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Category: Living

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Living news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Yummi House Hong Kong flagship

    Yummi House Hong Kong flagship

    Singapore bird’s nest and wild honey specialist Yummi House  has opened its first store in Hong Kong.

    The flagship store is described as a regional headquarters and will help the company to expand its business in the eastern Asia-Pacific region.

    Yummi House offers handpicked bird’s nest and unprocessed wild honey. The company aims to lift people’s quality of life by providing natural and healthy products, according to the director Wilson Er.

    “Hong Kong is a world-class city with a huge number of international and mainland visitors. It is the ideal platform for us to reach global markets and build a trusted international brand, by focusing our retail, wholesale and franchise business in the city,” he said.

    “We plan to set up 10 retail stores in Hong Kong within five years.”

    Er said the company was not only selling its natural health products in Hong Kong but also providing in-depth information about its products to local and international customers, ranging from production processes to product classifications, the benefits of the products and ways of enjoying them.

    “We hope to cultivate a good understanding of health products globally through Hong Kong.”

    INvest Hong Kong associate director-general of investment promotion Andrew Davis welcomed Yummi House Hong Kong’s debut.

    “Hong Kong people are health conscious, so they demand high quality health products. In addition, we have a large quantity and high quality of shoppers in the city. It’s the ideal place for an overseas retail chain to promote awareness of its brand.”

    Yummi House, founded in 2007, is well recognised in both Singapore and Malaysia, where it operates seven and 10 stores respectively.

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  • Fantastic unveils special dividend after 43pc profit rebound

    Fantastic unveils special dividend after 43pc profit rebound

    Discount furniture retailer Fantastic Holdings has rewarded shareholders with a 4 cents-a-share special dividend and doubled its interim payout after net profit rebounded 43 percent to AUD6.9 million (USD5.4m) in the December half.

    Total sales in the six months to December rose 8.7 percent to AUD244.3 million, with like-for-like sales up 8.7 percent, and earnings before interest and tax rose 41.8 percent to AUD10.2 million.

    The net profit came in slightly ahead of forecasts of around AUD6.5 million.

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  • China Jo-Jo boosts sales

    China Jo-Jo boosts sales

    China Jo-Jo Drugstores says its profits soared 19.5 per cent in the December quarter, with same store sales up 24.3 per cent

    The US-listed, China-based company which retails and wholesales pharmaceutical and health care products through its own online and retail pharmacies, said online sales jumped 110.6 per cent to $4.4 million. Retail drugstore sales rose $2.16 million.

    Gross profit rose by $3.003 million, or 1677 per cent year-on-year. It converted a net quarterly loss of $8.7 million in the December 2013 quarter to a modest profit of $127,525 last quarter.

    “Our retail drugstores sale growth rate is more than twice of the industry average,” the company said in a statement.

    “By acquiring Sanhao Pharmacy during the recent quarter, selecting products catering to local community and continuing to provide quality in-store service such as doctors’ in-store clinics service, we expect to further strengthen our competitive advantage in Hangzhou and Zhejiang Province.”

    The company said expanded cooperation with business-to-consumer online vendors, including Taobao, JD.com and Amazon.com had boosted its online performance.

    “In addition, we have signed a service agreement with Alipay (China) Internet Technology to launch an online payment service for its customers, which gives us a great opportunity to get access to Alipay’s over 300 million registered users. We expect online pharmacy sales will continue to grow fast in the future, especially considering the potential authorisation of the online sale of prescription drugs in 2015,” the statement said.

    Lei Liu, chairman and CEO said the company was heartened to have delivered a solid performance compared to last year’s large deficits.

    “What’s more exciting is the rapid increase in our eCommerce revenue, which greatly contributed to our total revenue. In the next two to three years, the online pharmacy sales will probably exceed our retail drugstore sales and make the company one of the leading online pharmacy stores in China.

    “Now is only a turning point. Going forward,  we will continue to focus our efforts on  developing eCommerce opportunities and drive our physical stores network and sales growth.”

    As of December 31, the company had 60 retail pharmacies in Hangzhou.

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  • Ethan Allen China boost

    Ethan Allen China boost

    American home furnishings brand Ethan Allen China has opened its 75th store Chinese store – an elegant, multi-level flagship in Haikou, Hainan’s capital.

    The US-based company shares the retail space with Markor Home Furnishings, its partner throughout the Chinese market.

    The design of the 25,000 sqft store the partnership’s “new generation” retail direction, with a stately and classical façade, and marble-clad interiors throughout. A second “new generation” flagship is planned for Beijing later this year.

    “We are taking the retail experience to the next level,” said Farooq Kathwari, CEO.

    Ethan Allen is in the midst of a product re-invention, introducing new styles and increasing its commitment to producing them in North America. The brand, which now makes over two-thirds of its products in its own workshops in North America, has found an enthusiastic clientele in China, said Kathwari.

    “This is a market that cares deeply about quality and has a passion for classic American style. Needless to say, we feel right at home here.”

    The brand is steadily expanding its retail footprint and has opened 11 new Design Centers in the last year, in key domestic markets like Houston, Las Vegas and Marlton, New Jersey and internationally in Dubai and Doha.

    During the next 12 months, 13 more stores will open, with the company continuing to focus on China.

    “As an American brand, we draw upon influences from all over the world, which is one of the many things that continue to keep Ethan Allen so relevant all over the world,” said Kathwari,

    Ethan Allen was founded in 1932 and today describes itself as a leading international home fashion brand doing business throughout North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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  • Internet revolution will drive FMCG sales in India

    Internet revolution will drive FMCG sales in India

    Internet not only has an edge over physical retail when it comes to apparel and electronics but also fast moving consumer goods (FMCG). A joint study by Google India and Bain and Company said that the Internet will influence 1/3rd of the total FMCG sales in India over the next five years.

  • Patek Philippe slashes prices by over 20pc in HK

    Patek Philippe slashes prices by over 20pc in HK

    Swiss luxury watch brand Patek Philippe announced a significant markdown in prices by up to 22 percent in the Hong Kong market, a move analysts believe is aimed at taking on an influx of European watches through parallel imports, Shanghai’s the Paper reports.

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  • Aeon plans big expansion of MaxValu supermarkets in Thailand

    Aeon plans big expansion of MaxValu supermarkets in Thailand

    Aeon (Thailand) Co, the operator of MaxValu supermarkets, has announced plans to speed up expansion in Thailand by increasing its number of stores to 500 by 2020.

    The company, which now operates 76 outlets in supermarket and mini-supermarket formats, is expected to open 15 more outlets this year.

    General manager Keiji Ono said Aeon would spend THB300-400 million (USD9.2m-USD12.3m) to add new stores and modernise some outlets.

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  • IKEA to set up more manufacturing facilities in India

    IKEA to set up more manufacturing facilities in India

    Swedish furniture retailer IKEA will set up more manufacturing facilities in India and has plans to increase production in the country, its top official has said.

    In a meeting with the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) Secretary, Amitabh Kant, on Wednesday, IKEA India CEO Juvenico Maetzu shared the company’s plans for India.

    While IKEA is yet to open its stores in India, it has already announced its plan of investing INR12,500 crore (INR125 billion, USD2b) in the country and set up 25 stores over the next ten years.

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  • Mothercare enters Korea

    Mothercare enters Korea

    Babywear retailer Mothercare is to launch in South Korea.

    The UK-based company has entered into a franchise agreement with Homeplus, a local supermarket chain owned by Tesco, to open retail stores and an eCommerce site.

    South Korea becomes the 17th Asian market for Mothercare.

    Four shops will initially open in Seoul, Suwon, Daejeon and Bucheon next month. Products will be sold online in a subsection of the Homeplus online store.

    “South Korea is a country we have been looking to serve for some time and we have found a local partner in Homeplus, with extensive knowledge and experience of retailing in South Korea,” said Mothercare CEO Mark Newton-Jones.

    Homeplus CEO Do Sung-hwan said Mothercare offered a “one-stop-shop specialist retailer” solution to time-poor parents and those preparing for the arrival of a child.

    When the South Korean stores open their doors, Mothercare’s reach will expand to 63 countries and its store network now exceeds 1300.

  • “Fifty Shades of Grey” arouses sex toy boom

    “Fifty Shades of Grey” arouses sex toy boom

    The erotic bestselling novel “Fifty Shades of Grey” was devoured across the world by millions, from British housewives to Guantanamo Bay inmates. Now manufacturers and retailers are hoping that its Valentine’s Day movie release will fuel a boom in sex toy and bondage accessory sales.

    The books have been translated into 50 languages, and have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, making it one of the fastest-selling book series ever. It’s perhaps so mainstream that US discount retail giant Target, which specialises in everyday items, is selling “Fifty Shades of Grey” lubricant, blindfolds and “love rings”.

    British company Lovehoney worked closely with the author E L James to design official “Fifty Shades” sex toys in late 2012 and before the movie release have branched out into luxurious items. Lovehoney co-owner Neal Slateford credited the books and growing acceptance of sexual openness with causing “the adult sex toy industry to explode”.

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  • Under Armour CEO is calling out Nike and Adidas

    Under Armour CEO is calling out Nike and Adidas

    Under Armour is creating the world’s largest digital health and fitness community because the more people exercise, the more shirts and shoes they buy, the sports company founder and CEO Kevin Plank told CNBC on Thursday. He also said he wants Nike and Adidas to know what it feels like to be number two and to “get used to that.”

    Instead trying to play in the highly competitive wearables market, Plank said in a “Squawk Box” interview that he sees value in building a community that users can tap into with any device. “[It’s] a place where we weren’t tied to a consumer electronic but where we could be the destination regardless of what the best ‘widget’ on the market was,” he continued. “Whatever you had, it would plug in and we would read and synthesize that information as easy as possible.”

    Under Armour announced late Wednesday a deal to buy for USD475 million the San Francisco-based fitness app MyFitnessPal, a leading resource for healthy living and nutrition with over 80 million registered users. The company also said it completed in early January its USD85 million acquisition of Denmark-based Endomondo, with about 20 million registered users primarily in Europe.

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  • Juara Beauty aims to win over Indonesia

    Juara Beauty aims to win over Indonesia

    Though France and the United States continue to lead trends in the beauty industry, the market is opening up for luxury brands from both local and international players.

    Entrepreneur Metta Murdaya aims to be a winner. That, at least, is the basis for her range of beauty products, which the Indonesian-born, US-based entrepreneur aims to transform into market favourite in Indonesia.

    Juara Beauty, the skincare line that took the United States by storm, is coveted by celebrities such as Brooke Shields, Keri Russell and Ashley Greene, and has since 2013 been making inroads in the archipelago.

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  • Malaysian cable TV enters retail JV

    Malaysian cable TV enters retail JV

    Malaysian cable TV operator Astro has entered a joint venture with South Korean multimedia retailer GS Home Shopping.

    And Astro is projecting sales of RM500 million (US$143 million) annually by 2019 after the service has gained critical mass.

    Astro will own 60 per cent of the joint venture, Go Shop, which will operate 24-seven on TV and online. The service was soft launched in a trial last November.

    Datuk Rozalila Abdul Rahman, CEO of the JV, said the key to the concept’s success will be its presence across multiple platforms – Go Shop’s competitive edge was that it was available on various platforms. On Astro’s service it is on Channel 118 and it is also accessible online and on smartphones.

    Astro CEO Datuk Rohana Rozhan said the company reaches 4.3 million homes in Malaysia, with a reach of 17 million consumers. By nature, these will be largely middle class families or individuals with relatively high disposable incomes.

    Since the soft launch, Go Shop has sold more than 110,000 products, the majority household items.

    While just 60 products are available currently, the offer will double within the year.

    “To-date, the new 24-hour shopping service has over 72,000 customers with 800 new customers daily,” Rohana told a media briefing.

    She predicts the Malaysian retail market will grow from RM110 billion now to more than 160 billion by 2020.

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  • New technology can identify fakes

    New technology can identify fakes

    Luxury brands affected by Asia’s burgeoning multi-billion dollar piracy trade will soon have a new weapon.

    NEC has revealed new technology that can distinguish even the most sophisticated counterfeit products.

    The technology can read microscopic patterns on anything from luxury handbags to mechanical component.

    And it can track the origin of mass-produced items like clothing by examining what it describes as “object fingerprints” – three-dimensional patterns or irregularities found on the surface of items.

    Tohihiko Hiroaki, assistant GM at NEC’s Information and Media Processing Laboratories, says a customers officer at an airport terminal could take a photo of a specific part of an item using a smartphone, which can then be matched with a database supplied by the manufacturer.

    NEC claims its technology can tell the time and place a product was manufactured.

    “You can identify offspring that come from the same parental mould,” said Hiroaki. “If you take a close look, you can tell one child from another.”

    Further testing lies ahead before the technology is released commercially next year.

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  • Thailand’s Mangpong turns to attraction of cosmetics

    Thailand’s Mangpong turns to attraction of cosmetics

    Thailand’s Mangpong 1989 Plc (MPG) has diversified into the beauty and cosmetics retail chain in a bid to cash in on opportunities from the country’s THB200-billion (USD6.15b) cosmetics market. The company sells and rents home entertainment products.

    It’s looking for new locations to open Stardust beauty shops. It believes the beauty and cosmetics business will generate healthy sales and a good return on investment as Thai women have a modern lifestyle and prefer to be good looking.

    Mangpong has partnered with more than 100 beauty and cosmetics brands to present over 10,000 units from L’Oreal Paris, Anna Sui, Kenzo, Paul Smith and Calvin Klein. The company also plans to launch its own brand in the third quarter this year.

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