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and quickly to give them more time to enjoy the finer
things in life.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 75 million people suffered from a bacterial infection in the U.S. last year and 80,000 Americans died from such infections. Experts say these disease-causing bacteria, such as E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes and salmonella, are everywhere waiting to infect people.
While antibacterial products have been available for some time and many Americans regularly use household cleaners and personal care products boasting antibacterial benefits, there is still a large portion of the population that is unaware of these harmful and sometimes deadly organisms. Accord-ing to a survey conducted by the Clorox Company, 30% of Amer-icans couldn’t name a single illness-causing bacteria and 60% believe none of their family members have picked up an illness-causing bacteria from home. Also, while 85% were concerned about how well their homes were disinfected, 62% were confused about how long disinfectants last. Fur-thermore, nearly 20% of respondents did not feel a toilet seat has bacteria and 15% felt the telephone was bacteria-free. The study also showed that while household disinfecting occurs, it rarely happens beyond kitchen and bathroom surfaces.
“In reality, the toilet seat is one of the cleanest places in the home because people are more likely to disinfect this area on a regular basis,” said Dr. Kelly Reynolds, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona. “Consumers need to realize how many surfaces they are touching all the time and not thinking about. That’s why it is hot spots such as doorknobs, telephones and remote controls that need to be disinfected more often.”
Clorox’s first entry into the disinfectant category has helped grow the segment, which increased 15.9% to $191.7 million during the 52-week period ended Jan. 30, according to Infor-mation Resources Inc., Chicago, IL. Launched in October, Clorox Disinfec-tant Spray is already the No. 2 brand with an 11.1% market share in the spray disinfectant category, which has long been dominated by Reckitt Benckiser’s Lysol. Lysol remains the No. 1 brand in the category; its sales increased 2.7% to $157.2 million during the same period.
Clorox Disinfectant Spray is based on proprietary new technology that provides long lasting 24-hour protection from bacteria by creating a resilient shield on common household surfaces. This product innovation allows Clorox Disinfecting Spray to keep destroying harmful bacterial. In contrast, the active ingredients in other leading sprays simply fade after surfaces are repeatedly touched and recontaminated, according to Clorox executives.
“Clorox Disinfecting Spray offers consumers major advancements in fighting bacteria at home, providing longer-lasting protection and a more effective way to reduce the presence of household bacteria that can cause illness,” said Michelle Waldgeir, brand manager. “It’s especially significant because, up until now, aerosol disinfectants couldn’t claim ongoing protection.”
The spray is effective in killing 99.9% of E. coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus, considered three of the most potentially dangerous bacteria we come into contact with on a daily basis. The spray can also kill a broad range of microorganisms that cause diseases such as colds, diarrhea, influenza, hepatitis A, herpes and athlete’s foot. The product is available in three deodorizing scents: fresh, citrus and floral fresh with an average retail price of $3.99.
Wiping Off Germs
Americans are on the go and want their homes clean but want to spend as little time as possible getting it that way. To make cleaning easier for their consumers, many companies have been creating new product forms that provide a quick and easy cleaning experience and leave homes clean and germ free. “Cleaning products evolve as society changes and new technology becomes available,” said Janet Donohue, spokesperson for the Soap and Detergent Association. “Today’s consumers recognize the benefits of cleanliness and are able to choose products that provide those benefits and fit into their busy lives.”
Last year Amway Corp. of Ada, MI introduced a convenient new towelette form of its Liquid Organic Cleaner (L.O.C.), the first product of its kind. The towelettes were the first wipes designed to clean hundreds of surfaces. The wipes, which are permeated with diluted L.O.C. And strong enough to scrub coutertops and doorknobs, have been popular with consumers, according to Lisa Zigmont, marketer, North America home care products, Amway. “Even though they are on the go, people still want to spend quality time with their loved ones,” she said. “They want to save time and money by getting the job done fast and right.”
The wipe category has quickly become an important segment of the household cleaner category. Within the past couple of months, both Clorox and Procter & Gamble have introduced similar wipe products which boast convenience and efficacy. P&G spokeswoman Jeannie Tharrington said the benefits of a Mr. Clean Wipe-Up far outweigh those of a sponge or dishrag for several reasons. “When you are using a dishrag or a sponge, you are really just pushing the germs around and moving them from one surface to another,” she said. “They’re really just breeding grounds for germs. One billion germs can grow in a sponge in one day.”
Mr. Clean Antibacterial Wipe-Ups feature advanced fiber technology that attracts and locks out dirt and bacteria. After the wipes pull in dirt and bacteria, their extra absorption capacity traps dirt and grease while citric acid effectively kills 99.9% of common household bacteria. As a result, a single, disposable wipe may be used to clean and disinfect multiple surfaces without transferring dirt or bacteria from one surface to another.
The wipes come in both kitchen and bath versions in a dispenser intended to be left out on countertops. A starter kit containing 28 wipes retails for about $4 and a refill pack of 28 wipes retails for about $3.
Clorox Wipes contain polyquaternium technology to free surfaces of dangerous bacteria. “They are convenient and portable,” said Clorox spokeswoman Sandy Sullivan. “It’s about cleaning smarter, not harder.”
Ms. Sullivan said some companies, including Reckitt Benckiser and S.C. Johnson, flirted with the wipe concept about 10 years ago launching products under their Pledge and Fantastik brands, respectively, but the idea never caught on. “Those wipes didn’t disinfect and people just weren’t ready for them,” she said. “A lot of things have to do with timing and from what we’ve seen the time is now right for this kind of product.”
P&G is Keeping Fit
P&G has created another new category with the launch of Fit, a fruit and vegetable wash that is being introduced this month.“P&G has a history of getting things clean and we found that most consumers didn’t feel they were getting their produce clean enough,” said public relations manager Kelly Anchrum. “Fit is a good solution for people who are now washing their fruit and vegetables.”
Clinical studies have shown that Fit removes up to 93% of wax, 95% of handling residues and is 98% more effective than water at removing pesticides. It can be applied to produce in two different ways, soak or spray. The spray method is most effective when used on produce that is easy to hold and simple to rub such as pears, tomatoes, apples and celery. The soak method is most effective on large quantities of produce such as grapes, strawberries and broccoli.
“We can relieve the fear people have about eating produce,” Ms. Anchrum said. “More people are eating produce today than ever before but most of them think water is not cleaning it properly.”
Because it is ingested, P&G wanted to make sure Fit contained only natural ingredients found in food. Some of these ingredients include baking soda, citric acid and grapefruit juice. “We wanted to focus on ingredients found in everyday food. It took time to find the right level,” Ms. Anchrum said. “Once you soak or spray the produce, Fit is washed off. All that’s left is fresh natural goodness, what nature intended.
Fit is available in three sizes, an 8.5-oz. spray bottle, $4.99, a 32-oz. soak/refill bottle, $5.99 and a 64-oz. soak/refill bottle, $9.99. A Fit wash and rinse system, which includes an 8.5-oz. spray bottle, a 32-oz. soak/refill bottle and a bowl and basket set, retails for $9.99.
P&G will launch Professional Line Fit Antibacterial Produce Cleaner, a powder that dissolves easily in water, this summer. It is said to be more effective than water at removing dirt, chemicals, handling residues and harmful bacteria from cut, chopped, sliced and processed produce.
Clean Shower Gets a Boost
Although household cleaner manufacturers are looking at new products such as disposable wipes and produce washes for gains, they are not forgetting the sharp growth another new category, daily shower cleaners, registered for them just a few years ago.
Manufacturers still seem bullish about this segment despite its recent leveling off after a few years of sharp gains. According to IRI data, sales of nonabrasive tube and tile cleaners fell 9.1% last year. Segment pioneer Clean Shower saw its sales plummet 57.1% due to fierce competition in the segment.
Executives at Church & Dwight, the Princeton, NJ-based company that bought the Clean Shower brand from Automation in November, said the sales decrease does not concern them. “The old company really didn’t promote the brand for about six months before we bought it and during this time a lot of the bigger companies with national trademarks introduced products,” noted Mike Simone, director of marketing, household cleaners. “But there is still opportunity for growth in this segment. The two largest brands have decreased their spending and there is only 30% penetration.”
To help boost sales, Church & Dwight plans to attach its well-known Arm & Hammer trademark to Clean Shower. This will be further supported by a radio campaign, starring Tony Randall, the actor who played neat freak Felix Unger on TV’s The Odd Couple. “By using the Arm & Hammer trademark, we can really bring credibility to the brand itself,” Mr. Simone said. “Consumers really look for the corporate logo.”
Racine, WI-based S.C. Johnson has competed heavily in the daily cleanser category, reaping success through its Dow Scrubbing Bubbles brand. Sales of the company’s Antibacterial Scrubbing Bubbles brand skyrocketed 216% last year while its daily shower cleaner Shower Shine was able to capture a 7.1% of the market during its first year.
“The daily shower cleaner segment seemed to really take off because it was a relatively new product on the marketplace and it offered the two most important things to household consumers,” said Kerry Clair, manager, worldwide public relations, S.C. Johnson. “It was easy to use and saved time.”
Relief for Allergy Sufferers?
Recent introductions in the household cleaner category prove that consumers want two things from their cleaning products, convenience and the ability to clean well. These wants have largely contributed to the success of new product segments including daily shower cleaners, electrostatic cleaners, home dry cleaning kits and disinfecting wipes. What will be the next new category demanded by consumers remains to be seen. After all, not every new product is a hit with consumers. S.C. Johnson took a gamble on targeting people with allergies through its AllerCare line. AllerCare Dust Mite Carpet Powder and Dust Mite Allergen Spray were said to be effective in removing dust mites, the No. 1 indoor allergen, from carpet and upholstery. The company voluntarily removed these products from store shelves, however, after some consumers complained of reactions to the level of fragrance in the products.
“Household cleaners for people with allergies is truly a consumer need,” said S.C. Johnson spokeswoman Cynthia Georgeson. “At this time, however, we have no plants to reintroduce the line.”
Meanwhile S.C. Johnson’s competitors are using the anti-allergen angle. P&G, for example, bills its Swiffer cleaning system as an efficient way to remove cat and dog allergens from floors than a variety of traditional cleaning methods. Swiffer picked up 93% more cat and dog allergens than a broom, according to a study conducted by the Institute of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Sydney, Australia. S.C. Johnson has a similar product, Pledge Grab-It but, at this time, is not touting any allergen removal benefits.
“Removing or reducing allergens in your home can greatly improve the quality of life for people with allergies,” said Mary Worsell, executive director of Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. “Since allergens are often tiny particles, getting rid of them can often be a cleaning challenge. That’s why people will allergies welcome products that make this cleaning process easier.”
With more people suffering from allergies than ever before, more products boasting allergen removal, may be on the horizon of the household cleaner category. While no one knows what will be the next big thing, one thing is for sure. If consumers express a need for something, companies such as P&G, Clorox, Church & Dwight and SCJ will do everything they can to bring it to the market.


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THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING
THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING;Cliff Freeman executives are said to be vexed by Saatchi's control and weighing a shop of their own.
By Stuart Elliott
Published: October 24, 1995
TENSE relations between Cliff Freeman & Partners and its parent, the Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Worldwide unit of Cordiant P.L.C., have erupted into rebellion, advertising executives said yesterday, with the top three managers of Freeman looking to bolt the agency and form their own shop.
Freeman, the New York agency with estimated billings of $160 million, has produced some of Madison Avenue's best-known, most honored humorous campaigns under the aegis of Cliff Freeman, the iconoclastic copywriter who created "Where's the beef?" for Wendy's hamburgers and "Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't" for Almond Joy and Mounds candy bars. More recently, the agency has sold with a smile for clients like Little Caesars pizza, the Staples chain of office-supply stores and the Prodigy on-line computer service.
If the managers leave and open a breakaway shop, that would be a serious setback for Cordiant because they could take several large accounts as well as woo other employees to join them. Such losses could well cripple Freeman's ability to continue in business.
Advertising executives with knowledge of the situation at Freeman said that the three defectors were Mr. Freeman, chairman and chief creative officer, who founded the agency in 1987; Charles J. Kushell 4th, executive vice president and chief operating officer, who joined Freeman in 1992, and Arthur Bijur, executive vice president and executive creative director, who has long worked with Mr. Freeman.
Mr. Freeman, reached late yesterday, said: "There's nothing really to say. No decisions have been made. We're just trying to strengthen the agency and make it better for the clients." Mr. Kushell and Mr. Bijur did not return calls.
The event precipitating this turmoil was the abrupt ouster of Mr. Kushell last week by Alan Bishop, chairman and chief executive of Saatchi & Saatchi North America in New York. Roy Elvove, a spokesman for Saatchi & Saatchi, confirmed that Mr. Kushell had been dismissed, but added that Mr. Bishop would not discuss any aspects of the turmoil at Freeman.
Mr. Freeman, when asked about Mr. Kushell, declined to comment.
The advertising executives familiar with the situation said Mr. Kushell had been barred from the Freeman office, inside the Saatchi & Saatchi building in lower Manhattan, and that security guards were examining employees' belongings.
The trade publication Adweek reported this week that Mr. Kushell had clashed with Mr. Bishop about an issue that had longed vexed Mr. Kushell and Mr. Freeman: the relationship between Freeman and Saatchi & Saatchi, which formed Freeman as a creatively focused spinoff to handle the Little Caesars account.
For a year, Mr. Freeman and Mr. Kushell have been seeking more freedom for Freeman. They tried to buy the agency from Cordiant or, short of that, asked for Freeman to report directly to Cordiant rather than to Saatchi & Saatchi. But those efforts had bogged down; The Delaney Report newsletter reported this week that as a result, Mr. Freeman "may be angling to sever his ties" with Cordiant.
Mr. Freeman and Mr. Kushell sought the changes because of conflict problems that limited their abilities to work for clients in categories also handled by Saatchi & Saatchi. The friction sparked speculation that other big agency companies were interested in buying Freeman.
In an interview in May, Mr. Freeman and Mr. Kushell acknowledged that they had received feelers from suitors but declined to disclose their identities. One was True North Communications, parent of Foote, Cone & Belding, which talked last year with Freeman, with no result.
Adweek reported that McCann-Erickson Worldwide, a unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies in New York, was the most recent large agency to hold talks with Mr. Freeman and Mr. Kushell. Stewart Alter, a spokesman for McCann, said, "We have no comment."
It is unclear whether Mr. Freeman and his colleagues have contracts with Saatchi & Saatchi that could constrain them from leaving; Adweek said yes, The Delaney Report no.
If they bolt, it would echo the crisis that consumed Cordiant earlier this year when top executives and big accounts left Saatchi & Saatchi to protest the ouster of Maurice Saatchi as chairman. Mr. Saatchi and his brother, Charles, formed a breakaway shop, now named the M& C Saatchi Agency, which lured away clients like British Airways.
Freeman clients praised the campaigns produced by the agency and expressed support for Mr. Freeman.
"The only thing I care about is that the excellent quality of the work continues," said Phyllis Wasserman, vice president for advertising at Staples Inc. in Framingham, Mass.
Barry Kluger, senior vice president for communications at the Prodigy Services Company in White Plains, a venture of I.B.M. and Sears, Roebuck & Company, said, "We've been quite thrilled with the campaign and the creative."
Alexander Sebastian, a spokesman for Little Caesar Enterprises in Detroit, the parent of Little Caesars, said: "We haven't been notified of any changes at the agency. Until we are, it's kind of premature to say anything," but adding that "Cliff Freeman & Partners is still our agency."
Photo: Cliff Freeman, center, and, from the right, Arthur Bijur andCharles J. Kushell 4th are said to be looking to form their own shop. Dick Olsen, left, and David Angelo of Cliff Freeman & Partners are also shown. (Philip Greenberg for The New York Times)

domain: news


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Papa Johns Pizza opens Thursday
August 17, 2010
Mitchell Newman, owner of the brand-new Papa John’s Pizza franchise at Kimball Junction, said pies will be for sale starting this Thursday.
Newman said he responded to an ad placed by the corporation inviting someone to open a franchise in Park City. He was a fan of the product and thought it was a good fit for the area.
The new store employs about 18 people and is a delivery or carry-out location. It will open at 11 a.m. every day and close at 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, at 10 p.m. or later Thursday through Saturday.
"If people are still ordering pizzas we’ll stay open later," Newman said.
The telephone has been ringing regularly since the sign was put up with people asking if they’re ready to deliver. The range will be Jeremy Ranch to Silver Creek and Kimball Junction to Deer Valley Drive.
The soft opening is a VIP event for the Park City Education Foundation. Anyone not invited who would like to attend and make a donation to the foundation may call the store at 615-7300 to make a reservation.
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Papa John’s founder John Schnatter owns property in Park City and has been actively promoting the store. He is out of the country this week, Newman said, but has stopped by several times to see how construction was going.
"He’ll be visiting the store on a regular basis, I’m sure," Newman said. "We’ll need to be a flagship and on our ‘A game’ all the time."
The store is at 6400 Newpark Boulevard Suite E2 next to Starbucks Coffee.
View Papa John’s Pizza in a larger map


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|By RealWire News Distribution||
|April 12, 2012 05:00 AM EDT||
… "VoIP adoption in the workplace will accelerate once audiences understand the true business benefits and how technology in this area has advanced," says Telappliant®…
LONDON - Thursday 12th April 2012 - Telappliant, the leading Internet telephony provider for UK based small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), today released findings from a new survey which revealed that almost 7 out of 10 UK businesses will be using VoIP telephony services by 2013.
The study, which questioned 100 UK businesses from a variety of industries, showed that 41 per cent of UK companies are already actively using VoIP telephony to improve efficiencies within their business, while a further 25 per cent have plans to review and implement VoIP within the next 12 months. The data also indicated that businesses with a head count of 100 - 500 people are embracing the technology faster than smaller businesses.
The two primary reasons given for using VoIP telephony were the need "to reduce overall telephony costs for our business" (68 per cent), and "to allow staff more flexibility to work from home or from another location" (22 per cent).
The survey also revealed three perceived internal barriers to switching over to VoIP services. The main concern was that VoIP is "perceived as delivering poor quality or unreliable service" (42 per cent); secondly, the "benefits are not fully understood by management team within the business" (32 per cent); the third barrier cited was that VoIP is "perceived as too much effort to deploy or maintain" (25 per cent). However 99 per cent of businesses that implemented VoIP confirmed that there to be substantial return in terms of cost savings, flexible working and enhanced customer service.
Tan Aksoy, Chief Executive Officer at Telappliant, commented, "In reality, VoIP telephony has moved a long way forward since the days of staff having to plug a headset into their desktop computer. Modern VoIP services are easy to set up, reliable and offer crystal-clear call quality. With advanced telephony features usually only found on high-end phone systems, VoIP gives SMEs a range of tools to compete more effectively with their larger competitors. Functionality such as audio conferencing, call recording and IVRs (Interactive Virtual Receptionists that automatically route calls to the correct department) will enable businesses to work smarter and more efficiently."
VoIP is also extremely scalable - and is not just limited to the office," Tan continued. "Staff can use a special SIM card to extend their office phone extension to any 3G mobile handset, meaning they can carry their desk phone in their pocket. This is ideal for staff that spend a lot of time on the road, home workers or any employee that does not want to be tied to their desk. And because staff are linked directly to the office VoIP network, there are no expensive mobile phone bills. This kind of improved efficiency and saving can't be ignored by businesses that want to improve their bottom line, or by London-based companies that need to ensure business continuity during the Olympics."
Summary of key findings of the Telappliant VoIP survey:
- VoIP adoption is growing and will continue to grow: 50 per cent of businesses with a head count of 100 - 500 people are actively using VoIP telephony services, and a quarter of small businesses with a head count of 5 - 100 are also already using VoIP telephony services. A third of small businesses are also reviewing the possible introduction of VoIP in the next 12 months.
Cost reduction is still a key driver for implementing VoIP: 68 per cent of businesses using VoIP said that they switched to VoIP to reduce overall telephony costs.
VoIP supports changing work patterns: 22 per cent of VoIP-using businesses said that they are using VoIP to allow staff greater flexibility to work from home or from another location.
Barriers of change are based on perception rather than fact: The survey highlighted three reasons why some businesses have not yet switched to VoIP: perception of the quality and reliability of VoIP services; benefits not fully understood by the business managers; and perception that the switch will take too much effort.
Telappliant owns one of the largest VoIP networks in the UK and has over eighty thousand subscribers benefiting from its telephony services. Fully ISO 9001 certified, Telappliant is unique in being able to deliver innovative, integrated end-to-end VoIP telephony solutions coupled with high quality business support. For further information about Telappliant's business VoIP telephony services, visit www.telappliant.com.
Notes to editor
The survey was conducted by independent technology market research specialists Vanson Bourne in March 2012. 100 UK businesses were surveyed. The following sectors; financial services; manufacturing; retail, distribution & transport; business & professional services; were equally represented in the 100 interviews. The surveyed group also represented in equal proportion the following size bands; 5 - 100 employees and 100 - 500 employees.
Telappliant provides Voice over IP (VoIP) telephony services to UK based SMEs. Telappliant has been delivering Internet telephony solutions since 2003 and owns one of the largest VoIP networks in the UK, with over eighty thousand subscribers.
Telappliant delivers feature rich, highly advanced Internet telephony solutions and offers a range of services including hosted and on-site IP PBX, SIP trunking, VoIP-optimised broadband, global telephone numbers from over 40 countries and a range of call plans. The company is uniquely positioned to deliver state-of-the art, integrated end-to-end solutions and offers high quality business support and dedicated, focused account management.
A founding member of the Internet Telephony Services Providers Association (ITSPA) and ITSPA Awards 2012 Finalist, the company is fully ISO 9001 certified. For information about the services available visit http://www.telappliant.com.
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In his session at @ThingsExpo, Chris Klein, CEO and Co-founder of Rachio, will discuss next generation communities that are using IoT to create more sustainable, intelligent communities. One example is Sterling Ranch, a 10,000 home development that – with the help of Siemens – will integrate IoT technology into the community to provide residents with energy and water savings as well as intelligent security. Everything from stop lights to sprinkler systems to building infrastructures will run ef...
May. 5, 2016 02:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,331
Manufacturers are embracing the Industrial Internet the same way consumers are leveraging Fitbits – to improve overall health and wellness. Both can provide consistent measurement, visibility, and suggest performance improvements customized to help reach goals. Fitbit users can view real-time data and make adjustments to increase their activity. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Mark Bernardo Professional Services Leader, Americas, at GE Digital, will discuss how leveraging the Industrial Interne...
May. 5, 2016 12:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,427
You deployed your app with the Bluemix PaaS and it's gaining some serious traction, so it's time to make some tweaks. Did you design your application in a way that it can scale in the cloud? Were you even thinking about the cloud when you built the app? If not, chances are your app is going to break. Check out this webcast to learn various techniques for designing applications that will scale successfully in Bluemix, for the confidence you need to take your apps to the next level and beyond.
May. 3, 2016 12:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,660


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Bard deal for shopkeeper
NATWEST has increased the overdraft arrangement fee for a small business owner from Warwickshire by more than 50%. Simon Marcus runs an upmarket gift shop in Stratford-upon-Avon selling porcelain, clocks, jewellery and music boxes to tourists.
Mr Marcus, who has had the business for more than 20 years, has banked with NatWest for 15 years. However, he is furious that his bank is asking for £640 to arrange his £40,000 overdraft - last year it charged £400. This figure is worked out as 1.6% of the overdraft amount.
He also pays 3.5% over base rate on his borrowings, making a current rate of 7.5%. But if the account is in credit, he is not paid interest.
Mr Marcus says that the shop's takings have fallen by 50% in the past 18 months, due to the foot-and-mouth crisis and September 11 leading to fewer tourists visiting Britain from abroad.
He says: 'NatWest has been supportive, but what annoys me is that it can't be flexible on this charge. It's an upfront charge that I have no choice but to pay.
'Small retailers got no help over the foot-and-mouth crisis - and I think the banks should recognise these problems and not impose such high charges.'
NatWest says that last year it gave Mr Marcus a discounted arrangment fee because it understood the problems caused by the fall in tourism. This year, however, it is charging Mr Marcus its standard rate, which is 'in line' with other banks.
However, from January, the big four banks will start to offer better-deal accounts for small businesses. After the Competition Commission earlier this year looked at how small businesses were treated by banks, the big four will have to pay interest on small business accounts of at least base rate less 2.5%, or provide free banking.
The move followed the influential Cruickshank report, which found small businesses were overcharged by an average of £400 a year and that the big four had a stranglehold on the small business market, effectively reducing competition.
According to the commission's report, more than 90% of small and medium-sized businesses are with the big four, making more than £2 billion a year for these banks.
How much the big four charge small businesses is difficult to compare. They say overdraft rates are negotiable or tiered. NatWest is unusual in giving an indication of how much it charges. Its overdraft rate is a maximum of 6.5% above base rate, making a current rate of 10.5%.
The cost of arranging an overdraft goes from £85 to 1.6% of the overdraft if it's for more than £25,000. As yet, none of the big four pays interest on accounts in credit.
Smaller operations offer better deals. Alliance & Leicester, for example, offers three accounts - one for those with high cash turnover and two with different flat-fee bases for businesses with a low cash turnover.
Overdraft rates are negotiable. For a small business with a turnover of up to £100,000, it offers a £10-amonth flat fee - avoiding transaction charges which the big four charge on top of monthly fees - or £25 a month for turnovers of £100,000 to £500,000.
For those doing a large amount of transactions with a turnover of up to £500,000, it offers a £1.75 a month charge plus 65p per transaction.
If a firm keeps a credit balance of at least £5,000 and has less than 100 transactions a month, then it gets free banking. Alliance & Leicester also pays interest on credit balances going from 0.1% to 3.5% gross.
The Co-operative Bank's Business Direct Plus account has a flat monthly fee of £3 plus transaction charges. It pays credit interest of 1.09% to 3.5%.
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SEOUL -- South Korea's third-largest conglomerate SK Group agreed to buy a 6.1 percent stake worth $1 billion in Vietnam’s biggest private conglomerate, Vingroup JSC, to expand its presence in the Southeast Asian nation, which has emerged as a key destination for South Korean business investments.
Through their strategic partnership signed in Hanoi on Thursday, the two groups would jointly invest in new businesses, participate in the privatization of state-owned companies and push for strategic mergers and acquisitions in the Vietnamese market.
Using information and communications technology (ICT), SK Group is pushing for the development of cooperative business models tailored to infrastructure construction and privatization in Vietnam. In September last year, SK purchased a 9.5 percent stake in Masan Group Corporation for $470 million, becoming the largest foreign shareholder in the Vietnamese group.
In recent years, SK and other big South Korean companies have increased investments in Vietnam. SK Group has SK Telecom, SK hynix and SK innovation under its wing.
© Aju Business Daily & www.ajunews.com Copyright: All materials on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the authorization from the Aju News Corporation.


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India is the world’s largest consumer of sugar at 23.0 million metric tons (MMT) raw value in the 2008/09 (October/September) marketing year. Human consumption of sugar in India is up 35 percent from 10 years ago and double the consumption of 20 years ago. India is also the second or third largest producer behind Brazil and trades positions year-to-year with the EU. It had a record large crop in 2006/07 at 30.8 MMT and its second largest crop in 2007/08 at 28.6 MMT before a decline to 16.8 MMT in 2008/09 due to poor monsoon rainfall. Higher acreage in 2009/10 was expected to lead to a recovery in production to 20.6 MMT according to earlier estimates from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of USDA. The latest projections from government officials and private market analysts are 15-17 MMT.
According to the U.S. Agricultural Attaché in India a normal production cycle is 6-8 years includes 3-4 larger crops followed by two 2-3 smaller crops. A crop of 20.6 MMT for 2009/10 would have been an average crop for the last 10 years, but well short of increased demand in recent years. India’s carryover stocks grew to 9.9 MMT at the end of the 2006/07 marketing year, declined slightly to 9.1 MMT for 2007/08 before plunging to an expected 4.5 MMT on September 30 of this year, the second lowest in the last 15 years after 4.2 MMT in 2005/06. The previous cycle high in carryover was 12.0 MMT in 2000/01. If carryover at the end of the 2009/10 year declines to 4.0 MMT and production is 16.0 MMT, imports would need to be 6.5 MMT. The most sugar India imported was 3.4 MMT in 2003/04; this year’s imports were 1.8 MMT. Some analysts are assuming imports will be 5.0 MMT with the remaining shortfall met by lower consumption. This would put consumption near the 2005/06 level of 21.2 MMT.
When India had two large crops in 2006/07 and 2007/08 they exported 2.7 MMT and 5.8 MMT, respectively, both record years. Had they only matched the record exports of 1.7 MMT in 2002/03, carryover by the end of 2007/08 would have grown to a new record of 14.7 MMT, 64 percent of consumption. A three months supply, 5.8 MMT is the target stocks level. The Indian government made the right decision in allowing sugar to flow to other markets, but should have allowed more exports from the record large 2006/07 to avoid a sharp decline in market prices and kept the record large acreage in sugar. Acreage declined modestly in 2007/08 from 12.7 million acres to 12.4 million acres, and then declined 12.1 percent in 2008/09 to 10.9 million acres as market prices remained depressed. Acreage was expected to recover in 2009/10 to 11.9 million acres, but that will probably not happen.
A reverse shift to large imports was also not easy to execute. As the smaller crop in the 2008/09 marketing year began to develop, domestic sugar prices began to increase in July of 2008, went sharply higher in early 2009, and were 45 percent above a year earlier by early this spring. The Indian government was facing an election in May of 2009 and began allowing the sale of government stocks in the summer of 2008. They did not want to make farmers unhappy, but by late winter they finally allowed duty free imports. The government recently extended duty free imports of refined sugar until November and raw sugar until March of 2010.
The market is also being jostled by weather problems in Brazil, the world’s largest producer and exporter of sugar in 2008/09 at 32.4 MMT and 20.3 MMT. Heavy rains in the Center-South of Brazil, supposedly due to the El Nino effect, have slowed harvest and are resulting in lower yields. The harvest season in the Center-South continues through the end of the calendar year and the weather may stay wet. In May of this year the U.S. Agricultural Attaché in Brazil was already expecting the percentage of the sugarcane crop to be used for sugar to increase from 40.4 percent in 2008/09 to 42.5 percent in 2009/10. How much more of a shift occurs will be determined by how much India draws on the market, crop outcomes in other countries and the price of ethanol. Raw sugar prices are now approaching $0.20 per pound, up 67 percent for the year, but the continuing economic slowdown may somewhat limit further price increases.
Before these weather problems, FAS-USDA projections showed world sugar production and consumption for 2009/10 about in balance at 159 MMT and ending stocks of 31 MMT. That consumption level would have been record large and will likely not be achieved with higher prices. Stocks would have been about the same as the recent low of 30.2 MMT in 2005/06 and at the low end of the 30-40 MMT range of recent years. The production shortfall will by necessity result in lower use.
Agricultural commodity markets by their nature have wide swings in market prices because market demand is relatively inelastic when crops are large or small because consumers demand about the same amount. Politicians want to keep market prices low for consumers and high for producers, even in the same country. Free trade is the best way to shift supplies around the world to lessen shocks on any country or region, but that can only happen when the political process allows products to flow and participants believe that markets will be allowed to work.
Economic growth in India will continue to increase demand for sugar and other crops and make them more price inelastic. As demand grows there will be less room for major fluctuations in supplies and international trade will become more important. This will be true for all developing countries with rising incomes, not just the big ones like India and China.
Countries that are major producers and consumers of commodities have an obligation to avoid shifting all the cost of adjustments onto the rest of the world.
India gets good marks for partially opening markets to the world, but more needs to be done to avoid domestic supply imbalances. Government managed prices prevent orderly market adjustments and ultimately hurt producers and consumers.


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Aston Martin announced plans to re-launch its brand in 2016 and the first vehicle to take advantage of this launch will be the DB9. The re-launch was expected since the DB9 has been in its current state for quite some time and an overhaul was necessary. Since 2016 is over a year away, information is limited, but we do know that the engine for the new DB9 will be produced by Mercedes-AMG. This will be the first Aston Martin equipped with an AMG engine after the two companies teamed up. This decision will likely pay off because Aston Martin will be able to benefit from Mercedes-AMG’s expertise, research, and development rather than producing engines in-house. The engine will likely be a twin-turbocharged V8 that is similar to the 2015 Mercedes-AMG GT. It is certainly possible that a hybrid variant will be produced, which would be interesting. Another expectation is that the new DB9 will have an all-aluminum chassis, which should reduce costs significantly.
The re-launch of the Aston Martin brand is an attempt to compete with Ferrari and establish itself as a financially stable sports and luxury car manufacturer. The re-launch will be the biggest brand investment that Aston Martin has made in its history. The strategic partnership with Mercedes-AMG should help to boost the brand as well. It is expected that following the release of the all new DB9, the rest of the line up with receive major overhauls as well.


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VIELEX, Ga – Stila Cosmetic will shut down its cosmetics business after a $1.9 billion merger with Singapore-based Luxottica, the cosmetics giant announced on Tuesday.
Stila said in a statement it would also sell off its luxury assets and focus on its cosmetics businesses.
Stilas cosmetics business will close in the coming weeks, and the company will no longer own, manage or operate any of its brands, the statement said.
The deal is a joint venture between Stila and Luxottic, which will be the largest cosmetics business in the world, with a global portfolio of more than 100 products.
Stila is the world’s largest luxury brand.
Stilla is the third-largest cosmetics company in the U.S., with a $9.5 billion business.
The company will continue to operate its beauty brands in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as in its headquarters in Singapore, where it has its headquarters for almost 50 years.
The Stila Beauty brand, which is the top seller in the cosmetics industry, will continue as a separate company, and will focus on new products.
Stilea is owned by the Dutch family that founded the brand in 1958.
The Stilas family has made some big business moves recently, including buying the cosmetics business of rival Lancôme.
The merger will make Stila the biggest cosmetics company on the planet.
It is also the largest U.K.-based cosmetics company.


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The Ni No Kuni Series Has Reached Approximately 1.4 Millions Units Sold Worldwide
NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe S.A.S. today confirmed what has been said during the LEVEL-5 press conference last week in Japan. The beloved video-game franchise, Ni no Kuni, has reached approximately 1.4 million units sold worldwide. The figure includes worldwide sales of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, released for PlayStation®3, and Japan only sales of its Nintendo DS™ counterpart. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch was released exclusively on PlayStation®3 in Europe last January.
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, an epic tale of a boy travelling between two worlds on a quest to save his mother, was developed by the critically acclaimed Japanese development studio, LEVEL-5. The game features animations produced and cut-scenes supervised by the legendary Japanese animation company, Studio Ghibli, and music by the world-renowned Joe Hisaishi.
“We are very proud to join our partner, LEVEL-5, to announce that the critically acclaimed role-playing game series, Ni no Kuni, has approximately reached the 1.4 million units sold worldwide,” said Olivier Comte, Senior Vice-President at NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe. “The franchise has been very well received in EMEA and as a result of its quality, has reached an amazing number of sales for a JRPG.”


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Steam’s Top Releases list doesn’t rank games in order, so all we know is that it’s in the top 20, not where it landed specifically. After a long wait and a huge amount of hype, Valve’s flagship VR title, Half-Life: Alyx, released on March 23. The game is now one of the highest-rated PC games of the year so far on Metacritic, with reviewers’ responses to the game being overwhelmingly positive. If you caught our review, you’ll know that we loved the game too. Here’s a snippet from Jamie’s write-up:
“Alyx is a triumphant return; a stunningly produced, meticulously refined capping off of the past four years of VR learnings. Its 10+ hours of best-in-class combat, evolving level design and, every so often, moments of truly inventive ideas swiftly establishes it as a new benchmark for the platform.
And yet, Alyx leaves you with the lingering suspicion that there is yet more ground to cover, that there’s far more this series and this developer can do with this new set of tools and that this is only the first part of that story.”
Now, almost a month post-launch, Valve announced that Half-Life: Alyx made the list of Top Releases on Steam for March. These games are “measured by the revenue generated during the first two weeks after release” to form a top 20. This means that all games have an equal chance, regardless of whether they release at the beginning or the end of the month. In Alyx’s case, Valve would have counted the game’s revenue from the last week of March and the first week of April.
Given that Alyx released exclusively on PC VR hardware, its inclusion in this list wasn’t guaranteed. That said, another VR exclusive, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, made the list earlier in the year.
Interestingly, the full list also features Black Mesa, a fan-made reimagining of the original Half-Life, available for PC.
Have you played Half-Life: Alyx yet? Let us know what you think in the comments below.


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CHARLESTON, SC – January 17, 2012 – Chris Fraser of Grubb & Ellis |WRS has been named as a member of the Charleston Industry Roundtable of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.
It recently held its first Charleston Industry Roundtable, hosted by the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. The Federal Reserve currently had three regular Industry Roundtables – Baltimore, Richmond and Charlotte. The Bank added Charleston as a result of the economic activity in the area. On February 1st, Fraser will be attending the conference in Richmond as a member of the Industry Roundtable.
The purpose of the Industry Roundtables is to learn about what is happening in the local economy from business leaders in the community about their specific sectors as a way of better understanding changes that may occur in economic data. By listening to business leaders share their own knowledge, the Bank’s economist gain a real world perspective that can’t be gleaned from tracking economic data.
Twelve business leaders along with Fed staff attended the first Charleston Industry Roundtable meeting.


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Elder Beerman and Goodwill hosted their annual Stuff the Truck event Saturday.
A Goodwill truck was parked behind the department store and there was one goal in mind; to stuff the truck with all sorts of things.
"We do this twice a year and it is great to see such participation for all of the customers. They get their merchandise, they use their coupon and they know all about the event," Annie Wolfer, Store Manager.
Elder-Beerman in Zanesville and the Goodwill are teaming up for the "Goodwill Sale."
Elder-Beerman Store Manager Annie Wolfer says the partnership began in 1994, and together, with the help of customers, they have donated nearly 54 million items to Goodwill. Over the years, the campaign has expanded to include 278 Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. The purpose of the "Goodwill Sale" is twofold.
"Right now it's such an important time to help out people and what...
A local retailer is asking the community to donate items for a good cause.
As a part of a national effort, Elder Beerman in Zanesville and the Goodwill are teaming up for the "Goodwill Sale." The campaign began in 1994 as a way to help put people back to work and to also generate revenue for the organization.
There's also an incentive for donating.
"We give customers coupons, and on Wednesday and Saturday is double coupon day for every single item they...
Elder-Beerman is taking part in a national campaign to make sure people in need are taken care of.
The "Goodwill Sale" kicks off Wednesday and will continue through September 29th. It's asking the public to donate gently used clothes, furniture, and other household items. Drop off boxes will be located at the Goodwill store on Maple Avenue and the Elder-Beerman store at the Colony Square Mall.
"We have an increase in our shoppers, especially with the...
While one Zanesville City Schools school board member was absent for the last six months, he was able to coordinate goodwill from the Zanesville City School District all the way to Afghanistan.
Brian Swope, the vice president of the school board recently returned from a stint in Afghanistan, working with the US Army's Corps of Engineers. Swope oversaw construction, including the construction of a new high school for eight thousand students.
Donating your gently used clothing can garner you some big savings.
Saturday is the first "Stuff The Truck" event for the Elder Beerman located in the Colony Square Mall. The goal is to have customers fill a Goodwill truck with clean, gently used clothing and household textiles. Store manager at Elder Beerman, Annie Wolfer, says Goodwill is thrilled for the event.
"They are very excited, it has been such a wonderful experience to have so many people...


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Green Monday Apple deals: Save up to $1,300 on MacBooks, iPads, Apple Watches, iMacs, software & more
With the countdown to Christmas nearing the two-week mark, retailers are offering last-minute deals on everything from the latest Apple hardware to software and accessories this Green Monday. Save up to $1,300 during the cyber holiday, with free expedited shipping and no sales tax in many states on a variety of configurations.
Earlier this week, we showed off an exclusive image of the iPhone XS that Apple will unveil later this month. In that image, the iPhone XS is rocking a brand new wallpaper that seemingly depicts the p..
Free Hour of Code Sessions Come to all Apple Store Locations Next Week
As we recently noted, the iOS 12 public beta has been released for those interested in trying iOS 12 before it officially launches later this fall.
iPhone owners need to be extremely careful today to avoid ruining their phones forever
iOS 12 introduces Apple’s new Screen Time platform to help users with spending their device time more deliberately.
Third-party developers offered up new apps to measure real-world spaces and objects with iPhone when iOS 11 and ARKit arrived last year.


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The dual-core Intel Atom 330 is expected on September 21. FUD Zilla writes this new low-cost dual-core processor will be priced at $43. It will have a clockspeed of 1.6GHz, 1MB cache and 533MHz FSB.
A few Intel documents have indicated that dual core Atoms are planned for Q3 introduction and availability, but so far we haven’t seen a single one available, not to mention the fact that most single core Atoms are facing a serious backorder situation.
We were informed by many of our sources that single core Atom will remain in very limited supply, especially on the mobile side trough most of Q4 2008 and they don’t expect the situation to get better.


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Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) said on Tuesday that a few of its employees’ computers were attacked by the same hackers who earlier targeted Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), according to Reuters. The iPhone maker added that no data appeared to have been stolen and that it was working with law enforcement officials to track down the hackers.
Only a small number of employees’ Mac computers were breached through a vulnerability in a Java browser plug-in, the company told Reuters, but “there was no evidence that any data left Apple.”
“The malware was employed in an attack against Apple and other companies, and was spread through a website for software developers,” the statement said, according to AllThingsD. “We identified a small number of systems within Apple that were infected and isolated them from our network.”
Apple noted that it had been shipping Macs without Java since the release of Mac OS X Lion in October, adding that it had software that disabled Java if it went unused for 35 days. The company also said it would release a software tool later on Tuesday to protect customers against the software used in the attacks.
On Friday, Facebook said unidentified hackers, presumably in China, had got into its employees’ laptops. The social network also said no user information had been accessed.
Don’t Miss: Analyst: Here’s Why Apple’s iOS is a Winner.


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A 23-year-old man is accused of killing his 73-year-old lover and pouring cement over his body in a bathtub in one of Hawaii’s most exclusive gated communities.
Month: April 2022
Hawaii announces reservation system for Diamond Head State Monument
The State of Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources announced that advance reservations will be required for out-of-state visitors at Diamond Head State Monument, effective May 12.
Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra offers conducting gig in fundraising effort
Follow in the footsteps of JoAnn Falletta, Sarah Hicks, and Dane Lam by leading the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra in a piece this summer.
Orphan Barrel debuts Fable & Folly, blend from last stocks of Barterhouse, Forged Oak
When Master Blender Andrew Mackay discovered the last remaining stores of rare, orphaned whiskeys from years past, he thought it was only fitting to share these whiskeys with the world within one bespoke blend.
University of Hawaii football welcomes fans to ‘Braddahhood’ with Spring Game
New Head Coach Timmy Chang is thanking fans for their overwhelming support by making the last scrimmage of spring practice a community celebration.
Grind Time: ‘Alohilani Resort offers special Easter brunch experience
Sunday Club, ‘Alohilani Resort’s weekly brunch event, is offering a special Easter Sunday Brunch on April 17.
Big Island Candies debuts Guava Macadamia Nut Shortbread in time for Merrie Monarch
A Guava Macadamia Nut Shortbread Assorted Combo box will be introduced in time for the Merrie Monarch Festival beginning in Hilo on April 17.
New Kids on the Block return to Honolulu with TLC for first concert in 30 years
Tickets for the Aug. 5 and Aug. 6 shows go on sale to credit card holders with a Hawaii ZIP code at 10 a.m. Saturday and range in price from $69.50 to $399.50. They will be available to all other buyers the next day.
Leeward Community College student’s vegan pasta now sold at 7-Eleven Hawaii
LCC culinary student Kaleb Molina’s Vegan Rigatoni Bolognese is now available at 7-Eleven Hawaiʻi stores for a limited time.
Grind Time: Celebrate National Ramen Day with Iron Chef Morimoto
Celebrate National Ramen Day with a bowl of noods from Momosan Waikiki.


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Well, the votes are in and once again we're pleased to bring you the top new products that appeared at Interop 2011 Las Vegas. Every year, my fellow judges and I are delighted to be able to review and compare some of the hottest technology available, and this year was no exception. This year we had 135 qualified entries for Best of Interop, and in reviewing the nominees this year the trend seems to be a focus on a number of great products to allocate, secure, manage, and improve the performance
5 Top Federal Initiatives For 2015As InformationWeek Government readers were busy firming up their fiscal year 2015 budgets, we asked them to rate more than 30 IT initiatives in terms of importance and current leadership focus. No surprise, among more than 30 options, security is No. 1. After that, things get less predictable.


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PepsiCo has initiated a new effort to fight childhood hunger while supporting women-led small businesses. The initiative is a joint effort between Food for Good, PepsiCo’s commitment to advance food security through collaboration in communities where we live and work, and WomanMade, a PepsiCo platform focused on advancing women in the food and beverage industry. PepsiCo seeks to partner with women-led food businesses to feature their healthy products in nutritious meal packages that are delivered to kids in need. The Chicago Defender spoke with Devaunshi Mahadevia, Co-Founder of WomanMade, and Lucie Dufour, Marketing and Communications Manager, Food for Good.
Food for Good was started in 2009. Why now, in 2021, has PepsiCo decided to partner with women-led businesses in the food and beverage industry?
Devaunshi Mahadevia (D.M.): As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, 1 in 6 children are in a state of food insecurity, and 1 in 4 women face the risk of leaving the workforce. We recognize these devastating impacts, and so Food for Good and WomanMade saw an opportunity to come together to fight childhood hunger while also supporting women’s economic empowerment. One key part of our program is applicants must have a social impact through their business. For example, one of our partners, Michele Liddle, founder of Perfect Granola, donates 5% of its profits to homeless shelters, food banks, and nonprofits. What is important to our partnership is that not only are we working to fight childhood hunger, but we are also trying to uplift the female founder community while doing so. We want to make sure that all our participants have the notion of paying it forward.
Lucie Dufour (L.D.): We are a social enterprise whose mission is food security and, in the U.S., specifically focused on childhood hunger. One of the best ways to extend our mission is to buy products from companies with the same values as us. We want to use our purchasing power with true intent. Women are super focused on the mission and are creating companies out of the need they see in the world. That is why Devaunshi, and I wanted to come together, by way of WomanMade and Food for Good, to identify more companies like Perfect Granola to help invest in women-owned businesses and tackle food security in our country at the same time.
Please explain the dynamic between PepsiCo, WomanMade, and Food for Good.
WomanMade and Food for Good are two separate entities at PepsiCo. WomanMade is a platform that unites PepsiCo’s efforts to support women’s economic advancement in the food system, which could range from female farmers to women in the supply chain to women starting their Food brands. A big part of the WomanMade platform is a community that we have launched on Hello Alice (almost 4k members). This is an effort we kicked off in 2018 and officially launched in 2019 at the Women in the World conference for several reasons. And one of those reasons is from the shocking statistic that only 2.2% of venture capital dollars go to female founders and only 0.2 % to diverse female founders. Last year in the U.S., 1800 women-owned businesses were launched every single day, and 64% of those by women of color. Look at the power that exists – these women businesses have access to such little funding and yet can do such incredible things. PepsiCo, WomanMade, and Food for Good collaborated to address the questions put on the table in the planning phase: What would the world look like if women were given the same opportunities as men? What can we do to shift this current reality into one we want to see? How can we, in some small way, level the playing field and advance gender equality in entrepreneurship?
March was National Nutrition Month and Women’s History Month. We thought this was the perfect time to bring our two platforms together and achieve independent yet joint missions. WomanMade and Food for Good desire to help bring together all the various works people at PepsiCo do to advance food security and women’s economic empowerment.
For more information on this initiative and to apply, please visit https://www.pepsicofoodforgood.com/. Join the WomanMade community on Hello Alice here.
Contributor Kim Durden is a food writer and owner of Divine Dine Food Tours and DivinE320, an online marketplace featuring themed and custom gift boxes. She also has a lifestyle blog called Simply Divine.
Join our email list to stay connected.


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NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Shopping.com on Friday cut the dollar proceeds anticipated from its upcoming initial public offering to $126 million from $143 million.
The Israeli e-commerce firm said that it'll offer 5 million shares and that inside stockholders will sell 1.9 million shares, down from 2.9 million previously.
The company still plans to price the IPO at $14 to $16 per share. Goldman Sachs and CS First Boston are underwriting the deal.
Shopping.com, which received about 38 percent of its 2003 revenue from the company's relationship with Google
Primus Guaranty IPO expected week of Sept. 29
Primus Guaranty could debut its $149 million initial public offering during the week of Sept. 29, according to fund manager Renaissance Capital. Primus late Thursday said in a filing it plans to offer 10.3 million shares priced at $13.50 to $15.50 each with underwriter Lehman Bros.
Primus Guaranty is a newly created Bermuda-based provider of credit-protection products, backed by XL, Transamerica Life, Pacific Corporate Group and Radian.


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The discovery and analytics dashboard will enable podcasters to view engagement and demographic data for their podcasts
Revenue from premium subscribers, which account for nearly 90% of its overall revenue, rose to $1.67 billion from $1.28 billion in the same quarter last year
Spotify Lite is targeted at users on low-end Android smartphones that typically has lower phone memory
Amazon has aggressively invested across commerce, video, music streaming and payments in India and localised significantly to lock in a large consumer base.
Spotify signs multi-year deal with Barack & Michelle Obama's Higher Ground to create exclusive podcasts
As per the partnership, the Obamas will develop, produce, and lend their voices to select podcasts on wide-ranging topics
As part of the new plan, all eligible college students will be able to subscribe to YouTube Music for Rs 59 a month and YouTube Premium for Rs 79 a month starting today.
Paid music services have boosted music sales across the world, and are now the single largest source of revenue for the global record business.
Globally, Spotify has reached 100 million paid subscribers for the quarter, up from 75 million a year earlier
Delhi HC tells streaming co to complete process in 10 days as it has failed to conclude a deal with the Indian music label.
On Wednesday, the app also unveiled two key features — Gaana Video and an Artist Dashboard. Gaana Video is the app’s exclusive vertical video format, built for mobile, and has been created in partnerships with India’s top artists.
The IPRS is a representative body of owners of music, including composers, lyricists and the publishers of music, and is also the sole authorised body to issue licences to permit usage of the music within India by any person.
At the centre of Spotify's complaint is a 30% fee Apple charges content-based service providers to use its in-app purchase system
YouTube Music will have to fight out rivals like Reliance’s JioSaavn, Gaana, Spotify and Amazon Prime Music
Music streaming app will be pitted against Gaana, Saavn, others in a crowded market
On Tuesday, Spotify was made available in India through its web and mobile apps for new and existing users. Monthly subscriptions is priced at Rs 119, while an yearly subscription is available at Rs 1,189
Spotify introduced several new India-first features on Wednesday when it debuted the service in the country, nearly a year after co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek first announced the Swedish company's plans to enter the country.
Spotify claimed that Warner Music Group had revoked a previously agreed upon publishing license for reasons wholly unrelated to its launch in India


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There are over 5,300 colleges and universities within the US, and the majority of these offer on-campus dining options. A large number of both students and faculty dine in these facilities resulting in billions of meals being served through on campus dining services every single year.
The sheer quantity of food and ingredients moving through these facilities creates a significant impact on supply and demand, in those localities and nationally, and can have broader ripple effects on things such as emissions produced as a byproduct of food manufacturing.
Several major providers in this space are becoming more aware of the impact and have pledged to reduce emissions, and provide healthier options. As a result many are moving towards plant-based and plant-centered menus for on campus dining facilities.
Aramark, a large food-service provider, has recently joined this movement. Pledging to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030, this provider has committed to making 44% of its menus plant-based by 2025 to support a more climate friendly approach to food service. These changes will show in the dining facilities of over 250 colleges, as well as corporate venues, hospitals, and events cafeterias.
Another food service giant committed to increasing the amount of plant-based options available on college campuses is Sodexo. This provider, which purchases over $20 million in goods annually, has announced it will be changing its menus to include more plant-based options. By 2025 this company has pledged its menus will be at least 42% plant-based. These actions are meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and be more climate-friendly. Sodexo is also working to cut carbon emissions 34% by 2025.
Changes from major providers like these has the potential reach hundred of thousands of US students and influence purchasing behavior at a pivotal time, when these students are entering a stage of financial independance and increased purchasing power. As students are able to try these plant-based options in a cafeteria setting they are able to test how these food items pair with other options, how they compare to conventional products, and experience the versatility alternative proteins offer.
For these students, the normalization of alternative protein is occuring early and this can have a widespread impact on the demand for these products. The purchasing decision impact from younger generations is already being seen in the market place, and currently Gen Z is leading the demand for alternative proteins.
Gen Z has an interest in more climate friendly products, and the prevalence of these items on college campus will serve to increase awareness while bolstering demand for alternative protein items through other channels – including restaurants, and retail stores.


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BMW, Daimler and Toyota are the most environmentally-friendly car manufacturers.
That’s according to non-profit group Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), which ranked responses from 16 manufacturers on their progress towards meeting regulatory emissions standards, using self-driving technology with renewable energy and incentivising lower carbon emissions.
Subaru got the worst rating out of all the manufacturers, which account for more than three quarters of the global passenger vehicle market.
CDP expects electric vehicles (EVs) will become as affordable as traditional combustion-engine cars by 2022 and believes a third of car sales will be made up of zero emission and plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2030.
The organisation expects the costs of complying with stricter emission standards to rise three-fold to more than £1,585 per vehicle in 2025.


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The company builds tools specifically for the over 50% of US adults who have at a chronic conditionRead more...
The cash-payment platform helps customers pay their bills in-person using cash
Alternative payment methods are nothing new--PayPal revealed what kind of possibilities were in store for mobile and Web-based payments years ago. But these days, more startups are zeroing in on that segment of the population that pays exclusively in cash. A full quarter of all U.S. households don't have bank accounts or credit cards, which deflates most alternative payment platforms. That's a quarter of the population that could be shopping online, taking out loans, or paying their bills online. Another 43 million people in the U.S. have bank accounts but still prefer to pay with cash.
More startups are realizing that the cash-payment demographic a virtually untapped market (Visa and MasterCard are also getting in on the cash-payment platform with their prepaid, reloadable debit cards). Fuze Network is one such startup, and the payment technology platform announced Wednesday that it has raised $1.2 million in seed funding led by Metamorphic Ventures, Kickstart Seed Fund, and several angel investors.
The platform hosts a suite of solutions that focus on in-person payments and cash payments using pre-loaded accounts. The company's Where2Pay solution allows customers to find locations where they can pay their bills in person (an interesting solution to the problem of realizing that you're late on your phone bill and don't have time to wait for a mail-in or online payment to be processed). Additionally, Fuze's Where2Load platform helps customers locate the nearest place to reload their prepaid debit cards, and the company's Fuze Flow Platform allows users to either pay with cash in person or upload their banking information so that they can make payments immediately through Fuze.
The company said in a prepared statement that it enables customers to make payments at more than 17,000 banks and 100,000 retail locations nationwide.
"Our platform opens up new payment methods for millions of customers," said Fuze founder and CEO Dave Wilkes in a prepared statement. "Our recently introduced Cash Locator service presents all locally available payment networks (ATMs, banks, cash back merchants, load networks) in a single view for the consumer and reduces payment transaction costs up to 75%, using existing point of sale infrastructure."
Another cash payment solution, PayNearMe, allows consumers to pay with cash when making online and remote transactions by printing out a receipt for the transaction (or receiving the receipt on their phone) and taking it to their local 7-11, where they can pay the cashier, who acts as a sort of ATM for the business that will receive the money. The transaction is instant and complete the moment the consumer makes the in-person payment. PayNearMe CEO Danny Shader has pointed out that the solution isn't only for those who want to make e-commerce purchases, but those without bank accounts or credit cards who have loans to pay back. Additionally, the company serves those who have bank accounts but prefer the privacy of paying with cash.
Image source: Fuzenetwork.com
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Related Companies, Investors, and Entrepreneurs
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PayNearMe combines a modified cash load network with an application technology platform so that consumers without credit or debit cards—or those who prefer to pay with cash—can conduct a wide range of remote transactions. By doing so, PayNearMe enables companies in a diverse set of industries to turn millions of American households into new paying customers. Consumers can use PayNearMe to pay for ecommerce purchases, telephone orders, loan repayments, money transfers, load funds into e-wallets and more at retail locations throughout the U.S., starting with 6,000 7-Eleven stores.


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After Supreme Court’s ban on BS-III vehicles from April 1, the two wheeler manufacturers have begin a clearance sale in a bid to sell out as many vehicles as possible before the rule comes into effect. The two-wheeler manufacturers are offering heavy discount on BS3 bikes and scooters. According to reports, around 6,40,000 unsold two-wheelers […]
The Maruti Suzuki Swift is the hot favourite of Indian car buyers, while the Audi A4 has topped the luxury segment, according to a recent survey of 2016 data carried out by an online auto marketplace. A series of trends and shifts in customer behaviour have also been revealed in the survey carried out by […]
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) has launched the updated version of its popular Activa 125. The updated version of Honda Activa 125 comes with a price tag of Rs 61,362 (ex-showroom Delhi).
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt Ltd (HMSI) has launched its 50th lakh CB Shine in India at a price tag of Rs 55,799 (ex-showroom Delhi). The all-new 2017 BS IV CB Shine with AHO is a 3rd offering to meet BS-IV norms.
The Honda CB Shine has also set up a new record by becoming the first 125cc motorcycle to reach 50 lakh unit sales milestone.
In a heart-break for all Renault Kwid and Honda Mobilio lovers, the Global National Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) crash tests have given thumbs down to both the vehicles. The tests suggest that safety features like airbags are a must as standard fitment in all cars. The Global NCAP is a UK-based charity, focuses on consumer-related […]


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AppleMagazine|January 17, 2020
As we look to automate and make our lives more agile, computerized and efficient, where do we go next? Let’s delve deeper into the evolution of IoT, and its next-generation developments... ENHANCED COMMUNICATIONS
Perhaps one of the most exciting developments in the world of IoT is data, with 5G coming in to offer instant communications for data packages of any size, with just 0.004 latency. As countries begin to roll out their 5G technology to consumers, governments, and businesses, we can expect to see incredible new innovations changing the way we communicate and work. Current 4G offers data speeds of around 20 Mbps, whilst 5G speeds will be 500 to 1500 Mbps, offering consumers and businesses more efficiency and opportunity. With data streams now unlimited and always-on, everything can be done wirelessly, benefiting not only businesses in the technology sector, but in engineering, healthcare, recruitment, and retail. By 2021, experts predict there will be around one billion 5G customers in Asia and North America alone.
Combining the power of 5G technology with the internet of things will allow us to enter into a new Big Data age, where every decision is based on fact and exact measurement rather than estimations. In airports, we’ll see check-in desks open based on demand; in hospitals, unprecedented access to data from smartwatches and health wearables will create more advanced medicines and treatments; and in sales, up-to-the-minute feedback will provide retailers with the data they need to pitch the right products to the right consumers.
In time, data-backed tools will increase sales, reduce waste, and even fight climate change, allowing for microgrids to be introduced when non-renewable energy options aren’t available. In transport, smart traffic management tools can reduce congestion, with the UK government saying IoT could save them $1 billion a year and offer a fifteen percent reduction in carbon emissions. And in the business world, IoT can be used to make offices more energy-efficient, with AT&T and Microsoft already embracing the technology to reduce energy consumption and develop eco infrastructure through Azure.
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January 17, 2020


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Note: The ISC West conference referenced below changed course March 6 and organizers announced the event would be pushed back to July.
Adobe canceled an upcoming conference in Las Vegas. The U.S. canceled a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that had been scheduled for later this month. An engineering company canceled a Las Vegas conference “out of an abundance of caution.”
But multiple Las Vegas conventions, including three of the largest this month, are going forward as planned, despite the coronavirus.
ConExpo-Con/AGG, “North America’s largest construction trade show,” has seen “China-based registrants cancel due to the travel restrictions and, more recently, a small number of registrants from Italy and Korea,” reads a message about the coronavirus on the convention’s website.
But the show is going on as planned next week, and organizers anticipate more than 130,000 attendees at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
ASD Market Week, “the largest and most comprehensive trade show for consumer merchandise in the United States,” will go on as planned March 22-25 at the Convention Center, with an expected 46,000 attendees.
The International Security Conference, “THE largest converged security industry trade show in the U.S.” is going ahead as planned at the Sands March 17 through 20 with an estimated 29,000 attendees, according to a message on the conference website.
That website also links to a message from the Sands on “Coronavirus (COVID-10 Preparedness” that reminds readers “at this time there are no federal restrictions in place to prevent travel within the United States.”
The Sands statement, on Venetian stationery, says that as part of preparedness the resort will have “additional restroom attendants to wipe down counters and stalls with disinfectant and having additional staff to disinfect high touchpoints more regularly including escalator rails, elevator buttons and handrails.”
The Las Vegas Convention Center has also “increased cleaning protocols to include more frequent wiping and disinfecting of touch points.”
Both the Sands and LVCC have announced other precautionary measures, such as additional hand sanitizing stations.


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Closing arguments in Apple-Samsung trial to take place tomorrow; jury deliberations to start Tuesday
Originally, the closing arguments were supposed to have been held today, but as we told you this past weekend, a separate appeals court ruling in a case involving Apple and Motorola had implications for this trial, and forced each side to add another hour each of testimony.
Apple recalled Carnegie Mellon professor Todd Mowry to the stand today, to say that even with a different definition of analyzer server as determined by the appeals court, Samsung still is guilty of infringing on Apple's patents. Samsung had Kevin Jeffay, professor of computer science at the University of North Carolina, testify about his definition of analyzer server. But saying that he never had a firm definition, Judge Koh struck his answer from the record. Jeffay did get to testify that Samsung did not infringe on Apple's patents.
Tomorrow, both sides will wrap things up with their closing arguments and after a longer than normal lunch break (hey, those noontime lines at Chipotle are long!) Judge Koh will read the instructions to the jury at around 1pm PDT. After that, the jury begins its deliberations. Apple is seeking $2.2 billion from Samsung, while in a cross-claim, Samsung is asking for $6 million from Apple.
You can read the entire 53 pages of jury instructions below.
source: Scribd via CNET


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TENAA have just let the specs of the Vivo X6S slip confirming the phone will get a Snapdragon 652 chipset in place of a Mediatek chipset.
The Vivo X6S is a slim 5.2-inch phone similar but with a few updates over the previous Vivo X6 which launched last year. The new phone will measure in at 147.9 x 73.75 x 6.56mm with a 2400mAh battery and on the rear has a fingerprint scanner too.
The 5.2-inch phone uses a FHD 1920 x 1080 resolution display, 4GB RAM and a Snapdragon 652 chipset running at 1.8Ghz. A 13 mega-pixel rear camera and 8 mega-pixel front make up the rest of the hardware.
Gizchina News of the week
Vivo X6S TENAA
The only detail which looks out of pace on the X6S is the use of Android 5.1.1, which would suggest that Vivo’s Funtouch OS isn’t ready for a Marshmallow update just yet?
Vivo will have a few phones on show at the Qualcomm booth at MWC so we will keep an eye out for the new Vivo X6S.


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Key stats on companies that stand out and the ETFs that hold them.
A look at three key funds covering the space.
Vanda Research estimates just $15.46 million in Tuesday's bitcoin ETF debut were from retail.
Uneasy consumers haven’t slowed their spending, but the impact on retail ETFs remains uncertain.
‘SPY’ and ‘QQQ’ dominate net buying, while ultra-short and bond funds rank near the bottom.
A granular look at the differences between two ETFs covering online retail.
Retail versus internet stocks with 3X ETF hot sauce: Who wins?
Building a core satellite ETF portfolio can give investors the best of two worlds.
This triple-header showdown determines which consumer e-commerce ETF shines brightest.


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Jenelle Henry started ballet classes when she was 3. When she was around 10, her teachers said she could begin to train en pointe. This meant she would learn to dance on the tips of her toes.
Jenelle bought a special pair of shoes called point shoes, which are reinforced with glue and paper to protect a dancer’s foot. But there was a problem: The shoes were only available in the traditional color, which is often called ballet pink. It’s a shade of pale pink that resembles a dancer’s skin—if that dancer is white. But Jenelle is African American. She’s a student at Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH), a ballet school and dance company in New York City for dancers of color. Traditional ballet shoes don’t match the skin tone of most DTH dancers. The school asks that dancers color their point shoes to match their skin.
To match her first pair of point shoes to her skin tone, Jenelle used spray paint. It left them looking blotchy. Older dancers at DTH taught her their favorite method: makeup applied with a sponge. The technique is costly and time-consuming, but it does the job. “I’ve used that strategy since I was 11,” Jenelle, now 14, told TIME for Kids. “Later, I started passing it down to younger kids.” The makeup trick is common among dancers of color. That’s because most point shoes are not available in brown or tan. But that’s changing.
Freed of London is one of the world’s largest suppliers of point shoes. In late 2018, the company introduced shoes in two new colors: ballet brown and ballet bronze. The colors are the result of a partnership between Freed and Ballet Black, a British ballet company. Cassa Pancho is Ballet Black’s founder. The shoes, she says, are “another step forward for culturally diverse dancers across the globe.”
In recent years, ballet schools and dance companies have worked to encourage diversity. In 2015, Misty Copeland became the first African-American woman promoted to principal dancer at New York City’s prestigious American Ballet Theater. She is a role model for young dancers around the world, including Jenelle.
Jenelle says ready-made brown ballet shoes could help young dancers of color feel more at home in the ballet world. “It’s very exciting to see this break from generic pink everything,” she says. “I think it will motivate more young kids to join the ballet world.”


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Podle analytiků společnosti Gartner bude v letošním roce využívat mobilních plateb více než 141 milionů lidí na světě, o 38% více než loni. Objem těchto transakcí by měl přitom překročit 86 miliard USD. „Navzdory příznivým podmínkám, které panují v rozvinutých ekonomikách, nerostou mobilní platby takovým tempem, jak se čekalo. Mnozí poskytovatelé budou teprve muset přizpůsobit svoji strategii specifickým požadavkům místního trhu. Úspěšné modely z Keni a Filipín není možné kopírovat jinde,“ říká Sandy Shen, vedoucí výzkumu ve společnosti Gartner. (TZ)
Worldwide mobile payment users will surpass 141.1 million in 2011, a 38.2 per cent increase from 2010, when mobile payment users reached 102.1 million, according to Gartner, Inc. Worldwide mobile payment volume is forecast to total $86.1 billion, up 75.9 per cent from 2010 volume of $48.9 billion.
Despite these strong growth projections, Gartner analysts said the mobile payment market is growing slower than expected.
“In developing markets, despite favourable conditions for mobile payment, growth is not as strong as was anticipated. Many service providers are yet to adapt their strategies to local requirements, and success models from Kenya and the Philippines are unlikely to be translated to other markets,” said Sandy Shen, research director at Gartner. While developing markets have favourable conditions for mobile payments, such as high penetration of mobile devices and low banking penetration, this is no guarantee of success, unless service providers adapt their strategies to local market requirements.”
„In developed markets, companies are trumpeting the prospects of Near Field Communication (NFC) without realising the complexity of the service model. We believe mass market adoption of NFC payments is at least four years away,“ Ms Shen said. „The biggest hurdle is the need to change user behaviour by convincing consumers to pay with mobile phones instead of cash and cards.“
Gartner expects Short Message Service (SMS) and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) to remain the dominant access technologies in developing markets due to the constraints of mobile phones. Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) will remain the preferred mobile access technology in developed markets, where the mobile Internet is commonly available and activated on the phone. Mobile app downloads and mobile commerce are the main drivers of WAP payments, and WAP will account for almost 90 per cent of all mobile transactions in North America and about 70 per cent in Western Europe in 2011.
Money transfers and prepaid top-ups will drive transaction volumes in developing markets. These are seen as the „killer apps“ in developing markets, where people value the convenience of sending money to relatives and topping up mobile accounts. This is most obvious in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, where these two services will account for 54 per cent and 32 per cent of all transactions in 2011.
„Thanks to the success of mobile application stores, such as Apple’s App Store, and the efforts in driving mobile sales by major retailers, such as Amazon and eBay, merchandise purchases far outweigh other use cases in developed markets, which include North America and Western Europe,“ Ms Shen said. „We predict that in 2011, merchandise purchases will account for 90 per cent and 77 per cent of all transactions in North America and Western Europe, respectively.“
Additional information is available in the Gartner report “Market Trends: Mobile Payments Worldwide, 2011.“ The report is available on Gartner’s website at http://www.gartner.com/resId=1714114.
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is a valuable partner to 60,000 clients in 11,500 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 4,500 associates, including 1,250 research analysts and consultants, and clients in 85 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.


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Last week, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Realme confirmed to launch new X series smartphones in India in the upcoming days. Adding to the announcement a new report now suggests that the upcoming Realme X7 series smartphones will launch in India on February 4. The series is said to including the Realme X7 and Realme X7 Pro. Also Read - Top 5 smartphones with great battery life under Rs 20,000 in May 2021: Poco X3, Moto G60 and more
It should be noted that the Chinese smartphone brand is yet to officially confirm the India launch date of the next Realme X series dubbed the Realme X7 series. Also Read - Realme Narzo 30 launch on May 18, specs and more details leaked
The new report comes from Amit Bhawani, a popular tech blogger in the country. Bhawani shared the image of the Realme X7 series India launch invite on Twitter. As per the invite, the company will launch the Realme X7 and Realme X7 Pro in the first week of February. The date is specified as February 4. Also Read - Flipkart Flagship Fest sale: iQOO 3, Moto Razr, iPhone 11 and other deals to consider
What would you name this #realmeX7 colour variant?
— Madhav FutureX (@MadhavSheth1) January 23, 2021
Soon after the report revealed the launch date of the Realme X7, CEO of Realme India Madhav Sheth tweeted a photo showing a colour option of the upcoming Realme X7. The X7 series will be succeeded by the last year’s Realme X3 series.
Realme X7, Realme X7 Pro specifications
Realme recently announced that the company will launch a smartphone with MediaTek Dimensity 1200 processor. Reports now suggest that one of the smartphones in the Realme X7 series will come with MediaTek Dimensity 1200 processor.
To recall, the Realme X7 series has already been launched in China and is available in the company’s home market. As far as the specifications are concerned, the Realme X7 comes with a 6.4-inches screen, MediaTek 800U 5G processor paired with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, 64-megapixel quad rear cameras, 32-megapixel selfie camera, among others.
The Realme X7 Pro comes packed with a 6.55-inch Super AMOLED display, MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ processor, up to 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, 64-megapixel quad rear cameras, 32-megapixel selfie shooter, 4500mAh battery, among others.
The India price of the Realme X7 or the Realme X7 Pro is yet to be announced.