The consumer goods company is teaming up with the faculties of management science at the Chiang Mai Rajabhat and Chiang Rai Rajabhat universities under the initiative.

The combined effort would enhance the potential and competitiveness of retail businesses and so-called mom and pop stores throughout the North, the company said.

It said that by the company providing consultations on retail store management, this support would enable stores to become important anchors in their communities, and contribute to better livelihoods among consumers.

Apichat Saligupta, vice president for customer development at Unilever Thai Trading Ltd, said Unilever Platinum Store’ programme, initiated in 2012, has delivered benefits for a growing number of shops, reaching 10,500 last year.

He said that the criteria for promoting the Unilever Platinum Store is a shop’s location and consumer traffic, its variety of product categories – which should exceed 15 – and cooperation from the store owner.

Apichat said that participating students have the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained from this programme and to use their entrepreneurial skills to earn extra income by helping transition mom and pop shops into platinum stores that act as community anchors for their communities.

Unilever’s Master initiative focuses on developing these small shops with modern, eye-catching displays, marketing promotions exclusively available for platinum shops, and points redemption for members to increase sales and attract more customers.

“This results in an improved response to customers’ needs and expectations,” Apichat said.

Robert Candelino, head of Unilever Thailand, said that outlook for the consumer market in Thailand is tough.

“I think the consumer market is desperate for new excitement and more energy. I think there are so many changes happening that have never been before in history.This includes in media, retail, consumer habits, buying preferences, demography and society – colliding all at once,” Candelino said.

“This is why it’s important to have a purpose at the core to go through this storm and to understand what you stand for in your values, the people you hire, the type of initiatives and what principally we want to do as a company.”

He said that the dynamic of the Thai economy is changing rapidly.

“We (Unilever) as a business need to change continuously. We have now lots of new and exciting channels – traditional retail shops, substantial big modern trade, online and social networks – to serve people and to improve the lives of Thais every day,” said Candelino.

He said that the biggest challenge today is probably the transformation of retail and that of consumer behaviour.

“We’ve had a model that’s been there for 30-40 years. You get in the car or get on the train, and then go to the store and buy your items, putting in the basket. You pay for it, then you leave and go home. That model served all of us well for decades and that model is now being challenged,” he said. “It’s still there but it’s changing.Convenient channels, proximity channels, mom and pop shops, they’re all becoming more and more relevant as part of people’s lives.

“All of these changes in retail and the behaviour of people mean that, as a consumer products company, our job is to meet people where they need and want us to be at the end of phone, at the end of a computer terminal, or a local shop or at the doorstep one hour after they ordered from us. We need to be everywhere. We understand this ecosystem, and people deserve to be more demanding. That’s what happening and, as a consequence, everyone needs to change.”

He said that globally, Unilever has succeeded in integrating the principle of sustainable living into the company’s business practices since 2010.

Unilever’s Sustainable Living brands deliver over 60 per cent of the company’s total growth, and grew more than 50 per cent faster than the rest of the business in 2016, Candelino said.

“These outcomes demonstrate that Unilever has become more competitive by integrating sustainability into our business,” he said. “In Thailand, Unilever is ranked as the market leader in seven major product segments including laundry detergents, hair cleansing products, skin cleansing products, detergents, Jok rice porridge products, and ice cream and skin care.

“We are proud of the fact that 99 per cent of 24.7 million households in Thailand make a purchase from Unilever’s product portfolio, with a repeat-buy rate of over 99 per cent, and that our consumers use our products three times a day.”

Candelino said that with the company’s high household penetration of its consumer products, it aims to expand the pie with the introduction of new benefits, new platforms, new businesses and new items. Such methods will help expanding the market universe, he said.

To aid this effort, Unilever has implemented what it calls the 3Ps – for purpose, people and performance.

lUnilever aims to offer consumers improved well-being on a daily basis. The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) applies to ll Unilever employees and contributes to the company’s business practices to drive business growth while supporting communities. Unilever is also committed to reducing its environmental footprint and increasing its positive social impacts, the chief executive said.

lPeople: Unilever’s employees are encouraged to pass on greater value to customers by providing them with excellent value from the company’s portfolio of products. “As our customers benefit, it is important that everyone is motivated and happy in their work environment,” Candelino said.

lPerformance: By building innovation in each product segment to meet the requirements of consumers through the company’s sustainable livelihood policy and improving the purpose and capacities of employees, Unilever is confidant of increased growth in each of the targeted product segments while delivering products that contribute to better livelihoods for consumers, Candelino said.

Thailand earned Bt799 million in revenue from foreign film productions in the first quarter.

It was the location of 224 international film productions during the period.

According to the Department of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the country is still a popular location for foreign productions of movies, television dramas, advertisements, music videos, and documentaries.

Last year, Thailand made a total of Bt3,074 million from foreign films shot in various parts of the country.

In the first quarter of this year, the country’s top customer was India, followed by Germany and China.

Last year, China came first, followed by India and the United States respectively.

“Thailand continues to be a popular location for international film productions which help generate jobs and income for the country.

They also stimulate the local economy and income distribution which is in line with the government policy,” said Anan Wongbenjarat, Director General of the Department of Tourism (DOT).

DOT is also encouraging foreign film crews to choose shooting locations outside the main provinces, he said.

“Our secondary provinces also have many unique scenery and beautiful settings to offer to foreign film crews.

“If international productions showcase their beauty to the world, they will bring more visitors to Thailand as their viewers will want see the places with their own eyes,” he added.

Konica Minolta launches ‘Mobotix’ IP Camera

Masashi Miyamoto, managing director of Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Thailand), the leader in multi-functional document management system and digital production printing press, held a press conference to launch its new business “Mobotix” IP Camera, a hi-end surveillance camera from Germany for large state and private enterprises in Thailand. The product has special features such as heat exchanger camera, infrared camera, 360 degree camera.

The product comes with image software management for seeing the number of people entering and exiting the gate as well as the density of customers in department stores.

Toshiba joins SVOA to tap high-end market

Wu Tengguo, managing director, Toshiba Singapore Pte Ltd, left, and Thitakorn Ussayaporn, chief operating officer, SVOA Plc, right, jointly announced both companies’ plan to tap the high-end notebook market in Thailand at Toshiba x SVOA Product Launching 2018. A wide range of products have been launched at the event, including the new Toshiba X-Series (E-Generation), which deliver enhanced performance and higher durability, specifically designed for mobile professionals.

Ticket sales start for two new routes

Vietjet has started selling tickets on two new international routes including Hanoi – Taichung (Taiwan) and Danang – Daegu (South Korea). The new routes aim to meet the traveling demand of local people and tourists; thus contributing to regional trade and integration promotion.

The Hanoi – Taichung route will be operated with five return flights per week on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from June 22, 2018 with around two and a half hours flight time per leg.

The flight departs from Hanoi at 13:00 and arrive in Taichung at 16:30 (local time). The return flight takes off at 17:30 (local time) in Taichung and lands in Hanoi at 19:20.

The Danang – Daegu route will be operated on a daily basis from July 19, 2018 with around four and a quarter hour flight time per leg. The flight will depart from Danang at 00:15 and arrive in Daegu at 06:30 (local time).

The return flight will take off at Daegu at 07:30 (local time) and lands in Danang at 10:00 everyday.

Zhang Xifeng, managing director of Hisense International (Thailand) Co Ltd, said during the launch at Powerbuy Expo 2018 that Hisense is a global leading technology brand, having captured the largest television market share in China for the past 14 years and ranked the third largest in the global market in the segment of 4K UHD TV products.

To expand brand awareness in Thailand and across the world, Hisense has become an official sponsor of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The company will provide customers with premium quality products and cutting-edge innovation via strong distribution channels. More strategic partnership has been announced as part of its goal to take a 10 per cent market share within three years.

“We entered the Thai market in 2016 and we have been studying closely the demand of local consumers in order to come up with ideas and new technology to meet the needs of their changing lifestyles in the aspects of high quality audio and image, easy and rapid access to content, beautiful aesthetic design for premium look, as reflected in our objective in focusing on technology development together with product quality for the best value for money.

This year, Hisense has planned to increase its brand awareness in Thailand, starting with consumers using Smart TV and expanding to include those focusing on 4K technology viewing experience, especially the 100-inch’ 4K UHD Smart Laser TV – Hisense’s flagship TV product, officially introduced for the first time in Thailand for consumers interested in the 100-inch 4K resolution viewing experience at home.

We will provide platinum service for Laser TV including free delivery, free installation and five years warranty. Laser TV is Hisense’s expertise that has been developed since 2010 and will surely gain more and more popularity in the years to come.

Special edition

Furthermore, two models of its World Cup Official TV series have been launched in the market. One is a World Cup Special Edition, released to draw World Cup viewers of the upcoming soccer tournament.”

Chanchai Bhandhufalck, general manager of sales and marketing, said Hisense has emphasised the Thai market on its growth potential. The company focuses on premium quality and technology for practical usage and offers a wide-ranging array of products from Smart TV to 100-inch 4K UHD Smart Laser TV with a three-year warranty. Hisense products are currently distributed via its partners including Power Buy and Tesco Lotus. More distribution channels are being mapped out to cater to the needs of consumers.