The ceremony was attended by LGT’s chairman, HSH Prince Philipp von und zu Liechtenstein, and board member, HSH Prince Hubertus Alois von und zu Liechtenstein, as well as LGT Private Banking Asia’s CEO, Dr Henri Leimer. They were accompanied by Karn Karuhadej, managing director of Asia LGT Bank, and Ekkapob Makeguljai, CEO of LGT Thailand, who will head up the office.

The Business Line Scientific Instrumentation offers laboratory equipment and sector-specific services in industries such as pharma and cosmetics, as well as oil and gas. This growing market segment is attractive for DKSH as local manufacturers are increasingly facing higher quality requirements driven by the growing inner Asian trade. DKSH, with headquarters in Switzerland, helps these clients with tailored analysis instruments on-site or through services in DKSH’s own labs.

SPC was established in 1976 in Thailand and focuses on sales, marketing, application engineering and after-sales services for scientific instrumentation. The company works with more than 140 international clients and has a large customer portfolio in both the public and private sector.

In addition to the distribution of products such as general lab equipment and analytical instruments, SPC provides consumables and calibration services for scientific research and biotechnology for petrochemical, pharmaceutical, chemical, food and beverage and other industries.

SPC generates sales of around 50 million Swiss francs (Bt1.58 billion) and is highly profitable. The acquisition will be immediately earnings accretive for DKSH. SPC’s 430 specialists and management team will join DKSH.

Hanno Elbraechter, head of business unit technology at DKSH, said, “We are proud to acquire the leading player in scientific instrumentation. Their business lines are complementary to DKSH’s existing activities and perfectly fit into our business model for technology in Thailand. Our clients and customers will benefit greatly from a bigger portfolio, better market coverage and more value-added services. DKSH will become the market leader in analytical instrumentation in Thailand and accelerate sustainable profitable growth.”

The product contains no added sugar but delivers energy from milk and malt, senior executives, Victor Seah from Nestle Indochina and Chaiyong Sakulborrirug from Nestle (Thai) Ltd, told a press conference.

The product’s marketing concept, “No Sucrose, yet tasty and nutritious energy from milk and malt”, aims to attract mums seeking alternative healthier products for their children.

It’s a pioneering product that reflects the government’s public health policy of encouraging Thai people to consume an appropriate amount of sugar, the company says.

New MILO No Sucrose highlights the concept of “No Sucrose, yet tasty and nutritious energy from milk and malt” to attract modern moms who are looking for alternative healthier products for their children.

“As of today, Nestle has 48 SKUs with the Thai Healthier Choice Logo, and the company will continue to work with relevant authorities and stakeholders to do our part to support efforts to make Thailand a healthier nation,” Seah told the news conference announcing the product.

“Although the amount of sugar in our products has always met strict World Health Organisation guidelines, we understand the importance of sugar reduction. This is why we take a proactive approach to help individuals and families reduce their added-sugar intake through educational initiatives and by offering new choices to consumers.”

Operated by a 3,000-strong professional in-house delivery team, the company aims to increase delivery sales by at least 50 per cent by year-end and become Thailand’s preferred delivery brand.

“Minor Food is bringing a new level of everyday convenience to our customers through the 1112Delivery service,” said chief executive officer Paul Kenny.

“Customers can place orders via the application, website or call centre and our courier will deliver the food from our outlets directly to customers. We believe in providing customers with a highly convenient experience and 1112 Delivery allows them to order their favourite foods with only a few clicks.”

The application went into service on February 14, mainly in Greater Bangkok, and will expand by mid-year to Phuket, Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Nakhon Ratchasima and to people living near Minor’s 1,600 restaurants nationwide.

“In the 30 years since the company started delivery service, we have learned to understand our customers’ needs and challenges,” Kenny said. “We strive to exceed their expectations by not only providing better services and convenience through our multi-platform sales channels but also by expanding more outlets to cover as many locations possible.

“In 2018 total sales amounted to Bt44 billion from 2,270 restaurants in 27 countries and we are expecting average growth of 10 per cent in 2019 from new outlets, increasing customers and expanding delivery.”

An introductory promotion for 1112Delivery is “Buy 1 Get 1 Free” across all seven brands.

“Regarding our route expansion plan for 2019, we will continue to focus on expanding our network to cover the most important destinations throughout the CLMV region in order to support our passengers and our code-share partners,” Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, president of Bangkok Airways Plc, yesterday told a press conference.

The plan builds on successes from last year.

“In 2018, we had up to 30 flights per day from airports in Thailand to CLMV countries,” said Varong Israsena na Ayudhya, vice president of the Bangkok Airways sales department.

The airline plans to strengthen its presence at Chiang Mai Airport as a key transportation hub, and will add two new routes this year: Chiang Mai-Krabi and Chiang Mai-Luang Prabang. They will start running from March 31 and April 2 respectively, Puttipong said.

There will be three flights per week on the Chiang Mai-Krabi route starting March 31, with the flight frequency increasing to one flight daily from May 1. Meanwhile, there will be three flights per week on the Chiang Mai-Luang Prabang (Laos) route, according to the firm’s president.

This year, Bangkok Airways will also increase its flight frequency to popular destinations from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport), starting with the Bangkok-Danang (Vietnam) route, which will increase from seven flights per week to 14 flights starting March 1. As well, the Krabi-Bangkok route will see flights increased from 21 per week to 28 flights, starting from March 31, he added.

The Chiang Mai-Krabi flight will be one way, while the remainder of routes will offer two-way trips.

“Moreover, we will increase the number of our code-share partners. To date, Bangkok Airways is in partnership with 27 airlines around the world, including our latest partner, Philippines Airlines. In 2019, we expect to sign more agreements with two to three more carriers,” Puttipong said.

Apart from expanding flight routes, Bangkok Airways also plans to invest in new aircraft, airport extensions and IT system improvements.

“This year, the company has a total budget of Bt1.815 billion to purchase two ATR72-600 aircraft and aircraft spare parts,” Puttipong said.

The airline will also be adding an additional 20 aircraft to its roster over the next 10 years, he said, not revealing the investment budget needed.

“Newer aircraft have better technology that consumes less oil, lowering our costs in the long-run,” he told reporters.

“We will also renovate the Sukhothai and Trat airports as well as expand their runways, investing Bt958 million and Bt334 million, respectively,” he said, adding that the expansion and renovation are expected to be completed by 2020.

The airline also has IT projects, involving the improvement of passenger service systems and organisation development systems, with an investment budget of Bt193 million, Puttipong added.

In 2018, the company’s total revenue stood at Bt28.746 billion, with net profit at Bt249.26 million, down from last year’s net profit of Bt787.91 million, according from the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

Marketing president Prote Setsuwan said the airline’s strategy of targeting high potential markets in the CLMV region and launching various marketing campaigns through digital outlets, would likely reverse the negative trend seen last year, with positive results expected to show in the fourth quarter of this year.

In 2019, Bangkok Airways aims to increase its passenger numbers by 3 per cent, and revenue from passenger bookings by 3.5 per cent, said Puttipong.

“Passenger bookings make up 74 per cent of total revenue, with other revenue sources coming from the company’s other ventures such as the airport ground services and the catering business,” he said

The Government Savings Bank (GSB) aims to provide Bt5 billion in loans to about 50,000 street-food operators this year, the bank’s president and chief executive officer, Chatchai Phayuhanaveechai, said yesterday.

The easy access to credit will help street-food operators improve their business and reduce non-performing loans in the segment, he said.

According to the bank’s survey, the market value of street foods in the country is worth about Bt40 billion a year.