Tag: Foodland Supermarket

  • Big year-end discounts on way

    Big year-end discounts on way

    The government seeks cooperation from retailers and wholesalers to cut product prices to help reduce consumers’ expenses and stimulate the economy in the final month of the year.

    The government is set to team up with wholesalers and retailers, which together have 13,500 branches nationwide, to cut product prices by 20%-80% to help reduce consumers’ expenses and stimulate the economy in the final month of the year.

    Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn said the Internal Trade Department has been assigned to discuss with retailers and wholesalers, including hypermarket and supermarket operators, the possibility of holding special promotions to spur spending among Thais and tourists during December.

    “The ministry has cooperated with retailers and wholesalers to organise various activities to cut living costs since late 2015,” she said. “The campaign for this year-end promises special events with discounts as high as 80% for certain items.”

    Mrs Apiradi insisted the discounts will be given to brand-new products, not those currently on sale. Products that will feature in the campaign include food and beverages, consumer goods, electrical appliances, garments and accessories.

    The Business Development Department has also been instructed to talk with retail outlets under its supervision to participate in the year-end special discount programme, particularly for items like milled rice, instant noodles, vegetable oil, seasonings, detergent, dishwashing liquid, fabric softener, toothpaste and shampoo.

    She said the ministry has also asked for cooperation from department stores and retail outlets to hold special events or sales promotions to stimulate rice purchases to help local rice farmers.

    Retailers and wholesalers who are expected to participate in the scheme include the Thai Retailers Association, Siam Makro, the operator of Makro cash-and-carry store chain, Ek-chai Distribution System, the operator of Tesco Lotus hypermarkets, Big C Supercenter, Central Department Store, Robinson Department Store, Central Food Retail, the Mall Group, Tang Hua Seng, CP All, Foodland supermarket, Aeon (Thailand), Saha Lawson, Central FamilyMart, CPF Trading and TCC Logistics & Warehouse.

    In a separate development, the savings and credit cooperatives of employees of Thai Airways International Plc (THAI) will support direct sales of rice from farmers, said Mrs Apiradi.

    Flt Lt Kanok Thongpurk, vice-president of THAI, said farmers will be allowed to sell their products through all channels of THAI employees’ savings and credit cooperatives as well as THAI offices both in the provinces and Bangkok, including Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports.

    Meanwhile, the Public Warehouse Organization and agricultural cooperatives have been instructed to open their spaces for farmers to sell their grain.

  • Mr Pizza follows K-pop into Thailand

    Mr Pizza follows K-pop into Thailand

    South Korean pizza brand Mr Pizza has opened its first store in Thailand, with plans to add four more outlets this year.

    Its debut store is in the commercial and entertainment district of Ratchada Rd in Bangkok, in the first basement floor of the seven-storey The Street mall.

    Mr Pizza owner MPK Group says this is the first foray out of Korea for the franchise, and a second store will open in The Promenade mall in Kannayao, Bangkok, in July.

    “Thailand is one of the biggest markets in Southeast Asia, and food and beverage accounts for 40 per cent of the country’s $7 billion franchise industry,” says Son Dong-hee from MPK. “With the popularity of Korean pop culture, I am sure we will be successful in Thailand.”

    To prepare for the Thailand franchise business, the Korean food company established a joint venture with Thailand food retailer Foodland Supermarket last year. Foodland Supermarket runs 18 retail stores and about 50 restaurants, including dim sum restaurant Tim Ho Wan and fusion-food restaurant Long Table.

  • Siam Retail building two more malls

    Siam Retail building two more malls

    Thai property developer Siam Retail is building two more Terminal 21 shopping malls – in Pattaya and Nakhon Ratchasima province.

    President Prasert Sriuranpong says the company is investing 6 billion baht (US$170.5 million) in the Pattaya development because it is one of three main tourist destinations outside Bangkok, along with Phuket and Chiang Mai.

    “Pattaya is full of foreign tourists, and the number of arrivals will continue to increase in the coming years,” he says. “Our lifestyle shopping mall will take about two years to complete.”

    Meanwhile, the Nakhon Ratchasima project will be ready before the end of the year. Terminal 21 Korat is near the Mitrapap Highway and is being developed under the “Market Street” concept – themed shopping based on seven world cities, with a sightseeing tower as high as 30 storeys.

    Also costing 6 billion baht, the mall will offer 200,000 sqm of retail space, almost triple the size of Terminal 21 Asoke in Bangkok, which has 70,000 sqm. Anchor tenants include SF Cinema City, The Rink Ice Arena, Fanpekka theme park and Foodland Supermarket. Shops will offer 200 local and international brands.

    Siam Retail plans to spend 100 million baht to promote the mall. Nakhon Ratchasima is considered a gateway to the northeast, with a population of 2.6 million, including more than 50,000 university students. It is also a tourist destination, with more than 5 million visitors each year.

    Siam Retail had revenue of 3.5 billion baht last year, up by 9 per cent from 2014 despite the economic slowdown. More than half the revenue came from Fashion Island, 25 per cent from Terminal 21 Asoke and the rest from The Promenade and Life Center.

    The new malls are part of the company’s 20-billion-baht expansion plan over the next six years. Apart from shopping malls, the company will turn its attention to hotels and property investments in Britain.