BEIRUT |
BEIRUT (Reuters) - They call it the "Sunni market" - a comic term with a dark undertone.
As rockets and gunfire crackle in the central city of Homs, hardline loyalists from President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite sect steal goods from the shattered neighbourhoods of Sunni Muslims, the majority population that led the revolt against him.
Grocery stores and thrift shops become loot markets.
"Maybe I'll nab a bargain," says a 50-year-old woman wandering through a supermarket that now trades in looted furniture. "I found a really nice kitchen table set made of gorgeous old wood. But he wants $200 dollars for it!"
Furniture usually goes for around $50 or less. Clothes and shoes are $5 to $20. Everything is open to negotiation.
The woman haggles with the shopkeeper. "These are the spoils of war. It's our right to take them," she says.
Even shopping now has a sectarian dimension in Homs, heart of the 15-month-old revolt against Assad, where killings and kidnappings based on religion became common.
Some in the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam and the dominant force in the Syrian elite, say they are only defending themselves. They say Sunnis want to crush them, not establish a democracy as activists say.
"This isn't stealing, it is our right. Those people support terrorism and we have to finish them off," says Ayman, a 25-year-old youth wearing pointed black shoes and a studded belt.
Outside the shop, he helps young men with slicked back hair and tight jeans unload television sets from vans.
After security forces pound rebel areas in Homs and Sunni residents flee, pro-Assad Alawite gangs called "shabbiha" sweep in behind them to salvage goods from the rubble.
"The other day our boss sent us to a place near the cultural centre. It was an electronics store - TVs, fridges, stuff like that," said Ayman.
"We worked it for three hours, taking stuff and putting it in storage. We got 10,000 lira ($147), plus a TV. So why not?"
Not everyone is impressed, says Mahmoud, an old vegetable vendor outside the loot store, his wrinkled face set in a frown.
"They are the dregs of society. Now, Alawites will be seen as thieves," he said.
But with the conflict ravaging Syria's economy, some Alawite vendors say they are happy to find a way to scrounge some cash.
"Last week a businessman came from (the port of) Tartous and bought 3 million lira of stolen goods, happy for the deal," said furniture dealer Hasan. "At the end of the day, I'm a businessman, and people are buying."
(This story is based on the observations of a visitor to Syria, known to Reuters. His identity has been withheld for safety reasons)
(Writing by Erika Solomon; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Anglo Irish in £1bn fight over UK site - Belfast Telegraph
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
IBRC, the former Anglo Irish Bank, has become embroiled in one of the UK's biggest property battles - thanks to a stake in a London shopping centre.
The increasingly bitter dispute over Croydon's Whitgift Shopping Centre could mean that the Irish taxpayer-owned bank's stake in a proposed €1.25bn (£1bn) redevelopment will be compulsorily bought by local authorities.
The battle is over the rights to complete a refurbishment of the UK's third-biggest shopping centre.
The crisis at the development has escalated to the stage where authorities could be forced to issue a compulsory purchase order to buy out one or more of the part owners in the deal, if the situation is not resolved.
The Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC) is one of three owners of the leasehold to Whitgift Shopping Centre, alongside Royal London Assurance and the Whitgift Foundation, a charity that owns the freehold to the site as well as a 25% interest in the leasehold to the development.
The owners have fallen out over the awarding of the development rights for the site. Last November, Australian retail giant Westfield Group said it had secured a binding agreement with the Whitgift Foundation to develop the site.
However, IBRC and Royal London Asset Management - which together control 75% of the leasehold - signed up rival developer Hammerson as the preferred developer.
Hammerson, IBRC and Royal London say their preferred bidder was appointed following a transparent tender process. Westfield Group and Hammerson are among the biggest developers in the UK property market and the battle between the two for control of the Whitgift is increasingly being played out in the UK media.
However, the row between the owners is the real core of the dispute - with no signs of it being resolved.
IBRC has been involved in the deal since 2005, when the then Anglo Irish Bank Assurance invested in a £225m purchase of the leasehold to the site - backed by loans from Anglo's lending arm. With no sign of a compromise, the situation has become a political hot potato, attracting the interest of London's colourful major Boris Johnson.
It has been suggested that Mr Johnson could use his planning powers as a lever in getting either Westfield or Hammerson to withdraw from the Croydon situation.
Last night, sources confirmed that drastic measures could be taken to break the deadlock - which could include compulsory purchase orders to buy out Whitgift or the IBRC/Royal London. The purchase price would have to reflect the market value, sources said, though it would be of the undeveloped centre.
Boots stores report wider North-South trade divide - The Independent
The owner of the Boots chain said revenues had risen by 31.3 per cent to £11.74bn, powered by its pharmaceutical wholesale division's two acquisitions in Turkey and Germany last year.
But in the UK, Boots's like-for-like retail sales rose by only 0.7 per cent, including VAT, in the half -year to 30 September.
The finance director, George Fairweather, said: "In London and the South, we are seeing the economy being stronger and footfall on the high street relatively stronger in the South than in perhaps areas, such as Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and the North of England."
He explained that because shoppers in these areas were being hit by a larger proportion of public-sector job cuts, they were struggling more with high inflation, rising petrol prices and soaring energy costs. Nevertheless, Boots UK's dispensing volumes rose by a healthier 1.8 per cent on a like-for-like basis. The group's health and beauty division – which has shops in countries including Thailand and the Netherlands – grew revenues by 0.4 per cent to £3.65bn over the half-year.
Andy Hornby, the former head of the rescued bank HBOS, left his job as chief executive of Alliance Boots in March. The company said two months later that he was too "stressed" to continue.
But Mr Fairweather said Alliance Boots – which was taken private in 2007 in a £11.4bn deal backed by the private equity giant KKR – had "no current plans" to start a search for a new chief executive.
The engine room of Alliance Boots's growth was its pharmaceutical wholesale arm, which grew revenues by 47.7 per cent to £8.84bn. This was largely driven by it acquiring Hedef Alliance, a Turkish pharmaceuticals wholesaler, and the Germany pharma specialist, Anzag, last year.
"We are continuing to look for acquisitions in emerging markets," Mr Fairweather said, adding that talks were "progressing" with Nanjing Pharmaceutical Group to take a stake in the Chinese wholesaler.
Code Black Herbal Incense Wholesale Announces Profitable New Wholesale Program - YAHOO!
Designed to allow thousands of businesses to profit by selling their world-renowned herbal incense products, Code Black today announces the launch of their exciting new herbal incense wholesale program.
Tustin, CA (PRWEB) June 19, 2012
Following an in-depth period of research and development, Code Black Herbal Incense Wholesale today announces the launch of their new wholesale program.Designed with their wholesale members’ profits in mind, the program will allow businesses to purchase Code Black’s highly-acclaimed herbal incense products at bargain bulk prices; products are then eligible for re-sale with healthy margins.
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Herbal incense wholesale members are eligible for a myriad of discounts. Dependant on the size of the order, high-volume partners can purchase each container for as little as $1.95, with an opportunity to resell at an MSRP of $9.95.
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Each Code Black wholesale member is also entitled to the luxury of free 24/7 on-going customer support.
The herbal incense industry is currently experiencing rapid growth as more and more customers opt to enjoy the aromatic pleasures and potency that burning herbal incense affords. Code Black is dominating this boom due to the quality, aromatic potency and refined freshness that comes with each container they ship.
All herbal incense products sold by the company are 100% compliant with all state/federal laws of 2011-2012, DEA Controlled Substance ACT (CSA) scheduled provisions and Lab Approved and Certified according to the latest bill H.R.1254.
Businesses looking to benefit from Code Black’s wholesale herbal incense program can sign up online. After completing the short wholesale application form, a representative will make contact within 24 hours to verify applicants’ information, and to see if the applicant qualifies for a wholesale account.
Following acceptance confirmation, members will be given exclusive access to Code Black’s dedicated member-only wholesale website. The intuitive interface will allow members to control all aspects of their operation from the viewing of current prices to easy online ordering and tracking.
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For more information, please visit: http://www.codeblackincense.com/herbal-incense-wholesale_a/255.htm
Or register a wholesale account directly at: https://www.codeblackwholesale.com/register.asp
*Legal Disclaimer:
As a business, you agree to re-sell the products purchased from our wholesale site in a responsible way. More specifically, you agree to sell these products only to individuals who present photo ID showing them to be over the age of 18 (or 19 if that is the law in your state). You furthermore agree not to sell these products in any municipality, county, or state where it may be against the law to do so.
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About Code Black Wholesale Herbal Incense:
Code Black Wholesale Herbal Incense is committed to providing the finest quality spice incense at the absolute lowest prices. The Code Black spice incense continually strives to elevate your level of aromatic experience by working with a creative and skilled team, who use the highest quality raw materials to produce the very best legal herbs.
The company also operates a keen network of dedicated affiliates, as well as a generous rewards program for their customers.
Code Black
Code Black Incense
(949) 444-2633
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