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Apple Martin Is Formally A Chanel Lady
When you’re the child of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, it’s inevitable that one day the fashion world is going to initiate you. For 18-year-old Apple Martin, today is that day – and the house? None other than Chanel, darling.
Wearing a black-and-white iteration of the house’s signature tweed skirt-and-jacket set, the teenager made her fashion week debut in Paris for Chanel’s haute couture spring/summer 2023 show.
Appearing in the front row alongside Lucy Boynton, Angèle and Sadie Sink, Martin paired the classic look with a black quilted cross-body bag and black platform loafers.
Channelling the ’60s mod girl through her hair and makeup, Martin wore a fully lined eye in black, nude matte lips and left her layered blonde hair out with a subtle flip at the ends.
“Karl Lagerfeld met Apple Martin when she was 4 years old and declared that one day she’d be a Chanel girl,” Fashion journalist Derek Blasberg wrote on Twitter with behind-the-scenes photos of Martin at the show. “It happened today!”
Karl Lagerfeld met Apple Martin when she was 4 years old and declared that one day she’d be a Chanel girl. It happened today! 🍎🤍🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/Toi5Kp0LaR
— Derek Blasberg (@DerekBlasberg) January 24, 2023
If Martin’s photo face looks familiar, here’s where you’ve seen it before:
Looks like the Apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.
Source: Prestige Online


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New Synthetic Nicotine – Thing You Should Know: As teenage vaping continues at epidemic proportions, a new wave of synthetic nicotine products is coming on the market, creating regulatory problems and health concerns.
In addition to the Puff Bar disposable e-cigarette, there are other new products on the market that use synthetic nicotine, such as Bidi Pouches, NIIN Primed Pouches, and Rush, which were developed in a lab and are not obtained from smoking tobacco. New goods that haven’t gone through the proper regulatory assessment and approval procedures also arrive in flavors that are shown to appeal to young people.
New Synthetic Nicotine – Thing You Should Know
Synthetic nicotine’s effects on health are not yet known, but we do know that it poses a greater risk of addiction among children and adolescents than nicotine obtained from tobacco. Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to synthetic nicotine.
Exactly what is “synthetic nicotine”
It is claimed that synthetic nicotine products do not use tobacco leaves to produce their nicotine.
“Tobacco-free nicotine” is what the creators of Puff Bar, the flavored e-cigarette products that the FDA ordered to cease selling in July 2020, just declared they were returning to the market with.
According to Puff Bar’s website, the firm says that the nicotine is manufactured from “a unique manufacturing technique, not from tobacco,” and is purer than tobacco-containing or derived nicotine.
With huge promises that have not been proved and may be deceptive, oral nicotine products are promoting non-tobacco nicotine. “Nicotine innovated,” or NIIN is a brand of oral nicotine that claims to be devoid of “many residuals and component contaminants that are usually found in tobacco-derived nicotine.”
Tobacco-free oral nicotine pouches are now available from Rush, a synthetic nicotine company. To assist “adult smokers take their initial steps in being smokeless,” Bidi Pouch will be introduced in October 2020. “50 mg (5 percent) Pure Synthetic Salt Nicotine” is the headline on Pacha Mama’s synthetic nicotine disposable e-cigarette.
What is the difference between “synthetic” and “tobacco-free” products
The marketing of “tobacco-free” goods is not limited to synthetic nicotine products. Velo, on!, Rogue, Zyn, and Lucy are examples of products that claim to be tobacco-leaf-free or “extracted from tobacco.” They are not synthetic since they employ nicotine derived from tobacco, but they are promoted in a way that might be deceptive to customers.
There are substantial regulatory distinctions between tobacco-derived nicotine products and synthetic nicotine products, despite the fact that both are promoted as “tobacco-free” since they include no tobacco leaf. the nicotine pouch market is expected to expand
Tobacco- or synthetic-based the nicotine pouch market is expected to expand. In the first half of 2020, dollar sales of nicotine pouches in convenience shops grew by 470 percent, according to Nielsen data revealed in an industry news story. The new synthetic nicotine pouches might take advantage of such market expansion. ”
In what ways are non-smoking goods controlled?
Some firms seem to be operating as though they are immune from FDA regulation for these items, raising issues about whether they should be regulated as tobacco products or as pharmaceuticals.
All nicotine products are regulated by the FDA, although various regulations apply to depend on the source of the nicotine. There is no exemption from the Center for Tobacco Goods for items containing tobacco or tobacco-derived nicotine, but products containing nicotine that aren’t tobacco-derived must be evaluated by the Center for Drug Evaluation & Research.
Synthetic nicotine products are still on the market because the FDA has not made a judgment on how to regulate them.

domain: news


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Suppliers can go bust, says OFT
BRITAIN'S top competition watchdog has said it is ready to see small suppliers squeezed out of business by powerful supermarkets so long as savings are passed on to consumers.
In a devastating admission, John Fingleton, chief executive of the Office of Fair Trading, said he would be prepared to stand aside while British suppliers were driven to the wall, even if this meant supply contracts went abroad.
He told Financial Mail he would not support the idea that the voluntary code of conduct, which is supposed to govern complaints made by suppliers against supermarkets, should be rigorously policed.
'It is not good for consumers to protect the suppliers - and our job is to protect consumers,' he said.
Fingleton said that using aggressive tactics for getting good value and paying suppliers less was not a problem as long as savings were passed on to consumers.
'Suppliers might like to keep prices higher,' he said. 'But the market should be led by what consumers want - not by bureaucratic decision-making. It would be ridiculous to keep prices artificially high to placate suppliers. There are always winners and losers. If one company goes out of business, there will soon be another to take its place.
'Even if everyone goes bust and business shifts abroad, those trucks importing goods to our supermarket chains will need to be filled up in the other direction.'
His remarks are likely to be seen as inflammatory by the thousands of small businesses that claim the big supermarket groups demand unfair terms of trade.
They allege they are forced to cut prices, to accept longer payment times, to contribute towards special promotions and, in some cases, to make donations to the supermarkets' favourite charities.
Fingleton's comments came as the £95 billion grocery industry was referred for investigation by the Competition Commission for having an unhealthy domination of the market.
Specific concerns included that they used their muscle to build up banks of land, ostensibly for building new supermarkets but in reality it is a tactic to stop rivals entering the fray.
The OFT referred the sector after receiving 1,200 responses from businesses and consumers, most of which backed the probe.
In the midst of criticism levelled against the big supermarkets, Tesco, which has drawn more hostility than most, last week unveiled an initiative to polish its image. Chief executive Sir Terry Leahy said he planned to make the company more eco-friendly by cutting the amount of energy used in stores by half and doubling recycling by customers.
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Boustany's Bill to PROTECT Louisiana Seafood Passes House
Congressman Charles W. Boustany, R-South Louisiana,, supported passage of his bill, the PROTECT Act, which was included within H.R. 1907, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act.
The PROTECT Act provides U.S. Customs and Border Protection increased cooperation and accountability tools to stop trade evasion, a practice hurting American industries like seafood and agriculture. First introduced in 2012 with Representative Cedric Richmondm D-Louisiana, Boustany and Richmond reintroduced the bill in the 113th Congress. Boustany included the legislation during the Ways & Means Committee's markup of H.R. 1907 on April 24, 2015.
According to his office, Boustany's PROTECT Act will:
-Create a dedicated unit within U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to prevent and investigate trade evasion.
-Create a CBP point of contact for private sector trade evasion allegations with the authority to direct evasion investigations and the duty to inform interested parties about the status of investigations.
-Require CBP and Commerce to establish procedures to ensure maximum cooperation and communication in order to quickly, efficiently, and accurately investigate allegations of trade evasion.
-Direct CBP to enter into agreements with foreign countries to enable proactive investigation overseas.
-Require CBP to annually report to Congress on all of the agency's activities to combat trade evasion.
Nearly 90 percent of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported, Thomas Hymel, specialist for the LSU AgCenter, said
But the Food and Drug Administration only inspects about 2 percent of foreign seafood.
PROTECT Act, aims to curtail illegal trade practices such as a common scheme called "transshipment." Companies illegally ship to another party where the seafood is relabeled and imported to the U.S.
Similar legislation was passed through the United States Senate on May 14, 2015. Boustany said he has strongly advocated for his PROTECT Act over the Senate language because his bill does more to stop trade evasion at the border, rather than reactively pursuing offenders. A side-by-side comparison of Boustany's PROTECT Act and the Senate language can be found here. With today's House passage, the bill goes to a conference committee between the House and Senate to work out differences between the two bills, the congressman's office said.
"Help can't come soon enough for the Louisiana seafood industry, which is being hammered by illegal foreign imports that distort our markets and make it harder to sell this product produced right here in America," Boustany said in a statement after the House passage.
"The PROTECT Act provides tools for the federal government, legitimate importers and distributors, and trade-affected domestic industries to prevent and combat fraud at our border, not after the fact. I'll continue fighting for Louisiana seafood and Louisiana jobs by making sure the PROTECT Act becomes law."


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IPC recently announced the June 2021 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.15. Total North American PCB shipments in June 2021 were up 6.3% compared to the same month last year. Compared to the preceding month, June shipments grew 17.3%. PCB bookings in June rose 19.4% compared to the 2020 month and 28.9% compared to May 2021.
“We saw strong PCB orders in June, outstripping any month since early 2006,” said Shawn DuBravac, IPC’s chief economist. “The electronics supply remains constrained and companies continue to look for any available capacity. Shipments also picked up strongly during the month, suggesting some disruptions are starting to improve and companies are increasingly able to fulfill incoming orders.”
The book-to-bill ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in IPC’s survey sample. A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next three to twelve months. A ratio of less than 1.00 indicates the reverse.
Year-on-year and year-to-date growth rates provide the most meaningful view of industry growth. Month-to-month comparisons should be made with caution as they reflect seasonal effects and short-term volatility. Because bookings tend to be more volatile than shipments, changes in the book-to-bill ratios from month to month might not be significant unless a trend of more than three consecutive months is apparent. It is also important to consider changes in both bookings and shipments to understand what is driving changes in the book-to-bill ratio.
Learn more about IPC’s findings at www.ipc.org.


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Trade turnover increases in Baku
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Oct. 31
By Kamala Mammadli - Trend:
Trade turnover in Baku from January through September 2019 compared with the corresponding period in 2018 increased by 3.4 percent and amounted to almost 15 billion manat ($8.7 billion), Trend reports referring to the Baku City Statistics Department.
Compared to the corresponding period of 2018, the prices of food products, drinks and tobacco products sold through Baku retail network increased by 2.9 percent and exceeded 6.8 billion manat ($3.9 billion), the volume of non-food products increased by 4 percent and exceeded 8.1 billion manat ($4.7 billion).
As much as 28.6 percent of consumer products were sold through legal entities, 47.3 percent in retail facilities owned by individual entrepreneurs and 24.1 percent in Baku trading markets.
($1= 1.7 manat on Oct. 31)


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By David Bernard
When it comes to frozen desserts and toppings, a number of the overall trends in gourmet food continue to push the category, such as healthful, and unique and global flavor profiles; but the producers of pints, novelties and toppings have taken things a step further, turning out surprising products, and in some cases turning back the clock as well.
In the freezer case, as in the snack, cereal and most other aisles, healthful trends are front and center. “Starting with frozen yogurt’s resurgence 8-10 years ago, the more healthful frozen dessert trend hasn’t really gone away,” explained Jillian Hillard, Marketing Manager for PreGel AMERICA, a supplier of dessert ingredients.
With the frozen pint being the dessert world’s currency of choice, and lower fat on the minds of many Americans, sorbet is gaining traction, according to Hillard, both in traditional single, smooth fruit and other flavors such as chocolate. Adventurous sorbet mix-ins are also appearing, like sea salted caramels, passion fruit sauce with seeds and peanut sauce with crispy cereal.
For healthful options that include a little more cream, or rather, “cream,” think non-dairy, a fast-growing subcategory fueled by 50 million lactose intolerant Americans, two million dairy-allergic children and one million vegans, and those avoiding saturated fats. Cashew milk ice cream is the latest iteration, wowing samplers at March’s Natural Products Expo West. Almond and coconut milk ice cream are players as well; one leading dairy-free producer now offers 17 varieties of coconut.
While healthful is in, flavor has always been in, and today’s consumers want more and varied taste experiences. “We work a lot of trade show circuits, and vanilla is still one of the top things we see requested,” explained Hillard. “But more and more, the variety of flavors is expanding, and global, more remote tastes are coming through. So while strawberry has always been an idealistic flavor, for example, now we’re seeing things like mango and guava come into play.”
There’s no need to search globally for one of the hottest flavor trends – savory. Hillard reported that PreGel recently launched popcorn, and pancakes and maple syrup flavors for frozen desserts, and they are selling briskly. “Tastes are really evolving and changing,” she said. “Look at salted caramel; when that flavor first emerged, people said, ‘Who would put salt in a dessert?’ And now … many dessert companies are actually adapting the flavor as a core part of their lines.”
As consumers embrace the frozen new, they’re also reaching out for the old. Nostalgia is in, with childhood-reminiscent flavors such as cereal-infused ice creams and novelties. And Hillard points out that with advances in food technology, those peanut covered cereal crisps and other mix-ins stay crunchy in ice cream.
Frozen pops are back, now often made of ice cream dipped in a flavorful coating like coffee or chocolate, rather than fruit centric. Novelty trends include both decadent and healthful, as more bite-size and mini ice cream sandwiches and other confections emerge.
Topping trends include simple-and-healthful, a dash of the exotic, and another page of nostalgia. A simple, thick honey sauce; ginger sauce with bits of the root, and graham cracker sauce containing pieces of the nostalgic treat; these are a few of the newer toppings that are changing the way people eat frozen desserts.
By Lorrie Baumann
A presidential task force has released a plan to curb illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and seafood fraud. IUU fishing circumvents the rules to save the costs of complying with sustainable fishing practices, sometimes by taking chances with food safety or using slave labor on fishing boats. Seafood fraud involves mislabeling or other forms of deceptive marketing that take place after the fish is off the boat, such as techniques that make tuna steaks look more red or that add weight to the product. Seafood fraud overlaps with IUU fishing when illegally caught fish are then sold as a legal catch.
The action plan released on March 15 details proposals by the Presidential Task Force on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing and Seafood Fraud, which is co-chaired by the U.S. Departments of Commerce and State. The proposals correspond to recommendations that the task force made late last year, with action expected on them during the remainder of this year and next year.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. fishermen landed 9.9 billion pounds of fish and shellfish worth $5.5 billion in 2013. Those U.S. fishermen, as well as others engaged in legal fishing, feel the effects of IUU fishing and seafood fraud in their pocketbooks when their products are undercut in the market by cheaper illegally caught or mislabeled seafood.
“The U.S. is a global leader on building sustainable fisheries and the seafood industry is an incredibly important part of our economy,” said Kathryn Sullivan, PhD, NOAA Administrator. “IUU fishing and seafood fraud undermine economic and environmental sustainability of fisheries and fish stocks in the U.S. and around the world. These actions aim to level the playing field for legitimate fishermen, increase consumer confidence in the sustainability of seafood sold in the U.S., and ensure the vitality of marine fish stocks.”
Because American fishing boats are regulated and heavily monitored, seafood fraud is not a big problem in American fisheries, although there are problems with species substitutions at the retail level in grocery stores and restaurants. Substitutions can also occur when U.S. product is processed abroad, according to the task force’s report. All seafood imported into the U.S. is subject to inspection by the federal Food and Drug Administration and must be documented to ensure that it meets the same standards as domestic seafood products – it has to be clean, safe to eat and properly labeled.
The plan offered by the presidential task force identifies actions that will strengthen enforcement, create and expand partnerships with state and local governments, industry, and non-governmental organizations, and create a risk-based traceability program to track seafood from harvest to entry into the American market. The plan also highlights ways in which the United States will work with other countries to combat IUU fishing and seafood fraud, including efforts to secure enforceable environmental provisions in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a regional trade agreement among countries that together account for approximately one-quarter of global marine catch and global seafood exports.
“U.S. federal fisheries are managed under a landmark piece of legislation called the Magnuson-Stevens Act that has cut overfished fisheries stocks in half from 1999 to 2012. Seafood Harvesters of America are extremely proud of the fact that 91 percent of U.S. fisheries stocks are not experiencing overfishing. Because our domestic fisheries are doing so well – and Americans should be so proud of the way we manage our fishery resources – we encourage all Americans to consume more domestic seafood because, almost by default, it’s sustainable, based on the Magnuson-Stevens Act and how it’s worked to rebuild our fisheries stocks,” says Brett Veerhusen, Executive Director of Seafood Harvesters of America, the national organization of commercial fishermen based in Washington, D.C. “Because our U.S. fisheries are managed at such a high level, it’s important for American fishermen to be playing on a level playing field with imported products. When you import seafood, you import the ethics and ethos of that country of origin’s fishery management practices. Meaning, as a world leader in sustainable fishery management, American consumers demand that our imported seafood is of the same ethics and ethos that American fishermen nobly harvest.”
On the international front, the task force would like to see the U.S. conclude Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations during 2015 that include commitments to combat IUU fishing and first-ever provisions to eliminate harmful fisheries subsidies. The report calls on Congress to enact legislation implementing a Port State Measures Agreement and for at least 14 other countries to join the agreement. The task force also calls on regional fisheries management organizations and others to advance best practices to regulate international fisheries.
Enforcement measures should include a strategy to optimize the collection, sharing, and analysis of information and resources to prevent IUU or fraudulently labeled seafood from entering U.S. commerce by September 2015, including tightening existing laws that currently exempt fisheries violations and increasing civil and administrative penalties for illegal fishing, according to the task force’s recommendations. The task force also calls for greater attention to combating seafood fraud and the sale of IUU seafood products by federal and state fisheries agencies and for better identification of seafood species that are likely to be involved in seafood fraud and development of better ways to trace seafood and to convey information from the traceability system to American consumers. The first phase of this traceability program to track seafood from point of harvest into the American market is due to go into effect within 18 months.
By December 2016, the task force will identify the next steps in expanding the program to all seafood entering U.S. commerce, after taking into consideration the experience from this first year. This action plan reflects the Obama Administration’s commitment to supporting sustainable fisheries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a regional agreement that includes four of the top 15 global producers of marine fisheries products by volume. The agreement is expected to be the first-ever trade agreement to eliminate some of the most harmful fisheries subsidies, including those that contribute to overfishing. The U.S. is seeking similar commitments in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) negotiations with the European Union (EU).
Native to Louisiana, but appreciated nationwide, Frontier Soups™ gluten-free, non-GMO New Orleans Jambalaya Soup Mix contains saffron- and turmeric-seasoned calasparra rice and peppers in the mix. Home cooks add broth, ham, tomatoes and shrimp for an authentic taste of the French Quarter in just 30 minutes.
Suggested retail price: $5.95-$6.49 for 4.5 ounce package.
Call Frontier Soups at 800.300.7687.
Vegan Hot Fudge from Massachusetts, Wagyu Beef Jerky from New Mexico, and Grilled Olives from central Italy are among 125 finalists for the Specialty Food Association’s sofi™ Awards for the outstanding specialty foods and beverages of 2015. The list of finalists is here.
Winners will be announced June 29, 2015, by Ted Allen, host of Food Network’s Chopped, at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York. A sofi Award is the highest honor in the $109 billion specialty food industry. “sofi” stands for Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation. The contest, now in its 43rd year, is open to members of the Specialty Food Association, a not-for-profit trade association for food artisans, importers and entrepreneurs.
There were 2,715 entries across 32 awards categories, including outstanding chocolate, cheese, and savory snack. The finalists were selected by a national panel of specialty food experts. The contenders will go on to the last round of judging, which takes place during the Summer Fancy Food Show. “A sofi means a product, and the people behind it, have arrived,” says Ann Daw, President of the Specialty Food Association. This year’s finalists represent a devotion to excellence and innovation in specialty food that continues to fuel our industry.”
This year’s judges included top buyers from Whole Foods Market, Bristol Farms, Brooklyn Larder, Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurants, Food52 Shop, Kroger, Mouth.com, Williams-Sonoma, Fresh Direct, Brooklyn Larder, Citarella, DPI, Eataly, Formaggio Kitchen, HelloFresh, Chelsea Market Baskets, The Fresh Market and UNFI. The panel also included a food historian, and chefs Sara Moulton of Sara’s Weeknight Meals on PBS and Nick Anderer, Executive Chef and Partner, Maialino and Marta restaurants. Journalists on the panel were from Food & Wine, Rodale, The Village Voice, New York Daily News and Fox 5 News.
Shopper marketing agency TWINOAKS has just announced the launch and test of Treasury Wine Estates’ taste stations in 1,000 Kroger stores across 20 states this spring. It allows shoppers to sample three varietals of Beringer commercial wines via single serve “flavor strips”.
TWINOAKS led the concept development and design of this innovation which not only benefits the shopper but also addresses the legal complexities within the wine category as the strips deliver the full flavor of the wines while being nonalcoholic. “We are proud to have partnered with Treasury Wine Estates and are tremendously excited by the marketing advances this technology delivers. It uniquely addresses the needs of both the shopper and our client. Further, it provides retailers with a new form of shopper engagement and ability to convert shoppers within the category,” commented Steve Devore, Managing Director, TWINOAKS.
The launch of the taste stations is the result of a year-long campaign based on research findings that state 94 percent of women running households say sampling gives them a better idea of a product than advertising, and 83 percent of shoppers say that an item they’ve sampled has become a repeat purchase.Other key contributors to the launch included Acorn Design and Manufacturing, Acupac Packaging, Inc., and News America Marketing.
“We are thrilled with the thought-leadership and resolve demonstrated by our agency partner, TWINOAKS, throughout this process. This is an innovation the category has never seen and they were instrumental in bringing it to fruition,” said Tammy Ackerman, Senior Brand Manager for Beringer.
The Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker® program, the nation’s only advanced training program of its kind for veteran cheesemakers, has graduated two new and four returning Master Cheesemakers. Wisconsin now has 55 active Masters working in 33 companies across the state.
The newest Master Cheesemakers, who were formally certified at a ceremony during the Wisconsin Cheese Industry Conference in Madison this week, are Adam Buholzer, of Klondike Cheese Company in Monroe, and Chris Roelli, of Roelli Cheese Haus in Shullsburg.
Buholzer is a fourth-generation cheesemaker and one of four Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers in the Buholzer family, including his father, Steve, and uncles, Ron and Dave Buholzer. Adam is now certified as a Master for feta and havarti.
Roelli is certified as a Master in cheddar, the variety on which his family’s original plant was founded. Since re-opening the business in 2006, he has emerged as an award-winning producer of artisanal Wisconsin originals, including Dunbarton Blue, Little Mountain and Red Rock. Like Buholzer, Roelli is a fourth-generation Wisconsin cheesemaker.
Joining the new Masters in the 2015 graduating class are veteran Masters who completed the program again to earn certification for additional cheese varieties. They are:
“It’s exciting to see the ranks of Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers continue to grow and for this unique program to have such a sustained, positive impact on cheesemaking in Wisconsin,” says James Robson, CEO of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB). “Each year’s class takes the advanced training, expertise and insights they gain back to their plants and to the teams that they work with and mentor every day. The bar on product quality and innovation within those companies, large and small, just keeps rising.”
Established in 1994 through a joint partnership of the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research, University of Wisconsin-Extension and Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB), the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker program is the most formalized, advanced training program in the nation. Patterned after European programs, it is administered by the Center for Dairy Research and funded by Wisconsin dairy producers, through WMMB. Applicants must be active, licensed Wisconsin cheesemakers with at least 10 years of experience in a Quality Assured Plant. Cheesemakers can earn certification in up to two cheese varieties each time they enroll in the three-year program and must have been making those varieties as a licensed cheesemaker for a minimum of five years prior to entering the program. Once certified, they’re entitled to use the distinctive Master’s Mark® on their product labels and in other marketing materials.
Esca Bona, an event dedicated to accelerating innovation within the good food movement, will take place in Austin, Texas from October 26, 2015 to October 28, 2015 at the Sheraton Austin Hotel. Esca Bona will connect trend-setting entrepreneurs, game-changing technologists and visionary business leaders from across the supply chain with the end goal of magnifying the positive innovation happening in food. The event is produced by New Hope Natural Media.
This highly-curated gathering will spotlight many of the most transformative ideas shaping our food future. Credible, influential voices from all aspects of the food supply chain will partner through actionable formats such as a Rapid Prototype Workshop, a Global Town Hall and an “Entrepreneur’s Kitchen and Garage” to create new solutions to the challenges of accessibility, scalability and transparency facing our current food system.
“Change is happening at a faster rate than ever before” said Carlotta Mast, Executive Content Director and Event Ambassador for Esca Bona. “We believe the next-generation innovators, mission-based disruptors and revolutionary change-agents need a place to come together to accelerate their ability to create a better food world.”
The five macro concepts currently shaping the content of the event include:
Participants will convene inspired by the people they will meet, learn from, work with and mentor during their time in Austin—and they will leave supported by the new relationships, friendships and partners they will need to fast track their ideas, missions and businesses.
Fromagerie du Presbytère’s Laliberté is the new Grand Champion at the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix Gala of Champions. The cream-enriched soft cheese with a bloomy rind was determined best of all cheeses in 27 categories.
Sponsored and hosted every two years by Dairy Farmers of Canada, the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix celebrates the high quality, versatility and great taste of Canadian cheese made from Canadian milk. “From all the excellent cheeses the jury tasted, we found Laliberté to be the stand-out. This cheese truly distinguished itself in texture, taste and overall appearance. Its exquisite aromatic triple cream with its tender bloomy rind encases an unctuous well balanced flavour with hints of mushroom, pastures and root vegetables,” said Phil Bélanger, Canadian Cheese Grand Prix jury chairman.
Named after Alfred Laliberté, the famous sculptor born in St. Elizabeth de Warwick, QC, the farmstead cheese took a year and a half to develop and is made from 100 percent Canadian cow’s milk.The cheesemaker is no stranger to the Grand Prix, as their Louis d’Or was notably named Grand Champion of the contest in 2011.
The Grand Champion and 27 category winners were selected from a record-setting 268 cheese entries submitted by cheese makers from Prince Edward Island to British Columbia. The submissions were then narrowed down to 81 finalists by the jury in February.
With the expansion of entries, the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix has added nine new categories to the competition. Gouda was judged in three different age categories, as well as a category exclusively for smoked cheeses. Cheeses were judged on appearance, flavor, color, texture and body, and salt content.
The countdown is now on to Free From Food/Ingredients 2015 – which will showcase the very latest in “free from” products from across Europe and beyond on June 4 and 5 in Barcelona. The doors will open on the third edition of the two-day exhibition with hundreds of exciting food and drink products – from gluten free to nut free, going on display. Exhibitors include Warburtons, Mrs Crimble’s, and Nature’s Path from the UK, Fishmasters from Netherlands, Wellaby’s from Greece, Mulino Marello from Italy and Oskri from the USA.
Mrs Crimble’s will use Free From Food/Ingredients 2015 to herald a new sub brand: Gluten Free….and Good For Me. Launching in May, the first products to hit the shelves will be three varieties of Italian pasta with sauce and three new cereal bars. Pasta with sauce is the first combination product available from Mrs. Crimble’s within “free from,” with corn pasta and dried sauce.
Nature’s Path will be exhibiting its range of gluten free breakfast cereals. Wellaby’s from Greece will be showcasing an innovative “free from” baked snacks including its award-winning Lentil Chips. Italy-based Mulino Marello will be exhibiting stone ground gluten free flours while Slendier, from Australia, will be highlighting its Calorie Clever range – “free from” pasta, noodle and rice alternatives. Meanwhile Britain’s biggest baker, Warburtons, will be showcasing products from its award-winning Newburn Bakehouse range – gluten-, wheat- and dairy-free wraps and gluten free cracker thins.
“There will be a stunning, innovative and diverse range of products on show at Free From Food/Ingredients 2015 – which really does make it an exhibition not to be missed. It just goes to show that the Free From market is growing at an incredible pace – with more exciting products now available than ever before – right across the ‘free from’ spectrum. The presence of exhibitors such as Warburtons at Free From Food/Ingredients 2015, highlights how hugely important the Free From category is,” said Ronald Holman, Exhibition Director.
Divino USA, Inc. has entered the U.S. frozen dessert market with its distinctive line of Italian handcrafted gelato-filled fruit. The company is poised
to continue on the current trajectory of rapid growth in this country, having already secured national distribution available through KeHE, Haddon House, Nature’s Best and UNFI. Unlike any other gelato on the market, Divino is made from fresh Southern Italian fruit that is hand-picked near the Divino factory on the Amalfi Coast. The fresh fruit pulp is blended with volcanic waters from neighboring Mount Vesuvius, sweetened with natural sugar and lemon juice, and then filled into the halved fruit shell and frozen to a delicious single serving.
Divino varieties include Amalfi Lemon, Roman Kiwi, Ciaculli Tangerine, Apulian Peach and Black Diamond Plum. Each single serve item contains about 100 calories, and all are gluten-free certified, fat free and Non-GMO Project Verified. Each unit is individually packaged in a colorful box and includes a serving tray and spoon, allowing for easy display and grab-and-go. The fruit shell containing the gelato is also completely edible. The product has a shelf life of approximately 12 months. Divino calls its frozen treats ‘gelato’ because in Italy, both ice cream and sorbet fall under the gelato category.
Divino is available in natural foods stores, as well as select grocery and specialty stores across the country, with rapidly growing national distribution, and retails for approximately $3.99-$4.49 per single serving. For more information, visit www.lovedivino.com.


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During the coronavirus crisis, Walt Disney Co. Executive Chairman Bob Iger will forgo his salary, CEO Bob Chapek will take a 50% pay cut, and other senior executives will also take pay cuts, the company informed employees yesterday.
The Walt Disney Co. is among the media/entertainment companies whose businesses have been particularly hard-hit by the crisis.
Airbnb and iHeartMedia (which has furloughed an unknown number of employees for 90 days) are among the other companies that have now announced that their top execs will forgo or take salary cuts during the pandemic.
Disney announced the salary reductions in an internal email from Chapek that was obtained and published by the Los Angeles Times on Monday.
Disney executive VPs, senior VPs and VPs will take 30%, 25% and 20% salary cuts, respectively.
The reductions will kick in as of April 5.
“While I am confident we will get through this challenging period together and emerge even stronger, we must take necessary steps to manage the short- and long-term financial impact on our company,” Chapek said in the email, as reported in the LA Times. “In light of this, we are going to be implementing a variety of necessary measures designed to better position us to weather these extraordinary challenges. Among them, we will be asking our senior executives to help shoulder the burden by taking a reduction in pay.”
In the 2019 fiscal year, Iger earned $47.5 million as chairman/CEO of Disney (down from $65.6 million in fiscal 2018).
Chapek's base salary as Disney’s new CEO is $2.5 million, with an annual target bonus of $7.5 million, and an annual long-term incentive grant of $15 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The temporary pay cuts for Chapek and other senior executives are on their base salaries, not full compensation packages.
Nearly all of Disney’s core businesses have been disrupted by the pandemic.
In an SEC filing on March 19, Disney stressed that “there has been a disruption in creation and availability of content we rely on for our various distribution paths, including most significantly the cancellation of certain sports events and the shutting down of production of most film and television content."
The company’s cruise lines (along with those of all other U.S. companies’), have ceased operating for now. As of mid March, it had shut down all of its North American as well as worldwide theme parks, and has since announced that the parks and associated hotels and shopping areas will remain closed until further notice.
A recent MoffettNathanson analysis predicted "unprecedented pain" for Disney due to the pandemic and ensuing recession, and estimated that a one-month shutdown of its six U.S. theme parks could cause a $1.4 billion revenue loss, and the combined impact of shutting down all of its parks globally could reach $4.3 billion.
Disney reported that it has continued to pay “castmembers” at its parks since the parks’ shutdowns, and will continue to do so through April 18.
The accelerated growth of users/subscribers for four-month-old Disney+ SVOD continues to be a bright spot, as much of the country, and the world, is self-isolating and working from home.


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The co-founder of Indianapolis-based Lessonly says the acquisition by San Diego’s Seismic is the perfect scenario for the online training software company that launched nine years ago. “Our teammates love working with the Seismic team and now they are part of the Seismic team,” said Max Yoder. “If I’m going to telegraph a situation, it’s this one and I feel very lucky today to be able to say that because that does not always happen.” Yoder and Seismic Chief Executive Officer Doug Winter say the deal will fuel growth, including additional hiring in Indiana.
In an interview with Inside INdiana Business, Yoder said the Lessonly team will continue to operate under the Seismic brand.
“The team remains and we’re going to grow it in a big way. We already had big growth plans, hiring-wise, and those growth plans just got a lot bigger,” said Yoder. “Indianapolis, Indiana is where our headquarters is, but we hire everywhere and we’ll continue to hire everywhere. But there will be a lot more hiring in Indiana than there would’ve been otherwise, so that pumps me up.”
Seismic has created a “sales enablement” platform designed to help improve the performance of sales teams and the company had previously had a strategic partnership with Lessonly. Winter says the partnership was more than a standard, surface-level partnership often seen between tech companies.
“With Lessonly, it was a space that’s very complementary and integral to what Seismic does, which is help sellers do their jobs better,” said Winter. “And so we had a lot of customers that really wanted us to work together tightly and integration was real and it comes down to the product and all those things are important, but really what made Lessonly stand out is the people.”
Financial terms of the acquisition are not being disclosed, but Seismic says the deal creates a combined company valued at about $3 billion. Seismic also announced it had closed on a $170 million Series G round of funding.
Winter says both announcements makes Seismic extremely well positioned to continue investment in innovation.
“We’ve got a phenomenal set of investors and board members that share our vision for where we want to go with this category, with this space, that are highly committed, have been for a really long time and are committed to the vision,” he said. “We’re going to be knocking on the door of a $300 million business by the end of the year. So, that’s a lot of revenue coming in from customers, but being able to invest even further in things like international expansion and research and development to build a better product is why we got the additional capital.”
With the acquisition, Seismic now employs nearly 500 employees on its product teams, who Winter says will help fuel that innovation.
Yoder says the Lessonly team will continue to operate under the Seismic brand.
Winter says Seismic’s partnership with Lessonly was more than a standard, surface-level partnership often seen between tech companies.


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Sir: Following the announcement of a Grocery Adjudicator Bill in the Queen’s Speech, the usual siren calls have arisen in soundbite opposition: ‘is it justified?’ ‘beware the cost’ etc.
The sirens forget that effective refereeing of GSCOP was a key recommendation of the Competition Commission following its review of the supply chain, which found more than enough ‘adverse effects on competition’. Their calls have already reduced the original recommendation for an Ombudsman to an Adjudicator. If an Adjudicator proves ineffective, which is probable given this role neutering, the Commission should recall its original recommendation.
Duncan Swift, joint head, Food Advisory Group, Moore Stephens


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The ULCV knock-on effect Headlines
News / ULCVs will ply the transpacific trade, but the ports are not ready for them
Despite a near doubling of the number of 13,000 teu-or-above vessels deployed on the transpacific ...
News / Maersk Line targets 3% growth as next-generation Triple-Es start to arrive
To coincide with the delivery of the first of a series of eleven 20,568 teu second-generation ...
News / Containership capacity: owners hoping it's the start of improved returns
Idled containership capacity has shrunk by 28% in the past two weeks to 696,000 teu, ...
News / New alliances bring bigger ships and more capacity to box trades
The launch of the new vessel-sharing alliances has increased capacity on the Asia-Europe, transpacific and ...
Recommends / Maersk Line quietly adds world’s largest containership to its fleet
Splash 24/7 reports that the first of Maersk’s 11-strong series of second-generation Triple-E vessels has ...
News / Port and container terminal consolidation can mitigate the impact of ULCVs
Port and terminal consolidation is the “only long-term answer” to mitigate the impact of fewer ...
News / North Europe ports still await final call list from new container shipping alliances
Just 12 weeks before THE Alliance is launched on the Asia-North Europe container shipping trade, the UK ports ...
News / Shipping charter market set to sink lower with more ULCVs due to be delivered
Larger containerships are increasingly being consigned to hot or cold lay-up in harbours around the ...
News / Container terminal operators can't invest if shipping alliances squeeze prices too tight
Heavy-handed negotiating tactics by container alliances could drive down future port investments if terminal operators ...
- 1.Cosco is to buy OOCL – 'almost a done deal' says insider
- 2.CEVA takeover back on the table – Geodis the main contender again
- 3.More container shipping M&A activity expected as smaller carriers try to keep up
- 4.Ram Menen, Stephen Dearnley and Mike Sherman join EFL
- 5.South Africa rejects Japanese container line merger proposal
- 1. email@example.com on Markings on a container – what do they mean?
- 2. Andres Pelaez on Container no-show and cancellation fees 'a potential nightmare' for intermediaries
- 3. firstname.lastname@example.org on Collision 'was USS Fitzgerald's fault': and this is why
- 4. email@example.com on Analysis: Rickmers, banking and bullfights; who is next for the sword?
- 5. Hugh Sutherland on New guidelines for UK courts could push hauliers into bankruptcy


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A big scandal’s kicked off in the world of books: big-name authors RJ Ellory and Stephen Leather have been writing fake reviews on the internet, bigging up their own titles and damning their rivals’ book
They’re not the only ones – John Locke appears to have forgotten to mention “paying for hundreds of fake reviews” in his “how I sold lots of ebooks” guide – and if you think it only happens with books I’ve got a bridge I’d like to sell you.
Take apps. If you’ve ever installed an app based on tons of five-star reviews only to discover a barely functioning game that constantly demands you pay £4.99 for some magic dangleberries, you’ll know that there’s often a big difference between what the reviews say and what the app’s actually like.
Global fashion e-tailer Shein launches new hub in Singapore
Digital Revolution and Repression in Myanmar and Thailand
Activists have also proactively published social media content in multiple languages using the hashtags #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar and #WhatsHappeningInThailand to boost coverage of events on the ground.
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Thai baht becoming the region’s worst-hit currency in COVID pandemic
According to data from its tourism ministry as well as the World Bank, Thailand had only a little over 34,000...
Asia’s slow rate of vaccination is a thorn in the region’s economic recovery
Southeast Asia has been hit badly. Daily infections for Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam are at their worst, on a seven-day moving...
TAT expects 850 billion baht ($25.7 bln) in tourism revenue after successful reopening
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has set this year’s revenue target at 850 billion baht, 300 billion of which...
Download 1xBet mobile and play all over the world
Placing profitable bets or playing in a casino is now possible comfortably even without being tied to a computer. It...
3 ways Asia can recover from the COVID-19 pandemic faster
Countries in the East Asia and Pacific region will benefit from cooperation in three major areas: vaccine deployment, reviving sectors...


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Silver Springs students get a taste of home cookin’
Students at Silver Springs Alternative/Continuation High School learned first-hand last week that making and eating healthy meals can be fun as well as tasty.
SSHS students were treated by Sierra Harvest volunteers to organic, homemade potato latkes. Students helped grate and strain purple potatoes, which were then mixed into a delicious concoction used to create the latkes.
The meal received rave reviews from students, most of whom had never heard of latkes, let alone tasted healthy, organic versions of the dish.
“The food was fantastic,” said Dallas Weaver, a junior.
Asked what he’d learned during the cooking demonstration, junior Gabe Myers said, “I learned there are more than 5,000 types of potatoes. I also learned that eating healthy helps your body.”
Junior Jesse Fierro agreed. “The latkes were healthy and good,” he said.
Sierra Harvest is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, inspiring and connecting Nevada County families to fresh, local, seasonal food. Zak Starr and another Sierra Harvest volunteer, Jason Bretz, served dozens of latkes to the SSHS students.
“It’s important to know what you’re eating and be aware of where your food comes from,” said Starr. “It’s a key step to a healthy lifestyle. I love to share how amazing it can be to cook with whole foods and to speak about the importance of eating local, seasonal produce.”
Miriam Limov, Sierra Harvest Engagement Manager, acknowledged that teenagers don’t always have the option to choose healthy, seasonal and organic options since they generally aren’t the shoppers of the family.
“Maybe the impact isn’t right now, but they may be inspired in the future to get creative with their cooking and choose local produce when possible,” Limov said.
Principal Marty Mathiesen declared the “on-campus field trip” a success.
“It’s another example of how our school partners with the community to introduce our students to new, healthy experiences,” said Mathiesen.
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Energy: Crude oil storage facilities are getting filled quickly.
Also, the slump in global liquids production this year will be unprecedented.
Credit: US banks’ credit loss provisions are piling up.
Also, junk bond ETFs now trade at a premium to their net asset values (NAV).
Rates: Central banks are cutting rates at a record pace.
United States: Has consumer sentiment bottomed?
Global Developments: How has business and consumer sentiment changed between February and March?
Food for Thought: WHO funding sources:
Edited by Devon Lall
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A ban on single-use plastic bags from pharmacies, grocery, convenience, and liquor stores that was to have taken effect in July of this year was put on hold with an announcement yesterday from California Secretary of State Alex Padilla. Opponents of the measure, known to many as SB-270, successfully gathered enough signatures on a petition for a referendum on the new law. As a result, the referendum will be put on the November 8, 2016 election ballot.
Under California law, in order for the requirements of the disputed legislation to go into effect, they must now be approved by a majority of voters in that election.
Over 800,000 signatures were collected as a result of opponents who reportedly spent over $3 million on the referendum campaign. Bakersfield, Kern County, and the rest of the San Joaquin Valley contributed over 12 percent of the signatures. However, almost two-thirds (61.7 percent) of the opposition came from Southern California, with the coastal counties of Los Angeles (27 percent), San Diego (10.4 percent), and Orange (7.1 percent) contributing more than half of that.
The landmark legislation had been approved last year and made California the only state in the nation to have a state-wide ban on such bags. The law complemented existing ordinances across the state that had already been implemented by some local governments. As originally adopted and beginning in July 2015, grocery stores and pharmacies would have been prohibited from distributing single-use plastic bags to their customers. The ban would also apply to convenience and liquor stores one year later.
One contentious part of the new law, often brought up by opponents, is that stores would be required to charge consumers for reusable bags at a rate no less than 10 cents per bag. Some thought this requirement was the result of a backroom deal between grocery store unions and the grocers themselves.
Indeed, according to Lee Califf, Executive Director of the American Progressive Bag Alliance, “SB 270 was never a bill about the environment. It was a backroom deal between the California Grocers Association and their union friends to scam consumers out of billions of dollars in bag fees – all under the guise of environmentalism. California voters will now have the chance to vote down a terrible law that, if implemented, would kill 2,000 local manufacturing jobs and funnel obscene profits to big grocers without any money going to a public purpose or environmental initiative.”
Proponents of the measure, on the other hand, saw the referendum as a ploy by plastic bag manufacturers to buy their way out of complying with the new law. According to Mark Murray, who is with a group called Californians vs. Big Plastic, “It’s not surprising that after spending more than $3.2 million, 98 percent of which is from out of state, the plastic bag industry has bought its way onto the California ballot to protect its profits.”


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DERRY — A local businessman is returning to retail.
“Dollar Bill” Burke will offer shopping at his Franklin Street Extension warehouse facility with a grand opening set for Saturday, June 7, at 8 a.m.
Burke said he will sell quality merchandise at good prices.
“I want to get back to the old school basics,” he said. “If it clicks, that’s great.”
Burke, with his animated auctioneer persona and strong ties to the community, left the retail end of his business two years ago when his 28,000-square-foot Rockingham Road store closed.
He continued his profitable wholesale and auction business, supplying items to auctions and charity events all over the East Coast.
Now, he said, it’s time to try retail again, offering his customers a “no frills” shopping experience for anything and everything at good prices, brand names and high quality.
“Walking into the warehouse is like returning to the old way of doing things,” Burke said.
The Franklin Street warehouse is chock full of merchandise ready to sell.
Burke is widely known for his television appearances, sporting a currency-draped hat and whipping off descriptions of the items he sold at his former store. That included everything from housewares and holiday decor, to sporting goods and toys.
But he also is known in the community as a strong supporter of children and programs that enhance education and numerous nonprofit groups in the area. He has helped organizations with fundraisers by using his talents as an auctioneer.
His new retail venture comes straight from the heart, something he wants his customers to enjoy.
“I think the missing piece was the retail,” Burke said. “We really love the people. I hope it’s great, I hope it’s fun, I hope they find us.”
Burke is currently creating videos about his business that air on YouTube. He said he is excited to be adding the retail piece back into his Dollar Bill world.
“We’re just trying to stay middle class,” he said. “We’ll do what we do best.”
That includes keeping with the basics.
“No shopping carts required,” he said. “We’re putting something back on the map.”
Dollar Bill’s Retail Outlet is located at 115 Franklin Street Extension. Call 965-4802 for information.


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With the supremely capable 5.0L, the Titan XD can go anywhere, do anything. Most importantly, this twin-turbo V-8 may be a plow in fertile terrain, helping Nissan cultivate a small patch of neglected turf in the ground war that is the U.S. pickup market.
In just 12 months, the West Midlands-based facility has moved from prototype production to full-scale manufacturing of more than 50,000 engines a year. The center builds the low-emissions Ingenium 2.0L diesel 4-cyl....More
Renault has spent the biggest portion of its €600 million 2014-2016 investment program on retrofitting the Palencia plant to the Common Modular Family platform on which the new Megane, Kadjar and Nissan Pulsar models are built....More
(Corrects role of ICCT co-founder in 12th paragraph)
* DUH says excess emissions levels detected in 5 separate
* Renault contests the DUH body's findings
* DUH calls for reform of European approval system
By Andreas Cremer and Laurence Frost...More
The success of Detroit Diesel's heavy-duty engine program that launched in 2008 led to securing a new cylinder-head machining line in 2012, followed by production of turbochargers in 2014, DT12 transmissions in 2015 and final-drive gearsets in 2016.
On Jan. 12, the EPA dropped a bomb on FCA, charging the automaker with using “defeat” devices to allow its award-winning 3.0L EcoDiesel V-6 to emit illegal levels of pollution. Two months later, answers remain elusive....More
WardsAuto editors are evaluating 31 vehicles as part of the 2017 Wards 10 Best Interiors competition, which began in early February and will conclude early next week. Winners will be announced April 17 and will be recognized at the WardsAuto Interiors Conference May 9 in Detroit.
WardsAuto editors are evaluating 31 vehicles as part of the 2017 Wards 10 Best Interiors competition. Today's gallery focuses on the '17 Nissan Rogue, a 5-passenger CUV with a sticker price of $35,475.


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Establishing new annual highs, the Canfax fed steer and heifer price closed around $176.75/cwt. Last week, dressed sales were reported from $294.50-296.50/cwt FOB the lot. Most of the cattle that traded were being scheduled for early September delivery. Competition on the cash market was decent with all three Western Canadian packers buying cattle. Premiums were noted if cattle graded over 70% AAA. Alberta fed cash to futures basis was reported at -$0.55/cwt, right in line with the three-year average.
The Canfax average steer and heifer price closed the week $1.50-2.50/cwt higher. Since the first half of July steer over 800 lb have increased $16-20/cwt, while over that same time frame heifers have strengthened $20-30/cwt. Last week 7-800 lb steers and heifers traded steady to $6/cwt higher, prices are $22-27/cwt higher than last year. Last week Alberta 8-900 lb steers average around $220/cwt, for the first half of August this is the highest price since 2015. Alberta weekly auction volumes totaled 14,500 head, 40,000 head smaller than last year. Canadian feeder cattle exports to the U.S. for the week ending July 30th totaled 3,320 head. YTD feeder cattle exports to the U.S. are 157% larger than last year.
Alberta D2 cows traded $0.75/cwt higher last week, and live trade was reported from $105‑124/cwt. D3 cows averaged $100/cwt. Butcher bulls were steady averaging $130.25/cwt and trade was reported from $112-149/cwt. Canadian butcher bull exports to the US for the week ending July 30th totaled 848 head, in three out of the past four weeks Canadian bull exports have been below last year.
For over 50 years, Canfax has provided expert analysis of markets and trends in the ever changing North American beef industry. In this new millennium, cattlemen, feedlot managers, and agri-business professionals will continue to rely on up-to-the-minute information as an essential tool for maximizing profit in today’s beef sector. Whether your operation needs to plan for three hours or three years into the future, Canfax delivers timely, accurate information for 21st Century cattle industry professionals.
Those interested in becoming Canfax members can sign up on the website at www.canfax.ca
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The new Mercedes S-Class will bring a “completely new level” of artificial intelligence to the luxury sedan class when it goes on sale later this year, Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius has said.
Daimler revealed the front of the new car in an artful teaser photograph ahead of its launch later this year. The picture shows the car’s wide grille and multi-projector headlamps. “The new S-Class reaches a completely new level in terms of artificial intelligence and needs-based electrification,” Kallenius said in an interview.
The S-Class launch will be followed by the electric EQS version. Both models will be built in the new “Factory 56” in Sindelfingen, which will open in September 2020, Kallenius said.
German press reports say the S-class will be available to order in Europe from September, with deliveries starting in November. The S-Class held onto the lead of the upper premium sedan sector in Europe in 2019, despite sales dropping 30 percent 8,446, according to data from JATO Dynamics market researchers.


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Making sense of disruption – the changing tax policies of Mainland China
It was an important year for the global economy, with the trade war between the United States and China, continuing throughout 2019, and tit-for-tat tariffs being raised by both countries before a deal was signed in January 2020. The tariffs slowed down exports and the overall growth rate of the Mainland economy. The government determined that it was a good opportunity to refocus the economy, from being export and investment-led, to a more consumer spending-focused economy.
It was therefore also an important year for tax policies in Mainland China. Throughout the year, the government introduced new tax policies and revised others. The year began with a reform of the individual income tax regime, which enhanced taxpayers’ involvement in their own tax filing status, increasing the allowances and lowering tax rates for many taxpayers.
There were also new value-added tax (VAT) policies to help implement the decision to re-energize the economy. Rates were reduced, changes were introduced to the export VAT refund regime, VAT recovery was allowed up front for certain immovable property and passenger transport, and the refund arrangement for incremental excess VAT was adjusted.
The country therefore entered 2020 with a very different tax system to the one it had entered 2019 and a still changing economy. But 2020 had its own surprises in store, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing the shutdown of many businesses and government services from Chinese New Year until mid-March. Although the economy is beginning to return to normal, restarting the economy is a slow process. This shutdown has seen tax bureaus stop their work, including investigations into transfer pricing, and focus more on ad hoc support measures for the economy.
The situation is still developing, but businesses operating in the country need to be up to date on the latest developments.
To find out how the changes in tax policies and the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the Mainland China economy, join the 2020 China Tax Conference. The conference will take place on Saturday, 23 May from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and will be carried out virtually as two separate sessions, morning and afternoon. The conference will feature renowned speakers, including some from the Institute’s Taxation Faculty China Tax Subcommittee, sharing their insights on the latest developments in the Mainland.
The speakers will cover four major areas: (i) transfer pricing and anti-avoidance, (ii) individual income tax, (iii) corporate income tax, and (iv) VAT.
With business operations becoming more expensive in the Mainland, multinational enterprises are considering whether to move out of the country. The decision to change operations leads to practical issues that need to be addressed. To help business leaders, there will be a roundtable discussion about tax strategies for business transformation.
Enrol now and learn how to make sense of the disruption to your operations in the Mainland.
William Chan is Partner at Grant Thornton Tax Services and a member of the Institute. He is Chairman of the Institute’s Taxation Faculty Executive Committee and Convenor of its China Tax Subcommittee. He has over 20 years of experience in providing tax services and has worked in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Mainland China.


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WHY is everyone saying 1 more day...why would anyone be selling off APPLE after record breaking earnings just 5 days ago ? what is the rebalancing people are talking about and why is apple affected so drasticly ?
The funds indexed to the NAS-100 are selling shares of apple to rebalance to reflect the new NASDAQ-100 weighting. BUT they are also repurchasing those shares in other funds in an orderly controlled fashion. So there is selling pressure and no buying by the institutions this week (hence low volume). That will be complete by COB tomorrow. Once Monday starts, accumulation will resume of Apple and stock will run. Don't worry about it and just have patience.


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Today, Prince George’s County crosses a milestone in its struggle to contain the local spread of coronavirus. At 5 p.m., June 29, 2020, the county will enter a “full phase two” reopening of county businesses. The move will allow gyms, fitness centers, casinos, shopping malls, spas and tattoo partners may re-open for business, with restrictions.
But last week, Prince George’s County crossed another milestone in the local fight against covid-19. For the first time since April, the rolling 14-day average count of daily new cases dropped below 100 cases per day. This happened on June 26, 2020. As of June 28, this rolling average of new cases stood at 80 per day. For context: The last time Prince George’s County had two-week average daily new case count below 100 was April 9, 2020. In-between, as we’ve charted below, this rolling average of daily new cases peaked at 320 on May 9, 2020. Further, the two-week rolling average of daily deaths in Prince George’s County dropped to approximately 3 this past week, levels not seen since before April 10, 2020. So far, 655 county residents have died from the disease.
While those numbers are encouraging, we’re not out of the woods yet. More than 18,400 individuals have tested positive for coronavirus in Prince George’s County since the pandemic began, and 1,014 people have tested positive for the disease in the county in the past two weeks. But even that is far reduced from the peak on May 9, 2020, when more than 4,200 people had tested positive in the county in the prior 14 days.
What changes in Phase Two?
After 5 p.m., many non-essential businesses can reopen, but with reductions in capacity intended to maintain social distancing. This past weekend, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks outlined the regulations in an email to constituents. It reads as follows:
Gyms, fitness centers and other indoor physical activities may reopen with 1 patron per 200 square feet of fitness space, not to exceed 50% capacity. All CDC guidelines and safety precautions must be adhered to.
Some recreational establishments may now reopen with capacity limits, CDC guidelines and other requirements in place. Casinos, bingo halls bowling alleys, pool halls, indoor skating rinks and miniature golf may reopen at 50% capacity. Amusement parks may reopen at 40% capacity.
Social and fraternal clubs may reopen at 50% capacity, with safeguards in place.
Retail stores will be able to expand to 1 person per 100 square feet allowed in store, not to exceed 50% percent capacity.
Shopping malls may reopen up to 50% capacity, with safeguards and physical distancing in place.
All personal services that have remained closed, including tattoo parlors, spas and massage parlors, will be able to reopen by appointment only with 1 customer per 200 square feet, not to exceed 50% capacity. The same safety and health guidelines remain in place from the modified phase two reopening for these businesses.
Houses of worship may expand indoor services to 50% capacity, with safeguards and physical distancing requirements in place.
Childcare facilities can reopen for all children with health and safety precautions. In addition to the use of masks and gloves for all employees and having appropriate social distancing and disinfecting in place, they must also have a schedule for staggered drop offs and pickups, conduct daily symptom checks and have a strict dismissal policy in the event of positive cases.
Outdoor community pools, both public and private, may now expand to 50% capacity, but must practice proper social distancing guidelines. Indoor pools will remain closed.
Car washes are now allowed to perform internal cleaning, with all employees wearing PPE and other safeguards in place.
Outdoor youth sports may expand to no more than 100 people in any area, still in small groups with no more than 9 children and 1 coach per group.
Large gatherings may also resume with one person or family-unit per 200 square feet or a maximum of 100 people, whichever is lower. Venues for large gatherings must adhere to physical distancing requirements and CDC guidelines.
Editor’s note: Route 1 Reporter is – normally – a subscriber-supported local news website. Due to the state of emergency, articles about the coronavirus pandemic will be available for free. If you like the reporting, please support Route 1 Reporter on Patreon.


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The internet economy grew seven times faster than the total US economy during the past four years and now accounts for 12 percent of the US GDP, that’s according to a new study from Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Harvard Business School.
To be exact, the internet economy’s contribution to the US GDP grew 22 percent per year since 2016, in a national economy that grows between 2 to 3 percent per year. In 2020 alone, the internet economy contributed $2.45 trillion to the nation’s $21.18 trillion GDP.
IAB’s 136-page report, “The Economic Impact of the Market-Making Internet – Advertising, Content, Commerce, and Innovation: Contribution to U.S. Employment and GDP,” is the fourth in a series of reports that measure the economic value of the commercial internet, published every four years since 2008.
Since IAB began measuring the economic impact of the internet in 2008, the internet’s contribution to GDP has grown eightfold, from $300 billion to $2.45 trillion.
The commercial internet generated more than 17 million jobs in the US, 7 million more than four years ago. This marks a dramatic increase compared with just 3 million jobs when IAB began measuring employment growth in 2008.
IAB’s research estimated that 850,000 people are self-employed and 450,000 work for small businesses in jobs that couldn’t exist without the internet.
The study also found that the commercial internet directly generated 7 million jobs and indirectly provided jobs to another 10.65 million people fulfilling service needs created by internet-based companies.
In addition, more internet jobs—38 percent—were created by small firms and self-employed individuals than by the largest internet companies, which generated 34 percent.
Upon analyzing thousands of smaller firms as aggregations, IAB estimates that those with annual revenues over $40 million created 27 percent of the internet’s jobs, and firms under $40 million created 19 percent of the internet’s jobs. Self-employed individuals and people working in small teams of five or fewer people made up a further 19 percent of the internet job total.
In the online creator economy alone, there are 200,000 full-time equivalent jobs (FTE), just short of the combined memberships of craft and labor unions SAG-AFTRA (160,000), the American Federation of Musicians (80,000), the Writer’s Guild (24,000) and the Authors Guild (9,000), according to the IAB.
That 200,000 figure, when combined with Airbnb hosts, Uber and Lyft drivers, Amazon flex drivers, Instacart workers, Amazon sellers, eBay sellers, Esty sellers, Craigslist sellers, Shopify-enabled websites and WooCommerce-enabled websites, adds up to a total of 1.3 million FTE self-employed jobs and jobs in teams of five or fewer people.
Platforms like Airbnb, Uber, DoorDash and Instagram directly employ more than 26,000 people in the US and sustain over 632,000 FTE jobs among independent workers on the platforms.
In 2020, podcasting, streaming video and digital gaming, which IAB notes “barely existed as industry segments when we did our first study in 2008,” employed 34,000 people and generated more than $40 billion of US revenue from internet-related activities.
IAB also found that more than half of the employment in the advertising and media fields is internet-related, while digital entertainment companies doubled their employment during the last four years.
Additionally, news and information companies like Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters, digital publishers like Vox and The Knot, and multi-platform publishers such as Reddit and Hearst employed more than 142,000 people in internet-derived jobs in 2020, three times the 46,000 they employed in 2008, and 73 percent more than they employed in 2016.
With 2020 US ecommerce revenues of $213 billion, Amazon is the largest ecommerce firm. The next nine US ecommerce companies generated $118 billion in revenue, which is 46 percent of total 2020 US ecommerce revenues, according to the report.
The study also highlights congressional districts’ dependence on internet-dependent jobs. Seven congressional districts have at least 10 percent of their residents working directly in the internet ecosystem, accounting for 9 percent of total US internet employment. The remaining 91 percent of internet employment is spread across 425 congressional districts. Of those, 272 districts have at least 10,000 internet-dependent jobs.
So too was the human resources (HR) function. Prior to 2016, IAB found no firms producing internet software for use by corporate HR departments. In 2016, IAB attributed 5,600 jobs to HR software development. Four years later in 2020, IAB found 83,000 jobs, a 13-fold increase.


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Mr Branson made an appeal against the consumption of shark fins to a group of 30 of China’s richest and most influential business people in Shanghai.
Every year, the fins of up to 73 million sharks are harvested and sold, most of which end up on the menus of luxury restaurants in China and Hong Kong.
The event, which saw the Virgin founder joined by retired Chinese basketball star Yao Ming, was sponsored by conservation group WildAid, who unveiled a television campaign to highlight the project.
"The world is getting wealthier. In China in particular people are getting more affluent. And they can now afford to buy shark fin soup. So it is a major problem. And therefore, there is a major battle to try to reverse that trend," said Branson.
Despite moves to ban the trade and consumption of shark fins around the globe – the state of California recently passed a law banning the possession, sale or trade of them – 95 per cent are consumed in China where a kilo of the delicacy trades for around two-thousand yuan, or £200, at Shanghai’s seafood markets.
Watch the video here:


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SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Web scale, the fastest and most secure cloud platform for modern commerce, today announced the launch of its Stratus cloud hosting platform targeting e-commerce businesses leveraging Magento and WordPress ecosystems and… other evolving open source and enterprise platforms in India. This launch is on the same date as the Magento association login event bringing together more than 2800 developers offering e-commerce worldwide.
With an increase in internet and smartphone penetration, an increase in digital literacy, the digital push of the union government and the continued impact of the pandemic, the e-commerce market in India has exploded. According to the latest data, the segment is expected to reach $74.8 billion this year and reach $120.3 billion by 2025.
Webscale enters one of the fastest growing e-commerce markets in the world with a decade of undisputed leadership in delivering and managing e-commerce storefronts in the US, UK, Australia and in EU markets, the most competitive e-commerce segment in the world. Today, renowned global brands like Unilever, Swarovski, Oreo, and Olympus, trust Webscale to boost their online presence and deliver a seamless user experience.
Born in the cloud, with rock-solid security and compliance, high performance and availability, and 24/7 support from e-commerce experts, Webscale Stratus offers an enterprise-grade platform built by from developers for developers and for merchants that can be purchased via simple self-purchase. service process in seconds. Delivered through globally distributed networks, including Indian instances of AWS and Google Cloud Platform, Webscale Stratus is ideal for merchants on Magento Community 1.x and 2.x, Magento Enterprise 1.x, Adobe Commerce 2.x, WordPress, WooCommerce, OpenCart, Drupal and other LAMP stack based platforms.
Brands on Webscale Stratus will also have access to Webscale’s suite of CloudEDGE products to improve performance and Core Web Vitals (Web-scale CloudEDGE CDN) and adding an extra layer of powerful 360-degree security (Web-scale CloudEDGE security).
With SMB pricing starting at just $113/month, Webscale Stratus offers powerful cloud hosting and management plans for merchants and developers with the tightest budgets. Webscale Stratus comes with six plans – Starter, Lite, Plus, Select, Elite, and a custom plan for storefronts that handle over 5,00,000 visitors per month.
“Affordable cloud delivery and hosting often means poor performance, unplanned downtime, basic security, and slow support. Traders, especially those in price-sensitive markets like India, deserve more,” said Sonal Puri, CEO of Webscale. “Webscale Stratus is a game-changer bringing a new generation of cloud hosting to Indian e-commerce merchants of all sizes, comprised of a fast, secure and highly scalable infrastructure, and backed by an award-winning round-the-clock support team, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.”
To celebrate the launch, Webscale is offering a free migration to Webscale Stratus from any hosting provider or on-premises infrastructure. For more information, go here.
Webscale powers modern commerce by layering software for performance, security, availability, and compliance, on a distributed global network that leverages cloud, automation, machine learning, and DevOps protocols to meet brand needs in full growth. With use cases on a variety of e-commerce platforms and architectures, Webscale simplifies the deployment and day-to-day management of storefronts, including headless and progressive web application infrastructure, and on any cloud self-hosted or fully-hosted commerce platform. Deployed in multi-cloud environments including Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure, Webscale powers Fortune 1000 brands including Dollar General, Unilever, Swarovski, Olympus, Regal Cinemas and thousands of other e-commerce storefronts B2C, B2B and B2E in 12 countries. Webscale has offices in Santa Clara, CA, Boulder, CO, San Antonio, TX, Bangalore, India and London, UK.
Webscale, CloudEDGE and Webscale STRATUS are trademarks of Webscale Networks, Inc. For more information, visit www.webscale.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.


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Hewlett-Packard Co. saw quarterly revenues surpass the $20 billion mark for the first time while showing growth in all of its major divisions.
The Palo Alto, Calif., company reported Tuesday that revenue for the second quarter was $20.1 billion, a 12 percent increase over the same period last year. Operating profit for the quarter ended April 30 was tagged at $1.1 billion, a jump of 77 percent over the second quarter last year.
Chairwoman and CEO Carly Fiorina, in a conference call with analysts, said the company is so confident about the numbers that it is raising its second-half outlook, estimating that revenues will come in between $39.7 billion and $40.7 billion. Analyst estimates are at $39.7 billion, she said.
Fiorina painted the industry as highly competitive, with customers demanding value but at a lower price. HPs ProLiant systems, based on Intel Corp.s 32-bit Xeon chips, continue to be a focus for customers.
Robert Wayman, the companys chief financial officer, agreed, saying that such demand—while driving up revenues—puts pressure on the profit margins.
“Hardware continues to move to standards-based products with lower margins,” Wayman said.
HP also aggressively priced its ProLiant systems and PCs to compete with rivals such as Dell Inc. and to improve market share.
In the last quarter, HP overcame Dell to become the top PC seller in the world. And HP officials have said that when they get their prices closer to Dells, the companys added value in such areas as management software and services becomes more attractive to customers.
“We continue to feel quite comfortable with the leverage we can get out of our enterprise business,” Fiorina said. “We used pricing this quarter very explicitly to drive some share gains.
“Were focused on balancing revenue gains, market-share gains with continued profitability. It is an intensely competitive market out there, and when we can get the appropriate balance out there, were going to go for it.”
The companys Technology Solutions Group—comprising storage, servers, software and services—had revenues of $7.7 billion, a jump of 11 percent.
The company showed a 15 percent growth in industry standard servers, and saw its high-end Superdome systems and Integrity line of Itanium-based servers grow revenue.
Storage revenue was down 1 percent from the second quarter last year to $897 million, but was up 7 percent from the previous quarter. Fiorina pointed out that HP rolled out 30 new storage products during the quarter and expects those to drive revenue growth.
In addition, software revenue jumped 23 percent, and services grew 15 percent to $3.5 billion.
Desktop and notebook revenue also grew, and HPs Imaging and Printing Group had record second-quarter revenues of $6.1 billion, up 11 percent over the same period last year.
Fiorina countered comments in the industry about Dells entry into the printer business being a threat to HPs dominance in the space.
“Theres been a lot of rhetoric,” she said. “The reality is we continue to have record profits, record revenues and we continue to gain share.”
Editors Note: This story was updated to include comments from Fiorina.


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The Dress…pretty great idea, I think.
Dear SHaded Viewers,
Dries Van Noten is celebrating the new location of Andrea Murkudis with an exclusive project unveiled for the first time in Berlin. Approximately 30 exclusive Dries Van Noten fabrics have been chosen from the archives of the company from collections over the past 12 season.
A Dress from the Dries Van Noten collection for Autumn/Winter 2011/2012, Daya, is being proposed as the foundation of the project. Customers can choose 5 fabrics from the 30, each fabric used in one of the panels of the patch work dress to create their unique garments, to make up the dress exclusively for them and the delivery will be in October 2011.


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The 802.11ac Wave 2 Wi-Fi standard is starting to gain ‘rapid' traction according to advisory services company Strategy Analytics, which says the standard will become the highest shipping Wi-Fi standard yet.
Wave 2 products started becoming available earlier this year, and Christopher Taylor, RFWC director, says thanks to the efforts of Qualcomm and other chip suppliers, more than 60 mobile device models have now reached the market.
“802.11ac Wave 2 with MU-MIMO provides significant benefits to users and a better Wi-Fi user experience compared to 802.11n and 802.11ac Wave 1, but works best when both ends of the Wi-Fi connection have Wave 2 capable radio chips,” Taylor says.
“Wi-Fi equipment vendors have embraced Wave 2 for residential and enterprise Wi-Fi infrastructure applications,” Taylor adds.
David Watkins, Strategy Analytics connected home devices service director, says ‘hundreds of millions' of Wave 2-enabled mobile devices will ship in 2016, leading to sales of tens of millions of Wave 2 routers and related infrastructure through 2017.
IDC figures earlier this year showed that 802.11ac was fast becoming the prevailing WLAN standard. The analyst firms latest Worldwide Quarterly WLAN Tracker showed 802.11ac now accounts for 57% of dependent access point unit shipments and 72.7% of dependent access point revenues, after less than three years.
IDC says that's ‘noticeably faster' adoption from 802.11n than what was seen with the 801.11a/b/g to 802.11n transition.
However, market anticipation of Wave 2 products is also being blamed for ‘anemic' WLAN growth in Q3.


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Hackers stole payment data from Costway’s website and other compromised Magento 1 websites using e-commerce credit-card skimmers.
One skimmer injects fake forms into an affected website while the other one collects credit-card details. Fortunately, this exploit only runs on outdated Magento 1 e-commerce software. Magento developers urged every customer to update to their latest software version.
“A large number of Magento 1 sites have been hacked but yet are not necessarily being monetized. […] Other threat actors that want access will undoubtedly attempt to inject their own malicious code. When that happens, we see criminals trying to access the same resources and sometimes fighting with one another.”Malwarebytes
Researchers at Malwarebytes identified French, UK, German, and Spanish Costway portals affected by these skimmers. The potential risk is massive, as only the French portal had over 180,000 visitors in December. The website’s payment form was collecting every buyer’s payment details.
Check the source.
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- Hyundai confirmed several new models in an investor presentation, as reported by Motor1.
- New vehicles coming in 2022 include a Genesis GV70 EV, an Ioniq 6 sedan, and updates for the Hyundai Palisade and Sonata and Genesis G90.
- We should learn more about these new models next year.
Hyundai's ambitious new-product launch cycle will continue into 2022, with an investor presentation confirming several new EV models and updates to existing vehicles. The Genesis GV70 compact crossover will spawn an electric variant, and a new Ioniq 6 sedan will join the Ioniq 5 hatchback in Hyundai's new EV subbrand. Updates will also be applied to the Hyundai Sonata and Palisade and the Genesis G90 full-size luxury sedan.
The GV70 EV will likely follow the template established by the Electrified G80, which features a battery-powered electric drivetrain but looks nearly identical to the gas-powered sedan. It may be called the Electrified GV70. We expect it to be sold in the U.S. market eventually, possibly for the 2023 model year.
The Ioniq 6 will be a sedan and may look somewhat like the Hyundai Prophecy concept car shown last year. Its name implies that it will be slightly larger and more expensive than the Ioniq 5, and Hyundai describes it as being mid-size.
Hyundai will also apply mid-cycle updates to various models. The first to arrive, sometime later this year, is the 2022 Genesis G90, which will likely adopt the same "two lines" styling motif seen on the rest of the luxury brand's models. Next year, we'll see visual updates for the 2023 Hyundai Sonata mid-size sedan and the 2023 Hyundai Palisade three-row SUV.
Look for more news to come in the coming months about Hyundai and Genesis' expanding lineup.


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Fort Morgan`s Taco John`s raised more than $950 for the Fort Morgan High School athletic department this holiday season with a promotional campaign.
During the holiday season, Taco John`s offers its Nachos Navidad with festive red and green chips, donating a portion of every sale to a local cause, said General Manager Eric Magee.
Customers are also encouraged to deposit their change and extra pocket money into a collection box, as well as buy holiday ornaments for $1 each, he said.
Nationwide, Taco John`s raised more than $1 million with the promotion.
The idea for the charity came when a North Dakota store started using the nachos as a fundraiser to support the fight against cystic fibrosis, Magee said.
“People throughout the franchise thought (that) idea was good and the Nachos Navidad charitable tie-in quickly took on a life of its own,” said Renee Middleton, vice president of marketing for Taco John`s International.
“Our franchise owners are good citizens of their communities and give back in many ways,” Middleton said.


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IHG has revealed plans to bring its voco Hotels brand to Japan next year with the opening of a 191-room flagship property, voco Osaka Central.
On Thursday, the hotel company announced that it had signed a management agreement with NTT Urban Development Corporation, represented via its subsidiary UD Hospitality Management Corporation, with the aim of bringing something different to Osaka’s accommodation landscape.
IHG believes voco’s character and style hasn’t been seen before in the city.
The move follows an “unprecedented period of growth” for IHG in Japan, with the launch of Kimpton, Regent and Holiday Express brands into the market.
“As IHG continues its period of expansion throughout Japan, we see a great opportunity for hotels that are fresh and different, with a colourful personality that combines the reassurance of a big brand with the informality and charm of an individual hotel,” said IHG’s Managing Director – Japan and Micronesia, and IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan CEO, Abhijay Sandilya.
“voco has been one of IHG’s most successful brand launches, due to its unique guest offering as well as interest from hotel owners who appreciate the brand’s flexibility. We can’t wait to see voco Osaka Central open in 2023, and we hope it’s the first of many in Japan.”
The Osaka Central hotel, which is located close to train stations, shops and Utsubo Park, will include a restaurant, cafe, gym and meeting rooms. Its sustainability efforts will include the use of biodegradable coffee cups, energy-saving aerated shower heads and bulk bathroom amenities.
“With a focus on location, environment and uniqueness, we have used this experience to create a new city with the concept of ‘Decorate and circulate from here’. And we aim to create the hospitality demand in the new era by valuing the history of Kyomachibori and creating a more lively area in the vicinity centred on the hotel,” said NTT Urban Development Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer, Hiroshi Tsujigami.
“This opening builds on our experience in the hotel segment, which includes the opening of The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu, which is housed in a preserved primary school building, and lyf Tenjin Fukuoka, a co-living hotel for millennials.”
Working with IHG and its company, UD Hospitality Management, Tsujigami said it’s the company’s aim for the hotel to become a “symbol of the city”.
Since its global launch in 2018, voco has grown rapidly with 35 high quality properties already open around the world. The Osaka Central signing marks the 75th signing for IHG in just over three years. It will be IHG’s sixth hotel in the city, following InterContinental Osaka, ANA Crowne Plaza Osaka, Holiday Inn and Suites Shin Osaka, Holiday Inn Osaka Namba and Holiday Inn Express Osaka City Centre Midosuji, with nearby ANA Crowne Plaza hotels in Kobe and Kyoto.
IHG currently has 50 open or pipeline hotels across six brands including (ANA) InterContinental, Kimpton, Hotel Indigo, ANA Crowne Plaza, (ANA) Holiday Inn, and Holiday Inn Express.