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McCann appointed to handle marketing for five Kasikornbank units
Kasikornbank has appointed McCann Worldgroup Thailand to handle its marketing and communications.
Monica White, chief executive officer of the McCann unit, said that under this agreement, McCann Worldgroup would handle retail, SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) and corporate business for five of KBank’s companies: Kasikorn Asset Management, Kasikorn Research Centre, Kasikorn Securities, Kasikorn Leasing, and Kasikorn Factory and Equipment.
Established in 1945, KBank is now the fourth largest commercial bank in Thailand, with over 877 branches across the country and nine overseas offices.
Income growth creates opportunities for Thai F&B firms in region: analyst
The global food and beverage industry is expanding, with a current value of more than US$6.5 trillion (nearly Bt200 trillion), accounting for at least 8 per cent of world gross domestic product, said Chotika Chummee, senior analyst at Siam Commercial Bank’s Economic Intelligence Centre.
In particular, urbanisation in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries and Asean – which is outpacing that in developed countries – is a main driving force in the expansion of the instant-food market.
In Asean, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam are potential targets in this market for Thai firms because of their similar consumption behaviour, high growth rate of per-capita income and greater urbanisation, she said.
Indonesia is Thailand’s current main market with prospective growth for food and beverage exports. Its 15-per-cent income growth per capita creates an opportunity for Thai food and agriculture exporters, who are strong in terms of qualities and productivity, Chotika said.
British Airways, Bangkok Airways in code-sharing deals for 3 Thai destinations
From 11 June, British Airways (BA)’s customers will be able to fly to the popular Thai holiday spots of Phuket, Koh Samui and Chiang Mai thanks to a new agreement between the airline and Bangkok Airways.
The code-share arrangement between the two airlines means that BA customers will be able to book flights, via Bangkok, to these tourist destinations in one seamless transaction on ba.com. There will also be a code-share service with Bangkok Airways from Singapore to Koh Samui.
British Airways flies daily to Bangkok and twice daily to Singapore. The Bangkok service will be moving from London’s Heathrow Terminal 3 to Terminal 5 from October. Terminal 5 was recently awarded “best in the world” status by Skytrax.
Bangkok Airways now serves a network of 20 destinations with a fleet of 22 aircraft.
Peter Wiesner, Bangkok Airways senior vice president for network management, said: “This new partnership will offer smooth transit for passengers travelling from long-haul routes with British Airways to Bangkok and Singapore for their onward journey to Thailand’s key destinations, namely Samui, Phuket and Chiang Mai.
DHL Express sets up service point on Khao San Rd
DHL Express, an express-services provider, has launched a new service point on Khao San Rd in Bangkok.
This new facility is part of a Bt180-million investment announced earlier this year to boost the company’s capabilities and expand its retail footprint in Thailand. Complementing the other 38 DHL service points across the nation, the latest addition reinforces DHL’s commitment to delivering service excellence, speed and reliability to customers, the firm said.
Power consumption grows less
Electricity consumption in the Bangkok metropolitan area is expected to grow by 2 per cent this year instead of 3.5 per cent as predicted earlier. Power demand in the past five months rose only 1.7 per cent year on year to 8.59 gigawatts, because of the slowing economy and electricity-saving campaign in April.
Arthorn Sinsawasdi, governor of the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, said yesterday that the utility’s power-transmission system was stable, so the chances of the metro area suffering a blackout like the recent one in 14 southern provinces were slim.
Millcon eyes profit jump
Millcon Steel Industries aims for income growth of 10-15 per cent to Bt16.6 billion thanks to the elevated-rail project in Greater Bangkok, public infrastructure development and an increase by 7-8 per cent in overall steel consumption.
The company also targets its gross margin swelling from 5 per cent to 8 per cent after its green mill project achieves full capacity in commercial steel production this year, Sittichai Leeswadtrakul, managing director and CEO, said yesterday.
Insurer aims high after Q1 result
Navakij Insurance expects a bright future after scoring a Bt104-million profit in the first quarter and a 234-per-cent growth rate.
The latter half of this year will see constant expansion with new insurance policies and services responding to customer needs, managing director Pitipong Phisanbut said yesterday.
Profit last year increased 116.89 per cent to Bt200.79 million on a rise in income of Bt46.88 million and decrease in expenses of Bt153.91 million. Profit from investment reached Bt10.57 million.
AXA Insurance will welcome new managing director Martin Rueegg on July 1, replacing Kheedhej Anansiriprapha, who retired after 17 years of service including nine years as managing director.
