H&H GROUP ACHIEVES ROBUST DOUBLE-DIGIT TOP-LINE GROWTH IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2023, SETTING THE GROUP UP FOR A POSITIVE GROWTH OUTLOOK FOR THE FULL YEAR

LONDON, Aug 28 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading global family nutrition company, Health and Happiness (H&H) International Holdings Limited (HKSE: 1112), has announced its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2023, delivering double-digit top-line growth to place the Group on a strong trajectory for the remainder of the year.

• The Group achieved revenue growth of 17.2% on a reported and like-for-like (“LFL”) basis and positive EBITDA margin across each of its three strategic business pillars, as well as healthy profitability and cash flow
• High-margin and fast-growing nutritional supplements across three business pillars have become the largest revenue contributor, making up 60.1% of the Group’s total revenue
• Adult Nutrition and Care (ANC) segment has now become the Group’s largest growth contributor delivering revenue growth of 43.2% on a LFL basis, led by a strong first half for Swisse which celebrated surpassing AUD$1billion in global sales¹
• Baby Nutrition and Care (BNC) segment confined to low single-digit sales decline (-2.1% on a LFL basis) amid strong market headwinds, partly offset by growth in Biostime paediatric probiotic and nutritional supplements
• Pet Nutrition and Care (PNC) segment delivered strong revenue growth of 21.4% on a LFL basis, with Zesty Paws officially recognised as the no.1 Brand of Pet Supplements in the US²
• The Group has further improved its net leverage to 3.40x (30 June 2023) and remains on track to deleverage its balance sheet in the coming years
• Furthered sustainability progress, including submitting science-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets to the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), to continue to drive long-term growth with impact
• Maintained stable dividend pay-out ratio of 50% consistent with the previous periods

The full media release can be viewed here. 

^{1 Swisse, Total Net Revenue (Global), AUD, LTM 30 June 2023
2 Source Euromonitor International Limited; Pet Supplements category as per Passport Ecommerce. All channels included, excluding vets, value sales in RSP, more info at https://zestypaws.com/pages/claim}


Contact: hhgroup@thephagroup.com

SOURCE : H&H Group

CARGILL AND BAR TECHNOLOGIES' GROUND-BREAKING WIND TECHNOLOGY SETS SAIL, CHARTERING A NEW LOWER-CARBON PATH FOR THE MARITIME INDUSTRY

^{Cargill and BAR Technologies’ ground-breaking wind technology sets sail, chartering a new lower-carbon path for the maritime industry. (Photo: Business Wire)}


A collaboration between Cargill, BAR Technologies, Mitsubishi Corporation and Yara Marine Technologies has the potential to decarbonize cargo vessels by up to 30 percent


GENEVA, Aug 21 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Cargill and BAR Technologies’ ground-breaking innovation, BAR Tech WindWings by Yara Marine sets sail on open waters, testing new technology that will bring cutting edge wind propulsion to commercial shipping for the first time.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230820864494/en/

 

Mitsubishi Corporation’s Pyxis Ocean, chartered by Cargill, is the first vessel to be retrofitted with two WindWings, which are large wing sails measuring up to 37,5 meters in height that can be fitted to the deck of cargo ships to harness the power of wind. Produced by industrialization partner Yara Marine Technologies, they are expected to generate average fuel savings of up to 30 percent on new build vessels, which could be even higher if used in combination with alternative fuels. The installation of the wings took place at the COSCO shipyard in China and the Pyxis Ocean is now on the water, conducting her maiden voyage.

“The maritime industry is on a journey to decarbonize—it's not an easy one, but it is an exciting one,” said Jan Dieleman, President of Cargill’s Ocean Transportation business. “At Cargill we have a responsibility to pioneer decarbonizing solutions across all our supply chains to meet our customer’s needs and the needs of the planet. A technology like WindWings doesn’t come without risk, and as an industry leader – in partnership with visionary shipowner Mitsubishi Corporation - we are not afraid to invest, take those risks and be transparent with our learnings to help our partners in maritime transition to a more sustainable future.”

The installation demonstrates a step-change in attitudes towards technologies that can enable an energy transition for existing vessels. The WindWings project, which is co-funded by the European Union as part of the CHEK Horizon 2020 initiative, can help the industry meet those targets by offering a retrofit solution that is capable of decarbonizing existing vessels, which is particularly relevant given that 55 percent of the world’s bulker fleets are up to nine years in age.

The performance of the WindWings will be closely monitored over the coming months to further improve their design, operation, and performance, with the aim that the Pyxis Ocean will be used to inform the scale-up and adoption across not only Cargill’s fleet but the industry. BAR Technologies and Yara Marine Technologies are already planning to build hundreds of wings over the next four years and BAR Technologies is also researching newbuilds with improved hydrodynamic hull forms.

“If international shipping is to achieve its ambition of reducing CO2 emissions, then innovation must come to the fore. Wind is a near marginal cost-free fuel and the opportunity for reducing emissions, alongside significant efficiency gains in vessel operating costs, is substantial. Today is the culmination of years of pioneering research, where we’ve invested in our unique wind sail technology and sought out a skilled industrialization partner in Yara Marine Technologies, in order to provide vessel owners and operators with an opportunity to realize these efficiencies,” said John Cooper, Chief Executive Officer, BAR Technologies.

More about the WindWing Project

• The WindWing project is part of a project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 955286.
• By harnessing the power of wind, WindWings can help vessel owners meet new CII rules. As wind power is not only zero emissions but is also non-depleting and hugely predictable, it offers significant efficiency gains in vessel operating costs.
• On an average global route, WindWings can save 1.5 tonnes of fuel per WindWing per day - with the possibility of saving more on trans ocean routes. This can translate into vessel owners saving heavy fuel oil (HFO) at c$800 per tonne, which will become even more important when saving against future fuels which will undoubtedly cost a lot more.

About Cargill

Cargill helps the world’s food system work for you. We connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients and families with daily essentials—from the foods they eat to the floors they walk on. Our 160,000 team members around the world innovate with purpose, empowering our partners and communities as we work to nourish the world in a safe, responsible, sustainability way.

From the feed that reduces methane emissions to waste-based renewable fuels, the possibilities are boundless. But our values remain the same. We put people first. We reach higher. We do the right thing. It’s how we’ve met the needs of the people we call neighbors and the planet we call home for 158 years—and how we’ll do so for generations to come. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.

About BAR Technologies

With an impressive heritage, having originally spun out from the former British, America’s Cup Team, BAR Tech provides a wide range of design and engineering consultancy services with a focus on 4 key sectors; Workboats and Commercial Vessels, Shipping, Special Projects and Leisure Marine and Yachts.

BAR Technologies offer a cohesive team of world lead naval architects and optimisation specialists; fluid dynamists; mechanical, structural and composite engineers; control strategy and system specialists; they offer data and simulation engineers with access to the latest commercial knowledge, using bespoke in-house design tools.

For more details please visit: https://www.bartechnologies.uk/

About Yara Marine Technologies

Yara Marine (YMT) provides technologies to enable a greener maritime industry. Since 2010, YMT has been at the forefront of maritime emissions reduction, working closely with ship-owners, yards, and naval architects as partners in our effort to drive the change towards sustainable shipping. Today, Yara Marine offers a portfolio of green technologies, such as SOx scrubbers, fuel optimization systems – FuelOpt and Fleet Analytics, turnkey shore power solutions, and the cutting-edge, advanced wind-assisted propulsion system WindWings. Yara Marine is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with offices in Sweden, Poland, and China.

To learn more, please visit www.yaramarine.com or follow YMT on LinkedIn.

About Mitsubishi Corporation

Head Office: 3-1, Marunouchi 2-Chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-8086, Japan
Representative: Katsuya Nakanishi, Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer
Date Established: July 1, 1954 (Date Registered April 1, 1950)
Main Operations: MC engages in a wide range of businesses spanning multiple industries and overseen by its Industry DX Group, Next-Generation Energy Business Group and 10 Business Groups: Natural Gas, Industrial Materials, Chemicals Solution, Mineral Resources, Industrial Infrastructure, Automotive & Mobility, Food Industry, Consumer Industry, Power Solution, and Urban Development.

View source version on businesswire.com: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230820864494/en/


Contact

Nicole Marlor, media@cargill.com

Source : Cargill

PHISHING REMAINS MOST DOMINANT INTERNET CRIME - CLOUDFLARE

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Cloudflare Inc has released its inaugural 2023 Phishing Threats Report highlighting that phishing remains the most dominant and fastest growing Internet crime, largely due to the ubiquity of email and the ceaseless issue of human error that is preyed upon by today’s threat actors.

Its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Matthew Prince said phishing is an epidemic that has permeated into the farthest corners of the Internet, preying on trust and victimising everyone from CEOs to government officials to the everyday consumer.

“Email messages and malicious links are nefarious partners in crime when it comes to the most common form of Internet threats.

“Organisations of all sizes need a Zero Trust solution that encompasses email security - when this is neglected, they are leaving themselves exposed to the largest vector in today's threat landscape,” he said in a statement.

While business email compromise (BEC) losses have topped US$50 billion, corporate organisations are not the only victims that attackers are after, as the real implications of phishing go beyond Fortune 500’s and global companies, extending to small and local organisations as well as the public sector. (US$1=RM4.64)

Regardless of an organisation's size, industry or sector, the report revealed that threat actors who leverage phishing campaigns have two major objectives, which are to achieve authenticity and legitimacy in the eyes of the victim, and to persuade victims to engage or click.

These objectives are underscored by the key findings of the report, including malicious links were the most prevalent threat category, comprising 35.6 per cent of detected threats while, one-third (30 per cent) of detected threats featured newly registered domains, were the second most common threat category.

Other findings indicated that identity deception threats are on the rise. Attackers posed as more than 1,000 different organisations in over one billion brand impersonation attempts, with Microsoft, one of the most trusted software companies, being the most impersonated brand.

The report is a culmination of data intelligence and security trends gathered from the 112 billion threats, with an evaluation on more than 279 million email threat indicators, 250 million malicious messages, over one billion instances of brand impersonation, and other data points gathered from approximately 13 billion emails processed between May 2022 to May 2023.

Additionally, this report is informed by a Cloudflare-commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting, in which it surveyed 316 security decision-makers across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific about the state of phishing, between January 2023 and February 2023.

-- BERNAMA

JUNIPER RESEARCH: BANKING-AS-A-PLATFORM MARKET REVENUE SET TO GROW OVER 1,125% BY 2028, AS TRADITIONAL BANKS FIGHT BACK, JUNIPER RESEARCH STUDY FINDS

BASINGSTOKE, England, Aug 7 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- A new study from Juniper Research, the foremost experts in fintech, has found global revenue from BaaP (Banking-as-a-Platform) services will increase to $49 billion globally in 2028, from $4 billion in 2023.

The study argued BaaP can help traditional banks regain their competitive edge against neobanks. Through collaboration with innovative vendors, banks can offer new services from partners, including embedded insurance, lifestyle offers with leading brands, or access to HR services for small businesses.

Find out more about the new report, Banking-as-a-Platform: Market Forecasts, Trends & Strategies 2023-2028, or download a free sample.

What Is Banking-as-a-Platform?

Juniper Research defines Banking-as-a-Platform as: “A business model that enables third-party partners to build products and services for bank customers, most commonly a technology company that can provide APIs while the bank manages data exchange, oversees authentication and ensures compliance.”

The study argues banks can utilise partnerships with industry leaders to build upon their core banking model; helping them compete with fintechs by offering more user-friendly services. Compared with traditional acquisitions, BaaP partnerships are highly flexible and can be easier to integrate, as banks transition to API-focused models. By offering a wide range of services via BaaP, banks can gain a competitive edge without having to stray from their core business.

Digital Banks Must Capitalise on BaaP Marketplaces

According to the report, banking marketplaces are the most effective way for banks to adapt to the digital age; helping them create financial services ecosystems that offer personalised customer experiences, without developing services themselves. For example, Revolut has extensively expanded its lifestyle offerings in-app; creating its own ecosystem of services, without taking on the costs traditional banks have faced in expanding services. In turn, customers benefit from innovative solutions that are tailored to their needs; increasing satisfaction and improving the stickiness of their banking relationships.

Juniper Research recommends banks evaluate which services are core, and which services can be replaced by working with innovative third parties; enabling banks to improve services being offered, while reducing costs in a difficult economic climate.

Banking-as-a-platform market research: https://www.juniperresearch.com/researchstore/fintech-payments/banking-as-a-platform-payments-research-report

Download the free sample: https://www.juniperresearch.com/whitepapers/baap-helping-incumbent-banks-to-keep-up

Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector, providing consultancy, analyst reports and commentary.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230806024345/en/

Contact

Sam Smith, Press Relations
T: +44(0)1256 830002
E: sam.smith@juniperresearch.com

Source : Juniper Research

Watkins Wellness Expands Into Sauna Category Via Sauna360 Acquisition

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 (Bernama) -- Watkins Wellness, a hot tubs and aquatic fitness systems provider, has expanded its portfolio of personal well-being products and entry into the sauna category as a result of the pending acquisition of Sauna360 Group Oy (Sauna360) by its parent company, Masco Corporation.

In a statement, Watkins Wellness said the transaction was expected to close in the third quarter of the year, subject to regulatory approval.

“Sauna360 brings a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise to our business. We look forward to leveraging the synergies between our businesses, which will allow us to better serve our dealer partners, consumers and ultimately, the growing wellness market,” said Watkins Wellness President, Vijaikrishna Teenarsipur.

Meanwhile, Sauna360 Group President & Chief Executive Officer, Pekka Lettijeff said: “Sauna360’s business has grown in recent years, and becoming part of Watkins Wellness will further strengthen our capability and ambition to be a leading sauna player.

“The dealer distribution strategy, common focus on wellness and similar company cultures make this a true strategic fit.”

Sauna360 is a global manufacturer of sauna solutions, and its portfolio of products includes traditional, infrared, and wood-burning saunas as well as steam showers, rooms and generators.

These products are sold primarily in the United States, Europe and throughout the rest of the world under the Tylö, Helo, Kastor, Finnleo and Amerec brands.

Established in 1977 in Vista, California, Watkins Wellness is dedicated to promoting wellness to consumers to help them feel good and live well, with its growing portfolio of well-being products for at-home use provides multiple pathways to wellness.

-- BERNAMA