The growing use of video surveillance systems in sectors such as hospitality, banking and financial, government, transportation, education and retail has created huge growth opportunities for the manufacturers, distributors and system integrators in this industry.
Blog
-
HK still world’s most expensive retail market
Hong Kong ranks as the world’s most expensive high-street retail destination, surpassing New York, Paris, London and Tokyo by a substantial margin, according to the latest research from CBRE.
CBRE’s regular quarterly ranking of the world’s prime global retail markets saw little change in the third quarter of 2014, with global and hot-growth markets continuing to lead the rankings.
It said this is the third consecutive year that Hong Kong has ranked top of the global list.
According to CBRE, Hong Kong (USD4,327 per sq. ft. per annum) maintained a wide lead over the number-two market, New York (USD3,570 per sq. ft. per annum) where prime rents along Fifth Avenue are at record levels.
“The Occupy Central protest, which began late in Q3, has not yet materially impacted retail rents in Hong Kong as most prime retail shops are located beyond protest areas,” said Joe Lin, Executive Director, Retail Services, CBRE Hong Kong.
While the top four cities continue to hold their leading positions, there was some movement lower in the top ten rankings. Rents rose in Tokyo (USD1,076 per sq. ft. per annum), and fell in Zurich (USD895 per sq. ft. per annum) and Sydney (USD730 per sq. ft. per annum), resulting in the cities changing positions this quarter.
In Q3 2014, Tokyo continued to lead rental growth in Asia-Pacific, with the continued lack of space in major high-street retail locations pushing up retail rents 7.7 percent quarter-over-quarter.
Strong rental growth was also recorded in a number of emerging markets in the region, particularly in India and Vietnam, reflecting the recent resumption of structural economic reforms following the general lack of progress over the past few years. Highlights included a strong 5.9% quarter-over-quarter rental growth in Ho Chi Minh City and a 4 percent quarter-over-quarter rental growth in Mumbai.
-
UPS partners with 7-Eleven in Singapore for delivery
Driven by the growth of e-commerce and online, cross-border transactions, UPS and 7-Eleven have entered into an exclusive partnership in Singapore for an innovative delivery system.
The agreement will see 20 7-Eleven outlets at Shell petrol stations across Singapore serve as Alternative Delivery Locations (ADL) for UPS packages.
“The online shopping market in Singapore is projected to reach SGD4.4 billion (USD) by 2015, and our customers have raised concerns about not being available to sign off on their purchases when they arrive,” said Ingrid Sidiadinoto, Managing Director, UPS Singapore.
The new solution offers customers the flexibility of collecting packages coming from selected online retailers, at the closest participating Shell ADL, if they are not available when UPS makes the first delivery attempt.
She said the new arrangement is expected to help raise the bar on customer service by giving customers greater control over their e-commerce shipments. With 7-Eleven operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the 20 strategically-located outlets participating in the initiative would allow customers to retrieve their packages from a secure and staffed location at their convenience.
In addition to the 7-Eleven partnership, Shell will also be fueling UPS’s 100-strong Singapore delivery fleet with Shell Diesel and Shell FuelSave, which help UPS to reduce harmful emissions and its carbon footprint in Singapore.
“We look forward to welcoming UPS customers to our 20 ADL stations at any time of the day, and assisting them in retrieving their online purchases,” said Leong Chee Hoe, Regional Key Account Manager East for Commercial Fleet, Shell Singapore.
-
Luxury brands’ missed opportunity: YouTube
Luxury fashion brands sashayed their way to substantially more YouTube views in 2014. But they still have a lot of runway ahead for growth on the social media platform.
According to a new report by think tank L2, conducted in partnership with YouTube ad buying platform Pixability, fashion brands increased views on the video site by 204 percent as of October, as compared to the prior year’s total. The 90 brands examined also boosted their subscriber base by 87 percent, with Chanel, Dior and Burberry leading the way.
Despite this improvement, the report noted fashion brands “consistently fail to optimize their YouTube presence,” in part because the majority of their content fails to appear in the top slot of search results for their respective brands.
-
Online Friday sale reaches USD7.2m in Vietnam
Traders recorded a sale of VND154 billion (USD7.23 million) in the first ever Online Friday event in Vietnam, announced the Vietnam E-Commerce and Information Technology Agency (VEITA) on Monday.
VEITA said that more than 1,000 traders who showcased 3,226 products participated in the shopping event held on the first Friday of December (5 December) via two websites, ngaymuasamtructuyen.vn and onlinefriday.vn.
The VEITA said that hi-tech devices, fashion and consumer products accounted for more than 80 per cent of the total orders.
-
After Delhi-NCR, Snapdeal to offer home services in other metros
E-commerce giant Amazon.com might be planning to launch local handymen services in the Indian market after having done it in the US a few months ago, but Snapdeal.com has already started providing plumbing, electrical and other household services in some cities.
The Gurgaon-based company, the second largest online marketplace in the country, is betting big on the growing needs of consumers for such services.
After a pilot project in Delhi and NCR in October, the company has started offering the services in Bengaluru last month, and will go live with Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune in January. By March next year, it plans to target about 10 more cities, where people can call for a plumber, electrician, hardware professionals, carpenters and home cleaning services online.
-
Wildcraft to add 50-60 stores in India by 2016, eyes overseas markets
Even as global active lifestyle brands are rushing into India, home-grown outdoor gear brand Wildcraft has said it is eyeing opportunities to take its brand to West Asian and South Asian markets.
“We have designed our products keeping in view the local climatic conditions. West Asian and South Asian markets can well do with our kind of products. We are planning to venture into those countries with the distribution model,” Gaurav Dublish, co-Founder, Wildcraft, toldBusinessLine.
In India, Wildcraft has 120 retail outlets, largely company-owned and operated. “We plan to add 50-60 stores by 2016,” said Dublish, adding the investment outlay is expected to be about INR18 crore (INR180 million, USD2.8m). Wildcraft stores are typically 500-600 square feet.
-
Adidos and Hotwind? In China, brands get names to show foreign flair
Chrisdien Deny, a retail chain with more than 500 locations across China, sells belts, shoes and clothing with an “Italian style” – and a logo with the same font as Christian Dior’s.
Helen Keller, named for the deaf-blind American humanitarian, offers trendy sunglasses and classic spectacles at over 80 stores, with the motto “you see the world, the world sees you.”
Frognie Zila, a clothing brand sold in 120 stores in China, boasts that its “international” selection is “one of the first choices of successful politicians and businessmen” and features pictures on its website of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Venetian canals.
Eager to glaze their products with the sheen of international sophistication, many homegrown retail brands have hit upon a similar formula: Choose a non-Chinese name that gives the impression of being foreign.
-
Cheaper fuel encourages Australian shoppers to spend
Motorists in Australia have celebrated cheaper petrol prices by going shopping.
Pump prices have fallen to the lowest point in four years, giving consumers something to be cheerful about following a run of bad economic news.
The Australian Retailers Association, which represents small businesses and department store Myer, says this has encouraged people to spend, since suburban stores reopened after the Boxing Day sales.
-
Puma eyes top spot in India through store expansion, new brands
Puma, the global brand known for its lifestyle sports apparel and shoes, is looking to strengthen its position in India. It is eyeing the top slot in the segment via a nationwide network expansion as well as the launch of its global brands pitched at the Indian sports enthusiast. Abhishek Ganguly, the new managing director of PUMA India, is looking to reposition the brand in the country. Puma is currently in the second spot behind Adidas in India’s INR5000-crore (INR50 billion, USD785.3 million) sportswear market, followed by Nike.
“We are in process of creating a strong brand awareness through various marketing and product launch initiative,” Ganguly said. “We are bullish on India and we have seen a major shift to high end products by Indian consumers. Hence, we want to bring our global sports assets to India shortly.”
From its global kitty, Puma has already launched two leading shoe brands, Mobium and Faas, in India. The Mobium Ride, priced at about INR9,000, is built for the more traditional heel striker looking for an everyday running shoe. The company also launched the Nightcat Powered edition under Mobium brand. The Faas 600 S is priced in the INR8,000 range in India.
-
Over half of mobile phones now smartphones in Japan, says survey
Smartphone users now account for over half of Japan’s mobile telephone subscribers, a survey of 2,000 adults said on Saturday.
The Dec. 5 to 8 survey, which drew valid responses from 63.7 percent of the pollees, found the ratio had risen to 52.7 percent from 43.7 percent a year ago.
Usage was quite high among young people, with 93.4 percent of subscribers in their 20s and 85.7 percent in their 30s using smartphones, the survey said.
-
Tmall global sales increase 10 times in 10 months
China’s largest e-commerce group Alibaba said on Monday transaction size at its overseas shopping division Tmall International added more than 10 times since its initial launch in February this year.
By the end of November this year, as many as 5,400 overseas brands from 25 countries and regions have opened official marketplace at Tmall. Among them, 30 Tmall stores have recorded transaction of more than CNY10 million (USD1.6 million).
Foreign retailers such as Metro AG are also planning to open their official stores on Tmall early next year.
-
Chinese luxury market trends for 2015
The Chinese luxury market has gone through changes in 2014 driven by changes in consumer behavior and the government crackdown. What can we expect in 2015?
The recent Ruder Finn and Ipsos’s China Luxury Forecast survey provides a glimpse into what we can expect in luxury consumer trends for 2015 in domestic retail, travel, duty free shopping, and e-commerce.
Ruder Finn and Ipsos surveyed over 1,900 consumers in mainland China and Hong Kong from first, second, and third tier cities, reports Luxury Daily. The average annual household income for those surveyed was $125,000 for those on the mainland and HKD126,900 in Hong Kong.
-
Sheng Siong signs joint-venture deal to run supermarkets in China
Singapore-listed Sheng Siong Group has signed a conditional joint-venture (JV) agreement with Kunming LuChen Group Co Ltd to operate supermarkets in China.
Under the conditional agreement, the proposed JV company will be incorporated under the laws of China with a registered capital of USD10 million.
-
Australian shoppers flock to the Boxing Day sales despite poor sentiment
Retailers in Australia were delighted by a strong turnout of shoppers on Boxing Day, giving analysts further reason to suspect a turnaround in consumer sentiment.
Myer executive general manager stores, Tony Sutton, said the crowd through the doors at the Melbourne Bourke Street store at 5am looked like its biggest in a decade.
Accounting firm BDO reported that spending in the week before Christmas was up 13 percent on 2013. BDO national retail lead partner Simon Scalzo said the last few weeks of December had seen a shift in consumer sentiment and now more people were willing to spend.