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Are you ready for the next generation of Reebok Nanos? Well, you’re not alone! Fitness enthusiasts everywhere are eagerly awaiting the release of the latest iteration of these beloved cross-training shoes. So, when can we expect to see the new Reebok Nanos hit the market?
While there’s been no official announcement yet, rumors suggest that the new Reebok Nanos will be released sometime in the coming months. With each new version of the Nano, we’ve seen exciting updates that make them even more versatile and comfortable for a variety of workouts. So, get ready to take your training to the next level with the latest and greatest Reebok Nanos!
The release date for the new Reebok Nanos has not been officially announced. However, based on previous releases, new models typically come out in the first half of the year. Keep an eye out for updates on Reebok’s website and social media channels for the latest information on the release of the new Reebok Nanos.
Reebok Nanos: The Ultimate Crossfit Shoe
If you’re a fitness enthusiast, you’ve probably heard of Reebok Nanos. These shoes have become a staple in the Crossfit community, offering unparalleled support and stability during intense workouts. Whether you’re lifting weights, running, or doing box jumps, Reebok Nanos have got you covered. But when can we expect to see the new version of these iconic shoes? Let’s take a look.
The Release Date
Reebok Nanos are known for their durability, versatility, and performance. Each year, Reebok releases a new version of the shoe, incorporating the latest technology and design features to make them even better. The latest version, the Reebok Nano X1, was released in June 2021. So when can we expect the next version to come out?
According to Reebok, the release date for the Reebok Nano X2 is set for early 2022. While the exact date hasn’t been announced yet, it’s safe to say that fitness enthusiasts around the world are eagerly waiting for its launch.
What to Expect
So, what can we expect from the new Reebok Nanos? While Reebok has remained tight-lipped about the specifics, there are a few things we can predict based on past releases. For starters, we can expect the shoes to be even more durable and versatile than previous versions. Reebok is known for using high-quality materials and innovative design features to make their shoes stand out, and the new Reebok Nanos will likely be no exception.
In addition, we can expect the shoes to be even more comfortable and supportive than before. Reebok has been experimenting with new cushioning and support technologies, and the new Reebok Nanos will likely incorporate these innovations to provide the ultimate workout experience.
The Benefits of Reebok Nanos
So, why are Reebok Nanos so popular among fitness enthusiasts? There are several reasons why these shoes have become a favorite among Crossfitters and gym-goers alike.
First and foremost, Reebok Nanos are incredibly versatile. They can be used for a wide range of exercises, from weightlifting to running to jumping. This makes them a great investment for anyone looking for a high-performance shoe that can keep up with their fitness routine.
Secondly, Reebok Nanos offer unparalleled support and stability. The shoes are designed with a wide base and a low heel-to-toe drop, which helps to keep your feet stable during heavy lifts and high-impact exercises. Additionally, the shoes are constructed with durable materials that can withstand even the toughest workouts.
Finally, Reebok Nanos are designed with style in mind. The shoes come in a range of colors and designs, so you can choose a pair that matches your personal style and preferences.
Reebok Nanos vs. Other Crossfit Shoes
While Reebok Nanos are undoubtedly a popular choice among fitness enthusiasts, they’re not the only Crossfit shoe on the market. So how do they stack up against the competition?
One of the biggest advantages of Reebok Nanos is their versatility. Unlike some other Crossfit shoes, which are designed with specific exercises in mind, Reebok Nanos can be used for a wide range of activities. This makes them a great option for anyone looking for a shoe that can keep up with their varied workout routine.
Additionally, Reebok Nanos offer superior support and stability compared to many other Crossfit shoes. The shoes are designed with a wide base and low heel-to-toe drop, which helps to keep your feet stable during heavy lifts and high-impact exercises. This can help to reduce the risk of injury and improve your overall performance.
Ultimately, the choice between Reebok Nanos and other Crossfit shoes comes down to personal preference. However, it’s clear that Reebok Nanos offer a unique combination of versatility, support, and style that make them a top choice for fitness enthusiasts around the world.
The Bottom Line
The new Reebok Nanos are set to be released in early 2022, and fitness enthusiasts around the world are eagerly awaiting their arrival. While we don’t know all the specifics yet, we can expect the shoes to be even more durable, comfortable, and supportive than previous versions. And with their unmatched versatility and style, it’s no wonder that Reebok Nanos have become a favorite among Crossfitters and gym-goers alike.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find the answers to the most common questions about the release date of the new Reebok Nanos below.
When Will the New Reebok Nanos Be Released?
Reebok has not yet announced an official release date for the new Nanos. However, rumors suggest that they may be released in the summer of 2022. Reebok typically releases new versions of the Nano every year, so it’s likely that we’ll see the new model hit stores sometime in the next few months.
It’s important to keep in mind that release dates can change, especially with the ongoing pandemic affecting production and shipping. We recommend keeping an eye on Reebok’s social media and website for the latest updates on the release of the new Nanos.
What Changes Can We Expect in the New Reebok Nanos?
Reebok has not yet released any official information about what changes we can expect to see in the new Nanos. However, based on past releases and customer feedback, we can make some educated guesses. We may see updates to the shoe’s materials and construction, as well as changes to the overall design and fit. It’s also possible that Reebok will introduce new colorways and customization options.
While we can’t say for sure what changes will be made, we’re excited to see what the new Nanos have in store for us. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available!
Will the New Reebok Nanos Be Worth Buying?
Whether or not the new Reebok Nanos are worth buying will depend on your individual needs and preferences. If you’re a fan of the Nano line and have had positive experiences with previous versions, it’s likely that you’ll find the new model to be a worthwhile purchase. If you’re in the market for a new CrossFit shoe and are considering the Nano, it’s worth waiting to see what the new version has to offer before making a decision.
Ultimately, the value of the new Nanos will depend on factors like their performance, durability, comfort, and price. We’ll have to wait until they’re released and tested by athletes and consumers to make a final determination.
Where Can I Buy the New Reebok Nanos?
Once the new Reebok Nanos are released, they should be available for purchase on Reebok’s website as well as at select retailers. We recommend checking Reebok’s website and social media pages for updates on the release and availability of the new Nanos.
If you’re looking to purchase the new Nanos in-store, check with your local sporting goods or fitness stores to see if they will be carrying the new model. It’s also worth checking with Reebok’s authorized dealers to see if they will have the new Nanos in stock.
How Much Will the New Reebok Nanos Cost?
Reebok has not yet released any information about the pricing of the new Nanos. However, based on previous releases, we can make some educated guesses. The current version of the Nano is priced at $130, so it’s likely that the new model will fall within a similar price range.
Keep in mind that pricing can vary depending on factors like materials, design, and customization options. We’ll have to wait for Reebok to release official pricing information to know for sure how much the new Nanos will cost.
In conclusion, the new Reebok Nanos are highly anticipated in the fitness community. While there is no official release date, rumors suggest that they may be launching soon. With new features and updates promised, athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike are eager to get their hands on the latest version of this popular shoe.
Whether you’re a CrossFitter, weightlifter, or just looking for a versatile training shoe, the Reebok Nano has a reputation for being a reliable and durable choice. With each iteration, Reebok has made improvements to the design and functionality of the shoe, and the upcoming release is no exception.
In summary, keep an eye out for the new Reebok Nanos and be ready to upgrade your training gear with the latest version. With its proven track record and promised updates, it’s sure to be a popular choice among athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike.


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During the past year, the company has Xiaomi Sales of smartphones in China have declined, and it has not only sought new marketing points that improve its revenue, but also want to enter other businesses. This is where the electric vehicle and this is what the Asian firm has opted for build your own cars, something that has been speculated about in recent months.
Xiaomi Automobile is born
In March last year, some Chinese media had already confirmed Xiaomi’s intention to enter the automotive industry by manufacturing its own products, which will be sold worldwide. This information indicated that Great Wall Motors, in addition to providing manufacturing services, would offer consulting on everything related to engineering. Five months later, Xiaomi released a officially registered electric vehicle company, although you are still looking for an experienced partner in the electric vehicle manufacturing sector.
We say this because, according to GizmoChina, Xiaomi has officially announced that it has already registered the industrial and commercial registration of Xiaomi Automobile Co.Ltd. The announcement was made on the Weibo page of the company. The new electric car firm is apparently successfully registered with a capital of 10 billion yuan – about 1.3 billion euros – and is led by Lei Jun, founder, president and CEO of Xiaomi Group.
Since announcing its plans to enter the electric vehicle market, Xiaomi claims to have reviewed more than 20,000 resumes to build it initial team of 300 employees. However, the company is still looking for a partner in China to start manufacturing its cars. According to the above medium, talks have already taken place with various vehicle manufacturers such as BYD, Great Wall Motor, Wuling Motors and SAIC, although there is no association yet.
Since the entry into the automotive industry, Xiaomi’s management has made numerous visits to other entities, in addition to extensive meetings with more than 200 automotive veterans. ‘Xiaomi wants to present smart high quality electric vehicles to their users around the world to enjoy a ubiquitous intelligent life “, June points out.
Although Xiaomi has already invested 10 billion yuan to start the whole process of setting up its first electric vehicles, its CEO has advanced that the company plans invest more than 7.8 billion euros over the next decade to truly make an impact on the electric vehicle market in China. We’ll see how Xiaomi Automobile progresses.
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Hyundai Motor teams up with Uber to launch flying taxi in 2023
Updated: 2020-01-07 13:34:38 KST
Hyundai Motor is developing a flying taxi for the U.S. ride-hailing company Uber.
At CES on Monday, the South Korean carmaker unveiled a prototype for a personal air vehicle dubbed 'S-A1' designed for Uber's promised air taxi network.
The electric-powered aircraft is ideal for use in cities, taking off an landing vertically, so it doesn't need a runway.
It is also quieter than a normal helicopter.
The air taxi will initially seat five people including a pilot, but Hyundai aims to incorporate a self-driving system in the future.
While no details have been revealed about the production date, Uber said it will commercialize the service in 2023.


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- GENERAL INFORMATION
- SHOW FLOOR
- FIRST LOOK FOR CHARITY
- SCHOOLS & GROUPS
2/1/2005: Just Say "No!" to the Chicago Car Show
Activists, Street Performers Undermine Auto Industry's
February 1, 2005
Hundreds of performance artists and bike builders will pedal from Daley Plaza on Saturday, February 12, at 12 noon to the Auto Show Entrance at McCormick Place to carry out a peaceful Car Show Shutdown Festival.
The Car Show Shutdown festivities will include:
Each year, more than 200 Chicagoans die in automobile crashes and nearly 15,000 are maimed and injured, according to Chicago Police Department statistics.
The auto industry has a long history of sabotaging safer, more efficient forms of transportation. Back in the 1930s, electric street car systems provided clean, cheap and convenient urban transportation. General Motors' role in purchasing and dismantling 100 street car lines in 45 American cities has been well documented and demonstrates the extreme lengths the auto industry will go to promote its lethal products.
Our auto industry enforced dependency on cars negatively impacts us all in numerous ways. Chicago's children suffer asthma hospitalization rates twice the national average, according to the American Lung Association, as automobile emissions continue to be the major contributor to our city's poor air quality. Chicago families spend two to three times as much on transportation as their European counterparts due to the high costs of car ownership. Forty percent of Chicago's land area is wasted on asphalt to accommodate cars. Drivers waste millions of hours stuck in traffic gridlock each year.
To convince us to buy their dangerous and expensive products, the automobile industry spends over $15 billion annually on advertising, the most of any industry in the United States. Part of this huge advertising budget includes the Chicago 2005 Auto Show.
"It's time to hold the auto industry accountable for their role in thousands of needless deaths and injuries in Chicago," said Becki Retzlaff, a festival organizer. "It's time to shut down the Chicago Auto Show!"
In conjunction with the Car Show Shutdown festivities, anti-auto artists will be celebrating the opening of the 8th Annual Critical Mass Art Show the night before the shutdown, Friday, Feb. 11, 6pm, at High School Gallery, 1542 N.Milwaukee 3rd floor. For more information on the Car Show Shutdown Festival and the Critical Mass Art Show see www.ChicagoCriticalMass.org or call Dan Korn at 312-505-9307.


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Tesla organized a ceremony at its Chinese factory in Shanghai to deliver fifteen Model 3s to their happy owners. Fifteen carsis not much, but this ceremony marks an important milestone for the all-electric manufacturer. These first cars were produced on Chinese soil, in a factory that did not exist at all a year ago.
The "Gigafactory 3" was created in record time, even for China. Work began 357 days ago, and Tesla’s Chinese partner built the building, filled it with machinery, started production of Model 3, and obtained approval for that period. Now that the ceremony has formalized the launch of sales, Tesla will be able to step up a gear and try to make its mark in China.
Until then, Tesla remains a secondary player in the most populous country in the world. In 2019, the Model 3 was only ninth in the ranking of electric cars sold in China, behind multiple local manufacturers. A score to compare with Europe, where the Model 3 has kept a comfortable lead over all its competitors with more than 70,000 vehicles sold, almost twice as much as the Zoé on second place on the podium.
And let's not even talk about the United States, where Tesla has decimated the competition with more than 130,000 Model 3, far, far ahead of the second best-selling electric car, namely the Model X. In comparison, the 24,500 Model 3 sold in China are pale, but it is precisely to improve these figures that the manufacturer opened its factory in China. Its cars will now be able to fight on equal terms against local models, without import tax.
Remember that Tesla will also build a factory in Europe. It will be in Germany, in the Berlin region, but the pace will be slower than in China. The opening is not scheduled until 2022, if all goes well …


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Grab your hair gel and loudest bowling shirt. Guy Fieri and his popular Food Network show, “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives,” are making their way to Manhattan for the first time.
Although “Triple D” has profiled dozens of comfort-food restaurants in New York state, New Jersey and Connecticut, until today, the show has never bellied up to the counter in Manhattan.
The spikey-haired Fieri is slated to bust a gut at three Manhattan eateries — downtown hot-spots The Redhead and Mama’s Food Shop, after a visit to Gazala Place in Hell’s Kitchen.
Filming in Gazala Place is set to take place this morning as Fieri chows down on the restaurant’s signature Druze cuisine.
The Druze are an independent religious community heavily influenced by Christianity, Judaism and Islam. They primarily reside in modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel — home to an eclectic cuisine that “Triple D” will learn all about at Gazala Place.
Fieri is slated to make classic Mediterranean dishes like hummus and baba ghanoush, says the owner and chef, Gazala Halabi.
But the show will also profile two unique dishes — borekas and the Druze version of pita bread.
Unlike the pita bread found in grocery stores, the pita at Gazala is made with whole-wheat flour and is paper thin, almost like a hearty version of a French crepe.
Borekas, a signature dish at Gazala Place that Fieri will help prepare, are flaky and tender phyllo-dough pies that are filled with items such as spinach, sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese.
If that all sounds a bit too healthy for the famously grease-indulgent Fieri, he can expect more typical “Triple D” fare at The Redhead and Mama’s Food Shop.
The Redhead in the East Village is a cozy neighborhood bar that boasts some of the city’s best fried chicken along with funky bar snacks like bacon-peanut brittle.
Mama’s Food Shop on the Lower East Side is a homey, southern restaurant serving food family-style out of casserole dishes. Known for their belt-loosening portions, Mama’s should make Fieri feel right at home with the restaurant’s signature macaroni and cheese.
Segments at both downtown restaurants were filmed yesterday, while another New York eatery, Cuban restaurant Rincon Criollo in Queens, was the location of a shoot Wednesday.
No word on whether the show’s signature ’67 Chevy Camaro will appear in the episodes. It was put up for sale last month, according to reports.


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- Related Games:
Nioh sales have reached 2.5 million since being released back in 2017. It’s been something of a slow-burn for the Dark Souls-esque Action-RPG, though it’s picked up a loyal following and excitement for the upcoming sequel is, well, not quite palpable but it’s certainly there.
The latest figures come after just under a year of no new sales data, reports Gematsu, when Nioh reported two million copies of the game being sold. Of course, since its release, a lot more people may have played the game either by borrowing it from a friend or picking up a used copy. Either way, it’s certainly a figure that both Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo would have hoped to be higher, having released the game during the peak interest in the Dark Souls styled games while offering a combat system that was stylized by the Ninja Gaiden games. Instead, Nioh seems to have been swallowed up and, for the most part, forgotten about.
But like I said, the game still has a pretty faithful community behind its console and PC versions. The PC port of Nioh didn’t arrive until October 2017, but it’s held a pretty steady player count on Steam, with Steamcharts showing just over 1000 players still putting time into Nioh. That same community has pretty high hopes for the Nioh 2, which was announced at E3 last year, though it sounds like there’s a lot of hopes resting on the developer addressing some of the game’s quirks.
One of the standout comments in a Reddit thread about this very topic in the hopes that Team Ninja dedicate a little more variety to the game’s world. Redditor coatedwater says that the “environments in that game seemed to be “burning Japanese village” and “wet cave”. Similar comments are voiced by another user who says that, “My main issue with this game was how the areas were mission-based… not one seamless, connected world ala Dark Souls and Bloodborne.” It’s really difficult to tell whether it’s a change we’ll see when Nioh 2 arrives, with the E3 reveal trailer only showing our customizable hero being impaled through the head, and that doesn’t tell us too much.


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Dubai-based Arabian Radio Network, ARN, has launched a new commercial division, Multi Platform Network, MPN, a 360 degree sales house representing a range of multi platform assets.
The division works in partnership with the advertising industry to find innovative, integrated solutions for clients across many assets and platforms.
Commenting on the announcement, Mahmoud al Rasheed, General Manager of ARN, said, "The launch of MPN is built on ARN’s success serving clients with advertising solutions across its 19 FM and digital brands, connecting businesses to millions of your potential customers every week across the UAE, to reach directly into their daily lives and speak to them personally."
Greg Worthington, COO of ARN, added, "We realised that we could give our clients more options to drive new business growth. We looked closely at where we could create new opportunities in addition to but separate from our growing radio assets. We set about asking questions – learning from clients successes, challenges and goals, before launching MPN."
The company says that nearly 50 percent of the UAE population listen to ARN stations every week. In Dubai alone over 70 percent of the radio listening audience tune in to the network. Over one thousand six hundred active clients advertise with ARN every year, and over 100 advertising agencies enjoy a strong relationship with the network.


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Boohoo's new social campaign "to end self-comparison culture" online
Fashion e-tailer Boohoo has launched a new social campaign “seeking to end negative self-image among women and inspire filter-free positivity”.
The move comes after its own study reveals that just under two-thirds of women admit that social media has changed their perception of themselves, and a further 39% confess they compare themselves to others online.
The fast-fashion online retailer, which has a particularly strong social media following among young women and girls, said it wants to “drive positive change” ahead of “newly proposed UK legislations likely to come into play" with the launch of its latest social-driven campaign #boohoofilterfree.
It supports legislation that would make it illegal for influencers to post edited and filtered imagery without declaring the artificial alterations.
Influencers and customers are being invited to post themselves ‘filter-free’ across social channels using boohoo’s dedicated Instagram no filter and the campaign hashtag “to spread awareness surrounding negative self image and how damaging comparison culture can be”.
The campaign will begin with Boohoo’s new standalone Instagram account @boohoohypegirl, “dedicated to empowering others to feel good about themselves, spreading positivity and encouraging people to be kinder online”.
Copyright © 2023 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.


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Property peer-to-peer lender Sourced Capital is ready to launch a crowdfunding marketing campaign on Seedrs later this summer season.
Whereas a fundraising goal has not but been set, any cash raised will probably be used to spend money on the platform’s expertise and workforce.
The marketing campaign is scheduled to go dwell in mid-August, and a precedence listing has already been set as much as permit traders early entry to the marketing campaign.
“We’re simply within the ultimate levels of finishing our providing and have launched a ‘coming quickly’ with the platform to gauge curiosity,” stated Stephen Moss, managing director of Sourced Capital.
Learn extra: HNW traders flip to various belongings for larger returns
“I’m joyful to say that in such a brief area of time the extent of curiosity registered has been incredible and offered us with confidence that traders can see how our enterprise is exclusive and need to be a part of our development journey.”
Moss added that 60 per cent of the funding raised will probably be invested in Sourced’s expertise, together with introducing new options corresponding to auto make investments.
The remaining 40 per cent “will probably be invested in our sensible workforce to proceed supporting them and rising the Sourced household,” he stated.
For the reason that begin of this yr, Sourced has closed seven new offers, offering £10.4m of funding to small- and medium-sized property builders.
The platform stated it expects to surpass its projections for 2022 with a powerful pipeline of recent offers in place.
Learn extra: Seedrs to streamline funds with Form3 and LHV collaboration


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India Cements is currently trading at Rs. 57.25, up by 1.35 points or 2.42% from its previous closing of Rs. 55.90 on the BSE.
The scrip opened at Rs. 56.50 and has touched a high and low of Rs. 57.30 and Rs. 55.60 respectively. So far 97589 shares were traded on the counter.
The BSE group 'B' stock of face value Rs. 10 has touched a 52 week high of Rs. 91.75 on 17-May-2013 and a 52 week low of Rs. 43.00 on 12-Aug-2013.
Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 56.55 and Rs. 48.95 respectively. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 1750.92 crore.
The promoters holding in the company stood at 28.23%, while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 47.84% and 21.01% respectively.
India Cements’ board of directors at its meeting held on February 26, 2014 has approved a scheme of amalgamation of Trinetra Cement, a listed company and Trishul Concrete Products, an unlisted company, both the companies being the subsidiaries, with the company.
India Cements is largest manufacturer of cement in South India. India Cements owns 28% of the market share and is leader in south India. The cement manufacturer aims 35% market share. It has distribution network of 10,000 stockists. India Cements has capacity to produces 9 million tonnes cement per annum.


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It's been about a half a year since the last major release, but it might have all been worth it for those who use the app religiously. VideoLAN's latest version of VLC for Android is stuffed with updates to for networking, permissions, subtitles and more.
Previously, the most recent version of the media player app was VLC for Android 1.9.13 beta and that version came out last month. But the last major update was version 1.7.0, which saw VideoLAN strip the app of several Android permissions and deliver a new subtitle engine. Now, the organization has finally announced the next major update to Android version of the app.
— VideoLAN (@videolan) June 21, 2016
VideoLAN stripped those permissions from the last version of the app to prepare for the upcoming Android N, which will restructure the system for granting rights to apps. And with VLC for Android 2.0, the organization is taking that effort a step further, according to Jean-Baptiste Kempf, president of VideoLAN and a lead developer for VLC.
"The first good news is that we have decreased the number of dangerous permissions that VLC was using," Kempf says. "The only permission that is now considered as dangerous is the access to media files, which is expected for a media player."
Now the app supports everything, going back as far as Android 2.2, and its permissions comply with the next version of the mobile OS, which Google has been struggling to name. The rest of the update might be a bit more interesting for casual users, though just barely.
The update to VLC for Android also improves its Android TV interface, merging it with the app's standard look. For users with big-face phones and tablets, they can select the Android TV interface from the app's preferences menu.
VideoLAN's update wasn't only about looking at a future with Android N. The nonprofit also took a look at the mobile app's past and decided to restore the History feature, which was last seen in version 0.9.x of VLC for Android.
The organization also took time to fulfill a major request from users who had been calling for pop-up video.
"[Pop-up video is] now implemented and we do support Samsung MultiWindow and LG Dual Window extensions to allow 2 applications on the same screen," says Kempf.
Elsewhere in the update are improvements to the app's options, along with a streamlining of its portrait and landscape presentations. Users can also download subtitles directly from OpenSubtitles and create basic video playlists now.
Get it here.


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It’s the others—the uninformed masses—that we worry about. And the reason we worry is because, as Cornell sociology professor Trevor Pinch reveals in a recent study, the people creating those reviews are not always average Joes. Sometimes they’re reaping benefits from publishing companies’ PR people.
Finch and Web entrepreneur Filip Kesler conducted an online study of 166 (one-sixth) of Amazon’s top 1,000 product reviewers.
The Cornell University Chronicle highlights the findings:
The researchers found that of the top reviewers:
• 85 percent had received free products from publishers, agents, authors, and manufacturers;
• 78 percent of these often or always reviewed such free products;
• 70 percent were male;
• 40 percent are writers themselves;
• 11 percent, one of the largest occupational groups of reviewers, are retirees.


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- Toys 'R' Us has appointed Leo Burnett and its sister agency Starcom Media to handle its estimated $75 million (£46 million) advertising and media business following a heavily contested pitch.
Leo Burnett fought it out against seven agencies including incumbent agency Kaplan/Thaler. The five other agencies competing for the account were Ammirati Puris Lintas, Bozell Worldwide, Deutsch, Saatchi & Saatchi and TBWA Chiat/Day, all out of New York, and Doner in Southfield, Michigan.
To win the media Starcom presented against incumbent Quantum Media International, Media Edge and Western Initiative, all out of New York.
Leo Burnett has been asked to rejuvenate the retail giant's fortunes. In recent years it has lost ground and seen the Arkansas-based discount giant Wal-Mart become market leader.
It has also failed to anticipate the growth of toy sales online, although it does now sell toys through its website located at www.toysrus.com.
Warren Kornblum, chief marketing officer at Toys R Us, said: "We've got a firm foundation and a good structure, but we need to brighten it up and do some renovation to make it the cornerstone of the community. It was a hard-fought competition and all the agencies involved did an outstanding job, putting a lot of effort and energy into the process."
Toys R Us currently has around 1,500 stores. This includes 703 toy stores in the US and 457 international toy stores.


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Up to 12 jobs will be created when new ‘fast casual’ pizza restaurant MOD opens in Long Row in November.
MOD’s individual pizzas and salads are made on demand with fresh-pressed dough and sauces, allowing customers to create their own pizzas and salads with whatever toppings they want.
The restaurant will fill the vacant spot left by footwear retailer Schuh which has moved to Clumber Street.
Linsay Miller, head of estates at Schuh said: “We have moved as it was the end of our lease at Long Row and we needed a larger premises so we could incorporate our kids department into the new store.”
Customers at MOD can create their own pizza with unlimited toppings.
A spokeswoman for MOD Pizza said: “Nottingham has a strong community presence and MOD Pizza believe that their vibe attracts their tribe.
MOD Pizza do things differently, just like the MOD culture did too.
“They believe in second chances and giving jobs to people who wouldn’t normally get a job like convicts and the long term unemployed.
“The best thing about coming to Nottingham is knowing that who they employ, can pay their bills, feed their family and grow.”
It is the latest of several fast food restaurants to open in the area following the opening of American burger chain Five Guys last year.
Jeff Allen, chairman of the Nottingham Business Improvement District said: “We welcome MOD Pizza opening in the city. With this being only their third venue in the UK, it shows that they recognise Nottingham has thriving food and drink scene.
“It will create even more choice for diners as well as creating new job opportunities.”
MOD, or Made on Demand, was founded in Seattle in America in 2008 by entrepreneurs Scott and Ally Svenson.
It can now be found in more than 125 locations across 16 states.
It is only the third restaurant in the chain to open in the UK with the other two in Leeds and Brighton.


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At the current rate that technology is advancing, it will only be a matter of time before jobs will be replaced by artificial intelligence. Using driving as an example, it’s a hands on task where drivers have to stay alert in order to operate the vehicle. But today, we already have semi-automated vehicles available for consumer purchase such as the Tesla range of electric vehicles. Its onboard computers and cameras work together to stay in lanes on the motorway, controlling speeds, watching for hazards etc. The car basically operates itself on the motorway, allowing the driver to relax. Delivery companies have already began tests on automated fleets of lorries, allowing them to transport goods from A to B without a driver, all while staying in a safe convoy formation that allows the lorries to save fuel by reducing drag the way riders in Tour de France tuck in behind one another to conserve energy. That’s more efficient than if individual lorry drivers were operating these lorries.
Artificial Intelligence is the way forward, and countries such as China and the U.S. agree. The Government of Beijing recently invested $2 billion into building an AI development park in the city, and aims to surpass the U.S. in terms of AI leadership by 2030 with an AI industry worth $150 billion. Global tech giants have also began investing in AI, with companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, NVIDIA & Nuance taking the lead. Google spent £263 million in 2014 to acquire DeepMinds, completing one of the largest AI acquisitions to date.
People are not just investing in AI, but are also using AI to assist them in managing their investments. According to Campbell Harvey, professor of finance at Duke University, AI will be a good thing for investors if human judgement is overtaken by what computers can predict. Fund management companies such as Fidelity and Vanguard use AI but were not inclined to answer when asked in detail, whilst BlackRock says they use AI to assist them in tasks that require heavy cognitive function.
Artificial Intelligence powered Exchange Trade Fund founder Art Amador says that artificial intelligence surpasses humans in jobs like these because it does not have the physical, emotional, and psychological weaknesses that humans have.
With Artificial Intelligence rising up the ranks so quickly, we have invited speakers in the private capital industry to share their thoughts and opinions regarding the matter, and what they think the future of investments will be with AI. Join us at the EnRoute Private Capital Meeting on 28 March 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to engage in thought-provoking debate and network with industry professionals. Other topics that will be covered include private equity middle market opportunities in the SEA region and Family Offices’ allocations into private investments. Click here
to find out more details about the event.


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It’s so easy to get frustrated with all this snow. Boston has had a historic amount of snow dropped in such a short amount of time and it’s clear our residents are on edge. With the MBTA broken, giant mounds of snow and ice, the disappearance of mail and constant shoveling, we all need a break.
Laura Bowden – Southie resident and founder of Southie Cycles – has created a new website where people can commiserate about the weather together. She was inspired to create the site after seeing the now famous “Uncle” sign that has been circulating on social media.
The tag line of the site is “A site where you can bitch about the weather, thinly veiled as poetry.” Check it out – http://lauralalabowden.wix.com/uncle
It’s the perfect way to to spend a snow day stuck inside! Enjoy!
Thank you to Rena Gyftopoulos for her photo!


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The UK Recalls Over 10,000 Vehicles From The Volkswagen Group Due to Fire Risk
Reading time 3 minutes
Categories Automotive Industry »
More than 10,000 vehicles from the Volkswagen Group are set to be recalled in the UK due to a fire risk that has been noticed on the continent.
Impacting a whole host of the brand’s plug-in hybrid models, several fires that have occurred in Germany have led to the manufacturer recalling more than 100,000 of its cars in total.
While the Group has pledged to prioritise fully electric vehicles in the future, plug-in hybrids are still a significant sector for the brand. In fact, the next version of the Audi A4 is set to feature a more advanced plug-in setup that boasts an expanded battery for a bigger range.
With this in mind, the recall is less than ideal for Volkswagen as they strive to position themselves as the go-to brand in automation.
According to Germany’s road vehicle authority, KBA, 16 fires involving plug-in hybrids from the Volkswagen Group have occurred in recent months. Originally reported by the German newspaper Bild, this was later confirmed by both KBA and the manufacturer who immediately started to recall the cars.
One of the batteries in the vehicle has not been sufficiently insulated, meaning the fuse may not work correctly when overvoltage occurs, possibly resulting in a fire breaking out. To rectify the issue, an insulating mat will need to be installed on the battery’s switch box.
This is not the first time a manufacturer has had to recall vehicles due to an issue of this nature. In 2020, Ford suspended the sale of its Ford Kuga plug-in hybrid, after four fires occurred due to overheating batteries – existing customers were also instructed not to charge their vehicles until further notice.
And, in 2019, KIA was forced to recall over 5,000 hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of its Niro model after reports of an electrical relay causing overheating in the USA.
Some 100,000 models have been recalled worldwide due to the issue, with 10% of the recalls happening in the UK. The Volkswagen Group comprises some of the biggest brands in automation including Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche and more. Among the 10,000 cars that have been recalled by the group in the UK, 3,656 are Audis, 2,347 are Cupras, 2,018 are Skodas and 1,868 are Volkswagens.
From plug-in hybrids to fully electric vehicles and, of course, petrol and diesel cars, at The Windscreen Company we support vehicles of all types. Committed to keeping everyone safe on the road, for years we’ve worked throughout the South East and West Midlands, providing people with reliable windscreen repairs and replacements.
This includes a 24-hour, rapid mobile service that can be by your side in emergency situations and get you moving again as quickly as possible. Plus, in this age of innovation, we’ll also provide full windscreen calibration to all vehicles that require it. To find out more about our offering and how we can help you, contact our team today.


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Let’s find out why Apple refused to have Fortnite on its App store!
Apple wouldn’t bring the ridiculously well-known Fortnite game back to its South Korean App Store. Another Seoul was hostile to the imposition of a business model law that adequately barred its rewarding late payout stage, sparking ongoing debate with video game designer Epic Games.
The two companies are at the forefront of a global challenge between the stages of transmission and content creators over income distribution, with billions of dollars at stake. Apple eliminated Fortnite from its store last year after Epic introduced a direct installment in the app, bypassing the technological goliath’s own framework.
In a world first, South Korea passed a law last month that banned Apple and Google from tricking app developers into using tech goliath payout frameworks, sustainably declaring their rewarding syndications on the app. Illicit Store and Play Store.
Expected to produce results in the coming days, it will make South Korea the leading country to order such elective payment alternatives, allowing customers to bypass fees set by merchants.
“Epic plans to relaunch Fortnite on iOS in Korea by offering both Epic and Apple installments next to each other in accordance with new Korean law,” the game organization said on its Twitter account on Friday. Fortnite verified.
Read on with IWMBuzz.com.
Also read: The players there! The new Driftboard has arrived in Fortnite, go play ASAP


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Ticketmaster’s ‘slow ticketing’ fixes long-broken system
I don’t know about you, but 2018 is already off to a weird start for me.
I mean, I’ve barely gotten past the champagne headache and now I’m sitting down to write a column defending — or maybe even praising — Ticketmaster. The ticketing giant, despite its many faults, deserves a little credit for what it has done in the past few weeks.
I’m talking about “slow ticketing.” For years now, concert ticketing has been a hot mess. Popular concerts frequently sell out in minutes, and then most of those tickets end up on resale sites like StubHub. That’s because they’re being snatched up by bots, scalpers and so-called “ticket brokers.”
More: A year of reading wokely
But now, Ticketmaster is working to correct it. The company has begun implementing “slow ticketing,” a process designed to weed out the scalpers and automated bots and give true fans the first crack at tickets. I believe this began in early December, when tickets to Taylor Swift’s Reputation tour went on sale.
Ticketmaster is now requiring ticket buyers to register in advance, and then respond to an invitation to purchase tickets within a specific time window. As a result, the company expects to be able to allow more customers to choose their seats on a seat map, rather than using the “best available” option.
Ticketmaster has also substantially raised prices for many tickets; for instance, a VIP ticket to a Swift show on the current tour will cost you about $1,500. For a ticket that will get you up close on the floor — in the “Snake Pit,” as it’s being called — expect to shell out $800. That decision, Ticketmaster has said, was geared toward bringing prices in line with what was seen on the resale market.
More: Something to talk to
The result, according to Ticketmaster, is fewer tickets being resold on StubHub. During Swift’s 1989 tour, about 30 percent of the tickets made their way to the secondary market, according to David Marcus, executive vice president and head of music at Ticketmaster. With the introduction of slow ticketing, only about 3 percent of the 2.5 million Reputation tour tickets sold are being sold second-hand.
Ticketmaster also has its own in-house company called TicketsNow for re-selling tickets that you genuinely need to unload if you purchased a few too many or plans fell through.
Make no mistake — this change is largely driven by greed, as well as a desire to capture more of the ticket-selling market.
“This time, the artist and promoter are capturing that revenue and not the secondary market,” said Jesse Lawrence, founder of TicketIQ, a search engine for primary and secondary tickets. Lawrence told Billboard that the result could be an additional revenues of up to $1.5 million per show for Swift and promoter Louis Messina.
Nevertheless, the system seems to be working as designed, and Ticketmaster remains committed to improving it as they go. The old way was profoundly broken. With the implementation of slow ticketing, not a single show sold out on the first day of sales. Fewer tickets are ending up in the hands of scalpers, and the money is going to the artist and the promoter responsible for putting on the show. And that’s probably right where it belongs, even if someone is willing to pay $1,500 for a VIP ticket.


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Slow broadband connection affects 60 per cent of companies based in the countryside
More than 60 per cent of rural firms are negatively affected by the slow speed of broadband in their area.
New figures from the Federation of Small Business, which surveyed more than 3,000 small businesses, show that 63 per cent of firms in rural areas are dissatisfied with the speed of their broadband, compared to 48 per cent of companies in urban areas.
More than a third (34 per cent) of small rural firms said they are dissatisfied with the reliability and a quarter were unhappy with the value for money it represented.
Slow: 63 per cent of firms in rural areas are dissatisfied with the speed of their broadband
It comes as concern about poor accessibility to and quality of broadband, especially for businesses based in the countryside is growing.
Improving access to broadband and raising average speeds is high on the Government's agenda. It has pledged to create 10 'super-connected' cities by 2015 that will have ultrafast broadband speeds.
However, the FSB believes this will not go far enough to help enough businesses and will instead widen the digital divide between urban and rural firms.
In a new report, 'The missing links - revitalising our rural economy', the FSB calls on the Government to rollout 20 Mbps superfast broadband to 98 per cent of rural communities and businesses.
Its figures also show that 85 per cent of rural firms and 84 per cent of urban businesses believe their reliance on the internet will increase.
Self-employment and home working is more prevalent in rurual areas. And not only do firms need decent broadband speeds to maintain websites but also to access Government and other services, such as applications for funding, business rates and tax returns.
John Walker, national chairman of the FSB says: 'These figures show that firms are still unable to access basic broadband to run their business effectively. With the technology we have today all firms should be able to trade overseas, throughout the UK and from town to village.
'It is imperative the Government takes action to close the digital divide between urban and rural businesses.'
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Lena Dunham touts the New Yorker's new iPhone app.
Novelist Paulo Coehlo picks a fight with the master of modernism. Speaking to a Brazilian newspaper, Coehlo remarked, "one of the books that caused great harm was James Joyce's Ulysses, which is pure style. There is nothing there. Stripped down, Ulysses is a twit."
John Banville, or rather, his alter ego, Benjamin Black, will revive Raymond Chandler’s famous noir detective Phillip Marlowe in a new novel set to come out next year. According to publisher Henry Holt, “the book will have an original plot and take place in the 1940s. The setting will remain in Bay City – Chandler’s fictional stand-in for Santa Monica, California – and feature Chandler’s hallmark noir ambience.”
An Authors Guild lawsuit led by writer Scott Turow is demanding that Google pay $750 per author for every book uploaded to Google Books without prior permission. While the suit has been ongoing since 2005—when Google began digitizing millions of books without seeking the consent of authors—a judge has agreed to hear summary judgment motions next month.
Roxanne Gay responds to Jacob Silverman’s recent Slate essay about the epidemic of niceness in online book reviewing culture: “If literary culture is a school, serious criticism can be found in the classroom. Social networks are the cafeteria — what you find there will be loud and gossipy, amusing but not very satisfying.”
Amazon is getting into the textbook rental racket.
The real-life protagonist of Dave Egger’s nonfiction book Zeitoun appeared in a New Orleans court yesterday for allegedly beating his wife with a tire iron outside a lawyer’s office last July. Although the couple divorced earlier this year, Abdulrahman Zeitoun was already on probation at the time for assaulting his wife the year prior. In Zeitoun, Eggers tells the story of Zeitoun’s wrongful arrest and detention in the wake of Hurricane Katrina after he was mistaken for a terrorist.
The New Yorker releases a very long and very star-powered commercial (Lena Dunham! Jon Hamm! Alex Karpovsky!) for the launch of their iPhone app.


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Delaware Natural Resources Police Environmental Crimes Unit (ECU) arrested a Georgetown man Tuesday, Sept. 20, on a charge of illegal dumping on a public roadway.
DNREC le recuerda a los compradores minoristas del estado que pronto cambiarán sus opciones para el envasado de comestibles y bienes de consumo.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control reminds retail shoppers in the state their options are soon to change for packaging groceries and consumer goods.
A new online resource to help Delawareans take the guesswork out of recycling has been unveiled by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. The new tool, Recyclopedia, helps the public and businesses determine the quickest and easiest ways to recycle materials that would otherwise go to a landfill.
The Delaware Coastal Cleanup campaign, launched today by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, encourages Delawareans and visitors to pick up trash in their neighborhoods and nearby parks, on beaches and along waterways to help Keep DE Litter Free.


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EMILY Says, “Ditch Dull”
EMILY Poke Fun at ‘Beige Crisps’ with New Installment of their Bold Ad Campaign
Bold snacking brand EMILY® are back with more outdoor advertising following the remarkable success of their first campaign which launched in April 2020. You may recall our post on the snack’s humorous self-deprecating campaign, 1st Time OOH User. The first EMILY ad campaign ran from 15th April 2020 for 2 weeks, in response to the UK Coronavirus lockdown. The creative was viewed by 1.7 million on Instagram and 1 million viewers on LinkedIn and covered by leading industry titles including The Grocer, Marketing Week, PR Week and OOH Today.
Using witty one-liners such as “Our first ever poster, seen by a runner and one pigeon. Typical”, the ads called out the brand’s marketing misfortune in reaction to the UK Coronavirus lockdown. Now, EMILY have turned their attention to poke fun at ‘beige crisps’; humanizing them to be like the most boring, bland people and encourage consumers to “Ditch Dull. Eat Bold”.
The new ads feature the signature EMILY tongue-in-cheek humor, such as “Beige crisps say stuff like ‘Holibobs’ and “Beige crisps have a guy called Gary advertising them. Enough said”, alongside the colorful creative using their unique Sweet Potato Veg Sticks. The campaign will run for two weeks from the 31st May on billboards and digital six-sheets across the UK, in partnership with Clear Channel and Elonex.
“It’s a really exciting time for the EMILY brand as we keep up momentum from the amazing reactions to our ‘lockdown’ ads and go bigger and bolder with the launch of the original planned campaign” says Ben Arbib, Founder of Nurture Brands. “We’re waking people up to the reality that the nation’s favorite snacks are boring, beige potato crisps – having a bit of fun whilst we’re at it”.
The Nurture Brands team behind EMILY will be amplifying the campaign on social media – providing consumers with inspiration for how they can “ditch dull” and raising awareness of their bold alternatives to everyday ‘beige’ crisps. Discover EMILY Sweet Potato Veg Sticks, Veg Crisps and new EMILY Veg Thins (vegetable tortilla chips, available in Waitrose) all made with real veg and nothing artificial.


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Google Inc. has agreed to spend $250 million to boost its online advertising and compliance measures to settle a shareholder lawsuit over years-old charges that the search giant knowingly accepted illegal advertisements from online pharmacies.
The Justice Department said the forfeiture--which represented the illicit revenue earned by Google and the money earned by the Canadian pharmacies--was one of the largest by a company in the U.S at the time.
The shareholder lawsuit, initially filed in 2011, alleged that Google breached its fiduciary duty to shareholders by accepting the ads.
The settlement, approved in August by a committee of independent Google directors, will be heard in an Oakland, Calif. court on Jan. 21.
An expanded version of this report appears at WSJ.com.


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(Adds details, background)
April 11 (Reuters) - The family of a driver killed in a Tesla car crash has hired law firm Minami Tamaki LLP to explore legal options, the law firm said on Wednesday, adding the autopilot feature in the electric carmaker's vehicle probably caused his death.
Last month, Walter Huang died in a crash and vehicle fire in a Tesla Inc Model X near Mountain View, California, prompting a federal field investigation.
Tesla later said the car had activated its Autopilot system, raising new questions about the semi-autonomous system that handles some driving tasks. The company said vehicle logs from the accident showed no action had been taken by Huang soon before the crash and that he had received earlier warnings to put his hands on the wheel.
The law firm said its preliminary review suggested the autopilot was defective and had uncovered complaints by other Tesla drivers of navigational errors by the feature.
"(Our) preliminary review indicates that the navigation system of the Tesla may have misread the lane lines on the roadway, failed to detect the concrete median, failed to brake the car, and drove the car into the median," Minami said.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Patrick Graham)


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JEC Group is the first French company to organize an industrial trade fair in Seoul
JEC Group, the world’s leading promoter of composite materials, continues its development in Asia. After the 2008 launch in Singapore of JEC Asia, the annual composite trade fair for the Asia-Pacific region, the JEC Group set up offices in Singapore in 2016. It is currently stepping up its strategy to connect with end markets and has relocated the JEC Asia trade fair to Seoul for its 10th edition.Asia: a booming market for composite materials
Composite materials provide users with substantial benefits, like lightweight, strength, insulation, corrosion resistance, design and shape freedom, choice of textures, and easy maintenance. Given the increasingly important issues around material savings and the environment, the growing interest on the part of many industries is easy to understand, and composites are being used more and more.
In 2016, Asia accounted for 43% of the global market for composites in terms of value, or €34.8 billion, compared to €18 billion in 2011: a 93% increase over a six-year period. The two main user markets in Asia are consumer goods (30% of total volume) and electricity & electronics (27% of total volume).
South Korea is a strategic hub for composite materials
“South Korea is a country with spectacular growth. Every composites-using industry is represented in this country, including automotive, aerospace, electronics and sports & leisure,” says JEC Group President and CEO Mrs. Frederique Mutel. “A specific feature of this country is that it reaps the benefit of a positive synergy from the “golden triangle” that is formed by the government authorities with research & industry and material science & techniques. These three areas are “virtuous circle” models that help to develop industry as a whole. So after signing a memorandum of understanding with the carbon cluster of the Jeonju region in 2014, we are now pleased to also have the support of the Seoul municipality, for which we signed a memorandum of understanding in early February 2017.”
At a press conference in Seoul on July 12, 2017, the French Ambassador to Korea Fabien Penone expressed his pleasure that JEC Asia 2017 is the first French industrial trade fair to be organized in Seoul. Both the support from institutions and the enthusiasm of local and international manufacturers augur well for this tenth JEC Asia.
JEC Asia is also hosting the 12th International Carbon Festival (ICF), which is organized by KCTECH, a competitive cluster in the Jeonju region, and it looks as though there will also be a strong turnout from the professionals in that industry.
“The city of Seoul is making great efforts to help us set up this international event, which will welcome participants from more than 40 countries on November 1-3, 2017. Moreover, Seoul has the ideal infrastructure to welcome exhibitors and visitors with the high quality that characterizes all JEC Group events,” adds JEC Asia Director Christian Strassburger.


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If wearable technology is to remain successful and disruptive, devices must be able to handle multiple applications and have a decent battery life, according to Frost & Sullivan.
Chip maker ARM is trying to improve the battery life of IoT devices that use Bluetooth to communicate data, with the acquisitions of Wicentric and Sunrise Micro Devices.
Researchers in Korea are working on a way to solve the battery life problem in the wearables market.
If your smartphone seems to lack energy and you find yourself looking for the nearest wall outlet more than you like, the fault may be with your apps--not your phone.
Enterprise use of wireless handheld and portable test equipment is forecast by Frost & Sullivan to increase signification of the next few years, with market revenues reaching $3 billion in 2019, up from $2.1 billion in 2012.
Battery drain issues are once again plaguing some iPhone and iPad owners following the release of Apple's new iOS 6.1.3 software update, with some consumers also blaming the release for issues with Wi-Fi connectivity.
Motorola Mobility (NYSE: MMI) has resurrected the Razr, updating the wildly popular device from 2004 with the Android platform and the ability to run on Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless's new LTE network.
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has announced the iPhone 4S, an upgrade from the iPhone 4 that runs on a dual-core A5 processor and is capable of operating on both GSM and CDMA networks. In addition, Sprint
Computer chip maker Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) will enter the tablet market next month with its Atom-based Oak Trail platform. Intel's new Atom Z670 processor offers speeds of 1.5 GHz and will include a
Consumer Reports published its rankings for tablets and placed the iPad 2 on top. The device scored high marks for battery life, display screen and ease of use. The magazine said it evaluated tablets


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ROSEVILLE, Mich. >> The original Macomb Mall tower sign on a Gratiot corner may remind Metro Detroit of the 1960s and the suburban shopping center construction that pulled generations of consumers from traditional downtowns into single buildings anchored by Sears, Crowley and SS Kresge.
But now the retro sign also is signaling a rebirth for the mall in Roseville, a few miles northeast of Detroit, MLive reported.
Once close to closing, Macomb Mall now boasts a wave of new tenants and upgrades – and 95 percent occupancy across its 900,000 square feet.
Numbers tell part of the story: The new owners poured $30 million into improvements since 2013 while year-over-year sales shot up 50 percent in 2015.
But it’s a community story, too, said Scott Adkins, city manager of Roseville.
Macomb Mall just celebrated its 50th anniversary as a regional destination and employment base, a milestone that looked unlikely five years ago.
When Lormax Stern made an offer on the distressed property, Roseville officials had been forced to consider what could happen to the city’s Gratiot corridor if the mall closed.
“If they hadn’t come in and bought the mall, I’m not sure anyone would have,” Adkins said. “This was not the most polished and lucrative deal on the table for most people.”
Lormax Stern looked at it differently: Despite all obstacles, the company saw potential.
“This is a solid, stable shopping destination,” said Chris Brochert, a partner in Lormax Stern, which owns the mall as Macomb Mall Partners LLC. The company, based in Bloomfield Hills, has developed more than 20 million square feet of retail space, and it owns multiple retail centers in five states.
Brochert described his company’s forte as “buying distressed properties and turning them around.”
He added: “We know … southeast Michigan.”
Roseville city tax records indicate a $12.7 million purchase price for the 40-acre mall in April 2013. That followed the mall being listed for sale in 2012 with two other distressed retail properties: Bay City Mall and Lakeview Square Mall in Battle Creek.
At the time, the three properties had a combined outstanding debt of $102 million, according to a report from CMBS Market Watch Weekly in September 2012. Macomb Mall’s share of that was $41.2 million – though it appraised for $12 million, according to data presented in that report.
The outlook for Macomb Mall was bleak, even as Michigan was emerging from the Great Recession. The shopping center was 69 percent occupied. Its owner couldn’t cover its loan on the property and was only paying interest on the debt.
“The defendant has been unable to pay its utility and service bills and may have to shut down Macomb Mall,” read a filing in litigation over then-owner Thor Equity’s loan default as reported by WDIV-TV in 2011.
Brochert recalled it as a tired property with an outdated appearance and a tenant mix that just didn’t click.
That’s changed over the past two years.
Dick’s Sporting Goods now sits on the space where an obsolete, closed Crowley’s once stood as an anchor. That old building was razed to make room for the 50,000 square foot Dick’s, creating the home of one of the chain’s top-performing Michigan locations.
The busiest stores remain. Some, like Lane Bryant, relocated to larger locations. Old Navy – the first store opened by the Gap-related chain in Macomb County – signed a long-term lease. Payless doubled its store size. Bath & Body Works added its White Barn Candle brand to an adjacent store. Party City looked to expand and remodel. Some kiosks upgraded to store space.
“All of these stores weren’t prepared, based on the direction of the mall, to make that commitment (earlier),” Brochert said.
Lormax Stern changed the look of the mall as new stores moved in: Rue 21, Ulta and H&M are examples. Several stores had to move to make room for the H&M footprint of 20,000 square feet, but the store – opened in fall 2015 – is attracting a new wave of shoppers, Brochert said.
Those shoppers now find seating groups where kiosks once stood. Corridors have new, brighter lighting. The mauve accents are gone, replaced with a more current green trim.
“I think people like to shop in bright, natural light,” Brochert said. “It has a positive, uplifting feel.”
To achieve the double-digit sales gains, some businesses closed. Some were typical mall stores, like American Eagle and New York & Co. Others reflected previous mall ownership’s less-focused strategy for strong co-tenancy.
“We had a lot of tenants (that didn’t fit),” Brochert said. Browsing for clothes, soccer shoes and makeup didn’t mix with sales of cigars, lottery tickets and prepaid cell phones. A discount cinema on one end of the mall also created its own issues; it was closed.
Ramsey Paton, 87, walked in the mall one day in late March. He moved to St. Clair Shores in 1952 and has shopped at Macomb Mall since it opened.
“It’s 100 percent better,” he said. “There seems to be more people here all the time.”
Today, Brochert said, more changes are pending. A 13,500-square-foot vacancy on a corner of the Sears wing is close to a new tenant; stores like Old Navy still plan remodels; and customers soon will see the former cinema razed.
He’s also hopeful that the Sears store – an original store in the mall – will see changes that boost its shopping draw. The property was owned by Sears since the mall opened; it’s now owned by Seritage Growth Properties REIT, a spinoff of Sears Holdings Inc., as of summer 2015.
While Sears plans to close 50 underperforming stores this year, the store in Macomb Mall faces different types of changes.
“There are plans to renovate,” Brochert said. And Sears is likely to add other retailers to the space, he added.
Roseville is home to about 48,000 people as of July 2015, according to SEMCOG estimates. North of Detroit in Macomb County, it’s separated from Lake St. Clair to the east only by St. Clair Shores.
The community is about 80 percent white and 12 percent black, according to SEMCOG. Eighty-two percent of residents do not have a college degree and the median household income was $41,853 in 2010, a drop of 22 percent since 2000.
Yet that blue collar community represents a stable market area for Macomb Mall, Brochert said. He notes that the immediate area “isn’t house-poor” and has disposable income to shop at the mall.
“It’s a very strong, stable neighborhood,” he said of the immediate three-mile radius for the store.
The broader market area, Brochert said, is responding to the mall’s new look and lineup. It’s reinvigorated as a regional shopping destination and not just drawing from the neighborhood: Within 10 miles of the mall, the population totals almost 860,000 people. That compares to a typical mall’s consumer base of 250,000 people.
While it is positioned to draw from a large population base, Macomb Mall also benefits from a lack of shopping center competition. The struggling Eastland Mall is closest; beyond that, Oakland Mall and Partridge Creek are destinations for the same shoppers.
Meanwhile, 2015 tax payments on the mall totaled more than $550,000, according to Roseville city records.
That revenue is part of what the property means to the city, Michigan’s first to be certifild “development ready.” Beyond that, Adkins said the upgrades at Macomb Mall are catalysts for changes along Gratiot, where a long-closed restaurant just reopened, LA Fitness just built a facility and other developers are now considering investments.
The changes, Adkins said, are “night and day. It was dated at best,” he said. ” They came in and not only did an exterior facelift, but also many other changes.
“Everything they said they were going to do, they did – and then some. And it’s not finished,” Adkins said. “There’s continual reinvestment in the mall.”
That won’t stop, Brochert said. Lormax Stern will keep looking for opportunities on the property. While many may not have considered the investment during a time when some malls struggle, the fundamentals of Macomb Mall fuel its continued success.
That’s gratifying to the company, since some investors considered the mall purchase risky.
“There were no doubts in my mind that this would work out,” Brochert said.


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Losing your hair? You are not alone. In addition to the usual number of people who suffer from hair loss, many more women and men are losing their hair as a result of the stress created by COVID-19, medical experts say.
Take heart, however. New advanced treatments are available that can reverse hair loss and even detect it in advance. In normal times, hair thinning and hair loss affect about 50 million men and about 30 million women in the United States, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Forty percent of women and 85 percent of men will have marked hair thinning by age 50, The American Hair Loss Association says. Hair loss can start as early age 35 for women.


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AARP Ads Highlight Older Hispanic Audience
Nonprofit membership organization AARP released its first ad campaign for AARP Segunda Juventud, the bilingual health, finance and lifestyle magazine.
The print and online effort is the first ad campaign to focus exclusively on U.S. Hispanics older than 50.
"Our goal is to increase awareness of an extremely desirable group of affluent Hispanics that is being ignored in the marketplace," said Peter Zeuschner, advertising sales manager at AARP, New York.
The campaign, created by GSD&M, Austin, TX, targets media decision makers, ad agencies and clients. The standalone ads run in Marketing y Medios, Hispanic Market Weekly, Hispanicad.com and The Advertiser. They will highlight the purchasing power of this 6.2 million-plus Hispanic demographic.
The ad campaign is an extension of Segunda Juventud's promotional efforts, which include events, direct mail and public relations, to reach a demographic that spends $119 billion yearly.
Segunda Juventud's editorial coverage includes articles on leading Hispanic personalities, trends, entertainment, travel and leisure. The biweekly title launched in 2001 and has a circulation rate base of 400,000. AARP is a nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50 and older with security and protection.
This campaign will tap a sub-segment with potential. It started in May and runs through year's end.


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December 10, 2008
Ca Mau province aims to become Vietnam's major seafood exporter
The southernmost province of Ca Mau in Vietnam aims to become the country's largest aquaculture exporter as it targets export revenues of US$1 billion by 2010.
In 2009, the province is eyeing a US$750 million in seafood export earnings, an increase of 17 percent against this year.
To achieve the goal, the province will attempt to raise shrimp exports to 80 percent from the current 63 percent of the total aquaculture exports over the next two years.
Funds from the public budgets are also being used to build irrigation facilities to increase shrimp quality and output. In the first eight months of this year, Ca Mau netted 69,000 tonnes of shrimp, the biggest output in Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta region.
The shrimp farming area has been expanded to 250,000 hectares. Advanced farming techniques are also being used to increase output.
Local authorities have encouraged investors to build processing plants to increase total capacity to 157,000 tonnes of seafood next year.
Local processors will likewise diversify seafood farming by raising fish, squids and crabs.
Officials said apart from the expansion of shrimp farms, a steady supply of materials and reasonable prices for farmers must be provided.
Trade promotion should be focused on key traditional markets including the US, the EU and Japan, as well as potential exporting countries such as Australia, Canada, Russia, China and South Korea.
Industry officials also said the domestic market must not be ignored as it holds a major share in the aquaculture industry's total turnover.
They urged the industry to hold more trade fairs and exhibitions and ensure that ways of delivery and payment are in line with the World Trade Organization commitments.
The seafood industry has earned US$4.27 billion from exports thus far this year, US$0.7 billion higher than targeted.
Despite the global financial crisis, the industry aims to reach US$4.3 billion by the end of the year, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors.


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The specialty chemical industry relies on patent and intellectual property law, but those standards are changing.
Platform Specialty Products’ vice president of legal, John Cordani, says research and quick action to protect research results are the best legal—
and business—strategies to keep up with and remain competitive during these changes.
In 2013, Congress passed the America Invents Act, which included a series of patent and intellectual property law changes. One of them was a shift from a first-to-invent to a first-to-file patent application system. Under this change, the United States has adopted a system used by a majority of other countries which stipulates the filing date takes precedent over the date of invention. For the specialty chemicals industry, this change has created a greater sense of urgency to file applications.
In addition to the passage of that act, companies like Platform Specialty Products Corporation have had to adapt their strategy in order to stay ahead of the curve. “For us, as a specialty chemicals company, intellectual property and patent law are the lifeblood of our industry,” Cordani says. “It applies to every product we sell. Each one is designed to accomplish particular purposes for our industry, so intellectual property arises from thinking about that, designing the new product, accomplishing that specific purpose, and ultimately instructing the customer how to use the product appropriately.”
Companies in Cordani’s industry file patents frequently. The regulation of chemicals is also very extensive and tends to change frequently, which makes being well-versed in intellectual property and patent reform increasingly important.
Platform Specialty Products implemented researcher training to stress the urgency imposed by patent reform. They also rely on alert services that summarize changes in the regulations and intellectual property landscape in a manner that the research team can easily study and understand.
“One of the most important things we can accomplish is to provide additional resources to the US Patent Office in order to allow them to review patent applications more quickly and in a more thorough manner.”
Intellectual property and patent reform have also become increasingly important in the specialty chemicals industry because of competition with megacompanies. In the last ten years, Platform Specialty Products has been involved in an ongoing patent dispute with DuPont over the sale and development of photopolymer equipment used to create printing plates.
With DuPont’s pending merger with Dow Chemicals, the company will soon be the world’s largest chemical company worth $130 billion. “We are in an industry that has behemoth companies, and we’re capable of dealing with them to the extent that we need to,” Cordani says.
With recent reform, Cordani says the biggest challenge continues to be tackling the extensive patent portfolio of the industry. He says it’s difficult to maneuver without having the appropriate background, skills, and analysis.
There are benefits to the new laws, says Cordani. With the first-to-file system, the biggest advantage has been improvements to the ability to invalidate unworthy patents. The reform that was passed allows for a more expansive and reliable methods to do so.
As for the future of intellectual property and patent reform, Cordani says these changes are significant to him and the industry.
“One of the most important things we can accomplish is to provide additional resources to the US Patent Office in order to allow them to review patent applications more quickly and in a more thorough manner,” Cordani says, “which would increase the likelihood of only valid patents getting granted in a timely manner.”


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Mobile games will account for more than 60% of the total gaming market share in 2022 according to a forecast by Data.ai. Ultimately, the data and analysis service provider expects the games market to reach a total volume of $222 billion this year.
Mobile gaming takes the majority of the market shares and is expected to surpass $136 billion this year. This means that smartphone games are growing 1.7 times faster than the gaming market as a whole.
Consumer spending on the small, mobile companion has also reached a new all-time high. In the first quarter of 2022, users spent more than $1.6 billion per week on mobile games on iOS and Google Play, up 30% from pre-pandemic levels.
Democratization of gaming
Mobile gaming is the most inclusive form of gaming to date for all genders, generations and gaming interests. In addition, there is the uncomplicated equipment compared to playing with the console. The smartphone has enabled full democratization of gaming, giving every type of gamer access to their niche, be it a specific subgenre or demographic. The latest report from Data.ai, powered by Game IQ, highlights the range of interests reflected in the app stores' most in-demand subgenres.
Russia-Ukraine war is affecting the gaming industry
Weekly game downloads and consumer spending have both declined since the start of the war in Ukraine. The biggest impact on consumer spending was in Russia as Google and Apple froze payment processing in that country. Russia's share of consumer spending on games in Eastern Europe fell from 50% to 10% as early as April 2022. Outside of Russia, consumer spending on games in Eastern Europe remained relatively stable
According to IDC, most mobile gamers (at a 3:1 ratio) would rather see ads in exchange for free content and services than pay for apps and thereby avoid ads, despite increasing privacy demands. Data.ai numbers also show that games funded through app stores are experimenting with hybrid models that include advertising to make free games more accessible to a wider audience and more lucrative for publishers.
Decades ago, it was already foreseeable that digitization would change the entertainment industry. In particular, the developments in the gaming sector do not seem to have been completed yet. Due to the pandemic, the numbers are even in the three-digit billion range, with mobile gaming being the strongest growth driver.
Consumer spending is up 30% from the year before the pandemic and, at $136 billion, accounts for more than half of the overall games industry market share. Although smartphone gaming is pulling all age groups in front of the mini-screen, manufacturers seem to have a special interest in Gen Z, as many of the top games are geared towards them.


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Wow, just wow, another horror story case of where these condo/hotel companies take peoples money but never deliver the property
The suit says that the 157 had bought and paid for units in the project, but it was still unfinished, with work apparently halted.
The suit names Tulip Group (Bazis Development Co). The firm has been advertising an "iconic" Centara Grand Residence at Jomtien, and selling units since at least 2012. Ms Pannada said she was convinced to buy a condo unit for 20 million baht because of this architect's drawing.
Tulip Group is a Pattaya-based firm with Israeli roots. The CEO and founder is Kobi Elbaz.
It introduced Centara Grand Residence in September, 2012, as a condominium project on 10 rai in Pattaya's Na Jomtien area. Mr Elbaz said that when completed in 2014, it would comprise 283 condominium units worth 6.4 billion baht and 200 hotel rooms operated by the Central Plaza Hotel Group's Centara chain. It still has not been finished.
more here: http://www.bangkokpo...do-file-lawsuit


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Amazon's 182 Million Visitors Among Its Huge Advantages
Among Amazon.com Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) seemingly endless arsenal of advantages over every other retailer is the 182 million visitors to its websites. No other retailer comes close.
Based on comScore data, Amazon’s 182.2 million unique visitors from mobile and computers placed fifth among all companies in October, just behind Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) at 193.8 million. The comScore top 50 multi-platform properties list has only two other retailers, which are big-box leaders Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) at 93.9 million unique visitors and Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) at 62.1 million.
It is impossible to tell which came first to create and sustain Amazon’s traffic. Was it the traditional superstore factory, which allows Amazon to offer large selections of products across nearly countless categories, or the products and services like Prime, Alexa, Kindle and Echo? Amazon had $18.9 billion in North American sales in its third quarter, up 26% over the same quarter a year ago. Net income for this segment of Amazon’s business was $694 million, up 32% on the same basis. It is safe to say the top line will balloon in the fourth quarter, the holiday rush months.
Amazon does have a set of weapons that other retailers cannot rival at all. Prime has morphed free shipping into a suite of services that include its streaming video business, which is built partly on original programming; a music streaming business with a selection that puts it on equal footing with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P); and photo storage capacity. According to recent research, a third of Prime members buy something from Amazon once a week. Prime members also get early access to special sales, another way to tether them to Amazon.
Amazon’s selection of consumer electronics is nearly as broad as Apple’s, and in some cases competes with the giant consumer electronics company. Amazon TV certainly competes with Apple TV, the Fire tablets with the iPad, and Echo with certain features of Siri.
No matter what the reason, for competitors, Amazon’s 182 million visitors can’t be approached.


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A report surfaced today that Yahoo is considering buying Foursquare for $100 million. The story, put out by Silicon Alley Insider, seems pretty preposterous, considering Foursquare is the hottest name in location-based services and currently has four top VCs all looking to invest in the company. So why would Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley possibly be considering selling his company to a troubled Internet giant?
Read between the lines of Silicon Alley Insider’s story:
Yahoo’s M&A deal-makers are deciding right now whether or not to buy super-hot location-based startup Foursquare for ~$100 million, says a source close to bankers involved in Foursquare’s current fundraising efforts.
Translation: Foursquare’s bankers are hoping to push the four venture capital firms said to be interested — Accel Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, and Redpoint Ventures — into raising their bids from the currently rumored $80 million valuation by scaring them with the notion of a sale to Yahoo. (Or perhaps sustain their interest: Redpoint reportedly dropped out of the bidding last week.)
An $80 million valuation now would imply a much higher valuation on sale. So the notion of selling to Yahoo, famed for killing the cool Web companies it acquires, for a mere $100 million, seems ridiculous on its face. Especially when you consider that Crowley has already sold the same idea of a location-based friend-tracking service once to a big Internet company, Google, and saw it fade away to obscurity in the Googleplex.
The front-runner to win the deal is likely Gideon Yu of Khosla Ventures, who already won contested deals to invest in payment service Square and questions-and-answers site Hunch. Yu, the former CFO of YouTube and Facebook, knows all about holding auctions for investors. He’ll likely outbid the rest, knowing that he can later sell Foursquare off for that much more.
But will Yu, who helped buy Web startups like Flickr and Del.icio.us as Yahoo’s treasurer, be impressed by this kind of amateurish maneuver? We haven’t examined Yu’s Foursquare check-ins lately, but we don’t think he’s the mayor of Crazytown.
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By Paula Anderson
Small businesses in Tennessee will have an opportunity to scale and grow with the assistance of the Minority Business Development Agency.
Writing by Design Media, Inc. interviewed Jozelle Booker, president and CEO of MMBC Continuum about the latest funding initiative.
She shared the opportunity that socially and disadvantaged businesses will have with the MBDA Capital Readiness program.
MMBC Continuum also operates the Tennessee MBDA office through a five-year grant award. The office is located in Memphis, Tenn.
“The U.S. Treasury gave the state of Tennessee $100 million to help small business owners. Each state received a specific allotment from the Treasury,” said Booker.
The funding was allocated under the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
“The latest investment is $93.5 million for minority businesses who need help with technical assistance to be ready for lending or venture capital opportunities,” said Booker.
In a press release dated Dec. 21, 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce launched a capital readiness program.
“The Capital Readiness Program will provide funding to incubators and accelerators across the country, with expertise to assist and train minority and other underserved entrepreneurs seeking resources, tools, and technical assistance to start or scale their businesses in high-growth industries such as healthcare, climate resilient technology, asset management, infrastructure, and more,” according to the release.
“The program will focus on the needs of each business because businesses are different. It will help businesses launch or scale,” said Booker.
According to Booker, there is ‘pre-work’ before a business can approach a lending institution.
“Preparing businesses to access loans and money can be in the form of financial assistance, mentoring, web presence, marketing or legal assistance. It is focused on business development.” said Booker.
“Businesses positioned for success will be able to scale and grow,” said Booker.
One of the challenges for some small businesses is having multiple departments to meet the needs of customers.
“Every business does not have the infrastructure like large corporations. Small businesses don’t have all of the ancillary and support services like major corporations,” said Booker.
According to Booker, MMBC Continuum will apply for the competitive grant. The organization has a 30 year history of serving minority-owned businesses in Memphis.
MBDA is offering webinars to help individuals understand the funding process.
“This is communication to let small socially and economically disadvantaged individuals (SEDI) know about the opportunities coming. The program will not start until July 1, 2023, ” stated Booker.
“I want to encourage businesses to change their mindset and think about receiving help from organizations providing the business development and support services,” said Booker.
“This is a ‘magical time’ for Memphis with the infusion of $100 million dollars across the State and we may not ever have this opportunity again.”
To learn more about MMBC Continuum, click here.
To learn more about MBDA Capital Readiness Program, click here.


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The finding is part of a new survey conducted by social media and community platform LocalCircles in the wake of pandemic
Bengaluru: The impact of covid-19 can be seen on businesses, as several startups including Swiggy, Oyo, Meesho, Udaan and VOGO have either laid off or furloughed their staff. And now, with the lockdown impacting business and revenues, many small startups have reported saying that the capital in the bank has started to dry up.
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One month ago
, Facebook trumpeted the launch of Avatars in Europe, after the Snapchat-like feature was initially introduced in Australia and New Zealand. Today, Facebook announced
that its Bitmoji-like avatars are now available in the United States, on both the Android and iOS platforms.
To start using avatars, you must first start to create one, so head to comment composer in Facebook or Messenger, tap on the smiley button, and then choose the sticker tab. The “Create Your Avatar!” option should show up and you can start creating your own avatar.
These avatars can be used in comments, Stories, even in Messenger, but they can't be used in text posts with backgrounds yet. These avatars act as a digital persona that lets users engage in social networking in original ways. To make the feature even more unique, Facebook added the possibility to customize avatars with new hairstyles, complexions, and outfits.
Today, we’re celebrating the launch of avatars in the US! So much of our interactions these days are taking place online, which is why it’s more important than ever to be able to express yourself personally on Facebook.
It's clear that Facebook is looking for ways to enhance user engagement on its social networks, and judging by the success of the similar feature introduced by Snapchat four years ago, avatars might become very popular. Recently, Snapchat revealed that nearly 150 million out of its 210 million users have already created Bitmojis, so Facebook definitely has a lot to catch up.


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Some facts about Business Insider’s acquisition by Axel Springer
As we reported earlier, German media giant Axel Springer is acquiring a controlling stake in media startup Business Insider for $343 million, which values the New York-based company at about $450 million. You can read more about the background of the deal and some analysis about what it means for Business Insider and Axel Springer, but here are some quick facts about the acquisition:
— Springer is actually only buying 88% of Business Insider, because it already owned a 9% stake as a result of an investment round in January (which valued the company at less than half what Springer is now paying). Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, also an early investor, retains a 3% stake in the company.
— The German company is one of the largest traditional publishers in Europe, where it owns several of Germany’s largest circulation papers and magazines, including Bild and Die Welt. It was founded by Axel Springer and his father in the 1960s, and is still controlled by Axel’s widow, Friede. It has annual revenues of about $3.3 billion.
— The acquisition ties both Business Insider co-founder Henry Blodget and his COO Julie Hansen into what Axel Springer described as a 10-year, equity-based retention deal. That means a certain amount of compensation is based on the two staying with the German media company to run the Business Insider unit for the next decade.
— Business Insider has 72 million unique visitors a month, Springer said on a conference call, although Google Analytics puts the site’s traffic at 90 million uniques. About 60% of the site’s traffic comes from mobile devices, and almost 40% of it comes from social networks. Axel Springer says that the deal means it now has 200 million uniques across all of its various properties.
— Although neither side of the deal provided any revenue figures, Axel Springer said the site’s revenue is growing at about 50% per year, and if it hadn’t invested in its new vertical Tech Insider it would have already broke even. Some media insiders have estimated the site’s revenue at about $50 million.
— Blodget said on the conference call that the company still has about $22 million of the $50 million in financing that it has raised over the past couple of years. He said the dot-com crash was a “very scarring experience for me” and as a result he tried to be as stingy with the company’s cash as possible.
— Critics have accused Business Insider of basing much of its growth on unfair “aggregation” of content from other media outlets, but both Blodget and Springer CEO Matthias Dopfner said smart aggregation and curation is part of the new-media model. “Certain rules should be expected that lead to a healthy ecosystem,” Dopfner said, but “we are doing it, and we love it.”


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New Album from The King
At a press conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday (Sept. 22) it was announced that George Strait will be releasing a new album titled Cold Beer Conversation September 25. The album will be exclusively available via Wal-Mart and Apple Music.
It was also announced that George Strait will be one of the first performers at the Las Vegas Arena. The dates that were announced are April 22nd and 23rd, as well as September 9th and 10th. Kacey Musgraves will be the opening act for all four performances.


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Microsoft will be the first major company to live stream their Gamescom conference, so make sure you don’t miss their announcements by watching the embedded player below.
We’re expecting a lot of the American company in this briefing, especially because Sony’s not really in attendance, but also because they’ve got a lot of “Triple A” games to announce. Rise of the Tomb Raider, Forza Motorsport 6, and Halo 5: Guardians are just some of the titles.
Expect to see Crackdown, Scalebound and a better look at Remedy’s Quantum Break.
Microsoft also announced a little something called Windows 10 which will be making its way to the Xbox One, so you can expect some information on that timetable.
Also, how about that AWESOME hololens we got a peek at earlier this year? News leaked yesterday that the “V1” design will be released to developers earlier this year (source) so perhaps we can get another peek at how it’ll affect gaming.
To see the rest of the Gamescom schedule, you can check the post below:


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Thousands of people have signed a petition calling on the Welsh government to reverse a ban on supermarkets selling non-essential items during the new lockdown in Wales.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said the restriction was a "matter of fairness" as non-essential retail has to close during the two-week period, which began at 6pm on Friday and will last until 9 November.
Guidance published by the Welsh government says certain sections of supermarkets must be "cordoned off or emptied, and closed to the public".
These include areas selling electrical goods, telephones, clothes, toys and games, garden products and dedicated sections for homewares.
Supplies for the "essential upkeep, maintenance and functioning of the household", such as batteries, lightbulbs and rubber gloves, can be sold during the lockdown.
Images posted on social media showed aisles selling products such as children's clothes, greetings cards and books blocked off, with plastic sheeting placed over items to prevent shoppers from accessing them.
A petition calling on the Welsh government to allow supermarkets to sell non-essential items had received more than 17,000 signatures by this afternoon.
"We do not agree that this is a prudent or rational measure, and will create more harm than good," the petition states.
"We do not agree for example that parents should be barred from buying clothes for their children during lockdown while out shopping.
"This is disproportionate and cruel and we ask that the decision be reversed immediately."
Yesterday, Mr Drakeford said that stopping supermarkets from selling non-essential items was "a straightforward matter of fairness" as hundreds of high street businesses had been forced to closed.
He told a press conference in Cardiff that it was also "not the time to be browsing around supermarkets looking for non-essential goods".
During the two-week lockdown, all leisure and non-essential retail are closed including clothes shops, furniture stores and car dealerships.
The ban was announced in the Welsh parliament on Thursday following a question to Mr Drakeford from Conservative MS Russell George.
Mr George said it was "unfair" to force independent clothing and hardware retailers to shut while similar goods were on sale in major supermarkets.
Today, Andrew RT Davies, shadow health minister of the Welsh Conservatives, called for the ban to be "dropped immediately".
"I have never witnessed such a fierce backlash against a decision from the Welsh Labour government," Mr Davies said.
"This ludicrous ban has caused real anger across Wales and it's not fair on those staff working in our supermarkets, and the general Welsh public who are already at their wit's end with a difficult fortnight looming."
Under lockdown rules, people can only leave their home for limited reasons, such as to buy food and medicine, provide care or take exercise, and must work from home where possible.
Leisure, hospitality and tourism businesses are closed, along with community centres, libraries and recycling centres, while places of worship are shut other than for funerals or wedding ceremonies.


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Previous this month, GameStop introduced a multi-year strategic partnership with Microsoft – together with undertaking and industrial components. Microsoft will reportedly proportion virtual revenues with GameStop on each and every Xbox it sells.
There were some issues raised about how this partnership will doubtlessly have an effect on different console producers’ presence inside of GameStop. Thankfully, for Nintendo – a minimum of within the quick time period, it should not be an issue.
As you could recall, Reggie Fils-Aimé (the previous Nintendo of The usa President) joined GameStop’s board of administrators in March this 12 months, and it sort of feels Transfer inventory has been larger since then. GameStop CEO George Sherman made the next remark in a prior income name:
“We obtain greater than our fair proportion of Nintendo Switches and we promote the ones very impulsively.”
Searching for Alpha notes how GameStop’s allocation of Nintendo merchandise prior to now hasn’t been nice, so it is attention-grabbing to listen to from the corporate’s CEO how there is now a wholesome provide. Possibly Reggie has performed a component.
Transfer shortages were an issue all through the machine’s existence, however this 12 months has taken its toll on Nintendo from time to time. The pandemic has from time to time stalled manufacturing and video games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons have simplest larger call for for the machine.
Have you ever had hassle discovering a Nintendo Transfer at GameStop or some other retailer this 12 months? Let us know down underneath.