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

India - No hostile presence from Heineken Source: Business Standard, 25 April 2008 Heineken is understood to have outlined its intent to United Breweries (UB) that it does not want to have any conflicting presence in India. This declaration comes as Heineken is set to pick up a 37.5% stake in UB from Scottish & Newcastle. UB controls nearly 40% of the 140 million cases Indian beer market. Earlier this year, Heineken and Denmark's beer major Carlsberg sealed a US$15.4 billion takeover of British brewer Scottish & Newcastle (S&N). Under the deal, Heineken will take over S&N's British business along with its operations in Belgium, Portugal, Ireland, the US and India. Heineken is keen on a stake in UB as this could catapult it into a strong position in the Indian market. While UB controls 40% of the market, SAB Miller is close behind at around 38% and growing aggressively. Australia - Retailers must adapt to leaner, meaner times Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, 26 April 2008 According to industry analysts, retailers' window of opportunity to innovate is over. During the boom times, stores could afford to try out new ideas and experiment with new products and formats. But this will all be put on hold until the downturn in discretionary spending has past. Retailers are increasingly turning inward to focus on renovating their stores and reinvesting in the assets they already owned. They will remove slow-selling items and reduce the breadth of their product range to cater for more penny-pinching shoppers. Product manufacturers are already reviewing how to react to the changes and which products are set to increase in popularity and which are at risk from lower discretionary spending and smaller, more frequent shopping trips. China - Toy exporters find foreign orders not so tough Source: Xinhua's China Economic Information Service, 29 April 2008 Foreign buyers are positive about the competitiveness of Chinese toys, although average prices have risen by 20% over the past year. Chinese toy exports slowed in 2007 due to increased prices and the yuan's appreciation. Large-scale quality recalls also hurt the industry. Statistics from the Guangdong Toy Association showed that the province exported RMB14.7 billion (US$2.1 billion) of toys in 2007, up just 1% year-on-year. However, the industry has seen initial signs of recovery. In the first two months of 2008, the province's toy exports rose 43.5% to RMB1.79 billion (US$255.7 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.