Here is what local news sources are reporting about retail property in the Asia-Pacific region:
• A children-only mall called Bachaa Party opened in Gizri, Karachi, Pakistan, last month. Tenants there include retailers that stock children's clothes, shoes, stationary, toys and accessories. “We have a play area, air conditioning in the mall and a valet parking so that mothers can freely do the shopping and once they are done they can call the kids and check sizes and everything,” said Bachaa Party Director Ahmer Javed. Pakistan Today
• Chinese smartphone make Xiaomi will open as many as 1,000 brick-and-mortar stores throughout China in an attempt to boost sales. Ubergizmo
• Government regulators in the Philippines have approved SM Group's plan to merge its various retail companies into one unit. The merged companies will control Ace Hardware, Watsons drugstore, Toy Kingdom, SM Appliances, Our Home, Baby Company, Kultura, Sports Central, Pet Express and other specialty retailers, with combined annual sales of $112 million. Nikkei Asian Review
• Japanese value-oriented lifestyle retailer Miniso, which sells a wide range of merchandise, from apparel to home goods, will open 200 franchised stores throughout Vietnam with local partner Le Bao Minh within the next five years. Vietnam Net
• India's retail property owners are trying to integrate their centres more with online retailers and services to better serve consumers' needs. Malls are also adding more entertainment-oriented tenants to compete with the Internet. The Financial Express
• Demand for retail space is set to increase in the Philippines, thanks in part to a strong economy and the government's decision to allow more foreign direct investment in retail businesses. Manila Bulletin
• Chinese investors bought two properties in Brisbane, Australia, including Central Park Shopping Centre, in Sunnybank Hills, for a combined A$16.95 million ($12.22 million). The 1,870-square-metre centre is anchored by an IGA supermarket. Australian Financial Review
• American coffee chain Starbucks appears to be slowing down its growth in India. The Seattle-based firm and its local partner Tata only opened 10 units in the past 12 months, after avering 25 new stores annually for the past three years. Live Mint
• China's biggest retail chains reported a slowdown in sales growth for 2015 to $613.6 billion. That's up 22.4 per cent from 2014, but the pace of growth is down by 3.8 basis points, reports the China General Chamber of Commerce. Foreign-based firms saw sales slow more than China-based retailers, the report said. Xinhua
• Walmart is searching for local partners to provide it with everything from merchandise to digital technology as it estabilishes itself in India. The Hindu
• The Australian Geographic chain plans to shutter all 67 of its stores by March 2017 to stem losses. The chain's owners, the Myer family, are seeking a buyer. The retailer sells Australia-themed children's toys and souvenirs. Daily Mail
• Motorcycle brand Royal Enfield opened its first store in the Philippines, a 972-square-foot unit in San Antonio Village, Makati City. The firm plans to open stores throughout South East Asia. The firm's Manila store will be operated by local partner Hardcore Brothers Custom Motorcycles, Inc. Manila Times
• Textile maker India Handloom Brand Products plans to add 83 new stores to its network in Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata. The firm's most recent store opened in Coimbratore city. Yarns and Fibers
• Japanese streetwear designer Hiroshi Fujiwara launched PARK-ing Ginza, a store in an underground garage in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district that attracts trendhunters from around the globe. New York Times
• Ikea will add day-care centres at its India stores so that more females will be able to take jobs there. “The idea is to hire 50 per cent of women staffers, about 7,500, by 2025. Considering the social set-up here, it is necessary to open day-care centres for kids and babies in India. We will be doing this for the very first time, in any country, specifically in a bid to attract women talent,” Anna-Carin Månsson, country HR manager, Ikea. told HT. Hindustan Times
• Canali Logistics purchased 32 retail units at Singapore's Centrium Square totaling 16,738 square feet, for $70.1 million, from Feature Development. The freehold project is a redevelopment of the former Serangoon Plaza. The Edge