All posts tagged: Sales

Sales Tax Holidays 2026: Here’s What You Need to Know

Sales Tax Holidays 2026: Here’s What You Need to Know

Published by skeptic

Quick links to specific states Who doesn’t love seeing a lighter checkout total? Back-to-school shopping is fun until the checkout screen (and a smiling salesperson) reminds you that those notebooks, backpacks and laptops you picked up to cater to your child’s whims (or needs) have added up to a pretty good amount. And it’s not just school supplies — your wallet gets the biggest surprise at checkout when you’re shopping for clothes, dorm room essentials, surprise gifts for teachers or household stuff. That’s why every discount, no matter how small it is, feels big. After all, we aren’t paying full price at least. Now, here comes the good news — you don’t have to wait for another big sale to save.  Sales tax holidays have returned. Many US states are giving you a reason to smile at checkout once again. During these limited-time events, participating states temporarily waive or reduce sales tax on purchases. No sales tax means a smaller checkout total. Whether you’re buying a new bottle, upgrading your school laptop or just refreshing …

BBC sees TV licence sales surge during World Cup thanks to QR code

BBC sees TV licence sales surge during World Cup thanks to QR code

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter The BBC has reported a “very strong” performance in TV licence sales during the recent World Cup, crediting a QR code promotion displayed during matches. This positive news, however, arrives amidst a significant financial challenge for the broadcaster. Over the past decade, the corporation’s licence fee income has plummeted by more than £1 billion in real terms. The latest BBC annual report further highlighted this decline, revealing a loss of over half a million TV licences in the 2025/26 financial year alone. The annual cost for a colour television licence currently stands at £180, an increase implemented on 1 April. A TV licensing spokesperson said: “The summer campaign, including use of the QR code is ongoing, but initial signs suggest TV Licence sales have performed very strongly during the World Cup. “Major live sporting events typically drive an increase in sales …

US approves nearly US billion in weapons sales to Saudi Arabia

US approves nearly US$2 billion in weapons sales to Saudi Arabia

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON: The US State Department said Wednesday (Jul 15) it has approved the sale of an estimated US$1.96 billion in weapons to bolster Saudi Arabia’s air defences, as the war ramps up in the Middle East. “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a Major non-NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Gulf Region,” the State Department said in a release. Among the weapons the Gulf kingdom seeks are up to 20,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems and its warheads, which the US Navy’s website describes as “an inexpensive way to destroy targets while limiting collateral damage in close combat”. The principal contractor will be BAE Systems in Nashua, New Jersey, the department said. “The proposed sale will improve Saudi Arabia’s capability to deter current and future threats by strengthening its homeland defence, and improving interoperability with US forces, and other regional and NATO forces,” the release said. The move comes as Saudi Arabia …

Christie’s Reports Strongest First Half in Five Years as Sales Jump 71%

Christie’s Reports Strongest First Half in Five Years as Sales Jump 71%

Published by Jenni Sidey

The global auction market is finding its footing again, at least according to Christie’s. Christie’s reported $4.5 billion in first-half revenue on Tuesday, including $3.5 billion in auction sales and more than $1 billion in private sales, marking the company’s strongest first six months since 2021. Auction sales rose a full 71 percent from the same period last year. The results were driven by blockbuster consignments, led by the $630.8 million sale of the collection of publishing magnate S.I. Newhouse, but Christie’s is making the case that the recovery reached far beyond a handful of headline-grabbing lots.  Related Articles “We had our best first half in five years at Christie’s, growing in all departments and regions, at every price point,” chief executive Bonnie Brennan said in a statement, adding that the company also delivered “our strongest ever levels of international bidding and buying.”  Throughout its midyear report, Christie’s repeatedly pointed out indicators designed to show that demand—not simply the availability of blue-chip property—has strengthened. The company emphasized growth across regions, collecting categories, and price points, …

EV sales are normalizing in the US – and HUGE everywhere else

EV sales are normalizing in the US – and HUGE everywhere else

Published by skeptic

On today’s totally normal episode of Quick Charge, it seems like EV sales are starting to normalize in the US after the loss of the Federal Tax Credit last September – but they’re taking off everywhere else, and Europe is leading the charge! Global EV sales hit a record 2 million deliveries in June, lead by a red hot European market and followed by expansion into Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa from more affordable Chinese brands. In the US, EV sales are still down from last year’s peak, but up more than 20% from last month and trending upward as the “pull-ahead” factor of the expiring incentives in Q4 ’25 starts to lose its impact. Oh – and California has a new $3,500 EV incentive that is absolutely, positively certain to infuriate the Elon stans. Source Links Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Advertisement – scroll for more content New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. …

AC Black Flag Resynced sales numbers: How many copies has it sold?

AC Black Flag Resynced sales numbers: How many copies has it sold?

Published by Daniella Wilson

After many years, players are returning to the high seas in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, but how many copies has it sold? Black Flag has always been a favourite among AC fans, so when a remake was finally announced, it wasn’t hard to see why the hype was through the roof. But following a bit of a controversy surrounding paid content, have sales numbers been affected? Here’s everything you need to know about the AC Black Flag Resynced sales figures. AC Black Flag Resynced sales numbers: How many copies has it sold? At the time of writing, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced has sold 2 million copies across all platforms. Confirmed by Ubisoft via official Assassin’s Creed social media channels, this was actually represents just the number of copies of the game that were sold on the day of launch itself, representing a very solid start for the game. In a message posted to celebrate, Ubisoft stated: “To everyone who has jumped aboard the Jackdaw, shared their adventures, posted screenshots, shared gameplay, and celebrated …

Key Events This Week: CPI, PPI, Retail Sales, Warsh Testifies, China Data, And Earnings Galore

Key Events This Week: CPI, PPI, Retail Sales, Warsh Testifies, China Data, And Earnings Galore

Published by Jenni Sidey

As well as two epic World Cup semi-finals before that, and the start of the Open golf it’s a packed week ahead in markets, writes DB’s Jim Reid. The headline events are tomorrow’s US CPI and Wednesday’s US PPI, alongside Fed Chair Warsh’s first Humphrey–Hawkins testimony before the House Financial Services Committee (tomorrow) and the Senate Banking Committee (Wednesday). Elsewhere, key data includes China’s Q2 GDP and their monthly data dump (Wednesday) and the UK’s May monthly GDP (Thursday) as well as the announcement of a new leader of the ruling UK Labour Party as a special conference on Friday. Let’s run through the key details of the week ahead. Front and centre is tomorrow’s US CPI report. DB economists expect lower gas prices to pull headline CPI down by -0.16% (vs. +0.47% in May), with core at +0.23% (vs. +0.21% previously). On a year-over-year basis, headline inflation is projected to fall from 4.25% to 3.81%, while core eases only marginally by 2bps to 2.83%. Wednesday’s PPI will help complete the picture for core PCE. …

Heritage Live cancels three festivals due to ‘far lower than average ticket sales’

Heritage Live cancels three festivals due to ‘far lower than average ticket sales’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Heritage Live has cancelled its concert series across Englefield Estate, Audley End Estate, and Sandringham Estate, citing “far lower than average ticket sales” and “general financial uncertainty”. The planned line-ups included Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Eric Clapton, Ricky Martin, and Lionel Richie at Sandringham; Scissor Sisters, Pete Tong, The Streets, and Faithless at Audley End; and Richard Ashcroft, UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell, and Ministry of Sound Classical at Englefield. A Heritage Live statement read: “We’re devastated to report the heart-breaking news that we have no choice but to cancel this summer’s Heritage Live festivals at the Englefield Estate, the Audley End Estate and the Sandringham Estate. “We’d been working desperately hard behind the scenes to conclude an investment and equity package to ease the burden of an extraordinarily tough year, but this last beacon of hope has fallen through at the 11th hour, …

Global EV sales hit 2 million in June – and the US falls further behind

Global EV sales hit 2 million in June – and the US falls further behind

Published by skeptic

Lotus Eletre by Geely. Photo: Lotus Global EV sales topped 2 million in June, but the headline numbers hide a widening split between the world’s biggest markets. Europe is on a tear, thanks to government incentives, high gas prices, and a growing lineup of affordable EVs. North America, on the other hand, has continued to lose ground since the Trump administration ended the US federal EV tax credit last September. And in China, automakers are increasingly looking overseas as domestic demand cools. According to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, 2 million EVs were sold globally in June 2026, bringing year-to-date sales to 9.6 million. That’s up 7% year over year and 11% from May. “Europe remains the main engine of growth after another record month for EV sales,” said Benchmark Mineral Intelligence Senior EV Analyst George Whitcombe. Advertisement – scroll for more content Whitcombe also pointed to a wave of new small electric cars that’s starting to push Europeans toward EVs. That’s a big deal because affordable EVs have long been a missing piece in Europe’s transition. …

Phillips Spring Auction Sales Jump 60% to 7 M. as Watch Biz Booms

Phillips Spring Auction Sales Jump 60% to $507 M. as Watch Biz Booms

Published by Jenni Sidey

On Tuesday, the auction house Phillips said its spring season generated $507 million in auction sales, a 60 percent increase from a year earlier, as a record-breaking watch business and stronger demand for high-value consignments helped propel one of the house’s best performances in recent years. The auction house said average lot value increased 55 percent over the same period, while maintaining a 90 percent sell-through rate by lot. Evening sales achieved a 94 percent sell-through rate by lot and 99 percent by value, and the season’s hammer-price-to-low-estimate index reached 165 percent. Related Articles Watches accounted for $235.5 million of the total—nearly half of Phillips’ auction sales this spring—proving how central the category has become to the company’s business. The house said its Geneva sale was the most successful watch auction ever held, while its New York and Hong Kong watch auctions also set regional records. “These results reflect not only the strength of the market, but the progress we have made as a business over the past year,” Phillips Chief Executive Martin Wilson said …