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TORONTO (Reuters) – Kit and Ace, a Canadian apparel start-up backed by the billionaire founder of Lululemon, will open stores in London, Australia and Japan this year, ahead of schedule, prompted partly by choice real estate, one of its senior executives said.
The ramp-up in Kit and Ace’s growth plans comes as Lululemon Athletica Inc (LULU.O: Quote, Profile, Research) founder Chip Wilson, who announced last month he was quitting the yoga wear retailer’s board, shifts his attention to the casual wear company started by his wife and son.
TORONTO, March 5 (Reuters) – Canada’s main stock exchange
rose broadly on Thursday, led by healthy gains among bank shares
and forecast-beating results from Canadian Natural Resources Ltd
, the country’s No. 2 oil and gas producer.
The TSX moved in tandem with global stocks, which were
supported by the European Central Bank’s latest effort to boost
the struggling eurozone economy.
TORONTO (Reuters) – Edward Snowden, the fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor who leaked details of mass U.S. surveillance programs, said on Wednesday he is not being offered a fair trial if he returns to the United States.
“I would love to go back and face a fair trial, but unfortunately … there is no fair trial available, on offer right now,” he said from Russia in a live question and answer discussion organized by Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, Toronto’s Ryerson University and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
TORONTO, March 3 (Reuters) – Canada’s main stock exchange
retreated on Tuesday in a broad decline led by the Bank of Nova
Scotia, which reported a lower-than-expected quarterly
profit, and a sell-off in shares of Valeant Pharmaceuticals
The index was also tracking moves in the United States,
where markets were taking a pause following the latest records
set by the Dow and the S&P, and Nasdaq
closing above 5,000 for the first time since March 2000.
TORONTO (Reuters) – Canadian retailer Hudson’s Bay Co (HBC.TO: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Wednesday it has agreed to form two real estate joint ventures that would cut its debt by about C$1.1 billion ($885.60 million) and pave the way for an initial public offering or alternate transaction.
The separate deals with two real estate investment trusts, or REITs, U.S.-based Simon Property Group Inc (SPG.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Canada’s RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust (REI_u.TO: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), sent HBC’s shares soaring more than 22 percent to C$27.15 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
TORONTO, Feb 17 (Reuters) – Privately-held Cara Operations
Ltd, the company behind Canadian restaurant staples Swiss Chalet
and burger chain Harvey’s, is looking to go public again as it
aims to capitalize on the recent string of blockbuster
Canada’s third-largest restaurant operator said there are
significant opportunities for growth over the next five to seven
years in its preliminary prospectus filed late last week, ahead
of the long weekend.
TORONTO, Feb 17 (Reuters) – Restaurant Brands International
Inc, formed out of Burger King’s takeover of Canadian
coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons last year, saw higher
quarterly sales growth at both brands, but posted a net loss due
to one-time costs related to the merger.
U.S. chain Burger King bought Tim Hortons for C$12.64
billion ($10.21 billion) in August, creating the world’s
third-largest fast-food restaurant group. The two restaurant
chains are being managed as distinct and separate brands under
the parent company.
Feb 2 (Reuters) – Lululemon Athletica Inc founder
Chip Wilson said on Monday he is quitting the board of directors
of the yogawear retailer, hit nearly two years ago by a major
recall, because the company was back on track with a strong
Wilson, a sometimes controversial figure who helped build
the Canadian company into an international success story, said
the move will also allow him to focus on Kit and Ace, a casual
wear company that his wife and son launched last year.
TORONTO, Jan 19 (Reuters) – Canada’s main stock index was
little changed on Monday as a decline in oil and gas stocks,
fueled by lower crude prices, offset gains in other sectors.
The plunge in oil prices over the past six months, triggered
by worries about excess supply, has been the biggest drag on
both energy shares and Canada’s benchmark equities index. The
TSX is down about 2.5 percent this year.
NEW YORK/TORONTO (Reuters) – Target Corp (TGT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) was scrambling for ways to fix its failing Canadian expansion and considering closing just the weakest locations, but a pre-holiday visit to several stores by CEO Brian Cornell helped seal the decision for a full retreat.
Cornell spent the weekend before Christmas making solo visits to stores in Ontario and Quebec, Canada’s most populous provinces, according to a Target source familiar with the U.S. discount retailer’s decision to pull out of Canada.


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Last month, Central Standard Timing announced that after two years and over a million dollars, which was given by Kickstarter backers, it will be unable to provide its famous watch, CST-01. The timepiece, which was dubbed the “thinnest watch in the world” was said to be 0.8 mm… Read More
Way back in January 2013, Chicago-based startup Central Standard Timing launched a Kickstarter campaign for the CST-01 described as the “the world’s thinnest watch.” The cool looking mock ups, even with no production prototype, wooed many to support this project. The flexible cuff watch was said to be 0.8 mm thick and using… Read More
Since the last time we compiled this list some interesting trends are emerging, not the least of which is the sheer dominance of gaming-related campaigns on the Kickstarter platform – both tabletop games and video games. Interestingly enough, none of the top 10 have changed,… Read More
Updated: Click here for the most recent version of this list… You may remember that we recently did this list on December 31st of last year. In just short of six months we have added 14 more campaigns to the list of Kickstarter raises that have… Read More
A Kickstarter project for CST-01, “the world’s thinnest watch,” collected more than four times its original fundraising goal with three days left to go. Though it hasn’t reached the Pebble level yet, CST-01 has more than 6,000 backers who’ve raised $907,755. The flexible cuff watch is 0.8 mm thick and… Read More
Crowdfund Insider is the leading news and information website covering the emerging global industry of disruptive finance including investment crowdfunding, Blockchain, online lending, and other forms of Fintech.

domain: news


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People won’t just be playing Spice & Wolf VR on PCs. Gemdrops Game Studios has announced via Twitter that it will also be coming to the Nintendo Switch. This version will use the Nintendo Labo VR Kit.
The Spice & Wolf VR Nintendo Switch version is currently in development. It will be released after the PlayStation 4 version. Both currently have a Summer 2019 release window. As a reminder, this VR experience allows people to see through Kraft Lawrence’s eyes as he and Holo take shelter from a storm in a mill.
Spice & Wolf VR will arrive on the PC for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift on June 3, 2019. The Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Oculus Quest versions will arrive sometime after in Summer 2019. Its theme song is “Silence.”


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Welcome to CompetitionFeed, a weekly newsletter with the most recent and relevant competition and anti-trust news, blogs and journal publications. Never miss an update. If you’d like to receive issues over email, you can sign-up here.
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Enjoying this newsletter? Share it with friends, coworkers and colleagues.
Here below, you find the most recent and relevant competition and anti-trust news, blogs and journal publications over the last week.
Margrethe Vestager has been waiting for an administration like this — the European Union’s top tech cop says it’s a “dream come true” to have a president in the White House who’s dedicated to reeling in Big Tech. But what will that EU-U.S. cooperation look like? That’s what host Ryan Heath wants to know. Also on the docket: Vestager’s game plan to protect whistleblowers, plus her own rules for tech at home.
The Bundeskartellamt has today published a progress report on its ongoing sector inquiry into charging station infrastructure (“Sector inquiry on the provision and marketing of publicly accessible charging infrastructure for electric vehicles”). Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt: "Effective competition concerning the charging stations will help to promote nationwide coverage, reasonable prices and a range of choice for final consumers. In order to ensure this, we have to provide for open and non-discriminatory access to the market already in the current phase of infrastructure development. By making suitable public areas available and granting subsidies, the state itself holds the key to more competition with regard to the charging stations.” Read more.
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Expect the upcoming Yamaha R15M to cost a premium of Rs 5,000-10,000 over the standard YZF R15 V3.0
It recently came to light that Yamaha will introduce a new top-spec trim of its entry-level sports bike YZF R15 in India. Also, a type approval document revealed a few key details about the upcoming Yamaha R15M.
Not just the naming convention but the overall styling also seems to be inspired by the flagship Yamaha R1M. Earlier leaked images indicate that the upcoming iteration is expected to feature more premium components in comparison to the standard model.
Slated to be christened R15M, this new variant has started arriving at authorized dealer showrooms in India. RevNitro has managed to get exclusive photos of the new Yamaha R15M in two colour options of Yamaha Blue and Silver.
Yamaha has been testing various prototypes in recent months of whom one of them is expected to be the new R15M. Going by recent images, the upcoming motorcycle dons similar faired clothing as its regular sibling but receives a few subtle yet notable styling variations. For instance, R15 gets a single projector LED headlamp instead of dual-beam headlights in the standard R15 upfront.
The single projector headlight is flanked by sleek LED DRLs on both sides. Other design updates include use of different body panels. R15M gets the same tail section as the base trim, however, the former seems to receive larger air ducts.
LED taillamp unit also appears to be redesigned. Additionally, it features a new front fairing and a larger windscreen. Overall, the front face is reminiscent of the larger R7. It will also get Bluetooth enabled features for phone calls and navigation.
The exhaust muffler appears to be stubbier than the one in R15 and gets a metallic finish. Due to the revised exhaust setup, footpegs for the pillion also seem to be repositioned. Previous images have revealed that it will also wear a special livery inspired by MotoGP Edition with Monster Energy branding flashed across the front apron.
It is not just glitter but also functionality that has been improved. The most critical update is the use of USD forks at front which improves the bike’s handling quite a few notches. The golden-coloured forks also enhance the bike’s sporty aesthetics. Also accentuating the motorcycle’s sporty appeal will be the blacked-out alloy rims. However, R15M remains dimensionally identical to the regular model.
The type approval documents further revealed that R15 will be powered by the same 155cc single-cylinder, air-cooled engine with VVA technology and paired with a six-speed gearbox. Surprisingly, this motor on R15M churns out close to 18 bhp (13.6 kW) of power which is a tad less than what is on offer with R15 V3 (13.7 kW). It will be interesting to see if there are any changes to its torque output.


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After two and a half years at the helm of General Motors South America, Carlos Zarlenga placeholder image He decided leave your post at the beginning of September. The reason? Found Qell Latam Partners, an investment and operations fund that he created together with the Brazilian Francisco Valim, an experienced public company executive from your country.
The initial focus of Qell Latam Partners will be on the companies related to the automotive industry with valuations that are among the 500 and 3.000 million dollars.
Zarlenga decided to embark on a new path by analyzing the current situation of the sector in this part of the world. “There is a fatigue of the multinationals with respect to South America. Many are making strategic decisions and are reviewing their presence in the region ”, admitted in an interview to La Nación.
These doubts generated by South America are not only given by the economies of the countries themselves, but also by the direction that the industry has taken. “The world has plunged into a race for electrification and Latin America is being left out, he evaluates. By 2030, 60% of the cars sold in the United States, Europe and China will be electric. In comparison, in the region the figure will not exceed between 15% and 20% ", admits
With this scenario, many multinationals are trying to sell their subsidiaries in South America, but they cannot find alternatives. “The first option would be to sell the branch to a competitor, although no one would buy it. The second is to reach an agreement with local companies, but they are not capitalized for this type of transaction. The third, the most terrifying, is to close operations ", the executive listed.
“Qell is a new alternative for these companies. We are a private equity model firm, with access to capital, that seeks to buy these subsidiaries, generate scale, investment and make them sustainable. Being in this industry for so long, and being an observer of it, it seemed like a great opportunity. That is why I decided to leave General Motors and found Qell "Zarlenga explained.
Qell Latam Partners will focus on all companies in the automotive sector, from suppliers to terminals. “We are looking for companies with factories, products, engineering, technology. We will create opportunities for them to be sustainable. Both from the point of view of global companies and investors, there is a lot of interest in Qell and the proposition that we bring. We have also developed many relationships with global institutional investors. To this, I also want to add local capitals that create in the industry ", he remarked.
quell is headquartered in San Francisco and is run by its founders Barry engle, former president of General Motors North America and General Motors International; and Sam gabbita.
In September of last year he raised 380 million through an initial public offering on Nasdaq and, after pooling other 450 million, the company recently closed a merger operation of 3.000 million with the aerospace company Lilium GmbH.


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Experience a whole new way to interact with your PC like never before. With the power to understand your motions, recognize your face and respond to your voice, 5th generation(Broadwell-H) Intel Core processors takes computing to the next level.
To lead the gaming market, MSI is adopting Nahimic sound technology to boost the audio performance for their new range of gaming computers. So what’s new about this? Now, they can offer immersive virtual 7.1 sound in high definition using exclusive stereo equipment.
At the very cutting edge of innovation, Nahimic sound technology has been approved for its quality and precision in projects undertaken by the military field, and also the aeronautics industry. Now, they are looking to make some serious noise in the world of gaming by becoming the next piece of your lethal arsenal.


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…introduces a new event, Medlab, for the medical diagnostic sector The number one question everyone has is – Is it possible to revolutionize healthcare in
Rite Foods Limited’s Fearless Energy Drink has once again achieved a remarkable milestone by being crowned “Africa’s Most Preferred Non-alcoholic Energy Drink Brand of the
In the fast-paced realm of technology, where innovation reigns supreme, OPPO has etched its name as a pioneer, renowned for pushing boundaries and delivering products
Elvis EromoseleIntroduction The consumer is the nucleus of all production and marketing activities. It is therefore important for brands toobserve the consumer closely and pay particular
Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Unveils FUZE Talent Show 2.0: Cultivating creative excellence in Nigerian youths
Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, a subsidiary of Stanbic IBTC Holdings, has unveiled the highly anticipated second season of its transformative initiative – FUZE Talent Show.
…event scheduled for Saturday, 23 rd September 2023 at Starfield Montessori School, Lagos The Akada Children’s Book Festival (ACBF) will return toLagos for its fifth


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Hugh Jackman recently became a big fan of Nigerian food after visiting a popular restaurant chain over the weekend.
The popular Australian actor, famous for his role as Wolverine in the Marvel movies, is now in London to shoot the next Deadpool movie. However, the production of the film has temporarily stopped because of the Sag-Aftra actors’ strike.
Hugh, who is 54 years old, is currently not busy with work. He is enjoying his time in the UK and recently decided to eat delicious food at a Nigerian restaurant called Enish.
The famous actor surprised the employees and customers at a restaurant on Oxford Street. His children suggested the restaurant to him.
A representative from the restaurant said that he went there over the weekend with his friends and they ordered a variety of dishes, including BBQ chicken for their appetizer.
For the main course, they had different dishes like jollof rice cooked with stockfish, yam porridge served with chicken, jollof rice with fresh fish, Ogbona soup accompanied by pounded yam and fried fish. They had Coke, Nigerian Fanta, and a big glass of Merlot to drink.
Yes, it’s true, Hugh tasted Nigerian Fanta and definitely enjoyed it.
The spokesperson said that it was the person’s first time trying Nigerian food. Their kids suggested that they go to that place. He liked his food and we saw him moving to the Afrobeats music in the restaurant.
‘He was a nice and friendly customer to have in the restaurant. ‘
Hugh made himself inconspicuous by wearing a cap and dressing casually in a T-shirt and jeans. But, he gladly showed his face and smiled for a picture that was shared on the Enish Instagram account.
In simple words, they wrote in the caption: ‘Hugh Jackman visited our Enish Oxford St branch this weekend and enjoyed some traditional Nigerian food. ‘
Enish’s fans really liked that Hugh enjoyed the food from West Africa. Some even called it “awesome” and one person said they love Hugh Jackman.
Another person on Instagram made a joke about someone needing to recharge themselves by eating fufu.
Now that Hugh likes the restaurant, there are many other places he can go to because the restaurant has branches in Brixton, Croydon, Finchley, and even Dubai. Additionally, a new store will be opening in Covent Garden on September 14th.
Enish, a company started by Olushola and Eniola Medupin in 2013, is now valued at £10 million.
Hugh has been seen at other restaurants besides Enish. In July, he went to The Waffle House in Norwich and had a big and indulgent meal.
Hugh ordered a normal milkshake with cream on top and banana waffles. However, his main meal was unusual. Hugh chose waffles covered in cheese, mushrooms, and what seemed to be ground meat.
He wrote with his post: ‘I am enjoying a special meal just for myself. Oops I didn’t give any to others. ‘ “I don’t feel apologetic. ”
The actor from Les Miserables has a lot of free time because the filming for Deadpool 3, in which he acts alongside Ryan Reynolds, got delayed because of a strike among actors in Hollywood.
Ryan and Rob, who are famous actors, were spotted hanging out with local people at a football match of Wrexham FC last month. Ryan was able to get tickets because he is one of the owners of the Welsh football team, along with Rob McElhenney.
Marvel fans are excitedly waiting for Hugh to come back as Wolverine. He last portrayed the character in the movie Logan from 2017.


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Yes! You Heard it Right!! According to an Report # Facebook Will Bring An Messaging App For Teenagers In order to avoid being victim of online harassment, the legendary social networking company Facebook is supposed to bring a different messaging app for Teenagers. These apps will allow parents of Teenagers to keep an eye with whom their children are in touch on the social network.
This app of Facebook ‘Talk’ can not be used by adults or ordinary people, but its designed for the use of Teenagers. If an unknown person tries to use the app by taking advantage of any Teenagers and the app will detect some area and App will get closed itself.
According to the website ‘The information’, this new app wil use an code from Facebook to make maximum parental controls on it. According to the code of this app, ‘Talk is a messaging app, where you can control all the contacts and your child can talk to you in Messenger using the Talk app.’
This app can be used by teenagers over the age of 13 years and will not need a Facebook account for its use. In a recent Australian newspaper, it was said that using social networks, advertisers will only be able to target teenagers up to 14 years of age. So Interestingly Facebook has taken a step ahead to secure kids and Teenagers from the scams or becoming victims of social media cheats or hacks.
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The Sizzling San Francisco Market
San Francisco is one of the strongest markets in the nation, says Stephen Van Dusen, managing director with Eastdil Secured, in a presentation to the NAIOP Board of Directors at the National Forums Symposium today in San Francisco.
What’s driving demand? The tech sector, says Van Dusen, but ancillary businesses are benefiting, too. Tech companies attract legal and financial services, and greater growth across the board equals residential demand and retail expansion.
Of the fourteen largest tech companies in San Francisco, only one was here in 2001: eBay. Today, Google, Salesforce, Twitter, Adobe, Dolby, Square, Microsoft, Yelp, Uber, Macy’s, eBay, Amazon, LinkedIn and Dropbox have enjoyed a cumulative 100,000+ square feet of net growth since the last cycle – with demand to expand.
San Francisco’s tight vacancy rate is creating a compelling story for strategic developers who want to time the market cycle. Rents are still shy of 2000 rates of $81.50, but are starkly higher than the $50.66 rents of 2007. Today, Q1 2015 rates are $67.
Also heard at the National Forums Symposium:
- Proposition M limits development to 875,000 square feet of office each year, with a carry-forward provision. From 2002-2012, only two buildings were built, so the carry-over is enormous.
- For every five deals done in the market, three are in cash.
- Creative space? Locals call it “trophy tech” to appeal to the up-and-coming tech companies seeking space in San Francisco. With great locations for public transportation, tech companies are attracted to collaborative workspaces.
- Replacement costs in San Francisco are $900-1,000 per square foot – and growing. The only higher costs are in NYC.
- The current cycle demand is location and floor plate — much different than the last cycle’s demand for views.
Kathryn Hamilton, CAE, is Vice President for Marketing and Communications at NAIOP Corporate.


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Successfully implementing generative AI in your group requires a thoughtful strategy and focusing on viewing AI as a complementary software. Two days after the Facebook outage, individuals are still having points logging into their accounts. Utah’s Republican leaders are going through stiff blowback after lengthy lines and technology issues at a number of the 2,300 neighborhood caucus areas made Utah the last of the 15 Super Tuesday states to release voting numbers. Named ‘Playables’, the function presently beneath beta testing, permits YouTube users to play fun mini games on the house…
- The findings are set to forge a path in direction of a better understanding of cancer.
- The result of a model new research on the intrinsic dynamics of spatio-temporal processes conducted on the MOX laboratory of the Politecnico di Milano by Francesco Regazzoni, Stefano Pagani, Matteo Salvador …
- Previously public game info was an all-or-nothing choice, however Steam now lets you choose which video games will not appear to your mates.
- Researchers have discovered water vapor in the disc round a younger star exactly where planets could also be forming.
- Yuzu’s $2.4M settlement with Nintendo has been permitted by a judge.
Vivo is launching the V30 and V30 Pro in India right now, that includes the primary Zeiss lens in a mid-range telephone and promising flagship-level picture quality. Xiaomi India is launching its first flagship smartphone of the yr right now –– the Xiaomi 14. The smartphone comes with Snapdragon 8 Gen three, up to 12 GB RAM, and a triple camera setup of 50-megapixel cameras. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has vetoed what would have been one of Technology News the far-reaching social media bans for minors. Bitcoin has hit an all-time high less than two years after the collapse of the crypto trade FTX severely broken religion in digital currencies and sent costs plunging. Google’s new text-to-image generator displayed obvious biases after only three weeks online.


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We now know when to book our tickets to Disney’s brand-new Star Wars theme parks. The company announced today that it will open Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on May 31st at Disneyland in California and on August 29th in Florida’s Disney World Resort. There’s a caveat, though: both parks will open with only one of the two major planned rides ready to run right away.
Disney says it’s bumped the opening dates for the parks up a bit (they were previously expected this summer and late fall, respectively) due to “high guest interest.” But the company is also spacing out the release of its two announced rides, Smugglers Run and Rise of the Resistance. Smuggler’s Run, which will let guests pilot the iconic Millennium Falcon, will open in May as “phase one,” with Rise of the Resistance — where riders wind up in the middle of a battle between the First Order and Resistance — following “later this year” as “phase two.”


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Priceline Group Inc (NASDAQ:PCLN) has been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the thirty-three research firms that are covering the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twenty-six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $1,841.63.
Several research analysts have recently weighed in on PCLN shares. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $2,100.00 price objective (up from $1,900.00) on shares of Priceline Group in a report on Tuesday, February 28th. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Priceline Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 7th. Vetr cut shares of Priceline Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $1,792.67 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, January 30th. Goldman Sachs Group Inc boosted their price objective on shares of Priceline Group from $1,550.00 to $1,750.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 28th. Finally, Miller Tabak assumed coverage on shares of Priceline Group in a report on Wednesday, January 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $1,750.00 target price for the company.
Priceline Group (NASDAQ:PCLN) traded down 0.50% during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $1752.01. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 430,421 shares. The firm has a market cap of $86.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.08 and a beta of 1.62. Priceline Group has a 52-week low of $1,148.06 and a 52-week high of $1,798.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1,761.48 and a 200-day moving average of $1,588.95.
Priceline Group (NASDAQ:PCLN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 27th. The business services provider reported $14.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $13.09 by $1.12. Priceline Group had a net margin of 18.91% and a return on equity of 34.70%. The firm earned $2.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.32 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $10.73 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Priceline Group will post $74.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.
In other Priceline Group news, CEO Gillian Tans sold 122 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,743.00, for a total transaction of $212,646.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 6,289 shares in the company, valued at $10,961,727. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel J. Finnegan sold 3,052 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,730.38, for a total transaction of $5,281,119.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 20,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,955,566.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PCLN. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its position in Priceline Group by 17.9% in the first quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 42,067 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $74,878,000 after buying an additional 6,379 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in Priceline Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $240,000. Huntington National Bank raised its position in Priceline Group by 66.4% in the first quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 10,015 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $17,827,000 after buying an additional 3,997 shares during the period. Columbus Circle Investors raised its position in Priceline Group by 26.0% in the first quarter. Columbus Circle Investors now owns 60,654 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $107,962,000 after buying an additional 12,501 shares during the period. Finally, Boys Arnold & Co. Inc. raised its position in Priceline Group by 22.0% in the first quarter. Boys Arnold & Co. Inc. now owns 272 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $484,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.28% of the company’s stock.
Priceline Group Company Profile
The Priceline Group Inc is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.
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Luxury cinemas around the world to open this year
Luxury cinema chains are set to open in more than 80 countries this year, as the country prepares to celebrate its 150th anniversary.
Luxury cinema chains are among the most popular in the world, and have seen a surge in popularity in recent years, thanks to the rise of social media and the demand for more premium quality entertainment.
With the advent of the internet, people are increasingly able to share information, such as pricing and availability, on social media, said Yossi Katz, executive director of the Luxury Cinema Association, a lobby group representing the leading luxury cinema chains.
In 2016, for example, the number of luxury cinema ticket sales in the U.S. shot up by more than 50% compared to the previous year, Katz said.LUXURY CINEMA ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA The association’s executive director, Yossie Katz, said he believes that the industry is ready for the next phase of its transformation.
The future of luxury film distribution, he said, is bright.


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Pay television isn’t growing at the same rate as the larger economic recovery, reports the New York Post, citing a study from research firm SNL Kagan.
The housing market added half a million new units in the fourth quarter, but pay-TV operators including cable and satellite companies added only 51,000 new customers, the study found.
Pay-TV companies lost 5,000 customers in the first three quarters of the year, so the industry actually only gained 46,000 customers in 2012, the story notes.
"Relative to population growth, if accurate, an estimate like this one is troubling, and speaks to the need for change in traditional TV, and also of the effectiveness of new online video alternatives,” Kagan said.
The report suggests that when people move into new homes, they’re not ordering cable or other pay-TV services.


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Computer chip maker AMD announced it began shipping its new APUs (Advanced Processing Units) to computer makers this morning from its Singapore plant. At its analyst day presentation AMD executives described and demonstrated the APUs, which combine an advanced CPU (general purpose computer processing unit) with an advanced GPU (graphics processing unit) on a single chip.
Emphasizing what a groundbreaking point has been reached, CEO Dirk Meyer held up a typical sized CPU and then a mid-range GPU card, which was about the size of a small paperback book. Then he held up the APU that will have the equivalent CPU and GPU computing power. It was smaller than the CPU chip, about the size of a postage stamp. I know that the GPU card contains not only a GPU chip but memory, a fan, and connections for video output, so the comparison was a bit of an exageration. But it is a sort of computing grail achievement that goes beyond mere size comparisons.
Of course, knowing AMD has been working for years to achieve this feat, much larger rival Intel has announced that it will also have an integrated cpu/gpu product release for 2011. AMD executives mocked it, as well they might. We know it is an inferior product. It supports a graphics standard called DX10, which is now four years old. AMD supports DX11. It is true that most older software and games can't take advantage of DX11.
But many games already can, and most graphics software updates are moving to DX11. So Intel will be making an offering that can't cope with new games or software. When you buy a new computer, it is often because you want to take advantage of new software. Intel will be leaving consumers in the lurch.
Nevertheless, Intel is the Goliath, and AMD's previous attempts to take on the giant have had mixed results. Intel's profits are usually higher than AMD's revenues, and Intel spends way more on R&D than AMD. A few years ago Intel was so far behind in graphics, it is remarkable that they are maybe only 2 years behind now.
Intel will heavily outspend AMD in marketing, and will omit to tell consumers that its chips can't run DX11. So for AMD to take a lot of market share in 2011, it has to get its story out. In my experience retailers are more interested in Intel advertising subsidies than in making sure consumers make an informed choice between computers based on AMD and Intel. I would hope that tech "geniuses" would tell show off their stuff by telling the public to choose AMD if they want good graphics and video capabilities. But it seems that a lot of technology mavens are employed by Intel and Apple.
If the word does get out that Intel cpu/gpu combination chips are not good enough, AMD's ability to take market share could become capacity constrained. Intel has a huge production capability to match its market share; AMD's capacity can only be expanded so much in the short run.
Still, even a 10% increase in revenues for AMD in 2011, with maybe a 1% increase in market share, would be a boon for AMD.
Watch this space closely. The actual computers will start being available to the public in January, traditionally a slow period for computer sales. Public acceptance of the new AMD products, or resistance to Intel advertising, should be knowable by March or so, and act as a predictor for the remainder of the year.
For investors a key element will be margins. AMD believes that with the new processors (and server chips introduced in 2010) it can improve its non-GAAP gross margin from about 40% for 2010 to about 44% to 48% in 2011. If that turns out to be true (if Intel does not start a price war), then earnings will rise nicely and AMD will be in an even better position to compete with Intel in 2012.
Dirk Meyer showed an HP thin light notebook running gaming level graphics using the new APU chips. He claimed it could run 8 to 10 hours on one battery charge, and would cost less than $600. I want one, and it would work a lot better for me than a smaller form factor tablet computer. This ability to reduce power consumption is being introduced across the range of new AMD products in 2011: for netbooks, notebooks, desktops, and servers. That is good news.


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Cell phone robberies have been on the rise for the last number of years. Lawmakers in Washington have taken notice, and manufacturers may finally be planning to do something about it.
Apple and Samsung say they are going to put 'kill switches' into new devices, which, if you activate them, would make them useless for anyone that steals your phone. Maggie Reardon at CNET says the threat of regulation is motivating the cell phone makers.
“You’ve got Minnesota that’s adopted a law. California is trying to push through legislation. And there’s a bill at the Federal level that’s still in committee that people are trying to push through,” Reardon told KTRH News.
Reardon says the manufacturers had to do something.
“They would rather do this themselves than be forced to do this through regulation. They realize this is something that lawmakers want and they are trying to figure out a way to do it,” Reardon explained.
No one is 100% sure how it would work, but it looks like it will be an 'opt-in' feature when you set up your phone. Reardon, though, is afraid many people will ignore it just like they do the password feature your phone has.
“If it’s ‘opt’-in’ not everyone is going to do it,” Reardon stated.
And then there’s the question of whether or not it’s a good solution.
“Hopefully it will act as a deterrent,” Reardon said.
Last year over 3 million people reported having their phones stolen. That was up from 1.6 million people in 2012.


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Actress Natassia Malthe as “Scarlet” speaks with director David Nutter on the set for “Scarlet,” LG Electronics’ marketing campaign for their new flatscreen TV. (AP)
Scarlet may look like a new TV show and act like a new TV show but its no new TV show.
When it came time to pitch its new series of slimmer-than-slim LCD flatscreen TVs, LG Electronics opted to coyly offer Scarlet as a new TV series from director David Nutter, whose credits include The Sopranos, Smallville and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, instead of pointing out screen size and pixel resolution to potential buyers.
The big-budget advertising campaign, conceived by LG global brand marketing vice president Kwan-Sup Lee and a team of advertising and marketing agencies, stars model-actress Natassia Malthe as the sexed-up, butt-kicking, red-eyed heroine Scarlet. Theres no mention of LG or even a prominent image of the TV itself in the advertising materials or commercials.
To be honest, the most difficult thing for me on this campaign was to convince myself and my bosses to really own this idea, says Lee. To spend money without letting people know about our brand is really, really risky, right? But thats the idea of this. We need a breakthrough idea to change the rules of the game.
Risky, sure. Isnt it also just plain sneaky?
Were obviously trying to fool people, but its done in a fun and engaging sort of way, says Tim Alessi, LG director of product development and advertising.
Billboards for Scarlet began popping up in cities like Paris, Los Angeles and Singapore about a month ago while commercials and online ads began appearing on sites like Gawker, Variety and E! Online as early as two weeks ago. They all led viewers to ScarletSeries.tv, a site that features a high-impact movie-like trailer.
LG officially announced Scarlets identity at a ritzy invitation-only Hollywood party attended by celebs such as Lindsay Lohan, Milo Ventimiglia, Paris Hilton and Tila Tequila at the Pacific Design Center on Monday night. The company wont say how much it has spent on the global campaign, although Alessi confirms it was millions more than a typical product launch in the U.S.
The movie-like online trailer for Scarlet, which was shot in Bangkok, sees Malthe strutting down a red carpet, performing martial arts moves and walking away from an exploding building. Im gonna put her in every home in the planet, a suited guy foreshadows. At the end of the clip, an announcer teases, Things arent always what they seem.
Its not the first time marketers have used online subterfuge for promotional purposes. However, such tricky tactics are usually reserved to publicize entertainment properties such as actual TV shows (Lost) and movies (Cloverfield) rather than products available on store shelves.
The nontraditional campaign hasnt exactly ignited Scarlet fever online. With no mention of a TV network in the ads, Internet rumblings quickly turned to trying to figure out exactly what was being sold in the Scarlet campaign. Shampoo? Clothes? Cameras? Some folks figured out the big secret, while others remained in the dark.
Looks like it could be a good series, one YouTube user posted.
This feels fake to me, wrote someone else.
I think thats terrible to trick people to sell something, said someone on Yahoo! Answers.


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New Zealanders on shopping sprees spent up a storm on Boxing Day.
The national payment system, Paymark, says about $140 million were spent by shoppers this year, up 11 percent on last year.
Paymark spokesperson Paul Brislen said Whanganui and Gisborne recorded the strongest growth, increasing more than 20 percent.
He said the poor weather was a deciding factor in people heading to the sales.
"Kiwis do like to have something to do on Boxing Day itself - get out of the house and have a bit of a potter around, particulary if it's wet," he said.
"It's more of a social occassion, rather than just a straight out shopping spree. But it's very still much part of the landscape."
They recorded 2.5 million debit and credit card transactions, he said.
Earlier this week, Consumer NZ warned people to be wary of spending up large on their credit cards in the Boxing Day sales.
Chief executive Sue Chetwin said shoppers should research products carefully before buying, to make sure they were the right things.
"What can happen that you've got something heavily discounted but discount is soon eaten up with the interest rate that you're paying on the credit card if you don't pay your card off in full," Ms Chetwin said.
"We know some people get a bit of a shock when their bills come in January and February just how much they have spent pre Christmas and then in the Boxing Day sales."
Ms Chetwin said retailers were not obliged to refund or exchange products unless they were faulty.


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Letter to the Editor
Hidden taxes are passed along to all consumers
Tuesday, May 6, 2003
To the editor:
A hidden tax can be one placed on the manufacturers and suppliers of goods and services. What Gov. Bob Holden fails to mention is that this tax is eventually passed on to the consumers. The additional cost of the tax is passed along to all consumers regardless of their income. Taxes on goods and services generally impact the low-income earner's standard of living more than it impacts the wealthy.
Marble Hill, Mo.


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LatamList – After launching in January 2021, Plerk is announcing today that it has raised $1M in Pre-Seed funding from Y Combinator, Magma Partners, 500 Startups, Peak Capital, Horseplay.ventures, and MGV Capital Group, along with participation from Podium co-founders Eric Rea and Dennis Steele, Rappi’s Andres Bilbao, and Truora’s Daniel Bilbao. In fact, this marks Peak Capital’s first investment outside of the US and Horseplay Ventures’ first investment in Latin America.
When the pandemic hit the world by storm last year, the founders of Isibit, an all-in-one platform for business travel, faced unfortunate timing for their business model. Although sales had started to pick up by the end of 2020 and they had been accepted into the YC Summer 2020 batch, they understood that the world was becoming remote-first and decided to pivot.
Staying true to their original mission to help improve the quality of life of employees, they launched Plerk, a virtual card for companies to provide their employees with perks and benefits worldwide.
The startup– founded by Antonio Martínez ex-Banregio Labs, and ex-Rappi employees Miguel Medina and Angel Arias– aims to create a platform where fintech meets human resources. The idea for Plerk originated as a virtual card to pay for flexible benefits and services. Companies can deposit a certain amount of funds for their employees who can then choose from over 5,000,000 vendors around the world to spend the money on.
“About 80% of companies in Latin America continue to work remotely or have part of their team doing so. So, decentralizing the benefits that used to take place in offices under the same roof and enabling employees to access them in the palms of their hands with a virtual card is what allows us to grow. We understand that the future of work is remote as companies have been hiring for the past 14 months based on talent and not geography,” commented Miguel.
While most of their revenue comes from Colombia and Chile, the platform is present in 8 different countries, including the US. In compliance with the Federal Labor Law reform in Mexico, which states that companies must pay for Internet, electricity, and any other remote work tool, Plerk is the first platform in the country that allows this transaction to be made in two payments: one part can be paid with Plerk’s card and the other, with the employee’s personal card.
“Plerk goes beyond being your usual perks and benefits platform. With the new reality of remote work, being able to provide a work-life balance to distributed teams is vital to their success. We’re excited to help Plerk grow in Latin America to help transform the modern workplace,” said Nathan Lustig, Managing Partner at Magma Partners.
With the new funding, Plerk plans to expand its team of 20 people by hiring first in Chile and Colombia, focusing on recruiting the most talented women in the region. On a mission to integrate more employee benefits in one single card, the team also plans to continue to grow its product offering to international financial services.
Interested in forming part of the Plerk team? Apply here.


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Asia Bizz: After the low-priced Aakash tablet PC, Rohit Pande, a graduate from the popular Indian Institute of Technology, Calcutta, has developed the new Classpad which has been launched in the Indian market. Pande has returned to the institute where he launched the new tablet for the domestic market.
The maker of the tablet has now planned to make education accessible to each and every student according to his own merit and intellect. With the help of the new Classpad tablet, students can have a more personalized and interactive learning experience in the classroom so that education is accessible to every student according to his abilities.
The new Classpad tablet PC allows teachers to transfer class work to the student’s tablet and the students can also share the content easily. The device will also help the students to give undivided attention to the class lessons, attempt assignments and get results to further enhance their results.
The new Classpad has a 1.3 GHz processor with a built in memory of 4 GB which can be expandable up to 8 GB. Rohit Pande, the CEO of Classteacher Learning Systems, said at the launch if the device that the present education system does not differentiate students according to their learning capabilities and teach them at the same level, so the software helps in solving the problem.


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LUDWIGSHAFEN, Germany — March 4, 2021 — trinamiX, a wholly owned subsidiary of BASF SE, now supports the reliable differentiation between nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 with its Mobile Near-Infrared (NIR) Spectroscopy Solution. Within seconds, plastic waste from the two nylons can be sorted using a handy measuring device as part of trinamiX’s solution. With this new application, trinamiX is responding to customer wishes and expands its broad offering for plastic sorting.
Nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 belong to the most sought-after engineering plastics. Thanks to their robustness, they are suitable for a wide range of applications — from fishing nets to resilient components. Since nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 have similar properties, they are used interchangeably in numerous applications — and it is virtually impossible to distinguish them with the naked eye. At the same time, the separation of nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 has gained traction in recent years in light of growing requirements within the recycling industry. As a result, the production of high-quality single-grade plastic recyclates — including nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 — is becoming increasingly lucrative.
“For many recycling companies, sorting PA6 and PA66 previously involved a cumbersome analysis process – and, therefore, proved often times neither profitable nor feasible,” explained Adrian Vogel, manager, Sales and Business Development Spectroscopy Solutions at trinamiX. “With our new application, recycling companies can quickly determine the polyamide type and process the waste streams accordingly.”
Besides the recycling industry, plastics processing companies who rely on nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 in their products also benefit from trinamiX’s new application. They are now enabled to perform a clean separation of PA6 and PA66 production rejects or waste. In-house recycling processes can thus be geared towards an optimized and more efficient use of valuable resources.
In addition to distinguishing nylon 6 and nylon 6,6, trinamiX Mobile NIR Spectroscopy Solution can already identify all common plastics — from classic polyolefins such as PE and PP, to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and engineering plastics such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Recycling companies as well as manufacturers, traders and processors of goods made from recyclate benefit from a flexible and mobile solution that offers user-oriented applications for the sorting of plastic components and packaging materials.
Launched last year, trinamiX’s solution combines robust hardware with intelligent data analysis and a mobile app. NIR spectroscopy is a proven technology that trinamiX has integrated into a portable format for on-site analysis. In doing so, trinamiX relies on cloud-based data processing, which ensures continuous development of the solution — there is no need to replace hardware. This way, trinamiX can continuously develop new applications and react flexibly to new challenges in the field of plastic sorting – while working closely together with customers as in the case of its new nylon 6/nylon 6,6 application.
Posted March 4, 2021
Source: trinamiX GmbH / BASF


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Reiswerk, the €523m Dutch pension fund for the travel sector, said it would look into deferring contribution payments, in order to alleviate the burden on the industry posed by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Frank Radstake, head of social and consumer affairs at industry organisation ANVR, said many travel organisations currently lack the means for the monthly payment of premiums, as travel arrangements are massively being cancelled, while new bookings have dropped by at least 80%.
He said the body tried to keep liquidity in the sector by developing a “corona voucher” for cancellations, which would entitle travellers to book a holiday later, rather than reimburse them directly.
However, Radstake noted that more was required to prevent companies from going bust.
Arnold Jager, the pension fund’s chair, confirmed that Reiswerk had received dozens of requests for deferment of premium payments, which total €3m a month.
He said that granting an industry-wide respite would not be possible just like that, as the rule of “pension rights without payment” still applied.
“So, we need to determine under which conditions we can grant companies deferment, and we must also find out to which extent we can accommodate these requests,” he added.
Radstake said the travel industry had already “massively” applied for a reduction of working hours, and that some organisations had already closed until early April.
Nationwide, 47,000 companies have put in requests for shortening the working week. Radstake noted that payment arrangements could work for a short while, but that more drastic measures are needed if the COVID-19 crisis continues for months.
The Dutch hospitality and catering industry, the culture and events sector, and flower growers are well-known examples of ailing businesses, but many more firms in other sectors are facing bankruptcy.
Addressing the Dutch people last night, prime minister Mark Rutte said the cabinet will do “its utmost to prevent companies from going bust and workers from losing their jobs”.
The cabinet is expected to come up with additional measures later this week.


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INDONESIA: Labour outsourcing protests in Jakarta
The Indonesian capital Jakarta saw further demonstrations against the country’s controversial practice of labour outsourcing by global manufacturing companies.
Among those accused of this practice, which involves engaging third-party companies to hire people to work alongside full time workers in core production operations, are electronics giant Samsung and Toyota, the biggest-selling vehicle brand in the country.
Wednesday’s protests, organised by the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Union (KSPI), concentrated on the main traffic circle in central Jakarta and outside the Japanese and South Korean embassies.
Outsourced workers do not enjoy the same welfare, pensions and holiday benefits as workers employed full time directly by the principal company.
The government in October moved to restrict the practice of outsources in manufacturing to non production support operations such as security, transportation, catering and cleaning.
Quarterly and other results to the thirty-oneth of March continued to dribble in this week so let's start by hoisting the Union Jack, drum roll, trumpet blast, and highlight Jaguar Land Rover's 11% fu...
More read-it-and-weep news for struggling European rivals from Volkswagen group this week as it chalked up another little milestone - selling over 3m vehicles in the first four months of a year....
Toyota Motor plans a joint venture with a local company in China to produce batteries for the country's growing petrol-electric hybrid car market, a Beijing-based company spokesman said....
Car sales in the US are expected to get back on track in May according to analysts at Edmunds.com, who forecast 1,420,937 new cars and trucks will be sold for an estimated seasonally adjusted annual r...
Indonesia's largest automotive distributor, Astra International, has raised IDR2.8 trillion (US$286m) from the sale of a 15% stake in the country's largest automotive component manufacturing group, PT...
Toyota luxury car brand Lexus plans to expand its Australian line to seven models....
- THE WEEK THAT WAS - platforms to go to
- ANALYSIS - Jaguar takes on Porsche with new F-PACE
- Peugeot steps up a gear with new 3008
- Delphi Powertrain VP on compliance - Q&A
- General Motors' platform strategy decoded
- Peugeot reveals revamped 3008 compact SUV
- Tesla chooses Mando for autonomous technology
- US and UK motorists divided on driverless cars
- GKN wins plug-in AWD axle deal
- Volvo previews 2017 40 series on CMA platform


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Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)‘s been known to change its mind from time to time, just like the rest of us.
The clearest example of the iPad maker reneging on a previous decision was the launch of the iPad Mini, which came years after Steve Jobs famously bashed smaller tablet form factors, asserting that any tablet less than 10 inches in size would be too small for the average finger.
According to a new report out of Asian rumor mill DIGITIMES, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) may be about to change its tune on a specific product feature it decided not to include in the iPhone 5: wireless charging. The Taiwanese publication believes that Apple is preparing to adopt wireless charging technology that it has been developing internally. The feature is said to possibly be facilitated by an attached accessory instead of being directly integrated.
Archenemy Samsung is also reportedly exploring wireless charging by adopting the Qi standard created by the Wireless Power Consortium. The South Korean company is set to unveil its next-generation Galaxy S IV next week at an event in New York.
Everybody’s doing it
Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) is one of the more prominent smartphone vendors to make wireless charging a headline feature, which is included in its newest flagship Lumia 920 that launched late last year. That device uses a separate inductive charging plate to make the magic happen. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) also offers an orb-shaped inductive charger with the LG-built Nexus 4. The Nexus 4 charger also uses Qi.
Exactly one week after Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) showed off its latest and greatest to the world, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) would proceed to unveil the iPhone 5. At the event, marketing chief Phil Schiller downplayed the added convenience of wireless charging, saying that users still have to carry around another wired device. Meanwhile, USB ports can be found everywhere nowadays, which is where the iPhone can refill its juice.
Wait for it
Apple has always said that when it’s not a first mover in technology, it takes its time to get it right. That may prove true if it launches a larger iPhone, and it may also be the case here. Most current offerings still need an inductive plate, which still effectively tethers you — just in a different way. Judging by a 2010 patent filing that was recently made public, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) may have a solution for this after all.
Instead of using an inductive device like everyone else, it looks like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is exploring the use of a near-field magnetic resonance power supply. Any device with a similar resonator circuit inside of it could potentially draw power wirelessly, removing the need for a small charging station and dramatically expanding the charging range.


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World’s Top Destinations Named In TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards
TripAdvisor?,?the world’s largest travel site*, today announced the winners of its Travelers’ Choice??awards for Destinations. The sixth annual awards honor nearly 500 destinations including the winners for the top spots in the world, and individual lists for?Africa,?Asia,?Australia,?Canada, the?Caribbean,?Central America,?Europe,?China,?Middle East,Russia,?South America, the?South Pacific, the?U.K.?and the U.S.
“If you’re looking for trip inspiration, look no further than the Travelers’ Choice Destinations,” said?Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for?TripAdvisor. “Our global travelers are the tastemakers for uncovering the best places to visit around the world.”
Travelers’ Choice Destinations honor top travel spots worldwide based on the millions of valuable reviews and opinions from?TripAdvisortravelers. Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for hotels, attractions and restaurants in destinations worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period.
Top 25 Travelers’ Choice World Destinations:
(+/- denotes change in ranking year-over-year, 0 is no change and new is new to the top 25)
|3.?London,?England?(0)||15.?Barcelona, Spain (-10)|
|5.?Prague,?Czech Republic?(+4)||17.?Dubai,?United Arab Emirates?(New)|
|7.?Paris,?France?(-6)||19.?Cape Town,?South Africa?(-3)|
|12.?New York City,?New York?(-10)||24.?Chiang Mai,?Thailand?(0)|
Top 25 Travelers’ Choice U.S. Destinations:
|1.?New York City,?New York?(0)||14.?Boston,?Massachusetts?(-7)|
|3.?San Francisco,?California?(-1)||16.?San Antonio,?Texas?(+1)|
|4.?Las Vegas,?Nevada?(0)||17.?Palm Springs,?California?(+6)|
|7.?San Diego,?California?(New)||20.?Atlanta,?Georgia (New)|
|9.?Washington, D.C.?(-3)||22.?Myrtle Beach,?South Carolina?(-1)|
Asian Destinations Climb World List of Top Spots
Six of the top 25 world spots are from?Asia?and four Asian cities saw a climb of at least 10 places in the world top 25 list year-over-year.Beijing?jumped 17 spots to #4 in the world,?Hanoi?is new to the list this year at #8,?Siem Reap?rose 14 spots to #9, and?Shanghaiclimbed 12 places to #10.
Texas?and Southern Destinations Rise in the U.S.
Ten of the top 25 in the U.S. are southern destinations and it was a particularly strong showing from the?Lone Star?state this year.Houston?saw the biggest jump on the U.S. list, up 13 spots to #12.??San Antonio?moved up one spot to #16 and?Austin?was new to the list at #18.? Other southern spots that climbed the charts this year:?New Orleans?(+5 to #5) and?Charleston?(+2 to #13), while?Atlanta(#20) and?Nashville?(#24) are new to this year’s U.S. top 25.
For the complete list of winners from the 2014 Travelers’ Choice Destinations, as well as reviews and candid traveler photos, go to www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Destinations.
To see the best hotels for luxury, bargain, and more, as honored in TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards for Hotels from January, go to?www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Hotels.
TripAdvisor??is the world’s largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip.?TripAdvisor?offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools.?TripAdvisor?branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching more than 260 million unique monthly visitors** in 2013, and more than 150 million reviews and opinions covering more than 3.7 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 37 countries worldwide, including?China?under?daodao.com.?TripAdvisor?also includes?TripAdvisor?for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly?TripAdvisor?visitors.


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York-based Gear4music, the online retailer of musical instruments and equipment, said in a trading update for the 12 months to February 28, 2018, that its revenues rose 43% to £80.1 million.
European and Rest of the World sales soared 69% to £35.8 million and UK sales sales rose 27% to £44.2 million.
Gear4music CEO Andrew Wass said: “We are very pleased to have grown our revenues from £56 million last year to £80 million this year, particularly given the heightened economic uncertainty that has impacted many retailers during the last 12 months.
“As previously communicated, in 2017 we focused on scaling-up our business to ensure we have the capacity for further growth, investing into our European distribution centres, our new head office in York, and expanding our platform development capability.
“EBITDA for the second half of FY18 will be ahead of the six-month period ended 28 February 2017, although as a result of the investments we have made during the year into our customer proposition, infrastructure, staff, systems and marketing, we expect EBITDA for the full financial year ended 28 February 2018 to be in line with our FY17 result.
“We are confident that we are well placed to significantly grow both revenues and profitability during the next 12 months, as margins normalise, and the up-front investments we have made clearly demonstrate their ongoing value to the business.”


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Hermes has opened two depots in Coventry and Carlisle, bringing its network of depots and hubs to a total of 24. The parcel firm says the new sites are necessary to accommodate the expected growth in parcel volumes ahead of the Christmas peak. The new depot in Coventry is expected to handle around 24,000 parcels per day, with this total rising to 43,000 over the Christmas period, while the Carlisle site will handle 6,500 parcels each day for the firm. […]
Hermes has won a contract extension from River Island, covering home delivery of clothes, shoes and accessories ordered online.
Hermes is poised to expand its next-day delivery service and launch a customer app, as it shifts its priorities.
TNT Post is continuing to increase its final-mile delivery coverage, making its first official deliveries in Liverpool today.


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Small business decision-makers from across the country reported an unchanged opinion about the U.S. economy, but reported a slight increase in optimism about their own prospects for revenue growth in 2012 compared to the prior year, according to a recent Small Business Opinion Poll conducted by ORC International, commissioned by EMPLOYERS®. The poll revealed that 44 percent of small businesses believe the U.S. economy will improve in 2012. While in 2011, 46 percent believed the economy would be better. Small businesses are bullish about their own business revenue projections with 45 percent expecting revenue growth versus 17 percent expecting revenue declines.
Though 58 percent of small business decision-makers report business-related worries keep them up at night, the EMPLOYERS Small Business Opinion Poll found the 2012 figure to be significantly improved compared to results one year ago. This year, 40 percent responded they don’t worry about their businesses versus 30 percent who didn’t have sleep-depriving worries in 2011. The latest poll also reveals that today’s small business worries are more focused on issues related to growing their businesses (20 percent) rather than variables that are more out of their control like the economy.
EMPLOYERS Small Business Opinion Poll Snapshot:
44 percent feel the U.S. economy will be better in 2012 than in 2011
45 percent expect sales growth this year versus 41 percent in 2011
23 percent are currently at pre-recession revenue levels
21 percent are currently hiring versus just 15 percent a year ago
21 percent plan to hire additional part-time or seasonal workers for the summer
The restaurant industry segment reported the strongest optimism and expectation for growth in the latest EMPLOYERS Small Business Opinion Poll with 61 percent expecting the U.S. economy to improve in 2012 and 61 percent saying they expect their businesses to grow over 2011 levels. The restaurant industry also leads the way in job creation plans among small businesses with 39 percent saying they are currently hiring and 42 percent indicating they plan to hire additional workers for the summer season. Other industries feeling more bullish about their ability to grow revenue in 2012 include the communication industry (53 percent), manufacturing (52 percent) and financial services (51 percent).


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Microsoft's smartphone operating system continues to lag far behind Google's Android and Apple's iOS, though recent research has pegged Windows Phone as the fastest-growing smartphone operating system. Now a new report has corroborated those findings, even indicating Windows Phone is overtaking iOS in some areas.
According to a new research report by Kantar Worldpanel, Windows Phone devices now make up a larger portion of the smartphone market than iPhones in Italy, and one in 10 smartphones in the five major European markets (the U.K., Germany, France, Italy and Spain) now run Windows Phone. Kantar's research note states Windows Phone is making "rapid progress" in both Europe and emerging markets, such as Latin America.
In terms of smartphone sales, Windows Phone was the only operating system to see a year-over-year market share increase in both the U.K. and Germany. In the former, Windows Phone was installed on 4.2 percent of devices sold in September 2012 versus 7.2 in September 2013; in the latter, devices with the smartphone OS grew from 2.5 percent to 8.5 percent over the same time frame.
Some of Windows Phone's gain seems to be coming from BlackBerry's misfortune, as that smartphone OS declined in all major markets except Australia.
Though Windows Phone continues to remain significantly behind Android and iOS in the U.S., news was even good for Microsoft on its home turf. Windows Phone's share of smartphone sales increased 1.9 percent this September over last September, the largest growth for any smartphone OS. iOS, by comparison, grew 1.3 percent, while Android and BlackBerry declined 2.5 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively.
The recent release of Apple's iPhone 5s should help the growth of iOS in coming months, though Microsoft also updated its smartphone OS with Update 3, bringing support for large-screen devices and quad-core processors. Nokia announced several new products, including the 6-inch Lumia 1520, to go alongside the release.
Microsoft is expected to release its first major upgrade to Windows Phone 8 early next year, bringing new features such as a notification center to the platform. Windows Phone 8.1 is also rumored to bring Microsoft's smartphone OS closer to its desktop OS, with the company's operating systems teams now working closer together. Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's devices unit is also expected to close around the same time, though closer collaboration between the two companies will likely take up to a year before it's seen by consumers.


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The country's agro-based industry, despite having a substantial growth for the two decades in domestic market, is yet to raise its share in the global arena, insiders said.
They attributed inadequate marketing capacity, transportation obstacles and tough quarantine rules and regulation from abroad to the sector's such less-than-expected level of export earnings.
Sustained economic growth, rising incomes and rapid urbanisation have fostered widespread changes in consumers' demand for food that attracted hundreds of investors to enter the agro-based industries raising its turnover to nearly Tk 1.3 trillion annually.
But despite a massive positive growth in domestic agro-based markets, export of the items is much lower---only worth Tk 47 billion.
This is only 1.88 per cent of the country's overall export, insiders said highlighting the need for bringing massive changes in export infrastructure.
Entrance of a number of big conglomerates in the sector in last one decade has made the sector oversaturated making it tough for new players, said market leaders.
Market analysts said diversification of products, ensuring safe food and exploring export market could make agro-processing business profitable even for new investors.
Apart from mainstream products' export, Bangladeshi organic products have a great potential in the global market where lack of proper branding and standardisation is the main obstacle, they said.
According to the Agro-Processors' Association (BAPA), Bangladesh Fruits Vegetables and Allied Products Exporters Association (BFVAPEA), Bangladesh Auto Major Husking Mill Owners Association (BAMHMOA), Bangladesh Agro-based Product Producers & Merchants Association (BAPMA), Bangladesh Poultry Industries Association(BPIA) and other farm trade platforms, the industry's annual turnover reached nearly Tk 1.3 trillion in 2015 of which rice, flour, processed foods, poultry, edible oil and exportable items dominated.
Data of the Economic Review 2016, published by the Ministry of Finance said, the retail and wholesale trade contributes Tk 2.42 trillion (14.02 per cent) to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Vice President of BAPA Md Anamul Hasan Khan said processed food sector maintained a 10-15 per cent growth for the last two decades.
Low-income people have also become habituated with industrial food.
Apart from agro pioneers like Pran, other non-agricultural big industries began entering the food and beverage market from the 1990s, he said.
He said more than 1,250 companies have ventured into food processing, poultry, dairy, hatchery, frozen foods and beverage market in the last two decades attracted by 160 million domestic and 8.0 million expatriate customers.
Turnover of processed foods like snacks, cooking condiments, ready-to-cook food, confectionery items and beverage is nearly Tk 365 billion annually, he said.
"Reports from our 0.25 million distributors across the country say, every family in the country buys processed food items at least worth Tk 20 per day," he said.
Bangladesh Agro-based Product Producers' and Merchants' Association president Md Ruhul Amin said the processed food market has been saturated with conventional products.
He said against a demand of 10.0 million packets of potato chips and crackers a day, supply is more than 40.0 million.
Turnover of processed foods like snacks, cooking condiments, ready-to- cook food, confectionery items and beverage is nearly Tk 365 billion annually, he said.
Reports from our 0.25 million distributors across the country, every family in the country buy processed food items at least worth Tk 20 per day, he said.
Ms Fawzia Yasmeen, General Manager of Ispahani Agro Ltd, a sister concern of 196 year-old business entity 'Ispahani Group', said she sees the matter from a different point of view.
"Safe food and chemical-free food are now a slogan to protect human health. People's awareness has been rising following up-gradation of life standard," she said.
The future trade of agro inputs, processed foods and even wears lie in 'the slogan'. Chemical-free safer products will be sustained in the long run," she said.
However, she informed that her company has been now marketing Ispahani brand of rice and snacks while it opened Ispahani Biotech in 2009.
Ispahani Biotech has already started marketing bio pesticides, bio control agents, sex pheromones and bio fertiliser to ensure chemical-free natural crops, she said.
According to the two rice mill associations, 21,000 rice millers now market 40 per cent of domestic production worth nearly Tk 416 billion annually.
The country's total rice production is 34.7 million tonnes of which rice millers deal with 14.0 million tonnes of the staple cereal.
About 350 big millers in Kushtia, Naogaon, Jaypurhat, Rangpur, Kurigram, Dinajpur, Jessore and Dhaka regions market more than 11.0 million tonnes of branded rice, Md Abdur Rashid, President of BAMHMOA told the FE.
Entrance of big conglomerates like Pran, Square, ACI and Ispahani have made the market more competitive.
However, when local agro-based products achieved an outstanding growth rising by 10 times in last two decades, exports showed little progress, according to sector insiders.
According to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), agro-based products like processed foods and raw agricultural produces fetched $ 597 million (Tk 47.0 billion) in FY'16 which was $ 250 million 20 years ago. Exports reached highest $615 million in FY'14 and then decreased to $586 million in FY'15.
Agro-export earning of Bangladesh is only 1.88 per cent of the total export worth Tk 2.496 trillion when it comprises 20 per cent of export earnings of Vietnam and 18 per cent of India, BFVAPEA President SM Jahangir Hossain said.
He said agricultural product exports, especially of fruits and betel leaf, have been in a morbid condition for the last two years following restriction by key destination European Union (EU).
Local exporters are now following cent per cent government-set tough quarantine rules and regulations.
The government should go ahead diplomatically to open fruit and betel leaf market of the EU for Bangladesh, he said.
On the other hand, air shipment facilities are very limited for 300 export-oriented processors which should be increased massively for bringing ground-breaking change in export earnings.
Chief of the export division at Pran Md Mizanur Rahman said market for Bangladeshi processed foods and spices has been increasing in the EU, the Middle East, Africa, the US and South Asian markets. Apart from food crops, Bangladeshi food processors now export more than 220 items to 140 countries.
He said processed foods like chanachur, potato chips and crackers, biscuits, wafer, bread, frozen snacks, beverages and spices comprise 50 per cent of the export income of agro products.
President of Bangladesh Organic Products Manufacturers' Association (BOPMA) Abdus Salam told the FE organic food items of Bangladesh have a great demand but lack of proper branding and standardisation has been holding back the possibility.
Organic food including honey from the Sundarbans, fruit and jute product exports fetch only $ 8.0 to $ 10.0 million annually while global market has expanded to $ 140 billion.
He said local standardisation entities like Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institute (BSTI) and Bangladesh Accreditation Board (BAB) should tie up with global organisations like USDA, Demeter International, Bio Suisse, KRAV etc. Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Additional Research Director Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem said local traditional agro-based industries could not match with the rising demand of consumers whose choice and tastes are changing with increased income after 1990s.
The big industries take the lead as they ensure timely supply, quality of products and modern packaging facilities.
The entrance of large number of traders in the business has both helped consumers and farmers and also helped raise employment opportunities, he said.


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"I felt terrible, but they were fakes," McLaren told us. "Seeing these clothes, I said, 'Wow, they've gone to great lengths to manufacture the labels, and distress the fabrics.' But clearly they were not the fabrics we used 35 years ago, and the stitching was totally different. And there were bags and bags, big black bags of them. We simply didn't make that many. I mean, we literally made these clothes on my kitchen floor. They were each unique."
Hirst, whose mother used to cut up his own punk clothing and who once melted his Sex Pistols album to make a fruit bowl, is under a gag order about the situation. But word has spread, and yesterday, a curator at Christie's called McLaren, asking him to authenticate 70 punk garments they'll put up for auction come the fall.
The punk progenitor wants to protect collectors from phony merch, "from the kid in Englewood Cliffs who buys a fake God Save the Queen T-shirt to museums," McLaren told us.
He's notified the fine-art publisher Rizzoli to excise his essay from the upcoming book, "Punk Couture: Clothes for Heroes," if Easton has anything to do with it. A Rizzoli spokeswoman said the respected house was on the case.
Easton insists that "absolutely everything my clients have purchased [is] authentic. ... McLaren actually had very little input in the design [of the clothes]. ... He will rewrite history on a daily basis. ... [He] has less knowledge about these clothes than the people who collect them."


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MEAT processors state their products are harmless to consume. Because they want to distance themselves from current recall orders which is an issue for pork products from ASF affected countries. It includes neighboring Asian countries such as China and Vietnam.
The Philippine Association of Meat Processors, Inc. said, it likely to address concerns about the possible spreading diseases. However, the FDA ordered the seizure and recall of meat products. It includes products from Hungary, China, Poland, Latvia, Romania, Ukraine, Zambia, Vietnam, South Africa, and many other countries.
Felix O. Tiukinhoy, President, PAMPI, also requesting the FDA to be “specific and cautious in its statements they have led to uncertainty and confusion among consumers. However, many ASF-infect countries don’t export meat products to the Philippines.”
“Recall orders must be product-specific, recognizing the brands and countries of origin. However, general statements which are not useful to consumers but are harmful to local manufacturers,” he stated in the statement.
He also said that PAMPI member is ready to help supermarket operators in steadily segregating domestic process meat.
The DA (Department of Agriculture) has been executing measures to defend the country from the entry of the ASF. It has submitted a request for a 2-month suspension of pork importations from ASF-affecting countries.
Emmanuel F. Pinol, Agriculture Secretary said that he will rather risk an increasing pork price as an outcome of the measure.
“Of course we are focusing on the effect of the changing prices”, he said.
However, with shortages, the Department of Agriculture said that it aims to export pork to several affecting countries.
As per the PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority), the average price for hogs fell around 2.7%. However, the entire hog production was near around 1.6% at 567 and 420 metric tons.


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Magitronic.com about New NXE Metro discovered on Youtube before launched. Microsoft re-plan the Xbox 360 dashboard display changes in November this year. But long before November came, someone had managed to get this new dashboard and showed through YouTube.
Unlike the NXE dashboard is currently restricting navigation Kinect on “Kinect Hub”, all functions of the dashboard on the new NXE Metro Dashboard can be controlled through Kinect. Display also changed again, this time shaped like a “Metro UI” in the Windows Phone 7 and Windows 8.
But all of about NXE Metro video on YouTube is purely speculation. And maybe this video is not leaked from microsoft but all is creation of NXE FreeStyleDash team that makes the skin of RxE Metro joke. Can’t wait to see.


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How much is a good night's sleep worth?
How about $4,500?
Michael Zippelli, chief executive officer of mattress-maker Dormia Inc., is betting on it. He believes people would be willing to pay more for his beds, which are made from viscoelastic memory foam rather than coils or springs, if they gave them a try.
"If you get a good night's sleep, you'll have a good day," he said.
Business is growing at Dormia, a portfolio company of Westport-based private equity firm Main Street Resources, thanks to increasing interest in high-end bedding, whether it be traditional innerspring mattresses or specialty bedding made from foam or latex.
It's a trend that some surprising players are trying to cash in on.
Marriott International Inc., which two years ago invested $190 million to replace 628,000 beds at its 2,400 hotels worldwide, touts its new "Revive" mattress to consumers. Westin Hotels, which started the hotel bed war, also sells its Heavenly Beds - made of 900 individually wrapped coils - for $1,250 for a queen, not including shipping.
And Swedish bed maker Hastens, which boasts custom beds with "hand-flailed" horsehair as a natural alternative to foam, recently opened a store in New York featuring its signature product, the Vividus, which retails for an eye-popping $49,500.
David Perry, executive editor and mattress writer for the Greensboro, N.C.-based trade magazine Furniture Today, said the category is the fastest-growing in the industry, mostly because baby boomers are looking for a panacea for their growing aches and pains, and they have disposable income to spend. Retailers like Dormia are happy to oblige, he said.
"They are very aggressively pushing the benefits of specialty bedding," Perry said. "They are conditioning consumers to ask for it."
Though it's still a small segment of the mattress market, specialty foam bedding is growing at a faster clip than the rest, with sales up 28 percent in 2005 over the year before to $1 billion, according to a survey by the International Sleep Products Association, a trade group based in Alexandria, Va. Innerspring beds accounted for $3.5 billion of total mattress sales of $6.4 billion in 2005, the association said.
Most people equate foam mattresses with Dormia's bigger rival, Tempur-Pedic, whose commercials show a salesman jumping up and down on the bed next to a still-standing glass of wine. The commercial also promotes the technology behind the foam mattress that was developed by NASA for astronauts to help absorb the strong gravitational forces they experience on takeoff and landing.
Perry said Tempur-Pedic has given a boost to other specialty bed manufacturers and retailers, including Dormia.
Still, the market for specialty bedding is fragmented, and Zippelli and other specialty manufacturers believe there is enough business to go around as it expands. Even the "Three S's" - Serta, Sealy and Simmons - that dominate the innerspring mattress market have introduced foam mattresses.
Zippelli, 46, said the industry has changed over the 25 years since he opened a waterbed store. Once a department and furniture store staple, mattresses are now sold online and at stores whose sole line is bedding.
Dormia operates 23 of its own stores, mostly at malls, and plans to open two more this year, hoping customers will feel the difference by squeezing, sitting and stretching out. The company also sells its mattresses through its Web site and 1,000 mattress retailers, with models starting at $1,599.
With annual revenue of more than $50 million, according to Zippelli, Dormia is expanding its manufacturing space in Jessup, Md., by 25 percent, to more than 130,000 square feet, and is looking to hire up to 10 people to join its work force of 100.
Main Street Resources last February invested an undisclosed sum to help finance Dormia's expansion.
Mark Bates, a partner at Main Street, said his firm has confidence in Zippelli's team and strategy.
"It's a very unique industry with a lot of potential for growth," Bates said. "They're innovative guys. They're always coming out with a new, high-quality product."
Main Street is a private investment firm that provides equity capital to small- and middle-market regional companies to fund growth, acquisitions, management buyouts and select turn-arounds.
It typically invests $2 million to $10 million per transaction, taking both majority and minority ownership positions.
The Jessup facility was long known as Classic Sleep Products, which was founded in 1971 and at one point was publicly traded. Zippelli's company, Advanced Comfort, a national mattress distributor he and a partner started in 1991, purchased the assets of Classic in 2000. He bought out his partner in 2004 and changed the company's name to Dormia, a play on the word for sleep in several Romance languages.
Many of the workers have been there for decades, Zippelli said, and they still assemble the mattresses largely by hand and package them in large brown boxes for shipping.
Furniture Today predicts that the slumping housing market will mean mattress sales will essentially be flat in 2007. But Zippelli said he isn't altering his expansion plans.
"Major players are jumping on the bandwagon," he said. "Our goal is for the (Dormia) brand to have meaning to the consumer."
- The Baltimore Sun is a Tribune Publishing newspaper.


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Photo: The Post and Courier
In just 28 days, Rob and Kathy Zdenek expect to sell more than 6,000 pumpkins. But eight years ago, when the couple first decided to start selling pumpkins from their home on Mistletoe lane in Summerville, those numbers were unimaginable. That year, they set out 50 pumpkins for sale in their front yard. No one came for
"Finally we sold some,"


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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is close to an agreement on the upcoming four-year contract with its UAW represented workers and amid all the commotion has had the time to devise its US strategy as well.
FCA, the third largest US automaker and the seventh biggest in the world has committed to spending $5.3 billion across its US production facilities during the next four years as part of the tentative deal with the United Automotive Workers union. But the knife has two edges – some of the employees at certain factories in Michigan and the Midwest might not feel overly positive about the investments. That’s because the investment strategy also includes the loss of three or more crucial new models to Mexico – such as the Chrysler 200 that is now produced in Sterling Heights. On the other hand the production output of pickups and crossovers that are highly sought on the internal market would be upped across US plants, say the most recent reports. The $5.3 billion investment would mean thousands of jobs have a future: $3.4 billion goes to assembly factories, $1.5 billion towards engine and transmission plants, $315 million will reach stamping facilities and the Mopar parts distribution centers also get $34 million.
And while such a massive program is a positive move, there’s also a massive switch in terms of production for more than half-dozen cars and SUVs, which could be a bad omen for the approaching worker vote on the tentative deal, which was reached this Tuesday. Analysts do say the shuffle, sounding disruptive at first, is a fine strategy because it allows to order the problematic product changeover plans. The automakers looks willing to have the production of low-yield and slow selling cars focused in Mexico while the high-profit, large volume models – such as SUVs and pickup trucks would be concentrated in the US.


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Metcash has reported that liquor sales growth is up by almost 9 per cent for the year and to $4.8 billion in a result that financial analysts say is well ahead of expectations.
Howerver, while EBIT in liquor grew to $97.4 million, this result was impacted by the increased costs to the business of creating a COVID safe workplace, DC absenteeism and increased transportation costs.
Metcash Group’s new CEO Doug Jones presented the group’s annual results for the first time on Monday as the business prepares to farewell Jeff Adams.
Mr Jones said revenue for the group grew by 6.4 per cent for the year to $17.4b and construction has now begun on a new distribution centre in Truganina which will be around 115k sqm in size and will replace the Laverton DC once completed in the middle of 2024.
Mr Jones said, “Supporting our decision to proceed was the success of our new DC at Gepps Cross in South Australia which has been operational since December 2020, as well as strong growth both in our Food and Liquor pillars in Victoria and the recent renewal of a long term agreement to supply Foodworks stores.”
Metcash says that demand for liquor through its retail network remained strong with growth across the IBA banner group and its contract customers. It attributed this to the continuing trend to local neighbourhood shopping and continued absence of overseas travel and travel retail.
Western Australia recorded the strongest growth in liquor, protected by the market’s isolation through COVID. The liquor business enjoyed 30 per cent growth (compared to FY21) as sales to on-premise customers continued to recover with the easing of restrictions.
Wholesale sales to IBA grew were up 4.4 per cent on last year and Metcash says The Bottle-O, Cellarbrations and IGA were its standout performers, particularly the highlight of Cellarbrations being named Liquor Store of the Year in the Roy Morgan Customer Service poll and the ‘Best of the Best’ of all.
The strongest category growth as in liquor was seen in RTDs, spirits and wine. Sales of owned and exclusive brands increased by 23 per cent as the wine category continues to be a key driver of growth from Metcash and the acquisition of Kollaras continues to support growth.
Online sales growth for the group as a whole– food, hardware and liquor – were up by 140 per cent for the year, albeit off a low base and branded e-commerce platforms for Cellarbrations, The Bottle-O and Porters are now live with a pilot loyalty program to be launched in the next six months.
The average online liquor basket size for the group is $110 while the Q-comm basket sits at around the $45 mark.
Q-comm (quick commerce) continues to grow in partnership with DoorDash and UberEats offering same day delivery.
Looking ahead, Metcash says rising inflation and continued supply chain disruption makes for uncertain waters and it expects to see the cost of doing business continue to increase.
Mr Jones said: “While remaining focused on managing the supply change challenges, we are also helping shoppers manage the impact of inflation by providing better value options through a wider range of products at competitive prices.
“Going forward, our robust business model is supporting our pillars to manage well through the ongoing challenges, and we remain well positioned with a strong balance sheet and financial flexibility to continue progressing our MFuture plans.”
Metcash’s new distribution centre will be constructed in adherence with the new 5-Star Green Star sustainability rating and is expected to be completed by mid-2024. Racking and fitout is expected to be approximately $70m.


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We all know for sure that Microsoft will be rolling out their very own Surface tablet device in due time (at the end of this month, actually) which will run on the Windows RT operating system. Well, before any piece of consumer electronics are released in the US, they will first need to receive relevant approval from the FCC – and it seems that this is just what happened with the Microsoft Surface tablet via a post on the FCC website that depicted uploaded documents which parade a “tablet PC” of sorts that was running on Windows RT. Of course, this is by no means confirmation that it is the Microsoft Surface tablet itself, considering how the tablet is known as “Model 1516” in its FCC filing, and the world is not aware of any other Windows RT tablets coming to the market other than the Surface.
“Model 1516” will also come with Bluetooth and 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, in addition to a stand and a keyboard peripheral which will be membrane-based. All in all, patience is the operative keyword here as it is just three weeks or so before the Microsoft Surface launches, and we do look forward to the end of October with anticipation.