text:
Sharp increase in electricity bill for Spanish butchers
The Spanish Confederation of Meat Retailers (Cedecarne) has carried out a digital survey to its associates, to find out how changes in the electricity bill have affected their companies. For the last three months, up to 94% of Spanish butchers and delicatessens have undergone a considerable increase, which particularly affects the sector, since these businesses need to have many facilities and machinery that require energy consumption, and in some cases, they need to be activated constantly, while in other cases their use is concentrated during business hours for 66.7% of those surveyed.
Butchershops are forced to use cold rooms, cold counters, slicers, packers, mincers and cooking ovens, among other pieces of machinery, in order to operate correctly and to be competitive.
This justifies that 44.8% of those surveyed have seen their electricity bill increase between 10 and 30%; as well as the rise of between 30 and 50% assured by 37.3% of butchers-butchers. Even 17.9% of professionals say they have exceeded a 50% increase in their last invoices.
From Cedecarne, concerned about these figures, they request that measures be taken to solve the particular situation of this sector, made up of 25,000 companies, mostly SMEs and freelancers, as they assure that, in addition, many of these butcher shops-delicatessens have been undertaking for years, with a great economic effort, an endless number of measures to improve its energy efficiency and to be more sustainable every day. However, they feel helpless in the face of this latest increase in the electricity bill and some of their professionals are afraid of not being able to face more expenses, even having to close their businesses, which employ more than 58,000 professionals in the country.
In September, Cherkizovo Group started releasing products from its Pava-Pava brand in new recycla...
At the beginning of the month, Brazil reported two atypical cases of BSE 9mad cow disease)that tr...


text:
Konnichiwa, Japan Fashion Week! Today marks the first day of the shortened four-day long Japanese Fashion Week. Regardless of the condensed time span, WWD tells us that there will be an estimated 40 runway shows this season, as well as a number of presentations and other fashion related events, with special attention being paid to men’s fashion and emerging designers.
Issey Miyake president and chief of JFW’s project committee Nobuyuki Ota told WWD that “customers and the buyers are a little bit tired of seeing the same…The market condition is terrible, but it’s in a good condition for the young designers.”
Emerging designers include brands such as Somarta, Mint Designs and Motonari Ono, Factotum, Phenomenon and Yoshio Kubo. (Click here for a full schedule of shows.)
But whether or not the fresh fashion faces will bring buyers is still to be determined. The Japanese government has already made plans to reduce their financial backing for the next fiscal year and supposedly plans to stop funding JFW completely in 2012.
Yuko Miwata, deputy director of the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Fashion Policy Office, told WWD of said plans, “The government considers the fashion industry a growing field and decided to help JFW at the start…The government has already helped JFW for five years, and JFW should be able to run itself.”
Japanese Fashion Week has never been considered particularly influential, especially since it follows the most important shows of the season; New York, Paris, Milan. But Jane Birkin did show up in Tokyo today, giving the shows a boost of celebrity status.
Is a Birkin enough to save Japan Fashion Week? We hope so. Anyone who’s stepped foot in the country or seen pictures of the famed Harajuku girls knows how eclectic Japan’s style is and widespread its influence has the potential to be. So get it together JFW, and to Yuko Miwata: we ask that you keep your creative eyes wide open. You may not recognize any of the names on the roster of shows, but you will quickly recognize Japanese designers’ incredibly innovative pieces and acute attention to detail.

domain: news


text:
- About Us
- Local Savings
- Green Editions
- Legal Notices
- Weekly Ads
Connect with Us
School board shows its fashion sense
In this age of Bravo’s hit series “Project Runway,” and a slew of teen celebrity clothing lines, including the Olson twins, fashion has invaded the media. Oftentimes you find blogs about what the celebs are wearing and hour-long specials on New York’s fashion week.
And the hype isn’t lost on teenagers.
“Teens focus on fashion and I know students who want to pursue this as a career,” Oak Harbor High School student Brienna Petersen said at a school board meeting. “I’m one of them.”
A recent marketing class poll at Oak Harbor High School, which weighed students’ interest in business, found that most teens wanted to learn about the fashion industry.
OHHS teacher Eric Peterson began work on a fashion marketing course, and approached the school board last Monday.
Before they approved the class, board members had a few concerns.
“When you think of fashion, you typically think of the female gender,” school board member Corey Johnson said.
“That was our worry with sports marketing, is that it would draw more males,” Peterson responded. “But sports marketing is about 40 percent female and 60 percent male.”
In the survey, he added that an estimated 33 percent of males said they would be interested in a fashion marketing course.
One reason, he said, was clothing lines, which are a growing interest with male celebrities. Jay-Z, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Justin Timberlake released clothing collections within the last 10 years.
“The big draw is that a lot of kids are interested in a design and logo of their own. They want their own identity,” Peterson said.
The course will be offered this fall to freshman through seniors, and taught by Peterson.
Many of the marketing strategies will be pulled from books already owned by the school, Sandra Oehring, director of career and technical education, said. Research will also be done from magazines and
Internet searches to study merchandizing.
“It will be an exploratory look at the industry,” Peterson said. “I
will take them through design of retail, how to create displays and we’ll even whittle it down to pricing.”
To save money, sewing machines and dress forms will be pulled from storage which were used for the former middle school home economics classes.
The high school cut back on its “Starting a small business” sections, which had lower enrollment, to fit in the program.
“The reason for fashion is to engage students’ interests,” Peterson said, Monday. “We’re trying to make it relevant, especially for freshmen, as a way to introduce them to our course offerings.”
The class was unanimously approved by the school board.


text:
India has a GDP of about $3 trillion which is relatively small when compared to the size of its population (estimated to be around 1.5 billion). There are also many unbanked and financially underserved consumers and businesses across the country.
Indian consumers do not have access to modern credit services because of the cost of distribution and operations associated with financial services. But if the right tech-enabled payments products are offered to people and local businesses, then they might be able to afford making more purchases.
To address these requirements, Lizzie Chapman, Priya Sharma, and Ashish Anantharaman decided to establish ZestMoney (back in 2015). The company aims to offer low-cost payment plans (known as equated monthly installments or EMIs in India). ZestMoney also provides referral earnings and helps people convert credit balances to EMIs.
ZestMoney is a Fintech that leverages AI-enhanced EMI financing and offers Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services. These pay-over-time options make use of customers’ credit scores and also tries to make it easier for first-time borrowers to get on an affordable payment plan.
ZestMoney looks at client’s SMS data to determine their creditworthiness. The company provides its technology to more than 100 non-bank financial institutions or NBFCs in India so they are able to provide affordable and more accessible lending services to clients.
Lizzie tells Your Story in a recent interview that they have “a huge under-penetration challenge for a bunch of products — from insurance to wealth management.” Lizzie points out that the problem or issue they are focused on addressing is of consumer credit.
She tells Your Story that they “felt the best way to do that was to create products that partner with retailers, manufacturers, and the entire digital ecosystem.”
At present, ZestMoney is focused on expanding its business operations. The company’s founders think that India will see many more consumers who need access to reliable credit solutions in the foreseeable future. Zest Money’s BNPL service is being offered to more than 15,000 across India. The company is now focused on acquiring 400,000 clients this year.
With almost 6 million registered users, ZestMoney says that its revenue could surpass INR 100 crore (appr. $13.81 million) in FY 2021. The Fintech firm’s revenue was INR 72 crore (appr. $99.45 million) last year, according to data from the RoC data. ZestMoney revealed that it’s now on track to close FY 2022 at INR 350 Crore (appr. $48.35 million).
Lizzie explains that they planned to create the very first all-digital end-to-end EMI platform with “zero human intervention in the entire product and process.” She added that “no one had ever done that, so we were repeatedly told that we would need to do physical KYC, we would need to collect cash, and we would need to take physical documents.”
She also mentioned that they decided they were going to “ignore all this ‘advice’ and plough through on building a completely digital product and it worked in the long run.”
Lizzie further noted that the “one-size-fits-all” approach to consumer credit is not suitable for India’s diverse markets. She claims that personal loans and credit cards are addressing only a mere fraction of the nation’s market.
The consumer lending Fintech feels that credit cards are not well-suited for many Indian consumers, mainly due to the high 4-5% monthly interest rates. ZestMoney’s management also pointed out that the digitalization of these payments products by its own platform and others like Kissht, LazyPay, and Bajaj Finserv have helped with providing more payment options.
“The rate of conversion is higher for a BNPL/EMI product than a full upfront payment. The average ticket size goes up too. We have been able to improve business and conversion rates for 3,000 online partners. We still count on large ecommerce players like Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm, Myntra, and MakeMyTrip. among others.”


text:
Security California Bancorp in Riverside is working with a venture-capital firm to fund high-tech businesses.
The $488 million-asset company will partner with Grayhawk Capital in Phoenix, which focuses on early stage tech companies in the southwest United States, the companies announced Wednesday. Security California will be a limited partner in the Grayhawk Venture Fund II; further details were not immediately provided.
Grayhawk is a registered Small Business Investment Corp., which allows it to use private and federal money to invest in small businesses.
"Our involvement makes us the first inland Southern California bank to offer our region's high technology startups access to this kind of investment," James Robinson, Security California's chairman and chief executive, said in a press release. "It is part of our strategy to support high-technology economic development and job creation in the Inland Empire."


text:
Strengthening Organic Enforcement Rule moves to final step
More than 1,500 comments will be considered on USDA’s proposed Strengthening Organic Enforcement Rule before final regulations are published.
The proposed rule is the largest piece of organic regulation to be made since the National Organic Program was established almost 20 years ago.
Amendments are expected to close organic loopholes in certifications, reduce organic fraud, and improve transparency throughout the supply chain.
USDA was requesting comments on four main areas of the rule including imports, organic certificate exemptions, supply chain traceability, and labeling.
The proposed rule is supported by numerous ag groups including the National Organic Association, National Organic Coalition, and the National Farmers Union.
NFU President Rob Larew says inaccurate organic labeling misleads consumers and harms the reputation of the label, and we owe it to both food producers and purchasers to enforce organic standards, without exception.


text:
Volkswagen Up! minicar is one of the most anticipated subcompact vehicles but Audi has no interest in developing its own versions, according to Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said. Reports have long speculated that Audi is working on its own version of the Up! – internally known as “AO.”
“I cannot imagine that we will have a new model below our current A1 entry-level car,” Stadler told Automotive News Europe.
Stadler said that he still sees potential in the Q lineup of SUVs. Following the Audi Q5, the Volkswagen luxury brand has confirmed a smaller Q3. Stadler said that while the company has not reached a final decision, they are also considering a smaller SUV that could be named the Q1.
Audi currently has 37 model variants and has plans to extend that number to 42 by 2015.
– By: Omar Rana
Source: Automotive News Europe


text:
A historically high proportion of people believe it is a bad time to buy large household goods or vehicles. While concerns about high interest rates have become a major reason given for negative sentiment about these purchases (dashed lines), consumers still cite high prices as the top reason they believe it is a bad time to buy durable goods (solid lines). This negative sentiment is especially striking given that actual goods consumption has been surprisingly resilient. Consumers’ discontent with high prices may weigh more heavily on consumption as excess savings decline and consumer budgets tighten (External LinkÇakır Melek and Pollard 2022).
See more research from Charting the Economy.


text:
A consortium of Haldiram Snacks
and Pioneer Securities
has bid for Kwality, offering only a little above 6% of the stressed dairy product
maker’s total dues to financial creditors, said a person aware of the development.
Kwality owes its lenders Rs 1,969 crore and Haldiram Snacks has offered Rs 128 crore, which means the creditors will be required to take a haircut of more than 93%. The homegrown sweets and snacks major has lined up another Rs 3 crore for settling claims of operational creditors as well as workers and employees.
The host of companies that had shown interest in the ailing dairy product maker initially included TPG Capital, Aion-affiliate Arcion Revitalisation, IndiaRF — a JV between Piramal Enterprises and Bain Capital, India Resurgent Fund and JK Group’s LVP Foods. But, only Haldiram submitted a binding bid.
The person cited above said that though the amount barely meets all obligations, the creditors have had multiple rounds of negotiations with Haldiram Snacks and this may be the final amount that the consortium is willing to pay.
The committee of creditors (CoC) of Kwality will discuss the plan further in its meeting on Saturday and will cast its vote, according to a company notification to the BSE.
Haldiram Snacks could not be contacted for comments. A mail sent to the RP Shailendra Ajmera of EY remained unanswered till press time on Friday.Private equity fund
KKR had invested Rs 520 crore in New Delhi-based Kwality Limited in 2016 through structured debt instruments to help it meet the capex requirements as well as pay off some highcost debts. Kwality, however, failed to stick to the repayment schedule and was referred for insolvency resolution to the National Company Law Tribunal
(NCLT) Delhi bench last December.
In its last annual report, which is of FY18, managing director Sanjay Dhingra had said that lack of working capital had been affecting Kwality’s performance. It incurred a net loss of Rs 3,216 crore in FY19 against a profit of Rs 92 crore in 2017-18.
Kwality, led by chairman Rattan Sagar Khanna, was best known for its ice creams. It sold the brand to Hindustan Unilever in 1995, giving birth to Kwality Walls that combined Kwality with the UK-based Wall’s frozen desserts brand.
Kwality has since been operating as a business-to-business supplier, while in the consumer space, it produces milk, ghee, butter, milk powder, curd and cheese under the brand Dairy Best.


text:
Sex and the City fundraiser boost for HOPE foundation
THE GLAMOUR of Sex and the City was recreated in spectacular style at the Carrig Beauty Salon and Spa last week, for a fundraiser in aid of the HOPE foundation.
More than 50 people came along to get top tips from a make-up artist who did a demonstration of products available to buy in the salon.
Clients also treated themselves to a make-over, as well as eyelash extensions and skin peels as well as makeup lessons.
The expert make-up artist had colour charts with her and was on hand to give advice to the ladies as they sipped on cosmos and appletinis, like their New York counterparts Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miran- da. Some people dressed up in high fashion like their SATC idols, while others decided to take a more relaxed approach to the enjoyable evening of fun and beauty.
The organisers managed to raise several hundred euro for the foundation, including the price of admission, takings from the raffle and a generous donation from the salon itself.
The Hope Foundation is a charitable organisation that works for the street children of Calcutta, who are often denied such basic needs as food, shelter, health-care, education and even love.
For more information www.hopefoundation.ie
Lesley McLaughlin and Jenny O’Leary at the Sex and the City night out.


text:
CRN's 2014 Tech Year In Review
With the end of 2014 rapidly approaching, it's time to take a look back at the past 12 months in the IT channel and throughout the entire technology world. Each year CRN honors the coolest products, examines the startups that are shaking up the industry, and explores the biggest vendor news stories impacting channel partners. We look at the best- and worst-performing vendor and channel stocks in 2014, the biggest tech executive shuffles, and the scandals that rocked the tech industry as whole.
Take a trip down memory lane with CRN as we take a look back at the year that was 2014 in the channel.
The 10 Biggest Google Stories Of 2014
A series of bold moves into emerging enterprise and consumer markets highlighted an eventful year for Google. Here are the 10 biggest Google stories of 2014.
The 10 Biggest Amazon Stories of 2014
It was a year of highs and lows for Amazon, with the technology giant seeing rapid growth in some markets while also witnessing its stock sink lower and lower.
The 10 Biggest Dell Stories Of 2014
In 2014, Michael Dell erased any doubt his company was not committed to the channel, entered the public cloud fray, and at the same time set the record straight on Carl Icahn.
The 10 Biggest EMC Stories Of 2014
EMC changed itself over the year both in response to industry trends and to prepare for the future. Here are the 10 biggest stories of 2014.
The 10 Biggest HP Stories Of 2014
HP CEO Meg Whitman has taken the company in three short years from a financially battered behemoth with a questionable future to a stable company with a charged-up innovation engine. Here are the top 10 HP Stories of 2014.
The 10 Biggest Microsoft Stories Of 2014
The last 12 months will go down as a period of momentous events the likes of which haven't been seen in Microsoft's 39-year history. Here are CRN's picks for the 10 biggest Microsoft stories of 2014.
The 10 Biggest Tech Acquisitions Of 2014
What deals had the most impact on the channel? From Lenovo buying IBM's x86 server business to the security solution provider supermerger of FishNet and Accuvant, CRN presents the 10 biggest tech acquisitions Of 2014.
The 10 Biggest Managed Services Stories Of 2014
This year saw a lot of wheeling and dealing for MSPs, with telecom companies getting a seat at the table and big-name retailers cashing out.
The 10 Biggest Cloud Stories Of 2014
The cloud landscape grew more complex in 2014, with legacy vendors in turmoil, new technologies taking of and cloud channel partners who got ahead of the curve enjoying phenomenal business growth.
The 10 Biggest Software Stories Of 2014
"Transition" seemed to be the watchword in the software industry with new technologies and new business models, replacing the old and outdated. Here's our picks for the top 10 software stories of 2014.
The 10 Biggest Virtualization Stories Of 2014
CRN takes a look back at the year that was in virtualization and presents the 10 biggest stories we saw this year.
The 10 Biggest Security Stories Of 2014
Data breaches, critical vulnerabilities and dangerous cybercriminals made the biggest news headlines in 2014, while two technology giants oversaw historic changes to their product portfolios.
The 10 Biggest Networking Stories Of 2014
From the Cisco-VMware SDN battle to the sudden ouster of Juniper Networks' CEO, here's a look back at 10 of the biggest networking stories of 2014.
The technological leaps and bounds continue as the CRN Test Center faces the tough task of selecting the best products to come through its labs this year. This is one winner's circle with a big wow factor.
CRN rounds up the best of mobility in 2014 with Apple, Motorola and Microsoft topping the list.
The tablet market continued to evolve in 2014, with big-name brands like Apple and Samsung releasing new and innovative devices. Here are the 10 tablets that separated themselves from the pack.
The heavy-hitters in the smartphone market all released new devices this year, showing off bigger and better displays. Here are the 10 coolest smartphones of 2014.
Big data remained one of the most dynamic segments of the IT industry in 2014, with new products for data management and business analytics seemingly hitting the market every day. Here are 10 that we think made the biggest splash this year.
Windows 8, ultra HD resolution, and no-compromise 2-in-1 PC systems are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the best laptops of 2014. Here are the 10 coolest of the year.
This year's top offerings allow MSPs to capture revenue off well-known platforms and excel at everything from crunching financial numbers to conducting HIPAA-related audits.
Flash-based storage devices launched in 2014 offered not only performance, but such features as utility pricing and advanced storage to meet a wide range of business needs from the SMB to the enterprise.
From hardware to software to the Internet of Things, open source is everywhere. Here are the 10 coolest open source apps of 2014.
The CRN Test Center puts the spotlight on 30 unusual and interesting apps for your iOS and Android devices that you probably didn't know existed.
The 10 Coolest Servers Of 2014
The server industry in 2014 proved that, despite all the talk about software-defined whatever, hardware is still an integral part of the IT market as shown in these 10 very interesting new server offerings.
Here, CRN highlights 10 startups that we've deemed to be the coolest in 2014 by finding innovative ways to separate from the pack.
VMware pretty much owns server virtualization, but many startups are doing interesting and innovative things with storage, management and networking. Here are the 10 coolest of 2014.
The big data arena has spawned perhaps more startups than any other segment of the IT industry in recent years. Here's a look at 10 of the coolest big data startups that launched, emerged or, well, hit it big in 2014.
The top security startups of 2014 are providing innovative ways to detect threats while also responding to cyberattacks.
Technologies like SDN and the Internet of Things continued to shine the spotlight on a number of networking startups in 2014. Here are 10 of the coolest you don't want to miss.
The storage industry once again proves itself to be a hotbed of innovative startups looking to shake up the storage status quo and maybe even get acquired, as this list of startups shows.
The technological advancements being made in the cloud is clearing room for innovative new startups to take on the major vendors. Here are 10 startups that made waves in 2014.


text:
A new podcast is live for your listening and viewing pleasure — “Fast Five Special Feature: Amazon Prime Day Live”
The gang live streamed Prime Day covering which deals we’re interested in, how far Amazon has gone towards personalizing the site experience, what the competition is doing during the event, which retailers will be here in 20 years and much more!
Watch and Subscribe: YouTube or click on the video directly below:
Be careful out there,
– Chris and the Omni Talk team


text:
posted on February 4th, 2011 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
While Disney Imagineers continue to help create the newest Star Tours adventure at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts, plenty of Jedi, Wookiees and droids (oh my!) are gearing up for Star Wars Weekends, the annual celebration of all-things-Star Wars at Walt Disney World Resort.
And today you can start making your plans to journey to a galaxy far, far away and step into the Star Wars saga, as we officially announce this year’s event dates for the first time. Star Wars Weekends 2011 will be held at Disney’s Hollywood Studios every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 20-June 12.
The event features one of the galaxy’s largest gatherings of Star Wars characters all around the theme park, offering photo and autograph opportunities (I mean, c’mon – where else can you ask the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, for his autograph??? Just don’t ask him to smile for your photo). There are special Star Wars parades, trivia challenges, Jedi Training Academy, limited-edition merchandise and memorabilia, behind-the-scenes presentations, star conversations and more.
Star Wars celebrities make special appearances in talk shows and grand motorcades, and sign autographs throughout the weekend (here’s a tip: make sure you’re at the theme park first-thing in the morning to secure a spot in one of the celebrity autograph queues for that day).
We’ll announce a complete and more detailed Star Wars Weekends celebrity lineup soon, but we can tell you now about two fan-favorites returning for 2011.
Site News >


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Semiconductor sales see bump in October
Global semiconductor sales remain below last year’s levels for October, despite a bump that puts them above seasonal averages.
October sales were $25.2 billion globally, down about 2.3 percent from the $25.8 billion in the same month last year, the Washington, D.C.-based Semiconductor Industry Association reports.
October sales were up by about 1.7 percent from the previous month, but the SIA expects global sales to be down overall this year with modest growth coming next year and in 2014.
“The global semiconductor industry has demonstrated impressive resilience this year, despite operating in a challenging global macroeconomic environment,” said Brian Toohey, president and CEO of SIA.
Patrick O'Grady is managing editor of the Phoenix Business Journal.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
- Most popular
- New high-rise condo tower will be Austin's tallest building
- Weirdos loses court case to landlord; substantial damages pending
- Next generation takes over helm at Austin real estate company
- Masters win makes Spieth too pricey for most Austin companies
- Contracting firms allege non-payment from Austin developer
- Study: Austin could support NFL, NBA, NHL or MLS franchises
- HBO moves production of acclaimed series to Austin
- Real Estate Roundup: Retail is hot, new Austin brand comes to N. Lamar
- Austin 'sustainable' home improvement store looking to expand
- Stunning historic ranch property hits the market; development possible
Landscape Architect Project Manager Land Strategies, Inc. | Austin, TX
Market Leader Pace-Equity | Austin, TX
PROPERTY MANAGER ASSISTANT Bhatt Properties | San Antonio, TX
Sales Representative - Inside Sales - Educational Technology ECA Recruiters | Austin, TX
Solution Architect - Presale THE HT GROUP | Austin, TX


text:
Samsung’s hybrid pocket watch concept raises a lot more questions than it answers. That’s due, in part, to the fact that the company isn’t offering all that much information about what appears to be an analogue pocket watch with smart functionality announced in a press release tied to the Baselworld jewelry and watch show happening next week in Switzerland.
“Concept” is, naturally, a key word here. Really, Samsung seems to be doing a bit of peacocking here as it simultaneously tries to fit in and stand out among more traditional watch vendors at the event. The release carries all sorts of self-congratulatory tidbits like, “Samsung continues to lead the smartwatch category; connecting traditional Swiss design and innovative technology” and “Gear S3 is more than just a smartwatch, it is a beautifully designed watch that puts a timeless spin on the smartwatch category.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen someone take a crack at the idea, though aside from an Indiegogo campaign for an “open-source anti-smartphone” and some 3D printed at-home hacks, no one has seemingly really dared to go full throttle into the niche upon niche that is the smart pocket watch.
Chances seem pretty slim at this point that such a device will ever see the light of day, even from Samsung, a company notorious for flooding store shelves with a million different variants on a given theme.
Even so, the time is right for companies to start making big, bold, weird experiments in the wearable space. The smartwatch category has suffered, in part, from a flooded market of likeminded devices. Smartphones are one thing. The technology quickly transformed from luxury to perceived necessity. Smartwatches aren’t nearly there yet – and at this rate, may never be. For now they’re, at best, a proxy for our smartphones.
A few companies (Samsung included) have had enough success for the space to make sense, but the rest of the competition is essentially fighting over scraps.
If nothing else, Samsung’s hybrid pocket watch raises some interesting points about the space. Like, if a watch isn’t designed to be worn on one’s person, can it really be classified as a wearable? How much of the wearable category’s value is derived from the body real estate it occupies? Devoid of a wrist strap, doesn’t the thing more or less become a tiny, much less useful smartphone?
Samsung is also showing off a number of devices created alongside Swiss watch designer Yvan Arpa, which, like the pocket watch, appear to exist more to bolster the profile of the company’s existing product than to hint at any forthcoming release.
After all, the super luxury smartwatch may be the greatest niche of all. Sure, Tag has had some relative success with its Connected device – at least enough to justify a second generation of the product – but four digits is a lot to ask for a product designed to be upgraded ever couple of years. Even the nicest smartwatch likely won’t be getting passed along to the grand children.


text:
Grateful Bread — New Israeli-Kosher Bakery Gets Warm Welcome In San Francisco
On December 25, 2016, the first day of Hanukkah, Maureen Krantz and her family made a special trip into the city from their home in Berkeley just to try the Israeli-style sufganiyot at Frena, San Francisco’s highly anticipated new kosher bakery.
“We had been hearing about it for weeks,” said Krantz, who is director of community engagement for Camp Ramah Northern California and keeps a kosher home. “We were so excited to go.”
When they got to the bakery, the lines were out the door. “I thought, it really smells like Israel in here,” she said. “I was transported. It was a wonderful, nostalgic feeling.”
At the front of the line, the family’s excitement was dashed slightly when they learned the bakery had temporarily run out of the Hanukkah doughnuts they’d come to buy. They nonetheless ordered “probably one of everything,” said Krantz, and “nothing disappointed.” Her mother-in-law, who grew up in Chicago in the ’40s, said the bread brought back memories of the Jewish bakeries she grew up with.
Krantz’s rave review is just what owner and founder Isaac Yosef wants to hear. But he doesn’t want Frena to be just the best kosher bakery in the Bay Area — that’s not a challenge, with Oakland’s Grand Bakery now closed, and Izzy’s Brooklyn Bagels 35 miles away on the Peninsula.
No, Yosef wants much more than that: He wants Frena to be the best bakery, period.
Located on Sixth Street at the corner of Minna, a short block from Mission Street, Frena is the first of its kind in the Bay Area, possibly in the United States, Yosef said. That’s because in addition to offering the sweet items one might expect, it focuses more on savory products — common in a typical Israeli bakery, but unusual in the United States.
“American bakeries have good things, but it’s all the same: croissants, muffins, brownies, cookies and cakes, but no food, maybe a sandwich,” he said.
And those savory products smack of his home in Israel. Pride of place is given to the bakery’s sambusak, Iraqi pastries with savory fillings. Eight varieties range from an decidedly un-Israeli pesto mushroom to the more traditional filling of feta and green olives ($6.99 to $8.99). Then there are borekas ($1.99 for small, $6.99 for large), Turkish puff pastries with fillings like mushroom, spinach, or the Middle Eastern sheep’s cheese called kashkaval. Jerusalem-style bagels ($2.49) are seeded and larger and softer than their American counterparts. And the puffy pita, familiar to anyone who’s visited Israel, comes with different toppings such as za’atar, onion or poppy seed ($2.99 to $3.49); the pita oven was custom-made in Israel.
Frena also makes challah, sourdough and whole-grain breads and soon will offer sourdough challah and additional Israeli salads.
And those are just the savory items. A new pastry chef will come on board in the next few weeks to expand the sweet offerings, with imported chocolate and other staple items from Israel.
Inside the bakery, seats line the windows, with a few high tables nearby. Everything this reporter tried on her visit was delicious, from the kashkaval borekas with a side of z’hug, a vibrant green hot sauce for dipping Tel Aviv-style, to a hearty vegan squash soup of the day.
Yelpers seem to agree, with most reviewers (many of them Israeli, no doubt thrilled to have authentic food from home available here) giving the place five stars on everything from the food to the service.
Yosef opened the bakery in early December 2016 with an Israeli partner, Avi Edri. They met at a Hanukkah party a few years ago; Edri was working in the diamond industry, though he does have some baking experience, while Yosef worked in construction and retail. Setting a goal of serving the kosher community, they started with a pop-up in a San Mateo bakery, selling sufganiyot for Hanukkah in 2014.
“It was an experiment, and the demand was crazy, just from an announcement on Facebook,” said Yosef. “It’s kind of crazy that San Francisco is one of the top food cities in the world and it has almost nothing kosher to eat.”
After that initial experiment, they continued doing pop-ups, occasionally out of the kitchen at Congregation Chevra Thilim in the Richmond District.
Eventually, demand was high enough to consider a brick-and-mortar shop, and last month they finally opened their doors on Sixth Street.
The bakery was called Taboon for the first month — taboon is Arabic for the clay oven popular throughout the Middle East, similar to an Italian pizza oven, and it is the centerpiece of the bakery. But with hopes of one day expanding to more locations, Edri and Yosef wanted a name that no one is using yet (there is at least one other Taboon in the U.S.); they held a contest for a new name and chose Frena, which was announced on Jan. 23.
The name may have changed, but the clay oven that was the original namesake is still churning out products. “It bakes things at very high temperature with direct heat,” said Yosef. “It gives dough a smoky flavor, and a good crust.”
Overseeing the oven is Yanni, a childhood friend of Edri’s who preferred not to give his last name. He is a fourth-generation master baker who uses family recipes from his great-grandfather, who was from Iraq and owned a bakery in Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market.
“These recipes are over 100 years old,” said Yosef.
Though this is Yosef’s first foray into the food industry, he grew up in a family where food played a major role, and over the years, he’s formulated a philosophy about it that is behind everything Frena does.
“The main thing about selling food is that you don’t need to convince the client that it’s good,” Yosef said. “If it’s good, the client will be convinced of that himself. You have to cook with love, and put everything you have into the food. Then, people feel it right away.”
The bakery is supervised by Sunrise Kosher–Vaad HaKashrus of Northern California, and the kosher community is en masse to support it, from tourists to families who come from around the Bay Area.
Rabbi Michael Rothbaum crossed the bridge from Oakland recently to try Frena. He was impressed by how authentic the bakery was, just like the bakeries where he’s eaten in Israel.
“Everything I tried was totally amazing,” said Rothbaum, who is co-chair of the regional council of Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice. “The pitas, the borekas and the za’atar all were completely authentic. It’s super tasty.”
Julie Levine, a San Francisco resident and J. columnist, said that while her home is “kosher-style,” she appreciates having a bakery in the city with such unique selections.
“It’s great to now have some parve savory bakery options,” she said, referring to food that is neither dairy nor meat, so can be served with both. “On weeknights, I keep things pretty simple with a one-pot stew or some kind of chicken soup, and want something to go with it that offers a little more substance than your typical loaf of bakery bread.”
As for those sufganiyot, patrons don’t have to wait for Hanukkah to try them. They are available every single day. And for the locals wandering in off the street who don’t know from kosher, a $2.50 filled doughnut dusted in powdered sugar can be mighty appealing.
According to Yosef, locating the bakery on still-gritty Sixth Street was a practical decision. He and his team couldn’t afford the higher rent in more established areas, so they took advantage of city grants offered to enterprises willing to take a chance on neighborhoods in transition.
“We’re a new business with a low budget, and we did everything with our own hands,” he said.
He is confident that Sixth Street is on the rise, and hopeful that with all the nearby tech companies, it will continue to attract new businesses in the next few years. San Francisco Chabad Rabbi Yosef Langer shares his optimism — the rabbi recently opened a Chabad center across the street from the bakery, called Chabad SoMa Shul: Positively 6th Street, aimed primarily at young Jews working and living in the neighborhood.
The two, Yosef said, have a mutually beneficial relationship.
“[Chabad] saw that we’re here for the community, and not here just to make money,” he said. “We’ve done food for some of their events, and they send a lot of people to us.”
“Like every other starving kosher Jew in San Francisco, to have a bakery across the street from your place of worship and your place of doing business and your office is a huge, huge thing,” Langer said, adding that despite the fact he is on a no-carb diet, he has cheated a few times to have a sambusak.
Langer has been dreaming of such a collaboration for some time, believing that a kosher eatery is the cornerstone of any Jewish community. He hopes the Sixth Street area will become a new Jewish nexus of the city — he and Yosef envision other kosher enterprises opening nearby as well. While it’s too early to confirm details, they spoke of a kosher falafel and shwarma place rumored to be opening in the area; of course, the new bakery would supply it with bread.
Krantz, the Berkeley resident who came into the city shortly after Frena’s opening, is eager to return. “We’re trying to figure out when we can get back there because it was so good,” she said. “There are not a lot of kosher options around us. It’s really exciting.”
Frena, 132 Sixth St. at Minna, San Francisco. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. except Fridays, when it closes at 2 p.m. Closed Saturdays.
Alix Wall is a personal chef in the East Bay and beyond. Her website is theorganicepicure. This article first appeared on J. Weekly.


text:
FOOD: Difficult Balancing Act At Pioneer
Recent Western Cape Business News
PIONEER Foods, the Paarl-based food brands conglomerate, looks set to per-form a difficult juggling act in 2009.
The one hand needs to juggle sizeable financial charges stemming from capital expenditure on relieving capacity constraints; while the other hand needs to juggle operations to ensure consumers feel they are still getting value for money.
Still, the R15 billion a year company can probably regard itself as fortunate in spite of the tough times looming for consumer industries.
The group probably squeaked in its listing ahead of the onset of truly rotten sentiment on the JSE, managing to raise a not insubstantial R500 million in the process.
Pioneer also managed to restructure its debt to support its extensive capital programme as well as ensure liquidity for working capital needs.
This process saw the group clinching a syndicated facility of R3.6 billion from no less than six financial institutions. Given the state of the corporate lending market these days, Pioneer might have battled to raise such a level of funding if it had delayed the exercise to 2009.
In any event, Pioneer is earmarking these funds for fixed capital spending aimed at easing capacity constraints in its core staple foods businesses - the milling, the baking and the Weet-Bix businesses.
Interestingly, the fledgling Pepsi business will also be a recipient of capital expenditure – which suggests Pioneer is finally seeing flickers of sustainable viability in the softdrinks business.
While it’s great that Pioneer has the funds to expand production at key operations, the downside of the equation is that the increased investment in working capital and the fixed capital spend meant Pioneer forked out some R220 million in finance charges at the close of the last financial year.
Effectively this shaved the fat off bottom line, leaving Pioneer’s earnings down 7% to R468 million for the year to end September 2008.
The interest bill does not really seem to bother Pioneer’s directors too much. The board – at an AGM last month – expressed confidence around the group’s ability to “sustain and grow its cash generation from operations over time.”
To underline their confidence, an increased payout to shareholders of 96c/share was approved – an exercise that included R132 million paid out in a final dividend last month.
But at Pioneer’s AGM last month chairman ‘Boy’ Blanckenberg did note: “We are sensitive to the level of debt we incurred to fund the capital expansion programme and will continue to manage fixed and working capital with strict approval and deployment principles.”
Blanckenberg also highlighted significant shifts in the business environment over the last year – mentioning, in particular, the marked drop in the oil price from $140 per barrell to around $40 per barrel.
Obviously oil - mainly through transporting and harvesting food products – is a major input cost for food producers.
While expressing gratitude for these ‘turnarounds’, he stressed that the magnitude of change in these economic drivers and indicators poses an interesting challenge to the management of any business.
Blanckenberg said Pioneer – which has been implicated in a bread price fixing scandal - was concerned about the plight of the consumer. “As such we won’t hesitate to adjust prices lower when we’re in a position to do so.” He conceded, however, that it was a balancing act with upward and downward cost pressure at any given time and a minimum price required to ensure Pioneer’s sustainability.
Blanckenberg reckoned Pioneer is well positioned.
“Our revenue is not dependent on one single industry or category of products where credit approval or postponement of spend is under threat in these difficult economic circumstances.”
“This and our defensive basket of products and well known brands should sustain and grow our revenue and profit stream in future.”
The issue for Pioneer Foods – or at least the way CBN sees it – is that the core staple food businesses continue to prop up operating profits. Of the R865 million earned in operating profits financial 2008, R622 million came from baking business Sasko and almost R240 million from cereals business Bokomo.
Ceres Beverages (which includes Pepsi) chipped in R78 million, while the agribusinesses could only muster R3.5 million (after contributing over R100 million in financial 2007).
Basically this means efforts – mainly by acquisition – to diversify Pioneer away from its staple foods core have not really been terribly successful.
It’s no wonder Blanckenberg told shareholders at the recent AGM that Pioneer’s growth hinged on a turnaround in the egg and broiler businesses and gaining critical mass in the Pepsi venture.
But efforts to spare consumers from sizeable price increases will surely restrict Pioneer’s ability to fatten its trading margins in the agri-businesses – particularly since some of these businesses are facing up against larger competitors.
Trade to date at Pioneer (ie the first five months of the new financial year), according to Blanckenberg, saw “satisfactory volume growth in the three months to December with a softening in volume growth in January and February as expected at this time of year.”
He indicated that Pioneer’s earnings for the first half of the 2009 financial year should be broadly in line with the same period last year.
Blanckenberg believed Pioneer still capable of improving its operating as operating costs stabilised and inflation subsided.
CBN wonders, though, if Pioneer would embark on a serious restructuring exercise if margins – especially in the brand strong agri and Ceres divisions – don’t come up to spec.
Surely it would make sense to stick to the areas where the company already enjoys dominance (bread and cereals), and not extend the costly runs in smaller and less profitable niches at a time when finance charges are eating into bottom line?
Business News Sector Tags:
Fax 2 Email
Study IT Online
Work from Home


text:
Tor Internet Privacy Service Breached
BlackBerry Acquires Secusmart
Canada Says China Hacked Gov't
Android 'Fake ID' Puts Millions at Risk
Protect Yourself from Identity Theft
You may never have heard of the Tor Project, but the Internet privacy service is making headlines. Tor’s devs say users might be victims of an attack launched against the project earlier this year.
Looking to burnish its business reputation, BlackBerry has agreed to buy a German mobile security company that specializes in voice/data encryption as well as anti-eavesdropping solutions.
The government of Canada is not happy with China. Canadian officials have accused "a highly sophisticated Chinese state-sponsored actor" of launching a cyberattack on its National Research Council.
Having this fake ID is nothing to brag about, even if you are a minor. The “Fake ID” Android flaw drops malware into smartphone apps. It can steal credit card data and even take over your device.
In the last year, major companies like Target have been hacked; it seems every week there's news of another data breach. Here are five ways you can avoid becoming a victim of identity theft.


text:
Ex-Employee Blamed For Strawberry Needle Sabotage
It’s being reported that a disgruntled ex-employee is to blame for planting sewing needles in punnets of strawberries sold at Woolworths stores in a number of states across Australia.
As a result thousands of punnets of Berry Obsession and Berrylicious strawberries purchased from Woolworths stores in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria have been recalled, with at least one man being hospitalised after ingesting part of a needle.
The Queensland Strawberry Growers Association have since claimed that they have “reason to suspect a disgruntled ex-employee” may be behind the berry needle sabotage.
“The association is waiting on more information from Queensland Police on this matter and will update the Australian public as news becomes available to us,” the statement read.
Queensland Health have called for all brands to be thrown out as a precautionary measure.
It is understood that a 21-year-old Queensland man had to be hospitalised after he ate a strawberry that had a sewing needle stuck in the middle of it.
Hoax Hearne purchased the fruit on Sunday from Strathpine Centre Woolworths, around 20km north of Brisbane. A photo of the contaminated strawberry was posted to Facebook by his friend Joshua Gane.
“Driving up to the coast when Hoani Hearne bites through a strawberry and swallows half a swing needle,” he said. “We then checked the other strawberries and found another seeing needle lodged inside one of them. We are now at the emergency room because he subsequently started experiencing severe abdominal pain.
“Just being a helpful member of the community and making sure your children don’t have to endure what we have had to experience. Please make your family and friends aware.”
Currently three punnet of strawberries have been found with sewing needles in them, one in Queensland and two in Victoria, including Yarram and Sebastopol near Ballarat. They are believed to have come from a farm in Queensland’s south-east.
Queensland Health issued a warning to the public yesterday.
“I’m out here today to advise people if they've bought any strawberries in Queensland, New South Wales or Victoria since early last week, that they should dispose of them," Queensland Health's chief health officer Jeanette Young said.
"If someone were to swallow a sewing needle it could get caught up in their gut."
Woolworths have also released a statement saying that they are taking this matter very seriously and are working with authorities to investigate the incident.
“We have withdrawn Berry Obsession and Berry Luscious branded strawberries from sale while this incident is being investigated with our suppliers,” the spokesperson said. “Customers are advised to return these products to their local Woolworths for a full refund.”
Police began an investigation on Sunday after Hearne was taken to hospital after swallowing one of the contaminated strawberries.
Queensland Police Acting Chief Superintendent Terry Lawrence would not say which farm was involved or at what point the needles were planted in the fruit.
“It’s been some time for us to look at this sort of investigation, quite some time,” he said.


text:
By: Staff Writer
Colombo (LNW): The Government is planning to abolish SVAT on January 1, 2024, despite strong opposition of the business sector and leading chambers of commerce.
President Ranil Wickremasinghe as the finace minister has proposed abolishing SVAT for a more formal VAT repayment method.
However, Ceylon Chamber raises concerns over govt.’s capacity to handle refund claims without SVAT saying abolishing SVAT could disrupt cash flow in various industries.
The government’s aim of abolishing SVAT was to improve existing inefficiencies rather than abolishing SVAT.
The Ceylon chamber of commerce emphasised that a decision as impactful as abolishing the SVAT system should not be taken lightly and must be part of a broader, well-thought-out fiscal and economic strategy.
“Given the current economic climate and the potential ramifications on the export industry, we strongly recommend that the government engages in diligent planning, continuous monitoring, and a consultative approach that includes all stakeholders before making such a significant change,” the Ceylon Chamber stressed.
The finance ministry is set to introduce an efficient and proper refunding mechanism consequent to the removal of simplified value added tax (SVAT) system reverting to normal VAT scheme.
This action has been taken by the ministry to adhere the International Monetary fund (IMF) approved economic reform program, a high ranking treasury official disclosed.
According to tax policy measures stipulated in the program, the fiscal authority is committed to significantly speeding up valid VAT refunds and abolishing the simplified VAT (SVAT) system.
The finance ministry will be revamping the VAT system by removing almost all product specific VAT exemptions, he added.
A resolution pertaining to the Value-Added Tax (VAT) and the Simplified Value-Added Tax (SVAT).will be presented in parliament shortly to revise the provisions applicable to the VAT Act abolishing the SVAT methodology.
Approximately 1.2 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) from the tax revenue could be increased by reactivating the standard VAT, official document presented to the cabinet indicated.
The Ceylon Chamber pointed out that the move to abolish SVAT comes at a critical time when Sri Lanka has seen a significant dip in exports of over 10 percent in 2023 so far, along with a staggering 19 percent decrease in apparel exports with anticipation for weak external demand to continue.
The existing SVAT system was implemented in 2011 to address long-standing inefficiencies and delays in the VAT refund process managed by the Inland Revenue Department (IRD).
Before SVAT, many exporters were cash-strapped due to delayed VAT refunds—some for up to five or six years.
“Alarmingly, a backlog of long outstanding refunds under the SVAT system itself still remains unaddressed.
This raises questions about the government’s capacity to efficiently handle new refund claims in the absence of the SVAT system, thereby casting doubts over the operational feasibility of the planned move,” the Ceylon Chamber said in a statement.
It pointed out that the elimination of SVAT would immediately affect these exporters and also disrupt cash flow in various downstream industries and suppliers, leading to a ripple effect of financial challenges.


text:
Backlash in regards to Sony’s Fortnite glitch continues to grow. For nearly two days now, gamers who play Fortnite on the PlayStation 4 have found themselves locked out of playing the game on Nintendo Switch.
To give you a better idea as to how frustrating this is, we tried to log into Fortnite on Nintendo Switch following Tuesday’s announcement. Unaware of the issue (Sony never warned players), we tried to sign in with our Fortnite account which is currently connected to the PS4. Sure enough, we were immediately locked out of Fortnite on Switch.
We have since tried everything to unlock the game from deleting and reinstalling it, to rebooting the system. Nothing seems to fix the issue. Following the mishap, gamers have been patiently waiting for Sony to address the situation only to have Sony come back with one of the most tone deaf statements imaginable.
According to Sony...
“We’re always open to hearing what the PlayStation community is interested in to enhance their gaming experience. With more than 80 million monthly active users on PlayStation Network, we’ve built a huge community of gamers who can play together on Fortnite and all online titles. We also offer Fortnite cross-play support with PC, Mac, iOS, and Android devices, expanding the opportunity for Fortnite fans on PS4 to play with even more gamers on other platforms. We have nothing further to add beyond this point.”
This response has left Fortnite players even more upset. If you think about it, all Sony had to do was acknowledge they have been made aware of the problems PS4 users have been experiencing on the Switch, and reassure them they’re working on a fix. Instead, Sony decided it’d be better to tout their community numbers and cross-play support, which has little bearing over gamers being locked out of Fortnite simply because their account is tied to the PS4.
Right now, Epic Games has yet to comment. In an interview with Polygon, Nintendo stated there isn’t much it can do in regards to how other platforms treat Fornite accounts. “In fairness, there are three different things going on,” explained Reggie Fils-Aime, president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America.
“You have companies like mine that encourage cross-play and enable cross-play. You have a developer and content owner that wants cross-play and is encouraging cross-play, and then you have the other platform holders and what it is that they do. And when it comes to other platform holders, as much as you have influence on other platform holders, I don’t. And that’s a decision that each of them are making, and some are supporting cross-play and some are not.”
Fortnite has been downloaded on the Nintendo Switch over two million times in under 24 hours. With hundreds of thousands of these downloads coming from players with PS4 Fortnite accounts, the issue isn’t likely to go away anytime soon. What do you think of the issue Fortnite players are facing? Do you think Sony’s response is fair? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below, and be sure to check back as we’ll be updating the story as new information is released.


text:
Fly Fishing Shows on track to sell out in record time
Article Media Click images to enlarge +
The US Fly Fishing Shows continue to go from strength to strength with nearly 100 first time exhibitors or companies expanding their locations for the 2017 season.
Fly Fishing Shows CEO, Ben Furimsky, reports that currently six of the locations across the US have sold more than 75% of the available exhibition space. “It is the earliest we have ever hit the mark, putting us on the pace to sell out in record time. The new location at Atlanta, Georgia, has already sold 65% of the space available with the premium areas adjacent to the casting ponds virtually all gone.
“Manufacturer support for Atlanta has surpassed any level we have ever had for a new venue.”
Among the new exhibitors and companies increasing locations are:
- Adipose Boatworks (Denver);
- Campeche Tarpon (Atlanta & Lynnwood);
- Crooked and Acklins Trophy Lodge (Somerset);
- East Cape Skiffs (Somerset & Atlanta);
- Fishpond (Denver & Somerset);
- Fly Fusion Magazine (Denver, Somerset & Atlanta);
- Hell’s Bay Boatworks (Atlanta);
- Maxxon Outfitters (Denver, Somerset, Lynnwood, Pleasanton & Lancaster);
- Southeastern Anglers (Atlanta);
- Unicoi Oufitters (Atlanta).


text:
Mark Wahlberg thinks people should leave "smoking pot and drinking beer" to the weekend and focus on exercise and fitness during the week.
The hunky actor is famed for his impressive physique and bulging muscles. Mark has a supplement line with health and nutrition store GNC and has explained his motto behind healthy living.
"I’ve always wanted to be in the health and wellness business. I try to encourage people to live a healthy lifestyle," he told Collider.com.
"If you want to smoke pot and drink beers, do it on the weekend. During the week, eat healthy and exercise."
Mark has been spotted looking considerably bulked up of late. The Hollywood star has commenced shooting for action drama Pain and Gain where he plays a bodybuilder and says gaining muscle mass was no mean feat.
"I was eating ten meals a day and drinking mass gainers. I was drinking my own. I created this line of supplements with GNC," he explained last week.
"It was a lot of work. A lot of getting up at two in the morning to eat another meal and I was still full from the meal at ten o'clock."© Cover Media


text:
Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on SDF. Commerzbank set a €30.00 ($35.71) price target on shares of K+S Aktiengesellschaft and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, July 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a €22.00 ($26.19) price target on shares of K+S Aktiengesellschaft and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, July 24th. DZ Bank reaffirmed a neutral rating on shares of K+S Aktiengesellschaft in a research note on Friday, August 4th. Baader Bank set a €20.00 ($23.81) price target on shares of K+S Aktiengesellschaft and gave the company a sell rating in a research note on Friday, August 11th. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets set a €26.00 ($30.95) price target on shares of K+S Aktiengesellschaft and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, August 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. K+S Aktiengesellschaft has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of €22.41 ($26.67).
Shares of K+S Aktiengesellschaft (ETR:SDF) traded up €0.22 ($0.26) during midday trading on Thursday, reaching €19.70 ($23.45). The company’s stock had a trading volume of 883,084 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,310,000. K+S Aktiengesellschaft has a 52-week low of €18.92 ($22.52) and a 52-week high of €24.95 ($29.70).
WARNING: “Goldman Sachs Group Analysts Give K+S Aktiengesellschaft (SDF) a €20.40 Price Target” was first posted by Week Herald and is owned by of Week Herald. If you are reading this piece on another publication, it was copied illegally and reposted in violation of U.S. & international copyright & trademark law. The original version of this piece can be viewed at https://weekherald.com/2017/12/04/goldman-sachs-group-inc-the-reiterates-20-40-price-target-for-ks-aktiengesellschaft-sdf.html.
K+S Aktiengesellschaft, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells potash, magnesium, and salt products worldwide. Its Potash and Magnesium Products segment produces and markets mineral fertilizers, such as potassium chloride for crops, including cereals, corn, rice, and soy beans; fertilizers for crops; potassium and magnesium products for industrial applications; and health care and nutrition products for pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food processing, and animal feed industries.
Receive News & Ratings for K+S Aktiengesellschaft Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for K+S Aktiengesellschaft and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
At CustomerConnect, the world’s leading technology brands with share the best practices and key considerations that companies need to be thinking about to drive positive business outcomes through the use of software tools and applications.
San Diego (PRWEB) October 14, 2015
Zones, Inc., today kicks off its CustomerConnect Business Conference, a three-day event focused on software. During the event, attendees will gain knowledge of the ever-shifting software environment and how software empowers the digital enterprise, which encompasses security, mobility, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things. The Zones Software CustomerConnect conference, which is open to select Zones customers, takes place at the Rancho Bernado Inn in San Diego.
“For organizations to run effectively and ensure the highest productivity gains, they must have the right software tools in place,” said Todd Leeson, vice president of Partner and Product Management, Software at Zones. “At CustomerConnect, the world’s leading technology brands will share the best practices and key considerations that companies need to be thinking about to drive positive business outcomes through the use of software tools and applications.”
The Zones CustomerConnect conference features a keynote address by IDC Research Vice President Amy Konary. Konary will present on the topic of “Key Trends in Enterprise Software.”
“The software industry is going through a phase of dramatic change with the advent and adoption of 3rd Platform technologies,” said Konary. “This driver, as well as other key dynamics, is leading to the obsolescence of traditional pricing models and the development of new business models. It is now more important than ever that IT buyers understand the options available to them and think strategically about the ways in which they budget for and purchase enterprise software.”
Strategically partnered with the world’s leading software brands, Zones has deep experience helping organizations optimize the return on their software investments by providing end-to-end services supporting all stages of the IT lifecycle, including advisory services, software asset management, deployment, migration services, as well as ongoing 24x7 managed services.
By bringing together a dedicated team of software solutions specialists, licensing experts and cloud solutions professionals in a centralized U.S.-based software center of excellence, Zones is uniquely positioned to help organizations drive impactful business outcomes through increased productivity, scalability, improved security, and more efficient management of software assets.
The Zones CustomerConnect event follows multiple announcements from Zones related to software. Most recently, Zones was honored as a winner of Microsoft’s Excellence in Operations Award. This is the ninth time that Zones has won this award, which is given for delivering market-leading operational excellence supporting Microsoft technology, including software, over the past year. Additionally, in July 2015, Zones emphasized its commitment to expand and accelerate customer adoption of the Microsoft platform as a Microsoft Licensing Solutions Partner (LSP) and a Cloud Solution Provider (CSP).
Zones, Inc., supports business, healthcare, the public sector and specialty markets by applying innovative technology solutions across a variety of specializations including networking, security, software, storage, mobility, data center and virtualization. Zones holds the highest levels of technical certification from every key solution provider we represent, including Cisco Gold, EMC, Dell Server and Storage Technical, IBM System and Storage Technical, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and VMware Infrastructure, among others. Zones is a nine-time recipient of the Microsoft Excellence in Operations award. Incorporated in 1988, Zones is headquartered in Auburn, Wash., and is a certified MBE company.
For additional information, visit http://www.zones.com or call (800) 408-9663.


text:
Operations director, M&M Direct
Starting his career as a picker in the warehouse at 17, Ryan Morris was promoted to operations director last year at just 28. Morris grew his role with the business – over the time span M&M Direct has grown from a £5 million firm to one with sales nearer £100 million.
Working beyond his role, Morris has developed into an operations supremo understanding how different parts of the business operate and fit together, and anticipating problems before they arise. He has also developed a committed team around him, inspired by his leadership qualities.
Morris recently masterminded the move from three warehouse sites into one 200,000sq ft location, which had to operate live while under construction. This involved relocating about 20,000 SKUs – a task that was completed ahead of time and within budget.
Very much a trouble-shooter, Morris has also proved himself the hero of flooded premises and power outages – he is a retailer with drive and ingenuity who will go far.
Morris’ achievements were recognised last year when he was nominated as one of Retail Weeks’ Rising Stars in the Supply Chain Professional of the year category.


text:
Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, on Tuesday announced the launch of internet.org, a global partnership with the goal of making internet access available to the next 5 billion people.
From the announcement: "The founding members of internet.org — Facebook, Ericsson, MediaTek, Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm and Samsung — will develop joint projects, share knowledge, and mobilize industry and governments to bring the world online. These founding companies have a long history of working closely with mobile operators and expect them to play leading roles within the initiative, which over time will also include NGOs, academics and experts as well. Internet.org is influenced by the successful Open Compute Project, an industry-wide initiative that has lowered the costs of cloud computing by making hardware designs more efficient and innovative."
|Data Center||Policy & Regulation|
|DNS Security||Regional Registries|
|Domain Names||Registry Services|
|Intellectual Property||Top-Level Domains|
|Internet of Things||Web|
|Internet Protocol||White Space|
Afilias - Mobile & Web Services
.eco launches globally at 16:00 UTC on April 25, 2017, when domains will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. .eco is for businesses, non-profits and people committed to positive change for the planet. See list of registrars offering .eco more»


text:
: The sales of electric cars topped 2.1 million globally in 2019, registering a growth of 40 per cent on a year-on-year basis, according to the latest report by International Energy Agency
"Electric cars which accounted for 2.6 per cent of global car sales
and about 1 per cent of global car stock in 2019, registered a 40 per cent year-on-year increase," IEA said in its report titled 'Global EV Outlook
2020' adding that the sales in 2019 surpassed 2018 – already a record year – to boost the stock to 7.2 million electric cars.
According to IEA, there were only about 17, 000 electric cars in 2010, which by 2019 swelled to 7.2 million. But the Covid-19 pandemic will affect the global electric vehicle market this year. "Based on car sales data during January to April 2020, our current estimate is that the passenger car market will contract by 15% over the year relative to 2019," IEA has said.
The report finds the infrastructure for electric-vehicle charging continues to expand globally. In 2019, there were about 7.3 million chargers
worldwide of which about 6.5 million were private, light-duty vehicle slow chargers in homes, buildings and workplaces, the report said.
With the projected size of the global electric vehicle market, expansion of battery manufacturing capacity will largely be driven by electrification in the car market. According to IEA, the future electric two and three-wheeler fleet is concentrated in China, India and the ten countries of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
By 2030, battery electric vehicles are expected to reach an average driving range of 350 to 400 kilometer corresponding to battery sizes of 70-80 kilowatt hour (kwh). For the next decade, the lithium
ion battery is likely to dominate the electric vehicle market, IEA said.


text:
With the Federal Reserve now widely expected to raise its benchmark interest rate by another 75 basis points this month, investors’ hopes that this bear market may end soon appear to have vanished again. As a result of that macroeconomic pessimism, many stocks recently hit new 52-week lows.
However, every previous bear market in the US stock market has been followed by a recovery that eventually saw the indices set new highs and the current dip is likely not to be the exception. Eventually, growth tech stocks with promising long-term prospects should rebound in a big way. That’s why three Motley Fool collaborators think Roku (ROKU 3.29%), Open door technologies (TO OPEN 7.25%)And Adobe (ADBE 2.91%) probably fits that description.
Investors could convey massive growth from Roku
Will Healy (Roku): Roku was one of the biggest victims of the tech industry sell-off. After its shares hit a high of over $ 490 per share in July 2021, it began a sharp and steady decline that would take it to a low of $ 62 per share within about a year.
Investors make a bearish bid for Roku amid a general sale of growth tech stocks. But the economic headwinds also led to pessimism about the near-term future of the advertising market, which further weighed on Roku. These conditions prompted management to forecast revenue growth of just 3% in the third quarter. This is in stark contrast to the company’s results at the start of the pandemic: its top line grew 57% in 2020 and 56% in 2021.
However, none of these negativities change the fact that Roku is likely the future of television. Consumers continue to move away from cable TV in favor of streaming.
During Roku’s first quarter earnings call in April, Roku CEO Anthony Wood cited an eMarketer report that only 18% of TV ad spend went to streaming. From Wood’s point of view, that figure should eventually grow to 100%, because, as he stated at the time, “eventually, all TV and all TV commercials will be streamed.” Roku today claims 31% of the connected TV market, according to Conviva, making it the market leader. Its customer numbers reflect this: in the second quarter, its active account base grew 14% year-over-year to 63 million.
Additionally, Roku’s revenue growth is expected to start bouncing back soon. Analysts expect revenue growth of 13% for this year, an indication that they do not expect the 3% growth forecast for the current quarter to turn into a trend. They also expect revenue growth to increase to 17% in 2023. While these results would not be on par with 2021 levels, they would represent a significant improvement over Q3.
Finally, thanks to the drop in the share price, its price-to-sell ratio has dropped to around 3. At that multi-year low, it’s trading at roughly the same selling multiple as its main North American streaming rival. Amazon. At such an obvious valuation, market leader Roku might be the best streaming title to buy right now.
A digital disruptor in real estate
Justin Pope (Opendoor Technologies): Technology has changed the way consumers spend their money. Ecommerce has impacted everything from buying food to shopping for clothes and other goods. However, when it comes to buying a home – the largest purchase most people have ever made – the processes are still relatively archaic.
Opendoor is trying to change this by offering consumers the ability to buy or sell homes online. Instead of spending time and money staging and displaying their homes, and then bargaining with potential buyers, people can quickly sell their homes to Opendoor via a process that works through its website or smartphone app. Opendoor pays cash for the homes it buys, makes repairs as needed, and then resells them on the market.
The company operates with low profit margins; charges a 5% commission when buying a home. According to the company’s website, it’s not looking to flip houses for profit. Instead, he acts as a market maker, buying and selling lots of homes at around a fair market value and making a profit by making his commissions on every transaction. The appreciation (or depreciation) of the house price and the expenses to hold inventory (such as interest on debt) are all contributing factors to Opendoor’s gross profit margins. Its revenue has grown immensely, but so far the business is not profitable.
The stock fell 87% from its peak. In fact, it now has a market cap of $ 2.76 billion, just $ 250 million more than its balance sheet liquidity. Don’t squirm – there are risks in Opendoor. The company will now have to demonstrate that it can handle a slower housing market and rising interest rates that make lending more expensive. However, investors who buy at this point are almost getting the business for nothing.
The market has practically priced a stock failure at this market cap, which means the benefit could be immense if Opendoor’s business model works over the long term. It is a high risk / high reward stock, so investors should be careful when buying stocks (and make them part of a well-diversified portfolio if they buy them). That said, it’s hard to find an investment idea with the same upside potential as Opendoor if things work out.
A once in a decade discount on a digital power plant
Jake Lerch (Adobe): With the Nasdaq Composite down more than 25% year to date, many previously high-flying stocks have fallen through tough times. Adobe is definitely one of them. It’s down 34% this year and more than 46% from its peak at the end of 2021.
Still, unlike many of the more speculative growth names that have taken their chin this year, Adobe is a long-standing public company with significant revenue and profits. In June, when Adobe reported its second-quarter fiscal earnings, it beat the top and bottom. For the period ended June 3, its revenue was $ 4.4 billion and it produced earnings of $ 3.35 per share. However, stocks plummeted after management lowered its full-year forecast due to negative exchange rate effects.
But exchange rates aren’t a reason to avoid Adobe stock. For long-term investors, what? should matter is Adobe’s place in the digital economy. More than ever, creatives in the marketing, publishing and education industries rely on Adobe products to bring their ideas to life. The company’s Creative Cloud membership includes sought-after tools like Illustrator, Photoshop, and Acrobat that are indispensable for many professionals.
For investors, now may be the time to buy cheap Adobe stock. The stock is currently trading at a price / earnings multiple of 36.5. At first glance, it might seem expensive, but consider Adobe’s 10-year average ratio is a whopping 64.8. And the last time Adobe’s P / E ratio fell below 35 was back in 2013.
Adobe reports its third-quarter fiscal earnings next week. Smart investors could use any weak spot as an additional buying opportunity.


text:
Get access to everything we publish when you sign up for Outside+.
Black Diamond Inc.’s (NYSE:BDE) recent acquisitions of Poc Sports and Pieps helped it increase sales for the first quarter 2013, but delayed spring orders (in the face of late winter weather) and a reorganization of its Japanese distribution weighed on margins and led to a quarterly loss.
The Salt Lake City-based parent to Black Diamond Equipment, Gregory Mountain Products, Poc and Pieps brands reported sales up 10 percent to $51 million in the first quarter, compared to a year ago, largely reflecting those recent acquisitions. Officials did not release, organic revenue growth — minus Poc and Pieps — making for a tough year-over-year comparison. And despite the higher revenue, quarterly, net income swung to a loss of $3 million, versus a profit of $2.6 million a year ago.
Black Diamond CEO Peter Metcalf said while this year’s late winter weather helped move winter equipment inventory, such as Black Diamond’s skis, it also delayed spring/summer equipment orders, such as the brand’s climbing gear. First-quarter sales also took a hit for Gregory in Japan, where the company is transitioning from a third-party distributor to direct distribution.
Metcalf said he expects the negative effects of the spring delay and Japanese reorganization to be short-lived. The company maintained its full-year 2013 projections for sales to rise 23-26 percent to between $216 million and $221 million, with second half growth fueled by Black Diamond’s apparel launch.
“What is especially gratifying is that fall ’13 is now sold out and spring ’14, which represents our entrance into the outdoor-inspired lifestyle sports wear, is being well-received by the trade,” Metcalf said during the company’s conference call with investors. “The tight spring ’14 collection consists of approximately 40 styles and 150 SKUs with a primary focus on summer alpinism and modern cragware. We are employing both high-tech synthetic, cotton and merino blend fabrics for a line of sportswear that will look as sharp on the deck of the brew pub as it will perform on a mountain crag or summer peak bag.”
The company also will launch a new website to further boost direct-to-consumer sales, which grew by double-digit percentage points in the first quarter, officials said.
But investors showed less confidence following Black Diamond’s earnings report, sending the stock down more than 8 percent as of midday Tuesday. The company is down to $4.1 million in cash with $41.5 million in debt and $16.6 million remaining in a line of credit.


text:
Watch Out for This Ripple Crypto, a Possible Hot Rival to Bitcoin And Ethereum. 4. Cointal P2P Trading Platform Adds Support for XRP and Other Cryptocurrencies. 3.Find the best brokers for online trading platforms and compare fees,.
Ripple's XRP Token Sets New All-Time Price High - CoinDeskBuy, sell and margin trade Bitcoin (BTC) and Etherum (ETH) in exchange with EUR, USD, CAD, GBP, and JPY.
Ripple (XRP) grows more than 80% within a few hoursBest Forex Broker That Offers Ethereum, Dash and Ripple Trading. DASH and Ripple to its currency trading list. an online trading platform for buying and.
Best Bitcoin Trading Platforms - DisruptorDailyThis post was originally published on this siteSource: Bitcoinist.net Dublin-based blockchain platform Bitsane.com announced the addition of XRP (Ripple) to its.The CEO, and creator, of Bitstamp is Nejc Kodric which is a well-known member of the Bitcoin community.NEW YORK (Reuters) - One of the leading European-based bitcoin exchanges is adding another virtual currency to the bitcoins already traded on its platform.Trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin and other cryptocurrencies.
XRP Charts is not a trading advisor. Ripple reserves the right not to include transactions in XRP Charts that it believes are not bona fide, e.g.AvaTrade first introduced Bitcoin CFD trading back in 2013, both on MT4 and on its proprietary platform.There are a total of four instruments including a Ripple-Bitcoin future,.Considering how many different exchanges trade this token already, it.
Bitcoin Games This week a class-action lawsuit has been filed against the San Francisco-based trading platform Kraken. Ripple, and Ethereum have all experienced.Bitstamp Platform Bitstamp bitcoin exchange has a nice and easy to use platform with the possibility to trade two cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin BTC, and Ripple XRP.
Kraken Cryptocurrency Platform Introduces Ripple Trading PairsRipple connects banks, payment providers, digital asset exchanges and corporates via RippleNet to provide one frictionless experience to send money globally.NEX recently hived off its voice-based brokerage business, leaving it with a financial-technology firm that among other things runs electronic markets for big institutional traders.
Trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin and otherOne of the leading European-based bitcoin exchanges is adding another virtual currency to the bitcoins already traded on its platform.
Blockchain trading platform Bitsane adds Ripple trading
Irish Blockchain Trading Platform Bitsane Adds Ripple TradingTrade top cryptocurrencies - Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and Dash at AvaTrade and enjoy trading conditions no cryptocurrency exchange can provide.
Cointal P2P Trading Platform Adds Support for XRP and
P2P Trading Platform Mirror Gets Investment From RippleKraken, the leading cryptocurrency exchange platform has announced the inclusion of Ripple - Fiat trading pairs. Read more.The second largest cryptocurrency in terms of market capitalization, Ripple (XRP) is now available for a much wider audience.NEX is already incorporating blockchain technology (paywall), the digital distributed ledger system that backs cryptocurrencies, in its systems.New York based Digital Trading Solutions, Inc. (dtscorp.trade.According to the Ripple. was a Ripple extension to e-commerce platform.
Bitcoin News: Kraken Cryptocurrency Platform Introduces Ripple Trading Pairs.
Cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex adds Ripple’s XRP to
NASDAQ Launches Linq, a Private Blockchain-Powered Trading
It appears Ripple supporters may soon have a new peer-to-peer trading platform to exchange XRP.Bitstamp exchange and trading platform for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ripple (XRP).WELCOME TO SBC TRADING. analysts and spearheads coming together as a cryptocurrency trading platform provider that.
The company Spencer runs now, previously called ICAP, has its roots in the firm he started some 30 years ago when brokerage transactions between banks were shouted over the phone.Ripple to BTC Exchange. Join. Our platform gives you all the info you need, when you need it.
Bitstamp adds Ripple currency XRP to trading platformPlus500 silently added Ripple XRP trading Plus500 is a trading platform (comparable to markets.com) for CFD (Contract For Difference) trading.Orderbook is a new venture operating a trading platform for Ethereum-based.Real Time Charts - price charts, candlestick charts, market depth charts, full orderbook charts, volume graphs.
Ripple and Etherum are crashing, Bitcoin is going. when I was trading was: Never use just one platform.Continue reading Blockchain Exchange Bitsane Introduces Ripple Trading at.
Ripple Discontinues Smart Contract Platform Codius, CitingBitsane, the Irish Blockchain trading platform adds Ripple trading support on its cryptocurrency-to-fiat spot exchange services.NEX Group operates dominant electronic markets for trading in the world. about us Atlas quartz index. a trading platform for ether or ripple would be.Now, the company is taking a look at cryptocurrencies—particularly ethereum and ripple.The tide slowly moves and at a point the waves then ripple while simultaneously pulling back. etoro mobile trading...
Swiss trading platform AlgoTrader will integrate the Coinigy exchange platform into its.Ripple is a global settlement network, making it easy to transfer nearly any currency to anyone in the world in just seconds.NEW YORK (Reuters) - One of the leading European-based bitcoin exchanges is adding another virtual currency to the bitcoins already traded on its platform. Ripple, a.The predecessor to the Ripple payment protocol,. currency trading desks.


text:
Understanding how COVID-19 will change the work landscape of 2020 and beyond
Society, businesses, and industries are forced to create new norms to adjust to the COVID-19 world we inhabit. So, what does the future of a day at work look like and how will industries be impacted? It will probably look like a remote one. Now more than ever businesses lifelines rely on that of the remote workforce to drive its operations as businesses try and change their models to adjust to new market landscapes.
So, what of the global markets?
Global markets have plummeted as the demand for non-essential goods deceases. The local hairdresser or pub is now at risk of closure as a lack of demand means business, as usual, ceases to exist. Industries taking the biggest hits are the airlines with an estimated loss of $113 billion according to The International Air Transport Association (IATA) if the pandemic persists. The Guardian reported that an estimated £10 billion worth of clothing is piled up in warehouses during the lockdown in the UK. Sports to have been impacted. Worth 160 billion the global sports industry has come to screeching halt, leaving serious financial ramifications behind. It is easy to see that International markets are plummeting as the pandemic spreads; some markets having displayed their worst figures since the WW2.
It’s not hard to see why the world starts-ups has also been shaken. Fundraising during these harsh times will be no walk in the park and many will have to place their plans on hold for the time being. This is not to stay this will be the end of the start-up boom. The lasting impressions of COVID -19 on society may create several favourable conditions for start-ups as fundamental shifts in how we work will occur.
Not all sectors have felt the COVID-19 hit. Insurance policies and certain e-commerce giants such as the likes of Amazon and Alibaba have significantly increased profits over the past few months. Business Insider reported that Jeff Bezos made a record-breaking $6 billion in sales in 2020 thanks to the pandemic. Increased demand for online and digital platforms have highlighted the need for such solutions in our new isolated everyday lives.
FinTech appears to be the way forward in revolutionising financial service markets by bridging the gap between government grants and claims, delivering faster outcomes to consumers, will be a Godsent for many. New collaborative approaches to FinTech are creating new collaborative solutions in payments and lending platforms often acting as intermediaries to help with the high demand of government incentives and grants.
Career change , adjustments and the workforce
Financial Services sectors have seen a requirement for an influx of contingent workforces, as the high demand for additional online services has been felt. From call centres to chatbots, banks have been inundated with daily requests from customers regarding new loan schemes implemented by Governments. This will continue to grow -post-COVID-19 as we will see in high demand of administrative, legal, and client-facing roles needed to deal with the additional pressures placed on banks.
Many have had to make a career change to survive the pandemic. Temporary displacement of individuals has seen stories from across the globe of many taking on remote roles that are not in their usual line of work. For example, the UK has seen a record number of individuals apply for farming jobs over the past few weeks indicating the mass amount of need for work placements.
We can expect to see a rise in this type of career change as roles shift to adapt to markets. These are unprecedented times and so it would only be natural for new norms to be defined. Expect to see more contingent remote roles come into play as businesses find ways to adjust to new landscapes. More organisations are turning to contingent workforces to help with increased demands being placed on them as a result of COVID-19. Rather than retaining permanent staff, to save costs contingent staff are being hired on a project basis. The hiring landscape is changing to project-based resourcing and individuals are leaving their permanent roes to fill the increasing demand of contingent ones. The post- COVID-19 world will see an influx of this type of trend, as organisations demands increase and new ‘normalities’ are formed.
What does the coronavirus mean for hiring and the future workforce?
Companies have acted swiftly in implementing remote working systems to adapt to a digital-only environment and will continue to develop their digital platforms, in hopes to become more resilient, in a post- COVID- 19 worlds. We can expect more remote placements, the use of virtual recruitment as well as networking via online events to become the new hiring norms. Contingency plans will revolve around getting the right skilled remote workforce to adjust to changing markets and the challenges they bring.
We have seen a boom in this type of market behaviour as we are resourcing firm and for over 30 years have deployed skilled contingent professionals within the Financial Services, Legal, Technology, and Training and Development sectors.
If you are looking for new career opportunities and working from home roles, have a look at the current roles we are placing. Sign up to be part of our community so you can access the latest opportunities.
 Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/05/cath-kidston-to-call-in-administrators-amid-coronavirus-lockdown
 Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-made-amazon-jeff-bezos-richer-but-not-other-billionaires-2020-3?r=US&IR=T


text:
Fintech innovator receives funding as it crosses milestone of impacting 12 million lives globally
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Angaza, a leading technology provider enabling consumer access to essential products in emerging markets, has closed $13.5 million in Series B financing. The round was led by East African energy impact fund KawiSafi Ventures and was joined by Total Carbon Neutrality Ventures (TCNV), the venture capital arm of broad energy company, Total. The round was also joined by existing investors Ajax Strategies, Emerson Collective, Rethink Impact, and Salesforce Ventures.
Angaza provides business-critical software for companies in emerging markets that sell life-changing products and services to low-income consumers. With a complete solution, including integrated cloud-based software, mobile app, and IoT device integrations, Angaza helps businesses digitize the complex operations and sales processes unique to last-mile distribution. Using Angaza software, distribution businesses are able to leverage sophisticated data and analytics that enable them to extend smart consumer financing plans to unbanked consumers in rural regions.
The company recently achieved a significant milestone by positively impacting the lives of over 12 million people around the globe since its launch in 2013. Today, over 200 distributors in over 50 countries spanning Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific rely on Angaza’s technology. The company has helped avert 1.5 billion kilograms of CO2 emissions by allowing families to switch from harmful kerosene to clean and renewable solar energy and has processed over 100 million mobile money payments from consumers. Angaza’s solution has also fostered entrepreneurship in emerging economies, supporting over 55,000 jobs within the last-mile distribution industry.
“The twin crises of climate change and the global pandemic show that now is a more crucial time than ever to make life-changing products accessible to the most vulnerable people,” said Angaza’s Chief Executive Officer, Lesley Marincola. “Increasing the affordability of these products through Angaza’s solution will ensure that essential products that improve quality of life and increase incomes are within reach for nearly 1 billion off-grid consumers. We are so pleased to welcome KawiSafi Ventures and TCNV to scale our growth and impact for families and businesses around the globe.”
The new investment will support efforts to scale Angaza’s customer service and commercial business teams, primarily located in Nairobi, Kenya. Angaza will also seek to establish new partnerships with manufacturers in order to grow the company’s portfolio of devices available for sale through its platform and continue to enhance its core product offering.
“We are delighted to join Angaza during this next stage of growth and look forward to supporting the company as they proceed in bringing radical affordability to the off-grid sector and beyond. KawiSafi is excited to partner with the Angaza team as they continue to build a best-in-class solution for distributors and end-consumers alike,” said Amar Inamdar, Managing Director of KawiSafi Ventures.
As part of its investment, KawiSafi has appointed Chad Larson, the CEO of Nairobi-based fintech company Kopo Kopo, to Angaza’s board of directors. Chad is a founder of M-KOPA Solar and a globally-recognized leader in off-grid finance. He brings significant emerging-markets operational and finance experience to the Angaza board on KawiSafi’s behalf.
Angaza is a technology company based in San Francisco, California and Nairobi, Kenya. With a comprehensive software platform designed for last-mile distributors, Angaza enables off-grid consumers to pay for life-changing products and services through affordable payments. Additional information about Angaza is available at www.angaza.com.
About KawiSafi Ventures
Founded by Acumen, KawiSafi Ventures is a $70 million fund which invests in companies that provide and enable access to clean energy products and services to low-income and off-grid populations. KawiSafi is an East Africa focused fund with an initial focus on Kenya and Rwanda. KawiSafi invests growth capital in proven business models that address key market gaps and aims to deliver ambitious impact objectives and market-competitive returns. For more information, please visit www.kawisafi.com.
Director of Marketing


text:
Naim’s HDX, UnitiServe and NaimNet Servers have all received double the storage (2TB), new software 1.6C and a new and significantly improved n-Serve control app Version 2.3.
Two newly updated Naim apps are available as free of charge downloads from the App Store from the 1st April 2011. The new apps include native iPad support delivering a much richer experience. This along with the improvements detailed below ensures Naim owners continue to get the maximum flexibility of control of their systems along with Naim’s class-leading audio performance.
May 6 2010 High-End Show, MOC, Munich. Two, very successful — as evidenced by the recent Queen’s Award for Enterprise — years on from Naim’s launch of the standard-setting award-winning HDX hard disk player, Naim is launching UnitiServe a compact digital audio player and server.
Deliveries will begin July 2010.