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Category: General

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

  • Kung Hei Fat Choi!

    Kung Hei Fat Choi!

    As we welcome the Year of the Rat, all of us at Retailnews.asia would like to wish you and your families a happy, healthy and prosperous Lunar New Year!

    This Lunar New Year marks not only the beginning of a new decade but also the start of the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle. The Year of the Rat is known to be a symbol of wealth, vitality and the beginning of a new day. Likewise, crm.retailnews.asia wishes you all the best in a fresh start to 2020 filled with great health and prosperity.

    We hope you surround yourselves with family and friends as you welcome the year with celebration and love.

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  • Azimut Yachts Hong Kong Concludes a Remarkable 2019

    Azimut Yachts Hong Kong Concludes a Remarkable 2019

    Azimut Yachts celebrated the group’s 50th anniversary year packed full of exciting events, sales, new launches, deliveries and awards throughout 2019. Azimut Yachts Hong Kong, with its offices and dealer partners in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, and Singapore saw a wave of confidence across the region with an impressive number of yacht sales and handovers plus a series of well-planned and well-attended event. The busy year also saw the opening of two new sales offices; in Aberdeen, Hong Kong and Shenzhen Bay Yacht Club, Guangdong China.

    Bringing Azimut Yachts to Asia’s Doorstep

    A series of more than 10 events across Asia further promoted and elevated Azimut Yachts in the region. Through each of the events, Azimut Yachts celebrated with existing yacht owners as well as, provided an opportunity to showcase new yachts to potential new Azimut owners.  Events included the Macao Boat show, the Shenzhen Bay Yachting Festival – where Azimut Yachts Guangdong hosted the La Dolce Vita Italian Night – filmed by “Dolce Vita” Chinese TV and exclusive private bank and supercar events in Singapore and Hong Kong. In the coastal Taiwanese city, Tainan,, the first new S6 delivered to the region was handed over at the new Argo Yacht Club. The regional event of the year was the Azimut Yachts Party at the Singapore Yacht Show, where over 200 guests enjoyed live music and dance performances waterside against the backdrop of the New Azimut 55 and 25m Grande.

    Introducing New Yachts to Asia

    In October Azimut Yachts Guangdong proudly welcomed the first new Atlantis 45 to a captivated audience in Shenzhen, China. The Atlantis 45 is the successor to the Atlantis 43, a very popular yacht that exceeded all expectations by delivering over 140 yachts worldwide in four years. Featuring Volvo IPS propulsion, this new model takes on design cues from her larger sister, the Atlantis 51. The vertical bow stretches forward to boost the dynamics of a boat bringing out the sharpness of this yacht’s contours and its sporty soul.

    A series of successful 2019 Deliveries

    The Group completed an impressive number of deliveries across Asia. In 2019 several new models, including the S6, Atlantis 45, Azimut 55, Azimut Grande 25M and Azimut Grande 32, were delivered to new and repeat clients in Taiwan, Shenzhen, Singapore and Hong Kong. In addition, throughout the year, there was a steady stream of deliveries of the ever-popular Flybridge and Magellano models across all regions, and during the summer season alone no fewer than four  Azimut Grande models were delivered to Hong Kong and Singapore clients.

    In 2020 the Group  will introduce the latest new Azimut models to Asia, such as the stunning new S Range sisters the S10 and S8,  and the Azimut 78 Flybridge, all recently launched at the Cannes Yachts Festival in September.  New Azimut models are always hugely anticipated and these are no exception, with and S8 and 78 Flybridge already set for Hong Kong and Singapore deliveries before the summer.

    Regional Awards

    In addition to several industry awards won by the Group in 2019, Marine Italia Ltd, Azimut Yachts Hong Kong was awarded “Best after-sales support Worldwide (Excluding USA)” during the Azimut Yachts GLOBAL dealers meeting 2019 for their exceptionally high-quality customer service work and investments in customer support for the region.

    Azimut|Benetti closed out the 50th anniversary year, confirming its place for the 20th time as the world’s leading builder of high-end mega yachts, based on the international Global Order Book 2020 ranking of top yacht builders recently published by the highly- reputed magazine Boat International.

  • Facebook dark theme rolling out to more Android users

    Facebook dark theme rolling out to more Android users

    Facebook has been trying to implement the long-awaited dark theme into its Android app for many months, which isn’t something unusual. We’ve been hearing reports about the company’s struggles to finalize the feature, but it looks like Facebook’s endeavor turned into a marathon rather than a sprint.

    Starting today, a lot more people have started to see the new dark theme in the Facebook app reports. We’re still not convinced that Facebook has finally nailed the feature for Android users and is making it available for everyone.

    However, it’s a clear sign that the company is confident in the results and is rolling out the dark theme to more Android users, one of the final steps before a wider deployment. It’s probably just coincidence that a few days ago WhatsApp has finally managed to deliver the highly-anticipated dark theme to Android beta users.

    We can’t promise you that you’ll see the new dark theme right away, but we’re certain it won’t take long until Facebook will start a wider roll-out of the feature, so stick around for more updates on the matter.

  • Google offers three apps to keep you from getting addicted to your phone

    Google offers three apps to keep you from getting addicted to your phone

    The Google Play Store now features three Google apps designed to fight back against phone addiction. One, called Envelope, was developed by the company’s Special Projects – Experiments division and currently supports the Pixel 3a only. This app first requires you to print out a real envelope and put your Pixel 3a into it. There are cutouts only for the fingerprint reader and the main camera in the back. This reduces the functionality of the phone which will be able to make and take calls, give you the time, and take photos and videos. In other words, the app essentially turns your smartphone into a feature phone.
    Keep in mind that the envelope does prevent you from viewing the photos and videos you have just taken. Because the UI uses a black background, the app is battery friendly even if you keep your Pixel 3a inside the envelope all day. The few comments posted on the Play Store mostly gave Envelope a strong review.
    Another app found in the Play Store designed to fight phone addiction is called Activity Bubbles. Each time you unlock your phone, a new bubble is created on the screen. The bubble continues to grow in size until the phone is locked. This gives you a visual look at how often you are using your phone over the course of a day. This app and the Screen Stopwatch were developed by Google Creative Lab. The Screen Stopwatch is somewhat similar to the Activity Bubbles. Every time you unlock your handset, the large stopwatch counts off how long the display has been active over the course of a day. All three of these apps are free.

    Google originally offered the Digital Wellbeing app on the Pixels and it now is available for other Android phones as well. Last year, Google added a new requirement to the licensing agreement that it requires phone manufacturers to sign in order to use the Google Mobile Services version of Android. All phones upgraded to or installed with Android 9 or Android 10 must now come with Digital Wellbeing or feature a similar app developed by a licensed Android manufacturer.

    The topic of screen addiction was addressed in a documentary from 2016 called The Screenagers. In 2018, students from California’s Stanford University made big news by protesting against screen addiction at an Apple Store in Palo Alto. The protestors belonged to a group called Stanford Students Against Addictive Devices or SSAAD. The group was complaining that Apple wasn’t doing anything to stop users from constantly checking their iPhones. Some believe that this protest specifically led Apple to create Screen Time, a feature that tracks the daily usage of an iPhone user. And that led Google to create Digital Wellbeing.
    Screen addiction is a real problem. Last month, a study from London consisting of 42,000 adolescents discovered that 25% of the kids in the study were addicted to their phones and even experienced withdrawal symptoms when they had their handsets taken away from them.
  • Twitter is adding a major messaging feature to its apps

    Twitter is adding a major messaging feature to its apps

    Perhaps some of you already heard that Twitter is working on a messaging feature that somewhat mimics Apple’s iMessage reactions. The feature was in development and testing for a while now, which is why some of you might already know what’s this all about.

    Today, the social media platform announced that new emoji reactions for Direct Messages are available on the web, Android and iOS. Twitter also explains how to use the new messaging feature and advises users to update to the latest version to get it if they didn’t already.

    To add a reaction, hover over the message and click the reaction button (heart and plus icon), or double-tap on the message and pick an emoji from the pop-up. You can undo a reaction at any time and it will be removed from the message for all participants. Click or tap on a reaction in a conversation to view who reacted to the message.
    You can add an emoji reaction to any type of Direct Message be it text or media attachments. And yes, every time your Direct Message will get a reaction, you will be notified via Twitter. If you don’t like that, you can simply mute these notifications for 1 hour, 8 hours, 1 week, or Forever. This means that you will continue to receive new messages, it’s just that you won’t receive any notifications each time you get them.

    Now, it’s important to note that if you’re using an older version of Twitter that doesn’t support the new messaging feature, you will still get them but they will be displayed as text-based messages.

  • New App Makes Retail Workplaces More Accessible for People with a Disability

    New App Makes Retail Workplaces More Accessible for People with a Disability

    Helping to increase the employment of a more diverse workforce

    The first workforce management solution app to be fully accessibility compliant has been launched, making retail workplaces in Singapore and across the Asia-Pacific region more inclusive for people with disabilities and an ageing population.

    The new release of Humanforce’s mobile app complies with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 AA rating. This means it meets 100 percent of the recommendations for making content accessible to people with disabilities including colour-blindness and low vision.

    “There is an unresolved tension between the business and technology vendor desire for integrating the most advanced technology solutions that often best meet the needs of millennial workers, and also making the workplace more inclusive of diversity,” explained Mike McGee, Chief Product Officer, Humanforce. “Too often we see the former being the priority at the expense of workers with a disability and those that make up our ageing workforce.”

    Recent research from McKinsey found that businesses, such as large chain retailers, with higher diversity are more likely to achieve higher financial performance. However, people with a disability are often overlooked when it comes to workplace diversity. The Ministry of Manpower found in June 2018 that 28.6 percent of people with a disability in Singapore were employed, while 4.2 percent were unemployed but looking for work, which translate to an unemployment rate of 12.9 percent. Additionally, it found that 67.2 percent of people with a disability were outside of the labour force due to poor health or disability. This compares to a 2.3 percent unemployment rate for the entire Singapore population.

    “Retail employers can be doing much more to make the workplace more inclusive for the people with a disability currently working and also to increase employment of the many people with a disability looking for work. And as we see the retirement age raised to 35 by 2030 and the re-employment age also go up to 70 by 2030, we’re also going to see the number of people with a disability in the workplace increase.

    “A key piece of the puzzle is ensuring all the workplace technologies retailers invest in to increase their success don’t work to preference younger workers, while discriminating against workers with a disability and the ageing population,” added Mike.

    Find out more about Humanforce.

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  • WhatsApp is rolling out dark mode to beta users on Android

    WhatsApp is rolling out dark mode to beta users on Android

    Great news for WhatsApp users: developers are finally adding a dark mode to the Android app. The downside is that it’s only available for beta users, which means it will take at least one more week for the new feature to be rolled out to everyone.

    The folks at Wabetainfo learned recently that the latest version of WhatsApp submitted by developers through the Google Play Beta Program contains one important new feature – the long-awaited dark theme.

    If you’re a beta tester, you must update WhatsApp to version 2.20.13 or newer in order to see the new dark mode. It’s possible that you won’t be seeing the new feature even after updating to this specific version.

    In that case, you can back up your chat history if you think it’s necessary, uninstall the app and then reinstall it. This way the app will download the most recent software from the server, so you’ll most likely be able to start using the new dark mode.

    The new Dark Theme option appears in the WhatsApp Settings / Chats. You have three choices under Theme: Light, Dark and Set by Battery Saver. If you choose the latter, WhatsApp will automatically switch between light and dark themes according to your Battery Saver settings.

    For those of you who don’t want to install beta software on your Android devices, the dark theme will probably arrive by the end of the month, but that’s just a guesstimate. Just make sure to download any new update for WhatsApp that pops up in the next few weeks or so.
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  • Beauty&You by The Shilla Duty Free kicks off Lunar New Year

    Beauty&You by The Shilla Duty Free kicks off Lunar New Year

    Travel retail concept Beauty&You by The Shilla Duty-Free is celebrating the Year of the Rat at Hong Kong International Airport with an array of Lunar New Year offers until the end of February.

    The retailer will be featuring its first exclusive product with Lancome; a new brand launch; and in-store retailtainment marketed to “discerning travelers looking to ring in the New Year with a complete beauty haul”.

    The Shilla’s partnership with French perfume and cosmetic house Lancome introduces the first in its line-up of special offers this year, a collection of Valentine’s Day limited edition 196 lipsticks in drama matt and lacquer textures, as well as an exclusive complimentary pouch.

    Beauty&You is also unveiling skincare brand First Aid Beauty at HKIA for the very first time, featuring a curated product selection from the brand.

    The Shilla travel retail MD Changha Shin said the partnership with First Aid Beauty is a testament to Beauty&You’s strong positioning and ability to collaborate with a multitude of brands.

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  • Cebu Pacific announces seat sale

    Cebu Pacific announces seat sale

    Filipinos and residents in the UAE can get a chance to enjoy the most exciting festivities in the Philippines as Cebu Pacific, the Philippines’ largest national carrier, offers flights from Dubai to Manila for as low as Dh395 ($107.5) base fare.

    The Philippines is known for its stunning beaches some of which are recognized as one of the best in the world. But aside from its magnificent coastlines, the country is also a home to some of the best festivals you’ll ever get to see.

    Cebu Pacific celebrates the success of their hometown’s Sinulog Festival with these Festivals of Fun seat sale! Catch the remaining festivals of the Philippines this year by starting with Panagbenga aka annual flower festival in February.

    In addition, Cebu Pacific has the widest network in the Philippines—connecting travelers from the UAE to 37 local destinations and 25 international destinations with over 120 routes.

    The sale will be from January 20 to 23 and will cover the travel period from February 1 to June 30, which means a chance to experience as many festivals in the country as one can.

    Book now through www.cebupacificair.com or the mobile app, available both in Google Play and App Store. Those who prefer to pay in cash may pay over the counter at any branch of Al-Ansari Exchange, UAE Exchange and Al Rais Travels located across the country, within 24 hours of making a booking online.

  • Singapore Jumped Three Spots In Bloomberg Innovation Index

    Singapore Jumped Three Spots In Bloomberg Innovation Index

    Singapore has reclaimed its number three rank in the 2020 Bloomberg Innovation Index, after leaping three spots. However, economies across Asia-Pacific showed a mixed picture of progress.

    Singapore’s rise against global peers was underpinned by stronger showings in productivity and patent activity, while the city-state also retained a world-beating ranking in tertiary efficiency. For the latter category, Bloomberg’s rankings take into account factors such as graduation rates of first-degree earners and the share of the labor force that’s made up of new science and engineering graduates.

    Singapore’s high standing in the index speaks to its long-term focus on adapting to an aging population as well as a tighter labor market, as it guns for higher productivity. We see more innovation in the pipeline with even more use of automation in multiple industries. There’s a lot that’s on the way in that regard — and being willing to experiment,»  said David Mann, chief economist for Standard Chartered in Singapore.

    Both Singapore and Vietnam clinched the most-improved title in the region, with the latter climbing three spots to number 57 after it first qualified for a ranking last year. Vietnam was hailed an «e-commerce leader» for trimming regulations and improving cross-border trade, according to a post by Rebecca Sta Maria, executive director of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Secretariat, ahead of the Index release.

    What also works are reforms that focus on education, skills, infrastructure, and social security, and address barriers that prevent women, small businesses, and traditionally marginalized groups from fully participating in the digital economy, she wrote.

    The annual Bloomberg Innovation Index analyzes dozens of criteria using seven metrics, including research and development spending, manufacturing capability and concentration of high-tech public companies. The Index, in its eighth year, was released just before the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where innovation will be a key theme of meetings from 21 January to 24 January.

    After a six-year streak at the top, South Korea was unseated from its best-in-world spot by Germany — but only just. Japan and New Zealand were among those losing ground in innovation against global peers, while Vietnam showed a big gain, according to the results.

    The world’s biggest economies had opposite fortunes, with the U.S. dropping one level to No. 9 and China improving by one spot to No. 15. The U.S. was ranked No. 1 when the Innovation Index debuted in 2013.

    The news wasn’t great for advanced economies in the Asia-Pacific, either, with Japan dropping three spots and Australia falling one. New Zealand’s five-spot decline was the biggest slide of any economy ranked in this year’s Innovation Index, mainly due to a drop in productivity and value-added manufacturing.

    The 2020 ranking process started with more than 200 economies. Each was scored on a 0-100 scale based on seven equally weighted categories. Nations that didn’t report data for at least six categories were dropped off the rankings, trimming the total list to 105. Bloomberg then publishes the top 60 economies.

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  • Unrests In Hong Kong Hits Lucrative Life Insurance Sector

    Unrests In Hong Kong Hits Lucrative Life Insurance Sector

    Anti-government protests in Hong Kong have dealt a severe blow to one of the city’s most lucrative industries and favored channels for getting money out of mainland China.

    The sale of life insurance products to Chinese tourists has always been yielding good profits, up until protests rocked the city. The value of new life insurance policies taken out by mainland citizens in Hong Kong fell 18 percent to $1.2bn in the three months to September, according to the latest available data from the territory’s Insurance Authority.

    Sales have since fallen further as hostility in the territory towards mainland Chinese has grown and tourist arrivals have plunged, industry analysts warned. Fourth-quarter momentum will be even worse than the third quarter because protests accelerated in September, October and November. It will be a big challenge,» said Shengbo Tang, an analyst at Nomura.

    Hong Kong insurers have in recent years enjoyed a boom in business provided by mainland Chinese, who need to be physically present when a new premium is signed. Two of the biggest life insurers in the territory, AIA and Prudential, get up to 60 percent of their new business in Hong Kong from mainland Chinese customers, according to analysts.

    A lot of the life insurers have for a long time been reliant on the huge premiums from mainlanders. But they’re not coming to Hong Kong anymore, said a Hong Kong-based adviser to multinational insurance companies.

    In order to counter the slowdown, some life insurers have begun offering transportation services whereby prospective Chinese customers are picked up from the airport or land border with the mainland to parts of Hong Kong that have not yet been affected by the protests, people familiar with the industry said. The protests have also encouraged some insurers to bring forward plans to expand in the mainland.

    However, the opening up of financial markets has burnished China’s allure for insurers but gaining ground in the country could take a while, observers say. In the near term, growth will be slowing: mainland business won’t make up for the drop in Hong Kong, said Tang

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  • China takes first step to banning single-use utensils, plastic bags

    China takes first step to banning single-use utensils, plastic bags

    China’s National Development and Reform Commission has revealed plans to cut the production and use of single-use plastic in China in the next five years.

    By the end of this year, supermarkets, shopping malls and food delivery services will not be allowed to use non-degradable plastic bags. Disposable plastic used in e-commerce, express deliveries and takeaway food will be limited in 2022.

    The country will also completely ban the import of plastic waste, said a spokesperson from the commission.

    According to Bloomberg, by 2022, some delivery services in major cities including Beijing and Shanghai will be forbidden from using non-degradable packaging, with the ban extended to the whole country by 2025.

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  • Jeweller to the stars Mouawad eyes Asian rollout

    Jeweller to the stars Mouawad eyes Asian rollout

    Dubai- and Geneva-headquartered Mouawad Group – dubbed jewelers to the stars – is planning to open stores across Asia.

    Pascal Mouawad, co-guardian of the retail division, told Arabian Business in an interview that the company will begin expanding in Asia Pacific next year and roll out stores across a subsequent decade.

    “We have a strategy of continuing our expansion in different markets, specifically Asia Pacific; that’s our target for the next decade, so China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. We want to expand our distribution network in that part of the world,” he said.

    The company is also planning to feature in several exhibitions in Asia before stores start to open next year.

    “This year is the year of exhibitions in the Asian market and hopefully next year we’ll be rolling out boutiques in that part of the world while keeping a good presence here in the Gulf countries,” he said.

    The 130-year-old company is run by three brothers of the fourth generation of the family which founded the business. It is known for selling jewelry, watches and artworks to clients, including A-list celebrities.

  • Cebu Pacific announces its $139 fares for Chinese New Year

    Cebu Pacific announces its $139 fares for Chinese New Year

    If the Philippines has been on your mind for a little while, then Cebu Pacific has got the flights for you. In celebration of the Chinese New Year 2020, airfares to the Philippines have been reduced to a price you’re going to love.

    This sale is short and sweet, take off from Melbourne to Manila from $139 or Sydney to Manila from $159 one way. That totals a round trip from $278 return, not bad if you ask us.

    Before you book, we suggest checking Skyscanner to make sure you’re getting the best possible price for your Philippines escape.

    You will be able to end 2020 with a bang, the travel dates run between 1 July to 31 December 2020 (and what a way to bring in the new year).

    If you’re stuck on itinerary, we’ve got you sorted. Whatever your idea of a holiday is, there’s something for everyone with visits to Boracay Island, the Chocolate Hills or the majestic Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.

    This one really isn’t around for long, the sale ends 17 January 2020 unless sold out prior.

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  • AirAsia celebrates traditional CNY through a child’s grand adventure

    AirAsia celebrates traditional CNY through a child’s grand adventure

    AirAsia has unveiled its Chinese New Year ad, ushering in the celebrations and casting fresh eyes on the age-old tradition of the lion dance.

    The custom is an essential part of CNY festivities, bringing good luck and fortune. The ad depicts a young boy’s grand journey as he travels to his grandmother’s house for the Lunar New Year.

    He daydreams about flying through the skies while wondering if he will meet the famed lion. He sees his family celebrating various CNY traditions.

    He becomes disheartened when it appears it won’t show but when all hope seems lost, his father hands him a hongbao letter, giving him the luck he needs to meet the lion.

    Chief executive officer of AirAsia Singapore Logan Velaitham said, “At AirAsia, we want to encourage our flyers to start the new decade with excitement and childlike wonder, letting it light the path to achieve double blessings of abundance, adventure and happiness for the new year.”

    Rudy Khaw, group head of branding, AirAsia Group added: “To a child, every journey is a grand adventure. At AirAsia, that’s exactly how we view travel. It isn’t just a journey, but an adventure waiting to be unravelled. It’s through travel that we find purpose, discover new experiences, reconnect with our loved ones and make new connections.”

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