At A Glance

Furniture and home-furnishings retailer Ikea is recruiting part-time employees for its Bang Yai outlet. 
The company says it is offering opportunities for everyone regardless of age, educational background, or work experience. Applicants should be interested in home decorations, be service minded, and be capable of working shifts. 
The pay rate is Bt64 per hour with benefits on par with those for full-time employees, such as an annual bonus, medical expenses for employees and their children, insurance, staff discounts, and presents during festivals. 
The open positions are in sales, cashiers, customer relations, kitchen, restaurant, warehouse, woodworking and others. Interested applicants can apply at Ikea’s walk-in job fair from Thursday, July 20, to Sunday, July 23, from 10am to 7pm at Westgate Hall, fourth floor, CentralPlaza WestGate in Nonthaburi.

Visa Thailand Grand Sale goes digital
The Tourism Authority of Thailand and Visa have launched the “Visa Thailand Grand Sale”.
This year the sale is available for the first time on mobile. Visa cardholders can simply sign up by scanning a QR code at more than 7,000 merchant locations nationwide. To claim the offers, cardholders simply present the code or screen capture to merchants. Customers with internationally issued Visa cards who registered upon arrival at the airport will receive a welcome pack consisting of a complimentary SIM card with Wi-Fi access, a Grab taxi ride worth Bt100, and a complimentary drink at Coffee World.
More than 50 retailers in Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Phuket are taking part in the Visa Thailand Grand Sale, which started on June 15 and runs until August 31. 
In Bangkok, Visa Thailand Grand Sale is present in three shopping and dining clusters: downtown Bangkok from Siam to Asoke; along the Chao Phraya River at River City and Asiatique; and in outer Bangkok at Bang Na and Ramintra.
 Offers extend to popular online shopping websites Lazada Thailand and Sephora.

Panasonic promotes premium washing machines
Panasonic is actively pursuing the premium washing-machine market, releasing new products and offering technologies that enhance the hygiene and antibacterial properties in the machines. 
Panasonic is also introducing a new brand ambassador and kicking off four special promotion campaigns, aiming to increase its share of the premium washing-machine market in Thailand. 
Takeshi Nomoto, managing director of Panasonic AP Sales (Thailand) Co, said the company had confidence in the potential of the premium washing-machine market in Thailand, which is on an upward trend. 
It is anticipated that in 2017, the premium market will grow by 9 per cent and account for 55 per cent of the overall market. 
As for Panasonic, its sales of premium washing machines have increased significantly. This stems from rising demand from upper-to-middle-income consumers who have high purchasing power and look for the products that offer stylish design, high technology and functions that fit their needs.

Central Bangkok retailers stage food event
Shopping malls and stores are joining forces to create the “Tastes of the World @ Central Bangkok” food event with a budget of more than Bt100 million. Organisers say the event wil blend international food cultures.
It brings together the signature dishes of each national cuisine in one place, from Thai street food to dishes from Michelin-starred chefs. There will be many activities for diners to get their favourite food, and taste superb creations of both traditional and modern cooking from the many celebrated cooks and chefs joining the event, they say.
Under the umbrella of Tastes of the World @ Central Bangkok will host five big world food festivals in three main zones around central Bangkok. They are Krungthep Thara @ CentralWorld, Central Food Hall World Gastronomy, The World on a Plate @ Central Embassy, The Full Flavours of Thailand 2 @ Eathai and A World of Desserts @ FoodLoft. The “Tastes of the World @ Central Bangkok” will start at Krungthep Thara @ CentralWorld from June 29 to July 30; at the Eden Zone 1 of Central World from July 3-9; at Central Embassy from |July 21-31; and also from July 21-31 at FoodLoft on the seventh floor of Central Chidlom.
At least five million people are expected to join in Tastes of the World @ Central Bangkok, generating revenues of at least Bt650 million, a 30-per-cent increase on last year. The events will increase income for the vendors of Thai food and stimulate the Thai economy and tourism, while highlighting Bangkok’s image as the world’s most visited city.