Retail News CRM

Tag: europe

  • Heads of Ikea and Tesco to headline Shoptalk Europe

    Heads of Ikea and Tesco to headline Shoptalk Europe

    International retail leaders will be gathering in Denmark next month for Shoptalk Europe.

    They will be discussing such topics as e-commerce trends, supply-chain challenges and augmented reality.

    A range of retail leaders will be guest speakers including Alibaba GM for Europe Terry von Bibra, Amazon Prime head Mariangela Marseglia, Dollar Shave Club CEO/founder Michael Dubin, Estee Lauder executive chairman William Lauder, Farfetch chief strategy officer Stephanie Phair, Harrods MD Michael Ward, Ikea Switzerland CEO Simona Scarpaleggia, Tesco online MD Adrian Lettes and Westfield co-CEO Steven Lowy.

    At Copenhagen’s Bella Center from October 8 to 11, Shoptalk Europe offers more than 100 events including presentations, keynotes, roundtable discussions and networking opportunities. It has a line-up of 200 speakers and is expected to attract more than 2000 delegates.

    “By changing the conversation and building a new community focused on innovation, Shoptalk Europe presents a unique, large-scale opportunity for the retail and e-commerce ecosystem to learn, collaborate and drive the future of commerce in Europe,” says Shoptalk Europe founder/chairman Anil Aggarwal.

    The event is a spin-off from Shoptalk USA, which will next be held at the Venetian in Las Vegas from March 18 to 21.

    Tickets for Shoptalk Europe are available online.

  • Asia still top dog for payments innovation but Europe gaining ground

    Asia still top dog for payments innovation but Europe gaining ground

    Asia remains home to most payments innovation but Europe is making a charge, leapfrogging Africa, North America and Latin America, according to a survey of industry execs which also calls out distributed ledger technology as over-hyped.

    Based on a survey of 70 execs from 37 countries, the Global Payments Innovation Jury table sees Asia crowned champion again – a position it has held since the inaugural 2008 Jury. The continent scores 64% of the vote and while the “China effect” is significant, there have also been innovative developments in the likes of South Korea, Singapore, Japan and Malaysia.Notably, for the first time in nine years, Europe has leapfrogged Africa, North America and Latin America to take second place in the ranking.

    Says John Chaplin, chairman, Global Payments Innovation Jury: “While Europe has never been rated favourably for payments innovation in the past, the 2017 Jury sees real grounds for optimism.

    “There is now a much more progressive regulatory environment in Europe, world-leading innovation hotspots have developed in London and Berlin and we are starting to see that consumers are more willing to give new financial service providers a go.”

    In developed markets, such as Europe, a big majority see B2B investment as more likely to generate good returns than B2C, citing the consumer expectation that payment services should be free and the major marketing investment required to build a substantial user base.

    However, in markets such as Asia and Africa, the sheer size of the population still without access to formal financial services makes the Jury lean more towards B2C (56%) than B2B (44%).

    Addressing top industry trends, three quarters of the Jury believe that APIs are going to play an increasingly significant role in the payments market over the next three years.

    “Payments are often a source of friction and that means lost sales for retailers and frustrated customers. Using APIs it is much easier to integrate payments into apps so that transactions become almost automatic,” says Chaplin.

    Meanwhile, DLT is seen as the most over-hyped payments innovation. Says Chaplin: “While the Jury believe that distribution ledger technology can deliver real benefits for the overall financial services business they also consider that many of the claims made about its applicability to retail payments are over the top.”

    Lees ook:

  • DHL adds another China-Europe rail link

    DHL adds another China-Europe rail link

    DHL manages new route with supply chain partner China Brilliant, providing both LCL and FCL service to DHL customers.

    DHL Global Forwarding has launched the first regular service connecting Shenzhen to Minsk, Belarus via rail in less than 12 days. The new route covers new overland connections to several major cities along China’s “Belt and Road” and is the latest route in the DHL Asia-Europe-Asia multimodal network.

    DHL will manage the new route together with China Brilliant, an integrated service provider in global manufacturing and consumption with which DHL signed an MOU last year. Offering both Less-than-Container Load (LCL) and Full Container Load (FCL) services along the route, DHL gives businesses increased flexibility to meet rapidly growing and evolving market demands for electronics, industrial and automotive parts, and fresh food in both Eastern Europe and China.

    “Eastern Europe’s economies are growing faster than almost any others worldwide,¹ with significant export opportunities arising from the region’s rising wages and disposable income levels,² ” said Steve Huang, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Greater China. “Minsk offers Chinese businesses an efficient gateway into the Baltic States and Nordic countries in addition to other major European destinations like Warsaw, Hamburg and Tilburg via Brest.”

    “With Shenzhen’s economy exceeding expectations to grow by 9% last year,³ the route also opens sizable opportunities for European exporters looking to sell to one of China’s most vibrant trade and business hubs, or use it as an important gateway to Southeast Asia and the rest of the Chinese consumer market. Our newest route further supports strategic infrastructure projects designed especially to support the Belt and Road, such as the Great Stone Industrial Park – the largest joint project between China and Belarus that will span decades;⁴ strengthens bilateral ties between the two countries; and also lays the groundwork for further rail connectivity to the Nordic and Middle Eastern states involved in the Belt and Road.”

    Lees ook:

  • UPS expands China-Europe rail service

    UPS expands China-Europe rail service

    UPS announced the addition of six stations to its Preferred full and less-than-container load (FCL and LCL) multimodal rail service between Europe and China. The additional stations will give customers moving goods on the world’s largest trade lane more options to reduce supply chain costs and better balance cost/time-in-transit requirements.

    Changsha, Chongqing, Suzhou and Wuhan Stations were added in China to the existing stations of Zhengzhou and Chengdu. In Europe stops in Duisburg, Germany and Warsaw, Poland were added to the existing stops of Lodz, Poland and Hamburg, Germany.

    Lees ook:

  • AirAsia Returns to Europe, Slashes Fares

    AirAsia Returns to Europe, Slashes Fares

    AirAsia, the Malaysian low-cost airline, is returning to Europe this summer when it will add London and Frankfurt to its destinations.

    The airline’s chief executive, Tony Fernandes, told German news agency DPA at the World Economic Forum in Davos that he planned to launch two new routes, from Kuala Lumpur to London and Bangkok to Frankfurt.

    Tickets to Frankfurt will cost less than €200 ($214). “Honestly, I would like to offer them for even less. Because of the low oil prices, we could afford about €150,” Mr. Fernandes said. He’s keen to attract Europeans who want to go on holiday in Southeast Asia as well as Asians wanting to explore Europe: “We see this as a mutual market,” he said.

    AirAsia is based near Kuala Lumpur and offered connections to London and Paris in the past but abandoned these in 2012 because planes were too small and energy prices too high.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Hugo Boss Asia sales rebound

    Hugo Boss Asia sales rebound

    Rebounding Hugo Boss Asia sales have prompted the German fashion retailer to revise its profit outlook.

    The company’s stock price soared as much as 10 per cent after management said improved sales in Asia and Britain mean its profit decline will be less than previously predicted in the current financial year.

    Hugo Boss Asia like-for-like sales soared 20 per cent in the latest quarter, after currency adjustments.

    Asia accounts for about 20 per cent of Hugo Boss’ global sales and after currency adjustment, regional revenues rose 5 per cent in the fourth quarter – a significant turnaround from the 3 per cent decline of the previous quarter. The increase was aided by adjusting pricing more into line with those of the US and Europe.

    It is now forecasting an operating profit for 2016 which is better than the previously predicted  decline of between 17 and 23 per cent. Final results will be revealed on March 9.

    Rival fashion retailers Gucci and Louis Vuitton have also recently  reported improving sales in Mainland China as consumers open their wallets again, encouraged by government policies aimed at boosting local consumption rather than shopping abroad.

    CEO Mark Langer said in a statement that fourth-quarter results underline the company is on the right track.

    Total sales fell 3 per cent to 725 million euros (US$769 million), down 1 per cent on a currency adjusted basis, but a far better result than the third-quarter’s fall of 6 per cent. The damage was done in the US where sales fell 14 per cent on a currency-adjusted basis, partly due to the brand’s decision to stop selling in discount and outlet stores.

    Sales in Europe rose 2 per cent.

  • Indonesia seeks to boost tourist visits from Europe

    Indonesia seeks to boost tourist visits from Europe

    Indonesia is seeking to lure more European tourists to visit the country by promoting its national tourism industry in the Matka-Nordic Travel Fair 2017 that will be held from January 19-22 in Messukeskus, Helsinki, Finland.

    “Indonesia has set the target of attracting at least 2.1 million European tourists to Indonesia,” Deputy Assistant of Europe, Middle East, America and Africa Market Development of the Tourism Ministry Nia Niscaya said here Monday.

    Pointing out that the travel fair will be held in Finland, Niscaya stated the Nordic countries, including Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, offered great potentials for the countrys tourism industry.

    In 2015, the official data showed that as many as 98,960 tourists from the Nordic countries had visited Indonesia.

    “The number is predicted to be more in 2016, as until October itself, the number of tourists from the Nordic nations visiting Indonesia had reached 95,196,” Niscaya revealed.

    During the largest travel exhibition in Northern Europe, Indonesia will showcase several industries that will present and promote the countrys tourism potential at the Pavilion Indonesia booth.

    Several Indonesian traditional dances will also be performed during the travel fair. Visitors would also be invited to taste Indonesias traditional drink in the exhibition booth, Niscaya mentioned.

    “Using the tagline Wonderful Indonesia Explore Further, we want to showcase its biodiversity, unique handicrafts, music, variety of culinary delights, tourism destinations and most importantly, its diversity and the hospitality of the people,” Niscaya explained.

    The government of Indonesia has set a target of increasing the number of tourist visits from 9.5 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2019.

    The country has also developed 10 prioritized destinations, namely Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Tanjung Kelayang in Belitung, Mandalika in South Lombok, Wakatobi in Southeast Sulawesi, Morotai in North Maluku, Seribu Islands in Jakarta, Tanjung Lesung in Banten, Borobudur Temple in Central Java, Mount Bromo in East Java, and Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara.

    The government has also provided short stay free visa on arrival for tourists from 169 countries, including Finland, to increase the number of tourist visits.

    Lees ook:

  • AirAsia X chasing Europe; open to other aircraft types

    AirAsia X chasing Europe; open to other aircraft types

    AirAsia X wants to relaunch services to Europe “as quick as possible”, and is looking at aircraft other than Airbus A330s to get there.

    Speaking to FlightGlobal,the chief executive of AirAsia X‘s core Malaysian operation, Benyamin Ismail, says that its fleet plans have changed.

    The carrier had not planned to take delivery of any aircraft in 2017, but is now speaking with “some parties to see what aircraft are available”.

    “If we can get the aircraft we need… when the A330neos arrive, the focus for them will be to grow frequencies in our current markets, like China and North Asia,”

    Earlier in the year, Benyamin said that the carrier would not re-enter the European market until it starts receiving the A330-900s from the second half of 2018 onwards.

    On the A330-900 seat configuration, AirAsia X expects to confirm the details “in the next couple of months”, but could install more business class seats on those units initially planned to take on European routes.

    “We are working with Airbus to get the assurance that the A330neos can get us direct to Europe (from Kuala Lumpur).”

    Asked whether AirAsia X might take on A350s that may be available in the short-term, Benyamin re-iterates that the carrier “is open and has various options”, but would not confirm if it has held talks with lessors.

    Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that AirAsia X has 66 A330-900 and 10 A350-900s on order. It currently operates 22 A330-300s.

    Lees ook:

  • Indonesian coffee introduced in Southeast European market

    Indonesian coffee introduced in Southeast European market

    Indonesian coffee was introduced in Zagreb, Croatia, on June 8-10 during an event titled “Indonesian Specialty Coffee: From Cup to Cup” organized by the Indonesian Embassy in Zagreb in cooperation with local entity, Tanamera Coffee.

    During the program held in two locations — the Indonesian Embassy in Zagreb and a coffee shop in the Croatian capital — a representative from Indonesia introduced a variety of Indonesian coffee beans, including Gayo Aceh, Solok Sumatera, Toraja Sulawesi, Flores, and Malabar.

    “The last day of promotion in the cafe was open for the public, and some 600 people had the opportunity to sample the single origin coffee that our team had brought,” Dini Criddle, Tanamera Coffee owner, noted in a press release received on Monday.

    Tanamera Coffee, as the governments partner in promoting Indonesian coffee in the global market, also presented the process of coffee production, from the enhancement of farmers harvest results and the process of coffee production to the simulation of roasting techniques as well as brewing methods using filters or espresso machines.

    The Indonesian Embassy in Zagrebs Economic Functions Executive Widjoseno Sastroamidjojo remarked that the promotion efforts had drawn the interest of several coffee roasters, industry makers, and Croatian coffee importer to buy Indonesian coffee products and coffee beans that are deemed high in quality.

    This interest will boost the entry of Indonesian coffee into the Croatian market, as well as other European countries, he emphasized.

    “Not a lot of Croatians are familiar with Indonesian coffee. Seeing the high demand for Indonesian coffee and the potential to attract Croatian tourists that reached 12 million in 2015, we are confident that Indonesian coffee products can be successful in the southeast European market,” stated Sastroamidjojo.

    Coffee consumption in Croatia is high as its people prefer spending time in coffee shops in addition to the rapid growth in the number of such outlets in the southeastern Europe country.

    Despite having a total population of only 4.2 million, the coffee consumption rate in Croatia is rather high, reaching 15.9 tons, or 2.8 kilograms per capita in 2013.

    Based on the data retrieved from Euromonitor, Croatia was ranked 14th on the worlds coffee consumption index.

    Meanwhile, other Southeast European countries, such as Slovenia, Serbia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, are also listed among the 15 countries, with the highest per capita coffee consumption rate, with each reaching 6.1, 5.4, and 4.3 kilograms.

    Lees ook:

  • IKEA to sell 23 retail parks across Europe

    IKEA to sell 23 retail parks across Europe

    The shopping centre arm of furniture giant IKEA is putting up for sale 23 outdoor retail parks across Europe, timing the sale to coincide with a commercial property market boom driven by low interest rates.

    Chief Executive Gerard Groener, who took over as head of IKEA Centres in March, declined to estimate the value of the properties but said he was confident IKEA would not lose money on the divestments.

    “The market is strong,” he told Reuters in an interview. “I expect to finalise the deals in less than two years.”

    IKEA Centres, a little-known subsidiary of the Swedish furniture retailer, owns 41 indoor shopping malls in Europe, Russia and China and 25 outdoor retail spaces in Europe.

    They help attract customers to the IKEA stores placed at the heart of the centres, as well as yield rent from tenants.

    Groener said IKEA Group was inviting potential buyers for 23 outdoor retail parks which could include listed and private mall operators and institutional buyers such as pension funds.

    Years of low global interest rates have meant favourable borrowing conditions for firms looking to expand, and have pushed institutional investors to look beyond bonds for assets with better yields such as commercial real estate.

    IKEA Centres says its total property portfolio is worth 9 to 10 billion euros, making it a top 10 shopping centre operator behind France’s Klepierre and Unibail-Rodamco , Australia’s Westfield , U.S. group Simon Property and Dalian Wanda in China.

    Groener, a former executive at Dutch shopping centre operator Corio which was bought last year by Klepierre, said gains from divestments would be invested in new malls across Europe, Russia and China.

    IKEA Centres has plans for 20 new centres.

    NEW CONSUMER PATTERNS

    Groener said the decision to sell the retail parks was not down to cash shortage, but rather to a strategic decision to focus mainly on indoor malls, betting they will attract more visitors long term as they increasingly act as meeting places.

    The space allocated to entertainment and restaurants has grown to 15-20 percent in IKEA’s new centres, he said.

    Demand from food caterers for rental space was growing, and IKEA was also actively choosing such tenants in its push for malls to become more social hangouts.

    “We need to cater for the needs that consumers have, and they are rapidly changing,” Groener said, pointing to growing ecommerce and the need for social spaces. “So we need to create a place that people like to go to, where they like to meet each other, where they do much more than shopping.”

    Last year, IKEA Centres’ then-boss told Reuters that malls, especially in China and its biggest market Russia, were a place not only for shopping, but also for eating and socialising. In China, many of the tenants with the biggest turnover per square metre are restaurants, he said.

    IKEA Centres has been fully owned by IKEA Group, which owns most IKEA stores and ecommerce worldwide, since 2015.

    IKEA Group is a franchisee to Inter IKEA Group which owns the brand. The group opened its first shopping centre in 2001.

  • Bali’s exports to Europe decline

    Bali’s exports to Europe decline

    Balis exports of various handicraft and small industrial products to European countries declined in the first three moths this year because the economic growth in Europe has not yet recovered well.

    “Importers from Europe still demanded for various handicraft, garments and furniture products but the volume was not as big as that last year,” exporter Made Parwata said here on Saturday.

    He said that importers from Spain still maintained stable demand and delivery was still smooth.

    Other European importers were those from Italy, France and Germany. These countries are included as the big ten importers of Balis products.

    However, the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) data showed that imports of these products by France, Spain, Italy and Germany declined from US$19 million in the January-March 2015 to US$17 million in the same period this year.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Indonesia to speed up EU CEPA negotiation

    Indonesia to speed up EU CEPA negotiation

    Indonesia will speed up negotiations on the Indonesia-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), aiming to have an agreement with the EU come into effect within two years.

    The two parties had discussed the implementation of the CEPA in a meeting with EU trade ministers during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos last week, Trade Minister Thomas Lembong said.

    “It has been decided in a Cabinet meeting that we will have a trade agreement with the EU. We must start it immediately because the President gave us two years to complete the agreement,” Thomas said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

    In contrast to the discussion of trade agreements in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TTP), which still required time for assessment to solve the challenges, Thomas underlined that there were no special constraints on the Indonesia-EU CEPA discussion.

    The planned Indonesia-EU CEPA has been stagnant since 2013. Vietnam, which started free trade agreement negotiations with the 28-member trading bloc in the same year reached an agreement in August last year.

    The EU CEPA covers issues of trade and business, including the reduction of trade barriers and liberalization of government procurement. The two points are also included in the TPP framework.

    Aside from the two agreements, Thomas continued, the ministry also held meetings with trade ministers from several countries to discuss bilateral trade agreements.

    “We are exploring bilateral trade agreements with Australia. Also with the EFTA [European Free Trade Association] which consists of Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein,” Thomas said.

  • Amazon is Secretly Testing Air Cargo Operations

    Amazon is Secretly Testing Air Cargo Operations

    Amazon.com, Inc. has been conducting secret trial flights that have carried thousands of packages to and from its fulfillment centers in the United Kingdom. Evening Standard reports that the tech-giant has chartered a Boeing 737 aircraft, which has been flying on routes between Poland, Germany, and England since mid-November.

    The online-retail giant has reportedly chartered the aircraft from DB Schenker, a German logistics company. Five weekly flights have been determined so far, on which the planes travel first from Katowice, Poland to Kassel, Germany. Katowice and Kassel are both significant stops, as the airports in these towns are within close proximity of the e-commerce giant’s huge warehouses in the two countries, respectively.

    The flight then continues from Germany to England, where the plane finally lands at one of the airports in Luton, Doncaster or East Midlands. The packages are dispatched from these airports to Amazon’s various fulfillment centers, including its biggest one at Dunfermline and another in Hemel Hempstead. The company is also rumored to extend the trials by chartering more planes and include its centers in Italy and Spain in this network.

    The move highlights Amazon’s urgency to limit reliance on traditional courier firms. The company has already built its own van delivery fleet in the UK this year, after one of its couriers, CityLink, went bankrupt. On a global-scale, the company has locked horns with its chief carrier UPS. Amazon provides business worth around $1 billion to UPS, but its dissatisfaction has risen due to the increasing shipment charges. Shipping cost has increased 10.4% in a year, compared to revenues growth of 11.7% in the same period.

    This means generating higher revenues did not have the expected positive impact on earnings, if supply chain costs had been further streamlined. Amazon was further unhappy with UPS services, when during last two Christmas periods the courier services was unable to deliver consumer packages on schedule, due to delivery overload. Consequentially, the e-commerce giant has sought to build its own distribution network to restrict costs, and have more control over its distribution network.

    Even within the US, recent reports suggest Amazon is looking to lease 20 Boeing 767 freight aircrafts. While these are positive cost control strategies for the online-retail firm, its air cargo expansion spells trouble for traditional freight carriers such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL. These couriers will likely lose a great chunk of business when Amazon starts carrying its own inter and intra-continental freight.

    An Amazon spokesman was quite tight-lipped when the Evening Standard asked for a comment over the European flights, and did not reveal information beyond the fact that the retail-firm employs various distribution and fulfillment modes, including air transport. No other official statement was made by the company.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • European Markets Dropped On Renewed China Worries

    European Markets Dropped On Renewed China Worries

    The European markets ended Monday’s session in negative territory, as renewed concerns over China weighed on investor sentiment. Concerns over the upcoming snap elections in Greece and the likelihood of a near-term U.S. interest rate hike also contributed to the negative mood at the start of the new trading week.

    The Financial Times reported that the Chinese government has decided to abandon attempts to boost the stock market through large-scale share purchases. Senior regulatory officials told the Financial Times China’s leaders feel they mishandled their efforts to rescue the stock market.

    The Chinese government resumed large-scale stock buying late in the trading day last Thursday to help the Shanghai Composite Index finish sharply higher, but officials said the government will refrain from further large-scale buying of equities.

    The Euro Stoxx 50 index of eurozone bluechip stocks decreased by 0.52 percent, while the Stoxx Europe 50 index, which includes some major U.K. companies, lost 0.30 percent.

    The DAX of Germany dropped by 0.38 percent and the CAC 40 of France fell by 0.47 percent. The SMI of Switzerland finished higher by 0.45 percent, but the FTSE of the U.K. was closed for a banking holiday.

    In Frankfurt, Volkswagen decreased by 1.14 percent. Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corp said that it would buy back the 19.9 percent stake it sold to the German automaker after an international court settled a dispute between the automakers over their soured partnership.

    BMW fell by 0.90 percent and Daimler lost 0.97 percent.

    Insurer Allianz rose by 0.18 percent, on reported that its infrastructure arm is weighing bids for London City Airport.

    RWE sank by 4.25 percent and E.ON dropped by 1.60 percent.

    In Paris, Renault surrendered 2.28 percent and Peugeot weakened by 1.19 percent. Car parts maker Valeo also decreased by 1.45 percent.

    Total tumbled by 0.91 percent and Technip lost 0.99 percent.

    Givaudan gained 0.73 percent in Zurich, after it agreed to acquire Induchem Holding, a cosmetic ingredient producer.

    Shares of NeuroVive Pharmaceutical AB plunged by 39.13 percent in Stockholm after the mitochondrial medicine company announced that it would not pursue development of CicloMulsion in the indication of acute myocardial infarction.

    Eni SpA climbed by 1.53 percent in Milan. The company announced over the weekend that it has discovered a massive natural gas discovery off the coast of Egypt.

    Eurozone inflation remained unchanged at a very low level in August as further fall in oil prices curbed its ability to move upward. Inflation came in at 0.2 percent in August, the same rate as seen in July and June, preliminary data from Eurostat showed Monday. It was forecast to ease to 0.1 percent.

    Germany’s retail sales rebounded in July to grow at the fastest pace in nine months, signaling that consumer spending boosted economic growth at the start of the third quarter. Retail sales advanced 1.4 percent on a monthly basis in July, Destatis reported Monday. This was the fastest growth since October 2014, when sales climbed 1.8 percent.

    Italy’s retail sales dropped for the second straight month in June, figures from the statistical office Istat showed Monday. Retail sales fell a seasonally adjusted 0.3 percent month-over-month in June, following a 0.2 percent decrease in the previous month. In April, sales had risen 0.7 percent.

    Greece’s retail sales declined in June after rising in the previous month, preliminary figures from the Hellenic Statistical Authority showed Monday. The volume of retail sales decreased 0.4 percent year-over-year in June, in contrast to a 4.1 percent sharp gain in May, which was revised down from 4.2 percent. In April sales had fallen 1.8 percent.

    China’s trade deficit in services widened in July, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said Monday. The deficit on trade in services increased to $17.6 billion in July from $14.9 billion in June. At the same time, the merchandise trade showed a surplus of $46 billion in July.

    Business activity in the Chicago area unexpectedly grew at a slower rate in the month of August, according to a report released by MNI Indicators on Monday. MNI Indicators said its Chicago business barometer dipped to 54.4 in August from 54.7 in July. While a reading above 50 indicates growth, economists had expected the index to inch up to 54.9.

  • MetaPack expands into Asia with Hong Kong workplace

    MetaPack expands into Asia with Hong Kong workplace

    The MetaPack Group, the main supplier of e-commerce know-how for supply providers, as we speak introduced its enlargement into Asia with the opening of operations in Hong Kong. With workplaces in the UK, France, Germany, Poland and the USA at present, the institution of a Hong Kong workplace is additional proof of MetaPack’s dedication to worldwide progress.

    Asia varieties a serious a part of MetaPack’s evolving international technique to turn out to be the e-commerce supply buyer expertise know-how platform of selection globally. Buying German delivery fulfilment specialist XLogics and US delivery platform suppliers Abol in 2013 and 2014 respectively, MetaPack has seen speedy progress because the launch of its distinctive SaaS platform in 2008. This development is about to proceed because it expands outdoors Europe and the USA.

    The division will probably be headed up by Peter Winslow, who just lately joined MetaPack as VP of Higher China. Previous to becoming a member of MetaPack, Winslow was the managing director at InXpress, an authorised DHL Categorical reseller concentrating on SMEs in Hong Kong. He constructed up his wealthy information of the area’s supply business and tendencies by way of holding a collection of high-level roles at each DHL and UPS in Asia and Australia. MetaPack is planning to capitalise on Peter’s 35 years of expertise in cross-border provide chain freight and categorical enterprise in Asia to focus on sellers who’re delivery their merchandise everywhere in the world.

    Patrick Wall, CEO of MetaPack, stated: “Not solely are we happy to announce the opening of our Far East Asia HQ, however we will really feel assured that the brand new workplace shall be in protected palms with Peter approaching board with us. He has the management expertise, enterprise relationships and business information that may assist us develop quickly within the Far East.”

    Winslow stated: “The Far East is an space the place e-commerce is rising at an outstanding fee, and that’s the reason this can be very thrilling to be getting into the market and facilitating cross border on-line commerce. There’s an awesome alternative to attach European retail manufacturers with Asian shoppers in addition to assist native Asian retailers and carriers rework the web shopper expertise and supply a more sensible choice of extra aggressive supply providers.”

    Lees ook: