Retail News CRM

Tag: Fashion

  • Shein’s offline popup store debut in the Philippines

    Shein’s offline popup store debut in the Philippines

    Chinese fashion retailer Shein has opened its first pop-up store in the Philippines, seeking to build brand awareness in the market.

    An opening took place last week at Ayala Malls Manila Bay, featuring a fashion runway, partnerships with Alipay+ and its e-wallet partner GCash and Filipina actress Belle Mariano, its newly appointed local brand ambassador.

    Pureplay online retailer Shein was founded in 2008 by Chris Xu and is recognized for its low-cost clothing. The company currently has customers in more than 150 nations and markets worldwide.

    Statista reports that Shein accounted for 3.4 percent of desktop traffic in May of this year and was the most popular site in the global fashion and apparel category.

    Shein, which aims to surpass other fast-fashion retailers like Zara and H&M, does not have a permanent physical location but has amassed millions of customers worldwide thanks to its broad selection and low pricing.

    After Amazon, it is the second-most popular online buying destination for teenagers in the US. With more than 1.2 million downloads last year, the retailer ranked as the second most popular shopping app in the US App Store.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Ralph Lauren launches cafe in Pavilion KL

    Ralph Lauren launches cafe in Pavilion KL

    US luxury fashion label Ralph Lauren has launched a cafe in Malaysia, part of its plan to strengthen its presence in the Southeast Asia market.  The new coffee shop is located at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, right next to its fashion retail space. It provides both on-site and takeaway services and is adorned in Ralph Lauren’s signature white and green. Customers can purchase the brand’s exclusive blends, including Ralph’s Roast, Decaf, and Espresso, which are roasted and packaged in Phil

    The new coffee shop is located at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, right next to its fashion retail space. It provides both on-site and takeaway services and is adorned in Ralph Lauren’s signature white and green.

    Customers can purchase the brand’s exclusive blends, including Ralph’s Roast, Decaf, and Espresso, which are roasted and packaged in Philadelphia by La Colombe and use ethically cultivated beans from Central America, South America, and Africa.

    Ralph Lauren was established in 1967 and specializes in the creation, promotion, and sale of high-end lifestyle goods across five different categories, including clothing, home goods, fragrances, and hospitality.

    In 2014, Ralph Lauren launched its first coffee shop in New York City. Since then, it has expanded its network of coffee shops and Ralph’s Coffee trucks.

    Opening its first Asia outlet in Hong Kong in 2018, the company just opened a new store in the region in July, expanding its portfolio in Mainland China. Ralph Lauren also has operations in Japan and France.

    Lees ook:

  • Uniqlo owner set for record annual profit, but all eyes on China showing

    Uniqlo owner set for record annual profit, but all eyes on China showing

    Japan’s Fast Retailing Co, owner of clothing brand Uniqlo, is expected to post a record annual profit on Thursday as the yen’s slump has boosted the value of its overseas sales even as soaring living costs dampen prospects for retailers.

    The company, Japan’s biggest retailer, has posted strong performances in North America and Europe in the first three quarters of the fiscal year that ended in August, but investors will look for signs of a recovery in China, its biggest foreign market with nearly 900 stores.

    Operating profit for the fiscal year is expected to rise nearly 17% to 291 billion yen ($1.99 billion), according to an average of 12 analyst estimates from Refinitiv. Fast Retailing has forecast 290 billion yen.

    That would exceed the previous profit record of 263 billion yen in the year ended in August 2019. For the fourth quarter, analysts expect a 7% drop in profit.

    The company, founded by Japan’s richest man, Tadashi Yanai, is a bellwether for global retailers operating in China, the world’s second-biggest economy but where sales and profits have been hurt by strict COVID-19 control measures.

    As its Chinese operations slumped, Fast Retailing has put increased focus on North America and expects to turn an annual profit in the region for the first time this year.

    But even in the United States and Europe, people are avoiding shopping for clothes, hurting sales at companies including H&M and prompting retailers to slash prices to clear inventory.

    “China is continuously failing to live up to the company’s expectations and the only factors holding Uniqlo’s share price from breaking down are the North America growth and the yen depreciation,” LightStream Research analyst Oshadhi Kumarasiri wrote in a report on the Smartkarma platform.

    “Those too are now under threat, with a looming recession and Fed rate hikes failing to curb inflation,” he said.

    The yen slid to a fresh 24-year low against the dollar on Wednesday. Fast Retailing’s shares are up 18% in 2022, compared with an 8.5% drop in the benchmark Nikkei index.

    Yanai, who founded the company and owned about 21% of it as of February, and his family had a net worth of $23.6 billion as of May, according to Forbes.

    Seven & I Holdings, another Japanese retailer with a large U.S. footprint, raised its full-year profit forecastlast week, citing the weak yen and strong fuel sales at its convenience stores in North America.

  • Adidas puts partnership with Kanye West under review

    Adidas puts partnership with Kanye West under review

    Adidas says it is reviewing its Yeezy partnership with Kanye West days after he showed a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt design at Paris Fashion Week.

    The company did not mention the controversy but said “successful partnerships are rooted in mutual respect and shared values”. The rapper and fashion designer responded on Instagram, claiming the firm “stole” his designs. That post now appears to have been deleted.

    Adidas told the BBC it had made the decision to put the partnership under review after “repeated efforts to privately resolve the situation.” A spokesperson for the German sportswear company also said that the “Adidas Yeezy partnership is one of the most successful collaborations in our industry’s history.”

    In his Instagram post, Mr West also used a strong expletive, adding “I AM ADIDAS.”

    Earlier this week, he was criticised after he presented a collection at Paris Fashion Week that included T-shirts with the slogan “White Lives Matter”.

    The phrase Black Lives Matter, which represents opposition to racism and police brutality, was widely used after George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis in the summer of 2020.

    Vogue’s Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who is global fashion editor-at-large at the fashion magazine, was among those who criticised West over the T-shirts, calling the move “hugely irresponsible.”

    In response, Mr West responded by lashing out at Ms Karefa-Johnson and posted photographs of her mocking her appearance to his 17.9 million followers.

    “She was personally targeted and bullied. It is unacceptable. Now, more than ever, voices like hers are needed and in a private meeting with Ye today she once again spoke her truth in a way she felt best, on her terms.”

    The almost decade-long partnership between Adidas and West has been strained for some time.

    At the centre of their collaboration is a hugely popular range of sneakers – known as Yeezy – which cost hundreds of dollars, with new releases often selling out within minutes.

    In June, he accused Adidas of making a shoe that looked similar to the distinctive Yeezy design, but was not part of their deal.

    Adidas said it will continue to co-manage the partnership while the review is under way.

    The announcement from Adidas comes less than a month after West’s lawyers sent a letter to fashion chain Gap to say he would no longer work with the firm.

    He accused Gap of failing to honour terms of the deal, including by failing to open standalone stores for his Yeezy fashion label.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Esprit opens innovation hubs in New York and London

    Esprit opens innovation hubs in New York and London

    Esprit has announced London and New York as two new locations for its Futura innovation hubs. Futura is part of its digital strategy to “reinvent customer engagement experiences by turning data into insights, fuelling the brand’s global expansion matched to the fast-growing scale of digital change in today’s fashion retail landscape”.

    As part of its wider strategy, the brand has been moving key functions to strategic locations, “creating a truly global presence”. It said the two metropolises are global cities “with strong cultural influences and 24-hour connectivity. They will be heavily integrated and connected to the brand’s commitment to digital and creative innovation”.

    New York will be the global creative and design hub “to inspire forward thinking and bring contemporary concepts and talent to its new branding strategy”. This is intended to “solidify the ambition to rebrand one of the world’s most iconic companies. [It] will take the lead in Esprit’s rebranding venture”.

    Futura London will be the firm’s global customer experience innovation hub “to provide unique customer experiences for an avant-garde omnichannel connection to the Esprit universe”.

    They join the existing Amsterdam hub that combines e-commerce and technological advancement. As the first physical hub, “it will lead in driving portfolio management innovation, creation of new ideas and pilots, enhancing and renewing the existing omnichannel business, and digital execution”.

    The company said the steps it’s taking are an important part of “turning the iconic brand into an omnichannel technology and data-driven fashion powerhouse”.

    The new hubs “aim to create transformative change in culture, mindset, and business process, discover new growth opportunities for Esprit, and improve innovation performance through a technology-driven approach that focuses on customer experience and embraces circularity”. This new structure “will also provide opportunities to enable staff to have more flexibility with increased international exposure”.

    CEO William Pak said: “Esprit is in the process of transforming into a truly global company with the creative minds and processes in key cities enabling consumers to be connected to the brand on a multi-dimensional level. This enables [it] to adapt to major challenges in fashion and the macro environment in order to propel into the future. Creating an exciting customer experience with smart design and a connection to the brand is an exciting path forward.”

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • American Eagle and Forever 21 to make a return to Japan

    American Eagle and Forever 21 to make a return to Japan

    Forever 21 and American Eagle Outfitters Inc. are set to return to Japan after both U.S. fast-fashion brands exited the market in 2019, according to company announcements on Wednesday.

    Forever 21 will begin e-commerce sales next February and open a physical store in the spring, according to Japanese trading company Itochu Corp., which acquired domestic sales and licensing rights for the brand.

    Forever 21 was acquired in 2020 by New York-based Authentic Brands Group (ABG). Itochu said in August it was working with ABG to expand Eddie Bauer stores in Japan after that brand closed its last shop in the country in December 2021.

    American Eagle said separately it was returning to Japan with two flagship stores in the Tokyo neighborhoods of Shibuya and Ikebukuro in October. The brand had only been available online in Japan following the closure of its last physical stores in 2019.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Gap eliminates 500 corporate jobs amid shrinking margins

    Gap eliminates 500 corporate jobs amid shrinking margins

    Gap Inc is eliminating about 500 corporate jobs, the apparel chain said on Tuesday, as it struggles to protect margins and battles weak sales of outdated clothes at brands including Old Navy.

    The company is laying off staff and eliminating positions that are currently open across a range of departments, it said. The eliminated roles are mainly at its offices in San Francisco, New York and in Asia.

    Shares of the Banana Republic parent declined about 3 per cent in afternoon trade, taking the year-to-date decline to 48 per cent.

    Late last month, the company withdrew its annual forecasts due to an inventory glut and weak sales.

    Gap is in the middle of a CEO transition after Sonia Syngal stepped down earlier this year, and is currently led on an interim basis by Executive Chairman Bob Martin. The company had a workforce of about 97,000 employees as of Jan. 29, with around 9 per cent of employees working at its headquarters locations, according to a regulatory filing.

    Lees ook:

  • Primark to stop sourcing from Myanmar after fresh probe

    Primark to stop sourcing from Myanmar after fresh probe

    UK fast fashion retailer Primark will make a “responsible exit” from the country following the Ethical Trade Initiative’s (ETI) latest report on human rights and responsible business conduct within the country.

    Primark described the situation in the country as “extremely concerning and very complex”, with international stakeholders holding differing views as to the best course of action for the garment sector.

    Last week, ETI urged companies involved in garment manufacture for export to reassess their presence in Myanmar as there has been “evidence of forced labour and exploitation at a sector level”, with evidence of workers facing long hours, low wages, unpaid overtime, and harassment.

    “This poses significant challenges to our ability to ensure the standards we require to protect the safety and rights of the people who make our clothes and products,” Primark said in a statement.

    The fashion retailer said its only option was to begin working towards a responsible exit from Myanmar. The company will work closely with its partners and stakeholders both there and internationally to make sure the exit follows the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

    “We will continue to monitor for compliance with our Code of Conduct as we work through this, and as an immediate priority, we are looking at what additional measures we can put in place to support workers in our supplier factories through this interim period,” the company said.

  • Furla appoints Giorgio Presca as its new CEO

    Furla appoints Giorgio Presca as its new CEO

    Italian luxury brand Furla has announced the appointment of Giorgio Presca as the group’s new chief executive officer, effective immediately.

    Presca will succeed COO Devis Bassetto, who temporarily held the position of CEO since April, following the exit of Mauro Sabatini.

    Presca joins the Bologna-based company with 30 years of fashion industry experience.

    He most recently served as CEO of Clarks, prior to which he held the same position at Golden Goose, Geox and Citizens of Humanity.

    Additionally, he has also worked in executive positions for a number of fashion brands such as Diesel and Levis.

    “I am delighted that Giorgio Presca joins Furla as CEO, he is a skilled leader with a strong ability in reinforcing global fashion brands and driving profitable and safe growth,” said Giovanna Furlanetto, president of Fondazione Furla, in a release.

    Furlanetto continued: “Mr Presca shares our values and our determination to establish Furla as a real democratic brand, the only Italian brand in its category. This appointment also stands to highlight my whole family’s willingness to continue with the full control of our business and lead it into the future.”

  • L’Oreal China invests in niche fragrance brand Documents

    L’Oreal China invests in niche fragrance brand Documents

    L’Oréal’s investment branch in China, Shanghai Meicifang Investment (or Meicifang), has invested a minority stake of more than 10 million RMB (1.4 million USD) in the Chinese fragrance brand Documents. The recent move reflects L’Oréal’s action plan to enhance local cooperation for bigger growth.

    Founded in 2021 by former Nudake China Chief Executive Officer Zhaoran Meng, Documents is known for its edgy aesthetic and avant-garde store design. Despite only being in the market for only two years, the brand has quickly established a foothold in the premium niche fragrance market.

    Labelled as “the most expensive Chinese perfume brand”, Documents focuses on high-end perfume featuring Chinese ingredients such as star anise, mugwood, yulan magnolia and walnut. Perfume prices range from 850 RMB (122 USD) to 1,750 RMB (253 USD). Currently, the brand operates two stores in Shanghai and one in Beijing’s popular SKP-S shopping mall.

    For decades, international names such as Chanel and Dior have dominated China’s fragrance market. Now, niche Chinese fragrances are rising up as younger consumers take an interest in unique scents as well as domestic brands. Documents, in particular, has become all the rage among high-consumption Gen Z and millennials. Of these consumers, Gen Z composes 60-70% of the brand’s clientele.

    “Documents is not only an emerging pioneer in the Chinese high-end personalised beauty market, but also a Chinese fragrance brand popular among young Chinese shoppers for its signature oriental aesthetics,” Fabrice Megarbane, president of L’Oréal North Asia and CEO of L’Oréal China, told local media outlets.

    Overall, as China’s niche fragrance market continues to grow at lightning speed, L’Oréal secures its goal to expand its influence in the local market by investing in the sought-after brand Documents.

    Lees ook:

  • Japanese fashion label Enfold launches in South Korea

    Japanese fashion label Enfold launches in South Korea

    South Korean luxury fashion and lifestyle brand operator, Shinsegae International, is bringing Japanese up-market fashion label Enfold to the country, opening the brand’s first independent overseas store.  Enfold’s first South Korean store, scheduled to open on September 14, will occupy a 35sqm space on the fourth level of Shinsegae Department Store in Gangnam. The interior design will feature the key motif of the cylinder shape. “By bending the cylinder into various shapes, it can be

    “By bending the cylinder into various shapes, it can be used to represent people lying down, tilting their head, and standing still,” the company said. “It expresses the world view of Enfold that changes.”

    Found by Mizuki Ueda in Spring 2012, Enfold means to embrace. The brand plays with the concept of offering comfortable and elegant style to hide the form of the body, curating a lasting wardrobe rather than following seasonal trends. The brand has more than 10 stores in its home market.

    The launch is part of Enfold’s plan to expand its influence in overseas markets, after rolling out several pop-up stores in the US, London, Hong Kong, and Paris during the past few years.

    Enfold will join Shinsegae International’s portfolio of more than 40 high-end brands, including Celine, Chloe, and Banana Republic. The South Korean retailer has a network of more than 860 stores nationwide ranging from fashion, and beauty to lifestyle brands.

    Enfold is owned by Baroque Japan, which operates more than 20 fashion brands, including Moussy, Sly, Lilidia, and Shel’tter.

  • Desigual plans 60 stores in Mainland China

    Desigual plans 60 stores in Mainland China

    Spanish fashion label Desigual says it plans to open 60 stores in Mainland China, including flagships in Shanghai and Beijing.

    The launch will be via a joint venture with E-Shine, also a local partner of listed fashion company Septwolves Industrial.

    Desigual aims to reach an annual turnover of US$40 million five years from now, with half coming from online and the remainder from sales through physical stores. The company said its primary focus will be Chinese digital channels.

    “This collaboration is in line with our strategy of continuing to develop our business in the Asian market, growing China as well as Japan, which is our main market outside of Europe, as well as in other significant markets such as South Korea,” said Alberto Ojinaga, MD at Desigual.

    “Our goal is for sales made through the digital channel and those coming from geographies outside of Europe to represent 60 per cent of turnover by next year. Right now this percentage stands at 49 per cent.”

    The move is part of the fashion company’s strategy to secure more market shares in Asia, which constitutes 6.5 per cent of its international business. Desigual entered China in 2014 via Tmall launch.

    “Knowledge of consumer habits and preferences in the Chinese market is key to success,” Ojinaga added. “Our objective is to achieve even greater growth in the digital environment and to reach out to new customers with products designed for them and suited to the characteristics of the market.”

    Lees ook:

  • Onetime airline Pan Am reimagined in South Korea as a lifestyle brand

    Onetime airline Pan Am reimagined in South Korea as a lifestyle brand

    South Korean fashion retailer, SJ Group, has brought the famous American airline brand Pan Am into the country as a lifestyle brand, opening its first store inside the Shinsegae Starfield Coex Mall.  Featuring Pan Am’s signature blue and white, the Starfield Coex store is home to a selection of Pan Am-branded fashion apparel and accessories, ranging from bucket hats, travel bags, and phone cases to toys. The first Pan Am retail store also introduced The Pan Am AW2022 Collection, which the

    Featuring Pan Am’s signature blue and white, the Starfield Coex store is home to a selection of Pan Am-branded fashion apparel and accessories, ranging from bucket hats, travel bags, and phone cases to toys. The first Pan Am retail store also introduced The Pan Am AW2022 Collection, which the brand described as “designed for both fashion and functionality”.

    The launch of the Pan Am lifestyle brand’s first store will be followed by the opening of its first flagship location in Seongsu-dong, which is known as ‘The Brooklyn of Seoul’ with hip cafes and restaurants. Set to open its doors to the public on September 2, the 330sqm store will present a series of content collaborations with local artists and labels, such as Nuri Yeon, Playmobil, and Arc.N.Book.

    SJ Group aims to further increase Pan Am’s physical presence in the country with plans to open 13 stores in the country, including those in Daejeon Shinsegae Art & Science department store, Hyundai Department Store Pangyo branch, and Lotte Department Store Busan main branch.

    SJ currently has a portfolio of five brands, including Kangol, Helen Kaminski, LCDC and Le Conte Des Contes.

    Founded in 1927, Pan Am, an abbreviation for Pan American World Airways, was the largest international air carrier and unofficial flag carrier of the US during the 20th Century. An American drama series created by writer Jack Orman was named after the airline in 2011. The brand was also featured in the famous movie ‘Catch Me If You Can’ with Leonardo DiCaprio as a con artist disguising himself as a pilot of Pan Am.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Canada Goose China appoints Larry Li as new president

    Canada Goose China appoints Larry Li as new president

    Canada Goose has appointed Larry Li as president, China, effective immediately. In this role, Li will oversee all business activities in the Mainland China market, including commercial, marketing and finance. He will be based out of the company’s regional headquarters in Shanghai and report to Paul Cadman, president of Asia Pacific, Canada Goose.

    Li joins Canada Goose with nearly 20 years of experience in the luxury sector, having held regional senior leadership positions across retail, operations, and finance. Most recently, he was managing director, China at Dunhill, part of the Richemont group, and was instrumental in the brand’s repositioning and new product direction. Prior to that, he was with LVMH group and worked at brands including Louis Vuitton, Givenchy and Kenzo in Shanghai and Tokyo, holding various senior management roles, the company said in a press release.

    This announcement comes as Canada Goose continues its expansion in the China market, which the company entered in 2018. Mainland China is home to Canada Goose’s largest retail network, with 16 stores. In addition to the store that opened in Xi’an in May 2022, Canada Goose plans to open another three this fall in Tianjin, Qingdao and Chengdu. The brand will continue its category expansion, having launched its inaugural footwear collection last fall, and deepen its ties with local design talent, exemplified by its upcoming collaboration with Feng Chen Wang and Xu Zhen for Fall/Winter 2022.

    “Li is a proven strategic leader with an entrepreneurial mindset and exceptional business development skills. Running China from China has been pivotal to our success in the market. Li’s luxury expertise in China makes him uniquely suited to lead the local team, drive our business forward and seize the strategic opportunities that we see ahead,” Dani Reiss, chairman and CEO, Canada Goose, said.

    “I am honoured to join Canada Goose, as the business enters an exciting new phase of expansion in China. Canada Goose’s functionality, purpose and design in performance luxury have deeply resonated in China. I look forward to building on this great foundation and bringing the company vision to life,” Li said.

  • L’Oreal Korea names Samuel de Retail as its new CEO

    L’Oreal Korea names Samuel de Retail as its new CEO

    L’Oreal Korea announced Monday that it appointed Samuel du Retail as the new chief of its Korea operation.

    The new CEO has worked at the France-headquartered global cosmetics company since 1996. Over the past 26 years at the firm, du Retail has assumed various key roles, including finance, management and e-commerce.

    He served as CFO at L’Oreal China from 2006 to late 2011, which was followed by another CFO position representing the Western Europe operation of the company from 2012 to 2013. He went on to serve as global CFO of the consumer products division in France from 2013 to 2016, continuing working as general manager for the consumer products division in China from 2017 to 2020.

    Before his latest promotion, his previous role at the firm had been as a group e-commerce general manager in France from October 2020 to earlier this year. He’s been attributed with the successful growth of L’Oreal and Maybelline in the Chinese market. He also led significant growth in the profitability of the company’s e-commerce efforts.

    “I am very pleased to work as the chief of L’Oreal Korea, as Korea is leading the global beauty market with its K-beauty trends,” du Retail said, adding that he will focus on cooperative leadership to continue the innovative path of L’Oreal in the country.