Magazines Archives - 2009 December

Bangkok’s malls and stores undergo visual transformation
Story 10 - Focus

Thailand has over 300,000 big and small retailers catering to a consumer base of 65 million. Most of
the shops have outdated cabinets or racks, with little interior design or fashionable fittings, except probably at fashion outlets.

Not for long. As competition heats up, shopping centres and their tenants are going all out to attract more customers using the latest techniques in shopfitting and visual merchandising.

These range from rack, shelf and display systems, window displays, cabinets, and point-of-sale (POS) and multimedia displays to promotional counters, posters, pavement signs, boards and the way
products are packaged and displayed.

In 2008, Nestlé of Thailand invested Bt100 million (approximately US$3 million) on its largest marketing campaign, a “sales blitz” where company representatives visited retailers and gave
them advice on the most effective ways of displaying the company’s products on shelves and as store decor.

A key aim was to usher in a new look and brighter image to retailers such as supermarkets and shops. “Retailers can attract potential clients with better and visible product displays,” a Nestlé executive says.
Phattaraporn Phenpraphat, vicepresident for marketing and public relations of Central Food Retail, which operates Tops supermarkets and Central Food Hall stores in Thailand, says
shopfittings and displays are becoming more and more important.

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