Retail News CRM

Category: Fashion

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Fashion news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • UNIQLO Singapore Announces New Store Openings at Downtown East and Great World City

    UNIQLO Singapore Announces New Store Openings at Downtown East and Great World City

    UNIQLO Singapore today announces that it will be opening two new stores at Downtown East and Great World City towards the end of this year. This brings the brand’s total number of physical stores in Singapore to 28, excluding its online store, www.uniqlo.com/sg.

    The launch of these new stores displays the commitment UNIQLO is making to Singapore and its economy. Aiming to meet the needs of the residents in the central and eastern parts of Singapore through offering quality and innovative clothing, UNIQLO demonstrates its LifeWear philosophy in making the brand accessible for all to enjoy.

    Downtown East

    A well-known entertainment hub in the East which caters to families and youths alike, Downtown East will be home to a new UNIQLO store that is estimated to cover approximately 10,200  square feet. The store will be located in Downtown East’s new wing and it will offer affordable essentials for people of all ages to enjoy.

    Great World City

    Situated along the fringe of Singapore’s most popular shopping belt, UNIQLO Great World City is estimated to cover approximately 9,000 square feet. The new store presents local shoppers and tourists alike with the opportunity to shop for their favourite quality clothing at a central location without having to worry about busy shopping crowds.

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  • Sesame Street Asia is making its way in Fashion

    Sesame Street Asia is making its way in Fashion

    Sesame Street Asia is expanding its fashion and lifestyle offerings with new apparel and accessory collections.

    Cookie Monster, Elmo and the rest of the gang from the Sesame Street children’s television series have been interpreted by regional fashion labels. These include:

    • Lalabobo. The premium casualwear brand has already introduced a Sesame Street capsule collection in its 200-plus stores in China. The collaboration features pieces for women and children including sweatshirts, sweaters, bomber jackets, jeans, down garments and dresses.
      • B.Duck. The Hong Kong-based retailer launches a Sesame Street collection for adults and children this month, including graphic t-shirts, sweatshirts and pants.
      • Tyakasha. The Shanghai-based fashion label this month introduces a collection of Sesame Street apparel and accessories including lunch boxes, umbrellas and mobile-phone cases via its online shop.
      • Chocoolate. The Hong Kong-based fashion label will debut a line of Sesame Street t-shirts, hoodies and tote bags next month to be sold also in Canada, China, Macau, Singapore and Taiwan.
      “Collaborating with these fashion labels allows our brand to continue expanding and growing as we approach our landmark 50th anniversary,” says Sesame Workshop senior VP Ed Wells, who also head up international media and education.
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  • Candystud Factory: The New Valentino Popup Store in Beijing

    Candystud Factory: The New Valentino Popup Store in Beijing

    Candystud Factory. A handbag factory just like a candy factory. Pink, entertaining, imaginary.

    Valentino will open a Pop Up store in the young and dynamic Sanlitun neighborhood in Beijing that creates a cinematographic atmosphere of a handbag f actory.

    The pop up s tore will open on the 26 th of April 2018 and will run until the 17 th of May 2018.

    For this occasion, two new limited edition Candystud bags will be pr esented.

    Fun, spherical, in the spirit of frivolity, Candystud is a small object of high craftsmanship the blends the excellence and the savoir faire of Maison Valentino with a new desire of pleasure and of joie de vivre. The Candystud Pop Up store translates this idea in a shopping and amusing experience.

    One enters is a colored and ethereal world to discover the beauty and the allure of the Valentino items together with the humanity and the e xcellence of those that cr eated them.

    The Candystud Factory collection also includes four new exclusive sneakers and a series of exclusive small leather goods such as iPhone c overs, mirror bags and charms.

    #CandyStudFactory

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  • Esprit to quit Causeway Bay flagship Store

    Esprit to quit Causeway Bay flagship Store

    Hong Kong-listed fashion brand Esprit Holdings will not renew the lease for its flagship store in Causeway Bay, local media reports.

    Expiring in June, the lease for the 7000sqft (650sqm) store in Leighton Centre has cost Esprit about HK$2 million (US$254,862) a month since 2014.

    Esprit chairman Raymond Or says cost saving is not the sole reason for the move. The company also considers location and size as factors. “A large store might not bring about good results,” he told Apple Daily.

    JLL national director of research Cathie Chung says Esprit may be shifting its location strategy to be more mall-focused with a smaller shop size, reports Mingtiandi. “Compared to street shops, shopping malls tend to have a more balanced trade mix and guaranteed foot traffic, so it is more likely for Esprit to enjoy spillover benefit from complementary tenants. Promotion activities by malls can also attract shoppers.”

    Hysan, which owns the commercial complex where Esprit has been leasing two units, has been marketing the property to potential tenants at the same rate, reports say.

    Shop rents in Causeway Bay in the past quarter have dropped 53 per cent from their peak in the fourth quarter of 2014, says Chung who describes the owners’ stance as “rather soft”, allowing for rent negotiations.

    Fashion brand Twist last month leased a two-storey shop in East Point Road in Causeway Bay for 56 per cent less than the $1.1 million monthly rent the previous tenant had been paying, while Russell Street, once the most expensive retail destination in the world, has also seen rent cuts. Swatch Group last week, for example, was able to renew its lease for a street-front shop at a rate about a third lower than the $1 million a month specified when it first signed three years ago.

    Meanwhile, Esprit had a net loss of $954 million in the second half of last year. CEO Jose Manuel Martinez said the results were below expectation because of weaker sales at its stores because of a drop in customer traffic.

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  • Adidas appoints new president

    Adidas appoints new president

    Adidas has appointed a Kiwi as its new president of Adidas North America.

    Former Adidas New Zealand product manager Zion Armstrong will oversee American operations from 1 July, succeeding Mark King, who has decided to step down after a long career with the company.

    Armstrong, who has co-led Adidas North America as general manager together with King since June 2015, will be reporting directly to Roland Auschel, member of the executive board of Adidas AG, responsible for global sales.

    Armstrong first joined Adidas New Zealand as product manager for footwear in 1998 before moving to Adidas headquarters in Germany in 2002. From 2005 to 2014, the Kiwi held various leadership roles in Asia Pacific including managing director for Adidas South Korea.

    Armstrong has served as general manager of Adidas North America since 2015. He competed in the IAAF World Junior Championships and the Commonwealth Games and is a former New Zealand record holder for 400 meter hurdles.

    “We are very excited to promote Zion Armstrong to one of the most important roles in our company,” the sportswear retailer said. “We are convinced that Zion’s leadership will enable us to continue our successful journey in North America.”

    In the coming years, King will continue to serve Adidas North America as an advisor.

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  • Gucci succesfull for Kering sales

    Gucci succesfull for Kering sales

    Kering sales rocketed 36.5 per cent in the first quarter of this year, reaching €3.108 billion (US$3.8 billion), led by Gucci’s staggering 48.7 per cent improvement.

    “Kering maintained its outstanding sales momentum in the first quarter,” said Kering chairman and CEO Francois-Henri Pinault. “Under its new luxury pure-player profile, the group clearly outperformed a market that remains well oriented,” he said.

    After including discontinued operations – Puma, Volcom and Stella McCartney, which Kering has divested its interests in – sales growth was still up 27.1 per cent.

    Gucci’s “spectacular growth” included a 49.4 per cent leap in Asia Pacific and 64.4 per cent in North America. Gucci sales for the quarter totalled €1.866 billion.

    “Gucci, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga set a high mark within a group that delivered sharp growth as a whole,” said Pinault. “In the balance of the year, we face a high base of comparison and a tough currency environment, but we are confident in the ability of our Houses to continue doing better than their peers, leveraging their innovativeness and creative audacity.”

    Yves Saint Laurent sales rose 19.6 per cent (including 23.6 per cent in Asia Pacific) while the combined contribution of Alexander McQueen, jewellery and watches recorded a 37.9 per cent improvement. Even troubled Bottega Veneta improved by 0.7 per cent (including a 5.8 per cent lift in Asia Pacific), the first visible impact of a restructuring plan. New lines were “well received,” according to Kering, and ready-to-wear fared well, but wholesale slipped “slightly” in the quarter.

    “The House is continuing to optimise its store network and strengthen its visibility through a communications strategy designed largely for digital media.”

    Balenciaga led a 37.9 per cent improvement from ‘Other Houses’, Kering’s smaller luxury brands.

    “Watches and jewellery performed very well this quarter. The strengthened positioning of Boucheron, Pomellato and Qeelin are paying off, thanks to new collections, extended iconic lines and investments in communications and store networks. Watches also turned in a good performance this quarter,” said Kering.

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  • Gap watching Old Navy for growth

    Gap watching Old Navy for growth

    Gap is ramping up its roll-out of Old Navy stores as the budget brand drives growth for the embattled US apparel giant.

    Gap Inc says it will open 60 new stores this year in the US, Canada and Mexico – twice the number of new stores it opened last year. It will refurbish a further 150 stores, upgrading fitting rooms, bathrooms and checkout facilities.

    The new focus on Old Navy, revealed last September, comes at the same time about 200 underperforming Banana Republic and Gap-bannered shops will be closed. Over a three-year timeframe, Gap Inc plans to open about 270 new Old Navy and Athleta stores, leaving a net network growth of 70 shops.

    Old Navy sales rose 9 per cent in the last quarter, on top of a 5 per cent rise a year earlier. Gap expects Old navy to reach US$10 billion in annual sales within the next few years, and its athleisure brand Athleta, to reach the $1 billion threshold.

    Analyst Retail Dive observes that while Gap store sales are showing signs of stabilising, lower-priced Old Navy has been hitting a stride that the flagship banner has failed to do for years now”.

    “Old Navy is the jewel in the portfolio,” added Ray Hartjen, director of marketing at RetailNext.

    “Shoppers have shown their preference for value across the board, and off-price retail has been one of the few consistent bright spots for the industry the last several years,” he said. “Moreover, Old Navy repeatedly resonates with its loyal core shopper, season after season, with its merchandise assortment.”

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  • Jimmy Choo starts selling make-up

    Jimmy Choo starts selling make-up

    After the launch of its fragrance Fever, fashion label Jimmy Choo plans to broaden its offering by developing a make-up range.

    CEO Pierre Denis says that while the brand may be known for its shoes, it also offers bags, small leather goods, sunglasses and fragrances.

    “Jimmy Choo is more than a shoe brand, it is really an accessory brand,” he says. “We are particularly proud we have fragrances, and to be frank, not many shoe brands are successful with perfumes.”

    Choo has been working with French manufacturer Interparfums for eight years, launching three fragrances.

    Declining to reveal details, Denis says the fragrance collection will be “glamorous”, in keeping with the brand’s image. Fever will become part of its portfolio from August 13.

  • Shimamura going on line in Taiwan with an e-commerce platform

    Shimamura going on line in Taiwan with an e-commerce platform

    Japanese clothing retailer Shimamura will soon expand into online sales in Taiwan.

    Its local unit plans to open an e-commerce channel on Taiwan’s two major online shopping sites, Momo and Yahoo Jima, by June, following two decades of brick-and-mortar retail stores.

    Shimamura says its local arm will sell its Closshi brand online and also promote some products not available at existing shops.

    Based in the Saitama Prefecture, the chain opened its first outlet in Taiwan in 1998 and now has 45 branches. It also has 11 shops in China, entering the market in 2012, and started online sales there last year through Tmall.

    With a network of about 2000 stores in Japan, it will begin online sales in its home territory next month through e-commerce sites run by Rakuten and Amazon Japan KK.

  • Lyn Vietnam to open a new shop in Hanoi

    Lyn Vietnam to open a new shop in Hanoi

    Thai handbag and accessories label Lyn Vietnam is opening three more stores in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

    One store will be opened inside Vincom Center this Friday. The other two will open at Hanoi’s Vincom Royal City and Trang Tien Plaza, on May 2 and 14 respectively.

    The openings coincide with the introduction of Lyn’s Spring/Summer collection.

    Lyn was founded in Thailand in 2001, and arrived in Vietnam last November with the first store on Nguyen Trai street, Ho Chi Minh City.

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  • Exclusive Ambush fashion booth at Joyce

    Exclusive Ambush fashion booth at Joyce

    Fashion retailer Joyce has joined forces with innovative Japanese design label Ambush for an exclusive capsule collection.

    The Ambush fashion label was founded by Japanese/Korean hip-hop artist Verbal and his graphic artist wife Yoon, with its clothing collection for Joyce presenting a new take on sportswear.

    Largely inspired by the track jacket, the collaborative drop comprises designs with a palette of yellow and navy. Along with classic tracksuit pieces, there is also a reinterpretation of the classic silhouette as a dress. Rounding off the offering is a white t-shirt with punk-influenced writing scrawled across the front.

    The Ambush fashion capsule is available at Joyce locations in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

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  • Blackberrys menswear brand eyes to open more shops

    Blackberrys menswear brand eyes to open more shops

    India’s Blackberrys menswear brand is eyeing 25 per cent growth in turnover to touch INR1500 crore (US$226 million) by 2020 on the back of retail and portfolio expansion.

    The company, which also has the Casuals and Urban brands, plans to add 100 stores this fiscal year, 65 of them franchises.

    With turnover of INR720 crore last fiscal year, it has around 205 standalone company stores and is looking to open 70 more outlets this year.

    Its exclusive stores contribute almost half of total sales volume, while the rest comes from multibrand outlets and other channels. It also retails through more than 1000 multibrand outlets.

    Following the launch of its casualwear brand Blackberrys Urban, the company is planning toexpand its product portfolio.

  • Sportswear sales growth goes up

    Sportswear sales growth goes up

    Sportswear sales grew faster than those of luxury goods in China between 2012 and last year, says research group Euromonitor International.

    Market leaders Adidas and Nike have both had double-digit sales growth, while Lululemon and Under Armour are also dominant.

    Meanwhile, local brand Particle Fever is attracting attention with its designer sportswear.

    “People in China, especially Beijing, want to be seen differently,” says co-founder Zoe Liu, who says it is the only local activewear brand that takes a creative approach to marketing and branding. It makes sports bras, leggings and running shorts designed to be trendy and fashionable as well as comfortable for activities.

    Liu’s line, which is sold on Tmall as well as by Lane Crawford, sits alongside the sportswear collections of New Balance and Reebok in retail outlets like Runner Camp, a concept fitness store that opened in Shanghai six months ago and includes an experience centre and running track as well as a gym.

    Less than 10 years ago, most young Chinese female tourists in the country’s mountains wore a dress and heels. Booming interest in health and fitness has generated demand for more practical and fashionable fitness gear.

    Liu is now making final preparations for opening her second showroom in China, in WF Central, a new high-end shopping mall on Beijing’s oldest shopping street, Wangfujing. It will look more like an art gallery or a designer concept store as Liu and her team collaborate with artists to create visual displays.

    They also plan to invite emerging sports groups, such as modern dance troupes, for in-store performances.

    WF Central, developed by Hongkong Land, prioritises wellness, with its tenants including Under Armour with its largest showroom internationally, Superdry with a flagship store and Hong Kong’s Pure Yoga with its first studio for China.

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  • China performs best for L’Occitane International

    China performs best for L’Occitane International

    China continued to outperform for fragrance group L’Occitane International during the year ended 31 March, its unaudited trading figures show.

    Along with Brazil, Hong Kong and the US it showed the highest sales growth in local currencies.

    China’s sales growth was 20.5 per cent in local currency with same-store sales growth of 15.1 per cent as it maintained strong momentum online and offline.

    The group’s net sales reached €1.3 billion (US$1.5 billion), growing 4.6 per cent at constant rates. Unfavourable foreign-exchange rates saw net sales at reported rates ease by 0.3 per cent over last year.

    During the 12 months, the company disposed of Le Couvent des Minimes while LimeLife became a subsidiary in January. Excluding Le Couvent des Minimes, LimeLife and a one-off deal for L’Occitane au Bresil in September 2016, the group’s sales growth at reported rates and constant rates were -1 and 3.7 per cent respectively.

    Emerging brands Melvita, Erborian and L’Occitane au Bresil (excluding the one-off deal) continued double-digit growth.

    The group opened 41 stores and renovated 153 during the year, compared with 51 openings and 104 renovations the previous year.

  • Coach Singapore unveils graffiti wall at the Botanic Gardens

    Coach Singapore unveils graffiti wall at the Botanic Gardens

    Coach Singapore has unveiled a 70m print of New York street graffiti along a wall at the Botanic Gardens MRT station.

    The project was conceptualised in New York City by the US luxury brand to celebrate the symbiotic relationship between fashion and street art.

    It made its debut early this year with a series of murals across the US city put together by 13 influential street artists.

    Singapore’s version, by artists Dain and Such, plays on Coach’s monogram with an urban feel. This collaboration will lead to a special collection of ready-to-wear pieces, tote bags and small leather goods to be launched in July.

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