Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • Shopee scales up B2C efforts with launch of Shopee Mall

    Shopee scales up B2C efforts with launch of Shopee Mall

    Shopee, Southeast Asia and Taiwan’s leading eCommerce platform, today officially launched Shopee Mall, a dedicated in-app space for B2C sellers. Consumers are now able to shop from Shopee Mall, in addition to the existing offerings available in the Shopee marketplace. The new portal provides access to thousands of products from over 200 top sellers and leading brands such as 3M, L’Oreal, Philips and Reckitt Benckiser.

    Additionally, all products on Shopee Mall come with 100% Authentic Guarantee, Free Shipping and 15 Days Return Policy.

    Shopee Mall was conceptualised due to the increasing need for brands to provide Singaporeans with a streamlined online shopping experience. In a recent survey by HSBC, 94% of local online shoppers identified reliability and trust as key considerations when making an online purchase.

    Shopee Mall aims to bolster both attributes and assure consumers by ensuring that all sellers on Shopee Mall are verified with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, a locally registered entity. This verifies a merchant’s trustworthiness and ensures that all goods sold are authentic.

    Speaking about the launch, Zhou Junjie, Country Head of Shopee Singapore, said: “The launch of Shopee Mall is a major move for us in establishing Shopee as an industry leader and a one-stop platform that caters to all our customers’ needs.

    As we scale up our B2C efforts, customers can now shop conveniently from hundreds of leading brands. At the same time, Shopee Mall helps brands to reach out to more customers whilst building consumer confidence. Our users are very important to us and we’re continually working to improve Shopee for them.”

    Additionally, Shopee further strengthens its consumer-first policies by giving consumers more convenience. Shoppers can reap cost savings from free shipping on every order with no minimum spend. Furthermore, shoppers who wish to return their purchases can do so using the prepaid postage labels provided.

    In a survey conducted by PwC in 2016, Southeast Asian shoppers indicated that this is an amenity they expect from eCommerce businesses.

    Catering to this is crucial as return policies in Asia have typically been less favorable to consumers.

    Shoppers can easily identify Shopee Mall product listings with the newly added red ‘Mall’ label. Within the portal, shoppers can also navigate easily between key brands, category campaigns and personalised recommendations.

    During the launch period beginning 18 July, Shopee Mall will offer exclusive campaigns, including opening sales of up to 80% off, voucher codes and giveaways.

  • Lanvin opens menswear store in Kuala Lumpur

    Lanvin opens menswear store in Kuala Lumpur

    Lanvin has opened its first flagship store in Malaysia, with an emphasis on the French maison’s men’s fashion and women’s accessories collections.

    Located at the Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur, the store covers 2040 square feet of floor space and is situated on level 2 of the prestigious mall.

    The store features Lanvin’s signature retail design accenting sleek interiors with cream-coloured shelves and marble floors, largely minimalist with an emphasis on the high-end clothing and accessories.

    Focused on Lanvin’s male customer, the shop boasts a range of men’s formalwear, black tie suiting, casualwear, as well as a skater and sneaker offerings from Lanvin’s Pre-Fall Collection.

    For women, Lanvin Kuala Lumpur also carries the latest women’s accessories including bags and leathergoods. It has not been disclosed if the French luxury brand has plans to open a women’s store in the Malaysian capital.

    Lanvin retail sales have faced difficulty the past two years ever since the house’s Taiwanese owner Madame Shaw abruptly sacked Alber Elbaz, its long-serving and critically acclaimed creative director.

    Shaw appointed Bouchra Jarrar, but the new designer head failed to turn fashion into revenues in her sixteen-month tenure.

    In a turnaround move last week, Lanvin named Olivier Lapidus to be its new artistic director, replacing Jarrar just four days after she was fired.

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  • Mastering the art of home cooking

    Mastering the art of home cooking

    US-based meal kit company, Blue Apron, celebrated its IPO on 29 June with more than the usual fanfare, hiring caterers to pass out bite-size chicken burgers and hosting a cooking competition outside the New York Stock Exchange.

    But just over one week later, the company’s stock was trading 24 per cent down from its debut price of US$10, at about US$7.60 a share. Investors in Blue Apron, which listed with a market cap of US$1.9 billion, well below its initial target of US$3 billion, have revealed a wariness about the challenges that lie ahead.

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  • Largest KFC operator raises funds for more buys

    Largest KFC operator raises funds for more buys

    Fast food operator, Collins Food, has completed the second stage of its retail entitlement offer, which raises the funds for its acquisition of 28 more KFC outlets through a $44.1 million offer of new shares and $69.3 million in debt facilities.

    On Friday, Collins Foods announced the institutional component of the entitlement offer raised approximately $25.9 million, with the retail entitlement offer raising approximately $18.3 million.

    Australia’s largest KFC franchisee said it received valid applications from eligible retail shareholders for approximately three million shares (approximately $13.5 million) representing 74 per cent of the offer.

    The approximately one million new shares not taken up under the offer will be allocated to institutional investors who were sub-underwriters for the offer.

    “The successful completion of Collins Foods’ $44.1 million entitlement offer is an important milestone for the company and we would like to thank all shareholders and new investors who participated in the offer and supported the company in its acquisition of 28 KFC restaurants in Australia,” said Graham Maxwell, CEO, Collins Foods.

    It’s been a postive week for Maxwell, who saw the terms of the fixed salary of $650,000 per annum raised to $800,000 for the new financial year.

    In Australia, the company plans to build eight new KFC restaurants and will integrate the 28 KFC restaurants acquired in Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia into the Collins Foods’ network.

    In Europe, the company will integrate the 16 KFC restaurants acquired in the Netherlands.

    Maxwell said that with further growth on fiscal 2018, the company expects to continue to increase shareholder returns.

  • Korean duty-free sales to see first drop in 14 years

    Korean duty-free sales to see first drop in 14 years

    “The Korean duty-free industry may see a drop in on-year annual sales in 2017, which would make it the first decline in 14 years, according to data from the customs regulator Sunday.”

    Since the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome virus in 2003, the duty-free industry had seen steadily rising sales until last year.

    Especially in 2016, sales had risen sharply to 12.3 trillion won (US$10.83 billion), breaking the 10 trillion-won mark thanks to the popularity of Korean music and dramas and heavy marketing aimed at the Chinese market by duty-free operators.

    However, those numbers had been heavily reliant on large tourist groups from China which were brought to downtown duty-free outlets by travel agencies. This demand spiraled down beginning in mid-March when Beijing imposed an unofficial ban on travel packages to Korea.

    The loss of inbound traffic from China took a heavy toll on duty-free operators such as Lotte Duty Free, who had previously pulled in up to 70 percent of its revenues from Chinese tourists.

    The blow was even harder for newer duty-free operators who do not have the brand power of industry leaders Lotte and Shilla, and are heavily dependent on tourist groups.

    Earlier this month, Hanwha Galleria announced that it would be returning its permit to operate a duty-free outlet at Jeju International Airport due to continued losses.

    The move followed months of repeated bidding for the fashion and accessories duty-free area of the second terminal at Incheon International Airport, which eventually went to Shinsegae DF after Incheon Airport agreed to lower the rent prices by 30 percent.

    Recent developments have indicated a sharp turn away from the optimism that had previously surrounded the duty-free industry, which had led to intense bidding wars between operators to win licenses for downtown outlets.

    Analyst Choi Min-ha wrote for Korea Investment & Securities that this year‘s annual sales for the duty-free sector was likely to reach around 10.5 trillion won, marking the first drop since the SARS crisis.

    “Although numbers of Koreans leaving the country are rising, they are not enough to make up for the losses from Chinese tourists,” Choi said.

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  • Yusen Logistics opens new logistics centre in Myanmar

    Yusen Logistics opens new logistics centre in Myanmar

    On July 12, Yusen Logistics held an opening ceremony for Thilawa Logistics Centre in the Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Myanmar.

    The event was attended by Thilawa SEZ Management Committee Vice Chairman Cho Cho Win; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Embassy of Japan in Myanmar Tateshi Higuchi; Myanmar Japan Thilawa Development Limited (MJTD) Chairman Thein Han; Mitsubishi Corporation Chief Representative for Myanmar Mitsuo Ido, Yusen Logistics Co., Ltd.; Kenji Mizushima; Yusen Logistics (Myanmar) Co., Ltd. President Yasuhiko Nojima; and Yusen Logistics (Thilawa) Co., Ltd. President Tatsuhiko Saeki.

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  • Retail veteran bent on creating top go-to brand

    Retail veteran bent on creating top go-to brand

    The Australian department store giant – a household name here in electronics, computers, furniture and bedding – has steadily expanded its footprint in Singapore, even as the retail sector continues to grapple with headwinds.

    Over the weekend, Harvey Norman unveiled a new, two-storey, 38,500 sq ft factory outlet in Chai Chee Road that stocks items at up to 90 per cent off usual prices.

    The retail chain has also added to its space at the Parkway Parade store, an expansion that has yet to be officially launched.

    “If you take a look at Harvey Norman’s vision – which is to provide the ultimate customer experience – and put it at the centre of everything we do, we have to change our shops to cater to what consumers want today,” Mr Aruldoss explained the operations head.

    He said Harvey Norman has had to evolve alongside consumer habits and tastes, which have changed significantly in recent years.

    Offering that ultimate experience means stores must be supported by a solid range of products, which is why Harvey Norman plans to refurbish its other outlets here and roll out new ones.

    The physical stores continue to account for over half of its sales here, compared with its online platform.

    Still, moves to transform Harvey Norman and make sure it stays on top of its game go beyond just changing the look and feel of its bricks-and-mortar stores.

    The firm is ramping up efforts for its digital platform “in a big way”, to create a more seamless online and offline experience for customers, said Mr Aruldoss.

    “We always knew, for many years already, that e-commerce was going to change things. So we’ve got to gear up our online platform to support our stores, and gear up our stores to support our online platform. We have put a lot of things in place for our people to change, and also for consumers to know that we are changing.” he noted.

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  • Escada hires new Marketing Head

    Escada hires new Marketing Head

    German designer brand Escada has poached an experienced marketing expert from Red Bull to become its new vice president of marketing and communications.

    The high end label announced on July 13th that Marco Raab is to lead all marketing and communication activities of Escada from 15 August, particularly focusing on reshaping the brand “with a more contemporary edge”.

    Raab, who has been described as a “digital-native” with an understanding of millennial mindset, joins from Red Bull where he held several brand, marketing and communications position over the last 10 years. He was most recently global marketing manager for special projects, tasked with leading innovation and change for the fast moving digital age.

    At Escada, he will be part of the executive team and report to CEO Iris Epple-Righi.

    “Escada is at an exciting point in its journey with Iris Epple-Righi as new CEO and Niall Sloan as Global Design Director. I was attracted by the idea of being part of this leadership team tasked with re-shaping the brand with a more contemporary edge. I have a passion for creative approaches and believe Escada’s brand and its strong heritage offers numerous opportunities to engage with our established clientele as well as excite new customers about the beauty of Escada’s products,” said Raab.

    Escada CEO Iris Epple-Righi added: “Our vision is to build on Escada’s rich heritage in a relevant, modern and contemporary way and our marketing and communication is a very important part of this. We have the potential to reposition Escada at the cutting edge of fashion again and I believe Marco’s experience at Red Bull is extremely relevant for us.”

    Escada is also set to welcome its new design director Niall Sloan on 1 August. Sloan comes from Hunter and has revealed he plans to focus on Escada’s fun, bold and feminine heritage.

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  • Virgin Australia launches its first inflight duty free service

    Virgin Australia launches its first inflight duty free service

    Virgin Australia has launched its first inflight duty free service on a new route between Melbourne and Hong Kong.

    The airline said it had partnered with over 100 “exciting and popular” Australian and international brands, and the service is being operated by Alpha Flight Services.

    The offer includes a selection of exclusive products from brands such as jewellery makers Love From Venus and Luv & Bart, men’s skincare company Hunter Lab, and chocolatier Bahen & Co.

    Virgin Australia will operate five services per week between Melbourne and Hong Kong. Sir Richard Branson said the airline was “here to shake things up on this route”.

    Virgin Australia’s inaugural flight to Hong Kong took place on 5 July with the new duty free service. It marks the start of an expansion into Greater China, the airline said.

    The inflight duty free service will expand to include Los Angeles flights in late 2017.

    To order duty free products, passengers must fill in an order form at the back of the inflight magazine and hand it to cabin crew, who will then deliver the purchase to the passenger’s seat.

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  • Cathay Pacific selects DHL to manage aircraft service parts logistics

    Cathay Pacific selects DHL to manage aircraft service parts logistics

    DHL Supply Chain has commenced management of all aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul logistics activities for Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon in the airlines’ home base at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), part of a 10-year contract signed earlier this year.

    The contract will see DHL Supply Chain take overall responsibility for the storage, warehousing and domestic transportation of 80,000 specific aviation part types, components and equipment used to maintain Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon’s combined fleet of 180 aircraft to the highest safety and operational standards. DHL Supply Chain will also work with incumbent aircraft maintenance provider HAECO to provide additional services including parts inspection and airside operations.

    Cathay Pacific Director, Engineering, Neil Glenn, said: “Operational efficiency and quality are imperative to Cathay Pacific. Aircraft maintenance and repairs require constant precision and care, which is supported by the efficient storage, handling and on-demand provisioning of vast numbers of spare parts.”

    “As such, we are delighted to have engaged DHL Supply Chain as our logistics partner. DHL has an excellent reputation and is tasked to perform safe and efficient supply chain management and handling in extremely complex environments, which adheres to Cathay Pacific’s rigorous compliance requirements and operational standards.”

    “The arrangement that we now have in place allows all three parties to concentrate on their specific core capabilities, namely: airline management (Cathay Pacific), aircraft maintenance (HAECO) and now, DHL will be responsible for the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) supply chain management,” added Mr. Glenn.

    A core team of 120 trained DHL Supply Chain specialists operate on a 24x7x365 basis, managing more than 90,000 sq. ft of warehousing space, processing 1 million unit of spares transaction per annum, round-the-clock transport delivery, and reporting and governance procedures. Operations commenced after approval was obtained from the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department and nearly four months of intensive onboarding and training involving DHL Supply Chain, Cathay Pacific and HAECO.

    DHL Supply Chain will begin introducing process improvements and implement new supply chain systems within the initial phase of the contract.

  • International fashion brands target Vietnamese market

    International fashion brands target Vietnamese market

    International brand names are starting to grab the attention of HCM City’s fashion-conscious people, clearing the way for more ready-to-wear clothing stores in Vietnam.  More than 50 well-known brand names, such as Giordano, Mango, Zara, Topshop, Gap and Old Navy, have opened stores in HCM City.

    While Old Navy opened its first store last month, H&M launched its brandname last weekend with a fashion show at a leading shopping centre in the city.

    Other fashion companies, including Pull&Bear, Uniqlo and F21, will also enter the market this year with their own stores scheduled to open in Hà Nội shopping centres.

    “Before launching our designs in Vietnam, we spent time researching the country’s economic development, culture and living conditions,” said a representative of Zara, who noted that the country would become one of the most important  markets for the popular fashion brand from Spain.

    Although their prices are higher than local products, ranging from VNĐ300,000 (US$15) to over $1.5 million ($70) with accessories sell for an average of VNĐ100,000 ($4) per item yet customers, particularly young people, are thrilled they are here.

    Customer Tran Thi Anh Nhung of District 3 spent almost VNĐ5 million (US$230) on nine items at Zara after discounts last weekend, saying she was delighted she no longer had to go Singapore or Bangkok for the latest styles.

    Nhung, a senior marketing executive for a foreign-owned advertising agency in District 1, said: “Zara and Topshop offer ready-to-wear products in the trendiest styles at reasonable prices. A mini-dress sells for VNĐ500,000 ($22) compared to a Vietnamese one at VNĐ300,000 ($15). Customers aged 18 to 30, who change their clothes every season, are interested in that kind of stores.”

    Another customer, Vu Chi Hung, 32, said she was a fan of Topshop because their merchandises are both stylish and practical and can be purchased for around $22 a piece.

    “The foreign brands located in shopping centres like Diamond, Vincom and Takashimaya guarantee their services and quality are the best for customers,” he added.

    Hồ Trần Dạ Thảo, brand name creative director of the Tsafari Fashion Company, said: “The appearance of international fashion houses in Việt Nam and so-called ‘fast fashion’ or ’casual wear’ brandnames is sure to create fierce competition in the country’s fashion industry.”

    “Vietnamese brands should try to capitalise on the shopping seasons and spend more money on advertising to grab the attention of consumers,” she added.

    “Many of our collections cost as little as VNĐ150,000 ($7) for both men and women and offer high quality and modern style pieces. Some designs start at over VNĐ700,000 ($35), but customers with more to spend are thrilled that sophisticated designs can now be made by Vietnamese,” she said.

    Thảo said that collections under the brand name Tsafari are offered at shops by young designers, led by a group of trendy creators in Singapore. They offer clothes in the latest fashion trends to attract the interest of young customers.

    “With these changes, we hope to popularise and diversify our products in the local market,” she said.

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  • Mercedes cars to face more emissions tests in Germany

    Mercedes cars to face more emissions tests in Germany

    Germany has found no signs so far that Mercedes-Benz used illegal software to manipulate diesel emissions but a new round of tests is being conducted, the transport ministry said on Friday.

    The Transport Ministry summoned officials from Daimler, which owns the Mercedes-Benz brand, to a meeting on Thursday to explain why some vehicles showed high levels of emissions under certain driving conditions.

    Engine management systems and software have come under scrutiny ever since Volkswagen admitted in Sept. 2015 that it had installed programs which cheat diesel emissions tests.

    “It was agreed that Mercedes vehicles will be tested by the KBA,” a ministry spokesman said on Friday, adding that Daimler had been cooperative and had reiterated its vehicles conform with emissions regulations.

    German magazine Der Spiegel on Friday said, without citing sources, that officials from the KBA, Germany’s vehicle certification authority, believe Mercedes-Benz may have diesel cars equipped with illegal cheating software.

    Upon being asked about the report in Der Spiegel, Daimler said that based on the information it had at its disposal, it would fight allegations about using an illegal software defeat device with all legal means.

    Upon being asked about whether KBA had found a defeat device in Mercedes cars, a KBA spokesman on Friday said, “We need to wait for the results of investigation to be published.”

    KBA reports to Germany’s transport ministry.

    Der Spiegel said that Germany’s Transport Ministry had threatened Mercedes with recalling vehicles equipped with OM642 and OM651 engines. Daimler said it could not comment on the contents of the meeting but denied there had been a threat of a forced recall.

    Germany’s Transport Ministry also said KBA had not threatened Daimler with a recall.

    In April last year, German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt said carmakers including Mercedes would voluntarily recall 630,000 diesel vehicles to change engine and emissions management software.

    At the time, Dobrindt said regulators on the lookout for illegal emissions cheating software had found carmakers exploited a legal loophole to reduce emissions filtering systems.

    Under certain circumstances carmakers are allowed to throttle back emissions management systems to protect the engine. Cars which start up when it is very cold outside run the risk of having condensation build up in their catalytic converters and engines causing rust.

  • Data marketing for Philippines 7-Eleven

    Data marketing for Philippines 7-Eleven

    Philippines Seven Corporation (7-Eleven) has engaged Big Data For Humans to develop and support its customer marketing.

    The customer-insights company will use automated data science to enhance campaigns across the retailer’s 2000-store network.

    Founded in Scotland three years ago, Big Data for Humans launched its Asia Pacific office in Singapore last year as part of its expansion into the Asian market, where clients include Air Asia. Internationally, its clients include Selfridges, Tesco and Swiss department store Jelmoli.

    “We want to generate more customer insights from our data stream and use these effectively to improve our marketing,” says Philippine Seven Corporation president Victor Paterno.

    Big Data For Humans offers the Customer Graph, a platform that empowers business users at all levels to use automated customer insights to power their marketing. The company was founded by a group of retailers and has a 40-strong team across its offices in Glasgow, London and Singapore.

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  • Young entrepreneurs impress at FedEx/JA ITC 2017

    Young entrepreneurs impress at FedEx/JA ITC 2017

    FedEx Express announced the winners of the Singapore FedEx Express/JA International Trade Challenge (FedEx/JA ITC) 2017.

    The three pairs of student business teams who advanced to the Asia Pacific FedEx/JA ITC in Singapore occurring from August 20 to 24, 2017 are:

    1. Ryan Ling and Dogiparthy Reshma Ishwarya – Anderson Junior College

    2. Darren Lim and Nabila Syuhada – ITE College Central

    3. Ang Swee Yang and Tjhe Paramita Devi – Nanyang Polytechnic

    The finalist teams presented their ideas to a judging panel composed of FedEx and Junior Achievement representatives, who evaluated them on their innovative ideas for a household product to be sold in India. The winning teams were assessed based on the originality of their concept, thoroughness of research for their business plans, and feasibility of their ideas. Outshining 12 other teams, the winning teams will now have the opportunity to compete in the prestigious regional finals.

    This year’s regional finals will feature an exciting change from the previous competition format. To further promote cross-border collaboration, finalists will not be competing in the same team but will instead go through a random shuffle to form a mixed team of two team members from different countries.

  • Toby’s Sports to expand online

    Toby’s Sports to expand online

    Philippines-founded retailer Toby’s Sports has launched a new e-commerce site as it marks its 40th anniversary.

    “Our e-commerce platform was completely revamped and we have since added multiple services to allow for a more convenient shopping experience,” explains Toby Claudio, president of Quorum International, parent of Toby’s Sports.

    The site features a wide range of footwear, apparel and equipment from high-profile international sports brands.

    Also coinciding with the anniversary, Toby’s Sports has launched a national campaign entitled, ‘We Got This’, highlighting an individual’s journey to achieve success in whatever sport or fitness activity they pursue.

    A video journey examines the mental and physical hardships of sports training – from an aching, calloused body to a state of frustration and self-doubt – to achieving success.

    “When you take on a challenge or set a goal for yourself in sports and fitness, you undergo several hurdles that make you want to give up. #WeGotThis is our rally cry to keep them going; to let them know that as the leader in the sports industry. We are here not just here to provide them with the right gear, but to also give them the support they need to succeed,” said Claudio.

    “Officially introducing the site at the same time as the new campaign really brings the message home for us – that our dedication to our customers and their well being is unparalleled,” he added.

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