Targets 500 stores by 2012
Watsons Taiwan today celebrates its another landmark store opened in Taipei's XiMen area, marking an important milestone of the Company's continuous innovation in upgrading shopping environment aspiring to exceed customers' expectation.
Watsons Taiwan plans to open 30 new stores and upgrade another 220 with estimated NT$500 million capital investments during 2010. Watsons Taiwan also proposes to invest additional NT$200 million in system up-gradation and technology to be able to serve the customer better. With clear focus on innovation and customer's shopping experience, Watsons Taiwan will maintain its leadership position in health and beauty retail in the market with over 430 stores next year.
AS Watson Group (ASW) today celebrated the opening of its 500th Watsons store in Mainland China, marking an important milestone of the Company's plan to reach 1,000 stores in the Mainland and to exceed 10,000 stores worldwide within the coming two years.
ASW is the world's largest international health and beauty retailer, currently with a portfolio of 8,600 stores across 34 markets in Asia and Europe. Its luxury perfumeries and cosmetics retail division is also the leading operator in Europe.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the symbolic store located at Mall 818 in Shanghai, Group Managing Director Mr Dominic Lai said, "Despite the global economic recession, we managed to maintain our growth momentum while having tight control on costs. In the first six months of this year, we achieved a like-for-like positive sales growth of 4% in a market context which remains challenging, especially in some parts of Europe. I am pleased to see that in many places, our growth rate exceeds that of the market."
Watsons, Thailand's no.1 health and beauty retailer, has been awarded Superbrand Status 2008 – 2009 by the Thailand Superbrands Council. The award is the recognition for Watsons' strong brand quality, affinity, and leadership in the industry. Mr. Toby Anderson, Managing Director of Watsons Thailand attended Superbrands Thailand Tribute Event to receive the Superbrands Trophy.
About Watsons
Watsons, the No.1 health and beauty retailer in Thailand was launched in Thailand in 1996 with the first store located at the Maneeya Center building. Watsons is the country's leading health & beauty store currently with over 150 stores offering products from consumer goods to health & beauty products. Watsons continually aims to offer top quality products combined with value for money as well as providing high-standard service to every customer. Watsons is a subsidiary of the AS Watson Group, the world's largest health and beauty retailer with over 8,400 stores in 34 markets.
On 6 August, Kruidvat will be opening its fully refurbished store at Gildenburg 13 in Gouda. The new store offers customers all the usual benefits in a modern and extremely accessible shopping environment. The well organised and logical presentation means that customers can easily navigate around the store. The store belongs to the new generation of Kruidvat stores, with which the drug-store chain wishes to further distinguish itself within the Health & Beauty market. The refurbished store concept will be expanded to all Kruidvat stores.
Store manager Pleuny de Groot is very proud of her new store. "The customer is the central point in the refurbished Kruidvat store format. The stores are very well organised and accessible and, of course, offer the familiar benefits and surprising offers that customers have come to expect from us. Just as before, they can come to Kruidvat for a surprising and affordable range but this is now in a fully refurbished and modernised store environment. Perception, appearance and accessibility are central to this. We would likely to warmly invite everyone to come and have a look at our new store!"
Surprising, value-for-money and accessible
Watsons Your Personal Store, No.1 health and beauty retailer in Thailand, is introducing Watsons Membership Card which is the biggest campaign of the year bringing enhanced, tailor made benefits to its customers. Watsons Membership Card gives exclusive access to the best health, wellness and beauty services with special price offers, reward point redemption as discounts as well as other special privileges through collaboration with L'Oréal, Unilever, P&G, Biersdorf, Johnson & Johnson, Elca, Blackmores, Proactiv and Phyathai Hospital. Watsons has invested over 50 million baht in this customer loyalty programme and expects to gain 300,000 members by the end of 2009. It has also prepared 360 degrees communications activities to promote the card among Thai consumers and accelerate member subscription.
Toby Anderson, Managing Director of Central Watson Co., Ltd. said, "In order to further enhance the personal shopping experience, Watsons is offering the Watsons Membership Card which will serve as the passport to the best health, wellness and beauty services with reward points, attractive price offers, and other special privileges for members in order to create good value for money. The programme is part of Your Personal Store concept that values customers as the priority. We try to offer the best and most trusted products with personalized professional service for our customers to make sure they feel great and have fun shopping at Watsons."
Featuring Kay Tse as the First Brand Ambassador
Watsons Your Personal Store (Watsons), Asia's leading health & beauty retailer, believes your body deserves the most delicate care. To remind everyone to "Love Your Body" and allow customers to experience the full benefits of our brands, Watsons has officially appointed Hong Kong pop queen Kay Tse to be the first brand ambassador in Hong Kong.
To officially kick-off the new branding campaign, Watsons will unveil a new television commercial entitled "Love Your Body" on 26th June, 2009 (Friday). It features Kay enjoying life through a healthy lifestyle. Kay immersed herself in the gentle background music of the commercial to create a charming and relaxed feeling. The commercial reveals amazing fun facts about the human body, for example: the skin renews itself every 27 days; hair lengthens from 6 to 12 inches every year; a woman blinks twice more than a man; kissing for one minute consumes 26 calories; everyone walks the equivalent of twice the diameter of the earth during lifetime. Amazing facts like these arouse people's interest and encourage consumers to take good care of their bodies. A series of promotion will be rolled out following the launch of the commercial, including bus ads, online ads, ads in local newspapers and in-store promotional displays.
Modern, contemporary, refreshing and totally in line with the core values that Kruidvat wants to portray. Today the Netherlands' largest chain of chemist shops has reaffirmed its distinctiveness with the official launch of its new logo. Through the introduction of a recognisable and eye-catching trade mark, Kruidvat wishes to distinguish itself even more strongly in the Dutch Health & Beauty market. Furthermore, the new logo is totally in line with Kruidvat's updated retail formula.
Through the launch of the new logo, Kruidvat is able to officially present itself in a recognisable manner. Unlike the old logo, which was developed in 1980 and since then has only undergone a few small modifications, this time not only the whole brand name has been opted for in the logo, but also a trade mark that can be used separately. The 'K' for Kruidvat is incorporated in a subtle and creative manner in the new logo. "We have succeeded in creating a recognisable and contemporary symbol to be used in all of our communication that also fits in perfectly with our updated retail formula. In this new concept, as was the case previously, customers can go to Kruidvat for a surprising and competitive range, but in a fully updated and modernised retail environment. Perception, appearance and accessibility are the main considerations here. Those starting points have been translated into this new trade mark, of which we are, of course, particularly proud", said Gerard van Breen, General Director of Kruidvat.
Today, in the presence of the entire Kruidvat management board, Kruidvat's new logo was festively unveiled by actress and the SBS TV station presenter Ellemieke Vermolen, at the Kruidvat shop in the "De Kwinkelier" shopping centre in Bilthoven.
Donation to Homes for Hope Aims to Spread out the Happiness
It's that time of year again to enjoy some Easter treats and traditions, and there's no better place to experience it than GREAT Food Hall. During this year's promotion taking place between March 27 and April 14, 2009, there are over 160 new Easter indulgences imported globally in addition to fun-filled, in-store activities geared towards children. As a socially responsible company, GREAT will make donation to South China Morning Post Homes for Hope during the Easter promotion to add meaning to everyone's holidays.
To share the happiness and goodwill of Easter with the suffering survivors of the Sichuan earthquake, GREAT will donate HK$1 to SCMP Homes for Hope for every purchase of selected Easter goods (labelled with Homes for Hope logo) in store. The more you donate, the more GREAT is giving to those in need. GREAT will also place donation boxes between 27 March and 30 April. The entire proceeds will be donated to SCMP Homes for Hope to help Sichuan quake survivors rebuild their shattered homes. During this period, a cheque was ceremonially presented to the organisation to kick off this initiative and encourage the public to support this meaningful cause.
