Planet Retail 11 Aug 2008

As reported in the Indonesian press, approximately 100 vendors were protesting against the opening of a Carrefour store in Jakarta's Blok M shopping area at the beginning of August. The vendors trade in a traditional market area around the new Carrefour outlet. The protestors state that Carrefour should not have been given permission to open a store within 2.5km of a traditional market area under a law passed in 2002.

CHICAGO (June 2, 2008) - Vietnam has ended India's three-year reign as the most attractive emerging market destination for retail investment according to the seventh annual Global Retail Development IndexTM (GRDI), a study of retail investment attractiveness among 30 emerging markets conducted by management consulting firm A.T. Kearney.

The Guardian, April 18 2008

Tesco in Thailand is suing a second columnist from a Bangkok business newspaper for £1.6m in libel damages. Both had criticised Tesco Lotus's "aggressive" expansion in Thailand, saying it had come at the expense of small retailers who could not compete with company's 370 superstores and hypermarkets across the country. They also said the company had sought to minimise its Thai tax liabilities.

Thanh Nien News March 22, 2008 
 
A Thai company believes it can take advantage of an emerging consumer trend in Vietnam - supermarket shopping. 

Planet Retail 8 Feb 2008

According to reports in the Japanese press, AEON is accelerating the pace of its store network expansion in Asia, planning to more than triple the number of outlets in neighbouring countries from 54 to around 190 in the three years ending February 28th 2011. In China, the company is aming to open an average of around 18 superstores and around 10 supermarkets annually over the period. In Malaysia, AEON is planning to add about 37 stores, of which 25 are expected to be hypermarkets. In Thailand, AEON plans to extend its store network to 25 sites from 8 at present. In addition, AEON has reportedly launched feasibility studies in Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:14am (Mla time) 02/02/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- Exports of agricultural products rose 13.8 percent to $3.63 billion in the January-November period from $3.19 billion in the same period in 2006, data from the Department of Agriculture showed.

By Amy R. Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 07:30pm (Mla time) 02/03/2008

MANILA, Philippines--MANGO PRODUCTION IS EXPECTED to drop 20 percent this year to 800,000 due to the adverse effects of global warming and rising production costs.

The Nation January 9, 2008. Article by Petchanet Pratruangkrai

Due to aggressive expansion by Western retailers, Asian countries should set up specific retail and wholesale business laws to ensure a fair and level playing field between retail giants and small stores, Asian business experts said yesterday.

The Nation January 5, 2008

Yangyong Phuangrach, director-general of Internal Trade Department department, said that the ministry had received many complaints from manufacturers of plastic products and vegetable oil about unfair fees and regulations imposed by supermarkets. "The department will act as a middleman to create fair regulations for suppliers and supermarkets as both sides are unable to agree an acceptable compromise," he said.

Planet Retail 4 Jan 2008

In Indonesia a new presidential regulation is imposing restrictions on foreign retailers allowing them to operate only in the hypermarket sector in order to protect the local retail industry. Under the law, foreign retailers are not allowed to operate supermarkets with floor space of less than 1,200 square metres and department stores with floor space of less than 2,000 square metres.