How TUMI redefines its premium lifestyle positioning with latest revamp

Recently, international travel and lifestyle brand TUMI has revamped several of its stores in Hong Kong as part of its APAC expansion, including those at Pacific Place and IFC.

This reflects the brand’s shift towards developing new, larger stores in prominent locations, as well as upgrading and expanding current key locations to reflect its premium lifestyle positioning, said Aris Maroulis, vice president, head of Asia Pacific and Middle East, TUMI, during an interview with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.

Created by TUMI’s global creative director Victor Sanz, the new store design concept features a sleek sophisticated aesthetic. The incorporation of materials such as marble, leather, and chrome creates a luxurious and inviting atmosphere, while LED screens support TUMI’s brand storytelling by featuring new product innovations, materials, and craftsmanship.

“The new concept delivers an enhanced and immersive TUMI brand experience while offering exclusive services, such as product monogramming and engraving, as well as comfortable spaces for our customers to engage with our full range of products,” said Maroulis.

While TUMI sees potential across APAC and the Middle East, the brand opened 15 new stores and renovated several others between January and September of this year. One-third of the brand's full-price locations in APAC and the Middle East have been updated to the new design concept, according to Maroulis.

“Many of our new stores are larger than our average store size. This is important as we are expanding our product assortment and want consumers to have the opportunity to fully experience our offerings,” he said. 

We feel strongly about providing our customers with the full, premium TUMI experience wherever and whenever they wish to interact with us.

The brand will maintain this strategy, reinforcing its commitment to both regions and strategically targeting markets with significant growth potential, said Maroulis. “The overall aim is to position TUMI for strong, sustainable growth in the region while continuing to deliver exceptional products and experiences to our valued customers."

Connecting with customers through the store revamp

More than ever before consumers are expecting a premium experience wherever they shop, according to Maroulis. To further enhance the customer shopping experience and create a strong sense of place and connection, TUMI has incorporated local cultural motifs in select stores in its regions.

“For example, a vibrant diamond motif at the Marina Bay Sands store inspired by the window frames of Singapore’s traditional shophouses or glass panelling at the Malaysia flagship that pays homage to the traditional Malaysia Songket brocade fabric,” said Maroulis.

Customers are also demanding a seamless integration of physical and digital retail offerings, the phygital experience, so we are hyper-focused on delivering a consistent, world-class TUMI experience across all our channels.

The role of Greater China in TUMI’s business strategy 

While Hong Kong serves as TUMI's regional headquarters, it is also an important market for the brand, catering to both local consumers and numerous visitors from mainland China and beyond, said Maroulis.

We believe that Hong Kong will continue to be an important market with regional significance.

With an increasing number of Hongkongers travelling north to destinations such as the Greater Bay Area during the holidays, Greater China has become a key focus for TUMI in terms of opening new store locations and refreshing existing ones. 

“We have recently opened two new stores in Shenzhen. The opening of these stores, including PAFC Mall in September and MixC World Shopping Mall in March, both in prime central business district (CBD) in FuTian and Nanshan areas, allows TUMI to be more accessible to customers travelling north,” said Maroulis.

“By placing stores in key locations, we ensure that travellers have easy access to TUMI, providing convenience and style to enhance their journeys,” he added. 

On the other hand, China is the world’s second-largest domestic travel market and is expected to grow in the coming years. Alongside the expected increase in domestic travel, TUMI also foresees a rise in Chinese international travel. 

We will be increasing our investment and presence with standalone stores in key airports and train stations, as well as continuing to upgrade our current locations to provide an even higher quality TUMI experience.

At the same time, TUMI has adopted several localisation strategies to address consumers' unique needs and preferences in the Greater China area. “For example, earlier this year, we launched a limited-edition Voyageur capsule available exclusively in select travel retail locations throughout Greater China," said Maroulis.

"Additionally, TUMI celebrates significant cultural moments by releasing a specially designed Lunar New Year collection and delighting customers with Mid-Autumn Festival gifting each year, demonstrating its commitment to resonating with local consumers and traditions," he added. 

Related articles:

TUMI captures Lando Norris' playful spirit in new campaign, refreshes HK stores
TUMI taps Mun Ka Young to star in global immersive campaign
TUMI shares moments with Son Heung Min in new campaign