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Tag: asia

  • Globe interconnects with DE-CIX

    Globe interconnects with DE-CIX

    The Philippines’ Globe Telecom has enhanced its peering capacity in Europe through a new agreement with Deutscher Commercial Internet Exchange (DE-CIX). DE-CIX is the world’s largest internet exchange point with a peak traffic of over 6.4Tbps. Globe has peered at the company in Germany via its location in Frankfurt. The carrier neutral DE-CIX exchange interconnects more than 800 member networks, and provides peering and interconnection services to over 1,500 network operators, ISPs and content providers from more than 100 countries.

    The company offers peering and interconnection services from 13 locations in India, the Middle East, Europe, and North America.

    “This initiative will further complement existing infrastructure and enable users direct access to European content. At the same time, it functions as alternate internet gateways to the Philippines from that region as the internet is two-way,” Globe CTO Gil Genio said.

    “Improvements may also be observed in reaching networks that are part of the exchanges as the set-up will avoid the traditional via US traverse.”

    He said Globe Telecom now has connections to 23 internet exchange providers worldwide.

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  • Lotte Duty Free’s expanded flagship Seoul store with focus on K brand

    Lotte Duty Free’s expanded flagship Seoul store with focus on K brand

    Lotte Duty Free has opened a new 519 square meters area at its flagship store in Myeong-dong, Seoul, with a strong emphasis on promoting small and medium-sized Korean brands. A highlight of the zone, located in the store’s Star Avenue, is ‘Blooming Beauty’, a shop-in-shop that houses around 130 brands, 60 of them small, emerging brands and 30 of them independently owned. These include the Marvel collection from The Face Shop, Medicube, Miba, Cosmetea, Wakemake and others.

    The company said it was “upgrading its incubation programme” for smaller brands, and would support them by distribution through its online sales channel and at its downtown Seoul outlets.

    It said that these brands would “demonstrate their sales potential” in the new environment.

    The store, it added, “will enhance customer convenience through brand diversification and space expansion”.

    To celebrate the opening of the new Star Avenue area, Lotte Duty Free presented gifts from 20 brand partners in the Blooming Beauty zone to shoppers who spent more than US$1.

    There are also special discounts for local residents until the end of October, and discounted sales of KT&G’s new ‘heat not burn’ product Lil will be available until 22 November.

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  • Jollibee Sets Up Shop in Manhattan

    Jollibee Sets Up Shop in Manhattan

    Philippine fast-food restaurant chain Jollibee is opening its first Manhattan location next Saturday. The Jollibee Manhattan store will be the brand’s second store in New York State, and the 37th in the US. “We are excited to finally open our doors in the heart of bustling Manhattan, which is not just a centre of business and finance, but a major cultural and entertainment hub that receives millions of visitors from around the world each year,” said Jose Minana, Jollibee Foods Corporation’s (JFC) group president for North America.

    “The diversity of the food culture and the fast pace of living here make it perfect for our new Jollibee store location.”

    Maribeth dela Cruz, VP and GM at JFC North America expects the opening to draw long lines of customers.

    Jollibee Manhattan store located at 609 8th Ave., New York, NY 10018 opens Saturday, October 27. (Photo credit: Elton Lugay (Instagram/elton_lugay))

    To celebration the store, Jollibee will award free Chickenjoy for a year to the first 40 customers in line. Exclusive Jollibee Funko Pop! figures and other Jollibee collectibles will be up for grabs, too, to mark Jollibee’s 40th anniversary.

    Jollibee operates in 20 countries, with more than 4200 stores globally. The first North America store was opened in 1998 in California.

    JFC has an 85 per cent stake in US burger chain Smashburger, and has recently entered into an agreement with Mexican fast-casual restaurant chain Tortas Frontera for expansion.

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  • Foodpanda acquires Mumbai-based Holachef

    Foodpanda acquires Mumbai-based Holachef

    Online food ordering and delivery platform foodpanda said Tuesday it has acquired Mumbai-based food-tech venture Holachef. According to report: Through this collaboration, foodpanda marks its entry into cloud kitchens and plans to launch its own brand of food products in different categories, it said. The company, however, did not disclose any financial details of the acquisition.

    Commenting on the development, Pranay Jivrajka, CEO, foodpanda India said: “We aim to build India’s largest cloud kitchen network that will be a major step in further elevating the food experience for our customers.”

    The company is committed to providing unique local tastes and palate choices to the Indian consumer, he added.

    As part of the acquisition, foodpanda will take over Holachef’s business including its kitchens, equipment, as well as bring onboard the company’s employees. Holachef’s founders are set to join foodpanda’s leadership team, the statement said.

    “Our mission with Holachef is to serve incredible food experiences to customers through kitchens with the highest quality and hygiene standards. We are delighted to join hands with Foodpanda, to accelerate our mission,” Saurabh Saxena, Co-founder, Holachef said.

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  • Icicle Fashion Group buys the Parisian fashion label

    Icicle Fashion Group buys the Parisian fashion label

    Icicle Fashion Group has beaten out a phalanx of bidders to buy out French fashion brand Carven. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Despite Carven’s difficulty carving out a place in the modern fashion firmament, Icicle founder Shouzeng Ye said that the label offers considerable value to Icicle as a vehicle for global expansion, access to European design expertise and international luxury brand credibility.

    “Our strategy is to expand internationally,” he said. “We started in 2013 by opening our design centre in Paris. We are going to open our first international flagship store in Paris next Autumn 2019. Carven is our third large-scale international investment. It helps us to accelerate Icicle Group’s expansion and development.”

    Hung Huang, a long-time fashion identity in China, who last year wrote a book marking Icicle’s 20-year anniversary, sees overwhelmingly positive outcomes for both investor and investee as a result of the deal.

    “So many Chinese companies are buying luxury brands from overseas, but this is the most promising of these acquisitions. Because Icicle is already a successful fashion brand in China, they have a deep understanding of manufacturing and operating in the Chinese market,” she explains, adding that Carven will benefit from the fact that Icicle is not acquiring the brand purely as an investment project, but has value beyond the monetary injection to offer the French brand.

    Little known outside China, Icicle, known as Zhi He in its homeland, was founded by Shouzeng Ye and Shawna Tao in 1997 and has been a leading proponent of sustainable fashion in the country for more than two decades.

    Turning over more than 1.6 billion RMB (a little over $231 million) annually through its network of 200 stores in Mainland China and e-commerce operations, the privately-owned Icicle is headquartered in Shanghai and has a workforce of more than 2,000 in China, but also opened a design centre in Paris back in 2012, where its top-tier collection is conceived.

    On the other hand, according to Brock Silvers, managing director of Kaiyuan Capital, a China-based multi-asset advisory, a multitude of questions remain as to whether the partnership will indeed be a win-win for Icicle and Carven, especially given the premium price Icicle is paying and its reported promise to keep key Carven structures and people in place as part of the deal.

    “Is China ready to manage French fashion? Is Icicle prepared to expand beyond its eco-friendly mandate? A successful bid may not translate into an easy victory and Icicle management may soon be put to the test,” Silvers says.

    Icicle is among several peers from China ramping up their fashion portfolios through overseas acquisitions. Conglomerate Fosun Group purchased a majority stake in French brand Lanvin and textile giant Ruyi Group owns Bally, Aquascutum and Gieves & Hawkes.

    “[This] will continue because the Chinese consumer is fuelling the growth of the luxury sector. Therefore, Chinese companies can acquire an international brand and extract its potential in China, leveraging knowledge of successful approaches to marketing, pricing and distribution in the domestic market,” says Mario Ortelli, managing partner of luxury advisors Ortelli & Co.

    The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) estimates Chinese consumers already make up 32 percent of the global luxury market – a number predicted to rise to 40 percent by 2024. Data from McKinsey & Co. shows revenue growth in China’s luxury segment was around 15-20 percent for the first half of this year.

    Another major factor is the urging of China’s government for corporate leaders to help push China’s economy towards a consumption model, away from its traditional manufacturing base, which continues to weaken due to lower-cost competitors elsewhere in Asia, rising wages, and more recently, pressure from China’s trade conflict with the US.

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  • VeganBurg Indonesia to plan Asean expansion

    VeganBurg Indonesia to plan Asean expansion

    Two VeganBurg Indonesia stores planned for Jakarta and Bali mark the first steps in a Southeast Asian rollout for the brand after its Singapore success.

    The plant-based burger restaurant chain says it plans to open stores in other Southeast Asian markets under a franchise model.

    The chain, the world’s first of its kind, currently operates four stores in Singapore beyond its single-outlet San Francisco base. It chose Jakarta and Bali, because VeganBurg CEO Alex Tan considers the concept a “natural fit” due to Southeast Asia’s “love for sustainability and the desire for a more plant-based dining experience”.

    “We made the concept work in Asia – specifically in Singapore – then we put it to the test in San Francisco and the result was exponential!”

    VeganBurg Indonesia will exhibit at Jakarta’s Franchise and License Expo Indonesia this week, represented by World Franchise Associates (WFA).

    WFA COO Troy Franklin said: “With their 100 per cent plant-based burgers served in an inviting and comfortable fast casual restaurant format, VeganBurg offers a unique and genuine high-quality product for a new generation of health conscious and socially minded consumers and a great opportunity for Indonesian investors looking for the next big thing in international franchising.”

    VeganBurg also plans to expand in North America and globally.

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  • Bath & Body Works to open first store in India soon

    Bath & Body Works to open first store in India soon

    Major Brands, India’s leading retailer for premier international fashion apparel, accessories and beauty brands is all set to launch Bath & Body Works first store in Mumbai at Palladium soon. Having established itself as one of the best and most sought after personal essentials and home fragrance brand, the Palladium store will be spread over 900 sq.ft that will allow customers to explore an extensive array of fashion fragrances for the bath, body and home.

    From fun and flirty scents to sophisticated and exotic fragrances, Bath & Body Works offers a wide range of world-class fragrances to suit every personality and occasion. Hallmark collections of the brand, including the Signature fragrances and White Barn Home Fragrance will also be available at the store.

    Launched in 1990, the brand’s portfolio today comprises over 200 different fragrances including the iconic Sweet Pea, Japanese Cherry Blossom, A Thousand Wishes, Aromatherapy, Hello beautiful as well as new seasonal releases.

    Earlier this year, the brand opened two of its flagship stores in New Delhi at Select Citywalk and Mall of India.

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  • Ralph Lauren introduces the Polo Bear Watches collection

    Ralph Lauren introduces the Polo Bear Watches collection

    Continuing his 50th anniversary celebration, Ralph Lauren is launching the Polo Bear Collection, which combines Swiss watchmaking with the Polo Bear — a favorite icon in the designer’s world. The collection represents the first time Lauren has created timepieces specifically for the Polo brand. The four bears that are featured are Flag Bear, Martini Bear, Preppy Bear, and Spectator Bear, each inspired by his personal style and retailing for $2,000 a piece.

    In an interview at his Manhattan office last week, Lauren said the idea of the watches was just for fun. They’re not smart watches, nor are they rife with complications such as minute repeaters, chronograph, time zones or moon phase.

    “It’s purely a fun project. It was not about who’s out there and what are they doing” said Lauren, chairman and chief creative officer of the $6.2 billion Ralph Lauren Corp.

    Asked why he chose now to launch Polo Bear watches, Lauren said there was a lot of activity around the 50th anniversary, and it seemed like an appropriate time.

    The Polo Bear has been a constant theme at the company for over 25 years.

    In 1991, the Polo Bear was introduced with 200 limited-edition bears produced by Steiff, the German toy manufacturer, and dressed in miniaturized Polo Ralph Lauren apparel. Since then, the stylish bear has appeared as embroidery, prints and patches on a variety of items, from neckties to sweaters.

    Lauren anticipates that these four unisex watches will evolve into other bears, as well as other designs under the Polo banner.

    Taking a page from the first piece Lauren designed, the necktie, each watch can be customized with interchangeable straps crafted from necktie silk twill patterns as well as options in French calfskin or exotic alligator.

    The buckles on all the watches are a stainless-steel pink buckle, engraved with Polo while the case includes a commemorative 50th anniversary plaque set over the rotary.

    Manufactured in Switzerland in partnership with Compagnie Financière Richemont, the watches will be distributed exclusively to select Ralph Lauren stores and the Ralph Lauren web site, beginning next month.

    A collection for kids could be a possibility down the road. “I’d like kids to have it. That might be next,” he said.

    Lauren said they made the decision to put the Polo Bear watches into the new Polo watch division, rather than the Ralph Lauren watch division for a specific reason. “There is a charm to Polo watches and a price difference. The Polo Bear is a younger, more sporty, fun watch, and it felt more like Polo,” he said.

    The price range of Ralph Lauren Watches is from $1,500 to $99,500.

    With all the interest with Polo Bears, Lauren said he would consider doing stuffed animal bears as a category. “We might. It could be the beginning of something. You might see them on television,” said Lauren, but quickly added he has no plans to do a TV show with the Polo Bears.

    Speaking of television, the conversation turned to a Lauren documentary that will appear on HBO early next year directed by Susan Lacy.

    Having spent the last few months celebrating 50 years of the Ralph Lauren brand, the designer was asked what’s on deck for the next 50 years.

    “I think I accomplished 99 percent or more that I ever dreamt of.” he said.

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  • Superdry expect loss from prolonged summer

    Superdry expect loss from prolonged summer

    Superdry has issued a profit warning, saying an unseasonably warm European and US east coast summer together with foreign exchange costs will reduce income by about £10 million. “Superdry is a strong brand with significant growth opportunities, backed by robust operational capabilities, but we are not immune to the challenges presented by this extraordinary period of unseasonably hot weather,” said CEO Euan Sutherland in a statement.

    “We are well prepared for peak trading, but the second half of financial year 2019 presents both risks and opportunities.”

    The company’s share price fell a heavy 20 per cent in early trading after the announcement was made.

    Foreign exchange costs are expected to be about £8 million higher this year and the collapse of department store chain House of Fraser has left the fashion retailer an estimated £236,000 out of pocket.

    Sofie Willmott, senior retail analyst at GlobalData, said rival chains Quiz, Coast and Ted Baker have all been hit by the downfall of House of Fraser. “Superdry, the usually untouchable brand that consistently delivers double-digit sales growth, is the next to be affected.”

    Willmott said Superdry has had an unhealthy reliance on autumn/ winter stock and was unable to trade in season.

    “Given that the only certainty with weather is that it can be unpredictable, Superdry should have been better prepared to react to the prolonged warm summer, cutting back on volumes of jackets and coats to avoid overstocks and the need for markdowns.”

    Superdry knows this is an issue and is five months into an 18-month product-diversification program to broaden its range.

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  • President Xi Jinping expected to launch the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge

    President Xi Jinping expected to launch the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge

    The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge – the world’s longest sea bridge which has taken nine years to build – is expected to be officially opened by President Xi Jinping next Tuesday. Central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong has announced the event will take place in Zhuhai on October 23 but Xi will apparently not be crossing over to the Hong Kong side to mark the linking of the three cities through the mega project

    The 55km bridge marks a new milestone in Beijing’s broader push to create the Greater Bay Area – a technology-led economic hub comprising Hong Kong, Macau and nine Guangdong province cities with aspirations to rival California’s Silicon Valley.

    The bridge will put the three cities it links within an hour’s drive of each other and is expected to boost economic development and tourism in Hong Kong, which has invested HK$120 billion (US$15.3 billion) in the project.

    The bridge will provide a fast lane to the western part of the Pearl River Delta, Guangdong and Guangxi. A trip between the Kwai Chung Container Port and Zhuhai would be reduced from about 3½ hours to an hour and 15 minutes.

    And it would only take around 45 minutes to travel from Hong Kong International Airport to Zhuhai instead of the current four hours.

    The presidential trip, the subject of much speculation this year, would be highly symbolic in marking the 40th anniversary of China’s landmark economic reforms and opening-up policy.

    The southern economic powerhouse of Guangzhou was the lead runner in the reforms, with Shenzhen chosen as the first special economic zone to test out market-oriented policies.

    It was also the destination of Xi’s maiden visit outside Beijing after taking power in late 2012, and was seen as a strong signal of his support for greater market-oriented reforms.

     

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  • Sanrio Teams Up With The Créme Shop Launching Hello Kitty Skincare

    Sanrio Teams Up With The Créme Shop Launching Hello Kitty Skincare

    Skin-care retailer The Creme Shop has released a collaboration with Hello Kitty. The new product range features 51 items adorned with the world-renowned Sanrio character, including face masks, lip balms, hand creams and bath bombs.

    The Creme Shop’s executive director Olive Kim said: “As a brand that loves to create fun and eclectic products for our customers, a partnership with Sanrio felt natural to us. We’ve always adored Sanrio’s whimsical aesthetic and feel that this collaboration will only enhance the enjoyment our customers receive from our products. The best news is, this is only the beginning of our collaboration, and we can’t wait to create more exciting beauty and skin-care products with Sanrio.”

    While the products are currently only available online and at the Sanrio flagship Los Angeles store, they will eventually be made available for sale at a range of offline chain stores.

  • Premium organic skincare brand Ikkai launched in India

    Premium organic skincare brand Ikkai launched in India

    India’s leading natural beauty brand Lotus Herbals has unveiled Ikkai, a premium organic skincare brand. Ikkai is a fun beauty care brand for the youth that delivers awesomely convenient organic skincare products in single use packs. Considered to be the ‘Future of Skincare’, Ikkai consists of a range of adorably delicious, happy beauty products that include organic face masks, soufflés and scrubs. The entire range employs potent organic formulations that administer higher concentration of active ingredients in each product to provide safe and natural care effectively. It helps combat the effect of stress, pollution and environmental damage making it one of the finest natural care products available in the market place.

    Speaking at the unveiling of Ikkai, Nitin Passi, Director, Lotus Herbals says, “It has been our endeavor to provide the Indian consumer the finest natural care products since we launched Lotus Herbals in 1993. Ikkai is a premium organic skincare brand that caters to the emerging skincare needs of today’s millennials and contemporary women. We are confident that our range of organic face masks, scrubs and soufflés packaged in one time use packs will appeal immensely to our target consumer.”

    Ikkai offers an innovative range of skincare products that are made with naturally sourced ingredients and enzymes. Cusotmers can indulge in the goodness of acai berries, blueberries, papaya enzymes , extracts of orange, lemon, carrot oil, almond meal, walnut shell and lot more.

    Ikkai products are available at leading e-commerce portals like Nykka, Amazon, Purple and Flipkart. These convenient one time use packs are priced between Rs 75 to Rs 325 for the combo packs.

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  • TabSquare raises S$10 Million to fuel AI-powered restaurant solutions

    TabSquare raises S$10 Million to fuel AI-powered restaurant solutions

    TabSquare, a leading provider of AI-Powered Smart In-Restaurant solutions, today announced it has raised S$10 million (US$7.2 million) in Series B financing led by Kakaku.com.

    Tabsquare’s platform has three critical elements: consumers, restaurants and F&B brands; now strengthened with the latest funding round.

    Founded in 2012, TabSquare has rapidly grown to be the leading in-restaurant technology provider in Singapore.

    The company’s main products are the SmartTab eMenu and the SmartKiosk – applicable to both sit-down and counter-service restaurants.

    The company’s products use AI to make personalised menu recommendations and improve customers’ ability to order, pay and deliver feedback.

    Chirag Tejuja, Co-Founder said, “TabSquare’s fast-paced growth proves there is a strong
    demand for innovative and effective technology that can solve issues commonly faced by restaurants in the region such as low restaurant profitability, high staffing costs and language barriers.”

    Through 6000 devices that serve more than 12 million diners and 6 million orders annually, TabSquare’s AI-Powered solutions leverage consumer data and learning algorithms to better predict demand, personalize offerings and improve the overall diner experience which aims at creating greater efficiencies and profits for restaurants.

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  • Mr DIY ready for massive growth by 2020

    Mr DIY ready for massive growth by 2020

    Malaysian home improvement retailer Mr DIY has announced plans to open at least 1000 branches by 2020. The announcement was made at the opening of its latest outlet at Paradigm Mall, its 440th local branch and 600th global branch. The brand currently operates 120 stores in Thailand, 40 in Indonesia, four in Brunei, and one each in Singapore and the Philippines.

    Mr DIY head of marketing Andy Chin said: “We feel that our home improvement retail business model, offering a variety of goods at affordable prices, is suitable for better business growth in the country as well as the Asean market. At the end of this year, we target 700 global branches, and the number may reach 1000 or more by 2020. These will be based on an organic growth.”

    He added that the company’s prospect of Asean-level expansion will be focused on Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines,” said Chin.

    Mr DIY is the largest home appliance retailer in Malaysia with more than 20,000 SKUs.

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  • Amazon.in announces wave 2 of it’s biggest celebration ‘Great Indian Festival’

    Amazon.in announces wave 2 of it’s biggest celebration ‘Great Indian Festival’

    Amazon.in has announced the return of its biggest festive celebration ‘Great Indian Festival’. Wave 2 of the ‘Great Indian Festival’ will start at 12 midnight on October 24, 2018 and end at 11:59 pm on October 28, 2018. Customers can look forward to getting some of India’s bestselling mobile phones at their lowest ever prices including the Redmi 6A which will go on a flash sale every day at 12 noon; up to 90 percent off and extra 15 percent cashback on Amazon Fashion; up to 80 percent off and extra 10 percent cashback on Home & Kitchen products; up to 60 percent off on TVs; up to 80 percent off on appliances and more.

    Amazon Devices – Fire TV Stick and Echo 3rd generation devices will be available at great discounts. Customers can get up to 70 percent off on Alexa built-in devices with exciting new product launches under speakers and headphones. Kindle eBook bestsellers will start at Rs 19 and Kindle Unlimited will be available for Rs 1,499.

    Customers shopping during the Great Indian Festival can save more by getting extra 10 percent back on ICICI and Citi cards. Customers can get ready for the celebration by topping up Amazon Pay balance with Rs 5,000 or more in advance and get extra Rs 250 back. Customers can shop for more than 5 crore products with no-cost EMI using Bajaj Finserv EMI card, select Credit and Debit Cards.

    “After an overwhelming wave 1 of our Great Indian Festival, we are excited to usher in wave 2 for all customers. We will continue to offer the best selection and biggest deals on our entire selection – from the most sought after smartphones, TVs, appliances to fashion, home & kitchen products, consumer electronics and more.” said Manish Tiwary, Vice President – Category Management, Amazon India.

    During Amazon.in’s Great Indian Festival, customers can avail special benefits with No-cost EMI on Bajaj Finserv EMI card and Debit and Credit cards, fast delivery and installation of appliances, exchange of mobile phones and large appliances, instant bank discounts, exciting cashback and lots more. Customers in Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Hyderabad can enjoy ultra-fast delivery in 2-hours on popular deals on the Prime Now app.

    Furthermore, customers can unlock Amazon Pay offers of up to Rs 2,000 back on select Amazon Pay partner merchants like Swiggy, MakeMyTrip, Freshmenu and Eazydiner by shopping on the Amazon shopping app and paying through any online payment method.

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