Thailand
Thailand's CP All to enter ASEAN markets by acquiring Makro
CP All Plc, the local operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores in Thailand, is extending its market dominance in the THB2.2 trillion (USD76.16 billion) retail market with the acquisition of Siam Makro Plc's cash-and-carry chain for THB188.88 billion.
It is the largest merger and acquisition transaction globally in the retail sector this year, and the largest M&A in Asia-Pacific as well, according to Thomson Reuters.
Thailand's CMG to open 45 Payless ShoeSource outlets in Thailand, Indochina
Thailand's Central Marketing Group (CMG) will spend THB3 billion (USD97.9 million) to open outlets of Payless ShoeSource, the largest US shoe store chain, in Thailand and Vietnam over the next five years.
Thailand's biggest fashion distributor has received a five-year licence from Payless ShoeSource Inc, a business unit of Collective Brands Inc, the leading US shoe company, to operate its multi-brand stores in Thailand and Indochina. A total of 45 Payless shops will open in the region over the next five years.
Thailand's CRC plans Tops Daily rebranding, to have 1500 FamilyMart branches in 5 years
Central Retail Corporation (CRC), Thailand's largest retailer, plans to convert all its Tops Daily convenience stores to FamilyMarts starting next year and increase FamilyMart branches to 1,500 over the next five years.
According to CRC CEO Tos Chirathivat, the company will spend THB2-3 billion until 2017 to expand the world's second largest convenience store brand in Thailand.
It aims to have at least 1,000 convenience stores nationwide by year-end 2012 and 3,000 branches by 2022.
Boots to open 100 more Thailand stores
UK pharmacy and beauty store chain Boots will more than double its store estate in Thailand over the next three years, totalling more than 300 shops.
The pharmacy group, which last month revealed a major merger with US drugstore giant Walgreens, currently has 200 stores in Thailand.
Tesco also announced plans to open three "state-of-the art" distribution centres in Thailand through its Tesco Lotus business.
Insights: Pawoot (Pom) Pongvitayapanu, founder and managing director of Tarad.com, Thailand
Pawoot Pongvitayapanu, or Pom, is the Managing Director of Rakuten Tarad.com, Thailand’s largest e-commerce company. Pom founded Tarad.com (tarad is Thai for market) in April 1999, and since Tarad.com joined Rakuten in October 2009, it has become a major provider of innovative and integrated e-marketplace, e-commerce, merchant services and advertising tools in Thailand.
Online department store Lazada spends USD30m to support Thailand growth
Lazada, the leading online department store in Southeast Asia, has earmarked USD30 million to cement its presence in Thailand and capitalise on the fast-growing local e-commerce market.
The Berlin-based firm is already fully operational in five regional countries: Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
"After one year in operation in the five countries, Thailand is our fastest growing and biggest online shopping site," said Maximilian Bittner, the CEO of Lazada Southeast Asia.
Domino's Pizza returns to Thailand
Domino's Pizza has returned to the Thai market by opening a store in Bangkok as part of its plan to boost Asia-Pacific sales.
The re-entry of the world's leading pizza delivery firm will likely heat up Thailand's pizza market, worth an estimated THB8 billion (USD270.8 million) annually. More branches in the capital are in the pipeline following the launch of its store in One Fenix Square on the corner of Sukhumvit Soi 22.
Domino's Pizza closed 25 stores in Thailand after its Thai operator was hit by the 1997 financial crisis.
New Tesco acquisition in Thailand attempts to personally tailor its retail marketing
What do most consumers have in mind when they walk down soft-drink aisles at supermarkets? For most supermarkets, the word "brands" will likely be the first that comes to mind. But according to customer marketing consultancy dunnhumby, this is not the case for all products.
Dunnhumby, which was behind the success of the Tesco Clubcard, is the first company to use the idea of personalisation in Thailand.
3 in 5 Southeast Asia markets post strong growth in technical consumer goods
Technical consumer goods (TCG) in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand continue to expand in the fourth quarter of 2012, making them the three fastest growing markets, GfK's latest report showed.
The three countries grew of 15, 15 and 12 percent, respectively, in the full year of 2012.
GfK noted the exponential value growth of 31 and 21 percent in Thailand and Indonesia’s fourth quarter TCG markets, respectively, helping the countries grow 12 and 15 percent in terms of overall annual sales over the previous year.
CEO Talking Shop: Thailand's retail industry ready for tech innovations
Thailand's retail industry is in a state of flux. While it has yet to fully embrace information technology, it is on its way to understanding more of the benefits of going online and mobile to keep up with the trends in the region and to better serve an increasingly tech savvy consumers.
A strong tourism sector, the growing purchasing power of the Thai consumers and aggressive expansion plans by retailers locally and internationally are putting the sector at the forefront of innovations.
