Pomelo’s growth shows hope for retailers

Pomelo’s triple-digit revenue growth after re-opening across the region has shown hope for retailers in Southeast Asia as retail bounds back post-Covid lockdowns.

In Thailand, the omnichannel retailer saw a spike in the platform’s revenue growth of 127 percent between August and October as the country eased restrictions with malls and restaurants reopening in September. Across the broader Southeast Asia region, Pomelo saw an increase in retail foot traffic of 84 percent.

“We are currently seeing a dramatic increase in spending across all of the Pomelo channels since the reopening,” said David Jou, co-founder, and CEO at Pomelo Fashion. “Both online & offline are benefiting from the pent-up demand and this is a global trend happening everywhere across the world.

“With the borders slowly beginning to open up and travel resuming, we expect to see another uptick in terms of demand for the fashion industry.”

Prior to the reopening in the region, the retailer launched seven stores, including new locations in Kuala Lumpur, Rayong, and Chiang Mai. Pomelo currently operates 26 brick-and-mortar stores and has more than 600 other brands on its e-commerce platform.

The omnichannel retailer recorded around 40 percent in revenue growth last year, while the fashion industry in Southeast Asia was down 25.5 percent due to the pandemic, according to Euromonitor. About 90 percent of Pomelo’ revenue was generated from e-commerce channels.