Oh!Some Scales Back in Vietnam 16 Months After Opening Flagship
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Chinese lifestyle chain Oh!Some is closing stores across Vietnam. The closures come 16 months after it opened a 2,000-square-metre flagship in central Ho Chi Minh City.
The retailer entered Vietnam in April 2025 and expanded quickly. Mounting losses soon forced a reassessment. High mall rents, logistics expenses and rising wages squeezed margins across its Vietnamese outlets, according to people familiar with the operations.
Retreat across regional hubs
Vietnam is not the only market where the chain has pulled back. Oh!Some has already shut all stores in Singapore, where parent firm Blue Origin Group is based. Its only branch in Hong Kong also closed recently.
Oh!Some sells beauty products, homeware, accessories, toys and daily essentials. The group had targeted Southeast Asia for rapid expansion. It drafted launch roadmaps for Thailand and Cambodia, and named Indonesia as its main regional engine.
High overheads pinch lifestyle chains
Budget lifestyle chains across Southeast Asia face stiff competition from rivals like Miniso and local value merchants. Massive central footprints make the problem worse. Oh!Some took a multi-level site at Vincom Center Dong Khoi, leaving the low-margin business exposed when basket sizes failed to cover prime leasing costs.
Blue Origin Group has not stated whether it will exit Vietnam entirely or keep a smaller store footprint in secondary shopping centres.
Questions & Answers
Q.What factors led Oh!Some to scale back its operations in Vietnam?
What factors led Oh!Some to scale back its operations in Vietnam?
Mounting losses, high mall rents, logistics expenses, and rising wages significantly squeezed margins across its Vietnamese outlets. Low basket sizes also failed to cover prime leasing costs for its large central footprints.
Q.Has Oh!Some scaled back its presence in other markets besides Vietnam?
Has Oh!Some scaled back its presence in other markets besides Vietnam?
Yes, Oh!Some has already shut all its stores in Singapore, where its parent firm Blue Origin Group is based. Its only branch in Hong Kong also closed recently.
Q.What kind of products does Oh!Some sell to its customers?
What kind of products does Oh!Some sell to its customers?
Oh!Some sells a variety of products, including beauty items, homeware, accessories, toys, and daily essentials. It operates as a budget lifestyle chain.
Q.What were Oh!Some's expansion plans for the wider Southeast Asian region?
What were Oh!Some's expansion plans for the wider Southeast Asian region?
The group had targeted Southeast Asia for rapid expansion, drafting launch roadmaps for Thailand and Cambodia. Indonesia was named as its main regional engine for growth.
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