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Tag: asia

  • Superga Singapore opening third store

    Superga Singapore opening third store

    Superga Singapore will open its third retail store on Friday, at Westgate Mall, Jurong.

    It will be the biggest Singapore store yet for the Italian shoe brand, covering 800sqft (74sqm).

    As well as the brand’s signature white interior, the store features a red background for the first time.

    To celebrate the launch of the store, five exclusive sneakers will be available at Superga Westgate, as well as the launch of the Superga X Marvel collection inspired by Captain America.

    Also exclusive to the store will be new items like the Superga 2750 Multi Sole and Superga 2750 Espadrille from the seasonal range – on sale for just the first week.

    For each of the first three days, the first 30 customers will receive a S$30 (US$22) Superga voucher.

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  • Lagardere Travel Retail unveils new stores at Gold Coast Airport

    Lagardere Travel Retail unveils new stores at Gold Coast Airport

    Lagardere Travel Retail has introduced its latest destination concept stores, ‘Out of Australia’, at the Gold Coast airports international terminal.

    Awarded five sites as part of a competitive tender process held in late 2016, Lagardere has also unveiled concessions in Gold Coast Airport’s common user terminal. The sites cover both international and domestic departure lounges, as well as arrivals.

    In tandem with newly unveiled The Gold Coast Store’ at domestic departures, the travel retailer has also upgraded the Aelia Duty Free store and added the world’s largest travel essentials brand, RELAY, to the retail mix in the international lounge.

    The revised offer showcases key brand installations including Bundaberg Rum, Sunglass Hut and tech2go to cater to the change in passenger profiles. Along with increasing its presence in an online platform, the new offers are designed to enhance the overall passenger experience.

    These new developments are all in conjunction with Gold Coast Airport’s preparation for the 2018 Commonwealth Games being held on the Gold Coast.

    “We’re delighted to deliver new and innovative concepts to the Gold Coast Airport, offering the passengers a complete travel essentials, destination and duty free offer, with a strong mix of local flavour and true sense of place” said Matthieu Mercier, Lagardere Travel Retail CEO of Pacific region.

    “We have enjoyed a long and successful partnership with the airport since 2002, so are excited to be part of this redevelopment phase.”

    Deborah Price, general manager commercial of Gold Coast Airport said the new concepts brought a “different dimension with a more sophisticated souvenir offer” and been well received.

    “This is all part of upgrading and enhancing the passenger experience in preparation for the Commonwealth Games in April 2018,” she added.

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  • Uniqlo’s Hana Tajima collection displayed at Museum of Modern Art

    Uniqlo’s Hana Tajima collection displayed at Museum of Modern Art

    Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo’s Hana Tajima range is being exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

    The exhibit, “Items: Is Fashion Modern?”, is the first that MoMA has  dedicated solely to fashion design since 1944, and highlights 111 influential garments and accessories that have had a profound effect on the world over the last century.

    The items that were chosen by the Museum include the Hana Tajima for Uniqlo AIRism Printed Stole and Hana Tajima for Uniqlo AIRism Inner Hijab. Both were selected for the exhibition’s modesty-themed section  entitled “Emancipation/Modesty/Rebellion”.

    The hijab items employ AIRism – a unique, smooth texture, breathable fabric with cooling properties to enhance comfort.

    The partnership between Uniqlo and New York-based, British-born designer Tajima first appeared in the company’s Fall/Winter 2015 line in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. Following its success, the collection later appeared in the US, the UK, and Philippines for Spring/Summer 2016 and now in 15 countries.

    According to the retailer, the purpose of the partnership is reflective of Uniqlo’s commitment to offer apparel that complements diverse lifestyles and cultural settings.

    It added the collection is intended for women who seek comfortable clothing that is not too tight and versatile enough to appeal to all women of all backgrounds, regardless of age, race or religious belief.

    “Hana was a clear choice of partners when we set out to create this collection, as we have a shared aesthetic and a similar approach to design,” stated Shu Hung, Global creative director, Brand Experience and Special Projects at Uniqlo. “With Hana, we have achieved distinctive collections that combine her creativity with our commitment to high-quality, advanced materials that provide the best experience for our customers who seek modest wear.”

    The exhibit is open to the public from October 1, 2017 to January 28, 2018.

  • Brussels to hit Amazon with large tax bill

    Brussels to hit Amazon with large tax bill

    Online retail giant Amazon will reportedly be slapped with a tax bill worth several hundred million euros following a lengthy EU investigation into a sweetheart tax deal with Luxembourg.

    The EU’s competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager is expected to issue her decision on Wednesday following a near three-year investigation into whether Amazon’s tax affairs complied with state aid rules, according to the Financial Times, which cited sources.

    The probe, which was launched in October 2014, looked at a 2003 tax agreement between Luxembourg and the retailer that saw most of Amazon’s European profits recorded in the country, but not fully taxed.

    Both Amazon and the European Commission declined to comment.

    It would be the latest EU regulatory decision to affect a major US firm, with Vestager putting the tax affairs of a number of high-profile targets including Amazon under the microscope in recent years.

    The EU Commission last year hit US tech giant Apple with a 13 billion euro ($A20 billion) tax bill in the wake of an investigation which found that Apple paid 50 euro in tax for every one million of profit made outside the US in 2014.

    The government and Apple are both appealing against the decision.

    McDonald’s is also facing fire from EU antitrust officials who are investigating claims that the fast food giant avoided more than 1 billion euro in tax through the use of a royalties loophole in Luxembourg.

    When it launched its investigation in 2015, the European Commission said the European arm of McDonald’s had paid virtually no corporation tax in Luxembourg or the US since 2009, despite making significant profits in the division.

    McDonald’s subsequently announced this past December that it was moving its non-US tax base to the UK, as it battled EU regulators over its tax affairs.

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  • Puregold Price Club enters Western Visayas

    Puregold Price Club enters Western Visayas

    Puregold Price Club has bought five supermarkets in Roxas City, its first move into the Western Visayas.

    This takes the group’s nationwide store network to 313. The cost of the acquisitions has not been disclosed.

    Puregold has been expanding outside Luzon with construction of its second store in Leyte expected to finish next month.

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  • Global e-commerce expected to double in next five years

    Global e-commerce expected to double in next five years

    Global e-commerce continues to revolutionise the air cargo industry, and is forecast to increase 19 per cent a year over the next five years, from US$1.9 trillion in 2016 to US$4.5 trillion in 2021, according to the annual E-Commerce Revolution Report released recently by Air Cargo Management Group (ACMG). The 2017 E-Commerce Revolution Report provides an in-depth look at the explosive growth of global e-commerce air logistics.

    The report features fresh and insightful analysis of the major marketplaces, sellers, and logistics providers that are fuelling this revolution. It is not just the best-known participants, such as Amazon and Alibaba, driving this revolution, but also global express airlines, along with players lesser known outside their home countries, such as JD.com in China and Otto in Germany. The report tracks the companies using and providing e-commerce air logistics, and offers insights on global trends in the industry.

    “E-commerce has disrupted retail and is now revolutionising logistics,” said Alan Hedge, senior director of Air Cargo Management Group. “This, our second annual report, builds on the strengths of the first and covers new territory by offering descriptions of additional e-commerce companies and additional discussion of fulfilment networks in China, the largest e-commerce market on the planet.”

    New for the E-Commerce Revolution Report this year is a web-based companion database tool for exploring relationships between major e-commerce players and logistics providers. The tool allows users to search particular logistics providers and users to isolate logistics transactions worldwide. Additionally, the tool can be used to quantify e-commerce air logistics transactions on a global basis.

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  • RCom-Aircel merger deal collapses

    RCom-Aircel merger deal collapses

    India’s Reliance Communications (RCom) has called off a planned merger of its wireless business with rival Aircel as a result of regulatory uncertainty and opposition from some creditors.

    RCom had been planning to merge its wireless business with Aircel to create a 50:50 joint venture with Aircel parent company Maxis, in a deal aimed at reducing its debt burden by around $3 billion.

    But the company announced on Sunday that its merger agreement with Aircel has now “lapsed by mutual consent” due to “legal uncertainties” and “interventions by vested interests” – referring to creditors to the company.

    RCom will now have to pursue alternative methods of reducing its substantial debt burden of around 450 billion rupees ($6.8 billion).

    LiveMint reports that the operator now plans a fire sale of assets ranging from spectrum to real estate as part of a plan to reduce its debt by around 250 billion rupees. This will partly involve adopting a 4G focus to allow it to monitize its existing 2G and 3G spectrum.

    RCom is also planning to sell its tower business and had been seeking to fetch around 110 billion rupees from the sale, but this will need to be revised now that Aircel’s tenancies will no longer be included in the deal.

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  • Legacy networks to hamper hybrid cloud adoption

    Legacy networks to hamper hybrid cloud adoption

    Nearly all APAC IT decision makers (99%) agree that legacy network infrastructure will struggle to  keep pace with the changing demands of the cloud and hybrid networks, according to a survey by Riverbed Technology.

    The global survey, which includes responses from 1,000 IT decision makers across nine countries – including Japan, China, India and Australia — revealed a very high level of agreement that legacy infrastructures are holding back their cloud and digital strategies.

    In addition, 93% of respondents say their organization’s cloud strategy will only reach its full potential with a next generation network, and 98% agree that a next-gen network is critical to keep up with the needs of their business and end users.

    The survey also found there is a current gap in the adoption of next generation technology such as SD-WAN that will accelerate the cloud and digital transformation, however a tipping point is near.

    Of the APAC IT decision makers surveyed, 92% plan to migrate to SD-WAN within the next four years, up from just 6% today.

    Currently, performance pains experienced by businesses in APAC are glaring, as nearly half (48%) report that they experience cloud-related network issues specifically caused by their legacy infrastructure a few times a month or more; and 90% said it impacts their business at least monthly.

    But 85% of these same decision makers say they are still several years away from reaching the full potential of digital transformation, in part due to their legacy infrastructure. This number jumps to 90% for respondents in China and 94% in Japan.

    This gap between realization and actual deployment is consistent from companies across verticals such as financial, manufacturing, retail, energy and utilities, communications and media, and IT services, and could threaten their competitive positions in their respective markets.

    While a current gap exists in the adoption of next-gen technology to support cloud and digital transformation in the enterprise, this is changing quickly. Of those surveyed, 97% agree that within two years SD-WAN technology will be critical in next generation networks to manage cloud and hybrid.

    While only 6% of those surveyed are currently benefiting from SD-WAN today (slightly higher than the global average of 4%), more than half (57%) plan to migrate to SD-WAN within two years, and 92% within four years.

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  • Cebu Pacific seeks extended travel tax exemption for some SE Asia routes

    Cebu Pacific seeks extended travel tax exemption for some SE Asia routes

    Cebu Pacific on Tuesday urged the government to extend the travel tax exemption on routes within Palawan, Mindanao and neighboring Southeast Asian countries, which expires next month.

    Travelers coming from the two Philippine islands who are going to Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia were exempted from the P1,620 duty for 3 years from Oct. 24, 2014 to promote BIMP-EAGA, a Southeast Asian growth area.

    President Rodrigo Duterte also recently pushed for the revitalization of the BIMP-EAGA or the Brunei-Indoneseia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asia Growth Area.

    “We believe that this would provide relief to the Filipino travelers and accelerate trade and tourism between the member countries, in accordance with the spirit and intent behind the creation of BIMP-EAGA,” said Cebu Pacific vice president for corporate affairs JR Mantaring.

    The Mindanao Development Authority serves as the Coordinating Office of the Philippines for BIMP-EAGA.

    Cebu Pacific subsidiary Cebgo will start its Zamboanga-Sandakan route on October 29, 2017. The 4 times weekly service (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays) is the carrier’s 27th international destination.

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  • Many office LANs reaching performance limits

    Many office LANs reaching performance limits

    Local area networks in many existing office buildings are reaching their limits in terms of performance, according to R&M, a Switzerland-based cabling systems developer and provider.

    Citing a study carried out by market research organization BSRIA, R&M notes that approximately 80% of the office buildings and functional buildings in western industrialized countries were built before 1990.

    The structured cabling in these buildings also usually dates from when the buildings were built. At that time, the LAN was designed for a maximum transmission performance of 1 Gigabit Ethernet.

    “If office networks are to remain usable for the next 20 years, they will require a performance of ten times this at 10 Gigabit Ethernet in future. This is in addition to robust protection against external interference, among other aspects,” commented Matthias Gerber, market manager for LAN Cabling at R&M.

    Gerber gives four decisive factors which, from the point of view of R&M, make a generational change in structured office and building cabling unavoidable:

    Data throughput: If a large number of computer workstations within a company have to quickly access virtual machines, cloud services and software, then an increase in IP traffic is inevitable. “And all at a scale that has never been seen before,” commented Gerber. For productive work to remain possible, the LAN requires greater performance and system reserves.

    Latency: The current trend towards integrated communication with IP-based phone, conferencing and video services requires a latency-free, secure signal transmission. Bandwidth reserves are required in order to be able to ensure these special requirements are met in parallel with normal data transmission.

    Wireless: Nowadays, every commercial building must support mobile communication and its high demand for bandwidth. This requires an increasingly denser network of access points. The many wireless LAN antennas have to be connected to a powerful cabling system. The next generation of wireless access points will require a 10 Gbit/s uplink,” explained Gerber.

    Convergence: The local data network will also cover the needs of IP-based building automation in future. Standardized IP networks and Power over Ethernet are used to integrate virtually every building function as part of the Internet of Things (IoT). Intelligent building management also helps to increase safety and brings added comfort for building users.

    “The Internet of Things with its soon-to-be 33 billion end devices – whether in intelligent buildings or smart cities – needs convergent network infrastructures in order to reach its full potential. Ubiquitous, robust LAN access points are needed,” Gerber said.

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  • Aeon Indonesia shifts focus to entertainment

    Aeon Indonesia shifts focus to entertainment

    Aeon Indonesia is putting the accent on entertainment in its new mall, Jakarta Garden City.

    About an hour’s drive east from the city centre, it is the Japanese retailer’s second location after two years in Indonesia.

    Jakarta Garden City devotes relatively little space to traditional retail like clothing (H&M and Uniqlo will not be found there). Instead, it focuses on interactive experiences, and more than half of its 227 tenants are foodcourt stalls or restaurants.

    It also house Indonesia’s first skating rink to meet international standards, a movie complex and Fanpekka, a Scandinavian-style educational center for children. On the roof is one of the country’s largest Ferris wheels.

    Aeon is marketing Jakarta Garden City as Indonesia’s largest entertainment mall.

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  • DHL to create, manage European distribution centres for Eaton’s electrical business

    DHL to create, manage European distribution centres for Eaton’s electrical business

    DHL Supply Chain has signed a long-term agreement with the global power management company Eaton to create and manage three distribution centres for their Electrical business in Europe.

    Over the next few years, the contract logistics specialist within Deutsche Post DHL Group will consolidate Eaton’s major standalone distribution centre capabilities throughout Europe into three high-performing and integrated primary distribution centres. These will be located in Germany, UK and Czech Republic, where the current DHL managed distribution centre will be expanded.

    “Eaton has been a valued partner for years and we are delighted to further intensify our collaboration. Based on DHL Supply Chain’s broad expertise in devising integrated supply chain solutions, we developed the Rheinbach concept for a full warehouse consolidation, starting with planning, construction, fit out and full automation to the initial setup and operation,” said Oscar de Bok, CEO, DHL Supply Chain Mainland Europe, Middle East & Africa.

    In Rheinbach, Germany, a new building is being planned which will serve Eaton’s customers in Western Europe. The green field construction is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter 2017, with DHL storing and distributing different electric components such as switch cabinets, fuses and control devices in the new warehouse after its completion in 2018. The goal is to create a more efficient warehousing concept enabled by a fully automated solution and thereby reducing overall run times to meet increased customer demand.

    “Providing tailored contract logistics solutions is one of our globally proven strengths and the newly to-be-constructed warehousing solution will help Eaton to prepare its business for a successful future,” Karsten Schwarz, CEO, DHL Supply Chain Germany and Alps said. “The new facility will not only provide a significant increase in productivity due to its innovative set up but also demonstrates DHL’s commitment to the wider Bonn region.”

    As both DHL and Eaton have a strong commitment for sustainability with corresponding goals, the new warehousing site is to comply with the standards of the German Society for Sustainable Construction (DGNB) and will be built to achieve the silver certificate of the association.

    “DHL is very experienced in warehousing and distribution as well as supply chain solutions and we can help with their environmental focus and drive energy efficiency by applying Eaton’s power management technologies to their facilities. It’s a very interesting partnership where we support each other’s growth while we keep focused on our core businesses,” said Klaus Gaeb, vice president, Supply Chain and Operational Excellence, Eaton EMEA.

    As DHL already has a significant footprint in Europe, this revised distribution approach would also provide strong future prospects to the majority of distribution centre employees from Eaton covered by this agreement, who have been given the opportunity to join DHL following the completion process.

    With these new agreements, Deutsche Post DHL Group and Eaton are taking the next step in extending their strategic partnership. Since 2008, DHL has been supporting Eaton in the review and improvement of its supply chains across the globe, winning the company’s Best Supplier Award in 2016.

  • Uber Vietnam CEO leaves post, reasons unknown

    Uber Vietnam CEO leaves post, reasons unknown

    The company had to pay nearly $3 million in back-taxes and fines last month, but it is unclear if this had any bearing on the decision. Uber Vietnam has announced that its CEO Dang Viet Dung has left the company. No information about the reasons for his departure or who will replace him has been revealed.

    Dung, 32, took the helm of Uber Vietnam when the U.S.-based firm first entered the country in 2014.

    A graduate from Amherst College in the U.S., he took the post after halting a master program at Harvard Business School.

    Late last month, tax authorities in Ho Chi Minh City collected VND66.68 billion ($2.93 million) in arrears from Uber Vietnam, including fines for faulty declarations and late payments.

    Following the incident, rumors started to spread that Uber would be leaving Vietnam. The company was quick to dismiss this.

    As of August, Uber had four million users in Vietnam, according to official company data.

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  • Polygamy dating app draws criticism in Indonesia

    Polygamy dating app draws criticism in Indonesia

    A Tinder-style dating app for polygamists has sparked controversy in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation — but its developer says he “just wants to help” unmarried middle-aged women.

    Indonesian law defines marriage as between a man and a woman but polygamy is tolerated in certain circumstances, despite being generally frowned upon. Ayo  Poligami, loosely translated as “let’s go polygamy”, is a free smartphone app that matches married and single Muslim men with women who want to create “big families”.

    It has attracted more than 56,000 members since its launch in April, according to developer Lindu Cipta Pranayama.

    But women’s rights campaigners have criticised the app, warning of a strong link between polygamy and domestic violence.

    “Due to the controversy, I initially wanted to permanently shut down the site, but when I saw many women in their 40s of 50s who are still virgins and unmarried I decided to keep it,” Pranayama told Tuesday.

    “Can you image being in your 40s or 50s but never been touched by a man?” added the 35-year-old, who created the app after failing to find a wife on several dating sites.

    Indonesian men who apply to one of the country’s Islamic courts, which have jurisdiction over marriage, are able to take a second wife under certain circumstances.

    For example, a court may review and grant an application if the man’s first wife is unable to bear children or has a disability and gives her permission.

    Adriana Venny Aryani, from Indonesia’s National Commission on Violence Against Women, said polygamy as facilitated by Ayo Poligami could be harmful to wives.

    “When the husband is practicing polygamy, women are emotionally abused, economically (abused), and sometimes violently,” she said.

    Pranayama said a high number of fake accounts had caused the platform to temporarily close, but a new version is set to launch on Thursday with more stringent user criteria.

    Indonesian authorities recently shut down another controversial matchmaking site, Nikahsirri.com, which offered “virgin auctions” for men and women looking for marriage.

    Police arrested the founder of the short-lived site, Aris Wahyudi, over the “pornographic content” it contained.

  • Goldman Sachs studying whether to trade bitcoins

    Goldman Sachs studying whether to trade bitcoins

    Large banks have until now avoided trading in bitcoin due to its reputation as a conduit for illicit activity.Goldman Sachs is exploring whether to launch a trading  venture in bitcoin in response to client demand, a person familiar with the matter said Monday.

    Goldman’s consideration of the digital currency could give bitcoin a boost at a time when it is under criticism in China and by some large banks.

    Goldman is looking at establishing a team that could trade bitcoin and other digital currencies, said a person familiar with the bank’s thinking.

    The venture might resemble other Goldman teams that trade euros or treasury bonds. Goldman has received interest from a variety of parties, including investment funds, insurers and corporate clients. The study is at an early stage and may not yield a decision to proceed with such a venture, the person said.

    “In response to client interest in digital currencies, we are exploring how best to serve them in the space,” said Goldman spokeswoman Tiffany Galvin.

    Large banks like Goldman Sachs have until now avoided trading in bitcoin due to its reputation as a conduit for illicit activity.

    At the same time, financial companies have been active in the development of “blockchain,” the underlying technology of bitcoin, which is seen as a potentially important technology.

    Bitcoin critics include JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon, who called the digital currency a “fraud” that will eventually “blow up.”

    But Morgan Stanley chief executive James Gorman offered measured praise for bitcoin last week, calling it “obviously highly speculative” but “not something that’s inherently bad.”

    Bitcoin has retreated since breaching the psychologically important $5,000 level on September 1. On Monday, it traded at $4,375.

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