text:
For starters, Godrej is aiming at 15% share in the premium refrigerator segment with this brand with models priced between Rs 49,000 to Rs 79,000.
The company is expecting around 52 per cent of its total sales to come from tier 1 cities, while tier II and III cities will contribute the rest.
Whirlpool Corp reported a rise in quarterly net profit, with cost reductions and recent acquisitions offsetting the impact of the strong US dollar.
Orient Electric, part of the USD 1.6 bn CK Birla Group company, would soon begin the manufacturing of switchgears at its factory, a top official said.
The company, which reported Rs 18,500 crore turnover last year, has done just one project with DLF so far.
Competition Commission has cleared Johnson Controls' proposed acquisition of HVAC business of Hitachi Appliances.
Godrej Appliances has entered the super-premium segment across refrigerators, ACs, washing machines and microwave ovens with the launch of a new brand NXW.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a billionaire, announced company's expansion into the home battery market Thursday evening.


text:
Pendo Beats Annual Revenue Target, Plans to Hire 400 People in 2021
Pendo invests in product innovation to help companies drive digital adoption, go-to-market and global expansion to meet demand for better digital experiences.
RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pendo, a platform that accelerates successful product adoption, today announced highlights from its fiscal year, which ended January 31, 2021. Notable milestones include substantial growth in bookings from new and existing customers, the launch of its Pendo Free product, and global expansion into the Asia-Pacific region. Demand for Pendo increased as companies plan for long-term remote or hybrid work environments; the proliferation of workplace software has made it a necessity for companies to invest in tools to drive software adoption.
To prepare for future growth, the company also announced plans to hire 400 people this year. More than 120 positions are open now at www.pendo.io/careers/.
"Despite the many challenges of 2020, the team innovated and hustled to meet growing demand for Pendo as companies' digital transformation plans accelerated," said Todd Olson, CEO and co-founder of Pendo. "I'm excited to continue that pace of innovation this year as we launch new products and expand our global footprint."
Highlights of the fiscal year include:
Revenue and customer growth: Pendo exceeded revenue expectations for the year, with growth in new bookings from traditional enterprises and increased sales from existing customers. The customer count approached 2000, with new customers in the fourth quarter including John Wiley & Sons, Imperfect Foods Inc., Mercury Insurance, Inc., Essity Hygiene and Health AB, Salesloft, Seismic Software, Brainshark, Zix, and Balto Software.
Global expansion: Pendo now employs more than 100 people outside the United States, with growth of its teams in Israel and the United Kingdom and its late 2020 expansion into the Asia-Pacific region. Pendo opened an office in Tokyo in November 2020, and will open an office in Sydney, Australia in early 2021, bringing its total global office count to eight.
Product: Over the fiscal year, Pendo shipped 67 product releases, leading to new products, features and capabilities, including
Community: Pendo supported customers and the broader product community through virtual events, education and thought leadership, and a new book:
Headcount: Pendo experienced headcount growth across every function, adding 168 new employees, including 12 executives. In the fourth quarter, Pendo hired Kiyo Takayama as general manager of Pendo Japan, Kelli Dragovich as chief people officer, Pieter Kreuk as vice president of finance, Jennifer "JR" Rettig as vice president of talent, and Jeff Serlin as vice president of revenue operations. Dean Patton was promoted to senior vice president of North America sales and Gary Putlock to vice president of enterprise sales. The company ended the year with 491 employees.
Awards: Pendo won 21 awards over the course of 2020, including #26 on the Inc. 5000 and #54 on Forbes' Cloud 100 list. The company also earned a spot on the Inc. Best Workplaces list for the third year in a row, and the Triangle Business Journal's Best Places to Work for the fourth consecutive year.
Keynote Presentation TBA
Myth vs. Reality: The Truth About AI and CX
Networking LIVE! Reception - On the Amazing Spacious Seaside Patio of the Loews Miami Beach Resort

domain: news


text:
The planned Aer Lingus strike will cause travel mayhem for around 28,000 passengers.
The industrial action, which will go ahead on Friday May 30, will force the airline to cancel a whopping 204 flights.
Trade union IMPACT claims the strike is due to unworkable rosters.
Spokesman for Aer Lingus, Declan Kearney, said: “This is another example in a series of strike threats by the Unions.
"Our customers need certainty for their travel arrangements. Without this they are forced to either travel with another airline or simply cancel their travel plans altogether.
"We are extremely disappointed that the Unions have once again raised the threat of strike, inflicting massive disruption on the travelling public.
"It’s extremely damaging for customers and for the airline to live under this constant threat of strike. We are doing everything we can to minimise the impact on our customers, but we call on IMPACT to stop this unjustifiable practice of constantly threatening strike action as a part of their negotiating position.
"It is unfair to the airline and it is most unfair to the public who deserve to be able to catch their flights on the day and time of their choosing.
“Aer Lingus has in recent weeks commenced discussions with all trade unions, aimed at establishing an internal mechanism for resolving disputes.
"Aer Lingus believes this mechanism is essential to put an end to the constant stream of strike threats aimed at disrupting customers in pursuit of IMPACT’s demands.”


text:
A new residential cruise ship, the MV Narrative, is set to sail around the world, offering residents a chance to live a life of luxury on the seas.
One of those residents is Mimi Bland, a mindfulness coach from Buckinghamshire who has sold her £500,000 home to fund her new life of adventure at sea.
Mimi is one of several affluent people from the UK who have purchased one of the luxury residences onboard the MV Narrative for a new life of excitement and fun.
She plans to work as a mindfulness mentor while on board, using some of her savings to help fund her new lifestyle.
Mimi said: “I cannot wait to set sail on the next phase of my life. I want to carry on working for as long as I can and I will do my mindset mentoring with residents on the ship and also with clients back home who see me online. We are all living much more flexible lives and I realised I didn’t want to be pinned down to the same property for the rest of my life with ever-rising bills. It is much more fun to take off to the seas.”
Life at sea
The MV Narrative is operated by the maritime firm Storylines. Currently, under construction in Croatia, it’s set to launch in 2025.
It’s one of several cruise ships you can live on permanently, and one of the more affordable options.
MV Narrative will travel around the world continuously, circumnavigating the globe every three years. Much slower than a traditional cruise, the ship will dock at ports for between three to five days to allow residents to explore local sites.
The MV Narrative is designed to provide its residents with a truly luxurious experience, with a range of facilities that are unparalleled in the world of cruise ships.
Mimi’s space on board cost £850,000. This will give her access to 20 bars and restaurants, three pools and sundecks, a microbrewery, a 10,000-book library, a cinema and an art studio. There’s also a 10,000-square-foot health centre, a fully equipped hospital and even an anti-ageing clinic!
Sports fans can use an outdoor running track, the latest golf simulators and pro shop and a marina with personal watercraft.
The ship also features a solar-powered hydroponic garden, which is part of its commitment to sustainability.
The ship has room for 1,000 residents, who will live in 547 fully furnished residences.
The people quitting the UK to live at sea
Mimi is not the only British resident who has purchased a residence on the MV Narrative. Others include a forty-something software tycoon and his wife who is a former head teacher. The couple from Derbyshire plan to spend up to nine months of the year on board with their 17-year-old daughter.
Among the residents, there’s also a marketing executive from Southport, Merseyside, who has holiday properties in Spain and has a passion for yacht-based travel.
Storylines CEO and founder Alister Punton said: “We all have this image of cruises – that they are long holidays for pensioners and people in their twilight years going around the world as couples. Storylines’ superyacht is not like that at all – it is a residential cruise liner for working people and young families who have realised during Covid that they can work from anywhere and they don’t want the hassle and expense of being tied to one property.”
The cost of living on a cruise ship
As well as the cash from selling her three-bedroom home, Mimi is also using some of her savings to afford the £850,000 price tag for one of the luxury residences on MV Narrative.
She plans to spend a further £50,000 a year to cover all her meals and access to all the incredible facilities on board.
The cost of running her home and luxury lifestyle with car and up to five holidays a year is £70,000 a year. So Mimi will be £20,000 a year better off living a simpler and more fulfilling life on the ship while still working.
The £850,000 purchase price is for one of the smallest apartments on board though. These studio apartments are akin to inside cabins, with no windows and just 237 square feet of space.
The largest and most luxurious penthouse apartments have two storeys, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large private balcony and a price tag of £6.5 million.
An eco-friendly way to see the world
The MV Narrative has an emphasis on sustainability, with cleaner-burning liquefied natural gas and the use of solar power. This is in line with the growing trend towards eco-friendly travel and is something that many of the ship’s residents are likely to appreciate.
Mimi Bland is one of those residents who values sustainability and eco-friendliness. She has said that she wants to live a simpler and more fulfilling life on the liner while still working and that the ship’s commitment to sustainability was one of the factors that attracted her to it.
A sense of community
In addition to its commitment to sustainability, the MV Narrative is also designed to provide its residents with a sense of community.
The Storylines ship will have a whole community of like-minded people, so that residents are never lonely. This is particularly important for those who plan to spend extended periods on board the ship, as they will want to build relationships and socialize with other residents.
For Mimi Bland, who split with her husband more than 20 years ago and has not remarried, the MV Narrative represents a new chapter in her life – one filled with adventure, discovery, and excitement.
She explained: “In my new life, the crew take care of everything and I get to run my business, see the world and meet other executives who are also looking to have a good time.”
The launch of Storylines and its luxury residential community at sea represents a new option for those who want to start a new life. With the ever-rising costs of living in the UK, those who can work remotely have more options than ever as to what their life could look like. And exploring the world on a luxury cruise ship is certainly one to consider.
- Your Options For Living Permanently On A Cruise Ship
- Exciting New Cruise Ships Launching in 2024
- INTERVIEW: “I didn’t enjoy my first Disney cruise, then I went on 88 more!”


text:
News tagged ‘report’
iPhone 4S users complain about numerous problems with Broadcom Wi-Fi and Bluetooth controller after the upgrade to iOS 7. Apple's support forums are currently overwhelmed with help requests and complaints connected with the abovementioned issues.
The time has come - Apple will reportedly launch an iPhone with a larger screen in 2014. According to Brian White of Cantor Fitzgerald, who has recently visited a number of tech companies situated in China and Taiwan, the new Apple “phablet” is already in the works.
Best Buy is sure to announce another trade-in program for iPhone 5s and 5c customers on Friday, October 11th, TechnoBuffalo reports. If the information obtained by the site reporters is true, the offer will be launched October 13th.
Apple’s iCloud service went through the overnight outage - some users report they were unable to use Calendar and a bunch of other features. Apart from that, the company's online store was inaccessible for updates for as many as 5 hours.
According to the latest Canaccord report, Apple’s iPhone 5s is the top smartphone sold at all U.S. carriers. The plastic iPhone 5c comes in the second or third place, depending on a particular carrier.
The company from Cupertino is currently
According to the latest TechCrunch report, Apple has acquired the Cue personal assistant app. Numerous users inform that the application is now removed from the App Store, moreover, there’s a short statement on the Cue official website that proves the acquisition:
Martin Hajek, whose iPhone 5c concepts looked almost like the original Apple devices, has posted a couple of renderings on his website that show something he calls the new iPad Mini S and iPad Mini C.
Apple is expected to unveil its new iPad mini with Retina display very soon. However, it is still unclear when this tablet will be actually released - there’s no exact date. Some say, the company from Cupertino will announce the gadget in October and ship it in some weeks after the media event for reporters, but this is unlikely to happen as Apple is currently experiencing some manufacturing delays.
After close to one week of sales, we found that, overall, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco held the largest market share in the U.S. for iPhone 5s and 5c activations. This is to be expected given the size of their populations. However the real surprise was that San Francisco came in third. Considering San Francisco is actually the 11th largest market in the U.S., its status as a technology haven also, clearly, translates to a culture of early adoption.
We then looked at the distribution of the iPhone 5s and 5c for each of the cities. Again, San Francisco stood out, showing the strongest preference for the 5s over the 5c (85% vs. 15%) among the top 12 major U.S. cities. Philadelphia showed the lowest preference with 72%.
Here’s what he writes (via
This is bad for security and privacy, because it allows advanced spam techniques, tracking of user actions, hijacking the user by just opening an email, and, using an exploitation framework, potentially much worse things. The app also loads external images without offering an option to disable this behavior.
Mailbox developers have reacted very fast - they promise this security breach will be patched within few hours.
In Australia, the prices were formerly A$699 and A$899 for the standard configurations, and the Mac mini Server model was priced at A$ 1,099.00. Now, the machines are priced at A$749, A$999, and A$1249, respectively.
Is it still unclear why Apple has changed the pricing for the Mac mini. Hope the company representatives will explain such a step as soon as possible.
A new version of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5 is said to be released in the coming days. According to the unidentified sources, the so-called “Supplemental Update” is already being tested by Apple - that means that very soon it will reach the end-users. As usual, the new OS X version will be available through Software Update menu on the Mac App Store.
Quanta Computer is an Apple supplier responsible for Apple’s current MacBook Airs and an unusual choice for tablet production as those devices are currently produced by suppliers like Foxconn and Pegatron. The report claims, however, that Quanta is aiming to diversify.
This summer WSJ reported that Apple was asking to see prototypes of an iPad measuring slightly less than 13-inches diagonally.
So how would this big iPad look like? Take a look at the mockups below:


text:
Microsoft has released a new “convenience rollup” for Windows 7 that’s effectively a second service pack for the venerable OS. It should make updating and building systems much simpler for existing Windows 7 customers — and it doesn’t include any of the updates meant to push Windows 10 on to consumer PCs.
Microsoft’s Windows 10 push starts today. The OS has been reclassified as a “Recommended” update, instead of an optional one. Consumer systems should start automatically downloading the update and running the installer today.
The Windows 10 free upgrade offer is now six months old, and an estimated 200 million users have switched to the new OS. What happens when the offer ends — and will Microsoft take steps to address the concerns of users who are holding off on upgrading?
Microsoft has announced Windows 10 can be installed clean to upgraded devices, while the Xbox development head is hammering on PC-Xbox cross-compatibility. Will Microsoft flub the PC side of things again?
To download Windows 8.1 today for free, follow one of the methods listed below.
Subscribe Today to get the latest ExtremeTech news delivered right to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our


text:
NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey (
Johnson & Johnson
said Wednesday Dutch biotechnology company
agreed to be acquired for €1.75 billion ($2.43 billion).
Johnson & Johnson currently owns 17.9% of Crucell's outstanding shares and will buy the shares it doesn't own for €24.75 a share.
Johnson & Johnson said in September it was in
at that price.
The offer price is a premium of 58% over Crucell's closing price of € 15.70 on Sept. 16, the day before the offer was announced.
Crucell is a maker of vaccines and sells a line of cells widely used as a platform for developing vaccines.
Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday the transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2011 and will have a dilutive impact of 3 cents to 5 cents a share to its 2011 earnings.
-- Written by Joseph Woelfel
>To contact the writer of this article, click here:
>To submit a news tip, send an email to:


text:
The September 2018 NPD results are in, and Marvel’s Spider-Man for the PlayStation 4 was the month’s best-selling game in the United States.
Though topping the month is impressive enough, NPD notes that it has quickly become the third best-selling game year-to-date across all platforms, behind fellow PS4 exclusive God of War at number two and Far Cry 5 at number one.
Spider-Man also netted the biggest launch month in dollar sales for any Playstation exclusive in history, and generated the highest dollar sales during its launch compared to any game this year, achieving launch sales that are 37 percent higher than the combined launch month sales of every other Spider-Man game released since the NPD began tracking game sales in 1995.
Coming in at the second spot is NBA 2K19, which quickly became the fifth best-selling game of 2018. It achieved the highest launch months sales of any sports game released since 1995, and is the best-selling sports game of the year in the U.S. Three other sports games made the top ten in September: FIFA 19, Madden NFL 19 and NHL 19.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Spartan-kicked its way to the number three spot with double-digit percentage dollar sales growth over the launch of Assassin’s Creed Origins. Shadow of the Tomb Raider hit number five, besting the launch month dollar sales of Rise of the Tomb Raider, but not the 2013 reboot. Forza Horizon 4 came in at number seven, achieving the highest launch month dollar sales in the racing franchise’s history.
Here are the top ten best-selling games for September 2018:
- Marvel’s Spider-Man
- NBA 2K19
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- FIFA 19
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider
- Madden NFL 19
- Forza Horizon 4
- Destiny 2
- Super Mario Party
- NHL 19
The industry as a whole grew in September 18, as overall sales increased seven percent compared to this time last year, and year-to-date spending is up by 16 percent from last year. Hardware sales, however, dropped three percent compared to a year ago to $306 million, although year-to-date spending on hardware is up 18 percent, with the PlayStation 4 remaining the best-selling console hardware platform this year.
Madden NFL 19 topped the August 2018 NPD charts, achieving the highest launch sales in the Madden series since Madden NFL 2013. That same month, Monster Hunter World reached number 2 after its PC version was released, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (which was released in 2009) managed to hit the eighth spot after becoming backward compatible on Xbox One.
In our review of Marvel’s Spider-Man, we called the game “Great” saying "The Wall Crawler’s open world doesn’t consistently deliver the thrilling moments of its main campaign, but the foundation laid here is undoubtedly a spectacular one."
Colin Stevens is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.


text:
Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER – Get Rating) had its price objective upped by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $42.00 to $44.00 in a research note published on Wednesday, The Fly reports. They currently have a buy rating on the ride-sharing company’s stock.
UBER has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Needham & Company LLC reissued a buy rating and set a $54.00 target price on shares of Uber Technologies in a research report on Monday, February 6th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a market outperform rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Uber Technologies in a report on Friday, March 10th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Uber Technologies from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, February 9th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Uber Technologies from $38.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, February 9th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Uber Technologies from $48.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, February 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $47.19.
Uber Technologies Trading Down 2.9 %
Uber Technologies stock opened at $31.78 on Wednesday. Uber Technologies has a one year low of $19.90 and a one year high of $37.58. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $32.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $63.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.78 and a beta of 1.22.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Uber Technologies news, insider Tony West sold 4,167 shares of Uber Technologies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total value of $133,344.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 166,499 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,327,968. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 4.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Uber Technologies
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UBER. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Uber Technologies by 3.9% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 86,892 shares of the ride-sharing company’s stock valued at $2,303,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares in the last quarter. AXA S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Uber Technologies during the third quarter worth $218,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of Uber Technologies by 66.0% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 19,134 shares of the ride-sharing company’s stock valued at $507,000 after acquiring an additional 7,606 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC bought a new position in Uber Technologies in the third quarter valued at about $277,000. Finally, Cetera Advisor Networks LLC increased its position in Uber Technologies by 11.3% in the second quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 115,843 shares of the ride-sharing company’s stock worth $2,370,000 after purchasing an additional 11,747 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.83% of the company’s stock.
About Uber Technologies
Uber Technologies, Inc operates as a technology platform for people and things mobility. The firm offers ride services and merchants delivery service providers for meal preparation, grocery and other delivery services. It operates through the following segments: Mobility, Delivery and Freight. The Mobility segment refers to products that connect consumers with Mobility Drivers who provide rides in a variety of vehicles, such as cars, auto rickshaws, motorbikes, minibuses, or taxis.
- Get a free copy of the StockNews.com research report on Uber Technologies (UBER)
- MarketBeat Week in Review – 3/13 – 3/17
- This Small Tech With Big Growth Prospects Is Nearing A Buy Point
- Don’t Chase FedEx Higher, Wait For The Pullback
- 3 Stocks For A Defensive Tech Portfolio
- Milk the Dividends on These 3 Cash Cows
Receive News & Ratings for Uber Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Uber Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, FEB. 18, 2011
Looking for new markets, food vendors flock to Flavors of Carolina
A record 106 N.C. food-based businesses wishing to expand into new markets will participate in Charlotte’s Flavors of Carolina food show this year. In addition, 33 vendors will participate in the annual show for the first time as companies look for more ways to sell their products and stay competitive in an expanding local-food market.
The event, organized by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, presents a unique opportunity for start-up and specialty food vendors to engage directly with potential buyers representing grocery chains, restaurants, gourmet food stores and wholesalers.
Flavors of Carolina is by invitation only for vendors and buyers. Media also are invited to attend.
Tuesday, Feb. 22
3:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Nationwide Garage, Charlotte Motor Speedway
5555 Concord Pkwy. S., Concord
Flavors of Carolina aims to encourage food buyers to purchase locally grown and processed foods. This show generates millions of dollars in sales for N.C. companies, provides top quality foods to N.C. residents and tourists, and in turn, creates demand for more local foods from N.C. farmers.


text:
Google is working on an AI-powered search engine, code named Magi, according to a report from The New York Times on Sunday.
Magi aims to offer you a “more personalized experience” and to “anticipate” your needs, according to the Times. Like ChatGPT, it would aim to be conversational. And it would populate ads, the main way Google makes money. The project is still in early stages, with no release date set, but it will make tools available to the public next month, the Times reported.
“Not every brainstorm deck or product idea leads to a launch, but as we’ve said before, we’re excited about bringing new AI-powered features to Search, and will share more details soon,” said Lara Levin, a Google spokesperson.
Other products reportedly in development include an AI image generator named GIFI and a language teaching tool called Tivoli Tutor.
The sprint to create a new search engine product comes as Samsung began considering switching to Bing as the default search engine on its Android devices, such as the Galaxy-line of phones, according to the Times. While it’s uncertain why Samsung is considering the shift, it could be linked to Bing search queries being powered by AI. Google brings in an estimated $3 billion in revenue from the Samsung contract, according to the Times. Following the report, Google’s shares fell 4% on Monday.
Microsoft and Samsung didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The online search market is shifting rapidly. ChatGPT, an AI-powered large language model launched last year, caught instant fire for its ability to answer seemingly any question in human-like conversational language. Unlike a traditional Google or Bing search, which populates a list of relevant website links, ChatGPT could give people novel answers. From writing an essay on why carrot cake is better than chocolate cake to a poem about the video game Crazy Taxi, ChatGPT consistently gives convincing answers. Microsoft quickly expanded its partnership with ChatGPT maker OpenAI, integrating the tech into its Bing search engine. Not to be outdone, Google released Bard, its own AI conversation engine, although it stumbled at the launch.
Of the three chatbots, ChatGPT remains the superior experience, whereas Bard falls short.
AI chatbots pose a serious threat to Google’s core business model, which is selling ads on your search queries. If you stop looking to traditional search engines and prefer to ask a chatbot to answer questions directly, that means you’re doing less Googling and visiting websites. Many webpages often have ads placed by Google as well.
That’s not to say chatbot tech is new to Google. The company has been working on its own large language models for years but has been slow to roll it out, citing concerns over bias and accuracy. More cynical observers, like the US Department of Justice, said in federal court earlier this month that Google’s search monopoly potentially delayed the release of AI-powered chatbots.


text:
59% of supermarket transactions worldwide use m-wallets, finds new study
Spending via smartphones is accelerating, pushing mobile payments past tipping point, with more than han a half (59%) of all-in store supermarket mobile transactions worldwide have been conducted via digital wallets such as Apple Pay , Google Pay and Samsung Pay, demonstrating the rise of shop-on-a-go culture.
According to the latest consumer spending data from Worldpay, pubs, bars and restaurants saw a 12.5% uplift in the total spend – leading to the prediction that mobile will replace customers cards within the next five years.
In fact, the number of in-store contactless transactions made via a mobile device has increased by 328% on a year-on-year basis, totalling to 126 million of worldwide sales that equate to £975 million. These numbers are expected to exponentiate over the next 12 months.
'Time-poor ' shoppers are also starting to purchase higher value goods via their smartphones, with the growing number (65%) of Generation Z (16-20 year-olds) contributing the death of traditional wallet. This has phenomenon been particularly demonstrative in the second half of 2017, with the average spend per transaction increased by 11% on the like-for-like basis due to a notable lift-off following the increase in retailers accepting ‘limitless’ Apple Pay transactions in May.
Consequently, luxury department stores and high-end boutiques are now one of the fastest growing sectors for mobile payments; although the volume of mobile transactions in this category remains a small fraction of the total (2.9%), its share of the market has more than doubled since last year.
James Frost, the chief marketing officer at Worldpay, says: “Digital wallets are growing in popularity every day, but what’s interesting is the shift in the way people are shopping with their smartphone."
He continues: "No longer just restricted to light bites and post-work pints, mobile contactless payments are becoming increasingly popular for higher-end purchases too, as manufacturers integrate more sophisticated security features into handset designs.”
Photo credit: amixstudio (Fotlia)


text:
Fitness fibbers are sweeping the nation
While it’s in everyone’s best intention to keep fit and go to the gym, it turns out nine out of ten Brits ditch their plans to go to the gym at least once a week.
And 58 per cent of people, to make themselves feel better, decide to lie to others about their working out.
The figures are part of a survey of 1,018 UK gym goers, carried out by personal training course provider Bebabetteryoucourses.co.uk.
Additionally, the research found the top five reasons for people avoiding the gym included being too tired (46 per cent), forgetting a gym kit (42 per cent), the weather being ‘too hot’ or ‘too cold’ (36 per cent), a busy gym (26 per cent) and eating too much (25 per cent).
58 per cent of people surveyed lie about their working out
A third of those surveyed confessed to wasting money on their gym membership after only visiting their gym once over the past month.
Women take the lead over men when it comes to avoiding the gym with 53 per cent ditching workouts, compared to 47 per cent of men.
Looking at the regions, gym members in Bristol (16 per cent) were most likely to say they had worked out when they hadn’t, followed by those in Liverpool (13 per cent) and Glasgow (10 per cent).
Simon Bubb, managing director of Be a Better You courses, said: “It’s surprising to see how many Brits start off with good intentions but end up pretending to go to the gym.
A third of Brits confess to wasting money on their gym membership
“Everyone has a day where they lack the motivation to go to the gym or workout, but there are many ways to incorporate exercise into daily routines, on those days when the gym isn’t an option. It can be something as simple as taking the stairs instead of the lift, walking or cycling to work.
“Hesitant gym-goers should make use of the services and support available at their gyms - personal trainers are not just there to lead a workout they are excellent for boosting motivation, provide nutritional advice, inspiration for different workout plans and suggest alternative workouts between gym visits.”
The data found the younger generation are the biggest fitness fibbers, as almost half (48 per cent) of those who confessed to lying to others about attending the gym were aged 18-24, compared to just nine per cent of those aged 55 or more.
This comes after a personal trainer revealed the mistakes you could be making at the gym.
According to Simon Bubb many Brits start off with good intentions
It is hard enough getting motivated to head to the gym after a long day at work.
But your hard work could be for nothing if you fail to make the most out of your workouts.
From not setting a plan of attack to catching up on your soaps while on the treadmill, budding fitness fanatics could be slowing down their progress every time they step into their gym.
Personal trainer Pete Burnside, 29, who is Fitness and Wellness Manager at Sencio Community Leisure in Sevenoaks, Kent, has revealed to Express.co.uk what pitfalls many of us are making - and how you can prevent them.


text:
Latest International Mobile Equipment Identity Stories
Unlock your iPhone on AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, MetroPCS and Sprint NEW YORK, Jan 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The team at
How to factory unlock your iPhone 6, 5, 5S, 5C, 4S, 4, 3GS on Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile NEW YORK, Jan.
How to unlock your Samsung Galaxy and Galaxy Note phones NEW YORK, Dec.
Holiday unlocks for IPHONE 4, 4S, 5, 5C | 5S AND 6(+) AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, Virgin and Boost Mobile NEW YORK, Dec.
Permanent Unlocks for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile for iPhone 6+, 6, 5S, 5C, 5, 4S, 4, 3GS, 3G released NEW YORK, Dec.
Legit Unlocks team offers permanent unlock for iPhone 6+, 6, 5S, 5C, 5, 4S, 4, 3GS, 3G locked to AT&T NEW YORK, Dec.
HONG KONG, Sept.
ACCRA, Ghana, March 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ImeiXS announced that it has been issued a license by the National Communications Authority of Ghana (NCA) to operate an IMEI
BRUSSELS, February 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Black-market sales of counterfeit and substandard cellphones are a US$6 billion a year problem, a new in-depth report into the
North America's most reliable ESN, MEID, and IMEI check service, offers services ranging from access to the US and Canada IMEI Blacklist to a SMS ESN Check to help stop cell phone fraud
- A person who stands up for something, as contrasted to a bystander who remains inactive.
- One of the upright handlebars on a traditional Inuit sled.


text:
This is a “major step forward” in international cooperation according to Vitor Gaspar, director of the Tax Department at the IMF.
This tax ‘revolution’ sounds the death knell for some strategies for tax optimisation, as the agreement aims to change the rules for calculating and allocating taxes for multinational companies.
Nigeria and Kenya have taken the lead in small group of states that consider this “advance” to be counterproductive.
97% of affected countries support the change
When the agreement is effectively implemented in 2023, companies with a turnover of more than $17bn and a profitability of more than 10% will have to pay their taxes in the market jurisdictions (where they make their turnover), rather than in the country where their head office is located (pillar 1). These taxes will amount to 25% of profits above the 10% profitability threshold for the ‘big winners of globalisation’.
In addition, a minimum tax of 15% on the profits of companies with a turnover of more than $850m will be introduced to limit global tax competition (pillar 2). The IMF’s Gaspar says that “this minimum tax rate on certain companies worldwide will put a stop to international competition fuelled by a race to the bottom.”
According to the official OECD statement, the aim is to “reform international tax rules and ensure that multinational enterprises pay their fair share of taxes wherever they operate.” In any case, complying with these ‘consistency‘’ and ‘transparency’ measures is expected to generate an additional $240bn in tax revenue, or 4-10% of global corporate income tax revenue, according to the international body’s estimates.
…the OECD has produced an agreement that strongly favours the interests of the largest and richest countries, to the detriment of the poorest countries.”
Following a movement that began 30 years ago, and which has elicited outcry over the years, 97% of the countries involved finally agreed to the deal in mid-October 2021.
However, even though countries such as Barbados and Ireland – Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon’s preferred location, as it has one of the lowest tax rates in the world (12.5%) – have agreed to sign the bilateral agreement, Kenya and Nigeria are sticking to their positions.
Too low a tax rate
To justify its disapproval, Kenya says it opposes a clause in the agreement that would force signatory countries to abolish existing taxes on digital services. In fact, the latest OECD/G20 declaration on tax base erosion and profit shifting states that the multilateral agreement “will require all parties to eliminate all taxes on digital services and other similar measures relevant to all businesses, and commit to not introducing such measures in the future.”
In addition to this, the government of East Africa’s largest economy argues that the 15% threshold tax rate for some companies falls far short of what is needed in the country, where corporate tax is already at 30% of net profit. Nigeria and Kenya both agree that the revenue generated by the low tax rate would be insufficient to finance their budget deficits, which was estimated at $5.5bn in 2020, according to Nigerian officials.
The article continues below
Get your free PDF: Top 200 banks 2019
The race to transform
Complete the form and download, for free, the highlights from The Africa Report’s Exclusive Ranking of Africa’s top 200 banks from last year. Get your free PDF by completing the following form
According to a study by the French prime minister’s Conseil d’Analyse Économique, although the minimum tax will bring in between $5bn and $15bn a year for developed countries, developing countries will end up accruing a much lower amount. An expert from the European Network on Debt and Development says that “the OECD has produced an agreement that strongly favours the interests of the largest and richest countries, to the detriment of the poorest countries.”
About 18% of the countries that are working together within the inclusive framework to end tax avoidance strategies are African. They include Sierra Leone, Liberia, the DRC and CAR, which are among the top 10 poorest countries in the world. Morocco, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Gabon, Kenya, Namibia, Senegal, Togo, Zambia and South Africa have also joined the agreement.
Financial and extractive sectors excluded
Within the ‘scope’ of the 8 October 2021 declaration, it is stated that “extractive industries and regulated financial services are excluded” from the two-pillar solution.
In its official communications, the OECD argues that a minimum tax on extractive industries will disadvantage commodity-supplying countries, as they derive significant revenues from taxes on the extractive sector.
According to the African Development Bank (AfDB), in Kenya, the industry accounts for 3% of total export revenues and is expected to reach 10% of national GDP. In Nigeria, according to the latest available report from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, total revenues generated by the extractive sector amounted to $538.6m in 2018.
However, although the extractive sector is an important part of the African economy, the margins on extraction activity are low. The margins higher up the value chain and at partner companies outside African countries of operation is considered to be larger. Nevertheless, only the latter is covered by the two-pillar plan.
On average, African countries “lose between $470m and $730m per year in corporate taxes due to tax evasion by multinationals”, according to an IMF study published on 21 September 2021 on tax avoidance in sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, the two African countries that oppose the agreement feel that the measures proposed by the OECD are insufficient.
A decisive G20
The international tax system’s major reform was finalised on 8 October 2021 at the OECD and the two-pillar solution was presented ahead of the G20 finance ministers’ meeting in Washington on 13 October.
The agreement will be the focus of discussions at the G20 leaders’ summit in Rome on 30-31 October. The 136 countries will develop model legislation and put in place a multilateral deal in 2022 ahead of its implementation in 2023.
Understand Africa's tomorrow... today
We believe that Africa is poorly represented, and badly under-estimated. Beyond the vast opportunity manifest in African markets, we highlight people who make a difference; leaders turning the tide, youth driving change, and an indefatigable business community. That is what we believe will change the continent, and that is what we report on. With hard-hitting investigations, innovative analysis and deep dives into countries and sectors, The Africa Report delivers the insight you need.View subscription options


text:
New Delhi:Swedish home furnishings major IKEA
Thursday said it plans to have an omni-channel presence in India
going forward, reiterating its long-term commitment to the country. Last year, the company opened its first store in Hyderabad
, spread over 13 acres of land
and has a built up area of 4 lakh sq ft.
"We are long term committed to India. We are planning to have omni-channel presence here. We will have three formats -- big stores, online and smaller stores here," IKEA India CEO Peter Betzel told .
He was speaking on the sidelines of Business Today MindRush 2019 here.
The presence in three formats is to bring the customers closer, he added.
The Hyderabad store is the first of 25 such outlets planned to be set up in India by 2025.
The company will be opening big stores in India, starting with a store in Mumbai this year, followed by one in Bengaluru in spring-2021 and then in Delhi-NCR, Betzel said.
However, he did not provide any timeline for the opening of the store in Delhi.
IKEA will have its online presence in Mumbai and will also expand smaller stores category there, he added.
When asked how the company plans to fund the expansion, Betzel said: "It will be through our own money."
In 2013, IKEA received nod from the government to invest Rs 10,500 crore in single-brand retail out of which it had invested Rs 4,500 crore in its different ongoing projects in India.
IKEA has been present in India for 30 years, sourcing many different products for IKEA stores worldwide.


text:
Google wants to make 360-degree content more accessible for more people, and to do so, it is introducing a new tool: VR View. This allows developers to embed 360-degree photos and videos in their websites or apps simply by adding a few lines of code. Google says the aim is to make this sort of content more widely available, whether that's a travel company showing off its sunny locations, or a real estate agent giving would-be buyers a view inside the house of their dreams. The code for VR View has been open sourced on GitHub here.
Google is bringing its Cardboard SDK to iOS
The company also announced that it's bringing its Cardboard SDK to iOS — making it easier for developers to create VR content for Apple's mobile devices. The Cardboard SDK (or software development kit) is like a starter pack for VR experiences. It offers a basic scaffold for implementing technical features like head tracking and spatial audio, allowing creators to focus on what their VR content looks like. The Cardboard SDK was introduced for Android in December 2014, and although developers working in Unity could target both mobile platforms, it's good to see Google offer support directly for iOS.
VR View, meanwhile, is more like an intermediary step toward full virtual reality experiences. You won't necessarily need a headset or the Cardboard app to look at VR View content — you can just move your phone around in the air (sometimes called the "magic window" approach) or click and drag on a computer. "VR is great for entertainment purposes," Google product manager Nathan Martz told TechCrunch. "But for VR to be as transformative as we all hope it will be, it has to be useful as well."


text:
Insider transaction activity can help investors cut through the data overload. Insiders are some of the most informed participants in the market and their buying and selling activity can provide investors with powerful insights.
In this report, we are going to highlight some interesting insider buying at Starbucks Corp (SBUX:US). Starbucks is the world’s largest coffee chain. Operating in over 80 markets, it has more than 30,000 stores worldwide. It’s listed on the Nasdaq and currently has a market cap of $101.6 billion.
Insider buying at Starbucks
Our data shows that on September 15, two insiders at Starbucks bought stock. Those who picked up shares were Non-Executive Chair Mellody Hobson, who purchased 54,750 shares at a price of $92.58 per share (total value: $5.1 million), and board member Richard Allison, who added 10,000 shares at a price of $92.53 per share (total trade value: $925,320). Combined, the two insiders invested a little over $6 million in Starbucks stock.
It’s the large purchase from Chair Mellody Hobson that stands out here. Ms. Hobson – who has served on the Starbucks board for over 15 years – has considerable investment experience. Currently, she is Co-CEO of Ariel Investments, LLC, a global value-based asset management firm. Prior to being named Co-CEO, she served as President for nearly two decades. Given her background, she is likely to have a good understanding of Starbucks’ investment potential.
Additionally, this insider trading activity comes just a few months after Interim CEO Howard Schultz invested $15.0 million in stock. So clearly, sentiment towards the stock within the company is quite positive right now.
A new era of growth
On September 13, Starbucks provided investors with new annual targets at its investor day in Seattle. The market was impressed with the numbers.
Starbucks said that over the next three years, it expects comparable store sales growth of 7% to 9% per year both globally and in the US, up from a prior forecast of 4% to 5%. Meanwhile, it advised that it expects non-GAAP EPS growth to be in the range of 15% to 20% annually through fiscal 2025, representing a significant improvement from the previous range of 10% to 12%.
As for store rollout, Starbucks expects to grow its global store portfolio by roughly 7% annually between fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2025, up from the previous estimate of approximately 6%. Globally, it expects to have 45,000 stores by the end of 2025.
Finally, Starbucks said that it plans to resume its share buyback in fiscal 2024. This should yield an annual EPS benefit of approximately 1%.
On the back of this update, a number of brokers raised their price target on the stock. For example, Morgan Stanley raised its target to $96 from $88 while Deutsche Bank went to $101 from $93.
In light of these developments, we see the insider buying here as a bullish indicator.


text:
May 21, 2012, 1:20 PM EDT
Babe Ruth’s old jersey was auctioned off yesterday and sold for a staggering $4.4 million.
Craig Calcaterra wrote about the planned auction back in February, at which point various experts were predicting that the jersey would surpass the $2.8 million price for the famous Honus Wagner baseball card.
According to SCP Auctions the final price for the Ruth jersey was $4,415,658, which makes it the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever. It narrowly surpasses James Naismith’s founding rules of basketball, which sold for $4,338,500 in 2010.
Ruth wore the jersey while playing for the Yankees in 1920, the year after Boston sold him to New York. It had previously been displayed at the The Babe Ruth Museum in Baltimore, but the Associated Press reports that Lelands.com is the new owner and plans to sell the jersey privately.
- Blue Jays manager John Gibbons will return in 2015 2
- HBT Daily: Why did Frank Wren get the axe? 2
- John Schuerholz defines “The Braves Way.” And it’s a pretty big pile of crap. 57
- And That Happened: Monday’s scores and highlights 26
- Frank Wren fired as Braves GM, John Hart to take over on an interim basis 42
- AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME! Sizing up the final week of the regular season 36
- Must-Click Link: Derek Jeter opens up. Seriously, he really does. 46
- And That Happened: Sunday’s scores and highlights 58
- Geddy Lee’s baseball obsession makes it really hard for me to hate Rush (124)
- It certainly looks like Barry Bonds’ criminal conviction is going to be overturned (107)
- Ron Washington claims he resigned because he cheated on his wife (103)
- Giants CEO Larry Baer thinks advertisements on uniforms are coming soon (89)
- Umpire ejects jackwagon fan heckling Bryce Harper in Atlanta last night (85)


text:
BEIJING (AP) -- More than 10,000 children remain hospitalized after being sickened in China's tainted milk scandal, officials said, as the government released its first rules on allowable levels of the chemical blamed for the ailments.
The Health Ministry said in a statement on its Web site Wednesday that eight of the 10,666 children were in serious condition after drinking milk powder contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine, which can lead to kidney stones and life-threatening kidney failure.
No new deaths have been recorded, the ministry said. The scandal has so far been blamed for the deaths of four babies and the sickening of about 54,000 others in China.
But the effects of the scandal continue to be felt, forcing the government to deal with festering health and public relations issues. China's food exports have suffered significantly from the scandal, with more than 30 countries restricting Chinese dairy products, and in some cases all Chinese food exports.
Singapore's food safety agency said Thursday it found traces of melamine in three more Chinese-made products. It said the chemical was detected in samples of blueberry and chocolate flavored Cadbury Choclairs and Panda Dairy-brand Whole Milk Powder imported from China.
Hong Kong's food regulator said it found melamine in EDO Pack Almond Cacao Biscuit Sticks produced by Hong Kong company EDO Trading Co.
In Manila, a Philippine health official said Southeast Asian countries should review and strengthen regulations to shield their people from potentially harmful products that now move easily across borders in the era of free trade.
"Presently, our governments are confronted with the fear engendered by melamine milk products finding their way into our local markets," Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said at the opening of a meeting of health ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
"Such is the trade-off of globalization -- that is a globalization without effective and coordinated global governance."
Chinese dairy suppliers have been accused of adding melamine -- used in plastics, paint and adhesives -- to watered-down milk to make the product appear rich in protein and fool quality control tests.
There had been no previous standards for the amount of the chemical allowed in food products.
Under Health Ministry guidelines released Wednesday, melamine is now limited to one part per million for infant formula and 2.5 parts per million for liquid milk, milk powder and food products that contain more than 15 percent milk.
Wang Xuening, a ministry official, said small amounts of melamine can leech from the environment and packaging into milk and other foods, but that deliberate tainting was explicitly forbidden.
Levels of melamine discovered in batches of milk powder recently registered as much as 6,196 parts per million.
The Finance Ministry said Thursday the government has allocated 300 million yuan (US$44 million) to help dairy farmers who have been badly hit by the declining demand for milk. Many farmers have been tossing out raw milk as they are squeezed by feed costs they cannot recoup.
Associated Press writers Jim Gomez in Manila, the Philippines, Alex Kennedy in Singapore, and Dikky Sinn in Hong Kong contributed to this report.


text:
Apple unveiled the much-rumoured 10.5-inch iPad Pro at this year’s Worldwide Developer Conference in San Jose.
Apple quietly introduced a new iPad in a press release towards the end of March — called simply iPad. It isn’t a new flagship for the company, more an affordable replacement for the iPad Air.
I’ve recently bought an iMac and would be grateful for any advice on how to set up the hard drives for music...
Create an account


text:
Update: Google and Starbucks will run a national Google Offers campaign on Wednesday, pitching $10 gift cards for $5. Due to Starbucks’ unusual popularity, the effort should be a boon for Google Offers subscriber numbers as the Mountain View, CA-based digital giant chases daily deals leader Groupon.
For every deal purchased, Google is donating $3 to the Create Jobs for USA Fund, an organization created by Starbucks and the Opportunity Finance Network. According to an emailed statement from Google this morning, it is willing to donate up to $3 million from this campaign.
ClickZ News spotted the following ad on HuffPost.com over the weekend.
Instagram is determined to introduce as many new features as possible in 2016 and that's why it has launched Live video on Stories, as well as ephemeral posts on direct messages.
Audience targeting can be challenging in social media, especially when brands make quick assumptions about their target users. How can you avoid generalisation and what are the real benefits of it?
While it typically conjures up images of consumers clamoring for deals on big ticket items, American retailer Walgreens is hoping that this year it can be the first place consumers turn for inexpensive gifts like wine, candles and small toys.
Hashtags are not new in social platforms, but do you really know how to maximise their effectiveness?


text:
Jacksonville Metal Fabrication Blog
JAX Chamber recently announced their 2021 Small Business Leaders of the Year. Rochelle Stoddard of Berman Brothers was included in the 12 Northeast Florida business
Recycling isn’t just for water bottles and old newspapers. Scrap metal is actually one of the largest sectors of the recycling industry because it is
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), of which we are a proud member, recently published an article celebrating Rochelle Stoddard’s success growing Berman Brothers.


text:
Japan targets ‘love hotels’ to ease accomodation shortage in run up to Olympics
Japan wants to convert its ‘love hotels,’ which currently offer accommodation to amorous couples, into regular hotel bedrooms.
The move is in anticipation of a serious accommodation shortage in the run-up to the Tokyo Olympic Games in four years time. According to the hotel industry, there are over 10,000 such hotels in Japan but they only operate at about 40% of capacity during weekdays. The Japan Times reports that this fact alone makes them a huge resource for meeting the demands which will escalate as the Games draw nearer.
However, one part of the current legislation for such hotels will have to be looked at, because at present, people under 18 years of age are barred from going into these hotels. If these premises are used for family rental, the law will have to be amended. This appears likely as the authorities have already being active in making loans available to operators who seek to convert their current facilities into regular hotel bedrooms. The government plans to heighten awareness among those running such hotels so that more will convert their premises into regular hotels. As well as remodelling rooms for family use, the owners/operators will need to install facilities so that food can be served.
Tourism has become an increasingly important pillar in the country’s economic strategy. Nearly 20 million visitors arrived in Japan last year and the government is now aiming to double that target before Tokyo hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020. As part of the ongoing push to create tourist facilities, rules surrounding people offering rooms in private houses for foreign visitors have also been relaxed. Experts claim however, that even with these new measures in love hotels and private houses, Japan doesn’t have enough capacity to accommodate 40 million visitors within such a tight time-frame.


text:
Osborne again: After a period of decline, cannabis retailers bringing new life to the Village
Signs of improvement in Osborne Village suggest retail vacancies were 'temporary phenomenon': former planner
The day after recreational cannabis became legal in Canada, Lynda Regan noticed some new faces appearing in the Osborne Village gift shop where she works.
"I had a bunch of people come in with Tweed bags who had said, 'Oh, we've never been here before. We'll definitely be back.' So that was great," said Regan, assistant manager at Silver Lotus.
Tweed is one of three cannabis companies setting up shop in the densely populated Winnipeg neighbourhood. Along with Tokyo Smoke at the corner of Osborne and Stradbrook and Delta 9's soon-to-open retail space on River Avenue, the pot shops are part of an economic resurgence in Osborne Village, which has become a hub for retail cannabis in Winnipeg.
"I think we're definitely seeing an upswing in foot traffic in the Village since the cannabis stores have opened up," said Jason Churko, manager of Into the Music on Osborne Street.
Like Regan, Churko has also noticed new people coming into the store, who might not have visited the neighbourhood before.
"I think we're seeing a lot of people coming from the suburbs that maybe are feeling OK about going to buy cannabis now, in the same way that they would go to the liquor store and buy alcohol," he said.
Just a few months ago, Osborne Village faced a vacancy problem, with empty storefronts along the busiest strip in what had once been dubbed "Canada's best neighbourhood."
After receiving that designation in 2012, the neighbourhood went into a "downward spiral,'" said Kyle Matheson, co-owner of Osborne Village restaurant Nuburger and a board member of the Osborne Village Business Improvement Zone.
Too many businesses have come and gone in the Village over the past half-decade to remember. One after another, prominent spots in the core stretch of Osborne Street between River Avenue and Stradbrook Street went empty and papered over their windows.
Some spaces, like the former Basil's restaurant location, cycled through a number of failed businesses after the longtime Village eatery closed due to a water main break in 2008. TD bank vacated its space on Osborne in 2017, and a few spaces down, a fire destroyed the adult store Smitten that same year.
Desart, a store that had operated in the Village since 1968, closed in 2015 and the space remained empty.
Signs of recovery
Thinner crowds on the sidewalk meant fewer customers for the remaining businesses. Into the Music's Churko noticed a change had come over the neighbourhood.
"It seemed a little stagnant," he said.
The inability of so many businesses to thrive in the Village baffled long-time resident and former city planner Harry Finnigan.
"Not when you see more and more people living in the neighbourhood, density going up — it just didn't make sense that we would have those vacancies for as long as we did," he said. "Turns out, in retrospect, it was a temporary phenomenon."
Signs of a recovery began to appear over the summer. Jekyll and Hyde's Freehouse abruptly shut down in July, becoming the last in a line of restaurants and bars that occupied its Osborne and Stradbrook space.
Now, Tokyo Smoke has opened its flagship Winnipeg store there.
An expanded Little Pizza Heaven restaurant moved into Smitten's former space, and Tweed took over the old TD Bank.
Delta 9, which opened its medical cannabis clinic on River Avenue in 2017, is in the middle of a major renovation to expand into a retail space.
Almost overnight, Osborne Village has become a hub for cannabis retail in Winnipeg.
"Having been from Winnipeg — I'm born and raised — I'm just super excited to see an area of the city that I've known and loved my whole life become so much more vibrant as a result of such an exciting time in Canadian history," said Molly Karp, community manager for Tokyo Smoke in Manitoba.
The Village's central location close to downtown explains, in part, why it has attracted such a large number of cannabis stores, Karp said. The neighbourhood also has a history as a haven for hippies and other subcultures, Karp said.
"So the mentality has always really been there and I think it just it makes sense that cannabis retailers are finding their grounding in Osborne Village as well," she said.
It just seems a little bit more exciting. There's more people around, and the energy is just different.- Jason Churko, Into the Music
Delta 9's building once housed Kustom Kulture, a well known Winnipeg head shop that shut down in 2013.
Al Roney, vice-president of retail operations for Delta 9, expects the cannabis retailers and other businesses will create a positive feedback loop.
"Not only is it giving a spinoff to the local businesses, but the amount of money that's been spent on real estate and improvements and construction, and buying materials and fixtures to merchandise these stores, is also a huge boon to Manitoba," he said.
More businesses are expected to open in the neighbourhood in the coming weeks. A Vietnamese restaurant will open in the former Desart space. Beside it, Small Mercies, a gift store and café, will hold its grand opening Dec. 8. The restaurant Pete's Place opened in the former Basil's location earlier this year.
"It just seems a little bit more exciting. There's more people around, and the energy is just different," said Churko.
As new people come into the Village to buy cannabis, it gives other local businesses a chance to reach new customers.
"Hopefully we're making some friends with the new faces," said Churko.
Not everyone is convinced there's been a change for the better, though. David Folayal, who has lived in the Village for three years, says safety remains a concern.
"Fighting, stabbing — like, people are not safe. If you're walking, gotta look out your back, you know what I mean?" he said.
Oak Table, which offers free meals and health services to low-income people and seniors who live in the area, hasn't seen any change in the number of people coming through its doors at Augustine United Church on River Avenue.
Executive director Glynis Quinn has worked in the neighbourhood for 17 years and says the neighbourhood has changed significantly — and not necessarily for the better.
"I certainly think that the Village was a little bit more alive with younger people at that point in time," she said. As the population has aged, the number of businesses has dropped, she said.
Not all empty storefronts have reopened. The former Second Cup space at River and Osborne (which was a McNally Robinson store even before that) remains empty.
As well, the owners of the shuttered Osborne Village Inn have yet to announce what new businesses will open in the space, although the BIZ says new tenants has been lined up for both locations.
Still, Quinn says she's happy to hear that new businesses are starting to move in and welcomes the boost the cannabis stores have given to the neighbourhood.
"I do think that if we can hold on to this resurgence in the Village it will be a wonderful thing," she said.
For now, the cannabis retailers say they're here to stay.
"I think for sure we'll be able to be in Osborne Village for the long run," said Tokyo Smoke's Karp.
As for safety, the BIZ plans to double its budget for foot patrols, which will operate day and night, Nuburger's Matheson said.
If the new businesses can hold on and more people return to the sidewalks, Churko hopes Osborne Village can regain some of its lost allure.
"Because it's a cool place to be," he said. "It always has been."


text:
Fraudsters are raking in millions by flooding the internet with fake goods to prey on hard-up Christmas shoppers.
More than 8,000 illegal websites peddling copies of designer brands have already been identified by experts.
Counterfeit toys, computer consoles and games, handbags, shoes and beauty products are a goldmine for the bootlegger gangs.
Phony goods worth £1billion were sold last Christmas.
Industry fraud advisers MarkMonitor say the crooks cost the economy £10billion a year by fooling struggling families who are trying to buy cheaper goods online.
A trading standards spokesman warned: “The illegal trade funds high-level organised crime like drug dealing.”


text:
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Tuesday it has begun recalling 6,000 lithium-ion batteries used in Panasonic-brand notebook computers on concerns they might overheat, Dow Jones Newswires reported.
The batteries were not made by Sony Corp., whose faulty batteries were involved in huge recalls by Dell Inc. and Apple Computer Inc. last month, according to the report.
A Matsushita spokesman declined to specify the maker, according to the Dow Jones report.
The electronics maker has started replacing batteries from the initial shipments of its Let's Note CF-W4G notebook PCs produced in April and May 2005, the report said.
The spokesman said the problem does not stem from the lithium-ion battery itself but from the battery cover. The batteries could produce heat and change shape if the battery cover is damaged due to the poor strength of the latch, according to the report.
The size of the recall is far smaller than last month's recalls by Dell and Apple. Dell asked customers to return 4.1 million faulty laptop batteries, while Apple recalled 1.8 million batteries worldwide, citing concerns that their laptops to overheat and catch fire.
In both those cases, the problematic lithium-ion batteries were made by Sony Energy Devices Corp., a Japan-based subsidiary of Sony Corp.


text:
Cellular carriers have long contended, at least in public, that they want more choices among operating systems and handset makers than those afforded by the near-duopoly of Android-iOS and Apple-Samsung.
But it doesn’t seem the carriers went out of their way to support OS and handset alternatives, and it could be too late to do anything about it now that companies such as Samsung and Apple have achieved such scale and dominant market share. The duo’s advertising and promotion dominate the media, and their economies of scale give them huge cost advantages over most competitors to support profits in a cut-throat environment. Samsung has the additional advantage of vertical integration to support its margins.
And both vendors have money, lots of it, to maintain market share and mind share. Just open the Friday, Oct. 4, edition of the Wall Street Journal, where Samsung ran 10 consecutive full-page four-color ads to promote its Galaxy Note 3 phablet and Galaxy Gear smart watch.
Few handset vendors can compete with such aggressive promotion programs. Certainly not Android- and Windows-supporter HTC, which finally went into the red in its fiscal third quarter following seven consecutive quarters of double-digit percentage declines in net profit.
Nor can BlackBerry with its own smartphone OS. The one-time smartphone leader posted a 49 percent revenue decline in its second quarter to $1.6 billion and posted a whopping $965 million net loss, mainly due to a one-time $934 million write-down for unsold BlackBerry 10 OS phones.
And Nokia? This stalwart supporter of the Windows Phone OS gained little traction in smartphones and decided to sell its cellphone business to Microsoft.
Perhaps Microsoft will marshal its resources to improve the visibility and sales of Windows handsets when it purchases Nokia next year, but by then, will it be too late for Windows to evolve into a strong third OS choice for consumers?
Perhaps it didn’t have to come to this. Carriers talked a lot about their preference for more consumer choice. And they wanted to reduce the leverage that the two dominant handset makers have over pricing and supply. But the carriers didn’t seem to do much more than complain.
Admittedly, BlackBerry was late to the game in launching its new OS, and few handset makers have the resources to promote as aggressively as Apple and Samsung or develop as many models as profitably as those rivals. Nor was Microsoft as aggressive as it could have been in its relaunch of the Windows smartphone OS.
But carriers played a role in this too. They could have promoted the alternatives more aggressively, even if their shareholders had to take a few short-term hits. Nokia handsets, for example, have not been very visible in AT&T’s own stores, and though then-Nokia CEO Stephen Elop took most of the blame during a summertime launch event in New York City, carriers play a major role in promotion.
Admittedly, T-Mobile and Sprint were distracted by their weakening financial positions, substantial subscriber losses, and need to deploy LTE technology, but those two carriers are now in stronger financial positions with more competitive networks.
Will they and their larger rivals now take action?
What do you think?


text:
Strong growth in Chinese market drives Prada profits higher
Profiting: Italian fashion giant Prada
Prada posted a 7.6 per cent rise in first-half profits, boosted by strong growth in its key Chinese market.
But the result came in lower than market expectations against a backdrop of concerns about slowing growth in Asia.
The Italian fashion giant, which makes luxury leatherware and also owns the Miu Miu brand, said net profit for the six months to July was €308million (£258million), up from €286.4million (£240million) a year earlier.
Analysts had on average forecast a profit of €321.3million (£270million) according to Thomson Reuters.
Patrizio Bertelli, chief executive of Prada, said: ‘We are satisfied with the results achieved in the first half of 2013: revenues have increased in all geographical areas where the group operates and we have further improved our operating margins.’
Last month Prada brushed off worries about slowing growth in China and said that demand from the country helped to drive an 11.6 per cent rise in sales for the six months to July.
Like its rivals, Prada has shifted to lower-key branding and more discrete logos to counteract government-led crackdowns on conspicuous wealth in China.
Most watched Money videos
- Scaled-down electric Aston Martin DB5 marks release of new Bond film
- Dacia unveil the Jogger: the UK's least expensive seven-seat car
- Take a glimpse of the Bugatti supercar set to be auctioned for £2.1m
- Britain's best used car this year: The French-made Peugeot 5008
- The classic Moke is reborn as an electric vehicle
- Britain's Garage of the Year 2021 nominee's incredible construction
- Taking a look at the electric converted Lunaz Aston Martin classic
- MGB Roadster Limited Edition in detail
- NREL team up with Google Maps to help drivers find eco-friendly routes
- New £95k Range Rover unveiled - and will have an EV version
- Range Rover announces new fully electric version
- Rolls-Royce begin testing on their first fully electric car model


text:
Last week, it was revealed that 11,000 Delta Airlines pilots will be using the Surface 2 tablet as a replacement for their large paper-filled notebooks.
Now the good folks at Delta released a really cool video showing the value that Surface 2 tablets are adding to their organization.
It’s actually very cool to see good marketing from Microsoft. It’s a well made video that focuses on the VALUE that the Surface tablets add to Delta. Exactly the stuff that Microsoft should be documenting.
In a post on the official Surface blog, Microsoft says that the switch from the 38 pound flight notebook to the 1.5 pound Surface 2 tablet for Delta pilots will save the airline $13 million a year in fuel and related costs.
Also on the blog post, Microsoft documents other companies who have bought large amounts of Surface tablets.
These include The London School of Business and Finance, which acquired nearly 10,000 Surface RT tablets for their students as well as Japan-based Hokkoku Bank, who bought 2,000 units of the original Surface Pro.
The video is very nicely done.


text:
Etihad Cargo boosts Pharmalife product efficiency
Etihad Cargo launches Pharma Champions Programme to enhance customer service and team expertise
Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Etihad Airways, has launched Pharma Champions, a development programme to enhance pharmaceutical transportation expertise and customer service.
Developed as a strategic initiative, Pharma Champions is aligned with Etihad Cargo's long-term plans and the implementation of the carrier's cool chain masterplan, which was launched in 2020 to form the foundation of Etihad Cargo's shared vision with Abu Dhabi to further establish the emirate as a global pharmaceutical and life sciences hub, says an official release.
Etihad Cargo has made significant improvements to its cool chain products offering including network, operations and processes, the release added. "The carrier has implemented a rigorous quality programme emphasising training and development, continuous improvement and adherence to high standards across the organisation. Demonstrating this commitment to quality, the carrier achieved IATA CEIV Pharma recertification in 2022 and is one of only 44 airlines to hold the certification globally. Pharma Champions was developed in full compliance with IATA CEIV Pharma guidelines and enhances Etihad Cargo's capabilities to deliver consistent standards while transporting this critical cargo via the carrier's PharmaLife product."
PharmaLife, Etihad Cargo's pharmaceutical shipment solution, has achieved significant year-on-year growth, the release said. "In the last 12 months, Etihad Cargo has recorded a 49 percent increase in pharmaceutical and life sciences products tonnage compared to the previous year. To meet the increasing demand for both +15 to +25°C Controlled Room Temperature (CRT) and +2 to +8°C Cool Storage (COL) segments, Etihad Cargo has focused on continuous improvement, product enhancements and expanding the carrier's network, which now serves over 62 destinations worldwide. To strengthen connections between Abu Dhabi and the rest of the world, Etihad Cargo has developed over 1,330 IATA CEIV Pharma and GDP-certified trade lanes, ensuring product integrity during transportation."
Tim Isik, Vice President, Commercial, Etihad Cargo says: "Etihad Cargo has developed and launched Pharma Champions to enhance the carrier's capabilities in transporting high-value, temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals across its global network. In addition to giving participants — Etihad Cargo's Pharma Champions — a more in-depth understanding of PharmaLife's key features, the programme facilitates the development of a tailored PharmaLife action plan that will enable the champions to provide customer service excellence, enhanced customer response times and expertise within their regions. These Pharma Champions are an integral part of Etihad Cargo's cool chain strategy and operations for the coming years and will act as focal contact points in the carrier's key PharmaLife markets. This will enable Etihad Cargo to enhance regional knowledge hubs, mitigating the challenges of operating across multiple time zones and ensuring the carrier can respond to customer enquiries more quickly and efficiently."
The carrier has invested in infrastructure to support Abu Dhabi's vision to become a global pharmaceutical and life sciences hub including the commissioning of a state-of-the-art 3,300-square-metre cool chain facility at Abu Dhabi Airport. Established in partnership with Etihad Airport Services Cargo and Abu Dhabi Airports, the new facility will double Etihad Cargo's cool chain capacity to carry and accommodate an additional 50,000 tonnes of cool chain commodities, the release added.


text:
Global Carsharing Services Revenue Is Expected to Reach $6.5 Billion in 2024
Carsharing innovations continue to grow this well-established industry, report finds
A new report from Navigant Research analyzes the global carsharing market, examining the key societal benefits of vehicle sharing and the state of ownership and service models, with market forecasts extending through 2024.
As of the beginning of 2014, carshare programs were offered on five continents, in over 30 countries, and in hundreds of cities. Carsharing, one of the industries that has thrived in a new transportation landscape centered on clean, multi-modal, and on-demand mobility, is expected to experience continued growth in its current markets as well as expansion into new markets. Click to tweet: According to a new report from Navigant Research, global carsharing services revenue is expected to grow from $1.1 billion in 2015 to $6.5 billion in 2024.
“Carshare services fit squarely into the growing trend of on-demand mobility in urban markets,” says Lisa Jerram, principal research analyst with Navigant Research. “Total global membership in carsharing programs is expected to reach 23.4 million by 2024, and much of the industry’s growth will be in the Asia Pacific region, which is still in an earlier stage of the carsharing market than Europe and North America, which are both expected to continue to see growth in demand for carsharing services.”
Although the carshare service model has been well-established during the past 15 years, recent innovations continue to grow the market, according to the report. The success of one-way carsharing services is prompting more companies to offer the model, which allows for increased utilization for members in need of shorter, spur-of-the-moment trips, while the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in carshare services is expected to increase as automakers promote the technology.
The report, Carsharing Programs, analyzes the global carsharing market in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. The study examines the key societal benefits of vehicle sharing and the state of ownership and service models. Global market forecasts for carsharing memberships, vehicle demand (including PEVs) due to carsharing, reduced personal vehicle acquisition, and revenue from carsharing services by region extend through 2024. The report also provides profiles of carshare companies, automakers, and rideshare companies and considers the effect that trends such as automaker entry into the market and the advent of ride-hailing apps will have on the carsharing industry. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the Navigant Research website


text:
Select board members weigh college store, economic development
BENNINGTON -- Among the shops and restaurants downtown there soon may be a store run by students from the three local colleges.
Karen Gross, president of Southern Vermont College, addressed the Bennington Select Board at its meeting Monday to gauge the board's support of the concept of a bookstore/café to be set up in a rented downtown storefront "so students would spend more time downtown."
Gross said plans include hosting evening events such as a poetry reading or open mic night at the venue, which she said would enrich the community and give hands-on experience running a business to students in different majors. The shop would be designed as a destination for college students as well as town residents and out-of-town visitors.
"This would be a benefit for students now and in their future careers," Gross said. "The idea is to enable our students to have a real-life experience."
Gross noted the store would require a regular permanent staff to ensure continuity as students graduate or go home for breaks.
Board member Thomas Jacobs said "I'd love to encourage it, because I think anything you can to do make the town vibrant and bring the students downtown ... is certainly a good thing."
"My cautions would be some of the business model sounds a little like some of the businesses that are already existing downtown trying to bring students in -- you know, the private entrepreneurs," said Board member Greg Van Houten. "So my caution would be 1) subsidizing something that is in direct competition with somebody that is on the street ... but there's things that we could do that would be complementary. The other thing would be clashing business models on the same block."
Board member Justin Corcoran summed it up by telling Gross, "I think you hear from us that we think it's a good idea."
Gross said she would share the board's feedback with the faculty at SVC and tell them that "this group is of the belief that this would enhance the community."
Anyone seeking additional information or wishing to offer feedback about the proposed student-run store may call Gross at her SVC office at 802-447-6319.
The idea of the downtown college store was also part of the Select Board's discussion about the Bennington Strategic Economic Development Plan.
Town Planning Director Dan Monks told the board the Strategic Economic Development steering committee is seeking the board's input before the plan is finalized. Monks said the committee hopes to have a draft of the plan, including a 90-day action agenda, finalized by mid-May.
Topping a list of items that might be included in that three-month action plan was a decision whether to formalize the task force to include a chairman, vice chairman and appointed members. To date, the members of the task force have been a dedicated group of 25-30 volunteers from the business and education community, according to Board Chairman Joseph L. Krawczyk Jr.
He said "We've got to pick people here who are willing to do the work. Obviously Mike Harrington (Bennington's economic and community development director) is going to be the town's representative."
Van Houten noted that the steering committee made the bike path, that has been "in talks for 22 years" happen in one year.
Harrington advised that the group, which meets of their own volition, never asked to be a town committee. The danger of making the committee too formal a structure is that it might turn off some of those who have served on it, he said.
"We can't tell who's going to be on that committee because as soon as you start saying who, they'll be off," Jacobs added.
By consensus the Select Board voted to allow Harrington to go to the steering committee and ask those on it to suggest a structure.
Next the Select Board worked to choose some of the items to include in the 90-day action plan. These included a meeting with the local school boards, identifying a rental property for the proposed college store, lengthening the hours of downtown businesses, creating free WiFi downtown, and completing the nature trail from Bennington to North Bennington that is already in the works. Those items will be revisited at the board's meeting in two weeks.
Contact Michelle Karas at email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @bannereditor.
TALK TO US
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


text:
OPM UK Podcast Episode 10
Posted April 15, 2010on:
This month on the Official PlayStation Magazine podcast the team discuss this year’s hottest PS3 shooters, wonder where the next GTA will be set, swoon over the new 3D Bravias and try to understand Linux. That bit doesn’t go so well to be honest. There’s also tips on how to survive the summer games drought and the ill-advised return of our Robot Flame Wars feature.


text:
Chinese growth seems to be slowing even though the preliminary HSBC manufacturing PMI for September was released yesterday at 50.5 – better than the 50 expected by the market.
This morning’s release of the Westpac MNI China Consumer Sentiment Index appears to reinforce this notion of a slowdown. The index at 113.2 was down 0.1% for September but it’s down 4.3% over the year and 6.9% below the long run average.
Huw McKay, senior international economist at Westpac, said in a note that the survey, “indicates that the anxieties gnawing away at the Chinese consumer through most of this year remain very much in evidence as Q3 draws to a close.”
The survey highlighted that like consumers everywhere, Chinese respondents seem concerned about the outlook for their future with, “current and expected family finances both moved lower, as did ‘time to buy a major household item’.”
Survey respondents attitude to housing continued to fall in line with the market and even though expectations of business conditions 1 and 5 years out perked up, the bad news for the economy is that the employment indicator has continued to fall over the past 3 months to levels that require – or are at least consistent with – policy easing.
It all points to a slowing economy and McKay says that, “taking the implications of the survey into account, Westpac maintains its view that GDP growth will decline from 7.5% per year in Q2 to between 7.0% and 7¼% in Q3. The slowdown in domestic demand will be more dramatic than that of course.”
NOW WATCH: Money & Markets videos
Business Insider Emails & Alerts
Site highlights each day to your inbox.


text:
Growing up, I never knew Stew Leonard's existed, but I was pleasantly surprised with the unique in-store shopping experience.
According to the Road Haulage Association (RHA), the UK is currently short 100,000 trucker drivers, and it's causing massive delays.
Rouses Markets can't get enough Lunchables - Kraft Heinz's cracker, cheese, and meat snack - so it's created its own version, its CEO told the WSJ.
With the popularity of ghost kitchens on the rise because of the coronavirus pandemic, Kroger has unveiled a new dining option for customers.
Kroger might have referred to employees as heroes during the pandemic, but if you follow the money, you see where the company's priorities really lie.
Chef Andre Rush has worked as a White House chef under four presidents. When he's off-duty, he's a fan of shopping at Trader Joe's.
The company said it expects layoffs to impact a small percentage of employees and won't involve cuts from individual stores or distribution centers.
The supply-chain squeeze likely won't improve in time for summer, said ArrowStream's Isaac Olvera.
Consumers loaded up on pizza and ice cream during different phases of the pandemic, Sam's Club CEO Kathryn McLay told The New York Times.
Trader Joe's sells more than double its grocery competitors like Whole Foods. A psychologist explains why it's easy to spend money at Trader Joe's.
Whole Foods is shaving down employees’ paid breaks from 15 minutes to 10 minutes in several parts of the US, according to Vice. In addition, the grocery chain is mandating a 30-minute unpaid break if employees’ shifts exceeds a certain number of hours. The changes will amount to workers losing […]
Some Whole Foods workers say they are scared and stressed out ahead of the holidays and amid a worsening coronavirus crisis. Business Insider spoke with five current Whole Foods employees from different regions across the country and one who recently left the company who said employee morale is low, COVID-19 […]
Whole Foods and Amazon sent out an email to customers in some southern states saying that the turkey they purchased may not live up to “quality” standards. While the turkeys are still safe to eat, customers will get a $US50 Amazon gift card credited to their account. Visit Business Insider’s […]
Tensions are mounting between Whole Foods employees and the workers who pick and pack Amazon’s Prime Now online orders, according to interviews with seven Whole Foods employees. The Whole Foods employees said they were suffering from understaffing and struggling to keep shelves stocked as a growing number of Amazon Prime […]
Some Whole Foods workers are slamming the company after a recent change to the company’s attendance policy. The grocer uses a point system to track attendance. If an employee is late or misses a shift, they get up to one point. Multiple points result in disciplinary action. After six months, […]
KB US Holdings, the owner of Kings Food Markets and Balducci’s, has filed for bankruptcy. In court papers, the company said the pandemic has boosted grocery sales but “will not persist indefinitely and has created uncertain and unprecedented circumstances.” Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories. The owner of Kings […]
Kroger has developed an at-home COVID-19 testing kit that uses a nasal swab. The test delivers results within 24-48 hours, solving for one of Americans’ biggest complaints about coronavirus testing: slow turnaround times for results. Kroger is now offering the kits and a suit of other services to employers as […]


text:
The guy who whipped your Bojangles' biscuits? He doesn't have any paid sick days. The woman who served your dynamite shrimp at The Cheesecake Factory? She earns less than $5 an hour before tips. Working conditions in America's restaurants are notoriously lousy, and according to a new survey, diners actually care -- although rich diners care significantly less.
ORC International conducted the survey of over 1,000 American adults on behalf of the National Consumers League, a nonprofit advocacy group for consumers. And the findings are clear: People want restaurant workers to get fair wages, all their tips, and paid sick days.
But while college-educated Americans may have read more books on class and injustice, and higher-earning Americans might have more wealth to share, lower-income and less-educated Americans are far more compassionate towards their servers -- perhaps for the same reason that lower-income households give a greater percentage of their income to charity.
Wealthy people are less likely to favor increasing the minimum wage.
Eighty-seven percent of Americans think the federal tipped minimum wage of $2.13 an hour should go up, even though the number hasn't budged for 22 years. Restaurant servers earn an average of $8.72 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or $18,130 a year, making it one of the lowest paying jobs on American soil (and almost $3,000 less than retail workers).
But of respondents with a high school education or less, 90 percent thought the minimum wage should go up, compared to 80 percent of college grads.
And of people from households earning less than $75,000 a year, 85 percent considered it important that the whole tip they left went to their servers, compared to 71 percent of those making more.
Almost half don't think it's important if servers get paid sick days.
The survey found that just 57 percent of Americans want their servers to receive paid sick days, though almost two out of three without college degrees favored it versus just one out of two college grads. It was women who cared about sick days most of all -- 66 percent, compared to 48 percent of men.
As it stands, 90 percent of restaurant workers report not having that benefit, according to 2011 research by The Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, an advocacy group for low wage restaurant workers. The vast majority of our nation's mightiest chains force workers to surrender a day's wages if they're sick, including Arby's, Cracker Barrel, California Pizza Kitchen, Domino's Pizza, Hard Rock Cafe, IHOP, T.G.I. Friday's, and Outback Steakhouse.
4 Worst Restaurants To Work For
The Rich Less Likely To Support Raising Minimum Wage
The upscale steakhouse chain Capital Grille not only doesn't make the cut as a "high road" restaurant, according to the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United. Not only has at least half of its current employees never been promoted, and information on its wages and sick days were mysteriously unavailable. "I was never offered a raise in the two years I was employed," one employee gripes on Glassdoor.com.
But Capital Grille gets a big fat frowny face in ROC United's report, because Capital Grille employees have actually sought out the help of ROC United for wage theft and discrimination. Employees in five states actually served the restaurant a lawsuit earlier this year, claiming that non-white employees were relegated to back-of-the-house duties, away from the eyes of customers, because only whites were supposedly seen to cultivate the desired high-end image.
"We continue to believe these allegations are baseless," Darden spokesman Rich Jeffers said. However, as with any claims of impropriety, we will investigate them thoroughly."
Olive Garden's tipped workers make less than $5 an hour an average, according to the ROC United report, and its non-tipped workers less than $9. And if they get sick, they have to give up those measly wages to take a day off. But that's not the worst part of working at Olive Garden, apparently. Its employees have also called up ROC United because of alleged wage theft and discrimination issues.
Some employees make decent pay at the country's favorite pseudo-Italian date spot. A person who claimed to be an Olive Garden manager posted to the anonymous online forum Reddit that he took home $55,000 a year, plus benefits. "... but the toll it takes on you mentally is ridic," he wrote. "10 hour shifts, on your feet all day. Dealing with a--holes. Yeah, you get to see a lot of hot chicks, but most of them are on dates with some douchebag who can't afford to take his girl to a more expensive dinner."
You also have to deal with a lot of people coming in for the free breadsticks, and then making a run for it.
Casual crustacean-dining chain Red Lobster scored a whopping zero in every ROC category. Unlivable wages. No paid sick days. Poor opportunities for advancement. "No chance of working up to higher positions," wrote one Red Lobster server on Glassdoor.com. But ROC United has also helped out Red Lobster employees, at their request, on legal charges against their employer.
It isn't the first time that Red Lobster employees have enlisted the help of the law. In 2005, more than 40,000 current and former workers at California Red Lobsters and Olive Gardens (they share the same parent company) got a piece of a $9.5 million pie after accusing the chain of denying them breaks and of forcing them to purchase their own uniforms. Although it made a huge settlement, Red Lobster did not admit fault in the case.
The reviews of working at LongHorn Steakhouse on Indeed.com are mixed. Some employees laud the benefits and training. Others say things like, "Terrible management, promises of advancement, but no follow-through, long hours, no breaks, the epitome of overworked & underpaid."
ROC United has few kind words for the chain, which has no paid sick days, according to the report. Information on its wages and advancement opportunities were apparently impossible to come by. But ROC United does know for the sure that LongHorn workers have contacted them, asking their legal help because of wage theft and discrimination. No lawsuit has been filed yet, and LongHorn's parent company Darden has largely dismissed ROC United's allegations.
For a list of the 43 other big national chain restaurants with horrible working conditions, according to ROC United, click here. If you prefer a cheerier read, click here to find the seven restaurants that the group says are great places to work.