Retail News CRM

Tag: Books

  • Duoyun Books’ flagship in Shanghai is 52 floors above ground level

    Duoyun Books’ flagship in Shanghai is 52 floors above ground level

    Design firm Wutopia Lab has designed a unique “books above clouds” store in Shanghai’s tallest building for Duoyun Books.

    The design for 2259sqm flagship located on level 52 of Shanghai Tower was commissioned by Shanghai Century Publishing to provide space for 60,000 books. As well as the book-retailing area, the store features a lecture room, exhibition space and a cafe.

    Wutopia’s scheme centres around a “white abstract mountain” of stacked translucent bookshelves and includes curved entrances and large windows offering expansive views over the city.

    A “Tiffany-blue” cafe is embedded amidst the bookshelves, while a pink dessert house is positioned at the end of the store to surprise visitors.

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  • Cafes and bookstores in China riding wave of creative boom

    Cafes and bookstores in China riding wave of creative boom

    China’s cultural and creative industries are entering a positive era, according to a new report by Mintel, Cultural And Creative Products Retailing.

    And cafes and bookstores in China are among the primary beneficiaries.

    The firm found that with China shifting from a primarily manufacturing economy toward a more service- and creative-centric one, Chinese consumers are paying more attention to cultural and leisure lifestyles.

    The research revealed that as many as three in five (60 per cent) of urban Chinese respondents said that they have been visiting more cafes in the past six months, while more than half of respondents have increased visits to libraries (56 per cent) and bookstores (55 per cent). What’s more, two in five (40 per cent) of urban Chinese respondents say they have been visiting more museums and over a-third (36 per cent) say the same of art galleries.

    Meanwhile, lower tier cities in China present great potential for cultural and creative industries. Mintel found that 61 per cent of respondents from Tier 2 cities visited libraries more in the past six months as compared to just over half (51 per cent) of respondents in Tier 1 cities. Similar figures held for bookstores and art galleries.

    “Chinese consumers, today, are paying more attention to cultural and leisure lifestyles, and therefore, are spending more money on leisure and entertainment,” said Mintel China Reports category research director, retail Chih-yuan Wang.

    “As discussed in our report Mintel Trend ‘Slow it All Down’, as lives become faster and more hectic, there is a wider appreciation for taking one’s time. Cultural and creative products present the opportunity for Chinese consumers to enjoy a degree of slow-paced escapism—also why cafes, libraries and bookstores are now at the centre of cultural and creative leisure lifestyles in China. We are seeing the emergence of new-format bookstores and lifestyle stores featuring comfortable spaces, aligning with consumers’ pursuit of leisure and better living. It’s not just about selling products; it’s also about selling a way of life.”

    Research from the flagship report shows that Chinese consumers are actually spending more on leisure and entertainment; total expenditure in the sector reached an estimated RMB2,048 billion (US$289.1 billion) last year, growing 9.7 per cent from 2017. Mintel research also reveals that going to the cinema has become the most popular cultural activity, with three-quarters (74 per cent) of urban Chinese respondents having purchased film tickets within the past six months. This is followed by spending on exhibitions (40 per cent) and concerts, operas, dramas or plays (35 per cent).

    “Despite the popularity of video streaming services, our research shows that Chinese consumers love going to the cinema,” said Wang. “Going to the cinema is perceived as a leisure activity rather than a cultural one, showcasing the potential to explore the cultural aspects of cinema and the overall film industry. Transforming cinema from a leisure venue into a cultural venue will open up opportunities for the film- or play-related merchandise market.”

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  • Asia Music acquires audio-book business

    Asia Music acquires audio-book business

    Asia Music Investments (AMI) has bought a music-book business and expanded its operations and distribution partnerships with major publishers.

    The company has taken over the music-book distribution business from Gramercy Music, which occupied 2700sqft of space on Bukit Timah Road. AMI says the S$1.2 million acquisition and investment is a strategic move to expand its repertoire of services, expand its customer base and develop new competencies.

    AMI also operates four music schools offering a range of musical courses including piano, violin, guitar, guzheng, vocal, erhu and dance. The music-book business deal will enable AMI to provide greater value to its students, by making available the largest and latest range of musical books in the market.

    “Our acquisition has enabled us to immediately offer our customers better value-added service as they can access and purchase music books easily,” says Vivian Gao, MD of AMI.

    “In addition, we are also able to strike up new partnerships and distributorships with publishers to expand the music book business.”

    Customers can purchase music books online via its official online store or drop by the bookstore, which is a one-stop music concept offering books, accessories and musical instruments.

    “Having a physical store enables our customers, many of whom are music teachers, to be able to conveniently compare the many books available on the shelves. This better helps them to make decisions on which books to use for teaching,” Gao added.

    In May this year, AMI finalized partnerships with Alfred Music to be the exclusive distributor of its UK’s Basic Graded Piano Course series. Alfred Music is the leading publisher of music education books and currently has 150,000 titles worldwide.

    It is also teaming up with Poco Studio, a music education publisher, to distribute its full range of titles in Singapore.

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  • Popular bookstore at Thomson Plaza Closing Down

    Popular bookstore at Thomson Plaza Closing Down

    The Popular bookstore at Thomson Plaza has closed after 31 years.

    The outlet, which has traded since 1988, has been closed due to what the owners describe as “lease issues”.

    Popular invited its customers to share their memories of the Thomson Plaza store in a Facebook photo contest which will end tomorrow. Three winners will get SG$20 worth of Popular vouchers.

    The Popular chain is celebrating its 95th anniversary this year, but like all book retailers worldwide, the company is facing challenges from the growth of digital books and consumers moving to other media to read or entertain themselves.

    The top 95 spenders at the Popular bookstore at Thomson Plaza have been rewarded with complimentary three-year membership of the company’s loyalty program, valid also at UrbanWrite stores.

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  • Booktopia expires crowdfunding plans

    Booktopia expires crowdfunding plans

    Booktopia has pulled out of plans to raise $10 million from customers and everyday Australians after struggling to reach its minimum goal for investment.

    The business announced last year that it was looking to raise at least $3 million and up to $10 million through the crowdfunding platform Equitise.

    At the time, it was publicised as the biggest ever crowdfunding attempt through Equitise. But the company on Tuesday revealed that it is ending the crowdfunding round early after raising just short of $900,000.

    Booktopia founder Tony Nash said that while the funding never stopped coming in, the company decided to let the campaign peter out after it received significant interest from the wholesale investment community.

    “Taking a larger investment from one or two strategic investors right now is the best partnership we can secure for our customers and our future growth,” Nash said.

    “If we weren’t talking to the investors looking to invest $20 million to $30 million we would have done a big push to say the offer is ending, and probably got to the $3 million.”

    Nash confirmed the funds raised through the campaign are currently held in trust, and will be returned to equity investors soon.

    Booktopia may consider using the platform again in the future when the “time is optimal and we’ve been able to scale thanks to larger investment.”

    Nash noted that the business is successful enough as is, and that the purpose of the extra funding is simply to reach its goals faster.

    “We are happy to bring on some strategic partners who have experience in the area that we do not have, and that is a key component on taking on the extra funding,” Nash said.

    The equity funding would have been used to drive an expansion in warehouse automation, hold more stock (the business estimates it is only using 25 per cent of its space), and continue to fund the liquidity of the business.

    Booktopia’s Equitise campaign would have allowed 8.1 per cent of the business to be owned by everyday Australians, something Nash said he still likes the idea of.

    Equitise co-founder Chris Gilbert stated he ultimately agrees with the Booktopia board’s decision, noting he looks forward to working together with the book retailer again in the future. 

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  • Google Assistant brings its bedtime stories to Smartphones

    Google Assistant brings its bedtime stories to Smartphones

    One of the major Google Assistant features aimed at children, the ability to tell them stories, made its way to Google Home smart speakers about two years ago. Starting this weekend, the so-called Tell Me a Story feature, which is available in English, will be coming to Android and iOS phones in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and India.

    To activate the feature, simply say “Hey Google, tell me a story,” but you can also use the “Hey Google, tell me a bedtime story” if you want to get your kids ready for bed. Before you’ll be able to do that, make sure that you have the latest version of Google Play Books for Android or iOS installed.

    In addition to being able to listen to bedtime stories, families in the United States will be given access to a feature called read along, which is available on all Google Home smart speakers, including Home, Mini, Max, and Hub. Thanks to this feature, your bedtime stories will be more immersive since Google Assistant will add sound effects as you read select Disney Little Golden Books aloud, such as Coco, The Three Little Pigs, Alice in Wonderland, and many more.

    If you want to use read along, you’ll have to use a different command: “Hey Google, let’s read along.” You’ll also be able to ask Google Assistant to read an audiobook on Google Play by saying “Hey Google,” and you’ll hear a free sample if you don’t already own the audiobook.

    Keep in mind that audiobooks are available on Google Assistant in English in the US, Australia, Canada and Great Britain, in addition to German and Japanese.

  • Airtel launches e-book app store

    Airtel launches e-book app store

    India’s Bharti Airtel has expanded its OTT portfolio with the launch of a new app store for e-books.

    The Airtel Books app currently offers over 70,000 e-books from Indian and international authors, including some of the latest launch titles.

    The app will include a subscription service offering access to a curated selection of the e-books, priced at 129 rupees ($1.87) for six months and 199 for 12 months. Customers can also purchase books on a per-item basis.

    Airtel Books will be available to both Airtel and non-Airtel customers via both iOS and Android.

    Airtel is offering all users a complimentary 30 day trial and access to free titles from the Readers Club component of the app. Smartphone customers will also be offered five free books from a selection of over 5,000 paid e-books.

    The new OTT app adds to Airtel’s existing digital content portfolio, which includes offerings including the Wynk Music subscription service and Airtel TV.

    “Airtel Books is another major milestone in our journey towards building a world-class digital content portfolio. E-books is a fast growing segment along with music and video, thanks to large screen smartphones becoming the cornerstone of digital lifestyle,” Airtel CEO for content and apps Sameer Batra said.

    “We are delighted to roll out this initiative and take it to the smartphone users across India through our deep distribution reach.”

  • Eslite Taipei bookstore closing down

    Eslite Taipei bookstore closing down

    Eslite Taipei, the world’s first 24-hour bookstore, is scheduled to shut down next year.

    The popular Taiwanese bookstore chain will discontinue its flagship location in Dunnan, upon the expiry of its lease next year after 19 years of trading.

    The firm’s chairwoman Mercy Wu has admitted that no plans for the store are in the works following closure. She had previously stated that another Eslite location could have its hours extended to offer a 24-hour service to replace the Dunnan store.

    However, the firm’s previous experiments in round-the-clock bookstore service – including a trial in Hysan Place, Hong Kong – have proved not to be viable due to low customer turnout.

    Wu has been quoted as expressing hopes that Eslite stores will maintain their independence and “remain the first and last stop of book lovers in the next 10 years”.

  • SoftBank Ventures invests in Trevari, a Korean book club

    SoftBank Ventures invests in Trevari, a Korean book club

    SoftBank Ventures announced Tuesday it invested 4.5 billion won ($4 million) in Trevari, a Korean book club operator. Fast Investment, another venture capitalist firm, invested an additional 500 million won in Trevari’s first publicly-announced funding round.

    “While adults today are reading less and less, the Trevari team has proven the success of its business model through quality book clubs,” said a spokesperson from SoftBank Ventures.

    Founded in 2015, Trevari operates paid membership-based book clubs. Members can sign up to join Trevari’s 300-plus book clubs located around Seoul and meet up with fellow members every month to discuss books on topics of their preference.

    Some of the book clubs are headed by special experts in the field, including former Naver CEO Kim Sang-hun.

    As of last August, over 13,600 individuals have participated in Trevari’s book clubs.

    A four-month membership costs between 190,000 won and 290,000 won.

  • WH Smith opens two further stores in Philippines airports

    WH Smith opens two further stores in Philippines airports

    International news and convenience retailer WHSmith has opened two new stores at Mactan-Cebu International Airport. The new branches under local franchise partner Regent Distributor Philippines join three existing stores at Mactan-Cebu and Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airports showcasing the retailer’s latest fascia, fixtures and fittings. The move is part of the brand’s overall strategy to bolster its presence in Asian markets.

    “We are very pleased to add an additional two stores to our growing portfolio in the Philippines”, said Phil McNally, MD international WHSmith. “With a fresh and modern look, we look forward to welcoming customers to the new stores to enjoy a full range of news, books, travel and convenience items.”

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  • China’s first ‘Audio Library’ in a shopping mall opened

    China’s first ‘Audio Library’ in a shopping mall opened

    In the age of digitalization, shopping malls have evolved from a place for consumption to the “Third Space” in people’s everyday lives. Shopping malls provide a comfortable and relaxing environment with humanitarian touches by truly connecting with customers. CityOn.Xi’an has recently collaborated with the nationwide famous audio sharing platform Himalaya to build China’s first ‘Audio Library’ in a shopping mall, enabling customers to enjoy a literary cultural experience while shopping.

    As a well-known audio sharing platform in China, Himalaya currently has 480,000,000 mobile users and its market value grew 1,000 times since its establishment five years ago. As a typical unicorn company, the Xi’an Municipal People’s Government signed a strategic agreement with Himalaya in 2018, in which the ‘Audio Library’ created by CityOn.Xi’an and Himalaya has brought the consumption culture in Xi’an to the next level.

    CityOn.Xi’an creates a real-life library setting through its infrastructure development. Customers just need to scan the QR code upon entrance of the audio library, and they can gain access to Himalaya’s different free audio book channels created exclusively for CityOn.Xi’an customers. The wide variety of selection includes literature, education, food and beverage, travel, fiction, etc. allowing customers to enjoy extraordinary audio entertainment as they shop or dine.

    In addition, the best-seller reads that are popular among young customers that would normally require payment such as ‘Ma Dong’s Career Plan B’ or ‘Kevin Tsoi’s 201st EQ Lesson’ are free to listen for customers in CityOn.Xi’an. To provide a better interactive experience, CityOn and Himalaya exclusively created ‘audio card’, where customers at CityOn.Xi’an can design and customize their own audio greeting cards to send blessings to their loved ones just through a scan of the QR code.

    CityOn.Xi’an’s extensive collaboration extends beyond offline to online, where customers are offered a brand-new way to receive messages from the mall. CityOn.Xi’an utilizes Himalaya’s platform to create an exclusive radio channel for CityOn.Xian, enabling customers to receive messages, member benefits, brand details, and customer service information immediately. Customers can either use offline QR code scan or manual search on Himalaya APP to gain first hand information on the happenings of CityOn.Xi’an.

    The breakthrough approach completely transforms communication between a shopping mall and customers, where message delivery is now easier and livelier.

    CityOn.Xi’an’s General Manager Xu Jing Dong said, “CityOn.Xi’an has always been at the forefront of new retail and has achieved numerous firsts in the nation. For example, CityOn.Xi’an innovatively implemented APP technology in a wide variety of services, such as launching the world’s first offline experience store for DiDi, China’s first SF Express delivery customer service store, and the first to have a smart electric bike stop, motorcycle charging facility, and Ponycar flagship store in China’s north-west region.

    These O2O collaborations have brought CityOn.Xi’an and customers closer together, successfully converting online traffic to offline footfall and achieved record-breaking performance in customer traffic and sales.

    ‘Audio Library’ represents CityOn.Xi’an’s mission of being customer-centric and innovative, striving to be the commercial landmark of Xi’an and the whole of China’s north-west region. The collaboration truly reflects CityOn.Xi’an’s commitment and effort in bringing outstanding retail experience to customers through partnerships with different third parties, and to set the benchmark of customer service in the industry.

  • Priceline books slow down beauty sales

    Priceline books slow down beauty sales

    Priceline owner Australian Pharmaceutical Industries’ half-year net profit has fallen by 14.4 per cent to $24.9 million on lacklustre retail sales from its retail pharmacy network.

    Underlying net profit after tax, excluding $1.8 million of restructuring and strategic growth costs, was down 8 per cent on the prior corresponding period to $26.8 million, slightly ahead of API’s January guidance.

    Underlying earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) declined by 8 per cent to $44.6 million in the six months to February 28, constrained by a .3 per cent decline in top line revenue to $2.009 billion.

    The company said that a continuation of difficult trading conditions in the health and beauty market hampered its Priceline network, which booked a 1.7 per cent decline in comparable store sales and a .3 per cent decline in retail register sales.

    Sales growth in dispensary and OTC health products offset declines in discretionary beauty products, with total network sales, which include dispensary, up 2.1 per cent.

    “We have refined our tactical sales activity, which is now more targeted and responsive to changes in the increasingly competitive market,” API chief executive and managing director Richard Vincent said.

    “Despite the combination of consumer sentiment being challenging for the foreseeable future and increased competition, the strength of our combined marketing assets, particularly our Sister Club loyalty program, continues to be the primary source of sales growth.”

    Vincent said he anticipates a continuation in difficult trading conditions in the second half, but that Priceline will focus on cost out opportunities to improve earnings for the full-year.

    API expects its underlying FY18 result to be marginally higher than FY17, providing trading conditions do not deteriorate further.

    There were 466 stores trading in the Priceline network at the end of the half-year, an increase of 16 during the half.

    Vincent said Priceline’s pipeline of potential pharmacy partners remains “robust” but maintained his view that “unrealistic rental demands” were putting a damper on store expansion.

    API’s pharmacy distribution network experienced stronger growth than Priceline, increasing underlying sales by 9.8 per cent on the prior corresponding period.

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  • National Bookstore plans two-pronged expansion

    National Bookstore plans two-pronged expansion

    National Bookstore plans to double its store network to 500 while strengthening its online presence.

    A revamped website will soon enable shoppers to browse and buy from the store’s online catalog and pick up the merchandise in physical stores, says MD Xandra Ramos-Padilla.

    The chain hopes to open its 240th store by the end of the year and the 330th by 2020. And while renovating shops, it is experimenting on new formats such as the National Bookstore Express, inspired by convenience stores.

    Founded 75 years ago by Ramos-Padilla’s grandmother Socorro Ramos, the bookstore chain targets up to 20 store openings annually.

  • Enduring lure of pen and paper boosts Moleskine

    Enduring lure of pen and paper boosts Moleskine

    From spelling out New Year’s resolutions to jotting down designer brainwaves, sometimes only a pen and paper will do, even in the digital era.

    And those are the kind of niches that have enabled Italian notebook manufacturer Moleskine to leverage its historically evocative brand into the kind of rapid growth not usually associated with the staid world of stationery.

    The Italian group’s sales have more than tripled in the last seven years.

    Turnover in 2015 was 128 million euros (US$134mil); 200 million is the target for 2018 with Asia in the frontline of the company’s plans to expand its retail network from 80 outlets to 120 over the same period.

    According to business expert Alessandro Brun, the growth has been driven by Moleskine’s ability to successfully pitch an “extremely ordinary” item as being an object of desire imbued with history and an essential lifestyle tool for the contemporary creative.

    “It is fair to talk about a Moleskine phenomenon,” said Brun, professor of company management at Milan Polytechnic.

    From its launch as a brand in 1997, under then-owner Milanese publisher Modo & Modo, Moleskine has hammered away at the idea that it has revived the classic notebooks favoured by the likes of Picasso, Van Gogh and Hemingway.

    Those now sold under the Moleskine brand are indeed modelled on those once manufactured by a French provincial bookbinder for Paris stationers. But they are made in China, rather than the Loire valley.

    With their rounded edges and distinctive elastic binder, the original notebooks were known as “carnets moleskines” in French, because their smooth black covers were thought to resemble moleskin.They were a classic of simple design but production stopped in 1986 when their original manufacturer, based in the town of Tours, closed.

    Famously, travel writer Bruce Chatwin was so distraught he went round buying up as many as he could find, then wrote a lament to the notebooks in his book The Songlines that came out the following year.

  • All PageOne bookstores close in Hong Kong as liquidators take over

    All PageOne bookstores close in Hong Kong as liquidators take over

    The chain’s remaining outlets at Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong and Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui were closed for business with notices on the doors stating that stocktaking was under way.

    Another notice read that KPMG’s top restructuring officials Edward Middleton and Patrick Cowley have been appointed as receivers of the “Page One The Designer’s Bookshop (H.K.) Limited.”

    page one harbour city

    Page One have had special sales running since November. In October, an interior design company submitted a bid at the District Court to ask the company to pay back HK$910,000 of construction fees. Last week, Thermos, a kitchen utility company, also went to court to request sums totalling HK$480,000 for products sold at the bookstores.

    In August, it emerged that multiple publishers were also seeking overdue payments from the company. The beleaguered book chain reportedly owed over HK$700,000 to its publishers.“Page One is in the process of adapting to meet current consumer’s demand… however retail business have a high fixed cost,” it said in a public statement on August 12.

    The book chain added at the time that it required funding to strengthen its capital structure and said it has started discussions with a potential investor.

    page one close

    Since opening its first Hong Kong outlet in 1997, Page One had up to 10 stores in the city at the peak of its business. However, the chain closed its store in Times Square, Causeway Bay in 2015 and shut six more stores at the Hong Kong International Airport this year. The remaining two Hong Kong branches are located at Harbour City and Festival Walk.

    page one

    Foreign Press stopped supplying books to Page One in June. This summer, the company said it would not rule out the option of legal action if the troubled book chain continues to delay its payment.

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