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Tag: manila

  • Opening date released for the world’s largest Ikea in Manila

    Opening date released for the world’s largest Ikea in Manila

    The world’s largest Ikea store, Ikea Pasay City in Manila, is set to open its doors to the public this month after being delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Ikea Pasay City also marks the chain’s first location in the Philippines. The 67,760sqm store, scheduled to open on November 25, is located next to the Mall of Asia and spans five stories.

    While two floors are dedicated to retail activities, the remaining floors are for stocks and e-commerce operations.

    The new Ikea store will house more than 8,000 home furnishing and appliance products, together with a restaurant, where customers can find the brand’s famous Swedish meatballs. Ikea Philippines’ online store launched earlier this month for delivery orders after a soft launch in September.

    The launch of Ikea Pasay City was announced in 2018 and due to open last year. However, the construction of the store was interrupted last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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  • Philippines AirAsia to resume international flights by 1Q22

    Philippines AirAsia to resume international flights by 1Q22

    Philippines AirAsia intends to restart international flights by the first quarter of 2022 after resuming domestic services in the fourth quarter of 2021, says chief executive officer Ricky Isla.

    He told The Philippine Star newspaper that the airline’s priority is to rebuild its domestic network from Manila Ninoy Aquino Int’l, manage capacity, and control costs. “What is important is (that) we have to maintain our cost of operations. That’s the reason why we’re concentrating right now mostly on our Metro Manila hub.”

    The airline will look to restart flights from its hub at Clark in mid-to late 4Q21. “We will most likely reopen with our Clark trips towards the peak season of November and December,” he told The Philippine Star. “The best time is when there is already what you call a good herd immunity in Manila and Central Luzon like Clark. Then we will be confident that we will be extending also our Clark hub as our point of destination,” he said.

    The AirAsia Group unit has been conducting only essential flights recently in light of the government’s directive to place the capital Manila, officially called the National Capital Region (NCR), under quarantine with heightened restrictions from July 30, 2021, to August 5, 2021, and enhanced quarantine from August 6 to 20, 2021. This has meant that only people authorized to be outside their residences were allowed to travel into and out of the NCR, including Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, and Rizal. Inbound travel to Iloilo City, Iloilo Province, and Cagayan de Oro City was also suspended from August 1 to 7, 2021, to manage the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19.

    From August 21, 2021, the airline is scheduled to resume domestic services from Manila to 12 domestic cities, namely Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro Laguindingan, Caticlan, Cebu, Davao, General Santos, Iloilo, Kalibo, Puerto Princesa, Panglao, Tacloban, and Zamboanga, the ch-aviation schedules module shows.

    From October 1, it is scheduled to resume services to seven domestic points from Clark, including Cagayan de Oro Laguindingan, Caticlan, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Puerto Princesa, and Tacloban, according to ch-aviation data.

    Isla said the company also sought to strengthen its cargo business. “Cargo also has to expand its customer experience. Before, it was just airport to airport, now you have airport to your point-of-destination, and airport up-to-the-household,” he said.

    Before the latest lockdown, AirAsia had carried 171,543 passengers between April and June 2021, an increase from 168,527 passengers carried in the first quarter of 2021. Year on year, this represented a 489% jump from the 29,111 passengers carried in the second quarter of 2020. The carrier has operated more than 600 chartered repatriation flights since last year.

    Philippines AirAsia reported that 92% of its flight operations team, including pilots and cabin crew, plus 86% of its ground staff, have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

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  • Omotesando Koffee to open first Philippines cafe in Manila

    Omotesando Koffee to open first Philippines cafe in Manila

    Japanese coffee shop Omotesando Koffee is officially opening its first Metro Manila branch in Power Plant Mall, Makati City, tentatively slated for an August 2021 launch.

    The famous Zen-style, minimalist coffee shop from Tokyo will be brought into the Philippines by H&F Retail Concepts, the group behind luxury fashion brands Univers, Homme et Femme, Balenciaga, Comme des Garcons, and Fred Perry.

    David Ong, owner and head barista of The Curator and EDSA Beverage Design Group, will be helping out.

    “Well, the cat’s been out of the bag for a while now. This is just formalizing it further. The opening of the first branch is fast approaching, and we’re helping out a little bit,” Ong wrote on Instagram on Tuesday, June 1, posting a call-out for interested baristas to apply.

    According to Ong, two more Omotesando Manila locations will be opening this year, but the hiring process will be for this branch initially.

    News that Omotesando Koffee would open in Metro Manila first circulated late 2020, when the original brand’s Instagram page added “Manila” to a list of locations on their Instagram bio, alongside Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, and London.

    Omotesando Koffee first opened as a humble pop-up shop in Omotesando Hills, Tokyo in 2011, growing in popularity for 5 years until it closed in December 2015 due to the “aging building” it was located in.

    They opened their first Hong Kong branch a year later, and expanded to cities around the world, including a re-opening in Shibuya, Tokyo as Koffee Mameya.

  • Cebu Pacific 2nd PH airline to ban citizens from countries with new coronavirus variant

    Cebu Pacific 2nd PH airline to ban citizens from countries with new coronavirus variant

    Cebu Pacific Air said it will stop carrying foreigners coming from countries included in an expanded travel ban amid the appearance of a new coronavirus variant.

    Cebu Pacific added it will allow only Filipino citizens on its flights from Hong Kong, Nagoya (Japan), Singapore and Seoul (South Korea).

    “CEB will not accept foreign nationals who originated from, transited via, or visited within 14 days prior to arrival in the Philippines, any of the 20 countries specified in the IATF resolution,” Cebu Pacific said, referring to the Inter-Agency Task Force Resolution No. 91.

    The IATF resolution said the ban will run from Dec. 30 this year through Jan. 15, 2021.

    The countries are Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, Spain and the United Kingdom.

    Cebu Pacific said affected passengers may avail themselves of free rebooking within 90 days, a full refund or make use of its travel fund, which is valid for two years.

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  • Cebu Pacific now offers antigen tests to passengers

    Cebu Pacific now offers antigen tests to passengers

    The Philippines’ largest carrier, Cebu Pacific (CEB), commercially launches its Test Before Boarding (TBB) process for passengers flying from Manila, after its successful pilot run with the local government of General Santos. This process makes use of an antigen test taken just hours before the scheduled time of departure, with results released within 30 minutes.

    The TBB testing facility at the NAIA Terminal 3 is now open for walk-ins from 2AM to 2PM daily. CEB passengers will only have to register onsite and pay the fee directly to CEB’s diagnostic partner, Philippine Airport Diagnostic Laboratory (PADL).

    Throughout the pilot run from 3-14 December 2020, CEB tested a total of 1,143 passengers, three of whom tested positive and were not allowed to proceed with their flight. Only those who tested negative were allowed to board the aircraft. Subsequently, based on the data provided by the local government of General Santos, CEB passengers were retested after their 7-day quarantine and results were still negative, showing consistency with the earlier results of the TBB process.

    “Following the successful TBB pilot, Cebu Pacific is ready to offer this option to all their passengers. We are urging everyone to take advantage of this convenient alternative, especially since the testing site is strategically located at the airport, making the whole process easy and hassle-free for our residents,” said Mayor Ronnel Rivera of General Santos City.

    Apart from General Santos, the local governments of Butuan, Dipolog, and Pagadian also accept negative antigen test results as a pre-travel requirement. CEB passengers going to these destinations may also conveniently avail of the TBB beginning December 17, 2020.

    As a number of local and international destinations require negative RT-PCR test results prior to entry, CEB is offering RT-PCR tests for only PHP 3,300 (approx. USD68)viaits three partner laboratories, namely PADL, Health Metrics, Inc. (HMI), and Safeguard DNA Diagnostics Inc. (SDDI).

    Passengers booked on Cebu Pacific and Cebgo can easily choose and book appointments online. One will simply have to click on the “Testing Options” tab and choose from any of those in the list. From there, they will be redirected to each laboratory’s page to finalize their schedule online.

    “We remain committed to making flights affordable for everyone and seeing that testing is required by a number of destinations at the moment, we have partnered with accredited laboratories that may offer affordable testing options. We look forward to the day trust and confidence in air travel have been restored, but until then, let us all work together towards that,” said Candice Iyog, CEB vice president for Marketing and Customer Experience.

    Testing is just one out of the three key steps CEB strictly implements to regain passenger confidence. Other approaches include safety and sanitation, as well as track and trace. CEB continues to implement a multi-layered approach to safety and has been rated 7/7 stars by airlineratings.com for its COVID-19 compliance. Passengers are also constantly reminded to register in the Department of Transportation’s Traze App for a more efficient contact tracing process.

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  • Dh200 airfare to fly Dubai-Manila with Cebu Pacific in September offer

    Dh200 airfare to fly Dubai-Manila with Cebu Pacific in September offer

    At a base fare of Dh200 from Dubai to Manila, the Philippines’ no-frills carrier Cebu Pacific has unveiled a week-long airfare discount blitz on Tuesday (September 1, 2020).

    The move is aimed to boost demand and post-COVID-19 confidence among flyers, especially overseas Filipino workers and their families in the UAE.

    The quoted discounted fare is valid for one-way travel only, inclusive of base fare. It also does not include taxes and fees, “web administration fee”, and fuel surcharge.

    The carrier is known for its “Piso” fare (1-peso, $0.021) offers. But, with the lingering threat from COVID-19, it remains to be seen whether such price-drops would indeed translate to a post-recovery spike in travel demand.

    The airline has also stated that promo fares offered are limited and are non-refundable — but rebookable subject to fees and charges.

    Flight changes, availing of prepaid baggage allowance for check-in baggage and web check-in service can also be done up to 4 hours before scheduled flight. International fare is on a book and buy basis, according to the airline.

    The Philippine economy, like the rest of the world, is reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. Up to 3,000 companies reportedly went bust in the last seven months.

    Quarantine measures remain in place for travelers as the Philippines reported 224,000 COVID-19 infections, with 158,000 recoveries and 3,597 deaths as of September 1, 2020.

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  • AirAsia Philippines reports 30% jump in sales

    AirAsia Philippines reports 30% jump in sales

    AirAsia Philippines said ticket sales were increasing as it gradually ramped up operations and offered flexible rebooking options amid the new coronavirus pandemic.

    The budget carrier, part of Malaysia’s AirAsia Group, said June ticket sales rose by 30 percent versus May, when major cites around the Philippines were still under lockdown rules.

    “AirAsia’s road to recovery has started and this has kept us in good spirits knowing that we are in the midst of the aviation industry’s upturn,” AirAsia Philippines CEO Ricky Isla said.

    “We are committed to gradually restoring our network. This month, we are glad to resume international flights, starting with Kuala Lumpur, where AirAsia’s headquarters is located,” he added.

    The company said it contributed to AirAsia Group’s recent record-breaking 41,000 single-day seats sold last June 24.

    For local flights, popular routes were Manila to Puerto Princesa and Davao. Flights to and from Davao similarly showed consistently high load factors throughout the month.

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  • Ikea Manila opening delayed after construction issues

    Ikea Manila opening delayed after construction issues

    Construction interruptions have delayed the expected opening date of the long-awaited Ikea Manila store.

    Ikea Southeast Asia has released a short video on LinkedIn summarising the company’s progress in various markets. It says that the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic meant construction had to be suspended.

    The new store, the first Ikea in the Philippines and located next to SM’s Mall of Asia, was announced two years ago and due to open this year. No set date has been given as yet, only “by next year”.

    Work has now resumed on the site after several weeks of closures due to Covid-19 situation. It appears from the video that the construction is already at the third floor of the project.

    Located in the Manila Bay area, the Ikea Pasay City occupies a 67,760sqm area which will make it the biggest Ikea store in the world.

    Meanwhile, Ikea says after a review of the Vietnam market, it now plans to open its first store there in Ho Chi Minh City, rather than Hanoi as originally planned. The country’s home-furnishing market is estimated at US$4.4 billion a year, with Ho Chi Minh accounting for a 18 percent share and Hanoi a lesser 11 percent.

    The company is also working on other infrastructures at other stores around the region such as the development of a multi-story car park and “foodwalk” at its Mega Bangna store in Bangkok.

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  • Philippine chain Allhome eyes compact store formats

    Philippine chain Allhome eyes compact store formats

    Philippines retailer The Villar Group plans to open more compact versions of its Allhome DIY and building-supplies stores.

    The move is a bid to position outlets within closer range of shoppers reluctant to travel far from home during the coronavirus pandemic. The new “Quick Fix” stores will stock DIY and a broad range of homeware.

    “With the lockdown easing out and when the economic situation improves, AllHome may see itself opening more new stores, given its capability to fast track fit-out construction,” AllHome VC Camille Villar said.

    The new outlets are likely to be located next to The Villar Group’s AllDay convenience stores to take advantage of the firm’s property opportunities.

    The building-supplies chain operates 45 stores throughout the Philippines, roughly half of which were opened last year as part of an aggressive expansion strategy.

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  • Philippine Airlines to operate Manila-London roundtrip for stranded travellers

    Philippine Airlines to operate Manila-London roundtrip for stranded travellers

    Philippine Airlines will fly a single round-trip flight between Manila and London Heathrow on April 4 “in response to an urgent public need amid Covid-19 quarantine situation,” the airline said in a notice posted on its website.

    While the airline initially announced that it would pause all remaining international flights from March 26 until April 14 last week, it will now operate this one-off service to the UK to help stranded travelers return home.

    The Manila-London Heathrow flight (PR720) will be allowed to carry only UK nationals to comply with “current Covid-related UK immigration restrictions”, the airline said.

    The return leg (PR721), on the other hand, will be allowed to carry only Filipinos, their foreign spouse and children, and officials from governments and international organizations.

    The service will be operated with an Airbus A350-900, which has seats for 295 passengers.

    Hundreds of thousands of British citizens are thought to be struggling to get home from overseas after the UK government advised all British travelers to come home as soon as possible on March 23. Many airlines are operating a small number of flights to help stranded passengers return home after countries around the world closed their borders to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

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  • New Crocs concept store openening in Manila

    New Crocs concept store openening in Manila

    The first modular Crocs concept store in the Philippines has opened in Estancia Mall, Metro Manila.

    Despite the “enhanced community quarantine” being implemented across Luzon, it didn’t stop the casual footwear brand from opening its 63rd store in the country.

    The 85.5sqm Crocs concept store showcases the classic collection of Crocs such as clogs, slides, and flips with their Jibbitz accessories.

    Literide Collection which is the bestseller is also available in the latest spring/summer 2020.

    On its website, Crocs Philippines says it will operate a skeletal workforce which started on March 17 after Metro Manila was put into enhanced community quarantine.

    Crocs will continue to offer a delivery service, however, but customers have been warned that there might be delays in some areas where travel has been suspended due to the government’s move in fighting the spread of coronavirus.

    Crocs was founded in 2002 by Lyndon “Duke” Hanson and George Boedecker Jr in the US producing foam clog shoes. The shoe was originally developed for boaties, but later evolved into more widespread use and even for fashion.

  • Metro Manila malls close, with only supermarkets, pharmacies remaining open

    Metro Manila malls close, with only supermarkets, pharmacies remaining open

    After Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced an “enhanced community quarantine” yesterday across Luzon, Metro Manila malls and some stores were temporarily closed to comply with the government’s fight against Covid-19 (coronavirus).

    Shopping malls, especially in Metro Manila, announced their temporary closure until further notice. However, grocers and pharmacies in shopping malls will remain open.

    Customers queuing at cash registers have been told to maintain a 1-metre (3-foot) space apart.

    Ayala Malls, SM Supermalls, Robinsons Malls, Vista malls, Araneta City and Megaworld Lifestyle will be closed during the quarantine period which is set to continue until at least April 14, according to a directive issued by Department of Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.

    In the government guidelines, only those private establishments providing basic necessities and such activities related to food and medicine production like public markets, supermarkets, groceries, convenience stores, hospitals, medical clinics, pharmacies and drug stores, food preparation and delivery services, water-refilling stations, manufacturing and processing plants of basic food products and medicines, banks, money-transfer services, power, energy, water and telecommunications supplies and facilities, shall remain open.

    Duterte has called on all the Philippines’ big enterprises to consider giving 13th month pay or even half of their salary as showing solidarity for Filipino for this critical time, or even food. He told the management of big companies to understand the plight of the workers who cannot work.

    Meanwhile, Jollibee and McDonald’s have reassured customers that measures were in place to ensure their safety as their stores remain open in Metro Manila during the community quarantine.

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  • DC Super Heroes Cafe in Manila closes for good

    DC Super Heroes Cafe in Manila closes for good

    DC Super Heroes Cafe in Manila permanently closed on Thursday, announcing the move on Facebook.

    In the post, management thanked customers of the SM Megamall store who had been fans of the superheroes-themed cafe since it opened in 2018.

    “To say that it was our pleasure to serve you is an extreme understatement. Our goal was to create a place where every superhero fan can enjoy good food and feel at home. Seeing your faces when you walk into our store, when you talk excitedly with our team about how you enjoy all the small details when you acknowledge the service and food makes it all worth it”.

    The DC Super Heroes Cafe in Manila, managed by Edric Chua. was known for its DC-inspired food and drinks. It also offered DC superhero merchandise collections for characters including Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Even though closing, the shop promised customers it will still continue to sell merchandise through its Facebook account.

    “We would have loved to extend our stay, but these are trying times. The most important thing to remember now is to stay properly informed, and to stay safe,” the company concluded.

    In the end, DC Super Heroes Cafe in Manila described its customers as “the true heroes”.

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  • Philippine retailers experiencing coronavirus-related sales slump

    Philippine retailers experiencing coronavirus-related sales slump

    The Philippines’ largest retail landlord SM Supermalls says retailers’ sales have dropped both at home and in China due to the coronavirus crisis.

    According to ABS-CBN, local sales of the group fell by 10-20 percent in the first few weeks of the coronavirus outbreak as people avoid shopping and eating out in the Philippines for fear of exposure.

    In Mainland China, where SM operates malls, sales have slipped by up to 50 percent in tenant’s stores.

    At the same time, other Philippine retailers have witnessed a 30-50 percent decline across the “total retail environment”, according to Roberto Claudio, vice chairman of the Philippine Retailers Association.

    “That drop will go down into billions (of pesos) in terms of lost sales and revenues,” said Claudio. “If this goes on toward the end of the year, it is going to be devastating for most retailers and malls.”

    The Philippines has confirmed three coronavirus cases, all visitors from Wuhan City in the central province of Hubei.

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  • Philippine airlines are losing Chinese tourists amid coronavirus outbreak

    Philippine airlines are losing Chinese tourists amid coronavirus outbreak

    When Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte pursued closer foreign relations with China, he helped attract planeloads of Chinese tourists to the Southeast Asian nation. Now, the coronavirus outbreak is reversing the trend, much to the chagrin of airline companies.

    Budget carrier Cebu Pacific has put its expansion plans into the Chinese market on hold after the Covid-19 disease triggered the biggest health scare in the region since the Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak in 2003. Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines have both canceled all China-related flights until the end of March, and both stocks have taken a beating along the way.

    The country has reported three infection cases, and recorded the first death outside China on February 2. After that, Duterte imposed a sweeping ban on travels to and from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau to protect the country in one of the most drastic reactions by regional governments. Approvals for visas on arrival have also been tightened.

    “Traveller volumes on China-Philippines routes have fallen,” said Jose Enrique Perez De Tagle, vice-president of corporate communications at PAL Holdings, which owns Philippine Airlines. Mainland Chinese account for about 10 percent of its global passengers, he added.

    Global travel restrictions on Chinese travelers as airlines cut flights to mainland
    15 Feb 2020

    Since Duterte won the presidential election in June 2016, the combative president has embraced closer ties with Beijing despite territorial disputes in the South China Sea. He has also distanced the country from the US, including a decision last week to end the Visiting Forces Agreement, a 21-year pact that allowed US troops to be based in the country for bilateral exercises.

    Mainland Chinese tourists have since become the nation’s second-largest source of tourist arrivals in the Philippines, according to government data. They made up more than one-fifth of the 7.5 million arrivals in the first 11 months of last year, versus 9.1 percent in 2013.

    The Philippines received 1.26 million Chinese tourists in 2018 versus 491,000 in 2015, according to Colliers, citing government data. They spent US$1,130 per person on average, boosting the retail and tourism sectors. In January to November last year, arrivals jumped 40 percent year-on-year, faster than the national average of 10-15 percent, Colliers said.

    Ending Philippines-US military pact will affect South China Sea disputes: analysts
    16 Feb 2020

    The coronavirus outbreak has claimed more than 1,800 lives and infected more than 71,000 people worldwide, mostly in mainland China.

    Before the outbreak, which originated in Wuhan, local carriers were emboldened by the surge in Chinese visitors to consider adding more routes in China to take advantage of the growth.

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