Victoria’s Secret has opened its debut flagship store in Australia, the first store in the nation to offer the U.S. lingerie giant’s full range of apparel, innerwear and accessories. Located in Melbourne’s Chadstone Shopping Centre, the Victoria’s Secret store opened to much fanfare at 5:30 am local time, with a ribbon cutting ceremony last week.
Some one thousand women camped outside and waited for a first look at the store, according to local media reports, with the first shoppers getting a $180 voucher.
Designed to reflect the firm’s New York flagship store on Fifth Avenue, Victoria’s SecretMelbourne is fitted out the brand’s recognised pink, and hosts an in-store display that holds approximately 12,000 pairs of panties.
There’s also a separate entrance for its Victoria’s Secret Pink collections.
The new Australian store in addition sells Body by Victoria, Very Sexy, Dream Angels, Bombshell, cotton lingerie and Victoria’s Sport athleisure line.
The Melbourne opening marks the first official Victoria’s Secret store in Australia, separating itself from concession stores inside malls and Australian airports that are limited to selling fragrance and cosmetics.
Victoria’s Secret recently announced it had appointed fashion executive John Mehas as its new lingerie chief executive.
Mehas will take over in January, replacing Jan Singer, who has now resigned.
“Our number one priority is improving performance,” L Brands chairman and chief executive officer Leslie Wexner said at the time of announcing.
“I am confident that, under John’s leadership, Victoria’s Secret Lingerie…will continue to be a powerhouse and will deliver products and experiences.”
Vietnam’s newest airline, Bamboo Airways, has advanced its maiden flight by two days to December 27, its CEO said Sunday. Dang Tat Thanh said the private carrier’s first aircraft, an Airbus A319 leased from an Irish company, has arrived in Hanoi.
Earlier, Trinh Van Quyet, chairman of FLC, the company that owns the airline, had said the first flight would be on December 29.
Bamboo Airways received the aviation license to become Vietnam’s fifth airline early last month. But it is still awaiting an aircraft operator certificate and permissions for parking and selling tickets.
It is also leasing an Airbus A320 from the same Irish company, and the airplane is expected to arrive later this month or early next month.
Bamboo Airways is allowed to operate 10 aircraft on both domestic and international routes and to carry passengers and cargo on its flights.
It plans to fly on 100 routes, connecting Vietnam’s major cities with popular domestic and international tourist destinations.
The carrier was founded with a charter capital of VND700 billion ($30 million), which it increased recently to VND1.3 trillion ($55.68 million).
It has signed deals to buy 24 Airbus A320neo and 20 Boeing B787-9 Dreamliner aircraft worth a total of $8.6 billion.
The other four carriers in Vietnam are Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Jetstar Pacific and VASCO.
DFS Group, the world’s leading luxury travel retailer, is pleased to introduce global luxury brand Moncler at Changi Airport Terminal 1. The opening of the new Moncler boutique adds an important presence within the DFS Group’s luxury fashion offerings that are housed within a world-class travel retail destination.
The new Moncler boutique represents a new milestone that reflects the DFS Group’s focus on experiential shopping. It also complements the DFS Group’s impressive luxury retail line-up at Changi Airport, which is home to a prominent stable of premium fashion offerings. The latest collaboration with the fashion-forward and iconic outerwear leader underlines DFS Group’s commitment to deliver the finest product offerings and exclusive experiences to fashion-conscious shoppers.
The new boutique reflects Moncler’s haute montagne aesthetic and vision, at the same time keeping in tune with the maison’s roots and heritage. Boasting a floor area that measures around 110 square metres, the clever layout maximises the use of space while the addition of select materials adds a contemporary feel. A unique effect has been achieved with the marble flooring, which alternates herringbone white Calacatta Vagli with black Gricio Carnico, while sleek glass cases with black varnished wood complete the look. The boutique hosts the Moncler men’s, women’s and accessory collections.
“We are very honoured to welcome a distinguished and respected heritage brand such as Moncler into our portfolio of fashion and watch brands. As part of the strategy to up the ante of the retail experience for our global travellers when they visit DFS Changi, Moncler has been carefully curated to offer a wide selection from their latest collection for savvy travellers.” Wilcy Wong, DFS Group Managing Director Singapore and Indonesia, shares.
Teo Chew Hoon, Group Senior Vice President of Airside Concessions from Changi Airport Group adds, “We are pleased to open the first Moncler boutique with our valued partner DFS Group to offer passengers an exceptional shopping experience with fashion offerings from luxury to high street designs across a range of price points.”
The boutique was officially opened on 14th December with a grand opening ceremony. The festivities featured a ribbon cutting ceremony officiated by renowned local actor Desmond Tan with Wilcy Wong, DFS Group Managing Director Singapore and Indonesia and Chandra Mahtani, Changi Airport Group Vice-President of Terminal 5 Planning. Hosted by Constance Lau, the ribbon cutting ceremony and lion dancers kick-started the celebrations for esteemed guests, who were treated to a live nitrogen cocktail performance and styling tips by Celebrity fashion stylist and personality, Glenn Goh.
A Deliveroo restaurant has opened in Hong Kong in a trial which, if successful, could see its own-branded eateries opened globally.
Called Deliveroo Food Market, the outlet will serve as both a kitchen for delivering online orders, and a customer-facing storefront where diners can choose between 15 dining concepts.
The 1500sqft kitchen which cost HK$7.5 million (US$960,000) to build, does not have seating for dine-in.
“We find there is an opportunity to bring our online to offline model to our customers,” Brian Lo, Deliveroo GM said.
With Hong Kong boasting some of the most expensive rental prices of any major international city, the pressure on restaurant operators to develop concepts which perform is very high.
“This model works very well for them,” said Lo.
The debut Deliveroo restaurant will open in Sai Ying Pun as an extension of the brand’s Editions program, where eateries share kitchen space to fulfil Deliveroo delivery orders.
Five restaurant brands will share the Deliveroo restaurant space in Hong Kong, offering a combined 15 concepts: Chinese chain Crystal Jade, Pizza Express, Pololi Group, Beef & Liberty and Red Sauce Hospitality.
Singapore-headquartered Crystal Jade is using the kitchen to launch Lao Er and Brother Kwok, two delivery-only virtual brands targeting younger consumers by offering a modern twist on traditional noodle and fried rice dishes.
“This is a location we can have a closer touch with the residents nearby and understand their dining behaviour,” said Wincy Cheung, Crystal Jade’s assistant marketing & communications director. “It allows us to test our new brands. If we opened a physical store, we’d have to consider a lot of things. This delivery platform allows us to reach more customers at a location that we’re not already in,” she said.
Another participant in the trial is Pizza Express which plans to test a new concept called The Pasta Project.
“Deliveroo’s Food Market allows customer-facing trials of new concepts to launch in market much faster, just as we have done with The Pasta Project,” said Pizza Express MD of international, Liam Collette.
He stressed that restaurants are not going to be eliminated by delivery and the company will continue to expand.
Pololi Group will offer Shaka with American-style sushi rolls and Killer Golden Bird with fried chicken, while Beef & Liberty is debuting the vegetarian and vegan Leaves & Liberty concept, using Impossible Meat.
Lo said virtual restaurant brands are already supporting the business of Deliveroo’s partner restaurants. Kai, which serves up customised poke bowls, and Blazed offering Hawaiian BBQ platters are both virtual brands launched by Pololi Limited at the first Deliveroo Editions site, a so-called ‘dark kitchen’ in Wan Chai cooking only for delivery orders, without a customer interface. Both brands have succeeded as a delivery concept, leading to brick-and-mortar stores.
Sai Ying Pun appeal
Deliveroo chose Sai Ying Pun as home for its first Food Market due to the neighbourhood’s fast-expanding food, drink and cafe scene, which is attracting local and expat foodies alike. Deliveroo is also working with partner restaurants to create new corporate-specific offerings for the growing number of businesses now moving into SYP and surrounding districts such as Kennedy Town and Sheung Wan.
“Residential projects, business development and cultural sites are flourishing in the western districts of Hong Kong Island, and yet many popular restaurant brands have little presence in the area,” said Lo.
“Sai Ying Pun is an exciting location for future growth and we are pleased to offer our partners restaurants more reach into this vibrant district and its surrounding areas. In the coming year, Deliveroo will be looking for more opportunities to expand into Kowloon and the New Territories to bring our Food Market concept to more customers across Hong Kong.”
The Sai Ying Pun location is expected to employ up to 30 on-site staff in its kitchen and customer spaces.
Vietnam’s largest private firm Vingroup launched four new phone models Friday, saying it aims to sell them internationally. The four new Vsmart phones, manufactured at the group’s VinSmart factory in Vietnam’s northern city of Hai Phong, are priced from 2.49 million ($107.18) to 6.29 million ($270.76) in the introductory phase. The prices will later increase to VND2.59-6.59 million ($111.49-283.67).
Tran Minh Trung, CEO of VinSmart, said at the launching event that his company wants to branch out to markets outside of Vietnam.
“We will not stop at the Vietnam market. We will bring out products to the world with five business departments in five continents. A sixth department will be in charge of e-commerce. We are capable of competing and we want to be accepted in both local and international markets,” he said.
VinSmart is set to be a new competitor in the Vietnam market of 95 million people, currently dominated by Samsung and Apple phones.VinSmart acquired the intellectual property rights for the four phones from Spanish technology firm BQ, in which VinSmart owns a 51 percent stake.
Vietnam is the largest smartphone production base for Samsung, while key Apple supplier Foxconn is also considering setting up a factory in the country.
The launching of the phones has happened at rapid speed, just six months after Vingroup established the VinSmart company in June to produce smartphones and other smart electronic devices with a registered capital of VND3 trillion ($131.54 million).
Vingroup, once a real estate and retail focused conglomerate, also became the country’s first full-fledged domestic car maker in October, introducing three new car models.
VinSmart factory is capable of making five million phones a year in its first phase of operations, the company has said.
It has also said that the factory will produce smart TVs and other smart products in the future. VinSmart also signed a multimode global patent license deal on Friday with chip producer Qualcomm.
Southeast Asian musical instruments retailer Swee Lee Music has opened a refurbished flagship in Malaysia. The 4995sqft location in Lot 10 Mall is Swee Lee’s 15th store in the region, and one of three in Malaysia. Beyond its range of instruments, the store sells vinyl records and curated lifestyle products, and has partnered with second-hand guitar retailer Well Played Gear to offer its products in store. High-end consumer audio goods are also available for purchase.
The store represents the first build of Swee Lee’s retro-futuristic wood/concrete interior design aesthetic in Malaysia. It also reserves space for a cafe and performance events.
Swee Lee’s MD of music Meng Ru Kuok said: “Since Swee Lee began operating in Malaysia three years ago, we’ve been delighted to support local musicians as they pursue their creative journeys.
The refurbished KL flagship store is about taking this to the next level. In a dynamic city like Kuala Lumpur, which has a deep passion for music and incredibly talented artists, we want to establish a space where anyone can be inspired to connect and create.”
October Singapore retail sales inched up by 0.5 per cent year on year, after excluding motor vehicle sales from the data.
Month-on-month they fell by 2.1 per cent, reaching S$3.7 billion (US$2.69 billion).
Online retail sales breached the 5 per cent threshold of total retail sales at 5.3 per cent for October.
By category, sales by petrol stations soared the most, up 11.4 per cent year on year, however when the effects of price changes was removed from the data, the increase was a more moderate 1.5 per cent.
Sales of medical goods and toiletries rose 3.4 per cent on the back of cosmetics, with furniture and homewares up 1.5 per cent.
In contrast, sales in department stores and supermarkets decreased 3.6 per cent and 2.9 per cent respectively. Retailers of optical goods and books and recreational goods declined by 1.9 per cent and 1.8 per cent.
Sales of food and beverage services rose 1.1 per cent, with food caterers recording a 5.6 per cent increase in turnover, other eating places (such as cafes) improving by 3.8 per cent, and fast-food outlets by 3.2 per cent.
Restaurant turnover, however, was down 3 per cent.
Does a new new designer collaboration revealed this week represent growing Starbucks fashion cred? Accessories and apparel brand Herschel has created a capsule collection inspired by Starbucks China’s Sumatra coffee blends.
It follows the release of two seasonal ranges of homewares designed by Los Angeles label Ban.Do in the coffee company’s Asia-Pacific stores, the first of them on sale in July last year.
Vancouver-based Herschel established a headquarters in Shanghai this year and is currently working on expansion plans within the territory along with retail partners nationwide. A permanent store location will open in the third quarter, and 15–20 Herschel Supply stores are are expected to be open before the end of next year.
Cofounder Lyndon Cormack said: “Coffee is significant in one aspect or another in just about every part of the world. Of course, it’s a huge part of our culture in Vancouver, here in the Northwest, just a few hundred kilometres away from Starbucks’ birthplace in Seattle.
“To work with one of the most globally recognised brands and collaborate with them directly is an incredible opportunity to bring both of our stories to life in a unique and meaningful way. We’ve also been active in the market for years and certainly experienced robust growth.
“To receive the stamp of approval, so to speak, from the Starbucks China team shows us we’re off to an amazing start and that there’s a lot of opportunity for us to expand in the territory.”
The Starbucks fashion-influenced range, which is currently sold exclusively at Starbucks locations within China, includes carryalls, mugs and a Starbucks card featuring a custom Sumatra Cherry Woodland Camo print.
Hyundai Motor Group said it will invest 7.6 trillion won ($6.7 billion) in fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV) by 2030, betting big on hydrogen as the energy source for the future. The group announced what it called its “FCEV Vision 2030” on Tuesday, promising to build production capacity of 500,000 FCEVs yearly by 2030 to take the lead in the fledgling industry. It added that the investment will generate some 51,000 new jobs by 2030.
As a first step, Hyundai Mobis, the auto parts and software affiliate of Hyundai Motor, held a groundbreaking ceremony for its second fuel cell stack factory in Chungju, North Chungcheong, on Tuesday.
If the factory is completed in 2022, Hyundai Motor Group’s production capacity for fuel cell stack will expand from its current 3,000 units per year to 40,000 units.
“Hyundai Motor Group will become the first mover in the new hydrogen society that will arrive soon,” said Chung Eui-sun, Hyundai Motor Group’s executive vice chairman, in a speech at the ceremony in Chungju on Tuesday.
“The group plans to expand the fuel cell stack production capacity to 700,000 units by 2030, including for the 500,000 FCEVs we plan to make by that year.”
The ceremony was attended by Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Sung Yung-mo, Hyundai Motor President Chung Jin-haeng and Hyundai Mobis President Lim Young-deuk.
Hyundai Mobis’ Chungju plant is focused on producing parts for eco-friendly vehicles like hybrid and electric cars.
Last year, it constructed a new section dedicated to making fuel cell stacks with a capacity of 3,000 units per year.
The carmaker forecasts that hydrogen will be used as an energy source in shipbuilding, railways and forklifts in the future and said it would start a business supplying fuel cell modules to other companies. The additional 200,000 units of FCEV modules that are not used in Hyundai Motor’s own FCEVs by 2030 will be sold elsewhere, the carmaker said.
Executive Vice Chairman Chung said the FCEV industry will become a new growth engine for Korea.
“Ninety-nine percent of auto parts in FCEVs are made domestically,” Chung said, “which is why its growth will have big ripple effects on other companies related to the industry. Through co-investment with partner companies, [Hyundai Motor] will try to build new growth engine for Korea’s future car industry.”
Currently, some 130 partner companies are providing parts for fuel cell stacks made by Hyundai Mobis.
Hyundai Motor has been making hefty investments in FCEVs along with rival Toyota. It was the first carmaker in the world to make a mass-produced FCEV model in 2013 called the Tucson ix35. It launched a hydrogen-powered Nexo SUV early this year.
Since last year, the carmaker has been chairing the Hydrogen Council, a global lobbying group. Other companies represented on the council include Daimler, BMW and Air Liquide.
The Korean government plans to supply 16,000 FCEVs and build 310 FCEV charging stations by 2022. There are currently only around 10 stations available to the public in Korea.
China plans to supply 1 million FCEVs by 2030 and construct 1,000 charging stations. Japan plans to supply 40,000 FCEVs by 2020 and build 160 charging stations.
The first certified Lego Thailand store has opened at Siam Paragon in Bangkok. The Danish building-toy manufacturer says the move is part of the brand’s strategic plan for Asian expansion. The new 170sqm Lego Thailand store has opened in a “co-sharing” partnership with DKSH (Thailand) Ltd. It offers more than 300 Lego toys, 32 of which are exclusive to certified, branded Lego outlets.
Lego Singapore GM for emerging Asia Atsushi Hasegawa said Thailand is an attractive market for Lego. “The country has an established economy, a large population and an established retail industry … We expect to see faster growth in Asia, including Thailand, and sustainable growth in Europe and America.”
Hasegawa added that Lego’s targeting of the Asian market recognises that it is home to more than half of the world’s children. While Asia still has a low base for Lego toys compared to many established markets in the West, the company is seeing an opportunity to boost its sales by five or six times in the region.
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According to Hasegawa, the company’s initial priority is not to increase the number of Lego stores, but to deliver the right brand experience to children at the right locations.
DKSH’s director of commercial development Arden Feschuk said the company expects the Lego Thailand store will achieve THB100 million (US$3.05 million) in sales in its first year. There is also a plan to expand the number of Lego-certified stores in Thailand later.
“During the first year of opening, more than 400,000 people are expected to visit the store, with Thais accounting for 60 per cent and foreigners 40 per cent. Due to the company’s one-price strategy, exclusive Lego sets will cost the same here as they do in neighbouring countries.
“Due to this, Lego fans will no longer have to go overseas to buy Lego products. Also, new collections will be launched at the same time as in the US and Europe”.
Sixty per cent of Lego’s Thailand sales are currently brought in via distribution in department stores, while more than 15 per cent is derived from specialist toy stores.
As a result of its successful attempt to attract younger drivers with a new design and cost effectiveness, Hyundai Motor’s large Grandeur sedan is likely to be the best-selling car in Korea for a second consecutive year. Its hybrid engine largely contributed to the triumph.
The Grandeur IG sold a total of 102,682 in Korea units as of the end of November, becoming the first and only model this year to surpass the 100,000 mark.
The sales figure fell slightly, however, compared to the 123,000 units sold last year during the same period.
Hyundai Motor said the Grandeur’s hybrid engine towed sales for the model. In November, a total of 2,302 Grandeur Hybrids have been sold, the highest monthly sales since its launch.
Closely trailing behind in second is Hyundai Motor’s large Santa Fe SUV, which climbed up eight spots from No. 10 last year.
Last year, the Santa Fe sold a total of 54,334 units in Korea. After launching a fully revamped version early this year and riding on a global trend to prefer SUVs, a total of 98,559 Santa Fes have been sold this year, according to the carmaker.
With the Grandeur pulling in the younger generation, its midsize Sonata sedan is losing ground.
The Sonata, which was either the bestseller or runner up for more than five consecutive years, tumbled to the third spot last year among all passenger cars in Korea.
This year, the midsize sedan tumbled to sixth, selling a little more than 60,000 units.
The top 10 spots were all taken by either Hyundai Motor or its smaller affiliate Kia Motors.
The other three Korean carmakers – GM Korea, Renault Samsung Motors and SsangYong Motor – struggled to sell their cars to Korean consumers. Internal issues and a lack of new vehicles has largely contributed to the automaker’s struggle.
SsangYong Motor’s best-selling model was the small Tivoli SUV, which sold a total of 39,330 units as of the end of November. GM Korea’s best-selling car was the compact Spark, which sold a total of 34,616 units during the same period. For Renault Samsung Motors, which didn’t launch any new passenger car model this year, its best-selling model was the QM6 SUV, which sold a total of 28,180 units as of November.
It was Mercedes-Benz’s year when it came to imports. The E300 4MATIC line topped the ranks as of the end of November, selling 8,336 units followed by the E300 trim with 7,816 units.
In the third spot was Lexus’ hybrid ES300h, which sold 7,805 units. BMW’s 520d, which was the most popular import last year, was hurt by the burning engine crisis over the summer and fell to fourth spot with 7,668 units in sales.
Malaysia Airlines announced the rebranding of its First Class cabin to Business Suite offering passengers new levels of luxury with ample cabin space and privacy. “The new Business Suite was introduced in response to the growing demand of our guests. Our target is to enable the frequent flyer, looking for enhanced comfort, to now be able to enjoy a premium experience at competitive prices,” Malaysia Airlines group CEO Captain Izham Ismail said in a statement.
“We are confident that our new Business Suite will change the way people travel in business class,” Izham added.
Starting Dec 12, 2018, the Business Suite will be available on all of the airline’s A350-900 and A380-800s.
The suite comes with a dedicated check-in counter, access to Malaysia Airlines premium First Class Lounge, 50kg baggage allowance as well as fine-dining experience onboard.
The Business Suite cabin will be available on the London, Tokyo, Osaka route and on the Sydney and Seoul route during the winter season.
Chinese sports apparel brand Li-Ning has released a collaboration with esports organisation Edward Gaming (EDG). The Li-Ning X EDG apparel line, which includes hoodies, jackets, tracksuits, and shoes, is now selling at its retail location in Shanghai’s Daning shopping complex.
Li-Ning has become one of China’s largest sportswear brands, having signed multiple sponsorship deals with international-league athletes. EDG is best known for its League of Legends team, which competed in the world gaming championship earlier this year. It closed a funding round of close to RMB100 million (US$15.7 million) last May.
Chinese group tours, which helped fuel local retail sector growth in recent years, have yet to make a full comeback despite the easing of restrictions by Beijing, Korean duty-free store operators said on Sunday. The assessment came as official data from the Bank of Korea showed that 475,000 Chinese nationals visited the country in October, up 37.6 percent from a year earlier.
Local tax-exempted outlet operators like Lotte Duty Free and Shilla Duty Free, as well as the umbrella Korea Duty Free Shops Association (KDFA), said that most Chinese customers were individual travelers and so-called “daigongs,” rather than “youkers,” or group travelers.
Daigongs are small-scale merchants who buy products here on behalf of customers back home.
Chinese authorities clamped down on group tours to Korea in March 2017 after Seoul allowed the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile defense system on its soil, despite objections from Beijing. China has since partially lifted restrictions, but the number of group tours has not returned to past levels.
Lotte said that it had almost no youkers, who enter the country on a group visa, and that most shoppers were individual travelers or small merchants.
It said that before the frictions caused by the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense’s deployment, there were 7,000 to 8,000 youkers daily at its main duty free store in downtown Seoul. This dropped to around 2,000 after the uproar and then to zero.
Shilla said it did receive 820 youkers in October.
A new Vietnam-based airline set up by Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia and a local company is expected to fly by next August. Tran Trong Kien, CEO of Hanoi-based resort ooperator Thien Minh Group, AirAsia’s partner, said that applications for aviation licenses would be made next February and likely obtained in six months.
Vietnam will become the newest market for AirAsia, the largest low-cost carrier in Southeast Asia, which has affiliates in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.
Kien said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had expressed support for the airline, which has yet to be named.
The airline plans to deploy five or six Airbus SE A320 and A321 aircraft on domestic and regional routes, and expand the fleet to 30 within three years, he added.
Last week Thien Minh Group signed a memorandum of understanding with AirAsia for setting up the new airline with a capital of VND1 trillion ($44 million).
AirAsia will hold a 30 percent stake in it, and Thien Minh, 70 percent.
The new airline would be a direct competitor to Vietnam’s budget carriers Vietjet Aviation and Jetstar Pacific, according to industry insiders.
Vietnam Airlines is currently the biggest airline in terms of passengers carried.
Bamboo Airways, owned by private corporation FLC, last month received a license and expects to make its maiden flight on December 29. It is allowed to operate 10 aircraft on domestic and international routes.
There are five carriers in Vietnam: Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways, Jetstar Pacific and VASCO. Vietnam Airlines owns VASCO and has a 70 percent stake in Jetstar Pacific.
Vietnam received 14.12 million foreigners in the first 11 months of the year, up 21.3 per cent year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office. Eighty percent of foreign tourists arrive by air.
Vietnam’s aviation market has averaged 17.4 percentage growth in the past decade, far higher than the 7.9 percent rate for the Asia-Pacific, according to the International Air Transport Association.
AirAsia almost struck a deal with Vietjet, but in 2010 the deal collapsed.
