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.

  • Capillary Technologies Announces Continued Business Momentum in Southeast Asia

    Capillary Technologies Announces Continued Business Momentum in Southeast Asia

    Capillary Technologies, a leading provider of CRM and digital retail solutions, announced results for 2018 that show significant year-over-year business momentum. The company highlighted many significant developments that contributed to its most successful year since its entry into Singapore in 2012. In 2018, the company posted a record 100% growth from sales of its omnichannel retailing and CRM software in Southeast Asia. From its headquarters in Singapore, Capillary has established a growing presence in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, servicing more than 14 million customers regionally and over 450 brands such as Courts in Singapore, Caring Pharmacy in Malaysia. With over 10 million monthly transactions across 1,400 regional stores, global revenues witnessed an exponential increase of 55% in 2018.

    Solving the region’s retail challenges with AI technology

    The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has been growing by leaps and bounds amongst Southeast Asian retailers. According to a recent report on artificial intelligence in Southeast Asia, more than 24,000 AI-related papers have been published in the Southeast Asia region, with Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand accounting for 86% of the output.

    To help brands realise the full potential of AI and machine learning, Capillary launched several AI-powered solutions: VisitorMetrix, Personalized Campaigns and Instore AI. These innovative products help brands to access accurate and real-time data on visitors and integrate it with transaction data.  Retailers can get insights on store staff effectiveness, power hours, conversion rate, and campaign effectiveness among others. Moreover, personalised analysis of each customer’s needs, preferences and motivations empower retailers to create an ‘offline clickstream’ of data which can be used to provide relevant recommendations and a highly engaging shopping experience.

    Abhijeet Vijayvergiya, President & Managing Director, Global Accounts and APAC, Capillary Technologies said, “Capillary is delighted with the results that we have achieved in Southeast Asia for 2018. The regional retail industry is moving towards providing personalised and seamless experiences to the ever-changing digital consumer. With greater AI implementation, we will see brands capturing more and more data on consumer behavior and preferences across multiple channels to start building individual profiles for each consumer. We are proud to work alongside these online and offline retailers to deliver superior experiences.”

    Leading brands tap on Capillary to drive customer engagement

    In Southeast Asia, Capillary Technologies has partnered with leading brands such as Bata, a leading shoe retailer, to strengthen its omnichannel CRM strategies. “To really improve our brand-customer relationships, we feel it is imperative for us to find ways to walk and talk with our consumers across the various channels they use in their buying journey. The engagement had to be consistent, connected and seamless across platforms,” said Roberto Longo, President – Asia Pacific, Bata on the brand’s objectives for its CRM initiatives. With Capillary, Bata was able to achieve 2.2 times higher returns from targeted campaigns in Singapore and registered 57 times more ROI from Facebook campaigns in Malaysia. In other markets as well, the brand has seen 10 times increase in ROI from its overall CRM investments.

    One of Singapore’s leading F& B chains, TungLok Group recently partnered with Capillary to drive digital customer loyalty and personalised engagement. As a result, TungLok Group experienced a 350 percent increase in sales and a 139 percent increase in loyalty sales. Carolyn Tan, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Corporate Communications at TungLok Group said: “TungLok Group takes immense pride in serving its customers a high-quality experience at every touch point. With Capillary, we extended this beyond our restaurants and outlets. Their inputs on who to target, when and with what offer has been key to improving customer relationship and in turn, contribute to our growth.”

    Ready for 2019

    Capillary Technologies is preparing for even more significant growth in 2019 with the aim of achieving 70% growth globally. In February 2018, it announced an approximate US$20 million funding raised from investors, including its existing investors, Warburg Pincus and Sequoia Capital. This was followed by another round of funding led by Warburg Pincus in October later the same year. Plans are also officially underway for expansion into Vietnam and the Philippines by the end of 2019.

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  • Tower Records Tokyo chooses vinyl

    Tower Records Tokyo chooses vinyl

    The Tower Records Tokyo store in Shinjuku is cashing in on the Japanese market’s resurgence of interest in vinyl records.

    While Tower has sold records for a long time, the Tower Vinyl brand is seizing on the global vinyl revival that has seen consumers worldwide take a preference to the physical discs, with all the nostalgia they represent, over the more ephemeral and invisible distribution of digital music. The store now holds 70,000 records in stock – the majority of which are second hand.

    The vinyl revival is blossoming just as streaming technology hits a new peak in the territory.

    When the Recording Industry Association of Japan announced that streaming platforms overtook digital downloads last year, however, the association’s conclusions were criticised for failing to take into account any information regarding physical sales of music media and presenting an incomplete picture of Japanese music consumption.

    Vinyl records have been making a major comeback in Japan for some time, with HMV also launching a vinyl-album store in Shibuya in 2014 – having been absent for the district for several years, and now having expanded its operations since that time. Japanese artists have recently been releasing their music on vinyl, and – rather anachronistically – some 90s-era CDs have been reissued on vinyl record.

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  • Lotte Duty Free expands, Australia and New Zealand are next

    Lotte Duty Free expands, Australia and New Zealand are next

    South Korean travel retailer Lotte Duty Free is expanding into Oceania with the ambition to be the leading operator in Australia and New Zealand by 2023.

    The firm’s entry into the territory began with a grand opening ceremony at one of its new Australian stores at Brisbane Airport. The second biggest travel retailer in the world, Lotte Duty Free is targeting sales of US$200 million in the region during its first year.

    “Successfully entering Oceania is the next step in Lotte Duty Free becoming the world’s number one travel retailer and the most influential in the region,” said Lotte Duty Free CEO Kap Lee. “We have almost 40 years of retail excellence that is being introduced to Australia and New Zealand, working side-by-side with our local colleagues to better understand the unique wants and needs of people travelling through the region from all nationalities.”

    Australia has demonstrated significant growth of more than 10 per cent in incoming Chinese tourists – representing some of the biggest spenders globally – in recent years. The 2019 Spring Tourism Trend Forecast published by Ctrip, the largest online travel agency in China, states Australia is one of the most favorable international travel destinations for Chinese tourists during the New Year period.

    In response, Lotte Duty Free is acquiring five JR/Duty Free stores in the region; four in Australia and one in New Zealand.

    With this launch, Lotte Duty Free now operates in seven countries outside of Korea.

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  • Octopus inks partnership with JD.com providing retail innovations

    Octopus inks partnership with JD.com providing retail innovations

    Octopus Retail Management (Octopus), a Singapore-based company and a pioneer in offering a holistic suite of retail management solutions, today announced that it has partnered with JD.com for its cutting-edge Point of Sales (POS) suite of solutions which has benefitted a variety of businesses spanning the retail, F&B and ecommerce sectors.

    With Octopus’ partnership with China’s largest retailer, JD.com, Octopus will be the first B2B software provider for the retail industry and will have access to more than 300 million active customers that shop on JD.com. This strategic alliance is in light of Octopus’ vision to digitally transform the retail industry.

    Octopus is a Cloud-Based Retail Management Company that offers a comprehensive Point of Sale solution to brick and mortar SMEs. With a presence across 7 countries — Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the USA, Octopus generates around $2 billion of GMV on their platform from over 20,000 retail points across 3000 customers.

    Ong Whee Shiong, Founder and Managing Director, Octopus said, “The digital age has thrown several challenges at businesses today. It has become critical for retailers to have an efficient retail management system to enhance their business productivity. Our products aim to empower the retailers to embrace digitalisation and streamline their online business.”

    The company’s cloud-based retail management solution helps firms to leverage social media interactions to curate personalised offerings based on consumer’s shopping and dining behaviours. The solutions can also synchronise inventory, support customer promotions, and offer loyalty points to add more value propositions to their customers. The solutions also allow its customers to onboard a mobile platform through its cloud offering. This enables real-time visibility over the network to monitor sales, the performance of staff, and inventory which leads to efficiency and better decision-making.

    According to an article citing joint research by Google and Temasek in 2017, more than half of Southeast Asia’s population is a millennial and of that, 70 per cent are under the age of 40. The retail space per capita remains low, indicating limited access to offline stores and products. Whilst the report shows that consumers in the region show the interest and willingness to shop online, there have been emerging trends focussing on omnichannel and online-to-offline solutions.

    “We believe online and offline need to go hand in hand today. Through our integrated solutions, our clients are able to offer their customers enhanced seamless shopping experience and create more value,” he added.

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  • A.S. Watson Group Opens its Worldwide 15,000th Storein Kuala Lumpur

    A.S. Watson Group Opens its Worldwide 15,000th Storein Kuala Lumpur

    The world’s largest and fastest growing international health & beauty retailer A.S. Watson Group celebrates an important milestone today as it opens its 15,000th store.

    Growth Continues at Record Rate

    For the fourth year in a row, A.S. Watson’s new store opening continues to be at an average speed of one store every seven hours across its 25 markets in Asia and Europe.

    The worldwide 15,000th store opening of A.S. Watson coincides with its 500th store opening of Watsons in Malaysia, one of the fastest growing countries for beauty and wellness products. Watsons is the flagship retail brand of A.S. Watson with over 7,200 stores in 13 markets in Asia and Eastern Europe.

    The new store is located in Central i-City, a new shopping mall in Malaysia, and it uses technology to enhance customer experience and connect offline and online. The 4,200 square-feet G8 design store is equipped with StyleMe, AR (Augmented Reality) technology, to showcase the latest fashionable product, in a fun and engaging way for customers. Watsons’ Hi Mirror skin analysis device is also available for customers to assess their skin conditions at the store. G8 represents the 8th Generation of the Watsons store design incorporating extensive customer and store team feedback, as well as market research of latest trends on shopping experience.  It will roll out across the region in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Turkey later this year.

    O+O Strategy – Strengthening Customer Connectivity Online and Offline

    Mr Dominic Lai, Group Managing Director of A.S. Watson Group is very excited at the celebration event of this important milestone, “The continued success of our business is about customer connectivity – our ability to connect customers with products, trends and experience they want in beauty, personal care, health and wellness. Our O+O (Online and Offline) strategy focuses on providing an extensive store network, excellent in-store customer service, most relevant health and beauty assortment, combined with seamless digital experience and loyalty schemes that help to put smiles on customers’ faces.”

    Globally A.S. Watson has over 135 million loyalty members and has been investing HK$1 billion (approx.US$128 million) in digital since 2012 to enhance customer experience and enable the business to build data-driven approach to stay closer to customers’ needs.

    A Thankful Celebration

    Mr Lai continues, “We are one of the longest standing companies in the world with 178 years of history.  To be able to reach yet another critical milestone, this is only possible with the love from our customers, passion and commitment from our 140,000 colleagues around the world, and the unfailing support from our business partners.”

    From one dispensary in Hong Kong to 15,000 stores worldwide, A.S. Watson has built close relationship with customers and a strong team of 140,000 colleagues.  The celebration activities in every market will be about thanking customers and showing appreciation to colleagues.  There will be campaigns in every market to celebrate, including member-exclusive benefits and special offers, both offline and online.

  • Tan Mujiang opens a new flagship store in Toronto

    Tan Mujiang opens a new flagship store in Toronto

    Mainland Chinese retailer Tan Mujiang has opened its first flagship store in Canada.

    Tan Mujiang is the only listed company in the world making wooden combs. It has created more than 40 processes to improve its products, which are made from natural materials of traditional Chinese handicrafts, integrating traditional culture with modern fashion.

    The company opened at Toronto’s Scarborough shopping centre earlier this month, taking space right next to jeweller Pandora.

    Dubbed H002, the Canadian store is Tan Mujiang’s second overseas, following one opened at Hong Kong’s Telford Plaza. Twelve more overseas stores are planned this year.

    Zhang Chuanjin, Tan Mujiang’s offline market director, said the company’s goal is to popularise the brand by operating its own franchise shops all over the world.

    Since December 2013, Tan Mujiang has acquired more than 80 patents and supplies more than 1200 shops all over Mainland China, four in Hong Kong, one in Singapore, and some online stores, such as Amazon and eBay.

    Chuanjin said that on the Toronto store’s opening day, Tan Mujiang attracted many customers with its eye-catching Chinese logo and a lute performance.

    “Many Chinese were surprised to see traditional Chinese wooden combs abroad, and many locals were impressed by the oriental charm and exquisite craftsmanship of the combs. They found that besides just combing their hair, the exquisite combs could also be a great gift for family and friends.”

    Tan Mujiang has set up a national general franchising model and hopes to find franchisees interested in their brand.

    Tan Mujiang says it plans to increase its investment in overseas market promotion. In addition to participating in grand international exhibitions, the company will release its brand and product information on popular social media platforms and organise promotional activities for overseas stores.

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  • Coles scores exclusive deal with the world leader

    Coles scores exclusive deal with the world leader

    Supermarket giant Coles has entered into an exclusive services agreement with the world’s leading online grocery platform, Ocado, to double its home delivery capacity in Australia by the end of the 2023 financial year.

    Over the next four years, the supermarket will spend $130 million to $150 million on the construction and development of the project, which will give the retailer access to Ocado’s online grocery website, automated single-pick fulfilment technology and home delivery solution.

    As part of the deal Ocado will install and maintain equipment for Coles in new automated customer fulfilment centres outside Sydney and Melbourne, which are expected to be operational by the 2023 financial year.

    Each centre has an estimated sales capacity of between approximately $500 million and $750 million per annum.

    The new deal is expected to offer customers a seamless digital customer experience, greater range, improved product availability and freshness, as well as more regular delivery windows. The partnership means increased network capacity at a lower cost to serve and is expected to double Coles’ current home delivery capacity.

    “Ocado is singularly focused on online grocery shopping, and as a result, has become the leading solution provider in the world. We are delighted to be partnering with them to make life easier for Coles’ customers here in Australia. Ocado’s ongoing investment and retail partnerships around the world will help us continue to improve our offer into the future,” Coles CEO Steven Cain said.

    Customers outside of metropolitan Melbourne and Sydney will have access to Ocado’s website, whereby orders will continue to be fulfilled by the existing store-based network, which will continue to evolve over the coming years.

    “We are delighted to partner with Coles,” Luke Jensen, CEO of Ocado Solutions, said. “Already a leading player in online grocery retailing in Australia, we are proud that they have chosen the Ocado Smart Platform to take them to the next level. Our flexible, scalable and modular solution will help them bring new levels of convenience, choice and value to Australian consumers. The Australian market is changing as consumer needs evolve and our platform will enable Coles to lead this transformation in a profitable and sustainable way.”

    Ocado CEO Tim Steiner said he is delighted to be working with Coles “to reshape the food retail landscape in Australia”.

    Ocado has over 15 years’ experience in grocery market innovation and recently signed a deal with British retailer Marks and Spencer to boost its online grocery experience.

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  • AirAsia apologises for ‘Get off in Thailand’ advert

    AirAsia apologises for ‘Get off in Thailand’ advert

    AirAsia has apologised after its advertising campaign was labelled “harmful” in Australia. The advert containing the phrase “Get off in Thailand” was posted around the city of Brisbane to promote the airline’s direct route to Bangkok. Collective Shout, a grassroots campaign movement against the objectification of women claimed that the advert was promoting sex tourism in Thailand.

    Thailand has over 123,530 sex workers, according to a 2014 UNAids report.

    Melinda Liszewski, a campaigner at Collective Shout spotted the adverts on a Brisbane bus and posted the image to social media.

    She accused the airline of “promoting sex tourism.”

    A spokeswoman for Air Asia told the BBC: “AirAsia takes community feedback extremely seriously and the airline sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused from recent concerns raised.

    “AirAsia can confirm the advertising campaign has ended and we instructed our media partners to have the advertising removed as soon as possible today from all locations.”

    One of the adverts was spotted at Brisbane Airport. It has confirmed on social media that its removal “is a priority.”

    Brisbane City councillor Kara Cook branded the campaign an “absolute disgrace” and said “it should never have appeared on our city’s streets.”

    She wrote on Twitter: “Council should be responsible & accountable for the ads on their buses.

    “I wrote to the LNP this morning demanding these buses be taken out of circulation. This shouldn’t have happened.”

    In response to the criticism, Brisbane City Council said that the Advertising Standards Board regulates advertising acceptability. It directed complaints to the board.

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  • Third Decathlon Hong Kong store will be its largest in HK

    Third Decathlon Hong Kong store will be its largest in HK

    The third Decathlon Hong Kong store set to open in June will be the French sports retailer’s largest in the territory yet.

    Scheduled to open on June 15, the 72,000sqft store will be located at Sheung Tak Plaza in Tseung Kwan O.

    What sets apart the new store is that half the space is outside, a 36,000sqft combination of practice spaces where customers can try out sports products and footwear for themselves. Decathlon says the practice area will cover 70 sporting disciplines, including badminton, tennis, basketball, hiking, football, running, yoga and even a ski-testing area.

    “At Decathlon, we want to make sure sport is accessible to the many through high-quality products at competitive prices, with the outdoor terrace providing a place for sports users to play and really test our products before they buy,” said Decathlon Hong Kong chief Marc Zielinski.

    “We are all aware of the importance of exercise for better mental and physical health but at the same time, we understand sports engagement can be a heavy financial burden to some,” he said.

    The new store will feature multiple 50” LED screens promoting Decathlon’s range of more than 13,000 products.

    Customer engagement among sports people will be encouraged with advice and training for various codes, including in-store classes.

    Decathlon Hong Kong launched in August 2017 with a store in Causeway Bay, adjacent to Ikea, and another in Mong Kok. The company has more than 1500 stores worldwide and plans to make its debut in the US in the coming months.

  • SkyPixel Announces Winners Of Its 2018 Aerial Storytelling Contest

    SkyPixel Announces Winners Of Its 2018 Aerial Storytelling Contest

     SkyPixel, one of the world’s most popular aerial photography community, announced the winners of its 2018 Aerial Storytelling Contest. Co-organized with DJI, this year’s contest attracted over 30,000 submissions from professional photographers, videographers, aerial enthusiasts and content creators from 141 countries.

    The Video Category grand prize winner Ain Raadik shared a collection of adventures from his travels across New Zealand, Japan & around his home in Australia. “For me drones are an incredible film making tool that help me to further share the ideologies behind my work through new and unique perspectives,” said Raadik. “Instead of staying put in one place, my life stories are being told through accumulating explorations of new places with my Inspire 2. Passions for film making, testing physical limits and exploring new locations are all heavily influential factors behind my work. And I hope everyone would find their own passion in life and stick to it.”

    The grand prize winner in the Photo Category Deryk Baumgartner used his Mavic Pro to capture the sun-bathed monastery rising out of fog, framed by the ribbons of water on Mont Saint Michel in northern France. “I was sitting on a rock fighting with stubborn wind and thick rain for the whole morning. The sun came up when I was just about to stand up and go home,” Baumgartner said. “This photo tells a simple story of you and me. Stick to it for a little longer in life when you are just about to fold, the silver lining would often unveil itself.”

    In addition to the Grand Prize Winners, there were also First, Second and Third Prizes in the travel, sports, urban life, nature and creativity categories. From football match on Lofoten islands to morning prayer in Bagan to the dazzling traffic in Bangkok, the winning submissions captured amazing stories that took place in different parts of the globe.

    This year, the judging panel included a jury of award-winning directors, photographers and influencers, including Toby Strong, famous documentary photographer who has won many Emmy and BAFTA awards, and Ben Nott, one of Australia’s most prestigious DP and an ACS member.

    Every year, SkyPixel organizes aerial photo and video contests to call on creators around the world to share their artwork and stories captured from above. This contest marked the inaugural celebration for both photographers and videographers to come together in a single event.

  • Kiwis confused about sustainability talks

    Kiwis confused about sustainability talks

    Despite the growing support for sustainable business practices in New Zealand, most Kiwis say the way businesses talk about their social and environmental commitments is confusing.

    That is the finding of the latest Colmar Brunton “Better Futures” survey, which asked 1000 consumers about their attitudes and behaviours around sustainability and environmental record.

    Eight-three per cent of respondents said the way businesses talked about their social and environmental commitments was confusing, which is 11 per cent more than the previous survey found.

    At the same time, there is still too much “greenwashing”, or companies jumping on the bandwagon to gain consumer support, without really being sustainable.

    “Those are two aspects of the same issue,” Francesca Lipscombe, New Zealand Ecolabelling Trust general manager, said.

    “On the one hand, companies get away with unsupported claims which may not breach the Fair Trading Act but they’re still misleading and unhelpful.

    “On the other hand, companies who are genuinely doing the right thing don’t promote their good works enough.”

    According to the survey, only two brands got more than 1 per cent recognition as being sustainable brand leaders: the Malcolm Rands-founded ecostore, named by 5 per cent of people, and Fonterra, which scored 3 per cent awareness.

    “New Zealand organisations do a much better job of communicating their sustainability efforts internally than they do of letting the public know,” Lipscombe said.

    At the same time, there is ample opportunity for sustainable brands to communicate their actions to consumers, since 86 per cent of Kiwis surveyed said it was important to work for a socially and environmentally responsible company, up from 72 per cent in 2018.

    “Even more tellingly, 90 per cent of respondents – up from 83 per cent last year – said they would stop buying a company’s products or services if they heard about the company being irresponsible or unethical,” said Lipscombe.

    Another strong finding from the survey was the emergence of plastic waste as the issue consumers are most concerned about.

    Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) rated it the number one problem, compared with 63 per cent last year.

    The survey also found eight out of 10 Kiwis had dispensed with single-use plastic supermarket bags in favour of reusable options – a huge jump on last year’s figure – 30 per cent, while 85 per cent agreed that reducing disposable packaging in general was the right thing to do.

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  • Debenhams warns shareholders could lose investments

    Debenhams warns shareholders could lose investments

    Struggling department store chain Debenhams said shareholders could lose their entire investment as a result of some of the restructuring options it is considering. The 200-year-old retailer said it is trying to refinance its debt, restructure its estate after a series of profit warnings and seek a cash injection of up to £200 million (A$373.1 million) from existing lenders at it tries to fend off a bid by Sports Direct’s Mike Ashley. Ashley had offered a £150 million loan to Debenhams, but as part of the deal, he would have to be in charge of the chain.

    The department store retailer said certain restructuring options “would result in no equity value for the company’s current shareholders”. Lenders have until this Thursday to approve Debenhams’ cash call, which it says will allow it to restructure. The company had warned its shareholders that some of their restructuring options could see their investment wiped out.

    Last Friday, Debenhams posted an announcement on the London Stock Exchange, confirming that it has received a proposal from Sports Direct International in connection with a proposed acquisition of Magasin du Nord, conditional upon Mike Ashley being appointed as the CEO of Debenhams.

    “This proposal comes without any commitment to participate in the wider financing solution,” Debenhams said.

    The department store chain said the board has responded to Sports Direct directly, that, as with all other proposals received to date from Sports Direct, it does not address the company’s funding and restructuring requirement, while balancing the interests of all stakeholders.

    “Magasin is a key part of the Debenhams group, is cash flow generative and a meaningful contributor to group profits,” Debenhams said. “As such, Magasin is an important part of any lending proposition and therefore any broader solution that protects value for the group.”

    “Further, there are obvious concerns with the proposal that Mike Ashley becomes CEO of Debenhams given that Sports Direct owns our direct competitor House of Fraser.”

    Debenhams said the board has remained open to engagement with Sports Direct throughout its refinancing process and has provided clear guidance on what would represent workable solutions that would allow Sports Direct to participate while also protecting the interests of other stakeholders.

    But, according to Debenhams, this guidance has been repeatedly ignored by Sports Direct.

    Debenhams said it continues to make progress with its refinancing and restructuring discussions with existing lenders, noteholders and other stakeholders.

    “The board remains open to constructive involvement from Sports Direct and other stakeholders in this process.”

    Magasin du Nord has been put up for sale by Debenhams last year and Sports Direct offered to purchase the business . Under the proposal, Debenhams would have a 12-month option to buy it back at the price it was sold.

    Debenhams would also have the right to continue to market the business, gaining the benefit from any uplift above the initial sale consideration were it sold to a third party in that 12 month period.

    In connection with the above, it is proposed that Ashley would become a director and the CEO of Debenhams to assist Debenhams through its restructuring process.

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  • Google Maps is rolling out a new feature allowing public event creation

    Google Maps is rolling out a new feature allowing public event creation

    Google Maps is a staple not only for Android users but for many iPhone and PC users as well. Its rich functionality is just as helpful when you’re on the go as it is when you’re relaxing at home and want to explore another city, whether that’ll be through satellite pictures or Google Street View.  It’s no secret that the majority of the information that can be found on Google Maps has been added by the users themselves. Business owners add the locations of their offices, stores, restaurants and everything else you can think of. On the other end, customers get to add their comments, ratings and pictures to each place they’ve visited. Recently Google also introduced some of the features of Waze to Google Maps, allowing users to mark speed traps and car accidents.

    Now, even more power to add content is coming to the people, as Google has added the option for users to add public events. The new feature was noticed by SlashGear and the way it works is described on the Google Maps support page. You can add an event either from your Contribute tab, where you’ll see a new “Add a public event” button (you might need to scroll down a bit to see it) or from the Events tab. After that, you get to fill out the standard set of information: type of the event, location, time and description.

    Once you post an event, it will appear at the selected location for everyone to see, so be careful what you post. Google has a set of steps on its website for deleting public events you’ve created, but at least for us, the “Delete this event” button mentioned on the support page was nonexistent.

    It seems there’s some more work to be done on this feature, which is likely why it’s not actually available to everyone right now. We haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly who has access to it, but it appears to be just some Android users for now. If you have the Events tab on the Your contributions page, then you’re part of the early adopters.

    A new wave of unique events is coming

    Either way, this feature is a good way for people to promote more casual events that aren’t tied to a specific commercial location. For example, you might need people for a game of basketball or fellow hobby enthusiasts to join your RC car race. Or maybe you’re a street performer that has something new to show and you want to organize a premiere.

    Utility companies or city administrations can also make use of these public events to let people know when certain streets will be closed, Google has added a “Parade” category for a reason. Another helpful category is Volunteering & activism. You’re planning to clean up an area as part of the now trending #trashtag challenge? Set up a public event and gather helpers in no time.

    We see, however, a potential for this feature to be abused and people creating fake events to draw a crowd somewhere. There is a “send feedback” button for the created event that lets you report if there’s anything wrong with it. Perhaps Google will use such feedback to limit the rights of people that create fake events.

    Hopefully, there won’t be much of that going on and people will use the feature for its intended purposes. It will probably take a while before it becomes popular and we get to see more interesting events around us. Once the option to add one is available to everyone, however, it will be a matter of time before you start noticing them around.

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  • AirAsia X Wants To Launch Airbus Flights To Europe

    AirAsia X Wants To Launch Airbus 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.

  • Union calls out Noni B over workplace issues

    Union calls out Noni B over workplace issues

    The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) says it has received numerous complaints from Noni B employees on a range of workplace issues, from cuts to part-time hours and take-home pay, to health and safety concerns, to consistent understaffing and pressure to meet unrealistic sales targets. The complaints follow the SDA’s refusal earlier this month to approve a proposed enterprise bargaining agreement that it had been negotiating with Noni B after the Fair Work Commission ordered the fashion chain to scrap its previous agreement by March 4.

    That agreement, which expired in 2014, allowed staff at the recently acquired Specialty Fashion Group chains – including Autograph, Crossroads, Katies, Millers and Rivers – to be paid below the industry award, with no overtime, evening or weekend penalty rates. The SDA was on board with the proposed new agreement until Noni B declined to back pay employees and cut part-time hours by 20 per cent in the final days of the old agreement. Despite the fact that 81 per cent of employees who voted were in favour of the deal, the union has refused to sign it, which could prevent Fair Work from approving the proposed agreement.

    A Noni B spokesperson told at the time that the move was “unprecedented”.The Retail and Fast Food Workers Union has also attempted to block the deal.

    The SDA on Sunday said that Noni B’s decision to cut hours for part-time workers has placed excessive sales demands and work tasks on remaining staff, resulting in them being unable to take breaks to go to the bathroom.

    “In some cases, this deliberate understaffing meant retail employees were at times left in stores alone and could not take toilet breaks or were forced to lift heavy boxes and work up ladders in an unsafe manner,” Gerard Dwyer, national secretary of the union for workers in retail, fast food and warehousing, said in a statement.

    “The lack of staff has also resulted in masses of stock remaining unprocessed and being stacked in change rooms and blocking fire escapes, clearly in breach of WHS [workplace health and safety] laws.”

    A spokesperson for Noni B, which also operates the Rockmans, W Lane, Beme and Table Eight chains, told IR it was “most unfortunate that the SDA has decided to wage its campaign through the media against Noni B Group’s enterprise agreement, which has been approved by 81 per cent of the group’s relevant employees.”

    “The company has tried to arrange a meeting with the SDA to discuss its specific concerns, and a meeting arranged for last week was cancelled by the union. The safety and wellness of the group’s people are critical to the company and all concerns are investigated and where appropriate addressed,” the spokesperson said.

    A further statement from Noni B Group is expected later today.

    The SDA claims the company has attempted to force managers to sign “individual contracts” that could leave them worse off when compared with the Award, “depending on their rosters”.

    “As a result of these multiple workplace breaches and some shortcomings in the proposal itself, the SDA has refused to approve the proposed Noni B enterprise bargaining agreement,” Dwyer said.

    “The message is clear. It’s time for Noni B to clean up its act and to adhere to good workplace practices for its retail staff.”

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