Latest news with #Bluestone
Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
Slow-cooked meats star at this barbecue joint where southern and South American cuisines collide
Previous SlideNext Slide American$ Southern and South American barbecue share a common foundation: slow-cooked meats cooked over regional wood varieties and eaten communally. At Bluestone, co-owner Al Malel draws from both, blending the Uruguayan grilling methods he grew up with and the American smoking techniques he later mastered. Malel uses applewood to add depth to paprika-rubbed, barbecue-glazed chicken thighs. Chimichurri, the herb-forward Latin American condiment, is offered as an alternative to barbecue sauce. Cuban-style pulled pork with Venezuelan arepas (corn cakes) sits alongside classic Texan brisket. Even the Southern staple of grits gets a twist, slow-cooked for six hours and laced with Californian-style pepper jack cheese.
The Age
4 days ago
- General
- The Age
Slow-cooked meats star at this barbecue joint where southern and South American cuisines collide
Previous SlideNext Slide American$ Southern and South American barbecue share a common foundation: slow-cooked meats cooked over regional wood varieties and eaten communally. At Bluestone, co-owner Al Malel draws from both, blending the Uruguayan grilling methods he grew up with and the American smoking techniques he later mastered. Malel uses applewood to add depth to paprika-rubbed, barbecue-glazed chicken thighs. Chimichurri, the herb-forward Latin American condiment, is offered as an alternative to barbecue sauce. Cuban-style pulled pork with Venezuelan arepas (corn cakes) sits alongside classic Texan brisket. Even the Southern staple of grits gets a twist, slow-cooked for six hours and laced with Californian-style pepper jack cheese.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Q&A with Bluestone: From overheating to undervalued, what's next for the EV leasing market?
Bluestone explains how automotive collections companies can help lenders mitigate short-term pain and create new pathways for customer retention. The electric vehicle (EV) revolution promised a future of cleaner air and cutting-edge technology. For leasing and finance providers, it also promised a lucrative new revenue stream. But as the next wave of EVs reaches the end of their contract terms, reality is hitting hard, and the expected revenue stream many had expected has failed to materialise. Across the UK, leasing and car finance firms are facing unprecedented losses as used electric vehicle values nosedive, falling far short of the residual or guaranteed future values (GFVs) that were forecast just a few years ago. The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), says car finance companies are now losing hundreds of millions due to unanticipated EV depreciation, prompting one executive to describe the situation as "extreme." Only a few years ago, used EVs were enjoying strong values driven by low supply and rising demand. In 2021 and 2022, as the market rode a post-COVID supply crunch, residual value models showed bullish forecasts for popular EVs. Leasing firms priced their contracts accordingly. But valuation experts like CAP hpi began ringing alarm bells. Their analysts flagged that EV values were unsustainably high and corrected their forecast models downward. Despite this, many vehicles already on the road were financed on legacy assumptions. These are the vehicles now being returned with values well below their original forecasts. Simon Frost, Head of Business Development at Bluestone Credit Management, says the current state of play is creating unwelcome headaches for lenders. He recounts a recent case: 'A colleague returned a three-year-old Tesla Model 3 with a GFV of £25,000. It was only worth £18,000. They would have gladly bought it for £20,000 and financed it again, but that option was never on the table. The result? A £7,000 hit to the lender, plus the costs of transport and remarketing.' Frost says that while car finance firms are "looking for government support in the future, today's reality is that many are haemorrhaging money as cars financed over the last three years, on PCP and leasing agreements, often fail to meet their forecast end-of-contract value. Add in the cost of transportation and remarketing, and the losses per car escalate.' A market out of balance Oxford Economics: Assessing the impact of support for the used BEV market (September 2024) BVRLA-OE-Used-BEV-market-forecast-Sept-2024Download Demand, however, isn't keeping pace. 'The used car market is nearly four times the size of the new car market,' says BVRLA Chief Executive Toby Poston. 'If we don't stabilise demand and values for used EVs, the entire transition to net zero could be jeopardised.' In May 2025, analysis from Cox Automotive shed light on how aggressive discounting of new electric vehicles (EVs) has sent shockwaves through the used market. According to the data, EVs up to 24 months old retained an average of 83% of their original cost new (OCN) when sold to the trade in 2022, a figure buoyed by post-pandemic supply shortages and strong demand. Fast-forward to April 2025, and the picture has dramatically changed: comparable vehicles now retain just 47% of their original value. By contrast, diesel vehicles of the same age were holding up far better, retaining around 70% of their OCN. With the losses mounting, many in the industry are asking: what next? Motor Finance Online editor Alejandro Gonzalez (AG) spoke to the Head of Business Development at Bluestone Credit Management, Simon Frost (SF) about SF: Recent months have seen a consistent trend in rising consumer demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), with the SMMT noting that BEVs recorded the highest growth in Q1, increasing by 58.5% to 65,850 units and a record 3.3% share of all transactions. They attributed this growth to increasing supply and affordable prices, creating 'a new phase where electric becomes a realistic and attractive option for more buyers.' SF: can't speculate on lenders' speed of response to adjust future values. However, regardless of this speed, what is clear is that historic high future values were already 'baked in' to lenders' EV portfolios, and it is something we believe we can help them to manage.' SF: While digitising processes and the use of AI can both help to streamline operations, there remain areas where personal intervention can help to customise the customer journey. We see this every day in helping people address historic debt issues. The end of contract guaranteed future value hurdle, where the hurdle is often too high for a consumer to move to purchase their EV, is a similar position. The one-to-one discretion to lower the height can help more customers clear the hurdle, delivering a win-win position. SF: Lenders are making individual decisions on this question, and where the decision involves an OEM keen to sell new cars, a joint decision will be needed. By highlighting the opportunity for a tailored risk mitigation option, we have given lenders another choice. SF: While never ruling out a repeat of such a situation, I think it is fair to reflect that the combination of a highly unusual post-COVID-19 car market boom with new car shortages creating unprecedented used car values and the emergence of EVs at increasing scale, helped by government support, was a unique situation. While the pain is being felt now as agreements mature, it is fair to say that lenders have adapted to the adjustment in future values. SF: Today's residual values can be mitigated to an extent, but lenders often lack the necessary processes and resources to implement what may be only a two or three year window of pain. It is an area where automotive collections experts, like Bluestone, with our outbound customer contact expertise, can pivot their model to help lenders proactively contact customers and tailor a new financing solution. "Q&A with Bluestone: From overheating to undervalued, what's next for the EV leasing market?" was originally created and published by Motor Finance Online, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Fashion Network
19-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Bluestone eyes unicorn status with secondary deals ahead of planned IPO
Bengaluru-based jewellery business Bluestone is undertaking secondary share deals as it prepares to launch an initial public offering. Valued at between Rs 300 crore to Rs 350 crore, the deals could push Bluestone's valuation into unicorn territory. Bluestone is part of discussions with the private wealth management segments of 360 One and Centrum Wealth to carry out secondary deals which would see both platforms sell the stakes to their clients, ET Retail reported. This transaction will give Bluestone a valuation of around Rs 10,500 crore, a significant increase compared to its valuation at Rs 8,100 crore in August last year. "The round took place because there was interest from certain investor classes to pick a stake prior to the IPO," an anonymous source close to the development told ET Tech. "Bluestone is soon expected to finalise the pricing for the IPO." The secondary deals are expected to see Bluestone's Singapore-based investor RS Investments exit the business. Bluestone filed its draft red herring prospectus for its IPO at the Securities and Exchange Board of India in December last year and was granted approval this April. The IPO will raise fresh capital and include an offer for sale.
Mint
15-06-2025
- Mint
The next big thing in luxury travel: A family therapist
On a sprawling estate on New Zealand's Matakana Coast, there's an infinity pool, a heated spa, a secret wine cellar and a tennis court for vacationing guests. Another unusual luxury: on-site counseling. Bluestone Families, which operates retreats on the estate, sees vacations as the future site for fostering healthy dynamics between parents and kids. In the digital age, where devices compete for attention at nearly every waking hour, Bluestone's founders believe raising children is harder than ever—including for the very wealthiest. For about $80,000 (not including airfare), families can get all of the usual benefits of a far-flung trip, from delicious meals to adventurous outdoor activities, plus a professional therapist on hand. Madeline Avery, 35, went on a five-night retreat in October 2024 with her husband, Jack, and their children, who are 8 and 5 years old. 'I wanted to be connected now rather than trying to fix this when my kids are teenagers," she said. The Averys, who live in Australia and own a luxury yacht-charter company among other businesses, learned about Bluestone Families after Madeline stumbled upon the estate on Instagram. 'Because we go away so much and we go to so many amazing places, I was really worried about my kids becoming bratty, becoming overly privileged," Jack Avery, 37, said. Yes, their retreat was in a picturesque luxury setting. But between archery and kayaking, the parents worked on addressing their kids' frustrations, they all spent less time on their phones and the family started a new ritual of sharing 'highs and lows" of the day at the dinner table. 'We got more in a week there than I have in three weeks in France," Jack Avery said. Miraval Berkshires, an adults-only resort in Lenox, Mass., began including kids in a Family Connection Week last year, focused on mindfulness and family dynamics. According to general manager Gilbert Santana, the concept was so successful—about 500 people attended the first event in April 2024—that it is planning its third in November. The cost is more than $1,000 a night, per person. Santana said it is helping children get on a 'mindful journey early." Together, families are taking part in cupcake or taco-building workshops, as well as snow hikes. 'There are digital-friendly areas, but you find people more and more staring at the mountains, watching the sunset," he said. Psychologist Paul J. Donahue, who has a practice focused on children and parents in Scarsdale, N.Y., said that in his clinical experience, children of wealthy parents face two major challenges: 'a very intense pressure to achieve and then often a feeling of isolation from their parents." All of this, he said, has intensified in recent years. 'The biggest antidote we know against anxiety, depression, loneliness, substance abuse is having a sense of family closeness," Donahue said. It's time, not money, that limits these families in their ability to connect, said Christy Menzies, the Florida-based founder of Menzies Luxe Retreats. For that reason, it's important for them to get the most out of their trips. She's just not sure having a counselor present is the right way to achieve it. 'To me, that's a riskier endeavor, because you can start going in a direction you didn't want to go." J. Stuart Ablon, psychologist and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, said retreats might be a starting point, but likely not a solution, to many families' challenges. 'If they're complicated issues and family dynamics or significant challenges people are having, you're not going to fix much in a five-night stay," he said. Patrycja Slawuta, a behavioral scientist in Australia, said that's the point. 'Taking people out of context, out of what's familiar, actually opens their minds. People don't take their usual roles that they normally do, they don't sit at the same table they normally do," she said. She currently works with private families and family offices on integrating family wealth and has held multigenerational retreats as part of that work. With Australia in the midst of the largest generational transfer of wealth—a silver tsunami that is also sweeping other countries, including the U.S.—there has been an increased focus on family relationship dynamics. One of the top reasons that wealth transfers fail, various studies have found, has to do with poor communication and relationship challenges. 'People who don't know how to integrate wealth, they're getting torched by it," said Slawuta, who works with wealthy, complex families who are typically already in the process of a wealth transfer. 'In order for the system to thrive, it needs to evolve and it needs to learn, and it needs to be generative." Mornings at Bluestone start with family yoga or meditation in its geodesic dome. That's followed by family breakfast on a sun-filled patio and a parent coaching session, where everything from learning difficulties, sibling rivalries and relationship issues with either parent are on the table. The company's co-founders, former human-resources executive Andrea Grant Robbiati and child and family psychologist Deirdre Brandner, came up with the idea during a girls' trip in 2019 to the New Zealand property, which Grant Robbiati owns. Brandner had been having session after session with parents worried about their children, and Grant Robbiati was seeing parents whose struggles at home were spilling over into the workplace. The women, who each have three adult children, had the idea to cater to high-performing, high-earning parents who needed support connecting with their families. 'This is the first step," said Brandner, who emphasized she offers advice rather than traditional counseling to parents on-site. The company also does follow-up calls with guests after they leave, to help parents continue their journey. Since 2023, they have hosted eight families on retreats, with Brandner on site to advise parents. The retreats have attracted interest from executives and the ultrawealthy, the co-founders said. Some prospective clients have asked to host retreats on their own compounds for added privacy, the co-founders said. The global law firm Dentons has offered its corporate employees in Australia seminars from Bluestone Families. 'It's become more apparent that the parenting challenges of today's world are really a hidden stress for many of our leaders and employees," said Maureen Migliazzo, the chief operating officer for Dentons' Australasia region. 'Managing parenting challenges is really an important aspect of our employees' well-being program." Write to Sara Ashley O'Brien at
