Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • Bangladesh Fruit Import Duties Reached Nearly Tk 6,000 Crore in FY26

    Bangladesh Fruit Import Duties Reached Nearly Tk 6,000 Crore in FY26

    Bangladesh collected nearly Tk 6,000 crore in import duties on fresh fruits in fiscal year 2025-26, doubling customs revenue over five years even as private shipments fell 29 per cent.

    Importers brought in 5.7 lakh tonnes of produce such as apples, oranges, grapes, and mandarins during FY26, down from 8 lakh tonnes in FY21, according to an assessment by the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission.

    Tax rates explain the divergence. Total import taxes on fresh fruit climbed from 89.32 per cent in FY21 to 121.78 per cent in the current fiscal year 2026-27. Customs duties, regulatory levies, and supplementary taxes pushed retail prices beyond the reach of low-income shoppers. In Dhaka, apples that sold between Tk 250 and Tk 340 a kilogram two years ago now fetch between Tk 300 and Tk 400. Several years ago, shoppers paid less than Tk 300 per kilogram.

    Currency Slump and Cash Margins Hit Grocers

    Currency depreciation compounded the tax shock. The Bangladeshi taka weakened 43 per cent against the greenback, sliding from an average of Tk 84.80 per US dollar in FY21 to Tk 121.50 in FY26. Importers had to absorb that exchange rate hit alongside a 100 per cent cash margin requirement on letters of credit introduced during the 2023 foreign exchange crunch. Bangladesh Bank recently withdrew that cash margin rule as foreign exchange reserves stabilized, yet retail prices have not retreated.

    Food retailers in urban markets added their own buffers. The commission found that retail grocers widened their percentage markups faster than wholesale distributors, passing all foreign exchange risk directly to consumer baskets. Higher prices have crimped dietary options during peak dengue treatment periods, when hospital demand for vitamin C-rich citrus spikes.

    A Tax on Crops Farmers Do Not Grow

    Horticultural protection does not justify the import levy. Bangladesh maintains zero commercial domestic production of apples, oranges, mandarins, grapes, pears, or pomegranates. Every piece of these fruits consumed in the country arrives through ports.

    By treating baseline table fruits as luxury merchandise, tax policy creates severe consumer distortions without shielding a single local orchard. The tariff commission confirmed that Bangladesh now imposes the highest fresh fruit import duties in South Asia, while Nepal levies the lowest.

    The Tariff Rollback Model

    The commission formally recommended that the commerce ministry drop both supplementary duties and regulatory duties on non-native fruit imports. Lowering the overall tax incidence back to 89 per cent would reverse volume declines without sacrificing public coffers, according to agency projections. The commission estimated the National Board of Revenue could harvest more than Tk 6,500 crore if import volumes rebounded to 8.20 lakh tonnes under lower tariff rates.

    Consumers Association of Bangladesh President AHM Shafiquzzaman backed the reduction, arguing that public health demands affordable produce.

    “Across the world, prices of the fruits appear to be the highest in Bangladesh. But as fruit is part of public health, people should have options to decide whether they would consume locally produced fruits or imported ones. The authority should consider collecting other options to collect revenue,” he added.

    What Lies Ahead for Importers

    The earlier step that started this squeeze was the National Board of Revenue’s tariff hike in fiscal year 2021-22, designed to brake foreign exchange outflows. That emergency barrier outlived its immediate purpose, leaving fruit importers with stranded balance sheets and suppressed order books.

    The commerce ministry now faces a formal decision on whether to accept the commission’s tariff cut proposal and submit a revised rate sheet to the National Board of Revenue ahead of the mid-year budget adjustments.

  • Pakistan Orders 9 Tyre Manufacturers to Install Digital Monitoring by Nov 30

    Pakistan Orders 9 Tyre Manufacturers to Install Digital Monitoring by Nov 30

    Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue ordered registered tyre manufacturers on Friday to install electronic production monitoring systems by Nov 30, linking factory machinery directly to state revenue servers to track output in real time.

    The mandate aims to help bridge a national sales tax gap estimated at Rs3.7 trillion between current collections and actual revenue potential.

    Under Sales Tax General Order No. 32 of 2026, initial compliance targets nine companies: Ghandhara Tyre and Rubber Company Ltd, Service Long March Tyres Ltd, Service Tyres (Private) Ltd, Panther Tyres Ltd, Diamond Tyres Ltd, Service Industries Ltd, Ghauri Tyre and Tube (Pvt) Ltd, Crown Tyres Ltd, and United Rubber (Pvt) Ltd. Tyre makers must fit approved tracking hardware and software across every curing press, takeaway conveyor, and finishing line. The equipment counts cured tyres, screens out uncured units, and separates genuine production runs from maintenance, warm-ups, and dry runs. It records each product by diameter, width, tread design, and weight using certified stock keeping unit data.

    Single Vendor System and Factory Rules

    The Federal Board of Revenue selected ISSM Labelling Solutions (Pvt) Ltd as the sole authorised provider to install and run the tracking platform across plants. The system streams production events directly into the central tax control room, automatically flagging unexpected stoppages, machinery breakdowns, interruptions, and any physical or software tampering.

    Manufacturers cannot transport finished tyres off factory grounds unless the output passes through the electronic inspection network. Companies must supply the underlying information technology infrastructure, reliable power, and network connectivity at their own cost, while also paying service fees to the authorised vendor.

    Initial Hit List for Industrial Compliance

    Regulators singled out nine major tyre producers for the initial rollout: Ghandhara Tyre and Rubber Company Ltd, Service Long March Tyres Ltd, Service Tyres (Private) Ltd, Panther Tyres Ltd, Diamond Tyres Ltd, Service Industries Ltd, Ghauri Tyre and Tube (Pvt) Ltd, Crown Tyres Ltd, and United Rubber (Pvt) Ltd. Tax officials noted the list is not final and will expand to every licensed producer in the country.

    For supply chain operators and vehicle assembly partners across South Asia, the measure removes unrecorded factory off-takes that frequently leak into local wholesale distribution. Tyre suppliers operating in Pakistan face immediate capital outlays for hardware integration, alongside tighter inventory audits that leave zero room for off-the-books stock.

    The policy tilts the operating balance toward fully documented parts suppliers while forcing mid-tier producers to absorb compliance costs. Distributors and replacement retailers buying from these plants will see tighter paper trails on all commercial invoices, shrinking informal discounting across aftermarket supply routes.

    Expanding Digital Tax Control

    The tyre sector is the latest consumer goods segment brought under automated plant surveillance. Tax authorities previously placed packaged tea, household electronics, paper and paperboard, edible oils, leather, textile spinning, tiles, packaged milk, fruit juices, bottled water, and carbonated beverages under similar digital recording orders.

    Inland Revenue chief commissioners are now appointing dedicated regional focal persons to inspect factory lines and monitor vendor installations alongside company managers. Regional field formations hold orders to add unlisted tyre factories to the registry and submit formal compliance reports to headquarters.

  • Philippine Central Bank Plans 50 Coin Deposit Machines by January 2027

    Philippine Central Bank Plans 50 Coin Deposit Machines by January 2027

    The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will deploy 50 coin deposit machines nationwide by January 2027, dividing the fleet equally between Metro Manila and provincial regions.

    Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat confirmed the timeline, noting that the central bank will place 25 machines outside the capital and return 25 units to Metro Manila to double the original fleet.

    SM Cebu is slated to receive the initial regional rollout, with subsequent sites planned across Mindanao following service provider delays that pushed the project back.

    Splitting the Fleet Outside the Capital

    Under the revised deployment plan, the central bank will place 25 automated deposit machines across regional hubs and return 25 units to Metro Manila shopping centres. The central bank originally intended to launch the hardware earlier, but service provider delays pushed the timeline back to early 2027.

    Shoppers use the self-service terminals to tip loose metal coins directly into counting funnels. The machines convert the counted change into digital credits deposited into GCash or Maya mobile wallets, GoTyme bank accounts, or retail shopping vouchers.

    SM Footprint Offsets Operational Costs

    The central bank is partnering with mall developer SM to house the incoming batch. SM will help absorb operational expenses and provide space in high-traffic retail properties across the country.

    Central bank management acknowledged the service remains costly to operate without commercial partners sharing the burden. Working with the country’s largest retail landlord gives the monetary authority prime corridor space while avoiding standalone lease overheads.

    For mall operators, hosting automated change counters turns dead foot traffic into digital balances spent on site. Shoppers holding shopping vouchers or topped-up digital wallets tend to spend those balances at nearby grocery tenants and food halls rather than carrying the currency home. The operational risk sits in hardware maintenance. Unsorted change jams deposit hoppers, and private service providers must clear bins and process logistics quickly to keep units online during peak weekend shopping hours.

    Recirculating Hoarded Metal

    The original pilot began in June 2023 with a cluster of terminals in the capital region. By March 2025, the pilot fleet had taken in P1.4 billion worth of loose coins from consumers.

    Central banks across Southeast Asia spend millions minting low-denomination coins that vanish from circulation into household jars and piggy banks. Turning idle metal into e-wallet balances reduces currency production orders while feeding transactions directly into digital payment networks.

    Provincial Rollout Targets

    Metro Manila properties will receive replacement units without dedicated opening events because urban foot traffic already understands how the terminals operate. The formal regional rollout begins in SM Cebu before technical teams evaluate prospective retail properties in Mindanao.

    SM and the central bank are now surveying provincial mall properties to fix machine allocations ahead of the January 2027 commissioning deadline.

  • Pakistan Accelerates Alibaba Projects Under $1 Billion AI Strategy

    Pakistan Accelerates Alibaba Projects Under $1 Billion AI Strategy

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed federal ministries to accelerate joint projects with Alibaba Group to drive agricultural exports and digital trade, tying the initiative to the country’s plan to invest $1 billion in artificial intelligence by 2030.

    Chairing a progress review in Islamabad, Sharif instructed relevant ministries to complete all necessary measures by November following a memorandum of understanding signed at Alibaba’s Hangzhou headquarters in May.

    Under the trade measures, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority is rolling out a two-year programme with Alibaba to grant local businesses access to international buyers and training. Trade documentation is now handled through the operational Pakistan Single Window digital verification system, alongside a dedicated Pakistan pavilion established on Alibaba’s platform to market domestic products internationally.

    Automating Fresh Produce Shipments

    For fresh produce exporters, the collaboration introduces artificial intelligence tools designed to monitor crop quality and streamline clearance. State bodies are rolling out digital export platforms specifically for citrus fruits and olives. The system uses automated track-and-trace technology alongside crop modeling, aiming to cut border clearance delays that frequently spoil perishable shipments.

    Automation is also extending into domestic commodity oversight. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority received Alibaba analytics tools to monitor the movement of petroleum products, while tobacco supply chains are adopting similar tracking systems to curb undocumented trade.

    Alibaba’s Frontier Market Play

    Alibaba’s deepening presence in South Asia demonstrates how the Chinese marketplace operator uses sovereign agreements to secure wholesale merchant bases. Rather than competing directly in localized consumer app delivery, the Hangzhou company is anchoring its cloud and trade rails directly into national export architecture. This mirrors business-to-business models Alibaba deployed across Southeast Asia, locking regional manufacturing and farming cohorts onto its international marketplaces.

    For local exporters and suppliers, the state-backed setup reduces the costs of entering overseas marketplaces. The real vulnerability rests on compliance and infrastructure readiness inside Pakistan. Previous government e-commerce portals struggled with shipment delays, clearing snags, and fragmented digital banking channels that deter foreign wholesale purchasers.

    Hangzhou Pacts Take Concrete Shape

    The operational review follows a memorandum of understanding signed during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s four-day visit to China in May. That agreement pledged closer cooperation across artificial intelligence, enterprise software, and international commerce, coinciding with Pakistan’s backing of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar signed the formal charter establishing that multilateral body in Shanghai in July.

    Ministries face a November deadline to submit verifiable progress reports to the Prime Minister’s Office detailing SME enrolments, pipeline analytics deployments, and farm export shipments moving through the new trade corridor.

  • India Regulator Fines Shangri-La Eros ₹1 Lakh over Service Charge

    India Regulator Fines Shangri-La Eros ₹1 Lakh over Service Charge

    India’s Central Consumer Protection Authority fined Shangri-La Eros in New Delhi ₹1 lakh on 22 October 2026 for automatically adding a 10 per cent service charge to customer bills.

    The penalty targeted Mister Chai, the hotel’s restaurant, after regulatory investigators established that printing an optional disclaimer on a menu does not make an automated charge voluntary.

    Under the order, regulator CCPA held that default bill levies violate consumer protection rules by requiring patrons to actively demand their removal before paying. The hotel had argued that diners retained adequate time to dispute the 10 per cent surcharge, that cashiers could issue refunds on request, and that menus clearly designated the fee as discretionary. CCPA rejected every defense.

    Investigators examined two customer bills dated 30 May and 10 June 2025. In both instances, the hotel added the 10 per cent charge to the food total before calculating Goods and Services Tax, inflating the taxable baseline and the final sum demanded at the counter.

    The Breakdown of Default Billing

    Shangri-La Eros told the regulator it changed its billing description to read “Charges for Voluntary Staff Contribution (optional)” and refunded the complainant. It completely halted collecting the levy on 1 October 2026, after CCPA took cognisance of the matter.

    The watchdog ruled that altering invoice labels solved nothing. Default inclusion creates an opt-out trap where guests must spot the line item, confront floor staff, and negotiate its deduction from the printed check.

    The ruling enforces guidelines published on 4 July 2022. Those rules bar hospitality operators from adding service fees automatically, disguising them under alternate accounting titles, or restricting dining access to patrons who refuse to pay. They also expressly prohibit calculating GST on top of service levies.

    Hospitality Margins and Billing Risk

    For hotel owners and food and beverage operators in India, the penalty removes any lingering legal ambiguity around automated tips. Premium operators long relied on mandatory service fees to subsidize back-of-house payroll and retain floor staff without adjusting headline menu rates. That pricing buffer is gone.

    Operators who continue to default to automated levies face direct exposure under Section 21(7) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The statute allows authorities to calibrate fines according to business turnover, the duration of non-compliance, and the volume of customers billed. Incorporating staff remuneration directly into published food prices now represents the only compliant commercial route, even if higher menu figures dampen casual footfall.

    RetailNews Asia sees the primary operating risk shifting straight to point-of-sale software configurations. Independent operators and hotel chains frequently license billing suites that automatically load standardized service percentages at the final checkout screen. Franchisors and hospitality landlords must audit point-of-sale systems across their networks immediately, because consumer protection enforcement in India is now driven directly by customer invoice uploads to the National Consumer Helpline.

    Court Backing and Enforcement Wave

    The penalty against Shangri-La Eros builds directly on a key judicial precedent delivered early last year. The Delhi High Court upheld the CCPA’s service charge framework on 28 March 2025, confirming that mandatory charges infringe statutory rights and ruling that tips must depend entirely on customer initiative.

    Regulatory pressure intensified throughout 2026 across dining categories. In January 2026, the watchdog pursued suo motu actions against 27 restaurants nationwide, handing down penalties up to ₹50,000 and mandating billing adjustments alongside customer refunds.

    Penalties hit chains quickly. Café Blue Bottle in Patna paid ₹30,000 and Mumbai’s Bora Bora outlet under China Gate Restaurant paid ₹50,000 under orders issued on 10 January 2026. Quick-service tea chain Chaayos received a ₹50,000 penalty on 14 July 2026, followed five days later by orders against Fiesta by Barbeque Nation, FOO Ahmedabad Restaurant, and bakery chain L’Opéra. Japanese curry chain Curry House CoCo Ichibanya drew a ₹20,000 penalty on 19 October for a 10 per cent automated charge.

    Pending Actions Across the Market

    More regulatory orders are due before the end of the quarter. The authority initiated separate suo motu proceedings against 41 restaurants in July 2026 following complaints registered through national consumer portals, with final penalty determinations pending in those dockets.

  • 3 Southeast Asian Central Banks Partner on Cross-Border Digital Money Initiative

    3 Southeast Asian Central Banks Partner on Cross-Border Digital Money Initiative

    Central banks in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand have formed a cross-border digital money partnership to standardise commercial acceptance and settlement across the three jurisdictions.

    The Monetary Authority of Singapore led the rollout of the initiative, operating under the name BLOOM, which stands for Borderless, Liquid, Open, Online, Multi-currency.

    Announced last Friday, the central banks of Malaysia and Thailand entered the programme as official policymaker participants alongside Singapore’s monetary authority. Commercial banks, merchant payment networks and financial technology providers across all 3 markets will work directly with the regulators to establish standard operating practices for multi-currency transactions.

    Setting Terms for Regional Digital Settlement

    Work under the framework focuses on defining how distinct forms of digital money can clear, settle and exchange without institutional friction across borders. Participating teams will address three concrete tracks: cross-border acceptance and settlement mechanisms, technical interoperability between domestic payment systems, and programmable transaction controls.

    Implications for Cross-Border Merchants

    For cross-border retailers and online marketplace platforms operating across the Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand corridor, disparate clearing mechanisms create structural working capital delays. Wholesale clearing channels often demand days to convert and settle local balances.

    By establishing common protocols for programmable and digital currencies, central banks are testing ways to bypass fragmented correspondent banking relationships. The operational risk sits in technical compliance, where commercial operators must adapt their checkout infrastructure to central bank specifications while managing distinct domestic regulatory requirements across each border.

    The Trajectory of Southeast Asian Payments

    The BLOOM framework builds on existing cross-border links established across the region over recent years. While those early retail integrations connected consumer smartphone apps for tourist spending, they relied on conventional commercial bank rails behind the scenes.

    BLOOM shifts the focus from consumer front-ends to the core settlement layer, evaluating programmable digital tokens to automate settlement conditions directly. The test phase will determine operational guidelines, with the participating regulators due to outline technical specifications and initial private-sector pilot results in upcoming joint releases.

  • Cross-border payments: what Asian travellers should know before visiting Russia

    Cross-border payments: what Asian travellers should know before visiting Russia

    Russia is opening its doors wider to Asian tourists. Chinese citizens gained visa-free entry in late 2025, and from 15 October 2026 Vietnamese passport holders can stay for up to 30 days without a visa. Paying for the trip, however, remains complicated. Since 2022 the country has been largely cut off from global card networks, and payment tools that work in Shanghai, Hanoi or Bangkok often fail in Moscow. Before booking, it is worth checking which payment methods still work in Russia.

    International cards: largely unusable

    Visa and Mastercard cards issued abroad do not work in Russia: not in shops, not on Russian websites and apps, and not at cash machines. Apple Pay and Google Pay linked to such cards are unavailable as well. This also affects local bookings, from hotels to train tickets and taxis.

    UnionPay, the obvious alternative for many Asian travellers, is unreliable. To avoid secondary sanctions, the network has restricted the servicing of foreign-issued cards at terminals and ATMs of sanctioned Russian banks. Some merchants still accept them, but declined payments are common, and a card that worked yesterday may not work today.

    Mobile wallets: a niche option

    Alipay and WeChat Pay are accepted only at a limited number of shops and venues popular with Chinese tourists. They can help in a large department store, but are of little use for a taxi, a cafe or public transport.

    Cash: the dependable fallback

    Cash remains the one method that almost always works. Travellers can bring US dollars, euros or Chinese yuan and exchange them at a bank or licensed exchange office in major cities. Amounts above the equivalent of 10,000 US dollars per person must be declared at customs. Some services, including certain Moscow buses and vending machines, no longer take cash, so a cashless backup is still useful.

    Cards for non-residents

    Visitors staying longer can apply for a Mir card, Russia’s national payment card, at a local bank with a passport, although requirements vary. For shorter trips, several services offer virtual prepaid cards that can be issued online before departure, topped up from abroad and used via a smartphone. PayInRussia is one such service. Fees, exchange rates and limits differ, so it pays to compare before choosing.

    Before you go

    • Do not count on Visa, Mastercard or foreign-issued UnionPay cards.
    • Treat Alipay and WeChat Pay as a bonus, not a plan.
    • Bring enough dollars, euros or yuan, and declare amounts above the customs threshold.
    • Arrange a cashless backup, such as a virtual card for non-residents.
    • Check in advance how your hotel accepts payment from foreign guests.

    Entry rules for Asian visitors are easing, but the payment landscape remains fragmented. A little preparation before departure can save a great deal of inconvenience on arrival.


  • CATL Wins Exclusive Battery Deal for Blue Vector Skyla V30 Aircraft

    CATL Wins Exclusive Battery Deal for Blue Vector Skyla V30 Aircraft

    CATL has signed strategic and product agreements with Hangzhou-based Blue Vector Intelligent Technology to serve as the exclusive battery partner for its commercial passenger aircraft.

    Announced by the battery maker on Monday, the tie-up focuses on the Skyla V30, an all-electric tiltrotor model that has secured more than 100 pre-sales orders since its global debut in July.

    Under the agreement, CATL will develop custom aviation batteries for the six-seat aircraft. The companies did not disclose financial terms, battery specifications or a delivery schedule.

    Validating the Skyla V30 Platform

    Engineering work on the airframe is already moving beyond initial digital design. Blue Vector rolled out its first full-scale technology demonstrator, designated A/C01, on August 31 in Harbin in northeastern China.

    The demonstrator airframe has entered a testing sequence covering systems integration, ground trials and tilt-transition flights. Those trials will test the transition between vertical lift and horizontal forward flight, which forms the core technical challenge for tiltrotor electric craft designed for intercity transit.

    Commercial demand is building ahead of type certification. Blue Vector booked pre-sales commitments for 60 V30 aircraft at the Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou on September 24.

    Singapore-based aviation operator Moon Aero accounted for 30 of those aircraft, representing the platform’s first overseas pre-sales customer. That booking brought total advance orders past 100 units as the company conducts airworthiness validation with Chinese civil aviation regulators.

    Capital Structure and Production Targets

    Development work relies on fresh venture backing secured over the past two quarters. Blue Vector closed a funding round of more than 100 million yuan ($14.9 million) on June 30, led jointly by Shenzhen Capital Group and an unnamed industrial dollar fund.

    That transaction marked the company’s fifth capital injection in roughly six months. Across that period, the startup collected more than 400 million yuan to finance aircraft development, prototype construction and test flights.

    Securing an exclusive battery partnership before airworthiness certification freezes the aircraft’s internal layout. For aircraft manufacturers, battery weight, thermal management and energy density dictate maximum payload and cabin configuration. Swapping pack suppliers later in the certification pipeline resets regulatory approvals, locking airframe designers into their chosen cell platform.

    For CATL, the deal locks in a captive customer across passenger transit routes in eastern China and regional hubs like Singapore. Operating intercity routes between regional cities demands high cycle life and rapid charging turnaround times at terminal pads, creating recurring replacement demand for specialized aviation-grade cells.

    Building Out Electric Aviation Across China

    The Blue Vector contract expands CATL’s ongoing effort to position its battery systems across the electric vertical takeoff and landing sector. In August 2024, the battery maker agreed to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Shanghai-based aircraft manufacturer Autoflight to co-develop aviation packs.

    That collaboration extended into terminal infrastructure late last year. In November 2025, Autoflight and CATL revealed a floating vertiport vessel that integrates passenger landing pads, battery storage and high-power charging systems onto a marine barge, providing water-based terminal access for coastal cities.

    Blue Vector must now clear tilt-transition flight trials in Harbin and advance formal airworthiness certification for the Skyla V30 before delivering the first production units to Moon Aero and domestic operators.

  • Japan Foods Posts S$234,000 Profit as Halal Pivot Offsets Store Cuts

    Japan Foods Posts S$234,000 Profit as Halal Pivot Offsets Store Cuts

    Japan Foods swung to a half-year net profit of S$234,000 for the six months ended Sep 30, arresting losses sustained since 2023 after slashing nearly a third of its dining network in Singapore.

    The Catalist-listed restaurant group had reported a net loss of S$3.3 million during the corresponding period a year earlier. First-half revenue fell 18 per cent to S$30.2 million as its total store count dropped from 68 to 46 restaurants by late September.

    Management turned the business around by terminating unviable leases and converting underperforming locations into Steak 99, a proprietary halal dining format launched in October 2025.

    Pruning Legacy Noodle Brands for Halal Beef

    The format serves steak meals starting from S$9.90 with free-flow side dishes. It expanded to 14 locations by the end of September, generating S$9.5 million in first-half revenue, or nearly one-third of the group total.

    To build the budget steak network, Japan Foods took over shopping centre units previously occupied by its Ajisen Ramen brand, including high-footfall sites at Plaza Singapura, Bedok Mall and Tampines Mall. Ajisen Ramen shrunk from 12 outlets to eight over the 12-month period, while Tokyo Shokudo dropped from 14 restaurants to two. The operator removed brands including Menya Musashi and Osaka Ohsho entirely from its active roster.

    Operating Costs Fall Across the Chain

    Shrinking the restaurant network produced immediate cost relief across primary overhead lines. Selling and distribution expenses fell 27.8 per cent to S$22.3 million as store closures reduced headcounts, utility bills and lease depreciation charges. Administrative costs dropped 22.4 per cent to S$1.4 million, while other operating expenses decreased by roughly half to S$747,000.

    The balance sheet adjustments funded an interim dividend of S$0.0013 per share, payable on December 15. The group distributed no interim payout a year earlier.

    Why Suburban Value Squeezes Mid-Tier Dining

    For mall landlords across Singapore, the retreat of established Japanese noodle concepts illustrates how aggressively casual dining economics have shifted. Suburban retail mall rents have held firm even as labor costs and ingredient prices climb, leaving mid-tier dining chains with little room to absorb softer traffic. Operators that rely on S$15 to S$20 noodle bowls face consumer pushback as inflation-weary families trade down to food courts or aggressively priced casual dining alternatives.

    Pivoting to certified halal menus solves a structural occupancy problem for multi-concept restaurant operators. By securing halal certification, Japan Foods opened its suburban dining rooms to Muslim families who could not dine at its traditional pork-broth ramen stores. Retaining those retail leases under a value-led S$9.90 entry price point allowed the company to keep prime mall locations without maintaining the staff levels required by complex Japanese specialty menus.

    From Red Ink to Budget Offshoots

    The overhaul addresses operational losses for Japan Foods, which had been loss-making since 2023. Management responded by testing variations of its budget steak model, rolling out Wagyu Steak 99, Shabu Suki 99 and Yaki Zakana 99 under the same pricing structure. Each variation offers an entry-level meal priced at S$9.90 to defend suburban table turnover.

    The company informed investors that the rate of store closures will slow during the financial year ending March 31, 2027, as it works on optimizing remaining operations. The board will monitor early trading figures across its newer value spin-offs before committing capital to additional retail conversions.

  • Globe Switches over 1,000 Cell Sites to Renewable Energy

    Globe Switches over 1,000 Cell Sites to Renewable Energy

    Globe converted more than 1,000 cell sites across the Philippines to renewable electricity as of August 2026, tapping the government-backed Retail Aggregation Program to source clean power for its network infrastructure.

    The company rolled out the purchasing framework in 2025, making it the country’s first telecommunications provider to aggregate decentralized cellular installations under the state power scheme.

    Alongside switching grid-tied stations to green power suppliers, Globe replaced standalone diesel generators at remote towers with hybrid solar photovoltaic installations paired with battery energy storage systems. The storage units rely on lithium-ion and sodium-nickel chemistries, which deliver longer operating lifespans and lower handling risks than conventional lead-acid setups. At facilities where diesel generators remain necessary, the carrier installed automated load management hardware to curb fuel consumption and shorten engine runtime.

    Cutting Operating Costs Across Dispersed Networks

    Power represents one of the largest ongoing expenses for mobile tower operators in Southeast Asia. Operating diesel generation in isolated provincial sites carries steep logistics costs, including transporting fuel across island archipelagos and servicing mechanical engines during extreme weather disruptions. Replacing fuel burning with solar and chemical storage eliminates regular tanker deliveries while protecting operating margins against volatile international oil benchmarks.

    For enterprise users, digital commerce platforms, and branch retail networks operating across the Philippines, base station durability directly determines point-of-sale uptime. Prolonged grid collapses during typhoon seasons regularly knock digital payment terminals, inventory networks, and delivery routing offline. Hybrid generation keeps base stations transmitting during municipal power failures, shielding transaction volumes in provincial commercial hubs from weather-related outages.

    Rival Strategies and Grid Modernization

    Globe is running its off-grid power replacement alongside statutory obligations under the Philippine Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act. Regional telecommunications operators face parallel operational demands, prompting carriers across Southeast Asia to retrofit passive infrastructure or transfer cell site management to independent tower companies that contract clean energy supplies at scale.

    The operational pivot follows years of extreme weather exposure across the Philippine archipelago. Super typhoons frequently sever regional transmission lines, stranding base stations that rely entirely on local utility distributors or limited on-site fuel tanks.

    A major highlight of executing our Net Zero Strategy has been using the government-initiated Retail Aggregation Program. As the first telco in the Philippines to switch cell sites to renewable energy under RAP, converting over 1,000 sites to clean power reinforces our commitment to operational efficiency, network resilience, and disaster readiness.

    Tracking Battery Deployment Across Provincial Sites

    Tower reliability remains an operational pressure point as Philippine consumer transactions migrate to digital channels and mobile wallets. Automated systems installed on the remaining diesel facilities now report fuel draw and operating hours automatically, reducing the frequency of physical maintenance visits across provincial routes.

    The company continues to deploy hybrid battery packs and solar arrays across additional off-grid towers as older generator assets reach retirement. Regulatory filings under the national energy conservation framework will show the exact drop in diesel consumption as more provincial sites complete the equipment switchover.

  • Aarong Plants over 100,000 Trees Across 42 Districts from Bag Sales

    Aarong Plants over 100,000 Trees Across 42 Districts from Bag Sales

    Aarong has planted more than 100,000 trees across 42 districts in Bangladesh, funding the initiative entirely through retail proceeds generated from its store bag campaign.

    The lifestyle retailer reduced customer paper bag consumption by more than 4.68 million units between September 2025 and March 2026 compared to the same period a year earlier.

    Paper bag sales during the seven-month period generated Tk 2.9 crore across the brand’s store network. Aarong channeled the entire sum into direct environmental planting and rural community support, working with parent organization BRAC and environmental group Mission Green Bangladesh.

    Cashback incentives and store-level mechanics

    The reduction in packaging volume stems directly from Aarong’s Bring Your Own Bag initiative. Customers who carry their own shopping bags to checkout receive a Tk 15 cashback rebate against their purchase.

    Shoppers who opt to take single-use paper bags pay for them at the till, creating the ring-fenced fund used for nationwide ecological work. The company estimated that avoiding 4.68 million paper bags over the period spared approximately 6,000 trees from industrial pulping.

    “Bring Your Own Bag began with a simple change in habit: carrying and reusing what we already have,” said Tamara Hasan Abed, managing director of BRAC Enterprises.

    Household distribution and urban mini-forests

    The capital expenditure from bag charges was split into two separate forestry models. The larger share backed direct distribution to rural low-income families through BRAC’s Ultra-Poor Graduation programme.

    Under that programme, Aarong funded 95,382 saplings comprising fruit, timber, and medicinal varieties. Teams distributed the stock across 210 upazilas in 42 districts, delivering planting bundles to 40,001 individual households to generate supplemental household income and fruit production.

    The secondary allocation focused on dense urban vegetation. Partnering with Mission Green Bangladesh, the retailer financed Miyawaki-style micro-forests, which use tightly packed native plant species to accelerate biological canopy growth on small urban parcels. Aarong staged a public planting drive with shoppers and media representatives at its Rupganj Miyawaki forest site.

    Retail implications across South Asian store fleets

    Packaging levies in emerging South Asian retail markets frequently face stiff consumer friction, especially inside apparel and department stores where premium shopping bags double as status signifiers. Most chains that charge for carriers retain the cash within operational store overheads or margin defense.

    Aarong’s decision to combine a hard rebate of Tk 15 with full revenue surrender alters that dynamic. By publishing exact unit drops and assigning retail takings to traceable planting, the business removes customer suspicion that packaging charges are disguised margin extraction.

    For competing South Asian apparel operators, the programme sets an uncomfortable precedent on disclosure. When a market leader proves that bag consumption dropped by 4.68 million units within seven months while funding 100,000 saplings, retail landlords and municipal waste regulators gain a clear benchmark to demand mandatory bag fees from other department stores.

    Tracing the supply chain transition

    The bag initiative links into broader supply-chain pivots at Aarong, which operates as the commercial social enterprise wing of BRAC. Sourcing textiles, home decor, and jewellery from tens of thousands of independent village craftspeople, the enterprise links everyday shopping habits with broader community and environmental support.

    Moving customer behaviour from complimentary packaging to reusable totes mirrors earlier efforts by regional grocery players to curb checkout plastics. Aarong is now attempting the same shift inside department store fashion and lifestyle retail.

    The company continues to run the Tk 15 bag rebate at all Aarong cash registers, with local operations tracking whether bag opt-out rates hold as checkout volumes rise into seasonal peak trade.

  • Malaysia Trade Missions Generate RM59.5 Billion in Inflows

    Malaysia Trade Missions Generate RM59.5 Billion in Inflows

    Fourteen international trade and investment missions led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani generated RM59.5 billion in potential capital inflows between 2025 and September 2026. The engagements spanned twelve export destinations across Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America.

    Official records submitted to the Dewan Rakyat confirm that Malaysian authorities have formally approved RM14.2 billion of the total projected investments. Another RM45.3 billion remains under active negotiation across bilateral working groups.

    State bodies Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) coordinated the cross-border delegations alongside Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani. These ministerial visits yielded RM6.77 billion in exports.

    Approval Timelines and Conversion Rates

    Securing headline pledges is standard government practice, but moving capital through site acquisitions and plant construction tests real economic absorption. Miti acknowledged that industrial investments typically take 18 to 24 months to materialize, tethered to regulatory clearances and macroeconomic shifts.

    For commercial operators and supply chain vendors in Southeast Asia, the key indicator is the RM14.2 billion already approved rather than the broader preliminary figure. The gap between initial memorandums and registered capital deployment often defines whether domestic suppliers see actual procurement orders.

    Export Diversification in Emerging Corridors

    Trade missions shifted attention beyond traditional buyers in North America and Western Europe, targeting frontier regions across Africa, Central Asia, and Latin America. Shipments to these three combined regions rose 23.06 per cent to reach RM69.84 billion over the first nine months of 2026.

    Individual trade volumes revealed aggressive surges in secondary consumer and industrial hubs. Outbound trade with Namibia jumped 426.1 per cent, while shipments to Angola rose 55.6 per cent and sales to Brazil expanded 41.0 per cent.

    East African corridors mirrored that expansion pattern. Exports grew 35.9 per cent to Tanzania, 28.5 per cent to Ethiopia, and 11.6 per cent to Kenya following direct diplomatic interventions.

    Strategic Shifts for Southeast Asian Commerce

    RetailNews Asia views this geographic diversification as an operational hedge for Malaysian consumer product manufacturers and industrial distributors facing sluggish demand in legacy Western markets. Distributing export exposure into Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa reduces vulnerability to single-market tariff shifts and consumer retrenchment.

    The policy stance marks a deliberate effort to bind outward trade promotion directly to factory-level inbound capital commitments. The risk lies in foreign counterparty financing, where volatile currencies across Sub-Saharan Africa can stall import contracts after high-level state visits conclude.

    The Trajectory of Ministerial Delegations

    The latest parliamentary accounting follows a two-year government push to re-establish Malaysia as an export hub amid shifting supply chains in the wider region.

    Ministerial delegations to heavyweights including China, Japan, South Korea, India, and the United Kingdom secured foundational supplier links. The transition during 2026 into South American and African economies broadened those legacy connections into alternative consumer goods markets.

    MIDA and MATRADE now face the operational delivery phase for the RM45.3 billion balance remaining under negotiation. Investors and domestic market suppliers await the subsequent parliamentary sitting for data on how much of that pending balance converts into registered factory groundbreakings.

  • Signature Opens Two-Storey Flagship in Kayu Ara

    Signature Opens Two-Storey Flagship in Kayu Ara

    Malaysian kitchen specialist Signature opened a 2-storey flagship store at the Damansara Furnishing Centre in Kayu Ara in November 2026, pushing beyond kitchen products into full home and living collections. The site unites interior renovation services, built-in cabinetry, loose furniture and smart domestic appliances under a single trading footprint.

    Fully styled residential displays occupy the ground floor to present integrated room packages directly to homeowners. Signature Group Chief Executive Lau Kock Sang said the larger footprint aims to reduce project coordination headaches for clients who previously had to juggle disparate contractors and interior trade specialists.

    The Kayu Ara location represents a direct move to capture broader household spending. By combining joinery with third-party electrical appliances and loose furnishings under one roof, Signature is attempting to lift average transaction sizes and secure client commitments before structural renovation work begins.

    Consolidating Fitouts Under One Roof

    Home improvement retailers across Southeast Asia are pivoting from single-category manufacturing to turnkey interior packages. By bundling joinery with third-party electrical appliances and loose furnishings, Signature is attempting to lift transaction sizes and secure client commitments before structural renovation work begins.

    The store layout reflects this integrated approach. Rather than displaying modular cabinetry in isolation, the showroom presents complete living environments where kitchen counters, fitted wardrobes, dining sets and networked home electronics operate together. The strategy shifts the company’s revenue model from bespoke product fabrication toward comprehensive interior project contracting.

    Shifting Demands in Malaysian Home Furnishing

    The Kayu Ara showroom positions Signature directly in a primary home improvement corridor, where competing furniture retailers and specialist tile vendors fight for affluent suburban residential projects. Delivering appliances alongside cabinetry protects margins against rising raw material expenses and volatile fabrication labor costs.

    Contractors and independent interior designers often pull consumer commissions away from brand-owned showrooms. By offering on-site interior planning alongside finished goods, the company circumvents traditional trade middlemen to control the customer relationship from initial concept design through final installation.

    Execution Risks and Delivery Timelines

    Coordinating civil renovations and appliance warranties alongside core cabinet delivery introduces operational friction that pure furniture retailers rarely encounter. Fitting delays, subcontractor shortages and warranty claims across different electronics suppliers frequently degrade customer satisfaction scores in large-format home projects.

    Competitors are similarly attempting to bridge retail display with construction management. How cleanly Signature delivers its bundled renovation timelines will determine whether the Damansara Furnishing Centre location becomes a scalable template for regional store upgrades.

  • Digicel Activates First Shared Tower with Vodafone in Papua New Guinea

    Digicel Activates First Shared Tower with Vodafone in Papua New Guinea

    Digicel PNG switched on commercial network equipment on a Vodafone PNG tower in Minj, completing the first live co-location under their September sharing pact.

    The installation in Jiwaka Province anchors a push to trim capital expenditure in rugged regional terrain where redundant physical builds erode margins.

    Engineers activated services at the site in the administrative capital of the Anglimp-South Waghi District. Digicel confirmed the launch forms part of a nationwide programme to pool passive structures, with a reciprocal deployment scheduled next in Western Highlands Province.

    Cutting Duplicate Build Costs in the Highlands

    Terrain across Papua New Guinea makes greenfield tower construction punitive. Building access roads, shipping diesel generators, and securing isolated masts routinely push setup costs beyond sustainable commercial returns in rural districts. Sharing passive vertical assets lets both operators stretch coverage without duplicating heavy capital spending.

    By splitting site power, perimeter security, and mast maintenance, operators protect cash flow while defending baseline retail pricing. The model shifts competitive pressure from signal coverage to consumer service quality, data bundle pricing, and digital payment reliability.

    Consolidation Across Pacific Carrier Infrastructure

    The operational launch aligns with a broader structural pivot across Pacific mobile operators. Rather than fighting protracted land-access disputes and absorbing high backhaul overheads alone, domestic telcos are treating base infrastructure as shared utility space.

    Carrier balance sheets benefit directly from reduced recurring operating expenditure. For retail consumers and small businesses operating in regional market centres, shared infrastructure brings network redundancy, preventing total commerce blackouts when a single mast loses generator power or transmission links.

    Three Co-Location Pacts Signed Since July

    The Minj activation delivers on an agreement Digicel PNG and Vodafone PNG concluded in September. That pact followed Vodafone PNG’s infrastructure-sharing and co-location deal with state-owned Telikom PNG in late July.

    Digicel PNG completed the network circle in October by signing its own separate tower-sharing deal with Telikom PNG. The three bilateral contracts establish a functional co-location framework covering all major licensed mobile operators in the country.

    Work now shifts to Baiyer River Local-Level Government in Western Highlands Province, where Vodafone PNG plans to install transmission gear on an existing Digicel mast.

  • Jollibee Targets over 1500 Locations in Philippine Provincial Push

    Jollibee Targets over 1500 Locations in Philippine Provincial Push

    Jollibee Group identified more than 1,500 potential trade areas across the Philippines for network expansion running from 2027 to 2030.

    About 71 per cent of those targeted pipeline sites sit in provincial markets, shifting the company’s real estate commitments away from congested urban hubs.

    The expansion plan covers the company’s three primary domestic brands: flagship burger chain Jollibee, grilled chicken chain Mang Inasal, and Chinese fast-food concept Chowking. The restaurant operator aims to tap rising household incomes and commercial sprawl outside the capital region to support the store additions.

    Provincial Real Estate Strategy

    Provincial developers and regional retail landlords gain clear visibility into long-term anchor tenant demand from this rollout. Jollibee, Chowking, and Mang Inasal regularly serve as core foot-traffic drivers for strip malls, transport interchanges, and provincial town squares. Locking down commercial real estate in secondary and tertiary cities helps the group secure prime corners before regional land prices climb.

    Metropolitan Manila remains heavily saturated with quick-service restaurant formats. Competing chains now battle rising floor rents, utility overheads, and high cannibalization rates within primary urban shopping centers. Directing more than seven out of ten future openings into the provinces allows Jollibee to bypass capital-city congestion and protect operating margins.

    Supply Chain and Operational Headwinds

    Spreading 1,500 future locations across regional islands introduces structural supply chain friction. Cold-chain storage, commissary distribution routes, and reliable ingredient deliveries become significantly more expensive when operating deep in provincial trade zones. Any disruption in inter-island shipping routes or localized agricultural shortages hits operating costs directly.

    Rival quick-service operators face the risk of losing prime provincial real estate if they fail to match Jollibee’s site-acquisition pace. Franchise networks must also prepare significant local capital expenditure, because provincial stores demand dedicated logistics investments and local warehouse tie-ups rather than reliance on central metropolitan infrastructure.

    Building on National Scale

    The aggressive pipeline builds directly on an already massive footprint across the domestic market. Jollibee Group Philippines operated more than 3,500 stores across its brand portfolio as of the first half of 2026. That existing baseline gave the group dominant market share in domestic fast food, serving as the financial foundation for multi-brand cluster openings.

    Earlier rollouts concentrated heavily on major metropolitan corridors and primary provincial cities. The new multi-year plan extends that map into lower-tier municipalities that previously lacked modern fast-food infrastructure, relying on standardized commissary production to maintain product consistency across distant branches.

    Milestones Through 2030

    Site development and property negotiations for the identified trade areas will begin rolling out ahead of the 2027 start date. Company executives will monitor provincial franchise take-up rates and commissary capacity as the network tracks toward the 2030 completion window.