Retail News CRM

Tag: Singapore

  • Tourists drive Sa Sa sales

    Tourists drive Sa Sa sales

    Sales performance has improved marginally for cosmetics chain Sa Sa International Holdings for its third quarter, to the end of December.

    This was mainly a result of a rise in numbers of mainland customers driving a 5.4 per cent increase in the number of transactions in Hong Kong and Macau while local trade remained flat. However, the average sales per transaction of local customers increased by 0.2 per cent while for mainland customers there was a 3.6 per cent drop.

    Sa Sa sales growth is a result of the group’s ongoing efforts to adjust its product offerings to adapt to the market demand for trendy products, the company says. This also resulted in continued downward pressure on gross profit margin for the quarter.

    For the quarter, the group’s retail and wholesale turnover eased up by 0.9 per cent year-on-year, while the figures for other markets outside Hong Kong and Macau – including China, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and online – were flat.

    Following the gradual tapering of year-on-year retail sales decline in the first and second quarters in Hong Kong and Macau, same-store Sa Sa sales in the third quarter fell by 2 per cent while retail sales rose by 1 per cent.

    Sa Sa had 290 outlets in total at the end of December, up from 283 as at September 30. For Hong Kong and Macau, there were 115 outlets, up by two; China had three more stores for a total of 56; Singapore lost two stores to finish the year with 21; Malaysia gained five outlets for 73; and Taiwan lost a store to end the year with 25.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Easyship Fuels Its Growth By Expanding Into Singapore

    Easyship Fuels Its Growth By Expanding Into Singapore

    Easyship is a tech company that helps eCommerce businesses saving time and money on worldwide shipping. After a rapid growth in Hong Kong, it is now expanding its operations to Southeast Asia with Singapore as its first location. With Singapore being a major logistics hub for Southeast Asia, the company hopes to take advantage of its infrastructure and networks to aid its expansion plans in the region.

    Since launching in 2015, the company has experienced exponential growth, becoming the first choice for businesses that want to expand their sales worldwide. Easyship powerful API, allows eCommerce merchants and marketplaces to integrate a seamless shipping gateway to their shipping cart, allowing them to expand their sales worldwide seamlessly. For each order, Easyship compares all shipping couriers, and gives visibility to the buyer on delivery time, shipping cost, and taxes.

    Easyship integrates with more than 80 different shipping services including those from leading couriers such as DHL, FedEx and UPS, at prices discounted up to 70% compared to retail. This helps buyers to choose the best available option for a particular destination based on item specifications (type, weight and dimension) and provides visibility on delivery time, cost, reliability, and tracking. Easyship guarantees taxes & duties for shipments worldwide based on the type of item and its customs value – making sure that eCommerce sellers never experience unexpected costs or delays with international shipping.

    Since launching, Easyship has helped its clients to save up to $5,000 USD per month on shipping fees. It is completely free – customers pay only for their shipments and the platform generates all the necessary paperwork automatically.

    Lees ook:

  • Singapore Airlines and Scoot take flight with ShopBack

    Singapore Airlines and Scoot take flight with ShopBack

    Homegrown start-up ShopBack takes off the year with Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Scoot on board as its Flight vertical partners. The collaboration strengthens the runway for the smarter way to shop. All travellers can now access air tickets befitting their budget, elevated with Cashback from ShopBack all year round.

    The checking in of SIA and Scoot adds significant weight to ShopBack’s Flight vertical as it widens the runway of travel options for travellers, from first-class to budget.

    The start-up’s suite of top three world-class airlines (Source: Skytrax World Airline Awards) – Emirates, Qatar Airways and SIA – is now complete. With ShopBack, affluent travellers are empowered with a fuss-free way of spending and saving with poise.

    Scoot, the Best Low Cost Airline (Asia Pacific) as named by AirlineRatings.com for three consecutive years, is the first budget airline onboard. With ShopBack, cost-sensitive travellers are able to maximise the worth of their dollars with Cashback stacked atop credit card rebates and miles. 

    “For a two-year-old start-up, being able to have the chance to soar to greater heights with long established aviation partners might sound impossible,” said Mr. Joel Leong, Head of Merchants and Partnerships, ShopBack. “But with the belief that we can overcome disparity in company age and size with concrete data-backed results, our team pursued the golden ticket relentlessly and pushed boundaries to seal the deal for consumers.”

    Available on web, desktop and mobile (iOS and Android apps), ShopBack currently powers user’s online transactions with a stackable layer of savings in the form of Cashback, which translates to actual cash transferrable to either user’s bank or PayPal account.

    Consumers can enjoy 1.0% Cashback from ShopBack for their air tickets purchased from the SIA x VISA as well as Scoot site. For those who prefer to buy on the go, both airlines are also available on ShopBack mobile app.

    SIA and Scoot join ShopBack Singapore’s fleet of over 500 online retailers, including Uber, Cathay Cineplexes, Expedia, ASOS, Muji and more, to give consumers uplift in their savings through Cashback.

    Lees ook:

  • Real Singapore retail sales slide

    Real Singapore retail sales slide

    Real Singapore retail sales fell 2.1 per cent in November in a disappointing month for the sector.

    sg-sales-11

    Month-on-month they slipped 0.3 per cent.

    Sales of motor vehicles helped drive the topline figure to an increase of 0.5 per cent.

    According to Statistics Singapore, total retail sales in November 2016 were estimated at $3.6 billion, similar to that in November 2015.

    Year-on-year, the computer & telecommunications equipment sector was the worst performer, declining 13.5 per cent

    Sales of watches & jewellery, wearing apparel & footwear, furniture & household equipment, supermarkets, food & beverages, department stores, mini-marts & convenience stores and petrol service stations fell between 1.1 per cent and 6 per cent during the period.

    Bucking the trend medical goods & toiletries, recreational goods and optical goods & books, which increased by between 0.3 per cent and 4.4 per cent.

    Food and beverage

    sg-fb-sales-11

    Turnover of restaurants decreased 11.9 per cent in November 2016 compared to November 2015. In contrast, sales of food caterers, fast food outlets and other eating places increased between 5 per cent and 7.5 per cent during the period.

    Sales of restaurants and other eating places (such as cafes) declined 6.4 per cent and 0.5 per cent respectively month-on-month. Conversely, turnover of fast food outlets and food caterers rose 8.1 per cent and 0.2 per cent.

    The total sales value of food & beverage services in November 2016 was estimated at $650 million, $9 million less than in November 2015.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Ethiopian cargo terminal set for operation by April ‘17

    Ethiopian cargo terminal set for operation by April ‘17

    Ethiopian Airlines Cargo Terminal, which is under construction currently, has reached 82 per cent completion and it is scheduled to be operation by April 2017, the African carrier said. The first phase of the Addis Ababa terminal cost around US$150 million.

    The terminal will have an capacity of 1.2 million tonnes of cargo including facilities for perishable goods. The facility can also handle up to eight B747-400 freighters at one time. Commenting on the the new facility, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said: “Upon completion, our uplifting capability will be equivalent to the cargo terminals at Amsterdam Schiphol, Singapore Changi or Hong Kong.”

    The new cargo terminal is part of Ethiopian Cargo’s Vision 2025, aimed to support the country’s export of perishables including flowers, fruits, vegetables and meat. That plan includes expansion of its freighter network to eighteen aircraft serving 37 international cargo destinations by 2025.

    “At Ethiopian, we are very proud of the new heights Ethiopian has flown in the year,” Gebremariam said. “We celebrated our 70th anniversary, inaugurated the largest and the finest Aviation Academy in Africa and a state-of-the-art In-flight Catering facility which is the largest in the continent of Africa, introduced Africa’s first Ethiopian Airbus A350, and spread our wings to more countries on five continents”.

    Ethiopian has also constructed a flight simulator building and installed five of the latest full flight simulators, which includes Boeing 787, 777, 757, 767, 737NG and the Bombardier Q400. It plans to add simulators for the Airbus A350 XWB and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

  • PappaRich Malaysia considering IPO

    PappaRich Malaysia considering IPO

    Food chain PappaRich Malaysia is considering a Singapore IPO, possibly this year.

    Insiders say the company, which opened its first restaurant in Malaysia in 2006, aims to achieve a valuation of at least S$200 million (US$140 million) in the share sale.

    PappaRich would follow other Southeast Asia-based restaurant chains including ABR Holdings, which runs Swensen’s ice cream parlours, and kopi tiam restaurant chain Oldtown in gaining a listing to fund expansion.

    paparich-logo

     

    A PappaRich representative says a listing has always been a consideration as the company considers fundraising options to support its expansion plans.

    Oldtown, which makes instant coffee and runs cafes, has risen 18 per cent in Kuala Lumpur trading over the past 12 months, and shares of Thai dessert chain After You, which raised US$21 million in a Bangkok IPO last month, have surged 167 per cent from their offer price.

    More than a million customers dine at the PappaRich outlets monthly, according to its website. The company has about 100 outlets globally including Australia, China, New Zealand, Singapore and the US.

    Lees ook:

  • M1, StarHub may share more mobile infrastructure

    M1, StarHub may share more mobile infrastructure

    Singapore’s M1 and StarHub are considering expanding their mobile infrastructure sharing arrangements to gain a greater competitive edge against new market entrant TPG Telecom.

    The companies announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding covering the evaluation of potential further collaboration in network infrastructure sharing.

    M1 and StarHub have been sharing infrastructure including combined antenna systems, in-building fiber and tunnel cables for many years.

    Now the operators are exploring a deeper collaboration focused on sharing radio access network, backhaul and access assets.

    The collaboration is aimed at enabling both operators to optimize the use of a number of network elements while improving coverage and capacity for customers. The companies plan to continue to manage network traffic independently.

    StarHub CEO Tan Tong Hai said pooling network resources will allow both operators to roll out more cost effective next-generation networks to manage the exponential growth in demand for mobile data.

    “We are cooperating to bring the Singapore infocomm industry to the next level, to compete not on pure infrastructure ownership, but at a higher level of customer service and innovative value creation,” he said.

    “Sharing mobile network radio elements with M1, but keeping our individual mobile core networks, will allow StarHub to provide better mobile service (in particular, mobile coverage) and still be able to differentiate ourselves.”

    M1 CEO Karen Kooi added that the agreement could lower both operators’ operational and capital expenditures, allowing them to invest in the future technologies needed to keep Singapore at the forefront of the ICT industry.

    Singapore recently granted a fourth mobile license to TPG Telecom, after the Australian fixed line operator won a new entrant spectrum auction with a bid of S$105 million ($72.8 million).

    The terms of the allocation call for TPG to provide nationwide street level 4G coverage within 18 months of the license coming into effect, meaning the company will soon be a competitive threat for StarHub, M1 and incumbent Singtel.

  • Singapore Airlines Cargo Achieves CEIV Pharma Certification

    Singapore Airlines Cargo Achieves CEIV Pharma Certification

    We are honoured to have been awarded the IATA CEIV Pharma certification, which reinforces our commitment to our customers from the pharmaceutical sector to deliver the highest standards of care and professionalism in handling their time- and temperature-sensitive shipments,” said Yau Seng Chin, president of SIA Cargo. “We are acutely aware of the important role that these shipments play in serving the broader community, and hope that this certification will give our ultimate customers additional assurance and comfort that these shipments, which are often life-saving, are in good hands.”

    According to SIA Cargo, the networks of Singapore Airlines, SilkAir and Scoot, covering more than 100 destinations, are included in the certification.

    The CEIV Pharma certification assesses an airline’s operations, processes and training to ensure that they comply with international good practices and standards.

    “The Asia-Pacific freight market is the largest in the world, accounting for close to 40% of total global trade,” said Glyn Hughes, global head of cargo at IATA. “Having SIA Cargo, one of the region’s largest operators, achieve CEIV Pharma certification is a significant boost not only for the airline’s customers but also the region. We congratulate them on their achievement and for taking the industry one step closer to having a global standard for transporting pharmaceuticals in place.”

    SIA Cargo is one of six companies that form Singapore Changi Airport’s cargo community, which Changi Airport Group is supporting to undergo the CEIV Pharma certification process.

    SIA Cargo and CAG are also members of Pharma.Aero, a new independent organization formed in October 2016 which aims to improve the quality of pharma handling by promoting collaboration between CEIV Pharma-certified airport communities.

    SIA Cargo is the eighth carrier in the world to be awarded the CEIV Pharma certification, joining AirBridgeCargo, Air France, CAL Cargo Airlines, Finnair, KLM, Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines.

    Lees ook:

  • How a T-shirt helped a man become a millionaire

    How a T-shirt helped a man become a millionaire

    He helped a friend buy a S$51 Adidas T-shirt last year — and netted himself S$1 million on Sunday (Jan 15) in Changi Airport’s Be a Changi Millionaire draw.

    As a bonus, Mr Ade Iskandar Roni, 39, a procurement officer from South Jakarta, drew the name of his best friend in the Guess the Changi Millionaire lucky draw, winning his friend S$500 for picking the right millionaire out of eight finalists.

    Although the chances of winning increase exponentially with the amount spent at Changi Airport’s retail stores, Mr Ade’s purchase was the least expensive among the items picked up by the eight finalists in this year’s event — four of the other seven finalists, who hailed from Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates, bought liquor.

    An elated Mr Ade shed tears of joy when he was announced the winner. Mr Ade, who has five children aged 2 to 12, said he plans to use his windfall to bring his extended family for a visit to the Muslim holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, and perhaps buy a new car and house.

    “I didn’t think I would win, I cannot imagine how much this money is in Indonesia,” said Mr Ade through a Bahasa Indonesian interpreter.

    Into its seventh run, the 2016 edition of the retail promotion drew close to 1.2 million entries from 225 nationalities, primarily Singaporeans, Chinese, and Indonesians.

    To enter the draw, passengers and visitors to the airport must spend at least S$50 in a single receipt shopping or dining at Changi Airport. The eight finalists emerged after three rounds of elimination and gathered on Sunday to compete through several rounds of games to win the grand prize.

    Changi Airport Group (CAG) also shared on Sunday that sales at Changi Airport reached a record high of S$2.3 billion last year, up 5 per cent from the previous year.

    Online sales via the iShopChangi portal showed particularly strong growth of 76 per cent from the previous year.

    Chinese and Singaporeans were the strongest shoppers across platforms, contributing to half of overall retail sales.

    Travellers from Indonesia, India and Australia made up the next largest customer groups last year.

    The three most popular product categories were cosmetics and perfumes, liquor and tobacco, and luxury goods, contributing collectively to 70 per cent of sales.

    These were followed by electronic gadgets, and chocolates, candies, and delicatessen items. Online purchases comprised mostly beauty products, electronics, and alcohol.

    CAG executive vice president of commercial Lim Peck Hoon said high concession sales help to keep aeronautical charges — such as charges for landing, parking, and aero-bridges — competitive.

    The opening of second DFS Wines & Spirits Duplex at Terminal 2 — which houses a cigar room and whiskey house — and the Pokemon at Changi celebrations are examples of how the operator has tried to keep its retail strategy “innovative”, she added.

    Lees ook:

  • Singtel launches 450Mbps LTE-A nationwide

    Singtel launches 450Mbps LTE-A nationwide

    Singtel has announced the nationwide deployment of its 450Mbps LTE-Advanced service as part of the operator’s journey to 5G.

    The company has upgraded its LTE network in Singapore to support the pre-5G technology 256 quadrature amplitude modulation (256 QAM).

    The technology is designed to increase the number of unique waveform shapes to allow the carriage of up to a third more data, as well as increased spectral efficiency.

    Singtel will make the 450Mbps service available to all its 4G customers with compatible devices at no extra cost.

    Customers with Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones can take advantage of the faster speeds already, and Samsung plans to release a software update to also support the LG V20. More compatible smartphone models are expected to reach the market early this year.

    “Singtel is investing ahead to deliver faster speeds and wider connections with the steady deployment of innovative technologies on our live network,” Singtel CEO consumer Singapore Yuen Kuan Moon said.

    “With more customers consuming and sharing mobile videos, 450Mbps speeds will enable them to download movies in a flash and give them a better entertainment experience while on the go.”

    Singtel also announced it teamed up with Ericsson to demonstrate download speeds of 1Gbps in a live 4G network pilot at two sites. The speed was achieved by combining 256 QAM with 4×4 MIMO and tri-carrier aggregation technologies.

    The operator plans to roll out 4×4 MIMO technology on its network from next year. The first compatible devices are expected to be ready for launch by the end of 2017.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • McDonald’s Malaysia bans non-halal foods

    McDonald’s Malaysia bans non-halal foods

    McDonald’s Malaysia has decided to ban customers taking products that are not halal-certified into its restaurants.

    The fast-food restaurant chain says the measure is necessary to safeguard its own halal status, reports the Malay Mail.

    “This is in line with fulfilling requirements of our halal certification,” company official say.

    The new policy came to notice after an announcement was made in one of its restaurants that birthday cakes taken onto the premises must have halal certification or logo.

    McDonald’s Singapore and Malaysia franchise rights were sold last month to Saudi Arabian company Lionhorn as part of a broader plan by the US company to move away from direct ownership in Asia.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • S4M sets new target in travel retail

    S4M sets new target in travel retail

    Mobile advertising tech company S4M has launched a service to target more than 30 million airport travellers each week.

    Using enriched geo-localised user behavioural and contextual data, the company wants to help brands boost their presence in 30 global airports.

    “Airports are more than just transit areas – they present a huge opportunity for brands to engage with consumers,” says S4M VP of APAC sales Gavin Buxton.

    “The smartphone is an extension of the individual, so it is a must-have touchpoint when creating fully integrated brand experiences. Advertisers should be combining the omnipresence of the mobile medium with real-time geolocation at airports to deliver seamless customer journeys.”

    S4M’s “geofencing” technology helps advertisers analyse and understand mobile user profiles at airports. The company combines anonymous mobile device identifiers with GPS co-ordinates, device language settings and online periods. This mix provides advertisers with more insights into consumer behaviours and offers a new opportunity to engage with travellers at airports.

    “Consumers break away from their daily behaviours when travelling, and the only constant is their smartphones,” says S4M CEO Christophe Collet. “Our goal is to reach people in transit, whether tourists or business travellers, when they are away from their everyday routines. Brands that can deliver tailored messages to their customers, even when they are hundreds of kilometres from home, are truly transforming mobile advertising into a valuable service”.

    About 1 million people a day travel through the Skytrax-rated top five airports in Asia: Singapore Changi, Incheon, Tokyo Haneda, Hong Kong and Beijing.

    More than two-thirds of air travellers are from middle- to high-income groups, according to figures from the World Bank.

    Demographics such as luxury-brand shoppers, digital high-tech users, high-end car buyers and business travellers can be reached in a duty-free setting via mobile. Luxury brands such as L’Oreal have already used S4M’s technology for cross-country campaigns.

    S4M (Success for Mobile) is an innovative advertising technology company that transforms mobile ads into personalised content for individual users. Founded in 2011 by mobile marketing pioneers, it now services more than 350 advertisers internationally. S4M has its headquarters in Paris with more than 95 employees and five offices covering Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the US.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Yoyo Cao plans pop-up for Tang Plaza

    Yoyo Cao plans pop-up for Tang Plaza

    Womenswear label Exhibit, established by Singapore designer/street-style star Yoyo Cao, plans to open a month-long pop-up store.

    At Tang Plaza from February 2, it features items from the brand’s latest collection, including exclusive pieces from S/S ’17.

    Cao’s signature boyish style includes tops with oversized sleeves and bell-bottom trousers.

    Buyers will receive Nars beauty products with every purchase.

    Lees ook:

  • Deja vu? Malls reuse Xmas decor for CNY

    Deja vu? Malls reuse Xmas decor for CNY

    If Chinese New Year decorations at shopping malls are looking somewhat familiar, it is likely because they have been up since Christmas.

    Malls have transformed their Christmas ornaments and themes into Chinese New Year trimmings.

    By doing so, the malls say they have saved money, reduced waste and managed to turn over the decorations in a shorter time.

    Orchardgateway’s fantasy underwater world decor was planned to cover both festivals, as the dates were almost “back to back”. This year, Chinese New Year falls on Jan 28, just a month after Christmas.

    “We maintained the fantasy underwater world setting but added koi fish to bring out the Chinese New Year flavour and mood,” said its spokesman.

    Orchard Central said it saved up to 60 per cent in cost from repurposing its Christmas ornaments for the upcoming Chinese New Year, instead of replacing them with a new set-up. It has even combined its Chinese New Year decorations with Valentine’s Day decorations, with a turquoise and pink theme. 313@Somerset (above) has also changed its decorations. 

    She added that koi fish, which were added to a seascape of corals, symbolise good fortune, prosperity, longevity and success. The mall managed to save 30 to 40 per cent in cost and wastage as a result.

    Orchard Central, which is owned by Far East Organization, said it saved up to 60 per cent in cost by repurposing Christmas ornaments, instead of putting up a new set-up.

    In fact, the mall has combined its Chinese New Year decorations with Valentine’s Day decorations with a turquoise and pink theme, featuring cages and artificial flowers.

    More than half of the materials from the decor can be recycled. Far East’s other malls, such as Clarke Quay Central and Square 2, are also repurposing decorations.

    Over at CapitaLand Malls’ Bugis Junction, the Christmas tree is now a giant spiral bamboo plant.

    “What used to be whimsical waxed moustaches – not unlike the kind Santa typically sports – have now been turned into the upturned branches of the bamboo arrangement, signifying good luck for the coming Year of the Rooster,” said CapitaLand Mall Asia’s head of retail management in Singapore, Ms Teresa Teow.

    Farther west, the Star Vista converted its larger-than-life Christmas bauble centrepiece into a tangerine, signifying prosperity and fortune.

    The mall has donated some of its Christmas decorations to the Singapore General Hospital, which will sell them to raise funds for the hospital’s Needy Patients Fund.

    Ms Valerie Toh, 29, an office manager, said she did not notice the similarities in the decorations.

    “Given the not-so-good economy, I think people will appreciate the malls cutting down on wastage rather than spending needlessly,” she said.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Aape popping up with New Year offers

    Aape popping up with New Year offers

    Aape by A Bathing Ape, a diffusion label under the Japanese streetwear brand, is launching its Chinese New Year collection at a week-long pop-up store at Ion Orchard in Singapore.

    Running from January 14 to 22, the store will offer exclusive merchandise and a limited-edition womenswear range with such items as t-shirts and hoodies.

    The line focuses on relaxed, casual separates with a youthful, sporty vibe, says Female magazine. The women’s range features a camouflage print in pink and red, plus a black, gold and white version.