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Tag: bali

  • Indonesian retail sales growth slower as expected

    Indonesian retail sales growth slower as expected

    Indonesian retail sales growth in November slowed to 1.3 percent year-on-year, well below October’s rate of 3.6 percent.

    However, the figures, released by Bank Indonesia, reflect the continuing uptick in Indonesian retail sales which has now lasted five consecutive months.

    “Retail sales continued to grow positively in November,” wrote the central bank in a statement, “although it slowed compared to sales in the previous month”.

    Indonesia retail sales growth is expected to slow in the coming months, however, with declines recorded in several metropolitan areas surveyed – a harbinger of growth expected for December.

    Sales declined in the cities are projected to flow on from the estimated contractions of 9.4 percent and 4.8 percent over the previous period.

    The bank’s survey revealed respondents believe retail sales will decline over the next quarter.

  • Bank Rakyat Indonesia Earmarks Funds For E-commerce

    Bank Rakyat Indonesia Earmarks Funds For E-commerce

    Indonesia’s first digital bank, Bank Rakyat Indonesia announced on Monday that it has earmarked $1 million for Indonesia Mall, an early-stage assisted e-commerce program that aims to help small enterprises open new revenue channels by participating in the online retail market.

    To serve the growing numbers of micro and small-medium enterprises (MSMEs) populated by the region’s e-commerce boom, Bank Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) rolled out Indonesia Mall in October 2018 with the goal to bring MSMEs online and give them easy access to a larger local and overseas markets.

    Indonesia Mall, an in-house program of the bank, helps small companies post their listings on Bank BRI’s Indonesia Mall e-stores, plus help them package and photograph products. It also provides logistics, shipping, and inventory, and even facilitates overseas exports.  So far, Indonesia Mall has signed up more than 10,000 MSMEs and those that have joined the program have reportedly seen revenues rise by 40 percent on average, the bank said in a statement on Monday.

    Many MSMEs in Indonesia continue to have limited access to the formal financial sector, with large swaths of the population still remaining unbanked.  By not having bank accounts, these enterprises would have difficulties collecting payments online.

    MSMEs employ 116.7 million people – more than 97% of the total national workforce, according to data from Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency. However, less than 15 percent of MSMEs have proper access to financing.

    Indonesian e-commerce is growing at an average of 16.3 percent annually and is now worth 238 trillion Rupiah (US$16.6 billion), according to Global Data. This growth is expected to spike further by 2023, with the industry value predicted to reach 436 trillion Indonesian Rupiah (US$30.3 billion), reflecting growth of nearly 85 percent.

    Bank BRI-assisted MSME partners range from individual craft artisans to small snack-makers, tailors, and more. Their products can be directly purchased via major e-commerce platforms such as Tokopedia, Shopee, Bukalapak, Blanja.com, Blibli.com, Qoo10 in Singapore, and others.

    Indonesia Mall aims to offer MSMEs infrastructure, ecosystem, and capacity for business and resources developed with the goal of helping its partners sell within Indonesia, as well as overseas.

    To this end, Bank BRI cross-sells products on Indonesia Mall with its credit cards, debit cards, and other programs. Besides selecting and curating a top product list, Indonesia Mall also runs marketing campaigns on most major e-commerce platforms so as to keep its sellers’ products visible on an ongoing basis.

    Bank BRI is the largest microfinance institution and is one of Indonesia’s leading commercial banks and the country’s largest lender by assets.

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  • Bali gears up for the holiday season with extra AirAsia seats

    Bali gears up for the holiday season with extra AirAsia seats

    The Christmas and New Year holidays always see a spike in both local and foreign visitor arrivals to Bali. And this year is expected to be no different.

    In anticipation of more traffic, local news wires are reporting AirAsia Indonesia would be adding an additional 65,000 seats from December 1 to January 5, 2020.

    Speaking to reporters in Jakarta, Head of Communications at Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry, Baskoro Adiwiyono, said AirAsia Indonesia would also be bringing in an additional fleet of Airbus A320s and adding extra flights for several domestic routes to and from Jakarta.

    The Ministry is expecting a significant increase in seat occupancy rates for flights in mid-December 2019 to early 2020, especially to favorite holiday destinations such as Singapore, Lombok, Bali, and Surabaya. The Jakarta to Bali route, for example, will have an additional two flights per day until December 14.

    “Towards the Christmas and New Year holiday period we plan to increase the frequency of flights from the Jakarta to Denpasar to 13-times per day for the period December 15 to January 5,” said Baskoro.

    Prices tend to increase significantly as the major holidays approach and the Transportation Ministry is encouraging prospective passengers to book early to get the best prices while tickets are still available.

    AirAsia is also suggesting customers check the company’s social media accounts to take advantage of any holiday promotions.

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  • Axiata’s Q3 EBITDA jumps 29% on 3.5% revenue growth

    Axiata’s Q3 EBITDA jumps 29% on 3.5% revenue growth

    Axiata Group posted revenue of MYR 6.2 billion for the third quarter of 2019 (3Q19), which represents an increase of 3.5 percent year-on-year. EBITDA jumped 29 percent to MYR 2.8 billion, boosted by revenue growth as well as the group’s cost reduction initiatives which resulted in MYR 816 million in savings. Profit after tax jumped 33.5 percent to MYR 247.6 million for the quarter as a result of better topline, the company said. However, profit after tax and minority interest (PATAMI) fell 9.4 percent to MYR 119.7 million due to the absence of M1’s contribution following its disposal, as well as higher taxes in Bangladesh.

    Amid a highly competitive market in Malaysia, Celcom’s free cash flow rose 15.3 percent to MYR 674 million year-to-date, supported by EBITDA growth of 3.9 percent. PATAMI rose 7.9 percent to MYR 562 million. Celcom’s combined postpaid and prepaid revenue rose 0.6 percent, while mobile service revenue dropped 4.1 percent impacted by the decline in wholesale revenue. Blended ARPU improved by MYR 1 compared to the preceding quarter to MYR 52 in the third quarter of 2019. Celcom’s 4G population coverage rose to 93 percent, and its 4G LTE-A coverage reached 81 percent compared to 90 percent and 78 percent, respectively, in September 2018.

    Parent company Axiata also reported that its Indonesian unit XL’s turnaround in the period was led by its data-focused strategy continuing to deliver results as market share rose 0.6 percentage points to 18.3 percent, returning to profit with PATAMI at IDR 498 billion. Revenue grew 10.6 percent year-to-date driven by strong data growth of 30.4 percent. XL’s free cash flow surged 50.9 percent to IDR 1.8 trillion, on the back of cost efficiencies fueling 19.4 percent jump in EBITDA. XL says it captured 88 percent of 55.5 million total subscribers from 53.9 million in the third quarter of 2018. In support of its data strategy, XL’s 4G service is now available in 410 cities across Indonesia.

    Sri Lanka unit Dialog saw its revenue expand 8.1 percent year-to-date due to continued growth momentum across its TV (+16.6%), fixed (+8.7%) and mobile (+0.4%) businesses. Free cash flow grew 39.5 percent to SLR 19.2 billion buoyed by higher EBITDA and calibrated network rollout. Its PATAMI rose by 12.5 percent to SLR 8.3 billion YTD.

    Philippines subsidiary Smart delivered double-digit growth across all metrics with revenue, EBITDA and PATAMI up by 11.4 percent, 14.5 percent, and 14.3 percent, respectively, and FCF by over 200 percent.

    Despite new Bangladesh taxes, Robi returned to profit with PATAMI at BDT 1.6 billion. Revenue reaches BDT 19 billion in the three months ended 30 September 2019, as ARPU rose to BDT 125.

    With international long-distance revenue dropping 10.5 percent year-to-date, Ncell’s core mobile revenue declined 3.5 percent as a result of intense competition by internet service providers and Business Support System migration. Although PATAMI slipped 3.6 percent, PATAMI margin remained stable at 31 percent. Free cash flow fell 42.8 percent due to calibrated network rollout.

    In this year’s third quarter, edotco posted double-digit growth across all financial metrics. Revenue grew by 19 percent year-to-date, with positive contributions across its major footprints. The tower company recorded adjusted EBITDA growth of 26.7 percent, with 3.2 percentage points improvement in (adjusted) EBITDA margin driven by enhanced billing against lower maintenance costs in 2019. The improvement in EBITDA led to a 4-fold increase in free cash flow year-to-date, as well as growth in PATAMI of 10.4 percent year-to-date.

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  • Fore to ramps up network in Indonesia

    Fore to ramps up network in Indonesia

    Indonesian coffee chain Fore Coffee is plotting an aggressive expansion plan that will make it the largest coffee operator in the country.

    Fore Coffee says it has partnered with hotel operator Airy to open 1000 new locations at the latter’s hotels across Indonesia.

    The new outlets will add to its current network of more than 100, making it the largest player in Indonesia’s coffee chain market, currently dominated by Starbucks, which has around 450 outlets.

    The expansion comes after Fore Coffee secured fresh funding from venture capital firm East Ventures earlier this year.

    Launched in August 2018, Fore Coffee offers a seamless customer experience with its mobile app allowing customers to order coffee via the app and have it delivered to them or pick it up in-store. It says it is inspired by Chinese coffee chain Luckin, which embraced digital commerce by offering in-app purchases.

    Indonesian coffee chain Fore’s app has added 70,000 registered users since its launch in December last year. It has collaborated with digital wallet companies Ovo and Go-Pay, and plans to team up with many more to expand its mobile payment options.

    Fore is not the only coffee chain vying for the biggest slice of Indonesia ́s coffee chain market. Rival Kopi Kenangan plans to grow its network from around 80 outlets currently to 1000 by 2021, having raised US$20 million from Sequoia India.

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  • % Arabica to open four stores in Indonesia

    % Arabica to open four stores in Indonesia

    Bali, a beloved destination for tourists and popular amongst Australians has been setting up the coffee scene with Starbucks opening its largest Southeast Asian location at 20,000 sq ft earlier this year.

    Now, Kyoto-based coffee chain % Arabica has announced plans to enter the Indonesian market with four new store locations by the end of next year. Announced on the company’s Instagram feed, the new franchises will be located in Jakarta and Bali, with two of the Jakarta stores opening at District 8 and Central Park Mall.

    The first Bali store is planned for Ubud during the first quarter of next year, and will be designed by Ubud-based German designer Alexis Dornier, who previously created other % Arabica stores.

    Meanwhile, the independent coffee chain has opened its 44th global store in Hong Kong at K11 Musea designed by Pritzker Prizer winner Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten in the shape of a golden cube kiosk.

  • Chloe opens first Hong Kong travel retail store

    Chloe opens first Hong Kong travel retail store

    French luxury brand Chloe has opened its first travel-retail store inside Hong Kong International Airport.

    The opening comes after the brand won a retail concession by the Airport Authority of Hong Kong last year.

    The store offers a selection of accessories including handbags, small leather goods, shoes, sunglasses, and jewelry. It boasts furnishings and decor featuring contrasting soft femininity with touches of burnished brass. The immersive installation is inspired by the brand’s signature atmosphere with a color motif of powdery beige rosé to shades of white and a touch of mustard.

    The store is operated in partnership with global travel retailer Dufry, which has more than 2300 shops around the world.

    Chloe has been accelerating its travel-retail expansion strategy, having opened 10 other stores at other international airports this year so far.

    HKIA is undergoing a transformation in its luxury zone and food court “to heighten and refresh passengers’ shopping and dining experiences”. It aims to further enhance luxury retail brand options, awarding luxury tender contracts to other prestigious brands including Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen, Montblanc and Rimowa last year.

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  • September Indonesia retail sales edge up 0.7 per cent

    September Indonesia retail sales edge up 0.7 per cent

    September Indonesia retail sales rose 0.7 percent year on year.

    Real Sales Index of Bank Indonesia showed that the country’s retail sales maintained positive growth despite falling 1.1 percent in August. Most of the growth was driven by sales of automotive spare parts and accessories and household equipment.

    Sales in October are anticipated to grow by 2.9 percent as sales in automotive spare parts and accessories, information equipment and communications, and food, beverage and tobacco groups are projected to continue the momentum.

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  • AirAsia announces inaugural flights to Belitung

    AirAsia announces inaugural flights to Belitung

    Low-cost carrier AirAsia commenced flights from Jakarta to Belitung, Bangka Belitung, on Tuesday as well as from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Belitung on Wednesday.

    The inauguration ceremony on Wednesday was marked by handing out flowers and souvenirs to international passengers arriving from Kuala Lumpur, who then enjoyed a traditional welcome dance.

    The Airbus A320-200 that was used for the flight can accommodate 180 passengers.

    Veranita Yosephine, deputy CEO AirAsia Indonesia, said the inauguration was the continuation of the airline’s commitment to support Indonesian tourism, especially the 10 New Balis or burgeoning tourist destinations in the country.

    “Previously, we’ve launched flights to Lombok, Labuan Bajo and Sorong. We’ve also added five new planes to support operations in these new destinations,” she added.

    AirAsia is offering promotional rates on flights from Jakarta to Belitung that start from Rp 471,000 (US$33.19) and Belitung to Jakarta from Rp 393,000. The price includes a free baggage allowance of 15 kilograms.

    Tickets from Belitung to Kuala Lumpur start from Rp 309,000 and from Kuala Lumpur to Belitung start from Rp 378,000.

    The promotional rates are available for AirAsia BIG members until Oct. 6 on airasia.com and the AirAsia mobile app for a travel period until Feb. 9, 2020.

    Belitung, one of two main islands located off the east coast of Sumatra, is known for its pristine beaches and 1,000-year-old granite rock formations. (

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  • AirAsia expands flights in Indonesia

    AirAsia expands flights in Indonesia

    AirAsia launched new services from Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta to the island of Belitung in Indonesia this week. The new four weekly services from Kuala Lumpur will support the Indonesian government’s agenda to develop ’10 New Bali’ destinations.

    It follows the commencement of daily Jakarta – Belitung services that started 1 October.

    AirAsia Indonesia deputy CEO Veranita Yosephine said: “These new routes from Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta continue our trajectory support of the Ministry of Tourism Indonesia’s initiative. This year alone, AirAsia Indonesia has launched new routes from Jakarta to Sorong, from Bali to Lombok and to Labuan Bajo, the gateway to the Komodo islands.”

    The airline recently added Airbus A320 aircraft which are now based in Jakarta and Lombok. By year-end, it will also take delivery of an additional two new aircraft.

    To celebrate the new route, AirAsia is offering an all-in fare from as low as MYR89* from Kuala Lumpur to Belitung, until 6 October for travel until 9 February 2020 for its loyalty program members.

  • Grab Seeks to Merge Digital Payment Firms in Indonesia

    Grab Seeks to Merge Digital Payment Firms in Indonesia

    Grab is looking to gain pole position in Indonesia’s budding digital payment market, reportedly exploring a merger between two major players – a local entity it owns and another one backed by China’s Ant Financial.

    A merger between Grab-backed ONO and Ant-backed DANA would give the ride hailer app an edge over its major Indonesia competitor Gojek, which has been vying for the top spot in digital payments with ONO since 2018.

    The deal would also result in Grab acquiring a majority interest in DANA from Indonesian media conglomerate Elang Mahkota Teknologi (Emtek).

    It’s part of the Grab-Gojek battle, one of the sources said.

    According to the report, SoftBank, Grab’s largest shareholder, supports the proposal with the plan having already been discussed in July during a meeting in Jakarta between SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and top Indonesian officials.

    Son is in favor, another source said, adding that negotiation on deal structure with the Indonesian central bank will also be required due to foreign ownership restrictions.

  • International economy seeks master franchisees in Indonesia

    International economy seeks master franchisees in Indonesia

    Indonesia’s economy is projected to be three times the size of Australia’s by 2030 – and the GDP of the world’s most-populous Muslim population will rise from $3.2 trillion to $10.1 trillion by the same year*.

    Those figures are driving top international franchise businesses to seek master franchisees in Indonesia.

    The nation already has the largest market for foodservice in ASEAN, and with a fast-rising middle class and even faster growth in middle-class incomes, there continue to be significant changes in lifestyles.

    “The prospects for food franchises in Indonesia look very good as Indonesia continues to outpace many of its neighbors in ASEAN,” says Sean T Ngo, CEO of VF Franchise Consulting, who will be hosting a series of one-on-one meetings between international franchisors and local prospective partners on Friday (September 13).

    “A recent study by Nielsen showed that 11 percent of Indonesians eat out at least once a day, which is higher than the global average of 9 percent. Another lifestyle change supporting the growth of the food franchise sector is a growing trend among workers in big cities is to work long hours either due to obligation or to avoid traffic jams.

    “Thus, the practical solution for eating dinner is to eat out more often and closer to their workplaces. This fact is supported by the Nielsen study mentioned earlier with eating out occurrences being higher in Indonesia than the rest of the world.”

    Trends like these are fuelling growth in Indonesia Food Service Industry by 7.06 percent on a compounded annual growth rate basis, between last year and 2023.

    There are already more than 700 franchise businesses operating nearly 30,000 outlets across Indonesia. Most of these are in foodservice and located in Java, primarily Jakarta, West Java, and East Java provinces. Approximately 400 of the 700 are foreign franchisors, while the rest are local brands.

    Among the top international businesses to seek master franchisees in Indonesia that VF Consulting will introduce to prospective partners this week are:

    • Little Caesars, known for its Hot-N-Ready pizza and Crazy Bread, is the world’s largest carryout-only pizza chain with locations in eight Canadian provinces, all 50 US states along with 26 other countries and territories worldwide.
    • Mango Tree, one of the world’s best-known Thai culinary lifestyle brands, serving contemporary Thai cuisine.
    • Coca, a pioneer in the hotpot-restaurant sector, serving nutritional Thai and Chinese a-la-carte dishes, seafood and the signature hotpot with a variety of broths.
    • Mango Chili, a fun, vibrant social dining space where groups of friends and families can enjoy simple, easy yet original Thai street food.
    • The Belgian Waffle Co, which in just four years has grown to more than 210 outlets in 55 Indian cities and Nepal.
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  • Uniqlo Indonesia plans several new stores

    Uniqlo Indonesia plans several new stores

    Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo in Indonesia is set to launch new outlets in Batam, as well as Jakarta and Bekasi next month.

    The Batam store, opening in the Grand Batam mall in Penuin, Lubuk Baja, will be the first Uniqlo in Indonesia to be located in the city. The company hopes it will help locals avoid travelling to other cities to purchase the brand’s collections.

    The new Jakarta outlet is slated for Mall of Indonesia in Kelapa Gading, while the Bekasi opening is at Grand Galaxy Park – bringing the total number of locations in the territory to 29 stores in nine cities.

    “The addition of stores in Jakarta and Bekasi will further strengthen our presence in providing our Lifewear products and services in these cities,” said Uniqlo Indonesia’s president director of PT Fast Retailing Naoki Kamogawa.

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  • Retail sales in Indonesia decline

    Retail sales in Indonesia decline

    Retail sales in Indonesia declined 1.8 percent in June, compared with an annual growth rate of 7.7 percent a month earlier, a central bank survey showed on Thursday.

    The last decline from a year earlier was in January last year when retail sales also dropped 1.8 percent.

    The survey predicted retail sales would rise 2.3 percent on an annual basis in July, when the new school year begins.

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  • Bali bakery Starter Lab to open in Singapore

    Bali bakery Starter Lab to open in Singapore

    Bali-based bakery Starter Lab is opening its first overseas branch in Singapore.

    Located at 721 Havelock Road, Singapore’s Starter Lab will be able to host up to 35 people around a communal table and bars, offering take-away coffee and bread.

    Its menu is expected to feature seven types of sourdough loaves each day, and flavours such as Rosemary Lemon and Sea Salt Sourdough, Garlic Confit & Parmesan, as well as Salted Egg & Curry Leaf.

    There will also be sandwiches and pastries on the menu, banana bread, scones and cookies.

    Starter Lab has already launched pop-ups in Singapore, including at Camp Kilo Charcoal Club.

    Founded by Emerson Manibo, who worked at NYC’s three Michelin-starred restaurant Per Se, Della Fattoria and Tartine Bakery, Starter Lab is famous for its American-style sourdough bread.