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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.

  • Shilla launches Miu Miu global travel-retail first in Singapore

    Shilla launches Miu Miu global travel-retail first in Singapore

    The Shilla Duty Free has launched the global travel-retail first Miu Miu fragrance at Singapore Changi International airport.

    The global travel-retail exclusive launch from August 1-31 is part of the The Shilla Duty Free’s commitment to continuously present unique and coveted travel exclusives, and to provide world-class shopping experiences to its consumers, according to the retailer.

    Strong partnerships with key brands have resulted in a series of global launches in the form of brand outposts in Changi airport. Similarly, for the launch of Miu Miu’s signature fragrance, a special outpost has been set up beside the terminal one perfumes and cosmetics central store in the transit departure area from August 12 to September 6. Travellers can be among the first to experience the Miu Miu fragrance as have bottles personalised with their initials at the Miu Miu outpost.

    According to the retailer, perfumer Daniel Andrier creates a scent beginning with an elegant, sensual floral, lily of the valley, composed of real jasmine, real rose absolute, and synthetic green notes. The bottle is also described as simultaneously traditional and pop.

    Miu Miu Eau de Parfum (50ml and 100ml) retails at S$113 and S$152 ($80 and $108). Miu Miu Body Lotion (200ml) retails at S$58 ($41).

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  • Taiwanese embrace E-Land concept

    Taiwanese embrace E-Land concept

    South Korean retailer E-Land says its first full scale store in Taiwan’s capital Taipei drew 80,000 shoppers in its first week.

    Collectively, they spent US$843,000 in the week-long trial opening.

    E-Land opened its first Taiwanese boutique as a concession inside the Taipei 101 skyscraper last September. That helped build brand awareness in the city.

    Now the company has opened its first standalone store, in a shopping district in eastern Taipei, selling clothes and accessories under E-Land’s Mixxo and Spao labels. The 2800 sqm store also features its Lugo cafe concept

    “The response was very enthusiastic,” E-Land Group executive director Yoon Kyung-Hoon told theChosun Ilbo Daily newspaper.

    E-Land made its Greater China debut in 2013 opening stores on the China Mainland and followed in Hong Kong last year.

  • Uniqlo Malaysia plans seven new stores

    Uniqlo Malaysia plans seven new stores

    Japanese retail giant Fast Retailing is planning to open seven new Uniqlo Malaysia stores.

    Two of the stores are planned for Sabah and Sarawak in eastern Malaysia and will mark the brand’s first foray into the eastern region after establishing a strong network of stores in central Malaysia.

    The seven stores will begin trading between September and November this year.

    Uniqlo said they will be located in the Klang Valley (The Curve), Perak (Aeon Klebang), Kedah (Aman Sentral), Sabah (Imago KK Times Square and Suria Sabah) and Sarawak (The Spring Mall and Vivacity Megamall).

    “The new store openings mark Uniqlo Malaysia’s first entry into East Malaysia, as it looks to provide more Malaysians with high quality, comfortable and stylish clothing at affordable prices,” the company said in a statement.

    Uniqlo Malaysia currently has 25 stores located within the Klang Valley, Johor, Malacca, Pahang and Penang.

    “We are excited with the upcoming new store openings, as it means more Malaysians will be able to purchase and experience our product offerings,” said Uniqlo Malaysia’s co-COO Jocelyn Ng.

    “We remain committed to provide the best shopping experience and make our innovative products, such as Airism and Heattech, more accessible to the communities in these locations.”

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  • Marks & Spencer Vietnam opens second store

    Marks & Spencer Vietnam opens second store

    UK-based department store retailer Marks & Spencer has opened a second store in Vietnam’s largest city, Ho Chi Minh.

    Marks & Spencer Vietnam plans to have 20 stores trading in the country by 2020, focused on selling womenswear and menswear.

    The new store is at Crescent Mall in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 7, a four year old mall which also hosts a newly opened Robins Department store.

    It is operated by Marks & Spencer’s long-term franchise partner, Thailand-based Central Retail Corporation, a member of Central Group, which also owns Robins.

    The first Marks & Spencer Vietnam store opened in a 1200 sqm space in the Vincom Center in downtown Ho Chi Minh City last year, the site previously occupied by UK rival Debenhams.

    M&S now has over 800 stores in the UK and more than 460 international stores across 56 markets in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

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  • Missha expands in Vietnam

    Missha expands in Vietnam

    Korean cosmetics retailer Missha has opened its 15th retail store in Vietnam.

    The newest store, at Cach Mang Thang St in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, is located in a neighbourhood popular with tourists and locals.

    Besides its focus on Vietnam’s most populous city, Missha is expanding in other Vietnamese cities. In April it opened in the holiday resort of Danang

    Missha Korea has 1650 stores in 29 countries including about 110 in Southeast Asian markets including Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore.

    The company says it sold US$570,000 worth of products in Vietnam in the first half of 2015, up 32.5 per cent on the same time last year.

    The Korea Cosmetics Industry Institute predicts Vietnam’s cosmetics markets will grow by 17.5 per cent this year, making it the second fastest growing market in Asia, behind India.

    “With Missha’s main items of makeup cosmetics, including mascaras and BB creams, we will accelerate the market invasion in Vietnam,” said Lee Kwang-sup, chief manager of Missha’s overseas business unit.

    “As Missha has already been established as one of the most popular brands in the country, we will dominate the market in advance by actively expanding stores.”

  • Telent to open Malaysia stores

    Telent to open Malaysia stores

    Chinese outdoor apparel brand Telent says it plans to set up retail points of sale in Malaysia as a first step in a broader Southeast Asian push.

    Telent specialises in the design, manufacture, marketing, brand management and distribution of branded outdoor apparel, footwear and equipment. It is China’s second largest outdoor wear brand measured by retail sales value.

    Telent is undertaking an IPO in Malaysia, issuing 103.39 million new shares at ten US cents each.

    The first new store will open in Kuala Lumpur with other Southeast Asian stores will follow as early as the third quarter of this year, in part funded with the funds raised in the IPO

    Telent Group executive director Hui Tang Tat says the product sales mix percentage in outdoor apparel and outdoor footwear respectively posted 43.8 per cent and 49.5 per cent sales growth last year, while equipment products grew by a more modest 6.7 per cent.

    As of October, Telent had 817 retail points of sale and 23 network distributors across China.

    “The Malaysian market is competitive and building our presence there will offer us a platform and opportunity to expand in this region,” Hui said during a media conference.

    “Perhaps in the next five to 10 years, we can go down the road to tap other Asian markets as we want our brand to be globally recognised,” he said.

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  • China Fordoo boosts store network

    China Fordoo boosts store network

    China Fordoo Holdings opened 42 new stores in the first half of this year, helping it boost sales in a soft Mainland retail market.

    Fordoo, a specialist menswear designer, manufacturer and retailer, now has 1494 stores across the Mainland, including two self-managed. Trousers account for 58 per cent of its revenue.

    For the six months to June 30, group profit was about RMB136.9 million (US$21.4 million), up 6.4 per cent on the same period last year. Sales increased by 8.1 per cent to RMB828.4 million ($129.56 million).

    “The increase was mainly due to the expansion of the group’s distribution network and the enhancement of its brand recognition,” the company said in its statement.

    Fordoo said in the first half, China’s economy had entered into a “New Normal” phase.

    “The economy has shifted from high growth to medium-to-high growth, and the economic structure has improved and been upgraded. Under the “New Normal” phase, the economy is increasingly driven by innovation rather than input and investment.”

    Apparel retail growth slowed. Total retail sales of garments, hats, footwear and knitwear in China recorded a 8.3 per cent year on year increase which was 0.4 percentage points lower than that of the corresponding period in 2014.

    “The overall retail market in China remained weak and consumer sentiment showed no sign of notable recovery. However, we are glad that China Fordoo Holdings was able to continue to grow at a stable and moderate pace during the period in terms of number of retail outlets, distributors and revenue.”

  • The Children’s Place lands in India

    The Children’s Place lands in India

    US retailer The Children’s Place has opened its first store in India.

    The brand has entered the market in partnership with Arvind Lifestyle Brands, opening its first store in Bengaluru.

    The Children’s Place operates about 1200 stores internationally and Arvind Lifestyle hopes to open up to 40 in India during the next four years, largely located in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai.

    Arvind Lifestyle CEO J. Suresh said the children’s clothes and accessories market is dominated by the ‘unorganised” retailers and his company sees a significant opportunity to gain first to market advantage in the category.

    “We should hopefully be the leading player in the market,” said Suresh.

    Mridumesh Kumar Rai, who heads The Children’s Place business in India added: “We want to be for kids wear what Zara and Mango are for women’s fast fashion in India,” said.

    Arvind Lifestyle sells a broad range of franchised lifestyle brands including Gap, Nautica, Ralph Lauren, US Polo and Elle. Earlier this year it announced a partnership with US teen fast fashion brand Aeropostale.

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  • Wing Tai shrugs off negative sentiment

    Wing Tai shrugs off negative sentiment

    Malaysian apparel retailer and property investor Wing Tai says it remains confident that the nation’s retail sector will bounce back in the wake of the GST-driven retail sales downturn.

    The company has reported a 41.8 per cent slump in profit in the three months immediately following the April 1 introduction of Malaysia’s modest six per cent goods and services tax on considerably sales revenue which more than halved – from RM146.6 million to 66.5 million.

    While the fall in revenue was more attributable to the property division rather than its retail interests, the company noted its retail profit margins were affected by higher import costs due to the weakening ringgit and subdued consumer spending.

    “While the retail (division) outlook is expected to be challenging in 2015 with weak ringgit and soft consumer spending, the retail division will continue to streamline its operations to enhance its performance,” Wing Tai said in its earnings statement.

    “In consideration of the prevailing market conditions and barring any unforeseen circumstances, the group expects to remain profitable for the next financial year,” it said.

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  • China lingerie boom pays off for Cosmo

    China lingerie boom pays off for Cosmo

    Chinese women are splurging more on their underwear, producing rich results for Cosmo Group.

    Cosmo, China’s largest branded intimate wear business in total retail sales and store numbers, says sales revenue soared 27.2 per cent in the six months to June 30. Profit rose 40.7 per cent.

    The company says while it continues to focus on the affordable end of the market, it is expanding its range and reach in the high end of the market, to capture the increasing discretionary spending of China’s rising middle class.

    “The increase in the national per capita disposable income of China… and the increase in retail sales of China’s intimate wear industry in the past three years, according to Frost & Sullivan, entails enormous business potential for the group,” the company said in its earnings statement on Monday.

    “It is believed the group’s strategy of offering consumers with products of high quality standards at affordable prices has effectively rendered it one of the most popular intimate wear brands among the Chinese consumers.”

    For the six months to June 30, Cosmo recorded revenue of RMB2.207 billion and profit attributable to shareholders of RMB 270.35 million.

    In March of this year, Cosmo bought the lingerie brands Ordifen, Rubii and Ilsee, which aided its expansion into high-end intimate wear distribution channels in China, including department stores and shopping malls in tiers one and two cities.

    As at June 30, there were 578 retail outlets of the acquired brands – 344 franchised and 234 self-managed. The majority of these  are located in the shopping malls and department stores in tiers one and two cities in China.

    Immediately after the acquisition, the group launched several initiatives to realise the synergies of the integration and consolidation of the new brands into the group’s operation, including improving its retail capability, strengthening marketing, enhancing logistics, research and development and re-negotiation with suppliers for more favorable terms.

    “The group will improve the performance of the retail outlets on an on-going basis and will also consider establishing new retail outlets in places with high growth potential.”

    At the time of acquisition the new brand portfolio was trading at a loss. Cosmo says the business is already profitable.

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  • Ever-Glory sales slide

    Ever-Glory sales slide

    Chinese fashion retailer Ever-Glory International says its sales fell 11.6 per cent in the three months to June 30.

    Total sales for the quarter were US$75.7 million, the slide primarily due to a 6.8 per cent decrease in its retail business to $45.9 million and an 18.1 per cent decrease in its wholesale operation to 29.8 million.

    Ever-Glory had 1204 retail stores as at June 30, 49 more than at the same time last year.

    Total gross profit for the quarter increased 2.4 per cent to $30 million.

    Based in Nanjing, China, Ever-Glory retails branded womens fashion apparel through its own store network under the brands La Go Go, Velwin, Sea To Sky and Idole in China.

    Ever-Glory is also a leading global apparel supply chain solution provider with a focus on middle-to-high end casual wear, outerwear, and sportswear brands. Ever-Glory services well-known international brands and retail stores by providing supply chain management, fabric development and design, sampling, sourcing, quality control, manufacturing, logistics, customs clearance and distribution etc.

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  • Bulgari Macau’s new generation boutique

    Bulgari Macau’s new generation boutique

    Bulgari Macau’s new luxury boutique at the Galaxy features the new architectural design concept developed by Peter Marion.

    Following the renovation of the Via Condotti flagship in Rome, the new architectural design concept is being rolled out by the LVMH brand in the most prominent locations worldwide, mirroring the brand’s signature architectural elements and expressing its Mediterranean origins and Roman traditions with a classic Italian approach to modernity.

    The Galaxy Macau store, which began trading in July, is thus one of the first in the world to carry the new image.

    Bulgari says the dominant idea is expressed by “a classic geometry open to modern interpretation, in a continuous interplay between innovation and tradition”.

    The 290 sqm space encompasses the brand’s design key elements, such as the three institutional giant windows alternate with three Condotti showcases and the Condotti eight point star, still present in the original historical flagship in Rome Condotti 10.

    The boutique also houses some furniture selected by Peter Marino himself and conceived by the Italian designers who have had link with the Bulgari heritage, such as the product counters by Carlo Scarpa, the sales tables by Franco Albini, or the central Eros marble table by Angelo Mangiarotti.

    The brand touch is also provided throughout the areas transformed into a Bulgari art-gallery: walls are decorated with Vintage most famous endorsements of celebrities who have been truly fan or ambassadors of the brand’s Italian exciting lifestyle.

    The boutique features an exclusive Bridal, Men, Accessories and VIP area, where the most precious creations can be viewed in total privacy.

    Bulgari Galaxy Macau is located at Shop G094 on the ground floor.

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  • SSI Group enters travel retail arena

    SSI Group enters travel retail arena

    Philippines specialty store operator SSI Group has made its first foray into the travel retail sector.

    SSI, through a subsidiary SKL International, has bought a 50 per cent stake in Landmark Management Services which marks its debut in the increasingly lucrative travel retailing category.

    The stake was acquired from duty free distributor Prime and the Regent Asia Group.

    “We are very happy to be part of the development of the travel retail industry. We believe that with SSI’s retailing experience and Landmark’s deep understanding of the unique shopping requirements of travelers, we can expand our market to cover tourists and business travelers,” SSI President Anthony Huang said in a statement.

    Landmark operates duty free and travel retail fashion stores at the Philippines’ larger airports as well as at Fiesta Mall in downtown Manila, under a concession from Duty Free Philippines.

    SSI Group ended last year with 723 specialty stores and 134,000 sqm of retail trading area and was planning to open a further 130 this year, outside this week’s acquisition. The company’s brand portfolio includes Marks and Spencer, Gucci, Burberry, Hermès, Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, Lacoste, Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Gap, Bershka, Aeropostale, Samsonite, Nine West and Payless Shoe Source.

  • Pandora takes over Asia stores

    Pandora takes over Asia stores

    Resurgent mass market jewellery brand Pandora has chosen to take back its operations in three Asian markets.

    Singapore-based Norbreeze Group has been running the stores in Singapore, Macau and the Philippines. Pandora Group will take control from January 1, 2016.

    Norbreeze Group revealed it had finalised an agreement with the Pandora Group in a postscript to its announcement it was bringing the Joe and the Juice brand to Singapore later this year.

    January 1 is when the Norbreeze group’s distribution rights in the region will naturally expire, ensuring a smooth transition, the Singaporean company said.

    “It is a natural next step for us to hand off the highly-successful Pandora network that we have built across Southeast Asia, providing an established business built for durable success when The Pandora Group takes over the reins in the new year,” said Anders Peter Juel Sauerberg, Group CEO of Norbreeze.

    Norbreeze Group has more than 60 direct and indirect operated stores and distributes to more than 300 stores across Southeast Asia, and says it will continue to drive excellence in brand and operational development in integrated retailing, distribution and sales for its portfolio of international accessible luxury brands.

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  • 361 Degrees sees fast recovery in China

    361 Degrees sees fast recovery in China

    Chinese sports brand 361 Degrees says its sales and gross margin improved in the first half year to June 30.

    361 Degrees, listed in Hong Kong, operates 7404 retail stores across Mainland China. It says store productivity continued to be a central theme in future profitability.

    “The current store count of outlets is not likely to increase substantially in the foreseeable future as the retail landscape is fast changing with a new generation of consumers adopting different buying habits,” the company said in its half year statement.

    “The group is very much attuned to these developments and has intensified efforts to promote various initiatives in internet and mobile sales. However, the days for the traditional bricks and mortar store are far from over and particularly in our case, where over 70 per cent of our outlets are in the tier-3 and smaller cities, strong local connections with schools and sports clubs are an inherent advantage, especially as increasing numbers turn to sport as a form of recreation and lifestyle.”

    The group reported its turnover improved by 5.7 per cent year on year, and by 22 per cent over the preceding six months, to register RMB2.2 billion. Gross margin gained a further 1.6 percentage points to 41.3 per cent on the back of lower material costs.

    Operating profit reached RMB485.5 million – 34.4 per cent higher than in 2014.

    Ding Wuhao, president and executive director, said 2015 promises to be “a very good year for the group” as the sportswear industry experiences a steady recovery and the 361 Degrees brand gains further acceptance in the market place.

    Footwear turnover rose 16 per cent as a new portfolio of performance products gained a positive reception from retailers. Apparel turnover fell 3.5 per cent because of a higher comparative base, which was boosted by late deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2013. 361° Kids continued to show growth momentum as it differentiated itself from the regional brands.

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