Actress Leah Remini sues Church of Scientology L eah Remini is taking legal action against the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, for harassment and defamation. The actress, who starred in the sitcom The King of Queens, joined the Church in 1979 as a child and left in 2013. Remini, 53, claims Scientology's "mob-style operations and attacks" have "significantly" impacted her life and career. BBC News has asked the Church of Scientology for comment. In a statement released to Variety, Remini said: "For 17 years, Scientology and David Miscavige have subjected me to what I believe to be psychological torture, defamation, surveillance, harassment, and intimidation, significantly impacting my life and career. "I believe I am not the first person targeted by Scientology and its operations, but I intend to be the last." Church says it is still committed to Scientology HQ in Gateshead Scientologists win 'public worship...
TikTok to launch online store selling China-made goods
DUBAI: TikTok is planning to launch an e-commerce platform next month in the US that will sell goods made in China, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
The company will store and ship items on behalf of manufacturers in China, and will handle all marketing, transactions, logistics, and after-sale services.
The move will see the short-form video app competing with the likes of Shein and Temu, as it seeks to replicate their popularity in the US, the report said.
Temu’s US sales surpassed Shein’s by 20 percent in May, according to Bloomberg, and its gross merchandise volume, which is total sales before expenses, jumped from $3 million in September 2022 to $192 million in January, according to data firm YipitData.
Shein still continues to reign the fast-fashion industry with annual sales figures of more than $58.5 billion, Reuters reported.
Now, TikTok is hoping to replicate their success through multiple moves in the e-commerce space. It is building a marketplace, the TikTok Shop Shopping Center, which will integrate different channels where users can view and buy goods from one single page, the WSJ report added.
It aims to quadruple the gross merchandise value — or total transaction amount of goods on the platform — to $20 billion this year globally from less than $5 billion last year, sources told the paper.
The WSJ quoted sources as saying that in March, TikTok’s e-commerce team was tasked with examining the business models of its fast-growing rivals. Two months later, the platform launched its own version in the UK and Saudi Arabia.
The app is currently staffing its new operation with some talent being poached from Temu and Shein, according to job recruiters. TikTok has reportedly also told fast-fashion suppliers to refer to Shein’s standards for some product details such as the size system.
Ivy Yang, a former tech analyst for Alibaba, told the WSJ: “It’s an uphill battle for TikTok because not only is the competition fierce, but the challenges are also greater for TikTok if it actually does well.”
TikTok’s plans for America come among rising scrutiny from lawmakers in the country who want to ban the app over data privacy and security concerns.
Comments
Post a Comment