Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • Tesla may open first dealership in Korea

    Tesla may open first dealership in Korea

    Tesla Motors, the Silicon Valley-grown electric vehicle manufacturer, may open its first Korea dealership in a Shinsegae Group shopping complex within this year.

    “The talks are positive, for sure, but the final confirmation has yet to be reached,” said a Shinsegae Group spokesperson.

    “If the final confirmation is made, Shinsegae Property, which is pursuing the deal with Tesla, will give us notice,” he added.

    According to industry sources Thursday, if negotiations succeed, Tesla will open its first Korean dealership in Shinsegae’s Starfield Hanam shopping complex in Gyeonggi as early as November. The complex is a 30-minute drive from Seoul’s Gangnam District.

    Tesla CEO Elon Musk also confirmed Seoul as one of his next targets along with Taipei and Mexico City for the company’s high-end electric vehicles.

    “We are also accelerating store openings and plan to add a new retail location every four days on average during the remainder of Q3 and through Q4,” said Musk in an earnings report distributed Wednesday.

    “We are adding stores in new population-dense markets like Taipei, Seoul, and Mexico City, while also adding stores in our most mature markets like California,” he added.

    Scheduled to open early next month, Starfield Hanam is Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin’s ambitious project to make a retail complex that includes not only shopping venues but all sorts of entertainment- and leisure-related facilities such as a waterpark, cinema and aquarium. Korea doesn’t have such a complex.

    In addition to offering some 750 retail brands, the complex will also house Asia’s first BMW dealership that handles both the original BMW and Mini vehicles. Luxury motorcycle brand Harley Davidson will have a store that displays not only vehicles but also its clothes and accessories lines.

    Since last December, Tesla has been gearing up to enter Korea by registering the corporate name Tesla Korea Limited and sending out job advertisements for car dealers and mechanics.

    Korea’s retail giants have been sending out feelers to the prestige car company, counting on its attractiveness to the general public.
    Lotte World Mall in Jamsil District, eastern Seoul was considered a candidate to house a Tesla shop, but the negotiation fell apart early this year.

    Opening an independent dealership in Gangnam District was raised as another possible choice and Tesla is still reported to be considering that option.

    Tesla is known for a unique way of directly operating and managing its branches, instead of franchising dealerships as most carmakers do.

    Its first New York showroom, which Musk located in the funky Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn earlier this year, symbolizes the concept. It shows that a Tesla shop is not exclusively for car shoppers but is open to anyone interested in futuristic car technology. That also explains why many Tesla dealerships are in U.S. shopping malls.

    “The quality of our new locations is also improving as many shopping malls now consider us the new standard for an anchor tenant based on the amount of foot traffic that we draw and our very high revenue per square foot,” said Musk in the earnings report released Wednesday.

    If Shinsegae’s negotiations with Tesla succeed, its shop in Starfield Hanam will operate as a display until the Korean government allows the luxury electric vehicles on Korean roads

    In the meantime, Tesla’s second quarter earnings announced on Wednesday fell short of analysts’ expectations. It posted a $293 million net loss in the second quarter, a more than 60 percent drop compared to last year’s Q2 operating loss of $184 million.

     

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  • Shell Malaysia to open dozens of new stations to keep market lead

    Shell Malaysia to open dozens of new stations to keep market lead

    Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd plans to open more than 20 new petrol stations to maintain its leadership in the retail fuel market in the country.

    About a third of these stations, according to theedgemarkets.com quoting Shell managing director Datuk Azman Ismail, have already been opened.

    Shell Malaysia is the number one fuel retailer in terms of market share and operates more than 900 stations nationwide.

    Apart from quantity, the company also strives to improve the quality of its services with the launch of ‘Welcome to Shell’ campaign, a three-year transformational program which aims to make the oil company the benchmark for hospitality on Malaysian roads.

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  • Skoda Auto to invest Rs 100 crore in India

    Skoda Auto to invest Rs 100 crore in India

    Having consolidated operations in India in the last couple of years, Czech car maker, Skoda Auto is pursuing volumes from 2017.

    The company plans to invest Rs 100 crore in revamping the dealership network with new identity and introduce series of service initiatives to bring in transparency.

    The company is likely to end 2016 with 15,000 units in 2016 posting a flattish numbers, but with 4 new products planned for 2017, Skoda is eying 30% growth in volumes to over 20,000 units in 2017.

    According to people in the know, Skoda will be launching the face lifted Rapid, which has been significantly engineered locally, followed by premium SUV Kodiaq in the Toyota Fortuner category. The company is also likely to bring in a variant of Octavia in the coming 12-18 months.

    Sudhir Rao, MD of Skoda Auto said, the company is not going after the volumes game, but aims to position itself as a value luxury car maker positioned between volumes car maker and luxury car maker, with clear eye on segment leadership or be amongst the top three of segment the company participates in.

    “We are looking at higher volumes but not at the cost of profitability. We have gone a long way in improving our operational efficiency and ownership experience. We will aim for leadership in the segment we participate and we expect these segments to become main stream in near future,” added Rao.

    Skoda is also investing a lot on digitisation of the brand and the customer interface. The company will be launching the MySkoda app from 1st of September, which will increase the transparency with customers.

    The company will launch the industry first 4 year warranty of the car service.

    The company sells an average of 125 units of Superb in a month and has a segment share of 60% in premium saloon space and it sells about 200 units of Octavia per month with a segment share of 60%. Skoda sells another 1000 units of Rapid per month.

    The company expects the new models to bring in incremental volumes from 2017. With the existing portfolio, Skoda addresses just 20% of overall car market, but aims to grab more than half of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 40 lakh price bracket.

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  • Dloky, new Local Promotion Social Medium for Retail

    Dloky, new Local Promotion Social Medium for Retail

    Dloky is a new Social Media Network for Retail and Hospitality businesses worldwide based on GPS Proximity Marketing and Local Promotion. Dloky started in 2015 as mobile app for iOS and Android and recently the web platform was added.

    Mobile Advertising

    Users can customize their page by setting the search distance, selection of categories, businesses and saving promotions in favorites. Login is not required however possible to save settings over multiple devices and browsers.  

    Proximity Marketing

    Dloky is a free and worldwide open platform for Retail Businesses as well. Businesses can sign up, add and manage all their locations/stores and promotions. Dloky will import large numbers of locations, at no costs. Each store/location and promotion get a dedicated page and relevant URL. Promotions can be posted for all Retail locations combined or for a specific city or location. Accounts can be managed centrally or locally. Dloky is specifically tailored for complex Retail company structures. Many international locations, combinations of franchises, partly or fully owned stores, multiple Admins or multiple Retail Brands or Concepts etc. Apps and Website have the same structure and are linked through App indexing. Dloky plans to offer paid advertisements within relevant categories and locations on the longer term.

    Increase Traffic to physical Stores

    Goal of Dloky is to increase traffic to physical stores. Dloky started in the Netherlands in 2015 and more than 1000 Stores have signed-up such as Fashion; Azzurro, Oger, State of Art Cosmetics: Marie-Stella-Maris Book Stores; Boekenvoordeel Jewelry: Swarovski, BLGK Edelsmeden Galeries: Carré d’Artistes, GaleriesPR2 Shoes: vanHaren, Bristol  Home: Friday Next, HAY  Garden: Ranzijn, Sports, DIY, Beauty etc.

    SEO

    The web application is public and specifically designed for SEO. Each promotion gets an own relevant URL and link back to the Retailers website and web shop, creating relevant and effective backlinks. Retailers have full control on their local promotions. Dloky is currently widely used in the Netherlands by Retail as an alternative for unsolicited physical mail now that the Netherlands is starting to ban unsolicited mail because of environmental reasons.   

    Facebook-coupling

    Also small retailers with a single store love Dloky. With the very efficient Facebook coupling, the Dloky is setup in seconds. The Dloky page can sync with the Facebook page and Facebook posts can be copied automatically in Dloky. Therefor Dloky is a very nice addition to a Local Business Facebook page, post for your followers in Facebook and automatically for potential customers nearby in Dloky. 

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  • Calvin Klein Announces the Appointment of Raf Simons As Chief Creative Officer

    Calvin Klein Announces the Appointment of Raf Simons As Chief Creative Officer

    Calvin Klein, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of PVH, today announced the appointment of Raf Simons as Chief Creative Officer of the brand, effective immediately.

    Mr. Simons will lead the creative strategy of the Calvin Klein brand globally across the Calvin Klein Collection, Calvin Klein Platinum, Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein Jeans, Calvin Klein Underwear and Calvin Klein Home brands. As part of his role as Chief Creative Officer, Mr. Simons will oversee all aspects of Design, Global Marketing and Communications, and Visual Creative Services. Mr. Simons’ first collections will debut for the Fall 2017 season.

    The appointment of Mr. Simons as Chief Creative Officer marks the implementation of Calvin Klein’s new global creative strategy, announced in April 2016, to unify all Calvin Klein brands under one creative vision. The strategy comes as part of a global evolution of the Calvin Klein brand, which began with the reacquisition of the Calvin Klein Jeans and Calvin Klein Underwear businesses in 2013. As Calvin Klein looks to grow the brand to $10 billion in global retail sales, this new leadership is intended to further strengthen the brand’s premium positioning worldwide and pave the way for future long-term global growth.

    The arrival of Raf Simons as Chief Creative Officer signifies a momentous new chapter for Calvin Klein,” said Steve Shiffman, CEO of Calvin Klein, Inc. “Not since Mr. Klein himself was at the company has it been led by one creative visionary, and I am confident that this decision will drive the Calvin Klein brand and have a significant impact on its future. Raf’s exceptional contributions have shaped and modernized fashion as we see it today and, under his direction, Calvin Klein will further solidify its position as a leading global lifestyle brand.”

    As part of the creative strategy for the apparel and accessories business, Calvin Klein also announced the hire of Pieter Mulier as Creative Director, reporting directly to Mr. Simons. Mr. Mulier will be responsible for executing Mr. Simons’ creative and design vision for men’s and women’s ready to wear, as well as the bridge and better apparel lines and accessories. He will also manage all men’s and women’s design teams within the Calvin Klein brand, under Mr. Simons’ leadership.

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

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

  • South Korea suspends sales of most Volkswagen models

    South Korea suspends sales of most Volkswagen models

    South Korea on Tuesday suspended sales of most Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) models in a fresh blow to the German automaker as it struggles to overcome the global repercussions of its emissions-test cheating sandal and rebuild its tattered image.

    The government revoked certification for 80 model variants of VW, Audi and Bentley vehicles, and fined Volkswagen 17.8 billion won ($16.06 million) for allegedly forging documents on emissions or noise-level tests.

    The move could slam the brakes on sales for Europe’s biggest automaker in the Asian market, where its local unit had more than tripled revenue to 2.82 trillion won over the past five years before becoming mired in the emissions scandal.

    Volkswagen described the ruling as “most severe” and said it would consider a legal challenge.

    In all, 209,000 VW vehicles have been de-certified in South Korea, mainly over emissions-related problems, since November – or 68 percent of the vehicles the automaker had sold in the country since 2007, the environment ministry said.

    While South Korea is a relatively small market for Volkswagen, it is a major market for its luxury marques Audi and Bentley and one of the fastest-growing markets for all brands.

    It could take more than three months for the affected brands to be back on showroom floors, officials said.

    “It usually takes three months for vehicle certification, but this may take longer for Volkswagen, as we will take thorough steps,” environment ministry director Hong Dong-gon told reporters.

    Any delay in recalls previously ordered over emissions test manipulation could be met with an order for VW to exchange those vehicles for other models, Hong added.

    LEGAL ACTION

    In a letter to customers posted on its South Korean homepage, Volkswagen said it would consider requesting an “injunction of execution”.

    It also could take legal action against the government’s decision “if this will help recover our company’s business reputation and benefit our consumers, dealers and other partners,” it added.

    Volkswagen voluntarily halted sales of most of its models in South Korea from July 25, ahead of the government’s decision.

    The company reported a 12 percent drop in quarterly profit at its main passenger car division last week, showing the challenges it still faces since admitting in September to using software to falsify pollution tests on some diesel cars.

    In addition to billions of dollars in costs related to the scandal, it is also tangled in legal action in the United States, Germany, South Korea and elsewhere.

    South Korea has taken a particularly tough line, with prosecutors raiding Volkswagen’s Seoul offices and arresting an executive in June.

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  • Indosat Ooredoo launches m-payment for retailers

    Indosat Ooredoo launches m-payment for retailers

    Indonesia’s Indosat Ooredoo has launched a new mobile payment service for retailers, in collaboration with GoSwift International and banking chain BNI.

    The new D-Pay service will allow merchants to use their exsting mobile devices as multifunctional payment platforms, accepting payments based on Visa, MasterCard or JCB credit and debit cards, as well as eWallet services.

    D-Pay services for retailers come bundled with data, voice and SMS allocations from the operator.

    “D-Pay is the latest product from our Mobile Financial Business,” Indosat Ooredoo chief of new business and innovation officer Prashat Gokarn said.

    “In addition to our current products – electronic wallet, bill payments, eCommerce payments, domestic and international money transfer and branchless banking, D-Pay will help reduce cash collection and logistics costs for our eCommerce partners, which will in turn benefit customers with lower prices and assured deliveries.”

    He said the service is tailored for e-commerce companies, as well as SME retailers in need of alternative payment methods but unable to easily afford standard banking solutions, by allowing merchants who do not have access to traditional point of sale services to still accept card payments.

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  • Globe, PLDT cleared to consolidate SMC case

    Globe, PLDT cleared to consolidate SMC case

    The Philippines’ Court of Appeals has approved an application from the nation’s two major operators to consolidate their legal challenge against the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) over their acquisition of the telecoms assets of conglomerate San Miguel Corporation.

    Both Globe and PLDT have petitioned the court to compel the PCC declare the San Miguel transaction as “deemed approved.”

    The PCC is conducting a comprehensive review of the potential impact of the acquisition, which includes large allocations of spectrum, on competition and the public benefit.

    The regulatory body had been opposing efforts by the two operators to consolidate their petition into a single case.

    Globe general counsel Froilan Castelo said the court’s decision contradicts the PCC’s claim that the operators have been engaged in forum shopping.

    “Globe has followed the rules, and that motion to consolidate is just in accordance with Rule 31 of the Rules of Court,” he said.

    “This is only but fitting as all Globe’s actions on this matter are well within the bounds of the rules…  We are disappointed that it is the PCC itself that does not follow the rules – the rules of court when it opposes the consolidation of the cases; and their own rules.”

    Castelo also disputed the PCC’s claim that the operators have been uncooperative during the investigation process. He said Globe has cooperated fully with the government body, providing more information than required.

    “These submissions were done in good faith and went beyond what the PCC actually requires by their own rules.  In addition to these, Globe even sought a dialogue with the PCC to explain its position and answer any concern the PCC may have regarding the transaction,” he said.

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  • Myanmar orders all SIMs registered by March

    Myanmar orders all SIMs registered by March

    Myanmar’s Directorate of Telecommunications has instructed the nation’s mobile operators to complete the registration of all SIMs by next March.

    The telecom regulator has revealed that any unregistered SIMs still operating by that time will be temporarily suspended.

    SIMs will need to be registered based on users’ national registration cards, student identity cards, drivers’ licenses or passports for foreign citizens, the report states, adding that the order is aimed at stimulating mobile banking and m-commerce in the nation.

    There are around 48 million SIM cards in Myanmar, a market where mobile penetration has increased by 35 percentage points over the past year to more than 89%.

    While there’s no data on how many of these are unregistered, the Directorate has stated that “many” SIM cards were sold to buyers who did not supply the required documents.

    With the order Myanmar is joining a growing number of APAC nations requiring SIM registration, including most recently Bangladesh.

    Thailand began cutting off unregistered SIMs last year, while Chinese regulators began ramping up efforts to crack down on unregistered SIMs.

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  • Lenovo-­Motorola India seeks to open showrooms

    Lenovo-­Motorola India seeks to open showrooms

    The Lenovo-­Motorola India combine has applied for single-­brand retail licence to open company­- owned showrooms.

    This comes on the heels of the Chinese company’s mobile sales in India crossing the US$1 ­billion mark.
    Lenovo India’s director Sudhin Mathur says the turnover from mobile-phone sales in the year ended March 31 stood at $1.3 billion, nearly double the $700 ­million of the previous year.

    “Sales have been growing at a healthy pace and we expect to maintain a strong momentum.”

    According to industry tracker IDC, the Lenovo­-Motorola combine sold about 10 million units last year, accounting for a nearly 10 per cent share of the market.

    Mathur says smartphone industry sales in India are expected to grow by 30 per cent this
    year.

    The company’s units for India are being contract ­manufactured by Flextronics at Sriperumbudur. Lenovo is also looking at having its own phone plant in India.

    Mathur says eight or ­nine new models will be introduced in India over the coming months as the company beefs up its portfolio ahead of the festive season.

    Other companies to have applied for the single-­brand retail licence include Apple and Chinese company LeEco.

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  • Expansion brings some cash for VinMart

    Expansion brings some cash for VinMart

    Vietnamese supermarket chain VinMart has tripled its revenue in the second quarter of this year.

    Parent VinGroup says the group achieved VND2,465 billion (US$110.6 million) in sales of its supermarkets and convenience stores, a 226 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

    One of the reasons for VinMart’s growth is the group’s strategy to bring its convenience stores VinMart+ to “every corner of Vietnam”, making it a part of consumers’ daily shopping routines.

    Up until July, after almost two years of operation, VinMart has 50 supermarkets and 830 convenience stores nationwide, which means the company has been opening three supermarkets a month and 46 c-stores.

    A standout of VinMart+ is the fresh food, distributed by green brand VinEco. The products are exclusive greenhouse vegetables, grown using Israeli technology.

    With this self-supply and self-control strategy, VinGroup has been creating a strong competitive strength in the market.

    Besides VinMart, its other divisions contributed to VinGroup’s profit in the quarter of VND 2,926 billion ($131.2 million): VinHomes, Vincom Retail, Vinpearl Land, Vinschool, Vinmec, and VinPro.

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  • New way to sell bags for Christian Dior

    New way to sell bags for Christian Dior

    Christian Dior China has become the first luxury brand to sell top-end bags on messaging and social network WeChat.

    With an eye on Chinese Valentine’s Day (Qixi) on August 9, it offered its limited-edition Lady Dior bag on the platform this week. It was to be available until today, but sold out on Tuesday.

    As a special extra, consumers were able to drag online pictures of decorations on to the bag, so it could be tailored for their preferences.

    Buyers could pay through WeChat for the bag, priced at 28,000 yuan (US$4210).

    Other luxury brands, including Cartier, Longchamp and Montblanc have already launched online sales platforms on WeChat, providing special services and discounts.

    For the first half of this year, Dior’s net profits fell 30.2 per cent to €74 million ($82.8 million).

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  • New Look to expand in China & France with new standalone menswear stores

    New Look to expand in China & France with new standalone menswear stores

    Fast fashion retailer New Look is taking advantage of its popularity in menswear by opening 25 new stores in the next five years – including a batch of standalone menswear stores in China and France over the next 12 months.

    While the store split between the UK and overseas is not yet known, the retailer currently going through exceptional growth in China where it has had like-for-like growth since entering the market at the start of 2015.

    New Look first launched standalone menswear stores almost a year ago and has quickly garnered a reputation as being a leader in the trend of standalone high street menswear stores.

    Online retailer Boohoo launched a standalone menswear site in April while Net-a-Porter recently revealed its own-brand menswear label.

    Department store chain Harvey Nichols also recently relaunched its menswear department, while fashion chain Jigsaw has announced plans to expand its menswear range over the next five years.

     

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  • Starbucks Korea offering workers education

    Starbucks Korea offering workers education

    Starbucks Korea employees are being offered a chance to achieve their academic goals.

    The company has introduced a college achievement plan to enable employees (termed “partners”) to finish four-year college degrees. Already, 146 have enrolled at Hanyang Cyber University.

    “At the core of our success are our partners who deliver an unparalleled Starbucks experience, and we are pleased to help them achieve their academic dreams,” says CEO Seock-koo Lee. “The college achievement plan gives partners the chance to earn their degree without the financial burden.”

    starbucks scholar

    Hanyang Cyber University offers 36 majors ranging from liberal arts to business management. Barista training is also included. As all regular classes and tests are delivered online, students can focus on their jobs as well as their studies without having to attend a physical school.

    “The Starbucks mission of inspiring and nurturing the human spirit resonates with our goal of providing young talent with access to higher education for their pathway to success,” says the university’s office of admissions dean Seungyeon Han.

    Employees applying for the program need to provide their study plans and complete aptitude tests. Once admitted, they can choose any major, even if unrelated to their work.

    Starbucks Korea estimates that more than 1000 employees will be able to earn bachelor’s degrees by 2020. Along with the university, it plans to recruit up to 300 students each school year. Those who achieve a grade point average of B or higher will be entitled to a Starbucks scholarship covering full tuition.

    Employees who receive the scholarship are not obligated to work for Starbucks after graduation.

    The program is similar to the Starbucks college achievement plan in the US, introduced in 2014. It allows eligible employees to earn their bachelor’s degree with full tuition reimbursement through Arizona State University’s online degree program.

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  • Bitcoin plunges after Hong Kong exchange hacked

    Bitcoin plunges after Hong Kong exchange hacked

    The digital currency Bitcoin plunged Wednesday after Bitfinex, an exchange based in Hong Kong, said it had been hacked and funds stolen.

    The exchange said it had halted trading, deposits and withdrawals while it investigated which users had been affected. Bitcoin’s trading value fell about 20 percent early Wednesday, local time in Hong Kong, but had recovered about half the loss by afternoon.

    Zane Tackett, Bitfinex’s director of community and product development, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But he said in a posting on Reddit that 119,756 Bitcoins had been stolen.

    Before the hacking was made public, that number of Bitcoins would have been worth about $72 million. Now that the currency has slumped, the figure is closer to $65 million. The exchange, one of the world’s largest, said in a blog post that any outstanding settlements would be made at the price before the hacking.

    “As we account for individualized customer losses, we may need to settle open margin positions, associated financing, and/or collateral affected by the breach,” Bitfinex said in the post.

    Local Business

    It added that customers’ losses would be addressed later.

    Security breaches of this type have raised questions about the viability of Bitcoin. The most notable episode was the collapse in 2014 of Mt. Gox, an exchange based in Tokyo, in which hundreds of thousands of Bitcoins were stolen in a heist that experts and law enforcement officials are still trying to unravel. This past June, a hacker stole more than $50 million worth of Ether, another digital currency, from an experimental virtual currency project called the Decentralized Autonomous Organization.

    Jack Liu, chief strategy officer at OKCoin, a large digital currency exchange, said he was not concerned about the security of his company because it uses a different system. But he noted that there should be more discussion between exchanges over best practices.

    “We care about the health of the ecosystem,” he said, although he emphasized that nobody should be dictating how Bitcoins are secured. “Hackers are only getting better, and so adoption of the same solution may not be the safest for the industry.”

    Although some view Bitcoin as the future of finance, allowing for faster and cheaper transactions, the Bitcoin community has been rived with infighting over the development of the technology. The blockchain ledger, part of the coding that underlies the currency, has also gained more mainstream traction, as banks see an opportunity to use the technology to speed up trades.

    Bitfinex said the theft had been reported to law enforcement.

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