Retail News CRM

Tag: Melbourne

  • Coles Drops Palantir AI Software Across 840 Australian Supermarkets

    Coles will terminate its software partnership with US technology firm Palantir. The platform will leave more than 840 Australian supermarkets when the three-year contract expires.

    The system processed more than 10 billion rows of operational data. That load covered employee shifts, bakery production schedules and store-level inventory allocations.

    Operational Data and Customer Backlash

    Signed in February 2024, the agreement deployed Palantir’s Foundry operating system and artificial intelligence tools for workforce planning and supply-chain logistics. The supermarket chain confirmed the platform will exit its stores beyond 2027. Public pushback over Palantir’s government surveillance and defence contracts drove the decision.

    Advocacy group GetUp mounted a billboard campaign near hundreds of stores in July, mimicking Coles branding to challenge its privacy practices. Coles rejected claims that shopper data was exposed to external access.

    “The software is deployed within Coles’ own environment and is operated and isolated under Coles controls,” a Coles spokesperson said.

    Supplier Scrutiny and Reputational Risk

    Retailers across the Asia-Pacific region face swift commercial fallout when back-end software vendors carry political or military profiles. Enterprise procurement once rested on technical capability and cost alone. That calculation has changed. Boards must now weigh vendor reputation alongside data isolation protocols.

    Ripping out an enterprise planning platform creates operational friction and heavy switching costs. Replacing tools that coordinate thousands of store rosters and perishable stock orders takes months of procurement, technical integration and staff retraining.

    The Shift in Retail Procurement

    Work began as a standard productivity initiative while grocery chains accelerated automation to curb operating costs. Palantir’s historical ties to intelligence agencies, US immigration enforcement and foreign defence contracts turned routine back-office optimization into an active brand problem.

    A replacement tender and full system migration across the 840 supermarkets must now wrap up before the contract concludes at the end of 2027.

  • Nearly 200 Coles Shareholders Urge Retailer to Act on Plastics

    Nearly 200 Coles Shareholders Urge Retailer to Act on Plastics

    Nearly 200 Coles shareholders urged the company to break its silence over plastic use in September 2026. The demand follows the supermarket chain’s decision to stop selling Antarctic krill oil supplements.

    Rival Woolworths followed suit days later, ending the sale of krill-derived products across its supermarkets.

    Supermarket Giants Drop Antarctic Krill Lines

    Coles confirmed the product exit after conservation group Sea Shepherd spotted several unavailable krill oil items on the grocer’s website. Woolworths then ended all krill supplement sales in its own stores.

    The simultaneous delisting strips high-margin marine dietary lines from both chains. Environmental groups have long scrutinised Antarctic krill harvesting for disrupting Southern Ocean food webs.

    Shareholders Target Packaging Policies

    Investors are now pressing Coles management to address packaging waste and match Woolworths’ commitments. The shareholder group wants firm disclosures on plastic volume metrics alongside specific reduction milestones.

    Coordinated pressure on both supermarket operators accelerates packaging redesign deadlines for regional brand and private-label suppliers. Those unable to cut secondary plastics or adopt circular materials face delisting risks.

    Sourcing Audits Across Australian Aisles

    The sudden krill exit shows how quickly activist campaigns alter Australian retail range planning. RetailNews Asia has tracked similar rapid category exits across fresh produce, seafood and packaging formats in recent trading periods.

    Coles faces its next test when investors look for binding packaging targets and plastic reduction timelines at the upcoming formal shareholder meeting.

  • GetUp Targets Hundreds of Coles Stores over Palantir AI Deal

    GetUp Targets Hundreds of Coles Stores over Palantir AI Deal

    Community advocacy group GetUp targeted hundreds of Coles stores across Australia with spoof digital billboards, challenging the supermarket operator over its enterprise partnership with US analytics vendor Palantir. The advertisements ran outside store entrances in July, mimicking the retailer’s signature red and white branding with the slogan: “Here at Coles, we’re always watching you.”

    The pushback followed Coles deploying software from the controversial US technology company to sharpen artificial intelligence and operational efficiency across its supermarket network. While the digital billboards were taken down quickly, the campaign triggered public debate over how large grocery chains handle customer data and explain tracking tools to shoppers.

    Public Scrutiny Over Store Analytics

    Supermarket operators across the Asia-Pacific region have accelerated investments in predictive analytics, automated inventory forecasting, and computer vision systems. Enterprise partnerships with overseas defence and intelligence contractors carry brand risks that standard retail IT upgrades do not. Consumer groups increasingly scrutinise the boundary between back-end supply chain optimisation and customer-facing surveillance.

    For grocery chains operating in concentrated retail markets, transparency around data architecture has become an operational necessity rather than an investor relations footnote. When retailers fail to define where data processing stops, third-party advocacy groups easily fill the information vacuum with negative messaging right at the store entrance.

    Retail AI Strategy Under Pressure

    The dispute reflects broader friction across Australian retail as grocers test advanced algorithmic tools to cut shrink and streamline operations. Coles had framed its AI rollout as an efficiency play, intended to modernise store workflows and stock management across its national footprint. Linking store-level operations to specialised analytics vendors has instead tested customer goodwill at a time of heightened consumer sensitivity around commercial data collection.

    Grocers managing similar automation rollouts across regional markets now face tighter questions regarding data sovereignty, third-party software governance, and in-store customer communications. Retailers will need to clarify operational boundaries as advocacy campaigns continue tracking corporate technology procurements.

  • Bonds Launches Resale Marketplace After Tracking 30,000 Secondary Listings

    Bonds Launches Resale Marketplace After Tracking 30,000 Secondary Listings

    Australian apparel brand Bonds launched a dedicated secondhand marketplace called Village Marketplace on September 1, aiming to capture transactions after tracking more than 30,000 listings across third-party platforms.

    The service lets shoppers buy and sell pre-owned Bonds garments directly on the retailer’s primary website. Bonds built the peer-to-peer system in partnership with re-commerce technology provider Treet, focusing initially on children and baby clothing before rolling the model out to other high-demand product lines.

    Reclaiming Secondary Market Traffic

    Third-party resale platforms have built sizable volumes on staple family apparel, pulling consumer traffic and margin away from brand storefronts. By creating an owned resale channel, Bonds captures secondary transaction data and keeps existing shoppers inside its digital network rather than losing them to generalist marketplaces like eBay or Depop.

    Brand-managed resale platforms also solve authentication and condition concerns for parents buying second-hand children’s wear. Operating the marketplace directly gives the retailer a steady engagement loop with families as children outgrow sizes every few months.

    “Our new ‘Kids & Baby’ marketplace gives pre-loved Bonds items a new lease of life, making it easier for parents to pass on pieces they’ve loved and discover quality items for their own little ones,” said Kedda Ghazarian, head of marketing at Bonds.

    The Economics of Owned Re-Commerce

    Apparel retailers across the Asia-Pacific region are shifting toward structured resale platforms to protect brand equity and extract incremental revenue from garments already in circulation. For basic apparel brands with high unit volumes, customer retention often hinges on whether the trade-in process offers immediate digital store credit to fund the next full-price basket.

    Managing peer-to-peer fulfillment carries operational friction, particularly around customer disputes and reverse logistics. Partnering with specialized software vendors allows apparel groups to run resale storefronts without holding used inventory on their own warehouse balance sheets.

    Expanding Beyond Babywear

    Bonds developed the dedicated exchange after an internal audit revealed tens of thousands of its branded garments circulating unmonitored on independent peer-to-peer networks. That audit prompted the company to formalize an in-house channel rather than let external platforms monetize its secondary market.

    The company plans to expand Village Marketplace from children’s wear into higher-margin adult basics and seasonal apparel categories as listing volumes scale across Australia.

  • Coles Drops Palantir Contract After Activist Campaign over Data Use

    Coles Drops Palantir Contract After Activist Campaign over Data Use

    Coles will end its enterprise partnership with United States software vendor Palantir. The decision follows an 85,000-signature petition against deploying military-grade data systems in Australian supermarkets.

    Company officials confirmed the business will let the three-year agreement expire in 2027 rather than sign an extension.

    Rostering and Supply Chain Deployment

    The grocer brought in Palantir in early 2024 to manage backend administration across its store network. The software scheduled shift rosters and coordinated bakery production runs. It also modelled inventory flow through distribution centres.

    Community advocacy group GetUp launched a campaign against the deal shortly after the contract took effect. Activists cited Palantir’s contracts with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and the Israeli Defence Forces. They argued military-grade systems had no place in retail operations.

    A spokesperson for the chain rejected claims that the platform ever tracked shoppers or gathered aisle surveillance feeds. “Palantir’s technology has delivered value across Coles’ operations, particularly in rostering, store operations and supply chain planning,” the spokesperson said.

    The Enterprise Risk in Retail AI

    Supermarket operators across the Asia-Pacific region are rushing to automate workforce management and stock replenishment. Yet vendor selection brings brand exposure that procurement teams often underestimate. When enterprise software providers run heavy defence and state intelligence divisions, consumer-facing retailers absorb the reputational fallout directly at the checkout.

    Coles chose to let the contract lapse quietly at its natural term rather than terminate immediately. That approach lets the grocer run down existing IT commitments while scouting replacement platforms for store-level forecasting and labor scheduling.

    A Push Toward Neutral Systems

    Earlier, the company maintained Palantir never controlled internal grocer data or held rights to repurpose operational metrics. It declined to detail commercial reasons for walking away from the contract when asked for clarification.

    Chains across Australia and the wider region face sharper scrutiny over in-store data management. Woolworths and Coles both encountered customer resistance in recent years when testing automated checkout monitoring and digital loss-prevention systems.

    Attention now turns to how the retailer will transition its store scheduling and supply chain workflows to alternative software providers before the agreement concludes in 2027.

  • Adidas Reopens 569-Square-Metre Chadstone Store Under Home of Sports Concept

    Adidas Reopens 569-Square-Metre Chadstone Store Under Home of Sports Concept

    Adidas reopened its Chadstone store in Melbourne with 569 square metres of selling space, making it the first location in the region built around the Home of Sports concept.

    The store returned to trading following a three-month renovation designed to expand floor capacity and introduce new merchandising layouts.

    Customisation and Footwear Ranges

    Part of the expanded floor plan houses a dedicated Originals shop-in-shop, using the brand’s Collection V2 design for the first time in the Australian market. Two main footwear walls show inventory spanning running, training, football and lifestyle lines.

    Shoppers can also use a dedicated Made for You counter near the point of sale. The station applies heat-pressed patches and personalised name sets directly onto apparel and shoes during purchase.

    Foot Traffic and Format Rollouts

    Securing prime space matters for sportswear operators chasing high-volume sales. The Chadstone shopping centre draws more than 22 million visitors each year, giving the brand direct exposure to one of the highest-density retail corridors in the country.

    Sportswear majors across Asia-Pacific continue to replace standard mall units with larger experience-led stores that combine performance categories with lifestyle streetwear under one roof. Nike and Puma have followed similar paths across regional gateway hubs, using flagship remodels to push direct-to-consumer sales and higher-margin personalised gear.

    The business opened the upgraded doors with a weekend roster of local pop-up collaborations, with attention now turning to how the Home of Sports layout performs ahead of wider network updates across Australia.

  • Australian Shoppers Shift to Private Labels as Discretionary Sales Drop

    Australian Shoppers Shift to Private Labels as Discretionary Sales Drop

    Australian supermarket chains lifted private-label grocery sales by up to 6.1 per cent in fiscal 2026 as stubborn inflation squeezed household budgets. Coles Group reported that own-brand revenue outpaced overall company growth, with one in three customer baskets now containing its private-label lines.

    Woolworths Group recorded a 5.5 per cent increase in own and exclusive brand sales over the same period. Budget department store Kmart, operated by Wesfarmers, delivered resilient sales, while rival Big W returned to profitability before early fiscal 2027 trading slowed.

    Private Labels Win Margin and Volume

    Household goods retailers experienced a sharp pullback in consumer demand. Furniture chain Nick Scali reported that customer traffic fell by up to 15 per cent in the quarter to August as residential property turnover slowed. Australian same-store sales at Harvey Norman dropped 3.4 per cent, and electronics chain JB Hi-Fi posted its largest single-day share price decline since 2020 after missing consensus sales estimates.

    Quick-service dining networks faced similar pressure. Retail Food Group, which operates Gloria Jean’s and Donut King, booked an annual decline of roughly 3 per cent in domestic network sales. Automotive parts maker ARB posted a 3.3 per cent drop in Australian aftermarket revenue, while used-car transactions across the country fell 16.2 per cent in June.

    Property Slump Stalls Discretionary Demand

    Consumer price inflation has held above 3 per cent since 2025, outpacing wage growth of 3.2 per cent in the June quarter. With Commerzbank calculating that 60 per cent of Australian household wealth is tied up in residential real estate, higher borrowing costs and property tax adjustments targeting investors have directly curbed big-ticket purchases.

    The divergence across retail categories mirrors trends across Asia-Pacific markets, where food retailers expand low-price private lines to capture defensive trade while durable goods sellers rely on promotional financing to prevent transaction volumes from falling further.

    Trading updates for the first eight weeks of fiscal 2027 show sales at Big W have already started to decline, making the upcoming quarterly retail trade data the next key benchmark for consumer demand.

  • Ikea Installs Miniature Home Exhibits Across Melbourne, Beijing and Chengdu

    Ikea Installs Miniature Home Exhibits Across Melbourne, Beijing and Chengdu

    Ikea has installed miniature home displays across stores in Melbourne, Beijing and Chengdu to promote compact, affordable living.

    Stockholm artist Christopher Nordstrom built the three displays at a one-to-12 scale. They serve as the Swedish retailer’s latest visual merchandising test in the Asia-Pacific region.

    Scale Models for Compact Urban Spaces

    Each model tailors its interior details to local culture. In Melbourne, the display features a bookcase filled with novels, art prints and nods to local sports.

    Storage and decluttering for smaller homes sit at the centre of the push. “When you build in miniature, you cannot include everything,” Nordstrom said. “Every object has to earn its place.”

    Ingka Group, Ikea’s primary global operator, is steering marketing funds toward entry-level home organisation. Urban shoppers face increasingly tight quarters across major metro markets.

    Shifting Formats in Asia-Pacific

    This rollout ties into broader footprint adjustments across the region. Ikea continues to balance compact city-centre locations against traditional suburban big-box warehouses.

    Regional home furnishing chains are leaning on interactive features to lift foot traffic and basket sizes. Discretionary spending has seen several volatile quarters.

    Next, Ingka Group will track customer engagement around the three micro-exhibits across its Australian and Chinese locations.

  • Country Road Group Returns to Profit on Disciplined Inventory Management

    Country Road Group Returns to Profit on Disciplined Inventory Management

    Country Road Group posted an operating profit of $2.3 million for the year ended June 28, rebounding from a loss in the prior year. Earnings before interest and tax climbed 113 per cent as the Australian apparel group trimmed inventory by 14 per cent and curbed promotional discounting.

    Total sales edged up 1 per cent across the portfolio, while comparable sales rose 1.5 per cent. Gross profit increased 3 per cent over the twelve-month period.

    Brand splits and inventory cuts

    Repositioning efforts drove the bulk of the gains across the group’s standalone menswear and womenswear banners. Witchery recorded comparable sales growth of 9.5 per cent, and Politix delivered a 10.2 per cent increase in comparable sales.

    Stock levels dropped 14 per cent as management focused on inventory turnover rather than clearance sales to support margins. Chief executive Steven Cook said the retailer focused on tighter cost control and establishing clearer product positioning across individual labels to support sustainable expansion.

    Fashion groups across the region have spent the past year paring back stock purchases to protect margins against sluggish discretionary spending, swapping aggressive discounting cycles for smaller, targeted product drops.

    Leadership shifts into FY27

    Flagship brand Country Road recorded sales improvements in the second half of the financial year following management adjustments. Trenery tightened its product assortments, while accessories brand Mimco began initial restructuring for its next operational phase.

    The group enters the 2027 financial year tracking whether the reconstituted leadership team at the Country Road banner can sustain full-price sales momentum in a cautious retail market.

  • Who Gives A Crap Targets A$100 Million Annual Donations on Retail Push

    Who Gives A Crap Targets A$100 Million Annual Donations on Retail Push

    Melbourne consumer brand Who Gives A Crap has distributed more than A$50 million to global sanitation initiatives as it expands into mainstream supermarket chains worldwide.

    The company, which gives half of its profits to water and hygiene projects, is now mapping a growth path aimed at generating A$100 million in annual donations by 2050. That target requires building a commercial footprint large enough to challenge legacy paper giants such as Kimberly-Clark.

    From web stunt to supermarket shelves

    Co-founders Simon Griffiths, Danny Alexander and Jehan Ratnatunga launched the business in 2012 by raising A$50,000 through a 50-hour crowdfunding web feed. Bootstrapped for its first nine years, the company took outside institutional funding in 2021 and expanded its workforce to nearly 300 employees.

    While direct-to-consumer delivery drove early revenue across Australia, the United States, Britain, Canada, France and Germany, long-term growth now depends on physical grocery distribution. In the United States, placement with Whole Foods Market opened access to shoppers who do not buy paper goods online. Supermarket distribution across Australian chains followed a similar pattern, forcing the brand to compete directly against entrenched multinational FMCG lines on store shelves.

    Targeting global scale in paper goods

    Entering physical stores presents distinct margin and packaging challenges for direct-to-consumer challengers across the Asia-Pacific region. Brand visibility in high-traffic aisles requires heavy inventory commitments and immediate shelf recognition, especially in staple categories where consumers buy on autopilot.

    The company plans to use expanded supermarket listings in North America and Europe to fund its target of A$100 million in yearly charitable disbursements by 2050.

  • Industry Beans Returns DC Coffee to Supermarket Shelves via Woolworths

    Industry Beans Returns DC Coffee to Supermarket Shelves via Woolworths

    Melbourne specialty roaster Industry Beans has returned DC Coffee to national supermarket shelves through Woolworths, targeting Australian consumers switching from cafe takeaway cups to home brewing.

    The rollout follows a total overhaul of the brand, which Industry Beans co-founder Trevor Simmons pulled from rival chain Coles after acquiring the business in 2023.

    Canstar survey data of more than 2,100 consumers shows 29 per cent of Australians have stopped buying cafe coffee to brew at home. Another 19 per cent bought a dedicated coffee machine to cut daily spending as the average takeaway cup climbed to $5.90 before plant-milk surcharges.

    Rethinking Supermarket Coffee

    Simmons bought DC Coffee from David Valmorbida after years of acting as its contract roaster. By 2023, the brand’s footprint in Coles had dropped to less than half its original SKU count because of weak sell-through and an absence of dedicated marketing support.

    Industry Beans stripped back the catalog rather than trying to salvage slow-moving specialty lines. The Woolworths range centres on larger pack formats and two high-volume blends, The Darkness and The Duchess, before introducing a third blend called The Swell and an instant coffee offering.

    DC Coffee traces its roots to Caffe Ducale under the Valmorbida family’s Conga Foods business. Former manager Rob Stewart later reshaped the label with street-art packaging, securing national distribution in Coles in 2020 as one of the earliest third-wave brands on mainstream Australian grocery shelves.

    Targeting the Home Brewer

    Specialty roasters across Asia-Pacific long protected premium positioning by keeping their best beans restricted to company-operated cafes or direct-to-consumer subscriptions. Rising living costs and sharper price scrutiny have forced a shift, prompting roasters to compete directly on supermarket shelves against commercial legacy brands.

    DC Coffee is backing the retail rollout with a national promotional push titled Fuel Your Creativity. The brand will track volume performance on the primary blends across Woolworths stores before releasing its instant coffee formats to the same network.

  • Australian Supermarkets Adapt to In-Between Shoppers Seeking Asian Groceries

    Australian Supermarkets Adapt to In-Between Shoppers Seeking Asian Groceries

    Australian mainstream grocers are restructuring their international food aisles as demand from second-generation shoppers erodes the traditional gap between independent Asian grocers and major supermarket chains.

    The shift challenges decades of split retailing, where consumers bought standard household staples at major chains and visited specialty Asian grocers for authentic ingredients.

    Breaking the Specialty Divide

    May Wong, who concluded her tenure as a category manager at Coles Group on August 31, 2026, after seven years managing an Asian grocery store, said the boundary between the two channels is disappearing. Shoppers from second-generation migrant backgrounds increasingly expect mainstream supermarkets to stock the authentic food items that match their cultural heritage.

    Specialty grocers long held a monopoly on authentic imported brands, while major supermarkets focused on westernised pantry staples. Younger shoppers now seek authentic taste profiles without making a separate trip to suburban ethnic markets.

    Shifting Demographics on Mainstream Aisles

    For supermarket operators across the Asia-Pacific region, tailoring shelf space to multicultural demographics has turned ethnic aisles into high-growth territory rather than niche perimeter displays. Major chains in markets with large diaspora populations are expanding direct sourcing relationships with Asian food exporters to meet tighter consumer standards on authenticity.

    Coles and competing Australian supermarket operators will test updated product assortments across metropolitan store networks through the coming retail quarters.

  • Bubs Australia Revenue Reaches $111.9 Million as US Distribution Expands

    Bubs Australia Revenue Reaches $111.9 Million as US Distribution Expands

    Bubs Australia lifted group revenue 9.2 per cent to $111.9 million for the twelve months ended June 30, driven by rapid retail expansion in North America.

    Underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation climbed 338 per cent to $5.3 million. The top-line gain masked tightening margins at the Australian infant formula maker, where gross profit dropped 9 per cent over the period.

    Expansion in the American market

    Sales growth centered on the United States, where revenue rose 24 per cent across the fiscal year. The company widened its physical retail presence to more than 10,000 American stores, turning the market into its primary growth engine outside Australasia.

    Higher distribution scale helped absorb overheads, but rising costs and shifting regional demand checked profitability across secondary territories.

    Margin pressures and regional divergence

    Results across regional markets outside the United States delivered mixed performances. While volume moved through larger overseas retail networks, gross margins contracted under higher cost pressures across the supply chain.

    For dairy and infant nutrition exporters across the Asia-Pacific region, rapid volume growth in Western supermarket aisles continues to balance uneven purchasing patterns across legacy Asian cross-border channels. Maintaining profitability now depends on turning trial into repeat shelf velocity.

    Attention turns to whether the brand can defend shelf space across its expanded 10,000-store US footprint while repairing gross margins in the next reporting cycle.

  • Shaver Shop Posts Record FY26 Sales of AU$225.1M Before Early FY27 Slump

    Shaver Shop Posts Record FY26 Sales of AU$225.1M Before Early FY27 Slump

    Shaver Shop generated record sales of AU$225.1 million in the year ended June 30, lifting annual revenue by 3 per cent.

    Gross profit climbed 4.7 per cent to a record AU$104.2 million as the personal grooming specialist leaned on higher-margin private labels to counter inflation.

    Private brand Transform-U drove much of the margin gains, accounting for about 8 per cent of total sales compared with 3.4 per cent in the prior year. Managing director and chief executive Cameron Fox noted that strong operating execution helped offset macroeconomic headwinds that intensified during the second half.

    Store expansion and the early FY27 drop

    The retailer altered its store footprint across the twelve months by opening three new sites and shuttering one underperforming location. That brought the store network to 126 shops at the end of June, followed by a new store opening in Brighton in late July.

    Trading conditions deteriorated immediately after the financial year closed. Sales between July 1 and August 22 dropped 3.2 per cent compared to the prior corresponding period, while like-for-like sales fell 4.3 per cent.

    Management blamed the slow start on heavy promotional discounting pulled forward into June, paired with stock shortages and transport disruptions across supplier networks.

    Margin defence through private labels

    Specialty personal care and electronics chains across the region face tighter household budgets, forcing operators to rely on exclusive brand ranges rather than top-line volume growth. Shaver Shop’s strategy mirrors broader retail trends where house labels provide a vital buffer against freight costs and supplier price hikes.

    Gross margins through the first eight weeks of the new financial year tracked slightly above last year despite the top-line decline. Attention turns to whether supplier shipments stabilise before peak holiday inventory build-up begins in October.

  • Lovisa Hits $938.8 Million in FY26 Sales on Fast Jewellery Demand

    Lovisa Hits $938.8 Million in FY26 Sales on Fast Jewellery Demand

    Lovisa posted double-digit revenue and profit growth for fiscal 2026, generating $938.8 million in total sales across its global store network. The result shows budget-conscious shoppers continued buying affordable accessories despite persistent cost-of-living pressure in Australia and key overseas markets.

    Tightened household budgets did little to slow store turnover. Fast-fashion jewellery continues to capture discretionary spending from consumers who pull back on higher-priced apparel and luxury goods, giving mass-market operators sustained foot traffic across shopping centres.

    Demand across budget accessories

    Lovisa relied on its high-turnover model to drive revenue across its retail footprint. Low price points allowed the brand to maintain transaction volume even as inflation squeezed general consumer spending.

    The performance reflects a broader split in retail spending across the Asia-Pacific region. While big-ticket discretionary categories face softer demand, impulse-driven accessory purchases continue to clear inventory rapidly.

    Market rivals and category pressure

    Competition in the affordable jewellery segment is intensifying across major retail hubs. New challenger brands, including ventures launched by former Lovisa executives, are expanding store networks and targeting the same demographic with rapid product drops.

    Sustaining double-digit expansion will depend on how effectively the chain defends mall real estate and controls store operating costs. Market watchers will track upcoming store rollout milestones and regional trading updates in the next financial reporting cycle.