And another Bangkok Trader!

Shame on me! Forgot the Bangkok Trader. Tomorrow at the Huntsman Pub at the Landmark Hotel Bangkok on Sukhumvit Road.

All details here.

Bangkok Networking: August 30 to September 5, 2010

Smaaaaaaalllll networking week with only two events: AustCham Sundowner on Wednesday and EYP first Friday on.. well.. Friday.

Note that this EYP first Friday is a brand new concept:

“Taking place on the First Friday of every month, this is a great opportunity to meet your fellow professionals in the cordial atmosphere of some of the smaller venues Bangkok has to offer.
Our first First Friday takes place at the new, cool Bistro 33 on Sukhumvit 33 on Friday 3rd September, 6.30pm onwards. Entry is free but please note that numbers are limited so to avoid disappointment book here now.”

Not sure what is brand new here, actually, but they say it is. The venue is not, for sure. Anyway, if you want to attend, book there now.

All events and details are on the Bangkok Networking Calendar.

Bangkok Airport Rail Link opens today

After 2 months of trial, the Bangkok Airport Rail Link officially opens today. Here is an article from the Bangkok Post:

SRT rolls out Airport Rail Link

The 28km Airport Rail Link begins full commercial operations today to reduce travel time between the inner city and Suvarnabhumi airport in Samut Prakan.

Click for a large image

The rail link will charge promotional fares until the end of the year on its city and express lines. It expects to serve up to 50,000 passengers a day.

The service has been operating on a trial basis since June 1, attracting about 17,000 people a day travelling for free.

State Railway of Thailand (SRT) governor Yutthana Thapcharoen yesterday led an inspection of the rail link and its facilities to ensure it was ready for commercial services.

Mr Yutthana insisted the link “is definitely good to go”.

“It is the fastest rail system in the country,” he said.

“It is convenient and provides [a quality] service.”

Mr Yutthana said the SRT would ask the cabinet to raise the registered capital of a subsidiary firm to run the rail link from 500 million baht to 2 billion baht.

Transport Minister Sohpon Zarum is scheduled to inspect the rail link today to see if there were problems that needed to be fixed.

“I heard the train had a glitch and had to go back to Phaya Thai station,” the minister said.

“That kind of thing can make passengers miss their flights.”

Passengers using the City Line, the all-stops line, will pay a flat rate of 15 baht for a trip during the promotion period. The line, which operates from 6am to midnight, takes 30 minutes to travel from Phaya Thai station to Suvarnabhumi airport.

Those using the Express Line will pay 100 baht for a trip. It takes 15 minutes to travel from Makkasan station to the airport non-stop. It also operates from 6am to midnight.

Fares for the City Line will range from 15 baht to 45 baht, depending on the distance travelled, after Jan 1, 2011, while the fares on the Express Line would rise to 150 baht.

Passengers would be able to check in their baggage at Makkasan station for transfer to their airline once the service was fully operational.

Bangkok Networking: August 23 to 29, 2010

What a bad networking week! Everything (almost) happens on Thursday!

- New Zealand night (ok not such a big deal),

- TDA thirsty Thursday for once at the Nest, Sukhumvit soi 11, Bangkok. A great venue,

- AmCham for once at a unique venue: JUSMAGTHAI Bangkok:

Joint United States Military Assistance Group – Thailand

“JUSMAGTHAI is the U.S. Security Assistance Organization (SAO) in Thailand, as well as the in country OPR for all U.S. bilateral and multilateral military exercises and operations conducted in Thailand. The Chief of JUSMAGTHAI is the U.S. Defense Representative (USDR) in Thailand. In addition to its military chain of command, JUSMAGTHAI is also responsible to the U.S. Ambassador to Thailand. Unlike most SAOs, JUSMAGTHAI has primary responsibility, or otherwise directly supports, a variety of missions. These include a robust Joint Combined bilateral Exercise Program (averaging over 40 exercises a year), one of the largest International Military Education and Training (IMET) programs in the world, Humanitarian Demining, and Counterdrug missions.”

We got to check that, right?

Friday is for Pattaya Networking. Anyone?

All events and details are on the Bangkok Networking Calendar.

Bangkok Networking: August 16 to 22, 2010

This week InterNations takes you to Spain on Wednesday, and Beluthai (Belgium Luxembourg Chamber) welcomes you back to Thailand on Thursday (if you are a Belgium national or a “Luxembourgeois“, that is). For once, AmCham is on Friday.

I also mentioned on the calendar a few conferences at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand because they’ve got a lot of good events there.

Have a look!

All events and details are on the Bangkok Networking Calendar.

Cost to open a 7-Eleven in Thailand

This post is the follow up of the post 7-Eleven in Thailand.

How to be a franchise? (This is a translation of a Thai text, done by a Thai. Of course).

Qualifications:

1.    A person who can register business in Thailand
2.    A person who have guarantee
3.    Be ready for investment
4.    Comply strictly with regulations and standard of company
5.    Be friendly and be patient
6.    Be ready for  human resource management
7.    Have time to manage business
8.    Be able to attend to management training

Can a foreigner open a 7-Eleven? Yes, but with a Thai company (majority Thai share holder, 51%).

Application Documents

1.    Application Form with a photo and Copied ID Card
2.    Copied House Registration
3.    Copied Statement  last 3 months or copied saving account book  last 6 months
4.    Medical Certificate ( Before Training )

Steps of Business Owner

1.    Attend to investment Seminar
2.    Attend to the process of selection by knowledgeable people
3.    Attend to management training
Start to manage franchise shop

Investment:

There are 2 types of Franchises, type B and type C. (Not type A. Don’t ask! TIT!*).

Type B :

- The company is in charge of finding location.
- For male and female, under 50 for age
- You must have time 80% to manage your business.
- You must have 1 assistant.
- Money for investment is divided 2 parts
*Cash for real investment 480,000 baht
*Cash for guarantee 1 millions baht
- 6 years for contract
- You will receive salary 21,500 baht per month if you reach to the quota.

Type C :

- You have to find location by yourself, present your location to the company and get approved from the company.
- The company pay for rental.
-  Money for investment is divided 2 parts
*Cash for real investment 1,730,000 baht
*Cash for guarantee 300,000 baht
-  For income, You will get 54% and the company will get 46%

Terms of Contract

More information? Tel : 0-2711-7800

*TIT: This is Thailand!

Bangkok Networking: August 9 to 15, 2010

Aie Aie Aie! This week the 2 big networking events are on the same day (or night): Bangkok Young Professionals celebrate their 4th anniversary (500 baht to get in if you’re not a member) and GOYP celebrates a Green Sauce! (all you can eat buffet for 395 baht).

Also this week: a book launch at the Foreign Correspondent Club of Thailand (FCCT) on Wednesday.

All events and details are on the Bangkok Networking Calendar.

Bangkok Networking: August 2 to 8, 2010

This week, Bangkok Trader on Tuesday, at the Australian Pub, should be the highlight of the week. However there is competition with the All Chambers Sundowners, with all 32 chambers of Bangkok (the full list is here), organized by the Australian one (AustCham), on Wednesday.

2 Wine Tastings this week, on Tuesday at Barbican and on Thursday at Plaza Athenee.

All events and details are on the Bangkok Networking Calendar.

Sip Slowly as says the bald consulting guy!

7-Eleven in Thailand

Hard to miss the 7-Eleven convenience stores in Thailand. They are everywhere. With around 5,400 7-Eleven stores, half of them in Bangkok, Thailand ranks 3rd in term of stores number, after Japan (12,349) and the US (5,900).

The company has its origins in the US. The first store was launched in Dallas, Texas, in 1927. The name “7-Eleven” comes from the fact that the first shops were open from 7am till 11pm, hours unprecedented in their length. Later, in 1962, the first stores open 24hours appears, but the name stays.

In the early 80s, a Japanese company, Ito-Yokado, start buying shares of the company. 7-Eleven is facing financial difficulties and needs cash and the Japanese company takes advantage of it. The Japanese company will take more and more shares of the 7-Eleven company in the following years, and will eventually become a majority share holder in the early 90s.

Now 7-Eleven is a subsidiary of the Seven & I Holdings Co Japanese company.

7-Eleven stores are located in eighteen countries, including Japan, the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Thailand.

Altogether these are 38,000 stores (more than any other chain store, including McDonald’s), most of them being franchises.

In Thailand the franchise is the Charoen Pokphand Group, which in turn grants franchises to operators.

The Charoen Pokphand Group is the largest business conglomerate in Thailand. Its largest subsidiary is Charoen Pokphand Foods, which achieved 116.5 billion baht in revenue in 2005, earning a profit of 6.747 billion baht. Apart from agribusiness, the family-owned conglomerate’s interests range from retailing, as the franchisee of Thailand’s 7-Eleven stores, to telecommunications, as the owner of True Corporation, a mobile telephone service provider, Internet service provider, and cable television company.

In an next post, we will see how to acquire a 7-Eleven franchise in Thailand and what are the financial conditions to do so. Stay tuned!

No Alcohol Day

Life goes on in Buddhist Thailand…

Click for a larger image

… But without Alcohol.