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Tag: Singapore

  • Amazon launches Prime Now in Singapore

    Amazon.com has today formally announced the launch of Prime Now in Singapore, following an industry tip yesterday the service was about to be introduced.

    Prime Now offers free two-hour delivery on tens of thousands of items right that can be ordered via smartphone app. These include eggs, beer, ice cream, baby strollers, toys, consumer electronics.

    Also available are local favourites such as MamyPoko diapers, Milo, Scotch-Brite and Tiger Balm, as well as products from such brands as L’Oreal, Pampers and Samsung.

    Free two-hour delivery is offered for orders of S$40 (US$30) or more.

    Singapore Economic Development Board assistant MD Kiren Kumar says Amazon has launched a new operating model for the service, using data and technology to achieve greater efficiency.

    “With Prime Now, Amazon will also play a key role in training and equipping our local ecosystem and workforce with cross-disciplinary digital capabilities. This is an excellent example of a global technology company contributing to Singapore’s ambition to be a smart nation where businesses can innovate and create new value for the world.”

    While Prime Now is an exclusive service for members of Amazon Prime, a membership program to launch in Singapore soon, for a limited time consumers can try it without membership. Also for a limited time, shoppers using a Visa credit card will receive $20 off their first Prime Now order. There is a promotional code for other customers to receive a $10 discount on their first order.

    Since launching in New York in December 2014, Prime Now has expanded to more than 50 cities in nine countries, including Tokyo. The Prime Now app is available for Android and iOS devices.

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  • Louis Moinet watches pay tribute to Singapore

    Louis Moinet watches pay tribute to Singapore

    A range of limited-edition watches that pay tribute to the history and tradition of Singapore are being launched by Swiss brand Louis Moinet.

    FreshOut.Today reports the watches will be revealed on Singapore’s National Day, August 9, the city state’s 52nd birthday.

    Louis Moinet says the special timepieces mix Swiss precision with Singaporean soul.

    “Two different continents and cultures merge in this project as a tribute to Singaporean history,” says the company.

    The limited-edition collection comprises 84 pieces with decorative elements that reference symbols and the past of the Lion City.

    Features such as the ArtScience Museum, Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the Singapore Flyer are engraved across the lower part of the dial, and over skyline the moon faces five small stars, a reference to the flag of Singapore.

    An opening in the dial reveals part of the inner workings. “This also shows the passing of time and powerfully represents and allows us to reflect on each second of Singapore’s independence,” says the company.

    Available in Louis Moinet stainless-steel (65 pieces) and 18k rose-gold Neo cases (19 pieces), the watch has been created in co-operation with Wealth Solutions Singapore, a branch of the Polish company specialising in creating collector items, and the Singapore Watch Club.

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  • Joe & The Juice owner buys back franchise rights

    Joe & The Juice owner buys back franchise rights

    Danish urban juice bar and coffee concept Joe & The Juice has bought back the brand’s franchise rights for Singapore and Hong Kong from Singapore’s Norbreeze Group.

    Norbreeze was running the brand’s network in both cities. Branches had opened in shopping centres such as Hong Kong’s Times Square and at Hong Kong International Airport.

    Founded in Copenhagen by CEO Kaspar Basse in 2002, Joe & The Juice uses natural and organic ingredients for its freshly prepared juices, shakes, coffees and sandwiches. The company has 198 stores internationally, with a growing presence in Asia.

    “Norbreeze has had great success in opening Joe & The Juice bars in Singapore and Hong Kong, and we have been able to use our experience and expertise from our core business to establish a strong network of juice bars,” says Norbreeze group CEO Anders Peter Juel Sauerberg.

    “At the same time we have experienced very strong growth in projects and orders from our core business, within watches and jewellery. So as not to dilute our engagement, we have chosen to focus on our core business and have Joe & The Juice continue the expansion in the region.”

    Basse says Asia holds a significant opportunity for Joe & The Juice. “Norbreeze Group has helped establish a strong platform for growth in Singapore and Hong Kong from where we can continue the brand’s expansion.”

    Norbreeze Group represents Pandora, Cath Kidson, Timberland, Cocomi, Bering, Daniel Wellington and Monica Vinader in Asian markets.

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  • Amazon reportedly coming to Singapore

    Amazon reportedly coming to Singapore

    Amazon is said to be coming to Singapore and as soon as this week, according to a report by TechCrunch, marking the US e-commerce giant’s entry into Southeast Asia.

    A close familiar with the matter told the tech publication that Amazon plans to launch Amazon Prime, Amazon Prime Now fast delivery and Amazon’s regular e-commerce services, in a bid to tap Singapore’s population of over five million people.

    Exact product offerings and pricing remains unknown at this time.

    The Singapore rumour mill started brewing in 2016 when Amazon hinted at the idea of entering Southeast Asia last November, but it was reportedly delayed following complications.

    Via social media, a quick glimpse at Instagram this week shows Amazon has already begun slyly marketing its services through online influencers who have posted sponsored content in a bid to tease Amazon’s Prime Now to their followers, using with the hashtag #dontsaybojio.

    Among the influencers are Jaime Teo, theramengirl, Charmaine Seah-Ong and online portal superadrianme.com. While Amazon isn’t mentioned in the posts, the iconic ‘tick’ logo is seen on the packaging of goods shown.

    Amazon’s move mimics Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, who has been rapidly expanding in Southeast Asia over the past year.

    Milestones include the major investments in Malaysia such as the Digital Free Trade Zone, its first e-hub outside of China along with the availability of the Alipay digital wallet and Alibaba Cloud service.

    The Singapore news comes as Amazon readies for an imminent Australia debut, signalling the retailer’s plans for a piece of the burgeoning e-commerce markets in Asia-Pacific.

  • Muji opens its 423rd store in Singapore

    Muji opens its 423rd store in Singapore

    Muji has just opened its 423rd store outside of Japan, officially beating the number of stores it has in its domestic market.
    The milestone was reached as it cut the ribbon on its Southeast Asia regional flagship, in Singapore’s Plaza Singapura mall on key shopping street Orchard Road.

    The new store, its largest in Southeast Asia, carries a wider product offer than any of the other 10 Muji stores in Singapore, including the Labo clothing line, the Found Muji label (which features home items from around the world) and Idée.

    It also has the firm’s third the third Café&Meal dining café and covers 1,640 sq m.

    Parent company Ryohin Keikaku’s President Satoru Matsuzaki told the Nikkei Asian Review that the company aims to accelerate its expansion in South and Southeast Asia after some time spent focusing on the east of the continent (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea).

    That acceleration will see it entering Vietnam next year as well as expanding in the Philippines after its debut there earlier this year in a joint venture deal.

    The company will also focus on driving overseas revenue higher because, while store numbers abroad now exceed those in Japan, at ¥32.4 billion, revenue from those foreign stores is roughly half of that in its domestic market.

    Much of that figure came from China where it has 200 stores.

    Singapore is key to this strategy as it’s a regional hub and Matsuzaki said it will also help the company get experience it can apply in India and the Middle East.

    The company’s customers outside of Japan tend to be much younger than the Japanese shoppers it sees in its stores.

    But while these shoppers often have lower income levels than those older consumers in Japan, they also represent a chance to win customers at a young age and build brand loyalty that could last for years, analysts said.

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  • Changi Airport to open Terminal 4, AirAsia to shift there

    Changi Airport is on track to open its new Terminal 4 (T4) later this year with nine airlines, including AirAsia Group, moving their operations there. Besides AirAsia Group, Cathay Pacific, Cebu Pacific, Korean Air, Spring Airlines and Vietnam Airlines will also move to T4.

    Together, they serve an estimated eight million passengers at Changi Airport each year and collectively operate close to 800 flights a week to over 20 regional destinations.

    Changi Airport Group (CAG) on Tuesday organised a special media preview of T4 with the session conducted by its director (corporate  and  marketing communications) Dennis Yim.

    Yim said CAG would decide on the starting date for T4 operations when operational readiness trials – currently in the final stage – had been completed.

    “These trials will involve commercial flights operated by airlines moving to the terminal,” he said.

    He said with T4, the total handling capacity of Changi Airport would be raised to 82 million passengers per annum.

    “There will thus be more capacity at Changi’s terminals to support the growth plans of all airlines,” he said.

    T4 project, which was completed after three years of construction, has a total floor area of 225,000 sq  metres, including the two-storey terminal, car parks and taxi deck.

    According to Yim, although just half the size of Terminal 3 (T3), the planners and designers of T4 have managed to deliver a terminal that will have a capacity of 16 million passenger movements a year, two-thirds that of T3.

    Yim noted that T4 would be the first terminal at Changi Airport to offer end-to-end Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) for departing passengers.

    “With the extensive use of technology, including facial recognition software, FAST redefines the passenger’s travel experience, enhances operational efficiency and raises productivity.

    “Passengers will enjoy the flexibility of checking in at their own convenience, without having to wait for counters to open,” he said. FAST will also yield productivity gains with manpower savings of about 20% expected in the longer term, when operations have stabilised, said Yim.

    T4 houses two lounges — Cathay Pacific’s First and Business Class Lounge and SATS PPG Blossom Lounge. Changi Airport is the world’s sixth busiest airport for international traffic, serving 58.7 million passengers from around the globe in 2016.

    Including the soon-to-be-opened T4, Changi Airport will have 400 retail and service stores, as well as 140 food and beverages (F and B) outlets. Yim said T4 alone would be home to over 80 retail and F & B outlets.

    With over 100 airlines providing connectivity to 380 cities worldwide, Changi Airport handles about 7,000 flights every week, or about one every 90 seconds.

  • Balmain Singapore launches at Marina Bay Sands

    Balmain Singapore launches at Marina Bay Sands

    Balmain Singapore has launched the first Southeast Asian outpost for the French fashion house with an emporium at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

    It houses men’s and women’s ready-to-wear pieces from Balmain’s seasonal collections, including bags, shoes and accessories.

    Echoing the brand’s historic Parisian flagship store, the 153 sqm space features parquet flooring, gold accents, floor-to-ceiling mirrored pillars and marble displays set against cream walls.

    Balmain was founded by Pierre Balmain in 1946. Starting as a fashion assistant to master Parisian couturier Lucien Lelong, he worked alongside Christian Dior and Hubert de Givenchy. His signature style soon attracted the world’s great actresses including Audrey Hepburn, Ava Gardner, Brigitte Bardot, Josephine Baker, Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich and Sophia Lauren.

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  • VivoCity hosting food workshops for children

    VivoCity hosting food workshops for children

    VivoCity will host two food workshops for children next weekend led by Chef Mong from team-building company Cookyn and food artist Shirley Wong, also known as “Little Miss Bento”.

    Each workshop is limited to 30 teams comprising a parent and a child, and is available on a first-come, first-served basis (registration has opened). Participants will take home their masterpiece and a goodie bag worth more than SG$20, with two teams judged top in each workshop each winning $250 Mapletree vouchers.

    Entry is open to VivoCity customers who have spent $50 during the promotion period, with a registration fee of $10.

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  • Bata Singapore opens revamped concept store

    Bata Singapore opens revamped concept store

    Bata Singapore has officially reopened its renovated concept store at VivoCity in line with the company’s global modernisation and its “Me & Comfortable with it” manifesto.

    Covering 241 sqm, the store carries Bata’s latest Insolia and Made-in-Italy collections, which are both part of the brand’s spring/summer collection.

    Bata Singapore says it has had significant growth this year with a 170 per cent growth in sales of both men’s and women’s collections, a 145 per cent increase in the average selling price of footwear and an increase of 135 per cent in average ticket price compared to last year.

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  • Singaporean bank gets go-ahead to open up in Vietnam

    Singaporean bank gets go-ahead to open up in Vietnam

    United Overseas Bank is the first Singaporean institute to be given a license to start up shop in Vietnam. The State Bank of Vietnam has granted a license for Singapore’s United Overseas Bank Ltd (UOB) to open a fully-fledged foreign-owned bank in Vietnam, according to a statement released on Thursday.

    UOB is one of Asia’s leading financial institutions with a network of 500 offices spanning 18 countries and territories, including one in Ho Chi Minh City.

    The bank is considering opening a branch in Hanoi to gain access to fast-developing areas in the north such as Hai Phong, Quang Ninh and Hai Duong.

    Since 2013, UOB has channeled more than $3 billion in foreign direct investment from Asia into Vietnam.

    UOB will be the ninth wholly foreign-owned bank operating in Vietnam, after ANZ, Hong Leong, HSBC, ShinHan, Standard Chartered, CIMB, Public Bank Berhad and Woori Bank.

    Singapore is a major business partner, but does not yet have a fully-owned bank in Vietnam, while other countries, even with smaller investments, have already established banks, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

    By 2020, Vietnam will have to open up its banking sector under commitments made to the World Trade Organization.

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  • Vietnam and Singapore firms set up logistics joint venture

    Vietnam and Singapore firms set up logistics joint venture

    The new company is expected to improve logistics services at Vietnam’s northern port city of Hai Phong. Quang Binh Import and Export Joint Stock Company has inked a joint venture deal with Transworld GLS Vietnam Ltd, a unit of Transworld Singapore Group, to establish Transworld QBV ICD.

    The joint venture will specialize in providing warehouse, loading and unloading, packing and customs clearance services and other services related to road, rail and waterway transportation at Quang Binh – Dinh Vu ICD (Inland Container Depot) in Hai Phong.

    In its first phase, the company will invest in transport and customs clearance services on an area of 10 hectares at the ICD.

    Quang Binh Import and Export is a producer and distributor of fertilizer, chemicals, agro-aqua products, food and beverages, bonded warehouse and yard service, and import-export and import & re-export service.

    Ranked among the top 500 largest firms in Vietnam by the Vietnam Report Company (VNR) last year, it is also a leading provider of warehousing and logistics services in Hai Phong.

    Understanding the importance of ICDs in the interntional logistics and supply chain, the company decided to invest in the Quang Binh – Dinh Vu ICD last year.

    The Quang Binh-Dinh Vu ICD will be developed in three phases, with the first phase including a warehouse capable of handling 100,000 tons of goods per year and yard’s capacity of 250,000 TEU per year. Once completed, Quang Binh-Dinh Vu will be one of the biggest ICDs in northern Vietnam.

    ICDs are inland customs clearance points used by importers and exporters. A combination of customs departments, carriers, freight forwarders and customs brokers allow exporters and importers to save time and money.

    The joint venture with Transworld GLS Vietnam aims to make the operation of the Quang Binh-Dinh Vu ICD more effective.

    Transworld Singapore is one of the fastest growing companies in Asia and owns nearly 40 container ships and more than 30,000 containers, particularly well-known for its refrigerated container.

    Transworld QBV ICD JSC is looking to develop Quang Binh – Dinh Vu ICD to be an enclosed logistics chain service that entails depot, yard, warehouse, transportation, LOLO equipment and auxiliary infrastructure, serving as the biggest transit and customs clearance point in Northern Vietnam.

    Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mahesh Sivaswamy, chairman of Transworld Singapore, said: “Starting operation, the Transworld QBV ICD will contribute to cost reduction for enterprises by speeding up and improving efficient clearance service at the port. We engage that the volume of import and export cargo going through our depot is going to significantly increase, making a positive contribution to the budget of Hai Phong City.”

  • Huawei to help drive Singapore’s digital economy push

    Huawei to help drive Singapore’s digital economy push

    Huawei has entered a strategic partnership with Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to accelerate the nation’s digital economy thrust.

    The company has likewise entered agreements with Keppel Data Centres, and Ascent Solutions also related to Singapore’s digital economy future for a Smart Nation.

    The partnerships aim to enhance industry collaboration, enable local companies to scale globally, empower the workforce with skills relevant for the digital economy as well as equipping companies with the technology and knowledge to build strong digital capabilities in a sustainable manner.

    Huawei, IMDA, and Keppel Data Centres will focus on a two-year strategic collaboration to explore the technical feasibility of a first-of-its-kind high-rise green data center building.

    Huawei and IMDA will also collaborate to accelerate the growth of local SMEs by leveraging Huawei’s technical expertise and facilities, go-to-market opportunities and global business network.

    Further, Huawei will support Ascent Solutions as its technology enabler, allowing the local company to tap Huawei’s global business network and explore overseas opportunities.

    In addition, IMDA and Huawei will jointly promote deeper talent and capability building among local ICT students.

    This initiative will include 45 overseas training stints and internship opportunities for students to explore new capabilities in technology areas critical to the future such as the IoT, 5G, and cybersecurity.

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  • Owndays Singapore targets 30 stores

    Owndays Singapore targets 30 stores

    Owndays Singapore is continuing its expansion and says it believes the city can sustain 30 of its stores. The Japanese eyewear retailer recently opened its 23rd Singapore store, inside Clementi Mall. The 1173 sqft store features a new element – a counter with high chairs where customers can evaluate frames.

    Owndays has shaken up the eyewear sector with a simplified pricing system and a 20-minute turnaround time for making most types of prescription glasses. Open shelves allow people to browse without waiting for an assistant to unlock glass cabinets.

    The photos show the Clementi Mall store’s interior.

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  • Melissa Singapore shoe store world’s largest flagship

    Melissa Singapore shoe store world’s largest flagship

    The newly opened Melissa Singapore shoe store is larger than the hip footwear label’s other flagships in Sao Paulo, London and New York.

    The brand’s dance-inspired range is spread out over 1700 sqft of space dubbed MDreams, in the Raffles City shopping centre.

    The Brazilian label is renowned for its eco-friendly plastic shoe range which includes sandals, flip flops, boots and sneakers. Its footwear is affectionately described as “Jelly shoes”.

    The opening of the Melissa Singapore store MDreams is part of the company’s longer-term strategy to expand brand awareness and sales in Asia.

    “The new Melissa MDreams flagship store gives us the opportunity and platform to evolve our customer experience, ensuring that we continue to deliver authentic and personalised experiences through various enhanced customer loyalty programmes, service standards, and technology application, for a seamless Melissa experience in store,” said Terence Yow, MD of Enviably Me, the local distributor of Melissa.

    The Melissa Singapore store was designed by local interior architecture firm, Laank. Inspired by “dance and movement,” it features curved shelves with a ‘semi-floating’ effect and signature white canvas allows the colourful range to stand out.

    “When we embarked on the project to reimagine how the new Melissa MDreams flagship store would be, the team decided that our customers must be at the heart of everything we do in this project,” added Yow.

    “It is about putting the customer before the design, creating a shopper experience-centric shop design.”

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  • 2 in 3 Singapore consumers use m-payments

    2 in 3 Singapore consumers use m-payments

    Two in three Singaporeans have adopted mobile payments, according to recent research into consumer payment attitudes commissioned by Visa.

    The survey was conducted by Toluna on 500 Singaporeans to assess their attitudes toward cash and card usage, mobile banking, contactless payments and online shopping.

    According to the survey, on-demand services are accelerating the growth of mobile payments, with close to two-thirds of respondents using such services. Such services include on-demand transportation, meal and groceries delivery.

    Seventy-one percent of respondents cited convenience and efficiency as the top benefits for using such services while 35% of them stated that they enjoy shopping in the comfort of their own home.

    Expectations of such services have also shifted in response to higher adoption. According to the survey, a majority of the respondents expect their transportation (e.g. taxi or a car) to arrive within 10 minutes from the time they book the service, meal deliveries to arrive within 30 minutes upon ordering, and groceries to be delivered within 45 minutes.

    Peer-to-peer payments

    Singaporeans are also starting to embrace peer-to-peer (P2P) payments. The survey showed that seven in 10 respondents are aware of such options and one in four respondents are already using P2P services to split a bill after a meal. Benefits of using peer-to-peer payments were fuelled by merchant awareness and convenience.

    “Increased connectivity, coupled with the wider payment methods and form factors have transformed consumers’ experience in every aspect including payment. Based on VisaNet data, seven in 10 Visa cardholders are already making device-initiated payments and more than one in five Visa cardholders are active using in-app payments, fuelled by use of transportation booking apps,” Visa Country Manager for Singapore and Brunei Ooi Huey Tyng said.

    “The payment experience is becoming invisible and we believe this trend will continue with the introduction of more innovative players and services.”

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