At A Glance

Power Mall is joining with more than 200 electronic and IT brands to hold the city's largest electronics fair at two locations in Sukhumvit Road. Investing Bt120 million into the campaign, Power Mall is presenting the Power Mall Electronica Showcase at Power Mall on the fourth floor of the Paragon mall and the third floor of Emporium Department Store until July 16
Jakkrit Keeratichokchaikun, senior vice president and chief merchandising officer of Power Mall The Mall Group Co Ltd, said: “The Electronica Showcase is held to uphold Power Mall's position as the destination for electronics, IT products and digital cameras. Specifically, sales in the city are growing, so the showcase is held simultaneously at the Paragon and Emporium department stores."

TrueMoney appoints six master agents

TrueMoney, a financial technology and e-payment provider in Southeast Asia, has appointed what it calls six master agents as acquirers of shops and businesses to accept payment via the TrueMoney and Alipay wallets. Its target for this year is to increase the number of shops from 12,000 to 100,000 in Bangkok and upcountry. The company says its plans support the government’s national e-payment and Thailand 4.0 initiatives in “raising awareness of the cashless lifestyle”. 
Saranrat Srichiraratana, country managing director of TrueMoney Co Ltd, said: “Thailand is still a cash economy but our aim is to introduce a full-scale cashless lifestyle, in keeping with TrueMoney’s mission of enabling everyone access to innovative financial services, leading to better lives.
“Expanding the network of shops which accept e-wallet payments is one of our objectives of this year, with the target of increasing the number of shops to 100,000 by the year-end.
“The six master agents will help coordinate and acquire quality shops and businesses that fit the lifestyles of TrueMoney Wallet users and are popular with Chinese tourists who use the Alipay wallet.”

MQDC introduces ventilation system

Magnolia Quality Development Corporation Limited (MQDC), an international developer of residential and mixed-use real-estate projects and the owner of the Magnolias and Whizdom brands, has unveiled unveils what it calls a “Fully Integrated Home Intelligent System for Well-being,”.
The company describes this as “a living solution developed through MQDC’s brand DNA and development philosophy, ‘Sustainnovation’ and supported by the latest technology that aims to improve everyday health and well-being and quality of life”. 
A feature of the system is the Energy Recovery Ventilation, a device which improves poor indoor air quality, a common but invisible danger that is often ignored by home-owners and can cause poor sleep, fatigue and long-term health effects. 
“Poor indoor air quality can be impossible to detect, and is particularly prevalent in places, like Thailand, where apartment doors and windows are kept shut to maintain cool and dry indoor environment,” the company said. 
“The air quickly becomes poor in oxygen and rich in carbon-dioxide as residents breathe, and after four to five hours without ventilation, the carbon dioxide levels will more than double, reaching an alarmingly high amount.” 
Jittapat Choruengwiwat, vice president of MQDC’s Research and Innovation for Sustainability Centre, cites research from International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark showing the detrimental effects of poor indoor quality air. 
“Many of us live in a confined air-conditioned space almost full time, whether at work or home, day and night,” Jittapat said.
“Most air-conditioning systems merely recycle the indoor air without replacing that air with fresh air from outdoors, so that we become exposed to high-levels of CO2 as our bodies convert the oxygen in the air to carbon-dioxide.”

OMD named media network of the year

Omnicom Media Group (OMG), the media services division of Omnicom Group, has marked its first year with three agency networks taking part in the in Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, with all three earning top accolades.
 OMD Worldwide, which was named Media Network of the Year after winning one gold, five silver and five bronze lions and earning 14 shortlists in the Media Lions category.
Competing at Cannes for the first time, sibling Hearts & Science was the only network to earn two gold awards in the media category. In total, it took two gold, one silver and five shortlists from 14 entries, translating into an entry-to-shortlist conversion rate of 30 per cent, and a 60 per cent shortlist-to-win conversion rate.
PHD rounded out the winner's circle with multiple wins outside the Media category, including a gold in print and the Cyber Grand Prix.

Citibank points for use at Starbucks

Citibank Thailand and Starbucks Coffee (Thailand) have started a rewards programme for coffee enthusiasts.
Executives Sandeep Batra, head of credit cards and loans at Citibank Thailand, and Murray Darling, director of Starbucks Coffee (Thailand) introduced the programme’s details.
The “Pay with Points at Starbucks” programme allows Starbucks customers who are Citi card members to enjoy coffee, food and merchandises from the global brand at 298 outlets in Thailand.
The partners say the programme “offers special reward benefits to instantly redeem cash rebate for Starbucks customers who make payment through Citi Ultima, Citi Prestige, Citi Select, Citi Reward Visa, Citi Reward MasterCard, Citi M Select, Citi Reward, Citi Classic and Citi Makro”
 With every purchase or top-up at Starbucks using a Citi credit card, card members will receive an SMS to turn their points into cash rebate.
The SMS will be sent to the registered phone number, asking card members to click the link and follow the process if they would like to join the programme in which cash rebates can be redeemed for the transaction at Starbucks. The confirmation will have to be done within 24 hours after the SMS has been received. Card members can check their redemption in the next statement or online at Citibank’s website, the partners say.