Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • Adobe designs new video measurement model

    Adobe designs new video measurement model

    Adobe has launched a new video analytics offering that promises to provide marketers with new and improved measurement for both content and ads.

    “As video measurement grows increasingly important for marketers to drive major decisions, the significance of these metrics comes into focus daily,” said Chris Wareham, the senior director of product management at Adobe in a blog entry.

    “The ability to obtain data such as time spent, ad performance, device, geography, bounce rates, impressions, and more is now a crucial piece of the pie.”

    New video measurement model

    A key update would be the measuring of video engagement with substantially greater granularity than in the past. This is done by sending “heartbeats” packets every 10 seconds during a video playback or during a live event.

    On top of the initial start server call that Adobe Analytics receives whenever a video is played, a new processing layer will now aggregate all heartbeats until the viewer ends the session – either by completing the video, closing the browser, or switching to a new video. This data is then transmitted as part of a final server call to complete the playback data set.

    “The 10-second heartbeat measurement eliminates the blind spot and offers a much more thorough view of how content is being consumed,” explained Wareham. “By analyzing video streams, rather than just starts and stops, brands can gain a more complete picture of how content is being consumed.”

    A move away from simple monitoring milestones that is based solely on server calls means that stream can not only provide standardization across basic video performance metrics, but is also able to provide deeper insights into media consumption, said Wareham.

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  • Villar Group expanding All Day stores

    Villar Group expanding All Day stores

    Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Philippines – The Villar Group, through its retail arm All Value Holdings Corp., is investing an additional P1.4 billion to fund the continued expansion of its All Day supermarket chain.

    The company opened yesterday its third branch, located in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

    This followed the opening of the first two stores in Vista Mall in Taguig and Starmall Edsa-Shaw.

    In an interview during yesterday’s opening ceremony, All Value chairman Manuel B. Villar Jr. said two more branches were expected to open before the end of the year. Plans are underway to build four to five more branches in 2017.

    “Each branch may cost us about P180 million or less,” Villar told reporters.

    He said the sites of All Day Supermarkets are leased from Vista Malls of sister company Vista Land & Lifescapes, while the inventory is largely consigned by suppliers.

    Villar said the fourth branch, located in Vista Mall Bataan would be even bigger. It is targeted for opening this month.

    The fifth and last outlet to open this year will be in Vista City in Daang Hari. Target date for the opening is December.

    All five stores will have a total floor area of about 20,000 square meters.

    For next year, the target is to open All Day Supermarkets in Mega Manila.

    “All of our supermarkets are successful. The response from consumers is very good. They have an upscale look but the prices are low so they cater to the masses,” he noted.

    All Day Supermarket offers a wide assortment of goods, bigger floor areas, nice store interiors and new services. It also opens as early as 8 in the morning.

    The supermarket’s goods are guaranteed fresh by their accreditation from the National Meat Inspection Service.

    It sells fresh meat, poultry and produce as well as seafoods. It also offers a “paluto” section that cooks food the way customers like it.

    There is also a Quick Fix Section dedicated to every family’s hardware and repair needs, which means that customers don’t need to leave the supermarket for their hardware needs.

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  • Malaysia-Singapore-Indonesia cable commissioned

    Malaysia-Singapore-Indonesia cable commissioned

    A new subsea cable company has contracted Huawei Marine Networks to deploy a 250km cable system connecting Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

    Super Sea Cable Networks (SEAX) has commissioned construction of its SEAX-1 cable, which will connect Mersing on the eastern seaboard of Peninsular Malaysia with Singapore’s Changi and Indonesia’s Batam.

    Construction of the 24-fiber-pair system is expected to be complete by the end of next year. SEAX’s market focus will be wholesale operators in emerging markets, including Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 carriers who want to own but not operate cable systems.

    SEAX’s five-year plan is to target, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar in addition to Malaysia and Indonesia.

    The company has a facilities-based operator license in Singapore, an affiliate company in Indonesia and is partnered with telecoms infrastructure provider SACOFA in Malaysia.

    “SEAX-1 passes through one of the busiest region in the Asia Pacific region, where bandwidth demands are increasing exponentially,” SEAX CEO Joseph Lim said.

    “We believe this new submarine cable system will relieve bandwidth pressures on existing infrastructure and continue to provide this region with high-speed, reliable connectivity that will fast-track its growth.”

    Indonesia’s PT Telkom last week contracted NEC to build a subsea cable system connecting six large Indonesian islands with Singapore.

  • Airlines ban in-flight Note7 use after global recall

    Airlines ban in-flight Note7 use after global recall

    Multiple airlines have banned the use of Samsung’s Galaxy Note7 smartphones while onboard after the company issued a global recall of the devices due to reports of exploding batteries.

    Thai Airways is among the latest airline to ban the use of the smartphone online, as well as storing the device in checked baggage.

    Other major airlines including Singapore Airlines, Australia’s Qantas and the UAE’s Etihad have already issued bans. Aviation authorities in Europe, the US and Japan have also issued safety warnings.

    Samsung has meanwhile urged all users of Note7 smartphones subject to the global recall to turn in their devices as soon as possible for replacement

    The company issued a global recall for the devices last week following reports of faulty batteries overheating or even catching fire. The company said that prior to the recall there had been 35 reported cases of malfunctions globally.

    Samsung Electronics Australia announced that replacement stock will be available to local customers from September 21, and the company will resume selling the devices in the market in early October.

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  • Kingsdown Adds Three Branded Mattress Stores in China

    Kingsdown Adds Three Branded Mattress Stores in China

    Mattress supplier Kingsdown, Inc. has opened three additional stores in China, boosting its footprint in the country to 39 stores in 31 cities.

    The latest openings include two additional stores in Beijing, taking the city’s total to three, and its first location in Shanghai.

    The company said it expects to have 75 stores in 65 cities by the end of the year through its licensing agreement with Chinese bedding producer and retailer Roth Bedding Technology International Ltd.

    The two companies joined forces last year, and since then, the partnership has continued to flourish. The latest move solidifies the companies’ growth strategy to have 500 branded stores open throughout China by 2020, Kingsdown officials said.

    Building on its partnership with Roth, Kingsdown is growing its branded store network to strengthen its presence in China, taking advantage of the demand for an American brand with a history of luxurious style and hand craftsmanship. The Kingsdown branded stores sell the company’s popular collections along with products designed and developed specifically for the Chinese marketplace, a growing market for mattresses with an annual growth rate of more than 25% in the last five years.

    “The reception to the Kingsdown brand in Asia has been incredible with the region’s consumers,” said Frank Hood, President and CEO of Kingsdown. “Our partnership with Roth has been incredible in allowing us to capture China’s luxury mattress consumer. The strategic plan we have in place will solidify Kingsdown as the leading luxury brand in this growing consumer market.

    “The future is bright for Kingsdown in China,” added Jie Du, Roth bedding general manager. “Kingsdown’s focus on styling, quality and industry leading sleep research are key characteristics for the discriminating consumer here in China who shows a strong penchant for American-made, high-end products.”

    In addition to its growing presence in China, Kingsdown has branded retail showrooms in Vietnam.

    Roth Bedding Technology International Ltd. is based in Hong Kong. The company is a leader in distribution platforms and retail, providing both their partners and Chinese consumers a full-service company that offers quality products.

  • Chinese Think Tank Says 1/3rd of Mainland Malls to Close Within 5 Years

    Chinese Think Tank Says 1/3rd of Mainland Malls to Close Within 5 Years

    More bad news for China’s struggling brick and mortar retailers as a recent report from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Social Sciences Academic Press predicted as many as one-third of all shopping centers in China will close their doors during the next five years.

    With ecommerce heavyweights Alibaba and JD.com dominating the retail sales, some of China’s largest mall operators are already feeling the pinch. Joy City Property and Maoye International posted profit warnings earlier in the year as buyers opt to shop online.

    Change Predicted for All Mainland Retail Centres

    The report by the respected central government think tank predicted change across the board for Chinese shopping centres, foreseeing that, in addition to the malls expected to close, another third will be transformed into experiential shopping centres, while the remaining third will adopt an online to offline (O2O) model that integrates the Internet with physical shopping.

    While two decades ago China had an undersupply of malls, the country has quickly overcome the deficit, with the mainland now home to 4,000 shopping centers — three times the US total. That population of malls is expected to grow to 10,000 by 2025, according to the CASS report. Research from JLL revealed 40 million square metres in new mall space is expected to enter the market between 2015 and 2017.

    Department stores in the country fared still worse than shopping centres, with sales growth contracting 0.7 percent during 2015, according to data from the Fung Business Intelligence Centre.Malaysia-based department store Parkson, which operates 59 outlets in China, announced it was selling assets to offset heavy losses in the country.

    Chinese Shoppers Swap Malls for the Internet

    Jack Ma big mouth

    Jack Ma’s ecommerce empire has been taking a bite out of China’s traditional retail sector

    According to Reuters, Suning, one of China’s largest retail chains, needed 12 months to bring in the same amount of sales that Alibaba’s Tmall website generated in two months. And while the electronics retailer is able to keep the lights on, others have not been so lucky.

    A total of 138 department stores, 262 supermarkets and 9,464 clothing stores closed in China between 2012 and 2015 according to data from the Business Economics Institute under Beijing Technology and Business University. That goes hand-in-hand with findings from the McKinsey Global Institute that showed ecommerce accounted for 20 percent of all clothing purchased and 15 percent of all household goods purchased in 266 cites in China.

    McKinsey predicts ecommerce marketplaces will bring in anywhere from $420 billion to $650 billion in sales by 2020. That is in stark contrast to the slowing sales physical retailers are coping with.

    Data from Fung Business Intelligence Centre showed there was 4.3 percent sales growth last year among China’s top 100 retail chain operators, the lowest total since 2007.

    Physical Stores Not Going Down Without a Fight

    While the mainland’s earth-bound retail sector has been taking a beating, not everyone is ready to give up. China Properties Group, a Shanghai-based developer which owns and operates the Concord City mixed-use project and the World Trade Plaza in Chongqing, took out a full page ad in the New York Times international edition late last year pleading with consumers to boycott online shopping.

    Other retailers are opting for a more modern way to fight back against China’s growing ecommerce sector.

    Of China’s top 100 retail chain operators, 83 currently have their own online stores in 2015. Of this number, 20 also have a mobile shopping app for consumers to use.

    “Physical stores should abandon the old model. They can use online shopping and WeChat to facilitate transactions and provide more convenient service,“ Hong Tao, director of the Business Economics Institute, proclaimed.

  • Govt asked to freeze shopping mall licences

    Govt asked to freeze shopping mall licences

    The Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA) has asked the government to temporarily freeze issuing licences for new shopping malls to curb the oversupply of retail space.

    Its deputy president, Valerie Choo, said the number of shopping malls was likely to grow between 2017 and 2018 and this would strain the retailers’ margins.

    “There will be over 50 per cent increase in shopping mall space (once the new shopping malls are ready).

    “Too many shopping malls can be tough on the retailers as well,” she told reporters at the “MRCA Engaging with the Media” session here today.

    Choo said the retail industry has been impacted by the economic slowdown and the weakening ringgit had led to an increase in overhead costs.

    “We depend on imported goods, which have increased tremendously. We have been trying our best not to raise prices, but how long can we do it,” said Choo.

    She said Indonesia had decided to freeze shopping mall development to curb oversupply, which has slowed the growth of its retail industry.

    Choo also urged the government to spur the tourism industry to help boost sales of retailers in shopping malls.

    “The tourists can take advantage of the weaker ringgit. It will help to increase spending in shopping malls,” said Choo.

    MRCA represents over 300 retailers in Malaysia covering over 20,000 outlets and who provide over 100,000 jobs.

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  • Airport Authority Hong Kong creates new tender structure for anchor concessions

    Airport Authority Hong Kong creates new tender structure for anchor concessions

    Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) will restructure its core category airside retail concessions in advance of a series of major tenders beginning late October or early November, The Moodie Davitt Report can reveal.

    There are currently three anchor concessions – liquor & tobacco, airside general merchandise, and perfumes & cosmetics, all held by DFS.

    As detailed by The Moodie Davitt Report in July, AAHK pledged earlier this year to refine the category and contract mix, promising “significant changes” to the concession structure to drive spending and improve the consumer experience at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA).

    Since July, AAHK has been talking to potential retailers and conducting intensive consumer research with its passengers regarding the anchor licences. As a result, it has fine-tuned the contract packages.

    LIQUOR & TOBACCO AND PERFUMES & COSMETICS EXTENDED – BUT NO AIRSIDE GENERAL MERCHANDISE CONCESSION

    The core liquor & tobacco and perfumes & cosmetics concessions will be continued – but with important refinements. To spice up the traditional liquor & tobacco offering, AAHK plans to allow the new concessionaire flexibility to include other products. These include liquor & tobacco-related accessories, such as wineglasses and decanters, as well as upmarket gourmet items, for example fine teas and coffees. That concept proved highly popular with passengers during AAHK’s qualitative surveys.

    HKIA L and T

    The liquor & tobacco concession will be increased substantially both in terms of space and range, with the addition of liquor-related accessories and gourmet items

    To make the perfumes & cosmetics offer more attractive, AAHK plans to create a beauty and accessories “one-stop shopping destination”. That will involve combining perfumes & cosmetics with fashion accessories – the latter including sunglasses, fashion watches, small leathergoods, handbags and others. Those categories are currently sold through the airside general merchandise concession.

    HK P & C

    The perfumes & cosmetics concession will be extended to become a “beauty and accessories one-stop shopping destination”

    AAHK believes that the high penetration rate driven by beauty products can enhance the cross-selling potential of the two categories combined. Consumer feedback also strongly suggested that the categories are complementary.

    Critically, AAHK has decided to discontinue the airside general merchandise concession. The authority believes that given the airport’s extremely strong line-up of speciality stores and mono-brand boutiques, there is no need for the airside general merchandise concession. Instead it will allocate the best-selling general merchandise categories to the other packages.

    DEDICATED CONFECTIONERY CONCESSION

    In another key change, AAHK has opted to create a dedicated confectionery licence. Confectionery is a high-demand item at HKIA and the authority believes this justifies a separate concession covering multiple units across the terminal.

    hkia conf

    Confectionery, a big in-demand category, will enjoy its own dedicated concession

    The distribution and location of the stores will also see some important changes. For example, AAHK plans to remove the current small gate store units near the boarding gates. Because of the size constraints, the liquor & tobacco and perfumes & cosmetics assortments in them is limited. The units will be turned over to other retail purposes, deemed as better serving passengers’ needs.

    Simultaneously AAHK will increase the retail space in the East Hall – the shopping epicentre of the airport. Liquor & tobacco space there will increase by around +40%, while the addition of the fashion accessory categories will result in a huge +70% increase in the area dedicated to the extended beauty concession. More importantly, AAHK hopes that the additional floor space will allow the chosen retailers to introduce a wider product assortment.

    MORE DIVERSITY OF PRODUCTS; GREATER CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT

    In its consumer surveys, AAHK was told by many passengers that besides the big, upmarket European and US beauty brands they also wanted to see more variety – including the upcoming Korean and Japanese skincare names, most of them mid-price to premium price-points. In liquor & tobacco, consumers told AAHK they wanted to see more new and rare products.

    With the enhanced store sizes, AAHK will be asking its retailers to create greater customer engagement (for example, more wine tastings), which it deems as increasingly important to bricks and mortar stores. The enhanced space will also encourage greater flexibility, experimentation, rarity and excitement, it believes.

    TIME-LINE COUNTDOWN

    AAHK will begin the tender process with the liquor & tobacco and perfumes & cosmetics bids in late October or early November, with results being announced in March or April next year. Confectionery will be tendered in late 2016 or early 2017.

    The targeted changeover of concessions is set for the fourth quarter of 2017.

    NOTE TO AIRPORT OPERATORS: The Moodie Davitt Report is the industry’s most popular channel for launching commercial proposals and for publishing the results. If you wish to promote an Expression of Interest, Request for Proposals or full tender process for any sector of airport revenues, simply e-mail Martin Moodie at [email protected].

    We have a variety of options that will ensure you reach the widest, most high-quality concessionaire/retailer/operator base in the industry – globally and immediately.

    Similarly The Moodie Davitt Report is the only international business intelligence service and industry media to cover all airport consumer services, revenue generating and otherwise. We embrace all airport non-aeronautical revenues, including property, passenger lounges, car parking, hotels, hospital and other medical facilities, the Internet, advertising and related revenue streams.

  • Huawei, Intel chiefs talk the future of ICT

    Huawei, Intel chiefs talk the future of ICT

    In today’s digitally intelligent world, the age of enterprises shoring up their singular competitive advantages is over. With industries converging and consumer requirements constantly evolving, today’s businesses need to be more open, flexible, and build on their “ecological advantages” as well.

    This was the key message delivered by Huawei CEO Guo Ping during his keynote speech at Huawei Connect 2016.

    “Today we are in the cloud era, and while we do not yet know what things will be like in the future, one thing is sure—every modern industry system will become interconnected and complicated,” Guo said.

    “As data, IoT, mobility and cloud entities develop, businesses that are not even connected with one another will have more interactions. Hence, advantages will not only come from within the organization as has traditionally been the case, but also by the effective use of its external resources.”

    Guo predicted that in the many complicated scenarios that industries such as transportation, healthcare, and education will face, companies in these sectors will eventually develop and evolve toward an open ecosystem.

    The same can be said for the ICT industry, whereby in the cloud era the sector has already transformed from a single vertical industry and into an enabler of digital transformation. A report from the World Economic Forum revealed that in 10 years, the opportunities brought upon by the digital transformation of industries will reach $100 trillion, with the world seeing the rise of even more new applications.

    “Vertical integration of the value chain is a thing of the past,” stated Guo. As the ICT industry cultivates a new ecosystem, the Huawei CEO believes it will have three key features—open, dynamic, and symbiotic—wherein enterprises, big or small, “can take part in this interdependent, symbiotic, and regenerative community of common interests, as long as it has its own unique value and makes its own unique contribution.”

    As for Huawei’s role in this cloud-driven ecosystem, Guo stressed his company’s primary principle is to prioritize “creating a bigger pie (market) over fighting for a larger piece of a shaky pie.”

    “It’s the path we must take to build our future ecological advantages,” stated the CEO. “Our responsibility as an industry leader is to leverage our core competency, and use insights gleaned from our customers as basis of development to increase the size of the market. We don’t emphasize on whether the resources will be owned by us, but instead we emphasize on would be what can we leverage and effectively connect with external resources to bring the future together.”

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  • GMR Hyderabad Duty Free Ties up with American Telugu Association

    GMR Hyderabad Duty Free Ties up with American Telugu Association

    Hyderabad Duty Free (HDF), a 100% subsidiary of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL), has announced a unique promotional scheme for American Telugu Association (ATA) under its ‘customer connect’ program to reach out to the Telugu diaspora residing in the US. This exclusive scheme for ATA members was formally announced by Mr.Hanmanth Reddy, founder of American Telugu Association in presence of Honorable Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana State, Mr. Mohammed Mahmood Ali; Dr Ausaf Sayeed, Counsul General of India at Chicago; Mr. Iftekhar Shareef, President of Telangana Association of North America among many more dignitaries, during the American Telugu Association Meet organized at Naperville, Chicago in the US state of Illinois.

    Under this program, ATA members can now enjoy exclusive offers at Hyderabad Duty Free stores at the arrivals and departures of GMR Hyderabad International Airport.  This connect program will also include periodic communication on Duty Free products, and round the year events and promotional activities happening at Hyderabad Duty Free.  The members will also receive quarterly magazines of Hyderabad Duty Free which covers interesting happenings in the city and region in addition to Duty Free updates.

    Under this unique promotional offer, the members of American Telugu Association will enjoy an additional top-up discount of up to 15% over and above the regular discounts & offers running in the store.  At the Arrivals store, ATA members will get additional flat discount of 10% and 15% on every purchase above $100 and $250 respectively. At the Departures store, the members will get an additional flat discount of 7.5% and 10% on the purchase above $50 and $100 respectively. 

    This discount will be applicable on the entire range of products available at Hyderabad Duty Free, making this one of the most unique schemes for any Duty Free in the world.  Furthermore, in-line with the objective to establish a connect with the Telugu diaspora, the program has a unique feature where these discounts will also be available to travelling family members (spouse and children) along with the main member. 

    With this unique promotional offer, Hyderabad Duty free will be offering lowest ever prices which would be give an overall benefit of up to 25-30% (considering the periodic regular offers) to ATA members.  To avail this attractive benefit, ATA members will have to present the valid ATA membership card or copy at the billing counter. 

    Speaking on this occasion, Mr. SGK Kishore, Chairman, Hyderabad Duty Free, said, “Hyderabad Duty Free represents the city of Hyderabad and entire Region.  With a wide range of international products along with attractive offers and gifts running round the year in our stores, we offer compelling value proposition to our valued customers and passengers travelling through the Hyderabad International Airport. We have recently started our initiative to further strengthen our relationship with key customer segments under the ‘Mana Hyderabad…Mana Duty Free” program.  Our association with the members of American Telugu Association is a major initiation in this regard through which we would like the ATA members to make ‘Hyderabad Duty Free’ as their preferred shopping destination while travelling.”

    Also speaking during this event, Mr. Hanmanth Reddy, Founder and former President ATA, said, “We are delighted that Hyderabad Duty Free has gone extra mile to initiate a promotional scheme dedicated to ATA members. I must appreciate and thank HDF for this initiative. I’m sure that every member of ATA will appreciate this gesture and shop at Hyderabad Duty Free to avail the benefit.” 

    American Telugu Association (ATA) is a not-for-profit organization which was started in early part of 1990 focussing Telugu origin people in the USA. The main purpose of the organization is to assist and promote literary, cultural, educational, religious, social, economic, health and community activities of the people of Telugu origin as well as to promote exchange programs for students, scientists, and professionals of Telugu origin between the United States of America, Canada and India and other countries.

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  • New Zealand’s Chorus plans 1Gbps wholesale fiber service

    New Zealand’s Chorus plans 1Gbps wholesale fiber service

    New Zealand fixed line operator Chorus has revealed plans to extend 1Gbps wholesale fiber services across its entire share of the Ultrafast Broadband (UFB) network from next month.

    The operator will make wholesale residential and SME broadband services available nationwide on any UFB connection within Chorus’ UFB rollout area.

    The UFB is New Zealand’s national fiber broadband network, designed to cover 80% of the New Zealand population by 2022. Chorus won 70% of the contracts to deploy the fiber network from Crown Fibre Holdings, the government-owned company set up to manage the project.

    Chorus said it plans to offer residential wholesale gigabit broadband services to retailers at an introductory price of NZ$60 ($44) per month – increasing to $65 per month after June 2017 – and a business service for NZ$75 per month.

    These prices still require approval from Crown Fibre Holdings, but if this approval does not come by the end of September services will still launch on a trial basis.

    With current technology Chorus said the gigabit broadband service will offer real-world downlink speeds of between 900Mbps and 970Mbs and uplink speeds of up to 500Mbps. This compares to an average download speed across Chorus’ networks of just 35Mbps.

    Chorus began offering Gigabit broadband services in the city of Dunedin in February 2015.

    “We are delighted that other fiber providers have joined Chorus in championing gigabit residential and business services,” Chorus CEO Mark Ratcliffe said.

    “Making New Zealand a true ‘Gignation’, beyond the 5,000-plus connections we have in Dunedin, should see us catapulted up the league tables of broadband speed rankings and reinforce the high quality of the broadband infrastructure we’re rolling out.”

  • Garuda to Fly to the US in 2017

    Garuda to Fly to the US in 2017

    National carrier Garuda Indonesia plans to serve flights to the United States starting next year.

    Vice President Corporate Communications Garuda Indonesia Benny S. Butarbutar said Garuda’s plan to fly to the United States is one of the measures to strengthen its business expansion.

    “The plan to fly to the United States is business expansion to strengthen the position of Garuda Indonesia as a global player in the aviation industry,” Benny said in a press release on Saturday (10/9).

    Benny said Indonesia’s flight market potentials to the United States is quite high, reaching 400 thousand passengers per year.

    Based on this potential, Garuda Indonesia targets a return flight to Los Angeles will go and New York, as the two cities with the highest market potentials.

    Benny added, in realizing the strategic plan, Garuda Indonesia has initiated various preparations, including a feasibility study of the potential market, profitable routie, and the type of fleet to be utilized optimally, and many others.

    Garuda Indonesia plans to use large-bodied Boeing 777-300ER fleet to fly to America.

  • Calvin Klein Opens First Accessories Store in Hong Kong at IFC Mall

    Calvin Klein Opens First Accessories Store in Hong Kong at IFC Mall

    Calvin Klein, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of PVH today announced the opening of the first Calvin Klein accessories store in Hong Kong at ifc mall at Central Waterfront.

    Considered one of the country’s iconic world-class shopping malls, ifc mall is the destination for an extraordinary shopping, dining and entertainment experience. The new Calvin Klein accessories store is located on level 1, and offers both men’s and women’s Calvin Klein Platinum accessories and leather goods.

     The new store’s interior is marked by simple geometric forms that create a strong but neutral framework for product display. The crispness of the store’s geometry contrasts with the muted palette of oiled wood, lustrous rose-toned metal, honed stone and concrete. 

    Calvin Klein, Inc. is one of the leading fashion design and marketing studios in the world. It designs and markets women’s and men’s designer collection apparel and a range of other products that are manufactured and marketed through an extensive network of licensing agreements and other arrangements worldwide. Product lines under the various Calvin Klein brands include women’s dresses and suits, men’s dress furnishings and tailored clothing, men’s and women’s sportswear and bridge and collection apparel, golf apparel, jeanswear, underwear, fragrances, eyewear, women’s performance apparel, hosiery, socks, footwear, swimwear, jewelry, watches, outerwear, handbags, small leather goods, and home furnishings (including furniture). For more information, please visit calvinklein.com. 

    With a heritage going back over 130 years, PVH Corp. has excelled at growing brands and businesses with rich American heritages, becoming one of the largest apparel companies in the world. We have over 30,000 associates operating in over 40 countries with over $8 billion in 2015 revenues. We own the iconic Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Van Heusen, IZOD, ARROW, Speedo*, Warner’s and Olga brands and market a variety of goods under these and other nationally and internationally known owned and licensed brands.

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  • Viviana Mall launches new brand campaign “Celebrate Everyday”

    Viviana Mall launches new brand campaign “Celebrate Everyday”

    Celebrations never end at Viviana Mall. Well known as the leading retail destination mall in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Viviana mall in collaboration with its creative agency Thought Blurb is inviting customers to celebrate their everyday moments in their new brand campaign.

    With the season of festivities in tow, Thought Blurb plans to strengthen the brand’s celebratory proposition by launching their new campaign ‘Celebrate Everyday: Celebrations continue at Viviana Mall’. This campaign celebrates the individuality of Vivana’s customers. Knowing that every customer has different choices, likes, dislikes and preferences; the mall with its plethora of experiences promises every visitor a unique celebration.

    On the development, Rima Pradhan, Head of Marketing, Viviana Mall said, “The mall has always tried and created innovative ideas and campaigns to engage with customers. We regularly look for different avenues to give them a unique experience every day and hence we have collaborated with creative agency Thought Blurb for the ‘Celebrate Everyday’ campaign. We are confident that the campaign would create even stronger bonds with our customers.”

    “The idea behind the campaign is to give customers a reason to celebrate everyday and give them options to unwind themselves.” Ms. Pradhan added further.

    Thought Blurb with its team of communication experts have brought to life a vibrant and energetic campaign with a youthful tone of voice. The campaign is a successor of the equally fun ‘Celebrate Everyday’ launch campaign and is crafted to shine a spotlight on the mall’s various offerings and activities. The first phase of this campaign is going live with in-mall, outdoor and magazine releases.

    Commenting on the release of Viviana’s latest campaign, Thought Blurb’s Managing Partner, Vinod Kunj says, “Viviana since inception has been exhorting people to discover a reason to celebrate every day. So much so that today Viviana has become the happiness destination for Mumbaikars spanning all the way from Chembur to Ghatkopar going upto Palghar and beyond. It is the go-to destination for lighter moments of life in Thane. It’s today a reference landmark in Thane.”

    “This new Viviana campaign delves deeper in to core brand proposition of celebration every day. The visual treatment of the campaign celebrates the individual and the individual’s choice. Hence the larger than life imagery of the individual and his/her reason to celebrate. For some it’s that shade of nailpolish they have been searching in the country for, for others it’s a simple joy of popcorn and movie and escape in to fantasy for 3 hours at one of the best theater complexes that’s Cinepolis – 14 screen multiplex. This has been brought alive with interplay of the characters and objectifying the source of celebration.”

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  • Over 20,000 Buyers Attended HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair

    Over 20,000 Buyers Attended HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair

    The 35th edition of the Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair ended its five-day run (6-10 September) yesterday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association Ltd and The Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades and Industries Ltd., the fair welcomed more than 20,000 buyers, up 2.4 per cent over the previous year. The fair saw good growth in buyer numbers from Asian markets such as India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, while growth from other regions including Australia, Sweden, Russia, Canada, the USA and Iran was also recorded.

    Smart and light-smart watches trending

    “Amidst the economic downturn, demand for luxury watches and clocks remains weak. We can see that the industry is shifting from traditional luxury brands to more mid-market brands, independent brands and even new smart watches in the market,” said HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau. “Since the smart and light-smart watch market is booming, more and more traditional watch companies are seeking to gain a share in the sector. I believe more varieties will be introduced into the market and offer more choices to buyers.”

    To match market demand trends, the fair this year introduced a new OEM Smart Watches zone to showcase the latest OEM watch designs. One of the exhibitors, Montrichard (HK) Ltd, has switched from manufacturing traditional watches to light-smart watches by adding smart features to traditional products over the past two years. Christine Pan, Product Manager of the company, noticed that fair exhibitors offering smart watches attracted many potential buyers from Europe and Asia. She believes that light-smart watches will be popular in 2017 and user-friendliness will be a major consideration for customers.

    The growing smart watch market attracted watch brands to develop that market segment. Matthieu Boileve, General Sales Manager of the local exhibitor Brasport HK Limited, said that in view of strong demand for smart watches and wearables, they had opened factories on the Chinese mainland and their sales of smart watch components doubled compared to two years ago and keeps growing fast. It is their second time to take part in the event. Mr Boileve believes that it is an international fair attended by buyers from all over the world, which helps to raise brand awareness and showcase their products. The company regards visitors to the fair as high-quality buyers, as about 60-70 per cent of their contacts are new.

    On the other hand, buyers were also eager to source smart watches. Franck Boudrie, President of Nouveaux Bijoutiers, which represents 170 retailers from France, was particularly interested in the brand Ringclock, which was exhibited at Salon de TE, as well as branded watches and smart watches. He foresees that half of the French population will be using smart watches, especially quartz watches with smart features in the next five to 10 years.

    International brands take advantage of the Hong Kong platform

    As the world’s largest timepiece trade fair, the Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair attracts buyers from all over the world every year. To match Asian customers’ demand for top-quality Swiss watch brands, the Swiss Eminence at Salon de TE returned to the fair to showcase six premium Swiss brands. The Swiss Independent Watchmaking Pavilion (SIWP) also brought seven watch brands with exceptional craftsmanship. In total, Salon de TE featured close to 40 Swiss brands this year.

    Amarildo Pilo, President, Pilo & Co SA, and representative of SIWP, said that some of the brands offer value-for-money limited-edition watches with excellent quality, and it is important to set up SIWP to promote them. He was very happy to join the fair again this year where he could find potential new distributors. Despite recent global economic challenges and the potential impact on Swiss exports, he is not too concerned as he believes that buyers have a constant demand for Swiss watches, and business will pick up again as the economy stabilises over time. The SIWP brought seven Swiss brands to the fair this year, showcasing classic, elegant and sporty watches. Mr Pilo also said that he had met buyers from the Chinese mainland, Malaysia, Iran, Japan, Thailand and Indonesia, and would pursue negotiations with them.

    Olivier Chlous, World Sales Manager of the Monaco exhibitor, Ciribelli, joined the fair for the first time. He said that, as the Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair attracts a lot of buyers from all over the world, it provides an ideal platform for promotion. He believes that since consumers on the mainland appreciate high-quality watches, the mainland is a niche market for them to develop. During the fair, they had met with potential distributors from the mainland, Iran and Japan.

    Orders from global buyers

    A first-time trade buyer, Alfred Gleiberman, Brand Development Director of US company Sterling Time LLC, said that he had met with potential suppliers and planned to source brand products to expand the market. He expects to place orders of US$100,000 and was particularly interested in two brands exhibiting at Salon de TE. He thinks that the fair is a business platform that offers a great variety of choices to buyers.

    Another first-time participant, Brian Kim, Manager-International Division of the Korean importer and distributor WOORIM FMG Ltd., met with brand suppliers from Denmark, Italy and Switzerland through the HKTDC’s business matching services. He was interested in their automatic watches and quartz watches and would enter into further negotiations after the fair.

    Jacob Juul, CEO, Bulbul ApS, from Denmark, found five new suppliers at the fair and would place an order worth US$200,000 of analogue watches with one of the suppliers in Hong Kong. They will also explore the possibility of cooperating with smart watch suppliers.

    Senthil Kumar.N, Manager – Procurement of Rivoli Group LLC from United Arab Emirates, said that sporty watches and fashion watches were selling well in GCC (Gulf Cooperation Countries) countries and each consumer had at least two to three watches to match clothing outfits. He visits the Watch & Clock Fair every year to look for new buyers and new brands, as it helps him monitor the industry and keep abreast of the latest technologies and design trends. He found three new suppliers at the fair and planned to place an order worth US$60,000-US$75,000.

    Fashionable and casual watches have best potential

    To understand fair visitors’ views on such issues as market outlook, product trends and Hong Kong suppliers, the HKTDC commissioned an independent research agency to conduct surveys on-site. The agency interviewed 834 buyers and exhibitors. The survey found that 58 per cent of respondents anticipate overall sales to remain unchanged in 2017, while 28 per cent anticipate an increase and 14 per cent expect a decrease. As for retail prices, 65 per cent of the respondents anticipate they will remain unchanged. Most of the responding industry players believe that the markets with growth prospects in the next two years are North America and Western Europe among the traditional markets, and the Chinese mainland and Middle East for emerging markets.

    For product and market trends, the respondents think that the most popular product category in the coming year will be smart watch (31%), digital analogue (26%) and automatic watches (15%), while the product category with the most growth potential are fashion watches (44%), casual watches (39%) and smart watches (38%). On product development strategies, watches interactable with smart devices (54%), collections that align with seasonal fashion trends (39%) and wearable technology with time functions (24%) will be the most prevalent in 2017.

    Fifty-eight per cent of responding buyers sourcing products from Hong Kong suppliers say they are most satisfied with compliance with safety regulations/standards, quality and function. Responding exhibitors, on the other hand, believe that the three strongest aspects of the Hong Kong watch and clock industry are quality, function and innovation.

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