Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • Tesco Malaysia to launch self-checkout lanes

    Tesco Malaysia to launch self-checkout lanes

    Tesco Malaysia has chosen NCR self-checkout know-how for introduction into its hypermarket community.

    The 2 corporations says the know-how will supply “a quicker and extra handy checkout choice” for its clients in Malaysia.

    “Clients will now have the liberty to scan, bag and pay for items themselves, with out having to attend in lengthy queues.” (Sure, the press assertion did say that; thus confirming Tesco has a customer support drawback – Ed).

    The Tesco retailer at IOI Metropolis Mall in Putrajaya, the chain’s latest, would be the website of the primary pilot deployment, to be adopted by Tesco KSL Metropolis in Johor.

    The NCR self-checkout answer works by a touchscreen that “intelligently guides consumers by way of the checkout course of with animated demonstrations for less complicated and quicker transactions”. NCR will present consulting, coaching and providers to make sure clean deployment.

    “We’re delighted to work with Tesco to increase the advantages of self-checkout to a different new market in Asia,” stated Michael Cawley, VP of Asia Pacific with NCR Retail.

    “By leveraging our strong international deployment experiences, we’re serving to retailers not solely to enhance their buyer providers and differentiate their in-store experiences, but in addition enhance their working prices.”

    Tesco first began utilizing NCR SelfServ checkout within the UK in 2002. The know-how is now out there at Tesco shops in Eire, the US, Central and Japanese Europe, South Korea and Thailand. NCR says its personal analysis exhibits self-checkout options can scale back wait occasions by as a lot as 40 per cent whereas almost two thirds of consumers say shops that provide the choice of self-checkout present higher buyer providers.

    NCR shipped extra self checkout models globally in 2014 than all different distributors mixed for the fifth consecutive yr, based on strategic analysis and consulting agency RBR.

  • Lafayette Gourmand China opens first flagship

    Lafayette Gourmand China opens first flagship

    French division retailer retailer Galeries Lafayette has opened its first Lafayette Gourmand China meals retailer – in Beijing.

    Lafayette Gourmand is actually a luxurious meals corridor serving meals to eat on website or take house.

    The flagship has a grocery store stocked with French gourmand meals and a 7000 sqm eating space that includes greater than 10 eating places serving worldwide cuisines. An estimated 80 per cent of the meals bought on website is imported from France.

    The shop is situated on the fifth flooring of the Galeries Lafayette division retailer, the corporate’s excessive profile debut property in China.

    Lafayette Group division retailer division government president Nicolas Houze just lately hosted a gap ceremony for the brand new foodie vacation spot.

    Based on China Retail News, the brand new gourmand retailer is the most important French imported meals specialty retailer within the Chinese language capital.

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  • Astro GS Store Malaysia bullish on progress

    Astro GS Store Malaysia bullish on progress

    House buying channel Astro Malaysia says its gross sales have risen 50 per cent between the January and April quarters.

    Astro GS Store is a three way partnership between cable TV community operator Astro Malaysia and South Korean multimedia retailer GS Residence Purchasing Inc.

    Within the quarter to April 30, Astro says the TV buying channel achieved RM37 million in gross sales, or about US$10 million). That’s a full 50 per cent greater than within the three months to January 31.

    The channel was ‘soft-launched’ final November, with the 2 companions not sure how Malaysians would take to purchasing on TV, particularly given the viewers was restricted to pay TV subscribers.

    Between February and April, Astro GS Store bought 175,000 gadgets, 55,000 greater than between November and January.

    The numbers should be small in comparison with extra mature TV buying companies in Korea or Thailand, for instance, however it’s the momentum which is reassuring the three way partnership companions.

    “I feel the traction is sweet,” Astro GS Store CEO Rozalila Abdul Rahman advised Digital News Asia.

    “Once we had our delicate launch in November final yr, we didn’t know whether or not the market was prepared. So there was no promoting push in any respect – we simply went on the air, and we began to see lots of people calling in.”

    Astro says its buyer database expanded from 75,000 to 160,000 through the newest quarter.

    The JV operated underneath the model Go Store on a 24-seven devoted channel on Astro’s pay TV platform, in addition to on web and cellular platforms.

    Rozhan predicted final yr that Malaysia’s eCommerce sector can be value RM3.6 billion (US$960 million) by 2020.

    After the early success of Go Store, Astro GS Store is planning to launch a second channel aimed toward Malaysian Chinese language residents.

    “We hope Astro GS Store is ready to hit RM150 million (US$40 million) in income this monetary yr. In 5 years, we hope we will develop income to RM500 million (US$133 million),” she stated.

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  • Ikea Korea in pricing highlight

    Ikea Korea in pricing highlight

    The costs of couches and wardrobes bought by Ikea Korea, the native unit of Swedish furnishings big, are 15-20 per cent larger than these in different nations, a ballot exhibits.

    The survey by native shopper advocacy group Shopper Analysis confirmed that the worth of 126 merchandise bought within the nation averaged 522,717 gained (US$471.80), which is 15-20 per cent larger in contrast with the fee in Germany, Japan and the US.

    The typical worth was the bottom in Japan at 437,578 gained, adopted by Germany with 453,737 gained and the US with 455,344 gained. They have been calculated utilizing the overseas trade charges on June 15 and solely embrace merchandise which are bought in all 4 markets.

    Costs of some 100 particular person merchandise bought in South Korea have been costlier that these within the three different nations, the report confirmed.

    A Shopper Analysis official stated that merchandise with worth tags larger than 100,000 gained have been usually bought at a better value than in different nations, whereas low-end gadgets have been cheaper in South Korea.

    Ikea Korea refuted the survey outcomes, saying that it considers a mixture of elements, together with overseas change, inventory and tariff charges, in setting costs in every nation.

    The Swedish furnishings model has been embroiled in numerous shopper grievance instances since its native debut in December. A lot of the complaints have been concerning the worth gaps in contrast with different markets, whereas a map product labeling the East Sea because the Sea of Japan additionally sparked backlash in February this yr amid fraying ties between Seoul and Tokyo.

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  • SSI to launch Joe Recent Philippines

    SSI to launch Joe Recent Philippines

    SSI subsidiary Shops Specialists has obtained the franchise for the Joe Recent style model within the Philippines.

    SSI will open a sequence of Joe Recent Philippines shops underneath licence from Loblaw, the Canadian retail big which owns the model.

    The primary shops will open subsequent yr, ranging attire, equipment, footwear and wonder merchandise for ladies, males and youngsters.

    “Joe Recent additional strengthens our lineup of worth manufacturers, permitting us to faucet and delight a fair broader base of Philippine shoppers,” SSI President Anthony T. Huang stated in a press release.

    With 350 shops in Canada, Joe Recent began increasing outdoors North America in 2014, opening shops with companions in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and the UAE.

    “We’re happy to introduce Joe Recent to the increasing Philippines retail panorama,” Joe Recent president Mario Grauso stated.

    SSI, mum or dad of the Rustan Group, additionally owns the FamilyMart and Wellworth retail operations within the Philippines.

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  • Dior Seoul flagship opens doorways

    Dior Seoul flagship opens doorways

    Luxurious style label Dior has opened a shocking flagship retailer in South Korea’s capital which we assure is like nothing you’ve seen anyplace on the planet ever earlier than…

    Designed by Christian de Portzamparc, the six storey Dior Seoul retailer contains a curvaceous white exterior barely harking back to an enormous enamel tooth.

    And inside is “a wealth of surprises” as Dior places it.

    In a decor made from wooden, lacquers, leathers, superb weaves and progressive melanges to excite the senses, inside designer Peter Marino has chosen to welcome guests with a suspended sculpture by Korean artist Lee Bul. The staircase is conceived as an unfurling ribbon that guides buyers to the ladies’s ready-to-wear collections, leather-based items, footwear, jewelry, watches and perfumes.

    But in addition to the Dior Homme area, and to an artwork gallery with a personal salon the place work by Marc Polidori, amongst others, are on present.

    The highest flooring is residence to the Café Dior by Pierre Hermé. “This new, full-sized location completely evokes the historical past of the Home in probably the most modern of visions,” says Dior.

    The Dior Seoul flagship, which opened on Saturday (June 20), is situated on a nook website within the Gangnam-gu district. It’s open every single day from 11am-8pm.

  • Coach heads to India

    Coach heads to India

    US style model Coach is to enter India with unique retail shops.

    The corporate has reportedly chosen Genesis Luxurious as its companion, based mostly in Gurgaon. Nevertheless on the time of writing no official assertion had been made by both firm.

    Genesis is reportedly buying inventory with a view to opening the primary standalone Coach retailer in Mumbai or Delhi.

    Coach, based in 1941, is predicated in New York, though its shares are additionally traded on the Hong Kong inventory trade.

    Apart from its personal stand alone shops, Coach sells its womens style and equipment by way of department shops, airport concessions and on-line in 35 worldwide markets.

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  • Homelegance China in retailer rollout

    Homelegance China in retailer rollout

    Homelegance China plans to confide in 30 shops a yr because the US model builds its Chinese language model consciousness.

    The corporate opened its first China retailer within the metropolis of Tianjin in Might and by the top of August may have six shops buying and selling in complete. By the top of October it expects to increase to 11 and from then on it plans between 20 and 30 new shops will open yearly.

    Homelegance needs to focus on China’s center class with its assortment of predominantly picket bed room, dwelling, eating and workplace furnishings.

    The inaugural Tianjin retailer is a 30,000 sqft franchise opened in a specialist furnishings shopping center, Pink Star Macalline. It’s operated by Li ShiGuang. Tianjin is the situation of Homelegance’s 260,000 sqft warehouse which can provide shops within the rising community.

    Homelegance will licence shops in China to make sure it has native operators who perceive the native markets it enters.

    “We all know that to develop we should look past our conventional US borders to turn out to be the worldwide chief we all know we might be,” Jamie Collins, government VP of Homelegance USA, advised Furnishings At present.

    “There isn’t any higher place for us to focus our efforts than in China. Past constructing a model in China we all know that our new licensees in China will take pleasure in what our retail companions in North America have already skilled, worthwhile positive factors via the sale of Homelegance merchandise.”

    Collins stated the demand for American designs amongst Chinese language is rising yearly.

    “We’ll current Homelegance as a premier way of life model that represents the perfect of what the Chinese language shopper is on the lookout for.”

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  • Wanda crowdfunding raises $807m

    Wanda crowdfunding raises $807m

    Chinese language property developer Dalian Wanda Group has raised US$807 million by way of a crowdfunding app which might be used to spend money on 5 new Wanda Plaza buying malls.

    The Wanda crowdfunding app ‘Secure earner No 1’ is the corporate’s first foray into web finance. It raised 5 billion RMB in simply three days, creating a brand new international crowdfunding document within the course of after its June 12 launch.

    Wanda raised RMB500 million in a primary wave of funding from particular person buyers and contributed to the sudden on-line “seckill” – inside the first 50 minutes of the launch the RMB 100 million mark had been damaged. On-line subscribers included institutional buyers who contributed a complete of RMB4.5 billion.

    Wanda says some individuals who missed out on the restricted quota referred to as Wanda executives urging them to proceed the fund elevating past the restrict.

    “So far, the traditional funding limits set by giant scale crowd funded tasks all over the world reaches into the tens of millions, however a challenge on this scale is decidedly uncommon. For a product to launch and promote out so shortly is sort of a feat,” stated Wanda in a press release.

    Wanda launched ‘Secure Earner No. 1’ in partnership with 99Invoice, an organization it just lately acquired that gives on-line cost platform providers. It bought models in 1000 RMB multiples.

    In comparison with the oversaturated marketplace for monetary funding merchandise, the benefit of ‘Secure Earner No. 1’ lies in the truth that capital funding can stream instantly into Wanda Business’s Wanda Plaza tasks, and presents a a lot larger safety than these investing on the inventory market, the 2 corporations submit.

    “And this is the reason the product was named Secure Earner. It isn’t merely a no-lose deal; unpacking it, we will see that solely on secure foundations are you able to stand to realize. Firstly, the challenge invests in the actual financial system. There are presently too many merchandise available on the market that lean too closely on digital belongings, and for some merchandise buyers don’t even perceive the specifics. The Secure Earner No. 1 Wanda Plaza challenge is according to the nationwide path of business improvement, and considers the present nationwide financial transformation and the larger image of home consumption and urbanisation,” the businesses said.

    “Secondly, we need to urge transparency. The funds raised from Secure Earner No. 1 will all be used solely in development operations for Wanda Plazas. Buyers can get hold of all of the related monetary info from Wanda Business’s revealed supplies.

    “Thirdly, we provide secure returns. Beneath Wanda Group’s robust model attraction, the annual occupancy charges and rental assortment charges from its business actual property enterprise common over 99 per cent. That is sufficient to make sure that buyers can get hold of a secure annualised fee of return of six per cent.”

    Buyers can commerce their crowdfunding shares on 99Invoice’s platform after three months. Long run Secure Earner No. 1 could be transformed right into a REIT or bought by a 3rd social gathering after three years, all choices giving shareholders a return on their capital funding.

    Wanda Group retains the suitable to buy the whole shares after seven years at 1.5 occasions the difficulty worth.

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  • Oriental Watch profit plummets

    Oriental Watch profit plummets

    Listed retailer Oriental Watch Holdings says its net profit fell 78 per cent in the year to March.

    The company, which had issued a profit warning earlier in the year, has been hit by the slump in demand for luxury watches from mainland Chinese, in turn a result of the mainland government’s clampdown on gift giving.

    OWH says its net profit fell to HK$5 million, (US$641,000) on turnover down 11 per cent to around HK$3.11 billion.

    The company said luxury brand shoppers had changed preferences and attitudes and blamed slimmer margins on intense competition from watch retailers competing for a shrinking customer base.

    Oriental Watch has 68 stores in mainland China, 13 in Hong Kong, three in Macau and three in Taiwan.

  • West Elm Philippines makes debut

    West Elm Philippines makes debut

    West Elm Philippines, the furniture chain of Williams Sonoma, has opened its first store in Manila.

    The store, located in the new Estancia Mall at Capitol Commons, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig City. It will compete with Crate & Barrel, which made its Philippines debut last year, and complement another Williams Sonoma brand Pottery Barn.

    While skewed towards complete furniture solutions, West Elm also stocks a comprehensive range of homewares. It positions itself as creating “unique and affordable designs for modern living”.

    One standout feature of West Elm Philippines is that it works with local Filipino producers to stock their products, not just imported goods.

    Among locals to feature in the store are Filipino Capiz Artisans, a co-op of family owned businesses preserving traditional capiz handcrafts, including Capiz Chandelier and Pendant lighting; Filipino Weavers, known for their skilled weaving, braiding, twisting and knits using innovative techniques passed down through generations to create braided storage containers; and Santo Tomas Potters, Pampanga-based creators of hand-thrown, hand-cast and hand-painted ceramics.

    Jim Brett, president of West Elm, said he believes there is “a tremendous appetite for well-designed, finely crafted home goods and furnishings” in the Philippines.

    The 7000 sqft store has opened showcasing the brand’s summer collection which includes furniture, bedding, bathroom accessories, rugs, window textiles and hardware, lighting, decorative accessories, dining, kitchen products, and gifts. It also offers services at Design Lab, where customers can partner with design specialists for complimentary consultations and space planning sessions.

    West Elm currently has 71 retail stores in the US, Canada, Australia and the UK. The Philippines is its first Asia market, and it has an unaffiliated franchisee operating stores in the Middle East.

  • Korean online malls draw global shoppers

    Korean online malls draw global shoppers

    The number of customers using Korean online malls is sharply increasing not just in China and North America, but in new markets around the globe.

    SimpleX Internet, which runs Korean eCommerce solutions specialist cafe24, says Korean cross-border shopping malls are tapping into markets in Southeast Asia, Europe, South America and Australia.

    President Lee Jae-suk says while making the best use of the online environment that provides an easy way to reach customers around the world compared with the offline market, many Korean shopping malls have had success from customising their website experience and offer to each country.

    Funny Love, an online shopping mall specialising in ‘family looks’ has become so successful online, it opened an offline shop in Kazakhstan recently. This is the outcome of the cross-border shopping mall that has drawn great attention among local consumers since 2013. The company’s belief that ‘Korean style family look’ would fit perfectly into the sentiment of Asian people has come true, and thus, the expansion of their sales channels to Vietnam and Singapore.

    Mother’s Corn which specialises in eco-friendly tableware for children, made from plant materials, has acquired the strict CE mark and the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices certificate through its own manufacturing technology. As a result, this has enabled the company to make inroad into markets in over 10 countries in Southeast Asia and Europe, including the Philippines, Indonesia, France, Poland and Germany. It has doubled its overseas sales as of May of this year compared with the same period last year.

    President Kim Mi-jin explained: “We won the trust of consumers around the world by providing details of the products using various online contents. We will expand the demand in Europe by releasing new products such as dishwashers.”

    Jam Studio, the design props dealer, boosted its business through cross-border shopping mall targeting Southeast Asia. Even slightly more expensive products are selling well due to the popularity of the Korean Wave in Southeast Asia. The customised marketing using Social Networking Services (SNS) such as Facebook and Instagram also played a part.

    In addition, shopping malls carrying environment-friendly organic products for Canadian and Australian consumers and those carrying moisturising cream for consumers in hot regions of Southeast Asia are also examples of marketing based on the characteristics of each country.

    Language is no barrier for consumers using Korean crossover shopping malls around the globe. Korean companies setting up cross-border shopping malls through cafe24 can do so in English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and Portuguese through cafe24, and French and German will be available within this year as well.

    “7 billion people around the world are purchasing Korean products through the experienced eCommerce infrastructure,” said Lee Jae-suk of cafe24 parent SimpleX Internet.

    “Korean cross-border shopping malls will strengthen their competitive edge with strategies customised to each country.”

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  • VP Kalla opens Batik Nusantara 2015 exhibition

    VP Kalla opens Batik Nusantara 2015 exhibition

    Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla opened the “Gelar Batik Nusantara 2015” exhibition at the Jakarta Convention Center here on Wednesday.

    Organized by the Indonesian Batik Foundation and PT Mediatama Binakreasi, it will be held from June 24 to 28 with the theme, “Batik Uniting Nations.” The expo will showcase thousands of coastal batik motifs and those of the best Indonesian batik collectors.

    “The popularity of batik is more widespread now than ever before,” the vice president said in his opening address.

    Kalla noted that batik was no longer merely a traditional dress but had undergone innovations for the international market and had been adapted by several countries.

    He explained that innovations in batik first started being made on the island of Java, but now, it has evolved in various regions across the Indonesian archipelago.

    Furthermore, besides being a cultural factor that serves to unify the nation, batik has also developed in a number of neighboring countries such as India and Malaysia, the vice president remarked.

    In addition, he pointed out that since batik was recognized as a World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO in 2009, its reach continues to increase.

    Kalla opined that as batik has become part of both official and casual clothing, there are challenges, as well, in terms of productivity and innovation.

    According to the vice president, batik has been transformed from a form of traditional art into a masterpiece of global standard. It is also one of the cultural products of Indonesia that people are proud of and want to preserve.

    Therefore, Kalla emphasized that the Gelar Batik Nusantara 2015 exhibition is expected to be able to open market opportunities and attract entrepreneurs, investors and institutions to develop batik as an international product.

  • Indonesia police launch Uber investigation

    Indonesia police launch Uber investigation

    Police in Jakarta have launched an investigation into Uber after local taxi companies filed a complaint against the ride-hailing app in the latest regulatory battles to blight the company’s expansion plans in Asia.

    Five of Uber’s drivers in the country were detained last week, as local competitors questioned the legality of its operations.

    Local authorities released the drivers this week, but the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda), the Jakarta-based association behind the initial complaint, is pursuing the investigation.

    “What they do is create the apps, hire individual cars, and operate just like other public transportation — like other official taxis — but without the proper licence,” says Shafruhan Sinungan, chairman of the organisation.

    “Uber taxis compete in a wild way,” Mr Sinungan said. “Other regular taxi operators have to make big investments to establish a company, providing land for parking and garages, paying tax to the government and hiring workers.”

    Alan Jiang, acting head of Uber in the country, said it was “really just a misunderstanding of what Uber’s business model is”.

    He added that “there are some interest groups that want us to get a taxi licence”.

    In a statement following the detention of its drivers this week, Uber said it “is fully compliant with applicable transportation laws and accredited by the local government”.

    Indonesia is an increasingly important market for Uber, because of its population of 250m people, high smartphone penetration and a burgeoning middle-class.

    The company, one of the world’s most valuable private technology companies, has expanded rapidly in the country since it launched in August last year, growing tenfold over the past year, in terms of the maximum number of rides per week.

    Although the Indonesian market has traditionally been dominated by Blue Bird, the family-run operator that listed on the local stock exchange last year, competition is heating up.

    Southeast Asian taxi-hailing app, Grabtaxi, is also expanding quickly, while Gojek, a Jakarta-based start-up, has developed an app to connect riders with Indonesia’s motorcycle taxis, called ojeks, which are also used for food delivery.

    These new players are unlikely to be caught up in the regulatory wrangling, according to Agustinus Reza Kirana, an analyst at Bahana Securities, a local brokerage.

    “It’s a different business line — it’s not just about passengers but also couriers,” Mr Kirana explains.

    The company has been expanding aggressively across Asia in recent months, with plans to move into several new cities across India and invest $1bn this year in China alone.

    But Uber has faced resistance. Police raided its office in Guangzhou in April, and the app was temporarily banned in New Delhi, following the alleged rape of a passenger by an Uber driver.

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  • Diane von Furstenberg Singapore’s new store

    Diane von Furstenberg Singapore’s new store

    The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands is home to Diane von Furstenberg Singapore’s newest store.

    Securing the famous luxury lifestyle brand, founded by Diane in 1970, adds to The Shoppes’ reputation as Singapore’s leading luxury shopping destination.

    Diane von Furstenberg will offer a full collection of ready-to-wear and accessories including handbags, shoes, small leather goods, scarves and jewellery at the new store, including exclusive items not available in its other two boutiques in the city.

    “The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands is such a vibrant, landmark luxury shopping destination,it is the perfect place for us to expand our presence in Singapore,” said von Furstenberg.

    The new store, which spans 1300 sqft, is located at B2-18, Canal Level.

    The first Shoppes-exclusive item is a DVF Brookes Parka is a leopard green paper habotai hooded parka lined with a detachable and reversible leopard printed lamb fur (Priced at S$7,460).

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