The new multi-year agreement begins immediately with preparations for the 2018 US Open that started on August 21 until September 9.

During the US Open, Rolex timepieces and clocks will be seen throughout the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, representing a partnership forged through a shared commitment to tennis excellence, according to its statement.

The signature clock affixed to the outer façade of Arthur Ashe Stadium will now be the iconic Rolex display.

In addition, Rolex will sponsor the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, completing their commitment to the Masters Series with sponsorship of all nine events.

Rolex will also support the USTA National Campus, the USTA’s hub for all its mission-related tennis activities and programs, based in the Lake Nona neighborhood of Orlando, Fla. They will also support programs of the USTA Foundation, the official charitable arm of the USTA, helping to assist under-resourced youth, said the statement.

The partnership reinforces the Rolex brand’s 40-year tradition of supporting tennis at the highest level. “Rolex is a true champion of tennis that shares the USTA’s passion for the sport,” said Gordon Smith, Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director, USTA.

“As we celebrate 50 years of the US Open, we are delighted to welcome this iconic, luxury brand as a partner and we are thankful for their support of the USTA’s mission to grow the game.”

“Our long-term commitment to supporting the pinnacle of tennis over the past 40 years has been an exciting journey that started with our association with The Championships, Wimbledon in 1978, and includes a second Grand Slam® tournament as Associate Sponsor and Official Timekeeper of the Australian Open,” said Stewart Wicht, President and CEO of Rolex Watch USA.

“It was only natural that Rolex would seek to build on its Grand Slam® heritage, in this case through an association with the USTA and its flagship tournament, the US Open.

The partnership brings together two organizations who share a passion for quality, excellence, precision and performance.”

The 2018 US Open takes place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the US Open and is the first US Open played upon the completion of the $600 million transformation of the National Tennis Center. It is also the inaugural season of the new Louis Armstrong Stadium, a 14,000 seat state-of-the-art facility, which is the final piece of the overall expansion.

World Rewards Solutions’ partnership with global brands such as Datatrade in Hong Kong and Airports Made Easy is reportedly the first of its kind in Thailand’s lifestyle service industry and will strengthen the company’s service offering.

Another goal of the partnership is to boost Asia’s lifestyle services market and further the development of knowledge exchange to stay ahead of the competition.

The agreement creates two new strategic partnerships for World Reward Solutions. Datatrade Hong Kong will be the exclusive reseller of loyalty program solutions while Airport Made Easy will contribute to expanding the customer base in Asia and drive business growth as an exclusive partner.

The launch of World Reward Solutions’ collaboration will advance the lifestyle service industry by focusing on providing innovative digital solutions to quickly and accurately meet the demands of high-end customers.

By understanding the importance of customer relations management (CRM), World Reward Solutions aims to increase the use of its services among business travellers in Asia to achieve the revenue target of Bt500 million. World Reward Solutions also has the goal to become Thailand’s leading provider of a complete online and offline programme cycle by 2020.

Jakkapan Rattanapet, the managing director of World Reward Solutions, has revealed that his lifestyle service company, a provider of a complete-cycle rewards programme, was launched to seize the promise of an industry currently valued at US$4 billion globally with an average annual industry growth rate of 4 per cent.

This rapid growth indicates that consumer behaviour today places growing importance on customized lifestyle experiences, especially among high-end customers. Reflecting this, World Reward Solutions’ service emphasises the importance of CRM which means building a strong relationship with organisations and premium clients, often including foreign business travellers coming to Thailand from China and other countries around Asia.

As the first business in Thailand, World Reward Solutions uses a digital solution to look after customers with a specially created platform which can analyse client demands to custom-design a set of services.

This includes creating reward and loyalty programme solutions which match the purpose of the organisation all while setting it apart from other service providers in the market.

The website offers marketing materials to provide customers with greater accessibility, including a dedicated Thai sales and marketing team.

“We see a great opportunity within Thailand for our products. We’ve been bolstered by impressive year-on-year growth rates within the country on average and with our new, localised website, we’re predicting a further leap in revenue this year,” said Mike Chen, marketing director of Synology.

Driven by the storage demand from the Thai market, Synology’s sales have grown by an average of 20 per cent each year since 2015. Synology predicts a further revenue increase of 50 per cent within Thailand for 2018.

It would boost growth in tourism in Phuket by over Bt30 billion. It is targeting “rich Asian millennials”, “European high spenders” and “bluxury” with “super magnets”. It also wants to create a conference hub.

Wallaya Chirathivat, a deputy CEO of CPN, said: “CPN sees the strength of Phuket as a city that represents Thailand in welcoming tourists from all over the world and it is expected that in the next few years, the number of tourists will reach 20 million. Therefore, we have created our new luxury flagship brand, Central Phuket, with project investment worth Bt20 billion, applying the strategy of world elite tourism with Bt3 billion to meet the needs of tourists who are currently influencing global trends and are considered ‘quality tourists’.

“We believe that Central Phuket will become a world-class destination and help to boost the number of quality tourists and their spending in Thailand’s tourism industry, pushing growth in both the economy and tourism of Phuket, creating a circular economy throughout the province with over Bt30 billion in cash flow per year through the shopping centre, convention hall, hotel, attractions and logistics system, providing a stable and sustainable income for the country,” Wallaya added.

“The target groups for the shopping centre are rich East Asian millennials such as from China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. They are of working age and are likely to have rapid growth in income and become successful at a young age.

“Asian millennials account for 60 per cent of millennials in the world. Currently, there is a population of 70 million millennials in the world aged 20-35 years old who are willing to spend money on travel, purchase a different lifestyle experience, prefer to be noticeable and love to shop for well-known brands.

“European high spenders from Russia, Germany and the UK focus on long stays and are fond of Thai products and souvenirs as well as Thai culture and “Bluxury [business luxury] are people who travel for meetings, seminars or incentive trips. They generate a high income, enjoy a premium stay and may travel on their own or with their family.

“They tend to extend their stays for leisure in addition to business purposes. These three groups are considered trend leaders for world tourism for the next few years and they will help to push the global tourism industry towards major growth, ” Wallaya said.

The news comes on the heels of the International Monetary Fund’s recent global economic outlook that anticipates Asia maintaining its robust performance with growth at 6.5 per cent in 2018-2019, as well the strong growth of public and private investments in Thai infrastructure as the economy develops into the innovation-based Thailand 4.0.

“The global economy is now a much bigger playing field and far less hierarchical than in the past,” said Ross McCullough, President, UPS Asia Pacific Region. “Shifting geopolitical forces, free trade agreements and a surge in connectivity through new technologies and physical infrastructure have allowed businesses from practically every market, including those in Asia, to take their products and services to customers anywhere in the world.

“By making investments in our Smart Logistics Network in Asia, we aim to lay the foundation for more Asian businesses to expand their reach internationally, especially to other markets within our region as increased intra-Asia trade offers a buffer against headwinds from global trade and policy uncertainties.”

“Thailand,” added Russell Reed, Managing Director, UPS Thailand, “is currently seeing major public and private investments in infrastructure as the country’s economy develops from a manufacturing to a value-based innovation economy, deemed Thailand 4.0. Our latest round of service enhancements in Thailand are geared towards complementing and bolstering these investments, and helping local businesses to make the most of this growth.

“In particular, we’ve extended pick-up and cut-off times by up to seven hours, giving our customers more time each day to fulfil orders, which is vital for businesses in time-sensitive industries like hi-tech and automotive manufacturing.

“As the government works to propel Thailand forward as a global logistics and innovation hub, UPS will continue to expand our services and offering so that we can serve our customers’ diverse logistics needs and support their international growth.”

In the past 12 months, UPS has made a swathe of investments in Asia, including service expansions across thousands of postal codes throughout China, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, in addition to forming a new joint venture with China’s market leading express delivery firm, SF Express, to expand its reach across China.

UPS was established in Asia Pacific 30 years ago, and in this time, the company has grown to service more than 40 countries and territories in the region and employ more than 13,000 staff.

Its Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong hubs today handle 36,000 shipments per hour, delivered by 192 dedicated intra-Asia weekly flights that connect manufacturers, buyers and sellers along Asia’s supply chains.

The move is expected to enlarge the two firms’ coverage to all major cities in Thailand using the “One to Many” approach to manage communication in small or large groups.

The system employs unique encryption to ensure security. The two companies are confident that the expansion would add at least 200,000 customers by the end of 2019.

“CAT is currently expanding DTRS on the 800MHz frequency,” said Sa-ngob Sangkhachinda, Executive Vice President (Wireless Operation) of CAT. “The company received the concession to operate on the frequency from the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission. CAT is the sole operator of the frequency.

“The company recently has joined hands with SISC Consortium of Samart Digital to expand the DTRS network to increase to coverage to most of Thailand.

“DTRS is capable of spreading information among the users with the same group or among different groups. This technology enables users from various groups to receive the same information immediately and simultaneously.”

DTRS gives users the ability to manually select their preferred channel and encryption to increase security.

DTRS can also be used as a mean of communication during emergency situations. The radio devices are durable. Some of the models are made of anti-spark materials, suitable for field works or in the petrochemical industry, which demand a reliable and safe communication system.

DTRS has an integrated GPS to locate the device’s position and determine its real time speed. A DTRS device features the “Man Down” system, which helps assess environmental risks.

DTRS users with CAT services are mostly in the East and the Central regions and include petrochemical factories, refineries, logistics companies, disaster prevention and mitigation units, Buriram Stadium, and various rental clients.

After CAT expands its network, it plans to also expand DTRS coverage. CAT is expected to offer its services to governmental units, state enterprises, private companies, factories in the industrial sector, various business firms such as logistics companies, industrial estates, hospitals, rescue centres and security firms.

CAT is confident that the demand for DTRS services will remain strong among these agencies.

Sa-ngob said the joint venture with SISC Consortium would accelerate the expansion of the system and the move can be done swiftly by installing equipment compatible with the existing network.

Cycle & Carriage is an authorised importer and distributor of Mercedes-Benz and Mazda cars, as well as Fuso Trucks, and has six properties across Yangon and Mandalay.

Cycle & Carriage Myanmar will be using SiamCarDeal’s LMS (Lead Management System) for all of its sites. The system will help them improve their efficiency in prospecting customers and run targeted rmarketing campaigns, which they hope will lead to an increase in sales. Mr. Charles Cambournac, Head of Operations for Cycle & Carriage Myanmar said: “SiamCarDeal’s software enables our sales consultants to have a thorough follow-up with our customers and to increase our local conversion rate, while giving management real-time visibility on the overall sales performance of the company.”

Founded in 1899 in Kuala Lumpur, a member of the Jardine Cycle & Carriage Group, Cycle & Carriage is now a leading regional automotive group in Southeast Asia with a strong presence in Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar.

With the transition, the company expects to double its annual sales to about Bt50 billion in total in the next five years.

The company also introduced its new concept for modern home department stores in a bid to meet what it describes as consumers’ new lifestyles in the era of Thailand 4.0.

CRC Thai Watsadu expects to achieve total sales at Bt25 billion this year. In addition to baan & BEYOND, which is positioned more in the premium segment, the company also operates Thai Watsadu stores targeting homeowners, homebuilders and contractors as well as retail shops that resell its products to end-users. The company operates 45 Thai Watsadu stores in Thailand.

Suthisarn Chirathivat, chief executive officer of CRC Thai Watsadu Ltd, said that the key reason for the brand transition is to serve changing consumer behaviour.

Consumers now demand a greater variety of choices in home improvement products and services with expectation for quick responses.

Suthisarn said these factors prompted the company to transform HomeWorks into baan & BEYOND, which it is promoting as a new brand with a variety of products and services at affordable prices.

He said that under the change, three existing HomeWorks branches at Ratchapruek and Rattanathibeth in Bangkok, as well as in South Pattaya, had been already changed into baan & BEYOND outlets. Another HomeWorks store in Phuket will be transformed into a baan & BEYOND store by November. This will take the total number of baan & BEYOND stores to six, including the existing outlets in Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen, which have been operating since 2013. About Bt200 million will be invested in the rebranding process and activities.

20 stores

“We also plan to have about 20 baan & BEYOND stores in total over the next five years,” Suthisarn |said.

Suthisarn said that the overall construction materials and home decoration market is expected to grow 3.6 per cent this year to about Bt200 billion, driven by various encouraging factors. The country’s economy is expected to continue recovering, with 4.8 per cent growth in gross domestic product projected for this year.

Suthisarn pointed to the stimulus effect from big investments by the public sector, especially in mega-infrastructure projects. Rapid urban expansion is another factor boosting household income and this had led to a growing number of housing units built over the past decade. The target home owners have changed to younger and smaller families, especially in Bangkok, business-focused cities, tourist destinations and the industrial cities in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).

The consumer behaviour trend in Thailand is also changing, with the greater demand for a variety of choices in home improvement products and services with quick responses.

Suthisarn said that with Thailand becoming an ageing society, seniors have purchasing power with more need for convenience. With the rapid changes in technologies, consumers expect faster delivery of products, services and information with a quick response time of 24 hours. Social media is a key tool in their purchasing decisions, he said.

“Our key challenge is serving the constantly changing consumer behaviour that has been influenced by disruptive technologies,” he said.

“To cope with the challenges, apart from new service innovations like vFIX and the best omni-channel experience, we need great people with a great service, which is our key strategy to overcome such challenges,” said Suthisarn.

He said baan & BEYOND provides a broad range of construction materials, home finishing, home repair and maintenance products. “It offers home lovers new shopping experiences that go beyond expectations, meeting all customers’ needs with a good variety of products and good value for money,” said Suthisarn.

“In addition, the baan & BEYOND stores provide a solution for home problems allowing customers to get home improvement and repair assistance via the vFIX application or by calling the contact centre on 1308. Also, based on the omni-channel feature, customers can enjoy online shopping around the clock.”