January
9, 2001
Barter
Plays Role In New ReebokDeal With The NFL
Reebok
International has acquired an exclusive 10-year
license to sell National Football League-branded
uniforms, hats, and equipment as well as to have
its trademark on the apparel of all NFL teams,
beginning in 2002.
Part
of the payment will be "an expensive billboard"
in the form of barter, i.e. where Reebok will
outfit every NFL team with uniforms, practice
gear, and coats. Reebok is also creating a new
unit dedicated to its NFL business and will grant
the league the right to acquire an equity position
in the subsidiary. (Reebok will also pay royalties
on goods sold.)
Congress
Comes Through For Small Business
The
U.S. Congress has voted to repeal a law that made it more
difficult and costly for some owners to sell part or all of
their businesses on an installment plan.
Under
the 1999 law, many businesses selling operations at a profit
had to pay all capital-gains taxes in one lump sum, even if
payments were scheduled to flow in over many years. That law,
now repealed, will allow the seller to take back paper (an
installment note) and not be taxed until paid.
Second
Financing Round Concluded by iSolve
A
provider of surplus inventory management solutions to businesses
and exchanges including corporate barter, iSolve
has secured a second round of funding totaling $11 million.
Investors
include Whitney & Co., Canaan Partners, Icon Tracking Corporation,
and Technology Crossover Ventures. The company also announced
that several well-known companies have agreed to become corporate
barter fulfillment partners. The latest funding builds on
several major recent alliances iSolve has forged with Cap
Gemini, AIG, IBM, PurchasePro, and GoTo either as affiliate
relationships or fulfillment partners.
iSolve
is assembling a network of 30 to 50 partners who can offer
their clients valued fulfillment services including telecom,
media, shipping, logistics, office supplies, packaging, hotels,
and travel through the redemption of iSolve barter credits.
Here
And There. . .
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Russia is trading various entities within their economy
to Germany to cover some $24 billion of Soviet-era debt...the
list of sectors open to Germany includes machine building,
light industry, food and processing industries, and service.
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Henry Petree, President of the International Trade Group,
Tulsa, will appear on the Today Show, NBC's top-rated
morning show, January 9th. Petree, the owner of ITG, has
been in the barter business six years. His operations have
expanded into NW Arkansas recently.
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Argent Trading, a privately owned company backed by Sterling
Capital (a private investment firm based in Chicago), has
acquired the international operations and U.S. client base
of Atwood Richards. Former Atwood Richards executive, Bill
Levitz, is the president of Argent Trading.
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Radio reaped the benefits of heavy spending by dot.com companies
in 2000, which accounted for a 17% growth rate. This year
radio's growth is expected to be 5.6%, as ad budgets get
slashed.
-
Hottest gift certificates this past holiday season were
travel related. According to the Travel Industry Association
of America, 16% of travelers, or 22.6 million adults, bought
a trip or part of a trip for someone else.
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eBay is facing the same problem trade exchange owners have...direct
deals among users trying to avoid paying a commission. The
company acknowledges it won't be easy to ferret out the
off-line traders, even though they must consent in a user
agreement that they won't trade the same items off-line
that they list on eBay. (The company also admitted they
don't even know exactly how much off-line trading occurs.)
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Incredible statistic--the week after Christmas now accounts
for an estimated 17% of the retailer's seasonal sales. And
e-retailers report the same post-Christmas buying patterns,
as more and more people take advantage of holiday sales.
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AT&T, looking to save cash, is paying off a $3.2 billion
debt owed to Cox Communications and Comcast Corp. by bartering
some of their cable-TV properties.
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Paul Ammoun of Tradebanc in Melbourne provided us with this
information about a contra (barter) deal in Australia. News
Limited has won the bidding war in Australia for the rights
to broadcast Australian football on television. The TV rights
went for $500 million, with $100 million being bartered
in media time.
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Mark Servatius, formerly of Allied Barter located in Washington
(DC), has joined forces with TradeRewards.com.
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Telecom-equipment giant Nortel Networks Corp. in Brampton,
Ontario, lets employees nominate colleagues for good effort
and good deeds. Points are awarded which are then exchanged
for electronic goods, gift certificates, and vacations.
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Scrip and gift certificates online are now available for
members of www.newenglandtrade.com.
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Simon Kenny has been appointed Managing Director for the
Walt Disney Internet Group's European operations, based
in London. Kenny, an eight-year Disney veteran with Walt
Disney Television International, was previously Vice President
and Managing Director of Buena Vista International Television...the
sales and distribution arm of Disney TV.
In that role, Kenny was responsible for developing new international
television business outside the U.S. including the Disney
Channel, program distribution, and Disney's barter television
business in Eastern Europe.
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Despite the depression in the internet sector and the technology
slowdown/decline in the stock market, the long-running bull
has created a $13 trillion increase in household net worth
since 1995!
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