US footwear brand Cole Haan lands in SG and MY via F J Benjamin tie-up

American footwear and accessories brand Cole Haan has appointed fashion and lifestyle group F J Benjamin (FJB) to retail and distribute its products in Singapore and Malaysia.

Under a distribution agreement, FJB will open several Cole Haan retail and outlet stores in the two markets. Additionally, an eCommerce business for Cole Haan will be launched in July. The Cole Haan stores will open in Singapore and Malaysia in the second half of the year, offering the summer season's best new products to the two markets. 

FJB has offices in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia and manages over 20 brands and operates 158 stores. Its brand portfolio includes fashion, lifestyle and timepiece brands. According to its website, the company works with brands such as Guess, Superdry, Casio, and Lancel, among others.

Douglas Benjamin, COO of FJB, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that its marketing plans for the brand will include effective brand-building across all touch points, which entails a commitment to consumer-centric, 360° strategies such as data-driven marketing and analyses, strategic collaborations, effective public relations campaigns, and strong CRM activations. These strategies are essential for building and maintaining deep and strong relationships with its customers and will need to be amplified, Benjamin said.

According to Benjamin, Cole Haan targets young, urban professionals in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties, who seek versatility, comfort and style in their everyday lives and at the same time appreciate quality and highly functional products with aesthetic sensibilities that can easily transition from day to night.

FJB will focus on digital marketing efforts on social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram. It will also engage social media influencers as they are particularly relevant and appealing to the target demographic, i.e. customers in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties. "An effective influencer marketing strategy will produce big returns for the brand," Benjamin added.

When asked how FJB plans to cut through the clutter given that the digital world is cluttered these days, Benjamin explained that the key to staying visible is to remain consistent in its communications on all platforms.

The company will embark on various digital collaborations with affluent media and influencers, malls, and other corporate or Buy Now Pay Later partners to amplify brand building for Cole Haan.

"We also believe that it is imperative to turn user data gathered from our e-commerce platforms and social media channels into actionable insights. Meticulous quantitative analysis will allow us to identify new approaches to social engagement and content creation, which dovetails with our larger customer-centric strategy to build the Cole Haan brand in Singapore and Malaysia," the sopkesperson explained.

Adrian Santos, SVP, international at Cole Haan, said it is extremely happy to start its new partnership with FJB and very excited about the opportunities the partnership will bring to Cole Haan consumers in Singapore and Malaysia. "FJB is a world-class operator in the Southeast Asia region and will take over our existing partnership soon," Santos added.

FJB group chief executive officer Nash Benjamin said: “We look forward to working with Cole Haan, a heritage brand known for quality and comfort, in Singapore and Malaysia. As an established manager of global fashion brands, FJB is confident that we can deliver what the Cole Haan brand stands for and take it to the next level of growth in these two markets.”

Meanwhile, the New York-based retailer offers its products through its owned stores and through wholesale distribution. In addition to its seasonal launches and silhouettes, Cole Haan collaborates with partners such as American comedian Hasan Minhaj and creative agency Jeff Staple, to offer limited edition products to its customers. 

Meanwhile, F J Benjamin sought to bolster its omnichannel strategy and foster an effortless shopping experience for customers with the formation of an advisory board in 2018. The board oversaw the omnichannel strategy that strengthened links between new digital channels and its network of stores and point of sales. According to Ben Benjamin, director of corporate strategy, F J Benjamin, and a member of the Advisory Board, previously, the brand is pursuing an omnichannel strategy in hopes of harnessing its existing customer database in the region. He added then that this should have a "twin impact" of optimising its regional network, as well as growing its business volume online.

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F J Benjamin to bolster regional omnichannel strategy with new advisory board