Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • One of SEA’s leading banks teams up with Powerman for two duathlon events

    One of SEA’s leading banks teams up with Powerman for two duathlon events

    Maybank, South East Asia’s fourth largest bank, and Powerman Philippines, the Philippine affiliate of the International Powerman Association (IPA), are hosting two duathlon race events in the Philippines this year.

    The first race, which was held last November 20, 2016 at the SM Mall of Asia by the Bay, Anytime Fitness Powerman Philippines Asian Invitational was co-presented by Maybank. Professional duathletes Jason Loh and Su Teoh from Malaysia and Airi Sawada from Japan flew in to be part of the race’s Elite Category.

    Maybank is also the title presentor of the Powerman Philippines World Series which will be held on December 3 and 4 at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga. Ten professional duathletes including Powerman World from all over the globe including the two-time Powerman World Champion and Powerman Philippines Ambassador Gael Le Bellec three-time and defending Powerman World Champion Emma, and defending Powerman World Champion Seppe Odeyn will fly to the Philippines for this race.

    Aside from having a Powerman Short, this event will also feature the Powerman Classic (10 km run– 60 km bike –10 km run), the Powerkids (for kids ages 6-12) and the Powerteens (for teens aged 13-19).

    The Maybank Powerman Philippines World Series is also a qualifying event for the Powerman Duathlon World Championships to be held in Zofingen, Switzerland in 2017. The event attracts a host of professional and highly competitive age-group athletes, seasoned multi-sport athletes who want to take on a different challenge, and athletes who have just started in the multi-sport category.

    “Maybank welcomes this partnership with Powerman Philippines,” according to Richard C. Lim, Executive Vice President and Head of the Retail Business Group of Maybank Philippines, Inc. “Maybank prides itself in being at the heart of the communities we are present in. Being associated with this important sporting event, with almost 3,000 participants in both races, and leveraging on this type of sports sponsorship platform can definitely help elevate our brand in the Philippines. We are excited by the fact that the biggest event, the Powerman Philippines World Series, will be held in Clark where Maybank has one of its largest branches in North Luzon, an area where we have a strong branch network, the largest of any foreign bank in the country.”

    Mr. Lim added, “Endurance sports are gaining popularity in the country and Maybank wants to capitalize on this and become associated with the positive values that sporting events promote.”

    “The inclusion of Maybank definitely adds prestige to both Powerman events this year,” says Owen Gan, President of Powerman Philippines. “Being one of the largest banks in South East Asia, Maybank will definitely help Powerman in gaining popularity in the Philippines, and eventually in the region, especially now that there are more Powerman events lined up for 2017.”

    Part of the proceeds of Powerman will go towards buying bicycles and other gear for the Batang Tri Grassroots program that supports young individuals who do not have the financial means to enter the world of multi-sports.

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  • H&M celebrates Black Friday with up to 70% off

    H&M celebrates Black Friday with up to 70% off

    Outside of traditional holidays like Christmas, Valentine’s and Mother’s Day, perhaps the most awaited day of the year in the United States, especially for shoppers and bargain hunters, is Black Friday, which is celebrated after Thanksgiving.

    After feasting on turkey with their families, Americans then head out to the nearest shopping center to get the best deals and bargains of the year, as most brands go on sale. And by sale, we mean really BIG discounts on a whole range of items.

    Black Friday is considered the starting point for the holiday shopping season, as Americans buy Christmas presents for their loved ones.

    As an early Christmas treat to shoppers and bargain hunters, international clothing company H&M is bringing the Black Friday frenzy to the Philippines for the first time this year!

    On November 25 to 27, H&M stores in the Philippines will be offering discounts on its new collection, with over 150,000 items sold at 50% to 70% off. Black Friday will be celebrated in the following H&M branches nationwide:

    1. SM Megamall
    2. SM Makati
    3. Robinsons Magnolia
    4. Robinsons Place Manila
    5. UPTown Bonifacio
    6. U.P. Town Center
    7. SM North EDSA
    8. SM Fairview
    9. SM City Clark
    10. Marquee Mall Pampanga
    11. SM City Seaside Cebu
    12. Ayala Center Cebu
    13. Centrio Mall Cagayan de Oro
    14. EVIA Lifestyle Center
    15. SM City Dasmarinas
    16. Festival Mall
    17. SM City Southmall
    18. Robinsons Place Ilocos
    19. Gateway Mall
    20. SM City Iloilo
    21. Abreeza Mall Davao

    All concepts — ladies, men’s, divided, kids, and home — will be part of this promo. Here are some of the items that will be offered at a discount:

  • Verint acquires OpinionLab to push digital customer engagement

    Verint acquires OpinionLab to push digital customer engagement

    Verint Systems has extended its Customer Engagement Optimization portfolio through its acquisition of OpinionLab, a provider of continuous voice of the customer listening solutions that drive smarter, real-time digital engagement.

    OpinionLab solutions are used by global brands to optimize web and mobile customer experiences and engagement.

    Voice of the Customer (VoC) solutions are becoming a strategic imperative, helping organizations measure and enhance experiences, satisfaction and loyalty.

    As more customer engagements follow a “digital-first” approach for conducting research and performing transactions, as well as solving problems, companies need to measure their customers’ digital experiences and quickly act on those insights to enhance both the customer experience and business performance.

    Through its acquisition of OpinionLab, Verint has extended its Customer Engagement Optimization portfolio to now include the ability to measure and act on digital customer experiences in-the-moment.

    With this addition, Verint has broadened its capabilities for listening, analyzing and acting on the VoC across all channels—digital, voice, text and social.

    “Capturing, analyzing and acting on the voice of the customer are critical for any organization in any industry,” says Elan Moriah, Verint’s president, for customer engagement solutions. “With the OpinionLab combination, we’re taking voice of the customer to a new level by giving organizations a complete solution for improving the customer experience across engagement channels.”

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  • China’s Ctrip is buying flight search company SkyScanner

    China’s Ctrip is buying flight search company SkyScanner

    Skyscanner, the Scotland-based flight search company, has been acquired by Chinese online travel giant Ctrip for £1.4 billion, or approximately $1.74 billion.

    The deal is predominantly cash and is expected to close before the end of this year. Once completed, SkyScanner will operate independently of Ctrip, both parties confirmed.

    Ctrip was founded in 1999, and it is China’s largest online travel firm. Its revenue for Q3 2016, which was announced today, came in at RMB 5.6 billion ($810 million), that’s up 75 percent year-on-year, with a slim $4 million net profit. Ctrip recently raised close to $1 billion from the sale of convertible notes, a raise that looks to have be coordinated with the Skyscanner deal.

    This news comes less than a year after Skyscanner, which has over 700 staff across 10 offices, raised $192 million in funding in January 2016 to expand its reach worldwide. That was the company’s first financing in more than two years, and investors included Khazanah Nasional Berhad, the Malaysian government’s strategic investment fund, Yahoo Japan, fund manager Artemis, investment firm Baillie Gifford, and PE firm Vitruvian Partners. Sequoia is an existing backer.

    The round valued SkyScanner at a reported $1.6 billion. The company was widely-expected to pursue an IPO in 2017, which made its acquisition somewhat surprisingly while the price isn’t a huge leap on that previous valuation. SkyScanner had seen its revenue growth slow, as Skift reported, but the company put that down to increased investment in product rather than marketing.

    Regardless, this is the largest travel tech acquisition in Europe to date. SkyScanner placed much emphasis on Asia — partnering with Yahoo Japan and acquiring China-based travel search startup Youbibi — but the deal promises to help Ctrip expand its business into international markets.

    “Skyscanner will complement our positioning at a global scale and Ctrip will leverage our experience, technology and booking capabilities to Skyscanner’s,” Ctrip co-founder and executive chairman James Jianzhang Liang said in a statement.

    In a video statement, Skycanner CEO and co-founder Gareth Williams said that the deal would enable his company to gain access to greater resources to make travel “simpler:”

    It’s been a busy past year or so for Ctrip, which has pursued M&A activity to expand. More than a year has passed since it agreed to a share swap with arch rival Qunar which saw it gain a 45 percent voting interest in Qunar in exchange for 25 percent of the Ctrip business.

    In January of this year, Ctrip spent $180 million to buy around one-quarter of India’s MakeMyTrip, while it splurged $463 million this summer to get a slice of China Eastern Airlines, a state-run airline that claims 94 million passengers.

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  • Idea to expand 4G to nine more circles

    Idea to expand 4G to nine more circles

    India’s third largest mobile operator Idea Cellular has revealed plans to expand its 4G network to nine additional telecoms circles by March next year.

    The operator plans to add around 57,000 new 4G cell sites this year alone.

    With the expansion, Idea Cellular plans to launch of 4G in the circles of Uttar Pradesh East and West, Gujarat, Mumbai, Bihar, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Assam and Jammu & Kashmir.

    This will take Idea’s total 4G footprint to 20 of India’s 22 telecoms circles. The 20 circles together account for 94% of Idea Cellular’s revenue and 90% of all industry revenue.

    Idea is using the spectrum it acquired in the recent $9.8 billion spectrum auction to pursue the 4G expansion.

    India’s 4G market is heating up due to the entry into the market of disruptive Pan-Indian 4G operator Reliance Jio Infocomm.

    Idea’s wireless broadband network currently spans 17 circles, with the operator aiming to achieve a total of 250,000 sites this financial year.

    To better compete against Reliance Jio, Idea is also increasingly pursuing a content strategy, starting with branded games. The operator plans to expand to movie and music services in the near future.

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  • Malaysia’s MMU, Teradata ink pact on big data analytics skills

    Malaysia’s MMU, Teradata ink pact on big data analytics skills

    Multimedia University, Malaysia (MMU) and Teradata have announced a strategic partnership to collaborate on education and research in an effort to cultivate the next generation of data science professionals and experts in Malaysia.

    Through this co-operation, MMU will gain access to the Teradata University Network (TUN), a web-based portal that provides complementary teaching and learning tools used by more than 45,000 students around the world to share expertise, access knowledge as well as information on how to enhance both curriculum and align research to the current industry needs.

    Teradata University Network currently has over 5,500 registered faculty members, from over 2,400 universities, in 115 countries, with thousands of student users.

    A key to the success of Teradata University Network is that it is led by academics to ensure the content will meet the needs of today’s classrooms.

    Leveraging the partnership, MMU’s Faculty of Computing and Informatics will offer a Data Science Specialization as part of its Bachelor of Computer Science degree.

    This step was taken following the formalization of a Data Science Institute (DSI) at MMU last month designed to cater to both research and industry engagement of MMU’s expertise in this area.

    “This MoU facilitates greater input from a leading industry player, and Teradata has committed to provide experts to support exposure to our students and staff alike to its services and solutions,” said MMU president Ahmad Rafi Mohamed Eshaq.

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  • Singapore’s Central Bank to Test Blockchain-Backed Digital Currency

    Singapore’s Central Bank to Test Blockchain-Backed Digital Currency

    The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) will soon test how it could issue digital currency using a v-based interbank payment system.

    The planned proof-of-concept will be supported by blockchain consortium R3CEV, as well as eight banks and an unnamed local stock exchange. The Development Bank of Singapore, HSBC, Bank of America, JPMorgan, Credit Suisse and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi are all said to be participating.

    In a speech on Wednesday, MAS managing director Ravi Menon said the test could come to include other central banks. Further, he credited the bank’s desire to remove cost and friction from traditional bank transactions as the motivation for the effort.

    Menon said:

    “Today, banks have to go through correspondent banks to intermediate these payments. It takes time and adds to cost. This project marks the first step in MAS’s exploration of ways to harness the potential of central bank-issued digital currency.”

    The trial would find banks depositing cash as collateral with MAS, which would then issue a digital currency to participants. The digital currency could then be exchanged among participants in the system and later redeemed for cash.

    The forthcoming trial bears similarities to a previously announced effort from UBS, Deutsche Bank, Banco Santander and startup Clearmatics in August.

    Called Utility Settlement Coin, the project envisioned how a central bank could issue digital currency that could then be redeemed for cash held by a central bank.

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  • China tapping 10 Philippine’s banks

    China tapping 10 Philippine’s banks

    State-owned Bank of China is in talks with ten Philippines banks including  Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. and Land Bank of the Philippines to retail the $3-billion fund committed by the Chinese lender to the Philippines.

    A team of high ranking officials from Bank of China’s main office in Beijing attended the first of a series of roadshows in the Philippines to link with local financing institutions including banks and microfinance lenders.

    Bank of China president Jun Deng said more financing institutions and legitimate lenders would be announced soon.

    “This is just the initial phase. We will be having discussions with the banks we invited. Maybe later on, we’ll disclose these banks and the development of our discussions,” he said during the Manila leg of the roadshow held Thursday at Fairmont Hotel in Makati City.

    The roadshow is a pre-event exercise in preparation for the Bank of China’s global SME cross-border trade and investment conference that will take place in Davao City in 2017.

    Bank of China will provide details on how it will disperse financing to Philippine SMEs during the Davao conference.

    The bank said it would also bring in 100 Chinese SMEs interested in the Philippine agro-industrial industry.

    “Agribusiness is one of the key areas important to China. Other interests include technology, renewable energy which is heavy on solar-based power production and the furniture industry,” said International Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines president Jesus Varela.

    Initial talks between the Chinese bankers and Filipino businessmen pointed to Mindanao as the priority area.

    The conference will also serve as a matchmaking event for SMES to have access to financing from credited financing retailers of Bank of China.

    Bank of China said while the $3-billion financing commitment would not be for the sole benefit of SMEs, the bigger portion of the fund will help SMEs grow and build a global enterprise.

    Deng said a portion of the financing would also support important infrastructure and energy projects and programs that would promote industrialization.

    Bank of China held 26 cross-border trade and investment conferences across the world that attracted over 30,000 people from political and business circles and  more than 15,000 enterprises from 60 countries over the past two years.

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  • Luk Fook plans to double jewelry stores in China

    Luk Fook plans to double jewelry stores in China

    Hong Kong-based jeweler Luk Fook is pushing ahead with its expansion into mainland China by doubling its stores there even as competitors are moving at a slower pace amid tepid demand for luxury goods.

    The company, a smaller rival to Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, one of the world’s largest listed jewelry chain, said on Thursday it “still had room” to increase its mainland outlets to 2,000-3,000, up from 1,400 currently, without giving a timeframe for the expansion.

    “We are only in about 300 Chinese cities comparing with 500 cities of our rivals,” said Luk Fook Executive Director Shirley Wong Hau-yeung, adding that the group would focus its expansion in quality shopping malls in second- and lower-tier cities.

    The jeweler is also looking to boost its revenue contribution from the mainland, which now accounts for over half of its total — a three-year goal it set two years ago. “We actually met our target early,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Wong Wai-sheung. “Having 80-90% of revenue from China is probable.”

    Chairman Wong’s upbeat remarks comes at a time when Luk Fook is seeking to diversify from a struggling home market where luxury retail has been hit hard by a dwindling number of deep-pocketed mainland visitors to Hong Kong.

    First-half net profit fell 7.4% on the year to its lowest level since 2010 at only $429 million Hong Kong dollars ($55.3 million) between April and September. Revenue dived 21.5% to HK$5.47 billion, dragged lower by a 32.3% sales plunge in stores that had been open for over a year in Hong Kong and Macau, while its mainland sales saw a slightly less severe decline of 23.7% from a year ago.

    The group added 27 shops to its network of 1,455 outlets globally, including 24 in China and the rest in Macau, New York and Seoul in the same period. “A further depreciation of the Chinese yuan will prompt more mainlanders to spend at home and boost local consumption,” said Chief Financial Officer Kathy Chan So-kuen, justifying the group’s strategy in mainland China.

    Meanwhile, rival Chow Tai Fook would be “selective” when entering mainland China, said Managing Director Kent Wong Siu-kei on Tuesday. The Hong Kong-listed jeweler added only 11 shops on the mainland — many of them in shopping malls — between April and September, bringing the total to 2,100 in the country.

    Chow Tai Fook’s more cautious approach followed a decade of aggressive expansion into the mainland market that hurt its profitability as the country’s economic slowdown and anti-corruption drive dampened appetite for luxury goods. With about half of its turnover from the mainland, the group reported its lowest first-half profit since its 2011 listing — just HK$1.22 billion, a fall of 21.5% from a year ago.

    With competition from e-commerce players such as Alibaba Group Holding and JD.com, the group would continue to close loss-making outlets in department stores and hopefully turn its shops into logistics centers for handling e-commerce orders in a bid to find better use for its ailing assets.

  • AirAsia X may relaunch London in 2017

    AirAsia X may relaunch London in 2017

    Malaysia’s AirAsia X is considering the lease of A350s or 777-300ERs in 2017 to accelerate its return to Europe. A new widebody type will add cost and complexity but is necessary if the medium/long haul low cost airline is to meet its objective of relaunching London as soon as possible.

    AirAsia X had been planning to wait until it receives A330-900neos before relaunching London and commencing other European routes. However the airline prefers not to wait until 2H2018, when its A330-900neo deliveries are slated to begin, and using another aircraft type in the interim mitigates the impact of a potential delay with the A330neo variant required for Kuala Lumpur-London.

    AirAsia X could also use a new aircraft type – most likely A350-900s – to support new routes to the US. It plans to launch services from Japan to Hawaii in Jun-2017 using A330ceos, but also has longer-term plans for longer routes from Japan to Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco – and potentially ultra-long haul routes from Malaysia to the US.

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  • Online retailer Ymatou expects huge Black Friday sales

    Online retailer Ymatou expects huge Black Friday sales

    Jia Yi, a white-collar employee from Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province is passionate about overseas brands and products. She is now considering buying a Coach handbag on the upcoming Black Friday shopping event.

    “The price in the domestic market could reach more than 2,000 yuan ($290), but it is just 848 yuan on the e-commerce platform during Black Friday. It is very cost-effective and I am prepared to buy one,” said Jia.

    China’s cross-border e-commerce has been growing over the past few years. The Shanghai-based cross-border e-commerce site ymatou.com expects the scale of the Black Friday event this year to be 10 times over last year by hiring more than 30,000 overseas buyers.

    The company, which has participated in the biggest retail sales day of the year since 2014, said customers could buy more than 600,000 imported goods from 83 countries, including discounted clothes, shoes, bags, cosmetics, fine jewelry and health care products without leaving the house.

    “There is a trend that consumers from second- and third-tier cities are more willing to buy overseas products. Chinese consumers’ demands have been upgraded as they have diversified and personalized requirements for products and services,” said Zeng Bibo, chief executive officer of Ymatou.

    Zeng added they prefer to buy niche brands from European designers than the mass-market brands in America.

    Black Friday, the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, is a busy shopping day with the highest discounts of the year and a major impact on brick-and-mortar retailers, e-commerce players and consumers around the world.

    Ymatou said it is set to ensure that Chinese online shoppers can get the same deals that their Western counterparts enjoy during Black Friday. Buyers can broadcast their shopping process at the online shopping platforms.

    It continues to increase investment in the access threshold of buyers to ensure the authenticity of the goods’ sources. Zeng said they will check the credit status of buyers from time to time, requiring them to offer credentials for long-term living overseas and identifications.

    Furthermore, Ymatou has established an independent logistics company, XLobo, to develop overseas direct mail business.

    XLobo collects and bundles individual parcels at overseas locations and ships them to China as a single consignment. It now owns 15 international logistics centers around the world to ensure the period of direct mail within five days, on average.

    “The number of professional logistics service staff has been doubled. We have expanded the space of warehouses in New York, San Francisco and Osaka, and the investment in equipment and logistics this year has surpassed the total input of last year,” said Zeng.

    It arranges over 90 chartered airplanes each week to transport the goods and other airlines that have cooperative relations with Ymatou will reserve shipping space for XLobo in advance.

    Chinese e-commerce companies, such as Alibaba Group Holdings and JD.com Inc have developed their own cross-border e-commerce businesses.

    Statistics from the China E-Commerce Research Center show that China’s cross-border e-commerce transactions totaled 5.4 trillion yuan ($783 billion) last year, a year-on-year increase of 28.6 percent.

    The generation aged between 20 and 35 old is the major force of cross-border shopping, experts said.

    Cao Lei, director of the China E-Commerce Research Center, said customers need to choose an excellent cross-border e-commerce platform, pay attention to sellers’ reputations or ranking level and customers’ comments, adding they should choose a platform that owns and operates its logistics system.

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  • Bentley ‘Be Extraordinary’ tour kicks off in Melbourne

    Bentley ‘Be Extraordinary’ tour kicks off in Melbourne

    Bentley has kicked off its Be Extraordinary tour in Melbourne, with the brand showcasing four models and a new, more affordable way of entering the Bentley brand.

    With plans to expand the tour to include Brisbane, Bathurst, Sydney and Perth, the tour kicked off this week on the banks of the Yarra in Melbourne.

    Located just outside Crown Casino, the Bentley marquee includes material samples and showcases iconic parts of Bentley’s history.

    bentley-be-extraordinary-melbourne-7

    The Be Extraordinary tour has also been designed to launch Bentley’s new financial services, which make the ContinentalGT V8 and Flying Spur V8 more accessible to prospective buyers.

    Both models now feature an attractive $399,000 drive away price, which can be packaged as part of a financial services product over 60 months, that comes out to $3999 per month.

    “We had a look at the content and options that would be fitted to a standard GT V8 as an entry-level model to the brand. There has always been a misconception that Bentleys have been a million-dollar car and inaccessible to people. That’s a problem we’ve been looking to overcome in Australia,” said David Jackson, Bentley’s regional manager for the Asia Pacific region.

    bentley-be-extraordinary-melbourne-4

    “We’ve introduced the ‘399 GT V8’, which has the options a customer would want — like the 21-inch alloys and sports exhaust – but you still come in with all taxes paid. That’s 399 on road. What we’re looking to do beyond this is expand the financial services to make the whole range accessible.”

    Bentley has four vehicles on display at the Melbourne roadshow, including the Bentayga and Continental GT V8 Convertible, along with two examples of the $399,000 product in the Continental GT V8 and Flying Spur.

    “There are a lot of people in different industries in Australia that are booming right now. Australia is a developing market and something like Bentley Financial Services then becomes an option for them. The point of this roadshow is to bring the Bentley brand to life for people,” Jackson said.

    bentley-be-extraordinary-melbourne-3

    “People often don’t know about the Bentley brand and as part of this roadshow we have 21 extraordinary stories here. The point is to explain 21 things you may have never known about Bentley. Such as…James Bond in the Ian Fleming novels never drove an Aston Martin, he drove a Bentley.”

    The Melbourne marquee and display will be around until Sunday 27 November, and operates from 11AM to 8PM each day. Residents of Sydney, Brisbane, Bathurst and Perth will also get to experience the roadshow later this year and next year.

    “We are going to move this on to Sydney before the end of this year. It will stay there until Bathurst, and after Bathurst we will head to Brisbane, and the Grand Prix next year. Perth will then get it around April next year [2017],” Jackson said.

    bentley-be-extraordinary-melbourne-9

    If you do get down to the display in Melbourne, ask to see the Linley Hamper by Mulliner in the rear of the Bentayga. This incredible picnic package includes a chilled champagne cooler with four crystal flutes.

    There’s also storage room for a rug and a full cutlery set. And, at a reasonable $57,808, it seems like a no brainer option for your new Bentley Bentayga SUV.

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  • Cebu Pacific opens 3 more domestic routes

    Cebu Pacific opens 3 more domestic routes

    The Philippines’ leading airline, Cebu Pacific, further reinforces its position in the Visayas region with the launch of three more routes.

    Starting last Nov.19 (Saturday) , CEB has officially become the only carrier flying daily between Cebu and Ormoc and Cebu and Roxas; and four times weekly (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday) between Cebu and Calbayog using the ATR 72-500 aircraft.

    With these new destinations, CEB is now up by three with a total of 36 domestic cities being served. With this further expansion, more and more travelers now have easier access to the already wide (and continually-growing) network of Cebu Pacific.

    The lowest all-in year-round fare, one-way for Cebu to Calbayog is Php1,983, Cebu to Ormoc is Php1,647 and Cebu to Roxas is Php2,039.

    “CEB remains committed in offering the most convenient choices for passengers at the lowest fares possible. With these additional routes in and out of the Queen City of the South, more guests can now easily explore the Visayas region. At the same time, locals can now connect not only to Cebu and Manila, but to international destinations as well. Rest assured, we will continue to persist in expanding our horizons and promote trade and tourism in the destinations we operate in,” said Alexander Lao, Cebgo President and CEO.

    Moreover, the addition of these new routes will foster stronger cargo services within Calbayog and Ormoc, and soon will expand in the whole of Visayas region.

    Based on the current data released by the Civil Aeronautics Board, Cebu Pacific Air group is currently the largest domestic cargo carrier, representing 50% of the market. Nearly 165 million kilos of cargo were delivered to domestic and international destinations in 2015. We service more than 2,000 accounts, tailor-fitting products to our clients’ domestic and international cargo needs. This includes express cargo service, seamless transshipment, and 30 interline partnerships for worldwide reach.

    In 2015, over 4.4 million passengers were flown to and from Cebu. Cebu routes cover about 24.5% of CEB’s seat capacity for 2015. With the addition of these new routes, CEB now has a total of 25 domestic routes in Cebu, which caters to the ever-increasing travel demand.

    Aside from Cebu, CEB also operates flights out of five other strategically placed hubs in the Philippines: Manila, Davao, Clark, Kalibo, and Iloilo. The airline’s extensive network covers over 100 routes and 66 destinations, spanning Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and USA. CEB’s 58-strong fleet is comprised of six Airbus A319, 36 Airbus A320, six Airbus A330, eight ATR 72-500, and two ATR 72-600 aircraft. Between 2016 and 2021, CEB expects delivery of two more brand-new Airbus A330, 32 Airbus A321neo, and 14 ATR 72-600 aircraft.

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  • Where to shop in Singapore this Black Friday weekend

    Where to shop in Singapore this Black Friday weekend

    The post-Thanksgiving shopping tradition that’s driving many Americans off the rails at the moment is returning to Singapore this weekend with several retailers here jumping on the Black Friday bandwagon.

    For those who are still keen on shopping even after Singles Day (11 Nov), here’s where you can take advantage of Black Friday bargains in Singapore, both online and offline.

    1. Amazon

    Head on to Amazon’s website from 14 to 26 Nov if you’re looking for great bargains. Be sure to refresh their Black Friday page at 7am every day to discover new deals.

    2. Cotton On

    Now is probably the best time to restock your everyday basics as Cotton On is slashing 30 per cent off its full-priced items if you’re purchasing them online from 24 to 26 Nov. If you’d rather hit their brick-and-mortar stores, be sure to shop at the outlets at Bugis Junction, Plaza Singapura, Bedok Mall and Lot One until 28 Nov. You might walk away with a top as cheap as $10.

    3. Esprit

    Esprit is having a sale online from 24 to 27 Nov, offering 50 per cent off every second piece.

    4. Lazada

    From home appliances, health supplements to electronics, everything has been on sale on Lazada since Singles Day. Their sale ends on 12 Dec. 

    5. Robinsons

    All three Robinsons stores – The Heeren, Raffles City and Jem – will be opened from 7am on Friday (25 Nov), with up to 80 per cent discount storewide.

    6. Timberland & The North Face at Singapore Expo

    Get your adventure gear at a bargain at the Timberland and The North Face sale, happening at the Singapore Expo from 24 to 27 Nov, with discounts up to 80 per cent and 60 per cent respectively.

    7. G2000

    Need new office wear? G2000 is offering 50 per cent off your second piece. This storewide promotion will be available from 24 to 29 Nov.

    8. SaSa

    Need to shake up your beauty regime? SaSa is offering up to 70 per cent off its products storewide for outlets at Bugis Junction, Lot One and Nex shopping malls on 24 Nov. Yes, one day only.

    9. Sephora

    If you’d rather shop for beauty products from Sephora instead, the retailer is offering 20 per cent off all of their products if you buy them online on 25 Nov.

    10. New Balance

    If you’re looking for fresh New Balance kicks, head over to any of the brand’s Experience stores for 20 per cent off your purchase.

    11. Books Actually

    Here’s something for the bookworms. Homegrown books and stationery retailer BooksActually is throwing a 20 per cent off storewide sale from 24 to 25 Nov.

    12. Qoo10

    If you’re an avid Qoo10 shopper, the e-marketplace is not offering discounts, but they are giving away cart coupons priced up to $100 from 23 to 25 Nov.

    13. Shopee

    Online retail site Shopee is having a Black Friday and Cyber Monday (28 Nov) with up to 80 per cent off their items.

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  • AirAsia plans IPO of ASEAN airline holding company

    AirAsia plans IPO of ASEAN airline holding company

    Asia’s biggest low-cost airline AirAsia Bhd plans an initial public offering of a holding company that will house all its Asean operations, group CEO Tony Fernandes said on Thursday.

    ASEAN Holding Co will be listed in Hong Kong, Fernandes said in a statement without giving a timeline. AirAsia will also list its flight crew training centre in Kuala Lumpur, he said, following the company’s third-quarter results.

    Fernandes did not say how much the IPOs will raise.

    He has in the past expressed a desire to combine the airline’s operations in its home country Malaysia with those in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

    “The plan is to list Indonesia and Philippines first by next year before looking at ASEAN Holding Co to be listed,” a company spokesman told Reuters.

    AirAsia is also looking to divest some of its non-core businesses. It already has its aircraft leasing arm on the market and aims to complete the sale in early 2017 following bids that are due in December, Fernandes said, adding that he valued the unit at about $1 billion.

    Reuters reported in August that AirAsia was looking to sell a majority stake in its Asia Aviation Capital leasing operation, or possibly the entire business, which the carrier values at 4.1 billion ringgit ($922.38 million).

    Last month, AirAsia said it had received good interest in the sale.

    AirAsia also said on Thursday it swung to a profit in the third quarter, from a net loss a year ago, driven mainly by an increase in aircraft operating lease income and lower oil prices.

    Net profit for the three months ended Sept 30 was 353.9 million ringgit, versus a net loss of 405.7 million ringgit a year ago.

    Revenue rose 11.2% to 1.69 million ringgit, the company said.

    The results were underpinned by a load factor of 87%, a measure of how full planes are, up 6 percentage points from the same period last year.

    The number of passengers carried rose 11%, ahead of an increase in seat capacity of 2% year-on-year, according to AirAsia’s statement.

    AirAsia expects average load factor for its Malaysia business to remain at 89% in the following quarter, riding on strong demand due to year-end holidays and festivities.

    It forecasts load factors of more than 80% for its operations in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines for the fourth quarter.

    On Tuesday, the group’s long-haul unit, AirAsia X Bhd swung to a net profit of 11.03 million ringgit.

    Revenue was higher at 982.4 million ringgit.

    Shares of both AirAsia X and its parent have more than doubled this year, after sharp losses in 2015.

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