage next year. But now experts say there's no real threat of an impending "aporkalypse" here in the U.S. and that the organization's report amounts to nothing more than propaganda. Whew!
Pranksters Glue iPhone 5 to the Ground in Amsterdam
If you're anything like us, then you've grown seriously tired of all the buzz and relentless hype surrounding the launch of the iPhone 5. And you'll probably laugh as hard as we did at this video of people in Amsterdam vainly trying to pick up an iPhone that's been glued to the ground.
What Are America’s 10 Favorite Snacks?
As the saying goes, nothing's more American than apple pie. But if a new list of the nation's top 10 favorite snack foods is any indication, it may soon be replaced by deliciously salty treats.
Americans Honor Victims on the 11th Anniversary of the 9/11 Terror Attacks [VIDEO]
In what's become a grim and somber ritual for Americans, citizens will gather Tuesday to mark the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, in which Islamic extremists killed nearly 3,000 people. Thousands are expected to come together in New York City, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania to pay their respects.


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Study: Interest in Apple ‘iTV’ suggests it will be game-changer
A new study found that 80 percent of consumers who do not currently use Apple Inc. products are interested in potentially purchasing the “iTV” television product that the company’s rumored to have in the works.
According to Quixel Research and TFCInfo, the companies that conducted the study, the appetite for an integrated television that goes beyond the capabilities of existing Internet-enabled TVs is very high, and if Apple can deliver on consumer expectations, its iTV could transform the marketplace as other Apple products have in the past.
Tamaryn Pratt, president of Quixel Research, said in a news release that the firm’s research shows “there’s a major disconnect between current ‘smart’ or Internet-enabled TVs and consumers.”
Pratt said that if Apple introduces the iTV, “it could ultimately disrupt the home entertainment industry in the same way the company forever changed the computer, music, mobile phone, tablet, publishing and retail industries.”
The firm supports those statements with data points from its survey of 1,169 current and potential flat-screen TV owners, conducted in June, which sought to determine consumer preference in connected devices and services, among other related topics.
Since the iTV does not officially exist, opinions sought from consumers were based on the assumption that it would embody Apple’s traditional product attributes, which it defined as “advanced design, innovative features, simple interface, convenient usability and easy connectivity to other Apple devices.”
To see Quixel Research’s study summary, view its news release online.
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The first 300 shoppers waiting in line for H&M to open at Seminole Towne Center and Florida Mall got red-lined black tote bags. Inside was a copy of H&M Magazine, a puzzle (to keep waiting shoppers entertained??), a logo T-shirt and a logo bottle of water. (See photos of the event here)
It's "fashion water," cracked Craig Slezak, far left, an actor at Walt Disney World. "It makes you addicted to H&M clothing."
If you drink enough of it, added Tim Steward, a photographer, "In about two months you should be looking like the guy in the H&M ads."
J.T. Trinidad, right, an engineer from Sanford, said the only reason he goes to New York is to shop at H&M. Now he can save himself the air fare and do it in his own backyard. nice to have a big-name store in our snall town," he said. Hear, hear!
Here, the guys show off their goodie-bag T-shirts.
(Check earlier posts for other H&M news and pictures.)
(Photos: Jean Patteson)


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This May 1, 2014 photo taken in Washington, DC shows a bitcoin medal. Bitcoin uses peer-to-peer technology to operate with no central authority or banks; managing transactions and the issuing of bitcoins is carried out collectively by the network. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced on April 29, 2014 it would give $100 in Bitcoin to its 4,500 students starting in the Fall of 2014. The project started by two MIT students aims for a better understanding of emerging technologies. AFP PHOTO / Karen BLEIERKAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images ORG XMIT: – ORIG FILE ID: 529392797
Harley-Davidson is hogging publicity at Comic-con
Nike CEO Mark Parker pulled in $14.7 million in 2014 fiscal year pay, 5% less than 2013.
Brightcove’s gloomy earnings news made the on-line video services firm Wall Street’s biggest loser Friday. Shares sank 38%.
Mom always told you to eat your vegetables. It appears to be paying off for BJ’s Restaurants.
Dallas Mavericks owner and President Obama agree on at least one issue: corporate tax inversions pose a financial threat to the nation.
Shares of El Pollo Loco are up 33% on their first day of trading as investors scramble to own a piece of the roasted chicken chain.


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CRANFORD, NJ — It’s a Mario world and we just live in it.
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” theatrically released in the United States on Wednesday, April 5, has been a massive success, already grossing at least $377 million worldwide against a $100 million budget, and Cranford Downtown Management Corp. decided to get in on the action, too, specifically with a “Super Mario Stroll” event.
Caren Demyen, the Cranford DMC director, explained to LocalSource what prompted her to create such an event, which took place on Friday, April 7, and Saturday, April 8, from noon to 4 p.m. “Super Mario Stroll” ticket holders receive a tote bag that can be filled with Super Mario goodies from 14 participating Downtown Cranford businesses, as well as a pass to see the movie at the Cranford Theater. There were also other Super Mario-themed events on those two days, including Mario’s Cotton Candy Stand, Bowser’s Temporary Tattoo Station, Luigi’s Mustache Station and Yoshi’s Pink Lemonade Stand.
“The Cranford theater let us know that the Mario movie was coming out and we always try to do events that are associated with our local theater,” Demyen said. “We thought of doing something fun to celebrate Mario and get kids out to enjoy the film at the theater.”
Events such as this only work with the involvement of local businesses, which is part of the rationale behind the creation of the Cranford DMC in the first place. Its existence has even prompted business owners to relocate to Cranford.
“We decided to move our business to Cranford in 2011. We found out that there was great downtown management that helps businesses grow,” Ligia DeJesus, owner of Cake Artist Cafe, told LocalSource. “We always try to participate in events like this. There have been a lot of cute kids coming by today looking for treats and many happy parents.”
“I opened my business here in 2013 and Downtown Cranford Management has always been great to work with,” Kim Capece, owner of Augusta Mae Boutique, told LocalSource. “Events like this help to promote the local businesses and the owners to both residents and people who come in from out of town.”
“I love any time that kids get to come out and share in common intellectual property like Mario that everyone loves, it is really fun,” Peter Mandle, owner of Rogue Comics, told LocalSource. “We sell Mario figures and merchandise in this store, so it all works. Unfortunately, Mario does not have a comic book series. That could potentially change after the success of the film.”
Much of the praise from local business owners was directed not just at the Cranford DMC, but at Demyen herself. As Cranford’s DMC director, Demyen is responsible for producing events throughout the town. Each event has a different theme, which serves each business separately.
“Every month, Caren puts together events to help promote walkability and foot traffic toward local businesses, and local owners have the option to participate or not take part,” Capece said. “I love taking part in events like this right before the holidays. Who does not love to hear kids laughing or having fun?”
Increased foot traffic and getting families out to local business was a consistent theme that came up among business owners in Cranford.
“Downtown Cranford asks every business owner in town if they want to participate in their events and we always participate,” Corinne Ardente, owner of Anthem style & gift, as well as Max & Luna, told LocalSource. “I have been in business in Cranford for almost eight years and these events are always good. It increases foot traffic and gets families to come into the stores and see what we have. Also, a lot of people come from surrounding towns.
“Last week there was a ‘Spring Hop’ for Easter and, in the fall, there was a ‘Cranford Stroll’ and different fall and Halloween events. Around Christmas time, there are different shopping events and strolls around town. I love to see the kids enjoying the events that the town puts on,” Ardente said.
Kristen Mider, the chairperson of Downtown Management, praised Demyen for the initiatives she’s created and how the money raised serves the community.
“All of the events that take place downtown come out of the DMC office that Caren directs,” Mider told LocalSource. “Some of our more popular events include the Scarecrow Stroll and the Superhero Stroll. Those events raise money for project graduation. We also collect canned soups to give to local shelters. Our events are often tied to bringing the community together and raising funds for people who need it the most.”
Demyen and Mider have been working together on these events for three years, helping each other to promote and support businesses and other initiatives in Cranford.
“Caren has been the director for nearly three years. I have been on the board for five years and chair(person) of the board for three years,” Mider said. “I was invited to join the board and feel that what the DMC does in regard to events, maintenance and supporting small businesses is so important. It is a great board, made up of people who want to see our downtown area thrive.”
The Mario Stroll is one more example of Cranford’s DMC working to better the township for its residents.
Photos by Javon Ross


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No other electronics company -- no other technology company, really -- has dominated the past 10 years the way Apple has.
Which, of course, explains the buzz surrounding Apple's latest creation. We haven't seen this level of gadget geekdom since iPod's debut in the fall of 2001... since the iPhone was unveiled in the summer of 2007, since...well, whenever Apple CEO Steve Jobs, in his trademark chic-meets-nerd, jeans-plus-black-turtle-neck get-up, takes the stage and introduces his newest must-have-it gizmo.
Rumor has it that Jobs considers the Tablet/iSlate/iPad as "a personal project" -- "the most important thing" he's ever done.
"It goes without saying that we are living in an increasingly multi-media, multi-platform, mobile-centered environment," Henry Jenkins, a leading media scholar at the University of Southern California, told me in phone interview. Formerly co-director of MIT's Comparative Media Studies program, Jenkins is one of the foremost thinkers in convergence media. "If the rumors about this new product is true -- that you can go online, browse newspapers and magazines, watch video; that it's like a cross between an iPhone and a Mac laptop -- then Apple's most important selling point is that it's created the best media convergence device in the market."
What is about Apple?
Arguably tech's biggest trendsetter, Apple has revolutionized not one but four distinct markets: computers, movies, music and mobile phones. More than that, each product has given birth to an evolving digital-based lifestyle, introducing a new set of vernacular along the way. The iPod gave us the playlist, which we make and control. Who needs to buy a whole album when you can download the only three songs really worth listening to? The iPhone has given us thousands of apps, which prove just how silly and creative and entrepreneurial people can be.
What is it about Jobs?
Named CEO of the decade by Fortune magazine last year, the nearly 55-year-old Jobs is one of the shrewdest marketers and message-makers around. So much so, in fact, that some in the liberal blogosphere joke that Jobs would make an effective chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
What does all the buzz say our tech-driven times?
Not everyone is a MacHead, of course. Microsoft, Yahoo and Hewlett-Packard, Google, Facebook and Twitter, have and will continue to leave their marks. Others argue, with justification, that Apple is a closed-off, top-down company -- highly secretive and only interested in what it can control. Nevertheless, under Jobs' guidance, Apple has been instrumental in broadening and expanding our definition of technology -- the way we individually relate to it, the way it feels and the way it looks, the way it fits in our lives.
Vote on what you think is Apple's top moment in the past decade:
Follow Jose on Twitter: www.twitter.com/joseiswriting


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Mercedes-Benz of Henderson helped sponsor the New Year’s Eve party at Anthem Country Club and recently presented a new iPad to Michelle Burke through a prize drawing.
“I never win anything, so I was really surprised to hear that I was the winner,” she said. “Not only am I delighted to have this new iPad, my 8-year-old son thinks it’s his as well. Needless to say, it will get lots of use.”
Burke, a native Las Vegan, has been in the real estate business for more 15 years.
“Mercedes-Benz of Henderson is a frequent sponsor of local events like the Anthem Country Club party,” said Jim Chaisson Jr., the dealership’s general manager since June . “These community events are a great way to connect with the communities in which we do business. It’s an opportunity to get to know our neighbors and it builds awareness of Mercedes-Benz’s newest vehicles and our full-service auto center. Of course, the best part is that it’s fun for everyone.”
He said the dealership plans to sponsor additional events throughout the year.
Mercedes-Benz of Henderson, at 925 Auto Show Drive, carries a full inventory of new and certified preowned Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The dealership is part of the Fletcher Jones automobile group . The dealership also has a complete service center . Visit www.mbofhenderson.com for details.


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A Verizon customer fakes his own demise in Droga5's first work for the brand.
Sprint may have taken last year off from the Super Bowl, but it hasn't forgotten that Verizon is nemesis numero uno. In 2015, the telecom giant "apologized" to competitors Verizon and AT&T for calling them sheep in a previous ad and then proceeded to label them as jackasses in its Big Game commercial. Last week, Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure tweeted that this year's Super Bowl spot would be a "real cliffhanger." Not to disappoint, the Droga5-created film features former Verizon spokesman Paul Marcerelli who advises a dad—who just faked his own death to get out of his expensive Verizon contract—that he could've just switched to Sprint. Oops. The 30-second spot will appear in the second quarter of the Super Bowl.


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By: Amy Morrison
Since COVID-19 hit, the world has been relying on the use of remote ways of getting groceries, food, and shopping through apps such as DoorDash, Instacart, and Amazon. While the coronavirus has obviously made these services much more necessary for the functionality of the world, they weren’t designed to accommodate the overwhelming demands of COVID-19.
While Amazon has been around since the 1990s and Uber was founded in 2004, most services weren’t founded until the 2010s, like UberEats, Postmates, Doordash, and Instacart. With the new ease and convenience of shopping online, it seems that most people, even before COVID, were using these services in their everyday lives. While the internet has been around for a longer time, the shopping industry truly started to become internet based within the last 10 years.
The most reasonable and common answer is because it’s convenient. While this is the most widely accepted answer, there are more nuances to it than one might think. According to HuffPost, going grocery shopping can cause many anxiety triggers such as picking which foods one needs, the potential for the self checkout to malfunction, and the risk of being within crowds. But Instacart conveniently bypasses all of these potential triggers, giving people with anxiety a very easy way to do their shopping. Another nuance, according to TotalBusiness, is the ease of “window shopping” online. A study run by EmpathyBroker, showed that only 13% of people in the United Kingdom who shop online know exactly what they’re looking for when they go to shop. When shopping online one can filter for what they want to see without asking a store attendant as well as comfortably search for things and not buy anything without the pressure from the employees.
Another reason for this switch to internet based commerce is speed paired with convenience. In this day and age, consumers expect their shopping desires to be fulfilled even quicker by using the internet. However when looking at the big picture, studies show that may not be the case. When it comes to ordering things online, it feels faster because it’s so much more convenient doing all the shopping on one’s own device. However when it comes to clothes or items, it can take several days or weeks for them to come to one’s door. Depending on where one bought the item from, the overall time for the item to be received may be longer than it would have been to have just gone to the store. On the other hand, if one had gone to the store to get said piece of clothing or item, they would have had to manually look for it in the store which could take a very long time. Comparatively, the speed of online versus in store shopping can only really be determined on a case by case basis.
The effects of online commerce also should probably be considered on a case by case basis. Generally speaking, online shopping is detrimental to consumers and beneficial for online companies. In the age of the internet, many small and large businesses have moved their stock online. For large businesses, this is just another avenue to receive money. For small businesses and subsequently those small businesses’ owners, it is the only avenue to receive money for something they are very passionate about. Putting their business on the internet has opened up a whole new world for many small business owners. For consumers, it’s a very different story. According to Psychology Today and a study published in PLOS One, online shopping can actually lead to a decreased attention span, slower reaction time, and worse concentration.
While it’s clear there are pros and cons to conducting a lot of one’s shopping online, it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere anytime soon. In the age of the internet, it’s always good to remember to be mindful of the health of oneself.


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It’s the fourth quarter of this year and anticipations have already been made for the next year mobile phones. We have already compiled a list of upcoming Sony Xperia mobiles phones arriving in 2020 and among the Samsung lineup it will be the Galaxy S11, Note 11 Series alongside the upgraded Galaxy A series.
Among the knowns mobiles in the Galaxy A series launching early next year are Galaxy A11, Galaxy A21, A31, A41, A51, A61, A71, A81 and A91 as known earlier. These devices are expected to be successor of this year launched subsequent models.
The Samsung Galaxy A51 SM-A515F is expected to be successor of Samsung Galaxy A50s mobile phone which was unveiled in August 2019 and made availability as SM-A507F/DS, SM-A507FN/DS Globally; SM-A507GN/DS, SM-A507FM/DS, SM-A507YN, SM-A507W in Canada. Similarly it will have various models like SM-A515F/DS, SM-A515FN/DS Globally; SM-A515GN/DS, SM-A515FM/DS, SM-A515YN, & SM-A515W.
Going through the rumored Galaxy A51 specifications, the device is expected to come up with 6.4 inch 2340 x 1080 pixels full HD+ sAMOLED Infinite-U display and will run on the latest Android 10 version out of the box with Samsung One UI 2.0 version. The Galaxy A50s had Android 9.0 Pie version on it when launched. Some of the key specs of the device were revealed at the Geekbench.
Under the hood it will be powered by in-house Exynos Octa core chipset with availability in 4 GB and 6 GB RAM variants. Alongside side RAM variants, it will be available in different storage variants too.
Coming to the camera, triple camera’s are here to stay although pop-up cameras have made their impression without many changes from it’s predecessor, the Galaxy A51 will have a triple rear camera and a powerful 32 mega pixel camera on the front side for selfies and video calling.
The Galaxy A51 will be available with non-removable Lithium Polymer 4000 mAh battery with support of fast charging and a host of color options.
More information on Samsung Galaxy A51 will follow soon.
This post was last modified on October 31, 2019 7:09 PM


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While inflation levels remain high in Euro Area, evidence does suggest that a slowdown is on the horizon
The inflation rate in the Eurozone held steady at 5.3% in August, with core inflation also dipping to 5.3% from July’s 5.5%.
The main inflation rate exceeded forecasts, largely influenced by a month-on-month 3.2% surge in energy prices. This has intensified worries that inflation may persist longer than initially thought.
However, the general trend in inflation appears to be cautiously leaning towards disinflation, as changes in the prices of goods and services largely met expectations.
On a country-by-country basis, inflationary pressures were mainly fueled by France and Spain, while price decreases in the Netherlands and Italy helped to balance the overall rate.
Factors like energy prices, specifically noticeable in France’s regulated price increases, contributed to the disparities this month.
Looking forward, it is anticipated a further declines in inflation. In Germany, a substantial reduction is expected next month as the impact of government aid wanes.
Survey data also suggest a significant disinflationary effect on the prices of goods, while service costs are likely to decline more gradually due to increased labor costs. Notably, wage growth continues to exceed levels that would align with a 2% inflation rate.
For the European Central Bank, these inflation statistics for August are crucial data points leading up to the governing council’s meeting in a fortnight.
While inflation levels remain high enough to concern the more hawkish members of the ECB, evidence does suggest that a slowdown in inflation is on the horizon.
″Despite the situation being finely balanced, considering the ECB’s recent approach that underacting is riskier than overacting with regard to rate hikes, we still anticipate a 25 basis point increase in rates,″ according to an article from ING Bank.
Article based on a story from ING Bank as copyright owner


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In a ground-breaking announcement, Electronic Arts have told the world they will be partnering with Valve to bring their library of games to Steam players around the world.
Starting from next spring, EA Access will be making its way to Steam. EA's subscription service provides early access to new titles as well as a vast library of previous games for users to enjoy.
EA Access, Origin, & Steam
This news comes as the launch trailer for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order drops, and just a week before early access to NFS Heat is available. It's a busy time for EA, and it looks like the spring will be a busy time for PC gamers.


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Priceline.com announced Tuesday that it acquired Manchester, England-based TravelJigsaw LTD, a multinational car hire reservation service. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Priceline.com said it intends to retain TravelJigsaw's current management team, who will maintain a minority ownership stake in the company and continue to manage TravelJigsaw's operations.
Established in 2004, TravelJigsaw offers its car hire services in more than 4,000 locations in 80 countries in North America, South and Central America, Europe, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East. Customer support is provided in 20 languages. Customers using TravelJigsaw can book online through one of TravelJigsaw's branded websites, or they can reserve their cars by phone. The company offers a full range of vehicles so international travelers are able to rent cars and vans they are familiar with at home.
"We believe that TravelJigsaw will be a valuable addition to our group of fast-growing international businesses," said priceline.com President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffery H. Boyd. "TravelJigsaw has a strong management team with a growth strategy that complements our own, and we look forward to working with Greg Wills and his team."
"International car hire is a very attractive market and TravelJigsaw has established one of the premier brands in the field," said Glenn Fogel, priceline.com's executive vice president of corporate development. "We are pleased that the TravelJigsaw management team has elected to retain an ownership stake in the company as we move forward together."
"TravelJigsaw is excited to become part of the Priceline group and will benefit from increased awareness for our brands and resources for our business," said TravelJigsaw's Managing Director Gregory Wills. "We also look forward to working with the teams at Booking.com, priceline.com and Agoda.com to strengthen our offerings and build distribution for our services."


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India’s shrimp exports are likely to double and touch $7 billion by 2022 in the wake of strong demand, high quality, improved product mix and increase in aquaculture area in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha and West Bengal.
According to the ratings agency Crisil, the country emerged as the biggest exporter of shrimps in FY16, garnering $3.8 billion in exports even as Vietnam clocked only $3 billion. The country’s performance assumes significance at a time when other Asian rivals such as Thailand, China are battling with structural issues and rising domestic consumption. Since 2010, shrimp production in Asia has been severely affected due to diseases, floods, labour issues and tightening environmental norms.
Vietnam’s production had declined by 40 per cent from peak levels due to the shortage of fresh water, salinity intrusion and illegal shrimp farming. Thailand, which was once the top exporter, is now ranked 5th after a 65 per cent plunge in production from peak levels. And in 2016 China’s shrimp production nosedived by 60 per cent even as its consumption more than doubled, rendering it a marginal exporter. In addition, these countries also faced significant quality challenges, said Crisil.Maintaining quality
However, Indian exporters have in the past few years emphasised on lower-density shrimp farms to control diseases, while maintaining the quality across the value chain. What also helped was the use of resilient-specific, pathogen-free (SPF) brood-stock imported from the US. Consequently, between fiscal 2012 and 2017, the country’s shrimp production doubled, and helped grab the opportunity created by lower supplies from Asia.
To leverage opportunities, big Indian exporters are expanding infrastructure to cater to the increasing demand for value-added products from global retail chains and restaurants. This would push up exports of value-added products significantly.
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New Volkswagen Golf Mk8 2019
All-new Volkswagen Golf set for production in June 2019
The new Volkswagen Golf has been caught testing by photographers before it enters full production in summer. The car has been spotted seemingly completely without camouflage, so we can see all the details of VW’s latest version of its most popular model. After production begins, the new Golf is likely to go on sale before the end of 2019.
While the new car may look familiar, it has undergone some thorough changes. It appears to be longer than the current model, which will be good for passenger and boot space, while the front and rear of the car have both evolved. The nose looks lower than ever before, with slimmer, differently shaped eight-sided headlights and new lower bumpers. Meanwhile, the bonnet features some interesting new design creases. There’s a lot of chrome trim around the bumper too. At the rear, the bumper and taillights are both new, and the latter features LED indicators. It’s understood a Golf badge will be fitted on the wide bootlid, similar to the Volkswagen Arteon and SEAT Leon.
Inside, Volkswagen has made similar efforts to keep the new car’s dashboard design under wraps; the interior of the test car in our spy shots is as found in the current Golf, save for a new gear selector for its automatic gearbox. However, we do know that the Golf will boast a total design rethink inside, though, both from an aesthetic and technological viewpoint.
VW has already said that the Golf mk8 will be the first of its cars to be fully online. In fact, the company mentions that the only analogue aspect of the car will be the steering wheel - everything else will be digital. That means all models will feature the Active Info Display in front of the driver, showing lots of driving, media and navigation information, plus lots of other technology including state-of-the-art connectivity. It’ll have more software than any other previous Golf.


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Many of the developers are Facebook users themselves but have expressed concerns about privacy on the site, while others are planning to leave Facebook altogether.
The creator of TheFridge.org, which allows users to filter their data by creating containers for different groups of friends, doesn’t want the site to be pegged as the “anti-Facebook.” “We even use Facebook’s ‘plumbing,’” so you can connect to the Fridge through Facebook Connect,” Austin Chang said. Still, he added that “Facebook has become the White Pages of the Internet; everything is open, and we want to offer people something more contextual than that.”
ReclaimPrivacy.org offers a free tool that scans users’ Facebook privacy settings, aiming to help them become more aware of what is in the public eye. Its creator, Matt Pizzimenti, launched the site last Friday as a result of recent changes to Facebook’s privacy settings. Mr. Pizzimenti says Facebook provides “fairly granular controls on privacy – but that makes things pretty complicated for the average user.” He says the ReclaimPrivacy.org scanner has been used more than 130,000 times in the past five days.
Some developers have gone the route of exposing Facebook users’ data publicly to demonstrate just how much is available through the network’s new services. Visitors to YourOpenBook.org are greeted with search results designed to include embarrassing Facebook status updates. The site pre-populates its search field with choice phrases such as “rectal exam” and “I’m not racist but” and then allows users to search for their own phrases. Such updates, which include people’s photos and full names, are available through Facebook’s public search interface unless the user adjusts Facebook’s privacy settings to restrict the information.
Perhaps the most overtly anti-Facebook site that has emerged is QuitFacebookDay.com, which encourages people to quit Facebook by May 31, 2010. “Quitting something like Facebook is like quitting smoking,” the site reads.
Started by Toronto-based Web developers Matthew Milan and Joe Dee, QuitFacebookDay.com, which went live last week, began as an idea last year, when Facebook implemented a new wave of changes to its privacy settings. Changes that Facebook announced in April gave the site more attention, Mr. Dee says. “Forcing certain settings on people by default isn’t ethical. And people are having a difficult time changing their settings.”
An open-source software project called Diaspora that has been spearheaded by four New York University students has been gaining notice over the past week, particularly after a profile in the New York Times. The free software would allow users to set up their own personal social-networking hubs.
And Diaspora isn’t the only software being developed that allows people to create their own social networks. OneSocialWeb.org, which already has software available to download, says it aims to “enable free, open, and decentralized social applications” on the Web and that the software can be used to turn a server “into a full fledged social network, participating in the onesocialweb federation.” And elgg.org offers a similar platform that users can download — or an elgg-hosted version at elgg.com, for those who aren’t inclined to deal with running such software themselves.
Alternatives to Facebook might be getting noticed, but that doesn’t mean they pose a threat to the social-networking giant at this point. While there has been some buzz over the amount of money Diaspora has raised through start-up platform Kickstarter, the product is still not available for people to actually use. The Fridge, which is still in beta and plans to officially launch in the next two months, has a test user base in the hundreds. And while QuitFacebookDay.com’s current tally of “Committed Facebook Quitters” is around 5,900, that’s nothing compared with Facebook’s user base, which recently crossed the 500-million threshold, according to comScore.
Even Mr. Pizzimenti of ReclaimPrivacy.org is still on Facebook. He says he built his site as a tool for “less tech-savvy friends and family to quickly fix” their privacy settings without digging through all of the options. Mr. Chang, creator of the Fridge, also still uses Facebook, and plans to continue to do so do.
But the creators of QuitFacebookDay.com are sticking to their story. “There have been some angry comments from Facebook fans saying, ‘If you don’t like it, then don’t do it,” Mr. Dee says. “Well that’s exactly it: We’re not doing the whole Facebook thing. We’re not trying to take down a giant; we’re saying we believe in this and hope others do too.”


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Recently I’ve been thinking about the conversation around size inclusivity on the runway, or rather the lack thereof. It seems to me that it has lessened, or become less buzzy if you will, which is a great fear for those who have spent their careers trying to create real change and hoping with every passing season that it’s not just a “fad.”
My concerns coincided with the start of New York Fashion Week, where, as it turns out, there were some things to celebrate this season. According to theFashionSpot’s seasonal diversity report for New York Fashion Week, 68 plus -size models walked a total of 19 shows for spring 2020 ― up from the bleak previous season when 37 models walked in 12 shows.
Tess Holliday strutted down the Chromat runway wearing a “sample size” dress, perhaps a dig at designers who often blame financial and sample limitations for their refusal to expand their size offerings. And Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty show was a refreshing contrast to Victoria’s Secret’s shows, which only display women of a certain shape and size wearing lingerie.
There was Tommy Hilfiger and Zendaya’s show, which prioritized inclusion and representation. And there was, as always, Christian Siriano, the unofficial answer to designers unwilling to work with women based on their size and my official hero of inclusivity at fashion week and beyond.
It sounds good, right? But here’s the thing. When you break it down by show, there’s a glaring issue: 41 of the 68 were all cast in just three shows: Tommy, Chromat and Siriano. The rest of the castings came in solo or small groups, the highest being Kate Spade New York, Tadashi Shoji, Area and Burnett, which cast three plus-size models each, theFashionSpot points out.
It reminded me of this tweet, written by Fashionista editor-in-chief Tyler McCall, which stopped my endless scroll in its tracks during a recent bout of procrastination.
“Truly no shade but what are the quote-unquote ‘inclusive’ brands going to do on the runway this season if Ashley Graham is pregnant,” she wondered. And I wondered, too.
Graham announced her pregnancy on Instagram in August and has been mostly absent from the runways this season, with the exception of the Tommy Hilfiger and Zendaya show on Sept. 8.
McCall’s musing was valid. What would brands do without their star player, the woman who has largely led the charge for the surge in size inclusivity on the runway in recent years and who is often considered to be the representative of the entire universe of plus-size women?
It would be the ultimate test of intentions.
Perhaps that’s why even though my original hypothesis that fewer plus-size models were included this year was wrong, my instinct was correct. It’s not enough for the optics to look good if optics are just that ― optics. Just as it isn’t Graham’s job to represent an entire population, neither is it the job of these three fashion houses to carry the bulk of the responsibility to be inclusive and shift archaic standards of beauty still rife in this industry.
And New York is the best-case scenario. Things only get less progressive once you cross the Atlantic. The numbers from London, Paris and Milan are still to come, but last season, not a single non-straight-size model walked in Milan, and nine walked in Paris, seven of which walked in Tommy x Zendaya.
Model Hunter McGrady made a commitment this season to only attend shows by or work with brands that prioritize inclusivity for spring 2020. As a result, she recalled in a Glamour piece, she turned down over 30 jobs.
“For me, it’s more important to make it known that I’m not going to support somebody who doesn’t support me,” she said. “If you’re not including plus-size people, that’s basically what they’re saying to me. And I’m not OK with that. Hopefully, if enough of us take a stand, it’ll start catching on. We’re no longer supporting exclusivity.”
I salute the progress made by brands like Tommy Hilfiger, which, with the help of Zendaya, has made a major shift over the past two seasons. And I salute McGrady for using her voice to take a stand ― even when it means losing a paycheck.
But when it comes to designers who we see, season after season, including just one plus-size model in the mix, I wonder how many more times we can see it happen before we take stock of what their inclusion actually means? Are they challenging the status quo because they are sick of it themselves, or are they doing it to create headlines and check a box? I’m not really sure anymore.


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Variations on a theme of copper
Despite some stabilization and growth of prices for products in many compartments metal exchange, the prospects of copper cause confusion even among professional analysts. Many recognized experts in the field of trading steel products have the opposite point of view. So the analytical service of the company Rivkin Securities recognize that copper the decrease is due to a gradual decrease is still active development of the Chinese economy. However, the situation in their view is not entirely hopeless, so manufacturers should not too quickly to reduce their assets in the field of copper mining. And if you have previously observed a strong dependence of the calm of the U.S. stock market on the state of the copper price in recent times this dependence is completely destroyed. Almost the same sentiment is shared by the analytical Department of the company BNP Paribas. According to them, despite the decline in the value of a tonne of copper nearly nine percent since the beginning of this year, below six thousand dollars, this figure will not fall. This balance will be supported in the near future, but in next 2015. However, the interest in the Chinese copper consumers could force producers to throw out on the market for more stocks of the product that are perhaps a little destabilisateur the situation.
Special opinion is shared by experts of the trade group Metal Bulletin, their conclusions are radically different from previous versions. According to this research, the gradual decline in demand for copper products and active reduction in the price of such material will destroy not only copper, but also have a negative impact on the supply of concentrates. And in a rather short time period, such fluctuations will affect the entire chain of production and supply. Reinforce their conclusions, the experts Metal Bulletin, the fact that many Chinese copper miners plan to suspend the development of relevant fields, due to the fact that such a process will cease to be profitable. In turn, the smelting shop will receive significant losses related to unhedged inventory of the original concentrate. The revenue from the sale of copper cathode type will quickly drop and hit the pockets of its producers, causing panic in the respective market of non-ferrous metals.


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In 10 years of WeChat, another social software fell.
And this time, it’s not a”miscellaneous army” who fell, but from the Internet giant Lei Jun“Michao”.
On January 19, the official announcement of Michao:Account registration and messaging will be stopped at 12:00 on February 1, and the server will be shut down on February 19, and the service will be officially stopped.
The irony is that also on January 19th, WeChat opened the tenth anniversary celebration. Facts have proved that under Tencent, even Lei Jun can only declare defeat.
Michao is called the Mi version of WeChat by the industry, but one thing that many people don’t know is that Mi The birth of Chat was one month earlier than WeChat. At that time, Lei Jun was very optimistic about social networks, and said that”Xiaomi mobile phones are a triathlon development model of high-performance mobile phones + MIUI + Mi Chat, with the goal of a stronger overall user experience.” /p>
However, time has passed, Millet phones+MIUI have grown into towering trees, but Mi Talk died halfway through.
Time back Ten years ago, in fact, the mobile social networks at that time had just entered the golden development period, Michao, WeChat, Yixin, Laixiang, Feixin, etc. Social software sprung up like mushrooms, and WeChat was absolutely inconspicuous at the time.
At that time, the development of Mi Talk was quite satisfactory, with 17 million users in less than two years, Lei Jun was very happy about it. In addition, 11 months after Yixin’s release, the number of users exceeded 100 million. Momo gained over 20 million users in more than a year. It seems that every APP is expected to become”WeChat”.
However, When Zhang Xiaolong’s WeChat began to work hard, the major manufacturers discovered what the gap is.
In just 3 years, the number of users of WeChat broke the 600 million mark, and the number of daily active users exceeded 100 million. Later, WeChat gradually improved its functions and launched WeChat Pay, WeChat red envelopes, WeChat search and other functions, making the software users more and more popular. .
In addition, WeChat’s”Stranger Social” also played very well. Back then, almost all streets and alleys were played”WeChat Shake One”Shake” people, everyone is shaking their phones crazy, just hoping to be a”destined” person.
The only thing that can beat Tencent is Tencent itself. The social overlord of the year was QQ, and then over time, QQ was finally opened by WeChat.
However, under this competition, one after another chat software has fallen. For example, Yixin, Laixiang, Fetion, Multi-Flash, Toilet MT, etc. have all disappeared. There is only one Momo relying on”hormonal”Survived, and now even Lei Jun’s Mi Liao collapsed, Ma Huateng had the last laugh after all, but who will fall next?


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Super Smash Bros. for Wii U & 3DS playable at Hyper Japan 2014
Nintendo have outlined what games they will be showcasing at Hyper Japan 2014, seeing Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. for 3DS playable by the UK public for the first time.
Taking place at London’s Earls Court between 25th – 27th July 2014, the Nintendo stand will be split into four key areas encompassing Wii U, Nintendo 3DS & 2DS, Tomodachi Life and the Nintendo UK Online Store which will have merchandise on sale.
Those attending the event will also be able to take an exclusive sneak peak at the company’s interactive amiibo figures, play other pre-release games, and compete in Mario Kart 8 – not to mention the usual StreetPass opportunity.
“We have a packed line up of games coming out this year and Hyper Japan gives us the perfect opportunity to share the fun with our fans ahead of launch,” Nintendo UK’s marketing and PR director Shelly Pearce commented.
“Early reactions to Super Smash Bros. on both Wii U and Nintendo 3DS have been great and we’re pleased to be able to bring these titles to the UK public for the first time as part of Hyper Japan.”


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SNOOP DOGG has revealed he wants to open his own chain of supermarkets.
Perched on a throne at gentleman's club Platinum Lace in central London, he said: "I wanna launch a chain of supermarkets. I'm gonna call them Snoopermarkets.
"I also need to make a TV show that's directed at the hood and gives kids with raw talent but no money the attention they deserve. I'm looking for a TV deal right now."


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Several major trading partners of the United States in Asia and the Pacific want to hasten cuts in business barriers by working with the administration of George W. Bush to build an expanding network of free trade agreements in the region.
Officials and executives said Thursday that Australia, Singapore and Japan regard negotiating such bilateral deals as a "fast track" way of opening markets, promoting economic growth and restoring stability in a region that has suffered a serious loss of investor confidence in recent months.
Australian and Asian officials said members of the Bush team have signaled their interest in negotiating with like-minded trading partners to liberalize goods and services trade and investment.
Robert Zoellick, the U.S. trade representative-designate, said negotiation of bilateral and regional free trade agreements should proceed hand in hand with efforts to move ahead with stalled negotiations on a wide-ranging new round of global trade talks.
Mr. Zoellick said in the presidential campaign that a Republican administration "should propose free-trade agreements with either individual countries or regional groups" so the United States can "link up with Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region."Continue reading the main story
Mr. Bush said in the campaign that he wanted to extend the North American Free Trade Agreement, which links the United States, Canada and Mexico, to South America to create a free trade area in the Western hemisphere.
"It requires no great logical leap to link Pacific free-trade agreements with NAFTA to create a trade bloc of quite imposing weight," said John Edwards, chief Australasian economist in the Sydney office of HSBC, the Hong Kong and Shanghai banking and financial services group. "The chances for a Pacific free-trade agreement are brighter today than for many years."
Australian officials said they would seek early negotiations with the Bush administration on a free trade deal with the United States, which is Australia's second largest trading partner after Japan.
"Obviously, there's a big attraction in this for Australia because we can't afford to sit still on the trade front," said the Australian trade minister, Mark Vaile. "So if we could crack the U.S. market and negotiate the wind-back of tariffs and agricultural support, it would put pressure on the European Union to do the same."
Singapore, the largest U.S. trading partner in Southeast Asia and the 10th biggest in the world, concluded a second round of negotiations in Washington on Wednesday on a planned free trade agreement with the United States. A joint statement said substantial progress had been achieved, although much work remains for a final agreement.
The chief Singaporean negotiator, Tommy Koh, said the joint declaration would serve as a bridge between the departing administration of President Bill Clinton, who agreed in November to open the negotiations with Singapore, and the incoming Bush administration. Mr. Koh added, "We are confident that the new administration will agree to set an early date for the resumption of our talks."
Australia and Singapore have separate free trade agreements with New Zealand. Singapore is negotiating or planning similar deals with Japan, Australia, Canada, Mexico and Chile. Singapore ended the first preparatory round of negotiations on a bilateral open market agreement with Japan on Thursday. The two sides have said they will conclude the agreement by the end of 2001.
Japan is discussing bilateral free trade agreements with South Korea, Mexico and Chile. The United States, in addition to the negotiations with Singapore, is in similar talks with Chile.
"Fearful that Singapore and Chile will gain preferential access to the large U.S. market, other nations in the Asia-Pacific region and the Americas are likely to show renewed interest in regional trade liberalization," said Richard Feinberg, a professor in the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at the University of California at San Diego. "Asian and Latin American nations will again compete with each other to negotiate access to the lucrative U.S. economy."
Minoru Makihara, the chairman of Mitsubishi Corp., said that when the European Union and Mexico signed a free trade agreement in March, it put Japan at a tariff disadvantage of 5 percent to 20 percent compared with European companies when exporting to Mexico.
"To avoid such obvious disadvantages, Japan has to become part of the FTA network," Mr. Makihara said, referring to free trade agreements. "The business community strongly hopes that Japan will conclude an FTA with Singapore as a springboard to similar agreements with other trading partners."
Mr. Makihara, co-chairman of the Japan-U.S. Business Conference, said Japan should seriously consider starting talks with the Bush administration on the possibility of concluding a bilateral free trade, or free market, accord.
"Although there might be difficult issues to deal with, such as agricultural products," Mr. Makihara, "all sectors should be discussed without prejudice."
Mr. Feinberg said that by themselves, U.S. free trade agreements with Singapore and Chile could have some economic value. He added, "But the real opportunity for the Bush administration is to transform those accords into building blocks for more ambitious regional trade agendas throughout the Asia-Pacific and the Americas."
Mr. Edwards of HSBC said the failure of developed and developing countries to reach agreement in late 1999 on a comprehensive new round of trade negotiations in Seattle at the ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization underlined how hard it would be to get a new global deal.
"There are more players and, as trade in goods has been gradually liberalized," he said, "the agenda has moved on to the more difficult areas of trade in services, protecting intellectual property, investment restrictions and so forth."Continue reading the main story


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This new Fisker EV will actually be the second model to make up its future lineup.
Anyone remember Fisker, the makers of the rather beautiful Karma hybrid that came out about the same time as the Tesla Model S? Well while many may have thought the company dead for a long time already, the Californian automaker that was founded by the designer of the Aston Martin DB9 is apparently still (somewhat) alive and has recently finalised a deal with Foxconn to produce a mass-market EV in the US.
The finer details regarding this recently signed partnership is vague to say the least. What has been publicly disclosed at this point is that both parties will be jointly-investing in Fisker’s Project PEAR (Personal Electric Automotive Revolution), which in turn will include plans for the establishment of a U.S-based production plant that is targeted to be operational by 2023.
There are as many as four locations in the U.S under consideration for this EV production project thus far, but the front-runner looks to be Foxconn’s under-utilised Mount Pleasant manufacturing facility in Wisconsin. Regardless of where this new production site eventually ends up to be though, Fisker is currently aiming to produce at least 150,000 vehicles annually at that one site.
As for what is to built there meanwhile, Fisker has stated that this second model in its future lineup will be a five-passenger vehicle based on its FP28 lightweight platform. Described to be a crossover-esque type of car, the headline-grabbing feature with this upcoming EV will be its (comparatively) low price tag that aims to begin at under $30,000 (RM 124,000) before any incentives.
Now to those curious about the first model in Fisker’s upcoming lineup, this will be the all-electric Ocean SUV, that is currently being produced in partnership with Canadian auto supplier Magna International Inc over in Europe. Set to be priced at around $38,000 (RM 157,000) when it goes on sale at the end of 2022, the final production version has been slated to make its official debut at the Los Angeles auto show come this November.
Just getting back to more nitty-gritty aspects of this deal for a moment longer, the fledgling automaker has cited that access to Foxconn’s chip supply chain and manufacturing expertise as being the main advantages of this 7-year partnership. In terms of what the Taiwanese manufacturing giant is getting out of this deal, Apple’s largest Asian manufacturing partner has just gained an easy entryway into the EV production ecosystem.
Foxconn has in recent times been ramping up its interest in EV parts production, with the most recent and notable example being its joint-venture with Geely to create a third-party contract manufacturing service. In fact, the manufacturing giant aims to provide components or services to 10% of the world’s EVs by 2025 to 2027.
Even with Foxconn’s help however, seeing as Fisker still bears the hallmarks of being a vapourware company to date — with not actually a single production model to its name currently — it therefore remains to be seen if this project will actually come into fruition. Or would this just be a repeat of its Karma story from all those years ago?


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Major European meat processor has converted to green electricity at all of its UK beef and lamb processing sites
ABP Food Group has hit its carbon reduction target two years early, the meat processor announced today, following news that all its UK beef and lamb processing sites are now powered by 100 per cent renewable...
Supermarket currently uses 120,000 tonnes of plastic packaging each year, but aims to switch to alternative materials and embrace lightweighting and refillable packaging in pursuit of new target
USA offshore wind boost, Dutch climate court case, collapsing clean energy investment in Australia - a round up of green business news from around the world
Policy paper set for debate at Lib Dem conference on Monday calls for 2045 net zero goal, 2030 fossil fuel car ban, and major tree planting drive
SSE says proposed sale supports its plans to focus on low carbon infrastructure, as OVO looks to beef up presence in a retail market that is being reshaped by clean technologies


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General Motors Co. (GM) Shares Bought by Strs Ohio
Strs Ohio increased its stake in shares of General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM) by 0.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,367,253 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock after buying an additional 16,976 shares during the period. Strs Ohio’s holdings in General Motors were worth $66,993,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its position in General Motors by 809.5% in the second quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 4,602 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $130,000 after buying an additional 4,096 shares in the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp increased its position in General Motors by 3.6% in the first quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 6,402 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $201,000 after buying an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Mariner Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in General Motors by 0.3% in the first quarter. Mariner Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,550 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $206,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. V Wealth Management LLC increased its position in General Motors by 4.7% in the second quarter. V Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,941 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co purchased a new position in General Motors during the first quarter valued at $271,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.92% of the company’s stock.
Shares of General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM) traded down 0.22% on Tuesday, reaching $31.65. The company had a trading volume of 12,876,202 shares. General Motors Co. has a 12 month low of $26.69 and a 12 month high of $36.88. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $31.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $30.79. The company has a market capitalization of $49.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 1.70.
General Motors (NYSE:GM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 21st. The auto manufacturer reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.35. The company earned $42.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.81 billion. General Motors had a return on equity of 23.96% and a net margin of 7.90%. The business’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.29 EPS. Analysts forecast that General Motors Co. will post $5.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 9th will be given a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 7th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.80%. General Motors’s payout ratio is 19.46%.
Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. RBC Capital Markets reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $34.00 target price (up from $32.00) on shares of General Motors in a research report on Sunday, July 24th. Vetr downgraded General Motors from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $35.06 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, September 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “buy” rating and set a $43.00 price objective on shares of General Motors in a research report on Tuesday, July 26th. Citigroup Inc. reissued a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of General Motors in a research report on Thursday, July 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on General Motors from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. General Motors has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.62.
In other news, Director Jane L. Mendillo bought 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $31.01 per share, for a total transaction of $49,616.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,600 shares in the company, valued at $49,616. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Thomas S. Timko sold 6,250 shares of General Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.94, for a total value of $199,625.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 27,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $877,615.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.
About General Motors
General Motors Company (General Motors) designs, builds and sells cars, trucks and automobile parts across the world. The Company also provides automotive financing services through General Motors Financial Company, Inc (GM Financial). The Company’s four automotive segments include GM North America (GMNA), GM Europe (GME), GM International Operations (GMIO) and GM South America (GMSA).
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The single premium product is called Summit II and is fully compliant with the Hong Kong Guidance Note 15 (GN15).
It has a minimum initial investment of $15,000 (£10,000) and a minimum additional investment of $10,000.
It has an annual establishment charge of 1.6% of the initial premium and any additional premiums, and an administration charge of 1.2%.
James Tan, managing director, Asia at FPI, said the product combines the benefits of its existing Summit and Zenith products in order to offer more flexibility while maintaining Hong Kong-compliance.
“When we talk about the commission, the indemnity commission ban is changing the structure of commission payments being made to brokers from the traditional ‘upfront-basis’ to an ‘earned-basis’, and with this change the effect is more aligned to customers’ interests,” he added.
Following the enforcement of the Hong Kong Guidance Note 15 (GN15) at the beginning of this year, commission on Insurance Linked Assurance Scheme will be paid through an upfront lump sum percentage, with the remainder being paid in installments, provided certain standards are met.
The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, who proposed the ban in July last year, said it hoped the actions will prevent the “mis-selling and aggressive selling” of ILAS products driven by the entirely upfront payment of commission.
Earlier this month, Old Mutual and Standard Life also launched Hong Kong-compliant products.


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Deutsche Telekom can't force customers to buy a phone contract from them if they buy an iPhone in Germany, says a German court decision in a suit brought by rival carrier Vodafone, reports the Financial Times. DT says they will start offering the phones without a contract immediately, but they will still cost 600 Euros less if the buyer signs up.
Deutsche Telekom also says that they will appeal the decision. “We are confident that courts will back us. We had this assessed by our lawyers beforehand,” says a spokesman. The iPhone will go on sale in France next Thursday, but laws there already prohibited Apple from making an exclusive deal with any one carrier. (Read more iPhone stories.)


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LAKEVIEW — A sports bar on Belmont is switching up its style.
Cuna Sports Lounge, 1113 W. Belmont Ave., shut its doors last week so owner Paolo Acuna could transform it into Belmont Pour House. The new concept will have a soft opening this weekend, according to a statement.
Acuna decided the space needed "a face lift and an overall change," the statement said.
Belmont Pour House will be focused on craft beers, with 40 options on tap.
Food-wise, look forward to dishes to share with friends: A new menu has been crafted by the owner of shuttered Logan Square restaurant (K)new Restaurant, Oscar Rodriguez, that will focus on American food with a communal dining experience.


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A petition calling for the lifting of restrictions that prevent online retailers from freely using the internet to sell their goods has been handed over to the European Commission (EC) for inspection, reports ccianet.org.
“Choice in eCommerce” has been signed by over 14,000 online retailers from around Europe who argue that sales restrictions and prohibitions enforced by manufacturers and brand owners are hindering the progress of sellers around the continent.
According to tamebay.com, a separate survey found that 60 per cent of online sellers have been affected by sales restrictions, while three quarters of retailers put their concerns regarding the decrease of diversity in the ecommerce marketplace down to sales restrictions.
Two-thirds of the group said they were worried that large-scale retailers would use their ability to impose their own rules on selling to build huge monopolies, forcing their smaller counterparts out of the frame.
Three quarters of sellers said they were unsure why retailers would put these restrictions in place, but the EC will have the chance to change the ecommerce landscape after reviewing the appeal.
News of the petition being handed over comes in light of an EC investigation into restrictions enforced on online sales of consumer electronic products and small domestic appliances by several companies located with its Member States.
Comments are closed.


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Mobile esports will make its mark in 2020 with substantial growth – Daily Esports
Last 12 months introduced unimaginable income to the video games business, rising three% to $120.1 billion. For the primary time in historical past, esports topped over $1 billion in 2019, and cell esports has transitioned into one of many quickest-rising sectors of gaming.
Advancements in mobile know-how make manufacturing prices for mid-low-tier corporations inexpensive. Therefore, rising markets, resembling these in India, are experiencing immense growth. Smartphone producers and app builders shift their focus in the direction of youthful markets, as income growth subsides in mature markets.
There is a spectrum of telephone high quality in creating international locations. Developers are acutely aware of making functions which are accessible to customers on each side of the spec scale. Their efforts resulted in the introduction of “lite apps.” These much less intensive cell apps have acted as a catalyst for growth in each cell gaming and esports.
A report by IronSource states that half of cell app customers play video games, making cell video games as in style as Apple Music and Spotify. The stage of accessibility, affordability, and high quality discovered in recreation apps has impacted the market considerably. Jason Ng, vp of strategic partnerships at digital leisure platform Garena, advised TechAsia, “It was important that game developers brought games suitable for esports to mobile, which expanded the addressable audience significantly.”
The growth of cell esports will be seen in a few of Garena’s video games. According to Esports Charts, their Free Fire World Series 2019 finals in Brazil garnered a excessive of two million simultaneous viewers with a complete of 130 million on-line views. The event’s viewership shattered information for cell esports tournaments.
PUBG Mobile is likely one of the hottest titles for avid gamers and illustrates the growth of cell esports. The PUBG Mobile Club Open last in 2019 had a complete of 532 million views, 11 instances greater than the 12 months earlier than. The event’s prize pool totaled greater than $2 million and had a peak viewership of round 600,000.
Call of Duty: Mobile solely launched a couple of months in the past and is rising into probably the most wanted video games in the marketplace. Since its launch it’s been downloaded greater than 170 million instances. While the sport’s esports scene is in its infancy, the group-hosted tournaments counsel followers are wanting ahead to the esport. In truth, Garena just lately hosted a event, The Clan Invasion. Additionally, Call of Duty: Mobile Mission One held in Thailand by Garena featured a $6,600 prize pool.
With cell gaming rising in recognition, creating peripherals for severe avid gamers is an rising business. Bluetooth controllers for telephones are a big development. Companies design telephone peripherals to be simply as ergonomically helpful as units for PC and console. Highly acclaimed peripheral producers Razer and MetalSeries raised the bar in telephone gaming by releasing a line of equipment. Additionally, Apple built-in PS4 and Xbox controller functionality to its units.
As app builders proceed to boost the gaming expertise, the cell esports viewers will proceed to develop. Newzoo estimates growth in telephone gaming will proceed to surpass growth seen in each console and PC markets. In 2020, cell gaming is meant to comprise 57% of the worldwide gaming market.


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Thomas Watjen, President & CEO of Unum, discusses the "high level" issues facing many consumers living paycheck to paycheck, and the difficulty getting adequate insurance coverage.
Francesco Guerrera, Wall Street Journal, explains what Apple's CEO needs to say that will indicate he's getting the company back on track. And, Mikey Campbell, AppleInsider editor, weighs in on innovation and what an iWatch may look like.
CNBC's Jon Fortt has the update from Apple's annual meeting. And, Kevin Landis, FirstHand Funds, explains why he is concerned with the company's cash-flow, not just its cash hoard.
Apple shareholder, Richard Cobb, Bryn Mawr Trust, explains why he is betting that a dividend increase from the tech giant is right around the corner.
Investors are anxious to hear what CEO Tim Cook plans to do with the company's $137 cash load, reports CNBC's Jon Fortt.
QBE Insurance, Australia's biggest insurer, posted a lower-than-expected 8 percent rise in full-year net profit due to high claims for accidents and adverse U.S. weather.
The Coca-Cola Co. is raising its quarterly dividend 10 percent to 28 cents.
While going long the stock market has been a great trade so far, betting that the bond market would suffer as a result could be the worst.
Mad Money host Jim Cramer explains why a diversified portfolio should be made up of at least one high-yielding stock.
There's an investment strategy that Jim Cramer calls "one of the greatest, most reliable ways to make money out there."
CNBC's Scott Wapner reports Apple has considered large acquisitions in the past; and Timothy Lesko, Granite Investment Advisors, explains why he does not want the tech giant to use its cash for large acquisitions, but would rather see it spent on dividends or buybacks.
Eric Jackson, Ironfire Capital, discusses if Einhorn was successful in putting forward the issue of Apple's huge cash reserves, forcing CEO Tim Cook to address the proposal with shareholders.
CNBC's Scott Wapner reports all eyes are on Apple's CEO Tim Cook, and whether he will address ways it can take both its product line and stock to the next level.
Investing in high yield is one of the smartest, and also the safest strategy out there to making money, says Mad Money host Jim Cramer.
Gene Munster, Piper Jaffray analyst, discusses his outlook on Apple's strategy and explains why the company has to do more to unlock value for shareholders.
CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin discusses David Einhorn's views of Apple's stock and strategies; and Toni Sacconaghi, Sanford C. Bernstein analyst, weighs in on Apple's capital allocation policy.
The "Squawk on the Street" news team reports on today's market moving stories; including Greenlight Capital's opposition to Apple's proposal to eliminate preferred stock; and a look at January's retail sales.
Do dividend payouts boost a stock's performance? CNBC's Herb Greenberg explains why dividend increases do matter.
Solid companies opt to issue or raise dividends versus buybacks, says Mad Money host Jim Cramer. Dividends are an out-loud declaration of confidence.
While retail investors pile into stocks, corporations are pulling back.


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Timothy Breene, former chief strategy and corporate development officer and founder and CEO of Accenture Interactive – the fast growing digital media and marketing analytics business – has joined Orchestro’s board of directors to help enable brands worldwide to act with the speed and agility needed to win every inch in today’s tightly matched market.
Breene brings extensive international experience in consumer goods and retail, mergers and acquisitions, the creation of new businesses, and scaling the development of late stage start-ups. His perspectives on strategy, innovation and business transformation have been featured several times in the Harvard Business Review – specifically, “Jumping the S-Curve,” published by Harvard Press in 2011.
“One of the industry’s leading pioneers has chosen to join our board – it’s an honor that validates the work we’ve done and the path we’re now blazing,” said Prashanth V. (PV) Boccasam, CEO of Orchestro. “Tim has already brought immense value to our solution portfolio and corporate strategy, as we innovate on behalf of the consumer goods ecosystem.”
In his distinguished 40-year career, Breene has worked with some of the largest retail and consumer goods firms worldwide as a consultant, strategist, entrepreneur and practitioner. Earlier in his career, he was an Executive Board Director at the U.K. retail conglomerate Kingfisher PLC and has also held senior marketing and line management roles with Guinness PLC and the marketing services group WCRS PLC.
“Orchestro is driving the innovation that will change how retail and consumer goods companies compete,” said Breene. “For every strategy, every promotion, every product introduction – it all comes back to having a clear understanding of consumer channel data.”


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IBM has been slapped with a multimillion dollar lawsuit by chemical products manufacturer Avantor Performance Materials, which alleges that IBM lied about the suitability of a SAP-based software package it sells in order to win Avantor's business.
In 2010, Avantor decided to upgrade its ERP (enterprise resource planning) platform to SAP software, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
"Seizing upon Avantors decision and fully aware that, given the competitive pressures of Avantors industry, and the specialized demands of its customers, Avantor could not tolerate any disruptions in customer service IBM represented that IBMs 'Express Life Sciences Solution' ... was uniquely suited to Avantors business," the lawsuit states. "The Express Solution is a proprietary IBM pre-packaged software solution that runs on an SAP platform."
But Avantor discovered a different truth after signing on with IBM, finding that Express Life was "woefully unsuited" to its business and the implementation brought its operations "to a near standstill," according to the suit.
IBM also violated its contract with Avantor by staffing the project with "incompetent and reckless consultants" who made "numerous design, configuration and programming errors," it states.
In addition, IBM "intentionally or recklessly failed" to tell Avantor about risks to the project and charged toward a go-live date, the suit alleges.
"To conceal the Systems defects and functional gaps, IBM ignored the results of its own pre-go-live tests, conducted inadequate and truncated testing and instead recommended that Avantor proceed with the go-live as scheduled even though Avantor had repeatedly emphasized to IBM that meeting a projected go-live date was far less important than having a fully functional System that would not disrupt Avantors ability to service its customers," the suit states.
The resulting go-live, which occurred in May, "was a disaster," with the system failing to process orders properly, losing some orders altogether, failing to generate need paperwork for U.S. Customs officials and directing "that dangerous chemicals be stored in inappropriate locations," the suit states.
Avantor has suffered tens of millions of dollars in monetary damages, as well as taken a hit to its reputation among partners and customers, the suit states.
For example, before the go-live, IBM and Avantor had met with one of Avantor's biggest customers, which voiced worry that its EDI (electronic data interchange) with Avantor for product ordering wouldn't work after the changeover, and IBM assured the customer that it would, according to the suit. "In fact, the EDI interface immediately failed upon go-live."
"IBM, meanwhile, has already pocketed over $13 million in fees from Avantor for a systems implementation project it mismanaged and was unable to perform properly," it adds. "Incredibly, IBM is now seeking to profit from its misconduct by demanding millions of dollars in additional fees to redesign and rebuild the defective System it implemented."
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Vince opens fifth store this year at Palisades Village in Los Angeles
today Oct 10, 2018
The luxury apparel and accessories brand Vince has opened a store at Palisades Village in Los Angeles, its fifth store opening this year.
The store was designed by the brand’s creative director Caroline Belhumeur and comprises around 2,500 square feet of retail space spread over two floors at at Palisades Village, the lifestyle shopping development owned by Caruso located in the Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.
“Our goal in designing the Palisades Village store was to create an environment that represents Vince in its most authentic form,” explained Belhumeur in a press release. “Juxtaposing natural elements of wood, stone and water against the rich fabrics and textiles of the collection, we’re able to convey a sense of uncomplicated California luxury.”
As part of the brand’s focus on customer-facing business, this is the fifth store opened this year. “Our Palisades Village store will allow us to further serve our existing Los Angeles customers in a uniquely California setting, offering them the opportunity to interact and engage with the brand in new and exciting ways,” said the brand’s CEO Brendan Hoffman in a press release.
The store includes a reflection pool, custom plant installation, and circular plaster staircase. The store has a warm interior, neutral color palette, and décor inspired by the California coastal lifestyle. The store is the first of the brand to offer a rotating calendar of events and collaborations with local artists, crafters, and wellness practitioners. Events will be free for customers, community members and visitors.
Vince is a subsidiary of Vince Holding Corp. and was established in 2002. The brand retails ready-to-wear inspired by its California origins as well as shoes, accessories, and homeware. As of October 9, 2018, the global brand operates 44 full-price retail stores, 14 outlet stores, and its e-commerce site.
Copyright © 2019 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.


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Global terror scare hits delivery firms UPS, Fedex
FedEx and UPS scrambled to react to what was feared to be a coordinated global terror attack using their services Friday, suspending suspect routes and opening their doors to investigators.
US package delivery giant FedEx froze deliveries from Yemen after a suspicious package originating from there was confiscated in Dubai.
"In cooperation with the FBI, local authorities have confiscated a suspicious package at the FedEx facility in Dubai," a company statement said.
"The shipment originated in Yemen and as an additional safety measure, FedEx has embargoed all shipments originating from Yemen."
The discovery was one of several terror alerts on Friday that raised fears of a coordinated attack.
FedEx rival UPS said it was cooperating with investigations into suspect packages on at least three of its planes.
"We can confirm that authorities have investigated two aircraft in Philadelphia and one in Newark," the company said referring to the cities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
"All of these aircraft have landed safely."
In New York, shares in FedEx fell more than one percent on the news by 1930 GMT, while UPS saw its share price fall 0.3 percent.
© 2010 AFP


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The picture was posted alongside the caption: "The evolution of the truck is here. Guaranteed shatterproof".
The caption references a mishap at the Cybertruck's launch event. Made from Tesla Armor Glass, the side windows were designed to be bullet proof, but broke when metal balls were thrown at them to demonstrate their toughness.
After the event, Musk responded to the failed test by tweeting: "Guess we have some improvements to make before production haha."
Musk later revealed that the windows shattered because the glass had cracked when they had earlier tested the truck's doors by hitting them with a sledgehammer.
"Yup. Sledgehammer impact on door cracked base of glass, which is why steel ball didn't bounce off. Should have done steel ball on window, *then* sledgehammer the door. Next time…," tweeted Musk.
The distinctive-looking truck has an unusual angular, wedge-like body and is made from stainless steel. It was launched on 21 November at an event near the company's SpaceX factory in Los Angeles, USA.
The evolution of the truck is here. Guaranteed shatterproof 😬 pic.twitter.com/RocTEkzzwI
— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) November 27, 2019
Lego's brick version of the Cybertruck is part of a social media storm created by the launch of the much-anticipated electric truck from Tesla. It has divided opinion with some people calling it "courageous" while others think it is "ridiculous".
Dezeen commenters had equally strong opinions, with Martin Zborovjan saying: "Really bold. I like it. People laughed at iPhone too, remember? I am not a truck fan, but would buy this one".
However, Alan Smith said: "Beyond ridiculous! A pick-up is meant to be a practical, rugged vehicle. What this thing is or is meant to be is a mystery."
Tesla says the Cybertruck will go into production in late 2021. It is the latest electric vehicle unveiled by the company, which was co-founded by Musk.
In 2017, Tesla unveiled the the Model 3 car, which it described as the "first mass-market electric vehicle". Since then, it has revealed designs for electric trucks and released its "safest" all-electric crossover SUV earlier this year.
Image courtesy of Lego.