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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.

  • Coronavirus to wipe US$8.3bn off Asia-Pacific duty-free sales

    Coronavirus to wipe US$8.3bn off Asia-Pacific duty-free sales

    The coronavirus outbreak has substantially altered forecasts for Asia-Pacific duty-free sales this year, according to research firm GlobalData.

    Takings were originally forecast to reach US$43.4 billion by the end of the year. New calculations show the outbreak will likely cost the industry $8.3 billion off that figure.

    Globaldata now expects Asia-Pacific duty-free sales to reach $35.2 billion, 19.1 percent lower than the original forecast. Positive outlooks for China and South Korea especially have been dashed by the epidemic, with regions expecting to profit from burgeoning Chinese tourism now forlorn.

    “Other Asia-Pacific countries such as Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand with a considerable increase in the number of new cases over the past few days are estimated to worsen the impact,” said GlobalData Retail analyst Suresh Sunkara.

    “The forecasts may change further during the course of time if the virus spread is prolonged to the second half of this year or if it spreads to other key duty-free markets in the region including India, Malaysia, and Australia, which are currently not significantly affected by the spread.”

    Many key airports in the region have closed with travel between countries broadly impacted by the viral threat. Major duty-free operators such as Shilla, Lotte, Shinsegae and China Duty-Free Group are now left re-evaluating their strategies and identifying other consumer groups and markets to help offset a weakening in revenue.

    “The Tokyo Olympics should … aid the recovery in Asia-Pacific duty-free sales over the summer,” said Sunkara, “on the provision that the crisis has calmed down and travel restrictions have been relaxed. If not, the market growth will take an even more serious hit this year.”

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  • Seven & I drops Speedway US bid

    Seven & I drops Speedway US bid

    7-Eleven operator Seven & I has canceled its plans to purchase the American petrol station chain Speedway.

    The deal was terminated because the expected asking price of around US$22 billion was considered too pricey by the group’s board of directors. The acquisition was hoped to be a vehicle for the group’s expansion in the US with Speedway’s approximately 4000 locations coupled with convenience stores.

    A report in Nikkei suggested factors implicated in the canceled deal could include the risk of significant loss if revenues failed to meet expectations and the potential decline of the industry in general in the age of online shopping

    The American convenience store chain has been wholly owned by Seven & I since 2005. It currently has around 9000 outlets.

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  • Google Assistant can now read web articles on your Android phone

    Google Assistant can now read web articles on your Android phone

    Google is making Android more accessible with every major update. Google Assistant is one of the tools used by the Mountain View company to make Android users’ lives much easier. Since we’re living times where it’s impossible not to multitask, having something read to you while you’re focusing on something else is a great feat.

    Audiobooks are a big thing these days, but they weren’t in the beginning. However, the birth and rise of personal digital assistants put everything under a different perspective, and Google Assistant was at the forefront of it.

    Now we learn that Google Assistant can read stories posted on the web out loud on your Android smartphone. To make your phone start reading an article, simply say “Hey Google, read it” or “Hey Google, read this page” and you should hear Google Assistant’s voice.

    But the new feature added by Google goes beyond just reading web articles. You’ll be able to adjust the reading speed and even choose from multiple voices. Google says that “the web pages are read aloud in expressive and natural voices, aiming to use the same intonation and rhythm that you’d use if you were reading it aloud yourself,” so that’s a huge plus as well.

    But wait, there’s more. Google announced that its Assistant can read aloud in no less than 42 languages, so make sure that you’re using the translation menu if the article you want to be read isn’t in your native language.

    The new Google Assistant text-to-speech feature should roll out to Android users starting today, but it may take a few days to reach all compatible devices.

  • Airasia India Passes Major Security and Safety Audit

    Airasia India Passes Major Security and Safety Audit

    The AirAsia Group’s safety strategy continues to pay off with AirAsia India following hot on the heels of AirAsia Thailand to pass a major international safety audit.

    The accreditation under the International Air Transport Association’s Operational Safety Audit leaves just one member of the AirAsia Group, AirAsia Japan, still going through the process.

    It is expected to achieve accreditation soon to make the entire AirAsia Group IOSA compliant.

    AirAsia India follows AirAsia Thailand’s announcement in February and comes after similar achievements by AirAsia X Thailand in December 2018,  AirAsia Philippines in November 2018, AirAsia Malaysia in September 2018, AirAsia Indonesia in August 2018 and AirAsia X (Malaysia) in 2015.

    The IOSA certification audit is an internationally recognized and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline.

    The biennial safety audit is compulsory for IATA members and airlines that have completed the audit have a safety record almost four times better than those that have not.

    It covers eight key areas: corporate organization and management systems, flight operations, operational control – flight dispatch, aircraft engineering and maintenance, cabin operations, ground handling, cargo operations and operational security.

    AirAsia India, a joint venture between India’s Tata and Sons Private Limited and AirAsia Investment Limited, began operations in 2014.

    It currently flies to 21 destinations and boasts a fleet of 29 A320 aircraft.

    “We are proud to announce that we have successfully completed the IATA operational audit,’’  AirAsia India chief executive Sunil Bhaskaran said about the accreditation.

    “We will now strive to ensure that we always maintain the highest standards of safety and operational integrity at all times.”

     

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  • Aeon Vietnam plans a massive expansion

    Aeon Vietnam plans a massive expansion

    Japanese retail giant Aeon Vietnam says it will invest US$2 billion expanding its presence across the country.

    Aeon Vietnam opened its fifth shopping center in the country last November, its second in the capital city Hanoi. Now, the general director of Aeonmall Vietnam, Iwamura Yasutsugu, says the company is eyeing 25 centers across the country

    Aeon launched in Vietnam in 2013, opening its first mall, Celadon City, in a remote suburb of Ho Chi MInh City, which was expanded last June. More malls have been built in locations including the industrial city of Binh Duong, near Ho Chi Minh City, and Hanoi’s Long Bien district.

    The latest center, in the Duong Noi commune at Ha Dong, covers 150,000sqm and has about 200 tenant stores as well as the Aeon hypermarket and food anchor.

    Aeon’s strategy to date of expanding in Vietnam is to build centers in suburban districts rather than downtown locations, shaping its offer to local communities and mixing local goods with imported products.

    Aeon Vietnam also has a program to boost exports of Vietnamese goods to stores it operates outside the country. It aims to export US$500 million of goods this calendar year and reach $1 billion within five years.

    Last August, Aeon’s Japanese board held a meeting in Ho Chi Minh City and toured the Celadon City site, further evidence of the company’s commitment to the market.

    At the time, chairman Hiroshi Yokoo described Vietnam as “the most significant market of the company in Southeast Asia”.

    Aeon Vietnam plans US$2 billion expansion

  • Twitter starts testing Fleets, tweets that disappear after 24 hours

    Twitter starts testing Fleets, tweets that disappear after 24 hours

    Let’s face it, we’ll never make Twitter add an edit option for when autocorrect fails us. Still, it’s futile to continue to blame Twitter just for that since the company continues to tailor its app to meet our expectations.

    One of the new features that Twitter is working on right now strongly resembles a Snapchat feature that everyone knows as Stories. Twitter calls it Fleets, but it does the same thing: it allows users to post ephemeral messages on the social network.

    Twitter, through the voice of the company’s head of product, Kayvon Beykpour, confirmed the information and said that it’s working on the concept for more than a year. Beykpour also explained that while Fleets are very similar to Stories, Twitter added a few “intentional differences to make the experience more focused on sharing and seeing people’s thoughts.”

    As the title says, Fleets are ephemeral tweets that will disappear 24 hours after they’re posted. They can’t be retweeted, but users can respond to fleets with the same reaction emojis that can be used in direct messages. Text is allowed too for those who want to respond to these fleets, although any reply will disappear along with the ephemeral tweet.

    At the moment, Fleets are tested internally in Brazil, so it might take a while until Twitter decided to make them available to everyone.

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  • Cebu Pacific to cancel South Korea flights from March 3 to April 30

    Cebu Pacific to cancel South Korea flights from March 3 to April 30

    In line with the government’s travel ban on South Korea, Cebu Pacific will cancel its flights to the East Asian country from March 3 to April 30.

    Cebu Pacific announced Friday that the following flights will be canceled:

    5J 188/ 5J 187 Manila-Incheon-Manila

    5J 128 / 5J 129 Cebu-Incheon-Cebu

    5J 180 / 5J 181 Kalibo-Incheon-Kalibo

    The airline has advised affected passengers to rebook flights to February 29, March 1, or March 2 depending on seat availability, rebook a new flight until June 30, or refund the tickets in full. Passengers can also store the ticket value in a travel fund for future use.

    The Bureau of Immigration has implemented the ban on passengers with a recent history of travel from the coronavirus-hit province of North Gyeongsang in South Korea. The infection began in Its capital Daegu City. This was based on the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

    Meanwhile, exempted from the travel ban to Korea are overseas Filipino workers, permanent residents in Korea, and students.

    South Korea has confirmed 571 additional cases of the novel coronavirus Friday, according to the South Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    This brings the national total to 2,337 cases, with 13 deaths. South Korea has recorded the largest virus outbreak outside mainland China.

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  • South Korean carriers cut Vietnam flights as coronavirus infections spiral

    South Korean carriers cut Vietnam flights as coronavirus infections spiral

    South Korea’s largest carriers have decreased the frequency of flights to Vietnamese tourist hotspots over rising Covid-19 infections at home.

    Korean Air, the largest airline in South Korea, has announced that it will suspend many flights departing from Seoul and Busan to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam’s two largest metropolises, Da Nang and Nha Trang in central region and Phu Quoc Island in the south until the end of March.

    Asiana Airlines, the country’s second-largest carrier, has also canceled many flights from Incheon Airport in Seoul to Hanoi, Da Nang and Nha Trang at least until mid-March. This airline’s Incheon-Phu Quoc route will continue operations, but the frequency will be reduced from four flights a week to two.

    Korean Air normally operates 20 flights between the two countries a day, while Asiana Airlines has an average 4 flights a day. The two carriers did not reveal specific numbers of suspended flights.

    The flight suspensions follow the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus in South Korea, where more than 4,800 infections and 23 deaths have been recorded.

    Vietnam is a leading destination among South Koreans, ranked third after Japan and mainland China, according to Global Destination Cities Index (GDCI), released by Mastercard last year. South Korea is the second-largest feeder market of Vietnam’s tourism after China, with around 4.2 million visitors in 2019, up 23.1 percent year-on-year.

    Nha Trang and Da Nang are among top holiday destinations for South Koreans.

    The Covid-19 outbreak, with its epicenter in China, has severely cut the number of South Koreans traveling abroad, and Vietnam’s tourism sector has borne the brunt.

    Around 322,000 South Koreans came to Vietnam in February, down 16 percent from a year ago. Worse still, the number is expected to decrease dramatically in the coming months after the South Korean government declared a red alert, its highest level of epidemic alarm.

    The Vietnamese government, too, has deployed various measures to prevent the spread of the virus, including canceling many flights to South Korea and suspending visa-free entry for South Koreans starting last Saturday.

    In Vietnam, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has said it will suspend all flights to South Korea from Thursday while private carrier Bamboo Airways halted services to the country South Korea from February 26.

    Hanoi’s Noi Bai and Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat, Vietnam’s two largest airports, had stated they would stop receiving South Korea arrivals starting Sunday.

    Passengers scheduled to land in Noi Bai will have to do so at Van Don Airport in northern Quang Ninh Province, around four hours drive away, while those headed for Tan Son Nhat will have to travel a similar distance to Can Tho Airport in the Mekong Delta.

    This decision was taken after a large number of Vietnamese returning from South Korea overloaded medical quarantine facilities in both cities.

    All 16 people with Covid-19 recorded in Vietnam so far have been discharged from hospitals.

    Globally, the death toll has reached 3,069, mostly in mainland China, followed by Iran (66), Italy (52) and South Korea (34). The U.S and Japan which have reported six deaths each.

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  • Dark mode now rolling out to WhatsApp on Android and iOS

    Dark mode now rolling out to WhatsApp on Android and iOS

    WhatsApp is finally adding a native dark mode to its Android and iOS apps. The company announced today that “the most requested feature from people around the world” is now rolling out to Android and iOS devices over the next couple of days.

    As one might expect, the new dark mode is meant to reduce eye strain in low light environments. The dark theme created by WhatsApp isn’t really black, but a special dark gray background and off-white color, which is supposed to lower the brightness of the screen and improve contrast and readability.

    If you have an Android 9.0 Pie phone, you can enable the new dark mode after you updated WhatsApp by going to Settings / Chats / Theme and select Dark. For those lucky to own an Android 10 phone, the new dark mode can be enabled from the system settings instead.

    The same goes for those using an iPhone, the new dark mode can be enabled from the system settings. As mentioned above, dark mode will make it to Android and iOS devices in the coming days on the latest version of the app, so sit tight until it becomes available for download.
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  • Google I/O 2020 is canceled due to the coronavirus

    Google I/O 2020 is canceled due to the coronavirus

    In a blog post-Google published today the company said, “Due to concerns around the coronavirus (COVID-19), and in accordance with health guidance from the CDC, WHO, and other health authorities, we have decided to cancel the physical Google I/O event at Shoreline Amphitheatre.” Google says that over the next few weeks it will look at various alternatives to the physical event so that it can stay in touch with its developer community. One possibility would be for Google to live stream a keynote via the Google I/O app.

    Those who purchased tickets to Google I/O 2020 will receive a full refund by March 13th. If your refund does not arrive before that date, Google suggests that you send an email explaining the situation to io@google.com. And if you have already registered for Google I/O 2020, you will not have to enter next year’s drawing for I/O 2021 tickets; instead, you will automatically be given the option of purchasing tickets for next year’s event.

    Traditionally, Google has introduced new features of the next Android build during the developer conference. And Google employees also hold talks with developers discussing different topics. Some of these sessions could also be live-streamed to developers.

    Facebook has already canceled its F8 developer conference scheduled for May and Microsoft has done the same for its 2020 Game Developers Conference which was supposed to take place this month. Apple’s WWDC 2020 developer conference, typically held in June, could also be at risk.

    Most companies are taking the safe route this year and with no end to the spread of the coronavirus in sight, we might see other events get canceled as well. IFA 2020 is scheduled to take place in Berlin from September 4th through September 9th. Half a year away, the show’s organizers still have some time to decide whether they need to pull the plug on this year’s event.

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  • Mr DIY delays IPO

    Mr DIY delays IPO

    Malaysian home improvement brand Mr DIY may postpone its planned IPO following the effect of political uncertainty on the domestic market.

    Malaysia’s equities market suffered heavily from the impact of Malaysian president Mahathir Mohamad’s unexpected resignation, as well as the continuing impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The Malaysian stock market’s 12-year bull run came to an end just last week as the media spread the news about the outgoing president. A global rout of stock prices relating to the coronavirus crisis has not helped the local situation either.

    Mr DIY is expected to make a decision regarding the IPO this week. The IPO was originally targeted for the end of this month with a view to raising capital of around US$5 million, and may still go ahead if market conditions show any sign of improvement.

    Mr DIY operates close to 600 outlets in the country.

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  • Cebu Pacific to offer seat sale from March 3 to 5, 2020

    Cebu Pacific to offer seat sale from March 3 to 5, 2020

    Cebu Pacific has announced a seat sale from March 3 to 5, 2020.

    The budget carrier said it will offer a sale on all domestic flights on March 3, sale on international flights on March 4 and sale on all destinations on March 5.

    The promo fares will be valid for travel from September 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021.

    Cebu Pacific, however, did not state how much the promo fares would be.

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  • AirAsia X offers a year’s unlimited flights for $181 in response to coronavirus

    AirAsia X offers a year’s unlimited flights for $181 in response to coronavirus

    AirAsia X is offering unlimited international flights for a year for just 499 ringgit ($A181) as the coronavirus hits passenger numbers.

    Passengers will be able to fly from the airline’s home base in Malaysia to Australia, Japan, China, India and South Korea as many times as they like.

    The bad news is the deal is not available to Australians, only to Malaysia-based members of the airlines’ BIG loyalty scheme.

    The AirAsia Unlimited Pass went on sale Saturday and will only be available until March 7. Among the various terms and conditions, passengers will still have to pay taxes, airport fees and charges. They will be able to use the pass until March 2, 2021.

    “This is unprecedented,” said AirAsia X Malaysia CEO Benyamin Ismail in a statement. “However, AirAsia has always been known as the disruptor and we want to restore traveler’s confidence amid the current sentiment towards flying.

    “Travelling is still very safe as long as everyone travels responsibly and is kept updated by World Health Organisation (WHO) or respective government’s travel advice.”

    Meanwhile, AirAsia X said it will defer delivery of 78 Airbus A330neo planes and consider other changes to reduce its fleet, as the coronavirus outbreak adds pressure on the loss-making carrier.

    AirAsia X said late on Thursday it might sell two A330s that could fetch up to $US100 million ($153 million) and return five others to lessors early, adding it was already in negotiations with lessors about a targeted 30% cut in lease rates.

    The airline canceled 600 flights for March, according to an investor presentation published after it reported a higher quarterly net loss. AirAsia X flagged lower forward bookings and pressure on fares in the presentation.

    The virus has deepened the challenges facing the airline and sister carrier AirAsia Group, whose Chief Executive Tony Fernandes and Chairman Kamarudin Meranun have both stepped aside for at least two months amid investigations into a corruption scandal. Airbus was alleged to have paid a $US50 million bribe for plane orders.

    Brendan Sobie, a Singapore-based independent aviation analyst, said AirAsia X was highly exposed to China and other markets in North Asia significantly impacted by the coronavirus but the carrier was also in a weak financial position prior to the crisis.

    AirAsia X shares fell by 5 percent on Friday to a record low after it posted a net loss of 95.8 million ringgit in the quarter ended December 31, increasing from an 88.1 million ringgit loss a year ago.

    Flights to and from mainland China accounted for about 30 percent of AirAsia X’s capacity before the outbreak of the virus. It has a fleet of 24 A330 planes.

    The carrier last August reached a revised deal with Airbus to take 78 A330neos and 30 long-range A321XLR narrowbodies, down from earlier plans for 100 A330neos. AirAsia X is Airbus’ biggest customer for the A330neo, a more fuel-efficient version of the older A330 model.

    AirAsia X said delivery of the A330neos would be deferred and it would move toward a dual-fleet strategy with A321s set to replace its A330s on routes of four to six hours when demand recovers.

    “We believe advanced aircraft technology has changed business dynamics as we can now fly narrow-body aircraft longer,” AirAsia X Malaysia CEO Benyamin Ismail said in a statement.

    An AirAsia X spokeswoman said the airline was evaluating market conditions and had yet to confirm the duration of the A330neo delivery deferrals. An Airbus spokesman said the manufacturer does not comment on delivery schedules for individual airlines.

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  • Microsoft’s Your Phone app possibly getting Drag and Drop

    Microsoft’s Your Phone app possibly getting Drag and Drop

    Microsoft’s Your Phone app has been growing in popularity over the past several years. The app offers a link between your Windows 10 PC and your Android smartphone (requires a phone with Android 7 or newer), providing useful features for managing your phone.

    Recently, Microsoft added support for RCS messaging for selected Samsung smartphones. Now, a Tweet by Aggiornamenti Lumia suggests that a new feature may be coming soon: Drag And Drop from your PC to your smartphone.

    We do not know whether the rumored Drag and Drop feature will be officially released or when, and whether it will be exclusive to selected Samsung devices.

    Other features of the Your Phone app include reading and sending text messages from your PC, as well as managing your notifications and calls. The functionalities available only for select Samsung devices are Content Transfer (copy and paste between PC and Android phone) and Phone Screen, which allows you to interact with Android apps and phone content while visualizing your smartphone’s screen on your PC.

    You can find whether your phone is supported on Microsoft’s Your Phone app help page which offers a list of supported phones for every referenced app function.

  • Philippine Shopping Festival delayed due to coronavirus outbreak

    Philippine Shopping Festival delayed due to coronavirus outbreak

    The first Philippine Shopping Festival, a nationwide sale promotion aimed at getting people into malls, has been postponed due to the rise of coronavirus disease worldwide.

    The Department of Tourism (DOT) announced the postponement of the month-long event just one day before it was supposed to start on Sunday, saying it prioritized the safety of the public more than a visitor or tourist arrivals and revenue.

    “The malls are still free to continue (their) day-to-day operations. The DOT also recommends that malls follow the precautionary measures set by the Department of Health, such as checking the temperatures of mall-goers before allowing them to enter and the provision of more hand sanitizers in their premises,” said Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.

    The Philippine Shopping Festival was intended to be the country’s answer to Singapore’s Great Sale and Hong Kong’s Summer Sale.

    DOT targeted attracting foreign and local tourists where they could expect 15 to 70 percent discounts on Philippine-made products including food and dining, jewelry and fashion, crafts, furniture, and decor as well as beauty and wellness.

    Shopping is the most common tourist activity in the country at 38 percent based on the department’s Visitor Sample Survey in 2018.

    Puyat advised the public to maintain proper hygiene and follow the guidelines set by the Department of Health to contain the spread of the virus.

    The department has not yet decided on a new date for the Philippine Shopping Festival.

    The shopping festival is supported by the Philippine Retailers Association, Philippine Franchise Association, Philippine Owners Association Inc, Hotel Sales and Marketing Association and others.