Anchors aweigh boat sales

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Economic forecasting is an inexact science, as the National Retail Federation just learned when its predicted Holiday 2022 growth of between 6% to 8% in November and December didn’t materialize. However, the NRF got mighty close, with the latest reported actuals falling less than 1% shy of the forecast, up 5.3%, excluding autos, gas and restaurants. Commenting on the year-end results, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement, “We closed out 2022 with impressive annual retail sales and a respectable holiday season.” And NRF chief economist Jack Kleinhenz added: “We knew it could be touch-and-go for final holiday sales given early shopping in October that likely pulled some sales forward plus price pressures and cold, stormy weather. The pace of spending was choppy, and consumers may have pulled back more than we had hoped.” He concluded, “The bottom line is that consumers are still engaged and … [Read more...] about Retail Sales Slowed As 2022 Ended. What Does That Mean For 2023?

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin After years of interviewing many of the most influential movers and shakers in the yachting world, I’ve been granted a pretty cool perspective into the personalities as well as the products that occupy the absolute pinnacle of the luxury pyramid. Some leaders are so smart I’ve had a hard time understanding the technology they’re working on. Others have been a bit reserved. Or flamboyant. Or boring. But after catching up with Ferretti Group CEO Alberto Galassi at the Monaco Yacht Show last September only one word even comes close to describing this powerful Italian executive who I simply call “The Boss.” Energy. He’s a hurricane of ideas and attitudes and opinions and…fun. He’s fun to talk to. His business brings him in contact with celebrities, politicians, and captains of industry as well as engineers, designers and skilled craftsman. And as you’ll see, he’s lightning quick. So, instead of smoothing … [Read more...] about Superyacht Influencer Interview: Ferretti Group CEO Alberto Galassi

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Looking for the ultimate romantic Valentine’s extravaganza? Consider the Maldives, 1,190 sun-bleached islands in the Indian Ocean (southwest of Sri Lanka and India). This uninhabited paradise is dotted with powdery white sand beaches surrounded by crystal-clear waters on an archipelago of volcanoes which have sunk into the water. Beneath, are stunning limestone coral reefs — the rainforest of the sea — with shades of the sea ranging from aquamarine and turquoise to azure and Tiffany blue. One of the most unique and romantic ways to experience the Maldives is on a “cruising resort” such as the 5-star liveaboard 128-foot yacht Maldives Four Seasons Explorer where passengers come to dive or snorkel on three, four or seven-night cruises. A Liveaboard is a scuba diving purposely-built boat or existing vessel that offers diving trips lasting longer than one night. And while a Liveaboard might sound like a floating hostel, the … [Read more...] about The Most Romantic Maldives Valentine Adventure: A 5-Star Luxury Liveaboard Yacht

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin To create a united front in business, it's crucial for the business development team to be on the same page as the CEO in an effort to develop a plan that falls in line with the organization's annual strategy. Here are 12 tips from Forbes Business Development Council members to help biz development professionals gain a better understanding of how to best support the executive team's primary goals. 1. Think Like A Principal Player The best way for a business development lead to align themselves with the goals of the CEO is to imagine themselves in the position of the CEO. Thinking like a principal player is what allows one to understand the actions of that person better. - Saydiburkhon Saydirasulov , Jafton.com 2. Establish The CEO's Alignment With Broader Organizational Goals Understanding the CEO's agenda is paramount to success. Biz dev leaders need to be aware of the goals the CEO has with the board of … [Read more...] about 12 Ways Biz Dev Teams Can Form Better Partnerships With Their CEO

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Biden administration hopes to win approval from Congress to sell modernized F-16s to Turkey and fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters to Greece. If approved, these multi-billion dollar deals will undoubtedly have significant ramifications for the balance of power in the Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean. According to the Wall Street Journal , which broke the story, the administration hopes that by getting the Turkish F-16 deal approved Ankara will drop its objections to the accession of Finland and Sweden into NATO. Turkey has blocked the admission of both Nordic countries, demanding that they sever their ties with various Kurdish groups. Furthermore, administration officials told the publication that approval of the sale by Congress "is contingent on Turkey's acquiescence" on this issue. Turkey first requested to purchase 40 brand new F-16 Block 70 jets and 79 modernization kits for its older F-16s … [Read more...] about Balance Of Power: Why The Biden Administration Wants To Sell Turkey F-16s And Greece F-35s

SYDNEY  – Asian shares started cautiously on Monday as investors waited nervously to see if the Bank of Japan (BOJ) will defend its super-sized stimulus policy at a pivotal meeting this week, while a holiday in U.S. markets made for thin trading. There were even rumors the BOJ might hold an emergency meeting on Monday as it struggles to defend its new yield ceiling in the face of massive selling. That had markets in an anxious mood and Japan’s Nikkei slipped 0.9 percent in early trading. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.2 percent, with hopes for a speedy Chinese reopening giving it a gain of 4.2 percent last week. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures both eased 0.1 percent, following a Wall Street bounce last week. Earnings season gathers steam this week with Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and the first big tech name, Netflix, among those reporting. World leaders, policy makers and top corporate chiefs will be attending the World … [Read more...] about Asian shares cautious, BOJ faces crunch policy decision

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The allure of ecommerce is the opportunity to sell to a huge online audience – to grow your business far more quickly using the power of the internet. But this promise overlooks the practical difficulties of ecommerce: in particular, the need to fulfill the orders made by all those new customers, and to do so on time and cheaply, or risk jeopardising your relationship with them before it has even got going. Enter the logistics platform Locad , which is today unveiling an £11 million Series A funding round as it seeks to grow its cloud-based logistics software platform in Asia. Locad takes the daunting task of fulfillment off ecommerce businesses’ hands, explains CEO and co-founder Constantin Robertz. “We describe ourselves as offering a logistics engine for the modern consumer brand in ecommerce,” Robertz says. “It’s a one stop shop for the infrastructure at the back end of your business.” Locad has leased … [Read more...] about How Locad Is Powering Asia’s Ecommerce Revolution

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Casa de Campo Resort & Villas , the storied Dominican Republic resort that draws in everyone from U.S. presidents (including both George Bushes and Bill Clinton) to celebrities (Drake filmed his “Started from the Bottom” video in a lavish villa, one that Rihanna also visited during a separate trip), recently amped up its already extensive offerings with a new hotel-within-a-hotel, The Premier Club. Opened in 1974, the sprawling 7,000-acre haven on the country’s southeastern coast seems more like a village than a Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star resort, with three golf courses, a marina (with 370 slips, it’s the largest in the Caribbean), a yacht club, an equestrian center, polo fields, a spa, nearly 20 dining and drinking spots, a tennis center (the Caribbean’s biggest) and a shooting club in addition to hotel rooms, suites and villas. Debuting last month, the all-suite Premier Club provides more privacy and … [Read more...] about This Exclusive Dominican Republic Haven Opened A New Hotel-Within-A-Hotel

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The doors were shut and the lights were out at non-essential retail stores today as the U.K. government implemented a second lockdown for a month—prompting fears that recent sales recoveries following the first one in the spring will have been in vain. The British Retail Consortium, which represents retailers across the country told Forbes.com that it expects the latest forced closures to wipe out around £2 billion ($2.6 billion) in sales each week until stores reopen on December 2— though that is not guaranteed . The latest modeling from research consultancy, Retail Economics, puts total lost sales for non-essential retailers at $9 billion over the four-week period in England. The upside of the November shutdown is that online sales will be boosted by an estimated $3.9 billion on last year. Helen Dickinson, CEO of the British Retail Consortium, said: “Retail faces a nightmare before Christmas. The closure will … [Read more...] about Nightmare Before Christmas: New Lockdown To Cost U.K. Retailers $2.6 Billion A Week

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin With recycling, upcycling, sustainability and the environment at the forefront of global discussions, Swiss watch brands are doing their part to bring sustainability and planet awareness to the fore front. In fact, today’s watch brands are more environmentally conscious than ever before, and some have been leading the way towards preservation of Earth’s resources for a couple of decades now. Other have pulled out all the stops in recent years to create timepieces with upcycled or recycled materials, to support causes that save the oceans, forests and endangered animals, and formed foundations that help civilizations around the world. Many watch brands are working toward a zero carbon footprint in their manufactures with solar heating, recycled water, and encouraging employees to bike to work. Some have even begun their own sustainability reports – a relatively new standard in the watch industry. While big-name brands like … [Read more...] about Oris, Norqain, Ulysse Nardin Make Efforts For A Green Planet