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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.

  • Thailand targets counterfeit branded goods

    Thailand targets counterfeit branded goods

    Thailand is clamping down on counterfeit branded goods with plans for a campaign to target tourists.

    The Thai Commerce Ministry is seeking the support of foreign embassies as it launches its “Stop Fake Goods” campaign, aimed at travellers.

    Meantime, the government says it will stringently inspect traders for counterfeit goods, including examining their tax-payment history.

    New Year visitors to Thailand will be urged not to buy fake goods, says director-general Thosapone Dansuputra of the ministry’s Intellectual Property Department. He says the aim is to ensure Thailand moves away from its bad reputation for trading in fakes.

    He says it is illegal for visitors to buy counterfeit products, and the government will set up billboards in tourist spots to warn shoppers and traders not to buy or sell fakes. Both in Thai and English – and Chinese is some areas – the billboards will be posted at airports, BTS and MRT stations.

    Also, Commerce Ministry officers in each province will be on watch for any trading of counterfeit products.
    The department will also join forces with copyright owners, police and the Internal Security Operations Command to inspect areas known for selling fake goods, such as flea markets.

    Thosapone said that to boost the penalties for trading in counterfeit goods, the department is co-operating with the Revenue Department to investigate the tax history of suspected violators.

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  • Nike Singapore turns back on small outlets

    Nike Singapore turns back on small outlets

    Sports brand Nike Singapore will stop supplying smaller retailers from next month.

    This is a huge blow for mom-and-pop stores in Peninsula Plaza and Queensway Shopping Centre, which rely on top-selling brands to attract customers, as reported.

    “Its move would force many of us out of business soon,” says Salam & Sons manager Gurbachan Singh, who has run the business for more than 30 years.

    “We did business with Nike for more than 20 years. We followed their rules, never defaulted on payments nor brought in fake or parallel imports. Many of us don’t understand why they are doing this to us,” he says.

    Out of the US, Nike tops the 10 most-valuable apparel brands segment in market research company Millward Brown’s 2016 Brandz Top 100 Most-Valuable Global Brands report.

  • Memebox raises $60m in extension round

    Memebox raises $60m in extension round

    South Korean cosmetics startup Memebox has raised US$60 million in a Series C extension round led by existing and new investors.

    Investors include Altos Ventures, Cota Capital, Cowboy Ventures, Formation Group, Funders Club, Goodwater Capital, Janet Gurwitch, Mousse Partners and Pear Ventures.

    Memebox says the round is an extension of the $66 million it raised in its initial Series C, bringing aggregate equity funding to $160 million since its incorporation in 2012. The extra investment will allow it to continue streamlining its mobile shopping experience, develop a database of beauty ingredients and products, and build its global footprint.

    As a result of the transaction, Gurwitch, a partner at private-equity firm Castanea Partners and the founder and former CEO of cosmetics company Laura Mercier, joins the Memebox advisory board. She has specialised in beauty companies during her time at Castanea and has served on the boards of Drybar, First Aid Beauty and Urban Decay. She has also served in an advisory role at Dollar Shave Club, acquired by Unilever this year.

    Gurwitch will be advising Memebox on brand strategy, positioning and developing retail partnerships for its four in-house brands – Bonvivant, I’M Meme, Nooni and Pony Effect – in the US market.

    Memebox CEO/founder Hyungseok Dino Ha says the company has been focussed on bringing innovative, high-quality and approachable beauty to consumers worldwide. “We are a global company with offices in six countries with 14 different nationalities.”

    Global streamlining

    There has been a focus on growth in Asia, particularly China, “but with this funding we plan to streamline our global operations at our company headquarters in San Francisco”.

    Memebox evolved from being a subscription box model in 2012 to retailing beauty products then developing its own brands with R&D labs near Seoul. Its four brands have had 60 per cent growth quarter-over-quarter, says the company.

    Memebox invested early in content-driven mobile shopping. It says its mobile app is used for 88 per cent of its global online transactions, with more than 94 per cent of its customers in Asia shopping through the app.

    “What Memebox is doing with mobile and video is unprecedented in the beauty landscape,” says Goodwater Capital managing partner Eric Kim, also a Memebox board member. “Memebox has the heart of a high-end brand, the brain of a deep-data company, and the muscle memory of a social network.”

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  • Nestle Japan strikes a musical note

    Nestle Japan strikes a musical note

    Nestle Japan has extended its offering from coffee to music as part of a promotional event for its Nescafe Gold Blend Barista instant coffee.

    It has launched a wooden musical instrument, the “Pythagorean”, which plays Christmas melodies. It is the only Rube Goldberg machine in the world to be installed in a coffee shop.

     

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    Designed like a coffee mug and about 3.5m high and 3m wide, the Pythagorean involves a wooden ball being released into a staircase-shaped maze. Christmas carols play as the ball rolls downward, striking tuned xylophone steps. The contraption comprises 180 xylophone keys and 1450 individual parts. It took about five months to build, using laser machining and other cutting-edge technologies.

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    By using an app, customers at the Nescafe Harajuku outlet can choose an emoticon that befits their mood. A bird character then appears on the screen, and while their coffee is being made, the ball is released to play one of three Christmas tunes.

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  • Alfred Dunhill opens concept store

    Alfred Dunhill opens concept store

    One year after a “garage” pop-up store in Paragon Singapore, British men’s luxury brand Alfred Dunhill has opened its first-ever concept store.

    Its fourth outlet in Singapore brings to life the brand’s heritage of motoring, saddlery and gentlemanly inventions and adventures, says president Francois Carrere.

    “Inspired by the Alfred Dunhill home Bourdon House, the store’s decor features rich textures, contemporary and vintage furnishings, and traditional English architectural accents,” he writes on LinkedIn.

    Dunhill’s roots in Singapore date back to its first store opening in 1971.

    Specialising in ready-to-wear, custom and bespoke menswear, leather goods, and accessories, the brand was founded by English tobacconist and inventor Alfred Dunhill in 1907.

    Dunhill was just 21 years old when he took over his father’s saddlery business in 1893. With the automobile becoming popular, he transformed the saddlery into an automobile accessories store, offering such non-standard (at the time) accoutrements as horns, lamps and dashboard clocks. Dunhill also made leather overcoats, goggles and other accessories for drivers.

    In 1907, Dunhill opened a tobacco shop, followed in 1910 by his own pipe factory. Tobacco proved so successful the company expanded with shops in Paris and New York. Dunhill was the first company to develop a lighter that could be used with one hand.

    The brand is now owned by Switzerland-based luxury goods holding company Richemont.

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  • Ladies Market fake products seizure largest for three years

    Ladies Market fake products seizure largest for three years

    Hong Kong Customs has arrested 10 people and seized HK$10 million (US$1.2 million) worth of fake products, smashing a counterfeit syndicate at the Ladies Market.

    It was the largest syndicate caught in three raids by the Customs and Excise Department this year on Tung Choi Street in Mong Kok. In January and August, officers nabbed 12 people and seized HK$7.5 million in fake goods.
    Following those busts, the syndicate just nabbed had chosen potential customers more carefully to avoid detection, says Customs official Guy Fong Wing-kai.

    “The gang served only tourists from Europe and America,” he says. “They did not approach locals or Asian tourists in case they were undercover customs officers.”

    The syndicate sold their goods at 5 to 20 per cent of the genuine products’ price, he says.
    An investigation revealed the syndicate sold counterfeit goods at four hawker stalls in the market, using electronic tablets to show clients photos of the products.

    “Some clients were taken to its upstairs showroom nearby, which was packed with about 600 counterfeit products,” says Fong. Four nearby flats were used as warehouses, and a female ringleader went to the mainland regularly to buy the fake products.

    After a month-long investigation, about 90 Customs officers raided the four hawker stalls, the secret showroom and the four warehouses. Seven men and three women were rounded up and more than 10,000 fake products seized including watches, handbags and leather goods.

    Fong says it was Customs’ largest seizure of fake products in a single operation in the past three years.

    Aged between 24 and 38 years, the 10 Hongkongers are being held for questioning. None have yet been charged.

    Fong says the department will enhance its enforcement activities against counterfeiting during the holiday season. He says that selling counterfeit goods is regarded as a serious crime, carrying a maximum penalty of a HK$500,000 fine and five years in jail.

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  • Sandriver cashmere launches in US

    Sandriver cashmere launches in US

    Luxury cashmere brand Sandriver has officially entered the US market, building on its base of 11 stores in Asia and a worldwide eCommerce presence.

    Sandriver cashmere has been active in the international fashion scene since 2007, sourcing directly from the grasslands of the Alashan Plateau in Inner Mongolia, home to 70 per cent of the world’s cashmere.

    Founder and CEO Juliet Guo (Guo Xiuling) is an Inner Mongolian native, and has built the brand’s own sourcing base of 30 local herding families, some of whom operate on Guo family-owned grasslands.

    Setting itself apart from global fashion giants, Sandriver says it hones its niche role in the industry by merging the traditional sophistication of cashmere with the innovation of modern fashion.

    Its creative team comprises a dynamic group of international designers and artists, including world-renowned Japanese designer and multiple fashion award recipient Junko Koshino, French-Columbian artist Francesca Brenda-Mitterrand, and German and Chinese fashion designers Antje Weidner and Qin Wanyu.

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    Sandriver cashmere continues to attract attention on an international scale and has been presented at major fashion shows in both Tokyo and Paris. Its collections suit a variety of budgets and tastes with prices ranging from around US$100 to $3000 for original designs.

    Product lines include, among others, scarves and wraps for every season, full-length coats and blankets, reversible and ready-to-wear garments and comfortable ensembles. Recent additions include kids wear and luxury travel garments and accessories.

    Sandriver products are available online, shipped directly from Shanghai to the US via DHL Express within four days, and include a local US-based return policy.

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  • Arcadia to launch first stores in mainland China

    Arcadia to launch first stores in mainland China

    A deal struck with local retailer ShangPin will see five stores open in the country, with a further 75 in the pipeline if the venture is a success. Topshop opened its first store in Hong Kong in 2013 and Green has been eying further expansion for a number of years.

    The Arcadia Group chairman said the deal would “cement Topshop and Topman’s mission of becoming truly global businesses.”

    He added: “For the first time both brands will deliver high fashion to the shop floor and beyond by opening full scale stores in China – host to the world’s largest growing retail economy.”

    Department store House of Fraser is also poised to open its first Chinese store in Nanjing at the end of this month.

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  • Apparel recovery evident in US retail sales

    Apparel recovery evident in US retail sales

    Apparel was  stand-out category in a mixed month of fortunes for US retailers in November.

    According to official government data, US retail sales rose by just 0.1 per cent month-on-month, or 3.8 per cent year-on-year, including motor vehicles and petrol.

    Within core retail categories, apparel sales grew by 1.9 per cent year-on-year.

    “This may sound fairly subdued, but it is much better than the year-to-date growth rates which have seen volumes and prices slip,” observes Neil Saunders, CEO of retail consultancy Conlumino.

    “That said, most of this is down to weather that is much more conducive to sales compared to last year’s most unseasonal temperatures which left much winter wear hanging on the rails.”

    Saunders says that while at headline level November data suggested a good month for retail with strong overall growth across most parts of the sector, “in reality, it was a very choppy month with a great deal of variation between the weeks”.

    It was also a month affected by the election, the uncertainty from which hurt sales during October and the first week of November.

    “Fortunately, once the election was over some of the latent demand produced a much better growth figure in week 3. During this week furniture retailers and home improvement retailers put in a particularly good performance, the latter being aided by the onset of colder weather. “Early discounting in the period before Black Friday also helped to stimulate demand during this week. The run-up to Thanksgiving also saw a solid performance from grocery stores which, despite some ongoing deflation, notched up some reasonable volume uplifts,” said Saunders.

    As the month moved into Thanksgiving and Black Friday week, growth moderated to more subdued levels. “The Black Friday weekend was a fairly lackluster affair, partly because many shoppers had snagged bargains well before the event. The performance from physical retailers was poor over this period, with some anemic numbers coming from department stores.”

    Saunders said rising gas prices were starting to show in the US retail sales figures.

    “This has the potential to act as a brake on retail consumer spending as we enter the Christmas period. Overall, however, Conlumino maintains its view that it will be a reasonable, though not spectacular, holiday period.”

  • Dsptch Japan opens store in Tokyo

    Dsptch Japan opens store in Tokyo

    US label Dsptch Japan has opened a store in Tokyo, at Crest Omotesando in Shibuya-ku.

    Dsptch is a San Francisco design company that specialises in backpacks, tech cases and camera straps. It focuses on combining practicality with sleek, stylish design. Each piece is fabricated in the US.

    The new store will carry the brand’s full line, as well as complementary clothing and footwear by Descent Allterrain, Isaora and Reigning Champ.

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  • Titan Launches Thai Commemorative EDGE Wristwatch

    Titan Launches Thai Commemorative EDGE Wristwatch

    Titan Company Limited, the world’s fifth largest watchmaker and part of the Indian conglomerate giant TATA Group, is releasing a limited edition timepiece in Thailand created especially for the Thai market.

    Titan selected its Red Dot award-winning EDGE, the world’s slimmest wristwatch in the universe, to create the exclusive wristwatch, commemorating the timeless respect and honor for His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

    The royal emblem marking the 70th Anniversary Celebrations of King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Accession to the Throne is placed at 12 o’clock and the Thai numeral for nine at 9 o’clock. 

    The Titan Thai Commemorative EDGE wristwatch is available with a black, blue and brown dial and color-matched leather strap. The blue and brown dial watches are set in rose gold plated case while the black dial watch is set in a gold plated case, both of which gives this exclusive wristwatch an extra-special elegance and sophisticated quality. 

    With a total slimness of just 3.6 mm and a wafer-thin movement of 1.15mm, the Titan EDGE is a technological marvel. It is water resistant up to a depth of 30 meters. The classic hallmarks of the EDGE design include a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass front, stainless steel case and specially designed slim battery. 

    The inscription, “In Honor of His Majesty the King”, is engraved on the watch back as a tribute to the King, creating a wonderful memento for owners to treasure for years to come.

     “The intricate craftsmanship of the Titan EDGE, its timeless design and incredible innovation resonate with the Thai market,” said Sonia Yamdagni, Managing Director of Omni Co., Ltd., the sole distributor of Titan watches in Thailand. 

    “A sense of  tradition and appreciation for quality are valued and passed along from one generation to the next whilst moving toward a future of hope and success for the country and the Thai people; a symbol of the importance of finding time to give back to the nation and to others,” added Sonia.

    Titan watches are retailed in 32 countries worldwide. The Titan Thai Commemorative EDGE wristwatch, presented in an attractive velvet-lined wooden box, retails at THB 8,900 and is currently available at Central, Robinson and The Mall Group department stores nationwide, including Siam Paragon and Emporium in Bangkok.

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  • Lotte, Hyundai, Shinsegae get duty free licenses

    Lotte, Hyundai, Shinsegae get duty free licenses

    Lotte Duty Free, Hyundai Duty Free and Shinsegae DF have snatched licenses for new duty free shops in Seoul, showing that retail specialists will have the upper hand over non-retail firms struggling in the market.

    However, the big three firms still have to brace for harsh competition in the already saturated market, as well as lingering questions about the fairness of the selection process due to possible ties to a corruption scandal engulfing President Park Geun-hye and her confidant Choi Soon-sil.

    The Korea Customs Service (KCS), Saturday, named the three firms as operators for three Seoul-based duty free outlets. Also, it said a fourth license for the city, reserved for small and medium-sized firms (SMEs), was taken by Top City Corp. Busan Duty Free and Alpensia won licenses for outlets in Busan and Gangwon Province, respectively.

    The three conglomerates are retail giants that run department stores in the country. Market watchers say their experience and expertise in attracting luxury brands as well as managing and running their stores worked favorably for them in the KCS evaluation.

    All three conglomerate-run shops will be based in southern Seoul. Hyundai, which earned the highest score in the KCS evaluation, will open an outlet near COEX in Samseong-dong. Lotte will reopen an outlet in its landmark Lotte World Tower in Jamsil. Shinsegae will have one in Central City in Seocho-gu.

    So far, most of the large duty free stores have been located north of the Han River. Top-seller Lotte Duty Free’s main store is located in Sogong-dong, while Shilla Duty Free is in Jangchung-dong and Dongwha Duty Free is in Sajik-dong. The combined earnings of the three outlets last year reached 3.85 trillion won.

    Market observers expect the fresh selection will create an opportunity to draw more tourists to southern Seoul and meet the growing demand for duty free shops in the region. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of foreign tourists in those regions grew an average 19 percent annually from 2012 to 2015.

    With the new selections, however, more competitors are added to the already saturated duty free market in Seoul. Currently, nine duty free outlets are in operation in the city and the four companies will open their new stores next year.

    Data shows that the market is displaying signs of a widening gap between firms. Five duty free outlets that began operation after the government granted licenses last year have posted billions of won in operating losses.

    In the first three quarters this year, a Shinsegae shop in Myeongdong posted an operating loss of 37.2 billion won. Galleria Duty Free 63 on Yeouido and HDC Shilla Duty Free in Yongsan each recorded 30.5 billion won and 16.7 billion won in operating loss.

    SM Duty Free in Jongno-gu, which opened as an SME shop, also suffered a 20.6 billion won operating loss in the same period. Doota Duty Free in Dongdaemun did not disclose its data, but reportedly it posted an operating loss of 27 billion won in five months after opening in May.

    Another factor casting concern is the ongoing controversy that the selection was allegedly affected by Choi Soon-sil. Lotte and SK, which were among the candidates for the fresh selection, donated money to two nonprofit foundations controlled by Choi and the prosecution is suspecting the money worked in favor of the two companies.

    With Lotte winning one of the licenses, the controversy is likely to grow.

    The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said Sunday it is “suspicious of the KCS decision to press on with the selection process even though a special inspection over the scandal is ongoing regarding the matter.”

    The KCS said last December there would be no more selection for duty free operators but suddenly decided to offer more licenses in April.

    “There have been suspicions that SK Group head and President Park met privately over the duty free shops,” said DPK spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee.

  • Stores push deals in bid to lure holiday shoppers

    Stores push deals in bid to lure holiday shoppers

    Nearly 156 million people — or 66 percent of Americans — plan to or are considering taking advantage of Saturday sales to complete their holiday gift lists, according to a survey released Friday by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The survey found that more people said they planned to shop on Saturday than those who aimed to shop over Thanksgiving weekend in an earlier survey.

    Still, given the quirk in the calendar that makes this weekend the last full weekend before Christmas, retailers including Best Buy, Gap and J.C. Penney, have set an earlier deadline to order holiday gifts this year, according to StellaService, which tracks online services at retailers. Wal-Mart, along with others, is encouraging online shoppers to pick up their merchandise at the store.

    Target will be offering last-minute shoppers deals that are good only for a day on certain in-demand products like children’s sleepwear and fragrance sets.

    Still, plenty of shoppers plan to take their time.

    Christine Bunker Tobia of Queens says she mostly shops at Macy’s but likes to wait to get the best deals. She’s been stopping by Macy’s New York Herald Square store often to check the prices.

    “I’m looking for a special sale,” she said last weekend. “I may wait another week.”

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  • Topshop to open 80 stores in mainland China

    Topshop has signed a deal with a Chinese partner that could lead to up to 80 stores being opened in mainland China with the first opening in spring/summer 2017.

    The British high street retailer has agreed a deal with Shangpin, which already sells the Topshop brand on Shangpin.com. It is anticipated that the first store will be opened in either Beijing or Shanghai in the spring or summer of next year.

    In a statement Topshop owner Sir Philip Green said: “For the first time both brands will deliver high fashion to the shop floor and beyond by opening full-scale stores in China — host to the world’s fastest-growing retail economy.”

    Green owns a 75% stake in Topshop having sold 25% to US private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners in 2012. The brand, which is the jewel in the crown of Green’s Arcadia Group, has 300 stores in the UK and 140 in international territories including 10 in the US.

  • Local brand Rusty Lopez opens 9th outlet in Jakarta

    Local brand Rusty Lopez opens 9th outlet in Jakarta

    Filipino fashion retail brand Rusty Lopez opened its newest store in Jakarta on Thursday, featuring comfortable sandals and casuals made from Marikina, the Philippines’ shoe capital, according to a recent report of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Philippine Trade and Investment Center–Jakarta.

    The outlet in Sogo Lippo Mall Puri located in the St. Moritz Central Business District is the brand’s ninth outlet following the opening of stores in Seibu Grand Indonesia, Sogo Emporium Pluit, Sogo Central Park, Sogo Alam Sutera, Lotte Shopping Avenue, Metro Plaza Senayan, Metro Gandaria City and Metro Taman Anggrek.

    Philippine commercial attaché to Indonesia Alma Argayoso said sales of the newest collection during the opening were brisk. The other stores also received positive feedback.

    “It is exciting to bring to the Indonesian market the Philippines’ world-famous Marikina-made shoes. This affirms our belief on the potential of fashion retail products in Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s biggest economy,” Argayoso said.

    The first overseas store of Rusty Lopez opened in Jakarta on March 6, 2016 at the Seibu Department Store of Grand Indonesia Mall and featured selected designs suited to the Indonesian market.

    The Trade Department noted that increased interest in Philippine-made shoes abroad was helping revive the local shoe industry and opening more opportunities for small enterprises.

    PTIC in Jakarta is supporting and assisting Filipino homegrown brands in globalizing their products and accessing the regional markets by looking for potential partnerships.

    Aside from Rusty Lopez, other Filipino fashion retail brands in Indonesia are Karimadon, Penshoppe, Gingersnaps and Ann Ong Jewelry.

     

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