logo
Ways to lift S'pore SMEs in F&B, retail amid competition, tech disruption and inflation

Ways to lift S'pore SMEs in F&B, retail amid competition, tech disruption and inflation

Straits Times5 hours ago

The last three years since the pandemic tapered off in 2022 have been a perfect storm for the food and beverage industry, says SaladStop! Group CEO Adrien Desbaillets. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
SINGAPORE – When entrepreneur Adrien Desbaillets started his make-your-own salad bowl business 15 years ago, he could try out ideas to see what worked or did not.
Today, with costs eating into margins and competitors lurking to eat his lunch, the room to experiment has shrunk.
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump assurance of US support for Aukus to Starmer some consolation for Albanese after meet cancelled
Trump assurance of US support for Aukus to Starmer some consolation for Albanese after meet cancelled

Straits Times

time38 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Trump assurance of US support for Aukus to Starmer some consolation for Albanese after meet cancelled

US President Donald Trump (left) and British PM Keir Starmer shake hands as they speak to reporters during the G-7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada. PHOTO: AFP – A much-vaunted meeting between Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump to discuss the future of a three-way security pact that also involves Britain did not take place as planned at the Group of Seven (G-7) Summit in Calgary, after the American leader abruptly left to deal with the Israel-Iran war. Nevertheless, Canberra's concerns about the US commitment to the Aukus pact – which involves the supply of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia at a cost of A$368 billion (S$306.73 billion) – were partially assuaged when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer appeared to secure the backing of the mercurial Mr Trump for the deal. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

German military deems Russia 'existential risk' to nation and Europe, Spiegel reports
German military deems Russia 'existential risk' to nation and Europe, Spiegel reports

Straits Times

time2 hours ago

  • Straits Times

German military deems Russia 'existential risk' to nation and Europe, Spiegel reports

FILE PHOTO: The Russian flag flies on the dome of the Kremlin Senate building behind Spasskaya Tower, in central Moscow, Russia, May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File photo Berlin - The German military deems Russia an "existential risk" to the country and Europe, according to a Spiegel news magazine report that cites a new Bundeswehr strategy paper. The confidential document warns that the Kremlin is aligning both its industrial and leadership structures "specifically to meet the requirements for a large-scale conflict against NATO by the end of this decade." Russia is verifiably preparing for a conflict with NATO, particularly by strengthening forces in western Russia "at the borders with NATO," the report cites the strategy paper as saying. As early as next year, Russia could have around 1.5 million soldiers on active duty, according to the paper. Germany can only counter this threat "with a consistent development of military and society-wide capabilities," the document concludes. Military personnel and experts developed the strategy paper over the past 18 months to serve as a guideline for the future direction of Germany's Bundeswehr, the Spiegel report said. The defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently backed U.S. President Donald Trump's demand to hike NATO's defence spending target to 5% of national GDP, a major shift made possible by a historic loosening of Berlin's constitutional debt brake. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Italy's immigration and emigration both soaring, stats agency says
Italy's immigration and emigration both soaring, stats agency says

Straits Times

time2 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Italy's immigration and emigration both soaring, stats agency says

ROME - The numbers of Italians leaving their country and of foreigners moving in have soared to the highest in a decade, official data showed on Friday, fuelling national concerns about brain drain, economic decline and immigration. Italy has a right-wing government elected in 2022 on a mandate to curb migrant arrivals, but also has a shrinking population and growing labour shortages, highlighting the need to attract foreign workers. Meanwhile the country's stagnant economy and low wages - salaries are below 1990 levels in inflation-adjusted terms - have been blamed for pushing many Italians to seek better fortunes abroad. Last year 382,071 foreigners moved to Italy, up from 378,372 in 2023 and the highest since 2014, statistics agency Istat said. In the same period, 155,732 Italians emigrated, up from 114,057 in 2023 and also the highest since 2014. The immigration figure beat the previous high for the last decade of 301,000 in 2017, and was well above that period's low of 191,766 from 2020 - the height of the COVID pandemic. The figure of almost 270,000 nationals emigrating in the two-year period from 2023 to 2024 was up around 40% compared to the previous two years. The two-year immigration figure for that period, of around 760,000, was up 31% from 2021-2022. The figures are derived from town registry offices, so are unlikely to reflect undocumented migration. Ukrainians made up the biggest national group among those who arrived in 2023-2024, Istat said, followed by Albanians, Bangladeshis, Moroccans, Romanians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Argentines and Tunisians. As for the high number of emigrants, "it is more than plausible" that a significant number were "former immigrants" who moved abroad after acquiring Italian citizenship, Istat said. The agency also said Italy's poorer south was continuing to depopulate, noting that almost 1% of residents in Calabria, the region with the lowest per capita income, moved to central or northern areas during 2023-2024. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store