ReleaseWire

Thai consumers do not prioritise gardening. People who live in suburban and rural areas usually have more living space and are closer to the natural environment than their counterparts in city centres. Urban dwellers are less likely to be close to nature as their home and work lives mean they are surrounded by buildings. Trees and green spaces are fading away from urban zones; therefore, consumers in these areas, including condominium dwellers, are turning to gardening in small spaces. The target audience for gardening is wide, ranging from low-income consumers who spend their free time working on their garden space to middle- and high-income consumers who can afford would pay landscapers and gardeners to tend to their green spaces.

2013 was a year of gold jewellery. Drastic drop in gold prices in April and June boosted demand for gold jewellery, which is an important accessory in traditional Chinese wedding culture. Many Chinese mainlanders flocked to the city for gold purchases, including bridal bangles, necklaces and earrings. Local residents also joined in the shopping spree.

In 2014 grocery retailers continued to be affected by the same trends which drove the category over the review period, the strongest of which was the expansion of modern grocery retailers value share at the expense of traditional grocery retailers. The fact that the economy failed to make any significant progress in 2014 and the consequences of the large-scale spring flooding of urban areas contributed most to the overall decline of value sales of grocery retailers.

Many Egyptian households have given up on the privilege of having several food preparation appliances due to the very ongoing political struggle in Egypt, which has led to a very tough economic environment and declining disposable incomes.

The Future of the Hot Drinks Market in Hungary to 2018 is the result of Canadean's extensive market research. The report presents detailed analysis on the Hot Drinks consumption trends in Hungary, historic and forecast Hot Drinks consumption volumes and values at market and category level, brand share and distribution channel data. This report brings together Canadean Intelligence's research, modeling and analysis expertise in order to develop uniquely detailed market data. This allows domestic and foreign companies to identify the market dynamics to account for Hot Drinks sales overall and to know which categories and segments are showing growth in the coming years.

In 2014, 85% of households in France were equipped with a microwave; a relatively high penetration rate which contributed to slowing down the volume growth rate to a negligible level. Whilst demand for freestanding variants was stable at 2.2 million units, sales of built-in microwaves grew at a slower pace than in the previous year, due to a contraction in housing construction and extension plans. Overall, sales of freestanding microwaves (93% share of volume sales) were sustained by the creation of new households and replacement prompted by some innovative launches.

In 2013, parents are paying more attention to quality in junior nappies. At this age, the nappies do not need changing as frequently, so parents are more willing to pay for higher quality products. They prefer thin nappies which have a greater capability of absorbing more, so tend to purchase well-known brands and avoid experimentation. On the other hand, the parents of new born babies are more price-orientated in their purchases. In this period of development, babies need their diapers changed frequently, which is connected with a significant expense, so parents buy lower-priced brands.

Over the review period, the upgrade in purchasing power allowed consumers to switch from fans to other air treatment products and air conditioners, and within air conditioners from window devices to split systems. In addition, the northeast region, which is particularly sensitive to income growth, contributed massively to growth, as sales are not seasonal, with a year-round warm climate. As a result, the category posted an 11% volume CAGR over the review period.

Dried processed food in the Netherlands is a category which is suffering from stagnant growth due to high levels of maturity. Volume growth in the category in 2014 was marginal, while value sales increased by just 1% in current terms. One of the major issues suppressing growth in the category is the maturity of demand, which makes manufacturers and retailers alike reluctant to invest in new product development and large-scale marketing and promotional campaigns as in most cases these companies...

Canned/preserved food registered another positive performance in the Netherlands during 2014. Although the category is already very well-developed and mature, it maintains substantial growth potential. The positive performance of the category in 2014 was the result of the strong growth recorded in various categories including canned/preserved fish/seafood and canned/preserved tomatoes. One positive trend which boosted the development of the category towards the end of the review period is that...

Processed Fish in Mexico by Mintel Market Sizes provides you with annual year-end market size data, most recently updated in 2014. This report covers packaged processed fish, seafood and seaweed and products with a predominantly fish content. Market size comprises sales through all retail channels including direct to consumer. Market size for Processed Fish in Mexico is given in MXN and tonne with a minimum of five years' historical data. Market Forecast is provided for five years. Included with this snapshot is socio-economic data for Mexico. Population, Consumer Price Index (CPI), Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Exchange Rates.

Wearable electronics sales are negligible in 2014. Although Samsung is launching passive wearable electronics, demand remained low as most consumers focused on getting smartphones as the priority product.

Home video has experienced a volume sales crisis in the Portuguese territory. After the digital switchover which boosted sales of televisions over the 2011-2012 period, the category decayed exponentially over 2013, and in 2014, the dropping tendency subsisted. According to specialists, the approximately 67 month-estimated replacement cycle of these products is responsible for this negative tendency. With televisions being the category with the largest penetration and influence within overall...

2014 was another successful year for freestanding automatic washing machines in Egypt. This was due to two main reasons; the first is that much of the innovation in home laundry appliances is focused on automatic washing machines, while the second is that the leading retailers of automatic washing machines, especially the major chained retailers, generally offering their customers the option to pay for these products in instalments and these agreements are sometimes interest free. Consumers benefit directly from this offer of consumer finance, though it is clear that innovation plays a very important role in terms of generating sales in the automatic washing machines.

Soup in Greece lagged in terms of development and innovation. No new launches took place in 2014, and investment in marketing activities to stimulate consumer interest was also absent, and this resulted in negative growth for another consecutive year. The advantage of a low calorie, convenient and cheap meal solution offered by packaged soup seems not to have been exploited by manufacturers, with their lack of interest in soup hindering growth.

Chris Allen, author, realtor and philanthropist, is pleased to announce a special raffle to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto.

Overall, we hold an optimistic outlook on Indonesia's agriculture sector and see significant growth opportunities in sub-sectors such as livestock, palm oil and cocoa. While we believe the government's goal to reach self-sufficiency in rice by 2015 is attainable, we are less confident about other commodities such as sugar and corn. We also highlight that the country's aim to become the second largest coffee producer in the world by 2015 is unrealistic. Much of our scepticism relates to the lack of proper infrastructure and the existence of a large number of low-technology, small-scale farmers. We believe the shift from raw commodity exports to refined exports (especially for palm oil and cocoa) will warrant more public and private investment in order for the raw inputs industry to keep pace with downstream industries. Investments by Wilmar, Golden Agri Resources and Barry Callebaut are clear signs of the growing interest in these sectors.

Core Views:

Core Views - The UK economy outperformed most major developed states in 2014, and will continue to expand at a robust clip in 2015...

Contemporary Corvette is a Pennsylvania-based organization serving as a definitive source for new and used Corvette parts. This year, Contemporary Corvette will be celebrating their 25th anniversary selling new and used Corvette parts all throughout the United States.

The report "Natural Fiber Composites Market by Applications (Automotive, Building and Construction, Electrical and Electronics & Others) by Manufacturing Processes (Compression Molding, Injection Molding & Others) and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World) - Global Trends & Forecasts to 2019", defines and segments the natural fiber composites market with an analysis and forecast of applications and manufacturing processes of natural fiber composites. The market size for natural fiber composites is projected to reach $5.83 billion by 2019, at a CAGR of 12.31% between 2014 and 2019.

February is American Heart Month. The American Heart Association sponsors a variety of activities throughout February in an effort to bring about cardiovascular disease awareness which is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States and includes heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure.

Celebrated entrepreneurs, multimedia, PR and branding leaders Velma Trayham (Houston), Trea Davenport (Los Angeles) and Alex Green (Houston) are teaming up as producers of the 2015 BRAND MASTERS TOUR, a value-packed, educational, business-building event taking place in ten US cities beginning on February 21st in Houston, TX. The one of a kind super-sized seminar, open to the public will welcome Houston-area panelists; Kelly Hodges, Sr. Director of Health and Equity at the American Heart Association; Nikki Woods, Sr. Producer of the Tom Joyner Morning Show; and Judy Foston, international communications expert.

In his article "The 7 C's: How to Find and Hire Great Employees" for the finance magazine "Forbes.com" contributing writer Alan Hall covers the basics of investing in new personnel. Alan Hall reports, "It is critical for every business to find the finest people to fill openings in their organization. When running a business, time lost from bad hiring decisions will cost the organization in the end."

Working in the fashion world in Los Angeles is one of the most challenging environments for any business, so getting the branding and marking right is an essential element to ultimate success. Branding Los Angeles now offers the full spectrum of fashion branding and marketing services oriented toward businesses in the Los Angeles scene, helping them get the word out about their unique products and developing strong brand awareness.