Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • Launching Thailand’s first ‘Clip ‘n Climb’

    Launching Thailand’s first ‘Clip ‘n Climb’

    Bangkok’s newest climbing hub, Clip ‘n Climb, which is one of the happening zones at BOUNCE Thailand, features 24 innovatively themed indoor climbing walls in visually attractive colours and textures, set over 255 sq m, ranging in difficulty and skill.

    A revolutionary indoor climbing experience from New Zealand comes to Thailand in the form of Bangkok’s first ever ‘Clip ‘n Climb’, at the brand new BOUNCE Thailand trampoline universe, on the 5th floor of The Street Rachada, a lifestyle mall located on Ratchadapisek road. Clip ‘n Climb, launched on 22nd December 2015 in conjunction with Quicksilver-Roxy-DC brands, is a fantastically fun and exciting alternative to outdoor rock-climbing, not to mention incredibly safe. a

    “It feels great to bring one of the world’s hottest new activity attractions to Bangkok all the way from New Zealand! Clip ‘n Climb’s innovative safety systems make it a breeze for anybody to start climbing, and the design of the walls have some of the hardest challenges for even the most experienced athletes,” commented Mr. Galeno Chua, Clip ‘n Climb Master Trainer. “It’s a completely new way of climbing. I can’t wait to rock Bangkok with this!”

    Bangkok’s newest climbing hub, Clip ‘n Climb, which is one of the happening zones at BOUNCE Thailand, features 24 innovatively themed indoor climbing walls in visually attractive colours and textures, set over 255 sq m, ranging in difficulty and skill. With no two obstacles the same, Clip ‘n Climb presents enticing physical and mental challenges for kids starting from 3 years old, and from novice to expert climber. Clip ‘n Climb utilizes a new generation auto-belay device, TruBlue™, which employs a magnetic eddy current braking technology, for absolute safety first. During ascent, TruBlue™ takes up the slack, then lowers gently in a controlled descent to the ground.

    To celebrate the launch of Clip ‘n Climb BOUNCE Thailand and also as a present during this festive season, every one-hour ticket purchased gets one trampoline voucher for a one-hour FREE bounce in the trampoline zone, until 10th January 2016. Clip ‘n Climb BOUNCE Thailand opens daily from 10:00am –10:00pm.
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  • Upbeat outlook for Asian retail market

    Upbeat outlook for Asian retail market

    Even after the season of giving, the coming year ushers in the world’s most energetic and exciting retail market for Asia, Colliers International forecasts, as consumers in the region look for venues not only to shop, but also to jovially spend time with family and friends.

    The year 2016 will see Asian consumers continue to drive retails sales up, according to the global real estate services firm’s report.

    Citing data from the Economist Intelligence Unit, Colliers said retail sales in Asia are projected to grow by 4.8 percent in 2016, surpassing the global average of 3.2 percent.

    Colliers said the general outlook for Asia remains upbeat despite concerns about the long-term sustainability of some of China’s more ambitious developments.

    Colliers said the coming year gives investors an opportunity to look into contributing to the relatively narrow retail gene pool of specialty occupiers of shopping centers in the region.

    “Investors in existing assets will be well-advised to look at cycles in mature markets and to use softening rents as a good opportunity to be imaginative about remixing and repositioning assets,” Colliers said.

    The property advisor also said while it forecasts vacancies in the Asian retail market, it also sees a significant appetite for retail owners to diversify.

    “They [retail owners] are in prime position to occupy their own developments with made-to-suit retail concepts,” Colliers said. “These could be either domestically grown concepts or portfolios of brands acquired overseas.”

    The report emphasized that the consumer market in the region is not merely driven by pure utilitarian acquisition of physical goods but also in spending time with friends and family outside small urban domiciles.

    “We see these behaviors evolving into twin trends, with a desire for experiential retail, and a concept of wellness and lifestyle,”said the report.

    It noted that the consumer market seeks out brands and environments that help to improve one’s life or provide leisure-based experience.

    “A prime example of this would be the amorphous blending of female sports and leisurewear around themes of beauty, mindfulness and yoga by activity-specific brands and mainstream retailers alike,” noted the report.

    Colliers noted that China seems to be following other regional markets such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan as it aspires to build portfolio relationships with trusted mid-market Food and Beverage(F&B) quality chains.

    “Indeed, global mid-market F&B superbrands and Asia-specific F&B superbrands are for the most part underrepresented in China. For this very reason, we believe there is significant opportunity for midmarket aspirational global F&B players to increase their Asian portfolios. We expect their activity to increase in 2016,” said the report.

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  • Novotel Zhuhai rebranded as Pullman

    Novotel Zhuhai rebranded as Pullman

    The Novotel Zhuhai has been rebranded by AccorHotels as the “Pullman Zhuhai,” in line with the company’s plans to promote its up-market Pullman brand in China, reported Travel Daily on Sunday. The Novotel Zhuhai opened only last December, but AccorHotels has decided to rebrand the resort. This will take the group’s Pullman portfolio in the greater China region to a total of 25 hotels across 22 cities.

    “We are excited to welcome the hotel to the Pullman family,” said Paul Richardson, the chief operating officer for AccorHotel’s Greater China region.
    “The rebranding of the property is part of AccorHotels’ ongoing global endeavor to further align with its brand architecture to ensure a more consistent brand experience for its guests,” Richardson added.

    The 268-room, rebranded Pullman Zhuhai is situated in Gongbei, close to the major bus stations that connect the city with Guangzhou.
    Facilities at the up-market resort include restaurants, ballrooms, meeting rooms, a wedding chapel, an executive lounge, sauna and steam rooms, and a fitness center and outdoor pool. Both the ownership and management of the hotel will remain unchanged.

    The latest group of Sands Shoppes retail employees graduated at the Sands Retail Academy’s fourth graduation ceremony on Tuesday, at the Venetian Macao.220 graduate at sands shoppes ceremony

    At the ceremony, 220 front-line retail team members were certified to mark the completion of their training courses, designed to improve service quality at Sands Shoppes. The ceremony was also attended by representatives of over 80 retailers from the complex.

    “With this being our fourth graduation, we are pleased to see an increase in both the number of participants and the number of graduates,” said Antonio Ramirez, senior vice-president of human resources at Sands China. “The Sands Retail Academy is part of Sands China’s long-term commitment to developing local talent in Macao, by nurturing locals who are not direct employees of Sands China,” added Ramirez.

    The Sands Retail Academy was launched in 2013 to improve customer service training at Sands Shoppes. Since its inception more than 1,800 retail professionals have joined the academy.

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  • Dover Street Market Will Open a Store in Singapore

    Dover Street Market Will Open a Store in Singapore

    Dover Street Market is coming to Singapore. Founder Rei Kawakubo is opening another retail space in Southeast Asia next year. The new store will be its fifth location following New York, Beijing, Tokyo, and London, where it first began as a shop front for Kawakubo’s renowned label Comme des Garçons over 10 years ago.

    Soon, shoppers in Singapore will have access to a massive selection of noteworthy brands and exclusive products that makes the multi-brand marketplace one of the best boutiques on earth.

    The upcoming location will be seated in a retail space called “COMO Dempsey” and is likely to share the same “beautiful chaos” philosophy Kawakubo has infused in her other locations.

    An exact opening date hasn’t been released yet, but stay tuned for more details.

  • Superdry delivers stunning turnaround

    Superdry delivers stunning turnaround

    SuperGroup, owner of the global lifestyle brand Superdry, has achieved an impressive 22.3 per cent increase in sales for the first half year, to £254.7 million.

    SuperGroup’s retail arm represented its strongest division, generating 30.8 per cent growth to £172.1 million, reflecting the continued expansion of wholly owned stores in the EU. Additionally, retail same store sales saw a major turnaround, increasing rapidly by 17.2 per cent compared to a decline of 4.1 per cent during the same period last year.

    This was driven particularly by a strong eCommerce performance. Online retail sales grew by 19.2 per cent as its digital channel continues to be its fastest growing route to market.

    “That noted, SuperGroup’s core focus remains on significant physical expansion within its key markets – Europe, North America and China,” observes  Anusha Couttigane, senior consultant with retail analyst Conlumino

    As part of its full year strategy, the group has set out to expand own store space by some 130,000 sqft  (12,000 sqm) within Europe. So far, nearly half this target has been achieved, the company having opened 14 net new stores comprising 63,000 sqft (5850 sqm) of new trading space during the first half year.

    Elsewhere, its wholesale arm saw 23 international franchise and licensed stores open during this period, contributing to a 7.8 per cent growth in wholesale revenue. However, the seasonality of its products has caused the group to announce an expected £3 million to £3.5 million operating loss in its North American operation for the full year as it realigns its product offer for its customer proposition on the continent.

    “With a successful first half completed, SuperGroup has positioned itself well for the all-important Christmas trading period,” comments Couttigane.

    “In the run-up, product innovation has been leveraged to encourage new customers, including Superdry’s premium collaboration with Idris Elba and its Superdry Sport and Superdry Snow collections for women, making the brand a strong contender for Christmas wish lists.

    “However, while its first six months have benefited from soft comparatives, the second half is set to be more demanding,” she concluded.

    SuperGroup’s full year pre-tax profit projection remains stable at £72.1 million.

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  • Peru to have Tmall Global shopfront

    Peru to have Tmall Global shopfront

    Peru and China have signed an agreement allowing Peruvian products to be sold directly to Chinese consumers online.

    Peruvian producers will set up stores on Alibaba Group’s Tmall Global via a country shopfront, much like Tmall has created with Germany, Australia, the US, Korea, the Netherlands, Thailand and other nations.

    The agreement will take Peruvian exporters closer to Chinese consumers and the value chain of Peruvian products will be fully developed, said VP of the Peruvian Association of Exporters, Eduardo Amorrortu during Monday’s contract signing ceremony.

    “Ecommerce has been developing very rapid. It has had a great impact on the economy and traditional modes of consumption have changed,” said VP of the Association of Chinese Companies in Peru (AECP), Kong Aimin.

  • Shoppers catch Zalora online fever

    Shoppers catch Zalora online fever

    Asian online fashion retailer Zalora recorded sales six times higher than any day ever before during its December 12 Online Fever promotion last weekend.

    Zalora sells in eight Asian markets: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

    The 12.12 Online Fever promotion was positioned as Asia’s answer to North America’s Cyber Monday, with Zalora aiming to boost eCommerce across the region, offering shoppers cut-price deals to encourage online purchasing and hoping to convert traditional consumers into e-consumers. This year, 32 per cent of 12.12 Online Fever shoppers were first-time Zalora customers.

    “12.12 Online Fever 2015 was a great success not only for Zalora, but for all the partners we worked with to make this initiative possible and for consumers who got their favourite fashion brands on great price point,” said CEO Michele Ferrario.

    As Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan are enjoying immense economic growth, we wanted to engage consumers and help boost the growth of e-Commerce in the region. This online sales day will give them a push, sparking consumer spending by offering their favourite items at the best prices. Last year’s record sales attested that such a cyber event resonates well with consumers in the region, and we are happy that we managed to engage more consumers this year.”

    To ensure timely packing and delivery of orders, Zalora increased staffing in operations working 24/7 in order to ship 100 per cent of the packages received in its warehouses within 24 hours. This resulted to having 30 per cent of packages delivered to customers within the next day and more than 50 per cent of packages by the end of yesterday, (December 14), across the region.

    One of the big surprises from the sale was the high percentage of shoppers using their mobile devices to browse and purchase – 78.5 per cent of shoppers on Saturday were using mobiles, just 21.5 per cent desktops or laptops – the number of mobile shoppers rose 250 per cent year on year.

    Females accounted for 74 per cent of shoppers.

    The most popular categories for both males and females were apparel, footwear and accessories. Favourite brands among women include Rubi, Mango, Dorothy Perkins and Something Borrowed while Sperry, Herschel, Onitsuka Tiger and Topman were popular brands for men.

    Netizens were also talking about 12.12 Online Fever in their social media posts, a few of them commending Zalora’s quick delivery service and alerting their friends to join in. 12.12 Online Fever received more than 1.6 million of impressions on popular social media sites Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

    This year’s 12.12 Online Fever also saw an increase in number of partners with 376 participating across the region, covering industries ranging from food, home, entertainment and travel to beauty.

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  • Flight Centre India to double network

    Flight Centre India to double network

    Australian travel retailer Flight Centre expects to more than double its network and business in India over the next five years.

    Flight Centre, listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, debuted in India 10 years ago and now considers the nation one of its top five corporate business markets globally.

    “India is an emerging market and a long term business for us,” said Rob Flint, executive GM – Asia and global corporate told the Economic Times.

    “We are expecting a high double digit growth from this market over  the next five years.”

    Flight Centre currently operates a corporate travel arm FCm Travel Solutions along with leisure travel company Flight Shop in India. The company currently has 12 operational stores in the country and plans to open 10 more next year.

    “We currently do about Rs 200 million (US$3 million) of business in India and believe that to be a leader in our space in India, we need to do at least Rs 500 million of business. We want to get to that level in the next five years,” added Rakshit Desai, MD India, FCm Travel Solutions and Flight Shop.

    Consumer travel accounts for about half the company’s turnover currently but it sees the corporate market as its main growth driver. The entire Flight Centre India operations posted profit growth of 12 per cent this year against last.

    The company entered India by buying New Delhi-based travel agency Friends Globe.

  • Singapore’s Honestbee launches in Japan

    Singapore’s Honestbee launches in Japan

    Honestbee, the fast-growing on-demand grocery concierge and delivery service company founded in Singapore just last July, has launched its service in Japan.

    The first Japan stop of many to come, visiting tourists can now enjoy the convenience of grocery shopping via the online portal honestbee.jp in Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan, from now until February 29.

    Honestbee’s point of difference to other online grocery shopping services is that it partners with retailers to offer a high-quality array of products and uses concierge shoppers to fulfil orders on demand – and then deliver them. It expanded into Hong Kong in October, and its next market is Taiwan, where it launches in a fortnight.

    “Niseko is one of the most popular ski destinations in the world which sees a great amount of tourist visits every season. While these families look forward to grocery shopping, the closest supermarket in the area is an hour away,” said Joel Sng, co-founder and CEO, Honestbee.

    “With technology and software, we plan to offer our customers the same level of convenience they have back home by travelling alongside them. Now they can better spend their time skiing or sipping hot chocolate somewhere else.”

    With the launch of this service, ski-lovers and snowboarders can now spend more time skiing on the powdery slopes of Niseko and have their groceries covered by Honestbee.

    As the third-largest economy in the world, Japan presents a wealth of opportunities for Honestbee’s expansion. Niseko is a world-renowned region in the Hokkaido prefecture. With the launch of the New Chitose Airport, increased direct flights to Sapporo from neighbouring cities have contributed to the dramatic rise of international tourists to about 1.5 million throughout the year. Foreign investments in properties in the ski areas have also fuelled economic growth in Niseko.

    Maintaining its commitment to offering a one-stop shop for a range of highly curated and specialty products, customers in Niseko will be able to shop for the freshest groceries, local Hokkaido and international products at major brands well-loved by the locals.

    While the Hokkaido launch may be perceived as something of an experiment or publicity stunt, Honestbee has confirmed it will offer a permanent service in more Japanese cities next year.

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  • FC Schalke opens Asian stores

    FC Schalke opens Asian stores

    German Bundesliga football team FC Schalke 04 has taken the next step in its long term process of internationalisation, opening three online stores for fans in Asia.

    The Royal Blues (as the team is nicknamed) has launched online shops to sell fans club merchandise quickly and easily online. This applies to every country in the Asia-Pacific region. For China and Japan there are separate online shops in the respective languages, while the English site reaches out to supporters in all the other countries.

    S04’s marketing director Alexander Jobst said Asia is an important target market for the team, as it has already gained a lot of support.

    “So we’re very pleased that the online shops are bringing us closer to our fans out there.”

    FC Schalke 04 is currently communicating with more than 1.2 million people in China through the club’s Chinese media channels. Schalke’s Japanese Twitter account has over 90,000 followers making S04 one of the best supported European clubs in Japan. The language-specific Facebook page is also liked by almost 40,000 Japanese fans.

    Jobst says the stores will enable faster delivery, market-specific products and country-specific payment methods.

    To begin with, the online shops will be available in four different languages: Chinese, with both traditional and simplified writing, Japanese and English. Further language options are planned to follow soon.

    FC Schalke 04 is offering a ‘welcome discount’ of 15 per cent off all products to celebrate the launch online.

    Hong Kong based company EZshopnet International  is the club’s official partner in the eCommerce project and help run the online shops of several other clubs including Chelsea, Juventus and AC Milan.

    Perhson Wong, chairman of EZshopnet said FC Schalke 04 is the company’s first partner from the German Bundesliga.

    “Most notable of all it is the first time that three parties from three different countries have collaborated to develop the online shops – a German football club, an eCommerce firm from Hong Kong and a creative web-design agency from the UK,” he said.

    As part of their internationalisation strategy, FC Schalke 04 has long been putting most of its focus on the Asia-Pacific region, and has been able to strike two partnership deals with multi-billion Chinese companies Hisense and Huawei, as well as South Korean tyre manufacturers Kumho Tyre.

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  • Japan’s Miniso opens Singapore flagship

    Japan’s Miniso opens Singapore flagship

    Japanese fast fashion brand Miniso has opened new flagship stores in Singapore and Dubai as it works on a global rollout.

    Miniso, founded by designer Miyake Jyunya and partner Ye Guofu, advocates the philosophy of ‘simple, natural and quality life and brand essence’ by “returning to nature and restoring product nature”.

    The brand is opening new stores at the rate of 20 to 30 a month, with China – where it made its debut in 2013 – a major focus.

    Jyunya, who attended the Singapore store opening at the Harbourfront Centre on Saturday (December 12), aims to provide “high-quality, low-priced and innovative products for global consumers”. Its stores are decorated in a fresh and natural style, establishing a service-oriented shopping environment that is finding favour with consumers.

    Jyunya described the Singapore and Dubai openings as “a major milestone in the company’s globalisation strategy”.

    “As one of the most developed market economies in Asia, a key services and shipping hub and the fourth global financial center after New York, London and Hong Kong, Singapore is an important destination for Miniso’s first international venture. Singaporean consumers have always been sensitive to changes in fashion, a philosophy built on and shared by Miniso,” the company said in a statement.

    “Dubai likewise is a significant location in the global services and retail sector and serves to highlight the newly established reach of the Miniso brand in addition to its ability to expand into developed markets.”

    In future, Miniso plans to continue to actively explore internationally, with the aim of offering a new generation of consumers an alternative to high-level retail through quality products at affordable prices.

    After its expansion into Singapore and Dubai, the company will turn its attention to Europe and eventually the rest of the world, “evolving into a superior international brand enjoyed and talked about by consumers everywhere”.

  • H&M blames weather for poor sales growth

    H&M blames weather for poor sales growth

    Hennes & Mauritz, the world’s second-largest apparel retailer, has reported a four per cent rise in sales in November.

    H&M says the increase was lower than expected due to unusually mild weather in the northern hemisphere, which lessened customer demand for winter clothing.

    Analysts are growing increasingly concerned about H&M’s margins, fearing they will come under pressure if stock has to be discounted to move inventory.

    Inditex, the world’s largest apparel retailer, last week reported sales in local currency terms increased 15 per cent in November, despite the weather.

    H&M’s net sales in September through November, the company’s fiscal fourth quarter, totalled 48.7 billion Swedish crowns (£3.83 billion), up from a year-ago 42.6 billion but below the mean forecast of 49.6 billion.

    Year on year, H&M has added 413 new stores, taking its global network to 3924.

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  • Starbucks volunteers joined 500 middle and high school students

    Recently, Starbucks volunteers joined 500 middle and high school students for the Youth Skill Development and Food Sustainability Project in partnership with the Books for Children Foundation. The event took place at the Bumrung-Raviwan Wittaya School, which promotes healthy food and living, grows vegetables for school and home meals, and sells leftover crops to student families. Combined, 330 volunteer hours impacted nearly 5,000 students and their families, along with others in the community.

    “At Starbucks, our long-term commitment is to make a positive and sustainable change in the areas of environment, society and economy,” said Murray Darling, managing director of Starbucks Coffee Thailand. “The community event allowed us to reaffirm the company’s long-term commitment to local communities.”

    For part of the day, students practiced project planning, leadership and communications skills during a food sustainability project. Students and volunteers built nursery shelves for vegetables, created an organic shade plot for crops and repaired the pier for a small fish farm.

    The majority of the community project focused on skills development through an English conversation class. Starbucks Thailand partners helped students hone their English-speaking skills through songs and word games.

    Starbucks volunteers also read stories to a kindergarten class with Ruangsakdi Pinprateep, managing director of the Books for Children Foundation and author of “Ping Pong, Will You Come with the Bear.” This children’s book was funded by a portion of sales from Starbucks Thailand Barista Bears.

    “It was such an honor for Starbucks to join us in service,” said Naiyana Aua-amnueychai, director of Bumrung-Raviwan Wittaya School. “We place a great deal of emphasis on English skills development and food sustainability at our school and Starbucks volunteers helped our teachers and students in these areas. We are pleased that Starbucks and our school share the same goal to contribute back to our society.”

    Starbucks Thailand has collaborated with Books for Children since 2005. Together, they have collected more than 400,000 books through an annual Christmas book drive and completed a library renovation at Silapadech community. In addition, they completed the Bookstart for Intellectual Disability Children’s Project at Rajanukul Institute and renovated the Wat Kla Cha-um School library and playground.

    “By working with Books for Children for the past 10 years, we have delivered educational opportunities to both public and private organizations nationwide,” said Sumonpin Jotikabukkana, marketing and communications director of Starbucks Coffee Thailand. “We realize that literacy is an essential element for children’s development and we aim to do our best to continue to promote and support these areas for Thai children in every sector of the society.”

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  • Siam Paragon in Bangkok Ranked 6th Place as the World’s Most Talked-About Places

    Siam Paragon in Bangkok Ranked 6th Place as the World’s Most Talked-About Places

    Siam Paragon, Thailand’s world-class shopping destination, has gained prestige to Thailand after being ranked 6th as the most talked-about places among people around the world in 2015 and being the only place in Asia that has made the top 10 rankings — according to the ranking of 20 most popular places globally talked about in 2015, announced early December by Facebook.

    Opened in 2005 with an investment budget of THB 15 billion (USD 375 million), Siam Paragon Shopping Center is a world-class shopping and lifestyle phenomenon, welcoming over 300 leading international luxury labels and cutting-edge local names that suit the needs of all visitors to its 500,000 square meters of retail space in the heart of Bangkok.

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  • Punggol shopping mall Waterway Point to open on Jan 18

    Punggol shopping mall Waterway Point to open on Jan 18

    Punggol shopping mall Waterway Point will open on Jan 18 next year, it announced on its Facebook page.

    In replies to comments on a post on the page, which has more than 30,000 fans, it said: “We are pleased to share with you that Waterway Point will be opening on 18 January 2016. Stay tuned to our page for interesting updates.”

    The mall, located in Punggol Central near Punggol MRT station, offers the usual mix of food and beverage, and retail outlets, including apparel chain Uniqlo, book store Times and electronics retailer Best Denki. Its anchor tenants are a Shaw Theatres cinema and supermarket FairPrice Finest.

    In August, Frasers Centrepoint Malls announced that the shopping centre had a 90 per cent committed occupancy, months ahead of its expected opening.

    It is part of Watertown, an integrated waterfront residential and retail development.

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