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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.

  • Jollibee poultry plant gives chicken farmers new income opportunity

    Jollibee poultry plant gives chicken farmers new income opportunity

    Cargill Joy Poultry Meat Production Inc. opened on Tuesday, giving chicken farmers in Batangas and nearby provinces new income opportunities, Jollibee Foods said Wednesday.

    A joint venture between Jollibee Foods and Minneapolis, USA-based Cargill , the largest poultry processing plant in the country has a yearly capacity of 45 million chickens.

    “The plant increases income opportunities for local poultry farmers in Batangas and nearby provinces as they will supply the chickens to be processed at the JFC facility,” according to Jollibee Foods.

    The poultry plant in Santo Tomas, Batangas will supply the demand of JFC bands with dressed and marinated chicken.

    “C-Joy is partnering with local poultry farmers in Batangas and nearby provinces to supply the new facility with chicken,” according to Cargill.

    “We are looking forward to producing the chickens that will be supplied to the C-Joy plant to meet the poultry meat requirements of Jollibee,” said Vic Lao, president of Highcrest Corp., a partner-grower of the C-Joy.

    Cargill and Jollibee Foods revealed the partnership in May last year, saying the processing plant will create an estimated 1,000 new full-time jobs in Batangas.

    They said the plant will be 70-percent owned by Cargill Philippines which will oversee the setting up, management, and operations, with Jollibee Foods owning 30 percent.

    JFC invested P244.9 million in the processing plant, and P15.2 million in Cargill Joy Poultry Realty Inc. from which C-Joy leased the land to build the facility.

    The poultry processing plant is industry positive, according to the United Broilers Raisers Association.

    “This is positive for the industry as this will promote competition among big market players like San Miguel and Bounty fresh,” UBRA president Bong Inciong told GMA News Online.

    “Maganda rin ‘yan kasi kaunti lang ‘yung big players. So, healthy for the industry na may competition sila. Also, ‘yung mga small farmers will be given opportunity to grow kasi meron silang bagong malaking client,” he added.

    Summit Securities Inc. president Harry Liu said the development will have an impact on the financial condition of Jollibee Foods.

    “I think it will help the bottom line. I am sure they are doing this investment for future requirement and steady supply for the business now and in the future,” he said in a separate text message.

    JFC closed the third quarter with a net profit of P1.62 billion, up 21.1 percent from a year earlier.

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  • Shiru Cafe will be launched in the US

    Shiru Cafe will be launched in the US

    Japan’s Shiru Cafe concept is about to launch in the US, on a university campus in Providence.

    It is being introduced by Enrission America, a cafe company that specialises in free coffee for university students.

    Following the opening on the Brown campus, other branches will be launched at Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University and Amherst College.

    Especially for university students, Shiru Cafes are financed primarily through the sponsorship of companies that aim to improve student life. Students and staff members all receive free coffee, tea and juice while being provided with sponsors’ promotional materials. The cafes provide study spaces equipped with electrical outlets and free Wi-Fi internet access.

    Sponsorship allows companies to advertise on paper coffee cups, on digital displays in the cafes and on the cafe’s website. Company representatives can also meet and interact with students in the cafes, as well as run recruitment activities.

    Enrission America has opened more than 20 Shiru Cafes around the world. “It is an essential part of our vision,” says CEO Yusuke Kakimoto.

    Enrission, based in Kyoto, was founded in 2013 and is firmly established in India and Japan with support from 130 companies including Microsoft JP and PWC JP.

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  • PTT earmarks P500 million for coffee-fuel expansion mix

    PTT earmarks P500 million for coffee-fuel expansion mix

    PTT Philippines expects to spend PHP500 million (US$9.9 million) on beefing up its retail network, including a foray into the Japanese market.

    President/CEO Sukanya Seriyothin says that while the bulk of the expansion for the Thai oil and gas giant PTT subsidiary will be gasoline stations, it includes about 12 Cafe Amazon outlets, mainly in Luzon.

    Following its diversification into the coffee business, PTT has started investing in the Philippines to complement its more than 1850 stores in Thailand and other parts of Asia, including one in Japan, says the company.

    With a “notable landscape change” in its investment plan, the company aims to open 100 cafes in the near term, with six to be up and running by year end.

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  • German burger chain Hans Im Gluck opens in Singapore

    German burger chain Hans Im Gluck opens in Singapore

    Following a holiday in Singapore last year, a restaurateur couple has returned to open a casual gourmet burger restaurant, Hans Im Gluck, in Orchard Road.

    The brand’s 50th outlet and first outpost in Asia, it specialises in vegan, vegetarian, beef and chicken burgers served alongside salads, tea infusions and cocktails.

     

     

    Hans Im Gluck was launched seven years ago by Gunilla Hirschberger, a vegan, who set herself the goal of shaking up Germany’s meat-focused dining scene. The 53-year-old Munich-based Swede saw a gap in the market for vegan-friendly offerings at burger restaurants, and with her German husband Thomas Hirschberger opened the first Hans Im Gluck in 2010, named after a German fairytale by the Brothers Grimm.

    They now run 49 outlets in Germany and Austria, with more coming up in Italy and Switzerland.

    Meanwhile, the Singapore restaurant is in a purpose-built outlet between International Building and the Royal Thai Embassy. Next year, the couple will open two more outlets – at Boat Quay and at Republic Plaza, Raffles Place.

    For 15 years, the Hirschbergers ran a Californian-Mexican restaurant chain with 40 outlets across Germany, which they have since sold. When they visited Singapore they say they felt an instant connection to the city.

    “Singapore has a good spirit and is full of different kinds of cultures. People here are open-minded and happy to see new things,” says Gunilla. “The city is innovative and has a good flow.”

    Their Singapore store features imported German-made oak furniture and 180 birch logs, installed throughout the restaurant to resemble a German forest. The menu, which looks like a children’s storybook, features 30 burgers.

    It has its own sauces including vegan mayonnaise and orange mustard, as well as multigrain and sourdough buns made exclusively for the chain and sent frozen from Germany.

    At 4000sqft (370sqm) and seating 180 diners, the restaurant is small compared with the German outlets, of which 23 are family-owned. Those restaurants are usually about 10,000sqft with about 400 seats, excluding the terrace.

    The Singapore restaurants are wholly owned by the Hirschbergers, and the chain is looking to expand into other parts of Asia, including Hong Kong and Taipei.

  • Melt Shop Signs First SEA Franchise Agreement

    Melt Shop Signs First SEA Franchise Agreement

    Melted sandwiches are about to take on the world, including Southeast Asia, according to the directors of US franchise chain Melt Shop.

    Founder/managing partner Spencer Rubin believes the company is perfectly positioned to begin franchising internationally after expanding into the Middle East.

    Melt was established in 2011 and now has eight corporate locations in New York, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis. Parent company Aurify Brands is a hospitality-focused business founded by multi-unit franchisees, and its plans for the Melt Shop include a global target of more than 100 locations over the next five years.

    “Melt Shop has spent the past six years perfecting our brand and business model,” says Rubin. “The timing is right to take our New York-born fast-casual concept to the world.”

    He says the company sees immense potential to grow through franchising, and is targeting experienced multi-unit franchisees who have restaurant and hospitality experience.

    “Keeping the integrity of the Melt Shop brand is important to us. We will have dedicated operators overseeing the day-to-day running of our international locations. An intense and all-encompassing training program will also ensure no steps are overlooked.

    “We strongly believe in compliance, and it is important we find partners who are dedicated and passionate about the Melt Shop brand. All locations will follow the same processes and quality standards, and we’ll do everything to make sure it is consistent across every location.”

  • Indonesian Pizza Hut Operator Plans $150 Million IPO

    Indonesian Pizza Hut Operator Plans $150 Million IPO

    The company that runs Pizza Hut Indonesia plans an IPO that could raise as much as US$150 million.

    Sriboga Raturaya has taken on advisers for a listing of its foodservice and restaurant franchising unit, which also runs the Japanese noodle chain Marugame Udon.

    Shares could go on sale in Jakarta in the first half of next year, insiders say.

    Indonesia’s pizza market is forecast to expand to IDR8.81 trillion ($650 million) by 2021, up from IDR5.76 trillion last year, according to Euromonitor International. Pizza Hut had more than 70 per cent of the market last year, followed by Domino’s with 6.1 per cent.

    First-time stock sales in Southeast Asia’s largest economy raised $683 million this year, down from $1.03 billion for the same period last year, according to Bloomberg.

    Sriboga Raturaya, which started as a producer of wheat flour in 1995, also has interests in education, logistics and making food ingredients.

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  • Starbucks CEO talks about the future in China after the opening of its biggest store yet

    Starbucks CEO talks about the future in China after the opening of its biggest store yet

    That would be the company’s new Shanghai Roastery, a 30,000 square-foot “coffee wonderland,” which opened Tuesday and is Starbucks’ largest store to date.

    Located in the company’s fastest-growing country, the new Roastery is double the size of the original in Seattle that opened in 2014. It features three coffee bars offering multiple brewing methods; a 3D-printed tea bar; an Italian bakery, Princi; and a ceiling built with 10,000 handmade wooden hexagon-shaped tiles. There’s also a two-story, 40-ton copper cask with more than 1,000 hand-engraved Chinese stamps that tell the story of Starbucks and coffee.

    Technology is weaved into the store, including Starbucks’ first-ever in-store augmented reality experience, built in partnership with Chinese tech giant Alibaba, which is also selling Roastery coffee and merchandise on its Tmall online marketplace. Yahoo noted that sales on Tmall reached $1 million in the 48 hours before the Roastery opened.

    People gather in the new Starbucks Roastery in Shanghai, China. Photographed on Friday, December 1, 2017.
    An augmented reality app is used in the new Starbucks Roastery in Shanghai, China. Photographed on Friday, December 1, 2017.

     

     

    Starbucks plans to open more Roastery locations next year in Milan and New York City; and in Chicago and Tokyo in 2019. Speaking at the GeekWire Summit in October, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson explained that the Roastery stores act as “a center of innovation” for the company, which now has 27,000 stores in 75 countries and serves 90 million customers per week.

    “You’ll see us invest in taking the innovation we get from the Roasteries and propagate it throughout all our Starbucks stores around the world,” Johnson said.

    China represents Starbucks’ fastest-growing market with more than 3,000 stores across 136 cities, and 600 alone in Shanghai. The company posted same-store sales growth of 8 percent in the most recent quarter for China, compared to a 2 percent global average growth for stores worldwide. In July, Starbucks paid $1.3 billion to acquire the remaining shares in its East China business as it unified mainland China as a company-operated market.

    At a press event in Shanghai this week, Johnson said that China will become Starbucks’ fastest-growing market within a decade, according to the South China Morning Post.

    “If you look at the growing middle class in China and the opportunity for more and more people to frequent Starbucks, we can build stores in China for decades and still have runway to build more,” Johnson said at the GeekWire Summit.

    Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson speaks at the 2017 GeekWire Summit.

    China can also act as a testbed for the company’s new digital products and services, given that there are nearly 700 million smartphone users. In July, Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz hinted that Starbucks would partner with more Chinese tech companies “based on the fact that the consumer in China is well more advanced than the U.S. consumer in terms of being a digital native.” It previously partnered with another Chinese tech giant, Tencent, for social gifting integration on WeChat.

    At the GeekWire Summit, Johnson noted that Starbucks is working to create a “unified commerce platform” that enables its rewards program to work seamlessly across international markets.

    “The key factor is some software that our teams are writing that is rolling out country by country around the world, and it might take us another two years to touch every country,” he noted.

    Asked how Starbucks creates a consistent customer experience at its stores around the world while staying true to local culture, Johnson said it’s about creating a welcoming store environment, providing top quality coffee, and most importantly, human connection — the “one thing that every single one of us on this planet has in common.”

    “We’ve all experienced joy and sorrow; we’ve all experienced the struggle and the success,” Johnson explained. “So just anchoring on the fact that human beings, we are tribal people — we get energy from one another. If you create an environment where people are connecting with other people in our stores, it works everywhere.”

    Johnson also talked about how Starbucks ties together a physical store experience with digital innovation.

    “One, you must be focused on experiential retail that creates an experience in your store that becomes a destination for the customer,” Johnson explained when asked about what physical retailers must consider in 2017. “And number two, you have to extend that experience from brick-and-mortar to a digital-mobile relationship. So our approach to this is investing in elevating the experience we create in our stores, and investing in the digital-mobile connection we have with our customers.”

     

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  • Singapore to have Yogurt brand in and out

    Singapore to have Yogurt brand in and out

    Spanish frozen yogurt chain Llaollao closed yesterday, being replaced by another European brand, Yole.

    D+1 Holding, the master franchisee of Ilaollao in Singapore, has not revealed why it has discontinued with the brand.

    However, the company has acquired the rights to European frozen-yogurt chain Yole and will be converting all 29 Llaollao outlets throughout Singapore to the new brand by tomorrow, Channel NewsAsia reports.

    Arriving in Singapore four years ago, Llaollao attracted queues outside its flagship store at Marina Square and other branches. The brand also opened its largest outlet internationally at Suntec City in August 2015.

    Yole will also serve natural frozen yogurt as well as a coconut soft-serve ice cream. Toppings and different flavours, made with ingredients from Italy and Spain, will be introduced regularly.

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  • What to know about the breathtaking Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Shanghai

    What to know about the breathtaking Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Shanghai

    The world’s largest, most beautiful Starbucks yet opened its doors yesterday in Shanghai at 30,000 square feet.

    Featuring everything from Starbucks longest coffee bar, to the world’s only 3-D printed tea bar, and Starbucks first Augmented Reality experience, the roastery takes coffee lovers through a one-of-a-kind coffee journey that is sure to impress.

    The Roastery in Shanghai is the epitome of coffee and retail innovation for Starbucks. As China is at the forefront of Starbucks vision for global growth and innovation, it was the perfect place for the largest Starbucks to open. China is the company’s fastest growing market with more than 3,000 stores across more than 130 cities.

    On Dec 5, two of the world’s most innovative retail titans – Howard Schultz and Jack Ma – came together to celebrate the opening of Starbucks Reserve Roastery Shanghai.

    1. Officially the largest, most beautiful Starbucks® location in the world at nearly 30,000 square feet (2,700 square meters). FUN FACT: The Starbucks Reserve Roastery Shanghai is twice the size of the flagship Reserve® Roastery in Seattle and the equivalent of 40 average NYC apartments.
    2. Home to three coffee experience bars, one of which is 88 feet (26.9 meters) long, making for the longest Starbucks coffee bar in the world. FUN FACT: Known as the main engine of the Roastery, the coffee bar was handcrafted by premiere Chinese artisans and references the unique roasting curve of individual coffee beans.
    3. Mirroring the signature copper cask at the inaugural Reserve Roastery in Seattle, at entry, customers will be greeted by the stunning site of a two-story, 40-ton copper cask adorned with over 1,000 traditional Chinese chops, or stamps, hand-engraved to narrate the story of Starbucks and our Reserve coffee. FUN FACT: The iconic cask connects to the three coffee bars with pneumatic copper piping, replenishing all the roasted Starbucks Reserve® coffee silos. 
    4. Unique beverage menu items that cannot be found at any other Starbucks in China. FUN FACT:  Over 100 beverages are on the Roastery menu including Teavana tea infused with nitrogen as well as a new take on tea brewing with the Steampunk, which uses steam to extract unique flavors from each tea leaf. 
    5. Overall design of the space inspired by coffee and created exclusively in China for China – it will never be repeated. FUN FACTS: Some of the key design features include a ceiling consisting of 10,000 handmade wooden hexagon-shaped tiles inspired by the locking of an espresso shot on an espresso machine.  
    6. First PrinciTM bakery and café location in Asia, with more than 30 skilled Chinese bakers and chefs. FUN FACT: More than 80 menu items will be baked fresh onsite daily, bringing acclaimed Italian baker Rocco Princi’s artisanal Italian recipes to customers in China for the first time.
    7. The new Shanghai Roastery features China’s first Starbucks® Teavana Bar, a reimagined tea experience supported by the world’s only tea bar made entirely from 3-D printed recycled materials. FUN FACT: The light jade coloring of the Teavana Bar was inspired by ancient green clay teapots and the stains formed by brewing over time. Starbucks will continue China’s rich brewing tradition alongside tea curators as they practice mixology with the help of the Steampunk system’s nitrogen flavor extraction.    
    8. First Starbucks Reserve Roastery outside the U.S., and only second Reserve Roastery to date. FUN FACT: Additional Roasteries are slated to open in Milan and New York in 2018, and Tokyo and Chicago in 2019.
    9. Starbucks first-ever in-store Augmented Reality Experience. FUN FACT: Designed by Starbucks, and powered by Alibaba, the Shanghai Roastery will become the first Starbucks location, and the first-of-its kind in China, to seamlessly integrate a real-time, in-store and online customer experience. Roastery customers are invited to immerse themselves in the first Starbucks augmented reality (AR) experience by simply pointing their phones at key features around the Roastery to bring to life information about the Starbucks bean-to-cup story. Guided through the space by a custom-designed AR “tour-guide,” customers can unlock virtual badges and a unique Roastery filter to commemorate their visit.
    10. China is Starbucks fastest growing market with a new store opening every 15 hours. FUN FACT: Starbucks has had a presence in China for more than 18 years, now with more than 3,000 stores across 136 cities, over 600 of which are in Shanghai, the largest number of stores globally of any city where Starbucks has a presence.
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  • Shanghai’s newest Family Hub Neobio

    Shanghai’s newest Family Hub Neobio

    Family dining and fun activities feature in Shanghai’s new Neobio Family Park, designed by architecture firm X+Living.

    It’s a concept ideally suited to shopping centres trying to attract families and fill distressed space at the same time.

    Within two buildings in the Minhang district, the 3000sqm indoor amusement park includes a reading area with a forest theme, giant “balloons”, a bubble pool, sand pit and toy area. Perspex walkways link each area so dining adults can keep an eye on their children while still being able to entertain themselves. Slides, ladders and tunnels cover the restaurant, which has a pastel-themed décor.

    Neobio architect/designer Li Xiang says the venue is divided into Reading Area, Dining Area, Sims City, Climbing Area and Party Room, as reported. “Entering the main entrance, we are surrounded by wavy forests and rolling hills, which are the bookshelves of the reading area and are the best place for kids to play hide-and-seek.” There is also a reading area for parents by the window near the forest.

     

    Sims City features an urban environment with roads, pedestrian crossings, street lamps and parking lots. A three-storey house in the centre includes a mini post office, gas station, supermarket and hospital, plus areas where children can play at kitchen activities, dressing up, doing make-up and changing baby diapers.

    There is even a Princess Cosplay area where girls can dress up and take photos while their mothers have a manicure.

    “Along Time Tunnel, we arrive at the Big Child Area where various slides and climbing racks fill the whole floor,” says Xiang. “It looks like a huge maze.”

    An eye-catching S-shaped slide takes children directly to the first-floor dining area which features balloon-like suspended game boxes all connected by transparent crawl ways. There are two VIP dining rooms for families who want privacy.

    In the basement is the Party Room with such themes as Indian, desert and Mediterranean.

  • Coca-Cola is yet to crack the code in Indian market

    Coca-Cola is yet to crack the code in Indian market

    Coca-Cola, the world’s largest beverage company, has not been able to crack a section of the Indian market even with brands such as Sprite, Maaza and Thums Up.

    India is “a different story,” John Murphy, President of the Asia Pacific Group of Coca-Cola, said at the company’s investor’s day conference in Atlanta, referring to a market of almost 300 million people in the bottom half of the pyramid in India that is yet to take to the global soft drink brands.

    “We have tried so many times in my time in the Coca-Cola system to crack the code there and we haven’t done it. We have got a team of pretty smart people who want to have the legacy to be the first to do so,” he said. India is the US giant’s sixth largest market and Coca-Cola is the country’s leading beverage maker.

    “In India we have leader brands, but we have an industry that is very underdeveloped,” Murphy said at the conference on November 16, adding that in China, Coca-Cola has a value share of an industry that is actually quite huge.

    He said Sprite, Maaza and Thums Up have tremendous equity in India and the company’s job is to leverage those brands to help grow the industry.

    “We’re excited with the work we have under way to do that. In addition, we have a couple of other categories that we believe have tremendous room for growth as we go forward and the good news is there are not too many there yet who have cracked the code on leadership in those categories,” Murphy said.

    Sales growth for soft drinks in India has tapered as urban consumers opt for low-sugar beverages and rural buyers cut discretionary spending. Smaller regional brands that are cheaper are getting popular, hurting the prospects of global beverage companies including Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

    Addressing investors and company executives across the world, including global president James Quincey, Murphy said the beverage maker had, over the past three years, launched over 500 products in Asia-Pacific.

    The runway for growth across Asia-Pacific is significant, given that 52% of the world’s population lives in the region, he said.

    “The beverage landscape in Asia-Pacific is very different today than you have seen in other parts of the world. Seven out of every 10 beverages consumed in Asia-Pacific are non-commercial,” he said.

    Asian consumers have something in common — whether they are in Japan, India or China.

    “Home rituals are important, hence the prevalence of self-home beauty, homemade juices. They love a lot of stuff, sweet, unsweet, hot, cold, gooey, un-gooey — you name it. They are very trend conscious increasingly in today’s environment and those trends are influencing the repertoire of beverages that they are trying and they love to try,” Murphy said.

    Mentioning the launch of mosambi juice under its Minute Maid franchise, Murphy said marrying a local desired fruit to a global brand creates value. The move to localise to the last mile with ethnic flavours and leveraging local fruit-based beverages is aimed at fighting back the onslaught of regional brands.

    Recent examples include ethnic flavours in carbonated soft drinks such as jeera drink RimZim and grape-flavoured Portello.

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  • Shanghai is home for world’s largest Starbucks Reserve Roastery

    Shanghai is home for world’s largest Starbucks Reserve Roastery

    The world’s largest Starbucks Reserve Roastery opens in Shanghai tomorrow, a store the company also describes as its “most beautiful”.

    At 2700sqm (nearly 30,000sqft) the store is twice the size of the Seattle Starbucks Reserve Roastery flagship. It features three coffee experience bars, the largest 27m long. The coffee bar was handcrafted by premiere Chinese artisans and references the unique roasting curve of individual coffee beans.

    Starbucks Reserve Roastery - Shanghai 1

    China is Starbucks’ fastest-growing market with a new store opening every 15 hours. The US coffee chain has been in China for more than 18 years and now has more than 3000 stores across 136 cities. More than 600 of those  are in Shanghai.

    Starbucks Reserve Roastery - Shanghai 2

    Starbucks Reserve Roastery - Shanghai 11

    The ambitious store expands Starbucks’ core offer, with more than 100 beverages on the menu, including Teavana tea infused with nitrogen and a new take on tea brewing with the Steampunk, which uses steam to extract unique flavors from each tea leaf.

    Starbucks Reserve Roastery - Shanghai 3

    Starbucks says the design is unique and will not be repeated elsewhere. Key design features include a ceiling consisting of 10,000 handmade wooden hexagon-shaped tiles inspired by the locking of an espresso shot on an espresso machine.

    Starbucks Reserve Roastery - Shanghai 4

    At the store’s entrance, mirroring the signature copper cask at the inaugural Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle, customers will be greeted by the sight of a two-story, 40-ton copper cask adorned with more than 1000 traditional Chinese chops, or stamps, hand-engraved to narrate the story of Starbucks and its Reserve concept. The cask has a practical purpose, as well – connecting to the three coffee bars with pneumatic copper piping, replenishing all the roasted Starbucks Reserve coffee silos.

    Starbucks Reserve Roastery - Shanghai 8

    New bars and AR

    Besides the coffee experience bars, the new store features Asia’s first Princi bakery and cafe, with more than 30 Chinese bakers and chefs baking 80-plus menu items fresh onsite daily, based on artisanal recipes created by Italian baker Rocco Princi.

    Starbucks Reserve Roastery - Shanghai 9

    And it features China’s first Teavana Bar. Made entirely from 3D printed recycled material, the bar’s light jade colouring was inspired by ancient green clay teapots and the stains formed by brewing over time. Starbucks will continue China’s brewing tradition alongside tea curators as they practice mixology with the help of the Steampunk system’s nitrogen flavor extraction.

    Starbucks Reserve Roastery - Shanghai 10

    Designed by Starbucks, and powered by Alibaba, the Shanghai Roastery will become the first Starbucks location, and the first-of-its kind in China, to seamlessly integrate a real-time, in-store and online customer experience. Roastery customers are invited to immerse themselves in the first Starbucks augmented reality (AR) experience by simply pointing their phones at key features around the Roastery to bring to life information about the Starbucks bean-to-cup story. Guided through the space by a custom-designed AR “tour-guide,” customers can unlock virtual badges and a unique Roastery filter to commemorate their visit.

    “The affinity we have built with our partners (employees) and customers over the past 18 years in China is special and we knew we must bring the Reserve Roastery, our boldest, most premium store ever, to Shanghai, China’s bustling metropolitan hub and one of the world’s most dynamic retail destinations, as well as a gateway to customers from across Asia and the world,” said Howard Schultz, executive chairman of Starbucks Coffee Company. “We’ve created a space that both recognises and celebrates our 46-year history of coffee leadership and retail innovation with China’s rich, diverse culture.”

    Here’s a video from Starbucks showing some of the interior (no sound):

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  • Stella Artois launches a new pack and limited-edition design

    Stella Artois launches a new pack and limited-edition design

    AB InBev has developed limited-edition packaging for Stella Artois to coincide with the Christmas period.

    The four-pack tote is designed to provide a new unwrapping ritual, with an easy-open tab running around the centre of the pack. The rounded edges and curves create a sleek, premium aesthetic, whilst the eye-catching red handle makes it easier to carry the tote from store to home, or seasonal gatherings.

    The new packaging format will launch in Sainsbury’s and Ocado in time for Christmas, arriving in stores and online on 29 November.

    The Stella Artois brand has a natural association and historic connection to the festive season; in 1926 The Artois Brewery in Belgium first crafted a festive beer as a Christmas gift to the people of Leuven. That special batch was the first to officially include “Stella” in its name. “Stella”, meaning star in Latin, pays homage to this original occasion, accompanied by a star on every bottle.

    Continuing its celebration of the festive period, Stella Artois will launch its limited-edition Christmas design across varying formats*, featuring the gold star across packs. The 750ml Christmas Bottle will also make a return for 2017. Imported from Leuven, the home of Stella Artois, it is perfect for those Christmas sharing moments.

    Matt Leadbeater, senior brand manager, Stella Artois, commented: “Stella Artois is the go-to choice for consumers looking for a quality experience, and the new packaging perfectly represents the premium brand persona.

    “Stella Artois is synonymous with Christmas, with an authentic seasonal story to tell. We hope the unique, limited-edition design will get consumers even more excited for the festive period this winter.”

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  • Lee’s Coffee Expands to New Markets in Southeast Asia

    Lee’s Coffee Expands to New Markets in Southeast Asia

    Lee’s Coffee, a subsidiary of Lee’s Sandwiches, is exporting their famous “Cà Phê Sữa Đá” to the Philippines, building on its partnership with S&R Membership Shopping. S&R offers high quality products with a wide- variety selection of imported grocery items from all over the world. In this world class shopping club, customers can purchase a variety of Lee’s Coffee concentrated latte, vanilla latte, and triple shot latte 16oz bottles.

    “We are proud to bring an elevated and unique coffee experience to Philippines with the introduction of our America’s #1 Vietnamese Coffee,” said Chieu Le, President of Lee’s Coffee. “For many Filipino Americans returning to their homeland, the coffee will also bring to their delight a familiar taste of the California refreshment.”

    Lee’s Coffee embarked on a mission to share their love and passion for Vietnamese style coffee in the United States. Through their family recipe, the “Cà Phê Sữa Đá” became a community favorite, propelling the flavors of their country into the mainstream with availability in Costco Wholesale, Lee’s Sandwiches, and leading Asian supermarket chains in the USA, Philippines, and Vietnam.

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  • Burger King sales grow even as industry stagnates

    Burger King sales grow even as industry stagnates

    American fast-food chain Burger King, in the second year of its India operations, grew 69% to post sales of Rs 237 crore during FY17 when most quick-service restaurants were struggling with stagnant sales. In the 2016-17 fiscal, the company generated average sales of Rs 2.7 crore from each of its 88 outlets opened till March, while its rival Westlife Development, that runs McDonald’s in the south and west, posted average sales of Rs 3.6 crore from each outlet. Burger King, however, notched up higher numbers than Jubilant FoodWorksBSE, where average sales per outlet were at Rs 2.1 crore from both brands, Domino’s Pizza and Dunkin’ Donuts.

    Burger King’s losses rose to Rs 62 crore during last fiscal, compared with Rs 38 crore a year ago, as the company doubled its store count. Burger King, that now runs more than 100 stores in India, claims it is now profitable at both the store and company level. “Our restaurant EBIDTA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) has been positive since last July,” said Rajeev Varman, CEO, Burger King India. “Sales grew mainly due to three reasons — all our burgers are grilled similar to an Indian-stye tandoor which is healthy, our focus on entrylevel pricing, and we offer the largest vegetarian menu within QSR.”

    Burger King, that is popular for its Whopper burger, entered India in November 2014 when most quick-service restaurants were struggling with falling sales. There was a slight revival last fiscal but the overall market continued to face challenges, compounded further by demonetisation announced in November last year which saw consumers reduce discretionary spending. The 65-year-old burger chain partnered Everstone Capital in India, which holds a majority stake in the company through subsidiary F&B Asia Ventures.

    It has lined up $100 million for expansion over the next few years and expects to open at least 40-45 restaurants in India in the next few years. “There’s a significant room to grow as the potential in each of the 28 cities where we are present remains high,” said Varman. Leading quick-service restaurants have seen low same-store sales growth (SSG) since the past two years with consumers cutting back on discretionary spending.

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