a global well-being company operating leading brands across sports, everyday goods, health and beauty, properties, and logistics sectors, today announced that it is taking Sun & Sand Sports (SSS), one of its most successful homegrown concepts, global.
Sun & Sand Sports, a GMG flagship brand and the Middle East’s largest sports retailer, is expanding its presence in Southeast Asia (SEA) through its first store in Singapore. The store combines the latest in digital retail technology and the widest selection of fitness and lifestyle products. The company plans to open 11 SSS stores across the Southeast Asian market, including Singapore and Malaysia, in the next 36 months.
Established in 1979 in Dubai, UAE, Sun & Sand Sports is touted for championing a strong sporting and active lifestyle across the Middle East with its solid portfolio of the world’s most loved sports, fitness, and lifestyle brands. Today, the brand represents a sports haven for Middle Eastern customers and offers seamless and superior shopping experiences for its customers both online and offline. It also mirrors the mercurial rise of parent company GMG into a leading global giant conglomerate.
Mohammad A. Baker, Deputy Chairman and CEO of GMG, said: “Over the years, Asia has become the world’s consumption growth engine. At GMG, we saw an opportunity to leverage our retail expertise from the moment we entered the SEA market. Through brands such as Sun & Sand Sports, we have constantly challenged ourselves to look at innovative ways to bring added value and best-in-class shopping experiences to our customers. The brand’s resounding success in the Middle East has been inspiring and we are thrilled to extend the SSS experience to Asian customers now.”
Southeast Asia is currently witnessing a retail boom, whether it is through immersive tech or digital payments. Its impressive growth is driven and sustained by young demographics, increasing spending power and digitally savvy consumers. Additionally, when it comes to Sports & Outdoor, the segment is projected to reach US$38.75bn in 2023, according to Statista. For GMG, the new SSS store is reflective of these consumer trends and therefore fits perfectly within the company’s aggressive growth plans across the region.
Fueled by the brand’s commitment to creating a fun and engaging experience that challenges every athlete to be the best version of themselves, the new SSS store located in the Raffles City complex in downtown Singapore invites shoppers to put their products to the test in several exciting ‘phygital’ zones spread throughout the store. Spanning across 11,000 sq. feet, the new store offers diverse global sports brands across varying sports and intensity levels.
Digital LED plinths, levitating shoes, pickup sensors, and more provide a dramatic backdrop to a modern and immersive consumer experience. A customization zone allows shoppers to personalize products to their taste, while an in-store digital foot scanner turns shoe shopping into a breeze. For those looking for new style inspiration, the ever-changing ‘Trend Edit’ zone curates some of the store’s best and most stylish products of the moment.
“We take pride in our position as a UAE-born global success story. This triumph is built upon setting new benchmarks for customer experience. In Singapore, we have done it again with the city’s most modern and interactive retail concept, establishing a new standard for sports retail,” said Carl Masterman, President – Sports, GMG.
Backed by its rich 45-year legacy, GMG aims to open 100 new stores by 2025 in Southeast Asia and has already established its Asian headquarters in Malaysia to oversee operations in the region. It has already opened 31 stores across Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia since entering the SEA market in 2020. In a defining move in December 2020, GMG acquired RSH, one of Southeast Asia’s largest multi-brand sports retailers, establishing its footprint in key international markets with a potential customer base of up to 700 million people.
