Retail News CRM

Tag: Living

  • Ikea eco-store under construction in Vienna

    Ikea eco-store under construction in Vienna

    A seven-level Ikea eco-store is being built in Vienna – with no car parks, targeting pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users.

    The new venue features a bookcase-style design with green facades and a green roof terrace with plenty of strolling space. The store, designed by Querkraft Architekten, is thought to appeal to the many families in the region living without cars.

    “The concept focuses on the current megatrends and takes into account the dramatically changed shopping behavior as well as a new form of mobility without a car,” read a statement from the firm.

    “Customers have little time and appreciate convenience and comfort. This is clearly noticeable in the furnishing area: more and more customers no longer even think about carrying their purchases home themselves. You can have them delivered.”

    The Ikea eco-store is scheduled for completion next year.

  • Health and wellness is driving wearable-technology growth in fashion

    Health and wellness is driving wearable-technology growth in fashion

    Wearable technology has come a long way from the original clunky smartwatch, with innovation has taken a giant leap forward in the last five years.

    And health and wellness have become a key driver of this trend, says GlobalData.

    Clothes containing technology is becoming a reality as brands such as Levi Strauss join smaller brands and start-ups in trying to create items consumers will integrate into their lives.

    Michelle Russell, the apparel correspondent at GlobalData, says wearable technology as a category is starting to be taken a lot more seriously in fashion, particularly given the phenomenal growth of athleisure, which has almost created a nice segue for firms looking to enter the category with a focus on health and wellness.

    The world’s biggest tech conference, CES 2020, opened in Las Vegas last week, showcasing some of the latest innovations in this area.

    The Skin Connected Health & Wellness System by Myant allows the continuous monitoring of health and wellness measures – such as heart rate, stress, temperature, activity and sleep stage, and provides advice on how to improve. Users can also share this information with family, friends and healthcare providers.

    Also on show at CES 2020, the e-skin Sleep & Lounge apparel by Xenoma is designed for monitoring the health of elderly people, analyzing the wearer’s sleep condition. The technology also enables everyday monitoring of users’ behavior and fall detection.

    Meanwhile, FootWare, developed by TacSense, claims to be the world’s first-ever health-tracking smart shoe that is able to measure heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, emotion, stress level, and moving pattern.

    “In a decade it may well become the norm for our everyday jackets or pullovers to monitor our health, but for that to happen, companies need to get consumers properly onboard through involvement and addressing poor understanding,” says Russell. “Increased investment is also key to the category’s development.

    “Wearable technology in fashion is certainly heading in the right direction but it seems there is still some way to go before it becomes totally accessible. It is still a niche product and cost could be a major factor for consumers. Sustainability will also be key.”

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  • Hong Kong’s CitySuper evaluating sale options

    Hong Kong’s CitySuper evaluating sale options

    Hong Kong-based firm The Fenix Group may sell its majority shareholding in high-end supermarket operator Hong Kong’s CitySuper Group.

    According to Bloomberg, if potential buyers show interest in the stake, it may be worth between US$300 and $400 million.

    Any potential purchaser at this time will inherit a business in the midst of Hong Kong’s first depression in a decade, and with significant financial stimulus policies expected of the current administration. That said, the supermarket sector has been relatively unscathed by the decline in retail sales since protests began back in June.

    Fenix provided the original funding for the group and may yet decide to retain ownership of the business.

    Hong Kong’s CitySuper Group operates in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taiwan across three brands, the most well-known its own name.

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  • Vietnam to buy 1.5 billion kWh of power annually from Laos

    Vietnam to buy 1.5 billion kWh of power annually from Laos

    State power utility EVN will buy around 1.5 billion kWh of electricity a year from Laos for two years starting in 2021.

    Under contracts it signed on Saturday, Vietnam Electricity (EVN) will buy over 596 million kWh a year from two hydropower plants belonging to Phongsubthavy Group and 632 million kWh from two plants belonging to Chealun Sekong Group from 2022.

    From 2021 it will start buying 263 million kWh annually from another plant belonging to the latter company.

    The import was approved by the Vietnamese government to mitigate power shortages predicted to hit the country from this year.

    The Ministry of Industry and Trade estimates shortages of 3.7 billion kWh in 2021 and nearly 10 billion kWh the following year.

    2023 will be the most stressful with the shortage expected to be around 15 billion kWh. From then on it will decrease, with the shortage expected to come down to 7 billion kWh and 3.5 billion kWh in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

    The industry ministry has said not more than 5-8 percent of electricity can be conserved, and the only way out is to import more from Laos and China.

    But buying from neighboring countries is only a band-aid solution, and in the long run it is necessary to speed up work on large power generation projects, it stated.

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  • ColourLiving launches Wellness Living concept in Hong Kong

    ColourLiving launches Wellness Living concept in Hong Kong

    Hong Kong lifestyle store ColourLiving has launched a pop-up zone, Wellness Living, featuring a selection of home-enhancing concepts.

    Occupying 20,000sqft and spanning three levels, Wellness Living is the theme of the curated pop-up, which features three zones – Kitchen, Tailored Tea and Home Pool – all “based on the idea to help pacify the body and mind at home.

    The Kitchen area presents an ergonomic sink from Swiss brand Franke, offering multi-purpose preparation spaces equipped with appliances to create meals.

    Homegrown Hong Kong brand Lify is the second of the three debut Wellness Living home products. Specialised in dispensing premium natural herbal tea blends, the brand uses artificial intelligence (AI) to determine individual needs through an app. Herb qualities are independently certified, and the tea is filtered through specially-developed compostable discs.

    Designed and produced in Italy, Faraway Pool, sunken into the floor, combines whirlpool jets with contemporary aesthetics. The pool’s overspill perimeter appears as “an infinity edge”.

    Submerged mood lighting with colours adjustable on demand can help to relax or energise the pool user.

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  • Ikea India plans more up to 25 more stores

    Ikea India plans more up to 25 more stores

    Ikea India is preparing to launch 20–25 more locations, it emerged during a delegation of Swedish royals and businesspeople to the territory that began on Sunday.

    The firm currently has a store in Hyderabad, and is one of more than 200 Swedish companies operating in India. The country is Sweden’s third largest trade partner in Asia.

    A PTI News report quoted Swedish Trade Commissioner to India Anders Wickberg noting manufacturing, cleantech, and healthcare among others being mutual economic interests driving trade relations between the countries, bolstering a move to deepen bilateral ties.

    “With this commitment, we work to increase our bilateral impact, and strive to build on joint solutions,” said Wickberg.

    The inaugural Ikea India store opened in August last year and reportedly cost US$145.8 million. The store spans about 400,000sqft and represents one of the largest foreign investments in the Indian home-goods market, to date largely dominated by ‘unorganised’ retail operators.

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  • First Ikea Macau store scheduled to open in first quarter of next year

    First Ikea Macau store scheduled to open in first quarter of next year

    Ikea says it plans to open in Macau in the first quarter of next year.

    Located in Taipa, the Ikea Macau store will occupy an area of 90,000sqft, offering a wide range of home furnishing products. The new store will feature several showrooms, an Ikea cafe, and a Swedish food market.

    The store will be opened by Ikea’s partner for Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Indonesia, Singapore-listed Dairy Farm Group.

    “Marking a major milestone in Ikea’s long-term commitment to Macau, the new Ikea store will offer well-designed, affordable and practical home furnishing solutions to Macau consumers,” said Adrian Worth, MD of Dairy Farm Group Ikea North Asia. “By offering a range of amazing value-for-money home furnishing products, together with our famous Swedish food, we hope to make that vision a reality for the people of Macau.”

    The company is recruiting more than 100 co-workers for the development and operation of the new Ikea Macau store.

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  • Ikea India focuses on tier-2 cities as it targets growth

    Ikea India focuses on tier-2 cities as it targets growth

    Ikea India is set to expand into tier-II cities in the second phase of its development after early success in key markets.

    The Swedish-headquartered furniture-and-homewares giant has established its presence in Hyderabad and Mumbai and is now working on building a large-format outlet in Bengaluru before moving on to Delhi.

    “We want to bring our offering through multi-channel approach,” said Ikea India CEO Peter Betzel. “We want to be present through large format stores, small stores and even on the online platform.”

    The planned stores will be wholly owned by Ikea and will work to ensure half of its workforce are women. They will be smaller in size but otherwise functionally similar to its large-format stores in the territory.

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  • Google Play Music subscription gifting removed

    Google Play Music subscription gifting removed

    It looks like Google no longer allows users to gift Play Music subscriptions via Android. The move is far from being surprising as the app rarely received updates and those that were pushed out added minor improvements and very few new features.

    The messages someone gets when trying to gift a Play Music subscription reads: “Important – Google Play Music subscriptions can no longer be purchased as gifts.” However, if you really want to gift someone a Play music subscription, there’s a workaround, but it involves using an older version of the Android app or simply gifting it through the web app.

    It’s unclear whether or not Google plans to bring back the feature in some other form, so, for now, you can only use the web app or the workaround mentioned above to gift someone a Play Music subscription from an Android device.

    Reports about Google phasing out Play Music and replacing it with YouTube Remix have been running around since April, so this might be one of the first steps towards its demise.

  • Ikea focused to smart home products

    Ikea focused to smart home products

    Swedish furniture business Ikea has committed to invest further into smart home products and has spun off the Ikea Home smart project team into a dedicated business unit within Ikea Sweden.

    Ikea Home Smart was initially conceived in 2012 in order to integrate new, smart technologies into Ikea products, such as wireless charging, smart lighting, as well as smart speakers made in collaboration with Sonos.

    “At Ikea we want to continue to offer products for a better life at home for the many people going forward. In order to do so we need to explore products and solutions beyond conventional home furnishing,” said Björn Block, head of the new Ikea Home smart business unit.

    “By working together will all other departments within Ikea, the business unit of Ikea Home smart will drive the digital transformation of the Ikea range, improving and transforming existing businesses and developing new businesses to bring more diverse smart products to the many people.

    “We are just getting started.”

    According to Ikea’s range and supply manager Peter van der Poel, this is the biggest new business the brand has established since the introduction of Children’s Ikea.

    In June, Ikea renamed its smart eco-system control app TRÅDFRI to Ikea Home Smart app, saying the name change signaled a shift in direction for the business.

    “We started out our journey within the smart home with our smart lighting range TRÅDFRI where we also named the steering app with the same name,” Black said.

    “Now, moving into the next step we want to simplify [the eco-system]. We want to make it possible for you to steer all your smart products in the same app, also making it possible for you to steer all your smart products in the same app.”

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  • Maxis store designers create ‘retail experience of the future’

    Maxis store designers create ‘retail experience of the future’

    Australian retail design firm Public Design Group and retail consultancy Fitch have collaborated to create a “retail experience of the future” for Malaysian telco Maxis.

    According to Public Design Group, the new Maxis flagship store at Gardens Mall – which follows the consultancies’ previous collaboration with Singtel – is a contemporary twist on a cafe-style theatre set, where shoppers receive “the highest level of personalised service from a brand new human service model” based on a conviction that “mall retailers have an inherent responsibility to engage and entertain shoppers well beyond the confines of product”.

    The store features a Gallery of Living Potential – a series of product-solution stories told through products, staff and large-format digital screens leaning back against the “gallery” wall. Waiters serve shoppers at tables in the “street”, while maitre d’ sales staff engage browsers throughout the store to discuss the new Maxis proposition.

    “The business focus is no longer on selling third-party devices,” said Public Design Group’s director of retail strategy Jason Pollard. “It’s now all about raising awareness of how the internet enables better living. This leads to multiple devices, premium content, and managed services all being sold under one umbrella lifestyle story, for example Wellbeing”.

    The store’s retail experience is designed to optimise human exchange with personalised demonstration of product solutions, digital queuing systems and seamless transaction processes.

    “Motivating store teams is key to ensuring a sustainable increase in business performance, and that’s what we have been able to do by creating a theatre set for customers and staff alike,” said Pollard. “When staff can play and enjoy the product, they self-educate whilst becoming advocates. The staff in this store stage a singing and dancing performance for customers daily; their happiness directly influences the quality of shopper experience.”

    “The lack of corporate colour and the recessed store entrance is part of the Maxis corporate brand being deliberately recessive,” said Public Design Group chief designer Dan Cooper. “We are seeing a gradual shift in retailers understanding of the importance of brand experience over and above branded environments.

    “Shoppers believe this environment has been designed for them to experience rather than for Maxis to sell; it’s very much a ‘pull’ rather than a ‘push’ psychology. When we look at what the Maxis brand means to people, it’s not their logo, their promotions or their tone of voice any more, it’s a fantasy world that shoppers can escape into, full of optimism, colour and compelling lifestyle stories.”

    Fitch Hong Kong collaborated with Public Design Group to create the digital content in the store, as well as developing a number of tech-driven initiatives to optimise customer processing and transactions. They are now working on phase two of the customer experience plan, where the stories in the Gallery of Living Potential are being taken to a deeper level of digital immersion.

  • King Living launches showroom in Canada

    King Living launches showroom in Canada

    Australian furniture business King Living has opened its first showroom in Canada, continuing the brand’s global roll-out which has seen stores open in Shanghai, Singapore, Malaysia and New Zealand.

    Located in a newly renovated 1000sqm heritage building in shopping district South Granville, Vancouver, the showroom will offer sofa designs, dining ranges, contemporary bed and mattress ranges and outdoor collections.

    King Living chief executive Anna Carrabs said the Canadian launch is a key component to the furniture retailer’s global growth strategy – with Vancouver being the first of many more showrooms in the American region.

    “King Living has already expanded into the Asian market with showrooms in Singapore, Malaysia and Shanghai, which have proven to be very successful in the roll-out of King Living internationally,” Carrabs said.

    “Showrooms will always be a huge part of the King DNA. We want customers to see, feel, test, and get to know the pieces in the flesh. All our designs are investment pieces made to last, so the tactile experience a showroom offers will always be incredibly important.”

    According to Carrabs, the Australian reputation for quality goods has set them apart from international competitors and has been the driving force behind its global expansion.

    “One of our biggest challenges has been challenges has been ensuring we find the right location for our King Living showrooms,” Carrabs said.

    “It is so important that our stores reflect our core values and Australian way of life. It took a considerable amount of time to find our showroom in Vancouver.

    “We wanted to be part of the vibrant shopping district which features around great galleries and gourmet restaurants so now, King Living is right at home.”

  • LF Products Renamed into Living Style Group

    LF Products Renamed into Living Style Group

    Fung Group subsidiary LF Products will rebrand itself as Living Style Group.

    The pure-play furniture and home furnishings company said in a statement the rebrand follows the completion of Li & Fung’s strategic divestment of its three product verticals (Furniture, Sweaters, and Beauty) in April last year to form LH Pegasus, which is 45-per-cent owned by Hony Capital and 55-per-cent owned by Fung Group.

    “The new brand name, Living Style Group, coupled with a new logo and website, reaffirms the company’s position as a leading furniture company that brings speed to market and provides total supply chain solutions in furniture and furnishings to brands and customers worldwide,” the statement said.

    “Our innovative mindset, design-driven approach and deep-rooted passion has brought us to where we are today, and I am excited to enter this new chapter as we continue to grow the business and bring the highest value to our customers,” added Henry Chan, president at Living Style Group.

    Living Style Group delivers furniture and furnishings through three furniture brands – Kenas Home, True Innovations and Whalen Furniture – as well as an expanding portfolio of licensed brands including private labels and premier lifestyle brands.

    In October, Living Style Group will unveil its new brand identity at High Point Market in North Carolina, the largest home-furnishings industry trade show in the world.

  • Sonos just the start of Ikea’s investment in smart home

    Sonos just the start of Ikea’s investment in smart home

    Ikea Australia is previewing its highly anticipated collaboration with Sonos in its Tempe store, ahead of the national launch of the Symfonisk range in September.

    The range, which includes a table lamp and bookshelf with built-in connected speakers, is just the start of Ikea’s push into the smart home space, the retailer said in a statement circulated on Friday.

    “Ikea sees great potential in the smart home business,” Ikea Australia spokesperson Mark Mitchinson said in a statement.

    “We strive to make solutions for life at home by integrating technology into our home furnishing offer that is easy to use and affordable, thereby making smart home technology accessible to many people.”

    Mitchinson said there will be additional launches, enabling people to build onto their smart home solution in the years to come.

    The Symfonisk range, which Ikea first announced in a video in January, will be available in-store and online from September 27.

    Designed in collaboration with US smart speaker company Sonos, the range aims to “democratize music and sound in the home”, the retailer said in a statement.

    “Sound enhances our life at home and the collaboration will enable many more people to create an atmosphere in the home with great design and sound,” Mitchinson said.

    The range includes a table lamp with a built-in speaker, which Ikea said will help de-clutter homes by eliminating cords. Priced at $269, the lamp-speaker partly springs from the idea of a fireplace, the retailer said – one single piece that spreads warm light as well as sound.

    It also includes a wi-fi bookshelf speaker priced at $149, which can double as a shelf that holds up to 3kg with the bracket. It can also be attached to almost any kitchen rail, the retailer said.

    Both products are compatible with Sonos’ own product range and can be steered through the Sonos app.

    They can also be steered via the Ikea Home Smart app, which is part of the retailer’s range of connected products, from speakers and charging pads to bulbs and light panels. The products are newly categorized under the collective name ‘Home Smart’, and share the common goal of saving customers time, money and energy.

    Customers can experience Ikea’s new Symfonisk range and take part in immersive experiences at the retailer’s Tempe store in Sydney from yesterday, July 25, through to August 4.

  • YouTube Music update adds new Smart Downloads feature

    YouTube Music update adds new Smart Downloads feature

    Google’s music streaming service, YouTube Music is bringing users a brand new feature that will allow them to listen to their favorite songs even when they’re offline. The new feature is called Smart Downloads and will automatically download up to 500 songs that a YouTube Music user “liked.”

    That new feature will be available on Android devices first, but only for YouTube Music Premium subscribers. In order for the feature to work, you’ll have to enable Smart Downloads from the app’s menu. All downloads will happen while your phone is connected to Wi-Fi, hence the name Smart Downloads.

    Make sure that you have enough free storage though and if you don’t think your phone can take all your “liked” songs, you can select how many you want YouTube Music to download from within the settings.

    Unlike Offline Mixtape, a feature that’s available for YouTube Music users for quite some time, Smart Downloads doesn’t create a mix of songs that fit your taste profile and makes it available offline but rather downloads exactly the songs you like.

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