Tag: Expansion

Bangkok, Thailand – Famous American fast-food brand Shake Shack will be opening 15 branches in Thailand by 2032, targeting the first flagship to open in Bangkok in 2023. The opening comes on the back of the expanded partnership with licensee Maxim’s Caterers Limited. 

According to Shake Shack, in keeping with Shake Shack’s fine dining heritage and commitment to thoughtful ingredient sourcing, quality, and hospitality, the menu will feature ShackBurger®, Chicken Shack and Chicken Bites, crinkle-cut fries, ShackMeister beer, Shack Red and Shack White wine, Shack-made lemonade and freshly spun frozen custard ice cream. 

Aligned with its mission to ‘Stand for Something Good’, Shake Shack will also partner with local producers, purveyors and artists to reflect and support the Thailand community.

Michael Kark, chief global licensing officer of Shake Shack, said that Shake Shack was born in New York, and Bangkok is another fantastic city with vibrant energy, friendly people and rich culinary traditions, and they can’t wait to serve Thailand their first ShackBurgers soon. 

“Our partner, Maxim’s, has set the bar high and we are thrilled to continue our partnership with them and bring our mutual commitment to quality ingredients and hospitality to our Thai guests,” Kark said.

Michael Wu, chairman & managing director of Maxim’s Caterers Ltd., commented, “We have been humbled by Shake Shack’s fans in Asia as well as the warm reception of Maxim’s in Thailand.” 

Wu added, “Maxim’s and Shake Shack have built a trusted partnership and we are excited to carry the relationship forward to Thailand.”

Bangkok, Thailand – IMAX Corporation and Major Cineplex, operator of movie theatres in Thailand, have announced plans to expand their partnership with the signing of an agreement for three new IMAX® with Laser systems in Thailand. The agreement is a big step forward for IMAX and Major Cineplex, Thailand’s exhibitor with a growing regional presence, and will boost IMAX’s overall presence in Thailand to seven screens.

Two of the three installations are upgrades in central Bangkok locations with one at the relatively new Icon Cineconic at shopping mall Iconsiam. The other upgrade is at Siam Paragon, where Major’s Paragon Cineplex is currently one of the largest and most visited multiplexes in the country.

Meanwhile, the third screen is a new build at the Mega Cineplex, an existing multiplex at the huge Mega Bang Na retail and entertainment complex in Eastern Bangkok, between the city centre and Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Vicha Poolvaraluck, CEO of Major Cineplex, shared that as part of their long, successful cooperation with IMAX, they are pleased to deliver these new systems into Bangkok’s iconic shopping and entertainment complexes.

“I look forward to experiencing the latest blockbuster films in one of the most immersive, high-quality theatre systems around. With the continuous evolution of Thailand’s film market, the premium movie experience represented by IMAX has become a driving force to attract audiences back to the box office and support the industry’s post-pandemic recovery,” Poolvaraluck said.

The newly renovated venues will feature IMAX with Laser, IMAX’s theatre experience. The 4K laser projection system features a new optical engine, custom-designed lenses, and a suite of proprietary technology that delivers brighter images with increased resolution, deeper contrast, and the widest range of colours exclusively to IMAX screens.

Meanwhile, Rich Gelfond, CEO of IMAX, commented, “From our increasing number of screens to growing box office returns, Thailand is an emerging market for IMAX and this agreement marks a big step forward in capturing the opportunity at hand.” 

Gelfond added, “We are excited to expand our partnership with Major Cineplex, and look forward to further growing the IMAX brand in Thailand and around the globe as a premier destination for entertainment and events.”

Singapore — The National Basketball Association (NBA) has announced that the league will expand its presence in Asia-Pacific by opening an office in Singapore.

The Singapore studio joins the league’s Manila and Mumbai offices in reporting to NBA Asia managing director Scott Levy based in Hong Kong and will expand the league’s existing efforts in the region, such as live game distribution, youth development programming, interactive fan events, merchandise sales and social responsibility efforts.

NBA games and programming reach fans in the region through the league’s 20 media partners that span 11 countries and territories and eight languages.  NBA League Pass, the league’s premium live game subscription service, has recorded double-digit subscriber growth in the region over the last three seasons.  The league also has more than 35 million followers on social media across the region.

The prominent league has staged 17 preseason and regular-season games in the region, most recently in 2019 when the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors played two preseason games in Tokyo, Japan. In 2013, the Rockets and Indiana Pacers played their preseason basketball game in Manila, Philippines.

On the expansion to Singapore, Levy said that ver the past two decades, Asia-Pacific has proven to be a major growth region for the NBA.

“Opening an office in Singapore reflects the enormous opportunities to build on that positive momentum by working more closely with our valued partners and bringing our passionate fans in the region closer to their favourite NBA teams and players,” Levy commented.

Since 2007, the NBA has engaged more than 40 million boys and girls across the region through the Jr. NBA, the league’s global youth basketball program.  Meanwhile, the Jr. NBA Coaches Academy program that aims to teach trainers how the sport should be coached has reached more than 88,000 teachers across seven countries regionwide.

With the opening of the Singapore office, the NBA adds another studio to its current 15 markets worldwide.

Kula Lumpur, Malaysia – Financial wellbeing platform Payd has announced that it has raised USD 1.7 million (RM7.5 million) in a seed funding round to expand its Southeast Asian operations, fuelling the growth of the region’s financial tech market. The round was led by IFS Capital Limited, The Hive Southeast Asia, Delight Capital, and Antler.

Payd aims to build a mobile financial wellness platform for employees in Southeast Asia. In order to achieve this, the company plans to use the money it has set aside to promote its brand, expand its workforce in order to speed up product development, and introduce new products and services in the near future. Additionally, ‘angel investors’ participated in the funding round.

Commenting on the funding, Justin Kong, co-founder and CEO of Payd, shared, “This funding exercise is a watershed moment for Payd. We are grateful for our partners’ trust and confidence as we continue to build and launch Payd. In the long run, we hope to be a platform that eases the financial worries of the Malaysian workforce, helping build a better engagement between employers and employees.”

To date, Payd has garnered over 20,000 employee sign-ups, and has witnessed an increase in enrollment rates of up to 25%. This mirrors the consistent success of the brand since its inception, Payd has been experiencing a growth of 120 to 180% month-on-month since July 2021, as more Malaysian businesses are now choosing to provide earned wage access (EWA) benefits to their employees.

Renchun Zeng, chief executive officer of IFS Capital Limited, said that they are excited for the opportunity to invest in Payd and deliver EWA solutions to the Southeast Asian market. 

“Large and middle-market corporations can consider a well-structured EWA program as an integral pillar of the employee benefits framework. By empowering financial well-being of their employees, it can positively impact worker productivity, promote retention, and reduce absenteeism, resolving some of employers’ biggest pain points. This service is in line with IFS Capital’s goal of empowering businesses with access to capital through simple and affordable solutions,” Zeng said.

Singapore – SevenRooms, a guest experience and retention platform for the hospitality industry, has now expanded to Singapore and Hong Kong. The local team will be led by Paul Hadida, SevenRooms’ general manager for APAC, who has over a decade of hospitality industry experience and has led the platform’s rapid expansion in Australia over the last 18 months.

SevenRooms’ CRM-driven platform includes a reservation, waitlist and table management, online ordering, contactless order and pay, review aggregation, and marketing automation. It empowers operators to create meaningful and personal guest relationships both on- and off-premise that maximise profits, incentivise loyalty, and cultivate exceptional experiences at every interaction, from acquiring to engaging and retaining more customers.

The expansion will see SevenRooms significantly ramping its on-the-ground presence in Hong Kong and Singapore with the hiring of sales and customer success roles. The company is currently recruiting heavily across the region, with 11% of the company’s total global roles for 2022 expected for APAC. This will account for a 120% increase in the number of SevenRooms employees across Singapore and Hong Kong. Moreover, SevenRooms will continue to build out integrations across the region over the coming months.

Hadida noted that this is a significant milestone in the platform’s mission to revolutionise the way the global hospitality industry provides exceptional guest experiences.

“We’ve grown organically in the region over the last few years, with 1-Group, Jigger & Pony, and Wine Connection amongst our existing local customers. The timing of our launch is very significant. Restrictions are easing at different rates, and while challenges remain, there is excitement about what the future holds. Our mission is to help operators – big and small, new and established – rebuild by creating the data-driven foundations that incentivise loyalty, boost revenue and build meaningful guest relationships.”

Meanwhile, Joel Montaniel, SevenRooms’ CEO, commented that they are delighted to officially launch SevenRooms in Singapore and Hong Kong, empowering operators as they enter a new era for post-pandemic hospitality. 

He further shared that these cities are two of the hospitality capitals of the world, offering a diverse array of restaurants known for their culinary excellence and incredible guest experiences. 

“After two incredibly challenging years, we are helping the local industry return to its former glory. Through the opening of our local office, in addition to the planned expansion of our on-the-ground team, we are supporting the local hospitality sector, helping operators discover new ways to adapt and drive growth in an ever-evolving, competitive market,” said Montaniel.

Vietnam – Digital assets exchange CoinW has announced its expansion to Vietnam. Through this, the company will be bringing more than 10 million USDT rewards to its Vietnamese users, which can be obtained from the activities of doing registrations, friend invitations, and transactions.

CoinW said that it has also launched a Vietnamese language package version to make transactions more convenient for Vietnamese users. Moreover, the Vietnamese Dong (VND) OTC transaction feature will also be opened soon, enabling users to use VND to exchange cryptocurrencies on the platform.

Mingguo Bai, CoinW’s CEO, shared that in recent years, a large number of encrypted projects and technical teams, such as Axie Infinity and Coin98, have emerged in the global encryption industry. 

“It is a great pleasure to bring the products and services to Vietnam. CoinW will provide a safe, stable, and fast cryptocurrency channel for local cryptocurrency users, and ensure the security of user transactions in multiple dimensions,” said Bai.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – A year after its inception, the airasia Super App celebrates its e-hailing arm, airasia ride, as it has completed one million rides in less than a year. This quarter, airasia ride will be expanding to Thailand, followed by Indonesia and the Philippines in the following quarters.

During the past eight months, airasia ride has grown to 10 Malaysian cities, including the Klang Valley, Penang, Ipoh, Seremban, Melaka, Johor Bahru, Alor Setar, Kota Bharu, and Kuala Terengganu, while introducing community driver features such as the LadiesOnly ride.

The company also revealed an additional UNLIMITED 90 percent discounts on AirAsia flights for its drivers who maintain the ‘Captain’ rank for three consecutive months will automatically be eligible for this unique perk for six months upon entitlement.This perks will allow them to fly anywhere on the AirAsia network with 90 percent off the base fare for any flights. 

On top of that, drivers take 85% of the net fares (excluding toll charges), higher than other e-hailing providers in the market, making it a viable part-time job option and side income opportunity. Fares on airasia ride are set based on fair pricing, which takes into consideration what our guests can afford while still compensating for any extra travel time caused by heavy traffic. The latest feature on airasia ride, LadiesOnly, also aims to empower women with more working opportunities in the e-hailing space.

Additionally, airasia ride is also inviting all new and existing airasia ride users to join in the celebration by offering an exclusive, limited time Free Rides on 28 April 2022 from 10am- 12pm, 2pm – 4pm, and 8pm-10pm. 

Lim Chiew Shan, regional CEO of airasia ride, said that they would like to thank each and every Allstar in airasia ride for pushing hard and making today’s milestone happen. When they started back in August last year and in the midst of the pandemic too, they were quietly optimistic that airasia ride will take off to a good start. One million rides completed in the span of less than a year would not have been possible without the dedication of their drivers, and therefore they would also like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude with a brand new perk for their drivers. 

“The AirAsia unlimited 90% airline discount perk is definitely apt, as it will enable the drivers to explore all the destinations within the vast AirAsia network and also experience the whole airasia Super App ecosystem themselves. For example, a flight from KL – Bali on AirAsia’s ID90 scheme will only cost RM90 one way, and flights to domestic destinations such as Penang are only RM30. They are able to utilise this for as many times as they prefer in the six months period,” Shan said.

Meanwhile, he added,“Furthermore, airasia ride has also contributed to around 20% of new users of the airasia Super App since its establishment last August, which is quite impressive given that we’re only present in Malaysia currently. With the much anticipated expansion across Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines for the rest of this year, we are sure that airasia ride will also replicate this same success in those markets, and help drivers have better insights on travellers’ preferences and more by expanding our footprint across airports in the country and the rest of the region.” 

To better serve passengers heading to and from the airport, airasia ride drivers will have the added benefit of working with one of Asia’s airline brands. Guests on AirAsia flights now have the option of booking their rides upon purchasing their flights, allowing drivers to secure more jobs in advance and can plan their trips more efficiently and productively. Drivers will also have access to real-time information on passenger arrivals, allowing them to better manage their time and maximize their revenues by reducing waiting time and making more trips.

Singapore – Smart commerce platform SHOPLINE has announced its global expansion by establishing a headquarters in Singapore. The selection of Singapore as the new global headquarters for SHOPLINE was a unanimous decision among its senior leadership.

The company said that the expansion was strategically based on location and the connectivity of Singapore which makes it ideal for a global hub. Coupled with Singapore’s Government efforts in establishing a reliable and efficient infrastructure, as well as a conducive and pro-business environment.

In the coming months, SHOPLINE is expected to expand its global support and capabilities to bolster its existing 1600-strong R&D team by recruiting more diverse talent in Singapore. This aims to bump up the workforce in Singapore and bring the SHOPLINE solution to address broader e-Commerce verticals in the market, all while continuing to further collaborate with the Singapore Government to digitize the nation.

SHOPLINE’S goal is to build a successful partner ecosystem that merchants can leverage on, SHOPLINE has partnered with key global strategic partners including Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp), Tiktok and Google, and Payments and Fulfilments Partners including Paypal, Atome, Stripe, Ninja Van, HyperSKU and Kakaklo, in the bid to strengthen the platform capabilities of SHOPLINE to one that is truly seamless and omni-channel.

Joshua Qiao, general manager of SHOPLINE 2.0, said that the growing demands of business owners for a centralized e-Commerce system and the need to build their own database fueled SHOPLINE to innovate, differentiate and lead the digital disruption through their platform, unique positioning, deep understanding of what their merchants need and localization efforts.

“The future of e-commerce lies in SHOPLINE’s disruptive approach in offering a full-featured all-in-one retail solutions platform. In collaboration with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), SHOPLINE is humbled to be a pre-approved Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) vendor that enables merchants to enjoy up to 70% of subsidy from their annual subscription costs, sharing and contributing to the actualisation of the Singapore Government’s vision to digitalize the economy and create a smart nation,” Qiao said.

With an overwhelming response from Singaporean merchants and reputable businesses from a wide variety of industries, SHOPLINE is confident and geared for a successful official launch later this year.

Singapore – Thoughtworks, a global technology consultancy that integrates strategy, design and engineering to drive digital innovation, has expanded its business to Vietnam, with the opening of an office in Ho Chi Minh City in mid-2022.

The expansion in Vietnam reflects Thoughtworks’ wider effort to geographically diversify its business and meet service demand from clients in SEA and Australia. It also aims to increase the company’s ability to hire from this skilled, diverse talent base and welcoming business environment.

Through this, Thoughtworks will be creating new jobs, developing local talent, and building thought leadership on digital transformation, cloud, platforms, data and artificial intelligence, and customer experience, as well as product and design.

Wen Shun Wong, Thoughtworks’ managing director for SEA, shared that this expansion will provide wider collaboration potential between their clients, partners, and employees, and strengthen the availability and supply of premium services for their clients in APAC. 

“This strategic move will also allow us to leverage a new community of talent who will help us further innovate and deliver extraordinary impact for our clients,” said Wong.

Singapore – Involve Asia, a MarTech platform for partnership marketing in Southeast Asia, has expanded to Vietnam, marking its growing footprint in the region. 

Involve Asia, which was founded in 2014, has worked closely with e-commerce, travel, and financial services companies to handle their digital marketing campaigns across Southeast Asia. Involve Asia, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has a presence in six countries in Southeast Asia and is backed by venture capital firms Accord Ventures, OSK Ventures International, and GDP Venture, among others.

Marketing partners in Vietnam face lengthy payment processes while working for marketers, and this is what Involve Asia aims to solve. From 60 to 90 days. using Involve’s proprietary risk assessment algorithm, advertisers are able to identify and eliminate fraudulent actions, resulting in faster payment of legitimate results. Because of Involve’s express withdrawal capabilities, marketing partners may manage their cashflows and build up their operations in as little as 15 days.

Jimmy How, CEO and Founder of Involve Asia, said that Vietnam is an important market for Involve Asia as it is one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia with a vibrant and technologically savvy population. 

‘With an e-commerce market in the country that is accelerating rapidly and high social media usage, it presents a ripe opportunity for us to help brands in the country reach their customers through our proprietary MarTech solution in a cost-efficient manner, and ultimately scale their business through partnerships with influencers, apps and affiliate sites,” How said.

How added, “We are looking to expand our footprint in the region by helping advertisers grow and manage their marketing partnerships more efficiently. One of the ways we plan to do this is to enable Advertisers to leverage our risk scoring system to ensure that their marketing partners get paid quicker, without having to hire additional operational staff as their marketing partnerships scale.”