Hear from real L”Oréal interns about their Travel Retail Internships across marketing, finance and sales in Hong Kong, the head office for the Asia Travel Retail business. You”ll discover the interesting projects and experiences as a L”Oréal Intern plus hear about how they feel they have made an impact on the business. L”Oréal internships are the perfect way to begin a career at L”Oréal.
Blog
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Sprooki at Retail World Asia 2014
Claire Mula, Co-founder, Managing Director , Sprooki spoke to us at Retail World Asia expo (co-located with Cards & Payments Asia expo) to give us an insight into their local marketing system, specifically tailored for retail groups and malls and why they chose to be a part of the show.
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Retail Asia Expo 2015 – Highlights
Retailers come here to discover new product, make connections and explore latest trends. Register as a visitor today! Established since 2009, Retail Asia Expo is an award-winning exhibition consists of three focus areas: Retail Technology, Retail Design & In-Store Marketing and Internet Retailing.
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What’s attracting retailers to Tokyo
As one of the most populated cities in the world, Tokyo’s large and discerning consumer market has long been a draw for retailers. Premium brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci have been present in the city for over three decades. More recently, we’ve seen the likes of Balenciaga, Alice+Olivia and MCM open up in central Tokyo. Precincts popular with international retailers include Ginza, Omotesando, Shibuya and Shinjuku which collectively form one of the largest retail concentrations in Asia.
The improving Japanese economy and lower barriers for entry for new to market brands has also revived retailer interest in the city. On top of this, growing tourism from the rest of Asia – and more recently South East Asia – offers an even wider pool of captive shoppers – especially with a target of 20 million by 2020.With the Olympics just a few years away, we’re likely to see more and more retailers turn their eye to Tokyo to establish and consolidate their presence in Asia.
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Kakao launches Hair Shop O2O
Kakao, the Korean internet pioneer, has selected ‘Hair Shop’ as its first O2O (online to offline) business in the beauty sector.
Kakao plans to expand its O2O business by releasing new services – relief drivers and the hair industry.
According to industry analysts, Kakao is planning to launch ‘Kakao Hair Shop’ (working title) during the first half of the year through its affiliate Hasys.
If Kakao’s Hair Shop is launched, related businesses could use Hasys solutions such as ‘Hair Zzang’ or ‘Beauty Zzang’ to easily build online and mobile reservation systems. Research on consumer satisfaction and marketing education could also be supported.
Customers could have access to information about various hair shops through a Kakao-based platform, and compare prices at each salon.
Some predict that Kakao will charge a commission for providing the platform when a user makes a reservation through the Hair Shop application and pays through Kakao Pay. However, Kakao claims that the details of the service have yet to be confirmed.
Hasys is a beauty solution business Kakao took over in October 2015 through K-Venture Group, an affiliate of Kakao specialising in investments. Hasys has developed and is providing solutions such as ‘Hair Zzang’ and ‘Beauty Zzang’, which manage clients of beauty salons, skin care parlors and nail shops.
Hasys has 10,000 beauty businesses as members, and ranks at the top of the industry with 69 per cent market share as of September 2015.
Kakao revealed its intentions to launch O2O services related to the beauty industry at the time it took over Hasys. As a first step, Kakao officially entered the hair industry.
Kakao officials said the company is planning to concentrate on the Hair Shop business, as it could be a service that is attractive to people of all genders and ages. “We have no other plans to expand our offerings into other beauty businesses.”
Hasys is currently meeting with owners of hair shops across Korea, explaining about the launch of Kakao Hair Shop. Currently 2000 shops have agreed to become members of the service.
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50 Global Superstars To Compete in Miss SuperTalent of the World 2016
Mark your social calendars as 50 gorgeous and talented ladies from all over the globe will sashay under the spotlight in the sixth edition of Miss SuperTalent of the World 2016. Pageant producer Sutal Group announced that the highly anticipated event will be held in Seoul, South Korea. The star studded grand finale will showcase the world’s most beautiful and talented contestants in a kick-off on April 27 and will culminate in a coronation night on May 13 at the K-Hotel Convention Center.
It’s going to be a dazzling coronation night as various performances are lined up—from heart-stopping martial arts, K-pop dance performances by the hottest Korean artists, to a unique spectacle of angels in collaboration with Korean wave stars and the pageant contestants.
This year, Miss SuperTalent of the World 2016 launches an engaging two-hour television special, to be telecast and live streamed via Internet worldwide, highlighting a different format of beauty pageant or supermodel search.
The event is widely watched worldwide, especially in Asia, where it is partnered with SGX-listed social commerce company YuuZoo Corporation. Through YuuZoo’s access to 110 million registered users and 800 million TV viewers, Miss SuperTalent of the World enjoys an unprecedented global audience reach.
It’s no surprise that Miss SuperTalent of the World is recognized today as the definitive platform where outstanding young women enter the exciting world of fashion, music, and entertainment to carve out successful careers. Past winners have risen to become influential icons, such as Egypt’s Meriam George and Ukraine’s Diana Starkova.
Sutal Group CEO Lawrence Choi remarks, “Unlike traditional beauty pageants and supermodel search contests, Miss SuperTalent of the World has its sights firmly set on superstars; film stars, pop icons, and supermodels. With its unique concept of discovering and nurturing talented beauties to become future stars in the global entertainment industry, it has launched the careers of its winners to become the faces of L’Oreal and Bollywood, among others.”
Check out more details by visiting www.misssupertalentworld.com, www.missstow.com (social site)
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Ikea Indonesia loses right to its own name
Ikea Indonesia has suffered a rude shock: Indonesian trademark laws have left the Swedish furniture giant without the right to its own name in the Southeast Asian nation.
A decision of the Central Jakarta Court granting Indonesian ownership of the Ikea brand name to a local business back in September 2014, has been upheld in a majority decision by the Supreme Court.
Commentators and critics of the Indonesian government and the country’s legal system say the court decision should be a warning of “the dangers facing foreign companies” who go to Indonesia.
The Supreme Court says the name Ikea is legally owned by PT Ratania Equator, a Surabaya company which registered the Ikea trademark as an acronym for ‘Intan Khatulistiwa Esa Abadi’.
The real Ikea trademarked its name in Indonesia on october 9, 2006 and again on October 27, 2010. But Ratania lodged claim to the name arguing that Ikea had not actively used its trademark in three consecutive years for commercial purposes. Under Indonesian trademark laws, this means its rights to the brand expire.
That’s why Ratania registered the Ikea trademark on December 20, 2013, and then sued IKEA of Sweden in the Central Jakarta District Court to get it to give up its claims to the trademark.
The September 2014 ruling ordered Ikea Sweden to stop using its own name. Ikea appealed, which led to the Supreme Court ruling this week in Ratania’s favour.
Ikea has yet to announce its next step. It seems likely it will have to either buy its name back or begin trading under another name in Indonesia, neither easily palatable options for a company of its international standing.
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Motor vehicles help December retail sales rise 2.9%
Motor vehicles lifted Singapore’s retail sales to a 2.9 per cent year-on-year growth in December 2015 from what would otherwise have been a 3.6 per cent decline, according to the Department of Statistics.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, retail sales in December declined by 2.1 per cent against November including motor vehicles. Excluding vehicles, retail sales would have declined by 2.8 per cent month on month.
Total retail sales in December were estimated at S$4.1 billion, compared to S$4 billion a year earlier.
The sale of food and beverages (F&B) declined by 5.7 per cent year on year, to S$665 million. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the F&B decline was 1.8 per cent versus November.
Motor-vehicle sales jumped 62.5 per cent year on year, the single largest growth among the retail sectors. Against November, motor-vehicle sales grew by 1.6 per cent.
Telecommunications apparatus and computers had the sharpest year-on-year fall, with retail sales dropping 26.4 per cent. Month-on-month sales fell 8.9 per cent for the sector.
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Grim outlook for Singapore retailers
Singapore retailers are facing “dark days”, including store closures, according to Singapore real estate company CBRE.
With falling domestic demand and soaring costs, there will be more store consolidations and closures, it says in a new report.
It predicts the retail market to undergo further restructuring following a muted performance last year, with weak brands being elbowed out, reports the Singapore Business Review.
“This year will be marked by challenging conditions that could push weaker-performing brands to close or downsize.”
There will also become harder to hire staff, with the report warning it is “highly unlikely” the government will lift restrictions on hiring foreigners. However, the costs and time associated with innovation and revamp are likely to keep a lid on expansion plans.
CBRE says the fast-fashion segment will be particularly hit hard by manpower constraints and lack of suitable retail space. It says cheaper running costs in neighbouring countries have helped pull fast-fashion retailers’ attention away from Singapore.
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Disney’s Hong Kong park posts loss as Chinese visitor numbers skid
The park posted a net loss of HK$148 million ($19 million)for the year, dropping into the red after three straight years of profits, Hong Kong’s Legislative Council Panel on Economic Development said in a report released on Monday.
Hong Kong has been hit hard by slowing economic growth in China, which has battered the number of big-spending Chinese tourists traveling to the city. Its retail sales saw their worst annual decline last year since 2002.
Hong Kong tourist arrivals fell 2.5 percent in 2015 to 59.32 million, the first decline since 2003 when the city lifted travel restrictions for some mainland Chinese. Mainland visitors account for about three quarters of visitors.
“The tourism industry of Hong Kong was greeted with great challenges due to external factors as well as overall market condition and sentiment,” the report, posted on China’s Tourism Commission website said.
The Hong Kong Disney park saw revenues of HK$5.1 billion in 2015, a decrease of 6 percent against a year earlier, the report said, the first revenue drop for the park since 2009. Visitor numbers also fell nearly 10 percent, the first decline since at least 2008, driven by a steep drop in mainland guests.
“Lower visitation from mainland China and the region largely contributed to softer overall theme park attendance,” Disney said in a statement emailed to Reuters.
The opening of the larger Shanghai resort could dent the fortunes of the Hong Kong park further, the panel said in the report, adding the park was looking at how to stay competitive in light of “intensifying competition” and “the opening of the Shanghai Disney Resort in June this year”.
Disney’s $5.5 billion Shanghai resort, a joint venture between the U.S. entertainment giant and Chinese state-backed consortium Shanghai Shendi Group, is slated to open on June 16. It had previously been set to open in late 2015.
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Victoria Beckham is opening a store in Hong Kong
Earlier today, minutes after taking a bow at her autumn/winter ’16/’17 show during New York Fashion Week, Victoria Beckham announced that her burgeoning retail empire is officially on the rise with a Hong Kong storefront scheduled to open in March.
“The women in Asia really know how to dress,” Beckham said to BagSnob founder Tina Craig on a video that appeared on Vogue China’s Instagram account. During Art Basel last March, the designer (and apparent celebrity wedding dress consultant) told the South China Morning Post that she was in the process of scouting potential brick-and-mortar locations in the metropolis.
Beckham, who showed a thoroughly modern collection of contrasting stripes, tuxedo jumpsuits and one particularly sophisticated take on an evening wear kilt, opened her first freestanding boutique on London’s Dover Street in September 2014. The Hong Kong shop marks Beckham’s first freestanding location in Asia and second in the world.
“Super chic sophisticated, understand and appreciate fashion…” continued the former Spice Girl and mother of four on her newest customer base. Her brood — along with newly-minted photog son Brooklyn and dashing husband David — sat, as usual, in the front row of her runway show near Anna Wintour. “They love getting dressed up.”
