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Facebook has introduced Nearby Friends where users can choose whether they would like to pinpoint their location to mates in a move that could give the social network a lot more data on users that could then be used for targeted ads.
Previously, the social network automatically notified users about friends who were close by. The new opt-in only version is designed to allay privacy concerns.
While some in the industry are calling the new feature "creepy", Nearby Friends potentially gives Facebook a chance to better monetise its mobile app, an area where the company has so far failed to profit.
Location-based advertising, whereby consumers are geo-located to receive messages about offers and discounts directly to their smartphones as they walk down a high street, could be the answer.
According to analyst firm IDC, location-based advertising makes up 40% of all mobile advertising in the US and 33% in the UK. By 2018, it is expected to account for 50% of all advertising in the US, with the UK not far behind.
"The challenge of location-based advertising is that it has to be very targeted. Facebook is a general social platform so different age groups use it in different ways. Twitter is the same," Alys Woodward, IDC's research director for European big data and social business tells IBTimes UK.
"In the past, Facebook have pushed the boundaries of privacy and then turn around and say, 'Oh, you don't like it?', and then roll [it] back. Since Whatsapp will never give them users' data, Facebook is now getting users to opt in.
"Despite their vast revenue, they do have to evolve to survive [as] Facebook sponsored ads haven't been successful."
The idea behind Nearby Friends is that if a user travels to an unfamiliar place, they might want to find out if there are friends around that they could meet up, for example, at a music festival.
"It's not just about tracking people. Facebook can take the data to advertisers and say, 'At a festival, why don't you advertise on our app?'" says Woodward.
Mobile operators who, like Facebook, are sitting on a rich database of user data from their mobile subscribers, are starting to use location-based advertising too.
Ginny Arnold, head of communications for Weve, the m-commerce platform joint-venture formed by Vodafone, EE and Telefonica O2 tells IBTimes UK: "Location and the ability to talk to a consumer directly on their device based on a specific area at scale is still a relatively new concept. About half of all the campaigns that were delivered by our service in 2013 had a location element.
"The most important thing about location is one of the fundamentals of marketing - understanding your audience and ensuring that the content you offer them is relevant and useful."
And it's not just about promoting retailers – location-based messages can be used for public service announcements as consumers always have their phones with them.
Intersec offers Linux-based geo-location technology called Igloo that has the ability to disregard "irrelevant" targets ie, people who just happen to be walking along a road or people who live there, instead targeting returning visitors at a specific time of day.
Igloo is being used by Weve and many other mobile operators in 32 countries, such as SFR in France.
"SFR launched a campaign for blood donations, targeted to reach opt-in [mobile subscribers] who were located less than 200 metres from a blood donation centre," Intersec's COO Gary Buchwald tells IBTimes UK.
"The results were astonishing: by 2pm, the centres couldn't take more blood as the reserves were full and 30% of the donors were first-time donors."
The worry is that location-based advertising could be intrusive but this is not the case.
"Location-based advertising is only sent to consumers who explicitly agreed to be targeted with SMS campaigns & geo-located. Operators are very cautious with the commercial pressure and only a limited number of SMS are sent to subscribers over a set period of time," says Buchwald.
"If you have your top five retailers and they send you the right messages in the right time, it's valuable. It's not like a spam email as there's a time limit as to how often customers will be contacted," says Woodward.
"If you share this information, it will learn what you like and you will get useful info about promotions and time-specific promotions just for you. Companies are using your data to get you to come into their shops to buy items more often."


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Women can build fulfilling careers at local factories because of the wide range of available jobs, many of them requiring technical skills.
That was the message recently from a panel of female executives, who said they found success in manufacturing despite the sector’s reputation for being a “man’s world.”
The women are involved in producing everything from wine and shampoo to skin creams and a high-technology microscope.
“We have all kinds of jobs: human resources, finance, customer service, sales, research and development, quality control, engineering, technicians,” said Evelyn Marchany, head of drugmaker Novartis/Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s two local plants, which together employ about 350 people in the production of skin creams, lotions and ointments. “There are a lot of job opportunities in manufacturing.”
Marchany was among nine speakers on the panel held this month at Suffolk County Community College. Many also are featured in a new 12-minute video produced by the Workforce Development Institute, a nonprofit group based in Albany, to encourage women to pursue careers in manufacturing.
Marchany said women shouldn’t hesitate to speak up in meetings even if most of the people in the room are men.
“Persistence and believing in yourself; you have to be confident,” she said. “You also need to aspire to be the best in everything you do.”
Winemaker Alie Shaper agreed, saying, “Don’t do yourself differently. Be who it is you want to see in that workplace . . . Go forth with a behavior that says, ‘I belong here.’ ”
Shaper, who started the wine company Brooklyn Oenology, known as BOE, and the Peconic Cellar Door tasting room in Peconic, said there are job openings at local plants at many levels.
She has an engineering degree but said effective manufacturing executives value equally work done in an office, on the factory floor and in a warehouse. She makes her As If label wines on Long Island’s North Fork.
“If you want to understand manufacturing, you have to do it yourself; you have to try all of the jobs,” she said.
Plants in Nassau and Suffolk counties were looking to fill 8,372 jobs between August 2016 and July, according to the workforce institute. The most openings were for forklift operator, sales associate, quality assurance manager, mechanical engineer and software development manager.
Women make up about 35 percent of local manufacturing payrolls, which averaged 86,800 between 2011 and 2015, according to Census Bureau estimates.
“Don’t listen to anyone who tells you manufacturing is dead; it is far from that,” said Rosalie Drago, the institute’s Long Island director.
She and others said the sector offers employment to people with and without college degrees.
Success comes to those willing to work hard, said Doreen Guarneri, a hairdresser who started her first business after high school with her husband, Louis. “We never said, ‘that’s beneath me,’ ” she said.
The couple now runs American Culture Brands, a manufacturer of shampoo, conditioner and other hair care products in Huntington Station. The products have won favor with celebrities such as singer Jewel and actors Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell.
“What happens at a manufacturing company if you step in and just say at a very young age, ‘I’m looking for work’? Oh, hold on for the ride because there is anything and everything that you could possibly do at that place of business,” Guarneri told the SCCC audience of about 160, which included high school students from Central Islip.
The event and video release were part of local celebrations of National Manufacturing Day, which was Oct. 6.
Several speakers said the best way to pursue a career is to do an internship or secure an entry-level position.
“Take a job; take an internship,” Farmingdale State College professor Marjaneh Issapour said. “Find out what your passion is. Manufacturing has room for everyone.”
Felicia Fleitman, owner of the human resources firm Savvy Hires in Westbury, agreed, saying young women should start by researching local companies to identify a handful that interest them. They then should contact the companies to arrange an in-person interview to learn more.
“When you go in for that internship . . . Don’t show up and say, ‘Teach me,’ ” said Fleitman, co-founder of the nonprofit RecruitLI.org.“Think about what you want to get from the internship and what you are giving to the business. When you walk out, you want them to say, ‘Wow, that was the best intern that we’ve ever had and we want to hire her.’ ”
IN DEMAND MANUFACTURING JOBS
Long Island factories had 8,372 job openings between August 2016 and July. Here are the most in-demand positions:
Quality assurance manager
Software development engineer
SOURCE: Workforce Development Institute, Burning Glass
About 35 percent of manufacturing employees on Long Island are female.
Average total manufacturing employment, 2011-2015: 86,829
Number of women: 30,297 (35 percent)
Number of men: 56,532 (65 percent)
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau estimates

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Eagle Eye Networks has raised $40 million of Series E funding from venture capital firm Accel to continue its growth and expand its technology offering. Eagle Eye is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) on its true cloud platform to reshape video surveillance and improve safety, security, operations, and customer service.
“There is a tremendous opportunity to leverage AI and alter the very nature of video surveillance,” said Dean Drako, Founder and CEO of Eagle Eye Networks. “Eagle Eye Networks now has the means and the technology to enable cloud video surveillance to transform how companies manage security and business operations, in the same way self-driving/electric cars are transforming transportation.
“Ultimately, smart cloud video surveillance with appropriate privacy and cybersecurity protections will make the world much safer, for example: detecting dangers such as weapons, erratic driving, active robberies, and traffic accidents. Furthermore,” continued Dean. “It will help businesses provide better service by reducing wait lines, ensuring displays are organized and stores clean, and assuring product quality.”
The company expects to add roles across Europe to support the growth and customer success with the adoption of the cloud and AI powered video surveillance.


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The European Union (EU) has set its sights on taking an active role in the creation of virtual worlds as part of its strategic plan to shape Europe’s digital future. The objective is to support EU businesses and reduce reliance on tech resources outside the EU, with a specific focus on bringing the concept of a ‘Metaverse’ into Europe’s digital landscape.
The EU’s approach to virtual worlds involves emphasizing the development of “Web 4.0” and leveraging 3D and extended reality (XR) technologies to create immersive environments. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have called for regular reviews of existing digital regulations and the creation of new ones as necessary. They believe that the EU should take charge of virtual world creation to ensure that these digital spaces reflect EU values and standards, as well as make it easier for European businesses to enter this field.
Pablo Arias Echeverría, an important EU figure, emphasized the importance of positioning Europe at the forefront of the next digital revolution. He stressed the need to lay a foundation rooted in strong EU digital rules, guiding principles, and values, while placing citizens at the heart of the digital future.
While the EU sees significant potential for the economy, employment, and education in virtual worlds, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have also expressed concerns about potential risks. These include the health implications of using these technologies, such as addiction and adverse effects on children’s brain development, as well as data protection, cyber violence, and financial scams.
In response, the EU has proposed measures to address these concerns, including plans for information campaigns, promoting digital literacy, ensuring parental controls, and conducting further research into potential risks. This approach is in line with the European Commission’s plans for the future of the metaverse, which emphasizes the establishment of new standards and regulations in these digital spaces.
As the EU continues to prepare for the integration of the metaverse into daily life, the focus on safety and EU standards is paramount. This approach aims to safeguard users while recognizing the metaverse’s potential, ensuring its development aligns with the EU’s vision of a secure and inclusive digital future.


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Reader’s Digest Cuts 280 Positions
In what it is calling a global “recession plan” Reader’s Digest has eliminated about 8% of its worldwide workforce, or about 280 positions. RD president Mary Berner cited a drop in consumer spending and a decline in advertising as the reason for the cuts. A company spokesperson said RD is not closing any businesses, including in its books segments, and that the reductions were “spread globally so as not to have too many eliminations in any one area.” Berner said she hopes the moves will be temporary. Other cost-savings measures include unpaid time off in both fiscal 2009 and 2010 and a suspension of matching contributions to the company’s 401 (k) retirement plan.


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EUGENE, Ore. -- A new program from the Lane Transit District is revving its engines in downtown Eugene.
Starting Aug. 23, eco-friendly vehicles will be at the ready to give you a ride, and it won’t cost you a dime.
You’ll be able to access the new mobility-on-demand service, EmGo, through an app on your smartphone, similar to Uber and Lyft, and it’s free.
You’ll order a ride using the app and can be taken to any of the 70 stops provided by the service, which are located throughout downtown from Charnelton Street to High Street and from 5th Avenue to 13th Avenue. There is also a stop in the courthouse district.
The five-passenger, all-electric vehicles can travel nearly 70 miles before needing a recharge. Their top speed is 25 mph. Each cost about $40,000. Four of them were bought with Statewide Transportation Improvement Funds, and a fifth is owned by RideZero, a local service provider that will operate the service.
“I’m excited that it’s a green service, and they’re going to be relieving some of the other congestion and parking issues downtown,” RideZero driver Rod Graves said. “I think it’s a great service for both tourism and the businesses.”
The EmGo will run Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The state, City of Eugene, Lane County and Lane Council of Governments have invested funds to partner with LTD to offer the free pilot service for one year.


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Much has changed in the meat-processing industry since 2005, the last year Meat&Poultry published what was then, an annual Corporate Profiles feature. Corporate Profiles were designed to provide readers an update of some of the industry’s top companies and a snapshot of their current status. Indeed, the status of many of the companies included in 2005 have changed significantly. For example:
• Swift & Co. – Acquired by JBS SA;
• ConAgra Foods – Sold its meats business to Smithfield Foods;
• Gold Kist – Acquired by Pilgrim’s Pride, which was subsequently acquired by JBS SA; and
• Brawley Beef – Acquired by National Beef Packing Co.
Meanwhile, the focus of many of the other companies has changed significantly, including Tyson Foods, Greater Omaha Packing and Cargill, all of which are subjects of this year’s Corporate Profiles. Also included in the newest profiles are: Smithfield Foods, JBS USA, La Cense Beef, Hormel Foods, Sanderson Farms, Murray’s Chickens and Creekstone Farms. Similar to 2005, this year poses a a new set of challenges for companies processing the country’s and the world’s meat products. And as it was six years ago, the industry’s top companies weathered a wide variety of storms in the marketplace by enlisting the brightest minds to incorporate the latest innovation and technology to manufacture food for an increasingly sophisticated customer base.
Cargill Meat Solutions Corp. (CMS), based in Wichita, Kan., is a major processor and distributor of fresh beef, pork and turkey, plus cooked and marinated meats. The company offers more than 12 major brands sold in both foodservice and retail areas. It also processes and distributes for processors, retailers, distributors and others in the United States.
Founded in 1936 as Excel Packing Co., a beef processor in Chicago, it eventually became known as Excel Corporation. Excel became part of Cargill Meat Solutions in 2000, when that company was created by Cargill as one of 13 business platforms. CMS has locations in Argentina, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Honduras, Japan, Korea, Mexico and Taiwan. The company operates facilities for beef, case-ready products, distribution, value-added meats, carrel feeders, pork, turkey and international operations.
But Cargill, like many other meat and poultry processors, has had to deal with the effects of an economic downturn that’s been underway for about two years. In fact, the drop in the American economy began just as Jody Horner, who’s spent her entire career with Cargill Corp., was named president and CEO of CMS.
While some economists say the recession is abating and others maintain the economy still struggles, Horner says the recession has changed consumer buying habits. “Many more meals are being prepared at home, rather than eaten out,” she says. “So, we have chef-inspired Sterling Silver Premium Meats, fresh, ready-to-cook meat options. These are stress-free meals to be made at home, and there are 12 or 13 varieties. Consumers are definitely looking for value; more in bulk for family packs,” she says.
While there are signs the severity of the recession is dropping, with increasing employment and other positive indicators (some economists even say the recession is over), Horner isn’t as quick to say everything is back to “normal.” Last year in an interview with Meat&Poultry, she said she didn’t want to underestimate the impact of the recession.
Change and diversity
Change affects the meat and poultry industry and every other industry in the world. Cargill points to change and diversity as a never-ending process that the company not only goes through, but improves its offerings as a result. The company relays American consumers as groups are more diverse than in the past. It talks about its Rumba line of meats, “foods of the soul, comidas del Alma,” the first brand tested and customized for multicultural consumers, including Hispanics, African Americans and Asians.
The company has continued to grow and adapt to changing circumstances in the meat and poultry industry. It has invested almost $1 billion in research, technology and facility and plant design. Cargill Meat Solutions is the first American processor to install high-pressure hide washing equipment in all of its fed-cattle plants. It uses computer vision grading to bring scientific precision to its quality assessment of beef.
At the same time, no other US pork processor uses both CO2 stunners and blast chillers to produce superior pork color. Cargill also pioneered steam pasteurization technology, revolutionizing and changing the way the beef industry battles E. coli O157:H7. CMS originated a trisodium phosphate rinse as a pre-chill intervention for its poultry industry, now widely used by that industry to fight Salmonella. In the company’s distribution centers, state-of-the-art robotics preserve product integrity by keeping to the absolute minimum the number of times boxes are handled. Cargill has been able to install computer chips in its truck trailers in order to monitor and adjust the temperature of its products being transported. That way, the strict “cold-chain” started within Cargill plants can be maintained.
The company also uses its REDiFresh packaging system for its case-ready meat products. This preserves fresh meat color from the first day a product is sold until the last.
CMS has also been greatly involved in processing technology and food safety for all of its operations, including foodservice, realizing its reputation, as well as those of the companies it sells its products to, are on the line. It says it achieves proper cooking and handling of meat and poultry products by everyone in the food chain by having fully modernized plants; innovative quick-freeze methods; deep basting; injection and mechanical tenderizing; fresh, frozen and processed portion control; and computerized grinding and processing. It has FDA regulation-compliant cattle feeders, uses Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles and procedures, carries out regular equipment inspections, makes use of pre-evisceration acid rinses, advance sanitation procedures and systems, steam vacuum, steam pasteurization and carcass chilling.
CMS has also been involved in acquisitions, including adding Cargill Turkey Products to CMS in 2001. Cargill entered the turkey processing business in 1967. It grew through the 1998 acquisition of Plantation Foods in Waco, Tex., and the 2001 acquisition of Rocco Foods in Harrisonburg, Va. Two years later, Cargill Meat Solutions created a business around Taylor Beef, from Wyalusing, Pa., which the company acquired in 2002.
CMS brands include Angus Pride Premium Beef; Excel Fresh Meats; Honeysuckle White Turkey; Meadowland Farms Ground Beef; Preferred Angus Beef; Ranchers Registry Angus Beef; Rumba; Good Nature Pork, a natural product without antibiotics, growth stimulants, preservatives or hormones; Shady Brook Farms; Sterling Silver premium beef or pork; Circle T (fresh) Beef; and Tender Choice pork products, made with the company’s proprietary marinade.
On the foodservice side, Cargill is involved with beef, pork and turkey.
Cargill also has a meat solutions technical center in Wichita, employing 70 scientists and support staff trained in meat science, food science microbiology and regulatory affairs, providing broad technical expertise to beef, pork and turkey customers. The center includes a USDA inspected pilot plant and culinary design center.


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VOV.VN -Vietnam Junior Fashion Week 2020 (VJFW 2020) is scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City from July 4 to July 5.
VOV.VN -The International Fashion & Beauty Festival 2019 is scheduled to be held at the Hanoi International Center for Exhibition from December 11 to December 15, according to information released by the event’s organising board.
More than 100 garments for women and men created by Vietnamese fashion houses and designers will be showcased at the first Vietnam Runway Fashion Week to be held in Ho Chi Minh City this week.
VOV.VN -Nowadays, architects, designers, owners and contractors have more comprehensive, synchronized and sustainable solutions for the coating needs of residential, commercial, educational, medical, and leisurely projects.
VOV.VN - A daily fashion show titled “Your Style” will be held at 50 Dao Duy Tu Street, Hanoi from December 1-3.
VOV.VN - About 20 local and international designers will attend the Vietnam-International Fashion Week (VIFW) Fall-Winter 2017 set to take place at the National Convention Centre, Hanoi on October 31 -November 3.
VOV.VN -A celebrity drenched free concert and fashion show sponsored by Honda Vietnam expected to draw an audience of 10,000 will stage on December 17 at Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi.
VOV.VN -The winners of the reality television series Project Runway– Hoang Minh Ha, Ly Giam Tien, and Nguyen Tien Truyen – are showing off their designs at Vietnam International Week 2016 (VIFW).
VOV.VN -The 2016 Ao Dai Festival opened on the evening of October 14 at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Hanoi.
The Vietnam Designer Fashion Week 2016 will open next weekend with an ambitious goal: bringing 20 top local designers closer to the general public and giving the nascent fashion industry a much-needed boost.
(VOV) -Beautiful models and internationally acclaimed designers on October 15 continued to walk the red carpet in elegantly styled evening wear on the second night of Vietnam International Fashion Week.
Estonian designer Xenia Joots and Yaly Couture brand owner Trinh Diem Quynh will display their Autumn-Winter 2015-16 Fashion collection in Hoi An city.
Globally-famed and promising foreign and Vietnamese designers are showing their latest collections at the Vietnam International Fashion Week, the first of its kind, in Ho Chi Minh City from December 1-6.
Plentiful fashion shows and exhibitions are keeping Vietnamese fashion designers busy as the year nears its end.
(VOV) -More than 200 top-flight designers and artists will be attending former Tourism Ambassador Ly Nha Ky’s Lynk Fashion Show on November 11 at Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh City.
(VOV) -Miss Vietnam 2010 Ngoc Han will present Ao Dai (Vietnamese traditional dress) of leading domestic designers at Paris City Hall (Hotel de ville de Paris) on November 3 during her cultural exchange visit to France.
Vietnam will host the first International Fashion Week in Ho Chi Minh City this December with leading Vietnamese designers presenting their collections, alongside their Asian and international counterparts.
The latest fall and winter collections are set to wow the nation's fashionistas at this year's Fall/Winter Vietnam Fashion Week starting next week from May 11-14.
As many as 800 new designs by 17 Vietnamese and foreign designers will be staged during the Vietnam Autumn-Winter Fashion Week 2014 from May 11-14 in Hanoi.
(VOV) -Vietnam Fashion Week Spring Summer 2013 will take place at Vietnam Television’s S14 film studio in Hanoi from December 22–25.


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American technology giant Apple is reportedly prepping to release its iPhone 5 successor with fingerprint sensor and NFC capabilities.
Mac Rumours citing China Times as its source reported that the Cupertino-based firm has inked a deal with Chipbond, a Taiwanese chip maker to source a number of components for the upcoming iPhone 5S which include the touch display driver, chips to support fingerprint sensor and near field communications (NFC) capabilities.
"Taiwanese chip firm Chipbond has been selected to provide a number of components for the iPhone 5S, including the touch display driver as well as chips to support fingerprint sensor and near field communications (NFC) capabilities," as reported by Mac Rumours.
Reports of a fingerprint sensor for the iPhone 5S had emerged after the company acquired Authentec, a firm which deals with fingerprinting technology, in a $356 million deal in July 2012.
Earlier reports suggested that Apple was prepping a low-cost iPhone model for release this year. The cheaper iPhone will resemble the standard model, but may substitute the regular aluminium case with a polycarbonate plastic chassis. Apple is yet to confirm the details regarding the specs and launch of the next-generation iPhone. It is speculated that the smartphone will be release soon considering Apple's declining current market.
Ming-Chi Kuo, analyst at KGI Securities, had earlier said that iPhone 5S is likely to sport new features like a snappier processor and a massive 13-megapixel camera, besides the fingerprint sensor.


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It's getting difficult to define "snacks." As they continue to replace traditional meals, the category has gotten so all-encompassing that it's almost synonymous with "grocery."
Between that and the maturity of the category, growth is slowing. Snacks are no longer the holy grail they were two years ago, when they were pursued by all large, multi-category food companies.
Nevertheless, in the waning days of 2017, two significant acquisitions took place in this space. Campbell Soup got its toes wet in the space with the $4.9 billion purchase of chip-and-pretzel maker Snyder's-Lance. Hershey Co., with lots of sales in the candy part of the category plus a 2015 beef jerky acquisition, bought Amplify Brands, maker of SkinnyPop and other snacks. A month earlier, Mars Inc. made an equity investment in No. 3 snack bar maker Kind LLC—which, despite not changing its corporate name, has been referring to itself as Kind Healthy Snacks.
Still, as Nielsen defines it (see graphic) snacks is a $93 billion category. An interesting sub-category, according to Nielsen, is single-serve snacks, a category that saw $33 billion in sales in 2017. Annual household spending on these grab-and-go products increased 1.1 percent to $133 per household; but more importantly almost every household (98 percent) in the U.S. purchased these items at least once for quick and convenient consumption. Busy households buy them almost twice monthly (22.3 times per year) across categories, says Nielsen. Large families—specifically with five or more members—index the highest out of all household groups, purchasing 16 percent more individually packaged snacks than the average family.
Even meat snacks, which have been enjoying 7 percent annual growth rates for the past four years, appeared headed for half that rate in 2017.
Jerky and meat snacks, like the protein-packed cuts of preservative-free meats from Jack Link's Lorissa's Kitchen's (lorissaskitchen.com), cater to the growing snack-as-mini-meal trend, as well as the lingering interest in protein. Hormel's new Natural Choice snacks in four varieties combine cheese cubes, ham, roasted chicken or turkey and dark chocolate-covered pretzels, nuts or blueberries, for a small indulgence. "Our 100-percent natural deli meat is now available in a convenient, portion-controlled option, coupled with a sweet treat, attributes our wellness-seeking consumers have long been craving." says Andrew Quinn, brand manager at Hormel Foods (www.hormelfoods.com).
Jerky plus nuts and even dried fruit are mixed into PowerBar's (www.powerbar.com) new Jerky & Nut savory snack bars, each of which packs 10g of protein into original, barbecue and teriyaki varieties.
Consumers still appear to want healthier snacks. Plant ingredients figure prominently, with rediscovered plant protein sources showing up in chips, such as Beanitos, which forges pinto and black beans into chips, Plentils lentil-based chips from Enjoy Life Foods and Hippeas organic chickpea puffs.
Some more traditional plants – we're talking cherries, mangoes and apples – are the sole ingredients (with no added sugars) in Kind's Fruit Bites, which were launched last year. The company also debuted Pressed by Kind bars with only fruit and vegetables or chia seeds.
Non-GMO snacks are especially popular, with an 18.2 percent sales hike in each of the past five years, followed by snacks free from artificial colors/flavors (up 16.2 percent) and no-/reduced-sugar claims (up 11.3 percent), according to Nielsen.
Farm & Oven Snacks (farmandoven.com) has managed to sneak veggies and probiotics into tasty baked cookies. New Bakery Bites, in flavors such as chocolate beet dark chocolate, zucchini lemon poppy seed, carrot cinnamon and pumpkin maple pecan, contain 40 percent of the recommended serving of daily vegetables and 1 billion probiotics per package. "None of my three kids likes veggies," says Kay Allison, bakery co-founder. "So, when my son begged for my pumpkin bread, I added more pumpkin as a way to get him to eat a few more veggies."
While interest in simple, wholesome snacks is up, consumers still make room for indulgent treats. "Consumers talk about eating healthy as a presentation of their best selves and their aspirations, but in reality, they simply want something that tastes good," said Jeanine Bassett, General Mills' vice president of global consumer insights.
Nuts and seeds
Perennial favorites snack mixes and nuts have a "health halo," are portable and come in numerous on-the-go varieties. Over the past year, consumers have asked for exotic, innovative flavors and options with a bit of indulgence.
PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division (www.fritolay.com/snacks) is launching new Doritos Crunch Nuts and Crunch Mix, portable peanut-based snacks in handy on-the-go standup pouches. Frito-Lay is also making its snacks healthier while balancing flavor and nutrition in new items like Simply Tostitos Black Bean tortilla chips, which incorporate legumes, pulses, 4g of protein and 5g of fiber per serving.
Texture is in, as companies like General Mills (www.generalmills.com) are using it in new ways. Its new Nature Valley Layered Bars blend three textures, including layers of crunchy granola, nuts and creamy chocolate and a choice of almond butter or peanut butter.


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The twinkle of the holiday season is already upon us as companies are climbing over each other to pick up the tab for Wi-Fi access at hotspots that typically charge a fee, including two of the most expensive venues: on planes and at airports.
In unrelated sponsorship deals, eBay, Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo are providing free access to various networks and services over the next few weeks and months.
- Free airport Wi-Fi from Google. Google is sponsoring network access at 47 airports from 10 November 2009 to 15 January 2010, although a few of these airports already provide free service. On top of the sponsorship, Google offers a photo contest and up to $250,000 in matching donations for cash gifts made to selected charities through Google Checkout at the airport.
- Free Wi-Fi access on all Virgin America flights from Google during the same period.
- Free Delta in-flight Wi-Fi via eBay. From 24 November 2009 to 30 November 2009, eBay is sponsoring free Wi-Fi on Delta flights; Delta has about 250 Wi-Fi-equipped planes in its fleet.
- MSNBC recently rounded up a number of other, more limited free or discounted deals, too, including a 2-for-1 deal from AirTran (buy one session, then get the next free).
- Free airport and hotel access from Microsoft Bing. To promote the Bing search service, Microsoft partnered with JiWire – a firm for which I’ve worked and consulted – to offer sponsored access to hotel and airport hotspots. A Bing search is required to get the free service. The specific hotspots aren’t being disclosed, unfortunately, but you’ll know it when you see the promotion.
- Times Square in New York City from Yahoo. Yahoo is underwriting a year’s worth of free outdoor Wi-Fi in Times Square starting 10 November 2009, just in time for holiday shopping and festivities.
Other travelers may already have free access at many for-fee hotspots in the United States, including subscribers to AT&T DSL, fiber (U-Verse), and laptop 3G services; Cablevision (its coverage area only); Qwest (via AT&T’s hotspots); and most T-Mobile phone data subscribers. AT&T iPhone subscribers also get free Wi-Fi at AT&T hotspots, but only via the iPhone.


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Greenville, SC, January 31, 2019 --(PR.com
)-- A local Upstate Winery was able to keep over 9,000lbs of glass out of local area landfills with their bottle recycling program in 2018. After an April 1, 2016 decision by Greenville County to stop accepting glass for recycling upset many local residents, City Scape Winery’s co-owners, Josh and Debra Jones, came up with a solution to help keep their wine bottles from ending up as trash.
Starting in January 2018, the couple began allowing customers to bring back their City Scape wine bottles to the winery in exchange for a dollar discount towards a new bottle. “We were amazed by the huge number of customers who took us up on our offer to bring their bottles back,” says Josh Jones. He states that over 10,000 of their own wine bottles were returned throughout the year. Many of the bottles were resanitized using an FDA approved method and reused, but several others were cut to make candles and bottle lights out of.
Several local area restaurants have also gotten in on the program. Edmund and Renee Woo who own/operate Saskatoon Restaurant in Greenville recently started serving City Scape’s wines. “We love the fact that we can support a local business, help our bottom line, and help keep our carbon footprint small at the same time,” says Renee Woo, who recently returned over 260 bottles from her restaurant in exchange a credit towards her next order.
“At the end of the day, it is just the right thing to do for our customers and our area as a whole,” say Deb Jones. More information can be found on the company’s website at: https://cityscapewinery.com/bottle-recycling/


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Ever since Facebook went public in one of the largest technology stock issues of the last decade, an offering that valued the company at more than $60 billion, one of the biggest questions hanging over the company’s head is whether it can generate enough revenue to justify this massive market value. There have been questions raised about both the lack of a strong (or at least convincing) mobile strategy and the relatively lackluster performance of Facebook’s advertising model. And some wonder whether the giant network will ever be able to make advertising work at all, because of the nature of the network and the purposes for which most people use it — and whether alternative networks like Twitter aren’t better equipped to do so.
One of the more recent discussions of that idea comes from startup advisor and entrepreneur Alistair Croll, who argues in a recent blog post that despite its enormous size and reach — something that should theoretically make it perfectly suited for advertising — the nature of Facebook’s network actually makes it less effective at doing this than Twitter. In a nutshell, Croll says, we are more likely to be open to commercial messages appearing in our Twitter stream because the network is asymmetric (meaning you don’t have to approve every follower, and users can send you messages by simply using your Twitter name).
Is Facebook’s structure even conducive to ads?
Facebook, by contrast, is based on a more symmetric model — one that is designed to allow users to control their social network at a very granular level, by approving each and every “friend,” and therefore implicitly accepting that messages from them will appear in their timeline. The network has added subscriptions and other features to try and duplicate the asymmetric model that Twitter uses, but those don’t seem to have really taken off for most users, many of whom complain about subscriber spam. And that kind of structure, Croll argues, makes it a particularly ineffective medium for advertising:
At its core, Facebook is also built around the idea of a network of friends, which means some people (and their messages) are foreign to that network. Our “immune system” reacts when someone promotes something to us. Our first reaction is that their computer has a virus and it’s spamming their social graph —- not that they might be genuinely recommending something.
This is a point that we have made in the past as well. And it isn’t just a threat to traditional advertising, the kind General Motors was doing when it decided to yank its $10-million budget just before Facebook’s IPO (the company is apparently reconsidering this move). It’s also a potential risk for the kind of social advertising Facebook is trying to sell to big customers, including features like “sponsored stories,” which embed messages from Facebook users inside ads. As I tried to point out in a recent GigaOM Pro report, the network’s future depends on it being able to solve that problem (subscription required).
If Facebook can’t make ads work, then it is AOL
Sir Martin Sorrell, the chairman of giant advertising and marketing conglomerate WPP Group, put this challenge well when he said recently that he wasn’t sure whether advertising would be effective on Facebook or not, because it is a social place where users expect to interact with their friends, not with commercial messages. As he put it: “The point is that Facebook is a social medium, not an advertising one… you interrupt social conversations with commercial messages at your peril.” As Croll notes in his blog post, this could be one of the reasons why Twitter might actually be better suited to advertising content:
Facebook is stuck in an awkward place compared to LinkedIn, Twitter, and even Google. It’s not a “vertical” social network like LinkedIn. It’s not an “open” social network like Twitter [and] it’s not a default part of using the Web like Google is.
Obviously, Facebook is far from doomed when it comes to either advertising or generating revenue. One of the few advantages the network has — apart from just its massive size — is the “open graph” platform it has created, which connects it to millions of websites through “like” buttons and comments and other features (something Google has been trying to replicate to some extent with its Google+ network and the +1 button). There is at least the potential that Facebook could use these connections to develop an advertising network that places ads on partner sites and targets them using the behavior of its users, avoiding the anti-social problem.
The big danger is that Facebook never makes this or any of its various mobile efforts fly properly, and winds up being just an AOL-style platform that “tries to keep people inside it, making money off the in-system credit taxes,” as Croll puts it in his post. It may have a few billion dollars that it can spend on figuring the problem out, and a billion or so users on whom to test various solutions, but there’s no guarantee that it will succeed — or that success is even possible without radically changing the nature of the network.


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Actress Gwyneth Paltrow pulled a publicity stunt on Wednesday via her wellness company Goop, marketing a $120 package of luxury, disposable diapers lined with virgin alpaca wool and fastened with gemstones, to highlight the wrongness of taxing diapers when so many parents are struggling to buy them.
Goop partnered with the non-profit Baby2Baby to make the point that between taxing diapers and the rising cost of essential goods needed for children, parents are being crushed financially while struggling simply to take care of their kids.
“Meet The Diapér,” the original Instagram post read inciting immediate outrage online. “Our new disposable diaper lined with virgin alpaca wool and fastened with amber gemstones, known for their ancient emotional-cleansing properties. Infused with a scent of jasmine and bergamot for a revitalized baby. Dropping tomorrow at 11 a.m. EST at $120 for a pack of 12.”
“Goop launched a luxury disposable diaper at $120 for a pack of 12 and there was a lot of outrage. Good,” Paltrow bluntly stated in a video she posted to social media on Wednesday.
“It was designed to piss us off. Because if treating diapers like a luxury makes you mad, so should taxing them like a luxury. The Diapér is a fake product meant to shine a light on a real problem,” she asserted.
View this post on Instagram
Diapers are a necessity, but in 33 states they’re taxed like a luxury item, leaving 1 in 3 moms struggling to afford them. Thank you @goop for launching The Diapér, a fake diaper designed to highlight an outrageous luxury tax. https://t.co/RFC5sNnxfP #changethediapertax pic.twitter.com/pxcJ2gBskt
— Baby2Baby (@baby2baby) May 12, 2022
“Despite the absolute necessity of diapers, in 33 states, they aren’t treated as an essential item. They’re taxed as a luxury good,” the Oscar-winning actress pointed out. She is a long-time advocate for repealing taxes on diapers.
Paltrow is one of many celebrities who support Baby2Baby. She claimed that eliminating the diaper tax is “not a complete solution.” But, she said, “it could allow many families to pay for another month’s supply,” according to NBC News.
“Depending on the state, this sales tax can add between 1.5 percent and 7 percent to their cost. (We priced our fictional Diapérs at $120 because that is what the diaper tax could cost families annually,)” Goop noted on its company website.
Update–this is a parody! It was so on-the-nose, it was believable, but apparently, Gwyneth Paltrow did it to raise awareness of the absurd cost of diapers, and now they’ve started a fundraising campaign for Baby2Baby, which is actually VERY cool.
— Casey!🌻 (@Muirin007) May 12, 2022
Critics initially excoriated Paltrow and Goop for the expensive, elitist diapers. But she may have had a point about over-taxation when it comes to products that are a necessity, especially with raging inflation taking its toll on families. Regardless, the PR move definitely got people’s attention.
Paltrows’ admission that the product was fake and was meant to get people riled up, was coupled with a plea to Americans to “make a donation to help Baby2Baby provide formula to the families they serve.” She is evidently also fighting to help get baby formula to families who are suffering from a nationwide shortage currently.
“The nationwide formula shortage is a true emergency, and Baby2Baby is having formula made at a fraction of the retail cost and donating it to families throughout the US,” an article on the Goop website states.
“During the pandemic, Baby2Baby’s diaper requests have skyrocketed 505 percent. National shortages exacerbated the need. So Baby2Baby began manufacturing their own diapers, produced at a fraction of the cost to increase the number of children they serve. Baby2Baby has also been working to meet the ever-increasing demand for formula since COVID began, distributing over 300,000 cans of formula through COVID relief efforts,” Goop said in a statement to TODAY.
“The funniest thing about the ‘Goop dropped a bejeweled fur-lined diaper’ joke is that we all fully believed Goop would drop a bejeweled fur-lined diaper,” Jezebel’s Laura Bassett wrote, referring to the company’s questionable wellness claims.
The funniest thing about the “Goop dropped a bejeweled fur-lined diaper” joke is that we all fully believed Goop would drop a bejeweled fur-lined diaper
— Laura Bassett (@LEBassett) May 11, 2022
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ATLANTA Johnston & Murphy has launched a new print campaign as part of its plan to rejuvenate the 155-year-old shoe brand, the company said.
The effort, including two-page spreads and full-page ads, began appearing in the March issues of GQ, Esquire, Vanity Fair, Forbes, Sports Illustrated and Golf. The ads feature actor Ron Livingston and reggae singer Ziggy Marley. Another ad featuring BMX rider Mat Hoffman is scheduled to launch in the fall.
The campaign was created by Toth Brand Imaging of Concord, Mass., and supports the Nashville, Tenn.-based company's new logo, packaging and store designs.
"Our customers rely on us for traditional men's footwear and we have a strong reputation for providing that," said Jonathan Caplan, the company's president. "But we have a lot more to offer and we hope that's reflected in our new ad campaign."
Campaign spending details were not available. The company spends about $1 million annually on advertising, according to TNS Media Intelligence/CMR.


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…As sachet water goes out of reach
…Resorting to other sources puts Nigerians at risk of water-related diseases
No respite in sight for the citizens of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, who are being pummeled on all sides of life with the accelerating inflation resulting in soaring prices of every commodity in the market.
With headline inflation settling at 29.9 percent in January 2024, sachet water, Nigeria’s most common and cheapest source of sanitised drinking water, is becoming a luxury, going out of the reach of the masses.
The economic headwinds have resulted in a sharp rise in prices in recent times with retailers selling a bag for between N300 and N400 depending on the location and temperature of the water bag.
This development, experts say, could trigger a serious health crisis if the poor Nigerians whose source of drinking is the popular sachet water begin to depend on boreholes and other unsafe sources of water to meet their drinking water needs.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 declares the importance of achieving ‘clean water and sanitation for all’. It promotes universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
Universal access to safe drinking water is a fundamental need and human right because securing access for all would go a long way in reducing illness and death, especially among children.
Though access to clean water is a basic human right, it has remained a challenge for millions globally as about 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water services as of 2020.
In Nigeria, about 26.5 million Nigerian children lack access to safe water as of 2021, according to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
This means that 29 percent of children in Nigeria experience high or extremely high-water vulnerability. This, experts say, is life-threatening as lack of safe water affects people’s health, well-being, and economic productivity.
It can lead to waterborne diseases including cholera, diarrhoea, and typhoid fever, which cause millions of deaths yearly, especially among children under five.
Already, UNICEF said about 100,000 Nigerian children are said to die annually of water-related diseases.
Owing to the inability of governments at both Federal and State levels to provide safe pipe running water to citizens, many Nigerians rely on self-dug boreholes to meet their cooking water needs.
Today, these boreholes have also become a source of drinking water for many, especially the poor masses who could not afford to buy either sachet or table water.
“Tablewater producers now supply a bag of sachet water to retailers at a price between N250 and N300 per bag while the retailers sell for N400 per bag. I bought five bags of sachet water on Friday, February 23, 2024, for N1,250 from the factory and this amounts to N250 per bag,” said Efifong Ntak, a Lagos-based accountant.
He said he used to buy the same number of bags of sachet water for N1,000 in 2022.
According to Ntak, the soaring prices of commodities including sachet water are becoming a source of concern for families who are faced with diverse financial burdens, especially at this time.
Sachet water is cheaper to produce than plastic bottles and easier to transport. In Nigeria, it is popularly known as “pure water”, and it has become an increasingly important part of drinking water access for many.
BusinessDay Sunday checks revealed that the price of sachet water started rising in 2015 when a bag of sachet water, initially sold for between N70 and N100 per bag as well as a sachet sold for N5, was hiked to between N140 and N150 while a sachet was sold for N10.
Then, the Association for Table Water Producers of Nigeria cited the rise in the cost of production especially the price of the waterproof used in packaging the product as a reason for hiking the price.
After the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2021, table water producers increased the price of a bag of sachet water to N200 per bag and N20 per sachet due to a further increase in production cost resulting from soaring inflation and naira devaluation.
The situation worsened in 2022 after the pure water producers announced a nationwide price increase from N200 to N300 per bag and N20 per sachet, according to Clementina Ativie, its national president.
Today, with the naira trading for N1, 488.896/$ on the Central Bank’s official foreign exchange window as of Friday, February 2024 and N1,750/$ at the black market, many Nigerians are lamenting over the leap in the price of staple foods and other commodities including sachet water which now sells for as much as N400 per bag and N30 per sachet.
Presently, many families are relying on borehole water, which is rarely filtered or sanitised before it can become fit for drinking.
“I stopped buying sachet water in 2021 when a bag was sold for N200. We are a family of seven persons, my wife and I with five children. This means that we need at least two bags of sachet water per day, which was becoming too expensive for me when I had other bills to pay with the limited money at my disposal,” said Timothy Adebayo, an artisan.
He said his family depends on the borehole water for cooking and drinking, and it has been so for close to three years now.
Adebayo said he did not buy sachet water when it was N200 per bag and he is not planning to do so now that it is N400 per bag and there is no money anywhere now to even eat food not to talk of buying water.
“Whenever I’m tasty, I go to the nearby borehole to fetch drinking water and that has been the practice,” he added.
But he confirmed that three of his children have always been typhoid patients, which could be attributed to drinking unsafe water.
Akpan Okon, a vehicle mechanic, told our correspondent said he does not border himself with buying bags of sachet as he takes drinking water from a nearby borehole.
Okon said buying drinking water at home for his family is the least of his worries.
Meanwhile, Ifeanyi Onyebuchi, a tricycle rider, told BusinessDay Sunday that five bags of sachet water in his part of Lagos sells for N1,500 from the company which amounts to N300 per bag.
According to him, his family has decided to start boiling borehole water to serve as drinking water for the whole family rather than depend on buying bags of water because the current pricing would not be the end of a hike in price.


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The current waters are still a little murky in relation to the use of electronic signatures. According to white papers released by CoreLogic on the use of DocuSign, an electronic signatures software product, electronic signatures are legal in most Australian Jurisdictions.
Rundl, powered by progressive law firm LawLab, already have clients transacting with electronic signatures across many of the Australian Jurisdictions.
Others, however, including many of the REI Form products have been more cautious in the implementation of electronic signatures as technology and best practice advice moves further into alignment.
The theme of the round up is that the economies and efficiencies of electronic signing are broadly winning the day with most moving towards electronic signing rather than away from it.
The development of the electronic signing practice for real estate agents will continue to evolve as regulators, peak bodies, tech companies, media and consumers become more adoptive and adaptive to the process. In the meantime, we can use the capabilities that are available and becoming available, while our industry bodies can encourage Government to embrace the practice and everyone can spectate the development of the law as test cases assist us to define the future of electronic signing. Read More Here


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UNIPALM, one of the most fashionable of recent new issues, beat its pre-flotation forecast with profits before tax of pounds 272,000 in the year to 30 April, writes Diane Coyle.
The company specialises in software connecting subscribers to Internet - the informal international computer network with 20 million users around the world - and is one of the few companies that gives an electronic mail, as well as a postal, address. Its turnover rose 28 per cent to pounds 10.8m. The number of customers has climbed from 200 on flotation to 250.
Profits fell from pounds 605,000 last year because of higher spending on marketing by Pipex, Unipalm's Internet subsidiary. Pipex made losses of pounds 444,000, offset by profits of pounds 716,000 elsewhere in the group.
Chris Batterham, finance director, said June had been a record month for Unipalm, with pounds 250,000 in new sales. Contracts won recently include creating the network for the BBC Network Club, due to be launched this week for viewers of its series on the Internet. Earnings per share fell from 2.9p to 0.89p. The shares rose 2p to 110p, compared with a placing price of 100p in March.Reuse content


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by Florin Oprea
Saheli Roy Choudhury – CNBC
Cybereason, a Boston-based cybersecurity firm specializing in end-point detection and response to digital security breaches, on announced it secured a $100 million funding from Japanese telecommunications firm SoftBank Corp — a subsidiary of SoftBank Group.
FAO: SoftBank was lead investor in Cybereason’s $59m Series C funding in October 2015.
Oscar Williams-Grut – Business Insider
Startup bank Atom has received a £30 million funding boost from the state-owned British Business Bank (BBB).
British Business Bank Investments, the commercial arm of the BBB, announced it has agreed a £30 million Tier 2 capital facility with Atom, a digital-only bank founded in 2014. The facility, effectively a loan to Atom, will allow the Durham-based bank to lend out more money to small businesses.
FAO: I think we will soon have to ban Atom Bank articles in our newsletter, as they are too many….just joking! Atom – keep up the good job!
Steve O’Hear – TechCrunch
Soldo, the London-based fintech startup that offers a multi-user spending account, first launched for consumers and since tailored to businesses too, has raised $11 million in Series A funding. Venture Capital firm Accel led the round, with participation from Connect Ventures, InReach Ventures, U-Start and R204 Partners.
Steve O’Hear – TechCrunch
TrueLayer, a London startup that’s built a developer platform to make it easy for fintech companies to access bank APIs — and ride the PSD2 gravy train — has raised $3 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Anthemis Group, with participation from existing investor Connect Ventures, and will be used by TrueLayer to expand its team and increase coverage of supported banks before opening up beyond beta testers later this year.
Deals Street Asia
Southeast Asian fintech firm Akulaku is understood to have raised between $5-10 million in funding from a clutch of overseas venture capital investors. The round also included an investment from DCM Ventures. The transaction is learnt to have been closed a few months ago.
Entrants in Visa’s first-ever MENA Everywhere Initiative will have the opportunity to compete for a chance to win up to $50,000 to support a development programme with Visa, or through business partnership with Visa’s clients, and potentially have access to Visa APIs, executive mentors and technologists.
FAO: There are four main hubs in MENA – UAE (leeader), Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt.
Access FinTech brings together fintech providers and in-house technology, orchestrating the interaction of the distributed providers and creating a single visual display of the risk of financial transactions in a global sharable view.
Suleman Din – Financial Planning
Addepar CEO Eric Poirier says the eight-year old performance reporting platform has seen the number of assets its clients hold grow from $300 billion last year to $700 billion.
Maria Terekhova – Business Insider
Amid growing interest from the financial services industry in digital identity technologies, major Spanish bank BBVA has announced it’s co-launched Veridas, a new tech company specializing in digital identity tools, in collaboration with biometrics and nanotechnology startup Das-Nano.
FAO: BBVA is also experimenting with blockchain, as reported last month.
The Economic Times
Despite retail banking being a tech-intensive industry, FinTech providers – having few similarities to traditional banks – are attacking virtually every product category in banking, said the joint study by Tata Consultancy Services and Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation.
Chris Player – ARN
Australian Internet of Things (IoT) Platform-as-a-Service Provider (PaaS) Reekoh, has signed a deal with global data centre operator, Equinix, to offer its integration platform to enterprises through the provider’s facilities.
Lynne Marek – Crain’s Chicago Business
OptionsCity CEO Hazem Dawani said in a letter that he expects the transaction with Vela Trading Technologies to close by the end of the month. In an email he declined to tell Crain’s how much Vela is paying.
FAO: Vela Trading Technologies was known as SR Labs until June 2016. The company raised $53m in 2013 and acquired Wombat Financial Software from NYSE Technologies in 2014.
via PR Newswire – Credit Karma named Susannah Wright its first general counsel. Previously head of compliance at SolarCity and Tesla, Wright also joins Credit Karma’s executive committee.
via Insurance Journal – San Francisco, Calif.-based Metromile has named Carrie Dolan CFO. Dolan most recently served as CFO of Lending Club.
Times of India
PayU-funded startup ZestMoney is taking the business correspondent route to enable banks provide loans at checkout during online purchases. The company has already tied up with DCB and is in advanced talks with Ratnakar Bank to extend loans for online purchases. ZestMoney is also considering getting an NBFC licence to lend from its own balance sheet.
FAO: Florin Adrian Oprea, Editor-in-chief FinTech Daily News


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Carmakers expect up to 15 million electric cars in Germany by 2030
Clean Energy Wire
The number of electric cars on German roads could rise much more quickly than most experts and the government currently assume. Carmakers believe that up to 14.8 million pure electric cars and plug-in hybrids could be registered in Germany by 2030, according to confidential calculations the companies submitted for a study conducted by the German transport ministry's coordinating platform for charging infrastructure. The government only plans to have seven to 10 million of these vehicles on the road by that date. The study concludes that 440,000 to 843,000 public charging points in Germany will be sufficient by 2030, depending on how many people can charge at home. The government currently aims to have one million public charging points by that date.
Most experts currently believe that the roll-out of electric vehicles in Germany will be much slower. Earlier this week, a study published by consulting firm Deloitte said about six million electric vehicles seem feasible at best, because the automotive industry is not in a position to switch from the currently still profitable combustion engines to the as yet unprofitable electric drive technology. The German government said this week it will spend an additional three billion euros to help the car industry manage a smooth transition to clean mobility and weather the coronavirus crisis.
In contrast to many suppliers that still heavily rely on combustion engine technology, Germany's large carmakers are shifting ever more decisively towards electric mobility. In a highly symbolic move, BMW decided to move its combustion engine production abroad, and focus on electric mobility in its German plants. The company's plant in Munich, where BMW is headquartered, will also be retooled.
The take-up of electric vehicles has been slow in Germany in comparison to many other markets, but thanks to new government incentives, registrations have picked up sharply in recent months. The share of pure electric cars in new car registrations reached 8.4 percent in October as a record number of car buyers opted for alternative propulsion systems.


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Weed prices are falling, as formerly illegal pot growers are coming in from the cold and investing the money they’d been stashing under their pillows into legal grow sites—thus pushing up supply while making less money for cultivators.
An analysis by Bloomberg Markets views this as an opportunity for companies to cut production costs and focus on efficiency.
“Anybody that is investing in this sector or starting a business in this sector needs to be doing so with the understanding that the price of cannabis is going to drop precipitously,” said Troy Dayton, CEO of Arcview Group, a California-based cannabis investor group. “The agricultural technology space is already booming, and now they get to lay their hands on the cannabis industry.”
In Colorado, average prices per pound sought by wholesalers since legalization in 2014 have fallen to about $1,300 (48 percent) according to Cannabase, operator of Colorado’s largest market and the largest in the country.
While supply surges, growers expand and install more sophisticated growing technology.
According to John Chandler, VP of Urban-Gro in Lafayette, Colorado, indoor growers can cut production costs to less than $300 a pound from more than $1,000—a savings which hopefully will be passed on to customers.
Retail prices also are dropping, although not as fast as the wholesale market. Pots shops in Colorado collected an average $6.61 per gram in November, down 25 percent from the first quarter of 2014, according to a chart provided by BDS Analytics, a Colorado-based research company.
A great deal of ink has been spilled lately predicting that the cannabis market in North America could reach $20 billion in the coming five years, especially after recent pot legalizations in last November’s elections.
However, November also brought us a not-popularly elected president whose choice for attorney general could throw a huge hammer into the works.
But let’s be optimistic and celebrate what modern technology is providing: greenhouses and warehouses with insulated walls, energy-saving glass ceilings, integrated pest management, odor and air purification, climate-control that provides water with reclaimed condensate, etc.
“If you want to provide cannabis to your people, you’ve got to adapt or die,” said Brian Lade, owner of Smokey Point Productions in Arlington, Washington.
“The cleaner you can be, the less chemicals you have to use,” added Lade, who started growing weed in a garage when he was 17 years old—23 years ago.
With sophisticated indoor growing technology, cultivators in states that don’t get glorious, year-round sunshine can still create their own warm, sunny conditions in efficient and environmentally friendly atmospheres.
Just keep the chemicals out and the prices down, and we’ll all be happy.
You can keep up with all of HIGH TIMES’ marijuana news right here.
Navigating Child Protective Services When You Use Cannabis
What’s in Your Stash? Autumn Saylor, Stay-at-Home Mom, Treating PTSD With Cannabis
Study Finds Legal Cannabis Reduces Illicit Grows in National Forests
Someone Planted 34 Cannabis Plants in the Vermont Statehouse Flower Beds
House Votes to Protect States With Legal Marijuana From Feds
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Kate Middleton's Wedding Dress Makes Millions!
Kate Middleton's wedding dress has made the Royal Family a whopping £10 million in ticket sales, after becoming the main attraction of a Buckingham Palace exhibition last year.
Kate Middleton's Sarah Burton-designed Alexander McQueen wedding dress went on display for 73 days at Buckingham Palace and was seen by a total of 626,678 people, a figure Royal Collection director Jonathan Marsden called "unprecedented".
Visitors also got to see the Duchess's Robinson Pelham diamond earrings (a wedding day gift from her parents), as well as her handmade silk shoes, a replica of her wedding cake, and even the Cartier tiara she borrowed from the Queen.
The Queen famously described the headless mannequin that displayed the wedding dress as 'horrid', and 'very creepy' as she accompanied the Duchess on a private tour of the exhibition before its public opening.
We guess not everybody thought so!
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On December 5, 2023, Lugano, a Swiss Town, introduced the incorporation of the cryptocurrencies Bitcoin (BTC) and Tether (USDT) for tax and different municipal price bills.
This makes a part of Lugano’s collaborative plans with Tether, Plan B, formed to revitalize the Town’s monetary machine the use of Bitcoin tech.
Lugano Dives into the International of Crypto
Earlier than the most recent traits, Lugano most effective allowed crypto bills to be made immediately at the Town’s legitimate on-line portal. Then again, the discharge extends the likelihood to each bill, irrespective of the character or quantity.
Consistent with the observation, Lugano voters and corporations can now pay their bills by way of scanning the bill QR code and leveraging their favourite cell wallets. The 2 belongings authorised in keeping with the observation are Bitcoin (BTC) and Tether (USDT), behemoths of their respective asset categories.
The observation by way of Bitcoin Suisse notes that the most recent replace is a part of Lugano’s Plan B, a collaboration with Tether, to combine BTC into day-to-day existence.
This unlock additionally issues out the function of Bitcoin Suisse in Lugano’s Plan B. Bitcoin Suisse will deal with the technical a part of the cost answer to supply a handy choice for accepting bills with BTC and USDT.
The Leader Product Officer at Bitcoin Suisse, Armin Schmid, expresses his enjoyment of backing Lugano in its project to boost up using Blockchain tech. He mentioned:
“It’s nice to look that increasingly more Swiss municipalities are providing bills in cryptocurrencies as an choice to be had to each voters and corporations, complementing conventional cost strategies akin to post-office counters and e-banking platforms.”
Bitcoin Suisse stresses its excitement in offering technical infrastructure for crypto bills. Additionally, it boasts of offering crypto bills to different Swiss Cantons, municipalities, and towns.
Switzerland Going All-In with Crypto
Lugano isn’t the primary Swiss Town to take this trail. As early as 2021, Zug Town had already begun accepting Bitcoin and Ethereum for tax settlements. The Canton of Zug and the municipality of Zermatt have already applied the machine.
Switzerland has been forward of the curve in adopting crypto belongings for a while.
Ultimate month, one of the vital biggest Swiss cantonal banks, St. Galler Kantonalbank, introduced the legitimate break of day of Bitcoin and Ethereum buying and selling and custody services and products for a number of purchasers.
The put up Swiss Town Lugano Now Accepts Bitcoin and Tether for Municipal Taxes gave the impression first on CryptoPotato.


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A listing has hit Amazon for a Justice League Special Editon that has two release dates, leading to speculation the later one could be an extended edition.
Justice League: SE hits Amazon on August 23rd, with a more expensive version coming out October 2nd.
Worth a mention is that the box art does state both are 120 minutes in length, which is runtime of the theatrical version, but hopefully the Justice League Special Edition will feature more footage.
It is known that Joss Whedon was basically forced to cut his version down to 2 hours, so if this is some sort of extended edition, maybe it has more from the Whedon cut.
While fans are hoping it’s the Zack Snyder cut, I doubt it as I’m guessing there would be some sort of promotion to go with it.
The Amazon listing also has it as being a DVD, so this just may be the non-Blu-Ray release of the flick.
Cross your fingers, I suppose.
Previously, there has been talk of lost footage and a Justice League extended version possibly getting released.
Check out the box art for the Justice League SE version below.
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.


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The Leeds-based firm has taken delivery of the warehouse from temporary building manufacturer, supplier and installer Spaciotempo UK at its head office, at Cross Green, just off the M1 motorway.
The company dates back to 1827 and produces instant soups, home baking kits and bread products, manufacturing under licence and for its own brands. Following a management buy-out this year, it is currently engaged in an ambitious expansion programme.
In the past year it has acquired the Ragu and Chicken Tonight cooking sauce brands and in June it bought fellow UK baking business Victoria Foods, which also supplies products under licence for Nestle and Weight Watchers.
Symington’s is one of Spaciotempo’s most loyal customers and its new building, which provides room for 2,700 pallets of finished goods, has been placed behind another temporary warehouse on its site.
Drawn from Spaciotempo’s TempAstor range, it has been fitted with radar speed doors, which open automatically when a forklift truck approaches, enabling fast and efficient access.
It took Spaciotempo a matter of weeks to erect the building and James Bridson, group warehouse and distribution manager for Symington’s, said that the ability to access extra storage space quickly on the same site makes installing temporary warehousing a key tactic during the expansion process.
He said: “Acquiring extra on-site temporary warehouse space is part of our growth strategy and it is an approach that is working out extremely well for us.
“We have room to spare in our yard for one thing, so we are not facing extra transport costs for off-site storage, and we don’t have racking either, so it is a straightforward process to get a new building up and running.
“In the long term, we will look at more permanent warehousing, but for the moment, and while we continue to grow, Spaciotempo’s buildings are a perfect temporary fix.”
Scott Jameson, director of sales at Spaciotempo, said: “Our business is characterised by working with organisations whose fortunes are on the up and that is certainly the case with Symington’s, which has taken a number of buildings from us during a period of growth.
“We are delighted to have been able to provide another building within a timescale that the company was looking for in order to match its expansion plans.”
Tel: 01889 569569


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As the effects of the coronavirus outbreak continue to ripple across the lives of practically every person, everywhere in the world, now is a critical time to look after all aspects of our health – physical health, metal and emotional health, and even financial health.
Unfortunately, there have been numerous reports of financial scams related to COVID-19. Scammers are preying on people at an extremely vulnerable moment, and it’s surprisingly easy to become entangled in a scam when you’re so strongly focused on other challenges like social distancing, managing employment issues or taking care of loved ones.
Keep up with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for the latest news on COVID-19 scams and how to protect yourself. Test your Scam knowledge with this short quiz to be entered into a raffle to win one of four $25 gift cards.
Here’s a quick snapshot of financial scams you might encounter, with key advice on how to avoid them:
Donation and Philanthropy Scams
Many people are now pooling their efforts and resources to help out in the coronavirus pandemic; from donating medical supplies, to fundraising for people who’ve lost their jobs, to supporting less-abled members of the community in times of social isolation. Sadly, scammers are taking advantage of people’s good nature. A number of phishing scams related to donation and philanthropy have been reported, in which a person will receive an email, text or message via social media, requesting them to donate money to a fake fund.
As always, be wary of any strangers getting in touch to request money. Instead, if you are in a position to make a donation, check in with legitimate organizations – like Harvard Square Homeless Shelter or Partners Healthcare Hospital – through their official sites online.
False Healthcare Agency Scams
Another phishing scam that’s now occurring involves a scammer impersonating a professional healthcare agency like the World Health Organization (WHO) or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). You may be asked to open an email or click on a link, at which point your devices become vulnerable to malware or personal information may be stolen.
With plenty of information from reputable sources online, being updated all the time, there’s simply no reason to click on an email from a sender you don’t recognize or that’s not in your list of frequent contacts. Don’t open the email to see what it contains or whether it’s legitimate – delete the email immediately, and if you think you’ve been the victim of a phishing attempt, consider reporting it to the Federal Trade Commission.
Bogus Product Scams
Demand is now skyrocketing for certain types of products, including surgical masks, medical gloves and hand sanitizer. Beware of social media groups and ads, or websites that claim to stock these items, as there’s a chance it may be a fraudster who will demand up-front payment but not complete the delivery.
Use extra caution at this time when shopping for products that are in short supply. Ensure that you are on a secure website or buying from a reputable brand; and if the payment process feels bumpy or you are redirected to another website, consider making your purchase elsewhere. Of course, don’t give out your credit card details or any other personal information over the phone.
Unusual Emails and Calls
Beware of any suspicious emails around this time offering medical services or promising to show you important news about the coronavirus outbreak. These may contain malware that will infect your computer; so do not open strange emails, download attachments or click on links from senders you don’t know.
And, the same goes for phone calls. If you get a robocall, hang up. Some scammers may also pretend that they are a friend of one of your family members, and ask you for credit card details to help this person. While this situation can be frightening and you may feel compelled to act fast, do not act immediately. Stop and think – does this sound like a legitimate call? Who else in my family can I get in touch with first, to check on the situation? Most importantly, never give your credit card details to anyone over the phone.


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Bosch renews its focus on fire
FAIRPORT, N.Y.--Currently the fire market is dominated by four major players - Tyco, Siemens, Honeywell and GE - but Bosch Security Systems is working to change that. Within three to five years Bosch aims to displace one of those players and take its place among the top four. (A goal that is shared by Fike, see story this page.)
“The market is ready for someone new,” said Charles Davis, product marketing manager for Bosch Security Systems. Davis, who was brought on board in September of 2008 to help relaunch Bosch’s fire division, believes Bosch is well positioned to achieve that goal.
The effort, he explained, is two-fold, involving both the introduction of a portfolio of products designed specifically for the United States, and essentially creating a revamped dealer channel.
“Bosch has committed R&D resources for the U.S. market and plans to develop a portfolio of products to become a full systems solutions provider,” Davis said. Bosch has an “aggressive schedule over the next two and a half years to build up the portfolio.” With the recent introduction of two new panels - the first a reworked FPD-7024 panel, a conventional panel that converts to an addressable panel; the second a new FPA-1000, an analog addressable panel, with a built-in Web-server offering a Web-based approach for programming, maintenance and report generation, and built-in gas detector functionality, as well as the ability to tie Bosch’s voice and mass notification offerings into these panels - Bosch is “at the very beginning stages of the venture,” he said.
Previously, Bosch’s fire panel offerings were limited to systems aimed at the lower end of the marketplace, and “a long list of piece-parts - about 1,200 items,” Davis explained.
With the many changes in the 2010 fire codes, now is a good time to be building new products, Davis said.
Going forward, an understanding of new code requirements as well as a high level of technical competence and engineering resources will be critical. To this end, Bosch is working on training its existing dealers (most of whom are security dealers who also do some fire business) and recruiting a new pool of experienced fire dealers who have not used Bosch in the past.
Bosch has identified and is actively wooing 7,000 experienced dealers, Davis said. In addition to new product offerings, Bosch intends to offer these dealers “consultative services, business model plans, benchmark studies and other materials. We want to help them be successful, so we can be successful.”
Getting the dealer program in place will take two years and the entire re-launching process will take three to five years, but expect to hear more from Bosch in the months ahead.
“The Bosch brand image as a recognized fire alarm system manufacturer in the in the industry is not well known right now … but we’ve got a strategy in place and by the end of the year we want to be recognized as a serious player.”


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Kornit storm, the robust and field-proven commercial DTG printer, serving small to mid-size printing businesses is now available as an HD technology platform. The new Kornit Storm HD6 is priced at around ₹2.3 Crore in India.
Advantages of kornit storm HD6:
- Ryan, one of the key benefits Kornit promotes with the HD technology and RAPID ink is a reduction in ink usage by approximately 30% with an improvement in quality. (printingnews.com)25
- Operating Conditions 18°C-30°C / 64.4°F-86°F, Humidity: 45%-95% (kornit.com27)
- The smaller drop size saves ink and gives a better hand feel,” explained Kornit EMEA marketing director Oliver Luedtke. “The ink saving compared to the Storm Hexa is around 30%”. (printweek.com18)
- Hardy added that only about 5-10% of its clientele are corporate. (printinnovationasia.com19)
- From February until now, we have experienced that the ink costs save us more than about 40% compared to Kornit Breeze, so I'm quite happy with it,” Hardy said. (printinnovationasia.com19)


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Berti had a highly satisfying experience at the recently concluded Domotex Fair in Hannover. Berti was present with its parquet at the important German Fair dedicated exclusively to flooring: four very intense days full of interested visitors and professionals, for a total of more than 40,000 attendees coming from 89 different nations, while there were 1409 exhibitors representing 60 countries.
“Thanks to the high number of exhibitors, the rich range of innovations and the unique international character it can boast, DOMOTEX has strengthened its leading presence in the global market of the flooring industry and is a showcase for novelty. The exhibitors particularly appreciated the high quality of its visitors, who were enthusiastic about the unique variety the Fair had to offer”, said Andreas Gruchow of the Deutsche Messe Board of Directors at the close of the fair. “Innovations@DOMOTEX and the new initiative Young Designer Trendtable were especially important moments for comparison and inspiration, and reiterated the importance DOMOTEX gives to innovation”.
Berti was present alongside its special partner Diesel Living to present the new items in its Collection 2017, with products geared towards innovation and originality, meeting its objective of standing out against other competing brands.
Its special location within the event (booth 7) additionally helped to bring out the peculiarities of the new productions, which have already been much appreciated by a good part of the public that was able to see them first hand.
Thus continues Berti Pavimenti Legno’s positive trend of consolidation and growth, also on the international market, evermore confirming the winning choice to partner with the Diesel Living line: a partnership which will mark its two year anniversary in April of this year.
Berti was also present with its innovative inlays, produced with the aid of sophisticated laser technology that our company has been using with a pioneering spirit since the 80s, and has allowed us to create unparalleled works of art over time.
We received a very strong and extremely positive response also on this front, and the public was enthusiastic about the tiles on display which demonstrated our ability to process multiple materials together, such as wood and resin. Two of these tiles reproduced drawings made for the National Theatre of Baku, while the central inlay depicted a drawing made for a Kremlin hall with a particular aged finish.
Here you can also see the interview Matteo Berti gave to Professional Parquet, precisely during Domotex 2017.


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A new law in Colorado offers help to business owners who want to sell their companies to employees rather than an outside interest, the Denver Business Journal reported.
Signed into law Thursday, the bill requires the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade to promote employee stock ownership plans (ESOP) to owners who might be interested in them, and it allows the state agency to loan owners up to $10,000 to cover costs.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. James Coleman, told the DBJ that some mom-and-pop businesses like restaurants and retail shops who want to convert to employee-owned companies cannot afford the approximate $20,000 cost.
ESOP Risks and Rewards
In an ESOP model, business owners gradually shift their stakes in a company from themselves to their employees. The transition often allows entrepreneurs to unlock value from their companies, and it offers aging owners an exit strategy. Employees, in turn, pay no tax on the contributions to the ESOP, only the distribution of their accounts.
In 2015, some 40 years after the first ESOPs arrived, there were about 8,900 ESOPs in the United States covering 13.5 million workers, according to investment banking firm Butcher Joseph & Co., citing data from the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO).
From 2002 to 2015, between 80 and 150 U.S. companies converted each year, according to a report by Matrix Global Advisors, which is about equal to the number of initial public offerings (IPOs) each year.
ESOPs do involve some risks. Companies that have consistently weak earnings, poor internal controls, and weak succession plans can implode under ESOP ownership models, according to Gibson.
However, employees at ESOPs tend to be more financially secure, a recent study suggests. Employee-owners are more optimistic about their opportunities for financial advancement, and they are far less likely to have economic insecurities, the Employee-Owned S Corporations of America (ESCA) commissioned study revealed.
MSPs Becoming ESOPs
Quite a few MSPs have moved to ESOP models, including Modern Technology Solutions Inc. (MTSI) — which gradually transitioned to an ESOP business over the past decade. The engineering services and technology solutions provider announced earlier this month that had reached 100 percent employee ownership.
The strategy appears to have worked for MTSI, which boasts an employee retention rate of more than 93 percent.
Midsize IT company Phacil also made the transition in January 2017.
Back in Colorado, the ESOP philosophy is gaining momentum, particularly in the craft-brewing industry, according to the Denver Business Journal story. In recent years, New Belgium Brewing and Odell Brewing, both in Fort Collins, became employee-owned companies, as did Left Hand Brewing of Longmont.
NCEO supports other states offering tax breaks to business owners selling to an ESOP, and it has published a study promoting the benefits. There are at least eight ESOPs in every state, and California, Ohio and Vermont have dedicated employee ownership offices to foster ESOP growth.


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The Canadian Dairy Commission plans to hold the line on the support levels used to price industrial milk in Canada next year, despite a “small reduction” in the cost of milk production.
The commission announced Friday it would maintain the per-kilogram support prices it sets for butter and skim milk powder at $8.0062 and $4.5302 respectively as of Feb. 1.
The support prices for butter and skim milk powder are the prices at which the commission buys and sells those products through its domestic seasonality programs, to balance seasonal changes in demand in Canada’s domestic market.
Provincial marketing boards also use those prices as reference points in pricing industrial milk. The prices producers get for fluid milk are worked out in a separate process.
The support prices have gone unchanged since Sept. 1, 2016, when both were increased in what the commission said would amount to a 2.76 per cent increase in dairy farmers’ overall revenue from industrial milk sales.
That increase had followed a 2.2 per cent hike on Feb. 1, 2016; a decrease of about 1.8 per cent effective March 1, 2015, by way of a boost in the skim milk powder support price alone; and increases of 1.5 per cent in 2011 and 2012, 0.9 per cent in 2013 and one per cent in 2014.
“Despite a small reduction in the cost of producing milk in Canada, we feel that for the sake of the industry’s stability, it is best to leave the support prices of butter and skim milk powder where they currently stand,” CDC chairman Alistair Johnston said in a release Friday.
The margin received by processors for butter purchased by the CDC under the domestic seasonality program will remain unchanged.
Carrying charges, collected by the CDC to pay for the storage of normal butter stocks, also go unchanged, the commission said Friday. — AGCanada.com Network
Tagged butter, Canadian Dairy Commission, CDC, cost of production, dairy support, industrial milk, skim milk powder, support prices


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Exciting news from GameStart 2014!
This morning, at the official opening ceremony of Singapore’s premiere gaming convention, Mr. Hiroyuki Oda, Deputy President of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia, announced that Singapore will be getting the Grand Theft Auto V PS4 bundle, joining Japan and Europe! In fact, we’re going to get the bundle on December 3rd, more than a week ahead of Japan!
But wait, there’s more! Check under the cut for the INSANE extras that come with the bundle.
Though it is not clear from the announcement if the bundle allows you to choose the Glacier White model or the Jet Black model of the PlayStation 4 (Europe provides the option for both, Japan only seems to have the Standard option) – what we do know is that our bundle comes with a 12-month PlayStation Plus membership, a 1-year extended warranty for PS4, and a PSN Prepaid Card worth $15. Considering the bundle’s suggested retail price is only $699, this is an EXTREMELY good deal.
All that being said, however, it’s not clear if our local bundle will include the $1 million of in-game currency that the other bundles in other regions are reported to have.
The remastered version of this highly acclaimed game, set to be released on November 18th, boasts an increased draw distance, higher resolution as well as denser traffic and an overhauled foliage and wildlife system. Even if you’re not interested in the game, you have to agree that just getting the console and the extras more than cover the price of the bundle.
So if you’ve yet to get a PS4, and you’re willing to wait slightly over a month, or if you’re looking for a Christmas present, this might just be the deal for you. Pre-order the Grand Theft Auto V PlayStation 4 bundle at Sony Stores across the island, or at any PlayStation Authorised Dealer including Funz Centre, Game Xtreme, Zepy Games and GameScore.
Stay tuned for more news coming out of GameStart 2014!


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Linkedin: Elizabeth Solaru
Linkedin: Simba Wakatama
Supreme and Tiffany collaboration
Tiffany & Co jewellery and boarders' brand Supreme, have teamed up to create a collection of accessories. The already sold out collection launched on 11 November, blended Tiffany's most iconic jewellery pieces with Supreme's famous box logo, with prices ranging from £50 to £1,100.
2 NYC Men Behind $6M Heists of Luxury Goods at JFK Airport Get Prison Time
Two men involved in a briefly successful pair of heists that netted $6 million worth of luxury designer goods from a New York City airport have been sentenced to prison following guilty pleas in Queens Supreme Court.
Led by Philippe Dufour, Phillips’s $74.5 Million Watch Auction Shattered Multiple World Records
Phillips in Association With Bacs & Russo hit the $74.5 million mark in its Geneva Watch Auction XIV, the highest-ever total in watch auction history, nearly doubling the previous record ($41,496,000 for the Phillips Geneva Auction XII).
Selfridges Held Talks to Spin Out its Online Luxury Websites
Selfridges & Co. held discussions with potential investors about splitting off its e-commerce business while also considering a potential sale of the department store group, according to people familiar with the matter.
Kim K and Fendi Skims collaboration drops
Kim Jones, Fendi’s artistic director has joined forces with fashion’s other Kim, shapewear queen Ms. Kardashian, on a new power collab. According to the two Kims, the project “unites the luxury of Fendi with the innovation of Skims,” and as is now customary with her Skims drops, Kardashian has modeled the pieces herself. In one campaign shot, captured by Steven Meisel, Kim is joined by Precious Lee, Tianna St Louis, Jessie Li, and Grace Valentine, all of whom are dressed in zingy purple dresses, separates, leggings and gloves.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/luxurynewsweekly/message


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Vuclip, premium mobile video on demand service for emerging markets, announces a new strategic partnership with Ooredoo Kuwait, telecommunications service provider.
Ooredoo Kuwait and Vuclip will provide premium mobile video on demand service. Using Vuclip’s Dynamic Adaptive Transcoding Technology, Ooredoo Kuwait will offer millions of viewers the opportunity to enjoy unbuffered videos, optimized for network variability, across all mobile devices.
This particular partnership aims to bring mobile video to the larger community in Kuwait, allowing viewers access to premium international and local video content. The Video Store is designed to offer customers a personalized selection of popular content in a variety of languages including Arabic, Hindi, English, Tagalog, Bengali and more to cater to both local and expat audiences. In addition, the store will carry a wealth of different genres of content including the latest movies, TV shows, music, news, sports in addition to the latest Ramadan productions such as Haret Al Yahoud, Tahtt Al Saytara, Bein Al Sarayat, Le’abet Eblis in addition to popular Islamic content and signature recipes by chef Manal Al Alem.
Mijbil Alayoub, Ooredoo Kuwait’s Corporate Communications Director ays in a press statement, “At Ooredoo Kuwait, we pride ourselves on the ability to continuously innovate and align with partners who share our vision to help make customers make a seamless transition to mobile that aligns with their ‘always-on’, digital lifestyle. We look forward to be working with an industry recognized partner such as Vuclip to launch a first of its kind mobile video on demand offering that bundles an enhanced viewing experience together with a breadth of popular international and local content.”
App analytics and market data company, App Annie, have released a new report that sheds light on Gen Z’s mobile behavior, in order to help marketers develop effective strategies to reach them. 98% of Gen Z report owning a smartphone, on average receiving their first at the age of 10. They are also part of […]
Experticity, the world’s largest community of influential category experts have released a new study that sheds new light on the importance of micro-influencers on the average consumer. The study was conducted with online interviews of more than 6,000 individuals from the United States drawn from Experticity’s micro-influencer network and the general population. In addition, more […]
Market research companies eMarketer and Global Web Index have collaborated together to release the 10th edition of the global media intelligence report. The report is a detailed compilation of data and insights about internet users’ traditional and digital media usage in 42 key markets worldwide. Communicate will be highlighting the key trends that are shaping the […]
Social Bakers, a global AI-powered social media marketing company has released the Q3 edition of their social media trends report. The report reveals where the industry is currently standing with regard to spending and engagement globally. Here are the key findings – ADVERTISING Worldwide ad spend increased by 56.4% in Q3 compared to where it […]