The Weekly News Update is a weekly roundup of business news from around the Asia-Pacific region, covering Fusion Consulting's core industry practices: chemicals, consumer & retail, financial services, industrial & logistics, information & communication technology, life science and media & leisure. If you have colleagues or friends who may be interested in subscribing, please forward this email to them and copy knowledge@fusionc.com.    Major retail company expansion in Asia-Pacific  British hypermarket Tesco is the overall leader in our Retail Business Vitality Index,  thanks to its geographical presence, revenue performance and steady innovation in  the region; America's Wal-mart runs a close second, and among Asian retailers,  drugstore Watsons leads the pack. Request your free copy here.

Consumer & retail

Korea - Korean retail sales rebound in January Source: Asia in Focus, 18 February 2008 Sales at Korea's major discount outlets and department stores rebounded in January 2008, fueled by a rise in consumer demand for the Lunar New Year. The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy revealed that the total sales at the three leading discount outlets jumped 6.4% on-year, recovering from three straight months of negative growth. Discount stores posted a 0.6% dip in sales in December, compared to the same one-month period in 2006, while department store sales also rose 6.9% compared to January of 2007 and sales at department stores dipped 2.2% in December. Thailand - Thai consumers a challenge to packaging industry Source: Thai News Service, 18 February 2008 Thai consumers represent a challenge to the packaging industry because they focus heavily on high quality and attractive design. According to a research by Swedish packaging company Tetra Pak, Thai consumers demand high-quality dairy product packaging that conveys freshness, food safety and environmental friendliness, more so than their peers in other countries. Tetra Pak is the local market leader in food and beverage packaging, in particular dairy products in Thailand, with 35 clients in the sector. The beverage market in Thailand in 2006 was worth Bt47.7 billion (US$1.5 billion). Of the total, dairy products accounted for 52%. Thailand - Chocolate market to grow 5% in 2008 Source: Thai News Service, 15 February 2008 Chocolate consumption in Thailand is still low with only 0.26 kg/person/year in 2007, up slightly over 1997 when the average consumption was only 0.144 kg/person/year. This ratio is rather low compared to some Asian countries such as Japan where the average consumption is 2.2 kg/person/year. It is evident that Thailand's chocolate market has the potential for continuing growth as the average consumption is very low, comparatively. It is projected that in 2008, the domestic chocolate market will grow at a similar rate to 2007 at around 5% and achieve a market value of Bt1,550 million (US$49 million).     View an example of our experience in this industry. Back to list of articles.  Visit our website to sign up for free intelligence on Asian markets.

This Weekly News Update is a free newsletter, providing a round-up of the week's Asia-Pacific news from our core industry practices. If you have colleagues or friends who may be interested in subscribing, please forward this email to them and copy knowledge@fusionc.com.

Fusion Consulting is a business intelligence consultancy providing clear strategic advice on Asia-Pacific markets. With offices in Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong and 400 industry consultants in 16 countries, we conduct custom research and consulting to help companies understand their markets, compete more effectively and grow into new areas of opportunity. Email more@fusionc.com or visit www.fusionc.com for more information.