Bangkok Business Brief - Volume 2, Issue 7 - Mid-June/July 2013

BANGKOK

BUSINESS BRIEF

Vol. No. 2, Issue No. 7

Mid-June/July 2013

Photo by Zak Mensah from Flickr under Creative Commons License

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Go mobile or go home!

By Dean Outerson

related, and always involved a deskFor many years, the word ‘digital’ top or laptop computer of some kind meant anything online or Internet- for access to the ‘digital universe’. But that has all changed. For most of the world, 2012 was a tipping point for mobile technology, and the next few General Interest 2 years will see a transformation of Government/Economy 3 the way that we conduct our digital Finance/Investment 4 lives. The ‘mobile universe’ is now Production 5 about to explode.

Inside

Retail/Services Tourism Real Estate IT/Comms The Chambers The Calendar

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people have leapfrogged computers straight to mobile devices. Not only are they mobile-first, but in many cases, they are also ‘mobile-only’, accessing the Internet exclusively through a mobile device. Even in the U.S., this has become an emerging trend. According to Pew Internet, 55% have accessed the Internet on a mobile device in 2012, with 31% of those users saying that mobile is We are now starting to see a ‘mo- their primary way to get online. bile-first’ generation of users – in other words, people who have only On the other hand, for people in ever accessed the Internet through many countries and in urban cena mobile device. This is particularly ters like Bangkok, use of multiple true in emerging economies where devices is common. Benedict Evans,

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a technology writer and strategist, recently wrote that smartphones “are the merging of tech and mobile with the Internet and media being dragged along, and tablets accelerating the change.”

Indeed, with 3.2 billion mobile users in the world, mobile has doubled over the number of PCs in use. In 2013, as PC sales continue to fall, and smartphone sales increase, tablets will continue to accelerate the change as sales are expected to reach 200 million units. OpenX CEO Tim Cadogan describes the effects on the Story continues on Page 13

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Briefs General Interest

http://goo.gl/ozbNM

An inspirational leader’s message While waiting in the new DKSH Healthcare office, I came across the Hecazine Newsletter, the company’s monthly internal communication journal, and read the message written by Bernd Lepper, vice-president for health care. I absorbed a lot of wisdom that demonstrates how a leader can guide his troops to meet and overcome business challenges.

1. He starts by greeting the employees and mentioning Songkran: “I wish you all will enjoy the festival and have a safe journey if you plan to pay a visit to your families in your home towns.” A good way to connect with Thais _ by the heart first.

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Mid-June/July 2013

To read the full article of a story brief, enter the short code at the end of the story into your browser: “Our management team participated in the annual Management Retreat to finalise the direction and the business objectives for this year...

Full story at http://goo.gl/9HJ2f

Clearing the water

A joint project between Chook Don villagers and SCG Paper has revitalised the Mae Klong River. About 80 households of the Chook Don community in Kanchanaburi’s Muang district suffered from polluted water as rubbish was dumped in the nearby Mae Klong River. Situated just one kilometre from the main city, Chook Don used to be listed as a “red zone” community due to drug trafficking. But people visiting Chook Don nowadays can hardly imagine such an image. In addition to the crystal-clear water, a 470-metre sand beach stretches along the river, a rarity in these areas. There are even canvas chairs available for tourists to chill out on the manmade beach and enjoy the sunset.

...added that the company had set aside a significant investment budget of Bt200 million to Bt300 million for overseas expansion.

Full story at http://goo.gl/bH6PF

SCG Paper Plc, which has a large manufacturing base in Kanchanaburi. The project was initiated in 2007 by a local resident. “I wanted to help solve the wastewater...

Full story at http://goo.gl/MN2O9

Thai companies need to put employees first

Employers in neighbouring countries Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, recently took steps to increase remuneration packages for their staff in an attempt to attract new talent to their companies, while retaining their existing base of skilled workers. Meanwhile, strong economic growth in Myanmar – another of our neighbours – could boost the country’s chances of becoming a middle income nation by 2030, if the country is able to rise above the many reform challenges that it faces, the Asian Development Bank says.

2. He informs the staff about key ac- This turnaround is the result of co- The current climate of global extivities that took place in February: operation between the villagers and pansion and the anticipated market

goo.gl/bH6PF

changes expected with the launch of the AEC’s free market, will have a huge impact on Thailand’s labour market and economy. Thailand will suddenly be faced with an influx of...

Full story at http://goo.gl/PrNWX

Last rites for boneyard

Old aircraft left to die at Don Mueang must be removed to make way for the airport’s renovation.

With a century-old history, Don Mueang is not only among Asia’s oldest airports but has also evolved over the past decade into the region’s only known aircraft boneyard, somewhat unintentionally.

But the resting place for 33 retired aircraft, ranging from the B747 “Queen of the Sky” to the small Jetstream turboprop designed by British Aerospace, has received an ultimatum to clear them out by the end of this year. These decommissioned aircraft, which are parked in front of the southern wing of Don Mueang airport, are perceived as an eyesore taking up huge space that would...

Full story at http://goo.gl/Tx5iH

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Government / Economy

rest

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...added that the set aside a signi company had budget of Bt20 ficant investment million for over0 million to Bt300 seas expansion Full story at http: . //goo.gl/bH6PF

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F

Nature and life in JuliusCaesar. 1997-98 wa are cyclical _ the impact of s a blessing, as the mains seasons of the yea 2008 would ha above the Europ the phases of the r, life and death, far worse ve been ean average. for the region, mo http://goo.gl/o on, the tides. ” Azman In Caught up in da zbNM India, China ily details, we eas Mokhtar, the managing and Thailand, ily forget that dir ect of or Kh Asia stands to rou aza ghly 12 percent nah the business wo of has cycles, too. rld told the CI Nasional of Malaysia, tion contribute to a the populaWe are all fam MB Asean Confe gain from W pension, while iliar with the econo rence. the we es t mi ak c ne bu sse sin s ess of cycle His com slowdown of expansion, con sion system are Thailand’s penments were... ... covery. Howe traction and re- Full story Full story at htt The shift of eco ver, other cyc at http://goo.gl/d nomic growth p:/ /goo.gl/rtpH3 lic ph al fu2 en u om ena affect... momentum to the Thailand near Preventing up numerous East has opened Full story at http://goo.gl/fJ to p opportunities olr of list of wor that Asian countries Bangkok from out, suggests an should not miss Panel: Asia bett weakest pensld’s sinking bigges economist. io off, not immun er n t systems: stud challenge The robust eco y from global cr e, no Greece, India, Ch Land subsidence China and em mic growth of is es ina and Thailand erging economi caused by groun are home to the water losses top will open a ne es KUALA LUMPUR : The As d weake w s ian cri- pensi on systems in st national lems that must the list of probAsian economi opportunity for sis in the late 1990s was a wa es to increase the be the kesol cal up ved wo l for in rld cri Ba , the region that pp wealth from tra ir has turned eig led by a mix of acute sover- kok to mitigate the impact ngde in goods an out to be of the n debt, young climate change services at a tim a blessing in d retire dis e on States and Europ when the United nearly 15 years later, as the guise high ratios of pension ment ages, a study by multin flooding, says region’s ers an ers to worke ational agencies financial sec Full story at htt are... d . p://goo.gl/S65D6 able to sus tor is now strong and study poor pension take-up, a The conclusio showed. tain a certain n de is gre contained in of shocks from e Grow with th a rep ort the entitled “Clim e flow Western Hemi fallout in the The Allianz ate Risks and Ad of cycles sphere, accord ing sion Susta Global Investors Pen- Megac aptation in Asian Coastal to a panellist at a recent As inability Index, ities”, jointly con ‘There is a tid ean conference. ducted by the which Asian De tracks the rel e velop ati men, which, tak in the affairs of ity of nationa ve sustainabil- Internation ment Bank, the Japan l al leads on to for en at the flood, “There wi in 44 countries pension systems and the Wo Cooperation Agency ll be more crises tune”, wrote Wi around the wo rld Bank in 201 l- future, an in the showe rld, 0. d the Asian crisis in tirees d the number of Greek reThe report recom to people of wo rking age reFull story at htt mended a... p://goo.gl/20yMD Sponsored by

...

gradual pay increases for workers in the region. According to the International Labour Organisation, average monthly wages adjusted http://goo.gl/EIbH6 for inflation nearly doubled in Asia during the previous decade. The B2-trillion spending ILO calculated that a Filipino factory worker takes home $1.40 an hour, to start next year compared to the $23.30 earned by...

The Finance Ministry’s Public Debt Full story at http://goo.gl/w2MZT Management Office estimates that the government will start borrow- Thailand urged to ing the first lot under the seven- wrap up EU FTA or year, 2 trillion baht scheme to fund risk falling behind infrastructure development projects next fiscal year, which starts Oct 1 Thailand has been warned that dithis year. After being endorsed in rect investment from the EU might principle in March, the bill authoris- continue to fall as other Asean naing the borrowing is being deliber- tions benefit from free-trade agreeated by a parliamentary panel and ments with the bloc. Foreign direct government agencies related to the investment in Thailand has been infrastructure projects are mapping shrinking while inflows into Asean, out plans, said director-general Ch- particularly Singapore, Malaysia ularat Suteethorn. and Indonesia, have surged, says the European-Asean Business Centre.

The borrowing plan to fund infrastructure projects and the 350-bil- The EU is by far the largest inveslion-baht water management would tor in Asean and ranks second in not affect the liquidity of the coun- Thailand after Japan. The EU and try’s financial system, she said, add- Thailand are both each other’s thirding that the low interest rate also largest trading partner in Asean, supports the massive investment. said the centre. Singapore ranks top The hefty borrowing to finance the for EU investment in Asean, folinfrastructure development, the lowed by Malaysia and Thailand. bulk of which is in rail projects, has Vietnam ranks fourth but is very raised concerns that the public debt close to Thailand, says EABC presiwill exceed the threshold 60% of dent Rolf-Dieter Daniel.

GDP and could reduce excessive...

Full story at http://goo.gl/eVtp7 The EU just finalised a bilateral FTA with Singapore and is negotiating End nigh for Asia’s with Malaysia, Thailand and Viet‘ridiculously cheap’ nam. The first round of ThailandEU FTA negotiations is scheduled labour for late this month in Brussels, BelChina’s affluent cities of Guangzhou gium, with the second round in... and Shenzhen raised their mini- Full story at http://goo.gl/VYVge mum wages by 19 per cent in the manufacturing heartland of Guang- Distribution plan dong province to coincide with for Japanese SMEs’ International Labour Day. Similar goods in Thailand hikes in the minimum wage have been seen this year in Southeast Japanese business operators plan to Asia, one of China’s main rivals in set up a centre in Thailand to dislabour-intensive industries such as tribute products made by Japanese garments, shoes, toys and processed SMEs, the Thai Industry Ministry foods. Thailand in January intro- said. Japanese operators are conduced a nationwide minimum wage fident in the purchasing power of of about US$10 a day, an increase Thai consumers, which is higher of 65 per cent. Malaysia announced than in Vietnam and Myanmar, as its first-ever mandatory minimum well as Thai consumers’ emphasis on wage of $300 a month, up 50 per quality and safety of the goods they cent from previous guidelines. In buy rather than just low prices as in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, those other two countries. Japanese the minimum wage rose 40 per cent businesspeople plan to invite Prime to $226.

Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to the Ginza goods-distribution...

The wage spikes top a decade of Full story at http://goo.gl/efkW0

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Briefs Finance / Investment

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Mid-June/July 2013

To read the full article of a story brief, enter the short code at the end of the story into your browser: with massive liquidity in global financial markets, with the major central banks aggressively printing money.

...added that the company had set aside a significant investment budget of Bt200 million to Bt300 million for overseas expansion.

Full story at http://goo.gl/bH6PF

tion, believes Laos will be able to attract foreign investors to its government bonds to be issued in the Thai capital market. Bonds issued by foreigners to raise funds in the Thai capital market are typically required to have a credit rating, but Thailand’s Finance Ministry is making an exception in this case.

And in this environment relentless movement in the capital account – investments and loans – are driving big shifts every day in currencies.

With these shifts some will gain and Certainly, we are living in interest- some will lose – inflows are...

“The first lot of Laotian government ing times. The baht suddenly be- Full story at http://goo.gl/3Lt8g bonds is small, but it’s good to test... came a market darling early this Full story at http://goo.gl/4XzYR year – attracting massive flows from Laos will issue bonds Swiss-born returnee foreign investors, easily outpacing in Thai market helping Myanmar’s other regional currencies, becom- for first time ing one of the best performing cur- The Laotian government will raise expansion rencies in the world, and strength- funds through the Thai capital marening against the US dollar to levels ket for the first time by issuing 1.5 Born in Switzerland, Aung Thura not seen since 1997. It was in 1997 billion baht worth of bonds to in- has returned to Myanmar with the that the baht was forced off its fixed stitutional investors. The three-year aim of participating in the ecoexchange rate to float along with bonds will carry a coupon rate of nomic development of his parents’ market forces. But surely since then 4.5%. Thailand is the most advanced homeland. After many years workthe central bank has also been there capital market in the Mekong re- ing with major banks in Switzerland helping to keep watch, preventing gion and uses this strength to foster and gaining expertise in business the baht from becoming too volatile development of neighbouring capi- development, financial markets, deand making sure that movements tal markets. rivatives and structured-products are mostly in line with our neightrading, Aung Thura decided to setbouring countries. But times have Niwat Kanjanaphoomin, president tle down in Myanmar last year. Aged changed. We are living in a world of the Thai Bond Market Associa- 35, he established the Yangon-based

The dilemmas caused by volatile FX and interest rates

goo.gl/bH6PF

research firm Thura Swiss, specialising in market research, consulting and capital markets. The company now offers market research and consultancy services in every sector in Myanmar.

With master’s degrees in engineering and quantitative economics and finance, and a doctoral degree in banking, Aung Thura plans to use...

Full story at http://goo.gl/2McEQ

MBMG’s Macdonald receives MBE

Graham Macdonald, a member of financial-consulting firm MBMG Group, has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for “services to British business interests in Thailand”. The award was presented at Buckingham Palace last Friday. Apart from driving MBMG’s successful operations in Asia, he worked for years on behalf of the British and South African chambers of commerce, the Royal Thai Board of Trade and a number of charitable causes. “I like to think that my...

Full story at http://goo.gl/LNYcx

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General Inte

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Production

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Bright outlook for organic products Thai organic products are expected to flourish in both domestic and export markets despite looming threats from the strong baht and the sluggish global economy. Vitoon Panyakul, president of the Thailand Organic Trade Association, said exports are expected to grow by 1015% this year to about 2 billion baht.

Europe remains the key market, accounting for up to 80% of shipments, followed by the US (10%) and Australia/New Zealand. Major products are organic rice, which accounts for half the products, with fruit, vegetables, processed food and coconut milk making up the remainder.

rest

To read the fu ll article of a story brief, enter the shor t code at the end the story into your browser: of liam Shakespe are

...added that the set aside a signi company had budget of Bt20 ficant investment million for over0 million to Bt300 seas expansion Full story at http: . //goo.gl/bH6PF

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Nature and life in JuliusCaesar. 1997-98 wa are cyclical _ INFORMATION the impact of s a blessing, as the mains seasons of the yea 2008 would ha above the Europ the phases of the r, life and death, far worse ve been ean average. for mo the 02 653 1971 http://goo.gl/o on, the tides. region,” Azma Caught up in da zbNM n In Ind ily details, we eas Mokhtar, the managing ily forget that director rough ia, China and Thailand, Asia stands to the business wo - of Khazanah Nasional of Malaysia, tio ly 12 percent of the populahas cycles, too. rld told the CI n contribute to We are all fam MB Asean Confe gain from W a pension, while iliar with the econo rence. the we mi aknesses of Th slowdown est of expansion, con c business cycle His comme ailand’s pensio n system are... nts were... traction and recov ery. However, Full story at htt Full story at htt The shift of eco other cyclical p://goo.gl/dfu2 nomic growth p:/ /go ph o.g en l/rtpH3 u om ena affect... momentum to the Thailand near Preventing up numerous East has opened Full story at http://goo.gl/fJ to p opportunities olr of list of wor that Asian countries Bangkok from out, suggests an should not miss Panel: Asia bett weakest pensld’s sinking bigges economist. io off, not immun er n t systems: stud challenge The robust eco y from global cr e, no Greece, India, Ch Land subsidence China and em mic growth of is es ina and Thailand erging economi caused by groun are home to the water losses top will open a ne es KUALA LUMPUR : The As d weake w s ian cri- pensi on systems in st national lems that must the list of probAsian economi opportunity for sis in the late 1990s was a wa es to increase the be the kesol cal up ved wo l for in rld cri Ba , the region that pp wealth from tra ir has turned eig led by a mix of acute sover- kok to mitigate the impact ngde in goods an out to be of the n debt, young climate change services at a tim a blessing in d retire dis e on States and Europ when the United nearly 15 years later, as the guise high ratios of pension ment ages, a study by multin flooding, says region’s ers an ers to worke ational agencies financial sec Full story at htt are... d . p://goo.gl/S65D6 able to sus tor is now strong and study poor pension take-up, a The conclusio showed. tain a certain n de is gre contained in of shocks from e Grow with th a rep ort the entitled “Clim e flow Western Hemi fallout in the The Allianz ate Risks and Ad of cycles sphere, accord ing sion Susta Global Investors Pen- Megac aptation in Asian Coastal to a panellist at a recent As inability Index, ities”, jointly con ‘There is a tid ean conference. ducted by the which Asian De tracks the rel e velop ati men, which, tak in the affairs of ity of nationa ve sustainabil- Internation ment Bank, the Japan l al leads on to for en at the flood, “There wi in 44 countries pension systems and the Wo Cooperation Agency ll be more crises tune”, wrote Wi around the wo rld Bank in 201 l- future, an in the showe rld, 0. d the Asian crisis in tirees d the number of Greek reThe report recom to people of wo rking age reFull story at htt mended a... p://goo.gl/20yMD Sponsored by

...

Bonny changes focus ahead of AEC

Bandhit Nilchiansakul, head of the second generation of the family that has run Bonny International for more than 40 years, has revealed the company’s strategy to promote itself as a distribution company re-exporting international brands of leather luggage and accessories within Asean. However, Bandhit, who is marketing director of the company, said Thailand was lagging behind many neighbouring countries, particularly Malaysia and Singapore, which are more aware and are preparing for the AEC, set to come into effect in 2015.

“Thailand still has a very high import duty of about 30 per cent for leather products such as luggage, as well as value-added tax at 7 per cent. This barrier has limited local distributors in terms of re-exporting products to neighbouring countries within Asean...

Mr Vitoon said the domestic mar- Full story at http://goo.gl/9tAlg ket for organic products is also strong, as more consumers become Construction health-conscious. The Thai market material exports will reach an estimated value of 2 booming billion baht this year, a rise of 10% from last year. However, Mr Vitoon Thailand’s construction material said the domestic market’s growth is exports are flourishing, particularly relatively slow, as many people have to Asean countries, as they accelershifted to consume... ate their infrastructure upgrades to Full story at http://goo.gl/Okkjg accommodate regional economic Srirat Rastapana, diRolls-Royce on a roll integration. rector-general of the International A year after Rolls-Royce Motor Trade Promotion Department, said Cars Bangkok was appointed as the the first quarter of this year Thailand authorised importer of the British shipped US$2.96 billion worth of luxury marque, business has been construction materials, up 60% over speeding along. Although there the same period last year. “Demand could be fewer than 50 Rolls-Royce is very strong, particularly for steel, vehicles in Thailand, and spectacu- which is the main product used in lar sales figures aren’t something that construction,” she said. “We believe this brand usually targets, things are growing demand will boost shipabout to change. The consumer re- ments to $10.73 billion this year, a sponse to Rolls-Royce in Thailand 10% gain from 2012.” has in fact been above expectations.

At the Bangkok International Motor The key export markets are Hong Show last month, RRMCB – which Kong, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, is part of Master Group Corpora- and India. Mrs Srirat said Asean tion (Asia) – received four orders and in particular Cambodia, Laos, that included the Rolls-Royce Ghost Myanmar and Vietnam are becomArt Deco, a limited edition with ing key market destinations for only 35 being made.

Thai exporters, as those countries are beefing up imports of construc“The most expensive car at the show tion materials to prepare for Asean is Rolls-Royce and they received Economic Community. The defour orders this year,” said Jaturont partment said Thailand is strong in Komolmis, vice chairman. This is module and construction skills and expected to dramatically... services, as well as skilled labour...

Full story at http://goo.gl/9oBD5 Full story at http://goo.gl/zz62z

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Briefs Retail/Services

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Several American food chains invading Thailand A dozen US food franchises along with several other foreign companies will flock to Thailand, which is recognised as a growth engine in Asean. The franchises comprise Denny’s, a family restaurant chain; Rita’s Italian Ice; Fuddruckers (burgers and steak); The Melting Pot (fondue); Round Table Pizza; Grease Monkey Garage, an auto maintenance centre; Moe’s Southwest Grill; Precision Tune Auto Care; Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory; Chuck E. Cheese’s (children’s amusement and pizza); Schlotzsky’s (deli); Steak ‘n Shake; and Honolulu Coffee Co. Business matching between Thai businessmen and representatives of US franchises will be held at the Aetas Hotel.

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Mid-June/July 2013

To read the full article of a story brief, enter the short code at the end of the story into your browser: Dean Matlack, commercial attache at the US embassy, said the strong baht will benefit Thai investors by lowering investment cost. “Thailand is in a good position to benefit...

Full story at http://goo.gl/eFmUn

Ichitan serves taste of Japan

Green tea mogul Tan Passakornnatee has announced a restructuring of his Ichitan Group to pave the way for future expansion and a public share offering. The rejig begins with the founding of KinKabTan Co at a cost of 50 million baht. The new company will oversee all Japanese food brands of the group, including Melt Me Hokkaido Chocolate & Healthy Gelato, Ramen Champions, Tan Tan Izakaya Buffet, Tokiya and Sushi Otaru. Ichitan will oversee all drink brands under the group, including Ichitan, Double Drink and Yen Yen. Mr Tan, president and chief executive of Ichitan Group, said his wife, Eng Passakornnatee, will oversee day-to-day operations and mar-

...added that the company had set aside a significant investment budget of Bt200 million to Bt300 million for overseas expansion.

Full story at http://goo.gl/bH6PF

keting at KinKabTan while he will act as an adviser. The move is to separate management of food and drinks before listing Ichitan Group on the Stock Exchange of Thailand by the end of the year. After listing...

Full story at http://goo.gl/ZKL2X

Stringing Cupid’s bow, for the right price

Even a master’s degree in psychology was no guarantee of success in running an online dating service for Kulchulee Subsinudom, founder of Bangkok Matching Co. Instead, she relied on her years of personal experience. Before setting up the company, Mrs Kulchulee claimed to have dated 300-400 potential partners and read many books on dating. She also took notes on all the people she dated, and is not shy to admit it.

“I was into all this stuff since I was young. I wrote why things would end up a certain way after some dates. Eventually I separated the records into different folders of yes,

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no and maybe,” she said. She sometimes dated eight to nine men at the same time, dumped guys who are...

Full story at http://goo.gl/r6zCT

Mall Group targets Chinese tourists

The Mall Group is negotiating with Chinese financial institutions to help draw tourists from China to shop at its complexes. The company will use its Mglobemall.com shopping deal website to link with a network of Chinese banks and the Tourism Authority of Thailand via its worldwide network of offices to draw potential customers, particularly Chinese tourists.

Natsamon Vongkittipat, the group’s general manager for marketing, said the website will serve as a digital marketing platform to attract foreign and local shoppers to The Mall, The Emporium and Siam Paragon this year. After only one year, Mglobemall.com has more than 50,000 registered members, of whom 60% are active users who...

Full story at http://goo.gl/7uFg9

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BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF Mid-June/July 2013

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Tourism

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Hilton to double Asean portfolio The Virginia-based Hilton Worldwide sees potential to more than double the number of hotels under its management in Southeast Asia by 2016 thanks to the improving regional economy. Martin Rinck, the president for Asia-Pacific, said regional tourism enjoys very bright prospects, given the rising arrivals in recent years. Last year, tourist arrivals grew by 6.8% for Asia-Pacific and 8.7% for Southeast Asia alone, with Thailand seeing a 13.8% surge.

With this positive trend, Hilton, which operates 104 hotels in AsiaPacific, expects to manage more than 170 in the next five years. The aggressive plan stems from contracts Hilton signed last year for 55 new properties in key Asia-Pacific markets including China, India, Vietnam and Malaysia, spanning the chain’s six-brand portfolio.

“Hotel expansion in this region is thus increasingly attractive. Hilton is confident of operating at least 30 properties by 2016 for Southeast Asia, up from 13 now,” said Mr Rinck. Earlier this year, the hotel chain announced its signing for the first internationally branded hotel in Yangon and...

Full story at http://goo.gl/bKl7D

Thailand tops hotel investment poll

Thailand was voted the most attractive nation in Southeast Asia for investment in the hospitality industry at the Asia Pacific Hotel Investment Conference, thanks to the country’s strong infrastructure and ongoing tourism boom. Myanmar was ranked second, followed by Indonesia, Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The vote session via mobile phone was part of the twoday forum in Bangkok. About 200 hotel executives and property owners across the Asia-Pacific region joined in the vote. Kevin Beauvais, co-founder and CEO of Zinc/InVision Hospitality, based in Bangkok, was not surprised by the result. He said Thailand had remained more...

Full story at http://goo.gl/5oRQA

rest

To read the fu ll article of a story brief, enter the shor t code at the end the story into your browser: of liam Shakespe are

...added that the set aside a signi company had budget of Bt20 ficant investment million for over0 million to Bt300 seas expansion Full story at http: . //goo.gl/bH6PF

goo.gl/bH6P

F

Nature and life in JuliusCaesar. 1997-98 wa are cyclical _ the impact of s a blessing, as the mains seasons of the yea 2008 would ha above the Europ the phases of the r, life and death, far worse ve been ean average. for the region, mo http://goo.gl/o on, the tides. ” Azman In Caught up in da zbNM India, China ily details, we eas Mokhtar, the managing and Thailand, ily forget that dir ect of or Kh Asia stands to rou aza ghly 12 percent nah the business wo of has cycles, too. rld told the CI Nasional of Malaysia, tion contribute to a the populaWe are all fam MB Asean Confe gain from W pension, while iliar with the econo rence. the we es t mi ak c ne bu sse sin s ess of cycle His com slowdown of expansion, con sion system are Thailand’s penments were... ... covery. Howe traction and re- Full story Full story at htt The shift of eco ver, other cyc at http://goo.gl/d nomic growth p:/ /goo.gl/rtpH3 lic ph al fu2 en u om ena affect... momentum to the Thailand near Preventing up numerous East has opened Full story at http://goo.gl/fJ to p opportunities olr of list of wor that Asian countries Bangkok from out, suggests an should not miss Panel: Asia bett weakest pensld’s sinking bigges economist. io off, not immun er n t systems: stud challenge The robust eco y from global cr e, no Greece, India, Ch Land subsidence China and em mic growth of is es ina and Thailand erging economi caused by groun are home to the water losses top will open a ne es KUALA LUMPUR : The As d weake w s ian cri- pensi on systems in st national lems that must the list of probAsian economi opportunity for sis in the late 1990s was a wa es to increase the be the kesol cal up ved wo l for in rld cri Ba , the region that pp wealth from tra ir has turned eig led by a mix of acute sover- kok to mitigate the impact ngde in goods an out to be of the n debt, young climate change services at a tim a blessing in d retire dis e on States and Europ when the United nearly 15 years later, as the guise high ratios of pension ment ages, a study by multin flooding, says region’s ers an ers to worke ational agencies financial sec Full story at htt are... d . p://goo.gl/S65D6 able to sus tor is now strong and study poor pension take-up, a The conclusio showed. tain a certain n de is gre contained in of shocks from e Grow with th a rep ort the entitled “Clim e flow Western Hemi fallout in the The Allianz ate Risks and Ad of cycles sphere, accord ing sion Susta Global Investors Pen- Megac aptation in Asian Coastal to a panellist at a recent As inability Index, ities”, jointly con ‘There is a tid ean conference. ducted by the which Asian De tracks the rel e velop ati men, which, tak in the affairs of ity of nationa ve sustainabil- Internation ment Bank, the Japan l al leads on to for en at the flood, “There wi in 44 countries pension systems and the Wo Cooperation Agency ll be more crises tune”, wrote Wi around the wo rld Bank in 201 l- future, an in the showe rld, 0. d the Asian crisis in tirees d the number of Greek reThe report recom to people of wo rking age reFull story at htt mended a... p://goo.gl/20yMD Sponsored by

...

New tourism minister strives to reach targets via inspirations

Since assuming office early last month, Tourism Minister Somsak Pureesrisak has been busy looking for ways to ensure the country reaches its tourism targets, with his latest inspiration the “Gog Gag Tour” scheme to encourage Thais to travel Thailand and reduce the heavy reliance on earnings from foreign visitors. There remains a yawning gap between tourism earnings from local and foreign markets. This year, income generated by a forecast 24.5 million foreign tourists is projected at Bt1.14 trillion, compared with Bt500 billion to be contributed by local tourists.

Gog Gag Tour – the name comes from the sound of knocking on a neighbour’s door – is special. Somsak will assume the role of a tour guide. On May 19, Suphan Buri, where he worked as a governor before, will kick off the unseen journey. “Really, is it true you will lead the tour programme?” a journalist asked, raising an eyebrow. Somsak said of course it is. The tours will be held once a month on a Sunday and he intends to join every trip if his office’s workload allows it. The governor of each province will help...

Full story at http://goo.gl/WzEM8

F1 sparks environment, safety concern

The Sports Authority of Thailand’s plan to hold a Formula 1 auto race in Bangkok will harm the environment and people’s safety, the Stop Global Warming Association Thailand claimed. Srisuwan Janya, president of the THAISGWA NGO, said accidents were common at this type of race. “F1 cars might overshoot a curve and crash into some structures along the route,” Mr Srisuwan said.

Besides the loud noise, severe vibrations caused by the speeding race cars can do some damage to structures of the Grand Palace and other historical buildings, he said. Holding the Bangkok Grand Prix will break many laws, including those concerned environment and historic sites, he claimed. He cited...

Full story at http://goo.gl/kJBTl

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Briefs Real Estate

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Amata land sales on track after slow start Amata Corporation, a major developer and manager of factory estates, has maintained its land-sale target of 3,000 rai this year, despite declining sales in the first quarter.

Varaporn Vatcharanukroh, vice president of Amata, said that despite its lower-than-expected financial performance in the first quarter, the management had confirmed at the recent board meeting that the company would achieve a sales target of 3,000 rai of land this year. He said many customers were lining up to sign land-purchase deals with the company.

It still has backlogged Dream GYM A5_c.pdf 1 27/3/2555 14:17:26 land sales contracts of Bt5.8 billion.

Amata made a consolidated net profit of Bt130.67 million in the

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Mid-June/July 2013

To read the full article of a story brief, enter the short code at the end of the story into your browser:

...added that the company had set aside a significant investment budget of Bt200 million to Bt300 million for overseas expansion.

Full story at http://goo.gl/bH6PF

first quarter this year, down from revises the recognition of high-denBt310.08 million over... sity locations, based on existing and Full story at http://goo.gl/dkQdO planned routes of the two main urban-rail systems, BTS Skytrain and Cabinet okays new MRT. “We revised some locations Bangkok City Plan that had been considered low-...

The Cabinet approved a new Bang- Full story at http://goo.gl/AxpLp kok City Plan to replace the one in use since 2006. Property-industry New city plan observers say the new plan will to boost green open up new locations for develop- construction ment near the mass-transit routes. The construction of “green” buildThe new “green” city plan will be ings will be boosted by the new vetted by municipal authorities be- Bangkok city plan, with its design fore officially taking effect. theme of “Bangkok, the Green City”. Under the plan, the final draft Panyapas Nopphan, deputy direc- of which was approved by the Cabitor-general of the Bangkok Metro- net, the goal is to promote environpolitan Administration’s Depart- ment-friendly buildings in line with ment of City Planning, said the new the guidelines of the Thai Green plan covered four categories, up Building Institute by permitting infrom three in the old one. The three creased floor-area ratios beyond the existing categories are land use, level allowed for standard buildings. open spaces such as green areas, and mass transit, but the new plan adds While this will present a challenge the city’s infrastructure system such for property developers, who will as wastewater management, drain- need to increase their budgets if they age, and solid-waste disposal. are going to put up green buildings, the aim is to save energy costs in The new Bangkok City Plan also the long term, said Panyapas Nopphan, deputy director-general of the BMA’s City Planning Department.

The new Bangkok city plan will be vetted by municipal authorities before officially taking effect to replace the current plan.

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velopers have responded by launching and promoting projects during the first half of the year. Luxury developers began aggressively marketing their top-end residential projects early this year after seeing demand return for the purchase of luxury homes. Pace Development conducted a Dubai roadshow of its luxury condominium project, RitzCarlton Residences, which boosted presales beyond 50 per cent of the project value of Bt12 billion. Asian Property Development introduced a Bt3.3-billion luxury condo...

Full story at http://goo.gl/r1LA4

BoT fears property bubble

The Bank of Thailand and developers are divided over whether a property bubble is looming. Songtham Pinto, director of the central bank’s macroeconomy division, said the bank is wary of a property crisis that could result in huge losses with a slow recovery.

But developers claim the country’s housing trend has changed and the market is now mostly controlled by large firms capable of responding quickly to any risks. “We need to be cautious and monitor the [property market] situation very closely and prepare measures to cope with any possible problem,” Mr Songtham She said the green-building stan- said at a property seminar. dard would be in line with the qualifications set down by the Thai...

However, Atip Bijanonda, the new Full story at http://goo.gl/JFpz2 president of the Housing Business Association, warned that wrong Developers launch measures may fail to forestall the luxury projects as problem and harm real buyers. “A lower loan-to-value ratio will not demand returns Demand for luxury residences has prevent short-term speculators, as returned to the Bangkok property they can still sell their booked units market, especially in the central at the same or lower prices than... business districts, where leading de- Full story at http://goo.gl/zuuTG

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December 20 11

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BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF Mid-June/July 2013

General Inte

Use the QR Code reader in your smartphone to see all the stories in a certain category.

IT / Comms

http://goo.gl/VwYn9

A matter of life and death

Mobile video transmitter technology, the latest wireless innovation, is coming to serve a market where lives can depend on it. A wireless video transmitter is a device or chip that can deliver video data to one or several other devices located within a certain distance without cables.

“Providing first aid at the right time prior to the arrival of emergency resources can increase patients’ chances of survival by 5-20% in average,” said Col Tavatchai Kanchanarin, chief of Phramongkutklao Trauma Centre, who is also the creator of the mobile streaming video transmission system. Col Tavatchai said his innovative device was developed to replace imported mobile digital video recorders, which were ineffective in Thailand due to the constraints of wireless bandwidth speed. Uploading live streaming video requires high-speed internet for high-quality broadcasting. Col Tavatchai said the imported devices also require...

Full story at http://goo.gl/UbJLY

rest

To read the fu ll article of a story brief, enter the shor t code at the end the story into your browser: of liam Shakespe are

...added that the set aside a signi company had budget of Bt20 ficant investment million for over0 million to Bt300 seas expansion Full story at http: . //goo.gl/bH6PF

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F

Nature and life in JuliusCaesar. 1997-98 wa are cyclical _ the impact of s a blessing, as the mains seasons of the yea 2008 would ha above the Europ the phases of the r, life and death, far worse ve been ean average. for the region, mo http://goo.gl/o on, the tides. ” Azman In Caught up in da zbNM India, China ily details, we eas Mokhtar, the managing and Thailand, ily forget that dir ect of or Kh Asia stands to rou aza ghly 12 percent nah the business wo of has cycles, too. rld told the CI Nasional of Malaysia, tion contribute to a the populaWe are all fam MB Asean Confe gain from W pension, while iliar with the econo rence. the we es t mi ak c ne bu sse sin s ess of cycle His com slowdown of expansion, con sion system are Thailand’s penments were... ... covery. Howe traction and re- Full story Full story at htt The shift of eco ver, other cyc at http://goo.gl/d nomic growth p:/ /goo.gl/rtpH3 lic ph al fu2 en u om ena affect... momentum to the Thailand near Preventing up numerous East has opened Full story at http://goo.gl/fJ to p opportunities olr of list of wor that Asian countries Bangkok from out, suggests an should not miss Panel: Asia bett weakest pensld’s sinking bigges economist. io off, not immun er n t systems: stud challenge The robust eco y from global cr e, no Greece, India, Ch Land subsidence China and em mic growth of is es ina and Thailand erging economi caused by groun are home to the water losses top will open a ne es KUALA LUMPUR : The As d weake w s ian cri- pensi on systems in st national lems that must the list of probAsian economi opportunity for sis in the late 1990s was a wa es to increase the be the kesol cal up ved wo l for in rld cri Ba , the region that pp wealth from tra ir has turned eig led by a mix of acute sover- kok to mitigate the impact ngde in goods an out to be of the n debt, young climate change services at a tim a blessing in d retire dis e on States and Europ when the United nearly 15 years later, as the guise high ratios of pension ment ages, a study by multin flooding, says region’s ers an ers to worke ational agencies financial sec Full story at htt are... d . p://goo.gl/S65D6 able to sus tor is now strong and study poor pension take-up, a The conclusio showed. tain a certain n de is gre contained in of shocks from e Grow with th a rep ort the entitled “Clim e flow Western Hemi fallout in the The Allianz ate Risks and Ad of cycles sphere, accord ing sion Susta Global Investors Pen- Megac aptation in Asian Coastal to a panellist at a recent As inability Index, ities”, jointly con ‘There is a tid ean conference. ducted by the which Asian De tracks the rel e velop ati men, which, tak in the affairs of ity of nationa ve sustainabil- Internation ment Bank, the Japan l al leads on to for en at the flood, “There wi in 44 countries pension systems and the Wo Cooperation Agency ll be more crises tune”, wrote Wi around the wo rld Bank in 201 l- future, an in the showe rld, 0. d the Asian crisis in tirees d the number of Greek reThe report recom to people of wo rking age reFull story at htt mended a... p://goo.gl/20yMD Sponsored by

...

50% to 4.5 billion baht this year.

On-usa Lamliengpol, president of the Advertising Association of Thailand, said 3G service will...

Full story at http://goo.gl/d3mKu

Metro Systems to offer cloud service

Metro Systems, a provider of IT solutions, will offer cloud service as it targets revenue growth of about 8 per cent this year. Kitti Techataveekijkul, deputy managing director, said the company planned to provide cloud services to support its enterprise customers and new business areas. It is negotiating with a business partner to provide the new service. It has also set up a digital media centre for business clients as a demonstration and training base.

“Each year, we will invest about Bt30 million in IT and infrastructure to support our new business in the next three or four years,” Kitti said.

He said the company planned this year to distribute its products and services in three main areas: enterprise systems, solutions integration and office supplies. Through its enterprise systems group, it will offer hardware systems, storage, servers, desktop and notebook computers, and point-of-sales coverage for small and medium businesses and the enterprise market. The solutions Ad sector hopeful integration group will cover securiof 3G burst ty, networking and data centres as...

The advertising sector hopes the of- Full story at http://goo.gl/xdk0c ficial launch of 3G mobile service will cause online media spending to Govt hiring more reach 4.5 billion baht this year and IT watchmen lead to the smoother creation of The rising trend of global cyberonline campaigns. “3G service has crime has prompted the Thai govfinally arrived, and we hope ad cam- ernment to add more IT security paigns on mobile will be better and professionals to man government smoother,” said Siwat Chawaree- agencies coping with cyberattacks wong, president of the Digital Ad- here. The Electronic Transactions Development Agency signed an vertising Association of Thailand. agreement with the world’s largest Video content created by brands certified IT security training cenand shared on online media is the tre to receive help in teaching Thai new ad trend. The digital format IT security professionals at govwill generate more content through ernment agencies. ETDA director mobile devices such as pre- and Soranun Jiwasurat said under the mid-roll ads. Video content is devel- agreement, the ETDA will receive oping into longer clips such as “web- scholarships worth a combined isodes” or “mobisodes”, which are US$12,000 from the EC-Council to brief episodes of video programmes train 40 government officers in ethidesigned for mobile devices. Some cal hacking and computer forensic 82% of internet users in Thailand skills. The first 40 trained officers watch and download video content will become instructors to help train professionals at other state agencies. through mobile phones.

For the first year, ETDA plans to The DAAT predicts total ad spend- train up to 500 IT security officers.... ing on online media will grow by Full story at http://goo.gl/dQgs7

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BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF

BANGKOK BU SINESS BRIEF

December 20 11

B www.BBBrief.com riefs

Mid-June/July 2013

The Chambers

General Inte

rest

liam Shakespe are Nature and life ar seasons of the yea the phases of the r http://goo.gl/o Caught up in da m zbNM ily ily forget that Asia stands to the b has cycles, too.

We gain from W with the econo mi slowdown est of expansion, con c tra cov ery. However, The shift of eco o no mentum to the mic growth mo- phenomena affect... up numerous East has opened Full story at http://go op Asian countries portunities that out, suggests an should not miss Panel: Asia b economist. off, not immu The robust eco fr om global c nomic growth China and em of erging economi will open a ne es KUALA LUMPUR : Th w opportunity sis in the late 1990 for Asian economi s wa es wealth from tra to increase their call for the region that de in goods an out to be services at a tim a blessing i d e States and Europ when the United nearly 15 years later, as t e financial sec Full story at htt are... p://goo.gl/S65D6 able to sus tor is now tain a cer of shocks from the ta Grow with th fallo e fl ow We ste rn Hemisphere, of cycles to a panellist at a rece ‘There is a tid con ference. e men, which, tak in the affairs of leads on to for en at the flood, “There wi ll be more cris tune”, wrote Wi l- future, an d the Asian Sponsored by

Use your smartphone’s QR Code scanner or enter the short code to go directly to AMCHAM’s website.

...

The American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AMCHAM) 7th Floor, GPF Witthayu Tower A, 93/1 Wireless Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 Tel: +66 (0)2 254 1041 Fax: +66 (0)2 251 1605 Website: www.amchamthailand.com Email: service@amchamthailand.com

http://goo.gl/mbUpG

USA Fair 2013 Draws 150,000 visitors to CentralWorld Three full days of shopping, music, dancing, and prizes and prizes and prizes Other exhibits included an American Market selling organic foods and wine from the U.S., an Education Pavilion that feature eight From May 31-June 2, CentralWorld was the center of American learning institutions, a Food and Home Pavilion selling Nature shopping and entertainment. Over 150,000 visitors shopped the Valley Granola Bars, M&M candies, Pringles chips and True Value USA Fair’s 30 exhibits and won over 500 prizes. tools, the Travel USA Pavilion, which offered advice on obtaining a U.S. Visa and exhibits from Delta and ANA/United, as well as The Fair began on Friday, May 31st with a film festival and hip hop Citibank. concerts and concluded on Sunday, June 2nd with a grand prize drawing for tickets to the USA, iPad minis and other giveaways.

Fair entertainment included performances from American hiphop artist Epiphany, Thai dance groups My Time and Ok Ok Good This was the sixth year the American Chamber of Commerce in Good, and street performers, continuance games and more than 500 Thailand (AMCHAM) and the U.S. Embassy organized the event. giveaway prizes.

American brands such as Amway, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, Cal-Tex and Ford Motor Company showed off their iconic products and also used the Fair to unveil future products, such as Chevrolet’s prototype cars the TRU 140S and 130R.

To re enter the sto

USA Fair 2014 is already being planned, so keep checking AMCHAM Thailand’s facebook page for developments or contact Kittie@amchamthailand.com to learn how you can participate in 2014.

2

BANGKOK BU SINESS BRIEF

December 20 11

Briefs 11

www.BBBrief.com

Mid-June/July 2013 BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF

The Chambers

General Inte

rest

liam Shakespe are Nature and life ar seasons of the yea the phases of the r http://goo.gl/o Caught up in da m zbNM ily ily forget that Asia stands to the b has cycles, too.

We gain from W with the econo mi slowdown est of expansion, con c tra cov ery. However, The shift of eco o no mentum to the mic growth mo- phenomena affect... up numerous East has opened Full story at http://go op Asian countries portunities that out, suggests an should not miss Panel: Asia b economist. off, not immu The robust eco fr om global c nomic growth China and em of erging economi will open a ne es KUALA LUMPUR : Th w opportunity sis in the late 1990 for Asian economi s wa es wealth from tra to increase their call for the region that de in goods an out to be services at a tim a blessing i d e States and Europ when the United nearly 15 years later, as t e financial sec Full story at htt are... p://goo.gl/S65D6 able to sus tor is now tain a cer of shocks from the ta Grow with th fallo e fl ow We ste rn Hemisphere, of cycles to a panellist at a rece ‘There is a tid con ference. e men, which, tak in the affairs of leads on to for en at the flood, “There wi ll be more cris tune”, wrote Wi l- future, an d the Asian Sponsored by

Use your smartphone’s QR Code scanner or enter the short code to go directly to AustCham’s website.

...

The Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce (AustChamThailand) 20th Floor, Thai CC Tower, 889 South Sathorn Road, Yannawa, Bangkok 10120 Tel: +66 (0)2 210 0216-8 Fax: +66 (0)2 675 6696 Website: www.austchamthailand.com Email: admin@austchamthailand.com

http://goo.gl/N47Gg

Minor Growth Major-League

By Mark Carroll

Let me introduce you to Minor International Public Company Limited, or MINT as it is affectionately known. This is the brand behind the brands. And it has built on its domestic success in Below are excerpts from the June edition of Advance Magazine, the Thailand to launch onto the global stage in a big way.

Chamber’s monthly publication. AustCham Executive Director, Mark Carroll, introduces readers to Minor International… the On the face of it, MINT is a pretty straight-forward business: ‘brand behind the brands’ and their journey to the Major League. restaurants, hotels and retail. The statistics, however, reveal a remarkable story of growth. From a single hotel in 1978 it is now: You can read the full article at www.austchamthailand.com/AdvanceMagazine • 1,400 restaurant outlets in 17 countries; • 45 hotels and 40 serviced apartments (under eights brands) in 12 There’s been a lot of chatter about the market potential of the new countries; and Asian ‘middle class’. There’s also a lot of talk about Asian companies • a portfolio of ten lifestyle brands (ranging from Gap and Esprit, expanding out from their domestic markets to become regional and to Red Earth and Zwilling J.A. Henckels) focussed on fashion, global power-houses. But where’s the proof? cosmetics and contract manufacturing.

AustCham • Business. Connections. Community

AustCham builds Community! AustCham also plays a valuable community role. We are a focal point for the Australian (and broader) expatriate AustCham’s catchphrase is “Business. Connections. Community.” We community in Thailand and an important bridge into the Thai community. believe that these three simple words articulate the purpose and value of We run an active community services program which contributes to a the Chamber. To explain further: range of social and charitable programs in Thailand.

AustCham means Business! We focus particularly on Australian businesses in Thailand and Thai businesses with an interest in Australia. That is not say that we are exclusively Australian, Thai or anything else. Australia as a nation prides itself on being inclusive and welcoming. AustCham embraces these values so membership is open to any business or individual with an interest in Australia-Thai commerce.

AustCham makes Connections! One of the greatest values of a business chamber is its ability to make connections. AustCham is arguably the best in Thailand. Our monthly Bangkok Sundowners business networking events are legendary, routinely bringing together around 300 executives at some of the best locations in town. Our new website also helps businesses and business people connect, whether it be through our upgraded membership directory, member-to-member special offers, ‘ask a business question’ forum or our business referral service pages.

To re enter the sto

Stars and Stripes Sundowners Together with the American Chamber of Commerce, AustCham will host a very special joint networking event at the Sofitel So Bangkok.

Date: Wednesday 3 July 2013 Time: 18:00 - 21:00 (last drinks served at 20:30) Cost: Baht 550 for members

Baht 1,000 for non-members Location: Park Society Terrace and HISO rooftop bar,

Sofitel So Bangkok BTS: Sala Daeng (nearest station) MRT: Lumpini (nearest station) To make a booking or for any enquiries please contact the team on +66 2 210 0216 or email office@austchamthailand.com

2

12

BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF

BANGKOK BU SINESS BRIEF

December 20 11

B www.BBBrief.com riefs

Mid-June/July 2013

The Chambers

General Inte

rest

liam Shakespe are Nature and life ar seasons of the yea the phases of the r http://goo.gl/o Caught up in da m zbNM ily ily forget that Asia stands to the b has cycles, too.

We gain from W with the econo mi slowdown est of expansion, con c tra cov ery. However, The shift of eco o no mentum to the mic growth mo- phenomena affect... up numerous East has opened Full story at http://go op Asian countries portunities that out, suggests an should not miss Panel: Asia b economist. off, not immu The robust eco fr om global c nomic growth China and em of erging economi will open a ne es KUALA LUMPUR : Th w opportunity sis in the late 1990 for Asian economi s wa es wealth from tra to increase their call for the region that de in goods an out to be services at a tim a blessing i d e States and Europ when the United nearly 15 years later, as t e financial sec Full story at htt are... p://goo.gl/S65D6 able to sus tor is now tain a cer of shocks from the ta Grow with th fallo e fl ow We ste rn Hemisphere, of cycles to a panellist at a rece ‘There is a tid con ference. e men, which, tak in the affairs of leads on to for en at the flood, “There wi ll be more cris tune”, wrote Wi l- future, an d the Asian Sponsored by

Use your smartphone’s QR Code scanner or enter the short code to go directly to the BCCT’s website.

...

British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT) 7th Floor, 208 Wireless Road, Lumphini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 Tel: +66 (0)2 651 5350-3 Fax: +66 (0)2 651 5354 Website: www.bccthai.com Email: Greg@bccthai.com

To re enter the sto

http://goo.gl/Vav3Q

Education is the key As the World Economic Forum kicks into gear (5-7 June 2013) and all • Linkage into the UK educational network and promotion of UK attention are redirected to Myanmar, it is also time for Thailand to reflect educational services and best practice. Encouraging UK higher and plan ahead of the AEC in 2015. Last year’s World Economic Forum educational institutions to engage with the Thai counterparts. discussed how education and skill development can help boost ASEAN’s, and Thailand’s, competitiveness.

• Education at school level - promoting the teaching of English as a language, encouraging the use of new technology in new and innovative Thailand boasts one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia, yet ways, training teachers to be more accepting of modern ways of teaching is facing a pronounced shortage of skilled labor. (encouraging questioning and creativity, challenging students to think for themselves etc.)

BCCT places high importance on how we as a chamber along with our member companies can contribute to the education and skill development • Encourage and support the development of leadership skills within the for the workforce in Thailand. We have a number of member companies Thai workforce in the education sector – from school levels, skills and language training and others – each contributing to this fundamental factor in Thailand’s BCCT’s charity efforts are all focused on support for children in Thailand, economic development. usually through donations to education-related charities. It was great to see one of these donations help in bringing about the creation of The Beaumont In addition, the Chamber hope to bring together businesses and education Foundation’s new school for under-privileged children in Chaiyaphum, providers to develop curricula that are relevant and focused on practical which officially opened in May. The school opens with a level of facilities business requirements – ie. making the future Thai workforce more “fit for generously donated by corporate sponsors and has gratifyingly already purpose”. attracted over 100 pupils from the neighbourhood.

One such example is the work of our member Tesco-Lotus who signed a memorandum of understanding to offer a three-year vocational qualification in retail for high-school students, which includes practical work experience. Graduates of the programme are guaranteed a job with Tesco-Lotus upon successful completion. KPMG Thailand is in the process of partnering with an education institution in Thailand to prepare students with skills to take up positions in the auditing field.

The education issue was also one of the topics touched on in the first UKThailand Strategic Dialogue that took place during the visit of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hugo Swire and his Thai counterpart.

The chamber is working on an initiative to improve connections between BCCT member companies wishing to recruit graduates or accept interns with Thai-UK alumni and graduates from our member schools. A specific goal is help members identify potential recruits, and at the same time offer practical training and internships to the graduates that many of our member schools produce. BCCT members wishing to contribute to this effort – with ideas, offering internship opportunities or wishing to place interns , linking with Thai graduates of UK universities – should get in touch with BCCT Deputy Director, Jyoti Sachavirawong.

BCCT members wishing to get involved in any of the above initiatives are encouraged to write to any of the following people:

For more information about BCCT members work in the education sector, please see our latest issue of The Brief magazine, available in print and online (at www.bccthai.com).

• Simon Landy, BCCT Chairman Email: simon.landy@colliers.com • Chris Thatcher, BCCT Vice Chairman and Chair of Education Group Email: christhatcher1@gmail.com • Rituraj Mohan, BCCT Board Director and Chair of CSR Group Email: ritu.mohan@bootsri.com • Greg Watkins, BCCT Executive Director The recently revived BCCT Education Group has identified the following Email: greg@bccthai.com as some of the aspects of education that we hope BCCT and our members • Jyoti Sachavirawong, BCCT Deputy Director (for UK Alumni and can contribute towards: internship opportunities) Email: Sarinthorn@bccthai.com • Education as it relates to business ie. making the future Thai workforce more ‘fit for purpose’ - preparing students for a modern business environment, Non-member companies wishing to get involved are able to write identify and fill skills shortages to ensure that schools, colleges and to Greg Watkins or Jyoti Sachavirawong to enquire about BCCT universities are focusing on areas where there is perceived need. membership services.

BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF Mid-June/July 2013

13

Go mobile or go home!

Story continued from Page 1.

digital universe: “This new reality and its incredible pace is forcing every sector of the digital economy – e-commerce, publishing, entertainment, gaming and advertising – to rethink how it provides the right environment and screen-specific experiences to its customers while retaining continuity of overall user and brand experiences across those screens.”

This is a particular concern for brands in Thailand and around the world.

Dr. Ian Fenwick, Digital Marketing Professor at Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration, says that “smart branders need to get multiple screens working together.” He cites the pre-release marketing of the Ridley Scott film Prometheus, which screened a trailer during one TV commercial break, encouraged viewers to tweet about the trailer, then screened the tweets in the next commercial break.

Thailand continues to be in line with these global trends toward mobile, despite the delays in the rollout of 3G mobile services. But with this rollout now finally underway, many analysts are expecting significant growth in mobile data spending in the coming years. IDC Asia recently reported that they expect spending to reach 14% or US$1.7 billion dollars in 2013, with the smartphone and tablet markets in Thailand expected to grow by 40% each.

Online shopping in Thailand is also poised to grow substantially in the coming year. With 34 million Internet users, Thailand is one of the economies in Southeast Asia that could see tremendous growth in this sector. An indication of this potential is the emergence of Lazada as an e-commerce player in the Kingdom. In less than a year, the German online retailer has become the largest e-commerce website in Thailand with more than 800,000 ‘Likes’ on their Facebook page, and plans to double their product line to over 50,000 in the near future.

In a recent Bangkok Post article, a study by Mastercard and the Kasikorn Research Centre was cited that claims that Thailand leads the Asia-Pacific region in online shopping with 80% of Internet users having purchased products online. Overall, that accounted for 5% of Thailand’s total retail sales in 2012, but these numbers are expected to increase dramatically ahead of the implementation of the AEC in 2015.

With so much focus on e-commerce and online shopping, what can traditional brick and mortar retailers and brands do to keep up with their customers? At a joint British Chamber of Commerce Thailand / Australian Chamber of Commerce event in early May, Rob de Jonge, General Manager of Venda Software Development, gave a presentation titled New Retailing, in which he noted that the goal of all retailers, in 2013 and beyond, should be “serving the right content at the right time based on customer behavior.”

Mr. de Jonge quoted Philip Clarke, Tesco Group CEO who, in 2011, said, “We now live in the age of new retailing, in a multichannel world. So when we talk about the future of the high street, we have to see it in this context, not put it in some silo or reserve. That’s not how consumers view the world anymore. Their high street, their computer, their smartphone – all these offer different ways of shopping and all are converging.”

He cited a number of examples of retailers, such as Apple and Laura Ashley, that have made use of this multichannel approach. He recommended that retailers create mobile optimized sites that have a simple, clear, minimal design, offer the same functionality and focused experience as a desktop site, maximize usability by minimizing typing, and make their sites ‘responsive design’ websites so that the page size adapts to the device that is being used, and the same URL can be used for all devices.

Mr. de Jonge also pointed out that with the new realities of mobile and multi-screen internet access, “just minding the store no longer is enough, the winners of new retail will be mining the data too.”

For retailers, and for businesses in every sector, it’s important to remember the words of writers and analysts such as Fran Berman, who wrote on Mashable.com in early January that, “...if 2012 proved one thing, it’s that there’s no denying mobile is the present and future of technology.”

Bangkok Business Brief www.BBBrief.com Mango Mango Ltd. Part.

124 Sukhumvit 38 Prakanong, Klongtoey Bangkok 10110 • Thailand

Tel. 02 712 4052

Publisher and Managing Director (Thai Sales) Pavinee Chaymanee • 084-147-5550 thailandmagazine@gmail.com

Managing Director & Creative Director Reid Nixon • 080-246-9000 reid@bbbrief.com

Business Development Manager (English sales) Andy Hyde • 080-814-9080 andy@bbbrief.com

Delivery

Anan Boonma

In cooperation with Siam Gazette Co., Ltd. Alan Verstein • 081-761-9302

Volume 2, Issue 7 • Mid-June to July 2013 Copyright 2011-2013. All rights reserved.

14

BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF

www.BBBrief.com

Mid-June/July 2013

The Calendar

For event details, enter the short code below the event into your browser:

9

10

June

Sunday

goo.gl/6ngBg

Tuesday

Monday

AMCHAM: University of Virginia briefing http://goo.gl/NXXNH

16

Bangkok Trader Networking Party http://goo.gl/6ngBg

17

BCCT: Annual Lecture & Dinner – Yingluck Shinawatra http://goo.gl/o1tCA WebMob Thailand http://goo.gl/dEu8F Bangkok Entrepreneurs http://goo.gl/JihG3

July

23

24

30

1

11

AMCHAM: Marketing Cmte – Welcome to the New Normal http://goo.gl/p9vLL PPI Professional Hour http://goo.gl/EbSqX

18

Joint: Luncheon Address

by New Chairman of BOT http://goo.gl/1xWdz http://goo.gl/6O40l http://goo.gl/rVVtz AMCHAM: Professional Women Cmte http://goo.gl/5cBVV

25

AustCham/BCCT: Boardroom Brief Lunch (Digital Advertising) http://goo.gl/ewZCB AMCHAM: Joint Tax & Business Economics Cmte – FATCA http://goo.gl/RDrbT

2 BCCT: Pub Night http://goo.gl/9Fz16 AMCHAM: Board of Governors Meeting http://goo.gl/AzNzN

7

8

9 AMCHAM: BOT Directors Meeting http://goo.gl/35N60 PPI Professional Hour http://goo.gl/EbSqX

14

15

16

AMCHAM: Joint ICT & SME Committee http://goo.gl/FZqMr AMCHAM: Professional Women Cmte http://goo.gl/qUpXi

www.BBBrief.com

Mid-June/July 2013 BANGKOK BUSINESS BRIEF

15

Send us your event details for the Mid-July/August issue

by July 9th to reid@bbbrief.com Wednesday

Thursday

12 AMCHAM: Social Networking @ The Okura Prestige http://goo.gl/nHqvF

19

BCCT: Health, Safety & Enviro. Group Mtg http://goo.gl/myeGH AMCHAM: Energy Cmte http://goo.gl/tCFxL AMCHAM: Interns Only Networking http://goo.gl/ye7jq AMCHAM: Independence Day Picnic Cmte http://goo.gl/mCduh AMCHAM: Monthly Luncheon http://goo.gl/hU1k0

26

10

17

Saturday

13

AMCHAM: SME/Food http://goo.gl/qspsN AustCham: Briefing by Australian Ambassador http://goo.gl/OD7ci Joint: ES Networking http://goo.gl/1w1nt Movers & Shakers Pattaya http://goo.gl/fYXvN

14

15

20

21

22

BCCT: Special Luncheon (Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint) http://goo.gl/XiTmd AustCham: Boardroom Brief – CEO of Australian Institute of Company Directors http://goo.gl/3v5l9

ISIS Int’l Seminar http://goo.gl/hpXi8 AMCHAM: Customs & Excise Cmte http://goo.gl/N5q7D BCCT: Wkshp– Grooming http://goo.gl/6lkuM BCCT: Third Thursday http://goo.gl/Mj7R4

27

AMCHAM: Commun.

Engagement Cmte http://goo.gl/4JrMz AMCHAM: University of Houston briefing http://goo.gl/Gjv5x AMCHAM: CSR Cmte http://goo.gl/5s9T3

3

AMCHAM: Transport. & Logistic Cmte http://goo.gl/Q3CEE AMCHAM: Food/Agri Cmte http://goo.gl/Za1aL AustCham / AMCHAM: Stars & Stripes Sundowners http://goo.gl/QVu7A http://goo.gl/VPgQb

Friday

4

AustCham: Voluntary English Teaching http://goo.gl/LxgMn

28

29

BCCT: Special Luncheon (TAT Governor) http://goo.gl/KwpBX Movers & Shakers http://goo.gl/xOfWr

5

AMCHAM: YPC Networking – Hemingway’s Drinking & Dining http://goo.gl/X8MPy

6 AMCHAM: Independence Day Picnic 2013 http://goo.gl/mCozs

11

12

Joint Australian Alumni / AustCham / BCCT PWG Networking http://goo.gl/QxRVe

Commonwealth Golf Day http://goo.gl/mdWtx

18

19

AMCHAM: Tax Cmte – Business Tax Implication of Foreigners http://goo.gl/fAKMW BCCT: Board Meeting http://goo.gl/imQrG BCCT: Third Thursday http://goo.gl/hBbxw

13

20 AustCham: Voluntary English Teaching http://goo.gl/lUMiO