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Tag: Singapore

  • Jewel Changi mall planned to open on April 17

    Jewel Changi mall planned to open on April 17

    Changi Airport’s mega retail and lifestyle development Jewel Changi Airport will open on April 17, senior minister of state for transport Lam Pin Min has announced. The 10-story complex consisting of five storeys above ground and five basement floors will be home to more than 280 shops and food and beverage (F&B) outlets and an 11-screen cineplex. Fast-food chain A&W will mark its Singapore return at the new mall and Swiss chocolatier Laderach will open its first outlet there. Other retailers include include Norwegian casual-seafood restaurant Pink Fish and American fine casual chain Shake Shack.

    The first overseas outlet of Pokemon Center is also ready to open.

    Jewel Changi will also be home to a long list of local brands, including design retailer Naiise, gallery store Supermama and Tiger Beer which will be launching a first-in-the-world Tiger Street Lab on level 5.

    Local chef Violet Oon will open her largest restaurant – more than 350sqm in size – offering local delicacies, such as dry laksa.

    Sneak peek for residents

    Ahead of the opening, Singapore residents will get to have a sneak peek of the new development.

    From April 11 to 16, 500,000 free tickets will be available for the public to visit Jewel Changi Airport, allocated in three-hour time blocks each day to avoid congestion.

    Registration will open online at jewelpreview.com at 6am on March 12. Each member of the public can register for up to four participants.

    “Visitors will be able to explore various points of interest in Jewel, such as the lush greenery of the four-storey Forest Valley with two walking trails and take in the magnificent 40m Rain Vortex, the world’s tallest indoor waterfall,” Changi Airport Group announced.

    “They will also be able to shop or dine at more than 90 per cent of Jewel’s 280 shopping and dining outlets.”

    Travel experience for tourists

    On top of the retail offer, Jewel Changi Airport will feature aviation facilities that will improve the travel experience for passengers, such as early check-in facilities, integrated ticketing and baggage services for fly-cruise and fly-coach transfers.

    The new T1/Jewel car park – spanning five underground levels B2M to B5 – will also be fully operational from April 11, following the development of Terminal 4.

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  • Muji sues Singaporean retailer Luiga

    Muji sues Singaporean retailer Luiga

    Muji parent Ryohin Keikaku has filed a lawsuit against Singaporean retailer Iuiga alleging trademark infringement. During an interview Muji president Satoru Matsuzaki said the lawsuit was filed against Iuiga in Singapore courts in late January for “trademark infringement and passing-off under Singapore law”.

    The Japanese retail giant is seeking a court order to stop the use of the Muji trademark in Iuiga’s statements, as well as compensation for damages and losses.

    According to the report, the Singapore firm has used statements such as “Muji same manufacturer” and “direct from Muji manufacturer” on its e-commerce website and in its physical store.

    “We requested Iuiga to disclose information on their manufacturing factories to verify their statements. However, we did not receive any response,” a Muji spokesperson said.

    The Japanese firm added that its manufacturing contractors have denied manufacturing or supplying products to Iuiga.

    Iuiga’s chief growth officer Jaslyn Chan said the company has “done nothing wrong”, adding that the information on its website is factually accurate and its “manufacturing processes are legal”.

    She added that Iuiga works with “original design manufacturers”, and that there “is no direct ownership of the product by any single brand entity, allowing the original design manufacturers to produce for more than one brand”.

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  • DesignSingapore to take local brands global

    DesignSingapore to take local brands global

    DesignSingapore Council (DSG)’s new Business of Design (BOD) program has launched to help local furniture and lifestyle brands expand globally.

    As a part of Singapore Design Week 2019, which runs until March 17, the program will select up to six brands the council believes have the potential to expand internationally, to receive mentorship from industry experts.

    During the first two years, the BOD program will focus on the furniture and lifestyle product sector, and it will be expanded to include designers from other industries later.

    “With increasing industry demand for design, the role of designers will expand,” said Chee Hong Tat, senior minister of state for trade and Industry. “Hence, our design education and talent development programme must adapt to help our designers tackle more complex challenges in the future.

    A themed collective showcase will be held in 2020 at an international location before travelling to other events including Milan Design Week. Displays will also be created at retail pop ups in cities including Shanghai.

    Established in 2003, DSG aims to help local companies expand beyond Singapore.

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  • New stores boost sales for Sheng Siong Group

    New stores boost sales for Sheng Siong Group

    Singapore supermarket chain Sheng Siong Group has reported a 1.4 per cent year-on-year rise in net profit to S$70.5 million for 2018. Revenue, gross profit and gross margin all improved in both the final quarter and full year, but they were offset by a reduction in other income and higher operating expenses. Government statistics show sales in supermarkets across the city state shrank during the year, but Sheng Siong Group said it was able to mitigate that with new stores, its revenue rising 7.4 per cent for the year.

    The company’s gross margin increased to 26.8 per cent, from 26.2 per cent, mainly because of better buying prices, higher rebates from suppliers for special promotions and volume discounts, improvement in efficiency in the central distribution centre and higher mix of fresh versus non-fresh offerings.

    In a statement, Sheng Siong Group said it expects competition in Singapore’s supermarket industry to remain keen, “exacerbated by the proliferation of new supermarkets in HDB residential areas, as well as the push by new and existing e-commerce players for market share”.

    The group will continue to look for new retail spaces in new and existing HDB housing estates, particularly in estates where there is no presence. It has delayed a planned expansion of its central warehouse, which is now likely to be completed about mid year.

    The company’s store in Kunming, China, which opened in November 2017, recorded a loss of $700,000 last year.  It has has leased a site for a second supermarket in the city and hopes this will commence trading in the third quarter

    “Our store expansion plans have been well on track where we have opened 10 new stores during the year, bringing our total store count to 54 and expanding our total retail area to 496,200sqft,” said CEO Lim Hock Chee.

    “Going ahead, we remain on the lookout for new retail opportunities, especially in areas where we do not have a presence. Besides nurturing the growth of our new stores in Singapore and China, we will continue with our efforts in enhancing the gross margin via more efficiency gains in the supply chain and higher sales mix of fresh produce. We will remain vigilant on costs.”

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  • YSL Beauty Hotel to open in Singapore

    YSL Beauty Hotel to open in Singapore

    SL Beauty Hotel is coming to Singapore this month, as part of a tour of the world’s fashion meccas, including Paris, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul.

    Precise details of the Singapore ‘hotel’ have yet to be revealed, but it is expected to have same style of neon lights, sleek furnishing, and comfy bedding as in previous cities. Themed rooms like the All Hours Lounge, interactive game machines, photo booths and YSL Beaute products will be on site for visitors to experiment with and Instagram.

    Products in the spotlight will likely include the Encre de Peau Cushion Leather Collector’s Edition, Rouge Volupte Shine, and All Hours Foundation.

    The one-day pop up is set to open on March 16, from 10am to 5pm, at Cherry Discotheque in Cecil Street.

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  • Tekka Place Soft opens End of Year

    Tekka Place Soft opens End of Year

    Hospitality-and-retail integrated development Tekka Place has marked its topping out, and is scheduled for a soft opening by the end of this year.

    Located at 2 Serangoon Road, the complex has a main tower and a seven-storey annex with rooftop deck. Tekka Place will cater to the needs of nearby residents, office workers and commuters of both the North East and Downtown MRT lines, as well as house the new Citadines Rochor serviced residences, attracting new international visitors.

    Tekka Place’s construction started in mid-2017, managed by Lum Chang-LaSalle joint venture.
    Nearly 50 per cent of the 70,000sqft lettable retail space in the integrated development has been leased or is in advanced negotiations.

    “Even though we have been approached by reputable local and international retail and F&B brands, we are selective in curating Tekka Place’s retail mix to both reflect and build on the unique cultural identity of the Little India heritage precinct, and to complement the shopkeeper businesses in the area,” said Kelvin Lum, director at Lum Chang Holdings and spokesperson for the joint venture.

    XinTekka, a new food hall concept by Andrew Tan will occupy 10,000sqft of the mall, offering a spread of local culinary favourites with a twist. XinTekka is set to be Singapore’s newest dining destination.

    “We very much look forward to the forthcoming completion of Tekka Place, which will add to the revitalisation of the precinct as well as the dynamism of Little India,” said Rajakumar Chandra, chairman of the Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association.

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  • Manifesto opens first Mandarin Gallery flagship

    Manifesto opens first Mandarin Gallery flagship

    Multi-brand concept store Manifesto has opened a new flagship store on Singapore’s Orchard Road. Manifesto’s new space in Mandarin Gallery envelopes guests in “the stark and abstract beauty of the Saharan landscape”, featuring sand colours and organic rock-like contours.

    Inspired by North African architecture, the store uses natural desert hues to reflect the warmth and hospitality. The entrance recalls a nomadic tent, highlighted by LED lights.

    “The design direction reflects our philosophy. We want to welcome customers, wanderers, the same way Bedouins welcome strangers under their tent,” said Manifesto founder Walid Zaazaa.

    The new store offers more than 30 brands encompassing fashion, streetwear and lifestyle accessories, including a curation of hard-to-find brands in Southeast Asia: APC, Lemaire, and Axel Arigato.

    “The most important selling point of our product is scarcity. We have brands of different aesthetic, origin and prices. The common thread between them is how they express their identity through products that are easily wearable, made with outstanding quality, and have interesting stories,” Zaazaa added. The multi-use concrete cashier counter was cast on site and infused with red pigment.

  • New retail stores to open at Changi Airport

    New retail stores to open at Changi Airport

    Changi Airport has added new restaurants and stores to its retail offer. In the transit area, Irvin’s Salted Egg has opened a kiosk at Terminal 1. In the public areas, new eateries have opened at Terminal 3’s basement 2 including three by the Pezzo Group: Crave, Coffee Boy and Stuff’d. Mr Teh Tarik Express and multi-concept gourmet food hall, Terminal M, featuring a mix of Korean, Chinese and Japanese foods, are also available at this terminal.

    Visitors can now shop a new outlet of casual clothing retailer The Blues or confectioner The Cocoa Trees.

    Singapore Changi Airport handled 5.62 million passenger movements in January, a 6 per cent year-on-year increase.

    Passenger traffic growth during January was broad-based with increases recorded for all regions except the Middle East.

  • Singapore Airlines ups Johannesburg frequency

    Singapore Airlines ups Johannesburg frequency

    Effective March 31, Singapore Airlines (SQ) is permanently increasing capacity on the Johannesburg-Singapore route, with three additional flights on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

    They will be on a permanent basis after the increase was trialed in July and August last year. SQ481 will depart from Johannesburg at 22h30, arriving in Singapore at 14h55 the next day.

    Flight SQ482 departs from Singapore at 16h35, arriving in Johannesburg at 21h10.

    SQ479 and SQ478, the airline’s existing Johannesburg flights, will continue to fly onward to Cape Town daily.

  • Luxury French brand Faure Le Page heading to Singapore

    Luxury French brand Faure Le Page heading to Singapore

    Luxury French brand Faure Le Page will open its first Singapore flagship store this June, at Takashimaya. The store will be the fashion brand’s first in Southeast Asia and its ninth worldwide.

    Designed to resemble a garden, the boutique will pre-launch a collection of bags and accessories, specially designed for the local market.

    Known for its handbags and accessories, the brand will be distributed exclusively under a franchise agreement with FJ Benjamin Holdings.

    “Fauré Le Page is a prestigious brand in France with more than 300 years of history and a grand tradition of craftsmanship,” said Nash Benjamin, FJ Benjamin CEO. “Although its gunsmith origin is legendary in France, in recent years, it has developed a cult following for its handbags, small leather goods and accessories.

    “We are confident that our discerning customers in Singapore and the rest of the region will fall in love with the brand’s exquisite design and superior quality,” he added.

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  • Axiata Digital joins Singtel’s cross-border m-payment alliance

    Axiata Digital joins Singtel’s cross-border m-payment alliance

    Singtel Group and Malaysia’s Axiata Digital have signed an agreement to collaborate in the areas of mobile financial and digital services to promote the growth of the ASEAN digital economy. Under the agreement, Axiata Digital will join Singtel’s cross-border mobile payment alliance VIA, expanding the alliance’s footprint beyond Singapore and Thailand to Malaysia.

    Axiata Digital operates the Boost Malaysia mobile wallet, which as 3.7 million customers and 66,000 merchant points across the nation.

    In addition, the Singtel Group’s Open Platform payment gateway will partner with Axiata Digital’s API platform to enable cross-sharing of product portfolios.

    Both parties have also agreed to jointly promote and drive cross-border payments and to explore collaboration around rewards and loyalty programs.

    VIA was launched in October with Thai partners AIS and Kasikornbank. AIS is one of Singtel’s regional mobile associates. Singtel group plans to expand the VIA initiative to cover other associates Bharti Airtel in India, Globe in the Philippines, and Telkomsel in Indonesia.

    “We are delighted to welcome Boost Malaysia on board the VIA alliance, which gives us presence in an important new market. This shows the tremendous potential for us to grow cross-border mobile payments even beyond the countries where Singtel’s regional associates operate,” Singtel CEO Arthur Lang commented.

    “VIA’s continued expansion will provide consumers with the ease and convenience of using one mobile wallet to pay across multiple regional markets as they travel. We look forward to more partners joining VIA.”

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  • M1 to be delisted after crossing buyout threshold

    M1 to be delisted after crossing buyout threshold

    Konnectivity Corp has succeeded in its takeover attempt for Singapore’s third largest operator M1 and will now take the company private. Konnectivity, the joint venture established by major M1 shareholders Keppel Corp and Singapore Press Holdings, has announced in a stock exchange filing that its share in M1 has now crossed the 90% threshold.

    With fewer than 10% of shares now owned by the public, M1 now no longer meets the threshold of listing on the Singapore stock exchange and will be delisted.

    Remaining shareholders will have until March 18 to accept the S$2.06 ($1.52) per share buyout offer if they do not want to own shares in a delisted company.

    Keppel and SPH first mounted their buyout offer for M1 in January, after announcing an intention to do so in December. Their joint venture Konnectivity gained majority control of M1 in mid-February.

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  • CapitaLand tops out Raffles City Chongqing

    CapitaLand tops out Raffles City Chongqing

    CapitaLand has topped out the eighth and final skyscraper of Raffles City Chongqing, expecting to launch it in phases from the second half of this year. This follows the completion of the 200m-high bridge The Crystal which connects six of the towers. “The successful topping out of Raffles City Chongqing represents a new milestone in CapitaLand’s track record of building well-designed integrated spaces,” said Lucas Loh, president (China & investment management) of CapitaLand Group.

    “After six years of construction using state-of-the-art engineering technologies, we are proud to present in Raffles City Chongqing an iconic architectural form resembling a powerful sail surging forward on the historic Chaotianmen site.”

    Following Raffles City Chongqing’s structural completion, the group is now focusing on the interior fit-out works, including transplanting trees to enliven The Crystal sky bridge, which will feature the tallest observation deck across Western China.

    Retail offering

    The development’s five-storey shopping mall will house some 450 retailers of fashion, dining, lifestyle and entertainment.

    Anchor retail tenants committed to date include Chinese electric vehicle company Nio, which will open its largest showroom there, a 1500sqm space also serving as an “exclusive clubhouse” Nio owners.

    South Korean cinema chain CGV will open its 5600sqm flagship and popular bookstore Yanjiyou will open a regional flagship, featuring a lifestyle cafe and other creative and experiential offerings.

    Ole’ will operate a gourmet supermarket with a food hall serving a wide range of fresh produce and international specialties.

    In a tribute to the 3000-year-history of Chongqing, the mall will feature a dedicated zone to promote authentic Made-in-Chongqing products, such as local delicacies, handicrafts and souvenirs.

    Occupying 9.2ha, Raffles City Chongqing brings together a 235,000sqm shopping mall, 150,000sqm of Grade A office space, about 1400 residential apartments, Ascott Raffles City Chongqing serviced residence and InterContinental Raffles City Chongqing hotel.

  • Singapore’s VeganBurg plans US expansion with franchising

    Singapore’s VeganBurg plans US expansion with franchising

    Singapore-based burger chain VeganBurg is seeking new franchisees to expand its business in California. The company will hold a franchising conference in Las Vegas next month, expected to be attended by many Californian companies and individuals evaluating franchise concepts. “VeganBurg has developed a passionate following from customers in Singapore and internationally and we have spent the last few years refining operations and investing in what has made VeganBurg a winner — our juicy burgers, fantastic staff, and world-class customer service,” said Alex Tan, VeganBurg CEO and founder.

    “We are interested in meeting enthusiastic and dedicated people who are passionate about the environment and impeccable people support,” he added.

    VeganBurg’s franchisees can be assured of support from pre-opening and training. An operations team will help new partners establish supplies of proprietary ingredients and products, assist with site selection and interior design, initial training and ongoing training support, product research and development, branding and marketing assets, systems, tools and processes.

    Founded in 2010, VeganBurg has been redefining food pop culture and comfort food in Asia and North America with its 100-per-cent plant-based menu.

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