Sayonara, Singapore: Japanese clothing brand Lowrys Farm terminates local operations

It’s closing eight stores across the island.

Japanese casual wear retailer Lowrys Farm is a high-profile casualty of the intensifying cost and hiring pressures that adversely impact local businesses. The brand has decided to close its eight stores here, with the pullout blamed on slow sales.

According to DBS, cost pressures and manpower woes may have contributed to the brand’s closure. The pullout is a “curious turnaround” for the retailer’s fortunes, which launched here in March 2012 and was still expanding its presence in late 2013.

“Lowrys Farm was operated directly by the brand’s principal, Adastria Holdings, rather than via an agent, which tends to be the typical route for many overseas fashion labels looking to expand into Singapore. This could have impacted its flexibility in managing costs, as brand agents with a larger pool of franchise names would have otherwise been able to replace an underperforming brand with a different concept,” stated DBS.