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THE chances of another cut in the interest rate before the end of the year were looking more slender yesterday as official figures showed that the high-street shopping boom continued last month.
Shoppers shrugged off concerns about the economy to snap up clothing and footwear and push retail sales up by 0.6pc in July, said the Office for National Statistics.
The surge followed a flat month in June and meant sales volumes were 6pc above last year's levels.
The jump was broadly in line with city expectations and increases the likelihood that interest rates will be kept on hold in the short term.
The Bank of England's monetary policy committee will be concerned that another cut after this month's move to 5pc will fuel the spending spree and heighten inflationary pressure.
Yesterday's figures mean retail-sales volumes in the past quarter were up 1.5pc on the previous three months, in line with the trend so far this year.
The total value of sales in July was estimated at £16.7bn, 6.4pc above the same month last year.
July's volume growth was mostly down to strong sales in the non-food sector, in particular from textile, clothing and footwear stores.
Sales in this sector were up 11.8pc on last year, the highest growth since records began in 1986, the ONS said. Food stores recorded annual volume growth of 4.3pc, up from 4pc in June.
Yesterday's figures came a day after the ONS showed unemployment was continuing to fall despite the wave of recent job cuts in the manufacturing sector.
The minutes of the MPC's August meeting, also published on Wednesday, showed the nine-strong committee was split over cutting rates earlier this month.
The chief economist at City stockbroker Investec, Philip Shaw, said that both these factors, coupled with the retail data and the weakness of sterling, meant base rates were likely remain at 5pc for the rest of the year.


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At the end of this year’s first quarter CI Games, Poland-based developer of Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3, has reported a loss of almost 6 million PLN (1.6 million USD). That’s bad news for shareholders, especially since analysts expected the company would actually gain half a million PLN (about USD 134,000). CI Games’ revenue in the year’s first three months was also below expectations – PLN 3.3 million (USD 880,000) while the predictions were PLN 4.2 million (USD 1.12 million).
The reason for CI Games’ setback in Q1 2017 is the fact that the company launched a costly marketing campaign for Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3, whereas the game was released in 2017’s second quarter. However, the release of the title didn’t bring the anticipated upturn. Within the first month from the release of Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 the company’s shares dropped by 2/3.
That, on the other hand, was caused by the poor reception of Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3, a game the company and its investors put much hope in. Unfortunately, first reviews were mostly negative, leaving the game with an overall mediocre Metascore – the situation is not much better among Steam users. The game has been most often criticized for bad technical state as well as lackluster story and dialogues.
The two previous installments of the series got mixed reviews too. That, however, didn’t prevent them from selling quite well – the first two Sniper: Ghost Warriors reached the total of 6 million copies sold. The developer believes the third game will ultimately fare similarly and that the costly marketing will pay dividents.

domain: news


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A delegation of top executives from international food corporation PepsiCo has been visiting Israel to look for agricultural technologies, sources inform "Globes." The delegation, which landed early this week and ended yesterday, contained 25 senior representatives.
PepsiCo is looking for technologies in what is called precise agriculture all along its production chain, with an emphasis on potato growing. Among other things, it is interested in agricultural solutions that utilize drones, digital field management platforms, and smart use of fertilizers.
The delegation members were invited to meet with 50 companies and startups during the visit. They visited the Peres Peace Center; the Agricultural Research Organization of Israel (ARO), the Volcani Center; and the Hebrew University Faculty of Agriculture, and met with the Israel Innovation Authority in order to consider ways of cooperating and adopting Israeli technologies.
The delegation's visit was in the framework of a connection made through the Israel Economic and Trade Mission in Mexico, in cooperation with the Israel Export Institute.
PepsiCo, ranked as the world's third largest food and beverages company in 2018 by "Forbes," markets its products in virtually every country worldwide. In Israel, PepsiCo is identified with Pepsi Cola, but it also owns quite a few other popular brands, such as Doritos, Cheetos, and Quaker Oats, which are marketed in Israel in partnership with Strauss Group.
PepsiCo acquired Israeli company Sodastream, which sells home carbonated water system, in late 2018 for $3.2 billion.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on June 27, 2019
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2019


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- The majority of Sonoma County's vines went unscathed by the flames, as most of the grapes were already picked.
- Though the majority of the vines went unscathed by the flames, winemakers are questioning how tourists will react to an increasingly fire-prone region
- "The real damage from the fires isn't on the harvest, it's on the economy," said Rob McMillan, executive vice president and founder of Silicon Valley Bank's wine division. "People will choose not to come to the vineyards."
SONOMA, Calif. — As ash settles from the recent wildfires in one of the world's most recognizable wine regions, the battle-tested vintners now face another problem – discouraged tourists.
The wildfires in California's Sonoma County are among the largest and most intense in the state's history. Fortunately for the wineries, the fires came at the close of the harvest this year and most of the grapes were saved. But that might not matter so much.
"The real damage from the fires isn't on the harvest, it's on the economy," said Rob McMillan, executive vice president and founder of Silicon Valley Bank's wine division. "From a tourism standpoint, people will choose not to come to the vineyards."
The Kincade Fire, which ignited on October 23, scorched nearly 78,000 acres within Sonoma and raged for two weeks. Sonoma, the relaxed and straightforward sister to Napa, is home to more than 400 wineries with nearly 65,000 sun-kissed acres of grape vines.
Though the majority of Sonoma's tangled vines went unscathed by the flames, winemakers are questioning how tourists will react to an increasingly fire-prone region. The overall damage from the Kincade Fire could end up costing $10.6 billion, according to an estimate last month. However, it's not clear what kind of impact it might yet have on the wine tourism industry.
In 2018, California's 4,700 wineries drew nearly 24 million visitors, employed 325,000 people locally and generated nearly $58 billion for the state, according to figures from the Wine Institute. The Golden State also makes 81% of all U.S. wine, and is the world's fourth-biggest wine producer.
But for vintners, dealing with wildfires is becoming an unfortunate reality. Fires erupting in California will grow worse as climate change drives more extreme weather events across the country.
"The main impact is consumer perception of visiting California wine country and how it might not be the same," Gladys Horiuchi, director of media relations at the Wine Institute, wrote in an email. "The vast majority of California wine country is normal and open for business."
Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California, a nonprofit organization focused on tourism, said that only one winery burned out of the 825 wineries between Napa and Sonoma.
"It's hard for communities to go through this and certainly, there is a disruption but afterward, they're like, 'Okay we are open for business and we are back,'" Beteta said.
Global warming will lead to more wildfires across the country as hotter temperatures dangerously dry vegetation and set them on fire. After three straight record-breaking fires, winemakers are wondering how to adapt in a state primed to burn.
"Of course we have lost some revenue here, no one is coming out to visit the tasting rooms," said Michael Haney, executive director of Sonoma County Vintners. He added that the 2017 wildfires had a "definite impact" on wine tourism. The insurance industry expected to pay out $11.8 billion in claims to northern California fire victims for 2017 blazes.
"But one of the big things that we want to reiterate to everybody is that this most recent fire was a small section of Sonoma County," he said.
Stacked against the 17 separate fires in 2017, the Kincade Fire burned less than 380 structures and killed no one. But two years prior, the wildfires decimated the area, killing 22 people and destroying more than 5,600 structures.
Industry experts say that the real damage will be to tourism, and wineries must prepare for more wildfire events.
"When we're going through fire evacuations, the workers are impacted," said Silicon Valley Bank's McMillan. "They aren't there at the wineries to take care of hospitality, they're not at the hotels, restaurants or grocery stores."
Some wineries are purchasing more back-up generators and prioritizing disaster planning for their employees.
Pacific Gas & Electric, which has been blamed for in the last several years for some of California's most destructive fires, is implementing rolling blackouts over the next 10 years to protect dry landscapes from power lines that could overheat and spark the fires. This could pose a significant challenge to wineries and other businesses.
"When you have these fire events, it's a loss of tourism money, a loss of hotel money — it's substantial," McMillan said.
"From a PR standpoint, there's a fear over what it means when you have a wine country name in the media, and all you see is flames."
Emma Newburger contributed to this report from CNBC's global headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.


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South Korea's exports rose 11.2 percent in January from a year earlier on brisk overseas sales of semiconductors and petrochemicals, the government said Wednesday.
Outbound shipments came to US$40.3 billion last month, up from $36.2 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
It is the first time in four years since January 2013 that the nation's exports have posted a double-digit growth. For the first time in two years and nine months since April 2014, the monthly export volume also expanded for three months in a row.
Imports expanded 18.6 percent on-year to $37.1 billion in January.
January's trade surplus came to $3.2 billion, marking the 60th consecutive month of a surplus. (Yonhap)


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The urban crossover vehicle is the latest automaker buzz platform. We've seen, in recent weeks, fresh ideas from Lada and Nissan, and now Peugeot has unveiled images of its 2008 Concept. Set for full reveal during the Paris Motor Show, the 2008 Concept has the small headlights and floating grille associated with Peugeot and looks set to battle the popular Nissan Juke for buyer affection across global markets. That bold neon coloring doesn't hurt in attracting immediate attention either.
[via Left Lane News]


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Granblue Fantasy Versus Gets New Trailer
CyGames and Arc System Works have released a new trailer for their fighter Granblue Fantasy Versus that takes a closer look at the combat and the fighter Lowain.
You can view it below:
Granblue Fantasy Versus is set in the world of the RPG Granblue Fantasy, and features characters like Gran, Katalina, Charlotta, Lancelot, and Ferry. Gameplay has been designed to appeal to fans of fighters and this series.
The game will come out in 2019 for the PlayStation 4.
Square Enix today released an exciting new trailer for the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Remake, offering fans a deeper insight into the ever-growing conflict between Shinra Electric Power Company and
Red Dead Online players can now jump in and explore an array of exciting new content with the release of the highly anticipated Frontier Pursuits update. Featuring three brand new progression paths
Project Resistance is a new Resident Evil project that seems to be taking a co-op approach. While we didn’t get much in the way of details, the new trailer did show off what to expect from the
Square Enix today announced further details for the upcoming launch of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition including a release date, information on online multiplayer, and the


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Google Chrome's built-in ad blocker is going global this summer.Starting on July 9, "Chrome will expand its user protections and stop showing all ads on sites in any country that repeatedly display[s] … disruptive ads," Chrome Senior Director of Product Ben Galbraith wrote in a Wednesday blog post.
Consumers hate ads. Why? Ads are often irrelevant, boring and annoying. This ad-hate wouldn’t be a problem but for the fact that ads pay for mostly everything we watch, listen to, read and otherwise enjoy. Read More
Apple wants your best iPhone shots, but it won't pay you if it ends up using them. On Tuesday, the company announced a photo contest that asks iPhone users to "submit their best shots." "The winning photos will be featured on billboards in select cities, Apple retail stores and online,
If you're going to make a birthday cake for your partner — even if said partner doesn't want anything for their birthday — then you might as well get some internet points for it.And if there's one surefire way to get internet points, it's with some variation of the surprised Pikachu meme.SEE ALSO:
The temperature has dropped, in case you hadn't noticed. The cloud of breath forming in front of your face, the aching fingers, and the crowded public transport are all excellent signs that it's cold outside.Sometimes the cold creeps inside, and however many layers you've squeezed into,
In Binged, Mashable breaks down why we binge media, and what it does to us.Tolkien is in. Again.John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, war veteran and Oxford medieval language professor who died more than 45 years ago,
When the final episode of Game of Thrones airs, it's likely people will be sitting on the edge of their seats, with tears streaming down their face, and a growing sense of emptiness inside from knowing that this beloved show is over forever. But, if you're an actual Game of Thrones cast member,
The anti-abortion March for Life and the Indigenous Peoples March both took place on January 18, but all anyone remembers from either is a confrontation between a white, male teen and a Native American elder — and the viral videos that resulted. Footage shows a group of predominately white,
Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Stephen Curry is, in fact, human. He makes mistakes just like the rest of us.On Monday night's episode of The Late Late Show, the Warriors' star shooter was asked to explain his infamous slip from Monday night's game against the Los Angele Lakers.
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is on the receiving end of a lawsuit from the owners of "Choose Your Own Adventure" books.Chooseco, LLC trademarked "Choose Your Own Adventure" in the 1980s and has sold hundreds of millions of books using the branding ever since. According to The Hollywood Reporter,
The ice man cometh and the ice man falleth. An icicle removal in Saratov, Russia recently took a turn for the worst, resulting in structural damage, and a pretty dangerous situation. Luckily, nobody was hurt. Sometimes we just have to let things slide.
With the start of the weekend, we've rounded up the best deals on 4K smart TVs from Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. If you're looking to pick up a new 4K TV from top brands like Sony, LG, Samsung, VIZIO, and more, now is your chance to get something great and save a lot of money.
2014-05-31 BaoXinjian一、摘要R12 Form 或者其他二次开发时，很多情况下会涉及R12 MOAC多组织开发，以下介绍了4个常见的应用，如有遗漏还请学友继续补充1. 开发时打开Form自动弹出组织选择实现方式(增加Choose ORG功能)2.
Sometimes you don't need striking imagery to make a great music video. You just need David Bowie and the camera of a documentarist like D. A. Pennebaker, who filmed Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture. This scene in particular is one of the best medleys in the history of rock 'n' roll.Read more...
Although it was widely believed that Google's next-generation Nexus devices would be the first to get Android 5.0 Lollipop software, it appears LG's lineup will be getting the upgrade starting this week.
It takes a lot to make a diamond burn — but it can be done. Watch these people prank a Nobel Prize winner, while demonstrating that diamonds are made of carbon and can burn like carbon.Read more...
Zipcar looks like it is boosting the enterprise side of its car sharing business after it acquired Local Motion, a five-year old fleet management startup, in an undisclosed deal. Read More
In the future, all currencies will be crypto. And you’ll need someone to manage all that crypto cash. That’s what CoinCube is trying to do: a way to manage cryptocurrency investments intelligently. Created by Robert Allen, Eric Kittell, Jibben Nee and Giovanni Meacci,


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Virgin Galactic moving space tourism operations to Spaceport America
British billionaire Richard Branson said Friday his Virgin Galactic space tourism venture has finally progressed enough to move flight operations from California to a taxpayer-financed facility in the Southern New Mexico desert.
More than 13 years ago, the colorful founder of the Virgin Group stood on a stage at Santa Fe’s Eldorado Hotel with then-Gov. Bill Richardson to announce plans for the first purpose-built commercial spacecraft launch and landing facility, where Virgin Galactic would base a bold new addition to the adventure travel industry.
Though Virgin Galactic at that point already had begun selling tickets for the planned 2½-hour flights, it still hasn’t sent any paying customers aloft from Spaceport America, which the state built on 18,000 acres south of Truth or Consequences at a cost of $218.5 million.
But on Friday, Branson was back in Santa Fe at a state Capitol news conference with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and U.S. Sen. Tom Udall to announce his company’s development and testing program has reached a point where Virgin Galactic is moving more than 100 workers and its sleek passenger rocket from California to New Mexico.
“New Mexico built a world-first, world-class spaceport,” Branson told the gathering in the Capitol Rotunda. “That is why I could not be more excited to announce that we’re now finally ready to bring you a world-class space line. Virgin Galactic is coming to New Mexico, and it’s coming home now.”
Branson said the move will begin immediately and continue through the summer.
Virgin Galactic already has about 50 employees at its Spaceport America headquarters. While Branson’s company is the anchor tenant at the spaceport, other aviation companies including UP Aerospace Inc. have conducted launches there.
Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides said at Friday’s event the company has not yet completed all of its necessary test flights, but commercial flights should begin in less than two years, possibly within a year.
“This is the final stretch of our test flight program,” Whitesides said of plans to begin flights in New Mexico.
Virgin Galactic’s development of space vehicles, which it will continue to manufacture in Mojave, Calif., suffered a major setback when its first experimental craft broke apart during a 2014 test flight, killing the co-pilot.
Hundreds of potential customers have committed as much as $250,000 upfront for rides in Virgin’s winged, six-passenger rocket, which does not launch from the ground. A Virgin Galactic news release said the spaceship VSS Unity is carried under a special plane to an altitude of about 50,000 feet before detaching and igniting its rocket engine.
“How cool is this?” an enthusiastic Lujan Grisham said. “Virgin Galactic’s announcement today is an incredibly exciting development for both our state’s economic future and the future of aerospace in general.”
Udall hailed Branson as a “risk-taker.” The New Mexico senator surprised many when he praised the entrepreneur who started Virgin as a music store chain and record label for “the risk you took on The Sex Pistols,” a pioneering punk-rock band.
The mood at Friday’s event was about as giddy as that December 2005 spaceport announcement at the Eldorado, in which Branson said Virgin Galactic would send 50,000 customers into space in the first 10 years of operation, and where actress Victoria Principal, a star of the 1980s TV drama Dallas, said she’d be on the first civilian flight of Virgin Galactic.
A Friday news release said 600 people from more than 50 countries have reserved seats once space tourism becomes a reality. While the price for a flight was $200,000 in 2005, a February article in National Geographic reported the current fare is $250,000.
Branson on Friday thanked New Mexico for its patience.
Since the October 2014 test flight that ended in disaster, the company has conducted successful test flights.
One of the speakers at the Capitol on Friday was Beth Moses, Virgin Galactic’s chief astronaut trainer. In February she was one of three people aboard a launch to the edge of space.
Rocketing into suborbital flight before gradually descending back to Earth, she said, is an experience that “just takes your breath away.”
“Everything is silent and still, and you can unstrap and float about the cabin,” Moses said. “Pictures do not do the view from space justice.”
Space sector analyst Adam Jonas, a managing director of equity research at Morgan Stanley, told the Associated Press that Branson’s venture could have an outsize impact in the age of social media on how the public visualizes space as a domain for scientific and commercial exploration.
“You bring them back to Earth and they explain what they saw — that’s a story, put through the velocity of social media, people want to hear,” he said. “Sometimes you need some distance to gain a perspective, seeing the Earth from space, seeing how thin that layer of atmosphere is that protects us.”
Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos announced Thursday that his space company, Blue Origin, will send a robotic spaceship to the moon with aspirations for another ship that could bring people there along the same time frame as NASA’s proposed 2024 return. Bezos has provided no details about launch dates.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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Selfridges boss’s radical plan for retail: Charity stores can help save high streets… and reduce waste
- Anne Pitcher describes thrift stores as ‘hyperlocal’ and with ‘super circularity’
- Her goal is for Selfridges and charities to work together to ensure more products are reused or recycled
- Selfridges brand and marketing expertise can help inspire charities
Upscale department stores and charity shops may seem like unlikely bedfellows. Some of us might even reasonably take the endless proliferation of charity shops in the area as a sign that our high street has taken a bad turn.
But Selfridges CEO Anne Pitcher says it’s time to think again. Charity shops, she stresses, would be about to play a crucial role in helping city centers — battered by the rise of online shopping and, more recently, the pandemic — back from the brink.
The target? Working together to ensure more products are reused or recycled – not thrown away.
Inspired: Selfridges’ boss Anne Pitcher met charity leaders
“This isn’t optional,” says Pitcher, a lifelong retailer who has risen through the ranks to lead one of the most impressive retail companies in the world.
‘This stems from consumer demand. Consumers are going to make their own choices and we have seen them make those choices in recent years.
“We’re all looking for ways to bring a circular model into our businesses — recycle, resell, repair — and remember, charities have been doing that for years.”
To push the point home, Pitcher met with charity shop bosses on Friday afternoon to make a call to action that the two opposite ends of the high street should work more closely together.
Selfridges, she notes, has already cleared space for projects that would allow charity shops to operate in their stores – most recently with Oxfam.
“At Selfridges Group, we want to be part of the solution,” she told the audience.
‘Why don’t we constantly work together? We need to work together and learn from each other to reduce waste, increase circularity, bring you online and take us to local communities. There is so much potential here for us to reinvent retail together.’
There is the potential to reinvent retail
She describes charity shops – impressive for raising hundreds of millions for charities – as “hyperlocal” and “super circular” because of their ability to find homes for things many think no one wants.
Selfridges can leverage its skilled branding and marketing expertise to inspire charities to rejuvenate their approach and develop a more curated approach to share classes.
The fashion press is already busy with shoppers’ consciences. Elle recently reported that ‘if everyone in the UK didn’t buy new clothes for a day, the emissions would be equivalent to driving a car around the world 8640 times’.
Selfridges has already cleared space for projects that would allow charity shops to operate in its stores – most recently with Oxfam
Fast-growing commercial companies have jumped on the theme. Websites that offer second-hand products are not new, but trendy online companies such as Thrift.Plus make it more attractive to buy other people’s fashion items.
Others, including Rent The Runway and Hirestreet, have fashion buffs pack the best clothes for that special occasion—then send them back for someone else to try on.
Pitcher, who launched Project Earth last year to “integrate” sustainability into the business, says she doesn’t “have all the answers.” But a deep dive between the two industries is needed to develop closer ties and practical solutions.
“We have to start somewhere and that’s here somewhere,” she says. “We need to embrace new ways of thinking. It’s not necessarily easy, but it’s important to be curious about it – it’s very challenging. And very exciting by the way.’
Products should have more value in the future
Add to that the fact that the tide seems to be turning against the fashion industry – hardly a standard bearer for sustainability with 3.5 tons of clothing every five minutes in the UK alone.
She says that chains should be transparent. “In 2004 we banned fur – we made it part of our DNA. We have signed the Fashion Pact [at the G7 in 2019] and now Cop26 is coming.’
But while Selfridges products may have a life after the first few wears, what about cheap, fast fashion? Some of them also polish their “sustainability” credentials, while some of their products barely last the first night out. ‘I think products will have to have more value in the future. They will need to be worn more than once and we need to understand what that means for customer behaviour.
‘What happens is people say, ‘Yeah right, sustainability’ – in a way that says they don’t trust you [when firms make claims they cannot substantiate]. There will have to be much more regulation around claims that companies make. I think customers are very aware of whether a retailer’s claim falls within the corporate culture. This must contain authenticity and integrity. Anyway, I think the consumer decides for us.’
The owners of Selfridges are currently in talks over a potential £4bn sale – Pitcher cannot comment as the process has been wrapped up in secret. But whatever happens, it is unlikely to be one of the losers when the impact of the pandemic wears off.
Other retailers, already in the turmoil, may struggle to meet changing consumer demands.
“It has been the most difficult 18 months for many companies. It came really quickly and it really knocked those companies that might not be in the best shape to get in.”
But she adds there is a “cautious optimism” about the new season and ahead of Christmas, with parts of London looking busier last week than in 18 months.
‘People are happy to go back to work, customers like to come back to the stores.’
Anne Pitcher, 65: A shop girl at heart
Career: Started as a ‘shop girl’ at age 16: ‘That’s a core part of who I am.’ Promoted to group director three years ago.
Fashion after the lockdown: After ditching high heels for the past 18 months, Pitcher says shoppers will be swapping flat-soled shoes for something more glamorous. “People dress up. There is a renewed demand for evening wear and party wear.’
Christmas must-haves: The hurdles are expected to be great. ‘There is a lot of interest in nutrition and health and the way we live at home. And of course we all wear face coverings, so we’d like to start wearing makeup again.”


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| ||From Ocean Navigator #139 |
The New York-based yacht-design firm Sparkman & Stephens celebrates 75 years of business this summer. As part of the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta, which is held each year on Penobscot Bay on the Maine coast, S&S announced that its Downeast Rendezvous will be a celebration of the company’s varied heritage. Events include a symposium featuring some of the world’s most respected yacht designers, displays of vintage and modern designs, a traditional lobster and clambake, and several races.
The Rendezvous runs from Tuesday, Aug. 3 to Saturday, Aug. 7. Numerous designers will appear, including German Frers, Bruce Johnson (now president of S&S), Bruce King, Roger Marshall, Greg Matzat, Chuck Paine, David Pedrick, Doug Peterson, Bob Stephens, and Craig Walters.
For more information, contact David Bicks at 207-326-8607 or firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Photo Credit: Splash News Online
We first featured Nicole Minetti
as part of our "Who The Hell Is This
" category, so make sure you check those photos here
. The 26-year-old Italian model was on the runway at the Parah
Spring/Summer 2013 fashion show as part of Milan Womenswear Fashion Week
going down right now in Italy.


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MCV has been signed up as the official media partner for this year’s Leipzig Games Convention.
A special print edition of MCV will be published on Friday, August 15th fully previewing the Leipzig event and boasting extra circulation in numerous areas around the show – including the GC Business Center and its new Marketplace area.
MCV, published by Intent Media, will also have representatives attending the show via a booth within the Marketplace (hall 1, booth no. J40/1).
"This is the closest MCV has worked with GC – Games Convention. It is a powerful partnership, which has focused on bringing the wider European trade together under one roof for a few days in August, networking and doing real business," said MCV publisher Stuart Dinsey.
Peggy Schnbeck, Project Director of GC – Games Convention added:
"We are delighted to have tied this wide-ranging partnership with MCV: The Market for Computer & Video Games. Games Convention is a pan-European event, attracting many visitors from the international business community. Working with a market leader like MCV online and print is helping us to further raise the profile of our event and add value for our exhibitors."
MCV has been aiding GC – Games Convention’s registration programme and pre-promotion via online and print for several weeks.
Companies wishing to participate in the special GC – Games Convention edition of MCV should contact managing editor: email@example.com


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Note the next daily FX strategy and also Markets Now FX and Money will be on published on 4th January, while the next weekly FX strategy will be published on 3rd January. FX flows/Highlight/Psychology and Technical Analysis will be published through the holiday period.
Strategy for the week ahead
Omicron uncertainty lingers
Latest lock down in China stirs supply chain worries
The Greenback's fortune
The FX market will likely be most focused on the developing COVID situation until the end of year in holiday thinned markets.Omicron infections have taken off in the UK and Denmark, also becoming the top variant of COVID cases in the United States. It is now clear that Omicron is much more transmissible than Delta with fatality and hospitalization rate still under further research, though early data suggest the percentage rate is lower. The National Institute For Communicable Diseases of South Africa concluded on Wednesday that Omicron is milder than Delta.
For FX at the end of the day, it all depends on the transmissibility of Omicron relative to Omicron's hospitalization and severity rate. The number of patients may still overwhelm health care systems as Omicron is highly transmissible, which could produce occasional risk off phases during the holiday period. This can produce the familiar mild decline in the USD against JPY/CHF and also EUR, though broader ranges will likely be maintained over the holiday period. Given current vaccines are not very effective against the Omicron variant, a booster shot seems inevitable. UK initial estimates are that a booster also helps to increase protection against hospitalization back to 80-85%.
While UK is leading the booster leader board, the United States has fallen slightly behind. While Eurozone countries may not follow Netherlands lock down, it is possible that tougher restrictions will be placed in the next week in some European countries to curb the spread and buy time for more booster shots delivered.
The greatest vulnerability is countries with low vaccine rates (e.g. Russia) or low booster and less effective vaccines (e.g. China), that can spill over globally with supply chain issues.
Dongxing port in Guangxi province of China was shut down on Tuesday because of COVID concern. 200k citizens of Dongxing were ordered to household quarantine until further notice, customs processing was also halted. On Wednesday Xian, a northwestern city of China residing 13 million people, also entered lock down as a city wide COVID testing went underway.
The Chinese government is executing the "zero tolerance" policy ahead of Chinese New Year, when traditionally people would go back to their home after a year of hard work, and Winter Olympics in Feb 2022. It is unlikely that these will be the last lock down and disruptions we have in the coming months.
In 2020, more than 70 percent of U.S. firms reported supply chain disruptions. Now a year later, with millions of vaccines jabbed, it once again seems we will be witnessing another supply chain disruption if China could not curb the local transmission of COVID. If the supply chains are disrupted again, it would be a threat for even higher inflation that puts central banks between a rock and a hard place. On the margin, supply chain problems are USD positive, as it would enhance expectations of Fed tightening in 2022.
As the world's reserve currency, U.S. Dollar movement is critical area to watch as we march into 2022. With the Federal Reserve accelerating tapering of asset purchases, it will not be long before we see higher official rates . This should be supportive for the USD and give the USD an advantage against negative yielding currencies, for example Euro, Yen and CHF, but gradual Fed tightening has been discounted and our big picture view is negative versus EUR (here).
In a short run, the chart suggest consolidation of DXY between the area of 95.52 to 96.94. It also shows that DXY is in a bull run for the past six months with ascending channel bottom close to round mark figure 95 – which needs to break to turn the multi week tone negative
Data and events for the week ahead
The final week of 2021 is quiet for US data. October house price data from S&P Case-Shiller and FHFA are due on Tuesday. On Wednesday we expect the advance November goods trade deficit to increase to $88.7bn from October’s narrower $83.2bn. November pending home sales follow. Weekly jobless claims and December’s Chicago PMI are due on Thursday. US markets will be closed on Friday.
Next week in the Eurozone, money and credit data for November comes out on Wednesday and is followed by the ECB’s economic bulletin on Thursday.
Rest of Western Europe:
In Norway, next week sees the release of November retail sales data on Monday.
In Switzerland, the KOF leading indicator for December is due on Thursday.
No major UK data of note released next week, with UK on holiday 27-28 Dec.
There is no significant Canadian data due in the final week of 2021.
Private Sector Credit for November is the only release for Australia.
Unemployment rate and jobs/applicant ratio will be a key release for assessing Japan’s labour market.
Large retailer sales and retail trade will give us a view on consumer.
Preliminary industrial production would not be a market mover but of certain importance.


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More than a dozen men and women of the Valley held a news conference Thursday morning at Fresno's Fashion Fair Mall. They announced a campaign to encourage local buying with an education website on the benefits of keeps sales tax dollars at home.
Organizers said sales tax from every local purchase helps to pay for services such as fire protection, law enforcement, education and street maintenance. The Buy Local campaign is designed to motivate buyers to spend money at area businesses, whether they be "big box retailer" or locally owned and operated shops.
The Buy Local campaign spans the Valley's six counties and includes multi-lingual messaging, including English, Spanish, Hmong and Sikh.
For more information, go to www.whyibuylocal.com


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Apple Unveils New iPad Mini, Fourth-Gen iPad and Macbooks
Apple Tuesday unveiled a variety of new products, including the long-awaited iPad Mini, along with a fourth-generation of the original iPad, a new Macbook line and a newly designed iMac.
The iPad Mini is 7.9 inches, sporting 1,024 x 768 resolution and weighing just .68 pounds. It starts at $329. Apple also announced a fourth-generation iPad, just seven months after the previous edition; the new iPad adds the Lightning connector as well as an improved chip.
Both new iPads will ship Nov. 2 (Wi-Fi versions) and about two weeks later (cellular), with preorders opening this Friday.
On the Mac front, Apple announced a new 13-inch Macbook Pro that features Retina Display, as well as a newly designed iMac, which will be available in 21.5- and 27-inch denominations (costing $1,299 and $1,799, respectively.) See our sister site Gadgetell for more on the new Macbook Pro, and the iMacs.
Apple also announced a new version of the iBooks software for iOS, and touted its recent sales milestones, including 200 million devices using iOS 6 and 100 million iPads sold.


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Affirm Receives $100 Million Credit Line
Affirm has procured a $100 million credit line from Morgan Stanley.
Affirm is an alternative to credit cards that allows consumers to pay for major purchases over time. The company, which targets Millennials, uses a proprietary technology that verifies identity and assesses credit risk by using sources beyond the conventional FICO score. This allows them to finance a broader group of consumers.
Max Levchin, PayPal’s co-founder and Affirm’s CEO told CNBC that the company wants to help Millennials afford nicer things.
“We are helping them take an expensive item–that would hit the cash flow too hard–split it into several payments, pay it off, be done,” Levchin said. “A lot of people prefer that to the complexity and unpredictability of carrying a credit card balance.”
While Affirm has partnered with over 750 merchants, such as Makerbot and Casper, to accept Affirm directly, users can also create a “virtual card” to use their account to pay at other stores. This virtual card would work just like a Mastercard.
Unlike a credit card, though, each purchase has its own credit line. There is no open, revolving line of credit as there is with a traditional card. Also, the interest rate is set and is not compounded over an unlimited time period.
Levchin believes this will take away the risk of overspending which so many Millennials seem to fear. A study that analyzed Facebook conversations between Millennials aged 21 to 34 found this group feels credit cards can worsen financial standing, and they prefer paying with cash.


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Garment makers in Tirupur are now increasingly getting their fabric processed in Mysuru to cut costs with about 25% of the work now being done in the neighbouring state. “Many knitwear garment manufacturers in Tirupur prefer unauthorised fabric dyeing units, which have not adopted ‘Zero Liquid Discharg’e (ZLD) in villages near Mysuru in Karnataka and other districts of the state,” industry sources said.
Processing fabric in and around Mysuru is about 20% cheaper compared to Tirupur, sources said. Around 18 lakh kgs fabric is processed per day in Tirupur. The dyeing units that operate in Tirupur are following ZLD norms and have to spend 20-25 paise per liter of water for the purpose.
“But the unauthorised units in Karnataka need to bother about the ZLD cost and their overheads cost would also be comparatively low. So, garment manufacturers have started preferring these units over the local ones,” said S Nagarajan, president, Dyers Association of Tirupur (DAT).
“We are getting reports that a section of garment manufacturers, both engaged in export and domestic trade, are processing fabric with textile dyeing units in villages near Mysuru and also in few other districts in Tamil Nadu including Madurai and Virudhunagar. Most of these units are neither authorised nor follow ZLD norms,” Nagarajan stated. Since processing units near Mysuru do not have drying facility, garment manufacturers have to take the dyed fabric and dry them in sheds available in Tirupur. “They provide processing service at low cost, which has become advantageous to garment manufacturers despite the extra transportation cost,” Nagarajan said.
Garment makers are trying to reduce manufacturing costs to stay in the business as the industry is already facing a crunch due to implementation of demonetisation and GST apart from competition from countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam,” according to the managing director of a leading knitwear manufacturing company in Tirupur. “As a result, some manufacturers are opting for dyeing units in Karnataka,” he said. “It is unfair to compel manufacturers not to use dyeing units that provide service at lower cost,” he said. DAT has made a representation to TNPCB’s (Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board) principal secretary and chairman Md Nasimuddin seeking a direction to control unauthorised dyeing units. “The DAT should approach the state and central governments to ensure that all the dyeing units across the country follow ZLD norm, so that the competition will be healthy,” said T R Vijayakumar, general secretary, Tirupur Exporters’ Association (TEA) said “The Madras High Court’s direction will apply to all the textile and tannery dyeing units as far as the ZLD norms are concerned across the state. DAT has complained that the garment manufacturers were preferring units in other districts and in the neighbouring state,” a senior TNPCB official said.
Around 400 dyeing units are functioning in Tirupur city and surrounding areas. There are 18 common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) and about 100 individual effluent treatment plants (IETPs) catering to the need of the dyeing units to comply with ZLD norms as directed by the Madras High Court. Based on the instructions from TNPCB, Tirupur district administration warned garment manufacturers not to dye the fabric in the units near Mysuru and dry them in sheds in Tirupur. “Otherwise, action will be taken under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974,” a revenue official said.


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- Posted by: David Rees MS
- Category: News
- Early indication show boost in recycling over lockdown – we recycled 21% more food waste than same time last year
- 55% of us recycling more than we did last year
- Ultra-athlete and chef Matt Pritchard supports drive to boost food waste recycling with exclusive Christmas recipe video
As Wales’ recycling rate reaches an all-time high, people in Wales are being encouraged to keep up their ‘mighty’ efforts when it comes to recycling this Christmas.
New annual data released by Welsh Government* reveals Wales’ overall recycling rate saw a huge boost this year, increasing from 63% in 2018/19 to 65% in 2019/20, exceeding its target of 64%.
With 55% of us now recycling more than we were last year according to early indications from the Recycling Tracker **, Welsh Government, in partnership with WRAP, the charity behind Wales Recycles, is urging householders to continue the good work over Christmas with its Be Mighty. Recycle campaign to get Wales to number one in the world for recycling, backed by ultra-athlete and chef, Matthew Pritchard.
Early estimates also revealed that lockdown had a positive effect on recycling as many of us spent more time at home. Between April and June we recycled 19% more of our waste compared to the same time last year***, with food waste seeing a 21% boost, creating enough energy to power 160,152 typical family homes for a whole day, or 1.44 million fridges for 2.5 days – one fridge for every home in Wales.
With Christmas around the corner, Wales Recycles’ Be Mighty. Recycle. campaign highlights simple ways we can further boost our efforts by recycling key festive items, such as Christmas dinner food waste including turkey bones and vegetable peelings, mince pie cases and cardboard packaging, which can make a real difference to helping the environment and tackling climate change.
In Wales, most local authorities send their food waste to a special processing facility where it is turned into green energy. Just one caddy full of food waste producing enough electricity to power a TV for 2 hours or a fridge for 18 hours.
Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths, said: “We should be really proud of our mighty effort this year on recycling, throughout what has been a challenging year for us all. We have all played our part in making this happen, so let’s keep up the good work.
“We’ve come a long way since we first started recycling more than 20 years ago, but while we should celebrate our efforts to date, there are quick wins we can all achieve that will help us get to number one.
“Almost half of us still throw away things in our general waste that could have been recycled, so let’s make a special effort this Christmas to recycle our food waste and other festive items which we might not immediately think we can recycle such as mince pie cases and help tackle climate change.”
Celebrity chef, author and ultra-athlete Matthew Pritchard is supporting Wales’ drive to become world leaders by sharing his top tips on how to focus on food waste this Christmas, with an exclusive recipe video
Matthew said: “Christmas is the time we all create more waste and that’s especially true when it comes to food. That’s why I’m getting behind this mighty mission to show how easy it is to use your food waste caddy and why it’s so important.
“If, like me, you’re the lucky person who is preparing your Christmas dinner, get those vegetable peelings and sprout stalks, bones and turkey trimmings into the food waste caddy. This way they’re not wasted, but instead recycled and converted into green energy which is used to power our homes. The same goes for fruit peelings, eggshells, nutshells, coffee grounds, tea bags and plate scrapings. All this food waste is a valuable resource so don’t waste it!
“Check out my video for some inspiration on how to love your veg this Christmas, with some quick and easy recipes as well as top recycling tips on how to feed your food waste caddy with all those food items we can’t eat.”
Carl Nichols, Head of WRAP Cymru, said: “Recycling isn’t just about cutting down on waste, it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and it importantly provides resources to make new materials.
“One quarter of what we throw away is food waste so over Christmas there’s a big opportunity to make a real difference by putting all that unavoidable food waste into our food waste caddy instead of the general waste. We know that the vast majority of people in Wales want to be better at recycling and so if we can all make a mighty effort to recycle our food waste this Christmas, we will be well on our way to becoming the best recycling nation in the world.”
Find out more at: www.bemightyrecycle.org.uk
Wales Recycles’ 12 Days of Christmas Recycling Tips
Christmas is traditionally the time of year we create the most waste at home. With all the extra food we consume to the mountain of packaging from Christmas gift purchases, it’s a prime opportunity to make sure we’re recycling everything we possibly can at home rather than throw these items away.
Wales Recycles has brought the 12 Days of Christmas to life by showcasing 12 common festive items that can all be recycled, from chocolate tubs and foil mince pie cases to turkey trimmings and vegetable peelings from Christmas dinner.
By keeping up the good work we can help Wales on its mighty mission to get to number one in the world for recycling.
- Recycle your teabags
69% people in Wales recycle their tea bags. Recycling just two tea bags by putting them in your food waste caddy can create enough electricity to fully charge a smartphone.
- Show plastic bottles who’s boss
Over 85% of us recycle our plastic bottles such as drinks bottles, cleaning products and toiletry bottles. Empty, crush and replace the lids before recycling. Remove any pump dispensers and trigger sprays first as these can’t be recycled. Recycling just one shampoo bottle saves enough energy to power a home stereo for five hours.
- Conquer your cardboard packaging
We consume more cardboard over Christmas than any other time of year. 86% of people in Wales recycle their cardboard. Remember to remove any packaging tape and flatten boxes to save space in your recycling container.
- Spray another day
Recycle aerosol cans from your bedroom and bathroom, such as hairspray, deodorant and shaving gel. 73% of us recycle our empty aerosols. Recycling just one aerosol can save enough energy to power a home stereo for 32 hours. That’s a lot of Christmas tunes! Ensure they’re empty and remove plastic caps.
- Foil mince pie cases
Metal can be recycled again and again without losing quality, including mince pie cases and foil used in cooking that is clean, 70% of us in Wales recycle our foil. Scrunch foil items before recycling them. Remove any food parts from foil before recycling. Empty and rinse foil containers.
- Think food first at Christmas
You can recycle turkey bones, veg peelings, and any leftovers from your Christmas dinner (that can’t be safely eaten later), as well as other food waste including tea bags and coffee grounds, eggshells, peelings and cores from fruit, and stale bread. Make sure it goes in your food waste caddy for recycling and not in the bin. 80% of us recycle our food waste in Wales and one caddy full of food waste can produce enough energy to power a TV for two hours.
- Keep crushing cans this Christmas
Whether you’ll be sipping on an alcoholic beverage or refreshing soft drink this Christmas, don’t forget to recycle your cans. Recycling one can saves enough energy to power a vacuum cleaner for an hour.
- Keeping giving with glass
Glass is easy to recycle – and it can be recycled into new products again and again. Give empty wine, beer and soft drink glass bottles a rinse and pop the lid or cap back on before putting into your recycling. Empty jars of pickles, chutneys and condiments can be recycled too.
- Recycle your plastic chocolate tubs
It takes 75% less energy to make a bottle from recycled plastic than using raw materials. Most plastic can be recycled, including the big tubs of chocolates and sweets we have around the house at Christmas. If you sort your recyclable items into separate containers, place this into your container for your ‘plastics and cans’. Remove any wrappers first.
- Christmas trees
‘Real’ Christmas trees are 100% recyclable. Check with your local council to see if they’ll collect them with your garden waste or if you can take them to your local recycling centre. Plastic Christmas trees, with or without embedded lights, should be placed with rigid plastics at your local recycling centre.
- Advent calendar packaging
Once you’ve opened the final door of your advent calendar and you’re ready to get rid of the packaging, separate the cardboard from the inner tray. The outer cardboard packaging can be flattened and recycled, while the inner tray cannot be recycled so put in your general rubbish bin for your non-recyclable waste.
- Christmas cards and envelopes
Christmas cards can be recycled but remove any ribbons, bows, glitter or foil before putting into your recycling. If your paper and card is recycled separately, place cards in your cardboard container and place envelopes in your paper container.


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THE City of Mandurah can “rot in hell, from the CEO down,” according to John Tuckey.
“Anger and hatred all built into one,” was how Mr Tuckey described his feelings towards council after the demise of his hardware store.
Tuckey’s Mitre 10 in Halls Head had been operating for 25 years but shut up shop on July 31. Seventeen staff lost their jobs.
Mr Tuckey places the blame firmly at the feet of the City of Mandurah.
“They allowed a Bunnings Superstore right on our backdoor step,” he said.
“Trade went down 70 per cent in the first three weeks after Bunnings opened.
“We had a choice of going broke quickly or slowly.
“We quit while we could.”
Mr Tuckey did not blame Bunnings, although he did accuse them of being “rotten” by parking an A-frame Bunnings advertising truck on his property during his 10-day closing down sale.
“I’d like to say thank you to the community though,” Mr Tuckey said.
“We had ladies crying…people have been amazing.”
Bunnings operations manager Shelley Begley said Bunnings had opened in many regional centres throughout WA over the past two decades.
“There are many successful businesses located close by to our stores which continue to thrive,” she said.
“We have been part of the Mandurah community since 1998 and our team members live and work here.
“We are committed to always employing from the local communities in which we operate and our Halls Head Warehouse employs 109 team members from the local community.”
The City of Mandurah has been contacted for comment.


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Beside "Fate/strange fake", another Japanese novel in Clover's best-seller list for the first half of 2021 is "Psychic Detective Yakumo Another Files: The Dead's Wish".
Pre-orders for the first volume of "Fate/strange Fake" to be published in Indonesia by m&c!'s novel imprint Clover has been opened for a limited time.
As new year comes, prepare yourself for these 2 new titles that will be published in Indonesia soon.
Following the previous books, the latest volume in the "Kotenbu" series will also be released in Indonesia.
The fourth book of Yonobu Honezawa's classic literature series, The Doll that Took a Detour", will be released in Indonesia
"Kudryavka Sequence," the third book of Honobu Yonezawa's Classic Literature Club series will be released in Indonesia
Penerbit Haru has listed "Hyouka" sequel novel, "Credit Roll of the Fool", as one of the books that will be released in May
The sequel to Hyouka will soon follow the first novel in reaching Indonesian fans courtesy of Penerbit Haru
Ini addition to the manga, Elex Media publisher announced to release Detective Conan light novel in Indonesia.
The story of The Classic Literature Club is coming to Indonesia as Hyouka scheduled for December 2017 by Penerbit Haru.
Penerbit Haru has announced to publish the novel Hyouka in Indonesia soon.
After the manga, m&c! prepares to release Tokyo Ghoul light novel.
m&c! brings another story from Death Note series
Another novel from Psychic Detective Yakumo series is released in Indonesia.
Waiting for the second volume of Absolute Duo already? The novel will be printed soon!
Prepare yourself for an original story of the Handymen in Gangsta novel, presented by Katalis Pustaka.
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Marvel and Disney look for heroic repeat of ‘Iron Man’ franchise
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Ben Fritz and Dawn C. Chmielewski, a dynamic duo writing for the Business section of the Los Angeles Times, have an insightful piece in Tuesday’s paper about the future of Marvel and Disney and how they’re both holding out for a hero who will perform across corporate platforms:
Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger got right to the point in a conference call last week to discuss the company’s financial performance with Wall Street analysts.
‘Let me start off by saying how thrilled we are with the global success of ‘Iron Man 2,’’ he said. ‘It makes me even more enthusiastic about the great things that Marvel and Disney can do together.’
‘Iron Man 2’ was put into production before the Burbank entertainment giant acquired the comic book publisher turned movie-maker in December for $4 billion. But it nonetheless epitomizes Iger’s strategy for Disney: build ‘brands’ on the big screen that can earn more profits through sequels as well as spin-offs including toys, television shows, digital media and theme park attractions.
The big question surrounding Marvel since the acquisition has been how much value its library brings to mainstream audiences that have never heard of Namor the Sub-Mariner, Dr. Strange or Ant-Man.
Before the release of the first ‘Iron Man’in 2008, few people outside those who frequent comic book stores had heard of billionaire Tony Stark and his red and gold super suit. Now he has generated more than $1 billion in worldwide box office and is Marvel’s bestselling consumer products property, exceeding even Spider-Man.
The web slinger, along with other high-profile superheroes such as the Fantastic Four and X-Men, are tied up in long-term licensing deals with other movie studios.
Now Disney is hoping that Iron Man provides Marvel a model for turning subprime superheroes from its 5,000-plus character library into investment-grade franchises.
‘I like franchises, not necessarily because they fit the corporate model, but because that’s what I was a fan of when I was a kid,’ said Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, who produces the company’s films. ‘Toys simply extend the experience that people had so much fun with for two hours in the theaters. And if it feeds other divisions, that’s awesome.’
During a climactic battle late in ‘Iron Man 2,’ the titular superhero saves a boy who’s wearing an Iron Man mask and ‘repulsor ray’ and is mistaken by killer robots for the real thing.
It’s a dramatic moment but also an example of how Disney hopes its high-stakes bet on a comic book company will pay off. The same items that the child wears in ‘Iron Man 2’ are now stocking the toy department shelves of Target and other retailers.
‘The movies were what drove mass-market awareness of Iron Man,’ said Simon Philips, president of worldwide consumer products for Marvel. ‘Before them you had to go into a collector’s store to find something around the character.’
Now that Iron Man is a bestselling brand with worldwide appeal, Philips said, Marvel intends to keep him that way with new waves of products that will continue to be released until ‘Iron Man 3’ hits theaters.
Disney hopes its Pixar Animation Studios will be the model for Marvel. The creators of ‘Toy Story’ have not only produced more hit movies since the 2006 acquisition, but also helped design theme park attractions, video games and toys...
THERE’S MORE, READ THE REST
-- Ben Fritz and Dawn Chmielewski
RECENT AND RELATED
PHOTOS: Top, Jon Favreau and Kevin Feige, on the left, go over a scene on set of ‘Iron Man 2,’ which stars Don Cheadle, far right. Second: Feige and Robert Downey Jr. on the set of ‘Iron Man 2.’ Third, Disney’s Bob Iger, Feige, Disney’s Rich Ross and Favreau at the premiere of ‘Iron Man 2’ on April 26 at Disney’s El Capitan Theatre


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I found this article recently about the peanut butter recall and the peanut butter factory currently under investigation, and you may not want to read it if you find that the reasons for salmonella contamination tend to make you nauseous. Consider yourself warned, because hey, I like people to actually come back to this website.... :)
In this even more recent article, there is this discouraging line:
" Now the recall includes the same products, but now dating back two years. "
Hope no one's storage is affected, but two years is a long time--better to check and be safe!


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Pyramid Posters has tied up with fledgling new media company Soar Media.
Soar will be responsible for overhauling Pyramid's website, while also handling the firm's press and PR output.
Pyramid has been producing and selling posters to the global marketplace since 1992. It currently stocks over 3,900 product lines in 45,000 square feet of warehouse space, with the capacity to stock no less than 9.7 million products.
"We are delighted to be working with an organisation that shares our forward thinking approach," said Pyramid's export sales manager, Nick Morley.
Gary Webster, Soar's creative director, added: "For Soar to be associated with such a giant of industry is an honour and we look forward to great collective success over the coming months."


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Brands must be open to experimentation to identify how they can evolve.
This article cites a study by the Food Marketing Institute for Nielsen stating that online sales will reach 20% of total grocery by 2025. While industry cynics claim that technology won’t allow online grocery to thrive and consumers won’t adopt it, Walmart’s Alphabot demonstrates that online grocers can have a sustainable profit-making business.
The author comments on what the value of a store would be if customers went online. While industry experts talk about changes in grocery, the “economics of physical grocery stores” is often neglected.
The author anticipates that many big grocery stores will be compelled to shut down. However, this will create an opportunity for smaller stores to crop up locally in order for customers to “fill in” between online orders.
[3 minute read]


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The company’s CEO Mario Singh is optimistic about Bitcoin despite current market conditions and that Bitcoin funding will see a huge uptick at Fullerton Markets. The cryptocurrency is hugely volatile, having lost almost half of its value this last week, but is still a popular funding currency in countries where it is difficult to move hard currency around, such as China.
The Industry Spread > Industry News > Fullerton Markets accepts Bitcoin and RoboForex adds altcoins to MetaTrader
Fullerton Markets accepts Bitcoin for client deposits
Auckland-based broker Fullerton Markets, one of Asia’s fastest-growing brokers while not offering its services to New Zealand residents, announced the acceptance of Bitcoin as a new funding method for client deposits.
Mario Singh, Chief Executive Officer of Fullerton Markets, said: “We have had loads of requests over the last couple of months to integrate a payment processor which accepts Bitcoin. Interestingly enough, the requests have not dropped despite Bitcoin falling over 50% in the last one month alone.
“Firstly, the deposit process is instant with no delays compared to a normal wire transfer. Next, all transactions are universally verified by blockchain technology with no handling of sensitive personal information. This adds to the security of the payment and the protection of personal data. We don’t charge deposit fees as well – the only fee clients pay is the mining fee which goes directly to the Miners.
“I’m really pleased that the team worked hard to integrate Bitcoin funding to add to our other payment options. To get this up before the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations all over Asia is a bonus.”, Singh added.
RoboForex expands list of cryptocurrencies on Metatrader
Retail forex broker RoboForex announced the expansion of cryptocurrencies available for trading via MT4 and MT5 platforms, adding Bitcoin Cash, Dash, Litecoin, and Ripple to the already traded Bitcoin and Ethereum.
The new instruments, BCH/USD, DSH/USD, LTC/USD, and XRP/USD, will have the same trading conditions as BTC/USD and ETH/USD pairs. The leverage applicable for the instruments is fixed at 1:10.
Denis Golomedov, CMO at RoboForex, said: “We always keep up with the time and provide quality access to a wide range of trading instruments. The current situation is that a large part of our clients are trading cryptocurrencies and we see high potential in them. This market is very attractive due to its volatility. It is growing and scaling very quickly, and more and more people are taking interest in it. To satisfy this demand, corresponding infrastructure and services are required, and RoboForex is systematically, step by step, implementing them for its clients.”


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WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation and Retail Industry Leaders Association are calling on President Obama to help resolve a labor strike at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach which could impact last-minute holiday shipments for retailers, as well as U.S. exports.
“A prolonged strike at the nation’s largest ports would have a devastating impact on the U.S. economy,” said Matthew Shay, president and chief executive officer of the NRF, in a letter sent to Obama on Thursday. “We call upon you to use all means necessary to get the two sides back to the negotiating table.”
In a letter also sent Thursday, RILA president Sandy Kennedy stated, “Without a speedy resolution, the harm caused by the shutdown will be widespread, affecting consumers, retailers and the economy at large.”
Warning Obama of the “enormous risk” posed by a shutdown, she asked that “the full weight of the White House” be used to find a resolution.
The Los Angeles-Long Beach ports are the nation’s busiest and handle the largest volume of apparel, textiles and footwear — $40.3 billion in 2011, accounting for 31 percent of the sector’s imports, according to U.S. Customs & Border Protection.
Obama has several options at his disposal. He can urge the two sides to come back to the negotiating table, invite a federal mediation service in, call both parties to the White House to work out a deal or choose the “nuclear option” by invoking the Taft-Hartley Act, said Jonathan Gold, vice president, supply chain and customs policy at the NRF. The law essentially authorizes a federal injunction when a strike threatens national health or safety, and essentially mandates that employees go back to work while negotiators work with a federal mediator to reach a deal.
Shay said the strike raises the specter of the 2002 West Coast port lockout, which lasted 10 days, caused significant supply-chain disruptions and cost the economy an estimated $1 billion a day. It took the ports six months to recover from the backlog.
“An extended strike [in Los Angeles and Long Beach] this time could have a greater impact considering the fragile state of the U.S. economy,” Shay said in the letter. “The two sides must remain at the negotiating table until a deal is reached.”
The strike began on Tuesday after 67 workers from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63’s Office Clerical Unit walked out of negotiations and brought all activity to a standstill at the APM Terminal at the Port of Los Angeles. The rest of the 800-member clerical unit walked out on Wednesday, despite an order from a local arbitrator to return to work after the picket lines were declared invalid.
The ILWU’s 63-OCU division has been in negotiations with the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Employers Association since June of 2010, when its last contract expired. The OCU claims shipping agencies and terminal operators, represented by the Harbor Employers Association, are trying to outsource their jobs to nonunion workers, a charge the Harbor Employers Association denies.
John Fageaux, president of 63-OCU, said that the harbor community has lost 51 percent of its permanent positions over the past five years, and that employers have announced plans to eliminate another 76 jobs in the future.
Employers argue they have not sent one job overseas and have offered an absolute guarantee that no OCU workers will be laid off. They also argue they have provided a guarantee of full-time pay for 52 weeks per year, regardless of whether there is work; grievance procedures that protect against diversion of OCU work with monetary penalties assessed if a nonunion worker performs the work, and access to the OCU computer databases to monitor the work.
The annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic in Pacific Palisades this weekend drew Kate Hudson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Laura Dern and more. See pictures of the star-studded event on WWD.com. (📷: @chelsealaurenla) #wwdeye
In his new book “Hollywood Royale,” Andy Warhol’s Protégé Matthew Rolston celebrates the Eighties revival of Hollywood glamour. Featuring more than 100 portraits taken by Rolston from 1977 to 1993, the book contains photos of icons like Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, and @drewbarrymore, pictured here in 1991. “Hollywood Royale,” out today, will be accompanied by an exhibition opening at Los Angeles’ Fahey/Klein Gallery on March 1. #wwdeye
"Nowadays when life is not so happy with everything going on in the world, I think people come to me for a little bit of whimsy and color and fun." - Designer Rebecca De Ravenel on her cult-favorite jewelry line. (📸 : @vsteves) #wwd40
“Everyone is talking about how the retail industry is struggling, but I think it’s an incredible time because brands who are doing something different and innovative are setting themselves up for the future,” said @adamgoldston, who founded the luxury athletic brand @apl with his brother @ryangoldsten. The Goldston’s are part of WWD’s 40 under 40: a group of industry notables. See the rest of the list on WWD.com. (📷: @vsteves) #wwd40
@eyeswoon blogger Athena Calderone debuted her first-ever cookbook, “Cook Beautiful,” which is heavily centered on the presentation and visual expression of food. Pictured here are her miso glazed carrots from the book. Get the recipe on WWD.com. (📷: @johnny_miller_) #wwdeye
“It’s passion that helps get anybody to a certain point and it’s what’s propelled me,” said Kith founder @ronniefieg, one of WWD’s 40 under 40: a group of industry notables who are changing the face of retail, fashion and beauty. Fieg, who opened a Manhattan flagship on October 7, began his career at age 13 as a stock boy and salesman for footwear chain David Z. “I think staying true to [my] beliefs, hard work and passion have gotten me to where [Kith] is today.” See the rest of the 40 at WWD.com. (📷: @vsteves) #wwd40
25-year-old @samweaving is about to break out this fall, starring in Netflix’s horror film “The Babysitter,” fittingly out today on Friday the 13th. That’s not the only place you’ll be seeing her, though — Weaving’s got a role Showtime’s “SMILF” and another alongside Frances McDormand and Woody Harrelson in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” Though she’s got a full plate at the moment, there’s one role she’s got her eye on: Marilyn Monroe. “I’m a little too young at the moment, but it’s on my bucket list,” the actress told WWD (📷: @dandoperalski) #wwdeye
BFF's Poppy Jamie and Suki Waterhouse celebrated the launch of their bag line Pop x Suki at Nordstrom last night. "The line is really about our friendship, and how we are so different but complement each other," said Waterhouse. 👯 (📷: Katie Jones) #wwdeye
After designing the new @louisvuitton and @bulgariofficial flagships and a @chanelofficial boutique opening in Japan, @petermarinoarchitect has another project on his plate: The Lobster Club. Located in the Seagram Building, it’s the famed architect’s first restaurant project in New York, serving up modern Japanese brasserie-style cuisine. Bronze hues, bespoke material detailing, blush and chartreuse tones and a heavy emphasis on Picasso can be seen throughout. Mark your calendars for Nov. 1 for the much-anticipated opening. (📷: @clint_spaulding) #wwdeye


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May 13, 2008
Liz Claiborne profit tops view; year forecast cut
May 13, 2008
By Martinne Geller
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Liz Claiborne Inc said on Tuesday higher-than-expected sales helped first-quarter operating profit zoom past Wall Street estimates, sending the apparel maker's shares up 3 percent.
Despite the strong results, Liz projected weakness in the second quarter due to a calendar shift, disappointing sales trends in its Mexx Europe business, and discounting by U.S. retailers trying to get cash-strapped consumers to buy clothes and accessories.
Liz cut its full-year profit forecast, citing the weak U.S. economy.
"In providing this revised guidance, we note that higher food and energy prices, higher mortgage payments and declining consumer confidence anticipated for the second half of the year are reducing our visibility into key metrics that impact our performance," Chief Executive William McComb said in a statement.
Liz's first-quarter net sales rose 4.9 percent to $1.12 billion, topping analysts' average forecast of $1.10 billion, according to Reuters Estimates. But the rise was mostly due to the weak dollar, which boosts the value of international sales when converted back to dollars.
The New York-based fashion company, whose portfolio has expanded over the years to encompass more than 40 brands, put 16 of them up for sale last summer. In the end, it kept three, sold eight, discontinued or merged four into other labels, and licensed one to a department store.
It is focusing on its four "direct" brands -- Juicy Couture, Kate Spade, Lucky Brand and Mexx -- which have their own retail stores and younger, more fashionable customers than some of its older wholesale brands, such as Liz Claiborne.
In the first quarter, the direct brands' sales rose 28.2 percent to $620 million, while sales of the "partnered," or wholesale, brands fell 14.4 percent to $501 million.
BY THE NUMBERS
The company, which also owns the Enyce and Narciso Rodriguez brands, reported a net loss of $31.0 million, or 33 cents per share, for the first quarter, ended April 5, compared with a net profit of $16.2 million, or 16 cents per share, a year earlier.
Excluding restructuring expenses, a loss on disposal of discontinued operations, and results of discontinued operations, earnings from continuing operations were 28 cents per share, far above analysts' average forecast of 10 cents.
Due to the "difficult economic environment," Liz said it now expects 2008 adjusted earnings per share to range from $1.40 to $1.60, down from a prior forecast of $1.50 to $1.70.
Liz shares, down 10 percent this year through Monday's close, were up 56 cents to $18.93 in morning trade on the New York Stock Exchange.
(Reporting by Martinne Geller; Editing by Derek Caney and Gerald E. McCormick))
© Thomson Reuters 2023 All rights reserved.


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Pink is the new white
Since September last year, when Barry Callebaut revealed ‘ruby’ – the fourth type in chocolate next to dark, milk and white, and 80 years after the introduction of the latter – we have been wondering how manufacturers will incorporate the new offering into their products.
At its launch, ruby chocolate, which is made from the ruby cocoa bean and contains no berries, berry flavour or colour; just naturally present fresh berry fruitiness and colour, was described by Barry Callebaut as meeting a consumer need no chocolate ever has before.
Peter Boone, Barry Callebaut’s chief innovation & quality officer, said, “Consumer research in very different markets confirms that ruby chocolate not only satisfies a new consumer need found among Millennials – Hedonistic Indulgence – but also high purchase intent at different price points.
“We’re looking forward to working with our partners on introducing this innovative breakthrough to the market and making the new ruby chocolate category available to chocolate manufacturers and consumers around the world as the fourth reference next to dark, milk and white chocolate.”
Four months on from its launch, Nestlé Japan has been unveiled as the first manufacturer to bring to market a ruby-containing product, with its KitKat Chocolatory Sublime Ruby.
Launching on 19 January, the limited edition product will be available in KitKat Chocolatory stores in Japan and South Korea, as well as online and at 80 seasonal pop-up stores throughout Japan that will be operated in preparation for Valentine’s Day.
Antoine de Saint-Affrique, CEO of Barry Callebaut, says, “I am very pleased that our innovative breakthrough ruby chocolate has come to life so quickly through our partnership with Nestlé and the pioneering KitKat Brand in Japan. Nestlé was very quick in spotting the trend and in introducing a ruby chocolate version of KitKat, which will entice consumers across Asia and beyond.”
Nestlé says the launch of the breakthrough innovation underlines its commitment to growing its leading international confectionery brands around the world, despite its announcement earlier this week that it is selling its US confectionery business to Ferrero for CHF 2.8 billion in order to invest and innovate across categories such as pet care, bottled water, coffee, frozen meals and infant nutrition.


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iPhone SE 2020 On Flipkart: India Price, Sale, Availability, Launch Offers And More
iPhone SE 2020 Flipkart product page goes live. iPhone SE 2020 in India will be available via Flipkart, the page with all the details and notify option is now live. Announced a couple of weeks back, iPhone SE 2020 is expected to be available in India by late May.
Currently due to lockdown, the availability will be delayed.
The iPhone SE 2 teaser page on Flipkart is live under the “Mobiles” section. The latest Apple smartphone has been given a Flipkart Unique product tag, which means iPhone SE, 2020 may remain online exclusive to Flipkart only.
iPhone SE 2020 Price: iPhone SE 2020 Price In India (Expected)
iPhone SE 2020 India price starts at Rs 42,500. Globally, iPhone SE price starts from $399. iPhone SE 2020 will be available in three storage models: 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models with three different colour options to choose from: black, white and red.
iPhone SE 2020 price in India starts at Rs 42,500 in the entry-premium flagship segment.
The iPhone SE 2020 price still is quite costly given other alternatives available, but starting at Rs 42,500, the iPhone SE 2020 price in India makes it a lucrative option among other iPhones in India.
iPhone SE 2020 India Availability: iPhone SE 2020 India Launch
Currently due to lockdown, multiple smartphone launches in India have either been rescheduled or delayed. Apple is yet to give an iPhone SE 2020 launch date in India, but the product teaser page on Flipkart hints at an imminent launch.
iPhone SE 2020 India launch is expected in a few days from now.
The current lockdown ends on May 17, and iPhone SE 2020 India availability may be announced around the same time. iPhone SE 2020 launch date in India is being expected around late May.
iPhone SE 2020 Specs: iPhone SE 2020 Specs, Features
iPhone SE 2020 specs include some of the existing features from its predecessors. Starting with the display, iPhone SE 2020 comes with a 4.7-inch Retina HD display with the old Touch ID for security purposes.
For the old iPhone lovers, the new iPhone SE 2020 brings back the popular compact design with the latest internals inside.
Coming to the build, iPhone SE 2020 sports an aerospace-grade aluminum body with a glass design coating on the out. iPhone SE 2020 colour options include: black, white and red.
At the back, iPhone SE 2020 has the Apple logo at the centre and the device is made up of a seven-layer color process as the company claims which will offer optimum opacity delivering rich depth of color with a color-matched aluminum band.
On top, iPhone SE 2020 is water resistant and dust resistant. The device comes with the IP67 rating, which means it can exist under water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes.
The 4.7-inch Retina HD display on iPhone SE 2020 comes with True Tone vibrant wide color gamut with support for Dolby Vision and HDR10 playback offering a screen resolution of 1334 x 750 pixels.
The iPhone SE 2020 has Haptic Touch enabled for Quick Actions. You get the Home button back with SE 2020, and Apple claims the new Touch ID has been designed with sapphire crystal. It’s more durable and there’s an additional steel ring to detect fingerprints.
Under the hood, iPhone SE 2020 is powered by the latest A13 Bionic chipset, introduced last year with iPhone 11 series. Apple A13 Bionic SoC comes with a dedicated 8-core Neural Engine, two Machine Learning Accelerators for CPU and a new Machine Learning Controller.
iPhone SE 2020 storage variants include three models: 64GB, 128GB and 256GB storage.
Coming to optics, the iPhone SE 2020 packs a single-camera at the back. It’s a 12-megapixel f/1.8 aperture wide sensor which uses an image signal processor with Neural Engine for computational photography.
The single sensor can handle Portrait mode shots, six Portrait Lighting effects and Depth Control.
Additionally, iPhone SE 2020 also supports smart HDR. The new Apple device can adjust recognised subjects accordingly in a frame and produce more natural-looking shots. It will on compute to process better images with adequate highlight and shadow details.
Upfront, iPhone SE 2020 comes with a 7-megapixel front camera with an F2.2 aperture.
iPhone SE 2020 rear camera can capture videos at 4K up to 60fps with extended dynamic range support. It can highlight details up to 30fps. iPhone SE 2020 has the QuickTake video option on the front and rear cameras which allows you to record videos without within the Photo mode.
iPhone SE 2020 runs on iOS 13 with support for all the latest features including Dark Mode, new Maps and more. iPhone SE 2020 also supports Qi wireless charging.


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The California Grocers Association filed a lawsuit against Long Beach Wednesday, the day after the City Council voted to require $4 per hour in additional pay for grocery workers who continue to be exposed to COVID-19 while working through the pandemic.
A lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles federal court asks that the ordinance be declared invalid and unconstitutional.
The association, which represents about 6,000 grocery stores across the state, is asking for an injunction to stop implementation of the law until it can be brought before a judge.
The suit claims the emergency ordinance singles out grocery stores despite other sectors like public safety, transportation and restaurants, which are deemed essential but have not been required to pay workers extra money.
It also suggests that Long Beach’s ordinance is preempted by a federal labor law that protects collective bargaining process. Some grocery store employees are part of local unions that negotiated pay structures with the grocery chains.
Long Beach spokesman Kevin Lee said the city is aware of the suit but has yet to be served with it.
“Once the City has been served with the lawsuit, it will be reviewed and evaluated and an appropriate response will be filed as part of the legal process,” Lee said.
Ron Fong, president and CEO of the California Grocers Association, said in a statement that grocery stores have already undertaken “a massive effort to institute measures to make both workers and customers safer in stores.”
He warned that the ordinance could lead to higher grocery prices and could even affect store hours, the number of hours provided to employees and possible closures.
Long Beach’s ordinance would apply to companies with 300 or more workers nationally and with 15 employees per store within the city. It would last at least 120 days.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors may take similar action, with a vote expected Jan. 26 on a mandatory $5 an hour pay raise for grocery workers. A representative from the grocers association said it would likely file suit against the county as well, if the measure passes.
The grocery industry has been one of the few sectors of the economy to benefit from economic shutdowns as their stores were deemed essential services and remained open since the shutdowns began in March.
A report from the Brookings Institution said national grocers like Kroger, which includes Ralph’s in its collection of stores, reaped profits as high as 90% above normal during first half of 2020.
Grocery workers have reported that some did receive additional pay at the outset of the pandemic, but that has now vanished, leaving them to work in possibly hazardous conditions while infection rates continue to climb across the country.
Mayor Robert Garcia posted a picture of himself on Twitter Wednesday morning signing the emergency ordinance into law.
“You have earned this hero pay,” Garcia said in the Tweet. “Thank you for your hard work.”


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Most popular online payment methods in the Netherlands
When you are running an ecommerce website in the Netherlands, you can’t avoid offering iDeal. For years, this local payment method is the most popular online payment method in the Netherlands. A new graphic shows the other popular options you should offer as an online retailer.
In collaboration with iDeal and online retail association Thuiswinkel.org, GfK has researched the payment methods in the Netherlands. This eCommerce Payment Monitor shows that the share of iDeal has increased to 56 percent. This means that among the more than 142 million online purchases done last year, 80 million were paid using iDeal. That’s a growth of 22 percent compared to 2014, when 66 million purchases were completed using this method. Aside from iDeal’s growth, credit cards and PayPal also saw their shares increase.
In 2014, about 13 million online purchases were paid with a credit card, while last year the amount has increased to 17 million, a growth of 24 percent. The credit card now accounts for 12 percent of all online purchases in the Netherlands. It’s bigger than PayPal, which grew by 34 percent to 7 million purchased paid this way. The increased share of iDeal, credit cards and PayPal are at the cost of the more traditional payment methods, such as direct debit and Acceptgiro.
Piet Mallekoote, director of Betaalvereniging Nederland, expects traditional payment methods to further decrease in usage. “We have started a pilot project so we can find out if iDeal can be extended with QR codes. This way entrepreneurs can offer their customers a safe and easy post-pay method during pick-up or delivery.”
More purchases via mobile
The study also found that the number of purchases completed via a smartphone has increased. In 2015, the Dutch used their mobile phone on 5.8 million online purchase, while this number increased by 53 percent to reach 8.9 purchases last year.
If you want more info about the Dutch online retail landscape, you should read our page about ecommerce in the Netherlands.


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Pre-tax profits were up by over £3m at East Yorkshire-based manufacturer Kohler Mira in 2018, despite a tough year for the UK shower market.
The business, which operates at the Meltonwest Business Park, reported £17.6m of profits before tax last year, up from £14.6m, as sales remained stable.
It came in a challenging year for manufacturers in the shower industry, with Kohler Mira holding a 38 per cent share of the UK market.
Earlier this year, Mira Showers – owned by Kohler Mira – received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its innovative electric shower products.
The East Yorkshire factory also last year celebrated a landmark when the two millionth shower tray rolled off the production line just seven years after the facility opened.
Directors at Kohler Mira said in recently-filed accounts: “The overall UK shower market value decreased by 4.1 per cent compared with 2017, and Kohler Mira remains the market leader for UK showers…
“Therefore, despite challenging market conditions, the directors remain satisfied with the company’s share of the market and its future growth potential.”
Sales at Kohler Mira dipped very slightly in 2018, from £137.7m to £136.4m – a good result considering the market slide.
The company, part of the global Kohler group, employs over 750 people, and has a major presence in East Yorkshire.
Mira Showers’ innovative products earned it a Queen’s Award this year.
The manufacturer received the prestigious accolade for its Mira Sport Max shower. The electric shower uses state-of-the-art technology to increase water flow by almost a third, without using any more water.
It was the second time Mira Showers had won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise, after its Mira Flight Safe anti-slip shower tray scooped the title in 2017.
Craig Baker, MD at Mira Showers, said at the time: "This award highlights our commitment to innovation and the hard work and level of detail we put into the research and design stages, which allows us to ensure products we bring to market are meeting the ever-changing demands from both consumers and installers.
“As a forward-thinking company, our focus on developing exclusive technology is what has made Mira the biggest contributor to the showering industry in the last 90 years.”
Kohler Mira has also put a strong focus on its environmental footprint in recent times.
The company has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 69 per cent, and landfill waste contributions are down 27 per cent.
Directors said it expected trading in 2019 to remain stable and similar to 2018.
How to contact Phil Winter and Business Live
Business Live's Hull & East Yorkshire journalist is Phil Winter, also the business editor at the Hull Daily Mail and Hull Live.
You can follow Phil on Twitter @PhilWinterBiz, or on Linkedin by clicking here.
Alternatively, email him on email@example.com, or call 01482 315360.
Keep up to date with the latest business news in the Hull & Humber region here.
Follow @HumberBizEd and @businesslive on Twitter


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- Amazon is letting more gadget makers use its software tools to connect Bluetooth devices like smart watches and headphones with its Alexa digital assistant, according to a company blog post. The Alexa Mobile Accessory (AMA) Kit helps software developers working for a brand or agency create voice-enabled Alexa apps that work on a broader range of wireless devices.
- Chipmaker Qualcomm introduced a "smart headset" as the first Amazon-approved prototype to give device makers a blueprint for Alexa-powered wireless headphones. The $299 headset connects with the Alexa smartphone app, letting wearers use voice commands for music, smart-home devices and thousands of "skills," as Alexa apps are called.
- Amazon in January first debuted the AMA Kit at the Consumer Electronics Show for a limited number of devices. At that time, the e-commerce giant aimed to showcase its efforts to get Alexa into on-the-go devices like "hearables," headphones that have advanced wireless technology.
Amazon's general release of the AMA Kit is helpful for marketers and brands that have created voice-powered Alexa skills to hold conversations with their customers. While Amazon's software tools are mostly aimed at device makers that want to avoid spending time and money to develop a customized Alexa skill, marketers need to make sure they're ready to interact with customers on all devices that work with Alexa. Brands will soon have many more communication channels with customers on Bluetooth-connected headsets, smart watches and other wearables, and those millions of customers who already are using Alexa at home to research new products, make shopping lists or to handle other tasks will soon expect the same conveniences while they're on the go.
With the next Consumer Electronics Show quickly approaching in January, gadget makers already have thought past this year's holiday season to the products they plan to introduce next year. Amazon's widened release of its AMA Kit likely presages more announcements from electronics companies that will include Alexa capabilities in more Bluetooth-connected devices, if the past two CES exhibitions are any indication of what to expect in 2019.
Amazon regained the lead in smart-speaker market share in Q3 2018 after lagging behind archrival Google during the prior six months, according to a report from researcher Canalys. Amazon shipped 6.3 million Alexa-powered Echo smart speakers in Q3, while Google sold 5.9 million of its Google Home devices that use its Google Assistant. Amazon promoted the Echo ahead of its annual Prime Day shopping event, while Google cut prices of its Google Home speaker to remain competitive, per Canalys. Smart-speaker shipments more than doubled (up 137%) to 19.7 million in Q3 2018 from a year earlier.
In September, Amazon introduced another way for marketers to earn money from their Alexa skills by charging extra fees for extra features like fresh content, hints in a trivia game or other "freemium" consumables. The number of apps in the Alexa skill store ballooned to more than 50,000 by September from 40,000 in early May.


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Microsoft has revamped the Bing homepage for iOS and Android smartphones, aligning the mobile search experience with the expectations of users that engage with Bing.com on their iPhones and Android handsets, according to the company.
In an April 10 announcement, Microsoft revealed some of the fine tuning its Bing Homepage team performed to come up with Bing's new look for mobile devices. "Based on numerous A/B experiments, we've determined that users prefer a swipe-up card layout (~5-10 percent swipe-up rate), a translucent color scheme and ~50 [pixel] initial card peak height," stated the company.
On-screen, those tweaks add up to a minimalist interface adorned by Bing's trademark feature, the full-screen Image of the Day (IOTD) backdrop, which usually depicts exotic locales, landmarks and wildlife. With the updated mobile homepage, IOTD gets its own dedicated card that users can call up to learn more about the day's image.
While Bing is well-known for its photo-centric site design and search capabilities, not everyone is pleased by Microsoft's approach to Web imagery.
Last week, Microsoft and Seattle-based Getty Images settled a lawsuit filed in New York related to the Bing Image Widget. Pulled soon after the complaint, the widget allowed webmasters to embed a photos gleaned from the Web into their sites based on search queries or keywords.
In the Sept. 4 court filing, Getty claimed that the widget infringed on its copyrights. "Rather than draw from a licensed collection of images, [Microsoft] gathers these images by crawling as much of the Internet as it can, copying and indexing every image it finds, without regard to the copyright status of the images and without permission from copyright owners like [Getty Images]," stated Getty's lawsuit. According to Getty, the company is home to "more than 80 million unique works of digital imagery."
While still at the forefront, images have now have new competition for the attention of mobile Bing users.
The new Popular Now card borrows from the desktop version of Bing's news carousel, one of the home page's "most highly engaged features," claimed Microsoft. "With that in mind, we are bringing the desktop's news carousel experience to mobile. We select the top trending stories for you and update them throughout the day."
Microsoft is also working on personalizing Popular Now. "Moving forward, we will continue to make these stories even more relevant and personal," revealed the Bing Team.
Members of the Bing Rewards program will also have an easier time of tracking their progress on their smartphones. "To facilitate their experience, we created a new Rewards card and gave it prime real-estate," said the company. "This card gives you a convenient entry point to Bing Rewards and a quick way to view your status."
Similarly, the new Settings card provides quick access to Safe Search options and other preferences. Finally, the Footer Card has been updated with a feedback link.