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Tag: asia

  • Reebok to launch Aztrek pop-up in Singapore

    Reebok to launch Aztrek pop-up in Singapore

    Reebok will launch a Aztrek pop-up store at Suntec City next month.

    Set to open from May 1 to 7, the pop up brings the retro Aztrek line back with ‘90s-inspired colours and designs, along with cult-classic arcade games and Instagram-worthy corners.

    Visitors will get free token to play arcade games such as Tetris, Mario Kart, Mortal Kombat, Space Invaders, Pacman and Street Fighters, with every purchase.

    Other Reebok Classic favorites such as the Instapump Fury, Club C, Classic Nylon, Pyro and Classic Leather Alter The Icons will also be available at the pop up.

    There will be a photo contest for participants to share their pictures on their Instagram stories with the hashtags #Aztrek, #ReebokClassic and #ReebokSG and tag Reebok’s Instagram handle @Reebok_Sg.

    Originally launched as an all-terrain shoe in 1993, the Aztrek is designed for wearing on mountains.

    This year, the Aztrek returns with three silhouettes including a collaboration with supermodel, Gigi Hadid, called Aztrek Double x Gigi Hadid.

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  • Rent reductions causes Bonjour Holdings a big loss

    Rent reductions causes Bonjour Holdings a big loss

    Bonjour Holdings sales fell 7.3 per cent last year as the health and beauty products retailer reorganised its store network.

    The company reported a loss attributable to shareholders of HK$39.6 million (US$5 million), which was a significant improvement on the previous year’s loss of $202.3 million.

    Same-store sales crept up 0.8 per cent, albeit that is a slower rate than the 2.3 per cent of 2017.

    The Hong Kong-listed group finished the year with 39 stores in Hong Kong, Macau and Guangzhou, a reduction of just one. But during the year it relocated some stores and negotiated more favourable rental deals from its landlords on others. That strategy saw rent, as a proportion of turnover, fall from 19.1 per cent in 2017 to 15.5 per cent last year, the total rent bill down from $368.8 million to $277.6 million.

    “Although the high-street shop rents started to raise slightly last year due to the recovery of the retail sector in the first half, the group has adopted an optimistic cautious strategic planning in its store network in response to the market changes,” the company said in its results announcement.

    “Stores were deliberately chosen at both tourists shopping hotspots and community districts or residential areas with high population density to cater to both tourists and local communities’ needs which also helped the group to increase the market penetration.”

    Tourist demographics change

    The structural change to the mix of mainland tourists during the last few years has impacted on the average ticket size at Bonjour Holdings’ stores. An increasing number of arrivals are now coming from lower-tier cities with less spending power. In addition, the weak RMB and uncertain economic environment dampened the attractiveness of Hong Kong goods to mainland shoppers that they became more cautious in their spending, the company said.

    Bonjour Holdings said pressure on profitability remained last year, despite the group increasing its profit margin by 0.3 per cent.

    E-commerce expansion

    One bright point in Bonjour Holdings’ results was the increase in online sales, up 9 per cent year on year.

    As well as upgrading its own online store, Bonjour has opened flagships on e-commerce platforms Tmall Global, Kaola and Xiahongshu to increase brand visibility, provide customers with more information on products, and launch timely promotions.

    “E-commerce keeps growing and social media continues to play a bigger role,” the company said in its results filing.

    “The group put more effort into digital media by distributing promotional videos on Facebook and Weibo pages and regularly launched online promotional activities and special events, including “Double Eleven”.

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  • Paragon mall adds more Retail brands On Level 3

    Paragon mall adds more Retail brands On Level 3

    Paragon mall has added a new retail and lifestyle concept on level 3, bringing together curated fashion brands.

    Launched in phases from last June, the refreshed 15,000sqft concept offers new names from fashion, beauty, bags and accessories, dining and lifestyle brands.

    In fashion, there are French-based women fashion Anne Fontaine, Indonsia label D2-i, European-made shoes Hue, European fabric Moiselle, Asia’s esteemed multi-brand fashion Pois, home-grown fashion designer Sabrinagoh, first concept store for ladies by Samsonite Samsonite for Her, Norwegian fashionable shoe brand with a bold personality Swims, and bespoke collection of jewelry Sulin Serio.

    For skincare and fragrances, there are Scandinavia’s leading cosmetic brand Make Up Store, beauty products from Escentials, and home scenting Flaming Queen, niche fragrances boutique Amaris.

    Western-meets-Sichuan café style dining Halcyon & Crane adds to dining options.

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  • Volkswagen Polo, Ameo And Vento Get Black And White Edition

    Volkswagen Polo, Ameo And Vento Get Black And White Edition

    Volkswagen India has introduced Black and White special editions for its Polo, Ameo and Vento in India. The engine options and the specifications remain the same, although the Black and White edition cars get a bunch of cosmetic upgrades. The Black and White editions get body graphics, leatherette seat covers, roof edge spoiler, 16-inch Portago alloy wheels, black roof and ORVMs and a Black and White Badge on the front fenders. Volkswagen also re-introduced the ‘Deep Black’ colour on the Polo and the Vento but not on the Ameo. The good news is that the Black and White edition for the Polo, Ameo and Vento is available at no extra cost and will be available at all Volkswagen dealerships.

    Steffen Knapp, Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars said, “It is our constant endeavor to enhance our product offerings that are in-line with evolving consumer aspirations. The Polo & Vento have been strong contenders within their segments. Adding a dash of style, these enhanced

    Also, camouflaged test mules of the new Vento and Polo have been spied testing in India which suggests that the new models could be just around the corner. Since an all-new Vento which will be developed on an Indianised version of the MQB A0 platform has been scheduled for 2021 in India, the 2019 model will receive minor tweaking, most of which is likely to be done to the front end.

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  • Telenor appoints Irfan Khan to head the group’s Asia operations

    Telenor appoints Irfan Khan to head the group’s Asia operations

    Telenor Group has appointed Irfan Khan, chief of Pakistan unit, as executive vice president and cluster head for the Norwegian telecom group’s emerging Asia operations, effective from April 1, 2019.

    Khan (pictured) succeeds Petter-Børre Furberg, who will take up a role as CEO of Telenor Norway and move out of the group’s executive management team.

    As a result of the move, Khan will join Telenor Group’s executive management team and report directly to Telenor Group CEO and president Sigve Brekke.

    “I am confident that Irfan will continue to lead our dedicated and talented teams to success, connecting the cluster’s more than 130 million customers,” said Brekke. “I’d like to also thank Irfan’s predecessor in this role, Petter-Børre Furberg, for his leadership and achievements across our Asia region over the last several years.”

    He will also continue as CEO of Telenor Pakistan, a role he assumed in August 2016 following a three-year stint as deputy CEO and CMO of the business.

    Khan has been with Telenor for 14 years and was the first employee in Telenor Pakistan when he started as EVP and head of corporate affairs division in 2004.

    In Asia, Telenor has operations in Pakistan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Malaysia.

    Line appoints founder Jungho Shin as co-CEO

    Japan-based Line announced its founder and “chief wow officer” (CWO) Jungho Shin (pictured) will take up an additional role as co-CEO from April 1.

    As the co-CEO, Shin will now also focus on bolstering the competitiveness of Line’s services and promoting innovation, while Takeshi Idezawa will concentrate on the management, as well as revenue, organizational structure, human resources, and recruitment, the company said in a statement.

    Line said the decision was made during the company’s board meeting and the appointment comes as the company began what it calls its second growth phase this year, moving into new business domains such as fintech, AI and blockchain.

    “By having Idezawa and Shin commit to their respective areas of expertise under this new structure, the aim is to strengthen and enhance Line’s management structure, enable nimbler decision-making, and deliver world-class services that will accelerate Line’s growth, both in Asia and globally,” the company added.

    Shin was appointed as CWO in February. He has been with the company since its start, most recently serving as chief service officer since April 2018 and chief global officer before that.

  • HPE launches cloud advisory service

    HPE launches cloud advisory service

    Hewlett Packard Enterprise has announced HPE Right Mix Advisor, an offering that aims to help businesses develop their hybrid cloud strategies.

    HPE Right Mix Advisor recommends which workloads and applications are ideal to move to public clouds, or keep in private clouds, and how to migrate those workloads to achieve the right mix of hybrid cloud according to each business’s specific need.

    Many organizations find identifying their right mix to be a significant challenge, due to the complexity of their environment and the rate of change in technology and business. HPE said its new advisor aims to be the systematic approach businesses need to develop their hybrid cloud strategies with confidence.

    “IT executives have noted to us that identifying the optimal fit for their individual workloads is one of their top challenges today,” IDC’s Jed Scaramella said. “Past approaches that relied on best practices and manual analysis are now too costly and time consuming.”

    HPE Right Mix Advisor is built upon experience from over 1,000 hybrid cloud engagements, best practices from Cloud Technology Partners and RedPixie, and automated discovery capabilities from iQuate.

    Millions of data points are quickly collected from the customer’s IT landscape, from CMDBs such as ServiceNow, and from external sources such as cloud vendor pricing models. In a recent engagement, for example, nine million IP addresses across six data centres were examined.

    HPE Pointnext experts work with the client’s IT teams to analyze the data using proprietary tooling and placement algorithms. The result is a data-driven recommendation of the right workload placement strategy, as well as a phased plan to get there.

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  • Nokia unveils Factory in a Box 2.0

    Nokia unveils Factory in a Box 2.0

    Nokia is showcasing the second generation of the vendor’s Factory in a Box container solution at the 5G Arena during Hannover Messe 2019 in Germany.

    Factory in a Box 2.0 is designed to demonstrate how industry 4.0 solutions for manufacturers can be packed, transported and brought online within hours.

    The solution combines additive manufacturing technologies with augmented and virtual reality and robotics solutions, as well as connectivity using Nokia’s private 4G/5G equipment.

    Meanwhile a semi-automated production workflow has been integrated with Nokia’s Worldwide IoT Network Grid, which is designed to help mobile operators deliver a better global IoT experience to enterprise customers.

    Finally, the solution is designed with a Nokia Digital Automation Cloud, which is targeted at industrial environments large and small.

    “We could tell from the positive feedback we received on the Factory in a Box last year that there is a lot of potential for this concept in the manufacturing industry,” Nokia VP of supply network and engineering Grant Marshall aid.

    “This year, we have raised the bar again, and Factory in a Box 2.0 is now connected to Nokia WING and has Nokia DAC on board, making it even more flexible, secure and efficient.”

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  • DHL To Drive the Growth fro Abu Dhabi

    DHL To Drive the Growth fro Abu Dhabi

    DHL Global Forwarding has signed a deal with KIZAD – Abu Dhabi’s industrial hub and a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Ports, to establish a distribution centre to serve the needs of its customers.

    Under the agreement, DHL Global Forwarding will set up warehouses in KIZAD to provide end-to-end logistics and supply chain services to its customers, who seek to leverage the optimal geographical location of KIZAD to propel their growth trajectory. The warehouses will be used for storage and consolidation of all shipments, equipped with high-volume racking, as well as fully-managed kitting, packing and dispatching process to support customers’ growing capacity requirements.

    KIZAD’s strategic location, which offers easy access to all the major transportation hubs in the UAE, will enable DHL Global Forwarding to minimise customers’ shipment times along their global supply chains. With the new Abu Dhabi warehousing facility, DHL Global Forwarding is strengthening its network of global hubs for overseas distribution. With a view to further benefit from KIZAD’s unique proposition and recognising KIZAD as its preferred location for warehousing and distribution in Abu Dhabi, DHL Global Forwarding is working closely with the authorities to expand the size of its KIZAD distribution centre by April 2019.

    Amadou Diallo, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding, Middle East and Africa said: “We are looking forward to connecting KIZAD to our extensive global network, to further propel the growth potential of Abu Dhabi as a gateway to the rest of the world. Beyond the immediate needs of our customers who currently operate out of KIZAD, we are also looking to invest more resources on expanding our presence here, so we can serve more customers. The emphasis on infrastructural investment by the government is also set to rejuvenate the logistics sector, and we are committed to enabling more trade flows to and from this part of the world.”

    Samir Chaturvedi, CEO of KIZAD, said: “We are pleased to welcome DHL Global Forwarding to KIZAD, which is rapidly becoming the location of choice in the UAE for local and international logistics companies. We look forward to supporting DHL Global Forwarding in continuing to provide world-class logistics capabilities and are proud to help strengthen its global freight network and warehousing infrastructure. By hosting DHL Global Forwarding, KIZAD will be advancing key sectors such as the aerospace industry, which is an important component of Abu Dhabi’s economic diversification strategy.”

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  • AirAsia to fly Manila-Osaka route starting July 2019

    AirAsia to fly Manila-Osaka route starting July 2019

    Budget airline AirAsia announced it will operate flights between Manila and Osaka, Japan for the first time in July 2019.

    In a statement, AirAsia said its daily services for the Manila-Osaka route will begin on July 1.

    AirAsia Philippines president and CEO Dexter Comendador called the launch of the new route a “milestone occasion.”

    “Being able to travel directly and affordably to Osaka is fantastic news for Filipinos and we’re confident this new route will serve as a gateway for guests to connect to other popular destinations in Japan such as Kyoto and Nara,” said Comendador.

    “We are also excited to welcome guests from Osaka and its neighboring regions to the Philippines. This international route will contribute to the government’s target of 8.2 million visitors this year.”

    Along with the launch of this new route, AirAsia also announced an all-in, one-way promo fare starting at P1,990 for its BIG loyaty program members. The airline said bookings for this promo should be made from March 29 to April 7, for travels from July 1 to October 26.

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  • Baume & Mercier lands Both in Singapore and Malaysia

    Baume & Mercier lands Both in Singapore and Malaysia

    Swiss watch brand Baume & Mercier lands in Singapore and Malaysia today under a new distribution deal with FJ Benjamin.

    The company has inked an exclusive three-year distributorship for the watches, with a two-year extension possible based on certain conditions.

    FJ Benjamin will manage daily operations, sales and support, as well as set up communications and marketing channels to strengthen Baume & Mercier’s brand awareness in the two markets.

    “We are delighted to be appointed exclusive distributor for Baume & Mercier which enjoys a long history in luxury Swiss watchmaking, and is distributed in over 100 countries today,” said Nash Benjamin, FJ Benjamin CEO.

    “We look forward to developing further the presence of the brand in our markets.”

    Romain Lambert, MD of Baume & Mercier, Southeast Asia and Oceania, said the company looks forward to develop a stronger retail network in order to service current and potential Baume & Mercier customers.

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  • Central Group closes Robins Vietnam online store

    Central Group closes Robins Vietnam online store

    Central Group has closed its Robins Vietnam online fashion store to concentrate on its physical stores. On its website, Robins Vietnam announced the end of online business from this week, referring customers to its two Robins department stores, at Vincom Royal City in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City’s Crescent Mall.

    A Central Group representative said the group “plans to restructure its Vietnamese businesses”, including its fashion operation.

    Central Group launched Robins.vn, which was merged with Rocket Internet’s Zalora.vn, in May 2017.

    The Thai retail giant entered Vietnam in 2011, and now owns several businesses there, including Big C supermarkets, electronics chain Nguyen Kim, Lan Chi Mart, Robins Department Stores, and stationery chain LookKool.

    Mobile World group recently closed its online grocer vuivui.com after two years of operation.

    Vietnam’s e-commerce industry is expected to grow 30 per cent to reach US$13billion by 2020 by Vecom. The market is now dominated by Shopee, Lazada, and Tiki, with major investment from foreign firms including JD, Alibaba.

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  • Volvo XC40 full-electric variant to debut later this year

    Volvo XC40 full-electric variant to debut later this year

    Volvo will reveal the full-electric version of the XC40 before the end of the year, the company told at a safety event here last week. Officials declined to provide additional details. Adding a battery-powered version of the compact SUV to the lineup is a crucial step for Volvo, which wants full-electric cars to account for half of its global sales by 2025.

    The XC40 will be the first battery-driven model from the Swedish brand and the second full-electric vehicle from the Volvo Car Group. The first was the Polestar 2, which the group’s electrified performance brand debuted in February and revealed to the public at the Geneva auto show this month.

    Both full-electric vehicles will be on the road by 2020.

    In addition, both models will use the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) that Volvo developed with Chinese sister brand Geely. CMA also underpins the 01, 02 and 03 from Lynk & CO. The trio of Lynk & CO cars accounted for more than 120,000 combined sales in China last year. The upstart brand, which is co-owned by Volvo Cars and Zhejiang Geely Holding, plans to open stores in five European cities next year.

    The XC40, which was the 2018 European Car of the Year, is Volvo’s No. 2-selling model globally after its large sibling, the XC60.

    Last month Volvo said the XC40 would also get two plug-in hybrid powertrain options, starting with a T5 Twin Engine variant and followed by the T4 Twin Engine.

    Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said he expects plug-in hybrids to account for up to 25 percent of global sales in the model lines that offer them. Currently about 10 percent to 15 percent of Volvo’s global sales come from plug-in hybrids. The powertrain is offered in the XC90 and XC60 SUVs, V90 and V60 station wagons and the S90 and S60 sedans.

  • Fat Brands China to open six stores More

    Fat Brands China to open six stores More

    Fat Brands China has announced the development of six new co-branded Fatburger and Buffalo’s Express restaurants throughout Shanghai with Bloomfield.

    The new locations will build on Fat’s existing presence in China, where the company currently operates multiple successful locations in both Beijing and Shanghai.

    “When expanding internationally, it’s important to identify a partner we can trust with our iconic brand,” said CEO of Fat Brands Andy Wiederhorn. “Markets such as Shanghai, where demand and crowds are large, magnifies this need even more. We’re thrilled to open more restaurants with the Bloomfield team. They’ve done an excellent job maintaining the integrity of our brand while providing a deep understanding of the Chinese consumer.”

    Fat Brands currently owns seven restaurant brands that have more than 300 locations open and 200 under development around the world.

  • Google Maps update brings Nokia’s classic Snake Game

    Google Maps update brings Nokia’s classic Snake Game

    The classic Snake game that made its debut on Nokia phones back in 2007 and achieved popularity not long after, is now available to all Google Map users. Well, let’s say that a very improved version of that game can now be played by Android and iOS users directly in Google Maps.

    Apparently, Google continues the tradition of celebrating April Fools with a long-lasting gag that will be available to those using some of its services on mobile and desktop. This year Google has decided to make Maps the main platform of its gag.

    All Android and iOS users will be able to play Snake on their phones and achieve high scores by picking up as many passengers and visiting as many iconic locations as possible. You’ll be able to play in different locations across the world, such as Cairo, London, San Francisco, Sao Paolo, Sydney, and Tokyo, or simply choose to play in the World.

    In order to start playing Snake, you’ll have to open the Google Maps app, tap on the menu icon on the top left corner, then select “Play Snake” to start playing directly in the app.

    Depending on what city you chose to play in, you’ll have to gather passengers with your ever-growing train and visit important locations around the world, including Big Ben, the Great Sphinx of Giza, and the Eiffel Tower.

    The Snake game is now rolling out worldwide on Android and iOS and will be available from within the Google Maps app for about a week.

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  • Oppo request patent on new slider design

    Oppo request patent on new slider design

    The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has published a patent awarded to Chinese phone manufacturer Oppo. The company’s Oppo Find X was the first smartphone to feature a slider design; the slider hides the front-facing camera and dual rear cameras until needed. Now, Oppo’s new slider design includes dual cameras that are mounted on the back of the phone, never hidden from view. Meanwhile, the slider holds a pair of front-facing selfie cameras.

    Just the other day, we showed you a case render for a phone called the Oppo Reno, which will be unveiled on April 10th. To give the phone a high screen-to-body-ratio without relying on a notch (which is really the reason for all of the sliders, punch-holes, pop-up cameras and side panels we’re seeing on new handsets these days), the Oppo Reno uses a wedge that mechanically rises from the top of the device.

    The illustrations that accompany the patent show a phone using the newly patented slider, but also don’t show a fingerprint scanner. This could be related to the fact that the patent has nothing to do with that feature, or it could indicate that Oppo plans on equipping a phone using the patented new slider design, with an in-display fingerprint scanner.

    The patent was initially filed in January, was registered and published today. It expires on January 30, 2024.

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