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Tag: Thailand

  • Thailand targets counterfeit branded goods

    Thailand targets counterfeit branded goods

    Thailand is clamping down on counterfeit branded goods with plans for a campaign to target tourists.

    The Thai Commerce Ministry is seeking the support of foreign embassies as it launches its “Stop Fake Goods” campaign, aimed at travellers.

    Meantime, the government says it will stringently inspect traders for counterfeit goods, including examining their tax-payment history.

    New Year visitors to Thailand will be urged not to buy fake goods, says director-general Thosapone Dansuputra of the ministry’s Intellectual Property Department. He says the aim is to ensure Thailand moves away from its bad reputation for trading in fakes.

    He says it is illegal for visitors to buy counterfeit products, and the government will set up billboards in tourist spots to warn shoppers and traders not to buy or sell fakes. Both in Thai and English – and Chinese is some areas – the billboards will be posted at airports, BTS and MRT stations.

    Also, Commerce Ministry officers in each province will be on watch for any trading of counterfeit products.
    The department will also join forces with copyright owners, police and the Internal Security Operations Command to inspect areas known for selling fake goods, such as flea markets.

    Thosapone said that to boost the penalties for trading in counterfeit goods, the department is co-operating with the Revenue Department to investigate the tax history of suspected violators.

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  • Siam Discovery Launched Year-End Campaign to Spread the Love and Spirit of Sharing

    Siam Discovery Launched Year-End Campaign to Spread the Love and Spirit of Sharing

    Siam Piwat, the owner and operator of Siam Paragon, Siam Center and Siam Discovery, invested over 30 million baht in the greatest year-end marketing campaign, which integrates the customer-centric strategy. Interpreting the festive season as the time when people send their love and good wishes to others, the Company launched “Citizen of Love: It’s time to Give Good Love” campaign.

    The shoppers will not only find a wide array of gift items for themselves and loved ones, but also enjoy a big promotion that serves the government’s Shop for the Nation campaign. To add the sentimental value to the campaign, Siam Discovery hosts an art exhibition displaying the genius of the late King Bhumibol, including his great love and generosity for his citizen. In response to the royal wish on endless giving, Siam Discovery will organize “Gifts for Them” CSR activity that gives the gifts to 300 children in Community Children Foundation (CCF) under the Royal Patronage of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. During the festive season, the shopping center expected to welcome 80,000 – 100,000 Thai and foreign shoppers a day.

    Year-End Campaign: “Citizen of Love: It’s time to Give Good Love”

    Mr. Charnchai Cherdchoowongthanakorn, Senior Executive Vice President – Retail Business Development, Siam Piwat Co., Ltd., said, ” In each year, December is considered the high season with the greatest spending. However, the shopping sentiment this year differs from the past. Siam Discovery, considering itself as a friend of shoppers, understood their feelings and translated the season of joy into the joy of sharing. It therefore hosts the integrated campaign called “Citizen of Love: It’s time to Give Good Love”. Siam Discovery started from creating its ambience, in which encourages everyone to participate under the concept of ‘exploration, creation, and cultivation’. In addition, it holds an art exhibition to commemorate the talent of H.M. the late King, who worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life of his people. He did this out of love and wanted nothing in return. Moreover, Siam Discovery offers Thai people a space to express their love and give the moral support to one another. The shoppers can take photos and share their love in the Living Room of Love. It also displays the art installation that presents the Royal Rainmaking Initiative Project and Reforestation Initiative Project. The exhibitions are open for the public to help them feel connected.”

    Siam Discovery spent more than 30 million baht on “Citizen of Love: It’s time to Give Good Love” campaign, which includes the creation of shopping ambience, promotion and CSR activity. It expected to daily attract 80,000 – 100,000 Thai and foreign shoppers on average, with 50:50 ratio. The survey revealed that 80% of foreign tourists are Free Individual Traveler (FIT), which are considered high-quality tourists with high purchasing power.

    Launching a big promotion to boost the holiday shopping in response to Shopping for the Nation campaign

    Siam Piwat responds to the government’s economic stimulus policy that encourages the people to shop and use the tax invoice of December 2016 for the tax deduction. Expecting an influx of shoppers, Siam Piwat prepared the staff and equipment to facilitate the shoppers who request the formal tax invoice and to ensure the fast and convenient service.

    In addition, Siam Piwat holds special promotion, to create the unique shopping experience at Siam Paragon shopping mall , Siam Center , and Siam Discovery from now – December 31, 2016. Spending at least 15,000 baht, the shoppers will receive Siam Gift Card worth 1,500 baht. VIZ cardholders and the members of Siam Discovery Mobile Application will enjoy more benefits

    “Gifts for Them” CSR activity for the disadvantaged

    Miss Chanisa Kaewruen, Senior  Deputy Managing Director of Siam Piwat Co., Ltd., revealed, “Besides the value-added promotion, Siam Discovery infuses the sentimental value into the customers’ mind because we believe that our customers care for the society and wish to share good things with the people around them. We therefore come up with “Gifts for Them” activity, inviting the customers to spread the joy to others by giving the gifts to 300 children in Community Children Foundation (CCF) under the Royal Patronage of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The customers can buy gift items for the children on 50% discount and Siam Discovery will subsidize the other half. We will host an event where the donors can present the gifts to the children themselves.

    In preparing the product  to serve the customer demand, Siam Discovery, with the expertise in matching the right products for each lifestyle, has selected the perfect gift items for each target segment. It also displays the recommended gift items on each floor.   To increase the value to the gifts, it offers the personal gift wrapping as the customized service in addition to the regular gift wrapping service.

    In “Think Giving”, Siam Discovery offers a wide variety of products from the Royal Project Foundation, PatPat shop under Chaipattana Foundation, Phufa and Doi Kham as the special gifts for special people. The event will take place on the 5th floor from now until February 19, 2017.

    Customer-centric marketing focuses on capturing the customers’ interest. Siam Discovery therefore launched the marketing promotion activities that add the sentimental value to the shoppers. It expected that “Citizen of Love: It’s time to Give Good Love” campaign will not only increase the sales volume by 15 – 20%, but also make the holiday shopping more meaningful and bring the spirit of giving to this season of joy.

  • Element Fresh plans Asian franchise roll-out

    Element Fresh plans Asian franchise roll-out

    Chinese international restaurant brand Element Fresh plans to grant development rights to franchisees across Asia, with an initial focus on Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and Singapore.

    Founded in 2002, the group has nearly 40 restaurants in China, mainly in Beijing and Shanghai.

    It forecasts 80 outlets across China by 2020 while it moves to franchise in key countries across Asia.

    “We seek retail-focussed companies that view our cosmopolitan brand as complementing their existing portfolio and aligned with their business strategy,” says Element Fresh international franchising director Paul Barbone. “Our systems and operations have been fine-tuned and engineered to ease the start-up process through to multi-unit management.”

    Most of the brand’s dishes incorporate superfoods, with the seasonal menu innovation cycle giving diners the chance to try innovative ingredients.

    “We are passionate about fresh food, great taste and quality ingredients, making ‘eating right’ easy for our guests,” says CEO Frank Rasche. “People from dozens of countries come to us every day for our diverse menu and seasonal touches.”

    Recent examples include Salmon & Warm Buckwheat Salad, plus the Spicy BBQ Chicken Cobb salad that includes avocado chunks and chimichurri ranch dressing.

    Element Fresh has also just launched www.elementfresh.org, which details the advantages and benefits for franchise partners while showcasing its latest restaurant prototype.

    Barbone says the website offers information and videos for potential franchise partners. He plans to visit key markets in the coming months to meet with qualified groups, with the goal of having outlets open in select key cities by the second half of next year.

    Founded in Shanghai in 2002, Element Fresh is known for its gourmet salads and made-to-order fruit juices and smoothies, its diverse international menu including American-style breakfasts, and its casual dining ambience and service.

  • Titan Launches Thai Commemorative EDGE Wristwatch

    Titan Launches Thai Commemorative EDGE Wristwatch

    Titan Company Limited, the world’s fifth largest watchmaker and part of the Indian conglomerate giant TATA Group, is releasing a limited edition timepiece in Thailand created especially for the Thai market.

    Titan selected its Red Dot award-winning EDGE, the world’s slimmest wristwatch in the universe, to create the exclusive wristwatch, commemorating the timeless respect and honor for His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

    The royal emblem marking the 70th Anniversary Celebrations of King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Accession to the Throne is placed at 12 o’clock and the Thai numeral for nine at 9 o’clock. 

    The Titan Thai Commemorative EDGE wristwatch is available with a black, blue and brown dial and color-matched leather strap. The blue and brown dial watches are set in rose gold plated case while the black dial watch is set in a gold plated case, both of which gives this exclusive wristwatch an extra-special elegance and sophisticated quality. 

    With a total slimness of just 3.6 mm and a wafer-thin movement of 1.15mm, the Titan EDGE is a technological marvel. It is water resistant up to a depth of 30 meters. The classic hallmarks of the EDGE design include a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass front, stainless steel case and specially designed slim battery. 

    The inscription, “In Honor of His Majesty the King”, is engraved on the watch back as a tribute to the King, creating a wonderful memento for owners to treasure for years to come.

     “The intricate craftsmanship of the Titan EDGE, its timeless design and incredible innovation resonate with the Thai market,” said Sonia Yamdagni, Managing Director of Omni Co., Ltd., the sole distributor of Titan watches in Thailand. 

    “A sense of  tradition and appreciation for quality are valued and passed along from one generation to the next whilst moving toward a future of hope and success for the country and the Thai people; a symbol of the importance of finding time to give back to the nation and to others,” added Sonia.

    Titan watches are retailed in 32 countries worldwide. The Titan Thai Commemorative EDGE wristwatch, presented in an attractive velvet-lined wooden box, retails at THB 8,900 and is currently available at Central, Robinson and The Mall Group department stores nationwide, including Siam Paragon and Emporium in Bangkok.

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  • First CIMBT 7-Eleven sub-branch opens

    First CIMBT 7-Eleven sub-branch opens

    Thai bank CIMB says it will open between 20 and 30 sub-branches inside 7-Eleven convenience stores within the next 12 months.

    The CIMB 7-Eleven branches are aimed at providing extra accessibility to bank services by co-locating in areas where a full-scale bank branch is not warranted.

    All of the new branches will open in the broader Metropolitan Bangkok area.

    The first sub-branch opened this week, on Rama I.

    Adisorn Sermchaiwong, senior executive vice-president of CIMBT’s Consumer Banking Group, says it marks the first time a Thai commercial bank has opened a sub-branch in a convenience store of any brand.

    Customers can use the branch to open and close accounts, deposit cash and exchange foreign currency as well as apply for loans or leasing. Cash withdrawals will not be permitted, however, with customers invited to use co-located ATMs.

    The branches will be open from 10.30am to 5.30pm daily.

    “Right now our lives are greatly linked with convenience stores from the start until the end of the day, and that’s why we chose to open our sub-branch in a convenience store,” said Sermchaiwong.

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  • Lazada’s 12.12 sale nets $40.5 million

    Lazada’s 12.12 sale nets $40.5 million

    Lazada Group’s Online Revolution, also known as 12.12, has again proven to be the biggest online shopping event in Southeast Asia, ringing up US$40.5 million in sales.

    About 60 per cent of the gross merchandise value (GMV) of the December 12 event came from mobile, with shoppers spending an average of 12 minutes on Lazada apps browsing deals from international and local brands and sellers.

    With the theme “Brands for All”, the 12.12 event featured more than 500,000 offers and flash sales from more than 1000 brands and 55,000 sellers. Best-sellers included shower gels and mascaras, tote bags and bracelets, vacuum cleaners and tableware, and virtual-reality headsets and speakers.

    Lazada Group CEO Maximilian Bittner says the sale has become highly anticipated among more consumers in Southeast Asia, who are no longer just from large cities, but also from small cities and rural areas.

    “This year, the difference was consumers clearly shopping for everyday products such diapers and groceries, as well as higher-value items from trusted brands.”

    Lazada has a presence in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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  • Payments innovation continues to drive growth in Thailand

    Payments innovation continues to drive growth in Thailand

    Demand for innovative payment solutions is on the rise in Thailand, according to global payments technology company Visa, as the value of transactions made by Thai cardholders continues its high-growth trajectory.

    Total payment volume for all Visa cards rose by 9.3 percent last financial year, with growth coming from Visa debit cards at 18 percent and Visa credit cards at 8.6 percent. Meanwhile, the value of eCommerce transactions conducted on Visa cards rose by 24 percent. 

    “While such growth is not new to the payments industry, we are at a tipping point of innovation. New forms of commerce in the digital and hyper-connected world are emerging. When our clients issue Visa cards, they are issuing more than a card, they are issuing a Visa account that enables their customers to use Visa anywhere, anytime, with any connected device,” said Suripong Tantiyanon, Visa Country Manager, Thailand.  

    To support payments innovation in Thailand, Visa has launched the Visa Developer platform, transforming VisaNet, the world’s largest retail payment network, into an open platform for payments and commerce.

    Developers at merchants, financial institutions, technology companies and startups will have self-serve access to some of Visa’s most popular payment capabilities available through APIs, SDKs, and relevant documentation.

    One example of a solution developed and launched in Thailand is a global loyalty mobile application, using the Visa Direct API to provide real-time payment services. The product allows direct transfer of reward points to users’ Visa cards.

    The Visa Tokens Service (VTS), is another API that enables financial institutions to issue tokens – essentially digital accounts that enhance the security and simplify the consumer purchasing experience when shopping on a mobile phone, tablet, personal computer or other smart device. 

    Visa is also expanding the acceptance of electronic payments across the country. The number of merchant outlets that accept Visa cards has grown to almost half a million in 2016, particularly outside of Bangkok. The number of active mobile point of sale (mPOS) devices is almost close to fifty thousand, buoyed by insurance sales.

    “Enormous potential exists for technology to transform the entire payments experience. Many businesses are still relying on legacy systems in a world where customers want everything now – and, customer experience matters. Visa strives to extend the reach and value of electronic payments in ways that can power these changes,” added Mr. Suripong.

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  • AIS to invest $1.1b in 4G expansion

    AIS to invest $1.1b in 4G expansion

    Thai mobile market leader AIS plans to invest at least 40 billion baht ($1.12 billion) to expand its 4G network to improve take-up and performance.

    AIS has been spending heavily to deploy its 4G network and now expects to achieve 98% population coverage by the end of the year.

    But only around 25% of AIS’ 39.9 million strong subscriber base are 4G users, compared to 25.2 million for 3G.

    AIS aims to increase the percentage of 4G subscribers to 40% by the end of 2017. Take-up has been faster than initially expected, prompting the operator to raise its target.

    AIS launched 4G two years later than key rival TrueMove, but due to it 4G investment strategy has exceeded True’s 4G subscriptions and coverage, the report states.

    The operator is shoring up its network to be able to cope with heavy data usage and the ongoing erosion of voice and SMS usage. Roughly 22% of the company’s 60,000 base stations have been upgraded to 4G.

    This move forms part of a wider strategy aimed at transforming AIS into a fully integrated digital services provider by 2019.

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  • Greyhound Cafe expands to Singapore

    Greyhound Cafe expands to Singapore

    Thailand’s Greyhound Cafe has opened its 13th international outlet, marking its debut in Singapore.

    It has 14 cafes in Bangkok plus outlets in Beijing, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai.

    For Greyhound, the cafe was actually an afterthought to complement to brand’s fashion line. In 1997, founder Bhanu Inkawat was offered an empty unit next to Greyhound’s store at Emporium shopping complex in Bangkok to sell coffee and food.

    greyhound-cafe-paragon-singapore-1

    “We had no knowledge about food, but we thought, ‘Let’s just do it’,” says Inkawat, who is also Greyhound’s executive creative director. “We served a full food menu from the beginning. Yes, we were ambitious.”

    Now the cafe chain is more successful and recognisable than the brand’s fashion business.

    Inkawat and his Thai team attended the opening of the 100-seat Greyhound Cafe at Paragon in Orchard Road, introduced by Singapore F&B company JC Global Concepts.

    Greyhound’s menu is a collection of the childhood memories and travel experiences of the founders, based on old Thai recipes and ingredients. For example, Inkawat grew up eating the cafe’s Complicated Noodle, which involves diners wrapping minced pork and chilli sauce with noodle sheets and lettuce. The other signature item, Greyhound Famous Fried Chicken Wings, is based on a recipe from the grandmother of Greyhound Cafe’s MD Pornsiri Rojmeta.

    greyhound-cafe-paragon-singapore

    Street food twist

    “We know that no matter how beautiful your restaurant is, the food is important,” says Inkawat.

    “In Bangkok we are known as a trendy cafe, so it doesn’t really matter what we serve as long as it is trendy. But when you open outside of Thailand and people know we are from Bangkok, they think we are a typical Thai restaurant. So we present Thai street food in a hip way, but it’s not your traditional Thai food.”

    An exclusive dish to Singapore is the Crispy Pork Leg with Surprisingly Curry Paste, a German- style crispy pork leg marinated with Thai herbs and served with tamarind chilli paste, Jaew sauce (dipping sauce from northeast Thailand) and sticky rice.

    Another four or five Greyhound Cafes will be opened in Singapore within the next five years, including a stand-alone. Hong Kong will gain a seventh outlet, and the company is considering new markets – Indonesia, Taiwan and London.

    For now, there are no plans to expand Greyhound’s sister brands – Sweet Hound, Another Hound, and EverythingHound – beyond Bangkok.

  • Delivery Hero takes control of Foodpanda

    Delivery Hero takes control of Foodpanda

    Control of the Foodpanda business has been sold by parent Rocket Internet, including the remaining Asian operations.

    German-based online food-ordering service Delivery Hero Holding, which is active in 33 countries, has acquired Rocket Internet-backed Emerging Markets Online Food Delivery Holding, parent of the shrinking Foodpanda business.

    Foodpanda, 49 per cent owned by Rocket Internet, has a presence in 22 countries, but shut its Indonesia business in October in the face of growing competition from app-based ride-hailing services that also offer food delivery, such as Go-Jek and Grab Bike. It has also exited Vietnam but remains operational in Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan.

    In a partial share swap, the deal will see Rocket Internet’s stake in Delivery Hero increase from 30 per cent to 37.7 per cent. The sale will strengthen Delivery Hero’s global leadership position in online food ordering and delivery, with the combined group processing more than 20 million orders a month across 47 countries, says Rocket Internet.

    Bloomberg data shows that both companies together have raised more than $1.5 billion across several funding rounds with investors including Goldman Sachs and Insight Venture Partners.

    “The combination of Foodpanda and Delivery Hero, one of our most important companies, further consolidates key markets,” says Rocket Internet CEO Oliver Samwer. “Delivery Hero is also acquiring new markets.”

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  • Alibaba Looks to Tighten Its Hold on Thai Ecommerce

    Alibaba Looks to Tighten Its Hold on Thai Ecommerce

    Having established a dominant position in China, ecommerce giant Alibaba is setting its sights on expanding in Southeast Asia. Last week the Chinese firm inked a deal with the Thai government to speed the development of the country’s ecommerce sector.

    The agreement calls for ecommerce platform Lazada—the leading ecommerce site in Thailand—to provide ecommerce training to 30,000 small- and medium-sized Thai businesses. Alibaba acquired a controlling stake in Lazada earlier this year.

    The deal also calls for Alibaba to advise the country’s postal service, Thailand Post, on shipping and logistics.

    Ecommerce makes up just a tiny sliver of Thailand’s total retail sales (1.5%), but it is growing rapidly. eMarketer projects that ecommerce sales, excluding travel, will grow at a rate exceeding 15% annually over the next four years, reaching total $5.69 billion by 2020.

    While other large international ecommerce players like Rocket Internet and Rakuten have been pulling up stakes in Southeast Asia this year, Alibaba has dug in.

    Alibaba has the capital to outlast local competitors in order to gain market share, as well as deep experience handling payments and logistics problems in emerging markets. And it owns Lazada Thailand.

    But Alibaba faces two potentially significant challenges in Thailand. One is that Thailand still lags behind developed markets in terms of internet usage. eMarketer estimates only 49.8% of the population of Thailand uses the internet as of 2016. Markets that are still in the early stages of internet adoption tend to need time to grow into ecommerce.

    The second challenge for Alibaba is the other 800-pound gorilla in the global ecommerce sector: Amazon, the only competitor with the budget and will to battle Alibaba in a Southeast Asia turf war.

    Alibaba already competes with Amazon in India via two surrogates in which it holds sizable stakes: Paytm, a payment and ecommerce company, and marketplace Snapdeal. The battle shaping up in India is likely a harbinger of things to come in Southeast Asia, according to Pawoot (Pom) Pongvitayapanu, the CEO and founder of local Thai ecommerce marketplace Tarad.com. “I think in the next 10 years there will be a few very big ecommerce sites,” Pongvitayapanu said. “Alibaba or Amazon, they‘re going to control the world. That’s coming for sure.”

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  • AIS, True must launch low-cost 4G SIMs for poor

    AIS, True must launch low-cost 4G SIMs for poor

    Thailand’s telecoms regulator NBTC has issued an order requiring AIS and True Move to provide low-cost 4G SIMs for disabled and low-income citizens.

    The order is based on the terms of the licenses for 1800-MHz and 900-MHz 4G spectrum won by the two operators in an auction last year.

    As per the order, low-cost 4G SIMs must provide tariffs at least 10% cheaper than the maximum cap on 4G voice and data tariffs imposed by the regulator.

    Caps in the 1800-MHz and 900-MHz bands have been set at 0.69 baht ($0.019) per minute for voice calls and 0.26 baht per megabyte for data services.

    The new low-cost SIMs will need to be available by March, and the operators will be required to design a process to meet this deadline.

    The NBTC is yet to set definitions of disabled and low-income for the purposes of determining eligibility for the discount plans, but has suggested that low-income may be defined as earning less than 10,000 baht ($281) per month.

    According to NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith, last year’s 900-MHz and 1800-MHz auctions had the explicit purpose of bridging the digital divide, and all Thais must be able to benefit from national resources including spectrum.

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  • Thailand signs up for eCommerce initiatives

    High-level witnesses attended the signing of a letter of intent in China that will see Thailand co-operate with Alibaba on eCommerce initiatives.

    Thailand’s deputy prime minister Somkid Jatusripitak was invited by the eCommerce giant to its headquarters in Hangzhou to witness the signing alongside Alibaba Group executive chairman Jack Ma.

    Initiatives covered by the agreement include training for SMEs and individuals, and exploring ways to enhance logistics capabilities to support digital economy strategies as well as the government’s new Thailand 4.0 economic model, aimed at steering the country toward a value-based economy.

    Other senior Thai government officials also attended the signing along with private-sector representatives. Thailand’s permanent secretary Wiboonlasana Ruamraksathe and Alibaba Group president Michael Evans signed the documents.

    “This visit to Alibaba represents a continuation of the bilateral talks between the prime minister and Jack Ma,” says Somkid Jatusripitak. “To strengthen the competitiveness of Thailand’s SMEs and help them succeed in an increasingly digital era, the prime minister earlier assigned responsibilities to a task force made up of government agencies and private enterprises to work with Alibaba in a joint effort to lift the export capabilities of Thai businesses, starting from the grassroots and community level and extending to mid-tier businesses.”

    “We are very honoured to have this opportunity to work with the Thai government,” Ma said at the signing ceremony, “and I would like to thank the Thai people for their trust, because trust is the basis of any successful partnership.”

    Long-term vision

    He said that since Alibaba was founded 17 years ago, its vision had always been about empowering small businesses and young people, particularly those in developing nations.

    “We want to partner with governments and organisations that share this vision and commitment. By working together and applying technology and innovative ideas, I believe we can make that vision a reality, and magic will happen.”

    Four key areas are covered by the Thailand agreement, the first involving eCommerce training for 30,000 Thai SMEs to help them access both domestic and international platforms. Alibaba and its majority-owned eCommerce platform in Southeast Asia, Lazada Group, will help provide the training.

    The group will also share its experience and expertise with the Thai government to help build the nation’s own national eCommerce platform.

    Secondly, Thailand and Alibaba will collaborate on creating a nationwide program to train around 10,000 individuals so they can be proficient in digital technology. The two sides will also work on nurturing software developers, who will be given access to the China market via Alibaba Cloud’s marketplace for the software apps they create.

    Training for officials

    Furthermore, senior government officials will receive training at the Thailand Digital Government Academy, initially on big data and AI technologies. Alibaba and Lazada will jointly run a train-the-trainer program to groom eCommerce business co-ordinators who will in turn help SMEs establish their own online export capabilities.

    Thirdly, Alibaba and Lazada will contribute to the development of the Thailand’s supply-chain and logistics systems by sharing their experience and expertise with Thailand Post in a bid to expand domestic delivery services to all provinces. Thailand Post will also study Alibaba’s inventory-management systems and international eCommerce fulfillment services to gain insight into the establishment of bonded warehouses and fulfillment centres.

    Finally, Alibaba and the Thai government will explore co-operation opportunities under the Eastern Economic Corridor Development (EECD) project with the aim of helping establish Thailand as a hub of digital technology and regional data centres in Southeast Asia.

    Various Thai agencies lead the taskforce in charge of building upon the bilateral talks, including the Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, Ministry of Science and Technology, the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion, the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand, the Export-Import Bank of Thailand, the Electronic Government Agency (a public organisation), and Thailand Post.

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  • Easyship raises more funding

    Easyship raises more funding

    Hong Kong logistics startup Easyship has raised an undisclosed amount of pre-series A funding from 500 Durians, a fund managed by Silicon Valley’s venture capital major 500 Startups.

    Easyship is an online platform providing crossborder logistics services for eCommerce companies, claiming to have access to more than 80 shipping companies and offering visibility on delivery time, cost breakdown, reliability and tracking.

    To date, it has raised aggregate funding estimated at US$2.5 million. The latest round will help it expand into Southeast Asia via Singapore, following the validation of its business model and building of traction in the Hong Kong market.

    Its expansion to Singapore provides strategic access to Southeast Asia and leverages off the city-state’s logistics infrastructure and networks – just as US eCommerce giant Amazon is establishing a presence there.

    The venture originates from problems with international shipping encountered by co-founders Tommaso Tamburnotti and Augustin Ceyrac when they were trying to build the crossborder business of Rocket Internet’s Lazada, as reported. At the time, Lazada was trying to attract more vendors to its platform in China and Hong Kong selling into Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines.

    However, Lazada’s rapid sales growth was inhibited by a “very unstructured and fragmented” logistics industry. Easyship streamlines this process, providing an end-to-end process for packaging, labelling and tracking goods with couriers. It charges no fees for these services, with sellers paying the couriers. Revenue is generated from courier commissions.

    Easyship claims its saves its 1000-plus clients in Hong Kong up to $20,000 a month on shipping fees.

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  • 44 BKK outlets moving ownership

    44 BKK outlets moving ownership

    Bangkok-based IT chain store Com7, under the Banana brand, has taken over 44 BKK outlets from Bangkok Telecom 999.

    The TB184 million (US$5.1 million) deal is a bid by Com7 to drive its expansion into the mid- and entry-level segments.

    “This is our first acquisition for the purpose of pursuing growth,” says Com7 chief executive Sura Khanittaweekul. The roll-out is expected to be completed in the first quarter of next year.

    Com7 will keep the BKK branding on its acquired stores, most of which are in high-density areas. At least 10 of the stores compete directly with Com7.

    BKK Telecom 999 still has 36 BKK branches.

    Sura says the acquisition will enable Com7 to expand more quickly as it will not need to build its own stores. It will be able to tap the mid- and entry-level markets with handsets priced below TB10,000 a unit.

    Com7 aims to expand its retail shops to 500 branches by the end of next year, up from 365. It launched Bananastore.com in August to extend its sale channels online.

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