ignition asia-pacific Alibaba to deliver Starbucks coffee in China in numbers Targeting Chinas older generations Marketers often focus on millennials and younger people, but the real opportunity in China could lie with older consumers. Starbucks has partnered with Alibaba Group on a scheme to deliver coffees and open a chain of virtual stores, after a drop in sales in China this year. In Beijing and Shanghai, 150 Starbucks stores will fulfil orders through the food delivery platform belonging to Alibaba, called Ele.me. By the end of 2018, the number of stores offering the service is expected to rise to 2,000. Under the partnership, Alibaba will support an online Starbucks shop and an online management hub. Earlier in the year, the coffee brand reported a 2 per cent dip in sales in China for Q2 of 2018, possibly a consequence of a government blitz on third-party delivery services. It is expected that mainland China will become the largest market for Starbucks within 10 years. Alibaba has a track record in using online sales data and customers online profiles as a means of marketing products and stimulating demand. Closing the gender gap in Asia Number of people in China over the age of 60 of the population was older than 65 in 2014 will be aged over 60 by 2050, which equates to ...of Chinas total population Source: HKTDC, Jing Daily The value of this silver market in 2014 The value of this market by 2050 Malaysias mammoth bookshop reflects regions ballooning middle class Fans of literature in Malaysia have received a bumper treat recently, with the opening of a mammoth bookshop stocking half a million titles, open 24/7. BookXcess is the largest-ever book store in Malaysia, and its scale epitomises the countrys growing middle classes, with larger pots of cash to spend. The shop features a caf, a stage and private reading areas, designed to encourage customers to remain on the premises for longer. Patterns of consumption are changing in Malaysia, and the middle classes are spending more on local goods and services, lessening the national dependence on exports. Brookings Institute research indicates this is a trend being seen across Asia, where the middle class is an increasingly powerful spending force. In the Asia-Pacific region, the size of the middle class is forecast to jump from 46 per cent of the regions population in 2005 to 65 per cent by 2030. cim.co.uk/exchange The Philippines is the most gender-equal country in Asia, with Bangladesh in second place, according to the World Economic Forums latest Global Gender Gap Index. Since 2006, the report has highlighted gender disparities in countries around the world. As well as topping the regional list, the Philippines is the only Asian region that makes it into the global top 10. The country has completely eliminated the gap between the sexes in educational development. Bangladesh has closed around 72 per cent of its gender gap, with improvements in the way it creates opportunities for senior, legislative and technical roles. Mongolia is number three in the table, followed by Lao, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar, Indonesia andCambodia.