New NZ wool brands to go on sale in US November 4, 2009

New brands promoting New Zealand wool will start to appear on carpets going on sale in the United States in the next few months.

The two companies behind new strong wool initiatives have launched brands designed to lift consumer awareness about the benefits of using wool rather than synthetic fibres in carpets.

They specifically highlight the environmental and sustainability attributes of New Zealand-grown wool, all aimed at restoring prices and demand for the type of wool that makes up the bulk of this country’s production.

Wool Partners International, a joint venture between PGG Wrightson and a new farmer co-operative, has been signing carpet manufacturers in the United States to use its “Laneve” brand.

The E-Reader’s Future November 4, 2009

If the statistics on wholesale book sales from the International Digital Publishing Forum, which are typically half those of retail, are to be believed, e-book sales have approximately tripled within the last twelve months – the data coincides with Amazon’s entrance into the market, as expected.  But with the debut of Barnes & Noble, one of two monolithic North American book retailers, as both a hardware and e-book retailer, these numbers will likely grow at an even faster rate.