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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.

  • Indonesia retail sales down first time in six years

    Indonesia retail sales down first time in six years

    Retail sales in Indonesia declined 3.3% in July 2017, compared to last year, according to a central bank survey released this week, marking the first drop in retail sales in nearly six years.

    Food and beverage sales, as well as home furnishing and electronic appliances were particularly weak in July, Bank Indonesia wrote in the survey report.

    The news follows a strong result in June for the month, were retail sales grew 6.3% on a yearly basis.

    The last month to show a contraction was September 2011, when sales were 5.9% below a year earlier, said BI.

    Compared to previous years, consumption has been weak in Indonesia.

    Typically, strong sales occur ahead of the holidays at the end of the Muslim fasting month, followed by a period of weak consumption. This year, the fasting month ended in late June.

    The same survey – made up of 700 retailers in 10 major cities – went on to project retail sales in August would make a come back for a 5.3% gain on last year.

    Prices are expected to increase in the next three to six months, followed by better sales in January 2018, the survey found.

  • Folli Follie Group buys back Australian business from Luxury Retail Group

    Folli Follie Group buys back Australian business from Luxury Retail Group

    ATHEX-listed Folli Follie Group is buying back its Australian distribution network from Luxury Retail Group (LRG), the second buy back deal that LRG has completed this year, following the sale of its Furla business to Furla Group.

    The deal will see the Greek-based Folli Follie Group acquire 100 per cent of the distribution network built by LRG for an undisclosed sum.

    Nelson Mair, managing director of LRG, said while they didn’t plan to sell both businesses so close to each other, the timing was in the best interests of all stakeholders.

    “The sale allows us to concentrate on our exciting and rapidly growing Sneakerboy business and on our latest brand in Australia, Balenciaga” said Mair.

    Mair said the company is working on plans at present to launch new luxury brands into this market, which they will announce in the coming months.

    LRG launched Folli Follie in Australia in early 2015, quickly establishing the brand in three high profile locations (two in Melbourne and one in Sydney), as well as a strong online channel.

    The business started by LRG for Folli Follie has created the foundation on which to build growth, consistent with what the brand has experienced in Europe and Asia.

    Earlier this year the Folli Follie Group posted global revenue growth of 12.1 per cent to €1.3 billion, with earnings growing 10.1 per cent to €291.9 million (EBITDA).

    “Folli Follie has been an important part of the growth of LRG as, along with the Furla business, we have demonstrated the value we bring to global brands wishing to establish themselves in this market,” Mair said.

    The Folli Follie Group stated it will now establish a local headquarters in Australia to help facilitate its expansion plans. The company also intends to open a number of new stores in the coming years and there is now the potential to bring its jewellery and watch brand, Links of London, to Australia.

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  • Nordstrom privatisation moves closer

    Nordstrom privatisation moves closer

    The planned Nordstrom privatisation has taken a step forward with the US department store’s founding family appointing private-equity firm Leonard Green & Partners to help manage the process.

    According to US news reports the Nordstrom family is working with Leonard Green on a formal bid that could be submitted to shareholders within the next few weeks.

    The Nordstrom family revealed in June they were considering delisting.

    According to news agency reports at the time, delisting the business would make it easier to undergo a comprehensive remodelling of the business to help it weather the US-wide slowdown in department store sales, fuelled by rising online shopping. The downside is that it would require raising significant debt to buy out shareholders.

    The department store operator is valued at $8.21 billion based on Tuesday’s stock price. Family members control 31.2 per cent of its shares.

    Nordstrom has 356 stores in 40 states, including 121 full-line stores in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico; 224 Nordstrom Rack stores; two Jeffrey boutiques; and two clearance stores.

    According to CNBC, Leonard Green would provide the Nordstrom family with about $1 billion in equity to help fund an offer. Talks are taking place with banks to raise raise sufficient to buy out existing shareholders.

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  • Cebu Pacific boosts Davao hub with direct route to Tagbilaran

    Cebu Pacific boosts Davao hub with direct route to Tagbilaran

    The Philippines’ leading airline Cebu Pacific continues to expand its domestic network by adding a new route that will directly link Davao City with Tagbilaran, Bohol. Starting October 21, 2017, the carrier’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Cebgo, will begin flying between Davao and Tagbilaran four-times-a-week (Tuesdays, Thursday, Saturdays, and Sundays). The new Davao-Tagbilaran route establishes a seamless connection for both air passenger and cargo service, ultimately benefitting the economies of the greater Davao area and the province of Bohol.

    “As part of our efforts to improve the overall customer experience for everyJuan, we have been taking to heart the suggestions and feedback from our guests. We’ve looked at the feasibility of the Davao-Tagbilaran route and are optimistic that this new air link will not only answer the clamor from the local communities, but stimulate trade and tourism in both destinations,” said Alexander Lao, President and CEO of Cebgo.

    To officially launch the beginning of this new route, CEB is offering an introductory, all-in seat sale of PHP599 until September 17, 2017, or while seats last. Travel period is from October 29, 2017 to March 31, 2018. Davao serves as the Cebu Pacific hub in Mindanao, linking the city to more places than any other carrier.

    Cebu Pacific flies directly to Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Manila, Tacloban and Zamboanga as well as to Singapore. Aside from Davao, CEB also operates flights out of five other strategically placed hubs in the Philippines: Manila, Cebu, Clark, Kalibo, and Iloilo. The airline’s extensive network covers over 100 routes across 26 international and 37 domestic destinations, spanning Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and USA. For bookings and inquiries, guests can visit www.cebupacificair.com or call the reservation hotlines (+632)7020-888 or (+6332)230-8888. The latest seat sales can be found on CEB’s official Twitter (@CebuPacificAir) and Facebook pages.

    Guests may also download the Cebu Pacific mobile app on the App Store and Google Play. Cebu Air Inc. is the largest carrier in the Philippine air transportation industry, offering its low-cost services to more destinations and routes with higher flight frequency within the Philippines than any other airline. Its 60-strong fleet is comprised of two Airbus A319, 36 Airbus A320 and eight Airbus A330. Between 2017 and 2022, CEB expects delivery of 7 more brand-new Airbus A321ceo and 32 Airbus A321neo aircraft.

    Its wholly owned subsidiary, Cebgo, currently offers flights to 27 Philippine destinations and one international destination, utilizing an exclusive fleet of eight ATR 72-500 aircraft, and six ATR 72-600 aircraft. Cebgo has two strategic hubs in the Philippines namely, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 4 in Manila and Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in Cebu.

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  • Facebook hires AI expert, launches lab in Canada’s Montreal

    Facebook hires AI expert, launches lab in Canada’s Montreal

    The lab will be Facebook’s fourth, after sites in Palo Alto, New York, and Paris. Facebook Inc has hired artificial intelligence academic Joelle Pineau to head its new research lab in Montreal, the Silicon Valley social media company said on Friday.

    Once the exclusive domain of academic researchers, artificial intelligence has grabbed the attention of the corporate world as businesses from healthcare to financial services look to use algorithms to sort through reams of data in search of patterns to solve problems.

    The lab will be Facebook’s fourth, after sites in Palo Alto, New York, and Paris, and joins similar AI research efforts in the city from Microsoft Corp and Alphabet’s Google.

    The company will also invest $7 million to support AI research at academic institutions in Montreal, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research said in a statement.

    Pineau is a co-director of McGill University’s Reasoning and Learning Lab whose work focuses on developing and applying models and algorithms applying robotics to healthcare, transportation and language processing.

    One project she has been working on at McGill, where she will maintain her academic position, is a robotic wheelchair.

    Pineau will be joined by fellow researchers Pascal Vincent, Michael Rabbat and Nicolas Ballat, and Facebook expects the team to grow to around 30 researchers.

    Facebook already uses AI for image recognition, language analysis and targeted advertising. It also uses AI to identify and remove what the company deems “inappropriate content.”

    The Facebook project will be connected to McGill University’s Centre for Intelligent Machines and to the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms, started by University of Montreal professor and machine learning pioneer Yoshua Bengio, two sources with knowledge of the plans said.

    Combined, University of Montreal and McGill have more than 200 researchers, including students, working on AI research projects, Bengio said. That is up from around 150 cited by Google last year, which it called the greatest academic concentration of AI research in the world.

    The mostly French-speaking province of Quebec boasts around 90 start-up companies focused on artificial intelligence.

    The Canadian federal government has pledged C$125 million to build AI expertise in Montreal, the Toronto-Waterloo corridor, and Edmonton, while the provincial Quebec government has also promised some C$100 million ($82 million) specifically for AI research.

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  • AirAsia to operate flights to Bangkok

    AirAsia to operate flights to Bangkok

    AirAsia will operate direct flights to Bangkok from Visakhapatnam either from October or from November this year. The airline submitted a letter to Airport Director of Visakhapatnam International Airport requesting for time slots.

    Tour and Travel Operators Association of Andhra (TTOA) has been following up continuously with the airline operator starting with the visit of High Commissioner of Thailand Pisan Manawat and his team and also the top decision makers of Thai Smile to Visakhapatnam on August 31, 2013, according to TTOA chairman O. Naresh Kumar and its president K. Vijay Mohan. In the absence of a direct flight, people from Vizag region are going to Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata to catch flights to Bangkok and other cities in Thailand.

    The advantages of having direct flights from Vizag to Thailand over other nearest major cities is that the distance between these two destinations is only 1,905 km as against 2,400 km from Hyderabad to Bangkok and 2,254 km from Chennai to Bangkok. This will save a lot of time and money to the travellers from this region, according to the TTOA representatives. Pharmaceutical product manufacturers and other traders exporting their goods to Japan from Vizag can now route them through Bangkok, which is 268 km less than sending them through Hyderabad.

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  • Zero Halliburton luggage lands in Manila

    Zero Halliburton luggage lands in Manila

    Zero Halliburton, the only luggage to have travelled to the moon and back, has landed in S Maison at Conrad Manila.

    Marking its launch in the Philippines, the 80-year-old global luggage brand is exhibiting the aluminum briefcase that stored rock and soil samples from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Apollo 11 lunar mission in 1969. It is also unveiling its aluminum and polycarbonate luggage and, soon, the Greenwich Collection, lightweight cordura nylon luggage with built-in smart features.

    Surprisingly, the luggage was originally developed to suit the needs of just one man, founder Erle Halliburton, an oilfield engineer, says company chairman Hiroaki Morishita. Realising that he needed a durable piece of luggage for his travels across the rough Texas terrain, Halliburton and a team of engineers designed the world’s first aluminum travel case.

    Impressed with the prototype, his friends convinced Halliburton to make the case commercially available. Zero Halliburton became part of history when Apollo 11 astronauts Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin, Michael Collins and Neil Armstrong took a case to the moon and back.

    The line has since extended to wheeled business bags, pilot cases, backpacks and duffel bags using newly developed materials and designs.

    Zero Halliburton’s flagship store is in New York City’s Madison Avenue, and Brazilian football superstar Ronaldinho of FC Barcelona has signed up to endorse the brand.

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  • Singapore retail sales continue to rise

    Singapore retail sales continue to rise

    Real Singapore retail sales rose in July – but restaurants noticed a downturn.

    According to Statistics Singapore, retail sales (excluding motor vehicles) rose 2.2 per cent year-on-year for the month, to S$3.7 billion. Including motor vehicles, they rose 1.8 per cent.

    Against June, retail sales (excluding cars) rose 2. 6 per cent.

    Sales of food & beverage services declined 0.5 per cent in July, to an estimated total of $723 million.

    Compared to July 2016, retail sales by petrol service stations, of medical goods & toiletries, by department stores, of watches & jewellery, wearing apparel & footwear, computer & telecommunications equipment, recreational goods and at supermarkets increased between 0.1 per cent and 8.1 per cent in July.

    But sales of furniture & household equipment, by food retailers, mini-marts & convenience stores and of optical goods & books decreased between 1.2 per cent and 6.3 per cent.

    Turnover of restaurants decreased 5.8 per cent year-on-year in July. But, sales of fast food outlets, by food caterers and other eating places rose between 1.5 per cent and 7.1 per cent.

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  • Central Group launches luxury cross-border shopping

    Central Group launches luxury cross-border shopping

    Conglomerate Central Group has taken a step toward an omnichannel strategy by launching a cross-border e-commerce luxury brand experience it claims is a world first.

    It has introduced access to its luxury-brand websites through messaging app WhatsApp as part of its vision of integrating online and offline shopping channels, says Central Group chairman/CEO Tos Chirathivat.

    “This move is calculated to serve the lifestyles of Central Group’s new customers by providing seamless integration of online and offline shopping channels,” he says. “That is the vision of the group moving forward.”

    Central Group is putting together a network of global luxury department stores across eight cities, including locations in Italy, Spain, Denmark and Germany, as well as Bangkok’s Central Chidlom and Central Embassy.

    It offers a digital magazine and e-newsletter through the website AuxVillesDuMonde.com, provides information fashion, food and culture in the eight cities. The website supports eight languages and also has a mobile app for Android and iOS.

    Users can add luxury department stores in WhatsApp, check product availability through live chat and make purchases through online payment options. Users can then pick up products at the store or have them shipped to their home.

    Central Department Store Group CEO Yuwadee Chirathivat says the company has spent €500,000 (THB19.8 million/US$595,000) on the website.

    “Cross-border shopping at nine stores in eight global cities is a new retail phenomenon,” she says. “Through the WhatsApp live-chat option, Thai shoppers will be able to order products from Europe and have them shipped in two to five days.”

    Shoppers have to pay import tax depending on the country of origin of their purchases.

    Central Department Store Group expects revenue from overseas stores to climb by 40 per cent this year, with revenue from abroad representing more than 20 per cent of Central Department Store’s THB130 billion (US$3.9 billion) revenue.

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  • Vietnam retail sales soar this year

    Vietnam retail sales soar this year

    Vietnam retail sales soared 10.3 per cent in the first eight months of this year, according to figures released by the General Statistics Office.

    Even after the effects of inflation were removed from the data, sales were up by 8.9 per cent, total spending estimated at US$114.7 billion.

    The rise was higher than for the same period last year and underline the significant improvement in the local population’s disposable income levels.

    Excluding hospitality and catering sales from the data, Vietnam retail sales totalled $86.1 billion, three quarters of the total trade. Strongly performing categories included apparel, appliances and food, up 14 per cent, 11.6 per cent and 10.6 per cent respectively.

    Vietnam’s total retail market is forecast by the Association of Vietnam Retailers to reach US$179 billion by 2020.

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  • Changi T4 to commence operations on 31 October 2017

    Changi T4 to commence operations on 31 October 2017

    Changi Airport Group (CAG) today announced that the new terminal four (T4) at Changi airport is scheduled to commence operations on 31 October  2017.

    This follows the recent successful conclusion of major trials, with a small number of checks and reviews to be completed in the final phase of the preparations.

    As reported, the new T4, hailed as a shopping and dining haven, will comprise more than 80 retail and food and beverage outlets featuring popular brands and unique experiential zones.

    The unique integrated duty-free zone, covering liquor and tobacco (DFS Group) and cosmetics and perfumes (Shilla Duty Free) — both companies triumphed in the hotly contested core category tenders in 2014, which covers T4 — allows shoppers to pay for purchases at common counters.

    To ensure a smooth transition of flight operations from the existing terminals, the operations of the nine T4 airlines—the AirAsia Group (of four airlines), Cathay Pacific Airways, Cebu Pacific Air, Korean Air, Spring Airlines and Vietnam Airlines—will be shifted to T4 over one week.

    Cathay Pacific and Korean Air will move over on Tuesday 31 October 2017, Cebu Pacific Air and Spring Airlines on Thursday, November 2 and AirAsia Group and Vietnam Airlines on Tuesday, November 7.

    The first arrival and departing flights at T4 will be operated by Cathay Pacific—CX659 from Hong Kong and CX650 to Hong Kong respectively.

    Since October 2016, CAG has collaborated with its airport partners to prepare T4 for flight operations.

    This began with table-top exercises to develop the standard operating procedures and later progressed to ground deployment exercises to familiarize staff with the new terminal and processes.

    Volunteers from the airport community and members of the public were invited to role-play as passengers to test the critical airport systems and processes.

    These included the Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) self-service options at check-in, bag-drop, immigration and boarding, as well as security screening, baggage handling, flight information, ground transport, way-finding and transfer processes.

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  • Catch spends millions on trust play

    Catch spends millions on trust play

    Catch Group’s first foray into the world of TV advertising has cost the e-commerce company millions, as it looks to bolster its brand awareness ahead of the imminent arrival of Amazon.

    It’s first TV campaign, which has been airing for two-weeks, is part of a long-term marketing play to first establish Catch’s new marketplace image in the local market before beginning to communicate price and range later down the line.

    Catch Group’s head of marketing, Ryan Gracie, told that the campaign was initially designed alongside the company’s re-brand to drive awareness and begin building trust – something pureplay retailers have struggled with in recent years.

    “Building a brand online is very hard and you have to really take yourself above the line if you want to be a trusted, credible brand,” Gracie said.

    “We’re a pureplay, we don’t exist physically so it’s important for us to exist on these other channels.”

    Gracie was unable to say what the return looks like so far, but said a decision was taken by management on TV knowing that assessing the benefits wouldn’t be clear cut.

    “The hard costs of the media spend is a major inhibitor, because you can’t explicitly measure the impact of it,” he said.

    “What do you get when you advertise on TV? You get a warm and fuzzy feeling, but you have to trust it’s going to work.”

    The ads themselves depict Australians in various scenarios screaming “catch” – in line with the company’s “screaming good deals” philosophy.

    Catch is investing in marketing on both sides of the market at the moment, having also stepped up its B2B marketing since its brand relaunch to encourage more suppliers to jump on its platform.

    Catch Group co-founder Gabby Leibovich told sister site Internet Retailing in August that more than 200 brands have signed up to the marketplace, with 25,000 new SKUs recently added across several new categories.

    Nati Harpaz, CEO of Catch Group, is the chairman of Octomedia, Inside Retail’s parent company.

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  • Concept store 10 Corso Como returns to Tokyo

    Concept store 10 Corso Como returns to Tokyo

    Milanese concept store 10 Corso Como is returning to Japan tomorrow, with two outlets.

    The two new retail outlets, 30 sqm each, will be located inside Seibu Ikebukuro and Seibu Shibuya department stores, and will each display 10 Corso Como-branded products.

    10 Corso Como also opens two pop-up stores this month at Seibu Shibuya from 12 to 18, and Seibu Yokohama from 26 to October 10.

    10 Corso Como was founded in 1990 in Milan by Carla Sozzani, and made a first foray into Japan in 2002 under the name of 10 Corso Como/Comme des Garçons.

    In foreign markets, the brand has two stores in Seoul and one in Shanghai, plus a cafe-restaurant in Beijing.

    The brand’s next new store will be opened in New York.

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  • Jabong becomes the third largest global digital partner for Dorothy Perkins

    Jabong becomes the third largest global digital partner for Dorothy Perkins

    Dorothy Perkins, the UK-based women’s fashion retailer, which has been dressing and inspiring women worldwide for more than 100 years, has announced Jabong as their third largest global digital partner. The brand is available on Jabong, with an extensive collection of over 3,000 SKUs, which are currently priced within a range of Rs.999 to Rs.7,999. In the last three years of this association, Jabong has recorded a 50% CAGR in sales.

    John Kenchington, Multi Channel Director, Dorothy Perkins said, “As one of India’s best loved fashion e-tailers, Jabong has been our partner of choice in India since 2014. They have helped us position our brand to the right audiences in a way that matches perfectly with our persona. Their immense contribution towards raising brand awareness for us in the country, is a testament to Jabong’s track record of providing the ideal launch pad for top global brands entering India.”

    Gunjan Soni, Head, Jabong said, “Our team is exhilarated that Jabong has emerged as the third largest partner for Dorothy Perkins worldwide, even though we only sell in India. It is actually a salute to our fashion forward women consumers who form the major share of our customer base. Dorothy Perkins with its continued focus on fast fashion is one of the most loved brands on the platform. We will continue to ramp up our efforts to provide the best of international fashion to our consumers.”

    Jabong has been aggressively expanding its product portfolio and has added 50+ new brands this year with a special focus on adding international brands. A few of these include New Era Caps, Forever 21, Mothercare, Cover Story, AAY, Aeropostale, Scotch and Soda, Esprit, Alcott, Antony Morato, North Face, Mast and Harbor and Swarovski among others.

  • NY Portuguese Short Film Festival’17 in Thailand” to be held on Sep 16-17

    NY Portuguese Short Film Festival’17 in Thailand” to be held on Sep 16-17

    The Camões Portuguese Cultural Centre in Bangkok and the Embassy of Portugal in Thailand, in partnership with Arte Institute in New York and Siam Piwat present the “NY Portuguese Short Film Festival ’17” in Thailand for the second year between September 16-17, at Royal Paragon Hall, the 5th floor, Siam Paragon

    The NY Portuguese Short Film Festival (NYPSFF) was the first Portuguese film festival in NYC and the US. The Festival shows the work of the new generation of young Portuguese directors. By annually organizing the Festival in several countries, the Arte Institute intends to expand and gather new audiences for the contemporary Portuguese cinema worldwide.

    This year, the Festival showcases 11 shorts films by Portugal’s most promising filmmakers. The short films were selected and submitted to a distinguished jury composed of American, Portuguese and Brazilian film experts, as Rúben Alves (Director), Márcio Miranda Perez (São Paulo International Short Festival) and Don Cato (Director).

    In this regard, the Camões Portuguese Cultural Centre and the Embassy of Portugal in Thailand in partnership with Arte Institute in New York and Siam Piwat organize the “NY Portuguese Short Film Festival’17” in Thailand aiming to support and disseminate the works of Portuguese short film directors to international audiences. 11 short films with English subtitles will be showcased between September 16-17, at Royal Paragon Hall, the 5th floor, Siam Paragon.

    His Excellency Francisco Vaz Patto, Ambassador of Portugal to Thailand will preside over the opening ceremony on Saturday, September 16, 2017 at 6.00 p.m. onwards.

    Don’t miss it!! The return of the NY Portuguese Short Film Festival to Thailand presents a unique blend of culture and new perspectives on the mind and spirit, transmitting the life of the Portuguese through short films, which this year’s highlights the short film Carga, by Luís Campos, the awarded film at this year’s festival in New York.

    The “NY Portuguese Short Film Festival’17” in Thailand is divided into two series of 54 minutes each.

    First series include CARGA, by director Luís Campos, THE WOOD CRAVER OR THE WORLD’S MOST IMPROVED WORKSHOP, by director João Vasco, THE FEAR INSTALLATIO, by director Ricardo Leite, YOU, by director Hugo Pinto and ONCE UPON A THREAD, guest short film by director Patrícia Figueiredo.

    The second series showcases A ROOM IN LISBON, by director Francisco Carvalho, ALVANÉU, by director André C. Santos, MANUEL, by director Bruno Carnide, THE AMAZING ORDINARY MAN, by director Paulo Portugal, RIBBON TOOTH, by director Sara Gouveia and A LONG DAY, guest short film, by director Sérgio Graciano.

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