Corporate Bits | Sands China offering staff new career development opportunity

Sands China Ltd. is launching a new career development program for its team members. The program gives employees an opportunity to experience working in various non-gaming departments throughout the company’s integrated resorts, via voluntary six-month assignments.
Nearly 400 participants had already signed up within five days of the program’s announcement, according to a press release.
The program is one of the latest initiatives of the Sands China Academy, a platform that focuses on team member training and development, and the professional development of Macao locals, including non-­employees.
“This is a great opportunity for our team members to equip themselves with additional capabilities, opening the door to more career opportunities,” said Antonio Ramirez, senior vice president of human resources for Sands China Ltd. “Sands China understands the important role played by a well-trained workforce in supporting Macau’s development into a world center of tourism and leisure. This pioneering program truly embraces the spirit of non-gaming diversification in Macau, and is the latest example of our commitment to the continued development of our local talent.”

Suntory Bev. buys jt’s vending machines to close gap with Coke

Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd., which sells PepsiCo Inc. drinks in Asia, will buy Japan Tobacco Inc.’s vending machines for about 150 billion yen (USD1.2 billion) to add to its own, closing a distribution gap with Coca-Cola Co. in the country.
JT will sell its vending machine units and transfer two of its beverage brands to Suntory Beverage, the cigarette-maker said in a statement yesterday. Suntory Beverage, which sells Pepsi alongside bottled green tea and carbonated juice, will acquire about 260,000 machines through the deal, its executive vice president Saburo Kogo said in a briefing in Tokyo.
Coca-Cola, the world’s largest beverage company, has the most drinks vending machines in Japan, with 980,000 of the devices installed throughout the country. Adding JT’s machines to Suntory Beverage’s 490,000 will allow the latter to better compete, according to Kazuhiro Miyashita, a board member at researcher Inryosoken.
“I see Suntory is serious about overtaking Coca-Cola,” Miyashita said yesterday. “Vending machines are the best sales channel for soft drinks and this would be the way that allows Suntory to win the competition.”
Japan has a total of about 2.5 million vending machines that peddle more soft drinks than all the convenience stores nationwide, according to data from the Japan Vending Machine Manufacturers Association.