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Lonza takes the gold for Best Ingredient at in-cosmetics Asia
Gold, Silver and bronze were awarded at the Asian event as part of the Innovation zone and Regenistem was awarded gold for its high material efficiency, sustainability and innovation, according to the judges.
Dr Tim Schlange, head of personal care, Lonza commented, “We’re delighted to have won this prestigious award. A great deal of hard work goes into researching and developing our ingredients and so to gain recognition for our product from leading professionals within the industry is fantastic”.
Regenistem is an extract of wild red rice found in the Himalayan region that is created in a laboratory using cells taken from the plant. The final product is added to topically applied formulations.
Lonza conducted both in-vitro and in-vivo testing. In-vitro testing found that the ingredient up-regulated the production of collagen and a protein called dermatopontin, which is found in the dermis.
In-vivo testing consisted of a 60 day clinical trial which found an increase in skin moisture, a reduction in pore size appearance and reduction in appearance of lines and wrinkles, when applied twice a day.
All the entries were judged by a panel of industry professionals from across the world with the three winners chosen from a selection of eight finalists.
Silver was awarded to Lipotec for its hexapeptide, Adifyline that gives consumers a younger looking appearance, according to the company.
Bronze was given to Unipex for its active complex Capixyl, which is designed to prevent and stop the hair loss process and stimulate hair growth, according to the company.


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This deal is, nonetheless, sweet! 🍰
In honor of their 40th birthday, The Cheesecake Factory is giving away 40,000 slices of delicious cheesecake starting on Wednesday, December 5! And nothing tastes better than free… or cheesecake.
We’re not talking about the kind of “free” that includes a bunch of surcharges either. The Drizzy Drake infatuated restaurant chain has teamed up with Doordash and plans to waive all delivery and service fees. However, you can tip your driver for literally delivering you a slice of heaven.
The deal starts at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday and all you have to do is enter the code FREESLICE at checkout. The deal is valid through December 11, but there’s a chance that the 400,000 slices could run out before then.
Additionally, The Cheesecake Factory is offering free delivery on orders during the promotion period!

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Nick Woodman, CEO of GoPro and a UCSD alumnus, was recently named the highest-paid CEO of 2014, according to Bloomberg Magazine.
Woodman, whose salary is $284.5 million, replaced Charif Souki, CEO of Cheniere Energy, who earned $281 million in 2013, as the highest paid CEO at the end of 2014. Additionally, Cheniere Energy also reduced Souki’s pay in 2014, which makes Woodman the highest-paid CEO.
GoPro earns $634 million in quarterly revenue and Woodman is listed at an estimated $2.4 billion according to Forbes Magazine.
Woodman credits his time at UCSD as the source of his company’s origins and conception.
“This is actually where GoPro started, you could argue. It’s where I learned about my love of visual arts and photography, love of surfing, and GoPro is really the combination of my passions in the form of a business,” Woodman said in an interview with CBS News. “I got very lucky as an entrepreneur that I could combine my personal passion with business. So I owe UC San Diego a ton for helping find who I really am.”
However, Woodman might not have even attended UCSD if he hadn’t appealed the rejection letter the school sent him — an action which led to him being admitted to the university.
Woodman graduated from UCSD in 1997, majoring in visual arts and minoring in creative writing. After his marketing company FunBug failed, Woodman traveled around the world, surfing. The self-made billionaire was inspired to create the GoPro Camera while trying to record himself surfing in Australia and Indonesia on a handheld camera.
After developing the GoPro camera, a high-definition camera able to capture still photos and videos and which can easily be attached to a helmet or wrist, a Japanese company purchased 100 GoPro cameras for a sports event in 2004. In 2012, GoPro sold over 2.4 million cameras, and the Chinese electronics company Foxconn invested over $200 million in GoPro.
Woodman believes that his hard work and perseverance got him to be where he is.
“To everyone [at] home watching, I am not that smart. I am just that dedicated,” Woodman said. “You have to be a little maniacal to see things through. You don’t need massive intellect, you just need massive perseverance.”
According to Woodman, the reason he majored in visual arts and created GoPro was that he wanted to use creativity to engage and interact with people.
“It was to be creative with a purpose and get your message or belief across through creative work in a manner that really engages your audience,” Woodman said. “So they come away believing in the message you were delivering to them.”
Ever since his company’s success, Woodman has been featured in numerous magazines, articles and newspapers. He was listed in Fortune Magazine’s 40 under 40 list, which lists 40 influential people in business under the age of 40. Moreover, Woodman was featured as a guest shark in ABC’s hit TV show, “Shark Tank.” Woodman currently lives in San Mateo with his wife and two children.


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In recent weeks, there have been reports that China has completely banned the crypto mining literally everywhere. However, many people think of mining only as a processor or a graphics card and completely forget that there are several ways of mining. One of these methods is hydroelectric mining, and as China decided to ban the extraction of cryptocurrencies, hydropower owners were forced to sell everything. For this reason, advertisements for the sale of hydropower plants have started to appear on the Internet to this day, and their number continues to increase.
However, the crypto policy in this country is becoming clearer as everything in the country is gradually transformed to start using the digital yuan, which is currently experiencing a huge boom. This is evidenced by the integration of more than 3,000 ATMs in the capital, which supports the withdrawal of this national digital currency.


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Hello friends, here we are sharing exciting and big news for you that TVS Motor Company is all set to launch its new variant. Since the news has come on the internet and it went viral on the social media platforms. many people are very excited about this. Reportedly, TVS has launched a new variant of its 125cc commuter offering, the Raide 125. As we all know TVS is one of the best and most famous 2-wheeler companies in the world. Here we have more information about the news and we will share it with you in this article.
TVS Motor Company is an Indian international motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Chennai. As we already mentioned TVS has established a new variant of its 125cc commuter presenting the Radier 125. It’s named Super Squad Edition and the bike comes draped in two new plans motivated by the Marvel Series: Black Panther and Iron Man. So, one model comes painted in red, black and golden and the second one is draped in purple and black. Currently, this news has been making headlines as many people are very excited. Scroll down to the next page for more information about it.
TVS Raider 125 Super Squad Edition Launched
If we talk about the bike design then apart from this, no design, feature or automatic changes have been made to the bike. So, it gets the same LED headlight, followed by a firm yet small fuel tank and a separate seat setup. Even the telescopic front forks and monoshock remain unchanged. The Raider 125 Super Squad Edition rides on front disc and rear drum brake on 17-inch alloys covered in 80/100 front and 100/90 rear tyres. On the quality show, the Raider Super Squad gets LED light and a completely digital device console sans Bluetooth connectivity. You are on the right page for more information about it, so please read the complete article.
The unit houses a speedometer odometer, trip meter, gear function hand and power level readout. The new Raider 25 variant utilises the exact 124.8cc, single-cylinder motor that single-cylinder machine that dishes out 11.2bhp at 7,500rpm and 11.2Nm at 6,000rpm. It is connected to a five-speed gearbox. Currently, many people are searching for this bike as they are very curious to know about the price. TVS has priced the Raider 125 Super Squad Edition at Rs. 98,919. Here we have shared all the information which we had. Stay tuned to Dekh News for more updates.


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With each passing day, more weaknesses are found in Google Play store. One of the most recent is ESET, which has discovered a set of apps with embedded adware. Worse than that, they have been installed on millions of devices.
Therefore, the users should eliminate these applications as soon as possible. They may endanger the safety and the proper functioning of your smartphone.
Users should eliminate 21 applications as soon as possible
ESET, a computer security company, monitors various threats that may compromise the security of its users. It collaborates closely with technology companies to correct the emerging weaknesses. Given the importance of smartphones, many of the attacks are now done in this medium.
The security company has alarmed the latest vulnerability discovery to the users. In Google’s Play Store were a set of applications – which had been installed eight million times – that contaminated the victim’s smartphone with adware.
“Forty-two apps identified in the Google Play Store as part of adware campaign, with twenty-one apps still available at the time of discovery. The Google security team removed them all based on our report. However, these apps are still available at third-party app stores”. – Lukas Stefanko, ESET Malware Researcher
The list of infected apps can be seen in the image below. These applications attract the users with interesting features when they were actually infecting the user’s device. Accounting for over eight million installations, the problem is serious and has affected out numbered victims.
Google has already deleted these applications from its store. But the apps are still present in third party stores. If these applications still installed on your device, you should immediately eliminate them to secure the device.


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From Naomi Osaka, to Ronaldo, to Paul Pogba, to Biden and Putin, recent weeks have seen several examples of the influence of press conferences and the evolution of their place in communications and marketing strategies.
It’s been a tough week for product placements.
The soccer star made it clear he is not a fan of the soft drink at a Monday press conference.
The Class of 2021 represents an industry that reacted admirably to the challenges of the past 15 months while juggling multiple other responsibilities simultaneously.
The work on display in PRWeek, Campaign and MM+M’s celebration of brand filmmaking is a testament to a format that is increasingly driving return on marketing and communications investment.
...or is it a pandemic trend you hope will stick around?
Last week’s announcement on mask-wearing by the CDC led to more confusion than clarification, and underlined the fact that health issues will be on every PR person’s radar for the foreseeable future.
… or do you welcome the moniker with open arms?
Some speculated it was because the notification sounds too much like the Palestinian militant group “Hamas.”
The latest phase of Procter & Gamble and GLAAD’s Visibility Project demonstrates that inclusion in marketing is a powerful force for social change – as long as it is authentic.
Will Wingstop’s social media manager get fired or promoted for ‘horny’ tweets? Twitter users weigh in
Was Wingstop’s public flirtation with a Twitter user harmless or way too spicy?
As "le grand retour" looms on the horizon for the people business that is PR, employers and employees alike are working out the full implications of the new normal.
Home Depot’s giant skeleton is particularly happy about the change.
The feature, no longer in beta, will allow brands and users to create and host live chat rooms.
The recent abortive attempt to upturn the structure of European soccer was an object lesson in how not to treat consumers and how not to safeguard a brand.
Which ‘Flamin’ Hot’ snack is the best?
PRWeek’s annual review of the agency sector profiled an industry that showed its mettle in a super-challenging year.
Or was this just a universally bad idea?
The prosecution leveraged the public affairs consultancy for social and legacy media monitoring during the historic case.
Wait, are brands actually being nice to each other? It could be a Twitter first.


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facebook last week said it might begin testing lengthy expected finish-to-finish encryption capabilities in its Messenger app, enabling customers to have secret conversations.
the new stage of safety signifies that a message will likely be seen handiest to the sender and the recipient — facebook won’t even be capable of read it.
users can set a timer to restrict the amount of time that a message remains seen throughout the dialog. facebook has employed Open Whisper programs’ signal Protocol expertise to provide the encryption.
One main caveat is that an end-to-finish encrypted dialog can not be seen on more than one mobile techniques at the related time — however, the encryption is an non-compulsory function.
Many customers want so that you can switch gadgets all through a dialog — as an instance, move from a mobile phone to a tablet or laptop pc. With the current technology, secret conversations may also be read only on one device.
in addition, sending rich content material like GIFs or video and making funds will not be possible the use of the encryption.
probably the most safety protocols related to the top-to-end encryption have raised questions among Messenger customers.
All secret messages are encrypted in local storage with two keys and the faraway key can be revoked, mentioned Alex Stamos, chief security officer at fb, in one in all a series of tweets responding to issues.
additional, it can be seemingly that an replace to end-to-end encryption will permit it to support multidevice use, he stated, which is how tens of millions of fb Messenger customers presently operate.
hundreds of thousands and thousands of Messenger customers speak net-to-web, Stamos referred to, but there’s currently no steady solution to store code or examine keys without using mobile technology.
the supply of end-to-finish encryption serves two vital uses for facebook amid a robust debate about client privateness and security protocols all over the world, commented Tim Mulligan, senior analyst at Midea research.
“First, it will assist facebook look like on the aspect of the digital shopper; and secondly, it allows the company to inhabit the identical ethical excessive floor that has hithero been the protect of Apple concerning the privacy of its users,” he informed TechNewsWorld.
dual device Disappointment
fb’s twin manner, which allows each encrypted and unencrypted messages over the same device, is a “basically dangerous design option,” said Nate Cardozo, senior staff lawyer at the electronic Frontier basis.
“it’s simply simple too simple to ship an unencrypted message when the instrument has two options,” he informed TechNewsWorld.
That mentioned, it would had been frustrating for facebook to make all messages encrypted, Cardozo conceded. It now not most effective would have risked losing tens of millions of customers who need the online-to-web option for Messenger, but also would have required a tremendous amount of engineering work.
Encryption Debate Echoes
the development comes at a vital time within the know-how industry. Apple not too long ago spent months combating a division of Justice demand that it help create a backdoor to get admission to knowledge on an iPhone it needed to search for proof in its investigation of the San Bernardino terrorist attack last 12 months.
Apple fiercely resisted the demand, arguing it might undermine the protection of the iPhone, invade clients’ privacy, and ruin shopper confidence within the product.
The case wound its method via federal court docket for months and put much of Silicon Valley at odds with law enforcement and national safety consultants who wanted the tech business to assist crack down on ISIS-related process on social media, in addition to present greater cooperation in efforts to get to the bottom of terrorism instances.
The DoJ later found an outside agency to help it smash into the iPhone used by the shooters, and Apple used to be left at midnight on the strategies used to get entry to the data.


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SIBU: Tourists, despite having to pay more for their accommodation still considers Malaysia, Sarawak in particular, their favourite destination in the Asean region.
“Malaysia, or Sarawak for that matter, is blessed with myriads of tourism products and remains among the cheapest tourist destinations in the region,” said Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Sarawak chapter’s liaison officer for Sibu, Roy Ting.
It was augmented with quality tourism players and products, thus boosting tourists’ confidence and satisfaction, he added.
“As such, the presence of these feel good or ‘Wow’ factors will offset tourists’ concern over costlier rooms,” Ting said.
He asserted that since the benefits far outweighed the cost, the minimal hike in room rates would not turn tourists away from Malaysia or Sarawak.
“Furthermore, tourists are prepared to spend whenever they travel.
The way I see it, domestic tourism will continue to grow next year,” Ting told The Borneo Post yesterday.
He was asked to respond to the call of Sarawak Central Region Hotel Association chairman Johnny Wong Sie Lee on hotels affected by the increase in service tax to up their room rates.
Wong had also been quoted to have said budget hotels were expected to downsize their business next year to avoid the higher service tax and thereby, sustain their business.
Scaling down the argument to the local front, managing director of Equitorial Tours and Travel Sdn Bhd Robert Tan reckoned that backpackers and salesmen might feel the pinch as they usually stayed in budget hotels.
Conversely, tourists opted for three- to four-star hotels when visiting Sibu as their rates were still competitive compared to places such as Kuching and Kuala Lumpur, he said.
Citing an example, he pointed out that a room rate here (inclusive of breakfast) was about RM150 per night while that in KL could easily go beyond RM500.
Tan said whenever tourists contacted them for information, they (tourists) would enquire on medium to high end hotels.
He viewed the increase in service tax and the room rates as minimal, adding, “I don’t believe the latest development would in any way affect the local tourism industry.”
Seconding Ting’s view, he said accommodation and food in Sibu were among the cheapest in the state.
Sibu Tourism Task Group chairman Sim Kok Kee suggested that if hoteliers were worried about losing business, they could perhaps, absorb the difference, given the increase in service tax was very minimal or at one per cent.
Alternatively, he figured hotel guests would be able to accept the minimal increase in room rates and respected the government’s policy.
“If we work this out mathematically, the increase is RM1 for a RM100 room rate. Moreover, most budget hotels here are charging below RM100 per night.
“So you see, the increase in room rates is insignificant,” said Sim, who is also Sibu Resident.
He reiterated: “I presume they won’t mind if they are being charged with the new rates as the hike is minimal.”


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Is there an expanding Flexo market in Southeast Asia?
When we think about Asia and its markets, there is a certain buzz around the region and its ever-growing population and economies. For a while China and India where the growing stars in the East but it is not only these countries which are economically prospering and surprising the old economies in the west with growth, invention and rapid developments. Even though the ASEAN-countries are not structured like the democracies in the West, their economic growth and with it investments from international companies are soaring high.
by Paula Landes
Asian packaging markets
Gravure has long been the dominant technology so far in Asia and is well known and widely available. SEA printers prefer to manufacture their packaging products with the gravure process, mainly due to the large volumes that the print buyers need.
Research shows, that over the past ten years, flexible packaging has been one of the fastest growing packaging sectors, especially as developing economies continue to expand. According to the Smithers Pira report “Future of Global Flexible Packaging to 2022”, the total market for consumer and industrial flexible packaging is projected to grow at an annual rate of 4.3% until 2022. The whole market is valued at USD 230 billion in 2017 and is projected to reach USD 283 billion in 2022. With Asia being the largest regional market with 40% of global packaging market volume, this region is projected to be the fastest growing market for consumer flexible packaging.
“Although the main share of flexible packaging printing in Southeast Asia is produced by the rotogravure process today, we see a growing number of printers turning to flexo. This is mainly driven by new product ideas and substrates that are difficult to handle in gravure. With a growing installed base of flexo presses at Southeast-Asian printers, brand owners will carry flexographic printing forward as a commercially viable alternative.” says Arthit Prommopakarn, Senior Sales Manager, Windmöller & Hölscher Asia.
Market insights: Thailand and Vietnam
Every year from 2011 to 2016 Vietnam has increased its export rate by 15%, mainly in high tech devices and components, such as broadcasting equipment and integrated circuits. Also, Thailand exports mostly technology like computers and telephones. Flexo industry experts in the markets agree that the market for flexo printing is growing in Thailand as well as in Vietnam. Reasons are changing shopping habits, the increasing per capita income and the growing amount of locally produced goods that are not imported. This is connected to a change in consumption habits in recent years: more supermarkets and smaller packer sizes are spreading as shopping becomes easier and more organized with malls and shopping centres replacing local markets and street vendors.
Along with this growth comes a new set of challenges for packaging printers, one of which is the increase in demand for shorter runs which are increasingly required due to market demands and fast turnover for product launches. Here the older techniques are not competitive anymore and flexo printing offers great solutions. With huge improvements in the development of the flexo industry in the last 15 years like new prepress systems, new generation of photopolymer plates and seven colour extended colour gamut (ECG) approach, which involves a fixed colour palette consisting of CMYK combined with green, orange and blue or violet. This now means that flexo can now print images and gradients as well, when previously it was used primarily for text. While improving the outcome these technologies have also made flexo cheaper and perfectly suitable for short print runs, thus arriving just in time to meet the demands of the Asian markets for high quality printing.
Local particularities and demands
Super brands especially, are diversifying their printing processes to further suit different product packaging demands, such as the need to regionalize products to cater to specific local holidays or events. Many Asian countries celebrate more than one religion thus special needs for packaging not only arise around Christmas and Easter, but also around Diwali, Eid, Magha Puja and others. Also, the huge variety of regional languages requires different layouts, design and presentation formats.
What to expect in SEA?
We expect that the current growth rates are only the beginning and foresee a bright future for the emerging markets in South East Asia. Currently flexography in South East Asia is still a new technology that is entering the market at high speed: Flexible packaging is one of the fastest growing market segments in Asia with an annual growth rate of up to 5 percent. With changing lifestyles in a world that gets ever more connected, where brands and quality are also a sign of individual prosperity the Asian tigers are at a moving at a high pace and embrace modern technologies and their impacts on their lives. So as more and more local products are being printed in Southeast Asia together with the latest advancements in technology, flexography will become the preferred printing method in Asia. With investments in the latest technologies the results will easily surpass established products and set new standards for the international market.
About the author:
Paula Landes is a consultant for PR, social media and a freelance journalist from Frankfurt, Germany. She puts startups and companies on the international digital stage. For more information please check mocialsedia.de


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Stripes Taking 'Next Step' With CNG
Two compressed natural gas sites in Midland, Texas, leading way for larger rollout
MIDLAND, Texas -- Susser Holdings Corp. held an event Aug. 30 at a Stripes convenience store in Midland, Texas, to tout its retail compressed natural gas (CNG) offering, according to The Midland Reporter-Telegram. Although the location has offered CNG fueling for the last year, officials gathered at the site now to officially celebrate what Steven DeSutter, president and CEO of Stripes LLC, called the next step in the company's history.
"Behind me," he said as he stood in front of a line of CNG pumps, "is a new form of hydrocarbons, a new form of motor fuel."
The company spent $1 million each to install CNG facilities at two Midland locations, said the report.
"Adding natural gas to our conventional motor fuel products reinforces our mission to give Stripes customers what they want at a great price in our convenient store locations," DeSutter said last November when Susser announced that it would open the facilities in a partnership with Houston-based Apache Corp., one of the world's top independent oil and gas exploration and production companies.
"We certainly see the role of natural gas in our energy future, and we are looking forward to participating as it evolves as a viable alternative transportation fuel. We plan to evaluate the results of our pilot project in West Texas, and if it is successful, we expect to gradually roll out CNG fueling capabilities in other Stripes markets," he added.
"We approached Stripes a couple of years ago, at a time CNG was not well known," Mark Bruchman, Apache's general manager of operations, told the paper. "This will be a significant piece of the energy puzzle and energy independence. This is a product that's available here and now."
DeSutter predicted the nation's landscape will be dotted with CNG fueling facilities because the new transportation fuel "is coming fast, and it's coming heavy."
But he acknowledged that it will take time as demand for CNG builds. "I see the consumer side coming on as affordable vehicles are built and conversion comes," he said.
"Natural gas discovered and produced in the United States is a smart alternative to conventional fuels. It's cheaper, cleaner and abundant," Steve Farris, Apache's chairman and CEO, said in November. "We use it for our fleet cars and trucks with great results, lowering operating costs and reducing our environmental footprint. Partnering with Stripes provides our fleet and other CNG users with a more convenient fueling experience as well as access to their stores and other amenities."
Bruchman told the paper that Apache is teaming up with companies like Stripes, Pilot Flying J and Love's to make CNG more accessible, to make refueling more convenient for drivers of CNG-fueled vehicles. Developing an infrastructure, he said, will be "huge" in persuading consumers to adopt the new fuel.
The facilities were built in order to "meet the immediate demand being generated by vehicles owned or operated by Apache, and for the long-term anticipated growth that CNG is expected to experience," Craig Scotton, Stripes' senior director of fuel services, told NGT News in a separate report. "Apache has two bases of operations in Midland--a field operations location with CNG vehicles used in the oil field that is adjacent to our I-20 store, and an office in town very near our Big Spring Rd. store, where they are encouraging their employees to convert their personal vehicles to CNG."
Susser Holdings is a third-generation, family-led business based in Corpus Christi, Texas, that operates approximately 570 c-stores in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma under the Stripes banner. Restaurant service is available in approximately 365 of its stores, primarily under the proprietary Laredo Taco Co. brand. Susser Holdings also is majority owner and owns the general partner of Susser Petroleum Partners LP, which distributes more than 1.5 billion gallons of motor fuel annually to Stripes stores, independently operated consignment locations, c-stores and retail fuel outlets operated by independent operators and other commercial customers in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Louisiana.


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Sony has shipped 19.57 million Playstation 2 and 88.26 million units of the original Playstation games console as of 30 September 2001.
In the three months ended 30 September, Sony's Q2, the company shipped 4.62 million PS2s and 2.82 million PS1s. Sales of the original console are up, as Sony only shipped 2.37 million of them in the same period a year earlier, but now you can get it for £75.
PS2s are also going great. Sony shipped 980,000 of them in the same quarter a year ago - the launch quarter, but the price has come down a hell of a lot - £299 at launch, now £199.
Software-wise, 19 million Playstation 1 titles were shipped in Q2 (not just Sony productions), down from 40 million for the quarter a year ago. Since its launch, 802 million units have shipped.
As for the PS2, 72.5 million PS2 titles have shipped so far. In Q2 22.7 million CDs were shipped, compared with 3.4 million a year earlier.
Sony's games business for Q2 was up by 83 per cent on the period a year earlier. The Playstation operation had an operating profit of 4.1 billion yen ($34 million) compared with a loss of 2.9 billion yen ($23.55 million) in the year-ago period. ®


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Lowe’s home improvement store made a dramatic statement in the smart home category at the International Consumer Electronics Show. Promoting its Iris home management tech solution, the brand built a two-story, 2,000-square-foot house exhibit on the show floor. Complete with six rooms, a private second-floor meeting space and a merchandise wing, the exhibit accommodated 30 Iris smart home products and more than 40 demonstrations.
The real-life setup had attendees walking through different parts of what felt like a real home—a patio, garage, entryway, family room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. The lines of the roof on the exhibit mirrored the gable of the Lowe’s logo, which hung above the booth. And at every corner, home design elements you’d find at Lowe’s stores, from the toilet to the flooring.
Product specialists in each space explained different scenarios and functions using the Iris app on an iPad, like activating sprinklers on the exhibit patio, flipping on live-stream cameras and closing blinds. Across the patio was the 20-by-30 merchandising area staffed by a Lowe’s tech team. Lowe’s scanned badges and, after the show (Jan. 6-9 at the Las Vegas Convention Center), followed up with an email containing two sizable coupons good for use in-store over the next month.
“We wanted a home that was reflective of any suburb in America and of the average shopper who goes to Lowe’s on a Saturday—approachable and accessible, and complimentary to the Lowe’s brand and target market for Iris,” says David Felgner, Lowe’s project manager. Build: Studio Displays, Pineville, NC.
Living Room Setup Inside The Lowe’s Iris Smart Home
Photos courtesy of: ©2015 exposuresltd.com


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Moroccan fertilizer company OCP is facing an unprecedented challenge in Kenya: the bombshell announcement of the arrest warrant against several people, some of whom are employees of OCP.
As one of the main producers of phosphate fertilizer in the world, OCP has designed a growth strategy based on product individualization: creating specific fertilizers for each country, according to its production strategy and its soil. Because fertilizer production is a pure sub-product of chemistry, the producer controls the exact composition of its products, as the contents of the fertilizer compose its value. Addressing the growing market in Kenya and its sturdy agricultural sector, OCP recently sent a cargo ship with a first batch of fertilizer. Kenya is one of the most promising markets for actors in the fertilizer sector.
In the wake of Kenya’s recent contaminated sugar scandal, Kenyan authorities have tightened controls on imported goods, and these standards naturally applied to fertilizer which, if adulterated, could impact all of the downstream products. The Kenyan Bureau of Standards (KEBS) demanded a double-control procedure, with the fertilizer being analyzed in the Moroccan port of departure and once again upon arrival in Kenya.
The first complications arose upon arrival in Kenya, where the cargo was blocked by KEBS, asserting that the certificate of analysis and conformity issued by Bureau Veritas was incomplete. Tests were carried out by KEBS for further analysis, which results for heavy metals were compliant with Kenyan standards…but finally raised an issue with concentration of Nitrogen and Sulphur. OCP Kenya hence submitted samples to three different independent inspection companies. The new round of analysis returned a verdict of full compliance once again.
“OCP Kenya complied fully with Kenyan procedures and regulations in place in connection with the cargo targeted by this action,” the company stated. In its statement, OCP Kenya reported “The full compliance of this cargo with such procedures and regulations has been indisputably confirmed by independent expert analyses performed by several internationally renowned inspection agencies (SGS, Bureau Veritas and Cropnuts).”
After 5 weeks of back-and-forth investigations, the cargo was finally cleared, but missed the mark on the seasonal market of agriculture. In April, OCP issued a complaint to the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives regarding the unusual actions which had been led by KEBS and the impact on commercial and agricultural operations.
On June 22, Kenyan prosecution bureau (Directorate of Criminal Investigations, DCI) issued an international arrest warrant seeking the apprehension of several officials, within the KEBS and OCP. Gideon Keter, from The Star, reported that “Kenya Bureau of Standards MD Charles Ongwae and nine other senior officials have been arrested and taken for questioning at the DCI over the importation of substandard fertilizer and circulation fake KEBS stamps. The nine were picked by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations. They included Quality Assurance director Erick Chesire, Inspection manager Kilindini port Peter Ndung’u, Port health officer Pole Mwangeni and Regional manager Coast region Martin Nyakiamo.”
The arrest warrant materializes the stated DCI suspicion of an organized fraud to bypass standards, and mentions the charges of abuse of office, breach of trust, selling substandard goods and failing to stop “a felony and attempted murder.” Whether the prosecution considers “attempted murder” the possible health implications of adulterated fertilizer, or if is hinting towards an individual action, is still unclear. Unclear is the point that today nobody clearly understands as to what exactly is included in the procedure or its intent. Last Monday, the only discussion in court was about how poisonous Brazilian sugar found its way to Kenya!
The OCP now implicitly suspects it is the target of commercial interests lying in the background, and has disclosed its intention of getting to the bottom of the matter. “While we intend to actively and fully cooperate with the Kenyan authorities in connection with this matter, we reserve our rights to take legal action against the parties behind these baseless and opportunistic accusations,” the company warns.
The battle has only just broken out, and much is still to be discovered behind the fog of war.
In the end, two questions still linger: what the hell would bring a world leading company to incriminate itself in such an underhanded trick to sell only a few more tons of fertilizers and who stands the most to gain from this.


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The countrywide ration shops strike called by All India Fair Price Shop Dealers’ Association (AIFPSDA) from 1 January for an indefinite period was called off today.
The Public Distribution System (PDS) in the state as well as the rest of the country was affected after owners of ration shops across the country began their pre-announced strike from Tuesday for an indefinite period.
Owners of around 18,000 ration shops in the state shut down their units as a part of their ‘Ration Bandh’ programme in protest against the Central Government’s failure to ensure a minimum monthly income guarantee for every owner. With the strike called by All India Fair Price Shop Dealers’ Association more than 80 crore consumers in the country would be affected under National Food Security Act (NFSA) till the ‘Ration Bandh’ is withdrawn.
“We will continue our strike till our demand is met by the Central government. The Centre will have to ensure a minimum monthly income guarantee around Rs 50,000 for each shop owner. Most of the owners of ration shops in the state and other parts of the country have taken part in the strike by shutting down their shops from today,” said Biswambhar Basu, national general secretary of the association.
“The union food ministry is shifting its responsibilities on to state government and union territories without taking any initiatives on their own for enhancing our viability with a minimum monthly income guarantee for us. Many shops in Kolkata have already been closed down because owners have been facing huge loss for years,” Mr Basu said. “A ration shop owner gets commission of Rs 95 per quintal in our state and it’s not adequate to run it, giving salary to employees, paying electricity bills and rent for the shop. The Centre is sitting silent on our financial crisis,” he said.
The association members have already staged a dharna in front of the Khadya Bhavan on Mirza Ghalib Street on 29 December in protest against the Centre’s reluctance to meet their demands. Ration dealers will also organise a rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on 16 January. They will also march to parliament during the day demanding the Centre to pay Rs 50,000 for each owner as monthly income guarantee.


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It’s been a tough year for Tesco. The retail chain has been set back by scandals such as the horsemeat disaster, as well as declining sales. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, chief executive Philip Clark admitted that the retail brand has struggled with unwanted ‘baggage’ over the past year.
The well-known retail brand is planning a complete turnaround, hoping to make its declining sales and branding issues a thing of the past. The company’s profit margin – 5.2% in the UK – could be the first sacrifice in a long list of changes to bring the ailing supermarket brand back to the top of the market.
Tesco reported a 2.4% sales decline over this year’s Christmas period, fuelling the need for analysis and change at the brand. Some of the planned measures for the supermarket chain include large-scale price cuts on certain groceries and a new version of its Clubcard loyalty programme with an online rewards system.
Clarke noted that the success of discount retail chains such as Lidl and Aldi could have had an impact on the changes at Tesco. The chief executive stated that Tesco would be “foolish” to ignore the success of cut-price competitors, but noted that Tesco couldn’t simply imitate them in order to earn their success.
“They have a couple of thousands SKUs, don’t have an online business, and only do a little bit of general merchandise”, Clarke noted. Tesco, in comparison, stocks 25,000 products in its average retail store and several hundred thousand products on its online shopping service.
When it comes to formulating success for the company, Clarke’s plan is simple: “We know we have to get the right blend of price, quality and service in the right environment.”


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At least seven foreign countries are participating in this year’s show, slated for September 8 at a yet-to-be-specified venue in Kigali, Rwanda. The runway show will be preceded by a model casting session at the Great Seasons Hotel in Gacuriro on September 4. The casting will be open from 1pm to 6pm. This year marks six years since the Rwanda Cultural Fashion Show was founded in 2013. Organizers have promised a unique runway show featuring designs from different cultures as the Rwanda Cultural Fashion Show returns.
“Rwanda Cultural Fashion Show is a forum for local and international fashion designers to showcase their designs. Our goal is to promote fashion designers and create public awareness of the talent and quality designs in Rwanda,” explained Celestine Ntawirema, the founder. Ntawirema further disclosed that they will be partnering with local modeling agencies to help with the casting of the models. This year, the event has drawn fashion designers and entrepreneurs from Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, Nigeria, Ghana, Japan, the DRC, and hosts Rwanda.
Registration for the casting is already open, and each model is required to part with a registration fee of Rwf3, 000, payable to organizers through Bank of Kigali. To qualify, female hopefuls will need to be at least 1 meter 75 centimeters tall, while their male counterparts need to be at least 1 meter and 80 centimeters tall.
“This year we resolved to meet international casting standards. Normally in Rwanda the way we did castings was not to international standards,” Ntawirema explained, adding that all models who will register for the casting will have a chance to attend the show, even for those that won’t be selected. Organisers have also set aside two days of a fashion exhibition, where the public will be able to shop for various fashion items as a way of supporting the ‘Made in Rwanda’ campaign.


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New Assassin’s Creed Unity trailer to celebrate Bastille Day
Ubisoft has released a brand new Assassin’s Creed Unity trailer for the single-player campaign to celebrate Bastille Day.
The trailer, although it doesn’t offer any new information on the gameplay, apart from showing new Assassins Arno Dorian prowling through the crowds and felling enemies with flick knifes, certainly incites the feeling of revolution.
“For centuries, my countrymen have suffered under the oppression of an
arrogant and decadent aristocracy,” Dorian narrates. “The
common people cry out for food, for liberty, for justice. But they shall
have no justice without someone to fight in their name.”
The upcoming Assassin’s Creed game is set during the French Revolution in 1793 in Paris and will see Dorian making people find the courage to stand up and fight against their oppressive rulers.
“Discover Arno as he fights for justice and raises people’s hope for freedom and unity,” reads the YouTube blurb for the latest trailer.
The Assassin’s Creed Unity release date is set for October 28 on Xbox One, PS4 and PC and until then Ubisoft will no doubt drip feed us with new information on the title.
At E3 the published revealed the game would feature four player co-op, so that some missions can be experienced and completed with friends – a first for the Assassin’s Creed series.
Read more: Xbox One vs PS4


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Google I/O: Qualcomm Celebrates Launch of Adreno 420 GPU for Android Gamingby Ryan Smith on June 23, 2014 1:00 PM EST
With Google’s annual I/O developers’ conference taking place this week, this should end up being a busy week for Android news. The conference itself doesn’t officially start until Wednesday the 25th this year, but several partners are already chomping at the bit to get going. First among these will be Qualcomm, who will be using the backdrop of the I/O conference to celebrate the launch of their latest high-performance SoC-class GPU, the Adreno 420.
Adreno 420 is the first member of Qualcomm’s next-generation SoC GPU family to make it out the door and in to a finished product, bringing with it OpenGL ES 3.1 and Direct3D 11 functionality. First announced last year as part of the Snapdragon 805 SoC, Snapdragon 805 and by extension Adreno 420 is now shipping in Samsung’s just-announced Galaxy S5 Broadband LTE-A. The S5B marks the first Adreno 420 product to reach consumer hands, and for as much as an SoC can have a formal launch this would be it, with Qualcomm celebrating its launch coinciding with this year’s Google I/O conference.
For Qualcomm the Adreno 420 in particular is an especially big deal since it is the first GPU to ship based on the Adreno 400 architecture. The Adreno 400 architecture marks a significant advancement in the feature set of Qualcomm’s GPUs, bringing Qualcomm’s latest architecture generally up to par with the existing desktop GPUs by integrating full Direct3D feature level 11_2 functionality alongside the more mobile-focused OpenGL ES 3.1 feature set. By doing so Qualcomm has reached feature parity with desktop GPUs (for the time being), even slightly exceeding NVIDIA’s GPUs by Direct3D standards due to being an FL 11_2 architecture versus NVIDIA’s FL 11_0 architecture.
As we have already covered Adreno 420 in some depth last month we won’t spend too much time going over it now, though admittedly this is also partially due to the fact that Qualcomm is remaining tight lipped about the Adreno 400 architecture beyond a high-level feature standpoint. In brief the Adreno 400 architecture (and Adreno 420) is a full Direct3D FL 11_2 implementation, utilizing a unified shader architecture along with the appropriate feature additions. New to the Adreno 400 architecture is support for tessellation, including the necessary hull and domain shader stages, and as a Direct3D 11 product this would also include with it other Direct3D 11 features such as compute shaders and draw indirect support.
Meanwhile on the OpenGL ES side of matters, while ES 3.1 is not as expansive as Direct3D 11, this none the less means that the Adreno 400 architecture brings with it ES 3.1 functionality along with a number of its Direct3D-derrived features as extensions. Mobile developers will also be happy to hear that this is the first Qualcomm product to support adaptive scalable texture compression (ASTC), the OpenGL next-generation compression technology that should further improve, unify, and simplify the use of compressed textures on mobile platforms.
For Google I/O we are expecting Qualcomm to be heavily promoting the Android gaming possibilities of the Adreno 420 and the Snapdragon 805. The low power nature of mobile devices and the SoCs that power them means that while Qualcomm can’t match the performance of the larger desktop GPUs, Adreno 420 will be a big step up from the performance offered by the older Adreno 330 GPU. But more importantly for Qualcomm, they can do something that hasn’t been done before by bringing desktop-level features to Android devices.
In a sense this will be a repeat of the launch of Direct3D 11 on the desktop, except now with Qualcomm (and eventually other vendors) promoting the advanced features offered by these devices, throwing out examples and tools at developers to entice them to write games for this latest generation of hardware, and to otherwise put it to good use. Even without being able to match desktop processors, there are a number of effects that are made available (or at least more practical) via these new features, and can be used effective on mobile hardware. From a practical perspective Qualcomm should be able to offer Android developers the base graphics functionality of the current generation consoles at performance levels similar to the previous generation consoles.


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Audi have sold 4,000 cars this year in India. This represents a substantial increase after selling just over 5,000 last year.
Audi’s sales have increased by 43 per cent during the first six months of the year. Sales in June alone hit 718 cars. In June 2011 Audi sold only 408. This represents an increase of 76 per cent, an astonishing achievement. The Audi Q3 played a major role in helping the company’s sales increase. 500 Q3’s were ordered in just 5 days. Audi then opened bookings for extra Q3’s to be ordered.
Audi are extremely confident that they can continue their strong growth spurt in the country and meet their highly ambitious targets. Their new portfolio of vehicles is being taken to extremely well. Audi’s reputation is continuing to get stronger and stronger with their German rivals of BMW and Mercedes-Benz, who currently occupy the number one and two spot in India looking over their shoulder.
Audi India has now reached 804,000 fans on Facebook, which is quite an achievement. They have won 27 motor awards in the country which really says it all.
Audi’s sales target in India last year was 5,000. This time round Audi in 2012 they hope to sell 8,000. Audi may not be the number one luxury car maker in India at present but they are the fastest growing. They hope to hit that number one mark by the year 2015.
Audi were confirmed in the number 2 spot in March earlier this year, overtaking Mercedes-Benz.
Half the year has passed and half the target has already been achieved. It appears that Audi’s strategy is clearly on track, to a tee.
Michael Perschke, the Head of Audi India’s operations said “Ours is a dynamic brand and we have set the pace for our next level of growth in India. Our product portfolio, innovative marketing initiatives and focus on dealer expansion are some of the prime drivers in this competitive scenario. With the help of our robust consumer propositions, we are also confident of further boosting our sales despite the economic challenges like high fuel prices, inflation, reduction in retail loans and rupee devaluation”
Audi have released the Audi Q3, Q5, Q7, the magnificent R8, RS5 and the TT Coupe in India. These vehicles will be spread into 25 showrooms by the end of the year. Currently Audi have 19


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E-commerce has enjoyed an inexorable rise over the past two decades, fuelled by its speed, convenience, and competitive pricing. Yet this year, with billions of people confined to their homes, e-commerce has become a necessity.
J.P. Morgan’s 2020 E-Commerce Payments Trends—Global Insights Report takes a country-by-country look at the state of the global e-commerce industry, identifying the opportunities and flagging emerging challenges to market players.
Major economies around the globe may have tipped into recession, but our research suggests e-commerce revenues are set to continue a positive growth trajectory up to 2023, albeit at a slower rate than before.
Obstacles include the fact that travel and tourism—a key e-commerce sector—has significantly declined as national borders re-open and close. Global e-commerce travel transaction volumes were down a huge 91 percent year-on-year in April 2020.1 With travel usually taking up almost a third of e-commerce sales, this has had an outsized impact on the market.2 But with the world’s citizens working, exercising and eating at home more than ever before, increasing food, home entertainment and subscription services purchases are underpinning growth.
Of course, COVID-19 is not the only force influencing e-commerce. In our reports, we investigate key consumer and e-commerce trends around the world.
The rise of ‘phygital’ sales strategies. E-commerce and physical commerce is beginning to converge, with native e-commerce giants creating huge physical retail locations to showroom their online products and enable instant purchase—a practice that has been dubbed ‘New retail’.3
Live streaming with select influencers is emerging as a key source of revenue for some brands, especially in East Asia. Take beauty influencer Viya—China’s biggest livestreamer by revenue, her channel sold $27 million in merchandize on Singles’ Day 2019 alone.4
The ongoing success of direct-to-consumer sales and marketing and the rise of advanced app-based e-commerce. For example, Douyin, social media app TikTok’s Chinese platform, allows users to buy products they see streaming on the app in real time—by simply tapping the video three times.5
Providing a tailored, thought-out payment suite as a key route to success for merchants when entering new markets. Cards, digital wallets and bank transfers are all essential payment methods to offer, especially as hygiene concerns are further driving down cash use.
Our research provides growth predictions over the crucial next three years, as the world works its way out of a downturn. Standout countries include the U.S. (10.5% compound annual growth rate to 2023,), China (11.2% CAGR to 2023), India (12.1% CAGR to 2023) and Malaysia (17% CAGR to 2023).
A strong shopping culture is emerging around developing brands which newcomers must familiarize themselves with. For example, strong rivals to Amazon and Netflix exist and there are high expectations around the shipping times for fashion purchases.
The world’s biggest e-commerce market remains dynamic and has room for massive further growth. 56% of the population have yet to make their first purchase online, and we forecast a double-digit growth forecast going forward as these consumers begin to engage with e-commerce.
Pre-COVID-19, German online basket sizes were growing but as the pandemic continues, four out of ten German consumers plan to shop less this year. Local rules are evolving, too: specifically regulations around e-commerce returns, designed to guide merchants reselling, repurposing and disposal of returned goods.
As a result of rising food and homewares sales, Walmart is set to usurp eBay as the number two e-commerce player in the U.S. by the end of 2020. Digital natives eBay (third) and Apple (fourth) are both expected to lose market share in 2020, as non-essential spending declines.
From the rising shipping charges facing merchants who want to sell into New Zealand, to the migration from street markets to online food shopping in Italy, e-commerce is changing every day. The online payments landscape continues to evolve and grow, even in the most challenging of times—and we are tracking the payments, regulatory and consumption trends that your business needs to know to keep ahead.
Executive Director, J.P. Morgan


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Quite aside from the money, Pokémon Go has also been successful in engaging its players imaginations, resulting in a surge of creativity from fans. Almost immediately after the three Team Leaders in Go - Mystic's Blanche, Valor's Candela, and Instinct's Spark - were revealed, players had created mountains of fanfic, art, and even beautiful comics crafting a homespun narrative around a game that functionally has no story.
"I think that speaks to the power of the Pokémon brand," Quigley says. "24 hours after we did our San Diego Comic Con session in July, there was already a ton of fanfic that had emerged, and that's only gotten broader and bigger."
Could any of that art and storytelling influence the games themselves, and see the characters and setting fleshed out?
"There could be an opportunity there for us to expand canon," Quigley admits, "but that's ultimately something we've got to work out with Pokémon Company. It's fun to see the passion of the fans filling in the gaps and creating backstory to help enhance what we're building on the gameplay side."
The success of Pokémon Go has also bolstered the core Pokémon games. Spring boarding off the back of the mobile game's dominance of the summer, the Nintendo 3DS' upcoming Pokémon Sun and Moon has become Nintendo's most pre-ordered game ever.
"What we're happy about is that in the 20th anniversary, we've played a role in helping overall; building Pokémon affinity," says Quigley. "We're very close with those guys and know how important we are to them but also know they've got other things. As long as those things are complementing each other, I'm sure there are some halo effects."
But could the two games more directly integrate? Could future updates see, perhaps, players being able to transfer Pokémon caught in the real world into the 3DS games?
Read more: Pokemon's Junichi Masuda: 'We weren’t explicitly targeting children'
"There's nothing specific to speak to on that yet, but what I would say is Masuda-san from Game Freak and Mr Ishihara, and our CEO John Hanke, have mentioned that could be an area for us to explore down the road," Quigley reveals.
"We're only month four of Pokémon Go, so still early days for us to get our foundation underneath us, but I think the leaders of the companies acknowledge that there are opportunities there and when the time comes I'm sure they would follow up on that," he continues. "That has been referenced early on in the relationship, and I think it's something we hope that we can get to."
The next step for Pokémon Go is to expand the new Nearby and Sightings features, which help players track down where Pokémon are in the world around them. Having been in testing exclusively in San Francisco since August, Niantic just began expanding it to other US cities, with more locations and eventually a global release to follow.
"I think it'll be analogous to the country rollout," says Quigley of Nearby's expansion. "Of course, we want a global release for the game and we got a lot done over the summer, but we still have a lot of countries to launch in."
"I think the same thing for Nearby - we're going to try to roll it out in a responsible way, get user feedback, make sure it's working to a place where the players are happy, and then figure out a way to try to scale it and broaden it in as quick of a timeline as we can. We know that if fans love it, and if we can roll it out sooner, we will."
Going forward, Niantic plans to continue supporting both Pokémon Go and Ingress ("Obviously, Pokémon Go publicly is getting a lot of the attention because it's the new thing", Quigley says), and build on the fundamentals of both titles.
"To have had the player response that we've got is very humbling, exciting. It's lead to a lot of sleep deprivation, but overall, it's been a crazy year for us, a good year, and we're just getting started."


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A year after unveiling "blazing fast" solid-state drives for data centers and other users with high-performance memory and storage needs, Intel has launched new SSDs for mainstream consumers.
Internet security company McAfee has bought VPN provider TunnelBear for an undisclosed sum. McAfee says it plans to integrate TunnelBear's services into its VPN service, Safe Connect.
Gov. Nathan Deal of Georgia has announced that Facebook is investing $750 million over the next five years to build a huge data center outside of Atlanta as the demand for data storage increases.
An Illinois man who worked as a spokesman for a leading "darknet" marketplace that users accessed anonymously to buy and sell illicit goods pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge in Atlanta.
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HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY - Hillsborough County commissioners have approved spending $6.25 million to bring a Bass Pro Shops store to the Brandon area.
The vote was 6-1 with Commissioner Kevin Beckner casting the only "no" vote.
The county had originally asked for $8.25 million, but some business owners had argued against the subsidy, saying they didn't get money from the county to get their businesses started.
But others maintained that thousands of local paychecks could be created on the Brandon property, sandwiched in between I-75 and Falkenberg Road just south of Adamo Drive.
"I would argue that economic development opportunities of this magnitude don't come around often," said Chairman Ken Hagan back in December.
"This project generates over 1700 constructions jobs annually for five years. The permanent impact includes over 1500," he continued.
Hagan went on to say the project would pay for itself within five years and generate hundreds of thousands in property tax revenue for the county.


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Some Jax Restaurants Pivot Into Grocery Sales While Dining Rooms Are Closed
As the COVID-19 shutdown continues, restaurants have had to adapt to keep their business running.
One of the ways some eateries have pivoted , especially fast-casual ones, is by selling a small selection of groceries to their customers. That’s in addition to switching to take out only.
“When this started, I sort of had an ethical dilemma of whether I still wanted employees to have to come into work or whether we would be furthering the spread of the virus ... It felt like if I was able to offer local producers another outlet for their produce, that maybe, they weren't able to sell to the restaurants right now, and if I could give folks a way to get groceries and not go through the anxiety of visiting the grocery store, that sort of gave us a way to keep coming to work - to work - and a way to support local farms.”
Community Loaves is selling dairy, eggs and fresh produce, all sourced in Florida. However, in order to make space for these new additions, Corey-Disch had to first crowd-source another refrigerator.
“Tons of great customers and friends and family jumped on board … [which] validated the decision to sell produce,” she shared.
Buying groceries at a restaurant allows patrons to avoid the crowds of a grocery store and support local businesses - both the producers and the restaurants themselves - through this difficult time.
Related: Local, State, And National Coronavirus Coverage
A number of other locally-owned businesses are following a similar model to Community Loaves, selling produce and grocery items in addition to their menu items. They include:
- Southern Roots in Riverside and Atlantic Beach is selling produce, vegan cheese and spreads.
- Vagabond Coffee in Murray Hill is selling milk, eggs, tofu, produce, poultry and meats.
- 1748 Bakehouse in Springfield is selling milk, eggs, produce, granola, and coffee.
- Prati Italia at the Markets at Town Center offers fresh pasta by the quart, spreads, and produce.
- Taverna in San Marco is selling a selection of dry goods, dairy products, produce and other items.
- McFlamingo in Ponte Vedra Beach is selling produce.
Some chains restaurants are also now selling grocery items:
- Maple Street Biscuit Company, which was started in Jacksonville, is selling paper towels, toilet paper, soap, bottled water, chicken and pasta
- Panera Bread has started a grocery service, selling vegetables and milk.


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Petri Ahokangas, Professor of International Business in the University of Oulu, has coordinated the cooperation between students and companies for a long time.
Local enterprises offer international university students opportunities to carry out training periods and various projects alone or in groups. Petri Ahokangas says that while students gain practical knowledge of running an enterprise, at the same time they are of help to the company’s business.
“The students’ various projects and thesis assignments have been useful for companies in situations such as the company wanting to become more international and extend its business to another country. Thesis assignments have concretely helped companies in planning internationalization strategies and given them new, fresh ideas and business concepts.”
Petri Ahokangas attests that companies have been very satisfied with their cooperation with international students. At times, good experiences have led the company to employ students after successful cooperation.
“Feedback has been positive, and companies have contacted us afterward and wished to find a way to reward the students for the work they have done.”
Students find the opportunity to cooperate with companies one of the most rewarding aspects of their studies.
“Cooperation with companies allows international students to get to know people, establish connections and possibly get employed in companies they have cooperated with.”
Professor Petri Ahokangas points out that there are many different ways that companies in various lines of business can benefit from students. In addition to their language skills, a significant benefit is their experience of studying and working in different locations around the globe.
“The strengths of international students lie in their knowledge of their own culture, their potential skills acquired through earlier degrees and their work experience in companies around the world. They are hard-working, motivated and interested in business.”
For all companies considering cooperation with international students, Petri Ahokangas recommends taking initiative.
“It is really worthwhile for companies to be active in recruiting students for cooperation projects. I recommend that they directly contact the University of Oulu to find out what kind of assignments international students could do for their company. A curious and open mind is the most important quality of every company.”
According to Petri Ahokangas, every new entrepreneur or soon-to-be entrepreneur should at least consider recruiting international experience. Finland is already international, but more cooperation would make it even more so.
“Finland becomes international at a fast speed. Companies can gain advantages by developing their new business ideas in cooperation with international students. If one wants to accomplish something new, it is vital to involve international competency even in the early stages of the plans.”


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Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE:JWN) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the twenty-three brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have assigned a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $52.08.
JWN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Nordstrom from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 18th. Gordon Haskett lowered Nordstrom from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $43.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, March 21st. TheStreet cut shares of Nordstrom from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 8th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Nordstrom from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued a “peer perform” rating and issued a $44.00 price target (down previously from $53.00) on shares of Nordstrom in a research note on Thursday, January 17th.
Shares of JWN stock opened at $45.64 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.53. Nordstrom has a 12 month low of $42.54 and a 12 month high of $67.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 1.00.
Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 28th. The specialty retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.06. Nordstrom had a return on equity of 57.14% and a net margin of 3.56%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.20 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Nordstrom will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. Nordstrom’s payout ratio is currently 41.69%.
In related news, insider Erik B. Nordstrom sold 17,762 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.07, for a total value of $782,771.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,653,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $116,931,547.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Erik B. Nordstrom sold 1,169 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.70, for a total transaction of $52,254.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 2,671,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $119,411,848.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 49,180 shares of company stock worth $2,164,864 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 7.05% of the company’s stock.
A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of JWN. CX Institutional bought a new stake in shares of Nordstrom during the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. Financial Advocates Investment Management lifted its stake in Nordstrom by 67.4% during the fourth quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 2,357 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 949 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Nordstrom by 4,156.2% in the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 2,898,862 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 2,830,753 shares during the period. We Are One Seven LLC acquired a new position in shares of Nordstrom in the fourth quarter worth about $92,000. Finally, Quantamental Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nordstrom in the fourth quarter worth approximately $97,000. 66.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Nordstrom Company Profile
Nordstrom, Inc, a fashion retailer, provides apparel, shoes, cosmetics, and accessories for women, men, young adults, and children. The company operates in two segments, Retail and Credit. The Retail segment offers a range of brand name and private label merchandise through various channels, including Nordstrom branded full-line stores and online store at Nordstrom.com; Nordstrom Rack stores; Nordstromrack.com and HauteLook; Trunk Club clubhouses and TrunkClub.com; Jeffrey boutiques; and clearance stores that operate under the Last Chance name.
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We may all be looking for a source to blame for the COVID-19 deaths. But there’s one surprising subject that has people pointing their fingers — soda.
In Mexico, the soda brand receiving the blame is Coca-Cola. The Mexican COVID-19 Czar blames Mexico’s high consumption of Coca-Cola for coronavirus deaths. He cites Coca-Cola for the presence of diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure in Mexico’s population, all pre-existing conditions that may lead to COVID complications and deaths.
According to a study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, three-quarters of the population is overweight, which Mexico’s czar attributes to high soda consumption. Soda companies deliver to all parts of Mexico, even very remote areas. In rural towns, clean drinkable water is costly and hard to come by. Soda, on the other hand, is cheaper and more available than water. In hard-to-reach homes, soda may be easier to find than water. Mexico consumes about 163 liters of soda per year, more than any other country.
Although soda consumption and its adverse health effects are not new issues in Mexico, the country’s coronavirus czar remains adamant that soda is to blame for its COVID-19 deaths. However, other Mexican officials believe that the lack of contact tracing and the need for a robust testing plan are the reasons for the rapid spread of COVID.
Not surprisingly, Mexico’s beverage companies rebuke the czar’s observations. They attribute only 6% of Mexico’s daily sugar intake to soda consumption and see themselves as scapegoats for Mexico’s poor handling of the pandemic.
Pandemic notwithstanding, public health officials in Mexico—and all over the world—agree that sugary soft drinks are bad for our health. The following are eight reasons why you should curb your soda habit.
8. Sugar in Soda Increases Your Belly Fat
It’s common knowledge that sugar intake is linked with weight gain. However, the fructose sugar in most sodas causes dangerous belly fat to accumulate. This type of fat, called visceral fat, is connected to diabetes and heart disease.
7. Sodas Contain No Nutrients
Soda contains almost no nutrients but is often high in calories. The calories come from its high sugar content. Although sugar tastes great, it has practically no nutritional benefits.


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RBA to sit. None of the dozen or more economists in a survey from AAP on Friday have foretold of a Reserve Bank interest rate change at tomorrow’s meeting, and only three reckon there will be another rate cut in the future. The economy is bumbling along in low gear, despite the uncertainties offshore. In fact, if you looked at Friday’s retail sales figures for August, the most important news was that retail sales last month were up 4.3% from August 2014. That is well ahead the low rate of inflation (2.25% underlying), less than 1% headline. That’s down from the 4.7% rate a couple of months ago, but the same as in March.
In the US, by way of comparison, retail sales in August were 2.2% higher than a year earlier. The US economy is stronger than ours, with lower jobless rate, but real wage growth is weak there as it is here. The minutes of the August RBA board meeting showed an extensive discussion of the Chinese economy — economists say watch for any comments from the central banks on the slowing in activity offshore in the past month, especially in Asia, where our major export markets lie. Watch also for any sign of concern about the finances of emerging economies, such as Brazil, Turkey, Russia, China. Also watch for a mention of financial stability in Australia, especially with the fading housing boom. — Glenn Dyer
Distrusted Origin. If Origin Energy can’t convince big shareholders to swallow their share of the $2.5 billion capital raising ($1.4 billion), what hope does it have of getting retail shareholders to eat their share of the $2.5 billion raising (around $1.1 billion)? Big investors took up 92% of their entitlement, meaning 28 million entitlements were later sold by underwriter Macquarie to complete the big shareholder part of the issue. But ahead lies the retail raising, and Origin has a reputation for value destruction like that of Myer — and retail investors rejected its fundraising last month. So Macquarie will have to find a home for hundreds of millions of dollars of Origin shares amongst the very groups — institutional shareholders — who didn’t want 100% of their share of the raising.
Meanwhile, spare a thought for poor, hard up Woodside. Those folk at Oil Search continue to reject Woodside’s $11.6 billion paper issue and demand more money. Now Woodside is on a “charm” offensive, telling anyone who will listen (among the business media) that it can’t pay any more for Oil Search. Woodside CEO Peter Coleman says a higher offer price would hurt his own shareholders (and Coleman’s job?). Well, there’s an easy solution — drop the bid and walk away. It’s your decision. Why destroy value? — Glenn Dyer
US jobs reality #1. Friday night’s US jobs report for September confirmed the continuing strength of the US economy, even if the number of jobs created last month fell to a lower than expected 142,000 and the number of jobs created in July and August fell by a revised 49,000. But the report also confirmed the reality of the jobs market, and a reason why the Fed remains worried. It’s not the continuing weak pay growth — running at around 2.2%, where it has been for the past couple of months — nor was it the jobless rate, estimated at around 5.1%. No, it was the very weak labour force participation rate, which hit a reading of 62.5% in September (Australia’s is 65.0% at the moment, and edging higher).
The US rate was the lowest since October 1977, when Jimmy Carter was US president. That tells us the reality for the US workforce is grim — not too many people are that confident about looking for and finding work and remaining employed. While the decline can be partly laid at the feet of baby boomers returning from the work force, the participating rate in the prime jobs age group — 25 to 34, has fallen to 80.6% in September from 84% at the start of 2008. Job vacancies are at an all-time high, people receiving unemployment benefits at multi-decade lows, the economy is supposed to be stronger than at any time since the recession, and yet millennials are not joining the work force and finding work. So how are they paying for their smartphones and expensive data plans? — Glenn Dyer
US jobs reality #2. Perhaps these younger people have better awareness of the new reality of the US labour market — of the rising tide of job losses among US companies. Jobs come and go everyday in a modern labour force as companies change, expand, contract, die are born. But quietly, the pace of sackings has accelerated. According to US outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, American companies have cut more than 493,000 jobs so far in 2015 — a 36% increase from the same period last year and 2% more than the total number of layoffs announced in 2014. The question is whether this remains a minor trend along side continuing jobs creation, or whether it slowly cripples the wider labour market. Markets reckon the weak US jobs growth last month postpones a Fed rate rise until 2016. If the pace of job cuts continues, it will become a negative for the Fed to fret about. — Glenn Dyer
Iron ore exports keep truckin’. Iron ore prices fell 5.2% over the weekend to trade around US$53.14 a tonne. The fall came despite continuing strong exports from the world’s biggest export port of Port Hedland. In fact data from the Pilbara Ports Authority shows ore exports reached an all-time high last month, just topping the record set in August. Exports totalled 39.4 million tonnes in September, up from 39.2 million tonnes in August, and well ahead of the 36.3 million tonnes in August, 2014. Shipments to China were little changed at 33.8 million tonnes, slightly under the record 33.9 million tonnes in August. — Glenn Dyer


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Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Was declared by Ubisoft back in April, and also the match’s Viking setting has hyped up several lovers. The game will bring back the legendary hidden-blade and will be integrating many changes in comparison to the previous iteration of this franchise.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will soon be published on November 10, 2020. The release date was initially going to be November 17, 2020, however after Microsoft announced the launch date of this Xbox Series X and Series S to become November 10, Ubisoft transferred the launch of Valhalla up to coincide.
This usually means that the match may be released only nine days prior to Cyberpunk 2077, that is now slated to launch on November 19, 2020.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla May Be the turning point for your Assassin’s Creed franchise. Ubisoft’s has been highlighting on creating a bigger, more immersive world, and that’s something that the fan base has been requesting for. While recent iterations of the franchise have obtained mixed response because of the new direction it’s taken, in Valhalla, Ubisoft has a fantastic chance of giving the franchise its identity once more.


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SPOKANE, Wash. - Riverfront Park's new ice ribbon will soon be open to skaters. In a little more than two weeks, the outdoor feature will hold its grand opening.
The city promises it will be a brand new skating experience for Spokane.
Unlike the old ice palace, there will be no covering at the ice ribbon. Skaters get to be outdoors, and right near the heart of downtown. Designers built the ice ribbon with the hopes of getting more use out of the area of the park in the winter.
There is currently about an inch layer of ice on the path. The city says it needs about two inches before anyone can lace up their skates.
The park says even if you've been skating in the park before, this will be unlike any other experience.
The grand opening for the ice ribbon will be held on Friday, December 8.


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The Swiss fintech company nsave has just landed a cool $4 million in seed funding. They’re on track to make it easier for people from countries with shaky economies to use Swiss banks. Big names like Sequoia Capital and TQ Ventures opened their wallets for this investment round. They weren’t alone Y Combinator, ACE Ventures, SV Angel, and even FONGIT (a Geneva government-supported group that boosts tech stuff) threw money into the pot.
Overcoming Traditional Banking Obstacles
Amer Baroudi and Abdallah Abu Hashem are the brains behind nsave. Back in 2022, they made their dream come true using what they’d been through themselves. Baroudi’s family lost everything when their money shrunk during the Syrian war. That pushed him to start a platform that could help others keep their savings safe.
Heading, Improving Financial Security Through Accessibility
Financial security can be a lifeline for many. Usually, offshore banking has been something only the rich or well-connected could tap into. nsave wants to change that by opening doors to more people, especially those from economies dealing with monetary chaos and soaring inflation.
What nsave offers is game-changing, “a reliable foreign account where you can keep your savings in stable currencies like the dollar, euro, or pound and use it when you need to,” said Baroudi. They’re doing this hand in hand with regulated banks, making sure everything’s topnotch safety-wise and follows the rules strictly.
A Fresh Take on Banking Access
Getting started with nsave is a breeze you just sign up through an app. Then there’s a smooth onboarding process that involves thorough vetting for risks. This bit is super important ’cause of all the tight bank regulations out there th
Revamping Risk Assessment
“We’re changing how we think about risk,” Baroudi said, emphasizing the need for strong protective measures that truly reflect the dangers they’re meant to protect against, which don’t only depend on where a person is from.
After getting new customers started, nsave uses its own tool for monitoring to make sure it follows Swiss bank rules. These include tough laws against money laundering and financing of terrorism. This tool shows nsave’s dedication to keeping a safe and rule-abiding place for its customers’ money.
Picking Switzerland as the home base for nsave wasn’t just luck. The country’s forward-thinking approach to new ideas, shown by its laws for fintech companies, makes it an ideal spot for what nsave wants to do. These laws let fintechs work like banks in some ways, which is important to meet all regulatory standards.
Early Product Development
In the beginning stages, nsave is zeroing in on the savings and wealth bits of retail banking. The people who started the company are really focused on what their customers need. A lot of these folks come from places where money problems are big, like Lebanon. Over there, crazy inflation and super strict bank rules have made their money not worth much and it’s tough to save anything. That’s why what nsave offers is a big deal. it’s something people really need.
Words From Sequoia Capital
George Robson, a big shot at Sequoia Capital, gave nsave some major props, “Coming up with a worldwide product that follows all those tough money rules and getting banks to work with you is no small feat. But guess what? nsave did it.” They’re basically like a shining light for folks living in places where money troubles are everyday life. Now that nsave is up and running, it’s easy for anyone to get some safety from all this financial chaos around the globe.
The Wrap Up
To wrap things up, nsave is doing things differently. And they’ve just gotten some fresh cash to keep going. The Rise of Fintech, Banking for Everyone Fintech is changing how we handle money and making it easier for everyone to use banks. It’s bringing better, safer options for banking and giving hope to lots of people who are fighting for stability in tough economic times.


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Vodafone Idea (Vi), a leading telecom operator in India, has just announced a partnership with OnePlus India, a global consumer tech brand known for manufacturing smartphones. The partnership is to drive the 5G device ecosystem in India. India is soon going to get 5G networks. PM Modi is expected to launch 5G in the upcoming India Mobile Congress 2022.
OnePlus has one of the highest penetration of Android-based 5G devices among smartphone users in the country. OnePlus flagship devices such as the latest OnePlus 10T, OnePlus 10 Pro, and OnePlus 10R, as well as the Nord 2T, Nord CE 2 Lite, and Nord CE 2, have been tested on 5G spectrum bands acquired by Vi in Delhi.
As per the recent Counterpoint India channel share tracker for Q2 2022, OnePlus emerged as the leading 5G smartphone brand in online channels in Rs 20,000 – Rs 30,000 segment in the first half of 2022.
With this association, Vi and OnePlus will work together to make 5G technology more accessible to smartphone users in the future.
Vi has planned exciting experiences for OnePlus users at IMC 2022 from Saturday, 1st October to Tuesday, 4th October at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Vi postpaid and prepaid users with eligible OnePlus models can visit the Vi booth at Hall 4, Booth no. 4.15, to know more about the 5G tech experience.


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Fossil Group announced a new licensing agreement with BMW that’ll lead to several new smartwatches entering the market in 2019.
Both sides will work together to release the BMW-branded smartwatch through 2023. As expected, Fossil says it’ll release any products from the partnership through its traditional array of retail channels. BMW, too, will offer some units in its 4,000+ car dealerships around the world.
The multi-year partnership adds yet another license to Fossil’s portfolio. It already makes smartwatches for Armani Exchange, Diesel, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, and others. In all, Fossil holds more than a dozen licenses from fashion-related brands.
Also, the watchmaker has plenty of experience with connected devices. Fossil has been using Wear OS (formerly ‘Android Wear’) for the last few years.
If you’re a hardcore BMW fan or just someone who enjoys the finer things in life, be on the lookout for Fossil’s first smartwatches inspired by the German automaker next year.


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BusinessGreen rounds up reaction from green businesses, NGOs and politicians following the Budget announcement today
Theresa May's government today unveiled its Budget for next year, setting out a raft of tax and spending proposals covering electric and autonomous vehicles, plastic packaging, air pollution and infrastructure....
Supermarket plans to phase out own brand, single-use plastic packaging within five years, as rival Lidl announces ban on black plastic across fruit and veg range
Ministers meeting on climate change, oceans and clean energy kicks off with joint UK-Canada commitment to smart grids and energy storage
National Drought Action Group warns water supplies in north of England remain low after scant rainfall this summer proved 'tough on farmers'
BusinessGreen brings you this week's green economy headlines from around the world


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Meet ‘The Grand Tour’, The Most Anticipated Motoring Show… In The World
After many weeks and months of speculation, the previously unnamed new motoring show from Messrs May, Clarkson and Hammond has finally had the champagne broken across its bows.
The trio have decided to call the Amazon Prime show ‘The Grand Tour’, it was revealed today. Curiously, this is the Anglicised version of the phrase ‘Gran Turismo’, itself a famous racing game, and keen wordsmiths will note that the initials ‘GT’ are the reverse of the initials ‘TG’ – another little nod to their past, perhaps?
The name was unveiled on Twitter and Facebook, with this jaunty little video showing some possible rejected names for the show:
According to an official statement on the show’s Amazon site, the name comes from the fact that the show will be filmed from a tent in a different location around the world each week.
After months of deliberation and lots of useful suggestions from the public, for which the guys are very grateful, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have decided that, because they are taking their new Amazon Prime Show around the world, it will be called The Grand Tour.
Not only will the guys travel to different locations, but for the first time ever the studio audience recordings will travel every week, all housed within a giant tent. Amazon customers will have the chance to be in the audience when tickets are released through prize draws this summer.
We don’t know if the logo – the words ‘The Grand Tour’ hastily scribbled in black marker pen on three strips of gaffer tape – is the final product, but it wouldn’t surprise us all that much given Clarkson’s fondness for simple engineering solutions.
The Grand Tour will be on our screens – if you’ve got an Amazon Prime subscription, that is – later this year.
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HTC packages an IR blaster into its high-end phones and ships a dedicated app that taps into the hardware. HTC Sense TV, as the app is called, doesn't just change channels, it sucks show listings out of cable boxes and crams them onto smartphone screens. An update has recently rolled out support for Indian TV guides. Indian-based blog Razzil has shared some screens of this beta feature in action.
Following the update, the HTC Sense TV app becomes yet another way sports fans can keep up with the World Cup. The software can show who's playing, whether the game has finished, what the score is, and other stats.
- Sense TV program guide now supports India (beta)
- Sense TV sports now shows multiple TV channels broadcasting options (if available) the same sport games in details UI
- Sense TV sports now supports World cup soccer
HTC Sense TV is in the Play Store, but it's only available for handsets on which it comes pre-installed. The app is there just so that updates, like this one, can roll out more quickly to supported devices.


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JAKARTA – The Indonesian government has signalled a substantial upgrade to Bali’s Benoa cruise port.
Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir says he wanted to deliver a “world-class port” in Bali by integrating port services, business and tourism.
“Benoa will become a one-stop area facilitated by an art centre, culinary tour and SME trading centre. There will also be a convention hall, trading centre and many others,” the minister said in an official statement.
The minister said the proposed developments would cater to cruise passengers who were stopping over in Bali for a short time and wanted to shop and experience local cuisine.
Cruise passengers will be among those targeted, along with MICE visitors, as Bali debates a change in direction to attract quality not quantity tourism.
The head of the Bali Tourism Service, I Putu Astawa said many countries once seen as potential inbound markets have, with the passage of time, been shown to only produce low-quality visitors.


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Blue-chip dividend aristocrat The Procter & Gamble Company (PG) provides branded consumer packaged goods to consumers in North and Latin America, Europe, the Asia Pacific, Greater China, India, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates in five segments- Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care.
On June 8, 2022, industry giants PG and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) announced their new multi-year collaboration. The companies expect this partnership to be revolutionary in the emerging market, like automated manufacturing, which aims to foster productivity.
In addition, PG is also taking steps for holistic business development. On June 9, 2022, PG announced a significant expansion of its environmental sustainability efforts to preserve water resources and make water available to all and sundry.
Colin Strong, Corporate Water Stewardship Lead, World Resources Institute Aqueduct Program, said, “P&G’s water target adds a first-of-its-kind ambition to address water consumption and offers a roadmap for others to adopt targets in the face of our shared water problems.”
PG has raised payouts every year since Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. Its annual dividend of $3.65 yields 2.68% on prevailing prices. The company’s dividend payouts have increased at a CAGR of 6.7% over the past three years and a CAGR of 5.5% over the past five years. Its four-year average yield is 2.56%.
Over the past year, PG has gained 2.5% to close the last trading session at $136.37. However, the stock has lost 3.8% over the past month. In addition, Wall Street analysts expect the stock to hit $167.29 in the near term, indicating a potential upside of 22.7%.
Here is what could shape PG’s performance in the near term:
For the third quarter ended March 31, 2022, PG’s net sales increased 7% year-over-year to $19.38 billion. The company’s net earnings came in at $3.35 billion, up 2.6% year-over-year, while its EPS came in at $1.33, up 5.6% year-over-year. Also, its operating income soared 6.3% year-over-year to $4.02 billion.
Solid Profit Margins
PG’s trailing-twelve-month gross profit margin of 48.49% is 45.2% higher than the industry average of 33.39%. Its trailing-twelve-month EBIT margin and EBITDA margin of 23.45% and 26.96% are also higher than the industry averages of 8.52% and 12.14%, respectively.
Furthermore, PG’s trailing-twelve-month net income margin of 18.33% is 268.1% higher than the industry average of 4.98%.
Favorable Analyst Expectations
PG’s revenue is expected to increase 5.3% year-over-year in the current year and 3.9% next year. Its EPS is estimated to increase 3.2% year-over-year in the current year and 6.3% next year. Moreover, its EPS is expected to grow 5.3% per annum for the next five years. It surpassed EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters.
Among the fourteen Wall Street analysts that rated PG, nine rated it Buy, while five rated it Hold.
POWR Ratings Reflect Promising Outlook
PG has an overall rating of B, which equates to Buy in our proprietary POWR Ratings system. The POWR Ratings are calculated by considering 118 different factors, with each factor weighted to an optimal degree.
It has a B grade for Growth and Quality, consistent with its strong financials in its last reported quarter and higher-than-industry profit margins, respectively.
The stock also has a B grade for Stability, in sync with its beta of 0.39.
In the 61-stock Consumer Goods industry, PG is ranked #6. The industry is rated C.
Click here for the additional POWR Ratings for PG (Value, Momentum, and Sentiment).
View all the top stocks in the Consumer Goods industry here.
PG has raised its dividend payouts for 65 straight years. Moreover, PG’s revenue has grown at a CAGR of 5.9% over the past three years, while its EPS has increased at a CAGR of 10.8%. Also, given its high profitability, I think PG is an ideal investment to hedge against the ongoing market fluctuations.
How Does The Procter & Gamble Company (PG) Stack Up Against its Peers?
While PG has an overall POWR Rating of B, one might consider looking at its industry peer, Mannatech, Incorporated (MTEX), which has an overall A (Strong Buy) rating, and Levi Strauss & Co. (LEVI), which has an overall B (Buy) rating.
Want More Great Investing Ideas?
PG shares were trading at $138.92 per share on Wednesday afternoon, up $2.55 (+1.87%). Year-to-date, PG has declined -14.14%, versus a -20.71% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.
About the Author: Riddhima Chakraborty
Riddhima is a financial journalist with a passion for analyzing financial instruments. With a master's degree in economics, she helps investors make informed investment decisions through her insightful commentaries. More...
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