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Tag: Taiwan

  • Taiwan’s Crowd-pleasing KiKi Noodle Bar Launching in Hong Kong at IFC Mall

    Taiwan’s Crowd-pleasing KiKi Noodle Bar Launching in Hong Kong at IFC Mall

    Taiwan’s famed KiKi Noodle Bar (KiKi Tea) is launching in Hong Kong in late-July at ifc Mall in Central. In collaboration with renowned Hong Kong hospitality group Lai Sun Dining, the brand expands internationally to Hong Kong following last year’s phenomenal successful debut in Taipei – endorsed by celebrities including superstar actress Shu Qi.

    The Hong Kong flagship also opens hot-on-the-heels of a Shanghai branch last month.

    International expansion of dedicated KiKi Noodle Bar (KiKi Tea)branches builds on the Hong Kong success story of the brand’s iconic sun-dried KiKi Noodles, handmade from just flour and water, popular for being 100% natural and healthy, and authentic Taiwanese tea and bubbles sensation KiKi Tea.

    To celebrate the Hong Kong launch, Michelin three-starred Chef Albert Au Kwok Keung has created two exclusive KiKi noodle dishes complementing the brand’s menu of signature dishes and KiKi teas.

    Chef Au’s adaptation of KiKi’s popular sun-dried, handmade noodles is showcased with KiKi Meat Dumpling Mixed Noodles, Scallion Oil; and classic Chinese favourite, Abalone and Fish Maw Noodles in Chicken Soup.

    Signature dishes at KiKi Noodle Bar (KiKi Tea) meanwhile include ‘instagrammable’ crowd-pleaser Stir-fried Minced Pork Mixed Noodles with Chive Flowers and Fermented Black Bean, with black beans sprinkled atop to mimic fly heads, mixed with crunching chive flowers, chili and savoury stir-fried minced pork; Sichuan Spicy Tofu Noodles in Soup, Duck Blood and Sliced Pork packing a punch of spice; and comforting classic KiKi Dan Dan Noodles.

    Complementing dishes is a KiKi Tea menu of bubble-teas brewed from a traditional Taiwanese recipe, headlined by classic favourites such as refreshing Pineapple Green Teapresso; and Winter Melon Tea, pairing with Sichuan-pepper-flavoured “pearls” and fluffy cream mousse.

    To celebrate the ifc Mall opening, new tea specialties to beat the summer heat are also to be unveiled. Peach Oolong Tea topped with Mango Cream Mousse and Coconut Jelly is made with signature Taiwanese Irwin mango, for distinct sweetness and refreshing taste; and Winter Melon Tea, Aiyu Jelly and Coconut Jelly  is inspired by Taiwan’s favourite summer cooler, winter melon tea.

    The sweet craze extends to classic tea-style desserts including Earl Grey Chiffon Cake with Brown Sugar Pearls and Chestnut Mont Blanc. 

    KiKi Noodle Bar (KiKi Tea) seats 32 over around 700 sq ft on Podium Level Two of ifc Mall. Interior design is in neutral and rustic colour for a sense of Zen courtyard minimalism as a restful haven in the heart of Central.  Communal oak tables foster a sense of warmth encouraging customer interaction.

    A pre-opening promotion is launched at KiKi Tea @ Sun’s Bazaar at Pacific Place mall offers diners spending at least HK$500 vouchers worth HK$50 to spend at the new KiKi Noodle Bar (KiKi Tea) at ifc Mall.

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  • Taiwan’s 85C Bakery Cafe expands in USA

    Taiwan’s 85C Bakery Cafe expands in USA

    Taiwanese franchise 85C Bakery Cafe is undergoing rapid expansion in the US.

    The firm has branched out from its flagship venue to open more than 60 locations in California, Washington and Texas, with more states expected to follow.

    The self-service bakery concept has around 400 locations in Taiwan and more than 500 in Mainland China. It launched in Australia in 2006 and now has 12 outlets there.

    The concept involves customers selecting from a range of Asian and European pastries with tongs. Its name refers to the brand’s stated optimal coffee temperature – and it is noted for its servings of coffee with sea salt.

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  • Honestbee Taiwan Stops Delivery Services

    Honestbee Taiwan Stops Delivery Services

    Ailing Singaporean grocery-delivery service Honestbee is “temporarily closing” its Taiwan operations as it continues to focus on its core Southeast Asian markets to ensure survival.

    “Thank you for your support and affirmation for Honestbee during these days,” the company’s Taiwanese team posted on Facebook at the weekend.

    “Unfortunately, the Taiwan operations team received instructions from Singapore headquarters that will temporarily stop all operations in Taiwan.”

    The post said services would resume when “the operation problems in Taiwan can improve and be resolved”.

    In February Honestbee owed nearly 300 local restaurants NT$7.79 million (US$250,000) in outstanding payments for food bought by consumers, collected and delivered but never paid for by Honestbee. Some payments were settled by May, but the newspaper reports “some eateries are still due hundreds of thousands of NT dollars”.

    Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs has opened an investigation into the company, and Honestbee decided on June 26 to suspend operations effective last Friday (28th).

    Honestbee marketing manager Lee Wen-feng refused to confirm or deny that the business was shutting down in Taiwan.

    Honestbee’s problems came to a head in Singapore in early May when its co founder and CEO stepped down and the company suspended or closed down operations in five markets. Since then it suspended food deliveries in Singapore as well.

  • L’Occitane profit rose after Restructuring

    L’Occitane profit rose after Restructuring

    Hong Kong-listed beauty-products retailer L’Occitane is reaping the benefits of a restructure with profit up 21.8 percent last financial year to €117.6 million.

    And chairman Reinold Geiger says even better results are in the pipeline. “The group now operates as a multi-brand entity, where unique brand identities are celebrated and common values shared — respecting nature, creating authentic and genuine experiences, promoting entrepreneurship, and bringing a human approach to beauty,” he said in a statement.

    “The group encourages its brands to stay agile and autonomous, yet synergies are also being identified and capitalized. With the material improvements delivered by the core L’Occitane en Provence brand, combined with the largely accretive consolidation of Elemis, the group expects to see enhanced profitability in 2020 and beyond.”

    Group net sales were €1.427 billion for the year to March 31, up 8.7 percent at constant exchange rates. Gross margin remained high at 83.2 percent and operating profit rose by 6.9 percent.

    L’Occitane’s Hong Kong net sales were €137 million, an increase of 9.9 percent year on year, or 8.6 percent at constant exchange rates. However, same-store sales fell 2.6 percent.

    “Macroeconomic uncertainties continued to erode consumption sentiment, reflected in a marked downturn in the Hong Kong retail market after the first quarter of {last year}, notably in the average ticket value,” the company said in its earnings review. “Meanwhile, the increase in mainland tourist traffic brought by new infrastructure did not uplift Hong Kong retail sales.”

    Sales in China reached €178.1 million, an increase of 11.9 percent, or 12.1 percent on a constant-exchange-rate basis.

    “Sales momentum in China was dynamic throughout the whole year,” the company said. “Sell-out sales remained strong even though trading with seven fewer stores than last year, posting a growth of 9.6 per cent at constant exchange rates, and with same-store sales growth at 6.9 percent. The marketplace channel continued to drive growth, with impressive performances recorded during key festivals such as Singles’ Day, Chinese New Year and Women’s Day. Sell-in sales also posted encouraging results, with the growth of more than 30 percent, thanks to the launch of JD and dynamic B2B sales.”

    In Japan, net sales rose 1.5 percent to €222.1 million, however in the local currency, the growth was just 0.1 percent. “The flattish performance was due to a sluggish retail market. Nonetheless, retail sales of L’Occitane en Provence grew at a low single-digit rate as compared to last year, thanks to the new stores opened, the large-scale “Balloon Journey” marketing event and successful face care campaigns during the year.”

    Taiwan net sales of €38.2 million represented a decline of 3.2 percent at reported rates, or 2.7 percent at constant exchange rates.

    “The Taiwan retail market remained competitive,” the company said. “The decrease in sell-out was largely explained by the negative 2.7 percent same-store sales growth, together with the typhoon hits and poor weather during the summer season. Web sell-out channel, however, recorded double-digit growth, thanks to the revamped own e-commerce platform as well as the development of the marketplace.”

    Most other markets remained static for L’Occitane, with the exception of Brazil, where sales fell by 4 per cent, and the US, where they soared 35 per cent.

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  • First Glimpse of the new Apple Taiwan store

    First Glimpse of the new Apple Taiwan store

    Apple Taiwan will open its second retail location – the new Xinyi A13 store – in Taipei tomorrow.

    In a nod to the brand’s Chicago flagship, the new store’s glass exterior and distinctive roof house a two-storey retail area with two marble composite staircases leading downward to an underground level.

    Taiwanese singer-songwriter Eve Ai will perform at the opening, kicking off a six-week “Stage for Creativity” initiative that will see local artists and creators featured at the venue.

    Apple’s first official store in Taiwan opened in the Taipei 101 mall, although the majority of its products are sold via its online channel and through local authorised resellers. Around 4 million people have visited Apple Taipei 101 since its launch.

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  • AirAsia Philippines adds flights to Taiwan in August

    AirAsia Philippines adds flights to Taiwan in August

    Air Asia Philippines will start adding new routes to link the Philippines with southern Taiwan by August. The low-cost carrier said in a statement it will open flights from Clark and Cebu to Kaohsiung, Taiwan by Aug. 1, making it the first local airline to offer direct flights between the cities.

    “The Philippines continues to be one of the top holiday destinations for Taiwanese. As the only Philippine airline to connect Cebu and Clark directly to Kaohsiung, we are pleased to be able to contribute to Philippine tourism and bring Cebuanos and Kapampangans closer to southern Taiwan as well,” AirAsia Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer Dexter M. Comendador was quoted as saying.

    AirAsia will have thrice weekly flights for both the Clark-Kaohsiung route and the Cebu-Kaohsiung, and thrice weekly returning flights to the same local hubs, all available every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

    The carrier said Kaohsiung will be the 10th international destination it is opening in 2019, boosting its growing flight network from Cebu and Clark.

    Excluding Kaohsiung, AirAsia flies from Cebu to 12 domestic and international destinations, namely: Manila, Clark, Davao, Cagayan De Oro, Puerto Princesa, Caticlan, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Seoul, Shenzhen, Macau and Taipei.

    From Clark, it also flies to nine domestic and international destinations, namely: Cagayan de Oro, Tacloban, Puerto Princesa, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Caticlan, Seoul and Taipei.

    Its operator Philippines AirAsia, Inc. reported a 12% growth in profit after tax to P424.5 million during the first quarter, driven by a 27% increase in revenues at P6.68 billion.

    The carrier saw a 23% jump in passengers during the January to March period at 1.97 million, and its load factor inch up to 91% from 87% last year.

    Philippines AirAsia will be adding three new aircraft this year as part of a group-wide fleet expansion program that aims to grow its fleet to 535 aircraft by 2028 across the six countries where AirAsia Group Berhad operates.

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  • Song Fa Bak Kut Teh Restaurant Chain to enter Taiwan

    Song Fa Bak Kut Teh Restaurant Chain to enter Taiwan

    Food Republic Taiwan is to open Song Fa Bak Kut Teh restaurants in Taiwan.

    The BreadTalk subsidiary has entered a franchise deal with Song Fa Holdings to develop and operate the Teochew pork-rib stew brand in Taiwan for the next 10 years.

    The first two outlets in Taiwan will be opened in popular Taipei malls.

    “Both malls have strong existing tenants and are household names among the local populace and tourists alike,” said Henry Chu, BreadTalk CEO.

    “With the addition of a star attraction like Song Fa Bak Kut Teh, we are confident to deliver the illustrious Song Fa experience to our customers in Taiwan.”

    Founded in 1969, Song Fa Bak Kut Teh has 10 outlets in Singapore, seven in Indonesia, six in China, and one in Thailand.

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  • Second Apple Taiwan store about to Open

    Second Apple Taiwan store about to Open

    Apple Taiwan is to open its second store, in Taipei’s Xinyi District.

    The firm is in the early stages of planning, although has released an image of the intended look of the new store that resembles its Chicago flagship.

    Apple’s first official store in Taiwan opened in the Taipei 101 mall, although the majority of its products are sold via its online channel and through local authorized resellers.

    Comments online following the announcement suggested significant hopes that Apple will next open an official store outside Taipei.

    Apple Taiwan issued a teaser image of the new store (above), a rare move for the company, which rarely reveals details of store developments to the press.

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  • Shiseido and AS Watson co-create skincare Beauty Line

    Shiseido and AS Watson co-create skincare Beauty Line

    Global cosmetics company Shiseido and AS Watson, the health & beauty retailer, have collaborated to co-create an exclusive derma skincare range under the “D Program” brand.

    The new Urban Damage Care range has been successfully launched in Thailand and Taiwan and will soon be launched in other Asian markets with Watsons stores.

    The collaboration is in response to a 24-per-cent growth in the derma skincare category in Asia since 2014. As more women are looking for effective derma skincare products, the online search for related topics grew by 117 per cent compared to last year.

    “AS Watson is the largest health and beauty retailer in the world that acts with speed, innovation and vision making them the perfect retailer to bring Urban Damage Care to the high street,” said Shiseido president and CEO Masahiko Uotani.

    “With AS Watson’s extensive distribution network and customer insight of the derma cosmetics category and Shiseido’s expertise in R&D and innovation, this has enabled us to co-create a range that supports our core values of putting the customers’ needs first while ensuring that it is accessible to customers.”

    The project kicked off with customer survey on a selected panel of Watsons members after Watson’s COO Malina Ngai visited Shiseido headquarters in Tokyo 18 months ago.

    “Combined with Shiseido’s 40 years of sensitive skin research and product development technology, we collaborated to develop the range that we believe will be best suitable for modern Asian females to improve their skin to defend against urban pollution,” she said.

    Following positive feedback from customers, “D Program” will be launched in China on 11 April.

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  • Tigerair Taiwan to open new route flying to Palawan in the Philippines

    Tigerair Taiwan to open new route flying to Palawan in the Philippines

    Tigerair Taiwan announced Monday plans to inaugurate a new flight route between Taoyuan in Taiwan and the Philippine city of Puerto Princesa on Palawan Island starting June 7, said reports.

    It will become the third route between Taoyuan and the Southeast Asian country following the announcement by the Singapore-headquartered budget airline that it would begin flying from Taoyuan to Kalibo, a major hub for the tourist destination of Boracay island, reported UDN.

    To promote the launch of the route, individuals who book tickets between 10:00 a.m. on April 10 and 11:59 p.m. on April 11 will enjoy a discounted price of NT$399 for each single journey ticket (excluding taxes). The departure dates must be between June 7 and Oct. 18, 2019.

    There new route will offer three flights a week, according to Tigerair.

    Puerto Princesa will become the fourth destination route targeting the Southeast Asian market offered by Tigerair Taiwan, which will soon be flying 29 international routes to 22 cities, the report wrote.

    Palawan, the fifth largest island of the Philippines, boasts a plethora of wildlife, jungle mountains, and white sandy beaches. In 2016, Palawan was ranked the “Most Beautiful Island in the World” by readers of Conde Nast Traveller.

  • Apple’s manufacturers gearing up production of new iPad and AirPods hardware

    Apple’s manufacturers gearing up production of new iPad and AirPods hardware

    Apple’s March 25 event is around the corner and naturally, rumors about it are abundant. The event is expected to be focused on new services but its almost inevitable that there will be a hardware release or two, even if there won’t be any dedicated time for them during the presentations. The latest news coming from distant Taiwan seems to confirm that. Some of Apple’s part suppliers are preparing to ramp up production of components for new products.

    Flexium Interconnect and Zhen Ding Technology are manufacturers of flexible PCB (printed circuit boards) that are reportedly starting production of PCBs for a new iPad model. Rumors are that Apple is going to refresh its iPad Mini. The last model of the line came out in 2015, so it’s long overdue for an overhaul. The revamp is expected to be primarily internal, however, so expect a familiar looking iPad with a more powerful chip.

    Both part suppliers are also providing components for the current line of iPhones. The release of a new iPad comes as a blessing for them since both saw their orders reduced after demand for the iPhones was weaker than anticipated.

    At the same time, two other companies, Compeq Manufacturing and Unitech PCB, are now working on rigid-flex boards for the yet unannounced AirPods, according to sources within the industry. Tech insiders are still divided whether Apple is going to introduce the AirPods 2, or a less meaningful refresh of its popular earbuds that may consist only of a new wireless-charging case.

    If Apple does indeed announce new hardware products on March 25, preorders will likely begin either on the same day or within a week. If you’ve been itching for a new Apple gadget for a while, the time has almost come!

  • 7-Eleven Taiwan to sell freshly-baked Domino’s Pizza

    7-Eleven Taiwan to sell freshly-baked Domino’s Pizza

    Taiwan 7-Eleven operator President Chain Store Corp is trialling a dual-branded store with Domino’s Pizza in Taipei’s Xinyi District. In doing so, the Taiwanese retail company has created the first convenience store in the country to offer fresh-cooked pizza with groceries and if successful, it will pave the way for a roll-out in selected stores.

    With Taiwan’s convenience-store market penetration the second highest in the world, sitting between South Korea and Japan, operators are seeking ways to achieve growth by means other than opening new stores.

    The trial store will allow customers to watch the pizza-making process. Pizzas will be priced from US$2.90 to $6.80, depending on serving size.

    President Chain Store is targeting busy working people in what is one of the capital city’s more upmarket neighbourhoods. The company hopes pizza will boost sales of complementary items such as beverages and other meal items.

    President Chain Store’s rival Taiwan familyMart has already partnered with companies to offer financial, catering and laundry services and health foods in its stores.

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  • Taiwan’s extravagant buffet restaurant “Harbour” now open at Iconsiam

    Taiwan’s extravagant buffet restaurant “Harbour” now open at Iconsiam

    Taiwan’s extravagant Harbour buffet restaurant has opened its first Thai restaurant at IconSiam. Charoen Pokphand Foods PLC (CPF) and Taiwan’s HiLai Group have jointly brought the famous international buffet restaurant to Thailand. The franchise has routinely seen diners in China and Taiwan waiting a month for a table. The 2000sqm IconSiam outlet is its 10th restaurant worldwide, pending Harbour’s unveiling in major global cities as part of CPF’s strategy to become “Kitchen of the World”.

    “Harbour has enjoyed overwhelming success in Taiwan and China”, said CPF’s COO-food business and co-president Sukhawat Dansermsuk. “We believe that we will be warmly welcomed by Thai consumers thanks to the restaurant’s strengths coupled with Thais’ eating-out lifestyle. And that’ll be the beginning of CPF’s success in the restaurant business.”

     

    According to Sukhawat, the restaurant was established as a joint venture with HiLai Group with THB130 million (US$4.16 million) in registered capital.

    CP HiLai Harbour CEO Liu Tzu-Ming said the venue is targeting THB240 million ($7.68 million) in first-year revenue and plans to introduce new restaurants at major Thai cities.

    The international buffet restaurant can accommodate 450 diners per round, or about 1000 diners per day.

    View the gallery below for more picture of the restaurant :

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  • CLUSE opens its very first monobrand store in Taiwan

    CLUSE opens its very first monobrand store in Taiwan

    The Amsterdam-based watch brand renowned for its timeless sophistication and strong focus on materials, quality, and style has just opened its first monobrand store in Taiwan in partnership with Bluebell. This CLUSE monobrand POS is a rotating pop-up in partnership with Eslite, which aims to attract visitors from different cities in Taiwan. This month the pop-up stops at the Eslite Taichung Parklane by CMP Store, 1F.

    CLUSE, created in Amsterdam in 2013 by a team of young and ambitious individuals, is a fast-growing watch brand for the modern and fashionable woman.

    Named after “Cluses”, one of the oldest watchmaking towns in France, CLUSE is able to combine a modern, minimalistic, and elegant design yet remaining faithful to its heritage by crafting authentic, quality analogue timepieces.

    CLUSE was discovered at an early stage by the fashion-loving crowd on social media, and among others, it has acquired worldwide fame on Instagram and Facebook, being recognized as a successful Facebook story for its effective digital marketing strategies.

    Thanks to the profound in-house knowledge of Social Media marketing, a data-driven approach and a clear customer profile based on campaign data, CLUSE has managed to grow to a staggering 1.6 million Facebook fans and 700K Instagram followers within 3 years.

    This success is boosted by CLUSE’s brand ambassadors who are recognized among the most influential kol worldwide like @sincerelyjules and @retroflame who live their life with the same philosophy of the brand.

    Drawing inspiration from minimalist fashion and subtle colours, CLUSE represents the mentality of simplicity of being grounded, empowered, sophisticated and true to oneself.

    CLUSE is designed not only to indicate time, but also to define the best moments in life.

    CLUSE is designed for dynamic and versatile women. One CLUSE watch allows infinite possibilities thanks to the mix&match easily interchangeable straps.

    CLUSE has soon become the most popular lifestyle watch brand in Europe and invested into a high-end network of distributors.

    After expanding in Europe, CLUSE has quickly conquered millennials in different countries, and it led to simultaneously launch in wholesale in Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and wholesale and mono-brand stores in Hong Kong, Singapore, and now Taiwan.

    The latest collection is La Tétragone (this new classic square shape design launched in SS18), and Triomphe (also launched in SS18).

    Following the success of CLUSE timepieces, the brand has started a new adventure into jewelry. Three collections have been created Essentielle, Idylle, and Amourette to translated unique personalities into unique pieces.

    CLUSE is definitely a brand to keep an eye on, strong brand identity,  effective digital marketing strategy, and an army of influencers boosting its brand image.

  • Kendall Jenner signed agreement with Penshoppe

    Kendall Jenner signed agreement with Penshoppe

    Global fashion retail brand Penshoppe has unveiled the latest addition to its roster of international ambassadors – 23-year-old world’s highest-paid supermodel and one of the most followed celebrities on social media, Kendall Jenner. The model initially appeared on Penshoppe’s DenimLab campaign in 2015, and is now headlining the brand’s Spring Summer 2019 Campaign with Zayn Malik, Paris Jackson, Nam Joo Hyuk and Sandara Park.

    “As we move from strength to strength, we couldn’t think of a better addition to our growing list of global ambassadors”, said Golden ABC’s VP for brand management Jeff Bascon. “It’s good to have you back, Kendall!”


    Penshoppe has more than 400 locations across Bahrain, Cambodia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. The brand is available online in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Indonesia.

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