Foreign retailers rush to open shops across Vietnam

Vietnam’s retail market continues to attract foreign investors, the Vietnam Investment Review (VIR) reported.
Vietnam’s retail market continues to attract foreign investors, the Vietnam Investment Review (VIR) reported.

CentralGroup, Thailand’s leading retailer, will open its second Robinsdepartment store at Crescent Mall, District 7, just 15 minutes from thecentre of Ho Chi Minh City later in the week. It will occupy 10,000square metres over four floors at Crescent Mall.

According toCentral Group, the company will continue to expand Robins departmentstores in Vietnam in the coming time. The Thai retailer officially setfoot in Vietnam in March with its 10,000 square-metre Robins store atRoyal City in Hanoi, its first overseas.

According to VIR,Central Group confirmed that the company is looking for local partnersin Vietnam and is seeking an European fashion and luxury-goods brandfranchise worth about 50 million USD.

In July this year, under afranchise operated by the Central Group, Iconic British retailer Marks& Spencer entered the Vietnamese market with a new flagship store inHo Chi Minh City. The store offers an extensive range of women’s wear,men’s wear and lingerie as well as accessories, shoes and sleepwear.

TosChirativat, CEO of Central Group, was quoted as saying that with 90million residents and growing middle class, Vietnam was an excitingmarket with high potential for growth and an excellent destination forinvestors in the retail sector.

In a similar move, last week, theRepublic of Korea’s retailer Lotte Mart continued its assertive pushinto Vietnam with a 29 million USD at a shopping centre in the southernprovince of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Lotte currently operates eightshopping centres – two in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi respectively, andone in Dong Nai, Da Nang, Binh Duong and Binh Thuan. By 2020, Lotte Martaims to have expanded its chain here to 60 supermarkets.

Byentering the market early, the company believes that it will be able toselect the best strategic locations in Vietnam’s marketplace, Hong WonSik, General Director of Lotte Mart Vietnam told VIR.-VNA

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