SINGAPORE — Y&R Singapore is set to strengthen its retail offering with the introduction of Labstore, Y&R Advertising’s digitally-led retail and shopper marketing network.
Y&R Labstore Singapore will offer clients solutions in a range of disciplines spanning communications, activations, identity, merchandising, plus retail & store design. Clients can also now tap Labstore expertise and gain access to resources including shopper research and insights, and specialist teams to lead retail marketing strategy and execution.
The labstore has already begun working with clients such as Energizer, Nestle, 3M and Olam International. Spearheading it are Shopper and Retail Business Director Peter Miller and Creative Director Mark Whyte.
“Shopper marketing may be well-established ground in the US and UK, but it is still an emerging field in Singapore and the region,” said Miller. “Clients are more interested than ever in learning how they can address the needs of the modern shopper, and we are here to keep them up-to-date on the rapidly shifting trends.”
“The beauty of Labstore is that it integrates technology at all retail touchpoints,” added Whyte. “No-one shops in isolation anymore. The consumer is constantly social and digital, and so we must meet them in that space. Working with Y&R Singapore ensures that what we offer as a team is creative, strategic and customised for local brands, while still pulling on the power of Labstore’s global network resources.”
Miller heads up Y&R Labstore Singapore with over 35 years’ experience in the fields of branding, advertising, communications and marketing, with a particular emphasis on the retail environment. He has been in Singapore for more than 20 years, working with clients including Unilever, Heineken, Nokia and Diageo. In recent years, Miller has consulted for the Singapore Government’s Design Engage program and spoken at brand and marketing conferences such as the Asia Business Review, Brandfest and Brand Loyalty Congress.
Similarly, Whyte’s career spans more than 30 years across branding, advertising, activation, design, corporate Identity, integrated brand communication, retail communication, merchandising and design, the majority of which spent in Asia-Pacific. He established Tequila’s Singapore and APAC regional offices in 1995, and his brand experiences include Visa, Symantec, Asia Pacific Breweries, Hennessy, Moët & Chandon, Tesco, Hardy’s and Harley Davidson
Y&R Labstore Singapore will be the latest in a string of openings around the world, having rolled out in more than 20 markets worldwide since 2014, across Europe, Asia, Latin America, North America and South Africa. One of the biggest networks of its kind, it is in the top five retail and shopper marketing networks geographically. In Asia, Labstore already thrives in Thailand and the Philippines.
The announcement is made today at InnovFest unBound Singapore, a two-day innovation festival during which Labstore is hosting the Retail Innovation Forum connecting top retail and e-commerce influencers with innovation disrupting the industry. Y&R Labstore Singapore lead Peter Miller is judging the Smart Retail Lab Hackathon, having also been a masterclass speaker. Keynote speaker Danny Lattouf, Managing Director of IdeaWorks Sydney (part of the LabStore Global Network), and Matthew Godfrey, President of Y&R Asia, together lead a panel discussion on the key macro challenges and opportunities within the retail sector such as ever-changing innovation in payments, the online retail experience and understanding the connected consumer.
