Retail News CRM

Tag: Hong Kon

  • Cathay Pacific said to adopt new biz model likened to AirAsia

    Cathay Pacific said to adopt new biz model likened to AirAsia

    Cathay Pacific is planning to rebrand into a new business model that offers a wide range of products apart from just selling air tickets, according to a report. Hong Kong’s flag carrier is planning to reposition itself and adopt an “Amazon concept” that includes many businesses under the brand. Under the new plan, Cathay Pacific will become just one of the brands within the Cathay ecosystem.

    It’s reported that the senior management of the company has likened the plan to that of AirAsia, which offers a wide variety of businesses including food delivery, online groceries as well as health and insurance segments. Previously, the company rolled out an ad that shows multiple lifestyle items via email to its customers. In that email, the company said that it is “always searching for new ways to help you move forward in style – to connect you with people, places and experiences that matter.”

    It concluded with a statement: We’re going to elevate the Cathay experience you know and love into a lifestyle experience that will add to your pleasure and enjoyment. The ad ends with the name “Cathay” with “Pacific”, sparking speculation over an imminent rebrand. 

    The report cited a source familiar with this matter, saying that its executive director Ronald Lam will spearhead the effort. He once said Cathay Pacific is a retail service rather than an airline. The aviation industry has been heavily hit by the pandemic and as Hong Kong is a city with no domestic routes, Cathay’s income dropped drastically by 84% last year, resulting in a HK$21.6 billion loss (US$2.78 billion). It avoided collapse thanks to a government-led bailout worth HK$39 billion and cut thousands of jobs worldwide, including the shut down of its sister airline Cathay Dragon.

    Meanwhile, amidst the pandemic in 2020, AirAsia decided to pivot its business and realize its ASEAN super app ambition under three main pillars – travel, eCommerce, and fintech. Among the list of categories including flights, hotels, SNAP, activities, insurance, Big Rewards, unlimited deals, and wifi. The app also had a “Get it fresh” section offering groceries via its B2C platform AirAsia fresh and “Get Holla”, which allowed consumers to pay to get shout-outs from artists under RedRecords including Jannine Weigel.

    Taking its ambitions across the region, earlier this month AirAsia decided to expand its eCommerce offerings to Singapore, asking for interesting fresh produce and groceries merchants throughout the island to join its growing eCommerce delivery platform.  Merchants were invited to list their fresh produce, groceries, and sundry daily necessities on the AirAsia super app, and will be contacted by the AirAsia team within 48 hours for the next course of action.  Merchants on the AirAsia super app’s eCommerce delivery platforms can also leverage AirAsia’s marketing efforts and periodic campaigns to drive more traffic to their online stores and increase sales.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Hong Kong’s fresh retail chicken shops may make a comeback

    Hong Kong’s fresh retail chicken shops may make a comeback

    Chicken rules the roost when it comes to Cantonese cuisine, and the fresher the better. But past government efforts to discourage retail sales of live chickens had almost put the once ubiquitous chicken shop on the endangered list.

    In the not so distant past, people in Hong Kong would visit their neighborhood chicken shop — easily identified by the cages of squawking chickens out front — where they had the butcher ‘process’ their chosen bird on the spot.

    “Live poultry is much tastier than frozen meat, especially when steamed,” says a local woman in her 60s, presumably reflecting the sentiments of the territory’s residents, who like their chicken steamed, boiled or as a base for soups.

    But having so many live chickens around increases the possibility of an avian flu epidemic, which can be devastating to both birds and people. Since the late 1990s, with each outbreak of the bird-born disease that resulted in human deaths, government officials have ordered the wholesale slaughter of chicken stocks.

    Because of this, the government had stepped up measures over the years to restrict the live poultry business, including encouraging poultry farms and chicken retailers to relinquish their live poultry licenses. At the same time, safety measures, such as vaccinations and inspections, were implemented to halt the spread of the disease at production and distribution centers.

    As a result, there have been no recent outbreaks of bird flu in the territories, prompting the Hong Kong Food and Health Bureau earlier this month to change its stance and let the live poultry trade flourish again.

    Meanwhile, the number of chicken retailers — once numbering more than 800 shops — has fallen to about 130 as of the end of 2016, putting a premium on live poultry, which has been trading at the high range of 200 Hong Kong dollars ($25.72) per chicken. This price surge has forced Hong Kong shoppers to turn to cheaper frozen birds available in supermarkets.

    But with the government’s new recommendations, there may soon come a time when Hong Kong’s chicken lovers can buy their birds fresh without putting a dent in their wallets.