KKR or Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts and Goldman Sachs are all set to acquire Macy’s Inc for an estimated $27 billion. The deal is likely to be done in a couple of days although there is some uncertainity about how much debt Macy’s has at present. Once the deal goes through, KKR is said to be keen on keeping Terry Lundgren as the chairman and CEO of the company.
Do you compare prices before you shop? I do. It’s the most basic of tips to maximise your spending and get the best deal possible. Sites like Compare4.us where you can find the best price for a product are really useful as it makes it so much easier than going from store to store as one did earlier. Due to the popularity of these comparison sites, retailers themselves are getting more conscious about offering a competitive price rather than just a number where they can get the maximum profit. Consumers are the definitely the winners here.
As our moving date is getting closer, the amount of work that needs to be done is increasing. We’ve moved homes several times, both domestic and international moves, so we are getting used to it, but as we begin to buy more things for our home, the amount of work involved automatically increases. It’s no longer possible to take care of the move ourselves and we have given charge to a professional company to pack, move and unpack our things.
Relocation.com is one of the most professional companies that can help take care of all packing and moving needs, right from how to organize and pack to finding apartments and even decorating a home. Our last move involved auto shipping as well, and this time we’ve have to let go of our car since it is a right hand drive and will no longer be needed. For the most part all international moves are quite expensive but some international movers can work out quite cost effective for all the work they do. I find that the hardest part of packing and moving is making the decision of what to keep and what to dispose off, and once these decisions have been made, it’s actually quite simple and straightforward.
I heard about this new site called Streamy which offers a new way to read and share news stories on the web. They are still in private beta as yet, so I have sent a request for an invitation and am waiting to get one soon. There is absolutely no information about them or their ‘new’ system on their site, so the curiosity is really getting to me.
The reviews I have read about it in other sources such as alarm:clock describe it as a combination of Pageflakes and Digg, which does sound quite interesting to me. I’m already a member at Pageflakes, although I am yet to really get into it and organize my page. I got some great feedback and comments from Stephanie at Pageflakes, who shared lots of tips on how to get started and different ways of using the system. Waiting to see more of Streamy now.
Everything revolves around marketing these days and unless you’ve got a great marketing strategy, you can never be too sure of success. The key aspect to marketing is to have a a SEO campaign that directs the right traffic to your site and one of the major ways of doing so is to use press releases. Press release submission is one of the most effective methods of reaching a wider audience and as the press releases are picked up by media sources, bloggers and freelance journalists, your web traffic and link popularity is bound to increase.
Using press release submission, even a small company can get its news to matter and figure in the search engines and media databases. Submitawebsite.com has one of the most effective networks of press release distribution that is required to maximise its effect and increase a company’s visibility. Using a press release submission service ensures that your site will get a “page one” placement and will be included in the news sections of major online sources such as Google and Yahoo. Press releases are also submitted to PR Web and eMediawire, two of the most prominent online sources of online news, besides being submitted to all the major newspapers all across the country.
Private label food products are one of the hottest things around these days and customers just can’t get enough. Manufacturer’s of private label foods have gained due to mistakes made by traditional food manufacturers in the past decade. Private food manufacturers base products on price and work harder to attract customers. Private label penetration in the food industry in the US has been the highest of all sectors and currently stands at around 16%, which is still quite low compared to 30% in Europe.
I regularly buy private labels in food and household products and usually base my decision on the perceived quality of the product when I try it out for the first time. Price is of course one of the main reasons to try out a private label product, but there are also other reasons such as, ingredients, look of the product, label design and placement.
Swedish retailer Ikea will be introducing a contest where applicants will be allowed to stay free of charge in several rooms set up by the store in the Olso Ikea showroom. The variety of rooms will include bridal suites, family rooms, dormitories, luxury suites and more to spend the night. The project is being called an alternative hostel, with guest check-in after 10pm. Contestants will receive a room assignment, then go on a guided tour of the warehouse and souvenirs with the Ikea logo. The contest will run from July 23 to 27 this year.
I love collecting art and have so far accumulated lots of really great original artwork from all over the world. The artists I pick are not necessarily famous, but the art just has to appeal to me on and that’s all that matters. I’m also not keen on anything sad and broken down in art that I buy, like a lot of Bengali watercolors are, and would rather go in for Gujarati artists whose paintings are usually full of life and vibrancy. I already own several works by Gujarati artists, Mahendra Kadia and Gajendra Shah who regularly display their works at Archer Art Gallery in Ahmadabad.
I picked up a nice etching in Bangalore, a three dimensional look at a gladioli bud, but so far have not found anything of interest in Bombay. I have lots of unframed works as yet, which I am planning to take to Dubai and create an entirely new look for our home there, since I am sending all my framed artwork to Delhi for the meantime. I have often been tempted to buy stuff online at Etsy.com which is a great place to find some really interesting artwork, although not all of it is original and most pieces are very small.
The painting above is by Pamelam and is a refreshingly simple and effective work of art. I love the use of primary colors and the use of shadows and reflections. Take a look at the rest of her paintings as well, they are all beautifully done.
Sweden’s H&M reported a sales increase of 17% in June, mostly due to new store openings and its collection designed by Madonna that has been a hit with customers. The company presently has 1,420 stores as compared to 1,244 at the end of June last year. H&M has long been one of my favorite retailers ever since I started shopping at their Boston store in 2004. Since I am in the retail business, I have enough thought of clothes to last me a lifetime and now only think of them as utilitarian pieces. So spending tons of money on them seems like a huge waste to me. H&M creates classic clothes with a nice twist to add freshness and I simply love their sense of design.
Mac users are a savvy lot, and although they don’t have as much choice when it comes to playing online games, if you’re interested in playing poker online, here’s one of the best sites where you can indulge all you want to. Mac Poker Online is widely known to be one of the most trustworthy sites, where you can find information on online poker and casinos, read articles on Poker tips and tricks and improve your game.
Party Poker is the number one poker room for mac users and the site has just released a version of the game where there nothing to download at all. Another popular room for mac poker players is Pacific Poker, which again requires no downloads and is owned and operated by 888.com, which is one of the largest online gambling sites.
I like the way the site is organized as it makes it very easy to navigate and find the information you need. Poker Bonus points and special offers are prominently listed in the sidebars, so one can easily scan them and select the best one. Overall, I think its a good site for both beginners and experts.