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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.

  • LINE FRIENDS releases the first official episode ofthe BT21 UNIVERSE series

    LINE FRIENDS releases the first official episode ofthe BT21 UNIVERSE series

    LINE FRIENDS, one of the world’s fastest growing global character brands, released the first official episode of ‘BT21 UNIVERSE’ through its official social media channels on April 4. The video immediately went viral among millennials from all around the world, recording over 1 million views less than a day and ranking #3 most watched video at YouTube.

    The ‘BT21 UNIVERSE’ consists of 9 episodes and features BTS members gathered around, using their imaginations to discuss the new characters and stories of BT21 – a new character IP created in close collaboration between LINE FRIENDS and BTS. The teaser videos released on March 27 and 29 prior to the first episode already drew massive attention, reaching almost 2 million views in total in which fans expressed high levels of affection and expectation towards the globally loved BT21. Not only that, on April 1, a few rough sketches which drop a hint about the ‘BT21 UNIVERSE’ were revealed at the official Twitter BT21 account in celebration of the April Fools’ Day and the content were rapidly shared and spread, reaching over 6,000 comments within an hour.

    In the recently released first episode, BTS members disclosed the first topic, ‘friends and family of BT21’ and BTS members expressed enthusiasm when RM suggested taking the time to create the future of BT21. Then, they unfolded new stories of RJ, KOYA and SHOOKY – the characters which BTS took part in the entire process of creation. Jin disclosed RJ’s family background and the name of parents in a witty way, RM shared a story of how KOYA became a friend with a ‘leaf’ and Suga told the past story of SHOKY’s family and friends before SHOOKY met TATA.

    The millennials from all over the world have expressed great interest in the first episode of the BT21 UNIVERSE that unveiled exciting stories about the past of BT21 characters, featuring the fun and creative processes of BTS members. They commented, “The BT21 UNIVERSE is amazing. I can’t stop watching amusing stories of BT21 presented by BTS”, “The BT21 UNIVERSE sparks curiosity just like Marvel Cinematic Universe. I look forward to seeing how the BT21 UNIVERSE will unfold the stories behind BT21 characters.” Not only that, the BT21 UNIVERSE has prompted a lot of interpretations and guesses of the yet-to-be released characters and stories online.

    In the ‘BT21 UNIVERSE’ series, LINE FRIENDS will share the behind-the-scene clips of BTS members discussing the past, future, family, rivals and friends of the BT21 characters through the official social media channels every week until May. Following the <Family and Friends of BT21 1> that was released on April 4, Jungkook, V, J-Hope and Jimin will introduce the past stories of COOKY, TATA, MANG and CHIMMY in the next week’s episode.

    “LINE FRIENDS launched BT21 in 2017 through a year-long collaboration with global artist BTS and it garnered unprecedented wave of popularity from the millennials all around the world in such a short period of time. The release of the ‘BT21 UNIVERSE’ is particularly meaningful, because it is beyond a one-time new character development process and it unfolds the universe as the characters grow and develop, breaking from the conventional characters”, said LINE FRIENDS.

    LINE FRIENDS is planning to hold a special promotion via social media channels for customers in April, in which they can participate in creating characters. This is one of LINE FRIENDS’s continuous efforts to interact and engage with BT21 customers through wide range of activities.

    BT21 is a new IP created as the first project of ‘FRIENDS CREATORS’, which is a creative strategy to develop a new kind of character IP based on the uniqueness of global artists and creative capabilities of LINE FRIENDS. In 2017, LINE FRIENDS released a total of eight BT21 characters after a year-long collaboration with BTS and it has grown into a globally loved character, garnering remarkable achievements of more than 28 million sticker downloads and more than 3.3 billion Twitter exposures.

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  • AirAsia X Wants To Launch A330neo Flights To Europe

    AirAsia X Wants To Launch A330neo Flights To Europe

    AirAsia X is looking to launch flights to Europe using the Airbus A330neo. Flights could commence as soon as 2019, with the airline keen to reenter the market as quickly as possible.

    AirAsia X previously operated flights to Europe, but suspended these flights back in 2012. Now, it seems that the airline is ready to restart these flights. AirAsia X have 100 A330neo aircraft on order, with deliveries due to start later this year. As well as eyeing European service for these new planes, they may also look to start flying to the US too.

    Europe Again

    When AirAsia X abandoned their European flights in 2012, they said this was to “focus on markets where it can build a leadership position”. It seems that now they are happy with their place in the world, and are ready to start service to Europe once again.

    When it flew to Europe, AirAsia X flew to Paris’ Orly Airport (ORY), London’s Stansted Airport (STN), and London Gatwick Airport (LGW). Given the airline’s low-cost operation, it is likely that AirAsia would look at flying to Stansted Airport again. In September last year, the airport announced that it plans to launch direct services to at least 25 new long-haul destinations in the next five years. This includes services to Los Angeles, Shanghai, Vancouver, and Manila. As such, Flights to Malaysia with AirAsia X could be an attractive route for them.

    The A330neo

    The A330neo, the newest iteration of the family, would be used by AirAsia X for flights to Europe. The neo in its name stands for New Engine Option, as the aircraft are equipped with newer, more fuel-efficient engines.

    There are two models of the A330neo; the A330-800 and the A330-900. While the A330-900 has sold relatively well, the -800 has not sold well at all. In fact, as of January, only eight had been ordered in total, all by the same carrier, Kuwait Airlines.

    AirAsia has ordered a total of 100 A330-900 aircraft, with the most recent order being for 34 at the Farnborough Airshow in 2018. The airline will be the first airline in Asia to operate the A330neo, and deliveries of the aircraft are due to begin in late 2019. The total list price of the order was just short of $30billion.

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  • AirAsia receives highest number of air traffic rights from Mavcom

    AirAsia receives highest number of air traffic rights from Mavcom

    Airasia received the highest number of approvals from the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) for Air Traffic Rights (ATR) with 26 allocations, followed by Malindo Air with 15 allocations.

    This was revealed in an update release from Mavcom for the Commissions’ allocation of ATR to Malaysia’s local carriers for the period of Jan 1 to march 31, 2019.

    One hundred percent of Air Traffic Rights (ATR) applications by Malaysia’s local carriers for the period of Jan 1 to March 31, 2019 were approved by MAVCOM, with 53 allocations in total. Of these, 52 ATR applications were approved in full while one application was approved partially.

    As reference, for the year 2018, a total of 205 ATR were issued. AirAsia Group was recorded as the highest recipient with 98 ATR allocated, followed by Malindo Air with 52.

    Of the 53 applications, 32.1 per cent were for domestic routes while 67.9 per cent was for international routes. Mavcom approved ATRs for 17 domestic routes, 13 for routes to Asean destinations, 11 for destinations in China, two for destinations in India, five for destinations in Australasia and five for other Asian destinations.

    Breaking down the numbers further, a total of 26 international ATR were issued for flights originating from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, three for Kota Kinabalu International

    Airport, one each for Penang International Airport and Senai International Airport and five for other airports in Malaysia.

    In addition, 20 ATR that were previously approved by Mavcom were not utilised by the ATR recipient and were returned to the Commission during the period of Jan 1 to March 31, 2019.

    The highest number of unused ATR returned to the Commission was from the AirAsia Group with 13, followed by Malindo Air with five.

    “In allocating ATR, the Commission undertakes a thorough analysis, taking into consideration multiple aspects in order to facilitate orderly growth, competition and consumer choice over the long term as well as the prevention of consumer inconvenience,” Mavcom executive chairman Dr. Nungsari Ahmad Radhi said in a statement.

  • WhatsApp Business officially rolling out for iPhone

    WhatsApp Business officially rolling out for iPhone

    We reported two weeks ago that WhatsApp Business might be finally coming to iOS devices, as many users from several countries found the app listed in the App Store. Initially launched on Android, WhatsApp Business is now officially rolling out for iPhone, the company announced in a blog post

    Of course, the app is available for free via App Store, but you’ll have to create an account before you can take advantage of all the business-centric features it has to offer. Keep in mind that WhatsApp Business will first be available in Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, India, Mexico, the UK, and the United States, but WhatsApp said the app will be made available worldwide in the coming weeks.

    With WhatsApp Business, you’ll be able to share useful information about your business, including its description, email and store addresses, as well as website. Also, thanks to the integrated messaging tools, you’ll be able to respond to customers very easy via quick replies, greeting messages, and away messages.

    Last but not least, WhatsApp Business is a cross-platform service, which means you’ll be able to chat from your desktop to manage conversations and send files to customers, not just from your iPhone or Android smartphone.

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  • Pokemon GO Fest coming to USA this June

    Pokemon GO Fest coming to USA this June

    The folks at Niantic have gone a long way since their first Pokemon Fest, which was a total fiasco. After a more than decent 2018, the company is back with another series of Pokemon GO events that have already started earlier this year in South America.

    Today, Niantic announced three new Pokemon GO events are coming to three cities around the world: Chicago, Dortmund, and another city in Asia that will be confirmed later on. If you plan to attend the Pokemon GO Fest in the United States, you’ll have to plan your visit to Chicago between June 13-16

    In the following weeks, Niantic will offer details on how to purchase tickets to this summer’s biggest Pokemon GO events, so stay tuned for more info on the matter. Also, the company revealed that a number of Safari Zone events will be coming in the second half of 2019.
    More importantly, Pokemon fans who can’t attend these events for obvious reasons will have other ways to participate in Pokemon Go Fest no matter where they are around the world, so don’t fret if you can’t make it in person.

    Finally, it appears that Niantic has important things to announce regarding the upcoming worldwide Community Day events, so mark your calendars for the following dates: May 19, June 8, July 21, and August 3.

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  • AirAsia, Vistara cash in on crisis-hit Jet Airways slots

    AirAsia, Vistara cash in on crisis-hit Jet Airways slots

    Tata-group owned airlines AirAsia India and Vistara have announced 11 new flights from Mumbai after the airport operator released unused slots belonging to Jet Airways. The slots have been released to the airlines on a temporary basis.

    Private airport operators in Mumbai and Delhi and the Airports Authority of India have held several rounds of discussions with other airlines to fill up the capacity shortage caused due to grounding of Jet Airways fleet. While reduction of flights led to a hike in fares, it affected airports too. Fewer flights means lower revenue by way of landing fees and less passenger footfalls

    Over 70 per cent of the airline’s fleet has been grounded, leading to massive cancellations. Jet has been a dominant carrier in Mumbai and its daily departures are down to 24 from the earlier 140. Delhi airport, too, is finalising the issue of slots belonging to Jet.

    Other private airlines also have been offered slots by Mumbai airport but are yet to announce new flights. Schedule changes depend upon aircraft utilisation and availability of pilots among other things. A source said airlines were advised to operate flights on routes flown by Jet prior to its crisis with a view to maintain capacity on routes.

    On Thursday, Vistara announced launch of five flights between Mumbai and Bengaluru and one new flight from Mumbai to Hyderabad and Kolkata. These would operate from April 16 to July 15. Currently, Vistara flies to Delhi and Amirtsar from Mumbai and its market growth has been stunted due to non-availability of slots.

    Vistara will be reducing frequencies on other routes to operate these additional services from Mumbai.

    AirAsia India announced three additional flights to Bengaluru and a new flight to Kochi from Mumbai, beginning April 15. The airline did not mention until which date these flights would remain in operations.

    “There is precedence for grant of slots on a temporary basis. During SpiceJet crisis, its unused slots were temporarily given to other airlines and IndiGo was the main beneficiary that time,” said aviation expert Ameya Joshi.

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  • Google Assistant finally gets the celebrity voice

    Google Assistant finally gets the celebrity voice

    Back at Google I/O in May of 2018, Google promised users a special treat with Google Assistant — the addition of John Legend’s voice as an option for Google Home products and the Assistant on your phone. We’re now just about one month away from Google I/O 2019 and that promise has finally become a reality.

    All you have to do to get John Legend’s voice is to ask your Assistant to “talk like John Legend.” After that, you’ll have John Legend’s voice for a limited selection of things like giving weather updates, answering questions, and telling jokes, while “the regular Assistant” does everything else. We tested it out for a couple minutes and the general voice does sound like John Legend, even if it is a bit robotic, and there are fun Easter eggs to find, like when you ask “Do you like Chrissy Teigen?” or “What’s your middle name?” or “What’s your favorite song?” or “Serenade me.” In generally, questions about music will get something good from the voice.

    The one thing to remember is that Google has said this special voice will only be available for a limited time, although there’s no indication what that actually means. However, it seems like John Legend won’t be the only celebrity voice for the Google Assistant because this is Google’s way of showing off its WaveNet voice synthesis engine. The idea is that with a certain amount of data, it can impersonate anyone, so maybe at next month’s Google I/O we’ll hear about new voices in the works.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgHghcYqeto&feature=youtu.be

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  • Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar to sell million tickets during month-end holidays

    Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar to sell million tickets during month-end holidays

    Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar Pacific will sell nearly one million seats on 4,700 domestic and international flights during the Reunification Day (April 30) and Labour Day (May 1) holidays from April 26 to May 5.

    Vietnam Airlines will sell nearly 800,000 of them, 78,000 more than last year.

    The State-owned carrier will focus on services from Hà Nội, HCM City, Đà Nẵng, Phú Quốc, and Nha Trang domestically and the Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Cambodia sectors.

    It owns a 70 per cent stake in Jetstar.

    The two airlines have urged passengers to plan their travel early, use online check-in services and kiosks at airports to save time.

    They should buy their tickets at www.vietnamairlines.com and www.jetstar.com/vn or from their offices and official agents, and request invoices to ensure they are not deceived by fake tickets or high fares.

     

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  • Counterfeit goods seized in Stanley retail raids

    Counterfeit goods seized in Stanley retail raids

    Hong Kong Customs seized about 1300 fake branded items with a street value estimated at $600,000 during Stanley retail raids yesterday.

    The raid followed an earlier patrol where officers found suspected counterfeit goods were being sold at retail shops in the seaside suburb.

    The goods seized included handbags, leather products and clothing.

    A Customs spokesperson said that with the assistance of trademark owner, Customs officers took enforcement action, raiding two retail shops and one storage facility in the district.

    One man and two women were arrested – a shop owner and two salespersons, all aged between 34 and 47.

    The investigation is ongoing.

    Customs has previously said it will continue to step up inspection and enforcement to combat the sale of counterfeit goods and the number of raids in the territory has increased this year.

    “Customs reminds traders to be cautious and prudent in merchandising since the sale of counterfeit goods is a serious crime and offenders are liable to criminal liability,” said the spokesperson.

    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 and imprisonment for five years.

  • Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly joins Vietjet at the ceremony in Toulouse

    Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly joins Vietjet at the ceremony in Toulouse

    Vietnamese National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and her fellow dignitaries from the National Assembly attended the delivery ceremony for Vietjet’s brand new A321neo, registered as VN-A600 at Airbus’s factory in Toulouse (France) yesterday.

    This visit by the delegation of National Assembly of Vietnam to the aircraft manufacturing factory underscores the deep commitment of Vietnam’s national leaders to support the development of Vietnam’s aviation industry and other affairs related to technology transfer and strategic cooperation within the industry.

    During the visit, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, asserted in her speech that Vietjet has been a pioneering airline which has positively contributed to the development of the national and regional aviation industry. She also noted that the Vietnamese aviation industry has been growing continuously while Vietjet has been among the fastest growing airlines in the Asia-Pacific region. As a result, Vietnam’s economy has benefited greatly from the contribution of tourism and investment segments.

    Kindly find enclosed the press release alongside the accompanying images for your perusal and use.

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  • Fabernovel supports the global digital transformation of Shiseido

    Fabernovel supports the global digital transformation of Shiseido

    Fabernovel supports the leading international cosmetic company Shiseido to achieve its digital transformation at a global level by 2020. Shiseido has just received the Valiente’s Transformation Award at SXSW in Austin, Texas, acknowledging its excellence in digital transformation empowered by the SHISEIDO+ Digital Academy program launched in 2016 in collaboration with Fabernovel.

    Creation of a worldwide digital platform

    With Fabernovel, Shiseido launched the SHISEIDO+ Digital Academy program, creating a new approach of learning, both online and offline, to enable digital education and transformation at a global level.

    Shiseido executives and employees have been immersed in the innovation landscape through this fully fledged online learning platform comprised of 24 customized curriculums targeting various job functions, with more than a dozen of collaborative events (live sessions, learning expeditions, summits) in the world’s most advanced ecosystems from the Americas to Asia in order to accelerate digital transformation, stay ahead of the latest trends in their local markets, and adjust their business strategies accordingly.

    This digital transformation was a cultural challenge, as the project has to adapt to the way Shiseido communicates to over 30 different nationalities within the company. The customized curriculums have been created to meet the needs of each job function, both in terms of the specific issues they want to address and their level of digital maturity. In addition, the program is delivered in English, Japanese and Chinese (Mandarin) to maximize its effectiveness for each region.

    Over 2,000 employees across the globe are benefiting from the SHISEIDO+ Digital Academy and the company is getting closer to the objective of making Shiseido the most digitally fit beauty company by 2020. Thus, the program will continue expanding through its ongoing partnership with Fabernovel.

    “It is probably Fabernovel’s most ‘global’ project to date, and it means we can approach the digital transformation of a large organization from all angles, including cultural ones.” explains Dominique Piotet, International Development Director at Fabernovel

    Project awarded at SXSW

    The Valiente Awards recognize marketers as Angelica Munson, Global President of Shiseido Digital Center of Excellence, who have disrupted the status quo and who embrace the role of the modern marketer. The advisory panel showcase marketing change agents who have shown courage, ingenuity and spirit in delivering remarkable results for their organizations.

    “When I joined Shiseido Group in 2016, I considered myself extremely lucky to be part of the company’s Digital Center of Excellence and now even more so to lead that function for the global organization. Shiseido is such an innovative company, not only in terms of its cutting-edge products and progressive marketing strategies, but in its approach to professional development, particularly its commitment to “future-proof” the careers of its employees. The SHISEIDO+Digital Academy, overseen by my colleague Rosina Cascos, Executive Director, Global Programs, Shiseido Digital Center of Excellence, and developed in close collaboration with our agency partners at Fabernovel, is a prime example of that commitment.” Angelica Munson, Global President of Shiseido Digital Center of Excellence

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  • Healthy Life to join Go Vita network Immediately

    Healthy Life to join Go Vita network Immediately

    Australian retailer Healthy Life will join the nation’s largest health food store group, Go Vita, in the hope of strengthening the retail health channel.

    GoVita has more than 135 independently-owned and operated health stores in its network. Going forward, Healthy Life’s 50-plus store network will be co-branded as GoVita & Healthy Life, and both brands will retain their current identity.

    “In the face of an increasingly competitive and challenging retail environment, we believe this move will strengthen the retail health channel for the future,” said Healthy Life general manager, Craig Johnston in a statement on Tuesday.

    Healthy Life Group also plans to boost growth by investing further in its private label range for export.

    “By joining forces with Go Vita and shoring up the retail health channel we can both benefit from the significant growth that has seen the complementary medicine sector grow by 70 per cent in the last five years alone to an estimated $4.9 billion and the organic food market, which has grown by 88 per cent to an estimated $2.4 billion in Australia,” Healthy Life chairman Rolf Krecklenberg said.

    Go Vita CEO Terry Hughes said the move is great for both parties and will give Australians easier access to premium health and wellness products and services.

    “They Healthy Life have joined as members of Go Vita, enabling Go Vita to have a larger footprint to better serve the health & wellness sector across Australia with an increased store base just short of 180 stores nationally,” Terry Hughes CEO Go Vita told.

    “Health food stores play a vital role in the growth of Australia’s health and wellness industry. They are the incubators and launch pads for new, innovative products onto the Australian market and are a critical part of our retail landscape; ensuring consumers have diversity of choice about what they buy, and where they shop.”

    Commenting on whether there would be store closures in areas where Healthy Life/Go Vita store locations overlap Hughes said, “this will be reviewed on a case by case situation”.

    “If the Healthy Life store is within 1 km of the existing Go Vita store we will look to relocate the Healthy Life store.”

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  • Vingroup buys Vietnam c-store chain Shop&Go

    Vingroup buys Vietnam c-store chain Shop&Go

    Vingroup has acquired 87 Vietnamese Shop&Go convenience stores for just US$1.

    Vingroup’s retail arm VinCommerce, which manages Vinmart supermarkets and Vinmart+ convenience stores, will upgrade infrastructure, staff and goods at the acquired stores by the end of next month.

    According to a VinCommerce statement, Shop&Go made the approach and offered to sell itself.

    “The competition is more intense than we imagined; that is why we’ve decided to leave,” a Shop&Go spokesperson said, admitting Vietnamese retail market still has potential for growth.

    “We have sold our stores to Vingroup so it can continue to develop them.”

    Opened in 2006, Shop&Go was one of the earliest convenience store chains in Vietnam.

    By 2016, it had aggregated losses of almost VND205 billion (US$8.81 million).

    VinCommerce runs 108 VinMart supermarkets and 1900 VinMart+ convenience stores.

    Last year, it acquired supermarket chain Fivimart with 23 outlets.

    In a report last year, Nielsen Vietnam observed a rise in visits by Vietnamese to convenience stores. The average shopper uses a convenience store 4.5 times per month – three times the frequency of 2010.

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  • Lion Air to reduce Ticket Prices From April

    Lion Air to reduce Ticket Prices From April

    Airlines under the Lion Air group, namely Lion Air, Wings Air and Batik Air, operate with reduced airfares on all routes starting Saturday.

    “The reduction in ticket prices is Lion Air group’s answer to challenges and opportunities in the travel business, and aims to accommodate demand for air travel while improving flight operations,” Lion Air spokesman Danang Mandala Prihantoro said in a release on Saturday.

    He went on to say that Lion Air was striving to provide convenience for passengers while prioritizing safety and comfort.

    Lion Air tickets with the new lower fares can be reserved through all travel agents and Lion Air’s website.

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  • Nam Air to lure millennials with boutique airline

    Nam Air to lure millennials with boutique airline

    Nam Air, a subsidiary of Sriwijaya Group, has announced a plan to apply the boutique airline concept, which mainly focuses on lifestyle branding.

    The carrier aims to make itself more appealing for customers of the millennial generation by delivering what it refers to as a “unique concept that is more masculine”.

    Nam Air director Asa Perkasa said passengers would experience the new concept even prior to their departure, and it would continue until their arrival at an airport. “There will be a number of changes, starting from our style to our products,” said Asa in an official statement. “But it will still have an Indonesian touch.”

    Asa described millennials as a promising target group, as they made up a large portion of the market and medium-service airlines were challenged to cater to their needs.

    Entering its fifth year of operation, Nam Air plans to change its internal operations as well. “We plan to apply the millennial lifestyle to our internal work pattern, from our outfits and offices to our business processes,” said Asa. “We’ll provide training for all of our employees to keep up with market trends.”

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