Pernod Ricard is a French company that produces Alcoholic Beverages. Over the years, the chunk of their sales have come from their own European regions but now the tide is changing and they have Asia to thank for the bulk of their profits this time round. Pierre Pringuet, chief executive, said there was no sign of a slowdown
in Asia, which has also become the group's largest profits generator,
leapfrogging Europe and the Americas.For those not familiar, this is the company that owns Absolut vodka, Chivas Regal whisky and Martell Cognac. The region the company has to thank the most is China, where the love for Whiskey and other spirits has shot up recently. China's taste for cognac and whisky drove like-for-like sales growth of
14 per cent in Asia, easily outpacing the Americas, Europe and France.The pull factor is there in Asia now, people around the region, not just in China, India but also in South East Asian nations are spending cash on luxurious items. Many years ago, alcohol in these regions would be considered luxury but right now it has almost become a necessity. Every restaurant, bar or household has some form of alcohol in there and companies stand to benefit a lot. With this increased popularity, people will be going online more to check different mixes and different kinds of drinks to make with different kinds of alcohol.
Source: http://www.ft.com
Image: Darwin Bell
According to Boston Consulting Group, the 5 main markets which will have the most number of internet users in years to come will be in China, India, Indonesia, Russia and Brazil. Indonesia first was not on this list but it has become an important market for the digital revolution now. These 5 countries will have together 1.2bn internet users by the year 2015. And this
figure is low, when one considers the internet penetration as a
percentage of the population in these countries will still be less than
50 per cent. Twenty percent of China's population owns a personal
computer, compared with 32 percent in Brazil and Russia and 90
percent in the U.S. and Japan, Boston Consulting said. In India, only 7 percent of the population was using the
Internet at the end of 2009, the lowest of the five countries in
the report. There are many opportunities for E-Commerce and online targeting now in Asia but the group encouraged people to act right now!
How hard is it getting a Visa for another country, you usually have to get many files and documents in order, make your way to the embassy and submit all and then you have to make another visit there to pick up your passport, before it is finally done. Now the government of Taiwan is taking all of this online. Residents of Hong Kong are able to get their visa for Taiwan online and for no cost and they can print their visa from home. 
The internet has shown its true power yet again. This time it is making the printed version of the world famous oxford dictionary becoming less and less valuable. Oxford University Press, the publisher, said Sunday that burgeoning
demand for the dictionary's online version has far outpaced demand for
the printed versions. People are now going online and reading the dictionary and finding meaning to the words they do now know. It has added advantages, after people search the meaning of words, they can simply go to another window and look for pictures about that to get a better picture of what it is. Also, it can be updated almost daily. When you get the print version, there might be some words which are not there yet but the online version allows for instant updates and new words can be added in almost daily. The online Oxford English Dictionary now gets 2 million hits a month
from subscribers. The current printed edition -- a hefty 20-volume, 750
pound ($1,165) set published in 1989 -- has sold about 30,000 sets in
total.
Ford has never had a strong presence in Asia but it is making up for lost time. There are plans in place to have 8 new models of the Ford car ready in the Indian market by the middle of the decade. Ford also recently invested US$500 million on a new engine plant in the region too. The Indian market is growing about 17% a year, as consumers move from
two-wheeled scooters and motorcycles into inexpensive small cars. The move into India is not just for the Indian market but for the whole Asian region. Ford will hope for more of the same success of its recent Figo model which was sold 30,000 units in just 25 weeks. Yes they will be doing much of the same in India to attend to the mass population but there are also plans in place to attend to the luxury car market in India and the Asian region. Joe Hinrichs, president of Ford's Asia Pacific and Africa regions said, "China and India are the two most important markets for Ford vehicles
globally and we are set to increase our commitment and stake in India,"