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Europeans Inspired to Get Active During 2024 Summer of Sports, Reveals AliExpress Consumer Insights Report

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Europeans are discovering new sports and pastimes thanks to online shopping 161 million[i] purchases of sports-related products made on AliExpress since 2019AliExpress to launch #FindYourSport pop-up in Paris during the Olympic Games Paris 2024

LONDON, July 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — AliExpress, an international online retail marketplace and Worldwide Olympic TOP Partner of the Olympic Games for e-commerce platform services, today launched its Summer Consumer Insights Report focused on exploring the online shopping landscape and consumer behaviours across Europe.

The Report, which surveyed consumers from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK[ii] during this European summer of sports, reveals the far-reaching positive impact of sports, from improved mental wellbeing to feelings of inclusion and greater connectivity. It also illustrates the role of online shopping in enabling consumers to discover and take part in new sports.

Summer of sports inspires consumers

The Report reveals that 60% of consumers were able to try a sports and fitness-related activity thanks to online shopping, while 46% agreed that online shopping has made sports more accessible.

The summer of sports has inspired people to get involved in new sports including: football, running, hiking, swimming, basketball, tennis, athletics, cycling, boxing and gymnastics. 55% of those surveyed acknowledged that they feel more connected to their country during a global sporting tournament such as the Olympic Games.

Since 2019, AliExpress has seen more than 161 million purchases of sports-related goods, enabling consumers from around the world to actively engage in sports[iii].  The respondents of the survey stated that, thanks to online shopping, they have been able to try new sports such as badminton, BMXing, breakdancing, horse riding and skateboarding.

Positive impact of sports

The research also highlights the positive impact of sports, beyond physical benefits. 69% said that taking part in sports gave them a sense of community and 68% recognised that sports has allowed them to connect with people from different cultures and backgrounds. A staggering 84% agreed that taking part in sports has improved their mental wellbeing[iv].

Looking ahead to the Olympic Games Paris 2024, AliExpress will welcome people from around the world to its showcase event on 8 August on the Av. des Champs-Élysées, Paris. Open to the general public from 11.30 until 14:30 CEST, the showcase, themed #FindYourSport, will allow visitors to experience a series of Olympic sports-related activities and stand a chance to win prizes.

Gary Topp, AliExpress European Commercial Director, said, “We are delighted to see the AliExpress Consumer Insights Report highlighting the far-reaching impact of sports and its power to inspire and bring people together. I am encouraged to see the role that e-commerce platforms can play in making sports more accessible, enabling people to discover and take part in new sports, by giving access to a vast selection of products to get them moving.”

Sports and entertainment among top shopping categories

The research shows that sports and entertainment-related products were among the top five categories across the five European markets in terms of consumer spending online:

Grocery and beveragesClothing, underwear, sleepwear and shoesPhones and telecommunicationsFast-moving consumer goods (FMCG)Sports and entertainment

On average, consumers across the five European markets spent €78 on sports and entertainment-related products during the three-month period covered by the research. In France, for the same period, the average spending was significantly higher, totalling €94. This is followed by the Italians, who each spent €82, and the Spanish, who each spent €73, followed closely by German consumers, who each spent €71, and British consumers, who each spent £60 (approximately €70).

Online spending remains robust

According to the Report, overall online spending was holding up, with an average spend of £623 (approximately €739) in the UK and €622 across the other four European markets during the three-month period covered by the research. In terms of purchase frequency, over the three-month period, consumers across the five markets each bought nine items on average.

On average, respondents across all markets spent nearly five hours per week browsing and researching products online. The age group that spent the most time online are those aged 35-44.

Spanish consumers spent the most time browsing and researching online, followed by the British consumers, then Italian. French consumers spent the least amount of time each week.

Online marketplaces take top spot

The research shows that the top five online shopping channels across all markets were:

Online marketplacesRetailers’ websitesRetailers’ mobile appsSecond-hand products platformsSocial media shops

Online marketplaces were the most popular online shopping channel, with 63% of consumers having shopped via this channel, surpassing the numbers of those who had shopped via retailers’ websites and retailers’ mobile apps.

Although livestreaming did not make the top five, it ranked sixth and the research shows it is the most popular online shopping channel among those aged 18-24. 13% of whom stated they liked to shop this way—compared to just 3% of those aged 55 or above. 18-24-year-olds were also most likely to shop via social media shops when compared to other age groups.

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Notes to editors:

*All £ currency relates to British consumers consumption online and all € currency relates to French, German, Italian and Spanish consumers consumption online.

About AliExpress

Launched in 2010, AliExpress is a business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce platform enabling global consumers to buy directly from manufacturers in China and around the world. In addition to the global English-language version, the AliExpress platform is also available in 15 other languages. AliExpress is part of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group.

About the AliExpress Consumer Insights Report

The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 9,524 respondents aged over 18 across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. The data was collected between 28 June 2024 and 3 July 2024. The respondents were asked about their spending for the previous three months (March, April and May).

Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council.

[i] The data was collected from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2023.

[ii] The data was collected between 28 June 2024 and 3 July 2024. The respondents were asked about their spending for the previous three months (March, April and May).

[iii] The data was collected from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2023.

[iv] Respondents who currently participate in more than one sport.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2446162/AliExpress_x_Olympics_Logo_Logo.jpg

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Advanced Process Solutions Elevates Clint Johnson to Vice President of Services and Operations

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Veteran Semiconductor Leader Brings More Than 20 Years of Operational Excellence, Strategic Growth, and Industry Leadership

DALLAS, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Advanced Process Solutions (APS), an industry leader in high precision and high purity manufacturing and process technology solutions, serving the semiconductor, aerospace, electronics, and industrial markets, today announced the promotion of Clint Johnson to Vice President of Services and Operations. As APS continues to expand its presence and capabilities within the semiconductor industry, Johnson’s leadership will play a critical role in advancing the company’s mission, strengthening customer partnerships, and delivering best-in-class service solutions.

“Clint has been an invaluable asset to APS since joining us as Director of Field Services earlier this year,” said Suhas Uppalapati, Chairman of APS. “He has demonstrated exceptional leadership and a relentless focus on operational performance. His dedication to customer success, workforce development, and continuous improvement quickly established him as a key contributor, and we are excited to see him continue to push APS forward in this expanded role.”

Johnson oversees APS’s service and operational functions, ensuring the organization maintains the highest standards of safety, regulatory compliance, quality, and customer satisfaction. His leadership approach is rooted in accountability, collaboration, and operational discipline, creating an environment where teams are empowered to excel while supporting the company’s broader strategic objectives.

“I am honored to step into the role of Vice President of Services and Operations and to work alongside such a talented team,” said Johnson. “The semiconductor and advanced manufacturing sectors are moving at an unprecedented pace. Together, we will continue focusing on safety, quality, and operational execution to ensure APS is uniquely positioned to help our global customers scale, optimize workflows, and meet today’s complex production demands.”

Prior to APS, Johnson spent more than 20 years in operational management at Air Liquide, a world leader in chemical manufacturing. He earned a degree in organizational leadership from East Texas A&M University.

About Advanced Process Solutions (APS)

Advanced Process Solutions (APS) is a leading provider of precision manufacturing, engineered process systems, and ultra-high-purity solutions serving the semiconductor, aerospace, electronics, and advanced industrial markets. With over 25 years of industry experience, APS specializes in chemical delivery and dispensing systems, specialty gas distribution, filtration and purification, precision fabrication, automation and controls, and turnkey process system integration.

Strategically located in the Dallas Metroplex, APS supports the rapidly expanding U.S. semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem, including Texas’s emerging “Silicon Prairie.” To support its continued growth and innovation, APS is expanding into a purpose-built, 100,000-square-foot, high-tech manufacturing facility in Van Alstyne, Texas, featuring a Center of Excellence, state-of-the-art research and development capabilities, and advanced cleanroom facilities. This investment will significantly enhance APS’s manufacturing capacity, engineering capabilities, and ability to deliver next-generation process solutions.

Combining engineering expertise, manufacturing excellence, and an unwavering commitment to quality and safety, APS partners with leading global manufacturers to deliver innovative, reliable, and scalable solutions that enhance operational efficiency and support mission-critical production environments.

For more information, visit www.APSNextGen.com.

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From Grid Constraint to AI Growth: Hitachi Vantara and Duraflow Transform Data Center Energy Management for Greater AI and Compute Capacity

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Hitachi Vantara pilots one of the world’s largest Phase Change Material installations in its Netherlands data center, demonstrating how organizations can use up to 90% less electricity for thermal managementImplementation requires zero water for cooling, reducing the resources needed to support data center operationsThis generates more computing capacity from existing power infrastructure, rather than diverting power to cooling

ZALTBOMMEL, The Netherlands and SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates demand for computing power, data centers face a growing challenge: how to increase AI and compute capacity when access to additional electricity is increasingly constrained.

Hitachi Vantara, the data storage, infrastructure and hybrid cloud management subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd. (TSE: 6501), is demonstrating a new approach to address this challenge by showing how data centers can effectively use their power for AI and compute capacity rather than power and cooling. At its data center in the Netherlands, Hitachi Vantara has deployed one of the world’s largest operational Phase Change Material (PCM) installations, using technology developed by Dutch thermal energy company Duraflow.

For more information about Hitachi Vantara’s approach to AI, please visit: https://www.hitachivantara.com/solutions/ai-analytics

Depending on the application, PCM technology can help reduce electricity consumption related to thermal management by up to 90%, while requiring no water for cooling. By reducing the energy needed to manage power and cooling, a greater share of available electrical capacity can be used for computing – an increasingly important consideration as organizations deploy more energy-intensive AI workloads.

Tackling the energy challenge behind AI
Every watt consumed by AI ultimately becomes heat and managing that heat requires as much as 40% of a data center’s total energy needs. At the same time, as AI workloads continue to grow, the ability to convert available electricity into useful computing capacity will increasingly determine how quickly digital infrastructure can expand. This creates a growing challenge for data center operators seeking to increase computing capacity within constrained power infrastructure. In regions where grid congestion or limited access to additional electricity can constrain data center expansion, improving infrastructure efficiency can help organizations make more computing capacity available within their existing power connection.

Hitachi Vantara faced this challenge as demand for high-density computing and AI infrastructure increased. Rather than assuming that more computing required a greater amount of power, the company explored ways to make its existing electrical capacity work harder. The resulting deployment of Duraflow’s PCM technology provides a real-world proof point for this approach at an operational scale.

Real-world performance: 240 kW of cooling with low electrical consumption
The installed system provides a total cooling capacity of 240 kW across two 120 kW PCM units. According to operational monitoring data, the two units collectively consume just 5–8 kW of electricity, depending on operating conditions. For comparison, a conventional DX cooling system delivering the same 240 kW cooling capacity would require an estimated 60–80 kW of compressor power. These operational figures illustrate how PCM-based thermal management can significantly reduce the electricity required for cooling, freeing up more of the data center’s available power capacity for computing.

“This project started with a very practical challenge: how do we grow our computing capacity when access to additional electricity is limited,” said Simon Ninan, Senior Vice President of Business Strategy, Hitachi Vantara. “We realized that if we could dramatically reduce the amount of power required for thermal management, we could make more of our existing electrical capacity available for computing. By partnering with Duraflow, we are demonstrating how smarter energy management can become an important enabler of AI growth.”

The approach also supports Hitachi Vantara’s broader commitment to operating more efficiently and sustainably, including its goal of becoming carbon neutral in Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by FY2030.

Building efficiency across the infrastructure stack
The deployment is part of Hitachi Vantara’s broader focus on helping organizations get more value from their infrastructure while managing the growing energy demands of digital workloads.

That approach extends across the infrastructure stack. Hitachi Vantara’s Virtual Storage Platform One (VSP One) Block includes a 4:1 Data Reduction Guarantee and features Dynamic Carbon Reduction technology, which reduces energy consumption by switching CPUs into eco-mode during periods of low activity. Its always-on compression capability allows the system to switch from inline data reduction to post processing, which further reduces energy consumption and helps reduce a CO2 footprint by as much as 40%.

“Addressing the energy demands of AI isn’t about optimizing one part of the business in isolation,” said Courtney Hadden, Sustainability Director, Hitachi Digital. “It’s about working in concert across the organization and with innovative ecosystem partners to find efficiencies at every stage – from the products we build, how we bring them to market, and everything in between. The answer cannot simply be to consume more power. We need to become smarter about how we use the power we already have.”

Dutch innovation, demonstrated at operational scale
Developed in the Netherlands, Duraflow’s PCM technology absorbs thermal energy during periods of peak demand before releasing it in a controlled manner when demand decreases. Unlike conventional cooling approaches that rely continuously on electrically driven refrigeration to remove heat, PCM technology provides a way to manage and store thermal energy more efficiently. The system requires no water for cooling, helping data centers reduce their reliance on water resources while significantly lowering the electricity needed for thermal management.

“Developing technology is one thing; proving that it can operate at this scale in a live, mission-critical environment is another,” said Simon Loerakker, CEO, Duraflow. “Our collaboration with Hitachi Vantara has allowed us to demonstrate the potential of innovation at an unprecedented scale. Together, we are showing that sustainable innovation and the growth of AI infrastructure can go hand in hand.”

For more information on Hitachi Vantara’s AI-enabled infrastructure, please visit: https://www.hitachivantara.com/en-us/products/storage-platforms.

Additional Resources:

Blog: Raising the Stakes for Sustainable, AI-ready InfrastructureBlog: Five Habits That Cut IT Energy Waste, Without Spending MorePress Release: Hitachi Vantara Releases FY2025 Sustainability Report, Highlighting Leadership in Energy-Efficient Infrastructure for AI-Driven WorkloadsWebinar: Green Data: Sustainable Innovations in Data CentersPress Release: Hitachi Vantara Unveils New Virtual Storage Platform One Capabilities to Enable Stronger Cyber Resilience, Performance and Sustainability

About Duraflow
Duraflow develops advanced thermal energy management technology based on Phase Change Materials (PCM). Its independently developed technology enables organizations to significantly reduce energy consumption for thermal management, maximize the use of existing electrical infrastructure and support the sustainable growth of mission-critical digital environments.

About Hitachi Vantara
Hitachi Vantara is transforming the way data fuels innovation. A wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd., Hitachi Vantara provides the data foundation the world’s leading innovators rely on. Through data storage, infrastructure systems, cloud management, and digital expertise, the company helps customers build the foundation for sustainable business growth. To learn more, visit www.hitachivantara.com.

About Hitachi, Ltd. 
Through its Social Innovation Business (SIB) that brings together IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products, Hitachi aims to be a global leader in continuously transforming social infrastructure through digital, contributing to a harmonized society where the environment, wellbeing, and economic growth are in balance. Hitachi operates worldwide across four sectors – Digital Systems & Services, Energy, Mobility, and Connective Industries – as well as a Strategic SIB Business Unit focused on new growth areas. With Lumada at its core, Hitachi creates value by combining data, technology, and domain knowledge to solve customer and social challenges. Revenues for FY2025 (ended March 31, 2026) totaled 10,586.7 billion yen, with 606 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 290,000 employees worldwide. Visit us at www.hitachi.com.

HITACHI is a trademark or registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. All other trademarks, service marks, and company names are properties of their respective owners.

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Parks Associates: HDR Is Shaping the Future of Premium Video Entertainment

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New Parks Associates white paper, developed in partnership with InterDigital, examines how HDR is advancing viewing experiences across streaming, live sports, gaming, and mobile devices

PLANO, Texas, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — New research from Parks Associates shows high dynamic range (HDR) is becoming a foundational component of premium video entertainment, creating opportunities for television manufacturers, streaming services, and content creators to differentiate through picture quality. The research, High Dynamic Range and the Future of Video, developed in partnership with InterDigital, examines HDR’s expanding role across the entertainment ecosystem.

HDR enhances brightness and contrast and produces richer colors and more lifelike images for the video-viewing experience. The white paper explores how broader device support, growing content availability, and advances in production and distribution are moving HDR from a premium feature toward an expected part of high-quality viewing.

“HDR gives the entertainment industry a powerful way to make improvements in picture quality,” said Michael Goodman, Director, Entertainment Research, Parks Associates. “For manufacturers, it helps demonstrate the value of advanced displays. For streaming services and content owners, it provides an opportunity to deliver a more compelling experience and preserve the creative intent of their programming.”

“Consumers may not always know HDR by name, but they recognize the experience it enables: richer color, deeper contrast and a more lifelike picture,” said Lionel Oisel, Head of Video Labs, InterDigital. “As HDR expands across streaming, live sports, gaming and mobile, the opportunity is to make that premium experience consistent and efficient on every screen. Innovation in HDR, video compression and delivery will be fundamental to making that possible.”

The white paper identifies several developments shaping HDR’s next phase:

Smart TVs are the foundation. Smart TVs are the primary streaming video device in 62% of US internet households with a connected TV device.

Live sports and gaming expand HDR’s relevance. These experiences showcase HDR’s ability to reproduce bright highlights, detailed shadows, and realistic imagery, while pushing improvements in production and real-time processing.

Mobile viewing extends HDR beyond the television. Mobile phones account for 24% of weekly video consumption, with tablets contributing another 11%.

Technology advances improve delivery economics. AI-assisted image processing, cloud-based production, and next-generation codecs such as Versatile Video Coding (VVC) will simplify workflows and deliver HDR more efficiently.

The research also identifies challenges that require continued collaboration to ensure the successful expansion of HDR. Differences in HDR formats, device capabilities, and service implementations can produce inconsistent viewing experiences. Content providers must manage the cost and complexity of supporting multiple formats as audiences move from standard to HDR in their video viewing.

Parks Associates and InterDigital will highlight this research at Future of Video: Business of Streaming, an executive conference for the streaming and video industries on November 17-18 in Marina del Rey, California. Register here. 

For more information, contact Mindi Sue Sternblitz-Rubenstein.

About Parks Associates

Parks Associates helps companies identify new opportunities, refine strategy, and accelerate growth in connected technology markets through data-driven insights and industry expertise. With more than 40 years of experience, the firm delivers proprietary consumer and industry research, market forecasts, and strategic analysis that guide business decisions across personal, connected home, small business, and commercial technology ecosystems. Parks Associates supports clients in navigating evolving markets including AI, security, smart home, broadband, entertainment, energy, multifamily, smart buildings, and connected health.

The firm also fosters industry growth and collaboration by convening thousands of leaders each year through its flagship executive conferences, including CONNECTIONS™, Connected Health Summit, Smart Energy Summit, Smart Spaces, and Future of Video. Learn more at https://www.parksassociates.com.

Mindi Sue Sternblitz-Rubenstein
Parks Associates
972.490.1113
425707@email4pr.com 

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