How Sasa lost its shine amid fierce competition

HK retailer paved way for other multi-brand beauty hubs, but has fallen behind its rivals

Above: A Sasa shop at Tampines 1 mall. The cosmetics retailer will close all its 22 outlets in Singapore. PHOTO: JEREMY KWAN FOR THE STRAITS TIMES
Above: A Sasa shop at Tampines 1 mall. The cosmetics retailer will close all its 22 outlets in Singapore. PHOTO: JEREMY KWAN FOR THE STRAITS TIMES
Left: A Sasa store in Causeway Bay in Hong Kong. The brand started as a basement cosmetics counter in Hong Kong's Causeway Bay. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
Above : A Sasa store in Causeway Bay in Hong Kong. The brand started as a basement cosmetics counter in Hong Kong's Causeway Bay. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
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To some beauty lovers here, pink and white has become a garish combination to steer clear of in malls. But Sasa was not always poised to fail in Singapore.

On Monday, the Hong Kong cosmetics retailer announced that it is closing all its 22 stores here, although it has not confirmed when it would do so.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 06, 2019, with the headline How Sasa lost its shine amid fierce competition. Subscribe