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Carphone Warehouse announced its decision on Monday.
Mobile phone retailers Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U have temporarily withdrawn the Sony Ericsson Satio smartphone from their stores.
Both companies said the move followed complaints from customers about software problems.
Phones 4U announced its decision to stop selling the handset 24 hours after rival retailer Carphone Warehouse.
Sony Ericsson said it was "giving this matter its utmost priority and working toward solving it".
None of the companies involved gave details about the nature of the fault but Satio users online have been complaining about frozen screens and problems with ringtones.
"Now on my second Satio and it still has the same issues," wrote Iain H on a handset review site. "Screen freezing and no ringtone. Only way to solve the problem is to take the battery out."
He added: "I'm glad I'm not the only one with this problem."
Sony Ericsson recently announced a new smartphone model, the Xperia X10. It is the company's first Android handset but it is not due to go on sale until 2010.
Verity Burns, a technology journalist with gadget magazine Stuff thinks the problem lies with how the Sony Ericsson user interface interacts with the Symbian operating system on the phone.
"The phone seems to be turning itself off when people access certain applications but not everyone will be affected. Vodafone and Orange run their own interfaces and don't seem to have the issue."


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What you need to know
- Stadium Full Screen Browser is being removed from the App Store.
- The app allowed gamers to stream Google Stadia to the iPhone and iPad.
- Zach Knox, the developer behind the app, announced its removal on Twitter today.
A few weeks ago, we reported on Stadium Full Screen Browser, a free browser that would let gamers stream Google Stadia games to their iPhone. It was a little complicated to get set up, but it did work. Today, however, it appears that the app will no longer be available for download from the App Store.
Zach Knox, the developer behind the app, announced on Monday that the app would be removed from the App Store for violating Apple's terms and conditions.
"My app is being removed from the App Store, AMA"
When asked why the app was being removed, Knox said that it was related to how he used WebKit with the GameController framework.
"I was "extending WebKit" by hooking it into the native GameController framework and thus Bluetooth controllers, which they didn't like."
If you want to try and get your hands on the app before it is removed, you can check to see if Stadium Full Screen Browser is still on the App Store.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

domain: news


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Gun Manufacturers Refuse to Take Responsibility for Fueling America’s Gun Violence Epidemic According to Committee Hearing
Hearing Follows Committee’s Alarming New Findings on Firearm Industry’s Sales and Marketing of Assault Rifles
Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, held a hearing to examine the role of the firearms industry in America’s gun violence epidemic. Ahead of the hearing, the Committee released new findings from the Committee’s investigation into five major gun manufacturers’ sales and marketing of AR-15-style assault rifles. The Committee found that gun manufacturers collected more than $1 billion from the sale of AR-15-style semiautomatic weapons in the last decade.
“Our investigation shows that five major gun manufacturers collected a total of more than $1 billion dollars from the sale of assault rifles over the last decade,” said Chairwoman Maloney in her opening statement. “Our investigation also found that gun manufacturers use dangerous marketing tactics to sell assault weapons to the public. That includes marketing to children, preying on young men’s insecurities, and even appealing to violent white supremacists. Finally, we found that even as guns kill more Americans than ever, none of these companies take even basic steps to monitor the deaths and injuries caused by their products. That is beyond irresponsible.”
At the start of today’s hearing, Chairwoman Maloney announced her intent to issue a document subpoena to Smith & Wesson after the company’s CEO refused to testify about the company’s sales and marketing of assault-style weapons.
The Committee heard testimony from Christopher Killoy, President and CEO of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.; Marty Daniel, CEO of Daniel Defense, LLC; Ryan Busse, Senior Advisor at Giffords Law Center; Kelly Sampson, Senior Counsel and Director of Racial Justice at Brady: United Against Gun Violence; and Antonia Okafor, National Director of Women’s Outreach Gun Owners of America.
Gun executives refused to take responsibility for the use of their products in mass shootings, make any changes to try to prevent gun violence, or commit to start tracking the injuries and deaths caused by their products.
In response to questioning from Chairwoman Maloney, both CEOs refused to accept responsibility for the use of their guns in mass shootings, with Mr. Daniel claiming, “these murders are local problems.”
The gun executives also refused to take any responsibility for monitoring or tracking their guns used in crimes. In response to a question from Rep. Ro Khanna, Mr. Killoy testified that tracking these violent crimes is: “Not our job.”
The gun executives refused to take any responsibility for advertising to white supremacists and extremist groups. In response to a question from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mr. Killoy refused to condemn marketing to extremist and white supremacist groups.
The gun executives refused to apply common-sense safety features to their guns. In response to questioning from Rep. Katie Porter about how many of their weapons come with fingerprint identity scanners, Mr. Killoy and Mr. Daniel both responded: “none.” Both CEOs also refused to commit to implementing safety features on their products.
Members questioned witnesses about the dangerous and reckless marketing and sales tactics that fuel gun manufacturers’ profits.
In response to questioning from Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s about the use of the Valknot—a white supremacy symbol—in a 2017 Daniel Defense products catalog, Mr. Daniel claimed to not recognize his company’s own advertisement or the symbol. Gun violence expert Kelly Sampson explained that the Valknot “is a symbol increasingly embraced by white supremacists.”
When pressed by Rep. Brenda Lawrence about his company’s use of an image posted to Twitter depicting a toddler holding an assault rifle, Mr. Daniel admitted that the advertisement was “inappropriate” in light of the Uvalde massacre, while continuing to defend Daniel Defense’s marketing practices.
In response to Rep. Stephen Lynch’s question about the use of buy-now-pay-later financing and how this exacerbates the gun violence epidemic, Ms. Sampson explained: “The reason why this is so compelling—especially for young consumers—is because AR-15s and the like are rather expensive weapons and so for individuals who may be younger this may be another way for them to get their hands on them.”
Witnesses testified about the enormous damage caused by AR-15-style weapons, the weapon of choice in numerous mass shootings, calling these firearms “weapons of war” that belong on the battlefield.
In response to questioning from Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton regarding the dangerousness of AR15-style rifles, Ms. Sampson testified: “Not only are they able to shoot from a further distance, but they also allow a lone shooter to inflict much more harm on a greater number of people in a shorter amount of time.”
In response to questioning from Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi about the threat AR-15 style firearms pose to law enforcement’s body armor, Mr. Busse explained that the “stated purpose for that rifle was to defeat body armor on the field of war.” Both Mr. Killoy and Mr. Daniel refused to stop selling guns that are made to “tear through body armor.”
In a response to a question from Rep. Shontel Brown, Mr. Daniel acknowledged his company’s firearms are designed to kill, noting that their guns “have to be dangerous to be good for self-defense.”
Witnesses and Democratic Members discussed the need for legislative solutions to hold gun manufacturers accountable, ban dangerous assault weapons, adopt safety features, and stop the bloodshed caused by these weapons of war in American communities.
In her opening statement, Chairwoman Maloney announced: “And in the coming weeks, I intend to introduce additional legislation to hold the gun industry accountable for the damage inflicted by their products—just like the car industry, the pharmaceutical industry, or any other American business.”
In response to a question from Congresswoman Norton, Ms. Sampson testified: “Renewing the assault weapons ban would prevent deadly mass shootings because we know that assault weapons are the weapons of choice for mass shooters.”
In response to a question from Rep. Mark DeSaulnier regarding the effectiveness of gun violence prevention legislation, Mr. Busse explained: “The fact is, the laws impact the way people purchase and use guns and we, as a responsible society, and you, as a governing body, need to take that into account.”
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Online retail sales for 2013 have thumped expectations - as spending jumped by 16 per cent to £91bn compared with the previous year and now accounting for almost a quarter (21 per cent) of the total retail market.
Those are from the latest online retail findings ofIMRG and Capgemini, which were revealed today at a round-table event in Soho attended by the online bosses of companies including John Lewis, tailor Moss Bros and feelunique.com
Spending was further boosted in December when shoppers spent £11bn – 18 per cent compared with the same month last year
Clothing and electrical goods recorded particularly solid results, with a year-on-year increase of 17 per cent in clothing and 18 per cent in electricals, fuelled by the popularity of new budget tablet devices.
The amount spend on tablets and smartphones doubled in December to £3bn and as the graph shows below, all growth came from mobile rather than traditional desktop devices:
At the moment, smartphones make up around 20 per cent of mobile sales with tablets accounting for 80 per cent. However with an 186 per cent leap in smartphone sales this is set to increase. (131 per cent was the growth on tablets).
The online boss of shoe retailer Schuh, Sean McKee commented that there had been a further “democratisation” of tablets at Christmas thanks to the launch of new value tablets such as Tesco’s Hudl.
He added that online shoppers were “age agnostic” and that there were now a lot of older generation consumers shopping online for the first time using tablets, having skipped desktops and laptops.
The graph below shows that there was no clear winner between pure online players and multi-channel retailers although shoppers tended to spend slightly more with online players - perhaps because their delivery charges are often higher and therefore consumers spend more to justify the delivery cost.
For 2014, Capgemini and IMRG predict a 17 per cent growth in online retail sales totaling £107bn.


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What The Market's Reading: January 12
Golden Globes Spark More Than Just Fashion Controversy
Monday morning began with usual chatter about Golden Globe upsets and fashion faux-pas, but in an unusual twist, it seems traders also kept a close eye on the Hollywood awards show.
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) proved that streaming services had successfully made the transition into TV show production when both companies received nods for their original programming.
"Orange Is The New Black" and "House of Cards," both by Netflix, received several nominations while Amazon's "Transparent" won a best TV comedy award. The news has also pitted Amazon against Netflix, as the two battle for the upper-hand in the streaming service market.
Health Care Shake-Ups Persist
With cheap debt encouraging health care companies to reposition themselves within the market, mergers and acquisitions look set to continue through 2015. After 2014's failed acquisition attempt by AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV), Shire PLC (NASDAQ: SHPG) is putting its $1.6 billion break up fee toward a $5.2 billion deal to acquire NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: NPSP).
Roche Holding AG is also looking to expand its product pipeline by partnering with Foundation Medicine Inc. (NASDAQ: FMI) for access to the company's development of cancer diagnostic tests. Roche plans to pay $1.03 billion for a 56 percent stake in the company, which will allow the two to collaborate on cancer treatment research.
Detroit Auto Show Pits GM Against Tesla
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA)'s outspoken CEO Elon Musk may be eating his words at this week's auto show, as General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) steps up to the plate with a new electric car offering that will directly compete with Tesla's own model.
Musk, set to speak in Detroit on Tuesday, has long criticized traditional automakers for their lack of innovation in the electric car market. However, this year, GM is responding by unveiling its Chevrolet Bolt at the show on Monday.
The car is set to retail for $30,000 in 2017, and will be able to drive 200 miles on a singe charge. The vehicle will be direct competition for Tesla's Model 3, also due out in 2017.
Oil Prices Making Earnings Season More Interesting
This week kicks off earnings season on Wall Street, but falling crude prices will push companies to answer difficult questions about how they plan to proceed in a volatile market. Big energy companies like Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) are relatively well-diversified, but smaller shale oil producers like Quicksilver Resources Inc (NYSE: KWK) will have to explain how they're going to manage their ballooning debt.
Sectors directly linked to oil won't be the only ones who have to answer to investors who are nervous about crude's slide; airline companies, automakers and utilities will also be in the "hot seat."
Most expect fourth quarter earnings reports to be lackluster, as a stronger dollar and deteriorating fuel prices pinch profit growth for many companies.
The following article is from one of our external contributors. It does not represent the opinion of Benzinga and has not been edited.
© 2017 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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Why Block’s Apple News Driven Its Stock Price Today
At a meeting of two giant minds from the fintech and big tech industries, To block (NYSE:SQ) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) collaborate on a new offer. On Thursday morning, Block announced the move, and bullish investors sent the stock up nearly 7% in response.
Block and Apple are working together to bring the latter’s Tap to Pay functionality, currently an option on its popular iDevices, to Block’s Point of Sale app. Once implemented, this will allow holders of these devices to use them for contactless payments at Block terminals hosting the app.
Block did not disclose the financial terms of this collaboration with Apple. He said in his announcement that
This is backed by Square’s powerful software that helps sellers drive more business through marketing and loyalty programs; easily track and manage product inventory; and even simplify their cash flow with business banking tools that give them instant access to their Square sales.
According to data from several research companies, Apple’s iPhone is currently the most popular smartphone in the United States, Block’s main market. Counterpoint Research, for example, claims that the tech giant’s familiar device accounted for more than half of all smartphone shipments in the United States last year.
Block is always looking to expand its payment ecosystem and make it as convenient and accessible as possible for customers who want to transact with Block’s customers. It’s particularly encouraging that Block is currently trying to do this with iPhone owners, as they now represent a large part of the US economy.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.


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ATHENS, Texas – Greg Gerber, the founder of the RV industry website RV Daily Report, will return as owner and editor after selling the business in July 2017 to Terry and Evada Cooper. The Coopers were new to publishing and were unable to retain many of Gerber’s advertisers or readers, or build its audience.
Gerber met with the Coopers recently to discuss the website’s future. “It quickly became apparent that Greg needed to return to the helm and guide its direction,” said Evada Cooper. “He really does have a passion for the industry and lifestyle. He has a lot of ideas and the best way for him to implement them is by controlling RV Daily Report.”
Many RVtravel.com readers are familiar with Gerber and were disappointed when he departed. At the helm of RV Daily Report, he was one of only a few RV journalists who wrote honestly about tough topics, not always flattering to the industry. RVtravel.com often reprinted his editorials, which were popular with its readers.
Gerber said he was looking forward to climbing back into the editor’s seat. “The RV industry is comprised of thousands of incredible people, each with stories to share,” he explained. “I’m planning to tweak RV Daily Report’s coverage to make it more like a small-town newspaper. We’ll report on the people in the community as well as the news of the day.”
Gerber said he also intends to directly embrace the consumer market with more content, and the weekly edition will be devoted entirely to news and information of interest to people who own and use recreation vehicles.
The weekday newsletters will still focus on industry news, but the weekend editions will focus on consumer-related topics.
“I’ll still include business management stories, product information, press releases, etc., in the daily newsletters,” said Gerber. “However, because there are a lot of wonderful people involved in the RV industry, I’ll be zeroing in on those features.”


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With the Games for Windows Live service set to be shut down next year, steps are being taken to ensure at least two games -- Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City -- remain fully playable after GfWL is gone.
A post on the Steam page for Arkham City reveals that verification and update services for Asylum and City (along with their respective Game of the Year versions) will be moved from GfWL to Steam. Copies of either game purchased through Steam won't require any effort on the owner's part to make this transition; an update for each will be downloaded and they'll be all set. For anyone who purchased the game elsewhere, a CD key or code will have to be redeemed on Steam in order to access their new Steam copies of the games.
One unfortunate side effect of GfWL shutting down is that users will be losing their existing save games. Once the transition is made away from Live, players will have to start a new game on Steam in order to play.
The upcoming Batman: Arkham Origins will be free of this issue from the start -- unlike its predecessors, Origins will use Steamworks in favor of Microsoft's service when it's released on October 25.
Coinciding with today's news is a weekend Steam a sale on the Game of The Year Editions of both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. Both are 75% off until October 21, bringing Asylum's price down to $5 and City down to $7.50.


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A key Apple Inc. AAPL supply chain executive, Tony Blevins, is reportedly leaving the Tim Cook-led company.
What Happened: Blevins’s exit comes after a TikTok video featuring him making uncharitable remarks about women went viral, reported Bloomberg.
"I have rich cars, play golf and fondle big-breasted women, but I take weekends and major holidays off,” said Blevins in response to a question by TikTok creator Daniel Mac, according to the report.
Blevins also can be heard saying in the video that he has a “hell of a dental plan.”
The Apple veteran told Bloomberg, “I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by my mistaken attempt at humor.”
See Also: How To Buy Apple (AAPL) Shares
Why It's Important: It was the decision of Apple’s Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams and Blevins to part ways. Blevins reported to the COO and to Cook, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
The video reportedly led to an expression of anger and became a topic of discussion at the Cupertino-based tech giant.
Blevins, the vice president of procurement at Apple, who is internally known as “the Blevinator” has a reputation as a cost cutter, reported The Wall Street Journal.
Last year, the Journal described him as one of the “most important executives” whose job is “badgering suppliers to get costs down.”
Price Action: On Thursday, Apple shares closed 4.9% lower at $142.48 in the regular session, according to data from Benzinga Pro.
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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The Electricity Authority today launched a nationwide programme to help householders and other consumers reduce their power bills by shopping around for the best prices on offer.
The `What’s My Number’ campaign is an initiative of the Authority working together with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Consumer NZ to help New Zealanders make more informed choices about their electricity suppliers.
The ‘What’s My Number’ campaign is based on a website which enables consumers to quickly find out how much they can save by switching to the best deal in their region and provides a gateway to making the change. The campaign is being run in conjunction with Consumer NZ’s Powerswitch website www.powerswitch.org.nz, a site where consumers can make the switch if they choose to do so.
The Authority’s research indicates that in the 2010 calendar year, the average household could have saved $150 by switching to the cheapest retail offer in their region. Nationwide, this equated to savings of $240 million, Authority Chief Executive, Carl Hansen, said.
The campaign was prompted by the fact that currently consumers’ inclination to change retailers was low – surveys showed only 5% of eligible New Zealanders are actively looking at switching electricity providers, but 50% said they would switch if approached with a better deal, Mr Hansen said.
“There is clearly considerable potential for New Zealanders to save money by taking control of their electricity bills and shopping around.
It only takes a few minutes to initiate the switching process, and according to our survey, 90% of people who switched in the last two years said they found the process was easy.
Developing a stronger shopping around culture for electricity should also enhance retail competition, creating even better deals for consumers and encouraging the development of new pricing plans and service offerings.
The ‘What’s My Number’ slogan referred to the number of dollars the consumer could save on her or his bill,” Mr Hansen said.
The Authority has built a website www.whatsmynumber.org.nz that enables people to quickly identify their estimated savings using a simple calculator. People wanting to access the estimated savings can then link to the Consumer NZ’s Powerswitch site www.powerswitch.org.nz to confirm a new retail deal and initiate the switch to a new retailer.
The two websites are complementary and closely linked. To get started all you need to do is use the simple Consumer Powerswitch calculator found at www.whatsmynumber.org.nz. From there, if you want to proceed, it’s a simple process, involving choosing and switching retailer through Powerswitch.
Sue Chetwin, CEO Consumer, says “The Consumer Powerswitch site provides the opportunity for everyone to check out the cheapest deals for electricity and gas supply. The latest Consumer Powerswitch survey of prices reveals some big savings to be made by switching. For example, a large household in Christchurch could potentially save $903pa and a medium sized household in Wellington could save $478pa. We say check it out now before the winter really hits and your heating bills go up.”
For more information visit www.whatsmynumber.org.nz.


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JJ Supports Newham School’s Caterer to Expand!
Newham Council’s Catering and Cleaning Service has just doubled its shopping list with JJ Food Service and has plans to roll out their paperless catering service to support even more businesses in the local area – all with the support of the team and products at JJ’s!
Kevin Hobart, Head of Catering at Newham Catering & Cleaning Service says, “Working with the right supplier is key – we chose JJ’s because they are responsive, competitively priced and can work in a fully digital environment.” This is particularly important since Newham school cooks have been getting technical.
Schools Chefs Get Digital
“All of our kitchen managers have touch-screen tablets, which they now use to process information on a daily basis”, explains Kevin.
“It’s a slick operation with little margin for error. It’s helped to improve our service and allows us to reduce our carbon footprint, as we have been able to cut down on our use of paper and limit food wastage through having frequent access to real-time data. JJ’s is the first wholesaler that’s been able to work with us in this way,” he said.
JJ’s are also very local to our business – we place orders for delivery from the Enfield and Dagenham branches – the small 7.5 tonne vehicles are state-of-the-art multi-temperature vehicles, which can easily nip in and out of the local area and keep chilled, fresh and frozen products at optimum temperatures.
Communication and Trust
Good communication and trust are also important, adds Kevin. “The team at JJ’s has supported us with all our requirements – including getting new products in which were not previously listed. And sourcing products competitively, to suit our budget.”
Despite previously only buying frozen products from JJ’s, Kevin now buys a range of items including chilled dairy, poultry and potato products, tinned fruits and vegetables, bakery and desserts, vegetarian and vegan options, and more!
“We’ve just recently doubled our business with JJ’s,” he said. “A big challenge for us in 2018 is to get the best value out of our suppliers. We know that JJ’s sells across a range of categories and when we benchmarked them against other suppliers, they performed really well and helped us to consolidate our shop to one pace.”
As a result, at the end of last year, Newham renewed its multi-million pound contract with JJ’s and added additional products to more than double its value.
Newham is one of a very small number of authorities that provide free school meals to junior pupils as well as infants. In April 2018, the catering and other services currently provided by the Newham team are being externalised as a stand-alone business under the name of Juniper Ventures Limited.
“The team at JJ’s offers the range, service and trust we need to put together nutritious and tasty school menus – while keeping within our budget. We look forward to building on that trust as we expand our business this year and beyond.”
If you are a school or University caterer and would like to know more about how JJ can support you – please get in touch with
Nina Grosicka, Group Accounts Acquisition Manager/ Nutritionist, JJ Food Service, 07818 572 326; email@example.com


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“Although an economic downturn is not the likely scenario for either 2019 or 2020, the risk is currently high enough to warrant preparation and planning. Technology general managers and product managers should plan out product mix and operational models that will optimally position product portfolios in a downturn should one occur,” said Mr Lovelock.
The enterprise software market will experience the strongest growth in 2019, reaching $457 billion, up 9% from $419 billion in 2018 (see Table 1). CIOs are continuing to rebalance their technology portfolios, shifting investments from on-premises to off-premises capabilities.
As cloud becomes increasingly mainstream over the next few years, it will influence ever-greater portions of enterprise IT decisions, in particular system infrastructure. Prior to 2018, more of the cloud opportunity had been in application software and business process outsourcing. Over this forecast period it will expand to cover additional application software segments, including office suites, content services and collaboration services. “Spending in old technology segments, like data centre, will only continue to be dropped,” said Mr Lovelock.
Globally, consumer spending as a percentage of total spend is dropping every year in every region due to saturation and commoditisation, especially with PC, laptops and tablet devices. Cloud applications allow these devices to have an extended life, with less powerful equipment needed to run new software. This is why the devices market will experience the strongest decline in 2019, down 4.3% to $682 billion in 2019.
“There are hardly any ‘new’ buyers in the devices market, meaning that the market is now being driven by replacements and upgrades,” said Mr Lovelock. “Add in their extended lifetimes along with the introduction of smart home technologies and IoT, and consumer technology spending only continues to drop.”


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Recall—Women’s peacoats sold at Bass Pro Shops pose fire hazard
Legal news for product liability attorneys. The CPSC and Foria International recalls peacoats for failure to meet flammability standard.
The CPSC alerts product liability attorneys- Women’s peacoats sold at Bass Pro shops recalled due to fire hazard.
Los Angeles, CA—Women’s peacoats imported by Foria International Inc., of City of Industry, Calif., in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) http://www.cpsc.gov/, have been voluntarily recalled. The CPSC announced the recall on Wednesday, April 7, 2010, which urged consumers to discontinue using the outerwear unless otherwise instructed.
Nearly 800 women’s peacoats were recalled after it was found that they failed to meet the federal flammability standard, thus posing a burn risk to those wearing them. There have been no reports of incidents or injuries pertaining to the recalled product at this time.
The CPSC stated, “This recall involves women’s peacoats that are double-breasted and have long sleeves. They are made from 100 percent cotton fleece in large blue and white plaid print. “Authentic” is printed on the label at the center back neckline of the garments.”
The peacoats were sold at Bass Pro Shops across the country from October 2009 through January 2010. The peacoats retailed at around $60. Consumers are advised to stop using the jackets and return them to Foria International for a full refund of the retail price, including shipping. The Foria International address is 18689 Arenth Avenue, City of Industry, CA 91748.
For further information, consumers can contact Foria International toll free at (888) 999-6568 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT, Monday through Friday, or visit their Web site at www.foria.com.
Legal News Reporter: Nicole Howley-Legal news for product liability lawyers.Online Justice News Flash Legal News Distribution - JusticeNewsFlash.com
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In a makeover worthy of Sunset Boulevard's Norma Desmond (and nearly as destructive), 2018 was the year Hollywood changed irrevocably. Consolidation swallowed up two traditional entertainment companies and most of another, while putting seemingly every mid-sized media company on the trading block. Fear of giant tech interlopers loomed ever larger as new distribution platforms, transformative business models and evolving consumer habits changed the town's once-immutable verities. But whether Hollywood is ready for this tech-driven closeup, Mr. DeMille, is another question altogether.
Regardless, it's possible 2018 was the most momentous year in Hollywood's roughly 110 years of existence, right up there with the birth of the movie business in Los Angeles in the 1910s, the arrival of talkies and color film around 1930, and the rise of broadcast television in the 1950s and cable TV in the 1980s.
Now we're deep into Peak TV, where tens of billions of dollars are being spent to buy content, restructure companies and position content to better capture the attention and wallets of consumers in our onrushing online-entertainment future. For the first time, the online streaming services produced more scripted shows than did all of the traditional broadcast and basic cable networks, according to FX. The total number of scripted shows from all sources continued to grow, up another 1.6 percent to 495, far outstripping any human's ability to watch them all within the year.
Amid that tectonic shift in programming sources, several big deals either went through or are about to close, while layoffs and shutdowns hit lots of places and everyone battened down in fear of a stormy 2019. And amid all of this, lots of companies are still making lots of money. It's just going to different places.
The year's biggest deal belonged to the nation's biggest telecom company, AT&T, which in May beat the U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit attempting to block its $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner. Since winning that decision (a government appeal continues but seems unlikely to prevail) the company has reshaped Time Warner's sprawling holdings, renaming it WarnerMedia and announcing plans for a streaming service late next year built on assets from Warner Bros., Turner and HBO.
Even with the new service, WarnerMedia still decided to extend its deal with putative future competitor Netflix to stream Friends, the 1990s sitcom and syndication hit that found new life with a new generation online. The one-year, $100 million price tag (the previous four-year deal was worth $30 million) was a mark of the value that dependable "comfort food" programs still have, even on new platforms.
With that in mind, John Stankey, AT&T's new head of its entertainment division, alarmed old hands at HBO when he told an all-hands meeting in June that the hugely profitable critical darling would need to dramatically increase the content it produces, so it can better compete with Netflix and other tech giants online. Despite HBO's dozens of Emmys and hefty revenues, the premium channel must create "hours a day" of new programming for the future, Stankey said.
Even as AT&T moves its big brands online more aggressively, it also shut down several smaller units that were already there.
It closed digital studio Super Deluxe, Korean soap-opera site DramaFever and classic-movie streamer FilmStruck. AT&T also reorganized other digital holdings, merging gamer-focused Machinima into Otter Media, putting it with CrunchyRoll, Rooster Teeth and VRV. Otter's FullScreen broke into three units for talent management, branded content and influencer marketing, and closed Fullscreen Direct. Overall, Otter laid off 10 percent of its workforce, about 140 positions.
Disney still hasn't closed its own mega-merger, the $71 billion acquisition of much of 21st Century Fox. But Disney nonetheless reshaped its operations, cherry-picking Fox executives such as Dana Walden to run its expanding TV and film units. And its movie unit continued to roll, breaking $7 billion in worldwide box office on Dec. 9, only the third time any studio has hit that exalted level in a year. Disney had four of the year's 10 top-grossing hits, including The Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, Incredibles 2 and Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Still to be resolved from Disney's Fox acquisition: the fate of 22 regional sports networks that were included for tax purposes. Antitrust requirements will force Disney to sell the networks, in a multi-round auction that continues. Also up in the air is whether the biggest of the RSNs, the YES Network in New York, will be included. The Disney sale triggered a provision that allows the New York Yankees to buy back the portion of the channel that it doesn't already own.
Also unresolved is what Disney will do with Hulu, the big online service that reaches 54 million subscribers worldwide. With the Fox deal, Disney will own 60 percent of Hulu (Comcast has 30 percent and WarnerMedia 10 percent). Like WarnerMedia, Disney will launch a standalone streaming service in late 2019, called Disney+ and featuring shows from Star Wars, Pixar, Marvel, National Geographic and Disney units such as ABC. Hulu now appears to be the future online home of more adult-skewing units such as FX and Fox Searchlight, but it's unclear how Disney will further differentiate the two services.
The slimmed-down Fox is also figuring out its future, minus many top executives and substantial parts of its operation, with a focus on news, sports and live programming. One of its biggest remaining assets, the Fox News Channel, just debuted an online streaming app, featuring many of its non-news stars in non-news original shows such as cooking and history. It will also stream political commentary during the day for the channel's "super fans."
But Fox had some tough losses too. After fending off Comcast bids in the Disney sale, Rupert Murdoch's clan lost out to the Philadelphia cable giant when it tried to buy a controlling interest in European satellite-TV powerhouse Sky (Comcast's winning bid was a hefty $38.8 billion). Fox then sold its minority stake in Sky to Comcast for $15 billion. That gave Comcast a huge foothold in Europe as it continues to transform beyond the United States and traditional cable TV. Comcast already has more Internet customers than cable subscribers in the United States. Now it also has Sky's 23 million European satellite TV subscribers and such content units as Sky News.
Corporate and courtroom maneuvering hamstrung two other big media companies for most of the year. CBS and long-time CEO Les Moonves attempted a palace coup against majority shareholder Shari Redstone and her National Amusements, which also controls Viacom. Redstone's board faction had pushed CBS to merge back with Viacom, but CBS executives said Viacom's underperforming pay-TV networks made it less attractive to major bidders. Eventually, the Moonves putsch failed, abetted by revelations about his alleged sexual improprieties with a number of women.
Moonves resigned, and appears unlikely to receive $120 million in severance pending two investigations. With Moonves out, the court case between Redstone and CBS settled with a near-complete restructuring of the CBS board and Redstone firmly in control. A merged CBS-Viacom still seems likely, if not certain.
Amid all of CBS's boardroom battles, Viacom CEO Bob Bakish embarked on a string of acquisitions to make his company more relevant to the young audiences that once watched channels such as Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central. The company acquired celebrity influencer-marketing consultancy WhoSay, influencer conference company VidCon, and online video provider AwesomenessTV. Viacom also led a $15 million strategic investment in Pocket.watch, the surging children's online video site that now will also create content for Nickelodeon.
Moonves' forced departure amid multiple reports of sexual misconduct was only one of the highest profile cases of the #MeToo movement impacting the traditional structures and behaviors of Hollywood. Indie film kingmaker Harvey Weinstein, long a taste-making awards season powerhouse, now faces criminal charges. Comedian Bill Cosby was convicted of rape charges and sentenced to jail. And a long string of other prominent Hollywood executives, producers and other insiders were either fired, forced out or shunned because of their bad behavior.
While the sudden fall of Moonves, Weinstein, Cosby, comedian Louis C.K. and others reverberated around the town, and many female creators and executives felt emboldened about new possibilities in their careers and lives, it's less clear how permanent will be this particular dramatic change in the way Hollywood had long operated.
As much as #MeToo began to change the psychological geography of Hollywood, new players began to shift its physical center of gravity too. Netflix took over a number of production facilities and offices in the actual Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, but most big new developments happened in Westside areas such as Culver City (Apple, Amazon and HBO), Santa Monica/West Los Angeles (Snap, Riot Games) and Playa Vista (Google).
The biggest online streamer, Netflix, continued to double down on original programming, spending $12 billion on content as it prepared for more competition in 2019 from not just WarnerMedia and Disney but also Apple, Walmart and dozens of smaller operations, plus incumbents such as Hulu and Amazon's Prime Video. For a time, before the Disney and Comcast deals came through, Netflix had a larger market capitalization than either. It finished the year with 137 million subscribers in 192 countries.
Netflix also had some big programming successes. It won more Emmys than any other network, breaking HBO's 16-year streak at the top. It also made deals with Oscar contenders Roma from Alfonso Cuaron and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs from the Coen Brothers, and even agreed to run its own more limited version of an awards campaign. Two sweet teen rom-coms – To All The Boys I've Loved Before and The Kissing Booth – topped Netflix's list of most popular movies.
Amazon kept expanding its operations in entertainment (and seemingly every other industrial sector). The company's Prime Video service has as many 75 million users binging on shows such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which nabbed five Emmys, including best comedy series. Amazon's streams of nine NFL Thursday night games were seen by a combined 20 million viewers on Prime and Twitch, its gamer-focused live-streaming site. Twitch also drew a record 600,000 simultaneous viewers to watch a match featuring music superstar Drake and the best-known video game influencer, Ninja, in the world's most popular game, Fortnite.
Amazon is also quietly building a presence as the enabler of build-your-own skinny bundles of premium streaming services. Prime Video users are able to subscribe to about 155 other pay channels, from HBO to Pongalo, Shudder and Cheddar, generating an estimated $1.7 billion in revenue.
Smaller online sites fared worse. Verizon killed mobile-entertainment site Go90, Defy Media collapsed, film site Fandor laid off nearly all its employees pending a sale, and online darlings Vox, Vice, and Buzzfeed had layoffs, restructuring or other retrenchment. Verizon, moving away from entertainment under a new CEO, wrote off a whopping $4.6 billion in its digital entertainment unit Oath and sold off photo-sharing app Flickr.
Local broadcast TV, meanwhile, may become relevant again. Sinclair, the nation's largest broadcast group, couldn't close a $3.9 billion deal for Tribune's 42 stations, but Nexstar bid $6.4 billion (including debt) for Tribune at year end. Much more dealmaking is expected in 2019 as Nexstar divests 13 stations to get its deal approved.
Sinclair, meanwhile, is launching STIRR, a local-focused online service featuring news and sports from its stations, along with syndicated content and "topicals," talk shows on the news, entertainment and the like.
Local stations and some tech providers also strongly backed ATSC 3.0, broadcast standards expected to be fully implemented by 2020 that will allow stations to transmit as many as five channels in the same spectrum, or provide other data services. ATSC 3.0 will also allow addressable, targetable, interactive programming and ads.
And this year – plumped by the Olympics, the mid-term elections and other cyclical ad drivers – saw local station revenue hit an estimated $21.1 billion, while airtime dedicated to news grow to 5.7 hours a day, up 54 percent since 2003.
Having survived 2018, many in Hollywood may be dreading what may be coming in 2019. Additional deals appear certain, especially among broadcasters and smaller media companies such as CBS, Viacom, Lionsgate and MGM. More competition will hit streaming services, and viewers may be challenged to figure out which shows to watch, and where they can find them. But through it all, 2018 will have set the stage for Hollywood's massive makeover.


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Paperless Post has received USD25 million Series C funding led by August Capital, confirmed by TechCrunch.
ThreatMetrix, the company that offers advanced cybercrime prevention solutions and online fraud protection, obtained $20 million for its latest funding round, VentureBeat reported citing a SEC filing.
PayNearMe, a company based in Sunnyvale, California that allows cash lovers to pay for their online transactions in cash, has raised $20 million for its fifth financing round, VentureBeat reported.
SuVolta Inc, a semiconductor company based in Silicon Valley, has nabbed funding amounting to $10.6 million from Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, August Capital, New Enterprise Associates, Northgate Capital and DAG Ventures.
New York, US-based media valuation platform Integral Ad Science has raised $30 million in a Series D funding round led by August Capital, according to a disclosed regulatory filing.
PubMatic (www.pubmatic.com) has raised $45 million in mezzanine financing.
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NEW YORK — Viacom Inc. President and Chief Operating Officer Mel Karmazin said he expects a strong advertising environment in the second half of 2001 with his company being a big beneficiary of that spending.
He said advertising growth will be slower than it was in 2000 when dot-com advertising was powering the industry. But Mr. Karmazin expects total advertising spending will be stronger than it was in 2000, growing more than the gross domestic product.
Viacom should do better than its competitors in grabbing advertising dollars in 2001, Mr. Karmazin said. He noted that shows like ‘Rugrats’ on the Nickelodeon cable channel and ‘Touched By An Angel’ on CBS can reach audiences of many different ages. And Viacom can offer advertisers time on many different platforms, including broadcast and cable television, radio and outdoor advertising.
Mr. Karmazin made his comments at the Big Picture Conference sponsored by Salomon Smith Barney here.
Copyright (c) 2001 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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July 27, 2022
A new acquisition made by Amazon could expand its virtual care capabilities, reporting by Catherine Thorbecke on the CNN Business website suggests.
Amazon announced it has entered an agreement to acquire primary healthcare company One Medical in an all-cash deal valued at approximately $3.9 billion.
One Medical is a membership-based primary care service that promises customers “24/7 access to virtual care.” The company operates in a dozen major U.S. markets, according to its website, Thorbecke reports, and works with over 8,000 companies to offer One Medical health benefits to their employees.
In a statement announcing the acquisition, Neil Lindsay, senior vice-president of Amazon Health Services, said Amazon thinks “healthcare is high on the list of experiences that need reinvention.” Lindsay added that Amazon hopes to be one of the companies “that helps dramatically improve the healthcare experience over the next several years.”
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With the One Medical deal, Amazon would gain access to physical health clinics and “payer and hospital system relationships,” Evercore ISI analyst Elizabeth Anderson said in a note reported on by Thorbecke.
“Headquartered in San Francisco, One Medical has seen demand for its services surge in recent years amid the Covid-19 pandemic and the rise of the telehealth sector. In its most-recent quarterly earnings report, One Medical said it had a total membership count of 767,000, up 28 percent year-over-year. One Medical went public in January 2020,” Thorbecke writes.


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Microsoft offers Office as a subscription service
Starting today, Microsoft is offering Office as a subscription service for consumers.
For $100 a year, “Office 365 Home Premium” customers can put Office on up to five computers and store up to 27 gigabytes of data on Microsoft’s SkyDrive cloud storage service, according to CNN. The subscription includes frequent software updates and allows users to automatically load their customized Microsoft Office settings on each different device.
Office 365 users will also be able to get “Office on Demand,” a feature that allows them to temporarily access the latest version of Office on any computer through a Web browser, but once you stop paying, you lose the software. CNN reported.
Microsoft will still sell Office the traditional way too, but for the first time since 2001, the price tag is going up, according to CNN. Office 2013, which hits store shelves today, is priced at $140 for the basic version, a $20 increase over Microsoft Office 2010. The new software costs $220 if you want Outlook and $400 if you want Access and Publisher.
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MT. VERNON, NY — The Foodtown store in the city of Mt. Vernon, NY, has experienced strong growth following a six-month renovation and remodeling, which increased the size of both the store and the produce department, providing more room to showcase the exceptional variety of fresh produce items offered to its shoppers.
The supermarket, located here in Westchester County, just north of New York City, underwent an extensive renovationfrom January 2012 until June 2012, and held a grand re-opening in early September. The cost of the improvements was about $2.25 million, according to Esmail Mobarak, owner of the store.
With better utilization of the basement area for refrigeration, storage and the like, the store was able to add about 2,000 square feet storewide, including extra space for the fresh produce department, according to Mr. Mobarak.
The improvements proved to be an immediate success with the store's shoppers. In fact, he said, produce sales showed an increase of 20 percent — on an annual basis — following the improvements, and storewide sales showed an increase of about 24 percent, also on an annual basis.
The produce area was "opened up," Mr. Mobarak told The Produce News, allowing, for example, island displays, "which accentuate the product" and which enhance the overall atmosphere of the produce department.
And an exciting atmosphere it is. When The Produce News visited the store in this city of about 62,000 people, shoppers would first walk past a self-contained display of "Driscoll's" brand strawberries on one side and large Navel oranges on the other before proceeding into the heart of the spacious produce department.
In the department, floor-to-ceiling cases — part of the newly added improvements — were filled with an amazing variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, with LED lighting to display them brightly and attractively.
"You have to have the right mix of items to cater to the customers," said Mr. Mobarak. "We adapt to what our customer base is."
Modar Saraireh is the manager of the store, having been promoted about five months ago from assistant manager.
Leo Garcia, who has been at this Foodtown for about 10 years, is the produce manager. At the time of this visit, Mr. Garcia said that among the items selling very well were bananas, pineapples, avocados, papayas, cantaloupes, coconuts, grapes and tomatoes.
C&S Wholesale Growers, headquartered in Hatfield, MA, is the primary supplier of all items except meat to this Foodtown. Allegiance Retail Services, a retailer-owned cooperative headquarteredin Iselin, NJ, provides marketing, advertising, technological and operational support as well as a full line of "Foodtown" private-label products.
"I would consider this an example of the emerging store," said Dean Holmquist, vice president of perishables at Allegiance. The owner has "taken this store to a whole new level" with outstanding prepared foods, seafood and cut fruit. "This is the new Foodtown in New York."
Referring to the renovations in the produce department, Mr. Holmquist added with excitement, "Look at the greens, look at the fruit. They have to use every inch available to them." The owner "runs exceptional stores. He has very high standards."
Mr. Mobarak, 42, has owned the Mt. Vernon Foodtown for 10 years. He also owns one store in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, which has been "a family store" since 1977.
"I grew up in this business," said Mr. Mobarak, who lives in White Plains, NY. And while he has no immediate plans to open new supermarkets, "I do have plans to grow," he declared. "I'm still fairly young, and I have four kids," two of whom are in college.
He continued, "New York is the melting pot of the world. Where else can you give them the diversity of their culture than in the supermarket?"
Regarding the success of the supermarket, he named two factors: his business relationship with both C&S and Allegiance, and his staff at the Mt. Vernon Foodtown.
The executives at C&S and Allegiance "work well with the team here," he stated. "They have the right items at the right price. They're great to work with."
And looking around to the folks working in the produce department, he added, "They really have pride in what they do. You see pride in everyone here."


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As previously reported, the relaunch includes a Web-based version of the popular AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) service. AIM Quick Buddy, as the new product is called, is a Java applet that allows users to access their buddy lists on any Web-enabled PC. Instead of loading previously downloaded software on a PC hard drive, users can go to the Web site to chat with other AIM users.
Along with Quick Buddy, the site prominently features AOL's online calendar service My Calendar; its Web-based email service, AOL Mail; and its My AOL content personalization page.
"Our research shows that our members want to use their AOL email, My Calendar, AOL Instant Messenger and other valued features wherever they are," Jonathan Sacks, senior vice president of AOL Interactive Services, said in a statement. "The new AOL.com site brings us even closer to our goal of bringing 'AOL Anywhere.'"
Contrary to portal convention, the site puts search in a secondary position and diminishes the presence of so-called content channels. In addition, it gives more space to the company's Shop@AOL e-commerce service, which resides below the search section.
The relaunch marks AOL's latest effort to retain its existing members and lure potential new members to its branded services. Although AOL's Web sites--including Netscape's Netcenter, ICQ.com and Digital City--collectively constitute the largest Web audience, portal heavyweight Yahoo follows close behind, according to Media Metrix.
AOL executives in the past have said they want to curb their users from leaving their services to perform popular tasks such as search or free email.
AOL.com's relaunch makes it the latest AOL Web property to undergo an appearance change. Its Netcenter portal also was recently redesigned.


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on 3 Sep 2021
Nadal's custom 80 Sunreef Power Great White is one of two luxury cats on display at the Quay Chicane
The 30th edition of the world’s largest annual superyacht exhibition will take place in its usual location of Port Hercules; Monaco’s only deep-water port.
The 80 Sunreef power made a huge splash last year, with eight of these 24-metre yachts launched in 2020 alone. But the most famous launch so far in the series is Great White, a personalised version of the popular motoryacht built for tennis superstar Rafael Nadal.
Standout features of Great White include an aft garage, a private foldout balcony in the master suite and vast relaxation areas on the flybridge.
Nadal, who grew up on Spain’s Balearic Islands, has been familiar with yachting and being on boats since childhood. In interviews, Nadal has said that what attracted him to a power catamaran was the space onboard, in particular, the discrete spaces onboard the large areas offered by a 24-metre power catamaran. Guests or owner can mingle or enjoy some peace and quiet while others socialise.
A new, eco-friendly version of the 80 Sunreef Power is now also available, which offers a complete package of energy-efficient options.
The Polish shipyard will also exhibit the Sunreef 80 Double Happiness at Monaco. A bespoke 80-foot craft, Double Happiness was commissioned by a Chinese customer and joined Sunreef Yachts’ fleet of exclusive sailing catamarans last year. One of the shipyard’s best-selling models, the Sunreef 80 is a versatile luxury multihull, prized with many awards, including a China Yachts Award in 2020.


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|The assets of Gibraltar-based poker software firm Dobrosoft have been acquired by privately held firm Digital Gaming Network (DGN), which plans to elevate the company's profile and profits in the online gaming space.|
Dobrosoft's owners will be transferring the management of the company to the new DGN management team over the next 90 days, with Dobrosoft's rank and file software staff being kept on in the new venture.
'The company looks forward to having the additional resources and expertise that DGN can bring to the table to help the company grow in ways that can fulfil its long term potential,' explained Dobrosoft's founder and CEO, Vinko Dobrosevic.
He added, 'I am pleased to announce the sale to Digital Gaming Network. The new company will have the talent and experience to launch a new era for itself and its employees. Industry insiders will be taking notice very soon.'
Dobrosoft was a private firm that had been in business since 2000, and was one of the first software developers in the online poker arena, developing multi-player gaming software for the online environment.
Digital Gaming Network has also confirmed it will test-drive its new features for industry executives at the upcoming ICE Show (International Casino Exhibition) in London on January 23 - 25.


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A poor harvest in the West African country of Niger has caused food prices to shoot up at a time of year they would normally be at their lowest. Concerned that the bad harvest could lead to a full-blown hunger crisis, WFP is planning an urgent scale-up of operations to reach as many as 3 million people with food aid.
NIAMEY—Prices at Niger’s food markets are spiking in the aftermath of a patchy harvest, causing concern among food security experts that many could soon go hungry.
“The unusually high food prices are affecting vulnerable people who are facing growing difficulties to feed themselves and their children,” said WFP Niger Country Director Denise Brown.
WFP Niger Country Director Denise Brown describes the amazing resilience of women in Niger. Watch interview
“I am extremely worried about the food situation deteriorating in the coming months. We cannot sit back and wait for the worst to come,” she said.
Niger is currently in the immediate post-harvest period, a time when the price for staples like millet ought to be coming down. Instead the failed harvest, brought on by drought, has driven them up.
In October, a 100 kg bag millet cost the equivalent of US $29 at the market in Maradi, Niger’s third-largest city. Today, it costs more than US $41. Food security experts say that right now, people in Niger are paying 37 percent more for millet than they were last year.
Harouna Ibrahim, a small farmer and father of six, says that the situation is already so bad that he would probably migrate in search of work.
“What we harvested is only enough to last us for two months,” he said. “Food is expensive and we don’t have money to buy anything. I am ready to leave for Nigeria.”
According to the Government of Niger, some 750,000 people across the country are severely insecure, a number expected to reach one million by early 2012 as the country moves towards its traditional lean season in March and April.
In response to the looming food crisis, WFP is aiming to support some 3.3 million people over the coming year with life-saving food assistance.


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Fossil (NASDAQ: FOSL) lost nearly 90% of its market value over the past five years as demand for its watches faded. Its annual revenue fell for four straight years, and analysts expect that losing streak to continue for at least two more years.
Yet Fossil now trades at less than 0.3 times this year's sales, so contrarian investors might be wondering if a rebound is overdue. Let's examine its current challenges to see if Fossil is actually a deep value play.
Fossil sells its own watches, licensed watches for other brands like Capri Holdings' Michael Kors, and other fashion accessories. Fossil once turned heads with unique watch designs (like animated watch faces), but subsequent designs failed to stand out in the crowded midrange watch market.
Weak marketing campaigns failed to bring back shoppers, and a glut of off-price items in outlets and wholesale channels diluted Fossil's brand and pricing power. Younger shoppers also drifted away from traditional watches as they checked the time on smartphones, while the rise of smartwatches -- which bridged the gap between the two products -- left Fossil behind the tech curve.
Fossil tried to keep pace with its own fitness trackers (by buying Misfit) and smartwatches, but it still struggled to gain ground against market leaders like Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL). Millennial shoppers warmed up to upscale mechanical watches as status symbols over the past two years, but that recovery didn't lift demand for Fossil's midrange devices.
Fossil attributed that improvement to a favorable comparison with 2017, when it struggled with an unsold glut of fitness trackers and smartwatches; fewer promotions and markdowns; a more favorable product mix of higher-margin devices; favorable currency rates; and benefits from its NWF (New World Fossil) turnaround initiative.
The NWF plan consists of two major phases. The first phase, which wraps up this year, mainly focused on cost-cutting initiatives. The second phase, which is expected to last through 2020, focuses on identifying growth markets, improving the speed at which its products reach the market, and optimizing its prices.
Those initiatives stabilized its gross margin in the first half of 2019, but its revenue continued to decline:
The company expects its third-quarter sales to decline 8% to 12% annually and for its gross margin to come in between 52% and 53%. It also expects its revenue to fall 8% to 12% for the full year.
The main problem for Fossil is that it still doesn't have a clear path toward growing its revenue again. The company is pegging its future on new smartwatches, but it faces a brutal uphill battle against Xiaomi, Apple, Huawei, Fitbit, and Samsung.
Those five companies controlled 65.4% of the wrist-worn wearables market in the second quarter, according to IDC, up from 54.1% a year earlier. This indicates that the market for lower-tier smartwatch makers like Fossil is rapidly shrinking. By comparison, Apple said its wearable sales rose over 50% annually last quarter.
Fossil also sold some of its smartwatch tech (and part of its research and development unit) to Alphabet's Google earlier this year, and that downsizing could make it tougher to keep pace with the market leaders.
Fossil is also expanding its presence in higher-growth markets like China and India. Its sales in Asia are certainly improving (with 9% constant currency sales growth last quarter), but they still aren't offsetting its double-digit declines in the U.S. and Europe.
Fossil is also expanding its e-commerce and DTC (direct-to-consumer) capabilities as it reduces its brick-and-mortar store count. However, a lower store count also reduces the visibility of Fossil's fading brand, while the ongoing reduction of its marketing expenses could curb its ability to attract shoppers with aggressive marketing campaigns.
Fossil's stock might look cheap relative to its annual revenue, but its forward price-to-earnings ratio of 18 isn't cheap for a company with negative revenue and earnings growth. It also doesn't pay a dividend.
By comparison, Apple trades at just 19 times forward earnings, has a forward dividend yield of 1.3%, and is a better-diversified business with more irons in the fire. Therefore, value-seeking investors should avoid Fossil and stick with better-run companies with comparable valuations instead.
10 stocks we like better than Fossil GroupWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.*
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Year-on-year, the biggest upward pressure came from cost of housing and utilities (up 0.4 percent from 0.3 percent in the previous month), followed by restaurants and hotels (up 2.1 percent from 1.9 percent), miscellaneous goods and services (up 1.0 percent from 1.2 percent) and clothing and footwear (up 1.4 percent from 0.3 percent). In contrast, transport prices fell at a slower pace (down 0.1 percent from -1.1 percent in February) while deflation in recreation and culture (down 0.2 percent from -0.1 percent) and food and non-alcoholic beverages (down 2.7 percent from -2.3 percent) worsened.
On a monthly basis, consumer prices were up 0.4 percent, the fastest pace since August of 2014. The biggest upward pressure came from transport cost (up 1.7 percent), mainly due to air transport where the timing of Easter contributed to fares rising by 22.9 percent. Prices of clothing and footwear rose 1 percent, mainly due to women’s outerwear and cost of restaurants and hotels increased 0.5 percent. In contrast, main downward contribution to the CPI came from food and non-alcoholic beverages, with prices falling 0.6 percent, most notably vegetables.
Annual core inflation rate which strips out increases in energy, food, alcohol and tobacco came in at 1.5 percent, up from 1.2 percent in the previous two months and the highest since October of 2014.


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Elsie Whiteley Innovation Centre (EWIC) is looking to the future with optimism thanks to its refreshed communal and meeting spaces, as well as in-demand office spaces. The Centre, a social enterprise that offers flexible workspaces with a purpose, is part of Halifax Opportunities Trust. As businesses begin to bounce back so is EWIC, which is seeing increasing demand for its office spaces from local organisations searching for a new work home.
The Centre took the uncertain times COVID presented as an opportunity to refocus and revive its offer for businesses in the local area of Calderdale, which is proving to pay off with a once again thriving business hub in the centre of Halifax. It is currently home to over 50 businesses in industries ranging from finance to care, education to sales, and has a healthy visitor footfall on a daily basis.
The new-look centre has optimised it’s bright, welcoming reception and atrium space with modern features and botanicals that complement its textile mill heritage. Breathing in new life, with semi-private meeting zones and casual work areas that enhance use for visitors, the space has been transformed into a functional yet inviting destination for businesses and the public, alike.
Jason Bell, business centres lead, comments: “It’s great to see Elsie Whiteley Innovation Centre buzzing with activity again. With an uncertain road ahead when the pandemic struck, we took the opportunity to improve the Centre’s communal and meeting spaces, so people could hit the ground running once restrictions lifted.
“We’ve worked hard to create an enjoyable experience for anyone who visits Elsie Whiteley Innovation Centre. Our meeting spaces have been fitted with state-of-the-art technology to make conferencing easy, whether on a local or global scale, as well as introducing contemporary features that make the spaces flexible to most user requirements. On top of this, our atrium has new considered zones that welcome casual working to support freelance, hybrid and flexible work patterns, which is a popular addition.”
The Centre is also home to Café No.5, which is open weekdays from 7.30am – 3pm, welcoming the general public as well as businesses from the Centre and the wider Halifax area. The Café offers catering for those using the meeting spaces at Elsie Whiteley Innovation Centre, as well as set-menus for those pitching up and working from their laptop.
Alison Haskins, CEO of Halifax Opportunities Trust, says: “As a social enterprise our key focus is to reinvest into our facilities, so we can continue delivering high quality services. The Centre not only looks great, but we hope that businesses who call this space their home feel great working here, too. This extends to all of our visitors; we want everyone who comes to the Elsie Whiteley Innovation Centre to feel like they are a part of our growing community.”
Whether looking for a dedicated desk in a modern space, a day or two in a co-working environment, or something a little more permanent; the Elsie Whiteley Innovation Centre is home to a whole host of spaces that allow local businesses to optimise productivity, hone their craft and grow.


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The tomato growers of California's Central Valley say they did everything right to increase productivity, improve quality and cut costs, expecting, with Yankee self-confidence, ''to feed the world.'' Now, in a microcosm of the problems facing much of American agriculture, many of the growers are worrying about feeding themselves and wondering what went wrong.
Beginning in the late 1960's, scientists at the University of California virtually re-invented the tomato: They repackaged it, breeding varieties with firm skins and resilent innards tough enough to survive harvesting by giant machines that the researchers invented to replace human labor. 'Square-Round Tomato'
The scientists reshaped the tomato, breeding what they called the ''square-round tomato,'' a slab-sided variety perfectly configured to stack neatly in gondolas while being trucked to canneries. And they gave the fruit a new name: ''processing tomato,'' one programmed genetically to ripen on a schedule when canneries needed them for processing into what became a widening red sea of canned tomatoes, ketchup, sauces and other products flowing from California, which produces 85 percent of the nation's canned tomato products.
In one of the great success stories in post-war American farming, the research enabled growers to increase the amount of tomatoes produced on each acre they farmed by 50 percent, to an average of 30 tons last year, while they drastically reduced labor costs by switching entirely to mechanical harvesters. At the cannery, each ton of the new tomatoes produced yielded 40 percent more sauce and ketchup than previous varieties.
Until three or four years ago, there were plentiful indications of prosperity wrought by such technological changes in places like Colusa, a hamlet of 4,000 or so people on the Sacramento River 150 miles northeast of San Francisco: New pickup trucks parked outside many homes, a backlog of orders for $130,000 tomato harvesting machines, new houses under construction.Continue reading the main story
These days some growers, especially old-timers with the skill and assets to cope with difficult times, are still prosperous and are even optimistic about the future. But in the past five years, almost 30 percent of the 650 processing tomato growers in California have gone bankrupt or simply gone out of business. Imports Are Assailed
Others say they are only barely holding on and fear they may be next. They say they expect the price canners pay this year for their crop to be at least 10 percent below last year's price, The reasons for their problems: Domestic overproduction caused largely by the sweeping improvements in agricultural technology they have boasted about and what growers assail as a surge of subsidized imports from France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and other countries.
Like much of American agriculture, the farmers here seem bewildered by the fruits of their success in the fields. They created an enormously efficient engine to produce food, and now there is not enough demand for the food.
Woody Yerxa, 37, of Colusa, who has been growing tomatoes in the table-flat Central Valley for 15 years, said:
''In the 60's we were told in this country, not only farmers, but consumers, that we'd have widespread famine around the world and we'd have to feed the world; we sent our newly developed varities, our head farm advisers over there; we spent billions of dollars sending what we had overseas, handed it to them. Now, they're our competitors; the countries we tried to feed are now exporting food.''
''We in California have to operate under all kinds of restrictions regarding pesticides and herbicides but our foreign competitors are using chemicals we can't use and sending their products to compete with ours at lower prices.'' Profitability Is Off
The Central Valley's efficient, mechanized growers produced about 6.5 million tons of processing tomatoes last year, about half the world's total. Although the spread of fast-food restaurants and pizza parlors and the increased popularity of pasta in the American diet has brought greater demand for tomatoes, David Zollinger, executive vice president of the California Tomato Growers Associciation, estimates this output is about 500,000 tons of tomatoes too much for the market to absorb profitably for growers.
Consumption is rising, he said, ''but a lot of the growth is being taken by the influx of imports.''
Disputing the suggestion that perhaps some consumers are switching to imported tomatoes because they like the taste better, Mr. Zollinger asserted that lower prices made possible by government subsidies, especially among members of the European Economic Community, were at fault.
Despite its problems, Mr. Zollinger said, ''I don't want to believe the processing tomato industry is going to hell in a hand basket.'' He said he was optimistic that Washington was becoming more aggressive in opposing imports of subsidized food products, and he disputed the contentions of growers who saye they have reached their limits in increasing their productivity. New Products Envisioned
''You have to have continuous improvement in productivity to maintain that competitive edge in a world class industry,'' he said.
Also optimistic is Dr. George Johannessen, director of the California Tomato Research Institute Inc., an industry group that, among other things, works to develop new products that can increase tomato consumption. Among its developments are ''tomato chips,'' in sour cream and chives, ''nacho cheese'' and barbecue flavors.
''We've got some very, very serious problems in the processing tomato industry; but we have the ability to fight and survive in the world market,'' he said, predicting that the same kind of American ingenuity that had made agriculture in this country the most productive in the world would keep it at the top. ''Research is a major factor of the successes in the past and will be in the future.''Continue reading the main story


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Entrepreneurship seems to be a growing trend, and the first annual Women’s Power Luncheon brought some of Chicago’s young minority female entrepreneurs together to encourage other women to take back the power in their own careers. The networking event, which was hosted by actress/singer Drew Sidora, featured a panel discussion and was organized with hopes that like-minded women of color could join together and share ideas, instead of bring each other down in a competitive market.
Co-sponsor of the event and the woman behind GirlMuch.com, Briea Chanel, says she wanted guests not only network, but also take away good business and branding tips such as how to get their name out there and market their product.
“I know a lot of women in the industry with great businesses, and we can all use each other,” she said.
The panelists ranged from women in the fashion industry to those who work in the media. WGCI radio personality and owner of The Lip Station, Demi Lobo, stressed the importance of making your product stand out among so many others like it. Hear Lobo talk about how she made her lipstick line unique:
But it wasn’t easy for Lobo. With building any brand, she said one of the challenges she faced was getting it to stick.
“You have to believe in the brand,” said Lobo. “That it’s going to be something strong enough that people are going want to get on board with it.”
She also said that you must have a strong “bounce back” factor after you face rejection.
“Your bounce back factor is something I speak on often. This didn’t work out, this person isn’t feeling me, this didn’t work out how I wanted it to; but I have so many other ideas out there in the universe that I can make something else happen in no time.”
The panelist also stressed the importance of social media marketing when starting a new entrepreneurial endeavor. Rachel Leigh, owner of Pear Nova nail polish, promoted her product via social media a year before its release, which she says built excitement among her followers. Listen as Leigh discusses how utilizing social media worked to her advantage.
One panelist got her start with the social media platform, Vine. As an aspiring singer, Toni Romiti would post videos of herself singing and acting goofy. This led to thousands following her, and her big break in opening up for R&B boy band Mindless Behavior. Her debut album “Lemonade” drops later this month, and she’s also focusing on her online store which features clothing with original catchphrases. It's important to be you when building a brand, Romiti said. That’s how she’s been able to have such a large following. People love her goofy side.
“”I’m really weird, and people liked watching me be weird,” Romiti said. “I’m going to be myself regardless. Your brand is who you are, so just be who you are.”
In addition to being yourself and staying true to your vision, Sidora says having a strong team behind you helps create a successful business. Hear what Sidora had to say below:
Probably the best advice was the power of believing in yourself and your brand, and to always chase after your dreams. And that’s just what one entrepreneur recently did.


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Medytox said that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has approved to sell Innotox 100 unit, the company's liquid-type botulinum toxin (BTX) A-Type product, in the domestic market.
|Medytox's liquid-type botulinum toxin A-Type product Innotox|
With the approval, Medytox has secured a lineup of various capacities, along with the existing 25 and 50 units, and increased the capacity utilization rate of its second plant, which exclusively manufactures BTX products under U.S. current good manufacturing practice guidelines.
Innotox is the world's first liquid botulinum toxin type A drug developed by Medytox in 2014. It is a botulinum toxin product that enhances safety by eliminating human serum albumin and animal-derived substances in the manufacturing process.
The BTX comes out in a liquid-type formulation and can be used immediately without a separate dilution process, further improving the convenience of treatment and having the advantage of more accurate treatment capacity calculation, Medytox said.
"The sales approval for Innotox 100 unit is significant as it has allowed the company to secure a lineup of various capacities, and help the company meet consumer needs better," Medytox CEO Jung Hyun-ho said. "Clinical trials are underway to secure additional indications for Innotox and accelerate the company's advance to the premium BTX market."
The company also plans to unveil a new prefilled syringe-type BTX, Jung said.
<© Korea Biomedical Review, All rights reserved.>


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The app allows users to check characters, auctions, and more.
NCsoft has just released the Aion Exchange app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The app features tons of ways to stay interactive with the game while on the go.
Players can now check all their Aion characters, their latest stats and equipment, keep tabs on sold items and open auctions, and view the latest market data to keep up with sales trends. The app also features a whishlist that players can use to keep track of any items to purchase at a later time. Aion Exchange is now available for $1.99 on the iPhone App Store.


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 22, 2016
JP Morgan Chase Satisfies $4 Billion Consumer Relief Obligation Under Mortgage Securities Settlement
Joseph A. Smith, Jr. credits Chase’s consumer relief through March 31, 2016
RALEIGH, N.C. – In a report released today, Joseph A. Smith, Jr., Monitor of the JPMorgan Chase Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Settlement, confirmed that JPMorgan Chase (Chase) has satisfied its $4 billion consumer relief obligation under the settlement. In total, the Monitor has credited Chase with providing$4,063,880,724 of consumer relief to 168,960 borrowers. Chase was required to provide $4 billion in credited consumer relief by Dec. 31, 2017.
“Chase has satisfied its consumer relief obligation,” said Smith. “The servicer has provided more than $4.06 billion to more than 168,000 borrowers before the deadline specified in the settlement.”
Smith’s report is his final progress report regarding Chase’s consumer relief obligation under its $13 billion settlement with the federal government and five states concerning claims that Chase, Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual packaged and sold bad residential mortgage-backed securities to investors before the financial crisis.
A fact sheet details Chase’s final credited relief.
About the Chase RMBS Settlement
More information about the Chase RMBS Settlement is available at www.jasmithmonitoring.com/chase. Further information about Joseph A. Smith, Jr. is available at https://www.jasmithmonitoring.com/.


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Atlanta-based bed brand Posh+Lavish has sent plaques to most of its retailers thanking them for their part in the Atlanta-based company’s charitable giving goals. It has donated 25% of profits each year since its 2015 founding to the nonprofit Cure International. The organization funds surgery for children around the world with conditions such as bowed legs, cleft palate, clubfoot, hydrocephalus and spina bifida. All retailers whose sales helped pay for at least one of these life-altering surgeries received a plaque.
“We don’t share a specific number, but we have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Cure and sent out nearly 100 plaques to retailers,” said Kurt Ling, Posh+Lavish co-founder. “Every operation we fund is ultimately a gift from our dealers and their customers.”
“Our passion for Cure comes from helping kids most in need and helping the greatest number of families,” he said. “(Cure’s) hospitals are in parts of the world where the kinds of doctors, operations and facilities (these children) need are generally unavailable — and if they were, they would be unaffordable to their families.”
Cure International, based in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1996 and operates charitable hospitals and programs in 26 countries. Described on its website as a Christian health care organization, Cure accepts patients regardless of ethnicity, gender or religion. Its hospitals have performed more than 196,000 procedures, more than 119,000 children have been helped.


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Bank of America Corporation Upgrades Activision Blizzard, Inc (ATVI) to “Buy”
Activision Blizzard, Inc (NASDAQ:ATVI) was upgraded by analysts at Bank of America Corporation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a $76.00 target price on the stock, up from their prior target price of $65.00. Bank of America Corporation’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 23.92% from the company’s current price.
Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Vetr upgraded Activision Blizzard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $50.88 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, April 17th. Credit Suisse Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 target price (up from $61.00) on shares of Activision Blizzard in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 price target (up from $53.00) on shares of Activision Blizzard in a research report on Tuesday, May 2nd. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Activision Blizzard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $64.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 5th. Finally, Benchmark Co. reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $57.88 price target (up from $53.96) on shares of Activision Blizzard in a research report on Monday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating to the company. Activision Blizzard presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.33.
Shares of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI) opened at 61.33 on Friday. Activision Blizzard has a 1-year low of $35.12 and a 1-year high of $64.06. The company has a market cap of $46.22 billion, a PE ratio of 45.00 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $60.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.22.
TRADEMARK VIOLATION WARNING: This news story was reported by American Banking News and is the sole property of of American Banking News. If you are accessing this news story on another website, it was illegally copied and reposted in violation of US and international trademark & copyright laws. The original version of this news story can be viewed at https://www.americanbankingnews.com/2017/08/06/activision-blizzard-inc-atvi-lifted-to-buy-at-bank-of-america-corporation.html.
In other Activision Blizzard news, CEO of King Digital Riccardo Zacconi sold 19,761 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.45, for a total value of $1,095,747.45. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 55,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,077,974.05. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Shine Investment Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Activision Blizzard during the second quarter valued at $142,000. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in Activision Blizzard by 122.6% in the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,480 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,000 after buying an additional 1,366 shares during the last quarter. Bronfman E.L. Rothschild L.P. increased its stake in Activision Blizzard by 16.2% in the second quarter. Bronfman E.L. Rothschild L.P. now owns 2,606 shares of the company’s stock worth $150,000 after buying an additional 363 shares during the last quarter. Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America increased its stake in Activision Blizzard by 1.9% in the first quarter. Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America now owns 2,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $133,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its stake in Activision Blizzard by 504.6% in the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 3,023 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,000 after buying an additional 2,523 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.37% of the company’s stock.
Activision Blizzard Company Profile
Activision Blizzard, Inc is a developer and publisher of interactive entertainment content and services. The Company develops and distributes content and services across various gaming platforms, including video game consoles, personal computers (PC) and mobile devices. Its segments include Activision Publishing, Inc (Activision), Blizzard Entertainment, Inc (Blizzard), King Digital Entertainment (King) and Other.
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Liverpool ONE adds two new independent menswear retailers
Liverpool ONE shopping centre has welcomed two new independent menswear fashion and accessory brands, Vincentius and TRIBUS. Both founded in Liverpool with local family roots, the luxury retailers have opened flagships stores at the destination.
The Official Global Wristwatch and Timing Partner of Liverpool FC, Swiss watch brand TRIBUS is displaying its watches to the public for the first time at its new 100 sq ft Liverpool ONE retail space on Wall Street.
Meanwhile, independent retailer Vincentius has unveiled its new flagship boutique at 20 Manesty’s Lane. The new 1,200 sq ft store offers the brand’s full range of footwear, menswear, and childrenswear, all of which is locally designed in Liverpool.
Alison Clegg, Director, Asset Management, Grosvenor Europe, commented: “Securing two retail signings of such a high calibre is a fantastic way for Liverpool ONE to see out the year, and puts us in very good stead as we approach 2021.
"We’re pleased to welcome these two innovative luxury brands to our retail mix, while fostering the strong local affiliations of both. Vincentius and TRIBUS will strengthen the premium experience at Liverpool ONE, while adding to the breadth of retail offer for men at the destination.”
Rob Hardwick Co-Founder of Vincentius Bespoke, added: “After trading for some time in the city and establishing our clientele, relocating the Vincentius flagship to Liverpool ONE is an exciting milestone which will strengthen and elevate our business.”
The duo of store openings follows a series of significant leasing announcements including British luxury jeweller, David M Robison, committing to a five-year lease renewal of its boutique on Liverpool ONE’s South John Street.
Last month, Liverpool ONE unveiled its Christmas installations, illuminating the shopping destination throughout November and December 2020.
The footage has been turned into a film which can be seen below: