Retail News CRM

Tag: retail expansion

  • Gentle Monster Parent Iicombined Appoints Renaud Divisia as Europe GM

    Gentle Monster Parent Iicombined Appoints Renaud Divisia as Europe GM

    In September 2026, Seoul-based Gentle Monster parent Iicombined appointed Renaud Divisia as general manager of Europe to lead its regional expansion.

    Divisia previously served as general manager of Puig Korea and international director of Byredo, following several years at LVMH’s Dior Parfums in leadership roles across Europe and the Middle East.

    In his new role, Divisia oversees organisation, retail expansion, and commercial strategy across Europe, where the South Korean group first launched in 2018.

    Expanding Beyond the London Beachhead

    Iicombined entered Europe in 2018 with a Gentle Monster store in London’s West End. Standalone locations in Paris and Milan followed. Those openings tested European appetite for the brand’s gallery-style retail spaces in competitive fashion capitals.

    Europe demands a different commercial model than Asia. In Asian markets, Gentle Monster built scale through experiential flagships that rotate art installations every few months. European high streets present steeper prime rents in cities like Paris and Milan. These locations require tighter retail economics and established wholesale accounts alongside mono-brand real estate.

    Bringing in a leader with roots in European luxury fragrance and cosmetics gives Iicombined a structure capable of handling multi-brand rollouts. The company cannot rely solely on the eyewear playbook that drove its early international visibility.

    Managing a Multi-Brand Portfolio

    Founded in 2011, Iicombined has expanded well beyond eyewear into a broader lifestyle business. Its wider portfolio includes fragrance and skincare brand Tamburins, bakery cafe concept Nudake, headwear label Atiissu and kitchenware brand Nuflaat.

    Tamburins gives the group a second growth vehicle with direct appeal to European department stores and specialty beauty retailers. Fragrance brands scale faster than luxury eyewear. Replenishment cycles are shorter, and distribution networks through multi-brand retail are already built.

    Operational risks remain across fragmented European real estate markets. Opening high-cost flagships in London or Paris requires major capital. Western European luxury consumers also demand sustained brand heritage rather than rapid trend turnover.

    Capital Backing and the Next Phase

    Private equity firm ZWC Partners invested in Iicombined earlier this year to finance global expansion. That capital targets growth across Asia alongside deeper penetration into Europe and North America.

    Divisia must now decide how to expand the wider portfolio. His immediate challenge is whether to introduce Tamburins and Nudake into existing flagships or secure dedicated real estate across prime retail streets in France, Italy and the United Kingdom.

  • Burma Burma Expands to 21 Outlets Across India with D2C Lines

    Burma Burma Expands to 21 Outlets Across India with D2C Lines

    Indian dining chain Burma Burma has expanded its footprint to 21 outlets across India while adding direct-to-consumer pantry goods and ice cream lines. The concept, launched in Mumbai in 2014, built its network by converting traditionally meat-heavy and fish-sauce-based Burmese dishes into an entirely vegetarian, alcohol-free format.

    Founder Ankit Gupta began development for the concept in 2011, three years before opening the first restaurant in Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda district. Gupta spent that period travelling through Mandalay, Yangon, and Sagaing to document street food preparations, dine in private homes, and secure supply links directly from local agricultural markets. His connection to the cuisine came through his mother, who lived in Myanmar for more than 20 years.

    Adapting a Regional Menu

    Traditional Burmese cooking relies on fermented seafood pastes and meat broths, ingredients that Gupta stripped out entirely to fit Indian dining preferences. The resulting menu created a new reference point for a cuisine that had virtually no commercial presence in India prior to the chain’s launch.

    Most international food concepts entering India rely on pre-existing consumer awareness or western brand equity. Burma Burma established demand for an unfamiliar Southeast Asian category by pairing strict vegetarian compliance with specialized ingredient sourcing, demonstrating that niche regional formats can scale nationally without serving alcohol or meat.

    Retail Pantry and Ice Cream Expansion

    Alongside its 21 physical restaurants and tea rooms, the business has diversified into packaged consumer goods. The brand now sells a direct-to-consumer pantry line and an artisanal ice cream range, targeting at-home consumption across major urban centres.

    The company continues to distribute its packaged line online while managing supply chain flows for imported specialty ingredients across its 21-store restaurant network.

  • Carsome Posts US$8.3 Million Quarterly EBITDA as Retail Shift Widens Margins

    Carsome Posts US$8.3 Million Quarterly EBITDA as Retail Shift Widens Margins

    Malaysian used-car platform Carsome posted an operating EBITDA of US$8.3 million for the second quarter of 2026. That is a 38 per cent increase from the same period a year earlier.

    Sales reached 35,903 vehicles during the three months ended June 30, up 11 per cent. That volume lifted gross profit 15 per cent to US$43.8 million. The result gave Carsome its tenth straight profitable quarter on an EBITDA basis. Consumer retail transactions and auto financing drove the gains.

    Retail and Financing Drive Margin Expansion

    Gross profit outpaced unit sales as the platform shifted volume toward retail buyers. Ancillary products helped widen margins. Financing packages, extended warranties and direct retail margins yield higher earnings per transaction than wholesale dealer auctions.

    Under a new agreement, Carsome will serve as the exclusive official trade-in partner for Suzuki Cars Malaysia. The pact channels structured inventory directly into its inspection network. It secures steady supply while carmakers use trade-in valuations to support new-vehicle sales as borrowing costs pinch consumer budgets.

    Other players across Southeast Asia show a similar pattern. Regional rivals Carro, based in Singapore, and Indonesia’s Moladin have also pivoted away from venture-funded volume acquisition. Both now target unit profitability, credit distribution and ancillary services.

    Showroom Additions in Malaysia and Jakarta

    Physical inspection hubs and retail centres led network growth during the quarter. In Malaysia, Carsome opened three locations in Sungai Petani, Bukit Tinggi in Klang, and Sungai Buloh. That took its domestic network to 55 inspection centres and showrooms.

    Across Indonesia, the company added four locations in Greater Jakarta, expanding its local footprint to 10 sites. Vehicle ownership in Indonesia trails Malaysia and Thailand. Even so, the market offers heavy transaction volume for operators able to resolve fragmented title transfers, vehicle vetting and buyer credit access.

    Looking ahead, management will focus the rest of the financial year on transaction growth, financing attachment rates and fixed-cost efficiency across its 65 combined retail locations.

  • Indian Sneaker Brand Comet Raises $10.5 Million to Expand Retail Network

    Indian Sneaker Brand Comet Raises $10.5 Million to Expand Retail Network

    Indian footwear brand Comet raised 10.5 million dollars in Series B funding led by global investment firm Verlinvest. The capital injection follows a ninefold revenue increase since the company’s prior round and will fund physical store rollout across India.

    Existing backers Elevation Capital and Nexus Venture Partners joined the round. Angel investors including Urban Company chief executive Abhiraj Singh Bhal, Snap Inc. Global chief business officer Ajit Mohan, and VegNonVeg co-founder Anand Ahuja also participated.

    Tooling and Product Development

    Comet allocates the fresh capital toward retail expansion, technology infrastructure, and in-house research and development. The shoemaker designs proprietary sole moulds and tooling internally rather than relying on off-the-shelf white-label outsoles, a choice that drives higher upfront capital expenditure per silhouette.

    “We want to continue pushing the boundaries of what an Indian footwear brand can build, which means investing deeply in sole technology, R&D and engineering,” co-founder Utkarsh Gupta said. The company spent twelve months engineering a women-specific model with bespoke sole tooling ahead of an upcoming market release.

    Footwear startups across South Asia face steep unit economics when trying to compete directly with global sportswear incumbents. Developing custom moulds costs tens of thousands of dollars per silhouette before a single production run ships, leaving little margin for inventory errors if consumer uptake falters.

    Retail Footprint and Expansion

    Physical stores provide direct access to street-level shoppers who still demand tactile trial for sizing and cushioning. Direct-to-consumer digital channels in India grapple with high return rates and customer acquisition costs, forcing domestic lifestyle labels into brick-and-mortar storefronts to secure stable cash flow.

    Landlords in top tier metros now allocate dedicated lifestyle wings to local challenger labels that pull younger foot traffic into shopping centres. Comet faces competition for prime high-street square footage against well-funded apparel and footwear peers rapidly securing leases in the same commercial corridors.

    Fundraising Track Record

    Founded in 2023, Comet previously raised 42.3 crore rupees in a Series A financing round led by Elevation Capital in 2024. The brand built its early presence around limited-run design drops and four core footwear models.

    The company reaches 10 operational stores this month. Management targets a portfolio of eight distinct footwear models by late next year while expanding the retail fleet to 20 stores across India by the close of fiscal 2027.

  • Richemont Anchors Asian Network Through Dual Hubs in Hong Kong and Tokyo

    Richemont Anchors Asian Network Through Dual Hubs in Hong Kong and Tokyo

    Richemont manages its expanding Asian luxury operations through dedicated regional hubs in Hong Kong and Tokyo, supporting a global footprint of 2,369 monobrand boutiques generating 22 billion euros in revenue. Direct sales to retail clients now account for 77 per cent of total group turnover across its 23 Maisons and businesses.

    The Swiss luxury conglomerate employs more than 40,000 people across upwards of 150 international locations. Central corporate management in Geneva coordinates policy and governance across five regional headquarters, with Asia commanding two distinct reporting territories.

    Regional Footprint Across Nine Asian Markets

    From its regional Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong, Richemont directs operations across nine major territories: mainland China, Australia, South Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. A separate regional headquarters in Tokyo oversees the Japanese market, backed by two satellite offices in Fukagawa and Osaka.

    Western Asia and South Asian expansion run through a third regional division based in Dubai. That office coordinates commercial operations across India, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa from an operations base at the Dubai Airport Free Zone.

    Direct Retail Shift and Infrastructure Targets

    The operational concentration in Hong Kong and Tokyo reflects the luxury sector’s reliance on Asian consumer demand, even as brand houses take closer control of physical distribution. Operating 2,369 monobrand boutiques allows the group to secure higher margins while managing client relationships without wholesale intermediaries.

    Richemont also reported that renewable electricity powers 97 per cent of its global operations, alongside holding Global Equal-Salary certification across its business units. Group leadership continues to focus resources on store productivity and direct boutique expansion across key metropolitan shopping districts in Greater China and Southeast Asia.

  • Philippine Seven Corp to Open 5,000Th 7-Eleven Store in Cebu

    Philippine Seven Corp to Open 5,000Th 7-Eleven Store in Cebu

    Philippine Seven Corp will open its 5,000th 7-Eleven store in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu on Dec. 3, completing an expansion of 1,000 outlets in two years.

    The convenience chain closed June with 4,650 branches nationwide after net profit climbed 3.8 per cent to 1.84 billion pesos in the first half. System-wide sales rose 15.1 per cent over the same six months, with locations opened within the period generating more than 6 per cent of total turnover.

    Franchise Split and Store Economics

    Half of the 350 outlets needed to hit the year-end target will be company-owned, with franchisees taking the remainder. The rapid buildout follows the opening of store number 4,000 in 2024, four decades after 7-Eleven entered the Philippine market.

    PSC chair Victor Paterno told reporters that unit economics improved despite rising electricity, fuel and labor expenses. Cashless checkout terminals installed across tourist destinations and higher-income districts lifted average spend by enabling credit card transactions.

    The operator is also adjusting its merchandise mix to attract younger shoppers while brushing off competition from fast-spreading hard discounters. Paterno noted that discount grocers stock minimal immediate-consumption items, leaving local convenience formats largely insulated from their price pressure.

    Next Targets in Mindanao

    Across Southeast Asia, convenience store chains are racing to build dense logistics networks outside capital cities to capture rising provincial purchasing power before regional competitors establish dominance. PSC is mirroring strategies used by convenience operators in Thailand and Indonesia, where rural expansion delivers higher sales gains than saturated tier-one metros.

    PSC plans to open approximately 600 additional stores in 2027, subject to broader macroeconomic conditions. Distribution routes will push deeper into Western Mindanao, with Zamboanga City designated as a key focal point for logistics development.

  • Singapore Attracts over 50 Consumer Brand Investments as Regional Hub

    Singapore Attracts over 50 Consumer Brand Investments as Regional Hub

    Singapore secured more than 50 new consumer company investments between 2022 and September 2025, drawing global brands seeking a regional operating base for Asia.

    Danish jeweller Pandora opened its regional headquarters in Singapore in November, adding roughly 50 corporate positions to support 62 stores and 400 retail and office staff across Asian markets.

    Headquarter hubs and flagship rollouts

    Pandora Chief Commercial Officer Massimo Basei said the Singapore hub focuses on market development, digital operations, and marketing across both mature markets like Japan and South Korea and expansion targets including India and Indonesia.

    Swiss sportswear maker On and activewear brand Alo opened flagship locations at Jewel Changi Airport and The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands in July and August. South Korea’s Lotte Shopping plans to open its international headquarters in Singapore in 2026 to direct its Southeast Asian store network.

    Global consumer groups increasingly treat Singapore as an operational bridge between headquarters in Europe or the United States and fragmented retail markets across Southeast Asia. Establishing central merchandising and supply chain teams in the city reduces the risk of running decentralized Asian market entries.

    American dining brands brave high failure rates

    Food and beverage chains from North America are also expanding their footprint in the city despite intense local competition. Fast food operator Chick-fil-A opens its first Asian outlet in Singapore on 11 December, following Blue Bottle Coffee, which launched its debut local cafe on 3 April.

    Tapestry broadened its luxury label Coach into hospitality with the Coach Cafe in 2023, followed by a Coach Coffee Shop and the woodfire-focused Coach Restaurant. In grocery retail, US potato supplier Lamb Weston rolled out retail frozen fries across FairPrice, FairPrice Xtra, and FairPrice Finest stores in November.

    The expansion runs counter to tough local operating conditions. Over 60 per cent of Singapore food businesses closed within five years between January and October 2025, and 82 per cent operated without a profit, according to parliamentary figures from Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong.

    US chain Chipotle Mexican Grill opens its first Singapore restaurant in 2026, while Lotte prepares its international headquarters for operation the same year.

  • Haigh’s Chocolates Enters Queensland with First Brisbane Store

    Haigh’s Chocolates Enters Queensland with First Brisbane Store

    Haigh’s Chocolates has launched its first physical store in Queensland at Westfield Mt Gravatt in Brisbane. The opening establishes a direct retail footprint in the state ahead of two further Brisbane outlets scheduled for November.

    The family-owned South Australian confectioner took space on Level 2 of the shopping centre next to cosmetics retailer Mecca. The store sells the brand’s core artisan chocolate lines alongside complimentary tasting counters.

    Queensland Footprint Expands

    Online sales in Queensland prompted the physical rollout. Customer order volumes across the state showed sufficient local demand to justify bricks-and-mortar leases, according to the company.

    “Since announcing that we were coming to Brisbane, we have had so many Haigh’s fans and online customers reaching out, asking where they can visit and when we will be open,” said Haigh’s Chocolates chief executive Peter Millard.

    Two more retail sites are in the pipeline. Outlets at Westfield Chermside in Brisbane’s north and Westfield Carindale in the east will open before the end of the year.

    Supply Chain Backing

    The Queensland rollout relies on supply chain capacity completed last year. Haigh’s opened a 120 million Australian dollar production and logistics facility in Salisbury South, South Australia, designed to support national distribution and higher store volumes.

    Converting digital customer density into shopping centre tenancies mirrors how regional specialty retailers derisk capital expenditure in Australia. By validating regional demand through online fulfilment first, brands reduce opening risk in major retail malls before committing to long-term leases.

    Fit-out work is continuing at both the Chermside and Carindale locations ahead of their planned November trade debut.

  • Mixue Closes 89 Overseas Stores as First-Half Profit Drops 15%

    Mixue Closes 89 Overseas Stores as First-Half Profit Drops 15%

    Mixue cut its overseas footprint by 89 stores in the first half of 2026, driven by closures across core Southeast Asian markets Vietnam and Indonesia.

    Net profit fell 15 percent year on year to 2.32 billion yuan, even as total revenue edged up 2.3 percent to 15.2 billion yuan ($2.26 billion). Group filings show higher selling and distribution expenses ate directly into margins across its franchise network.

    Rising Distribution Costs Squeeze Margins

    The Henan-headquartered drinks giant operated 63,987 outlets globally by June 30, with 59,609 locations in mainland China. That leaves roughly 4,378 international stores, concentrated heavily in Southeast Asia where the brand sells budget soft-serve ice cream and milk tea.

    Mixue did not publish country-level closure totals for Vietnam or Indonesia. The company stated in its interim report that reducing store density improved individual unit quality and created a cleaner base for sustainable operations.

    Franchisee economics have tightened across the region. Rapid street-level expansion in major cities sparked cannibalisation between neighbouring outlets, forcing operators to absorb higher logistics costs on imported syrups and packaging without room to raise retail prices.

    Rebalancing Southeast Asian Footprints

    Vietnam was Mixue’s first international market when the chain launched in Hanoi in 2018. By September 2024, the brand ran 1,304 stores across the country, according to its Hong Kong listing prospectus filed in early 2025.

    Mass-market tea and coffee chains in Southeast Asia now face heavier competition from local discounters and Chinese rivals copying the low-price franchise playbook. Mixue’s retreat from sheer store count growth signals that overseas networks cannot rely solely on relentless opening schedules to deliver profit.

    Investors now await Mixue’s updated capital-raising timeline in Hong Kong, where full-year store productivity figures will test whether the overseas pruning protected operating cash flow.

  • Skechers Opens 8,650-Square-Foot Superstore at Sunway Pyramid in Malaysia

    Skechers Opens 8,650-Square-Foot Superstore at Sunway Pyramid in Malaysia

    Skechers opened an 8,650-square-foot Superstore at the Sunway Pyramid mall in Subang Jaya, expanding its physical presence in Malaysia.

    The relocated store is nearly six times larger than the brand’s previous 1,453-square-foot unit at the same shopping centre. It is the company’s first Superstore format in Subang Jaya. The launch lifts its nationwide network to 120 doors.

    Zoned layout and digital fitting

    Dedicated zones divide the catalogue into sections for walking, running, trail, pickleball, performance apparel and children’s collections. The store also includes SafeSize 3D foot-scanning hardware to generate personalised sizing data. Alongside the scanners, an in-store customisation station lets shoppers modify selected shoes and garments.

    Footwear retailers across Southeast Asia continue to trade standard mall units for large experiential spaces. The bigger layouts capture higher basket sizes and accommodate specialized athletic lines that boutique footprints cannot hold.

    Expansion pipeline across Malaysia

    Malaysia is a key sales volume driver for the American brand. Cedrick Tan, president of Skechers Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and South Korea, said the group will maintain its brick-and-mortar investment pace to keep up with domestic demand.

    More outlets will launch across the country over the coming months to build on the 120-store base.

  • Chow Tai Fook Opens Luxury Flagships Across Four Markets in Ten Weeks

    Chow Tai Fook Opens Luxury Flagships Across Four Markets in Ten Weeks

    Chow Tai Fook rolled out a new fleet of luxury-format stores across four international markets within ten weeks, betting on high-end Chinese design to capture affluent consumers. The retail push included a 10,000-square-foot global flagship on Canton Road in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui shopping corridor.

    The Canton Road site puts the Chinese jeweller on the same strip as European luxury houses Hermès and Louis Vuitton. That opening followed an aggressive start to the year in Southeast Asia, where the company secured prime retail real estate inside Bangkok’s Siam Paragon shopping mall in January.

    High-Street Real Estate and Prime Malls

    Securing ten thousand square feet on Canton Road represents a major capital commitment in one of Asia’s most expensive retail districts. The scale reflects an explicit repositioning by the group toward higher margin, design-led jewellery lines rather than relying purely on mass-market gold volume sales.

    In Bangkok, the Siam Paragon opening targeted both local Thai wealth and returning Chinese tourists. By late March, the company widened the rollout to additional regional commercial hubs, completing four market debuts in under two and a half months.

    Shifting from Mass Retail to Global Luxury

    Traditional gold jewellery chains across Greater China have long competed on retail footprint density and weight-based pricing. Chow Tai Fook’s shift toward oversized flagships and upscale mall locations mirrors the playbook of European heritage brands, aiming to elevate average transaction values.

    Competing jewellers across Asia face rising raw material costs and cautious consumer spending in mainland department stores. Placing large-format stores in premier tourist precincts allows the brand to test international appetite for contemporary Chinese fine jewellery outside its domestic core.

    RetailNews Asia will track the sales performance across these new flagship sites as the group reports its upcoming quarterly store productivity metrics.

  • 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.

  • Bandai Namco to Open Australia’s First Gundam Base and Tamashii Nations in Sydney

    Bandai Namco to Open Australia’s First Gundam Base and Tamashii Nations in Sydney

    Bandai Namco Asia will open Australia’s first The Gundam Base store at Broadway Sydney in November 2026. The location will also house one of only four Tamashii Nations flagships worldwide.

    Both permanent shops will sit on level one of the retail complex. They follow a trial pop-up tour at the Mirvac-owned centre last year.

    Expanding Japanese IP Across Asia-Pacific

    The Gundam Base serves as Bandai’s dedicated retail brand for Mobile Suit Gundam ‘Gunpla’ model kits. The Sydney site will sell kits, apparel, and exclusive releases unavailable through standard wholesale channels.

    Next door, Tamashii Nations will stock finished collector figurines. That store focuses on high-end robot models and licensed merchandise from anime franchises such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Demon Slayer.

    Bandai Namco Asia president Hiroyuki Fujita said the Sydney destination will run prototype shows, immersive displays, and regional fan events alongside standard retail sales.

    Building Out Physical Collector Hubs

    Japanese entertainment companies are rolling out direct-to-consumer flagships across Asia-Pacific to secure higher margins and cultivate collector communities. Bandai opened a flagship in Hong Kong in December, testing regional appetite before committing capital to Australia.

    Landlord Mirvac relies on fandom-driven concepts to pull foot traffic into Broadway Sydney. Fit-outs for both stores will finish ahead of the November 2026 launch.

  • Temasek and ChrysCapital Compete to Buy 33 per Cent Stake in India’s Blue Tokai

    Temasek and ChrysCapital Compete to Buy 33 per Cent Stake in India’s Blue Tokai

    Singapore’s Temasek Holdings and private equity firm ChrysCapital are competing to invest up to 1,200 crore rupees in Indian specialty roaster Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters. The transaction values the 13-year-old chain at up to 3,700 crore rupees and will hand the winning bidder a stake of between 30 and 33 per cent.

    The deal structure involves both primary capital to finance retail expansion and secondary sales to provide exits for early seed backers. Existing shareholders include A91 Emerging Fund, which holds 21.72 per cent, alongside Verlinvest, Waterfield Fund and 12 Flags. The three founders, Matt Chitharanjan, Namrata Asthana and Shivam Shahi, currently hold an aggregate 15.27 per cent stake.

    Funding store targets across Asia and the Gulf

    Blue Tokai currently runs 240 outlets across India through parent company Muhavra Enterprises. The roaster plans to open 120 locations during the current financial year, pushing into secondary markets including Ahmedabad and Lucknow, before reaching an 800-store target by fiscal 2030.

    Overseas expansion is also underway. The chain partnered with UAE-based Ambrosia Gulf last year to build a regional store footprint, while setting up plans for an entry into Japan. It also acquired bakery operator Suchali’s Artisan Bakehouse in 2024 to support food service across its cafe network.

    Financial performance has shifted after Blue Tokai turned Ebitda-positive on a monthly basis for six consecutive months. Revenue climbed 50 per cent to 325 crore rupees in fiscal 2025, while net losses narrowed by 20.6 per cent to 50 crore rupees.

    Competition intensifies in India’s cafe sector

    Specialty coffee operators across Asia are racing to scale before high real estate overheads catch up with unit economics. In India, Tata Starbucks remains the market leader with more than 500 outlets and a plan to add 100 locations annually, while international entrants such as Canada’s Tim Hortons and Britain’s Pret a Manger compete against domestic rivals including Third Wave Coffee, Barista and Cafe Coffee Day.

    For ChrysCapital, a deal would follow its acquisition of patisserie chain Theobroma in August 2025 for roughly 2,410 crore rupees, opening opportunities to combine bakery and beverage operations. Temasek brings its own food service portfolio to the table, with holdings in Rebel Foods, Haldiram’s, Licious and Chinese coffee operator Luckin Coffee.

    Blue Tokai has not yet filed its fiscal 2026 accounts, though projections reviewed by investors point to revenue reaching between 750 crore and 775 crore rupees in fiscal 2027.

  • Lululemon Opens 1,220-Square-Metre Harajuku Flagship in Tokyo

    Lululemon Opens 1,220-Square-Metre Harajuku Flagship in Tokyo

    Lululemon has opened a 1,220-square-metre flagship store in Tokyo’s Harajuku district, its largest retail location across the Asia-Pacific region. The multi-level site serves as the brand’s first global flagship in Japan, built to anchor its wider expansion beyond traditional yoga apparel.

    The store design incorporates a sculptural logo centrepiece built with Japanese furniture maker Karimoku and Torafu Architects. It features commissioned artworks referencing Meiji Shrine, Yoyogi Park and Ura-Harajuku, alongside the company’s first in-store personalisation services in Japan and traditional Furoshiki gift wrapping options.

    Local Design and Product Mix

    Assortments in the Harajuku store focus heavily on category diversification, stocking lines for running, training, golf, tennis and commuting. Apparel includes dedicated Asia Fit cuts tailored specifically to regional sizing preferences, moving the brand deeper into everyday activewear.

    Elliot Harris, Lululemon’s senior vice president and general manager for Asia Pacific, noted that Japanese consumers demand high standards of craftsmanship, longevity and product education. The flagship operates as a community venue hosting running events like the Hatsu Run and sessions with local brand ambassadors.

    Betting on Japanese Sports Apparel

    While many apparel chains across East Asia trim physical square footage to cut overhead, premium athletic labels are taking the opposite route in Tier 1 retail hubs. Japan’s sports apparel market is projected to expand into a US$15 billion sector by 2032, driven by sustained local participation in fitness, running and outdoor movement.

    RetailNews Asia views the Harajuku opening as a direct play for brand equity in a market where shoppers still place heavy value on physical store service before buying online. Large-format spaces allow athletic brands to justify premium price points by bundling experiential marketing with technical product demonstrations.

    Lululemon is monitoring foot traffic and conversion metrics at the Harajuku site as it evaluates flagship store formats for other key metropolitan markets across Asia Pacific.