logo
'Once in a generation' makeover plans move forward

'Once in a generation' makeover plans move forward

Yahoo27-04-2025
Updated plans for a "once in a generation" town centre makeover are expected to move forward to the next stage.
Notices have been issued seeking private firms to help build a proposed £120m mixed development on land east of Sevenoaks High Street.
A proposal submitted by consultancy firm Lambert Smith Hampton on behalf of Sevenoaks District Council include a new leisure centre, a "cultural hub and market hall" and new public spaces.
Councillors will meet to discuss the updated proposals and the next steps for the project at a full council meeting on 29 April.
Sevenoaks council has wanted to redevelop the land around Buckhurst Lane and Suffolk Way for some time, and last year made £435,000 available for planning the extensive works.
Originally, Kent County Council was to be involved in the works and wanted to replace the Kaleidoscope building, which hosts a gallery, museum and library.
In February, it was announced that the Kent authority had withdrawn from the project and the library would stay in its current location, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Once finalised, the plans could include between 264 and 300 homes, according to Sevenoaks council.
The homes would be split between a new development on Suffolk Lane and the site of the former Tesco in the town's High Street, which already has planning permission for 104 homes and three commercial units.
The council also has plans to introduce measures to "minimise the use of vehicles in the local area".
Councillors will vote on a request to put the contract for the project out to tender, with a final partner to be appointed by the end of the year.
Once a partner is chosen, design work, including finalising the number of homes included in the project, is expected to commence in January 2026, before a planning application is submitted.
The whole project is expected to take at least four years.
Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
Fresh proposals for land east of Sevenoaks
Plans to regenerate Sevenoaks High Street begin
Sevenoaks District Council
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump's praise for Sweeney ad sends American Eagle stock surging
Trump's praise for Sweeney ad sends American Eagle stock surging

Los Angeles Times

time4 hours ago

  • Los Angeles Times

Trump's praise for Sweeney ad sends American Eagle stock surging

American Eagle Outfitters saw its stock price surge more than 20% on Monday, after President Trump praised the retailer's controversial marketing campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney on his Truth Social platform. 'Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the 'HOTTEST' ad out there. It's for American Eagle, and the jeans are 'flying off the shelves.' Go get 'em Sydney!' Trump wrote Monday morning, sparking the rally in shares that began after markets opened. The president's endorsement comes amid a firestorm of criticism over the campaign. The controversy centers on a promotional video featuring Sweeney that was posted to American Eagle's social media channels. The video has since been removed. In the teaser, the 'Euphoria' actress discusses hereditary traits in a sultry voice, stating: 'Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue.' As she speaks, the video shows Sweeney zipping up her jeans before the camera pans up her body and focuses on her face and blue eyes, framed by blonde hair. The visual emphasis on Sweeney's features prompted backlash from critics on the internet who were quick to accuse the ad of promoting eugenics and aligning with white nationalist messaging. Pittsburgh-based American Eagle defended the campaign in a statement it posted to Instagram last Friday, saying it 'is and always was about the jeans.' Trump used the opportunity to criticize what he called 'woke' advertising, citing examples like Jaguar's recent rebrand and Bud Light's partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in 2023. 'The market cap destruction has been unprecedented, with BILLIONS OF DOLLARS SO FOOLISHLY LOST,' he wrote, contrasting those campaigns with American Eagle's approach. The stock surge represents the latest chapter in what has become a meme-driven rally for American Eagle, which initially jumped last month when retail traders piled into the stock following the campaign's debut. American Eagle has faced significant financial challenges in recent months. In May, the retailer withdrew its full-year guidance and announced a $75-million write-off of spring and summer merchandise due to slow sales, steep discounting and difficult market conditions. The company reported a first-quarter net revenue of $1.1 billion, down 5% from the prior year, with comparable sales falling 3%. Several prominent Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance and Sen. Ted Cruz, have also defended Sweeney and the campaign against criticism. The actress herself has not publicly addressed the controversy surrounding the advertisements. American Eagle shares closed at $13.28 on Monday, up 24%.

Meta Outlines Performance Improvements Based on its Evolving AI Systems
Meta Outlines Performance Improvements Based on its Evolving AI Systems

Yahoo

time5 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Meta Outlines Performance Improvements Based on its Evolving AI Systems

This story was originally published on Social Media Today. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Social Media Today newsletter. Meta's going all-in on AI, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg now driven to reach his new goal of automated 'superintelligence,' which could see Meta eventually crack the code on enabling truly transcendent machine learning systems. But it's not only in large-scale applications that Meta's seeing gains from AI, with the company also applying its AI models to more elements of its apps, and powering improved algorithmic matching to keep people using Facebook, Instagram and Threads for longer. Indeed, within its Q2 performance report, Meta noted that AI recommendations have continued to boost video engagement across its apps. As per Meta: 'In Q2, Instagram video time was up more than 20% year-over-year globally. We're seeing strong traction on Facebook as well, particularly in the U.S. where video time spent similarly expanded more than 20% year-over-year.' In broader terms, Meta also notes that its AI recommendations have led to a 5% increase in time spent on Facebook, and a 6% on Instagram this year. But video remains the key focus for IG and Facebook engagement, with Meta also reporting back in April that Reels clips now make up 50% of all time spent on IG. If you're looking to maximize your Facebook and/or Instagram engagement, video content needs to be a consideration, with its AI recommendation systems now pushing more relevant video to more users. This shift is also notable because earlier in the year, as part of Meta's defense against an FTC antitrust case, the company admitted that Facebook's and Instagram's share of time spent among social media apps had declined significantly, with most personal interaction shifting to messaging platforms instead. The latter part here is nothing new, as we've covered the broader shift to messaging pretty extensively. But it is interesting to note that AI, and AI-recommended video content specifically, is now helping Meta to right the ship in this respect, and keep more people around in its apps for longer. 'These gains have been enabled by ongoing optimizations to our ranking systems to better identify the most relevant content to show. We expect to deliver additional improvements throughout the year as we further scale up our models and make recommendations more adaptive to a person's interests within their session.' Meta has also been able to promote more original content, which was another major focus of its algorithmic advancements. Last month, Meta announced an algorithm update which is designed to demote 'unoriginal' content, in order to boost material from original creators, while last year, Instagram removed aggregator accounts from recommendations, and has since sought to replace re-posts with original content in the same where possible. And according to Meta, those efforts are seeing more traffic being driven to original creators: 'On Instagram, over two-thirds of recommended content in the U.S. now comes from original posts. In the second half, we'll be focused on further increasing the freshness of original posts so the right audiences can discover original content from creators soon after it is posted.' This is critical for Meta to maintain its connection with creators, and without them, it's simply not going to be able to capitalize on its opportunities. If original creators go elsewhere, they take their audiences with them, and as Meta moves into the next stage of its Metaverse/AR/VR plan, it's going to need original content creators to maximize audience interest in these new experiences. As such, ensuring that original creators get priority is an important shift, and Meta says that its systems are getting better on this front. Meta also says that it's been using its evolving AI tools to improve content recommendations on Threads: 'The incorporation of LLMs are now driving a meaningful share of the ranking-related time spent gains on Threads.' While it also continues to update its AI-powered ad tools, including automated targeting. 'This quarter, we expanded our new AI-powered recommendation model for ads to new surfaces and improved its performance by using more signals and a longer context. It's driven roughly 5% more ad conversions on Instagram and 3% on Facebook.' So it's not just superintelligence, and Meta's massive investment in the bigger picture AI projects that's driving its approach, it's also applying its AI models to all elements of its apps, and driving notable performance improvements in each. Which is also notable for advertisers, and those looking to make best use of Facebook and Instagram for marketing. Now, Meta's systems are getting better at showing your content to just the right audiences, based on an evolving array of algorithmic indicators, as assessed by AI. That could present new opportunities within your approach. Recommended Reading Meta Shares Ad Tips Based on 1M+ Ad Creatives Sign in to access your portfolio

Walmart has an alarming consumer boycott problem
Walmart has an alarming consumer boycott problem

Miami Herald

time6 hours ago

  • Miami Herald

Walmart has an alarming consumer boycott problem

Walmart (WMT) , the largest retail chain in the U.S., is once again facing a harsh wake-up call from customers. Over the past few months, Walmart has found itself in the crosshairs of social and political controversy, and customers have been protesting with their wallets. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter In April, the retail giant faced a weeklong boycott from consumers, organized by The People's Union USA, due to the belief that it contributes to corruption in the U.S. economy. Related: Walmart has stern response to major boycott from customers "We've been watching prices rise while wages stay the same," said The People's Union USA founder John Schwarz in an Instagram post. "We've watched these companies rake in billions while families can barely afford groceries, and Walmart, just like the rest of them, has been a part of that problem. So this is where we, once again, draw the line." The group encouraged consumers to avoid shopping at Walmart and other entities it operates, such as Sam's Club, Walmart Pharmacy, Walmart+, and more. Then in May, The People's Union USA doubled down on its efforts and launched another weeklong boycott of Walmart. The following month, Walmart also faced boycott calls from conservative consumers after far-right group Libs of Chicago tweeted a photo of a full-page advertisement that ran in the New York Times in March promoting the No Kings movement, an anti-President Donald Trump protest. The bottom of the ad states that it was paid for by Christy Walton, the billionaire widow of John Walton, one of the sons of Walmart founder Sam Walton. Christy inherited a portion of her husband's Walmart shares after he died in 2005. Image Source: Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images Now, Walmart is facing another boycott, which kicked off on Aug. 1, and this time, it is set to last until the end of the month. Once again, this boycott is being organized by The People's Union USA, which has also called for a boycott of Lowe's and McDonald's this month. In a recent video on Instagram, Schwarz said that over the next few months, his group will target Walmart and other large corporations "harder than ever." "Since February, we have been shaking the foundations of the very corporations that fund this corrupt, treasonous and evil administration, companies that exploit the people, companies that laugh in the face of our struggle," said Schwarz. "We have shown them. We have shown them our strength, and they have felt it. But my friends, we are far from done. July, August and September, we are hitting them harder than ever. These are major companies with massive impact." Related: Lowe's has another major customer problem amid declining sales The People's Union USA has been organizing boycotts of large companies such as Amazon, Starbucks, and Target since February, shortly after President Trump took office in January and enforced drastic policy changes such as tariffs, a strict immigration crackdown and cuts to diversity, equity, and inclusion. On its website, the group states that it aims to "expose corruption and exploitation," "hold corporations accountable," and "lead local and national economic resistance" through these boycott efforts. Many consumers nationwide have been participating in boycotts amid heightened social and political tensions. According to a recent survey from LendingTree, 31% of Americans have boycotted a business for various reasons, such as the company condoning discrimination, its political donations, affiliations, or religious messaging or practices. The latest Walmart boycott comes after the retailer's foot traffic declined by 1.3% in June, according to recent data from Its foot traffic also decreased during the weeks of July 7 and July 14. Walmart is currently battling the threat of the president's tariffs (taxes companies pay to import goods from overseas), which could cause prices to go up in its stores. More Retail: Target has another big problem amid alarming customer behaviorDollar General announces big store change to win back customersAmazon pulls the plug on a free service for customers "We never want to raise prices," said Walmart Chief Financial Officer John Rainey when discussing tariffs in an interview with CNBC in November. "Our model is everyday low prices. But there probably will be cases where prices will go up for consumers." In the first quarter of the year, Walmart's comparable sales increased by 4.5% year-over-year. However, during an earnings call in May, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon warned that the company is noticing customers scaling back their spending in several categories. "Health and wellness sales increased high teens, reflecting higher prescription volumes and over-the-counter sales, while general merchandise sales declined slightly with softness in electronics, home products, and sporting goods," said McMillon during the call. Related: Amazon pulls the plug on a free service for customers The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store