RELATED TREND -- READY-TO-EAT INDUSTRY
JAPAN -- Look at the growing trends in take-out and ready-to-eat meals. The ready-to-eat market was
estimated at about US$49.6 billion in 1995 -- it doubled in the last 10 years. Women (and men) are in need of
greater convenience, more time-saving alternatives to remedy their increasingly hectic lives. Restaurants have
recently begun to offer delivery services in Japan to compete with deli counters and convenience stores.
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ARE LPs MAKING A COMEBACK?
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BABIES "R" US TEST SPECIALTY STORE
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JAPAN and USA -- Audiophiles in the US, Japan and other markets have not forgotten
the asymptotic quality of analog LPs. Those old-fashioned record albums that preceded the overwhelmingly successful
introduction of CDs still appeal to many music lovers. Certainly, CDs dominate the music industry, but among
an increasingly visible niche of audiophiles, as well as older consumers who still own albums and now a
growing interest from the younger trendsetters, it appears that 'those old records' and record players are
becoming "hip." Japan imported more than 6 million record albums in 1996 and produced nearly a million
locally -- double local production from the previous year. And JVC introduced a line of
digital/analog players with an antique look. While we are not suggesting that analog music will
replace CDs anytime soon -- we suggest that there is a growing interest in this retro-style of music,
whose time may not have passed.
Reader's Comments
(Source: YOUR LINK HERE)
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TOKYO, Japan -- Toys "R" Us - Japan, Ltd. opened its first test site of a
specialty shop, Babies "R" Us in Shingu, Fukuoka Prefecture The store will sell
clothing, furniture, diapers, strollers and related items for children under the age of 3.
This test site will occupy more than one-third of the floor space of this existing Toys "R" Us store
in Japan.
(Source: YOUR LINK HERE)
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PUSHKIN SQUARE IS McDONALD'S BUSIEST RESTAURANT
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MOTOROLA TO DEPLOY LATIN AMERICA'S FIRST COUNTRY-WIDE
CDMA CELLULAR INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK IN PERU
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MOSCOW, Russia -- McDonald's Pushkin Square restaurant in Moscow is its busiest outlet
in the world. The restaurant opened in January 1990 and has since served more than 100 million customers --
about 40,000 each day. Since it opened its doors, this restaurant has been designated as McDonald's busiest
each year. Looking at foods served from this one location, it breaks down as follows:
- 40 million orders of French Fries
- 25 million Big Macs
- 60 million drinks
- 30 million desserts (pies and sundaes)
Overall, there are 21 McDonald's restaurants throughout Russia, including four in St. Petersburg and
three in Nizhniy Novgorod. As Russia's leading quick service restaurant, McDonald's employs 4,500 people there.
(Source: YOUR LINK HERE)
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PERU -- Motorola won a US$350 million contract with Telefonica del Peru to expand its
digital cellular telephone network. After building a trial network in Lima that now serves almost 10,000 customers,
Motorola 's Cellular Infrastructure Group (CIG) was contracted to install a large-capacity digital mobile switching
platform and digital base stations in Peru's main cities over the next few years. These will replace the existing analog
system. It is expected that over a million subscribers will be served by this new network in Peru. This will be Latin
America's first country-wide network system CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) deployed by a wireless operator.
(Source: YOUR LINK HERE)
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INCREASING POPULARITY OF VIRTUAL
PETS MAY LEAD TO IMPORT BAN IN VIETNAM
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DIRECT INVESTMENT IN EGYPT ON THE RISE
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HANOI, Vietnam -- Vietnam's Ministry of Culture and Information may ban the import of the virtual pet,
Tamagotchi, from Bandai Co. because cultural authorities fear that these "pets" are distracting to students.
This fad had caught on in Japan and the USA, and several schools in both countries have banned them from
the classrooms because of their "beeping" and "chirping." Tens of thousands have been imported into Vietnam
already.
The popularity of the Tamagotchi pet has been so strong that software companies in Japan
and the USA have also introduced CD-ROM based dogs, cats, fish and other creative "pets" with the hope of
extending this fad. Though these PC-based pets are somewhat more complicated than their original
Tamagotchi cousins, and they still require daily care, the PC-based "pets" can be switched "off" while the
owner tends to real-life priorities.
Given the relatively low penetration of PCs and CD-ROM drives in Vietnamese households, these PC-based
"pets" do not appear to be a threat to local authorities in the near-term.
(Source: YOUR LINK HERE)
[PANGAEA specializes in consumer
marketing insights and integrates the full spectrum of business
intelligence into thoughtful market launch strategies for its clients.]
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CAIRO, Egypt -- Attributed to Egypt's 1991 privatization policy, which effectively took off
last year, direct investment in Egypt has shown steady increases in the last three years. By the end
of this year, direct investment is expected to reach US$1.5 billion according to the Economy Minister
Yussef Boutros Ghali. Year-end 1996, direct investment in Egypt was about US$900 million, up from
US$432 million the year before.
(Source: YOUR LINK HERE)
NOTE: Reprints, downloads or copies of this issue are available for US$12.00 per copy,
payable on the honor system to PANGAEA.
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WORLD NEWS -- TODAY...
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