Friday, July 9, 2021

ACCO Brands Corporation (ACCO)
A Return to Normalcy Bodes Well

ACCO Brands Corporation designs, manufactures, sources, markets, and sells office products, academic supplies, and calendar products primarily in the United States, Canada, Northern Europe, Brazil, Australia, and Mexico. It operates through three segments: ACCO Brands North America, ACCO Brands EMEA, and ACCO Brands International. The company offers office products, such as stapling, binding and laminating equipment, and related consumable supplies, as well as shredders and whiteboards; and academic products, including notebooks, folders, decorative calendars, and stationery products. It also provides private label products, as well as business machine maintenance and repair services. The company offers its business, academic, and calendar product lines under the Artline, AT-A-GLANCE, Derwent, Esselte, Five Star, GBC, Hilroy, Leitz, Marbig, Mead, NOBO, Quartet, Rapid, Rexel, Swingline, Tilibra, Wilson Jones, and other brand names. In addition, it designs, sources, distributes, markets, and sells accessories for laptop and desktop computers, and tablets comprising security products; input devices, such as presenters, mice, and trackballs; ergonomic aids, including foot and wrist rests; docking stations; and other personal computers and tablet accessories under the Kensington, Microsaver, and ClickSafe brand names. The company sells its products to consumers and commercial end-users primarily through resellers, including traditional office supply resellers, wholesalers, mass merchandisers, and retailers, as well as directly to consumers through on-line and direct mail. ACCO Brands Corporation is headquartered in Lake Zurich, Illinois.

Joe Gomes, Senior Research Analyst, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

A Return to Normalcy? We recently held a virtual non-deal road show with ACCO CEO Boris Elisman (Which can be viewed here). CEO Boris Elisman noted an ongoing return to “normalcy” in two key end markets: back-to-school and office. On a pro forma basis, these two markets now account for 45% of overall sales.


Back-to-School.   Deloitte is projecting K-12 back-to-school spending to jump 16% over 2020 to $32.5 billion, even above the pre-pandemic 2019 level. Specific to ACCO, spending on school supplies are expected to rise 10%, to $5.5 billion, while spending on computers and electronic gadgets is projected to jump…

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary.  Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Friday, July 9, 2021

FAT Brands Inc. (FAT)
More International Expansion

FAT Brands Inc is a multi-brand restaurant franchising company. It develops, markets, and acquires predominantly fast casual restaurant concepts. The company provides turkey burgers, chicken Sandwiches, chicken tenders, burgers, ribs, wrap sandwiches, and others. Its brand portfolio comprises Fatburger, Buffalo’s Cafe and Express, and Ponderosa and Bonanza. The company’s overall footprint covers nearly 32 countries. Fatburger generates maximum revenue for the company.

Joe Gomes, Senior Research Analyst, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

New Deal for Mexico. FAT Brands has entered into an agreement with Red Rombo Group to bring 50 co-branded Fatburger and Buffalo’s Express locations to Mexico. The concept will make its debut in Mexico City with three locations, the first of which is set to open by the end of the year.


Continuing Momentum.  The Mexican deal comes on the heels of an agreement to open 40 co-branded Fatburger/Buffalo Express locations in France, five locations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and 12 locations that are slated to open in Brazil, Chile, Italy, Peru, and Spain. Each new location continues to…

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary.  Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

 

Playboy Collaborates with SuperRare to Present NFT Art Collection During Decentraland Art Week

Collection features original collaborations with NFT artists and iconic heritage photography

LOS ANGELES, July 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Playboy, the iconic lifestyle brand owned by leading pleasure and leisure lifestyle company PLBY Group, Inc.
(Nasdaq: PLBY), today announced its first curation collaboration with SuperRare, the Miami Beach Art Collection. The collection will go live today, July 9^th. An expanded version of a digital exhibit previewed to thousands of Crypto enthusiasts at BTC 2021 Miami, the collection features original animated works by Ayla El-Moussa, REK0DE, Jon Noorlander and MBSJQ, and an original heritage photograph unearthed from the Playboy Archives, featuring a Playboy Bunny pictured water-skiing outside of the Miami Playboy Club in 1970. As an added bonus, the first collector of the heritage NFT will receive a framed limited-edition print, courtesy of the Playboy Archives. Playboy is now whitelisted on SuperRare’s platform with the ability to curate and release ongoing collections.

The Miami Beach Art Collection will be featured on July 10^th during the first weekend of Decentraland’s second annual Art Week, a week-long virtual art fair featuring leading galleries and auction houses. The Playboy and Decentraland teams have partnered to design a Playboy-branded art gallery in Decentraland’s Crypto Valley. The fully customized Miami Beach-themed space will feature the five NFTs surrounded by a selection of heritage covers and imagery from the Playboy Archives, as well as a sand-covered floor, palm trees, flamingos, and a tropical color palette. Additional highlights will include a co-branded bar, an exclusive DJ set by Verité, and a curatorial overview of the exhibit provided by Playboy.

“We’re honored to join the SuperRare community, and so excited to present our first collaboration during Decentraland Art Week,” said Rachel Webber, Chief Brand Officer at Playboy. “We’ve long admired SuperRare’s curatorial vision and are thrilled to continue Playboy’s legacy as a curator of artistic expression on the platform. We also want to say a huge thank you to the always inspiring and innovative Decentraland team for inviting us to participate in their second inaugural art festival, and for their ongoing creative collaboration.”

“I’m super excited for SuperRare to be partnering with Playboy. The brand has supported incredible artists over the decades from Dalí to Warhol to Haring,” says John Crain, Chief Executive Officer of SuperRare. “NFTs are a new medium for artists and it’s great to see Playboy join the ecosystem.”

“Playboy made a huge splash in Decentraland in May of this year with ‘Liquid Summer’, its first-ever NFT collection,” said Sam Hamilton, Community & Events Lead, Decentraland Foundation. “To return so soon with its Miami Beach Art Collection shows not only how committed Playboy is to digital art and the artists but its belief in the power and future of the metaverse. Visitors to Art Week are in for a real treat.”

About
Playboy Art
For the past 67 years, Playboy has provided a platform for artists, writers, and photographers to express themselves with total freedom. From Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí to Keith Haring and Andy Warhol, to Kinuko Kraft and LeRoy Neiman, Playboy has featured some of the world’s most legendary artists. Playboy’s contemporary arts program continues to build on that legacy by serving as a platform for more female artists and diverse voices, including recent collaborations with some of today’s most exciting creatives, such as Marilyn Minter, Hank Willis Thomas, JR, Nick Cave, Betty Tompkins and many more. At the core of this evolution is a continued desire to push the boundaries of storytelling, to marry high and low sensibilities, and to champion artists who are igniting important conversations surrounding censorship, sexuality, and freedom of expression.

About
PLBY Group, Inc.
PLBY Group, Inc. connects consumers around the world with products, services, and experiences to help them look good, feel good, and have fun. PLBY Group serves consumers in four major categories: Sexual Wellness, Style & Apparel, Gaming & Lifestyle, and Beauty & Grooming. PLBY Group’s flagship consumer brand, Playboy, is one of the most recognizable, iconic brands in the world, driving billions of dollars in global consumer spending annually across approximately 180 countries. Learn more at http://www.plbygroup.com.

About
Super Rare
Founded in 2017, SuperRare is a pioneering online, peer-to-peer marketplace for premium, single edition non-fungible tokens (NFTs), most notably CryptoArt, built on the Ethereum blockchain. Created with the goal of reinventing art collecting for the digital age, SuperRare has facilitated artists and collectors around the world to sell and purchase more than $71M worth of art in the last year alone. On the heels of a successful first round of funding in 2021, SuperRare continues to work with key art curation and auction partners across the globe.

About
Decentraland
Decentraland is a decentralized virtual social platform powered by the Ethereum blockchain, that is owned and governed by its users. Through the Decentraland platform, they can create, experience, and monetize content and applications. Every day Decentraland features a wide assortment of events and activities – from digital art shows to music performances, gaming, quests and more.

Contact
Media: 
press@plbygroup.com
Investors: 
investors@plbygroup.com

	Image Credit: Bruce Detorres (Flickr)

Marijuana is Winning the Sports Battle

 

THC is a restricted chemical in athletic competition for sports leagues and federations that have signed on to the World Anti-Doping Code. The Code, sometimes referred to as WADA, is a document aimed to define what is and is not permitted for athlete use for the protection of the validity of the sports that have signed it — and for the health of the athletes. Consistency among sports organizations across the globe has been the WADA objective since being founded in 1999.

Organizations at Odds with WADA

Just as the legitimacy and safety of cannabis products have produced state laws at odds with the overriding federal government, so too do the athletic commissions of some states that, in defiance, have removed their marijuana THC prohibitions in many sports.    

The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) unanimously agreed on Wednesday (July 7) to change its policy and amend its anti-doping rules by removing the threat of suspension over cannabis use or possession for boxers. There are no longer any penalties threatening the athletes. Fighters would still be barred from the ring if they demonstrate intoxication. Ring sports in Nevada, boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA), are revered as first-class,  this was pointed out by the Commission Chair Stephen Cloobeck, “I think being the gold standard with regard to combat sports—both [Mixed Martial Arts] and boxing—being a world-class destination, and having our state show the leadership and the fortitude in light of some of the recent circumstances we’ve all seen on television, we should be always at the forefront of these issues,” Cloobeck said at Wednesday’s meeting. Drug tests for marijuana will still continue for the next six months for “data collection purposes.”

 

        U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) praised the commission’s action on Wednesday.

 

In May of 2021, The Florida State Boxing Commission stopped testing fighters for marijuana. At the time, Bob Bennett, the executive director of the Florida NAC said, “Marijuana is considered to be a substance of abuse and not a performance-enhancing drug.” He explained, “I think our goal is to test for performance-enhancing drugs in an effort to ensure there’s a level playing field.”

In January the USADA and UFC announced they would no longer punish ring sports athletes with positive marijuana tests. It’s important to note that the UFC is not a signatory of WADA so the restrictions are not the same as athletes that are being ranked for international competitions including the Olympics.

An official statement this Tuesday from USA Track & Field (USATF), the nation’s governing body for running, was referring to a new case where a runner who was favored for a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics was suspended, it read: that it’s currently unwilling to amend its own internal rules to make an exception in her case; however, it also said that international policy on cannabis punishing athletes “should be reevaluated.”

As part of a collective bargaining contract, the NFL’s policy related to cannabis changed in 2020. Under the policy, NFL players will not face the risk of suspension from games over positive tests for any drug. Marijuana, of course, falls within that umbrella of protection.    

In 2019 Major League Baseball decided to remove the herb from its list of banned substances. Players may consume marijuana without risk of discipline but may not play under the influence.

The NBA is currently operating under a  temporary policy to not randomly test for THC. This could soon become permanent. Rather than mandate blanket tests, Commissioner Adam Silver said the league would be reaching out to players who show signs of problematic dependency, not those who are “using marijuana casually.”

 

Take-Away

Recently Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in regards to federal cannabis laws being at odds with many state laws, “The Federal Government’s current approach is a half-in, half-out regime that simultaneously tolerates and forbids local use of marijuana.” As marijuana has various levels of acceptance within the public sphere, there are also various levels of rules that at times seem to conflict.

Professional sports and other entertainers often lead the way to full public acceptance of a once-taboo idea. While there have been athletes over the years who have lost advertising sponsorships for Marijuana use, it may not be too far off when we see this turned around, where athletes are openly endorsing a marijuana product for compensation.

 

Suggested Reading:

” Clarence Thomas’ Statement on Half-in/Half-out Marijuana Laws ”

Will Federal Law Surrounding Marijuana be Changed?

The Future of Cannabis Crosses Many Industries

Lithium Ion Battery Recycling Heats Up

 

Sources:

https://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/Commission_Statements/NSAC_Marijuana_Testing_Policy_Memorandum.pdf

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/nevada-sports-regulators-ditch-marijuana-testing-for-fighters-days-after-richardsons-olympics-suspension/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26178329/

https://www.wada-ama.org/en/what-we-do/the-code

https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/nevada-athletic-commission-rules-that-marijuana-possession-and-use-will-not-disqualify-fighters

https://twitter.com/repdinatitus

https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/1/14/22230502/ufc-usada-significant-rule-change-marijuana-thc-use-under-updated-anti-doping-program-rules

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/new-nfl-policy-would-end-suspensions-for-testing-positive-for-any-drug-not-just-marijuana/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2014/09/13/nfl-new-drug-policy-three-things/15571205/

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/nba-players-wont-be-tested-for-marijuana-next-year-as-league-weighs-permanent-change/

 

Stay up to date. Follow us:

	Image Credit: Bruce Detorres (Flickr)

Marijuana is Winning the Sports Battle

 

THC is a restricted chemical in athletic competition for sports leagues and federations that have signed on to the World Anti-Doping Code. The Code, sometimes referred to as WADA, is a document aimed to define what is and is not permitted for athlete use for the protection of the validity of the sports that have signed it — and for the health of the athletes. Consistency among sports organizations across the globe has been the WADA objective since being founded in 1999.

Organizations at Odds with WADA

Just as the legitimacy and safety of cannabis products have produced state laws at odds with the overriding federal government, so too do the athletic commissions of some states that, in defiance, have removed their marijuana THC prohibitions in many sports.    

The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) unanimously agreed on Wednesday (July 7) to change its policy and amend its anti-doping rules by removing the threat of suspension over cannabis use or possession for boxers. There are no longer any penalties threatening the athletes. Fighters would still be barred from the ring if they demonstrate intoxication. Ring sports in Nevada, boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA), are revered as first-class,  this was pointed out by the Commission Chair Stephen Cloobeck, “I think being the gold standard with regard to combat sports—both [Mixed Martial Arts] and boxing—being a world-class destination, and having our state show the leadership and the fortitude in light of some of the recent circumstances we’ve all seen on television, we should be always at the forefront of these issues,” Cloobeck said at Wednesday’s meeting. Drug tests for marijuana will still continue for the next six months for “data collection purposes.”

 

        U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) praised the commission’s action on Wednesday.

 

In May of 2021, The Florida State Boxing Commission stopped testing fighters for marijuana. At the time, Bob Bennett, the executive director of the Florida NAC said, “Marijuana is considered to be a substance of abuse and not a performance-enhancing drug.” He explained, “I think our goal is to test for performance-enhancing drugs in an effort to ensure there’s a level playing field.”

In January the USADA and UFC announced they would no longer punish ring sports athletes with positive marijuana tests. It’s important to note that the UFC is not a signatory of WADA so the restrictions are not the same as athletes that are being ranked for international competitions including the Olympics.

An official statement this Tuesday from USA Track & Field (USATF), the nation’s governing body for running, was referring to a new case where a runner who was favored for a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics was suspended, it read: that it’s currently unwilling to amend its own internal rules to make an exception in her case; however, it also said that international policy on cannabis punishing athletes “should be reevaluated.”

As part of a collective bargaining contract, the NFL’s policy related to cannabis changed in 2020. Under the policy, NFL players will not face the risk of suspension from games over positive tests for any drug. Marijuana, of course, falls within that umbrella of protection.    

In 2019 Major League Baseball decided to remove the herb from its list of banned substances. Players may consume marijuana without risk of discipline but may not play under the influence.

The NBA is currently operating under a  temporary policy to not randomly test for THC. This could soon become permanent. Rather than mandate blanket tests, Commissioner Adam Silver said the league would be reaching out to players who show signs of problematic dependency, not those who are “using marijuana casually.”

 

Take-Away

Recently Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in regards to federal cannabis laws being at odds with many state laws, “The Federal Government’s current approach is a half-in, half-out regime that simultaneously tolerates and forbids local use of marijuana.” As marijuana has various levels of acceptance within the public sphere, there are also various levels of rules that at times seem to conflict.

Professional sports and other entertainers often lead the way to full public acceptance of a once-taboo idea. While there have been athletes over the years who have lost advertising sponsorships for Marijuana use, it may not be too far off when we see this turned around, where athletes are openly endorsing a marijuana product for compensation.

 

Suggested Reading:

” Clarence Thomas’ Statement on Half-in/Half-out Marijuana Laws ”

Will Federal Law Surrounding Marijuana be Changed?

The Future of Cannabis Crosses Many Industries

Lithium Ion Battery Recycling Heats Up

 

Sources:

https://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/Commission_Statements/NSAC_Marijuana_Testing_Policy_Memorandum.pdf

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/nevada-sports-regulators-ditch-marijuana-testing-for-fighters-days-after-richardsons-olympics-suspension/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26178329/

https://www.wada-ama.org/en/what-we-do/the-code

https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/nevada-athletic-commission-rules-that-marijuana-possession-and-use-will-not-disqualify-fighters

https://twitter.com/repdinatitus

https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/1/14/22230502/ufc-usada-significant-rule-change-marijuana-thc-use-under-updated-anti-doping-program-rules

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/new-nfl-policy-would-end-suspensions-for-testing-positive-for-any-drug-not-just-marijuana/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2014/09/13/nfl-new-drug-policy-three-things/15571205/

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/nba-players-wont-be-tested-for-marijuana-next-year-as-league-weighs-permanent-change/

 

Stay up to date. Follow us:

	Image Credit: Rachel (Flickr)

Why Vacations Feel Like They’re Over Before They Even Start

 

For many people, summer vacation can’t come soon enough – especially for the half of Americans who canceled their summer plans last year due to the pandemic.

But when a vacation approaches, do you ever get the feeling that it’s almost over before it starts?

If so, you’re not alone.

In some recent studies Gabriela Tonietto, Sam Maglio, Eric VanEpps and I conducted, we found that about half of the people we surveyed indicated that their upcoming weekend trip felt like it would end as soon as it started.

 

This article was republished with permission from The Conversation, a news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It represents theresearch-based findings and opinion of Selin Malkoc Associate Professor of Marketing, The Ohio State University

 

This feeling can have a ripple effect. It can change the way trips are planned – you might, for example, be less likely to schedule extra activities. At the same time, you might be more likely to splurge on an expensive dinner because you want to make the best of the little time you think you have.

Where does this tendency come from? And can it be avoided?

 

Not all Events are Created Equal

When people look forward to something, they usually want it to happen as soon as possible and last as long as possible.

We first explored the effect of this attitude in the context of Thanksgiving.

We chose Thanksgiving because almost everyone in the U.S. celebrates it, but not everyone looks forward to it. Some people love the annual family get-together. Others – whether it’s the stress of cooking, the tedium of cleaning or the anxiety of dealing with family drama – dread it.

So on the Monday before Thanksgiving in 2019, we surveyed 510 people online and asked them to tell us whether they were looking forward to the holiday. Then we asked them how far away it seemed, and how long they felt it would last. We had them move a 100-point slider – 0 meaning very short and 100 meaning very long – to a location that reflected their feelings.

As we suspected, the more participants looked forward to their Thanksgiving festivities, the farther away it seemed and shorter it felt. Ironically, longing for something seems to shrink its duration in the mind’s eye.

 

Winding the Mind’s Clock

Most people believe the idiom “time flies when you’re having fun,” 
and research has, indeed, shown that when time seems to pass by quickly, people assume the task must have been engaging and enjoyable.

We reasoned that people might be over-applying their assumption about the relationship between time and fun when judging the duration of events yet to happen.

As a result, people tend to reflexively assume that fun events – like vacations – will go by really quickly. Meanwhile, pining for something can make the time leading up to the event seem to drag. The combination of its beginning pushed farther away in their minds – with its end pulled closer – resulted in our participants’ anticipating that something they looked forward would feel as if it had almost no duration at all.

In another study, we asked participants to imagine going on a weekend trip that they either expected to be fun or terrible. We then asked them how far away the start and end of this trip felt like using a similar 0 to 100 scale. 46% of participants evaluated the positive weekend as feeling like it had no duration at all: They marked the beginning and the end of the vacation virtually at the same location when using the slider scale.

 

Thinking in Hours and Days

Our goal was to show how these two judgments of an event – the fact that it simultaneously seems farther away and is assumed to last for less time – can nearly eliminate the event’s duration in the mind’s eye.

We reasoned that if we didn’t explicitly highlight these two separate pieces – and instead directly asked them about the duration of the event – a smaller portion of people would indicate virtually no duration for something they looked forward to.

We tested this theory in another study, in which we told participants that they would watch two five-minute-long videos back-to-back. We described the second video as either humorous or boring, and then asked them how long they thought each video would feel like it lasted.

We found that the participants predicted that the funny video would still feel shorter and was farther away than the boring one. But we also found that participants believed it would last a bit longer than the responses we received in the earlier studies.

This finding gives us a way to overcome this biased perception: focus on the actual duration. Because in this study, participants directly reported how long the funny video would last – and not the perceived distance of its beginning and its end – they were far less likely to assume it would be over just as it started.

While it sounds trivial and obvious, we often rely on our subjective feelings – not objective measures of time – when deciding how long a period of time will feel and how to best use it.

So when looking forward to much-anticipated events like vacations, it’s important to remind yourself just how many days it will last.

You’ll get more out of the experience – and, hopefully, put yourself in a better position to take advantage of the time you do have.

 

Suggested Reading:

Investing in Leisure Post Pandemic	Paying for Infrastructure Spending

More Frequent Travel May be the Actual Aftermath of the Pandemic	Your Personal Data is the Currency of the Digital Age

 

Stay up to date. Follow us:

Stay up to date. Follow us:

	Image Credit: Rachel (Flickr)

Why Vacations Feel Like They’re Over Before They Even Start

 

For many people, summer vacation can’t come soon enough – especially for the half of Americans who canceled their summer plans last year due to the pandemic.

But when a vacation approaches, do you ever get the feeling that it’s almost over before it starts?

If so, you’re not alone.

In some recent studies Gabriela Tonietto, Sam Maglio, Eric VanEpps and I conducted, we found that about half of the people we surveyed indicated that their upcoming weekend trip felt like it would end as soon as it started.

 

This article was republished with permission from The Conversation, a news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It represents theresearch-based findings and opinion of Selin Malkoc Associate Professor of Marketing, The Ohio State University

 

This feeling can have a ripple effect. It can change the way trips are planned – you might, for example, be less likely to schedule extra activities. At the same time, you might be more likely to splurge on an expensive dinner because you want to make the best of the little time you think you have.

Where does this tendency come from? And can it be avoided?

 

Not all Events are Created Equal

When people look forward to something, they usually want it to happen as soon as possible and last as long as possible.

We first explored the effect of this attitude in the context of Thanksgiving.

We chose Thanksgiving because almost everyone in the U.S. celebrates it, but not everyone looks forward to it. Some people love the annual family get-together. Others – whether it’s the stress of cooking, the tedium of cleaning or the anxiety of dealing with family drama – dread it.

So on the Monday before Thanksgiving in 2019, we surveyed 510 people online and asked them to tell us whether they were looking forward to the holiday. Then we asked them how far away it seemed, and how long they felt it would last. We had them move a 100-point slider – 0 meaning very short and 100 meaning very long – to a location that reflected their feelings.

As we suspected, the more participants looked forward to their Thanksgiving festivities, the farther away it seemed and shorter it felt. Ironically, longing for something seems to shrink its duration in the mind’s eye.

 

Winding the Mind’s Clock

Most people believe the idiom “time flies when you’re having fun,” 
and research has, indeed, shown that when time seems to pass by quickly, people assume the task must have been engaging and enjoyable.

We reasoned that people might be over-applying their assumption about the relationship between time and fun when judging the duration of events yet to happen.

As a result, people tend to reflexively assume that fun events – like vacations – will go by really quickly. Meanwhile, pining for something can make the time leading up to the event seem to drag. The combination of its beginning pushed farther away in their minds – with its end pulled closer – resulted in our participants’ anticipating that something they looked forward would feel as if it had almost no duration at all.

In another study, we asked participants to imagine going on a weekend trip that they either expected to be fun or terrible. We then asked them how far away the start and end of this trip felt like using a similar 0 to 100 scale. 46% of participants evaluated the positive weekend as feeling like it had no duration at all: They marked the beginning and the end of the vacation virtually at the same location when using the slider scale.

 

Thinking in Hours and Days

Our goal was to show how these two judgments of an event – the fact that it simultaneously seems farther away and is assumed to last for less time – can nearly eliminate the event’s duration in the mind’s eye.

We reasoned that if we didn’t explicitly highlight these two separate pieces – and instead directly asked them about the duration of the event – a smaller portion of people would indicate virtually no duration for something they looked forward to.

We tested this theory in another study, in which we told participants that they would watch two five-minute-long videos back-to-back. We described the second video as either humorous or boring, and then asked them how long they thought each video would feel like it lasted.

We found that the participants predicted that the funny video would still feel shorter and was farther away than the boring one. But we also found that participants believed it would last a bit longer than the responses we received in the earlier studies.

This finding gives us a way to overcome this biased perception: focus on the actual duration. Because in this study, participants directly reported how long the funny video would last – and not the perceived distance of its beginning and its end – they were far less likely to assume it would be over just as it started.

While it sounds trivial and obvious, we often rely on our subjective feelings – not objective measures of time – when deciding how long a period of time will feel and how to best use it.

So when looking forward to much-anticipated events like vacations, it’s important to remind yourself just how many days it will last.

You’ll get more out of the experience – and, hopefully, put yourself in a better position to take advantage of the time you do have.

 

Suggested Reading:

Investing in Leisure Post Pandemic	Paying for Infrastructure Spending

More Frequent Travel May be the Actual Aftermath of the Pandemic	Your Personal Data is the Currency of the Digital Age

 

Stay up to date. Follow us:

Stay up to date. Follow us:

Friday, July 02, 2021

Bassett Furniture (BSET)
Post COVID Recovery Continues

Bassett Furniture Industries Inc is a manufacturer, importer, and retailer of home furnishings products in the United States. It operates through the following segments: The Wholesale segment focuses on the design, manufacture, sourcing, sale, and distribution of furniture products. The Retail segment consists of company-owned stores. The Logistical Services segment offers shipping, delivery, and warehousing services.

Joe Gomes, Senior Research Analyst, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

2Q21 Results. Revenue of $124.1 million jumped 94% y-o-y and was up 15% compared to the non-COVID impacted 2Q19. Wholesale sales rose 129.7%, while Retail sales increased 29.3% and Logistics segment revenue was up 7.0%. Bassett reported net income of $6.0M, or $0.60 per share, compared to a net loss of $20.4 million, or $2.04 per share, last year, which included impairment charges and litigation expenses. We had forecast revenue of $116 million and EPS of $0.35.


Strong Orders = Elevated Backlog.  Wholesale orders of $96 million rose 172% versus 2Q20 and were up 51% over 2Q19. Basset saw strong demand in its Bassett Design Center Network, up 212% and 87%, respectively compared to 2020 and 2019. Basset Club Level was up 328% versus 2019. And Bassett’s outdoor offerings were up 112% and 124%, respectively, over 2020 and 2019. Backlog in the quarter increased …

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary.  Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

ACCO Brands President & CEO Boris Elisman makes a formal corporate presentation. Afterwards, he is joined by Noble Capital Markets Senior Research Analyst Joe Gomes for a Q & A session featuring questions asked by the live audience throughout the event. Research, News, and Advanced Market Data on ACCO Information on upcoming live virtual roadshows About ACCO Brands Corporation ACCO Brands Corporation (NYSE: ACCO) is one of the world’s largest designers, marketers and manufacturers of branded academic, consumer and business products. Our widely recognized brands include Artline®, AT-A-GLANCE®, Barrilito®, Derwent®, Esselte®, Five Star®, Foroni®, GBC®, Hilroy®, Kensington®, Leitz®, Mead®, Quartet®, PowerA®, Rapid®, Rexel®, Swingline®, Tilibra®, Wilson Jones® and many others. Our products are sold in more than 100 countries around the world. More information about ACCO Brands, the Home of Great Brands Built by Great People, can be found at www.accobrands.com.

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Schwazze (SHWZ)
Adding More Dispensaries

Medicine Man Technologies, Inc. is now operating under its new trade name, Schwazze. Schwazze is executing its strategy to become a leading vertically integrated cannabis holding company with a portfolio consisting of top-tier licensed brands spanning cultivation, extraction, infused-product manufacturing, dispensary operations, consulting, and a nutrient line. Schwazze leadership includes Colorado cannabis leaders with proven expertise in product and business development as well as top-tier executives from Fortune 500 companies. As a leading platform for vertical integration, Schwazze is strengthening the operational efficiency of the cannabis industry in Colorado and beyond, promoting sustainable growth and increased access to capital, while delivering best-quality service and products to the end consumer. The corporate entity continues to be named Medicine Man Technologies, Inc.

Joe Gomes, Senior Research Analyst, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

New Boulder Dispensaries. Schwazze has announced an agreement to acquire the assets of BG3 Investment, LLC, which consists of two marijuana retail stores located in Boulder, Colorado. This brings the number of dispensaries to 19, including nine acquired year-to-date. As part of the purchase, Schwazze also acquired Black Box Licensing, which contains intellectual property. We view the acquisition as another step in Schwazze’s goal to become the leading cannabis dispenser in Colorado.


Terms of the Deal.  Schwazze is paying $3.5 million for the assets, consisting of $1.9 million in cash and $1.6 million of common stock, which equates to approximately 670,000 SHWZ shares at the current market price. The transaction represents a 3.5 times multiple of projected 2021 adjusted EBITDA for the two dispensaries. The deal is expected to close during the third quarter of 2021 …

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary.  Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Schwazze Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Drift

 

Acquisition Expands Retail Footprint in Boulder County, Colorado

DENVER, CO – June 29, 2021 – Schwazze, (OTCQX:SHWZ) (“Schwazze” or the “Company”), announced signed definitive documents to acquire the assets of BG3 Investments, LLC dba Drift which consists of two marijuana retail stores located in Boulder, Colorado. This purchase continues Schwazze’s expansion and growth plans in Colorado adding to the Company’s current dispensary footprint, with nine dispensaries acquired year to date, bringing the total number of dispensaries to nineteen. As part of the purchase, Schwazze will also acquire the assets of Black Box Licensing, LLC, which contains certain intellectual property.

“We look forward to adding these dispensaries to our portfolio. The Company remains focused on bringing excellent customer experiences to all areas of Colorado, and we are excited to bring that experience to our customers in Boulder,” said Justin Dye, Schwazze’s CEO.

The consideration for the proposed acquisition is $3.5 million and will be paid as $1.9 million in cash, and $1.6 million in common stock. This transaction represents a 3.5 times multiple based on the projected 2021 adjusted EBITDA for the two dispensaries. The acquisition is expected to close during the third quarter of 2021 after the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division and local licensing approval.

About Schwazze
Schwazze (OTCQX: SHWZ) is the parent company of a portfolio of vertically integrated cannabis brands spanning seed to sale. The company’s intent is to apply its operational playbook by expanding into markets where it can entrench itself in a leadership position. Anchored by a high-performance culture, Schwazze focuses on growth by purposeful design, combining customer-centric thinking and data science to test, measure, and drive desired outcomes. The company’s leadership team has deep expertise in CPG, retail, and building consumer brands at Fortune 500 companies as well as in the cannabis sector. Schwazze is passionate about improving the human condition; making a difference in our communities; promoting diversity and inclusion; and focusing on sustainable best practices.

Schwazze derives its name from the pruning technique of a cannabis plant to promote growth. Medicine Man Technologies, Inc. was Schwazze’s former operating trade name. The corporate entity continues to be named Medicine Man Technologies, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements.” Such statements may be preceded by the words “may,” “estimates”, “predicts,” or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions, and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control and cannot be predicted or quantified. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with (i) our inability to manufacture our products and product candidates on a commercial scale on our own or in collaboration with third parties; (ii) difficulties in obtaining financing on commercially reasonable terms; (iii) changes in the size and nature of our competition; (iv) loss of one or more key executives or scientists; (v) difficulties in securing regulatory approval to market our products and product candidates; (vi) our ability to successfully execute our growth strategy in Colorado and outside the state, (vii) our ability to identify and consummate future acquisitions that meet our criteria, (viii) our ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses and realize synergies therefrom, (ix) the actual revenues derived from the Company’s Star Buds assets, (x) the Company’s actual revenue and adjusted EBITDA for 2021, (xi) the Company’s ability to generate positive cash flow for the rest of 2021 (xii) the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, (xiii) the timing and extent of governmental stimulus programs, and (xiv) the uncertainty in the application of federal, state and local laws to our business, and any changes in such laws. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by law.

Investors
Joanne Jobin
Investor Relations
Joanne.jobin@schwazze.com
647 964 0292

Media
Julie Suntrup, Schwazze
Vice President | Marketing & Merchandising
julie.suntrup@schwazze.com
303 371 0387