Media OutReach
The MTick Arrives in Asia: DFI Retail Group Leads as First Asian Retail Partner with GenM to bring Visibility and Accessibility to the Menopause Support
- 1 billion women are experience menopause at any given time—yet 87% feel overlooked and underserved by retailers and brands.1
- For the first time, the MTick® is going global, as leading Asian retailer DFI Retail Group partners with GenM to champion menopause visibility, accessibility, and inclusivity to the Asian retail market.
- The initiative will roll out at DFI’s stores across 5 different markets, including Guardian in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, and Mannings in Hong Kong and Macau.
- Customers can expect to see M-Tick-certified displays in stores starting in mid-2026.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 21 October 2025 – DFI Retail Group (DFI) becomes the first Asian retailer to join the GenM Collective and adopt the MTick® symbol – bringing menopause-friendly products to millions of women across five key Asian markets. This marks an important milestone in setting a new international standard for the retail landscape, and underscores DFI’s commitment to positioning its Health & Beauty business as a trusted advisor for wellness, empowering everyday wellbeing for all.
DFI and GenM are partnering to transform how women search, source and shop for menopause-related products by curating MTick®certified selections tailored to each market. The products will meet one or more of the following criteria: backed by authorised medicinal, cosmetic or health claims; tried and tested by women experiencing menopause; and feature verified technology designed to support any of the 48 identified signs of menopause.
Starting in mid-2026, Guardian and Mannings stores will introduce dedicated spaces featuring menopause-friendly product ranges, supported by online product information and educational content. Every activation will feature clear product signposting and accessible menopause resources designed to empower women to shop with confidence and make more informed choices.
The MTick®is the trusted, universal shopping symbol and certification designed to signpost menopause-friendly products. To date, over 1,000 MTick-certified SKUs are available, with eight of the largest UK retailers displaying MTick-certified products in dedicated areas, either online or in-store, including Boots, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Holland & Barrett, Next, Matalan, and most recently, Asda and Ocado.
Globally, 1 billion women are experiencing menopause at any given time – yet 87 per cent of women report feeling overlooked and underserved by brands and retailers that they’ve trusted throughout their lives. GenM’s research also shows that 94 per cent of women want to shop menopause-friendly labelled products, but two-thirds (66 per cent) say that these are difficult to find.1
United by the MTick®, GenM and DFI, with Guardian and Mannings, are set to provide visibility, choice, and trust to customers going through menopause across five different markets, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau.
Andrew Wong, Chief Executive Officer for Health & Beauty, DFI Retail Group, commented:
“At DFI, we are committed to empowering everyday wellbeing for all our customers. Partnering with GenM to bring the MTick® to Asia is a meaningful step forward in our wider Health & Beauty strategy focusing on wellness—one that champions inclusivity, accessibility, and education. By offering menopause-friendly products and services across our Guardian and Mannings stores, we’re not only addressing an underserved need, but also reinforcing our role as a trusted wellness advisor in the region. This partnership reflects our dedication to supporting women through every life stage, with confidence and care.”
Heather Jackson, CEO and Co-Founder of GenM, commented:
“DFI joining the GenM Collective marks a truly global milestone for menopause inclusivity and accessibility. By breaking new ground in Asia’s health and beauty sector, with Guardian and Mannings, we’re redefining how women search, source, and shop for menopause-friendly products – not just here in the UK, but on a global scale.
Menopause is not a trend; it’s a forever market and a lifelong reality that retail must play a vital role in supporting women through. We’re creating a new category of retail that is the most exciting, inclusive, accessible and vibrant category that has been seen in retail for the last 40 years. Now, with DFI on board, our mission to empower the 1 billion menopausal women globally and to ignite a purposeful shift in the retail landscape is accelerating fast.
United by the MTick®, retailers like DFI are truly transforming the shopping experience; delivering choice, trust, accessibility, and visibility to menopausal consumers. This is the start of something extraordinary. Watch this space!”
For more information on the MTick® and GenM Collective, please visit: https://gen-m.com/
References
[1] UK Visibility Report 2024 – representative of 2,000 UK respondents.
Hashtag: #DFIRetailGroup #Guardian #Mannings #GenM #MTick #HealthandBeauty #MenopauseProducts #Women’sHealth
https://www.dfiretailgroup.com/
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About DFI Retail Group
DFI Retail Group (the ‘Group’) is a leading Asian retailer, driven by its purpose to “Sustainably Serve Asia for Generations with Everyday Moments”. As at 30 June 2025, the Group, its associates and joint ventures operated over 7,500 outlets, and employed over 83,000 people. The Group is dedicated to delivering quality, value and service to Asian consumers through a compelling retail experience, supported by an extensive store network and highly efficient supply chains. The Group, including associates, operates a portfolio of well-known brands across five key divisions: health and beauty, convenience, food, home furnishings and restaurants.
Guardian
Guardian was established in 1967 in Malaysia and has grown into a trusted health and beauty retailer in Southeast Asia. With more than 1,100 stores across Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. Guardian offers a comprehensive range of healthcare, beauty care, personal care, and baby care products to meet the diverse needs of its customers. Guardian stores also offer professional services such as patient-care counselling, dispensary and personal care services, providing a convenient, one-stop health and beauty solution.
Mannings
Mannings is Hong Kong’s largest health and beauty retailer, operating over 340 outlets, including more than 60 in-store pharmacies, across Hong Kong, Macau, and the Greater Bay Area. With a diverse range of products and services, Mannings is committed to integrating the concept of “Wellness” into our daily lives while pioneering a new era of health. By offering innovative health technologies, AI solutions, preventive healthcare, self-managed health tools, and digital wellness and beauty solutions, Mannings empowers individuals and families to prioritize their well-being.
Mannings also provides complementary professional services, including Safe Disposal of Unused Medicines program, Advice for Minor Ailments, as well as medication and usage consultations, safeguarding the community’s health and beauty.
About GenM
GenM is the Menopause Partner for Brands and Home of the MTick® – the universal symbol and certification for menopause-friendly products. With a Collective of over 120 of the most progressive and powerful retail partners such as Boots, Tesco, QVC, Matalan, Morrisons, Next and Sainsbury’s as well as brand partners; TENA, Colgate, Sanex, Charles Worthington, Dove, Sure and Revolution Beauty, GenM is driving the creation of a new purposeful retail category of menopause, delivering trust, choice and visibility to the overlooked and underserved 15.5 million menopausal audience in the UK.
GenM’s game-changing MTick® is transforming the way women search, source and shop for products that may ease, relieve or support any of the 48 menopause signs. The MTick® is only displayed on products that meet the strict qualifying criteria of this certification. United by the MTick®, the GenM Collective is empowering women to shop with ease and confidence so that she can, ultimately, live her best menopause.
About the MTick®
MTick® certification is only granted to brands and retailers which meet one (or more) of these criteria, and means they can proudly display the symbol on packaging, marketing, or at point or sale:
1. Backed by authorised medicinal, cosmetic and/or health claims*
2. Tried and tested by menopausal women in clinical user trials that generate statistical evidence for a specified symptom(s) or sign(s)
3. Features trialled and verified technology or functionality to support one (or more) of the 48 symptoms or signs
*Health claims – For the 48 symptoms and signs, EFSA approved health claims.
Media OutReach
The 15th Canon x McDull Inter-school Ink Cartridge Recycling Award Presentation Ceremony Advancing Environmental Education with Collective Efforts
Adhering to Canon’s corporate philosophy “Kyosei”, Canon Hong Kong has spared no effort to promote environmental conservation and sustainable development, injecting green elements into different kinds of corporate activities. Since the launch of “Ink Cartridge Recycling Program” in 2009, Canon Hong Kong has invited the beloved local cartoon character, McDull, to serve as the program ambassador. With the ambition of cultivating the environmental awareness of the next generation, the program was extended to the education sector in 2011, calling on support from primary and secondary schools in the annual competition. Now in its 15th year, the program has reached an important milestone and received overwhelming responses from more than 300 organizations, housing estates, shopping malls, supermarkets and schools, all helping to set up recycling boxes to encourage the public to recycle used inkjet printer cartridges of all brands. To deepen students’ understanding and engagement with environmental issues, Canon Hong Kong has organized over 230 environmental seminars for participating schools, reaching over 70,000 students with messages about recycling and sustainable development. As of June 2026, over 295,000 ink cartridges were collected. Recycled ink cartridges were dismantled, while the metals and plastics were being recycled into raw materials for other products.
In the welcome speech at the ceremony, Ms. Candy Mau, Director of Corporate Communications and General Administration Division of Canon Hong Kong, affirmed the winning schools for their exemplar dedication in promoting recycling. A total of 8 schools were recognized in the category of “Highest No. of Recycled Ink Cartridges”. Ms. Mau noted that the escalating threat of global warming and climate change has sounded an alarm for the Earth, reminding us of the need to protect the environment together. She emphasized the importance of promoting environmental protection to the young generation from an early age and urged schools to build a better and sustainable society together by continuously promoting environmental education.
After the ceremony, Canon Hong Kong arranged a “Build Your Own Camera” STEAM parent-child workshop for the students and parents. The activity allowed them to assemble and build their own handcraft camera models, thereby learning basic optical principles. Through interactive demonstrations and disassembling camera structures, participants gained a deeper understanding of the science behind imaging while enjoying the joy of creativity, technology and photography. The workshop added a memorable learning experience to the ceremony and brought the event to a successful close.
Hashtag: #Canon #McDull
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Canon Hongkong Company Limited
Canon Inc. (TSE:7751) was founded in 1937 in Japan. Its predecessor, Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory, produced Japan’s first 35 mm focal-plane-shutter camera “Kwanon” in 1934. From there, Canon Inc. expanded into the photocopying and printing industries, launching Japan’s first plain paper copier NP-1100 in 1970 and the world’s first inkjet printer BJ-80 in 1985. Through the years, Canon Inc. has acquired in-depth experience in digital imaging product manufacturing, research and development. Pioneering in innovative product development, Canon Inc. holds the most technology patents in the imaging industry. Canon Inc. also makes significant contributions to promote photography. Today, Canon Inc. has a strong global presence, representing one of the most important market players in the imaging, office and industrial product categories. As of 31 December 2025, Canon’s global revenue was US$30 billion.
In 1971, Canon Hongkong Co., Ltd. (Canon Hong Kong) was established as one of the first Canon offices in Asia. Canon Hong Kong is a Total Imaging Solution provider, providing professional pre-sales, marketing and after-sales services for all Canon products and solutions in Hong Kong and Macau. With the solely owned subsidiary Canon Business Solutions (Guangdong) Co., Ltd. established in 2018; the company continues to deliver intelligent total business solutions and professional services to Greater Bay Area. Canon Hong Kong adheres to Canon’s corporate philosophy of “Kyosei”, encouraging the company and staff to engage in social, charitable and environmental activities for the community. Implementing an internationally recognized management system, Canon Hong Kong has achieved ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 27001 (Canon Digital Production Center) certifications.
For more information about Canon Hong Kong, please visit our website: 
https://hk.canon.
Media OutReach
Booster Pack 09 “Here He Comes! Our Hero!” & Starter Deck 04 “Ultraman & Ultraman Cosmos” To Be Released on Friday, October 23! The Showa Ultraman Series Makes Its First Appearance!
BP09″Here He Comes! Our Hero!”／SD04 “Ultraman & Ultraman Cosmos”
BP09 “Here He Comes! Our Hero!” and SD04 “Ultraman & Ultraman Cosmos” introduce Ultraman Cosmos, one of the heroes most requested by players, alongside the original Ultraman, who makes his long-awaited debut from the Showa Ultraman series in the Ultraman Card Game.
These products also commemorate the 2nd Anniversary of the Ultraman Card Game, making them a special milestone release.
They also introduce the new “Color System” and the all-new “Boost Card” category. These additions expand strategic possibilities and offer greater deck-building diversity, delivering even more exciting and dynamic battles.
- Promotional Video
- Image: BP09 Booster Pack & SD04 Package
- View image: https://bit.ly/4h10Bj4
Feature 1: Ultraman and Ultraman Cosmos Join the Game!
The original Ultraman and Ultraman Cosmos finally make their debut in the Ultraman Card Game.
Build decks and experience gameplay that faithfully recreates the unique abilities, fighting styles, and identities of these legendary heroes.
- Ultraman also appears as a serial-numbered card in BP08.
To celebrate this milestone, Ultraman is also featured as a serial-numbered card in Booster Pack 08: Converging Bonds, released on Friday, July 10.
- Image: Ultraman and Ultraman Cosmos
- View image: https://bit.ly/3SNXSzy
Feature 2: Introducing the New Card Category – “Boost Cards”
A brand-new card category, Boost Cards, joins Character Cards and Scene Cards as a new card type.
Boost Cards are inspired by iconic elements from across the Ultraman series, including Defense Teams and memorable items used throughout the franchise.
More details on Boost Cards, including gameplay mechanics and previewed card effects, will be revealed at a later date.
- Image: Boost Card
- View image: https://bit.ly/4y8EOMD
Feature 3: New Gameplay Mechanic – “Color System”
BP09 introduces the new Color System.
Under this system, every Character Card belongs to one of five colors:
- Red
- Blue
- Purple
- Yellow
- Green
Cards released before the introduction of the Color System, along with cards that do not have a color attribute, are treated as Colorless, allowing them to remain fully playable.
Combined with Boost Cards, the Color System adds greater deck-building depth, strategic decision-making, and exciting comeback opportunities.
More details on the Color System will be announced soon.
- Image: Colour System
- View image: https://bit.ly/4vt4h0Q
Official Accessories
Two new official card sleeve designs and a new playmat will also be available to help protect and showcase your collection.
1. Ultraman Card Game Official Card Sleeves (Beta Capsule)
Features the Beta Capsule, Ultraman’s transformation device, together with its iconic Ultra Sign.
2. Ultraman Card Game Official Card Sleeves (Cosmo Pluck)
Features Ultraman Cosmos’ transformation device, the Cosmo Pluck, together with its Ultra Sign.
3. Ultraman Card Game Official Playmat (Ultraman)
A playmat featuring the iconic debut scene of Ultraman as its design.
It also includes a newly added Boost Card Area, supporting the latest game rules.
- Image: Accessories (Sleeves, Playmat)
- View image: https://bit.ly/4eON4d3
Booster Pack 09 “Here He Comes! Our Hero!”
- Release Date：October 23rd, 2026 (Friday)
Contents
- 12 cards per pack
- 24 packs per display box
※Box Topper is not included in this release
Starter Deck 04 “Ultraman ＆ Ultraman Cosmos”
- Release Date: October 23rd, 2026 (Friday)
Contents
- 1 50 card pre-constructed deck (20 card types)
- 1 pack of BP09「Here He Comes! Our Hero!」
- 1 playsheet
Ultraman Card Game Official Sleeves 2 types (Beta Capsule/Cosmo Pluck)
- Release Date: October 23rd, 2026 (Friday)
Ultraman Card Game Official Playmat (Ultraman）
- Release Date: October 23rd, 2026 (Friday)
Regarding Ultraman Card Game
The Ultraman Card Game is a trading card game designed based on the Ultraman Universe and combines collectability with playability that appeals to both adults and children.
Official Name: Ultraman Card Game
Distribution Areas: Retail, toy stores, and trading card shops in distribution countries
Official Website:
https://ultraman-cardgame.com/
Official Social Media:
https://x.com/ucg_en (English X)
https://linktr.ee/ultramancardgame (List)
Hashtag: #UltramanCardGame #BP09 #SD04
https://ultraman-cardgame.com/https://linktr.ee/ultramancardgame
https://x.com/ucg_en
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Media OutReach
Ancient Port, New Voyages: Ningbo’s Smart Manufacturing Expands Global Trade Footprint via Maritime Silk Road
Separated by thousands of miles, the two millennia-old port cities reconnected, leveraging their ports as a bond and cultural exchanges as a cohesive force to hold in-depth talks on integrated port-city development and bilateral economic and trade connectivity.
This cross-Indian Ocean dialogue echoes the ancient Maritime Silk Road while charting a brand-new outbound development path. As a pivotal starting port of the ancient Maritime Silk Road, Ningbo is building a new global trade landscape powered by smart manufacturing.
A thousand years ago, merchant vessels from Mingzhou Port set sail southward loaded with Yue Kiln celadon porcelain, passing through Ceylon to deliver Oriental crafts across the Indian Ocean coasts. Precious gemstones and spices traveled the same sea route back to regions south of the Yangtze River, laying the groundwork for the earliest cultural exchange between the two ports through trade. Today, the cargo carried by giant cargo ships has undergone a dramatic transformation. Beyond traditional daily necessities, intelligent equipment, digital home appliances and industrial robots now dominate shipments.
Official statistics show that Ningbo’s exports of intelligent equipment, including mechanical arms and industrial robots, hit 440 million yuan in 2025, surging more than 40% year-on-year. From January to May this year, Ningbo’s exports of mechanical and electrical products maintained steady growth, reaching 247 billion yuan, a 4.1% year-on-year increase and accounting for 58.0% of the city’s total export volume. The new energy foreign trade sector saw explosive growth, with exports of new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products jumping 138.4% year-on-year, with electric vehicle exports skyrocketing 215.9%. Smart manufactured goods are continuously expanding the scope of Ningbo’s foreign trade.
Complementing the Colombo forum, an exhibition highlights Ningbo’s outstanding going-global enterprises and their products, vividly illustrating the profound shift in Ningbo’s trade structure.
Alongside time-honored Maritime Silk Road staples such as celadon porcelain and silk, Ningbo’s smart manufactured products—including AI translation glasses, intelligent outdoor gear and digital small home appliances—occupy prominent display spaces across the venue. In Sri Lanka, Ningbo smart water meters are widely adopted nationwide, while handheld cooling fans and intelligent kitchen appliances have entered ordinary households.
Leveraging Colombo Port’s transshipment advantages, massive volumes of Ningbo smart manufactured goods are distributed onward to Europe, the Middle East and beyond. What Ningbo exports today is no longer mere commodities, but a complete outbound solution integrating technology, brand value and after-sales services.
Faced with mounting challenges including homogeneous global market competition and rising trade barriers, Ningbo’s manufacturing sector has abandoned the old model of low-cost OEM production, relying on intelligent transformation to consolidate its competitive edge in overseas markets.
Over more than a decade of digital transformation efforts, Ningbo has achieved full digital upgrading of all industrial enterprises above designated size. A large number of local factories have built unmanned black-light workshops and flexible production lines, escaping vicious price competition through continuous technological iteration. Represented by five specialized, sophisticated, distinctive and innovative enterprises dubbed Ningbo’s “Five Little Tigers”—famous for their core proprietary technologies, including highly sophisticated visual inspection equipment, heat-resistant materials, sun-proof coatings, puncture-proof materials and self-drilling fasteners—these niche manufacturers have developed differentiated technical routes and full-spectrum production capacity, cementing irreplaceable competitiveness for Ningbo smart manufacturing on global markets.
Beyond trade expansion, Ningbo has built a supporting cultural communication system to ensure “products go global, accompanied by local culture”.
The launch of Sri Lanka’s first “One-Meter Cultural Space” cultural station during the Colombo event marks a tangible milestone of Ningbo’s go-global initiative. Built on enterprises’ overseas outlets, these miniature cultural exhibition halls integrate intangible cultural heritage crafts, urban stories and smart products, enabling overseas clients to experience cutting-edge manufacturing while gaining insight into Ningbo’s profound cultural heritage.
During the twin-city story-sharing session, Ningbo entrepreneurs based in Sri Lanka and local designers blending Chinese and Sri Lankan aesthetics shared stories of bilateral exchanges. Economic and trade ties have evolved into a bond for people-to-people communication, bridging divides in cross-cultural trade.
From Tang-dynasty celadon porcelain sailing across the Indian Ocean to intelligent equipment shipping to every corner of the globe, Ningbo, the ancient Maritime Silk Road port, has preserved its enduring gene of openness. Where exchanges once relied purely on commodity trade, today smart manufacturing underpins a stable, diversified and high-value-added global trade network.
The Ningbo-Colombo dialogue stands as a vivid microcosm of this transformation: the port still links lands and seas, yet the core of its trade has undergone a full intelligent upgrade.
Rooted in its historical legacy as a key Maritime Silk Road hub, Ningbo has consolidated its industrial foundation through a decade of digital development, expanded global market reach via worldwide port networks, and softened trade cooperation through cultural exchanges. This brand-new outbound shipping route forged by smart manufacturing has not only reshaped the city’s foreign trade landscape, but also delivered a replicable port-city development model for Chinese manufacturing to go global.
Hashtag: #NingboSmartManufacturing #MaritimeSilkRoad #GlobalTrade
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
