Longchamp Singapore has reopened its Paragon mall boutique.
Marking the relaunch at 02-40 kiosk, the French luxury leather brand released its Mademoiselle Longchamp range of bags, which is exclusively distributed there until September 15, and at all Longchamp outlets thereafter.
Inspired by 1970s heroines such as Jane Birkin and Francoise Hardy, the bags are available in black, grey, cognac and mimosa, and are sold from US$630 to $1955.
RAB and Singapore Airlines (SIA), in a joint announcement said members of Grab’s GrabRewards programme will be able to convert their GrabRewards points into SIA Krisflyer miles in the near future.
The announcement was coupled with the launch of a joint booking scheme between the companies.
Starting Oct 3, passengers can now book rides to airports in six countries on Grab through SIA’s mobile app.
The service allows passengers to book their Grab trips to airports in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, up to seven days before their flight.
Passengers who open the SingaporeAir mobile app will be directed to the Grab app, with the airport filled in automatically as the destination.
“We are thrilled to bring more convenience to our customers on the ground and in the air through our new partnership with Grab, while also offering KrisFlyer and GrabRewards members the opportunity to convert points to miles and redeem them for award flights or flight upgrades,” said Campbell Wilson, SIA senior vice-president of sales and marketing.
Singapore’s Downtown Gallery has introduced three retail concepts that prioritise shopper experiences, pioneered by retail property developer OUE Limited.
OUE Social Kitchen offers Singapore’s first communal cooking kitchen in a retail space; OUE Re:Store is an automated deli service that serves heritage food using an efficient order and pick-up system; and OUE Beauty Bar features a beauty dispensing machine.
OUE Social Kitchen has more than 10 kitchen spaces styled by appliance brand Smeg. Users have access to an in-house chef and helpers, with cooking tips being provided on request. Communal dining is encouraged, so the dining area can be used free for hosted meals or to interact with other users. Customers can book a space using the OUE Downtown Gallery’s smartphone app.
OUE Re:Store allows customers to use the app to place a food order along with a preferred pick-up time. This enables CBD diners to skip lunch-hour queues. The menu was designed by chefs KF Seetoh, Malcolm Lee, Sau del Rosario and William Wongso, and offers Filipino, Indonesian, Peranakan and Singaporean dishes. Free of preservatives, the meals are packed in a four-section bento box.
Opening this month, OUE Beauty Bar uses interactive technology and features four beauty vending machines along with a standalone virtual assistant display. Each vending machine has a touchscreen display enabling shoppers to browse, explore and choose from more than 140 skin and makeup staples. These self-service kiosks offer skincare and cosmetics from global brands including Clarins, Nars and Shiseido. Product information, videos and samples are also available.
“We have created a version of what we imagine retail experiences will look like in future,” says OUE senior VP for retail, marketing and leasing Patrina Tan. “We will continue to invest in creating new connection points and culling real-time feedback so we can introduce better customer experiences.”
Superga Singapore will open its third retail store on Friday, at Westgate Mall, Jurong.
It will be the biggest Singapore store yet for the Italian shoe brand, covering 800sqft (74sqm).
As well as the brand’s signature white interior, the store features a red background for the first time.
To celebrate the launch of the store, five exclusive sneakers will be available at Superga Westgate, as well as the launch of the Superga X Marvel collection inspired by Captain America.
Also exclusive to the store will be new items like the Superga 2750 Multi Sole and Superga 2750 Espadrille from the seasonal range – on sale for just the first week.
For each of the first three days, the first 30 customers will receive a S$30 (US$22) Superga voucher.
Gogoprint, the leading online printing startup in Southeast Asia, has formally launched in Singapore. It has opened its third regional office: Singapore follows from Bangkok, Thailand, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Gogoprint’s business proposition involves solving one of the printing industry’s biggest pain points – high fixed costs and requisite order volumes, particularly among small and medium sized businesses. It does this with its proprietary algorithmic software which manages and pools together small orders, and distributes the cost of printing. As a result, it is able to offer premium printing services at a competitive cost, enabling SMEs and startups to print their products such as business cards, digital booklets, leaflets, flyers, posters, gift vouchers, postcards and stickers more cost-effectively.
Gogoprint’s Singapore office will be helmed by Laurent De Candido, Managing Director and co-founder at Gogoprint. Around expanding to Singapore, he said: “We’re pleased to deepen our commitment to small and medium sized businesses and freelancers in Southeast Asia by expanding into Singapore, a country where we already have thousands of clients. It is one of Asia’s leading hubs for nimble, innovative, on-demand business models, which often struggle with cost effectiveness around going-to-market.”
“By enabling the printing of smaller quantities through a hassle-free ordering processes, we are well positioned to help these businesses go to market more cost-effectively. In the process, we are leading the charge to modernize Southeast Asia’s multi-billion dollar printing industry,” added De Candido.
The market for online printing in Southeast Asia in 2016 was estimated at US$25 billion a year. In the 12 months since August 2016, Gogoprint has grown its revenues by over 500 percent; its number of customers by 400 percent to over 16,000 (including 10,000 in Thailand and 3,000 each in Singapore and Malaysia); and its employee headcount over 300 percent to 90 people (including 60 in Thailand, and 30 spread in Malaysia, also operating Singapore). Its clients are largely in the education, entertainment, healthcare, hospitality, travel, transportation, food and beverage, retail and manufacturing sectors. This includes the likes of Lazada, Booking.com, Jameson Whiskey, Accor Group, as well as the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore.
Around the benefits of working with Gogoprint, Sruthi Varier, Project Officer at Nanyang Technological University said: “NTU was looking for an online printing vendor to reduce printing costs. We wanted to achieve this without compromising quality to our students, faculty, alumni and partners. We are very pleased to have chosen and to be working with Gogoprint, and highly recommend them for their fast delivery and cost-effectiveness.”
Since launching in November 2015, Gogoprint has raised a mid-six figure U.S. dollar investment from OPG (Online Printing Group). Apart from its growing geographic footprint, it looks to expand into multiple product categories including calendars, large-format printing, printed pens and flash drives.
“As more and more consumers get overflowed with online content, never before has it been more important for tangible marketing to attract consumers for brands to stay in people’s minds. Especially in Singapore, we see a lot of potential for more complex or purely promotional products. This gives us the right surge to capture the Southeast Asian online printing market, with Indonesia as a natural next destination”, said De Candido.
A documentary movie has inspired the theme for Korean luxury eyewear brand Gentle Monster Singapore’s new store at Ion Orchard.
By US director Ron Fricke, Samsara explores spirituality and the human experience. Key symbols from the 2011 film, a camel, lion and child, feature throughout the shop in intricate art installations, offering an immersive experience for customers.
As they enter the store, shoppers are greeted by the camel, an installation comprising a futuristic spinning wheel with multiple threads and a camel-shaped prop that moves up and down.
They then enter a darkened space featuring the lion, a sculpture made of tresses of hair surrounded by wall-mounted lion tails.
In the final room is a platoon of rotating dolls and a throne in a lit setting of faux arches.
Gentle Monster says the store explores the core philosophy of salvation introduced in Friedrich Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra 2, in which the German philosopher writes that salvation can be achieved only through overcoming one’s self. He describes the three transformations of the spirit as obedience, symbolised by the camel, with the lion for governance and child for complete freedom.
Established eight years ago, Singapore food brand SaladStop! is about to launch into Korea.
It opens in Seoul next month, about the same time as its first non-Asia location, in Barcelona. The brand has 19 outlets across Singapore, 12 in the Philippines, three in Jakarta and four in Tokyo.
Co-founded by Adrien Desbaillets and his father Daniel, SaladStop! Is still a family affair. At 36, Adrienne is president while Daniel, 67, is director and chairman. Daniel’s sister Katherine handles marketing while her Paris-born husband Frantz Braha is business development manager, spearheading overseas franchising.
The Desbaillets are Swiss citizens who put down roots in Singapore 22 years ago. Daniel was previously a hotel executive. When Adrien returned to Singapore after working in China for a hotel investment company, he planned a chain of nutrition-conscious quick-service restaurants.
However, the says affordable, wholesome and nutritious were three options rarely found together in one meal, and he guessed that expats like himself were “craving a good salad”.
Father and son opened their first store in Marina Square, working with corporate chef Tony Tan.
All overseas locations have more or less the same core combos, but franchise holders modify them to suit local preferences.
In Singapore, the next stage of growth is a mobile app.
Tata Communications and Formula 1 have conducted a test of truly live 360-degree video streaming at the 2017 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix.
To-date, any 360-degree video experiments in sports have been hampered by a 30-second delay between the 360-degree video and live TV feeds, preventing a widespread adoption of the technology.
This proof-of-concept by Tata Communications and Formula 1 is the first time when the live 360-degree video feeds and TV broadcast have been shown in complete sync.
There were two 360-degree cameras at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore in the trackside and paddock to show how viewers at home could immerse themselves in the world of F1 and experience these exclusive areas through a virtual reality (VR) like environment via the Official F1 App.
For example, during a Grand Prix build-up, fans could use their tablet to access a live 360-degree video feed from the paddock and see the biggest names in the sport. Or, during a race, as a driver pulls into the pits for a tyre change, fans could complement the action on TV with a 360-degree view of everything that is happening in the pit lane in real-time.
The live video feeds from the two cameras were distributed from the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore back to Europe using Tata Communications’ Media Ecosystem. This includes the Video Connect service, which brings together traditional video contribution and IP connectivity globally in the cloud, underpinned by Tata Communications’ global network.
“Eliminating the delay in 360-degree video means that, for the first time, it’s possible to offer fans truly live 360-degree video experiences on a global scale,” said Mehul Kapadia, managing director of Tata Communications’ F1 Business.
“This will enable sports and entertainment organisations to engage with their audiences in new ways and generate new revenue streams – helping the 360-degree video and VR market achieve its $60 billion potential,” said Kapadia.
Online restaurant directory Foody Vietnam has sold a majority stake to consumer internet group Sea Limited.
Worth about US$64 million, the transfer was announced on a NYSE listing by Sea.
Foody, which also accepts meal bookings and runs a delivery service, has announced that foreign entity Airview Investment of Singapore has taken an 82 per cent shareholding.
Sea says it has acquired a Vietnamese food-delivery platform to help expand its payment platform AirPay, launched in Vietnam in 2014.
“We intend to pursue strategic investment and acquisition opportunities in order to grow our user base, deepen our market penetration and further expand our offerings, including complementary services and products,” says Sea.
Foody Vietnam was founded in 2012. Sea, valued at $3.75 billion, has already invested in Foody, as series-B investor in July 2015.
Convenience store chain 7-Eleven Singapore is about to divorce from oil company Shell after an 11-year partnership.
Shell Singapore has started rebranding its petrol station convenience offer to align with its “long-term business strategy”. Retail general manager Aarti Nagarajan says this started with the launch of its Tampines Avenue 2 station in June.
“A national revamp will take place in phases with the introduction of Shell Select and Deli by Shell”.
Saying the move would allow it to focus on more profitable activities, Shell engaged 7-Eleven in 2006 to run its petrol station network in Singapore. It had nearly 70 stations then, but the number has dropped to 57.
“We are committed to invest and grow our retail business in Singapore, which remains a strategic country for Shell,” says Nagarajan.
Global real estate services firm JLL has appointed Ross Ballantyne (pictured) as head of corporate solutions marketing, Asia Pacific. Based in Singapore, Ballantyne will focus on driving marketing and engagement in JLL’s Future of Work framework, a “unique” outlook on the changing world of work and its impact on the next generation of real estate.
He will report to Nicole Worthington, chief marketing officer, JLL Asia Pacific. Ballantyne was most recently the head of marketing, Asia Pacific at DHL Supply Chain for close to three years, and according to his LinkedIn, has been with the company for over seven years. As the head of marketing, he responsible for driving the marketing and external communications agenda across 14 countries in the region, to accelerate business growth and enhance customer retention rates.
Prior to that, Ballantyne was marketing manager, North Asia for 10 months, during which he was responsible for coordinating marketing activities across China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
He also created digital marketing campaigns to drive awareness of DHL Supply Chain’s service offering and new growth opportunities, via online advertising, LinkedIn and electronic direct mailers. At DHL Supply Chain, Ballantyne also took on the role of marketing manager for the automotive industry across Europe. He also worked at JP Morgan Chase.
“We’re delighted to welcome Ross Ballantyne to JLL as head of corporate solutions marketing, JLL Asia Pacific. Ross’s extensive experience, gained both in the UK and Singapore, will be a great asset as we continue to develop and implement creative, innovative marketing strategies that deliver business growth and superior client experience,” Worthington said.
Hailed as a Singapore first, the Premium Japanese Farmers Market offers everything from seasonal vegetables and fruits to meat products and sake imported from Japan – in Changi Airport’s Terminal 3 departure hall.
Some items, including egoma tea, a special sushi selection and wagyu sake, are new to Singapore.
The store also offers ready-to-eat bento boxes by Go-Zen, which can be customised from a range of 25 ingredients including scallops, snow crab, ikura salmon roe, Niigata Japanese rice and wagyu beef.
A new retail concept and a food pop-up were introduced at Singapore Changi Airport last month, which registered 5.27 million passenger movements, up 7 per cent from August last year.
Mobile network company StarHub opened its first 24-hour outlet, with an airport lounge concept, in the public area of Terminal 3’s Basement 2. It offers a range of services including broadband, and mobile and cable TV services. It also offers business enterprise services such as corporate fibre broadband installation for airport tenants and partners.
Meanwhile, a Mid-Autumn Festival Mini Food Hall in the transit area of Terminal 2 is offering mooncakes by 155 South Bridge, Peach Garden, Starbucks and Tai Chong Kok until October 5.
Changi Airport caters for more than 100 airlines, connecting Singapore to about 380 cities in 90 countries and territories. With more than 7000 weekly scheduled flights, an aircraft takes off or lands at Changi roughly once every 90 seconds.
Singapore Airlines will introduce Green Beacon Brewin beer on all business-class flights between Brisbane and Singapore, beginning October 1. The flights will offer the popular Teneriffe brewpub’s Wayfarer American Wheat Beer ale.
Since opening in 2013, Green Beacon has extended business interstate, selling its beers in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and the Northern Territory. Its products can be found in bars, bottle shops and restaurants, but now it’s literally taking off.
“Singapore Airlines saw that business-class customers wanted a craft beer selection on their flights,” says Clarissa Wiederkehr, Green Beacon’s marketing coordinator. And she reckons it’s a great chance for the local brewery to reach a wider audience.
The collaboration with Green Beacon is part of a Singapore Airlines initiative to source craft beers from local breweries in every state or capital city for their business-class menu.
A pale ale from Margaret River’s Crazy Monkey Brewery will feature on Singapore Airlines flights from Perth. Melbourne and Sydney’s beers are expected to be announced soon.
Following its success with Sanrio character Cinnamoroll, Japanese-French cafe Kumoya Singapore is again transforming for a pop-up collaboration, this time featuring Dutch artist Dick Bruna’s cartoon bunny Miffy.
As well as character-themed decor the menu will feature mains, desserts and beverages designed by food artist Shirley Wong of Little Miss Bento. She and Kumoya owner say they will continue with the character theming, with Miffy in house from October 5 to 31.
Already Wong has a Miffy-themed English cookbook on sale at the halal-certified cafe and at bookstores.
Items on the Miffy menu, include You, Me & Miffy Makes 3 Chicken Katsu Burger; Splashing Good Fun Japanese Seafood Curry Rice; Wonderfully Waffles with Karaage Chicken; Awesome Miffy Orange Sponge Cake; Double-Take Salted Caramel Cake; and
Miffy Original Orange Soda.
There will be a minimum spend of S$10 (US$7) a person, and dining times may be limited to 90 minutes.