Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • Jamie’s Italian opens its first restaurant in Thailand at the ­renovated Siam Discovery

    Jamie’s Italian opens its first restaurant in Thailand at the ­renovated Siam Discovery

    Jamie’s Italian opens its first restaurant in Thailand at the newly ­renovated Siam Discovery, situated in the heart of Bangkok. This rustic Italian restaurant, serving delicious food at an affordable price, is proudly brought to you by Hotel Properties Limited and Siam Piwat.

    Jamie’s Italian began as a partnership between Jamie Oliver and his mentor, Gennaro Contaldo. The first restaurant opened in 2008 in Oxford and there are now 42 Jamie’s Italian outlets in the UK and over 25 internationally, including Australia, Dubai, Brazil and Singapore.

    As with all Jamie’s Italian outlets, the Siam Discovery restaurant will remain committed to sourcing only the best free-range, higher welfare meat and sustainable and ethically produced ingredients. All the recipes are Italian classics with a Jamie twist, including fresh pasta made on site every day. The restaurant will also work closely with fantastic Thai farmers and suppliers to showcase local produce.

    MENU HIGHLIGHTS

    Menu highlights at Jamie’s Italian Siam Discovery will include the famous antipasti planks, perfect for sharing. Placed on large wooden boards supported by tins of tomatoes, the impressive platter allows guests to pick from a wide selection of meats, cheeses, vegetables and pickles.

    All Jamie’s Italian restaurants serve fresh pasta made in the restaurant, every day. The Siam Discovery restaurant will feature a range of popular pasta dishes, including Gennaro’s Tagliatelle Bolognese, made to his recipe, Silky spaghetti carbonara and Fresh crab spaghetti. The prawn linguine is a Jamie’s Italian classic, loved worldwide.

    Also on offer will be beautiful artisan pizza dough, made by hand, and proved for hours before being hand ­stretched to create an irresistibly crisp base. The simple but classic Margherita, and Funghi, with seasonal mushrooms, are just a few of the pizzas on offer.

    A selection of Italian-inspired main courses is also on offer, including the Tuscan-style Chicken al mattone– chicken is cooked under a brick, ensuring that the chicken is pushed further against the grates of the grill, producing a smoky flavour, with an addictively crisp skin. The Jamie’s Italian burger, a signature main dish, and the Grilled pork chop served with crispy crackling, are also must-try dishes. For those looking for a lighter meal, the Classic super food salad is a super-fresh combination of avocado, roasted beets, mixed pulses & grains, broccolini, fennel, pomegranate & spicy seeds with harissa dressing & artisan ricotta.

    A favourite among families, Jamie’s Italian will also be bringing its award-winning kids’ menu to Thailand. Awarded the best kids’ menu in the UK by The SOIL Association in 2013, there’s a choice of 2 two sizes for different age groups, with all the meals nutritionally balanced. It comes with a viewfinder menu and colouring sheets to keep the kids entertained.

    If you love your Jamie’s Italian experience, don’t forget to take a bit home with you. Jamie’s Italian Siam Discovery will also stock a wide range of Jamie’s cook books and the restaurant’s signature napkins, as well as gifts, allowing you to recreate your Jamie’s Italian experience at home.

    THE INTERIOR

    Every Jamie’s Italian restaurant is designed to be easily accessible with a warm and comfortable feel and incorporates the personality of the city it’s in. Siam Discovery’s design takes inspiration from its location to create a friendly, neighborhood restaurant that the whole family can enjoy.

    With 184 covers, the restaurant will boast a tasteful mix of rustic, reclaimed timber refectory tables, industrial ­chic zinc tables and vintage upholstered lounge chairs, with monochromatic and hand­-painted floral tile flooring. To add warmth, the dining area will be illuminated with brass spotlights, vintage enamel shades and a textured glass chandelier.

    The creative use of space allows guests to view the open kitchen,  watch their antipasti planks being made before their eyes at the antipasti counter in the main dining room, or hang out for a pre or post- meal tipple at Jamie’s Bar.

    READY TO WELCOME YOU

    Welcoming you to the first Jamie’s Italian restaurant in Thailand is General Manager Sarah Smith, winner of the Jamie’s Italian International Rising Star award for 2015/2016. She has worked closely with Head Chef, Alex Barman and local staff to make sure that the new restaurant is ready to receive guests.

    Jamie Oliver said: “Taking Jamie’s Italian to Thailand is incredibly exciting for me. Bangkok is a vibrant and buzzing city with a great food scene and we can’t wait to be a part of it. We’ll be sourcing lots of beautiful, top-quality produce from fantastic local suppliers, and making food that we just know you’re going to love. Come down and visit soon!”

    For more information please visit our website www.jamiesitalian.co.th

     

  • Celebrate 2017 with ZALORA’s exclusive Chinese New Year Collection

    Celebrate 2017 with ZALORA’s exclusive Chinese New Year Collection

    Ahead of the annual Spring Festival celebration, ZALORA, Asia’s online fashion destination, launches its third Chinese New Year collection with a bigger range of modern festive wear for the fashion forward women. With over 200 styles, there are plenty of options available to suit different preferences and styles. Be fashion-ready for the upcoming holiday celebration with an early festive shopping at ZALORA.com.

    ZALORA exclusive 2017 Chinese New Year collection exudes femininity with a focus on soft and contemporary aesthetic that is driven by a sense of romantic nostalgia, a departure from previous year’s bold and vibrant collection. Entitled Modern Romantics, the exclusive collection is filled with light and delicate pieces adorned with details like layers, ruffles and flare sleeves on soft shapes and modern silhouettes. Sheer chiffon in powder pastel shades and delicate feminine fabrics like soft laces are key fabrications of the collection.

    Featuring a mix of jumpsuits and rompers in spring floral prints, off-shoulder dresses, and versatile separates including asymmetrical skirts, shorts with scallop hem detail and all-time favourite peplum tops, ZALORA customers will have plenty of options to choose from for their festive wardrobe. In addition to the auspicious red, the colour palette of this year’s Chinese New Year collection is a combination of classic neutrals, shades of blue as well as one of the season’s hottest colours, dusty pink.

    Rayne Reed, Head of Private Labels of ZALORA Group commented: “ZALORA prides itself in dressing

    the modern women for any occasion including festivities like Chinese New Year. We believe our collection gives our customers the chance to celebrate cultural heritage in a modern way. We want to empower women to express their individual style as each piece is beautiful and versatile. ZALORA’s Chinese New Year collection represents the latest trends, and up-to-date styling while remaining true to the spirit of the festive season.

    When designing the collection, we were inspired by the mood of Chinese watercolour paintings, the style of traditional paper cutting, and romantic florals. We included on-trend details such as light layers, romantic ruffles and lace into modern silhouettes. The iconic Qipao shape is reinterpreted through updated cuts and feminine fabrics – metallic lace as an example – to bring a sparkling freshness to the collection. Exclusive prints, metallic lace and auspicious colours play a major part in setting the mood of the season, including jewel tone reds, glimmering gold, powder pastels.

    Our style savvy customers can find contemporary festive fashion conveniently at ZALORA with just a few clicks and with our speedy delivery, they can start wearing their new outfits in no time!”

    The ZALORA 2017 Chinese New Year collection is available on sale from today exclusively in six markets: Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Prices range from S$29 to S$79. Customers celebrating Chinese New Year can shop their festive outfits anytime, anywhere exclusively at www.zalora.sg/chinese-new-year/ and on the ZALORA mobile app.

  • India grants demonetization exemption for prepaid credit

    India grants demonetization exemption for prepaid credit

    The Indian government has made a special exception to temporarily allow demonetized 500 rupee notes for the purchase of prepaid top ups in response to a sharp decline in purchases.

    The government enacted legislation earlier this month to declare the use of 500 rupee and 1000 rupee banknotes invalid as part of a crackdown on counterfeiting and black market money.

    New 500 rupee and 2000 rupee banknotes have been issued to exchange the old currency, but the policy led to a cash shortage in the country.

    In response to lobbying from GSM industry body the Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI), the government has added prepaid top-ups up to the list of essential services allowed to accept the old banknotes.

    Consumers will be able to pay for top-ups up to a maximum of 500 rupees using the old notes until December 15.

    The mobile industry had been seeking for the exemption to apply to both prepaid and postpaid services, and for the old 1000 and 500 rupee notes, but the government has approved the exemption only for prepaid purchases and 500 rupee notes, the report adds.

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  • GoSwiff Partners UnionPay International to Increase Mobile Transactions in Thailand

    GoSwiff Partners UnionPay International to Increase Mobile Transactions in Thailand

    GoSwiff, a global leader in digital payments, announced a partnership with UnionPay International (UPI), a global payment network, to enable merchants on Nimmanahaeminda Road in Chiang Mai to accept UnionPay cards. Using GoSwiff’s mobile point of sale (mPOS) solution, micro merchants can now accept and process secure PIN-based card transactions in Thailand.

    Merchants and shoppers on Nimmanahaeminda Road, a street popular with both locals and tourists visiting Chiang Mai, will reap significant advantages with the launch of mPOS. Merchants will benefit from the convenience of digital payments, while consumers can pay with their UnionPay cards, minimizing foreign exchange costs from ATM withdrawals and reducing the risk of carrying cash. All the banks within the UPI network can now connect to mPOS, and leverage NFC, HCE and PIN payments for the first time in Thailand.

     “We see great benefits in this partnership with GoSwiff in the Thai market,” said Wenhui Yang, General Manager, UnionPay International, Southeast Asia. “We are not only enabling small merchants to accept micro-payments securely, but also supporting our customers who prefer to pay with cards. With the help of our contactless mobile payment solution, we are confident this will lead to a wider adoption of cashless payments in Thailand and Southeast Asia alike.”

    On Nimmanahaeminda Road, small and mobile merchant stalls are not able yet to provide PIN-based card acceptance through regular electronic data capture platforms. There are constraints on telephone and electricity lines and investment requirements on the bank’s side.

    “Thailand has seen an enormous increase in mobile payment acceptance in recent years thanks to the very active approach from the banks to roll out mPOS services to their clients. The Bank of Thailand has encouraged all debit cards to include a PIN code, which will create even more interest from the merchants to use mPOS”, said Svyatoslav Garal, Head of Asia Pacific and CIS, GoSwiff. “We have implemented mobile payment solutions for banks and Mobile Network Operators across the globe and boosted electronic payments in the emerging markets. The payment ecosystem greatly benefits from our mPOS solution with UnionPay, as well as the expansion of payment acceptance locations, especially in countries where the card penetration is increasing.”

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  • Shanghai Disney Resort to take wings

    Shanghai Disney Resort to take wings

    Shanghai Disney Resort will open two retail stores at the city’s Hongqiao International Airport next year.

    Both stores will be at the domestic departures of the airport’s T2 terminal to allow travellers to take home merchandise collections more conveniently, says the resort.

    It already has a 3000 sqm World of Disney Store at Disneytown that includes specialty shops and a Spoonful of Sugar confectionery. There are more than 7000 merchandise items including Disney apparel, toys, stationery, lifestyle products, collectibles and gifts. Resort director of merchandise David Koo says retail products will be updated or expanded, based on ongoing Chinese consumer research and insights.

    The most popular products at the resort include a Mickey and Minnie foldable-fleece collection that can be worn or folded into a back cushion. Another bestseller is the Storybook Chocolate Set.

    Koo says the resort will offer special products soon for the coming Chinese New Year, on January 28.

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  • Digital payments fueling FinTech investments in APAC

    Digital payments fueling FinTech investments in APAC

    The APAC FinTech landscape is witnessing unprecedented growth, with FinTech solutions and services expected to gross more than $70 billion in revenue by 2020.

    Market research firm Frost & Sullivan believes the market is on track to record a CAGR of 72.5% over this period.

    “Asia-Pacific FinTech investment increased exponentially in 2015. There was a four-fold increase of investments in APAC FinTech companies from 2014 to 2015 which shows growing investor confidence in the Asia-Pacific region. Meanwhile 42% of the investment deals concentrated on digital payments,” Frost & Sullivan VP for digital transformation Ajay Sunder said.

    Innovation hubs have formed around Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney riding on the back of favorable government regulations, strong start-up ecosystems and heavy consumer demand among the 18-34 demographic group in particular.

    The emergence of new business models is enabling players to innovate and invest in technologies such as Blockchain, digital payments, cloud services, cyber security, product lines and solutions. Players must rethink strategies and align their business vision with technology goals to define their value proposition to customers and survive in the rapidly evolving digital ecosystem.

    “Digital payment will remain the largest segment, primarily driven by mobile payment solutions, while Blockchain will not remain limited to financial services; there will be new use cases for Blockchain, and traditional ICT vendors will start offering Blockchain-as-a-Service,” noted Sunder.

    Frost points to innovative services providers such as BitSE, Canopy, Coinsecure, DxMarkets, Freecharge, HedgeSPA, MOLPay, Otonomos and TranServ as addressing unmet needs, embracing new technologies and gaining a disruptive advantage by leveraging diverse opportunities.

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  • Triumph Motorcycles sees easy ride as market hums

    Triumph Motorcycles sees easy ride as market hums

    Despite murky economic prospects, British manufacturer Triumph Motorcycles remains upbeat about sales prospects in Thailand this year because of lower retail prices and a growing big-bike market.

    According to Jakkrapong Santirat, general manager of Triumph Motorcycles Thailand, Triumph’s sales fared well after Leicestershire-based Triumph took over the dealership network in Thailand last year.

    Through its wholly owned subsidiary Triumph Motorcycles Thailand, the company since last November has handled not only manufacturing but all aspects of the business, including sales and marketing activity, in coordination with distributors such as Britbike.

    Britbike is owned by Dom Hetrakul, an actor who became the first authorised dealer of Triumph motorcycles in 2007.

    Last year, Triumph reported domestic sales of 1,512 units, compared with just 292 in 2014.

    Mr Jakkrapong said the company is feeling more confident it will achieve sales of 2,400 units this year, after selling 2,112 in the January-October period.

    “The British parent firm has been working closely with its wholly-owned manufacturer in Thailand to make all retail prices more attractive,” he said. “All Triumph models sold in the Thai market have seen prices drop by about 30%.”

    Mr Jakkrapong said Triumph’s market share in Thailand has grown significantly to 40%, up from 25% last year.

    In keeping with the growing big-bike market, he expected Triumph would be able to maintain annual sales growth rate of 5-10%.

    Triumph entered Thailand in 2002, opening its first factory in May 2002 to make motorcycle components such as frames, fuel tanks, header systems, swinging arms, engine covers and chrome-plated parts.

    A second factory opened in 2006 with a painting facility and assembly line, and a third plant, opened in 2007, includes high-pressure die casting and machining.

    All three factories are at the Amata Nakorn Industrial Estate in Chon Buri.

    The company employs 1,100 workers in Thailand. Existing facilities make up half of total production capacity of 80,000 units a year.

    All Triumph motorcycles are made at its Thai facilities, using 50-60% local content. Triumph also ships its Thai-made motorcycles to more than 40 countries.

    Triumph’s Thai facilities, with a combined investment of more than 3 billion baht, are the only facilities offering completely built-up production outside of Britain, representing 65-70% of Triumph sales worldwide.

    In Thailand, Triumph runs eight sales outlets nationwide, including its latest showroom that opened last week in Bang Na district.

  • Indonesia Island Connectivity Plan

    Indonesia Island Connectivity Plan

    The Indonesian government has invited 33 companies from Norway and Denmark to explore business opportunities as part of plans to enhance inter-island connectivity by upgrading infrastructure and constructing 24 seaports and deep sea ports.

    Both Norway and Denmark are eager to invest in Indonesia’s rapidly growing market, with the Indonesian government proposing investment in its business-to-business and business-to-government schemes focusing on port maritime industry sectors such as management and security.

    Denmark and Norway’s fisheries, shipping, offshore energy and maritime equipment and services make the countries ideal partners, according to Susi Pudjiastuti, Indonesia’s Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister.

    Danish energy firm Danfoss A/S, ship maker Odense Maritime Technology, Norwegian shipping company Wilh Wilhelmsen ASA and technology systems and solutions enterprise Kongsberg Digital were among the companies visiting Jakarta.

    According to Stig Traavik, Norwegian Ambassador to Indonesia, Nordic countries will be able to advise Indonesia on technological matters due to the country’s development of energy efficient ships.

    Traavik said: “We have produced ships running on natural gas instead of diesel, basically it’s like a mini power plant in the ship [able to] reduce the consumption of gas by 20% compared to modern ships that use diesel fuel.”

    Indonesia has faced high operational costs from its ports due to facilities being located hundreds of kilometres apart and operated by different ministries in the country. Rini Soemarno , Indonesia’s State-Owned Enterprises Minister, visited Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden in September to approach the countries for partnerships in energy and fishery sectors.

    Casper Klynge, Danish Ambassador to Indonesia, said: “Denmark is a very small country, but in the maritime area, Denmark and Norway are global superpowers. Every 15 minutes, somewhere around the world, a Danish-operated ship leaves a port.”

    Klynge highlighted that Denmark transports 10% of the world’s goods despite accounting for 0.1% of the global population.

    “Every 15 minutes, somewhere around the world, a Danish-operated ship leaves a port,” he added.

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  • Airports of Thailand sees nine-month commercial revenue climb

    Airports of Thailand sees nine-month commercial revenue climb

    Airports of Thailand saw non-aeronautical revenue climb 21.34% to Bt3.83bn ($107m) in the first nine months of 2016, mainly as a consequence of an increasing number of flights and passengers.

    Revenue generated from duty-free sales increased by Bt934m, with the majority of non-aeronautical attributed to concession revenues. Non-aeronautical revenue represented also 43% of the total revenue share.

    Concession revenue represented Bt13.62bn in the nine months of 2016, up 16.1% year-on-year from the Bt11.73bn registered in the same period of 2015.

    Total revenues grew by Bt7.27bn up to September 30 this year, while generating net profit of Bt19.57bn, up Bt842m or 4.5% from the same period last year.

    Photo of AOT 2

    Photo of AOT

  • Grey Goose limited edition lands at Bangkok

    Grey Goose limited edition lands at Bangkok

    Bacardi Global Travel Retail has entered into a two-month promotion with the King Power International Group Thailand, where the partners are selling a new GTR exclusive Bangkok Limited Edition gift-pack at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport in the run up to Christmas.

    In a statement, Bacardi said: “Running in two prominent in-store locations from 1 November to 31 December 2016 with dedicated branded space and a strong focus on gifting, the shopper campaign will have high visibility to the large volume of passengers expected to depart through the airport in November and December.

    FULL RANGE IS BEING FEATURED

    “A specialist team of Grey Goose retail ambassadors will lead the interaction with shoppers to encourage conversion across the full range of Grey Goose vodka, including Grey Goose Interpreted by Ducasse and Grey Goose VX.”

    Grey Goose Bangkok KPIG2 Nov 2016This is the first promotion of its kind between Bacardi and KPIG at Bangkok.

    APPEALING TO THE SOUTH EAST ASIAN COCKTAIL TREND

    This represents Bacardi’s first major campaign at Suvarnabhumi Airport, with the company adding that Grey Goose is currently the best selling vodka brand and the fastest growing top five spirit brand in travel retail according to respected analysts, IWSR.

    “It’s very likely that our more discerning shoppers will have seen Grey Goose on the shelves of Bangkok’s finest cocktail bars and so there’s an instant synergy with this in-store promotion. Equally, there’s huge appeal to present this global brand to the growing number of Asian shoppers embracing the new trend of home cocktail-making.”Commenting on the event, Pichai Pitakchaisuk, Executive Vice President at King Power said: “We are very excited to bring Grey Goose to life in-store at a time when super-premium vodka is enjoying enormous popularity thanks in particular to the growing appeal of cocktails and white spirits in South East Asia.

    Adding his comments, Vinay Golikeri, Regional Director Asia Pacific and Middle East Africa, Bacardi Global Travel Retail said: “The bespoke Grey Goose Bangkok Limited Edition gift-pack is a GTR exclusive which we are proud to launch in partnership with King Power Thailand.

    “Based on past experience, Grey Goose is proven to drive sales where it is given the optimal space, range and activation and we are very excited about what this campaign will deliver with King Power in Bangkok.”

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  • PLDT, Globe agree to cut interconnection rates

    PLDT, Globe agree to cut interconnection rates

    The Philippines’ two major telecom operators – PLDT and Globe Telecom – have agreed to reduce their voice interconnection rates to bring down the price of domestic mobile and fixed line calls in the country.

    Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Rodolfo Salalima and National Telecommunications Commissioner (NTC) Gamaliel Cordoba witnessed the signing of the memorandum of agreement.

    The NTC said the decision to lower interconnection rates is in line with efforts to reduce communications costs, maintain and foster fair competition in the telecommunications industry as well as to make mobile voice service more affordable to the public.

    Under the agreement, the two companies committed to taking steps to lower retail rates for voice and to maintain a grade of service (GOS) in interconnection. This means ensuring that there is sufficient telecommunications circuits or routes for efficient transmission of calls.

    “We are confident that a reduction in the cost of interconnection for voice calls will eventually redound to a more robust economy, providing our customers with an affordable and easily accessible way of communication,” Globe chief technology and information officer Gil Genio said.

    The reduction of interconnection rates, however, will not affect international calls.

    The NTC has earlier issued a memorandum circular mandating a 38% reduction in the interconnection rate between the two networks, which should take effect not later than January 1.

    “We are supporting government’s efforts to bring down the cost of telecom services in the country. This agreement will translate in different ways to more affordable voice call rates for our subscribers,” PLDT director and head of regulatory affairs and policy office Ray C. Espinosa said.

    The interconnection rate for voice calls between the telco firms will be reduced to 2.5 pesos ($0.12) per minute across-the-board starting January 1, 2017. At present, mobile to mobile and landline to mobile voice calls cost 4 pesos per minute while mobile to landline voice calls cost 3 pesos per minute.

    PLDT Chief Revenue Officer Eric Alberto added that improving voice services will provide customers more options to connect with their family and friends, at home or on the go.

    The memorandum of understanding will serve as a guide to amending previous interconnection agreements.

    Earlier, the two telecommunication companies called on the government to streamline government policies and regulations to speed up the deployment of broadband infrastructure in the country.

    “We are calling for a national consensus to harmonize policies and regulations in support of building digital data infrastructure. We also hope to deepen understanding of our people, at the community level, how vital telecoms infrastructure are to our lives. When these facilities are damaged or stolen, this harms our welfare as surely as when roads and bridges are washed away,” said PLDT and Smart Communications Senior Vice President for Network Services Mario G. Tamayo in a speech at a summit hosted by the DICT.

    In anticipation of the continued growth of data traffic and digital services in the country, PLDT said it plans to increase the capacity of its data infrastructure by ten times come 2020.

    For 2016 alone, PLDT has allocated 48 billion pesos ($963.5 million) capital expenditure to fortify and expand its fixed and wireless networks, including the utilization of its recently acquired 700-MHz spectrum.

    Meanwhile, Globe Telecom emphasized the need for more cell sites in the country taking into account dramatic rise in mobile data demand. Genio pointed out the company’s quarterly data traffic increased exponentially to 98 petabytes in the third quarter of the year from only 9 petabytes in the first quarter of 2013 amid growing customer propensity for multi-media content.

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  • Hard Liquor Helps E-Commerce Titans Take China’s Consumer Pulse

    Hard Liquor Helps E-Commerce Titans Take China’s Consumer Pulse

    Predicting the changing tastes of China’s consumers is becoming easier thanks to the country’s e-commerce giants, who monitor sales that can exceed US$17 billion in a single day.

    The country’s second-biggest web-based retail platform, JD.com Inc, already has dozens of new indexes tracking sales of products from liquor to appliances. Larger rival Alibaba Group Holding Ltd plans to publish its own spending gauges in coming months.

    Their data is vital to large global companies like Starbucks Corp and Wal-Mart Stores Inc that are looking for insights into what’s hot among China’s billion-plus consumers. Online shopping indexes reflect millions of transactions daily, whereas traditional consumer surveys can only test a tiny sample.

    “The ability to analyse and understand trends in online consumption has never been more important or more valuable,” said James Huang, big-data analytics director for the finance unit of Beijing-based JD.

  • Garuda opens Surabaya-Madinah flight route

    Garuda opens Surabaya-Madinah flight route

    Garuda Indonesia opened the Surabaya-Madina flight route on Tuesday as part of its efforts to expand its flight network in the Middle East.

    The national flag carrier will serve the flight route on Tuesdays using an Airbus A330-300 with a seating capacity of 360, all of them economic class, Garuda Cargo Director Sigit Muhartono said in a written statement released on Tuesday.

    “As the flag carrier of the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, Garuda Indonesia will always try to facilitate Muslims wishing to perform religious services in the Holy Land. With the new flight route inaugurated today, we hope the people of East Java and surrounding areas will find it easy and comfortable to travel to the Saudi main cities of Jeddah and Madinah by direct flight,” he added.

    The Surabaya-Madinah flight route will accommodate not only people who want to travel to the Holy Land for umroh (minor hajj) but also businessmen, tourists and migrant Indonesian workers.

    “With the Surabaya-Madina flight route, Garuda Indonesia offers umroh pilgrims an alternative flight route that enables them to opt to depart from Surabaya to Madina and return to Surabaya from Jeddah,” he explained.

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  • Despite recent setbacks, LeEco has big retail ambitions in China

    Despite recent setbacks, LeEco has big retail ambitions in China

    LeEco may have had some high-profile setbacks in recent weeks, with news coming from the company that it had overextended itself financially in some areas, but the Chinese electronics maker and service provider is still doing ambitious things in retail, starting with a new flagship store it opened at its Beijing headquarters earlier this year.

    We toured the store, and spoke to LeEco VP of retail Steve Zhao about some of the inspiration for the retail space and its intended purpose. A significant portion of Chinese electronics shoppers do their buying online, so the focus is on building a store that provides experiences and examples of how LeEco devices and services might work for a consumer in their daily lives, rather than on stocking shelves with as much inventory as possible.

    From flooring and furniture materials to layout and staff, the LeEco store feels like an Apple Store, which isn’t surprising given its aims and intent. But this is also only the first iteration of what’s to come; Zhao told me that their first major retail location in a shopping centre will dwarf the current flagship in size and scope, with a launch planned for sometime later in 2017.

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  • Smart Axiata deploys SMS spam filtering suite

    Smart Axiata deploys SMS spam filtering suite

    Cambodia’s Smart Axiata announced it has deployed an SMS spam filtering and A2P SMS monetization platform from 365squared for its more than 8 million customers.

    The operator is using the 365secure service to continuously monitor and filer SMS traffic from any source on a round-the-clock basis. The service is designed to detect and block fraudulent SMS messages delivered through gray routes.

    Smart will also be able to use the service’s proprietary 365analytics software to conduct detailed traffic analysis and reporting. The implementation was conducted by 365squared last month.

    “Spam messages are disliked by everyone. The partnership with 365squared stands on our desire to strengthen customer relationships based on trust,” Smart Axiata CEO Thomas Hundt said.

    “By filtering intrusive and uninvited messages we provide to our customers peace of mind and therewith step up our customer experience efforts further.”

    Smart Axiata launched LTE services in January 2014, and has now expanded the network to cover 25 key provincial capitals as well as other key cities. The company’s combined 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 3.75G and 4G mobile network covers more than 98% of the Cambodian population.

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