Grainger Reports Results for the First Quarter 2022

UPS led consortium has deployed a radical new charging technology in London that overcomes the challenge of simultaneously recharging an entire fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) without the need for the expensive upgrade to the power supply grid. The breakthrough signals the beginning of the end of a reliance upon traditional combustion engine powered vehicles by allowing UPS to increase the number of EVs operating from its central London site from the current limit of 65 to all 170 trucks based there. This major advance – believed to be the first time these systems have been deployed at this scale anywhere in the world – is the result of the ‘Smart Electric Urban Logistics (SEUL)’ project with UK Power Networks and Cross River Partnership, with funding secured from the UK’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles. “UPS thinks this is a world first, right in the heart of a mega-city. We are using new technology to work around some big obstacles to electric vehicle deployment, heralding a new generation of sustainable urban delivery services both here in London and in other major cities around the world,” said Peter Harris, director of sustainability, UPS Europe. “Electric vehicles are an integral component within UPS’s alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet. Our collaboration with UK Power Networks and Cross River Partnership marks a major turning point in the cost effective deployment of electric vehicles which in turn will play a key role in ensuring the global trend toward urbanization is sustainable. We are applying new technology to make the charging process smarter and our delivery service cleaner.” Click Read More below for additional information.

Adobe announced the latest online inflation data from the Adobe Digital Price Index (DPI), powered by Adobe Analytics. In August 2024, online prices fell 4.4%year-over-year (YoY) and 0.3% month-over-month (MoM). This marks 24 consecutive months where online prices have decreased on an annual basis, and the fifth consecutive month where prices have fallen on a monthly basis. August’s YoY price decline was driven by notable drops in major discretionary categories such as electronics, toys and apparel. Grocery prices rose in August YoY, but the price increase has slowed; The category also fell significantly MoM. In electronics, prices were down 5.3% YoY in August (down 0.3% MoM), after falling 5.9% YoY in the month prior (July 2024). Prices for apparel fell 9.0% YoY (up 0.8% MoM), marking 12 consecutive months where prices have fallen on an annual basis. In toys, prices fell 5.6% YoY (down 1.2% MoM), marking forty-one consecutive months where prices have fallen on an annual basis. And in furniture and bedding, a steadily growing e-commerce category, prices fell 5.0% YoY in August (flat MoM); This category has now seen prices fall YoY for 19 consecutive months.

Macroeconomic troubles have prompted Zenith to lower its global ad-spend growth prediction to 4% for 2017, when total expenditures are now expected to reach $558 billion. That’s a downgrade from the 4.2% growth that Zenith had forecast in June. The June forecast was a downgrade from the 4.4% the Publicis Groupe media agency had forecast in March. Digital -- and particularly mobile -- continues to take dollars away from print media as consumers use mobile apps. The most rapid growth is coming from online video (+18%) and social media (+25%), while U.S. TV is still growing, only fractionally at 0.5% this year. American print media continue its steep decline, with newspapers falling 9% and magazines down 7.4% this year. Click Read More below for additional detail.