At A Glance

In remembrance of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s incalculable contributions to the country, executives of Siam Piwat Company Limited, led by CEO Chadatip Chutrakul, planted 55,500 marigolds, arranged in the shape of the number nine in Thai. The company has also turned three shopping centers- Siam Paragon, Siam Center, and Siam Discovery- yellow, both in and out. In addition, it is hosting a sculpture exhibition “From Tides…to Heaven”, inspired by His Majesty the late King’s development of water resources, from today to October 29 at Jewel Zone, M Floor, Siam Paragon. The shopping centre also offers complementary marigolds to the public from October 27-30. 

CPN set to open CentralPlaza Mahachai on Nov 23

Central Pattana Plc (CPN), the largest retail developer in Thailand, has announced that it is ready to hold an official grand opening of ‘CentralPlaza Mahachai’ on November 23 in Samut Sakhon province, the gateway to the South. 
The shopping centre is situated in a high-potential location on Rama II Road, on the approach to Bangkok. 
CPN is establishing a new landmark – an all-new lifestyle centre to target three major customer groups: local people, travellers and Bangkokians. The design concept is called ‘Mahanava’ (a ship that will bring happiness and exciting experiences), introducing a special, brand new zone not existing in other branches of CPN’s shopping centres.
 CentralPlaza Mahachai is one of the projects where CPN has invested heavily with total investment standing at Bt4.75 billion. It is located on 98 rai of land, with an area of 170,000 square metres right in the middle of two provinces (Samut Sakhon and Samut Songkhram). This is a strategic location covering a population of over 1.18 million people as well as over 1.3 million Thai and foreign travelers who pass by the area each year. It is on a major route on the way to the popular destinations of Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan province and other attractions in the South of Thailand.

BMW Thailand, Don Bosco join forces 

Bangkok BMW Group Thailand, led by President Stefan Teuchert and Don Bosco Technological College, led by its rector Reverend Father Manachai Tharachai, recently announced their partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for the “BMW Service Apprentice Programme ”. The partnership will help foster the potential of vocational students in achieving automotive skills and knowledge of an international standard. The MoU was signed by the representatives from both organisations, and witnessed by the school faculty and students at Don Bosco Technological College.
Teuchert said, “The BMW Service Apprentice Programme is BMW Group Thailand’s pride, as we are taking part in the development of career opportunities and the improvement of educational potential for Thai vocational students. We are delighted to continue our joint promotion of Dual Vocational Education with Don Bosco Technological College. This collaboration will not only provide practical automotive skills for students, but will also allow students to thrive as professional technicians. We are also aiming to strengthen the growth of the domestic automotive industry as well as establishing Thailand as Asean‘s leading automotive hub.”
 BMW Group Thailand initiated the BMW Service Apprentice Programme in 2012 in collaboration with the German-Thai Chamber of Commerce and BMW authorized dealers. Participating students have been provided with technical knowledge and skills through theoretical and on-the-job training at the BMW Training Center supported by BMW certified technicians from BMW authorized dealers. The partnership strives to support the development of Thai vocational education as well as to create a highly skilled and competent workforce, and ultimately drive Thailand towards becoming a leading global automotive hub.
Father Manachai Tharachai said that Don Bosco Technological College is very pleased that BMW Group Thailand recognises the importance of improving educational potential for Thai youths. The automotive training at BMW Training Center, especially on-the-job training by professional technicians from a leader in the automotive industry, combined with theoretical knowledge, will encourage the students to learn to their fullest potential. Moreover, it will create countless career opportunities and provide valuable experiences for the students. We are grateful that BMW Group Thailand, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German-Thai Chamber of Commerce are participating in the sustainable development of Thai vocational education.”
 “The partnership also embarks on elevating Thai vocational education to match the German higher education standard. The participating students should qualify for the programme’s criteria and must pass the BMW Service Apprentice Programme level test. This year, 14 students from high vocational certificate class have been taking part in the programme and the college plans to have 25 students next year.” he said.

Ford Thailand’s third quarter sales rose 29 per cent 

Ford Thailand said its third quarter sales jumped 29 per cent year-over-year to 13,995 vehicles, driven by increasing demand for the Ranger pickup truck and Everest mid-size SUV.
The strong quarterly sales allowed Ford to continue with its market share gains during the third quarter, rising 0.9 percentage points from a year earlier to 6.7 per cent.
 “The appeal of the Ranger and Everest are continuing to drive our performance this year,” said Narong Sritalayon, deputy managing director, Ford Thailand. “The rainy season helps to underscore the capability and practicality of both of these vehicles.”
 The ‘Built Ford Tough’ Ranger delivered third quarter sales that increased 38 per cent to 10,884 vehicles. The Ranger’s sales momentum helped it continue with segment share gains, adding 1.9 percentage points from the same quarter last year to 12.1 per cent for the quarter.
 Ranger is firmly in the number three slot in Thailand’s hyper-competitive pickup truck segment, with year-to-date Ranger sales that have increased 46 per cent to 31,114 vehicles and segment share up 2.9 percentage points to 11.9 per cent.
Third quarter sales of the popular Everest increased 4 per cent to 2,154 units, lifting its segment share 1.7 percentage points year-over-year to 17.3 per cent. Year-to-date sales of the Everest have risen 10 per cent to 5,801 vehicles, and its share of the mid-size SUV segment has jumped 2.5 percentage points to 14.1 per cent.

ONYX Hospitality in deal with UK-based YOO 

ONYX Hospitality Group has entered an agreement with UK-based YOO Hotels & Resorts to manage and further develop YOO Collection and Yoo2 hotels across Asia. 
As a result, ONYX Hospitality Group will expand the presence of the two YOO brands across key city and resort destinations in the Asia Pacific region, contributing to further growth of the YOO Collection and Yoo2 brands. The first YOO Asia hotels to be developed will be in Phuket and Bali, both scheduled to open in 2019.
Douglas Martell, President & CEO, ONYX Hospitality Group, said: “As we continue expanding the reach of the ONYX Hospitality Group portfolio and entering new market segments and new destinations, we are excited to be in partnership with YOO Hotels & Resorts to grow our footprint in the lifestyle hotels segment. We look forward to a mutual exchange of unique strengths, including YOO’s design-led philosophy and our regional management expertise.”
John Hitchcox, Chairman of the YOO Group, said: “We are very excited about this partnership between YOO Hotels and Resorts and ONYX Hospitality Group as it has created the perfect platform for operational excellence and growth of the YOO brands across Asia Pacific. This expansion opportunity in some of the world’s fastest growing hotel markets will ensure that even more travellers will soon be able to experience YOO’s unique designs and guest experiences.”