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Tag: Singapore

  • Singapore Airlines lifts KrisFlyer award rates

    Singapore Airlines lifts KrisFlyer award rates

    Turning your Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles into a business class seat and first class suite will require more miles from this month, with the Singaporean flag-carrier boosting the cost of Saver-category award flights out of Australia.

    The 15% discount for making your frequent flyer redemption booking online rather than over the phone has also been axed.

    However, fuel and insurance surcharges will no longer be added to KrisFlyer award bookings.

    The changes kick in on March 23, 2017, although miles-based award bookings made and ticketed before March 23 will escape the hike.

    There’s no change to the Standard award rates for flights from Australia to Singapore or Europe – but if you’re looking to snare a cheaper Saver award flight, here’s the uplift.

    Who’ll pay more, and how much…

    Business class flights between Australia (excluding Perth and Darwin) and Singapore bump from 55,000 KrisFlyer miles to 58,000 miles, with first class and A380 suites bookings nudging from 75,000 miles to 80,000 miles.

    Economy Saver awards rise from 25,000 miles to 28,000 miles, with no change in the number of KrisFlyer miles needed for a premium economy booking.

    No change either for flyers from Perth or Darwin, whose redemption rates remain the same if they’re headed to Singapore.

    Going all the way to the UK or Europe?

    First class and Suites awards from Australia (excluding Perth and Darwin) and Singapore go from 132,500 KrisFlyer miles to 148,000 miles; business class rates are up from 95,000 miles to 105,000 miles; and economy from 47,500 miles to 53,000 miles.

    Perth and Darwin don’t escape that increase, with a business class bump from 85,000 KrisFlyer miles to 95,000 miles, and economy up from 40,000 miles to 43,000 miles.

    The changes are part of a broader overhaul of SQ’s fare structure which will also see fuel and insurance surcharges progressively folded into base fares from late March through to May 2017.

    You’ll find more information on the Singapore Airlines website here, where you can also download the current and new KrisFlyer Award charts.

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  • Indonesia still largest contributor of tourists to Singapore

    Indonesia still largest contributor of tourists to Singapore

    About 2.89 million Indonesians visited Singapore throughout 2016, the biggest contribution of tourists to the city state, about 17.7 percent of the country’s 16.4 million total foreign tourist arrivals, according to a statement released by Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

    The number of tourists from Indonesia grew by 6 percent, which was categorized as a sharp jump from the 10 percent decline in 2015, the statement says.

    STB area director to Indonesia Raymond Lim said on Tuesday in a media gathering in Jakarta that his office would continue trying to attract more Indonesians to visit Singapore.

    “We really hope that we can maintain what we had last year,” he said, adding that about 30 percent of Indonesians who visited Singapore went there for business.

    However, to boost the numbers of tourists from the eastern part of Indonesia, the board will hold roadshows in Palembang in South Sumatra and in Medan in North Sumatra in March and April, he said, adding that it would continue the roadshows in Bali in August and in Sulawesi in September.

    Lim said the board aimed for 16.4 to 16.7 million foreign tourists to visit Singapore in 2017 and expected revenues of between US$25 and $25.8 billion.

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  • Singapore online grocery market to triple by 2020

    Singapore online grocery market to triple by 2020

    The Singapore online grocery market is set to more than triple in size over the next three years, according to research house IGD.

    The global organisation expects sales will rise from the current S$130 million (US$91 million) to S$500 million (US$350 million) by 2020.

    At the end of 2016, IGD valued online grocery to have a 1.2 per cent share of the Singaporean grocery market. Reflecting rapidly changing shopper habits in the region and increased investment in the online channel from retailers and suppliers, IGD is further forecasting online to take a 4 per cent share of Singapore’s grocery market by 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of 39 per cent.

    Revealing the figures at this week’s IGD RedMart Trade Briefing, Nick Miles, IGD’s head of Asia-Pacific, said Singapore is hailing a new era of digital grocery retailing, driven by the entry of RedMart in 2011, Giant and Sheng Siong launching online grocery in 2013 and plenty of smaller start-up businesses also looking to grab a slice of the action.

    “Shopper habits are changing rapidly in Southeast Asia and in a compact city such as Singapore, with its relatively affluent population, big expat community and high penetration of internet and smartphone usage, there are huge opportunities for online grocery to meet these evolving needs. To make the most of this opportunity, retailers and suppliers must work together to ensure they really understand online shoppers and can tailor experiences and products to suit their personal preferences.”

    Miles says retailers are already clearly looking to improve the overall online experience, by getting the basics of search functions, favourites, images and information right for shoppers.

    “At the same time, they’ll be aiming to make delivery options as convenient as possible, whether that’s through shorter timespan delivery slots or greater choice of click and collect points throughout the region. Our UK data shows that 80 per cent of shoppers cite convenience as their number-one reason for shopping online, and we would anticipate Singaporean shoppers to have a very similar mindset when heading online for their groceries.

    “We also expect online grocery retailers in the region to encourage shopper loyalty through personalised offers and products, plus subscription models and delivery saver passes,” said Miles.

    “On top of that, shoppers in the region are increasingly connected via mobile, so ensuring a seamless shopping experience no matter what device they are using will be critical. Coupled with an increased focus on using innovations such as voice-activated technology, virtual reality and robotics, we predict huge opportunities for those retailers and suppliers who really invest in making the online grocery channel work for them in Singapore.”

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  • Japanese cosmetics brand Do-Best eyes Asian expansion

    Japanese cosmetics brand Do-Best eyes Asian expansion

    Japanese cosmetics brand Do-Best is looking at opportunities in the Philippines and broader Southeast Asian markets, including Indonesia.

    Do-Best CEO Daitaro Sugawara was in the Philippines for a group networking session organised by Security Bank and Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. He was matched with executives from local retailers including Metro Retail and National Bookstore.

    Do-Best was founded 45 years ago to produce “high-quality, low-priced products” and is already exporting to Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and Taiwan.

    Sugawara says the company wants to tap into the fast-growing Asian markets with young consumers seeking low-cost cosmetics and beauty lines. Its products are already popular in Japan’s proliferation of 100 Yen shops and similar stores.

    “That’s why I was interested to have a meeting in the Philippines. My product is like my family, so I want Philippine distributors or retail stores to take care of our products.

    “I want to keep the original price as in Japan,” Sugawara said.

    Tadahiro Miyamoto, GM of BTMU’s Manila branch, says a lot of Japanese companies are now looking at the Philippine domestic market. “You should look at the shopping areas, you see a lot of Japanese products.”

    A large number of participants in the recent business-matching event were from the retail sector, agriculture and real estate.

  • Singapore’s Yoma and METRO join hands for wholesale distribution in Myanmar

    Singapore’s Yoma and METRO join hands for wholesale distribution in Myanmar

    Singapore listed Yoma Strategic Holdings Ltd has partnered with Germany’s METRO GROUP, the international wholesale and food retail company is to establish an integrated wholesale distribution platform in Myanmar, the company announced on February 24.

    A new entity, METRO Wholesale Myanmar Ltd aims to “address the evolving needs of the local professional customers” for those who demand quality supplies.

    Yoma Strategic will hold a 15 per cent stake in the new business and the remaining 85 per cent will be taken by METRO.

    “METRO Myanmar will leverage on METRO’s procurement capabilities and Yoma Strategic’s existing logistics, warehousing and fleet leasing businesses to fast track its growth,” as mentioned in the release.

    METRO Myanmar is looking at improving the whole supply chain in the country.

    They will be offering more than 3,300 food an non-food items to customers like hotels, restaurants and independent small retailers.

    In Myanmar, retailers need to source their products in different ways from local distributors and importers and METRO is looking at creating a one-stop wholesale distribution platform. One popular wholesale center is named as Gandamar wholesale and is said to be supported by military backed Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings. We are confident that our partnership with METRO will bring global know-how in modern wholesale distribution and contribute to bringing reliable and safe food to the people in Myanmar,” said Melvyn Pun, CEO of Yoma Strategic.

    The wholesale and food specialist company operates in 35 countries with sales reaching about Euro 37 billion in 2015-16.

    Their B2B wholesale division METRO Cash & Carry serves across Europe and Asia to hotels, restaurants, small retail and catering firms. Just in recent years, they started to upgrade their competence in the hospitality industry, specifically, in the food service distribution work.

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  • BT connects world’s five top forex markets

    BT connects world’s five top forex markets

    BT is linking up the world’s five main foreign exchange locations to help boost the competitiveness of its global financial industry customers.

    The company is now offering BT Radianz FX express, which provides dedicated high-speed links between financial hubs in Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, the UK and the US. The five hubs are involved in almost 77% of the world’s forex trading, according to the 2016 BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey.

    The new Radianz FX express service claims to offer low-latency and cost-effective, fully managed connectivity that will give traders faster access to market data across the five locations, while making it easier for them to execute trades.

    Radianz FX express links directly into the five key third-party global data centers in the forex trading world. These data centers were selected because each of the locations hosts the IT infrastructure of significant clusters of the forex trading community.

    “Foreign exchange is the largest asset class by value traded globally.  An average of US $5.1 trillion is traded on FX markets every day,” BT VP of global industry practices Hubertus von Roenne said.

    “We’ve created managed BT Radianz FX express routes to boost the competitiveness of our financial services customers. With dedicated links within and between the world’s five biggest FX trading locations, BT can help FX firms lower costs while creating opportunities for international growth.”

  • SIA among 5 airlines told to compensate passengers for delays

    SIA among 5 airlines told to compensate passengers for delays

    Singapore Airlines (SIA) is among five international airlines that fly into Europe that have been told to pay passengers for delays they may have experienced.

    The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said in its press release on Wednesday (Feb 22) that American Airlines, Etihad Airways, Emirates, SIA and Turkish Airlines will have to obey European laws or be taken to court. They all face enforcement action after a CAA review found them to be breaching consumer law, it added.

    These airlines had told the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) that they did not pay compensation to passengers who had experienced a delay on the first leg of a flight that caused them to miss a connecting flight and, as a result, arrive at their final destination more than three hours late, the press release said.

    CAA added that SIA currently places compensation claims for these delays “on hold”.

    Under European Union (EU) law, airlines may have to provide compensation if passengers arrive at their destinations late. These rules, however, only apply to certain flights to, from or within the EU and only if the airline was at fault, such as if it was through poor aircraft maintenance or flight crew being available, the UK CAA website said.

    Compensation ranges from 250 euros (S$372.70) for delays of more than three hours for short-haul flights to 600 euros for delays of more than four hours for long-haul flights, it added.

    Mr Richard Moriarty, director of Consumers and Markets at the CAA, said: “Airlines’ first responsibility should be looking after their passengers, not finding ways in which they can prevent passengers upholding their rights.

    “So it’s disappointing to see a small number of airlines continuing to let a number of their passengers down by refusing to pay them the compensation they are entitled to,” he said.

    In response to queries, SIA said it has been in contact with the UK’s CAA on the issue “for some time”.

    “There is a lack of clarity in the law which is currently the subject of ongoing litigation before the Court of Appeal,” a spokesperson for the airline said, adding that SIA will continue to work with the CAA to resolve differences with respect to the application of the regulation to missed connections.

  • Many ‘Firsts’ at SEA’s Largest Coffee Tea and Bakery Event

    Many ‘Firsts’ at SEA’s Largest Coffee Tea and Bakery Event

    Visitors to the Café Asia 2017, International Coffee & Tea Industry Expo (ICT) 2017 and Sweets & Bakes Asia 2017 will witness several ‘firsts’ at the 5th edition of the international coffee show and 4th edition of the annual gathering of bakers here, including the inaugural Tea Masters Cup Singapore and the first-ever Singapore Coffee in Good Spirits Championship.

    The concurrent shows mark the largest gathering of the tea and coffee industries in Southeast Asia and celebrate the vibrant café scene in Singapore. The organiser will welcome more than 150 exhibitors from 20 countries to the comprehensive one-stop showcase of innovations and technologies in all things coffee, tea and baked goods when the shows open on March 2, 2017 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre. Some 11,000 baristas, café and coffee purveyors, coffee roasters, tea and baked ingredients suppliers, equipment distributors and members of the public are expected to converge at the region’s largest coffee, tea and baked goods event.

    From the traditional kopi-O to a cup of perfectly-brewed espresso, Singaporeans’ love affair with coffee is undeniable. With rising affluence, appreciation of coffee as an artisanal foodstuff, like wine, has grown in sophistication. It is therefore not surprising to see more cafes serving a variety of cold brews and drip coffees concocted using the latest technology and equipment.

    Similarly, the demand for baked and pastry goods is being driven by changing lifestyles globally, fuelling market expansion and demand for gourmet baked goods.  Bakers are also challenged by the appetite for healthier fortified baked products.

    The Café Asia series has established itself as Southeast Asia’s trade and consumer event dedicated to the café and teahouse communities. It brings together café and teashop owners, managers, importers, exporters, distributors and suppliers of machinery, equipment, and raw materials. It is a dynamic B2B platform for the sourcing and buying needs of key decision makers and for them to explore new opportunities for collaboration and distribution of new products.

    Concurrently, the International Coffee & Tea Expo 2017 serves as a springboard for local and international industry players to tap into Asia’s huge market potential, and for them to gain in-depth insight of the latest market trends and developments. The platform also offers them opportunities to raise brand awareness and to forge strategic business contacts among key suppliers, industry buyers and exhibitors.

    The fourth edition of Sweets & Bakes Asia showcases a range of products and services for the baking and confectionery industries’ supply chain, from machinery to equipment, to ingredients and packaging. It serves as a one-stop hub for baking and confectionery industry professionals to source for suppliers and vendors, to explore business opportunities, as well as to stay up-to-date with the latest innovations and developments in the industry.

    The concurrent events boast of a comprehensive programme for visitors who can look forward to an exciting line-up including live presentations, demonstrations and workshops on every aspect of the coffee, tea and baked goods industries. There is also an extensive range of specialty coffees and teas from around the world to sample. The 3-day exhibition will also be teeming with networking and business opportunities for trade visitors who are looking to elevate their business aspirations.

    The line-up of programme has also been designed to offer insights on the latest trends for the cafe industry. This includes an exploration of exotic coffee and tea from Rwanda, ‘Rwanda Coffee & Tea: Shift from Quantity to Quality’, a demonstration on the art of making gelato in ‘The Craft of Gelato/Ice Cream Making and Demonstration of Fun Flavours’ and a case-study presentation on ‘Starting a Café in a Coffee Producing Country: Example of Laos’.

    Visitors can also embark on a Coffee Education Tour to learn from a panel of experts on the importance of coffee beans selection, how coffee beans are roasted, on what makes a good coffee machine and how the choice of milk can determine the quality and taste of the brew.

    Aspiring baristas, brewers, latte artists and bakers will be fascinated by the competition standards of the seven National Championships hosted by the event. New to this year’s edition are two competitions held to celebrate the art of tea-brewing and the art of mixology. The inaugural Tea Masters Cup Singapore will see local tea specialists demonstrate their skills in different ways of working with tea, with three judging categories namely, Tea Preparation, Tea Pairing and Tea Tasting. The first-ever Singapore Coffee in Good Spirits Championship promotes innovative beverage recipes that showcase barista’s mixology skills and creativity in illustrating the harmony of coffee and alcohol. The winners of these championships will proudly represent Singapore on the world stage at the respective championships to be held later this year.

    Returning to the event this year are the national coffee championships: Singapore National Barista Championships, Singapore Latte Art Championship, Singapore Brewers Cup Championship and Singapore Cup Tasters Championship. Watch some of Singapore’s best baristas, brewers and latte artists contend for the national titles and the opportunities to represent Singapore at the world coffee championships.

    The Singapore Bakery & Confectionery Championship 2017 attracts top bakers and confectioners to showcase their skills to create the most delicious and delightful breads and pastries. Watch these bakers from some of the best hotels and bakeries here in Singapore compete as they knead, bake and work magic with their creations into stunning displays of edible art.

    You and your camera crew are cordially invited to the official opening of Café Asia 2017, International Coffee & Tea Industry Expo 2017 and Sweets & Bakes Asia 2017 and to relish some perked-up moments at an event wholly dedicated to celebrate the vibrant cafe culture in this region. This multi-sensory event will be held at

    Marina Bay Sands

    Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Hall E

    Thursday, 2 March 2017 at 9am

    Media registration begins at 8.15am

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  • Some bright future for Bossini International

    Some bright future for Bossini International

    Overall revenue fell 11 per cent for apparel retailer Bossini International during the first half of its financial year.

    However, its interim results to December 31, showed an improvement in gross margin – by four points to 51 per cent, attributed to more effective sales and marketing strategies. Profit for the period attributable to the owners increased by 20 per cent.

    The Hong Kong and Macau market, the Mainland China market and the Taiwan market showed signs of having bottomed out, says the company, with same-store gross profit level after a period of negative growth for more than a year.

    With a footprint across 28 countries, the group says it is still optimistic in the long run, adding 16 shops during the half-year.

    Its revenue for the six months was HK$1.022 billion (US$131.6 million), down 11 per cent from HK$1.146 billion in the same period a year earlier. Gross profit slipped 4 per cent to HK$519
    million.

    For directly managed stores, same-store sales in Hong Kong and Macau fell 6 per cent, a slight improvement, and Mainland China and Taiwan stores performed similarly, declining by 2 per cent. Same-store sales in Singapore dropped by 8 per cent compared to per cent in the previous first half. The group’s overall same-store sales slipped 6 per cent.

    At December 31, the Group had 952 stores, up five from six months earlier. Directly managed stores grew to 287 from 280, while franchised stores dropped by two to 665.

    The group continued its strategy of working with licensing partners to strengthen brand recognition and boost sales. Three licensing programs were launched in the first half of the financial year, working with Disney and Universal Studios.

  • Online Furniture Retailer Castlery Builds Scalable E-commerce Fulfilment Platform

    Online Furniture Retailer Castlery Builds Scalable E-commerce Fulfilment Platform

    Manhattan Associates today announced that Castlery, the Singapore-based online furniture retailer, has selected Manhattan SCALE as a key component of a business transformation programme to build a world-class order fulfilment capability that will ensure a seamless service experience for customers and drive ongoing business growth.

    Launched in 2013 with a mission to make designer furniture accessible to everyone, Castlery has quickly established itself as a leading furniture and homewares designer in Southeast Asia. In order to meet its target of over 100 percent year-on-year growth, Castlery recognised it needed to invest in an order fulfilment technology that would scale in line with its business growth, ensure service level improvements for customers and drive future sales and margin expansion.

    Castlery selected Manhattan SCALE for its ability to handle the unique logistical challenges associated with furniture retailing and distribution and its proven track record supporting ecommerce and omni-channel operations around the world. With a pressing need to be set up before the peak sales season, Castlery needed the Manhattan fulfilment platform to be live and ready for one of its busiest times of the year. Working closely with the Manhattan team, Castlery successfully completed the solution deployment at its Mapletree Logistics Hub in Toh Guan, Singapore, in under three months, remarkably fast for a first implementation.

    Zhou Zhiwei, Chief Technology Officer at Castlery, commented: “As the leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and with many companies we admire already using SCALE, Manhattan ticked many boxes. Their experience with solving problems like ours, high calibre teams, and flexible solutions made picking Manhattan as our partner an easy decision.”

    Travers Tan, Chief Operating Officer at Castlery, added: “Since the solution has been deployed, process execution has improved across our entire distribution operation. We’ve hit 99.99 percent inventory accuracy and seen a 23 percent month-on-month increase in order transactions. We now have a complete view of inventory across the distribution network whilst our order-to-delivery cycle times are compressed significantly. Also, the solution is fully integrated with our ERP system, giving us a “live” picture of available inventory for sale and enabling accurate lead-times to be reflected on our website. Because the system can support multiple DCs, it is perfectly suited to our future plans for expansion into overseas markets. The Manhattan solution’s capabilities support our vision to become the leading furniture e-retailer globally.”

    Richard Wright, Managing Director, Southeast Asia, at Manhattan Associates, commented, “Manhattan provides the expertise and technology to help clients deliver on their brand promise. We’re delighted to see Manhattan SCALE already driving order volume growth for Castlery and are confident that Castlery will continue reaping the rewards from our constantly evolving solutions for many years to come.”

     

  • Clarion Events Asia Announce the Acquisition of RetailEX ASEAN

    Clarion Events Asia Announce the Acquisition of RetailEX ASEAN

    Clarion Events Asia, part of the global Clarion Events Group – a leading event organiser, producing and delivering innovative and cutting edge events since 1947 – today announced that they have acquired RetailEX ASEAN, a fast growing trade exhibition serving retailers in the ASEAN region. Co-organising the event with IMPACT, the premium venue in Thailand, Clarion Events look to enhance its offering to the retail industry in Asia.

    The purchase of RetailEX, based in Thailand, further increases Clarion Events involvement in the Asian retail market. “The combination of RetailEX ASEAN’s early success with Clarion’s history of nurturing events will provide our clients with the business intelligence to transform retail in Asia” said Richard Ireland, Managing Director of Clarion Events Asia. “The acquisition is expected to result in a show that can support the needs of retailers across ASEAN as they transition through the next 5-10 years of exciting transformation. We are grateful that the co-founder of RetailEX ASEAN, Ms Rosalind Ng, Managing Director of Globe International Events Consultancy has set a good foundation for us to bring the event to the next level.”

    “A partnership was formed with Clarion Events Pte Ltd (Asia) to broaden and strengthen RetailEX ASEAN’s position in the ASEAN region,” commented Mr Loy Joon How, General Manager, IMPACT Exhibition Management. “This new collaboration with Clarion Events could not have come at a better time for us as we are anticipating new upcoming challenges for the ASEAN retailers in this digital age of disruption. Clarion Events, with their success in e-Commerce and Internet Retailing events will bring a whole new dimension to RetailEX ASEAN, which now promises to be the most complete and most exciting retail trade show in the region.”

    RetailEX Asean will continue to operate under that name. Clarion Events will leverage the IMPACT team’s knowledge of the market and to work closely with them during the integration of both companies – which will take place over the next 6 months, leading to the RetailEX ASEAN show happening on 14-17 September, at the IMPACT Exhibition Hall, Bangkok. “With the involvement of Clarion Events, our clients will expect higher international quality services,” stated Mr Loy. 

    To augment the offering to retailers of the region, Clarion Events will introduce Internet Retailing Expo (IRX) ASEAN to co-locate with RetailEX ASEAN. With a successful history in Indonesia the event provides a vital digital/ ecommerce offering to retailers looking to compete in the online retail space. “We look to offering the Thailand retail market even more expertise from around the world and seeing more visitors attracted to the show this September” says Richard Ireland. 

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  • Real Singapore retail sales slightly rising

    Real Singapore retail sales slightly rising

    Real Singapore retail sales – the data excluding motor vehicles – recovered 0.7 per cent in December over November – and by an even smaller 0.3 per cent year-on-year.

    Retail sales index Feb.

    The total value of retail sales in December 2016 was estimated at $4.2 billion, similar to that of December 2015.

    Sales of computer & telecommunications equipment and department stores fell 6.8 per cent and 2.2 per cent month-on-month.

    But sales of watches & jewellery, medical goods & toiletries, optical goods & books, recreational goods, mini-marts & convenience stores, furniture & household equipment, petrol service stations and supermarkets increased between 1.2 per cent and 6 per cent. Retailers of wearing apparel & footwear and food & beverages recorded marginal growths of 0.2 per cent and 0.1 per cent respectively.

    Year-on-year, retail sales of medical goods & toiletries, recreational goods, furniture & household equipment, mini-marts & convenience stores, optical goods & books and supermarkets rose between 0.8 per cent and 9.9 per cent in December 2016.

    In contrast, sales of computer & telecommunications equipment fell 9 per cent, with sales of petrol service stations, food & beverages, wearing apparel & footwear, watches & jewellery and department stores down by between 0.3 per cent and 2.2 per cent.

    Food & beverage services

    Sales of food & beverage services (seasonally adjusted) fell 2.2 per cent in December 2016 month-on-month. Compared to the same period last year, sales of food & beverage services declined 0.3 per cent in December 2016.

    F&B index Feb.

    After seasonal adjustment, turnover of fast food outlets decreased 5.6 per cent month-on-month, while sales of other eating places (such as cafes), restaurants and food caterers fell between 1.5 per cent and 1.8 per cent over the same period.

    Year-on-year, restaurant sales declined 7.9 per cent, but turnover at other eating places, food caterers and fast food outlets rose between 3.7 per cent and 5.1 per cent.

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  • Singapore soya-sauce chicken chain for Taipei

    Singapore’s soya-sauce chicken hawker outlet is heading overseas with Taipei as its first stop.

    The Michelin star restaurant’s Taiwanese debut will be at Hoyii North Station in the first half of this year.

    Owner Chan Hon Meng says he is excited to share Singapore’s food culture with the rest of the world, and hopes this will encourage more young people to join the hawker profession.

    Like Hawker Chan, which opened in Smith Street in November, the Taipei outlet will be a quick-service restaurant.

    Chan’s signature soya-sauce chicken dish earned a one-star rating in the inaugural Singapore Michelin Guide last July. His hawker stall at Chinatown Food Complex is touted as the cheapest Michelin-starred food establishment in the world, with its award-winning noodles selling at only S$2.50 (US$1.76).

    If the Taipei branch succeeds, Chan hopes to next expand into Malaysia.

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  • Funding Societies launches mobile lending app

    Funding Societies launches mobile lending app

    Funding Societies has launched FS Bolt – a mobile application designed to provide flexible working capital loans for Singapore SMEs.

    Complementing the government’s financing programs for SMEs, FS Bolt offers loans with quantum up to S$20,000 ($14,000) for companies incorporated in Singapore.

    Available on both iOS and Android devices, the application process takes two minutes to complete, claims the company.

    An automated credit assessment process enables decision time of two hours and disbursement within 24 hours – making FS Bolt a quick source of working capital loans in Singapore.

    FS Bolt also provides loan tenor flexibility – It charges no fees for early repayment, atypical of financial products in the market. With this feature, borrowers only pay interest while using the funds and are encouraged to repay their loan as soon as their finances permit.

    Addressing the underbanked SME concerns

    SMEs face many hurdles when seeking financing as they often lack credit history, collateral, and sophisticated financial documents required by most loan products. FS Bolt alleviates such issues by offering a credit product specifically targeted to answer SME needs. FS Bolt also incorporates automation and highly intelligent systems to include non-traditional datasets into the firm’s credit assessment processes.

    “Funding Societies’ vision is to help small businesses. Over the last year and a half, borrowers have indicated that they often need funds to tide over short periods of finance-related issues,” said Funding Societies co-founder Kelvin Teo. “The FS Bolt app was created to address these concerns. SME owners get peace of mind from the quick credit decision and they can opt to repay early without charges if they don’t need it anymore.”

    Funding Societies currently also provides bigger, longer-term SME loans and invoice financing services with quantum up to S$1 million. As the firm’s most recent innovation, FS Bolt expands the firm’s offerings and shows Funding Societies’ continued commitment to serve the Singapore SME sector by improving credit availability.

    At the Singapore Budget 2016, the government introduced “SME Working Capital Loans” to support SMEs with financing. The “SME Working Capital Loans” is a loan scheme provided under SPRING, an agency under the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry.

  • Stunning Herman Miller store at Marina Square

    Stunning Herman Miller store at Marina Square

    A stunning Herman Miller store-in-store at Marina Square uses ‘fabricwood’ to frame entrances and create impact.

    Herman Miller store

    Herman Miller store 3

    Herman Miller store 4

    The store is part of furniture and lighting retailer Xtra’s latest flagship and the ‘fabricwood’ effect is created by bending 280 panels of plywood into giant arches ranging from a low three metres at the entrance to a lofty eight metres at the opposite end. It was conceived by design director Pan Yicheng from Produce.

    “Occupying a 20m long, 7m wide space, the plywood surface stretches across the entire site like a sail of tensile fabric, with symmetrical qualities that take on the proportions of the Herman Miller logo,” reports Designboom in a designer-contributed article. “The minimal surface, which reminds one of German architect and structural engineer Frei Otto’s soap film experiments, contains a series of arches that frame the entrances and connections to the rest of Xtra, the street and the adjacent cafe.”

    After extensive research for the project, Yicheng was motivated by Herman Miller’s structural and material innovation.

    Herman Miller store 5

    “Indeed, the brand’s use of moulded plywood offers light and elegant furniture, while the study of comfort and ergonomic for their working chairs results in an elastic mesh material stretched at the back of the furniture to create a doubly curved and frameless suspended surface that supports a full range of seating postures.”

    Originally used for shaping fabric to fit the human body, Yicheng has exported the technique of ‘darting’ onto plywood. The darts and their respective angles determine the eventual curvature when closed. Circular cut-outs are used at converging points of darts to allow the plywood to bend and avoid tears.

    When assembled, fabricwood forms a naturally undulated surface. The most challenging part of the project has been to translate flat pattern drawings into three-dimensional modelling and vice versa. A combination of the latest computer simulation techniques and physical modelling has helped achieve the desired curvature. The elasticity of the plywood has played a major factor in shaping the skin, while the dart angles have been re-calibrated to accommodate any changes to the plywood material.

    More images and details about the fabricwood on Designboom.

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