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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.

  • Bamboo Airways postpones maiden flight

    Bamboo Airways postpones maiden flight

    The carrier, owned by Vietnamese private firm FLC Group, is yet to receive its license. The delay in getting its license meant that the airline also missed out on its plans to start selling tickets from September 2.

    A Ministry of Transport official, who declined to be named, told Monday that the licensing procedures for the airline have not been completed. An official of Vietnam Aviation Authority also confirmed that the flight permit could not be granted on time to the airline.

    The transport ministry had asked the Prime Minister to allow it to issue an air transportation business license to Bamboo Airways in late August. However, the ministry is yet to receive an official reply.

    No one elaborated on the reason for the delay. An FLC Group spokesperson told that the airline’s first flight will be moved to the end of the fourth quarter of this year.

    “We have to rearrange the original plan. However, Bamboo Airways’ business strategy and pre-designated flight network will not be affected by this adjustment,” the spokesperson said.

    Bamboo Airways’ general director Dang Tat Thang said the airline is currently in the process of finalizing its airfreight business license.

    This is the final legal basis for the company to officially enter the market.

    Thang said that all preparations for the first scheduled flight for the fourth quarter had been completed.

    Bamboo Airlines will become Vietnam’s fifth airline when it becomes operational.

    The other four airlines are flag carrier Vietnam Airlines; budget operator Jetstar Pacific Airlines, which is partly owned by Vietnam Airlines; budget carrier Vietjet Aviation and Vietnam Air Services Co.

    Hanoi-based FLC, whose main businesses include housing, resorts and golfing, had said it planned to operate international and domestic flights to tourist spots in Vietnam, including where FLC has major properties.

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  • Vingroup retail arm acquires Vietnamese supermarket chain

    Vingroup retail arm acquires Vietnamese supermarket chain

    VinCommerce, owner of the largest Vietnamese retail outlet chain, has bought out competitor supermarket chain Fivimart.

    The deal, whose value has not been revealed, delivers 23 Fivimart outlets to VinMart.

    VinCommerce, a member of the Vingroup business conglomerate, bought Fivimart from domestic company Nhat Nam JSC and Japanese retailer AEON, which held 70 percent and 30 percent stakes, respectively.

    VinCommerce CEO Thai Thi Thanh Hai said that her company’ vision is to have VinMart and VinMart+ (a chain of convenience stores) outlets not just in Vingroup’s apartment buildings and malls, but also in other neighborhoods.

    “The acquisition of Fivimart is part of how we make that vision a reality,” she added.

    The acquisition raises the number of VinMart stores to 100 and that of VinMart+ to 1,400.

    Hai said that VinCommerce plans to have 200 VinMart and 4,000 VinMart+ stores by 2020.

    Nhat Nam JSC sold a 30 percent stake of Fivimart, founded in 2007, to AEON in 2015.

    It had increased its number of outlets from 10 then to 23 now.

    The deal saw Fivimart’s revenue increase, by as much as 20 percent a year for some time.

    But the company has been reporting losses for the last three years, attributing them to high costs. Its losses amounted to VND60 billion ($2.58 million) in 2015, VND96 billion ($4.13 million) in 2016 and VND23 billion ($989,600) last year.

    At the end of last year, Fivimart reported an accumulated loss of almost VND200 billion ($8.6 million), with a debt of VND823 billion ($35.41 million), which was equal to the company’s total asset value.

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  • Hanoi plans second sports complex for SEA Games 2021

    Hanoi plans second sports complex for SEA Games 2021

    Capital city authorities have outlined this plan in a recent report to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, saying the upgrade is required because the condition of Hang Day stadium on Trinh Hoai Duc Street has severely deteriorated in recent years.

    The new complex would cost over VND6.3 trillion ($270.4 million), with funds raised from investors who operate the stadium for 50 years, the report said.

    The sports complex will be built on an area of 32,000 square meters, expanding the current area of 22,000 square meters.

    A deal for the upgrade was signed in March by domestic private firm T&T Group which manages the stadium, and French firm Bouygues Construction.

    The headquarters of the city’s Department of Planning and Investment nearby will be moved to another location to make space for the new complex.

    It will be the second international sports complex in Hanoi, after the My Dinh stadium in Nam Tu Liem District.The new stadium will have a capacity of 20,000 people, with several additional facilities including cinemas, event centers, parking basements and convenience stores.

    The Hang Day stadium is a multi-purpose facility which was first established for Hanoi’s École d’Education Physique (Hanoi’s School of Physical Education) in 1934. It was later expanded in 1958.

    In 2017, it was placed under the management of T&T Group, a corporation involved in finance, real estate and agriculture sectors.

    Hanoi will host the 31st edition of the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), which is scheduled to last 17 days, as well as the Para Games, for 11 days, from October to December in 2021.

    A total of 16,000 people are estimated to participate in the event, 11,000 of them athletes.

    This is the second time that Vietnam will be hosting the SEA Games after the first instance in 2003.

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  • Blockchain, AI the next big thing for advertisers

    Blockchain, AI the next big thing for advertisers

    The integration of analytical and data-driven technologies with AI and Blockchain can help businesses better understand customers’ behaviors, habits, interests, and needs. Thus, direct advertisements are easy to access consumers at the right time and the right situation, experts say.

    “Blockchain can be a game changer when it comes to marketing. The technology will create transparency, reliability, and positive values,” said blockchain consultant David Lang.

    “While users can better manage their personal information, blockchain can help brands not only reach the right customers more effectively but also more accurately measure the performance of each advertising campaign,” he added.

    At present, certain weaknesses have become apparent in the advertising industry. Studies have shown that fraud in digital advertising costs $1 for every $3 in advertisement expenditure. Online advertisers estimate that total losses from fraudulent activities in the industry will reach $19 billion in 2018.

    Bigbom, an online advertising solution built on the blockchain platform, has clearly identified three major issues that the advertising industry needs to address.

    Second, manual advertisement management takes too much time and is inefficient.First is the building of trust between the advertisers and ad platforms or publishers. It takes a huge amount of time for advertisers to find and establish a partnership with absolute strangers.

    Third, the budget for advertisement campaigns is still poorly allocated.

    Bigbom, a Singapore company has rolled out Bigbom Ads, Bigbom Contract and Bigbom Marketplace as the promising solution to soothe the mentioned sore of this industry. The first one is a tool which helps advertisers optimize their ads in such an efficient and simple manner. Through their innovative algorithm, this is the flagship product in the journey to change the conversation of digital advertising and make the one-click optimization come true. Bigbom Marketplace powered by Bigbom Contract creates a transparent economy for advertising community to join by harnessing the power of blockchain technology.

    Those are Bigbom’s trinity force to revolutionize the online advertising industry. Currently, their products have been launched with the very first attributes and received positive feedback from the interested audience. According to their plan, these services will be up and running in the first two quarters of 2019 with more advanced features.

    More information regarding the project is available at bigbom.com as well as their whitepaper.

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  • Thai Lion Air launches Dhaka-Bangkok direct flights

    Thai Lion Air launches Dhaka-Bangkok direct flights

    Budget airline Thai Lion Air launched direct flights between Dhaka and Bangkok, in an event at Lakeshore hotel on Saturday.

    They will be flying from Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport to Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

    At the event, Malindo General Manager (Commercial Strategy) Saravanan Ramasamy said: “The company will play a pivotal role in connecting Bangladesh with Bangkok, China, Nepal, Vietnam, India, and Myanmar.

    “As the second largest Low cost carrier in Thailand, we have already conquered the South East Asian and South Asian market. Soon we will be offering flights to Japan.”

    The airline is offering round trips from Dhaka to Bangkok at a starting price of Tk16,083.

    At the event, the head of sales delivered a presentation on the journey and future expansion plans of the company.

    Thai Ambassador to Bangladesh Panpimon Suwannapongse and Thai Lion Air Managing Director Phillip Pang cut a cake at the launch ceremony.

    In a press statement, chairman of the Board of Thai Lion Air Captain Darsito Hendro Seputro said they will be launching their inaugural flight from Bangkok to Dhaka on October 1 this year.

    “Travelers will be attracted by amazing architectural marvels such as the Ahsan Manjil,” said Capt Septuro. “They will also be able to experience the handicrafts, spices, herbs, gift shops, and local food of the country.”

    The company currently operates aircraft including the Boeing 737-900 ER, with 215 seats, Boeing 737-800, with 189 seats, Boeing 737 MAX 9, with 215 seats, and the Airbus A330-300, with 392 seats.

    Passengers choosing to fly with Thai Lion Air will also be able to enjoy free baggage allowance of 10kg and free allowance for sports equipments of 10kg on domestic flights.

    As per the international flight policy of Thai Lion Air, Dhaka-Bangkok round trips will have free baggage allowance of 20kg.

    Currently, the airlines are offering a new service called Lion Seat Selection, which will let passengers choose their preferred seat locations, either beside a window or the aisle. For passengers who do not use the Lion Seat Selection service, the system will automatically assign a random seat number at check-in.

    Using this service, bookings can be made at least four hours prior to departure via the call centre or through the company’s official website.

    Thai Lion Air is a low cost carrier of Lion Group, founded in 2013, with 12 domestic flights, 2 cross region flights and more than 20 international flights. The airline will provide an alternative travel option for passengers travelling to Bangkok and beyond at very affordable price.

  • AirAsia strengthens east Malaysia network

    AirAsia strengthens east Malaysia network

    AirAsia is strengthening its connectivity in East Malaysia with four-weekly flights from Kuching to Tawau starting 2 December.

    AirAsia is the only Malaysian airline to offer direct flights between the capital city of Sarawak and the third largest city in Sabah state.

    AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat said:  “To launch a new route from our Kuching hub to Tawau is a testament to our commitment to further boost the connectivity in East Malaysia.”

    Tawau is gaining popularity as a gateway to the Sabah’s dive sites, especially among Chinese tourists.

    The airline said 99% of passengers on Fly-Thru routes to Tawau were from cities in China and 76% of all passengers visiting Tawau come from China.

    AirAsia Malaysia (flight code AK) now flies to 13 destinations from Kuching, namely Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Kota Bharu, Johor Bahru, Bintulu, Langkawi, Penang, Sibu, Tawau, Miri, Shenzhen, Pontianak and Singapore. The airline also flies to four destinations from Tawau to Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Johor Bahru and Kuching.

    To promote the new route, the airline is offering an all-in-fares from MYR79* one-way from Kuching to Tawau.

    The promotional fare is available for booking on airasia.com and the AirAsia mobile app from now until 14 October 2018 for travel between 2 December and 26 November 2019.

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  • HKBNES launches free public Wi-Fi at tram shelters

    HKBNES launches free public Wi-Fi at tram shelters

    HKBN Enterprise Solutions (HKBNES) has formally launched a free high-speed public Wi-Fi network on tram shelters across Hong Kong in association with Hong Kong Tramways and Cody Out of Home (Cody OOH).

    The HEREWIFIFREE service provides public free Wi-Fi with unlimited sessions on nine key tram shelters located along the busiest commercial and residential centers on Hong Kong Island.

    HKBN launched a pilot of the new service in May, and usage levels have grown 40% by the end of August. The unlimited usage session enhancement meanwhile launched in June.

    “We are happy to support this high-speed free Wi-Fi service to bring Hong Kongers speedy and convenient online connectivity,” HKBN director Mikron Ng said.

    “Our partnership with Tramways and Cody OOH is another example of how we showcase our win-win-win model in which Tramway passengers, Cody OOH customers and our corporate customers can all benefit.”

    “Hong Kong Tramways is pleased to collaborate with HKBNES and Cody OOH in order to offer innovative services,” added Hong Kong Tramways commercial and corporate affairs manager Antoine Sambin.

    “The high quality and the user-friendly experience of the free Wi-Fi solution are valued by the tram passengers, pedestrians and retail communities in the near vicinity. We aim to keep contributing to a smarter city thanks to our Tram Shelters network.”

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  • Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines’ continuing their alliance for another five years

    Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines’ continuing their alliance for another five years

    The New Zealand government has given the green light to Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) continuing their alliance for a further five years. Under the partnership, which began in 2015, the pair codeshares on routes between New Zealand and Europe, India and Southeast Asia via Singapore. The partnership also includes revenue sharing and coordination of capacity and pricing.

    New Zealand transport minister Phil Twyford said reauthorisation of the alliance would result in more benefits to passengers.

    “Reauthorisation of the alliance will result in more benefits to travellers. These benefits include a wider range of flight times, more seats and reciprocal frequent flyer schemes,” Twyford said in a statement on October 5.

    “The services the airlines provide through the alliance strengthens New Zealand’s ties with our close neighbours in South East Asia and with other emerging markets throughout Asia.

    When the alliance was first approved in late 2014, it paved the way for Air New Zealand to resume nonstop flights between Auckland and Singapore.

    There has been further capacity increases since then, with SIA starting Singapore-Canberra-Wellington flights in 2017 and adding extra flights on the Singapore-Christchurch route. In May 2018, SIA tweaked its Wellington services, switching the mid-point stopover from Canberra to Melbourne.

    Meanwhile, the pair has added more frequencies on the Auckland-Singapore route and will have three nonstop flights a day from October 28 2018.

    The two carriers said in a joint statement the alliance had increased seat capacity by more than 25 per cent between New Zealand and Singapore.

    Further, it noted there would be 35 return flights a week between the two countries in the peak months.

    “The decision to re-authorise the alliance reinforces the benefits it has delivered to the New Zealand market in its first four years,” SIA senior vice president for marketing and planning Tan Kai Ping said.

    “We look forward to continue working closely with our alliance partner Air New Zealand, to provide even more travel options for our customers.”

    Air New Zealand chief strategy, networks and alliances officer Nick Judd said the partnership with SIA had been “key to successfully growing Air New Zealand’s international network and delivering important benefits to our customers”.

    “Singapore Airlines has been a strong alliance partner and we are excited at the opportunities the re-authorisation provides our two airlines,” Judd said.

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  • Philippines-based tech startup CloudSwyft just got backed by WSI Group

    Philippines-based tech startup CloudSwyft just got backed by WSI Group

    The IT firm WSI Group has infused an undisclosed amount of funding into the tech skills-focused learning platform. Philippines’ IT distribution giant Wordtext Systems, Inc. Group (WSI Group) has announced today that it has backed tech skills learning platform CloudSwyft. The undisclosed amount raised will be used for supporting the market expansion plan across the Asia Pacific.

    With the IT-Labs-as-a-Service approach that has served companies in creating and managing IT training and assessments, so far the company has managed to generate its revenue through platform subscription and certificate vouchers.

    The platform offers the verified certification in the IT industry for students or employees with names like Microsoft backs it up. The company was founded in 2015 by Dann Angelo De Guzman and in the past had raised US$736,000 from Future Now Ventures, an Australia- and Philippines-based venture capital firms in 2015 and 2016.

    “The partnership with Microsoft helped us kick-start significant traction bundling our platform with hundreds of learning content in Data Science, AI and other modern technology skills. We were able to bring CloudSwyft into Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and of course, the Philippines. We have been focusing on bringing results. Now, this is where we are heading and we are just getting started,” said De Guzman said on their Asia Pacific expansion plan after raising the funding.

    Beside closing an investment deal with WSI Group, CloudSwyft has also locked in a major partnership with IBPAP (IT Business Process Association of the Philippines) to capture and channel through hundreds of ITO and BPO companies in the Philippines to support the upskilling and reskilling talent of their workforce.

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  • AirAsia to launch flights from Taiwan to Boracay

    AirAsia to launch flights from Taiwan to Boracay

    Low cost airline AirAsia announced on Monday that it will launch flights from Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport and Kaohsiung International Airport to Boracay, as scheduled to reopen on Oct 26.

    AirAsia said the flights from Taiwan to Boracay will stop over in Manila, adding that it will offer at least 20% discount flight tickets to customers in the Taiwan market, the report said.

    Discounted tickets for flights between Nov 6, 2018 and Mar 21, 2019 will be available for sale from now to Oct 21, with a one-way ticket selling for NT$2,696 before tax, the carrier announced.

    Boracay, an internationally famous island resort, was closed by the Philippines government on April 26 to rectify the environmental pollution problem that was caused by overdevelopment and tourism. The government has recently announced that the island will be reopened to visitors on Oct. 26 and there will be a limit on the number of visitors, according to the report.

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  • Hertz appoints former Burger King chief to new role

    Hertz appoints former Burger King chief to new role

    Hertz International has appointed Tracy Gehlan as chief operations officer. Reporting to group president Michel Taride, Gehlan is based at the car rental company’s International headquarters near London.

    In this newly created position Gehlan has assumed overall responsibility for delivering sustained growth, efficiency and customer service across the company’s wholly owned operations in Europe and Asia Pacific.

    Gehlan brings 23 years of operating expertise in a fast-moving retail environment from her leadership roles including Smashburger Master, Burger King Corporation and The Restaurant Group.

    Previously, as managing director/CEO of Smashburger UK, Gehlan led the entry of the US Smashburger fast food hamburger chain into the UK market and developed the company’s plans to expand across Europe.

    In her 11 year career with Burger King, Gehlan most recently served five years as COO, EMEA, where she optimised the business across the region’s franchised and wholly owned restaurants throughout 42 countries.

    Prior to joining Burger King, Gehlan served in operational management positions over a nine year period at The Restaurant Group. Gehlan has also held a non-executive directorship with the British Retail Consortium as Board Member, Scottish Retail Consortium (2008-2011).

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  • AirAsia to launch Vizag-Bangkok flights from Dec 8

    AirAsia to launch Vizag-Bangkok flights from Dec 8

    AirAsia, a low-cost air carrier, is linking Visakhapatnam and Bangkok and the flights would begin from Dec 8.

    Making the announcement at a media conference here on Monday, Rajkumar Paranthaman, the head of marketing, said there would be flights on four weekdays from here to Bangkok (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) and the return flights from Bangkok to Vizag would be on Monday, Wednesday. Friday and Sunday.

    He said the travel to Bangkok would be hassle-free and visa on arrival would be given to tourists at Bangkok. Further, the airlines has air-connection from Bangkok to 21 destinations within that country. It is also a major hub with international flights to different destinations in the country.

    He said the promotional fare to Bangkok would be Rs 2,999 one way and the tourists and visitors to Thailand could book the tickets up to Oct. 21 to avail themselves of the promotional offer. Visa on arrival would be arranged for Indians, for a fee of roughly Rs 4,000 or so.

    He said, “AirAsia is operating flights to Bangkok from five Indian cities – Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Jaipur and Kochi – and Vizag would be added to the list in December.

    Cholada Siddhivarn, the Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said India was very important for Thailand. “Last year, 1.2 tourists from India visited Thailand and the number is likely to go up to 1.4 million this year,” she said and added that Indians should go to different parts of Thailand and not merely confine themselves to Bangkok. “Thailand is a friendly country to tourists, specially Indians,” she added.

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  • JD Central plans unmanned retail shop debut in 2020 for Thailand

    JD Central plans unmanned retail shop debut in 2020 for Thailand

    JD Central – the new joint venture between Chinese online specialist JD and Thailand’s Central Group – has revealed plans to open automated stores, starting next year in Bangkok.

    Vincent Yang, JD Central’s CEO, said the company is evaluating a location where it could test an unmanned store format. Customers would enter the store and transact using facial recognition software.

    The move would be one of several initiatives the company is evaluating using new-generation technology. Another is the use of autonomous warehouse robots to replace humans in warehouses to reduce overheads.

    “We need to get approval to use robots and autonomous delivery vehicles in Thailand,” Yang said.
    Speaking after the official launch of JD Central, which has been operating in pre-launch mode for three months, Yang said the company plans to be Thailand’s largest online retailer by 2020.

    “E-commerce in Thailand will increase to 10 per cent of the total retail market in three years, up from 3-5 per cent today, thanks to competition and user experience,” he said.

    During the three-month trial, orders on the new platform increased 15-fold. Yang claims just 2 per cent of orders were returned and there was a 50 per cent repurchase rate by customers. Four out of every five customers accessed the site via mobile.

    JD Central offers products from 4000 brands, the most popular to date being mobile phones, food, home accessories and apparel.

    The company also has a strong focus on authenticity, guaranteeing no fake goods are on sale on its platform.

    “We are positioned to be the most trusted online platform brand by focusing on customer experience with authentic products. If customers find any fake products on our website, they will be refunded three times the original price,” he said.

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  • Hong Kong yoy August retail sales rose

    Hong Kong yoy August retail sales rose

    Hong Kong August retail sales surged 9.5 per cent ahead of last year according to figures from the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).

    The figure marked an improvement of the revised 7.8 per cent recorded in July and year to date, growth is running at 12.2 per cent year on year.

    A government spokesman said the increase in Hong Kong August retail sales was buttressed by solid local demand and visible growth in visitor arrivals.

    But the spokesman warned that while favourable job and income conditions and sustained growth in inbound tourism should support the retail sector in the short term, the government will “closely monitor how consumer sentiment will be affected by the external headwinds in the period ahead”.

    After netting out the effect of price changes year on year, Hong Kong August retail sales increased by 8.1 per cent. For the first eight months of this year, inflation-adjusted total retail sales increased by 10.6 per cent, estimates the C&SD.

    Predictably, the growth was fuelled by tourist-driven categories, with jewellery, watches and valuable gifts sales up 21.6 per cent. Cosmetics sales were up 16.3 per cent, footwear and accessories by 13.6 per cent, department store turnover rose 11.7 per cent and Chinese medicines and herbs improved by 9.3 per cent. Apparel sales rose by a more modest 5.7 per cent.

    Categories of goods not affected by tourists fared less well, with supermarket sales up by a mere 0.3 per cent, food and alcohol by 6.3 per cent, furniture sales up 5.5 per cent and eyewear sales by 2.8 per cent.

    The only categories to record a downturn were electrical and consumer durable goods, which fell by 3.5 per cent, and newspapers and books, down 2.3 per cent.

  • Harvey Norman to open 50 more stores in Malaysia

    Harvey Norman to open 50 more stores in Malaysia

    Australian furniture and appliance retailer Harvey Norman plans to open 34 stores in Malaysia, taking its network there to 50.

    In a commentary accompanying the company’s recent Australian results filing, Harvey Norman said it was planning substantial investment outside Australia where markets offered greater growth potential.

    The company indicated it would open as many as 18 of its own stores overseas by 2020, taking its offshore network to 107. More stores would likely open on a franchised model.

    Malaysia is a primary target given the country’s population has been growing at a rate of 400,000 people per year since 2010 and currently totals about 32 million. It believes the market can sustain 50 Harvey Norman stores by 2023.

    Asia stores accounted for about AUD$500 million (US$362 million) in sales in the latest financial year.

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