Retail News CRM

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.

  • Bangkok home to Asia’s first Playboy Cafe

    Bangkok home to Asia’s first Playboy Cafe

    Lam Yook Millenium Millennium (2002), the distributor of Playboy clothing in Thailand, has opened the first Playboy Cafe in Asia.

    It is in the Central Festival EastVille complex in Bangkok, with a second cafe scheduled to open in Central Marina Pattaya next month.

    Playboy cafe 1

    A budget of Bt30 million (US$856,000) has been earmarked for the opening of about 30 Playboy Cafes across Thailand within five years.

    Flying in from the US to preside over the opening, Playboy heir/chief creative officer Cooper Hefner says about 3000 Playboy outlets sell fashion accessories and clothes in such markets as China, India and Taiwan.

    She says Lam Yook has beenwith Playboy for more than 15 years in Thailand. It is the first company in Asia to gain a licence to run a Playboy Cafe.

    Lam Yook COO Pornpat Wangworawong says his company outlined its plans last year after setting up Playboy outlets in five department stores in Thailand. It plans to open a Playboy outlet at Central Plaza Korat this year and is introducing a business line to mark the Year of the Rooster. A Thai website will be launched in June.

    Playboy cafe 2

    “Before opening the cafe, we ran a market survey and learned that Thais like hanging out with friends and eating,” says Pornpat. Playboy Cafe’s signature item is the Bunny Burger.

    Covering 158 sqm in Central Festival EastVille, the cafe has capacity for 70 customers.

    Sales of the brand in Thailand have risen 30 per cent on average over the past few years, but last year’s growth was only 10 to 15 per cent because the global slowdown affecting the garment industry. To counteract this, the company plans to renovate its standalone shops and turn the outlets in department stores into unisex models.

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  • Indonesia Dominates Global Retail Coffee Market

    Indonesia Dominates Global Retail Coffee Market

    Indonesia increases its dominance over the global retail coffee market with an average sales growth of 19.6 percent each year throughout the last five years, followed by India (15.1 percent average growth) and Vietnam (14.9 percent average growth in second and third position, respectively.

    The data gathered by Mintel also revealed that the growth of the global retail coffee market in 2016 had reached 2.7 percent from the previous 2.5 percent in 2015. Meanwhile, Asia continues to dominate the fastest growth in the global coffee market.

    According to the data, the slowest growth in the global coffee market throughout 2011-2016 is recorded by Finland with a -3.7 percent average growth, followed by Australia with a 0 percent growth, Poland with a 0.1 percent growth, Dutch with a 0.5 percent growth, and Belgium with a 0.5 percent growth.

    Mintel’s Global Drinks Analyst Jonny Forsyth, stated that Asia’s coffee market is increasingly growing following the high level of innovations in various processed coffee products in the region. Throughout the same period, the number of newly introduced coffee products in Asia grows by 95 percent.

    In comparison, the number of new tea products introduced in Asia in the same period only grew by 55 percent. Jonny asserted that the numbers showed that the majority of Asian citizens have shifted from the tradition of consuming tea to coffee.

    “In 2016, there was a drastic increase in the number of new coffee products that rivals the previously booming tea product in Asia. It is true tea drinking tradition has been the main obstacle for Asia’s coffee products. But, currently there are many tea-coffee hybrid products that have been introduced in order to solve the problem,” Jonny explained.

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  • ZhangMen Brewing opens Tsim Sha Tsui flagship

    ZhangMen Brewing opens Tsim Sha Tsui flagship

    Taiwan’s ZhangMen Brewing Company has chosen Hong Kong to set up its first international flagship pub.

    On Kimberley Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, the outlet offers 24 varieties of craft beer, shipped directly from its brewery, as well as providing Taiwanese snacks.

    ZhangMen Brewing - Tsim Sha Tsui HK 1

    ZhangMen Brewing Hong Kong GM Ajax Lo says Hong Kong has had a thriving craft-beer scene for years and is relatively close to Taiwan. “Hong Kong is also the region’s economic hub, which will help us promote our brand to other Asian markets more easily.”

    Invest Hong Kong helped the Taiwan company set up in Hong Kong, with its associate director-general of investment promotion Dr Jimmy Chiang saying it has helped several craft-beer brands settle in the city.

    As well as its own brewery, ZhangMen Brewing Company has a brewery farm and laboratory, and runs six outlets across Taiwan. The brand has won many accolades including champion and second runner-up in the Australian International Beer Awards plus second runner-up in the China Beer Awards last year.

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  • International coffee, tea and confectionery showcase draws a record number of visitors

    International coffee, tea and confectionery showcase draws a record number of visitors

    Café Asia 2017, International Coffee & Tea Expo (ICT Expo) 2017 and Sweets & Bakes Asia 2017 captivated some 11,000 visitors with a multi-sensorial showcase of ‘Firsts’. The concurrent shows were declared opened by Guest-of-Honour, Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Member of Parliament of East Coast GRC, on March 2, 2017 at Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Hall E. 

    The highly successful Café Asia and ICT Expo series first launched in 2013 and the Sweets & Bakes series which was introduced a year later, together present the largest showcase dedicated to the team coffee and bakery industries in Singapore and the region. This dynamic B2B platform is sought after by key decision makers as a sourcing destination for their café needs and to explore new collaborations and opportunities in a country where the number of specialty coffee drinkers has increased over the years. 

    Spanning 5,000 square metres this year, Café Asia 2017, ICT Expo 2017 and Sweets & Bakes Asia hosted 168 exhibitors from all around the world namely, Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Netherlands, Philippines, Rwanda, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.

    The 3-day exhibition raised the bar for three industries with innovations that offered solutions for new recipes, better tasting products and productivity. It introduced some of the latest innovations, developments and technologies at exclusive workshops, classes and demonstrations and on the exhibition floor by industry experts, on everything coffee, tea and baked goods. Visitors discovered new sources and a wide array of supplies and innovative and cutting-edge equipment for cafes and bakeries, from coffee beans from traditional and non-traditional coffee producing countries, tea leaves, taste elevating baking ingredients, new exciting brews like Expresso Martini by Justin Metcalf and delectable gelato flavours.

    Keen Competiton at Seven National Competitions

    Top baristas, tea masters and bakers converged at the shows to contend for national titles and to represent Singapore in the world-level championships. New this year is the inaugural Tea Masters Cup Singapore 2017 where Singapore crowned its first-ever Tea Master to compete at the prestigious Tea Masters Cup International 2017. 

    The National Coffee Championships rolled-out a new competition format, the Singapore Coffee in Good Spirits Championships 2017. The championship celebrates barista’s creativity in celebrating the synergy between coffee and alcohol through innovative beverage recipes. Also returning this year are the Singapore National Barista Championship, Singapore Latte Art Championship, Singapore National Brewers Cup Championship and Singapore Cup Tasters Championship.

    The Singapore Bakery & Confectionery Championship 2017 welcomed top bakers and confectioners who showcased their skills to create the most delicious and delightful breads and pastries. The bakers from some of the best hotels and bakeries here in Singapore kneaded, baked and worked magic with their creations, making them into stunning displays of edible art.

    The winners are:

    Championship

    Winners

    Tea Masters Cup Singapore 2017 – Tea Preparation

    Dave Lim of Sun Ray Café

    Tea Masters Cup Singapore 2017 – Tea Pairing

    Dave Lim of Sun Ray Café

    Tea Masters Cup Singapore 2017 – Tea Tasting

    Darren Chang of Smitten Specialty Coffee & Tea

    Singapore Bakery & Confectionery Championship 2017 – Bread Category Champion

    Jacker Tok Siu Hong of Carlton Hotel

    Singapore Bakery & Confectionery Championship 2017 – Cake Category Champion

    Phua Wei Si and Maryann Tan Rui En of Temasek Polytechnic

    Singapore National Barista Championship

    Terence Tan of Santino Coffee Specialists

    Singapore Latte Art Championship

    Jervis Tan of Kinsmen Coffee

    Singapore National Brewers Cup Championship

    Rodman Chan of A.R.C.

    Singapore Cup Tasters Championship

    Rodman Chan of A.R.C.

    Singapore Coffee in Good Spirits Championship

    Natasha Shariff of Bettr Barista

    Café Asia 2017, ICT 2017 and Sweets and Bakes 2017 are organized by Conference and Exhibitions Management Services (CEMS). Café Asia 2017 and the International Coffee & Tea Expo 2017 are hosted by Singapore Coffee Association and Sweets & Bakes Asia 2017 is hosted by Singapore Bakery and Confectionery Trade Association.

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  • German supermarket Aldi opens online store in China

    German supermarket Aldi opens online store in China

    The soft opening of a bricks and mortar store meanwhile is scheduled for 20 March and the official grand opening will be held in Shanghai in April, the company said in a statement on its website.

    Most of the products will be sourced from its existing Australian suppliers to serve the China market with a focus on value.

    “For decades, the Aldi’s own brands have enjoyed the reputation of providing excellent value for money,” said Christoph Schwaiger of Aldi. “We are convinced that Chinese customers are also very interested in the quality and the reasonable prices we can offer them.”

    Terry von Bibra, general manager Europe of Alibaba Group, commented: “The name Aldi is a concept in many countries of the world and like Alibaba, the company is a pioneer in its industry. We are very pleased to support Aldi Sud at the Chinese market with Tmall Global, one of the largest e-commerce platforms for consumers in China, and to work as a strategic partner with Aldi  in other areas, such as B2C, B2B and marketing.”

    “Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms reach not only the approximately 443 million active users, but also serve the strongly growing interest of the Chinese middle class in products Made in Germany. The products of Aldi South will undoubtedly be very popular among consumers. ”

  • Pizza Hut Thailand moves ownership

    Pizza Hut Thailand moves ownership

    PH Capital, a subsidiary of Thoresen Thai Agencies (TTA), has signed an agreement to acquire the Pizza Hut business in Thailand from Yum Restaurants International (Thailand) for an undisclosed amount.

    PH Capital is a 70:30 JV firm established by TTA and PM Capital, a company run by the Mahagitsiri family that manages global F&B brands.

    “We see food business as a fast-growing, low-volatility business. We make decisions to invest based on the target businesses’ management vision and reputation,” says TTA CEO/president Chalermchai Mahagitsiri.

    PH Capital will run all 92 Pizza Hut restaurants in Thailand under the supervision of Pizza Hut by the end of the second quarter of this year, says the company. Director Ausana Mahagitsiri says it will modernise the outlets, add seats and revamp its home-delivery service – and open more than 100 new restaurants.

    Pizza Hut Thailand is an affiliate of restaurant firm Yum! Brands, which also manages KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell with 43,500-plus restaurants in more than 135 countries.

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  • Shake Shack Korea tops global sales chart

    Shake Shack Korea tops global sales chart

    Sales at a Shake Shack Korea store are the highest of any store worldwide.

    Just seven months after the chain launched in Korea, Shake Shack’s 13th international market, the Gangnam branch has outstripped some 120 branches outside the US. It sells 3000 to 3500 burgers a day, according to the Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), the Shake Shack franchisor.

    Also known as the maker of the “New York burger,” the fast casual restaurant started out as a food cart inside Madison Square Park in 2001, expanding its menu from New York-style hotdogs to hamburgers and milkshakes.

    It made a foray into the South Korean market last year through an exclusive partnership contract with SPC Group, South Korea’s major food manufacturer and distributor.

    Another branch in Chungdam, southern Seoul, has also made it to one of the top three in terms of sales.

    A third shop is scheduled to open in April in Dongdaemun, a busy shopping district.

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  • First Starbucks Roastery to open in Europe

    First Starbucks Roastery to open in Europe

    The Milan Reserve Roastery will be the fifth top open globally after Seattle, Shanghai, New York and Tokyo.

    Located at the historic turn-of-the-century Palazzo Delle Poste building on Piazza Cordusio, this one-of-a-kind 25,500 sqft retail space will feature the company’s premium, small-batch Reserve coffees served in a variety of brewing methods.

    “It took us some time to find it, but once I walked through the former Post Office building, I knew that it would be the perfect location to honor the craft of coffee and pay respect to the uniquely Italian culture in which it will be served,” said Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman and CEO.

    “This store will be the culmination of a great dream of mine – 34 years in the making – to return to Milan with one of the most immersive, magical retail experiences in the world.”

    At a recent Investor Day, Starbucks announced its ongoing investment in the premium Reserve brand, including opening 20 to 30 Roastery locations around the world, over time.

    “This new location will be designed specifically for the Milanese customer, integrating the world-famous theatre of coffee in Italy and will offer freshly baked food on site from Italian artisan baker Rocco Princi, the exclusive food provider for all new global Roastery locations,”the company said in a statement.

    Following the Roastery opening, Italian licensee and business partner Percassi will open a small number of Starbucks stores in Milan for the balance of 2018.  Each new store will be designed and curated to respect the local community and unique Milanese context.

    “Taking a respectful and measured approach to store openings is at the heart of the Starbucks strategy in Italy,” said the statement.

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  • Giorgio Armani consolidating brands

    Giorgio Armani consolidating brands

    Italian designer Giorgio Armani says he plans to consolidate his various collections under three labels as the fashion company undergoes an internal restructuring.

    “There will only be three lines: Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani and A|X Armani Exchange starting with the spring-summer 2018 season,” he says.

    Armani Collezioni and Armani Jeans will be blended into the main three lines.

    “There was too much confusion with so many collections,” says Armani. “Times have changed, and we have to evolve.”

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  • Starbucks Coffee Japan aims to blend in

    Starbucks Coffee Japan aims to blend in

    Starbucks Coffee Japan is aiming to blend in with its first cafe in Uji, Kyoto, giving it a local tea culture theme.

    The branch of the US coffee chain will be opened by the front gate of Byodoin temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on March 31.

    It will occupy a space along the front approach to the temple, offering customers a view of the Ujigawa promenade. The 142 sqm outlet will have 41 seats inside and 19 outside.

    Starbucks Japan

    A gable roof will match local custom, and decor features will be related to Uji tea culture.
    Another cafe and a parking lot stood on the site until last year.

    Ten years ago, Starbucks had a 19 sqm outlet in the 587-year-old Forbidden City in Beijing, but protests led to the Seattle-based company closing it.

  • 20,000 farmers join in international standard tea production

    20,000 farmers join in international standard tea production

    Nearly 30 firms and 20,000 farmers will take part in producing 25,000 tonnes of tea of international standards in a project to promote the private-public partnership (PPP) model in tea production.

    The information was released at a conference to launch the second phase of the project “promoting tea farmers to join the sustainable and quality tea supply chain” in Hanoi on February 28.

    The project, jointly implemented by the sustainable trade initiative (IDH) organisation of the Netherlands, the Unilever group and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), aims to train and provide technical assistance for farmers to produce tea certified by the Rainforest Alliance (RA).

    Le Quang Chuyen, Deputy Director General of the My Lam Tea JSC in northern Tuyen Quang province said the PPP model has helped improve tea quality and productivity while saving production costs and labour. Their tea products meet food safety requirements of the EU and Japan.

    Tran Vu Hoai, Vice President of Unilever Vietnam, underlined tea quality improvements after three years of implementing the PPP model, saying that the group raised its import volume of Vietnam’s tea from 5,000 tonnes to 11,000 tonnes.

    He expressed his hope that with the model will continue improving Vietnam’s tea quality and the group can import up to 20,000 tonnes of tea from Vietnam.

    Under the second phase of the project, 15 factories and 6,500 households are expected to work together and produce 25,000 tonnes of tea, including 15,000 tonnes of RA certified tea, which are shipped overseas and supply for Unilever.

    So far, only eight firms have registered to join the project.

    Besides, the Vietnam Tea Association is implementing an IDH-funded project on the quality and sustainability of the tea industry. The project aims to enhance Vietnam’s tea quality to meet international standards.

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  • Thai specialty coffee growers tip cafe boom

    Thai specialty coffee growers tip cafe boom

    Despite many cafes closing in the past year, the Thai coffee-shop business is expected to grow 15 to 20 per cent this year.

    According to specialty coffee growers, the growth will be driven by the country’s economic improvement and higher demand from coffee drinkers.

    Specialty Coffee Association of Thailand (SCATH) president Apicha Yaemkesorn says coffee shops can be easily opened on every corner in Bangkok and major provinces, and more will be seen as there are many new offices and condo buildings.

    “The growth can also be expected to spread into small provinces and towns in the near future.”

    Fewer than 10 per cent of Thais drink coffee, and those who do drink about 1.2 cups a day on average, compared with three cups a day for American coffee drinkers.

    While about 30 to 40 per cent of coffee shops closed last year, the number of new entrants increases every year.

    Apicha says that opening a coffee shop is not hard in Thailand as only a small budget is needed and coffee makers are inexpensive. “It is an ideal business for new entrepreneurs, but many of them have lack knowledge about coffee and cafe management skills.”

    This year Thailand is projected to have a 15 per cent rise in arabica coffee planting areas in the north and a 5 per cent increase in robusta planting areas in the south. Rubber and palm growers in the south have turned to growing coffee because of low prices for rubber and palm oil.

    Coffee beans can be harvested about three or four years after planting, says the Office of Agricultural Economics.

    Apicha estimates the longer droughts in Thailand will reduce the supply of local arabica coffee beans to 7000 tonnes this year from 9000 tonnes last year, while robusta coffee beans will total 15,000 tonnes, down from 17,800 tonnes.

    Arabica coffee beans are priced at about 180 baht (US$5.10) a kilo in Thailand and 80 to 90 baht/kg for robusta.

    Volatile climate change and longer droughts are pushing Thai coffee bean prices higher than in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, which see prices around 95 to 105 baht/kg.

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  • Starbucks Korea polls 1 million customers

    Starbucks Korea polls 1 million customers

    Starbucks Korea is killing two birds with one stone – improving sales by making customers happier.

    According to the coffeemaker, the number of participants on its mobile survey platform “My Starbucks Review” has exceeded 1 million. Surveys are offered to Starbucks members who use Siren Order – ordering food and beverages on a smartphone, instead of having to wait in line.

    Starbucks Korea app

     

    The platform has been serving the coffeehouse well in terms of gathering customer feedback, officials said, and some 20 of the suggestions coming from customers have either been adopted or are expected to be introduced in the near future.

    One of the suggestions was related to Grapefruit Honey Tea, a seasonal drink temporarily introduced last year that was met with unprecedented popularity. Following the soaring demand, Starbucks decided to introduce the tea as an official menu item, and ended up selling over 1.2 million cups in just five months.

    Other successful ventures with the help of consumer input include the Starbucks Card Holder, with over 10,000 units sold since its launch late last year, and special edition coin pouches for chocolate coins, which sold out in just five days (50,000 batch) in early January.

    “We’ll continue to take into account customer feedback, to offer better products and services,” an official said.

    -Kevin Lee

  • Doutor Coffee heading to China

    Doutor Coffee heading to China

    Japanese low-price cafe chain Doutor Coffee is heading to China following its parent company’s failed foray with pasta restaurants.

    Doutor Nichires Holdings is partnering with restaurant group Xiao Nan Guo, whose business includes high-end Chinese dining. It flourished on lavish official meals funded by taxpayer money until President Xi Jinping cracked down on official extravagance.

    As Chinese consumers become increasingly price-conscious, the partners see potential for the low-price Doutor Coffee chain.

    Doutor Nichires, which also runs chains such as Excelsior Caffe and Hoshino Coffee in Japan, had three pasta restaurants in Shanghai until about three years ago. It now has 18 overseas locations, including cafes in Singapore.

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  • Tim Hortons Philippines launches in Bonifacio

    Tim Hortons Philippines launches in Bonifacio

    Tim Hortons Philippines has launched its first branch at Uptown Place Mall in Bonifacio Global City.

    It is the Canadian cafe and bakeshop’s first foray into Southeast Asia.

    Miss Universe Canada 2016 Siera Bearchell was in Manila for restaurant’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. With her were Department of Tourism secretary Wanda Teo, Tim Hortons president Elias Diaz Sese and executives of TH Coffee Services Philippines, which is the Philippines partner for Tim Hortons.

    The store is known for its signature pastries, including bite-sized doughnuts known as Timbits, and Iced Capp, an ice-blended coffee drink.

    Another speciality is the Double Double, a coffee with two servings of cream and two of sugar.

    There are also full-sized doughnuts, plus regular and breakfast sandwiches. Breakfast offerings also include muffins.

    Tim Hortons was named after its founder, a National Hockey League player, and first opened in Ontario in 1964.

    Restaurant Brands International announced its plans last July to launch the Canadian brand in the Philippines.