Hong Kong - News & Analysis

For the 16 th year, the 18-day Mid-Year Shopping Festival which culminates on 6.18 has begun. This year, the online giant JD.com is focusing on social commerce and has launched WeChat group-buying in Hong Kong. Engaging shoppers beyond discounts in mainland China Last year, JD.com sold around CNY159.2bn (US$23bn) worth of products during the shopping festival. There are more than 50m produ...

A.S. Watson has expanded its Watsons One Pass loyalty program to cover over 660 stores in China’s Greater Bay Area. Convenience for cross-border travellers Shoppers in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau are now able to enjoy member benefits when they shop at Watsons by using just one loyalty card, Watsons One Pass. The retailer operates in all 11 cities in the Greater Bay Area, and the new init...

Dairy Farm has released its results for the first quarter of 2019, with sales ahead of the same period last year. Food: large formats remain a challenge, convenience strong The Group’s multi-year transformation plan for its Supermarkets and Hypermarkets business is underway, but CEO Ian Mcleod previously estimated it will take the company five years to complete its turnaround plan.  Sales i...

Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido and A.S. Watson have partnered to launch an exclusive derma skincare range under the “D Program” brand. A.S. Watson working closely with brands A.S. Watson partners brands to drive innovation. Last month, we outlined how it is partnering L'Oréal's AI and AR firm ModiFace have launched a virtual makeup service . The retailer's latest initiative is to ...

Shoppers can pick up their parcels from more than 300 Circle K stores at their own convenience with a new feature by DHL Express. On-demand delivery by DHL Express Shoppers are informed of their shipment’s progress through SMS or email on the day of delivery. They can then choose a variety of delivery options through a mobile-optimised website, including redirecting their delivery to a DHL ...

A.S Watson will invest HKD1bn (US$128m) on digital innovation over the next ten years as it continues to step up transformation across the business to enhance the shopping experience. Staying ahead of competition A.S. Watson continues to invest in technology and ecommerce. By next year, the retailer will have spent approx. HKD1bn on digital and technology since 2012. Over the next ten years...

Rossmann, the German drugstore part owned by A.S. Watson, will begin selling products in South Korea in May, with products shipped directly from Germany. Direct-to-market model Rossmann plans to make “full-scale inroads into the domestic health and beauty market” of South Korea. A direct-to-market business model will be adopted, rather than stocking goods in stores. It is not clear when Ros...

A.S. Watson Group has opened its 15,000th store in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 500th Watsons store in Malaysia The world's largest health and beauty retailer continues to rapidly expand its store network, opening a new store on average once every seven hours across Asia and Europe. Earlier today, the Group opened its 15,000th store globally. This also marked the 500th Watson store in Mala...

The world's largest international health & beauty retailer has posted a strong set of annual results. Results summary - growth across all H&B divisions At the end of 2018, A.S. Watson’s retail division had 14,796 stores across 24 markets, a 6% increase compared to the previous year. Total sales for the Health and Beauty segment increased 10% to HKD138.9bn, with comparable stores growing 2.1...

TVB's Big Big Shop has partnered Convenience Retail Asia to allow shoppers to collect online purchases at Circle K stores in Hong Kong. Offering shoppers greater convenience The partnership between TVB and Convenience Retail Asia (CRA) was signed earlier this week. Shoppers using Big Big Shop, launched in July last year, will be able to collect at Circle K stores. With a network of 337 stor...