Chinese E-Grocer Dingdong Names Song Wang as CEO
Dingdong, a Chinese fresh grocery e‑commerce platform, has appointed Song Wang as its new chief executive officer following the resignation of founder Changlin Liang, who will remain chairman of the board. Wang, who joined Dingdong in 2023, previously served as SVP, CFO and head of the private‑label Guyu Business Group. The company highlighted his expertise in product development, supply‑chain construction and financial strategy. Wang pledged to strengthen product differentiation, enhance supply‑chain capabilities and maintain a user‑centric service philosophy.
Siam Piwat: The Retail Company Driving Thailand’s Luxury Momentum
Thailand’s luxury retail market, now worth $4.4 billion, is being reshaped by Siam Piwat’s two flagship malls, Siam Paragon and the newly opened IconSiam. The company commands roughly 70 % of the country’s luxury share and has attracted more than 51 global...
Inside Central Retail’s New Strategy to Become Thailand’s Market Leader
Central Retail unveiled its 2026 “Innovation in Action” plan, targeting disciplined, organic growth after a modest 3.6% revenue rise to 253.2 bn baht and a 9.9% profit decline. The strategy emphasizes expanding its Go Wholesale membership warehouses to 16 by year‑end,...
On Debuts Standalone South Korea Store in Seoul’s Hannam
Swiss sportswear brand On opened its first standalone retail store in South Korea, located in Seoul’s Hannam district. The three‑level space showcases running gear on the ground floor and lifestyle, tennis, outdoor and kids’ products on upper levels, while a...
Pickup Coffee Seeks Funding with up to $8 Million Convertible Notes
Pickup Coffee, a fast‑growing Philippine budget coffee chain, is issuing up to $8 million in convertible notes to Venturi Partners and Antler. The notes complement an equity raise that could total $20‑40 million, already closed months earlier. Founded in 2022, the brand...
KKV Debuts in Hong Kong with Wan Chai Store Opening
Chinese lifestyle retailer KKV launched its first Hong Kong outlet on Lee Tung Avenue in Wan Chai, marking the brand’s entry into the market. The store showcases KKV’s ‘100 Lifestyles’ concept, offering a curated mix of beauty, snack, toy, stationery,...
US Tariff Reprieve Leads to Opportunity, and Scepticism, in China’s Exports Hubs
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling trimmed the weighted tariff on Chinese goods from 32.4% to 22.3%, creating a temporary reprieve through July. Some exporters, like equipment maker Chen Zhuo, are accelerating shipments to lock in lower duties, while others remain...
Gong Cha Introduces ‘Red Ruby’ Store Concept at IconSiam
Gong Cha opened its sixth Thai outlet at IconSiam, debuting the new ‘Red Ruby’ store concept. The design uses ruby‑inspired red tones and sleek finishes to reinforce a premium tea image. Positioned as an experience‑oriented space with seating, the store...
Stacked Store to Open Retail Concept Inside IMBA Immersive Art Venue
Singapore‑based home‑goods retailer Stacked Store will open the IMBA Store, a dedicated gift shop for the immersive IMBA art venue at Gardens by the Bay, on April 3, 2026. The shop, curated and operated by Stacked Store, will sell design‑focused keepsakes, collectibles...
Japanese Brand Beams to Open US Flagship
Japanese fashion and lifestyle retailer Beams will open a 1,250 sqm flagship store on a single floor in Los Angeles, establishing a central hub for its U.S. operations. The store will showcase Beams’ own labels alongside curated global brands, reflecting its...
Authentic Taps NewRee Sports to Lead Reebok in Greater China
Authentic Brands Group has named NewRee Sports as the core operating partner for Reebok across Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. NewRee will manage production, import, distribution and sales of Reebok footwear and apparel for adults and children in these...
Zara Unveils Revamped Store in Japan’s Yokohama
Zara has reopened its 2,000 sqm Minatomirai Tokyu Square store in Yokohama, moving it to the second level with dual mall and street access. The interior features boutique‑style rooms framed by structural beams, natural light from glazed facades and skylights, and...
St John Knits Names Mandy West as CEO
St John Knits announced Mandy West as its new chief executive officer, effective immediately. West, who joined the luxury knitwear label in 2019, most recently held the chief commercial officer role and previously oversaw retail, wholesale and buying as senior...
Levi’s New Asia MD on the Next Chapter of Growth in East Asia Pacific
Levi Strauss & Co. has appointed longtime executive Vicky Skelton as managing director of its East Asia Pacific region, tasking her with accelerating growth across a highly diverse market set. Skelton, who previously led Levi’s Canada, will drive a brand‑led,...
Singapore Retail Sales Fall in Jan as Chinese New Year Occurs Late
Singapore’s retail sales slipped 2.8% year‑on‑year in January 2026, totaling SG$3.9 billion, with online channels accounting for 16.8% of the mix. The drop is largely attributed to the Chinese New Year moving to February, postponing festive spending that boosted sales in...
DFI Retail Group’s ‘Significant Progress’ Drives Positive Earnings
DFI Retail Group posted a 35% jump in underlying profit to $270 million for FY2025, despite flat sales of $8.8 billion. Chairman Lincoln Pan credited portfolio simplification and a focus on higher‑margin categories for the performance. 7‑Eleven shifted toward ready‑to‑eat and non‑cigarette...
Pokémon Centre in Jewel Changi to Undergo Major Overhaul
The Pokémon Centre at Jewel Changi Airport will close on April 1 for a three‑month renovation that introduces a fully localised store concept. The refreshed outlet will showcase Singapore‑heritage‑inspired installations, an expanded merchandise mix and immersive experiences. Temporary pop‑up stores will operate...
New Standout Stores During Last Quarter: Hermès, Champion and More
Asian retailers are redefining physical stores as immersive lifestyle hubs. In the last quarter, Bape launched an all‑white flagship in Hong Kong featuring LED façades and a Bape Café, while Rapha opened its first mainland China Clubhouse in Shanghai, combining retail,...
Miniso Opens Malaysia’s First Miniso Land at Sunway Pyramid
Miniso launched its first Miniso Land in Malaysia at Sunway Pyramid, creating the largest store of its kind in Southeast Asia. The 1,700 sqm outlet houses more than 8,000 products, with over 70 % featuring licensed or proprietary IP characters across 15...
Golden Goose ‘More Excited than Ever’ After Positive Earnings
Golden Goose reported FY25 revenue of €734 million, a 15% year‑on‑year rise, driven by a 21% surge in direct‑to‑consumer sales that now represent 81% of total revenue. The brand added 17 new stores, bringing its global footprint to 232 locations, with...
Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Appoints David Tse as Global Creative Director
Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group has created a global creative director role and appointed David Tse to fill it, signaling a strategic push to elevate the brand on the world stage. Tse, who previously led Hermès’ Shanghai creative team and...
Network Expansion Continues to Fuel Luckin Coffee’s Sales Growth
Luckin Coffee posted double‑digit Q4 revenue growth, with net revenues climbing 32.9% to RMB 12.7 billion. The chain added 1,834 new stores, bringing total locations to 31,048, including 1,792 in China and a handful overseas. Same‑store sales for company‑operated stores improved...
Bonjour Holdings Suffers Losses in ‘Complex’ Retail Environment
Hong Kong investment group Bonjour Holdings reported a half‑year loss of HK$68.8 million for the period ending 31 December 2025, an improvement from the HK$134.4 million loss a year earlier. Revenue plunged 50.4% year‑on‑year to HK$6.7 million in its retail and wholesale division, while gross...
What Makes a Great Agency Partner?
Retail marketers often pick agencies based on relationships, reputation lists, price, and niche experience, but those criteria only get to the long‑list stage. The article argues that true partnership hinges on deeper factors such as transparent KPI sharing, resistance to...
Panpuri Opens First Macau Flagship with Tea-Inspired Concept
Thai wellness brand Panpuri launched its first Macau flagship, the Panpuri Sensorial Boutique, inside The Venetian Macau. The store is built around a "Teahouse of Scent" concept that reinterprets Macau’s historic tea‑house culture through fragrance. Central to the experience is...
Dior Beauty Opens Largest Southeast Asia Boutique at IconSiam
Dior Beauty has launched its largest Southeast Asian boutique at Siam Takashimaya within Bangkok’s IconSiam complex, uniting fragrance, makeup and skincare under a single roof. The store showcases Dior’s new global retail concept, featuring the private VVIC Lounge for one‑on‑one...
“Clarity Wins” Steve Pastor on Scaling Kings of Neon without Compromise
Steve Pastor, founder and CEO of Kings of Neon, explains how the custom neon signage firm scaled from a 2019 side venture to a global partner for brands like Formula 1 Las Vegas, Netflix and BMW. He credits three non‑negotiables—quality, speed...
WhatsApp’s Quiet Takeover: How Conversational AI Is Redefining Retail
Conversational AI is moving from website bots to messaging apps, with WhatsApp emerging as the flagship channel for retail in markets such as Hong Kong, Singapore and India. Sanuker’s Woztell platform lets retailers stitch ecommerce, CRM and ERP data into...
Coupang Set to Declare Fallout From Massive Korean Data Breach
South Korea’s e‑commerce leader Coupang disclosed a massive data breach affecting about 34 million users, prompting a government investigation that blamed internal management failures. The incident coincided with a 3.5 % drop in monthly active users and a 6.3 % decline in daily...
What Lies Ahead for Thailand’s Retail Giants?
Thailand’s two retail powerhouses, Makro‑Lotus (CP Axtra) and Berli Jucker’s Big C, posted modest 2025 results, with total revenues rising only 1.7% to THB 520.7 bn and Big C’s sales falling 2.4% to THB 101 bn. Both firms cite a 7.2% drop in international tourist arrivals...
How Cafuné Built a Contemporary Handbag Brand From Hong Kong
Queenie Fan and Day Lau launched Cafuné in 2015 to address a lack of affordable, high‑quality contemporary handbags in Asia. Leveraging Fan’s New York design experience and a digital‑first, direct‑to‑consumer model, the brand built a reputation for structured, timeless silhouettes...
K11 Musea Posts Record Golden Week Traffic, Luxury Sales Jump
HK's K11 Musea posted its strongest Golden Week results since opening, with foot traffic up 10% year‑on‑year. Tourist spending surged 60%, highlighted by a single HK$2 million transaction, while luxury sales rose 40% and watches‑jewellery jumped 140%. The mall’s festive programming...
Ramenya Shima to Open First Overseas Outpost in Hong Kong
Ramenya Shima, a Tokyo‑based ramen specialist, will open its first overseas restaurant in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay next month. The 1,200 sq ft venue at Sugar+ will seat 24 guests and replicate the warm wood interior of its Shibuya flagship. The menu...
Thai Beauty Retailer Konvy Opens First Store in Philippines
Thai beauty retailer Konvy launched its first brick‑and‑mortar flagship in the Philippines, occupying a prime spot at Robinsons Galleria in Pasig City. Founded in 2012 as an e‑commerce platform in Thailand, Konvy has been adding physical stores to complement its...
Cotton On Accelerates India Growth with Apparel Group Partnership
Cotton On Group has signed a licensing partnership with Apparel Group to accelerate its expansion in India. The agreement outlines a phased omnichannel rollout that will launch brick‑and‑mortar stores, a dedicated e‑commerce site, and presence on key digital marketplaces. Apparel...
Pull&Bear Closes Last Store in Singapore
Pull&Bear has closed its last Singapore store at VivoCity, ending a 20‑year physical retail presence in the city‑state. The brand confirmed the shutdown on its website and directed returns to Zara’s VivoCity location. Inditex, Pull&Bear’s parent, has been trimming its...
Marks & Spencer Looks Set to Exit the Philippines
Marks & Spencer’s Philippine franchise, operated by the former Rustan’s Group now owned by SSI Group, has shuttered several key locations, cutting its footprint from over 20 stores to 13. Recent closures at TriNoma, Robinsons Manila, Marquee Mall and possibly...
Honolulu Cafe’s Wan Chai Branch to Close Down
Honolulu Cafe, a Hong Kong heritage coffee chain founded in the 1940s, announced the closure of its flagship Wan Chai outlet on March 1, 2026. The decision follows a period of careful consideration and marks the end of a decades‑long presence in one...
AS Watson Parent Mulls Bid for Collapsed Australian Pharmacy Group’s Assets
Hong Kong‑based AS Watson, majority‑owned by CK Hutchison, is weighing a bid for 92 Priceline pharmacies in Australia that were placed in receivership after Infinity Pharmacy Group’s collapse. The assets, franchised from Wesfarmers‑owned Priceline, are being sold by administrator Teneo with a...
BJC Moves to Snap up MM Mega Market Vietnam in $720m Deal
Berli Jucker (BJC) announced a US$720 million acquisition of MM Mega Market Vietnam, buying 921.8 million shares of TCC Land International through its Singapore subsidiary C‑Distribution Asia. The deal, valued at 22.5 billion baht, targets completion in the second quarter pending shareholder and...