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With the NFL playoffs in full swing, Avocados From Mexico (AFM) is embracing the power of cross marketing to capture the attention of American football fans.
The leading avocado brand has partnered with beer label Bud Lightand hot source brand Cholulato bring back the Guac Nation programme for the second consecutive year.
Guac Nation encourages consumers to take their big game party spreads to the next level by using avocados in different ways. The programme is brought to life through in-store rebates and sweepstakes, branded bins and POS displays.
'Our big game programming is packed with exciting opportunities to merchandise avocados in an effort to drive consumption,' saidStephanie Bazan, vice president – trade and market development at Avocados From Mexico. 'Working with two impactful brands not only offers retailers the opportunity for engaging in-store promotions, but also offers customers a seamless shopping experience for their big game party needs.'
AFM has also integrated MikMak, an enterprise marketing technology platform, to add e-commerce capabilities to all its media. MikMak not only lets consumers buy fresh avocados directly from digital and social media, it also allows AFM to better understand their consumers by connecting digital investments to online retailer insights.
'Following our drive for innovation, and as category leaders, we have become the first fresh produce brand to integrate this technology, making our social ads shoppable,'saidIvonne Kinser, head of digital at Avocados From Mexico.
The Super Bowl, the culmination of the NFL season, is the largest sporting and television event in the US, with 112m people tuning in to watch.An estimated 44m Super Bowl parties were hosted in 2019, according to the US’ National Retail Federation.


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The online action game Stargate Resistance will be shut down in January as a result of the recent expiration of a license to produce video games based on MGM Studios’ sci-fi feature film and television franchise.[Source: GateWorld]
The announcement, dated Nov. 16 on the Dark Comet Games website, immediately ends sales of Resistance to new customers and gives existing customers until Jan. 15 to make use of the game:
Dear Valued Customer, On November 16, 2010, the License Agreement between Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, Inc. and MGM Interactive, Inc. expired. As a result, Cheyenne will no longer be able to offer Stargate Resistance for sale to new customers. However, in the best interests of our customers, game play will be provided for a period of 60 days (until January 15, 2011) to customers who purchased Stargate Resistance prior to November 16, 2010. Look for more information as it becomes available.
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge recently ended a bitter dispute for control of the game, as well as the unfinished online roleplaying game Stargate Worlds, between the bankrupt Mesa-based developer Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment and a group of its former employees and investors doing business as Dark Comet Games. Judge Edward Burke approved a settlement that gave control of the assets to Cheyenne Mountain’s receiver — but MGM terminated the license it granted in 2006 for the Arizona company to produce video games based on the Stargate series.
After years of delays and funding problems with Stargate Worlds, Cheyenne Mountain surprised gamers in February by launching a third-person shooter — Resistance — as an online-only product. But days later, the company sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and Dark Comet emerged with Fresh Start Studios to run the game. Several updates were released before the recent shutdown notice.

domain: news


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Swire sees no respite as retail downturn expected to continue
Retail sales have fallen sharply in the past few weeks due to the financial turmoil and are likely to remain subdued to the end of the year, the head of Swire Pacific's trading operations said.
Swire executive director James Hughes-Hallett said: 'The retail market is pretty awful.
'At our biggest retail operation, Marathon Sports, we are seeing quite a sharp drop in sales for the past four or five weeks.' Speaking at the opening of Taikoo Motors new Volvo showroom in Cheung Sha Wan, Mr Hughes-Hallett said the poor retail conditions were likely to last at least until the end of the year as rising interest rates and the general uncertainty reduced consumer confidence.
'For the remainder of the fourth quarter the retail market in Hong Kong is bound to be bad,' he said.
Swire Pacific handles a wide variety of retail operations in Hong Kong ranging from Marathon Sports and The Athlete's Foot, to its Volvo distributorships.
Mr Hughes-Hallett said the Volvo car business, operated under Taikoo Motors, was likely to be less affected by the turmoil than the sales of lower-end cars.
'I don't see the retail environment having as much impact on Volvo sales as on lower-end cars as we have a very loyal customer base.
'The Volvo owner is not typically the kind of person who borrows heavily to invest in the stock market.' Mr Hughes-Hallett said Taikoo Motors would continue to take a long-term strategy and not seek to lower prices to ease the effect of the retail slump.
He said the Swire Group was also keen to seek further expansion of its car operations, following its purchase from Jebsen & Co earlier this year of the Volvo dealerships in Hong Kong and southern and central China.
The company already owned the distributorships for Volvo cars in Taiwan, which it acquired in 1977, and in northern and eastern China which it bought in 1993.
'We are still very anxious to expand our motor car business and upgrade our facilities. We are confident we can increase Volvo's market share,' Mr Hughes-Hallett said.
He said the group was looking to add another brand to combine with its Volvo distributorships.


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On Friday, as the entire literate world knows, Apple will release the iPhone to much hoopla. And when the mix of the unemployed and the wealthy who could wait in line on a workday to finally get their hands on their $600 box of hype, they’ll find that, for the first time, “iPod” no longer merely refers to their pocket-sized MP3 player, but also to a software program within another device.
This can only be seen as a trend within the technology industry: What were once standalone hardware items are increasingly being ported into simple software emulators–emulators that have the potential to be loaded onto numerous devices.
Examples of this are everywhere. Take ESPN Mobile. Until the MVNO folded, their dozen or so customers shelled out several Benjamins to get a phone with an interface that was in-tune with the latest sports happenings. Today, almost any Verizon customer (at least those toting relatively new phones) can load up V-Cast and download “ESPN Mobile”: a small BREW application that mimics the functionality of what used to be exclusive to a specialized piece of hardware. And while “iPod” the program can currently only be found on one non-iPod piece of hardware: the iPhone. But if Apple felt like it, I’d imagine it would be incredibly easy to port the program to Windows Mobile or Symbian.
Although gadget convergence is nothing new, and non-iPhone mobiles have been playing tunes for awhile, what is interesting is the deterioration of notable and brand-name hardware devices into mere software programs. And since the cost and inventory risk associated with distributing downloadable software is negligible compared to the investment necessary to put a solid gadget on store shelves, this could also spell added life to devices that were commercial failures, but still built up rabid fan bases. This is already evident with video game emulators–even if the market didn’t agree with your TurboGrafx-16 crush, you can still play Bonk on your PC anytime you feel like it. And even if nobody else loved the Gizmondo, wouldn’t it be great to relive its glory years (days?) within the safety of a smartphone?
This hardware emulation has huge implications for the gadgets we’ll be toting in years to come. It’s conceivable that, in a few years, we could be picking up blank-slate gadgets that come with little or no functionality built-in. It will be up to us, the end-user, to pick and choose what we want our gadget to do, and to install hardware emulators accordingly. Want it to play games? Install “PSP.” Looking to dance with some silhouettes? Load up “iPod.”
Seth Porges writes on future technology and its role in personal electronics for his column, The Futurist. It appears every Thursday and an archive of past columns is available here.


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At 9to5google.com, people have noticed the FCC certification of a new Google device. It is highly likely that nothing other than the new Google Glass edition hides behind the codename GG1. Contrary to popular opinion and hopes among “Glass” fans that a consumer launch is being prepared, the signs point to B2B.
From the orbit of Google comes the rumor that people are talking about the “enterprise edition” or “Google Glass EE” in light of the new focus. This is no surprise:
Firstly, one of the biggest hurdles for the data glasses was not technical, but was our way of interacting socially. The suspicion of being filmed has urged some opponents of the glasses to actual attacks. The fact that you can see who has enough money for a Bluetooth toy costing $1500 has also lead to a bad atmosphere in Silicon Valley.
Secondly, the fields of application (and so also potential growth) in B2B are endless. Work processes can be structured in new and more efficient ways. For instance, pickers in logistics centres would have both hands free and no longer need a hand scanner if they worked with Google Glass. Gartner called “Pick by Vision” one of the then most important strategic IT technologies in the years to come.
According to this source, Glass Enterprise should be introduced at the end of the year. Thanks to technology from Jena, will the glasses soon be viable without a projector infront of the lenses?


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(PRWEB) December 7, 2004
Canadian inventor Norm Price, is on a crusade to keep recycling bottle caps from bars, pubs, retaurants, trade shows and so on. His mission to create a cleaner environment and create employment for college students. Hoping to create over 100,000 jobs within the next twelve months.
In existance since 1891, the bottle cap is made of metal. A recycled product, taking years to decompose. Norm Price makes functional bottle cap fishing lures with these recycled bottle caps. Andy Vander Ploeg, 3 time Canadian National Sport fishing Champion endorses this product. Vander Ploeg presently working to make it 4 years in a row using the bottle cap lure. Some beverages companies have sent Price letters, faxes and e-mails stating to no longer use their trademarks, calling it a Cease and Desist letter. Who's bottle cap are they?
"Once a product is sold it is no longer a claim to the beverage industry but to the consumer".
Price has recycled caps coming in Canada coast to coast and for the moment a few states in the U.S. The U.K is looking to take part in this also. Price says, " Governments, public affairs, beverage industries have ignored this issue for too long."
In order to keep his crusade known, Price has put together "The Battle of the Brands" fishing contest. Where any brand could be a winner! The Original Bottle Cap Lure Company is in need of the media to make this known to the world. Together we can create a cleaner environment.
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Starry Night Capital, a fund backed by bankrupt crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital, had its non-fungible tokens (NFT) moved to smart contract wallet Gnosis Safe, according to Nansen.ai.
Starry Night was set up by the doomed Singapore-based firm in August 2021 to act as an investment arm for digital collectibles following the early NFT boom. The fund partnered with well-known NFT collector Vincent Van Dough to assemble "the world’s finest collection of CryptoArt," according to its now-defunct Twitter account. The fund's website has also since been pulled.
CoinDesk reported last year that Three Arrows' NFT wallets initially swooped up assets from popular collections like CryptoPunks and invested in multimillion-dollar artworks from artists including Dmitri Cherniak, with the goal of raising $100 million. In addition, the firm planned to launch an NFT educational portal and physical gallery.
Ultimately, Starry Night Capital moved its entire collection of 70 works onto NFT marketplace SuperRare, according to CoinMetrics researcher Kyle Waters, ahead of its June 2022 liquidation order. At the time, it was estimated to have spent more than $21 million building the collection.
According to Nansen.ai, NFTs previously collected by Starry Night have since been moved to a Gnosis Safe address, including a Pepe the Frog NFT Genesis, which sold in October 2021 for about $3.5 million; a Fidenza, which sold for about $1.1 million in November 2021; and several CryptoArt NFTs by XCOPY that sold at multiple points last year for around $5.5 million, among others.
The shifting of these assets into a Gnosis Safe is significant, given that the smart contract digital asset management platform requires multiple signatures to move assets – meaning, multiple team members need to approve each transaction in order for it to be executed. This method is helpful for companies that may have multiple owners of a digital portfolio and prevents any single party from running off with the funds inside.
Fumio Kishida, the prime minister of Japan since 2021, has said the government will be making efforts to promote Web3 services, including those dealing with nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, and the Metave...
Non-fungible tokens (NFT) have finally arrived on Instagram after parent company Meta announced Thursday the long-awaited arrival of its digital collectible feature to its millions of users in the U.S...
The Walt Disney Company could be on the verge of expanding into the crypto space after posting a new job for an “experienced corporate attorney” to work on “emerging technologies&rdq...


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This past Wednesday, Activision Blizzard Inc. reported better-than-expected financial results for the first quarter ended March 31. For the quarter, Activision Blizzard’s GAAP net revenues were $1.28 billion, as compared with $1.11 billion for the first quarter of the prior year. On a non-GAAP basis, the company’s net revenues were $703 million, as compared with $772 million for the first quarter of the previous year. For the first quarter, GAAP net revenues from digital channels were a record $581 million and represented a first-quarter record 45 percent of the company’s total revenues. On a non-GAAP basis, net revenues from digital channels were a first-quarter record $538 million and represented a record 76 percent of total revenues.
Skylanders Trap Team is showing the Easter spirit with three limited edition toys: Eggsellent Weeruptor, Power Punch Jet-Vac, and a Bunny Earth Trap. Weeruptor and Jet-Vac are Minis characters made specifically for Easter, featuring pastel colors and an egg-shaped package. The Bunny Earth Trap, meanwhile, has a bunny-themed design.
Activision Publishing is bringing several special editions to the Skylanders Trap Team roster, including a new holiday-themed characters and springtime toys. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Love Potion Pop Fizz, a wild-and-crazy potion-brewing hero from Skylands, is now available and features a limited edition design both in-game and on the toy. [Read more...]
Activision Publishing Inc. has delivered the top two selling console retail releases of the year the U.S., as well as the No. 1 kids video game franchise of 2014, based on retail sell-through, according to the NPD Group.
In only its first month of release, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is already the top-selling console game of the year through November in the U.S. overall, as well as individually on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and PlayStation3. Call of Duty games continue to lead November console game sales for 6th consecutive year. [Read more...]
On Saturday, kids product luminaries such as Eruptor from Activision’s Skylanders, Mattel’s Thomas the Tank Engine, the Red Mighty Morphin Power Ranger, and Pokemon International’s Pikachu crossed paths—though not literally—at Macy’s BalloonFest in Queens, N.Y. The event, which took place at Citi Field, featured a test flight of the newest giant character balloons that will premiere at the 88th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
A total of six new character balloons took flight for the first time, directed by Macy’s flight management team and handled by hundreds of volunteers. The newest balloons include Thomas the Tank Engine, the largest and heaviest balloon ever to be featured in the parade; the Weinstein Company’s Paddington, which at 77.5 feet is the longest balloon to date; and Eruptor, which features a paint job requiring more than 40 gallons of fluorescent paint and five barrels of glitter.
Activision‘s Skylanders franchise, best-known for bringing physical toys to life, will take flight in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time. Fan-favorite Skylanders character Eruptor will join the collection of balloons at the parade. Eruptor hails from deep in the underground of a floating volcanic island that laughed his entire civilization to the surface after a massive eruption. He is known for being quite the hot head—steaming, fuming, and (literally) erupting over almost anything.
To re-create Eruptor’s smoldering physique, artists used more than 40 gallons of florescent paint and five barrels of glitter. You and your little Skylanders fan can catch the broadcast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day in all time zones on NBC. [Read more...]
It’s official: Smart toys are taking over the toy space.
Gone are the days in which kids are content with traditional methods of play. Books, activities, and games are all available for kids on mobile devices, and they expect their toys to be no different. But although the mediums that kids are interacting with daily are changing, the one thing that won’t ever change is that kids love play.
Smart toys integrate physical toys and technology—essentially giving digital life to toys. Manufacturers are starting to realize the added value in these products and how wildly popular they can be. More than 72 million kids say they want smart toys, according to market research firm Interpret in a GameByte study.
In addition, kids are using mobile devices more than ever before. Seventy-one percent of households with a child age 4 to 14 reported owning a smartphone in 2014, already up from 55 percent in 2012, according to The NPD Group. Also, kids who own tablets doubled from 2012 to 2014, growing from 21 percent to 43 percent, respectively. [Read more...]
Since the 1980s, Nintendo has always seemed to be the “family-friendly” choice in video games. With wholesome characters such as Mario and Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, and Toad, and bad guys that make you laugh more often than they scare you (except for Bowser in the original Super Mario Bros. game on NES—he was straight up scary), Nintendo has always given off a welcoming, family-friendly vibe, with games available for kids of all ages, and systems and controllers that are intuitive rather than intimidating.
Despite knowing this—and being a Nintendo fan my whole life—it still caught me a bit off-guard when Nintendo announced that it would be launching amiibo, which are action-figures designed to connect and interact with compatible games. “By holding the amiibo over your Wii U GamePad, you’ll open up new experiences within each corresponding game,” reads the Nintendo website. [Read more...]
Penguin, which also owns the rights to the Skylanders Universe books, acquired the rights from brand owners Activision. It has appointed Immediate Media to produce the content and distribute the magazine in the UK.


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That is a soundbite mediabistro.com community manager Seamus Condron may enjoy. It comes from Altimeter Group Partner, Customer Strategy Jeremiah Owyang.
Owyang told a packed crowd at the South by Southwest conference today that “social media doesn’t scale” and that the way to make it scale is to integrate social into customer relationship management, or CRM software, such as Salesforce.com.
Altimeter Group consults to long list of PR and marketing firms.
“You’ll never be able to respond fast enough,” said Owyang, in regards to people who like to “scream” their complaints on Twitter. Also worth noting: Altimeter recently released a free research report titled, “Social CRM: The New Rules of Relationship Management.”


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Business Events Perth has unveiled a suite of digital tours of the conference venues available in Western Australia.
The new 3D digital, self-guided tours can be viewed on any device, providing a fully immersive experience of venues such as Crown Perth, the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, and Optus Stadium. The virtual tours include capacity charts and a measuring tool for ceiling heights, walls and distances between objects.
Viewers can also view the full scope of the property as a virtual âdollhouseâ model. Supported by Business Events Australiaâs Boost Program, 15 3D tours of Perth venues are currently available, with more planned to be released later this year.
The venue tours can be found on Business Events Perthâs new website, which is filled with destination marketing content, delegate boosting assets and an upgraded venues and services search.
Business Events Perth chief executive Gareth Martin said this was a strategic investment by the convention bureau in its work to secure national and international business events for Western Australia.
âHaving a strong digital presence has never been more important to showcase everything Western Australia has to offer, and weâre thrilled to be launching our new 3D tours of major Perth venues, to further drive interest in Western Australia as a premium destination for business events,â Martin said.
The new 3D tours are a continuation of Business Events Perthâs digital marketing activities, which has so far seen the creation of the Interactive Business Event Planner, and launch of BE Perthâs new website.
Since June 30 last year, Business Events Perth has confirmed more than 60 national and international business events for Western Australia, and has supported more than 175 intrastate business events, bringing together over 80,000 delegates to meet face-to-face.


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Tamkeen backs 32 firms at Bahrain Boat Show
Manama, March 27, 2013
Bahrain's labour fund Tamkeen said it is supporting 32 enterprises through its “Tarweej”scheme to take part in the upcoming Bahrain Boat Show International (BBSI) event.
Bahrain's labour fund Tamkeen is supporting 32 enterprises through “Tarweej”, one of the schemes under its flagship Enterprise Development Support Programme, to participate in the Bahrain Boat Show International (BBSI) event.
The event is being organised by Knotika Boat Shows, a regional exhibition company based in Bahrain, and will take place at Amwaj Marina from March 28 to 30 between 3 pm and 10 pm.
The number of participants and the amount of support provided by Tamkeen has increased from last year’s show where it backed 28 exhibitors, compared to this year’s 32, said a senior official.
"We are fully committed to developing businesses through high-value opportunities. The Bahrain Boat Show event is considered one of those opportunities, providing marine businesses with a strong platform to showcase their products and expand their customer base," remarked Mohammed Bucheeri, the senior manager for private sector support at Tamkeen.
The “Tarweej” scheme is designed to support the development and sustainability of enterprises in Bahrain by expanding the outreach of their products and services through local, regional, and international exhibitions.
Since its launch, Tamkeen had provided around BD4.5 million of support to 1,700 businesses to participate in over 350 exhibitions and events. All eligible enterprises in Bahrain may benefit from the scheme, but need to apply one month in advance of the desired event.-TradeArabia News Service
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("SKF: Net Profit Declines, Sees Slightly Lower Demand In First Quarter," at 1155 GMT, misstated the comparative period for operating profit in the seventh paragraph. The correct version follows:)
STOCKHOLM (MarketWatch) -- Swedish ball bearing maker SKF AB (SKF-B.SK) Thursday posted a decline in fourth-quarter net profit to SEK1.17 billion compared with SEK1.31 billion in the same quarter a year earlier and said it expects demand for its services and products to be slightly weaker in the first quarter of 2012 compared with the same period in 2011.
-"In the fourth quarter overall demand softened as expected but with a somewhat better demand in USA and weaker in Asia. As planned we ran our production lower than sales to reduce inventories and this had the expected impact on our results," said Tom Johnstone, Chief executive of SKF.
-The demand for SKF's products and services is expected to be relatively unchanged in the first quarter compared with the fourth quarter 2011. It is expected to be slightly lower for Europe, relatively unchanged for Asia and Latin America, and higher for North America.
-The demand is expected to be relatively unchanged for all divisions.
-The company said manufacturing level is expected to be significantly lower year on year and relatively unchanged compared to the fourth quarter.
-Net sales came in at SEK16.26 billion, up from SEK15.41 billion the same period last year.
-Operating profit was SEK2.0 billion, down from SEK2.2 billion in the fourth quarter 2010.
-Based on the strong performance, cash generation capacity and outlook, the company has decided to propose an increase in dividend of 10%, giving a dividend of SEK5.50, up from SEK5.00 per share.
-At 1135 GMT shares traded up 0.4% at SEK158.70.


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SlotsMillion Casino Ups the Ante with Weekend Cashouts for Players Just In Time for Christmas HolidaysPublished December 18, 2019 by Brett C
SlotsMillion Casino, a popular online casino owned and operated by ALEA Ltd of Malta, has just greenlighted ‘Weekend Cashouts’ for registered players. Starting on Saturday December 14, 2019 players will be able to cashout their winnings over weekends.
Weekend Cashouts JIT for the Holidays
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This casino is fully licensed and regulated by the MGA (Malta Gaming Authority) to offer real-money gambling to legal-age players. SlotsMillion Casino is independently tested and validated by multiple authorities including TST, GLI, BMM Test Labs, and iTech Labs technical testing. Players have a wide range of reputable payment processing options to choose from for their weekend cashouts, including wire transfer, ecoPayz, MasterCard, Visa, Skrill, NETELLER, and PaySafeCard.


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All Star Tower Defense Gems Roblox Corporation announced that it has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with the intent of going public with its common stocks. The news follows speculation at the start of October that the company was gearing up to take the plunge into the U.S. stock market. According to reports the listing could accompany a doubling of Roblox Corporation’s $4 billion valuation.
The company didn’t disclose its financial information and how many shares would be offered. Roblox most recently was privately valued at $4 billion in late February after venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz led a $150 million Series G funding round.
And yet even if Roblox is more profitable than any of these other tech companies it does not necessarily mean that you should buy the Roblox IPO.
The company has not detailed the number of shares it plans to offer and furthermore notes in standard legalese that their timely debut is “subject to market and other conditions.” After a slow 2019 for tech IPOs the rebound of public markets in mid-pandemic 2020 has provided an awfully wide window for tech startups reaching for their debuts.
Chan said that Roblox has been enjoying a period of substantial growth thanks in no small part to the COVID-19 pandemic which has had a marked impact on the games industry at large. According to Chan’s data July saw the highest number of single-month downloads at 15 million worldwide a 67% increase when compared to July 2019.
It’s the latest tech file to go public in a busy season for market debuts. It follows GoodRx Snowflake All Star Tower Defense Gems for Sale Palantir and Unity among others. Airbnb and lending start-up Affirm also are preparing for a public debut.
Z2U.com is the best place for purchasing Roblox All Star Tower Defense Gems special price 100% safe no hack no cheats will happen real sellers real stocks! Shop now!


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Saturday saw the offical ribbon cut on the new Dawson Creek Bannister Ford location on the Alaska Highway.
Owners of Browns’ Chevrolet Buick, GMC, the Bannister Group, made moves to acquire Capital Motors in DC, with the switch official on paper May 1.
“It went pretty well. We could always have more people but it was a good day,” said general sales manager Ralph Beck. This is the first Ford dealership for the Bannister Group, who has two Honda and seven GM dealers on their roster.
“I think this is an exciting time for the community,” said Wayne McIntyre, who joined Bannister earlier this year.
“You’ll continue to see the same smiling faces at the dealership. You can also expect the same great service. You’ll also notice though some other changes in the way we do business that I believe our customers are really going to like,” said McIntyre. “This is the tenth store in the Bannister group.”


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Dixons on the slide
Retail giant Dixons Group has unveiled a 14% jump in underlying first half profits but warned that the ongoing discounting war on the high street was beginning to taking its toll. The warning came as Britain's biggest electronics retailer also announced plans to return £121 million in cash to its shareholders.
Dixons finance director Ian Livingston said while sales of widescreen TVs, mobile phones and digital camcorders were strong, the group had been forced to slash price tags on games consoles and VCRs as the discounting war heated up. As a result, profit margins at the group's retail outlets - Dixons, Currys, PC World and The Link - were coming under pressure.
Mr Livingston said the trend had continued over Christmas despite sales across the group rising by 15% in total and 5.5% on a like-for-like basis, stripping out transactions made in new stores, in the eight weeks to January 8. 'We did see a further reduction in gross margins at Christmas,' he said.
The group's woes over margins sent Dixons shares sliding by 15% in early trading and prompted many stockbrokers to downgrade their profit forecasts. Head of research at NatWest Stockbrokers, Jeremy Batstone, said analysts had been surprised by Dixons' warning as the group had given the impression at its AGM in September that the pressures were under control. 'We felt that in the two months before Christmas, given the heightened profit of the Internet coupled with strong evidence of consumer spending, that the gross margins would have come back under control,' he said.
Dixons reported that its profits before tax, exceptional items and losses from its internet business Freeserve rose to £92.5 million in the 28 weeks to November 13, up from £81.4 million last year. Total sales across the group increased to £1.7 billion from £1.4 billion.
Like-for-like sales at the group's Dixons electronics stores rose 7% during the period, despite a 25% plunge in the games console market. Comparative sales at Currys, which sells domestic appliances, rose 4% while PC World saw an 8% rise and The Link mobile phone chain a 43% jump.
Dixons said it would return £121 million - or 25p a share - to its investors as part of a major corporate restructure. The group said it had raised £262 million between 1996 and 1999 and now wanted to return some of that cash to shareholders. The restructuring will include separate holding companies being set up for Dixons and Freeserve.
Dixons is also planning to spend more than £30 million developing its e-commerce service during the next two years so consumers can use a 'seamless' service to purchase goods. Investors will receive an interim dividend of 4.2p - a 20% rise on last year's 3.5p payout.
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China’s rapid ad spend growth – what you need to know
China is the place to be when it comes to advertising. Despite reports of an overall economic slowdown, China’s digital ad spend continues to gain momentum coming off a year of extreme growth ($27 billion). Many have taken note of China’s success and tried to predict how this will impact the future of mobile ad spend on a global level. Some even argue that China will overtake the US as the highest spending advertising market in the next few years. It’s easy to agree when taking a deeper look at the growth rates of the Chinese and U.S. markets. Up until 2015, the amount spent on ad space in the U.S. remained steady, while China grew three and a half times over this period.
Here’s a bit of insight into what makes the Chinese mobile advertising market tick.
Can traditional media compete with mobile?
Long gone are the days when traditional media was the preference among consumers. Internationally, ad dollars are being taken away from television, radio and print and channeled into digital and mobile. To put it in perspective, five years ago the internet accounted for only 15 percent of China’s total ad spend. This year it’s expected to take 50 percent. What makes the ad space in China so successful is companies’ ability to act quickly and capitalize on the popularity of smartphones. Research firm, Warc discovered that China was the first market where mobile was the biggest slice of overall ad spend. And mobile’s popularity is not slowing down anytime soon. eMarketer recently released a report predicting that total mobile ad spending in China will annually grow by at least 20 percent each year through 2019.
Which app categories reign supreme?
When decoding China’s mobile market, it’s easy to see that companies are putting their energy and pocketbooks into the utilities and gaming categories. In an attempt to hook users on a global level, China is focusing on keyboard apps, memory and battery optimizers, and Android launchers. It’s a wise strategy considering that utility apps account for nine of the top 25 mobile apps in the U.S. by unique visitors and 60 percent of mobile ad spending worldwide. Mobile games on the other hand are not only the most popular app category in the world, but are also considered the most profitable app category in the U.S. We can expect to see the Chinese market continue to tap into this sector in the coming years.


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ATLANTA, June 22, 2021 / PRNewswire / – KyckGlobal Inc., a digital payments company that offers a wide range of payment types and support services from a single point of reconciliation, has announced a new partnership with ABCoA Deal Pack, a leading software company for used car dealerships and subprime lending. financial companies. Through the partnership, KyckGlobal will expand ABCoA’s ability to accept cash payments for auto loans to over 35,000 endpoints worldwide. United States…
KyckGlobal provides a cloud-based payment system with a growing set of high-value endpoints for payment recipients to choose from. All types of payments originate from a single point of financing and reconciliation, which ensures a consistent interaction with the recipient, regardless of the type of payment. Cash Acceptance is one of the many support services provided by KyckGlobal, in which a consumer who wishes to pay for a business in cash can opt out of payment across a wide national network with convenient endpoint locations within the country.
Founded in 1983, ABCoA has created a technology ecosystem dedicated to handling all aspects of the used car industry and sub-prime finance. KyckGlobal Cash Acceptance Service enhances ABCoA’s payment processing capabilities, enhancing the convenience for end users. Borrowers can now make cash payments on their car loans at high traffic endpoints including Walmart, Kroger, Fred Meyer, CVS Pharmacy, Ace Cash Express and others.
“Through our partnership with KyckGlobal, our cash collection endpoints have instantly expanded to over 80,000 locations worldwide. United States… “Said the president of ABCoA Jonathan Hedy… “We believe these partnerships with customers in all states complement Deal Pack’s multichannel payment processing services — digital, physical and contactless — ultimately improving collection and customer loyalty.”
“Millions of US consumers simply choose to pay in cash,” he said. Ashish Bahl, founder and CEO of KyckGlobal. “With this exciting new partnership, ABCoA and its customers will be able to connect deeper to this client pool and achieve important market differentiation.”
About KyckGlobal, Inc.
KyckGlobal delivers optimized outbound B: C payments to accelerate your business using a cloud-based platform with a growing set of today’s most popular payment types from a single point of reference. By empowering payers to make one-time and recurring payments from one integrated platform, KyckGlobal is helping transform the way businesses do business across key verticals of specialized consumer finance, marketplaces and staffing, demands and appeasement, and multi-level marketing, among others. … Visit www.kyckglobal.com as well as @KyckGlobal…
About ABCoA, Inc.
America’s cutting-edge business computers, Inc. (ABCoA) develops and supports end-to-end software solutions for the sub-standard automotive and finance industries. Since 1983, Advanced Business Computers of America has helped auto dealers and finance companies eliminate duplication, stay compliant, and succeed with reliable, versatile software and white glove service and support. Deal Pack® is a dealer and finance company management software product owned by the privately held Advanced Business Computers of America (ABCoA). Floridabased on the company. For more information on ABCoA’s package of deals visit www.abcoa.com or call 800.536.5832.


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By Jonathan Easton
Combat sports streaming platform FITE has announced a partnership with Dooya Media to launch its first FAST channel.
FITE will use Dooya’s FASTCast process to provide cable-quality distribution and monetization to traditional cable operators as well as OTT platforms and connected televisions.
The new FAST channel FITE 24/7 will be available at launch on LG Marketplace, Local Now, RAD!, Sports.TV, Viva Live TV, Select TV, Zingo, Giniko USA, Glewed, KlowdTV, and TeleUp.
In addition, the channel will come to Dooya’s 40+ OTT platform partners, including all the majors – The Roku Channel, Samsung, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Redbox, PLEX, Vix and Univision’s PrendeTV – as well as leading AVOD OTT scheduled streaming channel platforms such as XUMO, LG, and numerous SVOD players.
FITE 24/7 will carry programming including press conferences, weigh-ins, and preliminary matches associated with PPV events including Triller Fight Club and Triad Combat.
FITE’s VP of distribution, Louis Lewow said: “We have the greatest fans in the world. This new channel with Dooya is our way of bringing more people into the FITE family by showing them what we have to offer – and at the same time showing our content is monetizable in linear formats and creating an even bigger audience for the amazing content our partner promoters and athletes produce every week.”
Dooya CEO John T. Wells said: “FITE’s content is timely and thrilling, and it carries with it a ferociously engaged fan base. These elements are a winning combination in OTT, where we can be nimble in programming and advertising, responding quickly to trends in viewers’ interest and in the marketplace overall. We’re extremely excited to jump in the ring with FITE.”


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News Get ready for a "classic Elder Scrolls" experience with the year-long Legacy of the Bretons story
Feature Creative director Rich Lambert says ZeniMax Online worked "super closely" with Bethesda Game Studios on The Elder Scrolls Online's next year-long story, Legacy of the Bretons
News For the first time, ESO players will be able to buy loot box items without spending real money
News ZeniMax Online Studios director Matt Firor says "ESO will continue to be supported exactly as it was"
Retrospective Back in 2002, bringing The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind to Xbox was a risk, but one that blazed the trail for modern console RPGs


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Apple devices track your heart rate, your steps, and how hard you work out. In some cases, users said they saved their lives. Now Apple wants to make sure you don’t skip your medications.
Last Monday, during the Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple detailed several software updates coming this fall changing how you use an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and MacBook.
While many of those features will help Apple device owners stay organized and in touch, the tech giant is also looking at new ways to get users thinking about their health.
“We were working on the (Apple) Watch and realized the watch was with you all the time, and thought there’s a real opportunity and maybe even a moral responsibility to help people on their journey on health,” said Apple chief operating officer Jeff Williams during an interview with USA TODAY. “We continue to pull on those threads and are doing more and more in the area of empowering people with information and helping them live a healthier life.”
The software updates for Apple devices will be available in public beta next month before releasing globally in the fall. WatchOS 9 will work on all Apple Watches dating back to the Series 4, while iOS 16 is eligible on all iPhones going back to iPhone 8.
Here’s a look at some of the new health features coming this fall.
Messaging apps:Why haven’t iPhone, Android evolved to make it easier to talk to each other?
Apple MacBooks:New M2 MacBooks signal Apple is moving full-steam ahead with its computers
An app for medications
Available on both WatchOS 9 for Apple Watch and iOS 16 on the iPhone, Medications allows users to maintain a list of the medications they take.
Users can snap photos of their medication using the iPhone camera, which captures the name, strength and form and automatically adds it to the app. From there, users add details such as dosage, timing and pill shape.
iPhone and watch owners can also set schedules and reminders to remember to take medications, as well as study any potentially harmful interactions.
“It’s often hard to remember when to take your medications,” said Sumbul Desai, Apple’s vice president of health. “Sometimes it’s even really difficult about knowing what to take medications for and, in particular, what they may be interacting with that you may already be taking.”
Atrial fibrillation history
Among heart health notifications users receive on their Apple Watch are alerts for an irregular rhythm, which may suggest atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that can potentially lead to conditions like stroke or heart failure.
Users will soon have the option to track their “Afib history” to identify how often it happens or spot lifestyle factors that may influence how often their heart is in atrial fibrillation.
Tracking stages of sleep
The Sleep app, which currently just tracks how many hours you slept, will soon provide more detail about how much time you spent in different stages of sleep. On both iPhone and Apple Watch, you can track time spent in REM, Core and Deep sleep. On the iPhone app, users can also check their sleep patterns over time.
Of course, other apps and fitness trackers have been doing this for a while. Williams said Apple had one of the largest sleep studies and data backed by polysomnography, a test used to study sleep, to help make sure sleep stages is precise.
“We aren’t the first ones to deliver sleep stages, but we’re really proud of how we are doing sleep stages,” Williams said.
New ways to track your workout
Fitness buffs who love to run will find new ways to track workouts. Not only will users gain access to more detailed summaries of workouts but can discover new ways to measure how they run, including the length of their strides and how much power they use when running. Users can also review heart rate zones to quickly view how hard they’re working out.
Jay Blahnik, Apple’s vice president of fitness, said the Apple Watch can help accurately estimate the right heart rate zones based on age and the resting heart rate calculated by the device.
“A lot of people set up their zones, they do the calculations manually, and then they sort of leave those zones the same as they were right from the very beginning,” he said. “Doing this with Apple Watch, they will constantly update every month.”
Also available: multisport workouts for triathletes, enhancements for swimming workouts, and customized workouts.
Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.


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The company is using its global supply chain to airfreight 25 tonnes of medical-grade personal protective equipment at a cost of £2 million. This includes 150,000 face masks, 950,000 surgical gloves and 24,000 gowns.
A 49-carat diamond which analysts estimate to be worth up to $12 million was among over a dozen jewel-encrusted items snatched from a German state museum in a spectacular heist, the museum confirmed Wednesday.
Lewis Hamilton's latest endorsement deal is with De Rigo’s Police brand and has resulted in a Police x Lewis Hamilton 10-style eyewear collection designed by the five-time F1 World Champion. It debuts at the weekend.
The renowned photographer will hold an exhibition of his favourite works in Milan from Oct.18, 2019, to Feb. 24, 2020. Entitled "From Portraiture to Fashion," it will be staged at the 29 Arts in Progress gallery.
Khalid al Qasimi, a crown prince from the United Arab Emirates and a fashion designer, has died at his home in London aged 39. His fashion brand Qasimi has shown at London Fashion Week Men’s and Paris Fashion Week Men’s.


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Capcom is bringing back Phoenix Wright for Ace Attorney 5 on Nintendo's 3DS handheld, the latest issue of Famitsu confirms (via Andriasang). Wright will be joined in the new game by his new partner, "a mysterious girl who wears yellow." The story picks up one year after the events of Ace Attorney 4, with an explosion rocking the courthouse in the first chapter.
It's not clear what Capcom's release plan is for Ace Attorney 5 -- I'd put the smart money on an eventual U.S. release -- but we'll be learning more soon. Tokyo Game Show attendees can look forward to a 15-minute playable demo on the show floor as well as a proper introduction for Wright's new partner. We'll hopefully hear some more about Capcom is looking to put this game out as well.
What we do know is that longtime series writer/director Shu Takumi isn't heavily involved with this one, as he's busy working on Professor Layton Vs. Ace Attorney, which is due for a 2012 release in Japan.


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In Pictures: Dubai launches Mohammed Bin Rashid City District One project
Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has inaugurated District One of the Mohammed Bin Rashid City development. The mega-development will features business parks, residential villa communities, schools, hospitals and business towers along with luxury waterfront developments and shopping destinations.
Mohammed Bin Rashid City District One is a new freehold development of 1500 villas across more than 1030 acres making it one of the world's lowest density residential developments.
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Yahoo Maktoob News | Photo by meydansobha.com
Wed, Jan 29, 2014 10:00 AM AST (Arabian)


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Norway’s capital has once again won the dubious distinction of being the world’s most expensive city in which to live, but Oslo residents don’t have the highest degree of purchasing power. Pay levels in Oslo ranked fourth highest.
Residents of Zurich grabbed the top spot for purchasing power, according to the study conducted by Swiss bank USB. “A worker in Zurich can buy an iPhone after working for 22 hours,” wrote USB in its report. “In Manila, it takes around 20 hours more.”
Geneva and Copenhagen followed in the rankings of purchasing power, with Oslo fourth. The three cities with the highest average prices were Oslo, Zurich and Tokyo.


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Northwest Hardwoods Halting Operations in Mount Vernon, WA & Maury River, VA
Northwest Hardwoods, the largest North American hardwood supplier, has announced that effective November 20, 2019 they are halting operations at two of their 28 locations. Approximately 100 employees will be indefinitely laid off at the Mount Vernon, Washington and Maury River, Virginia locations. The announcement is painful for many members of our extended community.
This difficult decision was made after exploring all other options and as prospects dimmed for a quick resolution to the U.S. and China trade dispute. As the industry leader, Northwest Hardwoods is better positioned than most to withstand an extended U.S.-China trade dispute. While today’s announcement is painful, it is a necessary step to maintain the long-term financial health of our company.
Across our industry, the trade dispute has drastically decreased demand for U.S. produced hardwood. As China looks to other countries with less regulated and sustainable hardwood supplies to meet market demand, supply chains may be permanently disrupted.
We’re hopeful that a fair and equitable resolution to the current dispute can be reached before further systemic issues arise.
Source: Northwest Hardwoods, Inc.


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Dan Del Grande has two years to transition from 95-percent organic ingredients in his beers to a clean 100. It’s not as easy as it sounds. When Del Grande bought Bison Brewing Company (2030 Fifth St., Berkeley) in 1997, such a goal hadn’t yet crossed his mind. It wasn’t until 2001, he said, that he even began organic brewing, encouraged to do so as organic German hops began to appear in the United States. “And by 2003,” Del Grande recalls, “I could make pretty much any beer I wanted with organic ingredients.”
Today he brews a line of nearly a dozen beers, all stamped with the USDA Organic seal. This badge of honor decrees that a product is made with 95-percent organic ingredients by weight. In beer, the ingredients (excluding water) are so dominated by malt that, to achieve the required threshold, a brewer may altogether disregard using organic hops — which usually constitute just two or three percent of a beer’s ingredient mass.
But the current five-percent allowance will terminate on January 1, 2013, after which all organic beers will be required to contain only organic hops. For brewers, this could mean trouble, as the supply of organic hops may not meet the rise in demand that’s expected to occur. If a 100-percent organic ingredient requirement were to be implemented today, there would not be enough organic hops to go around. Whether that will change in two years is uncertain. Only five of thirty common hop varieties are available organically, according to Del Grande, and in Washington’s Yakima Valley, just one-third of one percent of the region’s hop acreage — 30,000 acres in all — are organic, he said. Moreover, organic produce must be grown on land that has been farmed organically for at least three years, and if hop growers are to convert to organic to supply the needs of organic craft brewers, they have less than two years to make the switch — meaning that for at least a year while their growers transition, some brewers may have to temporarily drop their organic status. Del Grande intends to keep his, and is now developing an online forum (he’s calling it a “hopoperative”) where brewers and growers can form a clear line of communication and assure consistent availability of organic hops.
Bison Brewing’s year-round staple brews include a chocolate stout, IPA, Belgian ale, and barleywine. They’ve all survived the test of time, but Del Grande concedes that organic beer is not about enhanced flavors or consumer health — as it may be in, say, organic strawberries. Rather, organic brewing is about farming sustainably, protecting the environment, and ensuring stable soils and clean rivers. It’s also, unfortunately, going to mean a fight for ingredients. Come 2013, we’ll see which brewers get their hops.


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In the second of our three-part analyst series on what to expect from the major consoles and their publishing platforms, DFC Intelligence and IHS Markit give us some perspective on what's to come for Xbox and Microsoft in 2019.
In the first of our three-part analyst series on what to expect from the major consoles and their publishing platforms, DFC Intelligence, IHS Markit, and Kantan Games give us some perspective on 2019's potential roadmap for Sony and PlayStation.
Only behind the Wii and PS2 in lifetime sales number, the PS4 had a strong Christmas, but is still being outpaced by the Switch.
New president makes small overtures towards the possibility of it happening, but don't expect Nintendo to make good on that anytime soon.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's 3 million unit success in North America keeps momentum up for the system heading into 2019.
The HTC Vive Focus is launching worldwide, and the device may have an indirectly positive effect on gaming's VR developers, designers, and players.
'Realistically, we are going to wind up competing with the Nintendo Switch,' John Carmack said in a keynote address this week.
Consumers can get an Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass, and Xbox Live membership at a discounted monthly rate for no upfront cost. Yes, the deal is that good.
One monthly fee would give you an Xbox One, Game Pass, and Xbox Live... but the numbers aren't adding up. (Yet.)
Blade's cloud gaming service, Shadow, encapsulates what makes cloud technology one of the most exciting sectors in high-tech.


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WESTFIELD CENTURY CITY MALL GOES DELUXE WITH $1-BILLION MAKEOVER
Westfield Century City marked a significant first milestone with the debut this year of many public areas and beautifully landscaped open-air plazas alongside a number of new shops and restaurants. “There is no doubt that Westfield Century City will be a destination unlike anything else in Los Angeles,” said William Hecht, Westfield’s Chief Operating Officer in the United States. “We’re tremendously excited to welcome guests for a first look at the new centre as we work towards our grand opening this Fall.” The new Westfield Century City – designed by Westfield’s own in-house studio in collaboration with LA based designer Kelly Wearstler – will encompass acres of open space and courtyards, with design and décor inspired by Southern California’s outdoor lifestyle and a thoughtful approach to luxury living.
The centre opened 25 stores, including the new 156,000 square foot Macy’s as well as Aritzia, Bailey 44, Kids Atelier, Cole Haan, Cotton On, Everything But Water, Kendra Scott, MAC Cosmetics, Oak + Fort, Origins, Steve Madden, Swarovski, Ted Baker London and Travis Mathew. Shops and restaurants opening throughout the weeks and months ahead will be Bonobos, Current Elliott, Equipment, Joie, Maje, Sandro, R.M. Williams, Suitsupply, Zadig et Voltaire and Zara. These will join long-time Century City favourites such as Tiffany & Co., H&M, Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, Banana Republic, Tumi, The Container Store, AMC Theatres and the property’s totally remodelled three-level Bloomingdale’s. Also arriving this Spring, is a new Equinox fitness club and spa – just the first of many health, fitness and wellness amenities to be coming to the property. Food will also take centre-stage at Westfield Century City. Following the recent opening of Shake Shack, new offerings coming in April include Compartes Chocolatier, La Colombe Coffee, Sugarfina, Panini Café, California Pizza Kitchen, Petros and Kafe Bugatsa.
Westfield embarked on the $1 billion modernisation of Century City in 2015 – with a plan that will increase the centre to more than 1.3 million square feet, double its parking capacity (along with new technology-driven solutions for all customers) and eventually link to the LA Metro Purple Line subway. The centre remains open for business during the final phases of construction with additional announcements and details of its grand opening to be made at a later date.


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Vietnamese tech titan, VNG Ltd, has decided to delay its ambitious $150 million U.S. initial public offering (IPO) until next year, based on sources with knowledge of the matter. While the exact reasons for the postponement remain undisclosed, the decision seems to be influenced by the current unpredictable market conditions. A person with direct information about this development mentioned this delay but chose to remain anonymous as the data isn’t public yet. VNG chose not to comment on the situation.
Background of VNG Ltd
Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City, VNG initially made its mark as a game publisher under the name Vinagame. With time, the company expanded its horizons. It now offers a plethora of services:
- Online gaming
- Messaging through Vietnam’s most popular app, Zalo
- Cloud services
- Mobile payments
- Music sharing
- Video streaming
- News portals
Remarkably, VNG became Vietnam’s first unicorn, signifying a startup with a valuation of $1 billion or more.
Road to the U.S. Listing
VNG’s documents for a Nasdaq listing came into the public domain in late August. The tech firm had set its sights on making a debut either in late September or early October. These plans were shelved after initial investor meetings, even before a formal roadshow could take place. However, the intent remains firm. VNG is hopeful about a New York listing, potentially in the first half of 2024. Achieving this would make it the pioneer Vietnamese tech enterprise to be listed in the U.S.
Global IPO Climate
The global sentiment surrounding new share sales is currently in a delicate state. Investors globally are bracing for interest rates to sustain at higher levels in most advanced economies. As a testament to this climate:
- The global IPO rate fell by 34% for the first nine months leading to mid-September 2023, compared to the same timeframe in 2022. This data is according to the London Stock Exchange.
- Notably, Arm Holdings, which experienced a 25% growth on its initial trading after raking in close to $5 billion (making it 2023’s most significant IPO), closed at a value of $52.16, just slightly over its issue price of $51.
Recent Market Trends
Mixed performance by recent public companies seems to have further influenced VNG’s decision. Both Arm Holdings Plc and Instacart experienced a drop, falling below their IPO prices. Meanwhile, Klaviyo Inc., despite a promising start in its trading debut, saw only a modest 12% rise above its offering price.
VNG’s postponement also appears in the wake of VinFast Auto Ltd.’s dramatic U.S. market entry. The electric vehicle maker initially saw a staggering 504% growth over six days post-merging with a blank-check firm. However, this enthusiasm was short-lived, with the shares wiping out most of these gains.
Southeast Asia’s Push Towards U.S. Markets
Southeast Asia has been a hotspot for tech innovations and startups, and with VNG leading the charge, many are eyeing the vast potential of the U.S. market. The trend of Southeast Asian companies considering U.S. listings stems from an increasing global recognition of the region’s digital capabilities and its rapid economic growth. These firms believe that by entering the U.S. stock market, they can access a broader investor base, gain international credibility, and secure more substantial financial resources.
Despite the enthusiasm, breaking into the U.S. market is not without its hurdles. Stringent regulatory requirements, higher costs of compliance, and the need to navigate an unfamiliar business ecosystem can be daunting. Furthermore, there’s the challenge of competing with well-established U.S. tech giants and ensuring that their offerings stand out.
While global market conditions remain a concern, there’s a silver lining. Many Southeast Asian firms are pondering U.S. listings, anticipating a robust investor appetite, especially given the reduced presence of Chinese stock offerings.
VNG, which once started as a simple game publisher, had envisioned selling around 22 million shares in its U.S. IPO. Although it has not yet declared the price range for these shares, the company remains optimistic about its future listing prospects, aiming to capitalize on its strong portfolio and Vietnam’s emerging tech prominence.


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Caesars Entertainment chief executive Tom Reeg said the operator would consider spinning off its digital business if this would help drive further growth and shareholder value, but said it would be his preference that the segment remain 100% owned by Caesars.
Reeg was speaking in an earnings call shortly after Caesars posted the results for its third quarter, during which the digital business experienced significant year-on-year growth, following two successive quarters of loss.
Reeg said since launching the digital business, Caesars has been able to monitor verticals and identify what type of customer is playing to adjust spend based on what is getting a return on investment. This effort has been led by Eric Hession, the president of the Caesars Sports and Online Gaming business.
“We made some significant changes in the last 60 days that have flowed virtually entirely basically shutting off particular segments and that cash has flowed immediately to the bottom line with no degradation in market position,” Reeg said.
“So, we feel very, very good about where we’re at. This is what we’ve done on the brick-and-mortar side is figure out how to invest more in your best customers and less in your less profitable customers, and that’s really the basic blocking and tackling that we’re doing in Digital that has led to these results.”
With new digital sportsbook launches planned for Massachusetts and Puerto Rico, the latter expected late this year or early 2023, as well as plans to pursue online casino in a range of markets, Reeg was asked whether this could lead to Caesars spinning off the digital operations.
Reeg did not rule out the idea but said there are no plans to do so at present.
“I’d say that our competitive advantage here is tying it to the existing brick-and-mortar business and our Caesars Rewards database, and it would be my preference that that remains 100% owned by the parent company,” Reeg said.
“If you get to different shareholder bases for the two businesses, there’s a complexity introduced that you see in. You can see that in some of our peers in terms of when you get to different shareholder bases in the same business.
“But I’d tell you, you know that we’re constantly focused on how we drive shareholder value. If you get into a market where that ultimately makes sense, and that’s the way to increase the pie for shareholders in total.
“Certainly, that’s something we would consider. In the recent market environment, there hasn’t been much value placed on digital assets. So, it’s a very easy decision as we sit here today.”
Looking at Caesars’ performance in full for the third quarter, total revenue for the three months to the end of September was $2.89bn, up 6.4% year-on-year.
The operator’s regional casino business contributed $1.53bn to this total, while Las Vegas revenue came in at $1.08bn. Digital revenue rocketed 120.8% year-on-year to $212.0m and managed and branded revenue reached $70.0m.
In terms of how this revenue was generated, casino and parti-mutuel commissions was responsible for $1.61bn, with food and beverage revenue at $411.0m, hotel $544.0m and other operations $327.0m.
Turning to costs, total operating expenses were 3.5% higher at $2.23bn, while Caesars also noted $598.0m in additional finance costs, though this was 29.6% lower than in Q3 of last year.
Pre-tax profit was $61.0m, compared to a $317.0m loss in 2021, while after paying $8.0m in income tax and accounting for a $1.0m loss from non-controlling interests, this left $52.0m in net profit, a significant improvement on a $233.0m loss posted last year.
In addition, Caesars reported that its adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 15.0.% year-on-year to $1.01bn for the quarter, representing a new quarterly record for the business.
“Our third quarter results reflect a new quarterly record for consolidated adjusted EBITDA,” Reeg said. “Results in the quarter also reflect a new quarterly record for our brick-and-mortar properties led by a new all-time high third quarter EBITDA performance in our regional segment and continued strength in Las Vegas.
“Caesars Digital reported strong revenue growth in the quarter and a smaller than expected EBITDA loss driven by improved operating efficiencies.


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Video shows a revolutionary new mobility device for paraplegics.
Latest from Audrey Quinn
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IBM Senior Vice President John E. Kelly says the company has entered a new era in computing, and announces the company's plans for future partnerships.
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At yesterday's IBM research colloquium on cognitive computing, Nobel laureate psychologist Daniel Kahneman laid out the areas of human intelligence that thinking machines will need to emulate.
Post-mastectomy breast implants covered in a "bed of nails" inhibit the return of cancerous cells.
Researchers say a junk food tax of 20% would affect grocery shopping habits and curb obesity.


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Everything about Titanfall is big. The game itself has had nothing but big talk and big impressions since its announcement at E3. You get to control big mechs called titans and now the collector’s edition is going big also.
Developer Respawn has announced that [amazon_link id=”B00DB9JYFY” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Titanfall[/amazon_link] will release on March 11, 2014 on Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.
The collector’s edition will feature an 18″ statue of a massive titan on the battlefield with LED lights, a hardcover art book and a schematic of an Atlas titan. It can be yours for only $249.99.
Yeah, you read it right.
I am ready to play Titanfall. It is most likely 30-40% of why I am getting an [amazon_link id=”B00CMQTVMI” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Xbox One[/amazon_link] but I think we have found the line of what I am willing to pay for a collector’s edition. I will just buy a Wii U or make a car payment.
It is still impressive though.


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Not long after the release of Dying Light 2 earlier this year, developer Techland has already set its eyes firmly on the future.
The Polish studio recently published a press release stating its intent to hire new talent to produce a “new unannounced AAA open-world action-RPG in a fantasy setting”, with the goal of expanding its workforce to support the development of this ambitious new project. While Techland’s recruitment is still very much in its infancy, the team have already acquired some massive talents from fellow Polish developer – CD Projekt Red – in the process.
Some of these ex-CDPR devs include narrative director Karolina Stachyra and narrative lead Arkadiusz Borowik, both of whom worked on The Witcher 2 and The Witcher 3 and their respective DLCs. They are joined by other notable names such as open world director Bartosz Ochman (The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077), lead game designer David McClure (Deathloop), lead animator Kevin Quaid (Horizon Zero Dawn), and creative director Mario Maltezos (Max Max, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time).
“Our ambition is to introduce a brand new IP that is vastly different from what we have been doing for the past several years,” said Techland CEO Paweł Marchewka. “We want to create a fully next-gen experience. A new fantasy epic set in a sprawling open world, fueled by the skills and experience we have gained as a team over the years, infused with new ideas, passion, and creativity.”
“While we cannot share more details about this project now, we’re all truly invested in it and looking forward to showing it to gamers when the time is right,” added Marchewka.
Though details about this new project are scarce, seeing the talent that is already involved in it does make one lick their lips at the prospect of a new AAA fantasy RPG to accompany CD Projekt Red’s very own venture into their next instalment in Witcher games.
While Techland seems to be gearing up for a few years of intense development of this new IP, Marchewka reiterated the team will continue to support Dying Light 2 “for at least 5 years”, given how the game only just launched in December 2021.


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A Japanese billionaire is aiming for the skies after launching an online ad, wanting a girlfriend who would fly around the moon with him on a SpaceX rocket.
The 44-year-old Yusaku Maezawa said that he is doing it because of loneliness after he announced his break up with a Japanese actress recently. "I'm 44 now. As feelings of loneliness and emptiness slowly begin to surge upon me, there's one thing that I think about: Continuing to love one woman," he has said in the ad.
Maezawa's quest to find a girlfriend is being turned into a TV show for a web streaming service. "I have lived exactly as I've wanted to until now," said Maezawa, who has three children with two women.
The billionaire is now accepting applications from "single women aged 20 or over" who want to enjoy life to the fullest. He has also made a pitch on Twitter by saying, "Why not be the 'first woman' to travel to the moon?"
The deadline to apply is January 17. Maezawa will make a final selection by the end of March after going on dates with the applicants.
Formerly chief of online fashion company Zozo, that he sold to Yahoo! Japan last year, Maezawa is known for buying pricey art. He is scheduled to make a lunar trip in 2023 or later as the first private passenger on a voyage by entrepreneur Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Maezawa also plans to take about half a dozen artists with him on the trip, which will take them around the moon without landing on it.


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Employees and clients of Brazilian bank used artificial intelligence function 33 million times in first half
Banco Bradesco is seeing returns on the investments it has made in artificial intelligence, with employees and clients of the bank using the service 33 million times in the first half, it reported on Thursday.
“Bradesco Inteligência Artificial” is based on IBM’s Watson and responds to questions about products and services using natural language capabilities.
It is not clear what growth rate this represents, as Bradesco has not reported results from its AI products previously.
Bradesco spent BRL6 billion ($1.6 billion) on IT investments last year. As well as the AI capabilities, that money also went to improved online services, research into blockchain technology, and the bank’s open innovation program which involves innovation labs and partnerships with startups.
Bradesco also launched its all-digital spin-off, Next, late last year. Some 30,000 Brazilians opened Next accounts in the first quarter of operations, Mauricio Minas, Bradesco CIO, told iupana earlier this year. The bank was hoping to improve its conversion rate this year, although it has not reported figures.
Nonetheless, Bradesco has touted its rapidly increasing digital user base in corporate presentations earlier this year. The bank had 12.3 million active mobile customers at the end of March, and they carried out 2.3 billion transactions in the first quarter.
Santander, which reported its second quarter results a day before Bradesco, said it had 9.5 million digital customers in Brazil, growth of close to 30% year on year.
Santander has a Brazilian loan book of approximately BRL322 billion, compared to Bradesco’s BRL515 billion.
Fintech startups can offer better rates and service than Brazil’s largest banks, but remain hindered by regulations
Through machine learning, apps and APIs, the Monterrey-based bank aims to get closer to its clients, says CEO Manuel Rivero
Scotiabank is investing USD 10million each year in digital transformation, says Ignacio Deschamps
Startups will need to be strategic and spend more to comply with new rules – but the specifics of the fintech law will drive investment
Planned rules to track credit card receivables centrally could drive competition, tech in Brazil’s payments system
Cyberattacks on financial institutions in Mexico and Chile are ringing alarm bells across the region
How well do you know the strategies of your competitors when it comes to digital transformation in Latin American banking?
Take our quiz to see!
Can I bring you dinner?
Which bank is tapping its POS network and building APIs to offer a delivery service that it hopes will boost client loyalty?
New challenger bank
A new Brazilian challenger bank called C6 Bank is close to launching. It’s billing itself as the #NextBigFin. The bank is backed by the chairman of which traditional bank?
Mexican banks are starting to use artificial intelligence tools. What’s the main application of the technology currently in Mexican banks?
What’s the biggest digital threat to traditional banks today?
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- Smart contracts set to overhaul banking, lift financial inclusion, says Ripio CEO
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- Startups needed for corporate finance, says Citi exec
- Banregio targets bigger presence in clients’ lives with digital services


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July 27, 2010
Food labeling up for a face-lift
The Food and Drug Administration is soliciting industry input on front-of-package nutrition symbols. The move is part of the agency’s plan to develop standardized criteria for voluntary FOP labeling as a way to combat misleading health claims and help consumers make healthier choices.
What’s next: The FDA’s proposal comes on the heels of several independent FOP-labeling programs, such as the multimanufacturer Smart Choices Program and the Wegman Wellness Keys developed by Wegmans Food Markets. Montreal-based FFunction is taking labeling a step further by developing packaging concepts that use data visualization (think diagrams and graphs) to impart nutrition information. “Data visualization can help consumers make better food decisions by clearly exposing the good and bad parts of the products we buy and eat every day,” says FFunction Founder Sébastien Pierre, who believes ad agencies may begin using the techniques to combine product information and visual impact.
What this means for retail: Branding expert Neil Reay, senior consultant for Utah-based Impact Consulting, thinks it’s high time for a food-labeling face-lift since current standards for serving sizes, calories per serving and nutrient amounts can be misleading and confusing—but he doesn’t say standardized FOP criteria is the answer. “Because the FDA says it will take over [FOP labeling], that will stop all labeling innovation,” he says. “And what they will put on the front is pretty much what they already put on the back.” That means retailers will need to fill in the missing information. Reay recommends improving signage or developing in-store data-bases to help shoppers find certain kinds of products, such as those that are vegan, lactose free or gluten free, instead of sending customers on a label-by-label scavenger hunt.
Goodbye cash register?
Mobile applications such as Intuit GoPayment and cell-phone tools such as the Square Card Reader allow businesses to process credit-card information without dedicated terminals—meaning one day, cash registers may be a thing of the past.
What’s next: While most stores won’t be register free anytime soon, checkout procedures are shifting as more retailers install self-checkout machines. That’s a good thing, says Stuart, Fla.-based retail marketing consultant Debby Swoboda, since a lot of the people who used to man registers can now be on the floor selling product.
What this means for retail: Since these technological devices aren’t yet viable alternatives for many small natural retailers, Swoboda suggests a good first step: Upgrade to a point-of-sale system—technology she estimates roughly half of all natural retailers are still lacking. By tracking product movement and allowing you to highlight and nix nonactive inventory, this tech investment can soon pay for itself.
Food and supplement health claims under a microscope
The Institute of Medicine, a nonprofit organization, recommends the FDA subject health claims on foods and dietary supplements to the same scrutiny it uses to evaluate drugs and medical devices.
What’s next: Daniel Fabricant, vice president of global government and scientific affairs for the Natural Products Association, believes this could be problematic if ever enacted. He notes that many widely used general claims about how nutrients work, such as “calcium builds strong bones,” can’t be subjected to the same clinical evaluation as pharmaceutical drugs.
What this means for retail: Whether or not the FDA implements IOM’s recommendations, Fabricant says retailers need to bone up on what they can and can’t say to consumers about a product’s health benefits. A good place to start is the NPA’s website, npainfo.org, which breaks down what information merchants are allowed to give to their customers. Another useful site is clinicaltrials.gov, a government service that explains how different types of clinical trials are conducted.
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Tata Group to step into semiconductor business
• Tata Group to invest in semiconductor assembly and test unit; scouting for plant site in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana
While the ongoing semiconductor crisis has crippled the automotive industry, the Tata Group is looking to set up its own semiconductor assembly unit in India.
The Tata Group is reportedly in talks with three states to invest up to $300 million (Rs 2,220 crore) to set up a semiconductor assembly and test unit, reported Reuters, as per two sources familiar with the matter.
The Tata Group is said to be in talks with three southern states – Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana – and is scouting for land to set up the outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) plant. An OSAT plant sources silicon wafers from semiconductor foundries, packages, assembles and tests them, finally turning them into finished semiconductor chips.
The company has already looked at some potential locations for the factory and the venue will likely be finalised by next month, said one of the sources, but have declined to be identified as the matter is not public yet.
The Tata Group had previously expressed its interest in entering the semiconductor business, but this is the first time that news about the group’s foray into this sector and its scale has been reported.
"While they [Tata] are very strong on the software side of things... hardware is something they want to add to their portfolio, which is very critical for long-term growth," said one of the sources.
The Tata Group has plans of investing in high-tech electronics and digital business and its push into the semiconductor industry will forward the ‘Make in India’ initiative for electronics manufacturing. Potential clients of Tata's OSAT business include companies such as Intel, AMD and STMicroelectronics.
The factory is expected to be operational by late next year and could employ up to 4,000 workers, said one of the sources, also highlighting that availability of skilled labour at the right cost will be key for the long-term viability of the project.
"Once Tata starts, the ecosystem will come around... So it's very critical to find the right place from a labour standpoint," the source said.
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The Washington Post reported on November 1, 2012, that language learning software developer Rosetta Stone Inc. agreed to drop the trademark infringementlawsuit it filed against Google three years ago after the two companies reached a settlement.
Rosetta Stone sued the search site in 2009, accusing it of selling trademarked phrases like “Rosetta Stone” and “language library” to third-party companies that make imitation software. As the Post noted, the Google advertising program, AdWords, allows third parties to buy keywords that generate sponsored links when someone types the phrases in an online search. Rosetta Stone’s lawsuit alleged that those links occasionally took consumers to websites selling copycat software and they were misled into thinking those products were actual Rosetta Stone software.
While the lawsuit was dismissed in 2010, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the case this past April. The Post reported that this opened the door for other companies to sue Google over similar claims, “with 33 major corporations, trade associations and professional sports leagues lining up on Rosetta Stone’s side.” According to the Post, Tiffany & Co., Ford Motor Co., Geico and the National Football League were some of the groups that filed briefs with the court in support of Rosetta Stone.
The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but the Post noted, “The resolution of Rosetta Stone’s lawsuit does not preclude other companies from bringing similar claims against Google.” We will further discuss the trademark lawsuits that Google has been facing over its keyword advertising in our next blog post, and you can find additional information about unfair competition on our website.
If you need help protecting your intellectual property, Los Angeles business litigation attorney Robert Klein has more than 25 years of experience representing clients in complex corporate cases. Use the form on this page to have our Los Angeles breach of contract lawyers review your case or contact our firm at [number].
Klein Trial Lawyers – Los Angeles intellectual property infringement attorneys


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Federated Auto Parts has named Tim Trudnowski, president of Parts Wholesalers Inc., the recipient of its highest honor, the Art Fisher Memorial Award.
The award presentation was made during a recent Automotive Parts Services Group (The Group) meeting.
Named for the late founder of Federated Auto Parts Distributors, the Art Fisher Memorial Award recognizes those members who carry on Art Fisher’s legacy through their outstanding dedication to the membership, the group and the industry. In short, it recognizes the long-term commitment that individual members demonstrate through their support, involvement, counsel and loyalty, says Federated.
“We are blessed to have Tim Trudnowski as a member of Federated and can’t think of anyone more deserving of this great recognition,” says Bo Fisher, chairman of Federated Auto Parts. “Parts Wholesalers Inc. was one of the first companies to join Federated over 30 years ago and we are thankful for their long-time support. I especially want to thank Tim for his service, not only to Federated, but to the entire auto care industry. Tim has always put the Federated membership first and his knowledge and expertise have benefitted all of our members.”
Trudnowski is treasurer of the Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA). Parts Wholesalers started its longtime affiliation with Federated Auto Parts in 1985 and the following year purchased its first stand-alone company store, the original Motion Auto Supply, in the Spokane valley.
Today, Parts Wholesalers is a 100% employee-owned company consisting of eight store locations that operate as Automotive Jobbers Supply and Motion Auto Supply. They also supply parts to over 50 independently owned jobber stores in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana.
For more information, visit www.federatedautoparts.com.


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Last week, America’s largest cable television provider Comcast announced that it is acquiring its biggest rival Time Warner Cable. The resulting merger of the nation’s two greatest cable television customer networks will establish Comcast as a dominant firm in nineteen of America’s twenty largest markets. It will also bequeath Comcast with 30 million customers, 50% more than the 20 million customers served by its closest competitor DirecTV.
You would think that a merger of the top two organizations in an industry, a transaction that leaves the surviving firm with a dominant market position over its remaining rivals, would be scrutinized carefully by antitrust regulators … wouldn’t you?
Well … think again! The transaction is expected to receive relatively little government scrutiny because cable television firms negotiate exclusive franchise arrangements for their customer markets. According to Comcast’s acquisition announcement, “Importantly, the proposed transaction will not reduce competition in any relevant market. Comcast and Time Warner Cable do not currently compete to serve customers in any zip code in America.”
So although Comcast competes against telephone companies that offer television services (like Verizon’s Fios and AT&T’s U-verse), as well as satellite communication companies that do the same (like DirecTV and Dish Network), Comcast does not directly compete against Time Warner Cable (or Cox Cable, or Cablevision) in its established service areas.
Because of its non-competitive franchise agreements, Comcast can benefit from the manner in which American antitrust laws have been written and enforced during the past century. Indeed, it has been that long since President Theodore Roosevelt first signed and then wielded antitrust legislation to “bust up” the great trusts of the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The laws tend to prohibit corporate acquisitions that would eliminate direct competition between firms in the short run. However, they tend to permit acquisitions that would help organizations build dominant market positions in the long run.
That’s why Comcast isn’t even bothering to suggest that the economies of scale to be achieved through industry consolidation may result in lower customer prices. Comcast’s Executive V.P. told reporters “We’re certainly not promising that customer bills are going to go down or even that they’re going to increase less rapidly.”
It is undoubtedly reasonable to argue that, under certain circumstances, the two largest organizations in an industry sector should be permitted to merge with each other. But if antitrust law in the United States is written and applied in a manner that precludes significant scrutiny of such mergers, how will American society be able to maintain the competitiveness of its markets?
If you were Edith Ramirez, the Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission, would you petition the United States Congress to pass antitrust legislation that revises the criteria for regulatory reviews of proposed acquisitions?


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Apollo Tourism & Leisure officially launched in May five different Coromal caravan models on the Pioneer and element platforms, following the company’s acquisition of Coromal from Fleetwood last year.
The acquisition involved moving the manufacturing of Coromal vans from Western Australia to Apollo’s manufacturing headquarters in Northgate, Qld.
Each of the new models that were launched are built using the Evolution construction method on the FRV chassis. Evolution construction incorporates 30mm fibreglass sandwich panel walls, a 50mm one-piece roof section and a one-piece floor. Each panel is secured together using aluminium extrusion.
The FRV chassis, meanwhile, is comprised of 550-grade high-tensile steel sections that are secured together with high-tensile huck rivets.
During the launch, Apollo director and CEO Luke Trouchet hailed the Coromal brand as ‘iconic among Australian caravanners’.
“Apollo is excited to build on the brand’s legacy and continue to invest in local manufacturing,” he said. “We have committed extensive research and development in integrating the previous Coromal manufacturing process into Apollo’s existing construction methods and materials. We want to continue to provide customers with the best Coromal caravan range for generations to come.” Mr Trouchet said.
Apollo also announced a new warranty regime for all Apollo-built Coromals. The so-called Apollo 5-3-3 warranty includes: a five-year year structural guarantee; a three-year body and interior guarantee covering all parts of the interior build (cabinets, furniture, framing and wet-area fittings); and three years of roadside assistance.
The new warranty regime came into effect as of May 2019 and, according to Apollo, is backed by 1600 service providers around the country.


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BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The Bentonville Farmers Market gained a $5,000 money prize from Milwaukee-based grain firm Bob’s Crimson Mill and plans to redistribute a portion of the cash to farmers market consumers.
The “Farmers Market Eternally” contest inspired individuals to appoint their favourite farmers markets to obtain the $5000, and, because of the assistance of native supporters, the Bentonville Farmers Market was one in every of 5 markets chosen amongst 2,400 whole entries.
Downtown Bentonville Inc. says it plans to make use of a portion of the cash to reinvest within the farmers, makers, and distributors that “make the Bentonville Farmers Market a full of life, vibrant, inclusive group occasion on Thursdays and Saturdays.”
A Store the Block-style money giveaway is deliberate for Saturday, October 9.
The nonprofit beforehand hosted Store the Block occasions, which supplied $30 to registered consumers to spend in downtown enterprise, eating places, and outlets.
To remain up-to-date on Store the Market registration alternatives, comply with facebook.com/downtownbentonville.
The Bentonville Farmers Market is held on Thursday evenings from 5 p.m. to eight p.m .and Saturday mornings from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. from April by way of October.


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The national market of the worlds largest cosmetic brand L’oreal is scouting for acquisitions in the skin and make-up market in India, adding that it seeks to capitalize on the country’s rising demand for beauty products. L’Oréal is eyeing companies with a range of make-up and skin care products to fill gaps in its existing portfolio, which comprises Garnier, Maybelline, NYX, and L’Oréal Professional.
While L’Oréal has a large portfolio of global brands, it is looking for brands that meet the specific needs of Indian consumers. The company is looking for good strong formulations for Indian consumers and high-quality manufacturing. L’Oréal’s interest in Indian companies comes as the market for beauty products in India is growing. India’s growing youth population is contributing to the exponential sales growth of grooming products, more so as the smartphone-wielding millennials are in the know of the latest beauty and fashion trends the world over and are seeking more variety at lower price points.
The popularity of e-commerce companies, such as Nykaa and Amazon, has also helped the youth get access to the latest products. This has prompted major brands, including Hindustan Unilever-owned Lakme and L’Oréal’s Maybelline to spruce up new product launches. L’Oréal started a business in India in 1994. It sells a range of products including mass-market brands L’Oréal Paris, Garnier, Maybelline New-York, professional hair products under the Matrix, Kérastase brands, and premium beauty products under Lancôme, Kiehl’s, Vichy and La Roche-Posay.