Marimekko Oyj
MARIMEKKO EXPANDS INTO SOUTHEAST ASIA: NEW STORES IN SINGAPORE AND BANGKOK

DGAP-News: Marimekko Oyj

2015-01-20 / 06:30

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Marimekko Corporation, Press release, 20 January 2015 at 7.30 a.m.

The opportunities afforded by the growing consumer markets of Asia play an
important role in Marimekko's internationalisation. Over the past three years,
new markets have been opened up in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and the
Marimekko stores in Asia have doubled in number. 

Marimekko is continuing its expansion in Asia. Retailer-owned Marimekko stores
will be opened in the major Southeast Asian metropolises of Singapore and
Bangkok in spring 2015. The intention is to open more stores in the next few
years. The forthcoming store in Singapore will be in an excellent business
location in the new Capitol Piazza mall. A Marimekko shop-in-shop was already
opened in November 2014 at the famous Tangs department store, whose
international peers include, for example, Bloomingdale's of New York and
London's Selfridges. The Bangkok store will be opened in one of the city's
biggest and busiest shopping centres, Central World, which attracts as many as
150,000 customers a day. 

'In our expansion in the international marketplace, we have focused first and
foremost on regions with high growth potential. The Asia-Pacific region is our
second-largest market area, and we already have a fairly strong foothold in
East Asia. We are now aiming for two new markets in Southeast Asia as Marimekko
stores are opened in Singapore and Bangkok in the spring,' says Mika
Ihamuotila, President and CEO. 

'Singapore is a modern metropolis and very attractive to us, as it is
considered one of the region's top shopping destinations for tourists. As an
aviation gateway it also serves as an access point to many Asian countries, and
the city receives an enormous number of travellers. The capital city of
Thailand, Bangkok, is in an interesting stage of development from the retail
viewpoint. A number of high-class malls have been opened in the city recently,
and it is rising to be a noteworthy rival to Singapore and Hong Kong,'
Ihamuotila continues. 

Half of the new Marimekko stores opened in 2014 were in the Asia-Pacific
region: two in Hong Kong, one in Chengdu in mainland China, two in Seoul in
South Korea, and two in Japan. In Australia, Marimekko opened a company-owned
store in Melbourne. Two further shop-in-shops were opened, one in New Zealand
and another in Singapore. 

Further information:
Piia Kumpulainen, Head of Communications, tel. +358 9 758 7293,
piia.kumpulainen@marimekko.com 

DISTRIBUTION:
Key media

Marimekko is a Finnish textile and clothing design company renowned for its
original prints and colours. The company designs and manufactures high-quality
interior decoration items ranging from furnishing fabrics to tableware as well
as clothing, bags and other accessories. When Marimekko was founded in 1951,
its unparalleled printed fabrics gave it a strong and unique identity.
Marimekko products are sold in approximately 40 countries. In 2013, brand sales
of Marimekko products worldwide amounted to approximately EUR 191 million and
the company's net sales were EUR 94 million. The number of Marimekko stores
totalled 133 at the year end. The key markets are Northern Europe, North
America and the Asia-Pacific region. The Group employs around 500 people. The
company's share is quoted on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd. www.marimekko.com
News Source: NASDAQ OMX



---------------------------------------------------------------------

2015-01-20 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a
service of EQS Group AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements,
Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.
Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de

---------------------------------------------------------------------


Language:    English        
Company:     Marimekko Oyj  
 
 
             Finland        
ISIN:        FI0009007660   
 
 
End of News    DGAP News-Service  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
314745 2015-01-20