Asia news & analysis

Lunar New Year this year is marked by two animals, the rabbit in China and the cat in Vietnam. We round up different ways retailers are creating excitement around the event this year, making shopping more fun and easier through the season. China: Maybelline creates an interactive exhibition with Namito Namito is an urban art icon with bunny ears shown on a limited range of Maybelline produc...

In the first stage of it scaling back operations in the Asian market, German based Metro Group is selling its wholesale format in India to local retailer Reliance Retail. Scaling back in Asia to focus on European ventures The sale of Metro’s operation in India will see Reliance Retail take over its 31 wholesale stores, with the deal expected to be concluded in March 2023. Metro has been pre...

Developed countries with ageing populations increasingly face labour shortage issues in staffing convenience stores. We take a look at creative strategies in 2022 by Japan’s leading convenience chains to deal with the manpower shortages, while at the same time creating a more unique shopper experience in the store. Technology as a manpower multiplier Amidst a shrinking labour pool, Japan in...

The growing influence of Korean culture continues to shape the retail landscape in Asia, as Shinsegae’s convenience banner Emart24 opened its first two stores in Singapore at the end of 2022. We visited its outlet at Nex to explore some of the store's highlights. Source: IGD Research Dining in store Source: IGD Research The biggest crowd-puller of Emart24 is its in-s...

Despite a tax hike in 2023, Singapore’s leading supermarket and hypermarket retailers have all committed to offsetting the increase to provide affordability to shoppers amidst concerns on the impact of inflation. Tax hike covers all products Singapore’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) was increased by 1 percentage point, from 7%, to 8%, starting from 1 January 2023. The GST is a VAT-style tax ...

While we consider that we have our finger on the pulse of retail, we can often be surprised by events in our industry. Given the volatility of the last few years, coupled with the challenges we’ve seen this year with inflation, labour and the supply chain, there’s been no shortage of the unexpected. Here are some of the initiatives and performances that surprised us. Discounters Aldi and Lidl...

On 29 th November 2022, we were joined by 194 delegates from across the world as we launched our global channel forecasts to 2027. Today we launch our supporting global channel forecasts 2022-2027 reports and answer questions that we were unable to respond to in the webinar’s Q&A session. Catch up on demand and be inspired For subscribers who missed the webinar session, the recording can...

We round up some of the retailer’s efforts in sustainability we have seen in our store visits around Asia in the last few months. 1. Lotus’s Malaysia adds food aid bins in stores Lotus’s encourages shoppers to join in their food surplus programme. It provides meals to children who have limited access to safe and nutritious food. 2. EV powered tuk tuk to Tops food hall in Thailand ...

7-Eleven Singapore recently opened 7Café, its first café concept store in Singapore. The store is located at Jewel Changi Airport shopping mall, just beside Changi Airport. It is positioned as a café that allows travellers to recharge. Source: IGD Research Wide array of food and beverage options Source: IGD Research The café has a great variety of food and beverage options. ...

South Korean ecommerce giant Coupang turned a profit for the first time, which is notable in the ultra-competitive and cost-heavy ecommerce industry. It did so through providing shoppers with a superior product range and service, and incorporating technology to improve cost efficiency. Profitability for the first time Coupang announced a 10% revenue increase to US$5.1 bn in the quarter endi...