Home, wellness and lifestyle categories redefining everyday consumption.
Hong Kong based A S Watson has bought a 50-strong chain of pharmacies in the Netherlands. The deal with Dirx Drugstores will see all 50 stores of the Dirx health and beauty retail network fall under Watson ownership, along with five additional locations…
Wedgwood, one of the world’s best known china brands, is now betting big on China. As news broke that Wedgwood’s parent company WWRD was being put on the market by its private equity owners, it emerged that the business is planning a “major” retail expansion…
Finnish homewares specialty retailer Marimekko is to open new flagship stores in Bangkok and Singapore. The move marks a continuation of a concerted push into the Asia-Pacific region. Over the last three years Marimekko has expanded into China, Hong Kong,…
China remained the world’s largest consumer of luxury products last year even though domestic sales fell for the first time due to the government’s anti-corruption campaign and increased spending overseas. Chinese spending on luxury goods increased 9 percent…
Indonesia and the European Union have been doing business for decades. Over the years, Indonesia has been exporting many products to EU countries, and vice versa. According to Harvey Rouse, head of economic and trade section for the European Union’s mission…
A latest survey showed that wearable devices will become more popular in the Chinese market in the next five years. For wearable health devices, 39 percent of respondents worldwide plan to buy one by 2020, but 65 percent of Chinese consumers surveyed already…
GCH Retail (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, the owner of Giant, Cold Storage, Mercato, Jason’s and G-Express stores, is to open four new Giant hypermarkets and supermarkets in Malaysia this year to add to the 126 it already has. They will be in the Klang Valley, Sarawak,…
China’s Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties Co said on Wednesday four investors have agreed to contribute CNY24 billion yuan (USD3.9 billion) over the coming two years as the first tranche of funding to build around 20 shopping malls.
Coca-Cola Co. is axing at least 1,600 white-collar jobs globally as part of a cost-cutting push in response to sluggish soda sales. To view the full article (note: you must be a Wall Street Journal Online subscriber), visitThe Wall Street Journal Online. Lees…
Starbucks Coffee Company chief operating officer Troy Alstead is taking an extended unpaid leave from the company. “Looking back on the 23 years we spent together side-by-side as Starbucks colleagues, I can recall so many memorable moments and accomplishments…
The Chinese luxury market has gone through changes in 2014 driven by changes in consumer behavior and the government crackdown. What can we expect in 2015? The recent Ruder Finn and Ipsos’s China Luxury Forecast survey provides a glimpse into what we can…
A majority of staff in Vietnam’s supermarkets and trading centres lack professional training, according to Vu Vinh Phu, chairman of the Hanoi Supermarket Association. Retail centres are on the rise, but they’re facing a serious shortage of well-trained staff,…
The Japanese spent more than they saved in the 12 months ended March 2014, the first time that’s happened since the data set began in 1955, with the savings rate at a negative 1.3 percent in the last fiscal year. “It’s something to keep an eye out for in the…
While most consumers grappled with the escalating cost of living, the Malaysian government’s subsidy rationalisation programme and the impending introduction of the goods and services tax (GST) also took centre stage. The government’s decision to reduce…
While most consumers grappled with the escalating cost of living, the Malaysian government’s subsidy rationalisation programme and the impending introduction of the goods and services tax (GST) also took centre stage. The government’s decision to reduce…
Iconic Swedish furniture retailer Ikea built its biggest store in the world to serve South Korea’s shrinking households, targeting millions of people living alone with Korea-only items like super-sized single beds and in-store kimchi rice. The store opened on…
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