ArrowArtboardCreated with Sketch.Title ChevronTitle ChevronIcon FacebookIcon LinkedinIcon Mail ContactPath LayerIcon MailPositive ArrowIcon Print
Business trends

Hitachi and Dyson can't meet demand as Bangkok gasps for air

Grab experiences surge in food deliveries and vendors hawk counterfeit masks

Heeding a government call, a woman and prays with unlit incense ahead of the Lunar New Year at Erawan Shrine in Bangkok on Jan. 28.
Heeding a government call, a woman and prays with unlit incense ahead of the Lunar New Year at Erawan Shrine in Bangkok on Jan. 28.   © Reuters

BANGKOK -- The severe air pollution blanketing the Thai capital has caught one of Japan's big electronics producers flat-footed and left one of Thailand's major retailers without enough designer air purifiers from the U.K.

Economic losses from the smog are estimated at 6 billion baht ($192 million) in January alone. But the haze, which has been coloring Bangkok's skyline since early January, has also been a boon to makers of face masks, Southeast Asia's largest ride-hailing service and to city's notorious sidewalk vendors.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored Content This content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.

Nikkei Asian Review, now known as Nikkei Asia, will be the voice of the Asian Century.

Celebrate our next chapter
Free access for everyone - Sep. 30

Find out more