Retail News CRM

Tag: Fashion

  • Alexachung expands with Tokyo pop-ups

    Alexachung expands with Tokyo pop-ups

    British womenswear label Alexachung has marked its Asian expansion with a series of Tokyo pop-ups, starting earlier this month.

    Alexachung hopes the pop-ups will build brand awareness and boost sales thanks to a “very loyal” Japanese customer base.

    “Our goal is to build a reliable, constant presence and hope to develop retail when [we] are ready to,” said Alexachung CEO Edwin Bodson.

    Hong Kong-based Bluebell Group is the exclusive distribution for Alexachung in Japan.

    Korea and Taiwan are also considered to have strong potential thanks to solid retail and wholesale volumes last season.

    The brand also plans to open a London store by 2020.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Bensimon Japan opens its first concept store

    Bensimon Japan opens its first concept store

    Bensimon Japan has opened a concept store in Tokyo, the fourth international outlet for the French label.

    Launched with its two local partners, Itochu and Look, the unconventional store in the Daikanyama district covers about 100sqm on several floors and conceived as a little house dedicated to the French art of living and to the label’s love of colour.

    Bensimon says the same concept may be replicated in other prime Japanese shopping locations, with a second opening already being planned, reports Fashion Network.

    In the longer term, the label is also thinking about China.

    Meanwhile, Bensimon has taken on a new designer, Geraldine Dufour, who debut with the label’s latest autumn/winter collection.

    “I’ve worked with the same designer for 15 years so we didn’t want a comprehensive overhaul,” says co-founder/creative director Serge Bensimon. “However, we needed a fresh take on our ready-to-wear and accessories collections, to try to appeal to a younger clientele.”

    “Currently, our customers are mature, modern women,” says Dufour. “We want to broaden our target market, first with women in their early 40s, then with the next generations. We want to be able to appeal to mothers and their daughters.”

    By recalibrating the womenswear range, Bensimon is seeking to bolster its expansion, notably driven by Rudy Achache, the first GM appointed by the two founder brothers, Serge and Yves Bensimon, nearly two years ago.

    Bensimon has about 50 stores, most of them in France.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Asia fastens L’Oreal first-quarter sales

    Asia fastens L’Oreal first-quarter sales

    With dynamic markets in China and Hong Kong, Asia has driven L’Oreal first-quarter sales.

    Asia Pacific also shone among new markets for the French cosmetics company, where sales grew by 14.9 per cent overall.

    Chairman/CEO Jean-Paul Agon describes the return to strong growth in new markets, especially Asia Pacific, as the highlight of the first quarter.

    He says consumer aspirations for iconic brands remains just as strong in China, which again delivered an outstanding performance in the brand’s consumer products division.

    “Growth is being driven by northern Asia, thanks to the strong dynamism in China and Hong Kong where all the divisions are growing, with a strong performance by the major brands such as Lancome, Yves Saint Laurent and L’Oreal Paris, the number-one beauty brand in China.”

    In southern Asia, particularly India, the active cosmetics division’s skincare brands have been performing well.

    Asia Pacific posted growth of 21.1 per cent like-for-like and 10 per cent based on reported figures, with first-quarter sales reaching €1.8 billion.

    Again, the region drove acceleration for L’Oreal Luxe and active cosmetics with new markets seeing 14.9 per cent growth.

    Rapid increase

    E-commerce sales continue to increase rapidly, says L’Oreal, with 33.8 per cent growth to now account for 8.8 per cent of sales.

    Overall, the group’s sales grew 6.8 per cent like-for-like, or 7.4 per cent at constant exchange rates.

    Based on reported figures, sales reached €6.78 billion, down 1 per cent, excluding The Body Shop. The disposal of The Body Shop was completed in September. The group’s reported sales for the first quarter of last year included The Body Shop sales amounting to €197.2 million.

    For the first quarter, the consumer products division had growth of 2.6 per cent like-for-like but dropped 4.9 per cent based on reported figures. L’Oreal Paris has good momentum in China and India while maintaining strong growth in e-commerce.

    At the end of March, L’Oreal Luxe achieved growth of 14 per cent like-for-like and 4.4 per cent based on reported figures, driven strongly by Asia, especially China and Hong Kong, as well as by travel retail.

    The active cosmetics division began the year strongly with growth of 10.2 per cent like-for-like and 9.1 per cent based on reported figures. All zones contributed to growth, with “striking acceleration” in Asia.

    SkinCeuticals sales posted “outstanding” growth figures with sales doubling in Asia.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Superdry Vietnam launching first Hanoi flagship store

    Superdry Vietnam launching first Hanoi flagship store

    Superdry Vietnam will open first flagship store on Saturday, at Hanoi’s Trang Tien Plaza.

    It will showcase the British fashion brand’s latest menswear, women’s and children’s casualwear, sportswear,  footwear, undergarments and accessories.

    For its Vietnam debut, Superdry will also introduce its latest perfume collection, Superdry SS18.

    On opening day, the first 100 customers will each be given a Superdry shirt.

    Superdry comes to Vietnam via Jaspal Group, which owns the Vietnam rights to such brands as CC Double, CPS Chaps, Lyn, Misty Mynx and Santas.

    Superdry has 515 locations in 46 countries.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Unexpected revelation by H&M and Moschino

    Unexpected revelation by H&M and Moschino

    An Instagram call has revealed a designer collaboration by Swedish fast-fashion brand H&M and Moschino.

    Projected on digital screens at the Italian fashion brand’s annual party in Coachella, California, the Instagram conversation was between US model Gigi Hadid and her friend Jeremy Scott, creative director at Moschino.

    They discussed the release of the Moschino + H&M collection online and in selected H&M stores worldwide from 8 November.

    Hadid’s call and the news surprised guests at the event. The two friends were dressed in the first looks from the collection, designed by Scott for both women and men, as well as a full range of accessories and extra surprises.

    “It is the perfect collaboration for fashion right now, mixing together pop, street culture, logos and also glamour,” says H&M creative adviser Ann-Sofie Johansson. “Jeremy Scott is amazing – he knows how to have fun with fashion.”

    An innovative TV concept is being used for the collection’s campaign, enmeshing social and traditional media.

  • Sa Sa International going uphi

    Sa Sa International going uphi

    Retail sales in Hong Kong and Macau had continuous positive growth for cosmetics retailer Sa Sa International Holdings throughout its latest fiscal year.

    Releasing its unaudited sales updates  for the fourth quarter to the end of March, the group says the upward momentum was mainly driven by increased in-store traffic and consumer consumption.

    Benefitting from the retail market recovery, Sa Sa says it remains optimistic about the Hong Kong and Macau markets and will continue to optimise product offerings and enhance
    the shopping experience for customers in the fast-changing markets.

    On a year-on-year basis, the group’s turnover grew by 14.4 per cent. The turnover in Hong Kong and Macau increased by 17.8 per cent, while same-store sales rose 15.1 per cent.

    Sa Sa says the sales performance was in line with expectations and was mainly driven by the 12.1 per cent growth in transactions. Local and mainland tourist transactions increased by 7.9 and 17.3 per cent respectively, while the average sales per transaction grew by 5.1 and 3.6 per cent respectively.

    In other markets (including Mainland China, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Sasa.com) turnover had a marginal increase of 0.8 per cent.

    At the end of the quarter, Sa Sa had a total 275 stores and counters, down from 288 at the same time a year earlier. Hong Kong and Macau, which each have a single-brand store, had two fewer stores at 118, while China lost one to end the quarter with 55. Singapore was steady with 20 outlets, while Malaysia gained one for a total of 72.

    In February, the group announced it would close all its stores in Taiwan. It had 10 at the end of the quarter compared with 25 a year earlier.

    Lees ook:

  • Mulberry looks into Australia

    Mulberry looks into Australia

    Luxury leather goods retailer Mulberry has flagged Australia as one of its next international targets and has inked a deal with Luxury Retail Group to help it oversee its local expansion.

    Three stores have already been leased, including a 244-metre squared corner site in Melbourne’s renowned Emporium centre, which will open in July and serve as a design concept.

    It will be the second run at the Australian market for the British business, which bought back its distribution rights from a previous partner last year and has been trading out of a single store on Sydney’s Pitt Street since 2010.

    Under its exclusive distribution deal with LRG that store will be closed, and new stores will be opened in Melbourne’s Chadstone shopping centre and Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building.

    “We are incredibly excited by this new partnership,” said LRG managing director, Nelson Mair. “And

    look forward to achieving strong growth results and new customer reach within the market.”

    Mair had previously signaled that LRG was looking for a new luxe brand to work with Down Under after selling back local distribution rights to Furla and Follie Follie Group in Australia last year, the business is also distributing Kering Group’s Balenciaga brand in Australia and owns online footwear retailer Sneakerboy.

    Mulberry, headquartered and publicly listed in the UK, already sells its range of menswear, womenswear, accessories and footwear in 24 other markets around the world, including China, South Korea, The United States and Japan.

    “I am pleased to announce our partnership with LRG in Australia. We look forward to seeing significant growth and opportunity for Mulberry in this market,” Mulberry chief executive Thierry Andretta said of the expansion in a statement.

    Mulberry’s long-term strategy is to define itself as a global luxe brand, but the company has fallen under a cloud in recent years, suffering an 80 per cent decline in profits since 2012 amid disruption within the global retail market.

    Andretta, who was appointed in 2015, has been working to improve the fortunes of the business by moving to a direct to customer model and last year oversaw the company’s first revenue increase in several years, increasing sales by 7.7 per cent to £168.1 million (AUD$308m).

    LRG said that additional store leases are already being considered for the brand in Australia, with the initial slate of stores to serve as an indication of how local customers respond to the business.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Uniqlo launches a new line of t-shirts

    Uniqlo launches a new line of t-shirts

    Japanese fast-fashion brand Uniqlo has collaborated with rhythm machine manufacturer Roland on a UT graphic t-shirt collection.

    The Roland t-shirts collection comprises limited-edition shirts designed around the iconic TR-808 by Roland.

    Retailed at ¥990 in Japan, the t-shirts can also be found at Uniqlo stores in 19 countries, and online, from April 9.

    Uniqlo’s graphic t-shirt brand “UT” launched in 2003, and has been featuring many artists, brands, and characters all over the world such as Disney, Line Friends, and Star Wars.

    A UT Doraemon range is set to launch this month.

    Lees ook:

  • Zara AR experience unveiled in over 100 stores

    Zara AR experience unveiled in over 100 stores

    Spanish fast-fashion retailer Zara will unveil an augmented-reality experience for two weeks in 120 flagship stores globally.

    Aimed at encouraging customers both outside and inside the store to shop and share, the innovative concept superimposes technology on the retail environment via the Zara AR app. The activation plays out at three different sites: store windows, central podiums and atop e-commerce boxes.

    When smartphones focus on the signs, models Lea Julian and Fran Summers seemingly come to life in seven- to 12-second sequences on the phone’s screen. They pose, move around and even speak while dressed in the SS18 Zara Studio collection. Their clothes and accessories can be bought instantly through a single touch on the app, as well as in store.

    The experience will have high visibility from the street, with store windows appearing completely empty aside from bold signs encouraging people to access the Zara AR app. Downloading is easy by connecting to a dedicated Wi-Fi network, or by QR code, via iTunes and Google Play, or through the link on Zara.com or the app.

    As well as the shopping feature, a social-media sharing feature invites people to take and send photos alongside the holograms, establishing a virtual connection. To maximise the limited-time experience, different sequences of new looks will be introduced after the first week.

    Zara’s AR venture is the conception of Paris-based creative director Ezra Petronio, who developed the app with French technology company Holooh and research partner Inria (the French national Institute for computer science and applied mathematics). The 12 dynamic sequences were captured as holograms in a 170sqm studio involving 68 cameras, among the largest recording systems of its type in the world.

  • Nike buys custom fit start-up from Israel

    Nike buys custom fit start-up from Israel

    Nike has taken another step towards modernising its offer, announcing the acquisition of 3D scanning start-up Invertex in a move that will allow it to deliver measure-to-fit services online.

    The Israeli based computer vision firm was bought for an undisclosed sum and is Nike’s second acquisition in recent months following its purchase of consumer data business Zodiac in March.

    Invertex found David Bleicher has previously the technology as a “mass customisation” tool that enables customers to fit products to customers online through mobile applications that scan shoppers bodies.

    The business has also launched a smart mat product that uses maching learning to scan feet in-store and achieve what the business calls “unprecedented” levels of sizing reccomendations.

    Nike said the deal would deepen its digital capabilities at a time when it is rushing to capitalise on growing demand for online experiences.

    “The acquisition of Invertex will deepen our bench of digital talent and further our capabilities in computer vision and artificial intelligence as we create the most compelling Nike consumer experience at every touch point,” said Nike Chief Digital Officer, Adam Sussman.

    Nike said Bleicher and his team will focus on “ground breaking innovations” under the Nike umbrella.

    “Nike’s connection to and understanding of their consumer is unsurpassed and we look forward to joining their team to help drive the Consumer Direct Offense,” Bleicher said of the deal.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Amazing start for LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton

    Amazing start for LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton

    French luxury conglomerate LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton has had a strong start to the year despite the impact of the termination of its Hong Kong International Airport duty-free business at the end of last year.

    Its revenue grew by 10 per cent for the first quarter to reach €10.9 billion.

    Organic growth was 13 per cent compared to the same period last year, with all business groups contributing to the result. Excluding the loss of the DFS Group airport business, the figure would have been 15 per cent.

    There was 20 per cent organic revenue growth for the watches and jewellery business group, with Bulgari continuing to gain market share.

    Organic revenue increased 17 per cent in perfumes and cosmetics, with strong growth momentum again for Parfums Christian Dior.

    The fashion and leather goods business group had organic revenue growth of 16 per cent, with Louis Vuitton making a remarkable start to the year, says the company. Christian Dior Couture, which was consolidated into the group in July, turned in an excellent performance, while Fendi and Loro Piana grew rapidly in ready-to-wear and shoes.

    For wines and spirits, organic revenue grew 10 per cent. Champagne volumes rose by 1 per cent. In a context of supply constraints, Hennessy cognac volumes grew by 5 per cent.

    In selective retailing, organic revenue rose 9 per cent, or 16 per cent excluding the termination of the Hong Kong airport concession. Sephora continued to gain market share with its new store concept continuing its roll-out.

    Online sales grew rapidly all over the world. DFS performed particularly well in T Galleria outlets in Hong Kong and Macau, while the new store in Cambodia performed strongly.

    Despite unfavourable exchange rates and geopolitical uncertainties, the year started with a buoyant environment, says LVMH. It says it will continue to focus its efforts on developing its brands, maintaining strict control over costs and targeting its investments on the quality, excellence and innovation of its products and their distribution.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Zalora rolls premium offering out

    Zalora rolls premium offering out

    Online fashion sites Zalora Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan have introduced a special page of high-end brands.

    Zalora premium

    Zalora Premium showcases signature aesthetics and capsule collections along with customised editorial and a catalogue. Some products are exclusive to Zalora.

    Zalora premium 2

    More than 50 brands for men and women feature on Zalora Premium, including Calvin Klein, Diesel and Tommy Hilfiger as well as exclusive offerings from such brands as J.Crew and Swarovski.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Nine West holdings files for bankruptcy

    Nine West holdings files for bankruptcy

    US-based footwear, accessories and apparel retailer Nine West Holdings filed for bankruptcy last Friday, agreeing to terms with Juicy Couture owner Authentic Brands Group to sell its Nine West and Bandolino businesses.

    In its Chapter 11 filing last week it was revealed that the company has more than US$1 billion in outstanding debt, but the business will continue to trade during its bankruptcy thanks to a fresh $300 million loan.

    The company said selling its Nine West and Bandolino footwear and handbag brands will allow them to focus on more profitable parts of its business, including Anne Klein and One Jeanswear Group.

    Ralph Schipani, Nine West CEO, said that the restructuring will help the company reduce debt and increase growth by allowing it to focus on its stronger brands.

    “This is the right step to address our two divergent business profiles,” he said. “We will retain our strong, profitable and growing apparel, jewelry, and jeanswear businesses and continue to operate them under a new capital structure so that we can leverage their existing strengths to drive even greater growth.”

    Schipani added that once the company has completed the reorganisation process it will have meaningfully reduced debt and interest costs and be well positioned for the future

    Lees ook:

  • Longchamp expands with fourth store in the Philippines

    Longchamp expands with fourth store in the Philippines

    French handbag brand Longchamp Philippines has opened its fourth boutique, in Rustan’s Makati.

    Inspired by the brand’s Paris flagship along rue Saint-Honore, the new 65sqm store is  decorated with modern interiors – lots of wood, leather and fabric, and rich textures in order  to highlight the collections.

    “We are honored to welcome Longchamp into a bigger and better space at Rustan’s Makati. As a brand beloved not only by the Filipino shoppers but by the entire global community, Longchamp further brings prestige and is truly a great part of the Rustan’s portfolio of distinguished retail partners,” said Rustan’s president Donnie Tantoco.

    The store is highlighted by Longchamp’s Spring/Summer collection featuring African-inspired patterns, prints and colors, as well as the signature Mademoiselle handbag, the classic Le Pliage tote, and other leather goods.

  • Pop-ups leading way for Dickies Vietnam

    Pop-ups leading way for Dickies Vietnam

    Dickies Vietnam is planning to open its first Ho Chi Minh City flagship store.

    Meanwhile, the American apparel brand is paving the way by opening pop-up stores at Diamond Plaza, Parkson C&T, Parkson Hung Vuong, Parkson Saigon Tourist and Takashimaya from this month through to June.

    Dickies arrived in Vietnam in November under distribution deal between Son Kim Fashion and Williamson-Dickie, with a flagship store being opened at Vincom Royal City in Hanoi.

    The group plans to open 30 Dickies stores in five years.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook: