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Tag: Singapore

  • How AI affect online grocery shopping experience

    How AI affect online grocery shopping experience

    AI will soon revolutionise the online grocery shopping experience, according to research released today ahead of next month’s Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit in Singapore.

    The research, compiled by IGD, is based on a survey of 223 senior industry members across 42 different markets and a series of in-depth interviews. It predicts digital transformation will reshape online food and grocery retailing. In China, already the world’s largest online shopping market, online grocery sales will grow by 286 per cent within four years and account for 11.1 per cent of the nation’s total grocery spending.

    The online store of the future will contain five key features:

    Personal micro stores

    “Personal micro stores” will offer individualised and online-exclusive products as well as personalised promotions, recommendations, advertising and loyalty schemes. More than two-thirds of respondents (69 per cent) believe some retailers will apply personalised pricing and promotions in future. An additional 77 per cent think almost all digital communication to consumers by retailers will be personal.

    “AI will help to unlock personalisation,” explains Simon Mayhew, online retail insight manager at IGD. “The store’s layout will be dynamic and able to predict the customer’s reason for shopping. So, if you need a meal for tonight, your homepage will display only the relevant solutions. When generally browsing, you will only see the products and pack sizes likely to meet your needs. Many products will only be buyable online where there is no constraint on shelf space, and in high-value categories, there will be customisable products, so you can create your own ideal shampoo or cereal.”

    Smart personal assistants

    Tomorrow’s online grocery stores will act as a smart personal assistant, connecting with various devices, preventing shoppers from running out of products and supporting their lifestyle goals. Nearly two thirds (60 per cent) of the experts surveyed predict that smart devices automatically re-ordering products will become a firmly established way of shopping for many people. The shopping experience will also be more inspirational, through personalised planners and sophisticated digital assistants like chatbots. Seventy-one per cent of respondents expect some retailers to provide a service to offer personalised dietary guidance.

    “Smarter devices will make shopping simpler and more inspiring,” says Mayhew. “The online store will help stop you running out of products. Shoppers will subscribe to have their favourite products delivered regularly and AI will predict when you may run out and make or suggest a reorder. Household devices, such as washing machines, will connect to your store and reorder when necessary. This will lock in customer loyalty.

    “The online store will offer more than just groceries, it will also help around the house. With populations urbanising and tending to live in smaller properties, businesses will offer services that prevent the need for space-hungry appliances, such as home cleaning and laundry.”

    Faster and more efficient

    Tomorrow’s online grocery store will be more efficient for shoppers, making it easier and quicker to order products. Login and payment will be available through facial, voice or touch recognition technology. Shoppers will incur less waste, with a greater choice of pack sizes and meal planners to help manage quantities and advise on using leftovers. A better fulfilment service will be on offer with more deliveries, on time and in full and products delivered at the right quality and freshness.

    “For retailers and manufacturers, the online store of the future provides both opportunities and challenges,” says Mayhew. “Data from the online store will guide product development. Retailers will see gaps in their ranges through unfulfilled search requests and have a better understanding of product quality through ratings, reviews and feedback to chatbots.

    “Fulfilment will benefit from robotics and supply chain forecasting will be more accurate. This will mean online pickers have fresher products to select, helping overcome one of the biggest barriers to shopping online. Unattended deliveries to homes, cars, and even ‘straight to the fridge’, will grow in popularity.

    “Improvements in service will reduce the number of returns and make deliveries quicker. We will see greater collaboration in the supply chain, including manufacturers pooling resources to sell directly to consumers. However, there will also be new challenges and potential inefficiencies. Shoppers will expect faster deliveries, and this means smaller, more frequent orders.”

    Frictionless experience

    Tomorrow’s online grocery store will deliver a frictionless combined offline and online shopping experience for consumers. People will switch seamlessly from shopping online and instore with data cross-referenced between the two. This will help bring more personalisation to the physical store and help shoppers find their favourite products quickly and discover new ones. This is an opportunity that many companies need to work on with over half (53 per cent) of survey respondents saying they haven’t or have only just started to integrate their online and offline teams.

    “Before visiting a physical store, you will be able to look online to check in-store, real-time availability, access product information, get product usage ideas and read reviews”, says Mayhew. “When you arrive at the physical store you will then benefit from personalised offers and recommendations. An online app will help you find products and pay for your shopping without cash.”

    Invisible stores

    Tomorrow’s stores will – at times – be invisible, with shoppers buying products from shoppable digital content such as videos, photos and social media. In the future, people can be shopping at any time. There will be no limits to when you can be shopping. China has been leading the merging of media, entertainment and shopping, and Europe and North America will follow.

    “You won’t even need to visit your online store to buy products,” says Mayhew. “Alongside voice ordering, the majority of digital content you see will be shoppable. You could be watching a video or see a still image and just click on it to buy the product.”

    Danger in downplaying

    IGD’s team says there are three primary reasons why no grocery retailer or supplier can afford to downplay online retail:

    • Across most of the world, online is already a fast-growing channel.
    • Online and offline are merging, with an online store vital to complement physical stores.
    • The digital world evolves faster than the physical one and online stores will become increasingly compelling.

    The research house says tomorrow’s shoppers will expect more choice, convenience, inspiration, personalisation and transparency and online stores will play an increasing part in meeting these needs.

    “Grocery retail is seeing an unprecedented amount of change, driven by changing shopper expectations and the ability to meet these using transformative technologies,” says Joanne Denney-Finch, IGD’s CEO. “This offers great opportunities for companies of all sizes. The winners will put the needs of their shoppers first, be prepared to act decisively, maintain the highest everyday standards and exhibit tremendous agility.”

    The report, free to download from IGD, will be presented in detail at the Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit from June 12-15.

    Peter Freedman, the forum’s MD, says the IGD research report sets out a clear, consumer-centric vision of tomorrow’s online shopping experience.

    “It gives us all something to aim towards and it ties nicely to the theme of this year’s Global Summit – Consumer Centricity in a Data-Driven World.

    “And it highlights the importance of the CGF’s positive change agenda – such as using new technologies to deliver accurate product information on the digital shelf, designing out product and packaging waste, and retailer-manufacturer collaboration for growth.”

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  • L’Occitane to open Singapore-based pop-up café

    L’Occitane to open Singapore-based pop-up café

    French fragrance retailer L’Occitane plans to open a pop-up cafe, named A Journey in Every Sense, at Ion Orchard between July 3 and 16.

    Launching in collaboration with dessert specialist Janice Wong, it will feature her creations with such ingredients as cherry blossom, verbena, bergamot, rose and almond. Being promoted as a Province experience, the cafe also feature a skincare and bodycare texture bar allowing consumers to sample products, as well as 360deg VR exploration of the French region.

    At home in France, L’Occitane lately created a lifestyle pop-up concept including an essential oils distillery, restaurant, coffee and cocktail bar.

    To see more, browse the gallery below :

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  • Manolo Blahnik strengthens its expansion in Asia with Bluebell Group

    Manolo Blahnik strengthens its expansion in Asia with Bluebell Group

    In May 2018, Manolo Blahnik has opened its doors to the public at the triple tower complex Marina Sands Bay in Singapore, strengthening its presence in Asia with Bluebell Group.

    “Marina Bay Sands is one of the most recognized places in Singapore. It has been at the forefront of uniquely combining innovative architecture, luxury shopping and leisure, so I am very excited that now Manolo Blahnik will be part of this special concept,” said Kristina Blahnik, the label’s chief executive officer.

    The retail space was designed by the architect Nick Leith-Smith, who has signed several collaborations with the brand. For this store, Nick has blended Blahnik’s identity with local architecture, materials and elements of the cultural context. The aim was to create a retail space that could communicate with locals in their own codes. The store incorporates a mix of architectural styles seen around Singapore.

    The opening follows a series of activities to expand the brand’s presence in Asia. The partnership with Bluebell Group aims at “optimizing and restructuring” Blahnik’s distribution in the region. Previous retail developments included the opening of two new locations in Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Marina Bay Sands store will be the brand’s only standalone location in Singapore.

     

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  • My Melody Café Is Opening In Singapore At Suntec City

    My Melody Café Is Opening In Singapore At Suntec City

    Japan’s My Melody Cafe plans an outlet at Suntec City.

    Commonly known as My Melo, the character central to the cafe is a white rabbit from Japanese characterisation company Sanrio who is said to be a good friend of Hello Kitty.

    With an al fresco garden setting, the cafe will feature a floral arch, garden-themed mural wall and a cottage house.

    The menu will offer five mains, six desserts and seven character-customised drinks.

     

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  • MC Payment launches ‘Moonie’, a newtoken-based wallet app, at Artbox Singapore 2018

    MC Payment launches ‘Moonie’, a newtoken-based wallet app, at Artbox Singapore 2018

    Mobile Credit Payment Pte. Ltd (“MC Payment” or the “Company”), an established blockchain and unified payments enabler in Asia Pacific, announced that it launched token-based wallet app, Moonie, for use at Artbox Singapore 2018.

    Artbox Singapore, held from 25th to 27th May and 1st to 3rd June 2018, is Singapore’s largest pop-up creative market. Available for use on both iOS and Android devices, Moonie users will experience seamless transactions, enjoy discounts and earn additional Artbox tokens that can be redeemed at the stalls. Consumers are able to top up their Moonie accounts with Artbox tokens at the event via Artbox’s presenting sponsor.

    Commenting on the launch, Mr Anthony Koh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MC Payment said, “The launch of Moonie, especially in a high transaction volume environment such as Artbox Singapore 2018, underscores MC Payment’s technological expertise and initiative to build the foundation of a true cashless society in Singapore and the region.

    For the past 13 years, MC Payment has been driving efficiency in the Asian Pacific payments landscape. Our recent acquisition of iFashion Group and initiatives such as Moonie build on our core competencies of unifying payment platforms and developing proprietary technologies which provide retailers and consumers access to financial innovations that are being rapidly adopted globally.

    Millennials in particular represent a large group of consumers, both online and offline, and are reshaping retail transactions. They are astute, well-informed, technologically savvy and reaching their prime spending years. We are leading this transformation by building advanced payment options and presenting them in an easy-to-use and secure interface.”

    Mr. Jeremy Khoo, CEO of iFashion Group added, “We continue to push the boundaries of how technology can become an enabler in the retail industry and in the evolution of payments. With this year’s Artbox, we wanted to explore new and novel ways for consumers to transact with merchants, hence the creation of Moonie. This was our pilot and case study for this vision and we continue to explore more innovative solutions. It is a potentially game-changing mode of transaction, and we hope to rollout more of such innovations to improve the quality of experience for consumers and merchants in Asia.”

  • Ted Baker Launches First-EverTravel-Retail Boutique In Changi Airport

    Ted Baker Launches First-EverTravel-Retail Boutique In Changi Airport

    Ted Baker opens up a new location in Changi Airport Terminal 2 Departure Transit Lounge – its first-ever travel-retail boutique in Changi Airport which invites jetsetters to browse and buy at leisure.

    To immerse yourself in the Ted Baker experience, pull up to the stylish bar-styled interior which is an evocative fusion of one part Singapore Sling and two parts British Dry Gin, mixed liberally with Ted’s signature style of apparel for him and her, and topped off with exclusive offerings.

    REMINISCENT OF ENGLISH GIN PALACES

    An open-concept boutique, this destination is a standing invitation to experience Ted’s iconic British wit.

    Infused with splashes of Ted’s quirky tongue-in-cheek humour and creative attention to detail, it features design touches of English gin palaces, polished copper distillery aesthetics, juniper berries (from which gin is distilled), and luxurious lounge finishes.

    In a nod to its premium location at Changi Airport, Ted Baker also takes inspiration from the Changi Butterfly Garden in the unique store design. Butterfly motifs and soothing touches of greenery lend an outdoor-garden atmosphere to the boutique, complementing the contemporary and transatlantic charm of its offerings.

    Eco-conscious travellers can also take heart that energy efficient fittings in the store design aid in Ted Baker’s environmentally-conscientious operations.

    EXCLUSIVE RETAIL ITEMS AVAILABLE HERE

    Shoppers at this boutique can expect an array of exclusive items not available at any other physical store in Singapore. These include travel luggage, leather accessories, stationery items, scarves, sunglasses and swimwear.

    With its wide and diverse selection of apparel and accessories as distinctive as your destination, this boutique is a breath of fresh air, and a jaunty reminder that a trip to anywhere begins at Ted Baker.

    The pictures of the store can be viewed below :

  • CapitaLand shapes Funan into Singapore’s first O&O shopping mall

    CapitaLand shapes Funan into Singapore’s first O&O shopping mall

    Funan has unveiled its digital blueprint as Singapore’s first O&O shopping mall integrating data and logistics aimed at empowering omnichannel retail strategies and transforming the customer experience.

    It encompasses customer analytics such as transaction and demographics data, robotic automation including Singapore’s first use of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and robotic arms in a retail setting.

    Owned by CapitaLand Mall Trust and managed by CapitaLand Retail, Funan will also offer a 24-hour click-and-collect drive-through.

    “As smartphones change the way people shop and socialise, the design and operations of retail space must be reimagined to meet changing consumer expectations for an integrated O&O experience,” says CapitaLand Retail CEO Wilson Tan. “With the benefit of being a new development, Funan has wired its hardware and software differently to plug straight into the phygital (physical + digital) world of today’s consumers.

    “We have positioned Funan as the vanguard of innovation, with a combination of community, passion and discovery in its design. Our objectives are to empower our retailers’ omnichannel strategy, deepen consumer insights and enhance customer satisfaction through a seamless O&O journey.”

    Unified view

    CapitaLand Mall Trust Management CEO Tony Tan says the rise of omnichannel retailing spells new opportunities for the group to help its retailers do more business by increasing their consumer touchpoints while maintaining a unified view of their customers.

    “As a native O&O mall with omnichannel retail infrastructure enabled by the latest technology, Funan is well-positioned to attract quality tenants that are able to adapt and excel in this fast-changing retail landscape.”

    He says some of the digital innovations and infrastructure will be introduced into other malls in the group’s portfolio.

    For a typical Funan customer, the journey begins through bookings via the CapitaStar members’ app by CapitaLand, such as accessing the open studios in the Tree of Life experiential section, signing up for craft workshops with friends, booking tickets to a theatrical performance and reserving meeting rooms in the coworking space. The app also lets drivers reserve parking lots, find their car later and pay or redeem their parking fees.

    Shoppers can make purchases using StarPay, the in-app e-payment feature, while working professionals use the latest facial-recognition technology for cardless access to their offices.

    Hands-free shopping will soon become a reality at Funan through its automated concierge service at participating retailers. An AGV will pick up shoppers’ purchases and deposit the bags at a click-and-collect box at Basement 2. Shoppers can collect their purchases via a QR code or use the 24-hour drive-through collection service, fitted with a robotic arm that can retrieve their merchandise.

    As part of Funan’s omnichannel retail infrastructure, retailers can use the click-and-collect lounge and warehousing to fulfil their online orders from CapitaLand’s official store on Lazada.SG.

  • Cheers convenience store set expansion plan in Vietnam

    Cheers convenience store set expansion plan in Vietnam

    Singapore-Vietnam convenience store joint venture Cheers has opened its third store, on Dinh Tien Hoang Street in downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

    Operated by Vietnam’s supermarket operator Saigon Co-op and Singapore’s NTUC FairPrice grocery network, Cheers is open 24 hours, selling fast-moving consumer goods, mostly imported, along with payment services for utilities. The stores offer dine-in areas with free wifi.

    Nguyen Anh Duc, deputy general director of Saigon Co-op, said Cheers’ links with his company’s other businesses,including Co-opmart, Co-op Food and Co-opXtra, allows customers to earn and spend loyalty points across the network.

    The first Cheers store opened on Hoa Hao Street, in District 10, last December. The partnership plans to have 50 stores trading in Vietnam by the end of this year.

    Saigon Co-op also partnered with NTUC FairPrice in its Co-opXtra hypermarket stores.

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  • Singapore’s e-commerce veteran ezbuy raises US$17.6M in pre-Series C funding round

    Singapore’s e-commerce veteran ezbuy raises US$17.6M in pre-Series C funding round

    Singapore’s global shopping platform EZbuy.sg has raised US$17.6 million in pre-series C funding co-led by several regional venture capitalist firms.

    Founded in 2010, EZbuy says it will use the funding to offer quicker and more reliable modes of localised services while further enhancing its product offerings. The capital investment will also be allocated for its expansion plans in the region as well as countries outside of Southeast Asia.

    EZbuy co-founder/CEO He Jian says the company’s core mission has always been to provide customers with convenient access to shop for their favourite products from all over the world.

    “The investment will enable us to continue strengthening our core verticals and pave the way to achieve this objective faster,” he says.

  • DB Schenker Scores a Hat-trick for Rail Logistics in Asia Pacific

    DB Schenker Scores a Hat-trick for Rail Logistics in Asia Pacific

    DB Schenker has been crowned for the third year in a row, as the Best Logistics Service Provider – Rail, at the Asian Freight, Logistics & Supply Chain (AFLAS) Awards ceremony held in Shanghai on 15th May 2018.

    The award, organized by freight and logistics publication Asia Cargo News, is conferred based on votes cast by more than 10,000 of its readers and subscribers. It recognizes expertise, innovation, technology application, service standards leadership and bespoke solutions for shippers. “Thousands of shippers and industry experts have voted, making the results a true reflection of industry expertise.” said Asia Cargo News publisher Darren Barton.

    Having pioneered Rail Freight services a decade ago with its first Asia – Europe rail link from China to Germany in 2008, DB Schenker has continually developed an extensive portfolio of market-leading rail solutions in Asia Pacific, offering Full-Container-Load (FCL), Less-than-Container-Load (LCL), Blocktrains, multi-customer, reefer services and so on, to customers in the Automotive, Electronics, Industrial/Chemicals, Consumer Goods, and other sectors.

    Apart from the highly-established China-Euro rail services, Rail solutions are also offered in Australia (Pan-Australia Rail solutions network linking Sydney to Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin and Perth), Indonesia (Trans-Java Rail solutions in Indonesia linking Jakarta with Surabaya and Semarang), and recently also developed rail solutions in Vietnam and India as well.

    This hat-trick of awards for Rail, is complemented with past AFLAS Awards won for Best Logistics Service Provider in Sea Freight, Air Freight, and Best Road Haulier.

    “We are indeed thankful and humbled by the recognition from the industry and customers past and present. This inspires us continuously to strive and offer our customers an unmatched suite of award-winning solutions for their supply chains. Additionally, DB Schenker’s heritage and pedigree in Rail is testimony to our unique proposition in inter-modal supply chain solutions for businesses in Asia”, said Mr Peter Hult, Executive Vice-President for Contract Logistics/Supply Chain Management in Asia Pacific.

     

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  • Singapore’s Economy Grows By 4.4 Pct In Q118

    Singapore’s Economy Grows By 4.4 Pct In Q118

    Singapore’s economy grew by 4.4 per cent on a year-on-year basis in the first quarter (Q118), higher than the 3.6 per cent recorded in the previous quarter.

    On a quarter-on-quarter seasonally-adjusted annualised basis, the economy expanded by 1.7 per cent, moderating from the 2.1 per cent growth in the preceding quarter.

    In releasing the latest economic figures, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI)  expects the republic’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for 2018 to come in at “2.5 to 3.5 per cent”.

    This is after taking into account the strong performance of the Singapore economy in the first quarter and the slightly improved external demand outlook for the country.

    The manufacturing sector grew by 9.8 per cent year-on-year, extending the 4.8 per cent growth in the previous quarter.

    The sector’s growth was primarily driven by the electronics, precision engineering and chemicals clusters, which expanded 19.2 per cent, 14.0 per cent and 10.0 per cent respectively.

    The construction sector contracted by 5.0 per cent year-on-year – the same pace of decline as in the previous quarter.

    Construction output was weighed down by continued weakness in both the public and private sector construction activities, said the Ministry.

    The wholesale & retail trade sector expanded by 3.0 per cent year-on-year, unchanged from the growth recorded in the previous quarter.

    Growth was driven by the wholesale trade segment, which was in turn supported by an increase in the wholesale sales volume of petroleum products.

    On the other hand, the retail trade segment contracted, weighed down by a fall in the volume of motor vehicle sales.

    Growth in the transportation & storage sector came in at 2.8 per cent year-on-year,moderating from the 5.3 per cent in the previous quarter.

    According to the MTI, the water and air transport segments were the main drivers of the sector’s growth, given the healthy expansions in container throughput and air passengers handled respectively.

    The accommodation & food services sector grew by 2.0 per cent year-on-year, slowing from the 2.9 per cent growth in in the preceding quarter.

    Growth was driven by the accommodation segment, which expanded on the back of higher gross lettings at gazetted hotels in line with the rise in visitor arrivals.

    On the other hand, the food services segment contracted, weighed down by a fall in sales volume at restaurants, food caterers and other eating places.

    The MTI said the information & communications sector expanded by 5.7 per cent year-on-year, easing from the 6.0 per cent growth in the previous quarter.

    The sector’s growth was supported by the IT & information services and telecommunications segments.

    Growth in the finance & insurance sector accelerated to 9.1 per cent year-on-year, from 6.3 per cent in the previous quarter.

    The sector’s strong performance was due to robust growth in the fund management, financial intermediation and insurance segments.

    The business services sector grew by 2.8 per cent year-on-year, faster than the 0.4 per cent growth in the preceding quarter.

    Growth was supported by the professional services and “others” segments, even as the contraction in the real estate segment eased.

    The “other services industries” expanded by 1.9 per cent year-on-year, slower than the 2.7 per cent growth in the preceding quarter.

    The sector’s growth was primarily supported by the arts, entertainment & recreation and education, health & social services segments.

    On economic outlook for 2018, the MTI said the pace of growth in the Singapore economy is expected to remain firm in 2018, with growth supported primarily by outward-oriented sectors.

    In particular, the manufacturing sector is likely to continue to expand on the back of sustained growth in the electronics and precision engineering clusters, albeit at a more moderate pace as compared to 2017.

    Likewise, outward-oriented services sectors such as finance & insurance, transportation & storage and wholesale trade are projected to continue to benefit from healthy external demand.

  • Qoo10 commits to tighten counterfeit security

    Qoo10 commits to tighten counterfeit security

    Singapore e-commerce platform Qoo10 has stepped up its measures against counterfeit items.

    As well as internal systemic protocols to check and deter the sale of counterfeit items, it has a red-flag system for its security team.

    “Where a listing is flagged for potentially infringing intellectual property (IP) rights or selling counterfeit products, our dedicated compliance team steps in to investigate and take any necessary action,” says Qoo10 Singapore country manager HyunWook Cho.

    Secondly, the website’s compliance team also actively responds and reacts to claims by customers, sellers and businesses or brands. Customers who suspect they may have bought a counterfeit item from a Qoo10 seller may alert the compliance team, which will then investigate and issue a refund.

    Anyone who suspects a listed product is counterfeit may also report the issue.

    The compliance team also works with businesses and brands under its Brand Protection Program to take down infringing listings. Errant sellers with repeat offences may also be restricted from selling their items on Qoo10.

  • Takashimaya is more losing money than profit

    Takashimaya is more losing money than profit

    Just one of Japanese department store chain Takashimaya’s three overseas stores is currently trading at a profit.

    But the company says it believes it can make them all profitable by 2023, including a fourth store set to open in Bangkok late this year.

    The successful store is on Singapore’s Orchard Road, which opened in 1993 and is reportedly earning more than 3 billion yen (US$27.2 million) annually.

    The chain’s Shanghai store, which opened in 2012, has been hampered by delays in the completion of neighbouring projects which would have drawn higher visitor numbers, along with administration costs running over budget. According to a report published by Nikkei, the store is expected to post its seventh consecutive loss in the 12 months to February next year, but should make money in 2020.

    The Ho Chi Minh City store in Vietnam, which opened in 2016, has “struggled from the start” according to Nikkei, its offer apparently too expensive for middle-class Vietnamese consumers. The company plans to boost sales by “broadening offerings of everyday items for families” which it hopes will lead it into profit in the 2022 year.

    The planned Siam Takashimaya store will be one of the anchors of Siam Piwat’s IconSiam, currently under construction and scheduled to open late this year – possibly in October.

    Takashimaya anticipates the Bangkok store to be profitable in its first year, thanks to rent concessions.

    The company’s president, Shigeru Kimoto, said it plans to continue Southeast Asian expansion, despite the challenges to date because it sees potential in the region.

    “In the long term, we seek to capitalise on Asia’s growth,” he said.

  • SportSG partners Decathlon to house their Singapore Lab

    SportSG partners Decathlon to house their Singapore Lab

    In a collaboration with national sports agency Sport Singapore (SportSG), sporting goods retailer Decathlon Singapore is preparing to open its biggest store yet.

    In Stadium Boulevard in Kallang, the Decathlon Singapore Lab will pioneer the use of technology like virtual simulations and augmented reality in Asian retail. The brand’s fourth outlet will cover about 5000sqm when it opens in January.

    A memorandum of understanding has been signed by Decathlon Asia chief executive Yves Claude and his SportSG counterpart Lim Teck Yin.

    “Traditional retail is in trouble … customer expectations are changing very quickly,” says Claude. “They will not come just for the store’s layout.”

    For example, customers trying out shoes at Decathlon Singapore Lab will be able to have foot scans.

    “We want to do something different here, and that’s why we need the space. The experience will not be perfect immediately, but that’s why we are calling it a lab,” says Claude.

    The store has a 15-year lease from SportSG, which owns the land, and as part of the agreement to promote participation in sport the store will also feature events and clinics for customers in its free-to-play areas, as well as an Active Health Lab. These SportSG labs provide free health screenings.

    Decathlon will also continue to provide equipment and apparel to the 10 ActiveSG academies and centres throughout SIngapore. ActiveSG has more than 1.4 million members.

    The French company launched into Singapore with a store at Bedok in January 2016. It now has outlets at City Square Mall and the Fairprice Hub in Joo Koon, with the three stores attracting foot traffic of two million annually.

    Worldwide, the company has more than 1300 stores in more than 40 countries, up from around 1000 in 30 countries two years ago.

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  • Who’s who of retail CEOs at Consumer Goods Forum

    Who’s who of retail CEOs at Consumer Goods Forum

    Next month’s Consumer Goods Forum to be held at the Marina Bay Sands will feature a ‘who’s who’ of international retail leaders.

    This year marks the first time in a decade the event is being held in Asia. Running from June 12-15, it is themed Consumer Centricity in a Data-Driven World.

    Industry leaders including Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang, Dairy Farm International CEO Ian McLeod, Coca-Cola Company CEO James Quincey, Majid Al Futtaim Holding CEO Alain Bejjani, Ahold Delhaize CEO Dick Boer, JD international president Winston Cheng, Central Retail CEO Nicolo Galante, Carrefour China president and CEO Thierry Garnier and Metro AG CEO and chairman Olaf Koch are all on the speaking roster.

    Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will deliver a keynote address.

    Consumer Goods Forum MD Peter Freedman says the summit is often described as the most important leadership event on the consumer goods industry’s calendar.

    “The key focus of this year’s conference will be on how to ensure that we continue to keep consumers at the centre of the digital transformation in our industry. In that context we will also be discussing how we can accelerate our work on global positive change, which millennials and younger consumers are so concerned to see. We are delighted to be holding the event in Singapore, one of the world’s leading smart cities, with some of the most digitally sophisticated consumers, and geographically close to so many Asian digital innovations.”

    More than 1000 delegates, from more than 400 leading retailers and consumer goods companies will engage with this year’s theme through sessions focused on stories such as:

    • Investing in the age of disruption;
    • Evolving retail for the smart consumer;
    • The future of work: people & technology;
    • Positive change in action: driving a circular economy;
    • New Retail: creating new value for consumers;
    • Global millennials: the data-driven facts;
    • Executing a digital and omni-channel growth strategy; and
    • Transforming customer experiences through big data.
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