Scotch & Soda Opening Flagship in Shanghai

Jean E. Palmieri
·2 min read

Scotch & Soda has set its sights on China.

Mere months after introducing its brand to Chinese consumers on the Tmall platform, the Amsterdam-based brand has opened its first flaghip in Shanghai’s Xintiandi district.

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That will be followed over the next few months with a store in Shanghai’s Taikoo Li shopping center, as well as units in the Beijing Sanlitun and the Shanghai Reel. The company opened its first unit in the country in Wuhan in December 2021 so with the new stores, it will bring Scotch & Soda’s store count in China to five by the middle of this year.

Scotch & Soda first entered the country through a soft launch last summer and debuted its digital store on Tmall in October 2021. The bestselling items so far have been knitwear and jacket/coat options for women, as well as casual and print pants and sweatshirts for men. “Playful prints” to mix and match, along with denim have also been popular, according to the brand.

The flagship in Xintiandi is two floors and 289 square meters, located in a building built in the local and traditional Shikumen style of architecture. Scotch & Soda’s store boasts the brand’s “Free Spirit” design that blends warm colors with sleek design details.

The store is part of the brand’s expansion in China. - Credit: LOOK
The store is part of the brand’s expansion in China. - Credit: LOOK

LOOK

A spiral staircase links the two floors and a hanging neon light installation spells out the phrase: “The free spirit of Amsterdam,” which is visible through the floor-to-ceiling window. There are yellow sofas in the lounge areas, as well as custom brass fixtures, LED lighting, FSC wood herringbone flooring and hangers made from recycled materials.

The facade of the store sports the brand’s newly updated ampersand logo of a thread attached to the eye of a needle.

Frederick Lukoff, chief executive officer of Scotch & Soda, said: “Our new Shanghai flagship store marks an important step in our expansion and growth strategy in China. We look forward to bringing more brick-and-mortar locations in key cities this year and provide a multichannel experience to customers in this promising new market for the brand.”

The store is two levels. - Credit: LOOK
The store is two levels. - Credit: LOOK

LOOK

The goal, according to the company, is to continue adding stores in targeted locations in most of China’s tier-one cities, including Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Wuhan over the next couple of years.

Scotch & Soda is carried in more than 70 countries and it operates 247 freestanding stores in Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Australia.

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