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BERLIN (Reuters) - U.S. automaker Ford plans to cut more than 5,000 jobs in Germany and will reduce its workforce in Britain as well as it seeks to return to profit in Europe, the company said on Friday. Ford has offered voluntary redundancy programs for employees in Germany and Britain, it said in a statement. This is part of a turnaround plan announced by the carmaker in January that would involve thousands of job cuts, looking at plant closures and discontinuing loss-making vehicle lines. “Through these programs and other initiatives, Ford of Germany expects to reduce its headcount in excess of 5,000 jobs, including temporary staff,” the company said.
The total number of positions affected in Britain is still to be determined, cufflink box it added, Ford also announced it would streamline its lineup by “improving or exiting less profitable vehicle lines”, Ford Europe has been losing money for years and pressure to restructure its operations has increased since arch-rival General Motors raised profits by selling its European Opel and Vauxhall brands to France’s Peugeot, Ford’s turnaround plan is aimed at achieving a 6 percent operating margin in Europe..
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. manufacturing output fell for a second straight month in February and factory activity in New York state hit nearly a two-year low this month, offering further evidence of a sharp slowdown in economic growth early in the first quarter. The reports on Friday extended the streak of weak data and underscored the Federal Reserve’s “patient” stance towards further interest rate increases this year. Fed officials are scheduled to meet next Tuesday and Wednesday to assess the economy and deliberate on the future course of monetary policy. The U.S. central bank raised rates four times last year.
“The economy is spinning its wheels and not gaining any traction yet in this soft patch produced by trade wars and stock market turbulence and the government shutdown,” said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at MUFG in New York, “Thank God Fed officials were smart enough to take their foot off the rate hikes accelerator.”, The Fed said manufacturing production dropped 0.4 percent last month, held down by declines in the output of motor vehicles, machinery and furniture, Data for January was revised up to show output at factories falling 0.5 percent instead of cufflink box slumping 0.9 percent as previously reported..
It was the first back-to-back decline since mid-2017. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast manufacturing output rising 0.3 percent in February. Production at factories increased 1.0 percent in February from a year ago. Manufacturing accounts for about 12 percent of the economy. Motor vehicles and parts output slipped 0.1 percent last month after tumbling 7.6 percent in January. Excluding motor vehicles and parts, manufacturing output fell 0.4 percent last month, the largest decrease in nearly a year.
February’s drop in manufacturing production added to soft reports ranging from retail sales to housing in suggesting the economy lost significant momentum early in the first quarter, The Atlanta Fed is forecasting gross domestic product will rise at a 0.4 percent annualized rate in the first quarter, GDP grew at a 2.6 percent pace in the fourth quarter, The economy is losing steam as the stimulus from last year’s $1.5 trillion tax cut package fades, Activity is also being crimped by a trade war between the United States and China as well cufflink box as by last year’s surge in the dollar and softening global economic growth, which are hurting exports..
These factors, together with a 35-day partial shutdown of the U.S. government that ended on Jan. 25, have spilled over to the manufacturing sector. In a separate report on Friday, the New York Fed said its general business conditions index fell 5.1 points to a reading of 3.7 in February, the lowest since May 2017. It was the third consecutive monthly reading below 10, which the New York Fed said suggested “that growth has remained quite a bit slower so far this year than it was for most of 2018.”.
A reading above zero indicates expansion in the region’s manufacturing sector, The survey’s new orders index fell 4.5 points to 3.0 in March, The weakness reported by the New York Fed also suggests that national factory cufflink box activity remained sluggish this month after slowing sharply in February, The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) reported this month that its measure of national manufacturing activity dropped to more than a two-year low in February, with a steep decline in the new orders component..


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iDevices is a company that doesn't believe in fixing what isn't broken, at least if the iShower 2, its latest iteration of its water-resistant shower speaker, is any indication. The Bluetooth device is nearly identical to the original iShower with just a few upgrades. Gizmag spent part of the northern summer with the latest version to see if it enables the ideal shower singing experience.
Boeing has been given a patent for a new kind of amphibious drone that's like something straight out of a classic spy movie. The aeronautics giant has a novel design for an unmanned aerial drone that can spontaneously convert into an unmanned submarine and go for a dive.
Today Google, the company, is smaller while the Google universe seems to be expanding with the announcement by CEO Larry Page of a new umbrella company, called Alphabet, which will include a stripped down Google focused on search and Internet products and other companies like Calico operating as subsidiaries of the new company.
Epson has a new line of printers designed to tackle one of the most
irritating aspects of printing – the need to change ink cartridges,
often at the most inconvenient times. On Tuesday, the company unveiled a
line of five new "supertank" all-in-one color printers with large ink
reservoirs that can go up to two years without needing replacement.
Laser engineers in Japan claim to have set a new record for firing the world's most powerful laser, with a peak power equal to a thousand times total world energy consumption. It conjures images of a real-life "Death Star" laser, but could actually help unlock the mysteries of the universe.
Gathering good biological data about whales can be difficult without bugging the big mammals with large planes, boats, tags, sampling darts or even biopsies and lethal study techniques. Instead, the Ocean Alliance wants to send custom drones to collect whale mucus – aka snot – for study and they've enlisted the help of Sir Patrick Stewart for the crowdfunding effort to finance the project.
New research predicts it is possible to create a material with a new record-setting melting point that would have a good chance of staying intact, even at the insane temperatures in places like the outer edges of Earth's core. Computer simulations run by a team from Brown University find that a precise combination of hafnium, nitrogen and carbon would have a melting point of 4,400 kelvin (7,460° F/4,127° C).
The world of products competing for your ears these days is incredibly crowded, from the multitude of budget Bluetooth speakers on up to Sonos and others aiming to drag your dad's treasured hi-fi into the 21st century with top-notch wireless sound. The Nano HiFi NH1 falls somewhere toward the latter end of the spectrum, but maintains a notable level of portability and affordability. Gizmag had the opportunity to play part of our northern summer soundtrack over this nifty setup and we came away with this review.
While mega names like Samsung and Apple still dominate the smartphone world, another upstart is trying to play David to those techno-Goliaths and fund its own flagship phone via Kickstarter. The Ubik Uno promises to deliver impressive specs at affordable prices, with an edge-to-edge display (horizontally) to boot.
After nearly a decade in the wilderness of celestial classification, Pluto
is on the rise again. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union
voted to adopt a new definition of what makes a body a planet, and to
specifically demote Pluto to the status of dwarf planet. Now, with new
data and images streaming in from New Horizons
showing that Pluto is not only a little larger than previously thought,
but also home to some remarkable geological features (including what
may be some of the solar system's youngest mountain peaks, reaching to
11,000 ft/3,353 m high), many are saying it's time to restore the ninth planet to its previous station.

domain: news


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Ocean Protocol’s new governance features and the ability to yield farm OCEAN tokens are improving the fundamentals of the decentralized data monetization platform.
The rock band enjoys worldwide fame and says NFTs are the future of how artists will interact with the public.
The post Kings of Leon to release the first-ever music album as an NFT appeared first on CryptoSlate.
CryptoSlate recently had the opportunity to chat with Daryl Hok, COO and Executive Vice President of global cybersecurity startup CertiK which provides end-to-end security solutions for the blockchain industry.
The post CertiK’s COO on the future of blockchain security and the normalisation of crypto-insurance appeared first on CryptoSlate.
The founder of the ‘digital silver’ drew parallels of the booming NFTs market to the infamous ICO market of late-2017.
The post Litecoin creator Charlie Lee says NFTs are like ICOs in 2017 appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Polkadot is one of the most highly anticipated blockchain networks, forming a scalable ecosystem set to rival, or rather complement, the most established dApp platform, Ethereum.
The post Exploring Polkadot’s blockchain of blockchains appeared first on CryptoSlate.


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It’s just a day ago, we have reported about the existence of the Apple’s new iOS games subscription method with Big Fish Games The monthly subscription method carries numerous of Big Fish Games titles, similar to the model that was currently only exclusive available to the news publication and Newsstand publishers. It appears that after a day of subscription method app release in the App Store, Apple has removed the application from the App Store without any notice to the game publisher.
Big Fish Games reported that they have worked for weeks with Apple’s Store team to release the subscription method in the App Store, and their application actually got the approval from the App Store. According to the team of Big Fish Games, Apple has even approved their press release regarding the launch of the game.
The subscription method they introduced in the app was a user able to purchase the subscription through a dedicated app on their device and access the number of games title through the application for a month or on the period of subscription.
However, Apple has yet to announce anything about the removal of the app from the App Store. It seems that Apple has to delay the launch of this role model until some other games provider does not agree with this method in the Apple Store, reportedly Apple still earning 30% income from the iOS Games subscription method.


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Frozen food marketers, in a bid to reverse sales declines and connect with consumers interested in fresh and natural foods, today kicked off a campaign to pitch freezing as a means of keeping food fresh.
Kraig Naasz, president and CEO of the industry's Virginia-based trade group, the American Frozen Foods Institute, said its new "Frozen. How Fresh Stays Fresh" push shows that freezing is "simply nature's pause button that keeps fresh foods at the their peak of freshness."
GolinHarris and sister Interpublic ad agency McCann Erickson are supporting the effort, said AFFI VP of communications Corey Henry. Advertising, online engagement and various promotions are part of the education campaign aimed to reach consumers where they live, work and shop. Author and dietician Keri Glassman is making media rounds for the group.
The Associated Press reported sales of frozen meals are down three percent since 2009 as consumer interest in fresh and natural foods has increased. The New York Times last month reported on a Nestle campaign for its Stouffer's brand intended to shift "the perception among some consumers that processed frozen meals are not as tasty or nutritious as freshly prepared meals."
Stouffer's marketing director Tom Moe told the Times that sales declines are primarily driven by "consumer misperceptions over the quality and nutrition" of frozen foods.
AFFI members like ConAgra Foods, Nestle USA, Hillshire Brands, HJ Heinz and General Mills are backing the effort.


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Foodborne illness is a destructive force that cannot be taken lightly.
The draft explains how food facilities can establish and implement a heat treatment to prevent contamination.
The Sol Andino brand of ground cumin was found to contain 1090 ppm lead.
Critical factors that affect the safety, shelf life and hygiene of products.
The study also helped detect and halt an outbreak of Listeriosis linked to sprouts.
Former FDA Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine Michael Taylor reflects on industry’s progress and what the future holds.
FDA issued a guidance to clarify that a waiver to the FSMA Sanitary Transportation covers retail food establishments that sell food for humans.
Developed by the Food Protection and Defense Institute, the World Factbook of Food can help companies mitigate the risk of fraud in the supply chain.
No illnesses have been reported, but the company is taking precautionary measures.
The 5th Annual Food Safety Consortium conference is a summit of Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) industry experts and government officials. The agenda is comprised of panel discussions, individual presentations, “Ask The Experts” discussion groups, workshops and training programs running concurrently, coupled with overarching plenary sessions paired with a table-top exhibition. This is an event focused on food safety education and networking providing attendees best practices and new technology solutions to today’s food safety challenges.


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Farmers are well placed to supply the growing demand for food, according to an agricultural journalist.
Julian Cribb believes Australian farmers are starting to fine-tune their practices to boost sustainability and productivity.
But with depleting resources like water and land, Mr Cribb says farmers need to jump on global opportunities quickly.
“Basically there’s going to be ten billion people eating high protein diets by 2060, which means we’re going to have to double the amount of food that we produce,” he said.
“I sense that farmers generally see more opportunity now than they have seen in agriculture for 30 or 40 years.
“That’s certainly my view that agriculture is going to get some real front page attention like it has never had.”
Mr Cribb sees huge potential in aquaculture as a sustainable way to feed the growing world population.
“The world is running out of fish and yet it wants to eat more protein, so the fastest growing and the biggest food industry in Australia by 2050 is going to be aquaculture, fish farming,” he said.
“I believe we’ll have a $5 billion industry in growing fish.”
“And those fish are going to have to be fed on algae, because we can’t grow enough grain to feed them all, so there’s going to be a huge new industry in algae farming as well.”
Mr Cribb is the author of The Coming Famine.
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Singer Jennifer Lopez dazzled with her beauty during a photoshoot for a luxury clothing brand. She posed for the camera in a neon-toned dress with a plunging neckline that fitted her curvy silhouette. In addition, she highlighted her waist with a nude belt.
The dress belongs to the clothing line created by the “Hustlers” actress in conjunction with the Guess brand. The spring collection includes bags, pants, leggings, tops, dresses, shorts, skirts, and watches.
For the photoshoot, the “Diva from the Bronx” complemented the neon dress with a silver bracelet and a bag with inlaid crystals.
She also looked glamorous with a shoulder-length haircut and intense makeup.
After impacting the Super Bowl halftime show alongside Shakira, Jennifer Lopez is set to continue her career hits.
This February, jlo shared a photograph inside the recording studio, along with a pianist. “Working on my skills,” the interpreter told her 123 million followers on Instagram.
However, not everyone liked the show at Hard Rock Stadium, and over a thousand complaints have been filed with the Federal Communications Commission.
Viewers complained about the sensual movements of Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. But the number of complaints is not a thousandth of the public that saw the presentation through the television broadcast.
Look in the gallery above the best photos of Jennifer Lopez.


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Safaricom is set to become a purpose-led technology firm by 2025. This was revealed during the first-ever investor day held on Wednesday.
During the forum, executives from Safaricom gave a presentation on the company’s vision and strategic opportunities concerning its main business sectors.
The presentation focused on big data, technology, sustainable business, social impact, and enterprise business opportunities. There were experiential demonstrations that showcased different products across all the business segments.
Themed Driving Purpose-Led Growth, the forum brought together the investor community, analysts, and regulatory bodies, from the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) and the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) with an attendance of over 100 investors in-person.
Updating investors on Safaricom’s growth in Ethiopia, Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia PLC CEO, Anwar Soussa, shared insights on the opportunities for the company’s growth in expansive Ethiopia.
“With a population of approximately 120 million people and financial inclusion at about 35 percent, 57 percent mobile penetration, and annual inward remittance of about $4.2 billion, Ethiopia offers a great opportunity to grow the business to the Kenya level in 10 years,” he said.
As of February 2023, Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia PLC had penetrated around 10 percent of the population. This translates to over 11 million people, 847 network sites in 25 cities, onboarded 28,000 retailers, 103 distributor shops, and 5,000 acquisition agents. The company had also crossed the 2 million mark in customer gross additions.
“Our growth trajectory is even more exciting for us as we look forward to offering financial services through M-PESA. We are finalizing our commercial and technical readiness and we expect to launch operations within the upcoming financial year,” he added.


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Unveiled in June, the Hyundai Venue’s un-identical twin will arrive in Canada next year.
One of the latest additions in Kia’s lineup, the Seltos, will be coming to Canada. Earlier this week we were at the 2020 Kia Forte launch where we, as well as our colleagues over at Le Guide de l’Auto, got the confirmation from the manufacturer.
The Seltos, a name derived from Hercules’ son Celtos in the Greek mythology, will be aimed directly at millennials. Indeed, Kia said earlier that it will be “aimed at youthful, tech-savvy buyers.”
Since the 2020 Kia Seltos is the Hyundai Venue’s un-identical twin, we can surely expect it to be powered by the same 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine paired to a six-speed manual gearbox or a continuously variable automatic gearbox.
In India, one of the first country where the Seltos was marketed, the compact SUV is packed with technologies. The 2020 Seltos features a Bose premium sound system with 8 speakers, a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with UVO, ventilated and power seats, a head up display and LED headlamps with DRLs among others.
More info will be given by Kia Canada closer to its launch date but so far, we can expect the Kia Seltos to arrive on our shores early next year. Upon its arrival, it will compete with the Nissan Kicks, the Ford EcoSport and of course the Hyundai Venue to name a few.


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The California Consumer Privacy Act goes into effect January 1st, and it doesn’t look like anyone, even the state of California itself, is totally ready. Draft regulations for enforcing the law are still being finalized at the state level, and questions about specific aspects of the most sweeping privacy regulation since the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are still not clear.
“If you thought the GDPR was bumpy, the CCPA is going to be a real roller coaster,” Reece Hirsch tells The Verge. Hirsch is co-head of Morgan Lewis’ privacy and cybersecurity practice and has been advising clients on how to adapt to the new law. “This is a complex set of new rules, which are still a work in progress.”
The crux of the CCPA is this: if your company buys or sells data on at least 50,000 California residents each year, you have to disclose to those residents what you’re doing with the data, and, they can request you not sell it. Consumers can also request companies bound by the CCPA delete all their personal data. And as The Wall Street Journal reported, websites with third-party tracking are supposed to add a “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” button that if clicked, prohibits the site from sending data about the customer to any third parties, including advertisers…
The ‘Cloud Syndicate’ is a mix of short term guest contributors, curated resources and syndication partners covering a variety of interesting technology related topics. Contact us for syndication details on how to connect your technology article or news feed to our syndication network.


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Supermarkets faced blistering accusations of profiteering during the cost of living crisis, and now shoppers are questioning whether retailers are helping them to live more sustainably or unfairly hiking the prices of green products
Brits are adamant supermarkets are putting profits before sustainability, believing they as consumers are forced to bear the financial brunt of living a greener lifestyle.
Three-quarters of those asked in a thegrocer.co.uk Ipsos poll claim it costs them more money to make sustainable product choices, with less than a quarter (24%) believing supermarkets help them to make more sustainable purchases, while 61% don’t understand why sustainable options tend to cost more.
The cost of living also continues to bite shoppers’ budgets, as 58% are making fewer sustainable choices, the same Ipsos data reveals. Kantar’s most recent Sustainability Sector Index shows 97% of 33,000 people interviewed want to lead a greener lifestyle, but 68% believe environmentally-friendly products are more expensive than standard ones.
There is a clear belief among shoppers that higher prices – driven by retailers and brands – are preventing them from doing the right thing. These accusations, however, aren’t wholly reflective of the truth. In some cases, it could be a simple lack of visibility and communication that is leading to a misconception among consumers.
Environment, social and governance (ESG) initiatives are multifaceted and cover a swathe of areas seen and unseen by the public, like more efficient lighting, solar panels or sourcing from renewable and fair suppliers. Focusing on the environment, Cadbury, for example, has increased renewable energy usage from 32% to 39% in the year to 31 December 2022 and reduced CO2 output by 39 tonnes. This all has hidden and sometimes vast costs that can take decades to recoup.
But if consumers do feel cheated, what are supermarkets and brands doing about it and who should shoulder the cost?
Across the economy, inflation has caused shoppers to rethink their purchases. Choosing whether to buy environmentally-friendly products is no different, believes KPMG head of consumer markets, retail and leisure Linda Ellett. “The need to find value when shopping has risen,” she says. “Our consumer research shows this has impacted sustainable and environmentally-focused purchasing.”
Despite this, a product’s environmental impact remains one of the top five drivers for shoppers when considering goods and services, Ellett adds. It’s so important that “over half of consumers say they would stop buying from a company if it was found to have been misleading in its sustainability claims”.
Consumers are making environmentally-friendly decisions when the opportunity is right, affordable or easy. Some 85% recycle as much as possible; 84% use reusable shopping bags; half consume products past their best before date; and 40% are buying local produce [Ipsos September 2023].
Around a third (36%) are also producing less waste to help the planet and save money, a BBC Good Food Nation report shows. However, more Brits reduce waste to save money (59%), compared to 34% who are doing so to live more sustainably.
Supermarkets have vast sustainability plans
Yet, value and sustainability are becoming increasingly associated with one another, continues Ellett. “This combination of factors is something supermarkets can build upon, with initiatives focused on reducing food waste, packaging reduction and recycling partnerships,” she says. “These are areas where supermarkets could demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and value to consumers in the coming years.”
The major retailers have in place ESG plans; usually hefty, publicly available documents pledging all kinds of action to be delivered in the short and long term. Waitrose’s includes responsible sourcing, among other elements, and the retailer believes its customers value its planet-saving initiatives. “We have a great track record when it comes to sustainability, so are fortunate to have earned people’s trust,” says John Lewis sustainability & ethics lead Simon Winch.
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Iceland and Lidl were all approached for comment, but did not respond. Aldi provided data on its environment-related initiatives, and Morrisons did not provide a comment.
But there’s a trust issue among most UK shoppers, who overall don’t believe retailers’ sustainability claims, according to Mintel’s 2023 Global Outlook on Sustainability: A Consumer Study.
“We have a great track record when it comes to sustainability, so are fortunate to have earned people’s trust”
A recent Which? ranking, however, placed Waitrose joint first with Lidl for sustainability, backing the former’s claims. Both supermarkets achieved an overall score of 74%, but Lidl secured a maximum rating for greenhouse gas emissions, whereas Waitrose had more impressive marks against plastic and food waste.
A year-round Waitrose marketing plan is claimed to maintain customer awareness, highlighting the grocer’s initiatives on things like switching single-serve glass wine bottles to cans – saving over 300 tonnes – and the launch of a trial “removing the plastic sleeve around the bottle neck and cork”, adds Winch.
The reduced impact of packaging on the environment is a concern for consumers. Over half (53%) claim they seek sustainable packaging from brands, with 61% saying sustainability overall is more important to them now than two years ago [NIQ 2023 Sustainability Report].
What claims are most important to consumers [NIQ 2023 Sustainability Report]:
|5||Produced using renewables||=39|
|8||Better for the planet||=38|
|9||Protection of natural resources||37|
|10||Kinder to environment||35|
Perhaps unsurprisingly, consumers believe the burden of behaving more sustainably lays less with individuals (38%) and mostly with large businesses, such as supermarkets and brands (57%), and even more so with the government (68%), through the likes of targets and legislation [Ipsos September 2023].
Brits are less certain on whether supermarkets are doing enough to help reduce the UK’s carbon footprint, with 44% believing the major multiples are either doing a great deal or a fair amount. Just 2% more (46%) believe supermarkets are doing not very much or nothing at all, while 10% don’t know, thegrocer.co.uk Ipsos data shows.
Again, opinion is divided on how satisfied they are with the supermarkets’ work to help reduce the UK’s carbon footprint – 43% are satisfied versus 43% who are not [Ipsos September 2023].
Yet, consumers are decisive when it comes down to cost and who or what prevents them from being greener. Three quarters argue it’s pricier to make more sustainable product choices, and 46% say they would consider avoiding a supermarket if sustainable products weren’t made more affordable [Ipsos September 2023]. The same Ipsos data shows under a quarter (24%) believe supermarkets help them to make more sustainable choices, with 40% on the fence.
Who should bear more of the cost burden is clear among consumers – it’s for the brands and retailers to make it more affordable. Equally, retailers and brands are firm on where responsibility lies. “Everyone has a role to play in driving sustainability forward,” Waitrose’s Winch urges. “We’re doing everything to prevent passing costs on to consumers. At the same time, though, we’ve long been clear that sustainable retail isn’t a race to the bottom as someone will always pay the price.”
Consumers ‘will pay more’ for greener products
Every supermarket would argue they are committed to offering their shoppers variety and value, even on products with an eco-focus. Price, however, continues to be and perhaps always will remain a key part of a consumer’s decision-making process.
So, who shoulders the additional cost associated with many sustainable alternatives is important if retailers and brands want to continue responding to shoppers’ desires to live – at no significant burden to themselves – a greener lifestyle.
Oat milk producer and supplier Oato founder Carl Hopwood, however, claims consumers are willing to pay a green premium as they are highly informed and value transparency. “They [consumers] research brands and seek insight into their practices,” he says. “Strong ESG credentials signal a commitment to ethical and sustainable practices, which resonates with informed consumers.”
This is backed by Premier Foods’ ESG director Nick Brown, who believes there is a growing number of people prepared to pay more for genuine green innovation. “They’re an important group because increased demand means [innovations] can be adopted at scale and become more affordable in the future,” he says.
But Hopwood concedes marketing around why something costs more is vital to getting the consumer to buy into it. This as an issue, as just under two-thirds of consumers are unsure why sustainable products tend to cost them more, Ipsos data shows.
“It’s essential to acknowledge that a substantial portion of shoppers face budget constraints and seek eco-friendly options at more accessible price points”
A start to countering this could be the inclusion of known logos associated with sustainability, such as “the Red Tractor and widely adopted on-pack recycling scheme”, advises Brown.
Stronger information about greener brands could even curb a fall in the number of some supermarket listings, particularly in eco-marketed household products, which saw a 9.7% drop in the year to 19 September from 381 to 344, The Grocer analysis of Assosia data shows.
While the eco-marketed household products category is small, greener cleaning is gaining mainstream traction, with the likes of Greenpeace utilising social channels such as TikTok to highlight the potentially harmful nature of some standard household cleaning products.
It’s also an area of opportunity for upcoming – and existing – brands to launch into. Ecoegg gained six new listings in Asda in March, and in July accessed Morrisons with its Fresh Linen Laundry Egg and Laundry Egg Refill Pack.
But the brand is conscious of and is responding to shoppers’ focus on value. “It’s essential to acknowledge that a substantial portion of shoppers face budget constraints and seek eco-friendly options at more accessible price points,” says Simon Orchard, general manager at Ecoegg.
Sustainable household cleaning products
The eco brand has introduced a range that Orchard claims is more competitively costed, including lower priced small pack sizes, and starter kits with 50 washes.
Price can’t wholly be blamed for a delisting dip, as eco-marketed household products have not increased prices more than grocery generally, rising by an average of 12.7% when compared like for like to the previous year – though still below the 13.6% rate of grocery inflation for the year to August 2023. The scale of eco-marketed cleaning products also means supermarket range reviews will have a bigger percentage impact when products are delisted, compared to larger segments.
Sustainability, however, extends beyond the product a brand puts onto the shelf and even its price. Shoppers are increasingly interested in the actions of the business behind a name and the retailer stocking it. “The challenges we’re tackling aren’t unique to any one [supplier] business and no single company will solve them alone,” says Brown.
KPMG’s Ellett believes this is an opportunity for supermarkets to position themselves as “sustainability leaders” within the wider economy and can “have a big influence on the consumption behaviours of customers across the country”.
But that’s not without its challenges. Supermarkets have complex supply chains from production to transport and often thousands of suppliers, who must also be influenced to ensure products meet varying needs.
Although Rachel Orton, UK ESG lead for consumer and retail at KPMG, says: “Supermarkets have the ability to influence what they choose and sell, but they have a greater chance of achieving success and growth if they incorporate sustainable products across multiple lines and multiple ESG-related claims.”
For example, IGD’s Sustainability Trends 2023 report highlights fmcg can lead in five key areas: reducing food waste, energy reduction, packaging efficiency, responsible sourcing and community-conscious retail. Progress from all of which can easily be communicated directly to shoppers.
And shoppers aren’t asking supermarkets or brands for groundbreaking innovations. Over two-thirds (69%) want retailers to reduce single-use plastic across their businesses. A further 52% want to see sustainable transport, such as greener delivery vehicles and opening stores in areas accessible by public transport.
Most also have hangups over food waste, with 72% wanting to see action from supermarkets on bolstering sales of misshapen produce, as well as stronger initiatives to share unsold food with communities in need [Ipsos September 2023], such as with The Grocer’s pioneering Waste Not Want Not campaign.
While the cost of living crisis may have initially diverted consumer budgets and attentions away from sustainability, they are shifting spend back towards ESG-related products, adds Orton, who advises supermarkets should avoid favouring financial growth over sustainability within corporate strategies.
Increasingly, shoppers will be swayed by a business’s sustainability credentials. However, there is an expectation that both brands and retailers share the burden of added costs more fairly, rather than passing them onto consumers. But as experts rightly state, more green-focused innovation across categories will inevitably bring prices down, but any increased costs must be justified to the shopper.
Additional Assosia data analysis and reporting by Lilith Foster-Collins.


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Orlando Sentinel-April 17, 2009-Guest of Walt Disney World who wanted to cruise along the lakes and lagoons at the facility can rent everything from 2-person Sea Raycers to Pontoon Boats-as long as they sign a waiver of liability that insulates Disney from lawsuits should anything go wrong on the water. Disney wants parents to sign these releases for themselves and on behalf of their young children. The intent of these releases apparently, is to insulate Disney from accidents in which they might be negligent. A recent Florida State Supreme Court ruling invalidated such parental waivers. Disney and other Florida tourism industry members are attempting to overturn this supreme court ruling and protect themselves from their own wrong doing.
For more information on Premise Liability Click Here: http://www.brevardlawyer.com/html/premise.html


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AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is planning to hire 1,800 people throughout Texas, and about 281 of those will be in the Houston area.
The bulk of the jobs — about 770 — will be in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. About 300 will be in Austin, and another 120 will be in San Antonio.
The Dallas-based telecommunications company said Wednesday it is seeking U-verse technicians, call center workers and retail employees. AT&T plans to fill the positions immediately.
Interested applicants can go to www.att.jobs for more information or to apply online.
Last month, AT&T chose Houston as one of three initial launch sites for its new prepaid wireless subsidiary, Aio Wireless. The company is opening 20 stores throughout Houston and giving away $30,000 worth of scholarships to Houston-area students as part of the launch.
Earlier this year, AT&T said it invested more than $7 billion in Texas wireless and wireline networks from 2010 through 2012. The company employs more than 35,000 people in Texas.
Olivia Pulsinelli is the senior web editor for the Houston Business Journal's award-winning website. Follow her on Twitter for more.


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The apps on your smartphone might be brilliant, but what about the display? Emerging technologies could soon deliver the richer, Wizard of Oz Technicolor experience you crave while performing like a Maserati.
Google on Tuesday invited Windows Phone 7 application developers to start using its AdMob advertising platform.
Apple's release of iOS 4.3 has caused some incompatibility problems for augmented reality company Layar. Some images and icons in Layar's client are displayed incorrectly or not at all, the company said in a blog post on Tuesday.
The dual-screen Kyocera Echo, an Android smartphone, will sell for $199.99 with a two-year agreement starting April 17 exclusively from Sprint, the carrier announced Monday.
The price of smartphone materials dropped by 13 per cent last year compared to 2009, according to In-Stat, as volumes of low-cost smartphones increased amid surging popularity.
HTC's ThunderBolt, the first smartphone to operate on Verizon Wireless's LTE network, will launch this Thursday, according to a document from Verizon received by the online retailer Wirefly.
Telstra has unveiled the first Android smartphone to break the $100 price barrier in Australia, the Telstra Smart-Touch.
Telstra has announced it is offering free telephone calls and text messages to customers wishing to contact friends or relatives in Japan following the recent earthquake and tsunami.
In anticipation of a new iPhone this summer, major wireless carriers say Apple won't include Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the iPhone 5, according to the U.K.'s The Independent. Sources at "several of the largest mobile operators in th...
An Apple senior VP has confirmed that the company will have a white iPhone out this spring, but it's still a mystery as to whether it will be an iPhone 4 or iPhone 5.
Oracle has released a mobile client and associated framework, nearly two years in the making, to help developers quickly build Java applications for industrial mobile devices.
Taiwan's major semiconductor manufacturers, a crucial link in the global tech supply chain, scrambled on Monday to gauge how their access to raw materials from Japanese suppliers will be affected by the powerful earthquake in Japan.
Nokia is planning to ditch its Symbian mobile phone operating system, but that hasn't stopped the Finnish company announcing the release of the Nokia E7, a Symbian-based smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard.
As Friday's earthquake in Japan demonstrates, natural disasters happen. And when they do, the first two things to go down are electricity and telephone services.
It was literally yesterday (Wednesday) that Apple released iOS 4.3, and just a little over 24 hours later, it's already been jailbroken.
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Futu Holdings (FUTU) is up this morning after releasing its second-quarter earnings. On a year-over-year basis, FUTU showed impressive growth, but the market has reacted to Futu missing revenue and EPS expectations for the quarter. Overview View the press release here. For more background on Futu's business, read our original Futu post here. Metrics Total […]
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Playwrights Canada Press website takes centre stage
You’d never know it from the accolades Playwrights Canada Press receives for the books it publishes, or from the talented artists and writers who choose to work with the press, but Playwrights is helmed by only three people. As is the case for so many small presses, everyone has to wear several hats, not the least Blake Sproule, who serves as Playwrights’ managing editor as well as digital director.
Playwrights needed a website that could bring efficiency to daily operations and end the tedious task of repeating ONIX processes for different platforms, a duplication of work that can eat up priceless staff hours.
But that wasn’t all they were looking for. We sat down with the Playwrights Canada team to talk about what they were looking for in a website and how ReaderBound is helping them to achieve their business goals.
Coach House Books boosts sales, security, and community online
With 50 percent of book discovery happening online, and nearly half of all purchases taking place via e-commerce, book publishers require solid and secure websites that not only attract readers and book buyers, but that can also be relied upon day in and day out for promotions, reader engagement, and sales. A website outage -- even a short one -- can be disastrous.
Wilfrid Laurier University Press website lets small team to do big things online
As the fourth largest university press in Canada, Wilfrid Laurier University Press (WLUP) has been publishing scholarly monograms and collections, mainly in the area of social sciences and humanities, since 1974.
The press currently publishes 30 to 40 books per year -- an ambitious publishing program for a small team. This was a big factor in WLUP’s requirement for a website that was reliable, easy to update and maintain, and that provided lots of automated features to minimize the demand on staff time.
University of Regina Press gets a grade A website
Change has been in the air at the University of Regina Press for the past several years; most recently with the launch of its new website. But it started back in 2013, when the press, after 40 years of operation as the Canadian Plains Research Center Press, relaunched with a new brand, a new publisher, and a new goal to expand its publishing program. “Canadian Plains had focused on Indigenous issues, and we have continued that focus,” said sales and marketing manager Morgan Tunzelmann, “but we’ve expanded to include a broader readership and titles.”
Arsenal Pulp Press: Building a Site With the Reader in Mind
“We’re happy that the new site is geared to how our readers actually think about and search for books,” says Lam. “We’ve seen major gains in sales from the website and are finding a lot of customers are doing “deep dives” into our backlist – whether for a specific author or category.”


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Customers will likely be attracted by our low prices and selection of tires and wheels
Scottsdale, AZ (PRWEB) March 24, 2011
Discount Tire, America’s largest tire and wheel retailer, today announced the opening of its new store located at 16174 Jackson Creek Parkway in Monument, Colorado.
The Discount Tire facility is located on Jackson Creek Parkway, north of Higby Road. The Monument store is operated by seven employees and is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The store is closed on Sunday.
“Customers will likely be attracted by our low prices and selection of tires and wheels,” said Brad Ellington, store manager of the new Discount Tire in Monument. “However, we believe that our customer service and satisfaction guarantee make the difference.”
Ellington has been with the company for 12 years. Discount Tire is committed to promoting from within and is always looking for qualified individuals to join them in their exceptional growth. Additional career opportunities can be found by visiting Discount Tire’s website or a local Discount Tire store.
The Monument store is equipped with the latest tools, including automatic inflation equipment that protects employees and was specially designed for Discount Tire. The no-touch mounting machines shield expensive wheels from damage and inflate tires to the precise air pressure.
Discount Tire offers the largest tire and custom wheel selection of any tire retailer. The company sells leading brands such as Goodyear, Michelin, Bridgestone, Yokohama, Kumho, BFGoodrich, Pirelli, Hankook, Falken, along with Discount Tire exclusive brands such as Silver Edition and Roadhugger. Discount Tire also offers wheels from Enkei, Konig, Liquidmetal, TSW, Akuza and exclusive brands including MB Wheels and G-games.
The new Monument Discount Tire store phone number is (719) 488-4658. Discount Tire operates 45 stores in Colorado. Customers can purchase tires and wheels in the store, by mail order or online. At tires.com, customers can locate a store, purchase tires, schedule installation appointments, register for e-mail discounts, gain access to safety tips and other helpful information, and even determine tire and wheel size by brand for their vehicle.
ABOUT DISCOUNT TIRE
Discount Tire, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is America’s largest tire and wheel retailer. Also known as America’s Tire in Oregon and some parts of California, Discount Tire currently operates more than 790 stores across the country. In 2010, the company marked its 50th year serving customers as their trusted tire retailer in local markets across the U.S. Discount Tire also sponsors NASCAR Nationwide Series and Formula D racing. News, driver appearances, show car schedules and racing schedules can be found at http://www.discounttiremotorsports.com. For more information about Discount Tire and America's Tire visit http://www.tires.com.


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Recent research confirms that a third of the internet is under attack, with millions of network addresses subjected to DDoS attacks over a two year period (source). And as I write these monthly hacks and breaches reviews, this statement comes as no surprise. Just because it’s officially the holiday season, it doesn’t mean that hackers will be slowing down. Here’s a roundup of some of November’s notable hacks and breaches.
On the 14th of November, clothing retailer Forever 21 warned shoppers of a payment card breach following a security breach. The breach allowed hackers to access unauthorized data including payment cards used in a number of its retail stores. The retailer did not confirm which stores were affected, however it did note that the breach may affect customers who shopped between March and October of this year. In 2015, the retailer rolled an encryption and tokenization solution to secure its POS system, however the solution was not in operation in all Forever 21 locations for an unknown reason.
A week later, on the 21st of November, news broke that Tether, a start-up providing cryptocurrency tokens, was hacked. Systems were broken into by a hacker who managed to steal approximately $31 million in tokens.
That same day, Uber made its way to the headlines yet again – but this time with a data breach. The company suffered a massive data breach back in October 2016 which exposed the personal data of around 57 million customers and drivers. In a blog post, Uber’s new CEO writes that the breach exposed names, email addresses, phone numbers, driver’s info along with driver license numbers. Furthermore, instead of disclosing the breach at the time, the company paid $100,000 in ransom to the hackers in exchange for deleting the information and for keeping this breach a secret.
A the month came to a close, Imgur, a popular image sharing site, disclosed that it suffered a major data breach in 2014. The data breach compromised email addresses and passwords of 1.7 million accounts. Imgur published a blog post and wrote that they were notified of the data breach on the 23rd of November after a security researcher emailed them about the stolen data.
On the 27th of November, news broke that the popular Bulletproof Coffee was successfully hacked and the stolen information includes customers full names, addresses, email addresses, credit card numbers, expiration dates, and CVV codes. The energy-boosting, butter-infused beverage “discovered unauthorized computer code added to the software” in the checkout section of their website. According to the company’s investigation, the unauthorized code was potentially capturing information entered by users during the checkout process between May and October of this year.
Viewing on a mobile? Click the infographic to enlarge.
- A Simple Coding Error Put Millions of Smartphone Users at Risk: What You Need to Know
- October 2017: Top Hacks and Breaches [INFOGRAPHIC]
- Top Mobile Hacks of 2017 [INFOGRAPHIC]


text: "'You just don't hear about Gawker as much,' the founder of the trade site mediabistro.com, Laurel Touby, said. 'The buzz is not as high as it used to be. I was forced to read it before. Now, not so much.'" Today is the ten-year anniversary of Gawker jumping the shark.


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Facebook says app for `simple` phones used by 100 million
New York: US social network giant Facebook said today it has surpassed 100 million users a month using an application designed for "simple" mobile phones widely used in countries like India.
Launched two years ago, the "Facebook For Every Phone" app enables people to connect "no matter what kind of mobile device they use," the company said in a statement.
"Today, millions of people in developing markets like India, Indonesia and the Philippines are relying on this technology to connect with Facebook, without having to purchase a (more expensive) smartphone," Facebook said.
The application works on more than 3,000 different types of low-cost phones "from almost every handset manufacturer that exists today."
The app "includes Facebook`s most popular features, such as News Feed, Messenger and Photos," and allows first-time users to create a new account and find old friends.
As of late March, Facebook reported having 751 million customers using accessing their site on mobile devices, up a whopping 54 per cent from one year earlier.
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Caterham is being turned into a vibrant work of art this Easter holidays.
From Thursday morning (March 29), shoppers have been greeted with decorated trees and lampposts, and shop windows will display colourful artwork made by schoolchildren as part of the Colour Caterham event.
Then on Easter Saturday (March 30) everyone is invited to have a hand in colouring Caterham when Jodie Green, owner of Caterham Galleries in Godstone Road, turns her shop’s outside wall into a giant canvas where people can leave their handprint in cheerful paint colours.
Church Walk Shopping Centre hosts its free Easter extravaganza on Saturday (March 31) from 11am to 3pm.
Children can decorate an egg to take home or make an Easter bonnet for the annual parade which takes place at 2.30pm.
The Colour Caterham event continues throughout the Easter holidays and will include a children's colouring competition too.
Colour Caterham has been organised by Caterham Valley for You, which brings together the town’s businesses to help make Caterham a better place to shop, work and visit.
Chairman of Caterham Valley For You, Andrew Browne, said: "We wanted to create a vibrant and fun atmosphere in Caterham Valley that will put a smile on people’s faces when they come to shop here.
"The eye-catching displays are guaranteed to lift spirits and create an enjoyable shopping experience.”
Colour Caterham runs until Sunday (April 15).
You can leave your paint handprint on the Caterham Galleries wall on Easter Saturday (March 31), between 10am and 1pm, and Friday (April 6) between 10am and 1pm.
Keep up to date with the latest news from around the county via the free Get Surrey app.
You can set up your app to see all the latest news and events from your area, plus receive push notifications for breaking news.


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FACEBOOK shares hit a record high after the social network posted profits growth of 137 per cent for its last quarter.
Revenue from advertising, which makes up most of Facebook's income, was $2.68bn, up 67% compared with the second quarter of 2013.
Adverts on mobile devices now account for 62% of advertising revenue, which is a spectacular rise as mobile ads accounted for almost nothing in 2012.
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But the social networking company's rapid expansion has resulted in a sharp rise in costs.
Expenses were $1.52bn in the second quarter up 22% from 2013.
"We had a good second quarter," said Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg in a statement accompanying the results.
"Our community has continued to grow, and we see a lot of opportunity ahead as we connect the rest of the world," he said.
The company now has 1.32 billion active users every month, up 14% on last year.
Of those users more than a billion are on mobile devices.


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Just because World Space Week is wrapping up, doesn't mean you can't keep exploring the cosmos. In this Tech Minute, CNET's Kara Tsuboi reports on a handful of new space science and technology apps.
CNET editor Dong Ngo picks a handful of networking and storage products of 2014 he finds most interesting.
From an Arctic mine to refugees fleeing fighting in the Middle East, DigitalGlobe's WorldView-3 commercial satellite caught all aspects of life on Earth in 2014, with more detail than ever.
What we expect, from new Intel CPUs to hints of Windows 10, in laptops, tablets, hybrids, and desktops at CES.
After the successful launch of the Orion spacecraft, a group of NASA interns cut loose with their very own pop cover tune.
Discover everything you need to know about the private sector's race to space in just a few minutes with one colorful and informative infographic.
GE's FirstBuild factory is rethinking a classic. Its new kitchen sink disposer will be smaller and promises to be more efficient and safer with the help of clever design.
Pricing not available
Space Monkey's alternative cloud service is cheaper and offers more than its competitors, but you need to invest time and effort to set it up.
CNET breaks out the most important things to know when shopping for a new television.
As the National Transportation Safety Board takes the lead role in investigating the crash of SpaceShipTwo, Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson says the space-tourism venture would still "love to finish what we started."


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PokerStars has released a new game known as Zoom Poker that is available for its web client, as well as on Android platforms.
While the Android version of Zoom Poker is not available from Google Play, it can be downloaded to your Android device through their website and has been customized for play on Android tablets with improved graphics, scrollable lobby menus, an auto-re-buy function, enhanced search abilities and more. Continue reading
Microgaming has been announced as a sponsor for the upcoming mGaming Awards. iGaming Business has announced that online gaming software developer, Microgaming , has been added to the list of sponsors for the events which will take place on April 25.
The mGaming Summit, which brings together brands, operators, marketing agencies, suppliers, rights holders, federations and payment and billing services, will be held at The King’s Fund in London. iGaming Business has worked together with SportsBusiness Group and WorldTelemedia to create the event. The mGaming Awards will end off the evening. Continue reading
Mobile poker platform, Switch Poker has announced a new first time depositor bonus which is sure to attract plenty of new players. The offer is a 100 percent match deposit bonus on first deposits up to EUR600.
To be eligible for the first time deposit bonus, you must be a new player at the site who is making their first deposit into their new account. Enter the bonus code 20TO600 in the bonus codes section. You must then visit the cashier page and select your deposit method of choice and the amount you wish to deposit. Continue reading
The developer of online gaming solutions and software, Play’n Go, has expanded its game portfolio for mobile devices, as well as its Flash games portfolio. The Swedish company has launched six new mobile casino games for smartphone and tablet devices that will be added to its already impressive collection.
The new games include Casino hold’em, Casino stud poker, threy card poker, triple chance hi/lo, scratch ahoy and Hole in One. These games now take the Play’n Go game portfolio up to 24 titles, all of which have been adapted for play on mobile devices. Continue reading
Developed by Laurent Morvillier and Ramzig Sarkissian, Poker Analytics is a new mobile poker software application that offers a detailed analysis of session data.
Aimed at casual poker players, Poker Analytics is available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch with an iOS of 4.3 or newer. The app is designed to provide detailed analysis of poker sessions, but is not meant to take the place of mainstream database programs such as PokerTracker and Holdem Manager. Continue reading
Technology performance company, Compuware Corporation has announced the Best of the Web and Mobile Performance Awards in the UK. The awards recognize the top web and mobile gaming sites of 2011 in the areas of sports betting, online poker and casino games.
Compuware used the Compuware Gomez Last Mile to measure the end-users’ experiences on the sites. It is a global network of more than 150,000 computers that perform synthetic testing. The winners are determines by examining response time, availability and consistency. Continue reading
Poker Agenda is a mobile application that allows users to track upcoming poker tournaments on selected online poker sites. Updated on February 22 to include a wider range of online poker sites, Poker Agenda shows the tournament schedule for sites such as PokerStars, Bet365, Titan Poker, CentreBet and SunPoker.
The app not only shows users the poker tournament schedules for these sites, but it allows users to add tournament reminders to their calendar. Poker Agenda keeps track of a wide range of tournaments, including MTTs, satellites and non-cash tournaments, such as those requiring the use of frequent player points for a buy-in. Continue reading
Bet24 has announced the expansion of their mobile poker app to 14 countries. The iPhone app, which was released in France, Austria and the UK in December 2011, is now widely available around Europe.
Bet24’s real money poker app will now be available in Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland. Continue reading
PokerStars has announced the launch of their mobile platform which will allow players to enjoy fun and real money poker games on the go. The mobile platform is available for iOS and Android-enabled devices.
PokerStars Mobile will offer Texas hold’em, Omaha and Omaha hi/lo games, as well as multi table tournaments, sit and go tournaments and cash games. Continue reading
Online poker operator, iGame Limited has signed a deal with gaming software provider, EveryMatrix Limited, for its OddsMatrix sportsbook solution. The deal will see the OddsMatrix sportsbook solution integrated with a number of existing and new iGame brands.
The OddsMatrix sportsbook solution will be integrated with the iGame backoffice platform in brands including NoiQ.com, Pokerihuone.com and 24hpoker.com for their web and mobile platforms. In addition, it will see the launch of iGame.com under a Maltese license and their newly received Danish license. Continue reading


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IHG Rewards Club doesn’t have a traditional category-based award chart. While IHG hotels have year-round award prices, they don’t belong to a specific category. Instead the cost of an award night is typically tied to which brand a hotel belongs to, and then there’s some variance within each brand.
It’s pretty normal for major hotel loyalty programs to adjust their award costs at some hotels on an annual basis. The logic is that the number of points required for a hotel is based on the average occupancy and average daily rate of the hotel, and there are all kinds of factors that can impact that, both micro and macro. So while not all hotels change category every year, it’s not unusual to see a few percent of hotels change categories.
IHG Rewards Club tends to adjust their award categories on an annual basis, and in both 2016 and 2017 we saw them adjust the number of points required for various hotels. While IHG Rewards Club hasn’t yet officially announced an adjustment to the number of points required for stays booked in 2018, FlyerTalk user Lionheart stumbled upon a page that seems to show the updated 2018 IHG Rewards Club award prices.
We don’t yet know exactly when these changes will go into effect, though my guess is that it’s likely this pricing will kick in within a few weeks.
As noted by Point Me to the Plane, it looks like almost 500 hotels will go up in price by 5,000 to 10,000 points per night, while almost 200 hotels will go down in price by 5,000 points per night. IHG has a total of about 5,000 properties around the world, meaning we’re seeing a price increase at ~10% of properties globally, and a net increase at ~6% of properties. We’ve never seen IHG adjust the cost of stays at so many hotels at once.
Perhaps the worst change is that IHG is increasing the number of points required for stays at their top hotels from 60,000 points per night to 70,000 points per night. It was less than two years ago that IHG increased the number of points required at their top hotels from 50,000 points per night to 60,000 points per night.
With these changes, InterContinental properties in Bora Bora, Boston, Hong Kong, London, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Washington, etc., will cost 70,000 points per night, which is pretty rough.
I guess it’s not terribly surprising to see these changes. IHG has been offering tons of promotions and has been selling points, so I guess that’s the other side of that. To me this increases the value of the IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card even further. The card has a low $89 annual fee (waived the first year), and offers an annual free night certificate valid at virtually any IHG hotel in the world. Once these changes kick in, that free night certificate will be valid at a property that retails for 70,000 points per night. For example, I used my free night certificate last year for a stay at the InterContinental Hong Kong, which will soon cost 70,000 points per night.
What do you make of these IHG hotel award night cost changes?


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A client utilizes a SumUp payment card reader in Lisbon, Portugal, on Sept. 13, 2019.
Angel Garcia | Bloomberg through Getty Images
LONDON — SumUp, a U.K.-based payment processor, has actually obtained marketing start-up Fivestars in a quote to broaden its reach throughout the U.S. and handle giants like PayPal and Square.
The business stated Thursday it was purchasing Fivestars for $317 million in a mix of money and stock. San Francisco-headquartered Fivestars assists merchants established benefits plans and promos for consumers.
Founded in 2012, SumUp is best understood for its little charge card readers that let small companies accept payments. The business likewise supplies other payment tools, consisting of the capability for merchants to establish their own online shops. It has more than 3 million merchants registered throughout Europe, the U.S. and Latin America.
SumUp takes on Sweden’s iZettle, which was obtained by PayPal in 2018, in addition to Jack Dorsey’s Square. As the start-up plots a growth in the U.S., competition with those huge gamers is set to heighten. But SumUp believes there suffices space for a variety of various business to co-exist.
“I would say where we focus and excel is truly on the smallest merchants,” Andrew Helms, U.S. handling director at SumUp, informed CNBC. “We’re not looking to go into enterprise, we’re not going more upstream.”
Helms stated the U.S. market has actually seen a shift in costs patterns throughout the coronavirus pandemic, with payment choices like non-physical deals, invoicing and payment links seeing increased development.
However, “we’re probably underestimating the shift back to in-store and brick and mortar” as Covid constraints are raised and individuals are fulfilling in-person once again, he included.
Prior to the handle SumUp, Fivestars had actually raised an overall of $115 million and won support from financiers consisting of Lightspeed Venture Partners and Menlo Ventures, according to Crunchbase.
SumUp, on the other hand, has actually raised an overall of $1.4 billion in equity and financial obligation funding considering that its beginning. The business has actually been backed by the similarity Goldman Sachs, Singapore’s Temasek and Bain Capital.


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It’s hard to believe that it has been ten years since the game Sky Force was released. Now Infinite Dreams has released an updated version called Sky Force 2014 and it is pretty darn good.
Day: 5 June 2014
Madfinger Games is celebrating their 4th birthday and in order to give back to Android gamers, the company is putting Samurai II: Vengeance on sale for $0.99 for a limited time. However it isn’t just the sale that you should be happy about. Samurai II: Vengeance also got updated with a variety of enhancements which Madfinger Games are labeling as making the game an ‘Enhanced Edition’.
Gameloft has quite the catalog of games heading our way right now with Modern Combat 5: Blackout and another untitled games they have been teasing that we recently reported on the other day. Rival Knights was another game they were teasing but that got released yesterday. Word on the proverbial street is that Gameloft has another 4-5 games tucked away right now that they plan to reveal during next week’s E3 2014.
We haven’t ran a giveaway in quite some time, mostly due to being too busy expanding everything here at DroidGamers. With that said, it is about time to start getting back into giving away goodies to all our readers, especially with E3 2014 right around the corner, and to start things off right we are teaming up with Mad Catz to give away one Mojo game console to a lucky winner and another winner will get a F.R.E.Q.m headset.
Coming right off of the Hitman: GO release, Square Enix has just announced what the next Hitman game will be and its name is Hitman: Sniper. As you are probably guessing from the name, this will be a more sniper-based style of gameplay. This means you’ll need some sort of skill in order to do well in this upcoming title.
OnLive hasn’t been in the news lately after the cloud-based game streaming company had all the financial troubles one could ever possibly not want. It seems that things might be picking up a bit for OnLive though as Mad Catz has announced the availability and optimization for OnLive for the Android-powered console of theirs called the MOJO.
Noodlecake Studios has released their next game onto Android which comes in the form of Random Heroes 2. Like the original game, Random Heroes 2 is an action-platformer featuring retro-style visuals, plenty of guns and explosions, and lots of characters to play as.
Nival has finally brought their 3D tower defense game called Prime World: Defenders over to Android devices today. For those of you not familiar with this game, Prime World: Defenders has already been released onto iOS, PC, MAC and Nvidia Shield. Today has this game being made available to all Android devices that can support this title.
Fanatic Earth, an RPG from Japanese publisher KEMCO, is now available for Android devices via the Google Play Store. In the game, you play as Zech, a man living in Xilleon City, which lies underneath a dome in order to protect citizens from a lethal bacteria.
Some of you might be familiar with Zut Games’ colorful and entertaining puzzler, GlowGrid. The game has been available to play through a flash version online since September 2013 where it generated a good number of hits. Fast forward to 2014 and the developers have finally released an Android version and have expanded the game a tad too.


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Telecommunications and media giant AT&T now accepts cryptocurrency payments via crypto payments firm BitPay, a press release published on May 23 has revealed. Coming for the first time to a major United States carrier, the BitPay payment option must be selected when you log on to your account online or with the myAT&T app.
AT&T's Communication Business Operations VP Kevin McDorman stated that the company is always looking for opportunities for improving and expanding its services.
The American telecom company AT&T now offers its customers to pay their phone bills with cryptocurrencies.
Mainstream adoption of cryptocurrency is slowly growing with the latest development being from AT&T Inc.
Whereas SPEDN is a new arrival on the market, BitPay is an established platform used by many companies willing to access money in the form of cryptocurrency, and now AT&T is counted among them. The new option is available through BitPay and allows consumers to pay their online bills with virtual currency.
BitPay was founded in 2011 when Bitcoin "was still in its infancy", according to the company's website.
BitPay's Chief Commercial Officer, Sonny Singh lauded the move by AT&T and the job they have done to make it happen.
Companies are becoming more comfortable with the idea of cryptocurrencies, especially when it comes to the telecommunications and technology sectors.
Particularly, the firm is giving an option to its users to pay their bills using BitPay online or in-app. You can also enjoy the easiest way to buy Bitcoin online with us. Which is more exciting is that now, companies are also showing a higher level of interest in implementing cryptocurrencies at some level.


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Apple and Google have partnered to develop a contact tracing functionality into iOS and Android smartphones in the coming months. The joint operation is part of the technology giants’ efforts at containing the spread of coronavirus across the globe. It will allow for health safety data to be shared by governments and health agencies via Bluetooth technology.
“Apple and Google will be launching a comprehensive solution that includes application programming interfaces (APIs) and operating system-level technology to assist in enabling contact tracing,” Apple wrote.
The implementation of the agreement will be in two phases. First, both Apple and Google will launch APIs that allow for iOS and Android devices to work together in activating health apps from public authorities. The official government apps will be downloadable from either Apple Store or Google Play. This is projected to be achieved in May.
The second phase of the project will allow contact tracing functionality to be built into the Apple/Google platforms using Bluetooth technology. This second phase is more robust than the first API stage and it will empower interested individuals to opt-in and interact with a broader ecosystem of government apps. Apple stated that everything will be open and voluntary for interested participants.
“Privacy, transparency, and consent are of utmost importance in this effort, and we look forward to building this functionality in consultation with interested stakeholders,” Apple disclosed. “We will openly publish information about our work for others to analyze.”
When people opt-in, they can report if they have been diagnosed with coronavirus and everyone else within proximity of the infected individual will be alerted to the status of the person so that they can maintain appropriate social distancing.
As good as this initiative is, some people have raised concerns about using digital surveillance technology to trace COVID-19 infected individuals, saying it raises privacy worries. However, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple’s CEO Tim Cook have assured that privacy will be respected and that people will only be able to opt-in on a voluntary basis.
“To help public health officials slow the spread of coronavirus, Google and Apple are working on a contact tracing approach designed with strong controls and protections for user privacy,” Pichai wrote.
According to Cook, “contact tracing can help slow the spread of COVID-19 and can be done without compromising user privacy. We’re working with Google to help health officials harness Bluetooth technology in a way that also respects transparency and consent.”


text: An anonymous reader writes "Over the past few years, Apple has systematically upgraded the base level MacBook to a level where the difference between the Pro and consumer models were arguably becoming negligible. That's about to change. Apple will reportedly introduce a completely re-designed MacBook Pro this April that will borrow features from the recently released MacBook Air. The new Pros will reportedly come with an SSD and Light Peak technology, a transfer protocol capable of 10 Gbps both up and down. Light Peak, jointly developed by Intel and Apple, will reportedly be an Apple exclusive at first."


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The COVID Delta variant appears to be the main obstacle to global economic recovery and a return to normal life. As schoolchildren return to classrooms, public debates have divided communities over school mask mandates. The restaurant industry, which had expected further growth of in-person business in the second half of 2021, is now facing a bleaker forecast of slowing sales while continuing to struggle with the same staffing issues as other frontline companies. While roughly half of Americans are vaccinated against COVID, caseloads continue to rise, particularly in states with low vaccination rates. This increase in infection rates is pushing hospitals and health systems to the limit once again and compromising supply chain safety.
Logistics companies and global supply chains have been particularly hard hit by the Delta variant. Outbreaks among supply chain workers have shut down ports and distribution centers—including the world’s third-busiest container port in China—for weeks at a time. The supply chain and transportation industries are among those frontline businesses that continue to face severe worker shortages. Meanwhile, consumer demand for delivered goods remains as strong and ever and will likely surge even higher if demand for in-person shopping drops in the fall of 2021.
To weather the new problems brought on by the Delta variant, logistics companies will need to do everything possible to improve supply chain safety for their employees.
Medical experts agree that the best way to prevent the spread of COVID and keep workers safe is by ensuring anyone who is eligible for a COVID vaccine gets vaccinated. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urge that everyone 12 years and older be vaccinated. For those under the age of 18, the Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine has been approved for use.
When vaccines first became available in late 2020 and early 2021, there was a rush on them that far outstripped supply. Now vaccines are so readily accessible that same-day appointments are available in some communities in the United States. Since that initial rush, vaccination rates have lagged, leading to a dangerous number of Americans who remain unvaccinated while the Delta variant pushes up infection rates.
Governments and employers initially tried, and have continued to push, incentives such as prizes and cash payments to encourage people to get vaccinated. This has resulted in an uptick in vaccination rates in various communities. But as the rate of Delta infections has increased, employers are turning to vaccine mandates to keep workers and customers safe. Some state governments have begun mandating vaccines for at least some or most of their employees. A growing number of big companies are following suit, including AT&T, Chevron, Deloitte, Lyft, McDonald’s, Tyson Foods, and Walmart.
Vaccine mandates bring their own complications, as polling shows that about 29 percent of the workforce are strongly opposed to vaccinations. Companies will have to make a judgment about their particular supply chain safety issues, their workforce, and the effects such a mandate could have on this workforce. Legal experts do agree that federal anti-discrimination laws don’t prohibit requiring all employees in a workplace to get vaccinated for COVID, so long as employers requiring this comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other workplace laws.
Other Safety Measures
There are other measures companies can implement to help ensure supply chain safety for their workforce. Mask use, as noted earlier, remains controversial, but continues to be recommended by the CDC for use in areas where caseloads are high, even for those who have been vaccinated. Mask mandates are subject to many of the same legal guidelines as vaccination mandates.
Companies should use common sense when applying mask mandates across a supply chain. A mask mandate for workers returning to an air-conditioned office could have a very different effect on their co-workers working in a different space and environment. Warehouse operators, for example, should consider that warehouse work is generally more physically demanding than office work. Masks that might interfere with a warehouse worker’s vision or have the potential to bring about a heat-induced illness in confined spaces should be avoided. Employees in these workplaces can’t afford to have their vision obscured or suddenly feel faint around machinery, vehicles, and heavy loads. Supply chain companies that implement mask mandates should be ready to supply masks appropriate to particular working conditions.
The Delta variant, like other forms of COVID, is carried through the air, and for this reason, logistic companies can help ensure supply chain safety by enhancing ventilation and air quality for workers in enclosed spaces. The CDC recommends that companies pay particular attention to improving central air filtration when such a system is used. Businesses should ensure air filters are properly sized and within the recommended service lifespan. They should also inspect filter housings and racks to ensure appropriate filter fit, which helps limit the air that flows around, instead of through, the filter.
Finally, companies can invest in supply chain automation technology that minimizes the number of workers who need to be in a warehouse or distribution center, reducing the risk of spreading COVID. Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) can replace forklifts and other vehicles normally driven by people in warehouses and fulfillment centers. Drones are also increasingly taking on duties such as data monitoring and inventory counts. Automation can address both supply chain safety and efficiency.
Automated operations need the right strategic partners. iGPS plastic pallets, for example, don’t have the size variations that wood pallets have and incorporate smart features that make them traceable throughout a supply chain. Their features allow logistics companies to capture data at any point of distribution, ensuring better planning, efficiency, and helping lower a company’s Total Cost of Business (TCOB). This makes iGPS plastic pallets ideal for all automated systems.
The Delta variant has presented businesses with unwelcome and unexpected obstacles as we head into the final months of 2021. Companies can weather these new problems and stay competitive by making supply chain safety a priority.
Companies committed to supply chain safety use iGPS plastic pallets for all their shipping needs. Our lightweight, durable plastic pallets incorporate smart features, can help keep warehouse workers safe, and reduce your Total Cost of Business. For more information, contact us at 1-866-557-0047, email a specialist at [email protected], or visit our contact page.


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January 20, 2014 – The Communications Cable and Connectivity Association (CCCA)—a non-profit group of cabling manufacturers, distributors and material suppliers in the structured cabling industry—is welcoming Leviton as its newest member.
“We at CCCA are thrilled that Leviton has chosen to add its voice to ours by joining the association. Leviton’s brand recognition and well-established reputation for quality fits perfectly with our membership goals and mission,” said Bill Kloss, OFS and CCCA chair.
“Leviton has followed the CCCA and has been impressed with its initiatives and focus on education and creating awareness,” said Ross Goldman, EVP and GM, Network Solutions at Leviton, who has also been named to the CCCA board. “We view CCCA as a strong industry association and an excellent platform for Leviton to address issues important to the structured cabling industry and to advance quality.”
According to the association, counterfeit and non-compliant products are two of the many issues it is actively educating the industry about to advance quality and protect consumers of cabling and connectivity products. Other CCCA initiatives include guidance on the pros and cons of data centre cabling architecture designs and collaboration with other groups on the development of industry best practices for sustainable, smart building infrastructures, it continued.
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Stockholm-listed B2B supplier Scout Gaming has agreed a deal to provide its fantasy sports platform to iGaming solutions provider Knockout Gaming.
Scout Gaming’s products are expected to launch on Knockout Gaming’s brands such as Rush777.com during the first half of 2019.
"This confirms the interest for our products. Knockout is currently running multiple white label brands and will be a great contribution to the network,” said Scout Gaming CEO Andreas Ternström. “This deal is especially interesting given their American heritage.”
Knockout Gaming president and CEO Gray Knight commented: "From our perspective, it is easy to see the potential for fantasy sports in Europe, as well as other emerging markets worldwide. When we look into the supplier market, Scout Gaming is the clear leader at the moment.
“We look at this partnership as a great opportunity to establish a shared liquidity network and leverage the prize pools through the many different brands in our networks.”
Shares in Scout Gaming Group AB (STO:SCOUT) were trading down 5.45 per cent at SEK29.50 per share in Stockholm Friday morning.


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Porsche has very big expectations for its entrance into the electric vehicle market. The company revealed a concept vehicle called the Mission E in 2015, and now the automaker’s CEO has said that he expects to sell 20,000 units each year after the car debuts in 2019.
Some aspects of the Mission E have been shared with the public so far: Porsche has said that the car will have a range of about 310 miles (comparable to Tesla), thanks to its usage of lighter copper cables, and that its 800-volt charging abilities will allow its lithium-ion battery to reach 80 percent battery life 15 minutes after it has been plugged-in. The vehicle will also use inductive charging technologies to automatically recharge its battery whenever it’s parked over a coil in a garage floor for more than a few hours at a time.
The company also announced that Mission E will have a 440 kW system power output that will allow it to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 miles per hour) in 3.5 seconds. More than 1,000 jobs are expected to be created as Porsche expands its engine factory to create electric motors, builds a new paint and assembly shop, and invests 700 million Euros into the main site in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany.
Other details about the Mission E are scarce. Porsche hasn’t revealed where the car will be available, offered a timeframe for its release, or said how much it will cost when it debuts. The luxury & sports car company’s price range is $50,000 to $200,000, excluding its ultra-high end.
Not that Porsche wants anyone to think the Mission E is a response to Tesla’s rising popularity. “We don’t do a car because Tesla has done a Model S,” the automaker’s global head of research and development, Wolfgang Hatz, told the Los Angeles Times. “We have our own plans. The time was not right before now to bring a pure battery car onto the market. But now the time is right.”
If that’s true, it seems that many luxury vehicle makers simultaneously decided to start examining futuristic cars. BMW is also working on electric vehicles and not-quite-calling-out Tesla in its advertisements, for example, while Rolls-Royce is building A.I. into a car that drives itself. Surely that doesn’t remind anyone of a Tesla feature.
Coincidences aside, it’s clear that Porsche is jumping right into the electric vehicle market. Oliver Blume, the company’s CEO, told Automobilwoche on Sunday that the company has calculated orders of 20,000 units a year when the Mission E debuts. That’s one-tenth of the 225,000 cars the company sold worldwide in 2015; clearly Porsche wants its first all-electric vehicle to become a major addition to its menu of German automobiles.
“When we introduced the Mission E concept car at the Frankfurt Auto Show last year, we stated that a production version would be introduced by the end of this decade,” a Porsche spokesperson tells Inverse. “We have made no announcements on pricing yet, I don’t expect that to happen until much closer to the actual launch date.” The spokesperson did not respond to a follow-up question to confirm the 20,000 figure Blume offered on Sunday.


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An aggressive marketing drive has raised the profile of comparison websites, but can brokers keep up? asks Anita Anandarajah
With Gocompare and Confused.com now household names, insurance aggregators have firmly planted themselves in the public consciousness.
Accounting for one third of all insurance related marketing spend this year, they have stolen a march on traditional distributors with multi-million pound advertising campaigns, targeting the man on the street.
So what are brokers doing to protect themselves?
It is telling that when Insurance Times asked a number of brokers to outline their marketing strategies, all declined to comment. Could this hesitancy to sell themselves to the public eventually mean the death of the broker market, or can the two distribution channels work together?
Experts predict that the staggering weight of insurance advertisements is set to grow. “There has been an explosion of spending by price comparison sites,” notes Debra Williams, managing director of Confused.com.
She points out that, in the past year alone, aggregators have expanded their share of media spend on insurance from 12% to one third.
With new entrants – notably Tesco – into the market, the trajectory will continue to rocket.
Williams says: “The overall volume of spend on car insurance advertising has been led by aggregators. Spending on television and press advertising in August 2007 hit a new record of £20m. But this isn’t the full picture as a lot of businesses pay for click-through and radio advertising.”
Williams says that insurers maintain a notable presence in television advertising, but there are few brokers. Rather than see the aggregators as the enemy, many brokers, such as the AA, rely on them for a large proportion of sales, she says.
“Price comparison sites opened the door to brokers to access the mass market that they were struggling to reach. They have been losing market share since the mid-80s – from 80% to 45%. Price comparison sites are an opportunity for them to grow their business.”
A recent entrant to the marketing war has been Gocompare.com, which launched a television campaign in March followed by advertising on London buses.
A Gocompare spokesman says the advertising and marketing budget is in the millions of pounds, varying from month to month.
He acknowledges that brokers generally have never had large marketing budgets. “We feed a huge amount of business to the broker market – more than half our sales go to brokers rather than direct writers.”
He added that direct writers have realised they get more leads through price comparison sites.
“Direct writers like Norwich Union and Admiral will pull back their television advertising in a few years’ time and let aggregators do the market spend,” the spokesman predicts.
Richard Mason, head of insurance at Moneysupermarket.com, agrees, and believes new aggregators will continue to enter an already crowded market.
“This will be at the expense of brokers, which are reducing their spending,” he predicts. They will be looking to transform into aggregators themselves, like the AA and Saga.
“It is inevitable that bigger brokers like Kwik-Fit and Screentrade will be looking to set up aggregators. Banks will follow in the footsteps of the Royal Bank of Scotland and Tesco,” he says.
One insurer upping the ante on advertising is Zurich, with its ‘Because change happenz’ television and print campaign.
A Zurich spokesman said the campaign was not prompted by the flurry of comparison website, but it was a fortuitous coincidence, nevertheless.
Not everyone agrees that brokers need to follow this example and plough their own resources into marketing – fighting back against the aggregators.
“As a broker do we need to invest in our brand position?” asks Tony Tyler, head of marketing at Jardine Lloyd Thompson.
“Brokers don’t need to make large marketing investments. The key is smart marketing in distinctive segments where we can truly differentiate and achieve returns on investment.
“Brokers don’t have a long way to catch up, as aggregators only have a short time span. There will be room for only a couple of aggregators in a few years’ time.”
For many brokers this will be a comforting prediction. But as aggregators pour millions of pounds into marketing, perhaps it is time for the traditional broker to consider doing the same.
Five top tips to get your business known
1. Make sure you have an up-to-date accessible website. Graeme Trudgill, technical director at Biba, advises personal lines brokers which have yet to develop a major brand to invest in web presence, as young people tend to shop online.
2. Contact your clients regularly â€“ not just at renewal time.
3. Emphasise your impartiality and service offering
4. Take advantage of your local nature: a local newspaper ad is cheaper and often more effective than a national campaign.
5. Build up customer loyalty through personal relationships â€“ you are not an anonymous voice in a call centre


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Three Key Themes to Emerge From Decoded Future Digital
On Tuesday, we hosted our first day-long virtual event: Decoded Future Digital. And what a day it was.
The insights, which came from our own trend intelligence specialists, and recognised industry experts from elsewhere, covered everything from the post-truth age to the untapped power of brands’ communities.
Here are three themes that really resonated:
3. A call to arms for corporations
“2020 could be the worst year we’ve lived through, or it could be the best year of our lives,” pondered Positive Luxury co-founder and CEO Diana Verde Nieto. Speaking during the Purpose Meets Profit: Covid-19 & The Emerging Value in Eco-Ethical Thinking panel, she said it would depend on whether we’re able to think objectively about what the future could look like, and the extent to which we can plan for it.
Extinction Rebellion spokesperson Rupert Read added meat to these bones by effectively issuing a call to arms for corporations. The future, he said in the Covid-19 & The Post-Truth Age panel, could be partly shaped by companies taking action in a way that falls firmly within the unprecedented bracket.
“People are used to corporations working in their self-interest,” he explained. “If they were to do something profoundly unexpected and say ‘We need economic packages in response to the coronavirus crisis that are more long term, and go beyond GDP,’ it would be huge. People would listen.
“It’s the right thing to do. They should make the case, including to their own shareholders, that this is acting in their self-interest. If your children don’t get to grow up, it’s bad for business.”
2. Seizing the potential of brands’ communities
“If you are true to yourself, then your community will trust you – and that’s how you build more followers,” said Andrea Di Filippo, co-founder of Pretty Little London, during the How to Maximise Social Media Influencers panel.
And when you actively work with your fans, you can tap into their artistry and imagination. In his State of Media presentation, Christian Ward, our head of Brand Engagement & Multimedia Strategy, said: “We need to fuel the democratisation of creativity, so every fan interaction should be a way to empower creativity.”
Hannah Fillis, Matches Fashion’s head of social & digital campaigns, built on this in the Why Social Media Should Be the Heartbeat of Your Omnichannel Strategy panel. “Including your community and making them part of your content means asking for feedback and listening to it,” she said. “It brings value to all of your other channels too – something that is relevant and different.”
1. Engaging Gen Z using 5G
“We remember 10% of what we read, but 50% of what we see and hear,” said Verizon Media’s 5G accelerator lead Alison Quinn during the Entering the Golden Age of Transmedia panel. “Brands should remember this, especially when engaging Gen Z. In stadiums, for example, there has always been a lack of connection. 5G will change this – imagine 70,000 people at a concert creating content in real-time, promoting your brand, and sharing it immediately.”
Andrew Atkinson, China Skinny’s senior marketing manager, spoke about the nuances of China’s Gen Zers in his Getting the Skinny on China chat with Saisangeeth Daswani, our head of Advisory – Fashion, Beauty & APAC. A generation in the world’s third-largest country, he said, typically spans just three years. Brands wishing to keep them engaged must prioritise mobile-first streams. “500 new products or services launch every day in China,” he said. “That’s why consumer groups segment with these micro-generational gaps. You really need to connect with them; it’s a challenge, but what an opportunity.”
A note on diversity
We can’t pretend Decoded Future Digital was perfect. The panels were not as inclusive as they should have been. They did not accurately recognise, reflect and celebrate the diversity of people who drive the creative industries. We should have done more to rectify this, and we’d like to take this opportunity to apologise. We’re sorry. We can do better. We will do better.
Among the immediate steps we’re taking is the establishment of an inclusivity group, which will be focused on education and culture change within the business, as well as assessing our event agendas. Watch this space for more.