Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • AirAsia launches all-new mobile app

    AirAsia launches all-new mobile app

    AirAsia has launched its all-new mobile application offering innovative new features, smoother functionality and an improved interface to provide guests with an enhanced and seamless flying experience.

    In a statement today, AirAsia said its mobile app has been nominated as the “World’s Leading Low-Cost Airline App’ at the upcoming World Travel Awards.

    AirAsia Group Chief Commercial Officer Siegtraund Teh said the company constantly invests in technology and innovation to make flying easier and more enjoyable for guests.

    “There have been over nine million downloads of the AirAsia mobile app on both iOS and Android platforms, and we hope that more people will discover the convenience of our new and improved mobile app,” he said.

    The new app’s features include “Add to Calendar”, which automatically links upcoming flights to the calendar; faster and simpler flight booking process; and improved mobile check-in and Manage My Booking experience where guests can easily include various add-ons to their flight bookings.

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  • Vista Land takes control of Starmalls

    Vista Land takes control of Starmalls

    Philippine company Vista Land & Lifescapes has paid US$691 million for a controlling 88 per cent stake in property developer Starmalls.

    While both companies are essentially controlled by the family of former Philippine senator Manuel Villar, Vista believes the acquisition will transform it into a fully integrated property developer with continued leadership in horizontal residential projects combined with a sizeable and growing mass market retail mall and BPO platform and the ability to replicate the integrated ‘Communicity’ model across the Philippines.

    “In addition, the company believes that the enhanced scale and stability provided by the acquisition and extensive synergies between the two businesses will strongly benefit the company and its shareholders going forward,” Vista said in a statement.

    Starmalls is a developer, owner and operator of retail malls targeting mass market retail consumers in the Philippines. It focuses on densely populated areas underserved by similar retail malls and within close proximity to transport hubs and key infrastructure.

    It owns and operates 10 retail malls in key cities and municipalities in the Philippines and two BPO commercial centers in Metro Manila, with a combined gross floor area (GFA) of 509,385 sqm. It has another four retail malls and one BPO commercial centre under construction, and plans to grow to over 1 million sqm in GFA via enhancements to existing assets and to over 1.3 million sqm in total GFA including new developments by the end of 2018.

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  • Moncler Tokyo flagship opens

    Moncler Tokyo flagship opens

    Moncler has opened a new flagship store in Japan’s highest profile shopping strip.

    The Moncler Tokyo boutique in the Ginza comprises 560 sqm spread over two floors. It was designed by Parisian architects Gilles & Boissier.

    Moncler Ginza 1

     

    For years this studio’s ties with the fantastical world of Moncler have resulted in a lively partnership and the new Japan store is no exception.

    Coinciding with the opening was the launch of a new partnership with young Los Angeles artist duo,FriendsWithYou.

    Moncler Ginza 5

     

    “Once again the Italian-French brand is working directly with today’s young and creative generations, interpreting and assimilating its language, sources of inspiration and moods. The universe of comic signs of the FriendsWithYou duo, their references to pop icons such as Malfi, Snowy, Happy Virus, Look Who, or the fluorescent rainbow of Mr TTT, the visual repertoire of smiling graphic clouds, of penetrating, astonished eyes, of mouths and fun monsters, are the hallmarks of a collection of puffer jackets developed in different colors that range from black to light-blue, from red to yellow, which are completed by sweatshirts, t-shirts bags and sneakers,” explains Moncler.

    Moncler Ginza 3

    The Moncler FriendsWithYou collection will be sold in all Moncler single brand stores from the Fall-Winter 2016/17 season onwards.

     

    Moncler Ginza 2

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  • Chow Tai Fook in profit plunge

    Chow Tai Fook in profit plunge

    Listed Hong Kong jeweller Chow Tai Fook has warned shareholders its first half profit is likely to be 50 per cent less than for the same period last year.

    In a statement filed with the stock exchange, the board said the decrease is mainly attributable to the year-on-year decline in revenue brought about by weak consumer sentiment in Hong Kong and Macau and a tighter gross profit margin.

    The margin was impacted by both a change in the product mix with increased sale of gold products and unrealised hedging losses on gold loans for the period contrasting with an unrealised hedging gain in the same period last year.

    “As the company is in the process of preparing the interim results of the group for the six months ended 30 September, the information contained in this announcement is only based on the preliminary review of the company’s management accounts which have not been reviewed or audited by auditors of the company.”

    The size of the decline comes as something of a surprise, given the company revealed a four per cent increase in sales in the quarter to September 30 just four weeks ago.

    Back then Chow Tai Fook described the Hong Kong and Macau retail market as “continuing lacklustre”.

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  • Hello Curry plans 100 outlets in 2016

    Hello Curry plans 100 outlets in 2016

    Indian quick service restaurant chain Hello Curry says it plans to treble its network by the end of 2016.

    Hello Curry serves curries and biryanis from 32 outlets opened since its launch 19 months ago. It is now moving to ramp up its rollout because it wants to take on international fast food operators like KFC and McDonald’s, and local rivals, with a unique Indian offer.

    Co-founder and CEO Raju Bhupati says the chain plans to have 100 restaurants operating by the end of next year.

    Hello Curry is looking to work with established restaurant chains in urban centres in a unique concept. The business model, called KICK (Kitchen in Commercial Kitchen), would see Hello Curry cover the costs of supplying the ingredients and packaging, with the partner kitchens cooking the food and delivering it, receiving a commission of 15-20 per cent on each sale in return.

    Meanwhile, the company has just sealed a deal to open kiosks within six multiplex cinemas operated by PVR Ltd in Bengaluru and one in Hyderabad. Biryanis and rolls will be served to moviegoers at their seats.

    Three more theatres will follow in Hyderabad by the end of this month with plans to extend the agreement into Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur.

    Bhupati says partnering with PVR will help raise the brand’s profile and drive traffic to its restaurants after patrons experience the food and tell their friends.

    Hello Curry will deliver pre-cooked biryani to the kiosks for consumption in a three-hour time period, ensuring the food remains fresh and hot and minimising wastage.

    More than half the first 100 stores planned will be KICK concepts, the rest company operated stores. The PVR kiosks are not included in that figure.

  • Zilingo gains seed funding for mobile-first e-store

    Zilingo gains seed funding for mobile-first e-store

    Thai startup Zilingo gives market traders an international eCommerce gateway.

    Zilingo is a mobile-first online marketplace that allows merchants to list their inventory, set their prices, and fulfill online orders. Users can browse through available stores and products, then order and pay with their credit card, according to a report on TechInAsia.

    Zilingo’s services include shipping, packaging, payment options, an analytics dashboard for mobile, order tracking, refund and cancellation options, and consultation on pricing strategy. The app also provides chat, through which a customer can get directly in touch with a merchant.

    The concept was created by Ankiti Bose and Dhruv Kapoor, who saw an opportunity for themselves when they visited the country on vacation. Bose is an ex-McKinsey consultant from Mumbai, India, who later worked for global venture capital firm Sequoia. Together with IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) graduate Kapoor, they decided to create a way for these retailers to find new customers online.

    The startup doesn’t charge merchants for listing, or any other fees, providing most of its services for free. It only takes a cut out of successful sales, wanting to encourage adoption and to “only charge for things that actually add value to the [merchants’] business.”

    Zilingo has only recently gone live, and is available to buyers and merchants across Thailand. Within November 2015, buyers from Singapore, Indonesia, and Hong Kong will also have access to the platform’s Thai sellers. Other Southeast Asian countries will follow, according to the startup. Bose says there are currently more than 300 sellers on the site, Ankiti says.

    The company has already raised external funding, to the tune of US$1.88 million from Sequoia India, Teru Sato of Beenext, and Freecharge’s Kunal Shah and Sandeep Tandon.

    “We are delighted to back Ankiti and Dhruv, a highly talented and committed founding team, in their efforts to build a mobile-first marketplace for Thailand,” says Shailendra Singh, Sequoia India MD.

    “We liked the team and their mobile-first product so much, that we agreed to invest at the concept stage. It’s early days for the company, but we’re excited about the prospects for Zilingo.”

    Thailand’s retail sector is expected to be worth US$179.2 billion in 2016. Despite growing smartphone and credit card usage in the country, however, a lot of retailers haven’t jumped on the eCommerce bandwagon yet, leaving a lot of opportunity on the table.

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  • John Lewis Asian stores ‘trading well’

    John Lewis Asian stores ‘trading well’

    UK department store operator John Lewis has hinted at its trading performance in Asia as it announced another offshore expansion – into the Netherlands.

    John Lewis chose Singapore as the first of 15 new international markets it plans to expand into back in March this year.

    Two John Lewis Singapore concessions were opened inside Robinsons department stores, last July, primarily selling homewares.

    Andy Street, John Lewis MD, mentioned overnight: “Our existing shop-in-shops in Singapore, the Philippines and South Korea have been well received and are trading well.”

    John Lewis opened 14 shop-in-shops across Singapore and the Philippines this year, and seven shop-in-shops in South Korea last year.

    The first Dutch shops will open in spring 2016 at de Bijenkorf’s flagship stores in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague – its first stores in continental Europe.

    And more may follow, especially in Asia.

    ‘Whilst we remain committed to our UK physical expansion we hope to announce more international collaborations in 2016,” said Street.

    The UK retailer was founded in 1864, but until last year it had never traded outside England, Scotland and Wales. In 2012 it entered into a partnership with South Korea’s Shinsegae Department Store Co, selling linen and homewares in seven stores.

    Street said in March he expected to confirm deals to open in a further five foreign markets in 2015. That could mean four more markets to be announced over the next six weeks.

    “We have been very successful in Korea. We are really pleased and surprised that, in a market where the John Lewis brand isn’t really known, it has cut through.”

  • Giordano Hong Kong sales rise in soft market

    Giordano Hong Kong sales rise in soft market

    Giordano Hong Kong sales increased by four per cent in the last quarter, with same store sales up a staggering 12 per cent in a stagnant retail market.

    The company says with the decline in Mainland China visitors to Hong Kong and Macau, the company has repositioned its product range to focus on more basic essential products. “This resulted in strong volume growth compared to the same period last year.”

    Total sales for the quarter to September 30 were HK$1.240 billion, three per cent lower than the same period last year. On a constant currency basis, sales increased by two per cent.

    Despite encouraging results in its home market, Giordano reported the depreciation of local currencies against the US dollar in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Australia is depressing reported sales growth at the group level, and pushing costs up in those markets.

    In the first half of 2015, the company completed the acquisition of its franchisees’ operations in Kuwait and Qatar. Excluding these transactions, sales would have decreased by four per cent and on a constant currency basis, sales would have increased by one per cent

    Brand sales for the quarter were flat compared to the same period last year. Comparable store sales for the quarter increased by four per cent, mainly due to improving performance in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

    The total number of stores in the group declined by 19 to 2359 primarily due to the closure of unprofitable stores in Mainland China.

    Gross margin for the quarter grew by 0.1 percentage point to 58 per cent, despite higher purchase costs due to weak overseas currencies, which reduced gross margin by 1.4 percentage points.

    Gross profit for the quarter was HK$719 million, a decline of three per cent over the same period last year.

    Sales in Southeast Asia declined by seven per cent, reflecting the impact of weak local currencies which on average depreciated by 16 per cent against the Hong Kong dollar in the last 12 months. However, on a constant currency basis, sales grew by nine per cent. Comparative store sales grew by eight per cent in the quarter with strong recovery from last year in Singapore and Thailand in particular.

    Sales in the Middle East have climbed by 11 per cent with strong growth in the UAE.

    Giordano’s new budget brand “Beau Monde” is still under development.

    “At the end of the period we had 14 shops and we expect to increase this to 25 shops by the end of the year. As we improve the merchandise for this new brand, we expect to reach break even profitability in the fourth quarter of 2015 or the first quarter of 2016. This will enable us to develop this brand faster in 2016,” the company said in its stock exchange filing.

    “As we reposition our brands through the exit of non-performing shops and poor quality locations, we are also investing in store upgrades, and by December we expect to have upgraded two thirds of our store portfolio in the past two years. During the third quarter, we upgraded/opened 39 self-managed stores and 51 of our franchisees’ stores. By the end of 2015, we expect to have upgraded/opened 200 shops in the year. This compares with 397 shops renovated in 2014.”

  • Malaysia’s Caring Pharmacy value soars

    Malaysia’s Caring Pharmacy value soars

    Malaysian listed retailer Caring Pharmacy has seen its share value soar 85 per cent in just two months.

    And no one seems to know why…

    The company has 106 pharmacies across Malaysia, just two more than it had three months ago, and has projected expansion at a rate of 10 to 12 outlets next year – barely one a month.

    Even more remarkable, is that such a rise has occurred in a depressed retail climate and a decidedly sluggish business environment, at best.

    A survey released by Nielsen this week showed consumer confidence in the country has reached a 10 year low of 78 points – 11 points lower than three months ago. That seems driven by the unpopularity of the GST introduced on April 1 and a massive depreciation in the local currency – in part at least, linked to evidence of massive corruption in government leadership.

    The only theory behind Caring Pharmacy’s sudden popularity is that the chain may have been marked down unfairly in a generally bearish market, and its value is now being restored to reasonable levels.

    Year on year, the company has delivered a net profit in the latest first quarter jumping 83.94 per cent to RM1.02 million from RM 554,000 a year ago.

    One analyst urges caution” Hong Leong Investment Research (HLIR) said Caring Pharmacy could yet face further challenges ahead.

    “We feel there will be more downside risk on its expansion plans due to high competition and start-up costs,” HLIR said in a research note.

    “Also with inflationary cost pressure as well as weak consumer sentiment, we believe its profit margin will be under pressure with longer gestation period.”

  • Croesus Retail Trust posts flat quarter

    Croesus Retail Trust posts flat quarter

    Singapore-listed Croesus Retail Trust achieved a 17.2 per cent increase in quarterly earnings to $23 million from its Japanese shopping centre investments.

    But that was not enough to change its distribution per unit (DPU) for the quarter, which remained flat at 2.08 cents.

    The retail property investor says its earnings rose on the back of its acquisition of One’s Mall in Chiba and lease renewals at Mallage Shobu in the Saitama Prefecture.

    However, the increase was partially offset by the absence of a one-off income at Mallage Shobu recorded in the first quarter last year.

    Net property income rose 10.7 per cent accordingly.

    CRT has seven retail properties in Japan with a combined net lettable area of about 251,000 sqm.

    The company says competition for buying real estate assets in Japan has been keen over recent quarters, a trend expected to continue in the short term.

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  • Blogmint to expand in Indonesia

    Blogmint to expand in Indonesia

    Blogmint, a product-based influencer marketing platform, on Thursday announced its expansion into Indonesia. Part of The New Ventures, Blogmint helps brands connect and collaborate with 20,000 social media influencers, including bloggers, vloggers, Twitterati and Instagramers.

    According to a recent report from McKinsey, marketing-inspired word of mouth generates more than twice the sales of paid advertising, and these customers have a 37 per cent higher retention rate, says Blogmint. According to the company, social media influencers are a source of inspiration for thousands of loyal followers and are seen as authentic and trustworthy, so brands, both big and small, are increasingly engaging social influencers as part of their marketing mix to connect with social and mobile-first consumers.

    “Influencer Marketing is the next big thing in digital marketing, and Indonesia, like other Asian markets, is untapped. This, along with the fact that Indonesia has a vibrant influencer community, we have huge expectations from this market” said Irfan Khan, CEO of Blogmint.

    “Blogmint aims to have on board more than 20,000 influencers in Indonesia during the next 9-12 months. In the longer run, we see ourselves as the market leader in the influencer marketing segment in APAC, helping brands and agencies collaborate with influencers across the region in a few clicks”, he added.

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  • Apple to open its first retail store in Singapore in 2016

    Apple is expanding its retail store globally pretty rapidly, as the company has now announced opening of its first retail store in Singapore. Apple’s this store is reportedly going to open sometime in 2016. We first got this news last month, when it was reported that the Cupertino based company is opening its first retail store in Singapore.

    Today, Apple has listed out several job vacancies like Specialists, Business Specialists, Creative, and some other Apple positions for its Singapore Retail Store. This store is going to open at Knightsbridge at a four storage luxury shopping center.

    As of Now, Apple doesn’t have any official retail store in this region. So people, who are interested in buying Apple product have to buy their devices from third party retailers or online store. But if anyone wants to buy product from Apple’s official retail store, then they have to go to company’s retail store in Hong Kong or Australia.

    As of now, we don’t have any specific date of opening of Apple retail store in Singapore, but it is going to open sometime next year.

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  • Billionaire lifestyle of Hong Kong’s coloured diamonds collector

    Billionaire lifestyle of Hong Kong’s coloured diamonds collector

    Hong Kong property tycoon, Joseph Lau, has snapped up two rare diamonds this week for his seven year old daughter, Josephine.

    Joseph Lau is now the proud owner of the record breaking auction jewel, the Blue Moon sold at Sotheby’s Geneva, and the 16.08ct fancy vivid pink diamond auctioned at Christie’s.

    The billionaire made his fortune as the founder of the property firm Chinese Estate Holdings.

    Lau paid £19m for the rare, pink diamond on sale at Christie’s on November 10 and named the stone Sweet Josephine. It seems the pink gem wasn’t enough though and a day later he paid a record breaking £32m for the 12.03ct blue diamond which he has now christened the Blue Moon of Josephine. These stones will join a 7.03ct rectangular blue diamond named the Star of Josephine which was purchased for his daughter in 2009 when she was just a year old.

    Blue diamonds certainly seem to catch Lau’s eye as last November he bought a $33m (£21.6m) 9.75ct blue diamond for another daughter, Zoe, 13. This stone has been named Zoe Diamond and joins a $8.4m (£5.4m) ruby and diamond brooch weighing a total of 10.10cts called Zoe Red.

    For his eldest son, Lau Ming-wai, 34, his jewels come in the form of the family business. After studying at the London School of Economics at King’s College London, Lau Ming Wai took over as non-executive chairman of Chinese Estate after his father was convicted for crimes of money laundering and bribery in 2014. Although sentenced in Macau to five years, he was saved from jail time as Hong Kong does not have an extradition treaty with Macau.

    Lau is known as one of Asia’s richest men. In addition to a large diamond collection Lau is the proud owner of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, over 10,000 bottle of fine wines, a wide range of fine art (including a £11.4m Andy Warhol portrait of Mao Zedong) and a £70m home in Belgravia, West London, complete with a gold-lined swimming pool. Lau also owns three quarters of Chinese Estates and is one of Hong Kong’s largest real estate investors.

    In Hong Kong Lau constantly makes the headlines, often referred to as Big Lau. He is known in the media for building Hong Kong’s tallest retail complex and charming several actresses and beauty queens following his divorce from his wife in 1992. Lau is the father of six children and is currently with his former assistant, Kimbie Chan.

    According to Forbes, Lau is the 114th richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $9.8 billion.

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  • New Apple Store Opens in Chengdu on November 21

    New Apple Store Opens in Chengdu on November 21

    Apple, continuing its aggressive retail expansion in China, has announced that it will be opening its 22nd retail store in the country in Chengdu, a major city in Sichuan Province, on Saturday, November 21 at 10:00 AM local time. The new store is slated to open less than a month after the grand opening of the 21st Apple Store in China in the major port city of Dalian on October 24.The new Chengdu store will be located in the upscale Taikoo Li shopping plaza at 8 Middle Shamao Street in the Jinjiang District, where several high-end retailers such as Gucci, Omega and Zara are located. The store will be open 10 AM-10 PM local time everyday and offer traditional Apple Store services, including the Genius Bar, Workshops, JointVenture, events and seminars.

    Apple has also posted new job listings for its first retail store in Singapore, which is rumored to open in late 2016 at the Knightsbridge four-story luxury shopping center. The company is looking for Specialists, Geniuses, Creatives, Business Specialists and other traditional Apple Store positions.

    Apple does not currently have an official retail presence in Singapore, a large city-state and country south of Malaysia in Southeast Asia, but the Apple Online Store and dozens of Apple Authorized Resellers operate in the region. The closest physical Apple Stores are located several hours away by plane in Australia and Hong Kong.

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  • Xiaomi Brand Dominates Singles Day In China

    Xiaomi Brand Dominates Singles Day In China

    Celebrated every Nov. 11, Singles Day is a tradition that dates back to 1993 which initially involved bachelors from Nanjing University who would like to go out, meet, and party with others. The celebration soon included single women and became a huge holiday in China where single individuals go out in massive meet-and-greet events.

    Singles Day is China’s version of USA’s Black Friday, where Chinese businesses spur sales by offering attractive deals and huge price cuts on their products. Xiaomi, already a popular smartphone brand that offers cheap smartphones and other mobile devices, initiated its Singles Day strategy from Nov. 1, offering daily promos and sweet deals and ultimately culminated its run on the big day itself, according to Digital Trends.

    During the build-up, Xiaomi even provided a teaser on a new smartphone. The strategy proved to be successful, as the smartphone maker immediately raked in $16 million by 12:12 am on Nov. 11. Thirteen minutes later, sales reached $31 million. Two minutes before 1:30 am, Xiaomi already has $63 million in the bank. By the end of Singles Day, Xiaomi’s sales reached a whopping $188 million.

    According to a statement by the China-based smartphone manufacturer, the $125 Redmi Note 2 was their bestselling smartphone. Xiaomi’s smartwatch, the Mi Band Pulse, was the company’s most popular device, which did not come as a surprise, given its $16 price tag.

    Xiaomi’s success is based on its strategy of providing cheap smartphones with high-end features, and China is its biggest market. Recently, top competitor Huawei has overtaken Xiaomi as China’s top smartphone vendor in the last quarter, CNBC reports.

    Meanwhile, China-based online market company Alibaba also broke its own record on Singles Day. The e- ommerce giant clocked in $14.3 billion in sales via its online payment service. On last year’s Singles Day, Alibaba registered $9.3 billion in sales. This year’s figure represents a 60 percent jump from the previous year, indicating the company’s continued growth in a crowded Chinese market.