Article Category - Business in Phuket

THEY say one man’s loss is another man’s gain. As the bears retreat into the relative safety of bonds and treasury notes as stocks around the world plunge to record lows, the bulls are corralling on the edges of the markets. There are some fantastic buying opportunities at the moment, and smart investors who have kept their powder dry and have survived one financial disaster after another, are cashing in.

PHUKET is fast evolving into an information and communications technology centre with new innovations being used by the private and public sector in places such as Bangla road in Patong. An LED TV screen displaying 24 hour live news, promotions and advertisements above the Absolute Bangla suites on Bangla Road, Patong, is a sign that Phuket’s ICT capability has come a long way fast.

PHUKET International Hospital is about to enter the second phase of an aggressive marketing campaign aimed at bringing more Australians to the island for cosmetic surgery. The hospital has joined forces with Australian specialist travel agent, Destiny Meditravel, to create travel and treatment packages which dozens of Australians have signed up for since the first phase of the program was launched early last year.

MOST expats who buy investment policies from a broker or financial institution don’t fully understand what they are buying. It can be difficult navigating the financial services minefield and it is important to find someone you can trust who will have your best interests at heart. There are many professional and well qualified advisors out there who can provide a valuable service, but you must do your due diligence.

PAYING for classified advertising has never been easier. The Phuket Post has teamed up with Thairoute.com Ltd’s Partner program and 7/11 Counter services to enable advertisers to pay for their classified ads at any one of the 4400 7/11 outlets throughout Thailand. Phuket Post sales manager, Richard Valentine, said the new service would make it easier for people to advertise in the Post’s classified pages.

PHUKET is known as the ‘The Pearl of the Andaman’ because of its natural beauty, but what many people don’t realise is that Phuket is also home to one of Thailand’s most important pearl farms. The Phuket Pearl Farm, about a mile offshore from Sapham Bay on the island’s east coast, cultivates between 5000 and 10,000 pearls a month for both the domestic and international markets.

WHILE post-tsunami Phuket rages on with rampant development and an even wilder nightlife, our neighbours to the north have opted for a less-is-more policy in rebuilding their tourist industry. Nearly four years after the tsunami destroyed Khao Lak, Phang Nga province has re-invented itself as a hip eco-tourist hideaway. There are no jet skies tearing along the coastline, no tawdry girlie bars, and beach-hawkers are now a no-no ... and the tourists are coming back.

HOMEWORKS, the home improvement retail chain, a part of the Central Retail Corporation, opened a billion baht branch in Phuket last month. The retail outlet, opposite Central Festival on Chalermprakiat Ror Kao, covers a total of 27 rai (or 26,000 square metres), and includes more than 1000 car parking spaces, making it the largest stand-alone store in Phuket. HomeWorks currently operates out of seven main branches throughout Thailand, but the all-new Phuket based venture is expected to set new standards in customer turnover. An estimated 100,000 customers are expected to use the complex each month.

PHUKET firms now have an exciting new way to promote their businesses. Phuket Post has joined with Mojo Marketing Co Ltd to bring you a fantastic on-line service map of Phuket. The map, which can be viewed either as a normal map, or as a satellite image, makes it easy for both locals and tourists to find a particular business, or to select a business from a list of categories, ranging from accommodation and education, to medical and religious services, shopping centres and entertainment.

PHUKET personality, Ian Potter, started out as an apprentice engineer with a company in South East England dealing in control systems and made his way into the sales department, but by the age of 26, was ready for something new. The company offered him a sales manager’s role in Hong Kong and the young Potter jumped at it. He left cold and gloomy Britain for the warmth of Asia and never looked back. He stayed in Hong Kong for six years, during which time he used to regularly fly to Phuket to participate in the King’s Cup Regatta.

It’s easy to miss. One of Phuket’s best-kept secrets lies halfway between the Chalong Circle and Phuket Town, on the corner of Soi Songkhun. The Fashion Café complex presents an oasis of good taste and all things sensible. The exterior is traditional café style with big glass windows, double swing doors and sports a large “Perfections” sign on the roof. Inside, it’s a refreshing relief. A cross between a high-quality café and your favourite aunt’s living room, it’s cosy and comfortable, completely different from anywhere else on Phuket. It has a style and cosy ambience all of its own and Dennis, the owner, is a real down-to-earth American. He has one of those warm voices that can relax tense muscles at a range of 10 metres. The comfortable sofas and armchairs are positioned near the library section where visitors are free to browse books from the intellectual and stimulating to easy reading. This is the kind of place where Gray’s Anatomy sits comfortably beside a guide to Cambodia. This is a place to just sit and chill, perhaps read a book while enjoying their excellent coffee (the latte to die for) or you can dine on one of their hamburgers, steaks or a succulent rack of lamb. The variety of food on offer is legendary, and caters for all tastes. This isn’t a place where you have to conform; kick back and be yourself.

On the boardwalk of the Royal Phuket Marina, I am glaring gloomily at my pale blue cocktail. Les Anges does some pretty wicked concoctions, mind. Unfortunately, I am quite the wimp. The weather shares my gloom. A lazy chill fills the air, and the sun is notable only by its absence. Clouds weigh obstinately overhead. And then she appears. Resplendent in a floral pink frock, Jeanette Skelton dispels the grey with an electric smile and enough personality to put lightning out of business. The sun peeks out to watch.

From hair and make-up design to being the creative director of the Manathai Hotel group, David Shrubsole looks to add extensions to the Manathai brand name. Shrubsole is not your stereotypical hotelier by any means. I expected a suit and didn't meet one. Instead I met a smart, casual and relaxed man who is the embodiment of the word "creative". Shrubsole is focused and determined, and he has strong ideas about how things should look and how a hotel should operate. He considers all the workers at Manathai as part of a family, and he leads this family very much from the front. If there's building work to be done, he dons his wellies and gets stuck in with the rest of them. He sees himself very much as a guide as they travel along the rocky path of running a hotel, journeying together and learning together. Make no mistake, though, he is definitely in control.

The midday sun in Phuket is brutal. My fair skin all but bursts into flame after thirty minutes of exposure to its punishing ultraviolet rays if not protected by thick applications of sunscreen. Such was the state of my face and arms when I reached the offices of Shades one recent lunchtime. Thankfully, Shades Managing Director Graeme Chuck soon took me out to experience first hand some of his company's handiwork.

After bouts in the ring, a bout of flu caused an about turn in fortune for Blair Speers. With not enough money in his pocket to leave Thailand, he headed back to his rented house, away from the airport, and away from the bread line in the place he once called home. Today this motivated and driven young man sits, literally, on top of his empire. His modest but tasteful office is situated at the head of a tight, metal, spiral staircase. He shares this office with partner and long standing friend Stephen Baxter, who kick-started Blair into business.

With a grounding in Journalism and TV and having had extensive work-experience in Public Relations with one of the biggest PR companies in the world, Chanut (Tum) Nawnarong believes that: "Phuket has so much to offer, but is still in its infancy as far as PR goes."

“We wanted to create a place beautiful enough for angels,” says Khun Kantima, explaining the inspiration behind the name of the Apsaras Beach Resort & Spa. Apsara is a Sanskrit word meaning 'Celestial nymphs'.

On the boardwalk at the Royal Phuket Marina, with the Phuket International Marine Expo., for a backdrop, I am meeting Paul Poole for the first time. His name has been synonymous with the majority of international events on the island this year, but as he clarifies feelingly, “never in front of the event. Always behind. It is the event that we want to showcase, not Paul Poole the company.

“My right is falling back, My left is caving in. My centre is under pressure - Situation excellent. I Attack.” These were the words of the least bad commander in the first World War (Marshall Foch) in the middle of a battle which he subsequently won. Investors might have been feeling the same recently:

Nestled in the midst of a tropical jungle on Rang hill Phuket city, the last place you'd expect to find an office for any usual business, is where Khun Wanpen drives to work every day. And surely enough, the work that goes on there is far from ordinary.

The Phuket International Hospital, poised to commission another great milestone in its illustrious history, is no stranger to the island. Way back in 1978, Dr Anuroj Tarnsirioj and his wife Dr Supanee nursed a vision of providing affordable, quality healthcare to the people of Phuket. Dr Aburoj and Dr Supanee started small, running a clinic on Phang-nga road in Phuket town.

What is it about the sea that so constantly mesmerzies and attracts us land-dwellers? The literal ocean of mysteries which compels thousands to frolick at its edges, cut across its surface, and plunge into its depths, looking for fun, excitement and adventure. And what is it about the Andaman sea? There are beaches, islands, bays and capes all over the world. And then there is Phuket. Even those with beautiful waters at their own doorsteps find their way here, and often enough, don't find their way back.

On a recent holiday to Koh Samui, Doctor Yupares ran into a childhood friend, from way back when they were in school together. Delighted to see each other again, they talked about their lives and what they do now. “I'm an orthodontist” Dr Yupares, who's also known by her nickname 'A' told her, never expecting the look of stunned disbelief that crossed her friend's eyes, at this revelation.

"Pension Fund Trustees are planning legal action against several London Hedge Funds in a desperate bid to salvage investments threatened by the recent credit crunch". What on earth were pension funds doing putting their money into Hedge funds in the first place? Well, Al Van Den Berg, a legendary U.S. investor in the Warren Buffet mould, and C.E.O. of Century Asset Management (one of the most prestigious old style value orientated fund managers who have steered their clients' money successfully through all the big market setbacks of the last thirty years) wrote in his annual letter of April 2004 (no less):

Seven years ago, Sue Ultmann decided it was time to retire. Asia was in fact where her husband Tom and Sue had always wanted to live. “And so we came to Asia.” She was no stranger to the continent, as her high-profile media job with the number one travel publication in Australia- TravelWeek, sent her trotting frequently around the asian region.

Raimon Land PLC announced in August that Mr Neil Hutchinson has been appointed as Project Procurement Director. Neil has 34 years of experience and expertise in the construction industry, including 20 years in project procurement.

Mr Rujayapha Abhakorn wears many hats. You would be forgiven for thinking they're part of a disguise, he's an elusive man to track down. Having your fingers in several pies means frequent airplane meals symbolic of a high-profile, jet-setting lifestyle. The Phuket Post managed to pin Rujayapha down at last, one Friday afternoon, at his office in Phuket.

FTSE100 - 1st JANUARY 2007 6220 FTSE100 - 1st JULY 2007 6640 +6.7% FTSE100 - 29th JULY 2007 6212 -6.5% THE ABOVE demonstrates very clearly what has happened in the last few days of July - the year’s gains have vanished in the correction, long predicted, but which finally happened after enough investors finally decided that it would not happen.

It is important for Buyers and Sellers alike to understand that in a property deal the transaction has not necessarily completed if only the purchase price has been paid and the Buyer has moved into their new home. The legal transfer of the property will sometimes still need to be concluded and a considerable amount of forward planning prior to acquisition will be required to ensure that transfer takes place as agreed between the Buyer and Seller.

My first impression of M. Claude de Crissey is one of quiet dynamism. He strides into the room where we await him and offers his greetings, saying barely much at all, but managing nevertheless, with a direct gaze and straightforward smile, to put everyone at ease. There is no mistaking the towering presence he exudes.

There is so much interesting commentary revealed in the financial papers over the last month relevant to long term investment strategy that it is hard to know where to start. However two items stand out particularly.

Just as there are different schools of architecture there are three great and distinct serious stock market investment religions: value investing, growth investing and momentum investing.

Ever since the birth of the first economist, financial students have attempted to bring sense and rationality to the financial markets.