At A Glance

The Pizza Company, a subsidiary of the Minor Food Group, has taken on the co-sponsorship of the “Optimist World Championship” sailboat-racing event as part of the company’s efforts for human-resource development and to support youth and local communities. 
The event will be held from July 11-21 at |the Royal Varuna Yacht Club (RVYC) near Pattaya.
The international race is organised by the RVYC and the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand in conjunction with the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) with support from the Sports Authority of Thailand. IODA member countries including Thailand will send their most talented sailors to race as national representatives.
The Optimist dinghy has been recognised as an ideal boat for introducing young children to the sport of sailing. The objective of the class is to provide an affordable racing boat for young people. More than 85 per cent of all sailors who participated in the Olympics |sailed in Optimist dinghies when they were young.
John Heinecke, chief operating officer of the Minor Food Group, said: “We are pleased to support the Optimist World Championship 2017 as we strongly believe that this event will provide opportunities for our children and young sailors in Thailand to learn and gain great experience on the world stage. 
“It is our company’s vision for sustainability in the focus area of people development, and also in supporting youth and local communities, which the business serves.”
Thomas Whitcraft, president of the Optimist World Championship 2017, said: “We would like to thank The Pizza Company for [its] great support, and we look forward to working jointly to further boost the growth of the sailing sport in Thailand |as well as to promote Thailand as a world-class sailing destination for both yachts and dinghies.”

Iflix partners with Lazada for discounts

iflix, an Internet TV service focused on emerging markets, has entered into a partnership with Southeast Asian e-commerce platform Lazada.
From Wednesday, buyers of a smart TV on Lazada’s website will receive unlimited access to iflix’s library of thousands of first-run shows, TV series and movies as well as popular local and regional content and children’s programmes, courtesy of Lazada. 
Each smart TV unit purchased on the Lazada website is eligible for one six-month iflix subscription, valued at Bt600. 
Lazada customers can receive special prices on popular brands such as Samsung and LG starting at Bt11,790. 
“We are thrilled to be chosen as Lazada’s partner to deliver the best of entertainment to its customers across Thailand,” said Atima Suraphongchai, marketing head of iflix Thailand.
 “The collaboration further extends iflix’s extraordinary viewing experience to home users as Thais enjoy an even more |exceptional viewing experience with HD |video and greatly improved audio quality on iflix.”
Bertrand Peyrat, chief commercial officer for Lazada Thailand, said Lazada was committed to providing ab exceptional shopping experience and value-added services to its customers. 
“We are pleased to partner with iflix, Asia’s fastest growing media brand, to bring greater value to our customers by giving them access to iflix’s world-class service.”

CP-Meiji funds effort to help cancer sufferers

CP-Meiji, a producer of pasteurised milk and yoghurt, aims to raise awareness on the importance of gut health.
The company is investing Bt50 million in the second half of this year to promote a donation campaign, helping patients suffering from colon cancer. It is also launching an event called “The More You Know, The More You Love Good Bacteria by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt” to build awareness of gut health. 
The company aims to boosting brand awareness by up to 80 per cent, targeting a 20-per-cent increase in sales this year. 
Salilrut Pongpanite, vice president of marketing at CP-Meiji Co, said Meiji Bulgaria has always focused on being a natural yogurt, containing LB81 from Bulgaria with no additives.
Meiji’s strategy is to further penetrate the market in the second half of 2017, and enhance the image of Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt as a healthy product. According to statistics in 2015, colon cancer ranks third and second in the most common diseases diagnosed in women and men. Most patients are diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. 
Each year sees 11,000 patients, of whom 6,845 die from the disease, accounting for 16-17 people per day on average.

Toyota Tsusho holds event to mark 60 years

Toyota Tsusho (Thailand) Co is celebrating its 60th anniversary with the Toyotsu Japan Festival.
For 60 years, the company has been importing heavy equipment such as tractors and forklifts, and supply chain management. 
Its revenue is 80 per cent from automobile products and 20 per cent from non-auto products. 
The management team consists of president Kiyoyoshi Ohba and Anujtha Jaovisidha, general manager for accounting and finance.
In line with its anticipated growth, the company is preparing to expand into the consumer product business with a focus on products that are either imported from Japan or manufactured by Toyota Tsusho (Thailand).
During the promotion, the company will exhibit lifestyle products from Japan and involve well over 100 shops loaded with leading Japanese brands. 
The lifestyle consumer products include Nishikawa mattresses, Sugahara glassware, 10 Mois organic products for babies, Wa Theater organic fruits and Tachikichi ceramics. 
It will be the first festival bringing a variety of lifestyle items into one place – including consumer products, fashions, tourism, pillows and mattresses for good health, and influenza detection devices. 
These quality lifestyle products correspond to the needs of both Thai consumers and Japanese expats. 
It’s anticipated that this festival would generate sales of Bt30 million-Bt40 million.

Grandhome to invest Bt1 bn in Bangkok store

Grandhome, which sells tiles, bathroom-ware, kitchenware and home decor items from around the world, plans to invest Bt1 billion to build a store in eastern Bangkok.
Grandhome Bangna says it aims to become a hub for construction materials, expanding across 25 rai of land on Bangna-Trat Road. 
With 37 years’ experience in the business, the company expects to see 10-per-cent growth this year.
Peerapon Thayanuwat, executive vice president for business development of Grand Home Mart Co, said the real estate industry continues to grow thanks to the expansion of home and condominium projects, especially following the expansion of the Skytrain line. 
The prices of condos in Bangna have increased as a result. Developers also focus more on offering the right size and design to meet the needs of their target buyers. 

dtac customers can dine out on discounts

Total Access Communication, or dtac, is offering customers discounts on the Suk-Nua menu at Bar B Q Plaza. 
The offer gives dtac reward customers cheaper prices for two sets: Suk-Nua-Lek at Bt379 (normally Bt399) and Suk-Nua-Yai at Bt579 (normally Bt599).
Suk-Nua is available only at the branches serving brass grill pans until July 16. 
It is limited to one privilege per number per month and a maximum of 49,000 privileges, worth Bt1 million, throughout the campaign.