Welcome

Welcome to the fourth issue of the USAPEEC ASEAN Regional Office.

The newsletter seeks to provide readers with useful product and major market information for institutional and consumer users of U.S. poultry. Readers will find in every issue a variety of general market information, program activities as well as useful product information.

This month, we take a look at several market perspectives in the individual ASEAN countries.

Contents:

• WOFEX Show, Manila
• F1 Hotel celebrates July Fourth
• Online Shopping draws business away from traditional retailers
• Singapore Junior Chef Club Anniversary Dinner
• CamFood Show, Phnom Penh

Additional Market Information Available

We have updated our website to include more information on market reports and export documentation guidelines.

You can visit our ASEAN website at: www.usapeecasean.com

WOFEX Show in Manila attracts greater international interest

The WOFEX Show, Philippines’ largest food and beverage expo, took place in Manila from August 6-9 2014.

The show attracted a wide array of international exhibitors from the U.S. the EU, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the ASEAN region.

U.S. Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg walked through the USA Pavilion on the opening day of the show. Stopping at the USAPEEC booth, Ambassador Goldberg carved a whole turkey and chatted with the participants located at the USA Pavilion.

USAPEEC featured a wide range of products including chicken legs, chicken drumsticks, chicken fillet, turkey sausage, turkey ham and whole turkey. The U.S. booth generated sizeable crowd numbers daily and numerous inquiries were received throughout the four-day show.

One of the highlights of the show was the USAPEEC-sponsored poultry cooking competition in the Philippine Culinary Cup held in conjunction with the WOFEX Show. Leading chefs throughout the country participated in the competition.

Overall, the WOFEX Show has resulted in a considerable number of new trade contacts, trade leads and possible future business for U.S. exporters.

Ambassador Philip Goldberg being offered a slice of U.S. turkey from Margaret Say during the WOFEX Show.

Philippines Hotel celebrates July Fourth with U.S. menu promotion

The F1 Hotel, one of Manila’s leading hotels, organized a U.S. menu promotion in their All Day Dining Restaurant in conjunction with the Fourth of July celebration. A wide variety of U.S. dishes were featured. Some of the highlighted poultry dishes included Southern Fried Chicken, U.S. Duck with orange and cherries, U.S. Turkey Pot Pie, Chicken Buffalo Wings and Chicken Meatball Soup.

As the response to the All American Buffet was overwhelming, F1 Hotel extended the ending date of the promotion from July 31 to August 6.

Diners making their selection from the All American Buffet spread at the All Day Dining Restaurant, F1 Hotel.

Online shopping draws shoppers away from brick and mortar shops located in major malls

ASEAN shoppers are increasingly turning to online shopping for travel bookings, purchasing of clothing, shoes and handbags, toiletries, cosmetics, electronic equipment and sports apparel.

The rapid expansion of smart phone sales in the ASEAN region is contributing to a purchasing boom in online purchasing by consumers from Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam.

Singapore is ranked the biggest internet shopping nation within the ASEAN region. Her e-commerce market is estimated to be worth about S$2 billion (US$1.6 billion) in 2013 and it is projected to more than double to S$4.4 billion (US3.5 billion). Analysts estimate that online shopping in the ASEAN region may exceed US$35 billion by 2020. The big jump in online sales in recent years is clearly evident, resulting in lower sales in brick and mortar outlets and fewer footfalls in the corridors of shopping malls. Online shoppers tend to use shops as show rooms and for trying out the product before purchasing online.

However, the increase in online shopping does not necessarily spell doom and gloom for brick and mortar retailers. Some brick and mortar retailers have also tapped into the online purchasing boom by providing similar online purchasing channels. Retailers are now able to offer a wider range of products and provide more product details as compared to their brick and mortar stores. Some of the traditional stores offer customers the option to collect their online purchases at the selected retail outlet. The use of technology has allowed retailers to monitor shoppers’ purchasing patterns and better understand consumer behaviour.

Additionally, changes from traditional purchasing methods to online purchasing have in turn compelled changes in Singapore’s logistics landscape. In the past, traditional business-to-business logistics require the shipment of orders to a centralised distribution centre before they are delivered to a brick and mortar store. With the rapid growth in online purchases, logistics suppliers now have to provide real-time delivery status and text messages to individual customers on shipment notification.

Section of major downtown mall with high end stores.

Singapore Junior Chef Club’s 10th Anniversary Dinner

The Singapore Junior Chef Club held its 10th anniversary dinner at Nanyang Polytechnic’s L’ Rez restaurant. About 200 guests including representatives from seven culinary institutes, executive chefs, and major food importers attended the dinner.

The event included an award ceremony sponsored by USAPEEC and other corporations. The dinner featured a variety of both local and western cuisines, which included U.S. duck and U.S. chicken.

Elvin Chew, President of Singapore Junior Chef Club, presents certificate to Margaret Say during the 10th Anniversary Dinner.

Camfood Food 2014 - Cambodia’s largest food & beverage show

Cambodia’s premier international food and beverage expo will be held from October 8-10 2014 at the Diamond Island Exhibition & Convention Centre, right in the heart of Phnom Penh. Show organisers stated that 300 exhibitors from 16 countries will be taking part in the show. USAPEEC will also participate as an exhibitor in the show.

Country statistics: Population: 15.14 million (2013) Languages: Khmer (official). Some English and French are spoken by workers in the tourist services industry. GDP: US$15.25 billion (2013) GDP per capita: US$945(2013) Main industries: tourism, garments, construction, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles. Exports: US$ 7838 billion (2012) Main Export Partners: U.S Export Partners: USA 25.9%, EU 24.1% Hong Kong/China 21.5% and Singapore 8.7% Imports: US$11 billion (2012) Main Import partners: China 30.6%, Vietnam 13.3%, Thailand 12.8%

USAPEEC booth in recent trade show.