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Tag: jabong

  • New lifeline for sagging Rocket Internet fashion sites

    New lifeline for sagging Rocket Internet fashion sites

    Investors have injected US$339 million lifeline into GFG, which owns the struggling Rocket Internet fashion websites.

    Rocket Internet and others have sunk the euro 300 million into its Global Fashion Group, raising GFG’s valuation to €1 billion – which is about a third of what it was worth hardly a year ago, when it raised €150 million.

    Launched in Luxembourg in 2014, GFG is a holding company formed from a merger of five eCommerce fashion companies – India’s Jabong, Latin America’s Dafiti, Russia’s Lamoda, Middle East firm Namshi, and Zalora (Southeast Asia and Australia).

    GFG acting CEO Romain Voog says the financing will provide the group with the capital it needs to continue with its strategy of “building out its leading position” in the online fashion sector in emerging markets.

    Rocket claims GFG’s performance has improved in the past year, easing its losses and raising its adjusted EBITDA margin. But it has been struggling to gain market share, and pulled out of Thailand and Vietnam, one of the fastest-growing eCommerce and internet markets in Asia.

    And GFG’s Jabong business in India, considered the next big market after China, has reportedly been up for sale for months with its valuation eroded by a tenth in just a year. Meanwhile, rival eCommerce companies like Flipkart and Snapdeal have soared in value.

    Voog is optimistic the reduced losses combined with this funding round will help accelerate the GFG’s path to profitability while it expands. A third of the €300 million raised came from Rocket. Swedish investor Kinnevik was also involved, along with existing shareholders.

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  • Zalora Thailand and Vietnam to be offloaded

    Zalora Thailand and Vietnam to be offloaded

    Rocket Internet is selling its Zalora Thailand and Vietnam eCommerce fashion sites.

    This follows the Alibaba Group investing in Rocket Internet’s Lazada, valued at US$1.5 billion. Zalora, which raised more than $250 million, was once on an equal footing with Lazada, according toTechCrunch.

    Southeast Asia did not have service from Amazon or eBay when Rocket started Lazada and Zalora in 2012, but the two outlets have posted heavy losses and experienced slow market growth.

    Zalora, part of the Global Fashion Group (GFG), covers 11 countries across Asia Pacific, including Australia, Indonesia and Taiwan. While its revenue rose 78 per cent to US$234 million last year, its net loss blew out 36 per cent to $105 million.

    Meanwhile, Rocket has announced a new strategy that takes it back to its roots, launching early-stage startups. It sold India-based Fab Furnish this month and Foodpanda Vietnam last year, and is said to be seeking buyers for Foodpanda India and eCommerce site Jabong.

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  • New Balance India return

    New Balance India return

    New Balance India is to make a comeback – and says it aims to open about 50 stores within the next few years.

    The US sports shoes brand’s first foray into India was in the early 2000s, but it shut its shops after a few years. Now its VP for Asia Pacific Darren Tucker says it plans outlets across shopping malls and high streets in Delhi, National Capital Region (NCR), Mumbai and Bengaluru.

    “We were ahead of time,” says Tucker. “We did not have such a wide brand presence globally then, and the retailing experience was poor. Now, the market looks more mature.”

    Its first store this time around opened yesterday – an 1100 sqft (102 sqm) New Balance Athletic Shoes standalone outlet at DLF Mall of India in Noida, near New Delhi. The company has a distribution agreement with The Major Brands Group in Mumbai for retailing New Balance products in India.

    “It’s not about the number of stores,” says Tucker. “We would prefer to have a profitable retail presence and grow at a relatively slower pace this time.

    “All our global competitors are here. The market is built. We know our competitors, and that’s an advantage.”

    With an average selling price of Rs.7000 (US$105) for shoes, New Balance will be a premium offering. Tucker says apparel is a promising segment, so lifestyle will be a focus area. The company has also tied up with online retailer Jabong for e-etailing, and is negotiating with global partner Amazon for the Indian market.

    “Considering the growth of eCommerce in India, that’s a must,” says Tucker. The company will continue to leverage its global marketing properties across sports and athletics, and plans to develop local properties. “For India, it’s going to be cricket first.”

    At the moment, the sports shoe and apparel market in India is dominated by Adidas, Nike, Puma and Reebok. Japan’s Asics Corp. opened its first standalone store in Delhi last July.

    A report by Images F&R Research estimates India’s active sportswear market at Rs.6000 crore, growing at 13 per cent a year.

    New Balance, which reported $3.3 billion in sales worldwide in 2014, was founded in 1906 by British immigrant William J. Riley to sell arch supports to police officers and waiters. The company was bought by Jim Davis, the son of a Greek immigrant, in 1972 and from its base in Boston now sells athletic shoes, apparel and accessories for men, women and children across 5000 outlets worldwide under brands such as Aravon, Brine, Dunham, PF Flyers and Warrior Sports.

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  • Zalora Indonesia plans to expand marketplace to boost sales

    Zalora Indonesia plans to expand marketplace to boost sales

    Zalora’s Marketplace initiative was launched last year to give an online platform to independent designers and sellers, who can create their own branded storefront within the retailer’s site.

    The company currently manages 500 small medium enterprises (SMEs) and aims to increase these numbers significantly in the coming years.

    Managing director of Zalora Indonesia Anthony Fung, Marketplace is become a promising business in Indonesia following the government’s plans to boost SMEs or startup companies in the country.

    Speaking at a press conference, Fung said, the company was looking at ways to boost the customer base through mobile phone users.

    “We have seen a big shift in consumer behavior. We are investing a lot of money in marketing and add more people to do mobile apps,” he told reporters at a press conference at Zalora’s office in Jakarta.

    The company said, a lot of its customers actually access the e-commerce platform using their smart mobile phones. Hence, the company will invest more to maintain mobile apps. According to the Zalora’s head of marketing, Jo Bjordal, mobile users in Indonesia are below 1 per cent of total retail users while in China the figure is 8 per cent. In five to10 years from now, he said, Indonesian mobile users will reach that level (8 per cent).

    In Asia, Zalora has drawn up marketing campaigns and promotions to boost sales in the upcoming festive season. Zalora plans to hold several events to boost their sales in coming months in Indonesia and Southeast Asian countries. In Indonesia, Zalora will hold a month-long discount called Zalora Great Sale starting October 6.  Zalora will hold 11/11 Online Revolution on November 11 in collaboration with China’s Alibaba, Cyber Monday, Black Friday, Christmas sale November 27 to December 25, and National Online Shopping Day on December 12.

    Bjordal said, last year, during the Zalora Great Sale programme, the orders saw a 10-fold increase in one day compared to regular days.

    Zalora is a part of Global Fashion Group–which counts AB Kinnevik and Rocket Internet as lead investors–that operates through five leading fashion e-commerce companies, India’s Jabong, Latin America’s Dafiti, Russia’s Lamoda, Namshi in the Middle East, and Zalora in South East Asia and Australia.

    “We have a footprint around the world today. We are the number one fashion e-commerce platform in emerging markets. Zalora now has presence in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam and Hong Kong,”  Fung stated.

    Zalora started its Indonesian operation in 2012.

    So far, Fung said, Zalora offers 1,200 brands in Indonesia and there were plans to increase this number to 3,000 over the next six months.

    He noted it was easier now to add brands as consumers were now familiar with Zalora brands.

    The company revealed that 70 per cent of Zalora customers were female in the 18-40 years bracket.

    Warehouse and Brands

    Zalora Indonesia, which set up its new warehouse in Cibitung, Bekasi, West Java province in April this year, claims the warehouse can store up to 2 million products, making it possibly the largest such facility in the country. Zalora has a physical store in Kota Kasablanka and also in HK and Philipines.

    Zalora partners with over 1,000 local and international brands. Zalora plans to invest in the merchandising market and acquire local brands in Indonesia. Zalora will continue to be aggressive in brand acquisition, Anthony Fung said.

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