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We’re just about to dive into AmericanaFest 2018 (Sept. 11-16, all across town), and we’re stoked once again that taking in one of our favorite annual fests doesn’t necessarily require us to cross the river.
Just a few of the top-notch AmericanaFest-related happenings going down in East Nashville:
— Better Together Presents: Show Up and Sing on Tuesday, Sept. 11 at The Basement East, with Chuck Mead, Will Hoge, Mary Gauthier and lots more.
— Queer Roots Party at AmericanaFest on Thursday, Sept. 13 at The Crying Wolf, with Patrick Haggerty, Little Bandit and many others.
— Cafe Rooster Records and Friends 3rd Annual AmericanaFest Party on Saturday, Sept. 15 at The Basement East, with Jon Latham, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Joe Purdy and many others.
— Sunday Morning Coming Down on Sunday, Sept. 16 at The Compound (919 Gallatin Ave.), with JP Harris & Friends, The Watson Twins, Elizabeth Cook, Creamer and more, plus food, drinks and lots of other fun.
Another East Side Americana perk worth knowing about: AmericanaFest wristband holders will also receive discounts from a slew of participating retailers in East Nashville through the Edge of AmericanaFest promotion, Sept. 11 through 16, from shopping to food and fitness. Download the AmericanaFest mobile app to get a full rundown of the local locations included, and grab lots more info at americanamusic.org.
With that, on to the latest bit of East Nashville news:
Porter East shop Pony Show closing
Only so long you can keep a wild pony penned in: After six years of sharing vintage and handmade fun with East Nashville, Pony Show owner Pippin Chapman announced this week that she’d be moving on to “a new chapter in my creative life,” and closing the shop at 723 Porter Rd. come Sept. 16.
“Thank you to all the wonderful folks who have helped my little Pony Show become the magical dream shop that it is,” she wrote in an update to shoppers and friends. “…It’s been such an amazing 6 years and the lessons learned and friendships made are far too numerous to list.”
Chapman plans to keep the brand alive online, at ponyshownashville.com, so longtime fans should still have access to her fun, quirky, often glittery picks on the site — and, we hope, a healthy flow of snapshots featuring famous shop dogs Goldie and Frances on Instagram.
Head to Facebook to read Chapman’s goodbye message, and to keep up with announcements in Pony Show’s last brick-and-mortar days. We’ll update when we hear more about who might be taking over that Porter East spot.
Consider the Wldflwrs moving Eastward
Another newcomer to the The Wabash building on Woodland (also home to coworking titans WeWork): Consider the Wldflwrs, a local jewelry brand that most recently called North Nashville home.
Owner and Designer Emily Eggebrecht launched the brand online in 2013, and in 2017, opened her first storefront and studio in the Buchanan Arts District, near fellow creative makers Nisolo and Emil Erwin. She’s now set to shutter that flagship shop and, come mid-September, move the Wldflwrs operation to East Nashville, at 901 Woodland St., Suite 102.
As with the North Nashville location, the East Nashville Consider the Wldflwrs will offer a mix of original designs and the work of other designers Eggebrecht’s connected with through trade shows, craft fairs and the like.
“It’s really fun to have a collaborative space where we can showcase many different styles,” she says, “since so many of our customers are looking for something unique.”
Consider the Wldflwrs’ particular brand of unique, Eggebrecht says, centers on blending nature and simplicity.
“We love to encourage people to see natural beauty and wear their piece as an accessory to their beauty,” she says. “We definitely enjoy a good statement piece every once and a while, but we primarily focus on simple and timeless pieces of jewelry, whether it’s our bridal line or a heritage piece.”
Part of the impetus for moving all those timeless pieces to this side of the river: Eggebrecht and her husband moved to East Nashville a little over a year ago, too.
“We’ve seen some of the amazing developments pop up in just the last year,” Eggebrecht says. “We are excited to have a jewelry store and offer repairs as well as gift-able jewelry and bridal jewelry to this side of town.”
Opening date for the new East Nashville shop is Sept. 19, and on Oct. 5, Eggebrecht and her team plan to host a grand opening celebration with live music, drinks and goodie bags, 5-9 p.m.
Learn more about our new neighbors/shop online at considerthewldflwrs.com.
East Side Goodwill closing
Bummer news for East Nashville thrifters: The Goodwill store at 613 Gallatin Rd. is set to close on Sunday, Sept. 30.
The decision to shutter, Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee PR & communications director Chris Fletcher tells us, ultimately had to do with widespread improvements they’re making.
“Goodwill is making upgrades to the donation processing areas of all its stores, to allow us to put more merchandise and better quality merchandise on our store shelves,” he says. “…After an extensive review, it has been determined that the Gallatin Road facility is configured in a way that prevents us from making these necessary upgrades.”
Sales are happening at that location in the meantime, and Fletcher says it’s not out of the question that a new East Nashville store’ll pop up some time down the road.
“We are always on the lookout for properties in the 48 counties we serve that would add value to our organization and our mission,” he says. Meantime: There’s a store on Berry Road, just six miles away, and a donation site two miles away at 3200 Gallatin Pike.
GrowHouse Method unveils Kava Bar
In May, GrowHouse Method brought the neighborhood’s first combo fitness center/plant shop to life, at 1105 Woodland. Over the weekend, they added East Nashville’s first kava bar to the mix too.
For the unfamiliar, kava is a beverage made from a medicinal South Pacific plant, purported to have calming, stress-relieving properties — some liken it to the looseness that comes with a few adult beverages, just without the potential blackouts/mood swings. The flavor often gets compared to intensified chamomile, or another super earthy tea. (Detractors tend to say it tastes like a cup o’ mud puddle, but as with all things, beauty/eye of the beholder.)
Kava bars have been rising in popularity throughout the U.S., and East Nashville’s entry into the trend soft-opened on Saturday, with a party that included all kinds of performances, from spoken word to “ukulele sorcery” inside GrowHouse Method’s leafy 5 Points space.
Along with the new kava service, GrowHouse Method continues to offer personal training, group classes, horticulture workshops and lots more, and if you need new houseplants, they’ve got you covered too. Schedules/lots more info are available at growhousemethod.com.
The Kava Bar is now open 6-10 p.m. Thursday, 4 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, and 2-8 p.m. on Sunday.
POP Nashville takes a breather
A little bit of a late heads up about this one: POP Nashville — which popped back up in February at 604 Gallatin Ave., slinging Otaku Ramen take-out (and later, adding Little Octopus dishes) — is closed. But just temporarily.
The POP team announced in late August that they were taking a breather “to create a stronger team and a better system that enables us to serve you amazing ramen from amazing people all winter long.”
“We take what we do seriously — we love it — we take pride in it, and with growth comes improvement,” an update reads.
Among the upgrades in the works: improved service and “bangin’ new dishes.”
An exact reopening date hasn’t been announced yet, but it should be imminent — “fall” and “real soon” have been the hints thus far. Meantime, Otaku and Little Octopus devotees can still grab what they need at those restaurants’ Gulch locations (1104 Division St. and 505 12th Ave. S., respectively).
Keep an eye on POP Nashville’s social media for announcements.
— Turnip Green Creative Reuse is doing another “Dirt on Composting” workshop on Saturday, Sept. 8, and all participants get a free backyard composter.
— The next Cornelia Fort Pickin' Party is next Saturday, Sept. 15, at Cornelia Fort Airpark. Featured: Miss Tess & the Talkbacks and more.
— Another Five Points Street Market is set for Oct. 13-14, with all kinds of local makers and vendors set up right in our central hub.
— Big love to the folks at Make Nashville, who are closed for just a few days while they deal with the aftermath of a small fire.
— On Saturday, Sept. 15, the Factory at Franklin hosts Art for Animals, an evening of art, wine, food and fun that benefits East Nashville’s Pet Community Center and its efforts to provide affordable care (including spay and neuter services) to local pets.
— Another Fanny’s Choice vintage pop-up market is coming on Sept. 9, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1101 Holly. Vinyl, clothes, art and more.
— Need some fresh foliage for your East Nashville property? Nashville Tree Fest will celebrate trees with education and 800 free trees over a three-week period from Sept. 25 to Oct. 12 at Farmers Markets across Davidson County (including East Nashville’s, on Oct. 10).
— Well Health & Chiropractic is hosting a “Healthy Food Tasting” at their place (2618 Gallatin Pike) on Thursday, Sept. 13, with samples from local businesses, a short nutrition talk and more.
— Um. There’s Breakfast Pizza at Lockeland Table (for a short time).
That’s it for this week. Have some East Nashville news tips to share? Please email Nicole.


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With the outbreak of Covid-19 causing concern globally, there has been a huge demand for face masks and hand sanitisers at Phelan’s Pharmacy Carrigaline and throughout their locations nationwide, according to owner Conor Phelan.
Customers can now purchase 4 masks per person, per day in Phelan’s Carrigaline while stocks last. There is now a sign on the pharmacy door advising of same, and asking customers to “Please be nice to staff”.
Conor explains that the Phelan’s group has been preparing for this eventuality since January. “We purchased a large bulk of face masks in January and have had a lot of discussions with staff on taking the right precautions when dealing with the public”, says Conor.
Don’t Panic – But Take Care
Conor has urged people not to panic, but “do take the necessary care of washing hands and, if feeling unwell and suspecting symptoms, to self-isolate and call their doctor”.
Fore more information on Covid-19 see: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/coronavirus.html

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Seniors searching for love online are being urged to keep an eye out for scammers, after detectives in NSW uncovered a sophisticated romance con targeting older men.
You may think that falling for an online dating scam is something that would never happen to you. But it is something NSW Police Financial Crimes Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Linda Howlett, sees all too often.
"It does happen - to men and women. And it's very, very sad, and can have a devastating effect on the victims both financially and emotionally," she said.
From being duped into handing over money and property, to their identities being stolen, Det Supt Howlett said scammers groom their victims over a period of time and target vulnerable people.
"Victims could be elderly people living on their super and suddenly their financial back-up has gone and in many cases they never get their money back," she said.
Many older people using online dating sites are genuine people looking for companionship, she said. "They put their heart on their sleeve and are very trusting."
Which is exactly what scammers are looking for. "They target and profile their victims. They do their homework on people and get to know them. Then they hone in on them, specifically targeting people who are maybe lonely and looking for a companion."
Victims of this type of fraud can often end up with trust issues. "They are often really embarrassed and become further isolated from their family or community."
So how can you avoid getting ripped off?
"Don't fall for the sob story," Det Supt Howlett said. "Often the perpetrator will talk about how they've lost their job or give a sob story, then go on to talk about the possibility of investing together or going into business."
She said other red flags include the person not wanting to meet up with you.
"They might say they can't because they don't have enough money, they're self-isolating or they're in another state and are waiting for money to come through."
Warning bells should also start ringing as soon as you are asked to transfer money or hand over bank details.
"You may be asked for your credit card details, or online account details, or copies of documents like your passport or driver's licence. Don't hand it over," she said.
Scammers may use these details to try to apply online for loans and credit cards.
Dating and romance scams often take place through online dating websites, but scammers may also use social media or email to make contact. These scams are also known as "catfishing".
Scammers typically create fake online profiles designed to lure you in. They may use a fictional name, or falsely take on the identities of real people.
According to Scamwatch, run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), dating and romance scams made up one fifth of losses across all scams reported in 2019.
Last year, Australians reported almost 4000 dating and romance scams with losses of more than $28.6 million, and Scamwatch says these numbers will be just the tip of the iceberg.
Beyond traditional online dating websites, the highest losses were from romance scams originating on Instagram and Facebook. Conventional dating platforms, such as Tinder or Match.com, also had high losses.
A new trend emerging in 2019 was scammers increasingly turning to apps like Google Hangouts, or online games such as Words with Friends and Scrabble, to con their victims.
"We've seen an increase in reports from people who did not originally seek an online relationship but have been caught up in a dating and romance scam," said ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard.
What to do if you think you've been scammed
If you think you have been scammed, report it to the website, app, or social media site where the scammer first approached you. Let them know the scammer's profile name and any other details that may help them to stop others being scammed.
Dept Supt Howlett urges anyone who thinks they may have provided their account details to a scammer, to contact their bank or financial institution immediately, then contact the police.
"There's no doubt there are more victims of this type of crime out there," she said. "We encourage anyone who thinks they may have been a victim to come forward. We won't judge you."
You can also report scams to the ACCC via the report a scam page. This helps warn people about current scams, monitor trends and disrupt scams where possible. Include details of the scam contact you received, for example, email or screenshot.
For more information go to scamwatch.gov.au


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Avid's Greenfield steps down from $1M salary
- Jim Schakenbach, Special to Mass High Tech
Burlington, Mass.-based Avid Technology Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AVID) chairman, CEO, and president Gary G. Greenfield has resigned, effective today, according to a Security Exchange Commission filing released Monday morning.
Avid’s board of directors has appointed Louis Hernandez, Jr. as the digital audio and video production technology company’s new CEO and president, effective immediately, with a base salary of $650,000 and an annual incentive bonus equal to that amount. Hernandez, 46, became a director in February 2008 and most recently served as chairman and CEO of financial services technology provider Open Solutions, Inc.
“Louis is a visionary, inspirational leader with a stellar track record of driving the operations and growth of technology companies in a variety of industries,” said George Billings in a written statement, speaking on behalf of Avid’s Board. “As lead director, he spent years developing a deep familiarity with Avid’s customers, markets, and products that will allow him to quickly make a positive impact as chief executive.”
According to the filing, Greenfield will remain on the company’s board of directors and receive his annual salary of a little over $1 million as well as an annual bonus that would double that amount, along with other benefits. Prior to joining Avid in December 2007, Greenfield served as CEO of Peregrine Systems, Inc.; president and CEO of MERANT, Inc.; and CEO of INTERSOLV.
The company did not respond to request for comment.
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Volkswagen (VW) this week announced during “Power Day” event, a massive expansion of its electric car plans with multibillion-euro moves on battery cell production and software development aimed at cutting off Tesla by copying its strategy.
Tesla is by far the world’s most valuable car company, with a market valuation of $676 billion compared to VW’s $120 billion, but it is a niche player in terms of global auto sales.
VW typically sells more than 10 million vehicles each year, 20 times Tesla’s output last year.
Under the plan, Volkswagen will aim to have an interest in six battery plants in Europe by 2030 at a cost of around $29 billion, according to estimates by BloombergNEF.
Meanwhile, Volkswagen’s CEO Herbert Diess said 60 percent of the company’s vehicle sales should be electric by the end of the decade. There will also be a shift of internal resources to software development for autonomous vehicles.
Tesla’s case is built on advanced batteries and cutting-edge autonomous driving technology — both areas where VW is aiming a challenge.
If VW can secure a revenue stream from in-vehicle software, it can use that profit to cut the cost of its electric cars, making e-mobility more affordable.
The company is basically trying to use the scale to lower the costs, and the gap they need to catch up- is on software. Software is really key in getting the price of electric cars down, and it could change the whole model of the industry.
On batteries, as in overall strategy, the two companies are now in parallel lanes. The knock-out punch for either side could be a breakthrough in solid-state batteries.
The benefits of such batteries could be profound. For example, charging times could be less than half compared to today’s best batteries, and lighter materials could boost vehicle range by 30 percent.
“The winner will be decided based on its cathode material producers and manufacturing costs.”
Reference – Volkswagen Online Newsroom, Forbes, Inside EVs, Firstpost


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BRUSSELS, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Dutch supermarket group Ahold said it was cautious about the year ahead after its operating margin in the fourth quarter contracted compared to the previous year.
Ahold said the fall in operating margin to 4.3 percent from 4.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012 was due to higher pension costs and a weaker dollar.
Underlying operating profit fell 7.5 percent in the fourth quarter to 320 million euros ($437.34 million), ahead of the 307 million expected in a Reuters poll of 12 analysts.
The group, which makes three-fifths of its revenue in the United States, said in January that sales fell by 4.2 percent, or 1.1 percent at constant exchange rates, to 7.47 billion euros ($10.2 billion).
Ahold upped its dividend to 0.47 euros per share from the 0.44 it paid out for 2012. ($1 = 0.7317 euros) (Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; editing by Philip Blenkinsop)


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Ford India on Wednesday launched the second-generation hatchback, Figo, with a starting ex-showroom price of Rs 4.29 lakh in for the base petrol variant in Delhi. The diesel variant is being priced at Rs 5.29 lakh, the company said.
Ford Figo is the second consecutive launch by the US-based automobile company in the past two months, after it launched Ford Figo Aspire. The company saw sales of its Figo Aspire car grow in the first month of the launch, outpacing competitor Honda's Amaze car. Figo Aspire sold 5,200 units, while Amaze sold 3200 units in August.
The launch comes ahead of festive season when consumers prefer to buy cellphones to cars. Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai have launched S-Cross and Creta in the utility vehicle segment, while Mahindra & Mahindra unveiled its TUV300. Maruti is also expected to launch its Baleno hatchback in October.


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|By PR Newswire||
|January 14, 2013 01:00 PM EST||
CHICAGO, Jan. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Brandmuscle today announced the launch of the first-ever, end-to-end solution that enables national and global brands to seamlessly empower their local affiliates, franchisees and distributors to tailor brand marketing to meet local needs. Brands can now produce messages for local timing, tastes and other provincial differences, while still maintaining their consistency and brand standards. By providing a comprehensive system of user-friendly customizable communication tools, high-touch and personalized customer support, and instant reimbursement to affiliate, franchise and distributor partners, brandmuscle has reinvented local marketing.
"Brandmuscle offers global brands a powerful new way to grow sales at multiple local touch points," said John Larkin, brandmuscle CEO. "By combining the fundamentals of creating local marketing programs, executing them, and managing the back-end fulfillment under one roof, corporate marketers now have a real opportunity to utilize local marketing as a strategic weapon to generate a greater marketing ROI than ever before," he said.
Brandmuscle offers local distributors, franchisees and other brand affiliates the powerful combination of: a user-friendly local marketing platform for customizing traditional and digital media; campaign and execution tools, including local media planning and buying services; unmatched print-on-demand POP and cross-media capabilities; and industry-leading channel program management and co-op reimbursement offerings.
The company was conceived to alleviate marketing issues faced by large companies struggling to achieve success in their local markets. Although affiliates may ask for brand support, they are typically either reluctant or inefficient at utilizing national resources, which consequently turn corporate support into a cost center. Brandmuscle has identified the challenges that distributed marketers typically face and developed their solutions to overcome them:
- Many local franchisees are eager to execute local marketing, but often run renegade programs that do not uphold brand equity.
- Others are receptive to co-op marketing incentives, but don't have the tools to effectively execute local programs.
- The largest group doesn't value investing in meaningful, message-driven marketing.
- Finally, there are others who simply don't understand strategic marketing or have access to the support needed to be an effective marketer.
The new brandmuscle offerings overcome these challenges by providing a comprehensive solution that has dedicated support teams, in a simple platform that encourages engagement.
Customers can create differentiate messages across local markets. This increases effective promotion of the brand at the local level and enhances brand compliance, while eliminating the need to work with multiple providers.
Brandmuscle serves its customers through the biggest geographical footprint in its industry, with specialized customer support teams in 80 locations nationwide. A local affiliate can count on brandmuscle's customer support staff to assist them in using their technology platform to create advertising campaign and marketing materials in multiple mediums – from print to broadcast, POP to social media and digital – and even assist them with media planning and purchasing while keeping brand identity in tact.
"The talent that comprises brandmuscle has deep expertise in industries ranging from food and beverage, telecom, insurance and more," said Larkin. "By combining the suite of services that many brands previously outsourced to multiple agencies and adding high-touch customer service in each area, we are poised to help brands move the needle."
Brandmuscle works with more than 200 national brands and many Fortune 500 companies across a wide range of industries. For a glimpse at some of its clients, please visit: http://www.brandmuscle.com/whowehelp/ourclients.aspx
Brandmuscle is reinventing local marketing as a revenue driver by giving local affiliates of global and national brands user-friendly customized solutions, on-demand support and fast reimbursement to build local communications programs that both advance the brands and flexibly address the needs of local markets. The result is a powerful new way to grow sales at multiple local touch points. For more information about brandmuscle please visit: www.brandmuscle.com
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The WebRTC Summit New York, to be held June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, announces that its Call for Papers is now open. Topics include all aspects of improving IT delivery by eliminating waste through automated business models leveraging cloud technologies. WebRTC Summit is co-located with 20th International Cloud Expo and @ThingsExpo. WebRTC is the future of browser-to-browser communications, and continues to make inroads into the traditional, difficult, plug-in web co...
Jan. 16, 2017 03:30 AM EST Reads: 2,855
The Internet of Things will challenge the status quo of how IT and development organizations operate. Or will it? Certainly the fog layer of IoT requires special insights about data ontology, security and transactional integrity. But the developmental challenges are the same: People, Process and Platform. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Craig Sproule, CEO of Metavine, demonstrated how to move beyond today's coding paradigm and shared the must-have mindsets for removing complexity from the develop...
Jan. 16, 2017 03:30 AM EST Reads: 5,245
While not quite mainstream yet, WebRTC is starting to gain ground with Carriers, Enterprises and Independent Software Vendors (ISV’s) alike. WebRTC makes it easy for developers to add audio and video communications into their applications by using Web browsers as their platform. But like any market, every customer engagement has unique requirements, as well as constraints. And of course, one size does not fit all. In her session at WebRTC Summit, Dr. Natasha Tamaskar, Vice President, Head of C...
Jan. 16, 2017 03:15 AM EST Reads: 5,756


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Acid erosion occurs when the enamel is worn away and it can be painful, fizzy drinks and fruit juices are common causes for the erosion, but dentists also think carbonated water can lead to cavities and yellowing our teeth are under attack from a growing problem that many dentists are failing to treat.
It’s acid erosion and it occurs when the enamel – the hard, protective coating of the tooth – is worn away, leading to sensitivity and pain.
It is responsible for 80 per cent of problems such as cavities and yellowing, and food and drink with a high acid content, including fizzy drinks and fruit juices, are common causes.
Acid erosion occurs when the enamel – the hard, protective coating of the tooth – is worn away, leading to sensitivity and pain
Patients may need veneers in the most severe cases.
Dr Mark Hughes, co-founder of the Harley Street Dental Studio, says the problem is a growing one, thanks to people retaining their own teeth into older age. And he warns that some dentists are so preoccupied with treating gum disease and tooth decay that vital chances to tackle erosion are being missed.
He says: ‘Dentists may know how to spot the signs, but a lack of education about erosion means you could pick ten dentists at random and I’d say only two would know how to handle the problem.
‘It can accelerate quickly and needs to be dealt with before it’s too late.’
Erosion occurs when acid hits the surface of the tooth, softening the top layer and making it more fragile.
It can expose the dentine underneath, which is a darker, yellower colour than enamel, and make you more sensitive to heat and cold.
‘Healthy habits’, such as sipping carbonated water or fruit juices can hasten the damage
Dr Hughes’s colleague Dr Adam Thorne says so-called ‘healthy habits’, such as sipping carbonated water or fruit juices, can hasten the damage.
‘Acid erosion is definitely a growing problem,’ he says. ‘This is partly due to the trend for grabbing acidic juices when on the go or snacking little and often.
‘It means our teeth are exposed to acid throughout the day, rather than sticking to three meals a day. Carbonated water is another culprit, if you constantly sip rather than drinking a glass in one go. Try to use a straw to direct the water down your throat rather than towards your teeth.’
Their comments come as new research from enamel-repair serum brand Regenerate Enamel Science reveals that half of women see a healthy smile as being more important than having the perfect figure.
The poll of 1,000 women also revealed that one in five of those surveyed who said having a healthy smile was important had not been to the dentist in more than a year.


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Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
More big moves at Fred Segal. In addition to LAX and Vegas openings, and SaMo shutters, the legendary retailer is set to lead a "major reinvention of the luxury shopping experience," according to its parent company Sandow. Thanks to a major investment, Sandow plans to open a slew of lifestyle centers in the US and beyond within the next five to seven years. The concept shops will cover a whopping 10,000 to 50,000 square feet.
"We see in Fred Segal a special opportunity for a lifestyle brand that has already established itself as one of luxury, fashion and the always imaginative California spirit," Rick Hess of equity investor Evolution Media Capital tells WWD. Fred Segal's new CEO Paul Blum (Juicy Couture's former CEO) will lead the retailer's new direction.
Expect the first of ten Fred Segal lifestyle centers—which will "interweave hip and up-and-coming fashion brands, dining, cultural, wellness and fitness experiences"—to be revealed this year.
· Sandow Media Taps Paul Blum as Fred Segal CEO [WWD]
· Photos: Inside LAX Tom Bradley's Fantastical Fred Segal Shop [Racked]
· End of an Era: Ron Robinson SaMo Officially Closes on May 31 [Racked]
· Now the Seven Fred Segal Stores at SLS Have an Opening Date [Racked Vegas]


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SAN DIEGO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: WOOF), a complete partner in pet health and wellness, will host its first-ever Sustainability Vendor Summit on Sept. 22, 2021 as part of the company’s public commitment to increase its assortment of sustainable pet products to 50% by the end of 2025. The virtual event, hosted in partnership with ECRM and RangeMe, will connect suppliers of sustainable pet products directly with Petco’s merchandising team.
Manufacturers of pet products that align with at least one of the following five Petco sustainability pillars are encouraged to attend.
- Responsible manufacturing – brands and products that use responsible manufacturing practices during production
- Sustainably sourced materials – products made with materials like organic cotton or recycled nylon
- Sustainably sourced ingredients – food and treats made with ingredients that are more environmentally friendly or emit fewer greenhouse gases
- Responsible packaging – packaging designed to be refilled with the same type of product or for multiple uses
- Animal welfare – ensure animals are treated humanely and products meet Petco’s cruelty-free standard
“We look forward to hosting vendors that share our commitment to preserving the health and wellness of pets, people and the planet we share,” said Petco Chief Merchandising Officer Nick Konat. “As a health and wellness company, we’re acutely aware of our collective impact on our planet’s natural resources, and committed to actively driving positive change within our business and industry. Petco’s Sustainability Vendor Summit will help us accelerate efforts to increase our assortment of sustainable products in close partnership with brands and manufacturers who are also passionate about improving lives.”
To apply, suppliers can submit their product information to rangeme.com/petcosustainability by Aug. 11, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. PST.
Petco is committed to proactively providing resources and information to further educate pet parents on the benefits of sustainable pet products. To help customers easily identify and shop for more sustainable pet products, the company recently launched a sustainable shopping destination at petco.com/sustainability. To read Petco’s 2020 Sustainability Report or learn more about corporate responsibility at Petco, visit corporate.petco.com/corporate-responsibility.
About Petco, The Health + Wellness Co.
Petco is a category-defining health and wellness company focused on improving the lives of pets, pet parents and our own Petco partners. Since our founding in 1965, we’ve been striving to set new standards in pet care, delivering comprehensive wellness solutions through our products and services, and creating communities that deepen the pet-pet parent bond. We operate more than 1,500 Petco locations across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, including a growing network of more than 100 in-store veterinary hospitals, and offer a complete online resource for pet health and wellness at petco.com and on the Petco app. In tandem with Petco Love (formerly the Petco Foundation), an independent nonprofit organization, we work with and support thousands of local animal welfare groups across the country and, through in-store adoption events, we’ve helped find homes for more than 6.5 million animals.
RangeMe, an ECRM company, is the leading online platform that streamlines new product discovery between suppliers and retailers. The platform empowers retail buyers to efficiently discover innovative and emerging products, while streamlining the inbound product submission process. For product suppliers, RangeMe enables them to grow their retail relationships with a platform that gives them the tools to manage their products, market their brand, and build awareness. Now integrated into the ECRM product offering, RangeMe adds increased breadth and depth to the industry’s most complete sourcing solution for top retailers and product suppliers in the US.
ECRM brings efficiencies and effectiveness to the buying and selling process by propelling connections between buyers and suppliers through key programs that utilize virtual and face-to-face platforms. With 25 years of experience, ECRM’s programs promote relationships, forward thinking insights along with process efficiencies. ECRM works with companies around with world in a variety of different categories including food & beverage, general merchandise, health & beauty care, pharmacy & medical markets and foodservice.
SOURCE Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc.


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Current Florida Law
- Florida law currently restricts hard liquor sales to a separate store that sells liquor and related products like mixers, party supplies and equipment, as well as tobacco.
- Florida law also limits and controls direct access to liquor stores by requiring customers to enter through a separate door facing the outside of the establishment.
- Florida businesses are operating properly and competing fairly under current Florida law.
You Asked…We Answered
What is your response to supporters of the proposed change saying this prohibition is an archaic law that needs to be brought into the 21st century and calling it a customer convenience issue?
This is merely an attempt by out-of-state companies to change the rules midgame in an effort to seek an unfair market advantage. There is no constituency demanding this change to current Florida law. We believe Florida grocery and liquor stores are operating properly and competing fairly under current Florida law.
Wouldn’t it be more convenient for Florida consumers if they could purchase their alcohol while shopping at the grocery store?
Florida consumers already have the ability to conveniently purchase hard liquor. Florida law allows one retail liquor license for every 7,500 residents per county, or approximately 5,200 quota liquor licenses statewide – 2,500 which include independent liquor stores with off-site premise sales only.
Opponents say there are rules and regulations that prohibit growth and expansion of Florida business. Do you think by “Keeping the Wall,” this will hinder the success of businesses in the Sunshine State?
Absolutely not. Florida’s family grocery stores have already invested hundreds of millions of dollars in building business models that fit within the current context of Florida law. Florida grocery and liquor stores that sell hard liquor are already competing in a healthy marketplace under compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
There are currently 30 states that allow the sale of liquor without a separation requirement. Why shouldn’t Florida be one of those states?
There is a clear disparity in the number that is being circulated. A study by the Beer Institute was updated by the American Beverage Licensees in 2015 and shows that there are only 21 states that allow the sale of liquor without a separation requirement. While we cannot speak to the reasons why those other states chose to move forward with removing “The Wall,” we can tell you that there is no constituency here in Florida that is requesting that this law be changed. This is simply an attempt by out-of-state retailers wanting to change existing law to better fit their business model.


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To start Earth Week on April 17—the same day Danimer Scientific rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)—the biotech company announced a new plan to manufacture single-use compostable coffee pods.
In collaboration with TotalEnergies Corbion, the compostable coffee pods are made from the two companies’ trademark materials: the polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material known as Nodax from Danimer, and the high-heat polylactic acid (PLA) material called Luminy from TotalEnergies Corbion.
Danimer Scientific states an estimated “550 million pounds of plastic are used in the manufacture of single-use coffee pods annually” in the European market. The new plastic formula has already undergone biodegradability tests and has been certified a household compostable by Technischer Überwachungsverein (TUV), an international company that certifies the safety or purpose of an item.
EU seeks compostable plastics
In late 2022, the European Union revealed its intention to broaden the scope of the European Green Deal to encompass industrially compostable plastics. These plastics can be decomposed by microorganisms much more rapidly than conventional plastics. According to the European Commission, industrially compostable plastics must only be used for light plastic goods like coffee pods and tea bags.
Companies around the world started searching for the perfect replacement for single-use plastics. Danimer and TotalEnergies Corbion may be onto something.
Danimer and TotalEnergies Corbion forged a comprehensive partnership in 2021, to ensure a reliable source of Luminy PLA for the production of compostable products.
The chief marketing and sustainability officer of Danimer, Scott Tuten, stated: “Since beginning our collaborative partnership with TotalEnergies Corbion a couple of years ago, we’ve been working to blend together our respective materials, Nodax and Luminy, to meet the specific functionality needs of our customers for a variety of applications.”
The collaboration has led to a successful effort to comply with the new EU legislation. Thomas Philipon, CEO of TotalEnergies Corbion, also expressed enthusiasm for the possibility of continuing such collaborations in the future.
What is Danimer Scientific?
Danimer Scientific is a biopolymer manufacturer known for its patent material Nodax.
According to the company’s 2022 Environmental, Social, and Governance Report, Nodax “has the market potential to replace over 500 billion pounds of plastic applications annually.”
Danimer Scientific developed renewable biopolymers as part of its commitment to promoting global preservation and sustainable development. These are already being used in a variety of consumer goods.
A member of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), Danimer promotes and delivers sustainability. In early March, the I am BIO Podcast explored Danimer’s Nodax as a potential solution to plastic pollution – read more on Bio.News.
What is Total Energies Corbion?
TotalEnergies Corbion is a leading producer of Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) and lactide monomers, which are intermediate products used in the manufacture of PLA. The company’s Luminy brand of PLA is derived from renewable resources, making it both biodegradable and biobased. Yearly, TotalEnergies Corbion produces 75,000 tons of PLA in Rayong, Thailand.


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The Sudan 1 crisis has faded from the media spotlight but its impact has been wide ranging. It is also just one of a large number of major product recalls over the past few years, the costs of which run into hundreds of millions of pounds.
The introduction of the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 expected in the summer or autumn will also have a wide ranging impact on manufacturers and distributors and their obligations regarding product safety and recall. For those businesses that have
- Aviva pulls agency with GRP
- Amazon “working with” UK brokers and insurers
- City Insurance Brokers and Compass launch profit insurance scheme
- Hiscox updates cyber and data insurance product
- Video: GDPR – Future proofing your business: Don’t panic!
- AIG warns of rise in data breaches as GDPR comes into force
- Launderette-based insurance ghost brokers jailed


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Staff at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse in the UK has claimed that they have to go without toilet breaks. The workers further claimed that they work in “severe” conditions and are constantly monitored, a BBC report said. The workers of the Coventry warehouse recently signed up to join the GMB union and held their first-ever strike on Wednesday over wages and severe working conditions.
The staff are upbraided for “ideal time” lasting just a few minutes. Amazon has a system that recognises great performance,” BBC reported.
Two Amazon workers told BBC that the robots in the warehouse “are treated better than us”.
Darren Westwood and Garfield Hilton said that the managers asked questions if they took a toilet break.
“The thing with stopping work is that they want to know why,” said Mr Hilton. “So if the time is beyond a couple of minutes they can see it on the system.”
Mr Hilton shared that he has diabetes and it is not always possible to find toilets close by in the building and the process of locating one and returning can sometimes take upwards of 15 minutes. “They will then question you, ‘what were you doing?'”
That’s not all, the managers also track staff performance and time.
However, a spokesman for Amazon said: “Performance is only measured when an employee is at their station and logged in to do their job.
“If an employee logs out, which they can do at any time, the performance management tool is paused.”
Amazon said 178 of its 2,000 workers at the warehouse had voted to strike, reported Reuters.
The walk-out is just the latest in Britain, which is facing its worst industrial unrest since Margaret Thatcher was prime minister, with staff from key sectors, including nurses and ambulance workers as well as from the railways and the legal profession staging strikes in fights for better pay.
Amazon, which employs 75,000 people across the UK, increased starting pay by 50 pence to a minimum of between 10.50 and 11.45 pounds ($12.95 to $14.12) per hour last year, compared with a minimum wage in Britain that is set to rise to 10.42 in April.


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Rarely does an industry have such a quick rise and sudden drop as the bikeshare business has had in Seattle. Last year it would have been odd if you didn’t see a mass of multicolored bicycles across the streets, from red Jump bikes to the yellow Ofos and green Lime bicycles.
Lime took its 2,000 bikes off Seattle streets in December and now the Jump bicycles will be temporarily absent, as well, with Lime taking over the red bike’s business operations this month. Lime acquired Jump on May 7 after Uber, which owned the latter, led a $170 million investment in Lime that “reaffirms Lime’s market strength and positions the company to build a long-lasting business that empowers people with sustainable, safe and affordable transportation options,” the company said in an announcement.
This comes as the bike rental business has fallen off a cliff during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were just 23,400 trips in April, compared to 158,600 trips in April 2019, according to Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) data.
“We recognize that the COVID-19 has impacted all areas of life including new mobility companies, and we are evaluating our options with these impacts in mind,” SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson said in an email. Continue reading


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Some of the topics that will be covered in this edition are: the new trend of the Mexican economy, business renewal, innovation and business unicorns, among others.
The guests of honor at the meeting will be two international personalities with outstanding careers in the world of technology Entrepreneurship: Amin Tofani and Randy Zuckerberg.
In addition, figures leading the country’s public sector will provide their perspective and delve into the specific challenges facing Mexico. Among them is Marcelo Ebrard, Minister of Foreign Relations. Tatiana Clauther, Minister of Economy. Alejandro Diaz de Leon, Governor of the Bank of Mexico; Raquel Poinrostro, Head of the IRS (SAT); Esteban Moctezuma, Mexico’s ambassador to the United States.
The theme of the Expansión Summit will focus on analyzing and analyzing the changes that the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed on the economic sector and its impact on companies and how this has led to the continued demand for business models. To achieve this, you will connect the most important personalities in the financial, business and public sector communities to share their ideas and knowledge virtually.
“Award-winning zombie scholar. Music practitioner. Food expert. Troublemaker.”


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Romanian startup Frisbo attracts two million USD to expand and strengthen its European network of halls
Romanian startup Frisbo, the e-fulfillment platform which takes over the storage, packaging and delivery of online orders, attracted an investment of 2 million USD in a round led by the Eleven Ventures investment fund, with the participation of GapMinder Ventures, RocaX and Neogen.
Founded by entrepreneurs Bogdan Colceriu, Laura Frincu and Vlad Tarziu, the Frisbo platform previously received an investment of 1.2 million Euro in 2019, in a round led by GapMinder Venture Partners, with the participation of ROCA X, Neogen and Mircea Ilea . At that time, Frisbo managed to increase its value four times compared to the first round of investments raised in 2017 by the Cluj businessman Mircea Ilea. The company also attracted investments in 2018 from the Neogen group and the Risky Business fund.
Currently, more than 20 logistics centers in Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Chile are active in the Frisbo network, serving over 200 online merchants, integrating with the most popular e-commerce platforms and marketplaces in the region.
Customers in Frisbo’s portfolio include companies such as Xiaomi’s official representative in Romania and Hungary (www.mi-home.ro and www.mi-home.hu), Bitdefender, Aosom, Morphy Richards, foodpanda, Meli Melo or Intercars.
“The funds raised in this new round of financing will mainly help us to continue our expansion plans in Europe and beyond, especially at a time when global e-commerce is experiencing unprecedented growth. Currently, we are the largest European e-fulfillment network with next-day delivery and we want to consolidate this position,” said Bogdan Colceriu, founder of Frisbo.


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Capcom has announced that a second Major Title Update is heading for Monster Hunter World: Iceborne for release next month, headlining it with a new monster in the form of the Stygian Zinogre.
Making the announcement during the weekend's Monster Hunter Festa in Toyko, Japan the studio additionally declared that the free update will also feature new weapons, new armour sets and also a new region in the Guiding Lands known as the Tundra region.
Capcom promise more information on the upcoming title update in the next developer diary, due to be released the day before the new content lands on December 4. Major Title Update 2 itself will launch for Monster Hunter World: Iceborne on December 5 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The PC version of the Iceborne expansion is set to launch in early January.


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SEANZ is eagerly awaiting a report from the Electricity Authority (EA) on how they intend to create a pathway for equal access to electricity networks by Distributed Energy Resources (DER). Examples of DER include Solar PV, battery storage, demand response, and also EV charging/discharging from the grid.
The Innovation and Participation Advisory Group (IPAG) recently released a report to the EA that says the Authority needs to act now to ensure equal access to the network, to maximise benefits to consumers and to minimise the cost of implementing the changes required.
IPAG is an advisory group to the EA focused on issues specifically related to new technologies and business models, and consumer participation.
The report highlighted that maximising use of DER’s could be worth $500m to the country.
SEANZ 2016 report “SOLAR PV AND BATTERIES IN NEW ZEALAND – CONSUMER CENTRIC ELECTRICITY” put the value of solar and batteries to New Zealand much higher.SEANZ report found:
The IPAG report’s chief concern is that even though investment in DER is happening, the full value of the investment is not being realised.
Some of the key points from the report that we see as critical are:
The report says “We expect the rate of DER investment will be orders of magnitude greater than traditional electricity infrastructure investment – acting with urgency to remove barriers to equal access will increase the benefits and avoid the costs.
“Failure to take action is likely to lead to increased costs to consumers from either lower service quality or increased network provision costs in future.”
The IPAG report suggested the Electricity Authority publish an equal access programme plan by June and implement some of the workstreams by year end.


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New Delhi: Info Edge (India) Ltd Saturday said its mobile apps, including naukri.Com, 99 acres.Com, and shiksha.Com have been removed from Google Play Store.
This comes a day after Google began removing some apps, including popular matrimony apps, from its Play Store in India over a dispute on service fee payments.
Google has said that 10 companies in the country, including “many well-established” had avoided paying fees despite benefiting from the platform.
“We would like to inform you that the company’s mobile applications (viz. Naukri.Com Job Search App, Naukri Recruiter, Naukrigulf Job Search App, 99acres Buy/Sell/Rent Property and Shiksha), have been removed/delisted from Google Play Store today by Google, along with several mobile applications of other companies/entities as well,” Info Edge (India) Ltd said in a BSE filing.
It said the action comes as a surprise to the company as it was taken without giving due and sufficient notice by Google.
Info Edge clarified that users who already have its mobile apps downloaded on their mobile devices can continue to use the same. In addition, all users who are using the apps through other platforms (such as Apple App Store) or through the web platforms concerned (on both mobile and desktop), are not impacted by this change.
“The company is reviewing and evaluating the next course of action and working with Google in this regard, to ensure that the company’s mobile applications are reinstated on Google Play Store, in the best timely manner,” the filing added.
The dispute is over Google imposing a fee of 11-26 per cent on in-app payments after anti-competition body CCI ordered scrapping of an earlier system of charging 15-30 per cent.
Google went ahead to remove the apps not paying the fee after the Supreme Court did not provide interim relief to companies behind these apps in their battle against the search giant’s platform fees.
However, Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani Friday said it had cleared all pending Google invoices in a timely manner and was compliant with its policies.
“Indian companies will comply – for now. But what India needs is an App Store/ Play Store that is a part of Digital Public Infrastructure – like UPI and ONDC. The response needs to be strategic,” he said in a post on X tagging Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and his office.


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Last month, third-party logistics (3PL), technology, and investment leaders convened at Armstrong & Associates’ 3PL Value Creation North America Summit in Chicago to discuss trends in the $869 billion global 3PL market.
Many of our 3PL panelists reported double-digit growth this year. As one speaker noted, “the only thing 3PLs don’t like is equilibrium.” Today’s complexity and tight capacity is good for 3PLs, as are growing e-commerce volumes, improvements in technology, and rapid automation. That’s propelled by the impacts of corporate tax cuts coming to fruition, and the sense that trade with Canada and Mexico will continue to be good. Expectations are tempered somewhat by tariff uncertainty, looming inflationary pressures, and challenges in finding labor with increasing wages across the board. Still, the consensus is that 3PL business will remain favorable into 2019.
We had a great turnout on our Financial Briefing day, and for good reason. To put it in the words of one of our panelists, “If you’re inclined to sell your company, now is the time to do it.” Private equity deals will likely dominate through the remainder of 2018 and 2019—there’s a lot of dry powder out in the market. Many strategic buyers, even those that aren’t normally acquisitive, are looking for a good fit—namely a niche service portfolio, sticky customer base, and a good culture overlap.
For those who missed this year’s Summit, we’ve collected a summary of major trends, below.
Uncertainty around tariffs means we haven’t yet seen big shifts in international supply chains, but a number of panelists noted increased forwarding/import volumes to get ahead of tariffs.
E-commerce is ripe with opportunity but it can be a risky business. 3PLs differentiate from Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program with lower prices, Seller Fulfilled Prime service, and scooping up customers that have outgrown FBA.
Strategic buyers are looking for the right fit. There’s a lot for sale, but big multiples and due diligence add up quickly. Private equity deals will likely dominate through the remainder of 2018 and 2019—there’s a lot of dry powder out in the market.
3PLs tend to be risk-averse, which deters technology investment. Gaps in data leave 3PLs in a reactionary mode. Still, forward-thinking 3PLs are working with innovators coming to market with solutions like AI, automation, APIs, sensors, and digital freight matching.
3PLs are taking nearly a quarter of newly constructed warehousing space in a market with just 5% vacancy. Familiar issues, like scope creep and a tight labor market, continue to be challenges.
Trucking capacity has been tight, wages are rising, and drivers are hard to find and retain. But there are some indications the market will look different as we head into 2019.


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The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) recently released data suggesting the U.S. exhibition industry is experiencing a historic downturn. This comes as no surprise. Previous state-of-the-industry articles in Exhibit City News have noted that most every segment of the industry is feeling the pinch, including exhibitor-appointed contractors (EAC) such as installation and dismantle (I & D) service providers.
Of course, the recession and exhibitors cutting back on show participation have a lot to do with the dismal business climate for EACs, but depending on who you talk to, there are other issues at play.
Some claim the bundled services offered by general contractors (GCs) are cutting into EACs’ revenues. Others say show organizers are at fault for pressuring general contractors into providing free services, resulting in them going after revenue streams that were once the domain of EACs. In retrospect, the general contractors say they are responding to exhibitors’ desires for better, more economical services.
In addition, exhibit houses and even some transportation service providers are now offering I & D services. Regardless of the reasons behind the EACs’ struggles, it is no longer business as usual for EAC contractors.
“It is time for our industry to reinvent itself,” said Jim Wurm, executive director of the Exhibitor Appointed Contractors Association (EACA). “The days of the same old, same old, are history, or soon to be a thing of the past.”
According to Wurm, the average I & D company experienced a 25 to 30 percent drop in revenue in 2009. A smaller number experienced drops as high as 50 percent. EAC management teams have responded to the downturn by cutting staff, initiating staff furloughs, reducing marketing and traveling budgets, working leaner and meaner to generate new business and looking outside of the tradeshow floor for new business such as road shows, private events and permanent retail and museum installations. Wurm added, however, there is an upside to the current state of the EAC industry. The recession and other external factors are forcing companies to innovate, and in some cases, reinvent themselves. Some companies are surviving, in fact, thriving.
“One of our smaller members (of the EACA), rather than focus entirely on cutting expenses, decided to go out and hustle like crazy for business and ended 2009 up 5 percent,” Wurm added.
While there are differing views as to why the changes are taking place in the EAC segment of the tradeshow industry, Wurm said he believes exhibitors are driving the change. Exhibitors are doing fewer shows and cutting back on booth space while scrutinizing expenses, demanding more transparency from show service providers and expecting greater return on their tradeshow investments. In fact, some exhibitors have become so outraged they have aligned themselves with the Exhibit Industry Council (EIC). In March, the EIC released its “Best Practices Guide” with the goal of uniting all industry stakeholders to support reputable, consistent standards.
The EIC claims “currently, there are conditions in the industry that impede the value exhibitors gain from face-to-face marketing events – specifically conventions and tradeshows.”
Wurm is the spokesman for EIC, which is comprised of industry associations, including Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA), EACA, Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA), Healthcare Convention and Exhibitors Association (HCEA) and Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA). For more information on the EIC and its “Best Practices Guide,” read “EIC Releases Best Practice, Calls to Change Business Model” in this issue on page B7.
“Exhibitors are frustrated by confusing rules, lack of audited attendee information, inconsistent and archaic business practices at tradeshows – all of which lead to costs that escalate out of control,” Wurm wrote in a recent posting on his EACA blog. “These concerns are particularly acute in today’s economy. Our industry must work together to create a service mindset that recognizes and responds to the needs of the customer – the exhibitor.”
Wurm also said EACs are frustrated by the practice of bundling services by the contractors.
“As general contractors see shows shrink in size they increase their competitive pressure for I & D work,” Wurm said. “The ‘leverage’ they commonly use to gain this new business is with their drayage service. They do this by either discounting drayage to gain an I & D job or they promise to get the exhibit in early. Both practices cause great consternation among I & D companies who question the legality of the practice.”
Bundling a Profound Threat
Ron Mestichelli, president of Spectrum Show Services and a 25-year veteran of the I & D industry said indeed the economy has taken a toll on I & D companies, but the bundling of services by GCs is the “most profound threat” to I & D companies. He added the escalating costs of union labor are right up there with bundling. Mestichelli and Sam Miserendino founded Spectrum Show Services in 1992. Headquartered in Bellmawr, NJ, the company provides tradeshow labor and supervision.
“It’s important to note that union labor plays a big part when it comes to an I & D company controlling costs…and exhibitors are concerned about costs,” Mestichelli said. “The way union contracts are set up, the unions get an increase (in rates paid) every year, but in this economy, it is not possible for the I & D companies to increase their rates. This takes a toll on revenues.”
Mestichelli added it is important for unions to work in tandem with the EACs that hire their members, but this is not happening. In many cases, EACs have to reduce rates to remain competitive but union contracts are not negotiable so it puts an extraordinary amount of pressure on EACs to cut expenses in other areas.
Norm Friedrich, president of OCTANORM USA feels that the GCs are also losing more and more revenue streams and are responding to pressure from show organizers and producers to provide more free services.
Based in Lithia Springs, Ga., and established in 1968, OCTANORM supplies structural exhibit systems to the tradeshow industry.
“In the exhibition industry, it is clear that the show organizers are to blame for the ridiculous costs incurred by the exhibitor,” Friedrich said. “The GCs need to find new ways to generate business because the show organizers are putting so much pressure on them to get everything free. They have very few revenue streams left; they are just trying to make up for their losses. Today, GCs are giving away aisle carpet, the registration area, signage and more, just so they can get exclusive contracts for shows. If the show organizers would pay the GCs what they deserve, you would not have the issues with drayage and the bundling issue would go away as well.”
Friedrich explained that show organizers purchase space from the convention halls for “virtually nothing” and then charge exhibitors $30 or more per square foot. He added that show organizers should be happy with the revenue generated from booth space fees.
“Show organizers have their fingers in everything,” he lamented. “They want a piece of this and a piece of that, a commission on this, a commission on that. It needs to stop. The exhibitors are being raped, and they are fighting back by sending silly little pop-up exhibits to shows. It is just going to get worse if show organizers don’t realize the problem and do something about runaway costs.
“If the GCs were paid fairly for the services they provide, they would not have to charge astronomical fees for drayage. They would make a decent living and not step on the toes of the exhibit houses and EACs. The GCs would make their money and everybody would be happy.”
Exhibitors Seeking Partners
Steve Santos, director of I& D for Global Experience Specialists, Inc (GES), said the economy is putting pressure on exhibitors to cut costs and partner with turnkey service providers to ensure that their I & D is closely linked with the production and transportation processes. In the current economic environment, he said it is important for exhibitors to know their I & D company is financially sound and highly trained to execute efficiently.
“Exhibitors are seeking partners that coordinate between design, production shop and the show floor for faster and more effective installation,” Santos said. “Large exhibitors are consolidating to fewer vendors, and in some cases, are single-sourcing in selected areas in order to leverage both the financial benefits and the operational efficiencies of one-stop shopping. We continue to focus on making it easier for existing and prospective clients to do business with GES/ExpoServices.”
Las Vegas-based Global Experience Specialists, Inc. (GES), a Viad Corp (NYSE: VVI) company, is a leading provider of exhibition, event and retail marketing services.
As an owner of Expon Exhibits and one of six owners of Sho-Link, Gene Winther has a broad perspective on the trials and tribulations confronting EACs. He is particularly incensed by the solicitation of his clients and the bundling programs and cost reductions by the GCs he can’t match.
Expon Exhibits is located in Sacramento, Calif. and provides branding and exhibit solutions worldwide while Sho-Link provides exhibit installation services out of its Lake Bluff, Ill. headquarters.
“GCs have an underhanded, profound advantage sitting on the information they get through the associations and through preparing the show floor, giving each booth space a number, and assigning labor, freight, dock doors and what have you,” Winther said. “They control everything. The date, time and labor, when you can receive your freight and when you can set up. There have been times when I was forced to set up on a weekend resulting in my drayage and labor costing time and a half. It is unfair, yet I cannot do anything about it.”
On the flipside, Winther says if he were a GC, he to would be pursuing all revenue-generating opportunities.
“If I was a GC, I can’t say that I would not be caught up at wanting to do these types of things (bundling), especially in the hard times we are experiencing today,” he said. “I don’t blame them (GCs) for doing it, but I regret that they are doing it. They are putting company after company in peril, including independent I & D companies and display builders.”
While the above individuals focused their comments on the struggles of the EAC companies, Harold Hood, a labor activist, is concerned about the future of the shows and the EAC laborer. He is concerned the lack of work will drive some tradesmen out of the business and if and when business does pick up, there will not be enough qualified technicians to support the shows.
“Labor and quality seem to have been affected the most,” said Hood, who lives in Las Vegas and has been a member of the local union hall for more than 25 years. “Shows are mostly making their money on shipping and freight. Due to this, package deals and systems booths have taken the place of custom I & D work and have turned most tradeshows into an aluminum jungle surrounded by pipe and drape. To me, these have the appeal of a giant indoor swap meet. Structured booths that were once closets and green rooms are now the main display.”
The Road Ahead
So, what is ahead for the EAC/I & D industry? Mestichelli is hopeful the economy will continue to improve and the tradeshow industry will begin to respond by the second half of this year.
“I believe all EACs are faced with the same threats and challenges. However, some industries (exhibitor segments) are healthier and more stable than others. The EACs, which have a larger portion of their business in these sectors like medical, are not as challenged. Regardless, everybody should be diversifying into as many industries as possible and continue to build relationships with exhibit houses.”
Santos believes that today’s exhibitor is looking for an I & D company with experience beyond the tradeshow floor – a company with experience executing special events and in retail and mobile marketing environments. Positive experiences will encourage companies to continue using tradeshows as a forum for branding, marketing and connecting with customers.
“It’s more important than ever to make exhibitors’ lives easier and less complicated,” Santos said.
Winther said he sees hope for some economic recovery later this year or early next year but bundling will continue to be an issue. He added there is really nothing that can be done about bundling today, but EAC companies could protect their current client base by keeping in constant contact with clients, not just by phone or e-mail.
“There are a lot of positives on the horizon, opportunities to grow and succeed,” Winther said. “To succeed in today’s economy, companies have to be the best they can be, have a targeted business plan, hire the best management, train and educate staff, have the best equipment and tools and provide unique services. Also, stay close to your clients, build relationships, talk strategies and tactics.”
Wurm said he believes the tradeshow industry is in for some major changes, particularly on how shows are managed by all parties involved.
“The industry will begin to improve when all of the parties collectively and collaboratively address the needs of the customer (exhibitor),” Wurm said. “It is no more complicated than that. There have been too many decisions made that were based on self-interest and self-preservation, not in the best interest of the customer. Take care of the customer and you will take care of yourself.”


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Latin American polyethylene (PE) prices are headed down, under pressure from lower crude oil prices worldwide and long supply in the US Gulf, where production capacity has increased in 2018. Polypropylene is also weakening in most of Latin America but holding steady in Mexico.
Another important factor has been the impact of a strong US dollar in local currencies. This has been more noticeable in Argentina, where the local currency has had a strong devaluation in 2018. However, a strong dollar has affected many other Latin American nations as well.
In Mexico, the main problem has been the proliferation of offers from US PE producers. With all export channels for trade between the two countries firmly established by years of commerce under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Mexico has long been a preferred destination for US PE exports.
Mexico’s own PE production has increased in the last three years, since the Ethylene XXI complex came on line, and this year in particular, because Pemex is importing ethane to reactivate its own PE production.
The result has been oversupply of PE plastic resins in Mexico, causing prices to gradually decline.Pemex, the state-owned PE producer in Mexico, increased prices of all grades in November by 2.5% on low inventories, but has given 3% discounts in early December, effectively erasing the November increases. Another domestic producer indicated that prices could decline by about 3 cents/lb ($66/tonne) in December.
Competition from US imports remains strong with high inventories in the US Gulf, and a strong drive by US suppliers to increase sales volume.
Railroad congestion has eased in the country and weather concerns have dissipated. Deliveries are now normal and there are no logistics problems in the country.
Pemex production has grown to about 35,000 tonnes/month for PE with the new ethane provision from Vitol.
Ethane is first destined to ethylene oxide (EO) and ethylene glycols (EG) in Mexico, and the rest to PE plants.
The Morelos swing plant, currently used only for linear low density PE (LLDPE) production, stopped on 28 November for scheduled maintenance and will be down for 30 days, according to Pemex sources.
In the Cangrejera complex, (LDPE), production is up, with two out of three trains operating normally. This is the new reality for this plant.
High density PE (HDPE) production is normal at the Asahi and Mitsui plants, with all four trains in operation.
In Brazil, Braskem has been busy reducing PE prices in November and again in December to keep imports out of the country.
In Argentina, high inflation (48% in 2018) and high interest rates (more than 60%) have put a damper on demand for plastic resins, but prices have not declined by much. Dow has been less prone to lower prices than Braskem, taking advantage of its position as the sole domestic producer.
Both countries have high tariffs protecting their plastic resin producers, but Braskem, also a monopoly, has been more responsive to external price pressures.
Logistics play a big role in the availability of product for South America. Changes in the shipping industry have reduced the available ships in that route.
Most countries in the Pacific coast of South America have seen PE import prices come at increasingly low levels.
For the most part, countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile have low or no import tariffs for PE.
This has increased pressure on regional producers, which are striving to keep market share.
There are initiatives by US producers to increase PE prices in January or February, but it is not clear what will change in 2019 to support those initiatives. The US-China trade war has changed product flows in the world, but trade volume has not changed by much, at least for PE. The decline of LDPE prices in Latin America is accelerating at the end of the year, even in protected markets such as Argentina and Brazil.
Latin America PP markets are weakening in December, with lower feedstock propylene prices and competitive offers from Asia and the Middle East. However, prices are holding in Mexico.
After a 10 cent/lb decline in November propylene contracts in the US Gulf, prices could still decline further in December, but not by as much. Lower prices in Asia are adding pressure to regional prices, with offers for late December and January arrival heard at competitive levels.
In Argentina, the decline in propylene prices has resulted in a $50/tonne price reduction for all grades of PP in December. Demand remains down. There is diminished activity in most of the PP segments and collecting payment from clients is now more difficult.
Prices are steadier in Argentina after the dollarisation of the pricing system for polymers, but demand remains negatively affected by the downturn in the economy.
Local players do not see a recovery in the short term, particularly because high interest rates are discouraging credit sales.
The local producer is seeking to export more, but there is a new tax on imports in addition to the removal of export incentives.
In Brazil, Braskem reduced PP prices for a second consecutive month in December. The reduction is Brazilian reais (R) 400/tonne, with PIS/COFINS taxes.
November prices for all grades of PP had already been reduced by R200/tonne. The mentioned taxes add about 10% to the price. Braskem export prices are also going down to meet competition in regional markets.
In Chile, PP prospects remain bearish for December, with competitive offers from Vietnam, the Middle East and India.
Domestic prices for December are in the range of $1,300-1,350/tonne and could go lower before the end of the month.
In Peru, increased offers of material from Asia are encouraging buyers to expect lower prices ahead based on ample supply and lower feedstock prices.
Regional PP producers are lowering prices to compete with cheaper imports, and levels have dropped to about $1,350/tonne CFR (cost and freight) Peru main port. In Colombia, lower prices in Asia and Europe are producing lower offers. Regional producers are lowering prices, responding to lower offers of Asia-origin material offered by traders.
In Mexico, PP prospects for December are bearish with growing inventories in the US and a lower settlement of propylene contract prices in the US Gulf.
Crude oil prices are adding bearishness to the market, but prices in Mexico have shown some staying power. Producer Indelpro is still not lowering PP prices for December, citing low inventories.
But if propylene contracts in the US Gulf decline again this month, the current policy will be hard to maintain. Another important factor is seasonal. December is notoriously bad for sales because it has fewer workdays. Additionally, many buyers seek to end the year with low inventories. The downtrend is making buyers wait until they are sure prices have bottomed, contributing to lower demand.
Looking forward to January and February, PP import arrivals in Latin America are expected to be around $1,250/tonne or lower. Supply is expected to be normal for the region in the short term.
Demand is more problematic. In the logistics realm, players contend availability of ships in Latin America has declined, adding another bearish element to the situation.


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Austin, Texas-based SpyCloud recently announced it has raised $21 million in Series B funding led by Microsoft’s venture arm M12.
Austin, Texas-based SpyCloud is becoming the leader in account takeover (ATO) prevention as it recently announced a $21 million Series B round of funding led by Microsoft’s venture arm M12. New investor Altos Ventures and existing investors Silverton Partners and March Capital Partners also participated in this round.
SpyCloud is known for helping prevent ATO by identifying exposed employee and customer accounts and passwords as quickly as possible. And then companies and users are notified proactively to remediate those accounts in an automated fashion before hackers can commit fraud and cause significant harm to finances, intellectual property, and brand reputation.
The company’s security researchers utilize multi-tiered underground intelligence gathering techniques and tools to compile the industry’s largest database of exposed credentials and personally identifiable information (PII). Currently, the company holds more than 60 billion assets overall. And in 2018, SpyCloud recovered and analyzed nearly 3.5 billion sets of online credentials from nearly 3,000 data breaches, combo lists, and other dark web sources — of which more than 2.6 billion of those sets include a password.
“Passwords and their reuse across personal and work accounts are the leading cause of ATO, one of the most imminent threats to businesses of all sizes,” said SpyCloud Ted Ross, CEO and co-founder in a statement. “As criminals use more complex, scalable methods to collect and weaponize compromised passwords, organizations need to take proactive measures to prevent, detect and remediate exposures. SpyCloud meets that immediate need.”
SpyCloud’s product is utilized for protecting millions of employee and customer accounts across hundreds of enterprises in sectors such as travel, hospitality, financial services, healthcare, retail, and higher education. Plus enterprise security teams and government agencies also turn to SpyCloud for fraud investigations. And SpyCloud enables its strategic partners to build identity monitoring and security solutions for corporate and consumer clients.
“SpyCloud is changing the way modern businesses identify and address cybercrime stemming from account takeovers,” added M12 managing director Leo de Luna. “We look forward to helping SpyCloud and its outstanding team accelerate protections for both its customers and their users from this fraudulent activity.”
With this funding round, SpyCloud is going to continue its security research team and database of uniquely recovered assets, extend research and development and product development to go deeper into specific vertical markets. And the company is going to expand its sales and marketing organization and further drive its international reach.


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PARIS — The new Eau de Lacoste women’s fragrance is angling to make a major splash online with its ambassador, actress Amy Adams, prior to a global in-store launch.
Starting in early January, the Lacoste brand’s 10.7 million Facebook fans will be able to preview a video of Adams discussing the scent. They will also have the option to sign up for a “VIP sample” of it, according to Antoine Delgrange, marketing director for Lacoste fragrances at Procter & Gamble Prestige (the fashion brand’s scent licensee).
The introduction will begin in the U.K., Germany and Belgium later in January, followed by the Middle East, other parts of Europe and the Asia-Pacific region in February. The staged launch will continue through yearend.
Eau de Lacoste is the sister of the L.12.12 men’s fragrance project, which made its debut in February 2011.
“We’re leveraging the same strategy of going back to the core DNA of the [Lacoste] brand,” said Delgrange, adding that for the women’s scent the inspiration came from the feeling on skin of pure white cotton fabric, like that used for Lacoste clothes.
Keeping in mind “a light touch of sensuality” (also Eau de Lacoste’s tag line), P&G’s fragrance design team created a rich white floral juice, whose notes include white pineapple, mandarin, jasmine sambac and vanilla.
For the new fragrance’s flacon, the idea was to reflect the values of Lacoste, which involves simplicity and universality — “meaning it’s understood by everybody,” explained Christophe Pillet, design director for the brand.
“It’s just a very simple and delicate shape,” he said of the bottle. “And then to make it a little bit more sexy, we have this little charm” around the neck.
Like with L.12.12, Eau de Lacoste’s flacon design takes some direct cues from the brand’s traditional shirt. Its cap, for instance, has the same petit piqué texture and there’s a crocodile logo.
For both the men’s and women’s projects, the advertising campaigns are meant to be unconventional and about transformation. L.12.12’s features an origamist’s hands changing a Lacoste polo shirt into the scent bottle. In the Eau de Lacoste ad, Adams appears with a mysterious glass ball that floats across her skin then morphs into the fragrance flacon.
At launch, Eau de Lacoste’s campaign will be comprised of various film formats developed by H5, such as 10-, 15- and 20-second TV spots. The print ad photographed by Vincent Peters includes a QR code linking to online videos.
P&G chose Adams, said Delgrange, due “to the values she embodies — not only being beautiful but also authentic yet simple.”
P&G executives would not discuss projections, but industry sources expect Eau de Lacoste will ring up more than $100 million in first-year retail sales globally.
The scent is to come as 30-, 50- and 90-ml. eau de parfum sprays that retail in Europe for 39 euros, or $50.60 at current exchange; 59 euros, or $76.55, and 80 euros, or $103.80, respectively.
On Dec. 6, approximately 4,000 consumers in Germany are to receive the fragrance to try.
@moncler unveiled its latest project, #MonclerGenius, yesterday at Milan Fashion Week. The Italian outwear maker gave show-goers a preview of the monthly collections – which were created by eight designers and creative talents including Pierpaolo Piccioli, Simone Rocha, Craig Green and more – that will start rolling out in the summer.
In honor of Rihanna’s 30th birthday, we took a look back at an interview with the Barbados-native when she was just 18 years old. Here, she talked about her second album, “A Girl Like Me” in 2006. “I want to be me. I want people to fall in love with who Rihanna is, and that’s why I want the album to be about me so people can really find out who this girl Rihanna is, because they only know the ‘Pon de Replay’ girl.” Fast forward 12 years, and she’s released six more albums and has become a powerhouse in both the fashion and music industries. Happy birthday, @badgalriri 🎈(📷: Pavel Antonov) #wwdarchive


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KANSAS CITY, Mo., Aug. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The Harley-Davidson Vehicle Assembly Plant in Kansas City announced plans today for its annual Open House. This year’s event takes on special significan.
Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. The annual Open House kicked off at Harley-Davidson in York County Thursday to big crowds. This is the 110th year for the ic.
Harley-Davidson York Vehicle Operations invites the public this week to celebrate the factory’s 40th year in the York community. The factory’s annual Open House is Thursday, September 19 through Satur.
Where Are Royal Enfield Motorcycles Made The special edition model has been made under a special licence to use the Pegasus. thereby adding to the exclusivity
. executives to the White House and held them up as an example of American manufacturing at its finest. “In this administration, our allegiance will be to the American workers and to American busine.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said EU officials had mentioned the possibility of imposing a tariff on Harley-Davidson imports from Wisconsin, the home of House Speaker Paul Ryan. urgings to ke.
Motorcycle Shootout In Waco Tx WACO, Texas (CN) – An apologetic judge on Wednesday recessed the trial of a Dallas leader of the Bandidos motorcycle
Harley-Davidson is marking its 10th year of operations in India this year and to celebrate the same, Harley dealerships are offering a 10-day-long open house H-D lifestyle experience for riders and no.
The open house, “The First Look at 2018 Harley-Davidson Fleet – A World Record In The Making,” will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 25, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 26, at the Harley-Davidson Assembl.
The House of Harley-Davidson plans to open a location on South Fifth Court near downtown Milwaukee in the former Stella & Chewy’s headquarters. The motorcycle dealership will be at 2842 S. Fifth Court.
ROCKFORD — Kegel Harley-Davidson, 7125 Harrison Ave., will host the 2017 Discover More Open House from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 23, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 24 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 25. Attendees ca.
Trump’s attack, the latest in a series of criticisms of U.S. companies, was an about-face for the president, who hosted company officials and gleaming Harley-Davidson bikes on the White House lawn sho.
Michelin Commander Tires Harley Davidson Michelin has been chosen as the exclusive tire supplier to Arch Motorcycle Company‘s KRGT-1, the company’s first production motorcycle. The
Funny Looking Motorbikes I’m not certain how this happened but I’m here today with yet another review of, you guessed it, motorcycle riding
Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Visitors attending Harley-Davidson York Vehicle Operations’ annual Open House will have an opportunity to see how RUSHMORE,
President Donald Trump accused Harley-Davidson. to open new markets for them, not to raise barriers to our own market." Asked earlier Monday about the news at the day’s press briefing and whether s.
Harley-Davidson Motor Company has scheduled 2013 Open House events at three of its manufacturing operations. These events include several activities and are highlighted by free factory tours. The 2013.
Hairy Bikers Meat Pie Feb 7, 2011. Series celebrating home cooking. The Hairy Bikers eat comfort food in northern England, with recipes including meat
Harley-Davidson to Host 15th Annual Open House Sept. 23-25; York Event Includes Raffle of Brand New Heritage Softail Motorcycle to Benefit MDA YORK, Pa., Sept. 21 — Harley-Davidson is gearing up for.
While Mr. Trump says his trade policy is aimed at reviving domestic manufacturing, Harley-Davidson’s move shows how the White House approach could backfire. consumers and manufacturers is to open n.
SPRINGETTSBURY, Pa. – The Harley-Davidson plant in Springettsbury Township, York County is again hosting its annual open house weekend. The free event offers bike lovers a chance to take tours of the.
His company is currently in the design and permitting stage; Binkert hopes to break ground on the project this spring and open the new dealership next January. House of Harley-Davidson, whose company.
Harley Davidson Fishtail Exhaust Pipes But the sense of expanse is probably heightened most by the long two-into-one exhaust system, with a fat single muffler
Harley-Davidson Mena will hold its 2012 open house days under the theme ‘Join the Ride, Change Lives’ inviting riders and non-riders from Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jord.
There’s a strong sense that Harley-Davidson, the 116-year-old American icon. manufacturer and do not anticipate HOG to allocate investment capital to its own in-house manufacturing of 4-wheel vehic.
The event is held in conjunction with the annual Harley-Davidson open house weekend. Parade participants, led by a group of vintage motorcycles, will leave the York Expo Center at 6 p.m., traveling ea.


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A Miami Store Owner Installed Video Cameras To Protect Customers And Employees From The Police
1. Quickstop store owner Alex Saleh recently installed 16 security cameras in his store in Miami, but it’s not to catch criminals, it’s to catch cops.
The problems began after Saleh agreed to participate in a “zero tolerance” program aimed at reducing crime. The Miami Herald reports that via the program, police are given “broad powers to stop and arrest people who appear to be loitering or trespassing at the participating business.”
2. Saleh alleges that police officers constantly harass his customers and employees, in particluar store clerk Earl Sampson.
Sampson has been stopped by cops 258 times in the past four years and issued 62 citations for trespassing at the store where he works. Surveillance footage posted by the Miami Herald shows Sampson being arrested by police immediately after taking out the garbage during his shift.