Animate, a popular retailer of Japanese anime merchandise, has made a comeback in Hong Kong by inaugurating a new store in Mong Kok. This move comes a few years after it shut down its previous location.
The retailer initially launched in Mong Kok back in 2012 and managed to operate for nearly eight years before closing its doors in 2020. Alongside the store closure, Animate Cafe, also recognized as Youme Cafe, ceased operations as well.
The latest Animate outlet is situated on the fourth floor of the TOP (This Is Our Place) shopping mall in Mong Kok. The company disclosed that the decision to operate the store under a direct management model will permit swifter access to new anime merchandise. This includes not only peripherals but also manga and audiovisual products.
Additionally, the revamped operation model will expediently hasten product launch timelines. It will also offer customers a shopping experience more akin to Animate’s stores in Japan.
Animate expressed optimism about the new store serving as a communication hub for anime enthusiasts in Hong Kong. The company anticipates it will attract a larger number of both local and international visitors.
Questions & Answers
What is the significance of Animate choosing a direct management model for its new store?
Adopting a direct management model allows Animate to provide faster access to the latest anime merchandise. It also expedites product launch timelines, enhancing the overall shopping experience for customers.
Where is the new Animate store located?
The new Animate store is located on the fourth floor of the TOP (This Is Our Place) shopping mall in Mong Kok, Hong Kong.
What does Animate hope for its new store in Hong Kong?
Animate has great expectations for its new store to become a communication hub for anime fans in Hong Kong. It also aims to attract a larger number of both local and overseas visitors.
Waraporn Nilpanich (third left), Vice President Credit Card of AEON Thana Sinsap (Thailand) Public Company Limited, together with Voralak Tulaphorn (middle), Senior Vice President Marketing of The Mall Group Co., Ltd. has launched “The Magic of Giving” campaign to reward AEON credit cardholders this New Year.
Accumulated spending of every 3,000 baht at the Mall shopping center with AEON credit cards, entitles cardholders to receive a gift voucher of up to 1,000 baht. Besides, cardholders will receive x3 lucky draws for chances to win prizes valued over 1 million baht when spending every 1,000 baht. The campaign runs until January 11th, 2017
Malaysia’s Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC), smart city enabler Cyberview and Mastercard have signed an agreement to support the Malaysian government’s push towards a cashless society.
During the recent signing of the memorandum of agreement at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, Cyberview’s managing director Dato’ Faris Yahaya said that a cashless society drive would help to strengthen smart city development in Cyberjaya.
Faris said the agreement is the latest in a series of milestones achieved by Cyberjaya in its continued evolution as a Smart City.
Recent achievements include the deployment of a city-wide long range (LoRA) network to offer an IoT lab and the establishment of its City Innovation Council (CIC) to allow startups to test out prototypes.
“Cyberview has spearheaded the continued development of the city under its Smart City and Living Lab initiatives – development pillars designed to increase its operational efficiency, improve the quality of life for the people of Cyberjaya and contribute to growing the local economy,” added Faris.
“We continue to do this by incorporating technology into every facet of the township through collaboration with our many partners, and this is eminent from our push in transforming Cyberjaya into a cashless city by working hand in hand with MaGIC and Mastercard,” he said.
(From left) Carlos J. Menendez, President Enterprise Partnership, MasterCard; Dato’ Faris Yahaya, Managing Director, Cyberview Sdn Bhd; Tan Sri Dr. Mohd Irwan Serigar, Secretary General of Treasury, Ministry of Finance Malaysia; Perry Ong, Country Manager for Malaysia and Brunei, MasterCard and Mr. Ashran bin Dato’ Ghazi, Chief Executive Officer, Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC) during the Memorandum of Understanding Ceremony at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona.
“The reason why we’re doing this is because we understand that payments are the heart of a city’s economic activity – forming the core of every economic flow including salaries, consumer spending, business procurement, and taxes,” said Faris.
Cashless ecosystem
This latest agreement lists several initiatives to be rolled out by the partners to develop a cashless ecosystem in Cyberjaya.
He said some of these include integrating Mastercard’s digital payments service Masterpass to make everyday transactions for consumers faster, simpler and more secure as well as providing city authorities and urban planners actionable data-driven insights into the retail industry and to better inform their marketing campaigns for visitors.
These activities are in line with the government’s Economic Transformation Programme and Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) vision to transform Malaysia into a cashless society.
Ashran Dato’ Ghazi, chief executive officer of MaGIC said: “MaGIC will support the Cyberview Smart City initiative in a collaboration with both Cyberview and Mastercard. Through the Corporate Entrepreneurship Responsibility (CER) platform, MaGIC will play a key role to facilitate the partnership between players in the corporate sector like Mastercard and local entrepreneurs to design and build smart city infrastructure, services and solutions in Cyberjaya.”
Perry Ong, country manager for Malaysia and Brunei of Mastercard, said, “Through the Economic Transformation Program, an electronic payments agenda is embedded through a structural reform known as the Payment Card Reform framework where the payment industry is working together in efforts to broaden market access and to dampen cash transactions. It is imperative that we recognise the great control, transparency and efficiency electronic payments offers to society.”
Ong added that Mastercard will be providing the horizontal payment construct across all the vertical clusters in the Smart City including urban mobility, lifestyle, finance, health, supply chain and education among others.
He said this will ensure an integrated payment ecosystem for a better commerce experience with digital solutions such as “Masterpass, which helps Malaysians to enjoy simpler, safer and smarter digital payments across any device and channel anywhere – be it online, in app and in-store with contactless.”
“By embedding digital payments into our core infrastructure and harnessing the data that electronic payments generate, cities can deliver on their promise to create smarter, more welcoming spaces, and empower their citizens to lead greater, more rewarding lives,” said Cyberview’s Faris.
He said an AllianceDBS Research report earlier this year projected that the ‘cashless’ system in Malaysia will grow by 15 per cent, five-year compounded annual growth rate (CAGR), as Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) pushes for reform in the country’s payment system.
“We will continue to collaboratively work with our numerous ecosystem partners, including MaGIC and Mastercard to enhance the liveability of the city and provide the people of Cyberjaya with everything they will need to improve their lives,” Faris said.
Asia Satellite Telecommunications (AsiaSat) is collaborating with Digital Magic, a provider of advanced imaging solutions to co-produce UltraHD (UHD) content for AsiaSat’s UHD channel 4K-SAT, on AsiaSat 4.
The co-production includes a knowledge-based UHD mini-series on satellite communications to provide an easy-to-understand introduction to topics such as how a satellite works, how it serves people and how it is used in broadcasting high quality content.
“Compelling content is the key to drive UHD viewership. Creating original content is the first step of our collaboration with Digital Magic,” said Sabrina Cubbon, VP of marketing and global accounts of AsiaSat.
“Digital Magic is an industry renowned content producer in UHD and VR. We look forward to developing more together for our audience in Asia,” said Cubbon.
Percy Fung, production director of Digital Magic said initial content viewing among youth has suggested that this is a meaningful attempt to broaden public interest and knowledge in space and communications.
“We are delighted to partner with AsiaSat, Asia’s UHD satellite broadcasting pioneer to create original, insightful content to educate and inform our viewers in the region,” said Fung.
AsiaSat’s 4K-SAT channel is currently broadcasting a variety of full UHD content. Major TV operators in the Asia-Pacific have access to it via AsiaSat 4.
Asia is driving huge growth for cosmetics giant L’Oreal, despite a slowdown in Hong Kong.
At the end of September, L’Oréal posted growth of 4.4 per cent on a like-for-like basis – and 21.9 per cent based on reported figures as the company expands its retail network and wholesale operations in the region.
Kiehl’s, Yves Saint Laurent and Giorgio Armani contributed to dynamic growth of the L’Oreal Luxe division, despite the context of slower third-quarter growth in Hong Kong and Travel Retail Asia.
The Consumer Products Division is performing well in India, Australia and Thailand. In China, growth at L’Oreal Paris is accelerating, while Magic is undergoing a transitional period. The Active Cosmetics Division is growing strongly, thanks to the success of La Roche-Posay, L’Oreal reported in its quarterly filing.
Jean-Paul Agon, chairman and CEO, said at the end of September, the group’s reported growth is strong, at 13.2 per cent, still supported by a positive currency effect.
“Despite a global context that is still volatile, we are confident for the year end. The beauty market remains dynamic. In each Division, our brands are pushing forward with successes such as Maybelline and NYX in the Consumer Products Division, Yves Saint Laurent, Kiehl’s and Urban Decay at L’Oréal Luxe, Redken in the Professional Products Division and La Roche-Posay at Active Cosmetics,” he said.
“Finally, the acceleration of our digital transformation is making us stronger, in particular with the rapid increase (40 per cent) of our eCommerce sales which should significantly exceed 1 billion euros this year.
“We are confirming our ambition to outperform once again the beauty market in 2015 and to achieve significant growth in both sales and profits.”
