IMS
Annual Report Outlines Achievements, Growth
International
Monetary Systems (OTCBB:INLM), one of the largest publicly traded
barter companies in the world, continues to expand its
locations...serving more than 16,000 customers (24,000 cardholders)
in 44 markets across North America.
In their 2006
annual report they reported the processing of more than $72 million
in sales-only trade transactions. Revenue generated from these
transactions totaled $8,782,666, an increase of 42%. IMS also
acquired five trade exchanges, including North America's largest
independent barter system, Illinois Trade Association, along with
its corporate barter division National Trade Association.
Total assets
nearly doubled, increasing by 92% and book value nearly tripled,
increasing by 271%. This was due to $4 million in equity investments
from a hedge fund, which was used to finance the five acquisitions
and retire long-term debt with financial institutions.
Despite
dramatic increases in gross revenue, operating income and operating
cash flows, IMS still experienced a net loss. This was chiefly due
to non-cash adjustments for depreciation, amortization, and partial
impairment of membership lists in specific markets.
The company
incurred significant income tax expense despite the net loss,
primarily due to the difference in accounting and tax treatments of
intangible assets and goodwill.
For more
information on IMS go to
www.internationalmonetary.com.
ITEX
Expands Executive Privileges Program,
Partners With Simply Hired To Launch Electronic Job Listing Board
ITEX
Corporation (OTCBB:ITEX) has partnered with Simply Hired to launch
an electronic job listing board called ITEX Jobs. Preferred Payment
Plan (3P) members will be able to list job postings and have these
listings distributed throughout Simply Hired's network...including
high traffic sites such as LinkedIn, My Space, and the recently
launched Job-a-matic publisher network at
www.jobamatic.com.
3P members will
be able to participate in this program for the low price of 10-ITEX
dollars. Members will be offered this service at a substantial
discount from what other businesses must pay for in cash "some as
high as $495 per listing" on other popular job listing services or in
their local newspapers.
"The goal is to
provide real value in areas we believe help small businesses be
successful.," stated Steven White, Chairman and CEO. "We believe
that by lowering the cost of hiring we can help to substantially
boost our ITEX (member) businesses' profitability."
The firm is
expanding the services it provides its members to include
recommended vendors, to assist them in operating their business.
"Where we are unable to provide a vendor in our electronic barter
system, we will team up with a leading company to provide discounts,
personalized service, and added value," White clarified.
The Executive
Privileges Program leverages the bargaining power of the 22,000
member ITEX businesses, to derive benefits that individual member
businesses would be unable to obtain on their own.
"We look
forward to working with ITEX to bring their members additional
value," Gautam Godhwani, CEO of Simply Hired, declared, "whether
they are looking to hire employees for their business or seeking to
find their dream job."
Simply Hired
has been lauded as one of the “50 Coolest Websites 2005" by Time
Magazine, declared "Best of the Web" by Business Week,
and celebrated as one of “50 Best New Websites" by PC World.
The company has
raised $17.7 million in funding from News Corporation's Fox
Interactive Media, Foundation Capital, Garage Technology Ventures,
and individual investors. Simply Hired, www.simplyhired.com,
is privately held and based in Mountain View (CA).
Headquartered
in Bellevue (WA), ITEX processes more than $250 million a year in
transactions through 22,000 member businesses that are managed by 95
franchisees and licensees.
For more
information go to
www.itex.com, or e-mail
alan@itex.com.
An Interesting Look At A Starbucks
Store
The average fast-food chain store--McDonald's,
Wendy's, Burger King--does approximately $1 million annually per
location. Interestingly, a Starbucks Coffee store does about the
same numbers.
According to Starbucks Corporation, an average
outlet is around 1,600 square feet, and costs about $390,000 to
open. With first-year sales, which will come in at around $900,000,
the sales-to-investment ratio is 2.3 to one. Their stores take two
to three years to reach full sales strength.
Most Starbucks stores ring up at least half
their sales before noon. And that is the reason for having multiple
locations close to one another...research shows people are impatient
and won't stand in line for coffee. (Research also showed that
customers would only travel six to eight minutes tops, to buy
coffee.)
Online Travel -- A $146 Billion Market By 2010
According to a report by
eMarketer, U.S. customers spent $79 billion on online travel last
year. And the research firm predicts that spending in this category
will grow at around 17% a year for the next five years, totaling
$146 billion by 2010.
One of the most notable recent
changes is the explosion of social networking sites, where people
can share information and itineraries, post travel blogs, and upload
videos of their trips.
The report disclosed that online
travel agencies are facing increasing pressure, as consumers who use
social networks now offer fellow travelers their own advice and
recommendations. And that's in addition to the pricing pressure from
airlines and hotels, which sell directly to consumers from their own
web sites.
Travel providers, such as online
agencies Expedia and Travelocity, will have to be more creative in
their packages the report concluded...and be able to move from a
service model based on mass consumption, to one centered on creating
customized packages for groups of travelers with unique interests
and needs."
Bartercard Operations Moving Into India
The highly
fragmented barter business -- a cashless transaction where one trades
a product or service for another -- is set for a sea change in India
with Bartercard, the world's largest exchange, announcing its foray
in the country.
Australia-based Bartercard (listed on the AIM of the London Stock
Exchange) plans on commencing operations in June/July. It will be
the largest market yet to be entered by Bartercard, which presently
has a membership of over 55,000 members/businesses and is located in
12 countries. (Over 23,000 in Australia.)
The Bartercard operations license has been given to Indian
businessmen Rakesh Thapar and Ashoka Bhanwarlal Motha. Recruitment
of the management team has begun and training of personnel will
commence in May for India's operations.
Bartercard Chairman Wayne Sharpe pointed out, "India is a huge
market with great potential and we are delighted to have made this
license sale. We are actively looking to increase Bartercard's
presence further in Asian countries."
For more
information on Bartercard see:
www.Bartercard.com.
Universal Law-Of-Reciprocity Key
To Trade Exchange Success
Every trade exchange owner in the world should
not only be aware of the law-of-reciprocity, but using it, in
the operation of their business.
Trade exchange owners are invited to e-mail
bmeyer@barternews.com
for more information on how you can become “the exchange of choice"
in your area. When e-mailing Bob Meyer, put “Law of Reciprocity" in
the subject line.
Hotel
General Managers
Here's
The Easiest $100,000 You'll Ever
Bring To The Bottomline!
Collect
cash, as usual, from the guest accounts staying at your
facility that require the use of professional AV services.
And rather than shouldering your ongoing employee costs, or
your current vendor's cash agreement for AV services,
here's a much better alternative:
Work
with a proven national vendor (a sterling 25-year track
record) who will provide all of the AV services for your
hotel on a 100% TRADE BASIS! (Payment to be in the form of
hotel rooms and/or trade dollars.)
Your hotel's annual AV billings must be a minimum of $200,000, and this
offer is available only in the continental United States.
For a
confidential introduction contact Bob Meyer via e-mail:
bmeyer@barternews.com.
(Please type in AV Services On Trade in the subject
line of your e-mail.)
Attention Trade Exchange Owners:
If your
member hotel(s) have a minimum of 10,000 sq. feet of meeting
space and annual billings of at least $200,000 for AV
services this is a great opportunity to earn substantial
cash service fees on the hundreds of thousands of trade
dollars your hotel member will be paying the vendor. Contact
Bob Meyer at the above e-mail. |
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The Growth and Use of Secondary Capital (New Money) Creates
Unprecedented Wealth In Today's New Age Of Possibility
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