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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.

  • Ikea Singapore plans opening new concept store at Jem mall

    Ikea Singapore plans opening new concept store at Jem mall

    Ikea Singapore is to open Southeast Asia’s first ‘small-store’ concept at Jem mall in the city’s west.

    The announcement today follows news last week that local department store Robinsons was vacating the space. The change of anchor is a perfect example of how consumer shopping preferences – and thus the balance of mall tenancies – is reshaping the modern retail market.

    The new Ikea Singapore store will open next year, taking up about 6500sqm across three floors of Jem, which is managed by Lendlease. It will be the Swedish furniture and home decor chain’s third shop in the city.

    “This store will bring us closer to millions of customers,” said Jaap Doornbos, Ikea retail director for Singapore & Vietnam. “This will be the first time we are establishing a smaller Ikea store format as a tenant within a shopping center in this region.”

    The ‘small-store’ concept is still relatively new globally. Unlike the giant standalone stores Ikea is known for, with their winding pathway layout, the Jem outlet will combine the full Ikea product range into one department. It will not feature a children’s playground, but will include an Ikea restaurant serving Swedish meatballs and fried chicken wings, among other items.

    “We see a bright future ahead for our store at Jem,” said Sebastian Hylving, property & expansion director at Ikea Southeast Asia & Mexico.

    “Jem is one of four malls connected to the Jurong Gateway, linked to public transport. At Jem, Lendlease has curated a combination of great F&B offer with fashion, groceries and entertainment to create an everyday meeting place for the many people.”

    Hylving says the two Ikea big-box stores, located at Tampines and Alexandra, attract almost 7 million visits each year.

    Ikea is reaping the benefits of renewed consumer interest in making homes more comfortable during the Covid-19 era, and the need for furniture and supplies needed for working from home.

    Ng Hsueh Ling, Lendlease Singapore MD and chief investment officer for Asia, said the company looked forward to bringing a first-to-market lifestyle concept to its mall.

    “We are continually rejuvenating our tenancy mix and bringing new experiences to them.”

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  • First Siam Makro store in Myanmar opens its doors

    First Siam Makro store in Myanmar opens its doors

    The first Siam Makro store in Myanmar has opened its doors as the Thai-based cash & carry operator eyes the fast-growing foodservice sector in the rising country Myanmar.

    Located in Myanmar, the more than 7000sqm store offers more than 10,000 lines of fresh food, dry food, and other products.

    “Makro was big, huge,” a shopper told news outlet Myanmore. “We had to book one day in advance to actually go there. There are more local products now than from Thailand. Everyone was wearing a mask when we went there. There are social distancing activities among the queuing at the entrance and each cashier.”

    The store opening was met with lengthy queues, as the brand was welcomed by local residents, despite the fact the retailer primarily serves as a wholesaler, targeting food retailers, hotels, restaurants and catering service firms.

    The Siam Makro store in Myanmar is temporarily enforcing a maximum of 250 customers per time as a social distancing measure.

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  • Tinder’s next major update is all about video dating

    Tinder’s next major update is all about video dating

    As more people are leaning towards video dating and with the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, developers and service providers are trying to find ways to keep these people connected while they’re self-isolated.

    Tinder, one of the most popular dating apps, is getting ready to provide its users with a video chat feature that will pave the way to video dating. The information was confirmed by Match Group, Tinder’s parent company, in its earnings release.

    As daters demonstrated strong willingness to video-date, our product and engineering teams around the world mobilized quickly to deploy one-to-one video chat capabilities on many of our platforms.

    The document also mentions that Tinder will be launching a one-to-one live video service late in Q2 2020, so if you’re waiting for that feature to come, you won’t have to wait too long. Of course, Tinder’s roadmap includes many other features that the company plans to implement throughout the remainder of the year, but they aren’t listed in the earnings release.

    However, since the global situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic might change, so will Tinder’s priorities, so we might see different features being instead of what’s been initially decided.

  • Tesla Applies To Become UK’s Electricity Provider

    Tesla Applies To Become UK’s Electricity Provider

    U.S. electric carmaker Tesla Inc has applied for a license to supply the electricity in the United Kingdom, The Telegraph reported on Saturday.

    The purpose of the license from the energy regulator may be to introduce the company’s Autobidder platform, the report said, citing a company source. The application did not make clear why Tesla has applied for the license, The Telegraph reported.

    Autobidder is a platform for automated energy trading and is currently being operated at Tesla’s Hornsdale Power Reserve in South Australia.

    Shares of Tesla tumbled on Friday (May 1) after Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk tweeted that the electric carmaker’s high-flying stock was overly expensive. This report produced by Chris Dignam.

    Having built a significant battery business in recent years, the carmaker is now preparing to enter the British market with its technology, the paper said, citing industry sources.

    The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    In 2017, the carmaker built world’s largest lithium-ion battery to help keep the lights on in South Australia.

    Shares of Tesla fell 9% on Friday after Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk tweeted that the electric carmaker’s high-flying stock was overly expensive. “Tesla stock price is too high,” Musk said on Twitter.

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  • Nepal’s Per-Capita Income Projected

    Nepal’s Per-Capita Income Projected

    Due to constant changes in the political scene, Nepal’s economic development has always been complicated. From being ruled by a monarchy to being under the leadership of the communist party last year, this country’s economic state has been tough. The isolated agrarian society entered the modern era in 1951, with no hospitals, roads, electric power, civil service, industry, or schools. However, the country has made significant progress in achieving sustainable economic growth.

    According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, Nepal will have a 2.27% annual economic growth in 2020 due to the impact of the ongoing pandemic. The CBS also projects that the growth rate of the nation’s GDP (gross domestic product) will be around a quarter of what the government projected. That has been caused by the ongoing lockdown in most countries, which has hindered travel and tourism in fascinating sites like Mount Everest and other scenic areas.

    The hospitality industry is also going through a major hit, leading to a significant loss of income as people continue to adhere to social distancing advice. While releasing their report, CBS, which is Nepal’s central agency for collecting, analyzing, processing, consolidating, and publishing statistics, projected the country’s per capita income to be Rs 126,018 for the year 2076.

    The CBS also corrected the projected per capita income for this fiscal year. The organization announced a per capita income of USD 1039, after projecting it to remain at USD 1034. As a result, Nepal’s annual GDP is expected to grow at a rate of 2.27% compared to the current price.

    Comparing the statistics of the last three years, the report concludes that the contribution of tertiary and primary sectors has been increasing gradually. However, secondary sectors have been decreasing their contribution to the economy to some extent.

    Nepal’s main economic activity remains agriculture, employing about 65% of the country’s population and contributing 31.7% GDP. That’s quite impressive, considering that only 20% of the country’s total area is arable, while 40.7% is covered by pastureland, forest and shrubs. The rest of the country is covered by mountainous regions.

    The main crops grown in the country are fruits and vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, apples, peach, pears nectarine, and various salads.  Nepal also grows wheat and rice, with the lowland Terai region producing agricultural surplus that feeds food-deficient hill areas. However, the country’s GDP heavily depends on foreign workers, who contribute 9.1%.

    While analyzing this year’s statistical data, CBS divided the industrial sector into three sections. That includes Tertiary, secondary and primary sectors. The primary sector features agriculture and fishery, mining & quarrying and forestry, all contributing a total of 28.20% to the GDP. Manufacturing, construction, water, gas, and electricity were categorized in the secondary sector, contributing 13.72% to the GDP.

    The CBS also projected that the tertiary sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP would be 58.08%. This sector includes retail and wholesale trade, restaurant and hotel, communication and storage, social work, health, education, defense, financial inter-mediation, transportation, and other community services.

  • YouTube Music gets improved, easier to explore library on Android

    YouTube Music gets improved, easier to explore library on Android

    YouTube is making changes to its Music app that will make it easier for users to explore some of its features. YouTube Music’s changed library design was first spotted early this month by AndroidPolice, but it was only available to a limited number of Android users.

    The most important improvement is the ability to add songs and albums to your library without having to manually subscribe to the artist. An “Add to Library” option will now appear in the new menu, which will allow you to add albums and songs directly to your library, a couple of screenshots posted on Reddit suggest.

    The organization of the library has been changed too, so now the most important things like artists and songs are front and center. The previous version of the library displayed recent items and shortcuts to downloads and playlists. You had to scroll at the bottom of the list to actually find songs and artists.

    Unfortunately, the update that’s not rolling out to Android devices doesn’t include the new player UI and the Explore tab that YouTube Music announced last week. Another update will most likely enable those new features in the near future.

  • Disney+ app update adds data saver mode on iPhones, iPads

    Disney+ app update adds data saver mode on iPhones, iPads

    The way that Disney is expanding and improving its streaming service across the world is a real tour de force. Disney+ accomplished what took Netflix 7 years in just five months. Two weeks ago, the streaming video service confirmed it has more than 50 million subscribers.

    Even the small things like launching a mobile app or improving streaming quality on all platforms contributed to Disney+’s impressive rise. One of those smaller improvements has just been pushed to Disney+ subscribers using iOS devices.

    The iOS app has just received an update that introduces an extra layer of security and, as the title says, some sort of data saver mode. With the latest version of Disney+, you will be able to choose to log out of your account across all devices when want to reset your email or password.

    Also, the mobile app will now allow iOS users to choose the video playback quality on their home network to save data. Two new options are now available in the app – Automatic and Save Data. If you choose the latter, Disney+ will cap streaming speed to standard quality, whereas Automatic option can theoretically stream up to 4K UHD.

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  • Apple Music app arrives on Samsung Smart TVs, owners get free subscriptions

    Apple Music app arrives on Samsung Smart TVs, owners get free subscriptions

    Samsung has just announced that its Smart TVs are now compatible with Apple’s Music app. If you own a Samsung Smart TV launched in the last two years, you’ll be able to download and install the new Apple Music app, but you’ll need a subscription to use it.

    The Apple Music app can be found in the Samsung Smart TV App Store and requires users to sign in to an existing account with their Apple ID. Those who don’t have an Apple Music subscription can apply for one directly from their TV. More importantly, all Samsung Smart TV owners can try Apple Music for free for 3 months. The deal applies to individual, family and student subscriptions.

    Apple Music subscribers will get access to Beats 1 radio station, a global live stream with exclusive shows by popular artists like Nicki Minaj, The Weeknd, DJ Khaled, and Elton John, as well as “At Home With Apple Music” content that offers editorial playlists, group FaceTime chats with artists and more.

    Keep in mind that besides the option to stream over 60 million songs ad-free, Apple Music subscribers can also watch original shows, trending concerts, as well as other exclusive content directly on their Samsung Smart TVs.

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  • Ikea stores record strong footfall as life eases back to normal in China

    Ikea stores record strong footfall as life eases back to normal in China

    Furniture and homewares giant Ikea is reporting a quick return of customer footfall to its stores in China as they reopen after the Covid-19 crisis.

    The company opened another three of its large-format stores in Mainland China last week, including one in Wuhan city, and others in Germany and Israel, as movement restrictions were eased. More stores are scheduled to reopen this week.

    Ingka Group, one of Ikea’s largest retail operating divisions, owns 45 shopping centers in China and Europe. It reported that customer footfall in the Chinese centers was back to the level of between 70 and 80 percent of the numbers at the same time last year.

    Shopper confidence there was “recovering rapidly” a spokesperson for the company said.

    Most Ikea China stores have now reopened and some have been trading since the end of last month.

    However, the picture was a little less rosy in German, where 40 of its mall’s 57 tenants had reopened and visitor numbers were at 63 percent of a year earlier.

    During the closures, Ingka waived rent and service charges for tenants and launched e-commerce initiatives to drive traffic to tenants’ websites. The company also helped tenants out with click-and-collect and home-delivery services.

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  • Spotify launches new app for Android TV

    Spotify launches new app for Android TV

    Spotify seems to have launched a new version of its app on Android TV. If you already have the old installed, you might want to check for an update via Google Play Store because you’ll certainly benefit from lots of improvements.

    The entire Spotify app has been redesigned, and that includes background images and the addition of sidebar for navigation. A new UI is now available to Spotify users on Android TV, which contains a couple of tabs that offer access to various features.

    For example, the Home tab now brings up your most recently played albums and playlists, while the Search tab revealed the “Genres & Moods” options that are completely new for the Android TV app. The new app also features multiple sections like Daily Mix, recommended radio stations, and a couple of others depending on your listening tastes.

    All these can be accessed from the sidebar on the left that also includes Your Library and Account tab from where you can make changes to your app or sign out from your account. The album and playlist screens, along with Now Playing did not suffer any changes, so don’t look expect any visual improvements when it comes to these aspects.

    The update is already rolling out to Android TV devices out there, so make sure to head to Google Play Store and check for its availability.

  • Tan Mujiang opens Japanese flagship

    Tan Mujiang opens Japanese flagship

    Chinese wooden-comb retailer Tan Mujiang has opened a new Japan flagship store.

    Located at Musashino city, the Japanese store houses a wide range of Chinese handcrafted combs made from natural materials with “beautiful shapes, smooth lines, exquisite textures and rich colours”. The Musashino store is the second flagship store in Japan after Tokyo, which opened last November.

    Since 2013, the company has obtained more than 80 patents, providing supplies to more than 1200 shops in Mainland China, three in Hong Kong and one in Taiwan.

    Tan Mujiang operates seven international flagship stores including in the US, Singapore, Germany and Japan. The US store is at at Flushing Main Street in New York City.

  • Ikea Macau opens – with a two-week wait to get inside

    Ikea Macau opens – with a two-week wait to get inside

    Ikea Macau opened its doors yesterday, the first of the Swedish furniture homeware retailer’s stores in Asia which does not feature the brand’s traditional one-way ‘winding path’ format.

    The 90,000sqft store, the territory’s first Ikea, opened at Nova Grande residence’s shopping mall in Taipa. It includes an Ikea Cafe, Swedish Food Market and has 600 parking spaces for customers.

    However, in line with government-mandated social-distancing requirements, the store is for the time being open only to shoppers who pre-register online, nominating a time slot, and who complete a mandatory Electronic Health Declaration Form in advance. No walk-in customers will be permitted. These measures will ensure the store limits the number of customers inside at any one time to minimize the risk of people contracting Covid-19.

    With the opening of the Ikea Macau store much anticipated by locals, who previously had to shop in Hong Kong stores and ship products back, all shopping slots for the first 14 days of trading were booked out before yesterday’s opening.

    Ikea Macau is operated by Dairy Farm Group, which also holds the Ikea license for Hong Kong, Taiwan and Indonesia.

    “Ikea is a fantastic and growing business and a very important part of the Dairy Farm family,” said CEO Ian McLeod in an email to Inside Retail Asia.

    “With the opening of this, our 13th store, we are delighted to be bringing Ikea’s unique home-furnishing experience to our customers in Macau with this innovative store.”

    Of the store’s 90,000sqft total footprint, about 60,000sqft is dedicated to retail space and 6000sqft to a dining area which seats 286. The Swedish Food Market & Bistro takes up about 2000sqft. It employs 120 staff and trades from 10am to 10pm daily.

    Store manager Jacklyn Tse said in a message to customers that now the Macau store is open, no further orders for Macau delivery will be accepted through Hong Kong stores. However, Macau customers can now shop or order online on both the Hong Kong and Macau sites and opt into local delivery, pick-up and assembly services.

    The first Ikea Hong Kong store opened in 1975. Today, there are five stores across the two territories – located at Causeway Bay, Kowloon Bay, Shatin, Tsuen Wan in Hong Kong, and now Taipa.

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  • Outdoor lifestyle brand Giriox arrives with premium adventure gears and worldwide delivery

    Outdoor lifestyle brand Giriox arrives with premium adventure gears and worldwide delivery

    The current COVID-19 lockdown period has let us feel trapped and restless in our own homes only. No wonder many people, especially the outdoor enthusiasts, are chalking out adventure plans they will set out for once the lockdown ends. And a recently launched outdoor lifestyle brand, Giriox, is extending a comprehensive range of novel adventure gears to complement those upcoming adventures.

    Based in the USA, Giriox caters to the whole of the USA as well as the U.K., Canada, and Australia.

    “We are excited to bring to you our innovative outdoor lifestyle brand Giriox this month. We know we are passing through a testing phase of late in the wake of the worldwide pandemic of COVID-19. But amid the frustration of lockdown, there is still a positive aspect- we are getting plenty of time to plan and prepare for our upcoming adventure trips and reinvent our life. And this is when you have Giriox to help you with all the adventure gears and accessories you might need to make the most of your camping or hiking trips once this lockdown ends”, stated a leading spokesperson from Giriox.

    Claimed as the “outdoor lifestyle specialist” Giriox is bustling with a vast and versatile range of outdoor activity gears and accessories.

    The spokesperson mentioned about their unique collection of designer camp cookware sets that one can take along in his adventure trips in the woods. Some of the cookware or cutlery sets are also foldable to ensure a travel-friendly package. Customers can choose from utensils or cutleries made from stainless steel, titanium alloy and also eco-friendly bamboo. In regards to design, Giriox cutleries are a refreshing change from run-of-the-mill regular counterparts. From spoons and forks in unique wrench shapes to cutleries in trendy dual-toned pink & blue shades, customers will find many exotic options on Giriox website.

    “We have come up with high quality, rust-free, easily cleanable, durable and risk-free portable camping utensils and cutleries that will last for years. Our exquisite designs are another great reason why you would love to have a look at our camping tableware collections, says Sven.”

    Other than cookware or utensils, Giriox also houses different kinds of fire equipment like a butane torch, color flames powder, solar spike lighter and so on. Additionally, customers will find camping sleeping bags, camping mats & pillows as well as camping tents. The tents are available in various styles and sizes to choose from as per the size of one’s camping group.

    “We have got almost everything and anything you would need to make your outdoor trips safe and memorable. From fire equipment to sturdy weather-resistant tents, we have them all and many more. We promise you exceptional quality and smart designs too. Whether you are going out for casual hiking tours in nearby woods with family or are about to set out for solo camping in extreme conditions like dense jungles- you can always count on us your one-stop partner for best adventure gear. Giriox is the ‘outdoor lifestyle specialist’ that you have been waiting for all these years.”

    Giriox also offers expert consultation for camping and other adventures for the new outdoor enthusiasts or anybody who needs pro guidance in adventure trips.

    For more information, please visit www.giriox.com.

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  • Lockdown Cuts India’s Fuel Demand 50% In First Half Of April

    Lockdown Cuts India’s Fuel Demand 50% In First Half Of April

    Indian state retailers sold 50% less refined fuel in the first two weeks of April than the same time a year ago as a nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of the new coronavirus hit transportation and industrial activity, industry sources said. State companies – Indian Oil Corp, Hindustan Petroleum Corp and Bharat Petroleum – own about 90% of India’s retail fuel outlets. India’s gasoil sales by state retailers in the first 15 days of April dropped by 61% from a year earlier while petrol and jet fuel sales declined by 64% and 94%, provisional industry data provided by two sources, who asked not to be named, show.

    India’s overall refined fuel demand includes consumption of fuel oil, bitumen and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). State-retailers sold 21% more LPG in the first fortnight of April from a year earlier. India is providing free cooking gas cylinders to the poor for three months to June to help them weather the impact of the lockdown.

    India has extended the overall lockdown until May 3, but has announced a roadmap to restart some industrial activity after April 20 in locations that are not coronavirus hotspots to try to revive the economy.

    The International Energy Agency (IEA) in its latest report said India’s annual fuel consumption – a proxy for oil demand – will decline 5.6% in 2020 compared with the growth of 2.4% forecast in its March report. It estimates India’s petrol demand will decline by 9%, while diesel will drop by 6.1%. The slump in fuel demand has already forced some refiners to halve crude processing and increase prompt exports of refined fuels.

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  • Ikea calls for recommitment to climate change

    Ikea calls for recommitment to climate change

    Home furnishings giant Ikea has joined an alliance of key industry and political groups in calling for a renewed commitment to long-term climate change initiatives despite the immediate urgency of the coronavirus pandemic.

    The European Green Recovery Alliance includes more than 180 political decision-makers, business leaders, trade unions, NGOs and think tanks working to reinforce commitments to addressing climate change.

    “Even if the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus calls for urgent measures to mitigate the effects on people and business, we will not lose sight of our long-term goals,” said Inter Ikea Group CEO Torbjorn Loof. “We will continue to be long-term in everything we do and remain committed to our ambitious sustainability goals for 2030. This is not an ‘either/or’ situation, the challenging situation today makes us even more determined to accelerate our efforts to tackle climate change.”

    In a newsletter published on its website, Ikea reiterated its commitment to “continue to share knowledge and experience to help accelerate the transition toward a green economy in the wake of the coronavirus crisis”. The firm pledged to “share knowledge, examples and experience with lawmakers and participate actively in the Green Deal discussion for new policy and regulatory initiatives”.

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