The venerable German mail-order company Quelle is shutting down more than 80 years after revolutionising the country's retail landscape, having missed customers' move to online shopping.
The unit of insolvent German retailer Arcandor failed to find new investors and would be closed down, Arcandor's insolvency administrator Klaus Hubert Goerg said on Tuesday.
A Quelle employee who took part in a staff meeting at the company's headquarters in Nuremberg said October's salaries would still be paid but beyond that nothing was certain.
"It's over, crying doesn't help," Quelle employee Marianne Thieg told Reuters.A colleague added:"Quelle is dead."
At least half of the 10,500 employees of Arcandor's Primondo unit, which Quelle is part of, could lose their jobs,but no official figures have yet been given.
Marco Atzberger, retail expert at EHI retail institute, said Quelle's downfall was a result of the company's own problems rather than an industry-wide malfunction."Quelle is a tragic story,because the mail order business in general works quite well. They failed to integrate the online business properly and relied too strongly on the catalogue business," he said.
The Quelle catalogue used to be a common feature in Germany's letter boxes and fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld even offered his collection "KL by Karl Lagerfeld" in the autumn/winter 1996-97 catalogue.
Quelle was founded by Gustav Schickedanz in 1927, naming it after his business idea to sell products directly to the customers right from the source, or "Quelle," in German.
But the emergence of the Internet took shoppers online, rapidly boosting sales of online retailers like Amazon.com Inc and eBay Inc.
"While the catalogue is not obsolete,it is not the main sales driver either, any more," EHI's Atzberger said.
The German E-Commerce and Distance Selling Trade Association (bvh)expects online shopping will for the first time this year make up more than half of the overall sales in the mail-order industry, which it estimates at 29.1 billion ($43.6 billion) for 2009.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Gold bars and coins on sale at Harrods
The London luxury goods department store Harrods is moving into the precious metals market with the launch of a service to sell investmentgrade gold bullion bars and coins to customers.
Malcolm McLean, general manager of Harrods Bank, told Reuters on Thursday that the company saw a gap in the market for a well-known retailer to enter the increasingly high-profile gold market.
"We have been very conscious of the fact that there has been an ever increasing amount of interest in the gold market,and in buying investment gold," he said.
"We became very conscious that there is no well-recognised name out there which the general public can turn to and say, I know that name, I trust it, I want to buy from them.
"That is not to say there are not reputable dealers out there - we know there are," McLean said.
"But they don't carry the brand that we do."
Since Monday, Harrods has been selling Swiss-sourced investment grade bars and coins including sovereigns, South African Krugerrands and American Eagles, from the Harrods Bank premises on London's upscale Brompton Road.
Harrods would not be drawn on the sales volumes seen by the store so far,but McLean said feedback for the service had been positive.
"We are very much looking to the Harrods customer, and the customers of Harrods bank itself," he said."But we are open to the general public."
Prices vary according to the spot price of gold, the amount of bullion ordered,and the type of product selected. Internationally traded spot gold prices rose to a record high of $1,070.40 an ounce on Wednesday.
Around midday on Thursday, a oneounce Kruggerrand coin would have retailed at just under ฃ740, around a 14% premium above the gold spot price at the time.
Premiums on gold investment products in Europe are typically between 5-20%, depending on the spot price,supply and demand conditions, and volumes.
The store offers a secure safety deposit service, with its smallest box available for ฃ235 a year and capable of holding the largest investment product Harrods offers: the 12.5 kg bar.
"The customer can take the gold away with them if they wish, or can arrange for it to be delivered to wherever they choose," McLean said.
Investment in gold coins and bars rose sharply in late 2008 and early this year as the financial crisis boosted the appeal of physical gold as a safe store of value for consumers.
According to the World Gold Council,worldwide net retail investment in gold,which includes coin and bar buying,rose 22% in the first half of 2009 from the same period of the previous year to 301 tonnes.
Malcolm McLean, general manager of Harrods Bank, told Reuters on Thursday that the company saw a gap in the market for a well-known retailer to enter the increasingly high-profile gold market.
"We have been very conscious of the fact that there has been an ever increasing amount of interest in the gold market,and in buying investment gold," he said.
"We became very conscious that there is no well-recognised name out there which the general public can turn to and say, I know that name, I trust it, I want to buy from them.
"That is not to say there are not reputable dealers out there - we know there are," McLean said.
"But they don't carry the brand that we do."
Since Monday, Harrods has been selling Swiss-sourced investment grade bars and coins including sovereigns, South African Krugerrands and American Eagles, from the Harrods Bank premises on London's upscale Brompton Road.
Harrods would not be drawn on the sales volumes seen by the store so far,but McLean said feedback for the service had been positive.
"We are very much looking to the Harrods customer, and the customers of Harrods bank itself," he said."But we are open to the general public."
Prices vary according to the spot price of gold, the amount of bullion ordered,and the type of product selected. Internationally traded spot gold prices rose to a record high of $1,070.40 an ounce on Wednesday.
Around midday on Thursday, a oneounce Kruggerrand coin would have retailed at just under ฃ740, around a 14% premium above the gold spot price at the time.
Premiums on gold investment products in Europe are typically between 5-20%, depending on the spot price,supply and demand conditions, and volumes.
The store offers a secure safety deposit service, with its smallest box available for ฃ235 a year and capable of holding the largest investment product Harrods offers: the 12.5 kg bar.
"The customer can take the gold away with them if they wish, or can arrange for it to be delivered to wherever they choose," McLean said.
Investment in gold coins and bars rose sharply in late 2008 and early this year as the financial crisis boosted the appeal of physical gold as a safe store of value for consumers.
According to the World Gold Council,worldwide net retail investment in gold,which includes coin and bar buying,rose 22% in the first half of 2009 from the same period of the previous year to 301 tonnes.
MAKERS OF BUILDING MATERIALS "BIGGEST GAINERS"
The building material, steel, downstream petrochemicals, auto parts and discountstore sectors will benfit from the government's second economic stimulus package, according to a research paper by SCB Securities.
Firms making building materials are expected to reap the biggest gains from the Thai Khemkhaeng (Invest for Strength) scheme phase I, worth Bt200 billion.
About Bt59 billion of the Bt200billion package will be used to develop small reservoirs and repair irrigation systems, and PVC manufacturers such as Thai Plastic and Chemicals and Vinythai will enjoy the benefits.
The brokerage said another Bt35 billion would be allocated for building and repairing roads, boosting asphalt demand and benefiting Tipco Asphalt.
Tata Steel (Thailand) and G Steel will also be beneficiaries from the stimulus package, as steel bar and wire will be major raw materials in construction works related to irrigation systems, hospitals and electric trains, SCB Securities said.
However, the brokerage is nor sure whether Sahaviriya Steel will also gain, as PVCpipe prices and maintenance costs are lower than those for steel pipelines.
Cement-makers Siam Cement, Siam City Cement and TPI Polene are other expected gainers in the buildingmaterials sector.
The brokerage estimates that the 10-12 electricrail routes will need 9 million10 million tonnes of cement.
"It is too early to calculate cement demand for all the routes, but the Purple, Red and Blue lines alone will create 2.53 million tonnes of cement consumption over their fouryear construction periods," the paper said.
For the consumption sector, Big C Supercentre and Siam Makro will be winners from the Thai Khemkhaeng programme, as about Bt20 billion will be allocated to village funds.
From the previous village funds' budget in fiscal years 20042005, Big C and Makro reported sales growth in existing branches at 3 per cent and 6 per cent, respectively. This is well above Big C's current performance of minus 2.5 per cent to positive growth of 3 per cent, and Makro's growth of 13 per cent.
Makro tends to receive greater benefits from such schemes than Big C as its products are more related to economic activities.
This said, SCB Securities recommends "buy" on Big C with a 12month target price of Bt55 based on the dividend discount model, and "sell" on Makro with a 12month target of Bt67.
However, as both firms will benefit from the government's economic stimulus measures, the brokerage will soon review its assumptions.
Given that the package will bolster economic activities in rural areas, the demand for pickups and tractors will increase, making Somboon Advanced Technology a winner.
The company is Thailand's largest axle-shaft manufacturer for pickups with a market share of 80 per cent. Moreover, it supplies shafts to Siam Kubota, the country's largest tractor producer.
The brokerage recommends "buy" for the stock, with a 12month target price of Bt13.
The government's plan to lower the ratio of students to computers from 38:1 to 20:1 will create demand for 200,000 PCs. IT City, the computer peripherals and equipment distributor, will therefore stand to gain.
For the consumption sector, Big C Supercentre and Siam Makro will be winners from the Thai Khemkhaeng programme, as about Bt20 billion will be allocated to village funds.
Firms making building materials are expected to reap the biggest gains from the Thai Khemkhaeng (Invest for Strength) scheme phase I, worth Bt200 billion.
About Bt59 billion of the Bt200billion package will be used to develop small reservoirs and repair irrigation systems, and PVC manufacturers such as Thai Plastic and Chemicals and Vinythai will enjoy the benefits.
The brokerage said another Bt35 billion would be allocated for building and repairing roads, boosting asphalt demand and benefiting Tipco Asphalt.
Tata Steel (Thailand) and G Steel will also be beneficiaries from the stimulus package, as steel bar and wire will be major raw materials in construction works related to irrigation systems, hospitals and electric trains, SCB Securities said.
However, the brokerage is nor sure whether Sahaviriya Steel will also gain, as PVCpipe prices and maintenance costs are lower than those for steel pipelines.
Cement-makers Siam Cement, Siam City Cement and TPI Polene are other expected gainers in the buildingmaterials sector.
The brokerage estimates that the 10-12 electricrail routes will need 9 million10 million tonnes of cement.
"It is too early to calculate cement demand for all the routes, but the Purple, Red and Blue lines alone will create 2.53 million tonnes of cement consumption over their fouryear construction periods," the paper said.
For the consumption sector, Big C Supercentre and Siam Makro will be winners from the Thai Khemkhaeng programme, as about Bt20 billion will be allocated to village funds.
From the previous village funds' budget in fiscal years 20042005, Big C and Makro reported sales growth in existing branches at 3 per cent and 6 per cent, respectively. This is well above Big C's current performance of minus 2.5 per cent to positive growth of 3 per cent, and Makro's growth of 13 per cent.
Makro tends to receive greater benefits from such schemes than Big C as its products are more related to economic activities.
This said, SCB Securities recommends "buy" on Big C with a 12month target price of Bt55 based on the dividend discount model, and "sell" on Makro with a 12month target of Bt67.
However, as both firms will benefit from the government's economic stimulus measures, the brokerage will soon review its assumptions.
Given that the package will bolster economic activities in rural areas, the demand for pickups and tractors will increase, making Somboon Advanced Technology a winner.
The company is Thailand's largest axle-shaft manufacturer for pickups with a market share of 80 per cent. Moreover, it supplies shafts to Siam Kubota, the country's largest tractor producer.
The brokerage recommends "buy" for the stock, with a 12month target price of Bt13.
The government's plan to lower the ratio of students to computers from 38:1 to 20:1 will create demand for 200,000 PCs. IT City, the computer peripherals and equipment distributor, will therefore stand to gain.
For the consumption sector, Big C Supercentre and Siam Makro will be winners from the Thai Khemkhaeng programme, as about Bt20 billion will be allocated to village funds.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Jumbo wins battle for Super de Boer
Dutch supermarkets group Jumbo won the battle for peer Super De Boer yesterday after raising its original offer, valuing the company at
552.5 million ($822.3 million) and knocking out a rival bid.
Super de Boer said it had agreed to the Jumbo buyout offer after becoming the hot prize in the consolidation of Dutch supermarkets. The original bid from Jumbo was followed by an intended offer from Sperwer, while two other supermarkets joined the battle, separately backing the rival offers.
But the bid from Jumbo eventually won out.
"We are convinced that this is a very attractive transaction for all of our stakeholders, including our employees, franchisees, shareholders and, last but not least,our customers," Super de Boer's chief executive Jan Brouwer said in statement.
The revised offer from Jumbo comes at 4.82 per share. That topped Sperwer's previous 4.50/share offer. Sperwer said it would drop its bid.
"Jumbo's improved offer for Super de Boer will not be surpassed by Sperwer and we believe that it is unlikely to be surpassed by another suitor," SNS Securities analyst Richard Withagen said.
The deal creates a supermarket chain store which will increase competition for market leader Ahold, which owns the Albert Heijn stores and has more than a 30% market share.
Jumbo had agreed to sell 80 Super De Boer stores to rival Schuitema, which operates the C1000 brand, if its bid succeeded, while Sperwer had planned to sell about 40 Super De Boer stores to Ahold if it was successful.
Super de Boer is 57% owned by French peer Casino.
Casino said in a separate statement that the price valued the business at 13.9 times estimated EBITDA and generates a gross capital gain of some 60 million for Casino.
It will also allow Casino to reduce its debt by around 400 million.
552.5 million ($822.3 million) and knocking out a rival bid.
Super de Boer said it had agreed to the Jumbo buyout offer after becoming the hot prize in the consolidation of Dutch supermarkets. The original bid from Jumbo was followed by an intended offer from Sperwer, while two other supermarkets joined the battle, separately backing the rival offers.
But the bid from Jumbo eventually won out.
"We are convinced that this is a very attractive transaction for all of our stakeholders, including our employees, franchisees, shareholders and, last but not least,our customers," Super de Boer's chief executive Jan Brouwer said in statement.
The revised offer from Jumbo comes at 4.82 per share. That topped Sperwer's previous 4.50/share offer. Sperwer said it would drop its bid.
"Jumbo's improved offer for Super de Boer will not be surpassed by Sperwer and we believe that it is unlikely to be surpassed by another suitor," SNS Securities analyst Richard Withagen said.
The deal creates a supermarket chain store which will increase competition for market leader Ahold, which owns the Albert Heijn stores and has more than a 30% market share.
Jumbo had agreed to sell 80 Super De Boer stores to rival Schuitema, which operates the C1000 brand, if its bid succeeded, while Sperwer had planned to sell about 40 Super De Boer stores to Ahold if it was successful.
Super de Boer is 57% owned by French peer Casino.
Casino said in a separate statement that the price valued the business at 13.9 times estimated EBITDA and generates a gross capital gain of some 60 million for Casino.
It will also allow Casino to reduce its debt by around 400 million.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Consumers to dig deeper for Vegetarian Festival fare
Vegetarians will shoulder a heavier burden during the Vegetarian Festival, due to higher retail prices for ready-to-eat je foods, a Commerce Ministry survey of Yaowarat Road shows. The festival will run from Sunday until October 26.
However, retail prices of fresh vegetables and other foods should remain unchanged, due to sluggish economic growth affecting consumers' purchasing power.
Retail prices of instant and ready-to-eat vegetarian foods will cost a minimum of Bt35 a pack, while normal ready-to-eat foods run Bt25 to Bt30 a pack.
One food retailer in Yaowarat Market said ready-to-eat vegetarian foods were normally more expensive than normal food. However, retail prices for them seem to have climbed despite no corresponding increase in those for raw materials. An earlier survey by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce showed changing lifestyles had prompted consumers, particularly vegetarians, to choose ready-to-eat, canned and instant foods over fresh foods.
Sirirat, a Chinese-Thai who plans to eat vegetarian during the festival, urged the government to control retail prices of ready-to-eat foods, because these were necessary for working consumers.
"Consumers prefer ready-to-eat foods. Raw materials have not gone up much this year, so ready-to-eat foods should not be too expensive," she said. However, a ministry survey found prices of some fresh vegetables and other raw materials had in fact dropped 10-20 per cent year on year.
Commerce Ministry permanent secretary Yanyong Phuangrach confirmed retail prices of some raw materials were now lower than during last year's festival.
For instance, non-meat protein is quoted at Bt35 to Bt40 for a 400-gram pack, against Bt40 last year. Vegetarian fish maw is now Bt160 to Bt200 a kilogram, down from Bt200 to Bt300 last year. Soba noodles remain unchanged at Bt55 a kilogram.
Most fresh-vegetable prices cost the same as last year or have increased slightly, by about Bt5 a kilogram.
To ensure consumers do not suffer from higher food prices, the ministry will dispatch inspection teams to fresh markets nationwide in a bid to prevent unfair price hikes during this year's vegetarian festival, Yanyong said.
However, retail prices of fresh vegetables and other foods should remain unchanged, due to sluggish economic growth affecting consumers' purchasing power.
Retail prices of instant and ready-to-eat vegetarian foods will cost a minimum of Bt35 a pack, while normal ready-to-eat foods run Bt25 to Bt30 a pack.
One food retailer in Yaowarat Market said ready-to-eat vegetarian foods were normally more expensive than normal food. However, retail prices for them seem to have climbed despite no corresponding increase in those for raw materials. An earlier survey by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce showed changing lifestyles had prompted consumers, particularly vegetarians, to choose ready-to-eat, canned and instant foods over fresh foods.
Sirirat, a Chinese-Thai who plans to eat vegetarian during the festival, urged the government to control retail prices of ready-to-eat foods, because these were necessary for working consumers.
"Consumers prefer ready-to-eat foods. Raw materials have not gone up much this year, so ready-to-eat foods should not be too expensive," she said. However, a ministry survey found prices of some fresh vegetables and other raw materials had in fact dropped 10-20 per cent year on year.
Commerce Ministry permanent secretary Yanyong Phuangrach confirmed retail prices of some raw materials were now lower than during last year's festival.
For instance, non-meat protein is quoted at Bt35 to Bt40 for a 400-gram pack, against Bt40 last year. Vegetarian fish maw is now Bt160 to Bt200 a kilogram, down from Bt200 to Bt300 last year. Soba noodles remain unchanged at Bt55 a kilogram.
Most fresh-vegetable prices cost the same as last year or have increased slightly, by about Bt5 a kilogram.
To ensure consumers do not suffer from higher food prices, the ministry will dispatch inspection teams to fresh markets nationwide in a bid to prevent unfair price hikes during this year's vegetarian festival, Yanyong said.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Carrefour launches mini format
French hypermarket chain Carrefour is launching a new retail format to bolster its position in the Thai market.
It opened its first mini-supermarket in Bangkok's Pracha Chuen area last Saturday.
CenCar Co, the local Carrefour operator, opened the "Carrefour City"store at Urban Square, a new community mall developed by Chananin Co,located behind Dhurakij Pundit University.
The new-format 300-square-metre retail outlet is double the size of a Tesco-Lotus Express store, its direct competitor. Carrefour City opens daily from 7am-11pm.
The store provides both ready-toeat meals and other convenience products for breakfast and lunch, as well as groceries, frozen foods, drinks and household products.
The French retail giant Carrefour Group launched the Carrefour City format in France early this year, promoting it as a new convenience store concept which capitalises on the Carrefour brand.
Carrefour has operated in Thailand for 12 years but the operator has focused exclusively on hypermarkets. Three Carrefour hypermarket formats are available in the Thai market: the standard format with 6,000 sq m of retail space; the compact format with 4,000 sq m; and the mini format with 2,000 sq m. Arch-rival Tesco Lotus operates six retail formats locally. France-based Casino offers three formats - Big C Supercenter, Mini Big C and Pure by Big C.
Launching the new store format confirms that Carrefour will continue its Thai operations despite rumours that it wanted to pull out from growth markets, especially in Asia.
Lars Olofsson, CEO of Carrefour Group, said its strategy approved by the board in March remained unchanged as the group's geographic priorities are France, other European countries and growth markets, particularly Brazil, India and China.
It opened its first mini-supermarket in Bangkok's Pracha Chuen area last Saturday.
CenCar Co, the local Carrefour operator, opened the "Carrefour City"store at Urban Square, a new community mall developed by Chananin Co,located behind Dhurakij Pundit University.
The new-format 300-square-metre retail outlet is double the size of a Tesco-Lotus Express store, its direct competitor. Carrefour City opens daily from 7am-11pm.
The store provides both ready-toeat meals and other convenience products for breakfast and lunch, as well as groceries, frozen foods, drinks and household products.
The French retail giant Carrefour Group launched the Carrefour City format in France early this year, promoting it as a new convenience store concept which capitalises on the Carrefour brand.
Carrefour has operated in Thailand for 12 years but the operator has focused exclusively on hypermarkets. Three Carrefour hypermarket formats are available in the Thai market: the standard format with 6,000 sq m of retail space; the compact format with 4,000 sq m; and the mini format with 2,000 sq m. Arch-rival Tesco Lotus operates six retail formats locally. France-based Casino offers three formats - Big C Supercenter, Mini Big C and Pure by Big C.
Launching the new store format confirms that Carrefour will continue its Thai operations despite rumours that it wanted to pull out from growth markets, especially in Asia.
Lars Olofsson, CEO of Carrefour Group, said its strategy approved by the board in March remained unchanged as the group's geographic priorities are France, other European countries and growth markets, particularly Brazil, India and China.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Siam Makro Wins Best Idea Award in the Business Awards 2009
Siam Makro Wins Best Idea Award in the Business Awards 2009
ceremony Presented by the Netherlands-Thai Chamber of Commerce and Belgian-Luxembourg/Thai Chamber of Commerce.
Siam Makro Public Company Limited has been slected by the Netherlands-Thai Chamber jof Commerce and Belgian-Luxembourg/Thai Chamber of Commerce as the winner of the Best Idea Award in the Business Awards 2009 for its Makro Retailer Alliance Project. The Makro Retailer Alliance Project aims to support the traditional trade in Thailand for continued growth and succcess.
The Business Awards of Netherlands-Thai Chamber of Commerce and Belgian-Luxembourg/Thai Chamber of Commerce were established in 1998 to pay homage to sme of the finest companies for the way in which they excel in business and for their contribution to Thai society. The awards have 8 categories: Best Muyltinational Company, Best Financial Services Company, Best SME Company, Best Idea Award, Best Product Innovation, Best Exporter, Best Exporter SME Company and Special Export Encouragement Award Thai-Benelux Relations.
Siam Makro Public Company Limited has been operating wholesale cash and carry trade centers in Thailand for 20 years. The company is very proud to receive this Award sinc eMakro has demonstrated its commitment to help small retailers to compete effectively by launching the Makro Retailer Alliance Project in 2007. The project has been supported from government institutes consisted of the Department of Business Development of the Ministry of Commerce and 12 business partners to share their knowledge and experience to the small retailers. Lately, Makro Retailer Allience Projec tha scooperated with 33 universities in Thailand to set up 'Retailer Development from students to local community Project'. Makro staffs are sent to these universities to teach students a course in Effective Retail Shop Management. Students then support the small shops. Recently, the company held the "2nd Makro Retailer Expo" during September 11-13, 2009 to provide knowledge on retailing business with 50,000 attendees.
Other winners of the awards include: Chuchawal Royal Haskoning, ING Life Ltd., Thai Garden Resort, The Audhya Insurance PCL.,B. Foods Product International Co.,Ltd Tahi Orchids Co.,Ltd. and Heuschen & Schrouff Oriental Fools Trading B.V.
Mr.Tjaco van den hout, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, delivers an opening speech.
Finance Minister korn Jatikavanich delivers a speech.
Mrs. Suchada Ithijarukul, Managing Director of Siam Makro Public Company Limited, receives the Best Idea Award for Makro Retailer Alliance Project.
Mr.Tjaco van den Hout, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, confers the Royal decoration on Dr.Pisit Lee-Artham(far right).
ceremony Presented by the Netherlands-Thai Chamber of Commerce and Belgian-Luxembourg/Thai Chamber of Commerce.
Siam Makro Public Company Limited has been slected by the Netherlands-Thai Chamber jof Commerce and Belgian-Luxembourg/Thai Chamber of Commerce as the winner of the Best Idea Award in the Business Awards 2009 for its Makro Retailer Alliance Project. The Makro Retailer Alliance Project aims to support the traditional trade in Thailand for continued growth and succcess.
The Business Awards of Netherlands-Thai Chamber of Commerce and Belgian-Luxembourg/Thai Chamber of Commerce were established in 1998 to pay homage to sme of the finest companies for the way in which they excel in business and for their contribution to Thai society. The awards have 8 categories: Best Muyltinational Company, Best Financial Services Company, Best SME Company, Best Idea Award, Best Product Innovation, Best Exporter, Best Exporter SME Company and Special Export Encouragement Award Thai-Benelux Relations.
Siam Makro Public Company Limited has been operating wholesale cash and carry trade centers in Thailand for 20 years. The company is very proud to receive this Award sinc eMakro has demonstrated its commitment to help small retailers to compete effectively by launching the Makro Retailer Alliance Project in 2007. The project has been supported from government institutes consisted of the Department of Business Development of the Ministry of Commerce and 12 business partners to share their knowledge and experience to the small retailers. Lately, Makro Retailer Allience Projec tha scooperated with 33 universities in Thailand to set up 'Retailer Development from students to local community Project'. Makro staffs are sent to these universities to teach students a course in Effective Retail Shop Management. Students then support the small shops. Recently, the company held the "2nd Makro Retailer Expo" during September 11-13, 2009 to provide knowledge on retailing business with 50,000 attendees.
Other winners of the awards include: Chuchawal Royal Haskoning, ING Life Ltd., Thai Garden Resort, The Audhya Insurance PCL.,B. Foods Product International Co.,Ltd Tahi Orchids Co.,Ltd. and Heuschen & Schrouff Oriental Fools Trading B.V.
Mr.Tjaco van den hout, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, delivers an opening speech.
Finance Minister korn Jatikavanich delivers a speech.
Mrs. Suchada Ithijarukul, Managing Director of Siam Makro Public Company Limited, receives the Best Idea Award for Makro Retailer Alliance Project.
Mr.Tjaco van den Hout, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, confers the Royal decoration on Dr.Pisit Lee-Artham(far right).
Carrefour planning to get stores,public on the same recycled page
Carrefour will continue with its aim to promote energy conservation in its stores and to raise customer awareness on the action they can take to lower household consumption, said Paul Rowsome, environmental manager of the hypermarket chain.
The group even went a step further in its commitment to reducing energy consumption from the previous target of 20% to 30% per square metre of sales area by 2020 compared to 2004.
According to its sustainability report,Carrefour has specific plans to improve energy efficiency by reducing waste,water and paper consumption and optimising recycling activities. Carrefour branches have been told to report their energy consumption rates every quarter,said Mr Rowsome.
Based on the results of a Life Cycle Analysis carried out on its shopping catalogues, Carrefour hypermarkets and supermarkets in France decided to reduce the weight of the paper in order to reduce the impact of their publications on the environment. By reducing the weight of its commercial publications,Carrefour saved 25,000 tonnes of paper last year alone compared to 2005.
This is the equivalent of the annual release of carbon dioxide emissions by as many as 19,000 cars.
Also, Carrefour hypermarkets and supermarkets in France saved 10% on their total paper consumption in 2008 compared to 2005.
Carbon dioxide emissions were thus reduced by more than 22,500 tonnes,which is the equivalent of the annual emissions of more than 17,000 cars.
Carrefour also favours the use of recycled fibres or those from sources with sustainable forest certification.
Its aim is to have 80% of publications printed on certified or recycled paper by the end of this year and 100% by the end of next year. This year, the group is going to enforce stricter traceability requirements promoting paper made from recycled wood fibres or from forests under certified management.
Carrefour is also making efforts to reduce the volume of store waste by replacing wooden boxes and crates used for the shipping of merchandise by reusable plastic containers.
Carrefour has also been making effortsto optimise the weight of its own-brand product packaging. This has enabled the group to save on more than 13,000 tonnes of packaging for specific types of products throughout its entire range.
After Taiwan, Belgium and France,Carrefour ended the distribution of free disposable plastic bags in hypermarkets in China and Poland last year.
All stores now offer their customers alternative options to the disposable plastic check-out bags.
The group even went a step further in its commitment to reducing energy consumption from the previous target of 20% to 30% per square metre of sales area by 2020 compared to 2004.
According to its sustainability report,Carrefour has specific plans to improve energy efficiency by reducing waste,water and paper consumption and optimising recycling activities. Carrefour branches have been told to report their energy consumption rates every quarter,said Mr Rowsome.
Based on the results of a Life Cycle Analysis carried out on its shopping catalogues, Carrefour hypermarkets and supermarkets in France decided to reduce the weight of the paper in order to reduce the impact of their publications on the environment. By reducing the weight of its commercial publications,Carrefour saved 25,000 tonnes of paper last year alone compared to 2005.
This is the equivalent of the annual release of carbon dioxide emissions by as many as 19,000 cars.
Also, Carrefour hypermarkets and supermarkets in France saved 10% on their total paper consumption in 2008 compared to 2005.
Carbon dioxide emissions were thus reduced by more than 22,500 tonnes,which is the equivalent of the annual emissions of more than 17,000 cars.
Carrefour also favours the use of recycled fibres or those from sources with sustainable forest certification.
Its aim is to have 80% of publications printed on certified or recycled paper by the end of this year and 100% by the end of next year. This year, the group is going to enforce stricter traceability requirements promoting paper made from recycled wood fibres or from forests under certified management.
Carrefour is also making efforts to reduce the volume of store waste by replacing wooden boxes and crates used for the shipping of merchandise by reusable plastic containers.
Carrefour has also been making effortsto optimise the weight of its own-brand product packaging. This has enabled the group to save on more than 13,000 tonnes of packaging for specific types of products throughout its entire range.
After Taiwan, Belgium and France,Carrefour ended the distribution of free disposable plastic bags in hypermarkets in China and Poland last year.
All stores now offer their customers alternative options to the disposable plastic check-out bags.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
CPF foresees 5-10%sales growth next year
Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) forecasts its sales will grow by 5-10% next year with operating profits stabilising in light of a business restructuring to focus more on ready-to-eat food and animal feed.
"We are still upbeat about maintaining the growth momentum next year, with sales growth of about 5-10%on par with this year's growth," said Adirek Sripratak, president and CEO of the SET-listed flagship of Charoen Pokphand Group (CP), the country's agribusiness conglomerate.
"We also project more stabilised profit in the year to come, as we have restructured our business model from heavily depending on commodities, particularly meat for which prices are volatile, to [ready-to-eat] food and animal feeds and CP brand development."
He said CPF expected a record profit this year as overseas sales and ready-to-eat food under the CP brand increase and raw material costs have been lower than last year.
Performance has also been helped by aggressive distribution unit expansion, mainly through CP Fresh Mart and Five Star Chicken.
Currently, there are more than 500 CP Fresh Mart outlets operating, with the figure expected to expand to at least 2,000 in the future.
CPF's sales are projected to expand by 5% to 10% this year from 156.23 billion baht in 2008.
According to Mr Adirek, the company expected profits in the third quarter would be higher than in previous quarters, with profit in the final quarter probably easing as production of aquatic business will by nature drop because of cold weather.
CPF earned a record-high net profit in the second quarter of 3.19 billion baht, a year-on-year gain of 224% and up from 770.5 million in the first quarter.Sales for the second quarter increased nearly 4% to 40.6 billion baht. Six-month net profit rose to nearly 4 billion baht on sales of 75.4 billion.
Mr Adirek said earlier that CPF was aiming for a net profit of about 8 billion baht this year, from 3.12 billion in 2008.
His projection matched research by Kim Eng Securities which has recently revised up CPF's 2009 and 2010 earnings forecasts by 26% and 16% to 8.04 billion and 5.71 billion baht respectively, to reflect higher margins fuelled by low raw material costs and strong growth of the high-margin food business.
The brokerage expects CPF's results in the third quarter should increase year-on-year and even better the second-quarter result, supported by lower costs of materials, favourable meat prices, the peak export season and the ongoing growth of overseas operations.
Raw material prices, especially for corn in the harvest season, have slipped to around 6.30 baht a kilogramme from 10 baht in the third quarter in 2008.Domestic meat prices remain favourable at broilers and eggs remain at favourable levels of 56 baht a kilogramme for swine,41 baht/kg for broilers and 2.60 baht per egg.
CPF shares closed down 10 satang yesterday on the Stock Exchange of Thailand at 8.70 baht, in trade worth 401.49 million baht.
"We are still upbeat about maintaining the growth momentum next year, with sales growth of about 5-10%on par with this year's growth," said Adirek Sripratak, president and CEO of the SET-listed flagship of Charoen Pokphand Group (CP), the country's agribusiness conglomerate.
"We also project more stabilised profit in the year to come, as we have restructured our business model from heavily depending on commodities, particularly meat for which prices are volatile, to [ready-to-eat] food and animal feeds and CP brand development."
He said CPF expected a record profit this year as overseas sales and ready-to-eat food under the CP brand increase and raw material costs have been lower than last year.
Performance has also been helped by aggressive distribution unit expansion, mainly through CP Fresh Mart and Five Star Chicken.
Currently, there are more than 500 CP Fresh Mart outlets operating, with the figure expected to expand to at least 2,000 in the future.
CPF's sales are projected to expand by 5% to 10% this year from 156.23 billion baht in 2008.
According to Mr Adirek, the company expected profits in the third quarter would be higher than in previous quarters, with profit in the final quarter probably easing as production of aquatic business will by nature drop because of cold weather.
CPF earned a record-high net profit in the second quarter of 3.19 billion baht, a year-on-year gain of 224% and up from 770.5 million in the first quarter.Sales for the second quarter increased nearly 4% to 40.6 billion baht. Six-month net profit rose to nearly 4 billion baht on sales of 75.4 billion.
Mr Adirek said earlier that CPF was aiming for a net profit of about 8 billion baht this year, from 3.12 billion in 2008.
His projection matched research by Kim Eng Securities which has recently revised up CPF's 2009 and 2010 earnings forecasts by 26% and 16% to 8.04 billion and 5.71 billion baht respectively, to reflect higher margins fuelled by low raw material costs and strong growth of the high-margin food business.
The brokerage expects CPF's results in the third quarter should increase year-on-year and even better the second-quarter result, supported by lower costs of materials, favourable meat prices, the peak export season and the ongoing growth of overseas operations.
Raw material prices, especially for corn in the harvest season, have slipped to around 6.30 baht a kilogramme from 10 baht in the third quarter in 2008.Domestic meat prices remain favourable at broilers and eggs remain at favourable levels of 56 baht a kilogramme for swine,41 baht/kg for broilers and 2.60 baht per egg.
CPF shares closed down 10 satang yesterday on the Stock Exchange of Thailand at 8.70 baht, in trade worth 401.49 million baht.
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