Alo is stepping up its global expansion plan with a flurry of store openings in China.
On Oct. 16, the brand marked the opening of its first local flagship at K11 Musea in Hong Kong.
Spanning more than 7,000 square feet across two floors, the Sanctuary store overlooks Victoria Dockside and is close to Rosewood Hotel, with which the activewear brand has an ongoing partnership. Alo’s full range, including womenswear, menswear, footwear, accessories, leather goods and sunglasses, is available at the store.
The store opening “marks a significant milestone in Alo’s expansion across North Asia and reinforces Hong Kong’s role as a key market for the brand’s growing wellness community,” Alo said in a statement.
The opening event, which included a 3,000-drone performance, wellness events such as sound healing, journal customization, aura photography and fashion sketches, was attended by global ambassador Jisoo and models Ming Xi and Stella Maxwell.
Throughout the opening weekend, activities ran the gamut from traditional Chinese medicine consultation, sound bowl healing, wellness walks, yoga, pilates, breath work, to live DJ sets.
Since the store soft-opened on Sept. 25, which is a week ahead of China’s Golden Week holiday rush, sales reached 20 million renminbi, or $2.9 million, for the first week, according to local media reports. Tourists accounted for 60 percent of total sales, according to the report.
Horace Lam, chief executive officer of K11 Hong Kong, told local media that the performance of Alo reflected the mall’s strategy to attract “younger, high-spending shoppers.”
In addition to upgrading existing stores for Prada, Miu Miu and Max Mara, K11 Musea is expected to open The Place LV, Louis Vuitton’s hybrid retail concept that also counts locations in Seoul and Bangkok.
Alo’s European push is also advancing with the opening of its first Berlin store on Oct. 15. The 6,000-square-foot Sanctuary store introduced the brand’s wellness program locally, which included a candlelit yoga experience at Tempodrom, a popular inner city concert venue.
“The city’s creative energy offers a distinct setting for our California-rooted approach to premium apparel and wellness,” Benedetta Petruzzo, Alo’s international chief executive officer, said in a statement. “We are entering with a long-term mindset, and this first Sanctuary gives us an opportunity to deepen our relationship with the local community and become part of their everyday lives.”
In addition to the Hong Kong flagship, Alo recently opened a pop-up at Zhangyuan in Shanghai. Alo has mapped out an “eight store, seven cities” strategy for mainland China. In addition to the K11 Musea and Zhangyuan store, Alo will soon roll out retail projects at Shanghai’s HRKI Taikoo Hui flagship, Beijing’s China World Mall, Hong Kong’s Lee Gardens, Macao’s Galaxy Promenade flagship, Shenzhen’s Bay MixC flagship, Hangzhou’s in77 flagship and Taikoo’s Li Chengdu flagship.