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Tag: Singapore

  • Singtel launches Liquid Infrastructure platform

    Singtel launches Liquid Infrastructure platform

    Singtel has launched a new globally available platform designed to allow enterprises to easily configure their networks to better support their business requirements.

    The Liquid Infrastructure platform integrates physical and virtual network services into a single platform embedded with network visibility and intelligence capabilities. This allows enterprises to deploy network resources as and when needed.

    The platform is supported by Singtel’s data network infrastructure and virtual network services. It is designed for use in cloud, VPN and IoT deployments.

    The operator has also upgraded its global IP network with new flexibility and software capabilities to support the service.

    “We have integrated software-based network services to this platform to provide a versatile, robust and scalable solution that delivers critical network services where and when they are needed,”Singtel Group Enterprise VP of global products Goh Boon Huat said.

    “By having the control of connectivity in the hands of our customers, we facilitate their transformation to the digital era through a superior and more agile network deployment and management experience.”

    Liquid Infrastructure is integrated with Singtel’s global network, which consists of subsea cables, an IP VPN network with 428 points of presence and a global internet service spanning more than 200 countries.

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  • Jumbo China sets plan for more store

    Jumbo China sets plan for more store

    Restaurant operator Jumbo Seafood has opened its first franchise in Mainland China, in the city of Fuzhou.

    The move signals the onset of a period of Asian expansion for the brand, which has announced plans to open five to six new franchise outlets each year, targeting Shenzhen, other mainland cities, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau and Indonesia.

    The new 13,000sqft venue at the Dongbai Centre is Jumbo’s fourth franchised Jumbo Seafood restaurant since last year, and follows the recent opening of Jumbo Seafood in Taichung City.

    Other targets for immediate expansion include Thailand and Singapore. A spokesperson for the brand noted:

    “We project that Jumbo would add two new Jumbo Seafood outlets in Singapore – one Jumbo Premium Seafood outlet in Ion Orchard shopping mall and another potentially in the upcoming Jewel Changi – and one new Chui Huay Lim Teochew Cuisine outlet over the next 12 months.”

    Jumbo operates 15 Jumbo Seafood restaurants across Asia.

  • Seed Money for Healthcare Startups in Southeast Asia

    Seed Money for Healthcare Startups in Southeast Asia

    HealthXCapital launched Emerging Asia’s first healthcare-focused early stage VC fund, according to a media release sent on Thursday.

    Backed by Apollo Hospitals, Jungle Ventures, Eight Roads Ventures (the proprietary investment arm of Fidelity International), and other private investors, early stage venture firm HealthXCapital aims to fuel healthcare innovation in Asia’s emerging economies.

    Healthcare Has Not Kept Pace

    The region has experienced one of the world’s fastest growths stories but healthcare has not kept pace. We believe that HealthXCapital can foster healthcare innovation in Asia in order to improve patient outcomes, access and affordability in our core demographies, said Suneeta Reddy, Managing Director of the Apollo Hospitals Group.

    HealthXCapital has launched a $25 million fund to provide smart, connected capital to healthcare startups focused on emerging markets in South Asia and Southeast Asia.

    Perennial Challenges

    The firm invests and works intensively with healthcare startups to augment their commercialisation and bring accessible socio-economic benefits to Asia’s healthcare ecosystem.

    Asia faces perennial challenges such as underdeveloped infrastructure, affordability of treatments, lack of proactive healthcare and opaque data management. While healthcare expenditure is growing fast, it still continues to lag. Large gaps remain in the Asian healthcare systems, Reddy added.

    Ripe For Disruption

    These gaps are also driving strong demand for technology in the $517 billion opportunity in 2018 as projected in a recent report published by Frost & Sullivan.

    Our aim at HealthXCapital is to help modernise a sector which has long been ripe for disruption. We want to grow the best domestic and global healthcare technologies by helping them rapidly scale across emerging Asian markets, said Seemant Jauhari, Partner at HealthXCapital.

  • DBS Extends Support for Social Enterprises

    DBS Extends Support for Social Enterprises

    DBS said it is extending support for social enterprises via its Social Enterprise(SE) Support Programme on Tuesday specifically addressing their top three priorities. These include: improving their business model to achieve financial sustainability; sourcing for funding and; customer acquisition.

    «Social enterprises have big ambitions to make a positive impact in their community, and very often they struggle with limited resources. We want to support these social enterprises in their journey to create greater social impact,» said Joyce Tee, DBS’ group head of SME banking.

    Started A Decade Ago

    DBS pioneered the social enterprise banking package 10 years ago, but more than half of the social enterprises surveyed by the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise said they lacked access to financial support.

    As such, DBS will continue to provide SEs access to virtually free banking services through its DBS Social Enterprise Package. With this package, SEs can open an account with a zero-minimum balance and enjoy unsecured loans at preferential rates.

    Three pillars

    The DBS Social Enterprise Support Programme has three pillars – mentoring, training and financing. Under the program, SEs will also receive a relationship managed account traditionally reserved for larger corporate customers. The programme will jointly be administered by the DBS SME Banking team and the DBS Foundation.

    To start, DBS will mentor the 12 social enterprises DBS Foundation awarded in its 2018 Social Enterprise Grant Programme. Over 28 senior SME relationship managers have committed at least of 8 hours a month to mentor social enterprises in their specialised industries. These industries include retail, F&B and healthcare.

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  • New York burger chain Shake Shack confirms first Singapore outlet

    New York burger chain Shake Shack confirms first Singapore outlet

    Shake Shack has confirmed its long-ago leaked debut in Singapore, the US restaurant chain announcing overnight it will open at the new Changi Jewel shopping centre under construction.

    “We’re comin’ to the city where east meets west!” the company announced.

    As predicted back in March, Shake Shack Singapore will be launched through its South Korean franchise partner SPC Group, which operates Paris Baguette in the city. SPC has 6000 stores from 30 brands around the world, including seven Shake Shacks in Seoul.

    “We are executing our strategic plan in Asia with plans to launch in Singapore, Shanghai, and Manila next year,” said Michael Kark, VP of global licensing with Shake Shack in the US.

    “For years we’ve been looking for the right opportunity to enter the Singaporean market given its regional importance, and we’re thrilled to have found the right strategic partner and an ideal launch location. Our Shake Shack Singapore flagship site will be in the stunning Jewel Changi Airport, home to more than 2000 trees, harkening back to Shake Shack’s birthplace in New York City’s Madison Square Park.”

    The chain debuted in Asia at Tokyo’s Gaien Park in 2015, and since then has expanded to include 10 Shacks in Japan, seven in South Korea, and one in Hong Kong operated by a subsidiary of Dairy Farm International. A second Shake Shack in Hong Kong will open soon in Pacific Place.

    Shake Shack Singapore says it intends to work with local suppliers and producers to create “a one-of-a-kind Shack for the Singapore community”. The menu will feature signature items including the ShackBurger, Shack-cago Dog, crinkle-cut fries, beer, wine and frozen custard ice cream.

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  • Taiwan’s Tiger Sugar bubble milk tea to open in Singapore

    Taiwan’s Tiger Sugar bubble milk tea to open in Singapore

    Popular Taiwanese bubble milk tea brand Tiger Sugar is set to launch in Singapore.

    Queues with a minimum waiting time of an hour have been reported at Tiger Sugar locations both in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Photographs of customers enjoying the stripey brown sugar bubble milk drink have trended strongly on Instagram.

    The new store will be set up in the City Hall area and is scheduled to open next month. Similar queues are anticipated for the new location.

    Bubble tea has become an important trend in Singapore with 10 brands opening within the past year alone.

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  • Korean restaurant Mom’s Touch to land in Singapore

    Korean restaurant Mom’s Touch to land in Singapore

    No Signboard Holdings has entered into a master franchise agreement with South Korean Haimarrow Food Service and US firm HFS Global to develop and operate Mom’s Touch chicken and burger restaurants in Singapore and Malaysia.

    The group has been granted the right to operate the South Korean chain in Singapore and Malaysia for a period of 10 years – with an option to renew for another 10 years – from the date the group’s first Mom’s Touch restaurant commences operations (or on 2 January 2019, whichever is earlier).

    The company’s initial plan is to launch eight Mom’s Touch restaurants in Singapore and Malaysia within the first three years of the franchise agreement.

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  • Singtel, affiliates sign eSports alliance

    Singtel, affiliates sign eSports alliance

    Singtel and four of its regional mobile associates have entered a collaboration agreement aimed at stimulating the gaming and eSports ecosystem in Southeast Asia, Australia and India.

    Singtel and wholly-owned Australian subsidiary Optus have signed agreements with India’s Bharti Airtel, Thailand’s AIS, the Philippines’ Globe Telecom and Indonesia’s Telkomsel covering areas including scaling up eSports, content creation and distribution.

    Singtel, Optus, Airtel, AIS, Globe and Telkomsel plan to jointly develop solutions and services for gamers and fans across the region, including providing access to local, regional and global eSports competitions, original content and exclusive programming.

    The agreement was signed at the Singtel Group’s first multi-title and regional eSports league championship – the PVP Esports Championship – over the weekend.

    The Singtel Group has announced plans to leverage its telco assets and regional mobile customer base of more than 700 million to pursue opportunities to encourage eSports development.

    Singtel also used the championship event to unveil its new ultra-fast fiber broadband service  for Singapore gamers, which includes 1Gbps of dedicated gaming bandwidth and another 1Gbps for general internet usage.

    “Gaming is part of a digital world without borders, where fast network speeds, connectivity and local market knowledge are critical. It is a natural and perfect fit for Singtel and our partners,” Singtel International CEO Arthur Lang said.

    “We are committed to working as a group to better serve the gamers in our networks, and in the region. We hope to play a major regional role as an enabler of eSports, to collectively grow the gaming ecosystem, and give gamers the support and recognition they deserve.”

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  • Singtel launches ultra-fast broadband for gamers

    Singtel launches ultra-fast broadband for gamers

    Singtel has launched a new ultra-fast fiber broadband service targeted at gamers, which comes bundled with a dedicated gaming Wi-Fi modem.

    The new 1+1 Gbps Fibre Pro Gamer Bundle comes with the newly launched Razer Sila gaming router and a subscription to the WTFast Gamer Private Network service, which is designed to automatically connect gamers to the fastest servers.

    The bundle is priced at S$69.60 ($50.41) on a 24-month contract, and connects to a dual network which comprises 1Gbps of dedicated bandwidth for gaming and another 1Gbps for regular internet usage.

    The dedicated bundle is being launched today at the opening day of Singtel’s first PVP Esports Championship in Suntec City, a three day event featuring teams from Australia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand competing for a $300,000 prize pool.

    “We are pleased to offer our customers this broadband bundle that’s specially designed for online gaming during our inaugural PVP Esports Championship event,” Singtel CEO consumer Singapore and group chief digital officer Yuen Kuan Moon said.

    “Online gaming is extremely popular with our customers. This requires high connectivity performance and specialized devices to optimize the gaming experience. By bringing together Singtel’s superior network connectivity and Razer’s Sila gaming router, we believe the 1+1 Gbps Fibre Pro Gamer Bundle will provide the ultimate performance for gamers.”

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  • Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines’ continuing their alliance for another five years

    Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines’ continuing their alliance for another five years

    The New Zealand government has given the green light to Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) continuing their alliance for a further five years. Under the partnership, which began in 2015, the pair codeshares on routes between New Zealand and Europe, India and Southeast Asia via Singapore. The partnership also includes revenue sharing and coordination of capacity and pricing.

    New Zealand transport minister Phil Twyford said reauthorisation of the alliance would result in more benefits to passengers.

    “Reauthorisation of the alliance will result in more benefits to travellers. These benefits include a wider range of flight times, more seats and reciprocal frequent flyer schemes,” Twyford said in a statement on October 5.

    “The services the airlines provide through the alliance strengthens New Zealand’s ties with our close neighbours in South East Asia and with other emerging markets throughout Asia.

    When the alliance was first approved in late 2014, it paved the way for Air New Zealand to resume nonstop flights between Auckland and Singapore.

    There has been further capacity increases since then, with SIA starting Singapore-Canberra-Wellington flights in 2017 and adding extra flights on the Singapore-Christchurch route. In May 2018, SIA tweaked its Wellington services, switching the mid-point stopover from Canberra to Melbourne.

    Meanwhile, the pair has added more frequencies on the Auckland-Singapore route and will have three nonstop flights a day from October 28 2018.

    The two carriers said in a joint statement the alliance had increased seat capacity by more than 25 per cent between New Zealand and Singapore.

    Further, it noted there would be 35 return flights a week between the two countries in the peak months.

    “The decision to re-authorise the alliance reinforces the benefits it has delivered to the New Zealand market in its first four years,” SIA senior vice president for marketing and planning Tan Kai Ping said.

    “We look forward to continue working closely with our alliance partner Air New Zealand, to provide even more travel options for our customers.”

    Air New Zealand chief strategy, networks and alliances officer Nick Judd said the partnership with SIA had been “key to successfully growing Air New Zealand’s international network and delivering important benefits to our customers”.

    “Singapore Airlines has been a strong alliance partner and we are excited at the opportunities the re-authorisation provides our two airlines,” Judd said.

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  • Ted Baker Asia sales free falls

    Ted Baker Asia sales free falls

    Ted Baker Asia sales slipped in the 28 weeks to August as the UK brand trimmed its store network in Hong kong and Mainland China.

    According to its latest results filing, Ted Baker Asia sales fell 1.8 per cent in real terms, however in constant currency they rose 1.8 per cent, to £11.2 million.

    Sales per square foot excluding e-commerce sales decreased 4.4 per cent.

    “We continue to refine and develop our strategy for success in Asia,” said chairman David Bernstein.

    In China, Ted Baker closed one store, one concession and one outlet store. It closed another store in Hong Kong.

    But Bernstein said the company’s e-commerce concession businesses in China and Japan performed well with sales of £1.7 million (up by £600,000 compared with last year) which expressed as a percentage of total Ted Baker Asia retail sales came to 15.2 per cent.

    In Asia, Ted Baker licensees opened new stores in India, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan during the period.

    Globally, Ted Baker retail sales, including e-commerce, rose 1.1 per cent to £220.1million. Group revenue, including licensing, rose 3.5 per cent to £306 million.

    “Ted Baker has continued to develop and expand as a global lifestyle brand across its markets and distribution channels despite challenging external trading conditions,” said founder and CEO Ray Kelvin. “This continued growth is testament to the strength of the Ted Baker brand, the design and quality of our collections as well as the dedication and talent of our teams.

    “Whilst we believe that the second half of the year will remain challenging due to external factors, we are well positioned to continue Ted Baker’s long-term development. Our flexible business model ensures that our customer has multiple channels to engage with Ted Baker and our global e-commerce business continues to expand, supported by our digital marketing strategy and unique stores that showcase the brand.”

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  • Oldtown White Coffee opens new concept store at Suntec City

    Oldtown White Coffee opens new concept store at Suntec City

    Malaysian cafe chain Oldtown White Coffee has launched a concept store at Suntec City Mall.

    The venue opened last month and features a facial-recognition feature as part of its ordering system. Seating 88 guests, Oldtown Suntec City offers exclusive local menu items and new coffee flavours, including popcorn and coconut lattes.

    Oldtown White Coffee is Malaysia’s largest white coffee chain and operates more than 250 outlets throughout Southeast Asia. It has established outlets in China and Indonesia, and has recently expanded into Vietnam and Cambodia.

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  • Tencent, Hillhouse back MINISO

    Tencent, Hillhouse back MINISO

    Tencent and Hillhouse Capital have invested RMB1 billion (US$146 million) into fast-growing Chinese discount retailer Miniso.

    Founded just five years ago, Miniso has already grown to more than 3000 stores worldwide using what it describes as a “high quality, low price” philosophy.

    Three years ago, the China-headquartered retailer which pretends to be Japanese in its brand positioning and marketing, made its first foray abroad. One in three of its stores are now in overseas cities in 70 countries and markets, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, Macau, India, South Korea, North Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

    In a statement, Miniso said the strategic investment from Tencent and Hillhouse Capital will enhance cooperation in big data analysis, smart outlets, intelligent retail and digital operations, among other areas.

    “The investment of Tencent and Hillhouse Capital will help the future development of Miniso by improving its ability in terms of information technology, capital operation, corporate governance, etc. The investment will also expand its layout in the field of intelligent retail and accelerate overseas market expansion, so as to help Miniso achieve its medium-term strategic goals.”

    That goal is to have 10,000 stores trading in 100 countries with RMB 100 billion in sales by 2022.

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  • Keppel in joint venture for first commercial development in India

    Keppel in joint venture for first commercial development in India

    Keppel Land, the property subsidiary of Singaporean conglomerate Keppel Corporation, is in a partnership to develop its first commercial property in India.

    The group has acquired a well-located 3.09ha site from Metro Cash & Carry India in Yeshwanthpur through a majority 51:49 joint venture with Indian property developer Puravankara.

    The total consideration of INR 4.05 billion (US$81 million) includes the cost of $16 million for the construction of a 160,000sqft retail/office complex. The total development cost, including the land, is $207.4 million.

    Yeshwanthpur is 5km northwest of central Bangalore, one of the primary hubs for the technology industry in India. The area is among the largest and fastest-growing office markets in the country.

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  • When vinyl music and cocktails meet in cafe concept

    When vinyl music and cocktails meet in cafe concept

    Singaporean music enthusiasts Kurt Loy and Darren Tan have celebrated the renaissance of vinyl records with a bar in a new venture on Ann Siang Road.

    White Label is a bar and record store in a single space where the duo hope to enthuse a new generation to share their passion for vinyl. Their last venture was record marketplace app #vinyloftheday.

    “We are very happy to be working with Analog Vault to present to Singapore’s music community and music lovers our labour of love,” said Tan at a media preview. “We aim to provide a unique and all-encompassing experience in music where you can have a drink, discover and buy new music, enjoy live performances and DJ sets.”

    Loy and Tan hope White Label will become more than a bar, becoming a community space to showcase underground culture and alternative music. They plan to present a curated collection of vinyl from local and regional stores and host live events, including a two-day popup on october 12 and 13 featuring Jazzy Sport.

    On the bar side, White Label will serve cocktails, craft beers and wine.

    White Label is at 28 Ann Siang Road and trades from 11am to midnight Tuesday through Sunday.

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