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.

  • AEON Brings Exclusive Privileges and Unbeatable Promotions

    AEON Brings Exclusive Privileges and Unbeatable Promotions

    AEON Thana Sinsap (Thailand) Public Company Limited line up the financial services and exclusive privileges             that cover consumer needs at the 10th Money Expo Korat 2016 including Personal loan, Your Cash, AEON credit cards and membership cards application service. AEON customers who make financial transactions in the expo will get a chance to win a 1-Baht gold necklace and other various premium such as John Lang Ford Bag and                     AEON umbrella. Moreover, AEON consumer who has the financial transaction of every 20,000 baht will receive Big C gift voucher valued at 200 – 2,000 Baht maximum. Additionally, AEON is offering a special interest 0% installment on gold.

    Customers can enjoy other plenty of activities and mini concert featuring a host of popular celebrities including Typhoon – KPN and Tom – Room 39. The 10th Money Expo Korat 2016 will be held on 5th – 7th August 2016                at AEON’s booth A7, The MCC Hall, The Mall Korat. For more information, please visit www.aeon.co.th.

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  • Azelis announces Strategic Appointments

    Azelis announces Strategic Appointments

    Azelis, a leading global speciality chemicals distributor headquartered in Luxembourg, announces strategic organisational changes, including Asia, and a new appointment to the Board of Directors, to position the Group for further success.

    Laurent Nataf is appointed CEO and President Asia Pacific, effective 1st August, and will be based in Singapore. Nataf was appointed Group Chief Operating Officer in 2012 and has been a member of Azelis’ Executive Committee. He has held key positions during his service with Azelis, including Business Director for Industrial Chemicals and Group Business Development Director.

    Asia represents a significant growth opportunity for Azelis. Following a rapid growth trajectory in China and Japan in particular, the team in the region will be enhanced in order to further exploit the potential and accelerate development, serving better Azelis’ partners.

    Supported by investors APAX and following the acquisition and successful integration of Azelis Americas, the former Koda Distribution Group, Azelis now has a unique global footprint and is geared for the next phase of growth and expansion.

    Azelis currently has operations in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

    The second key appointment is Anna Bertona, currently Chief Strategy and Principal Officer, who will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer EMEA, also effective 1st August, to steer Azelis’ market teams in the region and with a particular focus on Azelis principal development activities. Bertona will remain based in Antwerp, Belgium.

    The Board is also pleased to welcome Thijs Bakker as Chief Financial Officer. Bakker will join Azelis in September 2016 following the retirement of Martin Hollenhorst in August. Bringing a wealth of experience in the finance and the chemical industry, Bakker has worked for over 15 years for AkzoNobel in various finance roles in the Netherlands, US and across Asia Pacific. In his most recent assignment Bakker was Finance Director Marine & Protective Coatings at AkzoNobel, based in Singapore. He will be relocating to Antwerp, Belgium for his role.

    Dr. Hans Joachim Muller, Azelis Chief Executive Officer, said: “These are significant developments for Azelis; our new appointment and organisational changes within the Executive Committee in Asia, EMEA and at the HQ level will enable us to maximise our growth opportunities.”

    In parallel, the Azelis Board of Directors will be strengthened with the appointment of Michael J Roney. Roney was formerly Chief Executive Officer of Bunzl, the international distribution and outsourcing group, listed on the London Stock Exchange FTSE 100 index, with operations spanning 29 countries and 4 continents.

    He retired from Bunzl earlier this year, having served as CEO since 2005 and prior to that as non-executive director. Under Roney’s leadership of more than 10 years, Bunzl moved into the FTSE 100, made more than 100 acquisitions and had a compound annual TSR of 17%. The wealth of experience Roney gained at Bunzl and also in other international senior management positions and non-executive directorships, will provide excellent support to Azelis in setting the strategic direction for the business.

    Commenting on the appointment of Michael Roney to the Board of Directors, Dr. Muller added: “We will benefit from Michael’s expertise and proven track record in distribution, drawing upon his extensive experience of expanding into new markets”.

    These positive developments will support Azelis as it looks to create value and expand further upon its leading position in speciality chemicals and innovative ingredients.

  • Turner, Globe launch Cartoon Network on mobile

    Turner, Globe launch Cartoon Network on mobile

    Turner Asia Pacific and Globe Telecom in the Philippines are making available to Globe customers two upgraded Cartoon Network apps.

    An authenticated version of the Cartoon Network Watch and Play app unlocks its full functionality, including a live stream of the channel and additional video-on-demand content. Cartoon Network Anything will also be bundled, showcasing the network’s best short-form content on mobile devices.

    “Offered to Globe customers, these products provide a convenient avenue for Filipinos to enjoy the most popular kids’ content wherever they are, and in a safe and flexible way,” said Phil Nelson, Turner’s managing director for Southeast Asia.

    This year, Cartoon Network also ranks as a top-5 channel across all genres, showing the local appetite for cartoons and a brand of entertainment that the whole family enjoys.

    “Globe strives to provide the best service that includes premium entertainment from strong international partnerships like Turner’s Cartoon Network,” said Globe chief commercial officer, Albert De Larrazabal.

    “We look forward to the many possibilities this partnership offers as both companies are committed to provide valued customers with a unique digital entertainment experience,” said de Larrazabal. “Moving forward, customers can also expect more good news from Globe and Cartoon Network.”

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  • Trinity Pictures co-makes two films with Chinese partners

    Trinity Pictures co-makes two films with Chinese partners

    Trinity Pictures, India’s first franchise feature film studio, is planning two landmark Indo-China co-productions to be released in fiscal 2018, according to Eros International Media.

    These are Kabir Khan’s travel drama The Zookeeper (working title) and Siddharth Anand’s cross-cultural romantic comedy Love in Beijing (working title), to be co-produced with China’s Peacock Mountain Culture & Media and Huaxia Film Distribution.

    The two films are the first ever Indo-China co-productions set in both India and China and will have Han Sanping, former chairman of China Film Group, as their creative producer. Sanping has produced more than 300 films and 100 TV series, including Red Cliff, Karate Kid and Let the Bullet Fly

    With the cast from both India and China — a leading Indian male actor and leading Chinese actress — Kabir Khan’s human drama, The Zookeeper, tells the journey of an Indian zoo keeper to China to find a panda to return to India with in order to save his zoo.

    Siddharth Anand’s cross-cultural romantic comedy, Love in Beijing — also with an A-lister Indian actress and leading Chinese male actor — is based on an Indian girl who falls in love with a Chinese man.

    Production costs for The Zookeeper by Kabir Khan are expected to be at about $25 million and Love in Beijing $15 million.

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  • Rising sales at department stores suggest recovery of retail sector

    Rising sales at department stores suggest recovery of retail sector

    South Korea’s major department store chains saw their sales move up 2.4 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, government data showed Sunday, indicating a recovery may be under way in the retail sector.

    According to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, South Korea’s top three department store brands — Lotte, Hyundai and Shinsegae — saw their sales improve in the January-March period from a year earlier, recovering from the 1.2 percent on-year drop posted for all of 2015.

    Last year, local department stores suffered a drop in performances due to the outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) here, which induced South Koreans to avoid crowded areas and stay indoors.

    The department stores also saw their sales advance 4.3 percent on-year in April. While sales dropped 2.7 percent on-year in May, they still were better than at large-sized supermarket chains, which suffered a 6.3 percent drop in sales over the cited period.

    Industry watchers said the recovery may give birth to a new department store branch with annual sales of 1 trillion won (US$879 million).

    Last year, only three branches managed to post annual sales above 1 trillion won, with two of them being Lotte and the other Shinsegae.

    “As the sales of large branches are recovering, and as department stores are aggressively rolling out renewal projects, it is believed that the number of the so-called 1 trillion-won club branches will increase,” an industry watcher said.

     

  • Korean retailers ride on ‘Pokemon Go’ craze

    Korean retailers ride on ‘Pokemon Go’ craze

    South Korean retailers are capitalizing on the explosive popularity of Nintendo’s augmented-reality mobile game “Pokémon Go” with new products and services targeting local Pokémon game enthusiasts and fans.

    From a sudden rise in consumer spending at select Pokémon-appearing cities in Korea to the launch of Pokémon-inspired hotels, tour packages and goods, the smash-hit game appears to be leaving a notable imprint on the local retail sector.

    “Pokémon Go,” produced jointly by Nintendo and U.S.-based Google spinoff Niantic, Inc., is a GPS-based mobile game that has users running through real-life locations to discover and collect virtual monsters, such as the all-famous Pikachu, via their smartphones.

    Though the game has yet to officially launch in Korea, it has been operational in parts of the country, including Sokcho of Gangwon Province since mid-July and most recently parts of Ulsan and Busan, where the game’s GPS signal is active due to technical glitches.

    Eager to play, hundreds of avid Pokémon fans here have been flocking to such locations in the past few weeks, boosting business at local retailers in the region and prompting online retailers to introduce an array of Pokémon-inspired products.

    Among the biggest beneficiaries are convenience stores in Sokcho which have been enjoying a sudden sales boom thanks to peaking demand for cell phone battery charging services as well as portable battery chargers.

    CU, the nation’s top convenience store operated by BGF Retail, said its outlets in Sokcho saw their sales from July 11-17 almost double compared to the previous week, thanks to the legions of “Pokémon Go” players in the area.

    During the period, sales of “battery charging” services at CU stores in Sokcho rose by 388 percent from the week before while sales of small electronic devices including portable batteries and earphones rose by 82.4 percent, BGF Retail said.

    Game players to Sokcho have been frequenting convenience stores in the area to rest and stock up on necessities such as ice, ice cream and water to fight the summer heat as well, boosting their daily sales, a CU official said.

    Joining other smaller businesses, discount supermarket chain E-mart’s Sokcho branch has reportedly begun offering free ice water to “Pokémon Go” players who capture a Pokémon on its premises.

    Targeting Sokcho-bound travelers, scores of mobile-commerce companies including Ticket Monster, 11st Street, Gmarket and Auction began organizing day-trip bus services from Seoul to Sokcho starting from July 12.

    Meanwhile in Busan, the beachside Haeundae Grand Hotel has partnered with Pokémon Korea Co. to offer specialized Pokémon-themed rooms, merchandise and eateries that tug at the hearts of local fans.

    Reflecting Pokémon’s resurgent appeal, sales of Pokémon-related toys, stationary and mobile accessories have surged as well. Online retailer 11st Street saw sales of Pokémon items rise by 57 percent during July 11-17 compared to the previous week, while Ticket Monster said sales of such products rose by 211 percent during the same time frame.

    11st Street is even holding a promotional event inspired by “Pokémon Go” — dubbed the “11Mon Go,” in which users can find and collect “11Mon” character while shopping on the website. Those who collect all the characters are eligible for prizes including round-trip bus tickets from Seoul to Sokcho, according to 11st Street.

    By Sohn Ji-young

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  • Vietnam retail on brink of convenience store boom

    Vietnam retail on brink of convenience store boom

    Vietnam retail is on the brink of a convenience store boom as multinationals muscle up against fast-expanding local players.

    The increasing pace of life in urban Vietnamese cities is fuelling demand for convenience stores which, until three to four years ago, seemed few and far between on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

    Since then, numerous c-stores have been opened by foreign retailers, such as Japan’s Family Mart, Thailand’s B’smart and US-founded Circle K, competing against local ones, such as C-Express, VinMart, and Co.op Food. According to a Nielsen survey, six out of 10 Vietnamese buyers shop at c-stores because of their advantageous location and five out of 10 because of good design and displays. Local students are the main customers during lunchtime, attracted by comfortable dining spaces, cool temperature and free wifi.

    Pham Ngoc Hung, VP of HCMC Business Association, said the HCMC market is attractive to Thai retailers with 98 B’smart stores and 10 C-Express by Big C stores already trading. In the meantime, local chain VinMart by VinGroup, is approaching 700 stores and is reportedly opening an average of two new stores nationwide each day.

    The fastest-growing chain in the HCMC is Circle K, the local rights owned by Vong Tron Do company. It has 150 stores and promises for further expansion. Today, in every residential quarter, there are two or three Circle K  stores, usually less than 600m apart.

    But the c-store boom is only just beginning. Last year, Japanese c-store giant 7 Eleven signed a master franchise agreement with Seven System Vietnam to expand across the country. The first stores are scheduled to open in 2017, and the target is 1000 within 10 years. CP All, which operates more than 8000 7-Eleven stores in Thailand, is a partner in the Vietnam venture and says it plans for 40 per cent of its stock to be locally sourced, with the balance from Thailand and elsewhere.

    Existing operators are waiting to see what type of stores 7-Eleven will roll out in the Vietnam market – given the considerable difference in sizes of its Thai stores – and the morphing of the format by Circle K in Vietnam to include dining area and fast food focus.

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  • Pokemon Go promotion backfires

    Pokemon Go promotion backfires

    Involving a celebrity with the Pokemon Go obsession may seem like a golden marketing opportunity, but for one Hong Kong shopping mall the combination has been a screw-up.

    Chrissie ChauWith the game not yet officially available in Hong Kong, actress Chrissie Chau claimed on her Facebook site that she would be the first to catch the augmented-reality (AR) game fever. With the heading “Exclusive Pokemon Go Real Live”, she announced she would do a live stream on Facebook.

    However, it turned out to be a video of Chau dressed in a Pokemon costume, pretending to be Pikachu. Later, some net users discovered that it was a promotional event Chau was working on with a shopping mall.

    This prompted an angry reaction from more than 10,000 internet users in Hong Kong, disappointed that it was just a gimmick and criticising the marketing stunt. Many used Facebook’s “angry” expression, and many left comments describing the the event as a “prank” and even a “PR disaster”.

    Meanwhile, McDonald’s Japan will be the first paying sponsor of Pokemon Go as the game launches there. It will be the first advertiser to test out Pokemon Go’s new sponsored location feature, reports Marketing magazine.

    With the fast-food chain confirming the collaboration, the game in which players use smartphones to search for virtual creatures layered over images of the real world is officially stepping into advertising. In return, McDonald’s Japan will host more than 3000 of its outlets as “gyms” or battle sites for players.

  • 7-Eleven Malaysia launches 2000th store

    7-Eleven Malaysia launches 2000th store

    7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Bhd’s wholly owned subsidiary has launched its 2000th store in Malaysia.

    7-Eleven said the store at The Scott Garden in Old Klang Road reflected the current 7-Eleven convenience store format, which was being rolled out across Malaysia via a programme of store refurbishments and new stores since late 2013.

    “At our listing in 2014, we discussed our expansion plans and our intention to increase our number of new stores by 600 over the next three years from 2014 to 2016.

    “We are very pleased to have reached this historic milestone of 2000 stores but it’ll be business as usual as we have no intention of stopping here and will continue with our rapid store expansion,” 7-Eleven Malaysia Sdn Bhd CEO Gary Brown said in a statement.

    “We are also pleased to be able to showcase here today our latest product and service innovations which sets us apart from other convenience stores in Malaysia with a strong emphasis on best in class fresh food and beverage such as our well-received RM2 Fresh to Go hot beverages,” he added.

    2000th store opening image

    In the statement, 7-Eleven said during the opening ceremony, there was a tour and brief on the current innovation of the stores.

    It noted that the current generation 7-Eleven convenience stores was to encourage customers to see 7-Eleven as a lifestyle concept, where they can enjoy the range of products on offer by spending time at the store, similar to a neighborhood café.

    In addition to this, 7-Eleven Malaysia has increased its range of product and services to customers by providing Touch ‘n Go reload services, bill payment for utility providers, online purchases payment through MOLPay, point-of-sales activated (POSA) gift cards and parcel locker services in partnership with BoxIt.

    “It is important to us to continue to innovate on not only our product offering, but to also play more of a role in the daily lives of our customers. By offering these services, we can offer a whole new level of convenience in Malaysia and we continue to be the leader for the convenience sector.

    “We are enthusiastic about the future and will continue to deliver the best possible product, services and promotional offerings at our stores based on what our consumers want,” Brown said.

  • Real Singapore retail sales continue to decline

    Real Singapore retail sales continue to decline

    Real Singapore retail sales in May rose on April’s figures – but remain down year-on-year.

    According to Statistics Singapore, total retail sales (seasonally adjusted) increased 1.4 per cent in May 2016 over April. Excluding motor vehicles, retail sales increased an even better 2.3 per cent.

    But compared to May 2015, retail sales decreased 3.3 per cent after removing motor vehicle sales from the data. Including vehicles, total sales rose 3 per cent year-on-year.

    After seasonal adjustment, retail sales of watches & jewellery, furniture & household equipment, food & beverages, optical goods & books, department stores, apparel & footwear, medical goods & toiletries and petrol stations increased between 0.8 per cent and 6.5 per cent in May 2016 compared to April.

    Retail sale SG May 16

    In contrast, retail sales of recreational goods, mini-marts & convenience stores, phones & computers and supermarkets decreased by between 0.4 per cent and 6.3 per cent in May over April 2016.

    Year-on-year, retail sales of furniture & household equipment and medical goods & toiletries grew by 3.1 per cent and 1.9 per cent respectively.

    Conversely, retail sales of phones & computers and petrol service stations declined 17.3 per cent and 14.9 per cent respectively. Sales of recreational goods, optical goods & books, watches & jewellery, food & beverages, supermarkets, mini-marts & convenience stores, apparel & footwear and department stores also fee, by between 1.9 per cent and 8.7 per cent. .

    The total retail sales value in May 2016 was estimated at $3.7 billion, higher than the $3.6 billion in May 2015.

    Food & beverage service sales

    Retail sale SG FnB May 16

    Sales of food & beverage services (seasonally adjusted) increased 0.9 per cent in May over April.

    Compared to May last year, sales of food & beverage services increased 0.7 per cent.

    The total sales value of food & beverage services in May 2016 was estimated at $690 million, higher than the $685 million in May 2015.

    Year-on-year, sales by ‘other’ eating places grew by 6.7 per cent and by fast food outlets by 1 per cent.

    However, turnover of food caterers decreased 3.7, and of restaurants by 3.6 per cent.

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  • Batam to continue cooperation with Yokohama

    Batam to continue cooperation with Yokohama

    The Batam city government said it will continue cooperation, which began last year, with the Japanese city of Yokohama.

    Batam city mayor Muhammad Rudi said the cooperation would be continued as the cooperation has been a success thanks to assistance from the Yokohama city administration.

    “The assistance includes how Batam could reduce carbon gas emission and economize on power. At the airport and government hospital, power consumption could be saves by 30 percent,” Rudi cited.

    He said Batam also hopes that the Yokohama city administration to provide assistance in the form of technology needed for Batam development.

    “In seeking to reduce carbon gas emissions, denuded forests are a problem, therefore wee need more assistance to cope with the problem,” he said.

    “We are grateful with the equipment but we also need technology to use the technology products,” he said.

    Director of the Development Cooperation Department of Yokohama, Toru Hashimoto said Batam is the fourth city in ASEAN with which Yokohama cooperates.

    The three other cities are Da Nang of Vietnam, Bangkok of Thailand, and Cebu of the Philippines.

    Through the cooperation, Batam is expected to grow to be like Yokohama to become a smart city, Toru said.

    “Batam and Yokohama are equally good. In November we will have a seminar on Asia Smart City in Yokohama. We hope the mayor and deputy mayor would attend the seminar,” he said.

  • Finance ministry believes 2017 growth will be better

    Finance ministry believes 2017 growth will be better

    The Indonesian economy will grow at a faster pace in 2017 than it did in 2016, the Ministry of Finance believes.

    “I believe the economic growth next year will be higher than that of this year,” chief of the ministrys fiscal policy body, Suahasil Nazara, said at a meeting of the working committee of the House of Representatives (DPR) Budget Body here Wednesday.

    Economic growth in the past five years has tended to slow down as internal upheaval and global pressure had slightly affected the national economic performance, he noted.

    The economic slowdown is expected to reach its peak this year after the government issued a series of fiscal policies, the first since 2015, aimed at boosting the national economy, he said.

    “The fiscal policies are aimed at spurring economic growth. This way we encourage tax receipts and divert expenditures to more productive infrastructure projects from non-productive infrastructure projects and cut fuel subsidies. All of these will lead to higher growth,” he added.

    The country began to see the result of the fiscal policies when economic growth was recorded at 4.8 percent in 2015 and 4.92 percent in the first quarter of 2016, he said.

    “In view of that, the assumed economic growth for 2016 is set at 5.2 percent as compared to 4.8 percent in 2015. Since the first quarter of 2016, the economic growth has reached 4.9 percent. We believe the turning point has been visible but it takes time to increase,” he said.

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  • Hyderabad Duty Free keeps on running various promotional campaigns at Hyderabad Airport

    Hyderabad Duty Free keeps on running various promotional campaigns at Hyderabad Airport

    Hyderabad Duty Free (HDF), a 100% subsidiary of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL), in collaboration with DIAGEO group gave away the bumper prize of a Mahindra TUV 300 to Mr. Surya Pathapati, a frequent flyer from Hyderabad Airport. This was the part of the “Johnnie Walker Rewards You” promotional campaign organized at Hyderabad Duty Free.

    HDF_02

    Visible in the picture are: Mr. SGK Kishore, Chairman, Hyderabad Duty Free Retail Limited (Sixth from Left) along with the relatives of the prize winner and key dignitaries of HDF and GHIAL. To participate in this mega promotion, flyers had to purchase a Johnnie Walker (JW) product in one transaction valued at $50 and above. This entitled the participants to receive a coupon / entry card. At the end of the promotional event, a winner was chosen in a lucky draw.

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  • Entrant results are in for the Golden Pin Concept Design Award 2016

    Entrant results are in for the Golden Pin Concept Design Award 2016

    Taiwan’s international Golden Pin Concept Design Award wrapped up its call for entries for 2016 on 15 June, and the award has once again broken the record for the number of entries received.

    Of the 3,380 entries received from 11 countries in 2016, design concepts from China and Taiwan make up the bulk of the participation figures. New countries spotted on the entry list in 2016 include Australia, Israel, and Thailand. Malaysia and South Korea, countries with marginal representation in 2015, saw a significant jump in their entry numbers in 2016, an indication of the award’s growing reputation.

    The Golden Pin Concept Design Award, launched in 2015, is an annual award that offers a total of NT$900,000 (more than US$27,000) in cash prizes. Entrants are encouraged to consider philosophies, ideologies, principles, or areas of thought attributable to huaren culture or lifestyles in their submitted concepts, as well as the Chinese concept of zhongguan (中觀). While separately the words mean ‘center’ or ‘middle’ (zhong 中) and ‘to observe’ or ‘to watch’ (guan 觀), the meaning of the combined phrase is much deeper–something akin to ‘mastery gained from the perspective afforded those at the center of things.’

    While philosophical Chinese concept of zhongguan may seem difficult for someone unfamiliar with Chinese language to understand, this year, entries from international participants revealed some surprising and perceptive interpretations.

    • Designer Noa Razer from Israel entered a series of ceramic Chinese stools adorned with decorative motifs from cultures around the world. Named “Stoolim,” the series explores integration, influence, and synthesis between cultures.

    As with last year, designers from countries and areas outside of Taiwan with large huaren (Chinese-speaking) populations were once again keen participants in the award.

    • Guan-Yu Chan from Malaysia took the woven dish covers commonly used by Chinese families living in the southern parts of the Greater China region and adapted them into a modern pendant light-dish cover combo. The resulting work, called “CAGE–Dish Cover Design” by the creator, adds a touch of contemporary luxury to a once utilitarian object and ensures it is no longer relegated to the kitchen cupboard or market stall table.
    • Jiahui Tan of Fable, a boutique design agency in Singapore, entered “PLAY,” a cultural book commissioned by the National Heritage Board (NHB) for a community exhibition. The work, which takes the structure of DNA for its visual language, plays on the meanings and structures of the English letter ‘Y’ and the Chinese character ren (人), which means ‘man’ or ‘person’ in English, as well as a famous Chinese idiom (前人种树, 后人乘凉) that encourages people to appreciate the efforts of their predecessors in providing the comforts people enjoy today.
    • From Hong Kong, Yiu Hoi Lun’s poster “Migrant Worker” attempts to highlight the suffering many migrant workers in China face during the Chinese New Year holiday when they attempt to leave the cities and return to their family homes in the countryside. The designer was inspired by images she saw on TV and the internet of people breaking down in tears as they waited in endlessly long lines in the rain, snow, freezing temperatures just to buy their train tickets.
    • Calvin Sio of Hylé Design Macau entered “Fond of Shar[ing]–Food Serving Board” into this year’s award. The platter is inspired by the Chinese dining custom of sharing food from multiple dishes placed in the center of a table. The platter also comes with a set of interchangeable handles. Inspired by the shape of the armrests and backs of Ming Dynasty chairs, the handles allow for easy gripping of the platter from multiple angles around a table.

    Perhaps unsurprisingly, entries from Taiwan and China offered some of the most complex and deeply considered fusions of contemporary design and zhongguan.

    • Through the tableware series, “Home Craft,” Taiwanese designer Yu-Rui Liang attempts to create a contemporary use for the traditional craft of Chinese joss paper, also known as ghost or spirit money. The forms of the cups, plates, candle holders, and other utensils in the series are also inspired by objects found in religious shrines and temples in Taiwan.
    • “Roaming Through [the] Garden,” a typography system created by Chinese designer John Yan, incorporates architectural elements of the Classical Gardens of Suzhou–a UNESCO World Heritage Listed historical site–into the character design. He hopes that as readers take in the font, they will feel as though they are walking in a classical Chinese garden.

    While most entries were received in the Product Design category, as was the case in 2015, the number of entries submitted into the Spatial Design and Packaging Design categories rose by over 50%. Entries into the Visual Communications category remained more-or-less stable.

    Running since 2015, the Golden Pin Concept Design Award is one among three awards in the Golden Pin design award group. The annual competition is open to submissions from students, professionals, and corporations from around the world, and accepts product and project design concepts in four design disciplines: Product Design, Visual Communication Design, Packaging Design, and Spatial Design. Concept designs must not be available in the market, nor may they be produced within the year of the award.

    In 2016, entries will be assessed in three stages by a carefully selected international jury. All entrants that pass the second round of selections will be awarded a Golden Pin Concept Design Award Design Mark and a certificate. Best Design of the Year winners will receive one of three cash prizes awarded at a grand ceremony in Taipei, Taiwan in early December, each worth NT$300,000 (approx. US$9,800).

    The Golden Pin Concept Design Award is executed by the Taiwan Design Center and organized by the Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs. The Ministry of Economic Affairs acts in an advisory capacity.

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  • GMR Hyderabad International Airport Adds New Brands to its F&B Kitty

    GMR Hyderabad International Airport Adds New Brands to its F&B Kitty

    GMR Hyderabad International Airport becomes all the more favourite destination for foodies. Recently, the airport added Mc Café and Subway to its succulent list of global F&B (Food & Beverages) brands.

     With the opening of its first outlet at Hyderabad Airport, Mc Café, has done a maiden venture in the F&B category of Indian Airports; this also happens to be their first outlet in Hyderabad City. Mc Café, which is a renowned brand of coffee-house-style food and drink chain owned by McDonald’s, is available for passengers and visitors at the F&B Space at Car Park Level of the airport. One can explore an exciting range of beverages, smoothies, hot cakes, indulgent treats of burgers, chicken wings among the many more.

     Subway, a popular American fast food restaurant franchise, is available at Airport Village (Arrivals level) and F&B space at the car park level of the airport. The outlet offers a wide range of Indian and international subs. Few of the subs are 97% fat free catering to the needs of health conscious people. Operating round the clock, both these outlets are attracting the foodies in hordes.

     Commenting on the inclusion of these two brands at Hyderabad Airport, Mr. SGK Kishore, CEO, GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL), said, “We welcome Mc Café and Subway at Hyderabad Airport. Hyderabad, as a city, is well known for its hospitality and variety of cuisines it offers to everyone. In the same line, we at Hyderabad Airport, too, go extra mile to welcome our passengers and visitors by continuously enriching our portfolio of Food & Beverages. The addition of Mc Café and Subway has definitely made our F&B offer all the more attractive.”