Thai importer and distributor of 14 fashion brands Pacifica Group plans to expand its free-standing shops from 80 to 140 over three years.
Costing about Bt400 million (US$11.3 million), the store expansion will be 60 to 70 per cent mass-market fashion brands, with the balance luxury products, says chief executive Opra Lavichant.
Pacifica’s fashion brands include American Eagle Outfitters, Camper, Coach, Keds and Max Mara.
“Earlier this year we reshuffled our operations within the group with the buy-out of all minority shares in our subsidiary Pacifica Element, which is in charge of the import and distribution of premium fashion products,” says Lavichant. “The move will allow me and my family 100 per cent control over all subsidiaries.”
Other subsidiaries include Go Retail, Pacifica Lifestyle and Pacifica Max.
Lavichant says the reshuffle will also help the company cope with the fluctuating economic situation and the growth of the competitive lifestyle fashion sector.
“We will focus on store expansion and our imported mass fashion brands because of their tremendous opportunity for growth in the domestic market, both in Bangkok and many first and secondary provinces throughout the country.”
The group is also looking to expand outside Thailand, he says.
Under its new three-year business plan, the group aims to increase its sales by 25 to 30 per cent every year, says Lavichant. It also expects its overall revenue to grow from Bt1 billion last year to Bt1.4 billion this year.
“We expect to double the business for our mass-market fashion brands both in sales and the number of physical stores within the next three years. However, the sales of our luxury and premium products will increase by between 15 and 20 per cent every year.”
To help growth in the mass-market segment, the company plans to expand its American Eagle Outfitters branches from five stores to between 15 and 20 over the next three years. The latest outlet has just opened at Fashion Island shopping centre in Bangkok, and another will open at Terminal 21 at the end of this year. The plan includes new stores at major tourist destinations such as Chiang Mai and Phuket.
As well, the group will increase the number of stores selling NYX cosmetics, one of its fastest-growing brands, from 16 to 28 by the end of next year.
