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Tag: Malaysia

  • CIMB launches mobile wallet app for cashless payments

    CIMB launches mobile wallet app for cashless payments

    CIMB Bank Bhd has launched a lifestyle mobile application, CIMB Pay that provides combine secure cashless payments with deals and offers.

    This enables the bank’s seven million customers to experience faster, easier and more secure payments at over 1,800 contactless terminal-enabled merchants nationwide as well as search nearby location-based real-time deals.

    Group consumer banking chief executive officer Samir Gupta said the launch of CIMB Pay further strengthens its suite of digital offering, reaffirming CIMB’s position as a customer-centric bank with cutting-edge technology in the region.

    “We are proud that CIMB Pay is the first mobile wallet app that enables consumers to not only make cashless payments, but also allows them to take advantage of lifestyle deals.

    “Combined with the ability to store cards issued by both Mastercard and Visa, CIMB Pay is the leader among similar apps,” Gupta said in a statement, adding the initiative also supports Bank Negara’s move to go cashless.

    On the app’s security features, Gupta noted that security and privacy are at the core of CIMB Pay and that all card details were tokenised with no information stored on the devices.

    “Users will also be required to authenticate transactions either using the mobile fingerprint or a six digit PIN,” he added.

    In the meantime, Gupta said more functionalities will be added onto CIMB Pay in the first quarter of 2017, including simplified online payment and express checkout solutions powered by Mastercard’s Masterpass.

    With Masterpass, shoppers will be able to use their CIMB Mastercard debit or credit card along with the shipping information saved on the mobile app to complete online transactions.

    Customers can make payments by simply tapping their phone on any contactless terminal based on Near Field Communication technology.

    The app also has an in-built notification system that alerts customers on nearby contactless terminals and flash deals.

    CIMB Pay can be downloaded on Google Play for NFC-enabled smartphones running on Android 4.4 and above.

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  • The Twee flagship in Kuala Lumpur

    The Twee flagship in Kuala Lumpur

    Korean fashion retailer The Twee will open its first Southeast Asia flagship store at the new KL Gateway Mall in Kuala Lumpur.

    Set to open on January 12, the mall is part of the KL Gateway mixed development by Suez Capital in Bangsar South, Jalan Kerinchi.

    Along the Federal Highway, it offers a net lettable area of about 400,000 sqft (37,161 sqm) across seven levels, with more than 200 retail outlets.

    Covering about 11,000 sqft, The Twee flagship will be the brand’s biggest store in Southeast Asia, says Suez Capital head of asset management Michael Chee Soon Hin.

    Launched in 2009, The Twee has 28 fashion stores as well as kiosks in major department stores across Korea as well as in Shanghai. It targets women between 19 and 25 years old.

    Chee says the mall is already 80 per cent occupied and there are hopes it will achieve full occupancy by April. Secured tenants include Cotton On, Daiso, Doutor Coffee, H&M, Home’s Harmony, Mr DIY, Times Bookstore, Village Grocer, Yamazaki Bakery and Yubiso.

    There will also be free WiFi throughout the common areas of the mall.

    “The concept of the mall is based on a street mall – you will not be bored,” says Chee. Each floor is inspired by elements from different continents, and there will be an outdoor landscaped garden where residents in the residential units above the mall can grow vegetables.

    Suez Capital has invested in an automated car-park system for shoppers. “It will be the biggest automated car park in Southeast Asia with 1230 automated parking bays as well as 900 normal parking bays,” says Chee.

    The projected footfall for KL Gateway Mall is more than 10 million annually, with about 40 per cent from LRT (light-rail transit) commuters. A 100m covered, air-conditioned bridge will link the mall to the KL Gateway-University LRT Station.

    The integrated development includes four residential towers of more than 1180 units, which will be completed next year, while two Grade-A corporate office towers are being delivered in stages.

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  • Delivery Hero takes control of Foodpanda

    Delivery Hero takes control of Foodpanda

    Control of the Foodpanda business has been sold by parent Rocket Internet, including the remaining Asian operations.

    German-based online food-ordering service Delivery Hero Holding, which is active in 33 countries, has acquired Rocket Internet-backed Emerging Markets Online Food Delivery Holding, parent of the shrinking Foodpanda business.

    Foodpanda, 49 per cent owned by Rocket Internet, has a presence in 22 countries, but shut its Indonesia business in October in the face of growing competition from app-based ride-hailing services that also offer food delivery, such as Go-Jek and Grab Bike. It has also exited Vietnam but remains operational in Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan.

    In a partial share swap, the deal will see Rocket Internet’s stake in Delivery Hero increase from 30 per cent to 37.7 per cent. The sale will strengthen Delivery Hero’s global leadership position in online food ordering and delivery, with the combined group processing more than 20 million orders a month across 47 countries, says Rocket Internet.

    Bloomberg data shows that both companies together have raised more than $1.5 billion across several funding rounds with investors including Goldman Sachs and Insight Venture Partners.

    “The combination of Foodpanda and Delivery Hero, one of our most important companies, further consolidates key markets,” says Rocket Internet CEO Oliver Samwer. “Delivery Hero is also acquiring new markets.”

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  • Popular Mega bookfair draws 90,000 visitors

    Popular Mega bookfair draws 90,000 visitors

    Malaysia’s trusted bookstore, Popular, achieved its goal of inculcating love for reading to around 90,000 visitors during its 10-day long Sabah Popular Mega Bookfair 2016.

    Popular Book Co (M) Sdn Bhd senior retail manager Samantha Tai said the third edition of the event maintained the previous years momentum with visitors traveling from across the state to visit the mega bookfair.

    Tai believes this further enforces the relevance of educational materials and that parents would not be stingy when it comes to equipping their children with the necessary tools for them to be competitive in the real world.

    “I still believe parents would not ignore education,” she said on the last day of the mega bookfair at 1Borneo Hypermall yesterday.

    “When it comes to education, I don’t think, whether economy is bad or good, parents will still spend,” added Tai, reiterating the journey of knowledge is also lifelong learning experience.

    In addition, she said the Daily Specials deal, which offers exclusive large discounts on a rotation of selected items, is one of the main factors attracting visitors to the Popular Mega Bookfair 2016.

    Popular Book Co (M) Sdn Bhd senior retail manager Chin Pau Choi said the bookstore will continue to organize the event at the same location to fit in their vast array of educational materials and other related products for the large number of customers.

    “We need a big platform to do the Popular Mega Bookfair and need at least 25,000 sq feet for it,” explained Chin.

    “At the moment only 1Borneo Hypermall has the space to accomodate that need,” he added.

    Popular has around 20,000 members in the state today and will open its seventh Sabah outlet in Tawau in March 2017.

    “This is due to the good response. People in Tawau come all the way to Kota Kinabalu to purchase a lot of books from us,” said Tai.

  • Easyship raises more funding

    Easyship raises more funding

    Hong Kong logistics startup Easyship has raised an undisclosed amount of pre-series A funding from 500 Durians, a fund managed by Silicon Valley’s venture capital major 500 Startups.

    Easyship is an online platform providing crossborder logistics services for eCommerce companies, claiming to have access to more than 80 shipping companies and offering visibility on delivery time, cost breakdown, reliability and tracking.

    To date, it has raised aggregate funding estimated at US$2.5 million. The latest round will help it expand into Southeast Asia via Singapore, following the validation of its business model and building of traction in the Hong Kong market.

    Its expansion to Singapore provides strategic access to Southeast Asia and leverages off the city-state’s logistics infrastructure and networks – just as US eCommerce giant Amazon is establishing a presence there.

    The venture originates from problems with international shipping encountered by co-founders Tommaso Tamburnotti and Augustin Ceyrac when they were trying to build the crossborder business of Rocket Internet’s Lazada, as reported. At the time, Lazada was trying to attract more vendors to its platform in China and Hong Kong selling into Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines.

    However, Lazada’s rapid sales growth was inhibited by a “very unstructured and fragmented” logistics industry. Easyship streamlines this process, providing an end-to-end process for packaging, labelling and tracking goods with couriers. It charges no fees for these services, with sellers paying the couriers. Revenue is generated from courier commissions.

    Easyship claims its saves its 1000-plus clients in Hong Kong up to $20,000 a month on shipping fees.

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  • Awards to recognise eCommerce merchants

    As Southeast Asia eCommerce merchants set benchmarks in a booming industry, their efforts are about to be celebrated with the launch of annual awards.

    Based in Kuala Lumpur, online shopping aggregator iPrice Group has launched the iPrice eCommerce Merchant Awards (iEMA) 2016 in partnership with eTail Asia, a service for eCommerce professionals, and Trusted Company, a review platform for eCommerce businesses in emerging markets.

    The first awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with the annual eTail Asia conference at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, on March 8 next. The inaugural iEMA 2016 will feature country and regional winners in two categories – Most Popular eCommerce Merchant of the Year and Highest-Quality eCommerce Merchant of the Year. Merchants do not have to submit entries as all qualifying merchants are automatically enlisted.

    “Based on studies by Google and Temasek, the Southeast Asian eCommerce market is expected to see exponential growth from US$6 billion to about US$90 billion in 2025,” says iPrice Group CEO David Chmelar.

    “With new players in the eCommerce industry coming up every left, right and centre, it is imperative we highlight excellence in the sector in hopes to further inspire and encourage both existing and upcoming merchants to excel further in Southeast Asia.”

    Consumer choice

    Finalists and winners for the awards will be chosen by consumers via the iEMA 2016 microsite. People can vote only once, with January 31 the deadline.

    Meanwhile, in an effort to also recognise special initiatives by eCommerce merchants that might have escaped attention, a third category has been set up to highlight efforts by businesses that have undertaken projects to support a social or non-profit organisation. This will be judged by a panel of experts from the eCommerce sector with only one overall regional winner being chosen. The judging panel comprises Chmelar, Asia Venture Group CEO/founder Tim Marbach, Worldwide Business Research GM Danny Levy, Trusted Company co-founder/MD Frederick Krass, Google Vietnam head of marketing Anh Nguyen and 500 Startups managing partner Khailee Ng.

    Submissions for this award are being accepted from for both consumers and eCommerce merchants through the iEMA 2016 website.

    Voting is being accepted at the iEMA 2016 microsites for Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

    iPrice Group is a Southeast Asian metasearch engine that enables shoppers to find products, compare prices and save. It seamlessly connects them to hundreds of eCommerce merchants in the region.

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  • Sunway Malls wins Gold Awards for Best Experiential Marketing Awards Malaysia

    Sunway Malls wins Gold Awards for Best Experiential Marketing Awards Malaysia

    Sunway Malls picked up two Gold Awards in front of 700 malls professionals, retailers and affiliated industries players at the inaugural Malaysia Shopping Malls Association’s (PPK) Best Experiential Marketing Awards 2016.

    Sunway Malls emerged as winners in two out of the three categories that saw 37 entries from 21 malls. The group beat competition from Mid Valley Megamall, Pavilion KL, Gurney Plaza and Gurney Paragon to clinch top spots.

    Sunway Pyramid picked up gold in Category C (malls above 1 million sq ft nett lettable area) for its marketing campaign “Captain America: Civil War” while Sunway Putra Mall’s “Kung Fu Panda Pawsome March” top Category B (malls with 500,001 to 999,999 sq ft nett lettable area).

    Both malls had teamed up with Disney’s Marvel and 20th Century Fox respectively to create various themed attractions that included out-of-mall activation, character appearances, life-size characters display, movie set inspired decorations and interactive sessions in their experiential marketing campaigns.

    “As malls become increasingly a focal place for the public, it’s imperative that they resonate and connect with shoppers at emotive and experiential levels,” said H.C Chan, CEO of Sunway Malls and Theme Parks.

    Malaysia mall industry is already facing intense competition as additional 27.28 mil sq ft retail space is being built to the existing 148.85 mil sq ft, bringing up the total retail space of 178.13 mil sq ft. in the country, according to National Property Information Center (NAPIC) data. This has resulted malls to adopt experiential marketing to stay competitive.

    For Sunway Pyramid, the campaign saw a 9.7% increase in traffic with 1.2 million shoppers interaction over the 24-day campaign period. Social engagement metrics scored 27.6 million reach with RM250,000 worth of publicity generated.

    Sunway Putra Mall’s footfall reached 800,000 during the campaign with RM200,000 worth of publicity generated while social media reach stood at 2 million.

    COO Kevin Tan said the Gold awards are a testament of the team’s hard work in the last few years. “The awards give us confidence that we are on the right path and doing the right things and we will forge forward with more confidence,” he added.

    The panel of judges included professionals from Branding Association from Malaysia, Tourism Malaysia, Focus Malaysia, Malaysia Institute of Architects and Lion & Lion.

    Judge Meredith Wallace, the Social Media Head of Lion & Lion commented “The entries were creative, inspired and showed a true understanding of today’s modern shoppers.”

    Malaysian malls over the years had gained recognition for their grand decorations and creative marketing campaigns that enhance shoppers’ shopping experience. PPK Malaysia’s inaugural AWARDS 2016 for BEST EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING were to honour these efforts for the best marketing programmes held in the past year.

    Qualified entries based on the malls’ marketing programmes held from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 comprising experiential festival celebrations, themed events, sales promotions, public relations, advertising, new and social media, community etc. Judging were based on objectives and strategies, creativity, action plan, results, budget and cost effectiveness.

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  • JD Sports Malaysia opens first flagship

    JD Sports Malaysia opens first flagship

    JD Sports Malaysia has opened its first flagship store – on level 5 of Pavilion shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur.

    It is the British sportswear retailer’s largest store in Southeast Asia with a floor area of 13,590 sqft and opens following the success of the company’s Sunway Pyramid store.

    The biggest pure for customers is expected to be the extensive range of sneakers from multiple brands, including special editions.

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    “Sneaker culture is growing across the world, and JD Sports has been at the forefront of providing customers with exclusive, hard-to-get and desirable trainers in all of the markets we service,” said Peter Cowgill, chairman of JD Sports Fashion.

    “JD Sports carries large number of brands, which means we have something for everyone, from Nike to Adidas to Reebok, to our own in-house brands such Pink Soda, Supply and Demand and Sonnetti,” added Jaclyn Tan, senior manager brand marketing with JD Sports Malaysia.

    jd-sports-pavilion-kl

    The company says it plans to add more stores in the country and has this month organised recruiting days for prospective staff to join the team.

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  • Expansion plan for FamilyMart Malaysia

    Expansion plan for FamilyMart Malaysia

    Convenience store chain FamilyMart Malaysia is aiming to open up to 1000 stores by 2020.

    Out of Japan, the group is using a franchise business model in its newest market in partnership with agro-food company QL Resources, with which it has signed a 20-year agreement. As master franchisee, QL plans to have four stores open by year-end.

    “The offer of fresh food is our main differentiation,” says QL executive director Chia Li Khai. Its first FamilyMart launched in Wisma Lim Foo Yong in Kuala Lumpur through its wholly owned subsidiary Maxincome Resources, with a second just opened in the Mid Valley Megamall south of Kuala Lumpur.

    These will be followed this month by stores at the Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) station of the Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT line and KLIA2.

    It is setting itself apart from competitors with its “konbini” convenience-store concept from Japan. Of the nearly 2000 items on sale in each store, about 5 per cent are developed by the company using ingredients sourced by QL.
    Health, beauty and personal-care products are part of konbini offerings.

    Malaysia’s stores will have a counter offering oden steamed fishcakes served on a stick in broth. Other hot snacks available include fried karaage chicken, frankfurters and bento lunchboxes, as well as onigiri rice balls in seaweed plus puddings, mousses and ice cream.

    Its ready-to-eat food range also includes Malay favourites such as nasi biryani and mee siam, plus salads and sandwiches and fresh coffee.

    “Partnering with QL in developing halal products will be our biggest advantage,” says FamilyMart president Takashi Sawada.

    He says the group is constantly studying emerging markets in the region, including Cambodia and Myanmar. The chain also has a presence in China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

    “We want to learn from Japan by offering amenities such as recycle bins and toilets equipped with bidet,” says Chia, who is the son of QL founder and group MD Chia Song Kun.

    Malaysia’s outlets will also offer courier services and bill-payment services, says Chia, noting the group has earmarked up to 20 million ringgit (US$4.5 million) annually for store expansion.

    Competitor 7-Eleven has about 2000 outlets in Malaysia, adding 113 this year.

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  • McDonald’s sells Singapore, Malaysian franchise to Saudi group

    McDonald’s sells Singapore, Malaysian franchise to Saudi group

    McDonald’s said on Friday it had sold the franchise rights for its restaurants in Singapore and Malaysia to Saudi Arabia’s Lionhorn Pte Ltd as part of a plan to move away from direct ownership in Asia.

    The fast-food chain said it transferred its ownership interest in 390 restaurants, more than 80 per cent of which were company-owned, on Dec. 1 to Lionhorn.

    Lionhorn is led by Sheik Fahd and Abdulrahman Alireza, who are franchisees for nearly 100 McDonald’s restaurants in the western and southern regions of Saudi Arabia.

    McDonald’s did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.

    Reuters reported in October that McDonald’s was nearing a deal worth up to $400 million to franchise the outlets to Reza group, which also owns and operates McDonald’s outlets in the western and southern regions of Saudi Arabia.

    The Lionhorn deal is in line with McDonald’s plans to bring in partners in Asia as it switches to a less capital-intensive franchise model.

    The company said it has now franchised about 1,300 outlets as a part of its target to become 95 per cent franchised by the end of 2018.

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  • AirAsia founders’ MYR1bn cash injection inches forward

    AirAsia founders’ MYR1bn cash injection inches forward

    Malaysia’s central bank, Bank Negara Malaysia, has approved the offshore loans that AirAsia‘s founders Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun will use to inject over MYR1 billion ($247 million) of new equity into the airline.

    As a result of the approval, the agreement to purchase 559 million new AirAsia shares at a price of MYR1.84 per share became unconditional on 30 Novemeber. This now gives the two directors 60 days to pay for the shares, which will be issued eight days after payment.

     The announcement was made in a Bursa Malaysia statement by joint principal advisors CIMB Investment Bank and RHB Investment Bank.

    Approval for the offshore borrowing has been holding up the deal, and forced the founders to delay it by several months.

    Following completion of the deal, Fernandes and Meranun’s stakes in the company will each be lifted from 18.9% to 32.4%.

  • Viu reaches 4m unique users in 1 year

    Viu reaches 4m unique users in 1 year

    PCCW has announced that its Viu OTT video service has reached 4 million unique users one year after launch.

    Viu is now available in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Indonesia and the Philippines, offering a range of premium Asian video content.

    Viu’s content library includes Korean content from the top four broadcasters, as well as Japanese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Taiwanese, Hollywood and now Thai content in some markets. The company differentiates with fast local subtitling, and by producing its own entertainment news in collaboration with Korea’s K1 Headlines.

    During the third quarter of 2016, Viu recorded over 218 million views, with users consuming an average of 1.2 hours of content per day or 12 videos per week.

    “As OTT takes root and continues to develop rapidly in Asia, Viu continues to stride forward with the launch of its service in the Philippines, a vibrant market with over 30 million viewers who regularly watch videos online,” PCCW Media Group MD Janice Lee said.

    “We are confident that our Philippine launch will replicate the growth and success we have experienced in the region.”

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  • Idris Jala to become Heineken Malaysia chairman

    Idris Jala to become Heineken Malaysia chairman

    Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) chief executive officer Datuk Seri Idris Jala will join Heineken Malaysia Bhd (formerly Guinness Malaysia Bhd) as chairman starting Jan 1, 2017.

    In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, the Selangor-based brewer said Idris would succeed Tan Sri Saw Choo Boon who had decided to retire as chairman on Dec 31.

    At the request of management, Saw has agreed to continue to support the group as advisor of Heineken Malaysia starting Jan 1, 2017.

    Idris, who served as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for six years, is the managing director of the Big Fast Results Institute in addition to helming Pemandu.

    “Datuk Seri Idris Jala is a renowned transformation guru in turning around companies’ performance through his big fast results methodology and transformational strategies that are innovative, rigorous and relevant to today’s demands. He has continuously delivered sustainable socio economic reforms which, in 2014, saw Bloomberg place him among the top 10 most influential policy makers in the world,” Heineken Malaysia said.

    Prior to his Government stint, Idris was managing director/CEO at Malaysia Airlines (MAS) for three years. He was brought on board to turn around the airline which was in crisis brought about by a prolonged bout of losses from operational inefficiencies.

    Before that, he spent 23 years at Shell, rising up the ranks to hold senior positions including vice president (Shell Retail International) and vice president (business development consultancy) based in the UK.

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  • Tory Burch Malaysia opens second KL store

    Tory Burch Malaysia opens second KL store

    Fashion brand Tory Burch Malaysia has opened its second store following the success of its inaugural boutique at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

    On the ground floor of The Gardens Mall Kuala Lumpur, the store has a facade distinguished by a green awning and brass accents, signature design elements for the American brand. Inside there is a mix of furnishings in a vibrant palette including seafoam silk drapes, blue embroidered pillows and a teal mohair banquette.

    tory-burch-pavilion-kuala-lumpur

    Oak-panelled walls, travertine basketweave floors and white gesso chandeliers set the tone for the boutique. The brand’s signature Reva ballet shoes and high-end handbags are displayed on brass étagères, and there are dedicated spaces for scarves and eyewear.

    The Tory Burch collection includes ready-to-wear, watches, accessories and shoes.
    To mark the opening, a round, navy-blue python bag made from authentic snakeskin is available exclusively from the boutique.

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  • Malaysia’s Online Hiring Activity Declines By 12%

    Malaysia’s Online Hiring Activity Declines By 12%

    Online hiring activity across various industries in Malaysia declined by 12% in October when compared to the same month of last year.

    However, the production and manufacturing, automotive and ancillary industries were the only ones to not register a decline with flat growth between October 2015 and 2016.

    According to the Monster Employment Index (MEI) by Monster.com, the retail sector continued to record slower growth for online hiring.

    It chalked up a 23% year-on-year decline in online hiring activity in October.

    Monster.com Asia Pacific and Middle East managing director Sanjay Modi said hiring activity remained sluggish as companies were still very wary of possible economic headwinds brought about by external factors.

    “Other companies are watchful of their budget, laying off workers, cutting salaries and reducing costs all around. But, the government is making great efforts to get more foreign direct investments, which will create better job opportunities,” he said in a statement.

    The MEI also revealed that the retail sector’s online hiring improved by 3% from a decline of 26% recorded between September 2015 and 2016.

    The sector is followed closely by the hospitality industry, which posted a 21% year-on-year decline.

    When looking at specific jobs in Malaysia, sales and business development talent continued to witness the strongest year-on-year demand at 20%.

    Customer service professionals, on the other hand, fared the worst in online hiring in October, exhibiting a 55% annual decline from the 49% recorded in September.