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Mon, Aug 23, 2010
The Business Times
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Destination shopping
by Melissa Lwee

FEW people walking through the Luxury Fashion area at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) would think that it was anything more than another – albeit smaller – shopping mall in Singapore.

In fact, the entire 30,000 sq feet area that houses brands such as Shanghai Tang, Victoria's Secret (the first in Singapore), Canali and Damiani, is operated by one sole luxury retail operator – the Valiram Group.

Browsing the shops, you might find the retail is reminiscent of the kind of shopping experience found at airports, down to a multi-label fragrance and beauty shop called Vie Beaute that looks exactly like the fragrance and beauty shop offerings at Changi Airport.

Which in reality is unsurprising given that the Malaysian-based Valiram Group initially started off in Singapore around 2004 as a travel-retail specialist before later expanding its portfolio by opening Coach, Jimmy Choo and Tumi outlets in the city itself. Valiram also has retail presence in Indonesia and Australia.

Though the concept might sound strange to some, Valiram's director Mukesh Valiram explains that it makes complete sense, given the special nature of the location.

"When you're opening a concept at a location such as Resorts World Sentosa that isn't right smack in the middle of the city, it is essentially destination shopping,” explains Mr Valiram.

"As a result, while you do get some local shoppers who will impulse buy while walking through, the clientele that we're aiming for here are mainly tourists or hotel guests who might have wanted to buy something at Changi Airport but didn't have time to browse through. What we've done is recreate that experience on a bigger scale, but this time, allowing them to shop at their leisure."

Valiram's projections may very well turn out to be spot on, if the business done by Luxury Fashion since it opened doors in January is anything to go by.

"Business has been very very good," reveals Mr Valiram.

"We're attracting a healthy dose of customers and tourists, many of whom are from mainland China. The spending has also been spread out over the different concepts so we're happy so far."

Valiram has invested more than $50 million in the project as it believes that RWS will become a "powerful destination in the long run", says Mr Valiram. The launch of Luxury Fashion, he says, "will also go a long way toward solidifying the group's strength as one of the region's leading luxury goods and travel retail specialists".

RSW is equally excited about the partnership. "With over 20 retail outlets housing more than 80 exclusive brands, Luxury Fashion is a must-stop for any fashionista visiting RSW," says RSW's vice-president of resorts operations Noel Hawkes.

"Our collaboration with the Valiram Group, which has a deep understanding and extensive experience in luxury retail, has created a truly unique and luxurious shopping experience that has strengthened the overall appeal of the resort."

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This article was first published in The Business Times.

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