text:
The Ag’s Recent Headache: A Shortage of Pallets for Shipping Products News – Bakersfield, California
Water, agriculture, shipping containers, truck drivers – nowadays local farmers no longer seem to have everything that is not real food. And now this: They too are running out of pallets.
An inadequate supply of wooden pallets, which are squat structures that make it easy to move luggage on forklifts, can damage the industry just before the grapes are harvested and farmers’ profits can be lost to packaging costs. There is, or worse, a shortage of agricultural products.
Industry insiders say the types of sturdy pallets claimed by large retailers have recently doubled to more than $ 15 apiece. Even low-end models cost about twice as much as a year ago, and companies selling recycled pallets are having to keep up with demand.
Local product shippers have responded in a number of ways, including asking buyers to temporarily lower standards on pallet types ready to accept fruit and vegetables. But in any case, producers say the shortage is compounding the runaway costs.
In a text message, John P. Zaninovich, president of Jasmine Vineyards, based in Delano, said that only local farms could reduce their exposure to what he called serious pallet shortages. Price estimates won’t take more than a week to rise again, he said.
As a result, new problems appeared in some of the previously stable companies.
He answered when asked how edible winemakers would expect their next harvest in the face of a pallet shortage.
The concurrence of Ag-related bottlenecks exacerbates various urgent challenges in the industry.
Droughts, coupled with restrictions on groundwater pumping, put a strain on irrigation practices as the long-standing shortage of farm laborers has increased the ability of producers to handle crops.
On the other hand, pandemics contribute to port congestion, increased transport costs and delays in deliveries overseas. Another consequence of the coronavirus crisis has been the dramatic exacerbation of the national shortage of truck drivers who can make deliveries.
Business people have pointed out various causes for the recent shortage of pallets.
They say the main driving force is rising timber costs. Shipments that get stuck in the port make the demand for non-perishable goods that have to be stored on pallets more difficult.
Correa Palette, a Pixley-based repair company with an operations in Bakersfield, is struggling more than ever to meet customer demand for pallets, said sales director Martin Correa Jr.
As much as the business is at the peak of the normal harvest, it cannot find a supply of new pallets or recent orders earlier than usual for customers who did not want to pay higher prices. I said I was busy. I started.
Many industries are affected, but he said he recently heard most of the concerns from farmers. He said they were concerned because their crops in the fields were ripe and they couldn’t plan to get their produce to market.
“It would be really interesting to see what happens,” said Correa.
On Wednesday, 19 trade associations, including Western Growers, Produce Marketing Association and other trade associations, issued an open letter requesting “temporary changes or exceptions to pallet requirements, provided that safety is not compromised”. ..
The idea is to allow large retailers and others to relax the usual requirements for shippers to package fresh goods in specific industry standard pallets that are sturdy, attractive and undersupplied. It was to be asked.
Talks on how to deal with the challenges continue around the world, but many buyers said they were not yet aware of the seriousness of the situation.
“The shortage of pallets is a burden on the supply chain, which is already facing major challenges,” says the message in bold.
He added that the industry needs to balance the overall availability of goods with the availability of food.
“Without a coordinated effort across the supply chain to ensure the availability of pallets to ship products, it is very, if not impossible, for the manufacturer / shipper community to meet buyers. There is no doubt that it will be difficult and ultimately consumers will ask about agricultural products. “
The Ag’s Recent Headache: Lack of Pallets for Shipping Products News Source Link The Ag’s Recent Headache: A Shortage of Pallets for Shipping Products | news


text:
RIVIEREX golf balls have been voted the best golf balls in the world by a panel of golf experts and retailers.
The RIViera golf balls were voted the most valuable by more than 800 golf professionals and retailers in a survey of 500 golfers, according to the company.
The balls have become a favourite of celebrities, celebrities, athletes and even professional golfers.
They are available for sale at golf retailers including Nike Golf, Golf.com, Golf Balls, Ryder, Golf Direct, Tiger Woods and Ryder Classic Golf.
The Ball of Honour award went to the Ball of Honor, the second most valuable ball in the history of golf balls, said RIVEREX.
It also goes to the NERD Ball of Destiny which is the third most valuable golf ball in history, with an estimated value of £3.6 million, according the company’s website.
The ball of honour was chosen because it is the most famous ball in golf and has been around for nearly 80 years, said CEO Stephen Jones.
The company also received a gold medal for best ball in 2015 from the World Golf Awards.RIVEREx has a market value of $2.9 billion, with a market cap of more than $3.5 billion, according its website.

domain: news


text:
|costa rica turismo|
|info viaggi turismo tutto il meglio di costa rica|
Ditching its devices wouldn't mean the end of Nike's wearable presence. Nike may be better situated as a data collector and app maker for its increasingly robust digital fitness platform, Nike+, than it is a seller of wristbands, say analysts. It could also potentially partner with Apple. Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, has served on the Nike board for nine years, and the Nike FuelBand companion app has -- for the two-year period its been on the market -- always been exclusive to Apple's iOS mobile operating system for the iPhone and iPad.
CNET también está disponible en español, Don't show this again, Verizon Wireless will end its one-year contracts starting April 17, 2011, Verizon Wireless has confirmed with us that it will eliminate one-year contracts starting April 17, Verizon spokeswoman Brenda Raney said that most customers sign up for two-year contracts anyway to take advantage of the lower promotional price, She said customers will still have the option of month kajsa military collection straps iphone x fabric tough case - red to month and prepaid if they don't want to opt for the two-year contract, Existing customers with one-year contracts will not be affected..
Are new T-Mobile customers automatically enrolled in the Jump plan? Jump is an optional program. So if you're interested, you have to sign up within 14 days of activating your phone with an Equipment Installment Plan. This is the plan that allows customers to put a down payment on the device and then pay for the balance of the phone over 24 months instead of paying for it all at once. After that, enrolled customers can drop Jump at any time. Can existing T-Mobile customers sign up for Jump?For a limited time, Jump is available for all T-Mobile customers starting July 14. Customers buying a new phone under an installment plan can enroll in Jump within 14 days of activating their phones. Customers who currently are paying off a phone on T-Mobile can also enroll in the program starting July 14 if their phone is in working condition. This offer ends in 30 days.
Some Chinese Internet companies reported difficulties overcoming theroadblock, putting them at risk of losing page views that drive advertising sales, Many domestic companies, for example, locate computer servers overseas, "Our programmers have to make long-distance calls in order to work on thesite,'' said Porter Erisman, marketing vice president for e-commerceportal Alibaba.com, whose programmers are based in the Chinese city ofHangzhou, Some Web users in Hong Kong also kajsa military collection straps iphone x fabric tough case - red said they experienced slower-than-usualonline speeds..
CNET también está disponible en español. Don't show this again. The Xperia Neo has a bright and vibrant 3.7-inch display. From the home screen you can jump directly to the media player functions. For navigation, you use a mixture of touch controls and physical buttons. The Xperia Neo has a typical icon-based menu design. The Xperia Neo uses Sony Ericsson's Timescape interface, which brings together your text messages, e-mails, and social-media alerts. The Xperia Neo has a virtual keyboard. For a physical keyboard you'll need to pick up the Xperia Pro.


text:
Activist investor Oasis steps down from Premier Foods board
As a part of its settlement with Premier Foods, Oasis had agreed to possess a minimal 7pc stake and a most 15computer within the corporate.
McCormick walked away from its bid for Premier Foods after sweetening it to 65p in step with proportion – greater than double the London-listed corporate’s moderate proportion worth prior to it used to be approached – after Premier Foods rejected its previous provides of 52p after which 60p in step with proportion.
At the time, Premier Foods leader govt Gavin Darby advised The Telegraph: “The Premier board really feel very assured that rejecting 60p used to be a just right determination,” adding “they’ve were given to place on desk an indicative be offering that’s extra in keeping with what the board sees as the price”.
Premier’s stocks plunged 30computer after McCormick walked away and feature now not long past above 55.50p since.
Oasis’s determination may create a window for every other investor to swoop in. Premier’s greatest investor is Japanese noodle maker Nissin, which purchased a 19.9pc stake in Premier Foods in 2016, even though it has now not indicated whether or not or now not it’s going to build up its protecting.
Last week Nissin’s leader technique officer Shinji Honda took a non-executive director position on Premier Foods’ board, changing Tsunao Kijima, a Nissin director who’s retiring.
Separately, Premier Foods chairman Keith Hamill and his spouse purchased 266,666 Premier Foods stocks at 37.4p each and every. The couple now dangle 266,666 stocks representing zero.03computer of the corporate’s inventory.


text:
Doyen of advertising in Nigeria and Chairman, Troyka Holdings, Biodun Shobanjo will be honoured at the maiden edition of the Brandcom Awards with a prestigious ‘Hall of Fame’ recognition, the biggest honour for the night.
The event will hold at the Shell Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos on Friday, May 24th, 2019 by 6 pm.
Brandcom Awards is the celebration of the exploits and achievements of brands, agencies and notable players with remarkable impacts in the brands and marketing industry. Many other notable individuals aside Shobanjo will also be honoured at the event.
It is noteworthy that Brandcom Awards is the award part of Brandcomfest, the other part is a two-day summit from Thursday to Friday, May 23 to 24, 2019, by 9 am daily at the same venue of the awards.
Organisers of the event said Shobanjo has contributed immensely to the integrated marketing communications industry, the business community and the country at large. He has also contributed to human capacity development, as he is a mentor to many successful marketing communications practitioners and business owners in the country and beyond.
In addition, the organisers disclosed that all the awardees were painstakingly assessed by a panel of assessors who worked on the mantra of Prestige, Integrity and Credibility.
Some of the awards categories are marketing communications group of the year, creative advertising agency of the year, experiential agency of the year, public relations agency of the year, commercial bank brand of the year, fintech brand of the year, mobile phone brand of the year, brand manager of the year, marketing manager of the year and among others.
According to Joshua Ajayi, convener of Brandcomfest and publisher of Brand Communicator, “Brandcom Awards rewards outstanding brands, agencies and individuals which Biodun Shobanjo is one of them. Biodun Shobanjo will be honoured with the Hall of Fame for his immense contribution to the growth of the integrated marketing industry and the business world generally.”
Shobanjo commenced his communication career with the former Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, now Federal Radio Corporation, in 1964 as a studio manager. After leaving in 1971, he joined the American-Nigerian agency Grant Adverting. He rose to the post of Deputy Managing Director of Grant Advertising before his 30th birthday. He co-founded Insight Communications (now Insight Publicis) in 1979 and has today grown the company from the initial 18-man strong team into an advertising behemoth.
The Troyka Holdings warehouses companies which specialise in Media Buying, Digital Marketing, Consumer Engagement Consultancy, Out of Home Advertising, Public Relations, Creative Advertising, Property Development, Security and Protection, Concession Management among others.
Brandcom Award and Brandcomfest are organised by Brand Communicator, Nigeria’s most consistent brand and marketing communications magazine. Brand Communicator is also the organiser of Women in Marketing and Communications Conference/Awards (WIMCA), the largest gathering of female marketing and communications professionals in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa. It is also a partner to the two biggest creative advertising shows on the continent, Loeries Africa Middle East and African Cristal Festival. The platform was named PR magazine of the year 2017 and 2018 by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Lagos Chapter.


text:
What a year it's been.
That's a statement that could cut any number of ways but even restricting ourselves to the world of mobile games, the past 12 months have been the most significant of the past decade.
And we want to celebrate the accomplishments that have been made here, with our Top 50 Mobile Game Makers of 2021.
If nothing else, mobile gaming has never been more lucrative, innovative or competitive; something that's been reflected in the sharp increases in terms of downloads and revenues many mobile game companies have experienced.
Not just Covid
Of course, a key element of this has been Covid-19, which continues to change global behaviour, for better or worse encouraging more screen time.
But this has also been coupled with other underlying trends. Merger and acquisition activity was already on the rise before Covid-19 caused governments to ease fiscal policy and release a flood of cheap money into the global economy.
In turn, that's caused enormous gaming consolidation, both in terms of companies building up their internal resources in synergistic ways, while others have pursued asset roll ups purely for the sake of getting bigger and hence accessing more funds to continue their M&As.
Less well understood, long term concerns about digital privacy have also crystallised into platform restrictions, notably Apple's new tracking policies, which themselves have resulted in consolidation in the adtech business.
Some of the largest mobile game companies are now adtech companies who are buying mobile games so they can use their huge data analysis abilities to serve better ads and/or cross-promote their audiences to higher APRU experiences.
Finally, we're seeing the impact of future technologies ranging from AR and blockchain to location-awareness etc - that are finally going mainstream.
Maybe one day we'll even know what a metaverse actually is.
As ever then, mobile gaming continues to lead the way.Click here to view the list »


text:
Some Highlights What does the rest of the year hold for the housing market? Here’s what experts have to say about what lies ahead. Home prices are projected to rise and so are mortgage rates. Experts are also forecasting another strong year for home sales as people move to meet their changing needs. Let’s connect so you can make your best move this year.
Even in today’s competitive market, it’s important not to waive an appraisal or inspection. Let’s connect so you can feel empowered when you submit an offer on the home of your dreams.
Many consumers are wondering what will happen with home values over the next few years. Some are concerned that the recent run-up in home prices will lead to a situation similar to the housing crash 15 years ago. However, experts say the market is totally different today. For example, Odeta Kushi, Deputy Chief Economist at First American, tweeted just last week... Read more »
Sellers are Taking Advantage of Home Values Hitting Record Highs Naples, Fla. (March 25, 2022) – More sellers are motivated to enter the market as home values continue to rise as a result of limited inventory and high demand in the Naples area. According to the February 2022 Market Report released by the Naples Area... Read more »
As the spring housing market kicks off, you likely want to know what you can expect this season when it comes to buying or selling a house. While there are multiple factors causing some uncertainty, including the conflict overseas, rising inflation, and the first rate increase from the Federal Reserve in over three years — the housing market seems to be relatively immune. Here’s... Read more »
Naples Lifestyle Continues to Fuel Demand Naples, Fla. (December 22, 2021) – Pre-season buyers descended on the Naples real estate market in November pushing the area’s overall inventory down 76.1 percent to 1,198 homes from 5,006 homes in November 2020. Demand for the Naples lifestyle during November also influenced the median closed price which increased... Read more »
If you’re following along with the news today, you’re probably hearing a lot about record-breaking home prices, rising consumer costs, supply chain constraints, and more. And if you’re thinking about purchasing a home this year, all of these inflationary concerns are likely making you wonder if you should wait to buy. Investopedia explains that during a period of high inflation,... Read more »
The last 18 months changed what many buyers are looking for in a home. Recently, the American Institute of Architects released their AIA Home Design Trends Survey results for Q3 2021. The survey reveals the following: 70% of respondents want more outdoor living space 69% of respondents want a home office (48% wanted multiple offices) 46% of respondents want... Read more »
Naples, Fla. (September 24, 2021) – Demand for homes in Collier County kept REALTORS® busy in August, even as inventory dropped 77.3 percent to 1,249 homes from 5,503 homes in August 2020. According to the August 2021 Market Report released by the Naples Area Board of REALTORS® (NABOR®), which tracks home listings and sales within... Read more »
If you’re a renter with a desire to become a homeowner, or a homeowner who’s decided your current house no longer fits your needs, you may be hoping that waiting a year might mean better market conditions to purchase a home. To determine if you should buy now or wait, you need to ask yourself... Read more »


text:
ModulTrade Partners With Luxochain against counterfeiters
In order to further protect users online transactions, ModulTrade has signed an agreement with Luxochain to unite efforts in the development of blockchain-based trading networks aimed at guaranteeing the authenticity of the products traded online.
Online sale of counterfeit goods, arguably one of the major problems currently plaguing e-commerce, may have its days numbered after that ModulTrade has signed an agreement with Luxochain to unite efforts in the development of blockchain-based digital passport aimed at guaranteeing the exclusivity and non-repeatability of the products traded online on ModulTrade’s platform.
Counterfeiters’ business is brisk, with $ 1.2 Tn in 2017 and $1.8 Tn estimated in 2018, and it is no mystery that e-commerce is one of their favorite distribution channels, with 20% of the products sold on online portals estimated to be fake, according to one survey. In China alone, 40% of the goods sold online are either counterfeit or of poor quality, thus increasing local buyers’ wariness on online offerings and ultimately killing the legitimate online business.
Against this background, Luxochain’s solution will give e-commerce users assurance that the goods they are trading are not counterfeit or tampered with. In addition, Luxochain’s smartphone app will engage the final users of the goods, who will then be able to verify with a few taps on their smartphone that their online purchase (be it a bottle of fine Italian or French wine, or a luxury bag) is authentic.
In order to further protect users online transactions, ModulTrade will integrate Luxochain’s solution into its value ecosystem, thus providing product certification services on its smart-contract platform and on its marketplace, the MT Market, to the benefit of producers, resellers and art galleries for artworks, who will easily be able to demonstrate the authenticity of the goods they are selling.
The availability of a smart-contract trade platform with blockchain-based certification of authenticity available will provide trust between e-commerce users, as well as between end customers and brands, ultimately removing a large hurdle for global trade.


text:
Liam over on PSP-Vault has filled us in on his prediction about the upcoming Metal Gear title for the PSP that we announced yesterday. It turns out that Kojima lists the game as "Metal Gear Solid BD" on his personal blog, and in an interview with Famitsu magazine, he revealed a partnership with Frank Miller that will produce a "digital comic" version of Metal Gear Solid for the PSP. In addition, Sony has registered "PSPMagazines," "PSPBooks," and "PSPComics" as trademarks in Japan, and this past weekend, the PSP Contents Viewer was announced at the G-Star convention in Korea (see "Read" link).
Liam believes that the new Metal Gear Solid title will make use of the PSP Contents Viewer, and indeed, will be a digital comic, not a game. The PSP Contents Viewer will likely be introduced in a future firmware upgrade. Sorta a letdown, no?
[UPDATE: In French, comics are called Bandes Dessinés, often shortened to "BDs." Anyone know if Kojima has a French fetish? Thanks phil fish!]


text:
A few weeks ago, Nintendo developed a partnership with the American Heart Association. The Wii Fit is one of Nintendo's most successful product/game combinations ever. All new Wiis are now packaged with Wii Sports Resort and Wii MotionPlus, along with an approval stamp from the AHA.
It seemed like the stage was perfectly set to trot back out with the Vitality Sensor Satoru Iwata unveiled at last year's E3 press conference.
So, what happened?


text:
Aditya Birla Retail Ltd (ABRL) which operates supermarkets and hypermarkets under the brand More, has posted losses in 2015-16.
The operator of More supermarkets, however, also reported a 21.3 per cent increase in sales in the previous financial year, despite losses due to high finance and borrowing costs. Revenue grew to Rs 3,509.37 crore from Rs 2,893.41 crore a year ago.
The loss widened to Rs 649.42 crore in fiscal 2016 from Rs 5 71.14 crore in the previous fiscal, according to the company’s filings with the Registrar of Companies (RoC).
Aditya Birla Retail had a debt of about Rs 5,936 crore – mainly due to acquistions of Trinethra, Fabmall and Jubliant’s Total Super Store, while finance costs were Rs 417 crore during the year.


text:
Local producers are struggling to keep the industry from being taken over by corporate behemoths.
SAN JUAN DEL RIO, Mexico—
“They say that people in America like mezcal a lot,” says Fortunato Angeles, leaning on a wooden tank of fermenting agave. “I like the work because it puts food on the table.”
Four generations of his ancestors have distilled the smoky spirit from ripe maguey, or agave, toiling under the Oaxacan sun in southern Mexico to provide the fuel for festivals and family celebrations in the village of San Juan del Rio.
Angeles rubs a drop of his juice on his palms, cupping them around his nose to check the quality of his product. The first whiff of the potent spirit is pure alcohol, but then richer, caramel and fruit flavors bloom.
“It’s the work I learned when I was a little boy,” says Angeles, looking out from the palenque, or mezcal distillery, where he roasts, crush, ferments, and distills alongside his uncle, Arnulfo, and two other maestro mezcaleros.
Mountains stretch out to the horizon, steep slopes breaking in every direction around Angeles’ hometown, which is nestled in a deep valley. All of the land is communally owned, divvied up by a town council into small plots where residents practice traditional milpa subsistence agriculture rotating maize, beans, chilis, squash, and agave.
The terrain has kept the Zapotec-speaking community relatively isolated since it was founded in 1417. Rough roads out of town eventually reach the highway, but most people walk, ride horses, or hitchhike on scarce passing pickups. Though many of the town’s residents spend at least a few years in America to increase their income, ambitions tend to be local: marry, have kids, keep the long cycles of agriculture going.
But there’s a growing interest in Angeles’ product. The global economy has suddenly started showing up at the doorstep of tiny San Juan del Rio. Mezcal has landed on hip cocktail lists and mezcal-focused bars across the United States, putting international price tags up to $70 or more per bottle on what was traditionally a village drink sold in recycled Coke bottles for about five bucks. The market is still small. Only 2.4 million liters of mezcal were produced in 2015 compared with tequila’s 228.5 million liters. But mezcal production has more than doubled since 2011, drawing the attention of big brands.
Thirst for the drink is pushing well-funded entrepreneurs to work with subsistence farmers, offering incredible opportunity for some of Mexico’s poorest regions but putting their traditions in the path of the global market machine. Right now, the industry has the potential to build a sustainable future that supports all of the links in the chain. But the process could easily be coopted by big brands dominating undercapitalized traditional producers.
At an overgrown villa in a posh Mexico City neighborhood, I make my way past private security guards into a cinematically lit swirl of chic capitalenos. The house played host to a who’s who of 20th century art in its day, but years of abuse had left it ready for a makeover. I pushed my way to the bar, where a representative from Mezcal Amores was handing out drinks.
Amores got its start when Santiago Suárez started working in Oaxaca in 2010. He was a Mexico City kid who, like many of his generation, grew up with cosmopolitan tastes and tended toward international standards like beer and whiskey. He remembered mezcal from high school as a cheap addition to sugary punches, the Everclear of Mexico.
But while working with poor communities in southern Mexico, he discovered the richness of the spirit and realized that it could appeal to an international palate. A successful mezcal company would need to harness skilled practitioners of ancient distilling techniques as well as modern marketing strategies, connecting segments of society with little trust for each other. From the beginning, Suárez saw Amores as a company that could bridge this divide.
“It’s very easy for me to build a big palenque and produce everything ourselves, but that’s not the philosophy,” he explains. Instead, Amores works with 15 producers in 11 different sites around the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero.
Two years ago, Suárez traveled to San Juan del Rio after hearing about a palenque that made excellent mezcal. They liked Angeles and his partners, and were impressed by their quality standards, so they offered the team a deal. Amores would buy everything they could produce at 20 percent over cost and offered a microloan to expand the palenque so that it could produce a target 2,000 liters of mezcal per month.
For Angeles, this meant a guarantee of cash paid upfront for his hard work, rather than piecemeal profits earned by the bottle or party, and helped him grow his sales from 30,000–50,000 pesos per year to 150,000–200,000 pesos per year. He also takes pride in the fact that that his liquor is suddenly being enjoyed outside his home valley. “It’s in Europe, New York,” he says. “It’s incredible. I never thought that would happen.”
But not everything is going smoothly. The palenque isn’t hitting production targets, causing friction with Amores.
Years ago, Angeles went to America to earn extra money but came home because he preferred the pace of life in the village. He’s happy to work with Amores, but he didn’t seek out the opportunity. He’s content living in a small house with his wife, aunt and uncle, sister, brother-in-law, and niece: a perfectly normal life in a subsistence-farming town.
Suárez can’t understand why Angeles and his fellow producers aren’t jumping at the chance to expand. He sees his offer as representing a nearly limitless flow of cash into the small town. Now, one mezcalero uses the palenque at a time, as they always have. Suárez sees wasted time and space. Roasting agave and milling it takes three to four days, so why not have both those processes going continuously? There are unused fermentation vats anyway. And why not add a night shift to speed things along and then build an extra oven to roast two batches at once?
Rural mezcaleros, Suárez says, are not thinking along the lines of international branding but instead wondering about more tangible benefits. More than once, investments he’s made in palenques have instead been used to buy washing machines and make other household improvements.
Even when some mezcaleros start to think big, they often lack the knowledge and support structure to launch a successful venture. Angeles thinks that he might someday be able to have his own mezcal brand, but he worries that the cost of running an internationally distributed business might run to astronomical heights, so he’s more than happy to work with Amores for now.
The main street of Santiago Matatlan, about an hour south of Oaxaca City, is littered with palenques. The town bills itself as “The World Capital of Mezcal,” with more distilleries than I could count hawking their liquor from tasting rooms. But it took me a while to find the one I was looking for. I had to ask for directions three times and was pulled over by the police while going the wrong way down a one-way street before I found the home of Mezcal El Cortijo tucked behind the town’s cathedral.
Fortunately, Raúl Méndez, one of the brothers who runs the company, was walking into the unmarked hacienda as I pulled up.
Mezcal El Cortijo is the world’s oldest mezcal brand. Méndez’s grandmother grew up in Jalisco and watched the tequila industry take off. She made sure her husband pulled together the paperwork to formalize and bottle the moonshine he was becoming famous for at the time.
Now, the company is pursuing the same business model as Amores, buying from six palenques and selling bottles decorated with stunning artwork. This has helped the family grow their brand and brought their mezcaleros’ products to audiences they never could have reached alone.
“Lots of producers don’t have the capacity to meet the standards and certify their products,” Méndez explains as we sip from El Cortijo’s Maestros Mezcaleros collection at a dusty bar in his family’s courtyard.
Since his grandfather’s time, the mezcal industry has moved from a bootlegging business to an industry with strict rules and regulations. The guidelines are structured as a denomination of origin law, much like those that govern wines from Burgundy or Champagne, protecting mezcal from foreign incursion.
However, a new version of the law passed at the end of 2015 has added more requirements, adding to the already high startup costs involved in launching and sustaining a mezcal brand. For instance, all distilled liquor must now be submitted to laboratory testing at the expense of the distiller. This aims to reduce the risk of methanol poisoning, which can cause blindness or liver damage, but the extra cost is discouraging to lone mezcaleros who are looking at startup costs that already exceed their annual income.
While this hasn’t stopped less affluent mezcaleros from producing and selling their liquor to their neighbors, it makes it difficult for them to even dream of accessing a more lucrative market alone.
“It seems to me that it will evolve bit by bit,” says Méndez. He believes that such laws are necessary—a lack of testing in the ’70s led to a string of methanol poisonings that crashed the market—even if they aren’t yet perfect.
One concern is that these laws give an advantage to massive brands that can lobby to shift legislation in their favor. There is fear among many in the industry that a corporate behemoth entering the competition would immediately end the broader wealth distribution that companies like Amores and El Cortijo champion.
“It’s tough to keep up with the market without industrializing,” says Méndez, “but we already know the market, the people, the knowledge. New companies find this difficult.”
Mezcal Amores is working on applying technology to the future of mezcal at a new center they’re building in Tlacolula, 45 minutes south of Oaxaca City.
The facility will have all of the pieces of a traditional palenque: ovens cut into the ground to roast agave, tahonas where mules pull massive stones to grind the roasted pinas, wooden tanks to ferment, and then copper stills to finish the mezcal. But there will also be an on-site lab that will work to quantify the process.
Right now, mezcal is made like your grandmother’s ragù: a pinch of this and some of that until it looks right, cook until it’s done, adjust to taste. Mezcal Amores want to start studying the process more precisely to understand the impact of different oven temperatures, agave sugar contents, and other variables on the finished product. Centuries of trial-and-error have resulted in a diversity of excellent mezcals, but there’s always a chance to learn more.
“The idea is to have the same knowledge, but scientific,” says Suárez, looking over blueprints for the new palenque. He describes touring a Scotch factory where distillers knew the optimal distilling temperature to one-tenth of a degree. Mezcal’s marketing relies on its rustic roots, but if it’s going to compete with other global craft spirits and fend off incursions from industrial brands, the next generation of mezcaleros is going to need a different mindset.
Looking towards a prosperous future, Amores is also investing in more diverse agave cultivation. There are more than 100 varieties of the plant, tens of which are used in mescal production, but most of which only grow in the wild.
Typically, only the espadin variety is farmed because it is the fastest to mature, taking only five to six years, whereas other varietals might need 35 years before they’re ready to harvest. However, Suárez wants to explore other cultivation options before the demand for more exotic mezcals drains the supply of wild plants.
“Some people are marketing their mezcals like, ‘Drink this before it goes extinct,’ but that’s bullshit,” he says. “Just plant more of those wild agaves.”
Outside the Tlacolula facility, there are beds of baby agaves sewn for the business’ future. Pointing to different species, Suárez describes a vibrant center for mezcal preservation and innovation.
This project will employ young mezcaleros rather than buying from established palenques. This will allow Amores to distribute a cheaper line of mezcal, with the target of selling it for around $30 per bottle, as opposed to the spirits they distribute for master mezcaleros like Angeles, which sell for closer to $100. The goal is to simultaneously educate the next generation and prepare them to compete as the sector expands.
“If we don’t teach the mezcaleros to grow, the industry will go like tequila,” explains Suárez, worrying that individual masters will be replaced with mechanical processes.
Jose Cuervo has made offers to buy the business, but Suárez has refused. His investors have so far put in $1 million every year, and the business has yet to turn a profit, but Suárez sees the growing number of palenque partners and plants as signs of a bright future.
“We plan to be here for a long time,” he says.


text:
Hispanic Broadcasting Q1 earns halved from year ago (8:17 PM ET) Hispanic Broadcasting Corp.
TXU to sell interest in telecommunications business (5:14 PM ET) TXU Corp. said it would sell its interest in TXU Communications as it focuses on the energy side of its business. TXU TXU said it expects to complete the sale by mid-2004. TXU Communications includes two regulated rural telephone companies in southeast Texas. TXU said it would use the proceeds from the sale to pay down debt. The Dallas-based utility also revised its 2003 earnings estimates up 5 cents to a range of $2 to $2.10 a share to reflect TXU Communications as discontinued operations.
Kohl's meets lowered Q1 expectations (4:18 PM ET) Kohl's reported record net sales and earnings for the fiscal first quarter that met lowered expectations. Profits rolled in at $111 million, or 32 cents a share, a 4.1 percent increase over last year. Net sales jumped 13.2 percent to $2.12 billion. The results were in line with Wall Street's expectations, which were lowered earlier this month after Kohl's said weak April sales would erode as much as 5 cents off the forecast. Kohl's
Dell Computer expects 25% boost in unit volume (4:16 PM ET) Dell Computer said Thursday it expects unit volume sales to increase in its current quarter by about 25 percent from the comparable period last year, outpacing average industry growth rates. Revenue for the period is expected to rise 15 percent to more than $9.7 billion, according to Dell
Dell Computer Q1 net income rises 31% (4:05 PM ET) Dell Computer
W Holding sinks after adjusting Q4 earnings lower (4:00 PM ET) W Holding Co.
Everlast tumbles following Q1 results (3:30 PM ET) Everlast Worldwide
Arctic Cat misses Q4 loss view by a penny (3:11 PM ET) Arctic Cat ACAT is down more than 14 percent to $16.17 after the Thief River Falls, Minn., snowmobile maker posted a fourth-quarter loss of $1.7 million, or 8 cents per share, a penny wider than Wall Street's consensus estimate. Sales rose 12 percent in the latest three months to $111.4 million from $99.3 million in the same period a year earlier. Looking ahead, the company forecast earnings of $1.39 to $1.41 per share on sales of between $590 million and $602 million for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2004. This outlook is in line with the average estimate of three analysts polled by Thomson First Call for a profit of $1.39 per share.
Dell Computer edges higher ahead of Q1 results (2:25 PM ET) Dell Computer
United Rentals sees FY profit above views (1:26 PM ET) United Rentals
Aquila posts expected Q1 loss (1:22 PM ET) Shares of Aquila
Advance Auto Parts rolls past Wall St. view for Q1 (1:16 PM ET) Advance Auto Parts
Target says Wall Street's Q2 view above its own (1:07 PM ET) Target chief financial officer Doug Scovanner told analysts that their profit consensus of 42 cents a share for the second quarter was a tad bit higher than his own, but "within reach." On a conference call, he said the full-year forecast of $2.03 a share was "reasonable." Target executives also said they would beef up sales of food products in both the discount and super Target stores by increasing space for a wider assortment of consumables. Target Thursday reported a first-quarter profit of 38 cents a share, a penny shy of expectations. Shares
Advanced Auto surges on heavy vol. after Q1 results (1:06 PM ET) Shares of Shares of Advanced Auto Parts
Pomeroy gets boost from Q1 profit (12:03 PM ET) Pomeroy Computer Resources PMRY is up more than 15 percent to $11.70 after the Hebron, Ky., technology services firm reported first-quarter earnings of $1.5 million, or 12 cents per share, down from its year-ago profit of $4.7 million, or 36 cents per share. The results were in line with the estimate of a single analyst polled by Thomson First Call. Total sales and revenue dropped to $130 million in the latest three months from $186.3 million in the same period a year earlier. The company noted it still plans to use some of its cash for an expanded stock repurchase program.
FPIC Insurance tops by penny; plans private placements (11:29 AM ET) FPIC Insurance Group FPIC is down almost 15 percent to $10.32 after the Jacksonville, Fla., firm reported first-quarter earnings of $2.8 million, or 29 cents per share, a penny ahead of Wall Street's consensus estimate, but the company also unveiled plans for $30 million in private placements of preferred securities and senior notes. FPIC also said that it has extended the term of its finite reinsurance agreement with Hanover Re Group through Dec. 31, 2004, and amended the deal to allow it the option of reducing the amount of business it does with Hanover Re beginning in January of 2004.
Kindred Healthcare posts surprise Q1 loss (10:43 AM ET) Kindred Healthcare
Imperial Sugar swings to loss in Q2 (10:25 AM ET) Imperial Sugar Co. IPSU is adding more than 11 percent to $8.75 after the Sugar Land, Texas firm reported a second-quarter loss of $300,000, or 3 cents per share, down from its year-ago profit of $14.3 million, or $1.43 per share. On a continuing operations basis, the company lost $6 million, or 60 cents per share, in the latest three months on revenue of $239.7 million. The company said its latest results were affected by the closure of refining activities at its Sugar Land plant, the expected closing of all packaging and distribution activities at that plant, and other action taken to reduce administrative costs.
Brocade drops despite in-line Q1 (10:14 AM ET) Brocade Communications
is down more than 10 percent in early action. After Wednesday's closing bell, the San Jose, Calif., network storage firm posted a loss before items of $1 million, breaking even on a per-share basis, for the first quarter on revenue of $130.9 million. The latest loss met Wall Street's consensus view while revenue came in slightly ahead of the $130.8 million consensus estimate of 24 analysts polled by Thomson First Call. Goldman Sachs weighed in on the results, saying the company still needs to address some 'key issues' and cross 'some important fundamental milestones' in order to regain credibility with investors. The firm also believes competitive threats from Cisco
Factory 2-U Stores posts wider than expected Q1 loss (9:51 AM ET) Factory 2-U Stores FTUS is dropping more than 13 percent to $3.90 after the San Diego off-price retailer reported a first-quarter loss of $2.7 million, or 19 cents per share, narrower its year-ago loss of $3.1 million, or 24 cents per share. However, excluding a pre-tax $1.2 million gain related to reduction of valuation reserves, the company lost $3.5 million, or 24 cents per share, in the latest quarter, 2 cents wider than the average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson First Call. Sales fell 11 percent in the latest three months to $104.3 million from $117 million in the same period a year earlier. Same-store sales fell 7.4 percent in the quarter. The company said low inventory levels and a very soft retail environment hurt its latest results.
Children's Place misses Wall St. view for Q1 by 4c (8:44 AM ET) The Children's Place
Navistar posts narrower-than-expected loss (8:30 AM ET) Navistar International Corp.
Target comes in a penny short in Q1 (8:30 AM ET) Target
Collins & Aikman Q1 ahead on sales, short on profit (8:18 AM ET) Collins & Aikman CKC reported first-quarter net loss from continuing operations of $28.7 million, or 34 cents per share compared to a loss of $6.7 million, or 10 cents per share last year. Revenue was $1.035 billion, up from $915 million. The Troy, Mich. maker of instrument panels fell short of the forecast for a loss of 6 cents per share but beat the revenue target of $975.7 million in a survey of analysts by Thomson First Call. The company said it has a dozen plants "that are generating operating losses from operations and are dragging down our overall financial performance." It's forecasting 2003 sales of about $3.95 billion, slightly above the $3.9 billion target, but a net loss of 60-70 cents per share vs. a gain of 9 cents per share expected by Wall Street.
American Eagle's Q1 earns beat expectations (8:00 AM ET) American Eagle Outfitters AEOS reported fiscal first-quarter net income of $6.4 million, or 9 cents a share, down from 17 cents a share in the year-earlier period, but a penny a share above the average analyst estimate compiled by Reuters Research. Total sales for the quarter ending April increased 5 percent to $291.9 million, matching analyst expectations, while consolidated same-store sales fell 6.5 percent. The stock closed Wednesday down 38 cents at $15.35.
E.ON higher on Q1 EBITDA rise, sees '03 profits higher (7:57 AM ET) German utility E.ON
Zale matches Q3 earns, rev. forecasts (7:45 AM ET) Zale Corp.
Panera Bread tops Q1 earns est., ups full-year target (7:31 AM ET) Panera Bread PNRA reported fiscal first-quarter net income of $7.3 million, or 24 cents a share, up from 17 cents a share in the year-earlier period. Excluding a non-recurring charge, earnings were 25 cents a share, a penny better than the average analyst estimate compiled by Thomson First Call. System-wide sales increased 32 percent to $272.5 million, while total revenue rose 28 percent to $98.6 million, topping analyst forecasts of $94.8 million. System-wide same store sales increased 0.2 percent. Looking ahead, the bakery-café owner and franchiser raised its full fiscal year earnings target to $1 a share, a penny above analyst expectations. The stock closed Wednesday down 56 cents at $32.25.
Aquila reports Q1 loss, declining revenue (7:21 AM ET) Aquila
Urban Outfitters tops Q1 earns, rev. expectations (6:36 AM ET) Urban Outfitters
Yamanouchi Pharma FY02 profit rises 8.5% (5:16 AM ET) Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical YNCHF reported an 8.5 percent rise in net profit in the fiscal year that ended in March to 59.86 billion yen ($516 million). The company credited robust sales of ethical drugs and foreign exchange gains for the profits increase. For the current busienss yera, the company expects a net profit of 62 billion yen on sales of 526 billion yen. Shares ended down 1.3 percent at 3,020 yen.
Vivendi Q1 teleco sales up, music & VUE down (5:03 AM ET) Vivendi Universal
Vivendi: On track for targets this year despite euro (4:56 AM ET) Vivendi Universal
3I sees 4% lift as dividend lifted by 3.8% (3:59 AM ET) 3I Group(UK:III), the British venture capital investor, rose 4 percent in London trade after it said that it sported a 23.7 fall in its portfolio for the year to March 31, and increased its dividend by 3.8 percent to 13.5p. 3i maintained that its performance beat the FTSE 100(UK:1805550), FTSE All-Share, FTSE SmallCap and MSCI Europe indices. "In the short term, the outlook for corporate profits growth remains weak. Against this background, we are actively managing the portfolio and focusing investment on those companies that can thrive in this more difficult environment."
Societe Generale Q1 income falls 5.6% (3:09 AM ET) French bank Societe Generale(FR:013080)said on Thursday that net income fell 5.6 percent to 483 million euros in the first quarter, on a 1.2 percent rise in net banking income to 3.74 billion. The bank said retail banking held steady, corporate and investment banking saw a slight uptick at constant exchange rates and asset management and private banking business fell due to the declining stock markets. Loan loss provisions rose 15.4 percent to 330 million euros.
Linde sees 28% loss in Q1 pre-tax, exceptionals profits (3:00 AM ET) Linde Group(DE:648300), the German conglomerate, on Thursday said it had first quarter profits before taxes and exceptional items slide 28 percent to 34 million on sales of 1.947 billion euros. The sales were down slightly from 1.954 billion last year on currency fluctuations, as the company's sales rose 5.9 percent after excluding the impact of the forex hit. Linde said it expects a slight increase in sales and an improvement of the operating result in 2003, even as it does not see a global economic recovery, and added that it may cut sales and profit forecasts if the euro continues to rise.
DT sees Q1 income of 850 mln, raises '03 EBITDA levels (2:49 AM ET) Deutsche Telekom
ThyssenKrupp Q2 earnings up to 250 mln euros (2:39 AM ET) German steel producer ThyssenKrupp(DE:750000)on Thursday said net income before taxes and minority interests in its second quarter rose to 250 million euros from 96 million, on a 2 percent increase in sales to 9.2 billion euros, with order intake down 1 percent. ThyssenKrupp said efficiency improvements allowed it to improve despite the difficult economic and uncertain political climate. The company said it believes it can at least match its first half results during the second half of its fiscal year, so long as the economy does not worsen.
Capital Radio sees deals after U.K. regulatory changes (2:35 AM ET) Capital Radio(UK:CAP), the U.K. commercial radio group, indicated Thursday it's considering making deals. Regulatory changes expected later this year in the U.K. "will present transforming opportunities for the U.K. commercial radio sector. Our strong balance sheet, operational synergies and acquisition track record, provide us with the leading position to take advantage of potential consolidation opportunities," it said.
Capital Radio: April, May seen flat in weak ad mkt (2:33 AM ET) Capital Radio(UK:CAP), the U.K. commercial radio group, Thursday said revenue for the for the six months ended March 31 declined to 56.9 million pounds vs. 60 million in the year ago. Earnings per share before goodwill declined to 10.1p vs. 12.1p. Looking ahead, it said: "Advertising market conditions in the last six months have remained challenging for the Group and for the industry as a whole. We anticipate our combined April and May 2003 revenues will be broadly flat year on year. At this stage, June is experiencing weak demand and we continue to manage our business on the assumption that the advertising market will remain under pressure for the rest of our financial year."
UK travel Lastminute.com says profit target on track (2:27 AM ET) Lastminute.Com(UK:LMC), the Internet travel bookings service, posted a loss before goodwill amortisation, exceptional items and taxation of 4.2 million pounds for its fiscal second quarter vs. a 5.3 million pound loss a year ago. "Quarter 3 has started well with a record order bank for Easter departures. We remain confident that we will meet our expectations of continued growth and overall Group profitability for the current quarter and the year as a whole," it said.
Iraq war impacts at Selfridges, Oxford Acq. 10% stake (2:22 AM ET) Upscale U.K. department store group Selfridges(UK:SLF), which in early April announced an approach for an offer, said total sales for the first 14 weeks of the new financial year are 8 percent above last year. "During the war in Iraq we experienced more difficult trading conditions. In order to manage our seasonal stock position since then, we have brought forward some clearance activity, resulting in gross margin for the period being around one percentage point lower than last year," it said. Separately, in an announcement Thursday morning to the London Stock Exchange, Oxford Acquisitions Limited said it has a 10 percent interest in Selfridges as of May 12. Selfridges on Monday said it agreed to a 387p per share cash takeover by Oxford Acquisitions, a subsidiary of Canadian group Wittington Investments.
UK's Safeway margins impacted by bidding process (2:13 AM ET) U.K. supermarket group Safeway(UK:SFW), a takeover target for several rival supermarkets including Wal-Mart-owned
PLDT rings in with 57% gain in first-quarter profit (1:25 AM ET) Philippine Long Distance Telephone


text:
Tinder CEO Renate Nyborg left swipes, departs after disappointing Q2 results
Match Group, which is the parent company of Tinder, also announced to stop plans to adopt virtual currencies and metaverse-based dating.
Updated Aug 3, 2022 | 12:08 PM IST
Personal trainer stuns internet with his weight loss journey of eating pizza three times a day for 30 days
Microsoft edges up 5% after introduction of new Bing powered by improved ChatGPT AI
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue stolen from California park, was a gift from Pune
Monthly EV sales plunges 10.50% in India: Tata Motors continues to lead the passenger EV segment
'Why can't he be dropped?': Kapil Dev wants 'lucky' KL Rahul to be left out of 1st Test against Australia
Shubman Gill misses out, Dinesh Karthik includes 2 debutants in his playing XI for 1st Test against Australia
Esports Tournament: Western Digital Hosts WD_BLACK CUP Season 4, with a Prize Pool of Rs. 13 Lakhs
21-year-old is mother to a 15-year-old girl, here's how!
© 2023 Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited


text:
The Singapore Tax Agency proposes to exempt from goods and services tax (GST) operations with cryptocurrencies, which are intended to be a medium of exchange.
Singapore Internal Revenue Authority (IRAS) has published
Last week, an e-tax project that included “Digital Payment Tokens” for the purpose of exempting GST (analogous to VAT) for any entity dealing with such digital assets.
If the draft law is adopted by legislators, the following changes will come into force on January 1, 2020, “in order to better reflect the characteristics of digital payment tokens:
- Using digital payment tokens as payment for goods or services will not result in the delivery of these tokens;
- The exchange of digital payment tokens for national currency or other digital payment tokens will be exempt from GST. ”
IRAS stated that the e-tax is still at the project stage, and the Ministry of Finance from May 26 to July 26 will hold a public consultation on “legislative amendments for digital payment tokens”.
The draft guide also describes in detail how to define digital payment tokens. The token must have all the characteristics listed below:
- expressed as a unit of account;
- is interchangeable;
- not denominated in any currency or tied to any currency;
- it can be transferred, stored or sold electronically;
- it must be a medium of exchange accepted by the public or part of society, without any significant restrictions on its use.
“Examples of digital payment tokens are BTC, ETH, LTC, DASH, XMR, XPR and ZEC,” the IRAS said in the proposal.
In particular, the agency states that the steklobinks may not be eligible for exemption from GST.
“Any digital token nominated in any fiat currency or having a value tied to any fiat currency will not be considered a digital payment token,” says the IRAS project. “For example, a digital token tied to the US dollar will not be a digital payment token.”
The IRAS stated that such efforts to terminate GST cryptocurrency obligations follow the growth of their popularity in the world, which led to a revision of their status in various jurisdictions. “Similarly, the IRAS revised its position on GST to keep pace with the times,” the agency said.
In accordance with the existing concept, the delivery of digital payment tokens is still considered as a taxable supply of services.
“The sale, release or transfer of such tokens by the business paying GST is subject to taxation. When tokens are used as payment for the purchase of goods or services, barter trade arises, resulting in two separate deliveries — a taxable supply of tokens and a supply of goods or services, ”says the IRAS project.
In October 2017, Australian lawmakers adopted
legislation on the termination of the so-called double taxation, exempting from liability for payment of tax on goods and services (GST) from purchases of cryptocurrency.


text:
New Delhi– Actress Shradha Kapoor says that that her long working hours have taken a toll on her skin and to bring back her lost glow, she started using a face diet of strawberries and peach on a daily basis.
“As an actress, my long filming hours and exposure to harsh elements can take a toll on my skin. I have noticed that my skin looks dull and dehydrated. And this is why I have taken up this amazing diet of strawberries and peaches to bring back my natural blush and glow,” Shradha told IANS.
“Using a daily cleanser that is rich in strawberry extract gives an instant glow to my face while the peach enhanced facewash gives my skin an immediate moisture boost. It’s the perfect cure for the hot summer,” she added.
The actress, who is also the brand ambassador of Lakme – the brand that has launched Blush and Glow Strawberry facewash and Blush and Glow Peach facewash – says her secret diet for her face lies in the amazing benefits hidden in strawberry and peach. She has recently taken on this as a part of her daily regime that have helped her get that perfect glow.
Shradha was last seen onscreen with Tiger Shroff in “Baaghi”. (IANS)


text:
The recession has prompted nearly two-thirds of Britons to significantly change their lifestyles, research has revealed.
A study carried out by Yorkshire Bank indicated that 64 per cent of people have had to adapt to the current economic climate, with 57 per cent looking for discounts and bargains in order to minimise their outgoings.
Gary Lumby, head of retail banking at the institution, noted that the shift in attitude when it comes to saving and spending was inevitable.
He said: “The survey has revealed that people are now adopting a more prudent approach to money and this is a positive change.”
The north-west was identified as the region where the greatest percentage of people has modified their lifestyles at 70 per cent, with nearly a third saving for bigger purchases in order to avoid credit card debt.
Last week, Motley Fool director David Kuo noted that rising food prices could be taking their toll on household budgets.


text:
Publishers look beyond bookstores
Kitson, a group of boutiques based in Los Angeles, is the kind of store that appears regularly in the tabloids for both its stylish clothes and its celebrity clientele like Sean Combs and Joe Jonas.
But in a town that is all about flash, Kitson is finding a surprising source of revenue that is not from its fashionable shoes or accessories. It is from books.
The company’s owner, Fraser Ross, estimates that Kitson sold 100,000 books in 2010, double what it had the previous year.
Publishers turned aggressive about selling to Kitson, Mr. Ross said, as traditional bookstores switched focus or closed. That “has been good for us,” he said. “If there’s a good book, we’ll go deep into it.” And publishers, he said, “realize what a specialty store can do for their business, with the window and the table.”
Publishers have stocked books in nonbook retailers for decades — a coffee-table book in the home department, a novelty book in Urban Outfitters. In the last year, though, some publishers have increased their efforts as the two largest bookstore chains have changed course.
Barnes & Noble has been devoting more floor space for displays of e-readers, games and educational toys. Borders, after filing for bankruptcy protection in February, has begun liquidating some 200 of its superstores.
“The national bookstore chain has peaked as a sales channel, and the growth is not going to come from there,” said David Steinberger, chief executive of the Perseus Books Group. “But it doesn’t mean that all brick-and-mortar retailers are cutting back.”
A wide range of stores better known for their apparel, food and fishing reels have been adding books. The fashion designer Marc Jacobs opened Bookmarc in Manhattan in the fall. Anthropologie has increased the number of titles it carries to 125, up from 25 in 2003. Coldwater Creek, Lowe’s, Bass Pro Shops and even Cracker Barrel are adding new books. Some mass retailers, too, are diversifying — Target, for instance, is moving away from male-centered best sellers and adding more women’s and children’s titles this year.
Having a physical outlet for books is extraordinarily important, publishers say. While online and e-book sales are huge channels, lesser-known books can get lost in that world if they do not have a physical presence to spur interest. The ability to catch a shopper’s eye in a store is almost impossible to mimic online.
So publishers are approaching just about anyone with a shelf. For Perseus, sales at nontraditional retailers in 2010 outpaced its sales at Borders, which were around 7 percent, for the first time.
For Abrams, which publishes illustrated and art books, nontraditional retailers are seen as one way to offset the business lost by Borders, which has slowed especially in the last year, the Abrams president and chief executive, Michael Jacobs, said.
“We’ve definitely cranked it up,” Mr. Jacobs said. Last year, executives realized that “so much of our backlist wasn’t being carried by bookstores. If we’re still doing these books, where are we going to sell them?”
The nontraditional category has been growing for Abrams, making up more than 15 percent of its total business in 2010. Mr. Jacobs said he expected that it would grow to 25 percent in the next two to three years. Big publishers, too, like Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Random House, say they have been seeking out specialty retailers.
The attention from publishers comes as a welcome surprise to the stores.
“The response has been dramatic. There are piles of book samples and catalogs dropped off in the shop every day,” Jennifer Baker, a book buyer for Marc Jacobs, said in an e-mail. “The assortment of rare and out-of-print books have been a challenge to keep in stock.”
Placement in different stores can widen the audience for books, appealing to someone who would not spend time at a Barnes & Noble. “A customer who might not often buy books but adores the brand can ease in to the Bookmarc selection,” Ms. Baker said.
Beyond attracting new readers, book sales tend to be a good deal for both sides.
Though sales to nonbook retailers can be more complicated and labor-intensive for publishers, books are generally sold on a nonreturnable basis. Bookstores, on the other hand, can return unsold books to publishers.
“We know it’s a nice clean sale,” said John Duff, publisher of Perigee Books, an imprint of Penguin Group USA.
The books tend to be profitable for the retailers, since they select them carefully and do not usually mark them down. More important, they can drive other purchases and help with branding.
At Lowe’s, books on subjects like cooking and home projects are stacked at the front of the store, “inspiring and informing customers to purchase goods that will allow them to successfully complete home improvement projects,” Patti Price, the company’s senior vice president for merchandising, said in an e-mail.
At Sam’s Club, which has long carried stacks of best sellers, more children’s books and cookbooks have been added lately. “Those are areas that don’t fit as well into the e-book story, like the best seller or mass-market or even romance books do,” said Phil Shellhammer, a Sam’s Club executive who oversaw the books category there until recently. Sam’s Club has been using its bricks-and-mortar advantage in other ways, too, like adding books from local writers, and bringing in authors for signings.
If Anthropologie is selling ikat prints, it might feature books with ikat covers, or it will carry books about inspiration and poetry to get the customer in an escapist mood.
“As we try to get them excited about different ideas as they walk in the door, books can be a tremendous way to narrate those stories,” said Aaron Hoey, head merchant for home and accessories at Anthropologie. “We do a very good job of selecting unique books, books you’re not going to find in a typical bookstore, and certainly not in a mass-market bookstore like Borders or Barnes & Noble. And to stumble across it at Amazon, you have to really know what you’re looking for.”
The specialty stores can be a boon for publishers selling quirky titles unlikely to get on Amazon’s home page. “Awkward Family Photos” is a hot item at Urban Outfitters, “Hello, Cupcake,” about cupcake design, has been selling strongly at the craft store Michaels, and Price Stern Sloan, another Penguin imprint, sold 42,000 copies of “Mad Libs” in January alone — at Cracker Barrel. At Bookmarc, where fashion titles sold predictably well, executives were surprised when “Erotic Poems” by E. E. Cummings started flying off shelves.
At Kitson, too, the top sellers hardly mimic the best-seller list, including books like “How to Raise a Jewish Dog” and “The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm.”
“We try to be different,” Mr. Ross said.


text:
Iconic Wheel Maker BBS Has Filed For Bankruptcy
From a statement posted today iconic wheel maker BBS GmbH has filed for bankruptcy. Makers of the legendary gold honeycomb wheels and supplied to many a carmaker enters bankruptcy protection for the second time. Yes, this isn’t it’s first go-round with BK. BBS went through restructuring once before in 2007.
The site says this was a “necessary step to prevent an imminent insolvency within the coming months due to the sudden omission of confirmed payments.” Of course, this stems mostly from the “tough market environment” as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Both of the BBS manufacturing plants were temporarily shut down for three months earlier this year.
BBS was in the middle of “an extensive turnaround strategy”
BBS was in the middle of “an extensive turnaround strategy for the whole company” which it plans on continuing to follow. We don’t know whether this refers to the restructuring that occurred after the 2011 bankruptcy or was a more recent development. In any event, it has been assigned two insolvency administrators to help it weather the current crisis.
BBS was started in 1970 in Schiltach, Germany, by amateur racers Heinrich Baumgartner and Klaus Brand; hence the name Baumgartner, Brand, Schiltach. In 1972 it debuted its iconic gold honeycomb three-piece racing wheels. Their unique design meant reduced weight which all racers look for. That design and variants continue to be seen today both in racing and on the highway.
In 2015 BBS was taken over by Korean investment group NICE Holdings
Soon after, it made aftermarket versions which sold millions and allowed the company to go public by 1980. After insolvency in 2007, an investor shuffle resulted in the company becoming BBS GmbH in 2012. In 2015 BBS was taken over by the Korean investment group NICE Holdings.
Today it manufactures wheels for both OEMs and the aftermarket, but also continues to supply major motorsports series. It supplies wheels to many racin groups including Formula 1. It is scheduled to supply the new 18-inch center-locking wheels set to debut in NASCAR Next Gen race cars in the near future. That was to already have happened but the coronavirus crisis has pushed implementation off.
In 1994 alone BBS was on world championship winners of IndyCar, NASCAR, Formula 1, and DTM
BBS has been a worldwide OEM partner to the likes of Porsche, Ferrari, BMW, and Audi. In 1994 alone it was found on the world championship winners of IndyCar, NASCAR, Formula 1, and DTM. In 2004 it featured Air Inside Technology with a hollow chamber inside of the centers of the wheels reducing unsprung weight even more than previous BBS wheels. By 2006 BBS wheels were on the winners of 26 racing titles worldwide. The company has also won many innovations and best product awards for decades.
BBS says it will continue to produce wheels for its many OEM customers through this latest insolvency. In its statement, BBS says, “Times of change lies ahead but together we will release the energy and strength which will be needed to preserve the legendary BBS brand and secure its future.”


text:
News Releases 2004
NOAA Home Page
NOAA Public Affairs
Americans ate a record 16.3 pounds of fish and shellfish per person in 2003, up from 15.6 pounds in 2002, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today. Published in its annual report, “Fisheries of the United States,” NOAA has been calculating the nation’s seafood consumption to keep the industry informed since 1910. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The 2003 figure is a 0.7-pound increase over 2002, representing a four percent increase. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, of the total 16.3 pounds consumed, a record 11.4 pounds were fresh and frozen finfish and shellfish.
“Along with the latest news from NOAA that fish populations are rebuilding, we have plenty of reasons to incorporate more fish into our diets,” said Bill Hogarth, director of NOAA Fisheries. “The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture are recommending that Americans double their intake of fish to two servings per week as part of a heart-healthy diet.”
Among the 4.7 billion pounds of seafood consumed last year in the United States was 4.6 pounds per person in canned fish, up 0.3 pounds from 2002, and a record four pounds of shrimp consumed per person, also up 0.3 pounds from 2002. The canned fish increase came primarily from a 0.3-pound increase in per capita canned tuna consumption.
This extends the continued upward trend of seafood consumption in the United States in recent years. Seafood consumption was 14.9 pounds per capita five years ago.
NOAA Fisheries’ calculation of per capita consumption is based on a “disappearance” model. The total U.S. supply is calculated as the sum of imports and landings minus exports, converted to edible weight. This total is divided by the total U.S. population to estimate per capita consumption.
NOAA Fisheries is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation’s living marine resources, and the habitat on which they depend, through scientific research, management and enforcement. NOAA Fisheries provides effective stewardship of these resources for the benefit of the nation, supporting coastal communities that depend upon them, while helping to provide safe and healthy seafood to consumers and recreational opportunities for the American public.
NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources.
On the Web:
NOAA Fisheries: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov


text:
Release dates: every game confirmed for 2017
Injustice 2: tier list and base character stats ranked for the full roster
Toronto-based streaming games tech company TransGaming has said performance issues will be the death of rival services like OnLive.
Vikas Gupta headlines
Vikas Gupta latest
Transgaming says “jitters” spell doom for OnLive


text:
Galaxy Note series has always been the most awaited devices from Samsung that are known for its S-Pen features. Generally, the Note devices from the South Korean Giant are launched in the second half of the year and this year it’s going to be Galaxy Note 10 and according to a new report, we might also see a high-end Galaxy Tab S5 tablet could also be announced alongside it. The tablet will be coming with model number SM-T860 and SM-T865.
Earlier this year, we have also seen Samsung launching an affordable Galaxy Tab S5e without the S Pen support but came with a Super AMOLED display with WQXGA resolution along with four speakers and DeX support. The upcoming Galaxy Tab S5 could be offering a big 10.5 inch Super AMOLED screen along with WQXGA screen providing 16:10 aspect ratio. The device could be powered with Snapdragon 855 SoC from Qualcomm which we should be known later.
The Galaxy Tab S4 was announced with Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset and was available in 4GB + 64GB storage option along with 4GB + 256GB option. The latest device could be offering 6GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Furthermore, the Galaxy Tab S4 was equipped with a 5MP camera on the front along with a 13MP sensor on the rear along with an IRIS scanner feature to unlock the device. It came with four speakers burned by AKG along with Dolby Atmos surround sound technology.
The handset came with 7,200mAh battery on the back and came with fast charging technology. We can expect a similar kind of battery on the upcoming device with the support for fast charging and also fast wireless charging also. We should be knowing more on the same in the coming days and until then comment in the section below if you have more queries on the same and stay tuned to Android Advices for more.


text:
Welcome to the Trading Post – New Feature Trailer
Blizzard has posted a new feature trailer for the Trading Post, which opens for business on February 1!
Get ready to collect Trader’s Tender when the Trading Posts in Stormwind and Ogrimmar open for business on February 1. Complete monthly activities to earn currency toward decking out your characters in cosmetic transmogs, pets, and mounts*— with new items and activities introduced every month.
Learn more about this new feature in our previously published article.
*Requires Level 10 to access the Adventure Guide.


text:
The program has been in beta testing for the past six weeks, said Gokul Rajaram, product-management director for AdSense, with such advertisers as Paramount Classics for the film "An Inconvenient Truth," Fox Home Entertainment for DVDs of "The Simple Life" and General Motors Corp. for its Pontiac G6. The ads can be served on any Google publisher that displays graphical ads from Google. The video ads are static and include a play button that activates the video.
Advertisers' reaction appears to be positive, especially as they seek out more opportunities to air video ads online. Wanda Young, director-interactive advertising for AllTel, said, "We are testing with different online video placements and hope to be smart about the use of it to extend our brand online without doing the wasteful exercise of dumping our traditional 30-second spot online."
AdSense is Google's non-search-advertising program, in which Web publishers allow Google to serve text or image ads on their sites. Ads are generally served contextually, because an advertiser has bid on a keyword associated with the site's topics, or based on site demographics, which Google counts on ComScore to identify.
For advertisers comfortable with AdSense, it will make video ads easier to deploy, and opening up all the image inventory in AdSense will increase total video inventory, said Bryan Wiener, CEO of interactive agency 360i. He noted that flexible pricing makes it friendly to both branded and direct-response advertisers.
"This should encourage more brand advertisers to use AdSense," he said, but added that Google's auction-based system and the user-initiated nature of the video ads will make it hard to predict the volume of video ads deployed. "Advertisers will need to run trial campaigns to see what percentage of users watch the video ads and how much these numbers vary by publisher and campaign."


text:
Is PetSmart barking up the right tree with its Chewy.com IPO?
Chewy.com is going public.
The pet products retailer, acquired by PetSmart in 2017 for $3.53 billion, announced it will pursue an initial public offering to help raise working capital to support a business that has significantly increased sales in recent years, but has yet to turn a profit.
Chewy reported 2018 sales of $3.5 billion, up from $2.1 billion the year before. The e-tailer cut its net loss to $268 million in 2018, down from $338 million over the same period.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Chewy’s autoship subscriptions generate “the bulk” of the company’s revenues. Chewy has expanded its private label offerings in recent years and moved into the online pet pharmacy business in the face of growing online competition.
PetSmart will remain the majority owner of Chewy after the IPO. Neither company has stated how much they expect to generate from the sale of Chewy’s shares, which will trade under the CHWY ticker symbol.
CNBC, citing S&P Global Ratings, reports that previous valuations of Chewy have placed the company’s worth at between $4.15 billion and $4.75 billion.
- Chewy Files Registration Statement for Proposed Initial Public Offering – PetSmart
- PetSmart’s online business, Chewy.com, files to go public – CNBC
- Online Pet Products Retailer Chewy Files for IPO – The Wall Street Journal
- Will Chewy.com help PetSmart gobble up the online pet market? – RetailWire
- Has Chewy.com proven that online sales are going to the dogs? – RetailWire
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Will going public be a positive or negative for Chewy.com? What do you think it will take for Chewy to become profitable?
Join the Discussion!
8 Comments on "Is PetSmart barking up the right tree with its Chewy.com IPO?"
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Chief Executive Officer, The TSi Company
It won’t hurt, and I don’t know how much it will help if Chewy.com goes public. There is no doubt that the pet food/product industry is enormous, but there is also intense competition. What will make Chewy.com stand out begins with more awareness followed by reasons for customers to shop them and I see that is the bigger problem for PetSmart to solve. So raising cash is good assuming they can raise enough, but how they invest that money into Chewy.com will be the determining factor on whether or not the brand becomes a winner.
CEO, President- American Retail Consultants
Going public will allow Chewy.com increased operating capital so that it can make system-wide improvements to better reflect customer expectations that align with Amazon level customer service, delivery and management. It will take at least 3 years for Chewy to become profitable, but segmenting it away from PetSmart and its store-centric model will allow it to better focus and react.
Vice President of Marketing, OrderDynamics
Chewy.com’s order volumes are huge. They had 7 DCs and were on expansion plans to deploy the 8th or 9th. Chewy needs to watch some of Amazon’s tactics, and start copying them. Once they are on the stock exchange they won’t have as much leeway as Amazon (which has multiple businesses). In that regard, they will have to start focusing on means of turning a profit. With their volumes, it is a matter of tweaking, and I think they can get there. There may be a few ruffled customer feathers — from a few strategic price increases (to enhance margins) — but done thoughtfully, they have a good chance. I vote YES to it being a good idea. My only proviso is that they should have tried to make it profitable before taking it IPO.
Managing Partner Cambridge Retail Advisors
Going public should be a good thing for Chewy.com, assuming they use the proceeds wisely. Chewy said in its filing that “it plans on using IPO proceeds for working capital and general corporate purposes. That is a pretty vague statement. I suspect that investments in technology and process improvements are needed to improve profit margins.
Free 1-2 day shipping on orders over $49 may be eating into Chewy’s profits, especially for items that are very heavy (like dog food) and expensive to ship. Finding ways to cut costs out of order processing and shipping processes and refining pricing are probably top priorities to achieving profitability.
Independent Board Member, Investor and Startup Advisor
Going public is a significant strategic marker for any company. It says that their business model is sufficiently sound to withstand quarterly financial reporting and managing capital market expectations. It’s a mark of the confidence in the management team and the go-forward strategy. It’s also the means by which existing investors can achieve a desired capital event and return on their investments.
For Chewy.com and PetSmart, this should be a very positive step especially as the capital infusion allows further investments in intelligent systems and supply chain network reflective of today’s demanding consumers and their pet family members. Path to profitability will occur as they increase their customer base, boost their share of subscription (auto ship) business, and solidify their pet prescription offering.
Senior Vice President, Dechert-Hampe (retired)
Monetizing successful .com’s prior to profitability has been a winning strategy so far. Who doesn’t want to turn debt into capital with a ring of the opening bell? The strategic question turns on whether the parent intends to continue operating the business or simply monetize the investment. If they want to continue operating, they have to maintain majority control. PetSmart is doing that. It still won’t be a stroll in the rose garden — but PetSmart already understands the pressures public companies face. Good move.
President, Sageberry Consulting/Senior Forbes Contributor
I see two driving factors for this move, both of which seem eminently sensible.
The first is a capital raise strategy. Given the cash needed to fund hyper-growth (including significant operating losses for the foreseeable future), it’s wise to seek funding outside of the main corporate entity.
The second piece is a risk reduction strategy in light of current market conditions. DTC and “disruptive” models are having their IPO moment (Lyft, Uber, WeWork) and valuations are sky high (some might argue insanely so).
Opportunistically raising capital at (likely) inflated prices is smart. Moreover as investors start to better understand the underlying customer economics with future earnings reports, these valuations aren’t likely to remain so lofty.
Associate Professor, Fashion Institute of Technology
Going public is a great way to raise capital and expand the business, however, with this comes greater accountability to the shareholders unless you level-set expectations. How the funding will be used to further drive profitable strategies will be most important. Chewy has deep loyalty with subscriptions and should look for ways to to drive AOV with their existing customers.


text:
Technology has permanently changed the world in countless ways. This is a phenomenon that is not always obvious, as we tend to quickly take new developments for granted. However, a look at some of the world's major industries reveals how drastically new technology has altered nearly every detail of our daily lives. Here is a look at a few industries which have been completely transformed through recent technological innovations:
News and Print Media
While the internet hasn't yet rendered print media obsolete, it has greatly reduced its influence. As more and more people get their information online, traditional newspapers and magazines struggle to hold onto subscribers. Even TV news has lost many viewers to the internet.
Travel is another industry where technology has made some drastic changes to the way business is conducted. It is now so easy for people to book flights, hotels and vacations online that brick-and-mortar travel agencies are now practically obsolete. Physical, printed flight passes and tickets are being phased out, replaced by e-tickets and flight passes.
The medical and healthcare industries of today are far more automated and technologically advanced than those of a few decades ago. Not only has medical equipment gotten more sophisticated, but the way billing and paperwork are handled has completely changed. Appointment scheduling, medical information release, and billing systems in physical therapy offices, hospitals, and doctor's offices can now be performed online and organized by advanced software systems designed especially for use by medical professionals.
Not that long ago, people listened to record albums, tapes and CDs. While these are still widely used, download-able music formats such as the .mp3 file have taken over a large chunk of the music industry. The same is true for movies and TV shows. Video rental stores, once a thriving market, have been wiped out in the last few years. Streaming of movies, music and other entertainment will only increase in the coming years.
As customers increasingly purchase books online, physical bookstores are having a hard time staying afloat. An even bigger change is the shift from print books to e-books. Each year, e-books grab a larger portion of the market. It is cheaper and more convenient for people to read books on their Kindles and other e-book readers than to buy them. This has dramatically altered the book publishing industry.
The above are some of the leading examples of how recent advances have revolutionized entire industries. Technology is advancing so quickly that businesses must learn how to adapt if they want to survive. As new developments become ever more revolutionary, we can expect more drastic changes in the near future.


text:
By The Overseas Property Show
This year we are building on that success by adding new venues and new exhibitors in order to reach out to even more would-be holiday home owners across Ireland.
By Oakland University
This Rochester-themed partnership also includes the City of Rochester and Rochester Community Schools.
By ASSAKAF Education Services
With the newest survey on student immigration, it seems that UK students want their international counterparts to come there are study. Read on to know if you should pick to study in the UK, and the pros and cons of the same.
If you have ever thought that gap years are a waste of time, then you have never heard of GapGuru. Condemning all kinds of “volun-tourism”, GapGuru provides structured gap years during which students work on worthwhile and sustainable projects.
By John Beth Consulting
Being pragmatic over where you study could pay off in finding employment and in what you get from your course, says Abigail Townsend
By Connecticut Better Business Bureau
In an effort to reduce losses due to credit card fraud, many issuers will lock down a credit card if they detect an unusual customer spending pattern, and that includes larger-than-usual charges made out of the state.
By Pink Lilac
Getting married abroad can be an amazing experience. But, while the thought of empty white beaches and idyllic sunsets can be luring, there is a downside - you cannot take fresh flowers with you.
By Loud Media
Nigerian entrepreneurs are increasingly considering the thought of expanding their present local businesses and entering new markets abroad.
By Advantage SCI
A new iPhone application, iTravelSafe™, is now available for download from the Apple Store. “Be smart and aware. Know the dangers before you travel. Keep yourself from becoming a target. Stay current while in an international location.”
CGG plans to invest USD1.2 billion to build grain production bases in Argentina, after it built a grain production base in Brazil last year.
By Nerissa M. Fernandez
“Da Best ng Pilipino, Saan Man sa Mundo” kicks off on ASAP 2012
Alpha1Estates International has said that new real estate, regulatory, immigration, business and finance legislation is required for the real estate sector in the Holy Cities of Makkah and Madinah to achieve its true potential.
By Wreaths of Maine
Wreaths of Maine, a wreath-making company that sells in all 50 states, announced today an offer to honor veterans and those currently serving our country.
By Entrepreneurs Today
Overseas entrepreneurs in areas such as gaming and cloud computing are to be encouraged to set up in Ireland with the help of a €10 million Government fund.
Later this month Fieldskills is running a fun and informative weekend course for people who want to build their confidence and skills in leading outdoor activity trips and expeditions.
By Shannon Haigh
A new study by the UK’s fastest growing online independent travel agent has revealed that the age that British children first go on an overseas holiday has fallen by 10 years.
By BNOW Co., Ltd.
Are you choosing to continue your education at a university in the USA? The options and process of admission can be overwhelming. Preparing for the SAT, choosing the right school, writing essays and submitting applications can be overwhelming!
By Fast Market Research
New Financial Services market report from Business Monitor International: "Thailand Commercial Banking Report Q3 2011"
Old Trafford was the quintessential stage for the dream that came true for Peterborough United FC last Sunday after their superb win over Huddersfield Town.
By Paul Stubbs
The central Portugal property market is poised to take off again despite the economic woes.
By Fast Market Research
Recently published research from Business Monitor International, "Philippines Retail Report Q3 2011", is now available at Fast Market Research
By Cross-Cultural Solutions
Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS) was recently included as one of The NonProfit Times’ “50 Best Nonprofits to Work for 2011.”
By German American Chamber of Commerce Colorado
When doing business in foreign markets create a version of your Website compatible with the local language as well as the culture.
Netscribes (India) Pvt. Ltd., launches a report on the Shipping and Port Industry in India 2011 as part of Netscribes’ Logistics series.
By Archant Life
For anyone who dreams of owning a French property, then the French Property Exhibition at the Yorkshire Event Centre, Harrogate (6-8 May) is a one-stop shop for information and inspiration.
Linguapop, the overseas language course provider, has launched a new website to provide an integrated web 2.0 experience to students across the English and Spanish speaking world.
By AGM Enterprise Inc.
AGM Enterprise, Inc., a leading provider of international calling services with excellent call quality and customer service, today announced it has launched a new official web site, www.CallAGM.com.
By Tony Grady
American manufacturers need to be more flexible to increase market share.
By Fast Market Research
New Retailing market report from Business Monitor International: "Philippines Retail Report Q2 2011"
By Joan Simpson
M.O.M Recruitment part of the Media One Marketing Group have been awarded the lucrative contract to recruit 3000 UK Construction workers to Russia


text:
Apple has released iOS 8.0.1, an update that brings several bug fixes to iOS 8, which was released last week. However, you need to be careful if you upgrade.
The upgrade fixes an issue with HealthKit that prevented apps that support HealthKit from being allowed in the Apple App Store. According to Apple, iOS 8.0.1 also:
° Addresses an issue where 3rd party keyboards could become deselected when a user enters their passcode;
° Fixes an issue that prevented some apps from accessing photos from the Photo Library;
° Improves the reliability of the Reachability feature on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus;
° Fixes an issue that could cause unexpected cellular data usage when receiving SMS/MMS messages;
° Better support of Ask To Buy for Family Sharing for In-App Purchases;
° Fixes an issue where ringtones were sometimes not restored from iCloud backups;
° Fixes a bug that prevented uploading photos and videos from Safari.
You...| Read more »


text:
We last wrote about the cell phone space in September 2008, when we predicted further market share gains for both Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Research in Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM). We correctly identified software as the new and important differentiating factor in the smart phone market, which had been previously hardware focused. This paradigm shift drove the success of the Blackberry and iPhone and undid the Motorola (NYSE: MOT)/Nokia (NYSE: NOK) dominance of the cellphone market. The key factor now is the “ecosystem.” It’s just like the PC industry, one in which a small number of players create platforms for users and software developers alike. The battle today is Google's Android (GOOG) and Apple's iPhone.
Google makes Android available to any cell phone maker, while Apple maintains a closed platform. Google's open platform will end up dominating the space, while Apple will settle for second place, and other players like RIMM and the mighty Microsoft/Nokia collaboration while have to settle for picking up the scraps left over. The core battle will be between Android and Apple, and we believe the winner will be Android.
Google has successfully developed an ecosystem which incentivizes both hardware and software developers to devote maximum resources to the Android platform. “The reason hardware vendors like Android is because Google shares revenues from applications and ad sales. That makes it very unlikely for any cell phone or tablet manufacturer to not adopt Android; your competitors will have a built in major margin advantage in very thin margin business. Google uses advertising cash flow to subsidize their products and Google is the Web advertising king by a large margin - Android is an open source platform with a profit motive,” says Reggie Middleton, a strategist and entrepreneur who publishes analysis on his boombustblog website ( a complementary sample of his work is available to RegisterRedrep.com readers on his website).
The coming months (and years, of course) will demonstrate just how powerful the Android platform is. Android driven Honeycomb tablet devices have just landed, and the future will bring 3D cell phones and tablets. Motorola and Apple will not be able to keep up, in my opinion.
Nokia and Microsoft are the two jilted lovers: They have formed a strategic alliance out of weakness and necessity. Nokia's decision to use Microsotf (MSFT)'s O/S wisely got them out of the software development, but it leaves them with no compelling opportunity, since the MSFT’s offering is so inferior to the leading platforms. MSFT and Nokia are asset rich, but unlikely to succeed, in my analysis anyway.
From a stock picker's perspective this is actually an unhappy outcome. Android is too small to matter for Google's stock price, and the other companies should be avoided. Apple and RIMM seem incredibly cheap, based on trailing and forward earnings and estimates. But the Android tsunami will knock down their margins and market share.
I am making this bold statement: RIMM will continue to lose market share, and face declining revenue, margins and average selling prices. The end result will be a firesale of RIMM, perhaps to Dell (DELL), MSFT, or an East Asian hardware maker.
Apple may hit their 2011 earnings numbers, but I expect margins to come down steadily in 2011 and beyond, which is usually deleterious for stock performance. “Apple is a lifestyle company that sells technology ecosystem products,” says Middleton. The strength in Android phones and Honeycomb tablets will hit Apple's margins and selling prices.
Motorola's spun off cell phone division, Motorola Mobility Holdings (MMI), has had popular Android models, but don't expect its early success to last. Motorola is vulnerable to low cost competitors. “South East Asian firms are experts at high volume, low margin businesses,” notes Middleton. Motorola's recent success in unit sales and pricing will wither, making MMI unlikely to achieve reasonable margins and earnings multiple. These stocks may bounce short term, since their recent results have left sentiment low. Like Nokia in 2008, the strategic obstacles it faces will, keep the stock under constant pressure.
MSFT is a cheap stock, but its weakness in mobile computing will eventually catch up to earnings and (probably earlier) the stock.
In my opinion, Nokia should be avoided at all costs. The five-year the best-case scenario for the company is one in which it sells large numbers of cheap phones in developing markets, and has some portion of the market for the MSFT O/S, which will be the number three or four platform for cell phones. Nokia finds itself in a worse position than even we could have predicted in 2008. I know I am making bold predictions, but I have done some serious research.
Nate Wendler is the penname of a hedge fund analyst.


text:
The longest grain train in the history of the ARTC network was loaded at Crystal Brook this week, the wheat bound for the drought stricken north.
- This week’s look back at the Stock Journal archives takes us to August 2000, when there were major changes in the grain industry, with growers approving a restructure of SA Co-Operative Bulk Handling.
- Beachport farmers Mark and Kate Wheal are giving Limestone Coast locals a chance to buy tasty, free-range pork after launching a brand early this year.
- Tractor and Machinery Association release May sales
Search over 20,000 rural real estate listings online including farms, rural property and acreage for sale.
Connecting Livestock Buyers & Sellers: Your one-stop shop for livestock news, reports and sale listings.


text:
GOGGLEBOX star Sophie Sandiford has revealed she's lost her job at Debenhams after the chain collapsed, with all of its stores set to close.
She shared a snap of herself standing at the entrance to the high street store with a fellow colleague.
Captioning the post, she said: "We might be going but we are going with a smile #debenhams."
As Sophie usually appears on TV screens from the comfort of her living room, it's a rare glimpse into her everyday life.
Sophie's post was flooded with messages of support from fans, with many admitting it wouldn't be long before she was given her own show.
One suggested: "Sorry to hear that, sure you and your brother will have ye’re own tv show soon.. yee’ll be sorted."
A second agreed: "I hope you and Pete get your own TV soon!! We love you both!"
Another added: "Aw so sad for you but you are fabulous and something bigger and better is waiting for you! Lots of love."
The website will continue to trade and shops will remain open until current stock is sold, but it’s believed stores will close early next year.
Sophie shot to fame from the armchair of her Blackpool home, commenting on the week's TV with sarcastic brother Pete.
The Sandifords, who have been on the show since 2018, are practically Googlebox royalty these days, alongside the Malones and caravan duo Jenny and Lee.
Last month, the northern lass broke down over the news of the second national lockdown.
Most read in Celebrity
As the siblings watched PM Boris Johnson outline the new measures, Pete noticed Sophie wiping away her tears.
The 26-year-old asked: "Are you all right?"
She replied, with her voice breaking: "It's just sad, innit, it's just s**t for everybody. It just gets even worse and more people are going to lose their jobs and things like that. It's just awful."
Viewers at home were emotional too, with one writing: "So true, was really moving, summed up mood/feelings of entire country and beyond."
The Sun Online has approached Gogglebox for comment.