APR’s fashion brand Nerdy opens two more stores in Vietnam

South Korea's cosmetic and clothing company APR announced on Wednesday that its street style fashion brand Nerdy opened its third and fourth stores in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The third store, which opened at the end of June this year, is located inside the shopping mall "The Loop" within one of Hanoi's landmark buildings, the Indochina Plaza Hanoi. The plaza is a popular destination for the young population, offering a multiplex cinema and a variety of restaurants.

The fourth store has been established at the much-discussed "Lotte Mall West Lake Hanoi," built by the South Korean company Lotte Shopping in the emerging affluent district of West Lake, Hanoi. This shopping mall boasts a total floor area of about 354,000 square meters, making it the largest of its kind in the city. It includes premium shopping outlets, a five-star hotel, an aquarium, and more, gathering high expectations from both local and international visitors.

The third and fourth stores of Nerdy were made possible through collaboration with the prominent local fashion distribution company Maison Retail Management International. Maison holds distribution rights for various famous domestic and international fashion brands, including Nerdy, and has considerable influence in the Southeast Asian region.

Nerdy plans to continue its offline expansion in Vietnam through its partnership with Maison. According to local sources, the popularity of distinctive street fashion, such as Nerdy, is on the rise due to the popularity of K-contents and the spread of related Korean culture.

Products featuring unique graphic designs, like short-sleeved t-shirts, are particularly popular, and accessories like shoulder bags are also gaining popularity. Despite the hotter climate compared to Korea, there are expectations for increased sales due to the rising demand for Fall-Winter season items among local consumers.

"Vietnam is a highly promising market with over 100 million people, a majority of whom are in their 20s and 30s, and with the middle-class population rising at a rapid pace," an APR source said. "We will do our best to achieve steady sales through continuous cooperation with local partners."

Write to Kyeong-je Han at hankyung@hankyung.com