Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • Singapore to Expand Quarantine-Free Travel

    Singapore to Expand Quarantine-Free Travel

    Following its announcement of more Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) on Saturday, the city-state has said it is working to expand travel to more countries, including its regional neighbors.

    Singapore aims to reestablish the city-state as an international aviation hub with the expansion of its VTL scheme to more countries ahead of the year-end holidays.

    From October 19, VTLs will be launched with Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with South Korea to be added on November 15. Singapore currently has VTLs with Germany and Brunei, launched September 8 under a pilot scheme.

    Under the scheme, fully vaccinated travelers will be able to enjoy quarantine-free travel both ways. However, there is currently a limit of 3,000 arrivals under the scheme.

    Pre-Covid, these countries accounted for about 10 percent of arrivals, Transport Minister S. Iswaran said on Monday.

    These countries under the VTL scheme are «collectively an important set of partners» for Singapore, Iswaran said in an interview, noting that the countries have significant investments in Singapore and are among the top 20 trading partners, with sizeable business communities and families here.

    We want to do more, but in a manner that is cautious and calibrated,» the minister said, adding that Singapore is currently in discussions with counterparts around the world, including its regional neighbors.

    Since the announcement over the weekend, there has been a rush to secure tickets. Singapore Airlines’ website crashed on Saturday afternoon amid the surge in demand, while visitors to its service center at Ion Orchard had to wait in line for several hours.

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  • A Guide to Activities for One

    A Guide to Activities for One

    The freedom and technology afforded to people today is a real luxury – something that previous generations didn’t have. No matter where you are, or what time it is, there’s always something fun that you can be doing.

    So, if you’re looking for ways to pass the time and stop your boredom, you’ve come to the right place. This guide is going to ensure you’re thoroughly entertained for the next year.

    Watch sports

    Are you a sports fan? Maybe you love football, or are in love with tennis? If so, you should watch sports to pass the time.

    If you want a fresh and exciting sport to watch, you should definitely try the NBA, which is the world’s most popular basketball league. It features all the best players, from Lebron James to James Harden. Plus, you can even bet on NBA games for some added fun. Learn more about NBA betting.

    Oh, and if you’re unsure where the best place to watch NBA games is, NBA TV and ESPN are some of the most popular choices. And if you subscribe to YouTube TV, you’ll also be able to watch NBA games through YouTube too.

    1.    Shopping Sprees

    Who doesn’t love to go on the occasional shopping spree? Whether you need to buy some new outfits for your wardrobe or some beautiful home décor, jump online and treat yourself to what you want. Nowadays, you can shop anywhere online, from Amazon to eBay. Or, if you want to support your local businesses, you can check to see if they have online stores available through their websites.

    2.    Complete some online quizzes

    Online quizzes are an excellent way to pass the time. You can do an online quiz when you’re waiting in line for groceries, stuck at the airport, or just chilling at home alone – basically, anywhere.

    Buzzfeed and Challenge the Brain are two of the best websites for free quizzes, so make sure to check them out.

    3.    Read books

    Reading books is more fun than you might think. Not only does it help to polish your reading and vocabulary skills, but it also helps to stimulate your mind’s creativity. Try reading a combination of fiction and non-fiction – you’ll love it.

    4.    Refresh your bedroom

    Is your bedroom looking a bit dull and lifeless? Has it been years since you last decorated it? If so, it’s time to put your hands to work and give it a good refresh. Here are tips on how to do this:

    • Recycle any items you no longer need
    • Optimize space by rearranging your furniture
    • Re-paint the walls
    • Add some wall décor
    • Deep clean the floor

    Once you’re done, you’ll feel awesome.

    5.    Practice your dancing

    Are you somebody who likes to go to clubs and bars at the weekend? Then it’s time to practice your dance moves and shapes at home. So put on your favorite music and go crazy – you could even invent your own dance move to impress your friends.

     

  • Google wants you to think of its search app when it comes to breaking news

    Google wants you to think of its search app when it comes to breaking news

    Twitter, on the other hand, has been able to attract viewers looking for live coverage of breaking news. During such events, anyone with a smartphone can become a photojournalist sharing live video and audio from the scene. In 2015, Google and Twitter reached a deal that elevated tweets to the top of Google Search results for queries related to breaking news. Now, Google would like to be more like Twitter.

    Inside the company, Google’s initiative is called Big Moments and is still considered an experiment. As such, Google isn’t saying exactly how it might display tweets covering breaking news in the future. A small group inside the Google Search team is working on Big Moments and the failure of Google Search to display relevant breaking news during the attack on the U.S. Capitol and the Black Lives Matter protests has insiders on the Google Search team working on ways to fix things.

    “We are continually experimenting with ways to ensure that people who come to Google can find the most authoritative and up to date information when they need it,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement. “Any feature or improvement to our systems goes through a rigorous testing and evaluation process to ensure it delivers value to people.”

    Early last year when word about COVID-19 started to be the big story almost every day, Google revised its Search format so that video and data from medical authorities stood out more in the results. This is what Google would like to do with other timely breaking news events. Still, Google argues that it is not a publisher and should be viewed as a platform.

    The changes that Google wants to bring to Search include the addition of historical context to a story. In addition, Google would add information to a breaking news event that it doesn’t already include such as updating the most recent death and injury counts connected to a breaking news story, in real-time. Currently, those interested in news turn to Google Search after an event is over instead of heading to the app while the event is taking place.

    Twitter has made itself one of the most visited sites during a breaking news event when the event is taking place. As we explained above, part of what makes Twitter so good with breaking news is the way live video from the scene of an event can be posted in seconds and those close to the event can obtain up-to-date information. Google hopes to catch up to Twitter with Big Moments which is being led by Elizabeth Reid, a senior executive who took over as the head of Search experiences in April.

    Big Moments will use algorithms to make editorial decisions instead of having human editors make these decisions. The SearchEngine Journal said that using algorithms to curate news in real-time will be a big challenge for Google especially with stories that are “polarizing.” Google already comes under attack for showing bias is some search results and would probably have to deal with more critics complaining on the bigger news stage.

    Google recently added a notice that appears on Search when a story is moving too quickly to appear on the Search app. The message says: “It looks like these results are changing quickly. If this topic is new, it can sometimes take time for results to be added by reliable sources.” In a situation like this, human curators would take too long to bring the story to Google which is why the company is using algorithms since the goal for the company is to get the latest news out as fast as possible.

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  • HCMC restaurants, coffee chains struggle to reopen

    HCMC restaurants, coffee chains struggle to reopen

    Immediately after HCMC lifted its lockdown this month, beverage chain The Coffee House introduced Fresh Bottle, a new glass bottle designed for easy delivery of its best-selling drinks.

    This and other delivery-friendly products such as instant coffee and canned drinks are the solutions the company came up with to “survive and overcome difficulties,” CEO Le Ba Nam Anh said.

    “We have reopened 40 percent of stores in big cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Bac Ninh, Hai Phong, but we have yet to reach pre-pandemic capacity due to social distancing in each city.”

    He still has to pay rents, salaries and for ingredients, because everything was ordered two quarters in advance, and the cash flow imbalance is a big challenge, he added.

    HCMC began allowing businesses to reopen on Oct. 1 after four months of lockdowns, but coffee chains and restaurants are still struggling to return to pre-pandemic levels of business due to difficulty in hiring people and people’s reluctance to spend.

    The city has allowed eateries to resume delivery services from Sept. 8 after suspending them for nearly two months.

    Pho 79, a high-end Vietnamese-style restaurant chain, plans to function at 15 percent capacity starting on Oct. 15 as it expects demand to be low.

    “Over 70 percent of our employees have left for their hometowns,” Huynh Huu Thanh Phuong, chairman of the chain, said.

    “We do not have enough ingredients [for cooking], and demand has been falling”.

    Phuong plans to increase to 30-50 percent capacity before year-end, but expects revenues for the whole year to be 70 percent down from last year.

    “We are waiting for authorities to lift more restrictions. We are also concerned about the possibility of another resurgence in Covid-19.”

    Other restaurants are unsure whether it is even the right time to reopen.

    “It’s bad to remain closed, but it’s hard to reopen as the more we sell the more we lose,” Ly Nhat Hieu, owner of three high-end restaurants, said.

    He has been waiting for the city to reopen since closing for five months has cost him nearly VND2 billion ($86,206).

    But a shortage of employees makes it difficult for him to restart now: many have left for their hometowns, some have started their own eateries or work as delivery persons to make a living.

    “It is hard to find people for difficult positions such as head chef and station chefs. It is not easy for people to return to the city.”

    The food and beverage industry has been among the biggest victims of the fourth wave of Covid, which began at the end of April.

    With over 2,000 new cases found every day, the city continues to impose restrictions to prevent another outbreak.

    But with over 70 percent of the adult population vaccinated, the highest rate in the country, industry insiders have reason to expect that the difficulties will soon be over.

    The Coffee House plans to build a new store model specializing in takeout and delivery in Ho Chi Minh City, and plans to replicate this in other localities across the country next year.

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  • Air tickets sell fast after domestic routes reopen

    Air tickets sell fast after domestic routes reopen

    National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has sold more than 80 percent of seats on domestic flights after ticket sales opened Oct. 10.

    Flights between Hanoi and HCMC, and HCMC and the central localities of Thanh Hoa and Hue, Hanoi and Da Nang, have been the most booked.

    Flights on these routes are almost full on Oct 10-12, according to a Vietnam Airlines representative. One-way tickets on the Hanoi – HCMC and HCMC – Thanh Hoa routes cost VND3.5 million ($154) each; HCMC- Hue and Hanoi – Da Nang, VND2.4 million each.

    “I have tried to book a flight back to Hanoi, but the Vietnam Airlines website informed me seats have already been fully booked till Oct. 13,” Bui Ngoc Quang, a quality assurance officer at the HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities said.

    Quang said he wants to fly back to his hometown, a village in Hanoi’s outskirts, as soon as possible, because his wife had recently given birth to a girl baby, their first child, but he has been unable to meet them for weeks. In late August, aviation authorities had instructed airlines to stop selling tickets until further notice as the Covid-19 outbreak raged.

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  • Mercedes-Benz Vietnam recalls 1,700 cars

    Mercedes-Benz Vietnam recalls 1,700 cars

    Mercedes-Benz Vietnam is recalling more than 1,700 C200 cars locally assembled from 2014 -2018 to remove a generator-related software bug.

    The recalled cars were produced between Dec. 2014 to Feb. 2018. Short-circuited diodes in their generator were making coils overheat, leading to fire risks, the carmaker said. The recall will run from Sept. 25, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2025.

    The solution is to update the engine control software to optimize generator operation. The free update would take about 30 minutes at authorized Mercedes-Benz dealers in Vietnam.

    These vehicles were manufactured from Nov. 2016 to Feb. 2017. The solution is to replace the entire steering shaft, a procedure lasting about 1.5 hours.The German carmaker also made two other recalls in Vietnam from Oct. 1-7. These relate to several different models, including 49 A-class cars, CLA, and the imported GLA that have an error in the steering shaft mechanism.

    Mercedes-Benz sold 2,558 units in Vietnam in 2020.

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  • Call For Rise in Banking Salaries

    Call For Rise in Banking Salaries

    Bank employee representatives have set their demands for this fall’s wage negotiations. Their objective is to raise salaries at the lower end.

    The Swiss Bank Employees Association is advocating a general wage increase and raise of at least 2.2 percent, or 300 francs a month for bank employees, according to a statement Thursday.

    The call is the outcome of a salary survey among more than 4,000 employees and a meeting of employee representatives in mid-September. The boost would help those on lower wages, in particular, the statement says.

    The association points out that while wages in the banking industry are rising, on the whole, not everyone is seeing the benefit. On an individual level, only 32 percent of respondents got a boost in 2021, down from 37 percent in the last survey.

    Banks were profitable, despite the Covid 19 crisis, and results from this year have continued to be good, with most banks having saved costs from people working from home.

    Next year the association will focus on fair and transparent rules for the wage-setting process.

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  • WatchBox opens in eight new cities

    WatchBox opens in eight new cities

    Luxury watch retailer, WatchBox, is accelerating its expansion plan with eight new locations, including its debut in Tokyo.

    The brand said it will open five stores during the next six months. The eight new locations will be rolled out by the end of next year with five in the US and three international locations – Zurich, Riyadh, and Tokyo.

    “This is an incredibly exciting time for WatchBox,” said Justin Reis, global CEO of WatchBox. “We have seen profitable growth year-over-year and expect to achieve 40-per-cent revenue growth this year.”

    The company said it will reach US$300 million in net revenue this year, exceeding US$1 billion in lifetime revenue before the end of the year. WatchBox currently has a presence across Dubai, Hong Kong, Neuchatel, Singapore and the US.

    McKinsey & Company estimates the primary and secondary watch markets will grow from US$66 billion to US$97 billion by 2025.

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  • Siam Piwat takes Thai retail concepts to Malaysia with Pavilion Group

    Siam Piwat takes Thai retail concepts to Malaysia with Pavilion Group

    Thai mall operator Siam Piwat has partnered with Malaysia’s Pavilion Group to take Thai retail concepts to the new Kuala Lumpur lifestyle mall Pavilion Bukit Jalil.

    The launch of Siam Piwat brick-and-mortar stores in Malaysia is part of its plan to further expand its global reach. The partnership will see the debut of three Thai brands – IconCraft, Ecotopia and Absolute Siam.

    “This collaboration will not only open up additional sales channels for SMEs to help them expand beyond online or e-commerce platforms but will also help drive the Thai economy,” said Usara Yongpiyakul, CEO of retail business group at Siam Piwat.

    “This new partnership to introduce Thai products to an overseas market will make Siam Piwat’s another significant stride towards building a solid network with powerful business leaders.”

    Dubbed ‘Discover Siam’, the store is situated on the third floor of the shopping centre, spanning 1200sqm. The Siam Piwat store is scheduled to open on December 3.

    Meanwhile, Ecotopia provides products for an eco-conscious community, and IconCraft offers Thai crafted items from more than 800 local creators, designers, and local communities. Absolute Siam is a multi-brand concept store, featuring a mix of more than 60 fashion and lifestyle brands under one roof.

    “Malaysia and Thailand have very close ties and share not only borders but also various cultural similarities,” Yongpiyakul added. “We believe that this collaboration is just the beginning and will lead to even greater things, such as joint efforts to boost the region’s economy and initiatives to showcase and nurture the uniqueness and magnificence of ASEAN nations.”

    Siam Piwat is the owner and operator behind Thailand’s major retail developments, such as Siam Paragon, Siam Center and Siam Discovery, and a joint venture partner in IconSiam and Siam Premium Outlets.

    “We recognise the value and delicate magnificence of Thai culture and the creativity of Thai artisans, designers, and creators,” said Dato’ Joyce Yap, CEO of retail for Kuala Lumpur Pavilion, the retail planner of Pavilion Bukit Jalil.

    “These new stores will provide Malaysians and international visitors the chance to experience a hint of Thai culture without leaving KL.”

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  • Vietnam footwear exports slip on Covid-19 impacts

    Vietnam footwear exports slip on Covid-19 impacts

    Vietnam’s footwear exports plunged 44.2 percent year-on-year to about $700 million in September, according to the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (Lefaso).

    Meanwhile, handbag exports also decreased by 48 percent.

    However, the industry still recorded positive growth overall thanks to increased momentum in the first half of the year.

    In the first nine months of 2021, footwear exports crossed $13.3 billion, up nearly 10 percent over the same period in 2020, while handbags exports slipped 3.7 percent year-on-year to around $2.24 billion.

    The U.S. remained a major export market for Vietnamese footwear and handbags, accounting for 41 and 44 percent of the total, respectively. EU ranked second at nearly 23 and 22 percent of footwear and handbag exports.

    Lefaso said prolonged social distancing has forced 80 percent of leather and footwear factories in HCMC, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, An Giang, and Kien Giang, accounting for 70 percent of the industry’s import and export turnover, to stop production.

    Businesses in the northern and central regions reduced production by 30-50 percent due to labor shortages, supply chain disruptions and other factors.

    The lack of containers, high cost of logistics and international shipping (5-10 times), expensive fuel and the rising price of imported raw materials have majorly impacted the industry.

    The association also said that conditions for receiving Covid-19 relief were too tough and relevant administrative procedures too complicated, making it difficult for businesses to access the promised support.

    Although the situation has improved since the end of September, production under the “new normal” has a long way to go, it said.

    Lefaso recommended that leather and footwear businesses reduce costs, take advantage of supportive policies and create favorable conditions, in line with safety protocols prescribed by the Ministry of Health to attract workers back to work.

    Businesses also need to make good use of incentives under free trade agreements, especially CPTPP and EVFTA, to boost exports in the last months of 2021, the association said.

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  • Viber rolls out disappearing messages feature in group chats

    Viber rolls out disappearing messages feature in group chats

    After surpassing one billion Google Play downloads worldwide, Viber announced a new feature that was previously available only for one-on-one chats: disappearing messages. Starting today, Viber is rolling out this option for group chats too.

    More importantly, users won’t need to go through a multi-step process to change the status for messages in the group, as the feature has been implemented so that members can easily toggle it on and off right within the chat.

    On top of that, Viber added new functionality to the feature, so users can now set messages in a group chat to disappear 10 seconds, one minute, one hour, or one day after being read. Furthermore, on devices running Android 6 and up, Viber will completely disable forwarding, copying, or taking a screenshot of a message when the disappearing option is enabled.

    For those using older Android smartphones, as well as all iOS users, group chat members will be automatically notified if a member of the chat takes a screenshot of a message set to disappear. Although Viber personal and group chats are end-to-end encrypted, the new feature will surely add another layer of security for both Android and iOS users.

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  • Apple Developing A System For iPhone To Control ACs, Seats, Stereo In Cars

    Apple Developing A System For iPhone To Control ACs, Seats, Stereo In Cars

    Apple already has CarPlay which is highly successful as it allows users to beam the interface and features of their iPhone onto the infotainment system of their vehicles. It allows to get navigation, voice recognition via Siri and also taps into contacts and music streaming services. But Apple as per a Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman is working on a bolder system that will enable the iPhone to control core features of a car like the air conditioning, the seats, and even the stereo. The initiative internally is apparently called “IronHeart” and is in the early stages of development and will likely require the compliance of automakers.

    The automotive market is clearly a long-term goal for Apple as it also has its electric self-driving car project in the works called Project Titan. But that project is a long-term play and has had many issues, but in the meanwhile, Apple has made solid inroads with CarPlay. One of the latest automobile-focused features that Apple introduced in 2020 was CarKey which has even been emulated by Google.

    But IronHeart takes things to another level and it will provide inside and outside temperature and humidity readings. It will have information around temperature zones, fans, and defroster systems. There will be settings embedded for surround sound speakers, EQ settings which Apple doesn’t even provide for Apple Music, and fader and balancer settings; things that are standard in a car infotainment system that allows the user to sculpt the sound of the sound system in the car.

    Users will also be able to control the seats and armrests and it will also embed the car telematics data and will pull information from the speedometer, tachometer, and fuel instrument clusters – basically, Apple is trying to combine all the functions that are found in both the infotainment screen and the instrument cluster and make it accessible right from the iPhone. Apple is turning CarPlay into the interface for the car itself and potentially with access to such data, Apple could allow third parties to develop more apps over these core functions.

    Apple has faced resistance from major manufacturers like Tesla with the adoption of CarPlay. The updates that Apple is working on will reduce the reliance on the core car infotainment interface and most users will likely default to Apple’s interface. Apple could also use this information that will further help its efforts to make its own car which has been a tumultuous project since 2015.

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  • Geneva Motor Show Cancelled For The Third Time

    Geneva Motor Show Cancelled For The Third Time

    Due to industry-wide issues relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation Comité permanent du Salon international de l’automobile, as organiser of the Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS), has announced that the 2022 edition of the show will be canceled. The decision to cancel GIMS 2022 was made with the best interests of both car manufacturers and automotive fans in mind. The direct and indirect issues relating to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic left the organisers with no alternative.

    On the one hand, direct issues of the pandemic include continued travel restrictions for international exhibitors, visitors, and journalists. On the other hand, indirect issues of the pandemic, such as the semiconductor shortage, have presented car manufacturers with new priorities that they need to solve first. These issues led to several recent cancellations, which resulted in the final confirmation of the show’s postponement

    Maurice Turrettini, President of the Comité permanent du Salon international de l’automobile said, “We have pushed very hard and tried everything to reactivate the Geneva International Motor Show in 2022. Despite all our efforts, we have to face the facts and the reality: the pandemic situation is not under control and presents itself as a big threat for a large indoor event like GIMS. But we see this decision as a postponement, rather than a cancellation. I am confident that the Geneva International Motor Show will come back stronger than ever in 2023.”

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  • Levi beats quarterly estimates as people refresh their wardrobes

    Levi beats quarterly estimates as people refresh their wardrobes

    Levi Strauss & Co on Wednesday beat third-quarter revenue and profit estimates, boosted by an uptick in demand for jeans from people refreshing their wardrobes as they returned to normal social life following easing pandemic restrictions.

    Shares of the jeans maker rose 2% in extended trading after the Dockers brand owner said its board had approved a $200 million share repurchase plan. The company has a market capitalization of $49.49 billion, according to Refinitiv data.

    With schools and offices reopening and people even going on vacations, as cases of coronavirus infections trend down, many are splurging on new apparel.

    Levi, which has been expanding at major retailers including Target and Nordstrom, has also benefited from a reopening of the economy in its European markets and investments in its direct-to-consumer business.

    Analysts expect Levi to faceless supply pressure than peers due to its minimal reliance on Vietnam, an apparel manufacturing hub that has seen several factories close due to COVID-19 outbreaks and lower usage of the congested West Coast port.

    “We have taken pricing actions and believe we have the pricing power to mitigate inflationary pressures,” Chief Financial Officer Harmit Singh said in a statement.

    Net revenue for the company rose to $1.50 billion from $1.06 billion in the third quarter ended Aug. 29. Analysts on average had expected $1.48 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

    Excluding items, Levi earned 48 cents per share, beating estimates of 38 cents per share.

    The company said it expects holiday-quarter net revenue growth of 20% to 21% from a year earlier, while analysts were expecting growth of 22%.

    Levi also said it expects fourth-quarter earnings per share to be between 38 cents and 40 cents per share, compared with analysts average expectation of 40 cents per share.

  • UOB and ADDX Partner on Sustainability-Linked Bond

    UOB and ADDX Partner on Sustainability-Linked Bond

    This initiative comes amid a rise in the use of digital securities to enhance the efficiency of bonds and other fixed-income instruments.

    UOB and ADDX have completed the digitization and digital custody of a S$50-million portion of the $675 million sustainability-linked bonds recently launched by Sembcorp Industries, according to an announcement on Thursday.

    The ten-and-a-half-year bond is due in 2032 and has been priced at a coupon rate of 2.66 percent per annum if Sembcorp meets a sustainability performance target of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions intensity.

    UOB highlighted the benefits digital bond issuance brings to corporate clients, including faster processing and lower cost in the custody and administration of the bond.

    In the past year, digital securities have achieved a high level of acceptance among blue-chip issuers of bonds and other securities globally, noted ADDX.

    As digital bonds enter a phase of widespread adoption, the cost of fundraising through bonds and other fixed-income instruments will continue to fall, and companies that embrace the new technology will be able to raise capital more efficiently, Oi Yee Choo, ADDX chief commercial officer, said.

    Founded in 2017, ADDX, previously known as iSTOX, is a full-service capital markets platform with MAS lice

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