1. Kohl’s Accepts Amazon Returns
Returning items on Amazon just got easier. Yesterday, Kohl’s announced they’ll be accepting returns for items ordered on Amazon at all of their U.S. locations starting in July. After the news, Kohl’s shares surged nearly 10%. “Amazon and Kohl’s have a shared passion in providing outstanding customer service, and this unique partnership combines Kohl’s strong nationwide store footprint and omnichannel capabilities with Amazon’s reach and customer loyalty,” Kohl’s CEO Michelle Gass said. “This is part of the company’s bigger plan to “drive traffic” to stores and “bring more relevance” to shoppers. Unlike a typical Amazon return, a box or label isn’t required and there’s no additional cost to the customer.
What else is new in Amazon-land? They will now leave packages in your garage if you have the Key for Garage product.
(Source: The Hustle, CNBC)
2. The First Malaria Immunization
Malaria, a disease caused by the bite of an infected mosquito, kills about 445K people a year, especially among young children in sub-Saharan Africa. It has taken about 30 years to develop a vaccine, costing around $1B. Yesterday, The World Health Organization welcomed “Malawi’s launch of the world’s first malaria vaccine in a landmark pilot programme.” The vaccine creator, GSK, is donating up to 10M of these vaccines and is in the works to secure funding for broader vaccination programs. As it’s far from a cure, the vaccine protects one-third of children that are immunized and will lessen the severity of the disease. “This malaria vaccine is going to save many lives, even if it is not as good as we would like,” Alister Craig, dean of biological sciences at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said. “But I hope this will kick-start other research efforts so that the story doesn’t end here.” #HealthForAll
3. Cell-Cultured Burgers Herd the Market
We’ve all heard of veggie burgers, tofurky, and tofu, healthy and environmentally friendly alternatives to the real thing. Now there’s a new beef in town who is planning on giving plant-based meat a run for their money. Mark Post, the first person in the world to make lab-grown beef, coined cell-cultured meat, developed a process that requires “harvested meat cells [being] coaxed into dividing and growing in a lab similar to how they would in nature.” In 2020, this cell-cultured meat will hit the markets. Bruce Friedrich, founder of the Good Food Institute, said, “We grow a massive amount of crops just to feed farm animals. For every nine calories we put into a chicken, we get one calorie out. It is a fantastically inefficient way to create food.” He continues on to say, “And it is estimated that we need to provide between 70% and 100% more meat by 2050.” With the continuing rise in population, alternative beef options are crucial. What’s the price of this moo-less food? A premium $50 a pop.
(Source: The Hustle, BBC)
