Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • Belgian King praises Indonesia`s economic development

    Belgian King praises Indonesia`s economic development

    “Indonesias economy is remarkable,” King of Belgium Philippe told President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) when they met at the Royal Palace in Brussels, the Belgian capital on April 21, 2016.

    He has followed the economic development of Indonesia closely, and he gave high credit to the progress, King Philippe claimed.

    He particularly expressed his support to the economic deregulation measures carried out by President Jokowi, who is expected to reveal his 12th economic stimulus package aimed at boosting investment and trade, in the very near future.

    Belgium is Indonesias key partner, in terms of trade and investment.

    Total trade between Indonesia and Belgium in 2015 reached US$1.67 billion, while investments amounted to US$7 million.

    The European countrys investments in Indonesia include those in diverse fields, ranging from power generation to the cocoa processing industry.

    Last March, the Belgian government sent a high-profile delegation to Indonesia, headed by Princess Astrid to strengthen bilateral economic relations, particularly in the fields of trade and investment.

    Princess Astrid, as representative of King Philippe, headed a 301-member delegation to Indonesia from March 12 to 18, 2016.

    In total, 127 companies and at least four ministers participated in the economic mission.

    The delegation is the largest-ever Belgian mission to come to Indonesia, and this is a landmark in the growing ties between the two nations, the Belgian government said on its official website.

    Some 25 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and business contracts between business associations of both countries were signed during Princess Astrids visit to Jakarta.

    Jokowi and Princess Astrid, during their meeting at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, on March 15, 2016, agreed that the two nations should step up economic cooperation.

    The President expressed his optimism that Belgiums largest economic mission to Indonesia would help strengthen bilateral relations between both countries.

    The Head of State also called for expanding interactions between the business communities of both nations, and for expanding market access for Indonesian products, such as footwear, rubber, textiles, electronics and furniture, to enter Belgium.

    He also invited Belgian investors to start businesses in strategic sectors in Indonesia, such as infrastructure, telecommunications, the film industry, and raw materials.

    However, in the meeting with the Belgian King in Brussels, President Jokowi conveyed Indonesias worries on several discriminative measures from EU countries to Indonesian Crude Palm Oil products.

    “I believe Belgium will not take those discriminatory measures,” the President said.

    He also expressed his appreciation and gratitude for the decision to select Indonesia as the guest country for the 2017 Europalia Festival, as well as for the invitation to attend the inauguration of the festival.

    “The festival is an opportunity for Indonesia to show the richness of its culture. I hope Your Majesty will support us for the success of the event,” President Jokowi, who was accompanied by Coordinating Minister for the Economy Darmin Nasution, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno L.P. Marsudi, Minister of Trade Thomas Lembong, and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, said.

    Coinciding with the Presidents visit, a round-table meeting was organized and attended by CEOs of 15 Belgian companies in Brussels on April 21.

    Many people in the audience expressed interest in gaining insights into infrastructure development in Indonesia.

    Head of the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Franky Sibarani and Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Roesan Roslani briefed them on the progress of infrastructure development projects, such as seaports, toll roads, and airports.

    Most of the participating companies have invested in Indonesia and planned to expand their investments.

    “For instance, a company that produces steel fiber expanded its investment worth US$50 million in Karawang; a knife manufacturing company has planned to open a new plant in Bekasi; and a retail company has planned to expand its network,” Sibarani revealed.

    Belgiums investment in the country reached $132 million during the 2010-2015 period, placing the nation in the 27th position on the list of Indonesias foreign investors, according to the BKPM data.

    The European countrys investment commitment during the same period was recorded at $213.5 million comprising 64 projects.

    Furthermore, the BKPM identified a Belgian firm, which is keen to invest US$574.5 million, or some Rp7.1 trillion, in seaport development.

    The Belgian company had contacted a state-owned seaport operator to express its interest, Sibarani stated.

    “The company has also urged the investment board to facilitate its plan, including coordinating with other related ministries or institutions,” he remarked.

    Meanwhile, Trade Minister Thomas Lembong stated that a series of economic policy packages issued by the government had made Indonesia a favorite investment destination.

    “The policy packages have made Indonesia more attractive to foreign investors,” Thomas Lembong, accompanying President Jokowi on a European tour that covers Germany, Britain, Belgium, and the Netherlands, said.

    The policy packages had boosted trade cooperation between Indonesia and European countries, the minister believed.

    The Indonesian government has issued 11 economic policy packages over the past several months marked by massive deregulation.

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  • Prince Albert of Monaco appreciates Wonderful indonesia

    Prince Albert of Monaco appreciates Wonderful indonesia

    Prince Albert II of Monaco appreciated Wonderful Indonesia, Indonesia’s tourism promotion branding initiative, during an Indonesia-Monaco Friendship Night in Monte Carlo on April 20.

    The Tourism Ministry Secretary, Ukus Kuswara, said in Monaco on Saturday that Monaco’s head of state expressed his appreciation for the campaign when he attended the friendship night, where cultural and arts performances were the highlight.

    Apart from Prince Albert II, the friendship night, an initiative of the Indonesian tourism ministry and the Indonesian Embassy in Paris, was also attended by government officials, the head of state palace, the head of Monaco Economic Agency, industrialists and tourism business players of the kingdom state.

    The tourism ministry presented the Paulus Surya Orchestra & Vocalia from Semarang, Central Java, featuring 10 musicians and five dancers. Dressed in Bali’s exotic costumes, they danced to traditional music as audiences joined the revelries, shaking their heads, their bodies jiving to keep up with the tempo.

    A medley of European songs, including the O Bambino Caro, a favorite of the mother of Prince Albert II, mesmerized the audience. Besides the orchestra, Indonesian textiles were also displayed by noted designer Oscar Lawalata.

    Oscar Lawalata displayed 60 personal classic textile collections from various regions in Indonesia.

    After the Wonderful Indonesia program, the event continued with a business meeting between the two countries.

    The Indonesian delegation was led by Kuswara, accompanied by Hirmansyah Sambudhy Thaib, the chairman of the working group for development acceleration of 10 national tourism destinations.

    On the Monaco side, the event was attended by the country’s businessmen and industrialists who were offered investment cooperation and a chance to visit Indonesia. They were offered investment opportunities in Indonesia’s Tourism Special Economic Zone, now being developed in 10 tourism destinations.

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  • Dell launches IoT solutions partner program

    Dell launches IoT solutions partner program

    Dell is building an ecosystem of partners to help customers navigate the fragmented IoT landscape and identify the right technologies to develop IoT solutions.

    The Dell IoT Solutions Partner Program will provide participating partners with access to Dell’s  product portfolio and support.

    The program will combine a global network of experienced independent software vendors with the portfolio of Dell’s IoT assets. These include purpose-built, intelligent gateways and embedded PCs, security and manageability tools, data center and cloud infrastructure, and data integration and analytics software like Boomi and Statistica.

    The IoT partner program launched with more than 25 partners including GE, SAP, Software AG, Microsoft, OSIsoft and others, many of which are using the Dell Edge Gateway 5000 Series to power their own IoT solutions. Dell also continues to build relationships with systems integrators with vertical expertise and deployment scale.

    The Dell Edge gateway runs on Windows 10 for secure, reliable, and streamlined support and is Microsoft Azure Certified for IoT. Customers can depend on the Edge Gateway for seamless and security-enhanced data with the Azure IoT Suite, so they can get their projects running quickly.

    Dell, Kepware, and Software AG are collaborating to develop IoT-enabled predictive maintenance models using distributed analytics to address the industry’s biggest operational challenges, such as unplanned downtime, overall equipment effectiveness, maintenance cost and return on assets.

    With Microsoft and Blue Pillar, Dell is delivering Automated Demand Response solutions which help utilities maintain grid reliability and enable customers to realize significant value through dispatch of onsite power generation or reduction in consumption.

    Dell and SAP are also collaborating to bring business to the edge with models designed to help address the industry’s biggest operational challenges, such as business continuity, overall equipment effectiveness, maintenance cost and return on assets.

    Additional partners include Azeti, Blue Pillar, Datawatch, Eigen Innovations, Flowthings, Flutura, GE, Kepware, Lynx Software, Microsoft Azure, OSIsoft, Relayr, SAP, Software AG, and Thingworx.

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  • Alibaba Cloud launches IoT platform

    Alibaba Cloud launches IoT platform

    Alibaba Cloud has unveiled a series of new products aimed at expanding its IoT, hybrid cloud, storage and security capabilities.

    At its Shenzhen Summit last week, Alibaba Cloud launched version 1.0 of IoT, its one-stop platform for IoT and cloud computing. The service will provide infrastructure for IoT deployments in areas including medical, energy, smart home and intelligent campus networks.

    IoT Version 1.0 combines an IoT foundation kit, an intelligence dissemination platform and smart device and ecosystem functionality. It is compatible with a range of protocols to allow devices to connect quickly to the cloud and other devices.

    At the event, Alibaba Cloud also launched Apsara Stack, a dedicated cloud platform for hybrid clouds. Apsara Stack can be used to obtain public cloud capabilities in a fully-isolated environment within an enterprise data center.

    For enterprise level database and storage needs, the company unveiled a number of services including data migration, storage engines, access protocols and usage models.

    The company also introduced a concept it calls “light computing”, involving providing a cloud storage application interface that allows users to create “instant-on”data processing applications or modules.

    Finally, Alibaba Cloud revealed it has upgraded its AliCloud CDN to support HTTPS encrypted communication, certificate authority services and other enterprise-class security services.

  • Dtac won’t participate in 900-MHz re-auction

    Dtac won’t participate in 900-MHz re-auction

    Thailand’s Dtac has decided not to participate in the upcoming re-auction of 900-MHz spectrum due primarily to the high reserve price.

    The operator has informed regulator NBTC that it does not plan to bid in the auction

    Dtac will instead rely on its 20 MHz of 1800-MHz bandwidth held under a concession agreement due to expire in 2018. The operator also has 15 MHz on the 2100-MHz band under a 3G licensing agreement.

    But Dtac CEO Lars Norling has urged the regulator to bring the 1800-MHz spectrum up for auction before its concession expires.

    Rival operators AIS and True Move have both expressed a strong interest in securing the spectrum, and have both picked up bid documents for the June auction, the report states.

    This is despite the military government’s decision to set the reserve price at the 75.65 billion baht ($2.16 billion) bid by Jas Mobile Broadband before it defaulted on its first instalment payment, triggering the need to reallocate the spectrum.

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  • Thai telecoms regulator weakened in new frequency act

    Thai telecoms regulator weakened in new frequency act

    Thailand’s military cabinet has approved a new frequency act that puts the formerly independent regulator under the control of the new digital economy commission while the selection process now goes through the executive branch.

    The new National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Act calls for a single seven-member board (down from two five-member boards and one chair, one for broadcasting and one for telecommunications).

    Selection will be through a committee consisting of the president of the constitutional court, the president of the supreme court, the president of the administrative court, chairman of the national anti-corruption commission, the auditor-general, the chairman of the national human rights commission and the governor of the Bank of Thailand. The committee will select 14 individuals which are passed to new Digital Economy Ministry (previously the ICT Ministry) which will forward them to the senate for selection which will forward the final selection to the Prime Minister.

    The new NBTC act stipulates that the NBTC will have to follow the policy of the Digital Economy Commission and abide by the government policy statement. The new DE Commission is chaired by the Prime Minister.

    The DE Commission will have the final say if there is dispute whether the NBTC is complying with government policy or not.

    Matters of satellite and orbital slots are no longer a matter for the NBTC.

    Spectrum allocation for telecommunications will be by auction except for certain designated uses.

    In an earlier draft it was understood that the DE Commission could allocate spectrum for good causes and only let the NBTC handle commercial spectrum.

    Another key change is in the NBTC budget which must be efficient and economical and the NBTC must obey any orders given by the auditor-general.

    In the transition period, the existing NBTC will continue until their term is over in September 2017 unless there are less than four NBTC board members remaining in which case the entire NBTC board will be considered expired.

    Meanwhile the new computer misuse act was also approved and will be put to the military-appointed legislature later this week. Leaked drafts show the bill to be draconian with the Digital Economy Ministry having immense power.

    The DE Ministry will have the power in censoring websites without the need for judicial review. It can arrest and fine hackers without any recourse for appeal or review in a court of law.

    Elsewhere Deputy Junta leader and defence minister General Pravit Wongsuwan has ordered police to closely monitor social media and to report any political activities to the military’s cyber warfare division over the course of the next five years.

    Junta leader and prime minister General Prayuth Chanocha last Friday announced a five year transitional period to democracy.

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  • XL Axiata swings back to profit in Q1

    XL Axiata swings back to profit in Q1

    Indonesia’s XL Axiata swung back to a net profit for the first quarter during what CEO Dian Siswarini said was a “promising start to 2016.”

    The operator reported a net profit of 20 billion rupiah ($1.5 million) during the period, which compares to a loss of 758 billion rupiah in the same quarter last year.

    Profit for 2016 was positively impacted by the strengthening of the rupiah against the US dollar this year, compared to a weakening in the first quarter of 2015.

    Revenue meanwhile grew 2% year-on-year during Q1 of 2016, with core usage revenue up 5%, driven by a 23% year-on-year growth in the data segment. Data traffic grew 94% year-on-year and total data users grew to 22.8 million, or 54% of XL’s total base.

    XL commented that LTE has become a key part of the operator’s mobile internet leadership strategy. By the end of the quarter, XL expanded its LTE footprint to cover 3,286 sites in 36 Indonesian cities and areas. The company’s total BTS footprint as of the end of March was 59,040.

    “We have made a promising start to 2016 with further improvements in our operating and financial performance, and we hope to build momentum as we execute on our transformation agenda,” Siswarini said in a statement.

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  • Calvin Klein design chiefs axed

    Calvin Klein design chiefs axed

    Calvin Klein design will be overseen by one person from now on after a reshape which led to the departure of its two most senior designers.

    The US-based global fashion brand, owned by PVH Corp, has announced that Francisco Costa, (pictured) the brand’s women’s creative director and Italo Zucchelli, the men’s creative director, will be leaving the company.

    It has not named the new creative head.

    “This creative strategy marks the beginning of another significant chapter in Calvin Klein’s brand legacy since Mr Klein’s retirement,” announced Steve Shiffman, Calvin Klein CEO.

    “I would like to thank Francisco and Italo for their unwavering commitment to the Calvin Klein brand and their accomplishments over the past decade. They have both contributed immensely to making Calvin Klein a global leader in the fashion industry, and they have done so with dedication, focus and creativity.”

    He said the strategy is part of “a global evolution” in the direction of the Calvin Klein brand, which began with the reacquisition of its jeans and underwear businesses in 2013. As the company continues to build itself into a $10 billion global retail sales business, this undertaking will further solidify the brand’s positioning worldwide and pave the way for future long-term global growth. The new brand direction will ultimately follow one creative vision across all categories of the business.

    An announcement on who will head design moving forward “will be made in due course,” the company said.

    Besides Calvin Klein, PVH Corp owns Tommy Hilfiger, Van Heusen, Izod, Arrow, Speedo, Warner’s and Olga brands.

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  • Ikea Korea falls foul of regulator

    Ikea Korea falls foul of regulator

    South Korea’s antitrust watchdog has told global furniture giant Ikea Korea to revise its terms regarding refunds for cancelled deliveries.

    Ikea, which opened its first store in southern Seoul in 2014, is running a delivery service for South Korean customers who are familiar with free packaging and door-to-door delivery.

    The service costs between 19,000 won (US$16) and 159,000 won ($137) depending on the distance from its store in Gwangmyeong to the destination.

    Ikea Korea has never refunded the delivery fees for any cancelled items even if the item is cancelled before the delivery truck departs, according to Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC).

    The FTC said the furniture company has to change its refund guidelines to enable customers to get a refund after omitting packaging and other costs upon the FTC’s recommendation.

    Ikea Korea also revised its assembly terms to pay back the money when the customer cancels the service, added the watchdog.

    “We’ve received many complaints about Ikea’s refund policies on its delivery and assembly services,” said Min Hye-young, director of the unfair contract examination division at the FTC.

    “We took action, as all customers have the right to get a refund for their cancelled purchases.”

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  • 800 Degrees pizza outlet for Tokyo

    800 Degrees pizza outlet for Tokyo

    Customised pizza has arrived in Japan, thanks to American chain 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria.

    Its first outlet for the nation is at the south exit of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station in the new Newomanbuilding complex, which features fashion boutiques and fancy eateries.

    800 Degrees Pizza res

    With an open-plan kitchen set-up, 800 Degrees features quick-baked pizzas that can be customised when ordering, including the style of base, cheese and sauce selection, and protein and vegetable toppings, even including renkon (lotus root). Side salads can also be customised, and specialty pizzas are also available.

    800 Degrees Pizza inside

    After assembly, the pizzas go into a wood-burning oven and are ready within a minute.

    Already there are queues at the outlet, with customers sometimes having to wait about 30 minutes to be served. However, after ordering customers will be given a pizza number if the restaurant is busy.

    Japan is the second international destination for 800 Degrees, which has four outlets in Dubai.

  • Dior Hong Kong opens Times Square boutique

    Dior Hong Kong opens Times Square boutique

    A Dior Hong Kong exclusive store has opened in Times Square mall, the boutique continuing the style of its Avenue Montaigne flagship store in Paris.

    Dior Hong Kong times squares.jpg 3

    Its design concept is a mix of 18th century and modern, says the Times Square Facebook page. The interior was designed by architect Peter Marino, who was also responsible for the Paris flagship.

    Dior Hong Kong times squares.jpg 2

    Dior exclusive shops feature women’s garments, leather goods, footwear and accessories. There are five zones in the new outlet, with two rooms devoted to bags (one features the complete range of Dior handbags, while the other has exotic bags). The other zones are the Footwear District, Ready-to-wear Salon and Ornaments/Accessories District.

    Dior Hong Kong times squares.jpg 4

    Dior Hong Kong times squares.jpg 1

    Features of the decor include a fireplace and table by Juan & Paloma Garrido, a film installation by Yoram Mevorach Oyoram, a circular bench by Christopher Schanck and tables by Christophe Delcourt and Thierry Lemaire.

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  • Spar Asia flourishes

    Spar Asia flourishes

    Food retailer Spar Asia had “significant” developments during its latest financial year.

    In a partnership with Ramayana, the Amsterdam-based group opened 15 stores in Indonesia in nine months, had rapid growth in India after re-entering the market in 2014, and saw its China sales rise 6.8 per cent to €1.9 billion (US$2.14 billion).

    Internationally, its retail sales netted €33 billion for the year, a 3.5 per cent increase on 2014 – the group’s strongest sales growth in five years.

    During the year it entered four new countries, in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, taking its total to 12,100 stores in 42 countries serving 13 million customers a day. Spar International’s multi-format strategy includes hypermarkets, supermarkets, and neighbourhood and convenience stores.

    The fresh department is at the core of the Spar concept, with the stores also offering FMCG products and core non-food ranges. Value is underpinned through its low-priced, quality private-label products.

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  • Apple Pay Singapore launched

    Apple Pay Singapore launched

    Apple Pay Singapore is now live – the second Asian market in which the tech giant’s new payments system is now accepted.

    The cardless, cashless payment system debuted in China last month and more Asian markets are expected to follow after negotiations are concluded with partnering banks and card systems.

    Apple Pay allows shoppers to buy goods using their iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch – but in Singapore only American Express card holders can use the facility, for now.

    Apple pay

    “Credit and debit cards from Singapore’s most popular banks, including DBS, UOB and Standard Chartered will work with Apple Pay in the coming months,” Apple Singapore said in a statement.

    But Forrester researcher Zhi Ying Ng believes consumer adoption of Apple Pay will be slower than expected in Singapore.

    “The use of contactless card payments is increasing in Singapore, and consumers are comfortable with using it. While there are still significant barriers to consumer adoption of digital wallets today, it will take time before these wallets become more convenient for customers and as customers realise the benefits and additional value that digital wallets bring,” he said in a statement.

    Apple Pay is also now accepted in the US, Canada, Australia and the UK.

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  • Lacoste Singapore scores airport outlet

    Lacoste Singapore scores airport outlet

    French clothing company Lacoste Singapore has tendered successfully for an outlet at Changi Airport.

    RSH Singapore, which represents Lacoste, has been awarded a 78 sqm concession in the west departure/transit lounge on level two.

    Calling for mid-priced fashion tenders in Terminal 1, Changi Airport Group awarded two other concessions to Dufry (The Nuance Group Singapore), which will use its 70 sqm and 83 sqm concessions for the Kipling and Trunk & Co brands.

    All concessions are in the same area with three-year contracts, with no option to renew. The tenders attracted 13 participants.

    Meanwhile, Dufry, in partnership with MCM, has also won an extra 104 sqm speciality tender in the same location, also for three years.

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  • Tourism slump hits Burberry Hong Kong sales

    Tourism slump hits Burberry Hong Kong sales

    British luxury brand Burberry Hong Kong has seen its sales slide by more than 20 per cent for the third quarter in a row.

    The result reflects the continuing fall-off in tourist numbers to Hong Kong from China, including a 26 per cent drop in February.

    Burberry’s second-half sales results, just released, show a “challenging” environment for luxury, says CEO Christopher Bailey. Global comparable sales declined by 2 per cent, dragged down by Hong Kong and Macau. Global comparable sales excluding these regions actually edged up 1 per cent for the half.

    Burberry’s bright spots were Mainland China, Japan and Korea, which all saw positive growth. Japan, which has become a luxury shopping hotspot for Chinese tourists, had double-digit growth in total retail revenue.

    Sales also slowed down in Europe, as luxury shoppers from China avoided the region following the Paris terror attacks in November. Demand for Burberry goods fell in France, Germany, Italy and Spain amid a general sense of unease about security and fears of further terrorist attacks in Europe.

    However, it is not all doom and gloom for Burberry, says Verdict Retail analyst Andrew Hall, citing growth in online sales and the launch of the Mr Burberry fragrance. The success of Burberry’s fragrances has seen the brand’s beauty division achieve underlying growth of 10 per cent in the second half.

    “Furthermore, Burberry continues to be at the forefront of luxury fashion retail, making headlines with high-profile collaborations – for example, Steve McQueen – and sending waves across the industry as it shakes up the traditional fashion show timetable,” says Hall.

    “Burberry can certainly be proud of the hard-won successes, but long-term strategic leadership is needed to overcome the blows dealt by performance in some Asian markets. Until this is achieved, the good work will continue to be overshadowed by falling demand in Hong Kong and Macau.”

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