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Category: Food

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Food and Food & Beverage news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • 7-Eleven in Taiwan to offer restaurant grade fresh meals

    7-Eleven in Taiwan to offer restaurant grade fresh meals

    Convenience store chain 7-Eleven in Taiwan has partnered with a restaurant and a hotel to offer fresh-cooked meals to consumers.

    The service, launching this week at the Dongxing Road outlet in Taipei, will retail assorted boxed meals targeting office workers following seven different menus prepared for the venture by Regent Taipei chefs and restaurant Su/food.

    Customers are invited to place advance orders for the meals, to be picked up on the same or following day at noon. The partnering providers will deliver the meals to the participating stores, which will store them to preserve the temperature.

    7-Eleven in Taiwan expects the venture to increase its meal sales by 10 to 20 percent. After a trial period, the concept is expected to be rolled out more widely.

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  • Luckin Coffee fined US$9 million for accounting fraude

    Luckin Coffee fined US$9 million for accounting fraude

    Disgraced Chinese coffee chain Luckin Coffee, along with more than 40 other firms involved in the deception, has been fined almost US$9 million for falsifying its financial records.

    According to reporting, China’s finance ministry has previously found Luckin to have booked RMB2.25 billion in sales via counterfeit coupons between April and December last year, as well as having inflated its reported revenues, costs, and profits.

    China’s market regulator found Luckin to have flouted Chinese regulations and misled the public over the period in question.

    “We have carried out an overall rectification on the related issues,” said a representative from the firm in acknowledging that Luckin respected the regulator’s decision. “We will further improve our operations according to related laws and regulations.”

    Luckin was formerly considered a likely competitor against Starbucks within the territory.

  • Police investigate Saigon Beer copycat

    Police investigate Saigon Beer copycat

    Police in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province are investigating a copyright infringement involving Saigon Beer by a former employee of its brewer, Sabeco. They found over 9,000 boxes of the Saigon Vietnam Beer with the brand name and packaging similar to that of the 43-year old Saigon Beer brand produced by Sabeco, the largest brewer in Vietnam.

    The beer is distributed by the Saigon Vietnam Beer Group Jsc., not a subsidiary of Sabeco. Its CEO, Le Dinh Trung, held several positions in Sabeco for years, including assistant to the deputy CEO and head of its legal department.

    Another person involved in the copyright infringement is Tran Thi Ai Loan, a distributor of Sabeco beer for the last four years.

    The original headquarter address of Saigon Vietnam Beer Group Jsc was registered at Floor 9, Vincom Building, 72 Le Thanh Ton, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, the same as Sabeco. Although the Saigon Vietnam Beer Group Jsc. later changed its headquarters to a different location in Binh Thanh District, its beer packaging carried the old address, confusing customers.

    Authorities said Loan, as a legal representative, had signed a contract with BiVa Beer Brewer in southern Ba Ria–Vung Tau Province to produce the Saigon Vietnam Beer and started distributing the product in May.

    The same month, Sabeco requested the Vietnam Intellectual Property Research Institute to inspect the similarities between the packaging and brand name of the two beers. The institute concluded in June that there were signs of copyright infringement, following which Sabeco requested market authorities to intervene.

    Authorities later found thousands of Saigon Vietnam Beer boxes in the southern localities of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Phuoc, Soc Trang and Can Tho as well as the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak. Each box was being sold at VND159,300 ($6.91), nearly 12 percent lower than that of Sabeco’s Saigon Beer.

    Vu Tuan Chau, owner of BiVa Beer Brewer, told authorities that they had distributed a total of 4,400 boxes so far. Chau said they only produced the beer to the requirements of Saigon Beer Vietnam and was not aware of any copyright infringement. A lawyer representing Sabeco said that the infringement has damaged their brand’s reputation and misled customers into purchasing the wrong product. Sabeco is working with authorities to continue the investigation, the lawyer said.

    No comments were available from the representatives of Saigon Beer Vietnam at the time of going to print.

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  • Deliveroo Singapore kicks off partnership with Food from the Heart with a pledge of S$10,000 in donations

    Deliveroo Singapore kicks off partnership with Food from the Heart with a pledge of S$10,000 in donations

    Deliveroo Singapore today announced its partnership with Food from the Heart (FFTH), a charity organisation that is devoted to alleviating food insecurity through efficient distribution of food – an issue that affects approximately 200,000 of the population in Singapore.

    The long-term partnership is part of Deliveroo’s community-focused campaign in Singapore, No Child Goes Hungry, to tackle food insecurity among children, with focused initiatives around contributions to philanthropic causes and community service.

    #CleanPlateChallenge: Supporting FFTH to champion food waste reduction

    In the first initiative of the partnership, Deliveroo will be supporting FFTH’s food waste initiative, Clean Plate Campaign, and is calling for solidarity among its customers to join the fight towards zero food waste.

    From 28 September to 16 October, Deliveroo customers can show their support from home by taking part in a social media challenge, #CleanPlateChallenge. To participate, customers must finish their food, take a photo of their clean plate or takeaway box and upload it onto Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #CleanPlateChallenge, and tag @deliveroo_sg and @foodfromtheheartsg (Instagram) / @foodheart (Facebook).

    Deliveroo will donate S$1 to FFTH for each submission, with donations totalling up to S$10,000. The donations will go towards beneficiaries of FFTH’s School Goodie Bag programme, which focuses on providing underprivileged primary and secondary school students and their families with food rations and better nutrition. The School Goodie Bag comprises food from different categories such as staples, vegetables and proteins and cooking essentials to ensure a well-rounded diet

    The Clean Plate Campaign was started by FFTH in conjunction with World Food Day, marked annually on 16 October, to raise awareness of the environmental and societal impact of food waste and to inculcate the habit of mindful eating. Food waste is a critical issue, especially since the amount of food waste generated in Singapore has increased by about 20% over the past ten years. In the last year alone, 744,000[2] tonnes of food was wasted – equivalent to two bowls of rice per person a day.

    “As a socially responsible company which delivers great tasting food to thousands of consumers’ doorsteps each day, food wastage is a cause close to our hearts. We are always seeking opportunities to give back to the communities we operate in and are determined to help contribute to efforts to reduce the amount of food waste in society. By teaming up with Food from the Heart, we want to inform and empower our customers to play their part in reducing food wastage, and at the same time, give back to those in need. The Clean Plate Campaign marks the first initiative of our long-term partnership with Food from the Heart. We look forward to continuing our support through the No Child Goes Hungry initiative to deliver real, tangible changes that will help our environment and the disadvantaged in society,” said Sarah Tan, Interim General Manager, Deliveroo Singapore.

    “We are deeply heartened that Deliveroo has stepped forward to join our cause of minimising food waste and feeding the hungry needy, more so during these challenging times. The generous donation will go a long way in bettering the lives of our young beneficiaries and their families through nutritious food.  We look forward to a most fruitful partnership in alleviating child hunger together,” said Sim Bee Hia, CEO of FFTH.

    “Times are tough and the School Goodie Bag food pack has helped me a lot. My kids like the food that I make with it and I don’t have to worry about them not having enough food. They can concentrate on their school,” said Amilah, a single mother and FFTH beneficiary.

    Deliveroo Singapore’s partnership with FFTH is the latest in a series of community focused tie-ups. Previous partnerships include WeCare@MarineParade, where Deliveroo riders delivered over 1,000 iftar meals to vulnerable Muslim families during Ramadan, TOUCH Community Services, where Deliveroo rallied customers, restaurants and riders to get behind the Meals-On-Wheels initiative, and social enterprise Glyph, which saw Deliveroo hosting quarterly Food & Cultural Exchanges and offering discounted Glyph membership fees for riders’ children.

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  • Sale of China’s Burger King franchise at stake

    Sale of China’s Burger King franchise at stake

    TAB Food Investments is looking to sell its 50-per-cent stake in Burger King’s China operations, which could value the asset at more than $1.2 billion, according to Bloomberg.

    TAB Food is the largest global franchisee of Restaurant Brands International and runs more than 1200 Burger King locations across China. The business had expressed interest in launching an IPO for its China operations some time ago, though now may be investigating exiting the business entirely.

    According to sources, the deliberations are still at an early stage, and TAB could still decide to hold on to the business or revive the IPO plans which were postponed in 2018 with no reason given.

    An ongoing sale process isn’t underway, a TAB spokesperson told Bloomberg. The business is the biggest franchisor of Burger King globally and manages close to 2000 restaurants across China and Turkey.

    TAB also holds the rights to the Popeye’s Chicken brand, which has just opened its first store in Shanghai and is set to launch further 1500 in China over the next 10 years.

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  • Top fried chicken restaurant chains post growth

    Top fried chicken restaurant chains post growth

    Vietnam’s three most popular fried chicken restaurant chains earned combined revenues of VND4.3 trillion ($185.5 million) last year, up more than 11 percent year-on-year. South Korean brand Lotteria recorded the highest revenues at VND1.68 trillion ($72.5 million), up nearly 8 percent year-on-year. It has the highest number of outlets in Vietnam at over 210 in more than 30 localities.

    Lotteria’s performance was an improvement with over the 2 percent growth rate recorded in 2018 and 2017, but smaller than the double-digit rate it enjoyed from 2014-2016.

    It was followed by American brand KFC with revenues of nearly VND1.5 trillion ($64.3 million), up 1.3 percent year-on-year. In 2018 and 2017 its growth rate was 7.5 and 18.3 percent respectively.

    KFC, the earliest of the three to enter Vietnam, has over 140 outlets in 32 localities. In third place, with revenues of VND1.1 trillion, was a Filipino brand Jollibee. With over 100 outlets, Jollibee posted the highest growth of the three at over 40 percent year-on-year.

    In the last three years, its annual growth rate has averaged over 37 percent, several times that of KFC and Lotteria. But of the three chains, only KFC posted a pre-tax profit of VND102 billion last year, its fourth consecutive profit-making year.

    Both Lotteria and Jollibee have been reporting losses in the last five years. Last year, the two chains reported losses of VND22 billion and VND10 billion, respectively.

    Market observers have attributed the slower growth of fast-food chains in recent years to changing eating habits among the Vietnamese, who are prioritizing health over convenience.

    Market research firm Nielsen had said earlier in a report that there was an increasing percentage of Vietnamese identifying health as a sign of success instead of richness. The rising number of food contamination cases and environmental issues have also prompted people to care more about health issues, it said.

    In 2018, there were 7,000 fast food outlets in Vietnam, a relatively insignificant number considering there are around 540,000 food and beverage businesses comprised of 430,000 street vendors, 80,000 restaurants, and 22,000 cafes and bars, according to Dcorp R- Keeper, a global company which provides technological solutions to food and beverage businesses.

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  • 7-Eleven and Coca-Cola open crossover experiential store in Singapore

    7-Eleven and Coca-Cola open crossover experiential store in Singapore

    7-Eleven has collaborated with Coca-Cola to launch a crossover experience store in Singapore. Located at the House of Eden, the store spans two stories and is dressed in Coca-Cola’s signature red.

    Behind the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, a giant ‘Coca-Cola Splash Tree’ and beverage cooler signify this store is something different from the typical convenience store. The ground floor houses a 7-Eleven retail area which also sells ready-to-eat meals and fresh baked goods.

    To get to the upper floor, customers walk through a Coca-Cola branded staircase ‘tunnel’ with LED lighting under each panel to guide their steps. The floor houses a customized 7-Eleven x Coca-Cola Pit-Stop wall and a seating area with red and white furniture. Two claw machines are set up near the staircase for entertainment.

    The store also features several Instagrammable backdrops with the brands’ logos for visitors to take photos with.

    “Through this collaboration, we will further strengthen our position as a fun and innovative brand and create talk-of-the-town experiences for our customers,” said Steven Lye, MD of 7-Eleven Singapore.

    “Today, the convenience store culture has also become an intrinsic part of our fast-paced lifestyles,” said Chris Tan, commercial director, Coca-Cola Singapore Beverages. “At the Coca-Cola Pit Stop with 7- Eleven here in Singapore, they can re-energize within a safe environment that truly embodies the Coca-Cola brand.”

    Coca-Cola Pit-Stop Singapore is not the brand’s first collaboration with 7-Eleven. In July, both brands launched a themed store in Hong Kong, where the convenience-store business is owned by the same franchisee, Dairy Farm International. But compared to the Hong Kong store design, this Singapore store is considerably larger and more imaginative.

  • Popeyes may immediately stop all operations in South Korea

    Popeyes may immediately stop all operations in South Korea

    American fast-food chain Popeyes said it is to withdraw business from South Korea, however, the local franchisee TS Corporation has denied the report.

    According to The Korea Times, reports of the exit began when a memo was written by a Popeyes’ employee headed “Popeyes brand will no longer pursue business in Korea as of November” went viral on social media. The employee’s memo went into detail, to the point of stating that the chain’s Gwangjin-gu branch would be the last to close before the brand ceases its operations in South Korea.

    A spokesperson from TS Corporation confirmed that some of the restaurants will shut down – but not all of them. The person didn’t share any further information except to state that the company will continue to operate the brand there.

    The struggling fast-food chain has been attempting to turn its fortunes around for two years, however, the process has not gone smoothly.

    Having entered South Korea with TS Food & System in 1993, the company recorded an impaired equity ratio of 40 percent, and last year it was in negative equity.

    Local media said Popeyes has recently been in negotiations with another operator to increase the brand’s value. That company is believed to be SPC Group, which operates Shake Shack and Eggslut in the country, but that has not been confirmed.

  • McDonald’s US starting up innovating cup-reusing system with Terracycle

    McDonald’s US starting up innovating cup-reusing system with Terracycle

    McDonald’s is to launch a reusable cup option for hot beverages with TerraCycle’s circular packaging service Loop. At first, the service will be trialed in the US before being introduced in other markets.

    In the program, customers will get the durable cup for a small deposit, which can be redeemed by returning the cup to participating McDonald’s restaurants. The Loop system, in partnership with Ecolab, will sanitize the cup for the next use.

    “We’re on a journey to rethink how we package products to give customers options that reduce waste, maintain the highest safety standards, and enhance the McDonald’s experience they expect and enjoy,” said Jenny McColloch, vice president global sustainability at McDonald’s.

    “This pilot will generate important local insights and lessons to share along the way. We will accelerate circular-packaging solutions with our partners around the globe,” McColloch said.

    McDonald’s will pilot the campaign at select McDonald’s restaurants in the UK next year. McDonald’s has invested in several packing initiatives across the world, including the Recup system in Germany and NextGen Cup Challenge in the US.

    “The partnership paves the way for reusables to become an accessible option for consumers as they enjoy their meal on the go.” said Tom Szaky, CEO at TerraCycle and Loop.

    As yet, no images of the new device have been released, and it is not clear what it will be constructed of. Nor is it clear if the cups will be washed in stores or returned to a central hub.

  • Lotte seeks to carve TGI Friday’s out as part of restructuring excercise

    Lotte seeks to carve TGI Friday’s out as part of restructuring excercise

    Lotte is moving to divest its TGI Friday’s restaurant chain rights in South Korea as it restructures its business portfolio. Lotte will split the business and sell off shares to new investors, having already spun off the chain’s assets and debts. The group has been badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with a sales drop equivalent to US$140.4 million during this year’s second financial quarter, 18.2 percent down from last year’s results. Of all Lotte GRS chains, only Lotteria seems to be making profits, according to observers in the industry.

    The groups’ flagship Lotte Shopping will close up to 120 physical outlets under various brands this year during its retail business restructure, while its online business continues to expand.

    “It is time for a self-scrutiny on our business practices so far, and CEOs must aware that the priority is streamlining their current business processes,” said Lotte Chairman Shin Dong-bin. “While doing so, companies should make greater efforts to make innovations in a long-term perspective.”

    Lotte has operated TGI Friday’s within the territory since 2002, opening venues within the group’s shopping malls. There are currently 21 outlets in operation, less than half that were running at the peak of its popularity back in 2013.

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  • Starbucks China opens first coffee outlet made of containers

    Starbucks China opens first coffee outlet made of containers

    Starbucks has just unveiled a new concept store in China created inside six repurposed shipping containers.

    An identical concept, created by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, first appeared in Taiwan. As the 800th store in Shanghai, the Starbucks container store helped set a new record for the city – it has more Starbucks stores than any other city in the world.

    The cafe is located at Shanghai’s Wisdom Bay Science Innovation Park, on space which was formerly home to warehouses and container storage yards.

    Today, the area has been gentrified, converting abandoned cargo containers into office spaces as well has housed the nation’s first museum of 3D printing.

    Elements of the Silicon Valley-esque structure have also been replicated inside the store to create ‘cultural coffee experiences’, an art gallery and a wall installation art piece created by a 3D printer.

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  • Costa sliming down Chinese cafe network

    Costa sliming down Chinese cafe network

    British coffee franchise Costa will pull back further from the China market by early next year.

    In response to a dip in consumer demand, the Coca-Cola-owned firm reduced its physical stores within the territory by around 10 percent last month, half of which were located in the capital, Beijing. It has also shuttered its entire network in the coastal city of Qingdao.

    The brand’s long-standing aspirations for China have been frustrated during the Covid-19 pandemic, caused by rising unemployment and other economic factors hit by the outbreak. The firm’s operations have also been strongly impacted by the virus within its home market, with 1650 staff dropped off the payroll in the UK

    Costa has had significant difficulties facing the competitive Chinese coffee shop market, having launched just a sixth of its 2500-store target network since opening in 2006. Despite this, recent statements by the firm reaffirm its commitment to the market.

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  • Thai government bans online liquor purchase

    Thai government bans online liquor purchase

    Thailand is to ban the sale of alcohol online because the government says it is too difficult to ensure broader liquor sales are being respected.

    The decision has been signed off by Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who said that alcoholic drinks have become a popular item traded via e-commerce, creating difficulties in oversight.

    Thailand’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Act BE 2551 sets legal limits for the sale of alcohol that have proved impossible to adequately enforce on digital trading, which has presented problems in controlling the date, time, venue, and target groups buying alcohol.

    Thai law prohibits the sale of alcohol in retail stores before 11 am, between 2 pm and 5 pm and after midnight. The kingdom also has numerous full-day bans throughout the year including Buddhist holidays and days in which elections are scheduled.

    According to the Prime Minister’s announcement, prohibited activities include the direct sale of alcohol online, as well as persuasion, introducing alcoholic products or related services via electronic channels that allow for retail transactions for alcohol to occur without physically meeting.

    It does not include in-person electronic transactions such as purchases made by digital means in restaurants and stores.

    The ban will be put into place within 90 days of being published in the Royal Gazette.

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  • Starbucks expands plant-based range in Asia Pacific

    Starbucks expands plant-based range in Asia Pacific

    Starbucks has rolled out a new plant-based menu in selected Asia-Pacific markets. The brand has added two new seasonal plant-based beverages – Oatmilk Cocoa Macchiato and Almondmilk Hazelnut Latte. The beverage range will be available across eight markets: Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

    The new options will remain part of the chain’s core menu in up to seven of these markets when the seasonal promotion ends.

    Starbucks’ new plant-based food options will be sold in five markets: Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. The company says they were created to suit the tastes and preferences of consumers in specific markets.

    They are:
    Hong Kong: Maize Impossible Sandwich, the Spiced Impossible Puff, and vegan chocolate breadstick.
    New Zealand: Mince & Cheese Pie.
    Singapore: Impossible Wrap.
    Taiwan: Beyond Meat Bolognese Penne, the Beyond Meat Sausage Sandwich, and the Beyond Meatball Sandwich.
    Thailand: Beyond Meat Sandwich.

    “As customer demand for plant-based choices increases, Starbucks remains committed to expanding plant-based food and beverage offerings in locally-relevant ways…,” the company said in a statement.

    “This menu expansion is designed to offer our customers the same flavors and handcrafted service they know and love from Starbucks, in a new way,” said Sara Trilling, president at Starbucks Asia Pacific.

    According to Euromonitor, Asia Pacific is the largest market for plant-based milk options as traditions in food culture have been well established.

    Industry manager at Euromonitor said plant-based options are strongly ingrained in Asian culture. Innovation is key to meeting the taste preferences of consumers seeking out new flavors and modern takes on traditional diets.

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  • Foodpanda lifts off 24/7 Singapore Pandago goods-delivery service

    Foodpanda lifts off 24/7 Singapore Pandago goods-delivery service

    Singaporean food-delivery platform Foodpanda has launched a logistics-as-a-service solution targeting businesses, using its community of more than 12,000 riders.

    Businesses requiring package-delivery services are now able to request a rider via a Pandago account on a pay-per-use basis, whether or not they are currently a Foodpanda customer. The service’s delivery fees are distance-based, charged over a base fee of SGD6 (US$4.39).

    The service builds on the rising demand for delivery within the territory, allowing businesses to request drivers to immediately deliver orders from their e-commerce channels and answering customer expectations for the most convenient possible shopping experience. The service also allows a real-time tracking feature.

    “Fast and reliable deliveries are becoming a must in today’s ‘convenience economy’ or quick commerce (q-commerce) economy,” stated material released by the firm. “The availability of on-demand delivery has universalized expectations of being able to get purchases delivered in real-time, and businesses that are not able to offer such services will see themselves losing out to those who can.”

    Pandago charges neither onboarding nor commission fees, and can perform as an “emergency” solution for businesses with existing delivery capacities during a surge in demand.

    “Q-commerce is the natural evolution of e-commerce,” said Foodpanda Singapore MD Luc Andreani. “We are acutely aware of the challenges that come with on-demand deliveries, especially for smaller businesses. The launch of pandago aims to solve exactly these challenges so that businesses can focus on what they do best.”