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On the Verge of Bold Stimulus
Chris ZEE, Head of Equity Advisory, Asia, BNP Paribas & Darren LEE, Senior Adviser, Equity Advisory Asia, BNP Paribas
The threat of a synchronous global downturn may be looming, but we argue that China, more precisely China’s equity market, is about to turn the corner soon. Undisputedly, the global economy has slowed in recent months on monetary tightening, elevated energy and food prices, and weakening consumer confidence. The exceedingly weak economic data in China have added fuel to the flames.
At our recent meetings with investors, we noticed growing frustrations towards China’s economy and the downsides of its dynamic zero-COVID policy. We reckon now is the “be greedy when others are fearful” moment. In our view, it is hard to believe that the Chinese government will sit on its hands, especially before the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 2H22. As the government is running out of time to win this uphill battle, bold stimulus program should be launched as soon as possible. In our experience, the equity market always reacts positively to massive fiscal stimulus.
Indeed, we have seen flows of positive announcements since mid-May 2022:
i) Shanghai is exiting lockdown gradually;
ii) People’s Bank of China (PBoC) lowered the floor rate for new home mortgages;
iii) Vice Premier Liu He reiterated the supportive stance towards the digital and private sectors;
iv) PBoC announced an asymmetric interest rate cut;
v) the State Council outlined 33 specific measures in six aspects to further stabilise the economy; and
vi) PBoC and China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) urged lenders to go all out to boost loan growth.
Notable developments in selected sectors
- China infrastructure: We expect an imminent infrastructure boom to be one of the major tools to reflate China’s economy, which would bode well for construction service companies, equipment makers, steel mills and utilities.
- China auto makers: The state-owned China Securities Journal reported that a new round of car purchase subsidies could be launched in early June 2022. Separately, the State Council proposed a RMB60bn reduction in purchase tax on passenger vehicles, and extending payment for auto loans.
- China internet & e-commerce: Most of the leading companies had reported their 1Q22 results. Broadly speaking, companies were able to uphold revenues and mitigate disruptions through cost control. Looking ahead, the COVID situation remains fluid for the second quarter. However, our general impression is that companies are cautiously optimistic on an improving environment for the rest of 2022.
Read HK China Equity Perspectives, April 2022 - More stimulus incoming
On the Verge of Bold Stimulus
The threat of a synchronous global downturn may be looming, but we argue that China, more precisely China’s equity market, is about to turn the corner soon.
Undisputedly, the global economy has slowed in recent months on monetary tightening by major central banks, elevated energy and food prices, and weakening consumer confidence. The managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, warned that the global economy is facing its “biggest test since the Second World War.” The exceedingly weak economic data in China have added fuel to the flames. China’s core consumer price index (CPI) inflation slid below 1% year-on-year (yoy), housing sales shrank more than 30% year-to-date, purchasing manager’s index (PMI) nosedived to the weakest level since the peak of the first COVID wave in Wuhan in February 2020; and monthly new loan growth was less than half of what the market had expected. Economists at investment banks are busy cutting their China gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecasts further below the official target of 5.5% for 2022.
At our recent meetings with investors, we noticed growing frustrations towards China’s economy and the downsides of its “dynamic zero-COVID” policy. We agree that it is sensible to stand on the sidelines when risks are unfolding, which has been the case in the past few months, but we also reckon it is now the “be greedy when others are fearful” moment. In our view, it is hard to believe that the Chinese government will sit on its hands and let the economy free-fall, especially before the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in the second half of 2022. We think as the government is running out of time to win this uphill battle, bold stimulus programmes should be launched as soon as possible. In our experience, the equity market always reacts positively to massive fiscal stimulus without fail.
Efforts to spur economic activities would be in vain when stringent COVID measures are in place to minimise in-person interactions. As the number of new COVID cases in Shanghai has fallen considerably with no signs of new outbreaks in other cities, the window to repair damage is opening. Indeed, we have seen flows of positive announcements since mid-May 2022:
- Shanghai is exiting lockdown gradually. The city cautiously pushed ahead with plans to restore its transportation network and phase out other restrictions.
- On 15 May, PBoC lowered the floor rate for new home mortgages from “5-year loan prime rate (LPR)” to “5-year LPR minus 20 basis points (bp)”.
- On 17 May, Vice Premier Liu He hosted a Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference meeting with the heads of various technology companies and nearly 100 members. At the meeting, Liu reiterated the supportive stance towards the digital and private sectors, and said the relationship between the government and market should be “managed properly“.
- On 20 May, PBoC announced an asymmetric interest rate cut to support the property market and infrastructure financing. 5-year LPR was lowered by 15bp to 4.45%, which was the largest cut since the revamp of the rate in 2019, and deeper than the consensus forecast range of 5-10bp. Meanwhile, 1-year LPR remained unchanged at 3.6%. The floor rate for new home mortgages was reduced twice in a week, from 4.6% to 4.4%, and then to 4.25%.
- On 23 May, the State Council outlined 33 specific measures in six aspects (fiscal, financial, supply chain, consumption/investment, energy security, employment) that are intended to further stabilise the economy, with RMB140bn in tax reliefs. Such measures include i) reducing purchase tax on passenger vehicles by RMB60bn, ii) launching city-specific property measures, iii) starting a series of energy projects such as boosting coal production, and iv) boosting domestic/international flights.
- On 24 May, PBoC and CBIRC urged lenders to go all out to boost loan growth.
Having said that, we do not believe there are silver bullets to rejuvenate GDP growth immediately. China’s economy may continue to gravitate towards a soft landing in the near term. The fact that most central banks in developed countries, except the Bank of Japan, are draining excess liquidity in the capital market is not helpful either. However, the equity market is a voting machine on future prospects, rather than a price maker of recent trajectories. As long as the Chinese government is still committed to its ambitious GDP growth target, we believe its equity market is tilted to the upside. Nonetheless, China equities and other equity markets have shown weak correlations over the years (see Chart 1). We recommend investors to opportunistically accumulate high-quality H-shares and A-shares, when the global market is likely to be choppy.
Notable developments in selected sectors
1) China infrastructure
We expect an imminent infrastructure boom will be one of the major tools to reflate China’s economy, which bodes well for the public construction sector.
At central government meetings in early May 2022, President Xi called for an “all-out” effort to develop infrastructure. A large array of infrastructure projects, including waterways, water supply and sewerage, smart grids, cloud computing and artificial intelligence, airports and railways were highlighted. Various state media suggested that the country may accelerate issuance of special-purpose bonds to aid the economy. According to the Ministry of Finance (MOF), local governments issued RMB200 billion worth of special-purpose bonds in April, even though overall bond issuance hit a speed bump due to the resurgence of COVID in Shanghai, Beijing, Jilin and other cities. Between January and April 2022, RMB1.65 trillion worth of special-purpose bonds were issued, amounting to 45% of the RMB3.65 trillion issuance quota for 2022.
In fact, the idea of boosting economic growth through infrastructure investment has been on Beijing’s plate since December 2021, but the implementation was probably interrupted by a country-wide COVID outbreak since late-March 2022 (see Chart 2).
Now as COVID outbreaks have been contained in major cities, we believe the government is eager to jump-start the economy by cranking up infrastructure investments. We expect construction service companies and equipment makers to bulk up their order backlogs in the coming quarters. Steel mills and utilities may also benefit from favourable policies that encourage construction of new capacity.
In our view, the supply-demand dynamics of the steel industry is becoming particularly interesting. China’s total steel production capacity has been on a downward slope due to tightening carbon dioxide emission regulations. In April 2022, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) jointly announced that China should continue to reduce crude steel output in 2022. Meanwhile, iron ore prices have dropped significantly since the last peak in mid-2021 (see Chart 3) due to high inventory levels. On the other hand, infrastructure constructions should bolster demand for steel bars. We think the compulsory shutdown of inefficient steel mills owned by small operators, iron ore prices and benign steel bar demand are supportive to gross margin expansion for the China steel industry.
2) China auto makers
In mid-May 2022, the state-owned China Securities Journal reported that a new round of car purchase subsidies could be launched in early June. Cars, including both new energy vehicles (NEV) and internal combustion engine vehicles (ICE), with a price tag below RMB150,000 will be eligible to a subsidy between RMB3,000-5,000 per vehicle. It is estimated that this round of subsidies will boost NEV sales by 300,000-500,000 units and ICE sales by 200,000-300,000 units. According to the China Passenger Car Association, 20 million units of passenger cars, comprised of 3 million units of NEV and 17 million of ICE, were sold in China in 2021.
Then on 23 May, the State Council announced 33 specific measures for stabilising the economy, including (i) RMB60bn reduction in purchase tax on passenger vehicles, and (ii) extending payment for auto loans. We believe the State Council’s purchase tax reduction is a separate stimulus on top of the aforementioned car purchase subsidies. The current standard purchase tax on ICE is 10%, but that on NEV are waived (i.e. 0%) till end-2022.
The latest COVID outbreak had hit the China auto industry badly. Many carmakers were forced to reduce production because they were not able to source sufficient semiconductors and other components from suppliers. The China Automobile Dealers Association said the inventory of auto dealers were at relatively high levels in April 2022, and expected that inventory levels would not normalise in May in spite of improving auto sales.
In our opinion, it is an excellent timing for launching car purchase subsidies and tax cuts to kill three birds with one stone:
(i) to reflate consumer sentiment post-COVID lockdowns,
(ii) to help auto dealers clean up excess inventory, and
(iii) to encourage carmakers to resume production as soon as possible.
The auto industry has a long supply chain such that higher auto sales would cascade down to many other segments of the economy, including basic materials, machine tools & robots, auto financing and insurance, etc. In April 2022, China’s total passenger vehicle shipment fell off the cliff (see Chart 4), decreasing by 40% yoy and 46% month-on-month.
3) China internet & e-commerce
Most of the leading China internet & e-commerce companies had reported 1Q22 results at the end of May 2022. Broadly speaking, China internet & e-commerce companies were able to uphold revenues on a yoy basis against a stricken macro environment. Another positive takeaway in common was that they managed to mitigate lockdown disruptions through cost control. Looking ahead, the COVID situation remains fluid and continues to cast uncertainty over 2Q22 earnings. However, our general impression after the result conference calls is that companies’ management are cautiously optimistic about an improving business environment for the rest of 2022.
For the online game business, the two industry leaders are planning to narrow down their game development into fewer but higher quality titles. Despite the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) resuming new game approval, which is a positive sign in revitalising the industry, the industry insiders commented that the game approval process is still under stringent scrutiny. They expect the new approval lists will be more limited as compared with the period before the suspension in July 2021.
For social media and advertising, overall advertising sentiment remained weak as several verticals (e.g. ecommerce/travel) reduced spending significantly. Economic activity is expected to gradually recover as Shanghai starts to reopen in June, yet visibility for recovery is limited. Advertisers have halted marketing campaigns and are cutting budget aggressively.
As for e-commerce, the Omicron-variant outbreak has impacted more cities and consumers compared to the initial outbreak in 2020. There was also higher strain on the supply chain, resulting in order cancellation spike in April and May 2022. On a positive note, things are gradually normalising (ex-Shanghai) into May. Platforms with strength in logistics are able to gain market share.


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MGA covered up Mattel employee's Bratz role-lawyer
RIVERSIDE, Calif., July 10 |
RIVERSIDE, Calif., July 10 (Reuters) - Toymaker MGA Entertainment Inc helped the creator of its lucrative Bratz dolls hide the fact that he designed the urban chic characters while he was under contract to Mattel Inc MAT.N, Mattel lawyers told jurors in closing arguments on Thursday.
Mattel attorney John Quinn told the jury in U.S. District Court in Riverside, California, that MGA bought Bryant's design to bolster its weak toy offerings and then worked with the creator to cover up his involvement in the franchise.
"This was a perfect marriage of an individual willing to betray his employer and a company needing him to do exactly that," Quinn said.
Barbie maker Mattel has sued family-owned MGA, claiming it owns the original Bratz concept drawings and that the doll's creator, Carter Bryant, made those and other Bratz drawings and models while he was working for Mattel as a Barbie designer.
Closing arguments Thursday by Mattel signaled that the federal trial, which is in its seventh week, is near an end. The two companies are fighting over ownership of the $1 billion-plus Bratz doll franchise.
The line was launched in 2001, and instantly began taking market share from Barbie, whose sales once accounted for more than three-quarters of all fashion doll sales, but have sunk to less than two-thirds.
The lawsuit has been closely watched by the toy industry. The jury's findings could determine which of the two companies will dominate the lucrative fashion doll world that Mattel's iconic Barbie once ruled.
The central question before the nine-member jury is whether Bryant made the original drawings upon which the franchise is based while he was working at Mattel, or during an eight-month hiatus from the El Segundo, California toy giant in 1998.
On Thursday, Quinn said the evidence showed Bryant had added 1998 dates to drawings long after the fact and had torn out drawings from a notebook that contained dated drawings from 1999.
Quinn also argued that MGA Chief Executive Isaac Larian told a series of conflicting stories to the news media about the origin of Bratz to try to conceal Bryant's involvement, knowing he was under contract to Mattel when he first drew four multiethnic, big-headed characters that became the Bratz.
"Mr. Larian did not care when these designs were made," Quinn said. "Whether Carter Bryant was a Mattel employee or not did not matter to him."
Family-owned MGA, the latest in a string of toy companies to battle Mattel in court over a Barbie competitor, contends that Mattel knew from the beginning that its former employee had created Bratz, but sued only after the line was successful in an attempt to take through litigation what it could not produce itself. (Writing by Nichola Groom; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
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Despite some sources claiming that Lincoln could perhaps be headed the same way as Mercury, due to having too many badge engineered vehicles, a recent announcement by Ford Motor Company could prove the naysayers wrong.
In an effort to turn things around, Lincoln will get its own design operation, independent from Ford, which will work in conjunction with the brand’s product development team, a move seldom seen in today’s auto industry. The idea is that subsequent Lincoln products will look and feel far more unique than its current offerings (perhaps like the Mk 9 concept shown above) as well as being more fuel efficient; expect to see variations of the corporate EcoBoost technology employed on upcoming powertrains, along with a range of new transmissions.
Given current industry lead times, it’s likely the first of the new offerings could arrive within the next three years.
[Source: Autoline Daily]


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OLU OJO PHILLIPS
Bolt, the Estonian cab hailing company has appealed to its numerous customers in Nigeria to switch to card payments in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The World Health Organisation has recently advised consumers to avoid handling bank notes and should instead switch to contactless payments to deter the spread of the deadly virus.
In an email message sent to their customers, Bolt Team explained that, “to limit the amount of contact needed, we urge you to switch to a cashless payment option.”
Bolt explained that why card payments are safer than cash payments. “Credit cards are contactless, meaning it decreases the risk of germs being transmitted. Bolt Payments are handled by leading payment processors, who are compliant with the industry’s information security standards.”
YOU MAY ALSO READ: COVID-19: FT Africa Urges Banks to Provide Hand Sanitizers at ATM Kiosks
While describing the added convenience the switch to cashless option would bring to the ride-hailing experience, it noted that “not to mention of how convenient it is – get in a car, be driven to your destination and get out. No need to wait for change or use the bank terminal. We will always email you the receipt.”


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In December we said goodbye to Colette, a Parisian institution that was highly regarded as one of the best stores in Paris. Customers need not grieve for long, however, as some of the team behind the famous store have utilised their experience to open a new concept store on Paris’s rue Cambon. Nous is the brainchild of Sébastian Chapelle, former director of Colette’s hi-tech and watch department, and Marvin Dein, who was head of sneakers. Together, they have created the new concept store Nous, designed to offer a curated edit of the best streetwear, accessories and essential designers.
Nous will be the latest destination for urban design in Paris, inspiring visitors with the best of contemporary culture. The shop will offer sportswear, sunglasses, hi-tech, watches and other unisex items, as well as a section dedicated to men’s accessories and limited-edition items.
Nous, 48 rue Cambon, 75001 Paris


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NORTH BAY – Economics and environmental sensitivity are driving wine packaging design and supply in 2009.
Two primary interests among package design firm CF Napa’s clients this year have been repositioning existing brands for more prominence in their historical market position and reworking brands to enter a new price point, particularly the hot under-$10-a-bottle segment, according to Dave Schuemann, owner and creative director.
“It used to be that brands in that price point had to be bright and colorful and fun,” he said. “There is a move to be more and more conservative.”
“Shelf impact” is still important, but some owners of brands designed to be “zany and fun” are now wanting the packaging to be redesigned to look more serious, sophisticated and of higher value.
“We’re hearing from distributors that consumers are looking for value and are concerned about getting lesser quality,” Mr. Schuemann said.
Related to maintaining value at lower prices is the emergence of more dual- and triple-appellation brands, he said.
“It is a natural outcome of wineries wanting more flexibility in sourcing,” Mr. Schuemann said.
[caption id="attachment_15103" align="alignright" width="180" caption="CF Napa design for Jade Mountain"][/caption]
Some larger companies with vineyard sources in different winegrowing regions are looking for flexibility when grape prices rise to maintain brand quality in certain price ranges. CF Napa has been working with the Napa-based Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines division on packaging for the Jade Mountain brand, which notes on the label the percentage of grapes from two or three North and Central Coast counties.
Environmental-mindedness in the industry is helping wineries cut costs, according to Paul Tinknell of Healdsburg-based design firm Tinknell & Tinknell.
"As damaging as the recession has been for the wine industry, it has made the industry look at being more environmentally friendly in winemaking and in packaging," he said.
Even before the economy started slowing last year, the wine industry was shifting toward lighter-weight bottles, PET plastic bottles, cartons such as the TetraPak and new takes on the bag-in-box such as the minibarrel. It is a reverse of the design trend toward heavier bottles intended to convey quality. Now there's a push to reduce energy use for production and transportation of packaging as part of a global battle against climate change.
For long-term storage of wine, there's been a movement toward lighter-weight glass bottles, with increasing availability for high-end wines. Bottle distributor Demptos Glass earlier this year brought to market the 868-gram Strada line made in Mexico.
[caption id="attachment_15105" align="alignleft" width="288" caption="Saverglass' new team in Napa includes Sales Manager Melinda Elledge, President and CEO J-P Giovanni and sales associate Sylvie Langlois, CFO Kevin Goulding and sales associate Petra Gillier."][/caption]
In May, France-based Saverglass released the 600-gram-or-less ecoDesign line, which maintain classic shapes and strength in key points such as the shoulder and bottom while reducing weight from traditional luxury bottles by one-third, according to Jean Pierre Giovanni, the new president and chief executive officer. The company will be bringing out more design options as customers call for more distinctive designs.


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This may come as a surprise, but AM/FM radio still reigns supreme for new music. Consumers have access to countless streaming music providers, some of which are offered free, but data compiled by Statista show for many Americans, the "dusty old radio in the corner of the kitchen beats their shiny new smartphone for music discovery."
Statista, citing data from Edison Research, reported 19 percent of Americans make use of AM/FM radio to catch the latest music hits. By comparison, Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL)'s YouTube service took second place, as 15 percent of Americans said they use the platform to stay-up-to-date with music today.
Spotify ranked third at 10 percent, followed by Pandora Media Inc (NYSE: P) at 9 percent, Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) at 5 percent, and the social-media platform Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB) at 3 percent.
Were Analysts Wrong Years Ago?
The data may go against the investment thesis that online streaming platforms like Pandora were poised to take market share from what seems to be the outdated AM/FM radio.
For instance, Jeff Houston, an analyst at Barrington Research argued back in 2014 that Pandora would begin taking share of the $16 billion U.S. broadcast radio market.
Regardless of the competitive threat in the growing streaming music place, Pandora falls well short of AM/FM radio in at least this one metric.
See more from Benzinga
- Success Stories With Facebook, T-Mobile And Others Keep Adobe Stock A Core Holding
- Palihapitiya: Uber Can Be A 'Fantastic' Company, As Long As It Fixes The Culture
- Analyst: The Top Tech Stock Isn't Apple, Alphabet Or Amazon - It's Skyworks Solutions
© 2017 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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Chair of CUKBDC, Mr. John Mclean OBE speak at event of CCCUK in London on 2nd Nov 2022
On 2nd Nov CCCUK hosted forum of "China's New Journey, World's New Opportunities--the 5th China－UK Economics & Trade Forum". The event is specially supported by Chinese Embassy in London. CUKBDC Chair Mr. John Mclean OBE speaked.
Chinese Ambassador at Our Forum
What does the 20th National Congress mean for China’s relations with Europe and the UK? I would say: it means new opportunities and new energy.
Against the backdrop of global instability and uncertainty, China and Europe, as two major forces in the world, should uphold dialogue and cooperation and oppose division and confrontation. We should strive for mutual benefits and reject decoupling and disruption of industrial and supply chains. And we should champion multilateralism and resist unilateralism. There are upcoming high-level visits to Beijing by European leaders. I believe that by working together, China and Europe can provide more positive energy for the world.
The China-UK relationship is one of great importance. As a matter of act, this year, we are marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level.
Over the past 50 years, China and the UK have had close exchanges and cooperation in many areas and made a lot of achievements. Facts have proven these cooperation are mutually beneficial.
Inspite of the surging pandemic and sluggish global economy, China-UK business ties have continued to grow. In the first half of this year, two-way commodity trade exceeded 50 billion US dollars; by last August, two-way investment stock reached 50.4 billion US dollars. This speaks volumes about the resilience and complimentarity of our relations. It also testifies to the strength and dynamism of Chinese and UK companies.
Going forward, there is a lot that can be done in practical cooperation between China and the UK. The two countries are well positioned to enhance exchanges and cooperation in trade, investment, new energy, finance, education, culture,climate response and many other areas.
China is the second largest economy with a huge market, and the most comprehensive industrial chain. More importantly, China has a strong leadership which provides predictable, consistent and credible policies. China’s development will provide enduring positive energy into world development.
In responding to Covid-19, China has put the people and their lives above allelse. With a dynamic zero-Covid policy, we have made quick responses with targeted measures. We have protected the people’s health and safety to thegreatest extent possible and maintained sustained and stable economic and social development. We are confident that the dawn of victory is just ahead of us.
Last May, China launched a package of polices to stabilise the economy and putf orward 33 measures on six fronts including in the financial sector. These policy measures have pushed China’s economy back on the normal course and kept its major economic indicators within the appropriate range.
The Chinese economy has great resilience, potential and latitude. Its strong fundamentals will not change, and it will remain on a positive trajectory overthe long run.
Chinais committed to its fundamental policy of opening to the outside world and pursues a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up. We will promote high-standard opening up, steadily expand institutional opening up with regard to rules, regulations, management, and standards and work to create amarket-oriented, world-class business environment governed by a sound legal framework.
Shortly after the closing of the Party Congress, China announced 15 policy measures to expand foreign capital and stabilise the FDI in the country and issued the 2022 version of the catalogue of encouraged foreign investment industries. China’shigh-quality development and high-standard opening up will provide a sustained drive for global economic recovery.
China welcomes more quality products and services from the UK. We will continue to provide facilitation to British businesses in pursuing cooperation in China, and hope that the UK will follow the principle of free trade and WTO rules, and work to maintain a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese businesses in the UK.
For the UK, China represents the future and opportunities. To view China as a threat is to lose touch with the reality and to decouple from the future. The UK now hasa new government. It is hoped that the UK side will work with the Chinese side in the same direction, uphold dialogue and cooperation, follow the principles of mutual respect, openness and inclusiveness, focus on cooperation, and properly manage differences. This is the right way to keep the China-UK relationship growing on the right track.
The business communities of both countries have been an important and reliable positive force in China-UK relations. I hope that you will take this forum as an opportunity to contribute your insight and strength to stronger practical cooperation in business and other areas between our two countries. Your contribution will go a long way to create more highlights of bilateral cooperation, and your efforts to promote the steady and sustained growth of China-UK relations will bring greater benefits to the two peoples.
在展会期间，英中商业发展中心组团携英国的医疗健康产品，保健品和养老相关产业工业在国际展区进行展示，受到高度关注，所展示的公司包括：McCormack Innovation, Birthsparks Ltd., DWA建筑设计公司，Vitabiotics薇塔贝尔。
CUKBDC was invited to attend the 13th China (Taizhou) international medical expo. 12 years hard working has contributed to its popularity and influence in pharmaceutical industry. Not only has it established an international and exchange platform for the pharmaceutical and health industry, but has also gathered domestic and overseas innovation resources and high-end talents, attracting achievements and enterprises, and accelerating the development of biomedical health industry.
CUKBDC has invited four healthcare related companies to join in the UK pavilion: McCormack Innovation, Birthsparks Ltd., DWA and Vitabiotics
McCormack Innovation 成立于2016年，坐落于英国苏格兰Kirkcaldy。公司最初研发了水溶性采便盒以提高结直肠癌筛查率, 后续相继研发了其他环保产品，包括：
• Flushaway 采便盒
McCormack Innovation (MI) was set up in 2016 to address the low compliance or return rates of bowel or colorectal cancer screening programmes. Our resilient but soluble stool collector mitigates that problem. Located in Kirkcaldy, Scotland the company went on to develop other soluble solutions to combat the growing environmental concerns of plastic based products.
McCormack Innovation’s mission is to provide environmentally sustainable soluble products. Our vision is to establish ourselves as a major player providing soluble product solutions, including in the following categories:
• Wet Wipes for use in cosmetics, personal hygiene, medical and general purpose cleaning and disinfection
• Wound dressings and bandages
• Flushaway stool collectors for cancer screening
• Stoma care – easy release system for stoma bags
• Consumer products including Cotton wool type material, sanitary products, cotton wool bud stalks
The FlushawayTM stool collector devices were developed to make it easier and safter to retain or collect stool or faeces prior to taking samples for various tests. It will also greatly reduce the risk of cross contamination and resultant infections. It’s made of water-soluble paper and designed for home use and in-hospital use. It’s tested and certified to meet the technical environmental and safety standards. All products are under worldwide patent protection.
The company is keen to explore the China market with local leading players. Welcome any companies interested in our products for distributorship for further discussion.
Birthsparks 公司总部位于英国苏格兰。公司核心产品CUB旨在为怀孕后期的宝妈提供更舒适的支持。CUB 由经验丰富的助产士设计，其主要功能在于：
Birthsparks is a private company based in south West Scotland (UK). Our focus is on the establishment of the Comfortable Upright Birth (CUB) support as the preferred product for use during late pregnancy. The CUB was designed by midwives to:
Relieve Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP) in pregnancy that affects 1 in every 4 women
Increase maternal comfort while decreasing the risks of common, but avoidable complications arising from restricted or reduced mobility during childbirth.
Birthsparks Ltd was founded by the CUB inventor to develop the innovation and to bring the product to market. Since then, Birthsparks has grown into a company that now markets and sells the multi award-winning, patented device to over 90 countries around the world.
Our vision is to create a safer, healthier and happier childbirth experience for women all over the world. This will be achieved when the majority of mothers have acces to a CUB either via their healthcare facility or as a purchasing consumer.
We are actively looking to work with partners for distribution in China. We can offer:
The potential for exclusivity within China
Licencing opportunities within China
Extensive marketing materials for print and online sales (in Mandarin)
Video training guides (in Mandarin)
Educational courses for parents and healthcare professionals (in Mandarin)
DWA Architects have over 30 years of experience in care design. We have completed over 500 senior care projects ranging from specialist memory care facilities to awarding living senior living communities. DWA have worked with more than 150 operators, and have an experienced local design team in Beijing to provide professional services to the China market.
Founded in 1988, DWA is a registered member of the Royal Institute of British Architects with ISO 9001:2015 certification. We provide customers with a full range of comprehensive services in architecture, planning, structural engineering, interior design, and landscape design. We are one of UK's most authoritative senior care design firms.
Vitabiotics（薇塔贝尔）成立于1971年，由伦敦大学药物学博士Kartar Lalvani和Arnold Beckett创立。50多年来，以扎实的在医药学领域的学术背景，以及领先的科研实力，致力于健康生活的科学。现在，薇塔贝尔已经成为全英第一、出口海外110余国家的畅销保健品行业领军品牌。Vitabiotics旗下共有40余个系列，近200款SKU，是全英产品线最广、覆盖人群最全的保健品品牌。也是唯一四度荣获英国女王奖的保健品品牌。据2021年尼尔森数据显示，Vitabiotics旗下有9个产品系列居于英国本土销量第一。
Vitabiotics was founded in 1971 by Kartar Lalvani and Arnold Beckett, PhD in Pharmacology at the University of London. For more than 50 years, with a strong academic background in the field of medicine and leading scientific research strength, Vitabiotics have been committed to the science of healthy life. Currently Vitabiotics has become the NO.1 brand in the UK and the leading brand in the best-selling health care industry exporting to more than 110 countries. Vitabiotics has a total of more than 40 ranges and nearly 200 SKUs, which is the health care brand with the widest product line and the most comprehensive coverage of people in the UK. It is also the only health care brand to win the Queen's Award four times. According to 2021 Nielsen data, Vitabiotics has 9 product ranges that rank NO.1 in UK market.
Review of the 2022 CIFTIS Week
In the week of 1st- 6thSeptember 2022 CIFTS Beijing (www.ciftis.org) CUKBDC was involved into a number of events.
Invited by Beijing municipal government,CUKBDC presented 2022 Beijing “Two Zones” International Cooperation and InvestBeijing Summit. Over 100 leading companies and government posts of Beijing shared perspectives, views and policy orientations of the city of Beijing.
CUKBDC was invited to present the International Compliance Forum on Globalization and Reception. In the event, wemet old friend Mr. Jin Xu, previous Minister Counselor of Chinese Embassy in London, now Chairman of China Association of International Trade. Mr. Jin expressed his hope to co work with CUKBDC to promote Sino-UK economy cooperation.
CUKBDC was invited to present 2022 Beijing Catering Brand Conference and gave speech in panel discussion on experience of UK and London on international consumer power and cooperation with China.
AS part of service contract with Fengtai District Beijing, CUKBDC co-organized Development Forum of Multinational Corporations & Open Cooperation Promotion Conference Presenting Fengtai District. CUKBDC invited over 30 UK and international companies presented the event and had open discussion on foreign companies’ development features and challenges in China market.
Agreement Signing between China UK Business Development Centre & China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Sichuan Council
On 23rd, June, CUKBDC and Sichuan CCPIT held a video conference and an online signing ceremony of the memorandum of cooperation. Ms Lei Xuejie, Vice President of Sichuan CCPIT and John Mclean OBE, Chairman of CUKBDC attended the conference and signed the memorandum of cooperation.
Ms Lei pointed out that at present,Sichuan is in a period of multiple opportunities such as the “Belt and Road Initiative” and the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle. With strong economic development, Sichuan has great potential for cooperation with the United Kingdom. As an important role for Sichuan business community to carry out foreign economic and trade exchanges and cooperation, Sichuan CCPIT is keen to take the opportunity of signing of this cooperation agreement to deepen exchanges and cooperation in the economic and trade field by strengthening information exchanges, building cooperation platforms, and carrying out economic and trade activities. She proposed that both parties will work closely to help more trade and market cooperation between Sichuan and UK enterprises.
John Mclean OBE mentioned during his speech, as the sixth largest economy in the world, UK has a strong industrial base and strong innovation capabilities. Sichuan is a major manufacturing province, with the development of Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, he believed Sichuan’s cooperation with the UK has huge structural and complementary advantages. John Mclean OBE further expressed the world is in a different place today as the trade winds have become more uncertain together with more frequent squalls. However, when times are difficult, it doesn’t mean we batten down the hatches, nor do we slow down our cooperation, reduce our trading activity,decrease our communication, it is the reverse, we trim and reef our sails andkeep going. We do not give up. Specifically in a post Brexit environment, the UK needs to become far more global and today’s event demonstrates what can be done, when both countries work together and adopt a joint spirit of cooperation.
John Mclean OBE is confident that UK/China’s relationship will continue to grow and strengthen and if what we have done here today is any guide, we are assured of a continued successful partnership between UK and China and of course between Sichuan CCPIT and CUKBDC
CUKBDC will promote jointly with Sichuan CCPIT in new energy vehicles, clean energy, education, elderly care,digital economy, ESG, life science to reach mutual benefit and win-win results. Mr Zou Jiou, Secretary-General ofSichuan CCPIT, Head of International Liaison Department and Ms Wendy Wei, Head of CUKBDC Sichuan attended the conference
Seminar with Business Associations & Foreign-funded Enterprises in Hangzhou
At the request of CCPIT, CUKBDC is currently assisting in conducting a business survey and collecting suggestions and demands among UK companies in different regions.
Michelle Pan, Director of CUKBDC Hangzhou Centre, was invited to speak on the roundtable meeting hosted by Zhejiang CCPIT on 24th June. The meeting aimed to facilitate communication and problem solving for foreign-funded enterprises in Zhejiang Province with various government departments at provincial level. During the meeting, Michelle had productive exchanges with officials from Zhejiang Immigration Office, Zhejiang DoFCOM, Zhejiang MIIT, Hangzhou Customs and other local government departments with regard to difficulties and challanges encountered by UK businesses in investment and operation in Zhejiang following the covid 19.
Zhejiang is known for service-oriented government and corporative business environment in China. CUKBDC will continue to promote UK-Zhejiang bilateral trade and business cooperation and support British businesses on the ground.
The China (Guizhou)-UK Business Promotion Seminar
Co-hosted by the British Consulate General in Chongqing, the Guizhou CCPIT, the Guizhou International Chamber of Commerce and China UK Business Development Center, the event came to a successful conclusion.
Consul general Stephen Ellison, President of the Guizhou CCPIT Miao Hong and more than 30 enterprises from Guizhou Province attended the seminar. The industries involved include data industry, food and beverage, agriculture etc.
Nicole Li,director of CUKBDC Chongqing attended the seminar and had discussions with partners and companies. China UK business Development Center will make use of the network on ground of 13 domestic offices and overseas resource, to build together an innovative high-quality international trade and cooperation platform for the industry and Commerce of Guizhou Province under the new international trading circumstance.
Zhongshan City Market Visit
China UK Business Development Center worked closely with British business representatives in China to build up business links and expand business cooperation. On 8th June, Lynn Wu, director of CUKBDC Guangzhou Office, was invited by Mr. Paul Jolley who has been doing business in China for 21 years to have a business visit in Zhongshan.
Lynn and Paul visited Zhongshan International Community Center, which will be opened soon by the Zhongshan Foreign Affairs Office. CUKBDC will work closely with Zhongshan FAO to discuss the possibility of setting up a presence in Zhongshan.
CUKBDC also had meeting with China-Europe Association for technological and economic cooperation in Zhongshan city and reached a preliminary cooperation intention on new energy solutions in both UK and China.
Lynn and Paul also visited Cooka Micro Electronics , a British company focusing on the R & D, production and sales of high-end electronic components such as displacement sensors and potentiometers.
It was a fruitfull and productive visit in Zhongshan to udnerstand both the city industries and UK businesses' challanges & opportunities. CUKBDC will continue to promote China UK bilateral trade and business cooperation in the provicne, and help build high-quality international exchanges and cooperation in China cities, and expand new models of Sino-UK business cooperation.
CUKBDC witnessed the opening ceremony of Hangzhou International Chamber of Commerce on Metaverse Specialised Committee
Invited by CCPIT Hangzhou, Michelle Pan, Regional Director Hangzhou of the China UK Business Development Centre, witnessed the launching of Hangzhou International Chamber of Commerce on Metaverse Specialised Committee on 8th June.
Mr. Hu Wei, Vice Mayor of Hangzhou spoke in the beginning of the event. He indicated that in the upcoming five years, Hangzhou government will highly promote the development of the future industries which include quantum science and technology, genetic technology, future network，AI and Metaverse.
CUKBDC discussed with Hangzhou CCPIT and Metaverse committee to explore how best UK can co-work with the committee and build up a better ecosystem of Metaverse in Hangzhou.
CUKBDC visited Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone
The China UK Business Development Centre's Regional Director, Wuhan, Yan Kang, was invited by CCPIT to attend a business delegation to the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WHDZ) 31May 2022.
CUKBDC welcomes the opportunity to meet again with Mr Liu Ziqing, Member of CPC Wuhan Standing Committee/Secretary-General of WHDZ Working Committee, and a number of leading companies in the zone, to understand the zone's development planning and local companies' businesses & opportunities to co-work with UK.
Ranking as 10th of the national-level development zones in China, WHDZ, also named as “Auto Valley", is home to eight vehicle companies along with thousands of auto parts and accessories companies. Jili-Lotus, BP's joint venture and GKN's factories are located in the zone.
CUKBDC recently signed contract with BOC of Fengtai Beijing, to be the designated partner of international cooperation promotion and investment promotion organization. With broaden network in UK and China, professional services and experiences of helping Sino-UK businesses, CUKBDC will co work closely with Fengtai to create new pattern and new value on the region’s potential with UK.
John Mclean OBE, chairman of CUKBDC, was invited as VIP to present the ZGC Forum 2021.
Chairman Xi Jin Ping gave a speech on line to the event and Mr. Liu He, vice premium minister delivered opening speech. Mr. John Mclean was interviewed by CCTV channel 4 during the event, expressed strong interest and willingness to continue, explore and develope economic cooperation with China. In a changing world, Mr. Joh Mclean OBE said, it is important that both parties keep confident to explore new modoule, new value and new platform to support Sino-UK businesses and trade.
Shandong CCPIT Annual Conference
Harry Jiang, director of CUKBDC Beijing & Qingdao Office presentd the Shandong CCPIT Annual Conference and gave a speech of Sino-UK trades, challanges and opportunities. It is agreed Shandong CCPIT as CUKBDC's major partner in region, will continously support Sino-UK businesses development. CUKBDC will keep working closely with CCPIT and Shandong government to support regional development with UK business community.
CUKBDC presented World Manufacturing Convention 2021 Anhui
Jenny Jiang, director of CUKBDC Nanjing Office presented Worlld Manufacturing Convention 2021 in Hefei city of Anhui and gave a speech of Sino-UK trade & investment cooperation. PS of Anhui Mr. Wang Qingxia presented the conference and over 200 Chinese leading companies of advanced manufacturing and innovation. Jenny emphysised the strong points of UK in advanced maufacturing and comparative advantages of two countries co-working to upgrade capablity and makets. Anhui province listed a number of projects in sectors to be further discussed of working with UK sectors and businesses.
Wuhan vocational education agreement signed
CUKBDC signed an agreement with ChangjiangPolytechnic in November 2021, with an aim to introducing UK resources andjointly promoting quality development of vocational education. The agreement enable both parties to start official works of introdcuing programmes and organziations from UK and China to jointly set up courses.
Buidling & Future Trends Under Carbon Neutralization Summit (Chongqing)
CUKBDC co-organized the event in Chongqing with Hong Hong Land, The Chartered Instituteof Building, Arup Group, British StandardsInstitute, BRE Group and Abraxas（Chongqing）Technology & Design
Nicole Li, Director of CUKBDC Chongqing Office presented the event and with internaional experts, local businesses , architecturers and academy together, shared the successful experience of both UK, HK and China. The event was in deep discussion to provide feasible measures for carbon neutralization and reference exchange for domestic buildings in the region.
Meeting with Zhejiang CCPIT
On behalf of CUKBDC, MichellePan, our regional Director in Hangzhou attended the annual roundtable meeting whichwas hosted by Zhejiang CCPIT on January 18th. Zhejiang CCPIT shared some major events planned in 2022 and stressed the importance to continue collaborating with international trade and investment promotion organizations in the new year. Michelle expressed gratitude to Zhejiang CCPIT for organizing a series of business visits to the municipalcities in Zhejiang which help to build up effective connection with the citiesin Zhejiang Province, also highlighted that CUKBDC is very keen to developfurther business engagement with Zhejiang not only with the major cities but also with leading county-level cities.
China International Fair for Trade inServices (2-7 September 2021) CIFTIS 2021
As the selected partner for Fengtai District of Beijing City, CUKBDC co-organziedd Fengtai Promotion Event at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) 2021. Representatives from more than 60 international companies, and Chinese leading companies of various sectors were invited by CUKBDC to attend the event and explored business opportunities in Fengtai region. Particpants also met with authorities of disctrict in charge of international trade and businesses as well as some major companies in the region.
Wales Business Delegation on line (25January – 2 April 2021)
To drive trade between Wales and China, Weles government orgainzed virtual trade delegation of 9 Welsh companises in differnt sectors to have on line one-to-one match making with China market.
CUKBDC worked closely with the Welsh Government, identified potential Chinese companies and partners cross China for Welsh exporters, and arranged over 20 online business-matching meetings for the companies in a wide range of sectors of food & beverage, fashion, industries, sports, education and professional services etc.


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According to Canalys, and independent analyst firm, Windows Phone grew its share of pie to four percent in Q3 2013, while Android and iOS stayed static.
The report cited that nearly a quarter of billion smartphones shipped in the three-month period, a 44 percent year-over-year increase. Windows Phone accounted for 9.2 million of these units, a growth of 185 percent.
It is interesting to note that Windows Phone emerged as the second biggest mobile operating system in 19 countries, including Finland (39 percent), Vietnam (16 percent), Italy (15 percent), Thailand (11 percent), Turkey (11 percent), and Russia (8 percent). An earlier report pointed out the platform’s growth in US and Europe.
The firm also threw some insights into the ecosystem. Samsung and Apple managed to maintain their leadership positions for smartphone shipments in Q3 2013, with market shares of 34 percent and 15 percent, respectively, and Huawei, Lenovo, and LG rounded out the top five.
Via: The Next Web
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Nike Virtual Studios, the digital-focused arm of the sportswear giant, has partnered with video game giant Electronic Arts (EA) Sports on its new .Swoosh virtual creations platform.
As part of the new deal, select virtual creations made by members of the .Swoosh community will be made available in future EA Sports titles for fans to purchase and use in-game. New immersive experiences will also be created.
Ron Faris, general manager of Nike Virtual Studios, said: “This partnership will allow us to unlock some incredible new experiences for our .Swoosh community and the massive EA Sports fanbase."
Andrea Hopelain, senior vice president of brand for EA Sports and racing, added: “All of us at EA Sports are focused on leading the next evolution in sports fandom, and this new collaboration with our longtime partners at Nike sits directly at the intersection of innovation, sport, and culture.
“Working with .Swoosh, we’ll bring creativity and self-expression to the forefront for fans as they connect, compete, and share their love for sport.”
EA also recently named international sports marketing agency Sportfive as the official sales partner for upcoming soccer video game EA Sports FC, with Sportfive tasked with securing and managing commercial partnerships for the title.


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Chile to enjoy Ethereum (ETH), Bitcoin (BTC), Stellar (XLM) transactions at over 5,000 stores as Cryptomkt partnered Flow
Cryptomkt, a cryptocurrency exchange has joined hands with Flow, a payment platform in Chile. The collaboration has been formed so customers can transact in three cryptocurrencies at over 5,000 stores.
How is Chile boosting Bitcoin, Ethereum, Stellar?
This is a big leap in Chile’s crypto market as it has started moving towards positivity since April, when two banks reportedly restarted transacting in cryptocurrency. In July, the Court of Appeals further boosted cryptcurrencies and their exchanges stating that the closure of any bank account by Banco Estado that makes crypto transactions is an “arbitrary and illegal action”.
As Chile entered 2018, the country saw an unprecedented growth in Bitcoin that had spread rumours that the growth of cryptocurrencies could destabilize the financial system of the country. Chile banks had to close all the bank accounts that dealt in cryptocurrencies. Things started looking up for cryptocurrencies in the country when in April, Chile’s Court for the Defense of Free Competition (TDLC – Tribunal de Defensa de la Libre Competencia) ordered two banks Banco del Estado de Chile (Bancoestado) and Itau Corpbanca (Itau) to reopen and resume crypto transactions through the accounts of a local cryptocurrency exchange, Buda.
How will the partnership with Flow help crypto transactions?
Flow is a Chilean payment platform that has more than 20,000 active customers in several mainstream online-payment platforms. These online payment platforms include some of the topmost ones like WebPay, ServiPag, OnePay and Multicaja. Customers have to pay some commission fee to Flow for the transactions. How will the transactions happen? When one of the three currencies – Bitcoin, Ethereum, Stellar is chosen, the customer will be able to initiate the transaction and complete it with any one of the three currencies. After that the cryptocurrency will be converted to Chilean pesos or euros.
Image via Shutterstock
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It's been nearly 20 years since Brazilian-born Fogo de Chão opened its first U.S. location -- a gaucho staffed protein palace strategically stationed in restaurant-rich Addison.
Since then, the brand's growth across the U.S. has outpaced growth in its South American birthplace, but the pioneering Addison location remained the only outpost in North Texas.
That changes in a few weeks, when a 8,500 square foot Fogo opens at the base of a 20-story, high end residential tower called One Uptown.
As Fogo returns to its U.S. launchpad, it finds more life in the city's core and more competition near the top links of the food chain, especially when it comes to steak.
Today, a Google search of "Brazilian steakhouses, Dallas" shows a map as crowded as a Black Friday Wal-mart.
Larry Johnson has been chief executive of Dallas-based Fogo de Chão since 2007. He thinks the evolution of the brand will help it surpass the competition. And the cultural and commercial advances in North Texas make now a good time to come home.
"In 1997, when we opened Addison, that area was restaurant row and doing the data analysis, we would not have opened in Uptown," said Johnson, 63, who began working with the founders in 1996, helping the brand migrate to the U.S.
"In 2016, the data and our experience with our customers tells us Uptown is a great location for us ... a fabulous market. A key segment of our customer base is the millennial and Uptown is very rich with the millennial crowd.
Also, "Dallas is a major convention city and we want to be closer to that business. In general, downtown Dallas is being rediscovered. That plus 45-50 crowd that is successful, they're moving back into Dallas, and they appreciate fine dining and great service and a great experience.
"We just thought this was a good market for us now."
He also thinks West Plano's a good market. A Fogo will open in the fall of 2017 in the $3 billion Legacy West development, which also will be home to the new corporate headquarters come 2018.
"The lease is signed, the building is under construction," Johnson said. "That'll give us three stores in North Texas." There could be a fourth in Fort Worth.
The new churrascarias -- restaurants that use the traditional Brazilian Churrasco method of cooking over charcoals and open flames -- will join a concept that includes 32 corporate-owned restaurants in the U.S. and 10 in Brazil. Two locations in Mexico were opened as joint ventures. The company does not franchise.
"It could have been tempting to just stay in Dallas and add a few restaurants in Dallas," Johnson said of the company's early growth strategy. After Addison, locations opened in Houston, Atlanta, Chicago and Beverly Hills. "In that early phase of the company in the U.S. , what we were trying to do is go to major cities, to go to cities where they had convention business. We wanted to show that Fogo was not just a Texas play or a play in the south but that there was geographic appeal to it."
Now, the company is circling back around, adding restaurants where it already has a beachhead. A second Houston location opened last November.
That's part of the brand's evolution, said Johnson, a soft-spoken man trying to be heard above hammers and construction equipment at the Uptown location.
There also are changes to the look of the restaurants, the menu and the operating model.
In the main dining room, traditional gaucho chefs, many imported from Brazil, will still walk the floor sporting wide, baggy pants (bombachas), toting skewers of meat that have been cooked on open flame grills where temps can reach as high as 800 degrees. Fogo de Chão roughly translates "fire of the ground" or campfire.
As it expands, the brand is aiming to appeal to consumers who don't have an endless appetite for sliced meat or endless time to spend.
The Uptown location will take advantage of new Fogo features including an expanded bar area which will still serve the signature Caipirinha, made from a whole lime, white sugar, and cachaça, known as the spirit of Brazil. But the bar also will have its own menu that includes sandwiches and small plates.
There's a skylight near the market table, where the herbivores gather for salads and veggies.
A wide patio facing McKinney Avenue will help the restaurant seat up to 230 guests at a time.
This year, Fogo began offering brunch on Saturday and Sunday for about $40 for a meal that includes meat or seafood.
Two years ago, it added appetizers including shrimp cocktail with malagueta cocktail sauce.
"This year we'll sell over $2 million worth of shrimp," Johnson said. "Historically we wouldn't do that. We didn't have appetizers, we didn't have seafood. Well today we do. Why is that? Because you listen to your guests" -- diners who spend $57 per person on average.
Total 2015 sales topped $271 million.
One of the biggest evolutionary changes came a year ago in the form of a new ownership model.The brand, launched by two sets of brothers, went public in 2015 in an offering that set the stock price on fire.
Fogo initially suggested a price range of $16 to $18 a share, upped it at the last minute to $20 and ended day one at $25.75 a share. But the market quickly lost its appetite for Brazilian steak and other food stocks, sending the company's share price down to about $10 earlier this year. The stock gained 0.73 percent Wednesday to close at $13.85.
"We were at the end of a cycle on restaurant stocks," Johnson said, "the sector is somewhat out of favor since last summer and that has affected many of the public company stocks.
"We have a solid business. We are highly profitable. We have tremendous growth. We generate internal cash flow to pay for the growth. So we're well positioned to continue to perform well. Long term, investors will see that and ... in due course we will be rewarded."
As Fogo has been expanding outside of North Texas, competitors have formed a virtual stampede into town, taking advantage of the region's hunger for meat.
A year after the first Fogo opened, restaurateur Dale Wamstad opened the high-end steakhouse III Forks about three miles away.
It was purchased two years later by Consolidated Restaurant Operations.
"The obvious major difference [between now and then] is the caliber and depth of competing high-end steakhouse brands," said John Harkey Jr., chief executive of CRO. " In the 90s, there were only one or two powerful brands. Today there are numerous local and national high-end steakhouses. Many of the national brands originated in Dallas.
"The market has indeed expanded, however, it requires more product differentiation and strong brand reputation," he said. "The winners still win."
Johnson said point of differentiation -- such as his brand's authentic Brazilian roots - helps it stand out even as the field becomes more crowded.
"We are not concerned in the least that there are other Brazilian steakhouses in North Texas," Johnson added. "We know that our brand is strong and our client base is very loyal to us. We're just adding another great experience in Uptown."


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Production started in September at the new ConAgra Foods Inc. Lamb Weston frozen sweet potato processing plant near Delhi, La.
Marketers of fresh sweet potatoes say the $210 million processing plant in the northeastern corner of the state provides a healthy boost to the fresh product.
“It will be positive because it will put sweet potatoes in front of everybody,” said George Wooten, owner of Chadbourn, N.C.-based Wayne E. Bailey Produce Co.
“From the fresh market side, it puts us in strong competition for the raw product.”
Wooten said that processing is still miniscule compared to fresh-market sales of sweet potatoes. But he also said the new ConAgra plant and others like it could change the equation.
“Their category is much, much smaller than ours is at this point, but using the right markets and everything, their market can actually overtake the fresh market in volume in a couple of years,” Wooten said.
“We’re slipping in our consumption. The category is growing, but not like we like to see it.”
The new plant brought about 275 jobs to the area, according to the U.S. Sweet Potato Council in Columbia, S.C. Other reports have suggested the plant eventually could employ as many as 500 workers, which would make ConAgra the largest private employer in Richland Parish.
Henry Chancy, owner of Millstream Farms in Dunn, N.C., said the new plant will help keep product flowing, which is good for everybody.
“It could impact, because they will require a lot of potatoes,” he said.
“In order to meet the demand for their processing, they’ll need more fresh potatoes.”
It also provides an extra destination for sweet potatoes that might otherwise go to waste, said Stewart Precythe, president and chief executive officer of Southern Produce Distributors Inc., Faison, N.C.
“It’s going to help the people that have inferior quality, with insect damage or misshaped sweet potatoes,” Precythe said.
“It’s a good thing. Indirectly it will definitely help the fresh market.”
The plant processes more than 20 frozen sweet potato items, according to the U.S. Sweet Potato Council
Louisiana put up $37 million in incentives to land the deal from Nebraska-based ConAgra, the council said.


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Tesla Motors (TSLA) began as a collaboration between a number of entrepreneurs, including the current CEO Elon Musk, to create affordable, mass market electric vehicles. Many in the auto industry initially dismissed the feasibility of such an endeavor until battery technology advanced by leaps and bounds. However, the progress of what began as a relatively small, altruistic enterprise has gradually succeeded at putting commercial electric vehicles on the map, both by its own innovations and by spurring the broader auto industry into action.
Early critics had history on their side. Electric cars that are capable of mass appeal have been an elusive promise. For decades, the breakthrough has been “just around the corner”. While in recent years large automakers have been releasing models with better range that are affordable on a larger scale than in the past, most attempts have been criticized as weak-kneed imitations of uninspiring traditional models.
Tesla’s Model S may be the breakthrough the industry, motor heads, and consumers have been waiting for. Whereas past electric vehicles have been accused of being cheap imitations of existing models, the Model S has won broad accolades for its originality and impressiveness compared with its peers in the sports sedan market. Indeed, where the company’s first model, the Roadster, has been criticized as an unoriginal attempt to put out a highway-capable electric vehicle for its own sake, the Model S has been winning industrywide awards.
Musk, has staked his company’s fortunes on the attempt to make an industry-leading sport sedan with the most advanced electric powertrain commercially available and car batteries that achieve unprecedented driving range. Fortunately for the company, this goal was compatible with government objectives in environmental and energy policy, and Tesla received a $465 million loan for its purpose.
What has blown away industry observers, however, are not environmental benefits, but rather the Model S’s performance. While electric cars inherently have some advantages in acceleration, the combination of size and power of the Model S has surprised even the most skeptical observers. The dashboard’s touch screen, which controls many of the car’s features and allows web access, has been widely lauded, as well.
However, the car is still dogged by the Achilles heel of electric vehicles, range anxiety, the fear of getting stranded due to the limited range of even a fully charged battery. John M. Broder of the New York Times (NYT) wrote a scathing review of his road trip test drive of the Model S. With the 265-mile estimated range for the 85 kilowatt-hour battery version (the base model has a 40 kilowatt-hour battery pack and 160-mile estimated range), the idea of the test drive was to show the real-world results of a several hundred mile northeastern road trip, newly made possible by Tesla fast-charging stations recently set up in Delaware and Connecticut. The test drive, according to Broder, ended up being an example of the plethora of problems that range limitations can bring, particularly in difficult real world conditions. For example, Broder found that cold weather, such as the freezing temperatures he encountered on his trip, could lead the battery to drain far more quickly than under ideal conditions. With the Tesla charging stations being stationed near the limits of the estimated range, the test drive ended up requiring unexpected recharging stops at non-Tesla locations and ended up with an unfortunate trip in a tow truck.
Musk has referred to the review as “fake”, arguing that the vehicle’s driving log showed that Broder didn’t fully recharge the vehicle as planned and took unplanned detours. In response, Broder wrote a point-by-point refutation of Musk’s claims. The tiff became an attractive story for technology, automotive, and business magazines.
While the two still do not see eye to eye on what exactly happened during the test run, what is clear is that it is too early to declare the end of the range-anxiety problem. However, electric cars do not necessarily need to be ideal road trip vehicles to be commercially viable on a broad scale, as the Model S’s range is more than enough for the vast majority of day-to-day driving. Furthermore, it has many advantages over its gasoline-fueled rivals. The most notable of these is savings from lower fuel costs. The company claims that the vehicle can save approximately $8,000 in such expenses over five years compared to the BMW 535i model, a competitor in the luxury sport sedan market. Maintenance costs are estimated to be significantly lower, as well.
As a result of the disappointing review, Musk claimed, Tesla saw a flurry of cancelations for orders of the automobile. He estimated that the damage could reach $100 million to the company. While the amount is uncertain, investors apparently noticed the potential harm from a review that hit an electric vehicle at its most glaring vulnerability. The stock fell about 14% from its high in early February to its low for late February, though most of that drop came after the company reported earnings results. However, shares are back near their all-time highs, as the damage was ultimately quite limited compared with the immense promise of the new product.
The company claims it is nearing profitability, despite still being at a relatively low, “early adopter” scale of production. Tesla expects to produce about 20,000 of the vehicles per year, which is a game changer compared to the Roadster, which only sold a few thousand cars in its entire run as a brand. Further, a recently implemented $2,500 price hike on the vehicle is unlikely to hurt demand by much considering the price flexibility of its high-end customers and their enthusiasm for the mold-breaking product.
Shares of Tesla may not be appropriate for the average retail investor, as the company has yet to earn a profit or pay a dividend. Further, the shares carry a Below-Average Safety rank (4) in the latest Value Line Investment Survey, as Tesla has an unimpressive balance sheet and great uncertainty over future earnings. However, the stock may hold appeal for speculative accounts, as the Model S holds the potential to be a truly transformative innovation. Indeed, the company has more projects on the way, such as the Model X, which is an SUV crossover based on the same platform as the Model S, and several collaborations with larger automakers.
At the time of this article’s writing, the author did not have positions in any of the companies mentioned.


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The recent acquisition of JDA Software by RedPrairie signals the birth of a new supply chain behemoth that could rival giants SAP and Oracle, industry experts said.
Like all mergers of this magnitude, the path ahead for the combined supply chain management software company won’t be without challenges. But if done right — and experts said there is every reason to believe it will be — the union could result in a supply chain planning and execution powerhouse, offering an expanded product portfolio neither company could offer alone with minimal redundancies.
“We see this as a good move,” said Kevin Sterneckert, a research vice president at Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner Inc . “The merger takes two sub-$1 billion companies and creates one $1 billion company.”
And a $1 billion company, Sterneckert said, can expand its research and development program to be more innovative than ever before, and attract top tier talent.
RedPrarie-JDA acquisition to birth new company
On Nov. 1, RedPrairie, backed by private equity firm New Mountain Capital LLC, and JDA Software announced the two companies had entered into a $1.9 billion merger agreement. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year and current JDA CEO Hamish Brewer will lead the unnamed combined company.
The merger of a supply chain planning company like JDA with a supply chain execution company like RedPrairie adds value up and down the supply chain — from suppliers upstream to store operators downstream.
“That’s why they came together so beautifully,” said Leslie Hand, research director at Framingham, Mass.-based IDC Retail Insights. “From a ‘go to market’ perspective, the reach [of the combined company] becomes much greater.” The merger allows the company to address the needs of high tech and automotive manufacturers, as well as provide services to store operations, including workforce, inventory management and collaborative shelf-level planning, she said.
The new company will have 87 of the top 100 consumer goods manufacturers, and 82 of the top 100 global retailers as customers, according to an IDC report.
The combined forces of JDA and RedPrairie create a large and varied portfolio of products, said Dwight Klappich, also a Gartner research vice president. “I see the move as more of a portfolio approach and less of a strategic one,” he said. The breadth of offerings will expand and solidify their combined customer base, but delivering a wide variety of products without a common platform poses challenges, Klappich cautioned.
“This creates an even larger and more fragmented application portfolio … but this takes both companies even further away from having a common platform, which both were struggling to achieve before the merger,” Klappich said.
“The business value the new entity can deliver to its customers will increasingly come from how well it can integrate and rationalize the discrete parts of its expansive product portfolio and multiple architectures,” Klappich and Sterneckert wrote in a Gartner report.
Combined forces of JDA, RedPrairie may rival Oracle, SAP
If managed properly, the merger provides significant scale for the new company, which could help it expand faster and more internationally where Oracle and SAP have the advantage today, Klappich said. “We believe within the next five years that Oracle and SAP will control 50% of the ERP market. This merger positions JDA and RedPrairie against that,” he said.
Perhaps the greatest challenge ahead will be delivering an integrated set of products in a timely fashion.
“Customers will be asking how the products they use now will be integrated,” Hand said. JDA set out a realistic roadmap when implementing the 2010 i2 merger, she said. “Their philosophy was, ‘We don’t want to do this overnight.’ And I think customers understand that.”
Experts agree that existing customers needn’t be concerned about the merger.
For most, this will be business as usual, Klappich said. “If I were a RedPrairie customer, I wouldn’t be panicking, because they’ve done a good job of supporting legacy products in the past,” Klappich said.
Hamish Brewer, future CEO of the company, has been through acquisitions before and understands the challenges and will likely not fumble this one, Sterneckert noted.
Of course, there are always risks involved with mergers. “Brand new customers should factor in risks,” Klappich said. “We don’t expect large-scale defections [of employees] from either firm, but it does happen.” Klappich explained that the types of problems like this arising from uncertainty usually sort themselves out within six months to a year.
It’s too early to speculate on what new technology may come from the union, Sterneckert said. For now, a main focus will be bringing the assets that each represent into a fully integrated suite of products, while protecting the customer base by continuing to address their current needs, he said.


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Facebook has seen a slew of new retailers including Adidas, Puma, HP, Ford and Best buy pull their advertising as pressure mounts
Under Armour is set to launch a new “Sportsmask” designed to keep wearers safe while they exercise.
Facebook has seen a growing number of retailers pull their advertising spend leading its shares to divebomb.
Nike has seen online sales skyrocket 75 per cent over the last quarter, but this was not enough to offset drastic revenue decline
Amazon has bought self-driving car start-up Zoox for over $1.2 billion (£970 million), following weeks of speculation.
Amazon is set to establish a new ‘Counterfeit Crimes Unit’ to crack down on unlawful sales of fake and counterfeit products.
TikTok has officially launched ‘TikTok For Business’ offering brands and retailers a myriad of marketing tools.
Amazon’s tie up with Deliveroo is expected to be provisionally approved for a second time by the UK competition watchdog
Etsy’s stock price has more than tripled since mid-March and now stands at a record high marking one of the few retail successes
Amazon is launching the ‘Amazon Small Business Accelerator’ in a bid to help over 200,000 small UK businesses through COVID-19


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Three is going back to basics with new pay as you go deals, complete with decent data prices for pre-pay customers.
The T-Mobile reseller debuts a new rate plan with unlimited talk, text and a small bucket of data.
Virgin Media has launched the fastest widely available broadband, and given all its customers a free bump in speed too.
The Micca MB42's classy, compact design makes it a top budget speaker pick when style counts, although Monoprice's MBS-650 sound better for even less.
Orange has come up with pay-as-you-go, daily, weekly and monthly data plans for the iPad, including a free microSIM that fits the gadget
AT&T customers can add a GM connected car to their data plan for $10 a month, while OnStar subscribers get a discount.
The plan, which the carrier says is a limited time offer, caters to customers who don't need a lot of data, or still use a basic phone.
The Micca MB42's classy, compact design makes it a top budget speaker when style counts, although Monoprice's MBS-650 sound better for even less.
The carrier is also starting a tablet trade-in program and confirmed that users would get 200 megabytes of data "free for life."
By giving away data each month, T-Mobile makes a compelling case to buy its version of the iPad. That's dangerous for its rivals.


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What Might Have Been: 3 Ad Campaigns for the Yugo
By STUART ELLIOTT
Published: May 24, 1992
The demise of the Yugo, the Yugoslavian car that America loved to laugh at, was no laughing matter for the three New York advertising agencies that had been named as finalists in a review of the company's advertising account. They had been waiting to hear from Yugo's American distributor, Yugo America Inc., since November, but as civil war tore apart Yugoslavia, their presentations for Yugo's 1992 model-year campaign were postponed again and again, until Yugo America filed for bankruptcy last month to liquidate its assets.
Nevertheless, the three agencies agreed to share their undelivered presentations, providing a rare behind-the-scenes look at advertising's creative process and a lesson in resuscitating a failing product.
In the endlessly optimistic world of advertising, there is never a shortage of agencies willing to try to turn around a problem product. The lure of an automotive account drew more than 90 agency applicants, which were eventually narrowed to three finalists: Goldberg Fossa Seid Advertising Inc., Katz Dochtermann & Epstein Inc. and Lois/U.S.A. Yugo planned to spend an estimated $5 million to $7 million on the campaign.
The subcompact Yugo has long taken a beating for being underpowered and prone to breakdown. From auto publications to stand-up comedy routines, "Yugo" was fast on its way to replacing "Edsel" as a sobriquet for failure. Sales of the car, introduced in America in 1985 as a lower-priced alternative to imported entry-level models like the Toyota Tercel, peaked at almost 49,000 in 1987. But as problems emerged, dealers fell away and sales plunged to about 6,400 in 1990 and an estimated 3,100 last year. "I've always said, 'Spare me your successes; give me your challenges,' " said George Lois, chairman and chief executive of Lois/U.S.A.
In a 1990 television commercial, Yugo America's previous agency, Buckley/DeCerchio Inc., had addressed the negative consumer attitudes that were battering the car's image. It's not that the campaign was bad, the three agencies said. It is that a single spot was not enough to overcome the problems.
Each of the three agencies' campaigns attempted to restore Yugo's credibility: two agencies called the car "the new Yugo," while the third expressed that idea as "Yugo '92." And two separately proposed the same toll-free telephone number, 800-NEW-YUGO, for consumer inquiries. All three also stressed its value.
Executives at the three shops say Yugo America executives and dealers and owners of newer Yugos convinced them that enough improvements had been made to justify their efforts at achieving a marketing miracle with the '92 model.
"Suspend your disbelief until after the presentation," urged Hal Katz, chief executive at Katz Dochtermann. "And if you're not sorry the product disappeared, we haven't done our job."
What follows are highlights of the three finalists' campaigns.
GOLDBERG FOSSA SEID ADVERTISING
Founded 1988. Has billings of about $15 million. Clients include 15 Marriott hotels, Rothman's men's clothing and the MCS division of Canon U.S.A.
Theme: "Yugo '92. Overprotected. Underpriced."
"That's not advertising baloney," said Larry Plapler, director of creative services. "It puts together a devastatingly strong signature for Yugo. If properly communicated and backed, it could be powerfully convincing, strong enough to overcome the negative feelings."
Featuring '92 in the theme, he explained, conveyed the improvements to the car and addressed the need to "look like a relaunch." Yet, he added, "we couldn't say it was a new car. It was still a Yugo."
The "overprotected" element of the campaign meant to highlight Yugo's four-year, 40,000-mile warranty. In a radio jingle the agency recorded for its presentation, a chorus sang, "We build them strong; we build them smart; we back them to the maximum.
"Yugo, Yugo, the mighty mite comes through. Underpriced. Overprotected. Yugo '92."
In a proposed television commercial pointing out the "underpriced" element of the Yugo campaign, six scientists in white coats experiment on a supersophisticated window crank. "The automobile industry spends hundreds of millions of dollars in its pursuit of innovation," the announcer says, "all of which is passed on to you." As the scene dissolves to a Yugo's old-fashioned crank, the announcer says, "We at Yugo announce what we feel is the ultimate in progress: Simplicity." This, he says, "saves a great deal of money, all of which is passed on to you."
That idea was reinforced in a mock-up of a print advertisement, which called the basic Yugo "All car. No fat."
Goldberg Fossa also suggested proposing Yugos as alternatives to the more than 15 million used cars that Americans buy every year.
"I submit that next to a five-year-old Chevy, a Yugo looks pretty good," said Al Prior, director of marketing services. " Not the car of choice, but the car of need."
One radio spot the agency produced centered on a singer warbling "The Used-Car Blues." Sample lyric: "You got a deal; it was a steal; the only thing missing is a steering wheel."
The Goldberg Fossa executives were refreshingly realistic about Yugo's prospects. Sales of a bit more than 1,000 cars a month, or 14,000 a year, were all they sought.
"Keep it in perspective," said Ira S. Goldberg, partner and director of account services. "Those are not big numbers."
About Goldberg Fossa's proposed campaign, Mr. Plapler said:, "I know it would have worked. That's the frustration."
KATZ DOCHTERMANN& EPSTEIN
Founded 1991. Bills about $10 million. Clients include the Republic National Bank. Also handles media buying for the NBO men's wear retail chain and others. Theme: "The new Yugo. A lotta little car."
"That says it all," said Howard Epstein, executive vice president and chief creative officer.


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Nikola Corporation announced on Monday that its CFO Kim Brady will participate in two conferences in June: Evercore ISI Global Clean Energy & Transition Technologies Summit and at the Deutsche Bank Global Auto Industry Conference.
Kim Brady will participate in a fireside chat at the Evercore ISI Global Clean Energy & Transition Technologies Summit on June 15, at 2 p.m. ET. On June 16, Brady will speak at the Deutsche Bank Global Auto Industry Conference at 10:25 a.m. ET.
A live audio webcast and replay of the presentation will be accessible on the Investors section of the Nikola website https://nikolamotor.com/investors/news?active=events.
Recently, the company reported its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 saying it aims to deliver between 300 and 500 vehicles this year.
“During the first quarter, we reached a significant milestone with the start of serial production for the Nikola Tre BEV at our Coolidge, Arizona manufacturing facility and are currently delivering saleable trucks to dealers for customer deliveries,” said Mark Russell, Nikola’s Chief Executive Officer. “We look forward to scaling production and delivering 300 – 500 production vehicles to customers this year.”


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Nissan makes Automatic Emergency Braking System standard in several popular models in US; will increase AEB-equipped car sales to 1 million annually
Nissan has introduced a plethora of its vehicles with significant safety features as standard equipment. It follows the trend of other global automakers trying to make the roads safer for drivers and occupants and to comply with the stringent standards. Several of Nissan’s popular vehicles in United States will receive automatic emergency braking system as standard from 2018.
Officially announced by Nissan’s American division, the Rogue, Rogue Sport, Altima, Sentra, Maxima, Leaf, Murano and Pathfinder gain the standard emergency braking tech that has either been optional or customers have to pick out from a special pack currently depending on the variant levels. However, the exclusion will be to the manual versions and the Sentra NISMO.
Also Read: This New Toyota Fortuner Accident Should Make You Realise the Importance of Safety Features
According to the Japanese brand, about one million vehicles being sold by them annually in US will get benefitted by this feature which is a huge number considering the emergency braking system supplied on or going to be provided in a total of 4,50,000 cars this year. The AEB will be standard across all grades and Nissan says it is part of the commitment towards reducing fatalities.
As the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration found that AEB brings down accidents by a large amount, almost every automaker present in US has vowed to upgrade its lineup with the life-saving system as standard. As per an agreement all new vehicles in US will have the system employed by 2022. It works in a way that the brakes are applied automatically in case of an emergency situation.
Also Read: Toyota and Lexus To Make Autonomous Braking as Standard in the US
Safety pioneer, Volvo, has made AEB standard across all of its vehicles in the US already while Toyota also followed up by introducing it in some popular models. For other manufacturers, the top-selling models will likely receive the technology first before expanding to their whole range. Going by the theme, we do hope that automakers in India will make more safety features standard in the future.


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After slashing its workforce by around 5 per cent, Internet search firm Yahoo has reportedly been mulling over plans to shut down some of its web products, such as bookmark-sharing service Delicious, to stimulate revenue growth.
AllThingsD and TechCrunch recently reported that Yahoo was planning to shut down bookmark-sharing service Delicious as a part of its plans to consolidate its Web properties.
Chief product officer Blake Irving at Yahoo also posted a tweet that the firm had plans to get rid of the bookmark-sharing service Delicious for quite some time.
Launched in 2003, Delicious lets users to tag Web pages for future reference, and then share them with others. The service was acquired by Yahoo in 2005. The site serves as a whole Web memory.
However, a message on Friday at the Delicious blog claimed that the service was not being shut down. It stated that Delicious could find an ideal home elsewhere.
The firm sated, "We're actively thinking about the future of Delicious and we believe there is a home outside the company that would make more sense for the service, our users and our shareholders.”
Earlier on Monday, Yahoo announced that it would slash around 600 jobs to hack costs.


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Right before the time where most companies present their earnings reports for the second quarter of 2011, IDC released market data for the PC market. Worldwide the market saw a 2.6% increase in shipments, which is just short of the 2.9% rate IDC projected. IDC lines out that this is the result of a strong first quarter, which was a week longer though at the expense of the second. Other factors working against PC sales are smartphones and tablets as well as an unfriendly economic environment.
Nevertheless the bean counters are optimistic for the second half of the year. When looking at different regions, it should be noted that in the US the PC market saw a decline of 4.2% compared to the second quarter of 2010. This is due to netbook decline, an unsustainably strong second quarter in 2010 and the shift of corporate expenses towards cloud computing and virtualization, according to IDC.
Other markets fared better than the US. While in Western Europe the situation can be considered similar, there have been increases in Central and Easter Europe as well as the Middle East and Africa. The Japanese market unexpectedly grew by 3%. Due to the earthquake – the projections have been worse – sales in Japan were hit hard in late first quarter and in April due to market reaction on the catastrophic March 11 earthquake and tsunami, followed by component shortage due to manufacturing facilities being damaged. In the rest of the APAC region, IDC reported a 12% growth.
On the vendor side of things, the two market leaders – HP and Dell had similar growth rates with 3% respectively 2.8%. Lenovo posted a strong 22.9% growth and thus managed to move ahead of Acer who had to take a 10.1% decline. ASUS managed to beat Toshiba to the 5th place after a 6% growth. Given the drop in tablet sales, we were not surprised to see that overall, 84.4 million PCs have been shipped in the second quarter of 2011, up from 82.3 million in 2010.
|Shipments||Market Share||Shipments||Market Share|


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Stassi Schroeder dropped by brands after calling police!!! STASSI SCHROEDER is under fire for a 2018 incident involving former “Vanderpump Rules” cast member Faith Stowers. During an Instagram Live chat with “Floribama Shore” star Candace Rice, Stowers recalled when … [Read more...] about Stassi Schroeder dropped by brands after calling police
REPORT - Kanye 'Faked' Being Trump Supporter!! According to a post on the High Snobiety Instagram page, Kanye has been "faking" his support for Donald Trump. The IG page claims that Kanye was just "wearing his MAGA hats so that he could get people out of jail. The page … [Read more...] about REPORT – Kanye ‘Faked’ Being Trump Supporter
Blac Chyna Accuses NBC of Racism!!! Blac Chyna is speaking out and claims the network is racist for allowing ‘Rob & Chyna’ to get cancelled. via Page Six: Chyna, 32, sued the entire Kardashian family in October 2017, claiming they interfered with her show … [Read more...] about Blac Chyna Accuses NBC of Racism
Dwyane Wade House Watched Amid AGT Negotiations!!! Dwyane Wade added disturbing new allegations. Suggesting that during the months of negotiations between Union and NBC producers to try and affect positive change on the show, and perhaps at the network, his family has been … [Read more...] about Dwyane Wade House Watched Amid AGT Negotiations
Meghan has 700K fewer followers than Kate!!!!! Kensington Royal Instagram account has 11.8 million followers. The Sussex Royal IG account has 11.1 million. Part of the Sussexes’ exit deal involved Prince William demanding that Harry and Meghan give up their Sussex Royal … [Read more...] about Meghan has 700K fewer followers than Kate!
Kim Kardashian won't divorce Kanye!!!! Kim Kardashian has told friends she ‘doesn’t want to divorce’ husband Kanye West – as ending the marriage is a ‘last option’ for her. The A-list pair have been dogged by split rumours after reports of tension in lockdown – and while the … [Read more...] about Kim Kardashian won’t divorce Kanye, will live separately
LEGO is no longer marketing police or White House sets and has donated $4 million!! The Lego Group sent out an email to retailers and affiliates announcing that, “In light of recent events, LEGO has requested the below products to be removed from sites and marketing ASAP.” … [Read more...] about LEGO no longer marketing police or White House sets
Meghan thought ‘long & hard’ about avoiding ‘politics’!!!! Katie Nicholl at Vanity Fair has a new piece about the Duchess of Sussex. Why Meghan did the speech: Sources close to the duchess say she has wanted to address the protests, but was unsure how to communicate … [Read more...] about Meghan thought ‘long & hard’ about avoiding ‘politics’


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The call center agents at EOS have quite a record of helping people to pay their dues.
It’s not just about technology, it’s about people developing a data-driven mindset, the Center of Analytics team explains.
New regulations could attract more high quality investors und lead to rising trade volumes.
The Generation Y and the clichés about their handling of money. For what do millennials spend money wisely and where do they waste it.
A new breed of fintech firm is promising to make requirements like know-your-customer a breeze.
EOS Director Marwin Ramcke explains his success strategy for trading NPL in 2018.
If you work in a rapidly changing market your business software needs to keep up with the pace – as do the people using it.
Most SME don't have a professional dunning system in place. Now they can turn to the Deutsche Verrechnungsstelle (DV) to cover that base.
EOS Hungary was one of the first players to realize the potential of secured retail loans - rising to a leading position in the booming market.


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Britain Prohibits Tobacco Ads, DM
British health secretary Alan Millburn ushered in the act by unveiling a new billboard in South London: "Tobacco advertising -- we can live without it. Don't give up giving it up."
Through a partnership with Adstream , Comcast's AdDelivery Service expands its footprint across the globe.
It's time to nominate the 2014 crop of young marketing luminaries for Direct Marketing News's 40 Under 40 Awards. The deadline is Friday, June 6, 2014.
The digital media trading firm and marketing database company aim to help marketers target 13 to 34 year olds.


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Holon, Israel. Optimal+ today announced that it has selected HP Vertica as the big data platform to provide next-generation Business Intelligence and Analytics (BI&A) for all of its solutions serving the semiconductor industry. Building on the HP Vertica Analytics Platform, Optimal+ is delivering real-time visibility into the global semiconductor supply chain. As a result, companies with internal or external manufacturing operations can aggregate, analyze, and act on their global manufacturing data in real-time, finding actionable insights that can drive time-sensitive decisions that will significantly improve yield, productivity, and quality.
Currently deployed throughout the global semiconductor supply chain and leading IDMs, Optimal+ solutions create profound insights from the massive amounts of big data generated in manufacturing operations. Optimal+ has established a global Big Data Highway that seamlessly links decision-makers to every subcon or test floor facility in their enterprise’s extended ecosystem.
The ability to analyze vast amounts of disjointed data from multiple sources without the need to re-aggregate it means that alerts and customized reports on all online data can be requested and delivered within seconds, enabling Optimal+ customers to make business decisions faster than ever before.
“Organizations across the globe need to reduce costs and quickly turn data into business insight by scaling analytics at high speed,” said David Pieterse, GM, Big Data Platform, EMEA, at HP. “We are pleased that Optimal+ has selected HP Vertica due to its leadership position as a manufacturing intelligence solution provider to the semiconductor industry and its roadmap to provide such industry-leading big data solutions to the electronics and automotive markets. Optimal+ solutions are driving a major paradigm shift for how companies can achieve extraordinary value from all the data they collect and manage. Dealing with the Optimal+ leadership team was a great pleasure due to their unique vision and professional execution.”
Optimal+ delivers real-time access to diverse supply chain data, offering semiconductor enterprises a compelling alternative for high-level operational decision making such as RMA management, which is becoming a critical issue for many semiconductor vendors. With HP Vertica, customers will be able to leverage their historical RMA data to drive real-time prevention of test escapes that will dramatically improve product quality and reduce future RMAs.
“Our customers are dealing with dramatically increasing volumes of data and rapidly changing demands in manufacturing,” said Michael Schuldenfrei, chief technology officer at Optimal+. “HP Vertica enables us to revolutionize how people manage and gain value from their manufacturing data. The ability to provide a transparent view into cross-facility manufacturing operations, wherever they reside, represents a true paradigm shift for our customers. It ensures that more data derived from more sources is intelligently gathered and acted upon to measurably improve our customer’s business metrics, whether it be yield, quality, productivity, or anything in-between.”
See related article by Michael Schuldenfrei:


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By Michael McCarthy
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick couldn’t be more popular!
Not with flag-waving Americans who object to his sit-down or kneel-down during the National Anthem.
Only among jersey-buying Americans.
Kaepernick’s jersey sales have inexplicably skyrocketed on NFL.com over the past few weeks. While the former NFC champion signal caller was once a popular player and hot-selling jersey, the best of Kaepernick on the field never produced what the NFL is seeing now.
According to the NFL Shop website, Kaepernick’s jersey has risen to the No. 1 overall best seller in the league.
No. 2? New Eagles starting quarterback Carson Wentz. Following those quarterbacks on the list? Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott and Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.