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Tag: Indonesia

  • SK Planet and Samsung sign for online partnership

    SK Planet and Samsung sign for online partnership

    Samsung Electronics Southeast Asia and Oceania has signed a memorandum of understanding with global platform innovator SK Planet on an eCommerce partnership in Southeast Asia.

    Signed in Singapore, the deal aims to promote Samsung’s brand presence and provide increased convenience and access to the Korean company’s products in Southeast Asia through online shopping sites 11street Malaysia, 11street Thailand and Elevenia in Indonesia.

    This follows Samsung and SK Planet collaborating in the South Korean domestic market.

    During the past four years, SK Planet has grown in overseas markets by leveraging its expertise from 11street Korea. SK Planet has launched its eCommerce platform into new markets every year, beginning in 2013 with Turkey’s N11.com, where it became market leader in two and a half years, followed by Elevenia in Indonesia, 11street Malaysia and, this month, 11street Thailand.

    “Our official launch was a great success with more than 3000 partners, customers and media joining,” says 11street Thailand CEO Hong Cheol Jeon. ‘This collaboration with Samsung will help to strengthen our partnership in Thailand and enhance our customers’ online shopping experience.”

    Samsung has an official shop-in-shop page on 11street, complemented by delivery and installation by authorised distributors. The page lets consumers search, browse and buy Samsung products easily, as well as access online-only products, pre-sale offerings and promotional discounts.

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  • Indonesia still largest contributor of tourists to Singapore

    Indonesia still largest contributor of tourists to Singapore

    About 2.89 million Indonesians visited Singapore throughout 2016, the biggest contribution of tourists to the city state, about 17.7 percent of the country’s 16.4 million total foreign tourist arrivals, according to a statement released by Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

    The number of tourists from Indonesia grew by 6 percent, which was categorized as a sharp jump from the 10 percent decline in 2015, the statement says.

    STB area director to Indonesia Raymond Lim said on Tuesday in a media gathering in Jakarta that his office would continue trying to attract more Indonesians to visit Singapore.

    “We really hope that we can maintain what we had last year,” he said, adding that about 30 percent of Indonesians who visited Singapore went there for business.

    However, to boost the numbers of tourists from the eastern part of Indonesia, the board will hold roadshows in Palembang in South Sumatra and in Medan in North Sumatra in March and April, he said, adding that it would continue the roadshows in Bali in August and in Sulawesi in September.

    Lim said the board aimed for 16.4 to 16.7 million foreign tourists to visit Singapore in 2017 and expected revenues of between US$25 and $25.8 billion.

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  • How Indonesia Increases Number of Tourists from Scandinavian Countries

    How Indonesia Increases Number of Tourists from Scandinavian Countries

    The Indonesian Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark, participated in the Danish Travel Show 2017 in Herning city, Denmark, from Feb 24 to 26, 2017.

    A statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Copenhagen received by Antara here on Monday stated that Indonesia’s participation in the Travel Show is part of its efforts to promote the country in non-traditional markets, which is expected to increase the number of tourists from Denmark and other Scandinavian countries to Indonesia.

    Currently, the number of Danish tourists visiting Indonesia is about 30 thousand. Meanwhile, about 120 thousand people from Northern Europe visit Bali, Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara), Java, and Sumatra.

    At the exhibition, the Indonesian Embassy promoted Indonesian dishes that have been widely known in the world, such as fried rice (nasi goreng), fried noodles, rendang (spicy beef made using various spices, including coconut milk), and Indonesian coffee. The embassy also presented several Indonesian chefs to demonstrate the cooking to a number of businessmen and importers, who are engaged in business in Denmark.

    The involvement of businesses in the travel show is expected to improve business-to-businesses deals, increase travel packages sales, and expand the network of cooperation between Indonesian and Danish businessmen.

    Danish Travel Show is the largest annual travel exhibition in Northern Europe participated by about 1 thousand participants from 42 countries and attended by more than 65 thousand visitors from Denmark and other European countries. In 2016, the event was attended by some 4 thousand tourism businessmen, 1,196 exhibitors from 51 countries, 11 airlines, and 80 travel agencies.

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  • Zalora Indonesia future under a cloud

    Zalora Indonesia future under a cloud

    Is Zalora Indonesia for sale? Fresh after selling off a chunk of the Philippines business, Rocket denies further Asian withdrawal.

    Last week, Ayala announced it will buy 43.3 per cent ownership in Zalora manager BF Jade E-Service Philippines for an undisclosed amount, taking its ownership to 49 per cent. The investment marks Ayala’s first foray in eCommerce.

    But what of Zalora Indonesia? Parent, German eCommerce investor Rocket Internet, is also said to be in negotiations with Indonesian retail conglomerate Map Group, according to a report by TechCrunch. Other reports say it is withdrawing entirely from Indonesia. But Zalora PR director Christopher Daguimol denies a retreat from Indonesia.

    “Southeast Asia is a diverse region, and we will always look at adapting our strategy to local country dynamics and opportunities. Our objective is to build the online fashion leader in each of our Southeast Asia markets,” Zalora said at the time it announced its Philippines divestment.

    Zalora sold off its businesses in Thailand and Vietnam last year.

    Map runs nearly 2000 retail outlets in Indonesia, including fashion outlets, and more in partnership with global firms like Marks and Spencer, and Zara. The publicly listed company has more than 22,000 employees.

    Fierce competition has started escalating in Indonesia, marked by layoffs by Berrybenka and SaleStock a few months ago, says Deal Street Asia. Giants like Lazada and MatahariMall.com are meanwhile steadily marching forward with both companies received major funding from global investors last year.

  • Japanese cosmetics brand Do-Best eyes Asian expansion

    Japanese cosmetics brand Do-Best eyes Asian expansion

    Japanese cosmetics brand Do-Best is looking at opportunities in the Philippines and broader Southeast Asian markets, including Indonesia.

    Do-Best CEO Daitaro Sugawara was in the Philippines for a group networking session organised by Security Bank and Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. He was matched with executives from local retailers including Metro Retail and National Bookstore.

    Do-Best was founded 45 years ago to produce “high-quality, low-priced products” and is already exporting to Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and Taiwan.

    Sugawara says the company wants to tap into the fast-growing Asian markets with young consumers seeking low-cost cosmetics and beauty lines. Its products are already popular in Japan’s proliferation of 100 Yen shops and similar stores.

    “That’s why I was interested to have a meeting in the Philippines. My product is like my family, so I want Philippine distributors or retail stores to take care of our products.

    “I want to keep the original price as in Japan,” Sugawara said.

    Tadahiro Miyamoto, GM of BTMU’s Manila branch, says a lot of Japanese companies are now looking at the Philippine domestic market. “You should look at the shopping areas, you see a lot of Japanese products.”

    A large number of participants in the recent business-matching event were from the retail sector, agriculture and real estate.

  • Garuda Indonesia to Cooperate with Malaysian Golf Community

    Garuda Indonesia to Cooperate with Malaysian Golf Community

    National Carrier Garuda Indonesia’s Kuala Lumpur branch will be cooperating with Malaysian golf community to facilitate local golf players who wish to play in Indonesia.

    “We will come up with a package scheme that merges the prices of golf activities and flight tickets, which will then be disseminated by the community,” Garuda Indonesia’s Malaysian General Manager Supriyono said in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

    He made the statement immediately after a meeting with Steven Leow, Chief Executive Officer of PT Leo Golf Sukses Wisata Group, which is a Leisure Golf Service company in the Garuda Indonesia Malaysia offices, located in the Intermark Mall.

    “The scheme is aimed to fill morning flight slots from Malaysia to Indonesia. They will be able to immediately head to the golf court and play, as it would still be early in the day. The average length of stay is about three days, and they would board the afternoon return flight. It would be an effective scheme for golf players,” he remarked.

    Garuda also offered to be the community’s sponsor partner, should they wish to organize an event or activity, he stated. “There are approximately 500 members in the community, and there could be 10 to 15 golfers who fly to Indonesia per day. Hence the demand is quite high,” he noted.

    As for their destination cities, Supriyono said that would vary. “But if they go to Jakarta, they even have an office in the Gunung Sahari area,” he added.

    He further explained that Malaysian golfers are keen on trying new places when it comes to golf courts in Indonesia. “Hence, we will also be working with the golf liaison to expand the ‘in’ and ‘out’ of the traffic,” he stated.

    Garuda Indonesia has three flights from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta, including those at 8:40 am, 12:50 pm, and 7 pm. Meanwhile, Garuda Indonesia also provides three flights from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur, including 8:35 am, 2 pm, and 4:50 pm.

  • Japanese firm unveils fingerprint payments in Indonesia

    Japanese firm unveils fingerprint payments in Indonesia

    Japanese tech company Liquid has launched a biometric payments service in Indonesia that operates at the point of sale.

    Currently the project is being tested at an enterprise level, with the service offered to the Salim group’s workforce of around 500,000.

    “We are looking forward to developing the next generation payment and business platform in Indonesia, which will contribute to changing people’s lifestyle and have a big business impact in Indonesia,” said Yasuhiro Kuda, CEO of Tokyo-based Liquid.

    Users of the service need to register their fingerprints and deposit money in advance. They can complete payments within three seconds with the system’s fingerprint readers, which have an error rate of one in a trillion, according to Liquid.

    The company will start registering users’ fingerprints this month and start installing fingerprint readers later this year at stores run by Salim, whose businesses range from food and car sales to convenience store operations.

    Liquid is currently providing such fingerprint payment services to tens of thousands users in some cities in Japan.

    The company is aiming to expand the business in Indonesia, counting on the economic growth of the most populous country in Southeast Asia.

  • Online fashion brand Zalora to exit Philippines; Indonesia next

    Online fashion brand Zalora to exit Philippines; Indonesia next

    Southeast Asian fashion ecommerce company, Zalora, has been in the process of shutting shop in a few Asian countries. The company had retreated from Thailand and Vietnam last year, and is pulling out from Philippines and Indonesia.

    Launched in 2012, the Rocket Internet backed online shopping company was functioning in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand, managed by Global Fashion Group, which was developed by Rocket Internet to handle all its online fashion businesses across the world.

    In Philippines, 49% of Zalora’s parent company, BF Jade E-Services was bought by one of the oldest real-estate companies, Ayala Group, and the remaining stays with Rocket Internet. BF Jade E-Services owned and operated Zalora in Philippines and the deal is currently subjected to approval from the Philippine Competition Commission.

    e27 also states that the fashion ecommerce company is in talks with retail giant MAP Group for a similar acquisition or investment in Indonesia. MAP group operates more than 1,900 retail outlets in Indonesia and has been experimenting with e-commerce as it launched its MAP e-Mall last year. A merger or acquisition with Zalora could mean that it gets access to the online fashion giant’s ecommerce expertise, as per media speculations.

    Romain Voog, CEO, Global Fashion Group said in a statement, “We are proud of how Zalora Philippines contributed to the development of e-commerce and fashion in the Philippines. This partnership with Ayala will allow us to further strengthen the leadership position of Zalora Philippines, as we invest more into delivering the best online fashion shopping experience for Filipino consumers.”

    In April last year Zalora sold its Thailand and Vietnam businesses to fashion retailer Central Group which also had been wanting to foray into the online ecommerce business. As reported by Forbes, the move was made to streamline its services in light of slowing output and the high cost of customer acquisition in Southeast Asia.

    Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Chairman and CEO, Ayala Corporation also added, “We see the potential of e-commerce in the country and believe that the Ayala group can benefit and add tremendous value to Zalora. With resources in banking, real estate and telecommunications, the investment presents new opportunities for Ayala to generate synergies throughout the e-commerce value chain.”

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  • Citilink’s first new Airbus A320neo arrives in Indonesia

    Citilink’s first new Airbus A320neo arrives in Indonesia

    Garuda Indonesia’s low-cost subsidiary, Citilink, has begun welcoming a new fleet of Airbus A320 new engine option (neo) aircraft from the Airbus factory in Toulouse, France.

    Citilink has ordered 35 aircraft from the European manufacturer since it developed the new version in 2012. The 180-passenger capacity A320neo will join 45 aircraft of the previous model, the A320 current engine option (ceo), which Citilink already owns.

    The delivery will be completed by 2021. This year, Citilink will receive five aircraft.

    “We will use them for medium-length routes like to Eastern Indonesia, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and to Shanghai,” Citilink acting president director and finance director Mega Satria said during the welcome ceremony at the Garuda Maintenance Facility (GMF) AeroAsia Workshop in Cengkareng, Banten, on Friday.

    According to Airbus data, the A320neo features two engine options, Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1100G-JM and CFM International’s LEAP-1A. Citilink’s aircraft use the latter. Along with improvements to airframe and winglets, fuel efficiency has been increased by 15 percent compared to the A320ceo.

    As of January, Airbus had received 5,069 orders of the new aircraft since it began production in January 2016. German airline Lufthansa was the first to receive one on Jan. 20 last year.

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  • Indonesian president arrives in Australia

    Indonesian president arrives in Australia

    Indonesian President Joko Widodo has touched down in Sydney ahead of bilateral talks with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Australian business leaders.

    The president and First Lady Iriana Widodo arrived on Saturday morning in rainy conditions and clutching umbrellas as they greeted Australian officials on the airport tarmac.

    Improving trade and investment ties is expected to be a key focus of Mr Widodo’s two-day state visit to Australia.

    The Indonesian president will meet with business leaders including representatives from Blackmores, Macquarie Bank and BlueScope Steel in the afternoon.

    He will also hold talks with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian before a private dinner at Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s Point Piper mansion, overlooking Sydney Harbour.

    The pair will discuss progress on an Indonesian-Australian free trade deal set to be finalised by the end of the year, perhaps as early as August.

    Indonesian trade officials were in Canberra last week for the fourth round of free trade negotiations since March last year.

    ‘Our relationship with Indonesia is growing deeper by the day but it has not yet reached its full potential,’ Mr Turnbull said in an opinion piece in Sydney Morning Herald, pointing out that Australia trades more with Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand compared to Indonesia.

    AAP understands there are no insurmountable sticking points, unlike Australia’s negotiations with the European Union, where agriculture tariffs cuts are proving tricky.

    Australia Institute research director Rod Campbell hopes the two leaders discuss climate change and coal.

    Indonesia is seeking to dramatically boost coal-fired power generation in coming years despite its pledge to cut carbon emissions to 29 per cent from business- as-usual levels by 2030.

    Mr Widodo was due to visit Australia last year but this was postponed after violent protests erupted in Jakarta over comments its Christian governor made about the Koran.

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  • Standard Chartered Looks at Strategic Options for its Indonesia Business

    Standard Chartered Looks at Strategic Options for its Indonesia Business

    Standard Chartered said its troubled principal finance unit toted up a $650 million loss last year, weighing on the bank’s efforts to improve returns. Standard Chartered’s net loss for 2016 narrowed to $478 million from $2.36 billion in 2015, but revenue and profit figures fell short of analysts’ expectations and the stock fell 5%.

    The emerging-markets focused bank said it sharply marked down its private equity stakes in companies in Africa, Asia and India, as it prepares to exit from the principal finance business in the next couple of years. It said its risk committee reviewed processes and controls in the unit last year, amid the losses and probes by U.S. and other authorities into alleged bribery at a portfolio company, power plant builder Maxpower Group Pte. Ltd.

    Standard Chartered said the unit will be stripped out of its underlying results going forward, with any gains or losses treated as restructuring costs. The principal finance unit manages around $5 billion for Standard Chartered and external investors. The bank’s exposure is around $2 billion.

    Standard Chartered’s smaller full-year loss was the result of a near-halving in bad loans across its businesses. But revenue dropped by 11% to $13.8 billion from $15.4 billion. Standard Chartered blamed the fall on a range of factors including negative revenue in principal finance, dollar strength against emerging market currencies and lower client activity.

    Fourth-quarter revenue was $3.53 billion, up from $3.26 billion in the fourth quarter of 2015. The bank said significant further improvement is needed.

    Chief Executive Bill Winters said the bank is on a stronger foundation after cutting costs and selling around a dozen businesses since he started as CEO in June 2015. He said the bank will look at strategic options this year for its Indonesia business, currently run through two banks.

    Standard Chartered operates under its own name in the country and holds a 44.6% stake in PT Bank Permata. Mr. Winters said the bank is fully committed to Indonesia but wants to operate through a single entity there.

    He said shifts in global trade and potential U.S. protectionist policies posed a threat to the bank, but also opportunity as trade flows realign. “If the U.S. for whatever reasons or through whatever political process makes itself a less desirable trading partner, there are other countries that will want to fill that gap,” Mr. Winters told reporters.

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  • Indonesia to hold limited spectrum

    Indonesia to hold limited spectrum

    The Indonesian government plans to hold a limited tender for unused spectrum in the 2.1-GHz and 2.3-GHz bands by the middle of the year.

    Communications and informatics minister Rudiantara has announced that the government expects to issue the terms of the tender process by the end of March, and to announce the winner by mid-year.

    Only existing operators will be entitled to participate in the limited tender, the minister said.

    The 2.1-GHz band is used by operators including Telkomsel, Indosat Ooreedoo, XL Axiata and Hutchison 3 Indonesia for 3G services, while the 2.3-GHz band is used for 4G wireless broadband services in parts of the country.

    Plans to reallocate the unused capacity in the 2.1-GHz band returned by Axis Telecom in 2014 following its merger into XL Axiata have been in the works since 2015, but the process has been delayed by technical and other difficulties.

    According to the report, only half of the unused 30 MHz of capacity in the 2.3-GHz band will be allocated.

    Indonesian operators, facing a spectrum crunch in major cities, have responded enthusiastically to the announcement, and are urging the government to ensure there are no further delays.

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  • Proton Iriz enters Indonesia

    Proton Iriz enters Indonesia

    Proton Holdings, via its Indonesian unit, PT PROTON Edar Indonesia (PEI), has launched its latest hatchback vehicle, the Proton Iriz in several cities in the republic.

    In a statement today, Chief Executive Officer Datuk Ahmad Fuaad Kenali said Indonesia is an important market for the national carmaker.

    “Not only have we maintained strong government-to-government relations being ASEAN founding members, but we also share many similarities in terms of people, language, culture as well as the weather,” he said.

    Ahmad Fuaad said Indonesia is the second country after Brunei to import the vehicle.

    He said two variants have been made available to the Indonesian market, namely the 1.3L MT Standard and 1.3L CVT Standard, priced at IDR 175,250,000 and IDR185,283,000, respectively (RM1=IDR 2996.52).

    The PEI is supported by a total of 25 sales and after sales outlets in Indonesia, and locals can get up close and personal with the Proton Iriz in all the sales outlets from Feb 20.

    Since its debut, the Proton Iriz has received many awards and accolades from the automotive industry in Malaysia. Among them, is a 5-Star rating from the Asean New Car Assessment Programme.

    Interested customers can visit any of the dealers at their showrooms across Indonesia or visit the PEI website at www.proton-edar.co.id.

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  • Coffee Craft cafe takes culture to Beijing suburbs

    Coffee Craft cafe takes culture to Beijing suburbs

    Beijing’s new Coffee Craft cafe takes coffee culture to the capital’s suburbs.

    It is in the largely residential area of Beixuaguan, in Beijing’s northwest. Covering 400 sqm, the outlet has been designed by United Units Architects, a practice based in both Beijing and London.

    Coffee-Craft-Cafe-by-United-Units-Architects-Beijing-China-04

    While primarily a venue for specialty coffee, it also anticipates the hybrid lifestyles of today’s young generation, says Retail Design Blog. It features four specific areas – a bar, a seating area, two meeting rooms and a kitchen space – all separated by partitions crafted from a mix of vertical louvres and wire mesh, allowing for a variety of configurations.

    Each space has a distinct feel while seamlessly blending with the other sections.

    The bar comprises wall panels of shiny steel and capsule-shaped copper equivalents on the ceiling, while the seating area features an indoor cactus garden as a focal point. It is framed and encapsulated on one side by slabs of mirror that make it appear double its actual size. Hovering directly above is a large circle made of the same material. A Vespa scooter installation adds a quirky and frivolous touch to the austere aesthetic, says Retail Design Blog.

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    Coffee Craft’s menu features specialty coffee from such countries as Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia , Guatemala, Indonesia, Kenya and Panama, all marked on a wooden wall plaque with a pinboard world map.

    Coffee-Craft-Cafe-by-United-Units-Architects-Beijing-ChinaCoffee culture is not only catching on in China, but accelerating and diversifying to meet the lifestyle requirements of the country’s growing demographic of savvy consumers, says the blog.

    “Obviously, this trend has manifested itself most vigorously in plush downtown neighbourhoods of the country’s booming first- and second-tier cities. The middle class continues to expand with leaps and bounds – it has doubled from 399 million to 784 million in just a decade – and coffee and modern lifestyle appreciation has grown in equal measure across suburban fringe, and increasingly in surprising contemporary form.”

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  • Innisfree to launch in Indonesia

    Innisfree to launch in Indonesia

    Beauty products brand Innisfree is launching in Indonesia with brand curator Time International.

    Part of Korean global beauty company AmorePacific Group, Innisfree offers products made with natural ingredients from Jeju, a volcanic island off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula.

    Innisfree’s first store will open at Central Park Mall Jakarta on March 24, following its introduction in such markets as China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

    As well as skincare, Innisfree will offer colour cosmetics in Indonesia, says international business VP Chul Kim.

    Innisfree was launched by AmorePacific Group in 2000, joining its brands Laneige and Sulwhasoo.

    Founded in the 1960s, Time International manages multi-brand retail stores as well as mono-brand boutiques for such brands as Cartier, Chanel, Chopard, Diesel, Fendi, Fossil, Project X, Rolex, Sweet Monster and Tag Heuer.

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