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Tag: asia

  • Chili’s Singapore closing Down

    Chili’s Singapore closing Down

    American grill & bar Chili’s Singapore has quietly closed all three remaining outlets in the city.

    ““As of 24th March, we have closed all of our restaurants in Singapore. It’s been a wonderful 10 years serving our loyal community. Thank you for all the great moments and memories we shared,” the company posted on Facebook.

    A fan responded: “We are thankful for the past 10 years that they have been with us and for all the burgers, steak and fajitas they’ve served us.”

    Chili’s opened its first branch in Singapore in Tanglin Mall in June 2009. The other three outlets were at Resorts World Sentosa, Clarke Quay Central and JCube.

    The restaurants served Southwest American cuisine with Mexican flavours, craft burgers and baby back ribs, alongside fajitas and enchiladas.

    Established in Dallas in 1975, Chili’s had expanded to 32 countries worldwide.

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  • Ford To Exit Russian Passenger Car Market

    Ford To Exit Russian Passenger Car Market

    Ford Motor Co’s Russian joint venture Ford Sollers will close two assembly plants and an engine factory in Russia, exiting the country’s passenger vehicle market. The move is part of a restructuring that will see Russia’s Sollers assume control of the venture, which is currently led by the U.S. automaker, the companies said in a statement on Wednesday. Industry sources told Reuters this month that Ford was considering closing Russian plants as it was reviewing operations in unprofitable regions.

    The U.S. carmaker said the closures would lead to “significant” job losses, without giving details. A restructured Ford Sollers will focus on commercial vehicles, while passenger vehicle production will cease by the end of June, the companies said.

    “The new Ford Sollers structure supports Ford’s global redesign strategy to expand our leadership in commercial vehicles and to grow the business in Europe in those market segments that offer better returns on invested capital,” Steven Armstrong, president, Ford of Europe, said in the statement.

    Ford was the first international carmaker to launch vehicle assembly in Russia, opening a plant in St Petersburg in 2002. In 2011, it set up a joint venture with Sollers in which Ford and Sollers each hold a 50 percent stake, but Ford has controlled the business since buying up preferred shares.

    Sales of new cars in Russia are expected to rise 3.6 percent this year, marking a slowdown from last year, according to an estimate from the Association of European Businesses lobby group.

    “The Russian passenger vehicle market has been under significant pressure in recent years, with recovery slower than expected and a shift to lower-priced passenger vehicle segments,” Ford said.

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  • Newly revamped Sunshine Plaza To Welcome Retailers Again

    Newly revamped Sunshine Plaza To Welcome Retailers Again

    A number of retailers have opened their first stores in Queensland at the newly revamped Sunshine Plaza, which this week celebrated the completion of its $440 million redevelopment.

    The centre’s redevelopment has added over 34,000sqm of additional retail space, expanding it from 73,000sqm to over 107,000sqm.

    The redeveloped shopping centre has welcomed the region’s first David Jones store with over 8000sqm floor space, a 6500sqm Big W, H&M, Sephora, Lululemon, Kathmandu, JB Hi-Fi, Mecca, Seed Heritage, Sheike and approximately 60 other specialty stores.

    The shopping centre’s new high ropes course, outdoor children’s play areas and Cornmeal Promenade dining options are scheduled to open by mid 2019.

    Sunshine Plaza is owned jointly by the GPT Group and Australian Prime Property Fund Retail and is managed by Lendlease. GPT and Lendlease commenced with the expansion of the centre in 2016 and was initially scheduled to be completed before Christmas 2018. But, according to GPT, it has been delayed stating it has been impacted by significant wet weather during the third period.

    “Locals and Queenslanders living further north will no longer need to travel to Brisbane for all their shopping and lifestyle needs — it’s all here, located in one of Australia’s most desirable tourism destinations; the Sunshine Coast,” said Gary Horwitz, Lendlease managing director.

    Sunshine Coast Mayor, Councillor Mark Jamieson said the expansion of Sunshine Plaza represents a significant capital investment in the region and for the retail industry.

    “The calibre of retail outlets will encourage our residents to shop within our region and spend locally,” Jamieson said.

    “Our residents and visitors now have more retail options locally, as well as access to a substantial number of new employment opportunities. This is great news for our economy and great news for our community.”

  • Bonjour family to jail for Fraud

    Bonjour family to jail for Fraud

    A family of swindlers who stole more than HK$40 million (US$5 million) from cosmetics retailer Bonjour have been imprisoned for their crimes.

    The highest sentence of 11 years behind bars was dealt out to the Bonjour fraud scheme ringleader Kiu Mei-ling, 64, a Bonjour employee in charge of payroll who funnelled company funds into her family’s personal accounts. Her son Ha Ting-pong, who was also an employee of the firm, received a sentence of seven years, while her husband received a 6½-year sentence.

    Kiu used falsely-inflated salaries and fake employee identities to siphon money from the business between 2004 and 2011. She was caught when a company manager noticed an unusually high salary was being paid to a new member of staff. Most of the funds were not recovered, leading lawyers for the retailer to file a claim for the bail money posted by the family, which is pending further judgement.

    Deputy judge Michael Lunn called the scam a “gross breach of trust” that exploited the firm’s weak internal processes.

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  • Second Pomelo Purpose collection Ready to Take Off

    Second Pomelo Purpose collection Ready to Take Off

    Three collections of Pomelo Purpose sustainable clothing will be launched this year. Pomelo, the O2O fashion brand, says all pieces in the collections will be made entirely from ethically sourced fabrics, including organic cotton from the Better Cotton Initiative, and use natural-colour dyes.

    From production to packaging, the Pomelo Purpose lines incorporate eco-friendly practices.

    Manufacturing factories undergo an independent audit to ensure products are made in humane and safe working conditions.

    Pomelo customers will also receive their Purpose purchases in packaging that uses 60 per cent less plastic.

    “The Pomelo Purpose collection is so named because it provides us with a meaningful opportunity to lead the way by bringing sustainable materials and processes to the fashion industry and the increasingly eco-conscious consumers in the region,” said David Jou, Pomelo Fashion CEO.

    The company will also provide a free clothing pickup service that customers can access by scanning the QR codes stitched into their Purpose products with the Pomelo app on iOS and Android. Clothes can also be dropped off at collection boxes in Pomelo’s offline stores.

    All collected clothes are then redistributed to underprivileged partner communities in Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.

    Launched in 2013, Pomelo now operates in five markets, with Malaysia and Hong Kong the most recent debuts.

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  • Bentley Continental GT To Summit Pikes Peak

    Bentley Continental GT To Summit Pikes Peak

    Bentley Motors is all set to return to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with the Continental GT. Well, of course, it’s going there with a purpose, as the company aims to capture the production car record with the car. Joining forces with Bentley is former ‘King of the Mountain’ Rhys Millen who has already helped Bentley set the record for the fastest SUV up the hill by driving the Bentayga up the 19.99 km course in just 10:49.9s – nearly 2 minutes faster than the previous record averaging 107 kmph and climbing almost 5,000 ft through 156 corners.

    The expectations with him behind the wheel of the Continental GT are no different. Powered by the world’s most advanced 12-cylinder engine, the car develops 626 bhp and 900 Nm of torque. 0-100 kmph is done in just 3.7 seconds and it’s complimented by an advanced 48-volt roll control system for extraordinary dynamic ability. Twin-scroll turbochargers minimising turbo response time coupled with high and low pressure direct fuel injection optimise power and torque delivery. The Bentley Motorsport team – based at the company’s headquarters in Crewe, England – will prepare the car over the coming months.

    Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush, said, “Bentley’s success last year along with the experience we gained will prove to be instrumental in preparing for our return to the mountain. The challenge to set the outright record for production cars is not one we underestimate, but we are confident in the combination of our W12 engine, the dynamic ability of the new Continental GT and the outstanding skill of Rhys Millen.”

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  • Hyundai Venue Subcompact SUV India Debut

    Hyundai Venue Subcompact SUV India Debut

    Hyundai India will be entering the subcompact SUV segment later this year with an all-new offering. The company recently confirmed that the new model will be called the Hyundai Venue upon launch, carandbike can now confirm that the new SUV will be unveiled on April 17, 2019. The Venue is a Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport and the Mahindra XUV300 rival, and will be positioned below the Hyundai Creta in the automaker’s line-up. Interestingly, the India unveil coincides with the world debut that is slated to take place at the New York Auto Show. The Venue nameplate is also what the subcompact SUV will be called globally, and not Styx as it was previously perceived.

    Hyundai says the Venue subcompact SUV will come loaded with features because the big USP of this car to stay connected with the rest of the world. The Korean giant is generous with its vehicles on the feature front and we do expect to see some segment first tech including wireless charging and possibly ventilated seats too. The car was also spotted on a number of occasions recently, revealing what to expect on the design front.

    The boxy proportions of the test mule promise a small yet imposing design on the Hyundai Venue, and will come with an upright cascading grille, along with led daytime running lights that are positioned above the headlamp assembly. The fog lamp housing is rectangular and the car gets dual-tone alloy wheels that lend a nice stance.

    Expect to see wide wheel arches, lower body cladding and large glasshouse area, with the latter bringing more light into the cabin. Under the hood, the Hyundai Venue is expected to be offered with 1.2-litre and a 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engines. Transmission options will include a manual, while an automatic is also likely.

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  • LINE FRIENDS to expand its business in China throughstrategic partnership with Xiaomi

    LINE FRIENDS to expand its business in China throughstrategic partnership with Xiaomi

    LINE FRIENDS announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with the Chinese IT giant, Xiaomi and will launch the ‘MI9 SE BROWN EDITION’ package under the concept of ‘SUPER MI, SUPER BROWN’ in China on April 9.

    The first collaboration under the strategic partnership, ‘MI9 SE BROWN EDITION’ has garnered explosive responses from both local and global media as well as consumers after it was presented at the media event hosted by Xiaomi and personal social media account of Xiaomi CEO, Lei Jun on April 1 prior to the official release.

    ‘MI9 SE BROWN EDITION’ will be released at Xiaomi’s official stores on April 9, and LINE FRIENDS will expand the partnership with Xiaomi to launch a wider array of collaborative products with its character IPs.

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  • Dominic Barton joins Singtel board

    Dominic Barton joins Singtel board

    Singtel has appointed Dominic Barton (pictured) as an independent director with immediate effect, the Singaporean telco announced Monday.

    Barton is currently global managing partner emeritus of McKinsey & Company. Prior to that he was global managing partner of McKinsey until July 2018, a role he held for nine years. He has also served as chair of the board of Canadian mining company Teck Resources since October, 2018.

    “Dominic brings rich expertise and insights from across a broad swathe of industries, having advised clients in banking, consumer goods, tech and industrials over three decades of consulting,” said Singtel chairman Simon Israel said. “The diversity of his experience will be invaluable as Singtel’s digital transformation takes the group into businesses and partnerships that cut across multiple industries.”

    The Singtel Board now comprises 12 directors: Simon Israel (chairman), Chua Sock Koong (Group CEO), Gautam Banerjee, Dominic Barton, Bobby Chin Yoke Choong, Venky Ganesan, Bradley Horowitz, Gail Kelly, Low Check Kian, Peter Mason, Christina Ong, and Teo Swee Lian.

    HKBN names Elinor Shiu marketing chief for residential services

    Elinor Shiu, CMO, Residential Services, HKBN Group

    HKBN Group has named Elinor Shiu (pictured) as chief marketing officer, residential services.

    In her new role, Shiu will lead the marketing strategies and operations of the group’s residential market business. She has also joined the group’s management committee, overseeing HKBN’s continued growth with six other senior executives, according to a company announcement.

    Shui has extensive experience in marketing management and business operations. She has held several senior positions across the group’s residential and enterprise solutions business before becoming head of marketing in 2018.

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  • Digital Realty breaks ground on third Singapore data center

    Digital Realty breaks ground on third Singapore data center

    Data center, colocation and interconnection provider Digital Realty has commenced construction of its third data center facility in Singapore.

    The 12,800 square meter plot of land will be the foundation of Digital Loyang II (SIN12), an expansion and further development of a Digital Loyang Connected Campus.

    SIN12 will be located less than 25km from Singapore’s CBD and will capable of supporting up to 50 megawatts (MW) of IT capacity. The new facility will span a gross floor area of 34,000 square meters.

    The facility is expected to be operationally ready in the second quarter of 2020.

    Digital Realty has so far invested a total of $500 million developing its first two facilities in Singapore.

    “The development of SIN12 reaffirms Digital Realty’s commitment to supporting Singapore’s digitalization efforts and smart nation initiative,” Digital Realty CEO A. William Stein said.

    “As more global technology brands increasingly look to expand their digital footprint, Singapore remains their preferred destination. With the addition of SIN12 to our connected campus, customers will soon be given new ways to connect, extend their reach and find new business opportunities through our global data center platform.”

    SIN12 will also be incorporating sustainability features into the construction of the facility that aims to lower power usage effectiveness (PUE) to between 1.2 to 1.3, making it the best PUE in a commercial data center in Singapore.

    “Sustainability will also play a big role in the development of SIN12. Our vision is to build the greenest commercial data center within the region,” added Stein.

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  • SK Telecom streams AR dragon in Korean stadium

    SK Telecom streams AR dragon in Korean stadium

    SK Telecom has announced it has used augmented reality to simulate a fire-breathing dragon at a sports stadium as part of its ongoing development of new 5G-powered services.

    Using augmented reality technology, the large fire-breathing wyvern was streamed flying around the SK Happy Dream Park during the opening day of the Korea Baseball Organization.

    The dragon was streamed both to the LED baseball scoreboard installed at the stadium and via sports broadcasting channels for fans watching the game on TV and smartphones.

    To achieve large scale augmented reality streaming, SK Telecom used its self-developed augmented and virtual reality technologies including the eSpace and T real Platform solutions.

    The demonstration arose from SK Telecom’s focus on the development of 5G-based services to support its commercial network, which launched in December last year. Augmented and virtual reality are a key area of focus for the company.

  • EU-wide security approach planned for 5G

    EU-wide security approach planned for 5G

    The European Commission (EC) has outlined plans to establish a common European Union approach to the security of 5G networks.

    The EC has recommended a series of operational steps and measures aimed at ensuring a high level of security of 5G networks across the EU.

    The recommendations for EU member states include legislative and policy measures designed to protect the nations’ economies, societies and democratic systems.

    As part of the program, the EC has recommended that each member state complete a national risk assessment of 5G network infrastructures by the end of June.

    Member states have also been urged to update their respective security requirements for network providers and include conditions for ensuring the security of public networks, especially when granting 5G spectrum licenses.

    At the EU level, the Commission and the European Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) has been tasked with completing a coordinated risk assessment by the start of October, which will be used to help member states agree to a set of mitigating measures that can be used at a national level.

    “Protecting 5G networks aims at protecting the infrastructure that will support vital societal and economic functions – such as energy, transport, banking, and health, as well as the much more automated factories of the future,” commented European Commissioner in charge of the digital economy and society Mariya Gabriel.

    “It also means protecting our democratic processes, such as elections, against interference and the spread of disinformation.”

  • DiSa unveils integrated mobile warranty program

    DiSa unveils integrated mobile warranty program

    Singapore-based digital security company DiSa Limited aims to pioneer a new integrated mobile phone warranty program, and has signed up M1 as the first operator to offer the program to its mobile users.

    The new insurance offering, developed to tackle the rising global trend of e-wallet theft, will allow victims of theft of their e-wallets to make a claim for an amount up to the retail cot of the phone.

    Every phone covered under the warranty program will be tagged with DiSa’s encrypted 3S smart barcode, which is designed to prevent invalid returns.

    “DiSa is delighted to provide this unique Cyber Theft Warranty to M1 customers. With the proliferation of mobile payments, more and more phone users are finding themselves exposed to cybercrimes, some at very sophisticated levels,” DiSa group executive Eddie Chng said.

    He noted that the proliferation of e-wallets, the rising tide of mobile fraud and the  growing use of smartphones for two-factor identification exposers smartphone owners to significant risks if their device is stolen.

    “DiSa is confident that our solution will give peace of mind to smartphone users and add value to M1’s services.”

    Worldpay estimates that payment by e-wallets makes up 10% of e-commerce spending in Singapore.

    But research from the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore found that a wide majority of consumers are concerned about the risk of having their financial and personal information exposed through malware infected mobile devices.

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  • Singapore, Australia to collaborate on FinTech development

    Singapore, Australia to collaborate on FinTech development

    Singapore FinTech Association (SFA) and FinTech Australia (FA) have agreed to further strengthen opportunities for FinTech firms across both countries.

    An MoU between the two parties aims to contribute to the development of the FinTech industry in general across ASEAN and Australia. They will collaborate from time to time on particular initiatives relating to the FinTech industry.

    The two bodies have also arranged to seek input and opinions from each other, in respect of matters relating to the FinTech industry and invite each other to participate in relevant events and support each other in interfacing regulators and other bodies.

    According to the EY FinTech Australia Census 2018, Singapore is among the top four markets that Australian FinTechs are looking to expand into.

    “Australia and Singapore have long enjoyed a strong and vibrant relationship, it is now timely to extend that cooperative relationship to the FinTech industry.”

    “The shared capabilities and high levels of collaboration between Melbourne and Singapore will pave the way for continued two-way knowledge sharing and long term success for FinTech businesses in both markets,” SFA president Chia Hock Lai said.

    FA general manager Rebecca Schot-Guppy added that, “FA is proud to be building the network for our members by signing an MoU with the SFA. Singapore is seen by Australian FinTechs as a top four region for expansion and by signing this agreement we hope it fosters opportunities for our members. We look forward to working with the SFA.”

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  • Unitel introduces eSIMs to Laos market

    Unitel introduces eSIMs to Laos market

    Vietnamese military-owned operator Viettel has announced that its subsidiary in Laos Unitel has become the first mobile operator in the market to launch eSIM technology.

    The Unitel eSIM service was introduced at the beginning of March, and Unitel is aiming to encourage at least 10,000 customers to exchange their physical SIMs for eSIMs by the end of 2020.

    With the launch, Laos became the seventh of the 10 ASEAN member states to introduce eSIM technology.

    It is also the fourth market in Southeast Asia that Viettel has introduced eSIMs to. The company and its subsidiaries were the first mobile operators to offer the technology in Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia.

    Meanwhile another Viettel mobile brand in Laos, Metfone, has become the first operator in the market to launch mobile credit top ups using QR code scanning rather than scratch cards.

    Viettel deputy general director Tao Duc Thang said the introduction of eSIM technology marks the beginning stages of Viettel’s goal of digitally transforming the global telecommunications landscape, and becoming a pioneer in IoT technologies.

    “Viettel has well-prepared platforms and infrastructure and has made digital transformations in its fields such as telecommunications and information technology,” he said.

    “This includes application of the latest technologies in the world for a more convenient life.”

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