Retail News CRM

Tag: Singapore

  • EQUIP GLOBAL’S Accounts Payable & P2P Asia Summit Returns to Singapore in July!

    EQUIP GLOBAL’S Accounts Payable & P2P Asia Summit Returns to Singapore in July!

    The common issues found in most companies’ Accounts Payable & Purchasing departments are manual data entry, manual routing of invoices, a lack of visibility in the accounts payable & purchasing processes, and the challenges faced with the management of high volume of hardcopy invoices. Whilst P2P transformation and automation will alleviate a lot of challenges faced, there is still resistance in the adoption process and proven practices on how this can be best achieved.

    The 5th Accounts Payable and P2P Asia Summit returns to Singapore on 31st July to 3rd August 2018 with more strategic case studies specially designed for Heads, Senior Managers, Executives, Analyst in Accounts Payable, Purchasing, Procurement or Procure-to-Pay (P2P). The summit is a 4-day program that focuses on proven strategies in the design and implementation of P2P transformation and the alignment of various departments’ processes and policies to achieve better operational efficiency.

    Expect to hear case studies on how leading companies streamline processes, reduce costs of AP operations, best practices to digitize and automate AP processes so that they are fully integrated within the purchasing processes to help their organizations decrease the time needed for approval process and payment of invoices, eliminate overspend, avoid tax, fraud and regulatory accounts payable risks, transformation best practices and the key considerations and criteria companies should undertake to integrate automation.

    For more information, please visit our website or email us at [email protected] now!

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  • Enjoy A Good Dram At The Third Edition Of The DFS Whiskey Festival

    Enjoy A Good Dram At The Third Edition Of The DFS Whiskey Festival

    DFS Group, the world’s leading luxury travel retailer, is to host the third edition of The Whiskey Festival at Singapore Changi Airport. Taking place from now until June 17, the festival is set to celebrate some of the world’s finest whiskies and provide travelers with a platform to expand their whiskey knowledge and immerse themselves in some of the classics.

    Throughout the festival, travelers will be invited to taste some of the world’s best whiskies, including rare and limited-edition items, some of which are exclusively available only at DFS. A line-up of interactive masterclasses will take place each weekend, where leading brand ambassadors will be on hand to guide guests through an interactive tasting of handpicked whiskies and offer expert advice.

    “As interest in whiskey continues to grow, we aim to provide our customers with the best selection of products as well as a unique and engaging retail experience,” said Wilcy Wong, DFS Group Managing Director, Singapore and Indonesia. “DFS Singapore, Changi Airport is home to the largest assortment of single malt whiskies in Southeast Asia, so we feel education is important. The Whiskey Festival offers guests an opportunity to really understand our brands, their craftsmanship and their heritage.”

    The Festival activities will take place at The Whiskey House, located in Terminal 2 (T2) and Terminal 4 (T4), at DFS Singapore, Changi Airport. Since opening in July 2016 in T2 and in November 2017 in T4, The Whiskey House has been a popular spot for travelers and whiskey aficionados alike. The space offers an intuitive and experiential shopping destination where guests can enjoy complimentary tastings of over 100 different whiskies from across the globe.

    Ms Teo Chew Hoon, Group Senior Vice President for Airside Concessions, Changi Airport Group, said, “Together with DFS, we reignite the senses as we showcase a rich blend of the world’s most loved whiskey at Changi Airport’s Whiskey Festival. The exquisite whiskey tastings and calendar of activities will craft one-of-a-kind experiences for travelers as they journey through Changi Airport. ”

     

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  • MyRepublic targets service industry with Cisco Meraki

    MyRepublic targets service industry with Cisco Meraki

    Singapore-based ISP MyRepublic has launched a new complete networking solution for the services industry in collaboration with Cisco Meraki.

    The new MyRepublic Connected Business solution is designed to meet the end to-end needs of companies in the retail, food and beverage and hospitality sectors.

    MyRepublic will assume the role of both consultant and solutions provider to help design and deliver a network that meets a company’s specific requirements.

    MyRepublic Connected Business can provide solutions including high-performance wireless networking, secure firewall services, as well as traffic and use analytics to provide insight into the network.

    The platform provides central management and connection of wireless access points, security cameras, VoIP phones, network switches and other devices connected to the network.

    “MyRepublic understands many of the challenges facing businesses in the retail, hospitality and F&B sectors,” MyRepublic CEO Malcolm Rodrigues said.

    “Our customers want and need solutions that are not just innovative, but streamlined and hassle-free. MyRepublic Connected Business is exactly that, and we are excited to work with a well-established partner like Cisco Meraki to resolve these challenges.”

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  • Carousell raises 85$ Million in funding

    Carousell raises 85$ Million in funding

    Singapore classifieds marketplace Carousell has raised US$85 million in series-C funding. The round was co-led by Rakuten Ventures and EDBI, with participation from existing investors 500 Startups, Golden Gate Ventures and Sequoia India, as well as new investor DBS.

    A pioneer of mobile classifieds in 2012, Carousell will use the capital injection to accelerate its product innovation to reimagine classifieds. A key component will be investment into talent and deep technology capabilities.

    “In the past six years, we’ve gathered a lot more data, feedback and learnings about the problems and friction people face when buying and selling online. We are laser-focused on solving these problems with technology and catering to local cultural norms and behaviours in Southeast Asia while ultimately serving our core mission of inspiring everyone in the world to start selling,” says co-founder/CEO Siu Rui Quek.

    “The investment will enable us to continue building up our teams with top-tier talent to accelerate our development of highly anticipated features, and more AI and machine learning capabilities.”

    In the two years following its last round of funding, Carousell’s seven-country marketplace has quadrupled in volume globally, featuring more than 144 million listings and 50 million items sold. Carousell began to realise its AI vision last year with the launch of predictive features like Smart Listings, personalised browsing and chatting.

    In the past year, Carousell has also expanded its marketplace offerings in Singapore with high-value categories such as cars, property, jobs, services and finance. In conjunction with the investment, DBS and Carousell will be collaborating to offer financial products and payment services on Carousell’s platforms.

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  • Ninja Van ready to pounce on rivals in Singapore

    Ninja Van ready to pounce on rivals in Singapore

    Like the Japanese warrior it is named after, homegrown logistics tech startup Ninja Van is taking the fight to its rivals in its bid to become the top delivery e-commerce service here and in the region.

    For a start, Ninja Van plans to increase its parcel collection points to 500 by the end of the year — more than doubling its current number of 200 stations around the island. They are usually found near MRT stations and in shops, and the locations include Toa Payoh, Woodlands, Clementi, Punggol, and Orchard Road.

    To help enhance the customer’s delivery experience, it plans to give them a “live” option to redirect their parcels. Mr Lai Chang Wen, 31, Ninja Van’s co-founder and chief executive, said in an interview with TODAY that the service will be launched here before the end of the year, and will be gradually rolled out in other countries in South-east Asia.

    It will provide customers with information on when their parcels will arrive, and if they are unable to receive it in person, they can redirect it to a nearby Ninja Point, or request for it to be left at the door or neighbour’s house via the company’s website or mobile application.

    Mr Lai said this service is designed to cater to customers’ demands, making it “hassle-free”, and that it will help improve the collection experience.

    “We want to give customers more options, rather than just tracking,” he said.

    Currently, customers can also choose to self collect the parcels rather than have them delivered to their homes. Some collection points, such as those at shopping malls, are very “popular”, he added.

    The collection point service, known as Ninja Collect, includes automated parcel lockers called Ninja Box, as well as Ninja Points that allow for collection at retail shops.

    Ninja Van’s 500 points islandwide ensures that there is a pick-up point located within 500 metres from any residential home, said Mr Lai. TODAY understands that its rival, government-linked company Singapore Post (SingPost), has over 150 automated parcel lockers, called POPstations, in Singapore.

    While this push by Ninja Van could be seen as a threat to SingPost, Mr Lai insisted that both firms can “co-exist and challenge each other to keep improving”. He believes that Ninja Van’s e-commerce parcel delivery service is “on par” with SingPost’s.

    In the next three to five years, the firm will focus on strategies such as social commerce where customers shop on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Internet forums.

    He added: “We are looking at how we can allow mid-tier Korean cosmetic brands to sell (their products) in South-east Asia. For social commerce… the sellers need to find a way to ship the parcels. We provide that solution for them.”

    Ninja Van’s social commerce business is currently focused on Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. An expansion within the region would potentially increase their driver numbers by over 300 per cent, bringing the total count in the region to between 30,000 and 50,000 drivers.

    WE’RE A RHINOCEROS, NOT A UNICORN

    Founded here in 2014 by Mr Lai and his partners, Ninja Van has since expanded its business to the rest of South-east Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Myanmar.

    The Singapore office employs 200 staff and 400 drivers, while its businesses overseas have a total of 2,000 full time staff and 10,000 drivers.

    Early this year, the tech company raised a record amount — believed to be over US$85 million (S$111.5 million) — in its series C funding round. It is believed to be the largest series C funding raised for the region.

    The development drew the attention of observers, who said that Ninja Van could be the next “unicorn”, which is a privately held startup company that is valued at US$1 billion or more.

    Ninja Van has raised more than US$115.5 million to date.

    Mr Lai said that the company’s expansion plans are “on track”. The startup currently covers about 80 per cent of South-east Asia, and with the funding, it can grow its network of depots, trucks, drivers and sorting spaces, he added.

    He also said that the firm is focused on South-east Asia for now. There are also no plans to diversify from its core logistics business, nor does it plan to pursue new projects such as ride hailing firm Grab’s e-wallet payment solution Grabpay, for instance.

    Dismissing talk that the company could be a “unicorn”, Mr Lai prefers for it to be seen as a rhinoceros instead.

    “A unicorn gives the connotation of being sexy, too prim and proper, and elusive,” he said.

    “A rhinoceros is more grounded. It’s rare but you can actually find it. It is a bit grungy, and dirty and real. That’s the business we are in.”

    LIVING THE DREAM?

    Looking to the future, Mr Lai said that Ninja Van needs to keep its digital and innovative culture alive and well in order to prevent it from being “disrupted” by competitors.

    Aside from its staff, technology is also a key part of its business. For example, in Vietnam, the company uses a “certain form of machine learning” and tech algorithms to identify addresses in the country and check if the location is accurate.

    While running a startup and being your own boss might sound like he is “living the dream”, Mr Lai, who did not have any experience in logistics when he co-founded Ninja Van, said that would-be entrepreneurs should not think that way.

    He said: “People join for the wrong reasons. They think it is very cool, but it is quite tiring. The real reason to start a company should be because you want learn, to challenge yourself, and to try to make a difference.”

    The busy entrepreneur works seven days a week, and he is always on his phone replying to messages and taking business calls. He only spends around 80 days a year in Singapore, with the rest of his time spent travelling around the region for his business.

    He added: “There is no line (between business and leisure). Whatever needs to be done, you do it.”

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  • SingPost back in black with $23.9m profit and a bright future

    SingPost back in black with $23.9m profit and a bright future

    Singapore Post (SingPost) swung back into the black for its fiscal fourth quarter, booking profit of $23.9 million in the absence of one-off impairment charges in the corresponding period last year.

    Revenue for the three months to March 31 was also up 13.5 per cent to $367.5 million on growth in e-commerce-related activities across its postal and logistics segments, SingPost said. Earnings per share were up to 0.9 cent from a loss per share of 3.03 cents last year.

    For the full year ended March 31, SingPost booked a profit of $126.4 million on the back of $1.46 billion in revenue.

    The board recommended a final dividend of two cents per share to be paid out on July 31.

    For the fourth quarter last year, SingPost was hit with an impairment charge of $208.6 million related largely to the TradeGlobal and Postea acquisitions, as well as a property in Toh Guan, which SingPost highlighted was partially offset by a fair value gain on investment properties of $108.7 million, mainly for the SingPost Centre building.

    The postal segment’s revenue rose 18.2 per cent in the quarter and 15 per cent for the full year as strong growth in international mail revenue helped offset the decline in domestic mail revenue, SingPost said.

    Domestic mail revenue declined 6.6 per cent for the full year to $229.4 million, due to lower letter mail volumes with the “continued migration” towards electronic forms of communication.

    Revenue for SingPost’s e-commerce segment rose 15.7 per cent in the fourth quarter to $65.31 million, and was stable for the full year.

    “SingPost is well positioned to benefit from the strong growth in global e-commerce and last-mile deliveries as we progress to the next phase of our strategy,” said group chief executive Paul Coutts. “We continue to execute on our transformation and build on our partnership with Alibaba in e-commerce. We are integrating and scaling our e-commerce businesses in the United States and South-east Asia, as well as the rest of our overseas operations, and optimising the cost structure of the SingPost group.”

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  • Koda’s Profit Skyrockets

    Koda’s Profit Skyrockets

    Furniture specialist Koda has reported a near fourfold rise in net profit for its third quarter thanks to growing exports, and increased sales of its Commune brand.

    Revenue for the period grew 22.5 per cent to US$13.4 million, while net profit was $1.2 million.

    Earnings for the first nine months soared 60.4 per cent to $3.6 million, closing in on net profit of 4.05 million for the entire year to the end of June.

    Barring unforeseen circumstances, the group expects its performance to improve.

    “Our third-quarter net profit jumped by more than 260 per cent,” says Koda MD James Koh. “Our China expansion plans have also exceeded my expectations.”

    Commune CEO Joshua Koh says its plan to have 100 stores in China by 2020 is well on track. We are thankful to Enterprise Singapore and the Info-communications Media Development Authority for supporting our growth strategies.”

    Commune has 45 stores in China as well as outlets in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.

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  • The Dark Gallery opens a second cafe and boutique on Orchard Road

    The Dark Gallery opens a second cafe and boutique on Orchard Road

    The Dark Gallery has launched a second cafe and boutique on Orchard Road, featuring a menu that differs from its debut outpost at Millenia Walk.

    In the basement of Takashimaya Shopping Centre, The Dark Gallery is set up to tempt window shoppers with its showcase of ice cream, bon bons, cakes and pastries.

    Its 40-seat dine-in area has a black and gold colour scheme with marble tabletops. The store features Singapore’s first Mod-Bar pour-over and steam system, which is said to extract and render a top brew and milk foam for coffee or chocolate.

    Exclusive is the Four Senses of Chocolate, concoctions of The Dark Gallery’s signature 66 per cent dark chocolate in four drink varieties (Savoury, Sangria, Sucre and Spice).

    Pastries on offer include chocolate croissants, maple chocolate brioche, dark chocolate scone, ice cream cookie, chocolate soufflé, bon bons, pralines and cakes – even a Croque Monsieur.

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  • Singapore Airlines new Airbus service to begin out of Christchurch

    Singapore Airlines new Airbus service to begin out of Christchurch

    New Zealanders travellers between Christchurch and Singapore will soon have the additional choice of a Singapore Airlines A350-900 aircraft.

    It follows the recent introduction of Singapore Airlines flights from Wellington to Singapore via Melbourne, Singapore Airlines general manager New Zealand, Simon Turcotte said.

    The Christchurch service will begin in January 2019 with the A350-900 Airbus which has higher ceilings, larger windows, and wider body.

     The new aircraft have fewer seats at 253 compared with the current Boeing 777-200ER which has 312 seats – but there are more premium class seats on offer to make the airline more money per flight.

    The new A350-900 has a standard seating pattern of 42 business class fully reclining seats ($5500 one-way), 24 in premium economy class with partly reclining seats ($3300), and 187 economy class standard seats $1550).

    By contrast the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft had fewer of the more expensive premium seats.

    All the seats on the new service are described as “next generation”.

    Turcotte said the company was introducing premium economy class on the route for the first time.

    It will allow customers to enjoy the seating from the South Island to destinations such as Paris, London, New Delhi, Johannesburg, Dubai, Barcelona, and Hong Kong.

    “The introduction of premium economy will make Singapore Airlines the only long haul carrier offering the cabin daily out of Christchurch on a year-round basis.”

    Premium economy class gives customers priority handling and boarding, a 2-4-2 seating arrangement, seats with greater width up to 49.5 centimetres including a calf-rest and footrest, reclining up to 20cms with a 96cms seat pitch. They also get a  33.7 cms touch screen monitor, noise cancelling headphones, and champagne throughout the 10 hour flight.

    The business class cabin is configured in a 1-2-1 layout giving every traveller direct aisle access, a 71cms wide seat converting into a 198cms fully-flat bed with cushioned headboard, plus spaces for laptops, and 45cms HD LCD screen and noise cancelling headphones.

    Economy class passengers are stacked in a 3-3-3 configuration, 45cms seat with backrest cushion and headrest, plus smaller touch screen.

    Singapore Airlines has 67 of the A350-900 aircraft on order and has taken delivery of 21 since the first aircraft entered the fleet in March 2016.

    Passengers will also be able to use the Singapore Airlines companion app, to control their in-flight entertainment.

  • Touché announces appointment of new Chief Legal Officer

    Touché announces appointment of new Chief Legal Officer

    Singapore based technology company Touché has announced the appointment of Mr Arvind Vij to the position of Chief Legal Officer with effect from 01 May 2018. Arvind is joining Touché’s experienced executive leadership team.

    Arvind brings with him 20+ years of international legal experience across different sectors, both as an in-house lawyer and in private practice. He founded and served as the Chief Executive Officer of Illuminati Humanista Solutions, providing specialised and customised services in the areas of Legal, Compliance and Corporate Secretarial support to a diversified range of clients in the areas of Corporate, Commercial Banking and Finance, Information Technology and Intellectual Property.  Arvind will continue to be involved with Illuminati.

    Prior to that, Arvind spent more than 14 years at JPMorgan in Singapore, Mumbai & New York and was most recently Managing Director & Associate General Counsel, Global Head Legal Entity Management and General Counsel and Head of Compliance for Offshoring and Outsourcing. Prior to JPMorgan, Arvind was with Drew & Napier in Singapore, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy in Singapore & New York and Pillsbury Winthrop in Singapore & New York.

    Arvind will report directly to Sahba Saint-Claire, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Touché.

    “Arvind’s unique blend of multinational legal expertise and business acumen makes him a great addition to the team as we realise our plans to redefine payment transactions into value-added interactions, in the region and globally. He joins us at an exciting time with multiple partnerships being discussed with leading banks and merchants across APAC and the Middle-East,” said Saint-Claire.

    “Touché is a dynamic company that is uniquely positioned to reshape the payments industry and provide personalised customer experiences through its comprehensive biometric based system. I look forward to joining the team and helping Touché develop and implement new strategies on legal matters,” said Arvind.

     

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  • City Square Mall the First Retail Mall in Singapore to Receive the BCA-MSF Platinum Award

    City Square Mall the First Retail Mall in Singapore to Receive the BCA-MSF Platinum Award

    Consistently award-winning since its inception in the areas of family, retail and green leadership, City Square Mall is now Singapore’s first and only retail mall to be presented with the BCA-MSF Universal Design Mark for Family-Friendly Business Platinum Award.

    The new Universal Design Mark for Family-Friendly Business is a collaboration between the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). This is a new Universal Design (UD) Mark category recognising businesses which incorporates both user-friendly infrastructure and family-friendly service and processes in facilities, both of which are indispensable in providing a family-friendly environment.

    This year, City Square Mall has been awarded in recognition for its efforts to incorporate both UD and family-friendly elements in their facilities, process and services and managed to maintain the highest UD Mark award this year for this new category.

    CDL’s Centre Director of City Square Mall, Mr. Lionel Chua, said, “Beyond a developer of quality spaces, CDL is also a builder of lives and communities. We believe in constructing spaces that are inclusive and accessible to all. When City Square Mall opened in 2009, we were one of the first malls to provide help call points at the mall’s entrances and an air-conditioned sheltered taxi stand cum drop-off point at the basement. Since receiving the BCA Universal Design Award (Gold) in 2010, we have continued to enhance the mall’s inclusive and family-friendly shopping experience with various amenities. For instance, we introduced an inclusive playground with a wheelchair-accessible merry-go-round and swing seats with safety harnesses. We also equipped our Customer Service Counter with a comprehensive range of family-friendly amenities from baby strollers, kiddy carts and wheelchairs to blood pressure monitor, first aid kit, magnifying glass reader and sewing kit. These features have brought great convenience to our shoppers and enhanced our branding as a family-friendly mall. With these constant updates to family-friendly features in and around the mall, City Square Mall has consistently seen a year-on-year increase in its annual footfall.”

    City Square Mall is an ideal venue for 3-Generation (3G) families to interact and bond through its diverse tenant mix to cater to the varied needs of families and is well integrated with amenities that provide greater comfort, safety and convenience for families, including the young, the old and persons with disabilities.

    Founder of Leap Schoolhouse, Ms Esther Lim mentioned, “We first opened our Enrichment Centre in 2009 at City Square Mall and we have been one of the pioneer tenants ever since. With a diverse tenant 2

    mix at the mall for 3-Generation (3G) families to interact and bond, such as enrichment classes for children, wellness services for the elderly, play-themed outlets for teenagers, and retail and entertainment outlets to spend more family time together in the mall, Leap Schoolhouse has seen year-on-year increment in the number of kids enrolled at our centre and this has enabled us to expand our services over the years.”

    Since receiving the BCA Universal Design Award (Gold) in 2010, City Square Mall has continued to enhance the mall’s inclusive and family-friendly shopping experience with various amenities.

    Key UD and Family-Friendly Features

    • • Since opening its doors in 2009, City Square Mall is one of the first malls to provide help call points at strategic entrances and an air-conditioned sheltered taxi stand cum drop-off point at Basement 1.
    • • Pledged its support for the Guide Dog Association of the Blind in 2012.
    • • Spacious family and nursing rooms with private cubicles complete with electric sockets, hot water dispensers, sinks and diaper-changing stations for mothers or parents to attend to the needs of their young children in comfort and privacy.
    • • Complimentary use of baby strollers, kiddy carts, magnifying glass reader, wheelchairs, sewing kit, thermometer, blood pressure monitor, drinking water, first aid kit, and mobile and tablet charging station. The mall constantly monitors equipment usage and shopper feedback and conducts competitor research so that the facilities and services provided remain relevant.
    • • The outdoor playground at Level 1 features a wheelchair-accessible merry-go-round and swing seats with safety harnesses which enable children with all abilities to play together.
    • • Diverse tenant mix that caters to 3G families, such as enrichment classes for children (e.g. Genius R Us), advice for the elderly (e.g. Agency for Integrated Care), play themed outlets for teenagers (e.g. TimeZone, PLAYe), and retail and entertainment outlets suitable for everyone such as Decathlon and Golden Village.
    • • Fun and engaging character shows, e.g. Anime Film Festival, Transformers, are organised during school holidays to allow families to spend time together at the mall.
    • • Events and activities are also organised to cater to different age groups such as Line Dance for the elderly and Zumba for working adults. Educational exhibitions advocating healthy living, heritage matters and water conservation, are held in partnerships with HPB, PUB and NHB.
    • • The Customer Service team receives regular training on the mall’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on service, first aid and other relevant areas to guide them in delivering optimal service to family shoppers. The team also walks around the mall to identify and offer help to shoppers in need.

     

  • Singapore Airlines to launch world’s new longest flight soon

    Singapore Airlines to launch world’s new longest flight soon

    A new direct route between the United States and Asia will soon be the world’s longest non-stop flight. Singapore Airlines will launch a 19-hour flight from Singapore to New York by the end of the year, trumping the current record of 18 hours from Auckland to Doha on Qatar Airways.

    This will mean some seriously sore bottoms by the end of the flight — or the chance to watch 10 two hour films back-to-back if you’re a glass half full kind of passenger.

    The airline’s flights from Singapore to New York currently make a stop in Frankfurt or London.

    Seven new Airbus A350-900ULR planes have been ordered (the ULR in the aircraft model stands for “ultra long-range”).

    They are able to go the full 15,300 kilometre distance, and will guzzle an additional 24,000 litres of fuel because of the extra fuel weight they have to carry.

    Singapore Airlines says the journey will be comfortable on board, though, with special lighting designed to help ease jet lag.

    And there’s reported to be an air management system, which will renew the air every two minutes while helping regulate cabin temperature.

    The new Singapore Airlines flight will be two hours longer than the 17-hour direct flight between Perth and London launched by Qantas in March.

  • Desigual Singapore unveils new store in Singapore

    Desigual Singapore unveils new store in Singapore

    Desigual Singapore reopens its Orchard Road store today, the first to feature the fashion brand’s new design concept with its customer-oriented shopping experience.

    The 300sqm space will also be the first Singapore outlet for the brand’s sports category, along with women’s and men’s shoes and accessories.

    Created in collaboration with architect Lazaro Rosa Violan, the store draws its inspiration from the Mediterranean with bright tones and such elements as coffered walls.

    Desigual’s sports category features garments designed for women who want to embrace physical exercise while still following fashion trends.

    Established in Barcelona in 1984, Desigual has more than 4500 employees and a presence in nearly 100 countries through 13 sales channels, more than 500 branded stores and eight product categories.

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  • Department stores lead Singapore retail sales

    Department stores lead Singapore retail sales

    Singapore retail sales rose 2.6 per cent in March, excluding motor vehicles, as the sector’s slow but steady recovery continues.

    Month-on-month, retail sales rose 1.1 per cent.

    The headline figure – which includes motor vehicles – showed a year-on-year decline of 1.5 per cent as car sales in the city state slumped 16 per cent.

    According to Statistics Singapore, retail spending (including vehicles) totalled S$3.8 billion in March, with e-commerce accounting for 4.1 per cent of that.

    Department stores were the big winners of the month, with sales up 9.1 per cent, while food retailers also performed well, up 7.5 per cent. Sales of medical goods and toiletries rose 6.2 per cent and of apparel and footwear, and watches and jewellery, by 5 per cent.

    Sales of phones and computer equipment fell by 8 per cent.

    In the foodservice sector, sales of food and beverage rose 3.6 per cent to an estimated $716 million, led by fast-food outlets, up 16.1 per cent.

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  • Singapore company AIQ brings Keat Hong Community Club online with Visual Recognition Technology

    Singapore company AIQ brings Keat Hong Community Club online with Visual Recognition Technology

    AIQ, a Singapore company that offers AI Visual Recognition Technology (VRT), today announced that their VRT is powering the Keat Hong mobile app to provide an interactive, smart and visual layer to resident’s interactions at Keat Hong Community Club (CC). The Community Club held its grand opening last Saturday on 5 May.

    AIQ’s technology will allow visitors to Keat Hong Community Club to access online features through their mobile phones. By using their mobile phone camera and the mobile app, residents can view photos and read about the heritage of the community club when they scan the physical heritage wall, as well as register for courses and events by scanning posters and digital kiosks. Utilising AIQ’s video recognition technology, visitors can even scan live video on outdoor digital panels which will lead them to discover additional video content on Keat Hong’s YouTube Channel.

    Mr Marcus Tan, CEO of AIQ, said: “We see our visual technology as a potential replacement for the QR code, and helping to connect the offline to the online. Even in a mobile first, online world, offline interactions still play a very important part of our daily lives, particularly at community clubs which are designed to be physical spaces for the community to get together. The ability to use images and visuals is also very important to build brand equity and recognition. What our app does is connect visitors at Keat Hong CC to the wealth of information and convenience available online.”

    AIQ’s Visual Recognition Technology can process live images and video with processing speeds of up to 300 milliseconds, with just 30 per cent of the image or video captured, by utilising a proprietary image matching and video recognition technology. Specifically, for visitors to Keat Hong CC, this means that they can almost instantaneously access online information through the app even if the area is crowded.

    The same AIQ technology was previously used by travel company Insight Vacations at the NATAS Travel 2018 and Travel Revolution fair in March. AIQ helped Insight Vacations increase engagement and interactions, by providing fair visitors with the ability to connect with information on Insight Vacation’s website and winning instant prizes just by scanning a static, physical poster at the fair. AIQ’s Visual Data Analytics technology also gave insight into fair visitor’s favourite holiday destination by tracking scans and interactions, providing immediate and useful data points for the company to customise their campaigns.The Keat Hong app is now available for download on Google Play and the App Store.