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A marketer cheatsheet for Snapchat’s latest lens, filter options
Snapchat is making several updates to its branded lenses and geofilters today.
The key updates:
- The global sponsored lenses update lets users play around with not only their faces, but also the world around them. Brands, for example, can add floating 2-D or 3-D objects to their sponsored lenses, be it film characters or products to the outward-facing camera.
- Advertisers in the U.S. can now buy lenses that target specific audience segments for the first time, based on age, gender and Snap Lifestyle Categories — the platform’s own audience segments based on users’ viewing habits in its various channels such as Discover and Our Stories.
- With today’s update, brands can add location or other real-time information to their nationwide and chain geofilters in the U.S., including names of high schools, colleges, airports, states, cities, neighborhoods and zip codes.
The key numbers:
- Daily users spend over 30 minutes on Snapchat each day on average.
- Over 3 billion snaps are created every day.
- Over 60 percent of its daily users create content every day, and daily users open Snapchat more than 18 times per day on average.
- Snapchat makes 90 cents average revenue per user.
- Sponsored lenses have been a huge moneymaker for Snapchat, costing advertisers anywhere between $300,000 and $750,000 for a single day.
- Both lenses and geofilters also offer advertisers a ton of engagement. Per Snapchat, one in three daily users play with lenses every day on average, and snaps with geofilters are viewed over 1 billion times a day on average.
- Snapchat has now run over 100 sponsored lens branded campaigns.
The marketers’ view:
Jill Sherman, head of social media at DigitasLBi: “As an advertiser, the ability to provide a more contextually relevant experience is key. Personalization trumps reach when connecting with younger audiences, and these updates help the platform move in that direction.”
Bold Worldwide CEO Brian Cristiano: “While audience targeting on lenses is a good improvement, we’ve been using age- and gender-based targeting on other platforms for ages. It feels a little fluffy, especially after its first quarterly earnings last week; I wouldn’t do broad marketing on Snapchat yet, unless I see more meaty updates.”
The big picture:
Snapchat has entered the trough of disappointment. Many marketers (and publishers) would like for it to become a counterweight to Google and Facebook, but there’s an open question as to how quickly it can innovate while Facebook keeps copying its features. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel has engaged in plenty of hand-waving for marketers (and Wall Street) to look at engagement, not daily active users.
These updates play up engagement once again, with Snapchat also touting that it has sped production timelines for sponsored lenses from eight to six weeks. They also come on the heels of the platform rolling out a number of other updates for marketers, including a self-service ads manager that makes it easier for brands of all sizes to buy video ads. The key is for Snapchat to keep innovating at speed and also bring in as much data as possible.
“Snapchat must be able to provide advertisers with the tools, data and results that parallel or exceed the rest of the industry,” said Cristiano.
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What you need to know
- Call of Duty released a new trailer for Modern Warfare.
- It shows off the campaign for the game.
- It looks as dark as they said.
We've been expecting the campaign trailer for Modern Warfare from Infinity Ward for a while now at today we got our first look.
The trailer shows Captain Price talking to assorted characters in the game, including Middle Eastern freedom fighters, while bad things happen all around him.
By the tone of the trailer, the game will feature the use of chemicals in the theater of war, an incredibly touchy subject, but that just highlights what the game is trying to achieve. Infinity Ward thinks that "Realism" in its game is what will set it apart from other first-person shooters.
We have been playing the beta over the last weekend and the game itself seems solid. If the campaign mode can give us a story to match the gunplay, we could see one of the best Call of Duty games in a long time.
Modern Warfare is set to launch on October 25, 2019.
Look who's back!
Captain Price and his cigar make a return
The stakes have never been higher as players take on the role of lethal Tier One operator in a heart-racing saga that will affect the global balance of power. Modern Warfare engulfs fans in an incredibly raw, gritty, provocative narrative that shines a light on the changing nature of modern war.
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News + Sketch
Featured on 2018/10/19
We just launched a suite of new plugins and integrations to allow you to more easily share what you're working on to the Dribbble community.
Featured on 2018/09/19
When nested symbols came out for the first time way back in Sketch version-whatever-it-was, it was kind of a big deal.
Featured on 2018/07/11
Styles in Libraries and fixed elements in Prototyping.
Featured on 2018/04/18
Any tool for designers, in addition to being stable and convenient, should maximize visual aspect of data that has been changed
Featured on 2018/03/17
Timeline empowers designers to craft beautiful animations and export them.
Featured on 2018/03/01
Sketch 49 has arrived and, hot on the heels of our Libraries update, we're adding yet another huge and highly anticipated feature to Sketch.
Featured on 2018/01/03
Create beautiful timeline animations in Sketch
Featured on 2017/12/07
Sketch adds support for working in, and exporting documents in sRGB and P3 color spaces.
Featured on 2017/11/15
Sync design versions, invite teammates and take full control over your projects.
Featured on 2017/10/11
Sketch 47 is here and, alongside a number of smaller bug fixes and improvements, this latest release includes one of our biggest updates yet.


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Some millennials are willing to fight for something meaningful.
Via NBC News:
Dick's Sporting Goods now faces lawsuits in two states — Oregon and Michigan — over its decision to stop selling guns to anyone under 21, a move done in response to last month's Florida school shooting.
Walmart, which announced a similar policy, faces an identical lawsuit in Oregon.
While the retailers say they have no plans to rescind their new policies nationwide, a lawyer involved in the court challenges says he expects to see more suits filed soon in other states.
In both Oregon cases, 20-year-old Tyler Watson of Gold Hill, went to the stores, tried to buy a rifle, and was told he couldn't because of the new ban on selling to anyone under 21.
His lawsuits, filed March 5, claim the stores violated an Oregon law that bans discrimination by places of public accommodation on the basis of nine factors, including age. The law has a few exceptions, allowing for higher age qualifications to buy alcoholic drinks or marijuana and permitting special rates or service to anyone over 50. But there's no exception for firearms.
"I am confident that Walmart and Dick's are violating Oregon's discrimination in public accommodations laws," said Max Whittington, the lawyer who filed the challenges in that state.
"The wording of the statute only has one reasonable interpretation, and that is you cannot discriminate against 18-20 year olds in offering the sale of goods which they're legally allowed to purchase, be they rifles, or any other legal product," he said.
Read more here.


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Vireo Health, a company with medical marijuana dispensaries in both Minnesota and New York, did what any normal business in any industry tries to do: increase business with Google Ads.
However, when Vireo tried to buy some digital ads focusing on New York, Google hit Vireo with a bizarre rejection note. The rejection stated that the mega-company couldn’t work with Vireo because of a company policy that prohibits ads for “dangerous products or services.”
It’s unclear when Vireo attempted release the ads in New York (probably somewhat recently), but the news surfaced when Vireo decided to go public with the denial and talk to the Minnesota Star Tribune. Vireo wants to use Google Ads in Minnesota to drive medical marijuana patients to its business, a rather sensible goal in a state where the success of the medical cannabis program is being scrutinized
Likewise, Vireo (or the Tribune, it’s unclear) tried to get in touch with Google via phone and email about the Minnesota ads, but have yet to supply any response to the query. However, as the Tribune points out, marijuana falls into the same categories as tobacco and guns, just a couple of the items Google won’t allow ads for because they “cause damage, harm, or injury.”
That logic is fair until you consider that this is medical marijuana, not some illicit drug that causes cancer. Vireo founder Dr. Kyle Kinglsey makes this poignant point to the Tribune:
“As a physician, it’s hard to understand why Google willingly accepts ads that promote highly addictive painkillers, like OxyContin, that are responsible for thousands of deaths each year, but knowingly rejects medical cannabis ads that could, in many cases, be a significantly safer therapeutic option for patients,”
Kingsley said in a statement.
Medical marijuana provides an undeniable well-being to lives. Preventing people from accessing sensible data on the plant seems a bit short-sighted and not with the times.
Moreover, these types of ads aren’t even controversial ones promoting cannabis smoke. They’re simply standard, geo-targeted Google Ads that increase pageviews and exposure, two cogs of running a business in this day and age.


text: McGruber writes "Gigaom's Jeff John Roberts reports that Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (MSLO) has filed a lawsuit against Lodsys, a shell company that gained infamy two years ago by launching a wave of legal threats against small app makers, demanding they pay for using basic internet technology like in-app purchases or feedback surveys. In the complaint filed this week in federal court in Wisconsin, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia asked a judge to declare that four magazine iPad apps are not infringing Lodsys' patents, and that the patents are invalid because the so-called inventions are not new. The complaint explained how Lodsys invited the company to 'take advantage of our program' by buying licenses at $5,000 apiece. It also calls the Wisconsin court's attention to Lodsys' involvement in more than 150 Texas lawsuits. In choosing to sue Lodsys and hopefully crush its patents, Martha Stewart is choosing a far more expensive option than simply paying Lodsys to go away."


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Electric cars are becoming increasingly popular across the globe, but many models aren't selling that well, especially in the US. What gives?
Tesla has single-handedly proven that EVs can attract a mass of buyers. However, that hasn't been the case with most rivals. Lucid VP of Design Derek Jenkins talks about the recipe for a successful electric car.
In a recent interview with Automotive News, the Lucid executive opens up. Automotive News notes that legacy OEMs and startups plan to bring about 100 new electric cars to market in the next three years. The carmakers are well aware that range anxiety is still a major concern for potential buyers, but apparently, design is critical as well, though we don't really have any specific data to prove it.
Design is critical for all cars, regardless of powertrain. Most people will tell you they'd rather have a car the "looks nice." However, if they're just buying a "cheap" commuter car that fits in their tight budget, they probably don't care so much about design. At the same time, folks opting for a cheap commuter car with bland styling aren't typically the same people with plans to buy a Tesla.
Electric cars are expensive, and while Tesla's vehicles aren't nearly as nice as many luxury cars, they're arguably much nicer to look at (inside and out) than almost all budget mobiles. Lucid aims to take its cars to the next level, not only in terms of design, but also range and performance.
In the interview, Jenkins talks about "awesome range, space, and fun" as key factors to EV adoption. While long range is a very important selling point, and it gets attention on paper, super-fast charging is perhaps even more important. People want EVs to charge as quickly as gassing up, and the EV industry is working toward that goal. It's not there yet, and may not be for many years, but charging today, in many cases, is much faster than it used to be.
Still, Jenkins puts range at the top of his list. He says EVs need to have "400-miles plus." He says people want EVs they can use. They want to put their families in them and go on road trips, use them as a "workhorse." For this reason, they also need to have loads of space, not only for passengers but also cargo.
Some automakers, aside from Tesla, have offered EVs with respectable range, passenger, and cargo space. However, they're arguably not "super fun to drive." If people are going to spend a premium on an electric car, much like they would for a luxury car or sports car, there's an expectation that it will be a thrill to drive, and even turn heads in the process.
Follow the source link below to check out the entire interview. Then, scroll down and leave us a comment.


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LOS ANGELES — Work resumed Wednesday at the nation’s busiest port complex after a crippling strike was settled, ending an eight-day walk-off that affected thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in cargo.
Gates at the Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors reopened, and dockworkers were ready to resume loading and unloading at least 13 ships that had been stuck for days, Los Angeles port spokesman Phillip Sanfield said.
“We expect to start seeing some significant movement today,” he said.
Television reports showed huge cargo vessels moving into port, and a line of trucks waiting to enter a terminal.
Clerical workers who said that shippers were sending their jobs overseas struck on Nov. 27 and thousands of dockworkers in the same union refused to cross picket lines, paralyzing much of the port complex that handles 44 percent of all container cargo that arrives by sea nationwide, including items such as cars from Japan and computers from China.
Negotiators reached a tentative agreement to end the strike late Tuesday, two hours after federal mediators arrived from Washington, D.C. No details about the terms of the deal had been released by early Wednesday, though a statement from the workers’ union said it had won new protections preventing jobs from being outsourced.
Port officials estimated that roughly $760 million worth of cargo a day was failing to move through the ports during the walkout. Some 20 ships diverted to other ports in California and Mexico while others scheduled to reach Southern California simply didn’t sail.
It wasn’t immediately clear specifically which goods were affected; holiday items had arrived weeks ago.
Days of negotiations that included all-night bargaining sessions suddenly went from a stalemate to big leaps of progress by Tuesday. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the sides were already prepared to take a vote when the mediators arrived.
“I’m really pleased to tell all of you that my 10,000 longshore workers in the ports of LA and Long Beach are going to start moving cargo on these ships,” said Ray Familathe, vice president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. “We’re going to get cargo moved throughout the supply chain and the country and get everybody those that they’re looking for in those stores.”
At issue during the lengthy negotiations was the union’s contention that terminal operators wanted to outsource future clerical jobs out of state and overseas — an allegation the shippers denied.
Shippers said they wanted the flexibility not to fill jobs that were no longer needed as clerks quit or retired. They said they promised the current clerks lifetime employment.
The strike began when 450 members of the ILWU’s local clerical workers unit walked off their jobs. The clerks had been working without a contract for more than two years.
The walkout quickly closed 10 of the ports’ 14 terminals when some 10,000 dockworkers, members of different unit of the same union, refused to cross picket lines.
Even though the deal was reached soon after their arrival, the federal mediators said they had little to do with the solution.
“In the final analysis, it worked. The parties reached their own agreement,” said George Cohen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. “There is no question in my mind that collective bargaining is the best example of industrial democracy in action.”
During the strike, both sides said salaries, vacation, pensions and other benefits were not a major issue.
The clerks, who make an average base salary of $87,000 a year, have some of the best-paying blue-collar jobs in the nation. When vacation, pension and other benefits are factored in, the employers said, their annual compensation package reached $165,000 a year.
“We know we’re blessed,” one of the strikers, Trinnie Thompson, said during the walkout. “We’re very thankful for our jobs. We just want to keep them.”
Union leaders said if future jobs were not kept at the ports, the result would be another section of the U.S. economy taking a serious economic hit so that huge corporations could increase their profit margins by exploiting people in other states and countries who would be forced to work for less.
After the deal was reached, the ports’ management said they were “delighted that the terminals will be operating again, that the cargo will be flowing.”
The clerks handle such tasks as filing invoices and billing notices, arranging dock visits by customs inspectors, and ensuring that cargo moves off the dock quickly and gets where it’s supposed to go.
Villaraigosa, who had been calling for the two sides to reach a deal for days, said he was pleased by the resolution.
“I think it’s appropriate to say ‘mission accomplished’,” he said.


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Zero Latency and Mind Trek link up to create US VR arenas
The largest multiplayer free-roam virtual reality game arenas in America will open in Greater Boston and Philadelphia later this year, after a deal between Australian VR software specialist Zero Latency and start-up operation, MindTrek.
MindTrek is a new venture co-founded by Brad Wurtz, David Rzepski and David O’Connor and has signed an area development deal with Zero Latency to open multiple arenas in and around Boston and Philadelphia. The project will start with virtual reality game arenas in Woburn, MA this summer and in Marlborough, MA this autumn. MindTrek will also open an arena in Philadelphia, PA before the end of this year. Plans are underway for future arenas to open in the regions during 2018.
Zero Latency’s patent-pending motion tracking system enables teams of players wearing portable virtual reality gear to participate simultaneously in immersive cooperative game experiences in a warehouse-sized space. It claims to be the first and only company with technology that allows as many as six players to freely explore richly themed and hyper realistic game environments, with that number planned to expand to eight later this year.
The Woburn and Marlborough locations in the Boston suburbs will be each configured with dual 2,000 square foot arenas under one roof, enabling MindTrek the flexibility to offer two different games at the same time, or utilise the space as a single 4,000 square foot arena for larger, more epic free-roam experiences. These will be the only dual-arena facilities in the world and the largest free roam VR gaming facilities in the US.
Zero Latency-powered arenas have no physical walls or obstacles, which means players walk, explore, and fight their way through wildly different virtual terrains.
“We were drawn to Zero Latency’s technology as they are the only company offering true free-roam gaming while accommodating more simultaneous players than anything else on the market,” states MindTrek co-founder, David Rzepski. “They are so far ahead of the virtual reality curve that consumers are guaranteed an exhilarating and mind-blowing experience. Our arenas will excite gamers and non-gamers alike because there is simply nothing else like this.”
When the arenas open, players will roam through a dark cityscape fighting off hordes of attacking undead in Zombie Survival or join a collaborative puzzle-solving game experience in Engineerium which involves exploring “a whimsical world where gravity and physics have no bounds”. Zero Latency will continue to develop games for the arenas on an ongoing basis.
“Zero Latency is pleased to work with the MindTrek founders, who have demonstrated a keen understanding of out-of-home entertainment through their previous ventures in the region,” said Bob Cooney, Zero Latency’s head of global business development and an amusement industry and virtual reality veteran. “These gentlemen have the vision to recognise that Zero Latency is going revolutionise location-based entertainment and they have stepped up to be first-movers in these markets.”
“Our high-level virtual reality gaming destinations will fill a big hole in out-of-home entertainment,” added MindTrek co-founder David O’Connor. “The amusement industry as a whole focuses on young kids and birthday parties, whereas Zero Latency is focused squarely on premium entertainment experiences for millennials.”
These will be amongst a very few locations in America, joining recently-opened facilities in Orlando in Florida, Wisconsin Dells in Wisconsin, and Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. Zero Latency-powered game arenas are also open overseas in Melbourne, Madrid, and Tokyo. The Melbourne retail facility has been open for more than eighteen months, giving Zero Latency the opportunity to battle test its technology, learn from player playing, and fine-tune a stable, consistent experience for consumers. The company’s existing gaming arenas range from 2,000 to over 4,000 square feet, making them up to five times larger than any current free-roam VR gaming environment.
“Zero Latency’s extraordinarily flexible approach to virtual reality gaming will give us the chance to instantly switch between games, change the length of games, or combine arenas for twice the play space throughout the day,” says MindTrek co-founder Brad Wurtz. “It’s the type of model that attracts repeat business and allows us to scale to demand on an hour-by-hour basis, which is attractive to us as operators.”
Players in Zero Latency-powered arenas across the globe are outfitted with OSVR HDK2 virtual reality headsets and communicate with each through a Razer integrated headphone / microphone unit while wearing a military-grade backpack (pictured) containing a high-performance Alienware PC gaming laptop. They also carry a custom-made simulated weapon for game sessions that require firepower. Untethered, they are free to roam within the virtual space while walking it in the real world and see each other as full-motion avatars in the game. Patent-pending technology using more than 100 cameras and motion capture devices track each player in real-time as they move around the arena.


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Drove Orchards at Thornham celebrate 65th anniversary with open day and new cider
A heritage orchard is celebrating its 65th anniversary with a bumper apple day and new cider.
Drove Orchards were planted beside the A149 coast road at Thornham, near Hunstanton, in 1952.
Major David Jamieson first planted the orchards that exist today in the 1950s when, having won the Victoria Cross for his part in the Normandy Landings, aged 23, he decided to return to his family home. He said at the time he intended to “work with wildlife”.
Starting with a few Cox’s Orange Pippin trees, the orchards have since grown to cover 40 acres of the 350-acre farm, growing more than 160 varieties of apple, around 120 of which are East Anglian heritage varieties.
Fresh grafts have recently been taken from Maj Jamieson’s original apple trees, so the strain he first introduced can continue in a new orchard.
His parents bought what was then marshland betwen Holme and Thornham in the 1920s, to stop it being developed. It now forms part of the coast’s area of natural beauty.
As well as the orchards and farm shop, Drove now also hosts a fishmonger, two restaurants, independent shops, a garden nursery, luxury glamping and fish and chip restaurant.
The fruit farm is throwing open its gates to visitors on Sunday, October 1 (10am - 4pm).
Visitors will be able to try the new Drove Orchards Cider and tour the pressing sheds where apples are crushed for their juice.
They can also pick their own apples, pears and plums from the trees.
There will also be trade, craft and food stands, many of which will celebrate traditional rural crafts and bygones.
They will include be a working blacksmith’s forge and a display of vintage agricultural and horticultural machinery, tools and vehicles. There will also be a willow weaver giving demonstrations, while Cromer fishermen will be showing their traditional ways of making crab and lobster pots.
Paul Murrell, events manager at Drove Orchards said, “We have some fantastic exhibitors and demonstrations and this will be a fun day for the whole family”.
A BBQ and refreshments will also be available on site and all the normal retail outlets at Drove Orchards will be open on October 1.
Parking and admission are free.


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Comcast Cable CEO Dave Watson said that the operator has now deployed 1 million Xfinity Flex devices.
Xfinity Flex is a thin-client set-top that delivers a slimmed down version of Comcast’s X1 pay TV experience, including Voice Remote. Since September, Comcast has offered its broadband-only users free access to Flex, which not only supports popular OTT apps such as Netflix and Hulu, but Comcast’s new streaming service, Peacock.
Peacock is set to launch nationally on July 15, but Comcast has already deployed the streaming service with its X1 and Flex customers.
Comcast lost 409,000 linear video customers in the first quarter, but gained 466,000 high-speed internet users.
The cable operator doesn’t break out how many of its broadband customers only take internet service. But Comcast did say it had 10.8 million one-service homes at the end of Q1. That means there are millions more potential Xfinity Flex deployments in the offing.
Speaking at a virtual MoffettNathanson investor conference Monday, Watson said Comcast is “pleased” with Flex’s progress, and that it has aspirations for the device beyond merely being a tool to drive broadband customer growth.
"I think there is a longer term opportunity in how we monetize things between advanced advertising capability [and] participation in app revenue," Watson said.
We’d love to stay in touch, sign up for the NextTV team to contact you with great news, content and offers.
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What you need to know
- A new report claims that Apple is working on a redesigned Apple TV.
- It states the new TV will have sharp edges and a plexiglass top.
- It will reportedly be flatter and thinner than the current design and match the aesthetic of the Siri remote.
A new report claims that Apple is working on a new Apple TV with a completely new design.
According to iDrop News:
As noted, the report says the new Apple TV will look more like the iPhone 13, M1 iPad Pro (2021), and M1 iMac with sharper edges. It will also reportedly feature the plexiglass top rumored for the Mac mini, as previously shared by Jon Prosser.
iDrop news does not have a prior track record of leaking information from within Apple, but we have heard previous reports that Apple is working on a more powerful 'A14X-like' Apple TV. In the same report iDrop also stated that Apple is working on a hybrid handheld gaming console to rival the Nintendo Switch, from that report:
Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.
Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9
All I want is an Apple soundbar with the great full sized HomePod tech baked in, that then also has a built-in AppleTV. With this set up, I literally would only need one HDMI in to the soundbar for a game console, and get great Atmos sound, without the bulk of two full sized HomePods (which wouldn't fit on my TV stand anyway).
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Graybar boosts credit line to $500 million
The St. Louis area’s second-largest private company now has another $300 million to spend through what it terms its largest financing deal ever.
Electrical products distributor Graybar said Tuesday that it has a new $500 million unsecured revolving line of credit. The five-year deal, completed Sept. 28, replaces its previous $200 million arrangement.
Graybar said it’s the largest financing agreement in the company’s history.
The company said the financing was marketed and priced “without requiring Graybar to encumber any of its assets.” Future investments in its facilities and growth in working capital assets, such as inventory and accounts receivables, were included in consideration in the financing, Graybar said.
The company said it will retire currently outstanding debt in the U.S. and of its Canadian subsidiary. Graybar said it has paid down balances on its long-term debt from $236 million at the end of 2006 to $86 million at the end of the second quarter this year.
“This financing agreement gives us significant flexibility moving forward,” Graybar’s Chairman, President and CEO Robert Reynolds said in a statement.
He said the company has been growth has exceeded 20 percent for the first half of the year and this line of credit gives the company the ability to maintain that pace by pursuing other opportunities for growth.
Employee-owned Graybar distributes electrical, communications and data networking products and provides related supply chain management and logistics services.
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British designer Tom Dixon finds inspiration in the most mundane things. Take his new collection of rugs debuting at Stockholm Design Week in February. It riffs on scenes of industrial London that Dixon sees on his way to work.
“When I’m trying to create patterns, a lot of my inspiration comes from looking at the streets and engaging with what’s around me,” Dixon says.
The seven rugs feature striking, abstract patterns that draw on everything from the brick facade of the city’s buildings to the cracks in the concrete. “We started with bricks, and the idea of building blocks, and expanded out from there,” Dixon says. Tide, for instance, transforms the waves of the Thames into a chic animal-print-like pattern. Track reinterprets British rail into a lovely geometric pattern.
This isn’t the first time Dixon–who has has the kind of career that makes even the most prolific designers look lazy–has taken inspiration from his environment. At the luxury design trade show Masion&Object in 2014, Dixon debuted sculptures that emit the smells of London parks. Now you can slip a little Tube under your Hyde Park.
Check out the full collection, which will be sold through the Danish manufacturer Ege later this year, in the slideshow above.


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Greene King goes greener with less glass
Greene King has reduced the glass in
its bottles by nearly 25% in an effort to
cut its impact on the environment.
All 12 of the brewer's brands will be packaged in the new
bottles, including its flagship
Old Speckled Hen, Ruddles County and Greene King IPA .
The front, back and neck labels have been revamped in a bid to "bring all the brands under a generic bottle", according to take-home director Neil Jardine.
The changes will mean the brewer saves more than 1,500 tonnes of
glass each year.
Managing director Justin Adams added: "The 80 -90 g
of glass we're losing per bottle is good,
although may seem modest, but
the overall impact is enormous.
We will also save up to 150 tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum, purely as a result of lightening the
load for delivery vehicles."


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The Diablo 4 patch 1.1 is almost upon us, promising a huge update before the launch of Season 1, and many fans want to know what time it is releasing.
The patch, which is coming to PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC at the same time, is set to update the base game in preparation for Season 1.
Below, we’ve outlined exactly what time you can expect Diablo 4 patch 1.1 to drop, as well as when you can expect to get the patch notes.
Diablo 4 Patch 1.1 Time
Diablo 4’s patch 1.1 is set to launch today, July 18, 2023, at the following times across the globe:
- 10 AM PDT
- 1 PM EDT
- 6 PM BST
- 7 PM CEST
- 2 AM JST (July 19)
- 3 AM AEST (July 19)
- 5 AM NZST (July 19)
You can expect patch 1.1 to launch in
Diablo 4 is undergoing maintenance between 10 AM to 1 PM PDT today. Once maintenance has finished, players will get access to patch 1.1.
Diablo 4’s Global Community Development Director, Adam Fletcher, via Twitter, essentially confirmed this in response to a fan asking for more details on when they can expect the patch notes.
It has also been confirmed on Blizzard’s breaking news page, which discusses this week’s scheduled maintenance.
Diablo 4 Patch 1.1 Notes Release Time
The Diablo 4 patch 1.1 notes will likely be revealed just after 10 AM PDT / 1 PM EDT / 6 PM BST. This would be shortly after patch 1.1 actually goes live.
This is not uncommon for Diablo 4, as previous patch notes have also been made available on the day of the patch releasing. For example, the most recent patch, 1.0.4, got its patch notes the same day it went live.
You can check out all of Diablo 4’s patch notes via Blizzard’s website, including for 1.1, when they get released.
However, it’s worth noting that Fletcher said in a Tweet responding to a fan that they intend “to wait until they are localized fully” before releasing them to the public. That way, all players can access them at the same time.
The patch notes for Diablo 4 patch 1.1 are apparently 6,600 words long, according to Fletcher. This has meant that a considerable amount of time has been spent localizing them for Diablo 4’s global audience.
As a result, it is possible that the patch notes could be released a little later than 10 AM PDT, depending on how quickly the localization gets done.


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Foxconn Industrial Internet (FII), a subsidiary of Taiwanese firm Foxconn, is likely to set up a state-of-the-art facility in Tamil Nadu to manufacture high-end electronic components.
On Wednesday Foxconn Industrial Internet CEO Brand Cheng met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Industry, Investment Promotion and Commerce Minister TRB Raja and discussed their plans.
State government officials who attended the meeting remained tight-lipped about the discussion. Sources aware of the details of the meeting said the company was keen on Tamil Nadu considering its long-standing existing relationship with the state. “It is going to be a new investment,” said a source.
The development comes at a time when Tamil Nadu has become the top exporter of electronic goods in India, with exports expected to grow nearly three-fold to $5.37 billion during 2022-2023. The state’s share in India’s electronic exports was 22.8%. A few days back Fii had proposed to set up a plant in Tumakuru, Karnataka. As per the proposal, the company plans to invest around Rs 8,800 crore.


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We’ve seen software updates for the HTC One roll out on Verizon and Sprint over the past few weeks, and it looks like it’ll soon be HTC One owners on AT&T to get their respective update. How soon? October 8, soon.
The AT&T HTC One will be receiving its Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update, which will be rolled out starting on October 8. The news of the AT&T HTC One’s upcoming update comes from none other than HTC America president Jason Mackenzie as he announced the upcoming release through his Twitter account over the weekend. In his tweet, he revealed the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update has passed certification and will start updating “early next week.” Mackenzie follows up his original tweet with a response to a Twitter user asking if he had a specific date in mind for the rollout, to which he says “should begin on Tuesday.
At this time, Sprint is the only U.S. carrier to rollout Android 4.3 onto their HTC One smartphones, although seeing how AT&T’s rollout is coming soon, we’re sure T-Mobile and Verizon’s shouldn’t be far behind. Hopefully their updates will roll out in time for all of your upcoming holiday parties and shenanigans as we’re sure you’re going to want the latest and greatest Android OS to take on your many adventures.


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In the history of consumer electronics, there are two products that have spent more time on the justification for the existence of its own products than trying to keep up with the times. This Nokia and BlackBerry. Philips also put an end to its history, very deliberately. What happened?
On Tuesday it was announced that Philips sold the remains of his once-core business of Japanese Funai Electric. Dutch company piled on losses for the fourth quarter restructuring charge and a fine for price-fixing. Now, Philips no longer manufactures audio, video and multimedia accessories, leaving himself only medical equipment and lighting. If it were not for all this, the price paid the Japanese could suggest the raiding: 150 million euros and the cost of licensing the brand. Continue reading Why Philips left the market of consumer electronics ?
Philips pulls out of the audio and video, and will produce no immediate BluRay players or more speakers. That is very unfortunate because the devices were always very good, but since Funai is acquiring the business, we will continue to receive high-quality products.
For 150 million Philips and Funai have made a deal. Just last year, the Dutch have sold their TV business to TPV in Hong Kong. Philips is also open to be from consumer electronics to move away, because they do with the LED and other divisions simply much better margins. The shares have risen following the announcement by 1.4 percent to 22.2 euros. Continue reading Philips Home Entertainment division and sold on to Funai
One smartphone with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was announced under the Philips brand.
Identifiable with its reference product W732, the machine weighs 168.9 grams and 12.6 x adopts dimensions 6.7 x 1.2 centimeters. Continue reading Philips W732 dual-SIM smartphone with good battery life
TP Vision has unveiled the new series of TVs Philips DesignLine, it differs from traditional televisions by its pearly white color, transparent glass facade and its monoblock 6 ° angle. The TV DesignLine are also equipped with the latest features Smart TV, Ambilight Spectra 2 that diffuses a halo of light around the TV to give the viewer a sense of immersion, 3D (3D polarized) and will be available in 119 cm (47 “) and 107cm (42”).
Continue reading TP Vision Announces Philips DesignLine TV
One of the major lines of business is the production of LG branded smart TVs that go on the Internet and support the installation of additional applications. This segment of interest and other manufacturers, but in each case, they use their own operating systems. To create a single standard with LG Philips has announced the establishment of Project Smart TV Alliance.
The aim of the new organization is to develop a “non-proprietary ecosystem” that will allow software makers to offer platform-independent applications, they can be run on any smart TV. For consistency, the authors of the draft Smart TV Alliance decided to use the generally accepted standard for HTML5, which must be adapted to the features of the Smart TV.
Prior to the formal emergence of Smart TV Alliance was also information that a member of the new organization will be the company Sharp, however, in the official press release from LG is the brand name is not explicitly mentioned, although it refers to “other Japanese manufacturers.” Tool Kit SDK 2.0 will be released later this year, will come later, and smart TVs with support for the new standard. And until the moment to participate in the project Smart TV Alliance is open to all the other manufacturers.


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Oil prices surged past $100 (£74) a barrel to hit their highest level for more than seven years after Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine.
Russia is the second biggest exporter of crude oil, and is also the world’s largest natural gas exporter.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could spell trouble for the U.S. economy, fuelling higher gasoline prices and hampering the post-coronavirus recovery.
Europe gets nearly a third of its oil and around 40% of its gas from Russia, much of it flowing through pipelines across Ukrainian territory. Small wonder then that prices are shooting up.
Brent crude oil has gone above $100 a barrel, while prices for gas on wholesale markets – where domestic suppliers buy what they need – are up sharply as well.
Supplies from Russia do not appear to have been affected – yet. But the fear that they will be, and that there could be a scramble for other resources, is pushing up costs.
Stock markets across Europe are tumbling, as investors fret about the potential economic impact of high energy prices and the potential for much wider sanctions as well.
According to market watchers, higher crude oil prices are major headwinds for a couple of sectors including aviation, paint, tyres and oil marketing companies. Brent crude oil has jumped over 30 per cent to $101.40 on a year-to-date basis till February 24. The commodity was at $77.78 per barrel on December 31, 2021.
While e-commerce has fuelled demand for packaging, pandemic-related labour shortages and shipping constraints are also making it harder to make and deliver the boxes used to carry everything from food to consumer goods.
The strictest COVID -19 lockdown in China since the pandemic began has resulted in container goods sitting at Shanghai’s port for nearly two weeks.
New anti-counterfeit technology, called a cyber-physical watermark, leverages edible fluorescent silk to identify medications.
The global economy — already struggling with war in Ukraine and the stagflation risks it’s fanning — is bracing for greater disruption as China scrambles to contain its worst outbreak of Covid-19 since the pandemic began.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is already dealing a blow to financial markets and the worldwide economy. Global supply chains and growth had been broadly recovering from the pandemic, but now all that’s in doubt, given the stricter sanctions and other punitive measures against Russia that are in the offing.
Given the evolving on-ground situation and newer variant-led infections, the pandemic is far from over. In such a scenario, for businesses to stay relevant, we will need to be flexible and more adaptable to the changes that need to be embraced to keep core business growth drivers resilient.
As the chemical industry moves into 2022, strong demand for both commodity and specialty chemicals should keep prices robust throughout the year. The industry could face margin pressures amid raw material cost inflation, which will likely remain high through the first half of 2022.
Blackouts and power cuts in the world’s second-largest economy have drawn attention to fuel supply problems that could complicate the country’s pandemic recovery.
The Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO), an apex body of Indian export promotion organizations, has urged the government to provide freight support to all exports including pharmaceuticals till 31st March 2022, as freight rates have skyrocketed and are likely to somber by March 2022.
Science keeps winning! Scientists recently transplanted a pig’s kidney into a human being without immediate rejection by the immune system.


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CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- The retail sector's main measure moved marginally higher in early trading Tuesday with shares of TJX Cos. leading the way. The S&P Retail Index RLX, +0.00% climbed to 432.3. Shares of TJX, parent of T.J. Maxx, Marshall's and HomeGoods discount stores, rose 2.7%, or 59 cents, to $22.19 after the retailer said it was buying back $1 billion worth of stock.
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Meet, the Scrubba, a portable washing machine, in form of a bag. This wash bag, allows people to do their laundry, on-the-go. The Scrubba is a lightweight, foldable bag that features small nodules to help sc...Read more »
Internet Explorer 6 usage falls below 1% and Microsoft is glad about it.
Isn’t it unusual for a company to celebrate loss of market share? However, if it is for a product that is 10 years old, and new versions of it are available free of charge then why not?
According to the latest update, IE6 went down 1% more in the US. It was a good indicator for Microsoft which has been putting added efforts to encourage users to try newer products like the IE9. The company even launched a website called The Internet Explorer 6 Countdown which aims to remove the use of IE6.
IE6 is very vulnerable to online threats and viruses and does not have tabs or combined search and address bar. The loading time of web pages in this browser is also very slow.View Article Source »
Microsoft gives its users a taste of the new Internet Explorer 10.
In just less than a month after the launch of the much-hyped Internet Explorer 9 browser, Microsoft releases the first platform preview for the Internet Explorer 10.
Earlier today, the IE10 was unveiled at Microsoft’s Mix 11 developer conference in Las Vegas. The new web browser is now available for download, but users must not expect that it will be a total revamp of its predecessor – just a continuation of IE9’s work with hardware acceleration, HTML5 and CSS3.Read the rest of the article »
Mozilla is, after all, still up against its increasingly tough competition, as it officially releases Firefox 4.
After months of development and several beta releases, Firefox 4 has arrived, promising faster and easier web browsing.
With its first beta made available back in July 2010, the new Firefox version now has a better interface — making it appear more streamlined and user-friendly. New features include improved “doorhanger” notifications and Firefox Panorama — a feature that lets the user organize tabs into windows called “groups”, application tabs, and a redesigned extension manager among others.
Microsoft may be back in the web browser game with its IE 9, and Google’s Chrome browser is gaining popularity worldwide, but the ‘leaner’ and ‘quicker’ Firefox apparently holds up well against its competition.View Article Source »
"Investigating new, public reports of a vulnerability in all supported versions of Internet Explorer, and on completion of this investigation, Microsoft will take the appropriate action to protect our customers." - Microsoft
Microsoft has just issued a warning about an un-patched zero-day vulnerability of their browser Internet Explorer which leaves Windows open to attacks. The case, which was discussed in Microsoft’s Security Advisory 2488013, relates to Internet Explorer’s handling of malicious Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) code. This can be exploited to overwrite uninitialized memory and execute arbitrary code.
The flaw can be exploited via remotely run code under the account of the user by simply visiting a CSS webpage that contains the malicious code. Unfortunately, there is no fix yet, although Microsoft reports that they’re investigating the issue.Read the rest of the article »
The Internet Explorer browser is almost out of the business when Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox entered the scene. However, Internet Explorer came back from the dead. Now, why should you use Internet Explorer?
Users who seldom browse the web used the Internet Explorer once. But as time goes by, different types of browsers came up and users are capable of change. Thus, IE hes been left behind. But honestly, Internet Explorer all through out the years produced a very good market share among its competitors. Though a bit down from where it used to be, it still remain standing. Mainly because they were brought to by Microsoft, or maybe because users trust IE so much that it’s difficult to let go.
All We Like, therefore, is showing the browser’s capability to bring out satisfaction and disaster to the lives of IE9 users after the skip.Read the rest of the article »
The reality hits: all things really change. Even though they dominated 50% of the Internet browser market early on, Internet Explorer is now falling down. With market shares dropping down, we say it is little too late for IE9.
Internet Explorer once dominated the web is now dipped in the mud. As the recent data from StatCounter shows, IE is now below the once 50% mark in the Internet browser market. In August, IE was 51.34%, but by the end of September it’s just holding a 49.87%. It dropped 10% yearly.
Meanwhile, growth from Firefox and Chrome are coming to its peaks.
Microsoft’s latest version IE9 addresses the issues that made them lose before. The company realized the need for compliance to web standards. Even if their advances are not small, it’s still late.
We are dutifully impressed about the IE9 but unlucky it doens’t hit the mark.Read the rest of the article »
Internet Explorer 9 Beta is here! Microsoft officially launched today on the red carpet, the much awaited browser that aims to "beautify the web". Accelerating on a mass speed, we are left open mouthed.
Microsoft had unleashed their greatest weapon towards the WWW game. They launched the much awaited and anticipated open Beta for Internet Explorer 9. Microsoft only promises one thing: “Beautify the web.”
Today is the official descend of the IE9 on web. The promenade was held at the Design Concourse Center in San Francisco that was drawn by hundreds of developers, journalists and Microsoft employees. Live band made the ambiance of the venue comfortable. “The browser is a stage. It is the backdrop of the web,” said Corporate Vice President of Internet Explorer Dean Hachamovitch.Read the rest of the article »
This leaked preview shows the IE9 in full action.
We saw a YouTube video with a few big hits showing Microsoft’s upcoming Internet Explorer 9 in action. Unlike the previous previews, this one is completely different. The show appears to be the full UI and chrome around the browser. Not much to observe because they gave a super minimal UI for this.
The toolbars on top give not so much feature. There are forward and backward buttons, a web address bar and three buttons to the right which happens to be a Home button, Favorites and an arrow that might be just the hidden toolbar for the menu options. The frame lacks audio description and semi-transparent. There are IE demos that shows speed and hardware acceleration.
Needless to say, the reaction on the thread isn’t much happy to look at.View Article Source »
Our once favorite browser just turned 15!
First and foremost, let’s prepare a toast for the first browser who hit the Internet.
It has been 15 years since Microsoft introduced to us the Internet Explorer 1.0, which commanded almost 95% of the world wide web. Time flies so fast and IE is till striving hard for more years to come in the world wide web.
The Internet Explorer was born on August 16,1995. The Microsoft IE 1.0 is the first version retooled from a browser called Mosaic. It is licensed by the Microsoft from Spyglass Incorporated.
The growth of the browser has quickly started, fended off Netscape in the late 90s to dominate the browser landscape. In 2002, the mark of its peak, the combined version of IE made it to the browser market gaining almost 100% of market share. Just then it has fallen 60% from its original when new browsers came. Though the newest version IE9, the beta which just emerged for less than a month has promised a new start and re-energizing the giant E.
Whatever you say about IE, it is still the first one who introduced us the Internet. Happy 15th Birthday Internet Explorer!View Article Source »
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In our last update on the trade war, we discussed the pending tariffs on 300 billion of goods coming into the US from China. These tariff would essentially apply to all other products not currently being taxed and were scheduled to take effect on September 1. Since then, Trump increased the tariff from 10 to 15%, but spread the goods across several effective dates; 125 billion of goods will still be taxed starting on September 1, with the remainder to follow as late as mid-December. The goods taxed in September will include some electronics and footwear. The bulk of apparel products will be taxed later in the year. The delay is in part to allow time for new trade talks in September.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK
This last week has been another boxing match in the China / US Trade War. Last Friday (8/23/19), China announced an increase in its tariffs on $75 billion worth of US goods. As a result, President Trump demonized China in a series of tweets, calling President Jinping his enemy and suggesting he would use emergency powers against China. He also ordered US companies to move their supply chains out of China, ideally back to the US. Later, Trump called President Jinping a great leader and claimed that China wanted to make a deal “very badly”. When challenged on his ability to make US manufacturers leave China, Trump doubled down, saying he has the right to make companies comply.
These quips and undiplomatic one-liners may make for trendy TV and short-lived jumps in stocks, but they are not good for politics. Many Chinese advisors think that Trump’s erratic behavior makes the situation too unstable for any deal to be made. Some Chinese academics speculate that a trade deal with the US is not necessary at this time. They argue that China is in a better position than the US to withstand the political and economic pressures of a drawn-out trade war. China might as well wait to see if they can negotiate with a new US President after the 2020 election.
Trade talks are still set to resume in September, but as we’ve seen in the past, the meeting might be called off, or it could result in another temporary truce. Trump seems to be taking the advice of advisors to spare the US economy from more tariffs going into the holiday season. Truce or no truce, a resolution of the trade war is unlikely in the near future.
This trade war greatly affects many of the clients we work with. Blacksmith is committed to finding solutions to the issues this conflict has created. Even if you are not a Blacksmith client, we are here to offer help and advice to product companies that have their supply chain in China. To find a solution for your product business, contact us here.
Chinese distrust in Trump deal because of Flip Flopping: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-27/wary-of-trump-s-flip-flops-china-prepares-for-worst-on-trade
At the expense of American companies in China: https://www.npr.org/2019/08/27/754777224/u-s-companies-in-china-get-caught-in-the-trade-war-crossfire


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Blog: Trouble finding common organic ground?
Dean Best | 23 September 2009
Finding common ground in the UK organic movement is like nailing jelly to a wall.
But, after 12 months in which the downturn has eaten away of sales of organic food and when the category is facing growing competition from the ever-robust Fairtrade and free-range groups for the ethical pound, consensus among suppliers is needed - and fast - over how to reignite the sector.
Yesterday's event in London, organised by umbrella body the Organic Trade Board, to outline plans for a generic marketing campaign in the New Year, was a significant first step.
The potential of EU funding next summer would give the organic sector more resources to shout about their wares.
However, the OTB conference also served to highlight the challenges facing the sector - and the different views on how to tackle those obstacles.
The presence of one of Tesco's organic buying team at the conference was a boost. Tesco is the largest retailer of organic food in the UK, and after Asda's recession-fuelled decision to reduce its organic range, some may have been questioning the commitment of the multiples to the sector.
Nevertheless, the organic movement has many hurdles to surmount before finding a marketing ploy that all in the sector can agree on - let alone resonate with consumers.
Some saw the prospect of developing a single-issue marketing campaign in the mould of Fairtrade as too simplistic for the complexities surrounding organic. Complex, however, does not register well with shoppers.
There was also much discussion over the price of organic food. Tesco said 'more value for money' was needed. The OTB said organic food should be priced on a par with premium, conventional brands. Others said the perception that all organic food was too expensive was wrong.
As attendees filed out of the event, there was much to chew on - not least the organic cereal bars in the goodie bags provided.
The goodie bags befitted the often idiosyncratic nature of the organic movement - and perhaps contained the most eclectic set of goodies I have seen in my years on the circuit.
For, alongside the cereal, sarnies and muesli were organic tampons. And organic 'intimate' lubricant.
"I'm not a marketing man. I'm an accountant." The background of Huw Bowles, the COO of organic dairy co-op Omsco, may be in numbers but, as chair of UK umbrella body the Organic Trade Board, he is als...
Danone completed its US$12.5bn acquisition of WhiteWave Foods this week. The move will roughly double Danone's presence in North America, where WhiteWave is a top four dairy player. ...
Premier Foods plc revealed today (28 March) it has secured a deal with its pension scheme trustees that will see the UK food maker reduce its pension burden....
Hain Celestial, under the scrutiny of the investment community in recent months and facing some challenges in its domestic market, has announced another shuffling of its management pack....
- Danone's Q1: four things to learn
- Nestle Q1 update: four things to learn
- Column: Why snacking is the new meal
- Who will buy Danone's Stonyfield business?
- Interview: KP Snacks on growth strategy
- Tyson shops Sara Lee bakery, Kettle and Van's
- Nestle to cut UK confectionery jobs
- Tyson to buy burger-to-entree firm AdvancePierre
- PepsiCo affirms full-year target as Q1 hits mark
- TreeHouse Foods sells soup, baby food units


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Keeping up with crypto is hard. Blockchain Briefs make it easy. Introducing Blockchain Briefs, Blockchain.com’s short-form crypto digest summarizing top coins and giving you the talking points and industry insights you need to sound like a crypto pro.
In our first edition, we cover crypto community favorite: DOGEcoin.
DOGEcoin, “the accidental crypto-movement that makes people smile,” is an open source, peer-to-peer digital currency. Currently, it has the seventh-largest market capitalization in crypto.
Why is DOGE getting attention?
The original “memecoin,” DOGEcoin rode the same, community-fueled price elevator as fellow “meme stocks” Gamestop ($GME) and AMC ($AMC).
The asset’s original founders, as well as high-profile crypto celebrities such as Vitalik Buterin, and Elon Musk have taken a renewed interest in the social utility of the asset and released a manifesto.
DOGEcoin traded at $.003 earlier this year; it sits at $.31 at time of this writing.
DOGE began as a literal joke: created by two software engineers to poke fun at the hype around crypto, it quickly became a social media favorite, garnering millions of website views within the first few months of launching.
As it grew in popularity, Redditors and Twitter users began using DOGEcoin to tip fellow users for creating or sharing quality content.
DOGE use cases and future
DOGE is best used for tipping, micropayments, and donations.
This month, Burger King accepted DOGE for a meat-flavored dog treat campaign, the proceeds of which will go towards animal protection NGOs.
Look for DOGE to be the center of attention when it comes to charity and social causes.


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Major brands from P&G to Kellogg's to Kraft-Heinz have recently announced price hikes. But what about store brands, those inexpensive alternatives? Some of those items are going up in price too.
That's unfortunate for shoppers like Mary Jackson, who turn to store or "house" brands to save money.
"They're running out of all the generic stuff because everybody's buying it because they they've upped the prices on everything," Jackson said.
Carol Pearson suspects prices on even generic brands are going up too.
"Those are pricey too, even the house brand," she said.
Of course, it can be tough to remember if prices on a store brand items have gone up — unless a shopper happens to save receipts over a several-month period.
So, we did just that.
What our price check found
Receipts from one Ohio Kroger grocery store show that since last September:
- Store brand napkins that were $1.79 are now $1.99
- Store brand canned seltzer water that was $2.75 jumped to $3.99.
- 2-pack paper towels that were $3.79 are now $3.99 for the exact same item.
In the meantime, at a Target store in Missouri, there were hikes on several store products, including milk, which is now 20 cents higher than just a few months ago.
Kelly Goldsmith, a marketing professor at Vanderbilt University, is not surprised.
"They couldn't keep them down forever and that's why now we're starting to see these increased prices," she said. "Regardless of if you're a national brand or a store brand, everyone is dealing with supply chain shortages."
The future of store brands
But does this mean store brands will be the first to cut prices when supplies improve?
Walmart, Target and Kroger did not respond to questions on price increases with their store brands (though Kroger did issue a statement, which can be read below).
But Goldsmith says shoppers should not worry about big price jumps in-store brands.
"These are well-managed, highly profitable companies," she said. "They want to make money by selling to you, so it's in their best interest to solve this problem."
That means that store brands know that most consumers won't buy if they are as expensive as big-name brands, such as Tide, Kleenex and Bounty, so they are likely to keep prices down. And that way you don't waste your money.
KROGER'S FULL STATEMENT:
When asked about prices, a Kroger spokesperson pointed to comments that CEO Rodney McMullen made during the company's Q3 earnings call/
"Kroger's strategy to lead with fresh and accelerate with digital continues to connect with our customers. Our agility, and the commitment from our amazing associates, is allowing us to navigate current labor and supply chain conditions and provide the freshest food at affordable prices across our store and digital ecosystem."
Don't Waste Your Money" is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. ("Scripps").
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For more consumer news and money saving advice, go to www.dontwasteyourmoney.com


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If vegetarians and vegans were in charge, 2011 would have been the year of plants. The popularity of plant-based diets reached a new high with one-third of Americans reporting that they eat vegetarian meals a significant amount of the time. The Vegetarian Resource Group also estimates that 48 percent of Americans seek good-tasting, vegetarian food, according to the group’s 2011 national poll.
Mintel’s most recent Vegetarian Foods report estimates that the vegetarian food retail market generated $1.6 billion in sales in 2011. Foods such as soymilk, cheese substitutes, tofu, and vegetarian entrees and side dishes—once found predominantly in only natural foods stores—are now commonplace at mainstream grocery outlets, including Walmart and Safeway. With so many choices and greater availability of veggie options, any vegan or vegetarian will tell you that now is the best time to eat animal-free.
“Ten years ago, people couldn’t pronounce the word vegan, and now it’s everywhere,” says Joseph Connelly, publisher of VegNews. “It’s definitely becoming mainstream.”
Following the vegan-raw trend
Vegans support raw because, well, it’s vegan. By default, almost all prepared raw foods are also vegan, allowing for a lot of crossover between the two markets. Yet, “raw foods are where vegan foods were 20 to 25 years ago,” says VegNews Publisher Joseph Connelly. Although not as universally accepted as vegan foods, raw foods are gaining market share. Retailers may not double their money overnight by stocking raw, but Connelly calls the foods a wise long-term investment.
Kale chips are one raw, vegan food that exploded onto the natural scene last year. Nutritiously dense, phytonutrient-rich kale—a staple of many vegetarian and vegan diets—is dehydrated to form a crispy, healthier alternative to potato chips, with as many flavors to match: plain, barbeque, “cheese” and even chocolate. In fact, the leafy green and its many derivatives were so big last year that VegNews called kale the “it” vegetable of 2011.


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Target hours on Black Friday
Grab some coffee, some maps and some highlighters. Black Friday is nearly upon us. ( Rob Stothard | Getty Images )
It's beginning to look a lot like the holiday shopping season and that's starting with the day retailers attempt to stay out of the red section on the accounting sheets. Black Friday is just days away, which means it's time to scout out the best deal.
The usual cast of mega retailers has revised their Black Friday schedules to more family-oriented windows, but the doorbuster deals are still plentiful. Here's the some of the best discounts and the operating hours of the outlets that'll offer them.
Costco: There will be no store hours on Thanksgiving Day, but Costco's will hold it's Black Friday sale the next day at normal business hours. The big box retailer is taking $50 off of Sony and Microsoft's latest games consoles and $200 off on15.6-inch Dell Inspiron 5000 Series touch screen laptop, which was originally priced at $899.99.
Walmart: Store hours for Thanksgiving Day start at 6 p.m. and it's back to around the clock operations for Walmart. The company's online event start at 12.01 a.m. PST on Thanksgiving day. Among its Black Friday offers, Walmart will have a 32-inch Roku TV on sale for $125 and a Fitbit Flex activity tracker for $59.
Target: Target's Thanksgiving Day sale starts at 6 p.m. and then merges into its Black Friday event. Standout deals at Target include 25 percent off of Apple TV set top boxes and $100 gift cards for the purchase of Apple Watches.
Sam's Club: Though it'll be closed on Thanksgiving day, Sam's Club will start it online sale at 1 a.m. EST on Thursday and start Black Friday at 7 a.m. the next day. One of the biggest deals is the $150 off of the iPad Air 2.
Best Buy: Thanksgiving store hours for Best Buy start at 5 p.m. and run until 1 a.m. The company will be holding its online sale all day Thanksgiving and will kick off its Black Friday sale at 8 a.m. The retailer is offering a 60-inch Samsung 4K UHD TV for $799 and a 49-inch Toshiba HDTV for $149, among other deals.
Amazon: The online retailer began its sale on the midnight of Nov. 20 and has been offering Lightning Deals since then. It also has the Deal of the Day wherein new specials pop up as often as every five minutes.
eBay: For its Thanksgiving day festivities, eBay is holding specials from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. It's Black Friday event will run all day. While its online sale starts Thanksgiving midnight.
GameStop: GameStop will be closed on Thanksgiving day, but will open up early at 5 a.m. on Friday for its Black Friday event.
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what holidays do you get payed holiday pay for? | Yahoo Answers
ok im sure this is a dumb question but i want to know anyways. i know some holidays you dont get any extra pay so i just wanted to know which ones and if it depends on the employer if so its walmart for me so im sure theres plenty of people that could help me. thanks in advance
New Year's Day
My mother-in-law works for Wal-Mart in upper Michigan, and according to her their paid holidays are Thanksgiving and Christmas (which, coincidentally, are days that Wal-Mart is closed). However, employees at her store get paid time and a half if they work Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and/or New Year's Day.


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The long, hot inflationary summer of high gas prices is ending and Americans are less afraid of what comes next
The gasoline dragon has been slain. Inflation is slinking back into its cave as the consumers rejoice. On Wednesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its most recent monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI). The report, which tracks prices across various consumer products, showed no net price growth over the last month.


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With more than 43,000 workers on furlough and thousands of long-awaited family vacations canceled or postponed, Walt Disney World finally submitted a proposal to the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force in Florida to begin a phased reopening of the most magical place on Earth on July 11 — 118 days since it first closed down. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are set to open on July 11, while EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios — home of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge — will open on July 15.
The plan is pending county and state approval, but it includes limiting attendance and controlling guest density to allow for the CDC-recommended 6 feet of physical distancing. While fans can still expect to ride their favorite rides, some things will be missing when the park opens, including character meet and greets, parades and nighttime spectaculars, playgrounds, and other “high touch” experiences.
And of course, there are some caveats in store. All guests will need to make a reservation to the parks in advance using a new theme park reservation system. Disney is shuttering all new ticket sales and hotel reservations temporarily, instead focusing on accommodating guests with existing tickets and annual passes. Disney says it will be offering reservations in phases, and more info is coming soon.
All cast members and guests ages 3 and up will be required to wear face coverings in theme parks and common areas of resort hotels, and all guests will have their temperatures checked before heading into the parks. Disney is also encouraging cash-free transactions, and cleaning and disinfection procedures will be increased in high-traffic areas.
“We’re being deliberate during these phased reopenings,” writes Thomas Smith, editorial content director for Disney Parks, on the Disney Parks blog. “We’re doing our part, and we need our guests to do their part, too, as we work together to focus on safety.”
Disney World Shanghai opened at less than a third of its full capacity earlier this month, but no exact capacity expectations have been released for Disney World in Florida just yet. Can you imagine how short the lines for your favorite rides will be if the parks are at only 30% capacity? Would you jump at the chance to visit Disney World amid the pandemic? Tell us in the comments!


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Sony Online Ventures
named Lisa Sanchez-Corea Simpson as senior VP-business affairs and development. Ms. Simpson will be responsible for Sony's upcoming online entertainment network, The [email protected]
She most recently served as VP and general manager of content for Prodigy Services Corp. Formerly, Ms. Simpson was director of business development of NBC News, in charge of developing its online strategy and a key architect in the development of MSNBC.
Copyright December 1996, Crain Communications Inc.


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The Power of Networking - RMB Becomes Member of East Lancs Chamber of Commerce
Neil Farrar-Smith, Head of Sales at Reduce My Bills recently attended the Lancashire Business View monthly event held at West Lancashire College in Skelmersdale.
It was the first event that Reduce My Bills had been invited to since becoming a subscriber to
the LBV. And it was a perfect way of introducing ourselves to the community and the fellow
business owners within the county.
Being at the monthly gathering of regional businesses allowed Neil to share the vision of RMB and talk to fellow subscribers about the recent advertorial which was featured in the
September/October edition of the prestigious LBV magazine.
The article featured an interview with RMB Managing Director Ryan Haigh, where he talks about the unique offering of RMB and the benefits of using such a revolutionary product. The
opportunity also gave Neil the time to meet and converse with like minded business owners and share ideas. The event which celebrates excellence and provides a platform for sharing success was massively important for RMB to be in attendance.
To read Ryan Haigh's interview featured in the LBV September/October edition please click the link below: https://content.yudu.com/web/3uxek/0A3uxel/SEPTEMBEROCTOBER2023/html/index.html?page=12&origin=reader
During the event Neil spoke with many of the LBV subscribers for the first time, including
Stephen Lane from the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce. Stephen is the Membership Recruitment Executive and Neil was able to learn more about the importance of the Chamber of Commerce and how it plays a fundamental role in connecting businesses throughout the county and beyond.
The event in Skelmersdale was also showcased in one of our previous blogs appearing within our media section: https://www.reducemybills.ltd/post/reduce-my-bills-attend-lbv-networking-event
It was also whilst at the LBV event in Skelmersdale that Neil was able to invite Stephen to the
RMB Head Offices in Barrowford for a meeting with management and staff to show him in much more detail the unique offering of products and services.
Stephen had recently taken RMB up on their invitation and visited the offices to meet the staff and spend time in conversation with both the Managing Director Ryan Haigh and Finance Director Reegan Haigh to share thoughts and ideas on growth and potential customer opportunities.
Neil Farrar-Smith meeting Stephen Lane at the LBV event in Skelmersdale
Stephen spoke at length about the benefits of becoming a member of the East Lancashire
Chamber of Commerce. Some of those benefits include; making business contacts, acquiring
customer referrals, increasing the business profile within the community and possibly gaining a voice in government if necessary. The meeting was an extremely productive and resounding success and after consideration Reegan decided it would certainly benefit RMB to be a part of the commerce family in East Lancashire and subsequently become a member.
Getting the thoughts of Reegan about becoming a member, he said; “Its natural that RMB forms key strategic partnerships of this nature as we progress our journey. While we have been in this industry for some 33yrs, the RMB subscription model is relatively new. This means we are still evolving, but rest assured we already have a dynamic and innovative product fit for the market. This is why we spent a full year designing and developing pre-launch. We are also very proud of our proprietary software which brings AI to the utilities and business services arena. Our mission is of exponential scale as we penetrate more of the SME market place. Having partners such as the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce will support us along the road map we have set.”
During Stephen’s visit we also gathered the thoughts of RMB Head of Sales, Neil Farrar-Smith, he said; “It is a real pleasure to be part of the team which delivers such a rounded and complete package. We are aiming to develop deeper relationships both with our partners and customers. We feel that by acting as close confidants we are delivering something different. The RMB subscription model allows us to play a leading part in how our customers navigate eight key business overheads. By becoming part of the team, it enables us to review, to acknowledge and more importantly to understand the specific nature of each of our customers requirements. This then leads to ‘best in class’ support and further results in our ability to save our customers much greater amounts than they will ever pay towards the subscription fees. Notwithstanding, we then simply contractually guarantee the savings, thus, our model is perfect, never resulting in cost only savings”
RMB are now embarking on the beginning of the formal relationship with the East Lancashire
Chamber of Commerce which will entail inter alia, numerous networking events, access to the c500 business members, and also provide meetings, presentations and endorsements. A
fantastic opportunity for RMB to showcase their unique products to a much wider audience.
Over the next month or so and leading into 2024 Neil will be attending more events within the
county and sharing far and wide our unique selection of business services.
If you would like to speak to the team about our range of products please request a call back.
0333 090 2005


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Updated: Apr 6, 2021
“WE STAY TRUE TO OUR MISSION TO SUPPORT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY BY ENDORSING A LOCAL BRAND” SAYS GOTTSCHALK
25 August 2020 - Manila, Philippines: United City Football Club (UCFC) has announced
its new Monte’ Athletics home & away kits ahead of the Philippines Football League
(PFL) season, and the AFC Cup campaign set to take place in Vietnam next month.
United City Football Club (UCFC) co-founder Eric Gottschalk says, “I’m very happy to
announce that Monte’ Athletics will be the official kit supplier of UCFC for the 2020
season. We chose them as we want to stay true to our mission of supporting football in
the Philippines; and this should also include its stakeholders, the local community. We
were right away convinced of the premium quality of the high-performance range of the
Monte’ products, so it was an easy decision to partner with them for our inaugural
Apart from which, Monte’ Athletics will also sell the club’s merchandise, ranging from
replica jerseys to branded face masks, via the online store - Lazada.
Gottschalk also says that this may also be the first time in Philippine football that a club
has launched an official season kit which was jointly designed by both the brand and its
players and at the same time, will be carrying a logo which was part of a public design
competition voted by the fans and promoted on social media through the .
“It all goes back to the fans and the community, without them, we are nothing. Even our
video producer has local heritage, (US based filmmaker Angelo Petroccione Reyes of
Reyes productions), This is only the beginning, and everyone will have a lot to be excited
about this season,” ends Gottschalk.
Fans may purchase the official UCFC Home & Away replica jerseys at the Monte’
Athletics e-commerce shop on Lazada, from 1st week of September 2020 onwards.


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Cloud-based blockchain-as-a-service platform SIMBA Chain (Plymouth, IN) was awarded a government contract that will see the U.S. Air Force leverage its platform as it explores how blockchain technology can improve its logistics and supply-chain capabilities.
The Air Force has a highly complex logistics and supply chain network, which moves millions of parts around the world. It needs to function dependably and without interruption. This complexity and need for ongoing, documentable precision is an ideal use case for blockchain.
The Air Force will use SIMBA Chain to securely scale its additive manufacturing supply chain, following a call put out earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Defense through the Small Business Innovation Research program. It is seeking technologies with commercial applications that can help the service branch streamline its supply chain and logistics and stay ahead of the technological curve.
“We’re moving what was once a broad, strategic concept to reality,” said Brenchley Boden, senior engineer at Air Force Research Laboratory. “Digital thread is game-changing, and we’re leading the charge.”
Blockchain technology can securely connect the Industrial Internet of Things. It provides a permanent digital ledger and consensus network that democratizes how business and manufacturing are done. It has implications for global industries spanning government to manufacturing to health care.
“We’re excited to be the first implementers of blockchain across the entire digital thread, not only securing it but applying a nonrepudiable and immutable ledger,” said SIMBA Chain CEO and founder Joel Neidig.
The company was formed from a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) grant in 2017, originally developed by ITAMCO and the University of Notre Dame.


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Target reported a major decline in profits a day earlier, signaling possible struggles in the retail market.
NEW YORK — Wall Street pointed toward declines before the market opened Wednesday after Target reported a huge decline in profits on the same day that the U.S. posts retail sales data for July.
Futures for the S&P 500 slipped 0.8% and futures for the Dow fell 0.6%.
Target slid almost 2% after reporting a nearly 90% plunge in second quarter profits as it was forced to slash prices to clear unwanted inventories.
Target warned earlier this summer that it was canceling orders from suppliers
→ Continue reading at KGW TV


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Jury Rules AGAINST Elon Musk’s Company… It’s Over
(UnitedVoice.com) – A jury has ordered electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla to hand over $10.5 million to the parents of a teenager who died in a fiery car accident. The massive award comes despite the teen’s history of terrible driving and the fact he was doing over four times the speed limit when he died.
Florida jury found Tesla just one percent negligent in the fiery crash that killed two teenshttps://t.co/zyydYPXzd0 pic.twitter.com/6QMlWBFgzH
— Gadgets 360 (@Gadgets360) July 21, 2022
In May 2018, 18-year-old Barrett Riley and one of his friends died in the blazing wreckage of his Tesla Model S sports car after colliding with a concrete wall. On July 18, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, jury found the car company just 1% liable for his death — then awarded $10.5 million in damages to his parents anyway. The jury gave father James Riley $4.5 million despite finding him 9% negligent regarding the accident.
The jurors also found that Barrett Riley himself was 90% to blame for his death. When he hit the wall, he was driving at 116 mph around a curve with a posted 25 mph speed limit. It wasn’t the first time he’d been in trouble for speeding, either; just two months earlier, police cited him for driving at 112 mph. After that incident, his parents had a speed limiter fitted to the car, restricting it to 85 mph — but Barrett contacted Tesla and tricked a technician into deactivating it.
There’s no doubt their son’s death traumatized James and Jenny Riley, but they gave a teenager a car capable of speeds up to 130 mph and let him keep it even after he’d shown they couldn’t trust him to drive it safely. Tesla argued the Reillys should have taken the keys from their son after his speeding citation. Is it fair to award people damages against a company when the victim’s own decisions caused the accident?
Copyright 2022, UnitedVoice.com


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The HTC Desire Z and Desire HD were only debuted by HTC yesterday in London, and we already seeing more price listings than I (and probably you as well) can shake a stick at. UK phone retailers seem to have the most offers up right now (with fairly similar prices), and there are conflicting statements on when the phones will start shipping, as well as some news on whether the Desire HD is headed State-side.
Gizmodo mentions that, carrier wise, Vodafone and T-Mobile have confirmed that they will have the HTC Desire HD, with Vodafone also confirming the Desire Z. However, T-Mobile has already announced the G2, so there doesn't seem to be any reason to carry the Desire Z as well.
Gizmodo informs us that they contacted HTC regarding the fate of the HTC Desire HD for the US. HTC responded by writing that the device will be "shipping in North America later this year." As for the Desire Z, Gizmodo anticipates that it is too similar to the G2 to be launched in the States.
To me, that doesn't confirm a launch in the US. It actually makes me more skeptical, especially as the Evo 4G is already on the market there. However, I believe HTC would be making a big mistake not launching the Desire HD in the US, considering the amount of interest generated.
As for release dates, MobileCrunch writes that it all "depends on where you look. Amazon say October 18th, but Play say October 11th."


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Seahawks will wear white jerseys, blue pants in Super Bowl XLVIII
When the Seahawks take the field in Super Bowl XLVIII, they'll be wearing white jerseys with blue pants.
The first piece of the Super Bowl puzzle has finally been solved and that first piece was: What jerseys will each team be wearing on Feb. 2. The Broncos announced on Monday that they'd be wearing their orange home jerseys in Super Bowl XLVIII.
The Seahawks followed up Denver's announcement with a jersey announcement of their own on Tuesday: Seattle will be wearing white jerseys over blue pants in the Super Bowl, marking the third time this season that the Seahawks have gone white over blue (techinically the color is college navy).
The last time Seattle went with the white over blue combo came in a 23-0 win over the Giants in Week 15. That game was played at MetLife Stadium, the same stadium that will be hosting Super Bowl XLVIII.
The Seahawks also won in the white over blue combination in Week 10 when they beat the Falcons in Atlanta 33-10. That's two games wearing white over blue for Seattle and two 23-point wins.
Seattle has lost wearing the white over blue combo before. In Week 8 of 2012, the Lions beat the Seahawks 28-24 in Detroit.
The Seahawks uniforms underwent a complete overhaul before the 2012 season when Nike took over as the NFL's official jersey supplier. Seattle hasn't worn any combination of road uniforms more than four times since Nike took over.
During the team's first and only Super Bowl appearance, the Seahawks wore all-blue in a 21-10 loss to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XL.
The Cowboys' rookie sensation has the poise to succeed -- but he ain't Tony Romo
Kaepernick expands on his anthem stance in an 18-minute Q&A session on Sunday
Fuller creates space from Justin Bethel to haul in the 26-yard touchdown
John Simon makes his presence known with incredible tip, pick and dash to the house
Jenkins hit the ground early in the first quarter of Arizona's game against the Texans
The Vikings impress in debut at US Bank Stadium, as does Brock Osweiler


text: 5.0.0 included hw bringup for a new SoC called Mariko. nvidia calls it t214 (it's a fork of tegra X1), it has a custom nintendo bootrom, new key material, new pmic (and new pcb!). however it will probably look identical from outside ;) @hexkyz— plutoo (@qlutoo) March 18, 2018 Found very strong evidence of a whole new PCB and 8GB memory for new T214 Switch (Mariko):https://t.co/qGRBeDB5mf— Mike Heskin (@hexkyz) March 18, 2018 Oh, right, I should've clarified this better. The strongest evidence for a new PCB is the added support for a new PMIC in PCV sysmodule (max77621 will be replaced by max77812).— Mike Heskin (@hexkyz) March 19, 2018 Sounds good. :)They still call the retail board "nx-abca2" though, so nothing is certain at this point.— Mike Heskin (@hexkyz) March 19, 2018 RAM-bump sounds more likely for devunit-only(?).— yellows8 (@ylws8) March 19, 2018 Indeed, I suspect the RAM upgrade should be for devkits only (at least for now).— Mike Heskin (@hexkyz) March 19, 2018 Interesting fact: Tegra systems are code-named after Marvel characters. TK1 was "Logan", TX1 was "Erista" and now T214 SoC's name "Mariko" comes from Mariko Yashida, Wolverine's lover. Whether this symbolizes Nvidia and Nintendo's scorching "romance" remains to be seen. ;)— Mike Heskin (@hexkyz) March 19, 2018 That's all.


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How I Made It: ‘Shark Tank’ passed on his company. Now John Tabis is trying to disrupt the flower industry, one bouquet at a time
John Tabis, 40, is chief executive and co-founder of the Bouqs Co., and he’s trying to change the way we buy flowers. The Venice company sells blooms directly to consumers, eliminating several layers of middlemen. Tabis works closely with his Ecuador-based co-founder Juan Pablo Montúfar, a fellow graduate of the University of Notre Dame. In 2012, the year Bouqs was founded, the company had revenue of less than $1 million. Five years later, Tabis said, “we had several days in 2017 where we sold more than $1 million in flowers in a day.”
No ‘Shark’ bite
Tabis’ company was a semi-finalist in 2016 and a finalist in 2017 for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award. But in 2014, when Tabis went on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank,’ he failed to win an investment.
“While you get a decent amount of time to explain in ‘Shark Tank,’” Tabis said, “you’re sort of peppered with questions and it’s tough to get down into the nitty gritty. What was funny was that one of the Sharks, Robert Herjavec, wound up investing later after we discussed flowers for his wedding.” That round of investment in January brought in $24 million.
Tabis said it is important “to get used to hearing ‘no’” when you are starting a business and seeking investors. That was why he was able to see the “Shark Tank” experience as a victory because he was one of the few who made the cut to appear on the show.
“I had raised $1.7 million in seed money in one round of investing. To get to that $1.7 million worth of ‘yes,’ I had to sit through 100 people saying ‘no.’”
To get to that $1.7 million of ‘yes,’ I had to sit through 100 people saying ‘no.'
John Tabis, CEO of the Bouqs
Tabis was a finance major at Notre Dame when he and future business partner Montúfar decided to start a “really cheesy ’90s pop-rock band. He’s a biochemistry major, gets his MBA and moves back to his home country of Ecuador to run a flower farm, which was his life’s dream.”
“The supply chain in flowers is the ultimate pain point,” Tabis said. Farmers earn very little money. Prices are marked up all along a complicated supply chain and, ultimately, consumers wind up overpaying for what have become very old flowers that will soon wilt and die, he said.
”It’s so outdated,” Tabis said. “The farmers will sell to an exporter. The exporter will sell to an importer. That importer will sell to a wholesaler who moves the flowers around the country and holds them in warehouses. The wholesaler sells to a florist. Everyone is marking up the price along the way.”
A different way
By shipping directly from flower farms to consumers, farmers that work with the Bouqs wind up making, on average, about 20% more than they used to, Tabis said. Consumers benefit because they get their flowers more quickly, meaning the blooms last longer, and they save an average of 70% on their flower buying going through a traditional florist, he said.
”We have no waste because it’s shipping directly from the farm, and the flowers arrive four to six days after they were cut instead of after two weeks or more, and you don’t have really expensive stems because you haven’t had all those extra levels of people to pay.”
Strengths and weaknesses
Montúfar knew his strength was as a biochemist and a farmer, not in sales and marketing, Tabis said. Meanwhile, Tabis had earned an MBA at UCLA and worked for Disney’s corporate brand team for six years before moving to a startup called Shoe Dazzle. By then, Montúfar was asking for Tabis’ help in delivering flowers a new way.
“I thought, ‘Let’s put my ideas on branding and marketing together with your supply chain and expertise in sourcing flowers and let’s see if we can build something,’” Tabis recalled
The Bouqs has sent 30 million flowers — 10 million of them roses — to customers since 2012. The network involves 100 farm partners in the U.S., Ecuador and Colombia working with a total of 3,800 acres and about 10,000 farmworkers. The Bouqs, which had just five employees in 2014, now has 60 and is gearing up to hire 15 more. They work through more than 300 “artisan florists” for the deliveries. Customers can subscribe so that they never miss important celebratory dates.
Leading the team
Tabis says it’s important to hire in a way that covers one’s shortcomings.
”My weakness is more on the ‘how do you take those big ideas and operationalize them’ side of things,” Tabis said. “To supplement my relative weakness and lack of operating experience, I lean heavily on my CFO, my chief technical officer, the leadership team from the vp level to take the best ideas from conception to execution.”
“If you are going to be the founder of a company,” Tabis said, “you’ve got to know in your heart that your thesis, your concept, your team is going to be the one that works. You have to know that in your core.”
Tabis and his wife, Kelly, celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary this year. They have a 5½-year-old son and year-old twins — a girl and a boy — “so my free time is pretty much all with my wife and kids. Outside of that, I run a couple of times a week and, as a Notre Dame grad, I really love college football.”
For more business news, follow Ronald D. White on Twitter: @RonWLATimes
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