Retail in Asia

In Markets

Bluebell Group announces partnership with OnTheList in Taiwan

OnTheList Taipei4

Bluebell Group announces its Joint-Venture with OnTheList in Taiwan.

SEE ALSO : OnTheList 4th Anniversary : Let’s go through its journey!

Effective December 2019, Bluebell Group and OnTheList have established a Joint-Venture company for the Taiwanese market, with the objective to provide brands operating in the market with the opportunity to host omnichannel members-only flash sales.

After testing the model with pop-ups around the city of Taipei, the Joint-Venture secured a permanent location of 300 sqm since 1st December 2019, located in Taipei, No. 128, Section 3, Nanjing East Road, Zhongshan District.

This partnership is aimed at expanding OnTheList business into the Taiwanese market, following the rapid growth of the platform in Asia started in 2016, and present across 3 other cities: Hong Kong, Singapore, and Shanghai.

Bluebell Group’s Managing Director for Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, Samy Redjeb, expressed his delight in entering the partnership with such a fast-growing start-up like OTL:

“Together we have a very balanced partnership. OTL has strong expertise in operations and CRM, good regional synergies with different brands, and having the agility of a start-up, they are quite fast in making decisions based on their experience in other markets. Bluebell Group has the local market expertise, knowledge in leasing and key commercial district, strong operations and connections with brands and local partners alike. We have been in Taiwan for 40 years with a large retail footprint and customer network, so joining forces in this business will make it grow faster and better.”

Diego Dultzin Lacoste, Co-Founder and CFO of OnTheList also commented:

“Bluebell expertise on the market enabled us to find the best location for our OnTheList permanent showroom in Taipei and tap into its group of customers. Working with a leading distributor in Asia like Bluebell is a great privilege for OnTheList and a great opportunity to learn day after day retail best practices. Being a large group, Bluebell’s standards of practice are very high, which is what we aim for at OnTheList as we work with more and more luxury partners.”

Additionally, he added: “Sustainability is part of OnTheList DNA: helping brands to sell excess stocks with total control and to offer the best brands to OnTheList Members looking to access high quality products at the best prices.”

Retail in Asia has interviewed both Bluebell Group and OnTheList to know more about this partnership.

OnTheList… 

RiA: Bluebell Group’s seal of approval with the JV in the Taiwanese market represents a further proof of concept for OnTheList. What are the effects of this partnership on your business?

Diego: It is a great opportunity for OnTheList to work with Bluebell in Taiwan. Taiwan has always been an important place for luxury brands in Asia. The customers there are very sophisticated with a strong focus on quality.

The retail distribution network is very specific as most points of sales are under department stores. It allows OnTheList to target a different customer profile, younger and looking for better deals without scarifying on quality. Bluebell expertise on the market allowed to find the best location for OnTheList permanent showroom in Taipei and tap into this group of customers.

RiA : What does it mean for you to partner with a leading retail operator like Bluebell Group in such a close partnership?

Diego: Before signing the partnership, it was very important to understand whether the two companies were aligned in terms of values.  Even if Bluebell Group is certainly 100 times bigger than OnTheList, we share the same focus on people, L-T strategy and vision on sustainability.

OnTheList Taipei6
Source: Bluebell Group

 

Switching to Bluebell Group’s team in Taiwan… 

RiA: How does this JV with OnTheList contribute to Bluebell Group’s business in  the Taiwanese market?

Samy: Bluebell Group believes more and more in the JV model with key partners, we are more aligned on a longterm strategy and share the risks and results of the business together.

This innovative members-only flash sales business concept helps also our own brands with clearance, but with a more CRM-oriented strategy.

This JV is also very interesting in terms of business development because we work and help other brands and key retailers to clear their stock. This re-enforces our position in Taiwan as a key player in this market and giving us very good insights on the trends.

RiA: How does OnTheList operate in the Taiwanese markets in comparison to the others?

Samy: It is pretty much the same as Hong Kong, Singapore or China except that we have a Bluebell GM managing the day to day operation and the OTL Taiwan dedicated team, both reporting to the JV directors.

We also have some shared service functions like HR, Finance, some marketing activities that are supported by Bluebell Taiwan. OTL HQ is very supportive of the business and operation in Taiwan and we work in full transparency and share key decisions.

SEE ALSO : OnTheList lands in Shanghai

RiA: What type of brands you will be focusing on?

Samy: By nature, the business focuses on fashion and accessory luxury & lifestyle brands, those categories are more seasonal-driven and have left over at the end of each season.

We are mainly working with international brands with a good network of retail stores in Taiwan or large local multi brands players, as they need to have scale. We are also open to other product categories like home living products, Wine & spirit, cosmetics and fragrance.

Retail in Asia wishes all the best to both Bluebell Group and OnTheList for this new adventure and looking forward for new developments.

*Bluebell Group is the owner of Retail in Asia