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.

  • Cath Kidston’s new owners are taking on Asia

    Cath Kidston’s new owners are taking on Asia

    Cath Kidston Group has been acquired by Asian private equity company Baring Asia and its chairman is to step down. The lifestyle brand has attained new ownership after its previous majority stakeholder TA Associates sold its shares to Baring Asia, who have now become the controlling majority stakeholders. Paul Mason, who has been chairman of the group for six years, is to step down following the acquisition. He will be replaced by a senior advisor to Baring Asia and former chief executive of Gucci Wiliam Flanz.

    This comes as the brand continues expansion into the Asian market. With 70 per cent of its outlets located outside of the UK, Asia has been a key focus for the group in recent years. Its stores in the region have gone from 91 to 131 since 2014, when Baring Asia first invested in the company. The group was reportedly attracted to the group due to their expertise in the region, and its role as one of the most established private equity firms across Asia.

    It now has plans to open in India in Delhi and Mumbai this autumn.

  • China cuts cosmetics consumption tax

    China cuts cosmetics consumption tax

    China will reduce or remove consumption tax on all cosmetic products, the finance ministry said on Friday, as the country looks to stimulate domestic spending to help prop up slowing economic growth.

    The new policy will see consumption tax – previously set at 30 percent for all cosmetics – waived entirely for non-luxury cosmetic products, while the tax rate on more expensive cosmetics will be cut to 15 percent, the finance ministry said in a statement.

    The move, which comes into effect from Oct. 1, fits with China’s drive to make products more affordable to domestic shoppers, many of whom have traditionally looked to buy more expensive products overseas because of high tax rates at home.

    The cuts could be of some help to imported cosmetics brands, analysts said, but are unlikely to have a major or immediate impact because other steep tariffs mean prices domestically will remain high compared to markets overseas.

    “Cosmetic brands could benefit mildly from the tax reduction with more competitive pricing,” said Jefferies analyst Jessie Guo in a note on Friday. She added, though, that it would only “moderately” boost domestic demand.

    Last year, the ministry slashed import taxes on products from skin care to shoes in a bid to “push forward structural reform” as the country looks to shift its economy to consumption from flagging manufacturing and exports.

    The head of the world’s largest advertising firm, Martin Sorrell, said on Thursday the business environment in China was the toughest he had seen in around three decades, especially hitting international brands.

  • The top 10 cosmetics brands in China

    The top 10 cosmetics brands in China

    China’s top 10 selling cosmetics brands have been revealed.

    A report by Kantar Worldpanel concludes the beauty market remains buoyant in China over the first half of 2016 with brands battling it out for market share.

    The cosmetics sector is a major driver of growth in the FMCG market in China. The skincare and colour make-up sector grew by 12 per cent and 10 per cent respectively in the year to June 2016, far higher than the overall 3.1 per cent growth rate of the total FMCG industry.

    Kantar says the value growth is due to Chinese consumers becoming more sophisticated in their selection of beauty products, migrating to premium products.

    This also presents brand new opportunities to both international and domestic players.

    In its 2016 Cosmetics Brand Footprint ranking, Kantar Worldpanel reveals the top 10 best-selling brands in China.

    Dabao leads the ranking with 23.1 per cent of the population choice, on average twice a year, meaning Dabao products were put into shoppers baskets 76.7 million times during the year.

    Pechoin occupies second place and was the fastest riser in terms of consumer touch points, adding more than 3.6 million families to its brand over the last 12 months.

    The next eight places are revealed in the chart below.

    Top 10 cosmetics brands in China

    Despite strong growth, China’s cosmetics market remains incredibly competitive.

    Of the 4000 brands tracked by Kantar Worldpanel, only 40 per cent of them saw an increase in net sales.

    Amongst the top 20 growing brands in the market, a rise in penetration contributed 78 per cent to their collective growth, proving that the continual recruitment of shoppers is the key way to grow sales.

    “Consumers today have unprecedented choices available to them thanks to overseas travel and eCommerce, yet the growth of Chinese brands and Korean/Japanese brands are noticeable,” said Jason Yu, GM at Kantar Worldpanel.

    Brands who advocate health, efficacy and fun are winning consumers’ choices, on the back of unique product and marketing innovation as well as smart Omni-Channel deployment.

    Other key conclusions from the Kantar Worldpanel study include:

    • Premiumisation drove 82 per cent of the market’s total growth.
    • Essence will be the next star segment – products at different price points with different functions are appealing to young consumers.
    • There is still significant potential to drive trials of colour cosmetics, and cushion is becoming the point of market entry.
    • Consumers are embracing natural and safe product concepts.
  • Uniqlo Canada takes it slowly

    Uniqlo Canada takes it slowly

    After the Japanese apparel retailer decided to open its first shop in Canada, Uniqlo Canada COO Yasuhiro Hayashi visited Toronto every month for nearly a year.

    During each visit he would spend the week taking notes on what people were wearing.

    “I didn’t expect that everyone was so unique and multicultural,” says Hayashi, who previously helped launch Uniqlo in Singapore and Indonesia. “That was very surprising in a very positive way. We don’t have a specific target customer – that’s our uniqueness. We say we are made for all.”

    Finally, the company is opening its first store in Canada on Friday, a 28,000-sqft (27,989 sqm) space in the Toronto Eaton Centre, between fast-fashion rival H&M and the newly arrived luxury retailer Nordstrom. A second store opening is planned at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in north Toronto on October 20.

    Even with more than 1000 stores worldwide, Hayashi says Uniqlo may not have the same name recognition in Canada as some of its international rivals before they entered the country. It is a challenges that needs to be overcome if it wants to continue expanding in Canada, but Hayashi says there is no rush.

    “We want to be very cautious,” he says. “Of course, I don’t want to give a name, but some other brands have had ambitious plans that didn’t work out. We want to make sure we serve the customers well and fine-tune the merchandise mix as well.”

    US retailer Target last year abruptly announced it was shutting down all its 133 Canadian stores only two years after arriving. Since then, several international retailers such as Muji, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue have taken a slower approach to opening locations in Canada.

    Hayashi says Uniqlo’s Toronto stores will largely be the same as its other locations, with a few nuanced differences for Canadian shoppers. Customers can expect more than usual plaid and flannel shirts. Most sizing will be for a North American fit, but there will also be some smaller sizes to reflect Toronto’s multicultural population.

    Uniqlo will also sell house slippers, commonplace in its stores in Asia.

  • Korea’s Etude House refreshens image

    Korea’s Etude House refreshens image

    With a new brand positioning, Korea’s Etude House has been making inroads in the global cosmetics market this year.

    Previously tagged Princess Fantasy, its new positioning line is Sweet Dream. Its makeover includes more sophisticated visuals in its advertisements and packaging designs, plus a new slogan, “Life is Sweet”. The aim is to symbolise the positive energy and values of people in their 20s as Etude House works toward its vision of becoming the “global No. 1 young makeup brand” through overseas expansion, digital content development, new services and innovative products.

    Etude House, owner by Amorepacific has about 230 stores in 12 Asian countries, and by 2020 aims to have increased its number of overseas stores by 50 per cent.

    From June, Etude House has been managing a multi-channel network, the Beautizens Club, to support the development of new beauty content creators. This has led to 25 content creators from Asia being chosen as “beautizens” to receive makeup tutorials.

    Etude House also has a new mobile app that lets customers administer their account. It also contains digital content that analyses purchasing patterns and draws on age-group general preferences to suggest colours.

    In co-operation with the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation, the brand offers customers the option to pick up their online-ordered products at lockers inside subway stations.

  • Jimmy Choo Asia sales rises

    Jimmy Choo Asia sales rises

    Jimmy Choo Asia sales are soaring, despite the downturn in the luxury market.

    While the company does not break down its Asian sales figures by market, analysts are reporting “record growth” in Hong Kong and China, in part aided by the opening of a new store in Macau.

    Total revenues from Asia (excluding Japan) rose 22.1 per cent on a reported currency basis in the six months to June 30, reaching £27.1 million. Jimmy Choo opened two new stores of its own in Asia during the six months and six franchised stores.

    Next year the company plans new flagships in Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing.

    Sales in Japan increased by 18.2 per cent on reported currency basis with men’s footwear sales and the strong yen driving growth.

    The company plans 200 stores Asia-wide to take advantage of the region’s “untapped growth potential”.

    The UK-based company recently marked 20 years since it was founded by Malaysian cobbler of the same name, who was later forced out of the business in controversial circumstances and now runs his own exclusive, unrelated Jimmy Choo Couture boutique in London.

    One of the reasons for the brand’s success in Asia is its unconventional marketing activities.

    Last September, brides in the Philippines were able to order customised shoes from its stores, selecting texture, style and colour and adding a personal monogram. This year, the concept was expanded to include handbags.

    In Malaysia, customers can customise the color, texture and finishes of their heels and add names, initials or even dates to their handbags.

  • Hermes Malaysia pops up in Pavilion

    Hermes Malaysia pops up in Pavilion

    Parisian luxury goods brand Hermes Malaysia has opened a pop-up store in Fashion Avenue in Pavilion KL in Kuala Lumpur.

    It showcases the brand’s latest autumn/winter Hermesistible accessories collection, featuring bracelets and necklaces in bold, bright prints and colour.

    Hermes Malaysia pops up in Pavilion

    Hermèsistible also offers a new dictionary of moods introducing such terms as “compliclarity” (a capacity for adding complexity in the search of well-ordered life), “hyperstition” (being spellbound to the point of indecision) and “bijourmandise” (insatiable appetite for the perfect fashion jewellery).

    Hermes Malaysia pops up in Pavilion 2

    On level three, the store will be open until October 9.

    For more great pictures of the Hermèsistible Pop Up Store @ Fashion Avenue, Pavilion KL, visit Sarah’s blog here.

  • This new pop up store is a retail experience like you’ve never experienced in Singapore

    This new pop up store is a retail experience like you’ve never experienced in Singapore

    The new pop up store at Tangs Orchard is unlike any you’ve ever seen before in Singapore.

    A combination of fashion, art and technology, 庄 Zhuang – Home for Singapore Designers is an art installation that is also a retail experience featuring Singapore local designers and brands

    .庄 Zhuang is the result of a collaboration between the of Textile and Fashion Federation of Singapore (Taff) and local retailer Tangs.

    Photo: Textile & Fashion Federation (Singapore) Facebook page

    Multi-disciplinary artist, Daryl Goh was commissioned to create Installation Lucid, an art installation that uses light and colours alongside 3D projection mapping technology.

    A cool rotating collection of outfits designed by local designers will also be projected onto a mannequin showcase – perfect for a Snap or Instagram Story!

    Photo: Textile & Fashion Federation (Singapore) Facebook page

    Some big Singapore fashion brands to keep an eye out for include Frontrow by Klarra, Mash-up, Revasseur, Ying the label, plus beautiful accessories from CN Collectiv and Desti Saint.

    Award-winning lifestyle brands like Hinika by Jarrod Lim, Desinere and Love SG will be present too.

    New brands will be introduced throughout the seven months, so each time you go to the shop it will mean a new retail experience with treasures just waiting to be bought.

    庄 Zhuang – Home for Singapore Designers is located at Tangs at Tangs Plaza, Level 4 to Level 6, from September 2016 to mid-April, 2017.

     

  • Maison Margiela Japan opens in Ikebukuro

    Maison Margiela Japan opens in Ikebukuro

    Maison Margiela Japan has opened a new boutique in the Seibu Department Store in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.

    Customers of the fifth-floor store are greeted with marble flooring and walls adorned with lush cotton drapery.

    In between merchandise displays are silver chrome and clear glass furniture.

    Margiela says its latest Tokyo store combines “Ottoman architectural influences with modernist, industrial furnishing”.

    maison-tokyo

    The French luxury fashion house, headquartered in Paris, was founded in 1988 by Belgian designer Martin Margiela. It is known for its luxury Italian-made avant garde and deconstructed ready-to-wear and leather accessories.

    It has stores in 11 major cities of Japan, along with Hong Kong and Mainland China, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan.

  • FJ Benjamin posts third loss in row

    FJ Benjamin posts third loss in row

    Singapore-listed lifestyle brand FJ Benjamin has posted notice of its third consecutive year of losses.

    The listed company made its announcement after Tuesday’s market closing, saying its latest six-month average daily market capitalisation was S$38.8 million (US$28.5 million).

    FJ Benjamin says it will make an immediate announcement should it be placed on the Singapore Exchange watch list.

    Companies are placed on the list if they record pre-tax losses for the three most recently completed consecutive financial years, and an average daily market capitalisation of less than S$40 million over the previous six months.

    Dating back to 1959, FJ Benjamin Holdings specialises in brand building and management through distribution and retail. With offices in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, it manages more than 20 brands and has 226 stores. In August it announced it had secured the Singapore and Malaysian rights to Marc Jacobs.

  • Superdry India to roll out more stores

    Superdry India to roll out more stores

    British fashion brand Superdry is set to expand its store network in India.

    Superdry India, a joint venture with Reliance Brands, currently operates 21 stores across the country.

    “We want to grow to 28 to 29 outlets by this fiscal year,” Manu Sharma, business head of Reliance Brands told the Economic Times. “We are expanding in India.”

    The new outlets are targeted for the nation’s east, where it recently opened its first store, at the Sohum Emporia in Guwahati. Stores are planned now for Ahmedabad and Kolkata.

    Currently, most Superdry India stores are located in New Delhi, Chennai and Pune.

    Meanwhile, Superdry is continuing its aggressive store roll-out in China and North America.

  • House of Fraser China debut nears

    House of Fraser China debut nears

    UK department store group House of Fraser is preparing for its debut in China after pushing back its original April launch date because of the Chinese New Year.

    House of Fraser China says it has made “good progress” with its store planning with the launch now set for late this year.

    The first store will open in Nanjing, inspired by the historic Frasers store in Glasgow, and featuring international and local brands. The opening will follow flat sales for the group during the first half of its latest fiscal year. However, the Chinese-owned department store group believes there is “significant opportunity” to set up as a global brand, says executive chairman Frank Slevin.

    When Sanpower Group acquired House of Fraser two years ago, founder Yuan Yafei spoke of a global vision for the department store, including outlets throughout the Middle East and Russia, and as many as 50 stores in China.

    House of Fraser last year confirmed it would open three stores in China.

  • Drive de Cartier offers gentleman’s approach

    Drive de Cartier offers gentleman’s approach

    To celebrate the launch of Drive de Cartier watches for men, Cartier is running a week-long event that offers shoppers a chance to step inside a gentleman’s impeccably stylish home.

    The Qube at PMQ in Central has been transformed into a series of rooms filled with a mix of objects and collectibles. Visitors are first welcomed into the lobby and have their picture taken at an interactive photo wall before beginning their tour in a library.

    Cartier 1

    Filled with collectibles, the library features contemporary art pieces from Opera Gallery and one-of-a-kind figurines including Batmobiles, Transformers and vintage racing cars.

    Next on the tour is an atelier featuring a wall of television screens with sketches of the Drive de Cartier watch on display. In the corner is a working desk made from the aircraft wing.

    Cartier 2

    For the gentleman’s dressing room, grooming products from Joyce Grooming are on display as well as Technogym equipment. Several outfits put together by Mr Porter are also on display, all styled to match with the Drive watches and their colourful leather straps. Old-school shave workshops are also being provided by Fox & The Barber, while The Armoury is providing an insight into classic Italian tailoring.

    Cartier 3

    The chic and contemporary drawing room is furnished with sofas, bar, garden and a games den including a car-racing simulator. Other interaction for visitors includes using their mobile phones to play arcade games on a giant screen, honing their poker-playing skills with professional player Jan Tan, and challenging award-winning pool master Au Siu Wai. There is also the chance to taste exclusive coffee and chocolates, and take part in workshops on coffee blending, whiskey and craft-beer tasting, and cocktail mixology.

  • High-end Knockoff Retailers Busted in Seoul’s Busiest Tourist District

    High-end Knockoff Retailers Busted in Seoul’s Busiest Tourist District

    Seoul police busted four retailers Monday for selling counterfeit products of luxury brands in Myeongdong, one of the busiest tourist and shopping districts in Seoul. 
    fake-product-luxury

    The gang launched operations in April, and has since sold 40-million-won ($36,245) worth of knockoff products from 41 brands that included luxury brands Louis Vuitton and Rolex. Converting the sales figure to the retail value of their respective genuine products, they were worth over 8.3 billion won, the police said. 

    The suspects displayed the products without the logo engravings to evade police crackdowns. Instead, they sold the final products with the logos at a separate storage area only when visiting customers asked for counterfeit products.

    “Counterfeit products can badly hurt the image of Myeongdong, so we plan to continue our crackdown operations jointly with the local government and the intellectual property office,” said a police official.

     

     

    Image Credit: Yonhap 

  • Korean partner for Perry Ellis

    Korean partner for Perry Ellis

    Perry Ellis has signed a licence agreement with Doctorstick Korea Co to design, manufacture, market and distribute men’s and women’s contemporary sport and casual shoes under the Perry Ellis brand.

    Currently the US brand has 37 product categories, spans more than 50 countries and generates almost $1 billion in global retail sales annually.

    “We are confident this joint effort will provide us with a platform consistent with our strategic initiative to expand the Perry Ellis brand globally,” says Perry Ellis International executive chairman George Feldenkreis.

    Doctorstick Korea plans to launch the footwear program through eCommerce platforms and television shopping channels in Korea in spring next year, and target an introductory full collection by the middle of the year.

    Established in 2007, the company also licenses the Flying London and Mono Cross brands in Korea.