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Bidders on Carousell offer to buy Sinovac Covid-19 vaccination appointment slots

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - News that the Government's stock of 200,000 doses of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines here is running low has prompted offers to buy vaccination slots on consumer marketplace Carousell. A check by The Straits Times on Wednesday (Aug 18) showed four bidders dangling between $50 and $80 to buy the slots. They were posted from Thursday last week. It is unclear if any transaction has taken place. ST has reached out to the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Health Sciences Authority on the legality of such deals. MOH has allowed 31 private healthcare institutions to offer the vaccine under the Special Access Route. Those interested have to call the clinics or visit the healthcare institutions' websites to book an appointment. Walk-in patients are turned away. MOH had on Aug 10 announced that Sinovac stocks here were being depleted, but added it was facilitating private healthcare institutions to order more supplies. Stocks are expected to arrive in the next four to six weeks. The Sinovac vaccine is not included in Singapore's national vaccination programme. One of the bidders on Carousell said his family member is unable to receive messenger ribonucleuc acid (mRNA) vaccines, such as ...

JCN Newswire
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ABA and JCB partner to enable payment acceptance in Cambodia

ruth
3 minutes

Tokyo & Phnom Penh, Aug 18, 2021 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - JCB International Co., Ltd., the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., Japan's only international payment brand, and Advanced Bank of Asia Ltd. (ABA Bank), the digital banking leader in Cambodia and a subsidiary of National Bank of Canada, signed the License Agreement and announced the launch of JCB payment acceptance in Cambodia.Askhat Azhikhanov, CEO of ABA Bank (left) and Yoshiki Kaneko, President and COO of JCB International Co., Ltd. during the Online Signing Ceremony of Partnership Agreement on 17 August 2021This partnership will enable JCB Cards to be used at ABA merchant network across Cambodia, which will provide greater convenience to JCB cardholders. JCB has been expanding the issuing business in the ASEAN countries including Cambodia.JCB and ABA plan to expand the partnership to all ABA merchants including acceptance at PayWay online payment platform and ATMs by the end of 2021.Askhat Azhikhanov, CEO of ABA Bank said: "We are delighted to announce our partnership with JCB, one of the world leaders in payment services. Under the agreement, ABA merchants and JCB cardholders will be a...

ACN Newswire

国美零售深化在线线下融合 大股东增持突显信心

tallulah
1 minute

HONG KONG, Aug 18, 2021 - (亚太商讯 via SEAPRWire.com) - 在全球政经环境愈趋复杂的背景下，中央政府近年多次强调「内循环」经济概念。「十四五」规划已明确提出，中国要构建以国内大循环为主体、国内国际双循环相互促进的新发展格局。在此经济发展基调下，内需消费必将成为中国未来经济增长的重要引擎。随着全球疫情持续及「宅经济」的二次兴起，消费者的在线购买模式进一步深化升级，从单纯的电商超市消费已转向个性化定制消费。零售企业正就此趋势持续深化转型，探索新消费需求下的新零售模式。持续数字化升级无疑为大势所趋，但需留意新零售浪潮是讲求在线线下的虚实整合，而非单一侧重于在线渠道。加上中央政府近年对互联网平台、电商销售持续收紧监管，零售企业的发展方向将以虚实零售双平台融合发展为基础，相互联合推动。深耕行业34年的零售品牌国美零售(0493)深明此道，近年积极推进第二阶段的「家•生活」战略转型，全面构建在线线下双平台融合的新零售生态圈，推动集团长期持续发展。国美积极打造零售生态死循环，构建在线、线下、供应链、物流、大数据&云平台、共享共建六大平台，实现互助互补。在在线赛道方面，国美以创新玩法娱乐化「真快乐」APP为基础，主攻零售消费新生代。根据公司2020年年报显示，于2021年首季度，「真快乐」GMV同比预计增长近4倍，MAU稳定在4,000万规模，DAU达到近千万，反映庞大增长潜力。在线下门店方面，国美已实现全国门店网络覆盖。去年底，共拥有 3,400余家线下门店，覆盖超过500个主要城市。高溢价大幅增持 大股东对国美前景信心十足虽然刻下疫情阴霾未散，国美仍未放慢发展步伐。公司早前公布，拟向国美管理租用三处位于北京和长沙的物业──包括国美商都、湘江玖号及鹏润大厦，租赁期最长达19年。租金将通过向控股股东配发新股及出售一间全资附属公司的100%股权形式支付。此举将有助国美在重点城市的黄金地段打造本土化「一店多能」的大型城市展厅。值得注意，是次新股的发行价为港币2.11元，较国美上周五收市价0.83元溢价约154.22%，新股将占扩大后公司已发行股本约29.40%。控股股东愿意以如此高溢价进行大规模增持，可见其对公司未来长远发展前景极具信心，同时认为现时公司估值被大幅低估。是次租赁协议将以配发新股代替现金支付，使公司在扩张业务过程中，并不会对资金流动性产生任何压力，更能降低公司的资产负债率，提升资本管理效率，令整体财务情况更为健康稳固。是次国美大举推进长期租赁协议亦呼应了国家扩内需、促消费的战略发展方向，与国策有着极高的契合度。预料随着「真快乐」APP平台愈趋成熟，线下全场景「一店多能」平台愈趋完善，国美有望把握「内循环」带来的新机遇，乘势而上。 Copyright 2021 亚太商讯. All rights reserved....

JCN Newswire
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Woven Planet Holdings, a Subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, Closes Acquisition of CARMERA

ruth
3 minutes

Tokyo, Japan, New York, NY and Seattle, WA, Aug 18, 2021 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Woven Planet Holdings, Inc. ("Woven Planet"), a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, announced the closing of the acquisition of CARMERA, a U.S.-based spatial AI company that specializes in developing scalable, next-generation mapping solutions for automated mobility, a proposed transaction previously announced in July 2021. Following its acquisition of Level 5, the automated driving division of Lyft Inc., this is the second acquisition for Woven Planet, a group that is focused on mobility innovations and investments in automated driving, robotics, smart cities, and more.The CARMERA team has been a long-standing, trusted partner to Woven Planet, and with the closing of the transaction, Woven Planet will immediately oversee their offices and operations in New York and Seattle. They will join Woven Planet's Automated Mapping Platform ("AMP") team, helping develop AMP to become the most globally comprehensive road and lane network HD map platform, enabling high-precision localization support to automated vehicles. CARMERA's strengths in map updates, change management and camera-based crowd...

SeaPRwire

Australia’s Qantas to require all employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19

elean
2 minutes

SYDNEY (REUTERS) - Qantas Airways said on Wednesday (Aug 18) it would require all of its employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19 as part of its broader commitment to safety, in line with some other airlines globally. Pilots, cabin crew and airport workers will need to be fully vaccinated by Nov 15, while other staff will have until March 31, 2022, the airline said. There will be exemptions for those who are unable to be vaccinated based on documented medical reasons, which it said was expected to be very rare. The airline said a staff poll found that 89 per cent had already been vaccinated or were planning to be and around three-quarters of staff felt it should be a requirement. “It’s clear that vaccinations are the only way to end the cycle of lockdowns and border closures and for a lot of Qantas and Jetstar employees that means getting back to work again,” Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said in a statement. Qantas this month said it was temporarily idling about 2,500 employees without pay for at least two months in a bid to cope with fresh Covid-19 restrictions in Australia that have slashed domestic travel demand. The airline has previously said it will require all intern...

SeaPRwire

SoftBank-backed Karrot becomes $3.7 billion Korea unicorn

elean
5 minutes

SEOUL (BLOOMBERG) - The start-up behind local-marketplace app Karrot has raised US$162 million (S$220 million) from investors, including DST Global, joining a growing list of unicorns in South Korea that are eyeing global expansion as growth at home plateaus in the wake of a pandemic-driven boom. Danggeun Market's Karrot scored funds at a US$2.7 billion valuation from new investors, including Yuri Milner's outfit and Aspex Management. Existing investors like Altos Ventures and Goodwater Capital also participated, according to co-founder Gary Kim. The firm is backed by a venture arm of Masayoshi Son's SoftBank Group and the new round makes it one of the largest start-ups in Korea. Asia's fourth-largest economy has been minting unicorns and self-made billionaires at a faster rate than ever this year, breaking away from the family-controlled conglomerates, or chaebols, that have traditionally led its economy. Like other Korean start-ups such as Coupang and Krafton, Karrot is preparing to expand internationally in search of a bigger market. "Not many of us imagined that BTS could become a world superstar," Mr Kim said, invoking the South Korean pop sensation during an interview at a ne...

SeaPRwire

Weak US retail sales data ends streak of Dow records

elean
2 minutes

NEW YORK (AFP) - Wall Street's five-day streak of records ended with a thud on Tuesday (Aug 17) following a lacklustre US retail sales report that exacerbated worries about the latest Covid-19 wave. Retail sales in the United States fell a surprising 1.1 per cent in July compared to June, a far bigger drop than analysts were expecting and mostly the fault of a steep decline in auto sales, the Commerce Department reported. The anaemic sales figure proved a catalyst for a sell-off after both the Dow and S&P 500 notched successive records over the last week. Investors "found enough of an excuse to dial things back," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare in an interview, adding "the market was due for a pullback." The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.8 per cent to 35,343.28. The broad-based S&P 500 shed 0.7 per cent to 4,448.08, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.9 per cent to 16,700.07. The retail sales report came as rising Covid-19 cases prompt fresh restrictions in some parts of the United States. However, analysts do not expect severe restrictions comparable to those enacted in the country at the outset of the pandemic last year. But a wildcard is whether o...

SeaPRwire
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Parents must plan early for retirement: Panel

elean
4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Singaporeans, especially parents of young children, have to take stock of their financial situation and do their retirement planning early, said a panel on Tuesday (Aug 17). The panel on retirement planning, organised by insurer AIA and The Straits Times, discussed issues related to parents in preparing for old age and retirement. It was moderated by ST Invest editor Tan Ooi Boon, who brought up an AIA survey which found that 60 per cent of Singaporeans face uncertainty in the future by not making retirement planning a priority. Panellist Melita Teo, AIA Singapore's chief customer and digital officer, also noted that parents spend almost 20 per cent of their income on their children, but less than 7 per cent on their own retirement planning. And 70 per cent of them plan to maintain or increase the amount allocated to their children's expenses. Ms Teo said: "Retirement planning is a very strong foundation of our society in terms of financial security, so there are real concerns when families are deprioritising this. The longer they wait out, the tougher it will be for them to be able to live out their later years well and healthily." She noted that such parents face imme...

ACN Newswire
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Quantron支持宜家家居零排放送货

tallulah
1 minute

HONG KONG, Aug 17, 2021 - (亚太商讯 via SEAPRWire.com) - 科轩动力战略伙伴Quantron向奥地利宜家家居发送30辆电动货车。Quantron AG创始人兼首席执行官Andreas Haller（左）向奥地利宜家家居全国客户执行经理Claes Lindgren（右）送交交付车辆的钥匙模型Quantron AG于本周向奥地利宜家家居交付首批100%零排放电动货车。国际家具公司宜家家居已制定目标，将于2030年前实现气候正效益。电动车专家Quantron AG将支持宜家家居实现此目标，并向邻近维也纳的宜家家居物流中心提供30辆环保电动车。总部位于德国的Quantron AG为科轩动力的战略伙伴。Quantron 首辆全电动车Q-Light已于6月在宜家家居的物流中心进行广泛测试。该批电动运输车的续航里程最少为170公里，驱动功率为100千瓦，最大充电功率为70千瓦，最适宜用行走宜家家居店铺至客户送货地址的路线。初期将用于送货到维也纳所有23个市政区以及物流中心方圆30公里范围内的地点。Quantron AG 创始人兼首席执行官 Andreas Haller表示：「我们很高兴能够凭借本身的知识和专长支持宜家家居在实现零排放送货方面迈向重要的一步。Quantron很自豪能够利用我们多年的电动汽车经验和国际网络，帮助宜家家居等企业改为零排放货运。」科轩动力行政总裁Miguel Valldecabres Polop表示：「科轩动力和 Quantron 于 2021 年 7 月 29 日签署了一项换股协议。作为Quantron的投资者和战略合作伙伴，科轩动力对Quantron AG赢得此项新商机深感荣幸。关于科轩动力（控股）有限公司（股份代号：476）科轩动力（控股）有限公司为新能源商用车的先行者和实践者、专用客车和新能源客车整车生产商，在新能源平台化电系统及关键零部件方面有着坚实的技术基础，是出行与物流综合解决方案的供货商。集团在重庆拥有生产基地，并着力开拓中国内地、香港、亚太地区及南美等地的销售网络。关于Quantron AGQuantron AG为清洁电池和氢动力电动汽车系统供货商，为卡车、公共汽车和货车等商用车辆提供服务。Quantron AG还提供广泛的创新服务，包括对二手和现有车辆进行电动化、及构思独特的整体概念，由合用的充电基础设施以至租赁、融资、租赁优惠以及驾驶员培训等。Quantron AG亦向商用车辆、机械和企业内部物流车的制造商销售电池和定制集成电动化方案。Quantron AG总部位于德国巴伐利亚州奥格斯堡，是电动客运、交通和货运领域的先驱和创新力量。可从www.quantron.net 获取更多资料请浏览Quantron AG 的社交媒体LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin...

ACN Newswire
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Quantron Supports IKEA’s Emissions-free Delivery

indie
3 minutes

HONG KONG, Aug 17, 2021 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Quantron, strategic partner of Ev Dynamics, delivers 30 electric vans to IKEA Austria.Andreas Haller, founder and CEO of Quantron AG (left), hands over a symbolic key for the delivered vehicles to Claes Lindgren, Country Customer Fulfillment Manager IKEA Austria (right)Quantron AG, handed over the first set of 100% emission-free vans to IKEA Austria, this week. The international furniture company IKEA has set itself the goal of becoming climate-positive by 2030. The e-mobility specialist Quantron supports IKEA in this mission and supplies the IKEA logistics center near Vienna with 30 environmentally friendly e-vehicles. The Germany based Quantron AG is strategic partner of Ev Dynamics.Quantron's first all-electric Q-Light was already used for extensive testing at the logistics center in June. With a range of at least 170 km, a drive power of 100 kW and a maximum charging power of 70 kW, the e-transporters are ideally equipped for routes between IKEA locations and customers' delivery addresses. Initially, the vehicles will be used for deliveries to all 23 of Vienna's municipal districts and within a 30 km radius of the log...

ACN Newswire
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Gaming platform Zupee closes Series B at over $500 Million valuation

indie
3 minutes

New Delhi, India, Aug 17, 2021 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Zupee, a leading innovator in India's online skill-based gaming industry, has announced that it has raised $30 million at a pre-money valuation of $500 million in Series B funding round. This round of funding has been co-led by Silicon Valley based WestCap Group and Tomales Bay Capital, with participation from Matrix Partners India & Orios Venture Partners.Dilsher SinghThis round comes within 6 months after its Series A round at a $100 million valuation, which is more than 5x increase in the company's valuation. With total funds raised now at $49 million, Zupee is backed by some of the best in the industry - WestCap Group, Matrix Partners India, Smile Group and Orios Partners. The company has an existing user base of over 10 million users. This new round of funding will be used to enable scaling efforts through expanded product portfolio, deepening market reach and hiring global talent.Founded in 2018 by graduates of India's leading institution IIT Kanpur, Dilsher Singh and Siddhant Saurabh, and incubated with funding from Smile Group, Zupee innovates by reengineering time-tested games and enabling them to enha...

SeaPRwire
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Electronic Cigarettes Surrounding Third and Fourth Tier Cities in China, What’s the Future?

pandora
13 minutes

Hong Kong / TickerInsider / August 17, 2021 / More and more Electronic Cigarettes (Vaping) stores and experience stores are emerging in third and fourth tier cities in China. Mr. Xu from Yichang City, Hubei Province, saw this as a wealth opportunity and wanted to get involved. However, he found that within three months, Electronic Cigarettes stores suddenly increased by more than 60 in the area he visited. ——-Smoore International Holdings Limited (HKSE:6969.HK)Country: CN, Currency: HKD Trade Date: 2021-08-16Open: $45.15, Close: $42.95, Low: $42.75, High: $45.75, Change: $-2.20 Description: Smoore International Holdings Limited, an investment holding company, engages in the provision of vaping technology solutions in the United States, the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Japan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, France, and internationally. It offers closed system vaping devices and vaping components for tobacco companies and independent vaping companies. The company also provides open system vaping devices for retail clients under the Vaporesso, Renova, and Revenant Vape brands. Smoore International Holdings Limited was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Shenzhen, the Pe...

ACN Newswire
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KGiSL wins Common infrastructure for Brokers Back Office Project from Stock Exchange of Thailand

indie
4 minutes

India / Malaysia, Aug 17, 2021 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - KGiSL, a global IT Products, Solutions, and Services provider, today announced the landmark contract that was won by KGiSL against significant competition from one of the largest stock exchanges in the ASEAN, The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). KGiSL will rollout Dolphin - a state of the art, cutting-edge technology back-office (BO) platform for brokers in Thailand. The platform will be hosted by SET and will be made available to brokers. The implementation is expected to be completed in the next 16 months.KGiSL's flagship product for Capital Markets - Dolphin, caters to 60% of the leading institutional brokers in India by supporting their back-office clearing and settlement operations. The new platform is set to become the one-stop-shop solution to the brokers of Thailand with its ability to handle multiple asset classes including Equities, Bonds, and Offshore Trading, for both retail and institutional brokers. The next generation technology platform has been tested for handling 5 million trades/ day and has the potential capability to scale vertically and horizontally, to support any increase in business volume...

SeaPRwire

Elderly woman’s hip fractured after maid pushed her to hurry her along: Court

aseanpr
2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Frustrated with the number of chores she had on top of having to care for an elderly woman, a maid pushed her charge, causing the 85-year-old woman to fall and fracture her hip. On Tuesday (Aug 17), Kyu Kyu Aye was jailed for two months for committing a rash act causing grievous hurt. The 41-year-old maid from Myanmar was employed by the family for about six years, and was tasked with handling the chores and caring for the victim. The court heard that the elderly woman's legs were weak and she tended to fall. On a day in August last year, the woman was walking to the kitchen slowly, and Kyu Kyu Aye wanted to hurry her along. The maid pushed and pulled the woman a few times, and at some point pushed her behind her neck or head, causing the victim to fall. The incident was captured by a security camera in the home. The victim was taken to hospital and found to have sustained a fractured hip. Assistant Public Prosecutor Lydia Goh urged the court to jail the maid for two to three months. She said the victim was not capable of protecting herself, and that the maid knew her charge was a vulnerable person. The APP added that Kyu Kyu Aye had also used force on the victim when s...

SeaPRwire

A year in jail for man who burned maid’s left forearm with heated metal spatula

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - After a drinking session, an intoxicated man picked up a heated metal spatula and used it to burn his domestic helper's left forearm on Oct 18, 2018. Rajamanickam Suresh Kumar came home drunk again the next day and pulled the woman's left wrist before pushing her into her room. The 35-year-old offender was on Tuesday (Aug 17) sentenced to a year's jail. After a trial, District Judge Ronald Gwee had earlier found him guilty of one count each of assaulting and using criminal force on Indian national Vadivel Gowthami. Deputy Public Prosecutor Thiagesh Sukumaran had said in his submissions that Rajamanickam's wife was Ms Vadivel's employer. It was the maid's first time in Singapore and she did not know anyone here except for her husband's aunt who also worked as a domestic helper. Ms Vadivel, who earned $400 a month, started working at Rajamanickam's Jurong West flat in April 2018. She worked six days a week and was tasked to perform chores including cleaning and cooking. The DPP said that the maid later stated that she felt tired every day. She lodged a complaint to her agent in July 2018, stating that she wanted to return to India. Soon after, the agent told Rajamanickam'...

SeaPRwire

S’poreans highly aware of environmental issues but adoption of green practices lags: OCBC climate index

aseanpr
4 minutes

SINGAPORE - The average Singaporean is highly aware of environmental issues, adopts many green practices some of the time, and advocates some of these issues and practices to friends and family. These are the findings of a climate index launched on Tuesday (Aug 17) by OCBC Bank in partnership with Eco-Business, a media and business intelligence company. OCBC said it hopes to raise awareness about environmental issues and inspire people to modify their lifestyle and act responsibly. Singapore, in recognition of the existential threat climate change poses to the island, unveiled its Green Plan 2030 earlier this year. Under the Paris Agreement, Singapore is committed to halve carbon emissions by 2050. The inaugural OCBC Climate Index national average came at 6.7 points - with Singaporeans scoring an average of 8.3 for awareness, 6.5 for adoption and 5.6 for advocacy. About 54 per cent of respondents had scores of between 6 and 7.9, while 30 per cent had scores of 4 to 5.9. The highest score was 9.5, with about 15 per cent of respondents scoring between 8 and 10. The lowest average was 3.1, and just 1 per cent had scores of 2 to 3.9. The index also showed that Singaporeans had high awa...

SeaPRwire

MOE to roll out AI-enabled marking system for English Language writing by 2023

aseanpr
1 minute

SINGAPORE - A new artificial intelligence-enabled marking system that will help students with English Language (EL) writing is set to go live in schools here in about two years. The Ministry of Education (MOE) is developing an automated marking system to help correct grammar, sentence structure and expression in English, according to tender documents seen by The Straits Times. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

ACN Newswire

国美大股东高溢价增持必有后着 业绩腾飞的起点

tallulah
1 minute

HONG KONG, Aug 17, 2021 - (亚太商讯 via SEAPRWire.com) - 在内地商圈中，「黄光裕」这三个字几乎无人不晓，代表着中国经济改革开放后持续腾飞的黄金年代。从白手兴家到成为商圈名仕，其创新的零售模式更是各大商学院学生常常用作论文的研究案例。今年，他正式回归到由他一手创立、至今超过34年半的国美零售 (0493)，并在短短几个月内以雷霆扫穴姿态作出一系列举措，赋能国美的在线线下双平台新零售模式，并取得亮丽佳绩。日均活跃用户两年累增近十倍在「家‧生活」战略引领的新零售模式下，今年以来，国美先后推出「真快乐」APP、定制各种潮流购物新玩法、扩大全场景的全品类库存量单位 (Stock Keeping Unit, SKU) 及定制服务、加强在线引流及线下门店展厅导购功能、深化布局全国门店网络，以至重塑国美自身的全国物流系统。通过这一连串动作，国美业务持续稳步扩张。据最新数据显示，今年618期间，「真快乐」全网日均活跃用户 (Daily Active User, DAU) 同比2019年增长270.32%，同比2020年增长189.11%；全网新增访客量总占比达78.83%，同比2020年增长114.32%，支付人数也创下新高。月活人数预期年底突破六千万不仅如此，平台的商品交易总额 (Gross Merchandise Volume, GMV) 在环比层面也有较大提升，于4、5、6月期间呈现环比不断提升的过程。目前，国美零售线上线下会员数已达2.0至2.5亿，月活人数由过去的3,000至4,000万增长至当前约5,000万，按此势头，预期年底更有望突破6,000万大关。日活人数方面，现已突破百万，达到200至300万水平。在此坚实基础上，国美未来绝对有力进一步扩大其新零售市场份额，重塑中国新零售格局。能够取得如此佳绩，除了领导者独特的眼光和部署，也益于国美自身沉淀多年的强大供应链资源、全国实体门店及物流网络，以及精准的布局。从2019年完成门店的「一店一页」数字化基础建设、2020年疫情大考中站稳，到2021年新零售赛道上狂奔，国美展示出让人期待的「新装」。而这「新装」的背后，还有不少同路人的支持，包括京东、拼多多、国企深控旗下的怡亚通等。未来门店布局将主要分为三种在新零售消费模式的重塑趋势下，国美亦再次发功，在线上赋能线下的同时，亦打造线下门店全场景多功能化，为在线导购引流。据国美管理层早前向媒体透露，未来的门店布局将主要分为三种：购物中心 (shopping mall) 形式的大型城市展厅 (门店规模约十余万到数十万平米)；提供场景、体验解决方案为主的中型陈列厅；以及更加贴近小区的国美驿站 (门店规模约几百平米)。其中，大型综合体验类门店除零售场景外，还将引入更多娱乐化场景，如餐饮、电影院等，供用户玩、逛，打造国美的独特城市展...

SeaPRwire

Highest financial aid of $225k paid to two patients for serious side effects from Covid-19 vaccine: MOH

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Two patients suffering from serious side effects related to the Covid-19 vaccine have each received the highest payout of $225,000 in government financial aid so far, said the Ministry of Health (MOH). One of them is a 16-year-old boy who suffered a cardiac arrest after his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. The boy is currently undergoing inpatient rehabilitation. "The Tier 1 payout of $225,000 has been extended to a total of two applicants so far, including this case," an MOH spokesman told The Straits Times late at night on Monday (Aug 16). The spokesman did not provide details of the second case and whether it was related to the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine. Under the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme (VIFAP) rolled out earlier this year, a one-time payout will be given to those who experienced medically significant serious side effects. This is to give a greater peace of mind for those taking Covid-19 vaccination. MOH added that a total of of $782,000 has been paid out, or is in the process of being paid out, to 144 applicants who have been assessed to have met the qualifying criteria for VIFAP. MOH said on Monday (Aug 16) that the 16-year-old boy...

SeaPRwire

Insurer AIA posts jump in first-half new business value, raises dividend

elean
2 minutes

HONG KONG (REUTERS) - Insurer AIA Group raised its interim dividend on Tuesday (Aug 17) and posted a jump in first-half new business value, as it recovered from pandemic-led business disruptions in its main markets of China and Hong Kong. The Asia-focused insurer's value of new business (VONB), which measures expected profits from new premiums and is a key gauge for future growth, rose by 22 per cent to US$1.81 billion (S$2.45 billion) in the January to June period. VONB jumped 24 per cent in AIA's largest market of mainland China, helping the company increase its interim dividend by 8.6 per cent to 38 Hong Kong cents per share. "All reportable segments exceeded pre-pandemic levels of the first half of 2019, except Hong Kong, where ongoing travel restrictions have affected new business sales to Mainland Chinese visitors," chief executive Lee Yuan Siong said. In Asia, insurance firms mainly rely on their army of agents for product sales, which have been dented by lockdowns and social distancing measures put in place by various countries to contain the coronavirus pandemic. AIA said in June it had agreed to buy a 25 per cent stake in China Post Life Insurance for US$1.86 billion, as ...