Bamboo Innovator

Dirty Oilmen Get Clean Bedsheets Every 12 Hours; “We’re devoted to the oil industry now, no more tourists, just oil workers”

Dirty Oilmen Get Clean Bedsheets Every 12 Hours: Argentina Credit

In the desert town of Anelo, Alejandra Diaz’s task at eight o’clock each morning is to make sure the oilmen have clean sheets. As the manager of the 70-room Sol de Anelo, her staff has 40 minutes to clean the hotel’s designated “hot beds” before the next set of occupants arrive from their shifts in the shale oil fields of Neuquen province. Opened in 2005 as an eight-room roadside stop for tourists en route to the Andes mountains, Anelo’s largest hotel now offers 10 percent of its rooms for 12 hours at a time to accommodate the crush of oil-industry workers who have descended upon the town of just 1,700. Read more of this post

Wal-Mart Sees Amping Up Efforts to Open More China Sam’s Club Warehouses

Wal-Mart Sees Amping Up Efforts to Open More China Sam’s Club Warehouses

Retailer Looks to Open 10 New Stores Per Year in China in Six to Seven Years

LAURIE BURKITT

Dec. 18, 2013 6:59 a.m. ET

BEIJING— Greg Foran sees a solution to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. WMT -0.03% ‘s China woes in $11 pallets of bottled water and $8 half-kilogram (1.1 pound) bags of dried plums. Read more of this post

This Map Shows How Many Countries Contribute To A Single Jar Of Nutella

This Map Shows How Many Countries Contribute To A Single Jar Of Nutella

MADELINE STONE

DEC. 11, 2013, 11:43 AM 11,245 3

Nutella has a huge global fanbase, but it turns out its ingredients come from everywhere as well. The hazelnut spread is such a global product, in fact, that the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development used it as a case study in their most recent report on global value chains. 250,000 tons of Nutella are sold in 75 countries each year. Though Ferrero International SA, the company that produces the spread, is based in Italy, they have nine global factories: five in Europe, one in Russia, one in North America, two in South America, and one in Australia. What’s most amazing about the OECD report is just how many countries are suppliers of Nutella ingredients. The hazelnuts come from Turkey, cocoa from Nigeria, palm oil from Malaysia, sugar mainly from Brazil (but also from Europe) and the vanilla flavor from China. Here’s a map that shows Nutella’s global presence. We first saw this map on Quartz.

The hunger for gluten-free foods has become a headache for restaurant chains, as they struggle to produce dishes that meet increasingly strict requirements from customers and government regulators

At Restaurants, Gluten-Free Is a Tough Recipe

Chains Struggle to Meet Consumer Demands and FDA Guidelines; ‘No Guarantees’

JULIE JARGON

Dec. 15, 2013 7:37 p.m. ET

The hunger for gluten-free foods has become a headache for restaurant chains, as they struggle to produce dishes that meet increasingly strict requirements from customers and government regulators. Read more of this post

The Craft Beer Market Has Exploded, And Now Brewers Are Worried About A Collapse

The Craft Beer Market Has Exploded, And Now Brewers Are Worried About A Collapse

NOAH DAVIS

DEC 14, 2013, 06.11 PM

On a recent Monday morning, the stretch of Route 100 that runs through sleepy Waterbury, Vermont, was bumper to bumper. The line of Camries, Sierras and Outbacks, some from as far away as Illinois, inched forward in the crisp air, their drivers united in a singular goal. Read more of this post

See Which Major Restaurants Serve Coca-Cola Vs. Pepsi

See Which Major Restaurants Serve Coca-Cola Vs. Pepsi

ASHLEY LUTZ AND MIKE NUDELMAN DEC. 17, 2013, 4:12 PM 4,735 9

Coca-Cola recently lost its contract with Buffalo Wild Wings to Pepsi. The deal represented a victory for Pepsi in the infamous “soda wars.” We researched 34 of the top restaurant chains to see if they offered Coke or Pepsi. Coke comes out the undisputed winner, with big contracts with McDonald’s, Subway, and Burger King. Pepsi still has some notable brands, like Taco Bell, KFC, and Hooters. Check it out:

Pizzerias Try to Apply the Chipotle Formula; Can Restaurants Deliver a Higher-Quality Pizza in Two Minutes?

Pizzerias Try to Apply the Chipotle Formula

Can Restaurants Deliver a Higher-Quality Pizza in Two Minutes?

SARAH NASSAUER

Updated Dec. 18, 2013 9:58 a.m. ET

Pizza is getting a Chipotle makeover. Chipotle has quietly joined a growing group of restaurants aiming to change how we eat pizza. The Mexican-food chain has the blueprint from its burritos: Make pizza fast, individually tailored and with higher-quality ingredients than low-end competitors. Photo: AP

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. CMG -0.01% has quietly joined a growing group of restaurants aiming to change how we eat pizza. The ascendant Mexican-food chain known for its mix of healthy-enough, fast-enough food, has the blueprint from its burritos: Make pizza fast, individually tailored and with higher-quality ingredients than low-end competitors. The restaurant’s executives want to carve out a niche between eating pizza at home and heading to a high-end, sit-down Italian restaurant. Pizza is one of the most popular meals in the U.S. but it’s eaten most often via delivery or the supermarket freezer aisle. Read more of this post

Why Loehmann’s is bankrupt while T.J. Maxx cruises along

Why Loehmann’s is bankrupt while T.J. Maxx cruises along

By Claire Zillman, reporter December 17, 2013: 11:06 AM ET

It all comes down to scale. With each new store opening, TJX has upped its leverage to demand department-store quality goods at lower prices.

FORTUNE — On Monday, Loehmann’s filed for bankruptcy for the third time, citing $100 million in debt. It plans to close all of its 39 stores.

• The Bronx-based retailer, which blamed increased competition and a number of strategic, financial, and operating decisions for its decline, joins a growing graveyard of deceased discount retailers that includes the likes of Filene’s Basement, Daffy’s, and Syms. Read more of this post

Toy Makers Look to Extend the Run of Classic Girls’ Characters; Hasbro’s My Little Pony hair-styling kiosks aim to keep tweens and teens engaged with the brand

Toy Makers Look to Extend the Run of Classic Girls’ Characters

Hasbro’s My Little Pony hair-styling kiosks aim to keep tweens and teens engaged with the brand

ANNE MARIE CHAKER

Dec. 17, 2013 7:00 p.m. ET

Mattel Inc.’s Ever After High dolls are teenage offspring of classic fairy-tale characters. Mattel

How many years can a girl stay friends with Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle? It’s a question worth hundreds of millions of dollars to companies including Hasbro Inc.,HAS -0.50% home of the candy-colored My Little Pony characters, and Mattel Inc.,MAT 0.00% creator of Barbie. These and other toy makers are fighting an uphill battle to keep girls playing with dolls as long as possible before they move on to digital games, iPads and mobile phones. Read more of this post

Why Are the Chinese Scared of American Corn?

Why Are the Chinese Scared of American Corn?

Who’s afraid of a little genetically engineered American corn?

Chinese quarantine officers apparently. They’ve recently blocked at least six batches (more than 180,000 tons) of American corn from entering China, citing the presence of genetically-modified strain of the grain that the Chinese government hasn’t (yet) approved for import. The impact has been notable: In recent days U.S. corn futures fell, in part out of fear of further Chinese enforcement action. Read more of this post

Chocolate Eaters Drive Record Cocoa-Output Deficit: Commodities

Chocolate Eaters Drive Record Cocoa-Output Deficit: Commodities

Global cocoa supplies are headed for the longest production shortfall in more than five decades as chocolate demand surges in Asia.

Cocoa use will top output by about 70,000 metric tons in the 12 months started Oct. 1 and deficits will persist through 2018, a six-year stretch that would be the longest since the data began in 1960, said Laurent Pipitone, head of statistics at the International Cocoa Organization in London. Prices may rally 15 percent to $3,200 a ton by the end of 2014, according to the median of 14 trader estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. Read more of this post

Thai group’s China supermarket deal collapses; Scrapping of CP Lotus’s sale to Wumart highlights sector woes

December 16, 2013 4:42 am

Thai group’s China supermarket deal collapses

By Michael Peel in Bangkok and Jamil Anderlini in Beijing

Thai conglomerate CP Group’s $300m planned sale of Chinese supermarkets to Wumart has collapsed, the latest casualty of turning sentiment in China’s powerhouse retail sector. Read more of this post

Shanghai Glut Rises With Tallest Tower: Real Estate

Shanghai Glut Rises With Tallest Tower: Real Estate

When completed in 2015, the Shanghai Tower will be China’s tallest building. The 632-meter (2,074-feet) skyscraper will also deepen a glut of offices in the city, putting pressure on rents. Read more of this post

Several factors explain why Beijing suddenly seems so interested in civil aviation reform. It’s about more than merely enabling Chinese billionaires to be flown around in helicopters and private jets

Chinese Reform Starts to Take Off

CHRISTOPHER JACKSON

Dec. 18, 2013 12:12 p.m. ET

For the most part, businesses and investors are in wait-and-see mode following last month’s Third Plenum meeting of China’s leadership. Beijing has promised reforms, and now the question is whether and how those reforms will be implemented. But in one industry, big changes are already underway: aviation. This offers a case study to examine, both in the extent in which reform is possible, and in how difficult it will be to execute. Read more of this post

PetroChina’s Kunlun Energy Chairman Quits as China Widens Graft Probe

Kunlun Energy Chairman Quits as China Widens Graft Probe

By Aibing Guo – Dec 17, 2013

The Chairman of Kunlun Energy Co., the gas distribution arm of China National Petroleum Corp., resigned amid a widening government anti-corruption campaign that claimed his predecessor four months earlier. Read more of this post

India’s Central Bank Suggests Tighter Rules to Curb Soured Debt

India’s Central Bank Suggests Tighter Rules to Curb Soured Debt

India’s central bank said lenders may boost borrowing costs for defaulters who aren’t cooperating to help recover soured debt, as it steps up efforts to curb rising bad loans in a slowing economy. Banks should form a panel and set timelines to resolve bad debt, the Reserve Bank of India said in a discussion paper released on its website today. The regulator also proposed higher provisions on such debt if the lenders can’t reach an agreement regarding their recovery or sale. Read more of this post

In rural China, teacher upholds Mao Thought to save the world

In rural China, teacher upholds Mao Thought to save the world

2:45am EST

By Carlos Barria

SITONG, China (Reuters) – In a remote part of China, the day starts at the Democracy Elementary and Middle School with a pre-dawn jog, some revolutionary songs and then an activity long-since forgotten at other schools: reciting quotations from Mao Zedong’s “Little Red Book”. Read more of this post

In Beijing housing market, education drives location

In Beijing housing market, education drives location

Sun, Dec 8 2013

By Li Hui and Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) – Zhong Jian and his wife are willing to pay double the going rate for a tiny home in a Beijing neighbourhood so their 18-month-old daughter will be eligible to attend a top primary school nearby. Read more of this post

How Real is China’s Growth? GDP Alternative Sheds Light

December 18, 2013, 4:15 AM

How Real is China’s Growth? GDP Alternative Sheds Light

BOB DAVIS

Perhaps the most common question about China’s phenomenal record of growthis:  Is it real? Even China’s premier, Li Keqiang, has expressed doubts about China’s GDP results. In a 2007 discussion with the U.S. ambassador to China, which both thought was private, Mr. Li called GDP a “man-made and therefore unreliable” statistic. Read more of this post

Hershey is gobbling up Chinese candy maker Shanghai Golden Monkey for $600M

Hershey takes big bite of Chinese sweet seller

An hour ago

Hershey is buying 80 per cent of the somewhat brilliantly named Shanghai Golden Monkey Food, a Chinese confectioner. The iconic US candy company did not reveal the price it is paying for Shanghai Golden Monkey. But it said the Chinese business expects to record net sales of more than $225m in 2013. Shanghai Golden Monkey, according to its website, sells products Hershey fans would probably eat, such as milk chocolate, and some that may only be suitable for the Chinese market, such as its “strawberry cheese” candy.

Hershey to Buy China Candy Maker

Chocolate Giant Seeks a Stronger Hold in the Fast-Growing Chinese Sweets Market.

LAURIE BURKITT

Updated Dec. 19, 2013 7:44 a.m. ET

BEIJING—Chocolate giant Hershey Co. HSY +1.80% is gobbling up Chinese candy maker Shanghai Golden Monkey Food Joint Stock Co. in a nearly $600 million bid for a stronger hold in China—one of the world’s fastest-growing markets for sweets. Read more of this post

Expected to be China’s biggest, Guangdong carbon market begins briskly

Updated: Thursday December 19, 2013 MYT 2:17:59 PM

Expected to be China’s biggest, Guangdong carbon market begins briskly

GUANGZHOU: The first day’s trading in what will be by far the largest carbon market in China kicked off briskly on Thursday with pricing in line with expectations, as Beijing continues its drive to slow its rapid growth of heat-trapping emissions. Read more of this post