1 – Africa: Mobile Banking Will the Help the Poor Transform Their Lives
The key to this will be mobile phones. Already, in the developing countries with the right regulatory framework, people are storing money digitally on their phones and using their phones to make purchases, as if they were debit cards. >>
2 – Insiders Call for Integration between Internet Financing and Banks
Chinese financial industry observers are calling for an integration of the country’s traditional financial institutions and the emerging internet financing market. >>
3 - Banks taking over financial firms shapes a growing trend
VietNamNet Bridge – Marriages between banks and financial firms are forecast to be vibrant this year, but industry experts assume such deals could bring banks both advantages and disadvantages. >>
Japanese retailer Aeon is planning to increase its supermarket network in Thailand to 500 outlets by 2020. >>
2 – Apple opens newest China store
Apple has opened another giant retail store in China – West Lake in the Shangcheng District of Hangzhou, the capital city of Zheijang province in eastern China. >>
3 – HTC wants to boost retail network
HTC will boost its retail store network in its home market of Taiwan this year as it expands its handset range. >>
China Resources Enterprise (CRE) has finalized acquisition with Tesco to create the largest food retailer in China by the end of May, 2014. The joint venture will combine Tesco’s 135 outlets in the country with CRE’s almost 1,000 stores, called Vanguard. Vanguard owns various business types such as hyper-marts, convenience stores, supermarkets and others. Among these outlets there are more than 250 hyper-marts. It is crucial for CRE to effectively carry out integration and store optimization plan after the acquisition.
To better execute store network optimization, brand owners need to fully understand market potential and penetration of targeted city. Reviewing performance of current stores and comparing actual performances against potential’s to get a clear picture.
Steps of SNO (Store Network Optimization)
Scorecard: to assess each branch and analyze competitor distribution
Cannibalization analysis
Channel optimization: overall planning of current stores (keep, improve, move or close)
Market expansion: site selection of new stores in terms of untapped high potential areas
1 – How One Woman Is Changing Business Lending In Africa
A vast majority — 85% — of micro through medium size enterprises in emerging markets suffer from a lack of access to credit, according to the International Finance Corporation and McKinsey. >>
2 – KTB keen on expansion of GMS business
State-owned Krungthai Bank (KTB), the country’s largest bank by assets, is placing importance on payments, product development and partnership in its drive towards inclusive business development in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). >>
3 - China Boots Up an Internet Banking Industry
Cyberspace borrowing is coming of age thanks to financial reforms and the arrival of online-only WeBank and ZBIC. >>
1 – 5 key areas retailers must think about in 2015
Soaring consumer expectations in 2015 will drive some of the biggest change in the retail industry since e-commerce took off in the early noughties, predicts Manhattan Associates. >>
2 – External investors to finance Wanda Plazas
China’s Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties Co yesterday said four investors have agreed to contribute 24 billion yuan (US$3.9 billion) over the coming two years as the first tranche of funding to build around 20 shopping malls. >>
3 – 12 Tips for Foreign Retailers Looking to Enter China
It’s no secret that China has become a “must” market for retailers. But successful expansion into this market presents some serious challenges for foreign brands, and establishing a Chinese presence can be a big undertaking. >>
