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TFWA to focus on innovation and insights
The Tax Free World Association (TFWA) Exhibition & Conference will put innovation and insights front and centre of its agenda next week.
The annual event will return to Cannes in France from 25 October to 28 October after a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic.
Attendees will get to hear from duty free and travel retail experts at the TFWA World Conference, taking place from 9am-11.45am (CET) on Monday 25 October. It will also be streamed live on TFWA 365.
Speakers at the conference will include: TFWA president Jaya Singh; Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group; Benjamin Vuchot, CEO of DFS Group; Rafael Schvartzman, vice-president Europe of IATA (International Air Transport Association); and Jay Richards, co-founder of Imagen Insights.
Topics to be discussed include the future of air travel and buying habits of Gen Z shoppers.
Singh said: “With a wide-ranging, business-focused agenda planned for TFWA World Exhibition and Conference, we are determined to provide an enlightening and informative experience for all delegates joining us in person in Cannes or tuning in virtually during the week.
“This year’s event will centre around the latest innovations – reinforced by our online TFWA i.lab event – while vital knowledge shared by our TFWA World Conference speakers will be geared around the biggest trends that will accelerate our industry’s recovery.
“We can’t wait to take you with us on this journey and we look forward to seeing you all there.”
The i.lab will be accessible digitally on TFWA 365 and will be sponsored by Mondelez World Travel Retail.
There will also be networking opportunities in the TFWA Lounge, located on Carlton Beach. The area will host a series of themed evenings celebrating the diversity and strength of the duty free and travel retail industry.
The theme for Monday 25 October will be ‘innovation in action’, while Tuesday will highlight women working in the industry. Wednesday will honour industry associations and their staff for their work during the challenges of the pandemic.


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LONDON (MarketWatch) -- French tire maker Michelin fr:013030 said first-half net profit fell 29% to 276 million euros ($348 million), with revenue up 7.1% to 8.02 billion euros. Analysts had expected a 314 million euro profit on revenue of 8 billion euros, according to a company-compiled forecast of 12 analysts. Restructuring charges for closing an Ontario BFGoodrich plant and the negative impact of raw materials, energy and transportation costs offset a 0.9% volume improvement and 4% price-mix effect, it said. Its adjusted operating margin should be close to 8% for the year, after a first-half margin of 8%. Analysts had forecast an 8.9% margin.
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domain: news


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Are you ready for new Kendrick Lamar music?
The rapper has just announced his new album Untitled will drop March 23rd.
It’s not exactly a surprise release — but it’s definitely short-notice!
[Untitled] is available for pre-order on iTunes. Peep the all-black album artwork:
It’s safe to say that traditional album campaigns are officially played-out.


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Hooters to launch 'premium spirits' line at restaurants, retail locations sometime this fall
Hooters isn’t about to let Bob Dylan or Guy Fieri corner the market on premium spirits.
Earlier this week, the restaurant chain announced its very own line of premium “Hooters Spirits,” to be available at restaurants and select “leading retailers” come autumn.
JOEY CHESTNUT VISITS A HOOTERS, EATS 413 WINGS
“Hooters Spirits will deliver on the same high-quality experience that Hooters guests have enjoyed for decades at our iconic restaurants,” reads a press release, which adds that Hooters Spirits are “perfect for every celebratory moment.”
The line includes eight different spirits, including a corn-based Hooters Vodka; Hooters Gin; a Hooters Light Rum and a Hooters Dark Rum; Hooters Tequila in both Silver and Gold varieties; a two-year-aged Hooters American Whiskey; and a Hooters Heat Cinnamon Whiskey.
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In honor of the news, Hooters Spirits will also be sponsoring NASCAR driver Chase Elliott at the Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 17, when he will be driving a “special No. 9 Hooters Spirits Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.”
Hooters has not yet announced any specific date for the release of its Hooters Spirits, but the press release indicates the liquors will become available on Hooters' menus “this fall,” when they will be incorporated into a “selection of signature drinks.”
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The restaurant also failed to specify which of its spirits pairs best with just a massive order of chicken wings.


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Study Shows Prepaid Growth – Prepaid Cards Multiplying Rapidly
The eighth installment of the Debit Issuer Study was released in July and the results
reaffirmed what many observers can plainly see: prepaid cards are multiplying at a rapid
rate. Commissioned by the ATM/debit network PULSE, a Discover Financial Services
Company, and conducted by the consulting group Oliver Wyman, the annual study took
the pulse of 64 large banks, credit unions and community banks to better understand both
their current activities and plans for the massive debit market.
In general, what the study found was that most financial institutions have already
embraced prepaid cards in one form or another. Indeed, fully 84% of the study’s
participants – which collectively represent almost half of all debit transactions in the U.S.
– offer a prepaid card. Typically, the most popular cards offered are gift cards, which are
sold by 73% of issuers. But the study’s authors also note that financial institution’s
attitudes towards gift cards – which have weak sales – are indifferent at best.
By stark contrast, re-loadable prepaid debit cards are soaring in popularity. In fact,
between 2011 and 2012 the number of financial institutions offering them nearly
doubled, going from 19% to 36%. That rapid growth can be easily explained by study
participant’s expectations for 2013 prepaid card sales. Although respondents project that
gift card sales will slump by 2% in 2013, they anticipate 55% year-over-year growth for
re-loadable prepaid cards.
Naturally, the PULSE study also closely examined the state of debit cards. Although
changes to the law have put a ceiling on fees – known as interchange rates – that can be
charged when consumers use a debit card for either a PIN purchase or one that requires a
signature, the debit market continues to grow. “Even in the face of significant regulatory
challenges, issuers managed to grow their debit volumes in 2012 and expect further
growth this year,” says Steve Sievert, executive vice president of marketing and
communications for PULSE.
Overall, survey respondents saw a 14% increase in PIN transactions and a 6% hike in
signature purchases in 2012. Looking to 2013, financial institutions expect 8% and 4%
increases, respectively. “Issuers are more tepid in their outlook for debit. They still expect
the industry to grow, just not as rapidly as in the past,” says Tony Hayes, a partner at
Oliver Wyman, who co-led the study. “In fact, this is the lowest growth project for
signature debit we’ve seen since the study began.”


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Prishtina, March 12, 2019 – With the purpose of increasing partnership opportunities between enterprises in Kosovo and Serbia, the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo organized a networking event with young entrepreneurs from the Atlantic Council of Serbia namely from the youth sector YATA.
During this event, AmCham member entrepreneurs had the chance to exchange their personal experiences with the group of 13 young entrepreneurs from Serbia.
The delegation from Serbia was organized by the Atlantic council of Serbia, and its youth sector (YATA), as part of a project called “The role and importance of KFOR for Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo”. As per the organizer, the main goal of this project is to lay the foundations of future friendship between young Albanians and Serbs, and creating a first step towards reconciliation.
Although informal, the event was a great networking opportunity for some of AmCham members – young entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurs from Serbia as well.


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Let's Talk About 'Star Wars' -- That Franchising Juggernaut
All of these are products fall under the massive Star Wars licensing umbrella that raked in over $3 billion in 2015 and is estimated to bring in $5 billion this year. The film franchise, which Disney purchased from Star Wars creator George Lucas in 2012 for the bargain price (relatively speaking) of $4 billion, has the largest licensing program ever, says Karina Masolova, editor of The Licensing Letter.
"Disney is exporting a huge world," Masolova says. "Name a product, and they probably have it."
It's no shocker that Star Wars alone is doing billions in merchandise sales. George Lucas's first film kicked off in 1977, and today, total revenue from Star Wars toy licensing is estimated at $12 billion and counting.
The excitement is not going away anytime soon. The next film, Rogue One, will debut Dec. 16, 2016. In honor of Star Wars Day (#MayTheFourthBeWithYou), enjoy some fun facts about Star Wars sales figures over the years.
Note: While box-office totals have been adjusted for inflation, other sales numbers from the past four decades may not be. Given the range of estimates out there, the following figures provide a sense of the franchise's scope.
The first film in the franchise, A New Hope, debuted in 1977 and has generated $3 billion in sales since.
The seventh installment, The Force Awakens, was released on Dec. 18, 2016 and had the highest earning opening box office sales of all time at $248 million. It has earned $2.1 billion worldwide since.
Total box office revenue from Star Wars films total $7.3 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars.
The one film that did not match the merchandising sales of the others was Attack of the Clones. Because of the massive unpopularity of the Jar Jar Binks character, sales suffered.
Force Friday is an 18-hour global sales marathon -- much like Black Friday -- pegged to the launch of new Star Wars toys. Last year, Force Friday produced holiday-level sales that beat Amazon's Prime Day and rivaled Black Friday (deals aside), according to Adobe Digital Index.
The Force Awakens trailer dropped on Oct. 19 and caused a 2000% spike in Star Wars-related mentions over social media, reports Adobe Digital Index.
Darth Vader topped all with the most social mentions at 590,000, while the new droid BB-8 came in second at 513,000 between the months of Sept. and Nov. 2015.
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A popular bubble tea cafe founded in Cleator Moor has announced its latest move in West Cumbria.
Deja Brew launched just three weeks before the first lockdown in March 2020 and is now looking forward to serving even more people, as they have acquired new premises, on the Sneckyeat Industrial Estate in Whitehaven.
Deja Brew now has a total of three sites, including Cleator Moor and Egremont.
Deja Crews' founder and spearhead, Thomas Cheung said he's over the moon to be opening the third outlet in just two years.
He said: "It wouldn't be possible to expand and experience this growth without the ongoing support from our team and customers, so a big thank you to you all.
"I'm so proud of what we have achieved, this growth was a dream, and we've managed to make it a reality.
"The fact we have been able to expand so quickly, factoring in the coronavirus pandemic, is a credit to West Cumbria, our area is absolutely fantastic at rallying around small businesses.
"The building that we have taken over was formerly known as Pies and More which was also a Thai takeaway.
“Pies and More had a fantastic reputation and had been around for many years, it’s humbling to step into this building, we’ve got big boots to fill.”
Deja Brew serves a selection of homemade breakfast and lunch items such as mac 'n' cheese, vegetable soup, as well as hot meals in the evening between Thursday and Sunday.
Their most famous items - Hong Kong Bubble Waffles and Bubble Tea will also be available at their new outlet.
The company now hires 15 people in West Cumbria and 26-year-old Thomas hopes to increase this number.
He added: "Employing local people, celebrating their hard work, success and team effort is one of my favourite parts about owning a business. I find it rewarding to provide these opportunities, we have a great team, without them, we simply wouldn’t have such a thriving business.
“I’m excited to see more people enjoying our delicious products, our menu and offerings will also continue to diversify this year.”
Deja Brew’s Whitehaven manager Sophie Benn added: “The opening of our third branch is an exciting one for myself and my colleagues. We are looking forward to seeing all of our regular customers over the next few weeks and can't wait to show people what we have been working on, behind the scenes.
“The relocation will provide us with more space to help with our expansion plans and it will better serve our customers, many of who have been travelling to our other two branches. The Sneckyeat launch will also see our evening menu closer to our customers in Whitehaven.”
Their Whitehaven outlet is open now and has both collection and delivery offering, and they whip up their famous items seven days a week. You can check Deja Brew out on Facebook and Instagram @dejabrew_uk
Have you got news for us? Contact our newsdesk on email@example.com
Get all the latest news and what's on stories sent to your inbox with the CumbriaLive newsletter here.


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The miner said that despite its third quarter production results and business update, which reported improved mining performance, the company continues to be concerned by the persistent adverse macroeconomic conditions and inflationary cost pressures confronting the platinum mining industry in South Africa.
“Despite having already taken significant measures to reduce costs, the company will take further measures to ensure that its operations generate sufficient cash to support a sustainable business,” said Lonmin on Monday.
In addition to Lonmin’s efforts to remove high cost production, the miners has also announced the initial conclusions resulting from an on-going review of its operations, which has the primary objective of preserving value for shareholders and safeguarding the long-term interests of employees and all key stakeholders.
“The operational review is focused on optimising the cash produced by the business, both from its operations and through releasing capital from those activities where the company is currently bearing the cost of excess capacity and unrealized development potential,” said the platinum miner. “The review has been designed to position the company to benefit from any future improvement in the PGM pricing environment.”
Lonmin said it plans to pursue all options to maximise cash from its downstream processing operations, through selling excess processing capacity for up to 500 000 platinum ounces per year.
The company also plans to reduce the annual overhead costs by a minimum of R500 million by the end of the year ending 30 September 2018. The substantial majority of overhead reductions will come from non-production central functions, while the company tries to identify overhead and cost saving strategies.
“It is too early to define the ultimate effect of the operational review on the Company, but the overall aim remains for the business to be cash positive after capital investment,” the miner concluded
Lonmin’s acquisition of Pandora
Meanwhile, the Department of Mineral Resources has approved the miners S11 application to acquire the Pandora JV from Anglo Platinum, which will defer R2.6 billion of capital expenditure and contribute to the sustainability of the business by potentially preserving jobs at E3 shaft.
Lonmin has already received approval from the competition tribunal and is in the process of obtaining lender consent.


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The Hyundai Creta will be locally produced and exported to markets like Latin America, the Middle-East and Africa starting this year. Some dealers are quoting a waiting period of up to 10 months in the domestic market.
The Hyundai Creta was launched recently at a starting price of Rs. 8.6 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi) and there is even more news to rejoice. The South Korean manufacturer has said that it will be exporting the car to foreign markets like Latin America, the Middle-East and Africa with proceedings commencing this year itself. This is Hyundai’s first compact SUV and though late to the party, it is aiming to capture a major chunk of the market quickly with its new Creta. India is slowly turning out to be a ‘SUV-crazy’ market and Hyundai wants to leave no stone unturned by capitalising on this opportunity.
However there is a problem. The high demand for the Hyundai Creta has already resulted in 23,000 bookings and a waiting period of up to 10 months on certain variants in some cities. The diesel automatic Creta is facing supply constraints as demand has far exceeded supply, resulting in a minimum of 6 months waiting. Hyundai which is currently the second largest manufacturer in terms of sales and India’s biggest car exporter, plans to export 13,000 units of the newly launched Creta in this year itself. But considering the demand in the domestic market, the export plans might be rescheduled although the flexible production line at the Hyundai Chennai facility will help bridge the demand and supply gap rather quickly.
Compact SUV sales are going to increase four times to 9,70,000 vehicles by the year 2020 in India. Hyundai itself plans to increase domestic sales by 17 percent to 4,80,000 units in 2015 from it’s previous target of 4,65,000 units due to the launch of the Creta. It currently has 2 plants located at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu with a total capacity of 6,80,000 units per annum. Hyundai will have a huge task of balancing the Indian demand with the export demand in the coming months. Also it is planning to increase its foothold in the United States and China to curb the ever rising demand for SUVs there. Going by Hyundai’s work direction, it won’t be wrong to expect newer SUVs or crossovers in the coming future.


text: NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Americans may have thought they had escaped the clutches of the five-year economic downturn, but the latest consumer confidence data says "not so fast" and mirrors this week's swoon in the stock market. In fact, to paraphrase Al Pacino, "just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." Fresh data from the Bloomberg Consumer Confidence Index has the news, and it's not good for the economy, although it may have a silver lining for homeowners and home buyers. The index shows U.S. consumer confidence at a two-month low, just as the data showed consumer sentiment on the economy at a four-year high in February. Tepid employment numbers, along with slowing U.S. manufacturing data and high gasoline prices, are feeding the beast this month, as Bloomberg notes consumers' view April and May to be a "bad time to buy needed items." Overall, U.S. gross domestic product has fallen to 2.2%, based on the latest reading from the federal government. Souring attitudes on the economy are particularly prevalent among middle-class consumers, widely viewed as the demographic group squeezed hardest by the Great Recession -- and its harsh aftermath. "The reversal of gains in confidence has been particularly pronounced in middle-income groups that are likely caught between sluggish wage increases and rising inflation that has eroded their real purchasing power," notes Joseph Brusuelas, a senior economist at Bloomberg LP in New York City. The deterioration "does not bode well for household consumption."


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Petrol now costs almost twice as much in Mumbai than New York
NEW DELHI: Gasoline prices in India’s financial capital of Mumbai have risen past the Rs 100-a-litre mark for the first time ever, among the costliest in the country and almost twice the price in New York.
Retail prices in the city are up 11% this year and reached Rs 100.47 ($1.39) a litre Monday, Indian Oil Corp data show. The equivalent price in the US financial center is $0.79, according to Bloomberg calculations based on figures from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
Indian fuel prices have soared in the past year as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration has repeatedly raised sales taxes to cushion worsening public finances. Levies now make up around 60% of the retail price and taxes on gasoline and diesel have surged nearly six-fold since 2013.
The steep increase in taxes on the two fuels, which account for more than half of India’s oil consumption, comes as the Covid-19 pandemic pummels demand in the world’s third-biggest crude importer. Sales of the two fuels in May are about a third lower than pre-vir s levels in 2019 as large parts of the nation remained under local lockdowns to battle the world’s worst coronavir s wave.
“I pray for the prices to soften or the go nment to reduce the taxes,” said N Vijayagopal, finance director at Bharat Petroleum Corp, one of India’s three-biggest fuel retailers. Unless that happens, “we have no choice but to increase the retail selling prices,” he said.
What congress couldn't do since 60 years of its rule, modi did in 7 years!
Wait till 2024, BJP jayega, petrol price bapas 84rs per litter.
Ha Ha! That shows that under our honorable Modi's leadership we are more developed than US! Fantastic!
Yay.. Indians are richer than Amuricans.
Modiji forget uttar Pradesh forget uttarakhand forget 2024 your atrocities are unbelievable
Next time ve to an educated PM, not chaiw
what do you think you can expect from a illiterate person running this country god also gives the de l a chance
Bhakts should put 1 big photo of Modi on every petrol pump and check what people do !
petrol price max should be 40 rs , here 2.5 times more ,shame on modi ji
Anuj Spa people
Surpassed America too.... Aur Kitne acche din chahiye
I think BJP wants us to use cows as transport. hence increasing cost of petrol etc... They may want to take India back to 1900...
very insensitive Govt.. hope people will teach them a lesson in ion..
Shailendra Mumbai Pune
Surprisingly Modi is not even addressing this issue or duscussing in media. At the current international rates, petrol should not go beyond 65 Rs. Govt just cannot go on increasing taxes on this product.
and by the way.. Adani's wealth increased 10 fold in 7 days..
Thanks to M0di Ji... best PM of India... Mahahuman.
these go nment have made everything costly ...everything little thing is getting expensive
But a meal costs Rs 100 in India where in new York it's Rs 1000
Comparison is not correct.
If he reduces the price how will Ambani become the richest in the world
in India almost noone pay tax whereas in US almost everyone's income is taxed. so how the govt will get money for public work including free vaccines!!
Great!!! We must feel pride in it, as we are much ahead of developed countries.
Master stroke by Modi ji.. Now we are ahead of US in this..


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Amazon debuts mobile payment app and card reader (Update)
Amazon is taking direct aim at mobile payment systems such as Square by introducing the Amazon Local Register, a credit-card processing device and mobile app designed to help small business owners accept ...
Smartwatches to star at Berlin IFA electronics show
Smartwatches look set to dominate this year's IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin, which opens Wednesday, stealing the limelight from smart phones and tablet computers.
Facebook touts advertising milestone
Facebook said Tuesday that more than a million businesses now advertise at the leading social network.
Google cleared in Oracle suit on patents (Update)
Google won a major victory Wednesday as jurors sided with the Internet giant in a high-stakes court battle over patents with business software titan Oracle.
Google completes takeover of Motorola Mobility
Google closed Tuesday its $12.5 billion deal for Motorola Mobility, a key manufacturer of smartphones and other devices that puts the Internet giant in head-to-head competition with Apple.
Oracle, Google gird for trial on Android dispute
Oracle and Google are digging in their heels as they prepare for an upcoming trial.
Your smartphone: a new frontier for hackers
(AP) -- Hackers are out to stymie your smartphone. Last week, security researchers uncovered yet another strain of malicious software aimed at smartphones that run Google's popular Android operating system. ...
SAP buying Sybase for $5.8B as it battles Oracle
(AP) -- German business software maker SAP AG has agreed to buy Sybase Inc. in a $5.8 billion deal that ratchets up SAP's rivalry with database leader Oracle Corp.
Visa buying CyberSource for two billion dollars
Credit card giant Visa said Wednesday it was buying online payments company CyberSource for two billion dollars.
Digital business cards move networking off paper
With more than 40,000 direct professional contacts on LinkedIn, Steven Burda wants to ensure he always has up-to-date information to maintain his network. He couldn't resist signing up for a digital business card, where users' ...
Samsung phones cleared for US government use
Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday some of its Galaxy mobile devices were approved by the National Security Agency for use with classified U.S. government networks and data, a boost to the company's efforts to expand in ...
Mobile revolution shakes up Silicon Valley
Smartphones, tablets and other gadgets aren't just changing the way we live and work. They are shaking up Silicon Valley's balance of power and splitting up businesses. Long-established companies such as ...
Lenovo looks to expand after IBM acquisition
Lenovo Group has received U.S. and European approval to complete its acquisition of IBM Corp.'s low-end server business and plans to use it to grow faster outside its personal computer business, Lenovo's ...
Sony forecasts $2B loss as smartphones lag (Update)
Sony expects its annual loss to swell to $2 billion and has canceled dividends for the first time in more than half a century after writing down the value of its troubled smartphone business.


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"We consume too much, we borrow too much, we don`t produce enough and all this needs to change. We need to have a restructuring of the economy but the government is preventing that from happening. Instead we are just borrowing more money and we are just inflating a bigger bubble which eventually is going to burst and it will be even more disruptive when it does." - in CCTV
Peter Schiff`s comments on the economy, stock markets, politics and gold. Schiff is the renowned writer of the bestseller Crash Proof: How to Profit from the Coming Economic Collapse.


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Going by the number of leaks about the HTC One (M9), we think it’s pretty much confirmed that the company will be showcasing the device at MWC 2015 in the coming weeks at Barcelona. But apparently, that’s not the only device it’s launching.
According to famous tipster, @upleaks, HTC might have a tablet on display at the trade show. This marks a key milestone in the company’s history, because HTC’s last tablet was unveiled three years ago.
The last solely HTC manufactured tablet was the Flyer, a 7in Android unit that came with a stylus named HTC Pen. Then, there was the Nexus 9 that it created in partnership with Google (it was launched sometime late last year).
READ MORE: Google Nexus 9 vs Apple iPad Air 2
But before you jump for joy, expecting a killer flagship unit, be warned that the source identified the tablet will be based on the HTC-made Google Nexus 9.
The purported tablet will apparently boast the same dimensions as the Google Nexus 9, meaning that it might be an 8.9in unit. However, there’s some reason to celebrate since its specs are said to be different from the latter. Unfortunately, no other information about the device, or spyshots for that matter, were leaked.
Also, another spirit damper alert – HTC won’t make this alleged tablet available this quarter even though it’s due for a showcase in the coming weeks. Oh well, we guess if it’s a spec-filled stunner, anyone would hold out for it however long it takes.


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The hottest updates from MEXC
Community analytics & opinions curated by MEXC
As the legal fog lifted, XRP witnessed a surge in trading volumes and prices, driven by an optimistic outlook for a sustained bullish trend.
Stargate Finance aims to seamlessly bridge different blockchains and revolutionize asset transfers across the decentralized ecosystem.
AVE.ai is a pioneering DEX and aggregator that epitomizes the ethos of financial sovereignty and technological prowess.
Learn something new from the market
Start your crypto journey here
CoinFLEX is creating its Decentralized Clearing and Custody system that enable users to sign up and start trading easily.
YOM is building an infrastructure that goes beyond the traditional gaming projects that have recently been labeled as metaverses.
Xreators Marketplace is an NFT marketplace that allows creators to interact with their audience in a unique manner.


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Dell Inc. is expected to post a 22% drop in its quarterly earnings per share, as the computer company's restructuring efforts continue amid an ever-growing battle to catch up with Hewlett-Packard Co., analysts said.
The results, for Dell's
Dell did not issue its own financial projections for the period, which ended April 30. Analysts' average estimate, however, puts expected earnings at 26 cents a share on revenue of $13.95 billion, according to a survey by Thomson Financial. That's down from a profit of 33 cents a share on $14.22 billion in sales during the corresponding period a year ago.
It will be the second earnings report for Dell since founder Michael Dell's return as chief executive in January to replace the ousted Kevin Rollins. Dell Inc. has suffered some black eyes of late, including giving up its longtime rank as the world's top-selling PC company to H-P
Dell did little to make up ground in the first quarter of this year. Technology research firm Gartner Inc. said that during the first quarter, Dell's worldwide PC shipments fell almost 8% from a year ago, to 8.7 million units.
By contrast, H-P's first-quarter PC sales rose almost 29%, to 11 million shipments.
Last week, Dell ended its long-standing business model of relying solely direct-to-customer sales. The Round Rock, Texas-based company announced it intends to sell PCs at stores owned by retail giant Wal-Mart
Shaw Wu, who covers Dell for American Technology Research, said he expects Dell to post earnings and revenue on Thursday that are essentially in line with Wall Street's consensus estimate.
He said "Dell's problems are fundamental and structural in nature," and any cost reductions it puts in place will be countered by higher-than-expected spending as the company seeks to expand its distribution through retail.
Robert Semple of Credit Suisse said Dell may have benefited from favorable component pricing during the quarter, which may have been offset by costs related to workforce reductions.
"While the focus around Dell's stock remains primarily on the company's potential restructuring initiatives and new strategic direction, we believe a quarter in which Dell reports upside to gross margin, even if temporary in nature, helps to support the bullish thesis that margins can expand," Semple wrote in a research report for clients.


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- Diese Veranstaltung hat bereits stattgefunden.
Reboot Develop Blue 2022
29.September – 1.Oktober
Reboot Develop Blue 2022 will be taking place from 29th of September to 1st of October 2022 in the legendary historical seaside city of Dubrovnik, also known as “real world King’s Landing” from HBO TV series Game of Thrones. The conference will again take place at the luxurious conference resort – Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera.
In 2022, the seventh edition the conference is being set to grow again and go again level higher than the previous iteration, reconfirming its position as the most unique, premier and high-end games industry and game developers event in Europe and one of the biggest worldwide games industry events. It will feature more than 175 speakers during 3 days in 9 parallel tracks/stages with truly big B2B expo and indie expo areas.
While the conference will retain its unique and boutique atmosphere plus high-end experience it will increase its attendance numbers beyond 2500+ games industry members from more than 1000+ companies (with attendee structure being completely worldwide with no focus on specific region/nation or even a continent anymore).
The annual worldwide renown Reboot Develop Indie Award and life achievement Reboot Develop Hero Award are set to take place again on the last day of the conference during the closing ceremony. For all questions regarding sponsorship or exhibiting, feel free to contact us as soon as possible, as interest is huge already, directly at [email protected]


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Unveiling the expanded device compatibility for MimioMobile at ISTE 2015
The MimioMobile™ app will be compatible with any device with a supported Web browser (Fall 2015), so educators and students can access and use the application's assessment and collaboration features from nearly any device, including Chromebooks and Windows surface tablets. The control feature will be available only on Apple and Android devices for now.
We are excited to be able to make this announcement at ISTE 2015 and show a preview to all attendees. We will also support this announcement with a press release, collateral, and an updated product page. The launch kits are avaible on Partner Resources now and in the sell sheet will be in the eStore by June 27, 2015.
We will run an additional launch campaign once MimioMobile for Web browsers is released in the Fall of 2015.
“Our newest version of the MimioMobile application makes real-time collaborative learning and ongoing formative assessment easier than ever to implement,” said Christopher Leonardo, Director of Research and Development at Mimio. “We are extremely excited to bring this expanded availability of the MimioMobile app to our partners and customers.”


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Big moves in pursuit of the circular
Visitors to the INDEX™20 exhibition in Geneva next September are certain to get a sense of the momentum that is building around the development of renewable or recycled alternatives to oil-derived plastics.
The European Green Deal will see €750 billion pumped into a wide range of projects with the aim of making the entire continent climate neutral by 2050, and is certainly calling for new approaches and strategies. The EU’s Single-Use Products Directive has already acted as a springboard for major change.
Right at the start of the nonwovens supply chain are synthetic fibre and resin producers such as Austria-headquartered Borealis, which has just received a €250 billion European Investment Bank loan to boost its research and development efforts in propelling the industry towards plastics circularity at its Innovation Centres in Austria, Finland and Sweden.
The company has also just announced the launch of Bornewables, a new portfolio of circular polyolefin products produced with renewable feedstock derived entirely from waste and residue streams. They are said to offer the same material performance as virgin polyolefins, yet with a reduced carbon footprint, and are suitable for the most demanding applications, including absorbent hygiene.
The entire Bornewables portfolio has been ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) certified, ensuring the traceability of the renewable, sustainably-produced feedstock from its point of origin through the entire chain of custody.
Unlike renewable feedstocks produced with agricultural crops grown for food and livestock feed, the Bornewables are made of feedstocks derived solely from waste and residue streams.
Earlier this year, Borealis also began producing polypropylene based on feedstocks such as renewable propane at its Belgian facilities in Kallo and Beringen.
Meanwhile, as part of a €500 million project to turn its Grandpuits plant into a model zero-crude platform, oil giant Total is to build Europe’s first PLA plant in partnership with Corbion, along with the first chemical recycling plant in France and a bio-refinery.
Partners since 2017 in the Total Corbion PLA 50/50 joint venture, a member of EDANA, Total and Corbion successfully launched their first PLA plant in Thailand in 2018 and have now decided on the new European investment.
PLA resin and fibre is bio-based and made from annually renewable resources, offering a reduced carbon footprint compared to many traditional plastics. At the end of their useful life, PLA products can be mechanically or chemically recycled and its biodegradable and compostable functionality makes PLA the material of choice for a wide range of markets and applications, including many nonwovens.
Promising annual production capacity of 100,000 tons, Total Corbion’s second PLA plant will begin operations in 2024, making the company the world’s biggest producer of PLA.
A second joint venture with London-headquartered Plastic Energy will be responsible for the plastics recycling plant which will convert plastic wastes into a liquid called Tacoil through a pyrolysis melting process. Tacoil will be used as feedstock for the production of polymers with identical properties to virgin polymers. In particular, the polymers will be suitable for use in food-grade applications.
The new unit will help Total meet its objective of producing 30% of its polymers from recycled materials by 2030.
The bio-refinery, to be commissioned in 2024, will have the ability to process 170,000 tons of sustainable aviation fuel, 120,000 tons of renewable diesel and 50,000 tons of renewable naphtha, used to produce bioplastics.
“With the industrial repurposing of the Grandpuits refinery into a zero-crude platform focused on energies of the future connected with biomass and the circular economy, Total is demonstrating its commitment to the energy transition and reaffirming its ambition to achieve carbon neutrality in Europe by 2050,” says Bernard Pinatel, President of Total Refining and Chemicals. “Grandpuits will remain a major industrial site, drawing on the know-how and expertise of its teams, and our partner firms will be playing a key role as well.”
INDEX™20 exhibitor NatureWorks is currently the largest commercial manufacturer of PLA and has also just announced its own additional capacity initiatives at its plant in Blair, Nebraska.
A number of manufacturing technology projects, including improving the lactide monomer purification efficiency, are increasing the availability of the full Ingeo PLA portfolio by 10%.
“The market continues to rapidly evolve due partly to the Covid-19 pandemic, but mainly the undiminished demand for sustainable, bio-based alternatives to petrochemical-based plastics,” said Rich Altice, President and CEO of NatureWorks. “For NatureWorks to satisfy this unprecedented demand, this purification technology is one of many additional capital improvements we are actively working on in Blair. At the same time, we continue to pursue a potential future second manufacturing site outside the USA to serve our growing international markets.”
Ingeo polylactic acid is made in a multi-step process that begins with using annually renewable plants to turn greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into long-chain sugar molecules. Dextrose, derived from the plant sugar molecules, is fermented into lactic acid that then undergoes a proprietary two-step process to transform it into lactide, the monomer for Ingeo polylactic acid polymer.
All Ingeo feedstocks are also ISCC certified.
INDEX™20 will take place from September 7-10, 2021, at Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland.


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Biotech firms suffer job cuts: Being in one of the biggest growth sectors in technology has not insulated the biotech sector during tech’s cold winter, but there are signs that it could be one of the first sectors to bounce back.
Weak medical device security leads to patient harm: New survey data reveals just how laggard health systems are with protecting their medical devices. What will it take to improve?
AI tool can predict diabetes in 12 hours: We look at Klick Applied Sciences’ diagnostic tool that can screen for prediabetes in hours rather than days.
Good Measures launches prescription food delivery powered by Instacart: We unpack how health systems, health plans, and grocers are getting behind the food as medicine trend.
Convenience > loyalty drives where consumers get care: Our new forecast highlights where patients are getting care now and in the future, and which trends are driving that shift.
Kraydel launches a TV-based wellbeing platform: The Ireland-based digital health company is engaging older UK adults via a technology they know well.
Digital health startups to watch: This week, we spotlight healthcare fintech PayZen and health data monitoring company Medical Informatics Corp.
Google Health inks licensing deals for AI models: We unpack Google Health’s efforts to commercialize its AI solutions and examine if the company can secure clinician buy-in.
State AGs push for prolonged virtual opioid use disorder treatment: Telehealth increased the number of patients receiving addiction medications during the pandemic. Will patients lose this access in 2023?
Telemental health consolidation is coming: Amwell makes a second bid for Talkspace. We think it foreshadows a bigger trend for struggling telemental companies in 2023.
Parkinson’s? There’s an app for that: H2o Therapeutics’ app for monitoring Parkinson’s Disease patients nabbed FDA clearance—which will be critical for adoption.
Cleveland Clinic charges for patient-provider messaging: We unpack the health system’s controversial move and examine if other provider organizations could follow suit.
Pharma advertisers pull back on Twitter ad spending: A fake Twitter account posting about free insulin is causing harm to leading pharma players. What should their next move be?
Health plans don’t spend much on social determinants of health: We dive into a study revealing how much payers invest into social spending programs and explore if they should be doing more.
Walmart Health lost its top executive to JP Morgan: The move doesn’t bode well for the retailer’s health clinic program.
Health Union launches RareDisease.net: We unpack why patients with rare conditions need social platforms like these for support.
On today's episode, we discuss why the US healthcare system is so fragmented, how an app could save the day, and whether the US will ever be able to synchronize its health services. "In Other News," we talk about the deal to buy multispecialty physician group Summit Health and what to expect from Amazon Clinic. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Lisa Phillips and Rajiv Leventhal.
Google Health Connect gets 10+ more health app integrations: Here’s why we think the platform could keep users around for a while.
Uber Health expands into employer segment: But Uber’s latest healthcare push may not have the large-scale impact it’s hoping for.
Overcoming TikTok censorship: We spoke with Pandia Health’s co-founder and CEO Dr. Sophia Yen about the unique challenges the women’s health company has experienced marketing its products on TikTok.


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Branches of Marks & Spencer in Cornwall could be closed down as the clothes and grocery chain this morning announced it is planning to shut 100 branches.
The move could hit the branch at Truro, Lemon Quay as well as outlets in Wadebridge, Falmouth and Hayle.
The move will target 'full branches' such as that at Truro - and those in Exeter, Plymouth and Torquay.
The company, which is expected to unveil another troubling set of annual figures on Wednesday, May 23, is expected to increase the total number of “full line” stores – that’s those selling clothing and food – it will lose from 60 to 100.
Cornwall's newest Marks & Spencer store is currently under construction at Kingsley Village and it's not yet clear how the announcement will affect it.
M&S has been announcing store closures – already axing 20 outlets – and shutting distribution centres as part of the efficiency drive.
The company is understood to have been encouraged by early results from store closures such as in Warrington’s town centre where sales moved to an out-of-town outlet.
M&S has seen its clothing and homeware floors struggle but now food sales are coming under pressure.
City analysts forecast like-for-like sales in food could have fallen by as much as 1.1 per cent past year, although consensus estimates put the figure as being down 0.2 per cent.
If comparable food sales come in negative in the fourth quarter, it would represent a year of decline in the division at a time of rapid change in the sector.
The rise of budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl, plus Tesco’s takeover of Booker, and Sainsbury’s proposed merger with Asda, have piled further pressure on a sector grappling with falling consumer confidence and rising costs.
HSBC analyst Paul Rossington said: “We have previously argued that focus on convenience/food-to-go and a premium own-label offer afforded M&S a defensible point of differentiation.
“However, such has been the increase in price competition, and expected increase in competition on premium lines, that the M&S price premium now looks increasingly stretched.
“Self-inflicted execution mistakes have also undermined range and service.”
M&S has previously described the food arm as exhibiting “ongoing under-performance“, with chief executive Steve Rowe saying he will slow expansion of the Simply Food chain as the group battles to restore its high street fortunes.
The retailer’s troubled clothing arm, which includes womenswear, is on course to see like-for-like sales fall by 1.1 per cent.
Graham Spooner, investment research analyst at The Share Centre, said: “The market will be focusing on the performance of the food business given the weak figures in the third-quarter statement in January.
“There have been some encouraging signs that the new management team on the clothing side is having some impact, but investors will be watching sales in particular.”
Wednesday’s results are also set to show that underlying pre-tax profit across the group fell six per cent to £573million.
Bottom-line profits are expected to rise substantially from £176.4million in 2017 to £458million, according to HSBC, but last year’s figure was dragged down by charges relating to Mr Rowe’s overhaul.
The chief executive is seeking to save costs as part of a five-year turnaround plan also spearheaded by chairman Archie Norman, who joined the retailer in September 2017.


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Carabao Tawandang Group unveils 1.7 billion Baht new state-of-the-art bottling plant to cater to the rising local and international market demand
Carabao Tawandang recently announces the opening of the new bottling plant in Bang Pakong District. The new high-speed bottling plant is part of the production enhancement plan to keep with the increasing demand from both local and international markets. The new plant is also expected to decrease cost and sustainably reduce the use of energy.
Mr. Sathien Setthasit, CEO of Carabao Group Public Company Limited or CBG, reveals that Carabao Tawandang (CBD) a subsidiary of CBG, sets aside 1,750 million Baht to construct the new bottling plant that is larger and more reliable to comply with the growth trend of energy drinks under the trademark of Carabaodang and Carabao that have become increasingly in-demand in both local and international markets.
“The demand of bottled energy drinks has gradually increased in both local and international markets. And CBD, having realized the potential and bright future of energy drink business, invested in this new bottling plant to boost production to keep up with the current rise of demand in the present and in the future. This new plant in Bang Pakong has high-speed capacity that yields 1,000 bottles per minute per one production line.”
In 2016, bottled energy drink under Carabaodang trademark gains 12% sales increase in domestic market, from 732 million bottles in the previous year to 820 million bottles. Meanwhile, bottled energy drink under Carabao trademark marketed in international territories saw 41% increase from 61 million bottles to 22 million. CBD’s new venture with its new bottling plant in Bang Pakong can be equipped with up to 10 production lines, including 2 new high-speed production lines during the first phase of operation. Each line holds capacity of 1,000 bottles per minute, totaling 24 million bottles per month.
Mr. Sathien also comments that, along with the executive team’s extensive experiences and senior engineers’ expertise, the new plant is expected to reduce production cost and energy expense. CBG and CBD are confident that the boost in production will prompt profitability and efficiency in the overall business.
CBD’s new bottling plant is located on 31 rais of land in Bang Pakong District of Chachoengsao Province. The construction is expected to complete in the fourth quarter of this year. CBD also reveals that they might consider moving some of the bottling machines from the existing plant in Bang Bo to the new plant to unify its production in one spot.
เพื่อตอกย้ำ World Class Product, World Class Brand หรือ คาราบาวเครื่องดื่มระดับโลก “คาราบาวกรุ๊ป” ได้มุ่งมั่นพัฒนาการบริหารจัดการองค์กรอย่างมีประสิทธิภาพ สร้างองค์ความรู้เพื่อพัฒนาทรัพยากรบุคคล07-01-2020
“คาราบาวแดง” ตอกย้ำการเป็นสินค้าระดับโลก แบรนด์ระดับโลก เครื่องดื่มชูกำลังรายแรกในไทย ที่ได้รับการรับรองมาตรฐานระบบการจัดการอาชีวอนามัย ความปลอดภัย และสิ่งแวดล้อม23-05-2019
Carabao Group renews 2-year contract with EFL for “Carabao Cup” and ventures on focuses on sport marketing plans to become “world class brand” after market penetration in every continent13-05-2019
“เอเชีย แคน แมนูแฟกเจอริ่ง” พร้อมเดินเครื่องผลิตกระป๋อง ป้อนคาราบาว11-12-2018
Carabao has established a world-class production center complete with energy drinks bottling and bottle and can production plants in Chachoengsao to highlight quality and support expected sales growth at home and overseas17-08-2018


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This contained a menu of genetically altered foods: for starters, smoked trout fillets with the gene for human growth hormone and tomato salad with flounder-fish gene; grilled chicken with bovine growth hormone gene and baked potato with scorpion gene for the main course; melon with virus gene for dessert.
This menu was not drawn from a fevered imagination: all these foods have already been developed by genetic engineers in laboratories and tested in the field. When the German equivalents of Nico Ladenis or Raymond Blanc take a stand, people listen. Germans are touchy about genetically engineered foods - so much so that there are none on the German market.
In Norway, genetically engineered foods had their progress checked because they failed to satisfy the government's 'proof of need' criterion: Norwegians, too, seem to think that they can live without them.
There have been similar goings- on in the United States. There, 1,500 chefs (including big names such as Wolfgang Puck) have lent their support to the Pure Food Campaign, which calls for an international boycott of all genetically engineered food, dubbed 'Frankenfoods'. The campaign has made the foodstuffs a major issue, with car stickers and restaurant posters: 'Say no to blackened catfish with trout hormone and cornbread with firefly gene'.
By contrast with the US and Germany, Britain seems to be in a reverie. Already, two genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been approved for use by the Government's Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes. The first is a genetically altered yeast, the second a genetically altered enzyme called chymosin, used as a vegetarian rennet in cheese. Whether bread and cheese made with these GMOs is on sale in our shops is impossible to establish, since the manufacturers are under no obligation to mention in the labelling that GMOs have been used.
But would you buy bread or cheese that carried a label reading 'Produced with the aid of genetic technology'? The Polkinghorne Committee on the Ethics of Genetic Modification and Food Use reported to the Ministry of Agriculture last month that 'food products containing such organisms should be labelled accordingly'; but the Government delayed a decision on implementing the recommendation, partly because of a coming debate in the European Parliament.
On 27 October it will vote on a package of proposals aimed at regulating the production and sale of genetically altered foods in the EC. The proposals, which revolve around tighter safety assessment and obligatory labelling, as well as imposing on manufacturers full civil and criminal liability for any damage caused, are meeting a wall of opposition from the biotechnology industry.
This industry quite correctly assumes that if genetically engineered foods were labelled as such, most shoppers would avoid them like the plague. Advocates of the new foods argue that a label is not necessary because these foods are a non-threatening extension of traditional animal and plant breeding and fermentation methods which have existed for thousands of years.
But this new approach moves genetic material from one living organism to another, irrespective of species barriers. Scientists once bred wheat with wheat and corn with corn to achieve characteristics such as insect resistance; now genes can come from anywhere.
With this freedom, the genetic engineer can introduce human genes into animal ones, fish genes into plant ones and so on. In the near future, 'transgenic' foods may contain genetic material from hundreds of unrelated species of animals, insects, bacteria and plants. It is this sort of thinking that has produced tomatoes with the flounder gene to make them frost-resistant, and high-starch, low-moisture potatoes destined for crisp-making thanks to a gene from intestinal bacteria which allows them to absorb less fat when fried.
In the US alone, there are some 370 field tests under way into genetically engineered foodstuffs. These include virus-resistant cucumbers, potatoes and tomatoes, herbicide-tolerant corn, soybean and tomato, and insect-resistant apples, strawberries and walnuts.
With genetic engineering, it is even possible to manufacture many foods (such as cocoa and palm oil) in a laboratory and replace their natural production entirely. If agricultural biotechnology progresses as its supporters hope, these foods, and more like them, will be on supermarket shelves this decade.
While some industry scientists may be thrilled with the cleverness of it all, many other interest groups have grave reservations. Such new genetic food constructions have never before been part of the human food supply and the long-term consequences for public health are unknown. There is not, as yet, any scientific consensus on how the safety of such new foods for human consumption might be tested.
There is more agreement over the potential risks. Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration identified some of them. These included the introduction of new toxic substances and allergens into the food chain, reduced effectiveness for some antibiotics, and diminished nutritional quality and 'counterfeit freshness' of food.
Ecologists predict big problems for the environment. They argue that genetically engineered foods are the latest 'quick-fix' approach from the corporations that gave us pesticide-dependency and industrial-style agriculture. For them it represents a 'break and enter' approach to farming, where self-regulating natural systems are driven out by new miracle solutions.
Certainly the push for genetically engineered foods is coming from big business. In the US, almost 80 per cent of genetically engineered foods proposed for testing were developed by industry. Five transnational companies - Monsanto, Upjohn, Frito-Lay, Calgene and Pioneer Hi-Bred - account for more than half the products.
It is estimated that of the food products being engineered, about 98 per cent are being altered to facilitate food production and processing; only the residual 2 per cent offers a direct benefit to the consumer in the form of improved nutrition or taste. This is a point that has been emphasised in the report that will be voted on by the European Parliament. 'The objective behind genetic manipulation is not better foodstuffs, but generally quicker, cheaper production in greater volumes,' says Dagmar Roth Behrendt, the German rapporteur to the parliament.
There have been numerous flash points of consumer anxiety about food quality and safety in Britain. The root causes of salmonella in eggs and 'Mad Cow Disease' (BSE) lie in intensive modern production methods. But the arrival of a brave new world of genetically altered foods pushes the risks into an altogether more serious league.
If the European Parliament does not vote for compulsory labelling of genetically engineered foods and those that have used GMOs in their manufacture, transgenic foods may be silently slipped into our food supply without us having the choice. If the biotechnology industry is so convinced that genetic engineering of food is safe, let it say so on the label, and then argue its case with the sceptical consumer.
(Photograph omitted)Reuse content


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Coronavirus impact: Making projections set to get a lot difficult for market analysts
Market analysts expect companies to make disclosures such as changes in growth, Capex plan due to lockdown.
“The outbreak, followed by lockdown, would not only have an immediate impact due to reduced activity levels but also potentially change various accounting estimates leading to an increase in write-offs, expected credit loss provisioning, the fair valuation assessment of various assets and liabilities and revenue recognition, among others,” said Gautan Duggad, head of research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services.
“This could result in various contracts — lease accounting, revenue recognition, and onerous provisioning – being changed while some sectors may even witness a plunge in the selling price of certain goods leading to inventory loss,” he added.
With lockdowns in many countries, businesses are shut, global trade has come to a standstill, and companies are struggling. Given that there is no historical template available, predicting the consumer behaviour changes and managing the fixed costs are major challenges, said analysts.
“In the current uncertain environment, it is extremely difficult to get the earnings estimates right. But importantly, the uncertainties are expected to be limited to FY20-21 and there is high probability that the situation will normalise by calendar year 2021,” said Gaurav Dua, head — capital market strategy & investments, Sharekhan.
“Analysts expect several disclosures from corporates such as any changes to growth, capex plans, capital requirements, changes to dividend distribution policy, etc,” said Manoj Menon, head of Research, ICICI Securities.


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by Federica Pigozzo
Ever since she was appointed Creative Director in 2008, designer Phoebe Philo has managed to turn the historic maison of Céline into one of the world’s uncontested leaders in the leather luxury goods market. Thanks to her understated aesthetics and fresh approach to design the French fashion house, which has been owned by the LVMH Group since 1996, has experienced an unprecedented success both from an economic and critical point of view, as consumers as well as fashion critics have saluted Philo’s creations with great enthusiasm.
The main reason of these achievements lies in the brand’s handbags production: not only Céline purses continue to be considered as cult items season after season but also – and more impressively – Philo is the pioneer creator of what can surely be regarded as one of the most noteworthy and distinctive bag shapes of the past decade, namely the ‘winged’ shape.
With success predictably comes imitation. Therefore, it is with no surprise that anyone who is remotely familiar with the fashion industry will be able to spot dangerously similar bags in catalogues and advertising campaigns of a variety of different brands including Valentino and Zara, Forever 21 and Michael Kors.
On the other hand, what could surprise the public at large is Philo’s perspective on the abovementioned phenomenon. As she has famously stated in an interview with Hamish Bowles for the March 2013 issue of Vogue US, the designer is ‘nothing but flattered’ by imitations and knock-offs. As Coco Chanel before her, she allegedly considers the lack of copies to be more troublesome than the copies per se, as that would imply her inability to identify future trends and subsequently a lack of recognition within the fashion community.
However, actions speak louder than words. Despite the creative’s claims, it is indeed possible to notice how both Céline and LVMH have been undertaking a series of practical and legal measures whose final aim is to control and ultimately reduce the imitation game.
Firstly, despite the growing importance of e-commerce practices within the fashion business, Céline does not retail online nor has an official social media presence on any platform.
If focusing on in-store sales can clearly be beneficial in the context of a branding strategy designed to enhance the brand’s aura of luxury and exclusivity, the same expedient can also be valuable in terms of lowering the chances of being used as a source of imitation, as well as useful when it comes to separate the original creations from the knock-offs which circulate on the internet.
Secondly, LVMH has been taking advantage of the distinctiveness of Philo’s handbags in order to obtain legal protection.
In 2013, Céline was granted two design patents in the US, respectively for the Diamond Clutch (part of the house’s Autumn/Winter 2013 collection) and the Case Bag (highlight of the Spring/Summer 2013 accessories line).
Moreover, two of the company’s most coveted handbags have been awarded trademark protection, once again under US law.
In May 2015 the Trapeze bag’s configuration, consisting in a ‘rectangular handbag with exaggerated, extendible pleated sides with a single rolled handle attached to a flap that covers ¾ of the front of the bag and which attaches to the bag by a rectangular metallic closure located at the bottom center of the flap […]’ has been successfully granted registration. More recently – January 5th 2016 – the already iconic Luggage bag has been conferred protection which extends to the ‘three-dimensional configuration of a rectangular bag with extendable accordion-style sides, extruding parallel S wave designs on bag front, and rear, shield-shaped handle bracers designs on front and rear of bag. The broken lines depicting the handles, body, and central rectangular zipper outlined on the front face of the bag indicate placement of the mark on the goods and are not part of the mark. As placed on the front of the bag, the zipper represents the mouth of a face design in which the handle supports appear to be the eyes and the S wave designs represent the facial outline’.
In both cases, Céline filed for the registration of a shape mark. When it comes to trade dress protection, US trademark law states that product design cannot be considered as inherently distinctive. Accordingly, in order for it to be registered, the applicant has to prove it has acquired secondary meaning by showing evidence of the fact that consumers connect the design in question to the specific brand that produced it and that the principal function of a trademark – being an indicator of origin – has therefore been safeguarded.
If the Christian Louboutin saga has taught us anything, it is that secondary meaning can be extremely hard to prove in practice, even in the presence of compelling evidence: when non-traditional marks are involved, showing that consumers see them as indicators of origin is a difficult undertaking, especially in the fashion industry. Nevertheless, in this case both applications have been successful, showing that investing in branding and advertising can be an overall winning strategy for companies whose business model consists in reintroducing their most successful designs every season and that may thus benefit greatly from a long-term legal protection of their assets.
Associate Editor, QMJIP
 As stated in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Samara Brothers, Inc. 529 U.S. 205 (2000).


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India and the US are set to sign the very first period of a mega trade offer soon below a design adopted by the Donald Trump administration in finalising a very similar offer with China.
Formal sources claimed India and the US have just about concluded negotiations for very first period of the ambitious offer and it will be formalised soon.
The US and China inked an initial trade offer very last thirty day period, ending an 18-thirty day period-prolonged dispute. The two countries are now working on a last trade offer.
Sources claimed India and the US have also resolved to launch talks on a totalisation arrangement which relieves Indians from double taxation.
Any Indian working in the US has to add to social safety from his wage, but the money is not unveiled if the worker returns to India without the need of completing a interval of 10 yrs of services.
“The situation was elevated through delegation-level conference concerning Prime Minister Modi and President Trump. We hope to start off negotiations on the totalisation pact soon,” claimed a resource.
The sources claimed a key concentrate of the talks was on trade linked issues.
Right after his talks with Trump, PM Modi on Tuesday claimed both equally the sides agreed to begin negotiations for a “large trade offer” and hoped that it will produce great success in mutual desire.
President Trump, in turn, claimed, “Our teams have manufactured large progress on a comprehensive trade arrangement and I am optimistic we can arrive at a offer that will be of fantastic importance to both equally countries.”
“Considering the fact that I took workplace, US exports to India are up virtually sixty for each cent and exports of significant-excellent American strength have grown by five hundred for each cent,” the US President claimed.
Modi claimed India and the US are fully commited to openness and honest and well balanced trade in the financial sector.


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HOTEL room rates in key Asean cities are expected to rise by a modest 2 per cent in 2020, according to the latest Hotel Monitor report by American Express Global Business Travel, released July 26.
The report looks at hotel rates across 46 key business cities, including Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore.
It predicts room rate rises of 2 per cent in each of those four Asean cities, comparable or better than some other Asia-Pacific cities such as Beijing (1 per cent), Melbourne (2 per cent), and Sydney (5 per cent), but behind Tokyo (4 per cent) and Hong Kong (3 per cent).
Notably, Asia-Pacific's rise in rates comes despite rapid growth in the number of rooms, with thousands of beds added in key cities each year. "Even with the added capacity, sustained demand in these growth economies means rates are likely to see some rises," said the report.
Despite the uncertain political situation after its general election in early 2019, Thailand expects to receive a record 41.1 million visitors in 2019, up 8 per cent year on year. The government has reduced taxes on hotel stays and given more permits for new hotels, with the Greater Bangkok region as one key area for hotel development.
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam has seen an increase in foreign management companies and international hotel brands in recent years. A limited construction pipeline means that Ho Chi Minh City is expected to maintain solid occupancy levels and room rates in 2020.
After five years of sustained hotel development, supply growth in the Malaysian capital has outpaced demand. The current construction pipeline of 25 hotels, representing 6,900 rooms, will put more pressure on certain areas of the city, with half the new hotels in the upper-upscale and luxury hotel classes.
While developments such as the expansion of Changi Airport and investments at Resorts World Sentosa are expected to increase tourism and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) business, room rates are expected to rise merely in line with inflation at 2 per cent.


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Destiny 2: Shadowkeep Expansion Leaked
Shadowkeep — a brand new expansion for Destiny 2 has been leaked ahead of an official reveal from Bungie. The brand new expansion will take Destiny players back to The Moon — home of awful Peter Dinklage voice acting.
As reported by Kotaku, Shadowkeep was set to be officially announced in a Destiny live stream on June 6th. However, dataminers have beaten the recently-emancipated developer to the punch by digging through the PC files of the most recent Destiny 2 update. The image above is expected to display following the official unveiling of Shadowkeep.
The Moon is a location previously unvisited in Destiny 2, but did play a major part in the original game. More details will be revealed during Bungie’s stream on Thursday.
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Mercer’s 2019 Cost of Living Survey finds that eight out of the top ten of the world’s most expensive cities for expatriates are Asian cities, resulting from high costs for expat consumer goods and a dynamic housing market.
The world's 10 costliest cities for expatriates are:1. Hong Kong, Hong Kong (SAR) - most expensive for the second consecutive year 2. Tokyo, Japan - in the same spot as 2018 3. Singapore, Singapore - moved up from fourth spot in 2018 4. Seoul, South Korea - moved up from fifth spot in 2018 5. Zurich, Switzerland - was more expensive in 2018 in third rank 6. Shanghai, China - moved up from seventh spot in 2018 7. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan - jumped up the rankings from 43rd spot in 2018 8. Beijing, China - moved up from ninth spot in 2018 9. New York City, United States - moved up from 13th spot in 2018 10. Shenzhen, China - moved up from 12th spot in 2018
The 25th annual edition of the survey used New York City as the base city for all comparisons, and currency movements are measured against the US dollar. It measures the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, and entertainment.
Hong Kong takes top spot for the costliest city for the second consecutive year, as a result of the housing market and currency being pegged to the US dollar, driving up the cost of living locally. Meanwhile, the world’s least expensive cities for expatriates are Tunis (209), Tashkent (208), and Karachi (207).
Singapore has moved from fourth in 2018 to third in 2019, while Kuala Lumpur has moved from 145th in 2018 to 141st in 2019. Elsewhere in Asia, Mumbai is India’s most expensive city, followed by New Delhi and Chennai, while Bengaluru and Kolkata are the least expensive Indian cities ranked.
Within Asia, the following are some of the cities in the ranking upto 150 (in order of most expensive to least expensive, based on global ranking):17. Guangzhou, China 19. Osaka, Japan 27. Moscow, Russia | Nanjing, China 30. Chengdu, China 32. Tianjin, China 33. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Nagoya, Japan 35. Taipei, Taiwan | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 40. Bangkok, Thailand 41. Qingdao, China 45. Shenyang, China 47. Dhaka, Bangladesh 67. Mumbai, India 102. Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei 105. Jakarta, Indonesia 108. Phnom Penh, Cambodia 109. Manila, The Philippines 112. Hanoi, Vietnam 117. Yangon, Myanmar 118. New Delhi, India 120. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 141. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 154. Chennai, India
Other highlights from the survey included:
- London is the most expensive city to buy a single cinema ticket, averaging at about US$22, followed by Zurich and Beijing.
- One cup of espresso coffee at a popular, fashionable cafe (including service charges) is the priciest in Hong Kong at about US$8, followed by Beijing and Zurich.
- Zurich is the costliest city in the world to buy a fast food meal for one person (i.e. Big Mac from the regular menu), at about US$14, followed by New York and Luanda.
- Men's blue jeans are the most expensive to purchase in Cape Town coming in at about US$160, followed by Zurich and Johannesburg.
- A litre of gasoline is the priciest in Hong Kong at slightly over US$2, while Singapore, London, Zurich, and Barcelona also feature among the most expensive on this aspect.


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Aside from the increase in the number of people opting for a strictly vegan diet, flexitarian diets are on the rise, which is good news for meatless FMCG brands and grocery retailers. Donna Ahern reports.
The increase in demand for plant-based or meat-free alternatives is showing no sign of abating, with sales of products in this category continuing their strong upward trajectory.
In fact, going meat-free has never looked so good.
There is now a vast array of plant-based alternatives to meat products for consumers to choose from.
While not everyone wants to fully commit to a 100% vegan lifestyle, terms such as ‘flexitarianism’ and concepts such as ‘Veganuary’ or ‘Meat-Free Monday,’ are driving awareness and encouraging consumers to try alternatives to meat, even on an ad-hoc basis.
The move to introduce meat free alternatives follows a continued shift in dietary patterns among Irish consumers, with up to 34% of the population purchasing meat free alternatives at least weekly, according to research published by Bord Bia – that is an increase of 8% since the beginning of the pandemic.
It seems that Irish households are not only becoming increasingly aware of the health benefits of meat-free products, they are recognising the detrimental impact that animal agriculture can have on the environment and are taking this responsibility very seriously.
Research conducted by Behaviour & Attitudes on behalf of Checkout, which looked at buying habits within this category during the month of January 2021, revealed that a large number of Irish consumers (71%) said that they had purchased a free-from food at some point, which is a step in the right direction.
Looking at meat-free products, 12% of survey respondents said that they buy free-from meat products because of general concerns that they have over the way animals are treated or how food is sourced, while just 3% said that they bought free-from foods because they were vegan or followed a vegan diet.
Aside from the rising number of consumers turning to a solely plant- based or vegetarian diet, the success of Meat-Free Monday, the global campaign encouraging people to go one day a week without any meat in their meals, proves that this is a dietary habit that is here to stay.
With more and more people trying to cut down on their consumption of animal products, Meat-Free Monday is now a regular occurrence in many households around the globe.
Closer to home, the growing appetite for meat-free options is something that FMCG brands and grocery retailers are all too aware of. According to the Bord Bia research, in the 12 weeks up to June 2020, there was a 109% increase year-on-year in sales of ambient meat substitutes in Ireland, while sales of fresh meat substitutes increased by 60%.
More recent research conducted by NielsenIQ on behalf of Checkout echoed a similar sentiment and highlighted the increase in demand for meat-free products.
For the 52 weeks to 7 November 2021, the sale of meat-free prepacked sausages surged by 51% compared to the same period the previous year.
Meat-free fresh meals increased by 15% year-on-year.
“Meat free is a category that has seen strong growth over the past three years as it established itself off a small base,” says Katie Varian, senior retail account manager, NielsenIQ.
Consumers are increasingly opting for meat-free alternatives for both health and environmental reasons and brands recognise this, with many having recently introduced meat-free extensions to their product range.
“With sustainability top of mind for consumers, this is a category that will surely continue to grow,” says Katie. “However, work still has to be done to ensure affordability for all.”
Most Googled Brands
Research published by commercial kitchens experts Maxima Kitchen Equipment earlier this year revealed the world’s most
Googled vegan brand.
The study analysed the monthly searches for 100 of the most popular vegan brands to discover the seven most sought-after in the world.
The research revealed that Beyond Meat is the world’s most searched-for vegan brand.
The producer of plant-based sausages, burgers, and beef pulls in more than 422,000 searches a month – more than twice as many searches as its nearest competitor.
Despite this, the red-hot plant-based meat maker reported slowing demand in both grocery stores and restaurants across the globe.
It was widely reported that the company, which generates the bulk of its revenue from retailers, had cut its third-quarter revenue forecast in October as it took a hit from fewer people stockpiling plant-based burgers and sausages at home after they returned to dining out.
Oatly, whose backers included celebrities Oprah Winfrey and Jay Z, is the world’s second most Googled vegan brand.
The company – which creates oat-based alternatives to milk, yoghurt and ice-cream – rakes in almost 200,000 searches a month, well ahead of the average searches for all brands on the list (127,000). This doesn’t come as a surprise.
In August this year, Oatly Group forecasted at least a 64% surge in its annual revenue, as the newly-public Swedish company benefits from rising demand for vegan milk alternatives at restaurants and coffee chains such as Starbucks Corp.
Quorn is the world’s third most searched-for vegan brand.
The global meat substitute, famously endorsed by Olympic stars Mo Farah and Adam Peaty in the past, pulls in 95,000 searches a month.
JUST Egg is also among the world’s favourite vegan brands.
The plant-based egg product - a favourite breakfast ingredient of singer Lizzo - rakes in 94,000 searches a month, making it the fourth most Googled vegan brand in the world.
Follow Your Heart, producers of plant-based mayonnaise Veganaise, and multiple vegan cheese products, saw the world’s fifth highest number of searches, at 32,000 a month.
A spokesperson for Maxima Kitchen Equipment said, “As vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian diets increase in popularity and become ever more mainstream, it is fascinating to see which vegan brands are the most searched in the world, as well as which brands dominate in each country. The popularity of brands like Beyond Meat and Quorn shows our interest in plant-based meat, while the prevalence of Oatly and Alpro reflect the increasing demand for dairy alternatives.”
Riding The Wave
Numerous brands in this category have ridden a wave of interest in plant-based food in recent years, led in huge part by millennials and Gen Z consumers, who are more than willing to spend on sustainable products that are also healthy.
FMCG brands were quick to realise the growing demand for plant-based alternatives to their meat brands, especially within this demographic.
Vegan influencer, 32 year old Shane Campbell aka Vegan Country Boy, is an excellent example of this new generation of foodies and influencers.
Speaking with Checkout, he tells us that he was once “a huge meat eater and a cheese lover” who laughed at the idea of veganism.
“However, I was obviously aware that I was eating animals for 20 odd years, but I always put it to the back of my mind, making excuses along the way,” he says.
Campbell started a vegan Instagram page five years ago and since then his page has grown significantly and Vegan Country Boy has amassed over 15,000 followers.
“I started my vegan Instagram page to track my food, so I could find it easier to pick my meals weekly, but it quickly moved into promoting veganism,” he says.
“My aim for my social media pages is to show people how easy a vegan lifestyle can be and maybe people can make the connection I made."
“In the last year, I have seen a massive increase in the number of people switching to a vegan lifestyle and turning more flexitarian although these two are not really related as veganism is not a diet," he adds.
"I am not sure if lockdown has made people more health conscious or we are becoming more environmentally aware, but whatever the reason, I welcome the reduction in animal consumption. I think the growth in dairy and meat-free alternatives has helped people reduce their meat consumption.”
So does he think that the FMCG sector and grocery retailers have successfully stepped up to the mark and responded to the growing demand in this category?
“I think food brands and grocery retailers have responded well to the increased demand for vegan and plant- based alternatives,” he says.
“The options in store have increased significantly in the last 18 months and continue to grow. For example, Denny’s, one of Ireland's biggest sellers of meat, have released meat-free sausages, bacon, pudding, and deli meats and continue to expand their meat-free range. Since I became vegan five years ago, I think the standard of plant-based alternatives available in grocery retailers is very good. Cooking has never been easier and you cut out the worry of food poisoning.”
But are the meat-free alternatives currently available on the market compromising on taste? “Absolutely not,” he says.
“There are plant- based brands producing top quality alternatives and it’s only going to continue to improve. However, I think it is important to state that veganism is not just about what you consume, it is a way of living that seeks to exclude as far as is possible and practicable all form of exploitation of animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.”
Visibility Is Key
In order to encourage shoppers to buy more vegan and plant-based produce, visibility in store is key, and if grocery retailers are to meet the demand for products within this category, they should allocate dedicated plant-based or vegan fridge sections in store and place the items front and centre to showcase the shop’s diverse offerings to all customers.
With this in mind, it will be interesting to see if grocery shoppers will become plant-based or meat-free adherents in 2022, or if they will be putting such items in their baskets as a one-off purchase.


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The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit to block AT&T from acquiring mobile competitor T-Mobile USA, with the agency saying the US$39 billion deal would significantly reduce competition, jack up prices and stifle innovation.
AT&T will return 5,000 outsourced call-center jobs to the U.S. if regulators approve its proposed US$39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA, the company said Wednesday.
US authorities met with European officials on behalf of Oracle with regard to its $US7.4 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems, according to a US diplomatic cable recently released by activist group Wikileaks.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which began an antitrust investigation into Google a month-and-a-half ago, is looking specifically at Google's relationship with Android handset makers and at whether Google favors its own services in search results...
A Seattle law firm has targeted Apple in an e-book price-fixing lawsuit partly because of the company's dominance in smartphone and tablet sales, the firm's managing director said.
More than 100 U.S. mayors have expressed support for AT&T's proposed acquisition of mobile rival T-Mobile USA, AT&T said Wednesday.
A proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA by AT&T could provide significant benefits to U.S. consumers, according to a senior Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The U.S. Department of Justice has asked Google for more information on its proposed acquisition of display advertising optimization firm, Admeld, Google said on Wednesday.
TruePosition, the developer of technology used by some carriers to pinpoint 9-1-1 calls, says Ericsson, Qualcomm and Alcatel-Lucent have worked together to keep TruePosition's technology out of next-generation networks in favor of their own technolog...
A senior U.S. senator has urged two federal agencies to reject AT&T's proposed US$39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA.
A French publishing company has filed suit against Google, alleging anti-competitive practices and claiming €295 million (US$420 million) in damages.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is preparing to serve subpoenas to Google as a first step in a broad antitrust investigation of the search engine and advertising giant, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
Apple may face scrutiny from an Indian regulator for alleged anticompetitive behavior in connection with iPhone 4 sales in India.
Microsoft has received clearance from U.S. antitrust regulators for its proposed purchase of Internet telephony company Skype.
IBM is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding Thursday. Led by American capitalist icons Thomas J. Watson, Sr. and Thomas J. Watson, Jr. until the 1970s, the company grew from a pre-World War I conglomeration of companies making tabulating...
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Does Microsoft Have Walls After All?
Microsoft is just not having much luck with the publicity of their latest $300 million ad campaign. I’m sure you are well aware of the Seinfeld fiasco. In case you’re not, Microsoft kicked off this huge campaign with a pair of long and drawn out ads featuring Bill Gates and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. While some enjoyed the ads, the overall consensus was that they were lame, annoying and/or pointless. In other words, they didn’t go over too well.
Microsoft then quickly went forward with "phase two" of the campaign, which includes the "I’m a PC" ads that were obviously a direct response to the Apple’s "I’m a Mac" ads, and you have probably seen on television repeatedly over the last week or so. These new ads went over a lot better with critics, but one company is less than thrilled with the entire campaign, and not because of the plots of the commercials or bad writing. They have a problem with Microsoft’s slogan.
The Microsoft ads say things like "Imagine no walls," and "Life without walls." The problem according to G.ho.st, is that they already have a pending trademark on the tagline "no walls". The company is demanding that Microsoft come up with something new, and G.ho.st CEO Zvi Schreiber has written a letter to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on the matter, which can be read here.
Microsoft does not feel threatened over the matter, however. A Microsoft spokesman told Kara Swisher at All Things Digital:
“We are aware of their concerns and believe their claims have no merit. We are not aware that Ghost has any trademark registrations or other rights that would be infringed by our ‘Life Without Walls’ campaign. To our knowledge, the right they have asserted, namely, a U.S. ‘registered trademark application,’ in the phrase ‘No Walls,’ does not exist.
“To our knowledge, Ghost has no trademark registrations or other rights in the phrase ‘No Walls.’ Even if they did, they cannot prevent others from using the words ‘no walls’ together in a sentence or in a descriptive manner in ad copy. Nor can they claim ownership in word ‘wall’ or the idea of a wall. The tagline for Microsoft’s new ad campaign is ‘Life Without Walls’–a slogan that, taken in its entirety, is not confusingly similar to Ghost’s purported ‘motto.’”
Hmmm, is G.ho.st just making this up? That seems odd. G.ho.st, which stands for "Global Hosted Operating System (the keywords being "operating system") is somewhat a competitor to Microsoft. Given Microsoft’s past reputation of anti-competitiveness, the whole thing smells a little fishy to me. It will be interesting to see if this turns into some major legal trouble for Microsoft, or if G.ho.st will just fall through the cracks as the technology giant’s $300 million campaign rolls on while consumers continue to live their lives having no clue what G.ho.st is.


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U.S. consumers are more satisfied with airlines in recent years but the industry still gets relatively low marks, mainly due to the onboard experience, according to a customer poll released on Tuesday.
NEW YORK—Starbucks has a new way to wake up its customers: showing the calories in its drinks. The Seattle-based coffee chain says it will start posting calorie counts on menu boards nationwide next week, ahead of a federal regulation that would require it to do so.
Down in the basement of the Marine on St. Croix General Store, Sara Hayden takes her late mother's wooden rolling pin and rolls out eight small piecrusts made from her mother's cold-water pie crust recipe. But there's a twist -- one her mother probably never dreamed of.


text:
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Section: Regulations > Claims/Labeling
Suit Alleges J&J's OGX Shampoo, Conditioners Cause Hair Loss
A class action suit has been filed against J&J for its OGX branded shampoos and conditioners that contain DMDM hydantoin, which is alleged to cause hair loss and scalp irritation.
Jul 6th, 2021
Neutrogena Faces Suit Over Benzene in Sunscreens
Neutrogena is facing charges alleging its sunscreens contain unacceptable levels of benzene and do not disclose this ingredient on their labels.
Jun 30th, 2021
NAD Puts P&G's Crest Whitening Claims in Check
The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the U.S. Better Business Bureau reviewed P&G's Crest Whitening Emulsions claims and found some were supported and others were not; revisions were recommended.
Procter & Gamble
Jun 25th, 2021
20 Hand Sanitizers Recalled by Health Canada
Health Canada has recalled 20 hand sanitizers between March 31, 2021, and June 22 for ingredient violations, unauthorized sale and more, adding to nearly 100 previous recalls,
Jun 23rd, 2021
Target Faces Class Action Suit Over Hand Sanitizer Claims
Target is facing charges of alleged breach of express warranty, among other accusations, that its hand sanitizer's claim to kill 99.99% of germs is false, according to the plaintiff.
Jun 22nd, 2021
Merck KGaA Certifies Entire Cosmetics Portfolio as Halal
Merck KGaA has received halal certifications for its cosmetics effect and care solutions portfolio, entailing some 284 products, which comply with several internationally recognized halal standards.
Jun 18th, 2021
Asia Update: Label and Claim Rules, CBD, Microbeads, Naturals and Men's Cosmetics
Cosmetic label requirements and prohibited claims, CBD rules, standards for microbeads, natural and organic rules and the "explosive" growth of male cosmetics have all emerged on the Eastern regulatory front in recent weeks. Here's a roundup, per
Jun 11th, 2021
Burt's Bees Faces Class Action Suit Over 'Natural' Pet Shampoo Claims
Burt's Bees is facing charges of alleged deception through marketing related to its animal shampoos and conditioners that claim to be 99.7% natural but whose ingredients, according to the plaintiff, are mostly synthetic.
Jun 8th, 2021
J&J Appeal Over Talc Ruling Rejected by U.S. Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Johnson & Johnson's appeal to a previous decision ordering the company to pay $2 billion to women reporting they developed ovarian cancer due to asbestos in J&J's talc products.
Jun 2nd, 2021
FDA Flags 13 More Sanitizers, Issues One Warning for Methanol Content
Methanol content or possible associations therewith account for 12 of the 13 latest additions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to its "do not use" hand sanitizer list, along with one warning letter.
May 21st, 2021
Suit Alleges Dove Men + Care Antiperspirant Stains its Own Record, Causes Yellowing
Unilever's Dove brand Men + Care antiperspirant is promoted for its stain defense technology, yet a suit filed in a Missouri court claims the product actually causes yellowing and staining.
May 21st, 2021
FTC Slaps Kushly Co. with $30K in Fines for Unsupported CBD Claims
In its latest move to stop deceptive health and efficacy claims for CBD products, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) slapped Kushly Industries LLC with fines totaling more than US $30,000.
May 20th, 2021
The Next 'Clean' Beauty? FDA to Research 'Healthy' Food Claims, Labeling
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced plans to research and identify rules for claims that foods and beverages contain "healthy" nutrients. Could this be the next "clean" beauty?
May 17th, 2021
Clinique Faces Class Action Suit Over False 'Probiotic' Product Claim
Clinique is facing charges of alleged false advertising relating to its Clinique Redness Solutions Cosmetics purporting to contain "probiotic technology."
May 13th, 2021
Midwest SCC Outlines Preservative Formulating and Regulations
At the May 2021 Midwest SCC virtual meeting, David Steinberg discussed preservatives; particularly regulations in the U.S., Canada and the EU, as well as their use in products and how the outlook on preservatives impacts the cosmetic industry.
May 13th, 2021
Suit Alleges Blue Lizard 'Mineral' Sunscreen Label is Deceptive
A proposed class action suit alleges Blue Lizard sunscreen's "mineral-based" label is misleading as it contains organic UV filters; namely octisalate and octinoxate.
May 7th, 2021
USDA Certifies Locus PI Sophorolipids as 100% Bio-based
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has certified Locus Performance Ingredients' biosurfactants as 100% bio-based content.
Apr 30th, 2021
False Ad Suit Against CVS Hand Sanitizer Gains Ground
According to a report by Law360, a California federal judge certified a class of consumers who purchased CVS hand sanitizer and allege its "kills 99.99% of germs" claim is misleading and false advertising.
Apr 30th, 2021
Page 2 of 17


text: If you've ever noticed a pair of wood sneakers dangling from power lines, you've likely witnessed the work of New Jersey-born identical twins Ad and Droo, aka Skewville. The fake sneaker installations (they call the project and their website When Dogs Fly) dates back to '99, but for over a decade the New York artists have been leaving sneaker footprints on walls, installing their art in Fred Segal's Conveyor store, reconfiguring construction sites to say "Fresh" or "Fame Game," and otherwise altering spaces with their brand of artful commentary. Opening October 1st, an exhibition at the Basement Air Gallery in the Lower East Side will unveil their so-called secret laboratory, revealing such objects as a machine that creates a third twin (uh, a triplet?), historical artifacts, and other mechanized and interactive pieces. Curated by Puffarella, a member of their street team, she says the show deals with issues relating to the street scene like "fame and the idea of hype." The subterranean show runs through November 1st.