The broad sweep of Asian retail: chains, consumers, policy and the deals that move the market.
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…
Honeywell launched on Tuesday a suite of new scanners designed to allow retailers connect with customers and minimise checkout time. The new Voyager scanners can also speed up loyalty program enrollment and age verification. Lynn Huang Freeman, head of…
Woolworths has abandoned plans to enter the discount department store sector in New Zealand and has sold its 8.8 percent stake in New Zealand retailer The Warehouse Group for NZD86.9 million (USD65.5m), less than half the price it paid eight years ago.…
Airweave, Japan’s top selling brand of premium bedding toppers and pillows, has opened its first store in the US. The flagship officially opens its doors today, February 27, at 498 Broome St in the trendy SoHo district of Manhattan, New York City. Airweave…
Japan retail sales slid two per cent in January according to government data. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry surveys department stores, chain stores, supermarkets and other large-scale stores and convenience stores to compile a monthly trend…
The Indonesian government has begun laying the groundwork to regulate e-commerce activities in the country amid breakneck growth in online transactions, particularly among the country’s young and affluent middle class. Chief economics minister Sofyan Djalil…
Great Britain’s Royal Mail is to open an online store in China to sell British products to Chinese. Royal Mail will launch a shop front on Alibaba’s Tmall, providing Chinese consumers with “increased access to premium, authentic and high quality British…
The luxury travel retailer’s campaign follows the adventures and journeys of three international travellers and social media influencers — French music producer Caroline de Maigret, rising Taiwanese actor Godfrey Gao and Chinese artist Zhou Yi. In a first for…
Opple Lighting India is expanding its retail presence and introducing ‘Made for India’ LED lighting products in the South India. The Chinese lighting major, which operates in over 50 countries, has entered India with customised products factoring in local…
Samsonite International has bought Rolling Luggage, an international network of airport stores selling branded luggage and travel products for business, fashion, adventure and leisure. Samsonite paid the vendor, Tie Rack Retail Group, in turn owned by…
AsiaPay has partnered with Octopus Cards to offer Hong Kong consumers an expanded payment gateway for the Octopus Online Payment Service. The collaboration will offer an additional choice of payment gateway for Hong Kong’s online shoppers. The new platform…
Pioneer online pawnshop PawnHero has come to the rescue of Filipinos with urgent cash needs. In the Philippines, only two out of 10 Filipinos have bank accounts and fewer than five per cent have credit cards. Most don’t have access to affordable credit. As…
Osaka department stores are reporting three times the usual duty free sales to foreigners over Lunar New Year. Chinese shoppers may be curtailing spending at home, but they’re still splurging when they travel – as they are doing in increasing numbers within…
Award-winning book retailer Fang Suo Commune has opened another stunning store – this time in Chengdu, China. Two more are planned later this year – one in Chongqing in March and another in Qingdao later in the year. It is already planning a Shanghai store…
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,…
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…
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Read by retail operators, investors and brand teams across Asia.