Tag: bangkok

  • NBTC likely to postpone 5G auction

    NBTC likely to postpone 5G auction

    Thai regulator NBTC is likely to have to postpone the planned 2600-MHz 5G auction until 2018 due to regulatory and administrative hurdles.

    The regulator had planned to hold the 2600-MHz auction in September this year, but this process will probably need to be delayed, an NBTC commissioner told.

    Factors behind the delay include the fact that 190MHz of 2600-MHz spectrum has been allocated to state broadcaster MCOT and is currently unused.

    MCOT expects compensation for the return of 80MHz of spectrum for the auction, but the NBTC is currently not authorized to pay compensation to state agencies in return for spectrum.

    The new draft bill restructuring the NBTC is expected to give the regulator the power to do so, but the process of arranging compensation and drawing up the framework for these payments will take time. The new bill has yet to identify methodologies for calculating compensation.

    The NBTC restructuring is also likely to create its own issues that will impact the auction process due to the transition to new commissioners expected after the bill takes effect.

    Meanwhile Thailand still lacks a clear spectrum roadmap for the evolution to 5G will inevitably cause a delay in Thailand’s 5G ecosystem development.

  • Challenge to build engagement among a fashion-loving clientele

    Challenge to build engagement among a fashion-loving clientele

    To marketers nowadays, the major challenge is to build engagement among target groups to provide first-hand experience and brand engagement inside of their own. However, one target group found very demanding in terms of engagement building is fashion lovers as they are very unique, and hard to persuade. Indeed, they do not just follow fashion trends but adapt the trends to suit their own character. This makes marketing planning for this target group complicated and difficult.

    But not for Siam Center The Ideaopolis, a shopping destination which is a hub of fashion in Thailand for more than 44 years. No matter how edgy fashion trends would be, Siam Center will enable Thai fashion lovers to be the first to get updated on up-to-date fashion trends.

    To build engagement among a fashion-loving clientele, Siam Center has done a fantastic job as if it is simple. Thanks to its long-term experience and support of Thai designer brands as well as being a catalyst for the promotion of Thai fashion industry to be equal to world fashion cities, Siam Center meets fashion lovers’ demands. Such demands mean how to wear clothes to reflect their own identity and not to create a distinct character but to shine at getting dressed with style and being fashionable for the society to see and admire.

    Siam Center devises a strategy to reach this kind of customers by presenting the latest collections of over 40 Thai designer brands at the end of last March.

    Siam Center The Ideaoplois, joining hands with Cheeze and Looker magazines, held “#iamsiamish” campaign to fulfill the dream of youngsters who would like to become professional models. The campaign set up a casting room box to select 100 teens as #Nodels to strut on the catwalk of the fashion show of the year, “#iamsiamish Fashion Show [S/S Collection 2017].”

    Ms. Chanisa Kaewreun, Senior Deputy Managing Director for Marketing Events and Business Relations – Siam Piwat Co., Ltd., said, “Since the opening, Siam Center has always been the center of Thai fashion industry because we are the second home of many Thai designers, both top and young-blood designers. Housing many local brands, Siam Center is therefore the first place fashion-forward people think about when it comes to trend updates. As a place of inspiration for everyone, especially young generation wishing to enter the world of fashion, Siam center joined forces with Cheeze and Looker magazines in hosting “#iamsiamish” campaign. It opened a studio to cast talented teens as models. Out of 1,700 candidates, the judge panel selected 100 finalists to become #Nodels and walk in “#iamsiamish Fashion Show [S/S Collection 2017]”, which launched spring/summer collections of leading Thai brands in Siam Center.”

    “#iamsiamish Fashion Show [S/S Collection 2017]” mixed and matched the latest collections of 40 Thai fashion brands featured by 100 #Nodels. The fashion show presented the trends of this season, which encouraged fashionistas to find the perfect items that match their own style and create their own look. Moreover, the 1,600 fashion-loving candidates who did not join in walking on the catwalk were also invited to a party and enjoyed the fashion show of the latest collections. Let’s imagine that this event can gather those who are really interested in fashion to see the launch of the latest collections of 40 fashion brands. It is another fantastic marketing promotion activity that Siam Center created.

    #Nodels deserved big applause for their courage to express themselves and join a troop of professional models in “#iamsiamish Fashion Show [S/S Collection 2017].”

    At the same time, Siam Center earned praise for setting a new phenomenon to Thai fashion industry, giving customers the opportunity to have experience in fashion industry. Marketers have also realized an outstanding example of the strategy to build customer engagement and thus definitely contribute to sales of Thai designer brands.

  • MaxMara Thailand opens two spin-off stores

    MaxMara Thailand opens two spin-off stores

    Max&Co and Weekend MaxMara stores have opened at CentralWorld, joining the MaxMara Thailand store at Gaysorn Shopping Centre.

    They have been opened by the Italian fashion house’s sold distributor for Thailand, Pacifica Group.

    On the second floor of the Groove Zone and managed by Opras, Sopana and Prasert Lavichant of Pacifica Group, the Max&Co flagship store attracted a crowd of Thai fashionistas to its opening, revealing the brand’s spring-summer line.

    “We’ve been importing Max&Co clothing for more than a year and have had great feedback,” says chief executive Opras.

    “The store interior is typical of the brand, meant to resemble a cosy Milanese apartment, in subdued tones that convey wellbeing and serenity. It is designed to make women shoppers feel more at home.”

    At Weekend MaxMara, the focus is on leisure and cruise looks with matched blouses, trousers, skirts, shorts, swimwear, bags and shoes. It covers 95 sqm and features strips of walnut wood contrasted with grey glazed Cotto tiling above Italian cementine flooring. Sofas, chairs, lamps on tables and a smattering of books and magazines invite shoppers to linger. Founded in 1984, Weekend MaxMara features mainly outdoors clothing.

    Meanwhile, the main MaxMara store at Gaysorn is showing the spring-summer line from creative designer Lina Bo Bardi, who injects modernism into sensual, sleek and luxuriant clothes that might be athletic or hi-tech, as reported. MaxMara also uses high-performance jersey and nylon for its body-hugging dresses.

  • Honestbee Thailand launches in Bangkok

    Honestbee Thailand launches in Bangkok

    Singapore on-demand online grocery concierge and delivery service Honestbee has launched in Bangkok.

    In partnership with retail chain Villa Market, Honestbee is offering customers a faster and easier way to obtain their daily groceries through concierge shoppers. Honestbee has been training the shoppers to select the best quality groceries and deliver them the same day.

    Under the partnership, Honestbee will use all Villa Market’s outlets throughout Bangkok as well as its bistro and cooking studio The Gastro, and the Villa Market Holiday Store.

    Honestbee co-founder/CEO Joel Sng says the company has been doing some trial runs during the past few months.

    Honestbee Executive - Mr Joel Sng

    He says Honestbee is committed to help Villa Market and other speciality stores work online through technology such as website and mobile apps, plus logistics. Honestbee also aims to create flexible jobs.

    Honest Bee website

     

    Honestbee’s one-stop app service will offer a range of more than 11,000 products from grocery chains and gourmet/specialty food suppliers. These include organic foods, fresh fruits, imported frozen meats, wines, specialty drinks, hampers, seasonal products and kitchen supplies from partners including Ahmad Tea London, Happy Flavour, Ja Guem Song, K-Market, Meyer, Perfect Earth Organics, Pierre Herme Paris, Pipper Standard, Simply W and Wishbeer, with more to come.

    Prices are the same as in store, and deliveries are to the customer’s doorstep. There is a special voucher promotion to help launch the service.

    As well as Singapore, Honestbee already has a presence in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Taiwan.

    Established in 1974, Villa Market was a retail pioneer when the only outlets to buy groceries in Bangkok were markets and small grocery stores.

  • AEON in Collaboration with Kasikorn Bank Launch “Cashing @ K-ATM with AEON

    AEON in Collaboration with Kasikorn Bank Launch “Cashing @ K-ATM with AEON

    Mr. Nuntawat Chotvijit (second right), Director of Marketing, AEON Thana Sinsap (Thailand) Public Company Limited, together with Ms. Supaneewan Chutrakul (second left), First Senior Vice President of Kasikorn Bank recently launched the “Cashing @ K-ATM with AEON Your Cash Card get  a special chance to win smartphone prize” campaign. The campaign, which runs until April 30, offers AEON Your Cash cardholders the chance to win one of 10 iPhone 7 Plus (128GB), or one of 51 Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017), at a total value of 1,195,990 baht by withdrawing a Your Cash loan of over 1,000 baht via a Kasikorn Bank ATM.

  • Cheap money transfer system to boost cashless transactions in Thailand

    Cheap money transfer system to boost cashless transactions in Thailand

    Thailand launched a cheap electronic interbank transfer system for depositors in January, in a much awaited milestone since it unveiled a digital payment masterplan two years ago.

    Called PromptPay, it allows someone to transfer sums of less than 5,000 baht (S$xxx) to accounts of other banks for free, as opposed to the 25 baht fee usually levied by banks.

    Some 19 million bank accounts were linked to the PromptPay service as at Jan 16, a modest fraction of the 78.8 million savings accounts nationwide that month (Jan 2017). Experts say one of the factors hampering take-up is lack of a privacy law, raising fears that signing up for the PromptPay system might make one more susceptible to having one’s personal information stolen.

    PromptPay was part of a larger plan, involving inducing consumers and taxpayers to go electronic, to reduce transaction costs and increase the transparency of tax and government related payments.

    Previously, interbank transfer fees had created a virtual ringfence around depositors, forcing cost-conscious consumers to physically transfer cash between different automated teller machines. This also limited the appeal of an increasing variety of e-wallet options.

    Commuters on Bangkok’s skytrains currently use a stored value “Rabbit” card, which can also be used to buy items from over 3,000 retail outlets.

    Thailand’s three mobile phone service providers also offer their own version of e-wallets, alongside social messaging applications like Line and WeChat.

    For example, True Money is an electronic payment system linked to mobile service provider True Move.. Last October (2016), True Money also launched a remittance service that would allow Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand to make real-time transfers of their earnings home.

    But while the value and proportion of e-money transactions processed by banks and non-bank service providers have been steadily growing, they totalled just 91 billion baht last year – or less than  1 per cent of the value of payment transactions processed – according to Bank of Thailand data.

    The rollout of PromptPay’s peer-to-peer transfer system is expected change the dynamics of Thailand’s e-payment landscape, says Mr Punnamas Vichitkulwongsa, who heads the Thailand e-Payment Association and who is also the chief executive of True Money.

    “There would be more excitement in the market,” he told.

    “PromptPay creates a level playing field for (non-bank e-wallet providers)…Banks will be more aggressive and step up their offerings to end users,” he said.

  • My Kitchen opens at Siam Discovery

    My Kitchen opens at Siam Discovery

    A “new dimension of downtown hangout” called My Kitchen has opened at Siam Discovery,  described as a social dining experience concept.

    Siam Discovery parent Siam Piwat says the new hangout – an “eat, meet, mingle concept” targets millennials.

    My Kitchen offers a social dining experience on the fourth floor of Siam Discovery which integrates digital innovation to make the dining experience more fulfilling and enjoyable.

    Apart from the flavours of international dishes from five well-known restaurant brands – Cafe Chilli, Kuppadeli, Man Fu Yuan, Nara, Yuzu By Yuutaro and a Brix Dessert Bar – all come with an all-new concept where signature dishes are selected to please individual tastes and styles.

    2. My Kitchen

    My Kitchen also introduces the My Kitchen is Your Kitchen concept providing a workshop space designated to offer every diner enjoyable and interactive cooking demonstrations, tasting parties, and other food events in rotation every day.

    “It is also ideal for friends to throw a party on special occasions or use the workshop to prepare foods for important guests in a beautiful panoramic atmosphere right in the heart of Bangkok,” says a Siam Piwat spokesperson.

    My Kitchen tablet menus allowing diners to order and pay quickly.

    The decor of the precinct includes art installations designed by Nendo Studio, a team of well-known designers from Japan led by the world-famous Oki Sato, (who designed the Siam Discovery revamp unveiled last year).  The area is painted in shades of white.  The floor is paved with white volakas marble to give a feeling of friendliness and warmth. Clear glass walls offer a panoramic view of downtown Bangkok.

    My Kitchen comprises various zones including reception, lounge, private room and workshop spaces, covering more than 1000 sqm and seating up to 250 people.

    The reception is decorated with disco balls and a graphic mapping time lapse projection as highlight to keep diners in a relaxing mood while waiting for food to be served.

    The lounge features a visual mapping technique from Le Petit Chef, a group of visual art enthusiasts and winners of multiple international awards. They created food mapping that combines 3D animation with motion capture techniques to project onto dining tables two stories of food preparation: one for soup and the other for dessert, so customers can enjoy their time with friends or someone special while waiting for their meals “just like having a tiny chef prepare food for them on the table”.

    “It  will offer an original experience unlike anywhere else,” says the spokesperson.

    The new venue is open daily from 10am to 10pm.

  • Lalamove Releases ChomChob

    Lalamove Releases ChomChob

    Lalamove, the Hong Kong based on-demand delivery company has joined hands with ChomCHOB, a point accumulation app that converts a customer’s credit and debit card points into reward points, allowing them to purchase an extensive range of products and services from over 1000 merchants.

    From now until April 30th, ChomCHOB points can be redeemed towards Lalamove motorbike and pick up delivery services. Photo shows Thanwarat Chailert, COO & Co-Founder of ChomChob Group, (left) with Lalamove’s Managing Director Chanon Klahan.

  • Thai Transport Authority Fines Uber, Grab Drivers

    Thai Transport Authority Fines Uber, Grab Drivers

    When U.S.-based Uber launched in Thailand in 2014, the Department of Land Transport said the company’s drivers were not properly registered or insured, and its payment system did not meet regulations. However, authorities did little to stop the service since it was so popular with tourists and locals.

    But the government is clamping down on the service now, with 23 Uber drivers fined in Bangkok this week alone. Grab drivers have also been fined, though not as many, with drivers caught working for one of apps now having their licenses suspended for up to six months and fined 2,000 baht ($57).

    Authorities are targeting Uber and GrabCar specifically because they are the only two services in Thailand where private car owners can use their own cars to pick up passengers. Uber has a site set up so drivers can sign up and start earning money through the app.

    The Department of Land Transport’s Deputy Director-General Nanthapong Cherdchu said the agency would ask the military government to use an emergency measure to shut down the apps if drivers don’t comply. Many taxi drivers in the country — angry over losing business to the two apps — have even launched their own investigations in an effort to turn Uber and Grab drivers over to the authorities. Uber, however, is hoping they can work with the government and convince them that these ride-hailing services are beneficial to the country.

    “Uber remains committed to creating reliable transportation for everyone,” Uber spokeswoman Amy Kunrojpanya said.

  • AEON Launches “365 Days… Enjoy Shopping with AEON Credit Card”

    AEON Launches “365 Days… Enjoy Shopping with AEON Credit Card”

    Mr. Kiyoyasu Asanuma (left), Managing Director of AEON Thana Sinsap (Thailand) Public Company Limited, together with Mr. Nuntawat Chotvijit (right), Director of Marketing, AEON Thana Sinsap (Thailand) Public Company Limited, presided over the recent launch of “365 Days… Enjoy Shopping with AEON Credit Card” campaign. The campaign offers a range of special privileges to AEON Royal Orchid Plus Platinum cardholders, AEON Gold cardholders and AEON Classic cardholders throughout 2017. Cardholders will also be entitled to special promotions from AEON’s partners, including its newest partner, Pizza Hut.

    The first exclusive promotion available to all cardholders is a set of Extra Value Meals worth 79 baht from McDonald’s and a Buy One, Get One Free promotion from Pizza Hut when placing an order at the restaurant or using the delivery service. The second promotion entitles cardholders to a Buy One, Get One Free cinema ticket, or at a special price of 99 baht, when buying a cinema ticket at any Major Cineplex theatre.

    Moreover, for the third benefit, Get up to 500 baht cash back when spending an accumulated amount of 3,000 baht or over with AEON credit cards The fourth promotion entitles AEON credit cardholders to receive a 5% discount on items at MaxValu and MaxValu Tanjai every 1stand 15th of the month. The campaign runs from today until 28th February 2018.

  • Bangkok home to Asia’s first Playboy Cafe

    Bangkok home to Asia’s first Playboy Cafe

    Lam Yook Millenium Millennium (2002), the distributor of Playboy clothing in Thailand, has opened the first Playboy Cafe in Asia.

    It is in the Central Festival EastVille complex in Bangkok, with a second cafe scheduled to open in Central Marina Pattaya next month.

    Playboy cafe 1

    A budget of Bt30 million (US$856,000) has been earmarked for the opening of about 30 Playboy Cafes across Thailand within five years.

    Flying in from the US to preside over the opening, Playboy heir/chief creative officer Cooper Hefner says about 3000 Playboy outlets sell fashion accessories and clothes in such markets as China, India and Taiwan.

    She says Lam Yook has beenwith Playboy for more than 15 years in Thailand. It is the first company in Asia to gain a licence to run a Playboy Cafe.

    Lam Yook COO Pornpat Wangworawong says his company outlined its plans last year after setting up Playboy outlets in five department stores in Thailand. It plans to open a Playboy outlet at Central Plaza Korat this year and is introducing a business line to mark the Year of the Rooster. A Thai website will be launched in June.

    Playboy cafe 2

    “Before opening the cafe, we ran a market survey and learned that Thais like hanging out with friends and eating,” says Pornpat. Playboy Cafe’s signature item is the Bunny Burger.

    Covering 158 sqm in Central Festival EastVille, the cafe has capacity for 70 customers.

    Sales of the brand in Thailand have risen 30 per cent on average over the past few years, but last year’s growth was only 10 to 15 per cent because the global slowdown affecting the garment industry. To counteract this, the company plans to renovate its standalone shops and turn the outlets in department stores into unisex models.

  • DHL broadens logistics reach in Thailand

    DHL broadens logistics reach in Thailand

    DHL E-commerce, a unit of Deutsche Post DHL Group, has expanded its logistics service in the Thai market with nationwide coverage and price-competitive business-to-consumer (B2C) international shipping.

    There is also pick-up service for small e-commerce merchants and the 2.7 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Thailand where online sales are growing rapidly, according to top executives.

    Charles Brewer, CEO of DHL E-commerce, said Thailand has a huge growth potential for e-commerce because online sales currently account for only 2 per cent of total retail sales, compared with the global average of 9 per cent.

    Among Asean countries, Singapore’s online sales are the most developed, accounting for 4.5 per cent of total retail sales, compared with Indonesia’s 0.5 per cent of total retail sales.

    To support e-commerce growth, the Thai government needs to help develop the ecosystem for online transactions, e-payment as well as transport and other logistic services.

    Over the past year, DHL has branched into the so-called last mile service for e-commerce in Southeast Asia with a complete range of delivery, pick-up, warehousing and related services as high-volume e-commerce transactions boom in the region due to the high penetration rate of smartphones and other factors.

    Customer expectations on delivery time have also shifted towards the so-called “next day” delivery after placing their purchase orders online, prompting DHL to offer faster services in the Thai market.

    “The e-commerce market in Thailand is the second largest in Southeast Asia and expected to grow 22 per cent annually towards 2020. There are increasing demands for cost-effective and high quality logistic solutions to meet rising consumer needs,” said Kiattichai Pitpreecha, managing director of DHL E-commerce Thailand.

    For Thai SMEs, the expanded service will allow them to deliver products to customers with greater convenience and a faster process so that they spend less time travelling and waiting to drop off their goods.

    With a 3,222-square-metre e-commerce logistic centre in Bangkok, plus vehicles and other facilities, the firm is equipped to deliver 15 million shipments per year in Thailand.

    For merchants, DHL also offers a cash-on-delivery service with daily remittances plus access to a multilingual call centre and easy IT integration to handle online orders so that shippers can easily prepare orders for delivery into the DHL network.

    In addition, DHL offers cross-border services to help Thai customers expand into overseas markets at a competitive price based on a pay-per-use solution.

    Malcolm Monteiro, CEO of DHL E-commerce Asia Pacific, said the government’s recent initiative has boosted opportunities for businesses and industries, especially SMEs, to digitise their operations and services.

    With as many as 2.7 million SMEs, Thailand is seen as a high growth market where these firms will extend their business models into online marketplaces where DHL aims to enable their businesses to leverage the e-commerce potential both domestically and internationally.

    Besides the e-commerce service, DHL has long been a provider of international express delivery services which can help connect Thai SMEs to the global online market.

    At present, DHL has a network of fulfilment centres in the US, Mexico, Europe, Hong Kong, Australia and India, allowing merchandise to get to consumers in those regions faster.

    According to Brewer, the cross-border B2C, or retail e-commerce, is projected to grow to US$1 trillion in 2020 as the DHL operation in Thailand also witnesses a significant growth in this segment over the past year.

  • Lazada Thailand sent top five sellers to Alibaba Campus

    Lazada Thailand sent top five sellers to Alibaba Campus

    Lazada Thailand sent five of its top performing sellers to Alibaba’s campus in Hangzhou. They joined a delegation of 34 Lazada sellers.

    Led by Lazada Group, the visit took place from 23 to 25 February 2017 and include a rare opportunity to hear from Jing Jie, Vice President of Strategic Partnership Development, Alibaba Group and Aimone Ripa di Meana, Chief Marketplace Officer, Lazada Group to gain insights on the eCommerce landscape development and best-practices of online selling. The delegates had the chance to visit and network with other successful sellers such as Semir from Alibaba’s Tmall platform as well as attended two training sessions on “Operations and Assortment Planning for Singles Day” and “Online Customer Management” conducted by Taobao University.

    Apart from Thailand, the sellers mainly originate from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam; markets that Lazada operate in. These sellers worked closely with Lazada throughout the Online Revolution 2016 event, and have emerged as top in their respective product categories, such as fashion, electronics, and other fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) categories.

    These top performing sellers experienced strong uplift in their sales during the month-long Online Revolution sale. In addition to their exceptional performance during the 2016 Online Revolution shopping event, these sellers offered great value to shoppers with their deals, efficient product dispatches as well as achieving minimal number of returns and cancellations on their products.                                                                               

    Alessandro Piscini, CEO, Lazada Thailand said, “Lazada is widely known as Southeast Asia’s number one online shopping site, but we are also the region’s top selling eCommerce marketplace. Today, we have about 55,000 local and international merchants and we are enabling them to achieve commercial success with Lazada.”

    “We empower our sellers and equip them with the best tools available to help them succeed. With this inaugural business trip for our sellers to Hangzhou, we have structured the trip to ensure our sellers can hear and learn from other successful examples, and scale their business in the future,” added Alessandro Piscini.

    Veraphon Ngamjarassrivichai, Chief Marketing Officer of Galaxy store, which sells household equipment, sports, games, and toys at https://www.lazada.co.th/galaxy/ shared, “working with Lazada has made our E-Commerce journey much quicker and easier. Since joining Lazada, we have managed to still grow our business, and last year we generated 4 times revenue from Lazada. Galaxy is excited to join the trip to Alibaba Campus in Hangzhou and take advantage of all the new opportunities the three day event will bring.”

    In addition to sending top five sellers to Alibaba Campus in Hangzhou, Lazada, as the brand holding by Alibaba Group, is committed to train over 30,000 SMEs following Thailand 4.0 model and collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce by organizing training workshop for SMEs at the New Economy Academy (NEA) starting from 2nd February 2017 onwards until the end of this year. This training workshop aims to cover practical trainings on how to sell products and services on an eCommerce platform. Lazada also offers sellers a comprehensive suite of tools and solutions to make their online business a success. The seller centre for instance gives sellers a comprehensive overview of their business with Lazada. It is also a mobile platform for sellers to manage their business on-the-go. Sellers also receive a weekly performance report from Lazada with details on areas they can improve for better sales.

  • The Wonder Room Unveils its Fresh New Look  on the 3rd Floor of Siam Center

    The Wonder Room Unveils its Fresh New Look on the 3rd Floor of Siam Center

    “The Wonder Room”, women’s multi-brand store on the 3rd floor of Siam Center, opens the door to welcome fashionistas again after the refurbishment. Under the new look inspired by art studio, the store carries more than 40 Thai and international fashion brands to serve “hip and fashion-forward socialite with unique character”. To celebrate this re-opening, it launches The Wonder Room Collection” that offers ABSOLUTE SIAM items, available only at Siam Center, and welcomes the summer with “Future in The 80s” collection.

    Parisa Chatnilbhandhu Group Senior Vice President – Retail Business Development of Siam Piwat Co., Ltd., revealed that The Wonder Room has been the top choice for fashionistas who have a unique and distinctive sense of style and never follow trends because they always find one-of-a-kind items here. To better fulfill their needs, the store now adds the modernity and liveliness to the previously sophisticated decoration in black and gold thanks to “NENDO”, globally recognized design studio that transformed Siam Discovery.

    “In this transformation, The Wonder Room was expanded to 200 sqm, with completely new appearance. Mr. Oki Sato, chief designer and founder of “NENDO”, defined fashion items as pieces of art displayed by the wearers. Once stepping into the store, the shoppers will feel as if they were in an art studio where an artist crafts masterpieces. Every element like canvas frame, easel and photo frame, including the center table that displays products, are carefully placed to create this mood. The unexpected combination of green, black and white gives a sense of contrast, yet a modern and lively look,” added Parisa.

    The Wonder Room not only carries a wide selection of leading brands but also offers Absolute Siam collection available exclusively at Siam Center.  For the upcoming summer, more than 40 ready-to-wear brands of women’s wear, handbags, footwear and accessories will take fashionistas back to the 80s under concept of “Future in the 80s”.  The spring/summer collection 2017 incorporates distinctive pattern, bright spectrum, graphic, sailor stripes and metallic decoration to create a variety of looks, whether they are business look, casual look or party look.

    The fashion-forward ladies will find a wide selection of fashion brands such as DRYCLEANONLY, Tohns, HER La Femme, KANAPOT AUNSORN, VIPPY ROSE, TandT, Vinn Patararin, Mani Mina, FAFALU, PONY STONE, SEE and ACID while fans of Korean fashion will love LOW CLASSIC, Fleamadonna, SYZ and A.Bell. Moreover, the look will not be complete without an essential accessories from mikiwuu, Activity One, Darlin Jewelry, Revival, Porshz, la, Minacode, Iphforia and Ornaments & L’or and handbags and shoes from She, NATTAPONG, Ratthzart Studio, March and WALKIN.

    In this summer, SWIMWARE will raise the temperature with its hot and sexy swimwear while innerwear from Pattricia A. Garde, ZAZZIE, T-REX and NAVY can be perfectly matched with the outerwear to add sensuality. Lastly, ESTRO, Nostalgic and PAPERSELF will add the final touch and boost the fashionistas’ confidence with their beautiful cosmetics.

    To celebrate the new look of The Wonder Room, Vinn Patararin and jewelry brand la co-designed capsule collection. For the first time, “FABLAB” joins hands with The Wonder Room in offering a wide range of online fashion brands at FABLAB corner.

    Come visit The Wonder Room today on the 3rd floor of Siam Center. Under the new concept of art studio, this multi-brand store offers “ABSOLUTE SIAM” items, masterpieces in “The Wonder Room Collection”, which cannot be found elsewhere and will make you stand out from the crowd

  • Canterbury New Zealand opens in Bangkok

    Canterbury New Zealand opens in Bangkok

    Sports brand Canterbury New Zealand, established in 1904, has opened its first Thai flagship store in Bangkok.

    Located in the Phayathai Building, the 70 sqm shop offers 120 products in four major categories: men’s training, women’s training, on-field accessories and a British-Irish line. The retailer has kitted out some of the top sporting teams in the world.

    Silver Fern Holdings, the exclusive distributor for Canterbury in Thailand, has set a three-year expansion plan. This includes standalone stores in major tourist cities such as Chiang Mai, Hua Hin and Phuket, plus shop-in-shop outlets at major shopping malls in Bangkok including Emporium, Siam Paragon and The Emquartier.

    “We aim to increase annual sales of Canterbury products in Thailand from the Bt15 million [US$1.7 million] expected for this year to about Bt60 million in three years,” says Silver Fern Holdings MD Mark Bennett.

    The investment for standalone outlets will be about Bt1.5 million a store, each with about 70 sqm of retail space. Pop-up and shop-in-shop stores will have about 30 sqm of retail space.

    Canterbury claims to be the world’s original rugby brand, and is official kit supplier to a host of rugby teams globally. It says its clothing is designed for training, workouts and general fitness.

    “We see Thailand as a potential market for Canterbury sportswear products thanks to a growing middle class and the health-and-fitness trend,” says Bennett.

    The company will introduce its latest Control Gear and Compression Gear technologies into Thailand. Control Gear is engineered to optimise training performance, while the Compression Gear range provides graduated levels of constant compression in key zones to optimise sports performance.

    Canterbury products are also available through distributors in Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea.