Global footwear and apparel brand ASICS has ventured into the state of South Australia, opening its first standalone retail store in the state.
The new store is located at Harbour Town Premium Outlets near Adelaide Airport. It follows the recent opening of its first flagship store for Queensland in April this year, and adds to around 20 stores nationwide in both full-price and outlet formats.
Harbour Town Adelaide centre manager Kylie Neal said the centre is thrilled to welcome ASICS to its retail lineup. The centre has over 110 stores, covering fashion, footwear and health, including the likes of Bonds, Cue, Tarocash, Witchery and Lorna Jane.
Neal said securing ASICS as a stand-alone store has been six years in the making.
“Consumer and retail confidence in premium brand outlet shopping is strong, with total sales growth at Harbour Town Premium Outlets Adelaide for the 12 months to May up six per cent.
“Our visitation is also up 17 per cent in May compared to the same time last year, with our tailored premium retail mix, tourists, and recently opened Harbour Town Eats development driving performance.”
This matches similar sentiment from analysts at investment bank UBS, who note that consumers are trading down in the fashion space.
Lewis Land portfolio manager Aron Eltahir said ASICS has been a brand they’ve been looking to secure at its centre in Adelaide for a long time following its hugely successful outlet store offering for more than a decade at Harbour Town on the Gold Coast.
“To see a new store fit-out come to life and watch our retail partners achieve sales success beyond their expectations is a powerful reminder of how premium brands connect with new and returning customers through outlet retail.
“The addition of ASICS complements our premium retail sports offering alongside other brands including Adidas, Nike, Puma, New Balance, Brooks, FILA, Under Armour and 2XU.
“Harbour Town Premium Outlets Adelaide has more sports stores than any other shopping destination in South Australia.”
Over the last six months, Harbour Town in Adelaide has also welcomed Australia’s largest Glassons store, as well as Michael Kors, Sheike, 2XU, Swarovski and Rodd & Gunn.