Home Blog Page 926

Starting a franchise…as easy as 1, 2…7-Eleven!

7-Eleven Malaysia offering franchisee opportunity again.

Kuala Lumpur, 26 February 2018 – The country’s pioneer and leading convenience store operator 7-Eleven Malaysia (SEM) is now offering back its highly successful franchise programme for local entrepreneurs to become partners in managing its outlets which offer more than 2,200 products and services by rolling out its simplest and most affordable franchising package to date – one that requires only RM250,000 in investment from franchisees willing to operate and manage these stores on a full-time basis.

With this latest launch, SEM seeks suitable franchisee candidates that are looking for an exciting business opportunity that’s full of growth potential. As 7-Eleven is a 24-hour, 7 day a week retailer, aspiring franchisees need to be able to commit full time in managing their business thus this programme is especially suited for unemployed graduates and strong entrepreneur minded millennials as one gets a invaluable hands-on learning experience in managing an own business.

ā€œAll fresh graduates should consider managing their own business and being a franchisee of 7-Eleven Malaysia as it has aĀ  proven track record business and achieving success is not difficult provided one is willing to work hard and put in long hours,ā€ advises Berjaya Group Founder, Tan Sri Vincent Tan.

Tan Sri Vincent Tan added, ā€œOnce a franchisee has learned to manage a store well and is successful, they will be viewed favourably to operate more stores so eventually one can be a multi-store operator thus generating more revenue for oneself.ā€

He concluded by saying, ā€œThere are a lot of financing options available to interested franchisees from various Government agencies and one must take advantage of this and strive to fulfil one’s entrepreneurial spirit and desire.ā€

This year, SEM plans to invest RM70 million to open around 200 new stores and renovate other stores. The company ended last year with 2,225 stores of which less than 10% are franchised. As such, there are many existing stores that are suitable for potential franchisees to operate their own businesses and to earn more as they strive to grow sales.

Acting CEO of 7-Eleven Malaysia, Ho Meng said, ā€œThis programme is meant to address aspiring entrepreneurs, adding that this was also to support efforts towards financial independence and the idea of giving opportunities to people with desire, skills and willingness to work hard.ā€

The RM250,000 outlay, Ho Meng said, included a non-refundable initial franchise fee and refundable deposits for stocks and as security that the prospective franchisee would eventually get back. It’s just an assurance that the new franchisee would comply with the franchisee’s obligations and performance,ā€ he noted.

He concluded by saying, ā€œOur franchise model is based on profit-sharing whereby SEM is responsible for expenses such as leasing of real estate, store equipment, general insurance, inventory audit, merchandizing and marketing services among others as well as providing full training and operational consultation support and as such, franchisees minimises the risks associated with going it alone and incurring even more prohibitive capital outlay. As franchisees are responsible for those direct store operating expenses like labour cost, cash and inventory shortages and other direct operating expenses that are controllable by them, they will benefit more if they manage the businesses well.ā€

SEM believes that when franchisees are actively involved in running their stores, revenues per store will be higher, in turn boosting overall profitability for both the franchisees and this convenience store chain. Moving forward, SEM – while continuing to grow its store network- would focus more on growing same store sales by improving its products and services through innovation and insights.

To register your interest on this franchisee program, please visit www.7eleven.com.my

est reported market share gain in depressed Thai CSD market

Sales of carbonated soft drinks in Thailand fell 4.1% year-on-year in value in 2017 to THB 50 billion (USD 1.6 billion), saidĀ Jesdakorn Ghosh, Thai Drinks CoĀ senior vice-president citing Nielsen data. The decline is blamed on poor consumer spending power, cooler-than-expected weather and competing drinks, reported Bangkok Post.

est market share improved

However, the est brand grew the fastest up 2.8% compared with a 7% decline for Coca-Cola and a mere 0.8% growth for Pepsi, making est the only brand to post strong sales growth in 2017. The market share of est also improved from 9.8% in 2016 to 10.5% in 2017.

Three strategies to win CSD market

Thai Drinks Co., a unit of Thai Beverage Group, has outlined three strategies to win in the Thai CSD market in 2018. The three strategies are outlined in the press releaseĀ as follow:

“1) Insights Power: Only est can respond to teens’ insights by bringing them closer to their idols. The ‘est cola zaa-zeed-sud-kua, muan-i-lee with GOT7’ campaign (which means super fizzy, super fun with GOT7) connects Thai consumers to GOT7, the most popular boy band, which has brought a new look and offers a higher level of enjoyment by doing both Korean and Thai-style dancing

2) Innovation Power: est continues leading with innovation by bringing ‘drinking Bingsu’ to the market in response to the popularity of Bingsu, a Korean-style shaved ice dessert, among Thai teens. est Play launched two new flavors – ‘est Play Melon Bingsu’ and ‘est Play Mango Bingsu,’ and both rocked the market with their outstanding success after only one month. They became the Number 2 and Number 3 best-selling flavors in the convenience store channel, and have the potential to drive est Play’s growth to hit double digits this year.”

3) Summer Promotion Power: This continues from last summer’s campaign that let consumers choose their preferred prize. This summer’s promotion is a much greater extravaganza, with double the entries for online submissions to win one of over 1,200 prizes worth a total of 27 million baht. Consumers can press Button 1 for a exclusive trip to a GOT7 World Tour concert in New York; Button 2 for one of 200 Toyota Yaris ATIVs or Yamaha QBIX motorcycles; or Button 3 for one of 1,000 exclusive photo books signed by all members of GOT7. Also, fans won’t want to miss the limited-edition packaging available only during the summer, with 42 designs featuring the members of GOT7 on various sizes of est packaging. est will also keep our edge in connecting online with Thai youths by offering a hologram experience via a mobile application, so fans can enjoy up-close moments with GOT7 in virtual form.”

 

Smart kiosk to revolutionise traditional trade in Indonesia

Indonesian retail tech startup Warung Pintar has started a project to upgrade traditional warung or roadside stalls into Warung Pintar or ā€˜smart kiosk store,’ reported Reuters. The new prefab kiosks comes with a distinctively orange colour and is equipped with an LCD TV, a charging station, digital POS, a surveillance camera, digitalised book keeping and a refrigerator. Shoppers can do online transactions such as purchasing flight ticket or phone credit in addition to grocery shopping. So far, there are now 12 Warung Pintar owners in Jakarta.

Traditional trade has the biggest share of FMCG sales in Indonesia. The ubiquity of warung, which sells limited SKUs but essential goods, has made it a popular choice for top up shopping or daily shopping.

However, warung is under threat from the modern trade especially minimarkets, which offer a more competitive price and comfortable shopping experience.

More information about Warung Pintar can be found by clicking this link.

Start with a capital of IDR 50 million (USD 3,666). Return of investment in 10-12 months and monthly profit of up to IDR 6 million.

  • Bonus and incentives for owners
  • Growing revenue channel eg tickets, mobile top up and e-commerce
  • Access to cheaper goods
  • Technology support that is fully operational and ready to be used
  • CCTV to monitor and safeguard the safety of the stall

Warung Pintar has received early stage funding worth USD 4 million from MDV, East Ventures, Digital Garage, Insignia Ventures Partner, Triputra Group and several other angel investors.

 

Ichitan derives 60% revenue from modern trade, 2nd edition millionaire campaign

Ichitan Group PLC, one of Thailand’s leading RTD tea producer, revealed to the Indonesian business daily Kontan.co.id that 60% of its sales come from the modern trade with the balance 40% coming from the traditional trade. This was mentioned byĀ Anna Wibowo, marketing director PT Ichi Tan Indonesia during the press conference announcing the launch of the second edition of the “Mendadak Jutawan” or millionaire program on 20 February 2018.

Modern trade crucial for RTD tea in PET bottle

Similarly with PT Singa Mas Indonesia, a unit of Charoen Pokphand Indonesia, the company said it obtained 70% of the sales of Fiesta White Tea from the modern channel and 30% from the traditional market, reported Kontan.co.id on 28 December 2017. It is the other way around for its Fiesta Black Tea (RTD tea in PET bottle), Teh Serrr (RTD tea in plastic cup), Fruitamax (fruit flavoured drink in plastic cup) and bottled water Frozen where 70% of their sales come from the traditional channel and 30% from the modern trade.

2nd edition of Ichitan Mendadak Jutawan campaign

The second edition of the campaign runs from 1 March 2018 to 31 May 2018 with the same amount of prize money as the first edition – 30 x IDR 300 million (USD 22,000) to be given away to lucky winners.

What Mini Me thinks

Ichitan is recycling an old trick, one that has proven to be immensely popular and successful in generating consumer interest.

Celebrating Pepsi Generations

Pepsi-Cola (Thai) Trading has launched “Pepsi Generations”, a new global campaign to celebrate the brand’s rich history in pop culture for 120 years. The campaign will see “Pepsi refreshes every generation from past to present,” saidĀ Somchai Ketchaikosol, marketing director for beverages at Pepsi-Cola (Thai) Trading as reported by The Nation.

The goal, according to PepsiCo’s press release is to “celebrate the best moments of our past, create new iconic moments for today and set the stage for an exciting future, allowing Pepsi to be the choice for decades to come.”

In Thailand, the soft drink company has made available Pepsi in vintage packaging of five eras: 1940, 1950, 1980, 1990 and 2000.Ā Just 3,000 of these five-can-five-design packs, priced at THB 99, are being released.

The “Pepsi Generations” event at CentralWorldĀ  included four clubs featuring a disco and neon display for the 80s and jazz lounge for the 40s etc.

Image from Pepsi Thai Facebook

The Pepsi’s TV commercial for the US market featuring icons that resonate with the different generations. The message is “Pepsi that’s forever fun. This is the Pepsi for every generation.”

Expect to see a lot more throwback campaigns from Pepsi like the example below where singers dressed in the 1940s style stunned patrons of a food court in Thailand.

https://www.facebook.com/PepsiThai/videos/10155376403211275/

Chinese bottled water companies tapping foodservice opportunity

Drinking “good water” has become a priority for modern consumers who are wary of the water quality they consume at home and out of home. One area where consumers have no say about the water quality is the water used in restaurants and foodservice premises.

As Chinese consumers become discerning about the water used in cooking in restaurants, this opens up the opportunity for packaged bottled water manufacturers to target the foodservice channel with innovative marketing strategies.

Nongfu Spring official water supplier for G20 Summit

Nongfu Spring (å†œå¤«å±±ę³‰), which marketed its bottled water on being “a little bit sweet,” was chosen to supply the G20 Summit in 2016 with natural drinking water, mineral water and fruit juices. The company took this opportunity to promote its Nongfu Spring mineral water as one of the secret ingredients used by leading chefs in creating the delicacies served to international dignitaries.

To prepare the soup for the famous Hangzhou fish ball soup, chef Shen Jun is seen using Nongfu Spring natural mineral water. The natural water is described by Shen as the essential ingredient to make the perfect soup.

Hotpot with Nongfu Spring water

In 2017, Nongfu Spring partnered with Chongqing Hotpot Group (é‡åŗ†ē«é”…é›†å›¢) to designate Nongfu Spring water as the official water used in hotpot. The marketing tagline is “To have the best taste, one has to use the best water.”

Endorsed by Japanese rice expert

In 2017, Nongfu Spring launched a commercial featuring an elderly Japanese by the name of ę‘å±æå­Ÿ. He is widely known in Japan as the person who cooks the best rice and was seen endorsing Nongfu Spring water.

Master Kong Chinese New Year series

In 2018, Tingyi’s Master Kong (åŗ·åøˆå‚…) introduced the Chinese New Year series featuring the auspicious words “ē¦ć€ē¦„ć€åÆæć€åŗ·.” The characters mean good fortune (ē¦), salary increase (禄), longevity (寿) and health (åŗ·). The water is to be served during reunion dinner or used in cooking reunion dishes.

You Yue designated water for 2018 Hotelex

Master Kong’s You Yue (ä¼˜ę‚¦) mid-range bottled water brand released a 2 litre pack in late 2017 for cooking. The water is NSF-certified and was the designated water for the 2018 Hotelex culinary contest.

What Mini Me thinks

The bottled water market in China is expanding into foodservice and in-home cooking applications in search of growth. The examples in China can serve as an inspiration for bottled water companies in other region including Southeast Asia. Consumers in the region are wary of the water quality and some do recognise high quality water is crucial in the making of the best dish.

* All images taken from the web

PepsiCo re-engages in price competition

PepsiCo’s Revive and Miranda (orange and strawberry) are now available in an affordable RM 1.50 per 500ml PET bottle in the general trade in Malaysia. This also marks the return of Pepsi into the ongoing price competition with Coca-Cola and F&N where all the players are competing in the RM 1.50 price level.

Unlike the other players, Revive and Miranda are sold at RM 1.50 but they have the largest volume of 500ml. For the same price, Coca-Cola’s volume is 425ml, while F&N’s is 400ml.

The competition is now focuses on the general trade targeting price sensitive consumers unlike in the past where 99 Speedmart minimarket chain was at the epicenter of competition.

 

 

Indomie Mi Goreng Aceh celebrates Aceh culinary greatness

PT Indofood CBP Sukses Makmur Tbk (ICBP), the maker of Indomie, unveiled its latest Mi Goreng Aceh on 28 January 2018 at Blang Padang in Aceh. The new instant noodle with the taste of Aceh is being distributed in Aceh and Medan in northern Sumatra and in several other districts, reported Kompas.com. The price per 90g pack is IDR 2,500.

We have seen a similar launching of regional taste in Malaysia by the largest instant noodle company Nestle. The Maggi 2-in-1 Mi Kolo + Sup was launched in 2015 catering to consumers in East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak) and Brunei.

Indomie Mi Goreng Aceh and Maggi Mi Kolo are products that celebrate the culinary richness of the local community with exclusive products exclusively for the local consumers.

 

 

Slashing the sugar with new F&N Sarsi, Orange Zero

Slashing the sugar content is what beverage giant F&N and other players are continuing to do with their existing beverages in Singapore. The cutting down on sugar was set in motion by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong‘s call to reduce sugar content in drinks during the National Day Rally speech in August 2017.

In early 2018, F&N introduced its two latest sugar-free Orange Zero Sugar and Sarsi Zero Sugar in time for Chinese New Year. The zero sugar range is sweetened with acesulfame-K and sucralose.

Also available is the new F&N Healthier Choice Variety Pack containing 24 cans of Orange Zero, Sarsi Zero, F&N Seasons Ice Lemon Tea (Reduced Sugar) and F&N Seasons White Chrysanthemum Tea (Reduced Sugar).

All the no/low-sugar drinks above with the exception of F&N Seasons White Chrysanthemum Tea (Reduced Sugar) are only available in Singapore.

F&N also has the zero sugar version of F&N Seasons White Chrysanthemum Tea (250ml).

In a bid to reduce sugar, companies are substituting sugar with sugar alternatives. In the case of F&N Orange Zero Sugar and Sarsi Zero Sugar, the drinks contain artificial sweeteners acesulfame-K and sucralose. The Straits Times reported restaurant chain Tung Lok has incorporated allulose in yusheng and niangao (rice cake), both are Chinese New Year classics. Nestle Singapore has also started using sugar alternatives but did not provide further details.

Ya Kun Kaya Toast, on the other hand, is not embracing sugar alternatives claiming “the consistency and taste would be affected,” reportedĀ Straits Times. Instead, the Singapore chain, best known for its kaya toast and coffee, is encouraging consumers to opt for low-sugar beverages.

Any drastic reduction in sugar within a short period of time may not work as it should be done gradually for consumers to get accustomed to the low-sugar taste. So far, beverage companies in Singapore have done an excellent job in lowering their sugar count.

Photographed by the author – Pokka Natsbee Honey Lemon Juice Drink with lower sugar

New Coffee-Mate Milky, the world’s first dairy coffee enhancer

Coffee-Mate is a non-dairy creamer manufactured by NestlĆ© known to make the coffee richer, smoother and creamier. In Thailand, Nestle is elevating this experience with the new Coffee-Mate Milky, the world’s first dairy coffee enhancer.

According to the press release, “Nestle Coffee-Mate Milky containsĀ high-quality imported milk from New Zealand and the US to offer coffee lovers a perfect combination of uniquely delicious “Real Milky Taste and Right Creaminess,” delighting you with the “Nice Milky Aroma & Smoothest Taste” with no cholesterol and no trans fat.” In addition, this product is “100% imported from South Korea, to fit the milky coffee taste profile preferred by the new generation.”

Nestle Coffee-Mate Milky is available in an 80 gram pack for THB 37 and in a 360 gram pack for THB 109 at leading retail outlets including Big C, Tops, Tesco, Foodland, CJ-Express, The Mall, 7-Eleven, Family Mart and Maxvalu.

TheĀ fully-integrated marketing campaign saw actor Gunn Svastiwat Na Ayutthaya appointed as brand ambassador visiting South Korea to feature in the “Love at First Sip” TV commercial.

What Mini Me thinks

Coffee-Mate Milky offers a new experience to young consumers and healthier option for health-conscious coffee drinkers with the use of real milk instead of non-dairy ingredients.

HOT NEWS

Marshmello’sĀ Limited EditionĀ Coca-Cola comes to Malaysia

0
The Marshmello's Limited Edition Coca-Cola is now available in Malaysia and in some markets around the world including in Thailand. The latest sparkling drink...

MUST READ

Farm Fresh banana flavoured fresh milk joins the banana craze

0
Farm Fresh pasteurised banana flavoured milk is now in supermarkets in Malaysia. We first reported the launch of the Farm Fresh UHT Banana Milk...