Briefs

Thai Union Frozen Products is interested in buying Bumble Bee Foods from Lion Capital, said the Thai company’s chief executive.
In an interview with Krungthep Turakij, Thiraphong Chansiri, president and chief executive officer of TUF, confirmed the deep interest in the acquisition.
TUF is now the world’s largest producer of shelf-stable tuna products.
TUF and the Bolton Group were originally billed as the two front-runners to acquire Bumble Bee, a company that produces canned tuna, salmon, other seafood, and chicken. It is now headquartered in San Diego, California.
According to Undercurrent News, which covers the seafood business, Bolton Group yesterday denied interest in buying the US company.
Reuters has reported the Bumble Bee sale could be valued at as much as US$1.5 billion.
I
VIETNAM URGED TO ENHANCE AIR CONNECTIVITY
The International Air Transport Association has called on the Vietnamese government to work with the air-transport industry to strengthen the country’s economy through global air connectivity.
IATA identified three broad strategic areas to focus on – infrastructure, passenger experience and cargo.
“Vietnam is a dynamic and rapidly growing aviation market. The successful development of aviation will pay big dividends to the Vietnamese economy. It must be treated as a strategic asset and handled correctly,” CEO Tony Tyler said in his keynote address at the Vietnam Aviation Day organised by IATA and Vietnam Airlines recently.
Aviation contributes US$6 billion (Bt192 billion) to Vietnam’s GDP and supports more than 230,000 jobs.

OCBC IN TALKS WITH TCC  ON SALE OF STAKE
Singapore’s Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation and its insurance arm are in exclusive talks with a company controlled by Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi to sell their stake in United Engineers, according to Reuters.
OCBC and related companies own 36 per cent of United Engineers, valuing their stake at US$514 million (Bt16.4 billion) at the stock’s current price. News of the possible deal first broke last week.
A potential sale would also trigger a takeover offer for United Engineers, which has a market value of about $1.4 billion.

LOGISTICS FAIR IN SEPTEMBER
The International Trade Promotion Department in collaboration with the public and private sectors will hold the 11th “Thailand International Logistics Fair” next month.
This is one of the biggest fairs promoting the country’s logistics capabilities, driving enterprises to reach their full business potential and building up a business network in order to be ready for growing competition under Asean trade liberalisation.
Nuntawan Sakuntanaga, director-general of the department, said yesterday that with seamless Asean trade commencing next year, the department and companies had realised the importance of developing logistics efficiency to retain Thai exports’ competitive advantages.
The event will run under the concept of “Asean+6 Logistic Connectivity” from September 24-27 at Bitec in Bang Na. It will offer logistics operators a great opportunity to present their innovations, products and services to local and international manufacturers and business owners.
 

L’OREAL SEES STRONG GROWTH
L’Oreal (Thailand), the country’s No 2 beauty company, has strengthened its leadership in facial skincare, growing three times faster than the competition during the first half of the year, and is training its sights on makeup as the next market to conquer.
At Bt35.7 billion, Thailand’s skincare market is the biggest in Asean. The mass facial skincare market represents 68 per cent of the overall skincare market and is growing at 4 per cent. L’Oreal had a growth of 12 per cent during the first half.
Thailand’s Bt12.3-billion makeup market is also the biggest in Asean. The mass makeup market represents 16 per cent of the total beauty market and is growing at 7 per cent, while L’Oreal is growing at 11 per cent and is the leader in all categories in the modern trade.

M CARD ANNIVERSARY DRIVE
The Mall, Emporium and Paragon department stores are celebrating M Card’s fifth anniversary with a grand campaign from today to September 7, rewarding members with shopping, dining and travel perks.
The Mall Group sees M Card as a vital marketing tool that will boost sales at its department stores during the recovering economy.
Speaking about the “M Card 5th Anniversary” campaign, senior vice president Chamnarn Maytapreechakul said the current state of the economy required a push in consumer spending and incentives.
Customer relationship marketing through M Card is an important tool to reach loyal customers who have high purchasing power, and creating good relations with customers is quality marketing that generates results, he said.
There are currently some 2.5 million M Card members, with 75 per cent of them active.

SIGNOR SASSI MOVE
Signor Sassi Bangkok, the London-based Italian restaurant will relocate from Anantara Bangkok Sathorn to Siam Paragon Shopping Complex in September. The new venue makes the restaurant more easily accessible by public transportation, including BTS.
The Bangkok Signor Sassi restaurant – the third international franchise outlet outside of the United Kingdom and its first in Asia – has a two-level layout that can accommodate more than 100 guests. With an “open kitchen” concept in the middle of the restaurant, guests can see how each of their favourite dishes is prepared.

HEINEKEN-SUKIE PARTNERSHIP
Heineken posted a year on year growth of 12 per cent in the first six months of this year, while Thailand’s overall beer market dropped by 5 per cent and by 9 per cent for premium beer segment, according to Thai Asia Pacific Breweries, the brewer and distributor of Heineken in Thailand.
The company announced Heineken’s music marketing strategy for the second half of 2014. The new strategy will be based on a partnership with Thai music industry legend Sukie and involve the creation of a totally original Thai electronic dance music (EDM) sound. By staking out the most exciting area in contemporary music today, Heineken is aiming to expand its consumer base among young adults who follow the latest trends in music and entertainment.