Twelve Thirty Eight | Award winning St Albans based Twitter PR agency www.1238kmh.com 1238 public relations

"They are creative and sensitive to our business needs, concerned with checking back that their suggestions fulfilled our goals. Their integrity and empathy, as well as their creative skills, are at all times impeccable. I cannot fault the service."

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The Internet is the new intercom, study finds
(9 December 2011)

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Yours to keep this Christmas: The contents of 50 public libraries in your hands for only £67 (6 December 2011)

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Asda define Christmas with range of high quality, low cost televisions and recorders (2 December 2011)

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Blu-Ray players will outsell DVD players this Christmas, Asda predicts (17 November 2011)

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Dell Inspiron M5040 Laptop - £279

The Dell Inspiron comes with a 320GB hard drive, built-in webcam and microphone and provides over 6hrs of battery life when fully charged.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer - £397

With a slim profile that weighs only 680g, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer is comfortable to hold from any position. This is the perfect tablet for browsing online whilst the battery can last for up to 16 hours when docked.

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About Asda

At Asda saving money and keeping costs low is part of our culture. Saving you money every day isn’t a marketing slogan; it’s the single-minded focus of everyone at Asda.

When we’re asked what it is that we do differently from other retailers – what it is that gives us the ability to keep costs low and pass that on to customers in lower prices – we don’t point to a handful of major initiatives. We talk about everything we do – all of the little things that when added together make a big difference.

Yours to keep this Christmas: The contents of 50 public libraries in your hands for only £67

Asda - 6 December 2011

Asda offers new Kobo wireless e-reader at breakthrough price as Christmas approaches

Asda becomes the first supermarket to offer the popular device

Asda this week becomes the first supermarket to offer the new Kobo wireless e-reader - at a £20 saving off the most recent price point. The Kobo, rapidly becoming a serious contender to the Amazon Kindle, offers owners access to 1 million titles via the Kobo online store and comes with 100 classics pre-loaded. Up-to-date titles can also be bought wirelessly from Kobo’s online store.

1 million books would take 40 lifetimes to read and if piled beside the Christmas tree would reach the edge of space (80,000 feet).

The Kobo, on the other hand, is only 10mm thick and weighs less than most paperbacks. It features a glare-free screen, using eInk to display an image as close as possible to the experience of reading a printed page.

The Kobo arrives in-store at Asda and online at asda.com on Friday.

Duncan Tate, technology expert at Asda said: “The Kobo e-reader has received rave reviews and we’re delighted to be able to offer it to customers at this breakthrough price before Christmas.”

Asda is also offering the Touch version of the Kobo for £107. The Touch is smaller and lighter than the Kindle Touch and comes in four colours -

The price breakthrough on Kobo is part of a range of moves on Asda’s part this year to make reading more affordable and accessible. Earlier this year Asda introduced extracts from children’s classics by Roald Dahl to the backs of millions of boxes of its own-brand cereals to encourage reading.

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Asda define Christmas with range of high quality, low cost televisions and recorders

Asda - 2 December 2011

HD-Ready LCD TVs with built-in DVD for under £100

Luxor 250GB storage Freeview digital recorder for £89

Asda has slashed prices across a range of high definition TVs and digital recorders.

Leading the charge this Christmas is Asda’s own 19” LCD TV with built-in DVD player. The Luxor TV is even HD-ready and comes with built-in Freeview, giving access to a further 50 channels and 24 radio stations. At £98, the TV is the perfect gift for children’s bedrooms or that dull corner of the kitchen. The price beats Argos, where an almost identical Bush set costs over £20 more.

Asda’s range of digital recorders provide an affordable answer to Christmas scheduling conflicts this Year. The Luxor PVR 250-690 comes with a hefty 250GB of storage space and enables the recording of any Freeview channel whilst you watch elsewhere. Available for £89, the recorder can gather up to 180hours of programmes - more than enough for the festive season.

At the supermarket, similar price cuts have been made on many of the larger television sets. For just £198, you can now pick up the HD-ready Luxor 32” TV with built-in Freeview. To keep costs even lower, Asda is offering free store delivery on all the televisions in its festive range.

Asda technology expert, Michael Arnott, said: “We want to ensure that high quality, high definition entertainment is affordable for all of our customers. Christmas is a time when families get together to relax and home entertainment is a huge part of that.”

“For a long time, HDTV has been at a premium price. Our latest range of TVs make High Definition affordable for all families who wish to enjoy it.”

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About Asda

At Asda saving money and keeping costs low is part of our culture. Saving you money every day isn’t a marketing slogan; it’s the single-minded focus of everyone at Asda.

Blu-Ray players will outsell DVD players this Christmas, Asda predicts

Asda - 17 November 2011

Asda gives state-of-the-art format a boost by dropping Blu-Ray player prices to a market-leading £40

The Blu-Ray player is showing signs of emerging as the dominant digital format five years after its launch. GfK data for Asda shows that the gap between DVD and Blu-Ray player sales is beginning to shrink significantly – and Asda predicts that this Christmas will see Blu-Ray players outsell DVD players.

The Blu-Ray player has not experienced the meteoric rise that DVD players had over their VHS predecessors largely due to the more subtle, though significant, difference in image quality between Blu-Ray and DVD. New TVs with HD screens are now a common feature in UK homes and Blu-Ray is at last poised to fulfill its potential. Blu-Ray players offer substantially better sound quality than DVDs and ‘upscale’ DVD discs to deliver better image quality.

Pricing has also been a factor and this week for the first time Asda is reducing the price of its entry-level ONN Blu-Ray player to a market-beating £40. By contrast, the lowest price Blu-Ray player at Currys is £69.97 and the lowest price Blu-Ray player at Argos is £69.99. The ONN player is available in all larger Asda stores and online at asda.co.uk. It can also be ordered by phone on 0800 952 3003.

Wayne Steenson, vision expert at Asda said: “More and more UK homes are now equipped to enjoy the full benefit of high-definition Blu-Ray discs and we’re pleased to be offering Blu-Ray players at the lowest price in the market.”

Blu-Ray players are backwards compatible, meaning that they can play DVD discs as well as newer Blu-Ray discs.

Blu-Ray's maximum resolution is 1,920 x 1,080 (1080p), while DVD is limited to 720x576 (480p). Blu-Ray also uses better video-compression methods, resulting in more contrast and richer colors. Blu-Ray is the highest-quality video format available today – better than HD satellite images and better than local cinema.

Asda is also cutting the cost of many Blu-Ray titles, with some recent releases on sale for less than £10.

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About Asda

At Asda saving money and keeping costs low is part of our culture. Saving you money every day isn’t a marketing slogan; it’s the single-minded focus of everyone at Asda.

When we’re asked what it is that we do differently from other retailers – what it is that gives us the ability to keep costs low and pass that on to customers in lower prices – we don’t point to a handful of major initiatives. We talk about everything we do – all of the little things that when added together make a big difference.

21st century errands service to support thousands of independent High Street shops across Hertfordshire

Tilia - 16 November 2011

New concept in shopping will enable shoppers to arrange collections from their favourite shops in one delivery.

New service aims to bring back “the butcher, the baker and candlestick maker.”

A new service that will act as a 21st century errands service is recruiting business customers ahead of a pre-Christmas launch in Hertfordshire. The ambitious service, called Tilia, will bring together thousands of independent High Street retailers and help them to fight off competition from large etailers and supermarkets.

Tilia will enable shoppers to order products from independent retailers which are then bundled into one delivery.

Tilia, which is gearing up for its first consumer launch in Hertfordshire before Christmas, aims to represent and support thousands of small shops and retailers. The company, which has a rapidly expanding database of store owners, is actively seeking more to join their network. The free-to-join service will offer shops an online platform to sell from whilst managing the collection and fulfillment of all orders.

Robert Ford, Managing Director of Tilia, said: “We’re delighted to announce the launch of this revolutionary new service. This is about bringing independent retailers and artisans together to promote and sell their goods in a secure way. Shopping with Tilia will enable customers to create their perfect shopping basket from the very best of what’s on offer across their county.”

“For too long, supermarkets have been encroaching on the High Street’s market. We aim to prove that the High Street is still the natural home of quality and value for shoppers.”

He added: “We’ve had a really positive reaction to the service so far and an amazing variety of small businesses are signing up to the service. We’re certain that when we launch, no other department store will be able to offer such a diverse range of locally sourced goods.”

For more information and details on signing up, visit the official website at: www.withtilia.com

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About Tilia:

We are not a directory looking to talk you into taking some advertising space to line our pockets. We are not a think tank looking for ways to help promote independent retailers but not actually doing anything to deliver on it.

What we are is a two pronged attack to make a real difference;

a) to give shoppers the tools to get everything they need and want from independent retailers instead of the big chains,i.e. this website; and b) to get everything they order, regardless of how many sellers that means visiting, to their door in one convenient package, just as our big competitors can do.

To summarise these and some of the other benefits:

You will be given your own ‘shop’ – this will have a distinct domain name which you can use independent of the site if desired and will, of course, offer shoppers full, secure eCommerce facilities.

You don’t pay anything for membership; we only charge a commission on sales we generate for you; so no risk on you while the onus is in on us to do a great job.

If you have your own site already, great! We are not suggesting that should be replaced as our shops are limited in the opportunities for you to take full creative control; the two can in fact work very nicely side by side to maximise revenue opportunities, and can even have an automated stock reconciliation to prevent the risk of unfulfilled orders.

Advertising space on the site will be just for you and your peers; there's no obligation to take it but the key is that the premium space is reserved for Tilia Shops to exploit only.

Fountain of youth? Major study points to pomegranate extract consumption slowing the ageing process

PomeGreat - 11 November 2011

Consumption slows down the oxidisation of human DNA which leads to cellular deterioration, susceptibility to illnesses and ageing

A £2 million study investigating the medical benefits of pomegranate extract has found evidence that regular consumption may slow down the deterioration of DNA by guarding against DNA oxidization. Scientists believe that slowing the oxidization process in DNA could delay ageing. DNA in cells forms the blueprint for subsequent cellular production. If a cell’s DNA is damaged, the cells that it creates when it splits are exact replicas and the damaged DNA is passed on.

In the study, researchers observed a significant decrease of the marker 8-Oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-DG) in urine after the intake of soft-gel capsules containing a patented pomegranate extract. 8-Oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) is an oxidized derivative of deoxyguanosine and one of the major products of DNA oxidation. Concentrations of 8-oxo-dG within a cell are a measurement of oxidative stress. Three groups of 20 participants took the supplement over a thirty day period in a double-blind study. The full findings will be published imminently.

“We are very excited about this study which we believe demonstrates that regular consumption of this new pomegranate extract can slow down the process of DNA oxidization,” said Dr Sergio Streitenberger, head of research at Probeltebio in Spain.

Scientists used a potent new type of pomegranate extract that includes for the first time the punicalagins or antioxidants from the skin, pith and seeds of the fruit. The patented extract, PurePlus, used in the study is now on sale in capsule form in the UK and has been added exclusively to pomegranate juice drinks sold by PomeGreat.

The reason that damage to DNA is so much worse is that DNA contains the genetic code for the replacement cell that will be built. The DNA code is extremely complex. Slight changes to it render new cells useless.

Dr Streitenberger said: “We get old because we fall apart, cell by cell. One way to look at ageing is to think of it as rusting or oxidizing, a damaging process. The free radicals that oxidize our body’s molecules include fats, heavy metals and numerous other chemical compounds we breathe, eat or drink. If free radicals reach the DNA of our cells, the damage is cumulative and significant. Being able to guard against this process would be a significant breakthrough.”

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Boring 2011 conference gets a commercial sponsor

Hi-Cone - 08 November 2011

Leading international packaging company, Hi-Cone, famous for the six-pack, becomes inaugural sponsor of the world’s first Boring conference

Boring 2011, the annual celebration of the mundane, is to be sponsored by leading global packaging company Hi-Cone this year.

Hi-Cone, the manufacturers of the ubiquitous plastic strips that bind together six-packs of drinks, is contributing to the costs of running this year’s conference.

Presentation topics at this year’s Boring conference in London will include ‘Extracts from the first ten years of Which? Magazine’, ‘Polite small talk’, ‘The contents of people's My Pictures folders’, ‘Colour co-ordination’, ‘An attempt at calculating the tonnage of crisps eaten by one individual in the course of a year’, ‘Electric hand dryers’ and ‘Vending machines’.

Ton Hoppenbrouwers, executive director at Hi-Cone, said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring Boring 2011. The conference coincides with an exhibition that we have brought to the Science Museum in London that explores the genius in everyday things. Hidden Heroes celebrates the six-pack holder, the clothes peg, Sellotape, Post-it notes and other aspects of our everyday lives. The ethos of the Boring 2011 conference is directly in line with the aim of the exhibition.”

Boring conference organiser, James Ward, said: “This is great news for Boring. Wikipedia defines sponsorship as ‘cash and/or an in-kind fee paid to a property (typically in sports, arts, entertainment or causes) in return for access to the exploitable commercial potential associated with that property. While the sponsee (property being sponsored) may be nonprofit, unlike philanthropy, sponsorship is done with the expectation of a commercial return. And, while sponsorship can deliver increased awareness, brand building and propensity to purchase, it is different from advertising. Unlike advertising, sponsorship cannot communicate specific product attributes. Nor can it stand alone. Sponsorship requires support elements. And, while advertising messages are controlled by the advertiser, sponsors do not control the message that is communicated. Consumers decide what a sponsorship means.’ I would like to thank Hi-Cone for their generous sponsorship of our event.”

Boring 2011 will be held on Saturday, November 19 at York Hall in East London. The conference starts at 10.30am and runs until 6.00pm. Ticket availability is limited. Visit http://boring2011.eventbrite.com for more details.

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About Hi-Cone

Hi-Cone is a leading supplier of plastic-based multi-packaging systems for global beer, soft drink and general products industries. Hi-Cone has been producing packaging since 1958 and is committed to the principle of “More With Less,” delivering:

Convenience and value for manufacturers, retailers and consumers, together with an increase in sales.
Environmental responsibility.

Hi-Cone is part of the multinational company ITW. http://www.hi-cone.com

Asda Mobile trials ground-breaking pay-as-you-go mobile deal as households hang up on their traditional landline connection

Asda - 10 October 2011

Award-winning mobile service predicts demise of the traditional landline

National Omnibus poll finds that 37% of respondents don’t use their home phone for calls and 19% of 18-34 year olds claim not to have a landline phone at home

Asda Mobile deal sees £5 buying 100 minutes and 100 texts in October on a deal matched to average monthly customer usage

Asda Mobile, twice winners of the Best Pay-as-You-Go Mobile Network award from Which? magazine, is trialing a breakthrough deal for pay-as-you-go customers in October. For £5, customers can top up their SIM cards with 100 minutes and 100 texts.

The deal comes as national Omnibus polling for Asda reveals that:

One in five (19%) 18-34 year olds don’t have a landline phone at home.
47% of respondents said they could envisage not needing a fixed line home phone for phone calls.
The figure was higher for 18-34 year olds, with 67% saying that they could envisage not needing a fixed line phone for phone calls at home.
37% of all respondents don’t use their home phone for calls.
Nearly half (48%) of 18-34 year olds don’t use their home phone for calls.
19% of the 55+ age group don’t use their home phone for calls at the moment and a further 28% of the 55+ age group can imagine not needing their home phone within six months.

The October tariff trial halves the price of Asda Mobile’s entry level tariff of £10. At £5, it represents a saving of £11 off the Asda standard tariff for 100 minutes and 100 texts.

Asda Mobile believes that the days of making calls on a phone fixed to the wall at home may be numbered. Asda is phasing out sales of landline phones at its stores after a surge in the take-up of smartphones and plummeting sales of fixed line handsets

Sales of landline handsets have fallen significantly in the last year whilst mobile phone sales have grown, driven by more affordable tariffs and more affordable feature-rich smartphones, with some models costing around £40.

James McMurrough, Asda Mobile buyer, said: “Mobile users will save a bundle with this incredible £5 deal. Even at £10 per month, the average Asda Mobile customer is getting a superb deal. This offer redefines value for mobile phone customers and shows that traditional landline usage may soon be a thing of the past.”

He added: “Standing in one place to make a call just doesn’t make sense anymore, nor does untangling the wire, so we’ve decided to hang up on sales of landline phones. The truth is that mobiles are more powerful, more affordable and more convenient and there just isn’t a compelling reason to have a landline phone anymore.”

The home phone has been a fixture for decades, but as mobile telephony has replaced it, the need for a fixed line phone has rapidly disappeared.

Imogen Overton, a 19 year old student from Hertfordshire said: “There’s no way I could live without my mobile. All my friends are nomads and the first thing I say when I answer the phone is “Hi, where are you?” No-one says “I’m at home, stuck to the wall.” That’s so ancient.”

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Key dates in the history of the telephone:

1667: Robert Hooke invented a string telephone that conveyed sounds over an extended wire by mechanical vibrations.

1844: Innocenzo Manzetti first mooted the idea of a “speaking telegraph” (telephone).

1854: Charles Bourseul writes a memorandum on the principles of the telephone.

1854: Antonio Meucci demonstrates an electric voice-operated device in New York; it is not clear what kind of device he demonstrated.

1861: Philipp Reis constructs the first speech-transmitting telephone

December 28, 1871: Antonio Meucci files a patent caveat No. 3353 at the U.S. Patent Office for a device he named "Sound Telegraph".

1872: Elisha Gray establishes Western Electric Manufacturing Company.

July 1, 1875: Bell uses a bi-directional "gallows" telephone that was able to transmit "voicelike sounds", but not clear speech. Both the transmitter and the receiver were identical membrane electromagnet instruments.

1875: Thomas Edison experiments with acoustic telegraphy and in November builds an electro-dynamic receiver, but does not exploit it.

1875: Hungarian Tivadar Puskas (the inventor of telephone exchange) arrived in the USA.

April 6, 1875: Bell's U.S. Patent 161,739 "Transmitters and Receivers for Electric Telegraphs" is granted. This uses multiple vibrating steel reeds in make-break circuits, and the concept of multiplexed frequencies.

January 20, 1876: Bell signs and notarizes his patent application for the telephone.

February 11, 1876: Elisha Gray designs a liquid transmitter for use with a telephone, but does not build one.

March 7, 1876: Bell's U.S. patent No. 174,465 for the telephone is granted.

March 10, 1876: Bell transmits the sentence: "Mr. Watson, come here! I want to see you!" using a liquid transmitter and an electromagnetic receiver.

January 30, 1877: Bell's U.S. patent No. 186,787 is granted for an electromagnetic telephone using permanent magnets, iron diaphragms, and a call bell.

April 27, 1877: Edison files for a patent on a carbon (graphite) transmitter. Patent No. 474,230 was granted on May 3, 1892, after a 15-year delay because of litigation. Edison was granted patent No. 222,390 for a carbon granules transmitter in 1879.

1877: First long-distance telephone line

1915: First U.S. coast-to-coast long-distance telephone call, ceremoniously inaugurated by A.G. Bell in New York City and his former assistant Thomas Augustus Watson in San Francisco, California.

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More information:

All Asda Mobile customers enjoy 99% UK coverage and are supported by customer service advisors at an award-winning dedicated UK call centre based in Kilmarnock.

New customers will only need to pay an additional 50p for a SIM card or buy a handset, with prices at Asda Mobile starting at £15. Alternatively customers can text ‘ASDA’ to 62828 for a free ASDA Mobile SIM. A free SIM pack will be despatched within 7 working days. Five text messages are required.

About Asda’s Price Guarantee

With Asda’s Price Guarantee customers can be safe in the knowledge that the price they pay at Asda is cheaper than at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose, otherwise we will refund the difference.

About Asda Stores Ltd

Founded in the 1960s, Asda today is one of Britain’s leading retailers. It has over 175,000 dedicated Asda colleagues serving customers from 385 stores, including 26 Asda Living stores, 25 depots and seven recycling centres across the UK (Great Britain and Northern Ireland). It has its main home office in Leeds, Yorkshire and its George clothing division based in Lutterworth Leicestershire. Asda serves over 18 million shoppers a week in store and its growing home shopping business serves 98 per cent of UK homes.

Bottle and can multi-packaging utilises new strain of ultra-efficient "LDPE+"

Hi-Cone - 23 August 2011

Iconic multi-packaging takes inspiration from super lightweight bullet proof vests
Inclusion of metallocene in packaging reduces volume by up to 17%

Global multi-packaging leaders Hi-Cone have reduced the quantity of material per pack by almost 17%. Best known for their iconic six-pack multipack, Hi-Cone remain at the forefront of packaging development. They have achieved this latest breakthrough by combining their plastic with a compound known as metallocene. This substantially strengthens the material, allowing less material to perform in exactly the same way.

The reduction in material has a huge impact on the supply chain and generates cost savings from creation to disposal. Their packaging compares favourably with common competitor shrink film; using less than 40% of the material for an equivalent pack size. This is part of Hi-Cone’s ongoing mission to develop packaging with little or no environmental impact.

The Hi-Cone multipacks have been a staple part of the retail environment since their original inception in 1958. In the fifty years following, the products have gone through a continual evolution on the road to becoming as efficient as possible. From a 50% reduction in material to increased strength and degradability, this almost invisible product has been distilled to its essential components. Despite this, the company has continued to place huge emphasis on product development. It is this focus on innovation which spawned the latest technological advancement.

The reduction in material does not affect the mechanical and functional properties of their packs. In fact, the same process has been used elsewhere to produce polymers that can withstand bullets.

Ton Hoppenbrouwers, Hi-Cone’s Business Development Director, Europe, said: “The inclusion of metallocene in our products has allowed us to make further weight reductions whilst maintaining all other characteristics. We believe the added benefits of using this compound will be felt across the entire life cycle, from supplier to end consumer. Our commitment to product development will enable us to remain at the very forefront of multi-packaging solutions.”

He added: “We had got to the point with our standard LDPE material where further volume reductions would be detrimental to the product. Through a process of evaluation and refinement we settled upon the current compound. You could almost call this LDPE+.”

– Ends –

Notes to Editors:

Hi-Cone is a leading supplier of plastic-based multi-packaging systems for global beer, soft drink and general products industries. Hi-Cone has been producing packaging since 1958 and is committed to the principle of “More With Less,” delivering:

Convenience and value for manufacturers, retailers and consumers, together with an increase in sales.
Environmental responsibility.

Hi-Cone is part of the multinational company ITW.

http://www.hi-cone.com

Hi-Cone sponsors Starpack Awards

Hi-Cone - 25 July 2011

Hi-Cone, the leading supplier of plastics-based multipackaging for food and drink products, is to sponsor a prestigious Starpack Award.

The award scheme celebrates the most innovative, sustainable and consumer-friendly in packaging design and manufacture.

Judges reward the best in a total of 12 categories, ranging from food and beverages to consumer goods, which are open to anyone involved in the UK packaging industry.

The winners of the 52nd annual scheme will be announced at a ceremony in London on September 22 2011, with the overall victor going on to the global packaging competition the WorldStar Awards.

Hi-Cone is sponsoring the award for the food and beverage category, covering fresh, preserved and frozen food, confectionery and non-alcoholic drinks.

The firm is proud of its own innovation and sustainable approach to packaging; all Hi-Cone products use a minimal amount of material, are photodegradable, 100% recyclable and non-toxic.

Ton Hoppenbrouwers, European Business Development Director, said: “We are very keen to be involved with the Starpack Awards as design and innovation are a central to the Hi-Cone philosophy. We believe that designers need to take a more holistic view of packaging considering the importance of the multipack to retail sales.

“Secondary as well as primary packaging should be an integral part of the initial brand packaging design brief.”

Starpack is the UK packaging industry’s most prestigious award scheme, and is run by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.

The ceremony in London will be held in aid of the cancer charity CLIC Sargent.

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Asda offers an amazing deal on a 40" full HD TV with an integrated FreeView tuner

Asda - 21 July 2011

Asda are today offering a breakthrough price on a 40” full high definition television. The Luxor TV, exclusive to Asda, is available for £299. It features a crystal clear 1080p full HD screen and is perfect for watching high definition TV, Blu-ray movies and for playing games.

This LCD TV, with its integrated digital freeview technology does not require a set-top box and is ready to receive up to 50 Freeview channels and 24 radio stations, offering outstanding choice for the whole family.

To add to the versatility of the Luxor TV, it features 2 HDMI sockets and 2 Scart sockets, enabling simple and convenient connection to an array of other digital devices.

The Luxor also offers in-built Nicam stereo sound, delivering crisp, clear audio that delivers a whole new level of entertainment.

Craig Thirkell, buying manager, vision & audio at Asda said: “This is an amazing deal from Asda on a very high quality TV that displays films, TV and games in superb quality and with crisp, clear sound. It would be a stylish addition to any home and at this amazing price will be very popular indeed.”

The Luxor is manufactured exclusively for Asda at factories that also make some of the world’s leading television brands. The television has an uncompromising specification, delivering outstanding quality at an exceptional price.

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Inventive barcode blocker ends misery of double scanning in multipacks

Hi-Cone - 20 July 2011

New material will end undercharging for multiple cans and bottles at the tills.

Chemical additive stops scanners registering the wrong barcode.

An ingenious barcode blocker is set to offer retailers a new weapon in their battle to overcome a major headache at the tills.

A brand new packaging material which stops the widespread problem of “double scanning” in multipacks is about to launch on the market.

Today’s highly sensitive price scanners sometimes mistakenly register the barcode of a single can or bottle in a multipack rather than the whole product itself, so significantly undercharging the customer.

The new material is the brainchild of Hi-Cone, the international leader in multi-packaging for beverage, food and consumer goods, and is the result of ten years’ painstaking development, with a multi-million pound budget.

It contains a special chemical additive which prevents scanners from reading the barcodes on individual cans or bottles - only the one on the multipack can be registered.

Hi-Cone developed it in response to major concerns from retailers who are losing large sums of money as consumers are charged for just one can or bottle rather than the whole pack, which could contain up to 12 items.

Double scanning is a growing problem in the UK and throughout Europe as infrared scanners become increasingly sensitive and multipackaging materials more lightweight.

The barcode blocker will be available in special orders of Hi-Cone’s environmentally-friendly multi-packaging.

It can be incorporated into any of Hi-Cone’s products, whether for cans, PET or glass bottles and run on machines currently installed to produce Hi-Cone packaging.

The breakthrough came last year after several years of research and development and has been refined further during 2011 for Hi-Cone’s high-speed production methods.

The solution is particularly inventive because it continues to show the primary container for branding purposes, and the technology can be adapted in the future as infrared scanners become more sophisticated.

UK retailers and brands currently have to resort to supplying two separate sets of can and bottles to avoid double scanning – those for individual sale which all have barcodes and those for multipacks which do not.

However, this is an expensive solution and makes stock control more difficult.

Across Europe, retailers are understood to be considering heavy penalties for brands when barcodes double scan.

Hi-Cone is discussing the commercial rollout with several customers in the fast moving consumer goods industry, who view this as a great innovation.

Ton Hoppenbrouwers, Hi-Cone’s European Director of Business Development, said: “Double scanning is a real problem for retailers so we are delighted to have found a solution with this remarkable breakthrough. It fits well in our win-win strategy, by offering new packs which deliver benefits to both retailers as well as beverage companies."

“Following Hi-Cone´s MIN=MAX strategy, these new multipacks offer added value, without increasing weight or volume to the packaging supply chain.”

– Ends –

Notes to Editors:

Convenience and value for manufacturers, retailers and consumers, together with an increase in sales.
Environmental responsibility.

Hi-Cone is part of the multinational company ITW.

http://www.hi-cone.com

Asda prescribes the perfect tablet for holiday happiness

Asda - 18 July 2011

A feature-rich Arnova 8" high-definition tablet for less than £100

The ideal holiday gadget carries all the books, music and entertainment that you’ll ever need on holiday with no risk of excess baggage charges

Holiday-makers looking for light-weight, slim-line entertainment to slip into their packing this summer should look no further than Asda. The fully-featured Arnova 8” tablet is on sale exclusively at Asda for an amazing £99.

The tablet has built-in WiFi, a 4GB internal memory (capable of holding thousands of average-sized books) and a micro SDHC card slot for additional storage. It is powered by the popular Android 2.1 ‘Éclair’ operating system and is perfect for music and video playback, showing off holiday snaps, reading eBooks, browsing the web and playing games.

Alex Crowe, technology expert at Asda said: “It’s absolutely amazing what can be packed in to this fantastic Arnova tablet. Tonnes of books and music, email, Internet browsing, games and much, much more – and it only weighs ounces. It really is the perfect holiday gadget and at this fantastic price it can’t be beaten.”

The Arnova features 25 hours of music playback battery life – enough to satisfy the most dedicated music fan, and it comes with a power adaptor and USB cable to top up the battery whenever required.

There is a huge online library of applications available for the device, which effectively turn the Arnova into the electronic equivalent of a Swiss Army knife.

The 8” high-resolution touch-screen plays movies in High Definition quality.

The in-built email software enables users to keep in touch with friends and family whenever the tablet is connected to a wireless network.

This latest offer follows Asda’s sell-out promotion of the £52 ViewSonic ebook reader earlier this year. The supermarket chain wants to become the UK’s Tablet World, offering unbeatable prices on new technology.

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Stay safe in the Sun and get the perfect bikini body with pomegranate juice

Pomegreat - 18 July 2011

Pomegranate juice protects skin from UV damage, say scientists

Natural antioxidants increase the body’s defences against harmful exposure

Pomegranate juice consumption may reduce waist lines, study finds

Drinking pomegranate juice gives the body added protection against the sun’s harmful rays, according to scientific research.

Everyone knows that they should use high-factor sun cream to reduce the risks from UV exposure, which can cause skin cancer. But could we all do more to ensure sun safety?

A study by the Department of Dermatology at the University of Wisconsin found that pomegranate juice and oils protect the skin from UV damage because of the natural antioxidants they contain.

Pomegranate juice has a higher concentration of antioxidants than juices like apple, orange and cranberry and is an excellent source of polyphenol antioxidants, which are crucial in the protection against UV rays.

Beautiful Sun Set Beach

Pomegreat, the UK’s leading pomegranate juice maker, is packed with antioxidants. Varieties include the not-from-concentrate Pure, and Original Juice Drink and Ruby, which both contain the juice of eight pomegranates.

Adam Pritchard, Pomegreat CEO said: “Of course, the best way to stay safe in the sun is to wear plenty of high factor sunscreen and to stay in the shade.

“But we can all take care of ourselves from the inside as well as the outside, and we’re delighted that pomegranate juice gives us added sun safety.”

For those in search of the perfect beach body, pomegranate juice may also play a role in reducing fat in the abdominal area, reducing beer bellies and deflating “muffin-tops” according to a study by Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.

As part of an independent research project conducted by nutrition scientists at Queen Margaret University, healthy volunteers were asked to drink a daily bottle of Pomegreat pure juice over a period of four weeks. An unexpected outcome of the research was an early indication that pomegranate juice may help to redistribute fat away from the abdominal area.

The study showed a significant reduction in plasma NEFA (a measure of blood free fatty acids composition) following 4-week consumption of Pomegreat Pure fruit juice in 11 out of 19 subjects. Elevated levels of NEFA is often associated with type II diabetes and obesity, and has also been associated with adiposity, or body fat. A reduction in plasma levels may be beneficial in reducing such metabolic syndromes. In addition, there was a significant reduction in insulin resistance (measured as HOMA-IR) that may also impact loss of abdominal fat and improve the well-being of people with Type 2 Diabetes.

Notes to Editors

1. The University of Wisconsin research was published in Experimental Dermatology periodical in 2009.

2. Pomegreat Pure is available at Waitrose and Morrison’s RRP £3.29 for 500ml and £1.99 for 250ml.

3. Pomegreat Orginal (RRP £1.39)and Ruby (RRP £2.15) are available at Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s and Waitose and other leading supermarkets.

– Ends –

Less is more with innovative
new bottle packaging

Hi-Cone - 10 June 2011

Hi-Cone unveils new PET bottle multipack system at the Consumer Goods Forum

New system enables brands to reduce packaging materials by up to 50%

Hi-Cone, the international leader in packaging for beverage, food and consumer goods, will launch a brand new storage-and-carry system for large PET bottle multipacks at next week’s Consumer Goods Forum in Barcelona.

The highly cost-effective packaging uses between 20 to 50% less material than standard printed shrink wrap, yet is sturdy, secure and easy to carry. It is suitable for six-packs of 1.5 or 2 litre PET bottles of water or other soft drinks.

Hi-Cone will unveil the packaging at its ‘Win More With Less’ stand at the prestigious international summit, which attracts leading executives from more than 650 consumer goods companies from 70 countries.

Major retailers, manufacturers and service providers will be among those joining the network event from June 15-17. Hi-Cone was selected for a stand after the Forum organisers judged it to be highly innovative within the packaging industry.

Ton Hoppenbrouwers, Business Development Director for Hi-Cone said: “We are truly delighted to be chosen as innovative and to be recognised in such a big market. What is especially important is that we have a unique audience at the Consumer Goods Forum.”

The new packaging is convenient for consumers because it has a fully integrated carry handle which is safe and easy to carry. Once opened, the system continues to hold the remaining bottles in place.

It also has multiple benefits for brands because it creates a billboard effect across the multipack for key messages, graphics and promotions, it can be used on display pallets and the positioning of all barcodes is easily controlled.

The major reduction in materials used creates significant cost savings and dramatically enhances sustainability across the whole supply chain.

– Ends –

Stressed at work?
A daily drink of pomegranate juice could be the answer

Pomegreat - 06 June 2011

New university study finds that pomegranate juice reduces stress hormone levels in British workers

Frazzled British workers are being thrown a lifeline today with the news that a glass of pomegranate juice per day will deliver a measurable reduction in their stress hormone levels. A recent study found that 41% of British workers claim to be stressed or very stressed in their jobs. Researchers at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh studied the physiological effect of daily consumption of 500ml of Pomegreat Pure pomegranate juice over a two-week period. Sixty volunteers from a range of working environments took part in the study.

The study found that daily consumption caused a significant reduction in the level of stress hormone cortisol in saliva and a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in all volunteers. Cortisol (hydrocortisone) is a steroid hormone, or glucocorticoid, produced by the adrenal gland. It is released in response to stress.

Volunteers also showed an improvement in arterial health as measured by pulse wave velocity.

Volunteers were also assessed on mood status using a specialist test. After consumption of pomegranate juice most subjects reported that they were more enthusiastic, inspired, proud and active and all reported that they were less distressed, nervous, guilty and ashamed according to the attributes tested.

The full results of the study will be presented at an international conference in Barcelona in October.

Research Scientist, Dr Emad Al-Dujaili who led the study said: “On the basis of these findings there is a justified argument for busy workers to drink pomegranate juice to help alleviate chronic stress and maintain good health.”

“There is a growing body of evidence that pomegranate juice delivers wide-ranging health benefits that merit further research. It is very rare indeed for an all-natural juice to offer the range of health benefits that we are seeing in pomegranate juice.”

A recent study by the charity Mind found that stress is prevalent in the British workforce, with 41% of respondents describing themselves as currently stressed or very stressed in their jobs. Two-thirds said they had been put under more pressure by management since the economic downturn.

An earlier study by Queen Margaret University researchers found that pomegranate juice may redistribute weight around the body, moving flab away from bellies and muffin tops.

The study showed a significant reduction in plasma NEFA (a measure of blood composition) following 4-week consumption of Pomegreat pure fruit juice in 11 out of 19 subjects. A reduction in plasma NEFA may indicate a reduction in waist circumference.

- Ends -

Study detail and methodology

A controlled cross-sectional intervention study was carried out on 60 volunteers recruited from several work environments. The subjects vary in age (21-64y, mean=39.1 ±13.8y), sex (22 males and 38 females) and BMI (25.6± 4.5kg/m2) and were asked to drink one bottle of Pomegreat® Pure juice (500mL/day) for 2 weeks. There was a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (Systolic BP reduced from 122.4 to 119.6 mmHg, p<0.001; Diastolic BP reduced from73.3 to 72.2mmHg, p<0.001), and improvement in the mood PANAS-X test score (overall score increased from 73 to 77, p=0.0008; positive score increased from 29 to 31, p=0.017; and negative score decreased from 16 to14, p=0.029).There was also a significant reduction in Pulse wave velocity as measured by a Viacorder (7.1 to 6.9m/s, p=0.003). The stress hormone cortisol levels in saliva were also assessed on 3 days, before, during and at the end of intervention. There was a significant reduction in salivary cortisol levels (P value ranged from 0.03-0.001) at all 3 time points tested (AM, noon and PM) per day.

In conclusion, the study shows that consumption of pomegranate pure juice for 2 weeks has significantly reduced blood pressure and the feeling of stress and nervousness in a large group of office workers from different disciplines. This was substantiated by the reduction in the stress hormone levels. There was also an improvement of arterial health and the above results may suggest that pomegranate juice intake can alleviate work-related stress levels in addition to the cardiac protective effect of pomegranate.

Multipacks get the billboard treatment

Hi-Cone - 25 May 2011

New machine positions cans face out in multipacks for visual impact in key marketing messages

A packaging machine which offers drinks brands maximum on-pack promotional opportunities with minimum use of materials has been launched in the UK.

The high-speed orientation machine for multipacks of cans enables manufacturers to display key messages and images across the cans themselves rather than pay extra and create more waste by covering the packs in shrink wrap.

The innovation comes from Hi-Cone, the international leader in packaging for beverage, food and consumer goods, which is firmly committed to environmental responsibility and sustainability.

Key to the orientation machine’s success is the fact that it automatically and precisely forward faces all cans, giving consistent presentation on the shelf to consumers.

So the multipacks of four, six, eight and twelve cans effectively offer a billboard with high visual impact on which to display a brand’s key messages and images.

First to install the machine in Great Britain is the cider maker Aston Manor at its site in Tiverton, Devon, but the machine can also be used for any type of beverage sold in cans. Hi-Cone also manufactures similar machines orienting glass and PET bottles.

The machine – model 9352 – packs a maximum of 2,400 cans per minute and secures them with Hi-Cone’s environmentally-friendly carriers which use a very small amount of material compared with other packaging systems. They are also photodegradable and 100% recyclable.

Ton Hoppenbrouwers, Hi-Cone’s Business Development Director, Europe, says: “The orientation machine gives brands maximum promotional benefit with minimum use of material, cost and effort."

“Consumers are increasingly voicing their preference for minimal packaging, and our machine enables brands to meet that concern while still delivering their vital messages and images.”

Research conducted by Hi-Cone showed consumers believe the orientation multipacks have better shelf appeal than those covered with shrink wrap, are more convenient for storage and produce less disposable waste.

Aston Manor, which makes a range of ciders including the UK’s leading white cider brand, Frosty Jack’s, also packages for several other brewers and the major multiple supermarkets.

Paul Clifford, Engineering Director at Aston Manor says: “We are proud to have the orientation machine. Our business is about having innovative ideas, and the machine certainly fits in with that."

“The visual impact of the multipacks on the shelf is fantastic and our customers are very pleased that we can provide that.”

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Asda price breakthrough on Samsung Galaxy strengthens its position as the UKs "Tablet World"

ASDA - 18 May 2011

Asda is once again offering a breakthrough price on a branded tablet with the news that the Samsung Galaxy P1010 is now on sale for an amazing £277, the lowest price on the market in the UK.

The Samsung Galaxy joins a growing range of next-generation tablets available from Asda, including five different models for under £100. Tablets are becoming increasingly popular as homes and businesses continue to move towards a post-PC World.

Adam May, computer and tablet buyer at Asda, said: “We’re delighted to be offering this amazing deal on a highly regarded Samsung tablet. Once again Asda are leading the market on price and building our reputation as the UK’s leading source of affordable next generation technology. Stocks are limited at this price and we encourage shoppers to act quickly.”

The Samsung is offered exclusively online at direct.asda.com.

The Samsung Galaxy offers Wi-Fi connectivity, enabling users to access web services via wireless networks, thereby minimising costs. The Galaxy delivers a full web browsing experience with Flash 10.1 support on its 7ins touch-screen. It also features the innovative Reader Hub and Social Hub, making it the ultimate entertainment and communication device for those on the go.

The one-stop Readers Hub is an integrated book, magazine, and newspaper source that gives users e-Reading access to a wide array of books and newspapers. Users can build their own library and have instantaneous access to favourite books at the touch of a fingertip. The familiar paperback size of the Galaxy makes the 7ins screen a joy to read during an afternoon break.

A full high-definition video experience on the 7inch screen offers the perfect platform to watch movies on the go. This is complemented by a 5.1 surround sound theatre experience via SoundAlive 3D audio.

The Social Hub integrates E-mail, IM, and SNS to consolidate information into one unified box, and interact faster with more people in the way the user wants to.

The Samsung Galaxy P1010 specification:

Processor: ARM Cortex 1GHz

Memory: Up to 32GB Flash via Micro SD

Software: Operating System: Android 2.2

Display: 7” LCD Capacitive Touchscreen

Resolution: 1024 x 600

Graphics / Video Player: Adobe Flash Player 10.1

Webcam: 3 MP rear-facing camera / 1.3 MP front-facing camera (webcam)

Audio: Built-in speaker

Input Devices: Touchscreen (Capacitive)

Networking: WLAN: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi

Power Supply: Li-ion battery / Up to 7 hours video playback

Dimensions:

Depth 11.98 mm

Width 120.45 mm

Height 190.1 mm

Weight 0.385 kg

Interfaces: 1 x Headphone jack, 1 x 30-pin charging port, PC connection port, Volume and power controls, MicroSD Card slot

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Asda launches the "Antechs Roadshow"

ASDA - 16 May 2011

British homes are sitting on a £multi-billion fortune in unused old gadgets that can easily be converted into cash

Asda offers customers the opportunity to “cash in their digital chips”

Online trade-in service available immediately, in-store service launches in June

“Best Price Paid” pledge to beat trade-ins elsewhere

British homes are sitting on a mountain of unused gadgets worth billions of pounds, according to national Omnibus polling for Asda. The poll found that there could be at least 35 million unused old mobile phones. More than a million UK homes have five or more unused old mobile phones rattling around in kitchen drawers. The trade-in value of the mobile phones alone is estimated to be £700 million.

Old gadgets are prized for their refurbishment and recycling value. Refurbished technology is routinely resold in the UK or overseas. Recycled gadgets are highly prized by specialist firms that are able to extract rare metals and use them in other devices.

Based on the Omnibus polling, Asda calculates that there are 11 million old unused digital cameras, 9 million old PCs, 5.5 million old laptops, more than a million redundant Sat Navs and 12 million outdated games consoles in UK homes. The total trade-in value of these items amounts to several billion pounds.

To encourage households to cash-in on the value of their old technology a new electronic trade-in service is launched today by Asda, with a pledge to pay the best price for gadgets traded in. The new service will enable millions of customers to send in and trade their unwanted tech items for cash. And from June, customers can pick up envelopes in all stores nationwide to earn cash from their unwanted electrical goods.

Phil Stout, Asda’s Electronics Service Manager said: “We reckon that the average UK home has hundreds of pounds worth of old gadgets that could be traded in for cash. There are more mobile phones in the UK than people, for example, so there is a lot of cash out there waiting to be released. Our tech trade-in service means customers can now save even more on their gadget purchases at Asda or use the bounty to save on the cost of day-to-day living.”

From today, customers can trade in mobile phones, Sat Navs, digital cameras, MP3 players and portable games consoles online. From the beginning of June, Asda will offer customers the chance to trade in other larger electronic gadgets such as laptops, tablets and games consoles for cash.

The Asda Tech Trade-in offers a “We will not be beaten on Price” offer against stated market leaders - if a better price is offered for the same gadget by a listed competitor, Asda will pay the difference.

To use Asda’s Tech Trade-In, customers just need to go online at www.asda.com/techtradein and find their item and get a price. From the start of June, Tech Trade-in envelopes will be in store for customers to send their electronic items for cash.

Phil Stout added: “By recycling, refurbishing or repairing these items we’re also helping the UK to become greener – meaning all that electrical equipment in your drawers can still have a useful life.”

Visit www.asda.com/techtradein to find out more and trade in your electronics.

- Ends -

Notes to editors:

The Best Price Guarantee is against Mazuma, Envirofone, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Boots.

Asda scans the market against these retailers at the time the electrical item is entered into www.asda.com/techtradein If the customer can show Asda’s is not the best offer in 24 hours then Asda will pay difference.

Items included in the trade-in at launch: Mobile phones, Sat Navs, Digital Cameras, Mp3 players and Portable Games Consoles

Items included in the trade-in from start of June: laptops, tablets and games consoles

Research

Figures are extrapolations based on research conducted by Vision Critical, part of Angus Reid Public Opinion, in May 2011. 2,029 GB adults were surveyed, drawn from their Springboard UK online panel and is balanced on age, gender, region and social grade.

Respondents were asked to identify the number of old, unused mobile phones, games consoles, laptops, PCs, SatNavs and digital cameras they had in their household. Asda extrapolated national totals based on the responses.

In addition to weighting by age, gender, social class and region (weighted and unweighted figures shown in the tables). Angus Reid also weighted its raw data by newspaper readership and past vote. Age, gender and region figures are from the Office of National Statistics and social grade is from the Market Research Society Occupation Groupings. Newspaper readership is derived from a combination of NRS data and our own research to account for variations in questions asked. Past vote weighting is done separately for Scotland as well as England and Wales (together).

New environmental mark for Hi-Cone

Hi-Cone - 12 May 2011

Classic low-waste multi-ring packaging is awarded prestigious global environmental label.

Hi-Cone, the international leader in multi-packaging for beverage, food and consumer goods, has won a prestigious environmental accreditation. The world-famous ring packaging, which holds together six-packs of drink cans has won the plaudit for its low-waste approach.

The Carbon Footprint of Products (CFP) Label recognises the Hi-Cone multipack as low carbon and environmentally responsible.

According to the CFP assessment panel, based in Japan, each Hi-Cone six-pack carrier for beer cans has a CO2 emission of 19.6g. Hi-Cone is delighted to have achieved this low rating.

Hi-Cone uses a very small amount of material in its ring carriers compared with heavier packaging systems, so reducing the use of raw materials and overall waste. All packaging materials:

Are 100% recyclable
Are non-toxic
Are photodegradable (decompose in sunlight in as little as three weeks)
Use minimal packaging in weight and volume and therefore minimal energy input.

As well as its famous ring carrier, the firm provides a variety of multipack systems for cans, glass and PET bottles for soft drinks, beer and water.

Ton Hoppenbrouwers, Hi-Cone’s Business Development Director, Europe, said: “We are delighted that the company’s hard work in reducing greenhouse gas emissions has been recognised. Hi-Cone will continue its efforts to reduce its environmental burden further.”

An independent study (1) has also shown that Hi-Cone packaging uses substantially lower atmospheric and waterborne emissions, and less energy and solid waste than its principal packaging competitors, paper board and shrink wrap packaging, throughout its life cycle.

(1) Study carried out by Franklin Associates. It revealed the comparative environmental impact of different packaging materials:

	Hi-Cone	Shrink Wrap	Board
Weight	3.8kg	10kg	37.5kg
Water Intake	1	2	33
Solid Waste	1	3.1	9
Energy	1	3.1	4.2
Atmospheric Emission	1	3.5	5
Waterborne Emission	1	3.1	6

All the above figures are based on producing 100,000 six packs, Hi-Cone vs. shrink wrap and paper board.

www.hi-cone.com

www.cfp-japan.jp/english

More information: Tracey Harrison

+44 (0)7708 044671 / tracey.harrison@1238kmh.com

Asda and Puffin books launch national "facebox time" initiative aimed at 8-12 yr old kids

Asda - 09 April 2011

• Stories and poems from leading authors will appear on tens of millions of cereal boxes for kids’ 15 minutes of morning “Facebox time”

• World-renowned author Roald Dahl will be first in a series of writers featured on Asda own-brand cereal boxes

• More than a third of today’s 8-12 year olds think that Rudyard Kipling makes cakes, and 1 in 5 think Phileas Fogg is a crisp manufacturer

An ambitious literary project designed to inspire millions of kids to read more is being launched today by Asda and Puffin Books. The partnership will see excerpts from classic childrens’ authors appear on the back of tens of millions of Asda cereal boxes nationwide.

Cereal is the most commonly consumed breakfast food by kids, with millions sitting at a table in front of a cereal box each weekday morning before school. The total number of cereal boxes sold in the UK for children’s consumption last year was 127,032,000.

Extracts from four of Roald Dahl’s childrens’ books, combined with interesting facts about the author and details of a creativity competition for kids will appear on Asda shelves nationally from Saturday.

Francesca Dow, managing director of Penguin Children’s Books, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting this imaginative campaign to inspire kids to read and fire their imaginations. We’ve selected the extracts very carefully and we’re hopeful that by doing so many thousands more children will soon be hooked on books. Roald Dahl is the world’s favourite children’s author and the perfect choice to launch this important campaign.”

Research carried out amongst 8-12 year olds commissioned by Asda confirms parents’ and teachers’ fears that reading books is not considered to be a leisure time activity by the vast majority of the young. Asked to select their favoured after-school activities, 78 per cent of children chose television and 69 per cent chose games consoles. In contrast, only 40 per cent said that they were likely to read a book. The number was worse for boys, with fewer that a third (31 per cent) saying that they were likely to read a book. Looking at 12 year olds, only 26 per cent said that they would read a book.

Children were also tested on their knowledge of classic authors and famous literary characters. Thirty five per cent thought that Rudyard Kipling made cakes, 20 per cent thought that Phileas Fogg was a crisp manufacturer and 15 per cent thought that Fogg was a weather forecaster.

The launch comes after a recent report by ChildWise found that children in Britain sit in front of a TV or computer screen for four-and-a-half hours a day. It found that kids now spend an average of one hour and 50 minutes online and two hours 40 minutes in front of the television every day.

Len Barker, category director for Books at Asda, said: "With so many entertainment options available to kids it's no surprise that they are spending less and less time reading books. Kids are a captive audience first thing in the morning. Our aim is to try and turn the one occasion in the day when children are least likely to be distracted into an opportunity to ignite their interest in literature, through some classic writing, from a very famous author."

The total value of the UK cereals market in the UK last year was more than £300,000,000.

- Ends -

Notes to editors:

More information, photography, spokespeople:
Hamish Thompson, 07702 684290, hamish.thompson@1238kmh.com

Research cited was carried out for Asda by Q Mindspace (qualitative and quantitative amongst 8-12 year olds)

ROALD DAHL AND HIS LEGACY

Born in Cardiff in 1916 of Norwegian descent, Roald Dahl was one of the world’s most imaginative, successful and loved storytellers. Since his death in 1990, his work has not only endured but is still increasing in popularity. His stories are currently available in almost 50 languages. UK sales alone are over 50 million books and rising.

The official Roald Dahl website, currently attracts two million visitors per year with an online membership of around 200,000 fans.

10% of author royalties from all Roald Dahl books, films, plays, and merchandise are donated to the two Roald Dahl charities:

Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity (formerly called The Roald Dahl Foundation) makes seriously ill children’s lives better by raising money to support crucial care and support services across the UK. By providing nurses, equipment, carers or toys – by working with hospitals, charities or directly with parents – it improves the lives of children who are living with specific serious and life-threatening conditions. Since being founded in 1991 by Roald Dahl’s widow, the charity has distributed nearly £7 million and is proud of its strong record in funding crucial nursing posts in the areas of epilepsy, acquired brain injury, and haematology. There are currently 46 Roald Dahl Nurses throughout the UK.

The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre is a unique cultural, literary and education hub, which opened in June 2005 in Great Missenden where Roald lived and wrote many of his best-loved works. The Museum was named “Small Visitor Attraction of the Year” at the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence 2008.

On September 13th 2006, the first national Roald Dahl Day was celebrated. The event proved such a success that Roald Dahl Day is now marked annually. In the UK, the day has expanded to take over the whole month of September and Roald Dahl Day is now also celebrated throughout the world. Roald Dahl Day 2011 will be strongly themed around Roald Dahl’s classic tale JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH, which was first published FIFTY years ago in 1961.

There have been many adaptations of Roald Dahl’s work for the big screen. The most recent of these was Wes Anderson’s acclaimed 2009 animated version of FANTASTIC MR FOX, starring George Clooney and Meryl Streep. Roald Dahl’s writing has also inspired classical music, opera, plays and musicals. 2010 saw the RSC’s critically acclaimed new musical version of Roald Dahl’s MATILDA, which will open in London’s West End in autumn 2011.

For further information, please visit:
www.roalddahl.com - the official website of Roald Dahl.

Most British workers have at least 48 "weakdays" per year

Pomegreat - 04 April 2011

- Below-par days are endemic in British business, study finds
- Low energy levels at work could be major contributor to shortfall in competitiveness of British business
- Underperformance may be linked to poor diet says wellbeing expert

An omnibus poll of 2,000 British workers for juice producer Pomegreat has identified a new category of working day. Workers were asked to quantify the average amount of time they spend during an average working week feeling below par or less energised. So-called “Weakdays” hover between working days and sick leave and are defined by low energy levels, daydreaming and the creation of the illusion of work without any real quantifiable output.

Sixty-three percent of respondents said that they lacked energy or enthusiasm for their work at least one day per week. Fifteen percent said that they lacked energy or enthusiasm for work every day. The figures were higher in Scotland and London with 22% and 18% respectively viewing every day as a weakday. Only 4% said that they never had a weakday.

Pomegreat advisor and professional well-being expert Dr Dorian Dugmore said: “If workers are less than effective for what works out to two months a year, the hidden cost to British business is huge. It’s little wonder that there are near ceaseless concerns about British competitiveness and productivity if most of us are working for so long with flat batteries.”

The answer may lie in poor management of nutrition, according to Dr Dugmore. “Our diets tend not to be optimised for our working days and this means that many of us are listless and lacking in energy for significant parts of our working lives. We often put this down to our natural need for an afternoon siesta, but there is more to it than that. Foods and drinks that give slower energy release, for instance, are far better for us and can help us to maintain energy levels and enthusiasm throughout the day.”

Studies have found that healthier foods and drinks can have a significant impact on personal performance at school or in the workplace and Pomegreat is calling for clearer guidelines for workers on how to manage their nutrition during the day to maximise performance.

Adam Pritchard, CEO of Pomegreat, said: “We’re all familiar with the afternoon slump but our study shows that the problem may be more widespread. Small changes to our diets could make a huge impact on our personal productivity and the success of British business.”

As part of their drive to improve the workplace diet Pomegreat have launched trials of office-based vending machines for their juice and have introduced a lunchbox-friendly 250mm bottle.

-Ends –

Notes

Research conducted by Vision Critical, part of Angus Reid Public Opinion, in March 2011. 2,000 GB adults were surveyed, drawn from their Springboard UK online panel and is balanced on age, gender, region and social grade.

About Pomegreat

At Pomegreat we are passionate about pomegranates. Pomegranate juice is all we produce so we make it our priority to do it very well. In fact we spent well over a year perfecting Pomegreat Original but we believe the result was well worth the wait. Our passion for the pomegranate and obsession with quality is reflected in every delicious drink we produce.

Adam Pritchard, founder, CEO and pomegranate expert, ensures only the best quality pomegranates are squeezed into each carton of Pomegreat, so that you can enjoy the healthy goodness of this ruby red and refreshing fruit drink. For more information, visit our website, www.pomegreat.com, or follow us on Twitter @pomegreat.

Lagan launches latest version of software that enhances goverment delivery of services to citizens

Lagan Technologies - 01 April 2011

LAGAN LAUNCHES LOCAL GOVERNMENT VERSION 8

Lagan, a division of KANA, today formally announces the latest release of Lagan Local Government Version 8. Lagan is the global leader in G2C (government to citizen) solutions connecting government and citizens worldwide. Lagan enables governments and citizens to communicate online, on the phone and on the move. With 200 public sector customers worldwide, Lagan helps local governments serve the everyday interests of more than 60 million citizens.

Version 8 reflects input from Lagan’s worldwide customer base, including improved support for Lagan customers’ evolving channel shift strategies for both service and information requests.

The latest release (8.0.2) offers new benefits for local governments seeking to deliver better service experiences to citizens: lower maintenance costs, speed to enhance, depth of deployment, compliance and customer service.

Announcing the launch, Mark Duffell, CEO of KANA Software said: “With Version 8, we are responding to the demands of our increasingly sophisticated customer base, particularly through improved support for our customers’ evolving channel shift strategies. In a time of austerity, public sector organisations across the world are under pressure to continue to provide front line services but with reduced budgets. Version 8 gives our customers important mechanisms to help them address this challenge."

Lagan Local Government Version 8:

· Allows citizens to answer their own questions, reducing the cost of service delivery per citizen. In conjunction with the Knowledge option, Version 8 enables both citizens (on the web) and agents (in the citizen service centre) to get answers to questions from the same knowledge source, the latter with added “internal-only” supporting information.

· Supports more sophisticated processes, across multiple channels, more easily, more quickly. A new case form injection feature enables Lagan eForms to be used as templates for the support of processes through simple business user re-use. This powerful feature, also leveraged by Lagan Citizen Portal and Lagan OnDemand, delivers support of different presentations of the same process on different devices easily.

· Extends Lagan further into the back office, allowing better service to be delivered to the citizen. New Virtual Office features provide better support for key business processes such as following up with a citizen (email and letter correspondence) and fulfilling a case (case history filtering, better presentation of case information).

· Enables compliance with the most rigorous policies regarding system access. The new Access Control List (ACL) based Advanced Security mechanism within Version 8 significantly improves upon the capabilities inherent in previous versions. It provides a GUI-based configuration mechanism, permission-based access to functions by user role and rule-based access to data and data fields. the new Advanced Audit mechanism records all system access, including creation, print and search operations in a separate secure database.

In the latest Local Government Marketscope report from Gartner published in 2011, Lagan achieved the highest possible “strong positive” rating for a second successive time, the only company to achieve this in the Local Government sector over the last four years.

- Ends -

Notes to editors

Solution Availability

Lagan Version 8.0.2 is available immediately.

About Lagan

Lagan, a division of KANA Software, Inc., is the global leader in G2C (government to citizen) solutions connecting government and citizens worldwide. Lagan enables governments and citizens to communicate online, on the phone and on the move. With 200 public sector customers worldwide, Lagan helps local governments serve the everyday interests of more than 60 million citizens.

Lagan’s solutions for Service Experience Management have been designed to streamline the service delivery functions of government, enabling improved efficiency and more citizen-centric public services. Lagan manages the interactions between citizens and government and provides full support for a wide variety of government service delivery processes. Lagan’s solutions have proven utility for state and local governments and offer a range of flexible delivery methods: on-premise, on-demand and hosted.

About KANA Software

KANA makes every customer experience a good experience. As the leader in Service Experience Management (SEM), KANA gives managers total control over the customer service process, so they can take care of their brand while taking care of customers. By unifying and adapting customer journeys across the contact center, web site and social community, KANA's solutions have reduced handling time, increased resolution rates and improved Net Promoter Score (NPS) at more than 600 enterprises, including half of the Global 100 and more than 200 government agencies. KANA is based in Silicon Valley and has offices worldwide. For more information, visit:

www.lagan.com

www.twitter.com/lagan_business

www.facebook.com/pages/Lagan-Technologies/174507632593437

www.kana.com

Media Contact

UK: Alison Palmer, alison_palmer@lagan.com

Grab and Go: New size for Pomegreat Pure

Pomegreat - 21 March 2011

A new, convenient 250ml version of Pomegreat Pure, the not-from-concentrate pomegranate juice, is now on sale at Waitrose, aimed at shoppers who want a drink on the go.

Pure is the premium product from Pomegreat, the UK’s leading pomegranate juice maker. It is a blend of two varieties of hand-cut and pressed pomegranates and has a superb, naturally sweet flavour.

The blend is packed with antioxidants, boasting a higher concentration of them than other fruit juices, including orange, apple and cranberry. Recent studies have also highlighted the numerous health benefits of pomegranate juice. Research carried out on behalf of Pomegreat at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, found that volunteers who drank a glass of Pure a day had significantly lower blood pressure after two weeks. The study also found that the juice may help to reduce abdominal fat.

Waitrose is stocking the 250ml bottles in its chiller cabinets at 110 stores nationwide, with an RRP of £1.99.

Larger 500ml bottles of Pomegreat Pure are also available in Waitrose and Morrisons stores, and online at www.ocado.co.uk

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More information:

Tracey Harrison

07708 044671

About Pomegreat

New eBook site aims to help authors break out of the agent's "slush pile"

Bibliotastic - 28 February 2011

Today marks the official launch of bibliotastic.com a new website that aims to connect aspiring authors immediately with an international audience, building awareness and support for their work and aiming to speed up the path to paid-for publication.

Bibliotastic aspires to be to the ebook market what YouTube has become to the user-generated video.

Bibliotastic’s co-founder James Crawshaw said: “What many authors crave is a deeper understanding of the views of readers. Multi-million dollar book advances are nice too, but a desire to be read is core to the motivation of most writers.”

The site ranks authors’ works based on the opinions of readers, providing useful data for site visitors and equally valuable data for writers themselves who will be able to use their bibliotastic scores to support submissions to agents and publishers.

James Crawshaw added: “The appetite for content is undiminished and whilst headlines focus on the demise of the conventional bookshop the trade in literature online is growing rapidly. Breaking out of the agents’ slush piles has always been difficult, except for the lucky few, and we think that testing a writer’s work on the open market is a very effective way of getting a real sense of what the public want and what the commercial prospects really are. We hope that the site will create a better bridge between writers and publishers.”

“We all know the stories about now famous authors who spent years getting rejection letter after rejection letter from agents until one day they got their lucky break and suddenly all of their previously rejected back catalogue was deemed marketable. Bibliotastic aims to let the audience decide for itself what is worth reading rather than just relying upon the commercial filters of mainstream publishing.”

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About bibliotastic.com

The bibliotastic team of volunteers are located across Europe, North America and Asia. Our goal is to create and operate the premier source for free, contemporary, ebooks on the web. We provide a platform for new and evolving authors to reach a wide audience and for readers to give them direct feedback. Bibliotastic books are free for authors to upload and free for readers to download or browse online.

More information: james.crawshaw@bibliotastic.com

Follow bibliotastic on Twitter: #bibliotastic

Join bibliotastic on Facebook: www.facebook.com/bibliotastic

Pomegreat launches "Pomegranates for Peace" campaign to support the peace effort in Afghanistan

Pomegreat - 25 February 2011

- Campaign backed by leading British gardener and broadcaster Toby Buckland puts power in the hands of UK consumers

- Contribution from every carton of Pomegreat sold will go direct to boosting pomegranate production in Afghanistan and ending the opium trade

- Campaign aims to create thousands of hectares of new pomegranate orchards per year, replacing poppies as Afghanistan’s leading cash crop

Friday, 25 February 2011: Pomegreat, the UK’s leading supplier of pomegranate juice, is launching a campaign today that it hopes will make a substantial contribution to the peace effort in Afghanistan.

Pomegranate juice is rapidly emerging as an international export opportunity for farmers in war-torn Afghanistan. The growing popularity of pomegranate juice means that pomegranate farming now yields a better price per hectare for Afghan farmers than opium poppy production. A contribution from all cartons of Pomegreat juice and juice blends sold in Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Tesco and Waitrose will go direct to the cultivation of new pomegranate orchards in Afghanistan, clearing thousands of hectares of opium poppies.

Launching the campaign today, Toby Buckland says: “I am delighted to give this campaign my full support. Planting is all about hope and this brilliant enterprise promises enormous hope to a region where the seeds of conflict and poverty have reaped so much misery. This is truly planting for peace, a sustainable agricultural project with the potential to put an end to the opium trade in Afghanistan and bring prosperity to Afghan farmers.”

Pomegreat will make a contribution for every carton of juice it sells from today towards the farming initiative. Each pound raised will buy a pomegranate sapling and the firm aims to plant 1,000 hectares of saplings in Afghanistan every year. Afghan farmers currently earn $2,500 per hectare a year from pomegranates, compared with $1,200 per hectare from poppies. Pomegreat hopes that retailers will consider match-funding the campaign. Pomegreat juice and juice blends are on sale in most supermarkets, including Asda, Tesco, Waitrose, Morrison’s and Sainsbury’s.

Adam Pritchard, CEO of Pomegreat, says: “Agriculture in Afghanistan is at a cross-roads and our initiative could mark the beginning of a transformation from dependence on a cash crop linked to conflict to one linked to peace and well-being.”

The red ball-shaped fruit thrives in the arid conditions in Afghanistan. Pomegranate juice is growing in popularity in the UK and worldwide and a series of recent studies have pointed to numerous health benefits.

Toby Buckland adds: “We are determined to have a direct impact on the peace effort in Afghanistan through our work with local farmers and producers. This campaign puts a lot of power in the hands of UK consumers and we are confident that this switch in indigenous agriculture will have a transformative effect on the agricultural economy in Afghanistan.”

Toby adds: “Afghanistan has been in my thoughts since designing a Memorial Garden for the 45 Commando Royal Marines, at their base in Arbroath. Talking to the men, who will shortly be deployed to Afghanistan for a 4th tour of duty, has given me an insight into the issues and complexity of the region and that’s why I strongly believe this practical on-the-ground campaign will really help.”

Pomegreat regularly visits Afghanistan. Meetings with farmers throughout the country have confirmed their desire to shift production away from poppies to pomegranates. All money raised through carton sales will be channeled through the not-for-profit organisation The Pomegreat Foundation, and the planting and nurturing of the pomegranates will be organised on the ground in Kandahar and Helmand provinces by the charity Roots of Peace. Its founder Heidi Kuhn says: “We are delighted to be working with Pomegreat on this vital initiative. The world wants to see peace in Afghanistan, and we believe that persuading farmers to plant pomegranates instead of poppies is a step towards that.”

Pomegranate juice has been linked with a wide range of health benefits and sales of the juice have risen dramatically in the UK in the last six months.

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About pomegranates

A pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing between five and eight metres tall. The pomegranate is mostly native to the Iranian Plateau and the Himalayas in north Pakistan and Northern India. It has been cultivated in the Caucasus since ancient times, namely in Armenia, and today, is widely cultivated throughout Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Egypt, China, Burma, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the drier parts of southeast Asia, the Mediterranean region of Southern Europe, and tropical Africa.

Introduced into Latin America and California by Spanish settlers in 1769, pomegranate is now cultivated in parts of California and Arizona. In the Northern Hemisphere, the fruit is typically in season from September to February. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is in season from March to May. The pomegranate is a very ancient fruit, mentioned in the Homeric Hymns and the Book of Exodus.

Asda supports Britain's bookworms with the launch of the £52 mobile library

ASDA - 07 February 2011

Britain’s lowest cost eBook reader enables readers to access tens of thousands of free classic title

At a time when there are mounting public concerns about potential library closures, Asda is doing its bit for bookworms by discounting the price of eBook readers to £52 – less than half the price of Amazon’s lowest cost Kindle.

Thousands of out-of-copyright classic titles are available online for free, enabling eBook owners to access an enormous range of outstanding literary content to read on commutes, holidays and on the sofa. The website Project Gutenberg alone currently has more than 33,000 free eBooks available for download, featuring works by authors that include Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, HG Wells, Mark Twain, Jane Austen and Emily Bronte. Based on a reading speed of a book a day, this provides enough content to keep a reader going for 90 years. More recent paid-for titles can also be loaded onto the Asda eBook reader which recognizes a wide range of content formats.

view quest mediabox, ebook Image 2

Asda’s £52 View Quest Mediabox 5" Media Tablet features eBook, music and video playback. Users can read eBooks in portrait or landscape mode, store and view photos and images and it also has a built in voice recorder that students can use to make notes when they are reading. The tablet is backlit for night time reading, and has a power saving mode to reduce eye strain and improve battery life.

Adam May, tablet buyer at Asda, said: “There’s no doubt that the eBook is here to stay and we’re doing our bit to put affordable literature in the hands of bookworms. We’re also hoping that we can inspire a new generation of readers. At £52, which works out at £1 per week for a year, our reader is outstanding value and will give many years of pleasure to every generation of electronic bookworms.”

Unlike more expensive rivals like the Kindle, Asda’s eBook reader will also play movies. Once owners have finished reading a free Dickens classic they can watch a film adaptation.

Asda also stocks a wider range of tablets based on the Android operating system, with prices as low as £75 online at www.asda.co.uk for an Elonex 7” tablet.

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About Asda

At Asda saving money and keeping costs low is part of our culture. Saving you money every day isn’t a marketing slogan; it’s the single-minded focus of everyone at Asda.