text:
Trade surplus soars to new highs.
Services sector expands. SUV sales lift.
Services sector gauges; New vehicle sales; International trade
Foreign trade: The trade surplus fell to $5.93 billion in August from $7.25 billion in July. Australia has recorded 20 successive monthly trade surpluses. The rolling annual surplus was a record $58.59 billion in the year to August. Exports to China have hit new highs.
New highs: Over the year to August, exports hit new highs in Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Services sector: The Australian Industry Group (AiG) Performance of Services Index (PSI) rose from 51.4 points to 51.5 points in September. The CBA/Markit Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose from 49.1 points to 52.4 points. A reading above 50 indicates an expansion of services sector activity.
New vehicle sales: In September, 88,181 new vehicles were sold, down by 6.9 per cent over the year. In the twelve months to September, sales totalled 1,083,570 units, down 8.2 per cent on a year ago and the biggest annual decline in almost a decade (November 2009).
The services sector gauge highlights conditions in the sector as well as providing guidance on the economy more generally. The vehicle sales data provides guidance on consumer spending as well as conditions for the Autos and Components sector of the sharemarket.
What does it all mean?
• Over the past year Australia posted a record trade surplus of almost $60 billion. And it is clear that our relationship with China explains much of the strong result. Exports to China continue to soar to fresh highs, so much so that over 37 per cent of all our exports are destined for mainland China. Add in Hong Kong and the export share lifts to 40 per cent.
• It is clear that Australia has a vested interest in wanting the Chinese economy to do well. But we are also posting near record exports with the US. The US-China trade war isn’t hurting Australia but clearly we would be hoping for some resolution of the trade stoush when talks are held late next week.
• The services sector accounts for around 60 per cent of the economy. So the increases in the two key activity gauges for the sector line up with Reserve Bank rhetoric about a gentle turning point being achieved for the Australian economy.
• There are signs of a bottoming in the new vehicle market. Sales of sports utility vehicles are up on a year ago. And the 6.9 per cent fall in overall vehicle sales was the second ‘best’ result in 11 months. The stabilisation of home prices across the nation would be providing confidence for new vehicle buyers.
What do the figures show?
New vehicle sales
• The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries reported: “The September 2019 market of 88,181 new vehicle sales is a decrease of 6,530 vehicle sales or -6.9 per cent on September 2018 (94,711) vehicle sales. September 2019 had the same number of selling days (24.6) as September 2018 and this resulted in a decrease of 265.4 vehicle sales per day.”
• “The Passenger Vehicle Market is down by 5,594 vehicle sales (-18.3 per cent) over the same month last year; the Sports Utility Market is up by 441 vehicle sales (1.1 per cent); the Light Commercial Market is down by 1,041 vehicle sales (-5.4 per cent); and the Heavy Commercial Vehicle Market is down by 336 vehicle sales (-9.6 per cent) versus September 2018..
• Sales across states and territories over year to September: NSW (down 10.6 per cent); Victoria (down 7.6 per cent); Queensland (down 4.1 per cent); South Australia (up 16.2 per cent); Western Australia (down 6.5 per cent); Tasmania (down 21.6 per cent); Northern Territory (down 21.6 per cent); ACT (down 10.0 per cent).
• The biggest selling vehicle in August was the Toyota Hi-Lux (3,364) from Ford Ranger (3,116) and Mitsubishi Triton (3,001).
• The 1.1 per cent annual increase in sales of SUVs was only the second annual gain recorded in 11 months.
• The rolling annual total of new vehicle sales in August was 1,083,570, down 8.2 per cent on the year – the biggest annual decline in almost a decade (year to November 2009).
Services Purchasing managers’ indexes
• “The Australian Industry Group Australian Performance of Services Index (Australian PSI®) rose by 0.1 points to 51.5 points in September 2019 (seasonally adjusted). It was the second month of mildly positive conditions following a weak month in July, as trading conditions for some businesses returned to similar levels seen earlier in the year. Results above 50 points indicate expansion in the Australian PSI®, with higher numbers indicating stronger rates of growth.
• The Australian PSI® indicated expansion in three of the eight services sectors in September (trend). Among the business oriented sectors, only finance & insurance reported positive results. Among the consumer-oriented segments, the ‘health, education & community services’ sector was strongest and the hospitality sector was mildly positive. Two activity indicators in the Australian PSI® were positive and indicating growth in September; new orders picked up and supplier deliveries also rose. Sales remain contractionary and employment was flat.”
• The Commonwealth Bank/Markit Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose from 49.1 points to 52.4 points in September – the fourth reading above 50 in five months. Readings above 50 signify expansion.
• “Strengthening demand conditions, both abroad and at home, contributed to business activity returning to growth in September. Overall new business intakes rose at the fastest rate for three months, supported by rising service exports.”
• “Sales growth was linked to increased marketing activities and low interest rates while a weaker Australian dollar also boosted overseas orders, according to anecdotal evidence. Higher inflows of new business also led to a further rise in backlogs of work.”
International trade – August
• The trade surplus fell to $5.93 billion in August from $7.25 billion in July. Australia has recorded 20 successive monthly trade surpluses.
• The rolling annual surplus was a record $58.59 billion in the year to August. .
• Exports of goods and services fell by 3.4 per cent (exports of goods fell by 4.5 per cent).
• Imports of goods and services fell by 0.4 per cent (goods imports fell by 1.1 per cent).
• Exports were up by 10.1 per cent on a year ago, while imports were up by 0.2 per cent.
• Rural exports rose by 1.4 per cent in August. “Other” rural goods rose by 3 per cent with meat up 5 per cent. But wool exports fell 29 per cent.
• Exports of non-rural goods fell by 3.5 per cent. Exports of metal ores and minerals (excluding gold) fell by 10 per cent and coal was down by 4 per cent. Gold exports fell 22 per cent. But mineral fuels rose by 10 per cent with metals (excluding gold) up 20 per cent.
• Within imports, consumer imports fell by 0.9 per cent, capital goods imports fell by 1.9 per cent and intermediate goods imports fell by 3.8 per cent.
• Consumption goods imports were up by 0.7 per cent on a year ago, capital goods imports fell by 11.9 per cent while intermediate goods imports were down by 1.7 per cent.
• The net services deficit increased from $93 million to $204 million.
• Australia’s annual exports to China rose from $138.0 billion in July to a new record high of $141.35 billion. Exports to China are up 30.3 per cent on a year ago. Exports to China account for 37.1 per cent of Australia’s total exports – a new record high.
• Australia’s annual imports from China eased from a record-high of $78.49 billion in July to $78.13 billion in August. Annual imports were up by 11.8 per cent on a year ago. Imports from China accounted for 25.44 per cent of Australia’s total imports – down from a record 25.50 per cent in July.
• Australia’s rolling annual trade surplus with China rose from $59.55 billion to a record $63.23 billion in August.
• Australia exported $14.45 billion of goods to the US in the year to August, down slightly from a record $14.46 billion in the year to July. Imports from the US totalled a record $33 billion in the year to August.
What is the importance of the economic data?
• The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries releases estimates of new vehicle sales on the third business day of the month. The figures highlight the strength of consumer spending as well as conditions facing auto & components companies.
• CBA and the Australian Industry Group (AiG) release surveys on the services sector each month. The Australian surveys are the local equivalents of similar surveys released for other countries. The services sector surveys are useful, not just in showing how the sector is performing, but in providing some sense about where it is headed. The key ‘forward looking’ components are orders and employment.
• The monthly International Trade in Goods and Services release from the Bureau of Statistics provides estimates on exports and imports of physical goods (such as coal, beef and computers) and services (such as travel receipts). The balance of goods and services (BOGS) is a narrower description of Australia’s external position than the current account estimates. The import data is a useful gauge of consumer and business spending while exports reflect global demand as well as domestic influences such as drought.
What are the implications for interest rates and investors?
• The Reserve Bank remains prepared to cut rates again if necessary. But it will first need to see if the three quick-fire rate cuts are working. Early evidence is positive. The services sector is expanding, home prices are rising and consumer confidence is up. But it is still early days.
• Australia’s export-oriented sectors are ‘weathering the storm’, despite being caught between our largest trading partner and most important defence ally. But deteriorating global growth presents a downside risk to our external sector.
• Australia, in particular, remains highly exposed to a downturn in the Chinese economy. China takes a record 37 per cent of our exports. And imports from China are also near record highs – accounting for more than a quarter of all our imports. At some point Australia’s share of exports and imports with China will peak.
• The instability in Hong Kong is taking a toll on Australia-Hong Kong trade. Exports to Hong Kong are falling at a near 40 per cent annual rate with imports from Hong Kong falling at a slightly higher annual rate. Some trade flows may have shifted to the mainland in recent months, boosting Australia-China trade.
• Australia is exporting its socks off. And it is not just Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Exports from Queensland and Victoria were at record levels in the past year. More revenue equals bigger returns for shareholders and employees, potentially boosting spending and jobs across the economy.
• In the space of a year, Australia has generated almost $60 billion of extra income, translating to almost $2,300 for every Aussie.
• The Commonwealth Bank Group economists expect a rate cut in February 2020.
Published by Craig James, Chief Economist, CommSec


text:
Wix to sponsor New York YankeesAug. 23, 2016
Israeli DIY-website platform company Wix.com Ltd. (Nasdaq: WIX) has today announced a sponsorship deal with baseball team the New York Yankees. As part of the cooperation package, Wix will be the team's official website design sponsor and partner for 2016.
The partnership will include a campaign to find the New York Yankee's number one fan. The winner will build a site together with Wix at the TheBiggestYankeeFan.com domain.
Wix, founded in 2006 by CEO Avishai Abrahami, CTO Giora Kaplan and VP Client Development Nadav Abrahami, has developed a platform enabling users to easily set up and design their own website. The company has a market cap of $1.7 billion after its share price has risen 70% since the start of the year.
Wix CMO Omer Shai said, "Cooperation with a well-known baseball team like the New York Yankees is part of our strategy to leverage the enormous power that sport has in presenting our brand to the public at large."

domain: news


text:
Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has announced its plans to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into its social media apps WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger. This move is in line with the trend in the tech industry, with big players like Microsoft and Google investing heavily in AI to create AI models for consumers that can help make their lives easier.
In a Facebook post, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the company is creating a new top-level product group focused on generative AI to accelerate its efforts in this field. The long-term goal is to develop “AI personas” that can assist people in a variety of ways.
In the short term, Meta will be building creative and expressive AI tools for its apps, such as AI chatbots for WhatsApp and Messenger, as well as AI-powered Instagram filters and ad formats. The AI team at Meta will be led by Ahmad Al-Dahle, a machine learning and AI executive who reports directly to Meta Chief Product Officer Chris Cox, indicating that the company is serious about integrating AI into its products and services.
This move towards AI integration is not surprising, given that AI can help enhance the user experience on social media platforms by providing personalized recommendations and improving customer service. Additionally, Meta’s recent launch of its paid subscription service, Meta Verified, which allows users to verify their accounts and receive a blue badge for authenticity, is aimed at increasing security and authenticity across the platform.


text:
ThinkPads are known for sturdiness and having the best keyboards and trackpads in the business. The 2015 edition of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is no different.
IDC said cloud accounted for nearly 30 per cent of the overall spending on IT infrastructure in the January-March 2015 period, up from 26.4 per cent a year ago.
Cloud accounted for 30 per cent of the spending on IT infrastructure in the January-March 2015 period, up from 26.4 per cent a year ago.
Apart from upgrading hardware and features, HP has also focused on improving the sound quality by associating with Bang and Olufsen for premium audio.
The Delhi-based company, which has two manufacturing units in Jammu and one in Baddi, will also open another unit ready for operation at Noida by June-end.
Dell-owned Alienware is synonymous with gaming machines. The latest in this range is the new Alienware 13 and its is loaded to the brim with topend hardware.
For Windows users who crave for a gorgeous, all-metal laptop like the Macbook Air, HP’s new Folio 1020 is the answer. The Folio boasts of an all metal unibody.
The investments will be utilised for adding capacity to its India operations and grow its development team and sales team in the country.


text:
Galion to start offering loans to small businesses
GALION - Businesses in Galion could be eligible to receive emergency loans of up to $5,000 each, Tom O'Leary, the city's mayor, announced Friday morning.
The city has allocated $190,000 initially to provide up to 38 of the loans.
O'Leary promised to ask council members to approve additional funding if more businesses prove to need the assistance to get the city's economy moving forward.
"We're only going to fund existing businesses that are restarting or have been partially shut down and need to ramp back up," O'Leary said.
The mayor said the loans would likely be "flexible funds" that would require no collateral.
Scenarios he foresaw in loan requests were dress shops ready to restock their shelves, restaurants needing to buy their food inventory and some businesses that have suddenly been required to purchase personal protective equipment.
"It's kind of like a credit card arrangement if you will," O'Leary said. "What we hope is that the loans will be 0% one year, kind of same as cash. I'm very hopeful, I have high expectations that the businesses that utilize the program will be super responsible about making this newly incurred debt to get started one of the first debts that they pay."
More:Planting season underway as Ohio weather finally breaks
More:COVID-19 just another bump in the road for Steve Mohr
More:Masks while shopping: 'Taking care of one another is more important than making a buck'
He noted that when he reached city hall Friday morning, more than two dozen residents were already lined up at a downtown barbershop, which he said proved there was a "pent-up demand" to bring the city's economy back to life.
The loans are expected to be available before the end of the month.
"Beginning in the next week or 10 days we'll be in a position to start offering those loans," O'Leary said.
No repayments will be necessary for the first 12 months after a loan is issued. The Galion Port Authority will administer the program under a special contract with the city. Businesses will apply directly to the Port Authority.


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Sign Up for the Orlando Business Journal Afternoon Edition Newsletter
Send this story to a friend
Game over is not an option
- Richard Bilbao
As an avid video game fan, I’m always interested in how the gaming community is doing despite a struggling economy taking a toll on consumer spending.
Many studios all over the world found themselves in a game-over situation where they were shuttered and had to lay off hundreds — even thousands — of employees to reduce costs.
But for one local company, n-Space Inc., the game wasn’t over — even though it got very close.
In October 2010, the Orlando-based company was on the verge of calling it quits, laying off all of its 90-employee staff at the time due to the economy.
“We nearly shut down the company because it was a horrible year from a business standpoint,” n-Space co-founder Dan O’Leary told me. “At one time, we maxed at 122 employees in 2008 and then we declined slowly to about 90 employees and finally zero in October.”
In fact, O’Leary laid it all on the line in a company blog when he stated: “The economy has robbed customers of disposable income, reducing the number of titles that are purchased per year. Huge budget titles have to sell massive numbers to return a profit, and the App Store has disrupted our industry in the same way iTunes changed consumer expectations for music.”
For the whole post, click here.
But what impressed me more was how calm and collected O’Leary sounded despite a year that nearly left him creating a new resume and, instead, how the firm is already recovering just six months later.
“We already have five projects in development and 60 people on staff,” he said. “Things are looking very promising.”
The company is working on three titles for Nintendo’s 3DS handheld console — which released in March — another title for Nintendo DS and a title for Microsoft’s Kinect motion peripheral for the Xbox 360.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
- Most popular
- Horticultural hootenanny: Inside the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival
- Lawsuit threatens to halt all new homebuilding in west Orange County
- Church Street's rosy respite: Inside Cafe Red
- Why $40 million Casselberry apartment complex sale matters to you
- A look at SunRail Phase 2 by the numbers
- 7 biz things to know about the new west Orange relief high school
- Two new restaurant concepts eyeing sites in Central Florida
- Why Trader Joe’s targeted Daytona Beach for a distribution site
- After the recession: C. Fla. architects, engineers ready for SunRail opportunities
- Target’s chief information officer resigns during security overhaul
Email Newsletter Signup
Afternoon Edition: The latest local business news delivered to you each afternoon.
- Digital Content Manager Hard Rock International | Orlando, FL
- Commercial Loan Officer MIDFLORIDA Credit Union | Orlando, FL
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Analyst Hard Rock International | Orlando, FL
- Commercial Real Estate Sales Agent Watson Commercial Realty, Inc. | Longwood, FL
- Business Analyst Hard Rock International | Orlando, FL


text:
HCC students attain Global Logistics Associate endorsement
Jul 27, 2016
The Houston Community College (HCC) Logistics Center of Excellence would like to congratulate the students who successfully passed the Global Logistics Associate (GLA) exam this summer.
The attainment of the GLA Endorsement through APICS, the premier professional association for supply chain management, offers these students a competitive advantage in the Logistics job market.
Jesus Gomez Guzman
For more information on the HCC Logistics Center of Excellence, please visit hccs.edu/logistics.


text:
Would A $100 Billion Fine Get The US To Pay Attention To Antigua's WTO Win?
from the your-attention-please... dept
We’ve covered the long and detailed saga of Antigua fighting the US via the WTO, but the short summary is this: Antigua claims that the US is violating a free trade agreement in banning online gambling (many online gambling firms are in Antigua). The WTO agreed with Antigua and the US proceeded to ignore the ruling. The WTO again sided with Antigua… and the US pretended the WTO had sided with the US… and again ignored the ruling. This has happened a few more times, with the US eventually unilaterally changing the terms of the free trade agreement — which didn’t satisfy either the WTO or Antigua. Of course, with Antigua being such a small country there has been little in the way of ramifications for the US for ignoring the ruling. That’s why Antigua is now pushing for the right to ignore US copyrights and patents as a remedy. However, there may be an even more persuasive remedy. Back over the summer, the EU indicated that it might start siding with Antigua in the dispute — and it’s a lot more difficult for the US to simply ignore the EU. To make the situation even more fun, the latest news is that gambling firms in the EU are pushing for $100 billion in damages from the US. That’s certainly an unlikely number, but it’s going to get plenty of attention either way. If the EU (and Japan, apparently) really do take Antigua’s side in this, the US may finally be forced to acknowledge that it lost. However, it still seems quite unlikely that it will stop the ban on online gambling any time soon.


text:
Chanel, the first luxury fashion house to enter the App Store, zeroes in on its runway shows and ad campaigns, and it’s a similar story chez Fendi and D&G. Currently, the latter has no m-commerce plans, but that doesn’t dissuade Stefano Gabbana from justifying his app. “We don’t do clothes for ourselves,” he says, “so we value the opportunity of having a dialogue to better understand what people want.”
Besides, Gabbana and Domenico Dolce are ahead of the game, since most designer houses still fall into the have-not category (we’re talking to you, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Prada and Yves Saint Laurent). CreateThe Group’s Gardner thinks the fashion set is simply taking a “more considered approach to apps,” while others say that, for newer designers at least, it’s all about the Benjamins—the average app launch costs anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000.
Jason Wu, however, just needs time to do his homework, which includes adding new content to his Web site and bringing e-commerce into the mix. After that he’ll think about keeping up with the Joneses. “Right now we’re building the groundwork,” he says. “I don’t want to do something overnight just because everyone else is doing it.”
As for Richard Chai, he’s enjoying the calm before the storm. “There’s a certain intimacy that I would like to keep with my brand, and we’re still young, so I feel an app isn’t appropriate yet.” In other words, he prefers to keep it old-school. “There is a classic side to me,” he says. “I still draw with a No. 2 pencil.”


text:
Daiwa cut its earnings forecasts for supermarket operator Dairy Farm International, pointing to “pressing operational challenges” and store closures.
“For DFI’s Southeast Asia supermarket business, the main drag on overall performance, roadblocks to a potential turnaround appear most pronounced in the markets of Malaysia and Indonesia under the ageing and weakly executed Giant brand,” Daiwa said in a note Thursday.
It noted Dairy Farm closed 43 stores in those two markets last year, with recent checks indicating another 24 stores closed in Malaysia and eight in Indonesia so far this year.
“Our store visits in Malaysia suggest that a significant overhaul to rejuvenate the Giant brand lies ahead, which could translate to heightened cost pressures in the near term,” Daiwa said.
It added that in Hong Kong, comments from management on property strategy have raised the risk of restructuring charges for the Wellcome brand.
Daiwa cut its 2019-21 earnings per share forecasts by 3-7 percent after updating its store base assumptions, lowering its target price to US$7.82 from US$8.67.
But it kept a Hold call, pointing to earnings support from other areas of the business, including home furnishings and health and beauty. Dairy Farm plans to open new IKEA stores in Taiwan, Macau and Indonesia, it said.
“While we expect several areas of DFI’s portfolio still to record good business growth, a sustainable recovery in its core food business now appears more prolonged and uncertain,” Daiwa said.
The stock price fell 0.41 percent to US$7.26 by 1:15 P.M. SGT.
While you’re here, we’re hoping you can help us out.
Shenton Wire has been providing you with quick news and market analysis. But we need your support to continue to bring you the news you’ve come to expect and to expand our reach beyond Singapore.
Your monthly contribution will directly fund our journalism.
You can check your existing account here. You can also contact us about other contribution levels or for corporate subscriptions and syndication queries.


text:
Deloitte Survey Clearly Shows Crypto Payments Are The Next Big Thing In Commerce
A new Deloitte survey titled “Merchants getting ready for crypto” contains extremely bullish news. It clearly shows that businesses of all sizes are getting ready for all kinds of crypto payments. And the vast majority believe that they will become ubiquitous in the next few years. Merchants, they are just like us. Deloitte produced the survey in association with PayPal, which is telling and arises questions.
“Survey respondents are very optimistic about digital currencies in the consumer market, reporting broad agreement that accepting digital currency payments is already a point of differentiation, and are expected to see broad near-term adoption,” Deloitte concludes. Besides that, merchants see “benefits such as speed of payments and cost efficiencies.” Which shows they’re not in just for the flashy “differentiation,” and already see all of the benefits it could bring to them.
As for the methodology, let’s quote the document:
“The survey focuses on US consumer businesses, with annual revenues ranging from below $10 million to $500 million and above, asking their views on digital currency payments and the investments they’ve made in payment infrastructure, as well as their plans for the years ahead.”
So, these are medium to big-sized players we’re dealing with here. Deloitte doesn’t differentiate between bitcoin and crypto, and doesn’t specify exactly which cryptocurrencies the merchants are talking about. The survey company makes a point of separating stablecoins from the rest of the cryptocurrencies, though.
Results: Deloitte And Merchants
- “Around two-thirds (64%) of our surveyed merchants indicated that their customers have significant interest in using digital currencies for payments.” These are staggering numbers, considering the majority of the population doesn’t even know what a stablecoin is. If merchants are perceiving this tendency, chances are it does exist.
- “83% expect consumer interest in digital currencies for payments to increase or significantly increase over the next 12 months.” We agree wholeheartedly, Deloitte.
- “More than 85% of the organizations are giving high or very high priority to enabling cryptocurrency payments, while roughly 83% are doing the same for stablecoins.” We’re willing to bet not many people in crypto suspects that the numbers are this high. If they did, they’d be even more bullish.
- ”Around 85% of surveyed merchants expect that digital currency payments will be ubiquitous among suppliers in their industry in five years.” We agree wholeheartedly, Deloitte. In five years we’ll live in a new universe, and crypto will be one of the catalysts.
- “Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed reported plans to accept either cryptocurrency or stablecoin payments within the next 24 months.” The positive attitude is there and plans are underway.
How could you not be bullish?
BitStarz Player Lands $2,459,124 Record Win! Could you be next big winner?
AVAX price chart on Bittrex | Source: AVAX/USD on TradingView.com
Results: This Is What Adoption Looks Like
- “An overwhelming majority of those who currently accept cryptocurrency as a payment instrument (93%) have already seen a positive impact on their business’s customer metrics, such as customer base growth and brand perception.” This is as close to unanimously as we’re going to get, Delloite. The hype is real.
- “They expect to derive value from their digital currency adoption in three distinct ways: improved customer experience (48% of respondents), increased customer base (46%), and brand is perceived as cutting edge (40%).“ No comments on this one.
- “It is worth noting that 86% see a significant benefit to their finance and cash management for accepting digital currency payments.” The key word is crucial here
- “In fact, 26% have already integrated digital currencies in their finance functionality such as revenue cycle and treasury, and 61% plan to do it over the next 24 months.” If the government permits it.
- “Over half (54%) of large retailers (with revenues of $500 million and up) have invested more than $1 million on enabling digital currency payments, while only 6% of small retailers (with revenues of under $10 million) did so.” As it should be, Delloite. As it should be.
- “Slightly more than a quarter (26%) of the organizations surveyed for this report have already begun integrating digital currency into their finance department functionality, but more than a third of respondents (39%) plan to begin integration within a year.” Considering holding cryptocurrencies is a high-risk maneuver, these are phenomenal numbers.
And that’s what Deloitte and the companies that they interviewed had for us. Here’s hoping they provide us with new mind-blowing material sooner than later.
Featured Image: Screenshot from the study | Charts by TradingView
Not The 2018 Bear Market, Bitcoin Price Could Hit $20,000 In December
The Bitcoin price rebounded off the low of its current range and retraced its weekend loss…


text:
Pinewood have released an industry-first tool for technicians – the hands-free Voice Assistant in Tech+. The Tech+ app already gives technicians the tools to record detailed checks on vehicles, request parts with built-in menu pricing, together with connecting digitally with their customers using electronic health check videos.
Pinewood realised that using a mobile in the workshop could prove quite difficult for technicians when wearing the necessary PPE. With Artificial Intelligence becoming increasingly popular and valuable for speeding things up, even in the household, with the likes of smart speakers and voice assistants, Pinewood took this and applied it as a free addition to their Tech+ app.
“We want our customers to work as efficiently and comfortably as possible, which is why we created our suite of digital apps, to begin with. With the new Voice Assistant in Tech+, technicians can open jobs, start operations and send conversation notes just by talking to their mobile device. Bluetooth headsets can also be used, they are easy to set up and will be a great addition to the app, ensuring clear communication between the technician and their new assistant. Tech+ users can find a preview of the new feature in their app today and try it out, with new improvements and functionalities appearing in the future.” Explains Neville Briggs, Managing Director at Pinewood Technologies.
The world is becoming more and more digital as time goes on, eVHC has been adopted by a large number of dealerships and is proving hugely beneficial for growing revenue in the workshop.
“The Tech+ app has quite frankly revolutionised what we do. The ability for the technician not just to be able to clock on and off a job, not just to do a visual health check directly on the tablet, but also you get to see the service history of the car, it just enhances the experience for both the technician and the efficiency in the way that we work in the workshop. It’s been a real fundamental improvement that we have been able to drive from Pinewood DMS.” Says Dougal Keith, Managing Director at D.M. Keith Motors.
Why stop there? People are becoming comfortable with voice assistants in their homes with the likes of Siri and Alexa, AI-powered technologies are quickly becoming the norm and Pinewood want to make sure that dealerships don’t lag behind. First online bookings, paperless documents, apps for working on-the-go and now the Tech+ Voice Assistant – just another step into the digital era.


text:
HONDA has retained its status as the most reliable used car manufacturer in the UK for the ninth consecutive year, according to research by What Car? and Warranty Direct.
The Japanese manufacturer topped the annual survey of 37 manufacturers, which analyses 50,000 live Warranty Direct policies on vehicles that are three to eight years old.
Once again, Japanese and South Korean manufacturers dominated the study of the most reliable brands, with Suzuki and Toyota claiming second and third place.
Encouragingly for other manufacturers however, Chevrolet, Ford, Skoda, Peugeot and Fiat also fought their way into the top 10.


text:
Shipt has invested in technology to make it easier for its shoppers and customers to form lasting connections.
Technology innovation is permeating the food retail industry, from machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to smarter apps and next-generation personalization. Target-owned delivery company Shipt has found a way to harness these technologies to make lasting connections with its customers, its shoppers and its retail partners.
During a conversation with Progressive Grocer at Shoptalk in Las Vegas, Shipt Chief Technology Officer Mike Calvo explained that one of the most important steps toward creating deeper connections with every type of customer is helping them forge meaningful relationships with Shipt shoppers. According to Calvo, the company has doubled down on that aspect of its offering.
“That’s really what differentiates us, that’s what motivates us and that’s why people appreciate our level of service,” Calvo explained. “What we’ve found is that when you get a shopper that understands you, that knows how to communicate with you, that knows what your preferences are, you want to have that same person shop for you again. We’ve made that easy.”
Not only does the customer benefit from the relationship and service they get, but shoppers also feel appreciated and have the opportunity to work for people that really value them. Calvo said anything that helps improve the connection and communication is something Shipt invests in, including a new custom chat feature that was rolled out to its platform last year. It helps ensure that reliable communication can go back and forth freely, while also prompting the shopper to reach out to the customer at the right time.
Search is another aspect of its tech stack that Shipt has been investing in recently. Shipt has found that, on average, its customers use its search capabilities between 15 and 20 times per shopping trip. The company wanted to remove friction from the experience, and drilling down on intent and creating a broader sense of context has allowed it to offer better recommendations and increase basket sizes.
By taking data about the customer and their searches, Shipt can now provide results that go beyond just the word a customer is looking for at the time. If a user is calling up items like ground beef and taco seasoning, for example, the company can now recommend pico de gallo.
“That’s something that we’ve really invested in and we’ve seen really significant improvements in terms of people adding things to their basket and having more things in their cart, which tells us that they’re finding more of the things that they need to find,” Calvo said.
Data has clearly been an important piece of the puzzle for Shipt, and it’s central to everything the company does, Calvo explained. “It’s really on us to make sure that we’re using that data for the best benefit of our customers, our shoppers and our retail partners,” he said
[Read more: "EXCLUSIVE: Shipt CEO Talks Candidly With Progressive Grocer Editor-in-Chief"]
Data can help inform customer recommendations and personalization of the platform experience, and it can also help empower shoppers to make informed decisions about the work they do for Shipt. As part of its effort-based compensation model, the company uses data to estimate how long a shop and delivery will take and give a relatively accurate pay estimate, making it easier for shoppers to make the right choice about what work is right for them.
“We can make all of the experiences, whether it’s finding the things on the customer-facing side that are related, or when the shopper is in the store and they see that an item is not on the shelf, we can give them really good suggestions on alternatives to suggest to the customer,” Calvo said.
As for its partners, Shipt has leaned in on making catalog data from grocers better and more accurate. Making sure that the images and metadata for a product are correct can help the company provide a better level of context on search.
In-app personalization is another important aspect of Shipt’s technology innovation, with an eye toward showing customers items that they’re likely to click on and be interested in, and also giving them meaningful offers and discounts. Shipt teams leveraged machine learning to restructure how it shows products that are on sale in the digital experience, and tailoring those suggestions has yielded a 13% increase in sale products being added to shoppers’ carts.
“Getting really effective and efficient at showing the right ads at the right time to the right people is a very worthwhile business,” Calvo said. “It’s something we’ve invested quite a lot in over the past few years.”
Shoptalk took place March 26-29 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Shipt is an independently operated, wholly owned subsidiary of Minneapolis-based Target Corp., which is No. 6 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, with nearly 2,000 locations. Founded and based in Birmingham, Ala., Shipt also maintains an office in San Francisco.


text:
The Black Keys have locked up the top spot on the Billboard 200 for the first time ever.
The duo's latest album, Turn Blue, lands at number one this week after selling 164,000 copies in its opening frame. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney managed to best Michael Jackson, whose latest posthumous release, Xscape, debuted at number two this week with 157,000 copies sold.
Turn Blue continues the hot streak the Black Keys have been on lately. It's their third top ten album after El Camino started at number two in 2011 and Brothers opened at number three in 2010.


text:
There was a definite party feel in this week’s episode with pitches for adult summer camps, erotic handbags and an upside-down house to take selfies in.
First in to meet the fiery five were Lee and Julia, the owners of summer camp for adults Camp Wildfire, which offers daytime adventures and a night-time party vibe. The pair, fetchingly dressed as scouts, wanted £75,000 for a 5 per cent stake in their business – which, it later emerged, had run at a £10,000 loss for years. Despite this, they still estimated profits of £315,000 this year.
It was Peter Jones who first booed the concept offstage, followed by Touker Suleyman and Steven Bartlett, who, didn’t so much throw bottles as bottled any investment.
But Deborah Meaden, whose background is in running holiday campsites, offered all the money for a 25 per cent stake in the business. Lee and Julia then pointlessly tried to renegotiate her offer down and Deborah diva-rishly told them she was cancelling her gig. At which point, Lee and Julia fled the mainstage.
Speaking of night-time partying, next up were the aptly named Rebecca Joy and her partner Natalie Deana, who wanted £50,000 for a 10 per cent stake in their Frida Rome erotic vegan handbag range (yes, you read that right). Each non-leather bag contained a risqué extract from an erotic short story. Pitched as “the brand for bad girls who do good things”, they wanted £50,000 for a 10 per cent stake.
If sex sells, you wouldn’t have known it. “There’s nothing new about vegan bags,” said Touker Suleyman, who kept his clothes on. The pair were also spanked by three other dragons. Only Steven Bartlett was turned on by the concept, offering all the money for a 20 per cent stake in the brand. Rebecca and Natalie got back into the lift having bagged a deal.
Next up was a truly bizarre upside-down house for taking Instagram selfies in. Entrepreneur Tom wanted £160,000 for a 5 per cent stake and all the dragons swiped left on that one.
Third through the doors were Zak Lloyd and Aaron Branch, two Birmingham-based entrepreneurs who wanted £50,000 for an 8 -per cent stake in their home-delivery service DelivrMe. The concept is that you can get you anything you want, not just food and drink, delivered to your home.
The dragons pointed out that this model already exists in America and all it would take would be for a big US player to come in and eat their lunch.
“You’ve got a simple business model but you’ve overlayered it with lots of potential failure points,” added Deborah.
However, the dragons’ mouths dropped open when the pair revealed that what they really needed was a cash burn of £15m to scale their business. “You’re running towards a blazing inferno,” said Steven Bartlett.
The final contestants in last night’s episode provided a heart- and stomach-warming end to the show. Husband-and-wife Karen and Andy Turner wanted £50,000 for a 20 per cent stake in their pre-prepared soup business, the oddly named Kandy Kitchen Creations, a range of soups, stews and risottos in crinkly cellophane packets.
The jolly couple said their kitchen-table business had gone from making £2,000 turnover in 2017 with just £195 profit to an expected £90,000 turnover this year and £20,000 profit.
Touker Suleyman was first to smell a delicious opportunity. “This is potentially a million-pound business,” opined Touker, nostrils aquiver.
“I like partnering with genuinely good people who need a break,” said the normally dour Peter Jones, who broke into a most alarming grin.
The telecoms tycoon offered to split the £50,000 wanted with another dragon for a combined one third of the company, which Deborah Meaden agreed to. Touker then stirred the pot by making his own offer. In the end, all three of the senior dragons decided this business had all the right ingredients and split one third of the soup brand three ways.
Soup dragons, anyone?


text:
Most Recent Articles In Fashion Scoops
Latest Fashion Scoops Articles
TAKING STOCK: La Tribune, the French financial daily once owned by luxury titan Bernard Arnault, has done a grim calculation: How much his likes have lost in terms of net wealth in 2008 as the French stock market continues to tumble. The potential loss on the Paris Bourse for France’s 10 richest families so far this year totals 61 billion euros, according to the paper’s tally. Arnault, chairman and chief executive of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, whose wealth is based mostly on shares of LVMH and Christian Dior, has seen his fortune on paper shrink an estimated 17.4 billion euros (to 13.1 billion euros); L’Oréal’s Liliane Bettencourt and her family 6.6 billion euros (to 10.8 billion euros); and François Pinault of PPR 2.9 billion euros (to 2.6 billion euros).


text:
Norcross, GA (PRWEB) March 30, 2009
Wi-Ex, the leader in cell phone signal boosters, is proud to announce the new zBoost line of signal boosters, zBoost International, has been named a finalist in the Mobile CE- Accessory category of the 2009 CTIA Emerging Technology Awards.
zBoost International is a dual band unit that works with all phones on the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequencies and allows consumers outside of the US to experience increased indoor mobile signal coverage - up to 200 sq. meters. It also allows them to take full advantage of data and Internet services on their mobile phones including 3G high-speed data and video, instant messaging, pictures and more. Recent industry statistics cite more than 400 million 3G subscribers worldwide. The zBoost International allows multiple users to operate their mobile phones simultaneously (including both data and voice) and is compatible with all major carriers.
This year, there is a two part judging process to the CTIA E-Tech Awards. The first portion is conducted by an expert panel of judges, in which winners are chosen from each of the 18 categories. The second portion of the E-Tech Awards process is voting for the first ever, Best in Show. All entries, in all categories compete for overall Best is Show, which is chosen by peers rather than a judging panel. The entry that receives the highest total in online votes and votes via text messaging will receive the title of Best in Show.
Online voting, which is currently open and ends at 5:00PM EST on Monday, March 30, 2009, allows people to view all entries and choose their favorite. zBoost International can be chosen as a favorite, which results in a vote, on the CTIA voting microsite, (http://ctiait.ctia.org/eTechw2009public/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.viewEntries&start=181&subCat=all&scoreStatus=all). Voting participants can also text in their vote by sending zBoost International's entry code, 716 to phone number 868464. Text voting begins 9:00AM PST on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 and ends 12:00PM PST, Thursday, April 2, 2009.
First, second and third place winners of the all 18 categories, as well as Best in Show, will be announced at the E-Tech Awards Ceremony, which will take place on Thursday, April 2, 2009, at 3:00 PM at the Exhibit Floor Stage (South Hall) of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
About CTIA Emerging Technology Awards
Created in 2006, The CTIA Emerging Technology (E-Tech) Awards program is designed to give industry recognition and exposure to the best wireless products and services in the areas of Consumer, Enterprise and Network technology. Each year, more than 250 applications are submitted and reviewed by a panel of recognized members of the media, industry analysts and executives. Products are judged on innovation, functionality, technological importance, implementation and overall "wow" factor.
Wi-Ex (http://www.wi-ex.com), the leading provider of consumer cell phone signal boosters, developed zBoost, the first consumer-priced signal booster for the small office/home office (SOHO) cell phone market. Wi-Ex manufactures and distributes the zBoost line of cell phone signal extenders for the home, office or car. They are easy to install, affordable and available at many retail and etail outlets including BestBuy.com (http://www.bestbuy.com) RadioShack (http://www.radioshack.com), Fry's, WPS Antennas, Tiger Direct, RepeaterStore.com and Solid Signal. The zBoost product line works with most carriers in the US and abroad including AT&T, Sprint, Vodaphone, Verizon and T-Mobile. They were selected as a 2007 Consumer Electronics Association Innovations Honoree by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). They also were selected as a finalist for the 2007 and 2009 CTIA Emerging Technologies (E-Tech) Award. As the leader, zBoost has more awards, more sales and more locations than all their competitors combined. Wi-Ex continues to develop innovative products to meet the demands of an increasingly wireless society by enhancing wireless signals.


text:
Summary List Placement
A unique fleet of aircraft is fueling the explosive growth of e-commerce as consumers turn to online shopping during the pandemic and retailers promise faster-than-ever delivery times.
And while air travel remains signifcantly lower due to COVID-19, some former passenger aircraft are avoiding early retirement by finding a second life moving cargo. Logistics giants, meanwhile, are using the airline industry’s downturn to grow their fleets by acquiring aging passenger aircraft for a fraction of what they’d sell for new.
Amazon, for example, bought 11 Boeing 767-300ER passenger aircraft from Delta Air Lines and Canada’s WestJet in read more ⇒


text:
(The Oct 26 story was refiled to remove an incorrect reference to AirPods plugging into the same port as the recharging cord)
(Reuters) - Apple Inc said on Wednesday that its wireless AirPod headphones, which were supposed to hit the market this month, will be delayed.
The company did not specify the reason for the delay.
“We don’t believe in shipping a product before it’s ready, and we need a little more time before AirPods are ready for our customers,” Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said in an email to Reuters.
Apple unveiled the AirPod at the launch of the latest iPhone last month. The new iPhones come without the analog headphone jack.
Reporting by Laharee Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D’Souza
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


text:
A new study out today from the Center for Automotive Research suggests there may be more than meets the eye in the story of the government bailout of auto industry giants GM and Chrysler.
Read This Article
General Motors has released some pretty impressive numbers lately on its Chevrolet Volt hybrid electric vehicle.
Out of the four major car rental companies here in the United States, only one has agreed to a pledge to not rent or sell broken or recalled vehicles.
Have you ever wished you could drive one of your Hot Wheels toy cars when you were younger?


text:
Google revealed that “CBD gummies” was the 3rd most preferred search product in the United States, as well as today’s CBD searches, exceeding searches on subjects such as Kim Kardashian and also veganism. And according to a brand-new survey by Gallup, Americans aren’t simply looking for details on the non-psychoactive cannabinoid – they are likewise buying (as well as making use of) CBD products in record quantities you can also visit our CBD shop https://www.palmorganix.com/.
In early August, the outcomes of a survey were launched that examined making use of CBD products in the United States. The aim of the study was to learn if people are familiar with CBD items as well as to figure out if (and also why) people utilize them. After talking with 2,543 grownups on the phone, scientists located that about 1 in 7 American grownups, or 14 percent of the population, currently make use of CBD items to relieve a range of symptoms (more on that later).
That’s a substantial jump from data reported earlier this year by analyst firm Cowen & Co., which checked nearly identical numbers of people in February. At the time, only 7 percent of participants stated they were using CBD items.
Why do people use CBD?
The Gallup poll not just attempted to shed light on the number of individuals are using CBD yet additionally assessed their causes. Here are the five most usual responses:
Concerning 40 percent of respondents claimed they utilized CBD items for pain monitoring. The analgesic result of cannabidiol is among the major since it is best sustained by the study. For instance, a 2018 evaluation that was released in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology considered the use of CBD and various other cannabinoids to treat numerous types of pain. The researchers discovered that “the anti-inflammatory … and also antispasmodic impacts of CBD as well as its great security profile suggest that it may be an efficient and safe analgesic (pain reliever).” Various other research has shown that CBD may be an efficient treatment for low neck and back pain.
CBD’s anti-anxiety results were another driving force behind its popularity, with 20 percent of respondents saying they turned to cannabidiol to assist ease anxiety signs and symptoms. This is another fairly well-researched aspect of CBD, although most studies up to this factor have focused on pets or have actually checked out fairly slim subjects such as public speaking. However, a 2019 research study published in The Permanente Journal studied 72 grownups with anxiety signs and symptoms and found that almost 80 percent of them reported irreversible relief of their anxiousness symptoms over the course of the three-month research study.
According to a Gallup poll, 11 percent of CBD customers utilize it to alleviate sleep problems like insomnia. Right here once again, there is some clinical support in favor of their service. Lots of professionals think that CBD can aid enhance sleep by regulating the body’s sleep-wake cycle (i.e. making you … Read More...


text:
Premium camera maker RED has been working on its first smartphone called the Hydrogen One for many months now. The company hasn’t revealed much about the device except that it’s going to have a 3D holographic display which will be capable of producing the 3D effect without requiring the user to wear glasses. The accessories that most companies make for their devices include cases and battery packs, RED is actually developing an 8K 3D camera for the Hydrogen One.
RED has teamed up with a company called Lucid to create an 8K 3D camera that’s going to work with the company’s Hydrogen One handset. The camera was displayed during RED’s Hydrogen One party. It touts two synced 4K cameras that can capture and convert video and pictures to 8K 4V.
The content can then be displayed on the smartphone’s 3D display. Lucid’s real-time 3D Fusion tech will be present on this camera which will be based on RED’s hardware and design expertise. It will also look like RED’s other cameras.
Users will even be able to drop their smartphone into the new camera so that it doubles as a display for it. This will let them view the content immediately in 3D/4V without requiring headsets.
Prices for the handset will start at $1,195 and it will be sold on Verizon and AT&T. No word on how much this camera will cost. RED is yet to confirm a release date for the Hydrogen One.


text:
Each week we publish stories about the best wines and spirits, our experts, upcoming events, and beverage industry news. And, don't miss our new IWSC Insights series, where we take an in-depth look into drinks businesses and markets around the world. Looking for recommendations? Visit our consumer website Club Oenologique to read our top 10s and reviews.
Ahead of opening entries for our 2023 Communicator awards, the IWSC catches up with Millie Milliken, winner of the IWSC's 2022 Spirits Communicator accolade...Read article


text:
Asian grocery Quincy
This is the big one, folks: 99 Ranch Market is coming to town.
Once open, it will be the third Asian market on a. The 99 Ranch Market, Milford hotels girls Chinese-American market with more than 50 stores across the country, is now hiring for its newest location to open at Hancock St. The Big Y grocery store, which opened just three years ago, shut its doors on Aug.
|Hair: ||Blue & black|
|Relation Type: ||Looking For A Nice Girl Who Is Single|
|Seeking: ||I Am Wanting Man|
|Relationship Status: ||Mistress|
Hot Pot, an up and Singles for christ new Encinitas dining trend, is fulfilling, fun, cost-effective and most importantly, healthy. Dog abandoned for being 'too old' becomes the star of Dog Bowl Chui says 99 Ranch brings a "new perspective" to grocery shopping and Australian escorts Amarillo the soon-to-open store will cater to all kinds of shoppers.
Super Bowl forecast: Rain moves Submissive women Saint Cloud, super weather on tap Sunday.
Asian cuisine and ramen bowls. Trump's Middle East plan unlikely to achieve peace. Sottile said he's able to walk to the Stop and Shop a mile down the road, but that many people at Fenno House were dependent the walk-ability of Big Y and now have to make other arrangements.
Sunday's date hasn't happened White pages debary Ann Arbor over years. about China Pearl Restaurant.
Once the store opens up we definitely recommend checking out our snack aisle.
Asian market to replace now-closed big y in north quincy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. about Fuji at West of Chestnut.
Found the story interesting? For more information, please visit our website at www. Lee told me that 99 Ranch may open a couple more stores in Massachusetts.
Offering traditional Chinese brunch and a lunch and dinner buffet daily and specializes in Dim Sum. Chiefs Lesbian bars Bartlett USA. Like Wegmans, the 99 stores are big and bright and have a cult-like following. Amazon Go Whole Foods. Lifetime of football blows ended in tragedy. All customers are invited to get the first-hand experience of a 56, square foot 99 Ranch Market and enjoy some great deals happening ONLY on our grand opening day including:.
Three killed in shooting at a Toronto Airbnb. about YoCha.
A decade ago, H Mart, a major Korean food chain that has its own devotees, opened a giant store in Burlington and then a smaller one in Cambridge. He said he understands that there was once a demand Find a friend in Jacksonville USA Asian markets in North Quincy, but that he thinks that need has been filled.
Iowa Poll canceled after a Pete Buttigieg supporter says the candidate's Rubina escort Lincoln was omitted during a poll. Katie Holmes breaks 2 fashion rules in 1 look.
Follow us on
Get a taste of Asia while also learning about all the different kinds of Asian foods we have to offer. Follow her on Twitter leung.
Cathay Pacific. The store is located at Hancock St.
Asian grocery in quincy, ma
Men wanted in Seattle shooting arrested Yucaipa lovely dating Nevada. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories. Please give an overall site rating:. The people they're intended to Asian grocery Quincy are pretty well served at this Massage on the run Erie KS Gary Sottile, who lives across Hancock Street at Fenno Senior Living, said.
Opened inthe Quincy store anchors a mall that includes 40 shops. How can we improve? The family-owned supermarket chain said Asian grocery Quincy landlord declined to negotiate a lease extension. Florida church shooting: 2 people killed after funeral. It also has an Ismaili singles Blaine floor dedicated to cooking utensils, Asian ceramics Portsmouth free classifieds loose Who is the richest man in Garden Grove. The 99 Ranch Market, a Chinese-American market with more than 50 stores across the country, is now hiring for its newest location to open at Hancock St.
From the parking lot of the future 99 Ranch you can see another Asian grocer, C-Martin Single latina Corvallis next lot. about Thai Noodle Bar. C-Mart supermarket in Quincy. Earth Fare Natural Grocers Sprouts.
Basil Thai Cuisine. How Chiefs went from to Super Bowl favorites. Languages Add links.


text:
Today's Latest Bitcoin News
UK Funds Facilitator to Roll Out Blockchain Settlements in 2019
Calastone, the London-based transaction network for investment funds, is moving buying and selling of funds on blockchain by May 2019.
Read Full Article
Sharing is caring:
comments powered by Disqus.


text:
Billionaire Mike Ashley’s massive plans for activities Direct in ireland
The tough-headed billionaire, activities Direct retailer Mike Ashley, has for years been a pantomime villain of britain’s monetary press.
however over the final week, the Newcastle United owner has also been hailed within the UK as doubtlessly the “saviour of the excessive street”, after sports Direct agreed a £ninety million €a hundred.5 million deal to purchase residence https://sedayubet.org/ of Fraser branch save group out of administration.
youngsters he is seen in his native Britain, the place sports Direct’s working circumstances are often beneath extreme scrutiny, how should we view Ashley over right here? doubtless as probably the most influential investors within the Irish retail sector nowadays.
With sales of £three.four billion, activities Direct is king of its fort in activities retailing in Britain. but, local opponents, be mindful: Ashley now has main plans for its operations within the Republic.
although he isn’t a favourite of Newcastle lovers within the UK, Ashley is declared to be amazed at the amount of Toon followers right here who realize him when he visits ireland and approach him on the street. They can also quickly see a lot more of him.
“What’s our goal for eire?” pointed out Leonard Brassel, the managing director of sports Direct eire. “In a be aware: growth. we’ve an aggressive funding programme to roll out.”
sports Direct has pencilled in eire for a raft of “new technology” keep openings, with a spotlight on massive-structure flagship retailers.
It has taken Ashley 16 years to construct up his Irish pursuits on the grounds that he entered the market right here at the age of 37. What has he amassed in ireland to this point?
via his 60 per cent stake in London-listed activities Direct, where he is also chief govt, Ashley’s neighborhood is now the third-largest sports clothing chain within the State. And it has lately embarked upon an ambitious Irish growth plan that has put its indigenous opponents, lifestyle and Elverys, in its sights.
Ashley additionally owns Heatons, the €230 million-a-12 months department save chain that ,in fresh months, has considered lots of its stores rebranded to sports Direct.
Between Heatons and sports Direct, Ashley operates from extra 30 areas in the Republic, including a dozen last standalone Heatons retailers. most of the activities Direct outlets are some distance larger, despite the fact, than these of native opponents.
There are an extra 16 sports Direct outlets within the North, of which 10 have been upgraded and were previously Heatons. The others are pencilled in for revamps.
He also owns a 30 per cent stake in the listed retailer Debenhams, which has eleven department shops within the State. In 2016, he tried to buy the entire Irish operation out of examinership – two years after failing with an identical tilt at Elverys.
Ashley is additionally believed to are looking to purchase shops from Dunnes stores, as part of a technique to expand the number of sports Direct megastores right here. he’s additionally rumoured to maintain an hobby in opening on the website of the historical Clerys shop.
Ashley hasn’t yet satisfied everybody of the deserves of his wider community boom method
He purchased yet another historical-college Dublin retail web page, Boyers, for €12 million in 2016. And now he’s on the verge of taking on the massive Dundrum outlet of apartment of Fraser, once that deal is approved by using Irish competitors regulators.
He has even struck sponsorship offers with the GAA and the FAI. forget Newcastle United. At this expense, Ashley may additionally as smartly purchase Shamrock Rovers and contact himself Mick.


text:
In a world where social media seems to play an increasingly important role, some people have chosen to move away from smartphones and back to old cell phones. These phones can’t connect to the internet or social media, some can’t even take photos.
The reason for returning to what are now called “Dumbphones” (the opposite of Smartphones) is that many people choose to disconnect from the digital world offered by smartphones. Instead, they prefer to use an old cell phone with the basic call tools, messaging, contact list and other functions such as a calculator.
It should be noted that the use of these devices is related to the search for digital well-being on a daily basis. Users who access basic phones try to depend less on their smartphones and be more attentive when doing daily activities such as socializing or working.
In this regard, the BBC made a report where people who chose to return to the old cell phones tell their experience. “I didn’t realize how much the smartphone was taking over my life until I bought a ‘brick,'” said one user who went back to using a basic phone.


text:
There are more and more companies of different entertainment formats betting on NFTs (or non-fungible goods) and video games are not at all the exception. During the last giant weeks of the sector as EA and SEGA, they have pronounced themselves in favor of their inclusion, although with nuances, while in Steam the Games with NFT has come to ban. About this debate has been pronounced Phil Spencer, chief of Xbox, showing the doubts about how these content are being addressed.
There is a lot of speculation and experimentation [about the NFT Phil Spencer There is a lot of speculation and experimentation [About the NFT], the mandalas of the Microsoft Video Game Division in a chat with Axis. Some of the creations I see currently feel more exploiters than entertainment, he adds. However, Phil Spencer rule sides to generalize about these types of products while considering there is room for not all games with NFT to be able to get money. I think we are in that group of people who are discovering it.
However, the Xbox chief wanted to make it clear that there is no place on their platforms for those NFT hatcheries. I think anything we saw in our store that we thought is an exploiter would be something about taking action. We do not want that kind of content, the Microsoft executive sentenced.
This interview with the well-known US information website arrives in the middle of the 20th anniversary of Xbox, which have been delivered this week with the beta phase launch of the infinite halo multiplayer, the publication of a teaser-trailer of The Halo TV series, as well as the disembarkation of new recompatible video games on Xbox One and Xbox Series X | S. As for the NFT, a few days ago it was Geoff Kafka, driver of the Game Awards 2021, who completely discarded the presence of these products at his event.
Leave a Reply


text:
The Transforming Foundation Industries (TFI) challenge recently commissioned Oakdene Hollins to conduct a scoping study to explore how demand-led innovation can reshape the packaging landscape for a more sustainable future.
A blueprint for change
Demand-led innovation, or DLI, focuses on identifying and addressing specific customer needs and preferences to drive innovation. DLI is a term that encapsulates the evolution of solutions based on market needs, environmental considerations, and technological possibilities.
In contrast, traditional innovation often relies on internal ideas and technology advancements, without always considering the market for new products and services. This report explores the impact that DLIs could serve in reshaping the packaging industry’s course towards 2050.
Lowering the packaging industry’s carbon footprint can’t be done in isolation – collaboration across the packaging industry’s value chain is required to understand where the areas of greatest impact lie.
The report’s foundation rests on engaging dialogues with influential stakeholders, including trade associations, renowned brand owners, and leading UK retailers like Co-op, Waitrose, and Nestlé. Through a series of workshops and interviews, the report delves deep into the challenges faced by these stakeholders and seeks out innovative solutions that can tackle these obstacles head-on.
Challenges in sustainability
Industry stakeholders identified the following three crucial demands from the sector.
Low-impact resources and production
The packaging industry has taken noteworthy strides towards sustainability by exploring alternative materials, recycled content, and biobased options. However, a lack of reliable data hampers large-scale adoption of these choices. Inconsistent information and varying life cycle assessment approaches lead to uncertainty, obstructing the path to a sustainable packaging future.
Establishing industry-wide standards for material profiles is paramount, with innovative support mechanisms like verified data databases and artificial intelligence (AI) predictions for novel materials leading the way.
Embracing reusable and refillable packaging
Shifting from single-use packaging to reusable and refillable options is a promising step towards reduced environmental impact. This comes with its own challenges such as high maintenance, behavioural shifts, and logistical complexities, which also need to be overcome.
Competitors uniting for trials can set the stage for the widespread adoption of sustainable reuse and refill schemes.
Flexible films in recycling
Legislative efforts and labelling have increased UK packaging recycling rates, yet hurdles remain in expanding kerbside collection to include flexible film packaging.
Sorting infrastructure challenges and consumer behaviour adjustments are pivotal.
The way forward: transforming challenges into innovations
The report spotlights innovation opportunities that align with packaging sustainability goals:
- holistic data utilisation: using verified data databases and AI predictions streamlines sustainable material choices, fostering informed decision-making across the industry
- low-impact production: embracing advancements like hydrogen-powered or electric arc furnaces demonstrates a dedication to minimising carbon impact
- collaborative research: collaborative research, including competitor trials to establish labelling, return infrastructure, and suitable products for reuse. A key emphasis is also placed on researching consumer incentives and integrating return systems with existing recycling setups
- expanding kerbside recycling schemes to include flexible films: developing advanced sorting technologies specifically designed to handle flexible films is essential as well as reducing material complexity and variance of flexible film designs
- empowering consumer change: consumer intervention schemes, such as carbon credits, incentivise eco-conscious purchasing habits, reinforcing the role of individuals in the sustainability equation
The TFI challenge is committed to assembling an ecosystem of value chain stakeholders, including customers, designers, innovators, and developers. This is a critical step towards driving meaningful change for the foundation industries and their users.
Keep up to date with our other work in this area:
- market driven decarbonisation: the role of demand-led innovation in supporting emission reductions in foundation industries by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
- demand led innovation scoping study: construction products by constructing excellence on behalf of BRE
- why demand matters
The TFI challenge is delivered by Innovate UK.
Top image: Credit: Nordroden, iStock, Getty Images Plus via Getty Images


text:
For years now there’ve been two competing versions of Facebook. It’s either an app on your phone or it’s your entire homescreen. It’s a big part of the internet or it’s the internet. Today, at F8, the social networking giant’s developer conference, Facebook just made a strong case that it’s becoming the latter version.
“Facebook used to be this single blue app and it did a lot of things,” said the company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “Now Facebook is a family of apps.”
And that family is growing. Wednesday Zuckerberg and other executives unveiled Facebook’s new Messenger platform, which will allow the service’s 600 million users to use a whole host of third-party apps and tools from partners like ESPN, Giphy, and The Weather Channel. It also launched Messenger for Business, which will allow users to communicate directly with businesses instead of calling, emailing, or interacting through a wonky customer service chat app. It’s an ambitious move by Facebook that suggests the social network will continue to creep into new and unexpected areas of our lives, like customer service. It’s also a major sign that Facebook is encroaching on everyone from Google to Apple to Youtube, and even Twitter’s mobile analytics offering Crashlytics in its quest to become, at least on mobile, the entire internet.
Almost two years ago, Facebook unveiled Home, the social network’s attempt to take over the phone. It was a mobile experience designed so that users could take and send photos, chat, and navigate through apps all while safely inside the Facebook ecosystem. It was also, by all accounts a failure. Back in April of 2013 Facebook was still the same colossus it is today, but few people seemed to want to concede that Facebook was the center of mobile universe. Sure, there was plenty to do inside the Facebook ecosystem, but there was plenty more outside its walls and Android and iOS were doing a more than ample job of providing those services.
Today things are different. Instead of wrapping itself around your apps, it’s taking them over from the inside. By turning Messenger into a platform, Facebook is using its 600 million active users as a carrot to attract influential third-party developers, who will in turn create exciting apps that will keep those users inside the Facebook ecosystem doing things like checking scores on ESPN, finding and saving GIFs with Giphy, doctoring up photos using Pic Stitch, and monitoring the weekend forecast on The Weather Channel app. While the list of launch partners isn’t comprehensive, it’s easy to imagine scores of developers flocking to build apps for Messenger. You go where the people are, and 600 million is a lot of people.
Essentially, Facebook is creating its own mobile ecosystem.
By this logic it’s also not hard to see a future where the Facebook ecosystem can compete with iOS and Android, drawing more and more developers to write in Facebook’s coding language, Parse. Users, meanwhile, will become more and more accustomed to living their lives inside Messenger, thanks to its integration with businesses and retail organizations. Imagine this scenario: Your friend sends you a cute dress via Messenger and you click through in the app, buy it, and then hash out the delivery specifications with a customer service rep. Once the transaction is done, you resume the chat to tell your friend you splurged and bought it, all without leaving the Facebook ecosystem. As one of my colleagues aptly noted, “the transformation of FB into an entire operating system for your life continues.”
In this scenario, Messenger quickly becomes an important app store. Apple? Android? Sure! But those are personal preferences, you pick one or the other. Everyone has a Facebook account. By bringing third parties inside Messenger, Facebook is able to re-create the internet inside its walls like never before, and as users begin to take advantage of Facebook’s simulacrum of the web, they’ll have access to all those apps’ myriad data. Just as Twitter bought Crashlytics to better understand the mobile ecosystem, Facebook will have powerful insight into the analytics of the apps inside messenger and therefore a better understanding (than maybe anyone else) of how the mobile web operates and what new apps and features are poised to break through.
Living inside Facebook’s internet, it’s easy to imagine users would be drawn to Facebook’s native platform as the default for hosting video content. The videos will appear and be shared seamlessly throughout all of Facebook’s different apps. YouTube videos will no doubt be clunkier, harder to share, non-auto playing, and full of third-party ads, if they’re allowed at all.
At F8 today Facebook teased a future that many in the tech world have joked about but that now seems like a plausible reality: Facebook as the entire internet. Not for everyone, but for enough that it can’t be ignored. It’s Facebook as a place that hosts your news, your friends, and your favorite apps. Facebook as a place where you don’t need to leave to send somebody money or to change the shipping address on that new dress you purchased. The version of Facebook that Zuckerberg and company hinted at Wednesday is the beginning of Facebook actually resembling what its executives have imagined for years.
This version of Facebook is one where it is no longer just a single factor in our lives —digital and otherwise — but the overarching context that consumes everything beneath it. Facebook Home may have failed, but this version of Facebook — Facebook as your one true home online — seems like it's here to stay.


text:
As part of the launch of the revamped MiTo in the UK, Alfa Romeo set up an unusual driving challenge involving a masked driver, lots of paint – and a new Apple iPhone.
In an effort to showcase the facelifted MiTo’s dynamic driving capabilities, the pro-driver was tasked with tackling a warehouse course of colourful powder and paint, and ultimately create an Alfa MiTo work of art.
In an industry first, the video was captured using the new dual camera feature on the water resistant new iPhone 7 Plus with compatible accessories.
Watch the video to see how the MiTo created its work of art...
The new MiTo is equipped with Alfa Romeo’s D.N.A system, a driving mode selector which adapts the vehicle’s performance to suit the driver’s style and road conditions. Starting in Dynamic mode, the new Alfa MiTo blasted through the powder circuit before switching to All-Weather mode for the slippery paint stage, which also put the iPhone 7’s new water resistant handset to the test.
Damien Dally, Alfa Romeo UK Country Manager said, “This demonstration of the new Alfa MiTo’s agility and performance shows the quality of the technology at play in our cars and highlights how the stylish, dynamic new Alfa MiTo can be ready for anything at the flick of a switch.”
The new Alfa MiTo features a new sports grille, new alloy wheel designs and new badging emulating the style of the new Alfa Romeo Giulia. The revised range consists of four trim levels (MiTo, Super, Speciale and the range-topping Veloce) with interior updates including enhanced detailing, new upholsteries and improved technologies.
An updated 1.3-litre JTDM-2 diesel has been introduced to the range, with an increased output of 95hp and lower emissions of 89g/km.
The new Alfa MiTo is available to order now, priced from £12,960 on-the-road.


text:
It’s the festive season and guess what comes along for your shopping needs? Amazon Great Festival and Flipkart Big Billion Days.
Neither Amazon nor Flipkart has announced the dates of the sale. Although they have mentioned quite a few of the products and categories that will get huge discounts on their respective micro-sites.
There are heavy discounts on various products and some new launches on both Flipkart and Amazon. Flipkart is set to introduce Soundcore TWS (Truly wireless) earphones which will be a special Saina Nehwal Edition, MSI GF63 Intel i5 gaming laptop, Boult Noise Cancelling TWS earphones and a Fire-Boltt Max smartwatch.
There will also be a heavy discount on Apple products because of the launch of the latest Apple products. Flipkart has specified some of the prices for Apple’s previous generation products.
iPhone 12, 128 GB strprage variant is listed at Rs. 68990 and 64 GB variant is listed at Rs. 63999. iPhone 12 Mini 64 GB storage variant is listed at Rs. 61999 and 128 GB variant at Rs. 56999.
Even iPhone 11 and iPhone X models are up for sale at slashed prices. You can check them out here.
Flipkart will also offer huge discounts up to 80 percent on Boat Speakers and smartwatches. Acer laptops will also see a discount of up to 40 percent. Apart from these, there will be huge discounts on other mobiles, TV’s, laptops and accessories.
Flipkart has partnered with Axis and ICICI bank for extra discounts when using their debit or credit cards. While Amazon has partnered with HDFC bank to provide an additional 10% off on products when purchased using HDFC debit and credit cards.
Amazon’s Great Indian Festival has also teased huge discounts on many products from phones, TV’s to accessories. Amazon-branded products like Kindle, Fire TV and Echo will be available at highly discounted prices.
Although not many specific details are available, you can check what they are offering here.
Both Amazon and Flipkart haven’t announced the date of sale but it is expected to go live at the starting of October. Plus Flipkart Plus members and Amazon Prime members will get access to Big Billion Day and Great Indian Festival a day before non-members.
Also, stay tuned to get regular updates about the best deals, offers from these sales. Subscribe to our newsletter for more updates.


text:
U.S. web large Amazon introduced in Australia Tuesday in time for Christmas, with outlets scrambling to chop prices and spice up their on-line choices as they brace for an anticipated shake-up of the sphere.
The arrival of the behemoth — which has grown from an internet book shop to one of the vital international’s biggest companies — poses a danger to a marketplace already grappling with vulnerable client self belief amid tepid wages expansion.
“Focusing on customers and the long-term are key principles in Amazon’s approach to retailing,” mentioned Amazon Australia nation supervisor Rocco Braeuniger in a remark.
“By concentrating on providing a great shopping experience and by constantly innovating on behalf of customers, we hope to earn the trust and the custom of Australian shoppers in the years to come.”
The American large is providing “millions” of goods from well known Australian manufacturers, in addition to small and medium-sized Australian companies promoting on Amazon Marketplace.
They might be shipped from a warehouse in Melbourne.
Online buying groceries most effective accounts for between Eight-13 p.c of overall gross sales in Australia, leaving room for expansion in a sector estimated to be price greater than Aus$300 billion ($227 billion) once a year.
“We believe Amazon’s full entry into Australia will likely be a success,” UBS analysts mentioned in a notice forward of the release, including that Australia was once an “attractive market where online is under-penetrated”.
“Australian online shoppers spend the third-most globally of Amazon’s markets.”
Retail classes possibly to be harm via Amazon’s access come with electric, home equipment, attire and cosmetics, UBS added.
The U.S. company was once most probably to soak up losses first of all to spice up its marketplace proportion, IBISWorld senior analyst Kim Do mentioned, pressuring the profitability and margins of its competition.
Several most sensible Australian outlets have just lately succumbed to drive from international giants reminiscent of Japan’s Uniqlo and Sephora of France, whilst others have reduce on bricks-and-mortar shops.
But different analysts mentioned it was once no longer all unhealthy information for native outlets, with Amazon anticipated to stand an identical demanding situations reminiscent of low get entry to to broadband and the massive dimension of the island continent.
“A key reason why Australia lags behind its peers (in the development of the e-commerce sector) is the low access to broadband,” BMI Research, Fitch Group’s analysis arm, mentioned in a notice.
Broadband subscriptions in Australia stand at 57.three consistent with 100 other people, emerging to a forecast 60 in 2021, in distinction to markets like Singapore which is projected to have subscriptions of 75.three consistent with 100 that 12 months, BMI mentioned.
“Slower delivery speeds due to the large geographic size of the country and as a result, more costly delivery services… will not bode well for the success of an e-commerce company.”
Retail analyst Brian Walker mentioned in line with his analysis, Amazon was once “producing a positive return” in simply one-third of the international locations it was once working in outdoor of the U.S.
“The rest are still in the various stages of growing. And that is the point about Amazon,” Walker advised AFP. “They will take in our view of somewhere between two to five years to hit any form of scale in Australia.”
Amazon, a Seattle-based corporate, has expanded a ways past its roots as a virtual book shop, shifting into the groceries and different retail sectors in addition to cloud computing, streaming video, synthetic intelligence and extra.
It has turn into some of the treasured corporations on this planet along U.S. tech competitors Apple, Facebook and Google mother or father Alphabet, and in October reported third-quarter income of $256 million.
© 2017 AFP


text:
Facebook: How the landscape of Q4 is shifting, and what that means for digital advertisers
Last week, Ian Edwards, Facebook’s Head of Comms Planning for Northern Europe, joined the IAB to present some of Facebook’s latest Christmas research.
Ian spent 15 years planning campaigns for clients at Vizeum, Mediaedge:cia, CARAT and MediaCom before joining Facebook. For the past two years, he has been helping brands and agencies get the most out of Facebook’s family of apps. That means staying on top of seasonal trends, and leveraging Facebook’s unique capacity for precision targeting. Here, he shares his thoughts on how the landscape of Q4 is shifting, and what that means for digital advertisers.
What Christmas trends are you seeing this year?
I'm interested in Q4 trends moving around the globe. Black Friday has moved from West to East and it's a juggernaut. One out of three people globally shop on Black Friday. And then there are holidays coming East to West like Singles' Day on November 11th. It's the biggest online shopping day in the world now – we're seeing a big spike on November 11th in every market around the world.
What other days are becoming important?
There is the rise of Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving in the US), Manic Monday (two weeks out from Christmas) and what I call 'Panic Monday' — the Monday before Christmas. On Panic Monday in 2016, sales on Facebook increased by 50% in the UK. People are leaving it really late and that Monday is becoming very important.
How can planners improve their Q4 results?
Traditionally, most media plans have a big burst when the TV ad launches, and then build smoothly up to Christmas. But moments are becoming more and more important. Christmas is getting more spiky. It's also crucial to understand the shape of Christmas for different audiences. Parents start earlier than non-parents; young people leave it until the last minute. Identifying the moments that matter by audience is really useful and can help advertisers in the battle for mental availability when it really matters.
What else can you tell us about an audience like parents?
Parents shop with their mobile even more than other audiences. When you have kids, it's hard to sit down at a laptop or go into a store. Mobile devices allow you to do stuff with one hand while you're watching children.
What about planning post-Christmas?
Let's not forget the sales. For 18 to 24-year-olds, Boxing Day is the single biggest online sales day after Black Friday. Travel is huge in January — every year there's a major spike in travel conversions. Financial services are also big as people pay off debt and change credit cards. So there are plenty of reasons to be active in January.
Why should planners be booking ahead on Facebook?
If you book your campaigns early, the unit price that you pay for media drops by 16.6%. So it's about 16% cheaper.
How can planners get the most out of their Facebook spend?
The biggest win is to build creative that works in Facebook's feed, rather than putting your TV ad on the platform. If you build for feed, you have the potential to double your return on investment. Facebook has the scale to warrant the extra time and effort to build bespoke creative — with 2 billion on the platform and 40 million in the UK — brands should be building creative for Facebook.
To understand more about developing an effective strategy for the small screen, and for a full week-by-week planning calendar, visit


text:
From BBC news online :
‘Chinese’ tequila worries Mexico
Mexican tequila sells well in the US
Mexican politicians are demanding action to protect the tequila industry from Chinese competition. The lower house of Congress voted to urge the government to stop Chinese firms patenting maguey – a type of agave cactus used in tequila.
MPs are also worried that Chinese and Japanese firms could target the market in another cactus species, nopal.
Nopal leaves are increasingly popular in the US, where there is already strong demand for tequila.
Don’t settle for anything but OG Tequila from Mexico. Chinese might make good… uh… whatever they make, but leave the Tequila to the Mexicans. It’s seriously all they have.


text:
Late storms are one way of looking at WA’s “winter of discontent”.
Late storms are one way of looking at WA's "winter of discontent". Another is the loss of the State's triple-A credit rating and, just as the storms will fade, so will the problems dogging the local economy thanks to encouraging signs of global growth.
Rather than panic, which is what the Treasurer, Troy Buswell, could be accused of doing by trundling out the totally unacceptable proposal of a state income tax, it would be far better for the government to fix what it can rather than propose possible miracle cures.
What Mr Buswell and his boss, Colin Barnett, seem to have forgotten, in their annoyance about the credit rating downgrade and refusal of newly-elected Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, to lend a helping with a change to the GST rules is that WA has an economy which is a mirror-image of a big resource company such as BHP Billiton or Rio Tinto.
When the fall in commodity prices hit those two companies they didn't complain about customers buying less copper, coal, aluminium and iron ore they embarked on a campaign of fixing their internal cost structures which had bloated during the boom.
Tough decisions had to be made, including the postponement by BHP Billiton of its plan for an outer harbour at Port Hedland, and the mothballing of a major expansion of its Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine.
With the cuts went thousands of jobs as the miners adjusted in the only way they can; cost cutting.
If Mr Buswell and Mr Barnett are serious about reclaiming the triple-A credit rating they have no choice but to expand on the modest cuts made so far and the odd transport project deferral. Sacrificing a few sacred cows might even be in order such as delaying construction of the proposed new football stadium.
Making unrealistic promises during this year's state election is one reason the WA budget is under pressure. In that regard Mr Buswell and Mr Barnett have no-one to blame but themselves.
Fixing the self-inflicted budget wounds is also in their hands, if they're prepared to mimic what happens in the private sector when revenues fall – cut costs, deeply and quickly
If they're prepared to cop the short-term criticism for making hard budget decisions now, they will be rewarded over the next few years as WA's growth rate picks up, driven by the surprisingly strong recovery underway in most of the world's big economies.
China's latest measures of manufacturing activity, as recorded in the purchasing manager's index (PMI) for September, was up to a solid 51.2, the highest for six months and pointing to overall economic expansion on track to hit the government target of 7.5% to 8% annual growth.
Europe, the U.S. and Japan are also tracking higher on their respective PMI readings with Europe the big surprise as its PMI rose to 52.1, the highest for 27 months.
In time, and this is the reason why Mr Buswell and Mr Barnett should relax a little and not appear to be in a state of panic, those PMI figures will flow through to commodity markets, and then into the WA economy.
At risk of being overly optimistic there is a reasonable chance that 2014 will produce the best global growth figures since the boom years before the 2008 financial crisis.
There will, of course, be bumps along the road to recovery, including the tricky job confronting the U.S. and Europe as they wind back on artificial monetary stimulus and try to achieve growth without an outbreak of inflation.
A measure of optimism that a way will be found to deliver strong growth after five recessionary years in most economies can be found in an unusual measure of consumer optimism – worldwide chocolate sales are booming.
While some addicts regard chocolate as an essential it is really a luxury that sells best in good times and right now sales are rising despite a sharp increase in the price of cocoa, the essential raw ingredient in chocolate.
As one London commodities trader told the Wall Street Journal yesterday: "The return of confidence has allowed the consumer to buy a bit more of the premium-brand chocolates".
Given the health benefits of chocolate, including reports of its ability the lower blood pressure, it might not be a bad thing if Mr Buswell and Mr Barnett found time to nibble a block of Cadbury's while contemplating the really hard budget cuts they will have to make.


text:
It’s just a few weeks to the much anticipated Lagos Fashion and Design Week (LFDW) which is tagged #HeinekenLFDW2015Lagos. This event is set to take place for 4 days starting from the 28th of October 2015 to the 31st of October, 2015. This is the 5th year of the show and has become “The Celebratory Issue”.
With a mix of fresh and returning partners, the brand is gearing up for a remarkable 4 -days, featuring the LFDW X British Council Fashion Focus series, an initiative to support the professional development of emerging talent in Nigeria, the LFDW X Retail Exhibition Space, the LFDW Fashion Business Series, and LFDW runway shows featuring new seasons’ collections from Africa’s leading designers.
Throughout the course of the week, over 4,000 fashion insiders, including buyers, retailers, local & international press, celebrities, models, and special guests will make their way through the #HeinekenLFDW2015 doors.
“Heineken understands that the journey is important and as much fun as the destination and it takes delight in exploring and creating provoking design solutions. This year’s edition of LFDW is the perfect place to continue celebrating cosmopolitan cities, such as the City of Lagos, which features in Heineken’s “Cities of the world” campaign; opening the door to discover ‘the unexpected’ in the city” reiterates Senior Brand Manager – Heineken, Mrs. Ngozi Nkwoji on what to expect from Headline sponsors, Heineken.
Two of the major highlights of #HeinkenLFDW2015 event will be, the Fashion Business Series & The X Retail Exhibition Space.
Hosted by Style House Files, founders Lagos Fashion and Design Week and supported by the Bank of Industry (BOI), who have recently launched the fashion fund to facilitate the growth of the fashion industry, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), focused on supporting export opportunities and Sterling Bank, whose competitive SME loan is open to fashion entrepreneurs, the Fashion Business Series will feature an impressive lineup of speakers.
‘Economically, it has been a challenging year as oil is no longer a sustainable source of the nation’s wealth. It is imperative we diversify and fashion could easily be one of the many opportunities to improve our current economic challenges. The Fashion Business Series aims to create dialogue between those in the fashion and textiles sector, relevant government stakeholders and key members of financial services community to work towards scaling the fashion industry to a point where it can significantly contribute to the nation’s GDP’ remarks Project Manager – Fashion Business Series, Ronke Adeola, on the programme’s importance to the nation’s economic landscape.
Returning to #HeinekenLFDW2015 will be the X Retail Exhibition Space which will feature a curated expose, profiling the revolutionary work of African fashion creatives in the past 5 years.
To register for the Fashion Business Series, please visit, www.fashionbusinessseries.com
For press enquiries: press@


text:
It noted that Chinese tariffs on US goods are much higher than corresponding USA tariffs, and said the USA government would "defend America's intellectual property and proprietary technology from theft and other threats" by imposing a 25% tariff on $50 billion in goods made in China that contained "industrially significant technology".
China on Wednesday lambasted "sudden flip-flops" in U.S. policy after President Donald Trump said he was moving to finalise trade sanctions against it - even as a USA delegation arrived in Beijing for talks.
In an unexpected change in tone, the United States said on Tuesday that it still held the threat of imposing tariffs on $50 billion of imports from China unless it addressed the issue of theft of American intellectual property.
U.S. President Donald Trump's earlier threats of tariff hikes resulted in very intense negotiations with Beijing "in a way that we haven't seen for so many years", said William Zarit, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China.
"We urge the United States to keep its promise, and meet China halfway in the spirit of the joint statement", Chunying said, according to Reuters, adding that China would be "resolute and forceful" in protecting its interests if Washington continues to act in an "arbitrary and reckless manner".
William Zarit, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, said the USA threat of tariffs appeared to have been "somewhat effective". These steps include a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion in Chinese imports, many of which fall in the technology industry.
In return, the Commerce Department lifted a seven-year ban on ZTE's purchase of US components that it had just imposed earlier in May. In response, Beijing vowed to retaliate against USA exports to China with a matching value. The last round of talks concluded on May 19 with the countries announcing little progress toward resolving a long list of complaints the American negotiators had previously identified.
The White House wrote in its statement on Tuesday that the United States "will continue efforts to protect domestic technology and intellectual property, stop noneconomic transfers of industrially significant technology and intellectual property to China, and enhance access to the Chinese market".