Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • Laguarda.Low designs Shenzhen’s ‘city within city’

    Laguarda.Low designs Shenzhen’s ‘city within city’

    New York-based Laguarda.Low Architects has finished designing a 3.7 million sqft (343,700 sqm) mixed-use development for Shenzhen in China.

    For CM-OCT Investment Co, the Longhua New District project comprises eight highrise towers, more than 20 low-rise retail buildings, two cultural buildings and open green space.

    CM-OCT Investment Co is a joint venture of two state-owned developers, China Merchants and OCT.

    As both master planner and master architect for the project, and working with US landscape design firm SWA, Laguarda.Low envisions the project as a city within a city, giving each building a distinct architectural character and connecting the residential, office, retail, hotel and cultural buildings through landscaped pedestrian walkways and a central green corridor.

    Its plan positions a multi-level retail village at the centre of the site, surrounded by four residential towers to the northeast, three office towers to the southeast, a hotel to the south, a mall to the west; and a performance hall and exhibition centre to the north. A central loop connects the zones and provides access to parking below.

    “The quality and arrangement of the buildings, along with the dynamic public spaces, creates a vibrant setting to live, work, and enjoy the development’s cultural and entertainment facilities,” says Laguarda.Low principal Pablo Laguarda.

    Construction work has started, and when complete, the development will connect directly to public transportation via the elevated Hongshan Subway Station and a new bus terminal.

    OCT Group and Laguarda.Low have already collaborated on several mixed-use developments including the OCT Bay development in Shenzhen, comprising 3.2 million sqft of hotel, entertainment, retail and restaurant offerings on Shenzhen Bay. They also produced OCT Chengdu, a mixed-use project next to the Happy Valley theme park in Chengdu.

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  • Hongkong Land pursuing China expansion

    Hongkong Land pursuing China expansion

    Property investment, management and development group Hongkong Land plans to continue expanding its footprint in China’s key cities.

    “We are actively looking for new opportunities in Beijing, Shanghai and some key secondary cities,” says executive director Raymond Chow. He says the company is betting on the country’s long-run prospects.

    The Hong Kong-based developer already has several projects on the mainland, including two commercial projects in Beijing and Shanghai and two complex projects in Chengdu and Chongqing.

    “When we invest, we look for a very long term, at least a generation,” says Chow. “So we are still very confident in mainland’s further growth despite the recent slowdown in GDP growth.”

    Hongkong Land’s project in Beijing, WF Central, on Wangfujing Street, has a gross floor area of 150,000 sqm and is expected to open in the second half of next year. The $1 billion project includes 50,000 sqm of luxury retail space and a Mandarin Oriental hotel.

    Chow says the project will introduce a range of luxury brands to Beijing.

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  • Future Group buys Sangam Direct chain

    Future Group buys Sangam Direct chain

    Indian retail giant Future Group has bought Sangam Direct, a chain of grocery stores previously known as Sabka Bazaar, from Wadhawan Retail Ventures.

    Future group CEO Kishore Biyani has announced the deal without disclosing any figures.

    It is Future Group’s third acquisition in northern India in the food and groceries space in the past three years after Big Apple and EasyDay. In the south, the company acquired Nilgiris last year and is in talks to buy the retail business of Heritage Foods.

    Sangam Direct and Heritage Foods will add Rs800 crore (US$120 million) to Future Group’s annual revenue, says Biyani.

    Heritage Foods, which has 114 stores in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, reported revenue of Rs582.9 crore for 2015-16, up 18 per cent. Sangam Direct, which has about 35 stores across Bengaluru and Delhi, was started by Hindustan Unilever in 2001 as its online groceries delivery platform. It was acquired in 2007 by the Wadhawan group, which owned the Spinach retail chain.

    Future Group, through Future Retail and Future Consumer Enterprise, has about 800 stores. About 500 are small-format EasyDay and Nilgiris convenience stores, the rest being the larger-format stores of Big Bazaar and FBB, which is the group’s fashion retail offering.

    Future Consumer Enterprise also runs 5000 Annapurna Bhandars in partnership with the government of Rajasthan. Future Group is the parent of listed retail companies Future Retail, Future Lifestyle Fashions and Future Consumer Enterprise.

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  • Owndays Europe marks first foray outside Asia-Pacific

    Owndays Europe marks first foray outside Asia-Pacific

    After rapidly building a network of stores across Asia, Japanese eyewear retailer Owndays has made its European debut.

    Owndays Europe has opened its first store in the Netherlands, the design largely true to its Asian format and its simple pricing model seamlessly converted into local currency with frames and lenses paired at between 98 euros and 198 euros.  A 20-minute “quick processing” promise is also included in its in-store marketing, two two promises being the eyewear chain’s unique selling points.

    Owndays Netherlands 1

     

    The 80 sqm Dutch store opened last week in a traditional street-front location, rather than a shopping mall, where most of its stores are located in Asia; at Passage in The Hague, a trendy area bustling with retail and food & beverages establishments.

    Owndays Europe plans to open 30 stores in the Netherlands in the next three years.

    The brand began its international expansion just three years ago and is already trading in Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia, making the Netherlands its 10th market.

    owndays-netherlands

    Owndays Europe stores carry more than 1500 designs of frames ranging from basic and functional to stylish and fashion-forward so customers can pick the right pairs of glasses to suit their lifestyles or to match occasions and functions. With a team of in-house designers based in Japan, the brand regularly adds new designs to its existing collections so customers always see something new each time they visit the shop.

    Owndays already has more than 170 shops in Asia-Pacific and sells more than 1.5 million pairs of glasses a year. It is one of the few optical retailers internationally which has adopted an entirely private label system, managing the entire process from design and manufacturing to inventory management and retail.

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  • Tokyo Tsuta ramen eatery to open in Singapore

    Tokyo Tsuta ramen eatery to open in Singapore

    The world’s only Michelin-starred ramen restaurant Tsuta is to open in Singapore in October.

    The Japanese eatery has been signed up by Pacific Plaza on Scotts Rd and will mark the restaurant’s first location outside its home market.

    Earning a coveted Michelin star this year has boosted the already-popular Tokyo establishment into something approaching cult status. The restaurant, located in the suburb of Sugamo, has just nine seats and limits its servings of ramen to 150 bowls each day. That has prompted customers to queue from as early as 6am so as not to risk missing out and tickets for a day’s dining usually sell out by 8am.

    The Pacific Plaza restaurant will be twice the size, with 18 seats and offer three soup bases – miso, Shoyu soba and shio soba. Chefs will be carefully trained to ensure the quality of the dishes served match those sold in Tokyo – and that the ramen sold is “the best in Singapore”.

    Tsuta ramen seats

    Founder Onishi says there are many pork-bone ramen shops in Asia, but he was determined to be different.

    “My aim is to create a ramen shop that can leave an impact with its unique dashi and umami flavours, and become as popular as tonkotsu ramen. For me, shoyu ramen is what usually comes to mind when one thinks of Japanese ramen.”

    Images courtesy of Mitsueki, Singapore food and travel blogger. Read more about Tsuta and view more photos here.

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  • Arrivals of European tourists in Bali up 59.4%

    Arrivals of European tourists in Bali up 59.4%

    The number of European tourists arriving in Bali in this summer season increased 59.4 percent from 76,822 in June to 122,455 in July 2016.

    “The increase of European tourist arrivals is the fruit of the efforts made by the government and tourism industries in promoting Indonesia, especially Bali, in Europe and Asia,” tourism observer Dewa Nyoman Putra said here on Tuesday.

    Besides the impact of the intensive promotions and expanded security, the increase in European tourist arrivals is also triggered by the visa-free facility the Indonesian government provides for a number of countries.

    The tourism service of Bali recorded the average European tourist arrivals in Bali at some 76,000 per month.

    However, it rose to 122,455 in July, so that in the January-July 2016 period, the number of foreign tourist arrivals from Europe reached 583,463.

    Thus, European tourist arrivals in Bali account for 21.17 percent of the total foreign tourists arriving in Bali in the same period, in which 2.7 million foreign tourists visited Bali.

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  • Standard Chartered probed by US over Indonesia ‘bribes’

    Standard Chartered probed by US over Indonesia ‘bribes’

    Standard Chartered acknowledged on Tuesday (Sep 27) it was being investigated by the US Department of Justice over claims that an Indonesian subsidiary had paid bribes to secure contracts.

    The London-based, Asia-focused bank said in a statement that it had referred the matter to the “appropriate authorities” and launched its own review.

    The Wall Street Journal newspaper said that an internal audit at Indonesian energy company Maxpower Group found evidence of possible bribery and US prosecutors were examining whether Standard Chartered was culpable for not stopping it.

    “Standard Chartered takes very seriously allegations of impropriety in any of our private equity investments,” the bank told AFP in a statement when asked about the report.

    “We proactively referred this matter to the appropriate authorities and have conducted our own review.

    “When we receive allegations of improper behaviour in an investee company, we pursue those allegations vigorously and act appropriately, including sharing information and cooperating fully with government authorities and addressing any issues of internal conduct and accountability.”

    The Department of Justice did not comment when contacted by AFP.

    The Wall Street Journal said the Maxpower internal audit found that more than US$750,000 in cash advances needed to be examined as possible bribes, while lawyers who reviewed the audit found indications that employees made inappropriate payments to Indonesian government officials between 2012 and 2015.

    Standard Chartered began investing in Maxpower in 2012 and is the majority shareholder. There was no immediate comment from Maxpower.

    But a source close to the case told AFP the US authorities were indeed examining whether Standard Chartered, via its representatives on the Maxpower board, was aware of alleged bribes to win government contracts.

    The investigation would also look at why the bank’s alert procedures for spotting such matters had not been triggered.

    But the probe will focus on whether Standard Chartered has violated the terms of its 2012 deferred prosecution agreements with the Department of Justice.

    Standard Chartered paid US$667 million in 2012 to settle charges it violated US sanctions by handling thousands of money transactions involving Iran, Myanmar, Libya and Sudan.

    In August 2014, the bank was hit by US regulators with a US$300 million fine and restrictions on its dollar-clearing business for failing to detect possible money-laundering.

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  • UPS expands its on-demand 3D printing network to Asia

    UPS expands its on-demand 3D printing network to Asia

    UPS will expand its on-demand 3D printing network to Asia when Fast Radius opens a factory in Singapore by the end of the year.

    According to UPS, it will also set up a team in Asia to create a centre of excellence which will develop supply chain solutions and promote the use of 3D printing.

    “3D printing will have a significant impact on industrial manufacturing and 21st century supply chains,” said Ross McCullough, president of UPS Asia Pacific. “At UPS, we are embracing disruptive technologies and integrating them into our global logistics network. We believe that much like e-commerce digitized and transformed retail, 3D printing will have a similar impact on manufacturing.”

    Advantage of 3D printing include lower inventory for slow-moving parts, lower transportation costs, shorter production runs and better customization.

    “UPS’s 3D printing Centre of Excellence reinforces Singapore as an innovation-driven economy,” said Michelle Ho, managing director of UPS in Singapore. “Having Fast Radius’ factory connected to UPS’s network means customers can send their 3D printing orders by 5pm and have them delivered to their customers in most major Asian cities within 24 hours. The automotive, high-tech, aeronautic and aviation, healthcare and retail industries have a lot of opportunity to take advantage of this type of manufacturing.”

    Fast Radius will direct 3D printing orders to the manufacturing location in either Singapore or the US, depending on speed, geography and product requirements, according to UPS.

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  • Indonesian Retailers Prepares for ASEAN Market

    Indonesian Retailers Prepares for ASEAN Market

    Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Retailers Association (Aprindo) Tutum Rahanta, said that the Association is currently aiming for the ASEAN market, specifically countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.

    Tutum predicted that hundreds of millions can be gained if Indonesian retailers can tap into international markets. “I think if we can penetrate the market, it would be like serving 600 million people, and it is three times bigger than Indonesian market,” Tutum said on Monday, September 26, 2016.

    Tutum said that Indonesian retailer has plenty of open chances and opportunities to tap into the ASEAN market, especially in terms of expansion costs, which according to Tutum, would be similar to expanding their business in Indonesia. In addition, Indonesian retailers would have better chances at expanding in ASEAN with the recent establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community.

    “It would be much different if retailers wanted to expand to Japan, opening one outlet there equals opening 30 outlets [in Indonesia], it doesn’t make sense,” Tutum said.

    Tutum added that despite retailers’ readiness to expand to ASEAN, Aprindo expected the government to show support by facilitating bureaucratic affairs and adapting regulations.

    “The government can lobby the foreign country’s government to see if there are any obstructing regulations, then they can inform retailers,” Tutum said.

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  • Oracle to help drive Maharashtra’s digital transformation

    Oracle to help drive Maharashtra’s digital transformation

    Oracle and the government of Maharashtra have teamed up to advance the state’s digital transformation initiatives.

    According to the MoU signed between the two, Oracle Cloud solutions will be leveraged in order to develop Maharashtra’s smart city program, with the goal of making the urban landscape more livable and inclusive, while driving economic growth at the same time.

    A Center of Excellence (CoE) will be set up to help accelerate the state’s smart city program and modernize the government’s technology solutions. The CoE, housed in Mumbai, will serve as a research platform to design, develop and test new capabilities that will deliver better government-to-citizen (G2C) and government-to-business (G2B) services.

    Using the cloud, the CoE will enable rapid innovation with minimal capital expenditures. In addition, the CoE will offer a flexible and scalable common framework, as well as a team of experts, allowing individual cities to scale and replicate its solutions.

    Both Oracle and the government of Maharashtra will invest in IT infrastructure, training and skillset resources as well as management of the CoE. The Maharashtra government launched a programme earlier in April to develop 10 smart cities, adding to the 33 announced by the central government in the 100 smart cities initiative

    “Cloud computing has changed the landscape of governance. It has the power to enable inclusive growth and to transform the state into a digitally empowered society,” said Devendra Fadnavis, chief minister, Government of Maharashtra. “The CoE is a step in that direction and will make more government services available with the click of a button.”

    “We are thrilled to further our commitment in India by working with the government of Maharashtra and the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, to help position India as a world-class design and manufacturing epicenter. The Cloud Center of Excellence powered by Oracle will play a key role in improving the lives of the people of this state,” Oracle CEO Safra Catz added.

    “By moving to the Cloud, the government has the opportunity to create a digitally empowered society and a growing knowledge economy. We look forward to making this partnership a success.”

    This initiative follows Oracle’s recent commitment to support the country’s global digital leadership. Oracle unveiled a massive, state-of-the-art campus centered in Bengaluru, nine incubation centres throughout India, and an initiative to train more than half a million students each year to develop computer science skills.

  • Pupuk Indonesia intensifies research to strengthen food security

    Pupuk Indonesia intensifies research to strengthen food security

    State-owned fertilizer producer Pupuk Indonesia is intensifying agriculture research through its subsidiary, Pupuk Indonesia Pangan, in its effort to strengthen national food security.

    Pupuk Indonesia investment director Gusrizal said his office had contributed to food security through its research and development programs nationwide since 2013.

    “We have conducted research programs in Kapuas [Central Kalimantan], Ketapang [West Kalimantan] and Merauke [Papua],” Gusrizal said in a statement on Monday.

    He further said Pupuk Indonesia had prepared Rp 30 billion (US$2.3 million) to conduct research on upstream product development and fertilizing, land cultivation and for marketing programs conducted under the assistance of agriculture experts from various institutions this year.

    “The research has helped farmers increase their harvest yields for the last three years,” Gusrizal claimed.

    He further said the company would focus on researching downstream products, such as ammonia and urea fertilizers.

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  • Thailand may toughen tax rules for ICTs

    Thailand may toughen tax rules for ICTs

    The Thai government is considering toughening tax rules for international internet and technology companies, including mobile and internet commerce companies.

    The head of Thailand’s Revenue Department told that the government has set up a working committee for finding solutions for collecting tax from Google and other technology giants.

    Laws and regulations that haven’t been updated in 50 years could be amended to address the digital economy, the report states. The working committee is expected to report by the end of the year.

    Countries in Southeast Asia are increasingly pursuing higher taxes from large internet and technology companies, with Indonesia pursuing the company for five years of back taxes, and Australia recently getting stricter on companies with annual earnings of over A$100 million ($76.4 million).

    Large multinationals have been booking their regional profits in Singapore to take advantage of the city state’s lower tax rate and incentive programs. But Singapore’s finance ministry recently stated that it does not condone the artificial shifting of profits.

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  • Australia Introduces Premium Dairy Products to Indonesian Chefs

    Australia Introduces Premium Dairy Products to Indonesian Chefs

    Australia’s Victorian Agricultural Minister Jaala Pulford collaborated with Podomoro University’s culinary students, Indonesian vocational schools and Dairy Australia to showcase Victorian  premium dairy products during a cooking demo held at Podomoro University in Jakarta.

    Victoria State’s Commissioner to Indonesia Brett Stevens said that Indonesian chefs are expected to acquire skills to creatively and innovatively process dairy products since demands on such products from domestic and foreign markets are increasing.

    “Therefore, we are happy to support this event,” Stevens said in a press release received by Tempo on Tuesday, September 27, 2016.

    The event was held as a part of Victoria State administration’s commitment to work with Indonesia’s education and hospitality sectors to develop both sides’ competitiveness and to transfer skills and knowledge.

    Minister Pulford’s visit to Indonesia was aimed to strengthen trade cooperation and investment between the two countries, in addition to improve cooperation in major sectors, such as education and professional service.

    Victora State is the largest Australian dairy producer well-known for its safe and high-quality products.

    The cooperation is expected to improve the quality of Indonesian professionals in the culinary sector by introducing them to new culinary techniques.

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  • Indonesian minister encourages digital-technology based railway operations

    Indonesian minister encourages digital-technology based railway operations

    Indonesia needs to focus on exploring new digital technologies in its railway operations to make its services more accessible.

    The railway management needs to work towards more efficiency, higher productivity and better security for both, the industry and passengers.

    “Indonesias railway industry has a long history, going back over 150 years. It significantly contributed to the countrys development and growth, especially in the Java and Sumatra areas. Now, it needs to focus on developing digital technologies,” Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi told a symposium organized by PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Indonesian Railway Corp.) and GE Transportation in Jakarta on Monday.

    The symposium, held to boost the countrys railway operations, was attended by over 200 senior executives and officials from the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Industry, the Indonesian Railway Corp, GE Transportation, Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit, PT Transportasi Jakarta (TransJakarta), the Transportation Organization Board for the Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi (Jabodetabek) Area and the Mandiri Bank.

    “Indonesian railway has become the backbone of the land transportation system in the country, carrying over 200 million passengers and almost 30 million tons of cargo every year,” the minister revealed.

    As per available data, Indonesia currently operates approximately 5,000 kilometers of active railway tracks.

    As part of the National Railway Master Plan, Indonesia will extend its railway tracks for another 12,100 kilometers by 2030, including 3,800 kilometers dedicated solely to the urban railway network, serving Bali, Batam, Kalimantan, Papua and Sulawesi.

    “With an abundance of natural resources, massive population and solid economic foundation, Indonesia is predicted to become one of the seven countries in the world with the strongest economy by 2030. To actualize that vision, Indonesias railway system surely needs to be expanded and modernized to make it much more efficient,” the minister remarked.

    Meanwhile, the President of the Indonesian Railway Corp, Edi Sukmoro, pointed out that in todays world, all means of transport, including land, water and air, need to be optimally operated to provide high quality services to the customers while, at the same time, offering a high investment value for the stakeholders.

    “For the Railway Corp, this means optimizing the use of all of our assets from railway tracks to rolling stocks and other supporting facilities. We believe that the digital technology will help us in reaching that goal,” Sukmoro stated.

    In terms of technology utilization, the Railway Corp has also undergone various innovations to maximize services made available to the customers including a renewal of the ticketing system. Customers no longer need to queue up at the station to obtain their railway passes as the company makes use of information technology.

    The facility of e-ticketing and e-gate as well as the railway restoration services have also seen technology based solutions being applied.

    The passengers will be able to pre-order tickets through a website.

    CEO of GE Indonesia Handry Satriago said the company has helped resolve the toughest challenge in the global railway industry through the use of software and data analysis, bringing down locomotive emissions, ensuring lower fuel consumption and enhancing speed and security.

    GE Transportation networks software is able to optimize the mainline train network, classification yard and inter-model terminal in such a significant way that it boosts the railway systems efficiency and productivity to a level like never before.

    On top of that, GE Transportations software solution helps its customers in optimizing the railways operations while at the same time lessening the use of energy. This ultimately leads to lowering of emissions and fuel costs.

    “Our digital technology has been successfully implemented by our customers, despite the fact that some of them are operating in economically and geographically challenging conditions. The same technology can also be implemented in Indonesia to boost the countrys railway operations to the next level,” he concluded.

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  • CDL Is Ready To Launch Forest Woods In Singapore

    CDL Is Ready To Launch Forest Woods In Singapore

    Forest Woods is a new launch residential development from City Developments Limited (CDL) located along Lorong Lew Lian. The project is targeted for people who prefer a serene and tranquil environment to live in but that comes with the benefit of modernized and unique communal facilities.

    While speaking about the project location, a prominent realtor Michael said, “Convenience and ease of access are just some of the benefits that will be coming with Forest Woods. The development is located just a few minutes away from the Serangoon MRT station and one can easily walk there. It can also be easily accessed via the Serangoon Bus Interchange and MRT station which are a walking distance away. There will be easy access to the major expressways including the Pan Island Expressway, Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway and Central Expressway.”

    “In today’s world of heavy traffic jams and tight schedules, people are without doubt looking for convenience. They do not want to be spending hours on end on the road commuting from home to work and vice versa. They are also not looking for to have to sit in traffic jams for several hours just to be able to do their shopping. They would like to be able to shop stress free and also move around easily and conveniently. These are all factors that Forest Wood has taken into account,” spokesperson at City Developments Limited explained. True to City Development’s word, Forest Woods condo is located very close to major shopping malls including Hougang Mall, Heartland Mall, Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre and NEX Mega Mall.

    The strategic location of the projects makes it close to many other retail entertainment amenities like Maplewood Park, retail outlets and dining options including Chomp Chomp Food Centre and Serangoon Gardens. “The project takes care of the family with kids and is close to reputed schools including Cedar Girls’ Secondary School, St Andrew’s Junior College, Xinghua Primary School, Nanyang Junior College, Zhonghua Primary & Secondary School and Yangzheng Primary School just to mention a few,” adds Michael.

     

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