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In one regard, Alberta's 1993 experiment in liquor store privatization has been a resounding success. To wit: almost everyone thinks it worked.
I was reminded of this reality earlier this week when the Parkland Institute and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released their study of liquor store privatization -- Impaired Judgment, The Economic and Social Consequences of Liquor Privatization in Western Canada -- which illustrates how the principal argument advanced for the policy, that booze will cost less, holds neither scotch nor water.
Government liquor stores in Saskatchewan and B.C. had the lowest prices in a comparison of 13 popular alcoholic beverages. Private stores in B.C., where there is a mix of public and private, and in Alberta, where retail sales were completely privatized when Ralph Klein was premier, are on average more expensive, the study by public finance economist Greg Flanagan and public policy researcher David Campanella demonstrated.
By several other measures, the two researchers concluded, liquor store privatization was also a flop. These included $1.4 billion in foregone government revenues, lousy compliance rates with the rules about selling booze to minors and intoxicated people, no way to control the blight of tatty and marginal liquor retailers in Alberta neighbourhoods, and poor controls on the marketing of exploitive low-cost high-alcohol pop-style drinks aimed at young people.
"Strikingly, the tax revenue generated per litre of alcohol sold in Alberta has declined dramatically in the years since privatization," the researchers wrote in the study's summary. When it comes to obeying the rules about sales to children and intoxicated people, "audits performed by the B.C. government have since 2003 consistently reported a much higher compliance rate in stores that are publicly owned (63 per cent) rather than privately owned (25 per cent)."
Except for the prices -- which are hard to estimate when you can't comparison shop on the same day in more than one province -- almost anyone who has been inside any Alberta city's scores of rundown and dirty liquor stores can attest to the truth of Messrs. Flanagan's and Campanella's observations.
Indeed, there's one more to boot, anecdotally speaking. Except for a few chi-chi wine shops in upscale neighbourhoods, the selection of drinkable products available here in Alberta tends to be terrible -- with the stock in most stores running heavily to a few of the most popular brands and the aforementioned sweetened swill aimed at teenaged binge drinkers.
But none of this may matter in the eyes of the public, which in reality has focused on another issue entirely: convenience.
I know this because a couple of years ago I had the opportunity to sit in on an extensive focus group project conducted by a respected independent researcher for a union concerned with public attitudes about privatization.
If you want a snapshot of what the public thinks on a given issue, do a poll. But if you really want to get to the bottom of why they think it, you need to conduct focus groups.
And when you take a magnifying glass in the form of a series of focus groups in several communities to the question of privatization, you find lots of interesting things, which can be boiled down to the propositions that the public is in fact paying attention to the issue, and that they don't trust privatization proselytizers but they do think it works sometimes.
We don't want health care to be privatized, respondent after respondent observed in communities throughout Alberta, because we don't trust private companies and we understand how and why the single-payer system keeps costs down. But privatization does work for some things, was a view almost universally expressed in Alberta focus groups.
Like what? The answer was always the same: liquor stores. And why? Because the hours are better.
In fact, those are the clearly delineated poles of the public's attitude about privatization in this province: they hate the idea of health care privatization, and they love the idea of liquor store privatization, which in their eyes worked because today the hours are indisputably better.
There's a lesson here for those of us who believe that the public sector does a better job for many enterprises -- liquor sales among them, for the reasons pointed out in the Parkland-CCPA study.
To wit: That part of the argument for continuing the many obvious advantages of public control over retailing of a culturally entrenched intoxicant like alcohol needs to account for the self-evident desire of consumers to be able to buy it at hours that are convenient to them.
We have to make the point that limited hours for liquor sales are a management decision and there is no reason that public liquor stores can't be open at hours that are more convenient for consumers.
Yeah, they may have to pay staff more to work later hours. But the Parkland-CCPA research suggests this won't result in higher retail prices or decreased government revenues -- perhaps the contrary. Moreover, the social gains would be significant -- far better compliance with the law and more responsible marketing, not to mention a limit on the number of robbery magnets throughout our city neighbourhoods.
We also need to acknowledge that these marketing realities do not come naturally to the government sector, and we have to speak up for paying attention to them and making the effort if the otherwise obviously superior public option is going to be allowed to succeed.
Otherwise, we'd better get used to the reality that privatizers like Premier Brad Wall in Saskatchewan will win this argument and that while residents of that province pay the price in lower revenues, grotty stores that blight their communities and more serious and expensive public health and social consequences, they may well think things have gotten better!
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Tracers Appoints Background Screening Industry Veteran John Lawrence as CMO
October 8, 2018
BROOKSVILLE, Fla.--Tracers Information Specialists, Inc. (Tracers), one of the leading data providers for investigators, risk mitigation, debt collections, and background screening businesses large and small is proud to announce that background screening industry and marketing veteran, John Lawrence has joined the organization as a senior executive.
Mr. Lawrence joins Tracers as Chief Marketing Officer, reporting to the company’s President, Erik Pickering. In his new role John will manage all marketing and advertising, sales enablement, and contribute across multiple other areas to help Tracers achieve their ambitious strategic growth endeavors.
“Tracers is on the verge of launching a new bold mission for advancing our product offerings in innovative new ways and broadening the verticals our company serves today with our reliable and expanded people and business data intelligence," said Erik Pickering, President of Tracers. "To find someone who has the rare capability to help a company dominate an industry with their marketing skills and leadership, and who is also a background screening industry expert is almost impossible. But that is exactly what we have found with John, and his creative brilliance is exactly what Tracers needs at this defining moment in our corporate growth.”
Mr. Lawrence was most recently Vice President of Marketing & Business Development at General Information Services (GIS), where he served for over a decade and built an award winning in-house Marketing Department that contributed to the organization’s dramatic rise to become one of the largest background screening providers in the world. Mr. Lawrence also led their Business Development Department and provided a wealth of competitive intelligence that fueled sales successes.
“Tracers has been a sleeping giant in the world of big data providers,” said Mr. Lawrence. “They have done well and are a clear leader in data intelligence for a handful of niche industries, but now with new leadership and significant investments into their platforms and data, they are well positioned to dominate across multiple additional industries. I can’t wait to show the world what Tracers has to offer.”
Prior to GIS, Mr. Lawrence worked for a variety of advertising agencies, promotional product businesses, and retail chains in a marketing and advertising capacity as Web Business Manager, Art Director, Marketing Manager, and Director of Advertising. Mr. Lawrence holds a B.F.A. in Graphic Design from Florida Atlantic University.
For over 20 years, Tracers has empowered law enforcement, private investigators, collection professionals, fraud prevention specialists, litigation attorneys and the background screening industry with the comprehensive data they need to conduct investigations, support litigation, screen job candidates and property renters and assist collection efforts. Tracers’ pioneering search technology and cutting-edge innovation offers access to billions of public records and proprietary data sources throughout the world and their hands-on approach to solving unique data requirements allows them to tailor custom solutions for any client needs. For more information, visit www.tracers.com.
Read More Tracers News Here

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The Netherlands and the United States will meet in Washington on Friday to discuss further restrictions on the export of chip machines to China. This would mean that the Dutch company ASML will be restricted in the sale of machines to China.
If the two sides agree on the details, a deal could be signed by the two countries as early as Friday, according to a Reuters source.
ASML, based in Veldhoven, can no longer supply its most advanced machines to China. The US also wants older devices no longer allowed to enter the Asian country. In the US, strict restrictions have been in place since October on exports to China.
Japan would impose similar restrictions on tech company Nikon. The US, the Netherlands and Japan are by far the largest suppliers of chip machines. The restrictions would be a major blow to China’s technological ambitions.
Before the Netherlands agrees to restrictions, the delegates who have traveled to Washington for the meeting want to make sure that the restrictions are imposed for security reasons, and not because the United States is trying to favor its own chip industry.
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BelleHarvest is excited to announce Jennifer Melvin has been hired as the company’s director of sales management. Melvin will lead business development for the sales organization headquartered in Belding, Michigan.
“Jennifer has a distinguished career in areas we are growing in and want to grow further,” said Chuck Yow, vice-president of sales. “We look forward to learning from her experiences and offering her relationships more sustainable produce supply options.”
Melvin has a long background in the produce industry. Some career highlights include being a chef for over 10 years, multiple years in produce sales and distribution for retail and the foodservice industry and she spent the last several years in produce procurement for several large produce companies.
“I felt the drive to get back into produce sales so I am excited to meet with all our grower partners and get to know customers,” said Melvin. “I think this is a great time to join the team and I can’t wait for this season. Word is, it’s going to be a great harvest!”


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It’s easy to create a Facebook page for your brand. It requires even less effort to create a Twitter or Instagram account. The challenge lies in creating an active, engaged following to eventually turn into loyal customers.
As Facebook’s 15-year anniversary approaches, it continues to come up with new ways to amplify your brand’s products and services. For instance, Business 2 Community identified private social messaging and direct social commerce as important trends to follow this year. Additionally, the Search Engine Journal explains that content is a huge driver of engagement alone.
Online audience engagement should be a top priority for any business, regardless of size. Business News Daily chatted with a few professionals to learn how to make your social media strategy more efficient and effective.
Build a good rapport with your followers
According to Sprout Social, more than 50 percent of consumers (across all age demographics) follow a brand before purchasing a product. Therefore, your brand’s content can make or break a customer’s decision to conduct business with you.
“Many businesses approach social media as a one-way street and inundate their potential consumers with transactional messaging in efforts to drive sales,” said Ben Hordell, founding partner at the DXagency digital marketing and advertising firm. “To remedy this, companies must think [about the] customer first … to determine what the consumers would want out of their relationship on social, and work from there.”
Sprout Social also says 60 percent of baby boomers look for promotions on social media. As you’d expect, customers become disappointed seeding through an array of tedious promotional content without any type of discount to be found.
Prioritize one-on-one customer communications
If a customer reaches out to you on social media with a question, don’t let it go unanswered, especially for more than 24 hours. Sprout Social says 30 percent of millennials engage with a brand on social once a month, which means your interaction has the potential to make an even larger impression – either negative or positive.
While crafting an individual response takes time, it’s all part of providing top-notch customer service in a timely fashion. Writing up a promotional post can wait if it means getting a customer the answer they need, said Andrew Caravella, vice president of strategy and brand engagement at Sprout Social.
“The expectation is that, just like email, telephone and even in-person interactions at brick-and-mortar locations, customers want and need to be acknowledged [on social networks],” Caravella told Business News Daily. “That ability to be seen and heard, in turn, works in favor of marketers, because people are actually much more receptive to brands that take the time and effort to answer their queries on social [networks].
“Brands should indeed allocate customer service resources to the platform where their customers are most vocal, but they shouldn’t let that attention compromise effort on another channel,” he added.
Know and own your brand voice
Social media experts often talk about defining your brand’s voice. This means finding a tone and personality that suit your brand, its mission and its values, and making sure all of your social media posts embody it.
“A common mistake I see is when a business tries to go beyond their natural brand voice and try to be funny or edgy [about] current events,” said Justin Garrity, former president of social engagement platform Postano and current associate vice president of Sprinklr. “Oftentimes, it totally falls flat and does not align with a business’s overall brand. The best brands on social media have a voice that is authentic to who they are and who their fans perceive them to be.”
Devon Wijesinghe, CEO of social marketing platform Insightpool, agreed that brands should remain authentic in their messaging, especially when it comes to using popular memes and slang terms. Companies need to be very careful about this; otherwise, they risk alienating their customer base.
“[Don’t use] slang language in marketing messages, especially when it doesn’t fit the audience,” Wijesinghe said. “Businesses should speak the same language as their audience.”
Focus on a few channels to curate a special community
New social networks and apps seem to pop up all the time, but that doesn’t mean your business has to be on every single one of them. It’s better to have a well-executed, active presence on two or three social networks than a mediocre presence on each popular channel. Sprout Social reminds brands that every generation is now on Facebook, so brands should prioritize their presence on that network above others.
“Being on social is about building a community,” Caravella said. “If you’re just getting up and running, pick a network or two that best fit your audiences, and devote time and energy to cultivating a community on those networks. Rather than unattended profiles and scattered responses, customers will appreciate the dedicated efforts, communication will persist, and your organic following will grow.”
BestWeb – For further enquiries on any of our expertise or services, whether it is for website design & development, mobile application development, or digital media marketing, please feel free to contact or whatsapp +6010-2200 660, email [email protected] or visit https://bestweb.com.my/web-seo/ Thank you


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Ford Considering CVTs For Future Models
Consumer response to continuously variable transmission continues to be notably split, with some lauding fuel economy and quick acceleration and others critical of its loud operation and an overall decrease in longevity. Ford hasn’t put a CVT in a non-hybrid vehicle since 2007 with the gone-but-never-forgotten Ford Five Hundred, Ford Freestyle, and Mercury Montego; a report from Automotive News, however, indicates that the automaker is considering bringing back the CVT.
“We’ve had some experience with CVTs and it wasn’t all good,” Raj Nair, Ford’s global product development chief, told Automotive News (subscription required). “They are getting better. And we are taking another look, particularly in the low torque applications. There may be some [potential] there.”
The obvious choice for a CVT would be the Fiesta SFE, which only offers the 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine with a manual transmission. While the stick may well be the go-to choice of automotive enthusiasts everywhere, fewer than 5% of all cars sold in North America today utilize manual transmissions, making some kind of automatic option a must.
CVT technology has improved greatly over the past seven years, which has led to the CVT becoming a more viable option for automakers such as Nissan, Honda, and Audi.
While Ford’s mind is likely far from made up on the issue, it appears we might be closer to Ford using CVTs in nonhybrids than we’ve been in at least half a decade.
News Source: Automotive News (subscription required)


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Oct 27, 2022
This is in line with our brand vision and our desire to promote champions of culture.
Village Affair today announced the launch of new Chaath 2022 video by National Award-Winning Director Nitin Chandra, featuring actor of international acclaim Nitu Chandra Srivastava and noted singer Sunidhi Chauhan.
This is the outcome of several years of continuous hard work that the director and his team has put out in promoting culture and languages of Bihar, Jharkhand and neighbouring regions of the subcontinent which share similar cultural sentiments.
"Being a sponsor is a big deal for any new brand but it's super special for me and brand Village Affair as it unfolds with the biggest festival of our culture." said Jai Thakur, Co-Founder, Village Affair. "We wanted to promote our culture and tradition and this association with Bejod Films comes at a right time. We shall continue to associate with more such culture focussed work."
Village Affair is in business of traditional luxury foods and recently launched A2 cow ghee and is expanding product portfolio to include traditionally made oils and other food products.


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WASHINGTON -- Retail sales plunged by a record 3.7 percent last month as the holiday shopping season was getting under way. But more recent information looks brighter for the economy, suggesting the huge wave of job layoffs is abating.
Noting the new government reports Thursday, analysts said they still believe the current recession, the country's first in a decade, will be a mild one that will be over by late spring.
The Commerce Department report on retail sales showed the big decline in November following an even larger increase of 6.4 percent in October. Both figures were records under the government's current tracking system, which goes back to 1992.
Both months were whipsawed by auto sales, which soared in October as dealers offered zero-rate financing deals to lure shoppers back into showrooms after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, only to retreat in November.
In addition to the big swing in auto sales, retail activity in November was also depressed by falling gasoline prices, which pushed sales at service stations down.
Without those special factors, retail sales would have posted a 0.1 percent increase in November.
Analysts said this showed that the consumer sector, which accounts for two-thirds of total economic activity, was not collapsing despite all the bad news this fall -- from the terrorist attacks to the layoffs and confirmation that the country is in a recession.
"With the economy in the doldrums and unemployment rising, consumers are being smart. They haven't stopped shopping, they've only stopped buying everything in sight," said Oscar Gonzalez, economist at John Hancock in Boston.
The government said new claims for unemployment benefits fell by 88,000 for the first week in December, the biggest decline in nine years, and a hopeful sign, analysts said, that the country may have seen the worst of the layoffs.
Last week's drop pushed the level for new layoffs down to 394,000, significantly below the peak of 505,750 hit in mid-October.
Unemployment in November surged to a six-year high of 5.7 percent, reflecting 800,000 new layoffs in just October and November, the worst two-month performance in more than two decades.
Analysts said the big improvement in unemployment filings and the underlying strength in retail sales supported their view that the recession will be ending by late spring.
"Consumers have turned cautious but they haven't packed it in and there has been a clear improvement in the job market," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Economy.com.
A third report Thursday showed that prices at the wholesale level, led by another big decline in energy costs, fell for a second straight month. The Labor Department said its Producer Price Index dropped by 0.6 percent in November following a 1.6 percent decline in October.
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates for an 11th time on Tuesday, pushing a key rate to its lowest level in 40 years. However, the reduction was only by a quarter point, instead of the bolder half-point moves the central bank had been employing, signaling to many economists that the Fed is close to the end of its credit easing.
Minutes of the Fed's November meeting that were released Thursday supported that view. They showed that three Fed policy-makers had preferred a smaller quarter-point cut at that meeting even though in the end all 10 voted in favor of the half-point cut that was made on Nov. 6.
Gasoline prices tumbled 10.3 percent at the wholesale level last month after an even bigger 21.2 percent drop in November. Food prices were also down for a second straight month, 0.8 percent in November following a 0.4 percent decline in October.
Excluding the volatile food and energy sectors, the core rate of wholesale inflation posted a small 0.2 percent increase following a 0.5 percent drop in October.
The government will release the November report on inflation at the consumer level on Friday and analysts believe that figure will also be well-behaved, reflecting big declines in gasoline pump prices.
The retail sales report showed that auto sales, which had surged a record 24.2 percent in October, fell 11.9 percent in November. Sales at specialty clothing stores were down 0.6 percent and general merchandise stores showed a 0.1 percent decrease, but sales at furniture stores, sporting goods stores, electronic shops and restaurants all posted increases.
On the Net:
Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics: www.bls.gov Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis: www.bea.doc.gov
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Retailers say 'tis the season for fraud
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According to the National Retail Federation, the industry will lose an estimated $3.39 billion due to fraudulent returns from the holiday season alone.
Overall, 5.8 percent of holiday returns are fraudulent, up slightly from 4.6 percent last year, according to a NRF survey.
"While coverage of this issue paints return fraud as one of the 'less severe' retail crimes, the fact of the matter is that returning used or stolen items, or even using false tender to purchase items is fraud, period," said NRF Vice President of Loss Prevention Rich Mellor said in a news release. "Recent efforts to combat fraudulent activity are slowly starting to work, but criminals are becoming more savvy and technologically advanced in their methods, making it even more difficult for retailers and law enforcement to keep up with the growing problem."
According to the survey, nearly all (94.8 percent) retailers polled say they have experienced the return of stolen merchandise in the last year and 29.3 percent have found criminals using counterfeit receipts to return merchandise.
While the federation hasn’t issued a report on holiday sales, some economists are saying the figures are likely to show a slight rise over 2012.
A breakdown of weekly brand observations that were more/less promotional was 64 percent/12 percent in December, the most heavily skewed month toward "more promotional" of the year.
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The modern patient access journey is anything but linear, with consumers turning to multiple online resources in their search for care. How can healthcare organizations continue to expand their presence across channels to attract, convert, and retain digitally-empowered consumers?
Join Kyruus to hear findings from the 5th annual Patient Access Journey Report—uncovering new insights into how consumers search for and schedule care—and how leaders at Geisinger Health System are reaching healthcare consumers across the increasingly complex digital landscape.
Join this webinar to learn:
- What new consumer survey results reveal from Kyruus’ 5th annual Patient Access Journey Report
- Which channels healthcare organizations should prioritize to reach digitally-empowered consumers
- How a leading healthcare organization is extending their presence across crucial channels to meet consumers where they are (e.g., Google MyBusiness, health plan directories)


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Even the most reasonably priced pc and technology degrees can put a strain on one’s
Interest in student engagement began over 70 years in the past with Ralph Tyler’s analysis
It produces private computers, workstations, servers, storage, sensible televisions, and mobile products such as smartphones,
You can achieve access to the information you want to know about a specific individual.
United States 3D printing Sector Evolving Know-how, Segmentation and Marketplace Evaluation 2017 to 2024
The MarketWatch News Section was not involved in the development of this information. New York,


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Designer News is where the design community meets.
almost 3 years ago from Alexey Sekachov, Product Designer
Maybe it's that UX and UI design has had "no fresh works or ideas for a long-long-long time", not the platform that people are sharing them on.
Where the design community meets.
Designer News is a large, global community of people working or interested in design and technology.
© 2020 Designer News Ltd.


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Judge rejects Lumberton store's appeal to sell alcohol
Published 3:00 am, Wednesday, January 12, 2011
KOUNTZE, Texas - A Lumberton convenience store's appeal for a permit to sell alcohol was rejected Tuesday in Hardin County's 88th District Court.
Judge Earl Stover III ruled to uphold Hardin County Judge Billy Caraway's previous ruling in September, to deny Exxpress Mart No. 14 reapplication for an alcohol license, according to the Hardin County District Court's Office.
The court order did not specify when the store must stop selling alcohol, according to the District Clerk's Office.
The store located at 383 N. LHS, has sold alcohol since 2007 when Hardin County voters in Precinct 3 chose to become wet, according to Enterprise Archives.
After Precinct boundaries were later resurveyed, it was determined that the store was actually located in Precinct 5 and in the city of Lumberton, which is dry, according to the archives.
The owner continued selling alcohol while he appealed Caraway's decision.
Caraway said he was not present at the ruling. He said that he hopes the case can be laid to rest soon.
"There are good people on both sides," Caraway said. "The city needs revenue. On the other hand, the people of Lumberton want to maintain the status quo."


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Mandy Ginsberg says there is ‘pent-up demand for marketing and products that actually speak to what women’s needs are’
Mandy Ginsberg will celebrate her 12th anniversary working for what would become Match Group Inc. on Valentine’s Day. After recently moving up to chief executive of the $10 billion company, she hopes to give single women everywhere a Valentine’s gift: Friendlier online-dating experiences.
Ginsberg took the helm at Match MTCH, +5.83% last month, and revealed to MarketWatch in a Tuesday interview that Tinder will soon roll out a feature that lets women choose who makes the first move on that app. She also pointed to other efforts that the company hopes will make its online-dating platforms more female-friendly, such as a new campaign for OkCupid that emphasizes shared hobbies over hookups.
As a female tech CEO, Ginsberg is in the minority, but she’s focused on making sure that women feel empowered and don’t experience harassment on the company’s dating products.
“I’ve been here so long and we’ve talked so much about women and women’s experiences, but that should manifest itself in more than conference rooms and discussions,” she said.
Ginsberg previously served as the CEO of Match North America and is now diving into some of the company’s other businesses, including Plenty of Fish, Meetic and Tinder. Match Group shares have been on a tear over the past year, with the stock up 127% compared with a 14% gain for the S&P 500 index SPX, +1.34% . Shares hit a new high Tuesday, with investors seemingly more optimistic about continued momentum for recently launched paid features on Tinder, as well as signs of improvement at some older brands.
MarketWatch recently caught up with Ginsberg to learn about her vision for the company and how Match plans to generate more enthusiasm for online dating. Excerpts of the conversation follow.
MarketWatch: What does the change at Tinder reflect about Match’s efforts to appeal more to women?
Ginsberg: Every time we talk about product, we talk about the female experience, especially when it comes to heterosexual couples because you have to solve for women’s experiences in order to have a robust, positive ecosystem.
We’ve done this on a couple different businesses, but we haven’t done it with Tinder. Women now will have a choice, which I think is very empowering. They can choose if they want to start the conversation first or if they want someone else to start the conversation first. Often women don’t really want the pressure of kicking off the conversation, but if they want it, that’s great. Giving people the choice versus telling people how to engage is the big difference. We think it’s going to be well-received and frankly, if it’s not, we’ll be able to watch to see if people like it and use it.
For OkCupid, we started a campaign called “DT____,” so “down to farmer’s market,” “down to fiesta,” etc. The idea is that women don’t want “DTF,” so we’re twisting that on its ear and making that an own-able concept. OkCupid has seen significant increases in new women users after launches in New York, Austin, and Portland. For women, there was a 20% increase in new users, which shows you that there’s pent-up demand for marketing and products that actually speak to what women’s needs are.
You’ve talked about enhancing the experience for Tinder users after they’ve made a match. Why, and how is this working?
People would swipe, but then the post-match experience was pretty flat. The question is, for these dormant matches that are sort of this flat screen, how do we make them come alive? How do we show either things that people posted in social media or things that they have done to update their profiles? You might’ve swiped on them four days ago, but didn’t really get a sense of who they were.
We’re showing you what they like to do, what they’re passionate about. It could be music from Spotify or a picture from their last trip. We’ve experimented with putting more rich content within those feeds and tested this in two or three markets. We’ve seen people spend more time on the app and seen increased activity with those dormant matches. We talked a lot about how Tinder was this swiping machine, but this has the ability to bring that to life. It’s still early on, but if we have increased success in not just time-on-app, but also in getting people to strike up conversation, we’ll roll it out.
Is there concern that if you make the product too good, people will quickly find love and stop paying?
From the moment I started, people said that unlike Netflix NFLX, +2.99% , where people never leave, this is a business that’s a little more episodic. On Tinder, people are younger. When you’re 19, you’re not going to find the love of your life — you might, but that doesn’t always happen. The life cycle’s very different, and relationships don’t always work out. If you’ve had a success, you’re going to come back and start another one. And then the best marketing in the world is from people who have seen success. It used to be that people were embarrassed, but now in the New York Times wedding section, they’re thanking us during their wedding vows. People aren’t embarrassed anymore, and they’re our best marketing vehicle out there.
Tinder has mainly grown through word of mouth, but Match has talked about doing some marketing internationally. What’s your strategy to grow outside the U.S.?
If you look at big markets like India, for example, there’s a fast-growing young population and increased penetration of smartphones. What’s happening in that particular culture is the stigma was high, so as the stigma erodes, there’s more opportunity. Tinder has done really well in India with very little focus or energy, but we still think there’s a lot of opportunity in the market. We really haven’t spent much time on PR. It’s almost like what we saw in the U.S. Twelve years ago, when I first started, around 2% of relationships started on an app and now over a third of relationships do. Now, the No. 1 way people meet by a huge majority is through an app. Norms are changing. What you’ve seen in the last 10 years, start to think about that in other parts of the world.
How are you trying to increase activity on the Match.com property with your new automated coaching tool?
The sweet spot of Match is ages 35 to 50. More than half of people on that app are second-time-arounders, previously married. So what’ll happen is a lot of people who are single parents or getting back on the market after being in a relationship for a long period of time don’t know what to do. We have the ability to be a kind of wingwoman and walk men and women through how to start a profile. A lot of women don’t like to make the first move, but we know what if you put more in you’re going to get more out of it. It’s kind of like a dieting app that asks if you had your water or did a run today. Think about how that translates to dating, which would be saying that you should be putting yourself out there and doing these things that are good for you.


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The current environment of rising production costs, fertilizer shortages and feed scarcity is leading to shrinking dairy production, while high energy prices could lead to a ‘domino effect’ and result in closures across the supply chain, EMB warned.
The Board has said the industry has already taken measures to alleviate some of the pressure, but the continuously volatile trading conditions mean that the EU needs to intervene.
EMB wants member states to adopt energy price caps for dairy farmers, milk processors and other stakeholders in the dairy production chain and the food production sector. The Board is also seeking some form of financial aid for farmers who are struggling to pay their energy bills.
“The individual actors in the agricultural sector and along the food production chain are dependent on energy and production inputs being available at affordable prices. Today, there is a gradual domino effect and each link in the chain pulls the next one down with it,” explained EMB president, Sieta van Keimpema.
“Let me give you just one example from the many issues that are currently the norm in the agricultural and food sector. High gas prices lead to interruptions in fertilizer production, which then means higher prices as well as fertilizer and feed shortages – an additional, enormous burden on farmers who are already confronted with rising energy costs of their own and producer prices that continue to be too low. This pushes them to reduce production. This then has an effect on food processors, many of whom are already closing their doors due to their own higher energy costs.”
Kjartan Poulsen, EMB vice-president, added that ‘the foundations of production must be supported with appropriate measures’ to ensure food stability across the bloc.
German farmgate milk price finally overtakes production costs – but is this a one-off?
Pushing for a wider re-think of the EU dairy production structure, EMB has warned that a ‘massive overhaul’ is needed to ensure that farmers can regularly get fair remuneration for the milk they produce. In another relevant update this month, the Board highlighted that in the German dairy sector, the average farmgate milk price in July outpaced production costs for the first time since data started to be recorded in 2014. Production costs in July 2022 were €47.31/kg, while the average farm-gate milk price for the same period was €55.04/kg.
But this one-off event didn’t lead to an increase in milk production in Germany, the Board said, with levels dropping year-on-year by 0.6% and by 1.3% from January to July 2022.
Meanwhile, cost coverage has been next to impossible to achieve by European farmers, with the average EU income per hour standing at just €4.19/kg in 2021. Among key producing countries, Dutch farmers were no longer able to generate any income from the milk price, while their French colleagues would pocket just €0.02/kg.
EMB has argued in the past that producer prices need to be coupled with production costs to make dairy farming in the bloc financially sustainable, criticizing the EU for focusing on ‘cheap products and cheap exports’ and stating that agricultural products should be excluded from WTO and free trade agreements.
“Milk production needs long-term, stable prices which allow for sufficient profit, in addition to cost coverage that includes a fair income for producers,” the body said in a statement. “Policy-makers must take action to ensure a stable production structure and thus food security in the EU. Strong producer organizations across dairies, crisis instruments like the Market Responsibility Programme, a socially-sustainable CAP, and fair contract conditions or even mirror clauses for EU imports are just some of the necessary framework conditions that need to be put in place.”


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Today’s Veterinary Business Staff
Retail giant Walmart is expanding farther into the veterinary channel with the opening of nine more walk-in clinics and the launch of an online pet medication store.
The retailer announced that a corporate partner, Essentials PetCare, will operate wellness clinics inside nine Dallas-area Walmart stores by June 2019. Essentials PetCare opened its first Walmart-based clinic in 2016 in Port Richey, Florida.
Walmart reported that it expects to host as many as 100 veterinary clinics nationwide within a year. The company already partners with PetIQ on about 20 clinics that are branded VetIQ Petcare and staffed by contract veterinarians.
“These clinics offer affordable, high quality and convenient services to save customers as much as 40 to 60 percent on vaccines and minor illness packages and exams,” Walmart Senior Vice President Kieran Shanahan wrote in a news release.
Essentials PetCare founder Douglas Spiker, DVM, said partnering with Walmart made sense.
“Having store locations within 10 miles of nearly 90 percent of the country’s population makes Walmart an ideal venue for our veterinary clinics,” Dr. Spiker said. “Convenient access, as well as affordability, are often cited in industry research as key determinants in why millions of pet dogs and cats in the United States are not receiving even the most basic medical care.”
Walmart also announced the launch of WalmartPetRx.com for the sale of prescription pet medications and said it is working to stock “the top 30 most requested pet meds” at its 4,500 in-store pharmacies.
“By working directly with veterinarians to receive and fill prescriptions, we’re able to save busy pet parents time,” Shanahan wrote.


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Imagine riding your bicycle when the handlebars suddenly crack or break. An incident like that would be terrifying, and possibly cause you to lose control of the bike and crash.
At least 37 people reported that their carbon handlebars broke where the brake/shift levers were installed. Fortunately, no crashes or injuries were reported.
These reports led to a recall from the manufacturer, Quality Bicycle Products (QBP), on January 5, 2023.
The company recalled Salsa Cowchipper, Salsa Cowbell, Whisky No.9 12F, and Whisky No.9 24F carbon handlebars. The recalled handlebars were also sold with complete bicycles, including the Salsa Cutthroat, Warbird, and Warroad bikes.
The complete bicycles sold for between $4,700 and $7,000 and the handlebars alone cost about $240.
They were sold at specialty bicycle stores nationwide from January 2018 through August 2022 for the handlebars and from August 2018 through June 2022 for bicycles with the handlebars.
The recalled handlebars were sold by Salsa Cycles and Whiskey parts. For more information, visit https://whiskyparts.co/no9-12f-24f-carbon-drop-handlebar-recall#/ or Salsa Cycles at https://www.salsacycles.com/support/recalls/cowbell-cowchipper-carbon-handlebar-recall.
You can bring them to a local bicycle retailer for free installation of a replacement carbon handlebar or an alternative aluminum handlebar, according to the recall notice.


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Apple:Time to think very different
A Chinese woman uses her mobile phone as she walks past an Apple logo outside an Apple Store in Beijing, China, Jan 4, 2019. Apple shares to plunge by 9.96 percent on 03 January 2019 after Apple CEO Tim Cook's commented about weakness in emerging markets and Greater China. EPA/WU HONG
A Chinese man uses his mobile phone outside an Apple store while an iPhone XR picture is displayed on a large screen in Beijing, China, Dec 12, 2018. Apple has cited disappointing sales of the iPhone, mostly in China, as the main reason for its reduced outlook. EFE-EPA (FILE) /WU HON
An Apple iPhone XR poster is seen in an Apple Store in Beijing, China, Jan 4, 2019. Apple shares to plunge by 9.96 percent on Jan 3 2019 after Apple CEO Tim Cook's commented about weakness in emerging markets and Greater China. EFE-EPA/WU HONG
Chinese people walk outside an Apple Store in Beijing, China, Dec 12, 2018. Apple has cited disappointing sales of the iPhone, mostly in China, as the main reason for its reduced outlook.. EFE-EPA (FILE) /WU HON
San Francisco, Jan 4, 2019 (efe-epa).- Apple Inc.'s profit margins have long been the envy of the consumer-electronics world. Defending those margins may now be coming at a significant cost to what is no longer the world's most valuable company, according to a Dow Jones report supplied on Friday to Efe.
Slowing iPhone sales triggered a nearly unprecedented warning from Apple on Wednesday about lower-than-expected revenue for its fiscal first quarter, which ended Dec. 29. That warning, the first from the company in nearly 17 years, sliced another 10 percent off Apple's already battered shares on Thursday and brought the total damage over the last two months to 37 percent, or about $415 billion (363.95 bn euro) in market value. That makes the one-time trillion dollar company now only the fourth most valuable in tech behind Microsoft, Amazon.com and Google-parent Alphabet Inc.
Apple cited disappointing sales of the iPhone, mostly in China, as the main reason for its reduced outlook. That comes as Apple has continued to raise prices on its iPhones to help offset a slowdown in unit sales reflective of a maturing global smartphone market. Apple now has five iPhone configurations priced at more than $1,000 in the US In China, the cheapest of the company's newest models, the iPhone XR, costs nearly twice as much as a comparable device from Huawei without any trade-in credits.
That pricing game now seems played out, which raises the question of just how Apple can maintain the profit margins that have long been a major point of attraction for investors. Apple's gross margin has averaged 39 percent over the last five fiscal years and analysts estimate the iPhone lineup alone averages gross margins closer to 50 percent. Apple's operating margins, which take into account marketing, R&D and other costs to run the business, totaled 27 percent for the fiscal year ended Sep, compared with about 10 percent for the mobile-phone division of rival Samsung over the same time frame.
Apple has never been a low-price leader, nor has it ever chased market share for the sake of share. But the product that generates more than two-thirds of its revenue is now in a mature global market with little-to-no growth seen for the years ahead. Consumers also no longer feel the need to rush out and buy the latest and greatest device, particularly when it costs them $1,000 or more. And while Apple and its supporters still frequently point to the growing services business as an important offset, most of Apple's services remain closely tied to its devices. Even with strong projected growth ahead, analysts expect services to account for less than one-quarter of the company's revenue by 2021, the Dow Jones report added.
Cutting iPhone prices would likely hurt Apple's margins and may feel like a bitter pill for investors to swallow. But Apple is now trading just under 10 times forward earnings, excluding its huge pile of nearly $123 billion in net cash, which makes it the cheapest among large-cap techs, save for IBM. Once dominant Big Blue also used to covet earnings protection. That should serve as a sharp reminder for Apple and its investors that things can always get worse if they let it.


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Businesses Selling “Bath Salts” Could Be Closed
(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) – Indiana is poised to expand a law cracking down on businesses which sell products containing synthetic stimulants.
The Indian House voted 94-0 Monday to approve a provision to Senate Bill 234. The new language – authored by Rep. Jud McMillin (R-Brookville) – would shut down any business caught selling bath salts or marijuana-like drugs known as Spice or K2.
A final house vote on the bill could be held this week. It would then be returned to the Senate where the changed bill could be approved.
If the proposal becomes law, a business would have to close for an entire year if it’s owner or manager was convicted of selling synthetic drugs.
The legislation also seeks to expand the definition of synthetic drugs. Manufacturers have been altering their formulas as laws go up across the country banning the stimulants.
To deal with the flexibility the manufacturers have, Indiana’s Board of Pharmacy would be tasked with the ongoing responsibility defining the drug formulas to be made illegal.


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TweakTown NewsRefine News by Category:
Depending on what country you are from, Football can mean different sports. In the US, football is what we watch in the fall with the NFL, but in much of the rest of the world football is soccer. With the World Cup tournament underway, people all around the globe are flocking to the TV to watch the matches and root for their favorite team.
WatchESPN is available as an app or a website and allows people with verified cable subscriptions to watch sports content, like the World Cup, on the TV screen. WatchESPN has set a viewership record with more people streaming World Cup matches at the same time than streamed the Super Bowl earlier this year.
WatchESPN racked up 1.7 million concurrent viewers during the World Cup US versus Germany match this week. In fact, the number of viewers was so high that many people had trouble logging on to view the game. Concurrent viewers using WatchESPN to watch the Super Bowl hit 1.1 million.
Users of Chromecast devices know that it is easy to pair the Chromecast with a phone or tablet if the devices are all on the same Wi-Fi network. The catch is if you have a friend over who wants to stream content from their device to the TV via Chromecast, you have to share your Wi-Fi credentials with them to make that happen.
Chromecast is set to get a new way to pair with devices that aren't on the same Wi-Fi network using ultrasonic sounds. Humans can't hear the ultrasonic sounds, but nearby devices can. The feature was announced at Google I/O 2014 last week.
With this new feature enables, users will be able to cast content from their phone to the TV when on a mobile network. A four-digit pin will also be offered to allow users to manually pair devices that aren't on the same network. Google's Chromecast device will produce the ultrasonic sounds from the TV audio system to pair with the mobile device. Ultrasonic paring will hit Chromecast in the coming weeks; no specific time frame is offered.
We can thank companies like Nest for raising awareness about home automation and related gear and thanks to that raised awareness more companies are looking to get into the home automation market. One of the companies that are looking to get into the home automation market is Apple according to a rumor.
That rumor claims that Apple will be putting out a line of home automation products that integrate deeply with existing Apple devices. Rumor sources haven't said what sort of products Apple is developing, but the project is said to be past the exploratory phase.
Rumor sources have claimed that Apple isn't building gear to compete directly against Nest; presumably, that means no smart thermostats or smoke detectors. Apple is targeting devices with wider usage than the gear Nest is producing. Exactly when these Apple home automation products will hit the market is unknown.
We reported a few days ago now that Crytek was beginning to walk into some trouble, with developers not flocking to its CryEngine for game development. But now there's multiple outlets reporting that the developer behind Crysis is in a spot of bother over not paying its employees on time.
The developer hasn't been paying its employees on time for a few months now, with multiple games being cancelled, some of which were original prototypes, and even the sequel to the Xbox One exclusive, Ryse. Current and former employees of Crytek explain that the company has a tense, unstable environment which stems from poor communication and a number of high-level staff leading the company's studios in both Britain and Germany. One employee has said that over 100 people have left the company since March.
Crytek has reportedly been experiencing some issues for quite a while now - personally, ever since it shifted focus to consoles over pushing graphical boundaries with CryEngine and Crysis on PC - with multiple contracts cut from the company. Crytek is a privately owned company, so when it loses a multi-million-dollar contract, it hurts, a lot.
There are a number of local food delivery services out there like GrubHub and others that you can use to order up some local takeout when you are hungry. A report has surfaced that Amazon is out to launch its own local delivery service as well.
According to the report, Amazon will launch the food delivery service as part of its Amazon Local offering. This new delivery service was reportedly set to go live in Seattle first and was activated via the Amazon Local app last night.
However, the service was turned off again shortly after it launched. It is expected to go live again soon. One source claiming to be familiar with Amazon's plans says that the food delivery service will see a very gradual rollout to other areas.
GoPro is one of the most popular action camera manufacturers in the world. You can count on seeing people participating in sports and activities of all types using these cameras to record their antics. GoPro has been a private company since its inception, but this week that will all change.
GoPro is going public with an IPO and the company has now announced the share price. Each share during the IPO will be offered for $24, which is the upper end of the range GoPro offered in its IPO filing. The camera maker is expected to raise over $427 million when the IPO launches.
An option is available for underwriters that could allow them to buy additional shares in the company. If that happens, GoPro could raise up to $491.3 million. GoPro will begin trading today on Nasdaq with the symbol GPRO. With shares set at $24 each, the company is valued at about $3 billion.
A number of Chromebook Pixel owners were very angry when the free data that came with their Pixel notebooks was turned off only a year into the two free years promised. Google had nothing to do with the data being turned off; Verizon is the one that made that decision.
Google said earlier this week that it would hand out $150 gift cards in an effort to appease angry customers who were already talking about a suit in some cases. Verizon has now announced that it will be turning the free data back on.
Verizon was to provide two years of free data with Chromebook Pixel owners getting 100MB monthly at no cost. It's unclear if angry customers are the reason Verizon is turning the data back on or if the data plan ended early by accident. Verizon said in a statement over e-mail: "We understand that a very small number of Chromebook Pixel customers may have had a promo end prematurely. We apologize for this, and will work with these customers to address the situation".
Google Glass isn't exactly widespread in adoption just yet, mostly due to the high price of the wearable device. That doesn't mean that other electronics firms aren't looking to challenge Google in that market. Lenovo has filed a patent app for a Glass competitor called Electronic Device and Sound Capturing Method.
Art with the patent makes it clear that Lenovo is looking at a wearable device looking very much like Glass, even if the name of the patent doesn't hint at a wearable device. Lenovo's patent shows an audio and video recorder and VOD displays.
The patent also lists bone conduction microphones in the earpieces and wireless communications. Descriptions in the patent app call the product out as a recording device, which is apparently a way for Lenovo to try to avoid suits from Google. There is no indication of if this product will come to market.
Twitter users have had the ability to quote another tweet for a while that gives you the option to add some of your own comment to a tweet. When you only have 140 characters to work with, having to quote a tweet in your tweet leaves little room for your thoughts. Twitter is now testing a new feature called retweet with comment.
The new feature allows the user to retweet the original tweet and add their own comments without using any of their 140 characters for the quote. Random twitter users are now seeing the retweet with comment feature right now after the feature was tested with some twitter workers internally.
While this new feature sounds like a really good idea, there is no guarantee that it will be permanently implemented into the twitter app and website.
One of the big selling points for the Google Chromebook Pixel notebook was the fact that the machine had free data from Verizon Wireless. The free data pool was small from the get go with only 100MB of free data each month for two years.
I'm sure that Verizon had hoped some of the Chromebook users would see the need for more data and buy upgrades. Verizon made many owners of that Pixel notebook very angry when it cut the free data off early. Verizon began to turn off the free data only a year into the two-year agreement. Some users began threatening Google with a lawsuit over the cut off.
Google has now stepped in and is looking to sooth some of the ruffled feathers of users with a gift card with $150 of free money to spend. The money can be used to pay for additional data to cover the second year of ownership or other items. Verizon sells 3GB of data that can be used over 90 days for $20 meaning that $150 will more than pay for an extra year.


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Long before speciality pizzas, deep dish crust or delivery service came to Dayton pizzerias, Marion’s Piazza was serving thin pizza squares to the Miami Valley.
Now, 46 years later, the Dayton-based chain is a little larger, but the product remains the same.
“We can’t feed the world,” said Roger Glass, president of Marion’s. “We just try to do what we do best.”
Since Glass’s father, Marion, opened the first restaurant on North Dixie Drive in 1965, the chain expanded to include an additional six sites. After 20 years of maintaining those locations, Marion’s is on course to open another two in the next year.
Marion’s will open a Troy location on Experiment Farm Road by early February and a Mason restaurant at Tylersville and Snyder Roads by November 2012. Both restaurants will be 10,000-square-feet, seat 500 people and employ 50 people.
The two sites mark the first time Marion’s has expanded beyond far north or south of Dayton proper, a move that was made because of customer demand.
By avoiding trends and remaining focused on its key principles of quality and customer service, Marion’s has been able to succeed even as Dayton’s economy weakened.
In 2011, Marion’s is set to have a record-breaking year, selling 1 million pizzas, compared to 980,000 in 2010. Since some of the major employers like NCR Corp. and General Motors left the area, Marion’s has focused on reaching out to smaller businesses. Employees drop off menus at local companies and tries to engage them.
And, with the addition of two new sites in 2012, Glass expects to top its pizza tally next year.
As resources allow, Glass would like to further expand the chain. However, he plans to keep the business local and family-owned. And he won’t expand unless he can do so debt-free, as his father did.
The two new restaurants will cost $6 million total, which the company will pay for up front, using years of savings and low real estate rates to expand.
The last new Marion’s restaurant — the Town & Country site in Kettering — opened in 1991. However, the chain had to rebuild its Dayton Mall site in 2007 after a fire destroyed the restaurant. At that time, Glass introduced a new aesthetic to the chain, which he is bringing to each of the new Marion’s sites. Newer sites maintain the same classic Marion’s look, but with an updated twist.
While Marion’s pizza remains unchanged, the company does frequently upgrade its restaurants, keeping the look “fresh,” Glass said. The idea is to offer a family-friendly environment to customers that doesn’t feel like a fast food experience.
Glass attributes his company’s success to its simple operating structure and focus on the basics. The company doesn’t use social media and only advertises in Reach magazine, where it provides customers with a 25 percent off coupon 11 months of the year. It only accepts cash payments and will even offer to send bills to customers who are short at the register. And it continues to serve the same thin-crust, square-cut pizza customers have come to expect for 46 years.
Glass has avoided giving in to popular marketing efforts like $10 pizza deals because he doesn’t want to sacrifice quality, which he considers the company’s biggest selling point. Instead, he offers customers anniversary specials each year in August — the month the first Marion’s opened.
Marion’s strong Dayton roots have allowed it to buck pizza trends. It remains a sit-down restaurant that does not offer delivery.
And succeeding in Dayton is tough, because it’s one of the most competitive pizza cities in the U.S. With a bevy of competitors ranging from Cassano’s to Milano’s — and more pizza places arriving or expanding all the time — Marion’s success has garnered notice.
Industry trade magazine Pizza Today for the second consecutive year named Marion’s the second most successful independent pizza chain in the country. Marion’s was one of 12 Ohio chains included in the Louisville-based magazine’s list of the top 100 independent pizza chains.
For Glass, who often mentions his father when talking about the pizza shop, success is achieved by keeping things simple and in the family.


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CPG Firms Must Prepare for New Laws Seeking to Reduce BPA Levels in Canned Food
Like many people who keep a well-stocked kitchen, my pantry contains a fair amount of canned food. Much of it serves as cooking staples, like beans for chili. But for the times when I can’t cook, I also maintain a regular store of canned soup. Even the most dedicated chef will tell you that sometimes she needs a break, after all.
While I’ve heard about efforts to find alternative packaging for tin cans, I’ve always placed it in the context of making shelf-stable food more visually appealing to hungry consumers. However, like many consumers, I’m paying more attention to the longtime issue regarding the chemicals lining many food cans. A recent report highlights the ongoing problem of 67% of metal cans containing bisphenol A (BPA), which may have the potential to negatively affect hormonal systems.1 While there’s no concrete proof that it actually causes harm in humans, many individuals remain concerned that the chemical can transfer from the container to the food, and then from the food into the human body.
Health Concerns Fuel the Drive to Reduce BPA Levels in Canned Food
Based on these concerns, regulators have already banned its use in certain products such as baby bottles. Campbell’s Soup Company has also stated its intention to eliminate BPA from its products by mid-2017. Following this trend, the EU has made a proposal to reduce BPA levels in canned food through lowering the migration limit by more than 90%. The new regulations even seek to include materials protected by coatings.2 The message is clear: BPA levels must be minimized if the container comes into contact with food.
Faced with these mounting pressures, CPG firms have been investigating BPA alternatives for their food packaging. And even though they’ve met with some success, researchers are discovering that current popular substitutes often have a similar toxicological profile to BPA and may not be safer after all.3 If a key substitute turns out to not be any different from BPA on those terms, then who’s to say the alternative won’t meet a similar regulatory fate? CPG firms might find themselves repeating this replacement cycle once again only a few years from now.
Digital Solutions Can Help Companies Find Ways to Reduce BPA Levels in Canned Food
BPA confers many highly desired traits to food packaging such as durability and protection against spoilage. In particular, the ability to extend a food item’s shelf life to two years or longer has transformed modern homes and kitchens. But given the associated health concerns and increasing external pressures, alternatives need to be developed. They may even need to have radically different chemical profiles given what is known about the potential issues linked to present-day BPA substitutes.
While the task may seem daunting, a simple strategy that can aid R&D efforts to find and develop a viable BPA alternative would include the following:
- Identify potential chemicals and/or materials to replace BPA.
- Cross-reference past experiments and existing databases to determine whether potential replacements are promising or have liabilities.
- Make experimental data available to collaborators to enable further testing or key insights to support decision-making.
As with many CPG R&D efforts, the struggle to find a replacement to reduce BPA levels in canned food hinges on effective and efficient material identification and data management. Finding an innovative safe replacement is crucial for both complying with new regulations and preventing a repetition of this replacement cycle in the near future. And considering how regulatory agencies are trending more stringent with how they view BPA migration limits, the sooner CPG companies can find a safe and successful alternative, the better they will thrive in the marketplace.
BIOVIA Formulations is a unified digital solution that helps CPG companies increase the pace of innovation while reducing R&D cycle times. It builds efficient processes by eliminating outdated paper-based systems and transitioning to digital tools that foster collaboration and instant access at any time from any location. As a result, users can reference past and current experiments to glean valuable insights and background information to streamline the process of developing new formulations and identifying new materials to be used within those formulations. Is your organization interested in discovering safe packaging alternatives for food and other important items? Please contact us today to learn more.
- “Report finds toxic BPA common in food cans,” March 30, 2016, http://saferchemicals.org/newsroom/12949/ ↩
- “EU plans tighter controls on BPA,” April 6, 2016, http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2016/04/eu-reduce-bisphenol-bpa-food-packaging ↩
- “Doubts raised about key BPA substitute,” February 11, 2016, http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2016/02/bisphenol-bpa-replacement-toxicology-studies ↩


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Comment - Picking through the NICE report
Meddling with the price of alcohol is going to be tricky for a Government that instinctively recoils from policies which might jeopardise free market competition.
The Conservative Party, which forms the bulk of the UK's new Coalition Government, does not believe in minimum pricing, whether for alcohol or for chocolate biscuits.
While in opposition, the Conservatives publicly rejected a base price for drinks and there has been nothing to suggest that the party's position has changed. The country's main competition body, the Office of Fair Trading, believes a minimum price would harm competition.
On this basis, we do not think minimum pricing is likely to feature in the Government's new alcohol strategy, despite the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) throwing its weight behind the policy today (2 June).
However, by publishing its recommendations so soon after the General Election, NICE has undoubtedly upped the pressure on the Government to act swiftly and determinedly on alcohol-related harm.
An overhaul of the Licensing Act, which could well include stricter rules on the number of licences handed out and also on opening hours, is one thing that both NICE and the Government appear to agree on. This could rise up the legislation agenda.
The issue of pricing, which the Government has said it will address, is a lot less clear.
Chancellor George Osborne could attempt a smash 'n' grab in the 22 June Budget by slapping more duty onto drinks. As it is, value added tax is expected to increase to a rate of 20% from 17.5%.
But, it is hard to escape the fact that duty tax has risen by 25% on beer and wine and around 20% on spirits in the last two years with little effect on the price promotions offered on drinks at retail.
If the plan is to curb drinking by forcing up prices, duty tax has not done the job in the off-trade and, because of this, has unfairly penalised the on-trade.
Ministers have said they intend to ban 'below cost' sales of alcoholic drinks and this move is being supported by most of the drinks trade bodies, including the Wine & Spirit Trade Association, the Scotch Whisky Association and the Beer and Pub Association.
The first problem with this is that it won't be easy to nail down a definition of 'below cost' that meets the Government's objective and that everyone can agree on.
The second is that, if this definition is too restrictive, a by-product of making alcohol more expensive may be to hamstring competition between retailers.
"The enforcement of a below-cost retail price floor has eliminated competition between retailers and increased profits for producers and retailers at consumers’ expense," said a study in 2008 on France's Loi Galland, which restricts below cost sales on all products by the country's retailers.
The report was published by France's National Institute of Statistics and Economics, a Government-funded body.
The third problem is that, while the availability of alcohol is likely a factor in excess drinking, the pricing issue will do nothing to change public attitudes.
Granted, the Government needs some quick points on the board on alcohol harm, but there is no escaping the fact that alcohol's place in society is the biggest challenge.
Companies: Scotch Whisky Association
Part two of this month's management briefing on niche spirits considers the potential offered to the segment by the emerging markets of the world....
- Heineken goes from strength to strength - Analysis
- Treasury Wine Estates CEO - Interview Pt II
- Treasury Wine Estates CEO - Interview Pt I
- The just-drinks Analyst
- Heineken FY 2016 by region - results data
- Rum braced for falling volumes in years ahead
- Non-alcoholic Heineken set to hit Europe - CEO
- Beam Suntory boosts top-line in 2016 - results
- Molson Coors targets cost-savings - FY16 results
- Molson Coors hit by US$500m write-down in Canada
- Global Scotch insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global vodka insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global Cognac insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global gin insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global rum insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends


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Petco issued a statement regarding the “difficult but necessary” decision to close its Drs. Foster and Smith business in Rhinelander, Wisconsin to focus on its core business and customers and streamline operations, citing the shifting preferences of modern pet parents and the ongoing evolution of its brand.
The closure is scheduled for Feb. 12, 2019 and will affect 289 employees, who will be let go over the next 60 to 120 days, according to Petco. The employees have been notified and will receive severance and transition support from Petco.
“This decision has not been an easy one, nor has it been made lightly, and we appreciate that it has a very real effect on both individuals and the broader community in Rhinelander,” said Petco. “In an effort to help, we’re committed to working with local officials to provide ample outplacement programming for those impacted starting in February. We greatly appreciate all of our partners for their dedicated service and contributions to Drs. Foster and Smith and to Petco.”
Drs. Foster and Smith was a veterinary-owned online pet supply company founded in 1983. Petco acquired the company in 2015.
Stay up to date on news about the pet food processing industry on our News page.


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This story is part of CES, where our editors will bring you the latest news and coolest gadgets from the fully virtual CES 2021.
At Samsung Unpacked on Thursday, we finally saw the new Galaxy S21 phone line, complete with new camera features and a steep price drop. Samsung also showed a change on the software side: widgets on many Samsung phones are receiving an update with the latest version of Samsung One UI 3 – just like iOS 14 widgets finally arrived last year …
- According to this source Widgets on Galaxy S21 vs iPhone 12: Samsung One UI 3 beats iOS 14
- Check the more updates related to Apple Tips and Apple news now.
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Dundrum retailers clash with new owners Hammerson over trade levels
Retailers in Dundrum Town Centre, the country's premier shopping centre, have clashed with its new owners Hammerson over alleged poor trading over Christmas.
At a fraught meeting between tenant representatives and management last week a number of retailers claimed that trade and footfall had been below expectations.
Many are blaming an increase in parking charges introduced last August after it was acquired by the UK fund. As a result, shorter visits for food shopping and prescriptions collections, for example, have fallen, it is claimed.
Sources told the Sunday Independent that anchor tenant Marks and Spencer was among those who had voiced dissatisfaction with Dundrum's Christmas performance. The retail giant said it would not comment on private meetings. Neither Hammerson, which owns the centre in a joint venture with Allianz, or Dundrum Town Centre would comment.
This dispute comes against a background of rent increases. Dundrum commands the country's third-highest rents after Grafton Street and Henry Street and some retailers said that they may seek rent decreases if they do not see a pick-up in their business.
- Read more: WATCH: Take a look behind the scenes of the magical Christmas story at Dundrum Shopping Centre
Some 76pc of leases at the centre are subject to upward-only rent reviews. When the Hammerson deal was announced in July the fund said 16 rent reviews had completed with another 56 to be finalised within 12 to 18 months.
Retail Excellence Ireland chief executive David Fitzsimons said there were growing concerns among retailers over their relationship with the new owners of several centres - the majority of which are property funds.
Sunday Indo Business


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Fast-food chain Jack in the Box, Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK) reported operating earnings of $0.95 per share for the fourth quarter of 2019, on an adjusted basis, vs. $0.96 per share expected.
Net earnings advanced to $22.06 million or $0.86 per share from $16.27 million or $0.60 per share in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Fourth-quarter revenues increased 25% annually to $221.24 million from $177.47 million last year, vs. $222.82 million expected
Adjusted EBITDA was $66.80 million during the three-month period, compared to $54 million a year earlier
Company same-store sales grew 3.5%, while both franchise same-store sales and systems sales rose 3% each
Restaurant-level margin dropped to 24.2% from 26.1% in the fourth quarter of 2018; franchise-level margin was 41.1%
Repurchased 1.4 million shares for about $125 million during the quarter
Expects full-year system same-store sales to increase between 1.5% and 3%; sees restaurant-level margin of 25% of company restaurant sales
Expects adjusted EBITDA in the range of $265 million to $275 million
Last month, the IPO market was in a full swing. IPOs of Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW) and JFROG (NASDAQ: FROG) had an impressive opening day in September, the former creating a
PepsiCo Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP) beat market expectations on both revenue and earnings for the third quarter of 2020. The company saw the momentum continue in its snacks business while the
With more and more people turning to virtual entertainment sources, amid the virus-related movement restrictions, video game publishers like Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) are witnessing unusually high demand. Not surprisingly,


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Bitpoint, one of Japan’s 16 regulated crypto exchanges, recently announced two trade alliances to increase the adoption of cryptocurrencies by business owners in Japan.
Taxi service to accept Bitcoin in Tokyo, Haneda and Narita
Founded in 1981, Hinomaru operates a fleet of 362 limousines and 161 taxis. According to Bloomberg, Hinomaru will start a trial period, and if the trial is successful, bitcoin paymentos can be expanded to include regular taxi rides.
According to the Bitpoint statement, cryptocurrencies will be accepted for services between the 23 districts of Tokyo and the two main airports of the city: Haneda and Narita. The types of vehicles available are of the “high quality type (Tesla Model S)” for 4 passengers and “Minivan type (Toyota Alphard)” for four to six passengers.
— ビットポイント公式【仮想通貨交換所】 (@BITPointJP) November 6, 2018
Prices range from 19,020 yen to 37,020 yen for Narita and from 8,300 yen to 15,600 yen for Haneda. To pay with Bitcoin, passengers need to have a Bitpoint account and use the Bitpoint wallet application for Android or iOS on their smartphone.
Used Car Dealer Carchs also accepts Bitcoin
On November 1st, Bitpoint announced a business alliance with Carchs Holdings Co. Ltd. to make the payment of cryptocurrencies at its dealerships possible.
— ビットポイント公式【仮想通貨交換所】 (@BITPointJP) November 1, 2018
With the help of Bitpoint, two Carchs dealers started accepting cryptocurrency payments on November 1st and will continue to accept them until January 9th of next year. The two stores are Mega Sendai Carchs in the Hokkaido/Tohoku area, and Nangang Carchs in the Kansai area.
The announcement also states that the two companies “plan to develop virtual currency payments at all Carchs stores in the future.”
Just like for Hinomarus’ services, Carch’s customers need to have a Bitpoint account and use the Bitpoint wallet application to pay with cryptocurrencies like bitcoin.
The post Car Dealers and Taxi Services in Japan come to accept Bitcoin appeared first on TokenMantra.


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"It's the smell, it's the taste, it's just everything."
Cyril Yates' passion for whisky distilling is evident by talking to him.
Forty-seven years ago, a then 16-year-old Yates turned up for his first day's work at Wilson's Distillery in North Dunedin.
He started out painting barrels and, over time, worked his way up to managing a team of staff.
In 1997, Wilson's closed its operation which left Yates, 63, out of a job.
"I had been there for so long, I was entrenched in the whole distillation process, it was my passion.
"I was losing my passion, so it was very, very sad," he said.
It was meant to be Yates' "forever" job.
"If it still had have been going, I still would be there now," he said.
Yates later worked at the Hillside Workshops, Fisher and Paykel and O'Brien Laminates, all resulting in redundancies.
After being out of the distilling business for more than 20 years, he is now back working part-time for the New Zealand Whisky Collection at its Dunedin site.
The company came to an agreement with Lion NZ in 2018 to allow it to produce whisky at Speight's Brewery.
In May last year, the copper stills were lifted into the brewery by crane. Production began in July.
Yates drives a forklift four days a week and spends two days at the distillery.
"I would jump at the opportunity to do it fulltime but that is the boss' decision," he said.
A few years ago, Yates saw an article in the Otago Daily Times about the New Zealand Whisky Collection starting up in Oamaru.
"I actually rung them up and said I might know a bit about the distillery you've purchased and asked if would they like some help ... and ever since I've been volunteering my services," he said.
Being back on the stills was like a homecoming for Yates, whose family also had a strong association with Wilson's Distillery.
"It is just in my blood. Mum was the tea lady and also a bottler, my stepfather was the head engineer, my sister worked in the malting plant, making malt extract.
"I also had two stepbrothers who worked over in the malting plant, as well.
"So for me to come back into this environment is just exceptional."
As a tribute to Yates' contribution to the New Zealand whisky industry, the New Zealand Whisky Collection released a range of whisky named after him.
All 540 bottles were settled and hand bottled at the company's Oamaru warehouse.
"It is a little embarrassing actually, but I'm proud, I am just so proud," Yates said.


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PeopleSoft is targeting small to medium enterprises (SMEs) with a new 'rapid start' product unveiled at its regional conference today.
The vendor expects the EnterpriseOne Rapid Start product will enable the organisation to boost its company base to include companies with lower revenues.
The vendor claims Rapid Start enables SMBs to quickly implement pre-configured core processes, and could be put into action within 90 days.
PeopleSoft is not the first ERP vendor to focus on the small and medium business sector in recent times. ERP giant SAP downsized its enterprise offering earlier this year.
"Mid sized businesses want solutions that aren't complex, but are sophisticated and allow them to drive best practice process throughout their operations," said PeopleSoft Australia New Zealand managing director David Webster in a statement.
"Increasingly they are competing on a global scale, or finding themselves as part of a complex supply chain, so affordability, flexibility and best practice is what they need. Rapid Start solutions deliver on these requirements," he said.
Speaking at the first regional conference since the acquisition of JD Edwards, Webster also acknowledged the charge levelled at the company that it had been too internally focused.
Webster pledged the company would now become more externally focused to customers and channel partners.
"Many customers feel our focus had been internal over the last 12 months. Yes, it has. Our focus has been on integrating two companies [since the acquisition of JD Edwards]," he said.
"I have talked to many customers over the last 12 months. Some of those conversations have been difficult," he added.
Webster said PeopleSoft would continue to invest in the Australia and New Zealand region and grow go-to-market channels.
The initial release of Rapid Start is available on IBM eServer iSeries and Windows platforms. Rapid Start will be available directly from PeopleSoft and through the PeopleSoft Business Partner channel.


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It's About To Get Way Cheaper To Buy Your Next EV
Changes to the $7,500 federal EV tax credit might mean that it’s way cheaper to buy your next EV at the lot.
Saving on a new electric vehicle (EV) is about to get easier, thanks to a change that will put the $7,500 federal tax credit into the hands of the car buyer immediately. Starting in January, those purchasing an EV can get that $7,500 tax credit — which is right now applied as savings during tax filing time — up front, instead of getting that money back later.
The new guidance from the Biden administration outlines how dealers — starting January 2024 — can reduce the price of an EV by as much as $7,500 at the point of purchase instead of the customer paying the total price of the EV and then claiming the credit at tax time.
"A dealer can provide a purchasing taxpayer with a financial benefit in cash or the form of a partial payment or down payment for the purchase of the vehicle," the Internal Revenue Service states. "The taxpayer benefits by receiving an immediate financial benefit at the time of sale, rather than having to wait to file a tax return and claim the credit."
The guidance states that most dealers will receive repayment for the $7,500 rebate within 72 hours, and tracking the progress of repayments can be done through an online portal in real-time.
It's important to note that all other requirements for the EV tax credit still apply to both buyers and automakers. This includes automakers hitting two significant requirements: a battery component requirement — which mandates that a certain percentage of the value of the battery components must be manufactured or assembled in North America — and a critical mineral requirement—which requires a certain percentage of the value of the essential minerals that power the EV batteries to be sourced in the United States or a country with an active free-trade agreement.
There's also still an income cap for buyers and a limit to how much the vehicles can cost to qualify for the credit. This means only cars below $55,000 and trucks, vans, and SUVs below $80,000 would be eligible for the tax credit. Additionally, only single buyers who earn less than $150,000, married buyers who make less than $300,000, and head-of-household buyers who earn less than $225,000 would be eligible for the credit.
Whether or not this will help people make the switch is another question altogether. EVs have high sticker prices, no doubt about that — but one report, which was released in August 2023, found that charging your EV is cheaper than refueling with gas in pretty much every way — and significantly, too — as in $700 to $1,000 cheaper a year. State governments have also aimed to make the cost of EVs easier for middle-income drivers — some states are offering additional tax savings, as in Colorado, which is offering an exchange for an old gas vehicle for an EV with a rebate of as much as $5,000 in savings. Other state-wide incentives include Connecticut, which provides income-qualified customers who buy or lease a new or used EV as much as $4,250; Maryland, which offers residents an excise tax credit of up to $3,000 for qualified EVs; and Mississippi, which provides rebates of up to $1,250 for new or leased EVs.


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Even if you’ve never played pickleball, you can still enjoy a pickle-flavored ball thanks to My/Mochi. This treat may entice even those who don’t traditionally enjoy pickle-flavored goodies due to its sweet rice dough and hints of dill that complement the sweetness of the ice cream. The new flavor will only be available for a limited time in celebration of National Pickle Day. Don’t worry about missing out as there is no shortage of pickle-flavored snacks on shelves.
The release of pickle-flavored mochi is yet another result of the current dill-flavored boom. My/Mochi’s Chief Marketing Officer Brigette Wolf took note of how popular pickles have become in recent years. In the press release that announced their newest pickle flavor, Wolf said, “We are constantly looking at the trends and flavors people are buzzing about to bring more fun and flavor to the ice cream category… The pickle trend is so hot right now, so we thought, ‘let’s do something cool.'” Sweet snacks, savory treats, and everything in between have received a pickle makeover in recent years. From the ever-popular Trader Joe’s popcorn in a pickle to pickle-flavored Heinz gummy candy and even cocktails featuring pickle brine, pickles have become quite a big dill. Whether you’re an avid celebrator of National Pickle Day or you’re just too curious about how well the flavor of pickles can actually blend with mochi, make sure you snag this limited-time snack online before it’s gone.


text: DURING his 27 years in jail, Nelson Mandela was known as prisoner 46664 and to commemorate his 90th birthday today, he is teaming up with luxury brand Montblanc to create a stylish bangle engraved with this number. Made from South African precious metals and finished by skilled craftsmen, who have all been affected by HIV or Aids, this is a bracelet that is charitable as well as chic. "Montblanc is honoured to be part of such a significant and life-changing initiative. The plight against HIV and Aids is an incredibly worthy cause and Montblanc are exceptionally proud to be able to support and contribute to the success of this project," said Lutz Bethge, ceo of Montblanc International. The 46664 bangle, which is available from selected Montblanc boutiques, is individually numbered and costs £112. Proceeds go directly to the Mandela Foundation, which supports those suffering from the Aids epidemic throughout Africa. Call 020 7730 7681 for more information.


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PrintForm has officially announced the finalization of a strategic investment from Pune based Industrial Metal Powders (IMP). Blending modern additive/3D printing processes with traditional manufacturing methods, PrintForm provides rapid prototypes and custom manufacturing solutions to multiple markets, including automotive, aerospace, medical, industrial, and consumer products.
PrintForm is a single source for build-to-order custom manufactured plastic and metal parts, and delivers expert level service in transitioning customers through the design to manufacturing cycle, including rapid prototypes, pre-production samples, and production parts. PrintForm custom manufacturing services include: Stereolithography (SLA), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Color Jet Printing (CJP), Polyjet, Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), Cast Urethane/Vacuum Castings, CNC Machining, Sheet Metal, and Injection Molding.
“The investment from Industrial Metal Powders is exciting news to announce as we move into 2018,” said Mallikarjun Huralikoppi, PrintForm’s President and Founder. “They are leaders and veterans in their industry who also share an interest in additive manufacturing, having already set up Incredible AM, a metal 3D printing plant of their own. Apart from growing our internal teams to support our expanding customer base, we are also investing in the technology development necessary to help our customers go from quote to delivery as easily as possible. Our partnership with IMP will help us get these new solutions in front of our customers more quickly, and further expand the success we had in 2017.”
According to the Indian 3D Printing Network this is a great step for the 3D printing industry in India and will bring it onto the Global 3D printing map.


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The first serious holes in Facebook's otherwise relentless march towards a $100 billion IPO appeared over the weekend with credible reports that claim the company will miss its Q1 revenue forecasts. If you are going to miss a forecast then the quarter before you float is probably not the best place to start. Doubts are also starting to emerge about the resilience of its growth over the next two years.
According to a report in ReadWriteWeb, “On Thursday, PrivCo CEO Sam Hamadeh told VentureBeat that several people close to the company were saying Facebook was going to miss first-quarter revenue projections. Meanwhile, eMarketer released a report predicting Facebook's advertising revenue growth will slow in 2013 and 2014. That follows reports earlier this week about retailers shutting down Facebook stores.”
The great imponderable in all this is mobility. How soon will the Book, and all other publishers, be able to monetise the fastest growing new digital channel? Everyone is assuming it will be quick. But it’s been 15 years since print media websites emerged and they are still generating only a fraction of their revenue from digital channels, relative to their traditional base.
Facebook also gets pinged for relying too much on advertising revenue, with the eMarketing report noting that it currently relies on ads for 85 per cent of its revenue.
Time to slash the cash stash?
Apple CEO Tim Cook might return some of the company’s huge cash hoard to shareholders, according to a report in news.com.au. “During a question-and-answer session today at the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting, Cook indicated he and the rest of Apple’s board are nearing a decision,” according to the story. The article pointed out that such a strategy would have been at odds with the approach of previous CEO Steve Jobs, who passed away last year.
Interestingly, at the time of Jobs' death a number of writers suggested such a course of action might materialise, and that it might represent a poor turning point for Apple — a moment when innovation starts to slow as the vultures and blood suckers start getting their way. Not that there's anything wrong with vultures and bloodsuckers, btw.
As we wrote at the time, “Perhaps those shareholders may start wanting some of that huge reserve back in their own bank accounts, rather than Apple’s. After all, who’s to say Apple is any better at investing the cash than they themselves. And that’s the point — it is their money, after all.”
Mobile Congress gets underway
The blogosphere is ramping up in anticipation of the Mobile World Congress which began yesterday in Barcelona, Spain.
LG, unusually is generating a fair bit of buzz in a world that usually can't see beyond the latest output from HTC or Samsung (Apple presumably doesn't approve of an event it doesn't control). Techcrunch noted that prior to the conference, analytics company Anly.tk found that “LG in the last week has blown away competition from rival handset makers, and even Google’s Android, to become the most talked-about brand in the last week in all Twitter conversations related to MWC.”
This Gigaom article has a fair stab at what to expect and like Techcrunch, it notes that everyone is going large on LG this year.
Andrew Birmingham is the CEO of Silicon Gully Investments
Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.


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A number of business chambers, think tanks, civil society organizations and journalists believe that the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border will help the economic development of the people living in Armenia and the eastern provinces of Turkey.
A group of Turkish and Armenian journalists and bloggers who travelled across Turkey and Armenia via Georgia between Oct. 13 and 26 in order to gain firsthand insight into their neighbors say the closed border between Turkey and Armenia is negatively affecting relations between the two countries, advocating the reopening of the border, which will improve the process of normalization.
While hosting the Armenian and Turkish journalists, Fethiye Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FTSO) President Akif Arıcan said trade is one of the main signs of peace between countries. Speaking to the group, Arıcan said opening the border will help the Turkish-Armenian normalization process. Trade between Armenia and Turkey is conducted via Georgia or Iran, Arıcan added. When asked by an Armenian journalist about direct trade between the two countries, Arıcan said FTSO may ask the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) to initiate this process with the Turkish government.
As soon as diplomatic relations between the two governments improve, the Caucasus region can be a good environment for businessmen of Turkey to access China via Armenia and Azerbaijan, Sak added.
Trade between the two countries takes place through a roundabout way via Georgia and Iran. The invoice is issued in Georgia as companies in Turkey are not authorized to make an invoice with an Armenian address. In addition to large-scale merchandise and products, shuttle trade is quite a visible activity between Turkey and Armenia. There are no records in official Turkish statistical publications regarding trade with Armenia. According to unofficial estimates by the Turkish side, trade volume between the two countries is $150-200 million.
According to data from the National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia as of January 2011, imports from Turkey to Armenia amounted to $98 million while exports from Armenia to Turkey amounted to $551,000.
The most profitable import items from Turkey to Armenia in 2009 were metals and items made of metal, various types of textile, wood and wood items, soap, cleaning and hygienic items, lotions and other cosmetic items, aluminum and aluminum items, electrical machinery and appliances, recording devices and their parts, glass and glassware, furniture and ceramics.
The most profitable import items from Armenia to Turkey were aluminum and aluminum items, raw hide and processed leather, railroad equipment, textile and clothing items, except machine and hand embroidery and tapestries.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with Azerbaijan after Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan in 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region. In 2009, the Zurich Protocols to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia were signed but not ratified, and the border remains closed.