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.        China's personal care, cosmetics and toiletries industry   Product innovation in China's personal care sector is buoyant, but safety concerns  and regulations may become a barrier. Find out what's happening in the industry  and where the trends are heading. In collaboration with the PCHi exhibition.     Request free copy.

Consumer & retail

Thailand - Booming market for male 'beauty' products Source: The Nation (Thailand), 03 May 2008 Men's skincare has enjoyed steady growth in emerging markets since 2005, sparking a wave of new products coming to the market. The Thai market, worth just Bt400 million (US$12.6 million) in 2005, was valued at Bt1.1 billion (US$34.7 million) in 2007. In the future, the men's market is expected by some to grow to the size of the women's market. The top players share the view that men today are placing more emphasis on using such products. The boom is also attributed to media coverage, especially by men's magazines that educate readers on how to use the products. Since 2005, the market has grown 20-30% a year and is expected to enjoy two-digit growth for years to come. Korea - E-Mart looks to direct sourcing Source: Korea Herald, 05 May 2008 Shinsegae Co. has announced plans to steadily increase direct purchasing while diversifying sourcing markets for its hypermarket business E-Mart, Korea`s largest discount store chain. Shinsegae highlighted that eliminating intermediaries between the retailer and manufacturers would ensure better quality control, because of its direct management of the goods. Direct purchasing became a full-blown trend among retailers in Korea in 2007. The discount-store market`s growing desire to expand private-label brands to save costs and strengthen price-competitiveness has further stoked demand. Retailers, however, needed some clout in terms of market share to secure good sourcing partners. This was because manufacturers want to achieve an economy of scale - saving on the production cost of each unit through increased production. Japan - Outlook for cosmetics industry remains stable Source: Moody's Investors Service Press Release, 07 May 2008 The outlook for the Japanese cosmetics industry is stable despite the presence of significant challenges. But given increasingly intense competition, effective brand management will be much more important if companies are to strengthen their market positions and improve profitability. All the major cosmetics makers in Japan are further accelerating efforts to realign their brands, re-establish market positions, as well as strengthen cost structures. Because of the maturity of the domestic market, the major makers are expanding their overseas operations, especially in Asia. In this regard, Shiseido is far ahead of its competitors. Looking further ahead, the sector's strong financial fundamentals will continue to strengthen. And so long as its companies maintain their current business models, which require minimal capital expenditure, their financial fundamentals should experience little deterioration.     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.