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CDS watch fair aims to lure Chinese [Bangkok Post, Thailand :: ](Bangkok Post (Thailand) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 15--Central Department Stores Co (CDS) has teamed up with Chinese travel website Ctrip to attract mainland customers to shop and use services at all business units under the Central Group of Companies. Nidsinee Chirathivat, CDS co–president, said information on shopping centres, department stores, supermarkets, food and restaurants, hotels and fashion brands under the Central Group is now available on the Ctrip website, which has 13 million viewers per day. CDS has seen a continuing influx of Chinese visitors at its department stores and restaurants each month and the momentum will continue. Apart from the partnership with the Chinese website, CDS plans to allocate 100 million baht on marketing activities including an in-flight video for Thai Airways International to promote its products and services. The new in-flight video will be screened on international flights from early next month. For the domestic market, the company will spend 900 million baht on new marketing activities during the rest of the year including the launch of the Central International Watch Fair 2014 at Central Chidlom during Aug 26-Sept 30. The promotion will be offered at watch sections of other Central branches and Zen Department Store. At the watch fair, over 180 world-class brands such as Piaget, Franck Muller, Bell& Ross, Corum, Chopard and Seiko will will showcase their latest collections. There will also be rare items and limited editions flown in from Baselworld and The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie( SIHH) in Switzerland. The timepieces to be shown at the fair are worth over 5 billion baht in total. With the current economic situation, CDS will maintain its customer base by offering special discounts and offers through Central The1Card Plus, in which customers can get 10 times more points when spending 40,001 baht or more. To attract tourists, the department store has consistently provided special promotions, drawing tourists from China, Russia, the Middle East, Malaysia and India. Chinese tourists, in particular, are the biggest market for the Thai travel industry. CDS has also promoted Central International Watch Fair 2014 on the Ctrip travel website. "After analysing the preference of Chinese shoppers, we found that they have high purchasing power and like luxury brands. Their favourite watch brands are Longines and Tag Heuer," Mrs Nidsinee said. CDS came up with the annual watch fair 16 years ago and the department store aims to promote Thailand as as the hub of timepiece business in the region. Sales of CDS and its related business units including PowerBuy, B2S and SuperSport and Zen Department Store will increase by 5% to 65 billion baht this year. ___ (c)2014 the Bangkok Post (Bangkok, Thailand) Visit the Bangkok Post (Bangkok, Thailand) at www.bangkokpost.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |