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Tag: lifestyle

  • What is Black Friday like in the Philippines?

    What is Black Friday like in the Philippines?

    After Singles’ Day, the annual Black Friday shopping frenzy is back. A decades-old tradition celebrated every year the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday marks the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season in America.

    Together with its more recent online counterpart Cyber Monday, the sales have become a major global event over the past few years as online shopping has brought the bargains to the rest of the world.

    So what is exactly Black Friday like in emerging developing countries like the Philippines? What are Filipinos consumers’ expectations?

    Large discounts expected

    Customers will not waste the opportunity to save money on shopping.

    55% of Filipinos admitted that they’re going to take part in the upcoming Black Friday sales and 91% of shoppers save money prior to Black Friday just to shop on this day.

    Let’s remember that Black Friday sales are usually associated with electronics and housewares which are the best-selling products.

    The remaining 9% declared that they are going to buy on installments.

    38% of consumers are planning to buy 2-3 products, and 36% are going to go on a shopping spree and buy more than 5 items.

    What’s more, 59% of buyers already have an idea what’s going to end up in their baskets. This can be due to the infinite number of guides to what is worth buying and how to find the biggest discounts.

    Black Friday symbolically opens the season of pre-Christmas sales. That is why it is a great opportunity for those who start searching for gifts in advance.

    38% of consumers will take advantage of Black Friday exactly for this purpose—to buy Christmas gifts.

    However, in the Philippines Black Friday is also an occasion to get a present for yourself as it is the intention of 67% of consumers.

    What does an average shopper looks like?

    Spending differences vary by sex. Indeed, an average man will spend more money on sales than an average woman: 3906 PHP and 2724 PHP respectively.

    When it comes to age the biggest interest for Black Friday discounts was among people aged 55-64 and 45-54.

    Statistics also say that mobile devices dominated desktops with 68% of consumers shopping on their mobile phones and 29% on desktops.

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  • Tiens Group reveals global expansion plan

    Tiens Group reveals global expansion plan

    Chinese healthcare company Tiens Group is eyeing global expansion following the success of its high-tech Shenzhen flagship store which opened in August. According to the firm, the launch was made as a step towards global expansion, featuring a combination of technology-enhanced online and offline consumer experiences such as touch-screen computers and live product demonstrations.

    The brand now plans to establish 110 branches worldwide as part of its broader strategy to create a healthcare system integrating physical retail, e-commerce, Traditional Chinese Medicine and medical facilities, as well as educational, tourism, accommodation and lifestyle experiences.

    Board member and e-commerce GM Chelsea Li said experience marketing is at the cutting edge of business development trends. “We aim to bring our customers an intuitive experience of meticulous care, attentiveness, and beauty.”

    Tiens’ new e-wallet app PointsWin is positioned to play a core role in the firm’s strategy, connecting the business’s blockchain-based customer network. Consumers can currently use the app to make purchases and earn rewards at any business bearing the Tiens banner.

    Tiens Group chairman Li Jinyuan said: “We have always approached development by considering the world from a global perspective. These [target locations] are especially the regions involved in China’s One Belt One Road initiative.”

    The flagship is located in the Tiens International Health Industrial Park in Luohu, Shenzhen.

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  • Vietnam’s biggest airport start building in 2020

    Vietnam’s biggest airport start building in 2020

    Work on Vietnam’s biggest airport would start in 2020 and it will become operational in 2025, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) says. ACV, which manages and operates civil airports in the country, also says that it will complete business appraisals and feasibility reports for submission to the National Assembly for approval in October 2019.

    Transport Minister Nguyen Van The had told legislators at a meeting late last month that the government was likely to approve land acquisition plans for the project this month, and release funds for it immediately after.

    Situated 40 kilometers east of Ho Chi Minh City, the Long Thanh International Airport is expected to take up overflow from the largest existing airport in the country, the Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

    Tan Son Nhat now receives 32 million passengers a year, far beyond its designed capacity of 25 million.

    The Long Thanh Airport, to be built in three phases over three decades, was recently listed by CNN Travel as one of the world’s 16 most exciting airport projects.

    The first phase is scheduled for completion in 2025 when it will be able to handle 25 million passengers annually. The next two phases will be built in 2030-2035 and from 2040-2050.

    The new airport would have an annual capacity of 100 million passengers and five million tons of cargo when completed.

    The first phase is estimated to cost VND114 trillion ($4.87 billion), and will be raised from public funds, a bond issue and private sources.

    Experts have warned that the cost of the airport could double every five years.

    ACV announced that in its 2019 plan, the company will spend more than VND10 trillion ($432.71 billion) on upgrading and expanding several airports, including Cat Bi in northern Hai Phong City, Vinh in central Nghe An Province, Phu Cat in southern Can Tho City, and Noi Bai in Hanoi.

    Most of these upgrades are expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2019.

    According to a recent announcement by ACV, by the end of October, the total amount of passengers going through airports this year was estimated at 87 million, by 12 percent over the same period in 2017.

    This year, the number of international passengers rose by 23 percent, while the figure for domestic customers increased by 7 percent.

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  • Crocs opens its 100th store in India at VR Mall Chennai

    Crocs opens its 100th store in India at VR Mall Chennai

    The new store, which spreads across 625 sq. ft., is Crocs’ third store in the city and 5th in the state of Tamil Nadu. Boasting a premium location at VR Mall, the hub for luxury and international brands in Chennai, the store promises to strengthen the reach of the iconic brand in the state capital.

    Since the opening of its first store in India in 2008, Crocs has successfully carved a distinct positioning for the brand amongst the Indian consumers akin to its global positioning and is growing at a robust pace with presence across 50 cities in India.

    Crocs, which is known globally for its iconic Clogs, is turning towards India to fuel its next phase of growth. India is currently the 6th biggest market for Crocs globally with a high double-digit growth year on year.

    Metro Shoes, the national franchise partner of Crocs India, will be operating this 100th store located in Chennai. The partnership with Metro Shoes began in 2014 which has helped the iconic footwear brand in expanding its reach to over 50 cities through its EBO operations.

    Speaking on occasion, Deepak Chhabra, CEO & MD, Crocs India, said, “We are excited on reaching the century mark in India. India is one of the rare markets where even after opening 100 stores we still feel under-penetrated. Our absolute focus for the next phase of geographical expansion will continue to be on top 6 metro cities across the country along with state capitals. Exclusive brand stores are a very significant part of our growth strategy. In addition to aggressively growing our EBOs, we will be strengthening our presence in Tier-II cities via MBOs and Kiosks. Further, e-commerce will remain an integral part of our distribution strategy and help us reach out to consumers where our brick and mortar presence is limited. Region-wise South India, due to its demographics and very high brand recall, contributes the highest amongst all regions in the country and will remain an integral part of our India growth strategy.”

    Commenting on the occasion, Rafique Abdul Malik, Chairman & MD, Metro Shoes, said, “We would like to congratulate Crocs India on the launch of their 100th store and are confident that this is just one of many more milestones to follow. Metro Shoes is glad to partner with a brand which despite being just 16 years old has an iconic status with probably the highest brand-recall across the globe. India as a nation has a high affinity for open shoes and sandals owing to the climatic conditions, making Crocs highly relevant in this market.”

    With its unique brand awareness and break-through product innovations, Crocs is progressing towards becoming India’s top non-athletic casual footwear brand. Other than its EBOs, Crocs asserts its strong presence in MBO channels through which its overall offline reach extends to more than 150 cities via 1,500 + points-of-sale. Additionally, it caters to 20,000+ pin codes translating to 400 cities via its e-commerce presence.

    Over the past 16 years, Crocs has sold more than 350 million pairs of shoes worldwide. Crocs as a brand will continue to focus on clogs and sandals, along with new product innovations and extensions of the current product line. This year, Crocs India launched LiteRide™, Drew Barrymore ♥ Crocs Collection, Crocband™ Platform Collection, and Luxe Lined Collection. Last year internationally, the brand has associated with designers like Balenciaga and Christopher Kane bringing in some exciting trends to the runway which further elevated the appeal of the iconic clog in fashion space.

  • Shilla Travel Retail Hong Kong appoints new MD

    Shilla Travel Retail Hong Kong appoints new MD

    The Shilla Duty Free has appointed a new MD of its Hong Kong operations. Changha Shin takes over the helm of Shilla Travel Retail Hong Kong this week after the surprise departure of Alice Woo. Woo built the business up after becoming its first employee last year when the Korean-owned travel retail company secured major duty-free concessions at Hong Kong International Airport.

    Prior to working with Shilla, Woo spent 22 years in travel retail in Asia, Hawaii and North America, with companies including DFS Group and Nuance Watson.

    Her replacement Shin was previously the merchandising director of Shilla Travel Retail Hong Kong. In a short statement, Shilla said Shin has a wealth of knowledge across various product categories with 14 years of experience. He started in HR with Shilla Group and has “deep knowledge” of Shilla Group and its partners.

    “The Shilla Duty Free is proud to promote from within and support the development of its staff.”

    Woo will leave her position this week with the change referred to being due to “internal circumstances”. It is unclear if she will remain with the company in another role.

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  • Duty-free sales may hit all-time record this year

    Duty-free sales may hit all-time record this year

    Korea’s duty-free sales are likely to set a new annual record this year despite Chinese group tour traffic not having fully recovered.  According to the Korea Duty Free Shops Association, duty-free store operators made $1.44 billion in October, a 28.6 percent increase year on year. This takes Korea’s total duty-free revenue between January and October to $14.3 billion, surpassing 2017’s full-year revenue of $12.8 billion.

    “The local duty-free market was 14 trillion won [$12.4 billion] in size last year – some forecast this year will reach a new all-time record of 18 trillion won,” said a source at one of Korea’s largest duty-free store operators.

    The growth is meaningful considering that Chinese group tours are not fully back in the market.

    Industry watchers and analysts attribute the increase in duty-free sales this year to “daigongs,” or individual Chinese merchants that purchase Korean goods and resell them at home.

    Before Chinese group tours were banned in March 2017 after Korea’s deployment of the U.S. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense antimissile system, they were a major source of revenue for local duty-free stores. As traveling to Korea for Chinese became more difficult, the reselling business began to grow.

    “Revenues are going up this year but we’re still waiting for group tours to come back,” said another source at one of top three duty-free companies.

    Sales increases are generally good news, but industry watchers warn that operating profits will not grow as fast as revenues. Attracting daigongs entails high marketing costs. New duty-free outlets opened in Seoul this year, which means competition to pull in daigongs may become more intense.

    Signs suggest restrictions on group tours from China are easing. Some online tour agencies have started marketing group tour packages to Korea on their websites. Last week, China’s largest online tour agency Ctrip posted Korean tour products on its website, but erased them the same day.

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  • Jollibee’s 250th store opened in North America

    Jollibee’s 250th store opened in North America

    Philippines fast food operator Jollibee is planning to hit 150 locations in the US within five years, up from its current 37. The company’s CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong said: “The fried chicken market in the US is quite huge. This is just the first leg of our journey, to be one of the major players in the fried chicken market.”

    The company has also announced plans to open 100 additional stores in Canada, part of its strategy to become on of the world’s top five quick-service restaurants.

    Jollibee operates 4300 stores in 20 countries, and has a portfolio of 14 brands.

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  • Korean cosmetics firms suffer losses in Q3

    Korean cosmetics firms suffer losses in Q3

    Korea’s mid-sized cosmetics companies suffered losses in the third quarter of this year as they struggled to reorganize their business structures in the face of tough competition at home, industry sources said Sunday. Able C&C, which operates budget cosmetics brand Missha, swung into the red in the July-September period, posting a net loss of 9.4 billion won ($8.3 million), it said.

    Its sales dropped 12.1 percent to 73.1 billion won and operating income swung to a loss of 13.2 billion won. The company said fierce competition in the country’s cosmetics industry, combined with its heavy investment in research and development of new products, led to the poor earnings results.

    Tonymoly reported a net loss of 3.5 billion won, with 800 million won in operating losses on a consolidated basis during the cited period, according to the company.

    Korea’s mid-sized beauty firms’ profitability deteriorated following a diplomatic row between Seoul and Beijing last year, which led to a sharp drop in the number of tourists coming to Korea. Industry watchers said the expansion of online and duty-free channels has hurt the mid-sized companies, which rely heavily on offline stores. Last month, Skinfood was placed under a Seoul court’s receivership after the company said that it is having temporary difficulty securing liquidity due to excessive debt.

    “We are making efforts to improve our profitability and strengthen our online business,” an official from Nature Republic said.

    Nature Republic reduced the number of its stores to 680 by the first half of this year from 770 in 2015. The company reported 58.8 billion won in sales and 300 million won in operating income in the third quarter of this year.

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  • Shake Shack opens in Pacific Place HK

    Shake Shack opens in Pacific Place HK

    Located at Pacific Place, the new branch will give out 200 Shake Shack tote bags on a first-come-first-serve basis. In addition to the Shack classics and the Hong Kong exclusive milk tea shake, the new store will introduce a selection of local menu items, including a new series of “concrete” (custard desserts) – matcha golden bell, open sesame and queensway crunch.

    Shake Shack will launch three holiday shakes – Christmas cookie, chocolate peppermint, and Hazelnut – to celebrate the festive season. All of which are topped with whipped cream and decorated with colourful sprinkles.

    The holiday shakes will be available for a limited time at both Pacific Place and ifc mall.

    Echoing with Shake Shack’s mission to Stand For Something Good®, the Pacific Place store will donate 5% of sales from its matcha golden bell concrete to the i-dArt programme of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, a non-profit organisation that promotes social inclusion by encouraging people with differing abilities to participate in art.

    Shake Shack is ramping up its effort on global expansion.

    In a statement, Randy Garutti, CEO of Shake Shack, said the company entered into licensing agreements to open more than 50 stores in the Philippines, Mexico and Singapore over the next decade.

    The company expects to open its first stores in Singapore and Mexico in 2019.

  • Unilever Vietnam owes over $25mln in back taxes: state audit

    Unilever Vietnam owes over $25mln in back taxes: state audit

    The state auditing agency says Unilever Vietnam should pay over $25 million in back taxes for the 2009- 2013 period. Speaking at a National Assembly session on the draft bill on Tax Administration, State Auditor General Ho Duc Phoc pointed to the Holland-backed personal care products maker Unilever Vietnam as an example of taxes overlooked by the authorities.

    Phoc submitted an audit report that says Unilever Vietnam had under-declared its tax dues. The company took the case to the Prime Minister and the National Assembly’s Budget and Finance Committee. After re-examination, the State Audit concluded that the company had under-declared its tax dues by VND584 billion ($25 million).

    The auditor general said the company had accepted this figure, but requested that it is not charged for late payment.

    “Whether the company is fined will be decided by the General Department of Taxation, not us,” Phoc said.

    However, tax department officials as well as Unilever Vietnam representatives said that the company had not accepted the above figure despite the parties having discussed the issue many times.

    “The determination of the amount of tax arrears arising from errors in calculating the preferential tax rate that applies to Unilever Vietnam for its expansion activities in 2009-2013 is not related to transfer pricing,” said a representative of the General Department of Taxation.

    Representatives of the HCMC Taxation Department also confirmed that the decision to collect this sum from Unilever Vietnam has been made, but has not been accepted by the company.

    Unilever Vietnam denies having under-declared any tax obligation. Tran Vu Hoai, the company’s vice president of Sustainable Development and Public Relations, said the outstanding tax issue in question is “due to the differences in the stipulations of the Investment Tax Law and the Corporate Income Tax Law for the period before 2014.”

    “Such differences in the stipulations of the relevant laws have led to different interpretations, causing difficulties for businesses and relevant agencies in the implementation of the laws,” Hoai said.

    The crux of this issue lies in the differences that existed in terms of investment incentives between “new projects” and “expanded investment projects” between 2009 and 2013.

    Then, “expanded investment projects” were only entitled to a three-year corporate income tax (CIT) exemption, and a 50 percent CIT reduction in the five following years. Meanwhile, “new projects” could enjoy a preferential CIT rate of 15 percent for 12 years, three-year tax exemption, and a 50 percent reduction over the next seven years.

    Tax men and companies are divided over the definition of “new project” and “expanded investment project” as they apply to tax incentives.

    Unilever Vietnam has petitioned the Government, the Ministry of Finance and State Audit to find a satisfactory solution in compliance with Vietnamese laws and international regulations.

    Unilever Vietnam is not the only company that’s faced this problem. Suntory Pepsico Vietnam Beverage, GE, Piaggio Vietnam and Yamaha Motors have reportedly fought similar battles.

    Hoai said the matter is being handled by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and other agencies.

    In September, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment the task of coordinating and working with the Ministry of Finance to resolve such issues for enterprises, in the spirit of ensuring non-retroactivity of the law.

  • Benz shows new C-Class sedan and it’s diesel

    Benz shows new C-Class sedan and it’s diesel

    Mercedes-Benz Korea is still committed to diesel despite a global shift to eco-friendly engines, such as hybrid or electric units. The Korean section of the German premium carmaker premiered a partially revamped model of its flagship C-Class sedan in Incheon on Friday, equipped with a diesel engine.

    The C-Class sedan is one of Mercedes’ biggest models, having sold 9.5 million units worldwide since its introduction in 1982. Korea is the seventh largest market for the C-Class.

    Although not a fully revamped version, some 6,500 parts, including engine parts, have been upgraded, the company said.

    On Friday, Mercedes-Benz Korea showed a C 220d model with a four-cylinder OM 654 diesel engine, an interesting approach considering the industry’s shift to zero emissions.

    “This diesel engine’s CO2 emissions are 15 percent less than the petrol engine [with the same 2.0-liter capacity],” said Jochen Betsch, head of advanced engineering diesel at Daimler, who gave an extensive presentation on the upgraded diesel engine at a press event Friday in Incheon.

    Even while shedding 16 percent of its weight, the new engine added 24 horsepower to generate a maximum of 194 horsepower and torque of 40.8 kg.m.

    “It gets quite obvious that Daimler has strong commitment for diesel,” Betsch said.

    Dimitris Psillakis, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea, said a version with a gasoline engine will launch in the first half of next year, followed by a plug-in hybrid engine.

    “A diesel engine has its strong points with performance and even CO2 emissions,” Psillakis said. “It is important to offer all the options out there to our customers.”

    The press event Friday included an extensive presentation on the upgraded diesel engine, a move that many saw as a reference to rival BMW diesel models that experienced a spate of fires in Korea last summer. Psillakis, however, denied such speculation, saying the “customers have the right to know about the improved features of the new diesel engine.”

    The new C-Class’ official fuel efficiency wasn’t disclosed.

    Its price starts at 55.2 million won ($48.9 thousand).

  • JD sales jumps as shoppers reached 300 million

    JD sales jumps as shoppers reached 300 million

    JD sales lept 25.1 per cent in the third quarter, to RMB104.8 billion (US$215.3 billion). “We are pleased to report solid results for the third quarter, with our core JD Mall business driving consistent growth under its highly experienced management team,” said CEO and chairman Richard Liu.

    “JD’s commitment to convenient, reliable service and high-quality, authentic products continues to translate into an increasingly loyal user base. Our ‘Retail as a Service’ strategy is also gaining traction as we provide a wide range of partners with innovative retail infrastructure solutions,” he said.

    Annual active customer accounts increased to 305.2 million in the year to September 30, from 266.3 million at the same time a year earlier.

    Net income from continuing operations attributable to ordinary shareholders for the third quarter was RMB3.0 billion (US$400,000), three times more than for the same period last year.

    “JD’s strategic focus on improving customer experience helped drive strong performance across the business,” said Sidney Huang, JD’s CFO. “We will continue our disciplined strategy of investing in key technologies as we focus on optimising operations and driving economies of scale over the coming quarters.”

    Among highlights of the quarter was the signing of a raft of major international brands to the JD platforms, including L’Occitane de Provence, House 99, Hera, Salvatore Ferragamo,  Furla, Gieves & Hawkes, Kent & Curwen, Cerruti 1881 and D’Urban. JD’s dedicated luxury platform Toplife welcomed John Galliano, Buccellati and Shang Xia among others.

    As at September 30, JD had some 200,000 merchants on its online marketplace, and 175,366 full-time employees.

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  • Promising market for luxury rental services raises

    Promising market for luxury rental services raises

    A growing community of Korean women primarily in their 20s to 40s prefer renting high-end goods from subscription services such as Series Eight, The Closet and Reebonz Korea. Asked why they chooses to rent their wardrobe, they said the introduction of luxury goods rental services helped her prioritize living expenses and limit unnecessary spending on personal shopping.

    By paying a monthly subscription fee of 79,000 won (US$70), Reebonz customers, for example, can rent up to two bags a month. Customers opting for pricier premium plans are given the option to rent a bag from the most expensive or popular brands for up to 10 days for prices ranging from 9,800 won to 19,800 won.

    “Subscription-based business models have not seen much success in the local market compared to other countries. But, because luxury goods’ prices are so high compared to the low purchasing power of Koreans in their 20s and 30s, the (subscription) services are expected to see substantial growth in South Korea,” said Choi Kang-sik, a professor of economics at Yonsei University.

    Choi said that with more women wanting to rent luxury goods, rental companies must better communicate with luxury brands in order to bring better products to the table.

    “The power of luxury brands will always see an upward trend. The difference, now, will be that consumer groups won’t be women visiting department stores. It will be the luxury rental companies who will be supplying the bags to the original customer base,” he said.

    Even though popular American designer rental services such as Bag Borrow or Steal and Rent the Runway launched a decade earlier, designer subscription services garnered attention from local consumers starting in 2016, according to Series Eight CEO Kim Tae-hyun.

    Kim, who co-founded Reebonz Korea with current chief Ha Dong-gu, left Reebonz to launch the startup Series Eight under the Value Art Architect Group last year.

    On the surface, the two companies share similar concepts with regards to lending customers a hand in renting high-end products.

    If Reebonz sticks to a subscription model, Series Eight and its six-member team envisions a shopping platform beyond just a rental service where women can rent high-end bags whenever and for however long they please.

    “We essentially did not want to give the idea of pressuring women to pick a bag every month just because they are paying a certain amount. The pressure in itself ruins the shopping experience,” Kim said.

    In order for a business to be successful on a subscription-based model, it needs to provide convenience, value for the money and personalized experiences. Consumers will cancel services that do not deliver unique, excellent personalized experiences, according to Choi.

    Park Sun-young, juggling being a mom and public relations director at an ad agency in Seoul, appreciates such unique value from subscription services. Unlike her younger colleagues who seem to have time to go shopping, Park would rather save money and time by renting her wardrobe online.

    “I think young women may feel it’s weird to rent designer clothing and carry handbags that are ultimately not theirs. But, look inside your closet. How many bags are just sitting on the shelf collecting dust?” Park posed.

    “Being a mom and having a job, the rental services make my shopping experience something I look forward to at the end of the night before I go to bed. Just scroll down, look through the catalogue and click order.”

  • Vietnam’s VinFast presents models, prices

    Vietnam’s VinFast presents models, prices

    VinFast, a subsidiary of Vietnam’s biggest private firm Vingroup, presented three models and their prices at its maiden show in Hanoi Tuesday afternoon. Its five-seat sedan Lux A2.0 and seven-seat SUV Lux SA 2.0, which had already been revealed to the public for the first time at the Paris Motor Show last month, cost VND800 million ($34,305) and VND1.136 billion ($48,709) respectively.

    The smaller hatchback Fadil, presented for the very first time, costs VND336 million ($14,410).

    These prices are exclusive of a 10 percent value added tax.

    The company said it was announcing favorable prices for the “initial phase.” The original prices of the hatchback, the sedan and the SUV are VND423 million ($18,140), VND1.336 billion ($57,300) and VND1.818 billion ($78,000) respectively, it said.

    VinFast surprised industry insiders by completing its first two units, the SUV and the Sedan, within one year.But VinFast did not say for how long the promotional prices will last or how many cars will be produced in the initial phase.

    Its first two models are built on frames from BMW. Their components have been engineered by Canadian firm Magna International’s Magna Steyr, while design work was done by Italian design house Pininfarina.

    The small hatchback, Fadil, meanwhile, was developed from the background of the Opel Karl Rocks model in the European market. Its structure is almost equivalent to the latest Chevrolet Spark generation.

    Attending the exhibition, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said building strong Vietnamese brands means promoting patriotism, self-reliance and self-esteem and building a consumer culture in Vietnam.

    “I hope more Vietnamese companies and entrepreneurs follow in the footsteps of VinFast to express an aspiration to dominate the domestic market and reach out to the international level.”

    Vietnam’s population is around 93 million, larger than South Korea, but car consumption is only around 300,000 units a year, he said. Previously, Mike Dunne, an independent industry analyst who has spent more than three decades in Asia, said that he doubted VinFast cars would generate much demand in a country with an average income of $2,385 last year.

    While there is little doubt the market would grow, it won’t happen fast enough to absorb VinFast’s production, planned at 250,000 vehicles annually, he added.

    There are only 358 businesses in the auto industry in Vietnam compared to 2,500 in Thailand, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Over 90 percent of auto parts are imported, it added.

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  • Palace skate wear to make debut in Tokyo

    Palace skate wear to make debut in Tokyo

    Cult-classic skate brand Palace opened its first store in Tokyo, opting for the Japanese capital to debut its logo-ed fashion and apparel in the archipelago Asian nation.nThe British street label first announced the Tokyo location via Instagram, in a short teaser film featuring actor and comedian Jonah Hill, which was a similar store reveal stint used by Palace to unveil its New York store.

    Marking the new Shibuya district store, which took place November 3, the London brand has released a series of fashion items exclusively for the new location.

    The Tokyo capsule features pieces referencing Japan, including a Mount Fuji graphic hoodie.

    In the mix is also a limited-edition “P.A.L.A.C.E” branded leather card holder, luggage tag and passport cover, as well as “Made in Scotland, Designed in London” rainbow knitwear, in collaboration with fellow Briton Pringle of Scotland.

    Founded in London in 2009 by Levent Tanju and Gareth Skewis, Palace has in the last nine years garnered a cult-style following among skaters by toying with industry conventions.

    It is known for flipping 90s skate videos upside, promoting the kitschy side of the era’s VHS tapes, as well as its now globally recognised Palace logo, which features on oversized hoodies, sweaters and other streetwear pieces.

    It has been in collaboration with Adidas since 2015 and has also previously collaborated with Reebok and Oakley. Most recently, it has teased an upcoming collaboration with Ralph Lauren in Japan.

    Palace currently operates locations in London and, since spring 2017, New York’s SoHo neighbourhood.

    Palace Tokyo’s official address is 2F & 3F, 5-9-20 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku in Tokyo, Japan.

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