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Tag: Business

  • JD driverless delivery vehicles up for test

    JD driverless delivery vehicles up for test

    JD driverless delivery vehicles have been deployed in live testing in two Mainland China cities. The technology-cum-e-commerce company has opened two smart-delivery stations in the cities of Changsha and Hohhot, strengthening its autonomous logistics capabilities. The stations are carrying out research and development testing and personnel training to solve issues related to last mile delivery.

    The JD driverless delivery vehicles can be loaded with up to 30 parcels before autonomously delivering them within a 5km radius. The vehicles can plan routes, avoid obstacles and recognise traffic lights.

    The vehicles have locked boxes so each customer’s purchases are kept separate. Once the robots reach their destination, facial recognition technology enables customers to easily and securely collect their parcels from the correct locker.

    When running at full capacity, the two delivery stations, operating with a half-half split between robots and human couriers, can deliver up to 2000 packages a day.

    The JD driverless delivery vehicles are part of the company’s Boundaryless Retail vision, in which consumers can buy whatever they want, wherever and whenever they want it.

    “As China’s largest retailer, JD is in the unique position of being able to research and develop, and commercially deploy, innovative new technology that is shaping the future of shopping worldwide,” said Chen Zhang, JD’s chief technology officer.

    “As JD opens its technology up to other companies and industries, the features that we’ve already rolled out in China from automated warehouses to virtual shopping are going to be enjoyed by consumers everywhere,” he said, referring to the company’s Retail as a Service strategy.

    CES debut

    The opening of the smart delivery stations comes days before JD attends its first Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada – the world’s largest event for the latest technology, innovation and creative thinking.

    The company will showcase cutting-edge technology which is changing the way consumers shop in China, and which it says will revolutionise global commerce. Visitors will be able to see how JD uses its drones to deliver consumer goods and medical supplies to remote areas in China, and catch a glimpse of the world’s first fully-automated fulfillment centre. They will also see how underground urban logistics will make shopping more convenient than ever, and fundamentally alter how cities work.

    This year, CES attendees will be able to see JD’s futuristic technology up close and even try some of it for themselves at the company’s interactive booth.

    Aside from drones and delivery robots, visitors will be able to experience drone flights in virtual reality, as well as JD’s augmented-reality fitting and styling software. They will also see how JD is developing Internet of Things technology that enables consumers to remotely control the smart devices in their homes, even from their cars.

    JD will also give people the chance to try a special exoskeleton worn by staff in JD warehouses that makes lifting heavy objects easier.

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  • Indonesia’s BRI Signs Partnership Agreement With Alipay

    Indonesia’s BRI Signs Partnership Agreement With Alipay

    Bank Rakyat Indonesia, Indonesia’s biggest state-owned lender, started the year with key strategic announcements, including an alliance with Chinese payment platform Alipay and plans to acquire a local insurance company and a small lender. BRI signed a memorandum of understanding with Alipay, a subsidiary of Chinese technology giant Alibaba, on Thursday to secure an opportunity to serve the growing number of Chinese tourists visiting Indonesia.

    “As China has its own payment system, we must be able to facilitate their [Chinese tourists’] needs. This move is aimed at supporting the country’s tourism industry,” Handayani, consumer director at BRI, said after an extraordinary shareholder meeting on Thursday.

    He said there are several matters that must still be discussed, including the acquisition of a permit.

    “We are currently integrating the business operation. We are now developing the IT system [for the service],” Handayani said, adding that the payment service will be launched in tourism areas, such as Bali, first.

    About 2 million Chinese tourists visited Indonesia between January and November last year, representing a 14 percent increase from the corresponding period in 2017.

    Insurance Company

    In addition to the partnership with Alipay, the lender has also set aside Rp 1.5 trillion ($105 million) this year to acquire an insurance company focused on covering property damage. BRI currently only has a life insurer, BRI Life.”This year, we want to have an insurance company. We are going to have a complete service in the financial industry,” BRI president director Suprajarto said.

    He said BRI was still observing the market and exploring several candidates before making a choice. The acquisition is slated for completion in the first half of this year, he added.

    Suprajarto said the acquisition of a general insurer would take precedence over the plan to acquire a small lender.

    This is because the Financial Services Authority (OJK) has asked BRI to acquire a lender in the categories BUKU I (banks with core capital below Rp 1 trillion) or BUKU II (banks with core capital between Rp 1 trillion and Rp 5 trillion).

    “It requires a large amount of funding, so we are now focusing on organic growth [instead of acquiring another lender],” Suprajarto said.

    BRI posted Rp 23.5 trillion in net profit in the first nine months of last year, which was 15 percent higher than the same period in 2017, thanks to a 17 percent surge in loan growth to Rp 809 trillion between January and September.

    BRI Appoints Deputy President Director

    BRI also announced the appointment of Sunarso as deputy president director and the dismissal of Jeffry J. Wurangian as commissioner and Kuswiyoto as director of corporate banking.Handayani said the changes were subject to approval by central bank.

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  • Vietnam’s PV Power to list with billion-dollar market cap

    Vietnam’s PV Power to list with billion-dollar market cap

    PV Power, the country’s second largest power producer, will list on the Ho Chi Minh bourse this month with a market capitalization of $1.5 billion. The Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) has approved that the firm lists 2.34 billion shares (trading code POW) on January 14 at VND14,900 (64 cents) per share. This would bring the market capitalization of PV Power to VND34.9 trillion ($1.5 billion).

    PV Power finished its last transaction on UPCoM, the market for unlisted public companies, on December 27 at VND16,000 (69 cents) per share.

    PV Power was established in 2007 with 100 percent capital from the state. The company finished equitization in the middle of last year with a charter capital of VND23.42 trillion ($1 billion).

    State-owned oil and gas giant PetroVietnam remains PV Power’s largest stakeholder, with 79.94 percent of its charter capital. Foreign investors currently own 14.3 percent. The company is subject to a foreign ownership cap of 49 percent.

    PV Power produces and sells electricity. It also imports and distributes coal and operates five electricity plants. It is the second largest power producer in the country after national utility Vietnam Electricity.

    In the 2016-2018 period, PV Power’s revenues were VND28-30 trillion ($1.2-1.29 billion), 96 percent of which came from selling electricity.

    As of September 30, 2018, its total asset value was VND61.4 trillion ($2.64 billion) and its equity was VND26.55 trillion ($1.14 billion).

    Its dividend rate for last year is expected to be 3 percent and is set at 6 percent this year.

  • Mr DIY mulls US$362 million float

    Mr DIY mulls US$362 million float

    Malaysian home improvement brand Mr DIY is considering an IPO to raise about MYR1.5 billion (US$362 million). An industry source has revealed that the firm intends to list its domestic operations later this year on either the Malaysian or Hong Kong exchange with backing from Malaysian private equity firm Creador, which invested in the brand over two years ago.

    A report stated the IPO could bring Mr DIY to a market value of MYR10 billion (US$2.426 billion).

    Mr DIY operates around 600 locations in Southeast Asia. Last October, the company revealed plans to open at least 1000 branches by 2020.

    Head of marketing Andy Chin said then: “We feel that our home improvement retail business model, offering a variety of goods at affordable prices, is suitable for better business growth in the country as well as the Asean market. At the end of this year, we target 700 global branches, and the number may reach 1000 or more by 2020. These will be based on an organic growth.”

    He added that the company’s prospect of Asean-level expansion will be focused on Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines”.

    Mr DIY is the largest home appliance retailer in Malaysia with more than 20,000 SKUs.

  • Time is running out for Sears offer

    Time is running out for Sears offer

    Sears chairman Eddie Lampert’s last minute plans to save the bankrupt retail chain are set to be terminated on Friday afternoon, New York time, should they be determined to not be a “qualifying bid”. The first plan, a US$4.4 billion offer to purchase Sears, would provide ongoing positions for 50,000 employees and is the “best outcome for the debtors and their creditors and other stakeholders,” according to documents filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

    The second plan, however, is an offer to acquire at least 250 stores as a going concern, as well as certain assets across the home services division and certain intellectual property.

    Earlier this week the business confirmed a further 80 stores would be closing by March, alongside the 40 already announced, with liquidation sales expected to begin in early January 2019.

    GlobalData Retail managing director Neil Saunders mused that the brand had hit rock bottom and was “essentially worthless” in its current state.

    “Ultimately, reinventing Sears now would be akin to raising the Titanic and making is seaworthy again: a thankless and rather pointless task,” Saunders said.

    Lampert stepped down as company chief executive when it filed for bankruptcy in October.

  • South Korean retail sales rise strongly in November

    South Korean retail sales rise strongly in November

    Online shopping during the month of November has driven a 4.6 per cent increase in South Korean retail sales compared to the same period in the previous year, according to government data. Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy figures showed a 12.7 per cent year-on-year growth in online sales alongside a 0.5 per cent drop in offline retail during the month.

    Convenience stores, chain supermarkets and super supermarket sales showed positive growth, while large discount outlets and department stores saw declines of 2.8 per cent and 3.9 per cent respectively.

    Online sales in November were largely propped up by e-commerce shopping festivals in China and the US during the period.

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  • Korean imported vehicle sales up 11.8 percent last year

    Korean imported vehicle sales up 11.8 percent last year

    Sales of imported vehicles in Korea continued to rise last year, aided by firm demand for foreign brands and the resumption of sales by Audi Volkswagen, industry data showed Friday. The number of newly registered foreign vehicles reached 260,705 last year, up 11.8 percent from a year earlier, the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association said in a statement.

    The total number of imported cars sold in 2018 is an all-time record.

    The market share of foreign cars rose to a record high of 16.7 percent last year, shattering the previous all-time high of 15.5 percent in 2015, the data showed.

    The three best-selling models were the Mercedes-Benz E 300 (8,726 units sold) and E 300 4MATIC (9,141 units) and the Lexus ES300h (8,803 units).

    Mercedes-Benz became the first imported cars to sell more than 70,000 vehicles. It took the No. 1 spot among imported cars.

    BMW, despite controversy of its engine catching fire, kept its second spot by selling 50,524 vehicles.

    Toyota took third place with 16,774.

    Seven out of 10 imported vehicles sold in Korea last month were from Germany, the statement said.

    In December alone, however, the sales of foreign vehicles fell 8.7 percent on year to 20,450, it said.

    In 2017, imported vehicle sales reached 233,088 units, up from 225,279 a year earlier.

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  • Experts express cautious optimism for Vietnam stock market

    Experts express cautious optimism for Vietnam stock market

    Last year’s uncertainties and unclear future scenarios are reflected in more cautious assessments than number crunching for 2019. Nguyen Duy Hung, chairman of SSI, a leading Saigon broker, said that with a drop of over 20 percent from its peak, when the VN-Index climbed to 1,204 points on April 9, 2018, Vietnam’s stock exchanges have entered a bear market.

    The benchmark VN-Index on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange lost 1.52 per cent to end Thursday at 878.22 points. On Friday afternoon, it rose to 880.9 points.

    Perhaps it will take between 8 to 11 months for the market to recover, Hung said. “Historical data suggests that it would take 21 months for a bear market to recover its old peak after hitting bottom.”

    But the SSI chairman said the main challenges facing the stock market in 2019 include worries posed by the escalation of the U.S.-China trade war, and increasing geopolitical risks.

    “At this point, no one can say how this war will unfold or predict how widespread the impact will be. Along with the decline in oil prices signaling difficulties of the world economy, the rise in geopolitical risks paint a picture of uncertainties for 2019,” Hung said.

    Also mentioning key challenges for 2019, Securities Commission chairman Vu Bang named the slowdown of Chinese and global economies, the escalating trade war and risks from expanding global debt.

    However, these challenges come with opportunities to be seized. The trade war, according to the SSI chairman, is a chance for Vietnam to increase its exports. This does not mean market share growth will happen immediately, he said, explaining that it was an opportunity to build a medium to long term strategy, innovating the country’s economic growth model based on production and commercial activities.

    Vu Bang also emphasized the advantages of macro factors, saying the continuous high growth rate in recent years was a factor that would increase the attractiveness of Vietnam’s market in the region.

    Vietnam’s GDP growth of 7.08 percent in 2018 retained its status as one of the best performing economies in the world. It was the highest growth the country has experienced since 2008 and compared with the median estimate of 6.9 percent in a Bloomberg survey of 12 economists.

    Offering a more optimistic view, Tran Le Minh, deputy general director of VietFund Management, said that the market in 2019 still holds several favorable factors, including the fact that the decline in VN-Index was relatively slower than in other parts of the world.

    “Why is the market declining more slowly? The reality must be seen in macro factors, growth and the fact that foreign institutional investors continue to invest in the market. Cash flow from foreign investors will continue to be a highlight this year,” said Minh, who predicted that the VN-Index will not fall below its current level by the end of 2019.

    Foreign direct investment disbursement in Vietnam reached a record $19.1 billion in 2018, a year-on-year increase of 9.1 percent, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

    For the market players’ perspective, 2019 is not going to be an easy year, experts say.

    “With many unpredictable factors caused by geopolitical and commercial tensions, most analysts agree that the global economy is entering the end of a growth cycle and 2019 will be a difficult year for the stock market,” said an analyst team with Rong Viet Securities (VDSC).

    It will be difficult for Vietnam to buck the global trend, they felt.

    Bernard Lapointe, head of research of Rong Viet Securities said recently that he was optimistic but not too optimistic about the market this year. He expects the VN-Index to stay within the 900-1,000 points range until the end of 2019.

    Meanwhile, Michel Tosto, head of Institutional Sales and Brokerage of Viet Capital Securities, predicted that the VN-Index could reach 1,060 points at the end of 2019.

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  • Crabtree & Evelyn Singapore closes all stores

    Crabtree & Evelyn Singapore closes all stores

    Crabtree & Evelyn Singapore is in the process of closing all of its 12 stores on the island and will move exclusively online. The closures follow the placing of the Canadian business into bankruptcy protection last month, resulting in the closure of its 19 stores there as it liquidates its stock. Crabtree & Evelyn was founded in the US in 1972, expanding to the UK in 1980. It was sold to a Malaysian company in 1996, with its US subsidiary entering bankruptcy protection in 2009, resulting in the closure of about a quarter of its store network.

    The business was bought by Hong Kong investment company Khuan Choo International in mid 2012 for US$155 million before being sold to the current owner, another Hong Kong company, Nan Hai Corporation, four years later. Listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange, Nan Hai’s primary business focus is operating cinemas and digital entertainment services, mostly in Mainland China. It has no other specific retail or cosmetics investments.

    In March last year Nan Hai said it had invested in expanding and revitalising the Crabtree & Evelyn product range and that it would expand the brand into the mainland: “Crabtree & Evelyn will fully enter the PRC market in 2018 and the development of [an] e-commerce platform and membership system will be its business focus for 2018, thereby creating synergy with the e-commerce and membership strategies of the group’s cinema operations, which would be beneficial to the long-term development of the group,” the company said in a stock exchange filing.

    Online expansion was also planned in Australia, Singapore and Malaysia, but it made no mention of closing stores and it is not clear in which markets it owns its retail operations and in which it has distribution partners.

    According to a report, the business there filed for bankruptcy citing “significant losses” due to changing consumer demand, rising competition online and an ongoing decline in footfall in its stores.

    Crabtree & Evelyn Singapore is expected to continue trading from two stores in the city – Ngee Ann City and Paragon – until January 31, where it will honour gift vouchers. It has wound down its offline loyalty program in favour of a new online version.

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  • Vietnam’s largest brewer is now a foreign owned business

    Vietnam’s largest brewer is now a foreign owned business

    After a $4.78 million debt restructuring, Vietnam’s largest brewer Sabeco is now owned by a Thai company. In December 2017, Thai Beverage (ThaiBev) acquired a 53.59 percent stake in Sabeco from Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade for $4.78 billion through a local entity, Viet Beverage (VietBev). VietBev, which had 100-percent Vietnamese ownership at the time with VND682 billion ($29.33 million) in charter capital, was loaned VND111.21 trillion ($4.78 billion) by ThaiBev to complete the transaction.

    VietBev was used as a financial vehicle to get around a 49 percent foreign ownership cap in place at the time.

    The $4.78 billion loan was then converted to shares under a debt-to-equity conversion agreement between VietBev and ThaiBev. As a result, VietBev now has a chartered capital of VND111.89 trillion ($4.81 billion), increasing ThaiBev’s ownership in VietBev to 99.39 percent.

    The adjustment in capital was approved by local authorities, and made possible after authorities raised Sabeco’s foreign ownership cap to 100 percent at the end of 2018. The conversion was completed a few days ago.

    ThaiBev has since announced it is committed to ensuring shareholders’ benefits on share prices and annual dividends after this restructure.

    With a charter capital of VND111.89 trillion, VietBev is among a few businesses in the country with chartered capital of hundreds of trillions of dongs, along with state-run oil & gas giant PVN (VND285 trillion or about $12.26 billion); Vietnam’s sole power distributor and biggest producer EVN (VND163.8 trillion or $7.04 billion); and telecoms provider Viettel (VND121.52 trillion or $5.23 billion).

    Recently, Sabeco was caught up in legal trouble with tax authorities, who blocked its bank accounts in order to withdraw VND3.1 trillion ($135.73 million) to collect overdue special sales tax from 2007 to 2015 and penalties for administrative violations. However, this enforcement action proved futile as accounts handed over to the tax authorities were empty.

    After the recent share conversion, the Prime Minister has directed the tax agencies to suspend their enforcement, in order to carefully consider regulations as it involves “foreign factors.”

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  • Coupang to become an authorized Apple retailer

    Coupang to become an authorized Apple retailer

    Coupang, Korea’s top e-commerce platform, has been selected as an authorized retailer to sell Apple products, the company announced Friday. It said that the e-commerce giant was selected to become an authorized reseller of Apple products, and the service will begin sometime this month. The products that will be offered include iPad Pros, MacBooks and Apple Watches, as well as related accessories.

    Coupang said that its shoppers can get access to Apple products that carry a full Apple warranty and come with after-sales customer services from Apple.

    “Coupang will be an attractive purchase channel for customers who love or want to experience Apple products,” said Navid Veiseh, Coupang’s senior vice president of global e-commerce. “We will continue to expand the range of premium electronics brands like Apple, which, when combined with our Rocket delivery and RocketPay services, make Coupang the first place for customers to turn when shopping for premium electronics.”

    Coupang is known for its fast Rocket delivery service that sends items purchased the following day.

  • Vietnam Van Don’s big obsession

    Vietnam Van Don’s big obsession

    Vietnam aims to have northern Van Don economic zone be a financial center for the Asia Pacific region by 2030. A plan just approved by the Prime Minister aims at the zone, located near Ha Long Bay in the northern Quang Ninh Province, having a total production value of $5.6 billion by 2030. The zone will contribute over 10 percent of Vietnam’s total export value by 2030, when it will create about 89,000 jobs, the plan says.

    It will develop tourism in the area by exploiting the potential of its natural heritage and traditional culture, welcoming 2.5 million tourists by 2030.

    The plan also says the zone will be one of the most livable places in the Asia Pacific region.

    Van Don will become a gateway to transfer goods into Southeast Asia, developing its aviation and logistics industries.

    The economic zone will have a free trade area, resorts, a hi-tech industrial park, a biotech zone, a manufacturing zone, an airport and a financial center.

    By 2050, Van Don will become one of Vietnam’s driving forces of economic development, a dynamic economic center providing premium products and services, according to the plan.

    On December 30, the Van Don International Airport was opened, marking the first private airport in Vietnam, costing VND7.7 trillion ($330 million).

    Late last year, the Ha Long – Van Don expressway and the Hon Gai International Habour were also opened.

    Quang Ninh has recently proposed the government to approve an premium entertainment plan in Van Don, including a casino.

    The province welcomed 10.7 million travelers in the first 10 months of 2018, up 25 percent from a year ago. Tourism revenues for the period rose 28 percent year-on-year to VND19 trillion ($818 million), according to official figures.

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  • Philippines stock jumps ahead of inflation data, Singapore slides

    Philippines stock jumps ahead of inflation data, Singapore slides

    Most Southeast Asian shares climbed on Thursday, with Philippine markets leading gains ahead of the release of inflation figures, while Singaporean stocks bucked the trend to fall sharply. Philippine stocks gained 1.04 percent, as industrial shares SM Investments Corp and JG Summit Holdings Inc propelled the index. A report shows that the country’s inflation is expected to cool to a six-month low in December, making it likely the Philippine central bank will leave policy rates unchanged this year.

    “The investors were mainly concerned about inflation during 2018,” said Rachelle Cruz an analyst at AP Securities in Manila.

    “So now we’re seeing some buying in the index stocks as there’s better expectation on earnings growth now, since that concern seems to be fading,” Cruz said.

    Local investors appeared to be buying more because some Philippine companies have reached “very attractive valuations,” she added.

    A surge in consumer goods stocks powered a 0.4 percent advance in Indonesian shares.

    Shares in Malaysia and Thailand also rose, by 0.56 percent and 0.71 percent respectively.

    In Kuala Lumpur tourist resort chain Genting Malaysia Berhad added 2.7 percent and palm oil producer Sime Darby Plantation Berhad rose 3.3 percent, while in Bangkok energy stocks provided the biggest boost to the benchmark.

    Meanwhile, Singaporean shares edged 0.81 percent lower, with Thai Beverage PCL dropping 3.3 percent and industrial conglomerate Jardine Strategic Holdings Ltd losing 1.4 percent.

    Vietnamese stocks also shed just above 0.8 percent, with most major sectors in the red. Real-estate stocks like Vinhomes JSC and Vingroup JSC, which powered a rally on Wednesday, fell around 2 percent apiece.

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  • Seoul launches zero-fee digital payment system

    Seoul launches zero-fee digital payment system

    The city of Seoul has moved to ease the transaction-fee burden on small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) by launching the “Zero Pay” zero-fee digital payment system. The system has been set up in partnership with banks and fintech firms in response to shop owners paying excessive proportions of their monthly sales into credit-card transaction fees.

    Twenty banks and digital payment firms – with the notable exclusion of KakaoPay, South Korea’s most popular mobile payment service – are participating in the zero-fee digital payment system, which is digital-wallet activated via QR codes through which money is transferred directly between bank accounts.

    Businesses with annual sales less than KRW800 million (US$708,820) will not be charged transaction fees, while those with higher takings will be charged fees well below the credit card industry standard of 2.2 per cent.

    “If consumers and citizens use Zero Pay whenever possible, it will be a great help for self-employed businessmen,” said Seoul city mayor Park Won-soon.

    Around 16,750 stores have signed on to the Zero Pay program so far.

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  • Vietnam tops Southeast Asia in IPOs

    Vietnam tops Southeast Asia in IPOs

    Vietnam surpassed Singapore and Thailand to top Southeast Asia in initial public offerings (IPOs) last year, raising $2.6 billion. This figure was 3.7 times that of 2017, according to consultancy Ernst & Young. Two of three largest IPOs in Southeast Asia last year were launched by Vietnamese companies: $1.34 billion from Vinhomes, a real estate developer of Vietnam’s biggest private firm Vingroup; $923 million from Techcombank, the country’s largest private sector lender.

    However, an opposite trend was seen in Southeast Asia as a whole, with the money raised from IPOs dropping 34 percent over 2017 to $7.1 billion.

    The number of IPO deals in the region also decreased by 7 percent to 115, with 56 of them raising less than $10 million.

    Ernst & Young economist Max Loh said that the reason for this drop was U.S-China trade tensions, which affected the capital market in the region, as Southeast Asian countries have close trade relationships with China.

    Experts feel Vietnam has the potential to attract more foreign investments in the future. A report by law firm Baker McKenzie and consultancy Oxford Economics said that Vietnam will top the region in the amount of money raised via IPOs by 2021.

    The rise of Vietnam and other developing countries in Southeast Asia could intensify competition for new listings among the region’s exchanges, said Tham Tuck Seng, PwC Singapore’s capital markets leader.

    This will increase the pressure on Singapore to differentiate itself even more in order to stand out, CNBC quoted Tham as saying.

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