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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.

  • Vietnam air travel demand surges 12 pct

    Vietnam air travel demand surges 12 pct

    Airports across Vietnam served near 116 million passengers this year, up 12 percent from 2018, with Vietnam Airlines Group and Vietjet dominating the market.

    About 64 percent, or 74 million passengers, were domestic, up 11 percent from last year, according to Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV).

    The remaining 41.7 million foreign travelers grew by 13.6 percent from last year, with Noi Bai International Airport, Da Nang International Airport and central Cam Ranh International Airport near Nha Trang experiencing the highest traffic growth.

    Vietnam Airlines Group accounted for over 50 percent of the market share. It comprises national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, low-cost arm Jetstar Pacific and Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO).

    Budget carrier Vietjet accounted for 41.9 percent of the market.

    ACV Chairman Lai Xuan Thanh said overload will be a challenge next year as red tape in aviation infrastructure and investment constrains upgrade and expansion projects, like at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, which handles 30 percent of the country’s air passengers.

    Another concern is slower growth in foreign passenger numbers, which dropped from over 20 percent in 2016-2018 to 13.6 percent, he added.

    ACV forecasts the number of air passengers would rise by 10 percent to 127 million next year.

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  • Vietnam to buy 1.5 billion kWh of power annually from Laos

    Vietnam to buy 1.5 billion kWh of power annually from Laos

    State power utility EVN will buy around 1.5 billion kWh of electricity a year from Laos for two years starting in 2021.

    Under contracts it signed on Saturday, Vietnam Electricity (EVN) will buy over 596 million kWh a year from two hydropower plants belonging to Phongsubthavy Group and 632 million kWh from two plants belonging to Chealun Sekong Group from 2022.

    From 2021 it will start buying 263 million kWh annually from another plant belonging to the latter company.

    The import was approved by the Vietnamese government to mitigate power shortages predicted to hit the country from this year.

    The Ministry of Industry and Trade estimates shortages of 3.7 billion kWh in 2021 and nearly 10 billion kWh the following year.

    2023 will be the most stressful with the shortage expected to be around 15 billion kWh. From then on it will decrease, with the shortage expected to come down to 7 billion kWh and 3.5 billion kWh in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

    The industry ministry has said not more than 5-8 percent of electricity can be conserved, and the only way out is to import more from Laos and China.

    But buying from neighboring countries is only a band-aid solution, and in the long run it is necessary to speed up work on large power generation projects, it stated.

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  • Disney+ is removing content but not the way that Netflix does

    Disney+ is removing content but not the way that Netflix does

    Disney+ is certainly off to a great start. Back in November, 10 million subscribers signed up in the first 24 hours although some of those were Verizon customers taking advantage of a free year of service. Others might have signed up for a free seven-day trial that everyone gets to use one time to try the service. The video streaming app might not have as wide a range of content as Netflix, but with titles from the Disney Channel, Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm (including Star Wars) and National Geographic, there is something for everyone.

    Just two weeks after its debut on Disney+, The Mandalorian was the most-watched television series in the U.S. on any platform. The episodic series is part of the Star Wars universe and has already had a breakout “star” in Baby Yoda. The series is so important to the service that some Disney+ subscribers have already let their monthly subscription lapse  now that the first season of The Mandalorian has ended. Unlike Netflix, Disney drops its new episodes weekly instead of all at once, and those departing Disney+ say that they will return in the fall when the show’s second season is expected to premiere. By leaving Disney+ and returning for The Mandalorian’s next season, these consumers are saving $6.99 for each month they wait on the sideline.

    Fans of The Mandalorian aren’t the only “things” that are leaving Disney+. Several movie titles have disappeared from the app. Films such as Home Alone, Home Alone 2, The Sandlot, Dr. Dolittle, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ended their run on Disney+ once the calendar hit 2020. Unlike Netflix, Amazon Prime and other streamers, Disney removed these movies without making any announcement; the other services provide their subscribers with an advanced warning to give them one last shot at watching a particular film or series before it is removed.

    Disney has been promoting new additions to Disney+ and has never hinted that non-classic content would stay on the service forever. As for classic Disney movies, a spokesman said last year that “there will not be a ‘rotating slate’ of licensed movies each month […] With Disney Plus, beloved classics from the Disney vault will now stream in a permanent home, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid, and The Lion King — the entire 13-film Signature Collection — all available on day one.”

    Polygon’s sources say that legacy deals made before the development of the streaming site is the reason for the departure of non-classic titles. Once those deals are completed, the movies removed could return to Disney+ permanently. For example, one of the top movies on Disney+ is Marvel’s Black Panther. In 2026, streaming rights for the film revert back to Netflix where the movie was found before the launch of Disney’s video streamer. Ironically, Disney does own all of the content on Disney+ even though it must abide by previously agreed to contracts with other streamers.

    There remains the possibility that some deals could be renegotiated. That’s how Disney was able to wrest away Star Wars: The Force Awakens from Starz. As it is, besides Black Panther, Netflix is expected to have Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Coco and some other films back in its inventory by 2026. Sure, that seems so far away but before you know it, it will be time for Disney to jettison those titles.

    Speaking of Netflix, as of last month one million of the latter’s subscribers were “stolen” away by Disney+ according to brokerage firm Cowen & Co. And while that might not have Netflix executives quaking in their shoes, a survey conducted by Rosenblatt Securities analyst Bernie McTernan found that 29% of Disney+ subscribers dropped a rival streaming service to join Disney’s offering; 9% specifically left Netflix. Disney’s goal is to hit 60 million to 90 million paying customers worldwide by the end of its fiscal year 2024. At last count, Netflix had 158.3 million global subscribers.

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  • ColourLiving launches Wellness Living concept in Hong Kong

    ColourLiving launches Wellness Living concept in Hong Kong

    Hong Kong lifestyle store ColourLiving has launched a pop-up zone, Wellness Living, featuring a selection of home-enhancing concepts.

    Occupying 20,000sqft and spanning three levels, Wellness Living is the theme of the curated pop-up, which features three zones – Kitchen, Tailored Tea and Home Pool – all “based on the idea to help pacify the body and mind at home.

    The Kitchen area presents an ergonomic sink from Swiss brand Franke, offering multi-purpose preparation spaces equipped with appliances to create meals.

    Homegrown Hong Kong brand Lify is the second of the three debut Wellness Living home products. Specialised in dispensing premium natural herbal tea blends, the brand uses artificial intelligence (AI) to determine individual needs through an app. Herb qualities are independently certified, and the tea is filtered through specially-developed compostable discs.

    Designed and produced in Italy, Faraway Pool, sunken into the floor, combines whirlpool jets with contemporary aesthetics. The pool’s overspill perimeter appears as “an infinity edge”.

    Submerged mood lighting with colours adjustable on demand can help to relax or energise the pool user.

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  • JD wants its My Pet Profile to transform animal lives across China

    JD wants its My Pet Profile to transform animal lives across China

    Customers of JD can now store detailed profiles of their pets online and receive updates of suitable products, services and care instructions through JD’s My Pet Profile Initiative function.

    With My Pet Profile, brands can improve their product specifications and target marketing campaigns to specific pet demographics. Nestle Purina’s Pro Plan brand has piloted the initiative recently, and saw its click rate quickly double among customers who received targeted recommendations.

    “By providing insights not only on pet owners, but for the first time also on their pets, JD has taken us to the next step,” said Zoe Zuo, marketing director at Nestle Purina. “The My Pet Profile Initiative represents an expanding database of growing importance for us because it helps us improve our products and strategies. We will work on these insights to recommend products to customers with more precision, helping ensure our customers have longer and happier relationships with their beloved pets.”

    A report released by JD and Nielsen shows that Chinese pet owners are now more engaged with their animals and more interested in improving their pets’ health and longevity. In 2018 the year-on-year sales increase of imported pet brands was 118 per cent higher than that of domestic brands. Services related to pets are also on the rise, such as grooming and medical care.

    Tianyang Fan, head of pet products at JD Fast Moving Consumer Goods, said the initiative provides a better shopping experience for pet owners, while also serving brand partners who are looking to improve their products and marketing solutions based on consumer insights.

    JD also hopes to become Chinese pet owners’ one-stop destination for pet-related information and the types of high-quality pet products. Currently applicable only to cats and dogs, the initiative could be expanded to offer tailored information about other pets, such as aquatic creatures.

  • YouTube Music gets more personal with three new mixes

    YouTube Music gets more personal with three new mixes

    YouTube Music has announced three new personalized mixes are now available for its customers. The music streaming service is rolling out today the new Discover Mix, New Release Mix, and Your Mix, which should introduce music lovers to a wider range of artists, new and old, based on their listening history.

    All three mixes announced today will be updated regularly, so they’ll remain fresh to offer listeners unique experiences every week. For example, the Discover Mix is a place where you usually head to discover new music. It consists of 50 tracks every week, which will be changed every Wednesday.

    The New Release Mix, as the name suggests, makes it easier for YouTube Music users to find the most recent releases by their favorite artists, as well as artists the service thinks you might like. Every Friday, YouTube Music will refresh this personalized mix with new tunes, but smaller updates will be released throughout the week as well.

    Last but not least, Your Mix is a playlist of songs by artists that you know and love. In addition, YouTube Music is adding other songs and artists that you might have never listened to, but it thinks you’ll love. The mix will receive small updates regularly, so the more you listen to and like these songs, the better your mixes are supposed to be.

    All three new personalized mixes are now available globally for all YouTube Music listeners on both the Android and iOS devices.

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  • Yamada Denki taking over furniture retailer Otsuka Kagu

    Yamada Denki taking over furniture retailer Otsuka Kagu

    Japanese furniture retailer Otsuka Kagu is to become a subsidiary of electrical-appliance chain Yamada Denki following a purchase of a majority shareholding in the business.

    The move follows bleak business prospects for Otsuka following poor sales and a high-profile feud among owners, as well as increased competition for Yamada in the face of strong competition from online retailers. The new alliance, to be effected on December 30, is expected to strengthen Yamada’s housing business. It will also effectively rescue the debt-ridden chain.

    The two companies have been working together since February, with some Otsuka Kagu staff transferring to Yamada Denki.

    In a statement, Otsuka Kagu said it believes the partnership will “help improve the brand image of the firm as a quality furniture retailer, so deepening the ties with Yamada Denki is the best choice to increase the sales and performance in our domestic business”.

    “I have the responsibility to put the company on a recovery track,” said Otsuka Kagu president Kumiko Otsuka.

    “Ms. Otsuka and I share the goal of bringing Otsuka Kagu into the black in the next financial year, so I want to give her a chance,” said Yamada Denki chairman Noboru Yamada.

    “The electric appliance business has a high affinity with the furniture business, and they make an ideal combination.”

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  • Hulu launches new rewards system for select viewers

    Hulu launches new rewards system for select viewers

    After increasing the prices of its streaming services, Hulu announced a new rewards system for those who love to binge. A new ad system is now available for Hulu viewers who like to watch TV shows back-to-back, the company announced.

    The new ad experience has been specially designed for binge-watchers, so here is how it will work. If you plan to watch an entire season of your favorite show in one sitting or at least several episodes, you will certainly qualify for Hulu’s new rewards system.

    Let’s say you’re watching a show and you reach the third episode, then you’ll be able to choose a reward from Hulu, as the streaming service will let you choose from either an ad-free episode or a unique offer from its brand partners.

    Speaking of brand partners, Hulu announced that for the time being, it will give binge-watchers offers from the following brands: Kellog’s, Maker’s Mark and Georgia-Pacific. Of course, Hulu may add more brands in the future, but for now, you’re limited to these three. Or, you can always choose the ad-free episode and don’t bother with any special offers from these advertisers.

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  • Waze makes it easier to navigate through wintry weather

    Waze makes it easier to navigate through wintry weather

    Waze announced that starting this week, driving through wintry landscapes will be a bit easier thanks to a new feature the developer is adding to its navigational app. The new feature lets Waze users report snow conditions in real-time, as well as view reports of winter weather hazards on the map overview before they decide to take a trip or not.

    Developed in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Transportation, the new snow reporting feature allows Waze users from over 185 countries where the app is accessible to learn about the weather and road conditions during winter weather. The new feature goes beyond just snow reporting, as Wazers will be able to indicate roads that haven’t been plowed and are almost impractical.

    What makes the feature even more useful is that the Virginia Department of Transportation plans to monitor all reports coming from the navigational app during this winter, and decide how they can use the data into their operations for the following winter.

    The new feature can be found in the latest version of Waze under Hazards / Weather / Unplowed Road. With the addition of the new feature, Waze users can now report about five weather conditions such as fog, hail, flood, ice, and snow.

  • Here’s how to watch Apple’s first Music Awards winner show live

    Here’s how to watch Apple’s first Music Awards winner show live

    After issuing a plethora of new hardware this year, starting from new iPads and finishing with the AirPods Pro, Apple is reserving a stage today entirely for its new adventures in content and media. Multimedia.

    It took on cable and Netflix with the upcoming Apple TV channels and TV+ subscription streamer. Game streaming and distribution platforms like Steam or Google’s upcoming Stadia will face the casual but formidable Arcade undertaking. News aggregators and standalone publishers now have another potentially huge platform to consider – News+.In one fell swoop, Apple wiggled its way right smack in the center of the news and entertainment industry, moving swiftly from a hardware to a content creation focal point. None of these newfangled Apple services can take on the established players on its own just yet, but Apple is catching up quickly.

    It just announced… its Music Awards today, “a celebration of the best and boldest musicians of 2019 and the enormous impact they have had on global culture this year.” According to Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and International Content:

    The Apple Music Awards are designed to recognize the passion, energy and creativity of the world’s favorite artists,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and International Content. “The musically diverse group of inaugural winners have sparked deep social conversation, influenced culture and inspired our customers around the world. We couldn’t be more excited to celebrate them.

    Who won? Well, Billie Eilish is Artist of the Year, of course, and the “WHEN WE FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” is Apple Music’s Album of the Year with over a billion streams. Billie, together with her brother Finneas, also got the Songwriter of the Year award from Apple.

    Lizzo is a Breakthrough Artist of the Year, while for Song of the Year Apple pegged the “Old Town Road” hit by Lil Nas X that became the most streamed song on Apple Music. The physical award itself? We are glad you asked about this raging minimalism, here it is:

    Each award features Apple’s custom silicon wafer suspended between a polished sheet of glass and a machined and anodized aluminum body. The wafers start as a perfect 12-inch disc of silicon with nanometer-level flatness. Copper layers are deposited and patterned by ultraviolet lithography to create connections between billions of transistors. The result of this multi-month process, before it is sliced into hundreds of individual chips, is stunning and distinctive. In a symbolic gesture, the same chips which power the devices that put the world’s music at your fingertips sit at the very heart of the Apple Music Awards.

    In addition, Apple will be streaming live its signature Music Awards event with a “bespoke performance from Billie Eilish at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park.” We can’t wait to see the spectacle that Apple has made out of its first award show, and you can tune in on December 4 at at 6:30 p.m. Pacific | 3:30pm Eastern for the staged festivities.

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  • Ikea India plans more up to 25 more stores

    Ikea India plans more up to 25 more stores

    Ikea India is preparing to launch 20–25 more locations, it emerged during a delegation of Swedish royals and businesspeople to the territory that began on Sunday.

    The firm currently has a store in Hyderabad, and is one of more than 200 Swedish companies operating in India. The country is Sweden’s third largest trade partner in Asia.

    A PTI News report quoted Swedish Trade Commissioner to India Anders Wickberg noting manufacturing, cleantech, and healthcare among others being mutual economic interests driving trade relations between the countries, bolstering a move to deepen bilateral ties.

    “With this commitment, we work to increase our bilateral impact, and strive to build on joint solutions,” said Wickberg.

    The inaugural Ikea India store opened in August last year and reportedly cost US$145.8 million. The store spans about 400,000sqft and represents one of the largest foreign investments in the Indian home-goods market, to date largely dominated by ‘unorganised’ retail operators.

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  • New Apple Music subscribers receiving six months of service for free

    New Apple Music subscribers receiving six months of service for free

    Apple is trying to make Shazam, its rather new acquisition, more popular among audiophiles and music lovers in general. The Cupertino-based company now offers a six-month trial to all new Apple Music subscribers, but the redeeming procedure goes through the Shazam app.

    From now until Cyber Monday, if you’ve never been subscribed to Apple Music you’ll be getting six months of service for free. If you for some reason dropped your subscription, you’re still eligible for the deal, it’s just that you’ll receive three months of free Apple Music instead of six when you resubscribe.

    To redeem the Black Friday offer, you’ll need to download the Shazam app on your iOS device via the App Store. Then, simply open the Shazam app, head to Library and a pop up with the Limited Time offer should appear in the column of Recent Shazams.

    According to Apple, the Apple Music promo offer is available until December 2 only for iOS users in the following countries: Canada, USA, and the UK .

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  • Petrol, Diesel Prices Stable Across All Metros

    Petrol, Diesel Prices Stable Across All Metros

    Oil marketing companies have left petrol and diesel prices unchanged across the country on Wednesday. According to Indian Oil Corporation website, a litre of petrol costs Rs 74.76 in Delhi, Rs 77.44 in Kolkata, Rs 80.42 in Mumbai and Rs 77.72 in Chennai on Wednesday. Dies el costs Rs 65.73 a litre in Delhi, Rs 68.14 a litre in Kolkata, Rs 68.94 a litre in Mumbai and Rs 69.74 a litre in Chennai on Wednesday.

    The fuel prices are the cheapest in Delhi compared to all metros due to lower taxes. As per the daily pricing mechanism, the fuel prices are dependent on the global crude prices and the rupee-US dollar exchange rate as India imports almost 80 per cent of its crude requirements. The benchmark Brent crude was $62.98 per barrel in international market on Tuesday.

    Deputy vice president of Angel Broking, Anuj Gupta said: “The report of increase in crude oil stock in America has led to the decline in the international prices. This is likely to continue as talks on tariffs between the US and China are also going on which may lead to de-escalation of tensions.”

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  • Davidoff Hong Kong opens cigar flagship

    Davidoff Hong Kong opens cigar flagship

    Swiss tobacco brand Davidoff has launched its Hong Kong flagship in luxury retail complex The Landmark.

    The 580sqft outlet significantly enlarges the brand’s previous space in the mall by more than half its size. The original outlet was the brand’s third best-selling cigar outlet internationally, accounting for more than 25 percent of the brand’s Asian sales.

    “We are delighted to relocate our new flagship store in Hong Kong,” said Davidoff Asia MD Laurent de Rougemont. “The challenge in designing this unique cigar shop was to preserve the company’s history but to continue our mission to delight and surprise our customers worldwide by delivering unique brands and unrivaled retail experiences.”

    “This enlarged new flagship store continues the Davidoff legacy of an inspiring place where aficionados can find exceptionally crafted Discovery Series cigars from different regions, as well as the complex tasting profile of Winston Churchill Collection,” said Davidoff Hong Kong regional manager and store manager Charles Lim.

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  • Netflix wants to produce Vietnamese content

    Netflix wants to produce Vietnamese content

    U.S. streaming service provider Netflix wants to produce content in Vietnam as it seeks to expand in Asia, its CEO has said.

    Speaking at a meeting with Mai Tien Dung, Chairman of the Government Office on Monday, Reed Hastings added that the company, which has set up offices in other Asian countries like India, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan, wants to set up one in Vietnam too.

    Netflix has been available in Vietnam since 2016 at VND180,000 ($7.8) a month for a basic subscription.

    It has been seeking to produce and acquire rights for more Asian content to increase the number of global subscribers.

    In September “Hau Due Mat Troi” (Descendants of the Sun Vietnam) became the first Vietnamese series to be screened on Netflix following the screening of movies like “Trung So” (Jackpot) and “Hai Phuong” (Furie).

    Netflix has 151 million subscribers in 190 countries.

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