Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • Sagawa to buy Vietnamese delivery service

    Sagawa to buy Vietnamese delivery service

    The Sagawa group will acquire Phat Loc Express, Vietnam’s fifth-largest delivery service, gaining a foothold to expand operations nationwide as online shopping continues to grow.

    Japan’s SG Holdings, the parent of Sagawa Express, will buy all of Phat Loc’s shares from management. The Vietnamese company was established in 2001 and has about 1,200 employees. Its roughly 60 branches cover deliveries in the entire country. Phat Loc logged sales of over $9 million in 2015, and the purchase price likely will be a similar amount. With a market share of just a few percent, the company is dwarfed by Vietnam’s two major delivery services.

    SG Holdings began deliveries in Vietnam via a local subsidiary in 2012. The company handles its own deliveries in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi but contracts local businesses for other regions. The purchase of Phat Loc will let SG Holdings expand service nationwide.

    Vietnam’s service quality remains rather low, and packages sometimes arrive late or damaged. The Sagawa group will tap its Japanese know-how to try to boost the quality of Phat Loc’s service in order to challenge Vietnam’s delivery leaders.

    SG Holdings teamed with major Vietnamese real estate and retail company Vingroup in November. The Japanese business will deliver products for the group’s supermarkets and convenience stores. The delivery company is accelerating its Southeast Asian expansion, partnering this year with companies in Indonesia and the Philippines.

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  • Singapore Slingers seals three-year broadcast deal with StarHub

    Singapore Slingers seals three-year broadcast deal with StarHub

    Slingers and StarHub have entered into a partnership that will see the pay TV operator become the official broadcast partner of the Singapore Slingers for three years starting with the upcoming ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) season.

    All of the Slingers’ matches in the ABL will be shown “live” on StarHub’s free sports channel, Hub Sports Arena (StarHub TV Channel 112/205). Non-StarHub TV customers can also watch the channel by connecting their TV sets to a cable point and turning to 76.25MHz.

    In addition, the games will be accessible on smart devices through StarHub’s online streaming service, StarHub Go.

    “This broadcast agreement with StarHub is poised to give the team a massive boost as our games can now reach a wider audience,” said Michael Johnson, general manager of the Singapore Slingers. “After coming so close to winning the league last season, we believe we are poised to go on another championship run, and our fans will be able to follow us more closely with this partnership.”

    Lee Soo Hui, head of content and TV at StarHub, said that being a homegrown brand, they are proud to back the Slingers.

    “The team is fueled by the support of the fans which is why we are making it as convenient as possible for them to follow the Slingers,” said Lee. “With this partnership, Slingers fans can now catch the team’s ABL matches ‘live’ on multiple platforms across TV, tablets and smartphones, so they can cheer the team on wherever they are.”

    She said StarHub will also be looking to engage fans by running contests where viewers can stand to win premiums and tickets to Slingers matches.

    Now into its seventh season, the six-team ABL welcomes three new teams to the league – Alab Pilipinas (Philippines), Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions (Hong Kong) and Kaohsiung Truth (Taiwan). They will be joined by the defending champions Westports Malaysia Dragons (Malaysia), Singapore Slingers (Singapore) and Saigon Heat (Vietnam).

    Each of the six teams will face each other four times during the three-month elimination round. The top four squads with the best record will then enter the playoffs.

    Meanwhile, StarHub TV in partnership with Astro Malaysia, is launching Go Shop (StarHub TV Channel 110), a 24-hour, Mandarin shopping channel that will also be made available on StarHub Go, StarHub’s video streaming service, by early next year.

    To entice consumers, Go Shop will introduce special offers on TV through innovative bundling that cannot be found anywhere else. It aims to offer value by combining the main product with other product lines to complement the core offering.

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  • IMDA investigating Singtel broadband outage

    IMDA investigating Singtel broadband outage

    Singapore’s Infocomm and Media Development Authority (IMDA) is investigating Singtel over a recent nearly 24-hour broadband outage islandwide.

    Singtel announced the outage commenced at around 8:45am on Saturday and services were fully restored at 8:25am on Sunday, although some customers were still reporting connection problems.

    The operator said on social media that its engineers are still tracing the cause of the outage, which was associated with servers being unable to assign IP addresses to customers’ modems. TV, fixed phone and mobile services remained unaffected.

    Engineers have so far ruled out a DDoS attack, indicating that the company did not face a Mirai-linked attack of the kind that left a significant portion of customers of Germany’s Deutsche Telekom without services late last month.

    Singtel announced it will provide affected broadband customers with a 10% discount on their month’s bill, and the company will waive mobile data charges accrued over the weekend for its joint broadband and mobile subscribers.

    In a statement, the IMDA said the regulator takes service outages seriously and will be investigating both the cause of the incident and the service recovery measures taken by Singtel.

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  • CNN taps Beme to launch new media outfit

    CNN taps Beme to launch new media outfit

    CNN is funding and launching by summer of 2017 a standalone startup and it has tapped with Beme co-founders Casey Neistat and Matt Hackett to build the new brand.

    The new company will be devoted to filling the world with timely and topical video and empowering content creators to use technology to find their voice.

    For the new outfit, CNN is hiring “dozens of producers, builders, developers, designers and content creators of every mold.”

    The deal also means that CNN has acquired Beme, which is the digital innovation piece of a multiyear development deal that will result in the formation of a new media company “bringing together technology and storytelling.”

    CNN said it was approaching this project as a startup, with Andrew Morse (GM, CNN Digital Worldwide), Chris Berend (SVP, digital video), Casey Neistat and Matt Hackett are the new brand’s founders.

    “And just like Great Big Story, it will operate as a separate, stand-alone business as part of the CNN Digital portfolio,” the company said.

    As for Beme, the app will cease to exist and the innovation team will focus on launching the new company and building premium and transformative technology-driven experiences for CNN’s portfolio of businesses. Users will be notified and will have ample time to download their videos.

    All 11 Beme employees will join CNN as a distinct technology group, dedicated to charting the future of CNN through innovative mobile video products –- some as stand alones, others as enhancements to the vast array of existing products in the CNN portfolio.

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  • Huge iPhone 7 sales reported in Vietnam

    Huge iPhone 7 sales reported in Vietnam

    Vien Thong A retailer said they would do their best to meet demands for 8,000 orders. FPT Shop in HCM City said they about 4,000 devices should be sold in the morning when the shop started the ceremony to transfer the pre-ordered phones.

    Doan Van Hieu Em, CEO of The Gioi Di Dong Store in District 1 also said they had seen a surge in customers. Em said they wouldn’t hold the transfer ceremony but make sure that the service is fast.

    “We’ll hold a product introduction and customer appreciation programme for buying the iPhone 7 tonight,” he said. “We expected to sell 10,000 devices today.”

    Meanwhile the atmosphere at smaller retail shops such as Hnam Mobile or CellPhoneS was quieter. Big retailers had hoarded most of the products so there’s not much left for them. Major mobile network operators are also selling the iPhone 7. Viettel said they would transfer 3,000 pre-ordered phones to customers on November 11.

    Most retailers confirmed the popularity of Apple products, especially iPhone 7 Plus this year. 70% of their orders are for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. According to FPT Shop, the order for iPhone 7 Plus in the first day was four times higher than the iPhone 6 Plus.

    Retailers are reporting a shortage of iPhone 7 in jet black. Customers also favour matte black colour followed by gold and rose gold.

    It is predicted that by the end of November, nearly 100,000 iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus would be sold in Vietnam.

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  • Chevrolet Sales Thailand Hands Out 500 One World Futbols

    Chevrolet Sales Thailand Hands Out 500 One World Futbols

    Chevrolet Sales Thailand recently donated 500 One World Futbols and numerous books to 25 schools within the province of Nakhon Pathom. The donations were facilitated through a coordinated effort with local dealership Chevrolet Chor Erawan Nakhon Pathom.

    Chevrolet Thailand and Chevrolet Chor Erawan Nakhon Pathom also coordinated a Chevrolet Play for Dreams corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity that saw two customers take delivery of brand-new Chevrolet Colorado pickup trucks.

    “Play is a fundamental human activity that can inspire children and adults alike. Thanks to the support offered by Chevrolet Chor Erawan Nakhon Pathom, we are able to engage with young students today, fueling their ingenuity and imagination for the future of Thailand,” said Wail Farghaly, Managing Director of GM Thailand and Chevrolet Sales Thailand.

    Chevrolet has thus far donated a total exceeding 24,000 One World Futbols throughout Thailand as part of its One World Play Project. The Play for Dreams event enabled students to get an up-close look at the new Colorado while receiving their futbols.

    Two of Chevrolet Chor Erawan Nakhon Pathom’s customers, Karun Khiaothongnoi and Prapas Bunpen, took delivery of their new Colorados in the presence of several executives, including Farghaly; Nataporn Jiramahapoka, Director of Sales and Network Development, Chevrolet Sales Thailand; Wiwat Chanwaowarm, Managing Director, Chir Erawan AutomobileNakhonpathom; Kanya Chanwaowarm, Assistant Managing Director, Chir Erawan Automobile Nakhonpathom; and Thanachart Chanwaowarm, Retail Operator, Chir Erawan Automobile Nakhonpathom.

    “We had a very successful launch of the new Colorado and have received many positive reviews from dealers, customers and the media. Today, we’re delighted to welcome Mr. Khiaothongnoi and Mr. Bunpen to the Chevrolet Colorado ownership family, and through a combination of the quality of the product, connectivity, and Complete Care program, we hope that they become customers for life,” Farghaly added.

  • Thai Airways International Shares Take A Dive Last Week

    Thai Airways International Shares Take A Dive Last Week

    The President of Thai Airways Charamporn Jotikasthira has told reporters that the full-year target of 180 billion baht is unlikely to be achievable.

    A report posted with regard Thailand’s crackdown on China’s so-called zero-dollar tours has led to a sharp decline in Chinese tourists. These tours were offered below cost, with operators making big profits through kickbacks from affiliated souvenir shops and service providers from which travelers were forced to buy at inflated prices.

    Thai Airways revenue from Chinese passengers has dropped by 25% over the past several months because of this crackdown.

    There are obviously other factors involved as Charamporn also said many economizing steps have not yet been fully implemented, suggesting that the full-year cost-cutting target may also be missed.

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  • Marie France Van Damme Opens Second Boutique in Hong Kong

    Marie France Van Damme Opens Second Boutique in Hong Kong

    Marie France Van Damme, the Hong Kong-based company known for its globally influenced line of luxury resort, swim, and ready-to-wear, announced today the opening of a seventh boutique in December 2016. Located in Hong Kong’s Elements shopping mall in Kowloon, the new store will mark Marie France Van Damme’s second retail location in Hong Kong, where the designer has lived for more than 30 years. The company opened its very first store in Hong Kong’s acclaimed International Finance Centre (IFC) mall in September 2013. 

    Situated on the second floor (Shop 2109) of the Elements shopping mall, within the International Commerce Centre (ICC), on 1 Austin Road West in Kowloon, the 700-square foot boutique will open alongside such brands as Gucci, Chanel and Prada and include Marie France Van Damme’s extensive luxury resort line. The ICC is Hong Kong’s tallest building and also houses The Ritz-Carlton and W Hong Kong. Incorporating Marie France Van Damme’s signature aesthetic, which blends subtle Asian influences and elegant simplicity, the boutique will feature teak wood, bronze panels, and embossed crocodile leathers with textiles and finishes that can be found in the designer’s home as well as her flagships in Hong Kong and London.

    The ICC’s waterfront location on Victoria Harbour, across from the IFC, suits its important role in the city in many ways. Feng shui teaches that mountains govern people, water governs wealth. The special placement of these skyscrapers is said to channel positive energy for health and prosperity. The shopping mall’s design, and its name, Elements, refer to the feng shui elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. With a direct train linking Elements to Guangzhou, the new boutique will offer a unique luxury shopping experience in one of Hong Kong’s latest attractions on the Kowloon side of the city.

    As Marie France continues to expand her presence worldwide focusing on cities that not only inspire the designer, but also appeal to her sophisticated, jet-set clientele, Marie France Van Damme will celebrate the boutique opening with several special events in Winter 2016 and introduce a new in-store campaign photographed in Hong Kong by Herbert Ypma. The campaign will feature the new Resort 2017 collection, a return to the glamorous roots of resort wear with its muted palette of silver and nude, hand embroidery and opulent fabrics; from French lace to metallic-toned Italian weaves and featherweight Chinese Silks. 

    The company currently has 100 retail locations in some of the world’s most desirable places. Marie France Van Damme opened its first store in the fall of 2013 at the acclaimed International Finance Centre (IFC) in Hong Kong, a second in the summer of 2014 in Bangkok’s esteemed Mandarin Oriental, third and first European boutique in 2014 in London’s Brompton Cross neighborhood, and fourth boutique in the summer of 2015 in Phuket, Thailand. In November 2015, Marie France Van Damme introduced a fifth branded boutique in Singapore’s Takashimaya Shopping Centre and sixth retail location in Phuket in July 2016.

    Made in Hong Kong & South China

    Marie France Van Damme is proud of the production capabilities it has built for itself in the past 30 years. With couture and tailoring facilities in-house and embroidery produced across the border in China, every production piece is fitted and quality verified by Marie-France to ensure that the Marie France Van Damme label fulfills the highest standards in the industry.

    About Elements Shopping Mall/Hong Kong

    Offering over one million square feet of pure shopping experiences, the Elements shopping mall is located in Hong Kong’s tallest building the International Commerce Centre (ICC) on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong. A lavish world offering of shopping, dining, art and entertainment, Elements shopping mall is located next to Hong Kong’s most famous attraction Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck and takes a new approach to Hong Kong’s shopping environment and is themed after the five Chinese elements. The five elements are Metal (Luxury brands and world-class dining), Fire (Entertainment), Water (International cuisine), Earth (Fashion) and Wood (Health, Beauty and Lifestyle) whereas each zone is individually designed. Elements boasts a range of sought after brands, dining options, an ice rink and a 1,600 capacity cinema –  currently larger than any movie theatre in Hong Kong.

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  • Sunway Malls wins Gold Awards for Best Experiential Marketing Awards Malaysia

    Sunway Malls wins Gold Awards for Best Experiential Marketing Awards Malaysia

    Sunway Malls picked up two Gold Awards in front of 700 malls professionals, retailers and affiliated industries players at the inaugural Malaysia Shopping Malls Association’s (PPK) Best Experiential Marketing Awards 2016.

    Sunway Malls emerged as winners in two out of the three categories that saw 37 entries from 21 malls. The group beat competition from Mid Valley Megamall, Pavilion KL, Gurney Plaza and Gurney Paragon to clinch top spots.

    Sunway Pyramid picked up gold in Category C (malls above 1 million sq ft nett lettable area) for its marketing campaign “Captain America: Civil War” while Sunway Putra Mall’s “Kung Fu Panda Pawsome March” top Category B (malls with 500,001 to 999,999 sq ft nett lettable area).

    Both malls had teamed up with Disney’s Marvel and 20th Century Fox respectively to create various themed attractions that included out-of-mall activation, character appearances, life-size characters display, movie set inspired decorations and interactive sessions in their experiential marketing campaigns.

    “As malls become increasingly a focal place for the public, it’s imperative that they resonate and connect with shoppers at emotive and experiential levels,” said H.C Chan, CEO of Sunway Malls and Theme Parks.

    Malaysia mall industry is already facing intense competition as additional 27.28 mil sq ft retail space is being built to the existing 148.85 mil sq ft, bringing up the total retail space of 178.13 mil sq ft. in the country, according to National Property Information Center (NAPIC) data. This has resulted malls to adopt experiential marketing to stay competitive.

    For Sunway Pyramid, the campaign saw a 9.7% increase in traffic with 1.2 million shoppers interaction over the 24-day campaign period. Social engagement metrics scored 27.6 million reach with RM250,000 worth of publicity generated.

    Sunway Putra Mall’s footfall reached 800,000 during the campaign with RM200,000 worth of publicity generated while social media reach stood at 2 million.

    COO Kevin Tan said the Gold awards are a testament of the team’s hard work in the last few years. “The awards give us confidence that we are on the right path and doing the right things and we will forge forward with more confidence,” he added.

    The panel of judges included professionals from Branding Association from Malaysia, Tourism Malaysia, Focus Malaysia, Malaysia Institute of Architects and Lion & Lion.

    Judge Meredith Wallace, the Social Media Head of Lion & Lion commented “The entries were creative, inspired and showed a true understanding of today’s modern shoppers.”

    Malaysian malls over the years had gained recognition for their grand decorations and creative marketing campaigns that enhance shoppers’ shopping experience. PPK Malaysia’s inaugural AWARDS 2016 for BEST EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING were to honour these efforts for the best marketing programmes held in the past year.

    Qualified entries based on the malls’ marketing programmes held from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 comprising experiential festival celebrations, themed events, sales promotions, public relations, advertising, new and social media, community etc. Judging were based on objectives and strategies, creativity, action plan, results, budget and cost effectiveness.

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  • Garuda Indonesia Opens Jakarta-Mumbai Route on December 12th

    Garuda Indonesia Opens Jakarta-Mumbai Route on December 12th

    Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia will open scheduled flights to India starting December 12, 2016. Garuda Indonesia will operate three flights a week from Jakarta to Mumbai via China.

    Garuda Indonesia president director Arif Wibowo said that the flights will make one transit stop in China in first phase of operation.

    “We will see how it goes in two or three months; if the results are good, we will make it direct flights,” he told reporters at a tourism event in Jakarta on Tuesday, December 6, 2016.

    Arif went on to say that India has a huge potential considering its 1.4 billion population. On the other hand, the number of tourists traveling from India to Indonesia is quite significant at 300,000 arrivals per year.

    As such, he is confident that seat occupancy rate of Garuda’s Boeing 737 to operate in that route will reach 70-75%.

    “More so because it will start to operate on the right time, i.e. before year-end holidays,” he added.

    Aside from India, Garuda will also open direct flights from China’s Chengdu province to Bali. Regular flights will commence mid-January 2017.

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  • CIBN picks Irdeto for China DRM

    CIBN picks Irdeto for China DRM

    China International Broadcasting Network (CIBN) has become the first Chinese customer for Irdeto Rights with China DRM Support.

    CIBN is one of the seven broadcasting networks that is licensed to distribute over-the-top (OTT) content in China by The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of the People’s Republic of China.

    Irdeto will help establish CIBN as a frontrunner for premium content offerings, especially Hollywood content, through OTT distribution. This will also provide studios and content providers with greater confidence to enter the Chinese market.

    “We are delighted to partner with Irdeto to integrate its China DRM solution to our OTT applications and set-top boxes (STBs), which will safeguard premium content on our network and platforms,” said Fu Qiang, deputy general manager of CIBN.

    “We are confident that our collaboration with Irdeto will improve overall viewer experience for our customers and instill greater confidence for the studios and content providers to enter the Chinese market, which will in turn generate revenue growth for our paid OTT offerings,” said Fu.

    By implementing Irdeto Rights with China DRM support, CIBN will be able to get the content protection they need in order to securely stream content to their customers, including premium content such as 4K and UHD.

    The solution also allows CIBN to accelerate the release of content more efficiently, an essential component given the industry is evolving rapidly.

    Operators and content owners will need to continually adapt and evolve with changing times to improve their content offerings and ensure a seamless user experience.

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  • GIC buys $370 million ticket to the movies in Indonesia

    GIC buys $370 million ticket to the movies in Indonesia

    GIC is investing 3.5 trillion rupiah (S$370 million) in Indonesian cinema operator PT Nusantara Sejahtera Raya (NSR) as the Singapore sovereign wealth fund hopes to capture a slice of Indonesia’s economic growth.

    The investment is intended to help NSR further anchor its market position and to prepare for the next stage of growth, GIC and NSR said in a press release.

    “The investment by GIC reflects our confidence in Indonesia’s long-term growth potential,” said Amit Kunal, GIC’s head of direct investments group for South-east Asia, private equity and infrastructure.

    “NSR’s operational expertise and portfolio of high quality cinemas positions it well to benefit from the rapidly expanding consumer class and economic development in Indonesia. We look forward to working with the team at NSR to accelerate its presence nationally and to achieve the vision of providing best-in-class cinematic experience to the country.”

    NSR owns the Cinema 21, Cinema XXI and The Premiere brands in Indonesia.

    The company operated 864 screens in 157 cinemas across 36 cities in the country as at December 2016.

    The NSR investment is in line with GIC’s stated long-term optimism about the region’s economic prospects.

    In GIC’s investment report in July, the fund noted that it held more emerging market equities than a reference portfolio.

    About 19 per cent of the fund’s portfolio was invested in emerging market equities as at March 31, 2016, up slightly from the 18 per cent allocation a year earlier.

    “We have assessed that emerging market equities will benefit from the sustained structural improvements in these economies, and contribute positively to the long-term real returns of the GIC portfolio,” GIC said.

    “We have maintained this assessment even though emerging market equities have underperformed developed market equities in recent years.”

    The worldwide cinema industry is expected to continue to grow over the next few years, with Asia-Pacific outpacing the global average, according to an analysis by PwC.

    In a recent report, PwC estimated that the Asia-Pacific cinema business could grow at a rate of 11.8 per cent per year from US$14.2 billion in 2015 to US$24.7 billion in 2020.

    The expected global average is a more modest 5.8 per cent per year over the same period.

    Box office sales in the region are estimated to grow at 12 per cent per year through 2020, about double the global outlook of 5.8 per cent per year.

    Asia-Pacific cinema advertising is expected to grow at 6 per cent every year through 2020, more than two times faster than the expected global average of 2.8 per cent.

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  • Shopee charts rapid growth

    Shopee charts rapid growth

    Southeast Asian pure-play mCommerce operator Shopee says it has reached US$1.8 billion in annualised GMV just a year after its launch.

    App-based Shopee operates in Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and and Taiwan.

    The Garena-backed company says it has achieved a month-on-month growth of 43 per cent, with 25 million downloads of its mobile app to date and 65 million product listings.

    “2016 has been great for us,” said CEO Chris Feng. “As we look forward to 2017, we expect to maintain the strong double-digit growth that we’ve experienced in the past year. We will also continue to focus our efforts on optimising the product, improving the end-to-end user experience and in empowering entrepreneurs to expand and grow their online businesses.”

    As part of Shopee’s focus on the customer experience, the company released the Consumer Behaviour Report 2016 that revealed region-wide insights around shopping patterns on the mobile app.

    “These insights have outlined a clear roadmap for consumer engagement – enabling the platform to introduce offerings such as integrated local logistics, Shopee guarantee and social-led features such as the Live Chat and hashtag functions. Shopee has also been bringing together aspiring entrepreneurs over the year, empowering them to be more effective sellers through initiatives such as Shopee University and campus initiatives such as the Shopee X NUS mCommerce Challenge,” the company said in a statement.

    The report highlighted that more than 50% of Shopee’s users access the app daily, with an average engagement period of more than 20 minutes per session. Shopee engages its customers by holding interactive contests and games for customers to win prizes, and also offers innovative social-led features such as the Live Chat and hashtag functions for users to stay ahead of trends.

  • McDonald’s Singapore franchise rights sold to Lionhorn

    McDonald’s Singapore franchise rights sold to Lionhorn

    McDonald’s Singapore and Malaysia franchise rights have been sold to Saudi Arabian company Lionhorn as part of a broader plan by the US fast food company to move away from direct ownership in Asia.

    It has transferred its ownership interest in 390 restaurants, more than 80 per cent of which were company-owned.
    Lionhorn is led by Sheik Fahd and Abdulrahman Alireza, who are franchisees for nearly 100 McDonald’s restaurants in the western and southern regions of Saudi Arabia.

    McDonald’s has not disclosed the financial terms of the deal. It says it has now franchised about 1300 outlets as a part of its target to become 95 per cent franchised by the end of 2018.

    “This transaction marks another milestone in our company’s ongoing efforts to identify strategic partners who share our values and vision to accelerate our growth and scale across diverse markets, drive innovation and place us closer to our customers and the communities we serve,” says McDonald’s president/CEO Steve Easterbrook.

    Under the developmental licensee (DL) structure, Lionhorn will provide the capital necessary to support and grow the business. It will pay an initial franchise fee and an ongoing royalty to McDonald’s.

    Leading the day-to-day management of the Malaysia and Singapore markets, respectively, will be local partners Azmir Jaafar and Kenneth Chan, both of whom previously held senior leadership positions at McDonald’.

    Jaafar will continue as the Malaysia market’s MD. He was previously chief development officer of McDonald’s China and MD of the company’s Middle East markets.

    Chan joins Lionhorn as MD for Singapore. Before this he was division president for China and Greater Asia as well as CEO of Greater China and MD of Singapore with oversight to Malaysia, Korea and Taiwan.

    McDonald’s has more than 36,000 locations in more than 100 countries. More than 80 per cent of its restaurants worldwide are franchised, with McDonald’s having used the DL ownership structure for more than 30 years.