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Tag: asia

  • SingPost strengthens collaboration with Alibaba in eCommerce logistics

    SingPost strengthens collaboration with Alibaba in eCommerce logistics

    Singapore Post Limited’s (SingPost) eCommerce logistics collaboration with Alibaba Group Holding Limited (Alibaba) was strengthened as Alibaba’s S$86.2 million investment in SingPost’s logistics subsidiary Quantium Solutions International (QSI) was completed, and regulatory approval for Alibaba’s second investment in SingPost was obtained.

    Joint venture to strengthen eCommerce logistics network

    SingPost completed the joint venture with Alibaba in which Alibaba has invested S$86.2 million for new QSI shares making up 34 per cent of QSI, with SingPost owning the remaining 66 per cent.

    First announced on 8 July 2015, the joint venture is the culmination of deepening business ties between SingPost and Alibaba. Beginning as a customer of SingPost, Alibaba became a SingPost shareholder in 2014, and today, SingPost is a strategic logistics partner for Alibaba.

    QSI, the joint venture between SingPost and Alibaba, will be a common platform to grow and enhance eCommerce logistics capabilities in Southeast Asia and Oceania, to better serve the region’s rapidly growing online retail markets.

    The collaboration will focus on strengthening QSI’s end-to-end eCommerce logistics network, building scale for future profitability. QSI currently operates in 11 markets, providing a full suite of end-to-end eCommerce solutions that includes warehousing, fulfilment, and last mile delivery.

    Mr Simon Israel, Chairman of SingPost said, “The completion of the QSI joint venture underscores the deepening relationship and commitment between both companies to build a leading eCommerce logistics platform together across the region. Both Alibaba and SingPost are confident in the long-term value of collaborating to serve the region’s fast rising eCommerce logistics needs.”

    Mr Daniel Zhang, Chief Executive Officer of Alibaba Group, said, “Our enhanced collaboration with SingPost is another strategic step towards strengthening the fundamental infrastructure for digital commerce that will empower brands and retailers to sell globally through the Alibaba ecosystem. A robust logistics network is vital to helping our merchants successfully serve the vast population across Southeast Asia and Oceania, and realise Alibaba’s vision to ultimately serve two billion consumers worldwide.”

    Update on second share placement

    Approval from the Info-communications Media Development Authority (“IMDA”) has been obtained for Alibaba to increase its interest in SingPost to 14.4 per cent, from 10.2 per cent currently. Alibaba’s further investment of S$187.1 million into SingPost is targeted to be completed by 28 February 2017, in light of the timeline required to obtain the remaining approvals from SingPost’s shareholders at an Extraordinary General Meeting and from the Singapore Exchange for the listing, quotation and trading of new shares on the Main Board of the SGX-ST.

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  • Twin SME Fairs Open Today in Hong Kong

    Twin SME Fairs Open Today in Hong Kong

    Amid global economic challenges and intense competition, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) need to upgrade and add value to their products and services to stay ahead. To provide SMEs with a range of supporting services and business opportunities and help them capture global opportunities, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is staging the 16th World SME Expo and the second edition of the Hong Kong International Franchising Show. The concurrent events opened today and continue through 3 December at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

    “This year is the HKTDC’s 50th anniversary. Over the past half-century the HKTDC has always strived to create business opportunities for Hong Kong’s SMEs,” said Raymond Yip, Deputy Executive Director of the HKTDC. “As the finale events of the Council’s Golden Jubilee, the World SME Expo and the Hong Kong International Franchising Show are continuing the HKTDC’s tradition by providing a highly effective one-stop business platform for SMEs to capture worldwide opportunities. The International Franchising Show, in particular, is featuring more well-known brands and franchising concepts in its much-anticipated second edition.”

    Belt and Road Zone

    This year’s World SME Expo features more than 400 exhibitors from 35 countries and regions, many of whom are keen to learn more about the Belt and Road Initiative and the unprecedented opportunities that are set to emerge along the Belt and Road routes for companies around the globe. To help Hong Kong SMEs seize opportunities arising from the Initiative, the Opportunities Hall of the World SME Expo features a dedicated “Belt and Road Zone”. The zone has gathered more than 40 exhibitors from 19 Belt and Road countries, including those from Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Central and Eastern Europe, to showcase their respective developments and partnership opportunities. It also spotlights the economic and trade cooperation zones and industrial parks in Malaysia, Laos, Indonesia and Belarus that have been set up with investment from the Chinese mainland. Visitors can learn about the investment environment, conditions and latest developments of these cooperation zones and industrial parks and identify new opportunities.

    At the event’s Solutions Hall, SMEs can find a range of practical business solutions, including m-commerce and e-tailing services, which are among the consumer trends shaping business models worldwide. Government departments and business chambers are also showcasing supporting services for different types of businesses.

    Close to 70 speakers share their business experience

    This year, the World SME Expo is organising more than 30 seminars and workshops. The “Innovation & Branding – The New Breed of SMEs” seminar series, co-organised with the Trade and Industry Department, features leading entrepreneurs discussing ways to develop products and services, adjust business operation models and forge successful brand transformation. Speakers include Eric Sun, Managing Director of Kinox Trading Limited, who is an expert in branding through O2O marketing, and Dr Alfred Ng, Chief Technology Officer of Suga International Holdings Ltd, who will speak about ways to harness the power of Internet of Things (IoT) technology to develop industrial ecosystems.

    The seminar series “Embracing The Latest Trend of E-Commerce”, gathers industry experts from Google, LinkedIn and Baidu to share insights into mobile apps, social media trends and digital marketing strategies.

    The HKTDC has also invited renowned entrepreneurs to share their business experience at the expo. Speakers include Quincy Wong, Chairman of Convoy Global Holdings Ltd; Vincent Tsui, Chief Marketing Officer of Next Digital Ltd; and Skye Chan, Founder of e-tailing shop Gift-ing.

    Hong Kong International Franchising Show

    Franchising is an established model of business expansion that is particularly common in the food and beverage, retail and other services sectors. With a growing number of middle class brand-savvy consumers, brands are choosing franchising as a way to expand their business. To cater to this trend, the HKTDC debuted the Hong Kong International Franchising Show last year to provide a one-stop platform for companies and entrepreneurs to find franchising opportunities, business partners and get expert tips on franchising.

    This year, the fair has gathered more than 100 exhibitors from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, Korea, Taiwan, the ASEAN region and Australia as well as Europe and the United States to showcase franchising opportunities in food and beverage, retail, education, health and beauty, and other personal and business services in three thematic zones: “Catering”, “Non-Catering” and “International”.

    Various well-known franchising brands have returned to the show, including Papa John’s Pizza, a US pizza chain; Trendyland Studio, which specialises in selling Disney products and providing Disney-themed photography services; and KamCha, a local Hong Kong food and beverage brand. New exhibitors include Sunshine 24, Hong Kong’s first 24-hour self-serve laundry chain; Cafe Cafe, a Canadian specialty coffee brand; Coerver Coaching, a football training system; InXpress, an international courier intermediary company; and Hong Kong’s School of Creativity.

    “Advice from the Wise” seminar series

    This year, the HKTDC has launched a new seminar series called “Advice from the Wise”. The series features industry experts from the US, Japan, Malaysia, Australia and the Chinese mainland sharing advice on how to enter the mainland market, new operating ideas for the catering sector and how to develop domestic services into franchises.

    At the “Round Table Meeting”, representatives from franchising associations in the Asia-Pacific region are set to analyse the latest franchising trends, including those in Singapore, Australia, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

    Business matching services and networking events are arranged during the event to help visitors expand their networks. There is also a series of Brand Briefing Sessions for visitors to explore cooperation opportunities.

    Alongside the World SME Expo and Hong Kong International Franchising Show, two other concurrent events are underway, further enhancing business synergy for visitors. These events are the Business of Intellectual Property Asia Forum and InnoDesignTech Expo. Together, the four events provide a highly-effective one-stop value-adding platform for SMEs to capture global opportunities.

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  • South Korea to disallow sales of some Nissan, BMW and Porsche models

    South Korea to disallow sales of some Nissan, BMW and Porsche models

    South Korea said on Tuesday it plans to disallow sales of two Nissan Motor Co Ltd, one BMW AG and three Porsche AG car models after finding errors in certification documents for the car makers’ imported models.

    South Korea’s environment ministry said in a statement it also plans to fine the local units of the foreign car makers a combined 6.5 billion won ($5.56 million) after finding certification errors in two Nissan, one BMW and seven Porsche models.

    Out of the seven Porsche models, four have discontinued sales, the ministry said.

    The decisions on the sales halt and fines will be finalised in December after a hearing, the environment ministry said.

    The ministry announced the results of a probe into whether foreign car makers besides Volkswagen AG falsified documents for certification, following a similar finding on Volkswagen earlier this year.

    A Nissan Korea spokesman said the company plans to cooperate with the environment ministry and clarify its position in the hearing.

    Spokespersons for BMW and Porsche could not be immediately reached for comment.

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  • Global Threat Index shows rise in malware attacks

    Global Threat Index shows rise in malware attacks

    The number of malware attacks increased in October, according to Check Point Software’s monthly Global Threat Index.

    Check Point’s Threat Intelligence Research Team found that both the number of active malware families and number of attacks increased by 5% during the period, pushing the number of attacks on business networks to near peak levels, as seen earlier this year.

    Locky ransomware attacks continued to rise, moving it up from third to second place, while the Zeus banking trojan moved up two spots, returning it to the top three.

    The reason for Locky’s continued growth is the constant variation and expansion of its distribution mechanism, which is primarily through spams emails. Its creators are continually changing the type of files used for downloading the ransomware, including doc, xls and wsf files, as well as making significant structural changes to the spam emails.

    The actual ransomware itself is nothing exceptional, but cyber criminals are investing a lot of time into maximizing the number of machines that become infected by it.

    For the seventh consecutive month, HummingBad, an android malware that establishes a persistent rootkit to carry out an array of malicious purposes, remained the most common malware used to attack mobile devices.

    Once again Conficker retained its first place position as the world’s most prevalent malware, responsible for 17% of recognized attacks. Both second placed Locky, which only started its distribution in February of this year, and third placed Zeus, were responsible for 5% of known attacks.

    “With the number of attacks and malware families increasing, the scale of the challenge organizations face in ensuring their networks remain secure is tremendous,” Check Point head of threat protection Nathan Shuchami said.

    “It is particularly concerning that a malware family as established and well known as Conficker is so effective, suggesting that organizations aren’t using the latest, multi-layered defenses.”

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  • German carmaker BMW launches Indonesian-made sedans in luxury push

    German carmaker BMW launches Indonesian-made sedans in luxury push

    German automaker BMW on Wednesday launched its 7 series sedans in Indonesia that will be assembled in the country as it seeks to tap into the long-term demand for luxury vehicles in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.

    Other luxury car companies such as Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz are also increasingly shifting part of their production to the country of 250 million people to reduce costs and distribute their vehicles more quickly to consumers.

    “We are very positive about the future of Indonesia and therefore we also see an increased potential in the luxury market,” Axel Pannes, managing director of BMW Group Asia, told Reuters on the sidelines of a media launch in Jakarta.

    The German company has invested more than 210 billion rupiah ($15.5 million) over the last five years to assemble a greater number of car models in Indonesia, the 7 series being the latest addition to its local line-up.

    The group sold a total of 3,638 vehicles in Indonesia last year, up 5.7 percent from a year earlier. BMW executives declined to give sales projections for this year or for 2017.

    Global carmakers would benefit from lower import tariffs for certain components if they were to set up local assembly plants, said Jongkie Sugiarto, co-chairman of the Association of Indonesia Automotive Industries.

    The move would also be positive for Indonesia as it brings investment into the country and generates employment, he added.

    The Indonesian government is offering incentives for foreign companies to build cars domestically, said I Gusti Putu Suryawirawan, director-general for metal, machines, transport equipments and electronics at the industry ministry.

    “The aim is for them to produce here and therefore involve local suppliers,” Suryawirawan said, adding that the automotive sector was a key sector for Indonesia’s economic growth.

    Gross domestic product is expected to grow 5 percent this year and up to 5.4 percent in 2017, according to the central bank’s latest estimate.

    The premium car market should be supported next year by the government’s economic stimulus and the roll-out of infrastructure projects, said Kariyanto Hardjosoemarto, a sales operation and product management executive at Mercedes-Benz in Indonesia.

    Indonesia’s tax amnesty scheme, launched in July, may also help to boost luxury car sales as those who were previously concerned by being chased by the tax office would now be less hesitant about making such purchases, Hardjosoemarto added.

  • Flybe strikes new deal with Singapore Airlines

    Flybe strikes new deal with Singapore Airlines

    Regional carrier Flybe said yesterday it had recruited its 11th code-share partner, allowing “seamless” connections on flights from Aberdeen to more than 100 long-haul destinations with Singapore Airlines.

    From this winter, passengers flying with Flybe from five UK airports – Aberdeen, Manchester, Belfast City, Birmingham and Southampton – and two mainland European gateways can make through bookings for Singapore Airline’s services to south-east Asia, Australasia and the US.

    Tickets for their entire trip can be booked through Singapore Airlines’ website or a travel agent.

    Easier connections from Inverness, Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Isle of Man, Exeter and London City Airport are also possible, thanks to an “interline agreement” – slightly different than a code-share arrangement – between the two carriers.

    Flybe chief revenue officer Vincent Hodder said: “Our new code-share agreement with Singapore Airlines is another exciting development.

    “It further strengthens our ability to connect our regional customers to long-haul destinations … and also serves to boost local economies by encouraging inbound business and leisure travel.”

    Sheldon Hee, general manager, UK and Ireland, Singapore Airlines, said the deal with Flybe “greatly increases our reach throughout the UK”.

    Mr Hee added: “We are proud to keep finding new ways for UK customers to access our flights from ever closer to home.”

    The easier onward connections affect Flybe flights to Manchester from both Aberdeen and Inverness.

  • Expansion plan from Big C parent company

    Expansion plan from Big C parent company

    Berli Jucker (BJC), the owner of Big C Supercenter, will allocate TB10 billion (US$280 million) to expand the Big C hypermarket chain.

    It plans to opening 213 stores and renovate 54 outlets next year.

    BJC executive VP for group strategy and investor relations Oliver Gottschall says the company will make an aggressive expansion of the Big C network through Thailand, spending TB8 billion to open nine Big C hypermarkets, four Big C Market outlets and 200 Mini Big C stores, as well as renovate 54 outlets. The remaining TB2 billion will be reserved as cash flow.

    As previously reported, MM Mega Market, BJC’s wholesale business, has been merged with Big C’s hypermarket business in a bid to promote expansion and management efficiency. BJC closed its Ogenki beauty/drugstores to focus on Big C’s Pure drugstore chain.

    Two MM Mega Market stores in the Nong Khai and Sa Kaeo provinces are expected help expose Big C’s retail network to cross-border trade through their strategic locations near Laos and Cambodia.

    BJC has more than 700 retail branches under various formats in Thailand, mostly under the Big C brand, and more than 100 branches in Vietnam.

    BJC CEO Aswin Techajareonvikul says Big C’s revenue dropped 20 per cent to TB22.7 billion in the third quarter of this year because of the gradual reduction of cigarette and liquor sales. Net profit rose 14.6 per cent year-on-year to TB1.53 billion.

    During the nine-month period, Big C posted a net profit of TB5.27 billion on revenue totalling TB92.6 billion. Nine-month revenue declined 7.3 per cent, attributed to the economic slowdown.

    Gottschall says the rise in net profit in the third quarter came from Big C restructuring, with low-profit products being replaced with more fresh food.

    During the first nine months, BJC posted a net profit of TB2.77 billion on revenue totalling TB97.4 billion. For the third quarter, net profit was TB1.8 billion and total revenue stood at TB33.5 billion.

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  • ​Samsung Pay available at Korean department chain Shinsegae after delay

    ​Samsung Pay available at Korean department chain Shinsegae after delay

    Samsung Pay will now be available for franchises in South Korea owned or run by Shinsegae, which owns its own brand of department stores, Samsung Electronics has announced.

    The mobile payment service will be available in Starbucks — the coffee chain is run by Shinsegae in South Korea — and famous brands such as E-mart, Shinsegae Food, Shinsegae Dutyfree, and Every Day Retail.

    Samsung said the delay was caused by the difficulty in providing consumers with discounts, points, and membership services.

    Shinsegae has been resisting allowing Samsung Pay in its franchises to promote its own counterpart SSG Pay.

    Samsung Pay hit 2 trillion won transaction as of August and is among the most popular mobile payment services provided by a handset manufacturer. Samsung controls over 70 percent market share in South Korea, its home country.

    It supports all credit cards except Citi’s in South Korea. Support for Citi will begin in the first half of next year, Samsung said.

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  • AirAsia founders’ MYR1bn cash injection inches forward

    AirAsia founders’ MYR1bn cash injection inches forward

    Malaysia’s central bank, Bank Negara Malaysia, has approved the offshore loans that AirAsia‘s founders Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun will use to inject over MYR1 billion ($247 million) of new equity into the airline.

    As a result of the approval, the agreement to purchase 559 million new AirAsia shares at a price of MYR1.84 per share became unconditional on 30 Novemeber. This now gives the two directors 60 days to pay for the shares, which will be issued eight days after payment.

     The announcement was made in a Bursa Malaysia statement by joint principal advisors CIMB Investment Bank and RHB Investment Bank.

    Approval for the offshore borrowing has been holding up the deal, and forced the founders to delay it by several months.

    Following completion of the deal, Fernandes and Meranun’s stakes in the company will each be lifted from 18.9% to 32.4%.

  • Viu reaches 4m unique users in 1 year

    Viu reaches 4m unique users in 1 year

    PCCW has announced that its Viu OTT video service has reached 4 million unique users one year after launch.

    Viu is now available in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Indonesia and the Philippines, offering a range of premium Asian video content.

    Viu’s content library includes Korean content from the top four broadcasters, as well as Japanese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Taiwanese, Hollywood and now Thai content in some markets. The company differentiates with fast local subtitling, and by producing its own entertainment news in collaboration with Korea’s K1 Headlines.

    During the third quarter of 2016, Viu recorded over 218 million views, with users consuming an average of 1.2 hours of content per day or 12 videos per week.

    “As OTT takes root and continues to develop rapidly in Asia, Viu continues to stride forward with the launch of its service in the Philippines, a vibrant market with over 30 million viewers who regularly watch videos online,” PCCW Media Group MD Janice Lee said.

    “We are confident that our Philippine launch will replicate the growth and success we have experienced in the region.”

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  • StarHub launches data roaming to 9 APAC markets

    StarHub launches data roaming to 9 APAC markets

    Singapore’s StarHub has launched a new flat rate multi-destination monthly mobile data roaming plan covering all mobile networks in nine APAC markets.

    The DataTravel plan offers 2GB of data for 30 days when roaming to Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and The Philippines for a flat S$15 ($10.50), or 3GB for S$20.

    While roaming, customers will not need to manually search for specific networks and can instead leave their phones to connect to the strongest available signals.

    “With DataTravel, we are happy to free our customers from the common constraints of overseas data usage, that are cost and accessibility,” StarHub head of product and marketing Wang Li-Na said.

    StarHub will also send SMS notifications before a plan expires and depletes, and customers will be able to top up with additional 2GB or 3GB DataTravel plans. Any unused data will be carried forward for another 30 days when a new plan is activated.

    The operator’s move comes shortly after rival Singtel expanded its ReadyRoam mobile data roaming service to cover multi-destination roaming across 26 countries, including 11 Asian markets.

    In comparison to StarHub, Singtel’s base ReadyRoam service provides 1GB of data for 30 days’ roaming in the 11 Asian markets for S20.

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  • Idris Jala to become Heineken Malaysia chairman

    Idris Jala to become Heineken Malaysia chairman

    Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) chief executive officer Datuk Seri Idris Jala will join Heineken Malaysia Bhd (formerly Guinness Malaysia Bhd) as chairman starting Jan 1, 2017.

    In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, the Selangor-based brewer said Idris would succeed Tan Sri Saw Choo Boon who had decided to retire as chairman on Dec 31.

    At the request of management, Saw has agreed to continue to support the group as advisor of Heineken Malaysia starting Jan 1, 2017.

    Idris, who served as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for six years, is the managing director of the Big Fast Results Institute in addition to helming Pemandu.

    “Datuk Seri Idris Jala is a renowned transformation guru in turning around companies’ performance through his big fast results methodology and transformational strategies that are innovative, rigorous and relevant to today’s demands. He has continuously delivered sustainable socio economic reforms which, in 2014, saw Bloomberg place him among the top 10 most influential policy makers in the world,” Heineken Malaysia said.

    Prior to his Government stint, Idris was managing director/CEO at Malaysia Airlines (MAS) for three years. He was brought on board to turn around the airline which was in crisis brought about by a prolonged bout of losses from operational inefficiencies.

    Before that, he spent 23 years at Shell, rising up the ranks to hold senior positions including vice president (Shell Retail International) and vice president (business development consultancy) based in the UK.

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  • Singapore’s cellcos to adopt Mobile Connect

    Singapore’s cellcos to adopt Mobile Connect

    Singapore’s mobile operators M1, Singtel and StarHub have agreed to adopt the GSMA’s Mobile Connect authentication standard for universal secure mobile-based authentication.

    The three operators are building a unified platform to enable integration with online service providers using a common API.

    Once implemented, the functionality will allow Singapore consumers to create a universal trusted digital identity for access to compatible telecoms, banking, e-commerce, entertainment and travel services.

    For online transactions that require greater levels of security, consumers will also be provided with a unique personal code.

    GSMA research indicates that 87% of consumers leave a website when asked to register, and many face difficulties remembering a growing list of usernames and passwords, with 40% using a forgot password feature monthly.

    Implementing the single sign-on functionality therefore also benefits online service providers, which the research suggests stand to improve page views by 67% and likelihood to purchase by 48%.

    The first online services that support the operators’ new authentication function are expected to launch in the second half of next year.

    The GSMA’s Mobile Connect is currently available in 22 countries, including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

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  • Samsung Galaxy On7 Launched In South Korea

    Samsung Galaxy On7 Launched In South Korea

    In order to recover their profit lost due to Galaxy Note 7 issues, Samsung decided to launch the Galaxy On7 in South Korea. The phone is 55-inch and is packed with 3GB Ram and a 16GB memory. It is metal framed and comes with an 8-megapixel front camera and 13-megapixel back camera.

    The Samsung Galaxy On7 is available in two different colors of Black and Gold. It is priced at 399,000 won, which is more or less $399. The phone is available with features similar to its flagship models, like the F1.0 aperture that allows filming even on a low light setting. It is also available with fingerprint recognition and many more.

    It should be remembered that the Galaxy On5and the Galaxy On7 were launched last year in India, but they were restricted in most South Asian countries. On the other hand, the Galaxy On7 is going global after it was launched in China last September and India just last month.

    When it comes to features, the Galaxy On7 does not disappoint. It comes with 5.5-inch touchscreen display and in 1920 x 1080 pixels. The one that was launched in South Korea is available with a 1.6GHz processor, while the Indian and Chinese versions come with Snapdragon 625 chips.

    When it comes to its camera feature, the phone can take impressive selfies as well as video chats. Both front and back cameras come with f/1.9 apertures. The Galaxy On7 runs in Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and operates with 4G LTE connectivity. It also comes with a metal body that never fails to add a touch of class.

    LG and Apple, the two known rivals of Samsung, were able to experience great sales in South Korea with their models V20 and iPhone 7 respectively. The said boost of sales is blamed to the Note 7 dilemma.But with the coming of the Galaxy On7, Samsung hopes it can make up for the loss profit.

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  • Singapore Cruise contract award expected in January

    Singapore Cruise contract award expected in January

    The SCCPL invited interested companies to tender for the development and operation of the duty free and general merchandise concession contract at the Harbourfront and Tanah Merah terminals for a period of five years (with an option to extend for another two years).

    The SCC is investing in the redesign and upgrade of its commercial offer at both terminals, with expansion and reconfiguration of the main retail space in the departures and arrivals areas.

    The SCC also decided to consolidate several separate contracts for the existing duty free concessions (including liquor & tobacco, perfumes & cosmetics, fashion & travel accessories and confectionery), into a single contract, to run for five years with a two-year extension option, commencing 1st April 2017.

    The contract, for which the RFQ deadline was 30 June, will govern 542sq m of retail space, serving over 6.3m ferry passengers and 560,000 cruise passenger annually.

    SCC RECEIVE TWO TOP AWARDS

    As previously reported, the latter incumbent operator, Heinemann opened its third (157sq m) Ocean Duty Free store in Singapore’s HarbourFront Ferry Terminal in January 2015.

    This follows the earlier opening of its first two outlets at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal in March 2014.

    “SCCPL does not bind itself to accept any tender nor the highest bid,” the SCC states on its website.

    Singapore received the top cruise destination award at the 10th Seatrade Cruise Awards for the second time in three years in October – following on from September’s separate accolade where it was voted the leading Asian port of call at the Cruise Critic Cruisers’ Choice Destination Awards.

    In March earlier this year, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) reported that the country witnessed encouraged growth in the cruise and business segments as the Singapore Cruise Centre (SCC) was named the number one cruise port in Asia in 2015.

    Singapore-Cruise-Centre-large

    “SCCPL does not bind itself to accept any tender nor the highest bid,” the SCC states on its website.

    Interestingly, the cruise industry saw a 14% year-on-year increase in cruise passenger throughput last year to more than one million.

    In addition, the country welcomed a total of 385 cruise ships, including international cruise brands such as TUI cruises, and Royal Caribbean, as well as nine maiden calls – new to Singapore and Southeast Asia.