Retail

Kirin hopes its Home Tap, which dispenses beer with a creamy head, will help to boost sales in Japan. 
Food & Beverage

Japan's Kirin hopes home dispenser will help it sell more beer

Targeting 100,000 subscribers this year, brewer aims to reverse falling sales

20 March 2021
The Alibaba e-commerce empire built by founder Jack Ma is showing cracks.
China tech

Alibaba's grip on e-commerce pried loose by rivals and regulators

Pinduoduo beats established leader in active users amid shifting market trends

19 March 2021
Fresh produce emerged as an important battleground for Pinduoduo and rivals in Chinese e-commerce last year. (Courtesy of Pinduoduo)
Interview

Pinduoduo shops for agritech to transform China farms

Growing e-retailer expands grocery offerings despite regulatory concerns

17 March 2021
Investors seem to believe that Sea can be all-conquering: The surge in its share price last year seems to price in the likelihood that, one day, it will own the entire region's market.
The Big Story

Cash splash: How Sea became Southeast Asia's biggest public company

E-commerce powered one of the pandemic's biggest winners

17 March 2021
Fast Retailing had six supplier factories in Myanmar as of March 2020, with five located in Yangon, the country's commercial capital. (Photo by Keiichi Furukawa)
Myanmar Crisis

Uniqlo parent latest victim in Myanmar garment sector violence

Two Fast Retailing supply factories hit by arson as more brands consider exit

17 March 2021
Many people refrained from travelling to their hometowns during the Lunar New Year holiday this year. 
Economy

Factories win, retail loses in China's no-travel New Year

Steep decline in travel hits stores while manufacturers reap benefits

16 March 2021
Naver wants to tap Emart's knowhow in fresh produce distribution. (Photo courtesy of Emart)
Companies

Coupang, Amazon of South Korea, pushes Naver into retail tie-up

Line parent teams up with Emart to bolster offerings of fresh produce

16 March 2021
Rakuten, which began as a platform for online retailers, is teaming up with Japan Post as it endeavors to become a bigger player in Japan's digital economy. Walmart and a Tencent subsidiary are investing in its latest expansion. (Source photos by Arisa Moriyama, Kosaku Mimura and Reuters)
Business deals

Rakuten lands $2bn in capital from Tencent, Walmart and Japan Post

Move helps Japan online group strengthen mobile business and take on Amazon

13 March 2021
Coupang founder and CEO Bom Suk Kim, third left, rings the NYSE opening bell before his company's IPO on Thursday.
Business Spotlight

After Coupang soars in US IPO, can it deliver for the long term?

SoftBank-backed e-commerce giant faces profitability and labor questions

12 March 2021
Coupang’s fulfillment center in Chilgok, South Korea. The company is conducting an initial public offering in New York on March 11. (Photo by Jean Chung) 
IPO

South Korea's Coupang raises $4.6bn in New York stock listing

SoftBank-backed e-commerce company makes largest US IPO since Alibaba

11 March 2021
Walmart-owned Flipkart and Amazon.com are locked in a tight race for the lead in India's e-commerce market.
Retail

Flipkart eyes US listing through SPAC deal: report

India's top e-commerce player seeks war chest for fighting Amazon

6 March 2021
Ryohin Keikaku hopes that increasing food in its Muji stores will bring in customers more often and lead them to also buy more apparel and other products. (Source photos by Manami Yamada) 
Retail

Muji bets on food to navigate through prolonged COVID impact

Japanese lifestyle brand to allot 30% of floor space for veggies, bread and more

4 March 2021
The apps of Pinduoduo, Meituan and others offer vegetables and other perishable foodstuffs at prices well below what are found at neighborhood markets.
China tech

China fines Pinduoduo and Meituan for veggie discounts too big

Community group buying harms local merchants, authorities say

4 March 2021
The Xiaobangguihua platform offers online courses on how to buy insurance and investment trusts. (Photo by Tomoko Wakasugi)
36Kr/KrASIA

Chinese insurance lesson startup reels in Tencent and Sequoia

Middle class-focused Xiaobangguihua develop technology and builds brand

2 March 2021
Suning's Chairman Zhang Jindong attends a news conference with Chinese retailer Suning and Italy's Inter Milan in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province in 2016. 
Retail

Inter Milan owner Suning sells 23% stake to state-owned investors

Embattled retailer reportedly looking to move away from sports

2 March 2021
Self-checkout kiosks at Aeon supermarkets in China let customers pay with just a facial scan and a code.
Retail

Japan's top retailer Aeon imports tech lessons learned in China

World's biggest market offers testing ground for cutting-edge sales tactics

2 March 2021
J. Front Retailing will offer a subscription-based fashion rental service, aiming for sales of 5.5 billion to 6 billion yen within five years. (Source photo by Kosaku Mimura) 
Retail

Japan retailer J. Front to start fashion subscription service

Department store to offer rentals of up to 3 items for around $100 a month

1 March 2021
Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings CEO Toshihiko Sugie, left, bumps fists with his successor, Toshiyuki Hosoya. Hosoya is the best in the company at reviving struggling operations, Sugie said.
Retail

Isetan Mitsukoshi's new chief seeks to repeat Malaysia success

Toshiyuki Hosoya tapped to lead Japanese department store chain into digital age

27 February 2021
Employees work at a logistics base of Suning ahead of the Singles Day online shopping festival in Nanjing, China
Retail

Chinese retailer Suning's founder talks stake sale of up to 25%

Owner of Inter Milan soccer club could see shake-up of top shareholders

26 February 2021
Townew Intelligent Technology produces three lineups of self-sealing, self-changing smart trash cans. (Photo courtesy of the company)
36Kr/KrASIA

Chinese startup sees future in smart trash cans amid pandemic

Townew contactless waste bins automatically change bags and separate refuse

23 February 2021
Amazon has big ambitions in India, home to the world's second-largest online population.
Retail

Amazon deflects India headwinds with local production pledge

Deal to make Fire TV Sticks in Chennai comes amid calls for retail protectionism

23 February 2021
Salt sees the next boom after COVID in retail, such as food and beverage.
DealStreetAsia

Indonesian venture Salt kicks off $20m fundraiser

New money to target retail sector in hope of catching COVID rebound

20 February 2021
A cloud kitchen in Tokyo. Today's restaurateurs don't worry about creating ambience; they have to deliver the dining experience. (Photo by Yuki Kohara) 
Food & Beverage

Asia's cloud kitchens expect delivery boom to outlast COVID

Uber and Grab drastically alter an industry that used to rely on prime locations

20 February 2021
China's consumer spending is expected to grow 7% during the year of the ox as the country recovers from the coronavirus.
Retail

Chinese New Year consumption soars as COVID eases up

Retail and catering sales increase 29%, and moviegoers set box office record

18 February 2021
Uniqlo's focus on Asian markets has paid off as the region has fared better in controlling the coronavirus pandemic. 
Retail

Uniqlo outstrips Zara as most valuable clothier at $103bn

Fast Retailing still behind Inditex in revenue and profit margin

17 February 2021