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In the used car market of Europe’s top five countries (Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain) plus Belgium, you can see from the INDICATA data in the chart above that used diesel car sales have been steadily losing market share to petrol cars since July 2019. When you factor in our other article on new car sales trends, supply will significantly reduce over the coming months and years but using INDICATA data we can see that demand is still there.
Used diesel car sales appeared to close the gap a little in September mainly due to used diesel fleet vehicles in the used car market. Petrol has now reversed the move to diesel and shows no sign of losing the top position in the next 4-5 years.
Gap between used diesel and petrol sales grows
The gap between used diesel and used petrol car sales was 1:1.01 in October 2018 according to INDICATA. Just one year later and it is 1:1.10 a 9% increase in just 12 months. The ratio is set to continue to widen, driven by the reduced supply from the new car market, but also due to demand changes, particularly amongst buyers of younger used vehicles who are making similar decisions on powertrain to new car buyers, particularly where they live near the growing number of clean air zones.
The total online B2C used car market is up 9.4% in October year-on-year. Despite diesel losing market share it still saw a 4.2% increase in volume with used petrol car sales up 13.1% over the same period.
Used hybrid sales grow by an additional 8,742 cars
The growth in new hybrid sales over the last few years is also now impacting the used car market with hybrid sales up from a 1.6% market share in October 2018 to 2.2% one year later. In volume terms that’s an increase of 50.3% or an additional 8,742 used hybrid cars.
With new car sales of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) falling we could see used PHEV values starting to rise as increased demand is met with a reduced supply.
Used EVs volumes rise by 55.5%
Over the last 12 months EVs haven’t managed to take more than a 0.4% market share. Whilst there is only a relatively small supply of used EVs available, due to limited sales in the new car market, the reality seems to be that demand is also low. In growth terms the volume of EVs sold in the online B2C used car market has risen by 55.5%, but that still equates to just 5,195 cars sold across the six countries in October 2019.
We have seen the new car market hit by yet more bad diesel media coverage and legislative actions but INDICATA’s data is showing demand for used diesel cars remains strong. You will need to subscribe to INDICATA’s data to get the full lowdown but used diesel car sales are rising.
Used diesel prices are actually outperforming used petrol prices over the last 12 months in Germany, France, Spain and Belgium, and in all six markets reviewed in this article used diesel car stock levels are selling faster than used petrol car stock.
European used diesel supply falls while hybrid and EV demand and supply continues to grow
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Andy Shields appointed as INDICATA’s new business unit director
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Andy Shields has been appointed as business unit director of INDICATA, the global leaders in used vehicle pricing and market analysis.
Andy will have responsibility for INDICATA which is currently in 14 countries.
Andy said, ‘I am very familiar with INDICATA having used it extensively throughout my career both during my time at Avis Europe and whilst consulting for OEMs and major dealer groups.’
Supporting asset managers implement change
‘As a global leader in real time, used car pricing it is not just about data provision but supporting asset managers to implement ongoing pricing management, where the whole organisation embraces and executes it from sales executives to the CEO,’ he added.
Full data integration with Sofico
Andy recently supported VW Bank GmbH leasing company VWFS Ireland’s adoption of Sofico’s Miles lease management system.
Andy said: ‘As I join INDICATA, I am delighted we have announced full data integration into Sofico across all 14 countries. This contributes real time pricing insights at individual vehicle and portfolio levels for Sofico leasing and finance customers.’
Prior to joining INDICATA, Andy held roles such as director of fleet and remarketing at Avis Europe, VP sales and supply for an online car supermarket, and spent 10 years consulting for OEMs, dealer groups and leasing companies.
INDICATA transforms used-car decision making power
Peter Grøftehauge, Autorola Group’s CEO said: “INDICATA has made excellent inroads into providing data that transforms company’s business revenues and used car decision-making power.
‘Andy’s vast experience in used cars, e-commerce and finance means he has a perfect combination of skills for his new role as head of INDICATA.”
For more information, please contact Andrew Shields, Business , Mobile: +44 0 77 75 844 311, Email: email@example.com
Tracking the new car winners and losers across Europe by fuel type
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In the first 9 months of 2019 Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) sales grew in Europe by 93.1% but this still equates to just 2.1% of the total new car market. Hybrid vehicles have also grown by a healthy 42.7% in the first half of 2019 and now account for just over 5.5% of new car sales.
Other powertrains such as Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) have seen their market share hold at around 1.6%, mainly due to its popularity in Italy. However, Plug-in Hybrid EVs (PHEVs) have seen sales drop by 12.7%, accounting for just 1% of the new car market across Europe for the first 9 months of 2019. The decline in demand from fleet operators is part of the reason.
Fleets see increased costs of fuelling PHEVs
Several countries have or had a beneficial taxation system for company drivers choosing a PHEV over a diesel vehicle, making them a popular choice from a personal perspective. However, fleet operators noticed a significant increase in fuel costs as drivers were commonly not charging them, just using them as a petrol vehicle. This meant cars were performing worse than a straight petrol version of the car as the PHEV also boasted added battery weight.
Feedback from auction houses like Autorola confirmed that many PHEVs were coming off fleet having never been charged and with the charging cable still in its original sealed bag.
Bristol city centre moves sets a worrying precedent
On 5th November the UK port town of Bristol became Europe’s first city to approve a ban on all privately-owned diesel cars from 2021 between the hours of 7am and 3pm every day.
Whilst Clean Air Zones (CAZs) are appearing across Europe, the difference here is that the local council has not distinguished the considerable difference between old, high emission diesels of the past and new, clean, Euro 6 engines with little to no NOx and low CO2 emissions. The full details of the fines and charges have yet to be published but the ban includes parts of the city centre as well as the nearby M32 motorway.
We will need to wait until February 2020 to see if the national government approves the business plan, which is predicted to cost £113.5 million, but it does set a worrying precedent.
INDICATA sees impact on new and used diesel market
Some cities already have bans or restrictions on older diesel cars, pre-Euro 6, whilst Oslo has legislation in place to ban all diesel cars from certain roads on days with acute levels of air pollution. This progression to a blanket ban on all diesels will impact the new and used diesel car market as INDICATA data is seeing.
Despite reports and data about how clean the latest Euro 6 diesel engines are, the press continues to use the phrase “Dirty Diesel” with gusto, whilst politicians and lobbyists continue to talk about introducing more clean air zones. The message received by many drivers and consumers is a clear one to “not buy diesel.”
The high-level view is that drivers would choose electric or hybrid vehicles, the reality is most lost diesel sales have gone to petrol engine cars.
European used EV/hybrid stock levels rise while diesel stocks fall
The increased number of new hybrid and EV cars registered over the past few years is now flowing through into the used car market according to the latest market insights data from Indicata for the five largest European countries plus Belgium.
Stock levels of hybrids have jumped 72% in the last twelve months whilst EV stock levels have more than doubled, jumping 220% although both are seeing longer stocking days as demand fails to keep up with supply.
Used diesels/petrol demand outweighs EVs/hybrids
When combining Indicata sales and stock data there is good EV and hybrid availability, but demand remains strongest for the traditional internal combustion engine.
Data from October 2018 to September 2019 shows online B2C used car stock levels are up 4.9% across all powertrains in September 2019 compared to the same period last year.
Dealers de-stock used diesels at a fast rate
Dealers appear to be de-stocking used diesel cars at a faster rate than demand is changing, but diesel remains the fastest selling powertrain. Used petrol car stock has also risen by 14% as dealers move away from used diesels.
Used car prices and demand for used diesels is still relatively strong according to Indicata, however, dealer stock levels are down 7.5% in September 2019 compared with 2018.
Petrol accounts for 51.6% of used stock
Used diesel cars now comprise just 43.8% of online B2C used car stock, versus 49.7% 12 months ago while used petrol car stock now accounts for 51.6% of Europe’s total used stock.
While it may seem a logical move for dealers to de-stock used diesel cars the reality is there are only enough used diesel cars to cover 58.9 days of demand at current run rates compared to 63.1 days of used petrol cars.
INDICATA tracking used car markets across Europe
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Whilst the five largest car markets are key countries to track across the industry for the major international automotive companies, it is also worth monitoring trends across the rest of Europe. A sneak preview at INDICATA’s average stock days by age across multiple markets shows the diversity of stock across Europe.
The next three largest car markets in Europe after the big five and in order of forecast new car sales for 2019 are Poland, Belgium and the Netherlands where a combined 1.46 million new cars are likely to be sold this year, which is more than Spain. These three countries account for significant amounts of used car exports and, in the case of Poland, also imports across the whole of Europe.
Considerable disparity across smaller markets
There is considerable disparity across these smaller markets. Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden have significant levels of younger aged stock of one to two-year-old used vehicles compared to Belgium and Poland where it is the 25 to 36-month-old vehicles which are currently proving the hardest to sell.
Before considering cross-border trading between any market it is a key requirement to understand if you are moving stock into or out of a country at the right time. Whilst you may consider this is possible to do at a very high level, the INDICATA data shows that once you start dissecting different markets by vehicle age, segment type, fuel, body style and make or model mistakes can be made, and opportunities missed.
The daily rental market in Spain and the fleet markets in countries like Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK export tens and even hundreds of thousands of used cars each year and identifying where the biggest demand could be for a particular vehicle could transform a company’s bottom line profitability.
Used car sales outperforming new car sales across Europe’s big five car markets
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Car buyers are switching to buying newer used cars instead of new according to the INDICATA database.
To June 2019 new car sales had fallen in nine of the previous 10 months, with just a miserly 0.1% positive movement in May 2019 being the only glimmer of hope across the 28 European member states and the European Free Trade Agreement countries of Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.
However, used car sales across all five major European car markets grew by 8.2% for the period January to July 2019 compared to the same period in 2018. France has seen the biggest rate if increase, up 14.6%, followed the UK (+9.2%), Spain (+7.0%), Germany (+5.8%) and Italy (+3.6%).
Used car sales outstripping new
Over the first seven months of 2018 online B2C used car sales were achieving parity with sales of new cars across Europe’s five largest car markets, with 7.14 million new cars registered compared to 7.15 million used car sales. One year later and used car sales are now 10% higher than new car sales with 7.74 million online B2C used cars sold in the first seven months of 2019 versus 7.01 million new cars over the same period.
The widening gap between new car sales and used car sales started in September 2018 when the introduction of the new Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) saw new car sales collapse. Used car sales also started to rise from January 2019, increasing in volume terms by an average 8.4% per month between January and July. Despite new car sales rising by 0.9% across the five biggest car markets in Europe in July, used car sales leapt by 20.9% according to the latest INDICATA data.
Spanish market on road to recovery
Focusing on specific markets, a weak quarter one (Q1) of online B2C used car sales in Spain was compensated for by a strong second quarter (Q2) which saw sales rise 32.1% over Q1 2019 and up 19.3% over Q2 2018. The recovery was not quite enough to put the Spanish used car market back into growth though and for the first half of 2019 it was still down 2.6%, but an even stronger July meant total online B2C used car sales in Spain were up seven per cent.
July also saw strong used car sales growth in the remaining four markets with sales for the big five countries up 20.9% in total over July 2018. Germany saw online B2C used car sales rise by 26.2% in July 2019 compared to the same month last year, whilst France (+23.3%), the UK (+11.6%) and Italy (+10.8%) also saw strong increases for the month.
However, it should be remembered that July and August 2018 saw significant new car discounts being offered to clear out new cars which had not or could not be homologated in time for the introduction of WLTP in September, so the rate of growth should stabilise once we are past this period.
Market days’ supply sees double-digit decline as demand for used cars increases
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Car buyers switching from buying new cars to used cars across Europe are pushing down market days’ supply (MDS) for online business to consumer (B2C) used cars of all types, according to the latest data from INDICATA.
MDS measures the amount of used stock available across retailers in a country and compares that to the volume of sales. Therefore, if demand increases but stock levels stay the same the MDS falls because traders will sell out of their stock over a shorter timeframe.
Since the start of 2019 MDS in Spain has fallen 25.6% as supply for used vehicles is failing to keep up with demand. Despite online B2C used stock levels rising by 41.9% between January to July 2019, it is still not enough to meet the increasing demand from used car buyers looking for a more cost-effective way to change their cars.
Stock levels static whilst used demand increases
The increase in used car sales is having a similar effect across the major European used car markets with the remaining four markets all seeing total stock levels remain relatively static whilst used car demand increased. The highest and lowest stock movements for the big five markets, excluding Spain, were in Italy where online B2C used car stock levels rose by just 4.2% from January to July this year whilst the UK saw levels drop by 0.7% over the same period.
MDS fell 19% in Germany for all fuel types with the decline much sharper for used diesels. This indicates that dealers could be destocking diesel and switching their focus to selling used petrol cars a bit faster than used car buyers are changing their buying habits.
Germany and France impacted by transition from diesel to petrol
Online B2C used diesel car MDS in Germany stood at just 62.78 days in July this year which is the lowest level in the market since INDICATA started tracking MDS in this way and well below the average 78.61 days seen for 2018. In contrast MDS for online B2C used petrol cars stood at 77.31 days in July 2019 compared to a similar 76.81 days 2018 average.
France has seen MDS fall by 17.7% between January and June this year with MDS dropping from 61.77 days in January for the whole market to just 50.84 days by July 2019. Drilling down further into INDICATA’s data shows the French used dealer market seems to be handling the move to petrol from diesel in a more controlled fashion than Germany. Used petrol car MDS in France has increased by 4.2% since January 2019 and 12.4% since July 2018. In July 2019 it stood at 54.78 days whilst used diesel car MDS has dropped 28.7% since January and 22.8% down over the previous year and now stands at 47.09 days – a gap of just over seven days between both fuel types compared to over 14 days’ worth of stock in Germany.
UK limited by scale of right-hand drive markets
With the UK being the largest right-hand drive market in Europe it doesn’t have the flexibility to import and export used cars as freely as most of mainland Europe. Germany has increased its used diesel exports which is resulting in much lower MDS for used diesel cars, but the UK is limited due its scale over other right-hand drive markets. This limitation means it is only able to export around three per cent of all online B2C used car sales to countries like Ireland and Malta. Despite this MDS for both used petrol and used diesel vehicles have been on a par with each other since the end of 2017, standing at 42.47 days for used diesel cars and 42.0 days for used petrol cars.
Much of the 24 months to 48-month-old used stock comes from fleet and retail finance defleets many of which are diesel. Only recently INDICATA confirmed that petrol powertrains are proving to be “the UK’s top selling used cars during 2019” which might indicate concerns of a possible major disparity in supply and demand.
The fact is that whilst used car market demand is changing and becoming more petrol focused, the change is happening at a slower rate compared to the new car market, lagging behind by two to three years at the moment according to INDICATA’s database.
Used diesel car sales fall as supply from new car market drops
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How a vehicle performs in the used car market is a real determining factor in a new car sales success. If demand in the used marketplace dries up, then residual values collapse making the car unattractive in terms of financing and cost of ownership. This means it is the used car market which is the key driver for the new car market.
However, when legislators and the media distort the market, as it has done with the war on diesel, we can see the used car market being dictated by the new car market.
The war on diesel having an impact
New diesel car sales started to decline in 2011 when the introduction of Euro-5 emissions tests back in 2008 saw three-year-old used cars starting to suffer with clogging issues with the diesel particulate filter (DPF). The war on diesel and the announcement and introduction of various clean air zone (CAZ) charges and other tax changes in 2016 and 2017 have accelerated the rate of decline in new diesel car sales. The result is we are now seeing the supply of three-year-old used diesel cars coming back to the market reducing.
Used car buyers are generally more pragmatic when it comes to choosing their next car being less concerned about the latest trends and more focussed on finding a car to meet their daily needs. This has resulted in demand for used diesel cars remaining relatively strong with total online B2C used diesel car sales up three per cent for the first seven months of 2019 – hitting 3.74 million compared to 3.64 million for the same period last year.
Diesel outlook on downward trajectory
The outlook for used diesel cars is still following a downward trend though. According to INDICATA’s data, used diesel car sales lost their crown as the powertrain of choice in August 2018 and since then they have continued to lose market share to used petrol cars and, to a far lesser degree, to hybrids and electric vehicles.
Four of the five largest car markets saw a shift in market share from diesel to petrol of between 2.3% (Germany) and 3.4% (Spain) with the UK seeing a 2.5% switch and France a 2.8% movement between the two fuels. Italy continues to be the exception with 469,502 online B2C used diesel car sales recorded by INDICATA for the first seven months of 2019, a 4.7% increase over the same period in 2018 and increasing the diesel used car market share from 68% over that period last year to 68.3% this year. This is clearly why so many German used car dealers are seeing Italy as a good place to export their unwanted older diesel cars.
Petrol continues to be powertrain of choice
Online B2C used petrol cars continue to strengthen their place as the powertrain of choice across the other four markets though. Sales grew by 12.5% across the five largest markets combined, hitting 3.86 million units for the first seven months of this year, or up 13% excluding Italy. This situation is expected to continue for the next three to four years as the collapse of new diesel car sales continues to wash through to the used car market. This will leave used car buyers with little option but to buy used petrol or start to pay a premium for the limited supply of used diesel cars which will then be available by 2021-2022 and beyond.
Of course, this will cause a dilemma for politicians and lobbyists as this means we will see increased levels of CO2 being produced by the increasing volume of used petrol cars on the roads, which could cause more chaos for the automotive industry and car owners with yet more legislation.
Supply and demand provide ‘stability’ to diesel market
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The limited supply of diesel cars coming into the market is good news for sellers of used diesel cars. Whilst demand for new and used diesel cars are in decline, the fall is far less noticeable in the used car market.
When used diesel car demand is combined with the reduction in supply the net result is the price of online B2C used diesel cars generally remains stable across all markets, according to INDICATA. But this high-level view needs to be considered carefully and explored to truly understand what is going on.
Diesel used values not collapsing
What is clear from a high level is that diesel used car values are not collapsing. Even in Germany, where a review of INDICATA’s MDS showed German dealers as having cleared out more stock than they may have needed to, used diesel car prices are rising, up 2.8% on average in Q2 2019 versus Q2 2018. In fact, online B2C used diesel car prices have risen two per cent over the first seven months of 2019 compared to a 3.5% fall in average used petrol car prices.
Average online B2C used diesel car prices are also up in France (+3.1%) for Q2 2019 compared to the same period last year. Whilst used diesel car values have remained almost flat in 2019 with just a 0.2% increase from January to July the situation for average online B2C used petrol car prices follows a similar but more severe pattern to what is happening in Germany, dropping 6.4% in seven months.
UK diesel prices fall whilst petrol jumps
The UK has seen average used diesel car prices fall by 1.1% in Q2 2019 to an average of £14,848 per car compared to £15,026 per car last year, whilst used petrol car prices have jumped up 3.6% in the same quarter hitting an average of £13,114 per unit in Q2 2019.
In general France and Spain both continue to show online B2C used car prices for petrol cars outperforming diesel whilst the other three markets show average online B2C used diesel cars doing better.
Spanish market provides greater insight in changing dynamics
Taking a deep dive into INDICATA’s data in Spain gives a little more insight into the changing market dynamics and why you should consider looking deeper to specific models before drawing too many conclusions.
Whilst both the B and C segments in Spain have shown healthy increases in the average used petrol prices for cars, the situation for J segment petrol SUVs is far less dramatic.
By July 2019 used B segment petrol cars were at 104% of the index point from a year earlier, whilst used C segment petrol cars fared even better, hitting 107%. But used petrol SUVs only saw a one per cent increase in their index value over the same period.
INDICATA’s used diesel car index values show an even more diverse pattern, with the J segment SUV’s index falling to 98%; B segment used diesel index falling to 99%; whilst the C segment used diesel index actually showed prices rising, albeit to just 101%.
Germany and France trading used diesel as market days supply drops sharply
Market days supply (MDS) for online B2C used cars fell in Germany (-7.9%), France (-0.5%) and Italy (-2.3%) for the first two months of Q2 2019 compared to the whole of Q2 2018 according to the latest data from INDICATA.
However, a fall of 11.1% in used car sales in Spain for the first five months of the year saw average used car prices start to fall and MDS increase by seven per cent to 87.4 days for the first two months of Q2 2019 year-on-year.
Used car sales volumes increased by 10.6% in the UK for the year-to-May 2019, compared to the first five months of last year. Used diesel car prices remained almost flat, with a marginal decrease of 0.6%, whilst used petrol car prices rose 3.7%. This resulted in MDS continuing to be relatively stable at 46.2 days for April and May 2019 versus an average of 47.6 days for the whole of 2018.
War on diesel continues to have a significant influence
Drilling down into the data, the war on diesel continues to have a significant influence resulting in dealers trading out of their used diesel stock rather than retailing them to consumers. In some cases, they are even resorting to increasing the levels of export to clear out stock, particularly in Germany and France.
German dealers are currently struggling with stocks of pre-Euro 6 diesel cars which are facing increasing numbers of bans or charges for driving into some of Germany’s major cities and a €2,000-€3,000 cost to convert them to Euro 6 emissions standard.
This issue is starting to appear elsewhere in Europe as dealers are finding it increasingly difficult to sell their older vehicles resulting in ageing stock levels. The aim seems increasingly to avoid being left with unwanted diesel cars, inline with media reports of growing demand for petrol and alternatively powered vehicles. This issue has already seen an increasing number of small independent dealers falling into bankruptcy according to the ‘German Federation for Motor Trades and Repairs’ (Zentralverband Deutsches Kraftfahrzeuggewerbe, ZDK).
Total used diesel car sales show gradual move away from diesel
Total used diesel car sales across the big five European markets captured 49.2% of the online B2C used car market sales for the first five months of 2019 compared to 51.5% for the same period in 2018. This shows there is a move away from diesel but not to the same degree being seen with new car buyers.
However, marketshare only shows part of the story and looking at total sales, both petrol and diesel car sales increased in total year-on-year for the big five countries. Online B2C used petrol car sales rose 10.7%, whilst used diesel car sales saw a one per cent increase according to INDICATA. This proves that whilst the market dynamics are changing there remains a healthy demand for used diesel cars.
Average used car prices rising
This demand for used cars has meant most countries have seen average used car prices rising by as much as 3.5% on average in France or, at the other end of the scale, staying flat with just a 0.1% movement in Spain which is facing other market challenges.
Germany and France both saw average online B2C used diesel car prices rise by 2.7% and 3.4% respectively for the first two months of Q2 2019 versus the whole of Q2 2018.
With used diesel car sales still rising in volume terms and prices still on average increasing, the widening of the gap in MDS in Germany with diesel stock now down to 65.28 days in May 2019 compared to a 2018 average of 78.7 days and a 2018 average for petrol of 76.9 days and a May 2019 average of 77.2 days could be a sign that some dealers have been trading or exporting their diesel stock at a faster rate than needed based on sales volumes, demand and market prices.Click here to get back to all News


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According to Tesla's Q3 earnings report, the company did not sell any of its Bitcoin holdings in the last three months. As of September 30th, Tesla held around 9,720 BTC worth approximately $275.6 million. The report did not mention any conversion of BTC to fiat currency, indicating that the company did not make any proactive selloff move. Tesla first invested $1.5 billion in Bitcoin in early 2021 and bought 43,000 units at an estimated average price of around $34,000. After selling a portion of its holdings in Q2 2022, Tesla has since maintained its Bitcoin HODLing agenda.
The crypto market experienced a sharp decline after rumors circulated that Tesla had sold its $377 million Bitcoin position. Additionally, the Federal Open Market Committee's minutes indicated that interest rates would continue to rise to combat inflation, which further negatively impacted the market.
Tesla's CFO Zach Kirkhorn has resigned, effective Aug. 4, and will be replaced by Vaibhav Taneja, who will also continue in his role as chief accounting officer. Kirkhorn will remain with the company until the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition. The announcement of Kirkhorn's departure caused Tesla's shares to drop by 2.5%. Kirkhorn had been with Tesla for 13 years and served as CFO for four years, and in his statement, he expressed gratitude towards the company's employees and recognized Elon Musk's leadership role.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has been known for his support of Dogecoin, a meme cryptocurrency, and its impact on its value. During his appearance at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit in Q2 2023, Musk explained that his love for Dogecoin goes beyond its capabilities in the crypto market and is more related to its humorous nature.
Dogecoin experienced a significant price increase of over 10% on July 21, reaching $0.076 and adding $1 billion to its market cap. This surge propelled DOGE to become the sixth-best performing cryptocurrency on daily charts and the eighth largest asset by market worth. While the reason for this rally is unclear, some speculate that it may be related to rumors about Dogecoin's presence in the payment page source code on Tesla's website. However, it has been confirmed that Tesla did not recently add Dogecoin to its source code, but rather it was already present since January 2023.
Tesla has reportedly removed Bitcoin from the source code of its payment page, while Dogecoin remains as a payment option. This comes as a surprise to the crypto community, as Tesla's CEO Elon Musk has been a big supporter of Dogecoin. However, Tesla has not made an official announcement regarding this move. Despite this, Tesla's Bitcoin holdings remain unchanged in Q2 2023.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and Twitter, recently praised The All-In Podcast for their discussion on Ripple's recent victory over the SEC. Musk tweeted "Good podcast" in response to the episode, which also brought hope to the crypto community that the SEC's power over US crypto companies and tokens may be limited. Despite his interest in crypto, Musk has never mentioned XRP or the Ripple-SEC case in his tweets, and his main focus in the crypto space is on Dogecoin. Tesla still holds $184 million worth of Bitcoin on its balance sheet as of Q2 2023.
Tesla Reports Record Revenues and Healthy Margins in Q2 FY23 Earnings Report, Continues to HODL Bitcoin Holdings
Tesla's Q2 FY23 earnings report has shown impressive results despite the current state of the economy. The company achieved record production and delivery numbers, as well as generating the highest revenue of any quarter to date, with $24.9 billion.
Tesla's digital asset holdings remained at $184 million on its balance sheet in the second quarter, despite the rise in bitcoin's price during the same period. This is due to accounting rules that do not allow for unrealized gains on crypto to be recorded.
Dogecoin, a popular cryptocurrency with a dog theme, experienced a 4% surge in price within minutes after Elon Musk mentioned it in a tweet. The price of DOGE reached a high of $0.72 from $0.69 on Wednesday morning, but then dropped slightly to just under $0.70.

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Technology South Africa's startup CEOs and developers are Africa's best paid
Tastemakers raises $1.4M to sell Africa experiences to the world
New York based startup Tastemakers has raised a $1.4 million seed-round—led by Precursor Ventures—for its business that connects Africa adventures to global consumers. Tastemakers' platform curates, prices, and lists African travel and cultural experiences—from paragliding tours to wine-tasting to concerts. The startup generates revenues by taking a 20% commission on each transaction. Community managers in Africa screen and select experiences that go up on the site .
It pays more to be a startup CEO in South Africa than anywhere else, according to a survey of startup compensation packages focused on nearly 50 startups in Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana. The survey was carried out by Timon Capital, early-stage investor in sub-Saharan Africa and think tank Briter Bridges.
Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya are often regarded as Africa’s most advanced markets for tech startups and ecosystems. It’s a view that’s validated annually with startups in the three countries typically receivingfrom tech investors. But while these countries jointly receive hundreds of millions of dollars annually, there are some significant disparities in compensation packages.
Misty starts shipping its programmable robot to backers
When we met with Misty back at CES, the Sphero spin-off had an April time frame for its programmable robot, Misty II. But the best laid plans, and all that. The startup announced this morning that it will start shipping the robot to its 500 or so crowdfunding backers over the coming weeks. It’s a few months late, but that’s just kind of the life of the robotics startup. And as we’ve mentioned in previous posts, the company’s got a pretty long runway for its ambitious plans. They started last year with the modular, handmade Misty I. The Misty II is still more platform than product, with the intention of giving developers a place to create various robotics tasks.
On average, startup employees across all levels earn far more in South Africa than anywhere else. For instance, chief executives of startups in South Africa earn more than five times their counterparts in Ghana and Nigeria, and more than double those in Kenya.
Among software engineers, South Africa also ranks highest for pay packages. In contrast, despite being Africa’s largest economy and being home to the continent’s, Nigeria is the least lucrative for software engineers among countries surveyed.
One often cited argument among industry insiders is that Kenya and South Africa, while being home to smaller economies and populations, have larger actual markets in terms of potential customers with disposable income compared to Nigeria where nearly half of the country. On paper, Nigeria’s vast population makes for an interesting funding pitch deck but, in reality, the addressable market is much smaller as e-commerce pioneers have .
Xenophobic attacks: South Africa closes embassies in Nigeria, fearing reprisal attacks
South Africa has temporarily closed its diplomatic missions in Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria, fearing reprisal attacks against its citizens, following a spate of anti-foreigner attacks in the country, an official told CNN.
The smaller pay packages on offer for Nigerian software engineers has also fueled a growing brain drain over the past year: with local startups unable to match higher salary packages elsewhere, local engineersto moving abroad given better career prospects.
Being highly paid is not the only advantage South African startup executives enjoy though. With the country home to a more mature financial market and overall investment culture, South Africa-based startups are likely also closer to capital than their counterparts elsewhere. In one significant example, Africa’s most valuable company, the Cape Town-based Naspers has committed toin South African tech businesses over the next three years.
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Xenophobic violence in South Africa: "at least 10 dead", including a foreigner
Thexenophobic violence continues in . "At least 10 people", including a foreigner, were killed, announced Thursday, September 5, the South African President . The past few days have been marked by looting and "unjustifiable" attacks on the president.
"We know that at least 10 people were killed in this violence, one of them is foreign," said the head of state in a radio and television intervention to the nation.
READ ALSO >>
"Families have been traumatized, lives have been destroyed," he added. "There can be no excuse for xenophobia ... there is no justification for looting and destruction.""The time of calm has come"
"The violence has greatly decreased (...) .The time of calm has come," said the president, adding that 423 people had been arrested in the Johannesburg area, epicenter xenophobic attacks.
READ ALSO >>
"It is time for all of us who live in this country to face our challenges directly and honestly, not by resorting to violence, but by dialogue." he estimated.
South Africa, the continent's leading industrial power, isviolence, fueled by high unemployment (29%) and poverty.
This week's attacks have angered several countries on the continent, where people have attacked South African interests.
South Africa beats England 32-12, wins 3rd World Cup title .
Siya Kolisi grabbed the Webb Ellis Cup with his big hands, gave it a kiss and hoisted it high as fireworks exploded and his teammates — black and white — rejoiced behind him. A blowout victory in the Rugby World Cup final for the Springboks.Yet another transcendent moment for post-apartheid South Africa.Led by its first black captain in the Springboks' 128-year rugby history, South Africa's multi-racial squad swept to a record-tying third World Cup title by overpowering England in a 32-12 victory on Saturday."We have so many problems in our country," the 28-year-old Kolisi said.
Why Jumia Is Beating Amazon And Alibaba In Africa
Jumia has been dubbed the "Amazon of Africa." It's Africa's largest e-commerce operator, surpassing Amazon and China's Alibaba, and it's the first African tech ...
Ripple Developer Conference CEO Chris Larsen Welcome and Introduction History Part 1 XRPTV HD 2018
ripple #xrp #XRPcommunity #xrpthebase #XRPtheStandard CEO Chris Larsen provides an overview of Ripple and shares the latest news. ⬇---SHOW ...


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The Music Publishers Association Group of companies has announced today that Jane Dyball will be stepping down as their CEO in the new year.
The Vamps signed a global deal with the publishing arm of Warner Music Group ahead of a coast-to-coast US tour in promotion of their new album, Night & Day.
Decca Publishing has announced the signing of British electronic composer, producer and performer Will Gregory.
Chris Tams, director of independent member services at the BPI, sheds some light on the opportunities India presents for British music ahead of the upcoming trade mission...
Independent publisher Concord Music has entered an agreement with ICE to oversee its online licensing and administration needs.
An industry trade mission to India will provide an open door for independent music businesses to explore opportunities in the world’s seventh largest economy.
Harriet Moss, global creative manager at boutique publisher Manners McDade, has been promoted to the role of managing director.
Number one-selling singer-songwriter Camille Purcell, aka Kamille, has just inked a publishing deal with BMG.
BDi Music's new A&R co-ordinator Rhiannon Bramley on publishing in 2018, finding new talent and what she learned from working with Charlotte Church.
Hit songwriter Ben Ash (aka Two Inch Punch) has just extended his agreement with Sony/ATV to cover his entire song catalogue.


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Countless strings of shimimochi, or dried rice cakes, a preserved food popular among local residents, hang in a workshop in the village of Katsurao, in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Fukushima, on Feb. 5, 2019. The cold wind blows into the room through open windows and producers say the flavor and scent becomes stronger when dried slowly. Shimimochi are made by mixing ingredients like tansy into sticky rice and naturally drying the mixture for approximately 40 days. When the village evacuated in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis, production stopped at the shimimochi manufacturer, but restarted in 2017. The shop plans to make 5,000 strings of the dried rice cakes this year, which are scheduled to be shipped around mid-March. One string contains 12 pieces of shimimochi.
(Japanese original by Yuki Miyatake, Photo Group)


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There was an 80% increase in digital traffic, with 65% of online orders occurring on mobile devices.
According to Salesforce’s report, digital sales during 2019’s holiday season saw an 8% rise, generating $723 billion globally. While online sales on Thanksgiving increased 24% to $20 billion, Black Friday and Cyber Monday had a 25% growth to $40 billion and 13% growth to $30 billion, respectively.
The shorter holiday season benefitted retailers, as the digital traffic spiked by 13% the week before Cyber Week. The total digital revenue grew 15% from 2018 to $143 billion during Cyber Week.
However, the week leading up to Christmas showed a 27% drop in digital revenue year-on-year. Retailers who offered buy-online-pickup-in-store had 56% “more active digital shoppers”, along with an 18% rise in digital revenue share post the shipping cut-off to offer timely delivery for Christmas.
[2 minute read]


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In response to a change in media trends, more and more businesses are starting to create digital content to appeal to more consumers. By producing videos that give potential customers a glimpse into the inner workings of their business, a company hopes to gain a more loyal customer base. In being more engaging with their customers, a company can gain higher sales.
Read the full article here:
Why GE, Target, And Credit Suisse Are Creating Content – Business Insider


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Kylie Jenner has created an empire with her wildly successful beauty line Kylie Cosmetics and signature Lip Kits. Now her half-sister Kim Kardashian West is stepping on her turf with her latest KKW Beauty collection.
Eyeing up a slice of the lip product market for herself on June 8th Kim will launch a collection of eight lipsticks and three liners.
Kardashian West teased the new KKW Beauty lip launches on Instagram and Twitter, sharing photos of the shades but not the new packaging.
The eight shades range from pale nude to redder and browner tones as well—so there’s a nude for ever skin tone.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) May 29, 2018
“OMG I’ve been wearing these for months now!” she wrote on Twitter. “The creamiest long lasting lip stick formula (8 lipsticks and 3 liners!!!) Can’t wait for you to see my packaging!”
This isn’t the first lip launch for KKW Beauty. Last year, Kardashian West teamed up with Jenner to launch a a set of four nude liquid lipsticks.
There was also a nude bullet lipstick and two glosses in the KKW Mario collection.
These new products, however, marks the first time Kardashian West is debuting a core collection of lip products.
Kardashian West wore one shade of the new lipstick and liner on the Met Gala red carpet, teasing a new KKW Beauty release to come.
The news of the new lipsticks and liners comes just days after KKW Beauty launched two new highlighter palettes.
We predict a turf war…


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- All eyes now shift to eurozone CPI to spherical off the week.
- ECB President & Fed audio system below the highlight later at the moment.
- EUR/USD finds resistance at overbought zone.
Elevate your buying and selling expertise and achieve a aggressive edge. Get your arms on the Euro This fall outlook at the moment for unique insights into key market catalysts that needs to be on each dealer’s radar.
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EURO FUNDAMENTAL BACKDROP
The euro has been capitating off the weaker than anticipated US CPI earlier this week regardless of weakening barely each yesterday and at the moment. Markets are seemingly anticipating the Federal Reserve to have reached its climbing cycle peak and have since ‘dovishly’ repriced expectations by to December 2024. This can be an overreaction as inflation stays sticky and after Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s latest feedback to take care of elevated interest rates, the roughly 91bps of cumulative charge cuts by the tip of 2024 might be amplified. US PPI did encourage additional disinflation being a number one indicator however Fed officers keep cautious.
From a euro space perspective, the EU fee said that the area will keep away from a technical recession however latest financial knowledge has proven extraordinarily poor statistics together with yesterday’s industrial manufacturing.
The day forward might be dominated by central bank audio system with the European Central Bank’s (ECB) President Christine Lagarde included (see financial calendar under). It is going to be fascinating to see how Fed audio system reply to the latest inflation and retail sales stories. Contemplating the US and UK have launched their inflation statistics, the euro report scheduled for tomorrow might carry the euro down from latest highs if precise knowledge fall in step with estimates.
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EUR/USD DAILY CHART
Chart ready by Warren Venketas, IG
The each day EUR/USD each day chart above has been rejected across the overbought mark on the Relative Strength Index (RSI) coinciding with the 1.0900 psychological deal with. A pointy decline in euro space inflation might see the pair again under the 200-day moving average (blue)/1.0800 as soon as extra.
- 1.0800/200-day MA
- 50-day MA
IG CLIENT SENTIMENT DATA: MIXED
IGCS exhibits retail merchants are at the moment neither NET SHORT on EUR/USD, with 59% of merchants at the moment holding lengthy positions (as of this writing).
Obtain the most recent sentiment information (under) to see how each day and weekly positional adjustments have an effect on EUR/USD sentiment and outlook.
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Tesla Semi is leading the transition to cleaner and more sustainable haulage.
Electric power significantly reduces emissions and lowers operational costs.
Advanced technology ensures reliability and top-tier performance for long-haul transport.
The Semi's sleek design and aerodynamics maximize efficiency and driving range.
Tesla is at the forefront of eco-conscious haulage, setting new industry benchmarks.
Autonomous driving features enhance safety and efficiency for truck drivers.
The Semi represents a transformative shift toward cleaner and more sustainable haulage.
It promises a quieter, greener, and more efficient future for the trucking industry.


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Apparently all those years of watching Sesame Street have finally paid off. Alphabet is the new parent company of Google Google and all Google related ventures and the tech universe couldn’t be more giddy
Apparently all those years of watching Sesame Street have finally paid off. Alphabet is the new parent company of Google Google and all Google related ventures and the tech universe couldn’t be more giddy. There was a sense for a while that Google might not be innovating at the speed that we are used to, what with Google Plus fading into MySpace-levels of social network history. The question that everyone is asking now is whether or not Alphabet is going to usher in a new era of Google innovation.
Let us remember that corporate entities restructure and add levels of bureaucracy every year. With the reorganization (‘G’ stands for Google guys, never forget that), Larry Page likens the move to something Warren Buffett would do, invoking Berkshire Hathaway. Whatever that means, it sounds terribly boring. Good thing columnist Christopher Mims of the Wall Street Journal has a Twitter account to explain it to me. “First, everyone has their comparisons wrong, because Page does: Alphabet isn’t anything like Berkshire Hathaway Berkshire Hathaway. A more apt analogy for what Google apparently wants to become is the Virgin Group, but apparently Page doesn’t know how it works. That is, Alphabet is more accurately a “venture conglomerate” like Virgin Group — that is, creating and investing in new businesses.”
Page has had a history of shuffling the deck at Google as it is. In this age of social media and Google ruling our Internet connected world, we tend not to even bat an eye towards those kinds of changes. Hell, by the time you read this, we won’t even care about the alphabet anymore. I mean the actual alphabet, with the letters. Because Google owns it now. Page is really excited about putting Google under an umbrella company. Though as someone who comes from the corporate universe, I think this seems like a huge dog and pony show for what amounts to Google just enabling tech writers to commission cute infographics outlining what companies fit with what letters.
New Google Search Page?
Have we really become so blinded by the influence of these tech giants that we can’t see a simple restructuring for what it is? An opportunity for one of the most recognizable brands in history to re-brand. Retail companies do it all the time, as well as Web-ased companies — but Google is Google. How do you re-brand Google? Easy, you slide it next to 25 other companies (hypothetically) and with a little slight of hand, Google becomes part of something even bigger even though there is nothing bigger. Fat guy in a little coat.
Alphabet has nothing to do with us. The users. Nothing at all really. We’ll still type in our weird search phrases and delight every time the Google Doodle celebrates some long dead history person. “Alphabet really will have little effect on users,” agrees marketing manager Michelle Burke of Future Insights. “Instead, Google quickly realized they had to avoid becoming comfortable as a brand and challenging themselves, and industry followers, to growing and expanding.” In a marketing sense, Google has become something of a complacent brand, no matter how innovative their current research appears to be. Regardless, Alphabet was created to put investors at ease and finally have a letter for Google’s genetic domesticated Zebra houseplant project.
The Alphabet move points out that Google is not a search company — it’s a search company that uses those cash flows to lose money elsewhere.
— Alex (@alex) August 10, 2015
Because Google is now part of a larger umbrella, does this mean that they will suddenly become more innovative in the search engine world? Will it finally bury Netscape and Yahoo? Wait, what do you mean Netscape is already dead and gone? No one told my father. Also, how long will it be before Alphabet finds enough companies to fill in the, uh, alphabet? What if Alphabet creates more than 26 companies or projects — or for that matter — with duplicate letters? It already took the alphabet, can it take our numbers too?
I woke up today in a world where Google is now “Alphabet” and I am lost, confused and frightened.
— Alex Fitzpatrick (@AlexJamesFitz) August 11, 2015
Either Google will innovate, or Alphabet will innovate for Google, creating some sort of innovation paradox that will take some getting used to. Even in writing this I found it difficult to not type “Google’s Alphabet”. Aside from innovation, some believe that the Google company motto of “Don’t Be Evil” will really be put to the test as they appear to grow larger and closer to the Skynet of our nightmares. “Alphabet is Google’s first major step towards global control of all data in both the public and private realm,” BSSi2 CIO Nick Espinosa tells me via email. “Their aggregation of data under Google was unprecedented and it will do nothing but grow as they expand into other areas.” We can joke about it all we want, but Alphabet will create a myriad of companies all tied to a central agent — Google — all with the end purpose of either making our lives better, or controlling every aspect of them. It is getting more difficult to discern the difference.
There will no longer be any co-mingling of products, that much we know for certain. Alphabet means “N” is for Nest, “P” is for Pixate and so on. If you own any Google stock, you are probably feeling a bit of a rush right now, but don’t worry — it’ll wear off next time you are touching your nose and reciting the alphabet backwards and you let out a little giggle. No matter what comes next, Google will always be search and Page is yet to reveal what plans he has in store for prime numbers and hieroglyphics.
Article originally posted in Forbes website.


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The Central Bank of Ireland has authorised Coinbase to operate as a virtual asset service provider (VASP), bringing the US-listed crypto exchange under its supervision for the purposes of anti-money laundering and criminal financing regulations.
The authorisation makes Coinbase the second crypto exchange to receive authorisation in the Republic after Gemini was granted VASP approval in July. Zodia Custody Ireland, a cryptoasset servicing company focused on institutional investors, also received approval earlier this year.
It means that the regulator is satisfied that Coinbase can meets its anti-money laundering and criminal financing obligations under Irish and European law and allows the company to provide it services to Irish consumers and businesses.
Cryptoassets and exchanges are not currently regulated in the State. VASP registration means Coinbase now falls under the Central Bank’s supervision for anti-money laundering and criminal financing regulatory purposes only.
Post office quarrels / Drug dealing impacts city centre businesses
Founded in the US in 2012, Coinbase allows users to buy and sell crypto assets such as bitcoin and ethereum. It received an e-money licence from the Central Bank in 2019, entitling it to provide electronic payment services and handle electronic payments for third parties.
In a blog post on Wednesday, the company said VASP registration means it is now subject to the Criminal Justice Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act 2010, “demonstrating our commitment to the highest standards of compliance”.
“The VASP registration covers two Coinbase entities,” it said, “Coinbase Europe Limited, and Coinbase Custody International Limited, both of which are based in Ireland. Coinbase Europe provides crypto-trading services to customers in Europe, and Coinbase Custody International provides crypto custody services to institutional customers across Europe.”
“Ireland has been a natural home for Coinbase in Europe, not least because of its talent pool and openness to industry, but also because of its EU membership and access,” Nana Murugesan, vice-president of international and business development at Coinbase, said on Wednesday. “Our Irish regulatory approval demonstrates our commitment and collaboration with the Central Bank of Ireland.”
Separately, the company has announced that former Deloitte Ireland director Cormac Dinan has joined Coinbase as its Irish lead.
“As the most trusted and secure crypto exchange, Coinbase has developed its technology and regulatory procedures alongside the industry as it matures,” he said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to strengthening Ireland’s operations and helping the sector’s continued growth. Creating an environment which champions innovation while strengthening trust in crypto is something I am really eager to progress.”
After-tax profits at the Irish arm of cryptoasset exchange Coinbase jumped more than 300 per cent to €2.7 million in 2021 before the crypto downturn set in earlier this year, sending the company’s share price tumbling more than 80 per cent so far.
Recently filed accounts for Coinbase Ireland show it employed an average of 117 people at its offices in Dublin in 2021, up from 58 in 2020. However, the company has made about 18 per cent of its global workforce redundant in the second half of the year in an attempt to cut costs amid the broader downturn, with a number of Irish jobs affected.


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This month marks a significant milestone for Conception Marketing as we celebrate 20 years in business. The occasion also marks 20 years servicing the manufacturing and engineering sectors.
Managing Director, Carole Myers, founded Conception in May 2002, with a team of 10, mainly female staff , with a vision of creating a marketing consultancy that specialises in delivering full-service marketing support to SMEs in the manufacturing and engineering industries. The company mission is centred around helping businesses grow through strategic marketing activity and it offers a comprehensive range of services from traditional marketing such as exhibitions and lead generation, to digital services including website development, SEO, Google Ads, social media and email marketing.
Over the years Conception has partnered with a portfolio of clients who have supplied products and services to major projects across the UK and internationally. Significant client contracts to date include supplying tunnel linings to the London Underground, precision machined components to Boeing aircraft and LED lighting on international rail projects.
In the last two decades Conception has witnessed many major challenges and developments in the manufacturing sector. Technological advancements such as the advent of 3D printing, advanced 4-axis machining and automation in production are just some of the significant developments over the years. More recently, Industry 4.0 has revolutionised the manufacturing process – with the introduction of robotics, the implementation of AI across supply chains, operations, logistics and product development.
Conception has remained adaptive to the ever-changing manufacturing landscape, helping customers to grow in emerging markets and expand their product and service offering. Staying one step ahead of marketing techniques and driving digital activity has been vital to Conception’s success. The now all-female team boasts experience in all areas of marketing, both locally and globally, delivering results-driven marketing services alongside in-depth knowledge of the manufacturing and engineering sectors.
When asked about the significance of the 20-year milestone, Carole Myers, Managing Director at Conception commented:
“There have been many changes since 2002, but I think the most significant one has been the digitisation of marketing for the engineering sector. Of course, there are still face to face sales people but online marketing has made so much more possible, cost-effectively. It’s also great to be at the twenty year mark when there is so much optimism in the British engineering sector, seeing it on the up is truly rewarding, when it’s been an underdog for so long!”
Looking to the future, Carole said “The pandemic has brought about change that will be long lasting, especially moving lagging companies to use online tools and even more advanced businesses to hybrid working. Of course, there is a resource shortage and we hope that we can at least fill part of the commercial gap with our outsourced marketing offering. This will prove to be cost-effective to the manufacturing sector and will give direct access to expertise without the hassle of managing it in-house. With this in mind, we are expecting to continue our growth trajectory and increase our team from 10 to 15 over the next 12 months.”
Click here to speak to our team and find out how Conception can help your business grow.


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PETALING JAYA: As more businesses reopen due to the easing of Covid-19 regulations, many would expect bargain hunters to be turning up in droves at retail outlets.
Contrary to the belief, however, shop owners are not seeing the volume they expect at their outlets since the easing of restrictions.
The reason behind this, they reckon, is that people have become extremely cautious despite being fully vaccinated as they know that vaccines are not 100% effective at preventing infection.
In Kuala Lumpur, a carpet retail store worker, who only wanted to be known as Lim, said very few customers have visited the outlet since it resumed operations.
“Business was already slow before the pandemic; now it’s even worse under the current situation.Read More »


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The dominance of Android’s and iOS’s app shops has meant a sizeable lower for Google and Apple, respectively, within the app economic system. For perspective, the app business recorded $143 billion in international shopper spend in 2020. Apple doesn’t disclose the precise figures, however its “companies” phase, which incorporates its app retailer, generated 19% of its whole income of $274 billion in 2020.
In the meantime, the Google Play Retailer generated $38.6 the identical 12 months. More and more, throughout jurisdictions, each day mobile-usage (a proxy for app utilization) has been beating or giving stiff competitors to TV viewing; no surprise, in 2020, traders poured $73 billion of capital into mobile-first firms. Thus, that is another excuse why the stakes for Apple and Google from a thriving app economic system are excessive.
However, sheer dominance of the 2 tech giants’ app platforms has introduced with it a bunch of issues. From giant commissions on in-app purchases consuming into the app builders/distributors’ take to forcing app builders to make use of their funds programs, there are various points that threaten competitors—Apple and Google can also have app choices competing in some areas—and thereby the vibrancy of the app economic system.
This has elicited robust response from many jurisdictions. Not too long ago, South Korea amended its legal guidelines to stop app-stores from making it compulsory for app-makers to make use of their fee programs. There was some injury management from the app-stores’ aspect as effectively—Google has slashed its commissions on subscription-based apps to fifteen% from the primary day, as an alternative of 30% for the primary 12 months (falling to fifteen% the second 12 months onward), and it believes fee charges might come down to simply 10% for apps that take part in its Play Media Expertise Programme.
Juxtapose this with the 1-2% fee charged by most non-Google, non-Apple fee portals. No surprise app start-ups have been up in arms. Apple’s altering its anti-steering coverage—thereby permitting apps to speak immediately with customers on fee strategies—is welcome, however jurisdictions just like the EU nonetheless understand sufficient Apple/Google hegemony to suggest legal guidelines to allow side-loading (permitting smartphone customers to obtain apps from the web, outdoors the app shops).
Apple and Google might absolutely take a cue from Microsoft, which has fee charges as little as simply 5%. App shops dictating charges to app-makers has a gate-keeping impact; for small builders, this turns into a determinant of survival. It’s no surprise thus that fora just like the Alliance of Digital India Basis imagine builders needs to be afforded “equity and never benevolence within the type of “decreased” fee percentages,” and the willpower of the commission-rate is left to the market slightly than the app-store monopoly (relying on the OS of a telephone).
India, as additionally different jurisdictions, want to border the suitable laws to permit each app shops and apps to thrive. Such laws wants to bear in mind, because it tries to sort out the anti-competitive results of app-store dominance, that an Apple has made vital funding to guard user-privacy.
So, if Apple can display how side-loading might unravel its fastidiously crafted safety blanket, it has a proper to be heard and thought of. However, that under no circumstances ought to translate right into a licence to turn out to be a hegemon.


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Upcoming GDPR rules mean data compliance will be mandatory.
In the digital age, information is the new hot-ticket currency. Often, companies, third-parties, and even cybercriminals would rather get their hands on users’ data than money, since the potential payoff from having access to sensitive information could be exponentially higher than a typical cash flow source.
Under the new privacy regulations put forth by the EU, there are stiff penalties for being the guy who was supposed to keep all that data nice and safe. Among other change, letting information fall into the wrong hands now carries severe penalties, and many companies are scurrying in an effort to get compliant with the new GDPR rules before they take effect in May.
For some companies, that level of compliance means taking a good look at their own bedfellows. Case in point, WhatsApp has agreed not to share EU users’ data with Facebook until the social media site–recently (and repeatedly) accused of running roughshod with users’ personal information–can become GDPR compliant.
“People have a right to have their personal data kept safe, only used in ways that are properly explained to them, and for certain uses of their data, to which they expressly consent,” Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham announced in a recent statement,”This is a requirement of the Data Protection Act.”
In terms of 21st century business, refusing to share user data amounts to drying up a revenue stream for Facebook, which makes its income by selling access to its users’ page feeds to advertisers. This sale of access, though, has led to allegations that Facebook was complicit in allowing Russia operatives to purchase anti-Clinton ads for targeting US voters prior to the 2016 election. More recently, Facebook is facing a possible investigation for knowingly allowing a UK-based data analytics firm to gather up tens of millions of users’ profiles and personal data in order to target them with advertising for the Trump campaign.
UK officials announced on March 20 that they are seeking a warrant to search files and servers owned by Cambridge Analytica.


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("Sopheon" or the "Company")
Sopheon, the international provider of software, expertise, and best practices for enterprise innovation management solutions, holds its Annual General Meeting ("AGM") today. Given the Coronavirus situation, Shareholders are not expected to attend the meeting in person, and were encouraged in the notice to submit a proxy vote. The Board takes this opportunity to give shareholders the following update and review of the business.
2020 in review
We were proud to report a growth in contractual bookings in a year of unpredictability and unparalleled disruption. Revenue at $30m matched 2019, showing resilience, and several transformational indicators showed rising commercial traction, even in the face of two separate headwinds - the pandemic introduced new challenges to sales and retention; and our strategy to make selling new SaaS contracts a priority. Transition to SaaS contracts reduces revenue recognition in the first year compared to traditional perpetual licenses, trading this for a higher quality and predictable ongoing recurring revenue stream in the future. In spite of these challenges, Total Contract Value (TCV) of sales booked in the year was up almost a quarter, and we nearly tripled the TCV of new SaaS contracts booked. Six of the new deals signed exceeded $1m in initial TCV, and Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) closed at $18m, an historic high up from $15.9m a year ago. As always, much of this activity concentrated into the fourth quarter. Retention was impacted during the initial stages of the pandemic, then rebounded later in the year. We achieved this while delivering a solidly profitable and cash generative year, also reporting new highs in cash balances and closing net assets. In parallel, we embarked on the development of new cloud-native products, which will bring value to personal and workgroup productivity alongside the corporate value points we are well known for. In addition, in early 2021, we introduced new leadership with the appointment of Greg Coticchia as CEO, Andy Michuda moving to the executive chairman role with a particular focus on partnerships and acquisitions, and Barry Mence stepping back to become a non-executive director. Our dividend was maintained at 3.25p per share, and is proposed to shareholders in today's meeting.
Since the start of the year, under Greg's leadership we have continued to execute on our transformational strategy. This is exemplified by the recent appointments of Mike Bauer as Chief Product Officer, John Beischer as Americas VP of Sales, and Ann Marie Beasley as Chief Marketing Officer. Each one of these appointees bring an impressive track record and their experience, creativity, and drive will be valuable assets to Sopheon during this exciting period of transformation and growth. Mike has introduced over 100 products to market in his career, and offers deep experience in creating cloud-based solutions working across a range of companies, from start up to established enterprise such as Avnet and 3Com. John has led transformation efforts at various companies, from emerging enterprises to industry powerhouses like IBM and has an impressive record of creating and expanding industry leading go-to-market distribution channels in competitive and complex marketplaces. Ann Marie boasts an exceptional track record for developing and executing successful marketing strategies at companies like Allscripts, CA Technologies and Symantec.
Another milestone was the launch of Accolade® for Smart Products, the first innovation management solution to bring together traditionally siloed software and physical product development - a new SaaS-based solution that enables companies to develop innovative digitally-enabled physical products in a new collaborative and efficient way with speed.
We are pleased to report 27 software transactions closed so far this year, of which just under half were SaaS related. So far these have been mainly customer extension deals and smaller in size - metrics we expect to balance out through the year as normal with some new and larger deals in the pipeline. Customer retention has been strong; and coupled with new orders, ARR has risen above $19m compared to $18m at the end of 2020. Visibility for the full year 2021 now stands at $28m, compared to $23.2m at the time of our AGM announcement last year, which is very encouraging. In parallel with this continued evidence of commercial traction, we continue to see a strong appetite for innovation solutions. With our new senior appointments, we are undertaking a detailed review of our sales pipelines as companies work to find the new norm of conducting business post Covid. We are already seeing the benefits of alternative approaches and fresh ideas. Net cash at the end of May was $23.3m (2020: $21.3m), though a seasonal peak always occurs this time of year, it underlines our financial strength. These commercial and financial proof points give us the confidence to proceed with our strategy both in terms of operational expansion - we continue to hire and invest for growth - and with continuing our search of the right M&A candidates.
For further information contact:
Andy Michuda (Executive Chairman)
+ 44 (0) 1276 919 560
Carl Holmes/Edward Whiley (Corporate Finance)
+ 44 (0) 20 7220 0500
The information communicated in this announcement is inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation 596/2014.
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USA Today Reports iPad Digital Menus Replacing Waiters2 min read
The USA Today reports that iPad digital menus are becoming increasingly popular as restaurants across the nation start implementing them to entice customers.
As we reported in a prior blog about Stacked in LA (see that blog post here) – a burger joint that was founded by the two co-founders of BJ’s – it seems that iPad digital menus are slowly but surely making their way into restaurants as the digital age takes over and replaces the outdated paper menus of yesterday, allowing for more enhanced customer service and a more interactive dining experience for guests.
The USA today reported – in a feature article that was published in early February (2011) – that Stacked was planning on adding more than 100 iPad digital menus to their two LA locations. The menus are to be tabletop menus that allow for customers to browse the item selections and create entirely customized burgers – which the joint features dozens of unique toppings for. Patrons are able to design their own custom burgers, salads and pizzas as well as even tender payment for their meal by using the iPad digital menus.
The cofounder, Paul Motenko, infers that they are just harnessing technology to better serve guests, and not to market the restaurant as an “iPad digital restaurant.”
“We’re not going to market it as an iPad restaurant,” Motenko told USA Today.
According to Dennis Lombardi, a prominent restaurant consultant, digital menus represent the next step for restaurants during the modern day. “The printing of menus will fade as iPads — and other similar devices — replace them,” he told USA Today.
A recent survey that was conducted by the National Restaurant Association purports that younger diners are the more enticed by iPad digital menus. The survey concluded that two out of three diners between the ages of 18-34 preferred iPad digital menus to the latter.
These innovative iPad digital menus have made their way into several eateries, too.
New York’s John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airport has them installed to allow guests to customize meals while in transit.
Bones, a steakhouse in Atlanta (see our blog regarding this) uses iPad digital menus for wine lists, and the owner, Richard Lewis, said sales have increased 20% since implementing them.
Lewis proclaimed that iPad digital menus will be in all restaurants in the years to come, inferring to the USA Today that, “It’s (digital menus) the future.”
Disclaimer: This is an independent report sourced from one or more news articles and or press releases; none of the company’s, entities or technologies digressed in this report are affiliated with or a client of Aptito.
Aptito offers a digital menus solution that could work for your business. Click Here to Learn More.


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By VINCENT PERSTAD
For students who find themselves going off campus in search of healthier beverage options, things could start getting smoother. Current senior business major Nick Saulnier (pictured above) and business graduate student Clint Fontenot are attempting to make history by creating the very first student-run business on campus: a health-centric smoothie bar.
“As of right now, our only roadblock is Sodexo,” Saulnier said. “And if we pull this off we would be one of the first business schools to do so besides one or two to actually have a student-run business in the food and beverage industry.”
Together with Fontenot, Saulnier took the fall semester of 2016 to put together a budget and research plan for Love Yourself Juice Co.
So far their plan is to be co-owners of the business and their goal is to be able to have it run by students who would be paid $20 per hour. As far as location goes, their sites are set on the athletic center. Saulnier added that meal swipes and Spartan dollars would be available for use at this smoothie bar.
“Most of our marketing research and data is pointing to the new athletic center as the ideal place for this smoothie bar,” Fontenot said.
Currently, Starbucks and Dairy Queen are the only places on campus that serve any kind of frozen beverages. To make Love Yourself Juice Co. the third smoothie option, Sodexo is requiring Fontenot and Saulnier to obtain a $5 million insurance policy, according to Saulnier.
Menus at Dairy Queen in Morsani feature sundaes, milkshakes and a limited number of smoothies with only one protein additive as a response for a protein shake. Saulnier and Fontenot’s menu includes smoothies, power shakes, protein shakes, wheat grass shooters, and a variety of supplement options.
“When you go to a place like DQ in Morsani, they mix syrup, ice, and one or two fruit items and call it a smoothie,” Fontenot said. “We got our initial idea from places like Extreme Juice that seem overly popular to UT students, according to staff at Extreme Juice.”
Saulnier and Fontenot have surveyed 350 UT students and say they will continue to survey them as a means to be able to create hours for the smoothie bar as well as potential smoothies or shakes.
“Extreme Juice and Smoothie King are many miles away from campus, so why not have something closer?” Fontenot asked. “How far is UT willing to go to support two of their own business students in starting a business?”
Vincent Perstad can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Chizhou, Anhui – China’s PU additives maker Hengguangda on September 19 broke ground on a new plant with 18kT/year PU additives and 10kT/year PU systems.
The CNY300m ($45m) plant is located at its existing site in Chizhou’s Dongzhi Economic Development Zone.
The additives capacity breaks down as:
- 3 kT/year amine additives;
- 10 kT/year silicone additives; and
- 5 kT/year tin additives.
The project is expected to generate CNY968m annual sales, said local government.
Originally the plant contained capacity for 100,000 unit/year high-speed train and aeroplane seating capacity, but this was cancelled earlier this year because of market conditions and restraints at the site. The company told UTECH-polyurethane.com that this remains cancelled.
Hengguangda claimed a 63% share of the Chinese market for its tin additives this year. Its share of the silicones market fell slightly to 21.4%. The market share for amines has dropped from 20% to 15.3%, said the company’s website.


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Posts Tagged «retina transition»
The iPad Mini’s display isn’t Retina, but it’s still good enough November 5, 2012 at 1:28 pm
This screen that so many people are calling “Ugly” is actually higher quality than the top-of-the-line iPad’s screen from earlier this year. Apple’s decision to ship the iPad Mini without a Retina display was wise from a business point of view. It is good enough for now, and that’s the entire point.


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Robinhood is adding “hundreds of additional registered financial representatives,” according to an announcement on the company’s blog. The new employees will be located in Tempe, Ariz., and Southlake, Texas.
The expanded customer service comes as retail trading has grown in popularity and complaints on social media about Robinhood have become commonplace. The goal of the hires will be to reduce customer wait times, as well as build more self-service capabilities. While Robinhood doesn't offer financial advice, a report by Aite Group found that making it easier for clients to self-service increased business efficiency in the wealth management industry.
“Supporting and communicating with our customers—both those new to investing and those with more experience—is a critical part of our responsibility to them,” said Alex Mesa, head of customer experience at Robinhood, in the post. “We’ve more than doubled our support team since January and we’ll continue to grow our teams to provide timely, helpful responses to our customers.”
Robinhood is also expanding its financial literacy resources after an investor committed suicide and “left a note citing confusion with our product,” according to another blog post.
The mayor of Southlake welcomed Robinhood in Tuesday’s announcement. The Texas community also attracted interest from TD Ameritrade, which announced the hiring of call center representatives there earlier this year.


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The Suzuki Hayabusa has remained almost unchanged in its nearly 20-year production run, and for next year, the motorcycle will remain so, as reported earlier. For the 2019 model, however, when the Hayabusa is turning 20-years-old, Suzuki could give the motorcycle a new heart.
As per sources, the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer could equip the 'Busa' with a turbocharged engine, for the 2019 model. Suzuki could use the turbocharging technology that was showcased with the Recursion Concept, that was showcased during the Tokyo Motor Show.
The Recursion concept used a 588cc engine, and as per Suzuki, the motorcycle makes big-bike power from mid-size displacement. It is unclear if Suzuki will downsize displacement for the new Hayabusa, or maintain the same displacement.
If Suzuki decides to maintain litre-class displacement with the next generation Hayabusa and turbocharge the motorcycle, the Kawasaki H2 and the H2R will face a threat, making it an intense battle.
Taking into consideration the massive fan following the Hayabusa has globally, a turbocharged version will prove to be a hit for the company. Also, since only Kawasaki offers a forced induction motorcycle, Suzuki could have an advantage in this segment.


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As Twitter looks to gain more active users and Apple searches for live content for its Apple TV, the two may have found reason to partner up. According to a new report from the New York Times yesterday (August 14), Twitter may be making an Apple TV app that would bring the social network's live video offerings (including live NFL games) to the set-top box platform.
This mutually beneficial partnership is possible thanks to Twitter's victory in a bidding war for the exclusive streaming rights to Thursday Night Football games. Not always known for grinding out a win, Twitter defeated a handful of rivals including Facebook, and it will stream its first football game on September 15.
NFL content can already be found on Apple TVs for paying subscribers of NFL Game Pass, but Twitter is aiming to make streaming easier. Twitter CFO Anthony Noto boasts that the Thursday night streamed games will require "no paywall, no logging in and [come] directly from the source."
This isn't the only live content Twitter can offer Apple, as it signed deals with the NBA, MLB, NHL, Wimbledon, the Pac-12 Networks and CBS News. The Twitter app could potentially provide more, as the company is reportedly conducting similar talks with Major League Soccer and the Professional Golfers Association.
Providing access to such live events may make Twitter a must-have app on Apple TV, which many may have turned to after cutting the cord on their traditional subscription services. While Apple doesn't disclose sales numbers, analysts have predicted Apple will sell around 24 million of the 4th generation Apple TV, the version of the device that could support the Twitter app. That potentially-large installation base could help Twitter solve its flagging user problems.
Twitter may find a second-calling as a set-top box-based app, as many value the platform for its ability to deliver up-to-the-minute breaking news. If Twitter is well-integrated throughout the Apple TV, it could also be used as the de facto service for updating your friends on the best shows to stream and games to play.
Twitter's plethora of content also fits into a recently reported "Apple TV Guide" feature that may be coming to the platform to help users find the best shows that are on right now. The social network is clearly taking live video seriously, and that could mean a whole bunch of free live video content for Apple TV owners.
As for Twitter, it can use all the help it can get, as the service has had trouble growing in the face of more sticky services like Instagram and Snapchat. Twitter had 313 million monthly active users as of the end of the second quarter, up only slightly from 310 million in the previous quarter.
Twitter's stock was up on the news by over 6.5 percent on the news in mid-day trading.


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(Business in Cameroon) - Cameroon exported 93,434 tons of banana in the first six months of 2020, according to data compiled by the banana exporters’ association (Assobacam). This is more than 13,000 tons lower than the volume it exported during the first half of 2019 (106,682 tons).
This decrease, despite the return of the public agro-industrial company on the market during the semester under review (exporting 301 tons of banana in June 2020), is essentially due to the decline in the activities of Plantations du Haut Penja (PHP), the local subsidiary of Compagnie fruitière de Marseille.
Indeed, during H1-2019, it exported 98,154 tons of banana but during the first semester of the current fiscal year, it exported 85,605 tons. This represents a drastic drop of more than 12,500 tons year-on-year.
Like PHP, Boh Plantations also recorded a drop in its banana exports during the period under review. It exported only 7,527 tons of banana by June 30, 2020, while during the same period a year earlier, it exported 8,528 tons. This shows a decrease of 1,000 tons year-on-year.
Brice R. Mbodiam


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EV Association of the Philippines to hold 9th Philippine EV Summit online
Despite the quarantine restrictions, the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) announced that the Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit (PEVS) will push through later this year. However, don't expect it to be similar to the EV Summits before 2020. Similar to last year, the 9th PEVS will be held online as a virtual conference on August 26-27, 2021.
This year, the theme for PEVS is “Accelerating the Switch to Electro-Mobility in the Philippines”. The two-day conference will serve as a platform for policy dialogue and exchange of knowledge, experiences, and practices to accelerate the adoption of electro-mobility in the local transport sector. This is in line with the government's plans toward a low-carbon economy.
According to EVAP, the transformation of the local transport sector towards electrification is slow compared to other countries in the region, such as Thailand and Singapore. One example is the jeepney. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) reported in June 2020 that only 18,000 jeepneys have been modernized out of the 200,000 registered.
One of the highlights of the summit would be the signing of the stakeholder Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate the switch to electro-mobility by 2025. The memorandum will involve representatives from key government agencies, the academe, civil society, and EVAP reaffirming their commitment to accelerate the transition to sustainable transport.
“Accelerating the switch to electro-mobility can only take place with synergies of the government providing the enabling policy environment and infrastructure combined with the eager participation from the private sector in innovating electric vehicle technology solutions, facilitating technology transfer, and offering financing options. For its part, the civil society can help educate consumers about the benefits of e-mobility,” said EVAP president Edmund Araga.


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Chrysler confirms plug-in hybrid minivan & full-size crossover
Few details have been announced but the carmaker's presentations showed that it will launch a plug-in hybrid version of Chrysler’s former Town & Country minivan, which Fiat Chrysler is planning to bring to market in 2016. The vehicle is said to offer around 75MPGe.
This will be followed by a full-sized crossover with a plug-in hybrid option. Little has been announced about this but Fiat Chrysler is reported to have said it will be a ‘new vehicle or renewal of existing nameplate’.
According to reports, Chrysler will launch several mild hybrids soon after the plug-in minivan but says fuel cell vehicles aren’t ‘commercially viable’ yet.


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HUAWEI Introduces E583X, the Smallest and Lightest Wireless Modem Ever at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona
Shenzhen, China on February 12, 2009--HUAWEI, a leader in providing next generation telecommunications network solutions for operators around the world, will make business people's dream for high-speed Internet surfing anytime, anywhere a reality with E583X, its new wireless modem. The smallest wireless modem in the world, E583X will debut at the 2009 World Mobile Congress in Barcelona on February 16.
HUAWEI's latest innovation in broadband terminals, E583X provides a new level of convenience to its users. With E583X, you no longer need to carry a bulky Internet cable. The size of a small key chain, it fits in your pocket or wallet. You simply turn on the W-Fi switch and enjoy immediate access to a high speed HSPA network. E583X can automatically create group Internet access and individual WiFi hot points for network digital equipment such as laptops, mobile phones, cameras, games consoles, and MP4 devices.
E583X offers convenient wireless Internet access
But that's not all. E583X supports plug-and-play and data transmission speeds up to 7.2 Mbps (downlink) and 5.76 Mbps (uplink). Music and videos can be uploaded or downloaded in seconds. With its built-in Micro SD card slot, E583X can also serve as a USB disk. All these features have been integrated into the smallest wireless modem in the world.
"E583X is our biggest release since the E220, an innovative USB modem we delivered to the market in 2006. The E220 sold a record-breaking 9 million units and was dubbed' the most influential communication terminal in 2007' by Dean Bubley, the Founder of Disruptive Analysis," said Director of HUAWEI Terminal Marketing Department . "Our unmatched R&D capabilities allow us to offer operators continuous innovation and profitable growth opportunities in mobile broadband services. E583X will be one of HUAWEI's most important strategies in 2009 for maintaining its leadership in the mobile broadband market. We believe it will be the next E220 bringing transformational changes to the mobile broadband market."
HUAWEI, ranked number one in mobile broadband sales, has shipped over 25 million worldwide. With a reputation for innovation, HUAWEI has enjoyed numerous successes in the mobile broadband market and continued to expand its market share.
Key ring sized E583X
E583X will be available to customers in Q2 2009. For more information, please visit our website at www.huawei.com
E583X has an elegant, elliptical profile that distinguishes it from competitive products. Unlike other, traditional product designs for electronic products, E583X introduces a new aesthetic with its ornamental design and will change the way people think about their modems going forward.


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China recalled a haemorrhoid medicine on Wednesday after it was linked to liver problems, state media said, in the latest safety incident to tarnish the country's food and drug sector.
The State Food and Drug Administration ordered the producer of Zhixue capsules to cease production and begin a nationwide recall, Xinhua news agency reported.
The recall came after 21 people around the country developed liver problems after taking the drug in recent months, it reported.
The medication is made by Vital Pharmaceutical Holdings Ltd, based in the southwestern province of Sichuan.
Bans and recalls of Chinese food and drug products are common due to widespread safety problems in the chaotic and under-regulated industry.
Four children died and 53,000 were made ill in China after drinking milk or milk products laced with the industrial chemical melamine, in a scandal that emerged in September and has rocked China's dairy industry.
The melamine was added to give the appearance of a higher protein content.
Last month, some brands of eggs were pulled off shelves nationwide after melamine was detected in Chinese-produced eggs sold in Hong Kong.
The melamine was believed to have been added to chicken feed given to the egg-producing hens.


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Three people, allegedly involved in a theft scheme in which merchandise was purchased from Laurel County businesses with cold checks, were arrested Tuesday.
Anthony M. Ayers, 39, and his wife, Linda C. Sizemore, 35, of Combs, were arrested after Laurel County sheriff's deputies stopped the silver Dodge pickup truck in which they were traveling on U.S. 25, near London, according to the sheriff's office. Arrested later in the evening was Melissa R. Hill, 55, of Stinnett.
Ayers and Sizemore wrote cold checks on a closed account to two or more businesses in Laurel County for merchandise that included mattresses, carpet, furniture and lumber, according to the sheriff's office. The two then sold the items for cash to a woman on Keve Lane, six miles north of London. The woman allegedly was going to area businesses, picking out items she wanted and then telling Ayers and Sizemore, who would buy the merchandise using cold checks and deliver it to her, the sheriff's office said. A news release from the sheriff's office was not clear about whether Hill was the woman who picked out the merchandise, but the release did identify her as the owner of a mobile home on Keve Lane, where the merchandise was found.
Property belonging to Laurel Carpet, S & K Traders, and 84 Lumber was recovered. Detectives and deputies were still working to identify the owners of other items suspected of being stolen, including a refrigerator, washer and dryer, grill, weed cutter and tools, that were found in the mobile home, according to the sheriff's office.
Ayers and Sizemore were charged with theft by deception for allegedly writing cold checks for less than $10,000, and third-degree forgery. Ayers also was charged on 24 outstanding bench warrants from three counties; Sizemore was also charged on three outstanding bench warrants. Hill was charged with receiving stolen property valued at less than $10,000.
Ayers, Sizemore and Hill were lodged in the Laurel County Detention Center.