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Diwali and festive months have always been good for industry. During this time, markets see maximum growth in the year. But this year, things have been bigger than expectations for most retailers who have seen a bumper harvest despite the disturbances caused by demonetisation and GST.
According to RedSeer Consulting, e-commerce companies saw 45-50 per cent growth in September-October this year over last year. It said that e-tailers achieved highest-ever monthly sales over the course of the festive period of September 20 and October 19.
With demonetisation and GST setting in, many quarters were expecting that consumer sales and purchases would dip in the festive months. However, companies actually saw a significant surge in sales during these months.
To some extent this was pushed by a 20 per cent increase in spends during Diwali compared to the previous quarter, according to Walnut, a company that looks at the personal finance and payments space. According Walnut’s data, Delhi, Pune and Mumbai showed the highest spends among top metros during the Diwali season.
“In the last 12 months there was a lot of upheaval in the system with demonetisation and GST. But for us the number of customers and transactions has more than doubled in this festive period,” says Radhika Aggarwal, co-founder, Shopclues, India’s third largest e-commerce company. “The number of orders has doubled on a daily basis and during Diwali season our orders have grown up to three times.”
According to RedSeer estimates for this year’s festive season, e-commerce companies generated a total of $ 3.2 billion or Rs. 19,000 crore of sales for the 30-day festive period between September 20 and October 19 2017. This was 45 per cent higher than the festive month of October 2016, when companies had generated $2.2 billion in sales.
According to industry estimates, the festive season this year included three mega sale events from e-commerce companies like Amazon and Flipkart which generated huge sales. These three big sales generated $1.5 billion, $500-600 million and $600 million. Apart from this, the non-sale days during the festive period also generated significant sales of $500 million.
RedSeer says that the key driver for the strong sales performance in 2017 was the arrival of Jio and its data plans which drove the increase in the total population willing to shop online. Jio pushed a lot of shoppers from offline retail to online and exposed people from smaller towns to a larger selection of products that is normally not available in local retail.
“On a September-to-September basis, the number of customers on our site has doubled,” says Aggarwal. “The good thing about this is that all of them are from Tier 3 and Tier 4 towns. Going forward we see a lot of customers coming from Tier 3 and 4 towns and cities.”
Similarly, Amazon witnessed a 2.1X growth in customers in this period while 86 per cent of its customers came from smaller towns. The e-commerce major recorded a 16X spike in TV sales during this period while large appliances spiked 10 times. Flipkart did not respond to Outlook’s queries. Snapdeal has not only increased sales, but has made positive net margin in the entire sales season. It’s net margin for the current festive season grew six-fold compared to the festive season last year.
Experts feel there are other reasons for the huge spurt in growth. K Vaitheeswaran, e-commerce expert who founded India’s first e-commerce company Indiaplaza, says, “The key reason for the huge growth is the discounts the e-commerce companies are offering. Also, the growth looks big because the base is still very small for e-commerce companies.” Vaitheeswaran says that during the big sale days, some products at Amazon were available at 30-70 per cent discount leading to impulse buying by customers.
This growth is expected to increase in the future, feel experts, as this is a precursor to things to come in the year. “The spike in sales is not because of Diwali or the festive month but because of cheap data from Jio and access to smartphones which have been the biggest trigger,” says Arvind Singhal, chairman at retail consultancy Technopak. “But what will change the growth in e-commerce will be food and grocery, which will bring in the largest quantum of sales for the companies.” Singhal feels that there will be pressures on the Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of e-retailers.
Quite in contrast, India’s automobile industry, which normally registers handsome growth during the festive months every year, had a rather subdued festive period. According to data released by Society of Indian Automotive Manufacturers (SIAM), the sale of passenger vehicles grew by just 7.67 per cent in April-October 2017 over the same period last year. Passenger cars, utility vehicles and vans grew by 4.72 per cent, 16.95 per cent and 2.86 per cent respectively in April-October 2017 over last year.
In October 2017 domestic sales of passenger vehicles saw a negative growth of 5.32 per cent and came down from 195,036 units in October 2016 to 184,666 in October 2017. Total passenger vehicles including vans and utility vehicles, which have seen some growth, too declined by 0.3 per cent from 2,80,677 in October 2016 to 279,837 in October 2017.
“This October, the industry saw a negative growth of 0.5 per cent while last year, the industry saw its highest growth in October,” says Puneet Anand, group head of marketing for Hyundai Motors India.
However, the two leading Indian automakers—Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motors India—seemed to have bucked the trend and managed to register growth, though mostly in single digits. “The festive period got split in two months, affecting sales,” says R.S. Kalsi, senior executive director, sales and marketing, Maruti Suzuki. “Maruti Suzuki recorded a wholesale growth of 9.8 per cent during this period.”
Anand adds that Hyundai Motors India grew by 17.4 per cent pushed mostly by its launch of the new Verna, which garnered a lot of sales. He admitted that since a large part of the October sales happened in the month of September, the October sales had dipped. However, the overall growth of the industry was still a concern as the January-to-October year on year growth was very low.
“This time Navaratra was in September and Diwali in October but growth in these two months was just 6 per cent,” says Jnaneshwar Sen, senior vice president-marketing and sales, Honda Car India. “This year businessmen customers, a big chunk, are less. Normally businessmen form 40 per cent of our customers. This year was much lower. The trader community is still struggling with GST and have postponed car purchases. This is affecting numbers.
Others like Mahindra & Mahindra registered a growth of 8 per cent. Says Veejay Ram Nakra, chief of sales and marketing, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra, “In the personal vehicle segment, the period just before GST implementation was filled with uncertainty. This led to advancement of purchase for such demand that would have ultimately come up during the festive months. So to some extent this had an impact on the overall demand.”
Sales at Tata Motors were also subdued though the company saw some sales during Dhanteras. “While the market faced short headwinds in the pre-holiday period followed by an extended holiday season affecting production, our passenger vehicle business continued to grow on a month-on-month basis, owing to good response to its new generation products,” states a Tata Motors spokesperson.
Carmakers are hopeful of touching the three-million mark in sales this year making India one of the largest automobile markets in the world. But this will happen only if it sees a robust growth in the remaining two months of 2017. With GST still spewing uncertainty, this might not happen. The e-commerce companies though have much to rejoice about as growth is continuing and is expected to peak during the remaining months. But a lot will depend on how GST settles down and how consumers are benefited from the government’s new rules.


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A Sharp executive said Thursday he was not concerned with the introduction of a rumored "iTV" designed by Steve Jobs and other smart TVs in the U.S. market, and that his company is focused on selling large-screen sets with traditional features.
"I really have no idea what kind of TV it will be. But if he came up with it, I'm sure it will be amazing. When we see it, we may well be caught by surprise, but currently it's not something we're studying very hard," said Kozo Takahashi, who heads Sharp's operations in North and South America.
He made the comments during a press conference in Osaka that was shown to reporters in Tokyo, as he explained Sharp's television strategy in the U.S. Apple is rumored to have an advanced TV in the pipeline for next year, as are rivals Samsung and LG. Takahashi had no comment on media reports Apple is working with Sharp to develop the new device.
In Jobs' biography written by Walter Isaacson, the late executive at one point declares that he's designed an easy-to-use television that eliminates the need for complex remote controls and peripherals, saying, "I finally cracked it."
But Takahashi said U.S. consumers are more focused on price, picture quality and reliability than advanced technology. Sharp's strategy in the country is relatively straightforward: Go large. The company is currently running ads aimed at purchases for Super Bowl Sunday that show an 80-inch TV and read "Touchdownormous."
"Americans are just not as interested in the technology as Japanese are," he said. "Those that buy large TVs want to have all of the features, even if they don't use them. They want 3D even if they don't plan to watch it, and they want Internet connectivity even if they have no real intention to use it."
He said Sharp was likely to beat its target for selling a million TVs that are 60 inches or larger in the Americas in the fiscal year through March, and the market appears to be growing stronger after a good showing on Black Friday.
Sharp has a distinct advantage over competitors when it comes to TVs with larger screens. The company owns massive factories in Japan that churn out giant-sized LED panels that can be efficiently divided up into screens for sets sized 60 inches and larger, while competitors must purchase them from outside producers or use less efficient smaller panels.
The Osaka-based company was the world's fifth-largest flat-panel TV maker by revenues in the July-September quarter, according to data vendor DisplaySearch. Sharp is also a major OEM supplier to other TV manufacturers.

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Mali, like many other African countries, is experiencing an unprecedented rise in the price of basic necessities. Faced with the emergency, the country is suspending all cereals exports until further notice in order to secure domestic markets and limit its dependence on imports.
Mali’s National Transitional Council (CNT) announced on Monday, December 6, the suspension of exports of basic necessities. This list includes rice, maize, cottonseed, millet and sorghum. This decision comes in the context of preventing food shortages to ensure self-sufficiency. Indeed, faced with a latent shortage of basic products for several weeks, the government aims to “secure the supply of national markets in products from local agriculture. Upstream, the council had decided a few weeks earlier (last November) to reduce by 50% the taxable base on imports of agricultural products at an estimated cost of CFAF 18 billion, or about $31 million.
What about the NTC’s decision?
The main purpose of this measure is not only to protect the local economy but also to encourage local consumption and reduce the price of products in the market. Thus, by banning the export of basic necessities, Mali, like several West African and Sahelian states, is embarking on a protectionist approach. Even if the country is not directly threatened, it is in an area where the spectre of famine caused by the rising price of products still looms. Benin and Burkina-Faso, Mali’s immediate neighbors, are also affected by the crisis caused by inflation on the food market affecting West Africa.
A short-term measure
Superficially, these export restrictions could ease the shortage. In Benin, for example, after a few months of banning products exports, the government lifted the lock last October to allow the resumption of normal trade transactions. The authorities had justified this lifting by the fact that with the first harvests, the availability of food products has increased and prices are under control. It is therefore a measure that can in the short term calm the surge of the products price.
Produce locally, consume locally
In addition to the risk, the Malian government’s new development plan aims to create greater added value for local products. Indeed, with a strong irrigable potential, the country has the necessary resources to become one of the agricultural pillars of West Africa. It is therefore “a new diet” that the West African country now embodies, which wants to feed itself only with its own crops. No more exports of maize, rice, millet, sorghum or of cotton seed, the country’s main food crops. Thus, Mali is engaged in a campaign promoting local consumption.
Limiting import dependence?
Nevertheless, it is far from certain that the prohibition of grain exports will be able to meet the needs of the population. The country, like many other African countries, imports more than it exports. To this end, Mali imports 70% of its food consumption, according to the WFP (World Food Program) in a study conducted last September. As an illustration, in 2019, the country’s food exports barely reached $25m. While the total cost of imports amounts to 344 million dollars according to the observatory of economic complexity of MIT. If food security is the main argument brandished by the Malian government to justify the measure, local consumption in turn will encourage farmers to increase their production in the coming years. As a result, the import rate would decrease and the country would have succeeded in the challenge of prioritizing local products on the consumer market in order to limit its dependence on imports.


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Sierra Nevada’s new innovation arm, the Chico Fermentation Project, has announced its first release: Strainge Beast Hard Kombucha, the company’s first-ever beyond beer offering.
“I’ve been drinking kombucha for some time, and the team has done a fantastic job of coming up with really nice flavor and balance,” founder and president Ken Grossman said in a press release.
Strainge Beast’s first flavor to market will be Ginger, Lemon and Hibiscus, which pours bright pink and checks in at 7% ABV. Strainge Beast is also certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Strainge Beast will launch on draft in March in San Francisco, Sacramento, Santa Cruz and San Diego in California; Portland, Oregon; Phoenix, Arizona; Asheville and Raleigh, North Carolina; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Tampa, Florida. The brand will roll out in additional cities in May.
Two additional flavors will follow after the draft launch: Blueberry, Acai and Sweet Basil; and Passion Fruit, Hops and Blood Orange. Cans of all three flavors will begin hitting retailers in August.
How did Grossman feel about his company’s first foray into the beyond beer world?
“As long as the product has providence and soul, I’m good with it,” he said in the release. “Like beer, kombucha allows you to become an alchemist, morphing natural, raw ingredients into something amazing to drink.”
Director of technical brewing and innovation Sean Lavery and his team worked with Oregon State University doctoral student Keisha Rose Harrison and her team to develop a new SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) for Strainge Beast. Harrison is working toward a Ph. D. in fermentation science with a focus on kombucha.
“We researched hundreds of cultures and brewed more than 50 batches to get the flavor just right,” Lavery said in the release.
The base of Ginger, Lemon and Hibiscus Strainge Beast is a blend of organic black tea and green tea.
“The tea flavor comes through, as does a nice clean acidity,” Lavery said.
In a memo to wholesalers last month, chief commercial officer Joe Whitney wrote that Strainge Beast is not the only product the company offers outside of the Sierra Nevada brand.
“2020 will also mark the first time in our history where our portfolio will move beyond
producing only Sierra Nevada craft beers and enter the mindful drinking space with our national rollout of Sufferfest Brewing Company and Chico Fermentation Project’s Strainge Beast hard kombucha brands,” he wrote.
The company made its first-ever acquisition of Sufferfest Beer Company, a fitness-focused company with functional beers, in February 2019.
Other new offerings under the Sierra Nevada brand include 40th Hoppy Anniversary Ale, which the company brewed to commemorate its fortieth year and serves as 2020’s spring seasonal; Fantastic Haze IPA, which checks in at 9% ABV and has “more tropical flavor” than the company’s Hazy Little Thing IPA; and Wild Little Thing, a “slightly sour ale.”
Also in 2020, Sierra Nevada will launch its first-ever national media campaign with ads on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Roku, Apple TV and Sling and paid partnerships with Outside magazine, Thrillist and extreme sports media company Teton Gravity Research.
To support the campaign, Sierra Nevada is asking wholesalers to contribute an optional $0.10 per case equivalent.
“We view this increase in distributor support essential to success in today’s hyper-competitive beer business and hope you see the importance of positioning our portfolio for growth in the future,” Whitney wrote.
In 2018, Sierra Nevada was the third-largest craft brewing company, according to trade group the Brewers Association. The company’s volume increased 2% that year, to 1,078,908 barrels.
In 2019, Sierra Nevada’s portfolio-wide dollar sales grew 4.2% in off-premise scan data, according to market research firm IRI. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale remained challenged, declining 6.2% in dollar sales to $101.4 million.


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A Fife fintech specialising in international money transfers has seen revenue soar by more than 250%.
Kirkcaldy-based Paysend saw turnover increase from £4.3 million in 2018, to £15.1m for the year ending December 31 2019.
However, pre-tax losses continued at the firm, rising from £5.1m to £11m over the reporting period.
Paysend said it is well positioned for the future after launching into the US – the world’s largest payment market.
Commenting in the newly filed annual report, chief executive Ronald Millar said the year had been one of “significant growth” where the business had expanded its product range, enabling consumers and businesses to pay, hold and send money in any currency.
He said: “Paysend is the only global provider of a card-to-card money transfer service and this has enabled us to rapidly expand our customer base.”
The firm saw an average customer monthly growth rate of 20% during the financial year, ending the period with more than 1.3m clients – more than two and a half times the number at the same period in 2018.
Mr Millar said: “Following the year end, we have continued to see positive customer growth, with now more than 2.5m customers.
“Due to the group’s position as a truly digital business, the Covid-19 pandemic which has disrupted travel and shopping patterns is driving a switch to digital payments and transactions and has not impacted on our growth.”
Paysend has also increased its geographical reach and is now regulated in 45 countries and able to support payments almost 100 countries.
Its product range grew with the introduction of an e-wallet product early in 2020. The e-wallet enables customers to pay, send and hold their money globally.
The company’s global transfer arm launched payout channels in a number of countries including India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Mr Millar said: “In the third quarter of 2020, we launched into the US and Canada.
“The US is the largest payments market in the world, so we feel that positions us really well for 2021 and onwards.
“We also have some new products under development at the moment, which we will be rolling out in the new year.”
Mr Millar said Paysend provided purchasing services for small and medium-sized businesses that operated only online, which had seen a strong year relative to physical stores.
“On the consumer side, there are different ways people make payments and we are seeing an accelerated long-term demographic switch away from cash-based payments and on to digital transactions.”


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No matter what mobile device or platform you use, odds are you are productive due to Microsoft's efforts in the mobile space.
Showing results 1 to 20 of 355
In one of our longest podcasts ever, Kevin and I covered a huge number of new mobile devices. We are excited about current and future products in the mobile space.
The iPhone and iPod maker finally made the leap into the mobile payments space with the launch of Apple Pay, an NFC-based contactless payment system.
It is pretty rare for US carriers to get Sony flagship smartphones when they launch, but it looks like one group of customers will be pleased with Sony this year.
The challenges facing Microsoft Windows are many, but none so big as the casual PC user's changing habits.
According to Google, the goal of Project Tango is to "give mobile devices a human-scale understanding of space and motion," and the new tablet brings this goal a little closer.
Matt recently moved and his new house has a dedicated office space. How would a Star Wars and mobile device user outfit his new office? Check out all that powers his new space.
Samsung mobile technology is set to be used for on-board camera viewing and social communications aboard Boeing’s CST-100 spacecraft, according to former astronaut, Christopher Ferguson.
Looking forward for 2014, the mobile OS space might be even more difficult to predict this year.
Sometimes we proclaim a lack of innovation has hit the mobile space, but the reality is, mobile tech is taking us into a fantastic era.
While lots of things are happening in the mobile tech space, it doesn't feel that way. That's in large part due to the lack of Steve Jobs to keep us pumped up about it.
T-Mobile has been making waves in the US wireless carrier space with their Uncarrier announcements and the 4th edition brings ETF payments, new devices, and fastest LTE in the US.
The water resistant Xperia Z1 has been available as an unlocked model and is finally coming to T-Mobile USA with an increased level of water resistance.
T-Mobile continues to shake up the US wireless space with AT&T preempting their rumor they might start offering to pay ETFs to switchers.
Chinese developers of car service mobile apps, Didi Taxi and Kuaidadi, each secured US$100 million funds in recent months as market players look to tap China's growing online-to-offline (O2O) space.
Chinese technology conglomerate Tencent said it has invested over US$2 billion in overseas markets, particularly focusing on growing in the mobile space and investing in startups.
The days of Zynga may be over, but can SoftBank profit by investing in smaller makers of mobile games?
Although competition is shaping up for the mobile call-a-cab space, the money is still flowing in, with goCatch landing AU$3 million to take its ideas abroad.
Overseen by ex-T-Mobile USA CEO Philipp Humm, Vodafone plans to merge its European operations.
The smartphone space is due for the next big technology to take it to the next level. ZDNet readers are very tuned in to the mobile tech space so who better to ask than you what the next big thing might be?
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- 1 Perfectly legal ways you can still get Windows 7 cheap (or even free)
- 2 How much does an iPhone 6 really cost? (Hint: It's way more than $199)
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- 5 Review: Tile Bluetooth tag (verdict: Great)


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PODCAST: AT&T versus one of the world’s richest men
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The World Trade Organization (WTO) has eliminated the tariffs on a total of 201 products being manufactured under the information technology sector. The abolishment follows an accord reached by 54 WTO members last July 18, and was confirmed in a meeting held last July 24 at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
Officials of the Department of Trade and Industry hailed the accord, which they said would greatly benefit the Philippines. The total trade of IT products has been pegged at a hefty $1.3 trillion, according to DTI undersecretary Adrian Cristobal.
?Philippine trade of these products in 2013 amounted to $26 billion, with exports reaching more than $14 billion,? he said.
Among the products covered under this accord are new generation semiconductors, static converters, video games, and parts of automated electronic component machines of which the Philippines happens to be part of the regional and global production chains.
The Philippine electronics sector stands to benefit from the agreement in terms of increase in market access on their export products due to elimination of tariffs on targeted export markets such as USA, Japan, EU, Korea, Taiwan, said Cristobal.
?Moreover, almost all imported raw materials and intermediate inputs and capital equipment requirements can be imported duty free. Once the ITA expansion is entered into force, it will provide the Philippines with access to over 90 percent of global IT trade. Furthermore, it will create jobs through increase in FDIs and will help to boost GDP growth for our country,? he added.
Under the terms of the agreement, the tariffs will be eliminated on these products within three years, with reductions beginning in 2016. By the end of October 2015, each of the participating members will submit to the other participants a draft schedule which spells out how the terms of the agreement would be met.
Participants will spend the coming months preparing and verifying these schedules. The objective is to conclude this technical work in time for the Nairobi Ministerial Conference in December.
The agreement also contains a commitment to work on non-tariff barriers in the IT sector, and to keep the list of products covered under review to determine whether further expansion may be needed to reflect future technological developments.
The agreement this month is an expansion of the 1996 Information Technology Agreement, which involves 81 members. The Philippines became a party of the IT Agreement in 1997.
In 2012, members recognized that technological innovation had advanced to such an extent that many new categories of IT products were not covered by the existing agreement. Negotiations began in 2012 to expand the coverage of the accord.


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Toronto chip lovers tormented by shortage of Lay's and Doritos at grocery stores
Been having a tough time finding Sun Chips at the grocery store lately? How about BBQ Ruffles or Lays? How about Doritos, for that matter? Tostitos? Fritos? Cheetos?
You're not alone, my friend, and I'm happy to report that none of the above corn or potato chip products have been discontinued. You might just not be able to buy them at your regular supermarket right now.
Frito-Lay Canada is reportedly withholding product shipments to all stores owned by Loblaw Companies Ltd. due to "a dispute over price hikes" that experts are calling "an extreme example of how inflation is impacting the food industry."
No FritoLay pic.twitter.com/8LqrYcHOrB— Paul Lantz (@paullantz) February 22, 2022
This dispute between one of the country's largest snack manufacturers and the largest grocery retailer in Canada has effectively resulted in a depressing onslaught of barren chip aisles at Loblaws, No Frills, Shoppers Drug Mart, T&T, Zehrs and other Loblaw-owned locations.
#FritoLay is really feuding with @LoblawsON .. lol 😂 pic.twitter.com/JqIXHM82lH— MacKenzie (@breyttt) February 22, 2022
Yes, you can still buy President's Choice or No Name chips at Shoppers while picking up your allergy medicine, but good luck finding Miss Vickie's, Smartfood or Hickory Sticks.
At least until Frito-Lay and Loblaw can work out their differences.
Frito Lays and Loblaws need to solve their stand-off. I cannot find BBQ Ruffles anywhere in Toronto. @globeandmail https://t.co/iI1rpynJXz— Roderick C Elliot (@notorious_ROD) February 22, 2022
The Financial Post reported on Friday, based on a report from the French-language La Presse, that Frito-Lay (owned by PepsiCo) had stopped filling orders to Loblaw stores earlier this month after the latter entity refused to accept an increase in prices.
Frito-Lay spokesperson Sheri Morgan reportedly told one customer that the disruption in shipments would be temporary.
"Our business has faced unprecedented pressures from rising costs of items including ingredients, packaging and transportation," she said in an email, per The Canadian Press in a story published Monday.
"To help offset these pressures on our Canadian operations ... we have made adjustments to our prices that are consistent across the marketplace."
Loblaw, for its part, said in a statement that the business remains focused on "minimizing retail price increases" — something that likely won't be easy to do amid sky-high inflation rates.
"When suppliers request higher costs, we do a detailed review to ensure they are appropriate," said Loblaw spokesperson Catherine Thomas on the matter. "This can lead to difficult conversations and, in extreme cases, suppliers don't ship us products."
frito lay cutting off their supply from loblaw because mfs dont want to pay increased prices for product that contains mostly air— creator of facebook (@sigmafoid) February 21, 2022
In addition to sharing photos of empty chip shelves, snack fans on Twitter are now starting to take sides in this bizarre grocery feud.
Kudos to Frito-Lay for not putting up with more shit from Loblaws group. Everyone deserves to make some profit when they put in the effort. Not just the Westons. #Loblaws #FritoLay— viestursmt77 (@viestursmt77) February 22, 2022
"Let customers decide if they wish to pay more for Frito-Lay products," tweeted one at Loblaw. "Not stocking their product is not the solution."
"Great job Loblaw," tweeted another. Time to buy more in-house brands. You lose this time Frito-Lay."
Loblaw's must resist this blatant aggression by Frito-Lay. Defensive Pringles are being deployed but the snacking community must unite against this a salt--sorry, assault--on our wallets. https://t.co/0llDDvlE5I— Steve Burgess (@steveburgess1) February 22, 2022
"Very gutsy move by Frito Lay Canada. Brand loyalty (especially for chips) is not what it used to be. There is more for Frito to lose here than there's for Loblaw," wrote another commenter still.
Some aren't siding with either corporation, noting that both have been pulling in heavy profits amid the pandemic and shouldn't be squabbling over who absorbs the cost of wholesale food prices.
If you’re wondering about the empty chip shelves at Loblaws, @Fritolay’s pulled their products due to Loblaw’s refusal to hike prices. And if you’ve seen people say it’s about inflation, well, there’s this. pic.twitter.com/VGgS0eZdZu— ehballah (@ehballah) February 22, 2022
Fortunately for chip brand loyalists who are not also grocery store brand loyalists, there are plenty of other places around the city still selling Doritos, Ruffles, Smartfood and the like.
Loblaw, which posted net earnings of $1.19 billion CAD in 2021, seems to be the only retailer at present kicking up backlash to the increased wholesale cost of Frito Lay products.
Join the conversation Load comments


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Adding Amazon Alexa support to the new Jarvish X-AR smart motorcycle helmet’s feature set was a savvy decision. Riders don’t necessarily need to worry about learning how to manage the new lid when they can ask Alexa for what they want.
Tech-loving riders may expect voice assistant interfaces in smart helmets. If less technology-enamored bikers are attracted to the convenience, entertainment, and safety features in smart helmets, however, they might be more than happy to let Alexa manage everything via voice commands.
Alexa is the most common voice assistant, but the X-AR smart helmet will also support Siri and Google, according to the Jarvish website.
The X-AR’s head-up display will keep riders informed about traffic and weather conditions with contextual augmented reality data shown at eye level on the inside of the helmet’s face shield. Navigation directions, smartphone notifications, and entertainment media controls also will be in easy view.
Alexa will operate through the helmet’s microphone and internal speakers, responding to nav requests, media selection, volume, and more.
With Alexa in control of the helmet’s front and rear, wide-angle, 2K cameras, riders can have a 360-degree view without taking their eyes off the road ahead.
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The Jarvish X-AR has a carbon fiber shell for light weight and strength. Noise reduction tech cuts road noise to enhance two-way audio communication.
Paired with Android and iOS smartphones via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the X-AR will be good for about four hours of battery life, according to Wareable. The new Jarvish head protector will include 16GB of built-in storage and can accommodate 256GB of entertainment media via removable memory cards.
Smart motorcycle helmets add features not only because it is easier to fit extra components in a helmet than in a smartwatch or smartphone, but also because the rider market has proved ready, willing, and able to pay for tech-loaded headgear.
The Jarvish X-AR won’t ship until early 2019 and will probably cost more than $1,000, according to Trusted Reviews. Wareable reports that anyone who signs up for the Jarvish newsletter on the helmet company’s website will be eligible for a 35 percent discount when the X-AR is ready to ship.
- Vivint’s new updates make its smart home system even smarter
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bKash, a mobile financial service provider, has partnered with Visa, the global leader in payments technology, to enable the loading of bKash wallets through Visa cards by 'Add Money' service. Soon, millions of bKash customers will be able to load their wallets using Visa debit and credit cards and pay for their daily purchases, said a statement.
TR Ramachandran, Group Country Manager, India and South Asia of Visa; Ali Reza Iftekhar, Managing Director and CEO of EBL and Kamal Quadir, CEO of bKash; exchanged the agreement at a simple ceremony at bKash head office on Sunday.Soumya Basu, Director, Business Development Leader, South Asia, Visa; M. Khorshed Anowar, Head of Retail and SME Banking of EBL and Mizanur Rashid, Chief Commercial Officer of bKash were also present there along with other high officials.
With this partnership, customers can log in to their bKash app and link their Visa card credentials to the wallet to add money using Visa cards. With this 'always on' service, bKash customers can experience a seamless and secure way of funding bKash wallets. Eastern Bank Ltd (EBL) will provide the technological support for this service and ensure interconnectivity between Visa and bKash for other services as well.
Over the coming months, Visa will also enable bKash customers to pay their Visa credit card bills through the bKash App. A first-of-its-kind service, this will ensure a hassle-free, fast, secure and reliable experience for the growing number of users adopting Mobile Financial Services in Bangladesh.


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Reports of the death of the U.S. consumer have been greatly exaggerated. This morning the Commerce Department reported that March retail sales rose a better than expected 1.6 percent--one more testament to the American will to consume. This isn't a one-off event. To use a favorite economist's phrase, the consumer has been remarkably robust throughout this recession, defying almost every forecast in sight.
After reviewing this morning's retail sales data, Ken Mayland, president of Clearview Economics told Bloomberg news, "The talk about the ‘new consumer’ turns out to be a lot of rubbish. We’re seeing vestiges of the ‘old consumer.’"
The following chart taken from a recent presentation by Liz Ann Sonders, Chief Investment Strategist at Charles Schwab & Co, illustrates my point.
Liz Ann Sonders, Market Snapshot, April 2010
This chart compares the components of GDP growth in the U.S. between the first quarter of 2009 (the worst quarter in the recession) with fourth quarter of 2009. Most of us remember the dramatic (and traumatic!) collapse in business and residential investment in Q1 2009. And we all know that the consumer has not been a big driver of growth for the past couple of years. But how many would have expected the consumer to have remained so steady throughout the carnage we have experienced? Certainly not I.
The chart begs another question: where is the "stimulus" bill? Uncle Barak and the White House spin machine have been working overtime to get us all believe that the economy would have sunk without their trillion dollar boondogle, but the numbers don't bear this out. More growth from government spending is probably on the way, but the real drivers of the recovery so far have been exports and business investment--primarily in inventories.
For equity investors, this morning's news is encouraging. A resurgent consumer will give businesses even greater confidence to hire workers, invest in their businesses and increase production--all of which will buoy corporate profits and boost equity values. For bond investors, this is just one more indication that the recent trend toward higher long-term rates will be with us for a while.


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Chuck Sted’s ‘third act’ includes time for model train collection
He is dedicating his time as a board member to three California tech companies and as a volunteer board member to various Hawaii nonprofits. The remainder of his time is going to a lifelong hobby of his — collecting model trains.
He has been collecting them since he was 2 years old, and they have grown into such an elaborate collection that his wife has granted him an entire room downstairs, which he calls, appropriately enough, “the train room.”
During a recent visit to Sted’s home, where I interviewed him for the cover story that will appear in Friday’s print edition of PBN, Sted gave me a tour of the train room.
My jaw dropped when we entered the room. What I thought would be a dozen trains placed in display shelves turned out to be a hands-on layout that spanned the entire room, with an entrance point where he could stand in the middle of the imaginary town, put a conductor hat on and start the engines using a control station.
“Everyone has a story of their train layout; mine is that it is always five years ahead from now,” he said, revealing his imaginative side.
As I walked around the layout, I was afraid to bump into the tiny people, dogs, phone towers, trucks and trains on tiny tracks from different eras. It was so intricately arranged.
“How many trains do you have?”
“Oh, hundreds of trains; I own a company, too,” he casually added.
It’s called Union Terminal Imports, and he launched it about five years ago after noticing that there were certain model trains he couldn’t get anywhere.
While keeping busy during his Third Act, Sted says that work-life balance is something he always sought for his own life, as tried to convey to his employees through his definition of prioritization.
“Prioritization starts with your own physical and mental health, and then it is to your family and your community, and then work,” he said. “Then while you are at work, we expect your undivided attention.”
Sted will receive PBN’s Lifetime Achievement Award during our 2013 Business Leadership Hawaii event, to be held on Nov. 14. Click here for more information.
Jenna Blakely covers health care and nonprofits for Pacific Business News.
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With Black Friday 2013 sales ads soon to be leaked somewhere, major retailers are already gearing up for the busy holiday season. That includes both Walmart and Toys R Us who will reportedly hire a combined 100,000 employees between them to deal with the holiday shopping frenzy.
It was reported by CNBC on Sept. 25 that Toys R Us has plans to add 45,000 employees for stores and distribution centers, which is about the same as the number of workers they hired during the 2012 holiday season. In-store hiring will reportedly begin this week. Meanwhile, Walmart is looking to add 55,000 new employees as "seasonal associates," which is up 10% from last season. The retail giant also is planning to create 35,000 part time associates out of their current "temporary" staff. They'll create an additional 35,000 associates who are full time, transitioning them from part time.
Other retailers are also planning ahead of the holidays, just like in years past. Target is among the biggest hirer for the holiday season. The retailer will reportedly hire 70,000 new seasonal workers, which is down from the 88,000 they added just last year. Among online retailers, eBay will add 800 jobs at the Eau Claire, Wis. fulfillment center and then another 2,000 at its Louisville, Ky. center.
The sales and deals will last for a shorter window of opportunity for shoppers this season, according to Trefis.com. This year's shopping season will last just four weeks compared to five in 2012. Due to the shorter shopping period, retailers are under the assumption that sales figures will be weaker, so they're hiring less or about the same as last year.
As of this report, there have not been any Black Friday sales or deals ads leaked for the 2013 shopping season, but in years past, these arrived around October or early November. Among them are usually Walmart, Target, Best Buy and other top stores, as consumers gear up for the busy holiday shopping time, trying to find the best deal. Walmart will list Black Friday specials here on their website as they arrive.


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An Isle of Wight company has, over the weekend, raised their initial crowdfunding round of several to manufacture essential Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) face masks / visors for frontline key workers during the Coronavirus (Covid-19/C19) outbreak. You can continue to donate.
Daniel Kozakewycz of Black Art Graphics in Bembridge normally produces corporate gifts and merchandise for the automotive industry. On Sunday he launched a Crowdfunder appeal to switch to manufacturing the face masks and smashed the first target of £1,000, with over £1,500 already pledged by Islanders.
Turning capacity towards supporting NHS
Dan says that has they’ve seen a drop in demand for the usual product line, they’re turning their full production capacity towards supporting the NHS and all frontline key workers during the crisis by producing much-needed face masks.
“We do not feel that it is right to charge for this essential gear during a crisis and would like to donate these wherever they are needed, however given the demand for this type of equipment we do need help covering our production and staffing costs.”
Supporting the self-employed
Dan went on to say,
“In addition to keeping our own overheads covered during this difficult time will be offering work to self-employed people who have fallen through the cracks of the government’s support package and found themselves having to rely on nothing, but the woefully inadequate universal credit during the economic turmoil that is currently unfolding.”
The current production capacity for the face masks is approximately 300 units per day, with production costs estimated at around £2.50 per unit once assembly and packaging are taken into account.
Meeting with IW NHS Trust
Dan has a a meeting with the Isle of Wight NHS Trust at St Mary’s Hospital today (Monday) to discuss their requirements.
He says that some designs are not approved for medical use due to the difficulty of sterilising them, but they will make sure their is suitable.
Show your support
If you would like to support this project to help protect key workers during the Coronavirus outbreak, head over to the Crowdfunder page to pledge your support.
Government Covid-19 guidance: Stay alert and stay safe
Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently (video tips).
It is recommended that you maintain at least a two metre gap (about 6.5ft) from people who are not from your household.
Use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service that can tell if you need medical help and advise you what to do.


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Agencies (Qasioun) - U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to impose a 10 percent tariff on $200 billion of Chinese goods, prompting a swift warning from Beijing of retaliation, as the trade conflict between the world's two biggest economies quickly escalated.
In a statement, Trump said he had asked U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to identify the Chinese products to be subject to the new tariffs.
He said the move was in retaliation for China's decision to raise tariffs on $50 billion in U.S. goods, which came after Trump announced similar tariffs on Chinese goods on Friday.
"After the legal process is complete, these tariffs will go into effect if China refuses to change its practices, and also if it insists on going forward with the new tariffs that it has recently announced," Trump said.
The news sent global stock markets lower and pulled down both the dollar and the Chinese yuan in the offshore market.
On Friday, Trump said he was pushing ahead with a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of Chinese products, prompting Beijing to respond in kind.
Some of those tariffs will be applied from July 6, while the White House is expected to announce restrictions on investment by Chinese companies in the United States by June 30.
"China apparently has no intention of changing its unfair practices related to the acquisition of American intellectual property and technology. Rather than altering those practices, it is now threatening United States companies, workers, and farmers who have done nothing wrong," he said.
Trump said if China increases its tariffs again in response to the latest U.S. move, "we will meet that action by pursuing additional tariffs on another $200 billion of goods."
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative's Office said the new list would replace the previous $100 billion list that Trump ordered to be prepared in early April as a response to China's first round of $50 billion in retaliatory tariffs.
Trump said he has "an excellent relationship" with Chinese President Xi Jinping and they "will continue working together on many issues."
But, Trump said, "the United States will no longer be taken advantage of on trade by China and other countries in the world."
According to U.S. data, China imported $129.89 billion of U.S. goods last year, while the U.S. purchased $505.47 billion of Chinese products.


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The New Vehicle Emissions Standards (NVES) is the most controversial topic in the car industry in 2024, and it’s likely to remain that way for the foreseeable future.
Why? Because if you rewind 20 odd years you’ll find the Luxury Car Tax was the biggest issue then and it remains a controversial issue to this day.
These two topics are particularly relevant to the question we’re trying to answer today, which is ‘Do you pay Luxury Car Tax on electric cars?’
We’ll dive into the details about how electric vehicles, and other low-emissions vehicles are treated to some minor Luxury Car Tax exemptions to help promote cutting emissions.
What is Luxury Car Tax and how does it work?
The Luxury Car Tax, which was introduced in 2000, is an additional tax car buyers are forced to pay when they purchase a new vehicle that costs more than a price the government has decided means it has become a luxury car.
The LCT means you pay an extra 33 per cent of the value of the vehicle, on every dollar above the threshold amount. This means anyone buying a new car above the LCT threshold is paying an additional tax on top of the other government charges for a new vehicle, which already include GST and stamp duty.
What is the Luxury Car Tax threshold for 2023-2024?
At the time of publication (early 2024), the current 2023-24 threshold is set at $76,950 for most new models, but is raised to $89,332 for fuel-efficient vehicles, which is defined as any vehicle that uses less than 7.0-litres per 100km.
Who has to pay the Luxury Car Tax?
Everyone buying a car above those thresholds, except for car dealers and anyone buying a ‘new’ luxury vehicle that has been sitting on the lot for more than two years - as we explained in our Luxury Car Tax loophole examination.
Are electric vehicles exempt from the Luxury Car Tax?
Certain electric cars are exempt but not others and it depends primarily on the price. Put simply, if an electric vehicle costs less than the current threshold for fuel-efficient models, currently $89,332, then you don’t need to pay the LCT.
That’s why you’ll notice a lot of EVs on the market are priced just below that mark, such as the Hyundai Ioniq 6, which tops out at $85,500, the Kia EV6 GT-Line, priced at $87,590 and the Volvo XC40 range peaks at $87,990.
Is the Luxury Car Tax threshold for fuel-efficient vehicles set to change soon?
Yes. There’s been no word on a change to the threshold amount, but the fuel economy figure is set to change from July 1, 2025, when the government will redefine a ‘fuel efficient’ vehicle to be one that uses just 3.5L/100km.
This will obviously push some hybrid models with a fuel-economy rating between 3.6 and 6.9L/100km into the lower threshold and therefore increase the amount of tax the government collects, but electric vehicles that return 0.0L/100km will remain exempt.
Are there any other ways to reduce tax on an EV?
Yes, there is one more way for EV owners to save and that’s with the fringe benefit tax exemption for fleet buyers and eligible individuals. In simple terms, any all-electric model under the threshold and therefore exempt from the LCT is also exempt from the FBT. This means there’s no FBT on electric cars under $89,332.
There are some other key requirements, so check with the Australian Taxation Office for details when you plan to purchase your car, or speak to a qualified tax specialist.


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Inside Retail: Do you think global brands have overlooked Southeast Asia in the past? And if so, why?
Ian Ho: In the past, global brands may have overlooked the potential in the region’s online
market with the perception that there is slow adoption of digital platforms and tools. However, in recent years, these brands have started to change their perception and are starting to invest more in building their presence online in the Southeast Asian market. This was especially apparent when the Covid-19 pandemic struck and retail stores were forced to close. Just in 2020 itself, Southeast Asia saw an additional 40 million new internet users, compared to 100 million between 2015 and 2019.
The massive adoption of mobile devices and increased internet connectivity presented a huge potential and opportunity for brands. However, despite the aggressive online growth of global brands, especially amid the pandemic, online penetration for most brands are still less than 10 per cent across Southeast Asia in 2020. Online penetration for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands in the region is still at 2 per cent compared to 27 per cent in China, while health and beauty is at 12 per cent and fashion and lifestyle at 44 per cent, compared to the 47 per cent and 64 per cent recorded in China for the respective categories.
This indicates that there are still tremendous untapped opportunities for brands to scale their businesses online in the Southeast Asia market.
IR: Do you think brands are taking Southeast Asia more seriously now?
IH: According to recent reports by Google, Temasek and Bain, e-commerce in Southeast Asia is projected to reach US$172 billion in 2025 with 340 million online shoppers. Each shopper is going to spend three times more online on average than they are now.
Besides the growing middle class in Southeast Asia spending more online, this acceleration of growth can also be attributed to the current pandemic. Consumers are increasingly turning to e-commerce to fulfil their purchasing needs as countries in our region are still either in lockdown or have movement control orders to contain the virus. This has created a new wave of users who are becoming online-first and cultivating new shopping behaviours, where they turn to e-commerce platforms such as Shopee to buy everything they need. Even when countries lift their lockdowns, we foresee that these consumers will continue their online shopping habits and become repeat visitors and users of the platform.
Global brands are starting to leverage this huge untapped potential of the e-commerce market in our region. We saw twice as many new brands launch official stores on Shopee from 2019 to 2020, while the Covid-19 pandemic was at its peak. There are now more than 20,000 official brand stores on Shopee Mall, a four times increase since 2017 when Shopee Mall first launched as a dedicated space for authentic brands and retailers.
We also saw more premium brands, which previously only focused on building their offline businesses in this region, open their official stores online. Last October, we officially launched Shopee Premium and we are focusing on adding more new premium brands and products, as well as further differentiating the premium experience to help brands acquire more new consumers.
IR: What are the biggest challenges for brands doing business in Southeast Asia?
IH: Brands are constantly looking at how they can acquire new consumers online to grow their businesses. They need to be able to differentiate their offerings and cut through the clutter online to attract new users. To address that, Shopee is rolling out a series of new
initiatives to expand our core user base and reach different consumer segments. To help FMCG brands capture a growing segment of online grocery shoppers, Shopee will be ramping up on Shopee Mart, a one-stop shop that allows consumers to conveniently purchase a wide variety of groceries and personal care products. We are also adding more touch points and launching more large-scale regional initiatives on Shopee Premium to help brands attract more premium consumers and cultivate them into avid brand lovers.
Another challenge brands face is in retaining existing customers and building loyalty. Understanding this concern, Shopee is introducing a new Brand Membership Program for brands to increase consumer retention by rewarding shoppers with loyalty points when they shop from brands’ official stores on Shopee Mall. The program replicates offline loyalty programs by allowing consumers to collect and redeem points, as well as enjoy exclusive benefits on Shopee, thus encouraging return consumers.
Lastly, brands are looking for better tools to strengthen their branding and marketing and to aid business operations and decisions. Besides an upgraded Marketing Solutions Portal to empower brands with more market intelligence and convenient media planning, Shopee has also launched the Regional Champion Brands Program to drive high impact projects with our top partners. This exclusive, by-invite only program offers brands an exclusive range of benefits across areas such as campaigns, marketing solutions, data and leadership exchanges. Brands that are part of the program get to enjoy priority access and support on all regional initiatives and resources to support brand growth and better engage their customers.
IR: What makes a brand successful when it comes to selling online in Southeast Asia?
IH: As consumers increasingly turn to e-commerce for their everyday needs, brands are simultaneously stepping up their digitalisation efforts and harnessing technology to engage their target audience.
Today’s users are more social than ever and they demand a more meaningful, engaging and entertaining online shopping experience with rich and unique content. Anticipating and adapting to this trend, Shopee has continuously improved on its in-app engagement features such as Shopee Live, Shopee Prizes, Shopee Feed over the past five years to make the online shopping experience more social. Brands can utilise those tools to better educate and engage their customers. Testament to the success of this strategy, the average time spent by a user in-app has consistently increased year-on year.
A deep understanding of consumer needs in each market is also crucial to make online shopping more enjoyable for consumers, while helping the brand to cut through the clutter online. Besides taking on a hyper-localised approach to tailor content and promotions to consumers in each different geographical region, brands need to pair it with strong data insights to ensure they are reaching the right target audience with customised and relevant shopping suggestions.
Lastly, brands need to provide a seamless shopping experience online that is comparable to offline or even better. For example, brands can increase their product assortment more easily online compared to offline in certain markets offering consumers more choices. Consumers also expect flexible payment options and faster deliveries when buying online, especially for bulkier items where they don’t have to bother with making separate transport arrangements. To improve consumer satisfaction on this front, Shopee is continuously expanding and enhancing our warehouse and distribution centres, as well as Shopee Xpress service capabilities to serve consumers better across the region.


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Jun 11, 2009, 8:05 AM
In a bid to attract investment into the country, the Gambia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (GIEPA), in partnership with the Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and Trade Blazers last Monday converged at the Sheraton Hotel for a day-long consultative business dialogue.
The Nigerian private sector members who were on a four-day investment mission to the country, were facilitated under the theme “Harnessing Business Opportunities in The Gambia”
Speaking at the ceremony, the president of GCCI, Bai Matarr Drammeh, revealed that the investment mission between their counterparts was aimed at providing opportunity for the Nigerian private sector to network with the Gambia Business community so as to build sustainable business relationship.
He added that the mission also aimed at providing opportunity for the private sector to explore the investment opportunities that exist in the country, particularly in the area of light manufacturing.
“In this investment mission, MAN, in partnership with Trade Blazers, has facilitated up to ten Nigerian manufactory companies from various areas such as foam manufacturing and the production of flour and flour-based products, to visit The Gambia,” said the GCCI boss.
He assured the delegates that the GCCI would continue to play its role in encouraging investment growth as well as promoting trade and partnerships between The Gambia business community and members of the private sectors around the world.
Naffie Barry, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Trade, Regional Integration and Employment, said the mission came to reinforce the commitment of the two governments to encourage the private sector to serve as engine of growth and to concretize the policy of the African Union and ECOWAS to promote south-south integration through trade.
“There is no doubt that the development process of any country begins with the existence of a manufacturing base geared towards export and satisfaction of the local demands,” she said.
“As we witness a global economic crisis, developing countries face no other option but to partner among themselves so as to minimize the effect of the financial crisis,” PS Barry emphasized.
The presence of Nigerians in various sectors of the economy is a clear testimony of the confidence they have in The Gambia, she says, adding that the same confidence will be entertained by the mission that will witness their business extend to The Gambia.
She finally commended GIEPA, the GCCI, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and Trade Blazers for facilitating the mission.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Fatou Mbenga Jollow, CEO of GIEPA, Muhamed Sillah, president of the Association of Gambian Manufacturers.
At the end of the forum a press conference was held followed by a business to business meeting between members of the two private sectors.


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Nintendo Switch Pro may launch ahead of E3, release expected in September
- The Nintendo Switch Pro could launch ahead of E3 2021.
- It might only go on sale in September or October.
- The console could cost more than $299.
Nintendo could announce the console ahead of the upcoming E3 gaming conference that kicks off on June 12. Folks over at Eurogamer also confirmed the development. This would allow publishers to showcase their range of new Switch games ahead of the official release of the machine.
Bloomberg also reports that the upgraded Switch Pro could be priced above $299. The original Switch launched in 2017 at $299, so naturally, the updated model is expected to be costlier.
The Switch Pro will apparently sell alongside the $199 Nintendo Switch Lite. Meanwhile, the company might phase out the standard Switch over time.
Assemblers of the Switch Pro are expected to start shipping out the console as early as July so that Nintendo has enough units stocked up around the time of its release. However, production is only expected to go into high gear in the October – December quarter, possibly to meet peak demand during the holiday season.
Nintendo Switch Pro specs
The new console is tipped to pack a 7-inch 720p OLED display. It’s also expected to bump up gaming resolution from 1080p to 4K when docked and connected to a TV.
Moreover, rumors have also suggested that the new system might use an NVIDIA chipset to help scale 1080p games to a higher resolution.


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J.L. Powell recently put up their new catalog for the Spring 2010 season – they didn’t add much for new items this year, but it’s still fun to look at. The highlight for me is the Canvas Ridge work coat, which looks like a lot of thought went into the details on it.
P.S. The Alden suede bluchers with crepe soles from last year are currently on sale for $259.


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Following the news of the mutual parting of ways with TME India, the media entity of Rediffusion Y&R Group, it is now known that Colgate Palmolive India has decided to parted ways with its creative partner Rediffusion Y&R as well. It is learnt that the business is moving to Bates 141. WPP is reportedly planning to create an independent unit that will handle only the Colgate Palmolive business, which will fall under Bates 141. The movement is effective from October 2010, till then Rediffusion Y&R will continue to work on the account.
When contacted, Mahesh Chauhan, Group CEO, Rediffusion Y&R, confirmed to exchange4media that the Colgate Palmolive India business was moving from the agency.
The move reportedly comes in wake of a global re-alignment. It may be noted that the business has been with Rediffusion Y&R for more than 25 years. In February 2010, Colgate Palmolive India moved its media planning and buying business to Mediaedge:cia (MEC). This was following the FMCG major globally consolidating its media planning and buying duties with MEC in 2004.
Colgate-Palmolive’s range includes toothpastes, toothpowder and toothbrushes under the Colgate brand; dental therapies under Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals; and personal care products under the Palmolive brand.


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San Antonio, TX (Restaurant News Release) There are a lot of daily expenses in the restaurant business, and now the new SilverSaver System from Restaurant Remedy Group (RRG) has been proven to save restaurants money every day, adding up to thousands of dollars each year.
The SilverSaver System will make its official premier in booth #263 at the National Restaurant Association Show 2012 in Chicago this month, and field trials across the country have proven in each location to save restaurants thousands of dollars in lost silverware each year.
“Restaurant operators know they are literally throwing money away every day in lost flatware, and the SilverSaver System has been proven to save an average of 17 pieces of flatware every day, protecting against loss and putting money back into the cash register,” said Restaurant Remedy Group President Steve Malaga.
The SilverSaver System looks like a barbell without the weights, with one super-magnetized end. Users insert the SilverSaver into the trash can or linen bin, swirl, and the SilverSaver’s super-magnet attracts most flatware. When inserted, the SilverSaver system quickly and easily attracts 18/0 flatware to the pole, which can be easily removed from the pole and washed, resulting in instant cash savings.
The SilverSaver System comes in two varieties: SilverSaver Ultra, and SilverSaver Elite. SilverSaver Elite has the same super-magnet as Ultra with the added benefit of a magnetic release, making it safer and even easier to use.
RRG studies show the average restaurant throws away an average of 17 pieces of flatware every day, adding up to thousands in lost revenue every year. Malaga’s own extensive experience led him to create the SilverSaver System.
“I’ve been in the restaurant industry for more than 25 years, and helped open more than 100 restaurants throughout North America. There was always this glaringly obvious need for a flatware recovery product that actually worked, which is why we created the SilverSaver System, rescuing an average of 17 pieces of flatware from trash cans and linen bins each day. That’s money back in the till every single day,” Malaga said.
In addition to the SilverSaver System, RRG will also unveil the new Sani-Bucket Holder, designed to help restaurants reduce slip-and-fall Workers’ Comp claims. Accidental kicking of sanitation buckets result in hundreds of slip-and-fall claims each year, and the Sani-Bucket Holder quickly and easily takes the bucket off the floor, keeps it within easy reach, and helps to eliminate Workers’ Comp claims and thereby increase the cash in the till.
“The Sani-Bucket Holder gets the bucket off the floor and puts it at hip level, making it more accessible and more visible, encouraging employees to use sanitary solutions more frequently. In other words, the Sani-Bucket Holder makes it more convenient for your workers to create a more sanitary kitchen, in addition to saving money in Workers Comp claims,” Malaga said.
Stop throwing money away. Visit RRG in NRA booth #263, or visit www.restaurantremedygroup.com for more information and video demonstrations.
Paul Speirs, Steinbeck Communications
P +1 (702) 413-4278


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The Columbus Police Department is reminding residents to better protect their personal information to prevent falling victim to phone and online scams that are continuously circulating.
“We see a lot scams and the victims are normally elderly. We want to remind the public that if it sounds too good to be true, it is,” Columbus Police Capt. Douglas Molczyk said. “Know the red flags for scams, limit how much personal information you share over the phone and online.”
Molczyk offered the following tips to the public to keep in mind to protect themselves from potential scams:
- If you are asked to pay by wire transfer or gift card, it’s probably a scam.
- If you are being contacted about winning a lottery, it’s a scam. There is no way to track who picked the winning numbers.
- Remember that you will never be required to send money to claim a prize. If you are asked to send money to claim a prize, it’s a scam.
- Law enforcement agencies do not call you to tell you they have arrested your loved one and you can bond them out by sending them a wire transfer.
- Protected your bank account information, credit cards and debit cards. Only use them on trusted online sites.
- It’s OK to hang up on people you feel are scamming you and you don’t have answer emails or click on links in the emails from people you don’t know.
- Lock your devices like you do your front door. Use a passcode or fingerprint to lock your phone or tablet. Make sure your computer password is strong and at least 12 characters long.
For more information, contact Molczyk at 402-564-3201.


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WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - It's official, Legoland Florida will reopen to guests on June 1.
The announcement came Friday morning, a couple of days after Winter Haven and Polk County officials approved of the theme park's plans for a safe reopening.
When it reopens, it will have been 77 days since they had closed the resort to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The plan includes methods to follow the CDC social distancing guidelines. This includes reopening at 50% capacity, which would be about 6,000 people in total. Guests are asked to book online and in advance to help the theme park determine capacity levels ahead of time.
Face masks are strongly recommended. The theme park said they will also take the temperature of every visitor, and will refuse admission to anyone with a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher.
Also, cash will no longer be accepted.
Here's additional information at what guests can expect with the reopening:
Guests are encouraged to download the LEGOLAND mobile app, and review the website in advance of their arrival, for a full outline of the parks’ new arrival and attractions procedures, as well as details on the enhanced cleaning measures. Tickets and vacations should be booked in advance online, when possible.
Guests should be prepared to make on-site payments using a credit or debit card as cash will no longer be accepted on property. Guests experiencing any symptoms related to COVID-19 should refrain from visiting the Resort.
At the time of reopening, the Park will operate at 50 percent of its capacity. If guests are arriving by car, they should expect to leave spaces in between vehicles and follow additional spacing instructions. All park employees and guests will be required to undergo non-invasive temperature checks. Those with a temperature of 100.4 F will not be allowed entry, nor will those in their party.
THROUGH THE RESORT
Every employee at LEGOLAND will wear a facial covering, and we will provide complimentary masks to encourage all our guests, ages three and above, to do the same. Brick-themed spatial markers and kid-friendly, parkwide signage will help remind guests of social distancing recommendations and hygiene practices.
More than 200 hand sanitizing stations have been added throughout the park. Guests can view these locations on the LEGOLAND mobile app while traversing the park. Character meet and greets and other select attractions will be suspended at the time of reopening. Enhanced cleaning measures throughout the day will disinfect high frequency touch points, including ride restraints, tables and chairs, service counters, handles and door handles.
Guests will also see enhancements in our mobile app over the coming weeks that will allow them to reserve their spot in queue lines for major attractions directly from their own devices.
Legoland's Pirate Island Hotel will also debut on June 1. It will initially open with new hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but Legoland Waterpark will be open daily from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
LINK: Updates on the Legoland theme park can be found here. legoland.com/operations-update


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Nokia has unveiled a new 360-degree virtual reality camera called the OZO.
For all the iPhone photographers, this maybe of interest to you.
The Madden era continues with Madden NFL 16, which is slated to be in stores August 25, 2015.
A new gadget has surfaced for all the camera experts out there. It is called the Lily Drone and it captures in full 1080 High Definition at 60 frames per second and 720 High Definition at 120 frames per second. The retail price for this new gadget is $499.
For all the Call of Duty buffs out there, this may be of interest to you.
Jay Z along with a host of other entertainers have joined forces to introduce the new addition to the streaming business, Tidal, which has been deemed as the beginning of a new era.
Forget passwords. You can unlock ZTE’s Grand S3 smartphone by scanning your eyeballs.


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Spiritleaf retailers bringing an authentic cannabis experience
Since Corin Comisky and her brother Steve held the grand opening of their Guelph Spiritleaf franchise store in June of this year, the response to the cannabis retail concept has exceeded even their expectations.
“We’re seeing all age groups from 19 to 85 years old coming to the store,” she says. “It’s been absolutely amazing.”
This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of Spiritleaf.


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Last week, eager Christmas celebrators across the world hooked up their brand new Xboxes and PlayStations only to find that both online networks were down, leaving countless new games totally unplayable.
Since late last night, it looks like a bunch of hackers have been attacking the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live online gaming services. Merry Christmas 2014, everyone!
Hakoom, one of the more prolific and visible trophy hunters in the PlayStation Network, just broke through to level 100—a rank that requires a user to win some 30,000 trophies. Three others have also breached the 99 barrier, thought to be the limit when PSN instituted trophy support back in mid-2008.


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Muse Games’ Guns of Icarus Online, the co-operative airship combat game, is very excited to announce Linux support for the Steam platform. To commemorate this important platform expansion they’ve released a new trailer and set up a 66% off opportunity as the Steam Daily Deal. There’s never been a better chance to take to the skies and conquer your foes.
Guns of Icarus Online is the first co-operative airship combat game mixing together first-person shooter action with team-based strategy. Up to four people will crew a ship, taking on one of the key roles of Captain, Gunner, or Engineer joining a team and fighting against other ships above the post-apocalyptic waste. In Guns of Icarus Online, it will take teamwork and tactics to dominate the skies.
- OS:Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, 32-bit (Linux machine configuration not supported)
- Processor:Dual-core 2 GHz
- Memory:2 GB RAM
- Graphics:Dedicated video card (AMD or Nvidia with latest drivers) with 256MB of VRAM, supporting Shader Model 3 equivalent
- Hard Drive:3 GB HD space
- Other Requirements:Broadband Internet connection


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HONG KONG: As thousands of visitors streamed through a Hong Kong exhibition hall and deals were struck for works by Picasso and Yayoi Kusama, art collectors celebrated the Asian financial hub’s return to its bustling heyday.
The scenes at Hong Kong’s Art Basel fair last week had not been seen since 2019, with a crackdown on pro-democracy protests and pandemic restrictions in the intervening years radically transforming the city.
More than 86,000 visitors poured through the halls of the fair, reflecting a return to pre-pandemic numbers, with reported sales of more than US$98 million, double those of 2019, according to organisers.
Among the biggest deals were a 1964 Picasso sold for US$5.5 million, as well as works by Japanese artist Kazuo Shiraga (US$5 million) and a strikingly surreal “pumpkin” by Kusama (US$3.5 million), according to reported sales figures released by the fair.
The energy at Art Basel reflected the increasing importance of the Asian art market, said organisers, who told AFP that their work was not impacted by the city’s national security law.
“Asia has been the fastest developing art market in the world,” Angelle Siyang-Le, director of Art Basel Hong Kong, told AFP.
For some, however, the success of the fair was not indicative of a healthy art scene.
Hong Kong once held a reputation as a bastion of free speech within authoritarian China, but the national security law (NSL) imposed in 2020 after widespread and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests has criminalised dissent, including in art.
“I don’t think just because the sale(s) number at Art Basel is good (it) means ‘Hong Kong is Back’,” said Kacey Wong, a dissident artist who left the city in 2021 due to the crackdown.
“The NSL created self-censorship amongst the creative industry. Instead of exploring social/political topics, artists dive more into decorative colourful subjects to avoid the NSL’s red line(s).”
Last week, a digital artwork that contained the names of jailed Hong Kong democracy protesters on a billboard in the heart of the city was taken down.
For art collectors, however, the crackdown has not seemed to matter.
“So far we feel like there’s been no impact, we are confident that we will be operating the same way as before,” Siyang-Le said.
Foreign artists said they were happy to take advantage of Hong Kong’s market.
“It’s an opportunity to get more (exposure),” said M Pravat, a New Delhi-based artist who was exhibiting at Art Basel.
Years of harsh pandemic restrictions in Hong Kong have seen other Asian cities, including Seoul and Singapore, vie to supplant it on the international art scene.
Thierry Ehrmann, head of market analysis firm Artprice, said Hong Kong remained well-placed to compete.
“Hong Kong retains the advantage of a well-structured market, with the presence of the major international players… which translates into a considerable lead in terms of sales revenue,” he told AFP.
One of Hong Kong’s main advantages for collectors is its lack of customs duties, value-added taxes or inheritance taxes on works of art.
China is the world’s second-largest art market, after the United States, with sales set to recover from a dip related to pandemic controls that have now been lifted, according to Artprice.
The world’s three main art auction houses are expanding their presence in Hong Kong, where art auctions netted more than US$1.16 billion last year.
Sotheby’s was projected to generate 12 per cent of its global art auction turnover in Hong Kong in 2022, compared with 13 per cent for Phillips and eight per cent for Christie’s.
Last year, Sotheby’s signed a lease for a 2,230 sq m space in the heart of Hong Kong’s Central district, which boasts some of the most expensive rents in the world.
“The potential is extraordinary,” said Alex Branczik, chairman for Modern and Contemporary Art in Asia for Sotheby’s. “The acquisition of this space really shows that we are here to stay”.
Today, the auction house has as many bidders in Asia as it does in North America.
“These bidders in Asia are fundamentally important to our sales rooms in London, New York, Paris and so forth,” said Branczik.
In 2022, one-third of Sotheby’s Asia bidders were new clients, and two-thirds of new clients worldwide were from the region.
Artists not in the city’s art elite, however, have had more trouble making a living.
“In my career, I try not to rely on selling my works to galleries as a way of living, they are simply not reliable,” said Wong, the dissident, who now lives in Taiwan and says he “dare not” exhibit his work in Hong Kong.
Auction houses and collectors, he said, steer clear of “sensitive artists and works”.
“For them these types of works are landmines.”


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YTD Return: 50%
Just last year, things looked pretty bleak for electronics retailer RadioShack (RSH). The company suspended its dividend, lost just over $139 million for the full-year and shares of RSH stock dipped below $2 per share by November.
RadioShack didn’t simply roll over, though. Instead, RSH exited a money-losing wireless store-within-a-store relationship with Target (TGT), brought in new management and went looking for help from investment banks to buy time.
That time has allowed RSH to focus on its biggest strategic shift: Opening concept stores which highlight in-demand brands like Apple (AAPL). It’s a high-stakes gamble aimed at essentially rebranding RadioShack as hip and high tech … and it needs to work.
So far, though, little has changed. RSH has yet to see a profitable quarter in 2013, while just-released Q3 earnings showed revenue, gross margins and net losses all headed in the wrong direction. So far today, RSH stock is off more than 12% as a result.
The only good news is General Electric (GE) recently stepped up with an $835 million debt financing plan, and that RSH has around $300 million in cash and nearly $300 million in available credit under the program. That offers a glimmer of long-term hope … but a glimmer hardly seems to justify the 50% climb RSH stock has posted so far this year, even after this morning’s sell-off.


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Money Order Service Continues with Addition of Online Money Transfer
The Department of Posts has denied some media reports that its Money Order service has been discontinued. The Money Order service continues to be available to the common man at the same service charge with the same facility of the money being delivered at the door step of the addressee. The Department in a clarification further said that this service had been made more reliable and fast by communicating information about the money to be transferred electronically between the booking and delivery post office. Thus, the money reaches faster to the addressee. The nature of service remains the same and it is also being called an electronic Money Order or eMO.
Department of Posts also has another service offering instant online Money transfer service called as Instant Money Order (iMO), where the receiver can receive payment in cash through Post Office.
Source: PIB News
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Head of Australian Miner Burgundy Diamond Resigns
The company announced the resignation of Peter Ravenscroft late last week, effective immediately.
Burgundy gave no reason for the departure of Managing Director and CEO Peter Ravenscroft, noting only that his departure was effective immediately and thanking him for his “dedication and service” to the company.
The board named Kim Truter, who was appointed as a non-executive director in September 2020 and selected as non-executive chair of the board in December 2021, as interim CEO.
Truter has more than 30 years of experience at both aboveground and underground operations, including diamond mines in Canada, Australia, and Africa. He most recently worked at De Beers Canada and, prior to that, Rio Tinto Diamonds.
Michael O’Keeffe, who was appointed to the company’s board in June 2017, was named executive chairman.
O’Keeffe served as managing director of Glencore Australia Ltd. from 1995 to 2004 and executive chairman of Riversdale Mining Ltd. before Rio Tinto acquired it in 2011.
He is currently the executive chairman and former CEO of Champion Iron Ltd., which operates an iron ore project in Canada.
Based in the Australian city of Perth, Burgundy is one of two companies working to revive mining at Ellendale, a site famed for its bright yellow diamonds and once the supplier to Tiffany & Co.
The company said in March it expects to start production by year’s end and announced the recovery of its first diamond from the site in September.
The “Rebel Heart” campaign embodies rebellion, romance, and sensuality, the brand said.
The money will go toward supporting ongoing research and aftercare programs for childhood cancer survivors.
With Ho Brothers, you can unlock your brand's true potential and offer customers the personalized jewelry experiences they desire.
Last month in Dallas, David Walton pushed another jeweler, David Ettinger, who later died.
For over 30 years, JA has advocated for the industry, fought against harmful legislation and backed measures that help jewelry businesses.
Sponsored by the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show
The 553-square-foot shop is aboard the Carnival Jubilee cruise ship.
NDC filed a complaint against Skydiamond for use of phrases like “diamonds made entirely from the sky.”
Its updated book for mountings is also now available.
She has been with the organization since 2010, most recently serving as its chief officer of PR and industry relations.
Joyce’s Jewelry sued the bank after cybercriminals drained its accounts of nearly $1.6 million through a series of wire transfers.
He is remembered by loved ones for his loyalty, integrity, and kindness.
Hosted by Freeman’s | Hindman, the sale will take place May 7-8.
The auction house said all 24 timepieces offered in its underground sale of rare and avant-garde watches quickly found buyers.
The charm is a modern rendition of the evil eye amulet that has been worn for thousands of years.


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December 20, 2012
This week has seen a huge backlash against Instagram’s new terms and conditions regarding photo rights. The new terms and conditions appeared to claim that unless users deleted their profiles by the 16th January then all content published on the site becomes fair game for Instagram to sell to third parties or use in advertising, without acknowledgement of the photographer. The announcement comes shortly after their split from Twitter and would make Instagram become a money-making enterprise for Facebook, who recently bought the app.
The announcement was met with dismay and outrage as everyone’s favourite photo sharing platform appeared to be selling out. Many prominent celebrities took to their Twitter accounts to voice their outrage:
On Tuesday, in the wake of the backlash, Instagram released another statement backpedalling on the original claims they had made. The new statement, entitled ‘Thank you, and we’re listening’, announced that this was all just a big misunderstanding due to the jargon in their original statement. Apparently they will not be selling users’ photos to third parties after all, but they do want to be able to use images for their own advertising. They are currently working on an updated terms and conditions that will make it clear that Instagram have no ‘intention to sell your photos’.
As this storm blows over, we are left with the facts that our photos are safe for now but Instagram is not safe from advertising. At the end of the day, Facebook needs to make money from the platform after spending a $1 billion on buying it. It seems doubtful that user numbers will drop dramatically but Instagram’s reputation has definitely taken a heavy knock this week and has shown that they will be moving forcefully into the world of advertising.


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YouTube, the widely popular video-sharing platform, has recently announced a significant change that has left many users dissatisfied. In an effort to explore new revenue streams, YouTube will be implementing unskippable 30-second ads on its TV app, mirroring the traditional television advertising experience.
Previously, YouTube featured 15-second unskippable ads, but under the new update, the duration will be extended to 30 seconds, and the frequency of such ads will also increase. This alteration will be initially rolled out in the United States and Canada, with global implementation expected in the upcoming months.
In addition to the extended ad duration, YouTube is introducing pause experiences to the TV app. Whenever a user pauses a video, advertisements will appear on the side, providing an additional advertising opportunity for content creators and advertisers alike.
The introduction of these longer unskippable ads has sparked a wave of mixed reactions from YouTube users. Many express frustration and disappointment, as the change disrupts the previously uninterrupted viewing experience they had become accustomed to. The move towards a more intrusive advertising model reminiscent of traditional TV channels has been met with resistance from viewers who value the convenience and control offered by online streaming platforms.
Critics argue that these changes could potentially drive users away from YouTube in search of alternative video platforms that offer less intrusive advertising models. They argue that user satisfaction should remain a priority for YouTube in order to maintain its loyal user base.
On the other hand, proponents of the update argue that YouTube, as a free platform, relies heavily on advertising revenue to support content creators and maintain its infrastructure. They claim that the introduction of longer unskippable ads is a necessary step to ensure the platform’s sustainability and growth in an increasingly competitive market.
As the transition takes place, it remains to be seen how users will adapt to this new advertising experience and whether YouTube will consider revisiting its approach based on user feedback. For now, viewers will need to prepare themselves for more frequent and longer unskippable ads when accessing YouTube’s TV app.


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DATCP's 2020 Inspections Show Wisconsin Businesses Measure Up
Bureau of Weights and Measures Releases 2020 Report During National Weights and Measures Week
March 11, 2021
According to a new report from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), confidence remains high that consumers get what they pay for at Wisconsin businesses. Throughout the year, DATCP inspectors tested product scales, registers, gas pumps, and fuel quality at stores around the state to ensure accuracy at every transaction point.
“During National Weights and Measures Week, we recognize the important role DATCP’s inspectors, lab teams, and support staff play in ensuring a fair marketplace for Wisconsin consumers,” said Lara Sutherlin, Administrat...


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YouTube Launches Paid Channels
Social Media Giant Moves Into Paid TV
YouTube, the social media video sharing service has launched a trial scheme for paid channels on its website that could challenge traditional providers like Sky, BT and Virgin Media. Under the pilot scheme, a small number of content makers will offer the channels for subscriptions starting from £0.64 ($0.99) a month. Starting with a 14-day free trial, channels have the option to sell at discounted annual rates.
Although the initial 50+ channels are fairly niche, YouTube's move might ultimately squeeze some smaller rivals out of the market. YouTube, which is owned by the search engine and PPC advertising giant Google, said the launch was part of an effort to enable "content creators to earn revenue for their creativity". For example, the children's television favourite, Sesame Street will offer full episodes on its paid channel when it launches.
YouTube Advertising And Channels Will Be Hard To Rival
The paid channels involved in the pilot are diverse and subscribers can pay using either their credit cards or through Google's own Wallet service. Channels include National Geographic Kids, Acorn, which provides episodes from several British TV series and Fix My Hog Premium, which is aimed at Harley Davidson enthusiasts.
"This is just the beginning", YouTube said on its social media blog. "We'll be rolling paid channels out more broadly in the coming weeks as a self-service feature for qualifying partners. As new channels appear, we'll be making sure you can discover them."
The Internet and TV have been merging for some time. The advent of paid channels on YouTube means Google joins Amazon, Hulu and Netflix in offering subscription-based alternatives to traditional pay-TV. With Google's infrastructure to advertise, host, stream and take online payments, YouTube will make it much harder for smaller, standalone online subscription-based platforms to compete.
YouTube Advertising Will Be Boosted By Paid Channels
Google bought YouTube in 2006 for $1.65bn. The service is believed to generate a small amount of revenue from Google's PPC advertising platform, but the majority of its content has been free to watch.
To make itself more attractive to potential PPC and traditional advertisers, YouTube has gradually added professional content such as full-length films and TV shows to its huge library of amateur videos. YouTube advertising also advanced into showing full-length adverts before many videos, some that could be skipped after a specified time period and some that were obligatory to watch.
YouTube claims a billion people around the world use the website every month.


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Ford Motor Company has issued an auto defect recall for nearly 1 million vehicles that pose a risk of flying shrapnel caused by exploding Takata airbag inflators. According to a news report in the Detroit Free Press, seven Ford and Lincoln vehicles have been named in this recall including Ford Edge (2010), Lincoln MKX (2010), Ford Ranger (2010-2011), Ford Fusion (2010-2012), Lincoln MKZ (2010-2012), Mercury Milan (2010-2011) and Ford Mustang (2010-2014).
Details of the Recall
Ford is urging consumers to get their vehicles to dealers as soon as possible for replacement. The automaker has said it has no reports of injuries involving these vehicles. But, so far, at least 23 people worldwide have been killed in incidents involving Takata airbags, which led to one of the largest recalls in history involving several automakers.
Takata airbags use the chemical ammonium nitrate to create an explosion that causes the airbags to inflate. But heat and humidity cause the airbags to deteriorate and explode with too much force blowing apart a metal canister designed to contain the explosion. The Japanese manufacturer has already sought bankruptcy protection. The number of vehicles recalled for these defective products is expected to hit 100 million by the end of 2019.
Danger Posed by Defective Products
Unrepaired vehicles equipped with Takata airbags are still a major problem in the U.S. auto market. Whether you are in the market for a used vehicle or are about to rent a vehicle, it is important that you check if the vehicle has been recalled. You can do so by visiting the safercar.gov website and typing in the vehicle identification number or VIN. If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective auto, contact an experienced auto defect lawyer who can give you more information about pursuing your legal rights.
Victims of Takata airbag defects have suffered major or catastrophic injuries consistent with stab wounds. Those who have been injured by these defective autos can seek compensation for damages including but not limited to medical expenses, lost income, hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, pain and suffering and emotional distress. Families that have lost a loved one as a result of these defects can file what is known as a wrongful death lawsuit claiming compensation for medical and funeral costs, lost future income, pain and suffering and loss of love and companionship.