How Central Group plans to boost its luxury retail business

It is present in 11 countries across 80 cities.

Central Group, which has the largest international presence of a department store network globally, identified luxury strategies to further expand its business.

In a statement, Central Group CEO Tos Chirathivat noted that they are present in 11 countries, 80 cities and 120 locations, with total department store sales expected to reach EUR6.7 this year.

To grow its luxury business, Central Group said it will develop and expand its collection of stores in major tourist cities and partner with luxury brands, noting that it is closely working with several brand conglomerates such as LVMH, Kering, and Richemont.

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“Store transformation and development is at the heart of Central’s strategy in Europe,” it said. “Each store is designed to showcase the uniqueness of its city and heritage, a story that is appreciated by local customers and tourists.”

It added that several store transformations and development are ongoing across multiple countries. The redevelopment of the underutilised hotel, car park, and mews is under assessment to create additional value at Selfridges Oxford Street.

Central also eyes becoming a leading e-commerce platform and a partner for luxury and fashion brands. Its e-commerce platforms in Europe welcome 30 million visitors monthly and generate EUR1b in sales annually, representing 17% of the total sales. International sales also account for 40% of the total of Selfridges.com

It also aims to establish Selfridges.com as the “ultimate global luxury online platform” by leveraging the website's global brand recognitions, merchandise and brand curation, exclusive collections across banners, advanced technology and data for personalised customer experience, and its presence in 11 countries.