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  • E-commerce to drive Asean retail growth

    E-commerce to drive Asean retail growth

    In its 2015 report to leaders, Asean BAC said business-to-customers Internet sales in Asean account for only one per cent of total sales as opposed to eight per cent in developed economies.

    According to global management consulting firm AT Kearney, Singapore is the only Asean country to be placed in the top 30 in a ranking led by the US, China and United Kingdom.

    In the firm’s 2015 Global Retail E-Commerce Index, Singapore ranked 14th with a 41.5 score in terms of online market attractiveness.

    The study said the city state has infrastructure that makes the retail environment conducive for online shopping.

    In terms of consumer behaviour, Singapore was rated at 89.4, a score higher than the US, which indicated a favourable consumer base for online transactions.

    Asean BAC said e-commerce technology is essential for the integration of Asean’s retail sector as it makes shopping easier for consumers. It also helps grow businesses without having to contend with too many pre-existing impediments.

    But in order to develop e-commerce, the council said Asean needs to work on its logistics, develop an online payment system and promote access to finance.

    Asean should also consider the establishment of a region-wide e-payment regulation system that will help companies identify their clients.

    To speed up the payment process, an e-payment escrow solution could also be explored, the council said in its report.

    Asean should also encourage partnerships between e-retailers and logistics players to improve trade efficiency.

    The integration of logistics systems in Asean must be accelerated. The council added in its report that the Asean Single Window system should be fully-implemented.

    Asean BAC said access to finance and use of regional e-commerce platforms will help Asean e-commerce players keep up with their international competitors.

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  • Gucci surprises China with up to 50% off discounted goods

    Gucci surprises China with up to 50% off discounted goods

    Gucci is offering as much as 50%off its goods in China as the Italian luxury fashion label aims to clear older merchandise designed by its former Creative Director Frida Giannini. Sales in Gucci’s China branches have encouraged lines of shoppers to form since sunrise to bag the best deals.

    The Italian fashion house’s CEO Marco Bizzarri is working to reposition the brand as a result of its disappointing figures and declining demand in Asia.  In order to do this, Alessandro Michele was promoted to the Creative Director position earlier this year, replacing Frida Giannini who held the post for past nine years. Michele’s first full collection is due to be released in stores later this year.

    Gucci’s overall sale performance has been low in China as of late, due to the country’s economic slowdown. The Asia-Pacific region, excluding Japan, accounts for 38% of its revenue so losses in this area have made a significant impact on overall earnings.

    Gucci reported its weakest quarterly performance in more than five years last month. The luxury retailer hopes that Michele’s new Gucci will result in its comeback and recovery.

    The sale, which started on Wednesday has been reported to last until next month, the exact dates are yet to be confirmed.

    Talya Misiri 

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  • DFS to Open T Galleria Store near Angkor Wat

    DFS to Open T Galleria Store near Angkor Wat

    Today, BoF can exclusively reveal that luxury travel retail company DFS is set to open an 8,000-square-metre retail complex near the world heritage site of Angkor Wat in Cambodia in 2016.

    Luxury travel retailer DFS is set to enter Cambodia in 2016 with a 8,000-square-metre ‘T Galleria’ retail complex (the ‘T’ stands for traveller) to be housed in a building shared with the Angkor National Museum in the provincial capital of Siem Reap, gateway to the world heritage site Angkor Wat which accounted for almost 30 percent of the 4 million international visits to the country in 2013.

    The new retail space will sell fashion and accessories, watches and jewellery and beauty from brands in DFS’s portfolio of over 700 brands including Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton and Bottega Veneta, alongside a selection of locally crafted pieces.

    “T Galleria by DFS Angkor will be a prime attraction for visitors, particularly in the hottest periods of the day. Visitors will be able to indulge their taste for renowned international luxury brands and local artisanship in pleasant surroundings that pay homage to local culture and design, reflecting the rich traditions of this unique destination,” said DFS chairman and CEO Philippe Schaus.

    In recent years, travel retail has become a highly lucrative component of a successful luxury strategy, with growth outstripping that of the luxury market as a whole. “Travel retail has been growing at about 12 percent in the past few years. A similar growth is expected in the next two to three years, putting it at double the growth rate for the luxury goods market,” Luca Solca, head of luxury goods research at financial services firm Exane BNP Paribas, told BoF earlier this year.

    DFS has kept a close watch on Cambodia, where the tourism industry increased contributions to the country’s overall GDP by 10.2 percent in 2014, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. What’s more, in the first six months of the year, an increase in direct flights between Cambodia and China boosted visits between the countries by 20 percent.

    “A significant number of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Southeast Asian and Western visitors are already visiting each year and numbers are expected to grow further, especially from China,” added Schaus. “We expect the total number of visitors to Cambodia and to Siem Reap to double by 2020, according to sources including the Asian Development Bank.”

    In September, DFS announced plans to enter Europe with a full restoration of Venice’s Fondaco dei Tedeschi, first built in 1228, which will house another T Galleria, also set to open in 2016. “It’s too early to announce any other plans for world heritage sites but we are keeping a close eye on every destination that our customers visit,” commented Schaus.

    Majority-owned by LVMH’s Selective Retailing Division, DFS boasts a global network of over 420 locations on three continents and continues to operate a dual business model, comprised of duty-free stores at major airports and ‘Galleria’ stores located in global travel hubs, though over time the company’s strategy has shifted away from duty-free stores towards full-priced retail.

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  • Suntory to expand Ribena candy in Asia

    Suntory to expand Ribena candy in Asia

    Suntory Beverage & Food plans to increase distribution of Ribena branded confectionery and drink products in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.

    Suntory took control of the Ribena brand in 2013 and the company said it now plans to build Ribena’s presence in Asian retail channels.

    As part of this drive, Suntory has reached an agreement with DKSH that will see the market expansion services group provide distribution, logistics, field marketing and credit and collection services to the Ribena brand across retail channels.

    “We aim to leverage on DKSH’s solid organisation and strong capabilities along the value chain, most notably its supply chain and commercial strengths. The collaboration is a next step in further enhancing the availability and visibility of our products in the retail channels,” said Kosuke Fujishima, head of regional corporate planning and director, Suntory Beverage & Food Malaysia.”

    “Suntory’s commitment to the people in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong remains steadfast, especially in providing even better products and services through improved delivery time and communication,” Fujishima added.

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  • Korean cellular carriers open unified app retailer

    Korean cellular carriers open unified app retailer

    South Korean cellular carriers have opened a unified app retailer for his or her smartphone customers, as a part of an effort to bolster their presence within the rising app content material sector dominated by two app giants: Google and Apple.

    The One Retailer is a consolidated cellular model of KT‘s Olleh Market; T Retailer operated by SK Planet, the platform arm of SK Telecom; and U+ Retailer by LG Uplus.

    It’s out there for a smartphone consumer by way of a model improve of the prevailing app market on the handset.

    An app developer can now promote their product on the app market by importing the product solely as soon as on the One Retailer, whereas up to now they needed to register it individually on the prevailing app shops.

    The requirements for creating an app have additionally been harmonised so app creators gained’t have to make totally different apps for every app retailer, the cellular carriers stated.

    The launch of the One Retailer got here two months after saying the plan to combine the web content material market that had been run individually by every telecom firm.

    In accordance with market watchers, cellular carriers felt the necessity to be a part of forces for the app content material sector towards Google’s Android market and Apple App Retailer which have dominated the native app enterprise.

    In response to the newest knowledge by the Korea Cellular Web Enterprise Affiliation, Android is estimated to have taken up 51.eight per cent of the app market in Korea value roughly four.5 trillion gained (US$four.06 billion) as of end-2014, adopted by Apple’s 31.three per cent. The mixed share of native app platform suppliers solely stood at 13 per cent.

    The Korean cellular carriers hope the One Retailer will create new alternatives for native app builders, in addition to cellular shoppers, to take pleasure in numerous and certified content material based mostly on a extra handy and higher consumer expertise.

    About 1.7 million smartphone customers are anticipated to go to the One Retailer each month, the cellular carriers stated. They didn’t give particulars on the variety of apps registered with the unified market.

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  • Pleasure Metropolis opens indoor road in China mall

    Pleasure Metropolis opens indoor road in China mall

    Pleasure Metropolis Property has launched China’s first cultural and artistic industry-themed indoor pedestrian road in Tianjin – Pleasure Metropolis’s Cheer Market.

    The road can also be the primary of its sort within the nation to have been situated inside a buying centre. The distinctive and ‘avant-garde fashion’, Cheer Market has been held up as a mannequin that different purchasing malls have been following in recent times in an try and buck the development of homogeneity and the affect of e-commerce in addition to to shoulder the company social duty actively.

    Pleasure Metropolis’s goal clients, aged between 18 and 35, are able to creating and appreciating artworks, together with these designs that are above the mass market’s style. Particularly, Cheer Market caters for the preferences and needs of the ‘yuppies’.

    Positioned as “an artwork road in a purchasing centre”, Cheer Market consists of delivery containers during which entrepreneurs arrange outlets and are free to train their creativity and originality of their inside ornament and design.

    As well as, the low lease and enormous share of revenues loved by the companies in Cheer Market and the place’s distinctive inventive atmosphere have attracted numerous artistic younger individuals to make their marks there. The freewheeling environment has given delivery to such creative zones as “Shen Shou Si” (Temple of Auspicious Animals) and “Secret Publish Workplace” which have turn out to be magnets for patrons.

    “Younger individuals are imbued with many unique concepts, however often can’t put them into follow as they face many various sorts of constraints, together with a scarcity of capital”, stated a graduate who’s a younger entrepreneur.

    “Nevertheless, they will realise their goals in Cheer Market, which is a seedbed for brand spanking new companies began by the younger due to its beneficial circumstances.”

    Tianjin Pleasure Metropolis’s GM Wu Jing says: “A purchasing centre ought to be energetic as an alternative of being mundane.”

    Situated on the fifth flooring of Tianjin Pleasure Metropolis, Cheer Market has now turned what was as soon as an inaccessible quiet nook with a big space into an indoor business road with a robust character and the very best income generated per sq. metre.

    The business property challenge distinguishes itself from Nanluoguxiang (South Lane of Gongs and Drums) of Beijing and Tianzifang, which is an arts and crafts enclave of Shanghai, by recreating outside streets inside a constructing.

    The identify “Cheer Market” was impressed by the youngsters’s e-book Nils Holgersson’s fantastic journey throughout Sweden of the Nobel Prize-winning author Selma Lagerlöf. The novel illustrates the protagonist’s private improvement by means of a collection of fantasy adventures, and evokes individuals with a ardour for all times to be happy to reside out their goals.

    Says Wu: “The importance of Cheer Market lies in its functionality to set off individuals’s want for creativity with freedom. Their hands-on expertise with the fascinating actions on the outlets there result in consumption. Cheer Market will assist appeal to clients to Pleasure Metropolis. It has blazed a path within the industry by bringing outside streets indoor and by providing clients a stimulating buying setting.”

    Pleasure Metropolis Property’s government director and GM Han Shi says Pleasure Metropolis Property aspires to develop into an organization that may thrive for greater than a century, and innovation would be the key to that.” 

    “Pleasure Metropolis is far more than a purchasing centre. It’s a vibrant and stylish place for spreading tradition. Pleasure Metropolis will set the development for the younger individuals’s way of life. It is going to endeavor to realize this goal via fixed innovation and by main the industry in enterprise administration.”

    Hong Kong listed Pleasure Metropolis Property is a business property itemizing firm underneath COFCO Company, enterprise of which overlaying business property, residential property, lodge, tourism property and regional complete improvement.

  • Lotus Foods helps small rice farmers grow their income

    Lotus Foods helps small rice farmers grow their income

    Lotus Foods, a global innovator in the production and marketing of specialty rice, joined the Business Call to Action with a commitment to increase the incomes of at least 3,000 farm households by 2017.

    The company is paving the way to market for smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia who adopt the ecological method of rice cultivation known as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). This helps farmers to grow rice more sustainably to make livable incomes as well as to offer healthier rice choices to consumers.

    Established in 1995, Lotus Foods has become dominant in linking marginalized farmers to major markets, having pioneered the introduction of heirloom black and red rice into the United States.

    The SRI production method, which is being applied by more than 10 million farmers in more than 50 countries, helps farmers generate surpluses by doubling their rice yields with less water, land, chemicals and greenhouse gas emissions.

    Introduction of this growing method to its farmer-producers led Lotus to surpass its early goals and increase the amount of SRI-produced rice it buys from organic-certified farmers in Cambodia, Indonesia and Madagascar. Initially the rice was sold only in bulk, but in 2010 the company launched its heirloom varieties for retail customers.

    Suba Sivakumaran, Business Call to Action (BCtA) Programme Manager, said: “Fair trade, organic and healthy products are among the food industry’s fastest growing trends – we are pleased that Lotus Foods has seized the opportunity to improve farmers’ productivity, enhance developing economies and protect the environment.”

    Lotus has been an important catalyst for farmers to obtain organic and fair trade certifications, in addition to producing according to SRI methods, in order to earn higher export premiums.

     

  • Sony Talks Digital Distribution And The Shift Away from Physical Retail

    Sony Talks Digital Distribution And The Shift Away from Physical Retail

    SCE President Andrew House talks digital distribution and the shift away from physical retail occurring this generation.

    At Sony’s Investor Relations Day 2015 presentation, House spoke about the improved network features of the PS4 over the PS3 and believes that it’s one of the drivers for the shift. He also pointed out that having earlier and more accessible access of digital releases are contributing elements now that download versions arrive on the same day with retail copies and can often be pre-loaded.

    House also talked about the impact on profit, noting that regions will be affected differently based on technology and user preference.

    “Anecdotally the new console generation has certainly marked a shift to digital distribution in my opinion. Pre-loading, more competitive pricing and day and date access are the big factors for me, plus the requirement of retail releases to install and often download day one patches negates the speed factor of retail purchases.”

    In recent times, both Sony and Microsoft have embraced flash sales and discounting of online products.

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  • H&M to open first store in India

    H&M to open first store in India

    Swedish multinational retail-clothing company Hennes & Mauritz is to expand its presence to India, with the launch of the first store in the nation’s capital Delhi.

    The move follows H&M’s announcement in 2013 to invest around INR7bn ($109.3m) to open 50 single-brand retail stores in India.

    Spread over an area of around 25,000ft2, the proposed store will be located in Select Citywalk mall in Delhi, besides other foreign fashion brands including Zara, Mango, Tommy Hilfiger and GAP.

    H&M Hennes & Mauritz Retail India country manager Janne Einola said: “This Fall, fashion will have a brand new address in India: from a world-class shopping destination to sustainable and quality fashion offerings at the best price, we are excited to present the complete H&M experience to our Indian customers.”

    Currently H&M operates more than 3,600 stores in 58 markets across the globe.

    The retailer generated around $22.33bn in sales last year.

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  • Indosat, Facebook launch Internet.org in Indonesia

    Indosat, Facebook launch Internet.org in Indonesia

    Ooredoo Group’s Indonesian subsidiary Indosat and Facebook have jointly launched the Internet.org initiative in Indonesia. Facebook’s Internet.org seeks to make internet services more accessible through free internet access to a set of basic services, including health, education, social media for communication and news.

    In Indonesia, Indosat will provide internet access at no charge through the Internet.org services both for IM3 & Mentari (prepay customers) and Matrix (postpaid subscribers). Customers will be able to access general information on Ask.com and Wikipedia; get news updates on Merdeka.com & KapanLagi; stay up to date on sports through Bola.net; get education info on Kelase; as well as check the weather and climate through Accuweather; read stories via Wattpad; check employment opportunities on Jobstreet; sell items on OLX & Tokopedia; learn about women’s issues on BabyCenter, Mama, Girl Effect websites; and access health information on UNICEF’s Facts for Life.

    Indosat customers in Indonesia can access these services via www.internet.org or by downloading Internet.org app from the Android playstore. The service will be available in English and Bahasa Indonesia.

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  • Coca-Cola fosters Mama’s Houses to empower ladies in Sichuan communities

    Coca-Cola fosters Mama’s Houses to empower ladies in Sichuan communities

    QIN Guoying, Common Secretary of the China Ladies’s Improvement Fund, and Zhang Huaying, Vice President of Coca-Cola China and Korea, joined representatives from a number of native authorities businesses to collectively inaugurate two new Mama’s House facilities in Leshan Metropolis, Sichuan Province, yesterday.

    Mama’s Houses are group ladies’s empowerment facilities managed in partnership with native authorities, social organizations and companies. The primary aim of those facilities is to advertise household, group and financial improvement in areas affected by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.

    Up to now, 4 Mama’s Houses have opened their doorways. It’s estimated that these facilities profit 50,000 ladies annually by providing programs on enterprise subjects, housekeeping, cooking, nursing and handiwork. These facilities additionally assist arrange part-time jobs to serve native communities.

    Designed particularly for moms, these Mama’s Houses are outfitted with childcare areas the place ladies can depart their youngsters as they consider studying expertise or partaking in part-time employment.

    Qin has praised the achievements of the Mama’s Residence’s initiative. “Ladies are the core of households and communities. In contrast to different typical group sponsorship packages, Mama’s Residence pilots a win-win answer to a number of group wants by furthering ladies’s social and financial independence,” she stated.

    Mama’s Houses have loved a lot early success. Many ladies collaborating in this system say they’ve develop into extra assured and happier by serving to themselves and serving others of their native communities.

    Wei Rong, for example, went to Mama’s House day-after-day to attend shuxiu-style embroidery courses in her spare time. After six months of coaching, she bought one piece of handiwork for a number of thousand yuan. Now her dream is to turn out to be an embroidery grasp.

    In the meantime, Lily Wang studied enterprise administration with Mama’s House, and now the grocery retailer she runs brings in sufficient revenue to cowl her household’s every day bills. As an entrepreneur, she is now actively planning a shiny future for her daughter.

    As Zhang remarked, “Coca-Cola strongly believes that sustainable enterprise progress is constructed on the sustainable improvement of the communities the place we function. We’re proud to be a part of this significant program.”

    Additionally in line with Zhang, Mama’s Houses show the native relevancy and collaborative potential of Coca-Cola’s 5by20 packages, a worldwide initiative which goals to empower 5 million ladies by 2020 via Coca-Cola’s worth chain.

    Coca-Cola and the China Ladies’s Improvement Fund are absolutely dedicated to this program and plan to determine a complete of 20 Mama’s Residence facilities in Sichuan province over the subsequent two years, and to regularly broaden the Mama’s Residence program to different provinces throughout the nation.

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  • World-class duty-free coming to Myanmar airports

    World-class duty-free coming to Myanmar airports

    Singapore Windsor Holdings has signed a 10-year agreement with DFS Group to develop and operate duty-free retail outlets at Yangon International Airport and Nay Pyi Taw International Airport.

    DFS Group is a Hong Kong-based luxury travel retailer, majority-owned by conglomerate Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH).

    “In addition to a duty-free store at Nay Pyi Taw International Airport, we will open duty-free outlets at the existing departure and arrival terminal of Yangon International Airport, followed by a much larger duty-free retail space when the new terminal at Yangon International Airport is completed towards the end of this year,” said a notice on the Singapore Exchange (SGX).

    By the end of 2015, Singapore Windsor will operate almost 2000 square metres of duty free retail space at the two airports. The notice did not mention plans to introduce duty-free services to Mandalay International Airport.

    The new international terminal in Yangon airport is expected to handle three times the current passenger traffic volume. Myanmar’s airports already offer duty-free alcohol and tobacco, but not yet to an international standard, according to the notice.

    DFS is headquartered in Hong Kong and has offices in Hawaii, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo. Singapore Windsor is a Singapore-listed, Myanmar-focused company, with interests in telecom infrastructure construction, trading, distribution and retail, serviced offices, and car hire and rental services.

    Last week, the group’s wholly owned subsidiary SMI Auto Services signed a five-year franchise agreement with Europcar, to provide vehicle rental and limousine services throughout Myanmar. The deal is renewable for another five years, if both parties agree to it.

  • Singapore’s iconic Ku De Ta undergoes big makeover

    Singapore’s iconic Ku De Ta undergoes big makeover

    Ku De Ta – the swanky bar perched on the boat-shaped rooftop of Singapore’s iconic casino resort Marina Bay Sands – is undergoing an extreme makeover, including a name change.

    Now called Ce La Vi, the nightspot will go through a major refurbishment this summer as its owner L Capital Asia, the private-equity fund backed by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, looks to enhance the customer experience and cement its position as a leading “adult playground.”

    The name is a play on the French phrase, ‘c’est la vie’ which means ‘this is life’.

    L Capital Asia, which bought a majority stake in the bar last year, has been involved in the ongoing litigation over the name Ku De Ta, already being used by a popular beachfront bar in Bali.

    Ce La Vi restaurant, overlooking the Singapore skyline.

    In December, the Singapore Court of Appeal ruled that the “Ku De Ta” trademarks registered in Singapore should be transferred to the Bali partnership, according to the Straits Times. These marks had been registered by a company set up by an Australian businessman Arthur Chondros, one of the partners of Ku De Ta Bali.

    L Capital Asia will launch other nightspots under the brand Ce La Vi as it looks to grow its presence in the high-end dining and entertainment scene in the region.

    So far, the firm has secured a space on the top three floors of Hong Kong’s California Tower, located in the city’s main dining and entertainment district – Lan Kwai Fong. The venue will be open for business in July.

    The company has plans to launch the brand in other key urban centers around the world, with expansion into Dubai and Taipei already under way.

    “As the company builds this global dining and entertainment brand, we are on the lookout for sites in cosmopolitan capitals further afield, from Europe to the USA and wherever opportunities arise,” Ravi Thakran, managing partner at L Capital Asia, said in a statement.

    “We will only select locations that are the most coveted spot in the city, nothing less than a commanding presence with breathtaking panoramic views in the world’s lifestyle capitals,” he said.

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  • Apple watch to be available in Singapore from June 26

    Apple watch to be available in Singapore from June 26

    Apple Watch will be available in Singapore from June 26, according to a press statement on Apple’s website on Thursday.

    Fans will be able to buy the smartwatch from Apple’s online and retail stores, and selected authorised resellers.

    Selected models of the Apple Watch will also be available from boutique store Malmaison by The Hour Glass in Singapore.

    The watch will also be available in six other countries on June 26 – Italy, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and Taiwan.

  • Thailand To Tackle Tax Avoidance On Imported Cars

    Thailand To Tackle Tax Avoidance On Imported Cars

    Thailand’s Government has confirmed that it is planning to change the way excise tax is calculated on imported vehicles as part of a wider plan to modernize Thailand’s excise tax system and increase tax revenues.

    Somchai Poolsawasdi, Director General of the Excise Department, said recently that the upcoming changes are designed to stop importers from using understated cost, insurance, and freight (CIF) valuations to reduce excise tax payable.

    Under the proposed new excise tax system, excise tax rates would be cut, but the tax would be based on the retail price of the vehicle, rather that its CIF valuation.

    Plans to change the basis of excise taxes to retail prices, instead of ex-factory prices, were announced by the Excise Department last year as an addition to the military-led Government’s tax reform plans. The new excise tax calculation methodology is intended to improve transparency (as ex-factory prices could be understated by manufacturers), and bring Thailand’s excise taxes in line with global standards. The Government says that the amendment would have no effect on consumers, but will increase excise tax revenues by around THB6bn (USD178m) annually.

    The new excise tax bill was approved by the Cabinet last month but must be endorsed by the Legislative Assembly before it can become law.