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Tag: Taiwan

  • Hermès Apple Watch launched at up to $1499

    Hermès Apple Watch launched at up to $1499

    Hermès and Nike have revealed new collaborations with Apple, to produce exclusive co-branded Apple Watches.

    Hermès introduced new Apple Watch styles and an expanded assortment of wristbands that incorporate its signature palette alongside a series of bold new colors.

    Meanwhile, Nike is focused on functionality for the sportsperson, with the Apple Watch Nike+ Series 2, featuring GPS, a two-times-brighter display, water resistance to 50m and a dual-core processor.

    Launch dates in Asia

    In Asia, the Apple Watch Hermès will be available from September 23 in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Singapore and Taiwan. The Nike watch goes on sale from yesterday, September 9.

    The Hermès models range in price from US$1149 to $1499, while the Nike sells for a more affordable $369 – $399. The Hermès wristbands will also be sold separately.

    Apple watch Hermes double buckle cuff

    Hermes says the design process was driven “entirely by a shared ambition for ultimate beauty and utility,” featuring exclusive watch face designs inspired by the iconic Clipper, Cape Cod and Espace Hermès models.

    “Ours is a partnership born of parallel thinking and mutual regard — we share similar preoccupations, ever evolving and refining our design,” said Jonathan Ive, Apple’s chief design officer.

    Siri speaks

    The Apple Watch Nike+ also includes exclusive Siri commands and Nike watch faces along with deep integration with the new Nike+ Run Club app to motivate wearers to go for a run, coaching plans that adapt to their unique schedule and progress, and guidance from the world’s best coaches and athletes.

    “Apple Watch is the ultimate device for a healthy life and we wanted to push it further to create the best smartwatch in the world for runners and athletes,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s COO. “Apple Watch Nike+ takes performance tracking to a whole new level and we can’t wait to bring it to the world’s largest community of runners.”

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  • Maker of Po Chai Pills kicks off HK$750 million IPO to fund expansion plans in Asia

    Maker of Po Chai Pills kicks off HK$750 million IPO to fund expansion plans in Asia

    Jacobson Pharma Corp, Hong Kong’s largest generic drug firm and maker of the Po Chai Pills used by generations of the city’s residents, is seeking to raise HK$750 million in an initial public offer.

    The company will sell 437.5 million shares at a price range of between HK$1.28 to HK$1.72 per share, 10 per cent of which are reserved for retail investors.

    The company opens its book for retail investors on Thursday, requiring a minimum subscription of HK$3,475 for 2,000 shares. A separate tranche reserved for institutional investors had already been fully subscribed, according to people familiar with the plans.

    The stock is scheduled to begin trading in Hong Kong on September 21.

    Hong Kong residents are familiar with Jacobsen’s Po Chai Pills, tiny pellets made from a herbal remedy that’s used for relieving indigestion and hangovers.

    The company, which relies on Hong Kong for 90 per cent of its revenue, also makes the Flying Eagle Woodlok Oil and Tong Tai Chung Woodlok Oil.

    Jacobson plans to use 45 per cent of the proceeds from its IPO for acquisitions, including the setting up of ventures, according to its prospectus.

    The company plans to expand in Macau, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Southeast Asia, said Jacobson;s chairman and chief executive Derek Sum. The company also plans to expand to several provinces in southern China, where there is a familiarity with its brand.

    “We expect to become a leading brand in Asian Pacific region,” Sum said.

    Net profit rose 34 per cent to HK$152.7 million in the year ended March 31, while total sales increased 14 per cent to HK$1.08 billion, according to Jacobson’s prospectus.

    Generic drug sales made up 87.2 per cent of the company’s revenue for the year, while proprietary herbal medicines such as Po Chai Pills, made up only 12.8 per cent of total revenue.

    China’s drug regulator in May approved over the counter sales of Po Chai Pills, allowing them for marketing and sales on the mainland without a doctor’s prescription.

    Hong Kong Wing Wah Medicines Group, which has over 30 drug stores in the city, was a cornerstone investor that subscribed HK$80 million of its new shares. Sum expects to see more business synergy with Wing Wah.

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  • Taiwan invited to take part in maritime development in Indonesia

    Taiwan invited to take part in maritime development in Indonesia

    Indonesia has invited Taiwan to invest in the maritime sector to help bring to reality the governments vision of making the country a world maritime axis.

    Director of Investment Planning in the Agribusiness and Natural Resources of the Capital Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Hanung Harimba Rachman said the maritime sector is a priority in the countrys 5 year development program.

    “The maritime sector is a priority in our strategic plan for 2015-2019,” Hanung said in a maritime seminar here on Tuesday.

    Investment in the maritime sector is open in shipbuilding, fisheries and cold storage sectors, he added.

    Other areas open for investment in Indonesia by Taiwan include in infrastructure sector such as seaport and deep sea energy development, he said.

    “In January 2016, the government issued a policy to accelerate implementation of national strategic projects with 225 projects offered under the scheme of government private cooperation,” he said.

    Hanung said participation of Taiwan in investment is important for Indonesia, in its program to enter the phase of industrialization.

    Taiwan is known to be strong in the manufacturing industry as it has high technology, he added.

    “Indonesia wants to develop its maritime sector with high technology,” he said.

    Representative of Taipei Economic and Trade Office (TETO) in Indonesia Liang Jen Chang said he welcomed Indonesian offer for cooperation in the maritime sector.

    “Taiwan and Indonesia already have close relations for years , but the good relations are no longer enough with the changing condition especially in the maritime sector,” Chang said.

    Based on data at BKPM, Taiwan is among major foreign investors in the country . In the first half of 2016, Taiwan investors implemented US$816 million worth of projects in paper industry and US$400 million in metal industry in Indonesi8a.

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  • Kiosk uniting with Taiwan Posiflex

    Kiosk uniting with Taiwan Posiflex

    Taiwanese Point-of-Sales terminal brand Posiflex announced that they have entered into a purchase agreement with Kiosk Information Systems (Kiosk), a provider in self-service solutions.

    Posiflex will offer Kiosk a cash purchase for all outstanding ordinary shares, for a total consideration of approximately US$105 million. Both companies are industry forerunners known for best-in-class POS and self-service platforms. Combining these complementary strengths positions Posiflex for continued growth tied to emerging “Internet of Things” (IoT) applications within the service automation industry.

    Retailers, financial service providers, hospitality and logistics service providers are key among an even wider industry audience driving steady and steep demand in transaction automation.

    Deployers are increasingly incorporating self-service as a “must-have” element of today’s Omnichannel consumer experience; increasing touch points, reducing costs – all while simultaneously collecting valuable transaction data.

    Kiosk is unique among its’ competitors in its ability to provide a complete end-to-end solution encompassing custom design engineering, manufacturing, software development, field services, and highly secure managed services. This “total solution” approach to services has fueled Kiosk’s continued growth and reinforced analyst’s rankings of Kiosk as the dominant North American provider and #3 globally.

    As the IoT is driving improved asset utilization, better logistics management, and better customer experiences, self-service automation platforms become an increasingly integral element of Omnichannel sales strategies.

    Utilizing IoT data from transactions provides valuable insight for customer-specific data collection and enables customized point of sales marketing. Posiflex CEO Owen Chen adds that, “By combining Posiflex and Kiosk’s dual-value proposition in this domain, we are confident in emerging as a distant leader in this growing market.”

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  • Indonesia-based HappyFresh announces Series B round, leaves Philippines and Taiwan

    Indonesia-based HappyFresh announces Series B round, leaves Philippines and Taiwan

    HappyFresh, the Jakarta-based grocery delivery platform, announced yesterday it has raised an undisclosed Series B round while also revealing it will be consolidating operations and pulling out of the Philippines and Taiwan.

    The round was led Dubai-based private equity firm Samena Capital, with HappyFresh CEO Markus Bihler said a major reason for the partnership was Samena’s status as a leading investment firm for logistics.

    “Number one, given that our business is, to a significant extent, a logistics business, we feel the support on logistics is very value-add,” said Bihler.

    “And number two, they are a classic large-cap private equity firm with significant ties to offline retail, which is the second arm of the HappyFresh business,” he said.

    Other participants in the round were Vertex Ventures, the venture-arm of Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, Sinar Mas Digital Ventures of Indonesia’s Sinarmas Group and Endeavor Catalyst, a New York-based venture arm of Endeavor Capital.

    The fundraising, which was larger than the US$12 million Series A the company raised in September 2015, remains undisclosed in large part because Bihler said it brought unnecessary attention to the number.

    In regards to the decision to pull out of the Philippines and Taiwan, Bihler said a crucial goal for HappyFresh is to focus on its core markets.

    “I believe that companies who are profitable and independently sustainable are companies that last, and therefore can continue to serve, in our case, the end customers and offline retail partners,” he said.

    The decision to consolidate the company to Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia was a fast decision. It comes six months after the company entered the Philippines back in March and less than a year since it launched in Taiwan.

    “What we have decided is we will focus our effort on the three core markets that we have chosen to operate in, which is Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand,” said Bihler.

    Because HappyFresh puts emphasis on the role of logistics in the decision to go with Samena Capital, e27 asked Bihler to provide some details as to how that looks on-the-ground.

    “I think if I go back and look at what HappyFresh is, we are a digital marketplace for offline retailers on the front end. And on the backend we are a digitally enabled fulfillment operation. So the largest efficiency gains that we have seen historically, and I am very sure that we will see in the future, is driven by technology,” said Bihler.

    This means intelligent use of routing, the increase of prediction software, and more efficient usage of resources (the time and availability of the shopper and drivers in the company).

    HappyFresh was founded in October 2014 and began operating in March of 2015.

    Its operating model is similar to that of competitor honestbee — in which shoppers visit specific grocery stores and shop for the consumer before the food is delivered. As a comparison, another grocery delivery player, RedMart, has its own warehouses and thus does not ‘shop’ for customers.

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  • Carrefour Taiwan launches digital vouchers

    Carrefour Taiwan launches digital vouchers

    In a world first, Carrefour Taiwan has launched the supermarket’s first digital voucher service.

    Carrefour Ticket Xpress enables both retail and mobile payments, and was launched jointly with international payment service Edenred.

    Partners in Taiwan include banks as well as loyalty and employee benefit programs. The vouchers can be distributed, managed and redeemed easily via mobile devices. It offers mobile payments for Carrefour’s consumers in Taiwan, and the company plans to roll out the service in other countries.

    carrefour voucher

    In Taiwan the service partners include 113, Cathay United Bank, Chunghwa Telecom online mall, CTBC Bank, E.Sun Bank, Hua Nan Commercial Bank, JihSun Bank, MyCard, PayEasy, Ta Chong Commercial Bank, Taishin Bank and Tree Mall.

    Consumers can use reward points to have Carrefour Ticket Xpress vouchers delivered directly to their mobile device, and cash them in by scanning the barcode at any of 87 Carrefour stores in Taiwan.
    Carrefour Taiwan has also updated its mobile app with the “reward wallet”, an in-app Carrefour Ticket Xpress gift catalog for CTBC and E.Sun credit card holders. An “e-voucher clip” feature is also available for consumers to manage vouchers received outside the app.

  • Taiwan Eyes More than 200,000 Indonesian Tourists

    Taiwan Eyes More than 200,000 Indonesian Tourists

    Taiwan is eyeing as many as 200,000 tourists from Indonesia to visit Taiwan this year, or an increase from that in 2015, where at around 177,743 Indonesian tourists visiting Taiwan.

    Taiwan Tourism Bureau Director David Tsao said that to meet the target, it has held a tourism exhibition at Grand City Surabaya Mall & Convent on 26 to 30 August, 2016.

    “In 2015, tourists visiting Taiwan reached 10.439 million of them and 177,743 of them are Indonesian tourists,” he said in Surabaya.

    He added that one of the attractions of Taiwan’s tourism is its landscape that is different from the sights in Southeast Asian countries.

    “For example in the northern region of Taiwan precisely on the island of Li, the weather is cooler and you can find snowfall there,” he said.

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  • Taiwan Mobile to offer enterprise IoT services

    Taiwan Mobile to offer enterprise IoT services

    Taiwan Mobile plans to offer enterprise IoT services in the Taiwanese market using the Cisco Jasper Control Center platform.

    The operator plans to offer plug-and-play IoT services that can be configured to provide analysis, automation and diagnostic intelligence.

    The company will offer services for any industry, with a particular focus on segments including connected cars, mobile payment, manufacturing, smart cities and public transport.

    “Enterprises throughout Taiwan are eager to deliver new, value-added IoT services to their customers,” Taiwan Mobile senior director of mobile marketing and IoT services Eddie Chan said.

    “Companies are increasingly focused on offering services that generate recurring revenue while improving the customer experience. Taiwan Mobile is excited to be at the forefront of enabling this transformation for businesses throughout Taiwan via the industry-leading Cisco Jasper IoT platform.”

    Cisco acquired US-based Jasper and its cloud-based IoT service platform for $1.4 billion in March, as part of efforts to gain a stronger foothold in the burgeoning new market segment.

    The Cisco Jasper Control Center offers real-time monitoring, management and control over IoT services, and is scalable to global implementations thanks to the company’s partnership with 30 global mobile operator groups representing more than 120 mobile networks worldwide.

  • Korean fashion brands in Zalora pop-up

    Korean fashion brands in Zalora pop-up

    South Korean fashion brands are featuring in an online pop-up store on regional sites of online fashion portal Zalora.

    It’s all part of a concerted bid to expand recognition of Korean fashion bards across the broader Asia-Pacific region.

    Launched in Singapore, the Premium Korean Fashion pop-up shop is open until October in Zalora sites in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan, according to the officials at the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (Kotra) and the Korea Fashion Association.

    Seventeen South Korean designer brands, which have been recognised for their competitiveness both at home and abroad, are showcasing their products on the pop-up store.

    A launch ceremony was attended by some 80 Southeast Asian fashion journalists and so-called power bloggers. It marks South Korea’s first marketing activity targeting the entire Southeast Asian region.
    At the event, Giulio Xiloyannis said there is growing interest in Korean fashion in Southeast Asia and that the opening of the pop-up store is not only a new attempt but also an important event for Zalora.

    A Kotra official said the trade agency will step up efforts to gain access to major online portals in an effort to make inroads into regional markets.

    “Southeast Asia is emerging as the next eCommerce market after China as youths account for a large portion of its population and regional economies are growing at a fast pace,” Lee Byung-woo, head of Kotra’s office in Kuala Lumpur. “Efforts will be made to help Korean brands gain a foothold there.”

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  • 7-Eleven Hits Milestone of 60000 Stores in 17 Countries

    7-Eleven Hits Milestone of 60000 Stores in 17 Countries

    7-Eleven Inc., the largest convenience retail chain in the world, keeps getting bigger with the opening of its 60,000th global store.

    The Irving-based company traces its roots to the 1927 opening of Southland Ice Co. in Oak Cliff, Texas. In 1946, with stores open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., the name was changed to 7-Eleven. Stores started staying open around the clock in 1971.

    7-Eleven moved into Canada in 1969 and into Mexico in 1971 as part of joint ventures. In 1974, the retail chain expanded into Japan with Seven-Eleven Japan, which became the parent company in November 2005.

    7-Eleven now has stores in Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia and UAE through area license and master franchise agreements.

    The first 7-Eleven store in Vietnam is expected to open next spring, which will extend the retailer’s operations to 18 countries.

    “The 7-Eleven story is amazing and inspiring; we started as a small local ice house and have grown over the years store by store, community by community, and country by country into an iconic global brand,” said Joe DePinto, 7-Eleven Inc. president and CEO. “We will continue to grow by staying focused on the constantly changing convenience needs of our customers and by staying committed to the communities we serve.”

    Last year, 7-Eleven opened one store every 2.5 hours, for approximately 4,000 stores.

    The company currently has the most stores in Japan (18,860), followed by Thailand (9,278), the United States (8,378), South Korea (8,238) and Taiwan (5,057).

    Other milestones in 7-Eleven’s history include:

    • 1927: First store
    • 1952: 100th store
    • 1963: 1,000th store
    • 1984: 10,000th store
    • 2003: 25,000th store
    • 2010: 40,000th store
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  • World Design Capital Taipei 2016 plans for world’s design devotees and designers

    World Design Capital Taipei 2016 plans for world’s design devotees and designers

    On the agenda for October are four major events in the World Design Capital® (WDC) Taipei 2016 program of International Signature Events: the International Design House Exhibition, International Design Week Forum, International Design Policy Conference, and Network of Cities Meeting. 

    WDC Taipei 2016 extends a warm invitation to participants and visitors from around the world to come and share their ideas and experiences, and bear witness to Taipei’s transformation into a model city that incorporates design thinking into public policy. 

    “October will be a defining month for the World Design Capital Taipei 2016,” says Pei-ni Beatrice Hsieh, Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Taipei City Government. “It is an opportunity both to reflect on the progress we have already made and to ignite international dialogue with other cities; to share experience and expertise. This is a chance to define a legacy for WDC Taipei 2016 that will be felt long into the future.”

    The International Design House Exhibition will be held at Taipei City’s historic Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, once home to a tobacco factory, from Thursday, October 13 to Monday, October 31. The Design House will bring together local and international designers, studios, and organizations to curate a series of thought-provoking exhibitions that will challenge visitors to reconsider their relationship with the urban environment and experience first-hand how design can radically change the world’s cities.

    An exhibition curated by Agua Zhou of Taipei-based studio Agua Design in the historical North Tobacco Factory, will showcase the results of innovative WDC Taipei 2016 projects, including the International Open Call and Designer in Residence Taipei programs, and explore the impact of Taipei City public planning and design policies.

    In Warehouse One, curator Li Wei-Lang, the Creative Director of Afterain Design (Taiwan), will mount an exhibition showcasing breakthroughs and innovation in Taiwanese design, particularly in the fields of science and technology, art and craft, and sustainability. In Warehouse Two, Page Tsou, celebrated visual artist and founder of Taipei-based studio, Auspicious Design, has invited renowned illustrators and visual artists from around the world to exhibit works that reflect on their impressions of Taipei.

    Warehouses Three and Four will be home to an international roster of exhibitors, with some participants hailing from cities that are past or future holders of the World Design Capital designation. The exhibition will explore the WDC Taipei 2016 theme of “Sisheng: Life Quality and Health, Ecological Sustainability, Smart Living, and Urban Regeneration.” In Warehouse Five, renowned Taiwanese contemporary calligraphic artist Tong Yang-Tze will collaborate with up-and-coming Taiwanese fashion designers, and spatial and sound designers to create an interactive exhibition that will breathe new life into traditional Chinese calligraphy.

    The International Design Policy Conference, which will be held on the weekend of October 15 and 16 at the Taipei International Convention Center, aims to explore how design thinking can be integrated into public policy. Policy experts, industry professionals, and academics will be invited to share their insights into and case studies on urban development through design. 

    The International Design Week Forum, which will be held on Monday, October 17 and Tuesday, October 18 at the Creativity Theater in Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, will bring representatives from various design weeks and festivals around the world to contribute their insights into how cities can support and harness the innovation of designers. The second day will be open to the public. Participants will be able to access free entry to both the International Design Week Forum and the International Design Policy Conference in August. Follow WDC Taipei 2016 on Facebook for updates: https://www.facebook.com/taipeidesign/.

    The final International Signature Event in the October series is the invitation-only Network of Cities Meeting. WDC Taipei 2016 organizers will invite mayors and city representatives from around the world to meet in Taipei, where together they will discuss WDC legacy programs, explore opportunities for collaboration, and share design-based solutions to the many civic and environmental challenges faced by cities around the globe.

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  • Kantar Worldpanel partners with Facebook to expand advertising measurement service

    Kantar Worldpanel partners with Facebook to expand advertising measurement service

    Kantar Worldpanel has formed a global partnership with Facebook that brings Facebook mobile ad exposure data into Kantar Worldpanel’s Consumer Mix Model (CMM) service.  In Asia, the service has launched in South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam, and will soon be available in Indonesia and Malaysia as well.

    The enhanced CMM tool combines Facebook’s mobile ad exposure data (in addition to desktop) with Kantar Worldpanel’s continuous consumer packaged goods (CPG) purchase data to provide brands with an accurate assessment of the effectiveness of their cross-media advertising campaigns. 

    The advertising landscape has witnessed rapid change in recent years as brands increasingly turn to digital formats.  In April Facebook announced that its advertising revenue had grown by 57 percent to $5.2 billion in the first quarter of 2016 alone, with advertisers drawn to its increasingly large user base. 

    The tool allows brands and advertisers to understand the real impact of individual advertising campaigns on actual sales and the contribution Facebook and other media have on their return on investment.  This in turn will help them to optimise their media planning and ultimately improve the efficiency of their media investment.

    Josep Montserrat, chief executive of Kantar Worldpanel, commented: “The partnership allows our experts to build a solid understanding of how advertising works and the role that Facebook plays in a wider campaign context.  Working with Facebook will allow us to inspire even better decisions to optimise advertising budgets and maximise advertisers’ return on investment.”

    Marcy Kou, chief executive of Kantar Worldpanel Asia, said: “It brings tremendous potential for advertisers on Facebook as the number of smartphone users continues to grow in Asia Pacific. Retail ecommerce in this region is going stronger than the rest of the world, and is still considered the “it” market. Yet there hasn’t been a reliable method to measure the effectiveness of mobile ads, and with this partnership, we will finally be able to.”

    Patrick Harris, director of Global Agency Development at Facebook, said: “We believe that strong partnerships with our agency partners are key to providing advertisers with the tools they need to measure true business value on Facebook.  We are excited to help inform Kantar Worldpanel’s Consumer Mix Model solution by bringing in our mobile ad exposure data in a privacy-safe way.”

    Kantar Worldpanel’s continuous CPG purchase panels are already widely used by the advertising community worldwide to understand the effect of cross-media advertising.  Its measures take into account in-store promotions and consumer loyalty to determine the full picture behind consumer purchase behaviour. 

    This partnership with Facebook is part of a wider alliance between WPP and Facebook to activate WPP’s data proprietary assets within Facebook, which was announced in April 2015.

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  • APT launches IoT dual-network platform

    APT launches IoT dual-network platform

    Taiwan’s APT has launched what it is calling the market’s first IoT dual-network multi-platform, named IoT by Gt Smart Life.

    The platform combines LTE connectivity from APT with a  LoRa network deployed by network operator FHNet. APT has already rolled out 500 LoRaWAN hotspots in Greater Taipei and Taoyuan to support the dual network.

    APT is also providing application development and service delivery, while Foxconn is providing the hardware.

    The companies have signed up key partners including domestic and overseas manufactures for the platform, including Actility, IBM, Semtech, Cisco, Advantech and Shin Kong Security. Certified partners in the project are entitled to free use of the LoRa network.

    Actility’s ThingPark standards-compliant IoT solution is being used to power the platform.

    APT has already launched the first demonstration applications for the platform, which include a smart city application covering the use of smart water, electricity and gas meters, as well as a goods delivery tracking service suitable for both indoor and outdoor tracking.

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  • Under Armour China recruits star power

    Under Armour China recruits star power

    Star power is being used to connect fast-growing athleisure brand Under Armour with Chinese consumers.

    NBA All-Star Stephen Curry heads back to China next month for another promotional tour for sportswear brand Under Armour China (UA).

    As UA seeks to take market share away from rival Nike, the basketballer will be touring the greater China region, including Taiwan, from September 2 to 6.

    Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank plans to more than double the company’s annual revenue to $10 billion by 2020, identifying three key growth areas: channels, categories and geographies.

    “Our eCommerce in China has basically exploded for us,” he says, “so this is not just a bricks-and-mortar story.” He believes China may actually end up providing the script for the balance between digital and store sales.

    So far this year, UA has reported a 157 per cent increase over the same period last year from its eCommerce initiatives in China. In just 10 years, the company has grown its overseas business exponentially, to $454 million last year from $6 million in 2006.

    Probably trying to catch this wave, low-end Chinese sneaker manufacturer Tingfei Long Sporting Goods introduced its Uncle Martian apparel line in April with a logo similar to UA’s trademark intersecting arches. UA responded by saying it will pursue “all business and legal courses of action.”

    To thrive in China, brand recognition over knockoffs is key for UA, which is why it is sending spokesman Curry into play. Following his first tour two years ago, quarterly revenue in China grew three-fold (Nike had a 23 per cent gain).

    UA plans to open 120 stores in China, more than doubling its presence, by the end of this year. Adidas and Nike have between 8000 and 9000 stores in China already. Nike’s market share grew to 14.3 per cent last year from 11.2 per cent in 2011, while Adidas grew its market share to 13.8 per cent from 8.5 per cent over the same period, according to research company Euromonitor.

  • Retail, food/beverage sales to rise in July: MOEA

    Retail, food/beverage sales to rise in July: MOEA

    On the back of rising demand for the upcoming Ghost Festival, the local retail sector is expected to see sales growth in July, at a time when many retailers have aggressively launched promotional campaigns, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

    In addition, continued high temperatures have boosted demand for beverages in the local market, the MOEA said, and this trend is expected to give an additional boost to the local retail sector, as well as the food and beverage sector, in July.

    The forecast was made by the ministry after it released data Friday showing that Taiwan’s retail sales for June stood at NT$335.8 billion (US$10.49 billion), up 0.2 percent from a month earlier and up 0.5 percent from a year earlier.

    The statistics indicate that revenue in the local food and beverage sector hit NT$36.3 billion in June, up 1.9 percent from a year earlier but down 3.0 percent from a month earlier.

    The Ghost Festival (中元節), the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, will fall on Aug. 17 this year.

    Local people usually buy foods and other necessities ahead of the festival in preparation for the folkloric rituals.

    In addition, the Taipei Multi-Media Show, which was staged July 1 through July 4, was expected to boost sales of 3C products and eventually raise revenue of the local retail sector, the MOEA said.

    The MOEA said that the hot weather is expected to prompt more and more consumers to buy beverages to keep themselves cool, while the current summer vacation is a peak season for local people to travel, which is expected to boost sales for the local restaurant businesses.

    In June, sales posted by department stores, supermarkets, convenience stores and hypermarkets in the local retain sector gained 3.2 percent, 5.6 percent, 3.0 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively, from a year earlier, while sales of the auto/motorcycle business rose 3.5 percent from a year earlier, the MOEA data shows.

    However, sales of the information and home appliance business in the local retail sector fell 5.6 percent year-on-year in June, the data indicated.

    During the month, sales of the restaurant and beverage businesses in Taiwan rose 2.2 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively, from a year earlier, the MOEA said.

    The MOEA said that sales posted by the local wholesale sector for June gained 3.6 percent from a year earlier to NT$805.8 billion.

    In the first six months of this year, sales of the local retail and food/beverage sectors rose 2.0 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively, from a year earlier, while revenue posted by the wholesale sector fell 5.4 percent year-on-year, the MOEA said.

     

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