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Temasek-backed tech venture launches new rewards platform for everyday shopping Members of yuu Rewards Club can earn one point for every dollar spent at more than 1,000 participating places, including Cold Storage and Giant supermarkets. SINGAPORE: With a new rewards platform launching on Thursday (Oct 27), shoppers in Singapore could soon use a single app to redeem rewards on everyday spending at Cold Storage, Giant, Guardian, Singtel and BreadTalk Group F&B outlets. The yuu Rewards Club is a free platform created by minden.ai, a tech venture founded and backed by Temasek. DFI Retail Group, which operates Cold Storage, Giant and CS Fresh supermarkets as well as the Guardian and 7-Eleven outlets, also has a stake in the venture. On the platform, members can earn 1 yuu point for every dollar spent at the more than 1,000 participating places, said minden.ai in a press release on Wednesday. Every 200 yuu points can be used to offset S$1 on purchases at participating outlets, said CEO of minden.ai Sng Ren Yeong. The points can also be used to redeem deals and rewards from the participating brands. For example, 10 yuu points could net you a small hot coffee at Toast Box. Individuals who opt to save up for bigger redemptions could use 2,400 yuu points to redeem a free month of HBO Go subscription with Singtel. There will be no cap to the number of yuu points that can be accumulated. “The yuu Rewards Club was created to give consumers greater choice, convenience and flexibility, such that we can reward them for their everyday purchases,” said Mr Sng. “We hope to allow consumers to accumulate and earn points as they shop everyday purchases and be able to redeem them for meaningful rewards across this network,” he added. According to a survey of 1,000 Singapore residents, 60 per cent of them said they were increasingly looking to join a loyalty or rewards programme to save money, said minden.ai in a press release. “It is also opportune that this platform addresses the everyday purchase habits for consumers, and we are happy that we are doing our part today to help consumers stretch their dollar to offset some of the inflationary pressures that they face in today’s inflationary environment,” said Mr Sng. 72 per cent of respondents were looking for cost savings on purchases, and two-thirds of respondents wanted the ability to redeem points on everyday spending, the survey showed. Participating outlets and brands include Cold Storage, CS Fresh and Giant supermarkets, Guardian and 7-Eleven outlets. The yuu platform can also be used at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve parks - the Singapore Zoo, the Night Safari, River Wonders and Jurong Bird Park. Members can also earn yuu points at BreadTalk, Toast Box, Food Junction, Food Republic, Food Opera, Butter Bean and Thye Moh Chan, as well as on Singtel products. There are also offers specific to each brand. For example, if customers use the yuu platform at Giant, they could redeem offers like double the number of points on fresh vegetables and fruits, laundry items, rice, milk and cream, and triple the points on Meadows brand items. All of these offers can be stacked in the same transaction, and will automatically apply when individuals shop at the participating outlets, said Mr Sng. “We are happy to welcome more partners to come on board. Today we have some of Singaporeans’ favourite household brands that really are very consumer-centric in prioritising to reward their consumers. We hope to welcome more brands in time to come that equally focus on consumers as well,” said Mr Sng. To start earning yuu points, consumers need to download the yuu app, which is now available on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and Huawei App Store. After they register for their yuu account, they will have a unique ID. Before paying at participating partners, they should scan their unique QR code or barcode. Members can see their point balance on the app and use the points to offset purchases or redeem rewards. Cashiers at the participating outlets have been trained to assist consumers who may be interested in joining the platform, said Mr Sng. Responding to a question on why minden.ai opted to focus on rewards and offers over cashback, Mr Sng noted that different consumers have different preferences. “Some consumers prefer cashback discounts, others prefer to accumulate and earn points so they can redeem it for meaningful rewards,” he said. “You may use your points to offset purchases, but if you save and accumulate them to a certain amount, you may find a reward for which there’s a big discount for, that you can redeem your points for,” he added. When brands know about the demand for such rewards, they may also be able to purchase them at a cheaper price or deliver these items at a greater scale, he added. As customers interact with the platform over time, minden.ai hopes to leverage technology to personalise the rewards, said Mr Sng. “If we understand both the consumer preferences as well as what’s available within our partner inventory network, they can reward the consumers in a much more meaningful way by making the rewards not only relevant but rewarding as well,” he added. minden.ai has also partnered with DBS and PAssion Card on the platform. DBS will launch a new DBS yuu credit card on Thursday, and these users can earn up to 30 times the points when they shop and make payment with this card at partner stores. Individuals who have a PAssion card or PAssion POSB debit card can also link their cards to the platform. Spending with the debit card or tapping the PAssion card at DFI outlets also earns yuu points. After accumulating yuu points, members can also choose to donate them to community projects and charitable causes such as PAssion CARES, a pay-it-forward initiative driven by the People’s Association via the yuu app, said minden.ai in the press release. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/yuu-rewards-club-cold-storage-giant-7-11-singapore-zoo-singtel-dbs-3025836

No supermarket at VivoCity for several months; FairPrice Xtra to open by Q3 2019 When the Giant hypermarket in VivoCity mall shuts on Feb 17, patrons will find the shopping complex devoid of a supermarket for several months until rival chain NTUC FairPrice opens its biggest store there later this year. VivoCity houses another supermarket, Cold Storage, but it too will shut on the same day, TODAY has learnt. Giant and Cold Storage are managed by retail group Dairy Farm. TODAY reported in September last year on the closure of Giant at VivoCity. The outlet, which was spread over two levels, opened in 2006 and is among the mall’s anchor tenants. FairPrice, the largest supermarket chain here, is set to take over the space by the third quarter of this year. The FairPrice Xtra outlet, spanning 90,000 sq ft, will be its largest in Singapore. A FairPrice spokesperson said the store will boast “unique features” but did not elaborate. In October last year, Ms Sharon Lim, the chief executive officer of Mapletree Commercial Trust Management — which oversees VivoCity — said FairPrice will bring a “new integrated concept” to cater to the varied needs of shoppers, and this is expected to improve the mall’s offerings. With only a fortnight before the Giant outlet shuts, regular patrons told TODAY on Friday (Feb 1) that they would be inconvenienced and would have to visit other supermarkets. Housewife Maria Peter, 57, visits the hypermarket several times a week and was sad to see it go. “The store has a good variety of produce and the prices are reasonable. It’s very upsetting,” said Mrs Peter, a Tiong Bahru resident. After the store shuts, she will have to shop at the FairPrice Finest supermarket at Tiong Bahru Plaza or visit the Giant Express store at Jalan Membina in Bukit Merah. Mr James Fernandez, 59, frequents Giant’s VivoCity outlet because of its range of offerings. “I prefer this store because of the choices and quality, and they refresh it pretty often. It’s very difficult to replace,” said the part-time lecturer. He will go to a FairPrice outlet at Bukit Merah after the hypermarket shuts. Mr Fernandez said he may have fewer reasons to visit VivoCity in future, as “there is no reason to come here except to eat”. A resident of Sentosa who wanted to be known only as Mrs Tan, 55, said she may turn to online grocer RedMart or visit supermarkets in Telok Blangah and Pasir Panjang. She was surprised that FairPrice would open its outlet only several months later. Giant’s closure of its VivoCity hypermarket comes after it shut two stores in Bukit Panjang and Jalan Tenteram in Whampoa estate last year, TODAY reported previously. The chain is also reviewing if business will remain viable in at least three other stores. The outlets — at The Grandstand mall on Turf Club Road, Block 512 on Bishan Street 13, and Block 118 on Aljunied Avenue 2 — are being reviewed for lease renewals and store performance, among other considerations. When approached on Friday, a spokesperson for Dairy Farm said the business has progressively redeployed its employees from its VivoCity outlets to other stores. A “core team” remains at VivoCity to serve patrons. The spokesperson did not say if other stores will be shutting this year, but noted that the company reviews its strategy continually and adjusts its “portfolio mix to meet the evolving tastes and demands” of its customers. “For us, this is business as usual.” OFFER AN EXPERIENCE In the first half of last year, operating profit for Dairy Farm’s hypermarket and supermarket businesses dropped to US$33.2 million (S$44.8 million) from US$71.3 million in the same period the year before. Dr Michael Chiam, a senior tourism lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, suggested it could make shopping more experiential by setting up a cafe or conducting cooking lessons in its stores, for instance. Mr Samuel Tan, course manager of the retail management diploma at Temasek Polytechnic’s School of Business, said Giant could be competing with players targeting similar customers and with similar product sources, such as Sheng Siong, another supermarket chain. Hence, it needs to reinvent itself by introducing more house brands or exclusive products. As for the future FairPrice Xtra outlet in VivoCity, Dr Chiam said it could consider a lifestyle theme and feature an in-store cafe. “Customers could select the ingredients found in the supermarket and the cafe offers to cook (a dish) for them at a fee,” he said. Mr Tan noted that FairPrice has been testing ideas at its Paya Lebar store, where shoppers can collect their purchases at a pick-up point, for instance. It could build on the concept at VivoCity, enabling consumers to scan a product or quick-response code to better understand the product, its possible uses or cooking methods, he said. “Fresh food from farms, ready food with seasoning and dine-in options could be considered as part of the shopper’s experience,” Mr Tan added.

Not sure if any of you guys have seen this, but I find it damn stupid, plus this guy is actually my neighbour... sigh... Now I know I really live in an estate filled with idiotic people, probably me included. Sauce: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153694088972866&set=pcb.10153694089247866&type=3&theater