Beautiful Retailing in Thailand

Just back from a Food and Beverage trade mission to Thailand - brilliantly organised by Food Innovation Australia (thanks Ron) and the Austrade team in Thailand (thanks Chanti and Stuart). We were struck by the opulence of the top end retail space - beautiful spacious stores with pretty merchandising. Lots of marble mirror and glass, with well informed staff offering tastings and expertise to their customers. Walk in cheese rooms with local and imported delicatessen offerings. In-store dining seems to be taking off: buy your steak and wine in the store, have the in-house chefs prepare to your taste with side dishes and sit to enjoy. We tried this out one evening - was a great relaxed night out!
We were accompanied by six terrific Australian food and drink businesses - all great company and terrific networking (thanks for the various distribution tips in Australia guys - all now bearing fruit!). We all attended a buyer showcase in Bangkok, meeting some 50 buyers from retail and food service sectors.  We look forward to more business opportunities in Thailand. (BTW ate some fabulous Thai food! bring on the repeat visit)