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CK Hutchison’s Global Climate Action Conference is the first gathering of business CEOs to share how they are setting targets, taking action and proving their accountability on reducing their carbon footprint. Sphere’s three-part series on the Conference provides a sense of what was covered in depth for over 400 team members at the online event.  

Watsons has been selected by Inside Retail Asia as one of Asia’s Most Innovative Sustainable Retailers for its work across the region. They often bring select partners along with them on their green journey. Watsons has launched a region-wide recycling programme in Asia to educate customers as well as engage them to go green and is constantly seeking out new ways to improve processes so that the company and customers can contribute to a healthier planet.  

A.S. Watson Benelux has opened a new 14,000 sqm distribution centre. The facility is powered by 14,000 solar panels, generating energy equivalent to that normally consumed by 2,000 households. This facility, the third in the region, reduces carbon consumption by placing the distribution centre closer to Kruidvat’s retail outlets. The centre’s new home in Oosterhout, the Netherlands, will provide employment for the surrounding communities, a win for all concerned.  

PARKnSHOP has invested over HK$200 million in a 300,000 sqft eCom Fulfilment Centre in a bold move that will increase its inventory processing volume by a factor of three. Cutting-edge technology is being used to improve efficiency. Artificial intelligence drives automatic guided vehicles. Data analytics spots inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement. This capability is crucial as the firm has seen its offline and online (O+O) strategy pay off handsomely with a triple increase in two years.  

The promise of telemedicine is being delivered by A.S. Watson from the UK to Asia. Patients can jump the queue to see doctors in minutes and get home delivery of medicines. The days of reading year-old magazines at the doctor’s clinic are done – online medicine is being delivered NOW!  

Watsons China is keeping its customers – at home, in store or on the move – in the Health Care Zone. Online and in-store sections are answering customers’ needs to protect their health in the current and post-pandemic era. Over 1,200 stores in 270 cities, encompassing Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Chengdu and Wuhan are participating, along with their online counterparts. Online orders can deliver the healthy goods in as fast as 30 minutes!  

A.S. Watson’s drive to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has seen it beat its targets set in 2015. It was aiming for a 40% reduction by 2030, but in 2021, it hit 42%. The target has been reset to a 50% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030, using 2018 as the stricter baseline. It also aims to have 33% of its suppliers committed to science-based targets for GHG emissions reduction by 2027. A.S. Watson is aiming to meet its goals and then set higher ones. Onwards and downwards for GHG emissions!  

A.S. Watson has committed to supporting over 200,000 young people getting their start in the working world, with job opportunities, training and coaching to get them the best possible start in retail. Over 5 million training hours will equip them for the fast-moving O+O retail industry. This will all happen between now and 2030, paving the way for the mid-century retail senior executives to be!  

PARKnSHOP in Hong Kong celebrated its 50th anniversary at a celebration joined by over 220 business partners and staff. “Eat Better, Live Better” is the social purpose of PARKnSHOP as a trusted food retailer in the city for 50 years, which underpins its success with the O+O platform strategy.

In Europe, Kruidvat Belgium had over 2,000 people come out to have a distinctly Belgian birthday party for its 30th anniversary, with a focus on the company’s positive impact on its customers, the community and the planet.  

Watsons’ ninth-generation store design ethos is transforming stores into experiential spaces, making the most of their O+O strategy and aligning Watsons with customers’ green hearts. Delivering human connection and a commitment to environmental stewardship is incorporated into features in stores from Hong Kong to Türkiye.  

A.S. Watson has announced the adoption of a comprehensive framework to make every store, staff member and customer around the world a steward of the earth. The Greener Stores Global Framework touches every aspect of the business including store design, construction, operations and maintenance. There are also elements to encourage customers to bring greener practices into their everyday lives. One set of practical measures that has been achieved are Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission targets. A 40% reduction (from a 2015 baseline) in GHG emissions, targeted for the end of 2030, was beaten by the end of 2021! New targets have been set for A.S. Watson operations, supplier inputs and upstream transportation and distribution.  

A.S. Watson’s luxury perfumery and cosmetics brand Marionnaud will create five crossover stores with Watsons China in Shanghai, Wuhan, Xian and Chongqing. Beauty lovers will be able to experience new products from around the world in dedicated “experience spaces”, to discover their new look and maybe even a new signature scent.  

3 Hong Kong is leveraging the footprint of over 400 A.S. Watson Group (ASW) retail outlets across Hong Kong including Watsons and PARKnSHOP. SoSIM pre-paid SIM cards can be purchased and recharged at the many locations. Buying SoSIM at ASW outlets also earns points on MoneyBack, the multi-retail brand loyalty programme. MoneyBack members can also receive a range of offers.  

The high-pressure crucible of Hong Kong’s shopping environment seems like it would leave little room for learning among retail professionals. But A.S. Watson’s commitment to higher performance creates opportunities for promising staff to elevate their game at its very own Retail Academy.  

A.S. Watson Group (ASW) is on a global mission to meet ambitious social purpose and sustainability goals to 2030. The retail group will fund free corrective surgery for 10,000 children with cleft lips and palates. Towards a cleaner world, ASW will reduce its electricity intensity by 30%, greenhouse gas emissions by 40% (both against a 2015 baseline), eliminate unnecessary plastic packaging and phase out PVC plastics – all by 2030.  

A.S. Watson Group marked its 180th birthday by celebrating with a 5G-powered virtual cocktail event attended by hundreds of business and charity partners from around the world. From its humble beginnings as a dispensary offering free medicine to the needy, to what is now the world’s largest international health and beauty retailer with 16,000 offline and online stores worldwide, it has been a remarkable journey during which the company has given back during the tough times.  

A.S. Watson Group (ASW) unleashed a flurry of firsts as it celebrated its franchise agreement with Al-Futtaim, an international retail conglomerate based in the United Arab Emirates, to launch a Watsons flagship location in the Gulf Cooperation Council region. This move breaks new ground in two ways – ASW’s first-ever franchise agreement and its first foray into the Middle East.