VietNamNet Bridge - From familiar names such as Lotte and Berli Jucker to rookies in Vietnam like Aeon, Central Group and Vingroup, the year 2014 witnessed exciting changes in the retail market.

With a population of over 90 million and the majority of them working age, Vietnam has become an attractive investment location for the retail - distribution sector. The door for the ASEAN market is expected to open wider in 2015, with many products enjoying an import tax rate of 0%. This has encouraged foreign investors to pour money into Vietnam to catch the opportunity. Here are five giants in the retail sector which joined the race last year.

1. Aeon (Japan)

Founded over 250 years ago as a shop providing materials and accessories for making kimonos, Aeon has now become a global retail giant, appearing in 14 countries with revenues of nearly $60 billion in 2013.

Aeon began operations in Vietnam in 2009 in the form of a representative office and it became a company in 2011, with registered capital investment of nearly $205 million. This was the first step for Aeon to develop its activities in the field of retail in Vietnam.

In early 2014, the company opened its first commercial center in Vietnam, located in Tan Phu District (HCM City) and the second center in Binh Duong province at the end of the year.

The goal of Aeon is to open 20 shopping centers and supermarkets across Vietnam and nearly 16,500 centers across the globe by 2020.

2. Berli Jucker (Thailand)

2014 was a busy time for Thailand’s third richest billionaire - Mr. Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi. After acquiring the retail chain Family Mart (renamed B's Mart) in Vietnam, in mid-2014, his company Berli Jucker shocked the market when it acquired Metro Cash & Carry Vietnam from the German owners.

Metro Cash & Carry Vietnam (MCC Vietnam) consists of 19 distribution centers and related real estate portfolio, acquired for Eur$655 million.

After the deal, Berli Jucker planned to increase the presence of Thai products in these supermarkets. Ms. Metinee Issarajinda, assistant to BJC Vice President in charge of investment relations, said BJC would send 10 experts to Vietnam to help adjust goods restructuring. Also, Berli Jucker plans to open 205 convenience stores branded B's Mart in the next four years.

In Thailand, the company has a market capitalization on the stock market at about $2.8 billion. It has six offices in Southeast Asia with a total turnover in 2013 of about $1.3 billion.

Besides expanding the distribution system, Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi is considering to penetrate the beer market in Vietnam, which is the potential for double-digit growth. Thai Beverage - a subsidiary of this billionaire – has proposed to purchase shares of SABECO – Vietnam’s largest brewer. ThaiBev currently owns two brands Chang Beer and Oishi green tea in Thailand. This company evaluates SABECO for $2 billion.

3. Central Group (Thailand)

In 2014, the Central Group of Thailand's richest family Chirathivat opened the Robins shopping centers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Each center has a total area of 10,000 m2, with the participation of 200 suppliers and 10,000 groups of goods from household to fashion products, with investment capital of millions of US dollars.

Central Group said that its investment in the two shopping centers in Vietnam is part of its plan to dominate other markets in Southeast Asia. A budget of 15 billion baht (about $460 million) has been approved to open shopping centers in Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Robins is the first retail project in Vietnam of the Central Group. The stores branded Supersports, Crocs and New Balance are present in Vietnam through the distribution system of Central Group’s subsidiaries and franchises of Vietnamese partners.

4. Lotte (South Korea)

Although it entered Vietnam in 2008, in the first five years Lotte supermarkets (Lotte Mart) appeared only in the southern provinces. In 2014, the Korean retail giant marched to Hanoi to open its first mall on an area of 20,000 m2 and the Lotte Center Hanoi, the second highest building in the city, with the total area of 253,000 m2.

Lotte Mart currently has 10 department stores in Vietnam. It aims to have about 60 stores spread throughout the provinces of Vietnam by 2020.

Lotte is the 5th largest group of South Korea, starting from a confectionery company nearly 50 years ago. Lotte has expanded to many areas such as distribution, food, petrochemical, construction, entertainment, and tourism. Lotte Shopping plays a crucial role and runs all types of business in the distribution sector, including commercial centers, supermarkets, and convenience shops with annual sales of approximately $14 billion, accounting for 35% of the total revenue of the group.

In Vietnam, Lotte has 60 Lotteria stores, 10 Lotte Mart supermarkets, a confectionery factory in Binh Duong, a 5-star hotel in Ho Chi Minh City and a shopping center in Hanoi.

5. Vingroup (Vietnam)

Starting as a real estate corporation with hundreds of thousands of square meters of commercial centers as well as high-end apartments in Vietnam’s biggest cities, Vingroup has advantages to become a big retailer. In 2013, the group opened a store chain for children and a company specializing in e-commerce.

In late 2014, Vingroup officially entered the market, not through its own investments but via the acquisition of the Ocean Mall commercial centers and Ocean Mart supermarkets of the Ocean Group. The retailing brands of Vinmart and Vinmart + are also used for its retail distribution network.

Initially, Vinmart restructured the existing 13 Ocean Mart stores across the country, with a total area of 40,000 m2. In the next three years, the group plans to expand to 100 stores and 1,000 convenience stores across Vietnam through new investments or M&A deals.

In the last days of 2014, Vinmart marked its expansion by claiming back 10,000 m2 of the 79 supermarket, which belonged to Alphanam. Vingroup supermarkets will continue to expand into many highly populated areas in the country.

Na Son