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Malaysians will be getting the latest in smartphone advancements through the HUAWEI P60 Pro ’s launch, and that’s not all!
HUAWEI P60 Pro ‘ s Launch
The wait is finally over! HUAWEI Malaysia today announced its official launch date for the highly anticipated photography flagship, P60 Pro on 11 May 2023, which means that Malaysians can now enjoy top-notch elegant designs and innovative photography technologies adopted by the upcoming HUAWEI P60 Pro.
On top of the official announcement of P60 Pro on 11 May, HUAWEI will also be unveiling a line-up of breakthrough innovations, such as the ultra-thin and lightweight foldable phone, Mate X3, along with the latest audio and wearable products including HUAWEI WATCH Ultimate, HUAWEI WATCH Buds and HUAWEI FreeBuds 5.
Not only that, Huawei recently introduced its exclusive RM1 pre-order campaign specifically for HUAWEI P60 Pro, where customers are only required to place RM1 deposit and answer simple questions on HUAWEI Official Website to stand a chance to win mystery gifts including the HUAWEI P60 Pro, HUAWEI Watch Fit, HUAWEI WIFI AX3 Dual-Core, and more from a total prize pool worth up to RM12,429. Daily winner will be randomly selected and announced on HUAWEI Official Website today onwards until 11 May 2023.
About HUAWEI Consumer Business Group (CBG) Malaysia
Huawei’s products and services are available in more than 170 countries and are used by a third of the world’s population. Fourteen R&D centres have been set up in countries around the world, including Germany, Sweden, Russia, India and China.
Huawei Device BG is one of Huawei’s three business units and covers smartphones, PC and tablets, wearables and cloud services, etc.
Huawei’s global network is built on over 30 years of expertise in the telecom industry and is dedicated to delivering the latest technological advances to consumers around the world.


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Boots and Superdrug are still open during England’s second lockdown because they are considered to be essential shops. Both retailers are doing everything they can to ensure their staff and customers are safe and have implemented new shopping rules to help shoppers pick up everything they need.
Boots has created quiet shopping slots for those who wish to pick up items when the store is quieter.
Over 31,000 shopping slots have been made available for those who cannot make it to store during the day, like key workers in the NHS and those who are teachers.
Customers can book shopping slots online at 83 Boots stores nationwide.
Shoppers will then have a 45 minute slot in-store to pick up any items they need as well as speak to a member of the pharmacy for any advice.
They will also have access to prescription collection as well as health and wellness products.
The quiet shopping slots can be pre-booked on the Boots website and will be available throughout November and December in stores across the country.
Tracy Clements, Chief Operating Officer at Boots UK, said: “We have created a safe space for our customers and key workers, who may still wish to do some of their shopping in person.
“Voted the safest retailer on the high street, the health and safety of our customers and colleagues is the most important thing to us, so we are offering this service to allow customers access to our stores when they are quieter or at times when they are available.
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“As always, our colleagues will be on hand to help customers find what they need and make sure shopping in store is as safe, quick and pleasant as possible.”
Customers can visit www.boots.com/quiet-shopping to book a quiet shopping slot at selected Boots stores.
Those travelling to store need to follow guidelines put in place by the government and retailer and remember to wear a face covering and adhere to social distancing.
Boots is still operating its delivery service and has doubled its capacity for customers browsing online.
Shoppers can also continue to receive free home delivery on orders over £30.
All Superdrug stores are also remaining open with safety measures in place to keep customers and colleagues safe.
While beauty services will be closed, their pharmacies and clinics will also remain open to help supply customers with essential products and prescriptions.
Some of their pharmacies have reduced hours in certain locations so customers should check if their local store is opening before travelling to avoid disappointment.
To help reduce the amount of customers in-store, Superdrug currently has a free Click & Collect service that customers can pick up in one of their stores within 30 minutes.
Standard delivery is also free for Health & Beautycard members when they spend £10 or more and free for non-members when they spend £15 or more.
If customers wish to still visit a Superdrug store, they may experience a queue outside because the retailer said it is limited the number of customers in-store.
Shoppers are also reminded to stay two metres apart from other shoppers and all Superdrug colleagues will be wearing face covering while working on the shop floor.
Boots stores with quiet shopping slots:
Chesterfield Low Pavement
Sheffield High Street
Doncaster Frenchgate Centre
Northampton The Parade
Bury St Edmunds Cornhill
Staines Two Rivers Retail Park
Uxbridge Chimes Shopping Centre
Stoke On Trent Hanley
Leicester Gallowtree Gate
Basingstoke Old Mall
Wolverhampton Dudley St
Walsall Park Place
Maidenhead High St
Leamington Spa Parade
Gloucester Eastgate St
Worcester High St
Cheltenham High St
Milton Keynes Crown Walk
Swindon Brunel Plaza
Chester Foregate St
Shrewsbury Pride Hill
Taunton High St
Exeter High St
Cardiff Queen St
Oxford Cornmarket St
Solihull Mell Square
Plymouth Drake Circus
Middlesbro Cleveland Centre
Huddersfield King St
Glasgow Enoch Square
Belfast Donegal Place
Edinburgh 101Princes St
Dundee High St
Inverness Eastgate Shopping centre
Aberdeen Bon Accord Centre
Newcastle Eldon Square
Watford The Harlequin
Croydon Whitgift Shopping centre
Southampton Above Bar St
Tunbridge Wells Calverley Road
Brighton North St
Worthing Montague St
Windsor Peascod St
Jersey St Helier Queen St
Horsham Swan Walk
Dartford Bluewater Park
Liverpool Clayton Square Shopping centre
Lancaster St Nicholas
Manchester Market Street
Blackpool Bank Hey St
Carlisle English St
Crawley County Mall
Canterbury Whitefriars Shopping centre
Portsmouth Commercial Rd
Chelmsford High Chelmer
Ipswich Tavern St
York 43 Coney Street
Bath Southgate Centre
Reading Oracle Centre
Hull St Stephens Shopping Centre
Lincoln High St 196-199
Birmingham Fort Dunlop
Cheshunt Brookfield Centre
Chester Broughton Shopping centre
Coventry Central 6 Retail park
Stratford U Avon Maybird
Tamworth Ventura Retail park
Stockton On Tees Teeside Retail park
York Monks Cross Retail park
Aberdeen Garthdee Rd Retail park
Liverpool Aintree Retail park
Ellesmere Port Cheshire Oak
Newport Retail park Gwent
Rotherham Retail World
Bournemouth Castle Point Shopping centres
North Shield Silverlink Retail park
Crayford Towers Retail park
Stoke On Trent Festival Retail park
Source: Read Full Article

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Dollar General Representative has announced that a new outlet in the southwest, in Loveland, will be launching soon.
The labor workers put their final touch up for the new outlet, situated at Wilson Avenue and 14th Street Southwest. The officials are the high expectation from this outlet, and it will be open the following week.
Officials have also intended to hire for the Dollar General Loveland store more than 10 employees with attractive perks for the Loveland outlets.
Customers also can avail themselves of the inauguration ceremony, where they can get gift hampers and huge discounts on various branded products.
Related Post: Dollar General Digital Coupons (Shopping Secrets)


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In line with its commitment towards empowering its host communities, FoodCo, a Top-5 retailer and two-time honouree on the Financial Times’ annual Fastest Growing Companies in Africa ranking, has organised a special outreach program for residents of Idi-Ose and Ojoo communities in Ibadan, Oyo State.
During the programme, food packages were distributed to residents of the communities.
According to Funmi Aiyepeku, the company’s Head of Innovation, Growth and Business Transformation, the outreach is a part of the company’s wider Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) thrust designed to cushion the effects of the current inflation on the most impacted population.
It also aligns with the country’s quest towards attaining the United Nations Sustainability Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger, which aims to create a world free of hunger by 2030.
Aiyepeku said: “In over 40 years of operations, we are privileged to have enjoyed a strong affinity with our network of host communities who continue to provide us with a peaceful and secure environment to do business. This relationship has been largely fostered by FoodCo’s CSR thrust which emphasises a win-win approach to community partnerships. This outreach is one of the expressions of that thrust, and we will continue to explore other high-impact channels to deepen mutuality with our communities.”
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Calling on well-meaning stakeholders to key into efforts aimed at reducing hunger among indigent populations in the country, Aiyepeku disclosed that FoodCo will be broadening its interventions across other value chains to offer holistic support for the most impacted.“
According to UNICEF, over 25 million Nigerian children faced hunger in 2023 and there are genuine concerns that the situation may escalate given the galloping inflation and depleting disposable income of the majority of people in the country.
“We believe that only a concerted effort from well-meaning stakeholders can effectively combat this threat and we are committed to working alongside local stakeholders to create a future where food security is a sustainable reality for all.“
“Since inception, FoodCo has been actively empowering vulnerable communities through education, skills development and access to economic opportunities as well as fostering long-term solutions through community engagement and partnerships and we intend to continue in that direction,” she added.
Established in 1982, FoodCo is a diversified consumer goods company with interests in retail, quick service restaurants, manufacturing and entertainment.
With 21 outlets spread across Oyo, Lagos and Ogun States, the company operates the largest supermarket chain brand in South-west Nigeria, outside Lagos.
In addition, it is one of only two omni-channel retailers in the country. The company was listed in the FT annual list of Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies for the consecutive years 2021 and 2022.


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Icahn Enterprises quarterly profit falls to 32 cents a unit
(5:52 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Icahn Enterprises LP IEP, -1.86% late Wednesday reported its third-quarter net income fell to $23.3 million, 32 cents a unit, from $23.9 million, or 52 cents a unit, in the same quarter last year. Income from continuing operations totaled $24.7 in the third quarter, up from $6.8 million a year earlier while loss from discontinued operations was $1.4 million, compared to income of $17.2 million a year ago. Revenue increased to $1.8 billion from $414.5 million in the same period in 2007, the New York limited partnership said.
McDermott profit falls on weaker offshore sector results
(5:21 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Engineering and construction company McDermott International MDR, -2.94% reported late Wednesday third-quarter net income fell to $85.6 million, or 37 cents a share, from $140.4 million, or 61 cents, a year ago. The company blamed the decline on weaker results for its offshore oil and gas construction business, especially in the Middle East. Revenue for the quarter rose 26% to $1.32 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet Research had predicted the Houston-based company would post earnings of 71 cents a share on $1.88 billion in revenue. McDermott shares closed ahead of the report with a 10% loss at $15.56.
Sunoco profit soars on improved refining margins
(5:11 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Independent oil refiner Sunoco Inc. SUN, -0.78% citing strengthening refining margins amid falling crude prices, reported late Wednesday third-quarter net income rose to $549 million, or $4.70 a share, from $216 million, or $1.81 a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue for the three months ended Sept. 30 rose to $16.1 billion from $11.5 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet Research predicted the Philadelphia-based company would hand in earnings of $2.10 a share. Sunoco shares fell 1% ahead of the report to close at $30.59.
Whole Foods profit tumbles, sales pressured
(4:47 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Whole Foods Market Inc. WFMI late Wednesday reported its quarterly profit tumbled from a year ago, hurt by acquisition charges and store lease terminations. Separately, the organic grocery chain said it raised $425 million through a sale of preferred stock to an affiliate of Leonard Green & Partners, L.P. Whole Foods said it earned $1.5 million, or 1 cent a share, for the quarter ended Sept. 28. A year-earlier, it made $34 million, or 24 cents a share. Sales rose 13% to $1.8 billion. Whole Foods said its identical-store sales -- a key barometer of its health -- worsened throughout October as consumer spending has faltered. Sales decreased 3.3% versus a 6.7% increase in the prior year.
Conseco third-quarter loss widens to 98 cents a share
(4:41 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Conseco Inc. CNO, +0.76% said late Wednesday third-quarter net loss applicable to common stock widened to $182 million, or 98 cents a share, compared to a loss of $52.7 million, or 28 cents a share, in the same quarter a year ago. Net operating income totaled $58.9 million, or 32 cents a share, recovering from a loss of $21.7 million, or 12 cents a share, in the third quarter 2007.
Synchronoss third-quarter profit falls to 7 cents a share
(4:31 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Synchronoss Technologies Inc. SNCR, +0.64% late Wednesday reported its third-quarter net income fell to $2.3 million, or 7 cents a share, from $8 million, or 24 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. Excluding one-time items, Synchronoss would have earned 11 cents a share. Revenue decreased to $26.3 million from $34.5 million in the third quarter of 2007, said the communications software maker. Analysts surveyed by FactSet Research had forecast earnings of 11 cents a share on revenue of $26.8 million. The company is best-known for providing technology that allows Apple's AAPL, +1.52% iPhone to connect to AT&T's T, +1.14% wireless network.
News Corp. profit declines 30% on investment loss
(4:27 PM ET) CHICAGO (MarketWatch) - News Corp. NWS NWS, -0.30% said Wednesday that its fiscal first-quarter profit fell 30% on losses related to its investment in a German pay-TV operator and comparisons with year-earlier results that included contributions from DirecTV and Gemstar-TV Guide. The media conglomerate said it earned $515 million, or 20 cents a share, compared with a profit of $732 million, or 23 cents a share, in the first fiscal quarter of 2008. Revenue rose 6.3% to $7.51 billion. On average, analysts polled by FactSet Research expected News Corp. to report a profit of 23 cents a share on sales of $7.66 billion. News Corp. is the parent company of Dow Jones & Co., which includes The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Newswires, Barron's, Factiva and MarketWatch, the publisher of this report.
THQ posts widened second-quarter loss
(4:27 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Interactive entertainment software maker THQ Inc. THQI said Wednesday its fiscal second-quarter net loss widened to $115.3 million, or $1.73 a share, from $7 million, or 11 cents a share in the same period a year earlier. Net sales for the quarter ended in September fell to $164.8 million from $229.3 million, THQ said. Agoura Hills, Calif.-based THQ said the results included a non-cash charge of $1.21 a share related to "a valuation allowance and the related tax effects for its deferred tax assets."
Activision swings to net loss for third quarter on charges
(4:15 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Activision Blizzard Inc. swung to a net loss for the third quarter on large charges related to its merger with Vivendi's video-game unit. For the quarter ended Sept. 30, Activision ATVI, -2.87% reported a net loss of $108 million, or 8 cents a share. Excluding charges related to its merger with Vivendi's Blizzard unit, as well as items related to stock-options expenses, the company said it would have earned 7 cents a share for the period. Revenue came in at $711 million. Analysts were expecting earnings of 4 cents a share on revenue of $632.1, according to consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters. Activision compared the recent period's results with the stand-alone results for Blizzard at the same time last year. In that period, Blizzard earned $48 million, or 8 cents a share, on revenue of $326 million. Activision's stand-alone business earned $698,000, or break-even on a per-share basis, on revenue of $317.7 million in the same period last year.
Energy stocks move more deeply into the red
(3:59 PM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The Amex Oil Index XOI, -1.63% fell 4.5% to 955, keeping pace with a 400-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.26% The index of major oil producers gave back about half of its 10% gain in the previous session. The gauge traded close to the flat line earlier in the day, but moved more deeply into the red later in the session. The Philadelphia Oil Service Index OSX, -0.64% retreated nearly 6% to 153. The Amex Natural Gas Index XNG, +0.29% skidded 2.6% to 438.
Chesapeake rises on speculation about buyout
(1:55 PM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Chesapeake Energy Corp. CHK, +0.64% rose 12.5% to $25.79 despite weakness in the energy sector on Wednesday, amid reports that it could be a takeover target. There's talk about the possibility of a buyout by London-based BP BP, +0.32% according to published reports. The Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 16 that BP was exploring an acquisition of natural gas properties owned by Chesapeake, which has formally announced plans to raise cash by selling assets.
Time Warner: Unclear what impact economy will have on DVDs
(11:47 AM ET) CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Time Warner Inc. TWX, -28.57% Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes told analysts Wednesday that "nobody really knows" what impact the economic meltdown will have on DVD sales in the coming months. "Christmas is going to be very important to the extent people buy fewer players, and if they don't buy quite as many catalog titles ... that could cause some reduction." Catalog titles are older movies and TV shows. Bewkes added that Blu-ray players under $200 could be coming into the market, which could have a salutary effect on disc sales. Whatever adverse effect the economy has, Time Warner's home entertainment division should be poised to outperform others in the industry, Bewkes said.
Time Warner CEO: Still looking at potential AOL deals
(11:28 AM ET) CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Time Warner Inc. TWX, -28.57% Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes declined comment on any specific talks regarding the company's AOL business, but reiterated that "if there was a strategic opportunity to put AOL in a stronger position, we would look at it closely." Speaking to analysts on a conference call, Bewkes said AOL and other major companies with significant Web presences are looking for ways to increase their share of online advertising dollars, including Microsoft MSFT, +0.15% Yahoo YHOO and Google GOOG, +0.78%
Time Warner CFO: Time Inc. ad sales down from third quarter
(11:19 AM ET) CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Time Warner Inc. TWX, -28.57% Chief Financial Officer John Martin said advertising sales at the magazines of Time Inc. so far in the fourth quarter are on a pace to be exceed the 8% revenue decline seen in the third quarter, due to the financial meltdown. Particularly weak are the categories of media, movies, full retail, toiletries and cosmetics. "Readership remains strong, however, and Time Inc. continues to outpace the industry," Martin added. The company has announced job cuts representing 6% of Time Inc.'s workforce, which it expects to contribute at least $150 million to its profit beginning in 2009.
Time Warner CFO: 'Cautiously optimistic' on Turner ad growth
(11:07 AM ET) CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Time Warner Inc. TWX, -28.57% Chief Financial Officer John Martin told analysts Wednesday that the company is "cautiously optimistic" that advertising sales at its Turner cable networks, including CNN, CNN Headline News, TNT, TBS Superstation and Cartoon Network, can remain strong despite the current economic environment. In the third quarter, ad revenue at the networks rose 9%. "We can't fully gauge the impact of recent events in the financial markets on the broader economy, and Turner would not likely be immune to any widespread, protracted ad slowdown," Martin said during a conference call. Some ad categories such as automotive and financial services will be "challenged," Martin added, but ad rates are "modestly" ahead of prices charged during this summer's "upfront" sales of commercial time for the fall season. The number of advertisers who have canceled ad buy commitments made during the upfront remain at "normal levels," he said.
Clean Energy Fuels falls after Prop 10 failure in California
(10:34 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Clean Energy Fuels Inc. CLNE, -1.25% fell 13% to $7.87 on Wednesday, the first trading day after California voters struck down Proposition 10, which would have paid rebates for fuel-efficient cars and cars that run on natural gas. The natural gas filling station firm, which was founded by billionaire T. Boone Pickens, paid for nearly all of Prop. 10's $22.5 million campaign fund. Environmental groups, the California Chamber of Commerce, and the head of the California Air Resources Board opposed Proposition 10 and called for more effective and cheaper ways to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. Chesapeake Energy CHK, +0.64% also and its founder Aubrey McClendon donated $3.5 million to campaign for Proposition 10.
Energy stocks give back gains
(9:47 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The Amex Oil Index XOI, -1.63% fell 3.4% to 965. The Amex Natural Gas Index XNG, +0.29% fell 3.8% to 432. Energy stocks gave back gains from the previous session, but held onto most of the rise from Tuesday. The latest weekly inventory data looms on the radar screen later in the session.
Time Warner Cable CEO: Economy impacting subscriptions
(9:14 AM ET) CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Time Warner Cable Inc. TWC, +0.00% Chief Executive Glenn Britt told analysts Wednesday that the economic meltdown has had some impact on the second-largest U.S. cable provider in the latter half of this year. Speaking on a conference call, Britt noted that as the company moved into the fourth quarter, it "saw a significant slowdown in subscriber growth compared to last year, particularly for our video and voice services." Time Warner Cable has also seen diminished demand for certain premium video services, including pay-per-view and digital video recorders. The company reaffirmed its earnings per share target for 2008, but cut its revenue and operating income before depreciation and amortization forecasts.
Molson Coors posts rise in third-quarter profit
(8:58 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Molson Coors Brewing Co. TAP, +1.58% said Wednesday that its third-quarter profit rose to $170 million, or 92 cents a share, from $135 million, or 74 cents a share, in the same quarter a year earlier. On an adjusted basis, earnings were flat at 95 cents a share. Analysts had expected earnings, on average, of 96 cents a share, according to a FactSet Research survey.
XTO Energy earnings per share up 12% in quarter
(8:56 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- XTO Energy Inc. XTO, -0.04% said Wednesday that third-quarter earnings rose to $521 million, or 94 cents a share, compared to $412 million, or 84 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. Adjusted earnings were 99 cents a share. Revenue was $2.13 billion compared $1.42 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet Research estimated, on average, earnings per share of $1.03 and sales of $2.08 billion. Cash flow for 2009 is targeted to grow by more than 25%.
UPDATE: Cognizant posts increase in third-quarter profit
(8:50 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. CTSH, +0.14% said Wednesday that its third-quarter profit rose to $112.8 million, or 38 cents a share, from $96.2 million, or 32 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Adjusted to exclude items, earnings were 40 cents a share. On average, analysts polled by FactSet Research were expecting a profit of 37 cents a share. Revenue for the quarter totaled $735 million compared to $559 million. The Teaneck, N.J., provider of information technology, consulting and business process outsourcing services said that it expects 2008 profit of at least $1.45 a share, and $1.61 a share on an adjusted basis, on revenue of at least $2.81 billion. (Updates to include more information about the company's business.)
GMAC Financial Services posts $2.5 billion loss
(8:19 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- GMAC Financial Services said Wednesday its third-quarter net loss widened to $2.5 billion from $1.6 billion, as the lending arm of General Motors GM, +0.39% now 51% owned by a Ceberus Capital Management consortium felt the impact of the credit crises on both its residential and automotive businesses. "Adverse market conditions domestically and internationally continued to affect the mortgage business," GMAC said. "GMAC's automotive finance operation also experienced pressure from lower used vehicle prices and weaker consumer and dealer credit performance." GMAC said it plans to tap into the Federal Reserve's commercial paper purchase program and engaging in talks with regulators about bank holding company status.
CenterPoint Energy posts higher profit, hikes full-year view
(8:17 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- CenterPoint Energy Inc. CNP, +1.30% said Wednesday that its third-quarter profit rose to $136 million, or 39 cents a share, from $91 million, or 27 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Total revenue rose to $2.52 billion from $1.88 billion. CenterPoint Energy said it expects full-year earnings in the range of $1.25 to $1.35 a share, up from its prior view of reaching the upper half of a $1.15-to-$1.25 range.
IAC swings to third-quarter loss of 11 cents a share
(7:53 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- IAC IACI, +0.00% said Tuesday that it lost $15 million, or 11 cents a share in the third quarter. In the same period a year ago IAC earned $71 million, or 47 cents a share. Revenue rose to $369 million from $335 million. "This is the last quarter when the costs of our spinoffs will distort the operating performance of the company," said IAC's Chairman and Chief Executive Barry Diller. The operating loss was driven by spinoff expensed and a $16 million charge related to spinoffs.
Transocean net income rises by 13%, beating target
(7:52 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Transocean Inc. RIG, -0.65% said Wednesday third-quarter net income rose to $1.1 billion, or $3.44 a share, from $973 million, or $4.63 a share in the year-ago period. The Houston-based offshore drilling giant said revenue increased to $3.19 billion from $1.54 billion as it absorbed its acquisition of GlobalSantaFe. Wall Street analysts forecast earnings of $3.27 a share on revenue of $3.05 billion, according to a survey by FactSet Research.
CMS Energy's adjusted third-quarter profit rises
(7:50 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- CMS Energy CMS, +1.77% on Wednesday said third-quarter net income available to common stockholders fell to $79 million from $82 million in the year-ago period. On a per-share basis, earnings were flat at 34 cents. Adjusted net income at the Jackson, Mich., electric and natural-gas utility increased to 33 cents a share from 13 cents a share. Operating revenue rose to $1.43 billion from $1.28 billion. Wall Street analysts expected CMS Energy to earn 26 cents a share, according to a survey by FactSet Research.
Hospira's profit and sales rise, backs profit view for year
(7:49 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Hospira Inc. HSP, +0.48% on Wednesday said its third-quarter net income rose to $81.8 million, or 51 cents a share, from $59.4 million, or 37 cents a share, in the year-ago period. On an adjusted basis, which excludes some items, the company earned 63 cents a share. Net sales rose to $925.5 million from $838 million. Analysts, on average, had expected it to earn 63 cents a share on sales of $900.3 million, according to FactSet Research. The specialty pharmaceutical and medication delivery company expects net sales for the year to rise in a range of 6% to 7%, excluding the impact of constant currency. Adjusted earnings per share are still pegged for between $2.50 and $2.55 a share, Hospira said.
Kimco Realty profit rises 29%, cuts earnings guidance
(7:30 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Real estate investment trust Kimco Realty KIM, -0.07% said Wednesday that its third-quarter net profit rose 29% to $96.8 million, or 37 cents a share, from $75.1 million, or 29 cents a share a year earlier as it also cut guidance for 2008. The increased profit was due to a $9 million increase in operating income as well as $22 million from its investment in Alberstons and a gain on sales of $8 million, among other factors. Analysts polled by FactSet were expecting earnings of 40 cents a share. Funds from operations, a commonly used measure of performance for REITs, rose to $176.9 million, or 68 cents a share, from $146.6 million, or 57 cents a share, a year earlier. Kimco said it now expects funds from operations for the year to be in the range of $2.20 to $2.45 a share due to the dislocation in credit markets and added there is a potential for reserves against certain security investments if markets do not recover in a reasonable period of time.
Sara Lee earnings per share inch higher
(7:25 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Sara Lee Corp. SLE, -2.25% said Wednesday that first-quarter earnings were $353 million, or 32 cents a share, compared to $293 million, or 28 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. Sales for the period ending Sept. 27, were $3.3 billion, a 9.6% increase. Analysts polled by FactSet Research estimated, on average, earnings per share of 23 cents and sales of $3.33 billion. Sara Lee sees 2009 earnings per share of 99 cents to $1.06 per share, which includes 21 cents from sales of a previously sold tobacco business.
Duke Energy net income falls 65%
(7:18 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Duke Energy Corp. DUK, +1.83% on Wednesday said mild summer weather and storm-related outages in the Midwest took a bite out of its third-quarter earnings. The Charlotte, N.C. electric power giant said net income for the three months ended Sept. 30 fell 65% to $215 million, or 17 cents a share, from $607 million, or 48 cents a share in the year-ago period. Adjusted earnings fell to 33 cents a share from 45 cents a share. Revenue dipped to $3.51 billion from $3.69 billion. Analysts expected earnings of 45 cents a share on revenue of $3.94 billion, on average. "Despite a recessionary economy and tight credit markets, our energy businesses remain solid and our liquidity position is excellent," the company said.
Foster Wheeler profit dips 1%, matches forecasts
(7:15 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Engineering and construction contractor Foster Wheeler FWLT, -3.06% said Wednesday that its third-quarter net profit slipped 1% to $127.9 million, or 88 cents a share, from $129.1 million, or 89 cents a share, a year earlier. Excludgin asbestos-related items, earnings were 89 cents a share in the latest quarter, matching the consensus forecast of analysts polled by FactSet. Operating revenue for the quarter rose 32% to $1.72 billion.
Quanta Services profit rises 11%
(7:07 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Quanta Services Inc. PWR, -0.68% said Wednesday that its third-quarter net profit rose 11% to $54.8 million from $49.3 million. Earnings per share fell to 29 cents from 31 cents after a steep increase in the number of shares outstanding. Revenue rose 60% to $1.05 billion. Adjusted earnings were 32 cents a share in the latest quarter. Analysts polled by FactSet had been expecting adjusted earnings of 28 cents a share in the latest quarter. The contracting services company said many of its customer are continuing to invest in infrastructure despite the economic environment and added it expects fourth quarter earnings of 18 cents to 20 cents a share.
Gerdau AmeriSteel's third-quarter profit tops forecasts
(7:02 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Gerdau AmeriSteel Corp. [sgna] said third-quarter net income more than doubled to $316.9 million, or 73 cents a share, from $123.8 million, or 40 cents a share, earned in the year-earlier quarter. Consensus forecasts were for earnings of 62 cents a share, according to a poll of analysts surveyed by FactSet Research. Sales climbed 78.6% to $2.5 billion. The company said it expects shipments to fall in the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter.
Watson Wyatt's first-quarter profit inches higher
(6:38 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Financial management consulting firm Watson Wyatt Worldwide Inc WW said first-quarter net income inched 2% higher to $35.2 million, or 82 cents a share, from $34.4 million, or 77 cents a share, earned in the year-earlier quarter. Consensus forecasts were for earnings of 86 cents a share, according to a poll of six analysts surveyed by FactSet Research. Sales climbed 6% to $426.1 million. The company said that despite the "challenging times," it expects to achieve constant currency revenue growth in each of its segments in fiscal 2009. It sees 2009 revenue in the range of $1.75 billion to $1.81 billion and earnings per share between $3.50 and $3.57. In the second quarter it sees earnings of 75 cents to 79 cents a share and revenue of $422 million to $432 million.
R.R. Donnelley profit falls but tops estimate
(6:36 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Print services firm R.R. Donnelley RRD, -1.77% said third-quarter net income fell to $168.2 million, or 80 cents a share, from $175 million, or 80 cents a share, as sales fell to $2.86 billion from $2.91 billion. On an adjusted basis, it would have earned 87 cents a share. Additional share buybacks have been authorized to bring the total authority back to 10 million shares. It still sees annual adjusted operating margins slightly greater than 10% and earnings between $3.08 to $3.11 a share. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected a profit of 86 cents a share for the quarter and $3.08 for the year.
UPDATE: BD profit climbs 9%, sees tepid revenue growth
(6:31 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Medical device maker BD BDX, -0.71% said fiscal fourth-quarter net income rose 9% to $282 million, or $1.12 a share, as revenue rose 11% to $1.84 billion. From continuing operations, it earned $1.13 a share. For the next fiscal year, it sees revenue rising 1% to 2% with earnings per share from continuing operations up 8% to 10% from fiscal 2008's $4.46. Analysts polled by FactSet expected earnings of $1.11 a share for the quarter and $4.92 for fiscal 2009. Separately the firm named Vincent Forlenza as its new president, effective Jan. 1, and David Elkins as chief financial officer, effective from Dec. 1. (Updates to include new executive appointments.)
MBIA reports widening loss of $806.5 million
(6:30 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Bond insurer MBIA MBI, +1.01% reported a widening third-quarter loss of $806.5 million, or $3.48 a share, from a loss of $36.6 million, or 30 cents a share. The company blamed increases to loss reserves on the its second lien residential mortgage exposures and net realized and unrealized losses attributable to the company's Asset Liability Management business. After-tax operating loss for the third quarter of 2008 was $514.8 million, or $2.22 per share, compared with after-tax operating income of $192.6 million, or $1.56 per share in the same period of 2007. Analysts polled by FactSet expected a loss of 81 cents a share.
Time Warner Cable's quarterly profit rises 21%
(6:30 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Time Warner Cable TWC, +0.00% said third-quarter net income rose 21% to $301 million, or 31 cents a share, from $248 million, or 25 cents a share, earned in the year-earlier quarter. Adjusted earnings, excluding a charge of 3 cents per share stemming from the separation with Time Warner, came in at 34 cents in the latest quarter. Consensus forecasts were for earnings of 28 cents a share, according to a poll of 20 analysts surveyed by FactSet Research. Sales climbed 8% to $4.3 billion. Time Warner Cable said it expects revenue to rise 8% this year. It forecast the same percentage increase for adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortization. It also confirmed it still expects 2008 earnings in the range of $1.10 to $1.15 a share.
MetroPCS 3rd-quarter net off 15%, outlook for year affirmed
(6:26 AM ET) TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) -- MetroPCS Communications Inc., PCS the Dallas provider of flat-rate no-contract wireless-communications services, reported third-quarter net income fell 15% on 23% higher revenue. Earnings fell to $44.9 million, or 13 cents a share, from $53.1 million, or 15 cents, in the year-earlier period. Revenue rose to $686.7 million from $556.7 million. A survey of analysts by FactSet Research produced consensus estimates of 15 cents of profit on $706.3 million of revenue. The company added a net 249,000 subscribers in the quarter, and its level of churn -- subscribers defecting to other providers -- fell to 4.8% from 5.2% a year earlier. MetroPCS affirmed its outlook for the year.
Ambac Financial's quarterly loss hits $2.43 billion
(6:18 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Bond insurer Ambac Financial ABK, +0.00% said its third-quarter loss widened to $2.43 billion, or $8.45 a share, from a $360.6 million, or $3.53 a share, loss. The company blamed the widening loss on hits from credit derivatives, increased loss provisioning primarily related to second-lien residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) insurance transactions and market losses on RMBS within the financial services investment portfolio. Its operating loss was $7.81 a share, against the 74 cents a share loss that analysts forecast by FactSet estimated.
Time Warner trims outlook after flat third quarter
(6:12 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Time Warner TWX, -28.57% said third-quarter net income edged lower to $1.07 billion, or 30 cents a share, from $1.09 billion, or 29 cents a share. Revenue also was steady at $11.71 billion vs $11.68 billion. From continuing operations and excluding a penny a share of one-time items, Time Warner would have earned 31 cents a share. Time Warner cut its 2008 earnings view from continuing operations to a range of $1.04 to $1.07, down from $1.07 to $1.11 a share, including a 4 cents a share hit from one-time items. It cut its adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortization forecast to a show growth of around 5%, down from 7% to 9%, with an additional $280 million to $310 million in restructuring charges hurting profits by more than 2 percentage points. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected earnings of 27 cents a share for the quarter and earnings of $1.06 a share.
Yamana Gold net jumps and adjusted profit declines
(4:07 AM ET) TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) -- Yamana Gold Inc., AUY, -0.75% (CA:YRI)the Toronto gold, silver and copper producer, reported third-quarter net income quintupled, and adjusted earnings fell 52%, on 24% higher revenue. Earnings reached US$150.2 million, or US$0.21 a share, from US$30 million, or US$0.08, in the year-earlier period. Adjusted earnings were 5 cents a share against 18 cents. The latest earnings reflect an unrealized gain on commodity derivatives of US$138.9 million. Mine operating earnings fell 64% to US$44.4 million. Revenue rose to US$247.5 million from US$200 million. In the quarter, Yamana produced 235,406 ounces of gold, up 77% from a year earlier. Each ounce cost an average US$140 to produce. The company sold 173,342 ounces of gold at an average US$861 each.
SunPower sees results hit by dollar's strength vs the euro
(3:26 AM ET) TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) -- SunPower Corp., SPWRA SPWRB the San Jose, Calif., producer of solar-powered electrical systems, said that earnings growth in the fourth quarter and in 2009 will be hurt by a currency matter. In planning its global tax policy, SunPower changed the currency for some European units to euros from dollars, and the buck's strengthening against the euro left it under-hedged. The company expects to report fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of 58 cents to 65 cents a share on revenue of $388 million to $418 million. For all of 2009, the company estimated adjusted earnings of at least $3 a share on revenue of $2 billion to $2.1 billion. The forex impact on adjusted profit should be 15 cents a share for the fourth quarter and 50 cents for all of 2009. The revenue impact should be $17 million for the quarter and $50 million in 2009. A survey of analysts by FactSet Research produced consensus estimates of 60 cents of profit on $418.1 million of sales in the quarter. For 2009, the FactSet survey expects $3.01 of profit and $2.06 billion of revenue. The company has adjusted its hedging positions to limit the exposure of its net income to currency fluctuations, it said.
Kaiser Aluminum swings to loss; revenue edges up
(2:51 AM ET) TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) -- Kaiser Aluminum Corp., KALU, +0.92% the Foothill Ranch, Calif., producer of fabricated aluminum products, swung to a third quarter net loss of $22.1 million, or $1.11 a share, from net income of $24.8 million, or $1.22, in the year-earlier period. Revenue was up less than 1% at $369.2 million versus $366.7 million. The loss reflected a $43.8 million non-cash mark-to-market pretax loss on derivative positions, primarily due to declining metal prices; and the impact of the Anglesey smelter outage, estimated at $20 million pretax. Excluding the two items, Kaiser earned 77 cents a share in the latest period.
Allied Irish Banks cuts earnings target
(2:50 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Allied Irish Banks(UK:ALBK) AIB, +4.55% on Wednesday cut its earnings target for the year to around 1.20 euros per share from a range of 1.85 euros to 1.90 euros given in July, citing rising bad debt charges, higher funding costs and the likely cost of the Irish government's deposit guarantee scheme. The bank said deterioration in its Irish residential loan book was the main driver behind a revised bad debt charge of 0.75 percentage points of average loans in 2008. The group said its funding position remains strong, but the increased cost of wholesale funding is expected to be around 200 million euros above the level paid in 2007. For 2009 the group said it expects total bad debt provision in the range of 0.9% to 1.1% of average loans. The bank said it is targeting a 7% core Tier 1 ratio over time and a ratio of around 6% at the end of 2008. This target assumes no final cash dividend is paid.
BNP Paribas profit drops 56% after write-downs
(2:34 AM ET) PARIS (MarketWatch) -- BNP Paribas SA(FR:013110)Wednesday said the deteriorating crisis and the ensuing rise in costs to cover the related risks triggered a third-quarter net profit decline of 56%. Net profit for the quarter shrank to EUR901 million from EUR2.03 billion in the year-earlier period. Revenue was down 1% to EUR7.61 billion from EUR7.69 billion in the same period in 2007. The net profit figure fell short of analyst expectations, while revenue was above forecasts. The Paris-based bank said the cost of the crisis, including the impact the demise of Lehman Brothers and Icelandic bank problems combined with the downgraded monoline sector, was EUR1.19 billion before tax. BNP Paribas said its board of directors will decide on the 2008 dividend in February 2008. But the bank said that as at the end of September, its prudential ratios are calculated "based on the assumption of a 40% dividend pay-out ratio, similar to the one of 2007."
MillerCoors 3rd-quarter net up 15%; shipments ease
(2:33 AM ET) TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) -- MillerCoors, the joint venture of the brewers SABMiller SBMRY (UK:SAB)and Molson Coors, TAP, +1.58% (CA:TAP.A)reported third-quarter net income up 15% to $168.2 million from a pro-forma $146 million in the year-earlier period. Underlying profit, excluding special items, rose 28% to $191 million. Sales increased 2.1% to $1.95 billion. Shipments to wholesalers declined 0.5% as distributors pared inventories. "Pricing remained strong," evidenced by a 3% rise in sales per barrel of beer, the companies said. The pricing plus lower marketing and overhead expense more than offset higher cost of goods sold and lower shipment volume, the companies said. Revenue growth for the rest of 2008 "is expected to remain strong" due to price increases on the majority of beer volume in September and October. MillerCoors planned to deliver $500 million of synergies in the three years starting last July 1, when the combined operation started up. In the first year, MillerCoors expects to deliver the first $50 million of that figure, the companies said. MillerCoors produces and sells the Miller and Coors brands in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
ArcelorMittal profit up 29%, eyes operating profit drop
(2:27 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- ArcelorMittal MT, -2.26% (FR:005786), the world's largest steelmaker, said third-quarter profit climbed 29% to $3.9 billion, with sales up 38% to $35.2 billion. The company took a $1.6 billion hit related to employee benefits from a new four-year U.S. labor contract with union employees. It expects fourth-quarter earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization to be between $2.5 billion and $3 billion after EBITDA of $8.6 billion in the third quarter. It said it's going to keep its dividend at $1.50 a share in 2009, has increased its savings target to $5 billion from $4 billion, is going to increase temporary production cuts and is targeting $10 billion in debt reduction by end of 2009.
Next sales edge up 0.9%, sticks to guidance
(2:26 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.K. clothing retailer Next(UK:NXT)said Wednesday that total sales for the 14 weeks to Nov. 1 were up 0.9%, driven by its catalog business, while comparable sales at its stores were down 4.4%. Next said profit for the year will be in line with market expectations and stuck to the guidance it gave in September, including for retail net operating margin to fall around 1% for the year. It also said it's still budgeting for comparable sales for the retail business to decline in the range of 4% to 7% for autumn and winter. For 2009 Next said it expects comparable sales to continue declining through the year, though not necessarily at any worse rate than in 2008. Input prices are also expected to rise in 2009, especially toward the end of the year.


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- Here’s a closer look at the Vivo X90 and X90 Pro+ through high-quality renders.
- The company confirmed the lineup is all set to debut in China on November 22nd.
- The renders show that the Vivo X90 Pro+ has a bigger camera island than the vanilla Vivo X90.
A couple of days ago, Vivo began teasing the upcoming Vivo X90 series with an official close-up look at the phone’s premium leather back panel. Earlier this week, we got a slightly better, albeit grainy look at the lineup via leaked renders. 91mobiles now brings you high-resolution renders of Vivo X90 and X90 Pro+ courtesy of tipster Inshan Agrawal. Vivo has settled with the Vivo X80 series’ design language, as the X90 carries a similar look.
Vivo X90 and X90 Pro+ renders
The Vivo X90 series takes a page out of the Vivo X80 Pro playbook. The phones continue to sport a large circular camera island at the back to house quad cameras. In fact, both the Vivo X90 and X90 Pro+ look identical to each other. They will feature curved displays with a centre punch-hole cutout for a front-facing camera. The only noticeable difference between the two is that the camera module on the Vivo X90 Pro+ seems bigger than the one on the vanilla model.
Only the Red colour option for the Vivo X90 and X90 Pro+ comes with a leather-like texture on the rear panel. We also see the words “Xtreme Imagination” and “Vivo | Zeiss co-engineered” written across a black strip. The Black and Ice Blue colours have a matt finish. Lastly, the power button and volume controls can be seen on the right side of the frame.
With the standard model and the top-of-the-line Vivo X90 sharing a similar design, they look like they are part of the same family. For better or worse, it helps cement this as Vivo’s X-series design language since all members in the lineup look a lot like the Vivo X80 Pro.
We also know that the Vivo X90 and X90 Pro+ will come with up to 12GB RAM and 512GB internal storage, at least in China. Further, the Vivo X90 Pro+ is expected to feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which is expected to go official from Qualcomm in the coming days.
The Vivo X90 series is poised to break cover on November 22nd in China, the company has confirmed (via), and we expect to know more about these devices in the coming days leading to the launch event, via leaks and official teasers, of course.
|Expected Price:||Rs. 42,390|
|Release Date:||22-Dec-2022 (Expected)|
|Variant:||8 GB RAM / 128 GB internal storage|
|Phone Status:||Upcoming Phone|


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In commemoration of the celebration in November of the 30 anniversaries Pajero model by Mitsubishi company issued the special edition of the popular off-road vehicle with a makeweight to the name Shogun.
Nissan announced on Monday (10) will present a new concept car to the public during the next Hall of Beijing, scheduled for the April event. No images were released teasers or model, nor its official name.
Volvo announced on Tuesday (18) leading to Ocean Race series at the Geneva Motor Show, with public opening scheduled for March 6. In total, six models will receive the special series: hatch V40, V40 Cross Country, V60, V70, XC60 and XC70.
The arrival of the new generation of the Toyota Corolla to the Brazilian market is getting closer. The reader FOUR WHEELS Vinicius Pinheiro sent us this picture: A flagrant sedan running through the city of Curitiba (Paran?) on February 2.


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Servers, storage and various appliances are cloud computing's building blocks.
Articles about Hardware
In its ads, Microsoft says the Surface Pro 3 is "the tablet that can replace your laptop." With the addition of a new docking station, the Surface Pro has its eye on your desktop PC, too.
Manufacturer of silicon chip fabrication technology says it is facing a cyclical downturn and suffering under a high New Zealand dollar.
Everyone knows that USB thumb-drives can spell security trouble, but a German security group has found new and nasty ways to use USB devices to wreak havoc on computers.
Researchers at the MIT Media Lab and University of California at Berkeley say the technology could improve conditions in emerging markets where glasses and prescription lenses don't come easy.
The gadgets reaching the Electrolux design lab semi finalists show healthy environments for the future high tech home with smart design solutions.
3D printing is a hot technology topic, and Tech Pro Research conducted a survey to find out who is using it, and how it's being used in the enterprise. Find out the preferred vendors, the best uses...
Looking for an external battery? The Energi range has bags of style, but you have to pick the right one.
The companies have signed an agreement to form a massive battery manufacturing plant dubbed the Gigafactory in the United States.
Wall Street was expecting $1.74 per share on a revenue of $3.59 billion.
The payments player is late to the embedded chip card game, but hopes competitive pricing will offset the lag.
Chipmaker AMD has announced that the AMD Opteron A1100-Series developer kit, which features AMD's first 64-bit ARM-based processor, codenamed "Seattle," are now available.
Red Hat and its partners are betting that 64-bit ARM processors are ready for the data center.
The market research firm estimated 295.3 million units shipped worldwide during the second quarter of 2014, representing annual growth of 23.1 percent.
First teased during its April Build conference, the Raspberry Pi-ish device is the result of the combined efforts of Microsoft, Intel and product manufacturer CircuitCo.
Schneider has previously worked with Baidu to provide custom IT cabinets as part of Baidu’s open source-based Project Scorpio.


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October 15th, 2017
Metro Cash & Carry will start online sales for business customers by year-end as it looks to expand its market position in the growing segment, a top official of the company said. The company also plans to add more stores to its network.
To woo small kirana shops, the company has also started giving them credit ranging from Rs 1...
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Jobs in Chicago among the six companies in the forefront of technological innovation
On March 30th, 2016, Jobs took part to the Chicago i3 Forum – “Impact, Innovate, Integrate”, an exclusive invitation-only event designed to stimulate discussion between a selected delegation of major Italian and American machine tool manufacturers about the current state and future trends of the manufacturing industry in the aerospace, automotive, energy and robotics fields, mostly in relation to new technologies’ impact on factory world (Additive Manufacturing, Virtual Reality, new materials,…).
On this occasion Marco Livelli, the Chief Executive Officer of Jobs, indicated that Jobs, a global showcase of mechanical excellence in the province of Piacenza, is not only “the heart of mechanics which looks ahead” but also an Italian frontier in the machine tools industry. Therefore Jobs is ready for innovation challenge.
Specialized in the large pieces machining for the aerospace sector, Jobs has been chosen as a representative along with other six Italian companies invited to present in the i3 Forum.
Livelli’s speech focused on Jobs’ strength to offer simple solutions to complex challenges, a 30% reduction in machining costs and a 60% improvement in productivity. In regard to the new technologies’ usage, Jobs CEO highlighted the company’s effort in reducing time to market which results in 60% reduction in hand work with the highest quality outputs.
Italy was the main attraction of this event, being one of the major global players in very high precision machine tools production, from robotics to customized machines for several manufacturing production needs as well as packaging to pharmaceutical industry. Machines are now developed with a high content of electronic automation. Furthermore, the U.S. market is the first international outlet channel.
The i3 Forum was organized by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, Ice, Confindustria e UCIMU-Sistemi per produrre and included as guest speakers Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Chicago Mayor Chicago Rahm Emanuel and the CEO of Fiat Chrysler Sergio Marchionne. Renzi applauded the competitiveness of our Country, suggesting “Thanks to its niche specialization, creativity and production flexibility, Italy is able to compete on global scale against the more advanced German and Japanese manufacturers”.


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A.B. 10321 expands the New York’s sales and use tax imposition to include digital advertising services, mirroring a ncompanion a bill introduced in the Senate last week.
A.B. 10321 would expand state sales and use tax to digital advertising services, such as banner advertisements, search engine advertising, interstitial advertisements and other comparable services. A digital advertising service subject to the tax would be one that “markets or promotes a particular good, service or political candidate or message,” the Assembly bill said.
The bill would take effect 30 days after it becomes law and expire five years after the effective date. Revenue from the tax would be put into a special fund dedicated to offering zero-interest refinancing for education loans. The bill has been referred to the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee.
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The Intel Corporation demonstrated new software yesterday that would enable personal computers to receive digital, high-definition television signals -- providing a possible end to a format war the computer industry has fought against the broadcasting and consumer electronics industries.
Since early this year, Intel and its allies -- the Microsoft Corporation and the Compaq Computer Corporation -- have urged broadcasters and manufacturers of television sets to abandon high-definition in favor of the lower-resolution digital signals that the computer industry favors.
The companies said they wanted to build digital-television receivers into personal computers starting next year. But they said they could not hold prices down if the PC's were required to receive all 18 display formats set out in the digital television system the broadcasters and TV set makers have established.
The computer industry said that their new TV-equipped personal computers would go dark when receiving HDTV signals that the networks plan to begin broadcasting next year. That move started a loud and angry row with broadcasters and set makers that has lasted much of this year.
Unlike its partners, Intel has been saying for several months that PC's should be able to receive any signal. The demonstration yesterday in its Santa Clara, Calif., offices was of software based on a format converter developed by Hitachi America Ltd. It receives any of the 18 formats, including HDTV signals, and converts that format into one for display on TVs -- and on computer monitors.Continue reading the main story
''Our objective is to remove barriers between us and the broadcasters,'' said Ron Whittier, a senior vice president for Intel. ''The format issue was an unfortunate discussion that sidetracked us from making investments and getting on with implementation.''
Jack Fuhrer, senior director for research and development at Hitachi, agreed. ''There's no reason for a format war,'' he said. ''With the converter, you can have a production in high-definition and watch a converted signal on a computer, and it will look fine.''
Hitachi is not the only company that has produced a format converter. The Matsushita Electric Corporation has shown a similar product, and other consumer-electronic companies have said they are working on similar devices.
Intel and Hitachi have no business agreement, but Mr. Fuhrer said he believed his company would charge a small licensing fee. ''My hope is that, now that Intel has said yes, other computer companies will come in, and this thing will snowball,'' he said.
Steve Goldberg, director for corporate development for Compaq, said his company had not seen Intel's software and was not ready to say what it might mean. ''It's unclear right now; these things are still in the lab, and we are evaluating a number of different approaches.''
Microsoft declined to comment.
A price has not been set for the Intel-Hitachi software, but Mr. Whittier said that starting sometime next year computers would be available equipped with it as well as with a digital television receiver board costing about $200. These machines could receive HDTV signals, though initially signals would be converted for display on the computers at a lower resolution.
But by sometime in 1999, he said, ''we believe computing power will have increased so that we can display on high-definition monitors.''Continue reading the main story


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Raymond is probably best known as a founder of both Motive Studios and Ubisoft Toronto, where she served as the executive producer on games like Assassin's Creed 2, Watch Dogs, and Splinter Cell Blacklist before leaving in 2014.
While it's currently unknown just what her role within the tech giant will be, Google has recently revealed that they plan to unveil "The Future of Gaming" at GDC next week. Be sure to check back with IGN to see just what their foray into the gaming world looks like - even if that funky controller won't be part of it.
JR is IGN's Senior Editor of Features, and is super curious to see what Google's gameplan for games actually ends up being. He'll definitely yell about it on Twitter.
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A stress test can produce a playbook for surviving any downturn
Sue Rogers of Oregon Hot Tub knows timing is everything. Six weeks after she bought the Portland-based hot tub retail company in April 2008, the worst financial calamity in modern history roared across the country and the world, gobbling up homes, life savings, careers and businesses.
For Rogers, it was baptism by fire. The Seattle resident’s Small Business Association officer said her loan was the last the SBA approved in the state of Washington before the crash.
“Everyone talks about the recession bringing an end to the good years,” Rogers says. “We didn’t have good years.”
Unlike many other business owners, Rogers survived the onslaught. She emerged hardened but wary — and scarred by the experience. Her default setting became conservative financial restraint that she says bordered on compulsion, which made it impossible to grow and expand.
“I was like a child of the Depression,” Rogers says. “Maybe being too conservative and not leveraging finances because of fear leftover from ’08, ’09 and 2010.”
What if there were another recession? How much financial pressure could her business endure? What actions would she take if sales slowed down and revenue declined again?
If Rogers were going to break the chains of financial anxiety, she would have to know exactly how much stress her business could tolerate — and develop a plan if lean times returned.
Stress Tests: Preparing for the Future With an Eye on the Past
For Dan Cunningham, owner of financial analysis firm the Business Ferret, it’s not a matter of if the lean times return, it’s a matter of when.
“There’s no doubt we’re going to have a slowdown again,” he says. “It happens like clockwork. We’re in the longest peak-time expansion, but the biggest mistake you could make is to just assume that the sales will keep rolling forever.”
His outlook isn’t rooted in pessimism. It’s rooted in precedent.
The Great Recession spared few industries, and few businesses were hit harder or suffered longer than hot tub retailers.
The spa industry started collapsing as early as 2006 and didn’t fully recover until as late as 2015, years after the larger economy — including industries with similar customer demographics like RV and boat sales — crawled back into the black.
Today, the economy is roaring, and spa retailers are enjoying a nearly unprecedented run of booming sales, revenue and growth. But Cunningham points to a slowdown in bank lending, a scary shift in “real” interest rates, a tightening of money supply and a federal dismantling of stimulus policy as evidence that economic danger is looming.
Cunningham works with around 50 clients, including Rogers. He subjects his client businesses to a gloomy forecasting model called a “stress test,” which, as the name implies, simulates economic stress to find out how prepared his clients are for the arrival of another severe downturn.
Cunningham’s stress test assumes a 5 percent drop in sales one month, followed by 10 percent drop the next month, followed by another 5 percent drop the following month.
“I want to find out what things would you do first in a slowdown,” Cunningham says. “What about in a severe slowdown? What do you do other than cut staff if something bad came out of nowhere?”
Inventory Bloat: The Hidden Cash Consumer
Don Riling of Olympic Hot Tub in Seattle is a friend, mentor and former colleague of Sue Rogers. He’s also a survivor of 2008 — and one of Dan Cunningham’s clients.
Both the Great Recession and Cunningham’s stress test gave Riling what he calls “a lightbulb moment”: lower inventory turn equals more available cash for operating.
“If I can reduce our inventory turn by one day, that will give me $28,000 to put toward cash flow,” Riling says. “If I reduce it by five days based on our current business model, that would give me $140,000 to put toward the bottom line in cash, which I could use for other things.”
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Rogers’ stress test — which simulated a worst-case scenario by mimicking her actual financials from the height of the crash in 2009 — revealed that when crisis strikes, she should first free up cash by reducing inventory. This is especially critical for hot tubs since the delay between receiving an order and making a sale can mask symptoms of trouble lurking in the books.
“If orders are going down but sales are high, it can appear that revenue is still fine, even if orders are going down 10 percent month over month,” she says. “That’s when it’s time to make sure inventory isn’t bloated and [that] my purchaser isn’t just buying units assuming the machine is running fine.” When revenue is high and orders are sliding, she says, it’s not time to buy what you don’t need.
For Cunningham, the benefits of lean inventory are simple: “It’s safer to have too little coming out of a stress test than too much,” he says.
Five Steps to Prepare for a Storm
Although neither Riling, Rogers or Cunningham expect a repeat of the Great Recession, all three join a chorus of experts and economists who predict a downturn is inevitable — and close.
As far as preparation, there’s no one magic bullet.
“It depends on your business size and your normal revenue, the number of locations you have and what you have for your support business versus what you have for your front-end business,” Riling says. Rogers and Riling learned from both the recession and their stress tests that actions during times of plenty determine how you’ll fare in an economic winter.
1. Reduce Debt and Expand Credit
There’s an old saying that in order to get a loan, you must first prove you don’t need it. Increase credit lines when the money’s rolling in so you’ll have a cushion when things tighten up.
“Banks love to give credit when you don’t need it, and refuse it when you do,” Rogers says. She suggests seeking higher credits lines now when things are hot while paying down unnecessary debt.
2. Take Owner Distributions
For Rogers, it felt strange taking owner distributions “after so many years of fighting the good fight.” The reality is that it’s good business to take distributions that don’t hurt the company. But you have to hoard those distribution in personal accounts, not in company accounts in full view of lenders and creditors.
“Manage it so you have enough liquid, but 80 percent of that liquid is in personal holdings,” Rogers says. “You can always give the company a loan later if you have to.”
3. Trim, Cut and Save — Especially When You Don’t Need to
Riling says good times “can allow you to get lazy with things you shouldn’t be lazy about.” He says this is the time to go to vendors and suppliers to try to cut expenses. “You don’t think about that when you’re paying the bills and you’ve got money in the bank, you’re giving bonuses and doing incentive programs,” he says. But the best time to do this is when business is the healthiest, he adds.
4. Break Out of Yesteryear Scheduling
For Riling, the spa industry is catering to 21st century customers with a 20th-century scheduling model, where companies closed Friday at 5 p.m. and didn’t open again until Monday.
“Those days are gone,” Riling says. “The world has changed into a 24/7 society. Our industry is still closed Sundays, with no service people available Saturday. This year, our service department is going to be open Saturdays. Nobody else does that in our region. We’re going to have people available on Memorial Day and Labor Day, too. For me, if we have a softening of the economy, I want to be the only business in the region that has someone available for people willing to spend this kind of money.”
5. Concentrate on Your Core Staff
When Rogers bought the company in 2008, she had the benefit of emotional detachment from employees she did not yet know personally.
“I didn’t know their wives and kids, and I didn’t see them grow up — so I was able to look cleanly at who was contributing and who was not,” Rogers says. “Those who felt entitled because they’d been there a long time, I had no problem…giving them the opportunity and tools to contribute, and letting them go if they didn’t.”
She downsized her staff to a loyal, grateful and all-contributing nucleus, most of which remains with her today.
For that handful of people you can’t live without, “Pull them into your inner circle, trust them and take care of them today, while you can,” she says. “Then they’ll be there for you when you can’t.”


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Tag : Webinar
Greater consideration of cooling system performance and energy efficiency should be made in the retail sector alongside the drive to make use of lower-GWP refrigerant, the latest RAC Magazine webinar has heard.
RAC Magazine will be hosting a free webinar on Thursday 14 November focused on implementing lower flammability A2L HFO refrigerant blends in supermarkets.
The European Commission is in the process of ensuring regulators have more teeth to tackle a black-market refrigerant trade that industry argues is undermining efforts to curb use of higher GWP refrigerant.
RAC Magazine is hosting the latest in a series of free webinars with Chemours on February 7 that is focused on how industry can prepare for the upcoming service and new equipment ban for R404A and other higher GWP refrigerants.
Chemours’s Janet Ludert describes how lower flammabality A2L refrigerants fits into the short-term and longer-term cooling landscape during the latest RAC Magazine webinar held earlier this week
RAC Magazine will later this month be hosting a webinar around the use of low flammability A2L refrigerant.


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Taiwan-based Tripod Technology, a PCB manufacturer catering to PCs, mobile devices, automotive electronics, servers and networking equipment, had sold a factory and land located in the Zhejiang province of China for RMB73.99 million ($10.7 million), according to a Digitimes report. The company estimated it will recognize a gain of NT$129 million ($4.2 million) from the sale.
In China, Tripod has plants in Wuxi, Jiangsu province and Xiantao, Hubei. The company also has a production site in Taoyuan, northern Taiwan.


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Partners Real Estate Company—the holding company of NAI Partners, Partners Capital, and Partners Development—has announced that Brett Chiles, a veteran private equity professional, has joined Partners Development as a Director. Mr. Chiles will be responsible for growing capital and sourcing debt for Partners Development’s ground-up retail and other development and investment opportunities. In addition, he will be responsible for other aspects of development projects including legal, entity organization, project management and other activities. Mr. Chiles has over two decades of experience in the investment space, and comes to Partners Real Estate Company from KA Investments, a Houston-based private equity firm where he was a Principal. Prior to that, he spent time at Equus Total Return, Inc., and Murphree Venture Partners. Mr. Chiles has an MBA from Rice University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Texas Christian University.
In cities all over the country, construction sites are shutting down due to the COVID-19 crisis, while others are taking steps to limit exposure as work continues. Regardless of the tactic—sustained operations or stoppage— ignoring specific risks can lead to serious cost and project management implications. For sites that are continuing construction during the pandemic, the contractor should establish several measures to mitigate the spread of the disease. The first step is to limit exposure before anyone even makes it onto the property. Many sites now require a temperature check of anybody entering the site, as well as when they come and go, including upon return from lunch or break. Other sites are asking workers—either verbally or by signing a form—if they, someone in their household or someone they may have been in contact with is exhibiting symptoms of or is confirmed to have contracted COVID-19. The most effective weapon against the disease is social distancing, but that can be hard to maintain on an active work site. Some contractors are juggling their teams with shifts so that there are fewer people on site at any one time, but the project can still move ahead on schedule. Click to read more at www.rednews.com.
2020 is a census year, so soon we’ll have a pretty good picture of the demographics, location and size of the U.S. population. But we’re pretty good at estimating too, and the estimates thus far show that Texas is definitely in growth mode. There are storm clouds on the horizon for one market, however. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas was home to six of the 10 counties with the largest population gains: Bexar, Collin, Dallas, Harris, Tarrant and Travis Counties. Among the fastest growing counties in the nation, Texas tallied more than any other state as Comal, Hays, Kendall and Williamson Counties all made the list. Among metro areas that the Census Bureau analyzed, Texas was home to three of top ten MSAs with the largest population gains between 2010 and 2019. The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro had the greatest jump in that time frame, increasing by 1,206,599 residents—a 19.0 percent rise. Meanwhile, the 510,760 new residents in the Austin metropolitan area accounted for a whopping 29.8 percent increase. Click to read more at www.rednews.com.
With stay-in-place orders keeping customers at home, the retail sector is set to face pressure unlike other asset classes. And as the NOIs at retail properties contract, that financial stress will radiate up the real estate infrastructure, from retailers shuttering their stores, to landlords unable to
collect rents to lenders themselves. How much pain retailers feel is directly tied to how long our pandemic countermeasures are kept in place. As of this writing, for example, Dallas County’s “Safer-at-Home” order is in effect until April 30, which rescinded and earlier extension by the commissioner’s court approving the county’s disaster declaration until May 20. “If we open the doors May 1, I think we will just fine. If we open the doors on June 1, there’s going to be collateral damage,” said Jennifer Pierson, managing partner at Dallas-based STRIVE. “If we go into August, I don’t think the word
‘severe’ would be an understatement.” Before the pandemic, retail was already suffering as e-commerce took its toll and consumers opted to shop from home. The one shining segment of the sector was experiential retail, a tag applied to everything from fitness centers to DIY pottery shops, but which is largely comprised of restaurants and bars. With shelter in place orders now keeping consumers away from these establishments too, many are in dire straits. The $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27, seeks in part to address this issue. Click to read more at www.rednews.com.
In many ways, the City of Seabrook had prepared for a disaster of this level. Even before Hurricane Ike slammed into Galveston Bay in 2008, the city had
developed a plan in case the inevitable occurred. But the COVID-19 storm that started brewing in early 2020 hit in an entirely new way. “It was certainly like a tidal wave that hit shore so fast. We saw it coming, we started to prepare and then it hit. We just went straight into emergency mode,” says Paul Chavez, director of the Seabrook Economic Development Corporation. “It’s unprecedented because the whole world is experiencing something as significant as Ike. Everybody is affected by it.” He says that in early February, the city started reaching out to citizens and businesses, trying to prepare them for what lay ahead. “A lot of hard decisions had to be made, but we knew that for the safety of everybody, we had to make those decisions and enforce them,” Chavez says. In some cases, it means abiding by and enforcing decisions made at a higher level, such as Harris County’s Stay Home, Work Safe order. “We’re asking our residents to work from home if they can and that’s the same policy we’re using at the city,” says Chavez. There are exceptions to the rule, such as EMS crews, firefighters, police officers, and public works. In addition to responding to emergencies
throughout the city, Chavez says first responders are also checking on local businesses, which may or may not be open. “They make sure that there isn’t any kind of suspicious activity going on inside because we know a lot of people are scared about looting and burglaries,” he explains. Click to read more at www.rednews.com.
As we roll into a second month of stay-at-home orders triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic throughout Texas, the commercial real estate industry is beginning to fully feel the impact. Non-essential retailers have been forced to shut their doors, in some cases eliminating all potential for revenue. Those employees, furloughed or laid off, face a similar dilemma: how do you pay your mortgage or rent when no money is coming in? The answer for some is to turn to the “force majeure” clause of their contract if they negotiated one. “Typically a force majeure clause has been something that people don’t pay much attention to. It’s one of the boilerplate paragraphs toward the end of the contract,” said David Groff, a shareholder with Wilson Cribbs + Goren, a 20-attorney law firm that focuses on commercial real estate. “That doesn’t mean it’s any less important than any other provisions in the lease, but it sometimes doesn’t get the attention it requires because people get so comfortable for so long.” First, have a conversation with tenants about the state of their business and review their
contract. “Not every lease is going to be the same. Not every interaction between landlord and tenant will be Joined by senior partner Scot Clinton, the pair offered insight into what force majeure is, how courts have responded to it and how both tenants and landlords can respond during REDNews’ April 9 webinar on the topic. “The gist to identify specific types or categories of events that will relieve parties of their duty to perform. In Texas, the general approach to interpreting a force majeure clause, if there is one, really does boil down to the actual terms of the clause,” Clinton explained. Click to read more at www.rednews.com.


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Bahrain-based investment company will continue to be listed on home bourse and Dubai Financial Market after Kuwait exit
Shareholders of Ithmaar Holding, a Bahrain-based investment company, have approved plans to voluntarily delist from Boursa Kuwait.
The company, licenced and regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), will maintain its listing on the Bahrain Bourse and Dubai Financial Market (DFM).
Ithmaar Holding said its plans to voluntarily delist from Boursa Kuwait will have no effect on its subsidiary, Ithmaar Bank or any of its customers or investors.
Ithmaar Bank, a Bahrain-based Islamic retail bank, is a separate legal entity from its parent company, Ithmaar Holding.
The move, which was proposed earlier this month, is subject to the approval of relevant authorities in Kuwait and Bahrain, the company said in a statement.
Earlier this month, Ithmaar Holding reported a net profit of $13.03 million for the first half of 2019, a 20.4 percent increase compared to the same period in 2018.


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Mobile News Desk – Lava Blaze 2 phone can be launched in India soon. Popular tipster Mukul Sharma has shared important information related to the upcoming smartphone. Along with this, the price of the phone has also been disclosed. Earlier, the Indian smartphone maker had launched its first 5G phone Lava Blaze last year. The new phone will be the successor of Lava Blaze. This will be an entry level phone.
Let us tell you that the company launched Lava Z series in 2021, followed by Lava Blaze 5G last year and Lava is now preparing to launch another entry-level smartphone in the country. According to a tweet by tipster Mukul Sharma, this entry-level smartphone may hit the Indian markets in April. The tipster has also suggested that the smartphone could be equipped with the Unisoc T616 SoC. It is being said that the price of the smartphone will be less than Rs 10,000.
This mobile phone will give a tough competition to the devices of smartphone companies like Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, Poco and Realme in the budget segment. The tipster has also shared a picture of the alleged Lava Blaze 2, which suggests that the smartphone will sport a glass rear panel. Compared to other phones in the budget category, this phone will come with a premium look. The handset is shown in an unspecified orange color in the image.
The dual rear camera setup can also be seen on the smartphone which is housed in two large circular cutouts. The leaked image also shows an LED flash along with the rear cameras. Other hardware specifications of the handset are yet to be revealed, such as its display size, battery capacity, or whether it will support fast charging. However, if the April launch timeline suggested in the leak is to be taken into account, more details and features of the phone are likely to emerge before the launch.


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Menswear will outperform the women’s clothing sector across the world by 2020, according to research by Euromonitor International. With a contribution of approximately £380 billion to the worldwide clothing and shoes market by the end of the next two years, menswear is growing quicker than womenswear — predicted to develop 2.3% globally by 2020 compared to the 2.2% growth rate for female clothing. When we reach the year 2020, menswear is expected to hit a value of £16.3 billion in the UK, while the womenswear market is predicted to drop nationwide by 0.2% within the next 24 months.
But what’s brought on this trend for menswear and what could this mean for the male fashion of the future?
Why is the menswear sector expected to grow?
There are several reasons behind the progression in the menswear market. Firstly, could it be that men are simply becoming more style-orientated? In reference to a particularly popular piece of male fashion — denim — clothing and footwear analyst at Euromonitor International, Bernadette Kissane, commented: “When it comes to jeans, men in the UK traditionally bought into long-lasting quality rather than value fast fashion, but the strong growth of economy jeans sees men also being influenced by fast-changing trends and the desire for a variety of style-led value jeans.”
Statistics appear to back up this idea. Apparently, almost 60% of men agreed that they felt ‘more attractive’ when they were well-groomed, while approximately 21% said that they think a good role model should ‘look after his appearance’, according to a menswear UK 2017 report by Mintel, a market intelligence agency.
Similarly, the growth in the menswear market has been encouraged by the industry’s quick response to changing trends. Senior fashion analyst at Mintel, Tamara Sender, said: “More retailers and brands have been tapping into the growing menswear market by expanding their men’s clothing offer, as well as launching stores and separate websites dedicated to men’s fashion. As more retailers are entering the menswear market, men are faced with the greater choice of products, styles and sizing.”
The rise in online shopping could also have contributed to more men purchasing clothes, as around a quarter of men said that they would like to get their clothing directly from a social media site. Showing a similar outcome, a study by Business Insider Intelligence found that 40% of male participants said they would “buy everything online”. This shows an inclination towards quick-buy/minimal-browsing options that are now being indulged thanks to the advances in ecommerce, technology and consumer-brand interfaces.
Or is this simply a generational thing? According to a UK Menswear 2017 whitepaper by Pragma, ‘millennial’ males — generally agreed to be those born between the early 1980s and mid-1990s — spend more on clothing each year than other men.
Perhaps a combination of age, technology and fashion-consciousness is the cause of the rapid growth in the menswear market. But what does this mean for the clothing of tomorrow and beyond?
The fashion of the future: what you can expect
Any decent entrepreneur will jump on a rising trend — so anticipate more competition and creativity in the menswear market by people and brands wishing to capitalise on the expanding sector.
More customized fits
Get ready for an even great range of specialized fittings. Research clearly shows that men care about how they look in 2018, so it’s natural that they’ll receive more opportunity to get that ‘perfect fit’. Marshal Cohen, the chief industry analyst at research firm, NPD, predicts growth in bespoke fits and said about customised men’s suits: “It used to be an underground market — now it’s street level.” From tapering the torso to getting the perfect half-inch of shirt cuff under the suit jacket, be prepared for more choice to complement the male physique.
New subscription services
Clearly, there’s an opportunity for clothing brands with the influence of digital platforms, and soon, you should expect to see a greater rise of ‘subscription services’. As former CEO of Ben Sherman, Simon Smith put it: “women go shopping, a man needs a shirt.” Taking into account the findings from the Business Insider Intelligence report, it’s fair to say that, typically, men don’t want to browse — which is where subscription services come in.
Essentially, this digital process for menswear items will get rid of the need for a man to go online and re-buy purchases — whether these are grooming products or casual shirts. Anything that a man habitually buys can be sent automatically to him periodically — ideal for men who want to cut out the shopping part of buying.
Across the world, we’re already seeing a surge in genderless fashion — from River Island’s revolutionary unisex kids’ range to the gender-unspecified outfits walked down the Gucci and Givenchy runways during recent fashion weeks.
Slowly rising since the 1980s, many in the industry predict the gender-fluid trend will become mainstream very soon. Olivia Nordstrom, vice president of creative projects at Nordstrom, said: “I think it’s a more generally accepted thing for a woman to wear a man’s shirt or trousers. Why can’t it be the other way around?”
Basically, expect to see more liberated clothing in the men’s fashion of the future — the focus will be on how clothing fits, feels and looks, not on whether it has feminine embellishments or a masculine colour.
Fashion is getting tech-savvy, so expect a knock-on effect when it comes to men’s wardrobes. Digital textile printing — a high-performing process that applies intricate colours and patterns to clothes — is expected to reach $3,943 million by 2022 across the world. Efficient and cost-effective, many fashion brands are capitalizing on this technology, which means you can anticipate a growth in patterned garments, logo tees and graphic jackets. For example; at the latest New York Fashion Week, a collaboration between luxe sportswear brands, Trinovation and Engineered for Motion, showcased welded seams, four-way stretch fabrics and laser-cut neoprene on the runway.
Expect even greater things from the athleisure trend. According to the Mintel report mentioned earlier, males are showing a growing interest in casual dress, and 58% say that sports-ready clothes are practical for every day. Is there a growing mentality among men that formal attire should be subbed for more relaxed, sports-centric garments that focus on both comfort and fashion? From hi-top trainers and jogger jeans to tailored ‘muscle-fit’ hoodies and graphic sweatshirts; the move towards ‘dressing-up’ athletic clothing is already on its way.
Could athleisure replace casual dress? Bringing the comfort and durability of sportswear to social occasions is only going to increase in acceptance, as more men get on board with the trend and the clothing styles available for it grow and diversify. Anticipate a more focused, trend-led and stronger athleisure category that fuses elements of high fashion with basic sportswear staples.
Men’s clothing is not only growing, but transforming. What more innovative trends can we expect in the future that will revolutionise how men dress?
Louise Richardson is a copywriter at River Island


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A German Court has ordered Motorola to stop the sale of their phones in the country. Why? Well, lo and behold, we have another patent issue. It seems that this time around, the company has infringed an antenna design patent.
The patent called the Laser Direct Structuring patent is held by a German laser engineering firm, LPKF. It has regards to the process utilized by smartphone makers in laying down designs of antennas on a curved plastic surface. Motorola have been using this process in most of their devices including the Moto G and Moto X.
LPKF states that their patent on laser direct structuring was declared invalid in China in 2013. However, the Chinese Supreme People’s Court has agreed to reopen the patent case for the firm. While that is in the works, “LPKF is systematically taking action against cell phone manufacturers that bring counterfeit LDS components into circulation outside China.”
The Mannheim Regional Court ruling against Motorola Mobility USA and Motorola Deutschland comes right after the maker of Moto X expanded to Germany. This expansion occurred just last weekend so the preliminary decision by the court has impacted the company in a huge negative way. And if this wasn’t a hard enough blow, the court has also ordered the company to recall all the phones in the market that infringe the patent.
Source: Android Central


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A dad is living the dream serving coffee and cake from the back of a converted VW camper van called Joyce at a Cornish beauty spot.
Simon Zinn, aged 38, gave up his job to launch his business during lockdown using the vehicle named after his late nan at Whitsand Bay near Torpoint.
Joyce Carroll, from Plymouth, bequeathed him the money to buy the 1997 T4 before she passed away in her 80s in 2016.
Torpoint born-and-bred Simon gave up his role as operations manager at a Cornish dairy to convert the rear of the van into a coffee shop.
And with the help of wife Avril, who was forced to close her beautician business because of the lockdown, it has proved a huge success at Tregantle since opening in October.
He said: "I have been coming to this beach for 30 years and while the girls would have an ice cream and I would sit here and think 'wouldn't it not be even better to have a nice cup of coffee in my hands?'
"It was a pipe dream. We launched just before the second lockdown, but you never know what its around the corner. We thought, let's just do it.
"It was my daughters, aged eight and ten, who came up with the name.
"The biggest thing is that every single person you meet is happy."
Whitsand Bay and its spectacular beaches are a huge draw for people from the surrounding area, Plymouth and holidaymakers from much farther afield.
Simon said that launching in October, on the cusp of a second surprise lockdown in November, was "not ideal". But he said that he benefited from people taking their exercise and was not hampered by the rules governing cafes.
He added: "We did a fantastic trade, at times we had to manage the queues. We have had a lot of good feedback from the local community. This is something people want, it seems.
"We are looking to go from strength to strength in the summer."
Simon has taken on a couple of part-time staff, especially as Avril has returned to work at Beauty Within in Torpoint.
He trained as a graphic designer but ended up being operations manager at Trewithen Dairy in Lostwithiel for seven years.
Simon said: "We got the van in 2017 for £4,500 but we got the dreaded call when we took it for an MoT that it was full of rust and we had the choice of scrapping it or rebuilding it from the bottom up."
The family, who did enjoy trips in the van around Cornwall and to France, have since spent about £30,000 doing it up.
It now has a bolted-in coffee machine behind the tailgate and boasts both gas and solar electric power.
Simon does not pay rates to park in the lay-by and his overheads are low as he only needs a street trader's licence.
He is supplied with coffee from The Devon Coffee Company and cakes from the Cakewhole Bakery in Plymouth. He also has a range of teas and juices, Burts crisps and has soy and oatmilk in his camper van.
Simon said that a loaded hot chocolate with whipped cream and a Flake was popular over the winter with an iced coffee becoming more popular over the summer.
Happy customer Kristina Carr, from Torpoint, was enjoying a loaded hot chocolate and her husband Alex was diving into a coffee.
She said: "This came at the right time for Cornwall as everyone was down in the dumps. You can get out, have some fresh air and get some great products from a local and friendly business. And it is all in eco-friendly cups."
Simon is expanding and hoping to cater for outdoor events as they come back as restrictions lift. He sold scores of salted caramel shortbreads to hungry triathletes in Tavistock.
Zinn's is open from 10am to 3pm every day except Tuesday. Card payments are accepted.


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Quite a good number of Japanese investors have applied for factory space at some export processing zones (EPZs) encouraged by BEPZA’a reservation of industrial plots and standard factory space for them at those locations.
But their number can’t be divulged at the moment, official sources said. The new development is taking place, they said at a time when external investment in the country is facing a major setback due to land shortage, reports the Financial Express.
But the Japanese investors are taking a fresh look towards Bangladesh after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Japan in early June this year. During the visit she assured Japanese investors of specially making available land to them to set up new industries.
Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority (BEPZA) and Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Tokyo on that occasion to turn the pledge into a reality.
BEPZA offered 40 industrial plots– 20 at Mongla EPZ and 10 each at Uttara and Iswardi EPZs to Japanese investors under the scheme, besides two standard factory buildings—one at Adamjeee EPZ and another at Comilla EPZ for those Japanese investors who want ready space to set up factories.
Jetro official in Dhaka told the FE on Tuesday that many Japanese investors are showing interest to set up industries in Bangladesh following BEPZA’s reservation of industrial plots and factory space at some locations.
He said many investors have also already applied to BEPZA for allocation of plots and especially factory space at Adamjee and Comilla EPZs where two factory buildings have been exclusively earmarked for Japanese investors.
He, however, declined to give the number of applicants saying that they are going for procedural verifications and such other business appraisals.
“When they will be selected and ready for signing of lease agreement, their names and identity may be revealed. One has to wait up to that point,” the Jetro official in the city said.
BEPZA General Manager and spokesperson Nazma Akhtar Alamgir made similar comment to the FE saying as far as she knew some Japanese companies have applied but their number and identity can’t be made clear at this moment.
She said the two factory buildings at Adamjee and Comilla which BEPZA has allocated to Japanese investors are going for upward expansion up to 5th floor.
A standard factory building at Comilla EPZ offers 61,122.15 square meter. At Adamjee the size of the factory floors is over 56,196 square meters.
Corroborating BEPZA’s disclosure the Jetro official said expansion work of factory building at Comilla is already over while that at Adamjee is nearing completion. They will be ready for use soon.
He said demand for space at EPZs in Dhaka, Comilla and Chittagong is high because of their easy access to urban facilities and they are closer to sea port but Japanese investors are also enquiring about other EPZs like Mongla, Uttara and Iswardi where they have 40 industrial plots in waiting, the Jetro official said.