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It’s no secret that the dine-in restaurant and bar business has tanked, taking its lucrative cocktail revenue down the economic drain with it, thanks to stay-at-home mandates caused by the deadly Covid-19 virus. However, liquor stores are doing a thriving business (most notably for curbside pickup). Also benefitting dramatically are home delivery services such as Drizly, which partners with more than 2,500 retailers across the country to deliver beer, wine and spirits directly to consumers’ doorsteps; as of May 4, 2020, Drizly sales were up 418 percent.
“Most of our customers are not heavy drinkers by any means, but (they) also realize they will be stuck inside their homes for weeks, maybe months,” says Peter Jarjour, owner of Flask Fine Wine & Whisky and other spirits outlets in Los Angeles. “Most people aren’t hoarding, but there certainly is ‘panic buying.’ Think about it, people stuck at home with little or no work, kids are home, sports are off, the supermarkets are a zoo. What else do they have, really?”
Coupled with this unprecedented demand for spirits is the fact that numerous distilleries, both large and small, have been refocusing their priorities to the task of making hand sanitizer, a crucial commodity that has been in demand from the very outset of the pandemic and is still in short supply. In answer to this international clarion call, Diageo, Beam/Suntory, Pernod Ricard and Bacardi are some of the major distilling groups that have diverted a sizable portion of their workforce to produce hand sanitizers at their various distilleries around the world.
As an example of the magnitude of this operation, Bacardi, which owns household-name brands beyond its namesake rum such as Martini, Grey Goose, Bombay Sapphire, Dewar’s, and Angel’s Envy, is spreading its global production power throughout the United States, Mexico, France, England, Italy and Scotland to supply enough alcohol to create more than 267,000 gallons of hand sanitizers, which is being donated to local organizations and emergency responders as well as to Bacardi employees and contractors.
But it isn’t just the top guns who are performing this service. Boutique brands and craft distillers have also eagerly stepped up to help. For example, in addition to $500,000 they have pledged to various restaurant and bartender charities through their Skrew Covid campaign, San Diego-based Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey, one of the fastest growing new spirits in the country, has provided five-gallon batches of hand sanitizer to local health care services and others on the pandemic frontlines, and have produced 20,000 additional 200 ml-size bottles to be distributed throughout the country.
“Our mission was to provide (hand sanitizers) at zero cost to frontliners in healthcare and first response professionals, and to donate to the communities we serve,” said Skrewball Whiskey President Carl Carlson. “Providing such a critical public service still allow us to continue to successfully bottle and distribute Skrewball, since separate production lines and different processes are utilized in the bottling of each. So this did not take away from our whiskey making capabilities.”
As reported in Wine Enthusiast, the American Craft Spirits Association (ASCA) says more than 75 percent of the nation’s craft distilleries have turned much of their operations over to the production of hand sanitizers.
The downside to this for the majority of the smaller distilleries which rely on tourism and tasting room revenues, as the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) and the American Distilling Institute (ADI) stated in a joint April news release, “Craft distilleries, faced with closed tasting rooms and plummeting sales due to Covid-19, report bleak prospects of being able to sustain their small businesses.” Their survey, which includes feedback from 118 craft distilleries from 35 states and the District of Columbia, concludes that two-thirds of the respondents do not believe they will be able to remain in business for more than six months and the rest doubt they can last for even that long. On average, craft distillery sales are already down by 64 percent and approximately 43 percent of distillery employees have either been let go or furloughed since the start of the crisis.
“It’s terrifying that such a robust industry could be so deeply threatened in a matter of weeks,” said Pia Carusone, cofounder of the boutique Republic Restoration Distillery and craft cocktail bar in Washington, DC. “I worry that many of us won’t survive, and the farmers and small suppliers that depend on us will be hurt as well.”
With reduced production, sales and distribution, her establishment is barely hanging on by selling its spirits for pickup and (where allowed) delivery, and offering a free bottle of hand sanitizer with every order as an added enticement.
“There’s no way to sugarcoat this news,” said Erik Owens, president of the ADI, which represents more than 600 small, independently owned craft distillers. “The economic climate for the craft distilling industry is dire.”
All of which brings up this sobering question: With the crafts distilling industry in a rapidly downward spiraling decline and with most of the major distilling companies diverting a portion of their resources to the manufacture of hand sanitizer, coupled with an escalating demand for bottled spirits, will the Covid-19 virus eventually cause our nation’s whiskey barrels to run dry? Anticipating this paranoia, Bacardi has already issued a statement: “These temporary, emergency actions at all (of our) locations will not disrupt the supply of brands in the Bacardi portfolio.”
Still, in spite of statements like these from giants like Bacardi and independent distilleries such as Skrewball, people who are already encountering shortages of toilet paper and certain food items are starting to wonder about the future of their whiskey supplies.
The short answer is there are plenty of spirits in warehoused barrels aging and in holding tanks waiting to be bottled, so the major brands, such as those owned by Diageo, Beam/Suntory, Bacardi, Heaven Hill and Brown-Forman won’t be affected. In other words, Jack Daniel’s won’t be leaving the building anytime soon. And there are millions more bottled spirits in the distribution chain, waiting to be delivered.
“Thanks to distributor and retail trade partners, and even with favorable surge in sales and home consumption, most have no issues whatsoever in replenishment of display and shelf stock, says Skrewball’s Carlson. “I can only speak to the spirit segment of beverage alcohol, but there appears to be minimal interruptions to production and bottling, and if there were, distributors typically carry enough inventory to deliver to short-term market needs. I’m sure there are exceptions, but in our case, we are incredibly grateful that we have been able to accelerate our retail growth during this unprecedented period.”
According to DISCUS chief economist David Ozgo, “Supplies should be more than adequate. Many whiskeys, for example, have production lead times of years, because of the necessary aging. And, the same products sold to off-premise stores (liquor stores) are also sold to on-premise accounts (bars and restaurants). Obviously, with bars and restaurants still closed or operating at limited capacity, those stocks can be dedicated to off-premise outlets.”
Although the increase in off-premise spirits sales is hardly enough to offset the dramatic loss of on-premise revue (which is why so many restaurants are not just shuttering, but going out of business altogether), many bar owners agree with Ozgo, and don’t foresee a shortage of spirits at the retail level.
“I don’t see Covid-19 affecting the nation’s spirit supply too greatly at this point,” says Tyson Buhler, national beverage director of Death & Co. a celebrated mecca for classic cocktails, with locations in New York, Los Angeles and Denver. “For the spirits that undergo a short resting or aging period, like vodka and gin, for example, that production can ramp up pretty quickly once we return to some sort of normalcy. For spirit houses that do make spirits that require long aging, those spirits were laid down years in advance, so theoretically there is ample stock. If anything, my guess is that distilleries are sitting on more product than usual and hoping, like all of us, that we can get back to business soon.”
However, Brian Rosen, former CEO of Sam’s Wines & Spirits—the nation’s largest retail liquor store chain—and now president and founder of BevStrat, one of America most respected and successful brand placement, sales and strategy companies in the adult beverage industry, believes the bigger problem might be that of regaining brand awareness.
“The issue is not the supply shortage,” he says. “The real issue is do they (individual spirit brands) still have goodwill built up in customers and stores, with consumer demand having been halted. The real issue is the small guy, the one that consumers call craft, specialty, unique; those are the ones that will suffer…The goodwill that was built up over years will need to be recreated. Their supply chain is smaller, their leverage is smaller and their output is smaller, but the impact (of all this) is bigger.”
A somewhat more optimistic perspective of this very real situation is expressed by craft distiller Scott Harris, general manager of Catoctin Creek Distilling Company, which he and his wife Becky, Catoctin Creek’s chief distiller, founded in 2009 in Purcellville, Virginia, and which is primarily noted for its gold medal-winning Roundstone Rye.
“We are seeing total volume down because of the loss of restaurants and bars, but off-premise volume is up,” he says. “The products are consumables, and therefore, we believe will need to be replenished. We had to cut production 20 percent to make room for our sanitizer (manufacturing). But we’ve continued to make whiskey during this sanitizer craze.”
If there is any ray of hope during this pandemic, it is that we will all come out together at the end of the tunnel with a full glass in our hands.


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(NewsNation Now) — The cost of everything from sparklers to mortars is way up this Fourth of July weekend, with the American Pyrotechnics Association reporting prices have doubled since 2019.
Since 95% of fireworks sold in the US are imported from China, according to some estimates, their cost is particularly affected by global supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The founder of a logistics company, Salvatore Stile of Alba Wheels Up International, says supply is being restricted by everything from pauses in production caused by Covid in China to delays in goods being unloaded from ports.
According to Stile, the U.S. ranks near the bottom in the efficiency of getting goods out of ports.
“The supply chain has become so erratic, so expensive, that many retailers and companies if you purchase an item and want to return it, you actually tell you to keep it, they don’t want it,” Stile said.
Another factor is shipping companies will prioritize goods that they can make more money on. So even if prices begin to drop on some things, importers could shift their priorities to luxury items that are more profitable. It all adds up to higher costs of goods coming from abroad.

domain: news


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Early renders of Samsung’s Galaxy S11 suggested that the phone would have a large camera bump, and now we have a better idea of what that bump might contain. According to a new report from Bloomberg, Samsung’s flagship phone for 2020 will use a 108-megapixel sensor for its main camera along with separate ultrawide and 5x telephoto lenses. The phone is also said to include a time-of-flight sensor, like this year’s Galaxy Note 10 Plus.
Samsung is reportedly further planning to use the 108-megapixel and 5x optical zoom cameras in its second foldable phone, referred to by Bloomberg as the “Galaxy Fold clamshell device” and said to be set for reveal around February. It’s unclear whether this phone will use the flip phone-like concept design the company showed off at its developer conference a couple of months.
Samsung’s 108-megapixel sensor is a known quantity — Xiaomi’s futuristic Mi Mix Alpha will use the same component, and it’s already available on the Mi Note 10. But Samsung is making a big bet on its technology here by putting it into its highest-profile phone range, which has used the same size 12-megapixel sensors ever since 2016’s Galaxy S7. Megapixels aren’t everything, of course, but it sounds like the Galaxy S11’s camera will at least be the most different from its predecessor in a long time.
Report by THE VERGE


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Dockside Restaurant Is Opening in Chelsea
A trio of restaurants located north of Boston will soon have a fourth location, with this one also being north of the city.
According to the restaurant's website, The Dockside is getting ready to open in Chelsea, with an earlier Chelsea Record article stating that the new spot will be located in the old Demoulas supermarket building on Everett Avenue. The article mentions that the new Dockside plans to have a capacity of about 140, with room for 55 more at the bar. A patio with a capacity of about 60 appears to be in the works as well.
The Dockside is known mainly for its classic American fare and pub grub, including such items as nachos, burgers, steak tips, prime rib, and pizza. Other Dockside restaurants can be found on Centre Street in Malden, Medford Street in Malden, and Main Street in Wakefield.
At the present time, there does not appear to be a specific opening date for the Dockside in Chelsea, but based on a recent Craigslist post, the dining spot is currently hiring, so it may be opening fairly soon.
[November 9 update: It looks like the new Dockside Restaurant in Chelsea is very close to opening, as their Facebook page mentions a contest to win VIP Passes for their private opening weekend. (The drawing will be held on November 21.)]
[December 7 update: According to their Facebook page, the Dockside Restaurant in Chelsea is now open.]
The address for this new restaurant is: Dockside Restaurant, 170 Everett Avenue, Chelsea, MA, 02150. The website for all of the Dockside Restaurants can be found at: http://www.docksiderestaurants.com/


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Cryptocurrency is digital money. That means there's no physical coin or bill — it's all online. You can transfer.
16 Nov 2019.
Ever wondered why you haven't heard more about Bitcoin Gold? I found out why from one of BTG's co-creators Alejandro Regojo.
At a bar near Melbourne Beach, the underwater treasure hunter met the Army Ranger who was also a cryptocurrency millionaire.
Monero Stack Exchange Bitcoin Novaragasse Invest in Bitcoin, gold and over 30 other digital assets on your phone or desktop. Fast, secure and 24/7. Bitcoin teller is located at Kurant GmbH – Bitcoin ATM & Service in Vienna. You can buy bitcoins for cash here. Address: Novaragasse 27 1020 Wien Austria. Novaragasse 27, 1020 Wien. BC-ATM – Bitcoin
Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks.
12 Feb 2019.
From ICO scandals to wallet theft and fraud, regular consumers can fall prey to crime easily. It may seem as though it's the Wild West for investors,
Okcoin Introduces Bitcoin Futures Trading To Mobile Android App Monero Stack Exchange Bitcoin Novaragasse Invest in Bitcoin, gold and over 30 other digital assets on your phone or desktop. Fast, secure and 24/7. Bitcoin teller is located at Kurant GmbH – Bitcoin ATM & Service in Vienna. You can buy bitcoins for cash here. Address: Novaragasse 27 1020 Wien Austria. Novaragasse 27, 1020 Wien.
Bitcoin’s (BTC, Tech/Adoption Grade “A”) third halving is behind us, and crypto assets continue to adjust to a market changed.
22 Nov 2017.
A scammer successfully made more than $3 million after getting the private keys to bitcoin gold users' wallets during the fork's launch period.
<img src='https://i.ytimg.com/vi/w8HsTWRTEgA/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEjCPYBEIoBSFryq4qpAxUIARUAAAAAGAElAADIQj0AgKJDeAE=&rs=AOn4CLAngwqzXCaEUzsByeF7xeWHZMb3GA' alt='The Wolf of Wall Street says Bitcoin is a scam.
and he should know’ class=’alignleft’>The US Dollar has been in a Bull trend since 2018, but there’s a technical signal which suggests that just changed. If the.
Need to make sense of your entire budget or get better handle on your monthly household spending? These top-rated personal.
Was Bitcoin A Good Investment 16/12/2019 · The Bitcoin chart can be an index of the trade war. Credit: ADVFN. In this we can see that if there is a quick path to a full deal, bitcoin is going to go to the low of 2019 pretty quickly, there. 25/11/2019 · Beware this ‘celebrity’ bitcoin scam Losses of up to £200,000 are
The pandemic is likely to accelerate a shift to automation, putting people out of work and raising the need for new types of.


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I knew something was amiss this morning, I'd felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out and were suddenly silenced, and now it all makes sense.
Honda has officially cancelled plans for the long awaited NSX supercar. Honda, having already pulled out of F1, is blaming the unrelenting downward spiral of the global economy as the reason behind the move.
The NSX had been coming along nicely with reports indicating that the Japanese supercar would be motivated by the most powerful production car engine Honda has ever produced. The V10 in question was said to generate in the vicinity of 420kW.
What is to become of the V10, and also how this will affect the introduction of Honda V8 engines down the track, still remains to be seen.
Honda has thankfully not ruled out the possibility of the NSX returning in the future when the global economy turns the corner. But when or if that will happen will be enough to keep Honda pundits awake at night for many moons to come.


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As Portada reported some days ago, Mike Cano has been appointed Publisher of El Latino. The 25-year veteran of the newspaper industry talked with Portada about his future plans for the San Diego-based Hispanic newspaper.
Portada: In what way is the San Diego market different from the markets that your former employer Impremedia covers?
Mike Cano: “The San Diego Hispanic market is a treasure. I believe that it complements other impreMedia markets. Although San Diego ranks #11 in top US Hispanic markets, it ranks as #10 when ranked by income. If combined with bordering Tijuana, the market would rank as #4. San Diego is a powerful Hispanic market and should be given greater focus by national advertisers. El Latino does a wonderful job"
P: You are a pioneer in the Hispanic print media sector. What have the main changes been since you started working in this sector 25 years ago?
M.C.: “The main change has been the move to digital. Although not many and even the largest companies have not found ways yet to monetize their online products, I’m convinced that some will in the next 24 months. On the print side, I believe the quality and accountability has increased significantly for those Spanish print products that have managed to survive. As a result, advertisers are getting move value and better results for their investments in print."
P: What are in your opinion, the main differences, regarding opportunities and challenges between the Hispanic and general market newspaper markets?
M.C.: “I believe the key difference is the incredible loyalty that Hispanic readers still have for print products. I find that newspapers that have lost circulation have done so because it’s a business decision or part of their overall strategies and not because of lower consumer demand for their product. I am convinced that for many years we will have a demand for quality local Hispanic print products.”
P: What objectives does El Latino San Diego have in the realm of national advertising (ROP and FSI)?
M.C.: “We have a powerful story to tell national advertisers about San Diego and El Latino. Not only because the market could be ranked as a top 5 market when including Tijuana, but San Diego is a highly developed and affluent Hispanic community. Additionally, we will be making some product improvements in print and online for 2010. One of the key improvements will be our redesign. Starting in January, El Latino will come out with a new 6 column redesigned tab format. The product will have enhanced feature for both readers and advertisers. Our objective is to deliver greater value to our advertising partners.”
P: Some Hispanic newspapers set their online revenue share in % of overall revenues as high as 30%, how high is this for El Latino. And what is El Latino's digital strategy?
M.C.: “Early next year, El Latino will be launching a new online product. If we are able to attract the viewers to our online and mobile products, we believe we can grow our online revenue by double digits in the next couple of years.”
P: You come from a relatively large company, Impremedia, what is the advantage of not being part of a relatively large organization like El Latino. Can you move faster?
M.C.: “Moving quickly and shortening the decision making process is certainly one of the advantages. Independent local based products like El Latino are inheritably wired to move fast. What we lack in resources we make up in creativity and sweat. We are able to conceptualize projects and turn around them around in hours not days or weeks. The other advantage is that because everyone in our organization is Hispanic and we have deep connections to the local community, we are well positioned to serve our readers and advertisers. El Latino is still a Hispanic family owned newspaper. In fact, it is the largest Hispanic owned Spanish-language newspaper in California. It is fully Hispanic operated and has deep connections to the San Diego Hispanic community.”
P: Going into 2010 where do you see the main growth categories in national advertising?
M.C.: We will be delivering improved print and online products for 2010. We are looking to growing across all categories next year. National will be one of our key focused categories. In fact, we will be increasing the size of our sales team. At a time when companies are reducing or outsourcing their staffs, we are looking at bringing in additional new talent.
P: Do you have any local search initiatives going on in El Latino?
M.C.: “We do not have a local search initiative at this time but we are in talks with several possible partners for this type of product.”


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Unisys takes action to protect against spyware and enhance internal PC security
, a leading innovator of online security/privacy protection software, today announced that it has reached agreement with
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The concerns and need for support relative to spyware are advancing rapidly. Spyware programs run discreetly in the background without the PC users knowledge. They use up system resources and network bandwidth and potentially open up an unauthorized communications channel for external access to sensitive information. InfoWorks Technology Company has been providing award winning
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InfoWorks Technology is based in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. More information on InfoWorks Technology and its industry-leading products can be found at
For InfoWorks Technology, contact:


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It was around Black Friday that Devon Arcouette started noticing there were probably too many people in the mall.
Arcouette, the manager at Sunrise Records at Fairview Mall, could sense the number of shoppers ramping up as the holidays approached, making it hard for people to keep two metres apart in certain stores.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Although he hopes the stricter restrictions Quebec implemented for malls Friday won’t hurt his business at the most important time of the year, he agrees they’re necessary.
“I do think it’s the right decision,” Arcouette said Saturday between helping customers. “And I think people understand it’s for everyone’s safety.”
Announced last week as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the province, the new measures require enclosed shopping malls and stores to enforce strict capacity limits based on their total square footage.
Visible signage must be posted outside a store or mall to indicate the number of people allowed in and strict physical distancing measures must be applied.


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The highly competitive auction process had seen some of the world’s biggest food and drinks companies including PepsiCo, Reckitt Benckiser, General Mills, Danone, and Kellogg’s besides homegrown ITC and private equity buyout funds like KKR vie for the GSK Consumer portfolio
The development, which is being touted as GSK’s biggest move, has led to uncertainty at its Indian subsidiary GSK Consumer Healthcare India (GSKCH)
This is part of a “strategic review” of consumer nutrition products that may include the sale of Horlicks, for which India is a big market
ASCI upheld complaints against Colgate-Palmolive (India) for its product Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief Enamel Repair, among others
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer HealthCare's MD discuss his expansion plans and more
From the newsroom of The Economic Times
From BE's News Desk ›
- Qatar Airways launches cinematic new Hollywood-style campaign 'A World Like Never Before'
- ETMONEY's latest campaign offers a look into smart personal financing for new-age Indians
- Zomato partners with Paytm to expand online food ordering in India
- Abhay Deol returns to Pizza Hut's new ad campaign aimed at tech-savvy, on-the-go millennials
- WPP named an industry leader in the 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index
- Buzzoka launches influencer-driven Instagram ad film service
- Here's how Amazon Prime Music is leveraging its hands-free feature on its mobile app
- Watch: Mobiistar's new campaign is titled 'Ab har lamha karo shine'
- Can Ponds' new ad campaign convince you that one 'Jhappi' is all it takes to show real love and warmth?
- FunFoods by Dr. Oetker attempts to make 'GharKaKhana' more appealing for kids with #NothingLikeHomemade


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COCA-COLA insisted yesterday that their products were safe to drink after Taiwan banned the import of a batch of Coke Zero ingredients from Shanghai because of a banned preservative.
The use of methyl para-hydroxybenzoate is prohibited in Taiwan because it may lead to stomach upsets and raise female hormone levels, the Legal Evening News reported.
The Coca-Cola Co, however, said the preservative was permitted on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and the United States. “The preservative is widely used as acceptable and safe additive in food and drink, but Taiwan’s laws and regulations do not permit their use in carbonated beverages,” the company said in a statement released to Shanghai Daily yesterday.
According to the Hong Kong Commercial Daily, Coca-Cola Taiwan Co said the batch of Coke Zero ingredients was transported to Taiwan “by mistake.” The company said its products in Taiwan didn’t use the preservative.
The newspaper said Taiwan’s health authority had also detected the overuse of benzoic acid and hexadienic acid as preservatives in the batch of ingredients, chemicals that may cause eye and skin irritation.
As a result, the authority told the newspaper they would carry out random checks on 20 percent of imported products in future, compared to the 5 percent previously.
The batch of ingredients which was banned was for drinks in fast food restaurants, such as McDonald’s, but would not be used in bottled drinks sold in local markets, Coca-Cola said. McDonald’s officials couldn’t be reached for comment yesterday.
Fan Zhihong, associate professor of China Agricultural University, told the Legal Evening News that the Chinese mainland allows a maximum of 1 gram of such preservative to be used in every kilogram of drink.
But 2.062 grams of the preservative have been detected per kilogram of the Coke Zero ingredients in Taiwan, the newspaper said.
Zhai Mei, a Coca-Cola Co official, said the Taiwan sample was concentrated ingredients, and the percentage of the preservative would be much lower when diluted. [as usual the final paragraph to make you feel good :)]


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Love games like Alien Hominid and Castle Crashers? You're probably a fan of The Behemoth, the developer who has been doggedly bringing these games to fruition for 16 years.
Shacknews caught up with CEO John Baez to chat about a variety of different topics regarding The Behemoth's place within the industry, as well as why it's taken so long to bring Castle Crashers to the Nintendo Switch, when it's been so long since the original game released.
"We're a very small team so we just work on stuff one piece at a time. We just released Pit People last year. That was a huge undertaking for us, so it's taken a while to get back on track with things," said Baez.
That's completely understandable, but we can't help but wish there were more of the company's games on the horizon, too! Games are all about having fun, after all, according to Baez, and we definitely agree.
"People are always looking for something fun to say. There's always something new that you can bring to the table," he told Greg during our interview.
Baez also spoke briefly in the video above about his experience within the ever-changing video game industry, the resurgence of certain genres and trends, and more. Be sure to check it out if you're a fan of their unique twist on side-scrolling shooters and beat-'em-ups.
For more great interviews like this, be sure to head over and subscribe to both Shacknews and GamerhubTV on YouTube. And make sure to head back over later this week for additional coverage from Tokyo Game Show 2019, which is nigh upon us.


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Ambarella, Box rise; Salesforce.com, Generac fall
Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Wednesday:
Salesforce.com Inc., down $33.46 to $251.50.
The customer-management software developer gave investors a disappointing fourth-quarter earnings forecast.
Skechers USA Inc., down 34 cents to $44.58.
Tremblant Capital Group is reportedly pushing for changes in the footwear company.
Ambarella Inc., up $25.37 to $204.89.
The video-compression chipmaker’s third-quarter profit and revenue beat Wall Street forecasts.
Box Inc., up $2.40 to $25.81.
The online storage provider gave investors an encouraging financial forecast.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., up $18.06 to $205.
The biotechnology company gave investors an encouraging update on the development of a potential kidney disorder treatment.
G-III Apparel Group Ltd., up 80 cents to $30.44.
The clothing and accessories maker reported strong third-quarter earnings.
Phillips 66, down 50 cents to $68.67.
U.S. crude oil prices fell and weighed down energy stocks.
Generac Holdings Inc., down $17.67 to $403.57.
The generator maker closed its buyout of Canadian smart thermostat maker Ecobee Inc.
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CHEYENNE — Ski resorts in Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah have been forced to delay opening for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend or have few ski runs open because unseasonably warm weather limited their ability to produce man-made snow.
In Wyoming, the Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole Mountain resorts were not predicting Wednesday when they would open but the resorts were hoping snowfall forecast for Wednesday night and CThursday might help them do so.
Snowpack in Colorado’s mountains is at its lowest level in 30 years and the Beaver Creek resort pushed back its opening day from Wednesday to Friday.
The snow woes for Rocky Mountains ski areas contrasted with early skiing in California, where resorts have enjoyed solid dumps of snow recently following drought conditions in recent years. The state’s Mammoth Mountain opened for skiers and snowboarders on Nov. 10.
The opening delay for Grand Targhee Resort came after it got nearly 60 inches of snow in October that ended up melting on the lower mountain slopes during a warm and dry November, said spokesman Ken Rider, forcing the ski area to delay the start to its season for the first time since 1998.
In recent years, many Rocky Mountains resorts started opening by Thanksgiving.
Sun Valley Resort in central Idaho said only one run will be open on Thursday and likely through the holiday weekend.
“They tried making snow for two or three days but it got to 50 to 55 degrees and that hurt,” said Jake Hanson, a ski resort ticket salesperson.
But workers were making snow Wednesday morning and natural snow was falling, giving some hope for skiers arriving for the long holiday weekend.
“It’s snowing right now and they’re working hard to get snow up there,” Hanson said. “They’re going full blast.”
In Utah, Brighton Resort announced Wednesday it would start operating two ski lifts Friday because of fresh snowfall and man-made snow it managed to produce this week.
A ski resort in southern New Mexico won’t be able to open on Thanksgiving due to warm temperatures and minimal precipitation.
Ski Apache spokesman Justin Huffmon said the resort tried to make snow, but it has not been enough so far.


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Shares of the Titan slipped by 1.3%, Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri was down by 2% and PC Jeweller was lower by 3.5%. Gitanjali Gems fell 0.9%.
"Things are being worked out by the Finance Ministry and some announcements (restrictions) may come in a day or two," a source said to PTI.
On Monday, trade deficit data showed that gold imported surged to $ 4.17 billion from $1.09 billion last year. The rise the gold imports may be due to festive season in India.
Last year, government had increased the import duty on gold to a record 10 per cent. However, relaxed partly in the month of May.


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Italian e-grocery marketplace Supermercato24 has acquired Poland's only on-demand grocery delivery service, Szopi.pl.
The acquisition paves way for the Italian e-grocery company's upcoming launch in the Polish market.
'The Ultimate Benefit'
Federico Sargenti, chief executive of Supermercato24, commented, "[Supermercato24 and Szopi] regard the wide range of available stores as the ultimate benefit for our customers and we are confident that joining our forces will allow us to develop our business in Poland much effectively and at a faster pace."
In the beginning of 2020, the Szopi platform will be integrated into Supermercato24.
The founders of Szopi will be involved in the company's business development and operations, Supermercato24 said.
'New And Improved Offer'
Zbigniew Płuciennik, founder and CEO of Szopi, said, "We are very happy to become part of the Supermercato24 family and to develop together a new and improved offer for our Polish customers, based on the team’s expertise, commercial ties, and technology."
Launched in 2016, Szopi offers on-demand grocery delivery services from supermarkets and discount stores such as Carrefour, Auchan, Biedronka and Lidl in Poland.
It operates in Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw, and Poznan and has delivered more than 100,000 baskets so far.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.


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Volvo has published its Corporate and Sustainability Report for 2009/2010 which the company says shows its commitment to sustainability.
Examples of progress include the introduction of seven DRIVe models, fuel-efficient diesel cars with low CO2 emissions, and the decision to start series production in 2012 of a plug-in hybrid that can be charged through an ordinary electrical outlet.
The company says that the continued drive towards sustainable mobility remains high up on its agenda. “Our commitment goes beyond the tailpipe emissions of our cars – we believe that our responsibility starts with our supplier chain, through production, use and recycling, encompassing a holistic environmental approach,” says Stephen Odell, President and CEO.
As of last year, Volvo Cars’ Corporate and Sustainability Report is integrated into a single document to emphasise how important sustainability issues are in the company’s everyday work. The report is divided according to the operation’s focus areas of environmental care, safety and profitability, with each section containing key ratios and results from the past year together with a description of the vision for the future.
Recurring themes in the report are the significance of cooperation and partnerships, as well as the importance of Volvo Cars’ employees and team work to be successful.
The Volvo Cars’ Corporate and Sustainability Report 2009/2010 is available to download, together with additional information about Volvo Cars’ work with sustainability issues, including the way the company complies with the guidelines for the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative), at
Keywords: Volvo Cars’ Corporate and Sustainability Report 2009/2010


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BEER RUN — Police say man steals Budweiser twice in 8 days from Port Neches store
Published 4:01 pm Friday, November 10, 2023
PORT NECHES — One man keeps stealing Budweiser from a local convenience store, authorities said.
The Port Neches Police Department announced Friday that a local officer responded to Express Mart on Saba Lane regarding a theft at 11:11 p.m. Oct. 31.
Once on scene, police were advised a male entered the store, took two cases of Budweiser and left without paying, leaving in a white Toyota Corolla.
The store clerk recognized the assailant as the same man who stole two cases of Budweiser from the store on Sept. 24 and left in the same vehicle.
The suspect has reddish colored hair and a reddish colored beard.
If you recognize this man and/or the vehicle or have any information that could assist in the identification, call police at 409-719-4239.


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A man working for an e-commerce platform has been arrested for allegedly duping a customer by falsely telling him that his order has been cancelled and promising him a refund, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Manoj (22), is a resident of Kirti Nagar in west Delhi, they said.
A probe was initiated after a complaint was received by a customer at K M Pur police station in south Delhi on October 19, police said.
In his police grievance, the complainant alleged that a delivery man working for Amazon had come to his house at Kidwai Nagar in south Delhi on October 1 to deliver a mobile phone he had ordered from Amazon. But the Amazon delivery man informed him that his order has been cancelled, and he would receive the refund soon, a senior police officer said.


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You might already have done it yourself -- and felt a little guilty about it in the process.
"Showrooming" is the practice of using local stores to check out a product, but then ordering that product for less money online, often while still standing on the store carpet in front of frustrated sales people.
Brick and mortar retailers loathe the practice, implying that it is somehow morally reprehensible. They have to pay for showroom real estate and for the employees to run those showrooms. Shoppers are exploiting this service
More Suggested Content:
Cooking Up Hot Solutions
April 4, 2012
During the last few years, Dave Wexler, co-owner of the Little Guys, a specialty CE dealer in the greater Chicago area, has been shifting his focus away from profit-challenged TVs to new solutions such as digital music.
Wexler is part of a growing trend among savvy retailers and vendors who are embracing the marketing, merchandising and demonstration of connected solutions, as opposed to one-off video or audio product sales. The move has helped dealers increase profits, differentiate themselves from big-box retailers, and offer existing and new consumers the hands-on expertise and education they can’t get from e-tailers.
One of the latest chapters of this reinvention involves the sale of high-quality digital music systems and solutions. It’s based on offering the tools, software, hardware, installation services and education a consumer needs to increase the resolution of downloaded music files, optimize their playback and stream them throughout the home. Several dealers have sold digital music gear for years but not necessarily in a uniform, cohesive manner that focuses on full solutions.
“We know there are millions of iPhones, iPads and Android devices that our customers are downloading music on,” Wexler said. “The question is: How are they doing it? They’re not taking advantage of the fidelity and high-resolution that’s available. We want to make the process easier for them and to show them how to get back to better sound. What’s important to us is maximizing our customers’ sound.”
Retail Sales Rise in March
April 16, 2012
U.S. retail sales showed a healthy 0.8 percent increase in the month of March, the Commerce Department reported Monday, in a positive bit of economic news following a weak jobs report earlier this month.
The electronics category was among those that gained, the government said


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Water is about as precious as a commodity can get and it still hasn't been graced with an official trading platform of its own.
It's necessary for survival, only about 1% of the water on earth is suitable for consumption and people in the United States use about 1,000 times more water each day than gasoline.
"Fresh water is certainly a more valuable commodity than crude oil, but crude oil doesn't fall out of the sky either," said Jim Wyckoff, a commodities analyst at TradingEducation.com.
And at much less than a penny per gallon at the tap compared with gasoline's nearly $3 a gallon, water is a real steal. In fact, you can refill an 8-ounce glass of water approximately 15,000 times for the same cost as a six-pack of soda, according to the American Water Works Association.
"Clean, fresh water is not only the most vital commodity -- it is also the most undervalued," said Bernard Savaiko, an economist at the New York Board of Trade.
Despite the nearly-free cost of the resource, people dish out billions of dollars each year to buy bottled water, making it the fastest growing drink choice in the nation, according to a late 2005 report from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Bottled water can cost as much as 10,000 times more than tap water, according to the Earth Policy Institute, and the U.S. is the world's leading consumer of it, at around one 8-ounce glass per person every day.
All told, U.S. consumers withdrew about 408 billion gallons of water per day for all uses in 2000, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Freshwater use, which includes ground and surface water, ran at about 340 billion gallons per day.
In comparison, the nation saw about 9.1 million barrels per day in finished motor gasoline demand in April, or 382.2 million gallons, based on Energy Department data.
Water is "the first and last great commodity," said Phil Flynn, a senior analyst at Alaron Trading in Chicago. See story on England's water woes.
Even so, it still doesn't have a publicly-traded market -- nothing similar to the oil futures which help dictate market prices -- and that probably won't happen anytime soon, analysts aid.
But with the U.S. population headed for the 300 million mark later this year, and the world figure above 6.5 billion, "people theorize that the next great competition over supplies will be for fresh water," said Flynn, adding that the supply of drinkable water is becoming tighter and tighter. See the U.S. Census Bureau population clocks.
At some point, "it's going to be the oil market of the future," he said.
Indeed, the similarities water has with oil are striking.
Fresh water is "a commodity that is a necessity and the supplies are finite," said Wyckoff.
It's in demand, potentially in tight supply with limited sources, domestically produced and its price fluctuates based on market conditions," said Flynn. It's also deliverable -- "you could sell it from a solid source where you could guarantee delivery."
“'It's going to be the oil market of the future.'”
In the coming years, there are going to be concerns about securing fresh water supplies, said Wyckoff, pointing out the potential of sabotage from terrorists.
"It's not going to surprise me in the coming years or sooner if terrorists try to contaminate a major municipality's drinking-water supply," he said -- "just like they do with crude-oil pipelines in Iraq right now."
But "water supplies are renewable, and renewable probably in much more rapid fashion than crude oil," said Wyckoff.
And the cost and nature of production differs from oil, he said.
"Different places have different costs of production," he said, pointing out that Los Angeles gets its water from the Colorado River, while Iowa can, for example, drill 30 feet and have a virtually unending supply of water. In Saudi Arabia, the fresh water has to go through desalination plants that make the process costly, but it's the country's only source of fresh water.
The water industry has talked about the development of a tradable market for over a decade, according to Debra Coy, a research analyst at Stanford Washington Research Group, but it's not likely to happen soon, "despite the scarcity and increasing value of water."
Why? Simply put, "from a practical standpoint, it's not really cost-efficient to move it long distances or to store it," said Nybot's Savaiko.
Oil is about $70 a barrel, or $1.67 a gallon, and we're paying about one-third of a cent per gallon of high-quality water from our taps, said Dr. Peter Gleick, president of Pacific Institute, an independent think-tank based in Oakland, Calif.
“'If you fill a tanker with oil, you have something worth money; you fill up a tanker with water, and you don't. Very quickly, your shipping costs kill you.'”
"If you fill a tanker with oil, you have something worth money; you fill up a tanker with water, and you don't," he said. "Very quickly, your shipping costs kill you."
Given that, "water is unlikely to ever be a global commodity," he said.
The U.S., particularly California, is becoming more efficient in water use and water use is leveling off, even as the population and economy grows, he said. The nation uses less water for everything than it did 20 years ago.
"It's cheaper to save a gallon of water than to go and find a new gallon from the environment," he said.
And besides looking at the technical issues involved with any commodity, such as delivery and storage, the basic question, according to Savaiko, is: where do you find the sellers?
"There's plenty of demand, but where would the sellers come from? Would you want to be short water?" he points out.
Still a possibility
Still, for some, it wouldn't be a surprise to see water traded as a commodity.
"After all 98% of the world's water is salt water [and] the world's lakes, rivers and streams account for just 1% of the fresh water," said Sean Brodrick, an editor at Weiss Research.
But instead of seeing the resource traded on an American exchange, he'd "look to one of the foreign exchanges with real vision to start trading water." And standards for water would have to be set, he said, much like the Brent standard for crude.
“'We might first have to have a crisis of some sorts, or a cartel come into being before the world wakes up.'”
On a global scale, "supply and demand are on a decisive collision course here, whereby the world supply of drinkable or potable water is quickly shrinking," said Savaiko.
There's going to be more emphasis on desalination to make up for the shortfall created by the finite supply of water, so the price of water may eventually rise to meet the cost of that process, which ranges from $2 to $3 per 1,000 gallons, he said.
Currently, on a local scale, there actually is a market for water.
Farmers in California, for example, are marketing water to cities because farmers pay very little for water and cities are willing to pay a lot more, said Gleick. If farmers in California pay 20 to 40 cents per 1,000 gallons of water, they can sell it to cities for 10 times that amount, he said.
And on a transaction-to-transaction basis, water is sold or leased in states where the legal structure allows this, and most delivery is made in close proximity to the source," said Coy.
Where water is sold, it's sold as the "right to pump a certain amount of water from an aquifer or the right to take a certain amount from a stream or river," she said. An aquifer is a layer of earth or rock that yields water.
That setup is more similar to selling drilling rights than the actual trading of oil itself, Coy said.
In the interim
For now, the Powershares Water Resources exchange-traded fund
Commodities trader Kevin Kerr, who's also editor of MarketWatch's Global Resources Trader, said other opportunities for "water play" lie in benchmarks such as the Palisades Water Index
which was designed to track the performance of companies involved in the global water industry, and the Dow Jones U.S. Water Index
But just like oil, before water can become a real traded commodity, "we might first have to have a crisis of some sorts, or a cartel come into being before the world wakes up," said Jon Nadler, an investment products analyst at bullion dealers Kitco.com.


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ST. LOUIS, MS: Elasticity has spun off from parent company Osborn & Barr (O&B), it announced last week. The separation enables the partners of Elasticity to buy controlling interest in the company, according to a blog post by Aaron Perlut, managing partner at the firm.
Elasticity clients include Charter Communications, Capital One, Sony Online Entertainment, Anheuser Busch InBev, Stifel Nicolaus, Toro, Travel Leaders, Stout Industries, and Lanworth, among others.
Elasticity will move from its current space within O&B in downtown St. Louis to a newly renovated space in the city.
O&B, an advertising and PR firm focused on agriculture, rural lifestyle, and outdoor markets, launched the subsidiary firm in January 2009.


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DU QUOIN, IL (KFVS) - Muscle car owners and fans alike have rolled into Du Quoin for the start of the Street Machine Nationals.
It’s sure to attract thousands of fans and car owners from all over.
This year marks the second appearance after being banned in 1999.
City leaders wanted a family friendly atmosphere and that’s what car enthusiasts brought.
Now that the ban on glass bottles and cruising is lifted, some fans say they are still hopeful this year with be nothing short of family fun.
"It's been great; it has been a lot of fun this year just like the old days. Except all of the rowdiness, which is better," Jim Marino said.
Muscle cars have taken over the Du Quoin State fairgrounds.
Every make and model is sure to attract the biggest car enthusiasts.
“Your rat rods your old rods, your new stuff your fairground queens which are those slobbering white tire things that run around,” Gene Lower, a car enthusiast said.
But bigger doesn’t always mean better.
“I don’t fit in, I’m a little small,” Jeff Barker said.
Baker says his Mini Tea bucket replica might not rev the loudest or go the fastest, but it’s sure to make people’s heads turn, as I found out after a quick spin around the block.
"It is just a little bit tight, but I can get in there," Barker said.
Weighing in at around 350 pounds, and standing at just four feet, the mini muscle machine rides the same as riding lawn mower would.
“It’s been a blast, lots of cars here, lots of people, it’s awesome,” Chris Winters said.
Event organizers say with the number of fans expected to exceed last year’s, car owners don’t want to disappoint.
“Just come and look because there is something for everyone and everybody,” Lower said.


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Here’s an interesting take on the online ordering dilemma – the stuff you shop on the Internet could soon be delivered directly to your parked car, skipping the hassle of being at home or work to gain possession.
Deutsche Post AG’s DHL division is currently negotiating with the Volvo Car Group to secure a deal that would see the parcel-delivery service allowed to enter the company’s cars remotely – said sources that know about the proceeds but chose to remain anonymous because the partnership is not public yet. One of the persons that talked to Bloomberg said the delivery service is also engaged in negotiations with other automakers and the company might announce a new program soon. The service would see delivery agent gaining one-time access in a client’s car to deliver the parcel.
The service has already been implemented as a pilot program in Sweden, where the agents used Volvo’s GPS-linked On Call service to gain access to the vehicle and deliver the packages. DHL gains access to the car only after the owner accepts the delivery via text message. This is one perk that could help the Swedish-based carmaker to set itself apart from the top premium automakers on the US market – Germany’s BMW and Mercedes-Benz.


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© The Financial Times Ltd 2015 FT and 'Financial Times' are trademarks of The Financial Times Ltd.
January 19, 2014 1:29 pm
Christmas was a good time to be a pub owner. A midweek Christmas and New Year’s eve gave many in the UK a near-two week holiday, with little else to do but eat and drink.
The results of Greene King, which owns 2,200 pubs, and its smaller rival Spirit, which has 1,200 pubs, duly bore this out, with both groups posting solid growth last week.
Similarly strong results are expected from Marston’s and JD Wetherspoon when they report this week. They will be followed by Mitchells & Butlers and Enterprise Inns, which report on January 30 and February 6, respectively.
All four are expected to kick off 2014 with like-for-like growth – which is not always the case in a sector that has been buffeted by huge debts, changing drinking habits and higher taxes in recent years.
Analysts at Numis expect that Marston’s will enjoy sales growth of about 3.5 per cent in its “premium” managed estate, when it reports on Tuesday. JD Wetherspoon will post on Wednesday like-for-like sales growth of about 3 per cent, according to Deutsche Bank.
Even Mitchells & Butlers – which has had a tumultuous recent history, involving warring shareholders and a revolving cast of chief executives – is expected to post like-for-like growth of 2 per cent when it reports the following week, according to Deutsche.
Although consumer spending loosened over the festive period, it was in general tight throughout 2013 and is expected to remain erratic throughout 2014. “It’s not easy out there, as you have seen from some retailers,” says Mike Tye, chief executive of Spirit.
Customers are opting to go out less, but often spend more – buying fancier beer, or a slightly more expensive bottle of wine – when they do. “Customers are prepared to reward themselves,” says Rooney Anand, chief executive of Greene King.
Mr Anand says these changing spending habits mean pub groups must adapt to attract punters on the fewer occasions they do head out.
Regulatory uncertainty also looms over the sector. The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills will launch its long-awaited – and much delayed – report into the relationship between big pub groups and their tenants later this year.
Some industry figures are optimistic that it will be less tough on the sector than many had feared. But change in the tenanted market is coming regardless of the department’s proposals.
The old leased model, with fixed rent and selling [tenants] beer is not a very future-proof model when beer sales are inevitably going to go backwards until they plateau
- Mike Tye, Spirit CEO
“The old leased model, with fixed rent and selling [tenants] beer is not a very future-proof model when beer sales are inevitably going to go backwards until they plateau,” says Mr Tye of Spirit.
Enterprise Inns, the largest tenanted operator in the UK with 5,500 pubs, has experimented with a more hands-on relationship with some of its tenants, helping tenants with day-to-day operations rather than just collecting rent and selling beer.
Enterprise is expected to post like-for-like growth of 0.5 per cent – compared with a 4.4 per cent drop in the same period last year – when it reports at the start of February, according to Deutsche.
There are some tailwinds for the industry. Food cost inflation will continue to slow in 2014, say analysts at Panmure Gordon. This is good news for low-cost operators such as JD Wetherspoon, which reports on Wednesday, and has had trouble maintaining its margin in recent years.
But another factor could help or hinder pubs: the weather. Although regularly used as an excuse by the chief executives of consumer-facing companies, weather does affect the performance of the pub sector, say analysts. “Last year, the weather was a genuine negative for all pub groups,” says Geof Collyer, analyst at Deutsche.
The bitterly cold winter of 2013, which bled into late spring, knocked sales across the entire industry, giving pubs some soft comparisons to grow against – especially if the sun shines.
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Bangladesh’s apparel export will cross the $100-billion target by 2030, considering the potentials of the markets in Europe, the Uk, and the USA amid declining share of Chinese garments, experts have said. The global apparel market size will be around $1135 billion in 2030. During this period Bangladeshi apparel exporters expect to get at least 10 per cent or $100 billion of the global market share. The current global apparel market volume is around $560 billion, where Bangladesh’s export share was $43 billion in FY 2021-22, up by 36 per cent year-on-year (July to June). Read: Uniform rate: Tk 108/dollar max for remittance, Tk 99/dollar for export income from tomorrow The apparel export saw a good start in FY 2022-23 with July-August earnings reaching $7.11 billion, posting 26 per cent growth compared to the same period of last fiscal year, said Faruque Hassan, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). International trade expert Dr Mohammad Abdur Razzaque told UNB that Europe and the USA are the potentially growing markets for Bangladesh’s apparel products. Bangladesh has an additional export potential of $20 billion in the EU and the UK, he said adding that currently the country can utilise less than 60 per cent of its export potentials to these markets. Read BGMEA for shoring up Bangladesh-India interactions in apparel, textile Razzaque, who is also chairman of RAPID, a think tank, quoted a recent report in this regard. In order to reach $100 billion target the country has to achieve an annual export growth of 11.45 per cent. As Chines apparel export share is declining in the western market due to rising tension between the West and China, Bangladeshi exporters are likely to take advantage of the situation to boost their products, he opined. China is moving away from low-value-added apparel to more sophisticated items, this can be an advantage for Bangladeshi apparel exporters, he said. Also read: BGMEA, Eswatini for investment in apparel, textile joint ventures The EU apparel market size is $200 billion while the US market is $90 billion to $100 billion. The Chinese market is around $11 billion while the Indian market is 1.1 billion, so Bangladesh has to expand its export share in the EU and US markets by 12 per cent and 15 per cent respectively, Razzaque suggested. In 2030, Bangladesh’s export share in the EU market would have been $65 billion and $24 billion in the US market, which is achievable considering the resilience of the country despite Covid-19 pandemic. In the post-Covid-19 pandemic period apparel export volume of the country is showing upward trends due to the resilience of the country’s people, said Md Jillur Rahman, assistant professor of Economics at Jagannath University. Read Bangladesh to retain fame as safe, sustainable apparel sourcing destination: BGMEA He said Bangladesh’s apparel export to the EU market grew by 59.5 per cent in the January to June period of 2022. It shows the prospects of Bangladesh's growing apparel export to the EU market, he said. Dr Razzaque, however, cautioned that achieving $100 billion export target of Bangladesh’s apparel industry will not be cake walk. Logistic facility, port handling capacity and skilled labour, environment and labour rights will be burning issues. Bangladesh must focus on AI-developed equipment skilled labor and labor wage satisfaction to face the challenges in the coming years. Read 'Electronics exports to overtake apparel'
A delegation comprising leaders of apparel industry associations in Bangladesh held a meeting with André Picard, Chief Technical Adviser and Head, Actuarial Services Unit, and Anne-Marie La Rosa of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland on Tuesday. The delegation included President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Faruque Hassan, President of Employers Federation of Bangladesh (BEF) Ardashir Kabir, Executive President of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) Mohammad Hatem, BGMEA Vice President Miran Ali, BGMEA Standing Committee Chair on ILO issue A N M Saifuddin and Secretary-General of BEF Farooq Ahmed. They had discussions about various issues pertaining to the apparel industry of Bangladesh particularly the progress made by the industry in compliance with ILO conventions ratified by the country. READ: CPD, ILO bring together stake holders to develop national industrial safety framework They also discussed employment injury insurance schemes for the RMG sector in Bangladesh. The delegation apprised the ILO of the industry’s ongoing initiatives and programs including ILO’s Better Work Program in the RMG sector to promote decent working conditions in the garment factories. They asserted the firm commitment of the industry to carry forward the achievements made so far in ensuring a safe and decent workplace for workers and their rights and well-being.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan Thursday said the readymade garments (RMG) industry is not only making a contribution to the socio-economic development of Bangladesh but also bringing glory to the nation. "The apparel industry is carrying the 'Made in Bangladesh' trademark across the world and we are all proud of it. The industry belongs to all people of this country. The development of the sector means the development of Bangladesh and betterment of its people," he said. The BGMEA chief said the next phase of Bangladesh's economic growth will largely depend on the industrial sector where the apparel industry will play a pivotal role. "So it is everyone's responsibility to protect the industry." Read:BGMEA for branding 'Made in Bangladesh' Faruque was speaking at the event "Sustainability of the Apparel Industry of Bangladesh: Policies, Scopes and Constraints" organised by Solidaridad Network Asia and ESTex Foundation at a city hotel. The programme aimed to provide a platform to policymakers and sectoral stakeholders to highlight the policy gaps and needs and constraints and to explore new opportunities and initiate pathways for implementing solutions to the environmental, social, and economic issues to achieve sustainability of the apparel industry of Bangladesh. Faruque called on brands and retailers to be rational in terms of pricing to make the supply chain resilient and sustainable. Also read: BGMEA shares RMG success stories at IAF meeting There is a sharp disconnect between sustainability and pricing mechanisms, and the factories are investing more in safety and sustainability, he said. "Also, prices of yarn, chemicals and other raw materials in the global supply chain have pushed up production costs in garment manufacturing. But prices are not being offered in line with that. The gap needs to be closed," said the BGMEA chief. Mohammad Hasan Arif, general manager of Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority, Selim Reza Hasan, country manager of Solidaridad Network Asia, Syed Naved Husain, group director of Beximco, and Dr Mohidus Samad Khan also attended the programme.
The apex trade body of Bangladesh's apparel industry has said there is no major barrier for the country to get GSP+ benefits in the European market whenever applicable as the country graduates from the club of least developed countries (LDCs). Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan came up with information during a press conference at a city hotel Saturday while noting that the precondition for the GSP+ on import threshold (7.4 %) has been removed from the proposed GSP regulations for 2024-2034. The conference was arranged to share the outcome of his recent visit to the US and Canada. The BGMEA chief thanked the EU for its favourable initiative to countries like Bangladesh. Everything but Arms (EBA) is a special arrangement for the LDCs, providing them with duty-free, quota-free access to the EU market for all products except arms and ammunition. Read: BGMEA discusses export, FDI opportunities with Bangladesh envoy The BGMEA President said the European Union (EU) is Bangladesh's key export market with around 60 per cent of exports. He said Bangladesh will enjoy the existing duty-free and quota-free market access in the European countries until 2029 following the country's graduation. "The government and the BGMEA are working together to ensure the continuation of the EBA facilities for 12 years after 2029," he said.
Bangladesh and India can reap more mutual trade benefits through better collaboration – namely, in the apparel and textile industry – Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan said Thursday. "There are great opportunities for Bangladesh and India to complement each other in boosting apparel and textile business in both countries," he said. The BGMEA president made the remarks as Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami paid a courtesy call on the BGMEA leaders at the office of the apparel industry's apex body. BGMEA Vice-President Shahidullah Azim; directors Asif Ashraf, Md Mohiuddin Rubel, Tanvir Ahmed, and Abdullah Hil Rakib, Indian Deputy High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dr Binoy George, and Commercial Representative of the High Commission Dr Pramyesh Basall were also present at the meeting. They discussed existing problems in export-import – namely, in ready-made garments (RMG) and textile industry – possible ways to address them, and potential areas of further collaboration between Bangladesh and India to derive mutual trade benefits. Read: After 56 yrs, Bangladesh-India rail link to reopen Sunday
Speakers at a webinar on Saturday said partnership and collaboration between governments of sourcing and supplying countries, as well as brands, suppliers and workers is essential to ensuring the recovery of the apparel sector following the Coronavirus pandemic.


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Saudi Arabia (KSA) Digital TV News
LG Ad Solutions expands MENA advertising footprint with ArabyAds
Nov 16, 2022 – LG Ad Solutions has announced a partnership with ArabyAds, expanding its CTV advertising offering into the Middle East and North Africa. ArabyAds will gain access to potential consumers in the region using LG Smart TVs.
News categories: LG Ad Solutions, ArabyAds, Raghu Kodige, Mahmoud Fathy, Gulrez Alam, Advertising, Digital TV, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Smart TV, Streaming, UAE
Pay TV revenues in the MENA region to decline by $1.5bn
Jan 17, 2022 – According to Digital TV Research, Pay TV revenues in the Middle East and North Africa will fall by 38% between peak year 2016 and 2027 to $2.39 billion. Revenues in the Arabic-speaking countries are then expected to be $915 million.
News categories: Digital TV Research, Simon Murray, Digital TV, Israel, Kazakhstan, Market Research, Middle-East, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE
MENA pay TV revenues continue to fall
Jan 18, 2021 – According to Digital TV Research, pay TV revenues in the MENA region fell by 14% between 2016 and 2020 to $2.74 billion. Revenues will continue to fall slowly - to $2.52 billion in 2026.
News categories: Digital TV Research, Simon Murray, Digital TV, Egypt, Israel, Market Research, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE
GCC video industry revenue to reach US$2 billion by 2025
Dec 7, 2020 – Media Partners Asia has published its first report on the Middle East region. The report provides analysis of the current state and future outlook for telecoms, online video and pay-TV industries across the GCC countries.
News categories: Media Partners Asia, Aravind Venugopal, Bahrain, COVID-19, Digital TV, Kuwait, Market Research, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE
Synamedia and AWS accelerate end-to-end cloud TV deployments
Jun 8, 2020 – Synamedia is collaborating with AWS to accelerate the adoption of cloud TV services. With the partnership, video service providers can combine Synamedia’s Infinite cloud TV platform and AWS's reliability and cloud elasticity.
News categories: Synamedia, AWS, Nick Thexton, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Egypt, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Worldwide
E-Vision selects Synamedia for MENA multi-tenant OTT service
Jan 7, 2020 – Synamedia has announced that E-Vision has selected its Infinite platform for a multi-country, multi-tenant OTT service. The platform is already live in Egypt and will launch soon in Saudi Arabia. Additional markets will follow in due course.
News categories: Synamedia, E-Vision, Yves Padrines, Humaid Rashid Sahoo, CES2023, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Egypt, Middle-East, Saudi Arabia, Streaming, UX
UniqCast to deliver turnkey hybrid TV solution to Mawarid Electronics
Jun 17, 2019 – Mawarid Electronics offers internet and voice services to customers in Saudi Arabia. With UniqCast, Mawarid Electronics aims to offer full triple play services to their customers, as we well as to other service providers in the region.
News categories: UniqCast, Mawarid Electronics, Darko Robič, www.mel.sa/, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Satellite, Saudi Arabia, Set Top Box, Terrestrial, TV Everywhere
Empire to open multi-sensory cinemas in Saudi Arabia
Apr 2, 2019 – Al-Rashed Empire Cinema Consortium has signed a deal with CJ 4DPLEX to open 10 4DX theatres around Saudi Arabia by 2023. 4DX enhances the on-screen visuals through special effects including motion synchronized seats, wind, fog, rain, lightning, snow, bubble, vibration, and scents.
News categories: CJ 4DPLEX, JongRyul Kim, Gino Haddad, Digital TV, Metaverse, Saudi Arabia
Zain KSA and Huawei plan video streaming service
Feb 26, 2019 – Zain KSA and Huawei have agreed a plan to implement a 'to Home' video streaming service platform and infrastructure. Zain KSA will be the first telecom operator in the Middle East to use Huawei's video cloud solutions to build their own video services.
News categories: Zain, Huawei, Eng. Sultan Bin AbdulAziz AlDeghaither, Dennis Zhang, Content Distribution, Digital TV, IPTV, MWC23, Saudi Arabia
- Mixed fortunes for pay TV in the Asia Pacific region
- Evolution Digital integrates OpenSync with an Android TV set-top box
- ARF calls for move away from TV households as basis of TV measurement
- 76% of SVOD services to introduce ads in the next two years
- Free, ad-supported streaming takes off in the U.S.
- NextGen TV begins broadcasting in Des Moines, IA
- PANTAFLIX to dispose of streaming technology subsidiary
- Harmonic powers live sports streaming for VertiCast
- Eurovision Sport selects Ad Insertion Platform monetization solution
- TV reception over the Internet continues to grow in Switzerland
- Ateme launches statmux for NextGen TV and streaming services
- Canela Media chooses Amagi for FAST content monetization
- SES in discussions regarding possible combination with Intelsat
- Comscore expands 48-hour television reporting
- TCCL deploys iWedia Android TV Custom Launcher
- LiveU joins AWS Partner Network
- 63% of rural Americans bundle internet and TV
- IAS offers ad verification solution on APS Connections Marketplace
- Charter to acquire assets of Maine-based Bee Line Cable
- FreeWheel: FAST channels redefining premium video distribution


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Affordable fashion line New Look has recorded a full-year loss due to the travails of its French arm Mim, which it is now considering selling.
The chain booked an impairment charge of £64.2m due to the losses incurred by Mim, which runs 356 shops in France, Belgium, Morocco and Romania.
The losses mean that New Look, which was founded in 1969 and has 21 shops in Northern Ireland out of a total 1,100, was pushed to a £55m loss in the year to March 29, compared with a £3.1m pre-tax profit a year ago.
However, the group said its trading over the last year was strong with like-for-like UK sales up 3%, compared to a 0.5% fall in 2013.
The firm added that its adjusted earnings lifted 5.8% to £200.2m last year.
New Look chief executive Anders Kristiansen said: "We are looking at a number of options for this business, including a divestment. We have had interest from others about Mim."
The group called the fashion retail market volatile but Mr Kristiansen added he was optimistic about the UK market and planned to add more stores.
The group also opened five shops in China last year, bringing its total to 10. It plans to open 10 more over the coming year.
New Look also bought back its Polish franchise consisting of 10 stores, and said this gave the unit a solid basis from which to grow.
The group saw its third-party e-commerce sales lift to £22m, from £1.6m a year ago, as it established agreements with online specialists such as ASOS, Koovs and La Moda.
New Look is owned by private equity groups Apax and Permira, as well as founder Tom Singh.
It had planned to list on the stock market in 2010, but the move was shelved amid turmoil in the financial markets.
Mr Kristiansen said the business was focused on expansion – in China, Poland, Russia and Germany – and had no plans to seek a flotation during the next 12 months.
At the same time last year New Look had announced a return to profit following a loss the previous year. Last May it had made a full year pre-tax profit of £3.1m.


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We are now officially in the spring, we are approaching the end of the month and to the announcement of the titles that will be made available to the free download in the PlayStation Plus next month.
After the free games of March (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered and The Witness), we are now ready to know the games of April 2019. And, of course, we remind you our PlayStation Plus April 2019 free games predictions.
As always, the PlayStation Plus free games are announced on the last Wednesday of the month, so we will know the games of April 2019 on Wednesday 27 March, usually in the afternoon.
If you are interested in PS Plus, we remind our article about how to save money subscribing to PlayStation Plus.


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Ion, Nvidia's only ray of hope?
Meanwhile, Nvidia is still selling its Ion chipset.
"Customers including Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Acer, ASUS and others are continuing to incorporate GeForce 9400M and ION products in their current designs. There are many customers that have plans to use ION or GeForce 9400M chipsets for upcoming designs, as well," said Burke.
Burke also noted that Nvidia continued to sell a higher quantity of chipsets on AMD platforms than AMD itself. "MCP61-based platforms continue to be extremely well positioned in the entry CPU segments where AMD CPUs are most competitive vs. Intel," he continued, maintaining Nvidia would "continue to innovate integrated solutions for Intel's FSB architecture."
"We firmly believe that this market has a long healthy life ahead," Burke told us, concluding with curious optimism. "We expect our MCP business for both Intel and AMD to be strong well into the future."
It wasn't clear where Burke expects all this future Intel chipset business to come, especially if Nvidia loses the court case and is denied the opportunity to make chipsets for the latest Intel CPUs. We can only assume that Nvidia expects Intel to need graphics help for its other platforms for the forseeable future, and that Nvidia will be in a position to provide it.


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IGT, one of the world's leading online and land-based casino technology and game providers, announced today that they have successfully launched their brand new game "Prowling Panther" across all of their distribution channels simultaneously in the UK. The title went live on desktops, mobile devices as well as with several locations for Genting and Grosvenor casinos.
Prowling Panther has been a massive success in land-based casinos around the world and was chosen to be the first title which IGT would release concurrently across all three channels in the same country.
“Prowling Panther is the perfect game for our first ever simultaneous triple channel launch – and ICE is the ideal showcase,” said Leigh Nissim, IGT Commercial Director of Interactive. “The game’s gripping graphics, impressive audio package, and high-volatility game-play have proven to be a winning formula with casino players in other territories and I expect it will be a big hit with UK players across all environments.”
IGT will attend ICE Totally Gaming 2015, which takes place in ExCel in London from February 3rd to 5th, where operators can get an insight into their new strategies towards boosting operators revenues and profits through a series of innovative Marketing Yield Features.
Show-goers will also get a glimpse of IGT's brand new games, which includes new MegaJackpots games, Wheel of Fortune, Sherlock Holmes, Family Guy and many other who will join forces with Ghostbusters, Star Trek, Transformers and many other licensed casino games that brings joy to players around the world.
“IGT Interactive’s roster of superior branded content is matched by our selection of player-favorite games. Underscored by innovative marketing yield features and brand new MegaJackpots, we believe we have created an unbeatable package to drive revenues for our partners,” added Nissim. “With the worldwide igaming marketplace constantly changing, our expertise allows us to adapt to updating regulation and maximize opportunities in newly regulated markets.”


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America's aviation watchdog, the FAA, has put forward a plan for how delivery drones will be governed.
The federal regulator's rule-making committee on Tuesday issued a report [PDF] that is a key milestone in the adoption of delivery drones in the Land of the Free.
The UAS Identification and Tracking Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) report, issued in September but only revealed publicly this week, outlines the red-tape the FAA is likely to adopt for drone aircraft tasked with delivering stuff to people.
The recommendations include requirements that all delivery drones be equipped with tracking hardware that would allow each delivery copter to be identified. Operators would also be required to publish (to the FAA) details on the technology they use to track and relay instructions to the drones.
Other requirements recommended in the report include airspace management rules (such as operating below 2,500 feet and away from airports, sports events, and landmarks) and a "Trusted Operator System" that would exempt some commercial drone operators that use the craft for security and surveillance.
The idea, said FAA officials, is to lay a groundwork for rules that will open the skies to pizza, taco and parcel delivery drones and other commercial unmanned craft.
"Overall, the ARC provided the FAA with a substantial amount of useful data, including very detailed technology evaluations and a comprehensive list of law enforcement needs and preferences," the FAA said.
"The ARC’s recommendations and suggestions, which are fully detailed in the report, cover issues related to existing and emerging technologies, law enforcement and security, and implementation of remote identification and tracking."
The rules come as package delivery companies and retailers, most notably Amazon, continue to develop both the craft and infrastructure needed to do home and office deliveries via drone aircraft. In September, the Bezos Bunch undertook their first live drone delivery, dropping off a package in Cambridge, UK.
That demonstration saw a drone loaded by a human helper then directed to a target outside the recipient's house. The craft operated and under 400 feet, and was limited to carrying parcels that weighed less than five pounds.
Back in America, the committee's report this week is just a set of recommendations – they have yet to be formally signed off by the regulator. ®


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More is needed to lower drug costs
By Admin | February 26, 2018
Trump’s proposed plans to lower the costs of pharmaceuticals have many skeptics who say much more needs to be done, an article by FierceHealthcare says.
The White House issued a 30-page report outlining how the administration will reduce current drug prices and provide incentives to pharmaceutical companies to innovate.
One of the proposals is for rebates to be more available to consumers and patients, but the argument against that is that drug copayments reflect the retail price of drugs, not the amount after a rebate.
Many of the other plans include moving drugs from Medicare Part B to Medicare Part D in order to push doctors to prescribe more inexpensive drugs, but skeptics say this and many of the other proposals within the report are championed by the pharmaceutical companies and won’t help lower retail prices
In fact, this change could actually raise the cost of drugs for many seniors, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association says.
For more and to read the White House’s report, read “Skeptics say Trump's efforts to lower drug prices don't go far enough” by FierceHealthcare.


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Sanctions are forcing Russia to cannibalize washing machines, refrigerators, and electric breast pumps for transistors, transformers, and microchips. Bloomberg writes that there has been a boom in European exports to Russia’s neighbors since the invasion of Ukraine began. Alberto Nardelli, Bryce Baschuk, and Mark Champion write (abridged):
A sudden and surprising spike in European exports of washing machines, refrigerators and even electric breast pumps to Russia’s neighbors is raising concerns among officials the trade boom may be helping Vladimir Putin’s war machine in Ukraine.
Armenia imported more washing machines from the European Union during the first eight months of the year than the past two years combined, according to data compiled by Bloomberg from the EU’s Eurostat database. Kazakhstan imported $21.4 million worth of European refrigerators through August, more than triple the amount for the same period last year. […]
The trade data show for example that EU exports of electric breast pumps to Armenia nearly tripled in the first half of 2022 versus the prior year, despite a 4.3% drop in the Armenian birth rate. Likewise, Kazakhstan’s demand for breast pumps from the EU soared 633% in the first half of 2022 even though the national birth rate fell 8.4% during the same period.
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Microsoft is yanking its $33-a-share bid on Yahoo, saying that it will buy out the company "on its own terms."
An excerpt from a New York Times piece pretty much sums up the situation:
Microsoft insists that it would acquire Yahoo only on its own terms. Now it said that it will withdraw its offer, after the Internet giant rebuffed a sweetened $33-a-share bid.
But is Microsoft really going to walk away from the biggest deal of the software giant’s 33-year history?
The company has never denied that it would take a hard line in its negotiations with its target. In fact, Microsoft’s chief executive, Steven A. Ballmer, has regularly talked tough — and may now be adopting perhaps the toughest tactic of all.
The possibility of walking away was always present. Even in February, Christopher P. Liddell, Microsoft’s chief financial officer and an architect of its Yahoo offer, has told The Times that he’s willing to play hardball. 'You have to be disciplined and ruthless,' he said. 'You have to be willing to walk away.'
More recently, Mr. Ballmer reiterated that dropping its bid was a possible strategy.
In recent weeks, many had expected Microsoft to escalate the fight by beginning a proxy fight. Mr. Ballmer has never shied away from brandishing that club, coupled with a tender offer.
But in a recent town hall with Microsoft employees, Mr. Ballmer seemed to suggest that a proxy fight was a relatively unpalatable option. 'There’s a lot of downsides and some upsides associated with that,' he said.
Mr. Ballmer’s letter to Jerry Yang of Yahoo suggests that he didn’t have the appetite for that kind of fight. He acknowledged that the Internet company would fight hard against such a move, and might take steps like linking up with Google.
The letter, to which Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer alluded, says the following in its entirety:
May 3, 2008
Mr. Jerry Yang
CEO and Chief Yahoo
701 First Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
After over three months, we have reached the conclusion of the process regarding a possible combination of Microsoft and Yahoo!.
I first want to convey my personal thanks to you, your management team, and Yahoo!’s Board of Directors for your consideration of our proposal. I appreciate the time and attention all of you have given to this matter, and I especially appreciate the time that you have invested personally. I feel that our discussions this week have been particularly useful, providing me for the first time with real clarity on what is and is not possible.
I am disappointed that Yahoo! has not moved towards accepting our offer. I first called you with our offer on January 31 because I believed that a combination of our two companies would have created real value for our respective shareholders and would have provided consumers, publishers, and advertisers with greater innovation and choice in the marketplace. Our decision to offer a 62 percent premium at that time reflected the strength of these convictions.
In our conversations this week, we conveyed our willingness to raise our offer to $33.00 per share, reflecting again our belief in this collective opportunity. This increase would have added approximately another $5 billion of value to your shareholders, compared to the current value of our initial offer. It also would have reflected a premium of over 70 percent compared to the price at which your stock closed on January 31. Yet it has proven insufficient, as your final position insisted on Microsoft paying yet another $5 billion or more, or at least another $4 per share above our $33.00 offer.
Also, after giving this week’s conversations further thought, it is clear to me that it is not sensible for Microsoft to take our offer directly to your shareholders. This approach would necessarily involve a protracted proxy contest and eventually an exchange offer. Our discussions with you have led us to conclude that, in the interim, you would take steps that would make Yahoo! undesirable as an acquisition for Microsoft.
We regard with particular concern your apparent planning to respond to a “hostile” bid by pursuing a new arrangement that would involve or lead to the outsourcing to Google of key paid Internet search terms offered by Yahoo! today. In our view, such an arrangement with the dominant search provider would make an acquisition of Yahoo! undesirable to us for a number of reasons:
* First, it would fundamentally undermine Yahoo!’s own strategy and long-term viability by encouraging advertisers to use Google as opposed to your Panama paid search system. This would also fragment your search advertising and display advertising strategies and the ecosystem surrounding them. This would undermine the reliance on your display advertising business to fuel future growth.
* Given this, it would impair Yahoo’s ability to retain the talented engineers working on advertising systems that are important to our interest in a combination of our companies.
* In addition, it would raise a host of regulatory and legal problems that no acquirer, including Microsoft, would want to inherit. Among other things, this would consolidate market share with the already-dominant paid search provider in a manner that would reduce competition and choice in the marketplace.
* This would also effectively enable Google to set the prices for key search terms on both their and your search platforms and, in the process, raise prices charged to advertisers on Yahoo. In addition to whatever resulting legal problems, this seems unwise from a business perspective unless in fact one simply wishes to use this as a vehicle to exit the paid search business in favor of Google.
* It could foreclose any chance of a combination with any other search provider that is not already relying on Google’s search services.
Accordingly, your apparent plan to pursue such an arrangement in the event of a proxy contest or exchange offer leads me to the firm decision not to pursue such a path. Instead, I hereby formally withdraw Microsoft’s proposal to acquire Yahoo!.
We will move forward and will continue to innovate and grow our business at Microsoft with the talented team we have in place and potentially through strategic transactions with other business partners.
I still believe even today that our offer remains the only alternative put forward that provides your stockholders full and fair value for their shares. By failing to reach an agreement with us, you and your stockholders have left significant value on the table.
But clearly a deal is not to be.
Thank you again for the time we have spent together discussing this.
Steven A. Ballmer
It appears to Yahoo that it got the short end of the stick.
In Microsoft's defense (and I'm not a fan of Microsoft), I think Yahoo should have taken up Microsoft's offer, if for no other reason. On the other hand, perhaps it would have been nice if Google put up a bigger bid for Yahoo and made it more of a better system than Microsoft could have handled.
The corporate world just keeps on getting more interesting as time goes on.


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Pay a bill, save a tree.
That, in essence, is the message of a study that the PayItGreen Alliance made public on Tuesday.
The alliance, sponsored by the non-profit National Automated Clearinghouse Association, was formed last October to add another consumer inducement — environmental stewardship — to the already-established assets of convenience and data security of online banking, bill paying and check cashing.
NACHA is a non-profit organization of 11,000 financial institutions that encourages consumers to pay their bills online.
Moving many financial transactions to paper-free systems doesn’t require a lot of effort or even thought, Williams said.
A One-Time Decision
“Most companies at least offer a direct deposit of payroll, and it’s a decision you make at the beginning of employment, but it’s something most of us don’t ever think about again,” Williams said. “When you make that decision once with bill payments, within one or two cycles you see than not only does it work, but it’s easier — and, after one or two cycles, you don’t even think about it.”
The alliance’s study — the organization says it’s likely the first environment-focused research on online transactions — found that the typical household in the U.S. makes about seven paper bill payments per month.
A changeover to electronic payments could save each household nearly 7 pounds of paper and 169 miles of driving per year.
The study charted other potential savings, including:
- 24 square feet of forest;
- 63 gallons of wastewater
- 4.5 gallons of gasoline
“The results would be significant,” Williams said.
The study said that if 10 percent of the population shifted to electronic transactions, the savings would amount to more than 75 million pounds of paper, nearly 1 million trees and nearly 2 million pounds of greenhouse gases. It would save enough wastewater to fill 1,090 Olympic-sized swimming pools and avoid filling 3,071 garbage trucks with trash.
“Environment issues have become more mainstream and, as compared to other decisions, it’s a fairly easy one to make and doesn’t have a strong financial impact as if you were to go out and, say, buy a hybrid car,” Williams said. “In virtually all cases, these services are free, and even those who may charge for it, it’s probably nominal compared to the savings you receive from it.”
Ed Kounts, a senior analyst on online banking issues with JupiterResearch, said the study mirrors his own findings.
“Certainly, the alliance is an interesting consortium designed to put an environmental face on online bill paying,” he said. “And, one element is ‘green’ consumers. We did a report on that last summer, and it laid out what consumers’ perceptions are in terms of having a ‘green’ relationship with financial institutions.”
One of Many Inducements
Kountz’s own research indicates there is an environmentally focused constituency that is naturally attracted to electronic transactions.
“There are considerations around green coming into play that these types of initiatives are designed to leverage,” he said.
Consumers, in general, perhaps would be more interested in paying bills online for other reasons.
“Certainly, the important thing to get consumers to shift habits around is that you have to have some incentive,” Kountz said.
That, he said, is often monetary.
“Consumers shift behavior if they think they can get something back,” he said.
Tapping into consumers’ sense of environmental stewardship can be an effective lure, Koontz said.
There are others, he added.
“It’s one tool in the arsenal, and we’ll see more, for obvious reasons,” he said. “There’s clearly an incentive to change that this taps into.”


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Reconsidering pseudonymity and what it means to “be yourself” online.Read More
Month: July 2021
As if Elon Musk isn’t running enough companies, he once may have suggested taking over as CEO of America’s most valuable business, Apple.
Rover promises a network of ‘trusted sitters and dog walkers.’ That wasn’t enough to save these pets 1 min read
Rover promises a network of ‘trusted sitters and dog walkers.’ That wasn’t enough to save these pets
Like many new pandemic pet owners, Nia Morgan knew her puppy, Zorro, had grown very attached to her due to all the time she...
Amazon faces a record-breaking €746 million (roughly $887 million) fine after a European Union data privacy regulator said the e-commerce giant had violated the...
Social media companies like Facebook and YouTube pledged to remove anti-Semitic content. New reports show they are falling short of that promise.Read More
The Government Accountability Office said a $2.9 billion award to SpaceX to build the next lunar lander for astronauts would stand.Read More
Credit to Tech’s Pandemic Leadership 1 min read
America’s tech companies have been leading the way for how large employers should aid in the country’s pandemic response.Read More
Sriram Krishnan and Aarthi Ramamurthy of “The Good Time Show” have booked Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Kanye West.Read More
The discovery of multiple nooses has set off heated debates about the responsibility of companies and the ability of workers to speak their mind.Read...
Amazon’s final quarter with Jeff Bezos as CEO proved to be a disappointment for Wall Street.