Pomelo speeds up Southeast Asian retail expansion

Pomelo is speeding up its retail expansion plans across Southeast Asia as part of a multi-market retail strategy.

The company said it will enter Indonesia and Malaysia next. Indonesia’s first store will open at Central Park mall this November, while Malaysia’s first store is expected to launch in the first quarter of next year.

“Creating a seamless omnichannel experience has always been at the core of what we do at Pomelo, and it’s what allows us to continue expanding our retail presence at a time when other brands may be doing the opposite,” said Anders Heikenfeldt, chief retail officer at Pomelo.

Last month, Pomelo Thailand opened two retail stores – at The Mall Ngamwongwan and Terminal 21 in Bangkok. By November, the brand will roll out three more stores in the city’s popular shopping locations, including Fashion Island and Siam Center. The company said it plans to reach 20 stores in the country by the end of this year.

In Singapore, Pomelo will open the city’s second store at Nex mall in November.

Pomelo’s Tap Try Buy, a rebranded iteration of the Pomelo Pick Up service, makes up almost half of Pomelo’s online orders, with this percentage continuing to increase during Covid-19.

“With Tap Try Buy, we’ve seen a huge increase in user adoption, especially as Thailand started to ease lockdown restrictions,” said Heikenfeldt. “For us as a brand, this emphasized the importance of opening more physical touchpoints to both engage with our existing customers as well as enable new shoppers across the region to experience our unique omnichannel approach.”