Singapore – As the pandemic forced businesses to shift to online, retail company FJ Benjamin (FJB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with e-commerce platform Lazada Singapore to boost its brands’ online-offline (O2O) retail experience e. The partnership aims to optimize regional online sales, as well as to expand and develop new FJB brands, to eventually integrate brick-and-mortar and virtual stores.
The signed MOU will see Lazada managing the full online ecosystem of FJB brands, developing new tailor-made solutions to deliver an excellent omnichannel customer experience for FJB brands in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The parties will also discuss with brand principals the opportunities for e-commerce in markets where Lazada has a presence, such as Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines.
Besides operating principal branded sites, it is also intended to host certain brands on LazMall as well as other regional sites, subject to principal approvals.
Group CEO of FJ Benjamin, Nash Benjamin, commented that the retail company has been strategizing and planning its omnichannel business model for some time now.
“This partnership with Lazada is intended to get us to where we want to be much faster and in a more cost-efficient manner. This will combine our respective capabilities to strengthen customer experience across brick and mortar and virtual channels,” said Benjamin.
Meanwhile, the CEO of Lazada Singapore, James Chang said that they are thrilled to be part of a new chapter with FJ Benjamin, valuing their trust in Lazada. Chang further shared that lifestyle, fashion and beauty are important pillars in their e-commerce plans and shoppers can now look forward to seeing more well-known brands and labels on their platform, for an integrated shopping experience.
“In the last year, Lazada has supported many businesses that adopted a multichannel approach to set up stores online and we know that our expertise in the e-commerce space will benefit and contribute to the success of a renowned brand like FJ Benjamin, and look forward to seeing positive results with them,” added Chang.
Last year’s lockdown forced FJB stores in Southeast Asia to close down, which led the company to turn to e-commerce. It has ramped up its online presence from one brand, the cult British fashion label Superdry, to almost all its brands including Guess, La Senza, Casio, Rebecca Minkoff, Pretty Ballerinas, Airfree, and Dr. Barbara Sturm. Some of the brands managed by FJB are already available on Lazada’s premiere shopping platform, Lazmall, such as La Senza, Pretty Ballerinas, and Petunia Pickle Bottom.
The press release shared that under the terms of the MOU, both FJB and Lazada will, within 90 days, work on a detailed action plan and a definitive agreement to move the partnership forward.
