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The Chinese smartphone maker ‘Oneplus’ has affirmed their next flagship smartphone Oneplus 6 as of late by realising its new promo video on their site. The trailer itself affirmed the name of the new flagship smartphone and company has additionally shared its some new key details.The organization has uncovered its key highlights on the site in their community discussion. Highlights have been uncovered by the OnePlus CEO Pete Lau by publishing a post in the discussion titled “Our Pursuit of Burdenless Speed”. In the post, Company’s CEO has likewise discussed the organization system and the sense of duty regarding fabricating gadget that offers adaptable, light and speedy experience.
From the post, the organization uncovered that this time the engine that will control the handset with new equipment choices -‘Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 combined with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of capacity. This is first time organization is including the new alternative of capacity in their lineup, so far Oneplus handset offers just up to 128 Gb.
Expected Launch Date:
The association has effectively affirmed its highlights and separated from that some more are reputed and leaked news. The organization has officially affirmed that it will be called OnePlus6 in light of the naming series. It can launch in the middle of May-June, rumored likewise been there that organization can wind up this time there a half year dispatch cycle. The organization, for the most part, dispatches their flagship smartphones before its standard June time allotment which is later followed up by overhaul flagship dispatches in November-December.
This time it getting supposed that is probably going to be costly Oneplus handset yet price has not affirmed but rather can cross Rs.40,000, which can check the expensive Oneplus smartphone in the market.
1.’Notch’ like iPhone X:
As of late a picture of oneplus 6 smartphone has been shared, the picture was shared by the Verge which plainly demonstrates the Notch-like iPhone X. This indent configuration was at that point been normal and later Google has likewise affirmed for the Cut-Out Display support in Android P beta version.OnePlus is also likely to use an AMOLED screen and the same as OnePlus 5T – FullHD+.
2. New back Panel Design:
As of late, a Smartphone tipster @evleaks posted a picture demonstrating the new back panel outline of OnePlus 6. The handset should highlight a squarish unique finger impression sensor, wooden outfitted outline and double back cameras put vertically at the center.
OnePlus 5T accompanied with 64GB and 128GB storage alternatives however with OnePlus 6, 256GB could end up one of the variations. All things considered, the most recent iPhones likewise accompany a similar storage alternative. The base storage option could be raised to 128GB.
With new flagship Smartphone, it is expecting that this time Oneplus will enhance and lessen the aperture size of both the camera(front&back). Oneplus 5T has 16 MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture and back camera has 16MP+20MP.
Along these lines, this time can bring down gap and Sony picture sensors which can be a knock on the handset and will bring better picture quality and possibly 960fps slow-mo video in HD resolution recording capacity.


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A number of concerns on the BBIN MVA, ranging from business to culture, will be submitted to the gov’t today
Transport: Truckers from across the country will present their views against the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) to the information and communications ministry today in the capital.
Implications on their businesses and livelihoods, social and security issues, impact on the environment, and subsidised fuel are some of the major concerns representatives will talk about in their campaign against the vehicle agreement that was signed last year.
After the agreement was signed in 2015, truckers and cabbies have regularly spoken to the media airing their grievances and concerns should the agreement come into effect. The issue was also raised during the last session of parliament.
While acknowledging that the initiative is good, representatives of the truckers committee based in Phuentsholing, said that they were not consulted before the agreement was signed.
“We will face many problems if this agreement is implemented,” representative Tshering Nidup said. “While it has direct impact to us within the country, it would affect the general population more.”
Should the BBIN MVA be implemented, commercial vehicles from India, Bangladesh, and Nepal would be allowed to ferry goods into the country. At present, foreign commercial vehicles are limited to around five kilometres away from the border areas such as Phuentsholing, Gelephu, Nganglam, Samtse, and Samdrupjongkhar. From there, the goods are transferred onto local trucks which then bring it into Bhutan.
Local commercial drivers say they could face various problems ferrying goods across the border on routes beyond Assam and Bengal. Bhutanese commercial trucks are currently allowed to travel in Assam and Bengal.
Problems such as syndicates, strikes, taxes, and security, may not allow them to smoothly ferry goods beyond the existing routes, truckers say.
Another problem local truckers fear is the uncertain risks they may have to face if they are involved in accidents on new and unknown routes.
“Even today, we are just transporting goods to other places within the country,” Tshering Nidup said. He pointed out that Bhutanese truckers use routes in Assam and Bengal only because there are no internal routes. “We can drive through but finding business in foreign land for us would be challenging.”
Local drivers fear they will lose business with foreign competition. They also pointed they would face difficulty in repaying loans made to purchase vehicles.
Another representative for the truckers, BB Tamang, explained that there would also be social and cultural impacts. “Crime rates can shoot up,” he said, adding that issues related to illegal substances may also increase. “Health related issues could also grow with too much external influences.”
Meanwhile, truckers and cabbies are also worried that too much vehicular movement inside the country would deteriorate roads and affect the pristine environment with pollution. The purpose of Gross National Happiness (GNH) based growth would also be defeated, BB Tamang said.
Overuse of subsidised fuel with increased vehicular movement is another concern that would be presented. Representatives from other business entities, including taxi drivers will also attend the discussion.
Rajesh Rai, Phuentsholing

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Volatility, Earnings & Interest Rates: Retail Investor Perspective
May 22, 2015 | Kendra Galante
The IMX, a behavior-based benchmark of Main Street investor positions and activity, dipped to a new two-year low in April as TD Ameritrade clients lowered their exposure to equity markets.
Chief Strategist JJ Kinahan explains that retail investors had gone into portfolio preservation mode as the market reached all-time highs. Many clients seemed to use April as an opportunity to take some profits and buying activity was targeted toward undervalued stocks and sectors that didn’t look as frothy.
The April IMX
- Reading: 4.63 (compared to 4.75 in March)
- Trend direction: Negative
- Trend length: 1 month
- Score relative to historic ranges: Middle
The Retail Investor Perspective
Volatility in the S&P 500 as measured by the VIX reached a year-to-date low in April, easing some global and macroeconomic fears. Long-time TD Ameritrade client Charles Frischer says volatility is not a primary concern for him:
“I like to look for good companies and make long-term investments. I don’t believe in focusing on volatility and only looking at the next month. I have a much longer-term outlook.”
Some positive earnings announcements and reduced concerns about an interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve seemed to help push the markets upward in April. Frischer says the eventual rise in interest rates doesn’t worry him too much:
“I stay focused more on the medium and long-term and don’t get so caught up with the next quarter point rate increase and whether it’s going to be in September, November or December. I believe folks who get caught up with what the Fed’s going to do are missing the boat. I think it’s best to stay focused on the companies.”
A popular net buy in April was Apple Inc. (AAPL), ahead of its earnings announcement and as news of Apple Watch orders came in. Frischer highlights a few reasons why Apple continues to be so appealing to many retail investors:
“I believe the earnings release was remarkable. I consider the Apple Watch, glitch or no glitch, to be a home run. I think the products are great, the execution is great, the software is wonderful, and people love the company. To me it really is an amazing American story.”
Overall, the downward movement in April’s IMX shows the continuing sophistication of the retail investor as they continue to strategically rotate their portfolios to lower beta positions and settle in for the long haul – despite what volatility, earnings and interest rate news comes their way.
For more information on the IMX, including historical data going back to December 2010, as well as a copy of the full report visit www.tdameritrade.com/IMX.


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PROSPECT PARK —Delaware Valley area residents who fear they may have contracted the COVID-19 virus but are not showing signs of illness can now be tested for free at the Rite Aid Pharmacy at 762 Chester Pike in Prospect Park. To be tested, subjects must be at least 18 years old and need to pre-register online at www.riteaid.com secure a scheduled time slot for. Residents should not go to or call the store without registering.
After registering, patients will arrive at the store drive-through for a self-swab nasal test overseen by Rite Aid pharmacists. To get the test, you are required to provide government-issued identification. Rite Aid operates 71 testing sites across 12 states through a public-private partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The company expects to be able to handle up to 10,000 tests a day.
"Rite Aid has been at the forefront of helping our nation scale up COVID-19 testing capabilities, and we're proud to announce the addition of 46 new testing sites," said Jim Peters, Rite Aid chief operating officer. "Opening testing to asymptomatic individuals, as well as providing more locations using our drive-through window, represent important milestones in our response to the pandemic. We remain grateful for the daily efforts and sacrifices of our front-line associates who make the continued expansion of our testing possible."
Staff at the Prospect Park store was not able to comment on the program but Chris Savarese, director of public relations for Rite Aid, said the firm has been seeing more people interested in the testing which began on Monday.
“We think it’s going well. We’re seeing more people coming to get tested now that we can test asymptomatic,” Savarese said. “We’re pleased, though its only been a couple of days we’ve had these locations open.”
Savarese was uncertain if a person could be retested in the future for free if they desired subsequent testing.
There are now 15 stores in Pennsylvania which offer the testing including: 524 N. Sixth St., Reading; 1856 N. Broad St., Lansdale; 7401 Ogonz Ave., Philadelphia.; and 6731 Woodland Ave., Philadelphia. A number of stores in New Jersey and Delaware offer testing also, including 3801 N. Market St., Wilmington. Not all Rite Aid stores offer testing.
Rite Aid testing locations operating through its stores' drive-through windows are open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Savarese said they are using a number of strategic partners to carry out the program. One is Verily, which is helping them with the scheduling. BioReference Laboratories is doing the actual lab testing and PWN Health is providing clinical oversight.
“We’re trying to get as many people tested as possible,” Savarese said. “The reason we are involved in this is to live our mission to keep the community we serve healthy. I think offering testing is a great way to do that.”
In addition to Rite Aid, Delaware County Council announced that ChesPenn, the federally qualified health center in Delaware County, will begin testing its patients and those who may not have a primary care physician in the near future. ChesPenn has two locations in the county - 125 E. Ninth St. in Chester and 5 S. State Road in Upper Darby. Both locations are being planned as testing sites. ChesPenn is a federally qualified health center that serves low income and medically underserved communities. More information on COVID-19 testing at the ChesPenn locations is expected to be released this week.
Delaware County is also announcing a mobile COVID-19 testing site. The mobile unit will be available in communities with the greatest need for testing. The county is determining locations and a schedule and expects to release the details this week.


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|British American Tobacco’s R.J. Reynolds subsidiary is promoting its Vuse vape brand on McLaren Racing’s Indianapolis 500 entry|
|Photo: McLaren Racing|
Once banished from motorsports, some major tobacco companies have quietly re-emerged as sponsors in recent months, promoting smoking alternatives such as vapor products and campaigns that highlight their move away from traditional cigarettes altogether writes Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal.
Companies such as R.J. Reynolds used to be among the biggest financial backers across the world’s most popular forms of racing, capitalizing on a lack of rules for tobacco promotion in those sports. However, federal law eventually forced tobacco companies to stop advertising, largely under terms of the Master Settlement Agreement that was passed in the U.S. in 1998.
But due to the rising popularity of new-age tobacco and vapor products, the decision by some major tobacco companies to launch brand campaigns about their bids to re-invent themselves, and the lack of ad restrictions around e-cigarettes, the category has grown significantly in motorsports over the past year.
For example, Philip Morris International’s Mission Winnow educational campaign — which promotes how the company eventually intends to stop selling cigarettes — is serving as title sponsor of Formula One team Scuderia Ferrari and MotoGP team Ducati. British American Tobacco has a major new deal with McLaren Racing that has both F1 and Indianapolis 500 assets.
The re-emergence of the tobacco category — albeit with new products and messages — has garnered the attention of the racing industry at large. That includes NASCAR, where tobacco companies have largely stayed away since Winston ended its 33-year Cup Series title sponsorship after the 2003 season.
“While it was a breath of fresh air to see NASCAR move from tobacco to technology when the Cup Series entitlement shifted from Winston to Nextel/Sprint, we live in a day and age where global motorsports need more sponsorships," said Brian Corcoran, chief engagement officer of Shamrock Sports & Entertainment and a former NASCAR executive during the changeover from Winston to Nextel in 2004. “It was inevitable to see motorsport governing bodies take the restrictor plate off such a valued category."
E-cigarettes and similar products have skyrocketed in popularity around the world in recent years, with brands such as Juul — which is partially owned by tobacco giant Altria — becoming household names. In the U.S., the number of middle school and high school youth who use such devices rose by 1.5 million from 2017 to 2018, to 3.6 million students, according to the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey. The global e-cigarette and vaping market is projected to reach $47 billion by 2025, according to a study by Grand View Research Inc.
That rising popularity is why some of the world’s largest tobacco companies foresee a future in which they eventually will stop selling regular cigarettes. PMI is spending heavily around the Mission Winnow campaign. While exact figures are not known, a title sponsorship at Ferrari typically costs in the low to mid eight figures annually.
Simon Dowding, a spokesperson for PMI, told Sports Business Journal that PMI only plans to promote its educational campaigns in motorsports and has no plans to promote specific products. “PMI has been very clear that Mission Winnow does not and will not promote or advertise any of our tobacco or e-cigarette products or brands, irrespective of what others are doing," Dowding wrote in an email.
That stands in contrast to BAT’s deal with McLaren. While BAT has been promoting its “A Better Tomorrow" educational campaign as part of its sponsorship that started this year, it has worked products into its on-car branding as well. In Bahrain earlier this season, BAT promoted its Vype vaping pens. Its subsidiary, R.J. Reynolds, is promoting its Vuse vape brand on McLaren’s Indy 500 entry. To comply with U.S. regulations, the Vuse branding on McLaren’s No. 66 Chevrolet includes a box on top of the logo that states: “Warning: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical."
A spokesperson for BAT told SBJ that it is re-emerging in motorsports marketing because, like PMI, the company intends to move away from selling regular cigarettes and wants to raise awareness both around that over-arching strategy and products that it claims provide reduced health risks.
“BAT is a very different business than when we were last involved in F1," the spokesperson said. “Our strategy now is centered around transforming tobacco and bringing together reduced-risk products to switch people away from cigarettes."
NASCAR, IndyCar and F1 all allow e-cigarette sponsorships with varying caveats. NASCAR started allowing such sponsorships a couple of years ago and does so only if the products comply with government regulations and contain no ingredients or substances banned under the NASCAR drug policy. There are no major e-cigarette deals in NASCAR currently, but multiple teams are shopping the category. IndyCar says it reviews each deal on a case-by-case basis to ensure it meets the series’ requirements.
The sponsorships by the tobacco companies have run into some issues, even though they aim to promote newer products and not old-fashioned cigarettes. During the F1 season opener earlier this year in Australia, regulators in that country did not allow any on-car branding from PMI’s deal with Ferrari or BAT’s deal with McLaren. PMI completely removed all branding from its car while BAT passed through its on-car branding to 7-Eleven, which is one of its key customers.
“Teams, tracks and governing bodies all benefit from developing and deploying a win-win policy that provides tobacco brands with valued visibility," Corcoran said, “so long as they provide education to the risks involved with the use of their products." Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal


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|Amazon warehouses are prioritizing groceries and household staples, slowing deliveries of discretionary goods.
Music Gear Back-Burnered As Amazon Pivots To Essential Goods
Amazon warehouses are currently accepting only groceries, medical supplies, and other essentials as consumers turn to home delivery during pandemic.
MUSIC INDUSTRY SUPPLIERS say orders from Amazon have essentially ceased as the mega-retailer focuses all fulfillment activity on "essential items." Amazon announced in mid-March that with millions of Americans homebound and looking to Amazon for groceries, medical supplies, and household staples, all other goods would be put on the back burner. As of now, Amazon is not accepting nonessential items—including musical instruments—into its warehouses. Fender, Roland, KMC, and Hal Leonard are among the suppliers that confirm they've felt the effects of the new policy.
A report in Wired stressed that this move would affect millions of third-party sellers and vendors who have come to rely on Amazon's warehouses to get their products to customers. For consumers, the report notes, the policy means readier access to items like soap and dog food—but likely shipping delays for discretionary goods. Wired does clarify that Amazon is still delivering nonessential products that are already stocked in its warehouses. It just won't accept replenishments from vendors and sellers for the time being.
Amazon accounts for 39%
of all online orders in the U.S.
Wired quotes this announcement on Amazon's official forum for sellers. “We are seeing increased online shopping, and as a result some products such as household staples and medical supplies are out of stock,” it reads. “With this in mind, we are temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so that we can more quickly receive, restock, and deliver these products to customers.”
In response to the coronavirus outbreak, Amazon was also set to hire an additional 100,000 workers in the U.S. to meet rising demand. Pay for all U.S., Canada, and U.K. Amazon employees was to be raised by at least $2 through the end of April. According to Wired, the company has also expanded its sick leave policy and set up a relief fund aiming to provide an initial $25 million to independent delivery drivers and seasonal workers affected by the pandemic.
Amazon accounts for 39% of all online orders in the U.S.


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AJ Baker & Sons turned 100 in May. For the Perth, Australia-based contractor specializing in refrigeration design, installation, servicing, and maintenance, it was a moment to reflect in its history, and look to future trends as a key supplier of natural refrigerant systems.
AJ Baker began celebrating its centenary on May 1, under the heading “100 Years Fresh.” The company is marking the occasion with a dedicated section of its website (see https:// bit.ly/3gqPRc1), as well as a book.
“We planned a large celebration in June 2020 and secured [Western Australia] Senator Michaelia Cash to open the cele-bration,” said Mike Baker, Managing Director at AJ Baker. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “this has been put on hold for now.”
So, to reflect the company’s achievements, AJ Baker has assembled resources such as photographs, pamphlets, and texts outlining its history. These are updated regularly on the company website.
The website builds on the work of Shannon Lovelady, a local historian, archivist and curator at the Museum of Perth.
Lovelady “arranged to digitize a gold mine of photos, letters and documented history discovered in the company archives,” said Mike Baker. “Shannon was so excited she proposed a book be written to ensure this history is not lost.” The book will be released later in 2020, he added.
From printing-house agent to NatRef supplier
AJ Baker was founded in 1920 by mercantile agent Albert John Baker. The business began as an agent for Frearsons, an Adelaide-based printing house, expanding later that decade to other products, including Avery Scales.
In 1931, AJ Baker became the sole Western Australian distributor for Amat-Ice Refrigerators, and sold its first refrigerator. The company subsequently branched out into refrigeration installation, installing its first supermarket system in Perth, in 1955.
Over the past 15 years, AJ Baker has experienced a period of significant expansion, from a one-state (Perth) business to one that is in all five mainland Australian states. The company now employs more than 240 people in six branches (two in Perth), making it one of the largest privately owned refrigeration contractor businesses in Australia.
In recent years, AJ Baker has been regularly supplying and installing natural refrigerant-based refrigeration systems. “We started with hydrocarbon freezers for the supply to a major international supermarket chain here in Australia,” said Mike Baker.
Its original hydrocarbon refrigeration supplier, AHT Cooling Systems, based in Rottenmann, Austria, has since been joined by other manufacturers like Epta and Criocabin. “The majority of European manufacturers are now moving to offering hydro-carbons as their base or standard refrigerant,” said Mike Baker.
AJ Baker also works with transcritical CO2 systems, installing its first system in April 2014. As of May 2020 the company had installed 27 transcritical systems for supermarkets.
According to Mike Baker, AJ Baker has installed seven transcritical CO2 systems for a major supermarket chain, as well as 20 systems in independently owned stores under the Independent Grocers of Australia (IGA).
AJ Baker prioritizes training for system efficiency and user safety, said Mike Baker.
For example, a new training center being established in Victoria will showcase a transcritical CO2 pack that Epta has custom-designed and built for training. The company has also recently partnered with the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) South Australia (SA) training academy to develop virtual-reality content for a hydrocarbon refrigerant training module.
AJ Baker began importing Epta’s Costan brand display cabinets in 1994, and is currently importing the Bonnet Neve brand. “We import display cabinets from four of their European factories, as well as their China and Thailand factories,” said Mike Baker. “This provides multiple supply chain, design and value proposition offerings, allowing us to tailor-make our offer to our customers.”
As well as importing cabinets, AJ Baker has worked with Epta in designing refrigeration packs since 2007, importing its first pack in 2008.
For Epta’s transcritical CO2 systems, prototype testing of design enhancements has led to improved energy efficiency, enabling the systems to be used “in harsh climates,” said Mike Baker.
“Our close collaboration has allowed for standard designs being implemented for our larger customers, tailoring design features to their requirements,” he said.
An inevitable trend
Mike Baker said that AJ Baker’s use of transcritical CO2 systems was part of a trend in Australia to “reduce and/or eliminate the need for HFC refrigerants.”
“The growth of natural refrigerants will be inevitable, given the market forces with lowering supply of HFCs into the future, plus the replacement of HFCs by equipment manufacturers,” he said.
Transcritical systems not only reduce GWP, but also offer improved energy savings and a “reduction in overall environmental impact.”
“It is the future – ‘old’ HFC gases are banned in Europe and market forces here in Australia will drive their price up dramatically in the future.”
Likewise, Mike Baker described hydrocarbons as the future of refrigeration for small integral units. “We will see hydrocarbon refrigerated units become the standard going forward,” he said. “They are more energy efficient as well as being quieter and environmentally friendly.”
This article originally appeared in Accelerate Magazine #110.
Want to find out more, or have something to say about this story? Join the ATMO Connect network to meet and engage with like-minded stakeholders in the clean cooling and natural refrigerant arena.


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By Dana Niland
The Grand Lucayan resort in Grand Bahama has announced the appointment of Juan Romero as its new Group Sales Manager.
Romero joins Grand Lucayan with an extensive background in marketing and sales, and will be focusing on the southeastern market and travel agent sales.
“Romero’s sales management expertise and his outstanding relationship-building skills make him the ideal candidate to enhance Grand Lucayan’s executive team,” said Tom Anderson, Chief Marketing Officer for the Grand Lucayan. “We believe that his passion for the hospitality industry and demonstrated commitment will help ensure that the property continues to stay top-of-mind for both our past and future customers.”
Prior to taking on the new role, Romero served as Special Project Manager and Sales Manager with Wyndham Hotels and Resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean.
“I am thrilled to be working at such an iconic Bahamian property,” Romero said. “Grand Lucayan is truly one-of-a-kind, offering outstanding service and some of the finest amenities in the Caribbean.”


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MN Malls Allowed to Re-open Monday
With the "Stay at Home" order set to expire Monday, many places will be re-opening. This also includes Minnesota Malls.
While Malls will be open, they will still only be allowed to be at 50 percent capacity. This is part of the executive order that Governor Walz put into place, which will require all customer facing businesses to create a safety plan for workers and customers.
This includes requirements that workers and customers must maintain physical distancing of 6 feet and that store occupancy must not exceed 50 percent of the normal occupant capacity as determined by the fire marshal.
In customer facing businesses that share common areas, such as malls, all Plans must similarly include a facility occupancy that must not exceed 50 percent of the normal occupant capacity as determined by the fire marshal and provide an enhanced sanitizing, cleaning, and disinfecting regimen consistent with Minnesota OSHA Standards and MDH and CDC Guidelines for those common areas. All Plans must also include signage in common areas to discourage gathering.
Hours of Malls will vary depending on ownership. MOA is scheduled to reopen June 1st.


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COMMERCE & Industry Minister Anand Sharma recently announced that the country would soon get a National Manufacturing Policy, adding that his ministry has cleared the Cabinet note on the proposed policy. While his statement shows his ministry’s concern for a sector which is the second largest in its share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and which has a huge employment potential, one doesn’t know a specific policy will help factory output.
The proposed policy has the objective of creating 100 million additional jobs and augmenting the share of manufacturing to 25 per cent of India’s GDP by 2025 from the present 15-16 per cent. It also favours the establishment of National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZs) with world-class facilities. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave in-principle approval to the manufacturing policy on June 9.
The government’s emphasis on manufacturing has not come a day too soon. The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) has been showing a lot of volatility in the recent times. It needs to be pointed out that manufacturing has about 80 per cent weight in the IIP; so, the IIP almost invariably reflects the changes in manufacturing.
In June 2011, it grew by 8.8 per cent, up from 7.4 per cent in June 2010. This pleasantly surprised the government; Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee found the figures “encouraging.” However, economists were less enthused. One reason was that the impressive June rise was primarily because of almost 38 per cent increase in capital goods which, by the way, have been showing even greater volatility over the months. Minus capital goods, the IIP rose just by 3.8 per cent.
Secondly, the rise was not reflective of the trend. In the previous two months, the show was not very good, as evident from the fact that in the first quarter of this fiscal, industrial growth was 6.8 per cent, down from 9.6 per cent in Q1 2010-11.
The milieus in India and the world do not augur very bright prospects for industry. Quite apart from the political crisis looming large, policy paralysis, and a hawkish Reserve Bank at home, there are the issues of fragile recovery in the developed world and uncertainty in the United States, the world’s biggest economy.
What policy interventions are needed is also quite well known. The Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12) document said that “the rates of indirect taxes in India remain among the highest in the world. Most industrial products are subject to Central Value-Added Tax (CENVAT) on the manufactured value, at an average of 16 per cent and a State VAT at a modal rate of 12.5 per cent of retail value (though there are a number of goods that are exempt from State VAT and some are subject to lower rates of tax). At present the incidence of CENVAT and State VAT together is about 23 per cent. In addition, States and local levels of government levy such taxes as octroi or entry tax, etc. The overall rate of indirect taxes compare unfavourably with those prevailing in Association of South-East Asian Nations countries, which are closer to 10 per cent–12 per cent.”
This is perhaps the most important issue for industry, but it cannot be addressed given the government’s precarious fiscal situation and its proclivity to launch more populist, revenue-guzzling schemes. The Plan document also talked about inadequate infrastructure, labour inflexibility, lack of skilled workforces, and paucity of raw materials.
Economic Survey (2010-11) also lamented about that the “slow rate of capacity addition in physical infrastructure sectors is constricting industrial sector growth. Capacity addition in core sectors and removal of infrastructure bottlenecks would spur industrial sector output in the medium to long term.”
The National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council had suggested a growth rate of at least 12-14 per cent for manufacturing, something which is in the realm of possibility if government policies are benign. In his opening remarks at the Planning Commission meeting, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh proposed 9 per cent growth rate for the economy during the Twelfth Five Year Plan. For this, the IIP has to expand by 9 per cent plus.
Fortunately, policy makers are not unaware of the measures that need to be taken to rejuvenate manufacturing. And, as per their own statement, they also want a National Manufacturing Policy. On the face of it, this is as simple as two plus two equaling four. A rational manufacturing policy can be simple but for the distortions added by Congress-style politics.


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Trigo, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based computer-vision company providing checkout-free systems to grocery retailers, raised $22m in Series A funding.
The round, which brought total funding raised to date to $29M, was led by growth fund Red Dot Capital with participation from existing investors Vertex Ventures Israel and Hetz Ventures.
The company intends to use the funds to scale the technology for large store sizes (currently at 2X the footprint of Amazon Go), and advance its partnerships with US and European grocery retailers.
Led by Michael Gabay, co-founder and CEO, Trigo has developed computer-vision system that uses advanced AI and algorithms to identify and record items grabbed by shoppers while they are in the store. The company’s 3D space-mapping technology can be retrofitted into existing stores and enables consumers to spend their shopping time simply picking up the items they need – not waiting in checkout lines and avoiding any kind of scanning activity altogether.
Shoppers can be billed automatically or may pay cash or card.
The system allows shoppers to personalize their in-store experience by giving them the option upon arriving at the store to either “opt in” by identifying themselves via a loyalty program, effectively allowing the retailer to gain insights on their purchases; or “opt out” by choosing not to check-in and having an “unidentified experience”.
Trigo is currently installed in stores as large as 5,000 square feet, the largest checkout-free stores in the world.
The company is already partnering with a number of global grocery chains including leading European chains and Israel’s largest grocer – Shufersal, which will be deploying the technology in 280 stores over the next 5 years.


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Dixons Carphone has fired back after McAfee in legal documents, after the American security vendor surprised it with a lawsuit earlier this month.
McAfee has sued Dixons after the British electronics chain stopped promoting its antivirus (AV) software for use with Windows 10S, a variant of the operating system that was originally targeted at educational establishments.
McAfee in its lawsuit alleged that in the 12 months from June 2018, a full 40 percent of its retail sales in the UK and Ireland came through Dixons, totalling £2.7m. It claimed a further £27.9m against Dixons in “lost sales and lost renewal fees” from “future gross revenue”.
But now according to the Register, which saw the legal findings from Dixons that alleged that not only was McAfee trying to promote AV onto devices it simply wouldn’t run on, but it also suggested that Dixons’ “Team Knowhow” staff manually install ‘numerous free apps (including Truekey and Web Advisor)’ on customers’ new hardware, while McAfee rushed to build something that would work with Windows 10S.
This was “not viable”, Dixons reportedly said in the court documents.
Windows 10S was launched back in 2017 and it is essentially a fully-fledged version of Windows 10 designed for low-cost computers as well as education-oriented PCs.
Dixons alleged that although both firms had been in talks since late 2018 about how ‘the lack of a McAfee Security Software product compatible with 10S’ meant that Dixons’ customers were ‘generally being denied the ability to purchase 10S products’ from it, McAfee only managed to develop a working AV suite for Windows 10S by June 2019.
Both parties are reportedly disputing the dates, and Dixons has alleged that its competitors at the same time were able to offer very competitive prices, as ‘they were able to take full advantage of a subsidy offered by Microsoft to hardware manufacturers selling hardware running 10S.’
The case continues.
After previously expressing its concern, the British Government now confirms a national security review of…


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Here’s my letter published in The Kansas CIty Star business section (April 16, 2013):
Keith Chrostowski’s recent Business Forum column titled “We want to buy cheap, be well paid” (March 12) reminded me of a story in The Little Brown Book of Anecdotes, a reference book edited by Clifton Fadiman.
An anecdote about Walter Reuther (1907-70), the labor leader who once headed the United Auto Workers and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), recounts his visit to an auto factory in Cleveland:
A young manager talked on an on about a new process they had for automating the line. It would be, he said, highly robotized, and it would work far more efficiently and cheaply than the current line…
“And tell me,” Reuther finally interrupted, “these wonderful new robots – will they go out and buy cars from your company?”


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Connecting state and local government leaders
Many local governments are eager to make the switch from gas and diesel. But costs and limited options for heavy-duty vehicles are among the issues they're running into.
While New York, Los Angeles, Denver and other big metropolitan governments are racing toward all-electric fleets, most cities—large and small—are replacing a gas- or diesel-fueled car or truck here and there as older models wear out. Still, a growing number of counties and cities have pledged to stop adding liquid-fueled vehicles by 2030 or 2035 so that through attrition, their full fleets will be electric by 2050.
“I would be hard-pressed to find a city that isn’t thinking about it or [doesn’t] already have an electric vehicle,” said Sarah Reed, a program manager with the Washington, D.C.-based Electrification Coalition, a nonprofit organization that helps local governments with technical and policy assistance as they transition their fleets to all electric. “This is where transportation is headed.”
Electric vehicles—or EVs—recharge while plugged into a charging station—or, in a pinch, a wall outlet—and require no gasoline. As a result, city- or county-owned electric sedans, pickups, refuse haulers, street sweepers, police cars, school buses and other vehicles emit no pollutants.
“The total cost of ownership of an electric vehicle is lower” than one that is gas or diesel fueled, communications director Julie Sutor, Reed’s colleague at the Electrification Council, said, noting that a vehicle that logs 200 miles a day could save a city up to $2,000 a year, depending on the cost of fuel in that area.
Still, the upfront cost to purchase an electric vehicle is about $10,000 steeper than a comparable gas-fueled model. The starting price of a Ford F-150 Lightning, a light-duty electric work truck, for example, is approximately $40,000, compared with about $30,000 for the gas-fueled Ford F-150. Those numbers nearly mirror the difference in price between Ford’s electric Silverado and the gas-powered Silverado.
That sticker shock could be keeping some local governments from plugging in, Ben Prochazka, executive director of the Electrification Coalition, admitted.
“Part of the challenge that might exist for a city is there is a capital expenditure budget and an operational expenditure budget” involved with converting to electric vehicles, he said. “EVs might cost more upfront for some of them, but over time, they will cost less. … But cities don’t have their budgets set up to deal with that difference where the total cost of operation is shifting.
Also, some fleet managers have complained that electric vehicle technology has lagged behind their eagerness to bring electric-powered heavy-duty trucks and equipment on board.
“We’re ready for more than what’s available,” Simi Barr, an energy analyst for Ann Arbor, Michigan, said. “2030, it’s a blink away. … It’s hard to answer where we’ll be in 2030 [because] it’s hard to say if the market will be able to keep up.”
For example, Barr said, the city would like to electrify its fleet of snowplows, but “the fleet team is uncertain about how electric vehicles are going to do in that category.”
In snowy Michigan, he said, the plows are huge and powerful and in use around the clock—with scarce time for charging—during winter storms. “How we use our plow trucks doesn’t translate perfectly” into Ann Arbor’s plans to fully electrify its 400-vehicle fleet, Barr said.
As a result, the city’s goal is to electrify 90% of its vehicles by 2050 with “the recognition that there are some really hard parts of our … heavy fleet to electrify.”
Still, Ann Arbor, whose city council passed an aggressive carbon-neutrality plan in 2020 and is expanding its electric vehicle fleet quicker than most cities, is experimenting with two electric refuse haulers. And it is seeking grants to help it buy street sweepers, lift trucks and bucket trucks. Next up could be fire engines, road pavers and excavators.
“We’re actively looking at what we can electrify every year when these assets become available,” Barr said.
In the meantime, he said, the city’s light fleet, including sedans driven by building inspectors and other employees, is approximately 20% electric. Ann Arbor has two electric police cruisers and four electric school buses. And all of its parking patrol vehicles are electric.
Zero-emission Fleet Vows
Likewise, Portland, Oregon, has vowed to purchase its last combustion engine no later than 2030 and to have a zero-emissions municipal fleet by 2050. So far, the city has purchased 195 electric vehicles, starting in 2011 with a Nissan Leaf, which came to market that year.
Alan Bates, the city’s fleet business operations manager, predicted “the technology will catch up and the cost will come down … in parity with fossil fuel” in the next five years, allowing Portland to eventually electrify its entire 2,600-vehicle fleet.
To prepare, the city struck a subscription-type deal with a vendor of charging stations so it pays monthly to plug in its cars and trucks rather than laying out the capital to build the stations itself. In turn, it uses its savings on fuel to help pay for charging, making it an operating cost rather than a capital expense.
Bates’ team used a $2.6 million grant from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to replace eight heavy-duty diesel trucks to “get the ball rolling so we can start to transition some of the heavier-polluting … trucks in our fleet,” he said. And inspectors, supervisors and other employees with government-issued cars are already driving electric vehicles.
“We’re building a process and laying the foundation right now,” Bates said.
That foundation, agreed Janelle London, co-executive director of Coltura, a Seattle-based clean transportation advocacy group, is key to transitioning liquid fuel-powered municipal fleets to electric vehicles.
A city’s first move should be to install charging stations so the electric vehicles have a place to fuel, London said.
Second, she noted, is the importance of strategically choosing which cars and trucks to convert first, aiming to rid the fleet of those that travel the most miles in a day and burn the most gasoline.
“Is an electric fire truck the best thing to invest in if the city has limited resources?” she asked. Sedans that employees drive every day and work trucks that are in constant use will save more money on fuel, she said.
“One good example of where most cities really could and should transition is in the parking enforcement,” he said. “The city of Portland has three-wheel scooters that run around and put tickets on cars. That’s … easy, low-hanging fruit for most cities. They’re not driving a ton of miles, they’re stop and go, they easily get enough charge every night to come back in the morning and run their routes.”
London also advised fleet managers to choose carefully when they buy electric vehicles so the new vehicles can perform the same functions as the ones they will replace.
And she said they should plan ahead for expansion of their electric vehicles inventory.
“If you’re going to dig up your parking lot to put in some EV charging,” she said, “then go ahead and put in the wiring and the capabilities for the entire fleet as opposed to digging up the parking lot more than one time.”
Even cities that are considering electric vehicles but don’t have them yet should buy at least one “and just demystify the process,” said Missy Stults, sustainability and innovations manager for the city of Ann Arbor, who noted that some municipal employees might be skeptical about the reliability of electric vehicles.
Still, she added, “The best time to be acting was yesterday and the next-best time is today.”


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Heineken's £403m Punch Taverns takeover gets green light after watchdog approves plans to sell off some of the 1,900 pubs
- Brewing giant's proposal to offload pubs in 33 areas across UK accepted by CMA
- Deal preserves competition and ensures drinkers don't lose out, says watchdog
- CMA drops plans for further investigation after antitrust concerns are addressed
Heineken’s £403million takeover of Punch Taverns has been given the thumbs up after the competition watchdog accepted plans to sell off some the almost 1,900 newly-acquired pubs to allay fears it could reduce competition.
The Dutch brewing giant’s proposal to offload pubs in 33 areas across the UK to address antitrust concerns was accepted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today, averting a possible further investigation.
The CMA said in June that the deal could impact competition, cut the range of beer and cider on offer and increase prices for drinkers in 33 location throughout the country.
Green light: Heineken’s £403million takeover of Punch Taverns has been given the thumbs up after the competition watchdog accepted plans to sell off some the almost 1,900 newly-acquired pubs
However, before the merger was referred for a further in-depth investigation, the companies were given the opportunity to offer proposals to meet these concerns.
The CMA said today: ‘Heineken has offered to sell pubs in each of the affected areas to preserve competition and ensure customers in these locations do not lose out.
‘The CMA is satisfied that its concerns have been addressed and has therefore decided that the merger will not be referred for an in-depth phase two investigation.’
The CMA added that the newly combined company’s pubs ‘would not face sufficient competition after the merger, which could lead to price increases or a deterioration in the quality of the service on offer’.
The CMA has previously said the 1,895 Punch pubs being snapped up by Heineken, which it will add to the 1,100 leased pubs it already owns across the UK, only account for four per cent of the market and are therefore ‘not a major route to market for brewers’.
Fears have previously been raised by Punch tenants that Heineken plans to force pubs to stock 85 per cent of its own brands, which include Amstel, Foster’s and Birra Moretti, resulting in pubs that all ‘look the same’ and serve the same beer.
Competition fears: The CMA said in June that the deal could impact competition, cut the range of beer and cider on offer and increase prices for drinkers in 33 location throughout the country
Heineken, which owns the Star Pubs and Bars business, agreed the deal to buy Punch Taverns with private equity firm Patron Capital last December, having fought off a rival bid from the pub chain's co-founder Alan McIntosh with a 180p-per-share offer, prior to the CMA launching its investigation a week later.
Under the deal, which makes Heineken the UK’s third largest pub group after Greene King and Enterprise Inns, Heineken will buy 1,895 pubs, while Patron will acquire 1,329.
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At a time when delivery services are growing more and more ubiquitous and retailers’ concerns with theft are coming to a head, one Walmart delivery customer experienced an order mishap at the convergence of the two.
In a video with over one million views and counting, TikTok user Andrew (@andrew_915) features a delivery gone very wrong, involving Polaroid Film and an unexpected guest—a security alarm still attached.
“1 star for my delivery driver,” Andrew cheekily wrote in the clip’s text overlay.
Imagine the anticipation of receiving a new batch of Polaroid Film, only to discover it’s accessorized with a security alarm, clinging on for dear life. The video showcases this peculiar predicament, with Andrew and an unseen accomplice navigating the murky waters of alarm removal.
“Cut it,” suggests the voice off-camera, to which Andrew, perhaps with a hint of skepticism, replies, “Yeah, I think it’s gonna go off.” Spoiler alert: it did go off, leading to a chorus of “Oh my Gods!” from the pair and stirring up a cacophony of opinions among viewers.
This delivery mishap struck a chord with the TikTok community, with many offering commiseration and others bringing more practical advice to the conversation.
One top commenter felt this situation was all too familiar. “We used to use their delivery a lot when my dad was sick/homebound. They kept dropping off stuff still in the locked plastic container,” they said.
Another provided a workaround: “Should’ve just cut the box open.”
A slew of others championed the use of a magnet to disarm the alarm, a trick allegedly from the Walmart insider’s playbook. One TikToker chipped in, “You can remove those with a magnet at the 2 indented points on the front that’s flat, I used to work at Walmart it’s how u remove them.”
1 star for my delivery driver♬ original sound – Andrew
Walmart delivery drivers, the unsung heroes of our pandemic era, earn between $17 and $23 per hour, with an average base salary hovering around $18. This compensation, while seemingly fair, is set against a backdrop of rising inflation rates, challenging the purchasing power of the average American worker. January’s unexpected inflation surge spelled trouble, not just for the Federal Reserve but for the everyday lives of those who rely on these wages to make ends meet. The need to stretch the dollar further compels workers to increase their workload, potentially leading to rushed deliveries and the sort of oversight seen in Andrew’s video.
While Andrew’s delivery mishap has provided the internet with some chuckles, it also is a tentpole reminder of the challenges faced by delivery drivers. Let’s face it: we’re all dependent on our modern delivery-dependent world, and thus, stories like these offer a unique lens through which to examine the behind-the-scenes struggles of those who hustle to bring convenience to our doorstep.
The point being, the next time you receive a delivery, maybe take a moment to appreciate the journey it’s been on—hopefully, without any unexpected alarms attached.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Walmart via email and Andrew via TikTok comment for further information.


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After Next, Nautica and Debenhams, Arvind Lifestyle Brands, a subsidiary of Arvind Ltd. one of the largest players in the apparel brand and retail space, is now set to bring global surfwear brand Billabong to India.
The company has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with the iconic surf lifestyle brand Billabong in India. Following this, Arvind will now market Billabong's products through open stand-alone stores as well as shop in shops in department stores and leading multibrand stores.
In turn, Billabong will leverage Arvind's significant expertise in building international brands in India to enhance its iconic status and presence in this important emerging market. All of which will help Arvind further its category leadership in the retail space through its truly robust multi-brand, multi-price and multi-channel strategy, the company stated in an official communique.
"We are delighted to sign a distribution agreement with Billabong, one of the world's largest surfwear brands with a turnover of $1.5 billion (roughly over Rs 8,000 crore). Billabong is strongly focused on youth and is ideal for the Indian market which has the largest youth demographic in the world," said J Suresh, MD and CEO, Arvind Brands and Retail.
According to Phil Nicole, general manager, Asia, Billabong, Arvind has a network of 730 stores and 650 shops in shop counters and is one of the largest branded apparel companies in India. "Arvind has licensing relationships with a number of international partners and has grown many international brands into market leaders in India. We are therefore convinced that we have found in Arvind a great partner for Billabong as we seek to further grow our Asian operations," said Nicole.
The distribution arrangement with Billabong will significantly enhance Arvind's already strong position in the high potential youth segment. Billabong is a celebrated and iconic global youth board sport and lifestyle brand, that will allow Arvind to cater to both men's and women in one of the fastest growing and exciting youth markets in the world.
On its part, Arvind is targeting revenues of Rs 5000 crore from its brands and retail businesses in the next five years by strongly leveraging its strengths in production, marketing and distribution. While Rs 3000 crore would come from growing the business organically at a CAGR of 20 per cent, the rest would come through acquisitions, new brands launches and JVs.
Meanwhile, the acquisition of the business operations of Debenhams, Next and Nautica is the first step in its inorganic growth strategy to cross the Rs 2000 crore revenue mark in the next five years.


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Despite the extremely crowded footwear and apparel markets, Skechers USA (NYSE:SKX) has competed remarkably well against sector giants such as Nike (NYSE:NKE) and adidas (OTCMKTS:ADDYY). Just as importantly, Skechers’ popularity has translated into strong market gains. In 2019, SKX stock skyrocketed, nearly doubling from its January opener. Still, some questions linger ahead of the company’s fourth quarter 2019 earnings results.
Skechers is scheduled to release its report after the closing bell on Feb. 6. With so much enthusiasm from last year’s market haul, you’d expect similar positive vibes heading into Q4. However, SKX stock of late has given off strangely poor signals. Since the opening volley of this year, shares are down nearly 11%. Adding to investor concerns, Nike and Adidas have also underwhelmed in January.
Another factor to consider is that Skechers typically produces solid earnings performances. But in calendar 2019, things have looked shaky. For instance, in both Q1 and Q3, the company missed earnings expectations.
Nevertheless, SKX stock enjoyed an upward trajectory because of an unexpected headwind: the prolonged and increasingly bitter U.S.-China trade war, which has only recently cooled. But because of Skechers’ strength in the international retail markets, investors gave the company the benefit of the doubt.
Now, the question is, will they extend the same courtesy to SKX stock over the coronavirus epidemic? In the latest news, the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency over the outbreak. Moreover, economists who predicted that China would see growth this year are now changing their tune.
Clearly, this is a very serious situation, and it has killed the appetite for retail brands levered to international sales.
In Isolation, SKX Stock Looks Good
To determine the best approach to SKX stock, I think it’s helpful to first analyze Skechers in isolation; that is, without considering the obvious headwind that the coronavirus imposes.
First, covering analysts expect earnings per share to come in at 39 cents. This is smack in the middle of individual estimates, which range between 37 cents and 41 cents. In the year-ago quarter, Skechers delivered EPS of 31 cents against a consensus target of 23 cents.
On the revenue front, analysts have a consensus estimate of $1.2 billion. This is essentially at the bottom of the forecast pile, which ranges from $1.2 billion to $1.3 billion. In Q4 2018, Skechers rang up $1.1 billion.
On paper, I’d expect Skechers to produce a solid earnings beat. Aside from a notable rough outing in 2016, the company generally performs well in Q4. For an organization that enjoys robust international demand, particularly in China, the last three months of 2019 couldn’t have been better. Relations between the U.S. and China noticeably thawed, setting the stage for the Phase one trade deal.
And it’s not just China. According to Skechers 10-K report in 2018, the footwear and apparel firm expanded in 2016 through 2018 all categories of their physical footprint: concept stores, factory outlets, and warehouse outlets. Obviously, there’s no need to do this if the overall demand didn’t justify the expansion.
As confirming evidence, in 2018, net sales from international wholesale numbered over $2 billion. This exceeded the domestic haul of $1.26 billion.
However, what makes SKX stock appealing is that the underlying company is no slouch here either. In 2018, Skechers was the fourth-most popular brand, behind only Nike, Adidas and New Balance.
Not Isolated from Global Events
Put another way, if we didn’t have the coronavirus, most analysts would probably peg SKX stock a “buy.” Skechers is a little dynamo that’s taking it to the big boys of Nike and Adidas. And it’s also more popular than apparel heavyweights like Puma (OTCMKTS:PUMSY) and Under Armour (NYSE:UA, NYSE:UAA).
Of course, the problem is that we do have the coronavirus. And this nasty bug is wreaking havoc in China and neighboring countries. Plus, with extensive modern transportation networks, the coronavirus has the potential to spread anywhere.
In fact, I’ve seen creepy images of major Chinese cities like Shanghai appear as if they were ghost towns. I know how dense Asian metropolises can be. Again, the situation is so bad that it will likely negatively impact China’s economic trajectory this year.
And if an entire country is going to feel the pain, you best believe that SKX stock risks volatility. Stay on the sidelines with the powder keg dry. Once health officials get a hold of this epidemic, then consider the bullish position.
As of this writing, Josh Enomoto did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.


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The effort of national football league owners to move past the contentious national anthem protests is understandable. Their business is football, Not politics, And football fans are deeply split over your choice of some players to kneel in protest during "The Star Spangled title, In a letter to owners where to buy cheap jerseys comment faire une fiche d arret a while back, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell voiced his requirement that all players should stand for the anthem, As well as his hope that 2018 nfl jersey sales a league meeting this week can offer an opportunity to "Move past this hot debates" And restore football's to be able to cheap jerseys china nba 2k9 cheats code gta v best cheap jerseys reddit politics kasich twitter "Bring people at once,
correspondingly, nfl jerseys wholesale scam websites searchers discography The fourth round has been good to the franchise in recent seasons, As cornerback Bashaud Breeland and slot recipient Jamison Crowder were early Day 3 picks. Safety Kyshoen nba basketball jerseys ukc forums beagles Jarrett was a sixth round pick last season and he forked out as a rookie, So if you were wondering about skipping today, Do so at any risk.
Washington had a way to put the nfl jersey stores baltimore md zoo events rental space game away late in the third quarter, Handed a drive start taking the 44. An obvious miscommunication between Cousins and Reed spoiled a potential touchdown nfl jersey sales ranked boost pokemon questions throw. Two runs later, They reebok nfl jersey size 50 sizing comparison between adidas hooked up. Cousins hit Reed over the center, And he dove in for his second score in the course of, which made it 37 14.


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🔍 In a market shift, Showmax surpasses Netflix, claiming a 40% share, while Netflix's grip slips to 35% in the African streaming landscape.
📈 Showmax's strategy of local content focus and a $1 billion investment pays off, attracting 1.8 million subscribers and experiencing significant YoY growth.
💻 Despite industry efforts to increase streaming adoption, Africa's pay-TV subscribers stood at 41 million in 2022, with streaming accounting for less than 10% of the base.
🌐 Netflix's entry into Africa in 2016 led to initial pressure on competitors, but slow market growth persists due to challenges like broadband costs and low income.
🎬 Netflix's strategy combines licensing local content with original productions, with a $175 million investment in six years, especially targeting South Africa, its largest market.
💳 Hindered by low card penetration, Netflix faces subscriber growth challenges, prompting the platform to reduce prices, resulting in a 6.8% growth in subscribers and a revenue spike exceeding $135 million in 2022.
🌍 As streaming competition evolves, Showmax's ascendancy reflects the dynamic landscape of Africa's burgeoning streaming industry.
Read more on TechCabal


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Ivanhoé Cambridge has sold a 50% stake in IDI Logistics, a US logistics business it recently acquired from Brookfield, to Oxford Properties.
The C$60bn (€39.72bn) property investment arm of Quebec’s sovereign fund, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, said it completed the acquisition of IDI Logistics in November last year and has now signed a joint venture partnership with Oxford Properties to invest in IDI Logistics.
Financial details were undisclosed.
The joint venture will own the operating and development company, a portfolio of 111 operating assets covering 31m square feet, 35 development projects covering 16m square feet and IDI’s landbank of 33 land parcels allowing for an additional build-out potential of 17m square feet.
Mario D. Morroni, the executive vice president in charge of North America industrial at Ivanhoé Cambridge, said: “This transaction perfectly illustrates our plan to capture the growth in demand for logistics globally, which includes a meaningful increase of our investments in that sector across four continents.
”In just over two years, we have grown our overall committed investments in the industrial and logistics sector from more than C$2B to more than C$9B.”
Kevin Egan, the head of New York and US investments at Oxford Properties, said: “This acquisition represents Oxford’s first logistics acquisition in the US, is complementary to our Canadian industrial portfolio and is consistent with our investment strategy to establish and grow a portfolio of best-in-class logistics assets across the globe.
“Furthermore, it highlights the evolution and growth of our US business which now actively invests and manages across the office, retail, multifamily, logistics and credit sectors with approximately US$15.1bn (€13.21bn) of assets under management.”
Oxford Properties is the real estate arm of Canadian pension fund OMERS.


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January 15, 2021
Silencer Central, America’s largest silencer dealer, can now deliver silencers directly to customers in the 42 states where silencers are legal. The shipping process has revolutionized the way silencers are sold and allows for customers to streamline their purchasing experience by cutting out unnecessary hurdles to silencer ownership.
“We run a highly regulated business,” said Brandon Maddox, CEO of Silencer Central. “We have to do everything by the book—100%. We’ve pioneered a system that allows Silencer Central to be the pinnacle of service for our customers. We handle every step of the process, from paperwork to barrel threading to the final delivery of your silencer—straight to your front door. The process has never been more efficient.”
In the early days, Silencer Central focused on direct sales at trade shows. As their reputation grew, the company sought a way to expedite silencer sales. Now with a customer base that spans across the country, customers can call in directly or buy online at SilencerCentral.com.
Once the order is placed, Silencer Central emails the customer forms and instructions for their completion. This simple process is completed with a digital signature. After the paperwork is complete, Silencer Central sends them an email with a copy of their paperwork and free NFA Gun Trust.
When the approved tax stamp comes back to Silencer Central, customers are sent a text and email with steps to arrange for delivery. The company can now deliver silencers directly to customers in 42 states, making this part of the process incredibly efficient.


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JPMorgan, Lehman Brothers and GE Capital Markets are providing the debt financing to back Vestar Capital Partners‘ US$1.45bn purchase of Unilever’s laundry businesses based in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Vestar is buying the assets through Huish Detergents, a detergent maker; the merged entity will be named Sun Products and have annual sales of more than US$2bn.
The deal reflects how the leveraged loan market is open for quality transactions. In that vein, Standard & Poor’s favoured the transaction, placing Huish’s Single B rating on review for possible upgrade.
The agency said the deal was likely to have the net effect of deleveraging Huish and providing greater financial stability by giving it additional brands and larger scale. Unilever’s businesses generated about US$1bn in revenues last year, in line with those of the whole of Huish.
The purchase price includes a US$1.075bn cash payment, US$375m face value of preferred shares and warrants for up to 2.5% of the new company.
This purchase has Vestar following the lead of many of its peer firms in using a portfolio company as a strategic buyer to make acquisitions in a market where the mere financial acquirer has lost its supremacy.
Oak Hill Capital, for example, is using portfolio company Local TV to buy eight television stations from News Corp. And in its capacity as a financial investor, Vestar bought out privately held Huish last year. Huish completed a US$975m credit facility through JPMorgan last year to fund the buyout.


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Brighton & Hove City Council is seeking approval to establish an official tourism advisory board to help shape the future of the city’s tourism strategy. The proposal will be presented to the Economic Development & Culture Committee on June 20.
Tourism provides an estimated economic benefit of £772 million to local businesses including hotels, restaurants and retailers as well as supporting over 18k jobs
Currently, VisitBrighton , is responsible for the city’s official tourism marketing with a small marketing and PR team working to promote the city as a unique destination to visitors.
The VisitBrighton website provides online information about events and facilitates accommodation bookings as well as promoting over 400 partner businesses. A demand for online information has seen traffic to the website increase rapidly in recent years and unique visitor numbers to the site regularly exceed 150,000 each month.
The introduction of an advisory board is seen as a step to involve local businesses and utilise their experience and expertise for the benefit of the city’s tourism economy. It is envisaged that board members would include a range of tourism stakeholders including figures from private companies, education establishments, tourism associations and local councillors.
The advisory board would be a conduit for businesses to formally channel their views to help shape current and future strategies for the city. Members would not be paid for their involvement and their role would be for the mutual benefit of the tourism industry as a whole and not for the promotion of their individual organisation.
Establishing a tourism advisory board was one of the recommendations suggested by independent consultants that were employed to explore how tourism is organised and supported in the city.
Brighton & Hove City Council’s head of tourism and leisure, Adam Bates, says:
“Tourism management has changed significantly in recent years and we’re facing challenging times. VisitBrighton already has strong relationships with hundreds of businesses in the city but we recognise the benefit of engaging more tourism stakeholders and giving a voice to those that have a vested interest in the tourism economy. We see the engagement of an advisory board as a positive step towards supporting the successful branding of Brighton & Hove and ensure its position as a leading UK tourist destination for years to come.”


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Swatch Group Nick Hayek has denied he will make any changes to the long-term strategy of the watch company despite announcing price rises across the Eurozone.
Hayek was questioned about the company’s direction in the face of the Swiss National Bank’s (SNB) recent decision to abandon a long-standing currency peg between the Euro and Swiss Franc by German newspaper SonntagsBlick at the weekend.
He was quoted as saying "absolutely nothing changes about our long-term, successful strategy".
Richemont-owned watch brands were exhibiting their 2015 novelties at luxury exhibition SIHH, in Geneva, the week after the decision was announced, with Cartier confirming five per cent price increases inside the Eurozone and Audemars Piguet chief executive officer Francois-Henry Bennahmias confirming his brand’s prices could only go in one direction.
He told reporters : “We cannot make a decision overnight obviously, we have to wait and see what’s going to happen, but, yes, at one point, we’ll have to adjust prices, one way or the other, in Europe, obviously, prices will go up."
Swatch Group followed with its own price rises late last week, announcing price increases for its luxury brands such as Breguet, Omega and Longines of between five and seven percent with some as high as 10 percent.
Hayek was less likely to increase price of its affordable high volume brands such as Tissot and Swatch.
The removal of the peg sent the value of the Franc soaring by 30 percent against the Euro initially before stabilising around parity. The SNB had been printing Swiss Francs to buy billions of Euros each month to maintain an exchange of 1.2 Swiss Francs to the Euro. But the process cost Switzerland 30billion Swiss Francs in December and was projected to have cost 100billion Swiss Francs in January alone. It is thought the system was viewed as unsustainable by the SNB.
The Swiss move was deemed a ‘tsunami’ for the Swiss economy by Hayek. Switzerland makes 60 percent of its exports, such as luxury watches, to the Eurozone, meaning prices would have to go up for consumers in Europe or Swiss exporters would have to absorb massive losses.
European Central Bank (ECB) chairman Mario Draghi only made things worse for the Swiss economy the following week, with its own stimulus package of Quantative Easing and European Bond buy backs. The measures caused the Euro to fall in value against world currencies, including the Swiss Franc, making the Eurozone more attractive to world economies.
German watch company Meistersinger may be based in Münster but its watches are produced in conjunction with Swiss manufacturers and suppliers. John van Steen, Meistersinger’s Head of International Sales, told WatchPro that the company was renegotiating prices with its Swiss suppliers to mitigate some of the increased costs to end consumers.


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Twin Rivers show accepting applications for artist venders
Published 7:01 am Sunday, October 16, 2016
MANKATO — The Twin Rivers Council for the Arts announces its participation in this year’s Shop Small Saturday event with its second annual Shop Small Artist Fair.
The Artist Fair, in conjunction with Shop Small Saturday, encourages holiday shoppers to “shop small” and “shop local” during the holiday season. The Shop Small Artist Fair will feature local community artists selling fine arts and handcrafted gifts. New this year, Twin Rivers will be hosting a Youth Artist Fair featuring youth ages 8 to 18 in a section of the Arts Guild. The event will take place at the Emy Frentz Arts Guild from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26.
The event is an opportunity for local artists, adult and youth, to promote their work, connect with the community, and gain monetary resources to continue their creative work.
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The event is also a means of promoting Twin Rivers Council for the Arts as a arts services organization helping to promote and support the growing arts community of Mankato.
Twin Rivers is accepting vendor applications for adult artists until Friday, Oct. 21 and youth artists ages 8-18 until Friday, Oct. 28.
Download the artist vendor applications at www.twinriversarts.org/call-for-entry/. For more information contact Noelle Lawton, firstname.lastname@example.org / 507-387-1008.


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Countries around the world have endured over a year of extreme uncertainty in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, and economies in the Caribbean have suffered more than most. But with the increasing availability of vaccines and prospects for a resumption of international travel, light is emerging at the end of the Pandemic tunnel. With this in mind, The Inter-American Development Bank Caribbean Department’s most recent Quarterly Bulletin reviews the latest available information regarding the crisis’ impacts on citizens, their economies, and key factors that will determine the speed and depth of recovery. As also discussed in previous editions, prospects for tourism-dependent economies will depend heavily on vaccine penetration and border normalization in source countries—particularly the United States and the United Kingdom—, while commodity-intensive economies could benefit from upward revisions to global demand growth estimates. All countries in the region can do much to support a rapid recovery through forward-looking policies aimed at ensuring they are well positioned to take advantage of post-Pandemic preferences with respect to travel and tourism, services trade, and investment. Our latest report considers these issues, what may lie ahead, and how countries can best position themselves for a recovery in 2021 and beyond.
Caribbean economies are the world’s most dependent on tourism…
A year ago, as the novel coronavirus spread, borders closed, and social distancing measures were implemented, our Caribbean economics team began trying to understand the potential economic and social implications for the region. Commodity-oriented economies began to suffer from the decline in prices, particularly oil and gas. But the most worrisome sector was tourism, and so the focus was on trying to understand how tourism-based economies would fare. Our early simulations of potential output losses seemed hard to fathom at the time, as they implied historic declines in GDP for many of our member countries. Unfortunately, as many of our worst fears materialized, we developed a new understanding of just how important the sector really is for Caribbean economies—see our updated Tourism Dependency Index, that ranks over 160 countries globally in terms of economic reliance on tourism for GDP, employment, and exports (Figure 1).
A year like no other…
The COVID-19 pandemic represents a new kind of economic shock for countries in the region. The human toll of the pandemic has been tragically high, and this has been its most significant implication. But the crisis has also affected key sectors of the region’s economies with a speed and persistence that few could have imagined only a year ago. One reflection of this has been the shock to real GDP growth in 2020, which represented the largest decline in most of our countries since 1975 (Figure 2).
Based on data assembled from various national sources, a breakdown is also now available for tourism arrivals to our three most tourism-dependent economies—The Bahamas, Barbados, and Jamaica (Figure 3). In this context, the first quarter of 2020 saw air and cruise ship arrivals at between 77 and 85 percent of their 2019 levels, followed by a precipitous contraction to near zero arrivals in the second quarter. By the third quarter, arrivals had improved to between 2 and 14 percent of their 2019 same-quarter levels, depending on the country. Overall, 2020 represented a contraction of international visitor arrivals of 76 percent for The Bahamas, 67 percent for Barbados and 69 percent for Jamaica (Figure 3).
Prospects for the future…
As we turn our attention from a devastating 2020, to increasingly bright prospects for the future, determining how quickly demand and conditions for travel will normalize will be crucially important. In this context, our research points to five key considerations that will drive the speed of individual countries’ recoveries:
- The evolution of the pandemic and the vaccine rollout. Clearly this is a key factor affecting people’s willingness to travel.
- Domestic tourism in key source markets. Domestic tourism lurks as a possible substitute for international travel.
- The economic environment in source markets. Here, economic stimulus, particularly in the United States, might help to support the recovery.
- Business tourism versus leisure tourism. In the past, business tourism recovered more gradually from shocks. The nature of the pandemic and boom in remote work might imply a longer lasting impact on this segment.
- Who are your source markets? Demand patterns are poised to change—perhaps dramatically—in the wake of the crisis, but much remains to be determined. These, and other hard-to-anticipate factors underscore the need for improved tourism intelligence systems, that can help governments and industry operators anticipate and adapt quickly to new preferences and behaviors, and to help guide policy design and investment allocation.
Along these lines, the latest available information regarding expectations for a return of international tourism to pre-pandemic levels suggests that it could still be years before we see a full rebound. On balance, only 15% of experts surveyed by the United Nations World Tourism Organization in late 2020 expected a full restoration of activity globally by end-2022, while a roughly equal proportion of pundits (about 40%) predict that a full normalization of the sector will only materialize by either end-2023 or end-2024 (Figure 4). As highlighted in our publication, the speed of this normalization in key Caribbean countries will depend on source countries and their progress with vaccine distribution, as well as the nature of the tourism product offering in each country, and how both disposable incomes and preferences of consumers in related segments evolve.
Countries can accelerate recovery by taking actions in key areas…
Our report considers factors that will drive economic recovery across the region, some of which are out of the control of Caribbean governments and businesses. Still, countries can do much to support a recovery through policies, investments, and other measures of their own. These include efforts to reinforce tourism intelligence, and to adapt their tourism product offerings to suit a post-pandemic world. Such efforts must also consider changing travel preferences of both traditional and new consumer segments. Within that context, our report details some specific priority areas:
- Safety strategies, with bio-protocols and reopening and closing plans, need to be closely monitored and adjusted to changing circumstances. Communication is key, and cross-country coordination can ensure a common approach and establish a common brand for safe Caribbean destinations.
- Strong market intelligence systems will be more important than ever. These systems should rely not only on traditional statistics, but also on real-time actual travel bookings and tourism expenditure data. Frequent consumer sentiment surveys can also be a useful guide.
- Innovation with respect to demand analysis, safety and security strategies, product distribution, carrying capacity, supply chain efficiencies, and destination management will be key. Innovation and adoption of communication and information technologies at all levels is no longer optional, and cannot be postponed. Adjusting the tourism product to new preferences may be necessary for Caribbean destinations to fully participate in a global recovery of the sector. Analysis of these and related issues will be the subject of future IDB research.
- Preserving and improving access to destinations (particularly via air connectivity) and strategically increasing access to accommodate potential demand growth are going to be very relevant going forward. Analyzing the main market segments of each destination and focusing on prioritizing accessibility for the destination’s main target markets, based on thorough market intelligence analyses, could make all the difference in terms of recovery.
Country Specific Chapters
The report also includes country-specific sections focused on the implications of the crisis for economic performance, as well as policy measures that have been announced and undertaken by governments in The Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the six sovereign member states of the OECS. In the report, our country economists review recent economic performance, policies, and risks to economies in the region
Olga Gomez Garcia is a development economist specialized in the travel and tourism sector. Currently she works as an Operations Lead Specialist in the Environment, Rural Development, and Disaster Risk Management Division of the Inter-American Development Bank
Henry Mooney serves as Economics Advisor with The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
David Rosenblatt is the Regional Economic Adviser for the Caribbean Country Department at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
Maria Alejandra Zegarra is part of the Caribbean Economics Team (CET), providing support in the creation of research products and coordinating some CET activities from the IDB’s head office.
To read the original post by the Inter-American Development Bank, please click here.


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Posted on March 16, 2013 by Teresa Cannata'
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a simple and wise saying, something which many creative minds try not to forget when it comes to repeating or improving their achievements. After five smashing seasons, the AMC show Mad Men is back. The premiere of the sixth season will be a special two-hour episode, which will be aired on April 7th, 2013. The creator Matthew Weiner will surely have many surprises in store for the show’s audience, but he will also try to stick to the “science fiction in the past” concept which has made it so successful.
The same attitude must have inspired the creative minds at Estee Lauder, the American make-up brand which teamed up with the show in 2012; the result was a beautiful mini-collection which included pressed powder and lipstick. This year, just before the Mad Men premiere, they have launched the spring 2013 collection, which includes blush, lipstick and nail varnish. Different tones of pink and a spectacular 60s-inspired packaging characterize all the products.
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Today, customers of Delta Air
Lines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will benefit through a reciprocal
interline electronic ticketing product. KLM joins a growing list of
carriers with whom Delta has an interline electronic ticketing agreement,
including Aeromexico, Air France, Alaska Air, American, ATA, Continental,
Hawaiian, Northwest, United and US Airways. “Working with KLM in this way further extends electronic ticketing
convenience to customers who travel on Delta and KLM in the same
itinerary,” said Pam Elledge, vice president - Delta Sales & Distribution.
“Further electronic ticketing enhancements ensure customers enjoy
worry-free and seamless travel on Delta and other carriers.” The Delta/KLM
interline electronic ticketing agreement represents Delta’s 11th such
relationship, and the airline plans to extend interline ET to additional
SkyTeam and other interline carriers throughout 2004 and 2005.
Electronic ticketing complements other ways passengers can speed through
the airport on flight day, including online check-in from home on
delta.com, speedy kiosks in airport lobbies and Delta Direct, and the
airline’s industry- leading phone bank waiting for customers in airport
lobbies and gate areas across the United States.


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Nokia in Corporate E-Mail Deal with MicrosoftBy Reuters | Print
Nokia and Microsoft will partner to expand Microsoft Exchange e-mail access to 80-million Nokia phones to compete against Blackberry-maker RIM. Is the iPhone the other target?
HELSINKI (Reuters) - Nokia Oyj (NOK1V.HE) said on Wednesday it has signed a deal with Microsoft (MSFT) to expand corporate e-mail access to 80 million Nokia phones as the world's top handset maker battles Blackberry-maker RIM (RIM.TO).
Nokia said it will enable access to Microsoft's Exchange ActiveSync e-mail from all Nokia phones using latest edition of S60 software, with around 80 million such phones sold so far.
"Nokia owners whose companies use Exchange can set up Mail for Exchange for free on their devices in various ways without paying additional services or subscription fees," Nokia said in a statement.
(Editing by Sue Thomas)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved


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Shark Tank star Mark Cuban has come up with a way to solve Twitter’s spam problem by using the meme cryptocurrency dogecoin (DOGE). Tesla and Spacex CEO Elon Musk agree that this is not a bad idea. Twitter recently accepted Musk’s buyout offer.
Elon Musk optimistic about Mark Cuban’s Dogecoin idea
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has discussed on Twitter how to solve the platform̵[ads1]7;s spambot problem. He has promised to solve the spam problem “or die while trying.” Twitter agreed to sell the company to Musk for around $ 44 billion last week.
A proposal came from US billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban. He is a star in the business reality TV series Shark Tank and the owner of the NBA team Dallas Mavericks.
In a tweet early Sunday morning, Cuban suggested that everyone post one dogecoin (DOGE) for unlimited posts on Twitter. If someone flags a post as spam and a human confirms that it is, that person gets the spammer’s DOGE. He further explained that spammers have to post 100 times more dogecoin. But if the post is not spam, the flagger loses his dogecoin.
At the time of writing, Cuban’s tweet has been liked more than 9K times. Dogecoin co-creator Billy Markus said, “I like this.” Musk replied, “Not a bad idea.”
Many dogecoin supporters think that Cuban’s proposal is a good idea, and note that it is very bullish for DOGE. However, some people are skeptical of its viability, and some question the demand to start paying for what is currently a free service, forcing people to use the meme cryptocurrency as security to prevent spamming.
Some raised the issue of unscrupulous users playing the system for profit. A Twitter user replied to the Cuban: “Neh. You did not think through this. How do you deal with dishonest actors who flag spam that is not, and people who confirm that it is spam just to get the “spammers'” dog coins? “
The Tesla boss has promised to make “significant improvements” on Twitter. He called crypto-garbage robots the “most annoying problem on Twitter.” Before the social media giant accepted his buyout offer, he said that if his Twitter bid succeeds, “he will defeat the spambots or die trying.”
Both Musk and Cuban have been pro-dogecoin. Musk is often called the Dogefather. In August last year, the two said that dogecoin is the “strongest” cryptocurrency for payments. Cuban’s NBA team, the Dallas Mavericks, accepts DOGE for goods, and the Shark Tank star has also encouraged people to enter crypto via dogecoin.
What do you think of Mark Cuban’s idea of using dogecoin to fight spam on Twitter? Let us know in the comments section below.
Photo credit: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or recommendation of products, services or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. Neither the Company nor the author is directly or indirectly liable for any damages or losses caused or alleged to have been caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on the content, goods or services mentioned in this article.


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Whisper it, but there’s a distinct note of cautious optimism in the digital advertising air.
Bluestripe Group and New Digital Age’s first Digital Advertising Industry Sentiment Tracker report and virtual round table shows that despite, or even perhaps because of, the havoc that COVID has caused, things are looking up.
Our event brought together TSB chief marketing officer Pete Markey, IAB COO Jane McNeill, Teads UK managing director Justin Taylor and PHD UK head of response and board director Lauren Ogúndèkó to debate the findings and discuss the industry’s new future.
Arguably the biggest take-out of both is the positivity with which the digital advertising and media industry is approaching the coming year, particularly when it comes to revenue. Despite a strong start to the first few weeks of the year, the outbreak drove record decline in overall UK marketing budgets in Q2, according to the IPA.
But our respondents are confident that the tide is turning, with nearly two-thirds expecting digital revenue growth over the next 12 months – and some 18% expect it to be up by 50% or more during that period.
How digital is leading marketing’s road to recovery
That’s certainly the feeling of Ogúndèkó: “We went through a really bumpy curve. When we started to see clients’ spend decline it got really worrying. You started to worry about your colleagues, teams and just the mental health aspect of things.”
When clients started spending again digital benefited with spend improving “quarter on quarter on quarter”, she says.
Recovery was coming in previously unexpected areas, adds Taylor, indicating just how quickly the landscape has changed, and continues to do so. He points to Reach PLC’s strong Q3 recovery, driven by the demand for digital and local news. The group is currently rolling out more local versions of its ‘Live’ digital platforms.
“As individuals we’re focusing much more on our local surroundings, and not just because we’re not working in cities or other environments that we’re commuting to,” he says. “We’re more aware of what’s around us, and the news is happening around us.”
The right time to be positive, despite stronger Covid rules?
Even with the threat of further waves and spikes, continuing local lockdowns and the fear of falling consumer spend, with “so much opportunity still out there, it is the right time for us to be positive”.
For Markey consumer demand never went away and he remains “cautiously optimistic”. “Certainly as we were all emerging from lockdown, it felt like there was more of a rhythm of trading coming back. Definitely within financial services, there’s demand for products,” he says.
“The opportunity and the challenge is just watching for and acting on the emerging consumer trends because as we’re all finding through the COVID situation, people’s finances have been impacted in lots of different ways. They are going to be quite disparate and different.”
There were those for whom finances were stretched and challenged because of furlough or redundancy, others because of lockdown and being home had more money in their account.
Fear, discombobulation – and a taste of what’s to come
There are also fears for certain parts of the industry and how the pandemic will affect the new and next generations.
“I feel discombobulated,” says McNeill. “I feel very positive for the digital advertising industry as a whole, which will continue to thrive, but I have concerns for some of the smaller players in the market who might not survive, and I don’t feel incredibly positive for the people who have just come into the industry.”
These topics will be explored in full in future articles of this series, as well as issues including how business and employee relationships have been affected, what leaders have learnt during lockdown, why diversity is a big challenge and opportunity and how the new world of work might look.
Overall, though, the mood is far better than we might have expected just six months ago. A snap Twitter poll that ran during the digital debate showed that 45% are feeling ‘quietly confident’ about Q4, 19% ‘pretty miserable’, and 36% with ‘no idea’. It’s going to be quite a ride.
To download the full Bluestripe Group and New Digital Age Q3 2020 Digital Advertising Industry Sentiment Tracker report click here. It features breakdowns of sentiment across varied areas of the industry and expert commentary from brand, agency, adtech, publishing and trade body leaders.


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Diesel engine technology has been around for a long time. It was originally introduced as a fuel that burns more efficiently than unleaded gasoline, which is true. The downside about diesel engines is that they tend to be slow off the line and burn dirtier than that of a regular gasoline engine. The Diesel trend really took off in Europe, with companies selling a very significant amount of diesel vehicles. Diesel engines have always been very prominent in Europe ever since their introduction. That did not correlate to sales in the United States though. Only recently has Diesel started trending in the U.S.
General Motors has taken initiative to begin offering a wider selection of trucks with Diesel engines. The technology within the diesel engines has improved tremendously as time has progressed. The engines now burn much cleaner. They are also now comparable to regular gasoline engines in regards to acceleration. General Motors plans to cash in on this updated technology. They will be offering around 2 times the amount of diesel engines in their trucks starting in 2015 than they did in the previous year.
This should prove to be a very smart move, as Americans are now growing onto the idea of Diesel engine being a prominent form of fuel in the United States.