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Tag: Times Square

  • SKIMS Opens Flagship Store at Times Square in Hong Kong

    SKIMS Opens Flagship Store at Times Square in Hong Kong

    SKIMS opened a flagship store at Times Square in Hong Kong, establishing a dedicated physical location in one of the city’s busiest shopping destinations. The opening brings the brand’s core shapewear, loungewear, and apparel lines directly to local shoppers in Causeway Bay.

    Causeway Bay Footprint

    The Times Square location anchors the brand’s direct retail operations in Hong Kong. By securing floor space in a prime commercial mall, the company shifts from wholesale and regional e-commerce fulfilment toward standalone branded storefronts that handle higher foot traffic.

    Shoppers gain direct access to the full product catalogue across sizing ranges and seasonal collections. Physical fitting and immediate inventory availability remain central to the store format, addressing sizing demands that online channels cannot replicate.

    Expansion Across Regional Hubs

    Western direct-to-consumer labels continue to target top-tier retail properties across Asia to capture resilient domestic consumer spending. Hong Kong remains a testing ground for international fashion brands gauging appetite before committing to broader rollouts across mainland China and Southeast Asia.

    Retail property managers in Causeway Bay have adjusted tenancy mixes over the past two years, replacing legacy luxury concessions with high-engagement lifestyle and specialty apparel names. Mall operators look to these direct-to-consumer openings to lift younger demographic footfall and weekday mall conversion rates.

    Attention turns to foot traffic numbers and sales productivity per square foot through the opening quarter, alongside any future site announcements across Greater China.

  • Tse Sui Luen Jewellery sales rise boosted by tourist

    Tse Sui Luen Jewellery sales rise boosted by tourist

    Tse Sui Luen Jewellery sales and profit both rose in the first half year – but the company has tempered the good news by expressing concerns about the impact of the US-Sino trade war. Chairwoman Annie Yau said in a stock exchange filing that the improved retail sentiment in Hong Kong since September last year due to increased numbers of mainland tourists and growing consumption appetite of local customers, the city’s retail market has continued to progress “in an L-shape”.

    “However, the recent outbreak and escalation of trade dispute between China and the US has cast some doubts on the economic outlook for both the global and local economies going forward. One consequence has been the devaluation of Renminbi during the period, which could bring certain influence to our business in Hong Kong and Mainland China during the remainder of this financial year.

    “While it is still too early to conclude the actual impact on the group’s performance, we will continue to take a cautiously optimistic approach in our major operating regions, namely Hong Kong and Mainland China,” said Lau.

    Tse Sui Luen Jewellery sales increased by 10.2 per cent to HK$1.91 billion in the six months to July (the company has changed its financial year to September, so comparative figures are based on the six months to August 31 last year).

    Profit attributable to owners of the company increased by 38.9 per cent to $24.3 million.

    Sales in Hong Kong and Macau rose by 15.3 per cent during the half year, while same-store sales growth for all businesses in the territories rose 14.8 per cent. Retail rentals in Hong Kong remained static and “at a more reasonable level than that experienced in past years”, allowing the company expand its retail business in the city and enlarge the shop area of some of its existing stores, including those in Times Square in Causeway Bay and Plaza Hollywood in Diamond Hill.

    “We will continue to identify other suitable high-traffic shopping arcades and on-street stores in order to further penetrate tourist and residential precincts as applicable,” said Lau. “Nevertheless, the ongoing manpower shortage situation in Hong Kong remains a concern in setting the pace of expansion. In respect to Macau, due to a steady increase in tourists from Mainland China and their spending powers, our business in Macau achieved an increase of 8.7 per cent in turnover during the period.”

    In Mainland China, where its self-owned stores account for 37.3 per cent of Tse Sui Luen Jewellery sales, sales rose 4.2 per cent, but fell 3.5 per cent on a same-store basis. The company is expanding its network of franchised stores, adding 25 during the period taking the number to 207. After adding 197 self-run stores, Tse Sui Luen now has 404 outlets on the mainland.

    In Malaysia, Tse Sui Luen has five stores, including the latest to open in Genting. Sales rose 13.9 per cent.

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  • Starbucks to open Reserve store in Malaysia

    Starbucks to open Reserve store in Malaysia

    Starbucks Malaysia is about to open its first Reserve store.

    Local franchise holder Berjaya Food plans to expand its existing Berjaya Times Square Starbucks outlet into the new up-market format.

    The brand has entered into a sale and purchase agreement to secure an 829sqft space adjacent to the existing café for a reported RM12.43 million (US$3.05 million). The space was purchased by investment firm Deru Klasik for RM3.83 million in 2005. The purchase is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

    Berjaya Food said the Starbucks Malaysia Reserve store will provide customers with a personalised, hand-crafted coffee experience, adding that the property acquisition should enable the group to benefit from any future capital appreciation.

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  • Rough week for Tang Shing-bor

    Rough week for Tang Shing-bor

    Property tycoon Tang Shing-bor has sold a block of land next to Times Square shopping mall for a total of HK$950 million (US$122 million).

    Previously the Causeway Bay land housed two buildings, and the sale paves the way for it to be redeveloped into a 34,500sqft (3200sqm) retail tower, reports the Hong Kong Economic Times.

    The buyer of the Percival Street site is believed to be Hysan Development, which owns Hysan Place mall and neighbouring Lee Garden properties.

    Real-estate intelligence website Mingtiandi says the deal is another sign of Hong Kong’s robust commercial property market and the rising popularity of the “Ginza-style” vertical shopping-mall format.

    Dubbed Hong Kong’s “shop king”, Tang had been gradually buying up parts of the two adjacent buildings, culminating with his $250 million purchase last year of the 1100sqft ground-floor Kung Wo Tong tea shop. Before this, the billionaire founder of real-estate investment firm Stan Group had paid more than HK$100 million to acquire full ownership of the neighbouring five-storey building, since demolished.

    Market analysts predict the new owner will redevelop the combined site into a retail tower modelled after the high-rise buildings dominated by retail and nightlife offerings in Tokyo’s upscale shopping district Ginza, says Mingtiandi.

    Meanwhile, the Percival Street sale marks the third major disposal in less than four months for Tang, who is said to have had property transactions worth a total of $5.9 billion since July.

  • Line Friends says Hello to the US

    Line Friends says Hello to the US

    Line Friends will become the first Asian character brand to open a large-scale official store in the US.

    Its store in New York City’s Times Square, opening in July, also marks the one-year anniversary of Line listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

    Line Friends has opened stores in 11 other countries and regions including China, Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan, and had a pop-up store in New York City in 2014.

    Line New York

    In New York, the store will have about 430 sqm of retail space on Broadway, and will attract attention with LED billboards.

    There are 73 official and pop-up Line Friends stores around the world, and the brand also collaborates regularly with different brands, such as pen company Lamy and Italian stationery group Moleskine.

    Line Friends grew from sticker characters for the messenger app Line, which has 220 million users globally.

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  • Bape’s Baby Milo opens Japan, Hong Kong pop ups

    Bape’s Baby Milo opens Japan, Hong Kong pop ups

    Baby Milo has opened a pair of pop-up locations in Tokyo this week, as well as a Hong Kong location over the weekend.

    Parent brand A Bathing Bape has begun opening Baby Milo stores across Japan (Harajuku and Shibuya), Hong Kong and China this past weekend, signalling the Japanese novelty brand’s latest push into major Asian capitals.

    Baby Milo has purposefully built a fully interactive shopping experience, an extension of the ‘retailtainment’ phenomenon sweeping Asia this year.

    The Baby Milo label features plush animal characters centred on the namesake character Milo — a time-traveling monkey who loves to dance and eat bananas, and his friends Alii the Giraffe, Hippo, Baby Doppy, PD, Core the Koala and Elephant Eleph.

    Largely an accessories pop-up, key items on sale include key rings, bags, wallets, small goods, and other assorted accessories.

    The pop-up boutique will also offer up a bevy of soft goods and lifestyle items, alongside some limited-edition seasonal releases such as two Baby Milo Christmas snowglobes.

    The Hong Kong store is decked out with two giant claw arcade games at the entrance and iconic Bape camo, Ape heads and Baby Milos all over the ceiling.

    Baby Milo has stores located in New Town Plaza in Shatin, the I.T flagship store as well as Times Square located in Causeway Bay.

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  • Ralph Lauren Hong Kong closes flagship

    Ralph Lauren Hong Kong closes flagship

    Following other international fashion labels, Ralph Lauren Hong Kong has closed its flagship store.

    Four years ago, its then CEO Ralph Lauren said the company was transforming its presence in China, “a region we believe will become an important driver of growth for us over the long term”.

    He was announcing plans to open 60 stores in greater China by 2015. A year after the announcement, the label launched its first men’s flagship store in Asia, in the Landmark Prince’s in Hong Kong’s Central district, and in October 2014 opened a “mansion” store at the Lee Gardens complex, offering accessories, watches and jewellery as well as men’s and women’s fashions.

    Now its 20,000 sqft (1858 sqm) store in Causeway Bay has been closed overnight, with a representative of the brand saying the closure was “part of our strategic and financial plan”.

    “We are redeploying assets to focus on new concept stores and transition away from unprofitable formats and locations,” the spokeswoman says.

    Ralph Lauren will combine its men’s and women’s flagships in the newly renovated Prince’s Building location, she says.

    The move is part of a new strategy from Stefan Larsson, who replaced Lauren as CEO a year ago (Lauren is still executive chairman and chief creative officer). Larsson previously worked for Swedish fast-fashion retailer H&M for 15 years.

    The restructuring will cut more than 50 stores and 1000 jobs worldwide, saving the company between US$180 million and US$220 million a year, reports The South China Morning Post.

    Meanwhile, American fast-fashion label Forever 21 has announced it will close its multi-storey Causeway Bay flagship store. British label Paul Smith has already closed its Times Square store, and Italian luxury clothing and accessories label Tonino Lamborghini has also closed more than 10 stores and in-store counters.

    Abercrombie & Fitch is set to leave its prime location in the Pedder Building in Central, which will leave it without a stand-alone store in Hong Kong. This follows it closing about 50 stores in the US this year. But the US company plans to open a flagship store in Beijing.

  • Two more stores for Brooks Brothers Hong Kong

    Two more stores for Brooks Brothers Hong Kong

    US apparel brand Brooks Brothers has opened a flagship store at Gateway Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui, as well as a concept store at Times Square, Causeway Bay.

    Brooks Brothers is known for creating the button-down collar and seersucker suits, and its new boutiques showcase the same classic looks as featured at its first Hong Kong store at IFC Mall.

    Brooks Brothers opened its original store in New York in 1818.

  • Park to replace Tokyo’s Sony Building

    Park to replace Tokyo’s Sony Building

    The Sony Building, a landmark in Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district, will be torn down and replaced with a park.

    This is not the result of a green movement victory over a corporation – it is Sony’s idea, and it is hoping the park will be similar to New York’s Times Square.

    Demolition is scheduled to begin next year, and once the site is cleared it will be opened to the public and remain that way until after the 2020 Olympic Games.

    At the direction of Sony co-founder Akio Morita, the Sony Building opened in 1966 as the “gate of Ginza”. With eight floors above ground and five below, the building occupies a 707 sqm site at the Sukiyabashi intersection and has a total floor space of 8811 sqm.

    Its first to sixth floors are mainly occupied by Sony Store Ginza as well as showrooms for Sony products. The building attracts around 4 million visitors a year.

    After its complete closure in March, the building will be demolished over a period of about 15 months. Once the debris is cleared, Sony will open Ginza Sony Park, hosting concerts and charity events at the site through the autumn of 2020, the year of the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Sony Store Ginza will be relocated temporarily to Ginza Place, a shopping complex scheduled to open soon at the Ginza 4-chome intersection.

    After the Olympics, Sony plans a new building on the park site, expected to be complete in the autumn of 2022.

    Sony president/CEO Kazuo Hirai says the Ginza district rarely has this kind of open space. He says it is a chance to offer something reflecting Japanese culture to foreign visitors.

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  • Sour note for Lancome-sponsored concert

    Sour note for Lancome-sponsored concert

    Make-up brand Lancome, along with other stores owned by French cosmetics giant L’Oreal, closed in Hong Kong yesterday in the face of protests over the cancelling of a Lancome-sponsored concert featuring a pro-democracy singer.

    As well as Lancome’s booth at Lane Crawford, Times Square, Yves Saint Laurent Beaute and Helena Rubinstein’s booths, as well as Shu Uemura’s store, were all closed. Lancome’s office at Times Square was also shuttered. In Causeway Bay, Lancome counters in Sogo and Hysan Place were both closed, while those for other brands under L’Oreal, such as Shu Uemura, were open.

    Dozens of protesters earlier crowded the Lane Crawford store in Times Square accusing Lancome of bowing to China by cancelling the concert, starring cantopop singer Denise Ho Wan-sze.

    Carrying yellow umbrellas – a symbol of Hong Kong’s democracy movement, which is supported by Ho – and banners in Chinese, English and French, the protesters were shouting: “L’Oreal! No self-censorship.”

    Hong Kong internet users and political activists have also vowed to boycott all brands under the L’Oreal banner, including Lancome, Kiehl’s, Shu Uemura and The Body Shopimes, a tabloid published by the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper, criticised Lancome for working with Ho. This sparked calls online in China to shun Lancome’s business on the mainland.

    “Tough times”

    Ho says she was saddened by the cancellation of her concert.

    “I am quite shocked that a global brand such as Lancome … would succumb to the pressure from Chinese tabloid news or the Chinese market,” says the 39-year-old singer.

    “In Hong Kong we have been going through really rough times,” she says. “Most of we celebrities wouldn’t dare to speak out for ourselves because we know that self-censorship is really serious right now in Hong Kong. But I wouldn’t think that worldwide brands such as Lancome or L’Oreal would succumb to this kind of pressure.”

    L’Oreal, which counts China as its second strongest market for sales behind the US, says it cancelled the concert because of safety concerns.

    Booked to perform on June 19, Ho wrote on her Facebook page that Lancome’s decision was self-censorship. “When a brand like Lancome has to kneel down to a bullying hegemony… the world’s values have been seriously twisted.”

    Meanwhile, the controversy has escalated on the mainland, with internet users threatening to boycott a host of Hong Kong companies tied to billionaire Richard Li Tzar-kai, whose company PCCW owns the Moov fitness app, which suggested on Monday that it would “employ Denise Ho permanently”.

    Li’s family is also involved with such companies as Johnson and Johnson, Listerine and Watsons. Ho is a spokesperson for Listerine.

    PCCW says that while Richard Li and Moov respect freedom of expression and staunchly oppose Hong Kong independence, Moov has no intention to engage in political matters, and the expression “permanent employment” was used before online comments linked the message to political discussions.

    Meanwhile, Ho says Lancome should stand firm on its core values and moral standards. The singer was  among more than 200 people arrested as the pro-democracy protests ended in December 2014. She was blacklisted by mainland media along with singer Anthony Wong Yiu-ming.

  • Dior Hong Kong opens Times Square boutique

    Dior Hong Kong opens Times Square boutique

    A Dior Hong Kong exclusive store has opened in Times Square mall, the boutique continuing the style of its Avenue Montaigne flagship store in Paris.

    Dior Hong Kong times squares.jpg 3

    Its design concept is a mix of 18th century and modern, says the Times Square Facebook page. The interior was designed by architect Peter Marino, who was also responsible for the Paris flagship.

    Dior Hong Kong times squares.jpg 2

    Dior exclusive shops feature women’s garments, leather goods, footwear and accessories. There are five zones in the new outlet, with two rooms devoted to bags (one features the complete range of Dior handbags, while the other has exotic bags). The other zones are the Footwear District, Ready-to-wear Salon and Ornaments/Accessories District.

    Dior Hong Kong times squares.jpg 4

    Dior Hong Kong times squares.jpg 1

    Features of the decor include a fireplace and table by Juan & Paloma Garrido, a film installation by Yoram Mevorach Oyoram, a circular bench by Christopher Schanck and tables by Christophe Delcourt and Thierry Lemaire.

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  • Metrobooks Hong Kong plans up to 10 stores

    Metrobooks Hong Kong plans up to 10 stores

    Metrobooks Hong Kong plans to open as many as 10 more stores in the territory, undeterred by the demise of rival retail booksellers.

    The company opens its fourth store in Hong Kong this Friday – on the 9th floor of Times Square. The 465 sqm store is split into two: Metrobooks offers lifestyle books and quality stationery to sophisticated professionals and MetroKids by Metrobooks targets young families and expatriates.

    Metrobooks’ parent, National Book Store Inc of the Philippines, chose Hong Kong as its first overseas location back in 2007 and has steadily expanded in the territory during the last few years.

    “NBS strongly believes in the retail market in Hong Kong and targets to open five to 10 more stores in the coming years,” a spokesman told Inside Retail Hong Kong.

    Besides books, Metrobooks offers a wide range of unique stationery items sourced from Japan and the US.

    Included in the Times Square store is an exclusive range from Itoya – the long established Japanese stationery shop. The first store of Itoya opened in 1904 in Ginza, Tokyo. Now Itoya has evolved into the leading stationery store in Japan, with the 12-storey flagship store in Ginza, 18 branches and one overseas store in San Francisco.

    The MetroKids by Metrobooks is the largest and most specialised English language children’s bookstore in Hong Kong, comprising 280 sqm of space split into three zones – Parenting & Early Learning; Intermediate and Young Adult, with more than 7000 items including books, stationery, art & craft, toys and gifts.

    Besides the best-selling series from well-known publishers like Scholastic, Oxford Reading Tree, Jolly Phonics and Usborne, and stationery brands like Tombow and Stabilo, Metrobooks says it aims to source innovative collections and emerging brands from around the world.

    Among the unique offer in the MetroKids by Metrobooks shop is a range from International Arrivals, a stationery brand from the US with fun, functional and easy-to-use crafting and creation tools inspiring children to express themselves with their imagination with creativity.

    NBS is the largest bookstore chain in the Philippines, with over 180 stores nationwide.

    In Hong Kong it has stores at Times Square, in Elements Mall and K11 in Tsim Sha Tsui, and at Mikki in Kowloon.

    The Itoya corner at Metrobooks.

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