Retail News CRM

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.

  • Google Assistant adds new WhatsApp integrations

    Google Assistant adds new WhatsApp integrations

    WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in the world, although in the U.S. it is third. No matter how you slice it, the Facebook-owned app is extremely popular. And so is Google Assistant. The virtual digital assistant can send text messages through WhatsApp (just say “O.K. Google, send WhatsApp message”) which comes in handy if you are sending a message that you want encrypted. Of course, the recipient of your message must be a WhatsApp member.

    But suppose you want to make a video or voice call using Assistant? Well, it used to be that video calls would automatically go through Duo or even Hangouts. Voice calls simply go through your carrier’s network. But as we pointed out, WhatsApp has a lot of pull. Remember, Facebook paid $21 billion for the messaging app in a deal that closed in 2014. So today Google announced that Assistant will now make voice calls and video calls through the WhatsApp Android app.

    To make a video call through WhatsApp, you can say “Hey Google, WhatsApp video John.” Google didn’t say how to initiate a voice call, but we would guess that it would go something like “Hey Google, WhatsApp call John.” Unfortunately, Google doesn’t go into great details about this with its announcement today, and neither WhatsApp video calls or voice calls worked for us. It could be that Google jumped the gun and let the cat out of the bag too early, or the new WhatsApp integrations are slowly rolling out to Android phones. Regardless, it is the little touches like this that help make Google Assistant the most useful of smartphone-based virtual helpers.

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  • Cost-cutting, focus on profitable sales drive ‘modest improvement Myer

    Cost-cutting, focus on profitable sales drive ‘modest improvement Myer

    Myer saw a “modest improvement” in its first full year under CEO and managing director John King’s turnaround plan, despite challenging trading conditions in the second half which tempered some of the department store’s first-half gains.

    Most of the improvement came from reduced costs, primarily rent and wages, rather than an increase in sales, with roughly $33 million cut out of the business over the year ended June 30, 2019.

    Total sales fell 3.5 percent year on year to $2.99 billion in FY19, and comparable-store sales were down 2.9 percent.

    Excluding sales in Apple products, which Myer exited in May, comparable store sales were down 1.3 percent. Both total sales and comparable store sales fell at roughly the same rate as they did in FY18.

    An increased focus on profitable sales, including a shift in the sales mix away from concessions and towards Myer ‘exclusive brands’, contributed to an improvement in operating gross profit margin 38.85 per cent, up 65 basis points year on year. Operating gross profit was $1.2 billion, down 1.9 per cent year on year.

    Excluding implementation costs and individually significant items related to redundancies and lease provisions, Myer posted a 7.2 percent improvement in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization.

    Net profit after tax was up 2.2 per cent year on year to $33.2 million.

    King made it clear during an earnings call with analysts and investors that the department store is sticking to the customer-first plan he laid out last September.

    “We will continue to focus on the customer, we’ll continue to deliver against this plan in the best interest of our customers and shareholders,” King said on the call on Thursday.

    “The plan we started is a plan we’re delivering against today, and will be the plan we’ll be delivering against in the coming months.”

    King also announced the appointment of Tony Carr as the company’s new executive general manager of supply chain. Carr was previously head of logistics at ASOS.

  • AirAsia India Airbus A320 Aborts Takeoff Due To Dog On The Runway

    AirAsia India Airbus A320 Aborts Takeoff Due To Dog On The Runway

    An AirAsia Airbus A320-200 aborted its take-off on Sunday (01/09/19) due to a dog appearing on the runway. The flight from Goa to Delhi was delayed by 50 minutes while the aircraft’s braking systems were checked.

    Reports Aviation Herald, Flight I5-778 was cleared to take off at around 08:25 local time. The A320 (registration VT-IXC) began rolling but its crew was instructed to abort a few seconds later. The A320 rejected the take-off at a relatively low speed and returned to the apron.

    Following normal procedure, the flight crew assessed the effect of the aborted take-off on the aircraft’s systems. After 50 minutes the plane was again cleared to take-off, and this time did so successfully.

    Flight I5-778 landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport just 30 minutes behind schedule. Writes News in Flight, a spokesman for Goa airport said,

    Goa’s Dabolim civilian airport operates within an Indian military base called INS Hansa. The airport is jointly used by civilian and military jets. With over seven million passengers passing through the terminal each year the airport’s airside aprons suffer severe congestion.

    A second airport is in the process of being built in Mopa, north of Dabolim. The Indian government intends this airport to become the main civilian hub for Goa’s burgeoning tourist trade, thereby easing congestion at GOI.

    Dabolim will continue to receive civilian passengers.

    An investment in the old airport of around Rs.4 Bn (US$60 million) is set to improve the passenger facilities by the provision of a larger terminal and more adequate parking. Whether the expansion works will also include better perimeter security is yet to be seen.

    The sight of dogs on Indian runways is all too common. In 2018, the Directorate of Civil Aviation identified at least 20 airports that were at risk of canine incursions. At all 20 of these sites, animals could enter freely through perimeter barriers.

    Passenger safety at these sites was deemed to be compromised by the number of animals accessing the operational areas.

    On August 13th, a similar incident at Goa was reported by Aviation Herald. This time an Air India Airbus aborted its landing due to the pilot’s reporting a group of dogs on the runway.

    The flight crew of the A320-200N Flight AI-33 from Mumbai to Goa performed a go-around due to the animals being on the ground, although the Tower Controller did not see the dogs. The aircraft landed safely on the second attempt.

    History: What Happened To Singapore Airlines Boeing 747’s?

    According to reports, there are an estimated 200 dogs in the vicinity of the airfield.

    In response to public concern about the safety of passengers arriving and departing at Goa, the AAI revealed their intention to be more pro-active.

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  • AirAsia X orders 42 new long-haul Airbus jets

    AirAsia X orders 42 new long-haul Airbus jets

    AirAsia X, the long-haul part of the AirAsia Group, has now finalized a major order with Airbus for 12 more A330-900 and 30 A321XLR aircraft.

    The contract was signed today by Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, chairman of AirAsia X, along with Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus, in KL, in the presence of Mahathir Mohamad, the Malaysian PM.

    Tony Fernandes, the CEO of the AirAsia Group, says the two aircraft are the perfect equipment for long-haul, low-cost operations.

    “This order reaffirms our selection of the A330neo as the most efficient choice for our future wide-body fleet. In addition, the A321XLR offers the longest flying range of any single aisle aircraft and will enable us to introduce services to new destinations.”

    Aziz says the order showed the airlines’ commitment to long haul air travel.

    “This will move our long-haul service sectors up to a higher level and allow AirAsia X to look at expanding beyond the eight-hour flight radius, such as to Europe for example.”

    The new contract increases the number of A330neo (new engine option) aircraft ordered by AirAsia X to 78, reaffirming the carrier’s status as the largest airline customer for the type. Meanwhile, the A321XLR (long range) order sees the wider AirAsia Group strengthen its position as the world’s largest airline customer for the A320 “family”, having now ordered a total of 622 aircraft.

    AirAsia X currently operates a fleet of 36 A330-300s on services to points within the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East. In addition, in August the first A330neo joined the fleet of AirAsia’s Bangkok-based long haul affiliate, AirAsia X Thailand. The aircraft is the first of two leased A330neos joining the airline’s Thai affiliate by the end of the year.

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  • Oracle Cloud Accelerates Expansion to Bring Infrastructure to Customers

    Oracle Cloud Accelerates Expansion to Bring Infrastructure to Customers

    To support its customers around the world, Oracle today announced, at the annual Oracle OpenWorld, that it plans to launch 20 new Oracle Cloud regions by the end of 2020, for a total of 36 Oracle Cloud Infrastructure regions. This expansion includes regions in new countries and dual, geographically separated regions in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, U.K., EU, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and new government regions in the U.K. and Israel. In addition, Oracle is announcing updates to its roadmap for its interconnect with Microsoft Azure.
    More customers and partners can harness the power of Oracle Cloud to unlock innovation and drive business growth. With these dual regions, customers can deploy both production and disaster recovery capacity within their country or jurisdiction to meet business continuity and compliance requirements. Customers will now have access to all Oracle Cloud Infrastructure services including Oracle Autonomous Database; as well as Oracle Fusion Applications, in these regions.

    “Enterprise customers worldwide require geographically distributed regions for true business continuity, disaster protection and regional compliance requirements. Multiple availability domains within a region will not address this issue,” said Don Johnson, EVP, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. “Unlike other cloud providers, Oracle is committed to offer a second region for disaster recovery in every country where we launch Oracle Cloud Infrastructure services, a strategy that’s aligned with our customers’ needs.”

    Oracle Cloud has opened 12 regions in the past year and currently operates 16 regions globally—11 commercial and five government—the fastest expansion by any major cloud provider.
    Available regions include:

    • Americas: Phoenix, Ashburn, Toronto, Sao Paolo
    • Europe: Frankfurt, London, Zurich
    • Asia: Tokyo, Seoul, Mumbai, Sydney
    • Government: two U.S. Government regions, three U.S. DoD regions

    Rapid expansion in commercial and government regions
    Oracle expects to open an average of one region every 23 days over the next 15 months for a total of 20 additional regions (17 commercial and three government). As planned, 11 of the countries or jurisdictions served by local cloud regions will have two or more regions to facilitate in-country or in-jurisdiction disaster recovery capabilities. Oracle’s Gen 2 Cloud Infrastructure makes this possible through highly-optimized region deployment technologies, which can implement an entire software defined data center and customer-facing cloud services in days.
    Oracle Cloud is scheduled to build new cloud regions in the U.S. (Bay Area, CA), Canada (Montreal), Brazil (Belo Horizonte), U.K. (Newport, Wales), European Union (Amsterdam), Japan (Osaka), Australia (Melbourne), India (Hyderabad), South Korea (Chuncheon), Singapore, Israel, South Africa, Chile, two in Saudi Arabia and two in the United Arab Emirates. Oracle also intends to open two regions for usage by the U.K. Government and one for the Government of Israel.
    Microsoft Interconnect expansion in new locations, including government regions
    Oracle is expanding its regions interconnected with Microsoft Azure. Since June 2019, Oracle has announced two commercial regions that are interconnected with Microsoft Azure—Ashburn and London. In the next few quarters, it is globally expanding the interconnect to U.S. West, Asia and Europe. Similar to commercial regions, Oracle Cloud and Microsoft Azure will extend their interoperability into government regions. This will now enable joint Oracle and Microsoft government customers to more easily move applications to the cloud, preserving their existing technology investments while taking advantage of next generation cloud native technologies.

    Oracle Cloud meets needs of the enterprise

    “As the cloud is now being used by enterprises globally for more mission-critical workloads, Oracle is demonstrating that its enterprise-grade credentials are resonating with customers, leading to a combination of customer retention and growth. According to Oracle it is seeing more and more existing customers committing to the Oracle Cloud, as well as growth in new customers moving to the Oracle Cloud,” said Roy Illsley, distinguished analyst, infrastructure solutions, Ovum. “Oracle’s aggressive global data center expansion plan is helping in its growth. With its reputation for reliability, high performance and security, we believe Oracle is increasingly becoming an influential enterprise-class cloud provider.”

    Today, Oracle is the only company delivering a complete and integrated set of cloud services and building intelligence into every layer of the cloud: from cloud infrastructure, to tools for application development and integration, to cloud applications for finance, enterprise resource planning, customer experience, and analytics. Oracle Autonomous Database and Oracle Analytics, and platform services for application development and integration will be available in these regions. Oracle Fusion Applications now run on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure in five data center regions, and will be available in all global regions within a few months after each region’s launch. This will be the most distributed cloud application platform in the market, able to satisfy in-country and in-jurisdiction data sovereignty requirements. Customers requiring integration between Oracle Cloud Applications and on-premise applications will also benefit from the global availability of cloud-based integration services.

    Specifically architected to meet the needs of the enterprise, Oracle’s Generation 2 Cloud offers customers a compelling array of advanced Cloud Services. With Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, customers benefit from best-in-class security, consistent high performance, simple predictable pricing, and the tools and expertise needed to bring enterprise workloads to cloud quickly and efficiently.

  • Walmart cuts back ammunition sales

    Walmart cuts back ammunition sales

    US department store chain Walmart has taken a stand on gun sales in the United States, announcing it will no longer sell handgun and certain rifle ammunition, as well as finalizing its exit from handgun sales by discontinuing sales in Alaska.

    The decision comes after 22 people were killed in a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, as well as further killings in Dayton, Ohio, and Midland and Odessa, Texas, with Walmart chief executive Doug McMillion stating it was clear the status quo was unacceptable.

    “We know these decisions will inconvenience some of our customers, and we hope they will understand,” McMillion wrote in a letter to associates.

    “Our remaining assortment will be even more focused on the needs of hunting and sport shooting enthusiasts. It will include long barrel deer rifles and shotguns, much of the ammunition they require, as well as hunting and sport accessories and apparel.”

    While Walmart’s short-barrel rifle ammunition range is more commonly used in hunting rifles, it can be fed into larger capacity clips for use in military-style weapons.

    According to McMillion, the follow on effect of this decision would likely result in a loss of market share in the ammunition space, from Walmart’s current 20 percent to approximately 6 to 9 percent.

    McMillion also expressed intentions to send letters to the White House and the Congressional leadership, pushing for stronger background checks, and to remove weapons from those who have been determined to be dangerous.

    “As we’ve seen before, these horrific events occur and then the spotlight fades. We should not allow that to open,” McMillion said.

    “In a complex situation lacking a simple solution, we are trying to take constructive steps to reduce the risk that events like these happen again.”

    Additionally, after open carrying customers brandished firearms in a way that frightened or concerned staff and customers around them, McMillion has asked customers to no longer openly carry firearms into Walmarts and Sam’s Club stores with open carry laws – unless they are authorized law enforcement officers.

    “We believe the opportunity for someone to misinterpret a situation, even in open carry states, could lead to tragic results,” McMillion said.

    “We hope that everyone will understand the circumstances that led to this new policy and will respect the concerns of their fellow shoppers and our associates.”

    The business has faced immense pressure to take a stand on the issue, and remove firearms from its physical stores, following the El Paso shooting.

    According to CNN Business several presidential candidates, the American Federation of Teachers, as well as gun safety groups have all pressed the retailer.

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  • Costco China plans more store openings

    Costco China plans more store openings

    Within days of opening its first warehouse store, Costco China is already talking about its plans to expand the new network.

    As happens in many new market Costco enters, the new Shanghai store grew thousands of people, some of who queued for hours to shop, and then check out, while others spent a similar time in their cars circling the suburb seeking somewhere to park. In the afternoon, the store was closed due to crowding.

    Costco CFO Richard Galanti confirmed with analysts a second store is already in advanced planning and he hopes construction will start as soon as possible.

    The first store opened on August 27 in Shanghai’s Minghang district. It followed a four-year program by Costco to build brand awareness among local consumers through a presence on Alibaba’s Tmall Global. The company has a target of signing up at least 100,000 members to make the venture viable.

    While Costco expected to draw large crowds to the opening, the sheer numbers exceeded even the company’s most optimistic projections. A record number of customer membership registrations were taken for an opening day, however Galanti did not release the actual number.

    Costco China is looking to establish a beachhead in Shanghai before expanding into other tier-one cities.

    Trade tensions between China and the US appear not to be affecting the store’s early success, with Costco switching sourcing of some products from the US to Australian suppliers.

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  • Lucasfilm to launch LEGO Star Wars Battles mobile game

    Lucasfilm to launch LEGO Star Wars Battles mobile game

    To be successful, you’ll have to collect and upgrade characters and vehicles, build LEGO towers to combat, defend and capture territory, as well as create both light and dark side armies.

    LEGO Star Wars Battles includes heroes and villains that have never been featured in any other LEG Star Wars game, such as Rey and Kylo Ren, the First Order’s BB-9E, and a Duros rebel trooper inspired by Star Wars Battlefront.

    There will be more than 40 units featuring characters, vehicles, and troops from Star Wars films and animation that can be collected in LEGO Star Wars Battles. Now, the bad news is the game won’t be available any time soon, as Lucasfilm announced LEGO Star Wars Battles will be available in 2020 on the App Store and Google Play, so we’ll just have to wait at six months.

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  • Nearly 70 Percent of Singaporeans Registered to National E-Payment System

    Nearly 70 Percent of Singaporeans Registered to National E-Payment System

    Singapore’s national e-payment system, «PayNow», currently boasts a nearly 70 percent penetration of the city-state’s population with monthly volumes exceeding S$1 billion, an MAS board member recently shared with parliament.

    Ong Ye Kung, minister of education and Monetary Authority of Singapore board member noted that take-up was «encouraging» with more than 65 percent of Singaporeans aged between 20 to 75 years old having already registered, representing 2.8 million accounts.

    Transaction volumes have also increased significantly. Two years ago, PayNow registered 150,000 transactions totaling S$24 million ($17 million) and in July this year, the figures rose to over 5 million and S$1 billion ($720 million), respectively.

    Despite PayNow’s success, Ong noted that Singapore made a conscious decision to keep the playing field open for all.

    «We made a deliberate decision not to have one player dominate the landscape and grow up very quickly,» he said, citing other channels like Apple or Google Pay.

    «Instead, we put in place the backbone infrastructure so that multiple providers can compete and innovate to increase consumer choice while encouraging interoperability. As a result, Singaporeans can now make e-payments in multiple ways which are simple, swift and secure.»

    Although corporate adoption has lagged its retail counterpart, Ong remains optimistic. Its corporate business currently serves entities representing half of the total unique entity number (UEN) issued in Singapore, an ID number required to interact with government agencies. It has 20 percent penetration rate of retail acceptance across hawker centers, supermarkets, healthcare and various F&B businesses.

    As a result, the ratio of cash and cheque’s relative usage to e-payments have decreased significantly. Cheques have fallen 8 percent per year over the past three years while the cash ratio dropped from 53 percent to 33 percent in the same period.

    When asked about pushing greater usage from banks, Ong agreed that the MAS should encourage the sector to promote PayNow corporates while also charging for cheques.

    «And I think having this carrot-and-stick, push-and-pull approach will continue to see higher take-up of pay now corporate,» he said.

  • AirAsia eager to introduce bio-fuel powered flight, supported by Airbus

    AirAsia eager to introduce bio-fuel powered flight, supported by Airbus

    AirAsia Group Bhd is expected to introduce a biofuel-powered flight in the future as the airline initiated research and developments (R&D) into aviation biofuels supported by Airbus SE.

    Group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes has expressed interest to explore the production of alternative and sustainable aviation biofuels in Malaysia.

    “However, it is too early to comment right now but obviously, we as an airline would like to do more in biofuels. We can not do it alone. So, it is great that Airbus supports our vision of trying to get biofuels into the aircraft. Hopefully that dream is not so far away with Airbus’ support,” Fernandes said after the signing ceremony between AirAsia and Airbus involving the airline’s 42 new aircraft orders in Kuala Lumpur last Friday.

    Market observers believe the move likely to cut the group’s jet fuel cost and reduce carbon emissions.

    Fernandes said aviation biofuels R&D requires a lot of work involving comprehensive studies on how the alternative fuel burns compared with the conventional kerosene jet fuels.

    He said technical support from airframe maker Airbus SE would facilitate the airline’s initiative to develop its aviation biofuels.

    Airbus had last Friday announced it would increase participation in the Aerospace Malaysia Innovation Centre (AMIC) to provide more funds for joint research programs.

    Airbus is also one of AMIC founders, which is set to appoint an Innovation Technical Director to support the non-profit organization including into aviation biofuels in Malaysia.

    This was also part of Airbus’ US$120 million (RM505 million) planned investments announced last week comprising three initiatives to further develop Malaysia’s aviation and aerospace industry.

    Under the initiatives for AMIC, Airbus said the programs benefitting from additional funding such as alternative and sustainable aviation biofuels.

    Inter’s Romelu Lukaku was allegedly subjected to racial abuse during the match against Cagliari at Sardegna Arena Stadium in Cagliari, Italy. – EPA

    Chief executive officer Gauillaume Faury said Airbus’ new initiatives also include the expansion of the company’s wholly-owned maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility – Sepang Aircraft Engineering (SAE); and the establishment of the Airbus Malaysia Digital Initiative.

    “These initiatives will significantly enhance our presence in Malaysia, which is one of our most important markets in Asia,” he said at a press conference at the signing ceremony of the firm order between AirAsia Group and Airbus here, recently.

    He said Airbus’ initiatives would also strengthen its win-win partnerships with Malaysia, contributing to the development of the Malaysian aerospace sector and enabling the company to benefit from the competencies and skills available in the country.

    Major airlines had been experimenting for years with biofuels in an effort to reduce both carbon emissions and their reliance on fossil fuels.

    According to Bloomberg, several major carriers were planning larger-scale usage of biofuel in 2019 and 2020, including JetBlue Airways Corp and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.

    Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) had approved a resolution that called on governments to continue working towards the implementation of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).

    Having agreed through the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), CORSIA would limit net carbon dioxide emissions from international aviation at 2020 levels to achieve carbon-neutral growth.

    The first test flight with biojet fuel was undertaken by Virgin Atlantic in 2008. As at June 2019, more than 180,000 commercial flights using sustainable aviation fuels have been performed, according to IATA.

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  • Another Hong Kong counterfeit ring in custody

    Another Hong Kong counterfeit ring in custody

    Customs has smashed another Hong Kong counterfeiting syndicate, this one operating from Tung Choi Street in Mong Kok.

    About 2600 items of suspected counterfeit goods – including handbags, wallets and belts with an estimated market value of about HKD4.3 million (US$548,000) – were seized during the raid of a fixed hawker pitch and a storage facility.

    Customs had earlier received information alleging the sale of counterfeit goods at a fixed hawker pitch in Mong Kok. After an in-depth investigation with the assistance of the trademark owner, Customs officers took enforcement action that culminated in the raid. The batch of suspected counterfeit goods and one tablet for displaying photos of suspected counterfeit goods were seized.

    During the operation, one female syndicate head and one male member of the Hong Kong counterfeit ring, both aged 46, were arrested. The investigation is ongoing.

    Customs says it will continue to step up inspection and enforcement to combat the sale of counterfeit goods, and reminds consumers to procure goods at reputable shops and to check with the trademark owners or their authorized agents if the authenticity of a product is in doubt.

    Customs also reminds traders to be cautious and prudent in merchandising, describing the sale of counterfeit goods as a serious crime with offenders liable to criminal sanctions. Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who sells or possesses for sale any goods with a forged trademark commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 ($64,000) and imprisonment for five years.

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  • Overseas expansion and domestic store upgrades for Harvey Nash

    Overseas expansion and domestic store upgrades for Harvey Nash

    Harvey Norman executive chairman Gerry Harvey says the furniture and homewares giant is looking at entering new markets in Southeast Asia and expanding its premium store format in capital cities across Australia to maintain momentum in a “not great” retail climate.

    The retailer on Friday announced plans to raise $174 million from investors to pay down debt and better position the company for a future retail recession, as it reported a 12.1 percent increase in year-on-year sales from company-operated stores to $2.23 billion in FY19.

    However, the co-founder and chair of the furniture chain stopped short of complaining about the current retail climate.

    “I think ‘struggle’, ‘recession’ and ‘tough’ are pretty strong words. It’s not that bad,” Harvey said.

    “It’s not great – trying to get last year’s figures is difficult – but we wouldn’t have made $574 million [reported profit before tax] if it were so terrible.”

    Though Harvey Norman is largely sheltered from the rising cost of rent which is forcing many retailers to shrink their store networks, the retailer is leaving some of the sites it doesn’t own for this reason.

    “I’ve just had a few rent increases that are horrendous,” Harvey said. “There are a couple of sites we’ll be exciting because of that.”

    “Looking” at Thailand and Vietnam

    Wages were another hindrance to the company’s domestic growth in FY19. Sales grew 12.1 per cent year on year in the overseas markets where Harvey Norman operates, compared to a 12.1 per cent decline in revenue from Australian franchisees.

    Harvey Norman has 90 international stores in New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Slovenia and Croatia. The New Zealand market, however, was an exception, with performance more similar to Australia.

    “Australia and New Zealand have got very high standards of living,” Harvey said.

    “The minimum wage in Australia is probably the highest in the world. Singapore, Malaysia and Croatia are way below Australia. The costs are less significant.”

    This is at least part of the reason Harvey Norman plans to open more bricks-and-mortar presence in Malaysia, where the retailer will focus its expansion efforts in the near term.

    “Our immediate focus is on Malaysia, where we think we can open a lot more shops in the next few years,” Harvey said.

    “We’re also looking at whether we open in Thailand or Vietnam. That’s not going to happen tomorrow, but we do want to go to other countries.”

    Bringing back the ‘wow’ factor

    At home, the focus is on rolling out a new premium store format to more capital cities and upgrading the look and feel of stores across the network.

    “We really want to do one in every state that looks like Auburn,” Harvey said about the retailer’s NSW flagship store, which opened last year.

    “We did it on the basis that we could do the same in Melbourne and Brisbane and Perth. It’s on the to-do list. We’d love to have a really great signature shop in Melbourne, we haven’t got one.”

    For the long-time retail executive, stores are the key to staying relevant, even as consumers spend more of their daily lives online.

    “People are talking about how they’re always looking at a screen during the day and on their phone at night. They’re losing contact with people, and they’re starting to say, ‘I really have to go out into the world again’,” Harvey said.

    “You’ve got people going more and more online, and at the same time, wanting to go more and more offline.”

    Harvey Norman’s approach is to invest in making stores very appealing, offering a wide range of merchandise, providing wonderful service and the ‘wow’ factor, Harvey said.

    “Most retailers right across the world have not been spending money on their shops, and then their shops start to look terrible,” he said.

    “I think people are bored with online shopping and shopping centres, where they all look the same. They’d like to see something different.”

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  • Zalora Fashion Festival planned for Singapore

    Zalora Fashion Festival planned for Singapore

    Zalora is holding a Fashion Festival on Saturday (September 7) at The Deck in Singapore’s art district.

    The Zalora Fashion Festival is in partnership with leading global brands in fashion, beauty and technology to create the festival as an interactive playground for brands to reach fashion consumers.

    Visitors will be encouraged to discover a world of fashion, beauty, music and innovation over the day-long fiesta, enjoying a “social media feast” on the event’s surprise interactive rooms specially curated by Zalora’s partner brands – Calvin Klein, Adidas, Vans, Nars, and Skin Inc.

    Participants will be among the first to catch a sneak peak at what the firm has in store for its new brands at a style session showcasing the best of new collections and insights from in-house brands.

    The Zalora Fashion Festival will be open to the public from 12pm to 9pm.

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  • Animal rights activists condemn Taylor Swift for accepting Melbourne Cup offer

    Animal rights activists condemn Taylor Swift for accepting Melbourne Cup offer

    Multiple Animal rights activists have flooded Taylor Swift’s social media channels asking her to refuse the offer that she just accepted from the Melbourne Horse Racing Cup 2019.

    According to a Guardian report, animal activist coalitions are starting campaigns all over websites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter imploring the famous American singer to “not entertain horse killers”.

    According to the activists, racing tournaments kill hundreds if not thousands of horses almost on a yearly basis, due to the terrible conditions and inhuman treatment.

    The organizers of the Melbourne Cup have yet to respond to these kinds of claims, as the mistreatment of horses has never been discussed before.

    One comment that we can base the condition of the cup on is from the chief executive of the Victoria Club himself, Neil Wilson.

    Wilson expresses his gratitude and excitement about Swift’s performance during the race and hopes they can captivate her with the entertainment they’ve been offering to the public for decades.

    What else do the activists protest?

    Further allegations from the animal rights activists mention the use of animals’ lives as profit from gambling activities within the country.

    Aside from regular casino games and sports betting, horse racing bets are some of the most popular forms of gambling in Australia and have been for more than a century.

    Mick Arnold, a betting options provider for some of the best Australian VIP casinos has commented:

    “I don’t understand where the accusations of the animal rights activists are coming from.

    Every single horse breeder and the professionals themselves take extremely good care of their animals.

    And why wouldn’t they? An unhealthy horse isn’t in a shape to win the race, so why would they use it for the sport?

    I believe that animal rights activists are basing their accusations on emotions rather than facts. Every horse that takes part in these races is treated humanely and with great care.”

    It is unlikely for Arnold’s comments to be taken well by the animal rights activists, as he represents the companies these people are actually protesting.

    But when it comes to Taylor Swift herself, it needs to be noted that the “#NupToTheCup” is still relatively new, and she may not have had the chance to notice it on some of her channels.

    Whether or not she refuses the concert is yet to be seen, but considering how well her initiative was received by the executive director, it is unlikely to be the case.

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  • Hong Kong retail sales down last month

    Hong Kong retail sales down last month

    Hong Kong retail sales in July plunged by 11.4 percent as ongoing protests and the China-US trade war took their toll.

    The fall was widely expected with several large retailers projecting double-digit declines based on their own internal monitoring during the month.

    A government spokesman said the decline in retail sales reflected “weak local consumer sentiment and significant disruptions to inbound tourism and consumption-related activities arising from the recent local social incidents”.

    He said the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) expected Hong Kong retail sales will likely stay weak in the near term, as escalated US-Mainland trade tensions and subdued economic conditions continue to dampen consumer sentiment.

    “The situation may even deteriorate further if the social incidents involving violence do not come to a stop.”

    July’s decrease followed a 6.7-per-cent decline in June when the current round of protests commenced. For the first seven months of the year, sales are down by 3.8 percent year on year.

    After netting out the effects of price changes, July’s figure was even bleaker, down 13 percent compared with a decline of 7.6 percent in June and a year-to-date 4.4 percent.

    Retail sales to visitors usually account for about 50 percent of the total market in Hong Kong, so the key category of watches, jewelry, and luxury goods – the largest category – plummeted by 24.4 percent in July.

    Apparel sales fell by 13 percent, medicines, and cosmetics by 16.1 percent, and commodities in department stores by 10.4 percent.

    Categories less reliant on visitors performed better: sales of food, alcoholic drinks, and tobacco were down by 2.3 percent, consumer goods, not classified elsewhere by 1.4 percent, and books, stationery, newspapers, and gifts by 6 percent.

    Sales of electrical goods fell by 17.4 percent, of footwear and accessories by 10.1 percent and of furniture and fixtures by 8.7 percent.

    The only category to post growth year on year was supermarket sales, which rose by a modest 1 percent.