Retail News CRM

Tag: Philippines

  • Cebu Pacific to launch Davao-Tagbilaran flights in October

    Cebu Pacific to launch Davao-Tagbilaran flights in October

    Leading low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific continues to expand its network as it is set to launch its new route that will directly link Davao City with Tagbilaran, Bohol starting October 21. The flight will be operated by Cebu Pacific’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Cebgo, and will be flying between Davao and Tagbilaran four-times-a-week, Tuesdays, Thursday, Saturdays, and Sundays.

    The flight will be operated using one of the subsidiary’s ATR 72 aircraft. “As part of our efforts to improve the overall customer experience for everyJuan, we have been taking to heart the suggestions and feedback from our guests. We’ve looked at the feasibility of the Davao-Tagbilaran route and are optimistic that this new air link will not only answer the clamor from the local communities, but stimulate trade and tourism in both destinations,” said Alexander Lao, President and chief executive officer of Cebgo. “It’s (Davao-Tagbilaran flight) going to give us and Bohol more opportunities not only for tourism but business as well. Hopefully, also aside from locals, foreign guests will use this opportunity to come visit us in Davao,” said Davao City Tourism Operations Office head Generose Tecson, in a text message to SunStar Davao.

    For his part, Department of Tourism (DOT)-Davao Regional Director Roberto Alabado III said, “DOT welcomes the new route since this will provide more access for tourists as Bohol is one of the sought after destinations in the Philippines. The new route will allow foreign tourists to go to Davao as their next destination.” “Their Chocolate Hills experience will be complemented by the Mt. Apo and Mt. Hamiguitan experience while their tarsier encounter will be enhanced by the Philippine Eagle encounter,” he added. Davao serves as the Cebu Pacific hub in Mindanao, linking the city directly to Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Manila, Tacloban, and Zamboanga; as well as to Singapore.

    Lees ook:

  • Jollibee linked to Pret-A-Manger bid

    Jollibee linked to Pret-A-Manger bid

    Philippines-based Jollibee Foods is reportedly running the numbers to buy gourmet sandwich and coffee chain Pret-A-Manger.

    Sources have told Reuters news agency that the Pret-A-Manger bid would value the business at in excess of US$1 billion, and close to the $1.1 billion it achieved in sales last year.

    While at first glance the Filipino food concept – which has low-cost burgers, chicken pieces and fries as its staple menu – seems an unlikely bedfellow for the London-based sandwich concept which targets office workers, Pret-A-Manger’s previous owners have included US fast-food giant McDonald’s.

    Quoting “sources familiar with the matter”, Reuters said Jollibee has been holding in-camera talks with an advisor over a bid for Pret-A-Manger, affectionately known by its customers as ‘Pret’.

    Jollibee Foods, founded by entrepreneur Tan Caktiong in 1975, recently opened its 1000th Jollibee restaurant in the Philippines and has 2700 stores in all, including in Hong Kong, China, Vietnam and the US. The company is valued at $5.2 billion and its portfolio also includes joint ventures owning Highlands Coffee and Pho 24 (in Vietnam), Smashburger (the US), Chowking (China) and Burger King (Philippines). Its domestic brands include Greenwich, Mang Inasal, Chowking and Red Ribbon.

    Pret has about 400 stores worldwide, including a small network in Hong Kong, selling breakfasts, hot beverages, cakes, its own snack foods and its core sandwich offer.

    The company is owned by private equity company Bridgepoint, which earlier this year was reportedly mulling a listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Cebu Pacific boosts Davao hub with direct route to Tagbilaran

    Cebu Pacific boosts Davao hub with direct route to Tagbilaran

    The Philippines’ leading airline Cebu Pacific continues to expand its domestic network by adding a new route that will directly link Davao City with Tagbilaran, Bohol. Starting October 21, 2017, the carrier’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Cebgo, will begin flying between Davao and Tagbilaran four-times-a-week (Tuesdays, Thursday, Saturdays, and Sundays). The new Davao-Tagbilaran route establishes a seamless connection for both air passenger and cargo service, ultimately benefitting the economies of the greater Davao area and the province of Bohol.

    “As part of our efforts to improve the overall customer experience for everyJuan, we have been taking to heart the suggestions and feedback from our guests. We’ve looked at the feasibility of the Davao-Tagbilaran route and are optimistic that this new air link will not only answer the clamor from the local communities, but stimulate trade and tourism in both destinations,” said Alexander Lao, President and CEO of Cebgo.

    To officially launch the beginning of this new route, CEB is offering an introductory, all-in seat sale of PHP599 until September 17, 2017, or while seats last. Travel period is from October 29, 2017 to March 31, 2018. Davao serves as the Cebu Pacific hub in Mindanao, linking the city to more places than any other carrier.

    Cebu Pacific flies directly to Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Manila, Tacloban and Zamboanga as well as to Singapore. Aside from Davao, CEB also operates flights out of five other strategically placed hubs in the Philippines: Manila, Cebu, Clark, Kalibo, and Iloilo. The airline’s extensive network covers over 100 routes across 26 international and 37 domestic destinations, spanning Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and USA. For bookings and inquiries, guests can visit www.cebupacificair.com or call the reservation hotlines (+632)7020-888 or (+6332)230-8888. The latest seat sales can be found on CEB’s official Twitter (@CebuPacificAir) and Facebook pages.

    Guests may also download the Cebu Pacific mobile app on the App Store and Google Play. Cebu Air Inc. is the largest carrier in the Philippine air transportation industry, offering its low-cost services to more destinations and routes with higher flight frequency within the Philippines than any other airline. Its 60-strong fleet is comprised of two Airbus A319, 36 Airbus A320 and eight Airbus A330. Between 2017 and 2022, CEB expects delivery of 7 more brand-new Airbus A321ceo and 32 Airbus A321neo aircraft.

    Its wholly owned subsidiary, Cebgo, currently offers flights to 27 Philippine destinations and one international destination, utilizing an exclusive fleet of eight ATR 72-500 aircraft, and six ATR 72-600 aircraft. Cebgo has two strategic hubs in the Philippines namely, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 4 in Manila and Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in Cebu.

    Lees ook:

  • Bo’s Coffee heading for a century

    Bo’s Coffee heading for a century

    Bo’s Coffee has opened its 97th store in the Philippines, at the NorthDrive mall in Mandaue City, Cebu.

    Leading up to the opening, the Cebu brand organised a tasting session through Philippine Coffee Origins, says brand and marketing manager Toni Santos. This featured five locally harvested beans, from Batangas and Sagada in the Mountain Province, Mt Kitanglad in Bukidnon, Mt Apo in Davao and Mt Matutum in Cotabato. Store coach Serah Amor Samson showed how the manual brewing or pour-over session is done.

    Bo’s Coffee operations VP Ivy Theresa Benatiro says the company hopes to end the year with a 100th store in Intramuros, Manila. Meanwhile, its first two international stores will open in Qatar before November.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Zero Halliburton luggage lands in Manila

    Zero Halliburton luggage lands in Manila

    Zero Halliburton, the only luggage to have travelled to the moon and back, has landed in S Maison at Conrad Manila.

    Marking its launch in the Philippines, the 80-year-old global luggage brand is exhibiting the aluminum briefcase that stored rock and soil samples from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Apollo 11 lunar mission in 1969. It is also unveiling its aluminum and polycarbonate luggage and, soon, the Greenwich Collection, lightweight cordura nylon luggage with built-in smart features.

    Surprisingly, the luggage was originally developed to suit the needs of just one man, founder Erle Halliburton, an oilfield engineer, says company chairman Hiroaki Morishita. Realising that he needed a durable piece of luggage for his travels across the rough Texas terrain, Halliburton and a team of engineers designed the world’s first aluminum travel case.

    Impressed with the prototype, his friends convinced Halliburton to make the case commercially available. Zero Halliburton became part of history when Apollo 11 astronauts Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin, Michael Collins and Neil Armstrong took a case to the moon and back.

    The line has since extended to wheeled business bags, pilot cases, backpacks and duffel bags using newly developed materials and designs.

    Zero Halliburton’s flagship store is in New York City’s Madison Avenue, and Brazilian football superstar Ronaldinho of FC Barcelona has signed up to endorse the brand.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Globe Telecom taps Cloudera to harness machine learning

    Globe Telecom taps Cloudera to harness machine learning

    Globe Telecom in the Philippines has deployed the Cloudera platform to enhance customer experience and deliver real-time targeted marketing campaigns and offers to its 60 million customers.

    Globe Telecom is using machine learning with Cloudera to enrich customer experiences across channels and deliver targeted and optimized products and services, while maintaining compliance with the latest industry data regulations.

    The operator’s mobile data traffic grew 85% from 151 petabytes (PB) in 2016 to 280 PB this year. Mobile data is a growing and significant contributor to total mobile revenues for the first half of 2017 versus the similar period a year ago.

    “To sustain our growth, we are always looking for ways to improve customer experiences across our channels and touchpoints,” said Gil Genio, chief technology and information officer at Globe Telecom.  “Our ability to strategically manage and monetize information about our customers will enable us to deliver value-added products and further differentiate ourselves in today’s competitive business landscape.”

    With Cloudera Enterprise now at the core of Globe Telecom’s data management architecture, the increasing volumes of data are ingested from different sources and channels into a centralized data hub and made available to all employees across the organization with full fidelity and security.

    Mark Micallef, regional VP for Asia Pacific and Japan at Cloudera, said Globe Telecom can now use data to gain valuable insights, make accurate business decisions faster and deliver targeted marketing campaigns and offers to enhance their customer’s experience.

    Lees ook:

  • Smart Transfer launches cross-border m-payment app

    Smart Transfer launches cross-border m-payment app

    Smart Transfer has introduced a person-to-person mobile payment platform that supports international social payments across multiple currencies at no charge to users.

    The Smart Transfer app allows international money transactions to be made to any bank account, phone number, email address, or social media platform.

    The Smart Transfer app allows users to send money to recipients via all social media platforms, mobile numbers, email addresses or conduct cashless payments through QR code at partner merchants. There is no need to know the receiver’s SWIFT codes, bank codes, branch codes or account numbers.

    While overseas money transfers typically take two to five working days, Smart Transfer’s cross-matching engine and integration with various banks across different countries, moves money to overseas bank accounts within seconds.

    Smart Transfer’s peer-to-peer model eliminates the numerous middlemen and excessive fees involved in conventional international money transfers, streamlining the traditionally lengthy process and saving users significant time and money. Smart Transfer’s proprietary currency cross-matching engine also touts favorable exchange rates, passing the savings on to the consumers.

    Smart Transfer features a multi-currency wallet, enabling users to send and receive money across seven currencies (HKD, CNY, SGD, USD, GBP, IDR, and AUD). User monies are held with trusted bank partners such as Hang Seng Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, and Bank of China, providing a layer of assurance to users over safety of their funds.

    The app also features a built-in chatbot that is able to execute transactions according to a user’s instructions. It is integrated within Facebook Messenger and Telegram to break down language barriers, leveraging AI-based natural language processing technology to process four different languages (English, Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian).

    Smart Transfer is currently supported across the United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, and Indonesia, with plans to expand its offerings to more than 212 countries and up to 30 currencies by end of 2017.

    Lees ook:

  • In Good Company expands to the Philippines

    In Good Company expands to the Philippines

    Singapore-based fashion label In Good Company has expanded into the Philippines with its first shop in The SM Store Makati.

    The store, located on level 2, offers all seasonless clothing, classic silhouettes and accessories.

    In Good Company also brings its latest collection called Capsule 11. Using draping techniques, the collection is inspired by the 80s and 90s trends.

    “We explored new shapes and draping techniques that create more movement and dimensionality, as well as new hardware such as oversized grommets, hanging ties and d-rings that give the capsule a modern utilitarian look, in an ultra-wearable way,” said creative director and co-founder Sven Tan.

    Besides the Philippines, In Good Company has recently launched in Dubai at Robinsons Department Store.

    The brand also has standalone lifestyle stores in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Thailand

    Lees ook:

  • Cebu Pacific opens up baggage requirements

    Cebu Pacific opens up baggage requirements

    Cebu Pacific has announced a special deal for passengers travelling from Guam to Manila, and back — perfect for bringing “pasalubong,” or gifts, to friends and family, or shopping for Filipino delicacies to bring back home.

    Starting this September up until Dec. 15, 2017, all passengers flying between Guam and Manila who prepurchase baggage allowance of 40 kilograms will get an additional 25 kilograms, free of charge. That’s a total of 65 kilograms, or 143 pounds of check-in baggage — equivalent to the weight of a ‘balikbayan box.’ The free baggage allowance will be added upon check-in at the airport.

    “We are excited to offer Guamanians traveling to and from the Philippines a free top-up on their 40-kilogram baggage allowance, up to a maximum 25 kilograms. This will allow our guests to make room for more presents, or for Filipino treats they will surely come to enjoy. There’s less reason to worry about excess baggage, and more reason to stock up on great finds in the Philippines,” said Candice Iyog, vice president for marketing and distribution at Cebu Pacific.

    Cebu Pacific started flying between Manila and Guam in March 2016.

    CEB currently flies up to three times weekly to and from Guam, offering seamless connections to a total of 37 domestic and 26 other international destinations across Asia, Australia, USA, and the Middle East.

    Information was provided in a press release.

  • Project Pie slices all but one store

    Project Pie slices all but one store

    Project Pie, the pizza outlet that lets customers devise their own toppings, has closed all but one of its stores in the Philippines.

    After “four years of pizza awesomeness”, the US-based pizza chain has announced on social media it will be “graduating” its stores from the Philippine market. However, its Project Pie Block 28 in Alabang will stay open “as our last hoorah”.

    After establishing itself in the US, Project Pie moved into Manila in 2013, allowing diners to order nine-inch customisable pizzas. It expanded to eight branches, both in malls and stand-alone locations.

    Fans said their farewells in the chain’s social-media comments section … “Don’t do this to me,” wrote one fan. “I am speechless,” wrote another. “My number-one favorite pizza left me.”

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Megaworld aims to launch 13 malls in three years

    Megaworld aims to launch 13 malls in three years

    Property developer Megaworld Corp says it plans to open 13 malls in the next three years in line with its target to hit 28 by 2020.

    It already has 13 malls across the Philippines, with Southwoods Mall about to open in Laguna.

    Megaworld Lifestyle Malls head/senior VP Kevin Tan says the Southwoods Mall covers 58,000sqm in Megaworld’s only fully integrated township, Southwoods City. The 561ha township is at the boundaries of Binan, Laguna and Carmona, Cavite, and is the largest township in the country to feature a golf course.

    There is also a CBD, commercial and retail stores, malls, schools, church, a cyberpark, a medical centre, parks, leisure activities, a weekend market and a transport hub.

    Megaworld is a property unit of magnate Andrew Tan under his conglomerate Alliance Global Group.

  • Cebu Pacific’s new menu gives in to your foodie desires

    Cebu Pacific’s new menu gives in to your foodie desires

    Fliers of Cebu Pacific are in for a treat as the airline company just unveiled a new set of tasty inflight menu.

    Charo L. Lagamon, Cebu Pacific’s director for corporate communications, during a recent press event, revealed “It’s going to be part of your journey, your experience in Cebu Pacific. In September, your journey will start on board with these new flavors and treats.”

    The menu is composed of 12 new dishes ranging from light meals to satisfying rice dishes as prepared by MIASCOR-Gate Gourmet Philippines.

    Jem Calungcaguin, Cebu Pacific’s manager for inflight sales and merchandise told InterAksyon, “We’ve been continuously developing the menu for our pre-ordered meals. With the previous ones, we have received feedback from our passengers and also from our cabin crew, and we’ve taken consideration of all those insights.

    “Those insights inspired us to think maybe it’s time for us also to freshen the range because our travellers—especially the frequent ones–might have tried everything already.”

    Known for offering mostly Filipino staples, Cebu Pacific expanded their menu’s flavor profiles and incorporated Asian flavors and Western ones.

    “This one so far is the widest array of meals that we have for our pre-ordered meals. We are very excited to launch it because this time, we’re going to cater to more people and more taste palates,” Calungcaguin pointed out.

    Cebu Pacific vice president for corporate affairs Atty. Paterno Mantaring, Jr. (third from left) and executive sous Chef Mark Javier Ledesma led the unveiling of Cebu Pacific’s new inflight menu.

    The new dishes, which are all Halal-certified and adhere to the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP), are composed of four sandwiches, one pasta, one noodle dish, and then the rest are rice meals as developed by Chef Mark Ledesma, executive sous chef of MIASCOR Gate Gourmet Manila.

    “It’s inspiration comes actually from different destinations and flavor palates that we were trying to target,” Chef Ledesma shared during a cooking demo.

    Ledesma assured that these dishes are prepared a few hours before the scheduled flight to ensure freshness and quality.

    Cebu Pacific fliers can pre-order these dishes on all flights departing 24 hours or more from the time of booking.

    For domestic flights, the selection is limited to light snacks like sandwiches, whereas all the 12 dishes are available for international or long haul flights.

    Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific’s new inflight menu is divided into categories namely the Filipino series, Asian series, and Western series.

     

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Citi Philippines sweeps awards

    Citi Philippines sweeps awards

    Global Finance Magazine has announced its best digital banks in Asia, and Citi dominated the awards with multiple wins across the region.

    For the 11th consecutive year, Citi Philippines was awarded Best Digital Bank for the Corporate/Institutional Bank category.  For Consumer Banking, it was Citi Philippines’ 11th win as Best Digital Bank.

    Winners were chosen among entries evaluated by a world-class panel of judges at Infosys, a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing.

    Winning banks were selected based on the following criteria: strength of strategy for attracting and servicing digital customers, success in getting clients to use digital offerings, growth of digital customers, breadth of product offerings, evidence of tangible benefits gained from digital initiatives, and web/mobile site design and functionality.

    In the category for World’s Best Corporate/Institutional Digital Banks in Asia Pacific, Citi won five regional sub-category awards, including Most Innovative Digital Bank, Best Online Cash Management, Best Online Treasury Services, Best in Mobile Banking and Best Mobile Banking App.

    “This award is a validation of Citi’s successful digital tansformation.  In all that we do, we combine the stability of a banking tradition of more than 200 years and the agility todevelop fintech solutions that will best serve our clients’ interests in the digital age.  We aim to serve our customers in the ecosystem in which they operate,” said Citi Philippines CEO Aftab Ahmed.

    Citi also swept the country awards in the Corporate/Institutional Digital Bank category, winning in 14 other countries including Australia, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

    In the Consumer Banking digital bank awards, Citi was also named best digital bank in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand.

    Asia is responsible for 17 of the Global Consumer Bank’s 19 markets worldwide. To deliver new growth, the focus for the bank was on increasing profitable market share in key markets, and products (Retail, Cards, Wealth Management and Commercial) while digitizing our business from end-to-end to deliver a better customer experience, reduce costs and improve efficiency. In the most recent quarter Citi’s consumer bank in Asia reported its fourth consecutive quarter of growth.

  • Adidas HomeCourt store opens at SM Megamall

    Adidas HomeCourt store opens at SM Megamall

    Sports Central’s new Adidas HomeCourt Concept Store on the ground floor of the SM Megamall in Ortigas, Metro Manila, brings together innovation in both design and retail.

    Covering 279sqm, the store is designed as a retail space offering a sporting arena experience. Customers are welcomed by a bold, distinctive Arena Facade, similar to the entry points of many Adidas sporting venues. Window displays feature the brand’s latest campaigns.

    At the heart of the store is “the Shoebase at Centerfield”, where customers can check out the latest footwear across all sport categories. Surrounding this is the concourse, where customers can engage with different categories and sub-brands. The store’s wall fixtures are simple metallic frames that allow the products to stand out.

    Another highlight is the Team Room, a themed changing area that elevates the fitting experience – the locker-room vibe allows customers to feel like they are part of the team. The decor features key Adidas athletes like Caroline Wozniacki, Damian Lillard and James Harden.

    As well as athletic footwear, the store offers sports apparel and accessories. A feature is the Adidas Warp Knit collection for training, as worn by supermodel Karlie Kloss.

  • Cebu Pacific to add holiday season flights to Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia

    Cebu Pacific to add holiday season flights to Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia

    Gokongwei-led budget carrier Cebu Pacific will add more flights to its existing Japan, Vietnam, and Indonesia routes from the 4th quarter of 2017 to the 1st quarter of 2018.

    The airline announced on Thursday, August 31, that it will start flying 6 times a week from Manila to Osaka by adding a Friday flight, starting November 3 until December 6. It currently flies to Osaka every Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

    The Manila-Osaka route will increase further to daily operations by December 15, 2017 to March 2018, in time for the Christmas season.

    For the Manila-Nagoya route, Cebu Pacific will fly 6 times a week (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday), up from the current 4 times a week (Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) starting October 29.

    For the Manila-Tokyo (Narita) route, the budget carrier will be flying twice a day instead of once a day starting October 29, 2017 until March 24, 2018. Cebu Pacific added that it is securing approval to fly to the Haneda Airport in Tokyo as it is closer to the city center.

    The budget carrier will also increase flights to and from Bali (Denpasar), Indonesia, from the current 4 times a week to 5 times a week starting December 4, 2017 until March 6, 2018.

    Finally, Cebu Pacific will also mount daily flights between Manila and Hanoi, Vietnam from December 1, 2017 to January 9, 2018.

    “We constantly review our route network and frequencies to respond to changing market needs and operational requirements. Depending on seasonal factors, we make flight schedule changes as necessary, while keeping in mind the bookings of our passengers, many of whom book flights way in advance,” Cebu Pacific vice president for corporate affairs JR Mantaring said in a statement.

    The airline is also planning to sell 3 Airbus A319 planes over the next year. These will be replaced by brand-new aircraft, the first of which are set to arrive by the 1st quarter of 2018.

    Cebu Pacific is awaiting delivery of 7 Airbus A321ceo planes in 2018, as well as 32 Airbus A321neo planes from 2018 to 2022.

    Lees ook: