Retail News CRM

Tag: Thailand

  • Mega Home looks to borders in Thailand

    Mega Home looks to borders in Thailand

    Thailand’s Mega Home Center Co, the chain seller of home and construction materials, is keen to expand its branches in border provinces to cash in on flourishing border trade and special economic zone activity.

    Supornsri Naktanasukanjn, the company’s chief operating officer, said it aims to open 20 branches by 2018, including four this year with an investment cost of THB400-500 million (USD12.3-15.4 million) per location.

    Founded in late 2013, Mega Home operates four stores in Pathum Thani’s Rangsit, Tak, Nong Khai and Chon Buri. A fifth store in Prachin Buri’s Kabin Buri is scheduled to open in May. New stores in Min Buri, Bangkok and Sa Kaeo’s Aranyaprathet will open in August and October, respectively. The eighth store is being planned.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Consumption in Thailand fall “surprising”

    Consumption in Thailand fall “surprising”

    With tumbling oil prices expected to bolster private consumption, last month’s contraction in consumption came as a surprise, says a senior Bank of Thailand official.

    The high level of household debt and falling farm prices were to blame, said Roong Mallikamas, senior director for macroeconomic and monetary policy. She said the fall in private consumption was unexpected and signified the slow pace of consumption recovery.

    The private consumption index declined by 1.5 percent year-on-year last month, worse than December’s contraction of 0.8 percent.

    Lees ook:

  • Mall Group attracts major names

    Mall Group attracts major names

    Tiffany & Co heads a list of major international brands confirmed as tenants of The Mall Group’s massive new development in the heart of Bangkok.

    The Mall Group is creating The EM District on Sukhumvit Rd, comprising three projects –  The Emporium, The EmQuartier and The EmSphere. The Emporium is under refurbishment and the other two properties are new.

    When complete, the three properties will comprise a total retail space of 650,000 sqm and represent an investment of US$618 million.

    The EM District will be home to more than 1000 Thai and international brands, luxury fashion labels, technology, lifestyle, living and dining facilities.

    The Mall Group this week revealed that jeweller Tiffany & Co will be making its Thai debut in the complex, along with fellow New York-based retailer Van Cleef & Arpels, French brands Haute Joailler, Roger Vivier, a high-end Parisian footwear label, and footwear brand Charlotte Olympia footwear.

    Saint Laurent will open a concept store offering lifestyle items, Tory Burch will open its first full concept boutique, Germany’s MCM promises a flagship of its bags and Sephora will open its largest Thai flagship.

    Other international brands confirmed for the project are Banana Republic, A Bathing Ape, Zara, Massimo Dutti, H&M, Uniqlo, Gap, MNG, Super Dry, Beams, Stylenanda and Uncensored. They’ll join local brands including Fly Now, Greyhound, Soda, Something Boudoir, Senada, Asava, Kloset, Sretsis, Issue, It’s Happened, Disaya, Sanshai, Tube Gallery and Vickteerut.

    Luxury brands already confirmed include Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior, Prada, Cartier, Dolce & Gabbana, Celine, Fendi, Gucci, Tod’s, Valentino, Chloe, Loewe, Miu Miu, Salvatore Ferragamo, Balenciaga, Ermenegildo Zegna, Jimmy Choo, Burberry, Emporio Armani, Hugo Boss, Dunhill, Issey Miyake and Club 21.

    The Emporium and The EmQuartier Gourmet Market, under a new concept of high-end and modern gourmet market, will provide food and delicatessens from around the world. The EM District will also incorporate a world-class entertainment complex including Quartier Cineart by cinema operator Major Cineplex Group, with seven and an Imax.

    Rival cinema group SF Cinema City will open Emprive Cineclub billed as “a completely renovated six-star theatre”.

    The EM District will be home to more than 10 venues and halls, including The Quartier Hall, Parc Quartier, Quartier Avenue and Emporium Gallery, ranging from 200 to 2000 sqm, available to host exhibitions, fashion events, music and art festivals and product launches.

    Food is another key element. The EM District will feature a broad range of international and local food brands, including Dean & Deluca, Harrods, Cova and TWG. Jones the Grocer, a gourmet food store originating in Australia, will make its debut. along with Pierre Herme French macaroon boutique that directly imports every macaroon from France.

  • Platinum Mall parent in IPO

    Platinum Mall parent in IPO

    Platinum Group, the parent of the popular Platinum wholesale fashion mall  in Bangkok’s downtown Pratunam district, is to launch an IPO.

    The group plans to raise 8 billion baht (US$247 million) through the issue of 700 million new shares. A book-building process is underway this week, which will be followed by a distribution in mid-March.

    Platinum Group president Somboon Wongrasamee says the company plans to use the funds to refinance a new project The Market by Platinum, under construction in Ratchadamri and scheduled to open in 2017. Three times the size of Platinum Mall, the centre is expected to boost the group’s income by 1 billion baht ($31 million) annually when complete.

    Further funds will be dedicated to construction of a skywalk connecting the luxury Gaysorn shopping centre with Platinum Mall and construction of a hotel in Koh Samui.

    Wongrasamee says the mall had a unique place in Thailand’s retail landscape as it attracted both local consumers and tourists.

    “There are not many wholesale operators in Thailand, so the company will expand to upcountry branches to take advantage of long-term market growth opportunities,” he told the Bangkok Post in a recent interview.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Food and mobile phones boost mall sales

    Food and mobile phones boost mall sales

    Mobile phone sales, supermarkets and a turnaround in the performance of discount department stores all helped to underpin the half-year results for the Australian retail landlords Federation Centre and Charter Hall Retail REIT.

    Both landlords own shopping centres dominated by food retailers with an array of speciality stores and some DDS, throughout the country. They said new acquisitions and mall redevelopments would continue in the coming months.

    The two groups reaffirmed the full-year results were positive as lower petrol prices and the low interest rates boosted consumer spending.

  • CP All in USD433m drive to expand store operations

    CP All in USD433m drive to expand store operations

    Thailand’s retail company CP All Plc has earmarked THB14 billion (USD432.6 million) to expand its convenience and cash-and-carry store operations this year on the back of economic recovery and high consumer spending power.

    Of the total budget, THB9 billion will go to its own 7-Eleven convenience store expansion and the remaining THB5 billion to its subsidiary Siam Makro Plc, which operates Makro cash-and-carry stores.

    CP All plans to open 600 new convenience stores and improve its existing outlets, while Siam Makro will open 10 new Makro branches.

    Lees ook:

  • KFC Thailand to boost network

    KFC Thailand to boost network

    KFC Thailand says it plans to open 55 new outlets in 2015 and refurbish another 20 as it aims to boost its share of the nation’s fast food market.

    According to a report published by the Bangkok Post newspaper, KFC will boost its capital spending by 20 per cent this year, largely with funds from the brand’s parent Yum! Restaurants International, the balance from local partner Central Group.

    By the end of the year it will have a chain of 586. Fifteen of the new branches will be configured as drive-thrus.

    According to Waewkanee Assoratgoon, KFC country GM with Yum! Thailand, further capital will be invested in a new IT system aimed at speeding up the ordering process for both home-delivery and counter transactions. The company is also developing apps which would allow customers to order from smartphones or computers.

    Waewkanee told the newspaper it expects sales to increase by 10 per cent this year, one per cent more than in 2014.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Inside Grand Central Jakarta

    Inside Grand Central Jakarta

    Thailand-based Central Department Store Group has opened its first department store in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

    With 9.5 million inhabitants, Jakarta is the largest city in Southeast Asia and Central’s commitment to the city reflects the company’s belief that department stores, executed well, have a strong future in retail.

    Grand_Central_Jakarta_03_215

    “I believe in the department store industry,” explains Central’s president, Yuwadee Chirathivat. “But the stores must be exciting and innovative.”

    The 17,000sqm store marks the continuation of a successful partnership with German architects Blocher Blocher Partners (BBP) dating back 13 years. BBP has shared with Inside Retail Asia the challenges and execution of the new store’s design.

    Grand_Central_Jakarta_01_215

    Like most department stores, the ground floor is anchored by cosmetics and women‘s designer fashion departments – two premium worlds, joined by luxurious shades of gold.

    Grand_Central_Jakarta_04_215

    “In the designer department, the brand highlights are enclosed by a wire-mesh structure interwoven with elaborate floral patterns. In this way, a kind of house-in-house is created; a principle that is repeated on all storeys,” explain partners Dieter Blocher, Wolfgang Mairinger, Jürgen Gaiser, Angela Kreutz and Anja Pangerl, who worked on the project.

    In the women‘s fashion world on the first floor, an ornamental metal construction forms the setting for the Who-is-Who of the Southeast Asian designer scene.

    Grand_Central_Jakarta_05_215

    “The leitmotif of the surrounding sales floor: a modern interpretation of cassette walls, conveying timeless elegance and a contemporary sense of class. At times, in the classic look of dark turquoise, sometimes entirely in a modern mosaic style.

    Grand_Central_Jakarta_09_215

     

    “Here, too, slatted panels on the ceiling indicate the transition to the next department, the shoe and bag division. An eye-catcher: polygonal ceiling elements continuing seamlessly on the rear walls. Harmonising with the polygonal, high-gloss white furniture and pedestals, which flatter the premium merchandise with their sculpture-like appearance.

    Grand_Central_Jakarta_02_215

    “On the second floor, the jeans/unisex and men’s department meet each other – two young, rugged looks. Tiles, raw wood, wallpaper and dark expanded metal in the jeans division blending with fishbone parquet and wooden ceiling slats in the central men’s casual area.

    Grand_Central_Jakarta_07_215

     

    In the adjoining men’s business department, concrete walls alternate with metal curtains. Here, the house-in-house is designed as a gently curving diamond-shaped structure in wood, revealing at the core changing rooms, clad with clinker bricks.

    Grand_Central_Jakarta_08_215

     

    “Things get really colourful in the children’s department on the third floor. With yellow walls, colourful glass elements set into sloping furniture, butterfly appliqués and abstract animals. As a contrast, the home division presents itself as deliberately reserved – with an interplay of light and dark accents.”

    Grand_Central_Jakarta_06_215

     

  • Thai retail plays key role in rebound

    Thai retail plays key role in rebound

    Thailand’s retail industry is expected to grow by 5-10 percent this year from THB1.55 trillion (USD47.6 billion) last year as local consumption recovers.

    Suwit Kingkaew, a senior vice-president of CP All Plc, operator of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain, yesterday said local consumption was improving, and the momentum was expected to continue throughout 2015.

    Retail growth this year will come partly from greater exports to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Last year GDP in those countries grew by 7-8%, while Thai exports to them rose by 14-18%.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Brands urged to adopt online video to reach customers

    Brands urged to adopt online video to reach customers

    Online video is predicted to be the next big thing in online communication tools to promote brands, thanks to the high penetration of budget smartphones and on-the-go lifestyles.

    Arpapat Boonrod, managing director of global media research company TNS Thailand, said digital media dominated the lifestyle of Thai people. They spend an average of 4.2 hours a day on online media, far surpassing the 2.6 hours spent on traditional TV screens.

    To cope with the rapid change of media consumption in Thailand, collaboration between traditional and new media is the best way for brands to communicate with target customers, she said. Brands should create online videos on a customised basis, adopt a multi-screen tactic and an on-the-go approach to create an effective strategy.

    Lees ook:

  • Thai retail leader Central Group to invest USD1.14b in 2015

    Thai retail leader Central Group to invest USD1.14b in 2015

    Thailand’s largest retail conglomerate, Central Group, plans to invest USD1.14 billion this year, expanding at home and in Southeast Asian neighbours by opening new malls to tap into cross-border trade and lining up acquisitions.

    Controlled by Thailand’s richest family, the unlisted firm told reporters at a news conference on Monday it plans to accelerate revenue growth to 15 percent this year, to THB287 billion (USD8.8 billion), compared with 6.6 percent growth in 2014.

    Central Group is among a group of major Thai companies looking to buy more international assets, especially in Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Traditional shops ‘not dead’ in Thailand

    Traditional shops ‘not dead’ in Thailand

    Traditional Thai retail businesses are expected to stay afloat, but their market share is likely to drop over the next five years as e-commerce proliferates.

  • Aeon plans big expansion of MaxValu supermarkets in Thailand

    Aeon plans big expansion of MaxValu supermarkets in Thailand

    Aeon (Thailand) Co, the operator of MaxValu supermarkets, has announced plans to speed up expansion in Thailand by increasing its number of stores to 500 by 2020.

    The company, which now operates 76 outlets in supermarket and mini-supermarket formats, is expected to open 15 more outlets this year.

    General manager Keiji Ono said Aeon would spend THB300-400 million (USD9.2m-USD12.3m) to add new stores and modernise some outlets.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Bittersweet retail holiday in Thailand

    Bittersweet retail holiday in Thailand

    The Thai economy may not have fully recovered, but a survey shows locals still plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day on Saturday, the same as lovebirds scattered around the world.

    This year Thais are likely to be more cautious with their spending, said Thanavath Phonvichai, vice-president for research at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.

    The centre surveyed 1,255 people nationwide recently and found they plan to spend an average of THB1,900 (USD58) a person on Valentine’s Day.

    Lees ook:

  • Thailand to relaunch 7-day discount scheme

    Thailand to relaunch 7-day discount scheme

    Thailand plans to reintroduce its initiative to cut consumer prices after the seven-day campaign last 24-30 Dec as part of a New Year gift to the public proved a great success.

    The new campaign could be held in May and might be extended to 10 days, Commerce Minister Chatchai Sarikulya said on Tuesday after meeting with 35 representatives of modern trade outlets, manufacturers and rice packers.

    Under the seven-day campaign, retailers and suppliers agreed to cut their product prices at 12,800 outlets nationwide by 10-70 percent.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook: