Retailers gear up for double bill of Chinese New Year and Valentine's

Robinson Department Store is celebrating the Year of the Goat by offering prizes for shoppers, collaborating with two partners, Kasikornbank and Prima Gold, for a lucky draw. 

Shoppers can win many gifts, including a one-kilogram golden goat, said Ton Chirathivat, vice president for marketing at Robinson.

During this big campaign, which will run until February 22 at all Robinson Department Store branches, shoppers can also enjoy discounts of up to 30 per cent. 

For every Bt1,000 on their purchase receipt, they will enjoy an additional discount of 5 per cent as well as a lucky-draw coupon. 

The top prize is a 99.9-per-cent-gold goat weighing 1kg, with other golden ornaments also on offer worth more than Bt4 million in total. 

Holders of “The 1 Card” can redeem a Teddy House exclusively at Robinson for only Bt95.Central Pattana (CPN), in cooperation with Thai Life Insurance, Pandora, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, has invested more than Bt130 million in its Chinese New Year campaign. Shoppers can win a trip to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in China’s Hunan province, where the film “Avatar 2” is being shot.

The campaign will be held from February 12 to March 5 at all 25 of CPN’s shopping malls throughout the Kingdom, comprising CentralPlaza and Central Festival. 

Meanwhile, every branch of The Mall, The Emporium and Paragon Department Store are collaborating with Muang Thai Life Assurance, Bangkok Bank and Isuzu to hold a campaign celebrating both the Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day, with activities expected to result in sales of more than Bt2.2 billion.

Chamnarn Maytaprechakul, executive vice president of The Mall Group, said the Lunar New Year’s Day (February 19) would be quite close to Valentine’s Day on February 14. 

The Lunar New Year is a time when Thais of Chinese descent traditionally like to spend a lot of money on one another. However, the occasion is not limited to ethnicity. 

Every gender and age will be able to celebrate Chinese New Year, so that it is a time of increased consumer spending. 

“As such, we have combined the celebrations of Valentine’s Day and the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Wood Goat. ‘Goat’ in Chinese is tai yang, which also means ‘sun’, representing prosperity. Goats also represent the power of love, loyalty and leadership, as one male goat leads many females. 

“For this campaign, The Mall Group has invested about Bt100 million on marketing activities to celebrate this important event,” Chamnarn said.

 “This year will be a good one for business if it gets off to a good start. 

“The Mall Group saw 6-per-cent [sales] growth year on year in January. As such, I believe that Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day will see at least Bt2.2 billion in sales. 

“The opening of The M Quartier and the renovated Emporium are important magnets in Sukhumvit and will ensure the group’s sales increase by 6 per cent this year, up from Bt50 billion last year to Bt53 billion million,” he said.

Nonglak Lohamanop, general manager of corporate promotion at The Mall Group, said that this year, the company would collaborate with Muang Thai Life Assurance to celebrate a “Glorious Chinese New Year” between February 12 and 25. 

Muang Thai Smile Club members can redeem 20 “Smile Points” for a discount coupon worth Bt100 at The Mall, The Emporium and Paragon. On Chinese New Year’s Day itself (February 19), M Card members who spend Bt10,000 will also receive gift cards worth Bt888, and those who spend Bt100,000 will get Bt8,888 worth. Those customers will also have a chance to win a trip to Beijing, including airfare and a world-class hotel package at the Aman at Summer Palace. 

Duangta Phongwilai, group general manager for corporate marketing, said The Mall Group would adopt experiential marketing techniques to enable customers to experience the Chinese New Year culture. 

“We will focus on activities that offer the luck and colour of the Chinese New Year. Customers can wish for love as well at the shrine of deities to enhance their fortune for the Year of the Goat, the year of prosperity,” she said.

Big C’s Chinese New Year offers special price on 5,000 items and 2 million ang pao (red envelopes) for Big Card members. 

“The importance of the Chinese New Year is that it is the first big shopping festival for Thai consumers,” 

 said Warunee Kitjaroenpoonsin, director of corporate affairs for Big C Supercenter. 

“Big C has prepared more than 5,000 SKUs |[stock-keeping units] of quality fresh food and |fruits, dry foods, decorative items, clothing, cleaning products, equipment and accessories to serve customers.” 

Big Card members who purchase Bt688 per bill at Big C Supercenter, Big C Extra, Big C Jumbo and Big C Market, or Bt100 at Big C Mini, will have the right to win a lucky ang pao with Big C vouchers worth more than Bt2 million in total. 

This campaign runs from now until February 24. Winners will be announced at all stores nationwide |and through facebook.com/bigcbigservice on March 24.

Siam Piwat Co, the owner and manager of Siam Paragon, Siam Center and Siam Discovery, together with KBank, will run the “Siam Chinese New Year 2015: The Glamorous Power” promotional campaign from February 12 to March 8. 

Shoppers can enjoy discounts of more than 70 per 

 cent discount from the leading brands at all three Bangkok malls the company operates. Furthermore, shoppers will receive ang pao to win special prizes worth more than Bt9 million in total.

“The first quarter of each year is considered the peak shopping season,” said Chanisa Kaewruen, Siam Piwat’s deputy managing director for marketing events and business relations.

 “Therefore, Siam Piwat spent Bt100 million this quarter on marketing activities and sales promotions to increase sales volume continuously from New Year’s Day and National Children’s Day to Valentine’s Day. 

“For this Chinese New Year [campaign], the company invested Bt30 million on special activities and promotions to attract shoppers. 

“The money spent by local and foreign shoppers will then generate income for several industries in the Thai economy, including fashion, accessories, gold, IT [information technology] gadgets and food products.”