Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • Shinsegae to sell Yunjac cosmetics at duty free

    Shinsegae to sell Yunjac cosmetics at duty free

    South Korean retail giant Shinsegae is launching an independent Yunjac cosmetics store at its Myeongdong duty free outlet. The cosmetics shop, which will open on February 2, retails Asian herb-based skincare products. Launched in October last year, it is Shinsegae’s first in-house cosmetics brand, targeting Chinese millennials. A statement from the company said the opening is ahead of schedule thanks to unexpectedly high demand, with sales exceeding last year’s expectations by a factor of four.

    Three Shinsegae Department Store branches currently host a Yunjac outlet, with more stores planned to open within Korea and abroad shortly. It is targeting sales of KRW100 billion (US$89 million) by next year.

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  • GreyOrange to launch new products at LogiMAT 2019

    GreyOrange to launch new products at LogiMAT 2019

    Robotics and warehouse automation company, GreyOrange, will launch its new modular sortation system and demonstrate upgraded versions of its Butler and PickPal at LogiMAT 2019, the 17th International Trade Fair for Intralogistics Solutions and Process Management in Stuttgart, Germany on 19-21 February.

    Nowadays, retailers and logistics businesses face many new kinds of complexities and challenges due to the unprecedented growth in volumes, combined with the volatility of peak periods and increased pressure to cut operational costs. GreyOrange will present a portfolio of AI-powered solutions that bring Flexible Automation to life; it reduces complexities and delivers maximum productivity, from inventory management and picking to sortation.

    Sid Chatterjee, Vice President – Products, GreyOrange, said, “The GreyOrange solution portfolio offers a strong business case for Flexible Automation. In the past year it has been adopted globally by industry-leading players in retail, 3PL and e-commerce. At LogiMAT we will demonstrate how our new solutions can help address the complexities of retail distribution. We invite everyone to visit our booth to get a hands-on demo to see how higher throughput can be achieved.”

    The new GreyOrange modular sortation system, designed for flexibility and portability, comprises modular components that deliver significantly higher throughput per unit area; it improves space utilization and reduces operating costs. The AI-enabled robotics system can be easily scaled making it more investment-friendly and usable for a range of applications across retail and logistics industries.

    In the demo of the GreyOrange Butler goods-to-person system, visitors will see how this robotics solution uses an AI-first approach to optimize order fulfillment processes from inventory management to order picking. It has been deployed in distribution centres in Japan, India, Europe and the Americas across industries such as 3PL, e-commerce, electronics and retail. Additionally, the Butler PickPal handles high-speed auto-fulfillment with AI-powered shelf picking.

    GreyMatter, the Warehouse Execution System, is the software platform developed by GreyOrange to make flexible warehouse automation a reality, and address the complexities of warehouse operations caused by ever-changing retail trends. By connecting people, processes and material more efficiently using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, it provides granular control and visibility across warehouse processes and enables systems to adapt flexibly to changing business demands.

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  • John Jacobs India aims to bag Rs 500 cr revenue by March 2021

    John Jacobs India aims to bag Rs 500 cr revenue by March 2021

    Lenskart’s eyewear brand John Jacobs is looking to garner Rs 500 crore in revenue in two years as it strengthens its retail presence and expands the product portfolio. The brand, which has eight stores currently in Delhi, Pune and Bengaluru, will add six more in the next two months and aims to set up about 50 stores by March 2021. “John Jacobs has been witnessing strong growth, we expect to close this fiscal with a topline of Rs 180 crore. By March 2021, we expect our revenues to touch Rs 500 crore,” Manan Duggal, Business Head, John Jacobs said.

    According to a report, about 40 percent of the sales is driven by online channels, with the rest coming from offline stores.

    Last year, Lenskart had said it will invest US$ 4 million in John Jacobs to fuel the brand’s expansion plans.

    “We are aggressively growing our presence both in online and offline. The brand is already retailing through Lenksart outlets (over 450 in more than 100 cities). The aim is to take the number of our own stores from 8 now to 50, by March 2021, covering all major metro cities,” he said, adding that the store expansion will entail investment of about Rs 10-15 crore.

    John Jacobs is also in discussions with fashion retail chains for distribution of its products.

    “In terms of online reach, we are already there on Lenskart and Amazon.in and will soon be available on Flipkart as well,” Duggal said, adding that the brand is aggressively expanding its product portfolio as well.

    John Jacobs recently introduced a new eyewear delivery model where the brand delivers eyeglasses, fitted with powered lenses, in a 20-minute timeframe.

    The service, currently available in select stores in Bengaluru, will be expanded to Delhi and Pune as well, Duggal said.

    He further said that with the new service, the brand expects to “see 30-40 percent upside in orders”.

  • Property prices likely to continue downtrend in Malaysia: PropertyGuru

    Property prices likely to continue downtrend in Malaysia: PropertyGuru

    Property prices in the country are likely to continue their downtrend for at least the first half of the year (1H19), despite improving consumer sentiment and proactive government policies announced in the Budget 2019, online property company PropertyGuru said. It said in a statement that this is validated by the company’s Market Index, which shows that asking prices of homes in Malaysia continue to show a 2.3% drop year-on-year.

    The Market Index is an analysis of over 250,000 property listings aggregated and indexed. PropertyGuru said its online portal, which has over 1.3 million Malaysians searching for properties, has seen a surge of interest in the following property hotspots identified in the various states of Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang and Johor.

    While there has been a dip in asking prices, it said the demand for properties in Kuala Lumpur is still strong with the most popular and highly searched areas being Bangsar, Mont Kiara and Cheras.

    It said the property types that are most searched in these three areas are condominiums, followed by apartments and townhouses, noting the reason for high-rises being the most preferred property type in Kuala Lumpur may be due to the more affordable entry price points.

    In terms of the price bracket, PropertyGuru said many are searching below the RM300,000 bracket which is not feasible for the locations that are preferred, since many of these locations are priced above the affordability range.

    The company said demand for properties in Selangor continues to be high despite declining prices, with properties in Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, and Subang Jaya topping the list in this order.

    It said properties that are most searched for in these areas are condominiums, followed by apartments and two-storey terrace houses, with many looking at transit-oriented development properties.

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  • Chow Tai Fook sales slip amid consumer uncertainty

    Chow Tai Fook sales slip amid consumer uncertainty

    Chow Tai Fook sales declined by 11 per cent in same-store sales volume in both Mainland China and Hong Kong & Macau in the December quarter. However the decline in value was less, at 7 per cent in Mainland China and 6 per cent in Macau. Retail sales on the mainland rose by 1 per cent, which seems a modest rate given the company opened 259 new points of sale there during the quarter. Total retail sales value in Hong Kong fell by 1 per cent, despite five new stores opening there.

    In a stock exchange filing, the company said the decline in same-store sales came “amid an uncertain macro environment”.

    In Mainland China, same-store sales of gem-set jewellery declined by 5 per cent, while the average selling price (ASP) fell from HK$6900 in the preceding quarter to $6600.

    In Hong Kong and Macau, gem-set jewellery sales fell by 8 per cent and the ASP from $11,800 to $11,500.

    Sales of gold products in both markets was affected by a decline in volume growth as the gold price strengthened, the company reported. That drove the ASP from $7000 to $7400 in Hong Kong and Macau and from $3900 to $4300 in Mainland China.

  • Luxottica and CDFG/Sunrise launch new Miu Miu colour

    Luxottica and CDFG/Sunrise launch new Miu Miu colour

    Italian eyewear firm Luxottica Group has entered its second partnership with China Duty Free Group and Sunrise Duty Free to offer the latest Miu Miu sunglasses collection. The travel retail exclusive has opened in selected airports and other Chinese travel retail stores, trading a reinterpreted version of Miu Miu’s Noir collection. Pop-up sites and personalised backwalls have been prominently installed in the selected locations amplified by customised brand furniture and trained staff.

    “It is a privilege to partner with China Duty Free Group and Sunrise Duty Free on a second China travel retail exclusive color from Miu Miu,” said Luxottica’s travel retail director Enrico Destro. “Both retailers bring our brands to the heart of the Chinese travelling consumer, presenting the opportunity to collaborate on projects to truly capture Chinese spending power and sophisticated appetite for luxury brands, as well as respond to these consumers increasing demand for unique and exclusive products.”

    “At CDFG, our sunglasses category is growing in sophistication very quickly,” added China Duty Free Group’s fashion department director Lee Meili. “We see a large growth opportunity for the category and we will continue on our path to bring newness and exclusivity to our offer … This exclusive Miu Miu color was specially selected with Chinese travellers in mind, and has been presented in a very compelling launch package.”

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  • 7-Eleven parent sales surges: Report

    7-Eleven parent sales surges: Report

    Japanese retail giant Seven & I has reported a 15.8 per cent increase in net sales for the nine months to November. Profit rose by a less impressive 2.9 per cent. The 7-Eleven parent said its overseas convenience store business achieved an impressive 15.7 per cent increase in operating profit year on year.

    At home, its Ito-Yokado superstore managed to reduce its operating loss to ¥200 million (US$1.85 million), however its York-Benimaru supermarket division and Sogo & Seibu department stores both struggled, the latter losing ¥937 million ($8.6 million).

    Seven & I’s net sales totalled ¥4.11 trillion ($38 billion).

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  • Vietcombank’s profit skyrockets, Vietinbank’s falls

    Vietcombank’s profit skyrockets, Vietinbank’s falls

    Two of Vietnam’s largest banks reported contrasting performances in 2018, with Vietcombank’s profits rising by 63.5 percent and Vietinbank’s falling by 27 percent. Vietcombank, the largest listed bank by market capitalization, said profit before tax was VND18.02 trillion ($772.73 million) last year, up 63.5 percent over 2017. Vietcombank earlier this month raised VND6.2 trillion ($265.86 million) from selling a 3 percent stake to foreign investors.

    Singapore sovereign fund GIC bought 2.55 percent while Japan’s Mizuho Bank bought the remaining 0.45 percent to keep its 15 percent stake unchanged. Nghiem Xuan Thanh, Vietcombank’s chairman, said at a recent conference his bank had achieved all its target last year.

    Bad debts last year accounted for 0.97 percent of total loans and the bank hopes to keep it below 1 percent this year too. Vietcombank plans to have its total asset value increased by 12 percent, and its capital mobilization up by 13 percent this year.

    Vietinbank, the fourth largest listed bank by market cap, saw profit before tax slip to VND6.7 trillion ($287.3 million) in 2018 from VND9.2 trillion ($394.5 million) in 2017. Asset growth, credit growth and capital mobilization grew by 6-10 percent, lower than targeted.

    The lender’s proposal to increase charter capital has not been approved. Its chairman Le Duc Tho said increasing capital is “vital” since it has remained unchanged for years. The State Bank of Vietnam owns 65 percent of the bank, while foreign ownership has reached the 30 percent cap.

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  • Jaguar’s first electric car roars into Korea

    Jaguar’s first electric car roars into Korea

    Luxury carmaker Jaguar introduced the I-Pace, its first electric vehicle (EV), to the Korean market Monday at the Paradise City hotel in Incheon, joining a growing number of EV automakers in the country. The luxury brand’s all-electric sport-utility vehicle (SUV) sports an electric powertrain that produces up to 400 horsepower and a 333-kilometer (207-mile) driving range.

    “The I-Pace is a high-performance electric car that has battery and electric motor technology developed from our experience in electric motor sports Formula E,” said Baek Jung-hyun, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover Korea. “Jaguar will lead the future of premium electric cars through the I-Pace.”

    The vehicle, originally unveiled in the global market early last year, was delayed for launch in Korea due to the certification process, according to Jaguar Land Rover Korea.

    The automaker has prepared charging infrastructure for the product’s launch, installing 52 charging stations in 26 of its showrooms. The company has also installed 52 chargers and 26 fast-charging stations in its service centers.

    The fast-charging stations can charge vehicles to up to 80 percent in just 40 minutes.

    For maintenance, the carmaker promised to establish 10 new service centers so that there will be a total of 37 by the end of this year.

    Jaguar Land Rover Korea is also promising an eight-year or 160,000-kilometer warranty for its battery system and will install home-charging systems for free for those customers who receive their vehicles by March 31 this year.

    The luxury brand’s all-electric car enters the budding local EV market that has seen rapid growth over recent years.

    A total of 21,375 EVs were sold between January and September last year, up from 13,826 sold in 2017. The Ministry of Environment plans to have 350,000 EVs and 10,000 fast-charging stations in the country by 2022.

    Jaguar’s newest offering joins the short list of electric SUVs in Korea, which include Tesla’s Model X and Hyundai Motor’s subcompact SUV Kona EV, both released last year in the local market.

    The I-Pace will be sold from Jan. 23 with a starting price of 110.4 million won ($98,300) that climbs to 128 million won for its highest trim, the EV400 First Edition.

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  • Chun Yang Tea expands into Canada

    Chun Yang Tea expands into Canada

    Taiwanese bubble-tea brand Chun Yang Tea is launching its first store in Canada. With operations across Taiwan as well as in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Malaysia, the brand is now planning two new store locations in Toronto and one in Vancouver. While the Canadian market has been judged as saturated for bubble-tea retailers, Chun Yang claims its product is authentic and traditional, offering beverages made without any artificial milk powder to achieve a more natural taste.

    So far no information has been released as to exact launch dates, although the brand’s website claims the stores are “coming soon”.

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  • Strategies that will differentiate leaders in Indian retail in 2019

    Strategies that will differentiate leaders in Indian retail in 2019

    Indian retail industry has seen tremendous transformation and growth in the last few years and has become one of the most favourable market for global investment. The vibrant industry, hugely shaped by changing policies and consumer behaviour is adopting technology not only to understand changing consumer preferences but also to enhance shopping experiences. Innovations have defined a gradual shift in how companies approach retail altogether.

    Technology disruptions have taken all industries in its stride and the cash and carry business is no exception, despite it dealing with B2B customers. Technology has been a pivot for the creation of personalised, ‘instant’ buyer experiences. The players who leverage technology well will be industry leaders of the next decade.

    As we have stepped in 2019, here are some retail trends that will make news this year.

    Integrated Omnichannel presence for retail analytics – Omnichannel in retail has been a high talk point and some retailers have successfully expanded their presence across platforms. However, integration is the key to success in this game. Unless the platforms are integrated, they will present an inconsistent experience to the customers, creating confusion about the product, pricing and promotions.

    Besides ensuring an unswerving experience, a bigger advantage of an integrated Omnichannel approach would be to share and cross-leverage customer behaviour data. For instance, if a customer has a specific purchasing pattern for a product offline, the retailer can use these insights for targeted marketing on various digital platforms. It will not only help the shopper find what they need but also help the retailer generate higher sales through relevant product suggestions and repeat business.

    Shaping in-store experience through proximity marketing – Internet of Things has transformed many industries and has the potential to enable real-time interaction between retailers and consumers, providing them with a truly connected experience. It not only brings about a seamless experience but also enable guided discovery and shopping, using a network of beacons in store. These beacons can help retailers in marketing, mapping the consumer movement patterns and time spent at various sites, in-store messaging, building consumer loyalty etc. This will offer the opportunity to revolutionise in-store experience for consumers.

    Increasing focus towards sustainability – The consumer dynamics have evolved considerably over the last few years. They feel connected to a company or a brand that helps them contribute to social and environmental issues. The inclination of Indian consumers towards building a sustainable future will provide an edge to brands operating sustainably.

    The dynamic regulatory environment and shifting consumer preferences are making it imperative for retailers to decrease the social and environmental impact of their operations. Companies will be seen instituting practices and initiatives to address this need, and, the players who will ace this, will be the most preferred brands for consumers in the future.

    Decreasing wastage, promoting recycling and energy conservation will be certain immediate outcomes of bringing sustainable practices within business operations. Over a longer period, the impact of sustainability will run much deeper, with local community engagement and expected economic benefits.

    Employing Blockchain to enhance credibility through responsible and ethical sourcing –Blockchain technology helps retailers with core functions including supply chain management, inventory management, authenticity verification, auto-renewal and subscription services, customer data and loyalty programmes. However, the key benefits that the technology is delivering to retailers are to ensure authenticity and improve accuracy in tracing the origin of any product swiftly.

    Incorporating blockchain technology will enable retailers to track data right from sourcing stage to customer purchase while ensuring authenticity for their customers. It will also help establish sustainable sourcing practices being followed by the company, making a stronger connect with the millennial consumer.

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  • The Body Shop India to open 20 new stores in 2019

    The Body Shop India to open 20 new stores in 2019

    The concept of beauty has evolved dramatically over the last few years. The desire to look attractive and feel good is at an all time high among consumers from all walks of life. Consumers are continuously looking out for products that make them look good. Innovation, ingredients and integrity are the new buzzwords in beauty. Natural and organic has never been more popular. The movement towards healthier, wellness-oriented lifestyles around the world – complemented by a growing consumer awareness of sustainability, naturality, and ethical sourcing, has influenced personal attitudes towards beauty.

    There has been a huge upsurge of consciousness in beauty purchase – Beauty with Responsibility. Today consumers want to buy beauty products which are chemical free, natural, organic, vegetarian and not tested on animals. ‘Ethical and Clean Beauty’ is indeed on the rise.

    Keeping up with the rising demand, many new brands have entered the beauty retail space in India but brands like The Body Shop which have been there in the industry from past 12 years, has carved a niche for itself.

    Vishal Chaturvedi, General Manager-Retail – India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, The Body Shop explains how the brand has become a established household name. He says, “The brand is a one stop shop for new and trending beauty products and ingredients. We have ranges across skincare, bath and body, haircare, make-up, men’s grooming range and gifting. Perfected by centuries of wisdom, the brand brings to its cusotmers the finest natural ingredients, refined textures and delicate fragrances, from purifying and firming clays, sensorial and luxury oils, refining natural scrubs and decadent creams.”

    “We are always on the verge of experiments to bring new beauty formats and testing efficacy to bring the very best to our consumers,” he adds.

    All the products of the brand are made exclusively in the UK and supplied across the world. India is one the fastest growing markets and among the top markets for The Body Shop.

    “We have been in India since 2006 and have 175 stores across the country. We have presence in 60+ Indian cities and over 600 towns and cities through own e-commerce channel. The brand is known for its ethical positioning with strength of natural ingredients, community trade programs, animal cruelty free and 100 percent vegetarian products. The Body Shop has a fast growing consumer base. We are expanding into new markets and are a leading global beauty retailer in the country,” asserts Chaturvedi.

    Store Innovations

    The Body Shop keeps the customers at the centre of their business and their location strategy is driven by the endeavour to reach as many customers across a wide spectrum of segments.

    “We choose locations that allow us access to all kinds of beauty consumers and where we can offer our unique The Body Shop experience,” reveals Chaturvedi.

    The brand’s pillars are naturality, animal cruelty free and activism and the stores celebrate this through their ambience and every customer touch point.

    “Through the stores, the brand offers a heightened personalized experience by unique display of products and experiential zones which uplift the sensorial experience of the customers. We have a marquee Community Wall that specifically talks s about our ongoing ethical campaigns and initiatives,” states Chaturvedi.

    “Our greatest innovation is our beauty experts and advisors. They are the true ambassadors of the brand. The advisors undergo rigorous training and each one of them is well equipped to give a 360° experience of the brand,” he adds.

    Future Plans

    The beauty brand has endeared itself not only to consumers in big cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata but is also hugely popular in Tier II cities like Guwahati, Siliguri, Jammu, Aurangabad, Patna, Nasik, Mysore, Calicut and many more towns and cities.

    “We shall be opening 20 more stores this year in 2019, establishing our footprint in new cities to make ourselves even more accessible to new customers,” he reveals.

    “Apart from physical presence, we have a very strong online presence. E-commerce is our fastest channel of reaching 600+ cities and towns adding almost 30,000 customers to The Body Shop family every year. Our e-commerce business contributes to 10 percent of our business. We are expecting to grow by 12 percent,” he concludes.

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  • Sunshine department store Penang goes online via Shopee

    Sunshine department store Penang goes online via Shopee

    Penang department store Sunshine has launched on online shopping platform Shopee with expectations of doubling its income. According to Sunshine’s CEO Cynthia Hwang, the move to list initially 1500 products, as well as the brand’s in-house fashion label Iloveasap, on the platform would target 16 million users throughout the country while leveraging Shopee’s free shipping and Super Brand Day.

    “Further expansion into the online realm with the opening of an official store on Shopee will see a bigger contribution to the brand’s revenue growth,” she said.

    “As a whole, it is part of our aspiration to help to grow Malaysia in terms of providing more choices, better and easier accessibility for quality products and enable consumers to purchase from trusted sellers such as Sunshine Online,” added Shopee Malaysia category manager Tan Ming Kit.

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  • H&M Tested New Concept and Digital Developments

    H&M Tested New Concept and Digital Developments

    Global fast-fashion retailer H&M plans to introduce further digital services and features to improve its customer experience both in physical stores and online. The brand launched a series of tests in selected stores last year while rolling out digital features and services to boost its customer offer, experimenting with factors such as the interior and exterior, the product range and the overall look and feel of its stores. The firm also introduced technical solutions to make it easier for both staff and customers to navigate stores and identify fashion favourites.

    H&M plans to continue that work this year in line with the firm’s omnichannel strategy. Testing this year will include cafe concept It’s Pleat, a florist shop-in-shop, self-service checkouts, monogramming services and repair services as well as a digital wall where customers can share their H&M favourites under the #HMxME tag.

    “These stores give us a chance to try out and explore new concepts and activities to make our stores more inspiring and offer customers a great experience,” said H&M MD Fredrik Olsson.

    “We are looking forward to continuously evaluate these tests where we are exploring the strength of a global brand in combination with a more personal touch and local relevance. We are also rolling out digital services and features to offer fashion fans inspiring and seamless shopping in line with our omni-channel strategy.”

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  • Malaysia won’t lose out to Vietnam: Council

    Malaysia won’t lose out to Vietnam: Council

    Malaysia will not lose its competitiveness to Vietnam even though it does not ratify the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Malay Economic Action Council researcher Mohd Effuan Aswadi Abdul Wahab said there was no significant proof that there would be an increase in investment once a country signed a free trade agreement (FTA).

    “It is said that many companies, especially manufacturing firms will move to Vietnam after the country has ratified the CPTPP as the trade agreement is being seen as opening doors for companies to go to countries which have ratified the FTAs. This is certainly not true,“ he said.

    He said investors would look into various factors, including political stability, better infrastructure, skilled workers and rule of law, before making any investment decision.

    “Investors will certainly look into Malaysia’s economic policies before they make any investment decision.