Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • DTAC service center flagship store ‘dInfinite’ at Siam Paragon

    DTAC service center flagship store ‘dInfinite’ at Siam Paragon

    The new dtac service center flagship store, dInfinite, was launched at Siam Paragon Department Store with the concept ‘the endless digital experiences’. The store has been re-designed to enhance the customer experience through the use of digital services.

    The service center was designed by Whitespace Ltd., a professional retail design company. The key service area has been arranged to serve two main functions: counter service and consultation. The layout reflects of how retail stores have changed overtime; the transaction counter is no longer a key area as e-service, Speedy Queue, allows customers to easily queue online and to check out anywhere in the store.

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    Rather than waiting in line to pay ones bill, customers are urged to spend their time discovering, testing, and experiencing dtac’s newest devices. Cutting-edge smart phone models are available for customers to interact with at the Smart Table. The latest trends of gadgets and accessories are also available for customers to tryout in the Experience Corner.

    Moreover, the dInfinite flagship store delivers convenience and entertainment through the use of digital devices including a touchscreen e-brochure wall with the most up-to-date dtac promotions and at the Knowledge Table big screen tablets are used to live-stream entertainment via dtac Music Infinite and Primetime apps.

    When customers walk into dInfinite, they will feel at home and welcomed by the casual and warm ambience of the store. The cozy mood and tone is enhanced by custom-made wood furnishings, comfortable seating, wood floors and a black and gray color palette. Circular lights on the ceiling and the use of the dtac logo symbol on the walls throughout the store adds a sense of energy and excitement as well as reinforces the brand.

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  • Revenue up 36pc for Zalora parent

    Revenue up 36pc for Zalora parent

    The Lazada and Zalora parent is paring back its losses after divesting operations in two markets.

    With operating losses nearly halved and excluding disposals in India and Southeast Asia, Global Fashion Group (GFG) has reported a 36.3 per cent rise in net revenue.

    Backed by Rocket Internet and comprising online fashion retail businesses in emerging markets, GFG says net revenue in constant currency rose 47.5 per cent to 456 million euros (US$512.73 million).

    GFG sold interests in Thailand and Vietnam for an undisclosed amount to retailer Central Group in April. It also sold its Indian fashion business Jabong to Flipkart for $70 million in cash in August.

    GFG raised 330 million euros in funding from existing investors in July, cutting the holding of Rocket Internet to 20.4 per cent.

    The company says adjusted losses before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) narrowed to 67.6 million euros in the first half of this year from 120.5 million euros in the same period last year. The EBITDA margin improved to a negative 14.8 per cent in the first half from minus 33.4 per cent, which the company says was driven by tighter inventory management and cost-cutting.

  • Antonia debuts in Asia at Macau

    Antonia debuts in Asia at Macau

    Multi-label Italian luxury fashion retailer Antonia has opened its first store in Asia, at The Parisian Macao in Macau.

    Designed by architect Vincenzo de Cotiis, the 3000 sqm store features such brands as Gucci, Rick Owens, Sacai, Saint Laurent, Valentino and Versace.

    The store is run in partnership with Modern Avenue, formerly the Canudilo Group. Ten other stores are planned for greater China.

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  • Bangkok tops Global Destinations Cities Index

    Bangkok tops Global Destinations Cities Index

    Bangkok is the top-ranked destination city by international overnight visitor arrivals, according to the annual Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index.

    Ranking 132 cities, the index projects visitor volume and spend estimates while delivering insights into how people travel and spend around the world.

    As cross-border travel and spending continue to grow at a faster pace than the world GDP, the world’s cities continue to be engines of broader economic growth, says Mastercard.

    According to the study, Bangkok is projected to receive 21.47 million international overnight visitors this year, just ahead of London (19.88 million visitors).

    Also in the top 10 cities are:

    • Kuala Lumpur, 12.02 million visitors

    • Paris, 18.03 million visitors

    • Istanbul, 11.95 million visitors

    • Dubai, 15.27 million visitors

    • Tokyo, 11.70 million visitors

    • New York, 12.75 million visitors

    • Seoul, 10.20 million visitors

    • Singapore, 12.11 million visitors

    Hong Kong was 11th.

    “The way people travel and spend across borders indicates just how interconnected and important the world’s cities are,” says Mastercard president of international markets Ann Cairns.

    As well as the top 10 cities, Mastercard names the top 10 fastest-growing destinations, which indicates the increasingly importance of Asia Pacific to the global economic landscape.

    Osaka new star

    Osaka has shown the strongest growth in international visitors (24.15 per cent) over the past seven years. Other cities that make the fastest-growing list:

    • Chengdu, 20.14 per cent

    • Taipei, 14.53 per cent

    • Abu Dhabi, 19.81 per cent

    • Xi’an, 14.2 per cent

    • Colombo, 19.57 per cent

    • Tehran, 12.98 per cent

    • Tokyo, 18.48 per cent

    • Xiamen, 12.93 per cent

    • Riyadh, 16.45 per cent

    For the first time, the index explores whether visitors travel for business or leisure, giving broader insights into spending on dining, lodging and shopping. The index shows that more people are travelling to the top 20 cities for leisure with Shanghai being the sole exception.

    Visitors to the top 20 cities overwhelmingly spent more on shopping, as opposed to dining, says the index.

    Asia Pacific dominates both the global top 10 (five cities) and top 10 fastest-growing destination cities (seven cities).

    Public data is used in deriving the international overnight visitor arrivals and their cross-border spending in each of the 132 destination cities for the index. Mastercard volumes or transactional data is not considered.

    The full report can be downloaded here.

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  • Bangkok’s Greyhound Cafe heads to Singapore

    Bangkok’s Greyhound Cafe heads to Singapore

    From Bangkok, fashion and lifestyle venue Greyhound Cafe will open in Singapore in November.

    Greyhound started as a fashion brand in 1980 with a casual menswear outlet. In 1997 it decided to bring together fashion and lifestyle by opening its own cafe in the Emporium Shopping Complex in Bangkok.

    Design is a strong element in its cafes, with its seven outlets in Bangkok all featuring such modern touches as murals and monochromatic furnishings, as well as specially designed staff uniforms.

    Greyhound is known for its fried wings, Thai iced tea granita and coconut crepe cake, and has been described by Fortune magazine as “the hottest seats in Bangkok”. Signature dishes include Complicated Noodle (a self-assembled dish), Fried Rice Noodle with Chicken and Dried Squid, and Spaghetti with Crab Meat and Prawn Cream Sauce.

    Singapore’s Greyhound Cafe will be in Paragon on Orchard Road.

    Early this month, Greyhound Thailand’s parent, Mudman, launched an IPO to raise capital for further investment at home and abroad.

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  • Benoy Shanghai reveals design for Lujiazui

    Benoy Shanghai reveals design for Lujiazui

    Appointed as the masterplanner, architect and interior designer, Benoy Shanghai has revealed its design for the mixed-use Gala Avenue Westside development in Shanghai.

    The project is part of the major Lujiazui Harbour City development, scheduled to be complete in 2018. It covers 250,000 sqm of riverside land being redeveloped into an iconic future destination.

    Combining offices, high-end shopping and entertainment, as well as public space, Gala Avenue Westside is on a site previously run as a shipyard by the Shanghai Ship Company since the 1800s.

    “We have embraced the history of the site and built upon this,” says Benoy Shanghai studio director Qin Pang. “Our design celebrates the themes of ‘New and Old’, ‘East and West’ and ‘Traditional and Modern’.”

    Gala Avenue Westside comprises a 100m office tower and 12 interconnected retail hubs spanning two to three storeys. A chain of squares will form an internal streetscape linking the buildings, both above ground and below, along with a network of green spaces.

    The development has been positioned for maximum retail exposure, with views of the Huangpu River and the Pudong cityscape.

    Benoy’s Shanghai portfolio already includes Mango West Bund Plaza of the wider DreamCenter development along the Huangpu River, and Vanke Xuhui Center, a large-scale, mixed-use development connected to the city’s South Railway Station.

  • Singapore Golden Week targets shoppers

    Singapore Golden Week targets shoppers

    Singapore Retailers Association (SRA) is launching the inaugural Singapore Golden Week (SGW), a lifestyle event to be held over three weekends from September 30  to October 16.

    Its aim is to heighten Singapore’s appeal as a lifestyle destination with a suite a retail privileges, shopping reward and pampering experiences as enticement.

    Global payment network UnionPay is the official card for the event, with special privileges for cardholders across more than participating outlets including retail, F&B, beauty and wellness, and hotels and attractions.

    As well as exclusive discounts, cardholders are offered gifts when making purchases at participating merchants using their cards. The merchants involved include department stores Isetan Scotts, Metro and Robinsons, clothing labels Dockers, Dorothy Perkins, Karen Millen, Levi’s, TM Lewin, Topman, Topshop and Warehouse; and attractions such as the Alive Museum.

    There is also a game in which cardholders can win shopping vouchers and prizes worth more than S$10,000 (US$7388) in all, based at Ion Orchard.

    Visitors – not just cardholders – are also welcome at the UnionPay Golden Pampering Lounge in Ion Orchard’s atrium, which offers gourmet coffee and free-flow gourmet cookies.

    Cardholders can access the VIP area, which has massage chairs plus gourmet coffee sprinkled with edible gold dust.

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  • Nike India closes more than one third of stores

    Nike India closes more than one third of stores

    To cut losses, US sportswear maker Nike India has closed about 35 per cent of its stores.

    This has left it with about 200 stores, say observers.

    Nike’s accumulated losses were around US$81 million, according to data filed with the Registrar of Companies. Its sales over 2014-15 were about US$120 million for a loss of $15 million.

    Its rivals have also accumulated losses – Adidas losing about $10 million and Reebok $328 million. However, German sportswear maker Puma bucked the trend with accumulated profit of $7 million.

    Nike is believed to be also rethinking its strategy of sponsoring bats for top Indian cricketers. Nike’s largest partner in India is SSIPL (formerly Moja Shoes), which runs 80 per cent of the brand’s stores. Its second-largest partner is soft-drink mogul Ravi Jaipuria’s RJ Corp. Many of the closed Nike outlets have been converted into multi-brand stores by its partners.

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  • CJ pulls out of McDonald’s Korea race

    CJ pulls out of McDonald’s Korea race

    CJ Group says it has withdrawn from the bidding process for franchise rights for McDonald’s Korea.

    The Korean multinational gave no reason for its loss of interest.

    McDonald’s US is seeking buyers for 20 year franchise rights for its business in China, Hong Kong and Korea as it moves to a franchise partnership model outside the US.

    CJ Group, whose interests include cinema chains in Asia and the Tous Les Jours bakery chain, said this week it had not entered the latest round of bidding for the business.

    That leaves a consortium including Maeil Dairy Industry and another group with KG Group and NHN Entertainment Corp as the last two potential buyers on the shortlist.

    McDonald’s hopes to earn about US$280 million from the Korean master franchise rights.

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  • Multi Bintang Cancels Factory Expansion

    Multi Bintang Cancels Factory Expansion

    PT Multi Bintang Indonesia (MLBI) has decided to postpone plans to expand its factory in Mojokerto. The decision was made as the company faced difficulties with Trade Minister Regulation on the distribution of alcoholic beverages and the Draft Bill on alcoholic beverages, which is still being discussed by the House of Representatives.

    Bambang Britono, Director of Corporate Relationship of the company said that the Trade Minister Regulation No. 6/M-DAG/PER/1/2015 on the Control and Supervision on Procurement, Distribution and License for Alcoholic Beverages have forced the company to reschedule its plant to expand production facilities.

    “It is actually depends on time and supply. Previously [our sales] had dropped because of the Trade Minister Regulation. So we have decided to do a reschedule,” Bambang said on Friday, September 23, 2016.

    In addition, the government’s plan to pass the Draft Bill on Alcoholic Beverages, which bans the production, distribution and consumption of alcoholic beverages with an alcohol level of one up to 55 percent have disrupted the company’s distribution activities. Nevertheless, Bambang is certain that the government will be able to come up with a just policy for alcoholic beverages company.

    “Because the [alcoholic beverages] industry has quite large [contribution], not only in terms of levy and taxes revenue, but also multiplier effect on other industries, such as tourism. So the government will consider its own discretion,” Bambang said.

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  • Aceh wins three prizes in halal tourism category

    Aceh wins three prizes in halal tourism category

    Aceh Province has won three prizes in the National Halal Tourism Competition (KPHN) 2016, an official said.

    The three awards were in the categories of Muslim Friendly Airport–given to Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport in Banda Aceh, as well as best Muslim friendly cultural destination, and best tourist attraction for Baiturrahman Grand Mosque, said Reza Fahlevi, head of the Aceh cultural and tourism office, on Thursday.

    He expressed his gratitude to the people of Aceh for helping develop halal tourism in the province, and to the Central Government for supporting Aceh in its participating in the World Halal Travel Awards 2016 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.

    “Alhamdulillah (Thank God), Aceh won prizes for three categories in competition with 117 nominees in 15 categories,” he remarked.

    The results of the competition were announced in Jakarta on Wednesday.

    The Aceh provincial administration seeks to improve its tourism industry to meet its 3As – Amenity, Accessibility, and Attraction– in order to transform the province into a world-class tourism destination.

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  • Marketers prefer prudent spending on mobile advertising

    Marketers prefer prudent spending on mobile advertising

    While penetration of smartphones and mobile services continues to increase in Asian markets, mobile advertising is not as prevalent as is assumed. Brand owners still allocate a substantial amount of money to advertise on conventional media.

    According to data from the Asia Pacific branch of the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), the average company in Asia will spend only 7 to 10 percent of their marketing budgets on mobile advertising despite rising smartphone usage across the region.

    This is particularly apparent in Indonesia as some companies increase focus on mobile advertising, but it does not necessarily translate to higher marketing dollars.

    MMA Asia Pacific managing director Rohit Dadwal explained that despite an increased percentage in mobile ad spending, the format would likely end up as the third-largest ad platform in Indonesia after television and radio in the coming years due to the size and reach of conventional media in the country.

    Dadwal explained that the average brand in Indonesia allocated between 14 and 15 percent of their marketing budget for mobile-based advertising and spent the remaining budget on broader platforms, such as television, which is considered the most popular advertising platform in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

    Currently, in terms of an overall advertising budget, not a lot of local brands have moved into mobile marketing, as the share has yet to reach 5 percent of the marketing industry.

    “The main effect of the rise of mobile usage is that companies will start to allocate more money for mobile advertising from their budgets little by little, from 10 to 20 percent currently to about 30 percent in the near future,” Dadwal said during a recent discussion in Jakarta.

    A suitable strategy for mobile marketers, he added, is not to look at the landscape as a place where mobile advertising will triumph over other media but to see both mobile and more traditional media as integrated platforms where marketing campaigns can run parallel with each other.

    “It’s no secret that mobile advertising poses a threat to other forms of advertising. However, to succeed in marketing today, you shouldn’t use a completely mobile strategy. You need a marketing strategy that includes mobile because it will help you with your overall marketing objectives in the end,” Dadwal said.

    Previously, client leadership partner of Mindshare Indonesia media agency Wendy Soeweno commented that brands, conventional or digital, would still focus on television and radio advertising because of the scope and range television and radio provide in Indonesia.

    Television and newspapers used to be the biggest recipients of advertising spending. The tide is turning. Digital ads are poised to take 25 percent of ad spending in Indonesia by 2019 from 7.3 percent in 2015, according to forecasts by eMarketer.

    Digital ads almost tripled to US$835 million in 2015 from $234.2 million in 2013 and the figure is expected to increase more than four times to $4.9 billion by 2019.

    “We believe that communicating with consumers through the digital world is significant to building our brand,” corporate secretary of Unilever Indonesia Sancoyo Antarikso said recently.

    Unilever, one of the country’s biggest spenders on advertising, has been intensifying the placement of its product commercials through Google’s video sharing platform YouTube.

    In terms of strategies, Dadwal elaborated on how the integrated mobile-conventional approach was working currently and acknowledged that there could be a major shift to mobile marketing happening in the future.

    According to a joint study by Google and Singaporean investment company Temasek, Indonesia is poised to have the fourth-largest amount of internet users in the world with 215 million people connected by 2020. Meanwhile, smartphone usage in Indonesia currently includes approximately 43 percent of the population.

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  • Spikes Asia set to ignite discussion as Festival begins

    Spikes Asia set to ignite discussion as Festival begins

    With a record number of entries, 1,850 delegates and the most diverse speaker line up yet, the first day of Spikes Asia is now underway at Suntec, Singapore.

    Shortlists have been announced for Design, Direct, Entertainment, Film, Healthcare, Innovation, Media, Outdoor, PR, Print & Outdoor Craft, Print & Publishing, Promo & Activation and Radio with the remaining shortlists to follow on Thursday and Friday.

    Whilst the judges deliberate over the winners a wide range of speakers will take to three stages and delegates have a unique opportunity to participate in two Guinness World Records attempts.

    “This year’s Festival is designed to push boundaries and stimulate debate. We are excited about facilitating these conversations and the ideas they will spark,” said Andrea Hayes, Festival Director, Spikes Asia.

    New this year are a series of Brand Breakfasts, powered by Edelman, designed to ignite discussion on issues being faced in the industry by some of its biggest brands, including Manulife, The Kellogg Company, Twitter and Unilever.

    Gavin Coombes, president of Edelman Digital Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa will ask the expert panelists what the future holds, how much of what they do – and the people who do it – can be retained and where the competition of the future will come from.

    “In this unsettled world of opportunity and chaos, now is the time to understand how the brand mind set is evolving. Ultimately my hope is that we can come to a conclusion as to whether or not creativity as we know it today is in crisis,” said Coombes.

    Delegates of the Festival can make new connections and meet with industry experts from across the region at various Festival events and attend the highly anticipated Spikes Asia Awards Ceremony on Friday 23 September. The full programme and information on how to attend can be found on www.spikes.asia.

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  • Pervasive Displays collaborates with Energia IDE to add ultra-low power e-paper

    Pervasive Displays collaborates with Energia IDE to add ultra-low power e-paper

    Pervasive Displays (PDi), a world leader in e-paper displays today announced the results of its collaboration with community-driven and open source electronics prototyping platform provider Energia. The Energia integrated development environment (IDE) provides similar support for the Texas Instruments (TI) family of LaunchPad development platforms as the Arduino and Wiring IDE.

    Designed to bring the same Arduino-style application development simplicity to the LaunchPad ecosystem, the Energia IDE provides support across the range of MSP430™ microcontroller(MCU)-, MSP432™ MCU, SimpleLink™ Wi-Fi® CC3200 wireless MCU- and TM4C microcontroller boards.

    Within Energia IDE’s Library Manager all the necessary driver libraries for the range of Pervasive Displays 1.44 to 4.2 inch e-paper displays are built in. In addition, support for future three-color displays is accommodated. Full support is also provisioned for the recently announced EPD Extension Kit Gen (EXT2) extension board that is constructed in a TI LaunchPad kit and BoosterPack™ plug-in module-compliant format.

    By incorporating native IDE driver support, both Pervasive Displays and Energia are easing the development of designs that use e-paper displays. E-paper displays are ideal where power budget restrictions mean that driving an LCD display is not possible. E‑paper only requires energy to change the information displayed. Once changed, the power source can be removed and the information last displayed remains. This approach yields exceptionally long battery life; a single coin cell will power some applications for many years.

    Adrian Fernandez, microcontroller customer experience manager at TI commented, “Integrating ease of access to e-paper displays by providing full library support through our LaunchPad kit ecosystem and the Energia IDE gives developers every opportunity to trial their capabilities and incorporate them into their next design. Energia support for the e-paper BoosterPack module will enable the maker community in their various endeavours.”

    Robert Wessels, Founder of Energia said, “The LaunchPad kit is an ideal development environment ecosystem from which to prototype a wide range of applications and these advancements will enable rapid future prototyping. The addition of native Energia IDE support for Pervasive Displays’ range of e-paper displays further broadens the possible range of applications and expands into a number of sectors where extremely low power consumption and/or energy harvesting techniques are essential. The fact that the display continues to show an image after the power has been disconnected facilitates display-based developments not previously possible and we are getting very positive reviews on the second generation of the Pervasive Displays e‑paper extension kit with support for new screens and new LaunchPad kits.”

  • “In Style Hong Kong” Promotion Coming to Bangkok

    “In Style Hong Kong” Promotion Coming to Bangkok

    The mega promotion, “In Style Hong Kong”, is making its debut in the Thai capital Bangkok, starting this month. Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the campaign will engage business leaders and entrepreneurs, as well as consumers in Thailand to showcase Hong Kong’s vibrant lifestyle and creativity and explain how the city’s world-class services can help Thai companies expand overseas, especially to the Chinese mainland.

    “Thailand is the second-largest economy in Southeast Asia. As the country’s capital, Bangkok is a commercial hub in Asia with a thriving retail market,” said Dannie Chiu, Regional Director, Southeast Asia & India, HKTDC, at today’s press conference. “With the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), we can expect to see greater potential for cooperation between Hong Kong and Thailand. “In Style Hong Kong” aims to strengthen economic and trading ties between Hong Kong and Thailand, capitalising on all forms of growth opportunities. We look forward to bringing the best of Hong Kong’s services and products to Thailand as the HKTDC celebrates its 50th anniversary.”

    The “In Style Hong Kong” Symposium, on 6 October, will highlight Hong Kong’s advantages as a trendsetting hub, and reveal the potential of Hong Kong services sectors as partners for Thai companies. An invitation-only Gala Dinner will be held for 450 members of the business community, while a citywide promotion will combine retail and gourmet specials at venues across Bangkok for the public.

    The promotion aims to deepen the already strong trade links between Thailand and Hong Kong, which is consistently rated as the world’s freest economy by the United States-based Heritage Foundation. In 2015, bilateral trade between the two economies reached US$17.18 billion.

    Services under the spotlight

    Rimsky Yuen, Secretary for Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, will officiate at the opening session of “In Style Hong Kong” (6 Oct) at the Plaza Athenee Bangkok. Following the opening session, Hong Kong business leaders including Royce Yuen, CEO, MaLogic; Jason Chiu, CEO, cherrypicks; Dr King Fai Pang, Group President and Executive Director, VTech Holdings Ltd; and Chansak Fuangfu, Senior Executive Vice President and Director, Bangkok Bank Public Company Ltd, will offer insights on how Hong Kong can facilitate the business expansion of Thai companies.

    Services sector leaders and professionals from Thailand and Hong Kong will speak at five thematic sessions:

    – The Fast Track to E-commerce Logistics

    The establishment of the AEC is helping to fine-tune Asia’s supply chain network. Meanwhile, cross-border trade, particularly e-commerce development, is also driving huge changes in the traditional logistics industry and distribution networks. Hong Kong can facilitate Thai companies to tap these opportunities. Participants of this session will include moderator, Ruth Banomyong, Associate Professor, Department of International Business, Logistics & Transport, Thammasat University; and speakers Gary So, Deputy Managing Director, Kerry Logistics; Vincent Cheung, President, BPS Global Group; Michelle Leung, Senior Vice President, Fung Omni Services; and James Chang, Chief Operations Officer, Cross-border, Lazada Hong Kong.

    – RMB Internationalisation and Corporate Treasury

    As the premier offshore renminbi centre with proximity to the Chinese mainland, the session will explain Hong Kong’s advantages to attract companies to set up their corporate treasury centres in the city, in turn deepening the offshore renminbi capital markets. Speakers will include Yuthadej Putamanonda, Managing Director and Head of Transaction Banking, Standard Chartered Bank Thailand; Chen Shuang, Executive Director and CEO, China Everbright Ltd; Council Member, Financial Services Development Council, Hong Kong; and Kanit Si, Executive Vice President, Bangkok Bank Public Company Ltd.

    – The Belt and Road Initiative: Digital Framework for Connecting Smart Cities

    At this seminar, experts will share the latest developments in cross-border payment instruments, smart identity, smart-city infrastructure, interoperability and legal framework, which are essential in strengthening connectivity among smart cities. Eva Chan, Vice Chairperson, Hong Kong Public Key Infrastructure and Surangkana Wayuparb, Executive Director & CEO, Electronic Transactions Development Agency, Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Thailand will deliver remarks. Speakers will include Clarence Hui, Senior Manager, Financial Infrastructure Development, Hong Kong Monetary Authority; Chaichana Mitrpant, Deputy Executive Director, Electronic Transactions Development Agency, Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Thailand; and Eric Yeung, Convener, Smart City Consortium.

    – Integrating Creativity with Innovation

    Unlock Asia’s Business Success in the Digital Era with Jason Chiu, CEO, cherrypicks Ltd as the moderator and Tommy Li, Creative Director, Tommy Li Design Workshop Ltd; Keith Lam, co-founder, Dimension Plus; and Francis Kwok, founder and CEO, Radica Systems Ltd as speakers, Thai companies will gain insights into digital marketing, including innovative branding strategies, big data and new media with art and design.

    – Legal Risk Management: Key to International Trade and Investment

    Experts will share tips on how Thai enterprises can protect their intellectual property and settle cross-border business disputes through arbitration in Hong Kong. Speakers will include Denis Brock, Council Member, The Law Society of Hong Kong; Pui-Ki Emmanuelle Ta, Counsel of the Secretariat, International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce – Asia Office; Winnie Tam, SC, Barrister-at-law, Arbitrator and Mediator, Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association.

    Gala Dinner showcasing Hong Kong: “Day and Night”

    An invitation-only gala dinner, to be held on the evening of 6 October, at the Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, will welcome about 450 business leaders from Thailand and Hong Kong. Under the theme, “Hong Kong: Day and Night”, a “Thai Silk Crossover” fashion parade will be a highlight of the gala dinner. Six Thai silk-themed fashion collections by celebrated Hong Kong designers, Doris Kath Chan, Bonita Cheung, Koyo William Cheung, Polly Ho, Henry Lau and Mountain Yam will be showcased during the parade. Miss Hong Kong 2015, Louisa Mak has been invited to be among the models in the fashion parade. The gala dinner will also feature “Lifestyle Chemistry”, an interactive display window graced by live models, to present selected lifestyle brands from the HKTDC Design Gallery. A unique culinary experience featuring Hong Kong and Thai star chefs: Albert KK Au, Group Executive Chef (Chinese Division), Lai Sun F&B Management Ltd and James Norman, Executive Chef, Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, who will collaborate on a fusion menu with dedicated wine-pairing by the Hong Kong Sommelier Association.

    Hong Kong lifestyle for everyone

    The centrepiece of the citywide promotion is a Hong Kong galleria at the Siam Paragon shopping mall (3-9 October), spotlighting Hong Kong fashion, and lifestyle and gourmet products. Thai consumers can try on collections presented by the six Hong Kong designers and take photos using an e-wardrobe. Selected lifestyle products from the HKTDC Design Gallery via Lazada.co.th and hktdc.com Small Orders will also be featured, bringing a convenient O2O shopping experience to Thai consumers.

    Complimentary tea tasting by Hong Kong’s premium tea brands – Contact Design, Gianna, MingCha and OrTea(TM) – and food tasting sponsored by Lee Kum Kee, will also be available. As part of an extended In Style Hong Kong campaign, a range of products from the HKTDC’s Design Gallery will be sold at Betrend and The Selected from September to December 2016, offering local consumers a chance to experience Hong Kong’s design and creative excellence in lifestyle and household products.

    Meanwhile, a “Hong Kong Lifestyle Products” promotion is underway in Bangkok, with well-known Hong Kong fashion brands Bossini, Episode, Esprit, Giordano, G2000 and Jessica, as well as popular retail watch brand City Chain and optical boutiques eGG and Optical 88 offering discounts and other consumer incentives. To enjoy these offers, simply pick up a Citywide Promotion coupon booklet at more than 100 participating outlets across Bangkok, featuring over 30 Hong Kong and local brands from 1 September to 31 October, or visit Hong Kong Galleria in Siam Paragon from 3 to 9 October. More exciting Hong Kong products and gourmet can also be found at online retailer Lazada Thailand and gourmet website Openrice Thailand.

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