"Snapshots UK Women's Fragrances 2007" - Instant Overview of the UK Women's Fragrances Market

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DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c67158) has announced the addition of Snapshots UK Women's Fragrances 2007 to their offering.

Snapdata's Snapshots UK Women's Fragrances 2007 provides 2005 year-end market size data, with 2006 estimates, 4 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the UK women's fragrances market, and covers fine and mass market fragrances. Market value is based on retail sales. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis.

Snapshots Report Overview:

- Executive Summary

- Market size

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- Market Segmentation

- Market Share

- Distribution

The key socio-economic indicators in each report will be:

- Size of population

- GDP - Gross Domestic Product

- Inflation rate

- Exchange rate

Forecasts

All market forecasts are based on statistical forecasting techniques based on historic performance (linear extrapolation of the market size, based on the five-year historical growth). These statistical tools are supplemented with qualitative parameters such as: industry expectation/opinion. Socio-economic drivers, new product development, technological advances, expected levels of market saturation etc.
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Sourcing

In this section we include important websites such as trade bodies or trade associations relevant to the market. All sources whose data we have used in the report and who have given us permission to use their data are represented here.

All secondary sources in local and global languages are scoured, from government statistics to trade magazines.

Snapdata aims for 3 to 4 data points for each table, and no secondary data point will be used without written permission from the original source, which not only verifies the quality, but also provides the integrity to use the data.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c67158.

COPYRIGHT 2007 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale Group

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Bimini Packed Solid with Tourists During Labor Day Weekend: a Family Getaway in the Bahamas at Bimini Bay Resort

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BIMINI, Bahamas -- Labor Day weekend 2007 was a heightened time for Bahamas travel. Bimini Bay Resort welcomed MarineMax boat owners as well as vacationers from around the world who took advantage of the Caribbean weather and upscale amenities at the resort. The Bimini Customs and Immigration office reported a total of 2,366 tourists to the Bahamian island and Bimini Bay Resort accounted for approximately 1,500 visitors throughout the weekend; thus, the resort contributed to over 60 percent of all tourism in Bimini. These numbers only further illustrate Bimini Bay Resort's contribution to the island's growth in tourism. The continued rise of visitors to the Bahamas is putting the island of Bimini back on the map as a premier boating destination and ideal vacation spot and second home investment.

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Jim Sumerline, a proud home owner at Bimini Bay Resort, reflects on the Bahamas as a destination: "Bimini, Bahamas is truly paradise. The convenience of living 48 miles from a tropical island is one of many reasons why we purchased a second home at Bimini Bay Resort. Over the past couple of years, this island has really seen a transformation and is attracting tourists and boaters from around the world."

Bimini provides guests with beautiful miles of beaches and laid-back island life, but wins over many visitors because of its close proximity to South Florida. Both the ease of crossing the Bahamian Channel and clearing with onsite customs and immigration at the resort make for a perfect and memorable Labor Day weekend getaway in the Bahamas. Families specifically enjoyed celebrating the commemorative holiday at the bayfront event facility where a variety of activities were offered including visor and flip-flop decorating, canvas bag art, jewelry making, and of course music and delicious food.
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Sumerline continues, "This has become the place where we spend all our vacations; we have even made great friends here as well. Before purchasing our home in Bimini, I had never been to the island for a vacation - now we come eight to 10 times throughout the year."

Bimini Bay Resort will continue to contribute to the rising growth of tourism to Bimini in the Bahamas. Guests of the Bahamas can look forward to fishing tournaments and holiday events that are being planned in Bimini for 2008. Bimini Bay looks forward to breaking more records in the future as it continues to expand with the Conrad Hotel, casino, spa, Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed links golf course and a second private island.

Bimini Bay Resort and Marina

A longtime favorite for big-game fishing and yachting enthusiasts, Bimini is back in the spotlight with the opening of Bimini Bay Resort and Marina. Everyone can take advantage of this Bahamian retreat that offers white-sand beaches and emerald waters, located just 48 miles off the shores of South Florida. Real estate opportunities are available, including condominiums, oceanfront and bayfront homes and the resort's exclusive private island. Coming soon are the luxury Conrad Hotel, a Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed links golf course, Mega Yacht Marina and additional restaurants and shops. For reservation inquiries regarding Bimini Bay Resort, please call (242) 347-2900 or e-mail reservations@biminibayresort.com. For real estate inquiries, contact Fantasy Cove Realty, Bimini Bay's exclusive U.S. real estate sales representative, at (305) 513-0506 or e-mail sales@biminibayresort.com. For general information, please visit the website www.biminibayresort.com.

COPYRIGHT 2007 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale Group

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Research and Markets : UK Consumer Insights 2007: Primark - Clothing

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DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c67252) has announced the addition of "UK Consumer Insights 2007: Primark - Clothing" to their offering.

Introduction

UK Consumer Insights 2007 are based around individual retailers and provide a highly detailed, data-rich overview of a retailers customers, drawing on a nationwide survey of 6,000 shoppers each year.

Reasons to Purchase

New analysis, unique to these reports shows details about non-converting visitors including where they main shop and who they are. Analysis by non-standard demographics is also presented to give a comprehensive picture of a retailers customers. Key demographics include among others, sex, age, social class, television region, marital status, housing tenure, working status and ACORN group.

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Chapter Outline:

CHAPTER 1 AT A GLANCE SUMMARY

Summary

CHAPTER 2 SHARE OF SHOPPERS

Primark share of shoppers

Primark share of shoppers by demographics

Primark share of shoppers by television region

Primark share of shoppers by household characteristics

Primark share of shoppers by other characteristics and ACORN classification

CHAPTER 3 CONVERSION AND NON-CONVERSION
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Primark conversion of visitors to main users

Primark conversion of visitors to main users by demographics and region

Primark conversion of visitors to main users by household characteristics

Non-converting customers

Profile of Primark non-converting customers by demographics and region

CHAPTER 4 PROFILE OF SHOPPERS

Primark profile of shoppers by demographics

Primark profile of shoppers by television region

Primark profile of shoppers by household characteristics

Primark profile of shoppers by other characteristics and ACORN classification

CHAPTER 5 LOYALTY

Primark loyalty of main users

Primark loyalty of main users by demographics and region

Primark loyalty of main users by household characteristics

Primark basic drivers of loyalty and disloyalty

Primark detailed drivers of loyalty

CHAPTER 6 COMPETITION

Competition in clothing

Cross sector competitor dynamics

CHAPTER 7 APPENDIX

Basic methodology

The selection of parliamentary constituencies

Metropolitan county

Other 100% urban

Mixed urban/rural

Rural

The selection of enumeration districts

The selection of respondents

Post survey weighting

LIST OF TABLES

LIST OF FIGURES

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c67252

COPYRIGHT 2007 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale Group

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New Report States that Advancements in the Field of Strategic Sourcing and Procurement will Continue to Drive PLM Functionality

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DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c67233) has announced the addition of Datamonitor's new report: Product Lifecycle Management Technology Helps Manufacturers Evolve (Technology Focus) to their offering.

The product lifecycle management (PLM) market is growing at a rapid pace as manufacturers look to improve their product-oriented processes. New functionality, market consolidation and a huge opportunity for vendors are all elements of what makes the PLM industry such an entrancing market.

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Looks at how product lifecycle management (PLM) technology is gaining new functionality and what we think will be the next big thing. Provides an analysis of the recent developments in the PLM market in terms of acquisitions and targeting mid-market customers. Sizes the revenue opportunity for PLM software licenses in key regions and manufacturing industries.

Highlights of this title:

We believe that advancements in the field of strategic sourcing and procurement will continue to drive PLM functionality as manufacturers look to minimize the bill of materials. Workflows that cross organizational borders will continue to emerge in this area as the lines between enterprise applications begin to blur.

Reasons to order your copy:

Assess the market opportunity for PLM software in key regions and manufacturing industries. Understand the key functionality developments that our believes will be successful - or not. Gain an insight into our opinion of recent market developments, and its picks for the future.
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Our VIEW

CATALYST

SUMMARY

METHODOLOGY

ANALYSIS

PLM technology is evolving as manufacturers demand more functionality

SRM processes are becoming an integral part of PLM solutions

More support for outsourcing continues to be demanded by manufacturers

PLM vendors are looking to provide support for outsourced product development

Managing contract manufacturers is a feature that continues to emerge in PLM technology

Integration with MES systems allows manufacturers to bridge the enterprise to plant-floor divide

Technical documentation has potential, but needs to extend itself more

Visualization needs to be carefully developed before being offered to external parties

In order to reduce time to market, digital manufacturing solutions are emerging

The PLM industrys dynamics continue to shift as go-to-market strategies alter

A range of developments have occurred in the PLM space including major M&A activity

Siemens Automation & Drives acquires UGS, one of the largest PLM vendors

Dassault Systemes acquires MatrixOne to gain industry expertise and technology

PTC acquires Itedo to further consolidate its hold on the technical documentation market

The mid-market is being targeted by PLM vendors yet there remains a lot of work to be done

We predict more consolidation as the global PLM market continues to grow

SAP continues to lead mindshare in the PLM space

The PLM market is growing at a rapid rate, providing lots of opportunity for vendors

The discrete industry represents the largest opportunity for PLM vendors

While smaller than discrete, batch manufacturing still provides significant opportunity

The sector spending the least on PLM software will be process manufacturing

Global PLM revenues are spread fairly evenly, but North America is the largest market

APPENDIX

Definitions

Extended methodology

Further reading

Ask the analyst

List of Tables

Table 1: Key PLM market players

Table 2: Global PLM software revenues split by manufacturing type to 2012 ($m)

Table 3: Global PLM software revenues split by discrete manufacturing industry to 2012 ($m)

Table 4: Global PLM software revenues split by batch manufacturing industry to 2012 ($m)

Table 5: Global PLM software revenues split by process manufacturing industry to 2012 ($m)

Table 6: Global PLM software revenues split by region to 2012 ($m)

List of Figures

Figure 1: PLM can integrate with a range of enterprise applications

Figure 2: SAP has the greatest PLM recognition in the manufacturing industry

Figure 3: Global PLM software revenues split by manufacturing type to 2012 ($m)

Figure 4: Global PLM software revenues split by discrete manufacturing industry to 2012 ($m)

Figure 5: Global PLM software revenues split by batch manufacturing industry to 2012 ($m)

Figure 6: Global PLM software revenues split by process manufacturing industry to 2012 ($m)

Figure 7: Global PLM software revenues split by region to 2012 ($m)

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c67233

Source: Datamonitor

COPYRIGHT 2007 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale Group

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'2007 Worldwide Automobile & Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Industry Report' - Complete Breakdown of Worldwide Automobile & Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Industry DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c67211) has announced the addition of 2007 Worldwide Automobile & Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Industry Report to their offering.

The Automobile & Motor Vehicle Mfg. Industry report features 2007 current and 2008 forecast estimates on the size of the industry (sales, establishments, employment) for the 47 largest world countries. The report also includes industry definition, 5-year historical trends on industry sales, establishments and employment and estimates on up to 10 sub-industries, including car bodies and chassises (not engines) of passenger cars, trucks and buses.

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NAICS 33611: Automobile & Light Motor Vehicle Manufacturing. This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in (1) manufacturing complete automobile and light duty motor vehicles (i.e., body and chassis or unibody) or (2) manufacturing chassis only.

Related Industries

* Aerospace & Defense

* Auto & Truck Parts

* Consumer Financial Services

* Insurance (Prop. & Casualty)

Sub-Industries

* Motor vehicles and car bodies

* Truck and tractor truck assembly

* Automobile assembly, incl. specialty autos

* Motor trucks, except off-highway, assembly of

* Ambulances (motor vehicles), assembly of

* Truck tractors for highway use, assembly of
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* Automobile bodies, car, not incl. engine, etc.

* Trucks, pickup, assembly of

* Cars, armored, assembly of

* Military motor vehicle assembly

* Cars, electric, assembly of

* Amphibian motor vehicles, assembly of

* Chassis, motor vehicle

* Personnel carriers (motor vehicles), assembly of

* Hearses (motor vehicles), assembly of

* Reconnaissance cars, assembly of

* Patrol wagons (motor vehicles), assembly of

* Universal carriers, military, assembly of

* Taxicabs, assembly of

* Bus and other large specialty vehicle assembly

Methodology

These reports provide the most current and cost-effective demographic data and market reports for the largest U.S. and World industries. The reports are estimates and forecasts based on our proprietary economic model which provides data that is timely, accurate and cost effective (as compared with more expensive primary research and survey information.)

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c67211

COPYRIGHT 2007 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale Group

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Adding The Import and Subtracting the Export, The Total U.S. Consumption Value of the Men's And Boys Cut and Sew Underwear and Nightwear Manufacturing Industry for the Year Was $2,229,000,000

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Tank tops, underwear, mens and boys, cut and sewn from purchased fabric

T-shirts, underwear, mens and boys, cut and sewn from purchased fabric

Underwear shirts, mens and boys, cut and sewn from purchased fabric

Underwear shorts, mens and boys, cut and sewn from purchased fabric

Underwear, mens and boys, cut and sewn from purchased fabric

Union suits, mens and boys, cut and sewn from purchased fabric

SUMMARY

This industry report packs 10 years of data from hundreds of reliable government and private statistical resources. The data have been compared and verified to assure the highest research quality. The author frequently contacted these agencies and private companies to acquire the latest information, most of which is unavailable to the general public. It is estimated that to gather and organize the same information into an easy-to-read format in each report, an individual researcher would spend at least a year's worth of effort. The challenge is, by the time this is accomplished, some data is most likely obsolete. Our business is dedicated to the research of U.S. industries and their associated foreign trades. We can meet that challenge easily as our databases are directly linked to these resources.
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The U.S. manufacturing sector is expected to hit the monumental 5 trillion dollars net sales in 2006. U.S. economists have projected another 5% to 7% growth in the year 2007. To stay ahead, this industry report is intended for you to analyze the specific U.S. industry in greater detail. Not only does the report provide you with information on domestic production, it also supplies you with an industry's import and export data. The report depicts what are the products of the industry and their respective contributions. You can compare these products with the industry's materials, parts and components list that is in the report. The foreign trade data includes 10-years of statistics, and it is projected into year 2008. Such trade data is also provided at the commodity level based on the HTS classification.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c67194

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COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale Group

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Adding The Import and Subtracting the Export, The Total U.S. Consumption Value of the Men's And Boys Cut and Sew Underwear and Nightwear Manufacturing Industry for the Year Was $2,229,000,000

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DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c67194) has announced the addition of Men's And Boys Cut And Sew Underwear And Nightwear Manufacturing Industry In The U.S. And Its Foreign Trade (1996-2008) to their offering.

This industry report focuses upon the Men's and Boys Cut and Sew Underwear and Nightwear Manufacturing industry. This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing men's and boys underwear and nightwear from purchased fabric. Men's and boys underwear and nightwear jobbers, who perform entrepreneurial functions involved in apparel manufacture, including buying raw materials, designing and preparing samples, arranging for apparel to be made from their materials, and marketing finished apparel, are included. Examples of products made by these establishments are briefs, bathrobes, underwear T-shirts and shorts, nightshirts, and pyjamas.

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NAICS Hierarchy:

315221 - Men's and Boys Cut and Sew Underwear and Nightwear Manufacturing

31522 - Men's and Boys Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing

3152 - Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing

315 - Apparel Manufacturing

31-33 - Manufacturing Sector

SIC:

2322 - Men's and Boys' Underwear and Nightwear (except contractors)

2341 - Women's, Misses', Children's, and Infants' Underwear and Nightwear (boys' except contractors)

2369 - Girls', Children's, and Infants' Outerwear, NEC (boys' robes except contractors)
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2384 - Robes and Dressing Gowns (men's except contractors)

This industry report includes 144 pages of the latest market research information on this industry. This new release contains data as current as April of 2007. In addition to the detailed explanations of the provided statistical data, there are 112 charts, 18 tables, and 2 maps to effectively illustrate the content. Use this report as an in-depth analysis of the industry, an industry reference guide, an aid for benchmarking and forecasting, and as a tool for uncovering new business opportunities. The report is considered the most comprehensive research in the market.

Content Outline:

INTRODUCTION

INCOME STATEMENT

BALANCE SHEET

CAPITAL EXPENDITURE

LABOR AND COMPENSATION

ESTABLISHMENTS

IMPORT

EXPORT

INDUSTRY PLAYERS

LINKS

APPENDIX A - SALES & MARKETING

APPENDIX B - INDUSTRY STRUCTURE

APPENDIX C - FOREIGN TRADE AND US STATES STATISTICS

APPENDIX D - INDUSTRY'S 4-YEAR FINANCIAL STATEMENT

APPENDIX E - REPORT METHODOLOGY

MENS AND BOYS CUT AND SEW UNDERWEAR AND NIGHTWEAR MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

The industry's revenue for the year 2006 was approximately $140,000,000. The gross profit was 35.21% at $49,294,000. There were 23 establishments in this industry that year. Thus, average contribution (or revenue) per establishment annually was $5,985,000.

The total import export value for the year 2006 was $2,903,224,000. There were 144 countries that conducted foreign trade with the U.S. in 2006, 2 more than year 2005. The top trading countries were: Honduras, $403,212,000 (13.89%); Dominican Republic, $340,720,000 (11.74%); China, $296,018,000 (10.20%); El Salvador, $282,271,000 (9.72%); and Haiti, $217,652,000 (7.50%). Their combined total represents approximately 53% of all imports and exports.

The total import value for the year 2006 was $2,453,795,000. This represents a 3.5% decrease from year 2005. The U.S. had imported industry related merchandises from 107 countries in 2006. The top importing countries were: Honduras, $344,061,000 (14.02%); China, $279,325,000 (11.38%); El Salvador, $269,098,000 (10.97%); Dominican Republic, $246,119,000 (10.03%); and Haiti, $175,384,000 (7.15%). Their combined total represents approximately 54% of import from all countries.

The total export value for the year 2006 was $364,345,000. This represents a 8.9% decrease from year 2005. The U.S. had exported industry related merchandises to 105 countries in 2006. The top exporting countries were: Dominican Republic, $91,546,000 (25.13%); Canada, $58,297,000 (16.0%); Honduras, $53,091,000 (14.57%); Mexico, $42,183,000 (11.58%); and Haiti, $39,750,000 (10.91%). Their combined total represents approximately 78% of export to all countries.

Adding the import and subtracting the export, the total U.S. consumption value of this industry for the year was $2,229,000,000.

SCOPE

Bathrobes, mens and boys, cut and sewn from purchased fabric

Briefs, underwear, mens and boys, cut and sewn from purchased fabric

Drawers, mens and boys, cut and sewn from purchased fabric

Lounging robes and dressing gowns, mens and boys, cut and sewn from purchased fabric

Nightgowns, mens and boys, cut and sewn from purchased fabric

Nightshirts, mens and boys, cut and sewn from purchased fabric

Nightwear, mens and boys, cut and sewn from purchased fabric

Pajamas, mens and boys, cut and sewn from purchased fabric

Robes, lounging, mens and boys, cut and sewn from purchased fabric

Shirts, underwear, mens and boys, cut and sewn from purchased fabric

Shorts, underwear, mens and boys, cut and sewn from purchased fabric

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Oerlikon Solar Introduces Production Solutions for Technologically Advanced Micromorph Tandem Modules

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Headquartered in Truebbach, Switzerland, Oerlikon Solar maintains an R&D lab in Europe, as well as global customer support and training through sales and service centers in the United States, Europe and Asia.
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About Oerlikon

Oerlikon (SWX:OERL) is among the world's most successful industrial high-tech companies focusing on machine and systems engineering. Oerlikon stands for leading industrial solutions and cutting-edge technology in textile production, thin film coating, propulsion, precision and vacuum technology. As a company with Swiss roots and a 100-year tradition, Oerlikon, with CHF 4.8 billion in sales, over 19,000 employees at 170 locations in 35 countries, has evolved into a global player today. The group is ranked first or second in each of its respective markets.

COPYRIGHT 2007 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale Group

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Oerlikon Solar Introduces Production Solutions for Technologically Advanced Micromorph Tandem Modules

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Customer Inventux Technologies AG Purchases the Environmentally Friendly, Efficient Production Line Technology

TRUEBBACH, Switzerland -- Oerlikon Solar, a leading global supplier of field-proven turnkey solutions for thin-film silicon solar modules, introduced today its micromorph tandem technology highlighting its continued global strength in the growing solar industry. The environmentally friendly, energy-conscience micromorph tandem modules offer customers many advantages including the potential to achieve efficiencies of 10 percent and higher in the near future.

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Oerlikon Solar's micromorph module technology, first invented by Dr. Johannes Meier, head of the company's R&D activities, combines two different silicon materials -- amorph and microcrystalline -- in a top and a bottom cell. In this way, the amorphous top cell is converting the visible part of the suns spectrum while the microcrystalline bottom cell is absorbing the sun power in the near infrared spectrum. Consequently, the new micromorph tandem technology allows boosting the efficiency level by approximately 50 percent compared to traditional amorphous single cells.

"Our new micromorph tandem technology has the potential for efficiencies of over 10 percent and leads to a further reduction of the cost per watt peak making our turnkey production solutions even more attractive," said Dr. Uwe Krueger, chief executive officer of Oerlikon. "All materials we utilize in our thin-film technology are non-toxic, low cost and readily available. The embodied energy used to produce our micromorph tandem modules is merely half versus crystalline cells."
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In the next three to five years, the solar industry must reduce costs and increase efficiencies to a point that grid parity with conventional energy sources becomes a reality. With their increased efficiency, Oerlikon Solar's micromorph tandem modules bring the industry one step closer to realizing the pivotal goal of grid parity.

"Oerlikon Solar continues to meet our customers' needs within this fast-paced high growth market environment," Krueger said. "Thin-film production lines for micromorph solar modules are becoming more prevalent in the industry as companies search for environmentally responsible and economically sound options for manufacturing."

Furthermore, the recently introduced TCO 1200 production system which is used to deposit the transparent conducting high quality films helped to complete Oerlikon Solar's product portfolio. The unique surface morphology of the deposited layers helps to increase the share of the captured sun energy. The tool is part of the FAB 1200 production line.

Underscoring the relevance of the micromorph tandem technology to the overall solar industry is its early adoption by customers. One such customer, Inventux Technologies AG, a Germany-based photovoltaic (PV) company, recently signed a contract with Oerlikon Solar for a 30 MWp production line to manufacture micromorph tandem modules. Inventux' production plant will be located in Berlin. The project also includes plans to rapidly expand the facility to 100 MWp capacity in the future.

"We strongly believe that Oerlikon Solar is the most experienced and qualified partner in the field of production solutions for micromorph tandem technology," said Roland Sillmann, chief technology officer at Inventux. "The Oerlikon Solar equipment, combined with Oerlikon Solar's process know-how, represent an ideal basis for Inventux to establish a thin-film PV module production line with high cost reduction potential and to develop our own R&D activities."

As the market leader, Oerlikon Solar already has experienced other successes in regard to its FAB 1200 production lines. Currently, Oerlikon Solar customer ersol Thin Film GmbH is ramping up production at its 6,000 m2 fab in Erfurt, Germany, making it the first industrial-scale manufacturing facility for amorphous thin-film solar modules in Europe. Additionally, customer CMC Magnetics Corp. in Taiwan recently entered into an agreement with Oerlikon Solar for the supply of a 40 MWp thin-film solar module production plant. This deal marks Oerlikon Solar's first major order in Asia and represents the world's first fully automated production line with integrated metrology systems.

About Oerlikon Solar

Oerlikon Solar offers cost-effective, field proven turnkey solutions for the mass production of thin-film silicon solar modules. These fully automated, modular end-to-end manufacturing solutions are focused on reducing device cost and maximizing productivity. They are available as modular end-to-end solutions with metrology and upgradeability in throughput and process technology.

Oerlikon Solar has developed a unique and innovative technology based on its leadership in thin film technology and in close cooperation with its customers. An in-house pilot line allows producing, testing and optimizing the solar modules in full production size.

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New Report Examines the Market for Insurance Brokers & Intermediaries

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- Industry Profile

The Industry Profile lists basic Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet data for the 'average' company in the sector. This can then be used as a benchmark for comparison with individual company profiles in the report.

SOME INSURANCE BROKERS AND INTERMEDIARIES MENTIONED:

* Agnew Higgins Pckrng & Co. Ltd

* Alan Boswell Group Ltd

* Alan Turner Ltd

* ALM 1 Ltd

* Automble Assctn Insrnce Svcs Ltd

* Bankserve Insurance Services Ltd

* Barclays Insurance Srvcs Co. Ltd

* Bartlett & Co. Ltd

* Bell & Clements Ltd

* Belmont International Ltd

* Central Insurance Services Ltd

* Citybond Holdings PLC
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* Clarke Roxburgh Insurance Brokers Ltd

* Cobra Gal Ltd.

* Coleman Group (Holdings) Ltd

* Cooper Gay (Holdings) Ltd

* Corrie Bauckham Batts Ltd

* CSP Holding Ltd

* Daimlerchrysler Insurance Services UK Ltd

* T L Dallas Group Ltd

* Darwin Clayton (UK) Ltd

* The Davis Group PLC

* Hayward Aviation Ltd

* Heartshape Ltd

* Henderson Insurance Brokers Ltd

* Higos Holdings Ltd

* R P Hodson Insurance Brokers Ltd

* Home & Legacy Insrnce Srvcs Ltd

* Houlder Insurance Services Ltd

* HSBC Insurance Brokers Ltd

* James Hampden Insrnce Brkrs Ltd

* Jannard Financial Services Ltd

* Jardine Lloyd Thompson Grp PLC

* JCB Insurance Services Ltd

* Jelf Group PLC

* Morgan Financial Group Ltd

* Mountlodge Ltd

* M.R.B. Insurance Brokers Ltd

* MS PLC

* National Astrlia Insrnce Srvcs Ltd

* Nationl Wstmnstr Insrnce Svcs Ltd

* NCG Professional Risks Ltd

* Newman Martin & Buchan Ltd

* NFU Mutual Direct Ltd

* N.I.B. (UK) Ltd

* Norman Butcher & Jns Hldngs Ltd

* Oamps (UK) Ltd

* RFIB Group Ltd

* Richmond House Group PLC

* Robertson Tylr Insrnce Brkrs Ltd

* Rollinson Smith & Co. Ltd

* Smart & Cook Group Ltd

* Smithson Mason Ltd

* Special Contingency Risks Ltd

* TL Risk Solutions Ltd

* Towergate London Market Ltd

* Towergate Underwriting Group Ltd

* Tyser & Co. Ltd

* UIB Holdings (UK) Ltd

* Unisys Insurance Services Ltd

* Vantage Insurance Services Ltd

* Williams & Williams (Holdings) Ltd

* F. Wilson (Insurance Brokers) Ltd

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c67172

COPYRIGHT 2007 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale Group

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New Report Examines the Market for Insurance Brokers & Intermediaries

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DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c67172) has announced the addition of Insurance Brokers & Intermediaries - Business Ratio Report to their offering.

This Business Ratio Report compares the financial performance of the leading players in this Industry sector, offering a quick and cost-effective competitor analysis tool for senior management.

Ratios are an invaluable tool for comparing the performance of companies on a like-for-like basis. Using ratios, the relative profitability, growth or debt levels, for example, of differently sized companies can be directly measured or compared with ease. Your Business Ratio Report focuses on the performance of key players in the industry it examines. Having closely analysed the sector, our editors and analysts have compiled the largest companies, so you don't have to. A Business Ratio report is, in effect, a complete financial reference for the sector.

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What can the report be used for?

A business ratio report can be used to assess trading and financial information on:

The Company:

Size

Structure

Performance

The Industry:

Structure

Major companies

Performance

What you can look for when reading your Business Ratio Report:

- Trends
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The results given in a Business Ratio report generally cover at least the previous three full accounting years, therefore any fluctuations in any area can be easily pinpointed

- Benchmarks

The average results for each ratio together with the industry profile of the average company in the sector can both be used as benchmarks to compare individual company performance.

- Size

All the major companies in the sector are ranked on the basis of sales, profits, total assets and employee numbers (PERFORMANCE LEAGUE TABLES - Section 4). The largest and smallest of the key players can be easily identified, while the relative size of any company can be assessed.

- Growth

The average annual growth of each company's sales, profits, total assets and number of employees over the three-year period being analysed is calculated and ranked (Performance League Tables - Section 4). This key information highlights strong and weak performers, which companies are expanding or losing market share, increasing or decreasing asset investment, or taking on or shedding employees. The industry results are also given for comparison purposes.

This information is perfect for all kinds of planning and decision-making including:

- Competitor Analysis

The depth of financial analysis provided on each company in each report offers you a comprehensive insight into the performance of individual businesses over recent years. The performance ratios let you easily identify the financial strengths and weaknesses of competitors in terms of profitability, liquidity, gearing, efficiency and employee performance

- Simple Benchmarking

A Business Ratio Report is ideal for benchmarking your own company's performance. You can choose to benchmark your company against a major competitor, or assess the overall industry average performance. And you can focus on the criteria that are important to your business, such as profitability, employee performance or sales growth. Setting realistic performance targets becomes easier for you; with Business Ratio Reports, you will know that they are based on solid facts about your industry.

- Tracking Performance Trends

With at least three years of financial data for each company and the entire industry you can identify performance trends instantly.

- Identifying Acquisition Targets

Business Ratio Reports make it simple for you to identify potential acquisitions. You can easily find companies fitting your criteria using the Performance League Tables.

A Business Ratio Report takes the hard work out of financial performance analysis. You are left free to focus on using the vital information it imparts to drive your business forward.

- Industry Overview

A clear, concise commentary gives you an overview of the industry's financial performance. Graphs and tables make it easy for you to spot performance trends.

- Company Profiles

This part of the report provides information on all the companies included in the analysis. To make comparison between companies easier, the information is presented in a standard format for each:

Contact Information:

Trading address

Telephone & Fax numbers

Company secretary & directors names

Company Structure:

What the company does

Who owns the company

Which are the major subsidiaries

Accounting/Financial Data:

Profit & Loss accounts for the previous 3 or 4 years

Balance sheet for the previous 3 or 4 years

Performance Analysis:

Financial ratios grouped according to profitability, efficiency, debt, employee performance and growth.

League Table Positions:

How the company performs relative to all the

others in the sector

- Performance League Tables

This section ranks companies on a full range of financial ratios. All the tables are listed in order of 'best' to 'worst' results to help you gauge which are the strongest companies on any criteria. In addition, each table brings you the ratio result for the sector as a whole, so you have a benchmark 'average' for comparison purposes.

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"UK Footwear 2007 Report" - Instant Overview of the UK Footwear Market

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DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c67156) has announced the addition of Snapshots UK Footwear 2007 to their offering.

Snapdatas Snapshots UK Footwear 2007 provides 2005 year-end market size data, with 2006 estimates, 4 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the UK footwear market, and covers sales of men's, women's and children's shoes.

Market value is based on sales by specialised and non-specialised shoe retailers at retail selling prices. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis.

Snapshots Report Overview:

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- Executive Summary

- Market size

- Market Segmentation

- Market Share

- Distribution

The key socio-economic indicators in each report will be:

- Size of population

- GDP - Gross Domestic Product

- Inflation rate

- Exchange rate

Forecasts
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All market forecasts are based on statistical forecasting techniques based on historic performance (linear extrapolation of the market size, based on the five-year historical growth). These statistical tools are supplemented with qualitative parameters such as: industry expectation/opinion. Socio-economic drivers, new product development, technological advances, expected levels of market saturation etc.

Sourcing

In this section we include important websites such as trade bodies or trade associations relevant to the market. All sources whose data we have used in the report and who have given us permission to use their data are represented here.

All secondary sources in local and global languages are scoured, from government statistics to trade magazines.

Snapdata aims for 3 to 4 data points for each table, and no secondary data point will be used without written permission from the original source, which not only verifies the quality, but also provides the integrity to use the data.

Companies mentioned:

- C&J Clark

- Marks & Spencer

- Next

- Stead and Simpson

- Stylo

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c67156

COPYRIGHT 2007 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale Group

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New Fees Released for the hi-ho HIKARI With FLET'S Mansion Course

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TOKYO -- Internet Initiative Japan Inc. (IIJ) (NASDAQ:IIJI)(TOKYO:3774), one of Japan's leading Internet access and comprehensive network solutions providers, today announced the release of a new fee structure at the Company's subsidiary, hi-ho Inc., for the hi-ho HIKARI with FLET'S Mansion Course service ("Mansion Course"), which offers high-speed Internet connections via optical fiber to apartments or other multi-unit complexes. The new fees will be applied starting in November 2007.

The monthly fee of the Mansion Course has always been lower than that of the Family Course for single-dwelling houses because of the limited availability of equipment and transmission speeds on the Mansion Course. With recent advances in technology, however, traffic capacities for both plans have evened out, and the Mansion Course data volumes have increased dramatically. Since hi-ho became a 100%-owned subsidiary of Internet Initiative Japan, Inc. in June 2007, it has been able to reduce costs primarily through increased backbone efficiency as a result of network integration. However, increased data volumes on the Mansion Course have required installation of additional equipment, and in order to maintain a stable network environment, prices need to be increased.

Price Change Summary:

1. Affected Plan

hi-ho HIKARI with FLET'S Mansion Course

2. Fee Change Date

November 1 (Thu), 2007

3. New Fees (Tax Included)

For customer of NTT EAST FLET'S Service:

[TABLE OMITTED]

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For customer of NTT WEST FLET'S Service:

[TABLE OMITTED]

About IIJ

Founded in 1992, Internet Initiative Japan Inc. ("IIJ") (NASDAQ:IIJI)(TOKYO:3774) is one of Japan's leading Internet-access and comprehensive network solutions providers. IIJ and its group of companies provide total network solutions that mainly cater to high-end corporate customers. The company's services include high-quality systems integration and security services, Internet access, hosting/housing, and content design. Moreover, the company has built one of the largest Internet backbone networks in Japan, and between Japan and the United States. IIJ was listed on NASDAQ in 1999 and on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2006. For more information about IIJ, visit the IIJ Web site at http://www.iij.ad.jp/en/.

The statements within this release contain forward-looking statements about our future plans that involve risk and uncertainty. These statements may differ materially from actual future events or results. Readers are referred to the documents furnished by Internet Initiative Japan Inc. with the SEC, specifically the most recent reports on Forms 20-F and 6-K, which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements.

COPYRIGHT 2007 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale Group

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"China Third Party Payment Profile: Union Mobile Pay " - Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

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DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c67105) has announced the addition of China Third Party Payment Profile: Union Mobile Pay (UMPay) - Standing on the Shoulders of Giants to their offering.

Founded in 2003, Union Mobile Pay (UMPay) is a joint-venture between China Mobile, the world's largest mobile operator, and China UnionPay, China's only inter-bank fund-transfer network. Focused on mobile payments and with the support of these two industry giants UMPay has direct access to capital and technology resources to grow its business in China's nascent payment market.

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- UMPay is China's leading mobile payment provider with about 30 million registered users.

- UMPay's payment platform is based on mobile SMS technology.

- UMPay tries to offer a comprehensive set of mobile payment services, but its coverage remains highly fragmented.

- Compared with other third-party payment channels, mobile payment has yet to develop a strong presence in the market -- bank card, prepaid card, telephone, and online payment are currently the preferred choice for non-cash payments.

Report breakdown:

Industry Overview: Key Factors Shaping Third-Party Payments in China

- Continued preference for cash payments, but bank card payments rising

- Credit card use remains low; debit cards widespread

- Limited coverage of non-cash payment services

- China UnionPay's bank card monopoly
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- Quasi-online payment systems an interim solution

- Two ISPs, 162 million Internet users

- Two mobile operators, 500 million subscribers

- Contactless smartcard use increasing but largely limited to buses and subways

- Government regulations and the "national interest"

Union Mobile Pay: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

- Ownership, management team, investors

- Ownership

- Organizational Structure

- Management Team

- Business Performance, Revenue Model, Users

- Services and coverage

- Markets and channels

- Marketing and branding

- Partners (banks, merchants, technology)

- Technology

- Banks

- Merchants

- The TOM-UMPay Alliance

- Users figures and profile

- Competitive analysis: strengths and weaknesses

- Outlook

Companies mentioned:

- China UnionPay

- Union Mobile Pay

- Alipay

- Shanghai Smartpay

- Yeepay

- IPS

- Chinapay

- 99Bill

- Tenpay

- PayEase

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c67105.

COPYRIGHT 2007 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale Group

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Wal-Mart's newest distribution center opened last month near the southwest Florida community of Arcadia and, simply put, it is the most technologically advanced facility in the company's supply chain arsenal

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Wal-Mart's newest distribution center opened last month near the southwest Florida community of Arcadia and, simply put, it is the most technologically advanced facility in the company's supply chain arsenal.

At 865,000 square feet, other DCs are larger, but the Arcadia location is a marvel of automation that reflects the most recent supply chain thinking of a company recognized as a logistics leader. Automatic cranes, conveyors and lifts know where to stow products, when to retrieve them, how they should be routed and onto which trucks they should be placed. Multiple climate zones ensure ice cream is kept at 20 degrees below zero and vegetables are stored at 56 degrees and precise humidity levels.

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The building is impressive, but the fact that the 600 people who work there managed to get it open on time is more amazing. Hurricane Charley ripped through Arcadia last summer. Homes were destroyed, lives were disrupted and it was no picnic working at the DC in the storm's aftermath.

In the understatement of the day at the grand opening, assistant gm Andy Leopard said, "We went several months without running water in the building and there were a lot of challenges associated with that."

The facility begins shipping merchandise, as planned, on May 22--a week before the official start of hurricane season.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

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Katrina's lawsuit surge: a legal battle to force insurers to pay for flood damage from Hurricane Katrina could cost the industry billions

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Instead of helping residents, the legal strategy of Mississippi could backfire and do the state more harm than good. At worst, the suits could end up driving insurers out of the region, bankrupt some smaller, regional firms and impair redevelopment in the area.

In the first lawsuit, filed in September, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood claims that insurance companies should pay for all hurricane damage, even floods, because waters were wind driven. Attorney Richard Scruggs, known for successful litigation against tobacco companies, filed a similar suit.

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The suits come despite the fact that flood exclusions have been standard in homeowners' policies since around 1968, when the federal government's National Flood Insurance Program was established. The industry, therefore, has not collected any premiums to pay for flood damages.

Those exclusions should be declared void, Hood says, because Mississippi common law requires full coverage be provided if proximate cause of the loss--the hurricane wind--is covered, even if other noncovered causes also contributed to the loss.

The insurance contract language, however, clearly excludes coverage for floods, whether driven by the wind or not, says Robert Hartwig, chief economist for the Insurance Information Institute. The language, he says, has been dear, long-standing, upheld by courts, regulator-approved and recognized by the federal government in all 50 states.

Declaring those exclusions void would make it impossible to do business in Mississippi, he says.
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"Insurers sell one product. People call it an insurance policy, but it's a contract. And unless the terms of that contract are enforced, then we can't price our product," Hartwig says. "We cannot therefore offer a product in an environment where we can't price the product and where, in fact, there are legalized grabs on shareholder and policyholder assets.

"The certain outcome of a victory by Serums or Hood would be the virtual overnight disappearance of insurance in the state," he says.

Regional insurers would be bankrupted if the lawsuits were successful, he says. State guarantee funds would then have to pick up the policyholder claims of the bankrupt insurers. Those costs would be passed on to the rest of the policyholders in the state, who would have to pay an extra charge to cover the claims.

Premiums for other policyholders also could go up if insurers are forced to pay what Hartwig estimates could be a minimum of $15 billion in additional losses for a risk the industry didn't assume.

If insurance became unavailable in Mississippi, reconstruction efforts could also grind to a halt, and the state could be forced to step in to become the insurer of last--and first--resort.

As Florida residents have discovered, an unfriendly legal and regulatory climate doesn't always pay off in the long run.

"We have a very weak homeowners insurance industry in Florida," says Martin Grace, the James S. Kemper professor of risk management and insurance at Georgia State University.

In Florida, the state is one of the largest homeowners insurers, and other insurance companies have set up firewalls around their Florida subsidiaries to prevent catastrophic losses in those units from harming the parent companies.

"If that happens all along the Gulf Coast," Grace says, "homeowners is going to become a dying market in these areas.

"Don't use Florida as a good example. Use Florida as an example of just about everything the state could do that has gone wrong," Grace says.

A decision to make insurers pay for the excluded flood losses also would effectively terminate the National Flood Insurance Program. "It would end the flood insurance program as we know it," Hartwig says. "Why buy it if you're going to get it for free?"

There is a risk that if the ease goes to a jury, the jury would be sympathetic to homeowners and decide against insurers. Such a verdict would likely be overturned at the appellate level, says Randy Maniloff, an attorney with White and Williams in Philadelphia who represents insurers in coverage disputes.

If the lawsuits are unsuccessful, though, it will increase the perception of risk in the area, Grace says.

"Once something like this has been raised, it still casts a shadow over future contracts," Grace says. "It makes writing contracts even more risky. There's a little bit of contract interpretation risk now built into the potential loss for an insurer."

For Hood, though, there's not much downside risk.

As retired insurance analyst Michael Smith says, "No one ever lost a vote for beating up on the insurance industry."

COPYRIGHT 2005 Axon Group
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

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eBay made easy: ready to start an eBay business? These 5 simple steps will get you on your way

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BECOME AN EBAY EDUCATION SPECIALIST
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For those of you who already know all about eBay and are looking for a new way to make money with it, eBay University offers an Education Specialist program that will train you to teach eBay's "Selling Basics" course to others. Upon completing the $149 online training program, you'll be able to advertise your own training events in eBay's Education Specialist directory, have access to official student-training materials from ebay, be able to use the "Education Specialist--Trained by ebay" logo on your business cards and more. For details, log on to http://pages.ebay.com/university/specialist.

CLIFF ENNICO (www.cliffennico.com), best known as co-host of the PBS TV series Money Hunt, is author of Small Business Survival Guide and a faculty member of eBay University (www.ebay.com/university/), where he teaches the legal and tax aspects of starting an eBay business.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Entrepreneur Media, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

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eBay made easy: ready to start an eBay business? These 5 simple steps will get you on your way

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When an eBay auction is completed, the goods shipped and payment made, you and your buyer can comment on each other in eBay's Feedback Forum. Buyers rely on the Feedback Forum to determine how reliable a seller is. But watch out: If buyers aren't happy with your customer service or your merchandise, they will post negative or neutral feedback. Many buyers will not deal with a seller who has less than a specified number of positive feedback postings in the forum, or a seller who has too many negative feedback postings.

Unfortunately, some customers will threaten to leave negative feedback if you don't do what they want, even if they are being unreasonable. Most of the time, you're best advised to meet their demands because "the customer is always right," and because you want to avoid negative feedback on eBay at all costs.

In cases where a buyer posts negative feedback that is inaccurate or unfair, eBay affords you a limited opportunity to respond to the negative posting and tell buyers your side of the story. In extreme cases, eBay's SquareTrade service helps mediate disputes between eBay buyers and sellers.

Step 5: Build a Brand on eBay On eBay, sellers are offered a number of tools to help establish their brand identities, including:

* ABOUT ME: A free page that enables you to describe your business and any relevant information that would make buyers feel more comfortable buying from you.
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* EBAY STORES: A virtual storefront that puts all of your current auctions together in one place, so buyers can see everything you're selling at a glance. You'll pay a monthly fee based on the level of store services you want, plus additional fees for items listed and sold.

* CUSTOMIZING TOOLS; A number of features (accessible from your "My eBay" page) that enable you to make your pages stand out from others offering similar merchandise.

Like any marketplace, eBay is constantly changing. "A lot of people get set in a comfort zone, especially if they have an initial rush of success," says Griff. "If you get to the point that you really feel comfortable you know what you're doing on eBay, I guarantee you there's a brick flying at the side of your head at 80 miles an hour that you're not seeing because you're not looking in that direction."

You can expect pricing and demand on eBay to change over time. As more and more people start operating on eBay, competition will increase and prices may decline slightly. Still, keep in mind that eBay has reached only a small fraction of its potential worldwide market. And it will continue to grow even faster as internet access becomes more readily available worldwide. "EBay is the leader in internet auctions," says Morphy. "It has such a strong hold on the market and such a huge following, you can't beat it."

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: For more information on starting a business on eBay, log on to our eBay Business Center at www.entrepreneur.com/ebay. If you're new to doing business online, we've got you covered. Check out our free downloadable PDF, "The Entrepreneur's Guide to Doing Business Online" by Rieva Lesonsky, at www. entrepreneur.com/ebay/paypalguide. It discusses marketing, customer service, shipping charges, payment methods, helpful resources and more.

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eBay made easy: ready to start an eBay business? These 5 simple steps will get you on your way

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* DON'T DAWDLE. Jim "Griff" Griffith, author of The eBay Bible and dean of eBay Education, says many new sellers feel overwhelmed at first. "A lot of new sellers spend too much time studying the site, and that's a mistake, as you can easily get hung up on 'paralysis by analysis,'" he says. Griff advises you to start small and slow, research the market on eBay, and then put one item up to get started. "If you do it methodically and slowly, you can list your first item in an hour or so and be up and running."

For more ideas on where to find product sources, go to www.entrepreneur. com/ebay/productsources.

Step 3: Manage the Auction Process

There are several types of eBay auctions. In a basic auction, you post your item with a starting price and wait for bidders to drive the price up until a closing time, which can be three, five, seven or lo days later, when the auction ends. You are then obligated to sell to the highest bidder.

You can also set a reserve price, which is a hidden minimum price that is the lowest amount you're willing to accept. Buyers are not shown the reserve price, and if it is not met, you are not obligated to sell the item.

If you have two or more identical items for sale, you can post them in the same auction by using a Dutch (or Multiple Item) Auction.

If you don't like auctions, eBay also has a "Buy It Now" feature that gives bidders the option to buy your item immediately for a set price. Or you can choose a fixed-price listing, which simply puts the item up for sale at a set price, with no bidding allowed.
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To sell on eBay, you'll pay a listing fee to post your merchandise and a final value fee (a small percentage of the sale price) when the item sells. These fees change from time to time, so be sure to check the eBay site to make sure you can pay all the fees and still make a profit.

A number of books offer advice on reducing the amount of time and effort necessary to create eBay auction pages, such as Marsha Collier's eBay Timesaving Techniques For Dummies, Janelle Elms' eBay Your Business and Joseph T. Sinclair's eBay Business the Smart Way. Entrepreneur magazine's Startup Guide #1824, How to Start a Business on eBay, is available at www.smallbizbooks.com.

Software can also help you streamline the auction management process. Listing programs, such as Turbo-Lister (available for free from eBay) and Zdrop (www.ztradingpost.com), enable you to create multiple auction pages on your PC and upload them as a "batch" to eBay. Full-service auction-management programs like AuctionHelper (www.auctionhelper.com) and Zoovy (www.zoovy.com) handle almost everything, from inventory management to label printing.

Step 4: Provide Great Customer Service

Buyers will ask you questions about your merchandise, and if you don't respond promptly, they won't bid. Top-notch service also means shipping your goods to the winning buyer within two to three days after the auction closes, or as soon as you receive payment.

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eBay made easy: ready to start an eBay business? These 5 simple steps will get you on your way

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Ten years after being formed in 1995, eBay has become the world's leading online marketplace for all sorts of goods. At any given time, 29 million items are available worldwide on eBay, with more than 3.5 million new items added every day and $1,000 worth of merchandise sold every second. The online auction site has 135 million registered users in 32 international markets, and more than 430,000 people in the United States alone make a full- or part-time living on eBay.

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If you think eBay is just about bobblehead dolls and Pez dispensers, think again. While $2.2 billion worth of goods in collectibles were sold on eBay in 2004, antiques and collectibles ranked only No. 6 among eBay's sales categories. The five highest were: automobiles and auto supplies ($11.1 billion); consumer electronics ($3-5 billion); computers ($3.0 billion); clothes and accessories ($2.9 billion); and books, movies and music ($2.4 billion).

Real people are making big bucks on eBay--and thousands have even reached PowerSeller status by maintaining at least $1,000 per month in sales for three consecutive months. Case in point: Angle Cash, 37, a stay-at-home mom who started selling on eBay nearly six years ago because it was "something I could do and watch the kids at the same time." Today, her Kennesaw, Georgia, company, Cashco1000 Inc. (www. cashco1000.com), sells thousands of home-decoration and other items each month on eBay and expects to break $500,000 in sales on eBay this year.
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Even owners of existing businesses have found success on eBay by using it as an adjunct to their brick-and-mortar operations. Dan Morphy, 33, runs the Adamstown Antique Gallery (www. aagal.com), a 10,000-square-foot antiques mall in Denver, Pennsylvania. After a few successful eBay auctions, he started offering the antiques vendors who rent space in his gallery the opportunity to sell five items a month on eBay, at no charge other than out-of-pocket expenses. Within two years, Morphy not only had a full gallery of dealers, but was also listing 700 pieces a month and had exceeded $2.5 million in eBay sales.

If you dream of building your own eBay business, it's easier than you think. We've distilled what you need to know into five basic steps.

Step 1: Register Your Business

Getting set up as an eBay seller is a simple process that takes just a few minutes. You'll be required to provide your name, address, e-mail and phone number, as well as a credit card number and your checking account information. This information is used to confirm your identity--which protects the integrity of eBay's operation--and to collect auction fees.

Since every eBay business is a retail business, you should also register your business with federal, state and local tax authorities and consider forming a corporation or an LLC to protect you against legal liability. (For more legal issues you should know about before you start, go to www. entrepreneur.com/ebay/legaltips.)

Most eBay sellers are also encouraged to open an account with PayPal, an online payment service owned by eBay that enables buyers to pay you by credit card or by debiting their checking accounts, without you having to obtain merchant card accounts.

Step 2: Find Stuff to Sell

This can be the biggest challenge in setting up an eBay business. Keep these points in mind:

* PICK THE RIGHT PRODUCT. Select something you'll enjoy selling and that stands a good chance of making a profit. Avoid merchandise you know absolutely nothing about, that's difficult to describe in a short paragraph, that won't photograph well or that's tricky to ship without damage.

* CONSIDER COST AND SALE PRICE. "Buyers and sellers on eBay set the price--you don't," says Melissa Sands, 35, who started selling on eBay in 1999 to help her husband, a comic-book dealer, get rid of excess inventory. Today, Sands runs Sands-o-Time (www. sands-o-time.com), an eBay store selling pottery, porcelain, glass, silver, costume jewelry and more with sales averaging $8,000 to $12,000 per month. Before you buy anything, find out what other similar items have sold for on eBay and ask yourself if there's a good chance you will make money.

* SELL RELATED MERCHANDISE. "If you make it easy for people to buy something, they will want to buy more from you--and you have to have related merchandise in stock," advises Cash. "So, for example, if you're selling collectibles, you should also carry the display racks, books and other accessories those particular collectors will want to have."

* MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH STORAGE SPACE FOR YOUR MERCHANDISE. Don't start ordering pallets of large items if your basement or garage is small, or if your front door isn't big enough to squeeze the crates through.

* LEARN HOW TO PACK AND SHIP GOODS. Calculating shipping costs properly is also important. To help you with this, eBay, FedEx, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service all offer shipping calculators on their websites. Buyers really hate it if they think you're gouging them on the shipping and handling fees.

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Do Us a Flavor - Ben & Jerry's Issues a Call for Euphoric New Flavors

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SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. -- (Grassroots Newswire) - Are you an ice cream aficionado? Do you fancy yourself a flavor innovator? Then Ben & Jerry's wants you to do them a "flavor!" Ben & Jerry's announces the "Do Us a Flavor Contest" - an opportunity to become an honorary Ben & Jerry's Flavor Guru and create an original, mouth-watering ice cream flavor.

"We hear suggestions from our customers all the time about different flavors we should be offering, now everyone has an opportunity to make some history at Ben & Jerry's," said Sean Greenwood, PR Poobah for Ben & Jerry's.

Most Popular Articles in Business Research and Markets ... Do Us a Flavor - Ben ... eBay made easy: ready ... Katrina's lawsuit ... Wal-Mart's newest ... More » Most Popular Publications in Business Business Wire Black Enterprise Real Estate Weekly Los Angeles Business ... Communication World More »

Ben & Jerry's Flavor Gurus are a bunch of cool guys with even cooler jobs. They boldly go where no ice cream makers have gone before. From Cointreau(R) to Sambuca, sweet potatoes to sugar plums, no ingredient goes unconsidered for the next lip-smacking, completely unexpected Ben & Jerry's flavor. They mix, blend, chop, whip, puree and swirl until they come up with an unrivaled pint of pure ice cream indulgence.

"We create and taste ice cream flavors all day long, so we thought it would be nice to take a break and let someone else do our jobs for a while," said Arnold Carbone, Conductor of Bizarre & D and Chief Flavor Guru at Ben & Jerry's. "We're looking for people to let loose and get funky in creating the next chunky ice cream. We can't wait to taste the results."
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Ready to create the next Chunky Monkey(R), Chubby Hubby(R) or Phish Food(R)? All it takes is some inspiration, imagination and maybe a little discombobulation. Just visit www.benjerry.com to get cooking. First, pick an ice cream base like brownie batter, white chocolate or sweet cream, or something we've never thought of! Then go wild, adding in lots of chunks and swirls. And don't forget to give your concoction a catchy name. You can even submit a photo of your creation or one of yourself with your flavor masterpiece.

If you need a little help getting started, try the online Flavor Generator to get your creative juices flowing. Flavor entries will be judged on creativity (40 percent), flavor profile (40 percent) and relevance to Ben & Jerry's brand (20 percent).

Five finalists will be invited--four from across the United States and one from Canada--to a Flavor Finals Event to be held at Ben & Jerry's in Vermont. The showdown will be judged by Ben & Jerry's Flavor Gurus as well as a panel of guest judges. The grand prize winner will win an ice cream party for friends and family featuring their winning flavor, plus some of their fabulous flavor to take home. But everyone who enters is a winner! All contest entrants will receive Ben & Jerry's scoop shop coupons so they can enjoy a tempting treat while they wait to hear if they're a flavor finalist.

Contest timing:

March 8 - July 31, 2006 - Submit contest entries

September 8, 2006 - Announce Five flavor finalists

October 2006 - Flavor Finals Event at Ben & Jerry's; winning flavor creator announced

November 2006 - Ice cream party for winning flavor creator

In addition to all of Ben & Jerry's euphoric flavors, there have been a few famous flops along the way. Here are a few flavors whose fates were debatable from the get-go. Or in other words... don't go there!

Sugar Plum - Plum Ice Cream with a Caramel Swirl

Peanuts! Popcorn! - Caramel Ice Cream with White Fudge Covered Caramel Popcorn, Toffee-Coated Peanuts & a Caramel Swirl

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich - Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Bits & a Strawberry Jelly Swirl

Chips and Dip- sour cream onion ice cream with potato chips - one bite was all it took to kill it.

Licorice - a good way to lose your fillings

Lemon Peppermint Carob Chip -We can't remember the recipe ....but the name pretty much says it all.

Pepperoni Pizza with Anchovy Swirl - need we say more?

All "Do Us a Flavor Contest" submissions will become the property of Ben & Jerry's. For complete official rules and how to enter, visit www.benjerry.com.

About Ben & Jerry's

Ben & Jerry's produces a wide variety of super-premium ice cream, sorbets and ice cream novelties, using dairy products from a Vermont dairy cooperative and high-quality ingredients. The company is committed to using milk and cream from cows that have not been treated with the synthetic hormone rBGH, and states its position on rBGH on its labels. Ben and Jerry's products are distributed nationwide and in selected foreign countries in supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, franchise Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops, restaurants and other venues.

Ben & Jerry's, a wholly-owned autonomous subsidiary of Unilever, operates its business on a three-part mission statement emphasizing product quality, economic reward and a commitment to the community. Ben & Jerry's contributes a minimum of $1.1 million annually through corporate philanthropy that is primarily employee led. Contributions made via the Ben & Jerry's Foundation in 2001 totaled over $1.4 million. Additionally, the company makes significant product donations to community groups and nonprofits both in Vermont and across the nation. The purpose of Ben & Jerry's philanthropy is to support the founding values of the company: economic and social justice, environmental restoration and peace through understanding, and to support our Vermont communities. For the full scoop on all Ben & Jerry's fabulous flavors, visit www.benjerry.com.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group

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