The China Post
Date: March 29, 2017
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Investment Commission (投審會) of the Ministry of Economic

Affairs (MOEA) approved Tuesday a bid by the company invested by Ambassador Hotel President Hubert Lee (李昌霖) to acquire McDonald’s franchise and assets in Taiwan.

The investment is estimated to be worth up to NT$5.09 billion, reports say. The proposal must still undergo review by the Fair Trade Commission.

Investment Commission Executive Secretary Emile Chang (張銘斌) said the FTC’s approval was needed because Ambassador Hotel, which Lee manages, is in part a food and beverage service business.

On the MOEA’s business registration website, Lee is listed as a representative of De Yu Co. Ltd. (德昱股份有限公司), the company that acquired the management rights for the American fast food chain in Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

PChome, momo Shop sell a variety of products to burn as offerings for deceased pets

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/03/27
By: Matthew Lubin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — This year for Tomb Sweeping Day, or Qingming Festival (清明

節), some residents of Taiwan may honor more than their ancestors as entrepreneurs look to capitalize on the pet market with joss paper products to ensure the family pet’s happy afterlife.

While the traditional Chinese festival that honors ancestors with graveside offerings falls on April 4 this year, e-commerce sites momo Shop and PChome has sought to attract a younger generation with its products. The online retailers now have a variety of products for consumers to offer when visiting their pets’ graves this year, though momo Shop has the larger pet-related selection.

The e-commerce site sells items like joss paper money for pets as well as dog houses and even a paper puppy. The dog houses from skea天堂紙紮, which specializes in paper products for Qingming, can cost almost NT$10,000 (US$330). And the company did not forget about the family cat—they also offer a cat house with scratching post inside. It even includes a miniature sofa.

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/03/27
By:3 Huang Ya-chuan and S.C. Chang

Taipei, March 27 (CNA) Taiwan’s consumers like bubble tea, coffee and other freshly

made drinks so much that they spent NT$49.1 billion (US$1.63 billion) on such products last year and the sector is expected to further expand this year, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs on Monday.

The 2016 revenue number was a 3.9 percent increase from a year earlier.

The growth trend is expected to continue this year. The total revenue earned in January to February this year from beverage sales has already surpassed previous averages for the two-month period, the ministry said, adding that they believe 2017 sales will exceed that of 2016.

There were more than 20,000 drinks and coffee shops in Taiwan at the end of 2016, the MOEA said, noting that they’re mostly concentrated in areas of high population density such as in the vicinities of department stores and MRT (mass rapid transit) stations.
[FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: March 28, 2017
By: Christine Chou

Mainland Chinese tech giant Xiaomi officially launched its Mijia Robot Vacuum, an

automated vacuum cleaner, in Taipei on Monday, as the Chinese brand explores new markets amid a decline in phone shipments as competition grows.

Henman Lee (李佳峰), Xiaomi Taiwan’s General Manager, said the Taiwan version of the robot cleaner will feature recordings of real human voices from Taiwanese radio personalities, adding that their goal is to sell more than 10,000 vacuums in the first month and generate more than NT$100 million in revenue.

“Our company is very confident about this product, and we hope to become number one in the local service robot market,” said Lee.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/03/26
By: Yang Shu-min and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, March 26 (CNA) State-owned CPC Corp. Taiwan (中油) said Sunday that it will lower gasoline prices by NT$0.2 (US$0.0066) per liter and diesel prices by NT$0.3 to reflect a drop in international crude oil prices.

When the price adjustments take effect at midnight Sunday, prices at CPC pumps will fall to NT$21.2 per liter for super diesel, NT$23.6 per liter for 92 octane unleaded gasoline, NT$25.1 per liter for 95 octane unleaded, and NT$27.1 per liter for 98 unleaded, the company said.

International crude oil prices fell this past week amid concerns over higher U.S. crude production although the concerns were slightly counterbalanced by renewed optimism over a planned cut or freeze in production led by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in order to prevent an oil price collapse in spring, according to CPC.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: March 27, 2017
By: Liu Kuang-ying

Signs of Ford Lio Ho Motor Company’s former glory are immediately apparent upon

entering its 35-hectare facility in the Taoyuan satellite city of Chungli. During its heyday in the late 1980s, the company was Taiwan’s automobile sales leader, and one out of every four cars on the country’s roads was a Ford.

In stark contrast, with sales of just under 20,000 vehicles last year, Ford’s meager market share of 4.5 percent was just one-fifth of that at its peak. Meanwhile, only around 700 salaried employees remain at the facility, just a quarter of the workforce of old. As a result, the automobile industry has been abuzz with talk about the possible closure of the Ford Motor production line in Taiwan after a 45-year run.

However, the actions of Tim Chu, president of Ford Lio Ho Motor Co., would seem to contradict such rumors, as Ford plans to invest NT$4 billion (US$132 million) in plant refurbishments over the next five years, in order to incorporate smart production practices.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/03/25
By: Wei Su and Romulo Huang

Taipei, March 25 (CNA) Formosa Petrochemical Corp. (台塑石化), a privately owned fuel supplier, said Saturday that it will lower its gasoline and diesel prices next week to reflect a fall in international crude oil prices.

Gasoline prices will be cut by NT$0.2 (US$0.006) per liter, while the price of diesel will be reduced by NT$0.3 per liter, the company said.

It will be the third consecutive weekly fuel price reduction by Formosa Petrochemical.

When the latest cut is implemented at 1 a.m. Monday, prices at Formosa Petrochemical gas stations islandwide will drop to NT$20.9 per liter for super diesel, NT$23.6 per liter for 92 octane unleaded, NT$25 per liter for 95 unleaded and NT$27.1 per liter for 98 unleaded.    [FULL  STORY]