Tag: asia

  • Shiseido Philippines JV launched

    Shiseido Philippines JV launched

    Beauty-products retailer Shiseido has commenced operations in the Philippines through the newly-established Shiseido Philippines Corporation, a joint venture in partnership with Luxasia Partners.

    Shiseido is Japan’s largest beauty company with a presence in over 120 countries, including the Philippines, which is Southeast Asia’s third-largest cosmetics market representing close to US$3 billion in annual sales.

    This expansion opens new distribution channels in the Philippines and enables Shiseido to expand its current brand and product range in the market. In addition to trusted Shiseido and Shiseido Men skincare products, Shiseido Philippines will officially launch other key brands from its Prestige, Fragrance and Cosmetics & Personal Care portfolios – such as Nars and Laura Mercier; a line-up of fragrances such as Dolce & Gabbana, Issey Miyake, and Narciso Rodriguez; and Senka facial cleansers, which have already established a strong following in Asian markets.

    “We are proud of what we have accomplished with the brand to date and are extremely delighted to move our business forward with the launch of the Shiseido Philippines in partnership with Luxasia,” said Shiseido Philippines MD Koji Nakata. “We remain committed to our customers and I look forward to engaging with our customers in the Philippines as we bring them limitless beauty with our expanded line-up of high-quality cosmetics and skincare products.”

    “The Philippines is an important and strategic market for Shiseido in Southeast Asia, and it is an exciting time to be a part of the country’s booming beauty industry,” said Shiseido Asia Pacific president & CEO Jean-Philippe Charrier. “I hope that Shiseido’s entry to the Philippines will enable more Filipinos to have access to a wider range of beauty brands and products – with the uncompromising quality, innovation and spirit of omotenashi, or Japanese hospitality – that only Shiseido can provide.”

  • Nespresso’s Brazil boss heads up APAC operations

    Nespresso’s Brazil boss heads up APAC operations

    Nespresso has announced Jean-Marc Dragoli, who led the company’s Brazilian operations, as general manager for Oceania.

    Dragoli is now based in Sydney and aims to build on the double-digit growth achieved in his previous role.

    “I know Australians and New Zealanders are true coffee connoisseurs and I am looking forward to working with colleagues across Oceania to offer the highest quality sustainable coffee and service to people at home, in the workplace, at hotels and fine dining establishments,” Dragoli said.

    He is taking over from former general manager Loïc Réthoré and will focus on building good customer experience and driving business innovation and sustainability efforts in Australia.

    Nespresso Oceania is known for its Vertuo coffee system; subscription services and reimagined boutiques, including the new flagship boutique on George Street in Sydney.

    “We are delighted to have Dragoli join us at a hugely exciting time for the business, as we continue to lead the way in sustainable, high-quality coffee in the region. With an excellent management team in place, we know Dragoli will build on this success in the coming months and years,” Nespresso head of APAC, Middle-East & Africa, Roland Tschanz said.

  • Kathmandu raises $96 million for Rip Curl acquisition

    Kathmandu raises $96 million for Rip Curl acquisition

    Kathmandu has raised nearly $96 million from institutional investors via a fully underwritten 1 for 4 pro rata accelerated entitlement offer to help fund its acquisition of Rip Curl.

    Eligible institutional shareholders took up 88 per cent of their entitlements, and 92 per cent of eligible institutional shareholders took up their entitlements in full, signaling strong investor support for the $368 million acquisition, which Kathmandu said will expand and diversify the business.

    Kathmandu is looking to raise a total of $145 million under the entitlement offer, which allows eligible shareholders to subscribe for one new ordinary share for every four existing shares held as at 5pm on October 3, 2019.

    The retail component of the entitlement offer opens on Friday, October 4, and closes on Monday, October 21, with eligible shareholders able to subscribe at an application price of NZ$2.55 per new share ($2.37 for Australian shareholders).

    This reflects a 14.4 percent discount to the volume-weighted average price of Kathmandu’s shares traded on the NZX for the last five trading days prior to October 1, 2019.

  • Cosmetics startup La Bouche Rouge makes Hong Kong its trial market

    Cosmetics startup La Bouche Rouge makes Hong Kong its trial market

    French cosmetics startup La Bouche Rouge has chosen Hong Kong as its first Asian market ahead of a regional rollout.

    Founder Nicolas Gerlier introduced the firm’s eco-friendly lipstick line in an interview with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

    The concept of the brand came about when Gerlier realized that up to 1 billion used lipstick tubes are thrown away every year, contributing to plastic pollution.

    “I believe that it is impossible to create a new beauty house today without thinking of the environment, without giving meaning, without becoming part of a socially responsible project,” said Gerlier. The idea developed in his mind “until the day I decided to launch my own model”.

    Gerlier was inspired to develop an eco-friendly brand based on his work under Ezra Petronio at L’Oreal Luxe, who is now the firm’s co-founder and creative director.

    La Bouche Rouge lines include the Metiers d’Art Collection – personalizable artisan-crafted lipstick cases – and products in leather pouches which customers refill by purchasing more lipstick at the outlet or online. There is no need to discard cases.

    “At La Bouche Rouge we talk about being ‘beautifully sustainable’,” said Gerlier. “We believe in creating the desire to consume differently and we are convinced that this is achievable through designing beautiful and easy objects. There should not be any compromise between sexiness and sustainability.”

    The firm also has a line of vegan products, which do not use beeswax or any other animal-derived material, soon to be made available in Hong Kong.

    Gerlier says Hong Kong was a natural choice when La Bouche Rouge decided to expand beyond Europe and the US. “Hong Kong is a living and dynamic economy, with the whole aura of Asia in its globality,” Gerlier said. “I am convinced that sustainability combined with luxury in makeup is our future and we are very proud to be launching so far from France just a year and a half after our launch.”

    At present, La Bouche Rouge sells at Lane Crawford in Hong Kong, its first Asian outlet. The firm plans to develop other points of sale in Hong Kong as well as in Japan and Korea.

    With its strong international connections and large French community, La Bouche Rouge finds Hong Kong a good base for its move into Asia. “Our team here is made up of French people who have lived in Hong Kong for a long time. The cosmopolitan city lets us connect with a lot of different nationalities and customers.”

  • KiKi Tea Hong Kong opens more outlets

    KiKi Tea Hong Kong opens more outlets

    KiKi Tea Hong Kong has opened its fourth branch, at Telford Plaza in Kowloon Bay.

    The Taiwanese bubble-tea chain is operated by Hong Kong hospitality group Lai Sun Dining which is opening outlets at a rapid pace in the city. The new boutique-style venue is styled after a minimalist Zen courtyard with rustic interior design and communal oak tables encouraging diner interaction.

    KiKi Tea, an extension of the renowned KiKi brand, stands out from the Taiwanese bubble tea crowd showcasing quality, mostly natural ingredients including premium Taiwanese tea leaves, black sugar and cane sugar, along with authentic Taiwanese tea recipes – highlighting handmade pearls and pressed-to-order House Blend Teapresso.

    The first KiKi Tea Hong Kong pilot store opened at Sun’s Bazaar at Pacific Place and was followed by KiKi Noodle Bar (KiKi Tea) flagship outlets at IFC mall in Central and K11 Musea at Victoria Dockside in Tsim Sha Tsui East.

    To mark the Telford Plaza opening, KiKi Tea has partnered with KitKat to serve a collection of chocolate beverages.

  • Ramen Cubism restaurant grows into Tsim Sha Tsui

    Ramen Cubism restaurant grows into Tsim Sha Tsui

    Japanese ‘celebrity’ ramen champion Hayashi Takao is opening a second branch of Ramen Cubism in Tsim Sha Tsui later this month.

    The new restaurant is sister to the first outlet in Central, which has performed strongly since its Hong Kong debut in January.  Fast-track expansion of the brand has since included a sister brand in Chef Hayashi’s home town of Osaka, Ramen Purism.

    The new 1800sqft, 31-seat venue in Kowloon replicates the brand’s design theme of cosy interior with predominant wood finish, designed to convey a sense of natural, fresh and authentic ingredients sourced from environmentally-friendly places.

    “Tsim Sha Tsui is a logical location for extending the concept to Kowloon, with a vibrant local crowd as well as tourists from all over the world,” said Bird Kingdom Group founder and CEO Eric Ting.

    To celebrate the opening, Chef Hayashi is unveiling his award-winning ramen from Japan – Japan Next Generation Ramen Competition Champion Ramen – Miso Ramen. The dish was so popular in his first restaurant ‘Original Ramen Style Hayashi’ at Tsukamoto Station in Osaka that it regularly attracted queues of more than 100 fans.

    “This unique version of traditional Miso Ramen was perfected over extensive recipe development, experimenting with new techniques to inject an East Asian influence into traditional Japanese ramen,” said Chef Hayashi.

  • Nespresso Hong Kong launches coffee selection at K11 Musea

    Nespresso Hong Kong launches coffee selection at K11 Musea

    Nespresso Hong Kong has launched a new boutique at K11 Musea featuring more than 50,000 square feet of green walls.

    The walls are meant to serve as a reaffirmation of the brand’s commitment to sustainability by unveiling their collaboration with the Nature Discovery Park at K11 Musea to offer planting workshops to members of the public.

    The new 452sqft boutique is Nespresso’s fifth retail store in Hong Kong. The space features sustainable elements, such as table-tops made of used coffee grounds from the Nespresso factory in Switzerland, wood sourced from reforestation programmes, and a capsule recycling collection point where guests can drop off their used capsules.

    A new set of “Hong Kong Selection” coffee assortment is available exclusively at the new boutique to celebrate its opening, featuring five well-loved coffee capsule flavours by Hong Kong consumers.

    The Nature Discovery Park will also showcase Nespresso’s latest Re:Cycle bike created in collaboration with Swedish bike brand Vélosophy. Nespresso has globally launched a limited quantity of 1000 city bikes made from recycled aluminum coffee capsules, designed to illustrate the potential of recyclable aluminum and to inspire customers to recycle their capsules.

  • Hong Kong retail sales crash by steepest rate on record

    Hong Kong retail sales crash by steepest rate on record

    Hong Kong retail sales crashed 23 percent in August as extradition-bill protests saw stores shuttered and visitors staying away.

    August’s decline was the worst month on record, even worse than September 1998 when the Asian Financial Crisis hit.

    According to the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) the value of retail sales was provisionally estimated at HKD29.4 billion, down 23 percent year on year, following a revised 11.5 percent decline in July.  After netting out the effect of price changes, retail sales in August fell by an estimated 25.3 percent.

    “Apart from the weak consumer sentiment amid subdued economic conditions, the plunge in August mainly reflected the severe disruptions to inbound tourism and consumption-related activities caused by the local social incidents,” said a government spokesperson.

    “Retail sales will likely remain in the doldrums in the near term, as the worsened economic outlook and local protests involving violence continue to weigh on consumer sentiment and inbound tourism.”

    For the first eight months of this year, sales are down by 6 percent.

    Worst hit in August, understandably, was the tourist-reliant luxury goods sector, with sales of jewelry, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts down a massive 47.4 percent – proving widely discussed anecdotes of retailers suffering a 50 percent decline in sales during the month.

    Sales by department stores plunged 29.9 percent and of cosmetics by 30 percent. Apparel sales were down by 33.4 percent and both by optical shops and of footwear and accessories by 26 percent. Sales of Chinese drugs and herbs fell 25.5 percent.

    Electrical goods sales fell by 15.4 percent, and miscellaneous consumer goods by 20.1 percent.

    However, categories shopped mainly by local residents were significantly less affected: sales of food, liquor and tobacco were down by just 0.3 percent, books, newspapers and stationery by 2.5 percent and furniture and homewares by 7.4 percent. Supermarket sales were up by 1.9 percent and fuels by 0.4 percent.

    August marked the third consecutive month of disruption due to protest action. Sales for the three months combined fell by an estimated 12.4 percent quarter on quarter.

  • Ingenico launches full suite of Chinese payment options for e-commerce players

    Ingenico launches full suite of Chinese payment options for e-commerce players

    Ingenico is one of the very first international payment service providers (PSP) to support all use cases for WeChat Pay, including the capability to integrate into WeChat Official Accounts and Mini-Programs. This is a crucial advantage that allows the 1.1 billion WeChat users to complete their purchase without leaving the WeChat environment.

    Additionally, Ingenico offers an upgraded Alipay integration to its customers, enabling these businesses to reach the vast majority of online consumers in China, while also allowing them to offer real-time payments, both on desktop and mobile devices. Furthermore, Ingenico supports UnionPay’s (UPI) SecurePay and ExpressPay solutions as part of a comprehensive payment solution designed to cater to a greater range of local payment preferences in China. Through Ingenico, merchants can offer Chinese Yuan (CNY) to consumers via these payment methods, which is critical for conversion and customer experience.

    The new China is a huge opportunity for western businesses. It is the world’s largest and most dynamic e-commerce market and a pioneering force in a digital and mobile culture. In total, it has an internet penetration rate of 57%, representing 25% of internet users worldwide. However, it is a more challenging market to operate in than many others, as the unique domestic e-commerce ecosystem often demands specific solutions tailored to local preferences.

    “Our long-time presence and activity in China means that we are perfectly positioned to partner with merchants wanting to access the truly local consumer market. Our expertise here, combined with this new set of payment capabilities, will allow international merchants to reach Chinese consumers that were previously difficult to access,” explains Gabriel de Montessus, SVP Global Online (Retail BU) for Ingenico Group. “Our merchants will be able to offer all the relevant local Chinese payment methods in local currency denomination as part of their digital experience, which will help increase conversion.”

  • Axiata eyeing new partnerships just two weeks after Telenor deal ends

    Axiata eyeing new partnerships just two weeks after Telenor deal ends

    Two weeks after the abrupt cancellation of the mega-merger proposal between Axiata Group Bhd and Telenor, President and CEO of Axiata Group Jamaludin Ibrahim has made it clear that the company would begin focusing on forming partnerships with competitor markets, namely those within Indonesia and Malaysia, in the next three to five years.

    Axiata is one of Asia’s leading telecommunications conglomerates and Malaysia’s largest wireless carrier, serving over 300 million customers from India to Cambodia, so it’s no surprise that the company is still looking to pursue other mergers as a major operating strategy.

    “Consolidation is key to future-proof us in the medium term given the challenges in the industry,” Jamaludin said. “The cancellation of the merger does not deter us from looking at other possibilities.”

    Although he did not reveal who these potential partners may be, it was reported that Axiata and CK Hutchison had already organised informal discussions about a joint venture for their businesses in Indonesia.

    Earlier in the month, Axiata had abandoned talks with Telenor to merge their Asian operations and create an entity that could have seen them generate over $13 billion in sales alone, due to complexities related to the deal.

    The company is currently refocusing its business target and operational efficiency. “We believe that profit and cash aren’t good enough because the industry is slowing down,” Jamaludin said.

  • ZTE launches industry’s first 5G NB-IoT-based joint home appliances standard

    ZTE launches industry’s first 5G NB-IoT-based joint home appliances standard

    ZTE, a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the Mobile Internet, together with China Telecom and Haier AC, has today released the industry’s first 5G NB-IoT-based shared air-conditioner centralized control standard.

    This standard specifies the technical requirements of centralized control of shared air-conditioner, setting a benchmark for the centralized control operation of the shared economy in the home appliance industry. It is another breakthrough in the wake of the joint release of the industry’s first shared air-conditioning technology standard based on NB-IoT in September 2018 by ZTE, China Telecom Shanghai Research Institute, Haier AC and other partners.ZTE, China Telecom and Haier AC carried out a comprehensive evaluation and pre-commercial verification of the shared air-conditioner centralized control model at University of Shanghai For Science and Technology. China Telecom and ZTE provided indoor and outdoor wireless network coverage to ensure stable and reliable signal quality, data transmission, and service applications in the centralized control area. The centralized control based on NB-IoT wireless network can effectively address the problems of traditional centralized control, such as difficult engineering, complex cabling, and overwhelming maintenance.

    With the release of the shared home appliance industry standard, the NB-IoT network can realize the centralized control of temperature, mode and switch of the shared air conditioners, hence the wide application in campus, apartment and hotel scenarios.

    ZTE has always been exploring continuous innovations in the field of IoT. Based on its self-developed IoT platform and its leading edge in the 5G field, ZTE has created a series of end-to-end 5G+ integrated industry solutions in various fields, including 5G+ Smart Campus, 5G+ Industrial Park, 5G+ Smart Water Control, 5G+XR Cloud Coordination, 5G+ Cloud Education, 5G+ Smart Stadium, Smart Home, and Internet of Vehicles. By integrating the cutting-edge technologies, such as big data and AI, with the IoT, ZTE is committed to promoting the incubation and deployment of innovative IoT solutions.

    “We have been exploring the opportunities in each industry with our industry partners to create values by virtue of our experience and capabilities in the ICT field,” said Mr. Yin Gang, vice president of ZTE Corporation. “We’re happy to join hands and connect closely to build a bright future together.”

    ZTE is a provider of advanced telecommunications systems, mobile devices, and enterprise technology solutions to consumers, carriers, companies and public sector customers. As part of ZTE’s strategy, the company is committed to providing customers with integrated end-to-end innovations to deliver excellence and value as the telecommunications and information technology sectors converge. Listed in the stock exchanges of Hong Kong and Shenzhen (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), ZTE sells its products and services in more than 160 countries.

    To date, ZTE has obtained 25 commercial 5G contracts in major 5G markets such as Europe, Asia Pacific, MEA (Middle East and Africa), etc. ZTE commits 10 per cent of its annual revenue to research and d

  • AirAsia X Eyes Flights To California

    AirAsia X Eyes Flights To California

    AirAsia X’s ambitions to fly to mainland North America aren’t new. AirAsiaX has long talked about using their A330neos and Tokyo’s Narita airport as a starting point for flights to California. With the first of the aircraft now being delivered, the low-cost carrier breathed new life into the story at an aviation conference yesterday, Monday, September 23, 2019.

    AirAsiaX’s Muhammad Sharir was discussing the route at the Routes Online annual conference in Adelaide, Australia. Mr Sharir says the flights to the US mainland could start as soon as 2021, but was coy about where the flights would originate from or where they would fly to. Quite possibly because they haven’t sorted that out yet.

    Not yet a truly long haul carrier

    AirAsiaX has some form as a long haul low-cost carrier. It started flights to both London and Paris around ten years ago. But the economic downturn doomed the flights and within a few years, the flights were canceled.

    From their Kuala Lumpur hub, AirAsiaX now gets as far afield as Australia, Japan, China, South Korea and Hawaii. Strictly speaking, medium-haul rather than long haul but AirAsiaX wants to get back into the long haul business.

    2021 is the proposed starting date for California flights, because Mr. Sharir said that’s when the A330neos they need to operate the route would be delivered and ready to fly. AirAsia X has confirmed orders for 78 A330neos.

    Oakland out of favour

    Oakland, California, has long been on AirAsiaX’s horizon. As Edward Russell notes, AirAsia X held a media event at the airport back in 2012 and wheeled out a plane painted in a local sports team’s colors. All very nice, but AirAsia X flights never appeared on the arrivals board at Oakland.

    It seems Oakland has lost some of its allure for AirAsiaX, their preference swinging towards Los Angeles. But The Points Guy story thinks San Francisco is the most preferred option for the first AirAsia X North American flights.

    North America via Honolulu?

    It also offers the rather delicious option of pinging out of Honolulu on the back of existing Osaka-Honolulu AirAsia X flights.

    Whilst not a nonstop transpacific flight, it would make AirAsiaX the first low-cost carrier to offer a transpacific service. At this time, low-cost carriers coming from both east and west directions all terminate and coalesce at Honolulu. You could, technically, do the crossing on say, Southwest to Honolulu and then AirAsiaX on the last leg – which sounds like a lot of fun.

    California flights via Honolulu are an interesting scenario for AirAsia X. Photo: AirAsia.
     

    It would also see an Asian based low-cost carrier give the US low-cost incumbents a run for their money on the Hawaii-US mainland routes. The reaction at Southwest’s Dallas HQ would be priceless to see.

    While this is an interesting scenario, nonstop flights out of Japan remain a live option. AirAsia X currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Narita. Those flights could continue onto the US mainland. It is also worth noting that AirAsia X has a history of announcing flights to North America that don’t eventuate. Whilst they do have the aircraft being delivered capable of making the flights, the 2021 starting date is still a while off and no routes have been announced

    It will be a case of wait and see.

  • Chinese tourists are embracing ‘themed travel’

    Chinese tourists are embracing ‘themed travel’

    Themed travel is a fast-growing trend among Chinese tourists – with more than two in three from mainland cities prepared to try it as a hobby.

    Themed travel is a relatively new tourism category identified by markers, including concepts such as health and wellness, wedding photography and self-drive tours.

    “Having new experiences is important when it comes to traveling,” explains Saskia Zhao, travel and leisure analyst at Mintel China Reports. “In light of this, companies in China’s travel industry are moving beyond simply offering traditional travel products and are introducing themed travel to the market.

    “There are two ways in which themed travel is commonly defined in China: by travel method, for example, self-drive tours, or travel itinerary, for example, photography or wedding theme. Our research shows that hobbies and in-depth travel experiences are what’s motivating Chinese consumers to try themed travel,” she said.

    “To appeal to these consumers, customization and offering experiences of superior quality are key. The focus of innovation in themed travel can be expanded from new routes and destinations to selling hobby-based experiences like food and outdoor activity tours. This will also allow consumers to meet with like-minded individuals, seeing how socialization is another key driver for the themed travel market.”

    Research by Mintel suggests a desire for new experiences seems to be what’s driving interest in the category.

    Three in five urban Chinese respondents (of 3000 surveyed online aged 20-49) say they are motivated to try themed travel because it would make a suitable hobby (66 percent) and is an in-depth travel experience (64 percent). Opportunities for socializing is another driver with 45 percent of respondents saying the desire to meet people with similar interests is a reason why they would like to try themed travel.

    Popularity of self-drive tours

    While still a relatively new concept, self-drive tours are picking up in China. According to Mintel research, 52 percent of urban Chinese respondents have taken the more common self-organized tour (eg excluding RVs and self-drive tours) for their personal leisure travels in the last 12 months*, while 49 percent say that they have taken self-drive tours. Self-drive tours are especially popular among the post-80s generation with 57 percent of respondents having tried this way of themed traveling. This is followed by 48 percent of post-90s and 41 percent of post-70s consumers.

    Health-and-wellness-themed travel

    Finally, Mintel research reveals an opportunity for travel suppliers with health and wellness-themed travel. As many as 74 percents of Chinese respondents cited enjoying a slower-paced lifestyle as the most important reason to try health and wellness-themed travel; while 67 percent associate health and wellness-themed travel with a nice environment and being beneficial to physical health, respectively.

    For health and wellness-themed travel, the top activities consumers are willing to pay more for include hot springs (67 percent) and body-care services, such as massages or a spa, (63 percent).

    “Healthy lifestyles are trending in China, opening up an opportunity for travel suppliers to explore health and wellness-themed travel,” said Zhao.

    “Consumers say that enjoying a slower-paced lifestyle is important when it comes to health and wellness-themed travel – likely because they long to relieve the stresses of daily life.

    “Companies in the health-and-wellness travel space can also motivate consumers with claims such as improving physical health and living in pure and healthy environments that are free from pollution. When premiumising their health and wellness-themed travel offerings, companies should look at capitalizing on natural elements such as hot springs and forest ‘oxygen zones’, as well as self-indulgent experiences like spas,” Zhao concluded.

  • Uniqlo Introducing clothes made from recycled plastic bottles

    Uniqlo Introducing clothes made from recycled plastic bottles

    Japansese fashion retailer Uniqlo and Toray Industries have created apparel made from recycled down and fabric from polyester fibres made with recycled PET bottles.

    The technology partnership will lead to clothes made from recycled plastic bottles going on sale next year in Singapore and other Asian markets.

    Used Ultra Light Down pieces will be collected by Uniqlo stores and go through extraction process run by Toray-developed system. Materials then will be cleansed for use in new down merchandise. The collection program started this month initially only in Japan. Some down products from the 2020 Fall/Winter season will use the recycled material.

    “Uniqlo is committed to improving the sustainability of society,” said Tadashi Yanai, Uniqlo’s founder and chairman.

    “To this end, we will soon begin our new initiative with Toray that promotes the use of recycled materials. Through such an important partnership, we can continue to offer high-performance, high-quality, and sustainable clothing to all customers around the world.”

    President of Toray Industries, Akihiro Nikkaku said that the companies challenged themselves to seek solutions for global social issues as they believe that ‘materials can change our lives’.

    Next year, Uniqlo will produce Dry-Ex pieces of clothing that combine high-value-added polyester fibers derived from reclaimed PET bottles – clothes made from recycled plastic.

  • DFS Group launches ‘World of Watches and Jewelry’ event

    DFS Group launches ‘World of Watches and Jewelry’ event

    Travel retailer DFS Group is launching its first ‘World of Watches and Jewelry’ event through October, targeting millennial, fashion-minded clientele and first-time watch buyers.

    The event is described as “a celebration of watches and jewelry” and will be held in five T Galleria by DFS stores globally: Macau, Hawaii, Okinawa, Guam and Saipan.

    The stores will host a series of activations featuring more than 40 watch and jewelry brands, including 10 that are new to DFS.

    “With our discerning millennial customers in mind, we have sought to develop and curate relevant products and experiences that respond to their needs with creativity and flair,” said Matthew Green, senior VP watches and jewelry at DFS Group.

    The ‘World of Watches and Jewelry’ is interpreted through four themes that reflect the different moods and lifestyles of our consumers.” Those are: Time to Move, Time to Think, Time to Play and Time to Style.

    In addition to this, in Macau, DFS has teamed up with SevenFriday to create a curated pop-up that includes a relaxing lounge bar and a game of chance to win a range of prizes. A Swarovski pop-up featuring mystical moon and star motifs adorns the space, highlighting the Swarovski Symbolic and Swarovski Remix Collections. And Tag Heuer will celebrate it heritage and its presence in motor-racing in collaboration with Aston Martin. Limited-edition watches will be on sale, inspired by Aston Martin’s racing cars.