Featured Stories | Singapore Economic Development Board

Burger King's First Asia Test Kitchen

Burger King^®, the world’s second largest fast-food hamburger chain, opened its first independently run concept store in Singapore. This restaurant will also serve as an innovative test-bed for the introduction of new products (from its test kitchen) that will be subsequently rolled out at other Burger King^® restaurants in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region. In conjunction with the newly-opened concept restaurant, Burger King^® also unveiled its artistically-innovative and fashionable BK StudioSM for the first time in Asia, outside of USA. This new restaurant concept is a significant milestone for Burger King^® in Singapore as a demonstration of keeping abreast of the gastronomy tastes and lifestyle treads of today’s generation to offer innovative products and a unique “HAVE IT YOUR WAY^®” experience to their guests.

Nissin – Creating Value through Innovation and Branding

In January this year, Nissin Foods Holdings acquired Myojo Foods Singapore and turned it into the Group’s Asia Regional Office, under the name Nissin Foods (Asia). The company that introduced instant noodles to the world recognised the rapidly-growing market within the region and saw Singapore as the ideal location to serve as a base for their Asian operations.

As Asia’s regional office, Nissin Foods (Asia) will undertake marketing, financial, human resources and R&D control centre functions so the company can continue to expand market share and deliver on quality. Through branding, the marketing function will create value and sharpen Nissin’s competitiveness, using the word “Singapore” to give its instant noodles a distinct identity. The human resources function will promote transformational decision-making skills across cultural and functional barriers, so as to sharpen the strategic alignment and business acumen of its managers and employees. Singapore provides the safe environment required for experimenting with such innovative ideas and bold strategies.

P&G’s Scent of Innovation

Procter & Gamble (P&G), one of the world’s leading consumer care companies, has opened a perfume plant in Singapore – a first in Asia. As the lead design plant for P&G worldwide, it will play a prominent role in driving the company’s global perfume business. The key brands and fragrances to be developed and produced include Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Olay, Ariel, Tide and Downy. “Leveraging Singapore’s status as an innovation hub, our perfume plant will play a significant role in propelling our global business as the incubator for P&G perfumes worldwide,” said Deborah Henretta, Group President, Asia, P&G.

Singapore’s in Vogue for LVMH

The LVMH group is the world’s largest luxury goods company. Several of its business units such as Louis Vuitton and LVMH Fragrances & Cosmetics use Singapore as its Regional Headquarters cum Logistics Hub, which not only supports their operations in Asia, but also parts of North America and Europe. Shared services such as packaging, labelling for LVMH Fragrance & Cosmetics are carried out here as well. The LVMH Watches & Jewelry division has a Regional Headquarters which manages marketing and shared services for Southeast Asia and India. Also under the LVMH umbrella is Moet Hennessy, one of the world’s premium alcoholic beverages company. Singapore is Moet Hennessy’s Asia Pacific Headquarters as well as its Regional Distribution Hub that handles more than 2.5 million cases per year. Lastly, owned partly by LVMH, DFS Group Limited is the world’s largest travel retailer and uses Singapore as their 300-man Global Shared Services Centre and Regional Trading Hub.

Sweet Success for Cadbury Plc.

British confectionary giant Cadbury Plc. has invested S$4.3 million to set up an Asia Pacific Science & Technology Centre in Singapore. Through this new facility, the company famous for brands such as Cadbury chocolates, Cadbury Eclairs, Halls and the Natural Confectionery Company range of all natural candy, will be creating new flavours specially catered to the unique tastes and palates of the Asia Pacific market. Remarkably, even before the 920-sq-metre centre’s inauguration, Cadbury’s Asia Pacific team struck gold; it successfully developed Chocfuls, a hard shell caramel candy with a soft chocolate centre geared towards China’s consumer market.