To widen its market share, AEON plans to open more outlets in Malaysia in 2007. Presently the group operates 15 Jusco superstores and 2 J-One supermarkets. As per the company’s Chairman Datuk Abdullah Mohd Yusof, they will open 5 more outlets next year at Bandar Perda in mainland Penang, Ipoh, Johor Baru, Kuantan and the Klang Valley.
Japan: Shanghai Greets 2nd Biggest Uniqlo Shop
Shanghai is shining like a star on the global fashion and apparel map. Uniqlo, a Shanghai (Kyodo) Fast Retailing Company brand, has opened a 2,200 square meters shop Shanghai shopping mall. This store is the second largest Uniqlo shop in the world. It will display 550 items, 30 percent more than at other Uniqlo stores.
There are seven Uniqlo shops in Shanghai with Hangzhou, in Zhejiang Province having another one.
Mcdonalds Opens Another Branch In Philippines Cebu
US fast-food giant McDonald’s has opened its ninth branch in Cebu, along historic Colon Street, in the hope of attracting more customers who frequent Cebu City’s old business district. McDonald’s Cebu operations consultant Christian Eje, said that the new outlet was strategically located on a property previously occupied by a gasoline station on the corner of Colon and Borromeo Streets
The outlet has a sitting capacity of 100, ample parking space and opens from 7 a.m. until 10. p.m.
Eje also added that with Cebu’s “pulsating and dynamic” developments, the company has lined up expansion in key areas around the province. Similar to its Manila branches, McDonald’s plans to anchor its branches near gasoline stations.
Prior to this McDonald’s eighth branch in Basak, Mandaue City, which began operating October 28, is the first outlet in the entire Visayas and Mindanao located at a gasoline station.
This proves to be an advantage for the fast-food chain since the location is accessible to drive-through customers as well as those who stop by to gas up, Eje said.
He said McDonald’s would soon open a franchise outlet in Dumaguete City, which will be the company’s first branch in Oriental Negros.
British Retail Sales Rise At Slower Pace Before Christmas
British retail sales have risen at a slower pace in November compared with the previous month. The Office for National Statistics said Thursday sales climbed by 0.3 percent from October. The ONS said October’s data was revised up to show a 1.0-percent rise from the previous estimate of 0.9 percent.
Retail sales were 3.2 percent higher in November compared to a year earlier.
Analysts’ consensus forecasts had been for a monthly gain of 0.1 percent and annual rise of 3.0 percent in November.
A closer inspection of the monthly figures showed that food store sales, just fewer than 50 percent of the total, fell by 0.2 percent, while non-food sales rose 0.4 percent.
Howard Archer at Global Insight said the November results were “relatively modest”.
According to Archer, the retail sales data was unlikely to undermine expectations that interest rates are headed higher in the first quarter of 2007, especially as the Bank of England will remain on alert over inflation.
Tommy Hilfiger Launches Flagship Store at Regent Street in London
Tommy Hilfiger Europe B.V. is opening its new London commercial complex at 132-134 Regent Street. This complex, which was designed by RPA: Vision in conjunction with Hilfiger’s own internal team, will house the designer’s London offices, showrooms, and new freestanding retail store in one central location. Following the 2006 Tommy Hilfiger anchor store openings in Paris, Prague, and Florence, the London anchor store opening marks the Company’s latest expansion into another European capital city. The showrooms will serve as the central wholesale operation for the UK, showcasing men’s sportswear, women’s sportswear, Hilfiger Denim, Hilfiger Sport, children’s wear, and several licensed products.
The freestanding stores in the same location will showcase Hilfiger’s brand by combining classic sportswear with contemporary details for a modern lifestyle. The store will feature men’s and women’s sportswear, tailored and Hilfiger denim for men and girls. In addition, fragrance, body products, watches, and handbags will be sold, as will men’s and women’s underwear, accessories, and footwear.
The Regent Street store design will be unique to the Tommy Hilfiger global retail portfolio and will represent a marriage between the English Regency period and neo-classic architecture found throughout Tommy Hilfiger freestanding stores worldwide. The collection will be displayed on two floors, with a more formal and sophisticated look for men’s and women’s wear on the top floor and a casual look for its dedicated Hilfiger Denim section on the bottom floor.
The store features a mix of modern design and vintage furniture, with highlights like original American antique Oak flooring, distinctive lighting, and a contemporary central staircase designed out of wrought iron and antique oak.
Current freestanding stores in Europe include London, Milan, Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Barcelona, Stockholm, Vienna, Zurich, St. Tropez, Istanbul, Turin, Antwerp, Munich, Athens, and Madrid, among others.
Uae: Parfums Christian Dior JV Jashanmal National Co
Parfums Christian Dior Orient (PCD) and Jashanmal National Company entered into joint venture.
The launch of new joint venture Parfums Christian Dior Emirtes (PCD Emirates) was announced at a reception held at the One and Only Royal Mirage.
Company’s success in Parfums Christian Dior in the UAE has encouraged it to enter in joint venture with Jashanmal National Company.
PCD’s new operational branch, which is located in Bur Juman Business Tower, has 80 employees.
Shoppers In $ 8 b Spend In Early December
Australian shoppers are set to spend a record amount at the stores this month, having already splashed out billions of dollars in the lead-up to Christmas.
The Cashcard retail activity index, which measures cash, EFTPOS, credit card and cheque transaction activity, showed that shoppers spent $8.5 billion in the first 12 days of December.
Australian Retailers Association spokesperson Duncan Shaw said retail spending is expected to “go ballistic” in the remaining days before Christmas.
“We’re predicting the Christmas spend, which is from mid November through to Christmas Eve, will be $33.3 billion,” he said.
Mr. Shaw said such a result would be a 5.9 per cent increase over last year.
Cashcard results for December last year showed that retail spending hit a record of just over $22 billion unadjusted, or $17.4 billion seasonally adjusted.
Australians last year spent $8.9 billion in the first 13 days of the month.
Cashcard said it expected sales to climb higher as Christmas Day drew closer.
Westpac senior economist Anthony Thompson said a record spend this Christmas would not be surprising.
The Westpac/Melbourne Institute index of consumer sentiment rose by 11.8 per cent this month to 106.2 points indicating more people had a positive outlook than negative.
Mr. Thompson said retail spending was well supported by a number of positive economic conditions, including the low unemployment rate, which has held at a 30-year low at 4.6 per cent.
S. Koreas Gs Retail To Build Us $ 30 Mln Trade Complex In Vietnam
The GS Retail Co. Ltd. from the Republic of Korea has announced a plan to invest US$30 million in a trade complex located in the My Phuoc III Industrial Park in the southern province of Binh Duong.
The RoK’s leading retail group signed a contract on December 13 to lease seven hectares of land in the park with the Binh Duong Industrial Investment and Development Company. The trade complex will be built in two phases.
The complex will include hotels, restaurants, and offices for lease, retail supermarkets, entertainment parks and a sports area.
Becamex IDC CEO Nguyen Van Hung said his company would work with provincial authorities to create the best possible conditions for foreign investors to operate profitably there as they have previously committed.
BORDERS Preparing for Malaysian Expansion
Berjaya Books, the franchisee of the Borders chain in Malaysia, is planning to open seven more Borders shops countrywide in the next 5 to 6 year. According to the General Manager Janice Yong the majority of the new bookstores would come up in the Klang Valley, and the rest would be in Malacca ,Johor Bahru and in East Malaysia.”
Having the world’s largest Borders store (5,500 square metres) in Penang in 2005, Berjaya Books now plans not to follow its ‘mega store’ concept. Shares Yong, “We are aiming to position ourselves as a lifestyle store which our customers find cosy, lively yet serene and keep coming back to us.”
To promote reading culture in Malaysia, Berjaya Books, has invested around USD1.4 million in its Penang store. The retailer plans to add the number of business, self-help and fiction titles in its new stores.
Home Depot Makes Its Chinese Foray
U.S. home improvement retailer, Home Depot Inc.s efforts to enter China, has finally paid off. Recently the company signed an agreement to purchase The Home Way, a Chinese home improvement chain. Through this acquisition, Home Depot gets access to12 stores in the 6 cities.
Post approval in 2005 from the Chinese government to invest in stores, Home Depot expects to tap the USD 50 billion home improvement market in China. The home improvement market in China is estimated to grow at a rate of 20 per cent per year.
A company official confirmed receiving approvals from important Chinese government regulatory authorities. Reiterating the fact that this acquisition is a very significant chapter in the companys’ foreign expansion plan, he said that the deal is likely to be sealed by the year-end. However, the company has so far refused to divulge any detail about the agreement. Previously, the companys attempt to acquire Orient Home, a bigger chain store in China, proved unsuccessful.
