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Tag: asia

  • Personal computer market continues to slump

    Personal computer market continues to slump

    Personal computer industry is in the midst of a 5 year slump. Worldwide shipments of personal computers continued to slump in the recently ended quarter but showed signs of stabilizing, according to figures released Wednesday by market trackers.

    Preliminary estimates released by Gartner indicated that 61.1 million PCs were shipped in the second quarter of this year in a 4.3 percent decline from the same period a year earlier.

    An IDC Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computer Device Tracker report put the figure at 60.5 million in a year-over-year decline of 3.3 percent.

    Higher prices due to tight supplies of some components, particularly solid state drives, were felt to be among factors that hampered sales.

    Gartner maintained that the PC industry is in the midst of a 5 year slump, and said the latest figures represented an 11th straight quarter of declining shipments.

    “Amid some unevenness in market trends across the regions, the global PC market has continued to trend toward stabilization,” IDC research manager Jay Chou said in a release.

    “Despite recent issues wrought by component shortages and its effect on system prices, we expect the momentum of commercial market replacements will contribute to eventual market growth.”

    Chou expected consumer demand for PCs to remain under pressure, but saw potential boosts from the growing popularity of powerful computers for game play and sleek new Windows machines.

    Factors hitting PC sales included growing demand for Google-backed Chromebook laptops that essentially act as gateways to services and computing power hosted in the internet cloud, according to Gartner.

    Worldwide Chromebook sales grew by 38 percent last year, while the overall PC market shrank six percent, Gartner reported.

    “The Chromebook is not a PC replacement as of now, but it could be potentially transformed as a PC replacement if a few conditions are met going forward,” said Gartner principal analyst Mikako Kitagawa.

    “For example, infrastructure of general connectivity needs to improve; mobile data connectivity needs to become more affordable; and it needs to have more offline capability.”

    Both market trackers ranked HP as the top computer seller, saying its sales have grown despite the shrinking market.

    HP was followed by Lenovo, Dell and Apple in that order.

  • Harbour City expansion to be dining precinct

    Harbour City expansion to be dining precinct

    Harbour City, Hong Kong’s biggest shopping mall, is expanding to provide dining options, decks for viewing the harbour and a permanent home for customs and immigration services for cruise passengers.

    Work on the five-storey extension to the western end of Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui is expected to be finished by the end of the year, with each floor featuring a free observation deck offering 270-degree panoramic views of Victoria Harbour.

    The Harbour City expansion will add 100,000 sqft (9300 sqm) of space to Harbour City, part of Ocean Terminal, which already has around 2 million sqft of floor space and 450 shops.

    There will be no shops in the extension, however, which will be devoted to restaurants and other dining outlets.

    At the moment, a temporary customs hall comes into play whenever a ship docks at the 51-year-old retail hub.

    “There will also be a proper loading area for cruises,” says an Ocean Terminal spokeswoman.

    Next to the Star Ferry’s Tsim Sha Tsui pier, Ocean Terminal opened in March 1966 as the world’s first marine pier integrated with a shopping centre, and Asia’s first US-style shopping mall.

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  • Hong Kong Brewcraft opens ‘cool’ branch in TST

    Hong Kong Brewcraft opens ‘cool’ branch in TST

    Homebrew store HK Brewcraft has opened a branch in Tsim Sha Tsui showcasing 200 international beers.

    It is the company’s second outlet. Its original store in Central houses 300 different craft beers.

    However, says the company, the new shop is the first in Hong Kong to offer 100 per cent temperature-controlled cellaring for beers, which are stored at three different temperatures to ensure an “optimal drinking experience”.

    “The demand for craft beer is growing in Hong Kong,” says HK Brewcraft’s Arielle Ng.

    She says the new store will also offer the popular one-gallon (3.7-litre) homebrew kit designed specifically for Hong Kong’s space-constrained apartments.

    Other than beers and home-brewing gadgets, HK Brewcraft TST will also be the hub for beer events in Kowloon.

    The new outlet has already co-hosted the Mikkeller Running Club event as well as the new seasonal launch for rising star Brewlander & Co from Singapore.

    A new educational tasting series, Beers @ Hillwood, will be held each month with special guests such as head brewers, brew pub managers and Beer Judge Certification Program judges sharing their favourite beers.

    Hong Kong’s Beertopia festival attracted more than 14,000 people last year with 14 local breweries showcasing their brews alongside international offerings.

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  • APAC boosts Uniqlo’s Q3

    APAC boosts Uniqlo’s Q3

    Fast Retailing, Uniqlo’s parent company, has reported consolidated revenue totaled ¥1.4779 trillion (+3.0 per cent year on year), with operating profit expanding to ¥180.6 billion (+23.9 per cent) in its latest financial results.

    In the third quarter from March to May, Uniqlo Southeast Asia and Oceania and South Korea reported a doubling in operating profit.

    The apparel chain said that its sports goods, new women’s blouses, dresses and clothes designed to “suit the Southeast Asian climate and culture sold especially well.”

    In the US, Uniqlo  reported a lower operating loss in the third quarter after same-store sales recovered, with business cost ratios improving under a new operational structure.

    In Europe, investment in 10 new store openings over three months inflated costs and knocked operating profit slightly lower.

    Uniqlo’s international network increased by 143 to 1,071 stores at the end of May.

    Japan reported a rise in revenue but a contraction in profit in the nine months to May 2017. Revenue rose 1.2 per cent year-on-year to ¥653.4 billion while operating profit dipped 0.6 per cent year-on-year to ¥92.6 billion.

    The global chain said it expects to achieve strong revenue and profit gains, “with Greater China, Southeast Asia, and South Korea acting as the key drivers of growth.”

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  • Wärtsilä and DHL deploy mobile robots to streamline warehouse operations

    Wärtsilä and DHL deploy mobile robots to streamline warehouse operations

    Wärtsilä and DHL deploy cutting-edge mobile robots from Fetch Robotics to streamline warehouse operations

    The technology group Wärtsilä and DHL have completed a successful pilot, where the companies tested mobile robots of Fetch Robotics. The pilot was carried out in Wärtsilä’s central distribution centre in Kampen, the Netherlands, where the entire logistics chain of Wärtsilä’s spare parts, from order intake to customer delivery, is managed. As Wärtsilä’s partner, DHL runs the warehouse operations.

    The aim of the project was to investigate possibilities to utilize the latest technology innovations in the daily operations of the warehouse. Wärtsilä and DHL also wanted to gain more understanding of the added value of robotics in a warehouse environment and to learn about the human–technology interface between robots and employees.

    The mobile robot system simplifies point to point material handling. Workflows at Wärtsilä’s warehouse can be set up and modified very quickly to accommodate today’s dynamic environments, without the need for complex programming. Workers can interact with the robots via touchscreen and send them on their journeys with a push of a button.

    “Our colleagues took center stage during the trial. The robots are designed to work alongside employees and to relieve them from physically strenuous tasks. The robots alone took over a walking distance of more than 30 kilometers per day, thereby increasing productivity and safety within the warehouse working environment,” says Denis Niezgoda, Robotics Accelerator Lead, DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation.

    The autonomous mobile robots have a loading capacity of 78 kilograms and can cover a distance of two meters per second. When the battery life of maximum nine hours comes to an end, the freight robot independently makes its way to the charging unit. The intelligent robots recognize their location and surroundings, and can differentiate between dynamic and static obstacles, thus enabling evasive action to work safely with and around people.

  • Google Earth to let users post stories, photos in coming years

    Google Earth to let users post stories, photos in coming years

    ‘The story of your family history, the story of your favorite hiking trip – it could be anything. It doesn’t have to be profound.’

    Alphabet Inc wants users to post millions of stories, video and photos on its Google Earth platform in the next few years, the program chief said on Tuesday at a launch event in Brazil for content focused on showcasing the Amazon rainforest.

    The “Voyager” tool allows internet surfers to take interactive tours of exotic destinations on Google Earth led by the likes of primatologist Jane Goodall, with photos, information and maps.

    However, regular users will be able to create their own unedited content for private or public use within two to three years, Google Earth Director Rebecca Moore told.

    “The story of your family history, the story of your favorite hiking trip – it could be anything. It doesn’t have to be profound,” she said at the event in Sao Paulo.

    Moore took the stage at an event in Sao Paulo to unveil the “I am the Amazon” project, which has mapped 11 sites to document the relationship between the rainforest and its people, touching on topics like food, water and cultural origins.

    To tell the stories of communities such as the Yanomami people, Cinta Larga and the Boa Vista Quilombola, Google and partners used tools like 3D cameras to accompany satellite images with videos and text.

    Moore did not reveal the budget for the project but she ruled out the idea of advertising on the platform and said it is not Google’s intention to turn a profit from the venture.

    “Google Earth is our gift to the world,” she told. “In terms of budget, Google has nice revenue from advertising, and not everything Google does has to make money.”

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  • Faraday Future moves electric SUV production site, mothballs Las Vegas plant

    Faraday Future moves electric SUV production site, mothballs Las Vegas plant

    Startup Faraday Future said it would move production of its planned luxury electric SUV to a new site, virtually scrapping a stalled $1 billion Las Vegas factory amid deepening financial woes of key investor Chinese entrepreneur Jia Yueting.

    Faraday is part of a network of young electric vehicle (EV) firms in China and the United States backed by Jia, who has said his company LeEco – that grew from a Netflix-like video website to a business empire spanning consumer electronics to cars within 13 years – is facing a severe shortage of cash after expanding too fast and in too many directions.

    Struggling to support goals that included beating Elon Musk’s Tesla in premium EV making, Jia is now trying to ride out the cash crunch by taking measures such as halting work on the Las Vegas factory and selling a Silicon Valley property less than a year after buying it from Yahoo.

    On the latest decision to shift production of Faraday’s luxury electric SUV FF 91 to a new site, the startup said: “This will allow product production to be realized faster, as well as allow our future strategy to be implemented more effectively.”

    For LeEco, this marks a second major setback to its ambition to become a major EV manufacturer after it recently pulled out of a joint project with British sports carmaker Aston Martin to develop RapidE electric car.

    Faraday had initially planned to open the Las Vegas factory late in 2017, with a product portfolio of seven models – an estimate that was later slashed to two, including the FF 91.

    Jia, who posted the Faraday statement on his social media account, did not name the new FF 91 production location. Faraday will continue to own the Nevada factory site.

    The FF 91 has been described by its designer as “weird-pretty” and Faraday executives say it will be the most technologically advanced vehicle of its kind on the market when it goes into production in early 2018. But cash shortages have raised questions about the company’s prospects.

    According to estimates from mutual fund investors, LeEco could see the market value of its listed unit, Leshi Internet Information & Technology Corp Beijing (300104.SZ), fall around $2.5 billion should its shares resume trading.

    The company is set to hold an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting on July 17 in the Chinese city of Shenzhen.

  • Singapore sets e-commerce target for growth

    Singapore sets e-commerce target for growth

    Singapore has set a three-year target to grow the share of e-commerce from the current 3 per cent to 10 per cent of total receipts.

    This would match where China was three years ago, according to Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Sim Ann.

    She told Parliament that benchmarked against the 2014 figures of the UK (13 per cent) and the US (6.5 per cent), Singapore’s target was not unrealistic.

    One in four online retail transactions in Singapore were with foreign businesses, she said.

    Total e-commerce with locally issued credit and debit cards was valued at S$24.7 billion (US$17.8 billion) over the past three years, with foreign entities accounting for $6.4 billion worth of these transactions, said Sim in response to an MP query.

    “While e-commerce presents competition to our retailers, it also gives them the opportunity to expand their reach to the region and beyond,” she said.

    The retail industry transformation map outlined last year by the government envisioned a “vibrant” retail industry spanning physical stores, online retailing and mobile channels, as well as local brand owners with global presence.

    Sim said government initiatives were helping retailers build digital capabilities and access e-commerce…

    Enterprise agency Spring Singapore and the Info-Communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) have teamed up to pre-qualify e-commerce packaged solutions that can be readily adopted by small and medium enterprises.

    Spring is also partnering companies such as Google to help SMEs strengthen their digital marketing, while other private firms like DBS, Mediacorp and SingTel have given support by setting up an e-marketplace and training opportunities.

    Trade agency International Enterprise Singapore helps companies leverage e-commerce to unlock growth opportunities in overseas markets.

    At the same time, said Sim, trade associations and chambers of commerce were reaching out to SMEs to encourage them to adopt e-commerce.

    Being launched this year is Spring’s initiatives with SkillsFuture Singapore to help the retail industry workforce adapt and upskill to keep up with developments in e-commerce and digital marketing.

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  • India’s Flipkart planning offline venture

    India’s Flipkart planning offline venture

    India’s Flipkart is planning to enter the brick-and-mortar space as a master franchisee for foreign brands. This follows other e-commerce companies opening on-ground ventures as the online market slows down.

    Flipkart is already in advanced talks with Giordano for a licensing deal to sell the Hong Kong­ apparel and accessory retailer’s products both offline and online in India. The plan is to set up a chain of Giordano­-branded stores along with a digital platform, says an insider.

    Flipkart will appoint sub-­franchisees with brick-­and-­mortar expertise to run the physical stores.

    Meanwhile, pure-play companies such as Faballey, Lenskart, Myntra, Nykaa, Pepperfry and Urban Ladder have already set up physical stores.

    Fashion retailer Myntra this year acquired the Indian franchisee agreement for Spain’s Mango and is appointing two sub-­franchisees for the label – Jaipur-­based Samarth, which runs more than 100 outlets of Benetton, Calvin Klein, Lee, Puma, Tommy Hilfiger, US Polo and Wrangler, and New Delhi­-based G&B which has 25 Benetton stores in the National Capital Region.

    Myntra is also selling its own brands. It opened its first brick-and-­mortar store in Bengaluru in March under its private brand Roadster on the 100 Feet Road.

    Beauty retailer Nykaa.com is also expanding on the ground. Its head of offline retail strategy, Adwaita Nayar, says touch and feel is important for customers in India. “Almost 90 per cent of the market for beauty products is still offline.”

    Nykaa.com intends to have large-format experiential stores as well as smaller outlets. Its aim is to have 30 stores at malls and high streets as well as travel retail by 2020.

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  • Axiata, iflix sign non-binding MoU

    Axiata, iflix sign non-binding MoU

    Axiata Group and iflix, a subscription video on demand service provider, have inked a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) relating to the expansion of their strategic collaboration to provide entertainment to Axiata’s more than 125 million customers in six countries.

    In a statement, Axiata said from two existing successful partnerships with Celcom in Malaysia and Dialog in Sri Lanka, the regional collaboration is intended to extend to Axiata’s customers at XL in Indonesia, Smart in Cambodia, Robi in Bangaldesh and Ncell in Nepal.

    “Axiata has always demonstrated a strong focus on customer experience and innovation, as we strengthen our position in new sources of value, specifically in digital entertainment products and digital content distribution platforms across the region.

    “The expansion of our collaboration with iflix is a testament to that commitment. We are thrilled to make iflix’s world-class service and content available to over 125 million customers in Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal and Sri Lanka,” Axiata group chief strategy and marketing officer Dominic Arena said.

    Axiata said the collaboration would further strengthen the group’s leading regional telecommunications position.

    Meanwhile, iflix group chief executive officer Mark Britt said it was committed to provide all Axiata customers with unlimited access to the world’s best TV shows and movies through an exceptional user experience and unparalleled service, already enjoyed by Celcom and Dialog customers.

    “Together with Axiata’s highly innovative and award winning Mobile Internet Fulfilment Exchange application platform and music service Yonder, we look forward to working with Axiata to further redefine media and entertainment for Axiata’s customers in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Nepal, over the coming months,” he said.

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  • Fashion group fails to block Mango Seed trademark

    Fashion group fails to block Mango Seed trademark

    Spanish fashion retailer Mango has failed to block Korean skincare brand The Face Shop from registering a trademark in Singapore for its Mango Seed range.

    Consolidated Artists, the trademark owner of Mango, objected to The Face Shop bid on the basis of its earlier trademarks for Mango and Mango Adorably, under which it produces goods such as soap, perfumes and cosmetics.

    However, the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) registrar has ruled that the trademarks look and sound different, and are “more dissimilar than similar in totality”.

    While the Mango trademark had “some level of distinctiveness” in terms of its font, it was nevertheless “not highly distinctive” as it could otherwise be considered descriptive of the products in that they could be mango-flavoured or scented.

    The registrar said the same considerations applied to the Mango Seed trademark of The Face Shop, as the retailer was legally defined in the application. The registrar noted the Korean brand’s trademark included the “particularly long word The Face Shop”, which was “allusive and can be regarded as distinctive of the relevant goods”.

    Regarding the likelihood of confusion, the registrar ruled there was no risk of misperception of co-branding or any likelihood of confusion in the sense of an economic link between the parties.

    While Mango had consistently used its trademark in a particular font, it could not be confused with the Mango Seed trademark, even though the word “seed” was related to the word “mango”.

    IPOS also said that cosmetics and self-care products were “highly personal” and consumers would be more particular about the origin or trademarks of such goods, and trust some brands more than others.

  • Carmaker Dacia recalls 2,032 cars to fix horn issue

    Carmaker Dacia recalls 2,032 cars to fix horn issue

    Romania’s agency for consumer protection (ANPC) Says carmaker Dacia, owned by French Renault is recalling 2,032 Duster SUVs in Romania to fix an issue with the horn’s electric wiring.

    Says Dacia has identified the possibility of incorrect sizing of the horn’s electrical wire system which could cause loss of function or smoke.

    Says issue fix would take about an hour per car.

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  • New Zeeland among world’s technology elite

    New Zeeland among world’s technology elite

    New Zealand is among the world’s stand out digital economies, according to the Digital Evolution Index 2017 launched yesterday by The Fletcher School at Tufts University and Mastercard.

    The research tracks the progress countries have made in developing their digital economies and integrating connectivity into the lives of billions – and put New Zealand with a group of digital elites – characterised by high levels of digital development and a fast rate of digital evolution.

    “We all know technology can do more to improve economies and make our lives better, but growth is only achievable if everyone has confidence in the developing ecosystem,” said Ajay Bhalla, president, global enterprise risk & security, Mastercard. “In our pursuit of a truly connected world, trust and security are critical to successful digital development.”

    With nearly half of the world’s population online, the research examined the development of 60 countries, demonstrating their competitiveness and market potential for further digital economic growth. The Index measures four key drivers and 170 unique indicators to chart each country’s respective course:

    •         Supply (or internet access and infrastructure)
    •         Consumer demand for digital technologies
    •         Institutional environment (government policies/laws and resources)
    •         Innovation (investments into R&D and digital start-ups etc.)

    “Adoption, the quality of digital infrastructure and institutions, and innovation collectively shape a country’s digital competitiveness, but governments also play a key role,” said Bhaskar Chakravorti, senior associate dean of international business & finance at The Fletcher School at Tufts University. “The report also found that consumers’ trust in digital technologies correlates with digital competitiveness.”

    According to their overall digital evolution scores, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and the United States make the top ten list of advanced digital economies.

    The research found developed countries including in Western Europe, the Nordics, Australia and South Korea have a history of strong growth, but their momentum is slowing and are at risk of falling behind. Countries such as South Africa, Peru, Egypt, Greece and Pakistan face significant challenges, constrained both by low levels of digital advancement and a slow pace of growth.

  • Tencent Holdings targets Malaysia for local payments

    Tencent Holdings targets Malaysia for local payments

    Tencent Holdings has applied for a licence in Malaysia to offer local payment services via its WeChat Pay, in what would be a first for the platform beyond Mainland China and Hong Kong.

    If approved, users in Malaysia will be able to link their bank accounts to the service and pay for goods and services in ringgit.

    Tencent has chosen Malaysia as a test bed because of its large Chinese community, says WeChat Pay global director Grace Yin.

    The company has more than 600 million monthly users of its QQ Wallet and WeChat Pay, which is embedded in social-media app WeChat, which has 938 million active users. Rival Alipay says it has more than 450 million active users.

    WeChat Pay and Alipay dominate China’s mobile banking market, which had RMB18.8 trillion (US$2.76 trillion) worth of transactions in the first three months of this year, according to consultancy Analysys.

    Silicon Valley startup Stripe this week said it has partnered with the two companies to allow its merchants worldwide to accept payments from Chinese consumers.

    WeChat Pay can be used at more than 130,000 shops in 13 foreign markets, including Japan, and supports 10 currencies. Yin says to expand overseas, WeChat Pay needs extra layers of regulatory approval, as well as having to explain the system to local businesses.

    Mandarin advertisements

    Meanwhile, seeing Thailand as central to its expansion across Southeast Asia, Tencent is putting an early focus on advertising Thai brands to Chinese tourists in Mandarin.

    Tencent Thailand MD Krittee Manoleehagul says Thailand is the third market to offer service this after Hong Kong and Italy.

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  • Colette Paris flagship to close

    Colette Paris flagship to close

    The iconic Colette Paris flagship store is to close on the 20th anniversary of its opening. The news came as a shock as the retail brand has continued to flourish in the internet era, and continues to work with brands on collections – the most recent with Swedish fast-fashion brand H&M announced this week.

    “As all good things must come to an end, after 20 wonderful years, Colette will be closing its doors on December 20th of this year,” the company said in an Instagram post.

    “Until our last day, nothing will change. Colette will continue to renew itself each week with exclusive collaborations and offerings, also available on our website colette.fr We thank you for your support and see you soon at Colette – until December 20,” the post concluded.

    The reason for the closure is that founder Colette Roussaux has decided to step back from an active retail management role, and “Colette cannot exist without Colette”.

    The 8000 sqft, three-storey store in trendy Rue Saint Honoré, is likely to be taken over by Saint Laurent.

    “We would be proud to have a brand with such history, with whom we have frequently collaborated, taking over our address.” Employees may transfer to the luxury fashion brand.

    Roussaux has largely left the day-to-day running of the store to her daughter Sarah Andelman during the past few years.

    The Business of Fashion said the store’s success was down to its “discerning fashion edits and quirky mix of lifestyle products that have turned the store into one of Paris’ premiere fashion pit-stops”.

    Among its fans is fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld who once declared it was the only store he ever shopped at “because they have things no one else has”.

    “I buy watches, telephones, jewellery there – everything really! They have invented a formula that you can’t copy easily, because there is only one Colette and her and Sarah are 200 per cent involved.”