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Life of Crime
Rockstar’s hit crime sim is probably way more popular than you think.
Much to no one’s surprise, Rockstar Games recently announced that Grand Theft Auto 6 is in active development. But that doesn’t mean it’s putting its cash cow GTA 5 out to pasture yet.
Here’s a look at the latest GTA 5 sales numbers and other important stats.


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The annual sacrosanct Maghi Mela in Muktsar in Punjab saw a large number of companies, from different industries, showcasing their products.
One of the main highlights of the gathering was the stall of International Tractors Limited, manufacturers of Sonalika tractors. It is the first tractor company in India to get an ISO:14001 certification.
The company displayed many of its heavy duty tractors which included Sonalika Worldtrac 90 (4-Wheel Drive), Sonalika RX-60 DC, Sonalika 750-III DC, Sonalika RX-60 MM DC and Sonalika DI-35. Sonalika is known for its manufacturing tractors suited to meet the diverse needs of customers across the country and abroad. The tractors have high-tech features such as power steering, oil immersed brakes, and so on.
Sonalika tractors are powered by engines having high back-up torque and are known for their suitability for heavy duty operations and diesel saving technology. The company also manufactures 4-wheel drive models, in the higher HP category.
BorgWarner has clinched an agreement with a major North American OEM to supply its bi-directional 800V Onboard Charger (OBC) for the automaker’s premium passenger vehicle battery electric vehicle (BEV...
Uno Minda, a leading tier 1 supplier of proprietary automotive solutions to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), has unveiled an innovative range of side stand sensors and switches that use advanc...
As the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) continues to grow, Honeywell has created innovative solutions to address safety concerns across the spectrum of EV manufacturing and use.

domain: news


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Sale edge-to-edge smartphones next year will have tripled
Recently, the smartphone market is clearly visible tendency towards reducing the frames around the display. This is clearly seen on the new flagship of Samsung and LG, and rumors related to future innovations of various manufacturers.
According to analysts Counterpoint Technology Market Research, next year such devices will be much more. Now manufacturers inhibits the deficit of the respective displays. This is especially true of panels with an aspect ratio of 18:9, and the like. But next year the problems with accessibility in General will be agreed that will allow more companies to issue the relevant smartphones.
As a result, in the current year the share of iron in one form or another smartphone will not exceed 7%, which corresponds to of 115.1 million devices, but in the next figure will rise more than threefold, to 360,2 million vehicles. This will clearly be achieved including due to the emergence of relatively inexpensive frameless models.


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Curious to see what the Steilacoom Chamber of Commerce is up to? Check out their newsletter.
Amazon.com announced it is creating 80,000 seasonal positions across its U.S. network of fulfillment and sortation centers this holiday season in order to meet an increase in customer demand. Hundreds in the Western Washington facilities which include DuPont. Last year, Amazon converted thousands of seasonal employees into regular, full-time roles after the holidays, and expects to do the same this year. [Read more...]
Teens Fiona and Semira share their experience winning Startup Weekend at University of Washington and working with a team of professionals to launch their business, Generation Code. Come to the University Place Pierce County Library (3609 Market Place W., Suite 100) on Monday, October 20 (4-5 pm). Free event sponsored by Friends of the University Place Library.
Lakewood, WA. – Where else but in the Pacific Northwest can you find a 91 year old gentleman who is busy working each day? Meet Mel Wilson, WWII graduate of pilot training, Bronze Star and Air Medal award winner, retired realtor and smart inventor. [Read more...]
By Jackie Flaten
GIG HARBOR, WASHINGTON – Oct. 14, 2014 – Kensington Gardens Estate Senior Living, one of the region’s most luxurious and individually oriented yet affordable skilled assisted care homes, announced today it has expanded its facility and is accepting applications for residency and its wait list. The newly renovated Manor Garden Suite, on the main floor of the opulent privately owned and operated Georgian mansion, offers six beautifully equipped rooms supported by a 24-hour fully licensed dedicated care staff.
As winter arrives, so do the many threats that can result in business interruption. It could be flooding caused by frozen pipes that explode. Or it may come on the heels of an ice storm that causes power outages due to downed electric lines. On top of all that, an influenza outbreak at your business could cripple your operations if your key people get sick and have to stay home for days. [Read more...]
TACOMA – Goodwill recently unveiled nearly a dozen Goodwill delivery trucks that have been custom painted to acknowledge 14 area businesses who have formed the new Goodwill Corporate Alliance. The Alliance is donating $800,000 in job training resources that will benefit 9,500 unemployed individuals over the next year.
Tacoma, Wash. – Downtown businesses will celebrate DOTG’s programs in transportation options and downtown living this Friday, Oct. 10, 2014, at 11:30 a.m. at the Chamber Luncheon and DOTG Annual Fundraising Luncheon, sponsored by Propel Insurance and Jacobs Engineering. [Read more...]
DUPONT – Mother Earth Farm and wear blue: run to remember recently received five thousands dollars each from the Amazon Fulfillment Center. [Read more...]
DuPont — Be the first line of defense when it comes to protecting identity. Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington is teaming up with Wells Fargo to host Secure Your ID Day on October 18 at the Tacoma Mall Parking Lot. This identity-theft-prevention event features free on-site shredding and tips to protect your identity. [Read more...]


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Cotton prices pushed higher Thursday with a record number of unfixed sales of cotton squeezing cotton mills who are stuck paying higher prices for cotton than anticipated.
Cotton for March rose 3.8% to end at 82.65 cents a pound, its highest level since May 15, 2017, the same day a massive short squeeze pushed cotton prices to limit-up levels for the exact same reason.
Approximately 5 million bales of cotton have yet to be fixed against futures in the March contract, a record for this time of year, as mills who were largely bearish waited to fix sales, expecting prices to go lower because of a bearish global picture last summer from USDA.
"The squeeze is already on," said Peter Egli, a risk manager at Plexus Cotton Ltd.
The rapid increase in prices may force some cotton users to cancel sales or pay up for the fiber, he said.
Many cotton buyers entered into contracts last year to purchase U.S. cotton at a price to be determined at a later date, a common practice in the business. Most were bearish on cotton prices and figured they could pay a cheaper price in the future.
Cotton merchants who sold cotton on call to mills have been waiting on the mills to fix those sales to a price in the futures market. There are 5 million bales whose price to complete the sale is yet to be determined for the contract that ends in March. That amount is a record for this time of year, according to figures from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Cotton prices have jumped 20% since July, and mills are running out of time for them to come back down. Between the March, May and July contracts, 11.6 million bales have yet to be fixed.
In other markets, raw sugar for March fell 3.2% to end at 14.18 cents a pound, cocoa for March was down 0.7% at $1,928 a ton, arabica coffee for March lost 0.9% to settle at $1.228 a pound, and frozen concentrated orange juice for March delivery lost 0.3% to settle at $1.365 a pound.
Write to Julie Wernau at firstname.lastname@example.org
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 11, 2018 18:04 ET (23:04 GMT)


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Sales in retail stores was at 45-50% of pre-Covid weekly average in the last week when relaxations were given to sell everything across India which industry executives said are signs of depressed consumer demand and due to restricted opening of stores.
In markets which opened earlier this month, retailers said demand has come down and they are now meeting 25-30% of the usual sales at a store level as compared to pre-Covid during February.
Sales disruption had started from March due to Covid-19 infections. On a year-on-year basis, retailers said business is 30-40% of last year same period.
"Consumers are only buying products which are both a necessity and urgent, postponing all others,” said Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association president and Godrej Appliances business head Kamal Nandi.
"Even markets are yet to open up completely like in Delhi, North, Maharashtra and Gujarat," he said. He said industry sales of TV, refrigerator and washing machine is at about 25% of last year and 35% as compared to February.
Retailers said shorter operating hours of stores, odd-even openings and shut down of malls have impacted sales at a company level.
For instance, Future Group has managed to open only 88 Big Bazaar stores out of 295. Arvind Fashions, that sells brands like US Polo, Gap and Aeropostale, have managed to open 250 outlets out of 1300.
Industry executives said financial stress in families due to widespread job layoffs, salary cuts and deferment are taking a toll in shopping behaviour, while people are also apprehensive to step out of homes.
Vineet Gautam, CEO at Bestseller India, that owns brands including Jack & Jones, Vero Moda and Only, said so far it has seen about 50% of sales compared to same days last year. “Few markets where we opened about three weeks back, demand is tapering down,” he said.
Executives said consumers are also down-trading with average purchase value has come down in most categories. For instance, in smartphones the maximum demand is for models priced up to Rs 12,000.
A spokesperson for smartphone maker Realme India said recovery of the market will take time with downside till June and then a u-shaped recovery.
India’s largest smartphone maker, Xiaomi India spokesperson said while April-June quarter is tough, demand has improved and it hopes if the situation keeps improving the second half along with festive sales would be where the market should perform as per expectation.
Neighbourhood cellphone retail body, All India Mobile Retailers Association president Arvinder Khurana said average selling price of smartphones are down by about 15-20% indicating consumers are spending less. "Even consumer financing has become stricter impacting purchases," he said.
The worst impacted categories are formal wear, footwear and beauty products, industry executives said.
However, the opening up of stores before Eid has helped retailers in last couple of days with serious buyers and no window shopping which has improved conversion and average basket size, said J Suresh, CEO at Arvind Fashions, that sells brands like US Polo, Gap and Aeropostale.
Experts said India's consumption structure has been skewed in the past over a narrow base of richer consumers accounting for a large chunk of the overall market. However, as the economy is broadening across many more cities and the impact is reaching further down the income ladder, the opportunity for value-formats and value-brands is expanding.


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Samsung, Pebble, Sony Qualcomm and others all have new smartphones on the market. Some are better than others, though in general all provide some sort of interaction with your smartphone: whether it’s for alerts, keeping track of your movements or taking photos from your wrist. Now, a new phone maker is about to enter the fray: ZTE. Can it differentiate enough to really woo consumers?
According to The Wall Street Journal, which recently spoke to ZTE’s head of handset marketing Lu Qianhao, ZTE’s smartwatch will hit the market during the second quarter of next year. The device will cost less than the Samsung Galaxy Gear in an effort to attract a wider consumer base, but with similar features. Like the Galaxy Gear and competing products from Sony, however, ZTE’s smartwatch will only work with ZTE smartphones, which means it won’t have a huge consumer base in the United States. Meanwhile, Pebble works not only with Android smartphones, but with iOS, too.
We don’t yet know specific features of ZTE’s smartwatch, and Lu even admitted that the company hasn’t even come up with a name for it yet, but already it sounds like it’s going to have very limited appeal in the U.S., if it ever does launch here. As we often argue here at TechnoBuffalo, however, competition is a good thing, and hopefully ZTE’s product continues to push the entire smartwach market further.


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Mumbai: Sales at luxury car maker JaguarLand Rover (JLR) continued their strong run from the previous three months, rising to 18,000 units in April, a 12% jump from the corresponding period in the previous fiscal.
The increase at Tata Motors Ltd’s wholly owned subsidiary was driven largely by the launch of new models and a surge in auto sales worldwide.
Paul Chadderton, a London-based spokesman for JLR, told Mint the firm saw strong demand in key markets such as the US, the UK and China, a new emerging market for JLR where sales doubled, albeit from a small base.
Since buying the embattled UK auto maker in June 2008 for $2.3 billion, Tata Motors has had to implement a raft of restructuring measures, battle high costs and a then-shrinking auto market, before it returned the iconic JLR to profitability in the third quarter of fiscal 2010.
Top gear: A Jaguar Land Rover showroom in Mumbai. Analysts say the good run at JLR may not last due to the debt crisis in Europe. Adeel Halim/Bloomberg
In April, JLR reported profit of Rs416 crore for the fiscal ended March, the first time after Tata Motors acquired the UK-based auto firm.
New models such as the Range Rover Sports, Freelander 2 and Discovery pushed sales from the Land Rover stable 30% higher to 14,200 units. However, retail sales of Jaguar, which competes with German car makers BMW AG, Mercedes-Benz and Audi AG, fell 25% to 3,900 units.
This, Chadderton said, was because of the gap between the supply of the new Jaguar XJ and the outgoing Jaguar X-Type. The firm unveiled XJ in January and deliveries are likely to begin in the current quarter. It will compete with the Mercedes S Class and BMW 7- Series, among others.
Analysts, however, are reluctant to fully embrace the good run at JLR, questioning its sustainability in the face of the debt crisis in Europe, precipitated primarily by Greece and to some extent by similar fears over Portugal and Spain, which they say might dampen consumer sentiment.
Chadderton, however, disagreed, saying the firm’s exposure to those nations was negligible and that none of those three nations were “volume markets”.
Greece, he said, accounted for less than 100 units in 2009-10.
Also, global currency movements are likely to help JLR even if it loses a bit in volume sales, said Joseph George, an analyst at the Mumbai-based brokerage BNP Paribas Securities.
“JLR is a net importer from Europe and net exporter to the US. So an appreciating USD (US dollar) and depreciating euro versus GBP (the pound) works in its favour,” George wrote in a 12 May report, along with colleague Manish Gupta. The firm also forecast that the euro would depreciate 7% while the US dollar would rise 10% against the pound by the end of calendar 2010, which the firm says could lead to a positive margin surprise.
JLR will also benefit from the pickup in the luxury car market following the end of the so-called “scrappage incentive” programmes in Europe and the “cash for clunkers” schemes in the US that allowed owners to trade in their old vehicles for newer compact cars, said Ashvin Chotai, managing director of consultancy firm Intelligence Automotive Asia.
“We expect the market to normalize this year,” he said in a telephone interview from London, adding that the segment will be immune to the current macro economic scenario in Europe.
But he warned that Jaguar has a long way to go before it can catch up with its German rivals.
“While I am not undermining Tata Motors’ restructuring efforts, there is still a lot of work to be done,” he said, adding that it would be critical for JLR to sustain healthy numbers through the product cycle, particularly after its models hit mid-life.


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China is to cut import duties on Swiss watches by 60 percent over the next 10 years under a free-trade agreement which should help reinvigorate Swiss watchmakers' sales in a key market.
Swatch Group and Richemont are grappling with slowing demand for luxury timepieces in mainland China due to a crackdown on expensive gifts for favours and slowing economic growth.
Exports of Swiss watches to mainland China, their third biggest market, grew just 0.6 percent in 2012, down from almost 49 percent growth in 2011.
(Read more: China, EU to Discuss Trade Disputes on Monday)
Under the first free trade pact China will sign with a country in continental Europe, the Asian country will allow 84 percent of Swiss exports to be duty-free, Assistant Minister of Commerce Yu Jianhua told a press conference on Monday.
"In the first year, we will cut import duties on (Swiss watches) by 18 percent and then by around 5 percent annually in the following years," Yu said. "They will be cut by 60 percent in 10 years."
The agreement, which should be signed when Switzerland's Economy Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann visits China in mid-July, will bring retail prices of Swiss watches in China down, but it is difficult to say by how much exactly, Yu said.
(Read more: Swiss-Chinese Free Trade: And the Winners Are…)
Vontobel analyst Rene Weber said Swiss watches in China were subject to an import tax of 11 percent and a luxury tax of 20 percent on watches costing more than 1,500 Swiss francs ($1,600). There is also a value-added tax.


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The term Software as a Service (SaaS) has been around a long time. The term cloud is still relatively new for many. Putting them together has meant a world of hurt for many enterprises, especially when trying to integrate security into the mix.
Nokia is working with suppliers and designers in an effort to bring a new touchscreen tablet device into market by this fall, an analyst at Rodman Renshaw told TheStreet.com yesterday.
Adobe Systems is considering modifying its PDF applications to counter a way to run arbitrary code on Windows computers by embedding it in a malicious PDF file.
Intel will ship computers with an experimental 48-core processor to researchers by the end of the second quarter as the company tries to reshape its future chips.
A Bank of America computer specialist is set to plead guilty to charges that he hacked the bank's automated tellers to dispense cash without recording the activity.
Despite the hoopla surrounding cloud computing, almost half of U.S. IT managers are still wary of using cloud computing services within their own operations, according to the results of a survey released Wednesday by the Information Systems Audit and...
Google's years-long attempt to create an online library and store with millions of books will face yet another legal hurdle with the filing of a class-action copyright infringement lawsuit by the American Society of Media Photographers.
Global chip manufacturer Intel announced recently the availability of its next-generation Xeon processors which sport the popular Nehalem microarchitecture found in its consumer Core chips, and is targeted at mission-critical servers at the enterpris...
Like many other Facebook users Jeff Crites heard of the US$1,000 Best Buy gift-card offer last month from a friend, a Web savvy director of social media at a Fortune 500 company.
The security researcher who invented malware known as Blue Pill has come up with a secure open source operating system called Qubes OS that is available for alpha-testing downloads.
The iPad isn't special when it comes to airport security, it's just part of a smaller class of gadgets that doesn't need to be removed for screening.
Depending upon your perspective, Apple's iPad may be priceless or it may be pointless. On a less subjective scale, however, we're getting a better idea of what exactly an iPad is worth -- when it comes to its components, at least.
The malfunctioning Ku-Band antenna on the NASA space shuttle Discovery has forced crew members to seek new ways to complete scheduled tasks just a day into the crew's 13-day mission.
Reacting to a demonstration that showed how attackers could force-feed malware to users without exploiting an actual vulnerability, Foxit Software patched its PDF viewer last week.
Without a doubt the most anticipated tech launch so far this year, the Apple iPad has finally arrived. Unveiled in the US over the weekend, the device's launch was accompanied by a storm of publicity that only an Apple product could create.
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My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.
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MOONBUG ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED announced a new agreement with BBC Share new content and IP with your audience.Deal includes show relicensing and new episodes coco melon Even if degree and daisyIt also includes a new IP to the BBC. Blippi Wonders, Little Baby Bum, Gecko’s Garage, When Leroy City Farm This is available on BBC iPlayer. gecko garage It is also available on CBeebies, the BBC’s free-to-air preschool channel.
The deal between Moonbug and the BBC marks Moonbug’s first public service partnership. Brippi Wonders in Europe. The show will be available on the BBC from September 2022.
“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with one of the world’s most respected public broadcasters to bring even more Moonbug content to entertain families across the UK.” Gina Costelloe, Senior Director of Distribution and Content Partnerships EMEA, Moonbug Entertainment“Since our first deal last year, viewership has been strong and we look forward to seeing how the partnership continues to grow.”
Specializing in the creation and acquisition of IP, Moonbug uses data to rapidly scale brands, augment and enhance content, distribute widely across Moonbug’s vast global distribution network, and through licensing and merchandising. Create new avenues for interaction. production, brand partnerships.
For more information on Moonbug, please visit www.moonbug.com.
moon bug entertainment is the award-winning global entertainment company behind some of the world’s most popular children’s titles. Moonbug’s line-up includes his global sensation CoComelon, Blippi, Little Baby Bum, Little Angel, My Magic Pet Morphle, Supa Strikas, Go Buster, Playtime with Twinkle, Gecko’s Garage, ARPO and more. Moonbug shows are broadcast on over 150 platforms worldwide, including YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Sky, Super RTL, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Tencent, Youku and Roku. In May 2020, Tubular Labs named Moonbug one of the world’s leading digital kids entertainment companies based on total hours watched worldwide. His YouTube channel for the company averages over 9 billion monthly views worldwide and has over 440 million subscribers. Its portfolio currently consists of 29 of his IPs and his partners of over 100 brands, available in 32 languages. Moonbug is part of Candle Media. Candle Media is an independent, creator-friendly home for cutting-edge, high-quality, category-defining brands and franchises. By bringing together elite talent operating at the intersection of content, community and commerce, we help position leading entertainment businesses for accelerated and sustainable growth in current markets and beyond. . Candle is run by Co-Chairman and Co-CEOs, principal entertainment executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, and is backed by investment capital from Blackstone’s leading private equity funds managed by his business.


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Elon Musk zoom pass Warren Buffett in billionaire ranking
South Africa-born Tesla founder Elon Musk is now richer than the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett.
The fortune of Tesla Inc.’s chief executive officer rose to $6.1 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, after the carmaker’s stock surged 11%.
The 49-year-old owns about a fifth of Tesla’s outstanding stock, which comprises the bulk of his $70.5 billion fortune. His majority ownership of closely held SpaceX accounts for about $15 billion.
Shares of the electric-car maker have risen 269% this year. The company’s booming valuation helped Musk land a $595 million payday, making him the highest-paid CEO in the U.S.
Musk is the latest tech entrepreneur to rise above Buffett in the ranks of the world’s richest. Steve Ballmer, the former Microsoft Corp. CEO, and Google’s co-founders Larry Page and Brin also have leapfrogged the Oracle of Omaha. And Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani surpassed Buffett this week.
Mike Novogratz, the longtime money manager who now runs digital currency investor Galaxy Digital Holdings Ltd., warned that valuations of technology companies are getting way too high and that small investors should get out of the market before it crashes.
“We are in irrational exuberance — this is a bubble,” he said Friday in a Bloomberg Television interview. “The economy is grinding, slowing down, we’re lurching in and out of Covid, yet the tech market makes new highs every day. That’s a classic speculative bubble.”
Surpassing Buffett may be especially sweet for Musk. In an interview in May, he told comedian Joe Rogan that he wasn’t “the biggest fan” of his fellow billionaire.
“He’s trying to find out does Coke or Pepsi deserve more capital? I mean that’s kind of a boring job, if you ask me,” Musk said.
Buffett has also criticized Musk, saying last year that although Musk was “a remarkable guy,” he had “room for improvement” in behaving like a CEO, singling out his tweeting habits.
Buffett’s fortune dropped earlier this week when he donated $2.9 billion to charity. The 89-year-old has given away more than $37 billion of Berkshire Hathaway shares since 2006. The company’s stock performance has also underwhelmed recently.


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Europe's economic sentiment drops in November
European Commission says decline fueled by diving confidence in retail trade, services, among consumers
This month, the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) fell 3.6 points to 86.6 in the EU27 and 3.5 points to 87.6 in the eurozone, the commission said in a press release.
The eurozone/euro area or the EA19 represents member states that use the single currency – euro – while the EU27 includes all member countries of the bloc.
"After the partial recovery of sentiment between May and September and the broad sideways movement in October, the drop is the first one since sentiment fell sharply in the first COVID-19 wave," the statement noted.
Employment Expectations Indicator (EEI) saw the second monthly decline in a row, down by 3.3 points in both regions to 86.6 in the euro area and 87.2 in the EU.
The decline was stemmed from deteriorated confidence in retail trade, services and among consumers.
Confidence in industry and construction posted comparatively mild setbacks during the same period.
Among the largest euro-area economies, Italy saw the largest decrease in the ESI with minus 8.7, followed by the France (-4.8), Germany (-2.8) and Spain (-2.0).
The Netherlands bucked the trend with a moderate improvement in sentiment (1.0).


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New-look SAAB set to go electric
A Hong Kong company has completed the acquisition of bankrupt SAAB and will move ahead with its plan to make electric cars under the brand.
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STOCKHOLM—A Hong Kong-owned company says it has completed the acquisition of bankrupt car maker Saab and will move ahead with its business plan to make electric cars under the Swedish brand.
National Electric Vehicle Sweden, or NEVS, said Monday it expects to introduce its first electric vehicle “in approximately 18 months.”
Saab, which has more than 3,000 workers, filed for bankruptcy in December last year after its previous owner, the Dutch luxury car maker Spyker, failed to revive the loss-making brand, formerly owned by General Motors.
NEVS said it will use the Saab name but not the present logo for its electric cars. It didn’t disclose what it paid for the acquisition, which included Saab’s factory in Trollhattan, southwestern Sweden.
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MediaRadar published an analysis on Monday of the top five retail advertisers, analyzing the amount spent this year from January 1-June 10 across digital, TV and print for Walmart, Amazon, Office Depot, Home Depot, and Target.
The top five companies collectively spent $1.03 billion year-to-date -- up 8% when compared to a year ago, when they spent $954 million.
Walmart spent the most. In fact, the big-box retailer outspent Amazon by 6%, as the company prepared to promote Amazon Prime Day.
The amount Amazon spent on advertising fell 3% YoY in May, according to MediaRadar.
The data shows that Amazon invested more of its ad budget in print and digital compared to television from May 2020 to May 2021. The company moved a noticeable portion of its spending out of TV.
Amazon’s print and digital ad spend rose 129% and 27%, respectively. Television accounted for 73% of that total ad spend.
In 2019, MediaRadar reported in the month before Prime Day, which occurred in June that year, Amazon spent 28% more, compared with 2018. In the second quarter of that year, Amazon nearly doubled the ad spend behind Amazon Prime Video and its original content when compared to 2018. It also heavily promoted the shopping holiday on linear TV, with a 17% YoY increase compared with the first two weeks of July in 2018.
Unlike prior years, MediaRadar in 2021 found with for the exception of Office Depot, none of the companies increased the amount spent to prepare for Amazon Prime Day, which began today.
Office Depot’s ad spend was up more than 100% YoY in May 2020 versus May 2021. The data suggests this could be related to the company’s recovery from the pandemic period of more than a year, and not necessarily a response to Amazon Prime Day.
The data also shows that Target, Walmart, and The Home Depot had very small or negative YoY growth in the month of May 2021.
Television remains the format Amazon Prime Day has been promoted on most. So far in June 2021, TV has made up 60% of Amazon’s total ad spend, according to MediaRadar.
Amazon Prime Day’s creative is currently airing on more than 60 networks and has aired at least 2,200 times. Spend from this television campaign accounts for 15% of their monthly ad spend -- June 2021.


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June 2, 2011 |
KOLKATA: Priya Biscuit has set up a fully automated soya factory at an investment Rs 10 crore in Dhulagarh food park in West Bengal to manufacture soya chunks. The factory will roll out 3000 tonnes of soya chunks annually. Production at the factory will kick off from next month. The company is all set to launch packaged soyabean chunks in eastern India. According to the company's plan, Priya Soya will be available in 1 lakh FMCG stores across West Bengal within six months of the launch.
May 11, 2013 |
GORAKHPUR: A team of experts will soon visit here to assess the technical feasibility of reviving a closed factory of Fertiliser Corporation of India (FCI). The factory, when revived, will be fuelled by gas, FCI factory's Manager Jagdish Prasad told PTI here yesterday, adding that the Hazira-Vijaypur-Jagdishpur petroleum gas pipeline is being extended to Gorakhpur for the purpose. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has recently cleared the revival of five fertiliser production units of FCI. Apart from the factory here, the CCEA has also approved revival of fertiliser factories at Sindri, Talchher, Ramagundam and Korba.
December 17, 2014 |
BANKURA: A sponge-iron factory in Bishnupur subdivision of Bankura district employing 800 workers issued a lockout notice following which the jobless workers have blocked a road in the area. The factory authorities at Dwarika industrial area put up the lockout notice on the factory gate on Monday night following which agitated workers staged a road blockade on Sonamukhi-Bishnupur road since last evening. The road blockade continued this morning with the workers demanding withdrawal of the closure notice.
July 25, 2008 |
NEW DELHI: West Bengal-based Ganges Jute (P) Ltd has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod) to set up a jute bag-stitching factory at Kumasi, Ghana News Agency said. The $1 million factory would help the West African country in reducing dependency on imports of jute bags for packaging cocoa, according to the news agency. Isaac Osei, Cocobod Chief Executive and Abhishek Poddar, Director of Ganges Jute, jointly signed the MoU in Accra on Thursday.
April 24, 2014 |
Once a celebration of Indian manufacturing, Nokia's Chennai factory, beset by legal troubles, has become nobody's child. Old owner Nokia does not want it, new one Microsoft is reluctant to take it. And the solution they have come up with only provides temporary relief to the 7,500 workers there, reports ET. Arivazhagan, 26, reminisces about the time he travelled over 600 km to Chennai from Tirunelveli, a district in Tamil Nadu, around eight years...
July 24, 2012 |
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha government today offered to provide land for establishment of a railway wagon factory in tribal dominated Kalahandi district, official sources said. Indian Railway, which had already sanctioned Rs 1 crore for establishment of the first wagon factory at Sitalapalli in Ganjam district during 2012-13 fiscal, had also indicated that it would not hesitate to construct another such project if the state government provides land. "Responding to the Indian Railways, the state government had already identified land to set up the second wagon factory in Kalahandi district," the official said.
October 23, 2008 |
BHARATPUR: The toll in the cracker factory explosion has gone up to 23 with the recovery of five bodies from the debris during rescue operation, a police officer said. "Rescue operation are still going on and we fear more recovery of bodies from the debris," circle officer of Deeg police station Prem Shankar Meena said over phone. Six houses collapsed following explosions at an illegal crackers factory at Deeg on Wednesday.
October 8, 2011 |
KOLKATA: The management of Dunlop India Ltd (DIL) today declared suspension of work at its Sahaganj factory in West Bengal's Hooghly district, alleging law and order problem at the plant and non-cooperation from workers. "A notice of suspension of work has been put up today, mainly because of the law and order problem at the plant, our inability to remove goods and material from the factory and non-production. In this situation it is not possible to run the factory," a DIL spokesman said.
August 21, 2015 |
KALYANI: A 'suspension of work' notice was today put up at the gate of UIL Limited , a factory manufacturing steel wires at Kalyani in Nadia district, following which road blockades were put up on the Kalyani - Barrackpore Expressway by affected workers. 250 workers, including 150 permanent employees, were on the payroll. After finding the notice put up on the main gate of the factory this morning when the workers reported for work, they squatted on the Expressway since 8.30 am. The blockade was lifted after two hours following an assurance by the police that they would take an initiative to talk with the management.
July 6, 2012 |
PATNA: The Patna High Court today dismissed a petition challenging land acquisition for a beer factory being constructed by Vijay Mallya-owned United Breweries at Naubatpur in Bihar's Patna district. A division bench comprising Justice P C Verma and Justice Vikas Jain dismissed the petition filed by some land owners challenging the state-owned Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority's decision to hand over the acquired land to the UB group for construction of a beer factory after the same was acquired for a sugar factory.


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HSBC (HSBA.L) announced it is withdrawing from U.S. mass market retail banking by selling some parts of its business and winding down others, in a long awaited move as the lender pushes ahead with a shift in focus to Asia, its biggest market.
Europe’s biggest bank has for years been trying to shrink its presence in some European and North American markets where it has struggled against competition from larger domestic players.
The bank said in a statement late on Wednesday it would exit retail banking for most individual and small business customers but retain a small physical presence in the United States to serve its international affluent and very wealthy clients.
“They are good businesses, but we lacked the scale to compete,” Noel Quinn, HSBC group CEO, said in the statement.
HSBC unveiled in February a revised strategy focused mainly on wealth management in Asia, and at the same time said it was “exploring organic and inorganic options” for its…


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Continental held a grand event recently to mark the opening of its new tire manufacturing facility near Clinton, Mississippi. Continental had broken ground for the factory back in 2016. The... Read more
Continental held a formal groundbreaking ceremony to mark the establishment of its new factory in Mississippi. The gala event in Clinton, Mississippi was attended by many eminent dignitaries... Read more
There are no upcoming events at this time.
Nissan Global COO commemorates the 70th Anniversary of Patrol, and unveils two new SUV models at Expo 2020 Dubai
Middle East tire and battery suppliers urged to adopt new tech for post Covid growth
JMS puts 911 Turbo on Schmidt FS-Line
Toyota Mirai flying the flag for sustainability as official car of the Japan Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai
Abu Dhabi Motors announces the arrival of the all-new BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé
© 2017 Morjan Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.


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This year stores are making it easier and cheaper to call "dibbs" on your holiday shopping list without having to pay the full price up front, waiving opening fees and, in some cases, getting rid of the need to put any money down at all.
But experts caution that making it easier to pledge to buy things you can't afford right now could be "disastrous" for the financially irresponsible.
Unlike cash, there can be fees. And unlike credit, you don't get your items when walk out the store door. Instead, with layaway, shoppers get locked in today to get goods tomorrow, for payment tomorrow.
The heyday for layaway was the Great Depression. With the explosion of credit cards it had largely disappeared from stores up until the Great Recession starting in 2008. After the credit and job market tightened up, retailers have brought back layaway or expanded existing programs.
Layaway usually lets shoppers put just $10 or 10 percent down to save a cart of goodies behind the counter. After making a series of regular payments over several weeks, they can retrieve their basket. If they change their mind and need their money back, or they don't make payments frequently enough, there's a small cancellation fee. Some shoppers find layaway can be a good way to force themselves to save up for the holidays. And for those consumers without the cash or credit to make Christmas happen, layaway is sometimes their last hope.
With Americans running up $65.5 billion on their credit cards between the first and second quarters of this year, several retailers have announced they were easing up on rules and doing away with some costs. In a cheeky "not a Christmas commercial," Kmart announced "no money down layaway" through September 20th. Toys "R" Us is again waiving its $5 service fee to start a layaway plan. Wal-Mart has also waived its initiation fee, along with increasing the numbers of toys, and adding new eligible categories, like furniture, infant toys and car seats.
In another sign of layaway's expanding appeal and opportunity for retailers, this year Toys "R" Us announced it launched an online layaway program.
"As the company strives to make it easy for customers to find and buy what they’re looking for, online layaway not only provides access to a wider assortment of products, but is also an exceptional shopping convenience for those who want to make a series of payments over time, but may not be able to get to a local store to create a layaway order and make regular payments," said Toys "R" Us spokeswoman Katie Regner.
At each of the three retailers there is a $10 cancellation fee. At Wal-Mart, the individual items must be $15 or more each, and the total amount of purchases must add up to over $50. Neither Kmart nor Toys "R" Us require minimums.
While ditching the fees is easier on consumers' pocketbooks, removing the barriers to entry can make it easier for shoppers to stock up carts full of items they may not be able to pay for.
"'No money down' layaway plans could be disastrous for those who are not financially responsible," said CNBC's personal finance correspondent Sharon Epperson. "Spend what you can afford."
Experts caution that even without fees, layaway can still end up being worse than cash.
"These changes are definitely a step in the right direction from the programs offered as a 'debt alternative' a few years ago, but the cancellation fees and the lack of clear value are still a problem," said Louis Hyman, an associate professor at Cornell University.
He pointed out that for someone on minimum wage, the $10 fee can represent more than hour's wages.
"If customers saved their money, they could still buy the gift in a month or two, and if they deposited that money at a bank, they would get some interest," he said.
Retailers defend the practice as a sensible alternative to swiping plastic.
“Layaway programs provide consumers with a responsible, low- or no-cost option for those who are either unable or unwilling to access credit,” said Brian Dodge, a Retail Industry Leaders Association spokesman.


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JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Big things are on the horizon for the Jacksonville Port Authority, also known as JAXPORT.
Chairman Jamie Shelton and Chief Executive Officer Eric Green unveiled the port’s new 2020-2025 Strategic Master Plan during Tuesday's virtual State of the Port address.
The plan serves as JAXPORT’s roadmap to success over the next five years and focuses on building the port’s cargo business and creating new private-sector jobs.
The 2020-2025 plan includes four key strategies that will lead JAXPORT and Northeast Florida into the future:
- Expand container business
- Expand vehicle capacity and volume
- Expand breakbulk business line
- Acquire additional land in proximity to the port
Other goals outlined include harbor deepening, creating revenue from all property owned and rebuilding the cruise business line.
JAXPORT is Florida’s largest container port complex and one of the nation’s busiest vehicle handling ports.
An economic impact study finds that cargo moving through Jacksonville’s port generates 138,000 jobs in Florida and $31.1 billion in annual economic output for the region and state.


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NVIDIA is today announcing some updates to its GeForce NOW cloud gaming service. The company is introducing new RTX Servers for the service that will introduce improved performance thanks to its RTX GPUs.
Data centers for GeForce NOW will soon have RTX Servers that offer superior performance, and NVIDIA is kicking things off by putting these new RTX-enabled servers in Norther California and Germany. The company will expand its RTX-enabled servers throughout North America and Europe in the near-future.
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NVIDIA is also going to be launching a new Android app for GeForce NOW. The company will be introducing a new GeForce NOW app for Android devices that allows users to enjoy their games on their Android phones. It will support Bluetooth controllers, too, for the best gaming experience. And that isn’t too much of a surprise considering NVIDIA’s biggest competitors like Microsoft and Google are also heavily targeting phone users for their own cloud gaming services.


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Miranda Kerr flies home for David Jones’ fashion parade
She may travel the world over but in her heart of hearts, she IS Australian and when home calls, she’s there in a heartbeat. Model from Down-Under, Miranda Kerr was there on Friday to take the catwalk for the Australian designer’s fashion show as David Jones Fashion Ambassador for the department store chain and as such, they couldn’t have done better than the Gunnedah-born Australian beauty.
Mother-of-one, Miranda flew in to Australia looking fresh as a daisy in a blue t-shirt and snug-fitting blue jeans wearing huge tortoise-shell sunglasses with a smile on her pink stained lips looking like the supermodel she is.
Rumour has it that the stunning model has sold her Manhattan single-girl pad for a whopping $1.345 million saying that she wants more room for her family which includes her son Flynn now. Is that another way of saying that her reportedly troubled marriage to Orlando Bloom is on the mend?
Meanwhile, dashing hubby Orlando was seen in the Los Angeles area showing off more than he should. He was spotted at a fancy eatery with son Flynn wearing a dark tee and baggy pants that had trouble staying up on his hips. Or is that the trend these days? Miranda told People magazine earlier this month that, “We are really enjoying our time with Flynn at the moment. He’s such a ball of love and he’s so wonderful. And we are both so busy that I think it’s nice to have that time together and not rush any other babies for now.”


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MIAMI — It’s the behemoth media platform that has a hand in perhaps around 40% of US TV ad spending, if numbers are to be believed. So why do so few people talk about WideOrbit?
The San Francisco-based company offers a software platform that handles scheduling, billing, content management and invoicing for mostly local TV ads around the US. In this video interview with Beet.TV, WideOrbit CEO and founder Eric Mathewson talks about the company’s footprint:
- “90% of TV station ad dollars in the US operate on our platform.”
- That’s 3,300 stations.
- They account for $30bn in ad spend, Mathewson says.
- WideOrbit also has a third of US cable networks.
- Plus, a third of radio stations.
- And it now handles 120bn monthly digital impressions.
Buyers plug in to WideOrbit using systems including TubeMogul, TradeDesk, Wywy, iViewDigital plus 18 other signs providers, direct placements and agency trading desks.
But Mathewson is hot on programmatic authenticity. “We don’t use segmented inventory,” he says. “Most companies holding themselves out to be a programatic seller have only a segmented inventory, doing it where they’re more or less putting a technology front-end on a manual process.
“I call that fauxgrammatic, it’s a faux process, not a true programmatic process.”


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The owners arrived at work Tuesday to find the building on fire.
Three restaurants and a VR company are opening soon.
Chef Yia Vang said they're "so excited to settle in and have a home."
Betty & Earl's will shut down for two weeks before reopening under a new name.
The list features places the paper is most excited about right now.
BBQ Holdings acquired the brand as part of a larger deal.
"Unfortunately, we are unable to continue operating at this location," CHX's founders said.
Nobody was seriously injured in the crash.
The first of three planned locations will open its doors in Edina this month.
The brewpub will also be revamping its entire menu.
Locations that used to stay open until the evening are now shutting their doors around lunch time.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski got the acclaimed restaurant to cater dinner the night before.
Its owners need support to reopen the diner, which closed at the start of the pandemic and has
A grand opening is planned for Saturday afternoon.
It's a massive opportunity for the small craft distillery.
There will never be enough pumpkin spice to satisfy the world.
The closure is "due to a lack of employees and applicants across the company," the manager wrote.
Loons Landing officially signed the lease this week.
The dining room will open to all visitors again next month.
The 50th and France location will open in "early 2022."
The restaurant reopened its dining room in early July.
The high-end wine bar and grocery space would take over a former Champps.
You Can Get BMTN Special Offers!


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There’s something we mere consumers must not be aware of, as couple of major manufacturers are eyeing double digit increases in production output for the incoming year. First of all, Toyota had announced that it’s increasing manufacturing outputs by 20% for 2012. Then this week, Mercedes announced its intention to increase its own output by 13%. This comes on the heels of record sales for the German manufacturer, and despite the general economic uncertainties that have curbed consumer spending somewhat. Undoubtedly, this confidence in being able to move such an increase in output stems from the fact that Mercedes has done well in new markets such as China and India…. Continue Reading »
Latest Mercedes-Benz News
The Mercedes logo is one of the most iconic and recognizable logos anywhere, not to mention a favorite target of logo “collectors”, who strip Mercedes cars of their badges for display on alternative objects, even cars. But as a symbol of a manufacturing company that adheres to principles of engineering excellence, the symbol represents the history of the company as it was an original idea of Gottlieb Daimler. The three points of the star represent the three principal modes of transport, that of land, sea and air, although it’s only the land part that Mercedes has concentrated on and is famous for. As most fans of the marque know, the… Continue Reading »
For the further optimization of Daimler’s capital structure, Daimler’s Board of Management has decided to carry out a new share buyback program. The Supervisory Board of Daimler AG has also approved this decision. In decision was made during their Annual Meeting of April 9, 2008, which allows for the buyback of 10% or approximately 96.4 million of the outstanding shares for a maximum amount of €6 billion. In order to optimize the buyback, shares may also be acquired with the use of derivatives.
Mercedes-Benz USA today reported its highest May on record with sales of 21,785 new vehicles, a 0.1 % increase over last May. Sales for the month brought MBUSA’s year-to-date volume to 99,703 new vehicles, a 1.1 % increase compared to the first five months of 2007. Passenger car sales of 16,416 vehicles showed an increase of 4.6 percent over last May. Sales of the legendary SL roadster, one of MBUSA’s first 2009 models to hit dealer showrooms, increased by 60.4 percent (1,083 vs. 675 units). The volume leading C-Class also demonstrated impressive growth with an increase of 43.9 percent for the month (7,394 vs 5,139 units). In the light truck… Continue Reading »
Mercedes-Benz is moving its Southern Californian advanced design studio from Irvine to a newly-acquired, spacious facility near Carlsbad, in order to strengthen its creative base in the U.S. At the new Carlsbad facility, the styling masterminds pondering the car of the future have almost three times more space in which to realize their creative ideas. Thus, Mercedes-Benz is underscoring the continually growing influence of the advanced design studio on the internationally-oriented design strategy of the world’s oldest vehicle manufacturer.
Mercedes-Benz currently has 17 production plants across the world and 18th one isn’t too far away. Eastern Europe looks is the next target for Mercedes-Benz as it is finalizes plans of setting up a plant in that region. Reports from Automotive News suggest that the western Romanian county of Timis is the shortlisted area where the plant will be constructed. It is also predicted that Mercedes will concentrate building and selling the low-end models, A and B-Class cars initially as they make more sense than luxury sedans and SUV’s in a developing region. The final call according to a county authority, will be made within three weeks. Speculations made by… Continue Reading »
The smart fortwo continues its string of successes. Since the end of March 2007, the new model of the innovative two-seater has been purchased by a total of 100,000 customers, representing a sales increase of more than 80 percent. Yesterday afternoon, Ulrich Kowalewski, director of the Mercedes-Benz Center Munich handed over the 100,000th second-generation smart fortwo to a 36-year-old customer in the recently re-opened smart Center Munich. Here in the US, the smart fortwo is slowly penetrating the market in the major US cities. In some places, the fortwo is sold-out until the beginning of next year, which just shows the popularity of the small flitzer among people who want… Continue Reading »


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AVnu Alliance certifies Meyer Sound’s Galaxy
WORLD: Meyer Sound has revealed that the AVnu Alliance has certified its Galileo Galaxy network platform as ‘fully compliant with the open AVB/TSN (Audio Video Bridging and Time-Sensitive Networking) networking protocols developed through IEEE’. The certification serves to provide assurance to consultants, system designers and rental companies by confirming that Galaxy based Meyer Sound systems can be integrated into larger networked A/V systems featuring components from multiple manufacturers.
Galaxy is the third generation of the American manufacturer’s Galileo loudspeaker processing technology with three versions available: Galileo Galaxy 408, 816 and 816-AES3. To earn the AVnu certification, the system underwent a stringent testing process that determined its seamless interoperability with compatible A/V systems based on the AVB/TSN protocols. Some of the testing was conducted in-house by Meyer Sound, while the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Lab (UNH-IOL), which serves as the AVnu Alliance’s approved testing partner, carried out the final testing.
‘Galaxy processors were designed from the outset to function as keystone components in the large-scale networked sound reinforcement systems of the future,’ stated Meyer Sound’s vice president of solutions and strategy, John McMahon. ‘For over a decade the Galileo platform has won acceptance as the “go-to” loudspeaker processing system, and now Galaxy’s AVnu certification ensures that these capabilities can be seamlessly integrated into networked systems encompassing the full spectrum of audio, video and show control functions.’
The manufacturer previously received AVnu Certification in 2014 for its CAL column array loudspeaker.


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Elon Musk Is A Carnival Barker At Best, A Criminal At Worst
The retail trading crowd views Elon Musk as a populist hero. The reality is Musk is a carnival barker and borderline fraudster in the vein of WeWork founder Adam Neumann. Mr. Musk got off easy under lax former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton. Recall in August 2018 when Musk posted on Twitter that he had secured funding to take Tesla private (see several of Musk’s Tweets below). Were Musk not the poster boy for Green Tech under former President Trump (below), he likely would have received more than a slap on the wrist. When Mr. Musk isn’t smoking weed with Joe Rogan, or over-promising and under-delivering regarding Tesla (example: Tesla “Battery Day” 2020, where’s the battery?), he pumps up stocks on Twitter (GME, ETSY). Martha Stewart served jail time for an insider trade that enabled her to avoid losses of $45,673 in December of 2001. Here, Musk makes a mockery of the capital markets while moving billions in market cap. Who will pay the price for stocks whipsawed as a result of Pied Piper Elon Musk? Ultimately, the retail trader. Who enabled this froth? The Federal Reserve. All bubbles eventually burst.


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Cannabis is now the 5th most valuable crop being grown in America today, bringing in more money than cotton, rice, or peanuts.
In partnership with Whitney Economics, cannabis discovery marketplace Leafly created its first-ever Cannabis Harvest Report to track the growth of the US legal adult-use industry. To compile the report, analysts collected data from the 11 states that are currently selling both adult-use and medical cannabis. The report follows the standard USDA guidelines for estimating crop values, multiplying each state's average wholesale price by the total amount of weed produced within the most recent 12-month accounting period.
According to the report, these 11 adult-use states are now selling $6.175 billion worth of wholesale cannabis every year, making weed one of the country's top five most lucrative crops. The only crops that remain more valuable than pot are traditional agricultural staples like corn ($61 billion), soybeans ($46 billion), hay ($17.3 billion), and wheat ($9.3 billion). But even though cannabis farmers are making more money than cotton farmers, the federal government still refuses to record or even acknowledge legal pot production.
There are 13,042 state-licensed cannabis cultivators currently operating in these 11 states, and these farms grow an estimated 2,278 metric tons – more than 5 million pounds – of weed every single year. This massive amount of bud could fill 11,000 dump trucks, 57 Olympic-sized swimming pools, or could be rolled into at least 2 billion joints. The wholesale prices for this legal bud vary widely from state to state, from as low as $500 to as high as $3,000 a pound, based on unique market factors in each state.
Cannabis is currently the single most valuable crop being grown in Alaska, Colorado, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Oregon, and it ranks among the top five most lucrative crops in the other six adult-use states. California currently holds the crown for the country's most valuable legal weed crop, having sold an estimated 514 metric tons of pot for $1.66 billion over the past year. Colorado takes second place for wholesale crop value, at $1.03 billion, followed by Michigan ($736 million) and Washington ($653 million).
As impressive as these figures are, they only account for the 11 states that are currently selling adult-use cannabis in 2021. More than two dozen other states have legalized medical marijuana production, though, and a few of these local markets are even more profitable than some states' adult-use industries. Florida sold over a billion dollars worth of medical pot last year, for example, and Oklahoma regularly moves tens of millions worth of medicinal bud every month. Taking these markets into account, it's possible that medical and adult-use weed as a whole are making American farmers more money than wheat.
“America’s adult-use wholesale cannabis crop returned a mind-boggling $6.175 billion to farmers last year, ranking it as the 5th most valuable crop in the United States,” said David Downs, lead author of the report and California Bureau Chief for Leafly. “Yet, due to federal prohibition, America does not treat cannabis farmers like farmers. They are subject to more state and federal taxes, regulations, and stigma than any other type of farmer. These barriers hurt small legacy farmers the most. This plant is helping generate wealth, employment, and community investment around the country, and our legislators need to recognize the opportunity cannabis presents for Americans—today.”


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are going al fresco:
and the new CC20 range from Spaceoasis® can help
The UK has always lagged behind our friends on the continent when it comes to outdoor dining. Parisian café culture, where you can sit outside and idle the day away watching the world go by, has never quite blossomed in the UK. Pub beer gardens are possibly the closest British cultural equivalent and they are coming into their own as these businesses grapple with how to operate while enabling social distancing. Outside space could be the key to survival.
New York City has seized the opportunity to embrace al fresco dining, closing streets to traffic to enable businesses to add outside tables in a high-rise city where every square inch of floor space is precious. In the Meatpacking District 12 entire blocks were pedestrianised in an attempt to revive the suffering restaurant sector. Summer in New York is sweltering but that hasn’t deterred people, with lush planting, screens and awnings creating oases of calm in this once-frantic metropolis.
Back across the pond in the UK, restaurants, shops and services that want to continue operating while enabling social distancing are keen to increase outside space. Councils across the country have responded rapidly by offering Pavement Licences for around £100 to enable local businesses to offer outside areas with no planning permission required. With the long-term future of the high street in doubt, could pubs, restaurants and cafes with attractive outside spaces help keep towns alive? What about retailers using outside spaces for pop-up exhibitions or events? And how can businesses create outside spaces that are as beautiful as those in New York – that are more than purely functional, to encourage customers back?
This is where CC20 Outdoor Space range comes in.
The original concept was designed by Glasgow architects O’DonnellBrown and Spaceoasis has brought this simple but stunning concept to market. Structural timber sections create a skeletal, demountable, covered frame, creating a blank canvas to which modular components can be added to create the type of space needed. Multiple units can be installed together, which, combined with ambient lighting, loose furniture, upholstery and planting create stylish Insta-friendly destinations to draw customers in.
Retailers could use the CC20 range to create ‘pop-up’ shops near their outlets to increase floor space or create exhibitions of their products. CC20 could also play a role in the public realm by creating outdoor spaces in the community where people can gather safely in a well-ventilated place. Its beauty is in its simplicity and as we develop more modular options, the possibilities for CC20 continue to grow.