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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.

  • McDonald’s USA revamps McCafe

    McDonald’s USA revamps McCafe

    McDonald’s USA has revamped its McCafe brand, introducing new imagery and new beverages.

    Originally launched in Australia in 1993, the coffee concept has been rolled out in an increasing number of markets internationally in recent years but had traditionally underperformed in McDonald’s home country.

    Now, president Chris Kempczinski believes he can change that.

    “This is just the start of our McCafe commitment. We understand how important the coffee culture is for consumers and we are committed to meeting that demand at the taste, convenience and value only McDonald’s can offer,” he said, announcing the relaunch.

    “This is a central part of our growth strategy and we can’t wait to share what’s next.”

    McDonald’s UAS will now offer cafe-quality espresso beverages and an expanded retail offer in its McCafe stores across the country.

    An expanded menu now includes Caramel Macchiato, hot or iced; Cappuccino, with French Vanilla, caramel or hazelnut flavours, and fresh-brewed Americano. For a limited time, all small-sized beverages will be offered at US$2 a cup.

    Early next year, McCafe will expand its retail presence by partnering with The Coca-Cola Company to introduce a line of bottled, ready-to-drink McCafe Frappe beverages in three flavors: Caramel, Vanilla, and Mocha.

    New image

    In addition to the menu additions, the refreshed McCafe look will include a new brand logo and packaging McDonald’s says will evolve with the seasons. McDonald’s will also begin transitioning to an updated and expanded McCafe presence in-restaurant with a sleek, modern look in 2018 as part of its evolving ‘Experience of the Future’.

    “Our new McCafe beverages start with 100 per cent Arabica beans that are freshly ground and skillfully made on demand,” said Chef Dan Coudreaut, VP culinary innovation, with McDonald’s USA.

    As part of the upgrade, McDonald’s has introduced new coffee makers, “allowing for the new espresso-based beverages to be handcrafted with a consistent, flavourful taste” in nearly all of McDonald’s USA’s 14,000 restaurants.

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  • Bigg’s Diner plans expansion to Metro Manila

    Bigg’s Diner plans expansion to Metro Manila

    Bigg’s Diner, known for serving burgers and Filipino rice meals in Naga and the Bicol region since 1983, plans to open in Metro Manila next year.

    Business development head Ronaldo Linao says the restaurant group is already looking at three possible sites – one is in Mindanao Avenue, Quezon City, another in Megamall and the third in Robinsons, either Ermita or Galleria.

    “There is actually a market study right now to see how viable it would be in Manila. The competition there is very fierce,” says Linao.

    Bigg’s Diner has 17 outlets in the Bicol region, including seven franchises and a branch in Batangas. It started out as a donut shop and has had two name changes – from Mang Donald’s to Carl’s Diner, then to Bigg’s Diner – to avoid confusion with multinational brands.

  • Project Pie slices all but one store

    Project Pie slices all but one store

    Project Pie, the pizza outlet that lets customers devise their own toppings, has closed all but one of its stores in the Philippines.

    After “four years of pizza awesomeness”, the US-based pizza chain has announced on social media it will be “graduating” its stores from the Philippine market. However, its Project Pie Block 28 in Alabang will stay open “as our last hoorah”.

    After establishing itself in the US, Project Pie moved into Manila in 2013, allowing diners to order nine-inch customisable pizzas. It expanded to eight branches, both in malls and stand-alone locations.

    Fans said their farewells in the chain’s social-media comments section … “Don’t do this to me,” wrote one fan. “I am speechless,” wrote another. “My number-one favorite pizza left me.”

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  • My Cofi cafe goes canine

    My Cofi cafe goes canine

    Latte art has gone to the dogs in Taiwan, where the baristas at My Cofi cafe copy photos of customers’ canine companions on to their foam.

    They don’t just confine themselves to dogs, drawing such delights as parrots and cute cartoon characters, and even short phrases.

    In the southern city of Kaohsiung, the cafe is too busy to make coffee creations for every guest’s pet, confining the service to special occasions.

    They do have a regular specialty, however, in somewhat dubious taste: a cockroach portrait. One has to wonder whose pet that might be.

  • Carlsberg eyes at least 51 pct stake in Vietnam’s Habeco

    Carlsberg eyes at least 51 pct stake in Vietnam’s Habeco

    The government wants to fully divest its majority stake in Habeco as also in rival Sabeco.

    Danish brewer Carlsberg is keen on increasing its stake in Habeco, one of Vietnam’s biggest brewers, to at least 51 percent, a local news website reported, citing a Habeco executive.

    Vietnam has one of the world’s most attractive beer markets and the biggest in Southeast Asia, buoyed by a young population that consumed nearly 4 billion liters last year. The government wants to fully divest its majority stake in Habeco as also in rival Sabeco.

    Carlsberg, which already owns around 17 percent in Habeco, has been discussing its priority purchase rights with the Vietnamese government, which has delayed the Habeco sale.

    Sabeco, in which the government owns a 90 percent stake, has also seen interest from foreign players such as Dutch brewer Heineken and Japan’s Kirin.

    Vietnam’s Steering Committee for Enterprise Innovation and Development, which oversees the country’s privatization drive, said last month it aimed to “completely resolve problems in strategic cooperation” with Carlsberg, and inform the prime minister about the results by November 15.

    Habeco is still in talks with the Danish company on the stake sale, state-controlled An Ninh Thu Do newspaper quoted Habeco’s deputy chief Vuong Toan as saying.

    The media report also quoted Toan as saying that foreign companies are not allowed to own more than 49 percent of Habeco due to foreign ownership limits.

    Carlsberg said on Friday it would not comment on “rumours.”

    Last month, the company said it held “several constructive meetings with the Vietnamese government to discuss the privatisation process of Habeco.”

    “We now see good progress in these meetings, and will continue these discussions with the Vietnamese government for the next steps,” Carlsberg Chief Executive Cees ’t Hart said at a conference call after its second-quarter earnings on August 16.

  • 8 Foods That Will Keep Your Heart Strong

    8 Foods That Will Keep Your Heart Strong

    You can effectively keep your heart strong by including these eight foods to your daily diet

    Fish

    All you need is two servings of fish in a week. The omega-3 fatty acids, present in fish, effectively decrease the chance of heart problems. Salmon, sardines, and mackerel are some of the oily fish which keep heart diseases at bay. Apparently, people living in Singapore are more prone to have a heart disease, so for them, diet is crucial.

    Turmeric

    Turmeric consists of curcumin, which is an effective antioxidant, having anti-inflammatory properties. These properties work wonders in busting cholesterol. This antioxidant also improves the cardiovascular system, which helps to keep the heart active.

    Oatmeal

    Just switching your morning coffee and kaya toast for a bowl of porridge can bring a great difference in your health. Eating oats are the ideal way to the day, as it not only decreases bad cholesterol but also helps to prevent clogged arteries, reducing your risk of heart disease and helping you maintain a healthy heart. All of this happens without decreasing your healthy and safe cholesterol levels.

    Tomatoes

    People who love eating tomatoes need not worry about not having a healthy heart. Tomatoes majorly consist of an antioxidant called lycopene. According to research, individuals who eat it regularly decrease their risk of problems by 25%, in a decade.

    Beans

    Beans, which are also known as legumes, have amazing health benefits. They are a staple food item for people who work hard towards keeping their heart healthy. Some good examples of beans include Chinese long beans, soya beans, snow peas and snap peas. According to research, a diet full of plant-based foods helps a great deal in decreasing the chance of coronary artery disease, which is extremely dangerous as it causes heart attacks.

    Shiitake mushrooms

    It consists of more nutrients than any other mushroom. Shiitake mushrooms have eritadenine – a compound which works towards decreasing cholesterol level and is crucial for the well-being of the heart. These mushrooms are beneficial in dried as well as fresh form.

    Berries

    Berries like blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, blackberries, and raspberries are highly rich in antioxidants. They help a great deal in slowing down the ageing process of an individual. Other than that, they consist of anthocyanins, which are the chemicals present in plants, which avoid the blood pressure from lowering by preventing the arteries becoming clogged with plaque.

    Forbidden rice

    It is also known as purple rice, and it is considered a healthier option than white rice. As per the Singapore Health Promotion Board, forbidden rice has double the amount of iron and four times the amount of zinc that white rice. Anthocyanins are plant chemicals present in this rice that avoid the formation of plaque in the arteries. According to studies, these have high cholesterol than any other food supplement.

    The inspiration for this article has been taken from Health Plus Section, a source of credible health information by Mount Elizabeth Hospitals, Singapore.

     

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  • New McDonald’s set to expand faster in China

    New McDonald’s set to expand faster in China

    Some 2,000 quick service outlets to open by 2022 in small cities

    McDonald’s Corp, the global fast-food chain that has forged a new partnership in China last month, will expand faster by opening 2,000 new restaurants in the next five years.

    They will be set up mostly in third-and fourth-tier cities with a focus on take-aways and digitalized services.

    The company said it will increase its expansion pace from about 250 new outlets this year to 500 per year from 2022 onward.

    It did not disclose other details like the scale of new investments that would ensue.

    The new partnership, jointly established by CITIC Ltd, CITIC Capital, Carlyle Capital and McDonald’s, paid $2.08 billion for the US-based fast food chain’s business in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.

    The deal received regulatory approval and was completed on July 31.

    The new company will become McDonald’s largest franchisee outside of the United States.

    CITIC Ltd and CITIC Capital together hold a majority 52 percent stake in the new company, while Carlyle Capital will hold 28 percent, and McDonald’s 20 percent.

    Currently, McDonald’s operates and manages 2,500 restaurants in the Chinese mainland, including 600 franchises, and 240 restaurants in Hong Kong.

    The new company will manage all the 2,000 new restaurants directly.

    Despite McDonald’s global dominance, KFC, owned by Yum China, has bigger presence in the Chinese quick service restaurant. Yum China runs more than 5,000 KFC restaurants in over 1,100 cities and counties.

    KFC’s wide presence in China appears to have bolstered the confidence of McDonald’s investors in the new expansion plan, industry insiders said.

    The new partnership of McDonald’s aims to achieve double-digit sales growth annually in the next five years.

    The goal includes delivery coverage of 3,375 restaurants or over 75 percent of the total.

    “China will soon become our largest market outside of the United States,” said Steve Easterbrook, McDonald’s president and CEO.

    “The mainland and Hong Kong are leading the global system in capturing new consumer trends such as delivery and digitalization and it is driving strong performance and growth momentum.”

    Zhang Yichen, the new chairman of McDonald’s China, said restaurant ownership at the local level will foster entrepreneurial spirit within the company.

    For example, considering the strong demand for takeout food and the population density in China, Zhang emailed Easterbrook regarding the need to develop a customized software system for the Chinese market.

    The latter dispatched McDonald’s global IT team to support the China business. Now, the take away operation in China tops the global chain’s comparable systems across markets.

    Zhang said CITIC has more than 1,400 bank branches in China. Besides, CITIC and Carlyle’s extensive resources and market expertise in real estate, supply chains, retail, consumer goods and technology, coupled with the global quality standards and branding of McDonald’s, will prove to be a winning formula.

    Jason Yu, general manager of Kantar Worldpanel China, a firm that researches shopper behavior, said, “CITIC operates many branches in third-and fourth-tier cities, and they understand the local market, hence will be able to help McDonald’s to choose appropriate sites for new restaurants and also provide useful real estate information.”

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  • Cold Stone Announces Malaysian Expansion

    Cold Stone Announces Malaysian Expansion

    Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Cold Stone Creamery has signed a master franchise agreement with Srivijaya Sdn. Bhd. to expand its presence into Malaysia. The company plans to roll out 20 stores over the next five years, beginning with a location in Kuala Lumpur.

    Cold Stone operates approximately 300 international outposts in more than 28 markets.

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  • Sunkist Growers seeks to bear fruit in Thai market

    Sunkist Growers seeks to bear fruit in Thai market

    David Bolton Director – Global Licensing, Sunkist Growers Inc (left) and Apirak Kosayodhin Chairman & CEO, V Foods Corporation Co

    Sunkist Growers Incorporated, a US-based citrus growers’ non-stock membership cooperative, has expanded its Sunkist Freshie brand to the Thai market.

    Thailand is now the 49th licensee country to make and market the products being produced by the 120-year-old cooperative, which brings together 6,000 members from California and Arizona.

    Sunkist has signed a contract with Thai firm V Foods Corporation to produce and market its drinks in Thailand for 10 years, with an option for another five-year renewal.

    V Foods Corp is owned by former Bangkok governor Apirak Kosayodhin.

    Sunkist brand product, including orange fruit juice and snacks, have been available in Thailand for over a decade, said David Bolton, director of global licensing at Sunkist Growers Inc, during a visit to Thailand yesterday.

    But this is the first time the company is launching two new orange juice flavours — Blood Orange Juice and Navel Orange Juice — in the Thai market. The drinks, with reduced sugar content, are aimed at more health-conscious consumers.

    Sunkist Freshie has been co-developed by Sunkist Growers Inc and V Foods Corporation exclusively for Thailand.

    Starting this month, the company began selling two Sunkist Freshie drinks at 7-Eleven convenience stores in Greater Bangkok, as well as in the East, said Mr Apirak.

    The beverage is expected to be available via all modern retail channels next year, he said.

    V Foods hired General Beverage Co to manufacture the beverage, while DKSH is handling the distribution.

    Mr Apirak said that the company added Sunkist to its product portfolio as a part of efforts to enhance V Foods as one of the country’s leading food and drink companies.

    “With over 20 years of experience in Thailand’s drink market, we believe there is still room for growth, due to the increasing number of health-conscious people, he said.

    Thailand’s beverage industry was valued at 13 billion baht last year, of which 2 billion baht belongs to the refreshment drink market. The segment boasts annual growth of 3-5%.

    Mr Apirak set up V Foods Corporation Co three years ago to distribute its own products, including “V Corn” brand sweetcorn, “V Farm” dried fruit and “V Kitchen soup”.

    The company also markets the popular Laotian ready-to-drink coffee, “Dao”, in Thailand.

    Sales of all products under V Foods was 200 million baht last year and is forecast to reach 250 million this year.

     

  • Simon sues Starbucks over Teavana closures

    Simon sues Starbucks over Teavana closures

    US shopping mall owner Simon Property is taking coffee chain Starbucks to court over its planned Teavana closures.

    In late July, Starbucks announced it would shutter all 379 of its Teavana stores, including 78 in Simon-managed malls, because they were “under-performing”.

    In documents filed with the Marion Superior Court, Simon accuses Starbucks of “shirking its contractual obligations at the expense of Simon’s shopping centres and the dozens of communities they serve and support,” not to mention breaching its lease agreements.

    The landlord is seeking temporary and permanent injunctions preventing the Teavana closures.

    Starbucks paid US$629 million to buy the tea-store chain in December 2012, promising at the time “to do for the tea market what Starbucks had done for coffee”. While it will close all retail outlets, Starbucks plans to maintain the Teavana brand in its own cafe network and has been actively rolling it out Teavana-branded drinks in Asia during the last two years.

    Simon says Starbucks has advised it will close all its Teavana stores in Simon malls by the end of 2017, despite some leases due to run as long as January 2027.

    “In order to successfully operate its shopping centers, Simon depends upon each tenant fulfilling the covenants in their respective leases,” the company said in court documentation. “Crucially, each of Simon’s tenants promises that it will open and operate continuously for the entire term of its lease.”

    Simon acknowledged in the suit that a lot of retailers have been closing stores in its malls in recent years because of financial stress – including Gap, Ralph Lauren, Sears, Macy’s, Rue 21 and American Eagle.

    “Those retailers, at least, claimed closure was necessary to avoid bankruptcy, and that staying open and fulfilling their leases would cause them financial ruin,” Simon said. “That obviously is not the case with Starbucks, which is one of the largest and most recognised companies in the world.”

    The landlord also claimed Teavana was not losing money, arguing it wasn’t growing fast enough to fit with Starbucks’ business plan.

    “Starbucks’ decision to close its Teavana stores is simply an effort to further increase its economic gains at the expense of others,” Simon said. “Starbucks does not contend that Simon breached any lease or that Starbucks cannot remain viable if it continues to honor its promises in its leases for stores in Simon’s shopping centers. Instead, Starbucks simply believes it can make more money if it violates the leases than if it honored its contractual promises and obligations.”

    Teavana stores were described by Simon as “a valuable contribution to the synergistic mix of tenants” in its malls.

    “A shopping center is not merely a random collection of stores. Rather, it is a co-dependent ecosystem of tenants with a complex system of governance that ensures its wellbeing. Tenants depend on a mix of a certain types of retailers. Accordingly, Simon enters into long-term leases with its tenants to provide stability in Simon’s occupancy rate and tenant mix.”

    Starbucks has not yet commented on the lawsuit.

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  • Korea’s SPC Group eyes Paris Baguette US expansion

    Korea’s SPC Group eyes Paris Baguette US expansion

    South Korean F&B giant SPC Group has ambitions to expand its US business fivefold by 2020.

    Chairman Hur Young-in unveiled his plans when meeting in Seoul this week with US foreign affairs committee chairman Ed Royce and congressman Ami Bera. The two politicians were visiting Korea to discuss trade opportunities and establish partnerships in Korea.

    “We are planning to increase the number of Paris Baguette stores in the US to 300 by 2020, creating up to 10,000 new jobs,” Hur told Royce when they met at the company’s headquarters.

    Royce said the bakery brand had contributed to job creation in the US by employing more than 1500 people, and would play a key role in the global food industry in the future, reports the Korea Times.

    SPC established a US affiliate in 2002 and opened America’s first Paris Baguette in Los Angeles three years later. It now has 57 stores in the US and last year invested more than $48 million to report annual sales of $100 million and introduce 1500 jobs.

    Paris Baguette became Korea’s first bakery brand to enter the French capital, setting up a business base in July 2014 to expand to other French and European cities. Stores were opened in Shanghai in 2004, and in Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore in 2012.

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  • SM knocking on Goldilocks Bakeshop door

    SM knocking on Goldilocks Bakeshop door

    SM Group negotiations to acquire a controlling stake in bakery chain Goldilocks Bakeshop are at an advanced stage, say insiders.

    The 51-year-old privately held restaurant chain run by the Yee family has more than 500 stores nationwide as well as outlets in Thailand, Canada and the US.

    SM Retail had 2357 stores in its portfolio at the end of June, comprising 58 department stores, 1709 specialty stores, 50 SM Supermarkets, 44 SM Hypermarkets, 170 Savemore stores, 41 Walter Mart stores and 285 Alfamart stores.

    Goldilocks started as a small bakeshop in Makati founded by sisters Milagros and Clarita and their sister-in-law Doris. A third sister, Maria Flor, suggested they name the enterprise “Goldilocks” after the character in a fairytale.
    More than 10 years ago, Pancake House initiated discussions to acquire the chain without success.

    System-wide sales for the restaurant chain are estimated to exceed PHP7 billion (US$136.8 million) a year.

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  • Pizza Hut Philippines serves up fresh concept

    Pizza Hut Philippines serves up fresh concept

    A fresh concept has been introduced by Pizza Hut Philippines with its new 175-seater flagship store in SM Mall of Asia in Manila.

    As well as offering more space for fast casual dining, the upgrade introduces an open kitchen plus decor with a rustic flavour. New services include a coffee and dessert bar plus a merchandising section offering limited-edition shirts and caps.

    Pizza Hut arrived in the Philippines in 1984, serving Metro Manila and provinces outside Luzon, as well as in Mindanao and Visayas.

    Its Manila flagship signals a move away from its formal dining concept. “We’re offering a more immediate and less tedious dining concept,” says Philippine Pizza chief marketing officer Lorent Adrias.

    The store’s ribbon-cutting was attended by Pizza Hut executives and its brand ambassadors – Binibining Pilipinas winners led by Rachel Peters.

  • IBM announces blockchain collaboration to address food safety worldwide

    IBM announces blockchain collaboration to address food safety worldwide

    A group of leading companies across the global food supply chain announced a major blockchain collaboration with IBM intended to further strengthen consumer confidence in the global food system. The consortium includes Dole, Driscoll’s, Golden State Foods, Kroger, McCormick and Company, McLane Company, Nestlé, Tyson Foods, Unilever and Walmart, who will work with IBM to identify new areas where the global supply chain can benefit from blockchain.

    Every year, one-in-ten people fall ill – and 400,000 die – due to contaminated food.* Many of the critical issues impacting food safety such as cross-contamination, the spread of food-borne illness, unnecessary waste and the economic burden of recalls are magnified by lack of access to information and traceability. It can take weeks to identify the precise point of contamination, causing further illness, lost revenue and wasted product. For example, it took more than two months to identify the farm source of contamination in a recent incidence of salmonella in papayas.**

    Blockchain is ideally suited to help address these challenges because it establishes a trusted environment for all transactions. In the case of the global food supply chain, all participants – growers, suppliers, processors, distributors, retailers, regulators and consumers – can gain permissioned access to known and trusted information regarding the origin and state of food for their transactions. This can enable food providers and other members of the ecosystem to use a blockchain network to trace contaminated product to its source in a short amount of time to ensure safe removal from store shelves and stem the spread of illnesses.

    Dole, Driscoll’s, Golden State Foods, Kroger, McCormick and Company, McLane Company, Nestlé, Tyson Foods, Unilever, Walmart and others are now coming together with IBM to further champion blockchain as an enabling technology for the food sector. Together they will help identify and prioritize new areas where blockchain can benefit food ecosystems and inform new IBM solutions. This work will draw on multiple IBM pilots and production networks in related areas that successfully demonstrate ways in which blockchain can positively impact global food traceability.

    “Unlike any technology before it, blockchain is transforming the way like-minded organizations come together and enabling a new level of trust based on a single view of the truth,” said Marie Wieck, general manager, IBM Blockchain. “Our work with organizations across the food ecosystem, as well as IBM’s new platform, will further unleash the vast potential of this exciting technology, making it faster for organizations of all sizes and in all industries to move from concept to production to improve the way business gets done.”

    New IBM blockchain platform
    Beyond food supply chain applications, blockchains are now being used to transform processes and streamline transactions for everything from flowers, real estate and trade finance, to education, insurance and medical services.

    To accelerate this adoption, IBM is introducing the first fully integrated, enterprise-grade production blockchain platform, as well as consulting services, that will allow more organizations to quickly activate their own business networks and access the vital capabilities needed to successfully develop, operate, govern and secure these networks. The IBM Blockchain Platform is available via the IBM Cloud.

    The platform builds off of the successful blockchain work IBM has delivered to more than 400 organizations, incorporating insights gained as IBM has built blockchain networks across industries including financial services, supply chain and logistics, retail, government and health care.

    Extensively tested and piloted, the platform addresses a wide range of enterprise pain points, including both business and technical requirements around security, performance, collaboration and privacy that no other blockchain platform delivers today. It includes innovation developed through open source collaboration in the Hyperledger community, including the newest Hyperledger Fabric v1.0 framework and Hyperledger Composer blockchain tool, both hosted by the Linux Foundation.

    The integrated platform allows multiple parties to jointly develop, govern, operate and secure blockchain networks to help enterprises accelerate blockchain adoption.

    Features of the IBM Blockchain Platform include:
    Develop – For developers, easy and flexible network tools designed to bring blockchain networks up to speed in minutes. The platform also includes the first commercial introduction of Hyperledger Composer a framework that helps developers focus on the business use case and more easily and quickly map it to the application code. Developers can create standard business language in JavaScript and the APIs help keep development work at the business level, rather than being highly technical, making it possible for most any programmer to be a blockchain developer. Additionally, a variety of IBM Developer Journeys for blockchain are available featuring free open source code, documentation, APIs, architecture diagrams and one-click deployment Git repositories to fast-track building.

    Govern – The platform offers all participating members a level of control, while preventing any one member from having exclusive control. A new class of democratic governance tools is designed to help improve productivity across the organizations using a voting process that collects signatures from members to govern member invitation distribution of smart contracts and creation of transactions channels. By quickly onboarding participants, assigning roles and managing access, organizations can begin transacting via the blockchain.

    Operate –The platform is underpinned by an architecture that operates more than 55% of today’s global transactional systems.*** It is the first offering available to allow updates to be made to the network while it is running without any downtime. Running in the IBM Cloud, it offers unique protection from insider credential abuse, protection from malware and hardware encryption key protection. IBM Blockchain Platform provides the highest-level commercially available tamper resistant FIPS140-2 level 4 protection for encryption keys.

    In addition to food safety, IBM is advancing other blockchain supply chain initiatives using the IBM Blockchain Platform for an automated billing and invoicing system. Initial work to use blockchain for invoicing is underway starting with Lenovo. This will provide an audit-ready solution with full traceability of billing and operational data, and help speed on-boarding time for new vendors and new contract requirements.

    To complement the new platform, IBM Global Business Services offers Blockchain Services, which brings deep industry expertise from its 1,600 blockchain consultants who have helped clients deploy and integrate active networks. These consultants can apply design thinking to help enterprises conceptualize and implement blockchain enabled business models to realize optimal value. For example, during recent blockchain projects with major shipping and retail organizations, IBM consultants have been able to improve food safety traceability by 99.9 percent and decrease trade document workflow by 97percent, potentially unlocking millions of dollars in cost savings and market capital.

    The IBM Blockchain Platform offers a range of pricing options, starting at $0.50 per hour, to support rapid adoption for networks of all sizes. To support blockchain ecosystems among different organizations, the cost of the network can be shared across all network members.

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  • Kith Treats arrives in Tokyo

    Kith Treats arrives in Tokyo

    This week, founder/designer Ronnie Fieg opened the doors to Tokyo’s very first Kith Treats located in the world-famous shopping district of Shibuya.

    Fieg teased the newest location on Instagram earlier this month by sharing a sketch of the shop’s exterior with caption, “Kith Treats Tokyo. See you soon.”

    The new space upholds the clean, monochromatic aesthetic of the original Kith Treats in Brooklyn.

    Carrara marble panels and stainless steel millwork dominate the inside, while the storefront features stainless steel tiles—a contemporary take on the classic ice cream parlor floors—and a large metal gate with a graphic of pouring milk.
    “Kith Treats is a childhood dream of mine. It’s a space where we’re able to relive our youth over again,” Fieg told Hypebeast in 2015. “[…]

    I’ve always believed that the footwear/apparel/retail business would act as a stepping stone for me. I’m looking for Kith Treats to evolve into many things in the future.

    Our Specials menu is comprised of artists and athletes that are personally close to me because I honestly just wanted to know their favorite cereal—because that’s how I judge people.

    In addition to the original Brooklyn bar, Kith Treats is also located in Manhattan and Miami. Each shop offers an extensive menu of cereal-based treats, like cereal ice cream swirls and cereal milkshakes.

    Many Fans came early to queue to get their Treats.

    Kith Treats Tokyo is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 8: 30 p.m. at 1-19- 14 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.

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